Food From the Heart

I think that food has got to be the best gift to parents of a new baby, or in our case babies. We have received so many great food gifts since bringing the twins home. This has made our lives so much easier as there is so much to do that it is nice to have a healthy yummy ready to go meal. The food we have received is so much yummier than anything we can get delivered! Also it is so wonderful to try all these new dishes that we have never made for ourselves.

Our friends Dawn Weirs and Hayley Roberts (the Butler sisters) brought us two delicious Zucchini Casseroles and an American Lasagna. They also stayed overnight and gave us a night off, sleeping with the girls and handling all the night shifts. Seriously, girls, you can come back anytime!!!!!

Saul and Carolyn (my brother in law and his wife) gave us a gift certificate for Make Thyme for Dinner in South Portland, for 8 prepared meals. So far we have had a fantastic Tuscan Beef Stew, a Vegetarian Tamale Pie, and Cranberry Pomegranate Pork Medallions. We have 5 more delicious meals still in the freezer we cannot wait to try.

Our friends and neighbors, John and Elisha made us one of the best Sheppard's Pies I have ever had. I am not sure what their secret is but it was really good.

Our friends Amanda and Ed came to visit one night and brought dinner with them, a pot roast with carrots and potatoes. This is the best kind of dinner guests!

Our friends Lisa and Erik, who also have twin baby boys a bit older than our girls and a daughter the same age as our son, brought us a Chicken Tagine with Couscous and Green Salad with Carrots and Mushrooms. I loved this one so much, I just had to include the recipe. Thanks for providing me with it Lisa!

Chicken Tagine in a Slow Cooker (serves 4 over rice, pasta, or couscous)

4 boneless chicken breast (about 1.25 lbs)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 medium red onion thinly sliced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large garlic clove minced
1 cup chicken or veggie stock
2 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp of tomato paste
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1 tbsp of corn starch whisked into 2 tbsp of cold water

In slow cooker combine chicken, salt, spices, onion, carrots and garlic. In a small bowl whisk together broth, honey, lemon juice, and tomato paste then pour into slow cooker. Sprinkle with raisins and apricots. Cook for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low. At the end of the time, whisk together the corn starch and water and add to the pot. Cook until the juices are thickened slightly. Pull chicken apart with a fork (optional). Stir and then Serve.

Garnish suggestions - chopped cilantro, almonds, sliced green olives.

I have no idea who this recipe originally belongs to, but it is delicious! I hope that you also enjoy it.

Thanks so much to everyone who has brought us food and if I have forgotten anyone in this note, I apologize, as you can imagine I am very tired! We are so appreciative.

All Bundled Up

Esme and Iris

Yesterday it was finally warm enough to take the girls outside for awhile. I got them all bundled up to go for a walk with myself, Jesse, and my mom. They looked so cute in their snowsuits! I put them in the suits and within minutes both girls were fast asleep. They slept through the whole walk.

"Minnie" and Esme

Mommy and Iris

Starting to Get the Hang of This

So being the mom of a three year old is pretty hard work. Add twin newborns to that and you have the equivalent of three full time jobs! But I am starting to get the hang of this. This past week, I have started to see some patterns develop and some routines begin to be established. This is very encouraging.

We have actually taken the whole family on two trips now, both about 1.5 - 2 hours from our house. Our first trip was to Etna to visit with my parents, sister, brother, and all of the cousins. It was a fun trip, but a mad house. Esme and Iris are grandchildren seven and eight. Four boys, four girls, the oldest being my niece Kaylee, age 5. It is so much fun to watch all of the older kids play together. Our second trip was yesterday to Candia, NH, to Jesse's parents house. Another success. The girls did great in the car and Eli sang us songs all the way down.


We have, of course, become a minivan family. There are very few vehicles out there that will fit three car seats. I never saw myself in a minivan, but I must tell you, I LOVE it! Nothing fancy, an old Dodge Caravan, but it has so much room. We have always driven small compact cars, so the minivan feels like traveling in first class.

Eli is really adjusting well to the additions to our family. He really seems to love his sisters, or at least the idea of them. Most of the time, he doesn't seem to notice them. But when he talks about them or asks about them, he lights right up. His eyes get wide and a smile comes across his face. He has only once asked for them to go back to the hospital, and, I think that was because he actually misses trips to the hospital. I guess Maine Med is a pretty exciting place to visit when you are three. Especially when dad lets you push all of the buttons in the elevator!

There have definitely been some bumps and unexpected curves in the road but we are definitely starting to function as a family again. This has been a long time in coming, given the length of separation we had during the pregnancy. It is so wonderful to wake up every morning and find myself surrounded by my husband and children. I feel so blessed.

A Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Sheppard's Pie

Jesse and I are always looking for new recipes to shake up the dinner routine. While I love to cook, most days I do not have the time to do much more than assemble dinner. This recipe is a spin on a sheppard's pie, assembles quickly, and uses very few dishes.

The Ingredients:
Sweet Potato (2 potatoes or 1 large can)
Sweet Corn
Ground Turkey

Brown the ground turkey and season to taste. I usually use some garlic or garlic powder, kosher salt, and ground black pepper, but you can use whatever seasonings you like.

Cook the sweet potatoes. I usually microwave them. Peel and mash. Or if you want to go really quick and easy, use a can of sweet potatoes. Then you just have to open the can, drain the liquid and mash the potatoes.

Place the ground turkey on the bottom of a casserole dish, place corn on top of the meat, then top with the mashed sweet potatoes.

Bake at 350 degrees until the top has started to brown and the casserole has heated through.