Crave Wednesday: Roasted Banana Pudding

This weekend was a very important weekend for just about everyone on the face of the Earth - Mother's Day.  It's important because even if you're not a mother, presumably you had one.  And whether or not you're close with your mom, whether or not she was there, it is undeniable that you wouldn't be here if not for her.  It's a day to celebrate the women in our lives who made us who we are - not just the one who gave birth to us.  And my friends and I celebrate each other, because it's also a day to celebrate the women who made us the mothers we are to our own children.

My Mother's Day started off on Friday with the Kindergarten Mother's Day presentation.

They've been planning for weeks.  They greeted all of us moms with songs they had been practicing.

And then we were presented with a "forever bouquet."

Next we were sent to a couple stations to do crafts "with" our children.  Which really entailed me watching my child do crafts.

We sat as they read us the books they had written about us.  Apparently I need to work on not forgetting how much I love Thatkid.  I'm not too worried though since I'm as nice as lions.  I also love that Thatbrother made a couple of appearances.

And then we were given a special gift.  If anyone has any ideas on where or how to display my tile, I'm all ears.

That night, Thatboy also brought me home a special treat.

After being awoke at 5:55am, because Mother's Day means very little to my kids, Sunday morning we headed up to have breakfast with Thatmom.

We made a brief stop on our way to our actual destination.  Thatboy saw a winery and figured, why not?  So we stopped and had a glass as the boys ran around, climbing rocks and exploring a meditation garden.

After a glass, we were on our way to our real afternoon plans.

A camel dairy! 

If you know me, you know I love camels.  So when I saw that the camel dairy not too far away was having an open farm day on Mother's Day, I suggested it to Thatboy, who thought it was a great idea.

We started out by watching the "Animal Show" where we got to meet the farm's resident birds, dogs, and the ambassador camel - Jasmine.

After the animal show it was camel feeding time!  Camels apparently LOVE apples.  So we were each given an apple on a stick and these guys came right up to grab it from us. 

There were rumors about cuddling, but really, once your apples were gone, these guys were not interested in you. 

Thatbaby was too little to feed the camels, they have a 4 and up rule.  But he was not too little to feed the sheep in Sheeptown.  He was pretty cute calling them over and giving them their food.

One of the neat things about the Camel Dairy is that they've got some new baby camels.  The little guy on the left was just a month old.  And his best friend there, on the right is 8 months old!

The 8 month old thought Thatbaby was super neat-o.  He felt the same way.

Before we left, we made sure to get in a camel ride.  Thatkid wanted to ride on his own, which was fine with us.

Thatbaby refused to ride alone.  Or with his brother.  He would only go on with me.

My annual picture with the boys.....not cooperating with my annual picture with the boys.

When the Camel dairy closed, we headed into town for dinner at a place Thatboy had found.  It was one of those places where EVERYTHING on the menu looked amazing.  And we ordered too much food, and had to take a bunch home.  Even Thatkid asked if the restaurant was famous, because "the macaroni and cheese is so good."

Thatboy also got dessert to take home.  He prepped me ahead of time that he wanted to get pudding if they had pudding.  The man loves pudding.  So when he heard that they had butterscotch pudding he was all in.  Unfortunately, it was the most disappointing part of the dinner. Probably because he's used to really good pudding.  And I'm not tooting my own horn - we go to restaurants with really good pudding.  Which is not to say I don't try my hand at pudding every now and again.  Like this banana pudding.  I can't even really take credit for this one - roasting the bananas makes for a great caramelization and adds depth to the flavor.  I don't even have to do much of anything to make it taste delicious!

Roasted Banana Pudding (From Cooking Light)

5 ripe unpeeled bananas

2 cups milk

2/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 container Cool Whip

45 vanilla wafers, divided

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Place banana on a pan lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove 3 bananas and cool completely.  Peel and cut into 1/2 inch slices, set aside. 
2. Bake remaining 2 bananas an additional 20 minutes.  Carefully peel these bananas and place in a small bowl.  Mash with a fork until smooth.
3. Combine milk and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Bring to a simmer.
4. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, salt, and eggs in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk.  
5. Gradually add hot milk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Return milk mixture to pan and cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.
6. Add mashed bananas, butter and vanilla, stirring until butter melts.  Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until mixture comes to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
7. Fold half of the cool whip into pudding.
8. Spread 1 cup custard evenly over the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.  
9. Top with 20 vanilla wagers and half of reserved banana slices.
10. Spoon half of remaining custard over banana.
11. Repeat procedure with 20 wafers, remaining banana slices, and remaining custard.  
12. Spread remaining half of whipped topping evenly over top. 
13. Crush 5 wafers, sprinkle over top.  Refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled. 

Sunday Runday: Revel Mt. Charleston

On April 4, SDMom texted me asking if there was anyway I'd be able to run a half marathon with her at the end of the month...in Vegas.

Not going to lie, I wasn't super-de-dooper excited about another half because I was fiercely undertrained without enough time or motivation to actually change that.  BUT I've run a half marathon with SDMom being seriously undertrained before, and if you're going to do it, she's the woman to do it with.  Add to that a girls weekend with her?  I signed on.

The day before the race she picked me up and we drove out to Vegas.  Car trips are a true test to friendship, and while I was convinced she would at some point leave me in the desert, she didn't.  The hours passed quickly as we talked and drove.

We got to the Expo with plenty of time to spare. We got our bibs and bags and SDMom greeted every person there, because she knew every person there.  Which is one of my favorite things about her.  I'm not joking she knows everyone. 

A couple photo ops and we were back in the car, heading to the hotel.  We met some of SDMom's friends for dinner, and then tucked in to bed.  We had an early morning ahead of us!

4:30am found us heading out to the buses that would take us part way up Mt. Charleston to the staging area.  There was a brief moment where the bus needed to turn around on a narrow road on the mountain in which I was sure we were going to die, but other than that, we made it with no incidents.

The staging area was dark, and the wind was blowing so much that even though it wasn't cold temperature-wise, we were all freezing.  Which is where I give my kudos to the race planners who were handing out mylar to wrap ourselves in.   They were also playing some great music which pumped up the crowd.  And we bounced around watching the sun rise over the mountains.

When the sun was up, we could see that some of the mountains were still covered in snow.  SDMom mentioned that the year before there was snow at the staging area, so we were thankful for warmer, albeit windy, weather.

The race had a really interesting start.  At the start time, we started heading over to the start line.  Which isn't unusual.  I've run several races where the staging area was a bit away from the start line, and usually they walk you over, then countdown and send you off.  But this race, we walked to the start line and just kept going.

The first 8 miles were all downhill.  And despite the fact we planned on taking it really slow, and walking portions of every mile, we found our time was pretty impressive.  Even with stopping at water stops so SDMom could say hi to friends (EVERYONE you guys, she knows EVERYONE.  I feel like I'm with a celebrity when I'm with her).  This was especially nice because it was starting to warm up.

By the time we got to mile 8, it was hot, flat, with no source of shade.  So our time became MUCH less impressive.

But you know what made it all worthwhile?  Other than the company?  THEY HAD POPSICLES AT THE AID STATIONS!

Not every aid station, but at two of them.  And both times I was more than happy to grab a popsicle and take a little walk break.

When we finished our last popsicle, it was time to run to the finish. 

Where there was a medal waiting for us.

And more photo opportunities.

And beer.

After the race it was time to play.  We headed over to the Vegas sign so we could get a picture with our medals. This was not my first time in Vegas by a longshot, but it was my first time at the Vegas sign!

Then it was lunch and showers and margaritas!

It ended up being a very low key evening, because when you get two old moms together in Vegas, all they want to do is relax without children clinging all over them.  Plus, I have never made any pretense that I wasn't super boring.

Sunday morning we were back in the car and headed home!  Race weekend complete!

The race was a great one if you're looking to PR.  The mostly downhill course made it really easy to get some speed under your belt before the flat area kicks in.  The race organizers threw in some great perks - like popsicles, and pizza and beer at the end, and a hat in the swag bag.   I don't know if I'd run it again, but the company was so good it's not entirely out of the question.

Crave Wednesday: Lemon Buttermilk Ice Cream

Due to a number of events we're participating in this year, we have become members of the Children's Discovery Museum.  We love bringing the boys here, so really the membership was a no-brainer.  There are PBS workshops with their favorite shows, summer concerts, and of course, the museum itself.

One of the perks of membership is special members only events throughout the year.  Last week we went to our first one, the Fruiti Tutti night.  The kids loved that the museum was less crowded than normal and they got to monopolize their favorite exhibits, instead of sharing with other kids.

While Thatbaby went crazy inside with keyboards and floating balls, Thatkid headed outside to the art corner where all sorts of fruit based art projects were set up for the kids to do.

Thatkid decided to make a lemon for himself, and a watermelon for his brother.

Meanwhile, Thatbaby stayed cool at the water table and the garden.

They provided dinner for everyone, or rather, Farmer Boys provided dinner - chicken tenders for this kids, hamburgers, and grilled chicken salads for the adults.  And obviously, fruit.

After dinner, there were fruity sorbets from Escogelato.  We all ended up with Passion Fruit.

A couple days later, we found ourselves back at the museum again - this time for Thatkid's school fieldtrip.

The kids were learning about forces, and the museum provided them with some hands on learning experiences. The kids loved it. 

After they were given free time to run around and play.

The only thing missing was the ice cream.  But we could take care of that at home.  And lemon - in keeping with the fruit theme.  Lemon is the perfect spring flavor, and while lemon sorbet is fairly common, lemon ice cream is a little more unique.  My neighbors brought us over a bag of the sweetest, juiciest lemons, and I'm using them in everything.  The buttermilk helps to add a nice tang, which serves to balance the flavors.

Lemon-Buttermilk Ice Cream (From Cooking Light)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 10 lemons)

2 cups half and half

2 cups whole milk

2 cups nonfat buttermilk

1. Combine sugar and juice in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves.
2. Add half and half, whole milk, and buttermilk.  Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe container.  Cover and freeze 1 hour, until firm.

Mommy Mondays: First Pets

Well, we've got a new family member. Let me introduce you to

Thatlizard

Thatlizard is a Nigerian Uromastyx, and she is Thatkid's first official pet.  So I thought this might be a good time to talk about kids and pets.

You see, I'm of the opinion that children learn valuable life skills by having a pet in the house. Responsibility, learning to think about someone other than yourself, caring for something dependent on you - all are important parts of pet ownership. But these are all things that they can easily learn with a family pet. I'm very hesitant about children having pets of their own.

To begin with, there's a fairly steep learning curve in the responsibility department. Kids are, by their very nature, irresponsible. And a living creature ends up paying for it. Which means, despite the fact that it's the child's pet, it quickly becomes the parent's responsibility. Either through constant nagging, or because they end up just taking over.

Secondly, most pets are not easy. Their environment needs maintaining, they need to be fed, exercised, and cleaned up after. Failure to do so, and you end up with a sick pet. That's a lot to ask  of a child.


And yet, here we are, with a sweet new lizard living in our home. Thatkid first asked for a pet sometime last year. We talked a little bit about how he would have to show a lot more responsibility. We told him to take care of Thatdog for a couple weeks and we'd talk.

And he did. Then he came back to us, asking for a lizard.  We told him that any pet that lived in his room would need a clean environment, so he'd need to work on keeping his room cleaner.

And he did. Meanwhile, I started looking into lizards. I wasn't completely averse to the idea, as we'd had several species of lizards as pets when I was  growing up. The right lizard is easier to care for than most other pets. They don't need to be exercised like dogs, you don't need to worry about water pH and cleaning tanks like fish, and they're not as noisy as birds. And I'm prepared to take over responsibility, thinking of it as a family pet, despite calling it Thatkid's lizard.

My only qualm with lizards were their diet. No rodents and no crickets was my one requirement.

Someone told me they had a uromastyx once who only ate vegetables and followed her around like a dog. The followed around part I wasn't interested in, but I liked the idea of a vegetarian lizard, so I looked into it and decided this was the perfect first pet for Thatkid.

Uromastyx are diurnal desert dwellers. Which means her vivarium only needs to be lit during the day, and the biggest concern is making sure it's warm enough, also accomplished with the same lighting. Low humidity, basking spots of 120°, and some cool places to hide are easy enough to provide.

 UV lighting is important, so one of the lights is also a  UV light. Thatkid is responsible for turning the lights on every morning and off every night. But lightbulbs are no substitution for the real thing, so when it's warm enough, she gets to go outside.

Another bonus of the uromastyx is that they're not biters. I have heard that many dislike being handled and may whip with their tail, but that's a good reason to get a captive bred (cb) versus a wild caught (wc) uromastyx, which I've learned most hobbyist recommend anyway.

The cool thing about many uromastyx are their coloring. Males are much more colorful than females, so Thatlizard isn't quite as bright as her male counterparts, but when she warms up, she turns a beautiful yellow orange. When she's cold, her skin darkens to brown, to help her absorb more sun and heat.

As promised, Thatlizard is a vegetarian. She gets fresh greens each day, mostly spring greens, although we recently discovered she loves dandelion greens. She also loves lentils, honeysuckle and dandelion flowers. Which makes her very easy to feed and take care of.

Both boys love her and Thatkid is so proud of his little pet. I look forward to many many many years  with our new family member.

Crave Wednesday: Peanuts and Popcorn Brownie Sundaes

Baseball season is just about over - we only have to get through one more week...ish.  Depending on how this post-season tournament goes (and I don't think it's going to go well.  This has been a frustrating year which continued to the annual Pony League Day at the ballpark.

In years past, Thatkid has loved going to Pony League Day.  The teams got to parade around the field before the game started, which was really unique to this particular day.  Except this year, after we had all purchased our tickets, they announced they would no longer be doing the parade.  Instead, the kids would get to run the bases after the game - an activity done every Sunday home game.

Instead of recognition and fanfare, the boys just headed to our seats to watch the game.

I'm not sure the boys ever watch the game when we go to these things, but they have a good time horsing around with each other.  And after, we watched them take to the field.  I caught Thatkid on the Jumbotron!

I didn't see Thatbaby running with his older brother, so I thought he had chickened out, only to look up and see him running toward third base!

I think this may be our last year at Pony League Day.  It's always the same weekend as other plans we have to pass on, and without the parade there's no reason to go that day, as opposed to any other.  But we definitely will keep up the tradition of family baseball games.  It's a great experience, both boys love baseball, and of course they love the junk food they get at the park.  This year Thatkid wanted to bring Cracker Jack, because of the song.  Which I thought was cute enough to indulge.

And the leftovers make a great ice cream topping.  Back to the brownies under ice cream until I master them.  They make a regular ole Sundae into a Baseball Sundae.  But way more satisfying than our Baseball Sunday.

Peanuts and Popcorn Brownie Sundaes  (From Cooking Light)

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup milk

1 oz flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups reduced fat vanilla ice cream

1 cup fat free caramel sundae syrup

1 cup Cracker Jack

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Place sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
2. Add eggs, beat 2 more minutes.
3. Place chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 20 second intervals until completely melted, stirring after each interval. Add chocolate to sugar mixture and beat until combined.
4. Stir in milk.
5. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; add to sugar mixture, stirring just until blended.
6. Scrape batter into an 8-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Bake for 18 minutes or until completely set.  Coll to room temperature in pan on a wire rack.  Cut brownies into 9 squares.
7. Place 1 brownie on each of 9 plates, top each brownie with 1/4 cup ice cream and 1 1/2 Tbsp caramel syrup.  Sprinkle chopped Cracker Jack evenly over sundaes.