Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies

These are one of our favorite desserts. The texture of the chocolate part is more cake-like than brownie-like, but the original recipe I started with calls them brownies, so I stuck with it. I always use light sour cream and cream cheese and they come out great, but go full fat if you prefer.

Brownie layer
-1 stick butter, melted
-3/4 c water
-1/4 c cocoa powder
-1/2 c sour cream
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 c sugar
-2 c flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt

Cheesecake layer
-8 oz cream cheese
-1 egg
-1/3 c sugar
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-1 c chocolate chips

Mix melted butter with water and cocoa powder. Add sour cream, eggs and vanilla and mix. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 c sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ones. Pour brownie mixture into the bottom of a greased 13x9 pan.

Mix cream cheese, egg, 1/3 c sugar and vanilla for cheesecake mixture. Drop spoonfulls of cheesecake mixture over the brownie mixture. Use a knife to swirl and marble the batters. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the entire pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature and enjoy.

Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower

Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower

This recipe is slightly adapted from the Skinnytaste Cookbook. This was amazing. Even my non-cauliflower liking husband said he could eat this once a week, and that says a lot! This is so simple to prepare and yet has the most deep, sophisticated, complex flavor. This will be a regular at house.

-1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1 tsp turmeric

-1 tsp cumin

-1 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

-2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Whisk together olive oil, turmeric, cumin, salt and red pepper flakes. Toss oil mixture with cauliflower. Roast cauliflower at 450 from 20-30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes.

Berry Ricotta Cake

Berry Ricotta Cake

This is slightly adapted from a Molly Wizenberg/ Orangette recipe, which was slightly adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe. In some the reviews people mentioned adding lemon zest or almond extract to this cake and I am super eager to try each of these additions individually, but wanted to make the cake as is once first. I used a combination of frozen blackberries and frozen cherries but think this cake would be great with frozen mixed berries, blackberries or raspberries. I doubled the berries from Molly's recipe and next time I might even increase the amount to 3 cups. Other than that I LOVE this cake. It is so easy to throw together and comes out so delicious and moist!

-1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
-1 cup sugar
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-¾ teaspoon salt
-3 eggs
-1 ½ cup ricotta
-½ teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 stick butter, melted
-2 cups frozen berries, divided


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan, and press a round of parchment paper into the bottom.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, ricotta, and vanilla until smooth. Gently stir ricotta mixture into the dry ingredients until just blended. Then fold in the butter, followed by 1 1/2 cup of the berries, taking care not to crush them. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it evenly, and scatter the remaining berries on top.

Bake the cake until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before unmolding. Cool completely before serving.

Chocolate Pound Cake

Chocolate Pound Cake

This past weekend was the birthday of a dear friend and said friend apparently loves her mother-in-law's chocolate pound cake. Her hubby got me the recipe so that I could make it to surprise her. This cake turned out great. I was quite temped to top it with a glaze, ice cream, whipped cream or strawberries but my friend's husband assured me that his mom serves it plain, as is. Apparently she does dust it with powdered sugar sometimes, which would add to a pretty presentation, but is completely unnecessary for flavor purposes.

-1 1/2 cups butter, softened
-3 cups sugar
-5 eggs
-1 cup milk
-1/2 cup cocoa powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 Tbsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Sift the dry ingredients 3 times (I cheated and just whisked them together in a bowl). Add the dry ingredient mixture to the butter/ sugar/ eggs mixture about a cup at a time, alternating with half of the milk. Once everything is combined mix on low for 2 minutes. Add vanilla and mix to incorporate. Pour into a greased and floured bundt or tube pan and bake at 325 for 80 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (I had to bake it for at least an extra 10 minutes). Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

This is great breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. You can easily add any meats or substitute whatever cheeses and veggies that you have on hand.

-1 homemade or store bought pie crust
-6 eggs
-3/4 c heavy cream
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-2 c broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
-1 c cheddar cheese

In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Stir in broccoli and cheese. Pour into pie crust. Place quiche on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes, until the center is just set.

 

Cold Brew Iced Coffee and Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Cold Brew Iced Coffee

By cold brewing iced coffee you will get a smoother, less bitter taste.

-1 (8-11 oz) package ground coffee
-1 gallon (or a little less) cold water

Place ground coffee in a large bowl, pitcher or container. Cover it with 1 gallon of cold water (I use a little less than 1 gallon because I make this in a 1 gallon pitcher so I just cover the coffee with water until the pitcher is full). Let the coffee brew/sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours. After 8 hours you will need to strain the mixture. You can do this by pouring it through a coffee filter, a few layers of cheese cloth, or a fine mesh sieve (my preferred way). Once strained, you will have a good concentrated base for iced coffee. You can keep this coffee concentrate in the fridge and it will stay good for several weeks. Fill a glass with ice, add the concentrate and add milk/ cream and sweetener as desired and you are good to go. You will always be less than 1 minute away from enjoying a great glass of iced coffee. For a more decadent treat you can add a few tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to your glass for Vietnamese iced coffee. Or you can follow the recipe below if wanting to make Vietnamese Iced Coffee for a crowd.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee for a crowd

This is great for showers, brunches or really any party or occasion. It is addicting though, so beware!

-2 gallons (or slightly less) cold brew coffee concentrate as prepared above
-2 small cans of sweetened condensed milk (I always use fat-free sweetened condensed milk)

Pour the contents of the sweetened condensed milk cans into the bottom of your desired serving decanter/ container. Pour in a few cups of the coffee concentrate. Stir well with a spoon, scraping the bottom of the container, until all of the condensed milk has blended into the coffee and well dissolved. Add the remaining coffee concentrate and give it one final stir. You can add additional milk or cream at this point if desired, but I don't. Chill until serving. Either serve alongside a bucket of ice or add several handfuls of ice cubes to your container to keep the coffee cool.

 (When I make the coffee concentrate solely for the purpose of making Vietnamese Iced Coffee for a crowd I strain the coffee through a sieve pouring it directly into the serving container and mixing with the sweetened condensed milk. Doing so will save you a step).

Chicken Gyros

Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

These are fairly quick, nutritious and are delicious! Serve with tabbouleh, hummus and/ or a Greek salad.

For the chicken
-1.25 lbs. chicken breasts
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-Juice of 1 lemon
-4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
-4 heaping Tbsp. plain yogurt
-1 Tbsp. dried oregano
-1 Tbsp. sugar
 -1 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. black pepper

Tzatziki Sauce

-2 c plain yogurt
-1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp dried dill
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp. red wine vinegar
-(optional) several mint leaves, chopped

For serving
-tzatziki sauce
-sliced  or diced tomatoes
-sliced red onion
-shredded lettuce
-pita bread

Make the sauce: Place the yogurt in a coffee filter or fine sieve and drain for at least 2 hours (and up to 8 hours). Combine drained yogurt with the remaining sauce ingredients. Stir to combine. Chill at least 1 hour (and up to 2 days) prior to serving.

Marinade the chicken: Whisk together the garlic- black pepper in a medium container. Add the chicken, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about at least an hour (and up to 8 hours).

Preheat the broiler (or grill). Remove chicken from marinade and broil (or grill) until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending what size/type chicken you are using. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.

Set up an assembly line with the sliced chicken and the ingredients for serving and allow everyone to assemble their own chicken gyro to taste.

Jerk Chicken with Jamaican Red Beans and Rice

Jerk Chicken with Jamaican Red Beans and Rice

This dish was inspired by this recipe at Iowa Girl Eats and modified with a few changes to suit our taste. This is Jeremy's favorite dinner. It's definitely a good twist on a plain old chicken and rice dinner.

Jerk Chicken

-1 Tablespoon allspice
-1 Tablespoon dried thyme
-1 Tablespoon sugar
-1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
-3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
-3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-3/4 cup white vinegar
-1/2 cup orange juice
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-Juice of 1 lime
-5 garlic cloves, minced
-4 chicken breasts
-2 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 Tablespoons water

Combine the allspice-garlic in a medium container. Whisk ingredients together well. Add chicken. Refrigerate and allow chicken to marinate for at least 1, and up to 8 hours.

When ready to cook, remove chicken from marinade. Grill or broil chicken for 5-7 minutes a side. While chicken is cooking, bring the marinade to a boil over medium heat in a small pot. Reduce heat and simmer sauce. Stir in cornstarch/ water mixture and simmer, stirring constantly until thickened. Continue to simmer until chicken is done (to kill any bacteria from the meat you need to have this sauce simmering or boiling for at least 10 minutes). When chicken is no longer pink in the middle, remove to a plate, and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with the thickened sauce.

Jamaican Red Beans and Rice

-1 Tablespoon olive oil
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-4 green onions, chopped
-1 teaspoon dried thyme
-2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
-1 can coconut milk
-1 cup chicken broth
-2 cups water
-2 cups brown rice
-1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add garlic, green onion, and thyme, sauté for 1 minute. Add beans, coconut milk, chicken broth and water to the pan, then stir and bring to a boil. Add in rice and salt, cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until all the liquid as been absorbed, and the rice is tender (adding additional water if needed until rice reaches desired tenderness).

Chana Masala

Chana Masala

Our book club read A Homemade Life and I was charged with making the Chana Masala as our main dish for discussion night. I started with the A Homemade Life recipe, but ended up tweaking it a lot to use what I had in my pantry and could find at my store. Serve this over the rice of your preference, but basmati would be most authentic. This is such a quick, easy and tasty vegan dinner.

-2 Tbsp olive oil
-1 onion, coarsely chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp cumin
-1/2 tsp ground coriander
-1/4 tsp ground ginger
-2 tsp garam masala
-1/4 tsp ground cardamom
-1/4 tsp cayenne
-1 tsp salt
-1 (29 oz) can diced tomatoes
-2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
-juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat the oil in a medium pot, over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is deeply caramelized. Reduce heat to medium low. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, ginger, garam masala, caradmom, cayenne, and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and toasty, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices.Raise the heat to medium, and bring the pot to a gentle boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer, cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces a bit and begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.Add chickpeas, stirring well , and cook over medium low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the cilantro and lemon juice and serve over rice of your choice (we like basmati).

Dark Chocolate Sea Salted Toffee

This is yet another recipe from the book Bread and Wine.  Every recipe in that book is just outstanding!  Several of the recipes have been in my favorites rotation since I first read the book a year and a half ago.  This toffee though... it's buttery, chocolatey, salty perfection!  I have made it several times and it always gets oohs and ahhs.  I follow Shauna's recipe as listed below, except I use way more than the 1 tsp of salt that she calls for.  That is way too light for my taste, and I tend to find that some salt falls off when I break the toffee up so I eyeball it and shake with a heavy hand directly from the canister.  As pictured above, I decided to forgo my traditional Christmas cookie baking this year and hand out little packages of this toffee instead.  With only 4 ingredients, and no need to heat my oven {if you don't live in New Orleans you may not understand why this is a problem in Dec., but it has been over 70 every day for the last week here and we have had our a/c running} I have concluded that toffee instead of cookies was definitely a win this year, and may need to be a tradition going forward.

Dark Chocolate Sea Salted Toffee

Shauna Niequist, Bread & Wine

-1 cup butter (2 sticks)
-2 cups sugar
-1 cup dark chocolate chips
-1 tsp coarse sea salt

In a saucepan, combine butter and sugar, and bring to a boil.  Over medium-high heat, keep stirring until it turns a deep amber color.

Remove from heat and pour onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or until cool and solid to the touch.

Melt chocolate chips in a glass bowl over a pot of gently boiling water.  When the chocolate is smooth, pour it over the toffee and spread with a spatula.  Sprinkle sea salt, and then refrigerate until cooled and solid.  Break into irregular pieces.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

I have made this recipe several times now but have forgotten to take a picture each time, so I'm just now finally getting around to posting it.  I always double the recipe if serving more than me and Jeremy, but we like leftovers around here.  I serve them with the goat cheese mentioned, cilantro, radishes, assorted hot sauce (I particularly like the Tabasco brand Chipotle and Jalapeno hot sauces) and sour cream.  One time we even had them with some shredded pork and homemade pickled red onions and banana peppers and that was delicious as well.  The only change that I make is to add a few Tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 Tbsp brown sugar to the garam masala when tossing it with the sweet potatoes.  Sweet potatoes and black beans are one of my current favorite flavor combinations and goat cheese on anything is always the way to my heart.

Lime Bars

I used my go to lemon bar recipe and substituted the juice and zest of some fresh local limes that I was given.  We love lemon bars and were a little nervous that the lime bars just wouldn't taste right, but we actually ended up liking the flavor of these a little better than lemon bars.

Jill's Salsa

Jill's Salsa

I've tried a lot of homemade salsa recipes over the years including my friend Alex's, or Crystin's, or the Pioneer Woman one.  Some with fresh tomatoes, some with canned, some hand chopped, some easily and quickly done in a food processor.  This is my friend Jill's recipe, it is my current favorite.  I think I prefer a chunky/ hand chopped salsa, but if I was in a hurry I'd throw all of these ingredients in a food processor and come out with a thinner, restaurant style salsa texture.  And yes, there really is sweet chili sauce in this salsa... weird and counterintuitive, but delicious.  It has inspired me to think outside of the box though, and I think next I'd like to try sriracha in a salsa, because sriracha is always a great addition.

-5-6 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
-1/2 green pepper, diced
-1/2 yellow pepper, diced
-juice and zest of 1 lime
-1/2 red onion, diced
-1 clove garlic, minced
-3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
-1 can Original diced tomatoes and chiles (Rotel), drained
-1 Tbsp sugar
-1 tsp salt
-2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce

Stir all ingredients together and refrigerate a few hours before serving to allow the flavors to combine.

Maple Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

This is yet another recipe from Shauna Niequist's book Bread & Wine.  On a side note, many of my current favorite recipes are from that book, they are all simple, yet sophisticated.  If you haven't read the book, you should!  This pork was delicious, in fact, Jeremy and I both thought it was one of our top few favorite dinners ever.  I served it with an easy baked "risotto" and they were a perfect pair.  The only thing that I changed from Shauna's recipe was that after searing my pork on all sides it wasn't cooked through enough so I finished it in the over until it reached 145.

Maple Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

-2 pork tenderloins
-1 cup maple syrup
-1 cup balsamic vinegar
-1 heaping  Tbsp Dijon mustard
-1/2 cup beer or white wine

Whisk together maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon. Add 1/2 cup of the maple balsamic mixture to the beer or white wine to create a marinade. Save the rest of the maple balsamic mixture to make the glaze. Several hours before serving, salt and pepper the tenderloins, then pour the marinade over them. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Just before serving, cook on the grill or on the stove. On medium-high heat, cook for 4 minutes on each of the four sides until a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees. Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. We did ours on the grill and cooked them over medium-high heat until the internal temperature reached 145 degrees. While the pork is cooking and then resting, pour the remaining maple balsamic mixture in to a small saucepan and boil gently until reduced by half, about 15 minutes, creating a thick glaze. After the tenderloin has rested, slice it diagonal one-inch slices. Pour the glaze over the sliced meat, or put it in a little pitcher and let people pour it on their own slices.

Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese

I have a more healthy mac and cheese, with pureed squash in the sauce that I like to serve for a healthy dinner.  It is not bad for you at all.  But, it never satisfies a true mac and cheese craving for me.  So here is a less nutritious, but still lightened up version of mac and cheese that does satisfy my comfort food cravings.

-1 box whole wheat shells, elbows or desired pasta shape, cooked al dente
-2 Tbsp butter
-2 Tbsp flour
-2 c milk
-1 lb cheddar cheese, shredded
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-1/4 tsp cayenne
-1 Tbsp dijon mustard

Melt butter in large pot, over medium-low heat.  Add flour, cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add milk, cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add dijon mustard, 3/4 of the cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Stir until cheese melts.  (At this point you could stop and serve as a stove top mac and cheese, but for a chewy crust and soft center continue on into the oven.)  Pour into a greased 2 quart casserole dish.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Massaged Kale Salad

I made this Massaged Kale Salad.  The only thing that I did differently was to use some baby kale/ spinach/ chard mix instead of 2 bunches of kale.  I thought this was absolutely delicious, exactly the type of light, fresh flavors this prego girl craves and could eat every day.

Sausage Balls

I made these sausage balls for our brunch at church tomorrow.  They turned out great, but who can go wrong with sausage, cheese, and carbs?  This is the most basic recipe, which was great cause I had a bunch of food to make for the brunch and a family reunion tomorrow.  Next time I think I'd try this a little more complicated Martha Stewart version, and maybe use turkey sausage instead of pork to reduce a little of the fat.

Korean Beef

Korean Beef

This is one of our absolute favorite recipes.  It is quick, easy and delicious!!!!  I was inspired by this recipe over at Izzy Writes but then made a few changes of my own to the ingredients and the process.  We like ours on the sweet and spicy side so I use the max ingredients for red pepper flakes and brown sugar, but adjust as needed to suit your taste.  We always serve this beef over rice, sprinkled with scallions and with a bottle of Sriracha sauce for squirting on top.

-1 Tbsp sesame oil
-1 red bell pepper, diced
-1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and diced
-1 pound lean ground beef
-4 cloves garlic, minced
 -1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup soy sauce
 -1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers (to desired spiciness)
 -1 bunch green onions, sliced
-cooked rice
-Sriracha sauce

Heat sesame oil in large skillet, over medium heat.  Add bell pepper and ginger.  Saute 5 minutes, until it begins to soften.  Add beef, cooking until brown, breaking up with a spoon while cooking.  Drain beef/ veggie mixture and return to pan.  Add garlic and cook an additional minute.  Stir in brown sugar, soy sauce and crushed red pepper flakes.  Continue to cook until the flavors come together, at least 10 minutes.  Serve over hot rice, sprinkle with green onions and top with a squirt of Sriracha.

Ginger Peanut Salad Dressing

Ginger Peanut Salad Dressing

I seem to continue to recreate recipes for Oriental Pasta Salad, and Oriental Slaw.  They are all very similar in flavor and ingredients, but different enough for their own recipes.  Whichever one I'm eating at the moment is always my favorite.  I served this dressing over spinach, shredded red cabbage, shredded carrots and peanuts.  Some edamame, cashews, bean sprouts, cucumber, or pasta would also be great in here though.

-1/4 c honey
-1/4 c olive oil
-1/4 c rice vinegar
-1 Tbsp soy sauce
-1 tsp sesame oil
-1 Tbsp peanut butter
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp sriarcha
-1" chunk ginger, peeled
-1 clove garlic, peeled

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until thoroughly mixed.  Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
 

::this week::

praising:  the return of my perspective... joy... peace... hope... trust.  some more promised provision for our ministry... still so humbled and blown away by all of it!  some cool healings, freedom, and ministry opportunities for J over the last week, and the faithfulness of our Lord through them!

praying:  for boldness, obedience, opportunities to love others in action and in Truth, and that I'd make the most of each of these opportunities.

reading:  1 Kings, Isaiah, 1000 Gifts, cookbooks

thankful for:  my husband, he is beyond an amazing leader for our family, he challenges and encourages me daily to seek and live for Jesus, by both his example, and gentle words.  a new to us/ used dryer so I can return to laundry duty.  a healthy doctor's appointment for me and baby M #2.  the weather.  trips to the park.  my job and these sweet kiddos, their different personalities, and the way they play together.  my new doctor, I am very happy with her personality, philosophy, and outlook... wish I would have had her the first time around!  a more than reasonable compensation promise for our car from the insurance company.

cooking:  lemon bars, dark chocolate drizzled salted caramel popcorn, BBQ chicken and Thai chicken pizzas, buffalo chicken enchiladas, pulled BBQ pork with homemade BBQ sauce,  ham and bean soup, hummus, slow cooker vegetable pavlava, cinnamon roll cake, Thai tilapia curry

creating:  more Christmas presents

inspired by:  Isaiah 32:20 the Lord will greatly bless his people.  Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up.  So encouraged to know that even when I am not seeing the fruit of the seeds that I sow, that a bountiful harvest is coming!

Isaiah 30:15b "Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved"  {rest}

Isaiah 30:18b For the Lord is a faithful God.  Blessed are those who wait for his help.  {wait}

doing:  doctor's appointment for baby M #2.  making and distributing neighbor gifts.  family zoo trip.  trip to the Northshore to have breakfast with some guys (and their wives) who have been investing in Jeremy, he has been so blessed with so many great spiritual fathers!  a date with my hubby.

Noah:  now that I don't do monthly posts on Noah I feel compelled to give random updates...last week I took Noah for his 2 year well appointment and the doctor noticed some breathing trouble. we are waiting for his cold to clear up and keeping an eye on it in case it could be asthma.  He is quite the picky eater these days.  right now his foods of choice are apples, popcorn, any type of cereal/ granola/ protein bar, yellow cheese (NOT white!), applesauce in packets, crackers, pretzels, and pb&j... everything else including pizza, bananas, pasta and all other kid friendly foods has pretty much been abandoned, even his once beloved guacamole.  he is starting to learn his colors.  he can say the whole alphabet, minus L and one other letter that he skips.  he can recognize/ read W's, O's, B's, and S's.  he isn't really interested in practicing numbers or counting right now.  he is just as energetic and fearless as ever, finding new avenues for mischief in our house (including climbing up on the back of a chair and adjusting the thermostat... sometimes as high as 80 degrees.