Fab Food Friday: A la Hubbs

I love my husbands willingness to try just about anything. When we got married I told him he was going to learn to cook, because I didn't want our future children to starve if they were ever left alone with him for a time. So, he did, and he became pretty good at it. My dad always said that if you can follow a recipe, you can cook...sounds pretty easy doesn't it? Well, sometimes we've found that recipes aren't always right....

Take this picture for instance:

Only 1/2 an inch thick :)

That is a picture of brownies that my sweet husband made one Sunday afternoon :)  That afternoon was going to be a busy one for me because I had two showers to go to and we had a church fellowship to bring food to later on that evening. Usually I make brownies from scratch, but I knew I wouldn't have time to make those plus another dish I was going to make, so I just bought a box mix for the hubbs to make. Get this, he did follow the directions, but for some reason the box said to cook them 30 minutes...who has EVER cooked brownies for 30 minutes?? Needless to say we didn't take them, they were hard as a rock...but the hubbs did learn that sometimes you should trust your gut instead of the directions.   

Next is an actual recipe. One day my husband decided we needed a date night in. He arranged to have a friend watch the boys and he decided to cook for me. The day before he saw someone cooking an apple dessert on TV and decided he was going to make it. This is the recipe for:

Classic Apple Tarte Tatin 

Ingredients for apple filling:

8-10 gala or pink lady apples, peeled, cored, and halved

1/2 cup butter

1/2 sugar

vanilla

Ingredients for Pie Crust:

1 1/4 cups flour

4 oz. butter(1 stick)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Tbs sugar

1/4 cup ice water

**You will bake this in a 10 inch iron skillet**

--For the crust, in a food processor or with fingers, combine flour, sugar, salt and butter until the chunks of butter are broken down to the size of peas and the flour feels like sand. Add half of the water and mix until dough comes together easily. If it is too dry add a tablespoon of water at a time until the dough forms. Form into a ball and place between two sheets of plastic wrap. Press down until a disk forms that is 1/2" thick. Put in the fridge while you prepare the apples.

--Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

--Stir together sugar and vanilla. Spread butter on the bottom of the pan and sprinkle the vanilla sugar on top. Place apple pieces vertically in the pan, snaking in a circle along the edge. Keep repeating until the whole pan is full. Over a medium flame, place the pan for 20-25 minutes until the butter, sugar, and apples have created a golden brown caramel. Let cool for a few minutes and then roll the chilled pie crust onto the dish and spread to the edge of the pan.

--Put in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the apples are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

This smelled so good when I came home!

--Bring to room temp and flip onto a serving dish. Serve with homemade whipped cream!

**We loved this dessert, but would change a few things to the recipe. 1) we would only use 1/2 the butter that goes in the pan. 2) we would add brown sugar and cinnamon to the top of the apples before you put the crust on...it lacked the sweetness we were looking for, but was still incredibly good!

The hubbs is good and, let's just say it, spoils me just a little....

A love like that...

Yesterday as I was hauling my "load" into the grocery store (my youngest, cart cover, snacks, toy, purse, etc....) I witnessed the *sweetest* thing. Try to picture, if you will, with me as I try to describe this....

There was an incredibly adorable couple, definitely in their 80's or so, walking out of the store--hand in hand--to their car parked in the handicapped space. The man walked his wife to the passenger side door, opened her door, and before letting her into the car he KISSED his sweet little wife. He didn't stop there...he continued to help her into the car before closing the door and walking to the driver's side.

Just about made me tear up and, me, being typically unafraid to speak to people, almost went over there to tell them how encouraging that was to see(as if, stopping dead in my tracks while smiling ear to ear to watch this moment didn't give any clue...). Luckily common sense kicked in to help me realize that that would probably be slightly inappropriate.

Now, I don't know them or their story, but what I saw was pure, committed, *sweet*, love. I saw a man who barely wanted to be apart from his wife. I saw a wife who adored her husband as much as he did her. I saw him go the extra mile to show her honor and care. And I saw her, let him.

This made me think, of course, of my relationship with my husband. Not negatives, mostly warm-fuzzies, but really more about how I can be one to "go the extra mile" for my spouse just like the elderly gentleman(because a gentleman is what he is) did. He didn't think only of himself, he thought of his spouse and put her needs first. I could tell he cherished her and her role in his life.

Most people when they are dating and getting to know each other usually pull out all the stops to show the other how much they care (I remember receiving the most amazing letters from my husband on a regular basis...). Then, in a lot of cases, after marriage, life, children...we tend to put our spouse on the back-burner (we make sure we have family time, but a date night will probably have to wait). Take them for granted in a way. It's way too easy to do.

My husband and I came to this realization this past year after having our youngest and having our time even more divided. We missed each other and we missed that spark. We were then determined to regain that giddiness(my word, not his) that we used to feel. That meant making choices and that meant being intentional. We decided that being "too busy" or being "too tired" at the end of the day or week isn't a good reason to let the relationship with the person who you will be with for the rest of your life slip. It's too important to us.

Bringing back that spark meant...

My husband chooses to leave me amazing notes every once and a while on napkins in the morning before he leaves for work...

We dance whenever, wherever, if we hear a good song on the radio(while our sons laugh at us)...

Thanks to some wonderful people in our lives who offer to take care of our children for us, we are trying to go out on DATES more...

We share hobbies(some of the best conversations happen while accomplishing something together)...

We, gulp, choose to keep negative or sarcastic comments to ourselves. Breaking each other down is a sure way to kill the spark...

We pray for each other.


Our relationship is not perfect, Lord knows we've had and still have our issues, but we are trying. Surprisingly it has been the hard times that have brought us closer.

We are not ignorant to the fact that things may happen in our life that may keep us apart for a time, or require us to put other people or situations first, and that is okay, but that just means that we have to get creative with how we can show each other that we love them and want them in our life.

I want to be that adoring couple I saw yesterday when we are old and gray.

I want to continue a love like that.

Explanation, please?

How do you explain a "baby shower" to a 3 year old? We had this task last night as I was trying to explain to my oldest where I was about to go. Here's a quick recap....

Me: Momma is going to go to a baby shower for a little bit then I will be right back

C: You are going to take a shower?

Me: No, we are just going to give baby gifts to one of momma's friends.

C: (Still stuck on the shower idea) You are going to take a shower with your friends? (Getting kinda bad)

Me: No, no, no. We are not taking a shower.

C: (Typical male still stuck on one idea) You are going to get naked and take a shower?

Me. Wow, no, no, no....You know what? I'm not going to a shower, I'm just going to a party for a friend who is having a sweet baby girl.

C: You are going to give the baby a shower and get it all clean?

Me: Allllright, I love you. I will see you in a little bit!


Love that kid and can totally understand why he is so confused.

Here is a short article about this very question: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Baby-Shower---Why-Its-Called-That,-and-How-to-Have-a-Great-One&id=3108737

Be a woman who...

I found this sign this morning and even though I have already found my man, I still like it and hope we all have and will find a man who will be this type....

It also started me thinking...if we expect this out of our man, shouldn't we also set ourselves with the same expectation?

Be a Woman...

1. Who promises to give your spouse laugh lines when they are old,

2. Who tells him you're proud of him on a daily basis,

3. Who puts your spouse's happiness on the same level as yours,

4. Who uses positive superlatives when describing him and your relationship with each other,

5. Who uses "when" and not "if" when talking about your future and how he fits into it.

Also can be used as a mother to your children...

Be a Mother...

1. Who promises to give your children the case of the giggles every day,

2. Who tells your children you are proud of them on a daily basis, even when they have grown up and moved into a house of their own,

3. Who puts their well-being on the same level as yours,

4. Who uses positive superlatives when describing them to others,

5. Who uses "when" and not "if" when talking about the future of your family and how they fit into it.

---Something to strive for on many different levels---

To: Men

To the wonderful men who fill our lives,
After spending the time to make incredible homemade, dark chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin cookies, every last bit of cookie dough MUST be utilized. DO NOT immediately clean the beater in the sink. God gave us the utensils to thoroughly rid the beater of all it's dough.....our tongue. While I REALLY appreciate your helpfulness and realize that not every male will even think to clean a beater at all....please, please at least take the time to savor the goodness that was left (most often strategically left) on the beater (bowl, spoon, etc...). Waste not, want not :)
Sincerely,
Those who love food....and chocolate