I’ve been looking forward to celebrating today for a really long time. Sonja and Alex, from A Couple Cooks, have a full crib! And food bloggers are doing what food bloggers do best—we’re hosting an online baby shower for Larson. We’re celebrating with healthy snacks and hashtagging this party #acoupleadopts. Thanks Ashley of Edible Perspective and Sarah of Snixy Kitchen for helping host.

Sometimes I wonder if you can really know the taste of sweet if you aren’t familiar with the taste of bitter? I think the answer is yes, but there’s a depth of knowledge that comes with knowing the taste of both intimately. Alex and Sonja met loss a couple times before they met Larson—with a miscarriage and multiple adoptions falling through. They’ve become good friends over the years. I’m drawn to them for the same reasons I’m drawn to Kev, they’re so steady. (I’m not.) They just kept living well in the years of limbo.

Parenthood has taught me about a lapse of time I never knew before. The hard days are long, and sometimes so many are strung together, you wonder if the easy days will show up again. I was talking with Sonja the other day, and she mentioned that Larson is such a good baby. She wonders when the hard days will hit (probably because I’ve told her too many stories about my early days of motherhood). I’m not sure if the world works this way, but it feels like they’ve done plenty of hard days.

I’m celebrating this party with an adaptation of Laura’s Sunshine Crackers from her new book, The First Mess Cookbook. Laura has been another long time blog friend. In fact, the first meal I cooked post-Hallie was from her blog. Laura was also the person that helped me figure out how to talk about the recipes I make. I’d been thinking about it for months with no luck, asking anyone that would give me an answer. She rattled off this as if it she’d been thinking about it for months too—quick, modern weeknight meals; slow, classic weekend baking.

Laura’s vibe and way of cooking has a contagion to it. Her recipes are plant forward and naturally vegan. If you’re not vegan, you’ll still find 95% of the ingredients familiar. The recipe for these Sunshine Crackers calls for nutritional yeast, something you can typically buy from the bulk bins. It has a slightly cheesy flavor. I use it when making Bitchin Sauce, a recipe you must try at some point in your life.

To Sonja and Alex—you guys have taught me so much about weathering a long string of hard days with your steadiness. I love seeing the fullness of your smile these days. And to Laura—your book is beautiful. I’m reconsidering so many of my book recipes after reading through yours. I think I’m going to go back and add a little Laura to a couple of them.

In her book, Laura says to cut fun shapes out of the cracker dough. So I did. But overcooked them slightly while handling a time out. Whoops. I’d still like you to take notice of that hand carved pound symbol that wasn’t in our cookie cutter set. Maybe Hal wouldn’t have gotten herself into trouble if I hadn’t been so immersed in carving out crackers. Maybe.

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See who else is showering the A Couple Cooks family.

Flourishing Foodie  |  Avocado and Asparagus Tartines with Basil Pesto
The Full Helping  |  Individual Strawberry Chocolate Crisps
Snixy Kitchen  |  Roasted Lemon Mint Pesto Tartines, Two Ways
This Mess Is Ours  |  Coriander & Lime Scented Cashews
Making Thyme for Health  |  Hemp Ranch Hummus
Two Red Bowls  |  Buttered Eggs on Toast, with Radish & Parsley
Cookie and Kate  |  World’s Greatest Guacamole
Dolly and Oatmeal  |  Sunshine Mung Bean Spread w/ Gluten-Free Za’atar Bread
Edible Perspective  |  Tropical Oatmeal Snack Cookies
Eat This Poem  |  Red Pepper and Walnut Hummus
Brooklyn Supper  |  Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Cilantro-Avocado Sauce
Gather & Dine  |  Muffin Tin Granola Cups with Lemon Greek Yogurt and Berries
FoodieCrush  |  Baked Beet Chips
Harvest and Honey  |  Healthy Candy Bar