dinner at eight :: simply dessert

{Dinner at Eight is a special project I am doing with my friend Rebekah this year - planning date nights at home for our husbands every other week, putting the kids to bed early and being intentional about our marriages! Read more Dinner at Eight posts HERE!}

I am so glad that last week Rebekah and I planned something really simple for Dinner at Eight. Both her and I have had a crazy busy month so far, and I don't think either of us would have been able to pull off a fancy date very easily this time around!

When we decided to do a dessert based date, I immediately knew what I wanted to make for Erik. Banana Cream Pie. It is one of his very favorite desserts, yet I never make it for him. I had a huge failure the first time I tried to make it two years ago and have been too scared to try it again.

Here's the story: I whipped the heavy whipping cream too long in my Kitchen Aid and it turned into butter! My mama was so right when she said that all it takes is turning your head away from the mixer for one second. Then to make matters worse, because I was so short on time and couldn't run to the store to buy more cream, I tried to make the whipped cream/butter work anyway! Gross. I still can't believe I did that. Erik was so sweet about the whole thing. When I asked him how it tasted, he said, "Well, it tastes good, but it has a really strange texture..." That's when I confessed that he was eating banana flavored butter and I promised to not make it again anytime soon.

But it has been TWO years and Erik's birthday was on the day of our planned date night, so I decided to give Banana Cream Pie another shot. With a different recipe and as much confidence as I could muster, I shooed my little ones outside to play and set to work making my husband's favorite dessert.

And I am pleased to say that it turned out amazing ! Not only was it delicious, but Erik was pleasantly surprised when I pulled it out of the fridge after the kids had gone to bed. He hadn't even known that I had been planning a special little date for us in honor of his birthday. And best of all, he had completely forgotten about the butter incident; when I asked him about it, he didn't even know what I was talking about! We ended up having a really sweet date. And Banana Cream Pie? A complete success!

P.S. Don't forget to check out Rebekah's date with Chris!

P.P.S. Rebekah and I have both gotten quite a bit of feedback about Dinner at Eight through comments + emails and there has been quite a bit of interest from other ladies who would like to join our Dinner at Eight challenge and bless their husbands. Both Rebekah and I feel so encouraged and excited about that! We believe so strongly that God wants to do incredible things in all of our marriages. And our two marriages have definitely seen the fruit of these intentional dates over the past six months. We are currently planning to open up the challenge to all of you starting in July. I truly hope that you will consider joining us and seeing how God will use Dinner at Eight dates to revolutionize your marriages. More details to come soon!

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BANANA CREAM PIE

Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook 

THE CRUST: 

(I would love to try this with a homemade crust someday, but I didn't have time this week)

one refrigerated pie crust (at room temperature)

graham cracker crumbs (I crushed up 3 graham crackers)

Preset your oven to 375 degrees.

Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on the surface where you are planning to roll out your dough (like you would with flour). 

Roll the pie dough over the crumbs, adding more and flipping sides as needed. 

Place the dough in a buttered pie plate and form the crust. But be careful- it is super fragile!

Prick the dough with a fork to prevent air bubbles from forming while it is baking.

Cover the dough with foil (to prevent it from browning too quickly) and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Set aside to cool. 

THE FILLING:

1/2 c. plus 2 T. sugar

1/4 c. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

5 large egg yokes

2 c. whole milk

1/2 c. evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 T. unsalted butter

2 ripe bananas, sliced thin

Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium saucepan. 

Whisk in the egg yolks, then immediately, but gradually whisk in the milk and evaporated milk.

Add the vanilla.

Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently, then cook for 1 minute until the mixture is thick and smooth. 

Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter.

Pour the filling into a shallow pan. 

Lay a sheet of plastic wrap to the surface of the filing to prevent a skin from forming and allow to cool at room temperature until just warm, about 30 minutes.

Pour half of the warm filling into the baked, cooled pie crust.

Place the sliced bananas on top of the filling.

Pour the remaining filling on top of the bananas and again lay a sheet of plastic wrap flush to the surface of the filling. 

Refrigerate the pie until completely chilled, about 4 hours.

THE TOPPING: 

1 c. heavy whipping cream, chilled

1 T. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Just before serving, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla together in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. 

Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie. 

Top with more sliced bananas. 

(The pie, without the topping, can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 1 day. The cream can be whipped and refrigerated separately from the pie, wrapped tightly in plastic warp, for up to 2 hours.)

dinner at eight :: italian style - part 2

{Dinner at Eight is a special project I am doing with my friend Rebekah this year - planning date nights at home for our husbands every other week, putting the kids to bed early and being intentional about our marriages! Read more Dinner at Eight posts HERE!}

This date more than ever reminded me of the importance of setting aside intentional time with my husband. Last week was a seriously exhausting week. It was super busy- there were lots of things taking us away from home all week, which contributed to the physical exhaustion. But there were also some serious things going on that were weighing really heavy on my heart. The kind of things that consume you. The kind of things that you have to just keep on handing back to the Lord, over and over again. 

So try as I could, I just couldn't pull our date off on time. So I postponed it, with the intention of doing it Friday night. Friday night came, I made our main dish, but we were both too tired to make it happen. So we postponed it to Saturday night. Saturday I was gone all day because I had two photoshoots out of town. Came home and we both agreed to postpone the date yet again. Big mistake. 

I woke up on Sunday morning in the worst mood. Seriously bad. And I just couldn't snap out of it. But I didn't have any problem snapping at Erik and the kids. Oh, it was bad. And of course, my bad mood rubbed off on everyone. By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, we were all grumpy. Erik let me take a nap (because I obviously needed one!) and I woke up feeling much better and determined to make up for how I had been acting all day. 

I read this quote on a dear friend's facebook page on Sunday night and it describes it all so perfectly: 

"It takes a certain amount of effort to be miserable and another kind of effort to be happy, and I was willing to do the work of happiness."

Ann Patchett, "Truth and Beauty

I fed the kids dinner and got them ready for bed, then I set to work preparing for our Italian feast. Meanwhile, Erik headed to the hardware store to get some supplies for our little backyard garden. And that, my friends, was the secret. We both spent time apart, consciously doing something for the other person. While I was preparing our dinner, I was thinking about Erik and how I wanted to make the dinner special for him. I was preparing my heart for our time together. And at the same time, Erik was doing something for me- he knew that I really wanted to get started on our garden during the weekend, so he took the time to get the supplies and begin work on it; doing something special and intentional for me. I can't even begin to tell you how much willingly, intentionally serving your spouse changes your heart. It works. It really truly works. 

And in reference to my plans, here is how the date went...

 {pull the little square kitchen table into the living room  for something different}

 We tried this (Erik was hesitant at first) and we ended up loving it! It felt so much more cozy and intimate sitting at a smaller table, and Erik even made the comment that it made it feel like we were in a restaurant!

{cover it (the table) with a tablecloth ( hopefully red + white checkered + vinyl (!), if I can find one at Joann's...)}

I ended up to just using one of my own vintage tablecloths and it worked just fine. I didn't have the time to search for anything fancy during the week, but my mother-in-law did mention that she saw some of the red + white checkered ones at Safeway, if anyone else is interested! 

{lots and lots and lots of white tea lights in little canning jars, Rebekah-style }

Why oh why do I not do this more often? It is such an easy and beautiful way to dress up a table. Totally going to be a staple from now on. 

  

{fiestaware plates (as usual)- maybe the green + red this time...or would that be TOO Italian?}

 Used the fiestaware, but ended up just grabbing a random assortment of colors. 

 {red wine}   

 I am not the best at picking out wine (that is usually Erik's job!), so rather than spend a lot on a really bad bottle, I ended up just grabbing one of the cheap $2 bottles at the grocery store. It wasn't the best wine we have ever had, but it was good enough!

{garlic bread}

 I bought roasted garlic french bread from Costco, sliced, buttered, and broiled it and it was awesome.

{a green salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette}

Didn't end up making homemade vinaigrette, but no one noticed! 

{this pasta for the main course- a Pioneer Woman recipe}

It was my first time trying this particular recipe and it ended up being pretty good. Erik like how meaty it was, with less emphasis on the tomatoes. To be honest, if it had been my choice, I would have made this (it is amazing!), but since it was all for Erik, I think it was a good option! However, if I make it again, I will definitely half the recipe- we ended up having way too much left over.

{creme puffs for dessert}

I did buy some from Costco, but Erik wanted ice-cream instead (which always sounds good to me!). 

{the conversation will include lots of reminiscing about our trip to Italy five years ago}

Truth be told, we didn't talk about our trip to Italy at all. But we had a really great conversation, nonetheless! 

{the night will end with a showing of one of the following movies (I am still undecided. Or maybe I will let him choose!): Roman Holiday, Gladiator (needed to throw a guy/action movie in there), or Return to Me. I am kind of leaning towards Return to Me because we haven't seen it in forever, but of course, I always love Audrey Hepburn...}

 Yet another confession: no Italian-themed movies were watched. By the time we were done with dinner, it was nearly 11:00 and Erik really wanted to watch a rerun of SNL, so that is what we did!

{And just in case you are tempted to think that the entire date went off without a hitch, let it be known that we were interrupted many a time by a certain five year old...}

In retrospect, if I had the entire thing to do over, I would have made all the extra effort it took to make this date happen so much sooner. I would have made sure it happened on Friday, or at the very latest Saturday. We desperately needed the time together and nothing cured our grumpiness until we invested some intentional attention to each other.

Lesson learned.

{Dinner at Eight :: Italian Style- Part 1 can be found HERE!}

{And don't forget to check out Rebekah's lovely (as always!) date HERE!}

dinner at eight :: italian style - part 1

{Dinner at Eight is a special project I am doing with my friend Rebekah this year - planning date nights at home for our husbands every other week, putting the kids to bed early and being intentional about our marriages! Read more Dinner at Eight posts HERE!}

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So this week's Dinner at Eight is going to be a little bit different. I am going to be sharing it in two parts- one today and one hopefully tomorrow. 

You see, this week has been rough. In almost every sense of the word. I have been tired, the kids have been naughty, my heart is hurting (about several situations that are completely out of my hands), and...did I already mention that I am so tired? 

Anyway...

Last night was supposed to be Erik and my Dinner at Eight, Italian style. But I just couldn't.pull.it.together.

I almost tried to. To rush around, stressing myself and the kids out. But I decided to just let it go and try again a different night. 

So today, I am just going to share my plan for my date with you. Then tomorrow, I will share photos + details about how it all went. Sound good? 

Here's the plan:  

• pull the little square kitchen table into the living room  for something different
• cover it with a tablecloth ( hopefully red + white checkered + vinyl (!), if I can find one at Joann's...)
•  lots and lots and lots of white tea lights in little canning jars, Rebekah-style  
• fiestaware plates (as usual)- maybe the green + red this time...or would that be TOO Italian?
• red wine 
• garlic bread
• a green salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette
• this pasta for the main course (we've never tried it before, but it looks like a good hearty man's meal!)
• creme puffs for dessert (don't know if they are truly "Italian", but they are yummy! and super easy because I can just grab them from the freezer section at Costco today)
• the conversation will include lots of reminiscing about our trip to Italy five years ago
• and the night will end with a showing of one of the following movies (I am still undecided. Or maybe I will let him choose!): Roman Holiday, Gladiator (needed to throw a guy/action movie in there), or Return to Me. I am kind of leaning towards Return to Me because we haven't seen it in forever, but of course, I always love Audrey Hepburn...

See you tomorrow!

dinner at eight :: love songs

{Dinner at Eight is a special project I am doing with my friend Rebekah this year - planning date nights at home for our husbands every other week, putting the kids to bed early and being intentional about our marriages! Read more Dinner at Eight posts HERE!}

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For this week's Dinner at Eight, Rebekah and I decided to put together playlists of some of our favorite love songs for our husbands. Instead of just picking some of my current favorite love songs, I decided to create a playlist that shares some of our favorite songs from different stages of our relationship. 

Now promise me you won't laugh. There is definite cheesiness involved here! But in all seriousness, I really, really enjoyed putting this together. I had so much fun reminiscing; the whole process reminded me how powerful music is in bringing back memories. When I listened to these songs, I was immediately transported back to where we were when we first listened to them. Whether it be our first home or when we started a family, these are a few of the songs that tell our story...

01. Roll To Me (Del Amitri): 
The summer camp where Erik and I met played this song every time we came into the dining hall for meals. Every time I hear this song, I immediately think of that rustic room surrounded by the beautiful mountains of British Columbia, Canada and everything that trip gave to me- a relationship with Christ and a future husband!

02. You Were Meant for Me (Jewel):
I bought the cd this song is on the week after I came home from camp and every time I listened to it, it made me think of that handsome, sweet boy from eastern Washington who I had just met and never thought I would see again.

03. Is This Love (Bob Marley):
I have a very vivid memory from the first time I visited Erik and his family (our senior year of high school) of him and I driving in his orange Volkswagen fastback, listening to this song. The boy loved reggie, and I was hoping that it was indeed love (I know, I know. So cheesy. But I really did think + wonder that!)

04. Baby I Love Your Way (Big Mountain):
I fully embraced reggie music after visiting Erik and this one was on repeat a lot. Of course, it didn't hurt that it was also on the soundtrack to my favorite movie at the time.

05. No Woman No Cry  (Bob Marley):
Erik requested this song at my senior prom. He still loved his reggie and I was hoping hoping for a kiss, but it was not yet to be...

06. Say a Little Prayer (My Best Friend's Wedding soundtrack):
No joke. Two days before we started dating, Erik and I went to see this movie together. It definitely got us thinking about our relationship and what we wanted it to be.

07. I Am Your Beloved (Vineyard Music):
Three months after we started dating, Erik went off to YWAM (I was soon to follow) and this song was one we both loved during that season. God was busy capturing our hearts and we were so passionate about Him.

08. Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble? (Delirious):
Another favorite song from our YWAM days. This song makes me think of Hawaii and the Philippines, trying to learn how to play guitar and dear friends.

09. What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong):
The one + only song that we have ever called "our" song. We had only been dating about five months and I was visiting him in Hawaii during his DTS with YWAM. We wanted to have a song of our own and after flipping through the cd collection at the house where we were staying, we landed on this one and have loved it ever since.

10. I Will Not Forget You (Enter the Worship Circle- 100 Portraits + Waterdeep):
Post YWAM days led into Bible college days and Enter the Worship Circle was on heavy, heavy rotation.

11. Faith My Eyes (Cademon's Call):
Cademon's Call was also very loved during those Bible college/early married days. In fact, their Forty Acres concert was one of my very first concerts ever. Cademon's Call + Enter the Worship Circle remind me so much of our first apartment, living in Ballard, WA.

12. You Put This Love in My Heart (Keith Green):
Erik and I both grew up listening to the music of Keith Green; our parents all became Christians in the 70s and he was a staple in the Christian music scene at the time. His music is part of my childhood soundtrack, as well as the early days of my journey of faith. Erik and were both such big fans that we included two of his songs in our wedding- You Put This Love in My Heart (we walked out to it at the end of our ceremony)  and Rushing Wind (played during communion).

13. 2 Dollar Shoes (Rosie Thomas):
After we got married, we lived in Ballard, went to Bible college, and both worked at Starbucks. Rosie Thomas was the music we heard almost every day at work and we loved her so much that we played her at home too.

14. Psalm 18 (Waterdeep):
Our love for Enter the Worship Circle lived on and on and on...

15. When You Come Back Down (Nickel Creek):
Not long after we got married, we discovered the music of Nickel Creek. The few concerts of theirs that we had the opportunity to go to still remain our favorite concerts of all time. 

16. Its Amazing (Mindy Smith):
At a Nickel Creek concert in Seattle, we were introduced to the music of Mindy Smith (she opened for them). Her music reminds me of our early days of living in Bellingham, WA. A sunny apartment, her music playing, happy days.

17. Yellow Ledbetter (Pearl Jam):
The essential Erik road trip song. No road trip is complete without it! This song especially makes me think of our road trip down the coast the summer before we got pregnant with Audrey. We cruised through Washington, Oregon, and California with no real agenda for two weeks other than to be together and drive. It was awesome.

18. Better Together (Jack Johnson):
This song makes me think of sweet happy days right after Audrey was born as a new family of three.

19. Gotta Have You (The Weepies):
I got the cd this song is on for my very first Mother's Day. Still one of my most favorite songs ever.

20. Mushaboom (Feist):
I heard this song for the first time when Audrey was a baby and immediately loved it so much. This song reminds me so much of our time together in the house we lived in our last year in Bellingham. In fact, I think we have video of Audrey trying to walk that has this song on playing in the background.

21. Such Great Heights (Iron and Wine):
We started listening to Iron and Wine after I checked out a few cds from the library because I had read rave reviews online. Iron and Wine bring back so many memories for me of our last summer in Bellingham, with Elliot as a baby and Audrey as a toddler. We were getting ready to move across the state and we were feeling sad, yet hopeful about our upcoming changes.

22. The Way I Am (Ingrid Michaelson):
This song reminds me of our early days in eastern Washington. Trying to figure out our way as the new people in town, feeling so grateful for each other and for our little family.

23. Your Hands (JJ Heller):
I have shared a little bit here and there about how the past year or so has been really rough for our family. Things are definitely looking brighter now and when I feel up to it, I might share a little bit more of our story. But this song was such an encouragement to us during those difficult times.

24. One Day (Matisyahu):
I know this song seems completely random, but for some reason over the past few months it has kind of become our family song. Whenever we turn it on, a dance party in the living room immediately ensues! And clearly Erik still has a little bit of that reggie loving soul in him...

25. Your Song (Ellie Goulding):
This has kind of became "our" song as of late. I first wrote about it here.

26. May Waltz (Brooke Fraser) and 27. All About Your Heart (Mindy Gledhill):
These are both newer songs that I have recently fallen in love with. I love it when I hear songs that immediately make me think of my husband and of the love we have. I love that even after almost 11 years of marriage and 14 years of being together, I still feel butterflies when I see him. He is a pretty amazing guy.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
(songs that were not available on the playlist website, but that we love):



* Land (JJ Heller):
I played this song to Erik for our anniversary last year. It is one that really speaks to us both about our marriage. It puts into words so many of the feelings + love I have for him.



* One-Eyed Cat (Jenny + Tyler):
Love love love this song! It is definitely my current favorite love song. Ironically Erik really, really loves to surf and wishes he could live by the ocean, and I have a slight ice-cream addiction...
And are they not just one of the cutest couples ever?

So, what are some of the songs that tell your story? I would love to hear!

And don't forget to check out Rebekah's Dinner at Eight! 

dinner at eight :: breakfast for dinner

{Dinner at Eight is a special project I am doing with my friend Rebekah this year - planning date nights at home for our husbands every other week, putting the kids to bed early and being intentional about our marriages! Read more Dinner at Eight posts HERE!}

{P.S. I am so sorry this week's post is a few days late! We were out of town last Wednesday to late Sunday night and I just was not able to get it up before I left!}

 Breakfast food. One of Erik and my favorites! I have so many fond memories of past dates at our favorite breakfast restaurants. Long Shoreman's Daughter (now closed) in Fremont Seattle when we were very first married, and  Little Cheerful + The Old Town Cafe when we lived in Bellingham. We have yet to find a favorite breakfast haunt in our current hometown, so for this date I set about recreating some favorites from the past.

First, I chose a name for our little at-home restaurant that combined two of our old favorites: The Old Cheerful Cafe. I searched and searched online for some kind of fun art to add to the menu cover and was so excited when I found this sweet teacup design as a free printable over at Creature Comforts.

I set our table using one of my favorite vintage tablecloths that was given to me by a dear friend, some colorful Fiestaware dishes, and canning jars for glasses. I love that Fiestaware can easily be dressed up or down and the colors just make me so happy. Little Cheerful is also one of the very first places that I really fell in love with Fiestaware. Our napkins were placed in an old galvanized bucket.

Creating our date night menu ended up being a bit harder than I had originally anticipated. With Easter Sunday falling just a couple days before our date, I realized a little too late that I had used some of our favorite breakfast foods for our family's after church Easter Brunch- quiche, banana muffins, + cinnamon petal biscuits.

So I asked Erik what his number one favorite breakfast food was and he said roasted red potatoes. Thankfully I hadn't made potatoes for Easter, so we had those. Audrey had been asking all week for me to make her favorite zucchini muffins, so I added those to the list. Then I just added a few more things that I knew were always hits- orange juice, glazed chocolate donuts from our favorite grocery store, a strawberry citrus salad, and well-done bacon (Erik insists on all of his meat being well-done!). I planned on also serving Irish Cream hot chocolate, but honestly once we had eaten everything else, we were completely full and not really in the mood for anything else sweet.

Another thing that was kind of a challenge with this date is the fact that Erik was home while I was trying to set it up. He just started a brand new job today (a huge huge answer to prayer!), and last week he ended up having a few days off in between jobs. So while I was trying to prepare all the food and set up the table, I was also trying to keep as much of it under wraps as I could!

When it was all said and done, Erik and I both agreed that this date was our very favorite one yet! So many of our favorite foods, combined with so many happy memories from our past. Erik also mentioned that he really loved the time I took to create a meaningful menu and a cozy table. Just like Rebekah, I had planned on us watching Breakfast at Tiffany's when we were done eating, but our stomachs were really full and we still had quite a bit of packing to do for our out of town trip the next day, so we ended up skipping it.

I am already really looking forward to our next Dinner at Eight!

{Don't forget to check out Rebekah's sweet Breakfast for Dinner date. That girl is seriously amazing when it comes to setting the atmosphere + decorating!}

dinner at eight :: mexican fiesta

{Dinner at Eight is a special project I am doing with my friend Rebekah this year - planning date nights at home for our husbands every other week, putting the kids to bed early and being intentional about our marriages! Read more Dinner at Eight posts HERE!}

I was so excited to surprise Erik with this week's Dinner at Eight! Mexican food is hands-down his favorite kind of food. Every time I make it, he tells me that he could eat it every day and never get tired of it. 

So I got to work planning. Erik's favorite steak tacos + all the fixings, check. My favorite recipe for Spanish rice, check. Mexican soda in glass bottles, check. Yellow tissue paper flowers, handmade by me, check. Chips + salsa (of course), check. A yummy Mexican inspired dessert, check. Pina Coladas to drink, check.

Yet, for all the pre-planning I did, I still procrastinated. I still waited until the last minute to purchase everything I needed. I completely disregarded my own suggestions for getting the little ones to bed early. In the end I was completely stressed out and overwhelmed trying to pull the whole thing off.

In one of my lowest moments, I remember yelling at Audrey to give me space so that I could make the tissue paper flowers for the table decorations. That is when God stopped me in my tracks. What was I doing? Were silly flowers really more important than my sweet little girl? Was it really necessary to spend my time + energy making them when my attention so obviously needed to be elsewhere?

I put my dinner plans + preparations aside. I sat and cuddled with my little ones for a bit. Then I made them dinner and talked to them about their day. Yes, I still had preparations for Dinner at Eight to do when Erik got home. And yes, I still had to run to the store to get a few last minute things. But my heart was in a much better place for it.

Our dinner was so lovely. Sure, it could have been eaten earlier. Sure, my decorations could have been fancier. Sure, we could have watched a Mexican inspired movie instead of Survior + Parenthood. But friends, it was still so perfect. Erik felt very loved (he told me so!) and as cheesy as it sounds, we went to bed with our stomachs and our hearts so very full.

And that my friends, is what Dinner at Eight is all about. It is so fun to plan our dates around a theme- to get caught up + inspired by the decorations and the meal planning, the whole atmosphere of the evening. But more than anything, it is about taking the time to celebrate our husbands. To show them love. To nurture our marriages. I feel like I say this every time, but being intentional is so, so powerful. And God can do amazing things with our hearts and our relationships with our husbands when we put forth heartfelt effort and attention.

I would love to hear in the comments about some of the creative ways that you are being intentional in your marriages!

And you can check out Rebekah's Mexican fiesta HERE!

MEXICAN INSPIRED ICE CREAM SUNDAES

chocolate ice-cream with brownie chunks

fudge sauce

whipped cream

a spinkle of cinnamon

Layer your ingredients in the order listed.

Next time I am going to add homemade cinnamon brownies for the bottom layer.

Don't be afraid of being generous with the sprinkle of cinnamon on top...

I wasn't sure about how it would taste myself and it was so yummy!

dinner at eight :: five tips for getting the kids to bed early

I am terribly sorry my Dinner at Eight post is so late! Rebekah and I planned on posting on Thursday night, but the internet coverage in my neighborhood went completely down that evening. It was actually down for more than 24 hours, which was super challenging for this internet dependent family! No email, no blogging, no facebook, no Netflix. A little break was actually a good thing, but once we had coverage again, I got really busy over the weekend with an engagement shoot + church + book club and completely forgot to post! So here is my post, a little late...

banner image Irene Suchocki

5 TIPS FOR GETTING THE KIDS TO BED EARLY

This week Rebekah + I decided to share a few of our favorite tips for getting our little ones to bed early on date night. While every family has their own routines, there are definitely some things you can do on date night to improve your chances of having a quiet evening at home with no interruptions! Here are five things I have found to help Audrey + Elliot go to sleep earlier:

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1. Be prepared to be interrupted by your little ones. If you are a typical mom in a typical family, you will be interrupted during your date night preparations by your little ones. You just will be! So rather than allow the interruptions to frustrate me and stress me out when they arise, I try to plan for them and embrace them. I try not to procrastinate with my date night preparations, spreading my to-do list over a couple of days rather than the afternoon of. That way when I am interrupted, I don't feel as frantic and overwhelmed and am able to put my projects aside and spend some time with my kids. I have found that when I do not plan ahead like this, there is a good chance that my kids will go to bed later because I am distracted with my to-do list up until the very last minute, and by the time bedtime rolls around they are desperate for my attention.

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2. Play outside. Get your kids outside! This is practically a no-fail way to get your little ones tired enough to go to sleep early. It seems like the more fresh air they get and the more they run around, the more worn out my kids are come evening time. Plus being outside just makes them super happy.

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3. No naps! Now I know this won't work for all families, but in ours it does wonders. Audrey hardly ever takes naps anymore, but Elliot usually still needs at least a couple a week. The beautiful thing is on the days that he doesn't take a nap, Elliot is in bed asleep no later than 7:00pm. So the days that I have a date scheduled with Erik, I do everything in my power to prevent Elliot from falling asleep during the day! This also goes back to the being prepared thing, because if I procrastinate and have any errands to do, he most likely will fall asleep in the car.

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4. Enlist your kids' help. My little ones love to help, especially when it comes to doing things in the kitchen. On date nights, I almost always save at least one part of the meal or dessert for them to help me make. Audrey also loves setting + decorating the table, so lately I have had her help more in that area as well. It seems like on days when I really make an effort to include them in my date preparations, they are less likely to feel left out when it is time for them to go to bed. I also love that my children are witnessing me make their daddy a priority. They are learning even now how much Erik and I cherish and love our time together and our marriage.

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5. Plan something special for your little ones. On the days that I have a date with Erik scheduled in the evening, I try to also plan a little something special for the kids. Sometimes it is a special outing, like an afternoon at the park or a trip to our favorite frozen yogurt shop. Or sometimes it is just something simple at home, like baking a treat together or spending an hour cuddling on the couch reading books. I have found that when I take the time to invest in my kids during the day, it really helps them be more cooperative when it comes to bedtime. I also make sure that they both have picked out a little something do to with daddy before bed, like a story to read or a quick game, so that they are able to have some quality time with him as well.

How about you? What are some of your favorite ways to get your little ones to bed early? Please share! And don't forget to check out Rebekah's tips!

dinner at eight :: husband's favorites

banner image Irene Suchocki

When Rebekah and I first started talking about doing the Dinner at Eight feature on our blogs, I mostly thought about how fun it would be. Planning the menus and decorations, getting dressed up for my man, quiet cozy nights together in our sweet home. And it has definitely been all those things.

But it has also been so much more. 

When you are intentional with your husband, when you are purposeful in planning your time together, it does some incredible and powerful things to your marriage. When you take the initiative to do special and thoughtful things for him instead of just having a random date at a restaurant, it really can be so much more meaningful.

And it goes way beyond the fun time planning dates and even the dates themselves.

I love my husband. I really truly do. So much. But we have been married almost eleven years and have been parents for the last five and a half. So I would be lying to say that it is always easy and it is always blissful. Since having kids we have talked many times about how much harder we have to work at our marriage, especially when it comes to be intentional with our time together. But saying it is one thing, putting it into practice is another.

Dinner at Eight has completely revolutionized that for me.

I know, I know. I sound a little bit overly dramatic. We are, after all, only two dates in. But I cannot even begin to tell you what this project has already done for my heart. I am finding myself falling in love with my husband in a completely new way. I am so excited to see what else God has in store for the project and my marriage!


Now on to our date...

HUSBAND'S FAVORITES! 

Erik requested steak and roasted potatoes for our dinner- a hearty guy type of meal! I knew I was not going to be able to start the steak until after the kids in bed and that because of that Erik would have to wait a little while for dinner to be ready. So I planned ahead and bought some of his favorite chips and one of his favorite magazines for him to enjoy while he waited. He was really surprised and appreciative!

I suggested adding a salad to our menu, but Erik turned it down. It was a strictly meat + potatoes kind of night!

When I had thought about what else I could include in a night of Erik's favorites, I immediately thought of a fun game my friend Jenny introduced me to recently: 10 Days in Europe. Anyone who knows Erik knows that he loves to travel and is kind of obsessed with maps and geography. This game is absolutely perfect for him!

Here is the game's description on Amazon:

Get packing! You have 10 days in Europe touring by plane, ship, or on foot. Chart your course from start to finish using destination and transportation tiles. With a little luck and clever planning, you just might outmaneuver your fellow travelers. The first traveler to make connections for a ten day journey wins the game. 

Needless to say, even though it was his very first time playing the game, he won by a landslide! 

For round two of the game, I brought out our dessert: my friend Leslie's  Ice Cream Casserole. Insanely easy and super yummy. I served Erik up a ginormous serving- about 1/4 of the entire casserole. He insisted that it was too much, but finished it just the same!

For more details about Dinner at Eight, please see here. 

And don't forget to check out Rebekah's sweet date with her husband! I always love her attention to all the little tiny details and I can't wait to try out her recipe for Irish Cream Chocolate Shakes!

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 Here is my tried and true recipe for roasted potatoes. Really easy to put together and always devoured by my little family. 

ROASTED RED POTATOES

(all of these amounts are estimates because I don't usually measure them!)

as many red potatoes as you need to fill up your pan, diced

 1-2 T. olive oil

1 tsp. oregano

 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced (I think the more the better!)

 salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Dice the potatoes and put them in desired size of pan- I usually use a 9x13 pan or a pie plate.

Add the remaining ingredients- olive oil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper- and mix together. 

Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

These are equally as good for breakfast as for dinner!