What have the Smith's been up to

Well let's see

Teething/Sleeping
The Smith's have NOT been sleeping! For 4 nights in a row the longest stretch of sleep I got was 3 hrs and up by 5:30ish most mornings! But luckily last night she only awoke once and was back asleep until 6:30! YEAH! My body had become accustomed to waking so I awoke after 4 hrs in a panic and wide awake! I attribute this waking to her 4 (possibly 5) teeth coming in!

Carsyn's knowledge
Carsyn continues to amaze me daily with her understanding of our world. She now will go get her towel and rag out of the drawer in her room and bring it to the bathtub when I say "It's time for a bath!" I did not instruct her to do this- she did it on her own!

Love thy neighbor
We have the best neighbors! Lyndsay is a SAHM with a 6 month old and it is comforting to know someone is just a few feet away doing the exact same thing you are. It also helps that she is a GREAT cook and has been providing me with SCRUMPTIOUS and (fattening!) foods. Her Cajun heritage really shines in her cooking. Below are some recipes from her blog. We have been spending a lot of time outdoors and grilling with the Webbs. I am so thankful to have a young couple with child that can relate! Of course their baby sleeps- dang it!

Crawfish bisque stuffed baked potatoes!

(This is a Frank Davis recipe)

4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, parsley mix
1 cup diced Portabella mushrooms (I used plain old white mushrooms)
1 can Campbell’s Cream of Shrimp Soup
1 lb. Louisiana crawfish tails
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. salt and pepper mix
2 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning ( didn't use- crawfish was seasoned enough!)
6-8 pats unsalted butter
1 bunch green onions, sliced for garnish
2 cups Italian Shredded Six-Cheese Blend


Start off by taking a heavy, non-stick, high-sided frypan or Dutch oven and heating the olive oil
until it just begins to smoke. Then drop in the onion-celery -bell pepper-garlic-parsley mixture and sauté it—stirring constantly—until it wilts and begins to soften.

Next, toss in the Portabella mushrooms and quickly stir them around in the seasoning mixture.
Then stir in the can of soup, taking care to thoroughly mix all the pan ingredients into it until uniformly blended. (Note—all the while the fire is still on high).

At this point, drop in the crawfish tails , along with the heavy cream. Then harmoniously combine everything in the pan until all the ingredients are completely blended. Immediately, though, reduce the fire to medium-low, stir the “bisque” continuously to fully blend the cream and soup mix, and sprinkle in the salt and pepper mix and the seafood seasoning. After about 8-10 minutes of simmering, the dish should be tasted and the seasonings readjusted if necessary.

When you’re ready to eat, whisk in the pats of butter to create a creamy consistency in the bisque, ladle out generous portions of it into warm soup bowls, and garnish each serving with a sprinkling of green onions and a handful of shredded cheese. Toasted bread sticks make a nice accompaniment.

Variations: If you would like to serve the bisque as a more essential entrée, it can be heaped over a bowl of rice, ladled over a plate of your favorite pasta, or liberally poured over a supersize baked potato.


Monkey Bread

Ingredients:
3 (12 oz) pkgs refrigerated biscuit dough (I used 2 16oz pkgs)
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (I didn't use the walnuts or raisins)

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease one 9 or 10in bundt pan.
Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag.
Cut biscuit dough into quarters.
Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix.
Arrange pieces in the in the bottom of the prepared pan.
Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan.
If using nuts or raisins, add them in now.
In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over med heat.
Let boil for 1 minute.
Pour over biscuits.
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes. Bread should pull apart.


Well we have a BUSY BUSY BUSY weekend planned starting tomorrow! I have been mentally preparing myself for our road trip to Mobile with my mom! Please pray Carsyn enjoys the trip also! When we return we will head to my aunt's on Easter for a mini-egg hunt. Oh yeah- Carsyn has quickly caught on to the concept of egg hunting and the CANDY that is inside of them! Sorry no pics on this blog but hopefully I will make up for it when we return!