Excited about a sister

As far as we know, it's still a girl - so, my uncle Bob came in town last weekend and painted a daisy on the wall above where her crib will go. Doesn't it look real? It looks even better in person.

I have about 7 weeks left to go, so it's getting close...and I can't wait to have my body back! Daddy and Stone are very excited about having a daughter/sister. What will I do with a girl!?! I'm so NOT girly, but I know it will be fun!

Our daughter's initials are SMS. We still haven't told what her name will be, but if you'd like to guess, you can contribute $5 per guess and it will go in a pot. If you're right, you win the pot. If no one guesses her name, the pot will become the beginning of her college fund. (That was all Chet's idea).

The RAMEKIN

Recently, I enjoyed ordering a few things from Crate & Barrel (as I always do!)…but I had a gift certificate and that made it all the more fun. So, since I didn’t have to pay for them, I got some new kitchen gadgets (as if I needed any) and I’m very pleased with my selections. One of the items I purchased is a ramekin – actually, I purchased 12 of them because they were on sale. The ones in the picture are for reference only - the ones I purchased were of all different colors.

A RAMEKIN is defined as “an individual baking dish” according to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary. (One of my favorite sites since I’m definitely not the English guru). It is used most often for soufflé type desserts, but can also be used for individual servings of lasagna and such. The best part about them, I think, is you can bake in them and don’t have to serve each guest from a big dish (which often results in a mess)– the guests can have their own little dish which makes the occasion even more “special.”

Last night, I was discussing the above mentioned ramekins I purchased with a friend who didn’t understand the purpose at all. To start, said friend asked if it was a ram-a-can, and I quote, “Like when you ram-a-can on your head after you finish the beer?” I was astounded and could not believe the analogy or the pronunciation of the word…much less, the degrading of my new purchase from a fancy soufflé baker to something in which you would store jello. How dare he (yes, it was a man) suggest that my fancy ladies’ dinners be degraded to something less than lady-like.

Anyway, after the shock wore off, I realized that said friend just needs a little lesson in etiquette and I will be sure he receives it promptly. Until then, does anyone have a good soufflé recipe?