Happy Birthday, Ben!

It's Ben's birthday! I made the Smitten Kitchen chocolate peanut butter cake. Mmm here it is with the peanut butter buttercream frosting, about to be ganached!

Mmmm, ganache.

Presents!

Hmmm, I wonder what we might have gotten him?

Open it!

The Saucony rainbow shoes!!! Always gotta smell a new pair of shoes.

The most cheerful soles ever.

Quadruplets!

Birthday dinner! I made pulled pork with cilantro rice and lots of toppings. Mom brought a delicious salad!

Yum!

41! Make a wish!

This is the dankest cake in the history of cakes. It's so good!

Spring!

It's been feeling springy lately! Felix and I took a walk to visit the daffies.

My neighbor Katherine has been making Black Lives Matters signs, and they are beautiful. Each sign features the High John de Conquer variety of Morning Glory, and then you get to choose a flower or two of your own. I went tropical and chose hibiscus and plumeria. It turned out beautiful!

Birthday Fire Pit

Today is Mom's birthday! We got together for a birthday fire pit. 

Cheers!

Toasty warm.

We tried some of the rainbow fire packets.

They were really cool. Happy birthday, Mom!

Fire Pit with Michele and Scott

 I've really been getting a lot of use out of my Solo Stove! Tonight I had Michele and Scott over for a fire.

Good Luck Pork

We weren't able to get together to celebrate the new year today, but Mom still made her traditional Good Luck Pork. She shared some with us so we could have good luck, too! MMM!

NYE

Happy New Year's Eve! I made Smitten Kitchen's mushroom lasagna. I split the recipe in two so I could deliver one to my folks for their NYE dinner.

It was delicious! One of my all time favorite recipes.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Look at how dapper Felix looks in his little Christmas bandana!! I love him.

Mer and I got Mom and Dad a Pork & Pickles crockpot meal subscription for Christmas. We figured this would be a fun pandemic activity! Here is the card that I made them:

 

 

 

Ben and I kicked off the morning with a hearty breakfast. Look at this scrambled eggs with red and green peppers! Christmassy! 

We did a Zoom that morning to celebrate Christmas with my family and open presents!

Similar to Thanksgiving, we delivered dishes to each other so we could all enjoy a nice meal. I traditionally make wedge salads for Christmas, so I delivered wedge salad kits to everyone. YUM!

We all cooked the same main course at our houses. Smitten Kitchen's Southwestern Pulled Brisket. As tacos! Yum!!!

So good.

Cooking!

I made pecan pies again.

Look at that chocolate layer!

Packing up for pie distribution.

Mer made cranberry pie with Davis cranberries!

Christmas slippers!

Dad made a clock for Little Kate for Christmas, out of wood from the old Sycamore tree that used to be in their yard. He invented this fake company and bio, and had me help him make a certificate with some mountainy accents to include with the clock. It was so believable, it took awhile for Mer, Pete and Kate to catch on that Dad actually made it!!

 

 

 

 

Fire pits

I've been having lots of fire pits in my Solo Stove! Michele and Scott!

 

Mom and Dad!

 

And a special one on Christmas Eve Eve, guest starring cousin Danny!

Porch Breakfast

One of the silver linings of the pandemic has been, if you play your cards right you just might end up getting to eat a freshly cooked porch breakfast made by Dad! Always hot and delicious.

Felix and Lucy like porch breakfasts too!

Christmas Tree!

It's time to put up the Christmas tree!

Cozy.

My collection of unicorn and bunny ornaments is definitely growing!

Cheers!

Snowy Walk

It snowed! Felix and I went on a snowy walk.

 

He's so handsome!!

 

What a good boy.