Lily at One Year

So the little lady is technically thirteen months old now, so a long overdue Lil-meister update is finally here...and something needs to get posted for BeJesus's sake so that this blog doesn't go into "inactive" status and we get booted out of the internets by the Google Gods. We survived the Chicago Snowpocalypse of 2011 and bring you this latest edition of the HHH. Here's the deets on the first 12-13 months of Lily's life:

Standing 29.25 inches tall and weighing in at 21 pounds of pure muscle (plus three teeth and some major cheeks!), we've got Lily Bryn Handfelt...

LIKES

• Eating bananas and Greek yogurt
• Saying the words hi, dada, momma, cat, dog, duck, and uh-oh!
• Bathtub toys
• Running around after a bath (who doesn't, though?)
• Laughing at pretty much anything and everything
  
• Dogs
• Laughing at dogs
• Pointing at dogs
  
• Carmella (especially using the cat's bottom at a pillow)
• This toy (thanks, Milo and Cody!)
• Throwing things in the toilet when her parents forget to put the lid down
• Trippy Yo Gabba Gabba videos
• Jogging around the house with a fistful of socks in both hands

DISLIKES

• Not being able to be held by Mom or Dad in the morning when they are getting ready for work
• Being told to not to touch Carm's cat food and splash in her water bowl
• Putting on mittens

Check out all the pictures from Lily's one year photo shoot here.

Other things we've been up to (and that we may OR may not write about in the coming days)(and including a few inside jokes):

• My birthday dinner at Alinea (OMG, we have true foodie street cred now!)
• Our week long holiday trip to Iowa (we are now longing for the days of the Waltons and Snuggies)
• Lily's birthday party at the O.P. (and cupcakes!)
• Lily's first parent/teacher conference (excels in all areas except "stair climbing" - however, we have no stairs in our home)
• Ben's work's post-holiday party at the Elysian Hotel (with a few spa treatments, plenty of room service, and only a brief trip to The Basement this time)
• My attempt to make a homemade pie every week (mission was discarded after two weeks, when I decided that I didn't need to gain 40 pounds)
• A date night at one of our very favorite restaurants, Las Palmas, and a Bulls basketball game (and I still rooted for the Dunkin Donuts coffee guy in the big screen race, but lost...no free coffee for me)

Anyway, that's what's up in our little world...thanks for joining us!

"The Fam" outside of our building (before the snow-my-god blizzard).

Birthday Bashes Abound! Lily Celebrates Turning One! Dad and Mom Refuse to Acknowledge Their Pending Mortality!

I will have my cake and eat it too!

Ugh, this looks like clothes.

Smiling on command is for the weak.

Top Albums of 2010, Handfelt'd

1. Vampire Weekend: Contra - A creative and wholly unique mixture of melodies and guitars that causes unbridled happiness in a much more compact, affordable package than Prozac. A musical science experiment that's quirky yet accessible, sweet but never cloying.
2. Spoon: Transference - Their most challenging yet rewarding album yet. If "Written In Reverse" doesn't make you want to go tackle a cat, I don't know what will.
3. The Black Keys: Brothers - A step in the right direction after the comparatively disappointing Attack & Release, this take no prisoners opus could have been #1 if they'd trimmed some of the fat off the last half of the album.
4. Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More - Rousing, sing-along pub rock at it's finest and one of the best live shows I saw in 2010. Weather or not they're "authentic" enough is a debate best left to the skinny jean Pitchfork nerds.
5. Arcade Fire: The Suburbs - Another album with loads of brilliance, that like the Black Keys, could have used a better editor. These guys are peerless when it comes to rocking the concept album.
6. The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards - Dirty rock, loud guitar Album of the Year from one of Jack White's 627 side projects.
7. LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening - Stuff this danceable is usually outside of my comfort zone, but this is essentially dance music for old white guys. I fit the bill perfectly.
8. Kings of Leon: Come Around Sundown - I was justifiably leery after their last album of fairly generic stadium rock, as I've always preferred their Dirty South sound, but they rebounded nicely with this one, which took me months to finally pull the trigger on. Detractors will have their way with the meandering pace and lack of crunchy riffs, but in my mind this is one of the best, chill albums of the year.
9. My Chemical Romance: Danger Days - It would be a mistake to pigeon hole these glam rockers as an emo flash in the pan. Think Ziggy Stardust meets Queen with a little cock rock swagger thrown in for good measure.
10. MGMT: Flash Delirium - There are no real catchy singles like on their debut, but there also aren't any real clunkers either. Solid hipster tuneage.

Honorable Mention:

Butch Walker: I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart - Not his best effort, but Days/Months/Years was certainly one of the better songs of last year, and the album has it's definite Butch-y moments.
Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - He's a real douche, but his genius label is somewhat justified. But he's still a douche.
The Soft Pack: Self Titled - California garage rock with some punch.
Pete Yorn: Self Titled - This guy churns out albums like I churn out hyperbole, and this one is one of his better efforts in some time.
Band of Horses: Infinite Arms - "Laredo" is a great song. The rest of the album struggles at times to live up to that gold standard, but is still a pleasant ride.

Other albums I enjoyed to one extent or another: Buckcherry, All Night Long; Stone Temple Pilots, Self Titled; Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Record; Gaslight Anthem, American Slang

Biggest disappointments: The New Pornographers, Together; Broken Bells, Self Titled; Gorillaz, Plastic Beach; Hot Chip, One Night Stand

Top Movies of 2010, Handfelt'd

1. Black Swan – A warped, crazy, beautifully shot film that gets better with repeat viewings. Made me want to be a ballerina when I grow up, eating disorder and all.
2. Inception – Keeping with the theme of films that mess with your head (literally), Inception was the rare blockbuster that challenged rather than pandered.
3. True Grit – A surprisingly straightforward and crowd pleasing Western from the Coen Brothers that had me dusting off my old pair of assless chaps.
4. 127 Hours – A gripping, dare I say upbeat, tale of survival that director Danny Boyle allows to breathe without ever feeling too cramped or static.
5. The Fighter – Boston accents + Christian Bale + boxing + “Not you” = A boxing movie that’s wildly entertaining even if you know where it’s going.
6. The Social Network – Perhaps it's my Farmville bias, but I can’t find it in my heart to agree with the general consensus that this is the best movie of the year. That said, I would certainly accept it's friend request if it would remember me from high school. (Frowny face)
7. Let Me In – Having never seen the original Swedish version, I had no bias one way or another going into this one, but found it to be sufficiently haunting and atmospheric.
8. Predators – Finally a Predator sequel worthy of the “For the love of Carl Weathers, just give us something decent” standards set forth by Predator fanboys, myself included.
9. Winter’s Bone – I read someone call this a companion piece to True Grit and couldn’t agree more. A slow burn thriller that’s like a modern Western by way of Deliverance.
10a The Town – Apparently I’m a sucker for Boston accents. I'm also a sucker for role play that involves Boston accents, flannel shirts, eye black and truffles, but that's a story for another day.
10b The Other Guys – Will Ferrell’s best work since ‘The Landlord’ video on Funny or Die. Nice to see Michael Keaton earning a paycheck too.
10c Get Him to the Greek – I know, ties are a cop out, but I need some levity on this list, and this one had me cracking up like Horatio Sanz in a skit with Jimmy Fallon (/obscure SNL’d). Stroke the furry wall!

Runners up, in no particular order:

The Crazies – surprisingly effective zombie movie that was cool way before The Walking Dead. Takes place in Iowa, yet there are no scenes involving sweet corn, which I found to be a bit disingenuous.
The Book of Eli – Some found the ending to be ridiculous, but I appreciated the sheer audacity of it all and the fact that it was a legitimate twist that I didn’t see coming.
Despicable Me – One of the funniest movies I saw year, and I didn’t even watch it with Lily. Dang it if those minions aren’t adorable.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – A wickedly original, fast paced romp that left me a little confused but a lot exhilarated.
Blue Valentine – Sure, you might need to watch this with a bottle of Prozac, but the performances are devastating, raw and honest.
The Tillman Story - The best (only?) documentary I saw all year.

Films I wanted to see, but was fated not to: Toy Story 3 (need to watch the first two first), Somewhere

Lily Walking and Talking (Kind of)

The 2:00 mark is especially choice.

The Many Faces Of Lily Bryn

She's always her most expressive at the dinner table, naturally. Classic Handfelt food hysteria!

Handfelt Hotcake Showdown: Made from Scratch Edition - Up in Your Griddle!

For the uninitiated, there was once an Internet phenomenon that was on par with Rick Rolling and Facebook in terms of popularity. That's right, The Handfelt Hotcake Showdown.

Boxed pancake mixes from near and far would come to compete in the Handfelt Hacienda for the title of "Pancake President". A lot of batter, sweat and carbs went into the competition, but when the flour dust settled, one woman, clad in a do-rag and a smile emerged victorious. That's right, Auntie J.

Now we've exhausted all of the different pancake mixes and it's time to move on. Well, not really, but we can't allow ourselves to buy any more boxes until we get rid of the remaining five left in the pantry.

Yet that doesn't mean that we can't whip up some made from scratch recipes and get this party started all over again.

This time around, we'll just be sampling one recipe at a time, judging each on it's own merits. There will also be the occasional guest judge who will weigh in on the proceedings with the gravity of a Supreme Court ruling. Also, we'll be taking submissions from our loyal reader(s). Got a good one? Send it to me at benhandfelt@gmail.com and prepare to be judged.

First up is one of our tried and true faves, the "secret IHOP recipe." I can't remember where I found this. It may have been in the depths of my previous pancake research or someone may have sent it to me. Who can be sure? (And quite frankly, who cares?)

IHOP Recipe

1 1/4 cups flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar (I usually use a little more)
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup oil
pinch of salt

Preheat a non-stick griddle over medium heat. For God's sakes, spring for this one. In a blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Ladle this gooey goodness onto the skillet. Make your own sound effects. When the edges appear to harden after a minute of two, flip those things like you flip off some d-bag that cut you off in the carpool lane. Cook for another minute or there abouts. Enjoy with butter, syrup and fresh berries.

The Results

The bar has been set dangerously high early in the game. These pancakes are fluffy, sugary (they don't even really require syrup) and as moist as cool spring morning. You may consider IHOP to be beneath you, but you sir, are a pompous fool. They didn't go "International" for nothing. These pancakes aren't to be trifled with and are best served warm, like my sass.

Final Score: 9 dollops out of 10