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5/28/15

Homemade Tiramisu



Originally posted in June, 2007 - I am traveling and not doing much cooking of my own so this morning I'm posting a recipe from June 2007!  


Just in time for Father's Day... which is what my husband is going to be surprised with this morning when he wakes. Authentic Tiramisu.

Incredible Tiramisu

1 lb. mascarpone cheese
6 eggs, separated
2 packages Ladyfingers
4 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla
2 oz. brandy
8 espresso's (2 pots of the 4 cup Melitta Espresso maker I mentioned above)
3 T cocoa (approximately)


Bring all ingredients to room temperature for easier whipping. When you make the espresso pour it into a flat bottomed container (not a bowl) and add 1 oz. brandy and 1 t of the cocoa.

In your mixing bowl mix the egg yolks and sugar until it's creamy, pale yellow and thick. Add 1 oz. brandy and the mascarpone cheese. Continue beating until blended and smooth. In another bowl beat the egg whites and vanilla until light and quadrupled in size. They will hold their shape when you lift the beaters. Fold the beaten egg whites into the mascarpone mixture. Do not over mix and do not use an electric mixer or you will ruin it. Fold by hand until blended and light. 


Dip each of the lady finger cookies quickly into the espresso and place in the bottom of a 9X13 dish. Place sugar side down and cover the bottom. (Do not let the cookie sit in the espresso. Just dip and remove.) When the bottom is covered, add a layer of the mascarpone about one centimeter in hight. Add another layer of dipped ladyfingers and another layer of mascarpone. Top it off by sprinkling the top of the dessert with cocoa to cover. Refrigerate overnight.






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5/23/15

Cucumber Margarita

A re-post from Memorial Day Weekend 2009

Reading through my emails I saw the latest e-newsletter from one of my favorite sites and a special section on great summer drinks. Since my husband and I rarely drink, when we entertain we are sadly naive when it comes to 'fun' drinks to serve. When I saw the name of this drink I had a brief second of "oh, ew? Really?" followed by interest and I admit, I'm intrigued! See if you are; Cucumber Margarita's.

I know!!!

Crazy isn't it? This one is from Coastal Living, back in September of 2005 but by golly I was surely going to copy it down to my collections to make this summer. What do you think?





Cucumber Margarita
Makes 4 servings

12 slices fresh cucumber
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
4 ounces (1/2 cup) Cointreau
6 ounces (3/4 cup) tequila reposado
6 cups ice
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
Lime slices

Combine cucumber and next 4 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Pour into glasses. Top each serving with a tablespoon of Grand Marnier, and garnish with lime. Print Friendly and PDF

Spiked Lemonade

Re-post from Memorial Weekend, 2009!

We've been on a summer margarita kick for the past couple weeks but this one is just too good and too popular of a drink to not include; Spiked Lemonade! Always a favorite for adults at backyard bbq's or poolside it's cold, refreshing and flavorful while providing a little 'kick'.


Spiked Lemonade

2 cups lemon-flavored sparkling water or club soda, chilled
1/2 cup citrus-flavored vodka, chilled
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange liqueur
Ice, crushed
Garnish- lemon slices

Mix everything but the ice and lemon slices in a large pitcher. Serve over crushed ice. Garnish each serving with a lemon slice, if desired. Print Friendly and PDF

Summer Drinks for your Backyard Get Togethers: Mango Mimosa's, Sour Apple Martini's and Mojito's

This is a re-post from Memorial Weekend - 2012

This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend in the USA and the unofficial start of summer parties, gatherings, bbq's, wedding showers, friends and more.  There are some social drinks that go perfectly with the warmer summer weather and these are three of them.  Mimosa's, Sour Apple Martini's and Mojito's.  The difference in this mimosa is that it's made with my personal favorite fruit; mangoes.  

I've had these drink recipes sitting in my personal files for about 5 years already and realized I've never posted them.  Well, here they are!   

Note that you will see one calls for simple syrup.  This is just a mixture of 2 cups sugar in 1 cup boiling water.  Let it cool completely (you can even keep it in your refrigerator if you enjoy these drinks often).   The recipes are for individual sized portions so adjust accordingly to as many as you want to make.






Mango Mimosa

Heavy splash  (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) of mango puree or nectar
Heavy splash of simple syrup
Heavy splash of peach schnapps
1 c  Champagne, chilled

Combine mango puree, syrup and schnapps in a champagne flute; stir. Top with Champagne. Garnish with a small piece of mango if you wish.
 


Sour Apple Martini

1/4 c vodka
3 T sour-apple schnapps
Splash melon liqueur
Splash of fresh lime juice
A thin Granny Smith apple slice to garnish

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake 1/2 minute, until ice crystals form; strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish.


 
Mojito

4 mint sprigs
6 thin wedges of a lime
1 t  sugar - superfine
1/4 c light rum
Chilled club soda
Mint sprig and lime slice, for garnish

Put 4 mint sprigs in tall glass with lime pieces and sugar. Using wooden spoon, mash mixture to release oil from sprigs and press out lime juice. Add rum; stir until sugar is dissolved. Add ice cubes. Top with club soda. Garnish.

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5/20/15

Homemade Almond Breakfast Rolls - (Like a Cinnamon Roll but... Almond!)




Here is the dough to the Orange Rolls that inspired this recipe;

1 pk. dry yeast (about 2 1/4 t)
3/4 c warm water
1/3 c sugar
1 t salt
1/3 c oil
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 c evaporated milk
4 - 4 1/2 c flour

Dissolve yeast in the water in a bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and knead either by hand or with the dough hook of your electric mixer.  Use more or less flour so the dough is the right consistency and not too sticky or wet.  Knead about 5 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, cover and let raise until doubled.  Punch down. 

OR this fall back basic dough recipe: 

Classic Homemade Bread or Rolls

12 oz. water, warm
1 1/2 t salt
2 T butter
4 c bread flour
2 T dry milk
2 T sugar
1 3/4 t yeast, dry

Put in your bread machine or your mixer bowl in this order.  Use the dough setting in a bread machine.  If using your stand mixer, use the bread dough hook.  Knead for about 5-8 minutes.  Let rest to raise.  Take it out of the bowl, turn it out and make your bread, rolls, buns from it.  Let them raise until double in height.

When you make your filling you can make it LESS sweet by adjusting the sugar or natural sweeteners you use.  This is a very sweet filling and I would suggest 1/4 c and 1/4 c if you are like me and don't like things too sugary.  Or use a natural sweetener like I do - either Ideal or Just Like Sugar.


Almond filling from my Dutch Letters recipe

8 oz. almond paste
1 egg, separated
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 t molasses
1 t vanilla extract

TO MAKE:  Roll dough out on parchment paper or a floured surface to form a large rectangle.  Aim for about 16-18 inches across and 12-15 wide.

Spread the almond filling on the dough, leaving about an inch free on one of the long ends to form a seal when you roll it up.

Roll up the long way.  Pinch the edge to seal.  Slice into 1 inch slices and place in a heavily greased baking pan or even muffin tins.  Cover and let raise in a warm place until double in size (about 1-3 hours).  Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes until center rolls are done.  If you want to make them ahead and freeze; let rise about 1 hour and then cover and place in the deep freeze.  When you want to use them, remove from the freezer, let thaw and then let them raise about 1-2 hours past thawing until they double in size.  Bake as directed or until golden brown and done in the center.



I always replace some of my flour with whole wheat flour so that is why you can see little wheat specks

An action shot. My bread machine spinning and kneading

Almond paste is sometimes hard to find. Look for it by the pie fillings - either in a can or sometimes in a little wrapped package

My almond filling all ready to spread. If you can't find almond paste I've linked to it on Amazon below this post

Rolling out the dough

All ready to slice

Going into the deep freeze in my steamer disposable pans

Ready to be baked!

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5/19/15

Making a Triple Batch of Homemade Laundry Detergent Powder Today!








I've posted this a couple times already... but mmm my house smells so good when I make this and I just had to post again.  Aren't these colors so yummy looking!?  Don't taste it though!  It's a mixture of grated Fels Naptha and Zote!


 I make a double or triple batch at a time and like to mix the two brands soaps.  The two scents together smell awesome, but I have used essential oils, Downey fabric scent pellets, and the new little Snuggle fabric scent packs (they just recently came out with - I used a knife to cut them open and added about 15 to a double batch but I honestly think this laundry detergent smells best on it's own!).










Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 bar either Fels Naptha or Zote laundry soap (bar form)
1 c Arm & Hammer WASHING soda
1 c 20 Mule Team Borax
1 c Oxi-Clean (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons essential oil in your favorite scent (optional)
1 container to store it


Grate the soap bar into a large bowl with a hand grater or use a food processor. Fels Naptha tends to be harder to grate and is worth using a food processor or salad shooter with the shred disc.  Zote is easily grated by hand as it's far softer.  When grated, add 1 cup each of the Oxi-clean, washing soda and Borax. Add oil to scent if you are using - we like our laundry to smell wonderful so I use about cap full.

You can use the mixture as it is, I suggest making a fine powder of it to ensure it's mixed equally all the way through, and is quickly and easily disintegrated in the laundry.  If you only have a blender:  Put 1 cup at a time through your blender and blend smooth. Only do 1 cup as the soap particles might clog your blender. For food processors:  I've tried both the S-blade and the grating blade.  I think the S-blade works best and makes the smoothest powder.

Place in a container and 2 heaping tablespoons.  We love this stuff so much we use about 4 on average.  Just use more or less depending if the clothing are heavily soiled or a large or small load.

(For the container - I found a simple "flour storage" container at a local retail store that works great for a double batch.  Any tightly sealed container will work to keep out moisture and keep it from spilling.)




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5/16/15

Homemade Feta Cheese - Fairly easy!




I haven't been able to make my homemade feta as 'dry' as the store bought kind; but it's a more 'fresh' tasting cheese than store bought.  Feta is something we have on hand ALL the time but the price of it has gone up again.  We buy the plastic container at Sam's Club or Costco.  After it went up again, I decided a $2.50 gallon of Sam's Club milk with the cheese making ingredients I already had at home would be a lot cheaper than a $10 container of feta.  Plus, it's just rather fun to make your own.


Feta Cheese

Goat, cow or sheep milk - 1 gallon
1t buttermilk powder (or 1/4 t any other mesophilic starter or according to the starter package per 1 gallon milk)
1/4 t liquid calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 c water
1/2 t liquid vegetable rennet (or 1/4 t animal rennet) in 1/4 c water
1/2 t lipase dissolved in 1/4 c water
5 T sea salt (any non-iodized salt)

Heat milk to 86 degrees in a large pot on the stove (medium high heat takes about 15 minutes).
Remove from heat.  Sprinkle the mesophilic starter over.  Wait 2 minutes and whisk in.
Cover and let this rest for about an hour - it should stay around 86 degrees if it's in a stainless steel pot w/ lid.
Add the calcium chloride, whisking in.
Add dissolved rennet, whisking in.
Cover and let set 1 hour more.
Check for a clean break (the solids have formed a gel like thick top - easy to cut through or break with finger)
Slice into 1/2 - 1 inch cubes.  Let set for 10 minutes.
Stir curds gently over medium low heat for 20 minutes to arrive at 86-90 degrees.
Let it rest for 5 minutes and drain your curds into a cloth lined colander either with a slotted spoon or carefully pouring.
(Save the whey to make ricotta if you wish).
Bundle up your cheesecloth and hang to drain at least 6 hours - preferably overnight.
Unwrap and slice into slabs.
Sprinkle each side with salt (about 1 tablespoon total) and plate on a plate or in a container.  Cover to protect, and leave on your kitchen counter - flipping every few hours the first day and draining off the whey being drawn out by the salt.  Each time you flip and drain, rub and sprinkle a little more salt on all sides of the slabs.
Age in the refrigerator 7 days, flipping and draining each day, although the amount will be less and less.
Total salt used should be between 3 and 5 tablespoons depending on how salty you like it.
Some people use the excess whey in a jar to store the feta.  Some like it stored in a tight container.  Some, in water.
I've tried all three and personally prefer a dry store as I felt the why and water choices resulted in a softer, more fresh and slippery mozzarella like cheese instead of the crumbly feta I prefer. 





To be organized, I keep the bottle of rennet, calcium chloride, etc. next to the container of water I've diluted it in.  That way I can tell for sure which I have already added.



Do not buy the product labeled "cheesecloth" at a dollar store or grocery store.  It's not really cheesecloth and is more for dusting or painting rags.  A nice cotton diaper like Gerber 10 pk Flatfold - NOT the ones with 'extra padding' but a simple, thin, flatfold.



This is the cubes or squares you slice to allow the whey to start draining from the curds.



Hung to drain.  How you do yours is up to you but if you have cupboard handles that can hold a stick, spoon or similar item, this is a quick, easy way to drain your homemade soft cheeses.



I usually have to hang mine over night as they are not 'ready' in just 6 hours.  They are still rather grainy, tiny curds and tend to stick to the cloth and falls apart.  By letting it alone all night long, it finally will 'come together' and form the ball.  Slice into slabs and start to rub and sprinkle salt on all sides to draw out the moisture.


I started with a plastic container, but after trying various ways, my favorite is to place the slabs on a large plate and cover with another large plate.  This allows me to flip and drain easier and more quickly.  Up to you!





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5/11/15

Mini Bavarian Creme in Fillo Dough Bites





I made extra filling and doubled it so I could make banana pudding for my husband out of the second half.  (As easy as sliced bananas on the bottom of the dish, topped with the Bavarian creme on top).  I make ours sugar free and have to use more sweetener to get the sweet effect so if you use Just Like Sugar you'll want to either use more - or you can use a combination that you like (I like to mix Just Like Sugar and Ideal along with about 10 drops of liquid sweetener, but that's a personal thing).

Enjoy!

Bavarian Creme in Fillo Dough Bites

3/4 c whole milk
3/4 c heavy cream
3 egg yolks
1/3 c granulated white sugar OR  2/3 c natural sweetener  
1t unflavored gelatin
2 T cold water
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
Fillo Dough (Phyllo)
Butter


Thaw one roll of Fillo Dough (this is the thin Fillo dough not the thicker Phyllo Puff Pastry).   While it's thawing out on the counter, make the filling.  Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan on the stove over medium high until the edges start to form the tiny little bubbles and it starts to simmer and is just starting to come to a boil.  While it's heating you can beat the sugar or sweetener with the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl, with an electric mixer until they are pale in color (about 1 minute).

Drizzle the hot milk mixture into the sugar/eggs a little at a time while beating.  Pour this back into the pan and heat over medium low to stir until it starts to thicken.  Do not boil!  Your eggs will curdle.  This should take about 7-8 minutes, don't have your heat too high and adjust for your stovetop as some run hotter than others.

Pour it back into the mixing bowl and dissolve the gelatin in the cold water.  Le it set for a minute then mix into the cream with an electric mixer on high speed, adding the vanilla at this time.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour while you bake the fillo (phyllo) bites.

In a mini cupcake pan, brush each cup lightly with butter.
Roll out your fillo dough.  It's paper thin so carefully brush each sheet with a bit of butter, layering about 5 sheets.  The top sheet can be left dry.  Now slice into squares, slicing through all 5 of your sheets, approximately 2 1/2".  Place each little square of dough sheets into each little cup.  Press down and form your cup.

Bake at 350 until they turn golden brown and crisp.  About 10 minutes or so depending on how hot your oven runs.  Remove and let cool for a few minutes.  Then remove from the pan and let cool completely.   When completely cool (you can put them in the freezer to rush the cooling process) use a spoon to fill each cup with Bavarian Creme.  You can top with a dollop of whipped cream, a slice of strawberry, a raspberry, a chocolate leaf...  anything you wish.

Refrigerate leftovers. 


Beat until pale



Adding the hot milk mixture to the egg/sugar mixture



Now put it in the refrigerator to chill


Brushing the phyllo (Fillo) sheets with butter
Years ago I bought a cheap paintbrush at Lowe's that is kept in
my kitchen and only used for foods.


Pressing about 5 layers into each little cup


Once baked, take out to cool completely before filling

These freeze great!

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5/6/15

Great for Summer: Shrimp Taco's - can also use fish (plus an incredible sauce to accompany it!)








I have posted this recipe before - but I whipped these up again last night for dinner and thought I'd remind my readers of this yummy dish that is so quick and easy; and so good! 

This is a hodge-podge of a handful of different recipes for marinades and condiments I mooshed together from about 6 different ideas, into one for a marinade and one for a sauce that I like and has become my "go to" for this dish over the last few years.  Play with it and make it your own!   




Fish or Shrimp Taco's 

1/4 c olive oil
2 T white vinegar
2 T lime juice
zest from 1 lime  (low carb, leave this out)
1 1/2 t honey  (low carb, use 1 1/2 t Xylitol or sugar-free honey)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1 t Old Bay seasoning
1/2 t pepper
1 t hot pepper sauce of your choice
1 pound fish - shrimp (cleaned, tail off), cod, tilipia, etc. 
flour tortillas (low carb - use your favorite low carb tortilla)

Whisk the ingredients for the marinade together, put in a Ziploc Baggy (or whatever you use to marinate) and add the shrimp and/or fish.  Refrigerate at least 6-8 hours, flipping every now and then so it's all covered equally.

While it marinates, make the dressing.

heaping 1/2 c sour cream
heaping 1/2 c mayonnaise
2 T lime juice
1/2 teaspoon each of oregano, dill weed, cumin, chipotle powder and ground or crushed coriander
2 small jalapenos, chopped fine (you can use less if you really hate spicy dressings)
2 t dried cilantro or parsley
1/2 teaspoon sugar  

 
Whisk ingredients together and refrigerate until it's serving time.

Grill or broil your fish until flaky and done.  This is usually about 10 minutes.  Serve the sliced fish with sides of the sauce, lettuce, shredded cabbage, diced tomato, guacamole, and extra lime slices if you wish.  Enjoy!



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5/5/15

Dehydrating Jalapenos






Drain your jalapenos well.  Use plastic gloves - even double glove - to avoid saturating your fingers with jalapeno oils and juices.  If you don't protect your hands and you rub your eye... you'll never fore-go gloves again.


*Place it outside*
Seriously.
You don't want to fill your home with strong jalapenos. It will irritate your eyes!


Jalapeno's are so thin, they dry pretty quickly.  All mine were done in just a few hours one afternoon.
It will depend on your dehydrator - follow the directions for yours.
Mine just turns on - no temperature adjustments - and it took about 4-6 hours.
The thicker slices took longer of course.









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5/2/15

A Healthy, Chewy Cookie - Sugar free, wheat free... yum!

My kitchen lighting turns everything a shade of yellow in photos. Sorry!


I think it was about 16 or 17 years ago I first started to make this cookie recipe.  At the time I used sugar and flour as well as regular chocolate.  I often added some corn flakes to it too because the mixture of flavors was really quite good.  However, a couple years after I started to make these, I also started to research and learn more about sugar and the effects on our bodies and over the years, as more ingredients became available to "play with" I tried to make these healthier.

Today, with the internet being so handy to order all my natural sweeteners and almond flour, etc. these are easier than ever to make healthy.  No sugar.  No flour. Sugar free chocolate options.  It's still a cookie - but I can eat one or two and not get sick to my stomach the way eating sugar based goodies make me!
 

"Best Cookie Ever" - and a healthier version in parenthesis)
(I didn't name it this - it came with this moniker)

1 stick real butter
1/2 c sugar (Just Like Sugar or Ideal)
1/2 c brown sugar  (Just Like Sugar Brown or other brown sugar style sweetener)
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
1 c flour (1/4 c coconut flour, 3/4 c almond flour)
3/4 c rolled oats
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 bag chocolate chips (Sugar Free Hersheys) (I leave these out completely sometimes since I don't like chocolate)
1/2 Hersheys chocolate bar, grated  (Sugar Free Hershey's minis)
3/4 c chopped nuts

Cream the butter and sugars (sweeteners).  Add the egg and vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients, stir to mix and then add the chocolates and chopped nuts.  Form small balls or drop by tablespoons on a greased cookie sheet or parchment.  Bake at 375 for approximately 8 minutes til golden around edges.  Remove from heat, let cool.


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Wet Oatmeal Kisses.... A Poem for Moms on Mother's Day







The day I found this print in a tiny little quaint beach side shop, our family was on vacation and we were hot and tired and going to be heading back to the hotel so our 1 1/2 year old and 3 year old could take a nap before dinner.  My husband had no interest in any more little shops and the kids were more interested in the big stuffed gorilla sitting on a bench outside the store.  I very thankfully left the children with my husband and ducked into this little kitchen and knick-knack shop where I slowly wandered up and down the aisles looking all the wonderful little kitcheny goodies I couldn't afford.

It was in this little shop that I turned to leave and found myself looking at a  tall wire rack standing on the floor of the store.  It was filled with hand printed calligraphy and water color print flowers drawn and shaded in around them.  The prints were of various little poetry and prose - hand made by some local artist who found sayings and poems and printed them on these cardboard prints for sale.  They were not framed, it was just prints and they sold for $14.95.

As my eyes glazed over the poems and prose, I suddenly stopped when I started to skim this one.
My heart jumped in my chest.

This.
Was.
My.
Life.


Knowing I could never afford to spend $15, I put it back and left the store.
As I walked with my husband I told him about the poem.
I got tears in my eyes while telling him about it.

We went back to the store.

I used the credit card (inward groan) to pay for it as we had no money to spare at all.  But this print spoke to me at the time with words that went straight to my heart.  I protected that print in the suitcase and when we got home, I couldn't afford a frame so I propped it up and later hung it on the wall without one.

Twenty years later I still have it.  It hangs on my wall with the children's first year baby photos surrounding it - a reminder of how quickly they grow... and grew.  I still find myself stopping to read it every once in a while.  Some days I smile.  Some days I get choked up.  Some days I grin.

But I can tell you it's true.
Oh, so true.

To all the Mom's out there living this now...  Happy Mother's Day.



Wet Oatmeal Kisses

"The baby is teething; the children are fighting.  My husband just called and said to eat dinner without him." 
Okay, one of these days you'll shout:  
"Why don't you grow up and act your age!"  
And they will.  
Or "You guys get outside and find yourselves something to do... and don't slam the door!"  
And they won't.

You'll straight up their rooms neat and tidy... bumper stickers discarded... spreads tucked and smooth... toys displayed on the shelves... hangers in the closet... animals caged, and you'll say out loud:  
"Now I want it to stay that way." 
And it will.

You'll prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn't been picked to death and a cake with no finger traces in it 
and you'll say, "Now there's a meal for company."  
And you'll eat it alone.

You'll say, "I want complete privacy on the phone.  No dancing around, no pantomimes, no demolition crews.  Silence!  Do you hear?"  And you'll have it.  No more plastic tablecloths stained with spaghetti, no more anxious nights under a vaporizer tent, no more dandelion bouquets, no more iron-on patches, knotted shoestrings, tight boots.

Imagine a lipstick with a point, no babysitter for New Year's Eve, washing clothes only once a week, no P.T.A. meetings, carpools, blaring radios, Christmas presents out of toothpicks and paste.  
No more wet oatmeal kisses.  
No more toothfairy, giggles in the dark, or knees to heal.

Only a voice crying, "Why don't you grow up?"  
And the silence echoing, "I did."



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