Christmas Cookies, Crafts, and Shenanigans

Tis the season for doing a million things a day - it's so fun! I decided to do a simple craft this Christmas which doubles as a treat...it is Santa's Red Underwear which will be stuffed with candy.

Next, I planned a Christmas Tree Party. I made gingerbread men earlier in the day so that we could have cookies and hot chocolate after we got home from picking out the perfect soft, fluffy tree.
We lugged my parents and Heather a long way out of the way to go to a tree lot where all the trees were from Kallispell, Montana (which Chad says is the most beautiful place on earth). We picked out the perfect tree and made our way carefully home on snowy roads. Then we had hot chocolate with whipped cream, shaved chocolate, and candy canes and bit the heads off of our innocent and tasty gingerbread men. It was lots of fun!

Heather and Merritt sip away.Grace, Grandma, and Poppa thaw out with hot chocolate.Grace with this year's tree.

A Lost Tooth And A Black Eye

Merritt's dangling front tooth finally gave up the fight to stay in his mouth during breakfast yesterday. Who knew a waffle could pull out a tooth! I was a little concerned because this tooth became wiggly after smacking into Grant's head, and I was afraid that the new tooth wouldn't be ready to move into place. I was much reassured, however, to see the edges of his permanent tooth visible along the gum line. He won't be a red-neck yokel for too long! (Ha!) I think he looks darling with his new gap-toothed grin.

Speaking of smacking into stuff, Grace had a run-in with a shopping cart. In case you haven't guessed, the cart won.

A Place Where Everyone Knows Your Name

Sunday services at the Angouleme branch were wonderful. I knew that the combined Priesthood/Relief Society Lesson was on Family History and that "Mosiah" in English is still "Mosiah" in French, which meant that I could read the scriptures listed on the board during Sunday School. I enjoyed the enthusiasm of the teachers and the camaraderie of the members. We adjourned to the tiny chapel for Sacrament Meeting and attempted to sing hymns in French. The Spirit was very strong and I was so touched by Brother Paul Fransconi's obvious delight and great humility as he passed the sacrament. As it was Fast and Testimony meeting, I took the opportunity to share my testimony, with my dad acting as translator. I can still see the faces of the branch members as they listened, so kind and attentive, and I could easily understand why my parents loved the people of the branch so much. We sang "Dieu soit avec toi jusqu`au revoir", which is "God be with you till we meet again" to you anglais speakers, at the close of the meeting. Everyone wept and my sisters and I felt like the biggest jerks for taking away our sweet parents from the people who had come to love them so much. I had been promised in a blessing that I would see my parents stand in the authority of their calling and recognize the great work they had done, and it was so. My parents are not static but fluid, growing and changing in the Lord. I want to do that too.

A Place I Never Thought I'd Be

After I got over crying about leaving my wonderful husband and cute kids and hooked up with Heather and Sandra at the airport, I had to pinch myself because I couldn't get over the fact that I was headed to France. I mean, come on...ME??!! I know people who travel and think nothing of it, but I'm a bit of a homebody. Plus I'm afraid of planes (I have watched way too many episodes of LOST), don't eat cheese, and I don't speak French. My most ambitious life plan was to travel to England, where at least I could communicate with people, and I would have probably traveled by boat. (Actually, according to LOST, that's not a safe way to travel either!) But here was the perfect set-up! My parents were already there, they knew their way around, they spoke the language, and I would be an idiot if I didn't take the chance - so off I flew.

I sat next to Heather and we giggled and read installments of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (they're so good!).

Sandra kicked my chair from behind.Feel my sister's pain...they had to travel with me - SCARY!!!
We traveled for many hours and suffered through the worst line-up of airline movies EVER! (Anything with Eddie Murphy STINKS!) This was our first glimpse of France as we winged our way toward Charles de Gaulle Airport, which, can I tell you, is a nutty place. It was like, Hello France! I've never been in an airport that sold high end clothing before!

We hopped a quick flight from Paris to Bordeaux and Sandra and I were bawling before we'd taken ten steps off the plane. We made our way through the crowds lined up to get their luggage and into the arms of our parents. I get warm fuzzies just thinking about it. What a reunion! Jaime was already there with the adorable Chase, so we had fun hanging out waiting for my aunt Laraine's plane to arrive. Then it was into the super, space-age, bug-eyed van to zip toward Angouleme.

We arrived at the home where my parents had been living and quickly changed into church clothes so that we could go to the branch...
and see a baptism. Sweet Sephora was so happy and I was so happy for her. Plus I began to learn an important lesson - the Spirit of God is a universal language. We all felt the peace and joy that is the fruit of the Spirit and were able to communicate, even through our language barrier. I have to say that I really liked Brother Francisconi, who was recently baptized as well. He came up to us all with a big smile, a handshake, and a super friendly "Bonjour!" I responded to that with a big ol' American "HELLO!" which seemed to delight him no end. Every time he saw me after that he declared "HELLO!" with the exact same inflection and tone that I had used when we met. It was hilarious. We had a "meet and greet" after the baptism with lots of food involved and I got very brave and tried the rillette. I didn't ask what it was until AFTER I ate it but it turns out that it is pork slow cooked until it is tender and then somehow made into an paste that is easily spread on toast. The kicker was that it was topped with goose fat! It was actually good, so go figure.

R.I.P. - my french hat

This is my family on our awesome tour of France. See me? I have on a super-cute hat I bought at a hat store in Angouleme...a place called Chapellerie Bruays. I kept the receipt because it says "A bientot" at the bottom. I wore my hat on Tuesday, a black day full of annoyances because Grace turned on the dome light in the car and killed the battery. I didn't find out until I went to pick up Merritt from school and the car wouldn't start. Merritt is a worry-wart. If I am late to pick him up he starts to imagine me in various life-or-death scenarios...it isn't good. I stuffed the kids into the double stroller and ran to school with my cute hat on my head. As soon as I arrived at my destination and stopped running my head start to feel really, really hot. I pulled my hat off and placed it on top of the stroller canopy, just for a minute. That was the last time I saw it. My cute French hat fell off the stroller and I didn't realize it until we were close to home. I tried to backtrack for a bit, but the kids were so cold, tired, hungry and onry that I gave up after two blocks and took them home instead. I asked a jogger to keep an eye out for my hat and put it off to the side if she saw it, but when I went back later the hat was nowhere to be seen. I think someone found it and helped themselves. My hat is gone and I am sad.

Test Kitchen Tuesday - Crazy Sounding Dinner Edition

I know that it is Wednesday, but I missed my Tuesday food post because Tuesday was PSYCHO!! And I know that I need to get on to blogging on my France trip, so that will be next. PROMISE! On to the food...

I LOVE the Rookie Cookie, I think she is super talented and funny. I have made many, many tasty dishes from her website - most of which are her own creation. When I saw the post for Pasta with Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions & Pancetta, I knew I had to give it a try. The process kinda freaked me out (you cook the onions for 2 1/2 hours - but that can be done earlier in the day so do not despair) but the dinner was worth it. YUMMY!

Pasta with Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions & Pancetta

1 Tbsp olive oil
3 red onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 lb pasta of your choice
4 cups chopped butternut squash
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed from stems and minced, about 1/3 cup
4 oz pancetta (about 10 thin slices), chopped
1/4 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving, if desired

In a small skillet, combine the olive oil, red onions and salt. Set over low heat and cover, stirring occasionally for 2 1/2 hours. Once the onions are cooked down and browned, remove from pan and onto a plate and set aside.

In a small skillet over medium high heat, add the pancetta. Saute until browned and then pour onto a paper towel to drain. Set aside.

In a large pot of salted water over high heat, boil the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Once the oil runs quickly in the pan, add the butternut squash and rosemary. Cook until softened, about 15 minutes. Gently stir in caramelized onions. Add butter and stir until melted. Pour in heavy cream and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cooked pasta and pancetta. Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Yield 6 servings.

Okay - here are my notes from my cooking experience.
1. I had Chad pick up some pancetta at Granatos and it didn't come in slices - it came as a 4oz chunk of rolled Italian meat. I chopped it up into small pieces and it worked great, so don't get worried if your pancetta doesn't come thinly sliced. If you can't get pancetta at your local store, buy bacon.
2. I followed the Rookie's advice to a T and used a small frying pan for my onions, but I was too literal - I picked the smallest skillet I had. Definitely use a larger pan to caramelize your onions in. Mine were just steaming in their little pan and didn't caramelize until I took the lid off and cranked up the heat.
3. Choppping everything before you start is always helpful!
4. I had never used a butternut squash before and wasn't sure what I was doing, but I decided to peel the skin off using a vegetable peeler. I kept at it until I was to the orange flesh, then chopped it into two parts, found that there were seeds (looked like the insides of a pumpkin) in the bowl of the squash, had Heather scrape that out, and chopped it all up. Not hard!
5. Finally, my sauce thickened up faster than I expected, so I took it off the heat halfway through it's simmering time.

ENJOY!

Is there tryptophan in that pb&j??

Grant falls asleep over his lunch most days. I find it hilarious. Here is the proof...in full color photos!