Squash Chili

We decided to try something different & came up with the below recipe. It turned out pretty well - even Natalie was impressed!

Ingredients:
1 Butternut squash
1 Large sweet onion, chopped
1 cup apple, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 poblano peppers, chopped
1 can great northern beans
1/4 cup celery, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup semi-dry white wine
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat 2-3 Tbsp olive oil in Dutch oven on stovetop. Peel, remove seeds and cut squash into 3/4" cubes. Add onion, squash & apple to pan, sprinkle with salt & pepper; cover and cook on medium-high heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add all additional ingredients except beans; drain fluid from beans into pot. Cook covered for 30 min. Add beans; simmer on low for 15 min. Squash should tender but not mushy. Top with grated parmesan.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Let us know if you try this and have any suggestions to improve it!

Anderson Genes

Proof that Natalie has Anderson genes. She figured out that they fit on fingers all by herself.

Natalie's Busy Weekend

The 3 of us had a very busy weekend full of fun!

Saturday Chris and I went to a cooking class with friends in Milwaukee so Natalie stayed and played all day with cousin Rachel. She loves Rachel and had a blast with her 2 big dogs, Sadie and Blizzard, as well. Rachel even arranged a play date with the little boy across the street!

Sunday we went north to Green Bay to catch a movie and Natalie spent a great afternoon with cousin Ashley who threw a pool party just for her! She loved the water and their 2 big dogs, Cinammon and Lexie. Check out the video below. She played hard and even got to try some new foods - grapefruit and Auntie Sandy's banana bread. (Thanks for sending some home with us - it's almost gone!)

Sunday afternoon we took a walk in Natalie's new birthday wagon, courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Deschane. Since the wagon is more of a chariot Natalie invited her Care Bear to go with us. They both loved the ride!

Thanks again to all the Andersons and VanCalsters for babysitting and to Grandma and Grandpa for the wagon. We had such a great weekend!

Happy 1st Birthday, Skittle!

Miss Natalie turns 1 today and we can hardly believe it!

We had a princess birthday party for her on Saturday at the cabin. It began with some unusual spring weather - snow on Friday and into the night. This is Balsam Lake on Saturday morning.

Instead of a birthday cake, I made birthday princess cupcakes. They had a strawberry filling that took a couple of attempts to master but thanks to my mother-in-law's cake genius and tools the end product turned out wonderfully.

We had a birthday spaghetti lunch - one of Natalie's favorites. She got to dig in and had fun making a mess. Anyone want to guess how many places I found spaghetti sauce afterwards?

After lunch she destroyed her cupcake and then ate every last crumb.


We're so blessed by our wonderful girl and wish her a very happy 1st birthday today!

Pie Pride

I know it's a dumb thing to be proud of but I made an awesome pie last night. Chris and I had been craving cherry pie and I'd planned to get supplies Thursday but my grocery trip was thwarted by a record half-foot of April snow. I finally made it to the store yesterday and whipped this up last night. I've made a fair number of pies, and pie crusts, but I've never done a lattice pie top. I was so proud of myself and my 1950s-era skills. Who wants to come over for a piece??

Before baking:


After baking:

Future Foodie

Natalie is eating all table food now and likes it much better than baby food. However, this past weekend at Grandma's house she may have been trying to tell us she's ready to try some new recipes!

Natalie's First Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving in Stoughton this year and Natalie got to sample some of the finest Thanksgiving fare - cranberry sauce, Jell-o, avocados, dill pickles, apples, and bananas. Mostly she learned which make good finger paint.


She also enjoyed learning about hunting and playing Xbox with Uncle Adam,

Playing games with Grandpa and Grandma,

Working on learning how to crawl with Uncle Brian and Auntie Em, and spending lots of time with Uncle Benny and Auntie Sam who she doesn't see as often.

We hope everyone else had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving as well!

Green beans - I do not like them.