thunder snow

This is our backyard this morning.  Thundersnow is the official weather condition, one which I'd never heard of before in all my years of Wisconsin living.  It's just what it sounds like, snow, with thunder.  It's pretty awesome.  But as my sister points out, it would also make the best wrestling name ever.  Or any name for that matter.  Should I name my firstborn child Thunder Snow?

It's so quiet, everything muffled under a blanket of magical white fluff.  The only sound was the snowplow getting stuck on the corner.  Irony abounds.  We're taking a full snow day, catching up on tv watching and making hot pepper brownies.  Full report to come soon...

last minute lite

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Still doing your christmas shopping?  Yeah, me too.  And if the last gift guide seemed a little too dignified and mature, if you want a little more frivolity in your choices, here's another bunch of ideas to make sure everyone on your list ends up smiling...

a day off

Don't go away, I promise I won't be gone long.  I'm packing and headed to New York today, and I may take a day or two off from posting as we get settled in our temporary home in Williamsburg.  So forgive the short absence; I'll be back online in a "pis pas" as they say in Spain.   So hang in there, like this little guy who never loses focus!

peanut butter cookies

I made these when I was home this winter, lots of time on myhands. The original recipe is from Kalyn's Kitchen, which, by the way, is an amazing source for south beach friendly recipes. I didn't plan on changing the recipe but alas, we were out of baking powder! So I used a wacky substitution I found on line, but they turned out so moist and delectable that I'm going to make them that way every time now. What's so amazing is not just that they're good, but that they have zero flour and zero sugar. They do, however, have agave syrup, but feel free to substitute your sugar substitute of choice.


Flourless, Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
(Makes about 25-30 small cookies, recipe adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen.)

1 large egg
slightly less than 1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup creamy natural peanut butter (no sugar added)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Beat the egg, mix everything in, adding the peanut butter last. It ends up looking sort of like cake batter. Spoon it onto a silicone cookie sheet for easy removal later, and then into the oven for about 12-15 minutes. They end up sort of a cupcake-cookie hybrid in my opinion, and they are highly addictive, so beware. I think Kalyn's original recipe yields crunchy cookies, but I don't know if I can ever stop making them this way long enough to find out.

Our sweet boyz decided to help with the photo shoot:

Boyz: Oh look at us, we are so good, we love you so much, we will do whatever you tell us, pleaseohpleaseohplease can we have some cookies?

Milo: What was that?! Did they move?!

Nikki: I'm ... just ... going to ... slowly ... look away. It's ... a sign of ... respect. She'll understand ... and give me ..... cookies.


Milo: Screw this, she's never giving in. I'm gonna go lick my bear.

Nikki: Right, so just stay like this. It's working. Keep that foot up, don't look at her or the cookies, it'll totally work. You've got this. Don't let the foot drop, don't waver in your intentions. The little one's gone, they're all gonna be yours. Stay focused, but act casual.

Guest model

I'd like to introduce you all to one of our boys. The smaller one, the tougher one, the neurotic one, the bossy one, and the one who thinks he might be a person. Yep, they're all the same guy. He's a mafioso, he's a singer, he's a velcro dog, and when you give him a head massage he yawns and scratches himself in slow motion. We love the little guy. And here he is, in his first guest modeling appearance on this blog.....Milo!!!

This is a test...

this is only a test. I have nothing to say right now, I just wanted to see how the layout looks. And then if I wanted to add a funny picture, it would look like this.