(Oliver / Aiden)

I wanted to share more Pomegranate Chocolate Chunk cookie pictures with you but my photog session was hijacked by these 2 cuties.  And then I got sidetracked by adorable babies sitting in front of a christmas tree…..

(Oliver / Aiden)

So easily distracted (Oliver / Aiden)

Well that didn’t last long (Oliver / Aiden)

Away he goes (Oliver / Aiden)

Future Food Photographer….this kid LOVES food already (Oliver)

There have been so many months I’ve wanted to write a baby post for you all.  Share pictures each month, tell you what they are doing, what my life is like day-to-day, etc…..but I’m lucky enough to even remember to take those month to month pictures.  Life was crazy for a while, a long while, like 7 months while and then something wonderful happened.  Naps started lasting longer (not that I don’t love playing with these boys but momma needs a break longer than 20 min sometimes), a schedule started to appear, and the boys are starting to entertain each other while I get some other stuff done.  Which in return frees up some time for my poor neglected blog.  Woop woop!!  I see baking in my very near future!!!!  :)

Since I’ve been so bad about posting, I thought I would give you a recap of our last 9 months in pictures.  Sound good??!?

Boys came home from the NICU when they were 3 1/2 weeks old.  Here they are at about 5 weeks

(Me / Aiden / Oliver / Brent)

Sleeping babies are so adorable – 6 weeks old (Oliver / Aiden)

Mother’s Day!!  (Aiden / Oliver)

Father’s Day and the boys’ first boat ride! (Me / Aiden / Oliver / Brent)

First trip to Devil’s Lake, MI  (Oliver / Aiden)

Our first race in the BOB!  Firecracker 7k  (Oliver / Aiden)

My cousin made the race bibs, too cute!!

6 months (Aiden / Oliver)

6 months (Oliver / Aiden)

First Family Swim (Me / Aiden / Brent / Oliver)

Heart Health 5k…and it was freezing!!  (Aiden / Oliver)

Ready for game day – Go Bucks!  (Aiden / Oliver)

End of September we purchased 2 H& R Block locations and moved from NC to OH.  Ribbon cutting ceremony…it’s official!  Never thought I would be so excited for tax season.

So proud of Brent!  (Brent / Oliver / Aiden / Me)

Happy boys after their bottle  8 months(Aiden / Oliver)

Oliver and his diaper rag – loves putting that thing on his head – 8 months

Aiden helping me unfold all the clean laundry – 8 months

Aiden tackling Oliver

Best friends already – 9 months (Oliver / Aiden)

So excited for our 1st christmas as a family!! (Oliver / Aiden)

Hope you enjoyed the picture roll!  As you can tell, the boys don’t miss a meal and they are strong and healthy!  You would never know they were 7 weeks early!  Weighing in at about 22 lbs each and finally starting to thin out now that they are army crawling around the house.  Who needs a gym membership, just get yourself a chunky baby or two.  :)  ps….Can someone please point me in the direction of the “pause button”?  Life is going way to fast!

I hope to be gracing your computer screen often with either yummy food photos or adorable baby pics!!  Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season so far!  :)

Cookies have been sent, pictures have been taken and now it’s time to share this years Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap cookie!  I bring you Pomegranate Chocolate Chunk Cookies!  I’ll elaborate on these beauties in a minute.  I was so excited when I got the email reminding me to sign up for this years swap.  I haven’t exactly been the baking machine I was in the past, but signing up for the swap meant I HAD to bake some cookies or I would be on the naughty list.  Signing up also meant I would receive 3 dozen cookies from other fab bloggers.  Win, win people!  Win, Win!!

The first dozen I received was a Chocolate Walnut Cookie, I think it was.  Unfortunately it didn’t have a name or description, but they were good!!  It was a really cold day when they were delivered and they sat outside for a few hours before I realized my first cookie swap had arrived.  They were chilled from being outside and that’s actually how we preferred them.  So back in the fridge they went.  Brent was a big fan of these!  The next batch I received was from Hannah of Fleur-De-Licious.  Hannah sent me Pistachio and Cranberry Mexican Wedding Cakes.  I loved this cookie for 2 reasons:  1) it was out of the ordinary and unlike anything I have tried before and 2) they were good obviously!  The name immediately had me intrigued.  I’m definitely bookmarking the recipe to try for future reference.  My last dozen was a Whole Wheat Cranberry Chocolate Chip cookie from Lauren over at Sizzle Eats.  I’ve never baked with Whole Wheat before but I will say I didn’t feel nearly as guilty eating these cookies as I normally do.  Another thing to add to the to-do list, bake with whole wheat flour.  Thanks for all the yummy cookies ladies!

What about my cookies you ask?!?  They were good!!  Like really good!  Chocolatey, gooey, and little bits of juicy tartness.  I was slightly skeptical because I have never baked with pomegranate seeds.  To be honest, I’ve never bought a pomegranate or had pomegranate seeds until last week.  Not that I can recall at least.  They are my new favorite thing!  The pomegranate itself is a bit of a hassle to work with, but those seeds are so worth it.  Chocolate and pomegranate, you make a delightful combo.  Marking this one down to make again very soon!!  Wonder what else I can combine with these seeds??

(Printable Recipe)

Pomegranate Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tbsp instant coffee, granules
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 tbsp POM juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the instant coffee, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3.  In a small glass bowl, combine chopped chocolate and butter.  Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir frequently until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.  Remove bowl from heat.

4. In large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, POM juice, and vanilla extract until combined, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly add in flour mixture until batter is thick and smooth. Be careful not to over mix. Fold in the melted chocolate. Stir in the chocolate chips and pomegranate seeds. Using a medium scoop (about 1 1/2 tbsp) place dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until slightly puffed and the tops begin to crack, 12 to 14 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets and serve.

I’ve only baked like 4 times since January!  4 times people!!!!  Oy vey!  Needless to say, my creative juices weren’t flowing so I turned to one of my favorite baking blogs.  Jamie, over at My Baking Addiction, always has amazing recipes.  Her blog is one of my go-to’s and I can always count on the recipe to be a hit!

These cookies are AMAZING!!!  They are chocolaty, peanut buttery, soft with a slightly crisp edge, and all around delightful!  I was a little worried about the stuffed Reese’s Cup because I’ve had bad luck before with stuffing cookies but no problems at all this time.  Make sure to let the dough balls freeze for 15-20 minutes before baking to insure they don’t flatten out and become a runny mess.  I may or may not have eaten 3 of them within a matter of like 20 minutes. So.Good!

Reese’s Cup Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from My Baking Addiction

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Chocolate Chips)
• 30 Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups, frozen for atleast 2 hours

Directions

1.  In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, approx. 2-3 minutes.  Mix in flour, baking soda and salt.  Stir in chocolate chips.

2.  Measure dough using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tbsp).  Roll dough into a ball and then flatten in the palm of your hand.

3.  Place a frozen Reese’s Cup in the center of flattened dough and then roll back into a ball.

4.  Place dough balls in freezer for about 15-20 minutes.  After first batch is in the freezer, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5.  Place frozen dough balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, about 3 inches apart.  I got 6 dough balls on each sheet.

6.  Bake 15-18 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown, centers of the cookie will be soft.  Cool on pan for atleast 3-5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes:

• Cookies store in an airtight container will be good for 2-3 days.  
• I baked my cookies for 15 minutes and allowed to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring.  Keep an eye on the cookies, each oven bakes differently and you don’t want them to get overdone.

Oliver Thomas was born at 2:10pm, 4lbs 10oz, 19in long 

Aiden Douglas was born at 2:23pm, 5lbs 7oz, 19in long

Thank you all so much for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers!!  

I miss being in my kitchen so much!!  I can’t remember the last time I baked something and because of the heartburn even dinners are nothing exciting.  This weekend is free again so hopefully I can whip something up.  If you guys have any ideas of cookie combinations, brownies, or anything relatively simple let me know.  Thank you so much for sticking this out with me!  I do promise to be back…..

Check out the latest on the pregnancy!!

(picture is from 31 weeks)

There are sooo many mornings that I am rushing out the door.  Like way too many!  One would think I would learn my lesson and do simple things like pick out my outfit the night before, pack my lunch before/after I pick out said outfit, iron, you get the picture.  But no.  Instead I somehow find some weird thrill in constantly feeling rushed.

I need to have more of these Apple Baked Oatmeal Cups in my life.  They are are a great grab-n-go breakfast item or mid-morning snack.  The best part is that I know they are healthy.  One less thing to worry about while deciding on what to pack for lunch.  I thought they were best slightly warmed up and with a little bit of almond butter/peanut butter to up the protein factor.  Hope you enjoy these oatmeal cups as much as we did!

(Printable Recipe)

Apple Baked Oatmeal Cups

Recipe adapted from With Style and Grace

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk (skim, soy, rice, almond, etc)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 apple, cored, peeled, and cut into small 1/2″ pieces
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray cupcake pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Set aside.

3.  In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, applesauce, and egg.  Add wet ingredients to the oat mixture and stir until combined.  Gently fold in apple pieces and cranberries.

4.  Fill each cupcake well about 3/4 full.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until tops are browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

5.  Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes:

• You might need to run a knife around the outside of the oatmeal cups to loosen.
• Best served warm.  Reheat in microwave for 10-15 seconds and enjoy with a smear of peanut butter, nuts, milk, etc

A lot of bloggers ask “What is your favorite cookie?”  Have you ever tried to answer that question??  It’s tough to narrow down the choices to just one cookie.  There are so many good cookies out there.  It all depends on what kind of mood you are in.  I won’t bore you with a list of different ones, but tough question right??  Or is it?

Anytime I have answered that question I always list at least 4 or 5.  Like a lot of other things in life, I prefer options and not to be shackled down by 1 particular favorite.  But there is undoubtedly a reoccurring cookie that always makes the list.  A frosted sugar cookie!  I can never turn it down.  There are a few rules though:  1) Sugar cookie must be soft  2)  Sugar cookie can be thin as long as it’s soft and kind of buttery (you know, like the tube of sugar cookie dough you buy in the refrigerator section at the grocery store.  Slightly under baked, those things are money.)  3.  Sugar cookie MUST have a 2:1 frosting to cookie ratio.  Thicker the cookie, that frosting better be piled on.

Although this cookie is always on the list, I have NEVER made a sugar cookie before.  I was always worried I would have too much flour on my countertop and dough, then they would turn out floury, or I would roll them too thick or too thin.  Besides it was so much easier to run to the store and pick up some Lofthouse cookies.  Instant gratification!  Lofthouse, as much as I love you, this homemade version is amazing!!  The cookie itself turned out pretty darn close to the original.  So soft and fluffy!  The best part, if my cookie was a bit too thick, I get to pile as much frosting on as I want!  Valentine’s Day is around the corner.  Have you started thinking about what to give all the “sweets” in your life?

(Printable Recipe)

Lofthouse Style Sugar Cookies

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod via RecipeSecrets.net

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies

Sugar Cookie Ingredients

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 5-6 tbsp heavy cream

Sugar Cookie Directions

1.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

2.  In another large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla extract and sour cream, beat on low speed until combined.

3.  With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients and mix just until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.  If your dough is a little sticky, that’s ok.  Place 2 large rectangles of plastic wrap on counter.  Divide dough into 2 equal portions and flatten into 1 1/2 inch thick rectangles.  Chill into refrigerator for alt east 2 hours or overnight.

4.  When ready to bake:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats and set aside.

5.  Lightly flour the countertop and the top of the dough.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into 1/4 inch thickness.  Using cookie cutters, cut out cookies and place onto prepared pans.  Dip cookie cutters in pile of flour if needed to keep dough from sticking.  Bake for 7 minutes or until cookies are starting to turn slightly golden brown around the edges.  Immediately transfer cookies to a cooling rack when removed from oven.  Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Directions

1.  In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium-high speed for about 2-3 minutes.  Add vanilla extract and continue to beat until light and fluffy.  Slowly beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated.  Add salt.  Beat for an additional 1-2 minutes until smooth.  Add heavy cream, 1 tbsp at a time.  Continue to beat on medium-high speed for another 1-2 minutes until desired consistency as been met.  Add food coloring if desired.

2.  Once cookies have cooled completely, add frosting and sprinkles.  Allow frosting to set and then store in an air tight container.

Hope you guys enjoy the new section!!

26 WEEKS

How far along are you?  26 weeks (27 week on Monday)

Total Weight Gain:  24 pounds

How big are the babies?  2 lbs 2oz and 2 lbs 3 oz (as of Jan 12)

Maternity Clothes?  Most definitely.  I live in leggings and yoga pants when I can.

Sleep:  Getting increasingly difficult to get comfortable.

Food Cravings:  Still anything cold and/or fruity.  Ice cream, fro yo, ice chips, popsicles, fruit.  The colder the better.

Food Aversions:  No aversions but I am changing up what I eat slightly due to heartburn.  I really miss tomatoes!

Movement?  Tons!  At the last ultrasound we found out that both feet are up by my ribs on the right side.  They are constantly kicking each other and playing.  Atleast I like to think they are playing and not fighting already.  So cute!  They are most active after I eat.

Symptoms:  Terrible heartburn

Gender:  We are not finding out.  :)

Belly Button In or Out?  Unfortunately it’s been out for some time.  I hope it goes back.

Labor Signs?  None yet.  I keep telling them to make themselves comfy because they have a ways to go.  Hopefully not having labor signs yet means they are listening.

What I miss?  Sleeping on my stomach.

What I am looking forward to?  This weekend I have two friends coming down to visit!  Can’t wait!!

Next appt:  Tues Jan 31st.  It’s the dreaded 1 hr glucose test.  Fingers crossed I pass, but I’m not feeling very hopeful.