Strawberry Crisps Topped With Oats

iPhone photos lit by the microwave hood light? Not that flattering.

My desire to eat oatmeal is becoming a bit scary. A bowl for breakfast every day? Check. Lactation oatmeal cookies? Almost always eaten in twos. Oatmeal smoothies? Don't tempt me.

All I had to do was read that oatmeal is good for your milk supply and I was hooked. Now, I have no idea whether it's my morning oatmeal or the brewer's yeast in the cookies that's helping me maintain my milk supply enough to feed triplets, but I don't plan to mess with the system anytime soon to find out. 

If there's anything I've learned since becoming pregnant with triplets it's this: If the method works, don't mess with it. 

Guinness-Sauced Sundaes & Happy Feet

St. Patrick's Day Feet From left: Baby Baby, Firstborn, Little Man

Guinness cupcakes, corned beef and cabbage, Irish coffee, Bailey's brownies: Are you tired of hearing about St. Patrick's Day yet? Me neither, which is exactly why I have no shame posting about the holiday a whole day late.

I was dying to serve a Guinness dessert to the fam last week. (We were lucky enough to spend spring break with my momma, stepdaddy, Big Little Brother and his fab gf.) Naturally that meant I pored over Pinterest during my wee-hour pumping sessions until I found something that A) sounded delicious and B) used Guinness.

Mini Vans and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

Hello, my name is Meghan and I drive a mini van.

Wow. Getting that off my chest feels a lot better. Are we still friends? I hope. Because driving a mini van and spending a lot of my recent time washing baby clothes has made me feel like I need to do other Mom stuff, like, you know, bake.

Momma left me a couple of magazines she bought for her flight down here, and when I was going through my overwhelming stack of periodicals I found a what I thought looked like a pretty tasty recipe in a Health magazine she left.

Super Easy Blackberry Cobbler

Blackberry Crumble

We just survived the hottest weekend on record for East Tennessee. I know plenty of people see 100+ temperatures on a regular basis. But we aren't those people. And I'm willing to best most of those people aren't carrying triplets.


Then again, maybe some of them are. (That's one of the things I like most about carrying multiples. Everywhere we go, the husband and I are walking around with our very own secret. Seeing the look on someone's face when they say "baby" and I correct them with "babies" never gets old.)


We had one night early last week where it was only 85 degrees, so I made the husband a little treat. He'd bought blackberries at the grocery store and told me he wanted a cobbler. I'd never made one before, but how hard could it be?

Chocolatey Blondies

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

My first mistake was asking the husband if there was something I could make him as a special treat. I was in the mood to bake, but I didn't have much in mind. The next thing I know the husband's walking back to the grocery cart with a package of semisweet chocolate chunks.

My second mistake was agreeing to make him blondies, even though I was convinced I couldn't do it. (I pretty much knew that if I made blondies I'd have to test the blondies. Yes, I'd have to test them.)

And that leads me to my third mistake: sprinkling just a few of those blondies with unsweetened shredded coconut.

Valentine's Day, With Chocolate

Celebrating Valentine's Day the weekend before the official holiday is becoming the norm around this place. We did this last year, too, I remember. Except last year the husband played golf the weekend before Valentine's day, and I made fabulous cannoli. 

This morning we woke up to a thermometer that read 16 degrees. No golf for the husband today.

And when I tried my hand at making flourless chocolate cakes for us to have after opening cards tonight, they came out nothing like the cannoli from 2011. Flourless, in my book, does not yet equal fabulous.

Low-Carb Cheesecake Squares

In my dreams, I don't have to wash my hair every morning - my bangs don't stick straight up in the air when I get out of bed. I'm also the same weight I was the day I married the husband, and I can wear size 4 Banana Republic jeans without squatting to loosen them up in the butt area.

Chance doesn't bark constantly in my dreams, and he isn't afraid of thunder. Stella wriggles just as much in my dreams, but she doesn't snore.

We live within 30 minutes of Macy's in my dreams, and our parents live nearby, too. They take turns having us over for Sunday dinner every week.

In my dreams, I can eat just as many carbs as the husband and my body does everything it is supposed to with the insulin.

But this is real life.

Homemade Peppermint Patties

It was all my grandma's idea. When my momma was dating Da in high school, my grandma started putting Fig Newtons in the freezer. She did it so all of my aunts' boyfriends - and Da - would keep their mits out of the cookies. Mama was sure the freezer would be the perfect deterrent. 

Little did she know she was starting a family tradition.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Protein Balls

Happy end of fall, y'all! I know, I know, we have another 21 days until the first day of winter, but this is my most favorite time of year. I can now wear turtleneck sweaters and socks with snowflakes on them without feeling silly. The husband will let me listen to Christmas music (so long as I choose a Pandora station he doesn't mind, like Trans Siberian Orchestra). And spending afternoons in my craft room making gifts for our friends and family - or trolling the Internet for ideas for gifts I can make - is totally acceptable.

Oh the things I could do with unlimited funds for those Saturday morning runs to the hobby store. 

But funds aren't unlimited, and sometimes that means pinching a few pennies now and then so we can spend all the money we want on flat-rate boxes (so we can send my homemade goods north!). 

Perhaps that's why the husband and I have yet to go grocery shopping, even though we're down to one rotten banana on the counter, string cheese in the fridge and nothing but frozen fish in the freezer. 

Thank God for peanut butter.

Pumpkin-Spice Coffee Brownies

For weeks we had a bag of mostly empty Godiva coffee hanging out in the back of our fridge. Every time I would open the fridge to shuffle things around - especially when trying to make room for all of those Thanksgiving ingredients - I had to move that bag to another shelf. The husband offered to throw it in the coffee maker one morning, allowing us to wake up with just one more taste of fall. I told him to leave it. 

The bag only contained about three tablespoons of coffee, but I wasn't ready to use it up.

A couple of months ago I had a slight dilemma and asked for suggestions as to what I should make for a bake sale at work. The husband voted for oatmeal cookies, saying pumpkin-y coffee-flavored brownies might not go over well with the masses. But Little Big Brother (who I actually think should be referred to as Big Little Brother from here on out) was all about the coffee brownies. The only issue was that he was miles and miles away and wouldn't be able to test my recipe. 

What'd Thanksgiving mean for me, besides pink stuff and showing off a brand-new apron I sewed for myself (and one for Momma)?

Big Little Brother would be here.

I Can Make Peanut Butter Cookies. I Can.

The husband always wins when we play rummy. I try to beat him, but I can't. I can shuffle the cards, though, and do that fancy bridge move, so that's what I do.

I can't hold my breath under water. I always have to plug my nose. If I don't, it isn't pretty.

I've always loved curly hair, but I have no idea how to use a curling iron. No matter what I do, I always end up with a curl and then a crimp on the end. I stick with the straightener.

When I grow up, I'd like to be one of those football mommas who can whistle really loud with two fingers in her mouth. But I've tried; I just don't know how to do it. I guess I'll have to get a bullhorn or something.

What else can't I do?

I can't make blondies. 

Bananas for Somethin' Like Ice Cream

Banana "Ice Cream" and Walnuts

It's not the best photo, that's for sure, but it was the best I could do from the comfort of my loveseat. I had just whipped up some banana "ice cream" for myself and was getting cozy in the living room while the husband sat by shaking his head, wondering how I could eat something so strange.

So, how could I? Easily.

No-Wasted-Watermelon Granita

Last weekend at the market I told the cashier I wanted to pick up a watermelon on my way out. She asked which size I wanted and I told her a small one would be fine. I thought they were all the same price, so I told her I wanted one of the $5.99 melons. The other girl who worked there said she had two left for $4.99. Well, there was no need to try to convince me further. I didn't even care what size it was - I wanted the cheaper melon.

Strangely enough, the cheaper watermelons were bigger than the more expensive melons. I guess you could say I got lucky. Or maybe not. 

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie - A Pie for Mikey

Some things in life just go together: Sunday mornings and a New York Times, summer and campfires, plaid shorts and golf, chocolate and peanut butter, me and the husband. 


I could tell you all about how I held my hand to my chest and fought back tears as I read Jennie's latest post and how much it made me stop and realize how very blessed I've been. Instead I'm just going to tell you to enjoy dessert tonight and forget about the two loads of laundry that are waiting to be folded and put away. And don't worry if you have little piles of brown dog hair resting against the woodwork in your living room.

Love one another; linger over dessert. Be thankful for the day you were just given - even if your dessert comes out looking like this.

Have Some Cake, Little Big Brother

Oh where, oh where has Miss Meghan been? Baking cakes, of course. No, seriously.

Little Big Brother graduated from high school last weekend, so I, leaving the husband home to fend for himself with two brown doggies, took a much-needed break and headed north. 

My week looked a little like this:

The Momma was in charge of cutting.

OK, she was in charge of a lot of the frosting, as well.

And Little Big Brother's awesome girlfriend handled the M&Ms.

Take my word for it: I did more than just sample the cakes and take pictures.
I swear there were two more cakes that didn't make it on this table!

I hope all of you have been enjoying yourselves while I've been away. Are you looking forward to a nice long holiday weekend. Do you see cake in your future?

Lil' Brownie Bites

My momma and I have this running joke every time there's a social event she's headed out to that I have to miss where she'll ask me what I'm bringing. I'll often say I'm bringing a picnic salad or, better year, the wine. And since we're usually discussing this mid-Saturday morning, I always end with: "We'll leave as soon as the husband gets back from golf. I guess I'll see you at about midnight." Oh, if only, Momma.

So in honor of Memorial Day weekend and the delicious barbecues I know everyone will be enjoying this weekend, I'll tell you what I'd bring: Light Brownie Bites. These things were a cinch to throw together. I did all of the work by hand - while on the phone with my momma - and the brownie bites were mixed, baked and ready to eat in less than 15 minutes. No joke. With these in hand, I may even make it to a party in the hollow by about 11:30 pm.


Light Brownie Bites
Inspired by Cooking Light
Makes 24 brownie bites

1/2 cup self-rising flour

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

4 large egg whites

2 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons Kahlua White Russian mix or chocolate liqueur (optional)

cooking spray

powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine flour, sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Whisk egg whites until foamy in a separate bowl. Add oil and liqueur, if desired, which I do suggest, and stir with a whisk.

Add egg white mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Spoon batter evenly into 24 miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from pan; cool on wire racks.

If you don't mix your dry ingredients well, your brownies may look like mine.

If you follow Cooking Light's recipe, which also uses chocolate chips and a sprinkle of chopped almonds, the nutritional information for one mini brownie bite: 61 calories, 2.4 g fat, 8.8 g carbs, .3 g fiber, 1.2 g protein

Whole Wheat Honey Shortbread

It's already tomorrow in Britain. I can't believe we're thisclose to the big day. Please don't laugh. I am extremely excited about the Royal Wedding. I. Cannot. Wait. To. See. The. Dress. So excited, in fact, that it was pretty much all I could think about tonight. Does that make me sound like a huge nerd? Probably. 

I had the husband open me a bottle of Prosecco ('cause that's the closest you're going to get me to Champagne) and made dinner: a quick and easy chicken curry, even though the husband told me he wasn't sure he liked curry. (For the record, he does like curry. But he gets it confused with something else, he told me, and always forgets if curry is the dish he likes or the other something mysterious I made him eat once that he hates. Oh, well. He likes curry.)

A lightened up version of Chicken Curry in a Hurry from Food.com

So after dinner the husband stepped out to get a haircut, and I turned on the Coldplay and preheated the oven. We're having high tea at work tomorrow in honor of the Royal Wedding, which means I had an excuse to bake up some goodies without having to eat them all myself. First up: Whole Wheat Honey Shortbread.

Double Chocolate Pudding Pie

Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie

As I've told you before, the husband isn't a big fan of cake. So I knew when his big day came around he wouldn't be asking me to bake him anything. Luckily, he does still enjoy a good ol' chocolate dessert. (If the man didn't eat chocolate or cake, we may have had to rethink this whole marriage thing.) 

I really wasn't sure what he'd want for his birthday dessert, so I gave him a couple of options: Key Lime Mousse or Ellie's Double Chocolate Pudding Pie. For the record, I don't think it was an easy decision. He's a huge fan of lime and has been eyeing a frozen lime dessert in my Heartland cookbook; I really thought he'd choose the mousse. But he went with the pudding pie. 

Homemade Whole Wheat Thin Mints

Homemade Whole Wheat Thin Mints

It never got above 45 degrees here today, and yet the husband wanted to go play golf this morning. Did I mind? Absolutely not. His lone outing would allow me to go to the grocery store all by myself and pick up top-secret ingredients so I could make him an early birthday surprise. To my surprise, though, he was finished about halfway through my shopping trip and called to see where I was. I told him I was in the pasta aisle; he said he'd see me in 10 minutes.

The husband knew I was planning to make him something special this afternoon, so I asked him not to question any ingredients I bought - or to even try and guess what I had up my sleeve. He promised but, of course, as we were checking out something caught his eye. He looked at me and asked, "peppermint extract?"

Chocolatey Stout Cakes

Chocolatey Stout Cake

The husband does not like cake. But he was in charge of making dinner tonight, and I wanted to make him something special for giving me the night off. He totally deserved a treat: As soon as I stepped out of the car I could smell him grilling. He made the most amazing grilled jerk chicken and cut it up into bowls of Alfredo noodles. (I also threw some green beans and tomatoes into my bowl, but he skipped those.) So, no, he doesn't like cake. But he likes beer. And being just a few short days away from St. Patrick's Day, I thought chocolatey stout cakes sounded awfully good - for the husband and me. 


Chocolate Stout Cakes
Inspired by a Recipe From my Momma (I have no idea where she got it)
Makes 1 large bundt cake or 12-15 ramekins or muffins

1 1/4 cup Guinness
1/3 cup unsulphured molasses
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks salted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, chopped (mini chips would work well, too)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and position the rack in the middle of the oven. 

Butter the cake pan (or pans) with butter and sprinkle with cocoa. This will help you remove the cakes once they're baked.

Heat the Guinness and molasses over high heat in a small saucepan. Pay attention - the mixture could easily bubble! Bring the mixture to a simmer and remove from heat; start on the batter. 

Don't count the foam when measuring your Guinness.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda, powder and salt.

Cream the butter in a mixture on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add in the brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed, for about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. 

With the mixture running on low speed, gradually add in the flour and liquid mixtures, alternating. Begin with the flour and end with the flour. Scrape the bowl as needed. Beat the mixture until smooth; add in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan or pans, smoothing the top with a spoon or spatula.

I thought I'd make 12 muffins ...

I ended up with enough batter for 12 muffins and three well-filled ramekins!

Bake until a toothpick comes out with just a few cake bits stuck to it. A cake may take 45-50 minutes. My muffins took 35 minutes; my ramekins took 40 minutes.

Serve with cream or a nice glass of milk. Freeze extra cakes wrapped in plastic and tin foil.

As I said, the husband isn't a cake guy. But he gladly licked the bowl while the cakes were baking and happily ate a ramekin as soon as it came out of the oven. When I asked him what he thought about the cake he told me they were chocolatey - but I don't think that was a complaint. When I asked him what he was going to serve me for my upcoming birthday dessert he said, "How about these?" 


I'll admit they were a bit sweet. Perhaps next time I'll switch out the cocoa for unsweetened natural cocoa powder or cut down on the brown sugar a little. But for a first attempt, it was definitely a success. I'd be more than happy if we had these again on my birthday. Maybe I'll even get a few more ramekins by then, hint, hint. If I have a husband who's going to be a fan of mini cakes, I'll need those, won't I?