Poppy and I just got home from another wonderful week at Gamp and Grams. Kegan and Danie came up for the weekend to celebrate our beloved tradition of “fake” Christmas. Poppy got the Pony she so badly wanted. She hugged him and kissed him and told him she loved him. I know most parents cringe at the thought of gifts this size but honestly watching her as she saw him was like watching old friends being reunited after far too long. She loves that thing and so Poppy now shares her room with a Pony. Thank you Gampy and Gramy you made Poppy one happy little girl. Merry Fake Christmas!

Second stop on our Thanksgiving tour…The French Family!

It was a day filled with thanks and celebration. My cousin Sam recently got engaged to her now fiance Steven, so of course we took this gathering as an opportunity to not only give thanks for all that we have but also to shower Sam and Steven with French family love. Congratulations Sam and Steven! and once again…Happy Thanksgiving xo

Every year I wake up on Easter ready to hunt. I’m not sure how many adults out there enjoy or partake in the hunt for eggs on this beautiful day but I can guarantee I am not alone. Easter is not just for kids. However this year when I woke up my mind was not filled with thoughts of  goodies I was about to find but with the excitement to watch Poppy roll around with her eggs that the Easter bunny had brought just for her! Since she is not quite mobile yet and has not experienced chocolate, and nor does she understand the concept of hunting for eggs, the Easter bunny took it easy on her and set out some rather large plastic eggs – each one containing two cheerios! Poppy was in heaven. Once the hunt/cheerio feast was over we packed ourselves up and headed out for the day. First we enjoyed a wonderful Easter brunch with Kegan’s family and then a delicious Easter dinner with my family. It was the perfect day. Happy Easter!

*The first two photos are of a beautiful Easter basket hand made for Poppy with love from Grammy….or as the basket says “Gramy” not quite enough space for two m’s lol

We had a few friends over for dinner last weekend. It was great to catch up, but even better to watch our friends interacting with Poppy and Poppy interacting with our friends. I decided to go with a Mexican themed dinner and dessert. Dinner was fish tacos and for dessert I made these beautiful, creamy, rich, chocolatey mini cakes. Heaven.

For those of you wondering what happened to me being  ” off refined sugar ” – well I think it goes without saying that I am no longer going down that path. I did it for a few months and I felt no difference in my energy or in any area that I was hoping to improve. I am now back to eating as we all should…everything in moderation. Enjoy.

CAKES:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 10 ounces 56% to 70%-cacao baking chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 4 tsp all-purpose flour
• 2-3 tsp adobo sauce ( from the can of chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce ) I used 2 tsp and couldn’t even taste a hint of the adobo, next time I will definitely use more.
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly coat the inside of the ramikins with butter, then sugar. In a medium saucepan combine the 1 cup sugar and orange juice. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add the chocolate and butter, stir until melted. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Now stir in the flour, adobo sauce and salt.

Set the ramekins in a baking pan. Divide the chocolate mixture evenly among the 8 ramekins. Place the baking pan on the oven rack. Pour boiling water into the pan, enough to reach half way up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the mixture is set. Using tongs, gently remove the ramekins from the pan placing them on a rack to cool. Serve in the ramekin or turn out onto dessert plates. Top them off with a generous drizzle of sweet crema.

SWEET CREMA:

• 3/4 cups Mexican crema or sour cream
• 1/4 cup sugar

Mix together

*recipe from Better Homes and Gardens