Photobook 2012

Here are some of our favorite pictures and memories from 2012. It was a great year!

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Let it Snow!

I absolutely LOVE snow. Not the brown, crunchy, gross snow that's been on the ground for weeks, but the soft, floating flakes coming down from the sky. I love walking as the snow comes slowly and gently towards the ground. Every winter, I have the same sense of wonder as I gaze up towards the sky and watch the flakes almost appear from nowhere. A few days ago, we had our first real snowfall (real=the snow is actually sticking to the ground). Matt knows how much I love the snow, so he had our front window blinds wide open when I woke up. I insisted that we immediately go outside and take pictures. Matt was practical and shoveled the walkway while I dusted off our car. I really wish our baby was here to enjoy it with us! That will just have to wait a while.

Matt dutifully shoveling the snow with a metal shovel.

Matt, looking ruggedly handsome.

We love the snow!

Jessica posing in her new maternity coat in front of our apartment.

The car! Good thing the snow hadn't turned to ice yet!

In other news, we are officially in the third trimester as of this week! Woohoo! The baby bump is definitely getting bigger--and he's still got several pounds to go!

Jessica at 28 weeks.

Flax Seed Skillet Bread

So we acquired a beautiful cast iron skillet a little while ago and Matt has been itching to try it out. Cast iron has a real mystical quality. It seems like anything you make in cast iron will no doubt taste better than if you used anything else. Tonight turned out to be the time to experiment. We were making cajun beans in our crockpot and needed a nice bread to go with it. Cornbread is the obvious choice, but we didn't have any cornmeal. Alright, Matt's solution? Make the bread with flax seed instead. This version of a skillet bread is definitely delicious, and it has a bunch more of that magical nutritious stuff than your typical cornbread. Here's the recipe!

Flax Seed Skillet Bread

What you need:

1/2 cup margarine, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup butter milk (or 1 cup milk with 1 Tb vinegar)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milled flax seed
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Melt margarine. Stir in sugar. Add eggs and beat until blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda. Add to egg mixture. Stir in dry ingredients until blended. Pour into 9x9 pan (or skillet!). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (Shorten cooking time to 25 minutes if you use a cast iron pan). And enjoy!