Poor Kid

"Yes! My son's not gonna be a shrimp afterall!"- andymac

Yes, in case you didn't know....Andy was starting to be very concerned that somehow Ryder was going to be a "shrimp"! He's been in the 50% in weight and height at his max....somewhere between his 4month appt and now he hit a growth spurt.. 18lbs (70%) and 27 1/2 in (95%)!! I think I was more excited to tell Andy about it than I really cared about it myself. Ha!

Anyways, I know everyone says it, but this age is the BEST! He's sooo much fun...giggling and playing and staying put! He sits up like a champ now, eats everything (but his green peas, as you can see below!), wiggles and TRYS to crawl but thankfully that has not taken full effect yet!

Valentines is coming!

This is not a cooking blog nor will become an Ashley Mac's blog...but because I can't seem to keep up with 2 blogs (need to delete the Amacs one because I NEVER post on it..oops) I wanted to post about what we're up to for Valentines Day - If you live in Bham or know people that do, check out our cupcakes, truffles, or brownies for a great gift!

See and hear about our Cupcakes on the local ABC facebook page- scroll down to the bottom of this link to see our clip. For you Bama AX's, you can also see Holley Johnson on here because she did a segment a few days after me.
http://www.facebook.com/talkofalabama

And, if you want to cook Valentines for your sweetheart here are some ideas from a cooking segment we did last week.
http://cfc.abc3340.com/videoondemand.cfm?id=58279&category=toa

Rekindled love....

for Cooking! 2010 has brought some new inspiration in my culinary world. After starting Ashley Mac's (originally "A Taste of Birmingham") over 4 years ago, I found myself in a cooking rut...you would think developing over 100 recipes for the business would not stifle my passion for cooking, but the mechanics of it got in the way I guess. So, thanks to encouragement from my friend Noelle, we have started cooking through the Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks, keeping recipe journals, and emailing daily about our experiences...and let me just say, I am having a BLAST! I am learning so many things about French cooking and am enjoying purchasing really fine ingredients like Truffle Butter,Fleur de Sel, really good olive oil, and fabulous cheeses....not easy on the budget,but since it's my hobby, career, and a basic neccessity for life all rolled into one, it's easy for me to justify! Needless to say, Andy's enjoying all of my experimenting...Truffled Beef Tenderloin on a Tuesday night, Pappa Al Pomodoro on a rainy Thursday... Why not?!!! I can't wait to incorporate some new things into Ashley Mac's! I thought I would share on the blog knowing that many of you love to cook as well..Jennie B, Julia P, and Aunt Anne particuarly!

Pics Below:
-I've been searching for the perfect pie crust and Ina's was quite delicious!
-Lauren and I working at a Charity Event for VSA Arts of Alabama
-Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Stock...one of the best I've tried! I made 2 huge pots and was able to freeze 5 quarts and 6 cups of chicken- so fun to pull out homemade stock to whip up a fabulous meal.
-Last pic was judging a pie competition at The Birmingham Bake and Cook Co(I wouldn't call myself a pie connoisseur but I sure did have fun tasting over 25 pies!)