Ethan's had a Birthday NINE TIMES. . . OR My Second Most Embarrassing moment EVER Revisited!

Peter's Jurassic Party cupcakes were so rushed that I didn't get to enjoy the creative process as much as I wanted to, so I was all revved up and ready to go for Ethan's birthday today!

I got to fine-tune my design (yes, I sound like such a snob--I know!!) and get them looking exactly how I wanted them to look. Am I weird if I enjoyed every minute of it from the assembly line of marshmallow eyes to the strategic placement of each Rex on the cupcake tree?

I thought this one looked a little like Marie

I put this guy on the top because he looked so sincere. . .

My Party Favor I brought with me to Ethan's class:

I was the epitome of the Zen-mother as I made Ethan's birthday cupcakes this year. Smooth and slow was my MO. The universe hummed around me in an even cadence as I moved from oven to countertop to classroom.

I wouldn't let the slightest jumble occur in my thoughts or movements as I slid spikes into place and piped sharp teeth around smiling lips. Zen. . . zen. . . zen was all that surrounded me as I was one with my kitchen and my cupcakes.

Okay, I'll stop.

Why all the freaky-Zen-obsession? Now I will launch into a tale so grotesque and so unimaginable that your hands will clap over your mouth when you get to the grand finale.

Let me take you back to last year. But, dear reader, you must understand that as we take this backward journey together, that it has taken me a full year to get to the point that I can share this tale with you. Please forgive me in advance for what I am about to share, and don't let it mar how you see me as a mother.

Ethan's birthday is on September 15th, and we celebrate it as the day when Ethan emerged upside-down. It was the year 2000 when, after 8+ hours of natural labor, the Doctor reached in (such a euphemism!) to discover that what he had thought was Ethan's cranium was indeed his hind-end. We tease Ethan about wanting to come into the world showing his derriere and he gets a good chuckle out of it every year without fail.

Last year on the evening of September 14th Caleb lost his first tooth. It was a momentous event, which I missed because I was at my office slaving away over a hot photocopier until after the kids had gone to bed. Eric told me about Caleb's tooth when I got home, and then we went to bed.

The next morning, I was a frenzied wreck, mentally living out everything on my to do list and realizing that the day wouldn't provide all of the time I needed. But, being the compulsive, unrealistic party planner that I am, I was convinced that I would be able to get the kids off to school on time, make a birthday treat for Ethan's class, prepare for my own class and then arrive on campus looking sleek and polished at exactly 12:43, with two minutes to spare before I launched into an inspirational feast that would leave both of my classes impressed and academically satisfied.

I could do it, right?

Before Ethan left for school, he asked me to please make Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes for his class. I sighed, and being the darn pleaser that I am, I said yes. Eric's dad was staying with us, and graciously offered to go to the store to pick up cones while I whipped up the cake batter.

He returned from the store and then stood back as I whirling-dervished my way around the kitchen like some caffeinated version of Julia Childs, batter and sprinkles flying everywhere. Wanting the cupcakes to look super professional, I piped graceful strands of frosting on each one and then speckled them with colorful sprinkles, even arranging the ones that weren't symmetrical. I looked at the clock and praised myself because I had time to spare.

I kept thinking to myself, "Wow, Sarah! You CAN do it all! Look at you!" I basked in the warm shower of compliments I was heaping upon my own ego as I wrapped a box in festive wrapping paper and garnished it with tissue paper, placing the cupcakes inside like some birthday miracle.

I dressed Eve in a cupcake-themed ensemble and tied her hair up with a rainbow of curly ribbons, and all the while my thoughts were pelting me with praise: "Sarah, you really CAN do it all!" (You know comes before the fall, right? Just checking.)

Here they are, in all of their Martha Stewart-like glory. YUM.

Eve, Peter, Marie, and I took the cupcakes to Ethan's class and dropped them off, and then I came home, fed the kids lunch, and still sauntered into class with time to spare. Like I said. I could do it all. Yippee for me!

When Eric picked me up after class, I was still on bask-overdrive. Class had been great. I had been witty and funny and so full of myself. About half-way to the car, Eric raised his eyebrows at me and grinned.

"What?" I said, knowing there was something behind that look. It was obvious he was savoring a well-thought-out jibe.

"So, Sarah. . . " He paused and smiled, "I hear your cupcakes had quite a bite ." He paused, still holding onto that silly, expectant grin.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my mind whirling back to my mad-morning-rush in the kitchen. Cayenne? Did I put cayenne in the cupcakes? Did tabasco sauce get into the batter? How did the cupcakes get spicy? "I don't get it, " I finally said.

Relishing every word, Eric then told me about how Ethan had come home from school, breathless and excited, and had rushed up to him to announce that, "Caleb's tooth was in one of my birthday cupcakes!!!"

Unbelievable, right? Unfathomable, huh? There is absolutely NO WAY Caleb's tooth could have made it into my cupcakes.

Eric told him this, and Ethan protested, "No, Dad! A girl in my class was eating one of the cupcakes and she found something hard in her mouth! She pulled it out and it was a TOOTH!"

Eric paternally shook his head. "Ethan, I'm sure the girl just lost her own tooth. There's no way that was Caleb's tooth in her cupcake. Don't be silly."

"But, Dad! My teacher and I looked in her mouth and she hadn't lost any teeth! I told my teacher that my brother lost a tooth last night, so she gave it to me and I brought it home in a bag." He held up a ziplock bag containing a tiny tooth with frosting still on it as evidence.

When asked what the poor tooth-inflicted classmate had done when she found the tiny treasure in her mouth, Ethan said, "Well, she just licked it off and laughed and then kept eating her cupcake!" EEEEEWWWWW. . .

Even with the disgusting evidence before him, Eric kept arguing about the implausibility of Caleb's tooth ending up in the cupcakes. But Ethan insisted it was the tooth, I mean, truth.

Finally, Eric said, "Okay, Ethan. . . how did Caleb's tooth get in the cupcakes?" Ethan drew a blank.

Then suddenly, Holden gasped and said, "Wait! Wait! The frosting! Mom used a Ziplock bag to put the frosting on the cupcakes! And Caleb saved his tooth in a Ziplock bag last night so he could show it to Mom!" They all ran to the kitchen and stopped, open-mouthed in front of the container of frosting that had the clear plastic culprit still peeking guiltily out of the top.

Eric and the boys looked at Caleb, who said sheepishly, "I left the bag in the kitchen so Mom could see my tooth."

Laughter exploded and my sweet boys grabbed their guts and struggled to breathe.

Then Ethan offered the line of the day:

"This is the BEST birthday ever!!!"

As Eric recounted the horrible details to me as we sat in the car, I was breathless, having had my super-sized ego deflated in a matter of a few very painful seconds.

"But. . . why. . . why would Caleb put the bag back in the drawer? I got it from the drawer where I keep the bags." I was nearly crying with shame. . . and horror. "The toothcakes, I mean, cupcakes were so pretty. . . " my voice trailed off.

By the time we got home, I was laughing about it, saying, "Well, we'll just call them my Cupcakes Al Dente."

Even as I laughed about it, I thought : I can never, ever share this story. What will people think of me?

And yet today, exactly one year later, my shame is being broadcast over the net-waves. . . by ME.

That's why all of the Zen today. I was fighting tooth and nail to save myself from the self-imposed embarrassment of last year.

Today when I calmly strode into Ethan's third-grade classroom with my tower of T-Rexes, a blonde girl with glasses rushed up to me and said, "Did you know that last year Caleb's tooth was in Ethan's cupcakes?"

Yes. . . Yes. . . As a matter of fact I did know that.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ETHAN!!! (And for some reason, I feel like I should raise my lips in the air and start singing "Loo, looo, loo" to "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," while my beagle skips in the background.)

The Birthday Party Before Time

To celebrate Peter's Birthday, we couldn't think of anything better than having a party where he could growl, scream, and stomp around in a frenzy of beastly activity--basically, he could just be himself! (Although, I do have to admit that he can be an awfully cuddly and adorable beast most of the time.)

The invitation for Peter's Jurassic Party

You can't see me in MY dinosaur costume. . . but I was a big green vision!!!



It looks like the cute little pink dinosaur in the picture on the

lower right was digging for something else besides fossils!

As I was constructing my carnivorous confection, I had to admit

that the guy bore a striking reptilian resemblance to Kermit

the frog . . . with rabies.

One of the reasons I love the group photo (aside from how CUTE

they all look in their towels!!!) is the battle royale going on in the lower left corner between two of the pink dinosaurs. (Disclamor: there were no children harmed in the celebrating at this party.) Deacon (in the lower left) got the award for the most frighteningly green goatee (can you STAND it?).

Getting Schooled!

During our last Family Home Evening of the summer, I asked the kids to report how excited they were for school to start on a scale of 1-10.

Holden cooly replied, "10"

Caleb was a tad more cautious. His number was an 8, said with just a flicker of nerves.

Ethan was our cynic. He said nothing, but held two fingers over his head.

I looked over at Eve, sitting right beside me. Thoughtfully she moved her mouth from side to side as if calculating the ramifications of all of her emotions and how they might add up, wanting to snatch the accurate answer among all of those ten possibilities. Finally, she sat up straight and held her index finger in the air, the way she does when making a point, and said confidently, "One-hundred-and-forty-eight percent!"

Our band of mixed emotions and responses. We can always count on them for variety and entertainment.

When I took Holden to Middle School Registration the week before school started, I could feel my adolescent self sneaking up on me, worrying about whether I was going to fit in with the cool kids. I had to shake it off before I started curling my bangs under and hopping into my zippered Guess jeans and sliding into my Swatch. My nerves were jangling in the labyrinth of hallways, but Holden calmly walked around the school with me like the chaperone of the pair, leading me to the Library (his self-proclaimed "best feature" of the school) and to his Home Room.

The first day of school, I insisted on driving him there, although he would have happily taken the bus. As I dropped him off at his classroom, the tears spilling out, I was saved from my own sobs by an onslaught of lost tweens who swarmed around me with terror in their faces. Looking relieved to find a "teacher-esque" figure, they took turns frantically asking me, "Do you know who my teacher is?" and "Do you know where room 254 is?" I almost started giggling in their faces, but maintained a calm, adult-like exterior, since apparently that was the role I was supposed to take. I just told them I was so sorry I didn't know a darn thing, but that I could tell them where the office was. I made a quick escape after that, leaving my tears behind in the pre-pubescent chaos (at least until I got outside and started crying again).

Ethan had been the most reluctant to start school, confiding in me over pizza on our pre-school outing to Craigo's. I asked him what he had heard about his teacher, who has quite a reputation among the parents because of his flamboyant tendencies and practice of cross-dressing for school assemblies, complete with feathered boa. Ethan said he hadn't heard anything about him from the other kids. Then he paused and said, "I asked Holden about him and Holden says he's round." Okay. . . We'll stick with that then.

In kindergarten, Caleb was our shrinking violet, but this year he was the king of the jungle gym, eager to get to school and consort with his many friends. His teacher last year told me at Parent-Teacher Conference that Caleb was the unspoken leader of the class and that all of the other kids looked to him for answers. Our shy little guy who used to hide under furniture when guests came to dinner? That'll teach me to ever label my offspring!

In his new-cool-Caleb style, he practically swaggered off to class on the first day this year, barely looking back as he headed into the school.

On Eve's back-to-school outing, we were waiting in line at the pizza buffet when we saw a woman from our old ward. I said hello to her and mentioned that Eve was going to be starting kindergarten this year. The woman transformed in that way some adults do when they're talking to children and babies. She bent down and then contorted her face, raising her eyebrows two inches above her eyes, smacking her mouth and inhaling with a quick "haaah" before speaking with a voice a good octave higher than its usual tone. She loudly squeaked at Eve, heavily annunciating each syllable, "So. . . .YOU'RE STARTING KINDERGARTEN THIS YE-AR? ARE YA SOOO EXC-IT-ED?"

Eve looked the woman up and down, slowly lowered her chin, and then graced her with the look of a sixteen-year-old who has just seen someone wearing last year's leg-warmers, complete with the arched eyebrows and the puckered lips (we call this her "Noelle look). Saying nothing, Eve just stared at this woman for five straight silent but deadly seconds as I struggled not to laugh out loud. The woman straightened up and said, "Well. . . I guess she's not excited."

Eve does not put up with condescension. She is everyone's equal.

On the morning of the first day of school, a full thirty minutes before my alarm was set to go off, I could hear some rustling outside of my bedroom door. Then I heard someone quietly clearing their throat. This throaty "hu-hum" sound repeated itself three of four times until I could make out the blurry outline of a small figure peeking into the room. I put on my glasses and saw Eve standing there dressed in her first-day-of-school-garb. I just whispered to her, "Eve. . . it's early!" and she nodded and slipped away as quietly as she had come.

Eve and I made her outfit together and had to stop our crafty-concocting after we had assembled a skirt, a t-shirt, bows, a bracelet, and flip-flops that all looked like they had come from some Back-to-School pageant. "And the new Miss Kindergarten 2009 is . . . Eve d'Evegnee! " (I'll be the first to admit that I got carried away. . . but when you're getting carried away, I say enjoy the ride, man!) (Truth be told, I had spent weeks planning and designing Eve's outfit. As for the boys, I just let them choose something from their closet and they were good to go. How sad. . . oh well. Oh yeah, I can count. I realize there are like fifty pictures of Eve in this post. . . Wull! It was her FIRST day of school! Hullo!)

When we got to her classroom for her first official day of school, Eve strategically placed herself next to a girl she knows from our ward. At the kindergarten open house the previous week, Eve had noticed that the girl was looking rather petrified and pulled me close and whispered, "I think Maddie's shy."Ever the mother-type, Eve sat right next to Maddie and enveloped her in that Eve-love that we all adore. I was beyond thrilled to capture Eve's interaction with her, even though honestly, by this point I couldn't see much of anything because of all of those stupid tears running down my cheeks.

Eve got to ride the bus home from school and there was a crowd of ardent admirers waiting for her (okay, me, Eric, Peter, and Marie). I couldn't stop myself from snapping an overload of photos as she told about how they had decorated a gingerbread man who had escaped from their classroom, forcing them to play hide-n-seek all over the school to find him. Eve said, "We decorated him with candy eyes and gumdrop buttons and frosting on his legs." She then paused in her tale and said, "We just shouldn't have given him legs! Then he couldn't have run away!"

When we asked Eve later in the week if they had found the Gingerbread Man, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "Yeah. He was in the President's office."

Camp d'Evegnee World Tour

As summer snaps shut we've turned up the volume on Camp d'Evegnee (sounds like a new hit album--rock on!). We've taken a whirlwind world tour through four different countries, selecting the destinations that had the most foreign familial significance for us : Belgium, Ireland, Thailand, and France.

(Oh yeah. You probably could see through my little ruse. It was mostly about the food. We don't exactly have any Thai blood in our veins, but with the amount of Thai food we ingest, we should! The kids learned just as many culinary tidbits as they did facts about each country. Am I weird if my kids' ability to neatly separate eggs is as important as any geographical giftedness?)

And, of course I posted the World Tour Recipes directly following this post! We want to share the JOY!

Belgium

We adored the look of pride on the kids' faces when we showed them the town of Evegnee on the map and taught them about the linguistic reasoning behind that cute little d' in our name. Jean d'Arc ain't got nothin' on us when it comes to snobby French surnames!

Ethan had been craving his great grandma d'Evegnee's gaufrettes (waffles) for weeks, so we taught the kids Babonnes recipe, filling the house with that yeasty, sugary scent that surrounded Eric's childhood. We felt warm and watched over as we honored her culinary greatness and bit into hot waffles with large grains of crystallized sugar adorning each mouthful like the ones they serve up on the streets of Liege.

Ireland

Our tour of Ireland was absolutely Devine! The kids each painted their own green Blarney stone, but the way we have to fight to fit in a sentence at the dinner table proves they didn't really need it. We concocted green Shamrock Sugar Cookies and individual potato au gratins.

Thailand

Eric had the grand idea of transforming our dining room into an airplane so we could "fly" to our destination. (Should I be concerned by how quickly he insisted on being the flight attendant, snapping up the pink scarf and prancing off to his post to take their tickets? [Was he always this keen on the glitter and glitz of a well-planned activity or have I rubbed off on him to an unhealthy degree?])

We had a Thai feast, complete with the Mussaman Curry that is a regular member of our dinner rotation (although Ethan begged me to please make it extra spicy for the special event) along with Coconut and Ginger Soup and Shrimp Pad Thai. There was a cloud of curry infused steam hovering over our kitchen as we grinned through tingling, burning lips, letting our wet eyes flow freely.

France

We're still in a cheesy, chocolatey stupor after our Fondu Extravaganza. Bon appetit to all of us. . . again and again and again! Let them eat cake (and cookies and fruit and veggies and meat and anything that could be dunked and dipped and smeared all over our greedy faces)!

World Tour Recipes

Babonne's Belgian Waffles

2 and 1/4 ounces of yeast (9 1/4 ounce packages OR 20 and 1/4 teaspoons) (It sounds like a lot, but that's how much you use!)

41/2 cups warm water

1 t. sugar

6 eggs, separated into whites and yolks

1 pound melted butter

3 cups sugar

2 pounds flour (about 9 cups)

Raw sugar (You can find this in the baking section--sometimes it's called kosher sugar and it looks like giant sugar crystals)

Dissolve yeast in warm water and mix in 1 teaspoon sugar. Let mixture rise in 200 degree oven for 15 minutes.

In large mixing bowl, mix egg yolks with melted butter. Add flour and yeast mixture and mix well. Put moistened towel over bowl and let rise for 30 minutes. Just before dough is done rising, beat egg whites until peaks form. Fold egg whites into risen dough. Add 3 cups sugar.

Cook dough in Belgian waffle iron right away--don't let it sit for too long. As soon as each waffle comes out of the waffle iron, sprinkle each side with raw sugar. Cut each small square in half so that each batch makes 8 triangular pieces. They're best while they're still hot.

Individual Potato Gratins

Vegetable spray
2 large russet potatoes, roughly peeled and thinly sliced (or you can use red potatoes with the peel still on)
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese, or if your kids aren't into Swiss, use Italian blend or mozarella
Minced onions (either fresh or dried)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream (or we just use skim milk, which works fine and adds less fat)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees .

Spray 8 muffin tins with vegetable spray. Layer potato slices, cheese, and onions into each muffin cup. (We let the kids do their own.) Season with salt and pepper and top each gratin with 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Tops each gratin with extra cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the foil halfway through cooking time. Invert gratins onto plate and serve.

Mussaman Curry
1-2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks with crinkle cutter.
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into slices with crinkle cutter.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 chicken breasts, cut in thin slices horizontally and then cut into 2 inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced lemon grass (You can find this in a tube at Albertson's in the produce section)
2 teaspoons cumin or coriander (whichever one you have)
1-2 teaspoons red chili paste (I use 2 or 3)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons red curry paste or more if you like it spicier (I used 3 or 4)
8 ounces chicken broth
2 -3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon white sugar
2-3 Tablespoons brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
2 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ cup cashews or peanuts

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and carrots. Boil until almost cooked through—about 7-9 minutes.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes
Stir in garlic, lemon grass, cumin, chili paste, and ginger; cook and stir until aromatic, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the curry paste, and cook 30 seconds more. Pour in about 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, and stir until the curry paste has dissolved, then pour in the remaining chicken stock along with the soy sauce, fish sauce and sugars. Add potatoes and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
Stir in coconut milk and lime juice. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer about 5 minutes. Serve over jasmin rice.


Chicken or Shrimp Pad Tai
8 oz rice noodles

¼ cup finely chopped peanuts

½ tsp grated lime peel

3 Tbs fish sauce

2 Tbs fresh lime juice

2 Tbs packed brown sugar

4 ½ tsp rice vinegar 1 tsp (or to taste)chili paste

3 Tbs cooking oil 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized strips

1 Tbs finely chopped garlic

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup fresh sprouts

1/3 cup sliced green onion

2 Tbs snipped fresh cilantro

Place noodles in a large bowl. Add enough hot tap water to cover: let stand for 10 to 15 minutes or until pliable but not soft. Drain well.
Meanwhile, for peanut topping, combine peanuts and lime peel; set aside. In a small bowl combine fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and chile paste; stir until smooth. Set aside
In a 12-inch skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and garlic: cook and stir for 6 minutes until chicken is tender and no pink remains. (Or you can do the same thing with shrimp--we just use the pre-cooked, frozen kind and heat them through.) Transfer to a bowl.
Add egg to the hot skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Turn egg with spatula and cook for 30 to 60 seconds more, just until set. Remove and chop egg: set aside.
In the same skillet heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over high heat for 30 seconds. Add drained noodles and sprouts: stir fry for 2 minutes. Add fish sauce mixture and chicken; cook 1to 2 minutes more until heated through. Divide noodle mixture among four plates. Sprinkle each serving with egg and peanut topping. Garnish with green onion and cilantro. Makes 4 servings.


Cheese Fondue
1 pound Swiss cheese (or shredded parmesan if Swiss is too strong for your kids or Gruyere if you like a more European taste--YUM))

2 cloves of Garlic

3 T. All-Purpose Flour

2 T. Butter

1 1/2 cups Milk

½ T. Lemon Juice

1/8 tsp. ground Nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste



Peel garlic and slice the cloves in half the long way so the most inner surface is showing. Rub a heavy saucepan with two halves of the garlic for flavoring. Rub the fondue pot with the other two garlic halves.
Grate the cheese and mix with 1 T. of the flour.
Melt the butter in saucepan over medium-low heat. Add rest of flour. Stir well till smooth. Add about ½ cup of milk and stir till smooth. Slowly add the rest of the milk, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens to about the consistency of light cream. Add a handful of cheese and keep stirring. Let the cheese melt and then add another handful and stir until it melts. Repeat the process until all the cheese is melted.
Once all the cheese has been added and the mixture is smooth, you can stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Finally, add the lemon juice. Stir well till the mixture is smooth once again.

Light the sterno and add cheese mixture to the fondue pot or to a crock pot on a low setting. Eat immediately! If it gets to thick, just add more milk. Spear bread and dunk in fondue and enjoy. Scrape the bottom of the pot with whatever you’re dipping from time to time to keep it from burning. When reheating leftovers, just add more milk until you get the consistency you like.

Serve with chunks of bread and steamed potatoes, broccolli, cauliflower, and zucchini


Parmesan Fondue (This is a much more Americanized version)
1 1/2 cups milk
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cubed

In a large saucepan, cook and stir the milk and cream cheese over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese and garlic salt; cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to a fondue pot or mini slow cooker; keep warm. Serve with bread cubes.

Marinated Beef for Fondue
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
OR 2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes

Marinate meat in a freezer bag for at least 4 hours. We cook the meat at 450 on a sheet pan covered with aluminum foil for about 7-9 minutes and then let the kids eat it on their skewers. If you're having a more adult-ish party, you can put boiling broth or stock in your fondue pot or crock pot on high and let people cook their own meat.

We also serve cubes of marinated chicken breasts as well, which we cook in advance the same way for the kids. Eric and I like to do the same thing with mushrooms that have been marinated.

Chocolate Fondue
1 pound semisweet chocolate chips (if your kids aren't used to darker chocolate, use milk chocolate)

1 1/2 cups of organic heavy cream

Pour the cream into a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan (or double boiler if you have one) over low heat. Bring the cream to a simmer and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted. Transfer the chocolate to a fondue pot or crock pot on low heat and enjoy. You can also do this in a microwave, stirring after each thirty seconds. Be careful that you don't burn it--you only need to cook it for about three thirty second intervals and then stir well. To reheat, just add extra milk for a smoother texture.

Serve with chunks of pound cake, fruit, cookies--anything you want to swim in chocolate!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Fondue
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 large firm bananas, cut into 3/4-inch slices
1 pint whole strawberries
In a heavy saucepan, cook and stir the chocolate chips, sugar, milk and peanut butter over low heat until smooth. Transfer to a fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with bananas and strawberries. (Again, you can do this in the microwave, stirring after each thirty second interval. It only takes about three intervals of thirty seconds.)

Holden's Scout Contest Entry

Aunt Noelle gave Holden a subscription to Boys' Life for his birthday (I know! Fabulous aunt!), and he pours over each page with relish. He found a video contest and decided to enter it. Here's his entry. We just gave the boys my camera and let them do their thing--very d'Evegnee-esque, don't you think?

If you'd like to vote for his video, go to boyslife.com and look under contests then find the Join Scouting video contest and look under Cub Scouts. The voting starts on September 16th.