My birthday

Today was my birthday and it has been a really good day!

Firstly, Stephen slept from 9 until 4:30am. I slept so deeply the whole night. Rob woke a little after 4pm to go to the bathroom, which woke me and I realized I needed to pump. I then realized Stephen was still asleep. As I began pumping he began to make little noises indicating he was waking up. I love that Stephen very rarely cries. After feeding Stephen I went back to bed and woke up a little before 8am.

Trifle - YUM!

My wonderful grandparents called me and we spoke for a long time while I fed Stephen. Boy, but do I miss them a lot! I then Skyped my mom and Kristin with my new webcam from my mom. :) I would have liked to have Skyped my dad, but I then had to rush to get ready for church, which started at 11am. Mervyl Meyer came over and brought gifts and a huge trifle.

Rob slaved away the other night making chutney which is similar to Mrs Balls chutney, only better. He knows how much I miss it because I talk about it ALL the time. So today he gave me about 6 huge jars full of chutney he made. I really, really appreciated it. I also got chocolates and a beautiful letter.

Chocolate cake made by Rob

Church was good. I bore my testimony in Relief Society. When we came home I fed Stephen and ate some trifle. Rob also made me a divine chocolate cake yesterday and so I had some of that too. Hey, it's my birthday - I'm allowed to. :)


For dinner we had probably one of the best curries I have ever had. It is a recipe from Sri Lanka and so delicious. It is also so simple to make:

Curry, yellow raisin rice, chutney, avocado, bananas in sour cream

Cut up boneless, skinless chicken and toss in 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp tumeric. Leave for 15 minutes. In a large skillet, cook 1 chopped onion with 2 bay leaves, 1 stick cinnamon, 3 tsp cumin, 4 cloves of garlic minced, 2 tbsp minced gingerroot, and 1 tsp garam masala. Then add the chicken and 1 can of coconut milk. Simmer on low with a lid for 30 minutes.

The rice was simple too: Cook 1.5 cups of rice with 2 tsp butter/marg, 1 tsp tumeric, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup of raisins in 3.5 cups of water. 

Great banana bread recipe

2-3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup buttermilk (or regular milk with tsp. vinegar)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix top 5 ingredients separately; and then stir bottom 5 ingredients separately and slowly mix into the top mixture. Spray or grease pan. Pour mixture into pan and bake at 350 degrees F for around 1 hr.

Amazing Brownies

Last night I made some brownies and they are so yummy I thought I'd share the recipe. It comes from the Martha Stewart website.

Ingredients

Makes 16

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan or heatproof glass dish. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on 2 sides. Set aside. Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water; stir frequently until chocolate and butter are melted, about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat; let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Gently fold in flour and salt.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until cake tester inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Run a knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan. Using parchment, lift brownies out of pan and onto the rack. Transfer to a cutting board; cut into 2-inch squares. Brownies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.