i posted this to facebook the day after christmas but since it was an ‘in the moment’ sentiment i wanted to capture it in some sort of formal way. so, i’m including it here.

merry christmas!

this was the first christmas we really were able to incorporate the concept of santa with ellie. she really got it and even spoke to him when she sat on his lap, explaining what she wanted for christmas (“a belle barbie”).

it has never felt so good to be a dad.

with mommy being down sick the last few days ellie and i have had plenty of time to hang out together. it’s been a welcome and rewarding challenge for me personally since i don’t get that much time with her on a normal basis. we’ve played with toys, run around in the kitchen, spun in the living room and played catch in the bonus room.

as you’ll see in the video, she was really proud of herself for catching the ball, evidenced mainly by her proclamations of “i caught it!” and her patented happy dance.

nothing makes me happier than seeing her happy.

it’s been a busy week. vacation is nice, but when bryn has control of the social calendar, it’s bound to be a jam-packed period of activity. thus, why we’re so late on some of this, like …

my mom’s birthday. it was last tuesday, october 12, and we knew exactly what we were going to do. despite the fact that we cook most nights, we wanted to make this an extra special meal. marination was in order and skirt steak was the target. i took to the internet for some guidance on how to make it taste good and found a nice, easy marinade recipe that turned out quite good.

unfortunately, we didn’t get a shot of the food like we usually do, but we did get a nice one of the cake bryn made, complete with star candles. it was really moist and delicious. trust me.

of course, no birthday would be complete if ellie didn’t get to blow out the candles. never mind that it wasn’t her birthday. that’s beside the point. she owns all candles, as in “candles by ellie™.”

not only did she get to blow out the candles, she was allowed to taste test the frosting. that was a mistake because it resulted in the toddler version of a person on uppers, but it did produce a really cute picture.

all in all, i think the night was quite the successful 55th birthday celebration.

happy birthday, mom. at 55-years-young you’re just as beautiful as ever.

we love you.

i like to grill. everything. but after a while, when you find yourself making the same ol’ dishes you get the itch to mix it up. if you’re looking for something easy and fast (~45 minutes prep to plate), this is it.

if you’re like me and have more than your own mouth to feed, adding complexity to cooking is no good. i need recipes that i can make with the ingredients and equipment i have on-hand. i found just the one when I stumbled upon this pesto-mozzarella stuffed chicken breasts recipe on facebook of all places (one of my friends posted it). it produces a full-flavored and juicy chicken every time, unless you leave it on the grill for too long, that is. we also prepared a nice raspberry-walnut vinaigrette salad to accompany it.

we decided to pair this italian-feeling chicken dish with a seemingly italian singer who’s actually from scotland. paolo nutini is someone that i discovered a while back and have grown to really love. his folky, catchy songs are the perfect mellow music on a warm evening while you’re grilling with family or friends, and the guy just makes you feel good.

pesto-mozzarella stuffed chicken breasts

• 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup pesto sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella balls (i used slices)
• 1/2 cup fire-roasted red peppers (i couldn’t find these, so i used raw, red peppers, which provided some crunchy flavor, which i prefer)

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while very late, i’d be remiss if i didn’t highlight officially the very thoughtful father’s day give i received from bryn’s dad, bill (aka “pop”).

about a month ago, bryn, leslie (bryn’s mom), bill (bryn’s dad), ellie and i took a trip to yosemite. the trip itself had some ups and downs, but the highlights were still captured on film, one of which bill took some liberties with.

like any photographer, amateur or otherwise, i sought *the* image of the weekend for the entire weekend. it alluded me until the very last day when we made our way to the o’shaughnessy dam. it was there that (after numerous attempts) i captured that image.

as you can see, bill blew up that picture and matted it. we grabbed a nice frame on sale at aaron brothers and voilà! an awesome wall-hanger.

it wasn’t the only thoughtful gift on that day (hot sauce!), but as you can tell, i’m pretty happy with it :)

thanks, bill!

of late, we’ve gotten into a dinner routine. we’ve identified four or five things that we are happy to make consistently and without complaint. most of them are easy to make (tacos, some form of red meat, chicken, etc.) but it’s getting tired. each night we find ourselves wanting more. so the other day, when i received some new cookbooks for father’s day (thanks auntie loretta!) we decided to start mixing it up a little.

our first choice was the “ultimate chicken burger”.

the only problem with the ultimate chicken burger was that it wasn’t very flavorful. that was mostly the recipe’s fault, but i should have caught it. don’t get me wrong, it was really good, and juicy, too, but it only called for some basic ingredients. Most of those didn’t include anything with much flavor, as you can see from the recipe. i’d recommend included something in the garlic salt or all seasoning area if you try this.

the first step in the process was to flatten the breasts with a meat mallet. basically get violent with the chicken for a few minutes. after that you coat them with the corn starch + egg white.

after the initial coating, you need to let them chiiiiiill … for 30 minutes. after that you give them a nice coating of flour + beaten egg + bread crumbs and you’re ready to grill.

and the end product.

serves 4:

• 4 large chicken breast fillets, skinned
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tbsp cornstartch
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp corn oil
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced

to serve:

• hamburger buns
• lettuce
• mayonnaise

ellie’s been a dancer for quite a while now, but it’s rare that she busts a move like you see here. i was finally able to get it on video because now she doesn’t want to eat the camera every time i pick it up. that’s ernie and bert singing in the background, or “nernie” and “berr,” as she calls them.

the pajamas are a nice touch. now all she needs is a partner.