Down with the Dearmore's: March 2011

{Tasty Tuesday} Sugar and Nut Glazed Brie

This is one of my favorite appetizer recipes and one that always pleases a crowd! It looks quite sophisticated, yet so simple!

Sugar and Nut Glazed Brie

Servings: 16 to 20

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 10 min

Ingredients

1 14 ounce round of Brie

1 tablespoon brandy

1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts or pecans

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

pear wedges

apple wedges

lemon juice

crackers

Directions

In a small bowl stir together the sugar, nuts, and brandy. Cover and chill for at least 24 hours or up to one week. At serving time, place the Brie on an oven proof platter or pie plate. Bake at 500 degrees F for 4 or 5 minutes or until the Brie is slightly softened. Spread the sugar mixture in an even layer on top of the warm Brie and bake for 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until the sugar melts. Brush the fruit wedges with lemon juice and arrange them around one side of the Brie. Place crackers on the other side.

Courtesy of one of my favorites: Paula Deen!

Goodbye First Trimester...

We are officially in our second trimester! Did I really just say that?! I'm not sure if everyone feels the same way, but my oh my, time is flying by for us! I can't believe we are already 1/3 way through this pregnancy! Baby D is about 3 inches long (about the length of a medium size shrimp) and weighs about an ounce. I went in for a check-up visit today and got see our sweet little one. I could do that everyday! I was able to see him/her move around for the first time (we already have a little active one on our hands)! I also got to hear the heartbeat for the very first time! Ahh....what a beautiful sound. The heartbeat was 154 and in the exact words from my doctor, "sounds like a boy to me"! Either way, we will be thrilled; however, I have been "feeling" Baby D is going to be a boy! April 25th (four weeks from today) is our big day to find out for sure....Boy or Girl!

We had a fun weekend getting to be with family and friends as cousin Amy and Jason got married! It was a beautiful day for a beautiful couple! Here are a few pics from the weekend!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

{Tasty Tuesday} you never go wrong with...

One of our very favorites and a classic growing up in the York household...

Poppy Seed Chicken!

I can't wait for this to become one of the Dearmore classics as well!

This is a simple (are you noticing a pattern yet?!?!) and very tasty recipe that will melt in your mouth any night of the week!

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Preheat oven to: 350 degrees

Ingredients:

1 cooked chicken

1 can cream of chicken

1 (8 oz) carton sour cream

1 stack Town House crackers

1/2 stick margarine

poppy seeds

Directions:
Debone chicken and line casserole dish. Mix soup and sour cream, pour over chicken. Crush crackers and mix with melted butter until moist. Add to chicken. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake until bubbly.

Hope you enjoy as much as we do (and did last night)!

3 down, 6 to go...

Months that is....until Baby Dearmore arrives! Josh and I still find it so hard to believe that we are 12 weeks pregnant today and will end our first trimester this week! Time really has flown by for us! Baby D is now the size of a lime! I think in his/her honor, we will have to "sacrifice" a little this week and have some key lime pie (one of our very favorites)! The biggest development that will take place this week is their reflexes. Baby D will begin to open and close their fingers, curl their toes, clench his or her eye muscles, and begin a sucking movement with their mouth.

Baby and Mommy had an exciting yet very relaxing Spring Break! We started off by going to the rodeo with some of my dearest girlfriends to see one of my favorites, Lady Antebellum! The next day, I had a wedding shower for Leslie and got to go and help her pick out her wedding jewelry! We then ventured back to the rodeo on Tuesday with Jen, McCain and Becky! We had fun getting to go to the petting zoo and watching McCain with all of the animals! On Wednesday, my parents came over and took us to dinner! They also brought us some fun baby gifts! A stuffed lamb animal/pillow, a book, and a frame for baby's sonogram picture and newborn picture! Finally, we ended our break at the beach with Daddy! What a nice little getaway! We are so thankful to have a beach house this close to us! We are now counting down the days until our next break, Good Friday! :)

Make a Joyful Noise

Each day, I love getting to read about our sweet baby. This morning I was reading in "The Pregnancy Journal" and discovered this...over the next three days, Baby D's vocal cords will form in his or her larynx (voice box). I thought this was extra special with the line of work I'm in. I couldn't help but sit and reflect this morning. These are the vocal folds that will produce our baby's first cry, his or her first babble and coo, their first word, the words "mommy" and "daddy" and "I love you"! It's hard to even hold back my tears while I write this. Isn't our Creator so amazing? I think the best sounds we'll hear from our baby is the sound of him or her praising our Father. This is the verse that came to mind while reading in my journal this morning ~

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

Come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

Give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100: 1-4

wednesday words...

Normally I am thrilled that we that are already half way through the week, BUT this week is different! It's Spring Break baby! I love having time off....relaxing, reading, extra time with friends and family, playing, staying up later than usual and sleeping later than usual (okay, maybe I'm still working on that one)! The timing could not have been more perfect! So much to be thankful for....count your many blessings!

{tasty tuesday}

Here is a recipe for one of my new favorite salsa's! If you know Josh and I, we LOVE our Mexican food! With only five ingredients, this is an easy yet very tasty recipe! Grab your tortilla chips and get ready to indulge!

Hill Country Salsa (thank you, katie taylor)

2 cups Mandarin oranges, drained and chopped

1 small red onion, diced very tiny

1 cup raspberry chipotle sauce

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Cilantro leaves and tender stems, to taste (abour 1/2 bunch)

Combine all ingredients and stir to blend well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with corn tortilla chips.

Thank you Becky for this awesome cookbook!

take a peak at our little "fig"...

We had our 11 week Dr. appointment today! It is amazing to see how much Baby D has grown since our last sonogram at 6 weeks. Josh and I can't stop looking at this amazing picture. Josh says it looks like he or she is "just relaxing" in there....who knows, maybe they'll get that "laid back" quality from their daddy! I'm still feeling great....kind of boring, I know, but I think at this point I would much rather just be "boring"! I feel even better after getting to hear that everything looks perfect and baby is continuing to grow and grow.

Baby is already getting loved and spoiled! These are some of the sweet gifts and cards we receieved this past week! Two baby blankets from cousins Lindsey, Travis, and Ty and the other from my sweet friend Patty. The "boy" shoes are from Sammie who is convinced that Baby Dearmore is a boy (Larry was the first one that was convinced - yes, he did even announce in front of everyone at church)! I guess we'll find out within the next 8 weeks (fingers crossed). This momma is ready to start monogramming!

{Tasty Tuesday}

Happy "fat" Tuesday! Here's one of my favorite recipes to welcome in the Spring time! Tart, rich, and perfection, all rolled rolled into one! Did I mention it is easy and yummy?!

The Best Lemon Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour

4 eggs
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 lemons, juiced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.

3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.

4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. For a festive tray, make another pan using limes instead of lemons and adding a drop of green food coloring to give a very pale green. After both pans have cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and arrange in a checker board fashion.

Hope you enjoy them as we have! Now...I'm going to eat my pickles while you all go and bake!Call me if you need a "taste tester"! :)

Baby Dearmore is the size of a....

Kumquat! If you're like me, you're thinking a what? So I had to look it up and see a picture for myself! It said a Kumquat is an edible fruit that closely resembles that of an orange, but it is much smaller and ovular, being approximately the size and shape of an olive (I'm guessing a little bigger since last week the baby was the size of an olive or medium size grape). Either way, he/she is continuing to grow and for that I'm grateful...even if they are compared to a Kumquat!

Happy 10 weeks Baby D!

Bump Update :::::

I've been asked for some "bump" pictures! These were taken at 7 weeks 5 days and again at 9 weeks, not showing yet. Baby Dearmore is the size of medium size grape this week (week 9). It is so amazing to me that just 5 weeks ago, he/she was the size of a poppyseed! Josh and I go to the doctor this week, wishing it was to hear the heartbeat or to even see our little angel, but it is to discuss our plans over the next 6 1/2 - 7 months. Hopefully they'll tell us when our next sonogram will be! Praying soon, very soon! I'm still feeling good, and trust me, I do not take that for granted (however, I do welcome little symptoms here and there)!