Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Our Woodsy Visitors


This last weekend we discovered that our backyard is to deer what The Malt Shoppe is to local BYU students- a HOT spot! Over the weekend we had anywhere from 3 to 12 deer lounging, nibbling bushes, and generally just having a good ole' deer-y time in both ours and our neighbors' back yards. The view was the best from Reese's window, and so she has faithfully kept vigil day and night on top of a suitcase waiting for them to return. She's in heaven. Here are a few of the shots we took on Saturday when they first appeared.


Reese keeping watch. . . for hours. :)
She got herself all ready to go out and check for them again today. My favorite are the golashes (thank you Danielle and Ginny!)

Taking matters into her own hands when Mommy wanted to keep snapping pictures and imagine what getting ready for school will be like someday instead of opening the door like she asked.


Welcome to all the creatures of the Woods!!!

A Sweet Craving

Here's the conversation Reese and I just had--

"Momma, I want some milk."

"You want some milk?"

"Yeah." Pause. "And cake."

"Cake?"

"Yep. Milk. . . and cake."

Then she turned back to what she was doing. I'll be sure to get right on that. ;)

Monday, February 1, 2010

On the Subject of Crepes & Anniversaries


Last week was Ryan's and my 4-year anniversary of our FIRST DATE.

One fresh-off-the-mission-so-boys-scare-me girl, one I'm-going-to-move-to-Africa-and-tag-wild-cheetahs'-boy. Who would have known that romance could blossom so quickly over french toast, or avocado milkshakes, or the twisted craziness of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?!
And yet it did, and I'm ever so glad about it.

We celebrated by pawning Reese off (thank you Melese & Kyle!) for a few hours in the evening, while I joined Ryan for a movie he had to watch for his film class, which I was totally cool with once he told me it was a French foreign film. Go ahead, laugh. But just remember that YOU are also a nerd- in your own special way. :)

It seemed only appropriate that our movie snacks should fit into the theme, so before meeting up on campus, Reese and I whipped up a batch of fresh crepes with sugar and lemon zest. I'm pretty sure they were my best ever ('make it with love,' my culinary teacher used to say).
In fact they were so good, that no sooner had I handed one to Reese than she wolfed it down before I could even snap a picture.




There goes another! See what I mean?!

Well, we had a great time laughing our heads off at Babette's Feast (which turns out to be a Dutch film after all, but about a french woman, hence the confusion)
- those random subtitles, the creepy old people close-up shots, the fiery, flaming turtle!- and tried to be as quiet as possible as we un-crinkled the aluminum foil to eat our crepes. It was fun and quirky, and felt just like when we started dating.



Now I'm sure your mouth is watering for tender crepes sprinkled with lemon sugar or smeared with Nutella, so here's the recipe. And you really should check out Babette's Feast from the library to watch while you eat. So so funny.


And Ryan, I love you infinity the most. Even after all these years. ;)


Anniversary Crepes

2 c. all-purpose flour
pinch sea salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg yolk
2 c. milk, slightly warmed
1 Tbs melted butter
butter or oil for frying

Sift the flour, salt, and sugar together into a bowl and make a well in the center. Mix the eggs, egg yolk, and milk together and pour slowly into the well, whisking all the time to incorporate the flour until you have a smooth, thin batter. Stir in the melted butter. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30-45 minutes.

Heat a crepe pan or deep non-stick frying pan and grease with a little butter or oil. Pour in enough batter to coat the base of the pan in a thin even layer and tip out any excess. Cook over moderate heat for about 1 minute or until the edges start to pull away from the pan. Turn the crepe (flip it if you're feeling chef-y) and cook on the other side about 30 seconds, or until lightly golden. Stack the crepes on a plate, sprinkling about a tablespoon of sugar between each. Continue with the rest of the batter and then have at them in your favorite style- nutella, lemon juice, raspberry jam, etc.