imaginary play

my toddler,
turned ballerina, chef, & balancing act

(kind of wish I knew what Toby was thinking in this picture)

chard

Dear CSA box,

Thank you for introducing our family to Chard!



It is our new favorite vegetable and the recipe you provided for Red Chard Risotto was amazing. Our tastebuds are still tingling with deliciousness!

Sincerely,

Matt & Joy Robbins

baby cuteness

a new tradition

over the past 4 months a new sunday afternoon tradition emerged in our house...



hannah and daddy sit on the couch, watch football and eat cheerios.
 i think it's their favorite time together all week!
(oh yes, this is definitely matt's dream come true)

homemade

 Growing up in LA, I acquired the assumption that the best tasting food comes from restaurants or grocery stores.  As I get older and experiment more in the kitchen, I am shocked to discover how many delicious things can be made at home and taste as good or even better than in a restaurant.  For example - guacamole (matt has really perfected the art of mashing avocados and spices - to a precise blend of goodness that rivals my favorite table-side treat).

My most recent discovery is granola bars. For years I've bought Quaker Granola Bars and never imagined that they could be improved upon. And then I received an email from Smitten Kitchen about homemade granola bars and it sparked my curiousity.

So this morning Hannah and I made granola bars. She loved stirring the dry ingredients and pressing the wet, sticky mixture into the pan.

We filled them with oatmeal, dried cranberries, chopped almonds, honey, maple syrup and a few dark chocolate morsels.

They are amazing!

With just the right blend of softness, sweetness, healthy oats and a bit of crunch - they are even better than most cookies (in my humble opinion).

(me and my sous-chef)

I'm pretty sure they will not last through another day at our house!

 (Peter and his two little teeth wish that he could try some also - but for right now he'll have to stick to munching on Rice Chex.)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

and lots of love

from our house to yours...

let's pray for peace on earth!

O Christmas Tree!

Hannah bid farewell to autumn

and welcome to winter!

as we set off to the snow to find the perfect Christmas tree

Poor Hannah expected the snow to be warm and was very disappointed!

but she warmed up to cold snow

We heart Pollock Pines!

Matt goes to work

having found the perfect tree!

 Hannah wholeheartedly agreed.

 We found it rather difficult to get both kids and the dog to look at the stinkin camera at the same time!
 but we got a couple decent shots.

DISCLAIMER: If this post lacks its usual flair in anyway, it is because it is not the beautiful and industrious Joy writing, but tis I, Matt Robbins, making my first post.  I have found the internets!