First Halloween

Andy and Louis handed out candy to the trick or treaters.

Soba Noodles with Pumpkin Miso Sauce

I've been really into sweet potatoes lately and have been making a Tahini-Miso dressing to go on them. It is as easy as 1/4 Cup of Tahini, 2-3 Tbsp of light miso, and mix in water to desired consistency. This dish was a take-off on that. I sauteed mushrooms and carrots in olive oil, 2 Tbsp miso, and rice vinegar. I added canned pumpkin puree to the Tahini-Miso sauce, and combined everything together and garnished it with cilantro.

Saturday Afternoon

Naptime with daddy & time on the floor.

Baked Acorn Squash with Pear and Apple

This is a recipe from The Joy of Cooking. Arguably one of the best cookbooks ever. Cinnamon and nutmeg spiced pears, apples, and raisins are sauteed and simmered in a small amount of butter, spiced rum, and apple cider. This could have been dessert instead of dinner. Yum.

The Moby (amen)

It seems that every baby is unique in their love of a certain piece of baby gear. Some are all about the swings. Some love the bouncy seat. We received a few hand me down swings/slings/seats from friends who have babies a bit older than Louis. They came with rave reviews. So far Louis isn't too hot on the swing. The bouncy seat is great to put him in while we take a shower and he soaks up the steam and ultimately falls asleep in the bathroom. But the winner thus far in the Louis Loves category is the Moby Wrap. No contest. When he is fussy, tired, etc. all you have to do is put this thing on and tuck him in and within minutes he is calm and happy. And it leaves the wearer hands free to do other things. It can be a bit intimidating to learn to put on, but it is worth the learning curve. Here he is with his Grandma Carol tucked away. She can vouch for the power of the Moby!

Romanian Apple Cake

I don't know what makes this Romanian, but it seemed like a good way to use up the McIntosh apples I had that were too mushy for my taste to just simply snack on. I chose this recipe because I was out of butter and you'd be surprised how many things that include apples and cinnamon call for butter. I adjusted a few things: substituted 1/4 cups of applesauce for part of the oil, and used 1/2 cup of White Whole Wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups Bread Flour. I also used a Tablespoon of Penzey's Cake Spice mix in place of the cinnamon.