Zucchini Brownies, Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers, Duck Boat Tour, and the DeCordova Museum

On the plate:  Delectable zucchini brownies and stuffed cubanelle peppers

Soundtrack to cook to:  Bonnie Raitt's The Best of Bonnie Raitt on Capitol 1989-2003.  Lots of high energy little ditties plus a few slow and soulful songs to rock out to - I was feeling nostalgic.

In our quest to take our son on as many "family dates" as possible while still remaining close to home, we decided to take Alexander on a duck tour of Boston.  (A duck tour is where you get into a large vehicle that can travel on both land and in water - like a duck.)
I found this really fun book On the Loose in Boston by Sage Stossel in which there's a bunch of animals loose in fun places around Boston.  Alexander was totally into it and loved finding the animals (very similar to "Where's Waldo") in each of the Boston landmarks of the book.  Being the teacher that I am and wanting to make text to self connections, I thought it would be fun to also go on the duck tour to show Alexander all of the Boston landmarks that he encountered in his book.

Joseph and Alexander waiting in line to board the duck vehicle.

Alex and mommy! :)

Once the tour got out onto the water, the tour guide allowed
children to get up into the driver's seat to steer the boat.  Alexander
was the youngest one to volunteer and the tour guide got a run for
his money.  :)  Alexander, unlike the older children, was VERY
interested in pushing all of the buttons and pulling the knobs
in the driver's area.  Joseph and the tour guide had to keep a close
eye on our sneaky little guy.  He had a blast!

Little Alexander at the steering wheel.

Our little guy in action!

The next day, we went to get Alex's haircut.  Normally we go to a very kid-friendly establishment, but unfortunately, we haven't been as happy with his past few haircuts.  Plus, the place is definitely pricey for the quality of haircut that he was receiving.  So, we found another place that was a little bit further away, cheaper, and overall had better results.

Our dapper man!

I was on a chocolate kick and was desperately craving some gooey, chocolatey brownies.  However, I always have this guilt that there shouldn't be too much butter, sugar, and other delicious (but naughty) ingredients in the recipes that I choose.  Thus, I was perusing pinterest and found an easy recipe for zucchini brownies with chocolate frosting that didn't include a whole stick of butter in just the frosting.

The first step is to have a big, burly, and tough
guy to shred 3 medium-sized zucchini for you.
Go Joseph, go! :)
PS - Do NOT drain the zucchini.  The brownies get their moisture
from the juice of the zucchini.

In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup canola oil, 1 1/2 cups sugar,
and 2 tsp of vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, mix together 2 cups flour ( I used whole wheat),
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda,
and 1 tsp salt.

Combine the two bowls together and mix well.  The mixture
will be dry and crumbly.  Then, fold in your shredded zucchini.

Pour the mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish and
bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.

While the brownies are baking, make the frosting.  In order
to make the frosting, you will need to melt together 1/4 cup
of butter (I used margarine at first and it seized up on me...use
the real stuff) and 6 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder.  Set them aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar,
1/2 cup of milk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
Then, combine the two bowls by whisking them together.

The finished result of the brownies!!  This recipe really makes a lot.
We were eating these delectable treats for an entire week.
Once the brownies come out of the oven, you need to let them
cool completely.  Once they're cooled completely, pour the
frosting over the brownies.  Then, place the frosted brownies
into the refrigerator (my suggestion is to do this overnight -
that way they'll be perfect for you in the morning).

However......as you can see, we couldn't wait
and had the brownies about two hours later.  The
result was an incredibly moist, fudgy, gooey,
and deliciously chocolatey brownie.  Plus,
you can give yourself a little pat on the back for
squeezing some zucchinis into the mix as well.
I swear, you and your loved ones won't even notice.

Since these brownies were slightly sinful, I decided to redeem myself and make a stuffed pepper that was chocked full of vegetables and lean ground turkey (a favorite protein in our household).  This is a rendition of my mother's stuffed peppers that I threw together from memory.  Here's what you'll need:

• 6 cubanelle peppers
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 lb fat free ricotta cheese
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, sliced thin
• 3 ribs of celery, sliced
• 1 summer squash (I only added this because it was about to go)
• 1-2 tbsp of the following:  Paprika, Italian Seasoning, Cumin, and Chili Powder 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground turkey.  Once the turkey is browned, toss
in all of the vegetables and cook until the onions are translucent
(~8-10 minutes).

Then add in the seasonings to the mixture and adjust to your liking.

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the ricotta along with about
1 tbsp of paprika, cumin, Italian seasoning, chili powder, and garlic powder.

Slice the cubanelle peppers down the center and remove the ribs
and seeds.
*DO NOT cut off the tops like I did, otherwise your stuffing will
pour out of your peppers.  I only realized what I was doing half way
through and decided to just maintain uniformity.  Lesson learned. :)

Take the meat and vegetable mixture and stuff it inside the peppers.
Fill these little guys to the brim!

Then, seal the meat mixture in by taking the ricotta mixture and
forming it over the meat mixture and closing up the opening
of the pepper like so.
Bake these on a foiled and greased pan at 350 degrees F
for about 30 minutes, or until the cubanelle peppers are
soft with a slight crunch.

Here's the end result!  A hearty, healthy, and delicious meal that provides
leftovers for the next day.
*You can even top the peppers with a little bit of shredded cheese to
melt over the peppers while baking.  I served mine with a side
of salsa to add a little more flavor and contrast to this dish.
Thanks for the inspiration, Mom! :)
*PS - I had some of the ground turkey vegetable mix leftover and
turned those into tacos the next night for dinner.  Two dishes in one!

It was an absolutely beautiful fall day, and our next stop (because Joseph had never been to this place and it's a wonderful museum to take Alexander to because he can run around and get some exercise) was the DeCordova Museum.  I know I've posted pics of this place before (almost a year ago to the day), but I thought it would be fun to show Alexander at this museum a year older and with some of the new pieces as well.  Enjoy!

Can you tell by Alexander's clothing
that it was an unusually warm autumn day? :)

Alexander loved running up to all of the outdoor sculptures
in order to feel their textures and see if they made noises
when he hit them. :)  I'm sure that's exactly what the artists
had in mind when they made the pieces. :)  LOL!

I called this one "Pieces of colored bacon"
because that's precisely what they looked
like to me.  Alexander totally bought it
and promptly ran up to see the pieces
of bacon up close.  Only after reading
closely did I see that the piece was called
"5 brush strokes."  Ah-ha!  I totally see it....
but I'm still going to say that it looks like colorful bacon.

Alexander ran up to this sculpture and stood by it just like this.
I managed to take a picture from the back, and tried to hustle
myself to get a picture from the front, but he was already onto the
next sculpture....that would've been a great picture for his high school
graduation. :)  Joseph agreed.

"Mommy, I seeeeeee you!"

As you can tell, Alexander had a GREAT time with this sculpture.

Mommy and Alexander, posing in the sculpture.

      Running down the hill to see the massive sculpture.

Don't these look like massive children's
stacking blocks?

Absolutely beautiful.

Mommy and Alexander at the DeCordova Museum. :)

This sculpture was pretty cool because it was interactive.  It
encouraged you to take a stick and drag them across the bars
to play a song.  Very cool!

Alexander playing with the sculpture

Alexander giving a hug to the rock man.

Alexander giving a kiss to the rock man.  Our little guy is very affectionate.

Recently, Alexander has found a new tv show to watch.
He thoroughly enjoys "Bob the Builder" and whenever
he watches it, he must always wear his "Bob the Builder'
hat...this kid is very quirky.  Too funny!

Here's a cute little moment that I caught of Alexander
reading The Big Red Barn to his stuffed animal Eeyore.

Me at 38 weeks pregnant.  William dropped this week
(thank goodness), which made it much easier
for me to get around and breathe again.  Thank goodness!
  

I've definitely been nesting like crazy and things are now completely ready for our new arrival.  I've dotted my i's and crossed my t's and the house is just how I'd like it.  At my 39 week check up, William showed that he was in position, but my cervix was not.  Thus, I've deduced that William will be a late-comer just like Alexander (who came at 41 weeks after I was induced).  Oh well, that gives me a little more time to catch up on a little bit of sleep and spend some more quality time with Alexander and Joseph (and Oscar of course).  Until next time...

Love and kisses,

Nikki