A Look Back at Our Christmas Day

This is long overdue, but somehow fitting to post our Christmas Eve/Day highlights on the Feast of the Epiphany - and the 12th day of Christmas. While we are no longer in a festive mood - the kids have been really sick for a few days now - we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas together. We spent lot of time indoors, playing games, drinking cocoa, cuddling, and just enjoying our time together as a family. Christmas was so fun with the kids this year - Matthew truly was able to grasp the meaning of the season (as well as a little bit of the greediness as well) and it was a blast watching both kids open gifts on Christmas Day.

On Christmas Eve, Paul and I spent the majority of the day putting some final touches on our Christmas preparations and getting ready for our fancy dinner and nighttime Mass. As usual, we had a late lunch of sliced charcuterie, crackers, homemade ciabatta, and hot crab dip. I tried a new recipe this year because I have been in love with Worcestershire sauce lately and I don't think we're ever going back to our old one. It was so delicious - we couldn't stop eating it! I'm posting the recipe at the bottom of the page because it really is a keeper!

Anyway, after our snack and a quick nap, I made some cinnamon roll dough for Christmas morning and Paul began making the broth for Cioppino. We splurged a little bit on our seafood by ordering some high quality scallops, shrimp, and sea bass from an organic grocer. The freshness was out of this world. That sea bass was the most beautiful piece of raw fish I have ever seen. Paul and I almost felt bad about filleting and skinning it.

While Paul cooked the mussels in butter and wine, I set the table. I had to take a picture of our fancy dining room all ready for a disastrous, messy dinner with young children. Since we have white carpet, we have to line them with towels because both kids are prone to spillage. It does take a way from the "fancy" atmosphere we were trying to create.

Finally, we sat down to eat! Matthew was so adorable the entire day, but he really exceeded our expectations by eating his entire bowl of Cioppino! I don't consider him very adventurous with food, but he does seem to enjoy seafood - especially mussels! Emma, on the other hand, was an absolute beast. She ate most of her bass and preferred spending the rest of the meal slugging back sparkling cider.

After dinnertime, we immediately bathed the children and dressed them in fancy clothes to try to make them look presentable for Christmas! Matthew cleaned up nicely, but Emma kept pulling her hair ties out. She looked like a street urchin.

Christmas Mass was so beautiful. Instead of going to Midnight Mass as we have every other year, we opted for the 7:30pm Mass hoping that the kids would be a little more enjoyable. We were wrong. Emma was a beast. Seriously, she was the most terrible she has ever been in church. I spent the majority of Mass so tense about her behavior. It seemed that every other child was perfectly angelic and then there was our daughter, thrashing and crying in the back while one of her parents (we took turns) struggled to not drop her.

I shouldn't really lump Matthew in with her behavior. He was pretty good except for one point when he wouldn't stop kissing my arm (sweet but annoying) and then during the sign of peace when he preferred growling at everyone who wished him "Merry Christmas!"

We survived Mass and afterwards spent a bit of time gazing at the life-size nativity scene our parish sets out on Christmas Eve. It's absolutely beautiful and the kids just love looking at it. Then, we headed home and took some obligatory family photos before getting them ready for bed.

In case you are wondering, they are clutching pieces of our Nativity Scene. 

I was so done with the children by that point - they were both whiny and in desperate need of sleep. We said our prayers in front of the Nativity, sang some carols, and then threw them in bed. They fell asleep really quickly. Paul and I watched the last bit of It's a Wonderful Life on NBC before piling all the gifts under the tree. I of course could not make it through the end of that movie without crying my eyes out. Darn these hormones.

We collapsed into bed, completely exhausted from the activities of the day. I had a hard time sleeping - I was so excited for Christmas morning with the little ones! I ended up staring at the ceiling while feeling the baby kick for a good hour before I was finally able to fall asleep.

Soon enough, the pitter-patter of little feet in the hallway woke both Paul and I up. That and Emma's timid little knock on the door: "Mommy? Daddy?" The kids were awake! We had instructed Matthew before bed to not go downstairs until we were all awake. So, he had woken Emma up and dragged her out of her crib before attempting to wake us up. He was so darn excited.

Riley seemed to really like his catnip. He couldn't wait to tear open the package!

Pooh Bear!

Showing off his new Gorilla slippers and train hat from Grandma and Grandpa!

We headed downstairs. Emma began chanting that she wanted cereal before seeing the presents under the tree. Suddenly (and this is a shocker!), she forgot about her stomach and was fascinated with all the gifts! Matthew headed straight for the stockings. Since my kids are so weird about candy, they received relatively no sweets - just lots of Cuties and a few Fruit Roll-Ups. They also received a lot of bath accessories - bath bombs, bubble bath, bath toys, etc. Emma was very happy with her "Princess" bubble bath and wanted to take a bath right then and there. We had to convince her to hang around and open the rest of her gifts.

She loves her stuffed animals. Her collection is getting a little out of hand.

Thanks Uncle Peter for the giraffe! She loves it!

Matthew received a robotic dinosaur that he quickly named "Raptor Rex" that we have been enjoying siccing on the cat in addition to a couple new board games that are fun for both adults and kids. The highlight for him, however, was unwrapping a Michelangelo TMNT action figure. Emma received several new books and stuffed animals that she has been enjoying while snuggled under her blanket. I often find her reading to herself in the rocking chair with her blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She's an old lady in the making. Paul received a Little Giant ladder system (that was tons of fun to wrap AND carry down the stairs to its spot under the tree) and an addition to his growing collection of board games. Santa brought me Photoshop - so hopefully my pictures will be looking a heck of a lot nicer (let's hope!).

We spent the rest of the day playing, reading, sleeping (we needed naps!), and eating. It was pretty perfect and everyone was really happy. The greatest Christmas gift for me, however, was the beautiful weather we enjoyed in the days following Christmas morning. The temperatures were in the 60s and it was sunny. We were able to take some walks as a family and bask in the sunlight. Now, it's an arctic tundra and we're seeing windchills around 0 degrees, so I'm grateful for the time we were able to enjoy the outdoors.

I'm telling you, after all the excitement of Christmas morning everyone needed a nap!

We hope you had a very, merry Christmas with your family! Here's to a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2015!

Now, here's the recipe for that crab dip. So darn good.

Hot Crab Dip
adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces lump crab meat
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I love the Greek Cream Cheese)
1 cup mayonnaise (We use Hellman's Light)
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup shredded)
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon hot sauce (always Frank's!!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 1½-quart casserole dish; set aside.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the red pepper and onion and cook until softened and all moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Remove the mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool.

Add the rest of the dip ingredients to the bowl with the pepper mixture and gently stir together until combined, being careful not to smash the crab meat too much. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with baguette slices, chopped vegetables, and crackers. Leftovers make great "Crab Melt" sandwiches.

The Time is Near!

We have been busy as bees getting ready for Christmas! Paul is finally off work and excitedly helping me with my long list of items to complete before Christmas Eve. We've planned our menus, gathered our grocery items (minus the fish for our Christmas Eve feast), shopped for stocking stuffers for the kiddos, and finished cleaning and decorating. It's been great having him home!

Matthew has been drawing lots of Christmas pictures - mainly consisting of some scary-looking snowmen, irregularly sized nativity scenes (baby Jesus is always way bigger than Mary or Joseph - perhaps he is symbolically representing their importance???), and lots of elves hard at work in Santa's toy shop. He's been very well-behaved and I hope that it is not only because he knows Santa is watching. He listens very closely to song lyrics and one of his favorites is "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" so I know he has been picking up on the whole "Santa is always watching" theme. 

After Matthew's preschool party the other day, he brought home and proudly hung the biggest ornament I have ever seen in my life on our Christmas tree. I had to move it to the back because seeing his floating face in the tree out of the corner of my eye startled me on more than one occasion.

Yesterday, Paul and Matthew spent the afternoon making cookies. Paul was in charge of making Spicy Gingerbread Men, Candy Cane Crisps, Peanut Butter Drops, World Peace Cookies, and Sugar Cookies. In the five hours they spent baking, they only completed the Gingerbread and the Candy Cane Crisps so they'll be back to bake another day. 

Matthew was especially excited to make the Gingerbread. It is his favorite cookie by far and he loves helping roll out the dough and cutting out the shapes. 

Where were Emma and I the entire time? Emma was napping and I was relaxing. I have finally caught the horrible cold that has been wreaking havoc with the rest of the family and I can barely see out of my puffy, watery eyes. The last thing I felt like doing was baking, so it was nice to relax while the men did some work.

In case you were wondering, he wears a wrinkled undershirt like a uniform around our house. 

He loved the batter for the Candy Cane Crisps but after seeing the
finished cookie he wanted nothing to do with them!

Paul was feeling a bit tired when it came time to roll the dough for his Candy Cane Crisps so he forego rolling them in powdered sugar and just put them on the baking sheet. The powdered sugar really helps the buttery dough keep it's shape during baking and as a result he ended up baking up batch after batch of the flattest cookies in the world. 

It takes immense talent to get a cookie this flat.

The taste is wonderful, but they are pretty ugly little things. The kids wouldn't touch them, but that didn't bother Paul a bit. He'll probably eat the whole batch within the week since they are his favorite cookies.

One new cookie we made this year were these Orange-Cranberry Crinkles from the blog Lauren's Latest. I absolutely adore the combination of citrus and cranberry and wanted to give these a shot. The kids were in love with these cookies which should come as no surprise since they love anything fruit-related (this is the reason we are stuffing their stockings with fresh fruit instead of candy!) They smelled the orange zest in the batter and came running. Matthew was very confused to see it was the cookie batter he had been smelling! Everyone in the family was distraught when I gave away 3/4 of the batch as gifts for Matthew's preschool teachers.

They did not have the traditional crinkle "look" to them after baking and cooling, but they were still pretty fantastic. Soft, chewy, sweet and just slightly tart from the fresh cranberries. These will certainly be making a reappearance on our cookie platter next Christmas.

Cranberry-Orange Crinkle Cookies

from Lauren's Latest

½ cups butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 whole egg

Zest of one orange

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

¼ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoons baking powder

⅛ teaspoons baking soda

1-½ cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped fresh cranberries

½ cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg, orange zest and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Fold in chopped cranberries. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a 2 teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown. Keep a close eye on them since the particular oven and cookie sheets you use will effect the baking time. The cookies should have a matted look and not be "shiny" or "melty" in appearance. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. I found these a bit difficult to transfer since they were so soft! 

Finding Our Christmas Tree

The search for the perfect family tree began with high hopes from Paul. Despite the begging and pleading from Matthew to pick out a tree during the first week of December, Paul wanted to wait until there was snow on the ground. I looked ahead at the weather forecast and told him the chances were slim to none of having any white precipitant falling from the skies before Christmas because the temperatures were too warm. "We'll wait until Christmas Eve if we have to!" he replied and both Matthew and I groaned.

Isn't it a thing of beauty? It's still wrapped up at this point.
Matthew was very concerned that we were going to leave it like this!

Well, Paul got his wish and we were blessed with a 3-inch coating of snow on the 12th of December. On the 13th, after enjoying a nice breakfast, Paul announced that we were going to select our tree but instead of going to our normal tree lot, we would drive out to a tree farm in the rural area of the county and chop down a tree.

"Don't you think the kids will absolutely love it?!" he asked me. I thought Matthew might be mildly interested but Emma would certainly be unimpressed.

We made the 35 minute drive out to the tree farm. When we arrived, we were greeted by a pair of workers who informed us that we could either cut down a tree in the fields (a tractor would arrive shortly to shuttle us out to the location) or we could make a selection from the group of trees they had already cut down and put on display by the barn. We got out of the car and immediately the kids began complaining about the cold. They were pretty bundled up too. Paul tried to distract them by having them look at the trees on display while we waited for the tractor shuttle. This really didn't work.

"Hey Matthew, which of these trees do you think will make the nicest Christmas tree?" Paul asked Matthew.

"Uhhh....This one," Matthew said, pointing to the tree nearest to his foot. A lot of deep thought went into this decision. "Can we go home now?"

Their whining continued and still there was no shuttle to be seen. I began to suggest that maybe we should just pick one of the already-cut trees. Paul's face fell. At that point, a gigantic arctic gust of wind blew threw the field and the kids began to scream. I saw a couple signs pointing to the barn saying "Hot Chocolate" "Warm Fires" and "Santa Visits". I grabbed the hands of both kids and began dragging them towards the barn: "I'm just going to get them warm and then we can decide what to do."

Inside the barn, the heat felt so, so good. The kids huddled around the fireplace as if they had been standing outside for ages. Then they had a little fun exploring the decorated barn and getting tattooed. (Washable tattoos, of course. Although sometimes they might as well be permanent with how difficult they are to wash off).

This pretty much sums up Paul's frustration with me and the kids.

Paul returned to the barn as well and said that he was just going to buy one of the already-cut trees. He sounded so disappointed. I told him not to be, the kids are still very little and it was really, really cold. Besides, he was the one who wanted to wait for snow and sub-zero temperatures. Had we gotten a tree a couple days ago it would have been nearly 50 degrees! I'm sure the children would have been more cooperative then.

We ran from the warmth of the barn back to our car. After strapping both kids in, we drove into the lot where the workers helped Paul strap the tree to the car. The kids watched happily from the comfort of their car seats. I was pretty happy to stay in the warm car and watch as well.

Notice that they are both tattooed at this point.

Once we arrived home, the kids made up for their lack of enthusiasm regarding selecting the tree by throwing much energy into decorating. They both loved getting out the ornaments and hanging them carefully on the tree branches. We had to encourage Matthew to not put all his ornaments on one branch and Emma to not throw the glass orbs at the cat.

Soon enough, we had a beautiful Christmas tree all adorned and glowing. I'm so glad we only do this once each year.

My Favorite Salad Dressing Ever

Emma had her best friend Maddie over to play!

Christmas is almost here and we can hardly believe it. In preparation for all the Christmas feasting, I thought it appropriate to talk about salad. Salad dressing particular. The dressing is pretty much the only reason my husband eats salad, so it has to be good!

I love to make my own salad dressings because you can modify them to suit your tastes! Lots of the dressings on the store shelves have such muted flavors and are too sweet, too salty, or too oily! Every once in a while, I crave the flavor only a store-bought Italian dressing can provide and the Hidden Valley ranch dressing always tastes great on anything - and the kids eat it too!

But, cream-of-the-crop, give-it-the-top, this Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette is my favorite dressing in the whole wide world. Now, you probably have to be a bit of a cilantro lover to like it. However, I have served it to a couple people who detest cilantro and even they liked it. Or so they said. Maybe they didn't really but were too polite to say otherwise.

Either way, I really, really love this dressing. Paul also really, really loves this dressing. It comes from one of our favorite restaurants. I had a salad with tossed with this vinaigrette and asked the chef for the recipe. He gladly gave it to me and I have been making it at home ever since! Ironically, whenever I go back to that restaurant, I'm so tempted to get the same salad each time even though I can technically recreate it at home. You'd think I'd want to try something else on their fabulous menu - like the trout, salmon, or prime rib - but this dressing just makes salad so incredibly delectable!

Certainly an unappetizing-looking dressing. But trust me - it's delicious!

Warning: It does turn a horrifying green color in the blender. The looks on my kids' faces when they watch me blend it is priceless. Paul came home and saw me making it once and asks (with fear): "Is that another kale smoothie?!?!?" He still hasn't forgiven me from the last time I made him drink one.

Here are some ideas for using this dressing:

Salad #1: Mixed greens, sugared pecans, julienned jicama, chopped tomatoes. Simple and yummy.
Salad #2: Baby Spinach, segmented oranges, sugared pecans, feta cheese.
Salad #3: Baby Arugula, quinoa, feta cheese, roasted salmon fillet with extra dressing drizzled over the salmon. (My FAVORITE)
Salad #4: Baby Arugula, freshly sauteed shrimp, segmented grapefruits, red onion.

Today's Salad: Orange segments, red onion, spinach, and lemon quinoa pilaf.

But really, you could do anything. It's also great for taco salad or burrito bowls!

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
from Firebirds Restaurant

2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice (fresh is best - I've tried the bottled and it really doesn't work in this recipe!)
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (I add more if I feel cilantro-y!)
1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

Add all the ingredients into a blender except the oil. Blend until smooth, scraping down if necessary. With the blender set on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until completely emulsified.

Sweet Orange Rolls for the Feast of Saint Lucia!

One of my favorite Christmastime traditions while growing up was celebrating the feast of Saint Lucia. This feast day is typically celebrated in Sweden by having a person (usually the eldest girl in the household) wearing a white robe, a red sash, and a wreath of lit candles upon her head serve special treats, rolls, or cookies to the other members of the house. While growing up, one of the sisters would take turns playing Saint Lucy and bring hot chocolate and generous slices of my Mom's delicious cherry coffee cake to everyone in bed. She also brought a candle for each dark room so we could eat our sweet breakfast by the flickering candlelight. We loved it - eating in the dark! What fun we would have all had if we had been born before electricity was invented! (I guarantee the fun would have ended there for me - since I am the one who is perpetually cold!)

Now, for our Saint Lucy celebration, I do not wear a wreath on my head or serve everyone in bed. We just have a special breakfast with as many candles as I can find lined up all over the counters and tables. Last year we even lit a fire in the fireplace. My kids love having the candles lit in the house, especially when the lights are out, so I thought they would really enjoy a special candlelit breakfast in honor of Saint Lucy Day this year. In the past, they haven't really cared so much.

Happy Matthew, super tired Emma.

In preparation, I made a sausage-egg casserole and some orange rolls. I assembled the casserole the night before and baked the orange rolls the afternoon before. All I had to do this morning was roll out of bed at 6:30, put the casserole in the oven, and then climb back into bed for another hour. It was perfect timing.

Matthew was very excited for the special breakfast - he was looking forward to those orange rolls! Emma was still not quite awake, but Paul brought her down anyway. I gave each kid a roll, we said grace, and then began to eat. And that's when things stopped being so fun.

Such a grump. She was not ready to wake up!

Matthew was so very excited! I just wish he had been better behaved!

Paul and I told Matthew that he had to at least try the egg casserole. He refused while stabbing madly at the small (tablespoon sized) portion of egg with his fork. We sent him to his room to think things through.

Then, Emma started whining and complaining and throwing things off her tray. We cleared everything off but she continued to complain and whine. We let her out, but she only whined further. We determined that she needed more time to wake up, so we put her upstairs in her crib.

Within five minutes of starting breakfast, Paul and I found ourselves sitting alone in the dark: "Well this is nice."

No worries, both grumps eventually  made it back to the table and finished eating. Maybe they'll sit through the entire meal with us next year!

On a perkier note, these rolls were extremely delicious! They are basically a cinnamon roll dough with a buttery orange filling instead of the traditional brown sugar and cinnamon. They are topped off with a simple glaze consisting of orange juice, zest, and powdered sugar that oozes into the rolls, keeping them moist and intensifying the orange flavor. I would take these over traditional cinnamon rolls any day - and I LOVE cinnamon rolls!

Sweet Orange Rolls
recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

For the Dough:
¾ cup buttermilk, warmed
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
4 ¼ cups (21 ¼ ounces) flour (approximately - you may need more or less!)
¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1 ¼ teaspoons salt

For the Orange Filling:
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Grated orange rind/zest from two large oranges

For the Orange Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice from about 1 orange
2 teaspoons grated orange rind


First, make the dough! Whisk the warmed buttermilk and butter together in a large liquid measuring cup. Combine 3 1/2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt together in a standing mixer fitted with dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and eggs and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. The dough will still be overly sticky, so just add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but has a slight tacky feel when pressed between your fingertips. Be careful not to make the dough too dry! A little sticky is okay!

Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, around 2 to 2 ½ hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

For the filling, combine all the filling ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter and roll it gently into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Gently spread the orange filling over the dough.

Lift the longest edge closest to you and begin rolling the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and roll the log so it is seam side down. Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 12 evenly sized rolls (this might seem a bit tedious - but persevere!). Place them down in a greased 13x9 glass baking pan. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until the rolls are lightly golden on top and cooked through. While the rolls are baking, mix together the glaze ingredients. Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls. Eat warm or at room temperature!

Cacio e Pepe

This cold weather is unbearable. We were just blessed with 5-8 inches of icy snow. Every time I take the kids outdoors, they scream when the wind starts to blow despite the fact that they are wrapped like mummies. Matthew my almost-five-year-old will stop dead in his snowy tracks, crying and refusing to go any further until I agree to carry him in my arms along with Emma. Have no fear - I don't acquiesce to his requests - but we do end up taking about 10x as long to reach our destination with all the whining. And I don't like the bitterly cold wind either! So, we've been spending the long, dark days indoors - and they are beginning to become quite dull. While I may feel bored, Emma and Matthew have certainly been finding ways to entertain themselves.

Emma loves her Daddy!

The children recently decided to set up their Little People Nativity Set by the fireplace. That is all fine and dandy, except I am now finding the wise men, the shepherds, and various members of the holy family in the most absurd places. They show up in the bathroom sink, in the cabinets, in the fireplace, in the microwave, or - on special occasions - I'll discover one ensconced inside Emma's diaper as I'm laying her down for a changing. The other day, Emma was eating in her high chair with the sheep and Mary figures on her tray. She began stuffing her pasta into their hollow feet. That was a disgusting mess. No more toys during mealtime for her.

Our poor cat is another source of entertainment for the wee ones. He stays out all night chasing bunnies and mice in the snow and just wants to rest when he comes back inside. Unfortunately for Riley, rest is kind of hard to come by when Emma is around. He does his best to ignore.

I often find him asleep on our couch buried under a small mound of toys. It's kind of awesome that he really doesn't care.

And he would have stayed there with those toys on top of him had I not been compelled by mercy to remove them.

Lately, I have been absolutely starving by the time Paul gets home from work. During the week, I have been trying to plan dinners that are quick, easy to throw together, and require very little advance preparation. Instead of the traditional spaghetti with meat sauce, we have been enjoying some simply dressed pasta dishes - like this recipe for Cacio e Pepe. It's a great meal that the entire family enjoys eating. Add a light salad on the side or maybe some breadsticks (if I'm feeling super ambitious to get the dough started early in the day) and this is one of Paul's favorite meals.

Cacio e Pepe ("cheese and pepper") is a traditional Italian dish where cooked pasta is tossed with a simple sauce consisting of Pecorino Romano cheese, a generous helping of pepper, and a touch of cream. That's all you need to create a pretty darn yummy dish! You can also use the same method for dressing the pasta as dictated in the recipe except using finely grated Parmesan and some grated lemon zest (plus a squeeze of lemon juice at the end). Both varieties are pretty tasty, filling, and much beloved by our family. I make this a couple times each month - Paul even requested the Parmesan variety for his birthday last year! It's really simple, but really good! The key is to use good quality cheese and olive oil because they are the highlight of the whole dish!

Cacio e Pepe

from Cook's Illustrated

Note: As stated above, sometimes we switch out the Pecorino Romano for Parmesan and add in a generous amount of lemon zest and juice as we're tossing. It's also delicious! Also, make sure to use the exact amount of water and salt when cooking the pasta - the starch in the pasta thickens up the water so the sauce sets up properly and the salt ensures a well-seasoned dish!

4 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated (Plus some additional coarsely grated Pecorino or Parmesan for sprinkling on individual servings!)

1 pound spaghetti

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

2 tablespoons heavy cream or half/half

2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 1/2 teaspoons finely ground black pepper

Place the finely grated Pecorino in a medium bowl. Set colander in large bowl.

Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1½ teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente. Drain pasta into colander set in bowl, reserving cooking water. Pour 1½ cups cooking water into liquid measuring cup and discard remainder. Return pasta to now-empty Dutch oven.

Slowly whisk 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water into finely grated Pecorino until smooth. Whisk in the cream, oil, and black pepper. Gradually pour cheese mixture over pasta, tossing to coat. Let pasta rest 1-2 minutes, tossing frequently, adjusting consistency with remaining ½ cup reserved pasta water as necessary (I almost never use it - but it's a matter of preference!). Serve, passing coarsely grated Pecorino separately.