Grilled Molasses-Marinated Flank Steak

Caitie and Sean went back to school last week.  It was wonderful to have everyone under one roof, if only for a month.

Boy, do I miss them when they aren't here.

 It was nice that they were able to spend significant time with Clyde while he is still a puppy.  I mean, it would be almost cruel for us to have a new puppy if they didn't get a chance to enjoy his puppyhood.  Is that even a word?  Puppyness.  Puppydom.  Hmmm.  I think you know the point I'm trying to make.

His puppy-ish-ness is fading fast.  He's 40 pounds and TODAY he finally decided he can walk down stairs by himself.

Yes, that's right, I've been carrying him.  Downstairs every morning.  I consider myself quite strong and capable, but as I'm approaching the end of my fifth decade I'd be lying if I said my bones aren't a little creaky when I wake up in the morning.  

One of the few good things I can say about the freezing temperatures today is that I am certain that all of my neighbors had their windows closed because of the cold, so they couldn't hear me enthusiastically praising him as he ran down the steps of our deck each time I took him out today.  "Yay!  Look at you! Good boy, going down the stairs all by yourself! Way to go!"  Of course, if they happened to be looking out of their windows, they might have been wondering why I was clapping and raising my arms in triumph.

Anyhow......I got the inspiration for today's recipe as I was making a batch of  Snow-Capped Molasses Cookies last week.  As I was pouring the molasses I was thinking to myself that it would make a nice marinade.  So I decided to give it a try, and it's a keeper!

Raspberry-Vanilla Champagne Cocktails.....or Raspberry Vanilla Ice Cream Soda with Champagne?

Caitie suggested making champagne cocktails with raspberries and vanilla ice cream.  She said the champagne brings out the sweetness in the raspberries.

And then I remembered that scene in the movie Pretty Woman, the scene where Richard Gere tells Julia Roberts that eating a strawberry will bring out the flavor of champagne.  

I really don't know whether strawberries really do bring out the flavor of champagne, or if champagne really does bring out the sweetness of the raspberries or if it was just our imagination.

I do know that this drink was so good that I decided to turn it into a sort of ice cream soda (with champagne in place of the soda) instead!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Are you as obsessed with Buffalo chicken as we are in this house?

This spicy dip is sure to warm you up after your next romp in the snow.

You do spend time romping in the snow, don't you?

(Gratuitous photo of Clyde.  He's getting huge! 14 weeks old and just over 30 pounds.)

2012 Blog Review

I just compared the numbers on my dashboard to last year's stats and I'm totally astounded by how much this li'l old blog has grown!

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that there would be over 43,000 page views, a more than four-fold increase over last year.  I do imagine there are a lot of people having a good laugh over my horrible photography skills.

Most Page Views

Crock Pot Boneless Country-Style Ribs

With over 12,000 page views (!!!) this was by far the most popular post.  The next most-viewed post, Prosciutto & Mozzarella Asparagus Wraps was a very distant second, with just over 600 page views.

Audience

Just like last year, the majority of page views are from the U.S.  But unlike last year--when the second greatest amount of page views came from Russia--the country with the second-most page views this year was

France.  Ooh-la-la!

My Personal Favorite Post

This was an easy choice for me.  Hands-down, my favorite post was

Dogs: Past, Present and Future .  If my kids were younger, they would be a great source of inspiration for my blog posts; since they are of an age where they would be mortified if I told the world any details of their lives, however, I have to settle for writing about my next-favorite subject:  my dogs.  Lucky for me that they don't object!

Happy 2013!!!

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Whatever your plans are, have fun and stay safe!

Mr. Terrific and I will be staying in tonight as our kids go out with friends. 

Tomorrow will be my undecorating day.  These snowflakes by the back door make me smile every time I pass by.

 Goodbye to the jolly snowmen.  See you next year.

There Are No Words

I have been attempting to write a post for the last few days but I quite simply can not find the words to express the profound sadness that I am feeling since learning of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

I am just sitting here staring at the screen, trying to convey the deep sympathy I feel toward a community and people that I have never met.  The sweet, innocent children; the heroic teachers and administrators who sacrificed their lives trying to protect them; the loved ones left behind; the once-peaceful community, now shattered........I pray that they will all somehow find peace and comfort, knowing that so many of us whom they will never meet are grieving with them.

Enjoying The Season!

The decorating is done!  My shopping is almost complete.  I'm enjoying every minute of this wonderful season.

Caitie flies home on Friday, Sean will be home on Monday, and then everything will be right with the world.

Before then, I've got a gazillion things to do.  But I'll still find the time

 to get lots of baking in,

(Snow-Capped Molasses Cookies)

and I'll also find the time

to simply stare at Clyde.  He's growing so fast!

Okay, I feel bad that I cropped Gus out of this picture.  But the light reflecting in his eyes made him look possessed.

Chocolate-Raspberry French Toast

Okay, you know it's coming, so let's just get this out of the way:

 Clyde trying on his Santa hat.....

and naptime.  As usual, Clyde is cuddling with a sneaker.  Gus momentarily woke up as I slithered across the floor on my belly to get this shot.

Gus went right back to sleep and then it was Clyde's turn to wonder why I was flat out with a camera pointed in his face.

Okay, thank you all for being such good sports and putting up with my puppy pictures.

Today's recipe is fabulous, if I do say so myself.  I'm experimenting with recipes, trying to figure out what I might want to make for breakfast on Christmas morning.  This morning I cooked up some chocolate French toast, with raspberry syrup and whipped cream and it's a keeper.  Definitely making this on Christmas morning!

I clipped and saved this recipe for chocolate bread, "Pane Alla Cioccolata," from Country Living Magazine in February 2001.  

 I knew it would come in handy someday.  It took almost twelve years, but I have finally found a use for that recipe!

Make it easy on yourself and bake the bread the day before.  Better yet, bake two loaves (like I did), so you can freeze one for next time.

The Decorating Frenzy...and Clyde (of course)

 I've found that it's easiest to snap pictures of Clyde while he's sleeping.  When he's awake, he's usually out of the frame by the time I get the shot off.

He's been picking some interesting places to take his naps.  I had a picture of him snuggling with slippers in my previous post; the shoe theme continues....

with Erin's sneakers....

with mine.......

and with Sean's.  I'm glad he doesn't play favorites.

On Thanksgiving, we went to my parents' house in Connecticut.  He managed to find a cozy spot to take his nap.

More Clyde

My painting projects have pretty much come to a standstill.

The roman shades I started to cut remain unsewn.

I have a new puppy that I can't take my eyes off of!