elle-isms

I know this sweet and innocent-looking girl may make it seem like we never have to deal with the typical toddler problems. For some reason I never think to pull out the camera while she's throwing herself on the floor in a limp pile while screaming at the top of her lungs. I wonder why that never crosses my mind? To be real, I feel as though we got lucky in the toddler department. She really is pretty good. That doesn't mean we don't have our moments though. Last night at Costco, for example, we were eating in the food court, and the peace didn't last long. I had cut up half of Elle's super large slice of pizza to cut down on the mess. She ate most of it, but as soon as she saw the ice cream Mister bought it all went downhill. I told her she needed to eat three more bites and she could have some ice cream. Seems pretty simple, right? Wrong. Meltdown city. I'm pretty sure all of Costco was staring at us. It is so hard to discipline a screaming, limp child in public. First off, reasoning with a toddler is an art in itself, but if they have already lost it - good luck. We ended up heading straight to the car. We do have some really great moments with Elle though, and that's really what I wanted to talk about.

Elle is very particular. She remembers which basket each of the toys go in without me saying a word to her. To be honest, I don't care which basket the toys go in as long as they get cleaned up. For a few days we were missing the top to a block train we had. Mister found it under the TV stand and set it on the ledge of the stand. It stayed up there for a day or two simply because neither of us really cared enough to put it away. I saw it the other day, and put it back in the box with the other train blocks. This morning, Elle was playing with the train. When she was done she cleaned up the blocks, but she made sure to put the top of the train on the TV stand because that's where it had been the last few days. It's funny to see what she observes.

Elle is working hard on learning the English language. She does pretty good considering that she's only been alive for two years. Here's some of my favorite Elle-isms to date:

Za-pee = Pizza

I carry you = Will you carry me?

Huh on = Take it off

Stin-y = Stinky or poopy

Pood Ke-ee = The kitty needs more food

Naow - Milk

No-man = Snowman

Luh you = I love you

Na-nite = Goodnight

Shash can = Trashcan

Serius = Cereal

Nummy = This tastes delicious

*Grunt or growl* = I do not like it

Me = Mickey

Beh = I'm tired, or I want to go to bed

Dunny = Bunny (her lovey)

Show = Turn on the TV stat

I love how quickly she is learning. It has been so great to have the ability to communicate with her more. Today's recipe would get a big grunt from Elle, but it is a favorite of Mister's and mine.

Bow Tie Chicken Caesar Salad

Ingredients

1 bag of Caesar salad mix (I absolutely love the Marketplace brand from Walmart)

            This mix should include lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons, and dressing.

1 cup of chicken (cooked and shredded or diced)

1 1/2 cups bow tie noodles (prepared)

1/3 cup bacon (crumbled - I just use bacon bits)

Instructions

Mix everything together and enjoy! We have used this as a meal, but it is also a great side or served at a party as an appetizer.

garlic knots

The other night I offered to bring a neighbor dinner since she broke her leg, and was having a hard time getting around. I made my lasagna recipe, garlic knots, and Caesar salad. I decided to make double, so we could have the same meal. While you're making a mess you might as well get the most out of it, right? As I was working on the meal I received a text message from a friend saying her sweet three-year-old broke her leg clean through. It had been quite a day for them, so I decided to make our dinner their dinner. It was a quesadilla night for our family. The next day my friend informed me that the garlic knots were the only thing she could get her daughter to eat, and asked for the recipe. These garlic knots are the easiest and most delicious side to any pasta dinner. All you need is Rhodes rolls, melted butter or oil, and garlic seasoning. My absolute favorite garlic seasoning is  Johnny's garlic spread that you can get at Costco. It is the perfect blend!

Garlic Knots

Ingredients

12 Rhodes rolls

1/4 cup melted butter

Garlic seasoning

Garlic salt (optional)

Instructions

Set out the desired amount of frozen roll dough, and allow to defrost. You just need them to be soft enough that you can mold them. When the dough is soft, mold each roll into a breadstick and then tie into a knot. Place each knot on a nonstick or greased baking sheet. Let them rise for about a half hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Brush half of the butter on the dough, and save the rest for when they come out of the oven. Bake the knots for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately after removing them out the oven brush remaining butter on top and sprinkle desired amount of garlic seasoning and salt. Enjoy!