Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, Painting Dinosaurs, Carrot Cake, and Playing Around

On the plate:  Stuffed portobello mushrooms and carrot cake

Soundtrack to cook to:  Stevie Wonder's The Definitivie Collection.  For Once In My Life is my favorite song.  I get chills every time that I hear it because it really hits home and it's so upbeat.  I seriously get goosebumps each time and belt it out with all of my might.

12 weeks!  This week, William graduated to wearing
his 6-12 month clothing, is trying to sit up, has
been talking up a storm, and has been sucking on his
right index and middle finger like it's his job.  He's
been interacting much more with his brother Alexander,
and is starting to "play" with his toys.
(This handsome outfit is courtesy of William's Aunt Sarah,
Uncle Brian, and Cousin Carter.  Thanks guys!!)

Our little 12 week old  :)

William in his finest formal wear.  :)

One of my favorite things that my mom made over the years was her stuffed portobello mushrooms.  I didn't have the recipe written down, so I did it from memory and definitely wasn't disappointed.  You MUST try this recipe if you love juicy and savory mushrooms as much as I do.

Ingredients:

• 1 diced bell pepper
• 1 diced onion
• 5-6 large portobello mushroom caps, take the stems and dice them
• 1 box frozen spinach, thawed
• 4 tbsp light, whipped cream cheese (or you could use marscarpone if you're extra fancy)
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper

Saute the diced onions, mushroom stems, and pepper in a pan
with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.

Place the mushroom caps on a greased pan with their bottom
side facing upwards.

Thaw and thoroughly drain the spinach and mix together in
a mixing bowl with the sauteed vegetables and cream cheese.
Then, evenly distribute this mixture onto the mushrooms.  After that,
top each mushroom with cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese.

Place the mushrooms into a 400 degree F oven for 25 minutes
or until the cheese is nice and bubbly and the mushrooms are cooked through.

Here we go!  A delicious, juicy, and savory bite of creamy
yumminess from my childhood. We paired this with some simply
cooked fish and brown rice, but the pairing possibilities are endless.
These are so easy to make and are incredibly delicious.  

We've been holed up in the house since it's been so cold and haven't been on too many playdates.  This past Saturday, January 26, our neighbor, Roshni, and her son Arhan invited us to meet them out at a local paint-your-own-pottery place in Brookline called The Clay Room.

Alexander chose to paint a Tyrannosaurus Rex
(surprise, surprise).  The owner suggested that he choose
two paint colors, so as not to overwhelm him with
too many choices.  When I asked Alexander which colors
he wanted to paint his T-Rex, he said, "Pink!!"  I
was quite surprised with this, but said, "Ok, sweetheart,
what other color would you like to paint the dinosaur?"
"Blue!  Pink and blue T-Rex, HOORAY!!"

Here's Alexander getting ready to paint his dinosaur.
He's rocking some serious bed head from the nap
he took before the playdate.  :)

Alexander, Arhan, and Roshni at The Clay Room

in Brookline.

A work of art!  :)

In our household, all of us are HUGE fans of sweets.  After dinner each night, it doesn't feel right if we end the meal without a little something sweet to eat.  I tend to stay away from baking cakes, because it's only the three of us eating cake - William will join in later, I'm sure.  However, I found a really great recipe for carrot cake (one of my faves) and couldn't resist.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar (I used 1 1/2 and it was still great)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice

Then, on medium speed, mix together the dry ingredients with
the following ingredients:
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 egg whites
3 cups peeled, grated carrots
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Pour the batter into 2 greased 8" round pans and bake for 35 minutes
at 350 degrees F.

Mmmm!  The beautifully spicy, moist, and delectable cake.

I used a plain vanilla frosting and iced and stacked the cakes.

Oh.my.lanta!!  Absolutely heavenly, spicy, moist and oh-so-delicious!

Rocking this awesome shirt that my friend Vena
got for him.  Can I get an amen??  :)

Our boys, playing around

Alexander likes playing with the infant toys as well!

Our boys, talking and playing with one another.  

I love this one.

It's been a great week!  William is developing nicely and Alexander is starting to play with him more and more.  It's been so much fun watching these boys play together with one another and be brothers.  Until next time...

Love and kisses,

Nikki