st. patty's day mint brownies

I've been on the hunt for a good mint brownie recipe since my college days, where you could pick one up at the cafeteria most days of the week. So when my friend Jen made these delicious brownies for a baby shower, I hunted her down for the recipe the very next day. They've been a favorite ever since and are the perfect dessert to follow our traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner. Have you tried Mark Bittman's recipe, by the way? You boil everything per usual, (he skewers his cabbage wedges so they stay together) and at the very end you pull everything out of the pot and bake it in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes so it's not all soggy. It's a game changer. I love it with a little horseradish mixed with sour cream. But back to the brownies..

Jen's Mint Brownies

The brownie base on these is more of a Texas sheet cake, which I love, but purists may prefer a more traditional brownie base, then duplicating the two layers on top. 

2 1/4 sticks butter, melted 
3/4 cup cocoa
2 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 7/8 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt 
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together butter and cocoa. Add sugar. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix well. Pour into a greased jelly roll pan (aka large cookie sheet with edges). Bake 15 minutes. Do not overcook; if you see any air bubbles, pop with a toothpick and smooth down. Cool completely, then frost with Mint Frosting.

Mint Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 drops of green food coloring
4 tablespoons milk (or as much needed to get to a spreadable consistency)

Mix all ingredients, then spread in a thin layer on top of cooled brownies. Work fast as it dries quickly. Let the mint frosting layer set for about a half hour, then top with chocolate frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 square of butter (10 tablespoons)

Melt together carefully in the microwave (cook for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each round until fully melted and combined). Pour evenly over mint brownies and carefully spread until you reach all the edges of the pan. Put brownies in the fridge for 20-30 minutes or until chocolate layer is fully set, then cut into squares. Keep extras in the fridge.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

the tooth fairy

During our recent exploits with my daughter Bee and the tooth fairy, I've been thinking about my own childhood. When I was 7 or 8 I wrote my fairy a letter, and tucked it under my pillow along with my tooth. I wish I still had it, but from what I remember I drew a picture of her and asked her what she looked like (I always imagined something like the blue fairy in Pinocchio with blonde hair, a sparkly blue dress and wings).

When I woke up in the morning I saw that the tooth fairy had left a note for me! It was written in a manly scrawl and had a drawing of an unshaven lumberjack, carrying an axe. It said "This is what I look like. Love, the Tooth Fairy". I couldn't believe that of all the rotten luck, my tooth fairy was a lumberjack!! I think I shed a few tears that morning as I ran into my parents room to tell them about my tooth fairy. I wish I could see how my mom reacted (she probably had no idea, the drawing was clearly my dad's doing). Years later, it makes me laugh.

It appears we aren't the only ones who have forgotten their tooth fairy duties from time to time. Many quick-witted parents have come to the rescue of tardy tooth fairies, telling stories of fairies caught in storms and cobwebs. Here are a few ideas I thought were brilliant:

-My sister-in-law says that she takes her wedding ring off when a child looses a tooth, and puts it on her dresser. All day long when she looks at her bare finger, she remembers, and then when she gets ready for bed (after the kids have gone to sleep) she sees her ring on the dresser and remembers to check under the pillow.

-Amy wrote:
"The tooth fairy forgot to come visit me once. I believe I was crying when I showed my mom. The solution? She stuffed my chubby, nearly newborn baby brother into my little sister's ballet tutu, taped a dress-up crown on his head and carried him into my room in a flying motion. She told me that the fairy was very busy and has asked my brother to cover for her but forgot that he was just a baby. I loved the resolution but never believed after that one, so use that sort of solution with caution."

-Jennie says: 
"At our house the child who loses a tooth writes a post-it note telling daddy the good news and it goes on the bathroom mirror. Good thing the tooth fairy sees that note while she/he is brushing teeth!"

-I also heard of a family where the tooth fairy leaves change from a different country each time (coins family or friends have brought back from recent trips) and then they spend the next week learning all about each country.

Love these ideas! Any other tips or ideas out there?

when the tooth fairy forgets

My daughter Bee lost her first tooth this past week, which is about the most exciting thing to happen to a kindergartener EVER. She was so excited to finally get to use her tooth fairy bunny and carefully placed her tooth in the tiny pocket and happily went to bed. And do you know what happened? The tooth fairy didn't come! The second night came and Bee remembered to put her tooth under her pillow again and can you believe.. the tooth fairy forgot TWO nights in a row! So we decided to take some drastic measures.

We thought maybe some big signs might help the tooth fairy find its way to Bee's tooth. We decided maybe Bee has a different tooth fairy than her brother C and maybe this little fairy doesn't know her way around our house or where to find Bee's tooth (not every kid has a tooth fairy bunny pillow).

Thankfully it worked! And the tooth fairy finally did come and Bee was very happy to find a $1 bill in her bunny's tiny pocket.

We can't be the only people this has happened to.. what happens at your house when the tooth fairy forgets?

the family gift swap

Both JR and I come from large families (there are six children in my family and five in his) so buying Christmas gifts for each and every sibling (and their spouses, and their children) has never quite worked for us.

The past few years in JR's family we have had a theme for our gifts, which has worked out really well. Two years ago we all gave each other board games (some of our family favorites are Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne and Settlers of Cattan). Last year we were inspired by the Favorite Things party I had just attended, where each person brings their "favorite" thing. Each family was to gather some of their favorite things and send it to their assigned family. You can see our gift from JR's older sister in the photo above. Each little package included some favorite thing from each person in their family (minty M&M's are a favorite of Dad's, mom loves scented candles, etc.) The kids had a great time unwrapping each one and learning about their cousin's and aunt's and uncle's favorites.

For our Favorite Thing, we shared our ritual of Tea Time, something JR and I were trying to do every few nights. We had gotten into a bad habit of putting the kids to bed and then retreating to our computers, to finish up emails and catch up on work. Some nights we would watch a show, but we both felt like we weren't really spending time together in the evenings (even if we were both in the same room). Tea Time was our solution.

The note read: After the children are tucked in bed and fast asleep, we take turns boiling the water on the stove and getting out the tea bags. We fill our mugs with hot water and let the tea steep, then stir in a little sugar. Tea takes some time to cool, so we sit and talk at the table while we sip our tea and discuss the business of our family. Sometimes we take the time to play a game. After a busy day, it's just nice to sit down together and talk for a minute. We hope you'll think so too.

We included two nice shaped mugs from Pottery Barn (perfect for sipping tea) and a pack of our favorite tea (our new favorite is Tazo's Wild Sweet Orange Tea.. it is delicious!) and our favorite card game (Coloretto).

How do you handle gift swaps in your family? Do siblings buy for each other? What about cousins? Because we now have about 18 children between us, we have the cousins do a swap too. We've tried different things, like the year we had everyone make cards for each other (not as big a thrill for the kids as we had hoped!). But the past few years we have done a book swap, each child picking out a book they think their assigned cousin would enjoy. So far, so good.

the bowling trophy

JR's family lives far away from us, so we only get together once every year or so. And when we do... we bowl. No one is very good at bowling, but bowling is an easy-to-organize, not-too-expensive activity that most everyone enjoys. kids and adults alike. We take over a few lanes, usually in the morning mid-week when the place is empty. You jump up to bowl when it's your turn, but the rest of the time is spent talking and helping the kids knock down some pins.

There are great bowling alleys in small towns everywhere. I especially like the old school ones that haven't been touched since the 1970's. Orange and white booths. Color blocked leather shoes. League scores for the past 20 years posted on the walls. A few old arcade games in the corner. (The photos below were taken at one of my favorite places to bowl: Holiday Lanes in Heber, Utah.)

About 10 years back when JR and I were first married, we stopped by a trophy shop and made a Reynolds Family Bowling Trophy. I think it cost us about $10. The trophy is awarded to the person with the highest score, and the lucky winner gets to proudly display their trophy all year long until we bowl again. No one will admit that they actually want the bowling trophy, but I think it makes the game a little more exciting. Uncle Troy was the winner this year when we played in Oregon, but we think we can take him down the next time we play.

baseball gender reveal

My dear friend (who also happens to be my sister-in-law.. that's the great thing about your brother marrying one of your high school pals) is pregnant! Hooray! We had almost all our family together for a family reunion this summer the day she found out the gender of the baby. I LOVE how she decided to let everyone know her big news.

We were all going to an Angels baseball game that night, so she and my brother didn't tell anyone the sex (not even their other children). We all kept asking "Boy or girl? Boy or girl?" "Just tell us already!!". She told us she would let us know what she was having by getting some cotton candy at the Angels game. BLUE cotton candy for a boy, and PINK for a girl. 

Every time the cotton candy guy walked by with his cotton candy, we all held our breath. All game long we kept asking "Are you ready for some cotton candy?". It was more exciting than the baseball game! Then finally in the 6th inning or so, my brother disappeared for a bit and came back with some PINK cotton candy for his wife (all the cotton candy guys kept coming around our section with only blue!).

It was so fun to all find out together (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters) and I loved seeing my nieces and nephews faces as they learned the news. Hooray for families and for creative gender reveals!

back to school dinner

Inspired by others who have similar traditions, we have started having a Back to School dinner the first night of the new school year. It helps to get the kids excited about school and to give the family some time to talk about each child and what they have to look forward to. This year we added a theme for the school year, something we want to focus on as a family throughout the coming year. Our theme for this year is: "Be a Builder".

We took some time to explain to the kids what this means. We built a little tower of blocks and talked about all the things we could do to help "Be a Builder". How it takes time and effort to build something great. How we want to be people who build things, not tear things down. We talked about how to help build others, both at home and at school. How we need each person's help to build our family. And most importantly, how to build their brains (did anyone else read Nurture Shock? There is a great chapter about teaching kids that their brains are a muscle that needs to be worked... not that some kids are just born smart).

I printed out "Be a Builder" signs and placed them on each plate, and asked each person to put their sign somewhere in their room to help them remember our theme. The kids have it on their bulletin boards, I have mine on my bathroom mirror. I also printed a big version for the door to the garage, so the kids see it as they walk out the door. To be honest, I think it is helping me the most. It can be hard to Be a Builder, to remember to build my children up (rather than focus on all their little mistakes)... but I am trying.

We had pulled pork sandwiches for dinner with some homemade coleslaw, and corn on the cob and watermelon. The most exciting part of dinner for the kids was the shrimp cocktail, which won a lot of points for presentation (i.e. hanging them on the side of a glass bowl). My 7 year old said "I've seen this before... like in movies, but I never knew we could do it in real life!!". I followed Ina's recipe for Roasted Shrimp Cocktail, and though the cocktail sauce was a little spicy for the kids, the shrimp were a big part of making it feel like a "special" dinner. Instead of boiling the shrimp (or buying it pre-cooked at the store), you roast the shrimp with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.. simple and delicious and sure to grace our table again sometime in the near future.

R.O.D. (Rules of Dinner)

Jenny over at Dinner A Love Story asked me to share our rules for family dinner. My favorite is Rule No. 2 "The Table is a Safe Place". This was a phrase my mother invented, and she used it often at our dinner table when I was growing up. Dinner time is sacred, and only nice things are said at the table. You may want to remind your son to put his bike away, or talk to your daughter about her lackluster performance in Algebra.. but wait until after dinner. Siblings don’t bicker, parents don’t lecture. The table is a safe place.

You can check out all 10 of our Rules of Dinner here. Dinner: A Love Story has become one of my favorite places for new recipes and just great ideas about family dinner in general. Jenny always gives recipes in a kind of honest short hand that I love. So in her honor, I will share one of our favorite dinners this summer.. Roasted Salmon with Fresh Corn Salad.

Roasted Salmon (adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)

Preheat your oven to 450. Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter and a little olive oil in an oven safe roasting pan. Add a handful of chopped parsley or minced shallots if you have it. Place a salmon fillet (with the skin still on) in the butter/oil, flesh side down. Roast in the oven about five minutes, then flip the salmon and roast 4 to 5 minutes longer until it feels done. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and serve immediately. Buttery and delicious and my new favorite way to cook salmon.

Fresh Corn Salad (from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

Boil 4 to 5 ears of corn in salted water for just a few minutes, drain in cold water. Set aside to cool. Finely chop about 1/2 a red onion and add in the corn kernels (I cut them off the cob with a knife right into the bowl). Add a few tablespoons of cider vinegar (I've also used red wine vinegar in a pinch), and an equal amount of olive oil (like 2-3 tablespoons of each). Season with salt and pepper. Grab a handful of fresh basil leaves and roll them like a cigar and cut them into little ribbons. Sprinkle the basil on right before serving.

Serve with some fresh fruit and maybe some good crusty bread. This is a meal that everyone in our house likes.. and one that only requires about 10 minutes of actual cooking! Win-win!

happy 4th!

Inspired by our friends at Martha Stewart Living, we've organized a little bike parade with some friends from church over at our park tomorrow morning (along with some pancakes, and lots of bacon). The kids spent Friday afternoon working on their bikes, getting them just right. The printables they have over at the Martha site were super helpful (we found the spoke covers to be a bit big for kid size wheels, so we printed the artwork at 80% and trimmed the bottom point—they look pretty cool when the wheels are turning). I can't say our bikes are quite as snazzy as theirs, but the kids were thrilled with how they turned out. Here's a little tip: if you decide to weave streamers through your tires (like we did on C's bike), it's super helpful to have a second pair of hands helping so you can just pass the streamers back and forth. We cut our streamers down to about 1" wide for easier weaving.

Happy 4th!

my family

Have you seen the June issue of Martha Stewart Living yet? I'm so excited to share that my family is in this issue, featuring one of our (now famous!) Hellewell family reunions. You can meet my cute mom and dad, my siblings and their spouses, my nieces and nephews, my kids, and even my sweet grandma.

I have great memories of attending family reunions with my dad's extended family when I was a kid, up at the Baxter cabin with all my cousins and aunts and uncles. Now we get together with my parents, and my kids get to run around with their cousins and enjoy the same traditions: the Hellewell Family Olympics, the grandparents walk, dinners outside, games of croquet on the lawn, and late night story telling.

(How cute is my mom? Can you tell her grandchildren LOVE her?)

We shot the story last September, when baby M was just 8 weeks old (so some of this shoot is a bit of a blur to me!). My friend Marcie McGoldrick, who is now the Crafts Editor at Martha Stewart, came out to Utah to help produce the story, along with fellow crafter Shane Powers. Marcie, Shane and I all worked on Martha Stewart Living together years ago, so it was a fun reunion in more ways than one.

Photographer Francesco Lagnese took some beautiful pictures, and even got to try his first root beer float during the shoot. You can see more pictures on his website, just look under the Kids tab, and then go to "Family, Friends + Apples" for a slideshow which includes several photos that didn't make the final story.

You can read more about all our traditions on Martha's site (like these shirts for the kids that show their birth order) in this little guide about planning a family reunion. You can even download the t-shirt and award certificate designs. And my dad is pretty excited that they included his recipe for homemade applesauce.

We are in the midst of planning our next reunion, which will take place this summer in Southern California. Looking back at this story reminds me that it's the simple traditions that make reunions special, not the grand gestures. We're planning on days at the beach, late night card games, outdoor movie night, and cooking s'mores on the bonfire. I can't wait to see all my family together, even if it's just for a few days!