Who Knew?

Who knew that it would be "stripper day" 

at the doctor's office this
morning? Sloan was determined 

to wear her beads

today so they went 

to the doctor's 

appointment & 

even when she had to walk down the hall to get weighed...

18-month Stats:

Sloan weighs 20 lbs 12 oz 

& is in the 5th percentile. (Meaning if you take 100 girls born the same day as her, 4 would weigh less than her and 95 more.) She is 31.5 inches tall & is in the 50th percentile for height. Lincoln weighs 25 lbs 7 oz & is in the 50th percentile for weight. He is 33.5 inches tall & therefore in the 75th percentile for height. They are both healthy, although Sloan is a little anemic. She is not fond of proteins (chicken, turkey, etc) so we're not that surprised. She loves carbs & fruit. She will start a vitamin with iron this week & we'll get creative on how to get more iron into that lil' stripper body. Lincoln, well he eats just about anything given to him. We're thankful for that! 

Tiernan's last day of pre-school

Thursday, May 22nd was Tiernan's last day
of pre-school. The kids sang about 5 songs, with the last one being "Lord's Army" hence the army hat. Each child received a stuffed dog in recognition for a great year. Can you guess what our dog's name is?!? That's right - Snickers! Also pictured is Ben Greiwe (friend & neighbor) who Tiernan (thankfully) carpooled with. He's off to Pre-K in the fall!   

The Poppa Bear Dance

Poppa Gothe's birthday was in April - apparently, he does a lil' Charmin Bear dance when he's happy. So his admin made up a birthday t-shirt with him as the bear... Thoughtfully, Sally sent them to the kids. This is what they look like in 2XL. Here's a Bear Dance for you poppa! 

Recent Recipes

Peanut Butter & Jelly

6 slices bread

Jar of Grape Jelly

Jar of Peanut Buter

Lay slices out

Spread peanut butter on 3 slices

Spread jelly on the other 3 slices

Pair the peanut butter slice with a jelly slice

Cut into quarters and cut "the bones" aka the crust off

Dinner for 3 kids!

It's Race Time in Indianapolis!

Tiernan drew a track for his Indy cars in anticipation of Poppa's visit. It was "Super Hero Day" as Batman, Flash, Superman, etc. were in the stands sitting next to Tiernan, Poppa & Da. They headed out to the track to watch the cars qualify later that day. Tiernan was THRILLED. Lincoln was not. He did not like being left behind. Next year... he should be old enough for the "Bass Boys" day. 

Recent Recipes

Glazed Pork Tenderloin

1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper each

1 lb. pork tenderloin

2 sprigs rosemary

1/2 cup pineapple preserves

1 tablespoon horseradish

Rub pork tenderloin with salt & pepper. Place in greased 13x9. Place 1 sprig of rosemary underneath pork and 1 on top. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan heat preserves & horseradish until melted. Remove top rosemary sprig and brush pork with 1/4 cup of preserves. Bake 10-20 minutes longer until meat thermometer reads 160. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Notes:

I couldn't find plain pineapple preserves so used apricot/pineapple preserves & used whole jar with an eyeballed amount for horseradish. I rubbed 2 1-lb tenderloins with salt, pepper & crushed rosemary & let sit for a couple of hours before baking. Instead of baking at 425, I baked at 350 for about 45-50 minutes with about 1/2 cup of water in bottom of pan. About 20 minutes into baking, I brushed glaze on tenderloins. Another 20 minutes, I flipped them & brushed other side. I drizzled remaining glaze on slices when serving. Could easily do this with turkey tenderloins or on grill.

Garlic Ginger Coconut Rice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 cloves crushed garlic

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 cups rinsed jasmine rice

3/4 cup lite coconut milk

2 1/2 cups water

In saucepan over medium/low heat, saute vegetable oil, garlic & ginger briefly. Add rice & stir well. Add milk, water & salt, bring to boil, give a stir. Cover, reduce heat to low & cook about 15 minutes. Remove from heat & sit for 5 minutes.

Notes:

I doubled recipe so used whole can of coconut milk. I also used crushed ginger from a jar instead of grated fresh.  

The Bois Slaw

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2 red jalapenos

5 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage

1/2 cups sliced green onions

Stir sugar & vinegar in saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves; remove from heat. Add jalapenos & remaining 2 teaspoons ginger. Place cabbage & 1/2 cup green onions in bowl. Pour vinegar over & toss to coat. Season with salt & pepper.

Notes:

I couldn't find red jalapenos so added julienned red pepper & carrots just for color. Some slivered almonds might also be good in this. 

Sloan & Momma go to Minnihaha

May 8, Sloan & Momma went to Minneapolis to visit Aunt Lori, Uncle Brent (aka the one man show) and Smalls (Sloan's soon-to-come cousin). We were very excited at the prospect of seeing the Bois family and for us to have one-on-one time together. Sloan didn't travel nearly as well as I had prayed for... I took pictures on the trip home because we got to the point of comical. For me at any rate. For the other passengers, maybe not so much. Sloan eating chocolate during take-off helped her ears pop - I think she would like to try this everyday! She literally crawled under the seat in front of us and out from in-between the man's legs. My title for those two pictures is "I'm done with coach, let's see what kind of snacks first class has to offer". We did have a great trip - loved seeing the Bois'. We can't wait to meet Smalls!   

Recent Recipes

Polynesian Chicken

1 whole boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced on the diagonal

1 clove minced garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

2 teaspoons tamari

1 onion, sliced

2 carrots, sliced on diagonal

1 cup snow peas

1 red pepper, slivered

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 cup coconut milk

1/4 teaspoon chili pepper

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon arrowroot powder

Directions:

Mix garlic, arrowroot powder & tamari. Add a little water to make thin sauce to marinate chicken for about 30 minutes.

Stir fry veggies in 1 teaspoon oil. Remove & stir fry chicken in remaining oil. Return veggies to wok with chicken.

Mix coconut milk & seasonings. Pour mixture over chicken & stir until thickened.

My notes:

I used the following:

~2 1/2 chicken breasts cubed instead of sliced

~1 tablespoon of garlic, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce (instead of tamari) & used cornstarch (instead of arrowroot powder) in marinade

~1 cup of Trader Joe's Melange a Trois (frozen pepper mix) with veggies

~1-13.5oz can of coconut milk & doubled the spice quantities

~Added salt & pepper

~Considered adding a touch of sesame oil...

~Served over jasmine rice

Lemon Ginger Poppyseed Salad Dressing

1-1/2 cups olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

4 tablespoons ginger

3 oz honey

2 tablespoons shallots

1 teaspoon garlic

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:

Blend first 8 ingredients together. Add seeds. Shake.

My notes:

I omitted shallots & increased garlic by a teaspoon.