the patch

Happy birthday, Grandma!

Kisses from Bellie

It's always fun for Molly to go to Auntie and Uncle Paul's house...she gets lots of loves from everybody there.  Well, yesterday she got some extra special love from Belle.  She couldn't stop cracking up as Belle was licking her little feet.  Although I was slightly grossed out, Molly was in heaven.  Don't worry, Chels, you better believe I wiped her feet down right afterwards!

The line up

The original line up...

And, the new and improved!  They're all here...introducing Molly, Jane, Charlie and Augie.

hot babe

Southwestern Butternut Squash Soup

Another great soup as we enter into the fall - perfect blend of spicy and sweet.  Sorry, Cade, it's made with the vegetable not butternuts (aka Nutter Butters to the rest of us).   

Southwestern Butternut Squash Soup (from Cooks Country)


Serves 4

Because the bulbous end of butternut squash contains the seeds and stringy fibers, purchase squash with a relatively long neck—they have more usable flesh. You can replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth for a vegetarian version of this soup.

1 medium butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (see related Step by Step)
3 medium shallots , peeled and quartered
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
Sour cream (optional)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss squash, shallots, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in large bowl, then arrange in single layer in large roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and softened, about 45 minutes. Add ½ cup broth to pan and scrape up any browned bits with wooden spoon. Return to oven and cook until liquid has reduced and vegetables are glazed, about 5 minutes.

2. Working in 2 batches, puree squash mixture and remaining broth in blender until smooth. Transfer pureed squash mixture to large saucepan and stir in honey, lime juice, cumin, and cream. Bring soup to simmer over medium-low heat, adding ¼ cup water at a time as necessary to adjust consistency. Just prior to serving, stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with dollop of sour cream, if desired. (Soup can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days.)

10 years, really?

Has it really been 10 years since I graduated from Westmont?  Indeed, it has.  Rachel, Carrie, and Jen all came into town with their families for our reunion last weekend .  A lot sure has happened in 10 years as you can see from the pic, but once we were all together again those midnight dance parties in Page A didn't feel so long ago afterall.  Love you guys!

Well, hello Charlie!

Thursday was a great day...little Charlie Douglas made his way into the world!  We were starting to wonder if he was ever going to come out.  But he did and we're so excited to finally meet him.  Jane and Molly patiently waited in the hospital courtyard while their moms stopped by for a quick visit.

My friend, my thumb

Hey, guys...watcha doin'?

Soon, Molly, very soon you'll be running around with the boys.  For now, you'll just have to settle with tracking their every move with your eyes and getting really excited when they decide to come over and play with you.  Cousins are the best!

Miss you, Dad!

Jer's been having a great week up in Monterey with his students but we sure do miss him here at home.

Friends from the North

We had a short but very sweet visit with Herman and Mary last night on their way home from Hawaii (doesn't that sound dreamy right now?).  It was so great not having to wait until our usual Christmas holiday to see the Canadian friends.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Although it's starting to feel like fall around here, there is still an abundance of delicious tomatoes coming in our CSA share.  One can never have too many fresh garden tomatoes but they were starting to back up on my counter.  Thanks to Sirica and Barefoot, all those lovely cherries and heirlooms became this tasty soup.  I'm excited for the day when Molly will don her apron and scoot a stepstool up to the counter to help.  For now, she just sits atop the kitchen table in her little chair and we chat and tell jokes while I cook.

Ingredients

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken stock or water

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

*A few changes I made - I threw the onions and garlic on the baking sheet to roast in the oven instead of sauteeing on the stove top. I also added in some bell peppers. I used an immersion blender (a GREAT kitchen tool) rather than a food mill. I added goat cheese to each bowl and served with crusty ciabatta. YUM!

A day in the valley

Jon and Jer both had Monday off so we decided to head out to Los Olivos for a little lunch and wine tasting.  It's been awhile since I'd been out there and it was so nice not going on a crowded weekend.  Fall was definitely in the air and a good time was had by all.  As you can see, the girls were all tuckered out on the ride home.

Brrrrrrr

Jen, hope you weren't too cold at the farm today without your hat.  It kept me nice and toasty this morning. 

So, I saw rain for the first time today.  Not to sure what I think about it...sure is wet and cold.  I have a feeling I'm going to take after my mom and prefer the warm, sunny days here in Santa Barbara!
-Molly

Friends

We sadly missed out this year on the Memorial Day gathering in San Diego as we awaited Molly's arrival.  It was great to be able to see many of these great friends on Saturday here in SB.  One evening is definitely not long enough!

Sleepyhead

You know you're a mom when...

you're a part of a stroller brigade proudly wheeling down the hill from Shoreline to Ledbetter, lunging on the Breakwater, and working out the abs on the hills of City College.  Yes, I probably would've laughed if I saw this a few years ago but now I just can't help it...I LOVE IT!  Getting out and moving in the fresh air is nice but I mostly love the time spent chatting with these great ladies and loving their babies.  If you find yourself needing something to do on a Wednesday morning, by all means join us!
And thanks, Heather, for making us feel the burn!

Weigh In

Tuesdays have become one of our favorite days of the week...we get to go visit our favorite farmer Jen and pick up our CSA veggies.  (Side note - Fairview Gardens has aMAZing organic produce.  It has been a fun game and creative outlet to try and use up all the seasonal goodies we get each week.  I'm sure I'll be posting some of these recipes on the blog in weeks to come.)  Molly gets lots of love from Jen while I weigh and bag up our share.  We decided to throw Molly up on the scale this week.  We got us a fat and happy 14 pounder!

Whole Foods, Wholy Cow!

Laura, Molly, and I braved the grand opening of Whole Foods this week.  What a nightmare!  Where did all these people come from?  It took about 15 minutes to park and the surrounding businesses on Hitchcock were all guarding their parking lots like hawks.  I'm sure it will all calm down in a few days, but you can keep your Whole Foods.  I'm sticking with Fairview Gardens and Trader Joes, thank you very much.

Storytime

This is a repeat for those of you who follow mcleanscene.com but I just love this picture.  We are so thankful for Aunty, Uncle Paul, and cousins Cade and Spencer and for all the loves they give Molly.  She saves her biggest smiles for Cade and Diddy.  I can already picture her first date having to pass both Dad and Cade's inspection!

Hey, little man!

We were so excited to welcome Augie Holt into the world on September 30th.  We've been waiting patiently for months for him to arrive and he's well worth the wait.  What a cutie!  Not sure what Martha and Zach think, but I'm all up for arranged marriages.

Giggles

Go Niners!

In hopes of preventing the "I want to be a princess" syndrome, we've started Molly on football pretty early on. Not only is she learning the mechanics of the game, Dad is also teaching her the ins and outs of the fantasy league. Don't worry though...she hasn't dipped into the beer and nachos yet. We're saving that for next week.

Heelllloooo everybody.

Alright...we're finally giving this a shot. World, here's our blog!