hello weekend

(image via The Daily Muse)

Another laid back weekend is ahead, perfect for another fire in the backyard - as long as the weather holds up, that is. I also want to get a massage but I don't know if I'll be able to get on the schedule on such short notice. Fingers crossed!

- had this smoothie for breakfast this week and it was goooood
- aren't these just the sweetest newborn photos?
- naturally decorated eggs are so simple and pretty
- love these little boy styles for Easter
- Easter in a box: one for adults and one for kids
- some tips that may interest my friends who blog
- got this stripey sweater from Banana this week for only $15!
- these mini cakes are adorable but I might have to have two or three
- enjoyed reading this interview with Sarah Vickers on classic New England style
- definitely making myself a set of glittery neon notecards
- shortbread cookies that look like tea bags? yes, please!
- more shortbread, but this time as a chocolate ganache tart

tea with Rose // Coffee Exchange

It's our second stop on the tea tour around Rhode Island, and while a place called Coffee Exchange doesn't sound like it belongs, I can assure you that it does. 

Hillary and I met up on a Thursday morning and sipped our tea slowly as we talked and I tried to keep Ezra contained. (There was only one highchair and it was already in use.)

I enjoyed a cup of echinacea sunshine tea, an organic herbal blend of echinacea, lemon, lemon verbena, ginkgo leaf, rosehips, and spearmint. It was a refreshing start to my day and I know I reaped the psychological benefits of drinking an immune booster. I felt healthy all day! They were all out of Hillary's favorite, peony white, so she ordered a green tea instead, jasmine amber.

I've been to Coffee Exchange lots of times in the past, but this was the first time I had been in the morning. The shop was pleasantly busy and the service was good in spite of the hustle and bustle at the counter. Ezra loved the music and ended up grooving with a little girl at the next table. Another successful tea drinking adventure in our tiny state. Read Hillary's account of the morning here. 

what to read: new baby

Lots of my friends are expecting for the first time and their due dates are fast approaching. In fact, one just had her baby, a sweet little girl, on Tuesday! Throughout their pregnancies they've asked me every now and then for recommendations on what to read. While I am by no one's definition an expert, I wanted to share some books I've read that have helped me with this thing called parenting as well as the nine month preparation for it.

(image via Lola's Room)

I've divided the list into categories because as you'll see, there are lots of recommendations here -

general:
The New Basics by Dr. Michael Cohen - simple and practical advice that makes you wonder what all the fuss is about
The Baby Book by Dr. William and Martha Sears - this book covers everything from bonding with your newborn to toilet training
The Attachment Parenting Book by Dr. William and Martha Sears - when I worried that some parenting practices that felt right to me were unusual, the information presented here helped me trust my instincts

on breastfeeding:
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, and Teresa Pitman - the ultimate guide from La Leche League International, this book contains scientific data, tips from real moms, and various strategies for all aspects of breastfeeding
The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins - a handy book that I turn to again and again, as it covers everything from nursing your newborn to your toddler and any bumps in the road along the way
So That's What They're For by Janet Tamaro - recommended to me by my friend Kate, this book is packed with research, tips, and funny stories from real moms that helped prepare me for breastfeeding (it was the only breastfeeding book I read while pregnant)
Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin - this book delves into the health benefits of breastfeeding as well as the ways it promotes bonding between mother and child
The Breastfeeding Book by Martha and Dr. William Sears - I found tips here that weren't in any other book (and clearly I've read a lot of them), and I liked the consistency displayed throughout the Sears library - they're all comforting, reassuring, and encouraging
Fresh Milk by Fiona Giles - a funny resource that will have you laughing even as you struggle with leaking and other breastfeeding woes, the stories you read here remind you that you're not alone
Healthy Babies, Happy Moms - Not a book, but if you're in RI and struggling with breastfeeding I highly recommend giving Kathy a call. She is a miracle worker. Really, she is.

on sleep:
Good Nights by Dr. Jay Gordon - the best book I've read on sleep, this book explains the benefits of co-sleeping, bed sharing, or the family bed - whatever you want to call it. After reading Good Nights I successfully night weaned Ezra the only way I felt comfortable.
Sweet Dreams by Dr. Paul Fleiss - lots of good information on baby's natural sleep patterns
The Baby Sleep Book by Dr. William and Martha Sears - very detailed resource that will help you decide the best sleeping arrangement for your family
The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley - gentle ways to help your baby sleep better and longer, including sleep tips for you, too!

on introducing food:
Real Food for Mother and Baby by Nina Planck - good, solid advice on what to feed yourself when you're pregnant and nursing and what to feed your baby when he's ready to start eating food. If you read Real Food and loved it, you'll love this book, too.
Baby-Led Weaning by Gill Rapley - explains how self feeding for babies works, including how to experiment with flavors and textures, the development of hand eye coordination, and enjoying meals as a family

on sign language:
Baby Signs by Drs. Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn - the original baby sign language book. I loved being able to communicate with Ezra before he was verbal, and he still uses all the signs he knows. Keep in mind - he only says about seven or eight words though :)

on elimination communication:
The Diaper Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh - great book on elimination communication and how to tune in to your baby's bathroom needs before they can talk
Diaper-Free Before 3 by Dr. Jill Lekovic - discusses the benefits of introducing the toilet (or potty) into your child's routine early

on vaccinations:
The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears - Dr. Sears sets you straight, educating you on the pros and cons of each vaccine, and suggests an alternate schedule if that's what you choose to do

Thanks for letting me share these resources and for enduring this abnormally long post! What are some of your favorite baby-related books?

menu of the week

(image by David Loftus for Jamie Oliver)

Our weekend was much cooler than last week which was kind of a disappointment. I'm sitting huddled under a blanket right now, and hoping the sun comes out this afternoon. As for our dinners last week, I think they were all pretty good. Especially the salmon. Check that one out for sure.

roasted butternut squash quesadillas - Very similar to the sweet potato tacos I made back in January and equally delicious. In fact, Matt didn't even know they were squash, but he tends to get sweet potatoes and squash mixed up often. We used corn tortillas from Trader Joe's and piled on the toppings. Ezra devoured lots of black beans and pepper jack cheese. He was signing 'more' before he had even finished.

17 bean and barley soup - I bought a package of mixed beans, lentils, and other miscellaneous small edible type things (like split peas, chickpeas, and lima beans... the list goes on) at Trader Joe's a while back and decided it was finally time to do something with them. I just made the recipe on the back of the bag, but I added some mezze rigatoni. Note: the recipe I linked to is similar to the one on the bag, but the blog author made some changes.

baked wild salmon with almond lime sauce, basmati rice, and steamed broccoli - This recipe is from the April issue of Whole Living magazine and I bookmarked it immediately because we love salmon around here. As I've said before, I usually prepare it with barbecue sauce and I made it once with an Asian flair, but this version with the almond lime sauce was incredible. Matt and I were both licking our plates. Definitely making this again, and soon!

asparagus and ricotta pizzas - Pizza is always a good thing if you ask me, and spring veggie toppings made  our dinner on Thursday feel quite season appropriate. I added some sliced shallots leftover from the previous night's dinner and grated more than half a cup of Parmigianno over the top of the pizza because I felt like it needed a little more saltiness. They turned out really well, not quite crisp in the center so they slices were a little floppy but still really tasty. Ezra enjoyed the dollops of ricotta best of all. Oh, and like last time we had pizza on the menu, Matt made the dough but he used bread flour instead of all purpose. The flavor was so much better! I couldn't stop exclaiming over the taste. Tonight's dinner wins the award for most improved.

cheeseburgers with oven fries - I had borrowed Jamie's Food Revolution from the library and this was one of the recipes I was dying to try. I had never made my own hamburger patties before and this recipe seemed like a simple classic. Matt and I loved them, especially topped with a heap of monterey jack. Next time I would try to make them a little flatter because they puffed up a bit once they were cooked. As for the oven fries, I just cut a bunch of potatoes into wedges, spread them onto a baking sheet, drizzled them with olive oil, sprinkled them with salt, and baked them in a 450° oven for about 40 minutes. Toss them and turn the pan about half way through. We also had the leftover arugula from the night before as a salad, dressed with a simple lemon and olive oil dressing. 


P.S. This is only semi related to food, but remember last week when I cleaned my cast iron pan? Well, after I cooked in it and washed it some of the rust came back! I'm going to try the same method but this time with more elbow grease and hopefully it will be gone for good. Anyone else try it? Did it happen to you?

hello weekend

(images by Emilie Griottes for fricote)

No post yesterday because it was too beautiful outside to spend time any time typing. Ezra and I took full advantage of the warm weather and inspected every pebble and blade of grass in the yard. That boy absolutely loves being outdoors. This weekend we're keeping it low key... the first fire of the year in the backyard tonight, a manicure and pedicure for me tomorrow, and that's basically it! Well, other than church on Sunday, which is standard. I'm hoping to do lots of spring cleaning and work outside in the flower beds. Maybe we'll get even get a yard of mulch. I surprise myself by feeling genuine excitement at the prospect of such things as washing windows and pulling weeds. Have you been outside a lot this week?

- these bright and cheery modern centerpieces could be adapted to fit any theme or color palette
- I made a bunch of these knit produce bags this week and I'm in love with them
- lots of inspiration on how to dress a baby bump
- these business cards are so much fun
- tips for taking photos on vacation
- my friends' responses to this question are always amusing... what do you do?
- these naturally dyed wooden beads are so pretty
- make your own metallic and natural sack on the cheap
- on how to make planning dinner for your family work for you

Oooh, this weekend is going to be amazing, I can tell already...

a down home DIY // clean your cast iron pan

Last week I mentioned that I inherited two cast iron pans, one from my mom and one from my aunt, but they were both originally my grandmother's. One was suffering from a bad case of rust but luckily I had just read about how to clean rusty cast iron skillets. Check out what my skillet looked like before...

 

Yes, that is a potato. 

...and after! Chances are you have a potato and some salt on hand, and if that's the case then you're ready to clean your own rusty cast iron skillet. I was worried I would wear my arm out with all the scrubbing but the rust disappeared surprisingly easily and the whole process only took a few minutes. Now I have a nice little cast iron skillet that's perfectly seasoned and ready for many more years of use. Check out the complete instructions here.

menu of the week

Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Okay, there's no chicken on the menu this week, I just felt like saying that. The lovely spring weather we were having last week doesn't seem like it wants to stay, so I was glad to make a few of these cozy meals on the cooler days. 

hearty greens soup - I snipped this recipe from a Whole Foods flyer about Parmigiano and I have to say I'm glad I did. Some things I did differently - used a can of kitchen ready tomatoes because I forgot to buy actual tomatoes, used only kale since I had an abundance of it, and used a whole pound of pasta. I have an unreasonable aversion to using anything other than a pound (or more) of pasta in any recipe and even though I told myself I was going to follow the instructions this time my arm just wouldn't stop pouring those bow ties into the pot. Oops. The soup was delicious anyway, if a little dry. I added some water when I reheated it the next day for lunch and everything was just fine. Oh, and I left the cheese rind in because it's too good to take out and discard. I totally ate it.

mushroom and gruyere tarts - I think we all know how much I love mushrooms by now and Matt is starting to come around. I mean, he has to when I make things like mushroom tarts or else he'll be eating toast for dinner instead. These tarts were very easy to put together. My only problem was not taking the puff pastry out of the freezer early enough so I ended up kind of mangling it since it wasn't thoroughly thawed but I needed to unroll it. Don't make the same mistake.

baja fish tacos - This was the first time I had ever made fish tacos and the entire time we were eating them I kept telling Matt how good they were and that I was surprised how much I liked them. Score one for fish tacos! I prepared the fish (more hake that I froze when Whole Food had that sale a couple weeks ago) and then created a salad of sorts with the cabbage and cilantro and dressed it with extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, and salt & pepper. I piled chopped mango and avocado on my tacos and Matt stuffed his with the salad. Ezra liked dipping pieces of fish in sour cream. I'm pretty sure he thought it was yogurt, but better. I used these taco shells.

baked camembert pasta - Jamie Oliver can do no wrong when it comes to cooking, at least not that I can see. He had me at 'camembert.' However, I couldn't find camembert in a little wooden box so I bought a wedge and heated it on top of parchment paper. Yes, it melted all over the place and yes, it was still delicious.

sweet potato veggie burgers - Sweet potato burgers sound like a good idea and while they are tasty they are also extremely sticky and fall apart at all stages - while being formed, while being fried, while being removed from the pan, while being sandwiched between two halves of a bun, and while being eaten. That said, I would make them again because they were so stinkin' good. In fact, I would double the recipe next time. It seems I do that a lot.

hello weekend

Two years ago on Saint Patrick's Day I shared my grandmother's recipe for Irish soda bread, and last year I just posted a cute picture of Ezra wearing a cheesy shamrock onesie. This year we're getting back to our roots, back to the Irish soda bread that is the foundation of my idea of Saint Patrick's Day. I recently acquired two of my very own cast iron pans that were my grandmother's (not my maternal grandmother's, of the Irish soda bread fame, but my paternal grandmother's, who was French Canadian - go figure) so I didn't have to borrow one from my mom this time. Sadly, the smaller pan was in major need of rust removal but it's cleaned up now and I ate breakfast out of it this morning. (Check back next week for the trick to removing rust from cast iron.) My breakfast was, of course, Irish soda bread! Here's the recipe again with one major adaptation - I substituted butter for shortening because no one wants to eat partially hydrogenated oil anymore... or at least I don't. 


For those of you who are wondering - no worries - scroll down for the Friday link list! Lots of fun stuff around the web this week. First things first, though. I know you want to get baking.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

3 C flour

2/3 C sugar

1 T baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 3/4 C raisins
1 T caraway seeds

2 eggs, beaten

1 3/4 buttermilk

2 T melted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and grease a cast iron pan or loaf pan.  Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.  Stir in raisins and caraway seeds.  Combine eggs, buttermilk, and shortening in a small bowl.  Add liquid mixture to dry mixture and combine until flour is just moistened.  Turn into greased pan and bake for about 40 minutes.  Remove from pan immediately.  Allow to cool through before serving. I like to eat my slices with a good smear of butter, sometimes toasted and sometimes at room temp.

I'll be bringing one pan of Irish soda bread over to our friends' condo for a little Saint Patrick's Day shindig tomorrow night. How are you celebrating? Remember: everyone is Irish on Saint Patrick's Day!

Now for the link love.

- some great tips on how to prep for a photo shoot
- make yourself a cute bow headband
- love these beautiful images of a mother and daughter
- I'm always up for trying new ways to make brownies even better
- taking photos in a renovated mill for a maternity shoot works out quite nicely
- these little paper boxes by Alli are so cute
- can't wait to try these peanut butter cookie dough balls
- this mini guide to making fresh pasta has me inspired to make some of my own
- thinking about jumping on the antlers as home decor bandwagon
- how to make your own polka dot pants, via { collected }

I said it Monday but I'll say it again: Erin Go Bragh! Happy Saint Patrick's Day and happy weekend, too.

a quilt for Lumpy // geometric elephant blocks

Once again I find myself wanting to keep a quilt for Ezra instead of giving it away... I made this one for a baby boy who should be arriving some time next month. Stan and Karissa are decorating his room in grays, blues, and greens so I went through my stash (and my mom's, too - thanks, mom!) to see what I could pull together. I found a few pieces from Laurie Wisbrun's elephant collection and decided to use them as the centerpieces for the blocks. Some of the other fabrics include pieces from Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane collection, Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party collection, the Denyse Schmidt for collection for Joann, and of course lots of Kona solids. Here are some of my favorite fabric combinations...

This was actually the first time I made a quilt using blocks and sashing. I liked that it was like making nine mini quilts which I got play around with in creating the larger design. The backing is made up of Kona grass green and Kona coal along with a little label made of one of the stripey Laurie Wisbrun prints. The quilt is bound with a green-on-green sort of geometric print.

Like the quilt I made for for Ari, this quilt's label has a blank line on it for the baby's name which will be revealed after he makes his debut.

And... the usual stack of burpcloths that helped me use up some odd shaped remnants left over after making the quilt. I can't wait for the little man to arrive so I can see him all wrapped up in elephants!

 

blog design

(image via Made by Girl by Jen Ramos)

You may have noticed some changes around the tiny hummingbird lately and there are more to come! Once I started changing the look and layout I became slightly obsessed and have been bothering Matt nightly with requests to design new sidebar buttons, resize my banner, change the color scheme... and on it goes. Some days I feel ambitious, temporarily overcome my fear of HTML and CSS, and delve into the world of blogger tutorials. Some days I'm successful, and on those days I regale Matt with exciting tales of how I changed the width of my sidebar! and he gives me a patronizing smile. Some days I am frustrated, and on those days I compile a list of things I need Matt to help me with and persuade him to check off every item on my list before the night is over. To save some fellow bloggers (and their innocent web savvy husbands or boyfriends), I figured I would share a list of the links that I've found helpful. Hopefully these are useful to someone! And if anyone knows how to decrease the amount of space between sidebar buttons, please, do tell.

- I learned how to remove the navbar and remove borders from images from Alli's post
- this post helped me fuss with the width of my sidebar and main column
- I decided against it (for now), but here's how to create three columns
- it took forever, but I finally got my social media icons to work
- I considered switching the sidebar from right to left (for now I'm keeping it on the right)
- how to stop being a no-reply blogger - this is only slightly related, but applies to those of you who read blogs but don't write blogs. Comments are one of my favorite things about blogging, and I read every single one that I get. They're forwarded to my blog email address (thetinyhummingbirdblog at gmail), so I often reply to comments via email. Lately, I've been experimenting with replying in the comments section, but I still think it's probably easier for commenters to receive an email response than to keep checking the comment thread. Anyway, there are times when I receive a comment from someone whose email address isn't visible in his or her blogger profile, and then the address shows up as "no-reply blogger" and I can't respond directly. This issue has been bothering me for a while and I'd been planning on writing a little tutorial on how to make your email address visible in your profile, but then I discovered that one of my favorite bloggers did the work for me by writing this post just last week. Visit dandee for super simple instructions on how to not be a no-reply blogger anymore. Because I want to write back to you!

Any tips or tricks you care to share?

menu of the week

(image via Williams-Sonoma)

Last week I almost didn't even make five meals, but I squeezed one of these in yesterday afternoon. So glad I did, because the frittata was so good I was looking forward to having it today when I had barely finished off a piece yesterday.

- spinach shells - Our friend Alex made this simple pasta dish for a group of people when we went to visit her in Philadelphia a couple of years ago. I like to double the recipe and freeze half to save for one of those days when I forget to defrost anything. See recipe below.

- butternut squash risotto - Anything with butternut squash in it is delicious. Period. I doubled this recipe because we were going to have it as a main dish and I wanted it to be a little more substantial. It turned out soft and creamy and the butternut squash flavor was so pronounced. Lucky for me, Matt likes the rice more than the squash so he didn't mind when I dished it out a little on the uneven side. As much as I liked it, I don't think I would make it again because I kind of detest the constant stirring risotto requires. Or maybe I just needed stronger arm muscles.

- spaghetti with tomato sauce - Kind of self-explanatory. I forgot to defrost the beef for the cheeseburger skillet pie (and although I had spinach shells in the freezer I didn't want to have them again so soon) so I made a quick tomato sauce and boiled water. I don't think there's anything easier than that.

- cheeseburger skillet pie - Another quick and easy recipe (that seems to be my dinner time mantra, everything is either 'quick and easy' or 'super simple') that gave me a good return for the time spent preparing it. Matt and I fought over the biscuits on top, and I may have used just a tad more cheese the recipe called for. Okay, so it was double the amount of cheese. And the biscuits were from Whole Foods but I forget the brand. They were frozen and the box was green. Hope that helps!

- frittata with greens - This made for a quick Sunday afternoon meal and while I had a few minor issues it still tasted great. Should I be embarrassed to say that I thought the addition of ketchup made it even better? Anyway, the main issue was not having a pan to flip the frittata into, thus the eggs didn't really set on top until the bottom was brown but not quite burnt. Let's just say Matt spent a good ten minutes washing the skillet.

This week I'm looking forward to squeezing in one more hearty soup (before the weather really warms up) and baking some Irish soda bread. Erin Go Bragh!

Spinach Shells (Thanks, Alex!)
1 lb. shells
4 beaten eggs
1/2 C olive oil
2 10 oz. packages frozen spinach, thawed
2 quarts tomato sauce
2 8 oz. packages shredded cheese
Parmigiano and Romano cheese to taste
1 T each dried basil, parsley, and oregano
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions and set aside. In a 13"x9" pan, spread a thin layer of tomato sauce. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, olive oil, cheese, spinach, herbs, salt & pepper, and shells. Pour into the baking dish and cover with the rest of the sauce. Grate Parmigiano and Romano cheese over the top. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes.  

hello weekend

(image via blueflash)

Is anyone else excited to spring ahead this weekend? I can't wait to enjoy an extra hour of daylight each day. We have plans to take advantage of every second. Tonight we're hosting a pizza party with a few friends and I'm sooo looking forward to having a slice topped with chunks of pineapple. Then on Saturday I'll be celebrating the imminent arrival of a baby boy at my friend Karissa's shower. I'll share photos of the day (and the quilt!) next week. After that, Matt and I hope to head up to Providence to continue working on our collaboration. Fingers crossed that the weather cooperates. What are you up to this weekend?

- have a dessert habit? Here are some thoughts on kicking it.
- Matt is giving away a shoot! Find out how you can win here on his blog.
- loving this guide to flowers by color, via Hey Look
- these are some styling tips for the home that work for me
- can't wait to read The Flight of Gemma Hardy (Jane Eyre fans, take note)
- this is such a cute calendar for March!
- I love the idea of a parent child book club
- received a special gift this week - a necklace similar to this one from my friend Hillary's etsy shop, tello & rose
- aren't these primroses sweet?
- this recipe for sweet potato and quinoa salad sounds so good!

Happy almost spring! Here's hoping the weather gets the memo.

tea with Rose // Brewed Awakenings

My friend Hillary and I have recently decided to guide ourselves on a tea tour of Rhode Island, sampling steaming mugs of the stuff all over our little state. We started a couple weeks ago at a place in Johnston called Brewed Awakenings, somewhere I used to go all to all the time in high school and college. It's a great place to meet friends, catch up on some reading, hear live music, and of course, have a cup of tea. They also serve lots of pastries, breakfast sandwiches, wraps, and even cheesecake from none other than The Cheesecake Factory. I'll admit it - I was tempted to have a slice for breakfast.

We ventured out early on a Thursday morning and Brewed was pretty busy with lots of people crowded at the tables, lounging on couches, and standing at the bar. Ezra and I arrived a little earlier than Hillary so I placed my order - a small spiced chai - and it was ready by the time I had Ezra buckled into a high chair and situated at a table. My chai was really good, but I must confess that it turned out to be made from one of those mixes. Boo. Hillary got there soon after (she chose ginger peach tea) and we talked about lots of blog type things - ideas for posts, gaining readers, what our husbands think about our online ventures - stuff that most people aren't interested in, so it was nice to have someone to relate to. I'm looking forward to the next stop on our tea tour already.

Be sure to check out Hillary's post today over at tello & rose...

I like blueflash // win yourself a photo shoot

If you're friends with me on facebook then you probably already know that Matt launched a facebook page for blueflash this week. I've been trying to spread the word because get this - he's giving away a photo shoot to one of the first 500 people to 'like' the page. Of course I would support Matt in anything he does since he's my husband, but I also really like his work. He may not believe me - I'm probably his harshest critic - but it's because I know he has so much to offer. You don't have to comment here if you'd rather head right to the blueflash facebook page, but if you throw your name in the hat I would love to know what you would use the shoot for. For more information, read Matt's post about the giveaway. Here are some of my favorite images...

 

 

Best of luck to all who 'like' blueflash! I can't wait to see what the shoot is like.

menu of the week

Happy Monday! I'm excited to share last week's menu because there were quite a few meals I really enjoyed. Now that I think of it, I really enjoyed everything, but especially dinner on Friday night. Check it out...

pasta with cream sauce and mushrooms - Super simple but a little on the heavy side, this dish works well when you're short on time and craving something rich. I used pappardelle and added chopped onion and sliced mushrooms sautéed in butter to make it a little more interesting.

spiced cod with broccoli-quinoa pilaf and baked potatoes - Okay, so I have to first say that I didn't use cod for this dish. I used hake because Whole Foods was having an amazing sale that I couldn't pass up and the fishmonger said anything I could do with cod I could do with hake. I wholeheartedly agree with her, as this meal turned out wonderful. The hake was moist and flavorful and the pilaf was such a nice combination of textures. Ezra and I enjoyed it for breakfast the next day.

Asian shrimp noodle soup - The prep for this meal is key so I made sure I had everything in place before starting. Okay, not everything... I was still slicing the mushrooms when it was time for them to go into the boiling broth along with the rice sticks, but everything turned out fine. I had never thought to use Chinese five spice powder with shrimp before and it made for a great tasting soup topper. Also, the bright lime flavor was a nice surprise. If Matt liked this more I would make it again, but he wasn't too fond of it so I'll reserve it for a night he's out.

pork apple cheddar meatballs with egg noodles and roasted Brussels sprouts - I've made this lots of times, but since I had beef on hand I used that instead of pork. The meatballs are really easy to make and cook so quickly under the broiler. Then all you need to do is boil some egg noodles and you're done. I like them simple with salted butter, but Matt was asking for some sort of cream sauce, so if you you might want to prepare something to satisfy the pickier eaters in your house.

quinoa black bean burgers with baked sweet potatoes - By far my favorite meal of the week, these quinoa black bean burgers were quick and tasty. I can't wait to have them again, but next time I think I'll cook the onions beforehand because I could do without the crunch and that raw onion flavor. Matt ate his burger with ketchup and Ezra and I had ours with sliced avocado, and all were served with fresh sourdough rolls from Olga's. Yum.

This week I'm looking forward to making fish tacos and filling them up with lots of veggies. What are you cooking this week?

hello weekend

(image via melissa da silva)

Hello all! I'm extra excited for today's post since I didn't get a chance to welcome the weekend here on the blog last week due to my laptop's technical and mechanical difficulties. I love rounding up my favorite things from the blogosphere and sharing them here with you. Before we get to the list, let me tell you about my weekend. Aren't Friday nights the best? We're not doing anything special tonight, but just hanging around the house sounds good to me right now. Maybe we'll play a few rounds of Bananagrams and eat chocolate chip cookies. Tomorrow we're doing a maternity shoot for our friends Stan and Karissa (I say we because Ezra and I are going along, although Matt will be the only one taking the photos) and then having dinner with them at night. On Sunday we'll be at church in the morning and at night... so many of my favorite people are there. Okay, without further adieu...

- these sweet tags are so perfect for spring! (via poppytalk)
- next week I'm going to give this meal planner a whirl
- maybe I should make a whole cloth baby quilt next
- this DIY circle punch art is a great activity for kids and looks amazing
- did you see that Ezra's room was featured on Apartment Therapy?!
- I'm loving Ruby's nursery and want gold polka dots in my house as soon as possible
- definitely making this chocolate cake as soon as I have a reasonable excuse to make a cake... how about the fact that it's the weekend? Sounds reasonable enough to me.

edit: I can't believe I forgot to list the giveaway winner! Oh, the suspense. The winner is MW, author of comment number five and otherwise known as my friend Matt Welesko. Read more about his giveaway shenanigans here... sigh.

Hope your weekend is a good one! See you back here on Monday with the weekly menu...

a quilt for baby Solomon

Yesterday I wrote about my friend Ari's shower, and if you've been reading the tiny hummingbird for any length of time then you know that if one of my friends has a baby then I most certainly made a quilt. Ari's baby is no exception. Ari and Matt have a color palette selected for the nursery that basically includes every color so I was a bit baffled when making my fabric selections. Then we visited their new house and I saw loads of paint swatches taped to the wall. I knew what to do. Once we got home I went to Lowe's and gathered my own collection of paint swatches so I had a reference point. It all came together quickly after that.

Stripes! I love the combination of yellow, white, and gray here. Also, the black and white section of binding.

Burp cloths are always a good way to use up any scraps that are left after making the quilt, and while I don't think any mother is concerned about her baby's burp cloths matching her baby's quilt I do think it's nice that they are at least somewhat attractive. They may end up as a regular part of her outfit, after all, as an over-the-shoulder accessory.

If you squint you can see the inscription on the white stripes above, but disregard the second line for now, as it is blank. I'm carrying around my micron pen so I can write the baby's sweet little name in that spot when we visit Ari and Matt after the baby is born. I can't wait!

Here's the only photo I have of the whole quilt, taken right after Ari opened it at the shower. (Thanks, Mia!)