1.31.08

Hello? An entire book of hot chocolate recipes and photos? :)

Is this what Fred Thompson is doing since dropping out of the presidential race?

So tonight Noah and I sit here both feeling rather yuck. He's got an awful cough and congestion. He came out of school and said, "I've been sleeeepy all day. I want to go home and put on my pajamas and drink orange juice." The only time he's ever still is at 3:00 a.m., so I know he must be feeling pretty bad. Poor thing. So he's sitting here next to me, playing the Wii in his Christmas fleece pajamas. Every once in a while he'll lean his head over on my shoulder, forgetting for a moment that he thinks he's too old to do that sometimes. Me - I have some kind of chest congestion and all over body aches. Hot tea and Nyquil for me. Par-tay!

I'm SO excited. I signed up for Teresa's Sweet Bella e-zine! She'll be sharing new projects all thru the month of February and knowing Teresa, they'll be fabulous. And pretty. And vintage. :)

NOTE: If you have never watched LOST, are you crazy?? No, really.... If you've never watched LOST, do NOT watch it tonight on TV as they start Season 4. Really, you won't get it. You'll miss so many good things from the past 3 seasons. You must start with Season 1, Episode 1 to really understand it. (and to get hooked!) And the reason I'm not watching it at this moment is a) Noah is playing Wii, b) We are TIVO'ing it so we don't have to watch it with commercials. I'd much rather wait a couple of hours and be able to skip ALL commercials than say, "awwww!" every 9 minutes when a commercial breaks in.

I found a really yummy looking recipe that I'd like to try in the month of February, if I can find good strawberries. These would be so pretty for Valentine's Day.

Strawberry Blossoms
12 large fresh strawberries, washed
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon sour cream
fresh mint leaves (to garnish) (optional)

Remove stems from strawberries to form a flat base. Place berries on cutting surface, pointed end facing up.

With a sharp knife, carefully slice each berry in half vertically to within a 1/4 inch of base. Cut each half into three wedges to form 6 petals. (Don't slice through the base.) Pull petals apart slightly.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and sour cream; beat until light and fluffy. With a pastry bag and star tip or small spoon, fill strawberries with cream cheese mixture.

Notes & Options:.
A plastic zipper sandwich bag can be used instead of a pastry bag by filling with cream cheese mixture and squeezing out excess air before sealing. Carefully cut one corner off of the bottom of the bag and squeeze mixture out through the cut.

Have a good night!