Oh ya- third baby came! That's it, now I remember. Little Thatcher arrived and I gotta be honest here.... 3rd baby knocked mama off her feet! You hear people continuously say, "Going from one to two babies was the game changer for us." Or, "going from one to two was nothing, but two to three was where it got us." I would have to say without even blinking, "Two to three WAS THE GAME CHANGER!"
Even though Thatcher has been the most pleasant, easy, low key, and delightful baby, something in my head happened! Like...my brain fell out! So this last year has looked like- new baby, husband on 2 tours, my son going to kindergarten, teaching piano, trying to remember to shower and wash my hair, and running around chasing little sweeties!
However, I am happy to announce that in the last few months life has slowly begun to feel normal again. Earlier in my blogs, you might recall, I wrote about the "sacredness" of dinner time. In this house, we light the candles, turn on French music, and make dinner a nightly event with our family. Well- for the last year, there have been no candles, no music, mostly paper plates, and a lot of Praise Baby music in the background rather than my French music! Now the food remained quite tasty, but the atmosphere has been loud and chaotic with a toddler, a baby, and my 5 year old, who, I love with all my heart, but he NEVER quits talking. Dinner has been survival of the fittest, with Luke and I looking at each other with eyes that ask, "are we gonna make it?"
Thankfully, things have finally calmed down. We have found our rhythm. The record player is turning once again, and Edith Piaf or Ella Fitzgerald is serenading me most nights as I prepare dinner. Candles are lit, a glass of wine is poured, and we gather together at the table. Sure, dinner is still a little rowdy-like my 5 year old still talks from the moment we sit down to the moment we begin to clear the dishes, and my 1 year old screams with a shriek that can crack every window in our home, while my 3 year old little girl sings and hums without ceasing. But hey, at least the paper plates are gone! Sounds nice, huh? Anyone wanna come for dinner?
Fall cooking is one of my favorite seasons to cook. The weather is dreamy, so it is still a wonderful time to grill, a GLORIOUS time to bake, and a beautiful time to start easing into those winter recipes that have been on the back burner since the year before.
Probably one of my favorite Fall Dishes is my Cinnamon Clove Chicken and Homemade Applesauce. Truly the best. (In my opinion) Your house will literally smell like Fall. Cinnamon Chicken-sounds a little strange, but the savory mixed with a hint of sweet? Oh my word. Trust me and try it out!
Cinnamon Clove Chicken and Homemade Applesauce
1, 4-5 lb. roasting chicken
2 lemons
olive oil
salt
cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice
Prepare oven at 425 degrees.
Clean and prepare the chicken for roasting. Slice 2 lemons and stuff them inside the cavity of the chicken. Rub olive oil all over the chicken, and lightly salt the outside of the body.
Then sprinkle about a tsp of cinnamon over the chicken. 1/2 tsp of allspice, clove, and nutmeg also just sprinkle on the body of the chicken.
Roast chicken at 425 degrees for 1 hour or 1 1/2 hours or until chicken juices are no longer pink when you cut into it.
Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Homemade Applesauce
I really like Barefoot Contessa's recipe for Homemade Applesauce. I usually cut back on the sugar just a little bit, but overall, it is a wonderful recipe. The credit goes to Ina on this one. Follow the link below.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-applesauce-recipe.html
Enjoy!!!!
