Tried and True: Reverse Osmosis Filtration

What a boring title right?

Living in Alaska we were blessed with delicious public drinking water. I mean we're talking ice cold right out of the tap and tasty too. Basically glacier water. Anyway, fast forward to living back in Houston where drinking water = blah bleh blah. I didn't think I was a water snob, but Alaska changed me in more ways than one. I hated the Houston faucet water and even a Brita wasn't cutting it. Coincidentally, Ross was having difficulty brewing beer in Texas also because the water quality wasn't as good. And if someone or something messes with Ross's beer making, action ensues.

Enter this under-the-counter, reverse osmosis filtration system.

I heard about these when I was in Midland because you can't drink the tap water there, so homes are usually equipped with an RO system. I can vouch for this one- the water tastes amazing. I spend so much time on the blog sharing my favorite recipes, it only seemed fair that I also share one of my favorite finds. We've had ours for a year and we just changed the filters. If you could have seen how dirty these filters were I bet you'd be more sold on this gadget too.

No more Brita or bottled water, Horray!

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Seeeesters!

These girls are so funny.

 Best Friends in the making.

Hugs and headlocks are so similar right?!

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Remember When?

I truly enjoy going back through old posts, especially year to date posts, but I rarely take the time to do it. Here is a look back at some of the HH posts from late Januarys past. 

1 year ago: Spud (aka Paige) at 19 weeks in my belly
2 years ago: Claire Meets Great Grampie
3 years ago: Claire Bump Slideshow
4 years ago: Safari Taxidermy
5 years ago: Cold Cabin
6 years ago: Double Vision
7 years ago: Weekend in Tyler TX

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Slow Cooker Peanut Chicken and Broccoli

This meal of Peanut Chicken and Brocooli was waiting for us when we got home from work/school today. I would recommend with a couple minor tweaks:

*Serve with rice. Brown, white, basmati, etc. I served with brown rice noodles and I don't think it soaked up the broth as nicely as rice would

*Don't skimp on the broccoli or the thai curry sauce

*Add some extra salt if you use low sodium chicken broth and unsalted natural PB

*You'll definitely want that siracha sauce if you like spicy food

This was a solid weeknight slow cooker meal; a one pot meal that didn't need much prep. Go to the link above to see some pretty pictures!

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Paige at 7 Months

I've said it before and I'll say it again... Something magical happens when babies turn 6 months old. They may not be able to speak in words yet, but they somehow communicate with you. And it just keeps getting better.

Paige is eating cereal once a day and all kinds of baby food mush in the packets. She has 2 teeth poking out the bottom and sits up on her own. Paige will try and go after toys out of reach, but her inchworming usually sends her backwards instead of the intended direction. Everything goes in the mouth- EVERYTHING!

I mean look at this little baby, hamming it up for the camera...

Claire is the sure fire way to get baby Paige to smile and laugh. Never fails! Oh... except when Paige is hungry or tired, then there's no amount of sister dancing that can save the day.

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January Blues

Let's be honest, the month after the holidays can be hard. What no more christmas lights? Where did that holiday cheer go? Is it possible that rush hour traffic is worse?  What do you mean there's no dessert after every meal?

Add in a new president and a week of horrible weather (flooding/rain/hail) in Houston and you have "The Winter Doldrums 2017"

What to do, you ask?

While we were in Alaska we always escaped to Hawaii in Feb. Maui?! Seeing as Hawaii is a more difficult trip from Houston and we also have 2 littles in tow now, I think planning a relatively close sunny and sandy family vacation is just what we need. Florida perhaps?

In the meantime, maybe I should get out my Vitamin D "Happy" lamp from my Alaska days of darkness... :) Or have a pina colada with the little umbrella in it?

Hope you all are braving this January- Summer is coming!

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Weather

The weather this morning made for a treacherous route to work. If I had known it was so bad, I would have readily stayed home and taken the girls to school at a more leisurely pace. But I didn't check the road conditions before leaving and it took me an hour to get to work... that's 11 miles. So there were some things I learned for the next torrential downpour.

Braes Bayou after receeding, photo curtesy of brother

Picture taken while I'm on Memorial Dr, looking at flooded Allen Parkway and Taft. 

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Christmas Morning

This is what Christmas is all about- the pure unadulterated joy of a two (almost three) year old basically experiencing the holiday for the first time. And Jesus of course!

My heart just melts looking at these pictures...

Santa brought Claire a new green bike and a helmet!

Happy Girls!

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Hanging with Pop Pop

There are so many Pop Pop games. I know because I recognize quite a few of them myself :) I also know all the sound effects that accompany these games. I only wish you could hear them too... "Boop itty Boop, brrrrrrrrr, I'm going to get you, Where's Miss Paige, boo boo boo, Cutest girl in the whole wide world-- oops I mean cutest baby in the whole wide world, PeekaBoo" As you might imagine, I don't exactly know the spelling for all these Pop Pop-isms.

Pictures taken December 11, 2016

So fun living close by!

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Cousin Courtney

My cousin Courtney flew in from Nashville to spend a girls weekend with us while Ross was at the ranch. Our weekend included Tiny Boxwoods (and their chocolate chip cookies), Kuhl Linschomb, coffee, Whole Foods, the park, workout, bounce house, chalk/bubbles, Napa wine, Peli Peli Kitchen, belgian waffles, happy hour, snap chat, dancing, and Frozen. It also included severe back pain for Courtney on the last day, so we are sure hoping she feels better soon!

Loved our Courtney time!

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Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

What? 2 recipes posts on the blog in the same week??! This is big. This is a sign that baby Paige is 6 months old and more regularly sleeping through the night, giving us more energy to devote to food rather than just viewing it as sustenance. Though we have found our favorite food pickup spot near our house to be Peli Peli Kitchen, a South African restaurant. Claire thinks they make a mean macaroni and cheese.

I will try to get better at taking pictures of the meals, but most of these recipes are accompanied by enviable pictures so I don't feel like I'm neglecting you too much :) This recipe includes a nice amount of veggies with the ease of one pot meal. I mean anytime you don't have to cook rice separately is nice too right? There's some spice to the dish because of the red curry paste.

Thai Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Recipe

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Cinnamon Rolls

A new Christmas holiday tradition is emerging, and it sure does taste good! Cinnamon+ Sugar+ Raisins+ Frosting= Homemade Cinnamon rolls!

Ok so they're a little more complicated than that, but Claire had a ball making 'em with Gigi this year. There was flour EVERYWHERE and a whole lot of "taste tests." :)

Here's the recipe we know, use, and love.

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Brewing

Ross has been brewing beer for a couple years now and surprisingly I've never blogged about it. Over the years he's accumulated quite a few gadgets and tools to make the whole process more efficient. Ross usually begins to brew after the girls go to bed and it takes a good 5 hours from start to finish. Keep in mind there's a lot of conversation and beer drinking going on during the process. Ross informed me there is an unwritten rule that you have to drink beer while you brew beer. Ha.

Here's some pictures from a few weekends ago when Brandon came over to visit and help Ross brew and learn a couple tricks along the way because he's starting to brew also.

They're eating Christmas Cookies

The brewing is half in the garage and half in my kitchen. I would love that ratio to change to 100% outside because I want my kitchen back.

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One Pan Chicken

Were you wondering if we still cooked at our house? I will admit, recipes on the blog have been few and far between lately. But keep in mind I do the screening for you and only post recipes if they're worthy. So when I say this "One Pan Chicken" is amazing and you should make it, you really should :)

The Recipe is from a blog called Nerds with Knives here. You can find beautiful pictures of the dish on this site.

The biggest modifications I made were:
1) Used un-cased venison italian sausage
2) Cooked orzo separately and added to the pan at the end

One­Pan Baked Chicken, Sausage and Brussels Sprouts
Author: Emily Clifton ­ Nerds with Knives This crispy chicken, sausage and brussels sprouts dish bakes in a bed of spiced flavors and best of all it uses a single skillet.

Ingredients 
1 pound (450g) Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (or quartered if very large) 5 shallots, peeled and quartered 1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds discarded 3 tablespoons (45ml) extra­virgin olive oil, divided ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 3 medium cloves garlic, minced or grated 1½ tablespoons (20ml) Dijon mustard 1½ tablespoons (20ml) honey 1 tablespoon (15ml) Worcestershire sauce 3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary needles (from about 5 sprigs)
4 bone­in, skin­ on chicken thighs (about 1½ pounds; 680g) 4 large Italian sausages, hot or sweet, cut into 2­inch lengths ] 
1 lb Italian venison sausage, ground
2 cups cooked orzo

Instructions

1. Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 450°F (232°C). 2. Combine Brussels sprouts, shallots, and lemon with 2 tablespoons (30ml) oil and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a 12­inch cast iron skillet. (Alternatively, you can use a rimmed baking sheet.) 3. In a small bowl, combine garlic, mustard, honey, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, and remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, stirring to form a paste. Rub paste all over chicken. Nestle chicken and sausage pieces on top of Brussels sprouts. 4. Roast on lower rack until Brussels sprouts are browned and tender and an instant­read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken without touching bone registers 165°F (74°C), 25 to 30 minutes. (If chicken & sausage are done before sprouts have browned enough, you can transfer the meat to a plate and let the vegetables finish in the oven; recombine before serving.) Add cooked orzo to pan. Serve.

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Paige at 6 months

So what do you think, is Miss Paige looking more like Mom or Dad?!

And yes, there is a correct answer, at least when you're talking to me :)

Paige Renae now has 2 teeth on the bottom and she's eating baby cereal. She was 27.5 inches long, with a 17.5 inch head circumference, and 17.8 lbs at her 6 month check-up. We're starting to introduce solids; she's had some pear/blueberry mush so far. Paige's nicknames are Little duck, P, Sweet P, Paigey, and Pager. But, mostly it's just Paige :) Did I mention she's a happy girl? So many smiles!

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