Circus Trains: Crab and Cream Cheese Won Tons

One of the benefits of being members of the San Diego Model Railroad Museum is access to their special "Family Days." Last Saturday was their "Circus Family Day" and we ventured to check It out.

There is no such thing as a bad day at the train museum for Thatbaby.  He loves watching the trains, pointing out the tunnels, the buses, the fire trucks.

And the museum is small enough that we're more than happy to let him run around the entire thing, again and again.

I was a little disappointed in the Circus aspect of the day.  The only thing circus about it were performances by some kids from a local camp that does circus/acrobatic classes.  Not that the kids weren't talented, they were.  There were mini-airealists:

And very flexible acrobats.

And stilt walkers wandering the museum.

But really, I was expecting more.  On the plus side, The Juris family met up with us and Thatbaby had a grand time taking Jurisbaby around the museum.

With a nice, long stop in the train table room.

I was so proud of both our boys, playing so nicely and sharing with the other kids.  Thatbaby didn't even want to leave.  But all good things must come to an end.

We came home and Thatbaby settled in for a nap while I worked on dinner.  Wontons are a weekend food for me because they're so time consuming.  But I love the snacky aspect of them.  And I wanted to make some crab wontons before the sweet summer crab was gone.  Crab Wontons.  The quintessential non-kosher food.  But they are absolutely fabulous.  And so easy to munch!

Crab and Cream Cheese Won Tons

8 oz cream cheese, softened

Meat from 2 clusters of snow crab

2 green onions, sliced

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp sriracha

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

won ton wrappers

Canola oil

1. Combine cream cheese, crab meat, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, sriracha, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Place 1 1/2 tsps of the crab mixture in the center of a won ton wrapper.  Dip your finger in some water and run along the edges of the wonton before folding it into a triangle and pressing to seal.
3. Bring in the two sides of the triangle to meet in the middle. Repeat with remaining filling and remaining won ton wrappers.
4. Fill a pot with 3 inches of canola oil and heat until it reaches 350.  Fry won tons for about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Movin' On Up: Spinach Artichoke Chicken

You may remember me mentioning that at Thatbaby's first swim lesson of the season he appeared to be the oldest and most advanced member of the class  (or you could pay absolutely no attention to my mentions of my child on this blog - and that's okay too).

In any event, after that class, Thatboy called to see if we could have Thatbaby moved up to the next level up - 21 through 36 months.  He's been taking this class for the past couple weeks.

The kids are much more independent in this class, and spend a lot more time underwater, fishing for rings or doing passes.

And Thatbaby is already showing improvement. Last year, and even his first week this year in the younger class, he got the arm movements down, but wasn't doing well with kicks. Now he's kicking up a storm. 

He's blowing bubbles and almost confident enough to jump off the side without holding anyone's hands. Almost.

And Thatboy is holding him less and less as he swims towards his ducky.

it's important to move up in life.  Staying in the same place means no improvement.  And the same holds true for recipes.  Most of us have favorite dishes that find their way not our tables again and again.  And there's nothing wrong with that. But sometimes it only takes a little change to bring it too whole 'nothin level.  Like the Artichoke Crusted Chicken I made a while back. So easy, so cheesy, so delicious. But add a little spinach to it and voila, it's like an entirely new dish!

Spinach Artichoke Chicken

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed, with excess moisture squeezed out
1/3 cup grated white cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.  Sauté the chicken breast for about 8-10 minutes, flipping once, or until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.  Set aside.
2. Mix together the yogurt, artichoke hearts, spinach, and cheddar cheese.  
3. Spread the mixture over the sauteed chicken breasts.  Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

SUCCESS! And Pupusas

I have detailed our numerous attempts to recreate that first drive-in experience we had here in San Diego.  The one where Thatbaby magically slept through 2 movies, while Thatboy and I got to enjoy a date night.

All week I've been super stressed about getting an opposition to a motion out.  Mostly because every time I'd try to work on it my boss would either ask: "Why are you working on that?  I thought it was straightforward." "How come you're still working on that?" or, my favorite, ask me into his office to talk about one of our other cases.

Weeks like that are exhausting for me.  I hate being torn between being told not to work on something and being asked why I'm not working on something.  So as soon as the motion was done on Friday I texted Thatboy to see if he was up for a drive-in night.

Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more.

We headed out to see a double feature of "We're The Millers" and "The Wolverine,"  expecting that the little guy would be up during some point, and hoping it was during the first movie which promised less slashing.

But You Guys - he slept!  The entire time.  Fell asleep in the car on the way to the drive-in.  Stayed asleep as we drove through the Sonic drive thru to get drinks for the movie.  And even though he woke up during the movie, all he did was look around and go right back to sleep!

Not as successful was my pupusa attempt for our dinner.  When I posted my black bean pie I described it as a twist on a quesadilla.  This is another twist.  A pupusa is basically a stuffed tortilla.  A stuffed, homemade tortilla!  But I alluded to the fact mine were not altogether successful.  I had some issues with the dough - it was too thick and dry.  The thinner you can get this, the better.  Nevertheless, like many other things in life, the fact that the dough was difficult to work with and a little thick didn't change the fact that these were a big hit.  Thatbaby loved these.  He liked being able to hold them easily, something not so easy with quesadillas.  And he liked the fact they were filled with cheese.  Thatboy had two of them!  A salad makes the perfect pairing with these for a nice meal.

Pupusas

2 cups masa harina

1 cup queso fresca

1 cup water

1. Combine masa and water in a mixing bowl until smooth. Cover and let rest 5-10 minutes.
2. Shape dough into 8 balls.  Flatten each ball into a thin disc, about 6 inches in diameter.
3. Divide the queso fresca between four of the discs.  
4. Top each cheese covered disc with one of the remaining four discs, pressing the edges to seal.
5. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Cook each pupusa, one at a time, about 2 minutes per side, until the cheese melts and tortillas are browned.

Mommy Mondays: How to Make (or not make) a Baby

This is really only tangentially related to being a mommy - the road to getting there.  Which funnily enough, starts out with the road to making sure I didn't get there before I wanted to.  Yes friends, this is a post about birth control.

I've never been on any form of hormonal birth control.  Everyone who I know who has, has had some sort of problems - bleeding, bruising, skin problems, weight problems, and there was that one time we had to take my college roommate to the hospital because they thought her birth control may be causing her liver to fail.  It just didn't sound like something I wanted to put my body through.

So for *mumble mumble mumble* years, I resorted to condoms for birth control.  Which wasn't an issue for me, since condoms do things that hormonal birth control doesn't, like protect against STIs and STDs.

About 5 years ago, I heard about a book called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and picked up a copy.  It was life changing.   Mostly because I was terribly ignorant about the whole menstrual cycle.  I actually thought the egg hung around waiting to get fertilized for weeks, until it got flushed out of the system with the uterine lining.  That's not what happens.  The egg can only be fertilized in one, 24 hour period.  Meaning, there is only one day during the cycle that you can get pregnant.  Given that the sperm can live for up to 3 days, that means there are only 3 days during the month when sex can lead to pregnancy.  Crazy, right?

The book also talked about the fact that the length of cycles can vary.  Most health classes teach about a 28 day cycle, with ovulation on day 14 and then your period 14 days later.  Which is not the case for most women.

So what's the import of this information?  With the knowledge about your actual cycle - when you ovulate based on individual body signals as opposed to counting days, you know what 3 days during your cycle sex can lead to pregnancy.  So if you're looking to avoid getting pregnant, you don't have unprotected sex during these days.  If you're looking to get pregnant, these 3 days will give you your best chance.*  This method, known as the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), uses the signals your body gives that are related to your cycle - body temperature, cervical fluid, cervical position - to keep track of your actual cycle.

I kept track of these signals for a full year, charting them on an online site, Fertility Friend, before I felt comfortable enough to use it as our primary form of birth control.

And armed with that knowledge, we used this method to conceive Thatbaby.  In fact, the month Thatbaby was conceived we were running a fertility test.  We decided we were ready to have a baby, but didn't want a baby born during the holiday season - November or December.  So we decided to give it a go that month, and if I didn't get pregnant we were going to take a 2 month break on trying to conceive.  And we thought as long as we were just starting out, we might as well see if this FAM was all it was cracked up to be.  We had unprotected sex one time that month, the day I ovulated.  2 weeks later I was greeted with 2 lines on a pregnancy test.  And 9 months later we welcomed Thatbaby into the world.



* There is a lot about getting pregnant that is out of our control.  Fertility issues plague many couples, both for explained and unexplained reasons.  This post is not trying to make it seem like getting pregnant is easy - it isn't.  And simply charting isn't going to guarantee pregnancy.  But, with all the pregnancy factors that are out of our control, I think charting helps with the factors we can control.

Party Time!: Baked Penne

One of the reasons I was in such a hurry to get home from The Actress's baby shower was that I had another party to attend.  Have you ever noticed that's the case?  All your events inevitably end up scheduled for the same day?

And in this case I couldn't say no to either obligation.  Because how could I miss The Actress's baby shower?  And there was no way I was going to miss Little LO's birthday party!

For some reason, the fact that Thatbaby will be 2 in less than 2 months doesn't really phase me.  But the fact that Little LO is already 2?  Mind blowing!  

I'll probably post something similar every year, but it still amazes me to look at pictures of these two guys through the years.

There was their initial encounter:

Almost a year later at Little LO's first birthday party:

And over the weekend:

Every year they look so much older!!!!  I was so grateful to arrive at L&O's house for the party.  Thatboy and Thatbaby were already there.  And Thatbaby is so comfortable that he was running around playing, without needing Thatboy in attendance.  L&O is a fantastic party thrower.  The food was plentiful and the atmosphere was just so comfortable.  I sunk into a chair and didn't want to leave!  Luckily there will probably be another one of these next year to look forward to.

For Little LO's first and second birthday parties, L&O had a taco bar.  It's a brilliant way to feed a crowd.  Baked pasta is one of my go-to crowd feeders.  It's not nearly as fun as a taco bar, but with a couple of tweaks it can be so much more than your basic spaghetti and meatballs.  A rich, creamy sauce and lots of cheese are the secrets here.  But one bite and you'll see it's not such a secret.

Baked Penne

1 lb penne pasta

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

2 cup milk

1 cup mascarpone

1 1/2 cup parmesean (divided)

2 cups marinara

2 cups mozzarella, shredded

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350.  Melt butter in a skillet.  
3. Add the flour, whisking until smooth.  Cook for 1 more minute, until a nice paste forms.
4. Slowly add the milk, whisking to combine.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat and cook until thick and bubbly.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone and 1/2 cup parmesan, stirring until cheese has melted into the sauce.
6. Stir in the marinara and mozzarella until combined.
7. Stir the pasta into the sauce, tossing to combine.  Pour into a large baking dish.  Bake for 25 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan over the pasta and bake for another 5 minutes.

All Day in the Car: Peanut Meringues

On Saturday I spent some time in the car.  A lot of time in the car.  More time in the car than out of the car.

You see, it was time for The Actress's baby shower!  Yay!

The Actress lives in LA.  Which is 2 hours away without traffic.  Luckily, on the way up, I hit that elusive no traffic.  I got there in plenty of time to catch up with The Actress, her family, and some of my old college acquaintances.

The Actress has been having some issues with contractions and is currently on bedrest, so she spent her party off her feet, sitting and letting guests come to her.

It makes me so happy to see The Actress happy.  She's the last in her group to have a child, so she was surrounded by mothers doling out advice.  Rather than feel overwhelmed she remarked how lucky she was to be surrounded by so many people who can help her.  Ever gracious.

I headed out to drive back home to San Diego.  On the way back I wasn't nearly as lucky as on the way up.  I hit traffic.  A lot of traffic.  It took me 4 hours to get back.  And THAT my friends is why I caution people against daytrips to Los Angeles.  Traffic is so unpredictable and can be really bad.

And I hate being stuck in the car in traffic.  I don't mind driving, but I hate not moving.  Especially when I have somewhere to be.  I used to be better about packing snacks for the car but it's been so long since I've done a long drive that I'm out of practice.  Which meant I got really hungry when I was stuck in the car for 4 hours.

Meringues make excellent car snacks.  They're filling, but you can also eat lots of them without feeling too bad about it since they're egg white cookies.   These peanut meringues were sitting at home while I was sitting in traffic.  I could have kicked myself for not packing some for the trip!

Peanut Meringues

1 egg white

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 300.  Beat the egg white until stiff.
2. While beating, slowly add the sugar.
3. Stir in the peanuts and vanilla.   Place heaping tablespoons on a silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake about 15 minutes or until dry. 

Celebrating with Copper: Garden Tortilla Soup

Thatboy and I did a lot of celebrating last night.  We ended up having a 4 course dinner and drinks inspired by my anniversary gift to him.

See, Thatboy and I have always stuck to the traditional gifts for anniversaries.  And the Seventh Anniversary is the Copper/Wool anniversary.  When I realized that I kicked myself for getting him a beautiful wool sweater for Christmas.  I should have saved it for this gift!  I was really stumped on what to get him.  When we were registering for our wedding he begged and pleaded to put a copper espresso machine on the registry.  Unsurprisingly at $2000 no one bought it for us, and it prompted Tesseract to ask if we were planning on opening a Starbucks.   I still felt like a commercial espresso machine wasn't probably something we needed but my efforts to turn up a personal copper espresso machine turned up nothing.  I thought of a wool blanket, inspired by the embroidered quilt Thatboy purchased for me for our Second (Cotton) Anniversary, but really - we are up to our elbows in blankets.

Eventually I settled on these:

Copper Mule Mugs engraved with our initials.  We're not habitual Moscow Mule drinkers, but they are our drink of choice when we visit Starlite, so I thought he'd like them.  I just didn't realize how much!  He exclaimed multiple times last night that he was so excited we owned mule mugs. When we got to the restaurant and saw mules on the menu we ordered them.  I had picked up ginger beer to go with his gift, so when we came home we had some more!

Thatboy wanted to capitalize on both the copper and wool aspects of the anniversary, so I got multiple gifts.

A new watch with copper accents (and copper links which would be under that little watch pillow).

And a new black wool coat (which I was in desperate need of!)  Thatboy had a heck of a time finding a wool coat in August.  I guess people in San Diego don't recognize the need for warm things in the summer.  I enjoy them year round - which is why you're being treated to another soup recipe.  In August.    And it's not even terribly original.  I've posted tortilla soup recipes before.  But this one takes advantage of fresh summer tomatoes, peppers corn, and avocado.  Making it so much better than my previous recipes!  I love roasting tomatoes for soup bases, which is why this technique may seem familiar to you.  It brings out a smokey richness that can't be matched.

Garden Tortilla Soup

16 roma tomatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

4 cups vegetable broth

1 chipotle chile in adobo, diced

kernels from 3 ears of corn

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Cut an X into all the tomatoes and place them on a baking sheet.  Drizzle olive oil over and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 45 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and sautee until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Add the veggie broth and diced chile.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Once tomatoes have cooked and cooled slightly, place them in a food processor and puree until smooth.
6. Add the tomatoes to the soup, cover, and simmer for an hour.
7. Add the corn and cook an additional 5 minutes.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with crushed tortilla chips and avocado.

Lucky Number 7: Tequila Lime Chicken Tacos

7 years ago I woke up before the sun.  Not because of a crying child, but because I had to get ready for a very special day.  I day I would pledge, in front of friends and family, to love Thatboy with everything I had to give, for as long as I could give it.

It was an easy promise to make.  I had already given him unrestricted access to my heart.  2 years earlier I had walked with him along Half Moon Bay as the sun set and realized I wanted to grow old with him.  We had been dating for 4 years at that point in time, and it was only then I realized I loved him.

 

Prior to that moment we'd had discussions of marriage.  Most of which involved Thatboy questioning if I'd ever be ready, and me questioning myself as to whether I wanted to bind my life to this man.  We were so very young, with so much unknown in front of us.  

  It took 4 years to get to a place where I was sure.  Years where we learned to work things out, because nothing is ever easy in life.  Years of fighting and making up.  Years of struggle and peace.  I often joke that our marriage works because we had every fight you can have before we were married.  Now it's just rehashing the same things we've already done. 

Two years after that walk on Half Moon Bay, we made it official.  Exchanged rings and vows.  Celebrated with those close to us.  And the road since then hasn't been easy.  We've dealt with moves, loss of jobs and loss of family.  But we've also gained friends and family.  Weddings, births, and obviously Thatdog.  We're still learning new things about each other, even though I never would have thought it possible, and we're still learning to work together in our relationship.

Thatboy and I didn't get to eat at our wedding.  There was too much wandering from table to table, celebrating with our friends and family.  I don't think I had anything but champagne in my stomach the entire day.  Our coordinator noticed this, and rather than box us up something to take with us, she had a meal sent to our room.  Thatboy and I took a nap - in our wedding clothes, and woke up to a hot meal waiting for us.  We ate it on our balcony, overlooking the water, as husband and wife.

This is not that meal.  In fact, I haven't cooked on our anniversary ever!  And tonight is no different.  This meal, however, reminds me of our first anniversary trip to Puerto Vallarta.  Chicken marinated in tequila, topped with fresh strawberries and avocado, and wrapped in a warm tortilla.  It's the perfect marriage of sweet and sour, crunchy and smooth, warm and cold.  Things that just compliment each other. 

Tequila Lime Chicken Tacos

 1 chicken breast, sliced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tequila

juice and zest of 2 limes (divided)

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander (divided)

1 avocado, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

4 strawberries, chopped

2 sprigs of cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 cups panko

4 Tbsp flour

1. Combine chicken, oil, tequila, juice and zest of one lime, and 1 tsp coriander in a ziplock bag.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2.  In a small bowl, combine avocado, tomato, strawberries and cilantro. 
3. Add juice and zest of remaining lime.
4. Season to taste with salt and peppe.
5. Preheat oven to 450. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Combine panko, flour, lime zest and `/2 tsp coriander in a bowl. 
6. Dip chicken in panko mixture and then place on baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.  

Mommy Mondays: 22 months

Weight: 28lbs 3oz (+ 20 lbs, 13 oz) - left over from two months ago

Height: 33" (+ 13")
Head: 19" (+ 5.65")

Sleep: Other than the waking up early, I can't complain.  He goes down easy for naps and bedtime, and sleeps the whole night through.

Eating: We are in the watermelon phase of summer where I feel like I'm constantly chopping up watermelon so we have a bowl in the fridge at toddler level.  He loves it.  He's been eating lighter this month - not as much, so I've been packing him smaller lunches for school.  Of course, as soon as I pick him up, he eats everything he didn't finish during the day.  So maybe it's more about distraction.  In more important news - Thatbaby is officially done nursing!

Best Moment: Our "train day."  He was so excited to ride the trains and see the trains at the museum.  I think he would have stayed there forever if I'd let them.
 

Monthly Wisdom:  Kids don't know the difference between "toy" and "not toy" so when you think your kid is getting bored, pull out something new for them - this month we blew up my exercise ball and Thatbaby has been having a blast rolling it, carrying it, sitting on it (with assistance), and bouncing on it (with assistance). 

Goals for the Upcoming Month:
- Still the babysitter. But we've started the process!

- Roadtrip!

- Camping with a baby.

Things Thatbaby is doing:
-  He's added "Your Welcome" into his please and thank you vocabulary.  Like thank you at first, we're not at the consistent stage yet, but it's adorable when he uses it.

- He is Mr. Bossy Pants lately.  "Sit here" "Thatdog shhhh" "Mommy arm."  We've had to institute "no bossy" into his vocabulary.

- He can open the fridge by himself.  Which means I have to hide berries in drawers but he can get his own milk.

- He loves to do everything himself "Thatbaby do it"  "Thatbaby hold it"

- He looks for people/things:  "Daddy aaarrrrreee you?"  (Daddy where are you?"

- He brings his stuffed animals to the table so they can eat (and drink) too.  He feeds them.

- He drinks "tea."  Jealous that Thatboy and I start the day with coffee and tea respectively, he wants in.  So I pour him some water in a little ceramic 1/2 cup measuring cup and he uses two hands to drink it.

- He takes "BEEG BITES" of his food.

- He's starting to develop a memory, so if you ask what he did, he just might tell you!

Sweet Summer Corn: Corn Chowder

For most of you, the thought of soup at this time of year seems crazy.  For Southern Californians, who are able to grill in November, there's a tacit understanding that the trade off for that is cold days in summer. Last week was one of those "are you sure it's summer?" weeks. 

Which is really the perfect time for soup. But even in soup weather, it's hard to do something heavy and winters in July, so I like to stick with summer soups.  What's a summer soup? Soups that use some of summer's best produce- like sweet summer corn.  For some reason corn chowder always feels so summery to me and I think this is especially true  when you forgo the frozen kernels for something straight off the cobb.

Corn Chowder

1/4 cup butter

1/2 onion, diced

3/4 cup diced celery

2 Tbsp flour

3 Tbsp water

2 yukon gold potatoes, cubed

kernels from 5 ears of corn

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 qt half and half

1. Melt butter in a pot.  Saute onion and celery for 5 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and water.
3. Add the flour mixture, potatoes, corn, sugar, salt and pepper to the onions.  Cover with water and simmer 30 minutes.  
4. Stir in the half and half and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Move Over Rice Crispies: Cornflake Cookies

Thatboy and I have changed up our breakfast routines substantially in the past two months.

I've expanded my breakfast repertoire from yogurt to a variety of options from eggs to oatmeal to pancakes.  And Thatboy?  He's actually started eating breakfast!

Thatbaby certainly benefits from our new breakfast routine.  He begins with me.  Thatboy walks Thatdog and takes a shower while Thatbaby helps me prepare our "elaborate" breakfast.  We sit and eat together.  Then Thatboy comes out and we do a trade-off.  I go take a shower while Thatboy shares his breakfast with Thatbaby.  Thatboy's breakfast of choice?  Cereal.  Thatbaby sits on his lap and the two share a bowl of cereal.

I'm not really into cereal for breakfast, but Thatboy is a big fan.  So when he tells me to pick up more cornflakes I do just that.  Only last time I picked up cornflakes, I opened the cabinet to find that we had an almost full box already in there.  Which meant we had a lot of cornflakes.  

Cornflakes are great for coating chicken but I wanted to do something sweeter with them. Making cookies from breakfast cereal isn't a new idea.  You'd have to have grown up in a cave to have never had rice crispie treats.  And the newest trend is to make rice crispie treats with other cereals.  Which is all well and good, but I'm not a huge fan of melting the marshmallows. It always makes a sticky mess of my kitchen. This is a much easier alternative.  Like a cornflake meringue, beaten egg whites help this cookie retain its shape. They're sweet and easy and disappear very very quickly.

Cornflake Cookies

1 egg white

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1  cup cornflakes

1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Beat the egg white until stiff.
2. Stir in the sugar, coconut, cornflakes, and vanilla.  Place heaping teaspoonfuls on a silpat or parchment on a baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.