Happy Valentine's Day from Benjamin!

Ben's First Food

Yesterday, Josh and I took Ben and the dogs over to my parents' house. Ben got to try rice cereal for the first time while we were there! He definitely was ready and got the spoon concept after a couple attempts!





Later on, he played with his Opa Peter...



and as always, couldn't resist putting his hands in his mouth.



Finally he was ready for a quick nap!



But not for long - soon he was bright-eyed again!



Ben even stayed up to skype with his Aunt Alicia, while his Oma Angie held him.



A few hours after we got home, Ben got a fever. Hopefully he'll get better today. If not, Josh will be taking him to the doctor's office tomorrow. Poor little guy! At least when Josh and I get sick, we know what's going on - I can't say the same for Benjamin!

February already?

This year is going by very quickly. Ben is now about 4.5 months old!

At his 4 month check-up, we were told he is doing well - over 90% in weight and 14% for height! (Evidently similar to how Josh was as a baby...)

At he gets bigger, he spends more and more time on the floor!

Cocoa-Banana Muffins

In an attempt to lessen my cookbook purchases, I'm trying to check them out from the library to decide whether or not to purchase them. Recently I checked out "The Modern Baker" by Nick Malgieri.

This weekend, my mom and I made his Cocoa-Banana Muffin recipe. Yum!



Another use for very ripe bananas... and who can resist chocolate?

Spicy Calamari Stew with Garlic Toast

Ever since my first trimester of pregnancy, Josh has wanted me to make a Giada de Laurentiis recipe for Spicy Calamari Stew.

Our grocery store finally had calamari on Friday night, so we made it. It's definitely a winter dish, and since we both like chunky soups, we'll need to figure out what vegetables will go well in it for next winter.

I'm just glad that we finally crossed something off our "to do" list!

Polenta-crusted Shrimp with Honey Mustard Sauce

I love seafood. But with nursing Ben (and being pregnant before that), I have been limiting my seafood intake to avoid consuming too much mercury (torture while visiting Vancouver - so many seafood dishes...).

Shrimp is lower in mercury. I'm not sure why it took me so long to start cooking with it. I made a Giada de Laurentiis recipe for Polenta-crusted Shrimp with a Honey Mustard Sauce.

The shrimp came out "fluffier" than I expected, but paired wonderfully with the sauce. I think next time we'll try it with panko or coconut instead for some variety. This will be a good recipe for when Ben starts eating normal food!

Penne with Steak and Arugula

Josh and I have never cooked steak intentionally for a pasta dish. But, there's a first time for everything, and this was a good first! We made a Giada de Laurentiis recipe for Penne with Beef and Arugula.

I really liked the sauce - and the leftovers were good with some garlic bread.

This is a repeat dish!

Houston Auto Show

Every year, since I was little, I've looked at cars at the Houston Auto Show with my dad. When Josh and I were dating, he started going as well. This was Ben's first year!



Ben insisted on being held (no stroller for him!), and liked the bright colors on the cars. The show was much different than in other years - less cars from the companies and much less people in attendance. Hopefully like the rest of the economy, this too will pick up soon.

Chicken Mushroom Casserole

The night that the stomach flu struck our house, I made a Chicken Mushroom Casserole from a Rachael Ray magazine (I used to subscribe). It came out as expected, but since we associate it with the sickness, I can barely stomach even looking at the photo. Casseroles are definitely on hold for now.

It's been a while...

After the holiday season, Ben's routine was messed up. Josh and I agreed we had to stop doing so much, and spend more time at home.

The past few weekends we've mainly been at home, but stuck with different illnesses (even poor Ben, who is napping with a fever as I type :( ). One week I had a cold, stomach flu and conjuntivis! Josh is now feeling ill. One weekend all three of us had the stomach flu. Thanks to my mom, Ben was taken care of while Josh and I could barely move!

Here are some of the moments between sneezes, sleep and work...

As Ben gets more interactive, he is grabbing for everything (and now putting anything he can in his mouth!). Perry and him are starting to be more interactive.



Sadie barks a lot, but occasionally is quiet. During some of those precious moments, she rests on the cool tile floor.



One weekend in mid-January, Josh's family visited us. Ben was enjoying lots of floor time!



Oma Glenda took this photo of Ben discovering his feet:



A couple of days later, he was climbing Josh's leg!



Soon after, it was back to floor time with Sadie!



Unfortunately, Ben likes to watch computer games.



Ben seems more and more like his Daddy every single day!



Ben even likes to sleep a lot.

Beef Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Red Wine

Sometimes ad-hoc recipes work - and sometimes they don't. This one was a big don't - but I'd like to learn from my mistakes. I tried to make a Beef Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Red Wine.

I used the leftover steak, roasted carrots and roasted parsnips to make a pasta sauce with tomato sauce, red wine, garlic, italian seasoning and other spices.

Josh couldn't finish the dish. I don't blame him - neither could I.

Fudge Esctasies

Due to a request from my co-workers, I made some cookies mid-week (once again, a few weeks ago). The cookies I made were called Fudge Ecstasies, a Better Homes & Gardens cookie recipe.

They were almost like brownies in cookie format... and easy to make (in a saucepan!).



My co-workers gave them rave reviews.

Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

It's been weeks since my last post. So weeks ago, Josh and I enjoyed Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, based on an Ina Garten recipe in her cookbook "Back to Basics."

Very simple and satisfying - especially with the steak that Josh cooked perfectly. We'll be making this again.