Feathers in Our Nest

Jude’s Six Months Old!

March 13, 2014 by Aliesha

Look at that big guy! Jude is growing and changing so much each day and it is really fun to watch.

Some milestones:
-smiles for the camera!
-still nurses exclusively (i.e., hasn’t started solids yet)
-grabs everything
-thinks his #1 mission in life is to eat my hair (ewww!)
-weighs 20.5 lbs.
-“plays” with some toys now, like Sophie
-might be teething, since he’s drooling constantly, waking up in the night, and experiencing his first diaper rash
-can roll both directions, but doesn’t do it a lot
-puts weight on his feet when you stand him up
-likes to blow raspberries (and thinks it’s funny)
-lights up whenever we smile at him
-goes to bed at 10:30 (night owl!), but we’d like to make that earlier…
-sucks all his fingers without favoritism
-enjoys the sunshine (who doesn’t?)
-loves to be worn in the Boba

We are thankful for our cuddly, growing boy! Can’t believe he is already halfway to his first birthday!

Fried Green Tomatoes

March 11, 2014 by Aliesha

This post has also been posted on Baking Whole Grains, a site I write for which compensates me for sharing whole grain recipes. While I receive compensation, this does not influence my opinions. All photos and directions are my own.

When Tad and I went on our honeymoon to Charleston, SC, we enjoyed eating at tons of amazing restaurants. It was so much fun to try new foods and restaurants every day! One of the dishes we still talk about was a BLFGT from an adorable cafe near Rainbow Row. A BLFGT is a bacon, lettuce, and fried green tomato sandwich!

I am not usually crazy about tomatoes on my sandwiches, but BLFGTs are quite delicious! Fried green tomatoes are quick and easy to make, and they really jazz up an otherwise ordinary BLT.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Author: Aliesha @ Feathers in Our Nest

Recipe type: Side Dish

Ingredients

¼ cup cornmeal, freshly ground
¼ cup whole wheat flour, freshly ground
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 egg
¼ cup buttermilk
green tomatoes

Instructions

Grind cornmeal in WonderMill; set aside. Grind wheat in WonderMill; set aside.
In a small frying pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
In a shallow bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, and pepper.
Crack egg into another bowl and whisk.
Pour buttermilk into a third bowl.
Slice tomatoes, then dip each one in this order: 1) egg, 2) buttermilk, 3) cornmeal/flour mixture
Pan fry tomatoes in olive oil, turning once.
Lay cooked tomatoes on paper towels, and then serve.

Enjoy!

For more of our family’s favorite recipes, click here.

Spring Wreath Tutorial {Frugal and Fast!}

March 10, 2014 by Aliesha

I recently made a pretty spring wreath for our front door! I have been soooo ready for spring, and in the last two days, the weather has finally turned warm! It’s in the upper-60’s and sunny!

This wreath was very easy to make and only cost me $14. It’s really big and makes quite a statement on our front door! We’re getting a new front door soon, so I took an indoor picture.

To make one, you will need:
-1 grapevine wreath (I got mine at Michael’s and used a coupon, so it was around $2)
-6 stems of artificial hot pink parrot tulips (from the Dollar Tree, so $6)
-4 stems of artificial yellow alstroemeria (ditto, $4)
-2 stems of grassy stems with fuzzy green balls (ditto, $2)
-ribbon for hanging (I had this on hand, but you can get it at the Dollar Tree too)
-wire cutters or scissors

To assemble your wreath:
-Cut all floral stems apart at the base, so that each individual flower is separate.
-Lay out the flowers on the floor (or table) the way you might like to place them on the wreath, just to get an idea of spacing.
-Start poking flower stems into the wreath, going around the wreath in one direction with each new stem overlapping the previous one.
-Continue adding flower stems, alternating among types, until you reach the beginning.
-Tuck the last stems under the first flowers.
-Add additional flowers anywhere needed to fill in “holes.”
-Loop some ribbon around the back to create a hanger for the wreath.
-If needed, you can secure the flowers with wire or hot glue, but mine seemed secure enough without doing that.