Annalie lost her third tooth! This is the first upper tooth she’s lost. It’s been loose for a long time, and was probably within a few days of falling out on its own. Then this afternoon right before we left for dance class, she tripped and hit her mouth on the handlebars of her scooter. She wasn’t injured, but that tooth was knocked askew so I pulled it out. It came right out painlessly. Annalie had been getting annoyed by how hard it was to eat with a loose front tooth, and she was overjoyed to have that tooth out. She couldn’t stop telling me for the rest of the evening how happy she was that her tooth fell out. I think the fact that she knows she’ll be getting a visit from the Tooth Fairy (who I happen to know left her a gold dollar coin and a new Agent P toothbrush) had a lot to do with her glee.

You ready?

Here we go…

Where’s the baby?

Peek-a-boo, there she is!

Now repeat that sequence 47 times in a row. But you won’t mind, because your partner is so cute.

Yes, I crocheted that little blanket she’s playing with. It’s a work in progress, using scrap yarn.

My step-cousin-in-law (Hi, Diane!) requested this recipe after I mentioned it on Facebook. Thanks to Troy working super-late and putting children to bed, we didn’t manage to eat dinner tonight till almost 10 o’clock. That might have made this taste extra-fabulous, but I doubt it. I think it would have been that tasty no matter when we ate it.

Two-Cheese Mashed-Potato Bake with Rosemary
Serves 4-6 as a side, 2-3 as a main dish.

• large sweet onion, diced
• 3 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp butter
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 medium potatoes (~2 lbs)
• 2/3 c. milk or half-and-half
• 3 ounces cream cheese or neufchatel cheese
• 3/4 to 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp. dried rosemary)
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.

First, caramelize the onions because that’ll take a while: Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute for a minute. Reduce heat to low and let onions cook, stirring occasionally, till very soft and golden brown. This will take a half-hour or more, so be patient.

While the onions are cooking, let’s get the potatoes going: Peel, rinse and quarter the potatoes. Place in a large pot with just enough water to cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes or till potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork.

Drain potatoes, return to pot and mash well with a potato masher. Add milk and cream cheese and mix well.

When the onions are done to your liking, scrape the onions and all that butter into the potatoes. Add rosemary and salt and pepper and mix. Reserve a handful of cheddar for the top of the casserole, then sprinkle half the remaining cheddar over the potatoes and stir carefully. (You want to get the cheese mixed in but not all melted in a clump.) Repeat with the second half of the remaining cheddar.

Melt remaining 1 Tbsp butter right in your 8″x8″ casserole pan, in the oven for a few minutes or in the microwave for 30 seconds. Tilt the pan so the butter covers the bottom evenly, then spread potato mixture in pan. Sprinkle reserved cheddar on top. Cook at 400F for 20-30 minutes till cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Not terribly photogenic, especially under fluorescent lights, but deeeeelicious.

Notes: