Happy Birthday

1. Birthday Glow, 2. wrapped for a party, 3. Cupcakes!, 4. birthday cake

We had a birthday around here last week. Our kid busted into the Tweens with all the flair and gusto with which she normally does anything. No, I can't believe we're at eleven already and I wonder what I've been doing for the past eleven years. Just trying to keep up, I guess.

by [ Leah ]

My husband and I travelled the fertility treatment road and when we got to the end of that road, we decided to sit at the intersection for awhile and rest. Rest, heal, cry a little bit if we needed to, and see what God wanted us to do next.

And then, beyond all scientific explanation, there she was- a miracle and a blessing neither one of us thought we deserved. To me, this precious child is a demonstration of both God's grace and His mercy.

I don't have any profound insights into parenting. It's been such a different trip than I ever imagined, with valleys to climb out of and hilltops from which to enjoy the view. Always more hilltops. I'm still amazed at how suddenly you fall in love with someone you've just met. You start out together, total strangers, and as you get aquainted that sudden love takes on incredible depth and richness and passion.

How is it that I can love my child so much? I believe that because God so desperately wants relationship with us, He builds into us a huge capacity for love. We are made in His image and our ability to love is a reflection of His image, of His love for us. That capacity to love doesn't grow out of the primordial soup. It is planted in us in order to respond to His love for us. That the ability to love spills out to others is like, well, frosting on the cake.

by TheKarenD

What do we do with birthday cake? We share it. Likewise, we share God's love with those around us, we reflect that love, we spread that love, because He has given us that capacity. Because He loves us.

And has blessed us.

August is National S'Mores Month- yes it is!!

by Reckless_Reckra via Creative Commons

We're pretty big S'Mores fans at our house and I may as well just come clean- it's mainly me. Big Un doesn't have much of a sweet tooth and the kid has a sweet tooth but there better be chocolate involved, so S'Mores work. Me- I have a sweet tooth, hide the S'Mores.

by cseward via Creative Commons

I have been collecting S'Mores recipes for years and it's quite amazing the incredible variety of ways you can incorporate chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers into a recipe. I've never come across a low-fat S'Mores based recipe and honestly I'm not so sure I would be interested. Really- isn't half the fun of eating S'Mores that feeling that you are being oh-so-bad and you thrill  over the total decadence and bazillion calories? It's something that is so indulgent and sensual and disgusting in a sexy kind of way that it should lead straight to hell. But it doesn't! It only leads to that sick feeling of being incredibly ashamed of having enjoyed such hedonistic abandon and even though you are totally grossed out and remorseful, swearing you'll never do it again, you know you will.

Image via Wikipedia

You know how when you bite into a S'More that's fresh and hot off the fire you'll sometimes get that drip of scalding marshmallow on your chin? How can anything on earth be that hot? And when you try to peel it off, it takes a layer of chin-skin with it!

Image by kretyen via Flickr

I view that marshmallow branding as my just punishment for eating S'Mores. But even that is part of the total S'Mores Experience and is so awesome. Sick- but I like it.

I've never contemplated a S'Mores tat, but ...

by dr. huxtable via Flickr Creative Commons

So not only is August National S'Mores Month- there's a S'Mores Day as well. August 10th is the day to get your S'Mores Gluttony Groove on. The recipe for S'Mores Bars that I am going to share with you is from the Hershey's website and would be a perfect way to celebrate the day.

You're already salivating, aren't you? OK, let's get to work.

S'Mores Bars

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 (1.55 oz each) Hershey chocolate bars

1 cup marshmallow creme

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well.

Stir together the flour and graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt.

Add this to butter mixture and beat until blended.

Press half the dough into the prepared pan.

Arrange the chocolate bars over the dough, breaking them as needed to fit.

Spread the marshmallow creme on top.

Scatter bits of  the remaining dough over marshmallow and carefully press to form the top layer.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cut into bars when completely cool.

Mmm, S'Mores Bars.

How fast do these go when you take them to work? Fifteen minutes.

Before I go, I would like to share a couple other S'Mores delights with you. This is S'Mores season of course and so manufacturers are getting their goods out. Lucky us.

The folks over at Pepperidge Farm really have come a long way from the original fish crackers. Love 'em! Now the S'Mores fish. And not only are they baked, they are made with whole grain. Gotta be good for you, right? These are actually 3 different kinds of crackers- the marshmallow, the graham, and the chocolate, the idea being that you stack them up and make little fish S'Mores sandwiche. Shoving a handful into your mouth all at once gets the same effect. Sadly, I must report, after extensive research, that these are not as yummy as other efforts to capture the S'Mores seasonal market. Like the Ritz crackers S'Mores-- oh, now those were good.

(If you look closely you can see the menacing sky in the pic above. Man, have we ever had some huge storms this summer. But I digress ...)

My kid and I did Sonic the other day and look what I parked right next to! Yea, you better get one too because they're all that and more.

Image via Wikipedia

Check out these links for s'more fun with chocolate and graham crackers:

More S'Mores More Smiles is a page by Kraft that has all kinds of fun little recipes and activities as well as an opportunity to sign up to win some cool prizes.

Baking Bites has a nice S'Mores fudge recipe here (and you thought it couldn't get any more decadent).

It's been fun today. I suspect we'll see more S'Mores this month. Yeah!

Fruity Fun Friday- Asian Pears

Welcome to a new feature here on The Butterfly Jungle -- Fruity Fun Friday.

I love fruit of almost every shape and variety. One of the things I loved about Cambodia, besides the truly amazing folks I met there, was the fruit.

You only had to go a minute or two down any road before you would come across a fruit market with some of the most gorgeous and, I soon learned, delicious fruit you've ever met. My ho-hum "Oh yes, I like fruit" attitude quickly transformed into a renewed passion for fruit of every kind.

Except Durian. Maybe we'll talk about Durian some Fruity Fun Friday. Don't expect recipes.

Since returning home, I have made an effort to incorporate more fruit into our meals and to keep an eye out for any new varieties needing to be tested. So we'll take a look at a different fruit each Fruity Fun Friday. Some will be familiar to us and hopefully we'll discover some new fruit friends to keep a lookout for at the grocery store. We'll learn a bit about the featured fruit and if possible I'll share a recipe with you. Some fruits I simply won't be able to locate in my neck of the woods but that doesn't mean we can't get acquainted. And just so you know, Fruity Fun Friday will be a recurring though not weekly feature.

So let's look at our inaugural fruit, the Asian Pear.

Pear season is just beginning to get started and a nice progression of pears will be available from now with the arrival of Bartlett through winter with the Anjou . But what about those pear-ish apple-like things that you frequently see lovingly wrapped in their own cushy mesh net?

Asian Pears. Apple pears. Chinese, Japanese, Sand, or Nashi Pear. Delicious pears.

Asian pears have a very crispy texture and are very sweet and juicy. Their flavor is milder than the pears with which you may be familiar and are harvested ripe instead of green. While Asian pears have a longer shelf life than most pears the skins are more likely to bruise, which is the explanation for the cuddly nets. Asian pear trees are very labor intensive, requiring regular rather aggressive pruning in order to produce larger fruit. As a result yield per tree is low. The low yield and popularity of Asian pears combine to drive the cost of our Asian friend fairly high. This week they were $2.00 USD a pound at my local grocery store. However ....   they really are delicious and so I fork out the cash.

from Wikimedia Commons

Nutritionally, Asian pears ring in at about 50 calories each and are a good source of fiber as well as Vitamins C and K. And they are so juicy.

Alright-- let's talk business. What about eating Asian pears?

Asian pears are generally eaten raw, alone or in salads and slaws, as cooking them tends to destroy their unique crispy-crunchy texture.

I started with the slaw recipe from the CDC's great website Fruits and Veggies Matter. I did make a couple personal preference tweaks and those are reflected in the recipe below. An Internet search will bring you some really yummy looking possibilities and I may have to save my allowance for more Asian pears.

Asian Pear Slaw with Chilies

2 stalks of celery, sliced very thinly
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp crystallized ginger root, minced
2 Asian pears, peeled and sliced  1/4-inch thick
1/3 cup Vadalia onion
1/4 cup fresh Cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp Jalapenos, minced

Whisk together the  liquids then add the remaining ingredients. Let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.

The first thing you notice when tasting this slaw is the crispiness and mildness of the pears, followed by the tangy lime juice. And then the jalapenos sneak up on you. It's delicious.

Image by acloudman via Flickr

So thanks for stopping by today. Hope you enjoyed our first Fruity Fun Friday and I look forward to seeing you again.

Flickr Favs- Remy

1. Good Boy, 2. Pie-Bald, 3. Listening, 4. A Noble Profile

1. You Love Me, Don't You, 2. What Do I Do With My Back Legs, 3. Watching and Wishing, 4. Sit Down To Read and I'll Snuggle With You

He's such a good boy. I've never had a dog that I didn't like, but my daughter's Rat Terrier is a real lover boy. Just had to share.

Rat Terriers are more a type of dog than a breed, though the AKC has recognized then for performance competition. They are similar in build, temperament, and history to the mixed breed "feist". Ratties were bred for speed and were likely crossed of other small terriers such as the Manchester and Smooth Fox Terrier, as well as Whippets, Greyhounds, beagles, and Chihuahuas. This varied genetic background makes the Rat Terrier a very healthy, intelligent dog.

Frequently mistaken for Jack Russells, Rat Terriers have a less aggressive temperament and are not as high strung. They also have pretty solid couch-potato genes. When we first brought Remy home, he took one look at the couch and dove in among the pillows. He loves to rest and cuddle. Our Remy is loyal, loving, very sensitive to our emotions, and always in a happy mood. But when his "On" switch has been flipped he tears around like a small tornado.

So, Rat Terriers were originally bred for speed. To race? Nope- to hunt vermin. During the early 1900's your farm almost wasn't a farm if you didn't have a rattie or two in the barn. The reported record for most rats killed by one dog in an infested barn is 2501 rats in 7 hours. Our Remy is a sweet and lovable guy, but I've seen him transform before my eyes into a fierce and tireless maniac when a stray raccoon or possum wandered in from the field. They didn't survive.

I've also seen him on-task for hours, hoping to get his paws on a mouse that ran under the stove.

How can you not love a dog that has polka dots on his belly?

 Want to fetch more Flickr Favs on all kinds of subjects (not just doggie-love)? Trot on over to ArtMind for some tail-wagging fun.

Hey- thanks for stopping by today.

Fruit Pizza

Mmmm- pizza.
Mmmm- fruit.
Mmmmmmmm- fruit pizza!













I got this recipe from a co-worker several years ago and even though I've seen other versions, this is the one I use. Let's get started...


Ingredients

 

Crust

Sugar Cookie dough- homemade or store-bought in the tube. Spritz cookie recipe is tasty or a regular sugar cookie recipe with almond instead of vanilla.

Glaze
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch

Cream
8 oz cream cheese
Whipped topping- small container
1/4 cup sugar
vanilla

(Sorry this photo looks so garish.)

Fruit- your choice
Cup up fruit in manageable bite-size pieces or slices, depending on the fruit. Pineapple doesn't work real well because it leaks so much juice (which of course is why it's so good in the first place). Ditto for mandarin oranges and other canned or jarred fruit. Fresh mango over jarred or frozen.  Hold off on cutting up fruit that browns until you're putting the pizza together.

First- the crust. Press your cookie dough out into a lightly grease cookie sheet, or, as I did here, into a 9x13 casserole dish, which makes a thicker slightly chewier crust. I was taking this with me and this dish has a lid. You don't have to use all of the cookie dough in the smaller dish- just bake the extra as cookies. Someone will eat them.

You can, of course, bake the dough on a round pizza pan but that cuts up into such huge slices and I'll just be honest- this is a rich dessert. Small pieces go far. I've made this in 3 cake pans to get smaller round "pizzas" and the slices are more reasonable.

Oh- bake the dough until it's golden brown. In the casserole dish it takes 20-25 minutes. Cool completely.

While the dough is baking, make your glaze. Mix all of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Keep an eye on it and a stirring spoon in it as it thickens up suddenly and can scorch. You can fiddle around with the water amount depending on if you want a thick or thin glaze over the fruit. Let this cool completely also. If you have to go away and come back later, you can stick this in the 'frig but you'll need to gently warm it back up again as it gets pretty thick when chilled.

Once the crust and glaze have cooled, you're ready to put it all together. Make the cream filling by mixing it all together and blending well. I've reduced the amount of sugar in this recipe considerably as the whole thing is fairly rich. Spread the cream over the crust in an even layer.

Cut up your fruit. You can do a couple of things here. Coat only the fruit that browns with the glaze (make the glaze thin in this case). This gives you the option of placing each piece of fruit on the pizza in a pretty pattern. Or you can mix all the fruit together and coat it all with the glaze and then just spread it out over the cream filling all in a riot of color and festivity. I suppose there is a thesis for a psychology major lurking in which method you prefer: ordered patterns or chaos. Anyway, you can ditch the whole glaze thing and soak the fruit that browns in lemon or pineapple juice.

Finally, chill the whole pizza before you serve. Cut the pieces small-ish because did I mention that this dessert is kind of rich? But it's OK- it has fruit and fruit is good for you.

Here are a couple other pics I found on Creative Commons, just to give you a look.

by cbcs

by jeffisageek

What if you drizzled chocolate over the top? Oh my...