Bluegrass Saturday...Baby Chicks!

What would be awesome? 

Raising chickens in your own backyard. 

I hope to do so someday, but until then I will vicariously live through those I know who have their own chickens. I think it's wonderful that more and more people are getting backyard flocks, especially in the city. My mom got 6 egg laying chickens this year and 3 meat chickens. In addition, a couple of my coworkers got chicks this week! 

Today Megan had a Baby (Chick) Shower for her little ones. We held the babes, dyed some eggs and ate some yummy food.

This morning I hard boiled a bunch of eggs to bring...while listening to Bluegrass Saturday Morning of course.

Shortly after the eggs were done, Sebastian woke up for the day. We have been offering him solids at least daily and he is doing better all the time. We are trying new foods every 3 days or so. We tried oatmeal for the first time this morning and he liked it! Surprising because it is a little chunkier then most other things he has tried. I decided to make a list of things that he can currently eat because I keep forgetting what we have tried!

When he was done eating, I made some banana bread to bring along to the party. 

Good tip for storing ripe bananas for baking? 

You can just throw the entire banana in the freezer when it gets really ripe. Then when you need to use them, just let them sit on the counter and thaw for a bit, then gently squeeze and out pops the smooshed, ripe banana.

I used eggs from my moms chickens to make the bread. 
Bread made with local chicken eggs to go meet more local chickens!

It's not easy to ignore the 6 eyes watching my every move as I work in the kitchen. 

Off to Megan's to meet the chicks! 

Megan and some little balls of fluff.

Meet Flour...

...Crocodile...

 ...and Alder.

We also dyed a bunch of eggs. We used a couple methods. 

Marbleized eggs and silk-dyed eggs. 

The silk-dyed eggs are very easy and so neat when done. 

Sebastian came along to check out the chicks too. He is no longer such a little chicken himself. He is a lap-full of soft, chubby rolls.
Just as he should be.

Check out Megan's blog here. You can learn more about having your own chickens in the city on this post.

 Hope you have a good holiday weekend!

Bluegrass Saturday...Muffins and Mari

I headed to work at 8am this morn. When I got home shortly after noon, Mari was here taking care of Sebastian since Nate had to work today too. Then the 3 of us went to get some Aveda goodies, coffee and Noodles and Co. 

Who's Mari?...Oh, she is one of my besties and she is the shit.

On any given week night, you can often find the two of us watching crappy reality TV while eating macaroni and cheese and Stove Top instant stuffing...yup, at the same time...like, the best dinner ever.

Anywho, after we got home, Mari and Sebo both napped and I did laundry and started making muffins. Super yummy muffins. 

I have eaten these muffins a couple times...but have never made them. It is a recipe from Nate's aunt. Banana Bran Chocolate Chip Muffins. 

The recipe calls for oat bran...this is harder to find then you may think and that's why it took me so long to make the damn muffins. I thought I found it once, I was really excited about it. I came home and Nate pointed out the fact it was oat bran FLOUR. I had noticed this when I bought it but assumed it wouldn't make a difference. Nate assured me it would. 

Buzz kill. 

I finally did find oat bran...just plain oat bran all by its lonely self. 

Wrong                                                                Right

Then the muffin making starts.

Part way through, Mari and Sebo joined me in the kitchen.

Sebastian loves hanging out in his highchair staring at everything...

...and I love staring at his face.

The recipe doesn't call for muffin cups but I decided to use them so I can easily grab one (or two) when I am running out the door.

Of course Magnus wasn't far from the food as well.

Once the muffins were done...Mari and Sebastian spent some quality time on the couch.

Another good Saturday followed by what I expect to be a good Sunday and Monday...I don't work until Tuesday! 

Banana Bran Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yields 18 muffins

1/2 cup butter (room temp.)

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup ripe bananas

1 tsp salt

1 cup oat bran

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream butter, vanilla and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Stir in oat bran. Blend dry ingredients alternately with mashed bananas into creamed butter/egg mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Do not over mix. Fill greased (or lined) muffin tins about 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Yum.

I tossed about a dozen in the freezer in hopes that I can throw one in the microwave on rushed work mornings. Not sure if they freeze well...we will find out. I will post an update to let you know how that goes. 

Bluegrass Saturday Night

Yup, that's right. Bluegrass Saturday...night. 

Last week I mentioned that 88.5 FM plays bluegrass music on Saturday mornings and it makes me jolly. I've decided to make a post every Saturday from now on and title them Bluegrass Saturday _____. Why? Because bluegrass music is easy going and happy and that's how Saturday's should be.

Most Saturdays, Nate works all day and night so Sebastian and I just hang out. It's really cold out today and we are happy to just be cozy in the house.

This afternoon he took an epic nap and afterwards was wide awake and talking away in what his Papa calls his "activity chamber".

The many faces of Sebo.

Dinner is always uneventful when I'm the only one eating it and tonight was no different. But it was pretty yummy. We have a bunch of tiny garden tomatoes in the freezer from last summer. I tossed a bunch of them in a pan and added olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, garlic, salt, basil, brown sugar and a bit of tomato paste. I put it all on top of some angel hair pasta and topped it off with some parmesan. Yum. I even used the china and paired it with a glass of  wine.

Sebo is now sound asleep. I'm curled up on the couch and look forward to what's next...pistachio ice cream, a few episodes of Hoarders and then bed. My Saturday's tend to be laid back and uneventful, but I am just fine with that because they are days filled with Sebastian time...and that is the best kind of time.

Bluegrass Saturday Mornings

What's awesome? 

That 88.5 FM plays bluegrass music on Saturday mornings and I love it. 

What else is awesome? 

When I am heading up the stairs and I see this...

It takes a few things to create this moment. 

A white curtain, a sleepy cat, just the right sunlight. 

When it happens, I love it.

 Because of this, you may get some fuzz on your bum if you ever use our restroom. 

Sorry about that...totally worth it.

Who will you find behind the curtain? Charlotte de Berry.

Of course Filibuster has to watch me take photos...which in turn creates more photos.

While the cats hang out in the bathroom...Mr. Magnus lounges on the stairs.

And Penelope snuggles in our bed.

Where's Sebastian? 

Napping.

And I stare.

Then he wakes.

Recently, his legs and feet have become quite interesting.

As you can see, Saturday mornings around here are pretty lazy...and I love it.