This is...

This is a sfogliatelle, my friends. Being the music nerd that I am I keep wanting to call it a solfegiatto, which is very, very incorrect. This is where my baking interest is taking me these days. A year ago if you stuck this glorified puff pastry with ricotta and orange zest filling at me I'd wrinkle up my nose and say, "no thanks...but please pass the plain bagel." Now I want to taste all of the amazing things people bake around the world. And, amazing it was. Roy says he wants to make these at home. I looked up the recipe...it basically screams "do not try this at home." (You need a pasta machine, among other massively expensive equipment.) So, an every now-and-then treat from your local Weggies bakery this sfogliatelle will be.

This is James modeling his new baking duds. He's recently taken an interest in baking, which I really don't think has anything to do with me. He probably read something about George at a bakery or saw an episode about it along the way. And, if George does it, then it must be of the utmost importance. He's spent the past several days "baking" for us in his room, bringing us all sorts of delicious imaginary treats. So when I saw kids cooking tools at the store today, I couldn't resist. We usually don't buy toys on a whim (our weakness is books) but his birthday is very close to Christmas and it's been a long year without new things to play with. We tied the apron on immediately upon our return home and he refused to take it off, even for nap. We finally put our foot down and insisted that he hang it up at bedtime (those long strings aren't exactly the safest...kind of like sleeping in a mini blind). He also now has a little timer, which pairs perfectly with his fascination with routine and clock-watching , and measuring spoons. He quickly insisted that he bake with Mommy, and our freezer was graced with several new bags of cookies. James also assisted me in making soup tonight for supper. He really did help too, using his measuring spoons, putting chopped veggies into containers, and adding ingredients into the stockpot. I was proud of his diligence, and prouder when he actually ate what he had made. I'd be delighted to have his company in the kitchen any day.

And this is a photo I saw on the internet today about some little boy who really wanted an American Girl/Boy doll so his mom fashioned him one for his sixth birthday. But REALLY it's a photo of what Owen will look like in five years. 

Today's 1%: Any day that I can spend quality time with James is a one percent plus kind of day. He isn't quick to try new activities, and often prefers to be alone. But we had a ton of it today, and that made it a great day. :)