Discovery Center – Museum of Science, Boston

We spent the 4^th of July in Boston with Andy’s family, meeting our new niece (Anna Sophia). Unfortunately, the weather was not so great, and rained pretty much the entire day. So, we decided to hit the Discovery Center in the Museumof Science before the crowds got to be too much. 

Even getting there early, we still had a bit of wait to get in, so watched the Duck boats and saw some of the other exhibits in the area.

When we finally did get in, however, it was worth the wait!

Luca absolutely loves the exhibits on the second floor; meanwhile, Alex and Eva spent an equal amount of time on the main floor and the second floor. 

Sending a message through the pipes on the ceiling. 

View from the top floor. 

Learning how plumbing works. 

Baby Anna was content with her mom. 

Alex and Eva in the bird’s nest. 

Getting ready for ice cream dressed all in red, white and blue—what is more American than that? 

The kids had a blast, and we all stayed dry—a win, win. 

Banana Pancakes

The other day for breakfast, I decided to make banana pancakes. I love these pancakes as they are super simple (and easy to make!), but they are also really tasty. My dad absolutely loves these pancakes and requests them every time I come home. 

INGREDIENTS

3 very ripe bananas (almost entirely brown)

2 cups of original Bisquick™ mix

1 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla

½ teaspoon of lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1.       Mash the bananas in a large bowl.

2.       Add the Bisquick, milk, vanilla and lemon juice. Stir until well mixed.

3.       Over medium heat, pour small circles (I use a ¼ cup to measure the batter).

4.       Wait till the middle of the pancake bubbles, and then flip and cook the other size.

5.       Serve warm with maple syrup (and butter if desired). 

4th of July Treats for School

For the 4th of July, Alex helped me make goodie bags for his classmates. We made star sugarcookies and packaged them up with pretzels dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with red, white and blue sprinkles. We added white crinkle to the bags and tied them with a red, white and blue checked ribbon. 

Bronx Zoo

One of the benefits of working for a large financial services company is that they offer great perks to their employees; the other weekend was a corporate appreciation weekend at the Bronx Zoo, and we all got in for free. 

We decided to upgrade our tickets to the “full experience” and were able to take a tram around the Asia section of the park. We saw deer, wild horses, buffalos, tigers, elephants, and rhinos. 

We also saw a beautiful peacock, who had gotten out of his area and was just wandering around the zoo. Alex got a little too close to him for my liking. 

The grounds are so beautiful, especially this time of year. 

The seals are always a favorite attraction, as they are so lively. Alex loved watching them jump. 

The Monkey House was, unfortunately closed. Maybe next time. 

Gorgeous details. 

No stop to the Bronx Zoo is complete without a ride on the bug carousel. 

After our picnic lunch (we brought our own food), we watched the turtles and then saw the bears. 

It was a lovely afternoon (and only a subway ride away). 

Kitchen Face Lift

Outside of NYC, people would look at the size of my kitchen and wonder how I get anything done in it; however, I have seen smaller kitchens than mine here (much smaller)! Until we can afford to do a complete renovation, however, I wanted to give the kitchen a little face lift. 

I choose white because we hardly get any natural light in our kitchen, and I thought this would make it a bit brighter.

I also painted the walls in the kitchen and swapped the hardware out for a more modern look. This will work until we can completely gut the kitchen. 

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

I have had a craving for cinnamon rolls recently, so decided to make them last weekend from scratch. These rolls did not disappoint—they were amazing.

I told Andy at one point, I don’t think I can ever go back to store bought cinnamon rolls—these are just so much cheaper and better. But, they are labor intensive, so I will probably be buying cinnamon rolls again when I get lazy. 

INGREDIENTS – DOUGH

1/4 -ounce package of yeast

1/2 cup of warm water

1/2 cup of scalded milk

1/2 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of butter

1 teaspoon of salt

1 egg

3 1/2 to 4 cups of all-purpose flour

INGREDIENTS – FILLING

1 stick of melted butter

3/4 cup of sugar, plus more for pan

2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

INGREDIENTS – GLAZE

Butter (I used the remaining butter that I did not use for the filling)

2-3 cups of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3 to 6 tablespoons of hot water

DIRECTIONS

1.       Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth.

3.       Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle.

4.       Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes.

5.       Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

6.       When dough has doubled in size, punch down dough.

7.      Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle.

8.      Spread melted butter all over dough.

9.       Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. You can also sprinkle with any additional items you want, such as walnuts, pecans, or raisins.

10.   Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

11.   Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes.

12.    Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

13.    While rolls are baking, mix remaining butter from the filling, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls (about three minutes after they come out of the oven).

Doubled in size; ready for the oven. 

Right out of the oven. 

Note: It is best to eat these while still warm, or heat up in the microwave for 15 seconds prior to eating if they have cooled.

Original recipe here.