The Wills Family: Portman, Harper, Roman, Caitlin, +1

You may (or may not) have noticed (or cared!) the list of recipes on the left. I’ve had a few people mention that they like the recipes that I post, so I (okay, Portman) made it a little easier to find them. I will continue to post good ones as we make them. Harper is totally obsessed with cooking, to the point where she now requests to watch “cooking shows” instead of cartoons, so we should have a few more fun ones to write about!

On that note, I thought I would share one of our all-time favorites, “Spinach Pie.” It is actually my mom’s recipe for spinach quiche, and it has always been a family favorite and a hit with kids. I know, I know… kids eat spinach? Huh? I swear my kids LOVE it and I loved it as a kid, so there must be something to it! We make it about once a week and Harper even takes it in her lunch to school.

Spinach Pie:
1 pie crust, partially baked
2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 heaping cup ricotta cheese (about 8 ounces)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup cream (milk works fine)
Nutmeg – a lot – I think I end up using about 2 teaspoons or more
Salt and pepper to taste (yes, I taste it with raw eggs)

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients and pour into partially-baked pie crust (I usually bake it for about 10 minutes while I’m mixing the ingredients). Sprinkle more parmesan on top for a nice crunchy crust. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy on top. Cool and enjoy!

So, you’ve probably heard… we got some snow this weekend. About 29 inches, to be exact. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, and we used to frequent Whistler in January, so we’ve seen snow. This storm made our December blizzard seem kind of boring! It started snowing on Friday, but really didn’t stick until after dark, when we were getting 2-3 inches each HOUR. This continued until about 9 o’clock Saturday night, so yeah, we got a lot. Here are a few facts to help you visualize just how much snow is 29 inches:

• We couldn’t open any of our doors because there was a foot and a half of snow blocking them shut. We ended up going out the sliding door, but Portman had to quickly shovel the snow out of the way so that it didn’t fall into the house.
• If you look out our front door, the snow goes straight from our stoop out to Portman’s car, where it hits his car at the level of the side-view mirrors. It is literally the same depth all the way from our house to the mirrors.
• We (Portman) dug a path on the patio that looks more like a tunnel. the snow on either side of it is above both of the kids’ heads!

It’s not supposed to get above 25 degrees this week, and they are forecasting even more snow on Tuesday and Wednesday (one report said up to 10 inches), so we are in it for the long-haul. Yippee. 

Yesterday we were completely snowed in until dark, but today we bundled up and played with our neighbors, Ellie and Annie. Ellie and Annie’s daddy manned the sledding hill and Harper and Ellie loved it. Annie and Roman were not such huge fans, but I’m pretty sure they were just freezing! Daddy took Roman home for a nap, but Harper and I crashed at Ellie’s house for the afternoon. It was SO nice to get out of the house… we love our neighbors!

Patio, when all was said and done, and the kids standing on it. They are standing on the top step, so it isn’t quite as deep:

Digging out:

Play time:

Best ending to a snow day:

Tonight Harper and I made Giada’s Pastina with Peas and Carrots for the second time, with a few of our own touches. The first time that we made this recipe was the first time that Harper ever ate a carrot voluntarily. It is a huge hit and I think it is just “deeee-wicious,” as Harper says!

Harper has proven that she is 100% a more adventurous eater when she gets to help make the meal, so unless we are having fish sticks, she is in there cooking with me. As far as tonight’s meal goes, we follow the recipe exactly, using tiny shell pasta, except that we add one minced garlic clove after the onions have sautéed for a few minutes and we add about 1/3 cup of parmesan with the rest of the cheeses. It’s outstanding, and a perfect toddler meal!

Roman even gobbled it up this time, except that he picked all of the carrots out. Unfortunately tonight’s meal coincided with him learning a new word, “toss,” or “tah” as he says, so he “tah’d” all of his carrots one-by-one onto the floor. Oh well, maybe next time!

Harper started Taekwon-Do this week. She calls it “hi-yah class!” It’s an appropriate name because that’s pretty much what she does there. She learns how to hold a proper stance and shout “hi-yah!” while punching and kicking at pieces of paper and pillows. She also says “yes sir!” to her teacher, Mr. E, and learns to bow to the flag and to her mommy. She spends most of the class turning to me and yelling “Mommy, I’m having so much fun!” It’s super adorable and I’m glad she likes it so much!

Here are a few photos I took at tonight’s class. I had to take them from far away because every time I get close she wants to tell me how much fun she is having… very loudly. It was hard to capture the giant grin on her face!

This weekend we enjoyed a belated Christmas visit from Grammy & Grandpa Anderson. The kids opened another round of gifts and had a great time playing with their new toys. Harper got a new tutu, lots of great puzzles and a very cool building set, which she has been using to make “pyramids” for the past few days (that is, if Daddy will share it with her!), and Roman got new choo-choos. They were actually gifts to both kids, but Roman quickly monopolized them and has been totally obsessed with his “hoo-hoos” for the past 3 days. As soon as he wakes up from naps or bedtime he immediately says “mama, dada, hooooo-hoooos!” in a desperate voice. He then acts totally surprised and excited when he comes downstairs and, voila, there are the hoo-hoos!"

He has been so obsessed with them that today I took the kids to AC Moore to buy some “girl hoo-hoos” for Harper so that she can play with them without inciting a riot. Side-note – Thomas trains are 40% off this week at AC Moore, for anyone interested. Roman literally carries 4 or 5 of them around at a time and has a total fit if Harper tries to touch them. We are trying to make him share, but honestly it’s just easier to buy her a few of her own! So far he understands that the purple ones are “Harper’s hoo-hoos” and he has managed to stay away from them. Harper is also excellent about sharing with him and doesn’t fuss too much, but I’m trying to teach him a lesson!

Today after lunch he lined up all of the hoo-hoos in the window sill. It’s unseasonably warm today and we have all of the windows open, and I guess it was the perfect spot for hoo-hoos.

Last Friday I took the kids to the National Building Museum. It. Was. Awesome. The weather was terrible and we just had to get out of the house. It was the perfect place to spend the morning. Parking is easy, there is a ton for kids to do, and you can eat in the atrium! We enjoyed a solid amount of play time in the “Construction Zone,” sent the Match Box Cars zooming down the play parking garage, then enjoyed a picnic lunch on the floor of the atrium. Even the extra traffic due to the March for Life couldn’t spoil our morning. Everyone had a great time and we will be back very soon!

This week’s dose of gender confusion… Roman really likes Harper’s new tutu from Grammy and Grandpa. I think it goes nicely with the fat lip that he got at the National Building Museum on Friday:

A few nights ago I made one of the kids’ favorite meals and it reminded me of how nice it is when they eat what I make and don’t complain! Harper is usually a good eater, but Roman can take one look at something and push it aside and wait for me to cave in and give him a yogurt. As a rule I never make them something else if they don’t like what I serve them, but I will give them a yogurt as long as they at least try a bite. Anyway, on to the good stuff. For some reason this meal never fails to please and it’s adventurous enough that Portman and I love it too. I definitely recommend it to anyone with toddlers!

Parmesan chicken tenders:
1 lb chicken tenders
Dijon mustard
Italian breadcrumbs
Panko bread crumbs
Fresh grated parmesan – finely grated
Fresh chopped herbs – I use rosemary & parsley
2-3 tbsp melted butter
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. In a pie plate, combine about 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs, about 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs, about 1/2 cup parmesan and 2-3 tbsp finely chopped herbs (any combination) – just guess on the measurements until it looks like enough stuff! Drizzle the butter and olive oil over it and stir until everything is moist. You can add more olive oil if necessary. Use a basting brush or a spoon to thinly coat the fronts and backs of the chicken tenders with mustard (Harper does this part):

Press the mustard-coated chicken into the breadcrumb mixture and use a fork to make sure the breadcrumbs are nice and stuck on there. Put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat. Bake at 400 for about 12-13 minutes or until golden brown & crispy.

Note – I’ve started keeping all of our fresh herbs in the freezer because I found that I was throwing them out too often. They actually do really well in the freezer, especially rosemary, parsley and cilantro. You can’t use them as a garnish once they are frozen, but they work perfectly well if they are cooked into anything.

Lemon-Parmesan Risotto:
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot or half of an onion, finely diced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced (you can use more if you love garlic)
1 1/4 cup Arborio rice
1 cup white wine
3 cups chicken broth, simmering
1/2 cup+ fresh grated parmesan
1 small lemon, zested & juiced

Heat olive oil & butter in a skillet or Dutch oven. Saute shallot/onion and garlic until soft, add a little salt & pepper. Add rice and saute for a couple minutes. Add wine and cook until completely absorbed. Reduce heat, add simmering chicken broth about 1/2 cup at a time, waiting until each 1/2 cup is completely absorbed before adding more. Keep adding chicken broth until rice is creamy and cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, and more salt and pepper if desired. You can add chives or chopped green onions as a garnish, but the kiddos might not like it!

Note – When I made this with red onion, Harper insisted that she “didn’t like the pink stuff.” Once she tried it she liked it, but it was a little bit of a struggle to get her to try it. If I use shallot or yellow onion, she doesn’t bat an eye.

Daddy: “Harper what does ‘milk’ start with?”
Harper: “muh-muh-milk! M!”
Daddy: “Good! And how about ‘blueberries?’”
Harper: “buh-buh-blueberries! B! And what about suh-suh-cereal?”
Daddy: “Ooh that’s a tough one.”
Harper: “suh-suh-cereal! S! That was easy! Let’s all clap for Harper!”

Yesterday I took the kids to the pediatrician for Harper’s 3-year and Roman’s 18-month checkup. With their birthdays exactly 18 months apart, it’s so nice to knock those out in one visit! Both kids are healthy and checked out great. Here are their stats: Harper weighs exactly 29 pounds (fully clothed) – 30th percentile, is 38 inches tall – 66th percentile, and her head size is in the 10th percentile. Yes, that is tiny. Roman weighs 28 pounds (naked) – 75th percentile, is 34 inches tall – 75th percentile, and his head size is in the 85th percentile. To sum it up, Harper takes after her mom and Roman clearly takes after his dad. Pretty soon he should surpass her in height and weight!

They are both right on track developmentally. Harper is still pretty far ahead of the curve in terms of her language development. The doctor asked if she could draw anything recognizable, and when I responded that she could write the letters H, A, O, L, T and C, he just about passed out. Apparently most 3-year olds don’t do that. Although he is clearly not where his sister was at 18 months, Roman is right on track for his age. He officially says twelve words: night-night, mama, dada, Harper (“Ha Ha”), Ro Ro, moo, baa, duck, horse, woof-woof, uh-oh, and ta-da. He is starting to “repeat” what we say, which means he makes an unrecognizable sound in response to us. It’s very cute!

They made it through the visit with no tears, but Harper did have quite a negotiation with the doctor. Harper has a, ummm, constipation issue, and a few months ago she was just holding it in out of protest. I threatened her repeatedly that if she didn’t go I was going to take her to the doctor and they would have to put medicine in her tush. Whoops. As soon as the doctor walked in she started protesting. It went something like this:

Doctor: “Okay, I’m going to look in this ear now.”
Harper: “You can look in that ear but you can NOT look at my tush.”
Doctor: “Good, now let’s check the other ear.”
Harper: “Dat’s okay, but not my tush.”

It went on like that for every body part, and then at the end she declared “I did great Mommy! I didn’t cry!”

On that note, I have a few recent Harperisms to share:

Doing playdoh:

“I wanna make a turkey-pine first, den we are going to do a bunny.” (turkey-pine, aka porcupine)

After nap I pulled her bee-bee out of her mouth and she immediately popped in another one and said:

“Mommy, don’t swipe dis bee-bee because it’s for my cozy time.”

In the car with Daddy:

“Where are we Daddy?”
“FedEx.”
”What?”
”FedEx.”
”No Daddy, it’s QRX…TUVWXYZ.”

Playing with “baby Abigail”:

“Come on Abigail we’re going to try to go potty. You just have to try to do a poop. Just try!”