Bananas Foster

Tonight is Michael's dessert night choice, and as usual, he has chosen something I've never made before!  This time, it's Bananas Foster - and he explicitly mentioned that it MUST include the flambe part.  Because, really, what fun would it be if I did NOT try to catch my kitchen on fire?

Well, I did a test run yesterday, and I am happy to report that I had great success the very first time I tried!!  There were no catastrophes, no spilled alcohol (except that which I spilled in my mouth... kidding!), and the flames were completely contained at all times.

Here are the bananas just after they were placed in the yummy sugar glaze.

...and here they are on FIRE! The picture doesn't show the flame very well, but you can see a glimpse of it on the left side of the photo.  I promise, it was quite spectacular... but I was alone when I did this so no one else can attest to it.  You may question why I was holding a camera instead of a fire extinguisher?  ...well, I was determined to document it regardless of the outcome. :)  Fortunately, it worked just fine.  And it was quite tasty! 

Bananas Foster
Serves 4

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 shot banana liqueur
2 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
1 shot dark rum
4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a skillet.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble - about 5 minutes.  Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan.  Cook for 5 minutes, turning once 1/2 way through, until bananas soften and begin to brown.  Carefully add the rum and let it heat for a few seconds.  Use a grill lighter to ignite the surface.  When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place two sections over a scoop of ice cream.  Generously spoon the warm sauce over the top and serve immediately.

Milk, Continued

Because our weather has been SO nice lately, I took the boys for a walk around the lake with a special trip to Baskin Robins.  Maddox had his first dish of REAL ice cream... and needless to say, he's quite smitten with it!

Animal Planet

The other night, Kaspurr spent a good 15 minutes staring at our TV screen...

Just to prove how long he was there - NOT MOVING - I will show you some progression of the program.  Here, he is watching some bears. 

Later, we moved on to birds... his personal favorite.  At this point, Kaspurr requested a bowl of popcorn.

And finally, we switched back to some antlered creatures.  He got bored at this point, because he can see these up close on the many other television screens throughout the house (aka windows).

After his Animal Planet inspiration, Kaspurr decided to check out another television... this one broadcasts a 24-hour 3D program called Mocha & Mango.  :) 

Milk at Last!

Yesterday, we hit a MAJOR milestone in the Force household... Maddox passed his milk challenge!!  We are SO excited for all that this will open up for him... ice cream, macaroni & cheese, lasagna, sandwiches with sliced cheese, yogurt... you get the idea!

And here he is, 5 1/2 years old, enjoying his first ever cereal with milk!  Yippee-skippy!!

He has passed egg and milk... now, all we have to worry about are his nut allergies.  We will soon begin challenges on a couple different kinds, but this mom is just as happy as can be that we've come this far!

Fabulous Vacation!!

We had one of the best vacations ever last week.  We flew into Ft. Lauderdale and took a cruise to Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas.  Below you'll find some of my favorite photos from the trip.

This first one is very special, as the boys all surprised me by getting all dressed up for formal night.  Normally, the boys just wear shirts and ties, but this time, they managed to buy, pack, and keep completely hidden from me these handsome suits!  It was an incredible surprise!

Here we all are posing off the back of the ship.

In Nassau, we visited Atlantis.  The wind was furious, which made things a bit chilly, but it didn't stop us from enjoying this calm little lagoon.

The boys' sole purpose on the beach was to dig a hole and sit in it.  Well, they did just that...

Back on the ship, Mason and Morgan had a blast on the "Flowrider" - a surf and boogie board simulator.  They started on the boogie boards, and then eventually worked their way up to surfing.

Other sports related things we enjoyed on the ship include ping pong tables, a zip line, and a couple of rock climbing walls.  Yes, we tackled those, too!     

Down on the Boardwalk, there was a carousel, cotton candy, and a lot of other "carnival" things to enjoy.  Maddox, Morgan and I all had our faces painted a couple times... but Maddox's was by far the cutest!  He was admired by all who saw him.

Dinner was one of our favorite events... here you can see the little "eye design" that the face painter gave me.

This little motorcycle was on the Boardwalk and Maddox just HAD to get on it every single time we passed it.  This time, the older boys went along for the ride.

Maddox enjoyed the "Ocean Adventure" program.  They are so good with the kids and make sure they have a ton of fun.  Here he is modeling the pirate bandana he made on pirate night.

We attended the Q&A session with the captain, and were thrilled when Captain Hernan Zini came over to pose for a picture with Maddox!

After departing the ship, we spent the day in Hollywood, FL.  The highlight of that day was renting this little surrey where everyone except Maddox had to pedal!  If his legs were long enough, I'm sure he would've been put to work, too.

Well, that was just a glimpse of some highlights.  It was a fantastic vacation... many, many happy memories were made!

Pumpkin Pancakes

We were in the mood for something different one morning... so I gave pumpkin pancakes a try!

Just look at this pure yummy-ness!

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp vinegar

Mix the above ingredients together and set aside.

Combine the following ingredients in a separate bowl:

2 cups flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt

Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir just enough to combine.  Cook on a hot griddle, and enjoy with butter and real maple syrup (none of that fake junk!).

I Don't Get It...

So my wonderful husband comes home from Portland tonight with a surprise for us...

He says that this place is immensely popular in Portland.  He says he had to stand in line for 20 minutes in the middle of the afternoon to get this box of... box of... well, see for yourself:

Yes, those are donuts... and yes, they are covered in things like Froot Loops, Cap'n Crunch, and Cocoa Puffs.  Michael says he gingerly carried these on the plane (after being eyed curiously at security) and carefully guarded them the entire way home.

The boys, excited about anything containing sugar, dug right in...

Maddox was in bed, which was a good thing, as I'm not sure these concoctions would pass my allergy scrutiny.

So, did I dare try?  Well, I didn't want to appear ungrateful.  However, I decided to be a little more dignified in my consumption method.  Hence, the knife and fork.

Two bites later, I was done.  ...I just don't get it.