That's right. The ultimate dessert. This baby is made from chocolate chip cookie dough, brownie mix, and topped with your favorite icing (shown is the Coconut Frosting from Chocolate Coconut Cake).

Do remember that you are making at least two different things to put together. If you don't have the time in one chunk, it's all good! Make the cookie dough first because it's the easiest to refrigerate (covered, of course). I'm sure you can use just about any chocolate chip cookie recipe, but this one has been proven as perfect for me for the last five years.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Base:
Supplies:

- 1 1/3 C Unbleached, All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 C Butter/Margarine (1 stick)
- 1/2 C unpacked brown sugar
- 1/2 C sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

- Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about thirty seconds.
- Add the sugars and beat until well blended.


- Add the egg and vanilla and beat again.

- Add the flour mixture in thirds, stirring after each addition, to blend the dough as thoroughly as possible.

- Finally, mix in the chocolate chips.


(If you want to make chocolate chip cookies, set the oven to 350 and cook them from 9 to 12 minutes!)

Cake Brownies: The Body:
Supplies:

-1 1/2 C unbleached, all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 C butter
- 1 C sugar
- 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 C Milk

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Mix together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in the microwave in a large bowl or on the stove-top in a small saucepan for 1 to 2 minutes or until completely melted.
- Add the cocoa powder and sugar to the butter until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla (whisking).
- Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the butter/cocoa mixture until well blended. Make sure to really mix after each addition.
(If you want to make regular brownies, cook for 15 to 18 minutes in a greased pan.)

The Cookie Cupcake Brownie:
Directions:

- Use 2tbsp of the cookie dough for each cupcake base. Carefully mold it as well as you can with the spoon to the bottom of the cupcake holder.

- Use 1/4 C to 1/3 C of brownie mixture for each cupcake. This should make 12 to 18 cupcakes, approximately. (You will have cookie dough left over-- perfect to make half a dozen chocolate chip cookies as well!)

- Cook at 350 for 25 minutes exactly. This was the PERFECT timing for me. If you have an over-eager oven or a slow-cooking-oven, then play with the time. Make sure to check the middle of the cupcake with a toothpick of knife.

- Top them with your favorite frosting to truly make the dessert a cupcake.


Ta-Dah! The ultimate dessert.

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I stared at the clock. 8:51am. I knew that Michael usually filled his diaper some time between 9am and 9:30am... but I just couldn't help it. I NEEDED a shower. I hadn't showered in two days and I was just dying to wash my hair.

Big mistake.

I should have learned the first time. I swore I wouldn't take a shower before his typical poop-time just in case. Even though lately he really hadn't been filling his diaper until sometime in the afternoon, I should have known that the day I wanted a shower around 9am would be the day he went poop.

It's become a routine. Not the pooping in the bath tub, but taking a shower with Michael in his little Whale-of-a-Tub at the other end of the bath tub. It works wonderfully.

Every now and then I get to escape and take a shower by myself, but at this point when Michael touches my wet hair he looks at me like I've betrayed him. Somewhere in his brain he seems to realize that I took a shower without him. It's cute and strange all at the same time.

Anyway.

I just couldn't wait any longer. Besides, a shower/bath always makes Michael sleepy. Since Clark and I went on a date last Friday, he really hasn't been napping well. I decided that a bath would help him nap well. (Fingers crossed he's made it over the twenty-five minute hump.)

I ran the water, put him in his tub, and all seemed to be going well.

Until he made the face.

Side note: Lately Michael's bowels have been a little more... solid. (Sorry if this is TMI. I suppose this story all together could be classified as TMI.) I'm not sure what food that he's been enjoying makes it this way. I think it might be the avocado (I have yet to research if this could be the case).

Michael's face the past couple of days has been a little more strained. You can REALLY tell when he's going because he has this vain that tends to stick out in his forehead and he starts grunting. Poor baby. I've been giving him a little water everyday (since he pretty much loves my Camelbak) to help him out.

Back to the story.

So, he made the face. He seemed so focused and that vein started popping out.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to pick him up, honestly. I didn't have time (or the traction) to attempt to get him to the toilet in time to just poop over it. I knew that one way or another something was going to come out of his rear end and I didn't have any way of preventing it.

So I knelt down in the shower, put my hand under his bottom, and waited.

A few seconds (or minutes... not sure which) later I tip-toed out of the shower, tossed the poop into the toilet, and flushed it away. I got back in the shower, drained and refilled his tub, and went back to washing.

I officially have no shame. I officially have no problem with any sort of anything that may come out of his body. I am officially a mother.

In years to come, this will be one of the stories I can share with Michael when he has kids. Or I can share it before then to embarrass him. I'm sure I'll decide in the moment when it will be best to watch his cheeks turn red due to "shame" or laughter.

I learned two more lessons.

1. Don't take a shower until I'm absolutely certain Michael's not going to go poop, or he already has and I think there's a good break before he'll go again. (Supposedly I learned this last time....)

2. Make a plan to start bathing Michael by himself again. This way, if he goes poop in the bath (or makes "the face"), it will be easier to take care of and will not involve handling poop in any sort of way.

So, after several successes in making Michael homemade pureed foods, I decided I wanted to go all out. I didn't want to buy any pre-made foods. This meant stop buying Beech Nut Banana Rice Cereal and start making stuff at home.

Baby Bullet thought of this. Included in the mini cookbook you get, it had directions on how to make rice cereal. I was very excited. So, when I made the grocery list for the week, I left off the box of cereal for Michael.

In the morning I made 1 C of brown rice, without reading the directions in the cookbook.

This was Mistake #1 (aka Batch #1).

Once I read the directions and it explained that you didn't cook the rice first, but in fact milled the uncooked rice, I was discouraged. However, I thought it'd be ok. This way it would just make the cereal creamier.

Oh, bother.

I stuck the cooked rice in the Batch Bowl with a thawed (once frozen) banana. I did this so the flavor would be there that he was used to.


It was way too runny. And even though I had cooked the rice, there was a weird grainy texture to the cereal that Michael was not used to and I was almost afraid he'd choke on. Plus, the one banana in the whole batch of cereal was just not enough.




First batch, after taste tested by Michael and definitely not approved, was tossed out. I saw no reason to save it.

The second time I followed the directions. I milled 1/4 C of rice and slow cooked it on the stove like you would oatmeal or porridge (I'm only assuming since I've never made porridge).

This was Mistake #2 (aka Batch #2).

While the cereal was supposedly cooking, I used the short cup and mixed up 3/4 of a banana. (I ate the 1/4th that wouldn't fit into the short cup... oops.) However, this was not enough banana to go with the amount of water I had put in the short cup. But I decided that I'd make the cereal a little thicker and then add the banana to it.


Well, even though the cereal "cooked" for as long as it was supposed to, and even longer, it was still too runny. But I thought I'd give it a try. I added the watery banana mixture to it.

Needless to say, Michael did not approve the second time.

Yuck.

The last time I really thought I had it. I realized that I needed to mill the rice, like the directions said, but needed to cook it differently.

The directions said to add the milled rice to water and bring it to a boil, then reduce it and let it simmer (like oatmeal, basically). This time, however, I cooked it like Cream of Wheat.

What does that mean? Well, for those of you who have not had Cream of Wheat, I brought the water to a boil FIRST and then whisked in the cereal and let it cook for a good three minutes. I really thought this did the trick. The consistency seemed to match the consistency of the boxed stuff.

I mixed in pear since we were, at this point, out of bananas.



As I served it into the bowl, I noticed it still looked a little grainy, like the first batch. However, it seemed so close I figured this was the result of making it at home. I was sure Michael would love it and wouldn't mind the slightest difference of texture.

Mistake #3 (aka Batch #3).




Michael didn't like it.

He wanted the boxed stuff.

(By the way, this was over the course of two days. Mistake #1 was in the afternoon of day 1, Mistake #2 was in the evening of day 1, and Mistake #3 was the next morning.)

Michael had pear for breakfast and we moved on to oatmeal the next morning.

If you know the secret to homemade rice cereal, please share!

This recipe comes from Skinnytaste.com. I made a few adjustments, but for the original recipe check out the link!

This is a new favorite of Clark's. He's one of those people that prefers linguine over spaghetti. While I am not one of "those" people, I did enjoy this recipe!! It's perfect for a night when you're craving pasta and something spicy!

Supplies:

- 8 oz uncooked linguine
- 1 lb chicken strips
- Cajun seasoning
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 8 oz fresh or canned sliced mushrooms
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
- Garlic powder
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 C of chicken broth (or 1 C of water + 1 tsp of chicken bouillon)

Directions:

- Make sure to prep all your veggies before hand. That is the most time consuming part of this recipe!
- Cook the linguine according to the directions. Make sure it stays warm, so perhaps don't drain it until right before you add it to the mix!

- Generously season your chicken strips. If you don't like things too spicy, you're in control! Add as much flavor as you think you'll enjoy. If you REALLY want it to have a kick, don't be stingy-- cover the chicken as thoroughly as you can with the Cajun seasoning.
- Cook the chicken on medium-high heat in a large saucepan (I used a Wok). Make sure to spray the pan with cooking spray! Once the chicken's cooked, remove from the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the olive oil to the pan, then the bell peppers, onion powder, and minced garlic. Saute for three to four minutes.
- Add mushrooms and tomatoes and saute for three to four more minutes (or until the veggies are tender). Season the veggies to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (and some Cajun seasoning if you want more spice).
- Reduce heat to low and add the chicken broth.
- Cook for a few minutes to let the chicken broth seep in, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken and let it cook until warm.
- Last step? Add your prepared linguine!
- Top it off with chopped scallions, maybe more seasoning, and salt & pepper to taste.

Voile! Enjoy your fabulous new pasta dish!

So, Michael's been trying out some new solids! Post to come about making homemade rice cereal and how impossible it is.

As you know, he tried homemade applesauce and sweet potatoes. Once we started adding cinnamon to the applesauce, he absolutely loved it. Other flavors he's tried?

Avocado.

Because my avocado was so ripe I only used 1/8 C water with it, not the usual 1/4 C.




Pear.

Use one whole pear and 1/4 C of water or less if the pear is really ripe.


(You can't really tell from the pictures, but he loved it. This last one is him trying to get a drop off of his tray.)


Homemade rice cereal (as I said, specific post to come).




Mixed Fruit (apple and banana) Oatmeal Cereal (made by Beech Nut).






His favorite is still sweet potatoes, though. No matter what we try, he still gets the most excited when he takes a bite of sweet potatoes. What's he trying next? Butternut Squash and Banana by itself. Yummmm.