I know! You thought after this incident, that baby fever wouldn’t hit again, didn’t you? Reading through that post from that awful day, I am honestly amazed by it myself. Then you thought, “Oh, her kids are getting a bit older now, things are running fairly smoothly these days . . . she can get out of the house without a diaper bag full of the necessities for a newborn. She gets to sleep through the night . . . no nursing sessions every 2 hours each and every day. Why would she want to add another baby into the mix to just cause chaos in her already semi-chaotic world?” Yeah, exactly. You are so right. I should listen to you more often.

But, you know what, it is still there and it isn’t going away.

A special thanks for starting this whole fever goes out to you, you, you and you know what . . . I’m even blaming you a bit just because my Ella was born on the same day as Shiloh, and here you are going and having more babies. It also doesn’t help matters that Ella is at about the cutest stage of life ever . . . well, minus the humongous fits and incredibly strong personality . . . she really is doing some adorable things these days. Really, she is . . . trust me.

There was a reason we have been getting rid of all of our baby stuff the second Ella grows out of it . . . my husband is 100%, completely and totally happy to have three kids. It is probably a good thing he doesn’t read my blog or I imagine I would be padlocked away in a room somewhere until I reach menopause.

Tomorrow, I am sure I’ll change my mind. Someone will puke on my head, we will have a grocery-store meltdown, or even worse . . . the children will eat all the bread that I made and I won’t get a single bite. Oh, wait! That did happen. In fact, it happend tonight with my little bambino loaf of Challah bread. I took the bread out of the oven, had one tiny nibble while it was still hot (because I personally can’t contain myself when it comes to waiting for bread to cool), left for a two-hour meeting and came back to no bread. Not even a single crumb. Hubby placed blame on the kids, which I am not completely buying, but I do bet those little selfish creatures had a lot to do with it.

Well, guess what. Baby fever is officially out the window. I can share my body, I can share my life . . . I can even get through diaper bags, 2 a.m. feedings, grocery-store meltdowns, puking on the head, etc., but I draw the line at sharing food with one more person in this family. So, back off baby thoughts, the next loaf is mine. All mine.

Braided Bread Machine Challah (from Recipezaar)

45 min | 15 min prep

1 loaf

There was a time in my life when I used to shave my legs … every single day. It was part of my luxurious morning routine to lounge around in the shower, exfoliate, and shave.

There was a time in my life when I would not leave the house without makeup on. Even as I started having contractions at home in the middle of the night with my first child, I got up, took a shower, and put on makeup. I did not want the pictures taken of me in the hospital to be without makeup.

There was a time in my life where I always had polished, well-manicured hands. On the day my husband proposed to me, I had just taken my fingernail polish off and had gone out for a run. I was sweaty and gross. When he got down on one knee, took my hand, and presented the ring to place on my finger, I seriously gasped at my fingers … forgetting that I had removed the polish. I ran into the bathroom, painted my nails, and came back to him to say “yes” and allow him to place the ring on my hand. (Can you believe he went through with it after that “diva” moment?)

And, there was a time in my life that I ran. Enough said.

In relation to the above statement, there was a time in my life that I actually weighed what is listed on my driver’s license.

There was a time in my life where I considered a can of Diet Coke to be a good breakfast. Little did I know what I had been missing …

I bid farewell to that time in my life. I cheer for this time in my life, where life is so happily full I don’t have time to worry about what color my underwear and bra are, where I shave my legs almost every day (but not quite), and I have a few more curves (OK … the driver’s license bureau folks would keel over laughing if they saw me and my driver’s license in the same room), but those extra curves are the result of a few precious kiddos (aka my excuses) and the realization that breakfast beyond Diet Coke is something I could really get used to.

It is time to out with the old, and in with the new. Breakfast is hip, trendy, fashionable, and sexy. Are you convinced yet? If not, check out this recipe from fellow food-blogging buddy Deborah at Taste and Tell. Try it once and you will be knocking shaving your legs and intimate apparel coordinating down on the list of morning priorities to make room for starting your day off with a great breakfast.

Brown Sugar Muffins from Deborah at Taste and Tell

Makes 16 muffins

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup nuts, chopped coarsely (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease or line 16 muffin cups.

Combine all ingredients until mixed. Fill prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Are you ready for some muffins? Try out these other recipes from food bloggers around the blogosphere:

• Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping, from Sunday Nite Dinner
• Pumpkin Muffins, from Muffin Top
• Chocolate Flecked Multigrain Muffins, from Baking and Books
• Cottage Cheese and Eggs Breakfast Muffins, from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Cinnamon Muffins, from Baking Sheet

At first I was irritated … I mean really ticked off. Then, I took a breath and stepped back and thought a bit. I could go down the “why does this kind of stuff always happen to us?” road but instead decided to change my perspective. We are lucky that this happened to our van the day it happened because we knew as soon as we got the total repair bill that we would be able to pay it without dipping into any special fund. The money that we needed was right there in our mailbox, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

So, my post today serves as nothing more than a reminder to shift your perspective before you react to things. Remember that there are always people out there who have it worse off and who still manage to wake up each day and smile. From their perspective, there are people in the world who have it far worse than them. It is all how you look at it.

I cannot think of any way at all to tie this in to a recipe, but will tell you that if you do as I did and bake this Bundt cake into 4 mini loaf pans instead of the Bundt cake pan, you will have enough cake to go around and can share some with the people you love, are thankful for, or who need a new perspective on life. A kind act from you, like giving someone down on their luck a delicious chocolate loaf, can shift their perspective and help them to remember that they are pretty damn lucky … life really is good.

Decadent Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake (From March 2008 issue of Cooking Light magazine)

Glaze:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup chocolate-flavored liqueur
2 tablespoons butter

Cake:
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour (about 13 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate minichips
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1. To prepare glaze, combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cool completely.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F.

3. To prepare cake, drizzle oil into a 12-cup Bundt pan; coat pan thoroughly with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons flour, shaking out excess. Coat prepared pan with cooking spray.

4. Place 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and 6 tablespoons butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

5. Lightly spoon 3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 3 cups flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Beat 2 minutes. Fold in chips. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Swirl batter using a knife.

6. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately pour glaze over cake. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Invert cake onto a serving plate; cool completely. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.

So, you like Bundt Cakes? Check out these other great recipes from the food blogging community:

• Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake, from Joy the Baker
• Pumpkin Bundt Cake, from Whipped
• Luscious Lemon Bundt Cake, from Stephanie’s Kitchen
• Mint Chocolate Bundt Cake, from Foodaphilia

So, yesterday when I was making breakfast and had the blueberries out on the table for them to help themselves to, I heard my 4- year-old say under her breath, “Uh-ohhhhhh.” Then, I heard the words, “Ummmmm, Mommy? Do blueberries stain?” It was at that point that I turned around to see my two-year-old (who you know has been a challenge lately) covered from head to toe in a blueberry stain of a mess. I am not exactly sure what she did with those blueberries . . . I’m assuming she used them as body paint . . . but she sure had fun doing it.

Luckily, I had enough remaining blueberries left from her experiment to make this tasty Blueberry Coffee Cake from the May 2008 issue of Cooking Light. This cake is moist and flavorful . . . and the turbinado sugar on the top really makes this recipe complete.

Worth any stains you might endure (and the extra baths and loads of laundry), this cake is a delightful breakfast treat.

Blueberry Coffee Cake, from the May 2008 issue of Cooking Light

1 hour | 10 min prep

SERVES 8

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1 1/3 cups low-fat buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

As someone who writes for a food blog and other food related sites, and someone who also loves to read food blogs, I can admit that often times I will make something simply because I believe it will be good food blog fodder. This train of thought often leads me to leave out those things that might be more ordinary. (Okay - what is ordinary to me and what is ordinary to you may be completely different things, but just go with it, please.)

My husband and I attended a party on Saturday night and we were asked to bring an appetizer and dessert. It was an outdoor party, so I knew that I wanted something light and refreshing . . . something that could withstand the heat if it got too hot.  Chocolate was out. Frozen desserts were out. Anything with a lot of cream or dairy products was out. As I took a look through my “I will make this someday” list, I stumbled upon the Golden Buttermilk Cake with Strawberries recipe and thought I should give that a try. But, then, I hesitated. It seems like such an ordinary cake . . . how would I spin it into a blog post? What could possibly be entertaining about a plain old buttermilk cake?

Well, blogging thoughts thrown aside and the desire to mark another thing off my list taking precedence, I decided to forgo the excitement of an extraordinary dessert and go for the ordinary. After I photographed my little slice of cake, I slipped it back onto the serving plate and we headed out to the party.

I learned a very good lesson that day. Sometimes the ordinary really is extraordinary, just disguised under a simple facade. I set the cake down with the dish of cut-up strawberries next to it, went with my husband to scout out a place to put our stuff, came back to get some food, and noticed that my cake was almost all gone! The party had barely even begun, and people were snatching up little slices of my ordinary cake and topping it with the strawberries and were passing up things that were much fancier. I hurriedly snatched up a piece and my husband and I sat down and both mmmmm’d our way through each bite.

This cake does not need fanfare. It does not need fancy words or an elaborate description. It just needs you to give it a try and you can discover for your self how wonderful ordinary can be.
Golden Buttermilk Cake with Strawberries - Cooking Light, March 2007
1 cup cake flour (about 4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup egg substitute (I used one egg as I was out of egg substitute)
2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
4 cups sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place 1/3 cup granulated sugar and butter in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg substitute; beat just until combined. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition. Stir in vanilla (batter will be thick).

Spoon batter into an 8-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over top of cake.

Combine berries and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve berry mixture with cake.

Yield:  8 servings (serving size: 1 cake slice and 1/2 cup berry mixture)

CALORIES 193 (29% from fat); FAT 6.3g (sat 3.8g, mono 1.5g, poly 0.4g); IRON 1.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 16mg; CALCIUM 75mg; CARBOHYDRATE 31.4g; SODIUM 253mg; PROTEIN 3.5g; FIBER 2g

After finally finishing my “I Will Make This Someday - Magazine Version” list, which let me tell you … was quite the project … I felt like I needed to make something just so I could mark it off the list.

Out shopping for produce yesterday, I came across a stand that had fresh peaches. Juicy, ripe, and delicious peaches. Peaches have never been my favorite fruit, but there was something about these peaches that was so tempting. I decided to pick up a few pounds to bring home, remembering that one of the recipes on my list was for a peach cobbler.

Texas Peach Cobbler is what I ended up making with the fresh peaches I brought home. This recipe was a perfect use of the peaches as the cobbler complemented the true flavors of the peaches well. If you, like me, enjoy making lists, then make sure you add Texas Peach Cobbler to your list … even if it is just so you can mark it off the same day!

Texas Peach Cobbler, from Cooking Light Magazine

Filling:
4 cups (about 2 pounds) ripe peaches, sliced and peeled
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Batter:
6 tablespoons butter
11/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 51/2 ounces)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground cinnamon
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.To prepare filling, combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside.

To prepare batter, place butter in an 8-inch square baking dish. Place dish in oven 5 minutes or until butter melts. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through dash of cinnamon) in a medium bowl. Combine milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter over butter, spreading evenly (do not stir). Spoon peach mixture over batter, gently pressing peaches into batter. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until crust is golden.

Yield: 8 servings

CALORIES 294 (28% from fat); FAT 9.3g (sat 5.7g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.5g); IRON 1.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 24mg; CALCIUM 118mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51g; SODIUM 235mg; PROTEIN 4.2g; FIBER 2.2g

If your day has started off with a “looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed” frame of mind, don’t fret. There is still a way to turn your day around easily without losing it to the bad karma monsters. Start your morning off with a delicious breakfast. Fruit, yogurt, cereal, toast, bagels . . . take a few minutes out to sit with your family to eat and your day will most certainly start to turn around the right way. (Well, that is if no one spills their milk or empties a whole box of cereal onto the floor while pulling it down off of the pantry shelf.)

For an extra-special start to the day, I like to make breakfast pizza. If you are pressed for time, preparing it the night before and then baking it in the morning works out well. Guaranteed to turn any down in the dumps outlook into an optimistic frame of mind, this pizza is filling, flavorful, and very easy to put together. Fend off a bad day the right way with the right start. What a difference the right breakfast can make! Recipe after the jump . . .

Breakfast Pizza

1 lb ground pork

5 slices bacon

1 8oz package Pillsbury crescent rolls

1 cup shredded hash browns - thawed

1 4-ounce can mushrooms, drained

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

5 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Brown pork and drain fat. Cook bacon and blot off grease. Cut bacon into small, bite-size pieces. Lightly spray a 9- x 13-inch glass cake pan with cooking spray. Press crescent rolls on bottom and up sides of pan. Layer pork, hash browns, mushrooms, bacon, Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses on top of crescent roll dough. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Pour egg and milk mixture over the top of other ingredients in the 9- x 13-inch pan. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

Fast forward to 10:30 a.m., I am just getting ready to go and pick up the middle munchkin from preschool, and the phone rings. Sure enough, it was the school nurse. “I have Jacob in my office . . . he just got sick in class.” Ugh . . . “No, he didn’t make it to the bathroom, but he seems to be okay at the moment. How soon can you pick him up?” I was up there within minutes, feeling horrible that he had to be embarrassed in class simply because I didn’t listen to my instinct and keep him home. Bring on the mom of the year award, again!

Over the past week I have been tormented by the Epicurious widget on my blog. A photo of some gorgeous Lemon-Raspberry cupcakes kept tempting me, and I knew they would be in my future soon. For some reason, the urge to bake overwhelmed me this afternoon, so I decided to give the Lemon-Raspberry cupcakes a try. I love raspberry anything . . . my kids, however, haven’t developed the taste for raspberries yet. They prefer things on the mainstream line . . . strawberries, bananas, grapes . . . kid fruit. As you know, I am usually a “follow the recipe” kind of gal, and I rarely get creative in the kitchen doing my own thing. Unlike some of you, I have yet to develop that great kitchen instinct. Well, today, with these cupcakes, I made a minor change. Nothing major, because you know, that would be a bit of a stretch for me. I don’t want to get out of hand or anything . . . can’t be getting all crazy like that in the kitchen just like that!

I trusted my instinct and decided to change the raspberry to strawberry and then topped them with a banana slice. Strawberry combined with banana is one of my favorite flavor combinations, and trusting my instinct with these cupcakes resulted in a dessert that was not only tasty, but a hit with my kids (or at least the two who weren’t losing their lunch).

I may have not had my instinct mojo going this morning when I sent my son to school, but I got it back this afternoon with these yummy cupcakes! This recipe is so versatile, you can trust your own instincts and use your own fruity flavor combinations. Now, go get crazy!

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes from Epicurious.com