a little love & chocolate fondue

Olivia cutting out little cookie dough hearts.

That's Nina, even though the apron says, "Hannah."

Some Valentines we made with lollipops.

Nina's special Valentine she made for her teacher, Mrs. Jackson.

A little project I started last year, and finally finished this year. Tiny felt hearts with button flowers and embroidered stems. I stitched on a loop of ribbon for hanging on dresser drawers or doorknobs, just to spread a little love.

How was your Valentine's Day? Ours was simple and fun. Nina and Olivia helped me make our traditional heart-shaped sugar cookies a few days early, and we packed them for our weekend with friends at the cabin. At the cabin we decorated them with pink frosting, candy hearts and red hots {my favorite on sugar cookies!}. Over the weekend we also had our usual Valentine's breakfast of heart-shaped waffles with strawberries and cream.

The Valentines we made were super easy, super cute, and super inexpensive. I saw some other cute ideas here and here, but we'll just save those for another year.

It wouldn't be Valentine's Day without a little chocolate fondue, would it? Some ideas for dipping are strawberries, bananas, oranges, kiwi, pieces of good french bread, pretzels, marshmallows, graham crackers, Oreos, coconut macaroons, and cinnamon hearts. Here's my favorite {and easy!} recipe.

Chocolate Fondue

1 cup half and half {or cream}

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a small pot, warm the half and half over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Add the chocolate chips and whisk until the chocolate is smooth and fully incorporated. Mmmm....start dipping!

party time!

It's that time again for the line up of family parties! Here are a few highlights from this year's festivities...taken with our little point and shoot because I was too overwhelmed to pack in my good camera with loading all the kids, diapers, gifts, food, p.j.'s, etc. Dang it.

The annual Nativity put on by the Tycksen grandkids at my in-law's house.

Clayton and all the brothers {minus Erik who is in Kuwait}, brothers-in-law and our friend Joey surprised Ruthie by singing a few carols. She loves to hear them sing, and I thought it was really sweet they put that together.

Needless to say, the white elephant game ended in tears.

Little Will overwhelmed by the chaos. Or maybe he's enjoying it, I'm not sure.

My kids spent at least an hour on their gingerbread houses!

Liv decided to paint her fingernails with the frosting...

...and her toenails! I love that she's wearing her angel costume in these pictures.

So pretty!

Casch and Ben at my mom's dinner party. We always have "crackers" that pop with toys, lame British jokes and crowns inside.

Grandma reading her joke...I love that she's wearing a crown too!

Me and "Willoughby."

My BFF, Emily, came to town for the holidays...we had a sleepover at my house, soaked it up in our "KSL Hot Tub," and went to the Carl Bloch exhibit at BYU.

All the girls {minus Cami} at my grandparents' house on Christmas Eve.

Little Norwegian girls! Nina, Olivia, and my niece Bria.

Poppy Per making faces in the background, haha!

Baby Casch sporting his Norwegian costume. I love him!

Every Christmas Eve of my life {except for one} has been spent with my dad's family, gathered around a constantly expanding table for a Norwegian Christmas dinner. It's my favorite meal of the whole year! Clayton was sick this year and missed it, poor guy. He loves the dinner too. At the end of the night, Poppy Per drops one blanched almond into the giant bowl of riskrem {rice pudding} and whoever ends up with it in their bowl wins a tall chocolate Santa. Guess who won this year? Our own little Olivia! Hooray!

Here's the recipe if you ever want to try it for yourself...it's super delicious.

Riskrem

{Norwegian Christmas Rice Pudding}

Ingredients:

3/4 cup long grain white rice {not Minute Rice}

1 teaspoon salt

1 quart whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups heavy cream, whipped and sweetened to taste

1 whole almond

Raspberry Sauce {recipe follows}

Directions:

Cook rice, salt, and milk in double boiler until rice is soft and mixture is thick - about 1 1/2 hours. Fluff the rice a few times for the first half-hour to prevent lumps on the bottom. You want the rice to be nice and fluffy.

While still hot, add sugar. Cover with plastic wrap, directly onto the rice to prevent a hard film from forming on the top, and chill. When completely chilled, stir in almond extract. Fold in the whipped cream. Add the almond and stir to hide it. Serve topped with raspberry sauce.

The person who receives the whole almond receives a special gift {often a marzipan pig or a chocolate Santa}.

Raspberry Sauce

1 pkg. Danish dessert {near the Jello at the grocery store}

3 1/2 c. cold water

small pkg. of frozen, sweetened raspberries

Cook the Danish dessert and water until thickened. Cool, but do not refrigerate {if you do, it will jell too much}. Add desired amount of raspberries with some of the juice and serve on top of the rice cream.

simple ghosties

Here are a couple of our Halloween traditions...white chocolate ghosts, and these ghosts I made years ago out of white tissue paper and cheesecloth. I have a few of them floating around the house, and a group of them hanging over the front steps to welcome trick-or-treaters. Two super easy and inexpensive projects!

p.s. I can't wait to show you our costumes this year!

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

I can't believe I haven't posted these before. You have to make these for Halloween weekend! Everyone will love you for it.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

{I usually double or triple this recipe because as it is, it only makes about a dozen or so, and I could eat that many all by myself!}

1 c. canned pumpkin

1 c. white sugar

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 egg

1 Tbs. Vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. milk

2 c. flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 or 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (depending on how chocolatey you want them)

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, dissolve the teaspoon of baking soda in the milk, then add to pumpkin mixture. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, spices, salt and baking powder. Add to pumpkin mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. Drop by spoonful on greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 or 11 minutes, until firm and lightly browned. Let cool completely before removing from pan. They taste best cold from the refrigerator with a glass of milk if you ask me!

pear upside down cake

Okay, so I'm really not a big cake fan. I consider myself to be more of a brownie/chocolate chip cookie kind of girl. But, let me tell you, I would choose this cake over brownies any day of the week. This has been a fall favorite at my house for the last 12 years, since I first found the recipe {in the newspaper!}.

You just have to try it! It's best topped with a soft little cloud of whipped cream, in my opinion.

Pear Upside Down Cake

1/3 c. butter, melted

1 c. brown sugar

3-4 c. sliced pears (fresh or canned)

2 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

2 eggs

1 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. milk

1. Preheat oven to 350. Pour the melted butter into a 9x13 baking dish, making sure that the sides get buttered as well. Sprinkle with the brown sugar.
2. Arrange the pears over the brown sugar, fitting tightly together. Set dish aside.
3. Sift the flour with the baking powder in a mixing bowl and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until light. Stir in the flour mixture. Add the cream and milk, mixing well.
5. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan, being careful not to move the pears.
6. Bake in preheated oven 40 minutes or until cake tests done.
7. Remove cake from oven and let cool for five minutes before turning out onto a serving plate. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

crispix mix

This is the best for taking to a party or on a trip. It's my aunt Heidi's recipe, and I love it. It makes a TON too. Just watch out, because it is so addicting! My sister Erika said she likes it with shredded coconut and sliced almonds stirred into it. Sounds good, huh?

Crispix Mix

2 small boxes Crispix cereal (Chex works too, it's just more crumbly)

1 pound butter (4 sticks...yikes! That explains why it's so good.)

3 cups sugar

1 cup light Karo syrup

2 tsp. vanilla

dash of salt

shredded coconut (optional)

sliced almonds (optional)

Melt the butter in a large pan, then add the sugar and Karo syrup. Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook to soft ball stage (about 230-240 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 2 minutes). Take off heat. Add vanilla and dash of salt. Pour cereal (and coconut and almonds if using) into a large bowl and drizzle with the hot mixture. Stir and spread out on a baking sheet until cool.

triple chocolate brownies

Here's one I LOVE from Nigella Lawson's cookbooks. It has 3 sticks, plus 2 tablespoons of butter. Need I say more? I make these for almost every birthday, family gathering, etc. If I don't have white chocolate chips on hand, I just use extra chocolate chips, like I did here.

The only way these could possibly get any better would be to top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some caramel sauce.

Click here to view the recipe.

I don't have a 9x11 pan like she uses, so I use either a 9x13 (bake for about 30 minutes), or an odd 8x10 (bake for 50 minutes).

strawberry bread

I found this recipe when I was expecting Hannah, so every time I make it I have memories of that time in my life, when Ben was like Olivia is now. It's kind of like banana bread, but with strawberries instead. It just smells so good, there's nothing like it. This is probably one of my favorite things to make with all those strawberries on sale!

Strawberry Bread

3 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs

1 1/4 c. canola oil

2 c. sliced fresh strawberries

Mix dry ingredients together, then add wet ingredients and stir until moist and well combined. Pour into 2 greased & floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

he really is fantastic

I don't know which I like better, the book or the movie. I have always been a big Roald Dahl fan, and I think his books make the best movies. I can't believe this film was only in theaters for a couple of weeks this past holiday season, it deserved to be in much longer.

I LOVE the stop-motion animation style in the movie, and the music is so charming and fitting. However, I do think the original story is more sweet, since Mr. Fox isn't quite so egotistical in the book as he is in the movie. And he has more kids to take care of. But I highly recommend both. If you've never read this one, it's time you did. Pick it up and you'll have fun reading it in about an hour.

Here's a fun peek into the making of the film.

We watched it as a family and had our favorite movie treat...caramel popcorn (a recipe from my friend Heather) Here's the recipe for you:

Mary Jane's Caramel Popcorn

1 stick of butter

1 1/4 c. corn syrup

3 c. packed brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

a couple huge bowls of popcorn

In a heavy medium sized saucepan, combine corn syrup and brown sugar. Cook and stir until it comes to a boil. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Add butter. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture form a soft ball (I cook it to about 235 or 240 degrees on the candy thermometer). Remove from heat and pour over the popcorn.

Sometimes we don't use all the caramel at once, so we store half of it in the fridge, then heat it up to use for the next week's movie night.

easter egg nest cake

Chocolate cake, chocolate cream topping, and Cadbury Mini-Eggs. Need I say more?

This is a recipe I found in Feast by Nigella Lawson.

EASTER EGG NEST CAKE

For the Cake:

· 8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

· 1 stick unsalted softened butter

· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

· 6 eggs: 2 whole; 4 separated

· 1/3 cup plus ½ cup superfine sugar: 1/3 cup for the yolk mixture; ½ cup for the whites

For the Topping:

· 4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

· 1 cup heavy cream

· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

· 1 cup of robin’s eggs or other small sugar-coated pretty little East eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper or, better still, Silpat but do not grease the sides of the pan.

Melt the 8oz chocolate with the butter in either a double boiler or a microwave and then set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk the 4 egg whites until firm, then gradually add the 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape and peak gleamingly – but not stiff.

Remove this bowl (if you're using a standard mixer, as I do, though a hand-held job would do fine) and set aside while you whisk, in another bowl, the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with the 1/3 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract, and then gently fold in the chocolate mixture. Lighten the mixture with some of the egg whites – just dollop a large spoonful in and stir briskly—and then fold in the rest of the whisked whites gently, in about three goes.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly on the surface. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools and the sides splinter. You want this to look like a cake with a crater in it, so do not panic at the vision of imperfection in front of you. That's one of the reasons this cake is so unstressful to make.

To finish the cake, carefully remove it from the pan and place it on a plate or cake-stand, not worrying if bits fall off here and there. Put them back in a loose fashion.

Melt the chocolate for the topping and leave it to cool a little. Whip the cream until it is firming up and aerated but still soft, and then add the vanilla and fold in the melted chocolate. Fill the crater of the cake with the chocolaty cream, easing it to cool a little. Whip the cream until it is firming up and aerated but still soft, and then add the vanilla and fold in the melted chocolate. Fill the crater of the cake with the chocolaty cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake with a rubber spatula, and then arrange the little sugar Easter eggs on top.

coconut macaroons

1 pkg. (14 oz.) shredded sweetened coconut

2/3 c. sugar

6 Tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

4 egg whites

1 tsp. almond extract (can substitute vanilla or coconut extract, or use a little of each)

Mix coconut, sugar, flour and salt in large bowl. Stir in egg whites and almond extract until well blended. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a parchment-lined (or greased and floured) cookie sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to wire racks to cool completely. Dip cookies halfway into melted chocolate, if desired.

Makes about 3 dozen.

P.S. I recently saw a great idea in a magazine where they made cookies like these, then put an almond on top, then covered the whole thing in melted chocolate...homemade Almond Joys! I think I'll try it next time.

when the kids are away the mama will play

Once a week I have a rare opportunity for complete and total solitude. That one day a week, Nina has preschool in the afternoon (the other two days she goes in the morning), and Olivia usually takes a nap at the same time. I look forward to that little snippet of time so much that I almost panic as to how I should best spend it! It's not that I don't love being with my kids (I do) and I know that one day I'm going to miss all the craziness of having little kids at home...but you know, it sure is nice to sit down by myself once in a while.

So here's a peek into this week's "Mama Time." I decided to get productive after the last few months of feeling so blah and tired. It was exciting to pull out a bunch of unfinished projects and chip away at them, even just a little.

I decided last week to get my paints out. A HUGE step, let me tell you. I haven't painted in so long I feel like I'm relearning everything! But it makes me so happy, holding a brush in my hand, swirling it in the jar of water, and mixing up some pretty colors. Why haven't I done this in so long? So the paints are now sort of a permanent fixture on the kitchen table. I'm so much happier when I can do something creative everyday. And one day I WILL get my books published! Right? So here's a little sample of what I've been painting this week.

I also decided to start writing new story ideas, since I have a little project I'm working on with my brother and sister...more on that later.

What's "Mama Time" without something chocolatey? Try this, you just have to.

Chocolate Sandwich

2 slices of good, rustic bread

a small handful of semisweet chocolate chips,

(or a few squares of your favorite chocolate bar)

a smidge of butter

Put the sandwich together as if you are making a grilled cheese, only with chocolate instead of cheese. Spread a thin layer of butter on top. Grill it in a sandwich press or on the stove until the bread is toasty and the chocolate is melty. Let cool before diving in, the chocolate will be like hot lava! Don't forget a glass of milk alongside.

Last of all, I pulled out this quilt that's been in the works for about 2 years. My sweet mom-in-law gave me all this fun fabric awhile back, and I meant to have it finished for Olivia for Christmas this past year, but hey, she'll never know the difference, right? So I made a little progress by getting it all ironed. Maybe next week I'll actually put the front and back together (but don't quote me on that!).

sunshine on a snowy day

I can't tell you how happy I am that it is March! Even though it snowed today, it is a comfort to me just knowing that February is behind us (plus it's my birthday month!). Here are a couple sunny little things to brighten your day until spring actually gets here.

If you grew up watching Sesame Street like I did, you are gonna love this DVD. I borrowed this from my brother for the kids to watch since they have never really seen the show, and Clay and I both found ourselves sitting down watching it with them and saying, "I totally remember this!" You know, the "one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-ten-eleven-twe-e-e-e-elve" pinball animation, Teeny Little Super Guy, the Ladybug Picnic, and Newsflash with "Kermit the Frog here." You know, all the good stuff from times before Elmo ever existed and the Cookie Monster was the Cookie Monster, not the Veggie Monster. We didn't bother watching the second DVD, which was from 1989 and on, because I think the old school stuff is best.

And here are treats you can make while you are singing about the "People in Your Neighborhood." Lemon bars from scratch, nothing better! Fresh lemon juice makes all the difference here. Also, remember that lemons are easier to zest before you juice them.

Lemon Kisses

Crust:

2 sticks butter

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 c. flour

pinch of salt

Filling:

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

5 T. flour

pinch of salt

6 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1-2 T. grated lemon rind

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut butter into chunks and place in food processor with sugar, flour and salt. Process until well combined. Pat evenly into bottom of lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned. Remove from oven and turn temperature up to 350 degrees.

2. For the filling, in the same processor bowl, mix eggs and sugar together. Add flour and salt and mix well. Add lemon juice and rind. Pour over crust. Bake for 25 minutes.

3. Allow to cool and sift additional powdered sugar over the top.

Leave a plate of these for Santa and he'll probably leave you a few extra gifts as a thank-you.

I typically double this recipe, making about 4-5 dozen, depending how big you make them.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

1 1/2 c. plus 1 Tbsp. flour

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 stick butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. molasses

1 tsp. baking soda

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 c. granulated sugar (or “In The Raw” sugar for more sparkly cookies!)

1. In medium bowl mix together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa powder.

2. With an electric mixer beat butter until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar and beat until combined. Add molasses and beat until combined.

3. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in 1 1/2 tsp. boiling (or really hot) water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Heat oven to 325. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Babies

The first two are Nina, the last two are Olivia. Look how chubby Nina was compared to little Liv! Speaking of pumpkins...here is a Halloween favorite for you to try.

Really Yummy Pumpkin Cake

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 c. canned pumpkin

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. soda

2 1/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, pumpkin, and milk and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together, then add to pumpkin mixture and blend just until combined. Bake at 350 degrees in a greased and floured cookie sheet pan for 20 minutes. (It can also be baked in a 9x13 pan for 30-35 minutes, or in cupcake pans for 15-17 minutes).

When cake is cooled, spread frosting on top.

Frosting:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 c. butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. powdered sugar

Cream together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix to combine.

{p.s. I think this would be fun to try on cupcakes!}