Cute Baby Face of the Day

Drumroll please....and the winner of the "Cute Baby Face of the Day" contest is Noah Shipley during bathtime.
I had the pleasure of having company over for the Thanksgiving holiday, one of these guests being my 10-month-old nephew Noah.  He is so expressive and made such a good playmate for Caleb.

Egg and toast united

One morning a week Caleb and I get the pleasure of eating a full, sit-down breakfast with the hubby.  I love these mornings - and I'll confess that I love the pancakes and french toast that hubby cooks almost as much as the company.
But on this very special Saturday morning I was feeling ambitious.  I announced that I was cooking the family breakfast and was using a recipe from my fave blogger, The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond.  My dearest friend Pam got me an autographed Pioneer Woman cookbook this year for my birthday and this is my first official attempt at cooking something from it.
Now Pioneer Woman's recipes really don't require an insane amount of culinary expertise.  She is a self-taught chef who cooks for her rancher husband and their four children.  She is not afraid of butter and neither am I.
For breakfast I cooked her "Egg-In-The-Hole" recipe, which is essentially french toast but with a fried egg in the center.

First, I used a metal circular measuring cup to cut the centers out of whole wheat bread.

Those little inner circle discards made the perfect companion for Caleb's fruit breakfast.

Next, plop some butter in a heated skillet and place a slice of bread sans center in the melted buttery pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  If hubby weren't the recipient of said breakfast I would have also added a touch of cinnamon.

Flip after egg has partially set and more butter has been added to skillet.  Remember, butter is good.

 

Cook for 1 minute (or until desired doneness) and plate with a plethora of bacon.

Yum.  Thank you Pioneer Woman for a wonderful breakfast.

Great wine for under $9

As I sit here on this Thursday evening watching the end of Wheel of Fortune and being slightly envious of the girl who just won $45,000 and a car, I realize that we don't have to be rich to enjoy the finer things in life.  In fact, I am currently sipping on one of my favorite white wines - one that only costs $8.99.  The guys at Wine Authorities introduced hubby and I to this wine, "Fuzelo" Vinho Verde 2009 from Portugal.  It is 50% Alvarinho and 50% Trajadura grapes and has just the slightest effervesence to it.  The wine is light and easy to drink with just a touch of sweetness.  It is the perfect white wine.  You can not find as good a quality wine in the grocery store for this price.  Just thought I'd share my little secret with you.

Ask the Chef

I realize I am fairly spoiled in being married to a chef.  I can merely mention a food craving in passing with the thought...oh this would be impossible to eat for dinner because we have none of these ingredients at the house...just to find 30 minutes later it has been made into a hot dish and put in front of me on the supper table.
Chefs find a way to please and delight those for whom they are cooking.  Not only do I get to eat most of the things I crave, but I get to learn kitchen skills along the way.  I am undeserving of the position I am in: wife of chef.  Hubby doesn't get good meals cooked for him - at least not by me.  Instead he gets constantly peppered with cooking questions.
What temperature do I make this pan? is our favorite question.
What herbs does this need? is another crowd favorite.
Which pan do I use? Is this done? Is this right?
Notice I never ask How does this taste? or Do you like the dinner I cooked for you?
I don't want to know the answers to those.  Hubby's patience with me knows no end.
I thought that since hubby is so good at answering my questions, why not put them to good use and share some of those freely-learned skills with you, my online community. From time to time, I will feature a culinary-inspired Q&A with my hubby as the star. I'll post some of the answers to the random questions I incessantly ask him and hopefully my readers will get something out of it.

Today's question:
Where is the best place to buy a turkey locally?


Chef Busbee's answer:
Cliff's Meat Market on West Main Street in Carrboro. Their turkeys are hormone-free, locally farmed and reasonably priced.

Here's a photo of our Cliff's Meat Market bird from last holiday season.

A day at the park

Saturday was a very busy day for the Busbees.  It began with early shopping adventures in Chapel Hill and then a trip to Burch Avenue Park near Duke in Durham.  I found this hidden gem on The Stir Crazy Moms' Guide to Durham blog.  It has a variety of slides in different shapes, sizes and levels of difficulty, a brand new jungle gym, multiple swings, a school bus, a bouncy horse, a stage with "stadium" seating, a tether ball, and much more.  Caleb wore himself out, right up until his nap time. He even met a new playmate named Cora (shhhhh...don't tell Ellie, his school girlfriend).

What's in a name

Random and pointless story alert...

I have a cat named Pinto. His name is an original indeed, at least in the feline world. But the name has a deep, rich history to me.
As a fourth grader at Mountain View Elementary School my class had the pleasure of meeting "Pinto the Safety Cat," an adult dressed as a cat who taught the young students of Mrs. Irvin's class all about the importance of pedestrian safety.
I'm not certain that the lessons were as memorable for all the other kids, but I was enamored by Pinto the Safety Cat and the crucial messages he delivered. I hung on to his every word/meow. I memorized all the pedestrain-themed songs he convinced us to chant. And I promised myself that one day, when I owned a cat of my own, his name would be Pinto.

So now you know. My name is Melanie and I am a freak.

His name is Pinto and he is my cat.

Photo of the Day

Recently we began putting bubbles in Caleb's baths. I can't believe we so rudely denied him of this life's little pleasure for so long. What were we thinking?! He absolutely loves bubble baths!

Shop till you drop...

... or at least until you get frustrated enough with all the crowds and crying children that you can't wait to leave. And by crying children, I'm speaking of my own precious 1-year-old.

This weekend a few of us girls were brave enough to attempt going to the Tanger Outlets in Mebane for their Grand Opening. We were wise in getting there at 10 am when the stores opened, and even then it took 25 minutes to find a parking space. Luckily we didn't run into any traffic on I-40.

I had one goal - to buy long-sleeved shirts for winter. But goals get lost when you're fighting crowds and moody children who can't keep a clean diaper. Once kids learn to walk, that is really all they want to do. Well, walk and poo.  They don't feel like sitting pleasantly in a stroller while window shopping and commenting on the overpriced clothing.

Might I just make a quick side note and say that my 5-week-old nephew didn't make a peep during our entire Tanger Outlet shopping experience. He just sat there cozy and cute, stopping us only to eat briefly. He's an angel.

The outlet stores were loaded with goods, just not many I wanted to pay for. The good things were overpriced and the affordable things were less than desirable. I can't say the trip wasn't successful though. I got to have some girl time and some mommy and Caleb time, and I came home with two new shirts.

I will make another trip to the outlets at some point - after the crowds have subsided and I learn more patience.