Sunday, September 28, 2008
Lil' Peanut
I'm proud to announce that Colin has been chosen to be the "Lil' Peanut of the Week" on the blog, "The Lil' Peanut Patch"!! My child is famous before me, not surprising. While you're there, check out the blog because they have TONS of giveaways and other great things!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Are you ready for some football?
I have little to no knowledge of football but I do live with a football-obsessed man, so I feel like I do have some insight (kind of like insider trading - something I do know a thing or two about). Last week I joined the BFL and made my own picks using my own feminine rationale. I didn't fall too far behind so I'm back for more. Last week my picks were based on geography and since I didn't win, I'm going with mascots this time.
By the way, a word on the winner (cheater). Enjoy it while you can. Surely you know the power of female logic, it will prevail! You'll see soon enough.
CAROLINA over ATLANTA - A panther would eat a falcon as a snack!
CINCINNATI over CLEVELAND - As Colin says, "pee you stinky"! What kind of mascot is a "Brown" anyways? Dumb = lose.
JACKSONVILLE over HOUSTON - Jaq-a-wars (you have to say it like Cartmen to get the full effect)
DENVER over KANSAS CITY - I know Indians (chiefs) are tough but I don't think even they could stand up to a bronco.
SAN FRANCISCO over NEW ORLEANS - The battle of the unidentifiable mascots. Who could logically choose between a 49'er or a Saint? A saint doesn't strike me as very tough and isn't toughness necessary for football? Who chose that?
NY JETS over ARIZONA - I can't cheer a Cardinal! 'Nuf said.
TAMPA BAY over GREEN BAY - No fudgepackers for me! I think I've been around Wes too long. I don't think I even knew what that was before I met him. Ah, I've been corrupted with 15-year old immature boy language!
TENNESSEE over MINNESOTA - This should be a good one - Titans and Vikings. The battle of the armor. I can't believe I've picked TN two weeks in a row.
SAN DIEGO over OAKLAND - San Diego will charge right over those Raiders. Get it? I'm so clever!
BUFFALO over ST LOUIS - Buffalo Bill, a Wild West character. Hm, makes perfect sense to place that team in NY - definitely west. Despite being geography challenged, I'm going with Buffalo because they're bigger.
DALLAS over WASHINGTON - I can't cheer for such a racist team. I'll stick with the cowboys.
CHICAGO over PHILADELPHIA - I have no idea who/what a 76'er is but I'm pretty sure a bear would crush them. Bears have no mercy.
Monday Night Football
PITTSBURGH over BALTIMORE - Deviating from the mascots for a moment, I believe the Steelers have some of the craziest fans in the world, so since this is a home game I'll take them over the birds.
COMBINED FINAL SCORE: 41
I'm not sure I'll be able to use this logic again. The mascots just don't merit much attention or make much sense. Shouldn't the be ferocious animals like lions, tigers, and bears, oh my?
By the way, a word on the winner (cheater). Enjoy it while you can. Surely you know the power of female logic, it will prevail! You'll see soon enough.
CAROLINA over ATLANTA - A panther would eat a falcon as a snack!
CINCINNATI over CLEVELAND - As Colin says, "pee you stinky"! What kind of mascot is a "Brown" anyways? Dumb = lose.
JACKSONVILLE over HOUSTON - Jaq-a-wars (you have to say it like Cartmen to get the full effect)
DENVER over KANSAS CITY - I know Indians (chiefs) are tough but I don't think even they could stand up to a bronco.
SAN FRANCISCO over NEW ORLEANS - The battle of the unidentifiable mascots. Who could logically choose between a 49'er or a Saint? A saint doesn't strike me as very tough and isn't toughness necessary for football? Who chose that?
NY JETS over ARIZONA - I can't cheer a Cardinal! 'Nuf said.
TAMPA BAY over GREEN BAY - No fudgepackers for me! I think I've been around Wes too long. I don't think I even knew what that was before I met him. Ah, I've been corrupted with 15-year old immature boy language!
TENNESSEE over MINNESOTA - This should be a good one - Titans and Vikings. The battle of the armor. I can't believe I've picked TN two weeks in a row.
SAN DIEGO over OAKLAND - San Diego will charge right over those Raiders. Get it? I'm so clever!
BUFFALO over ST LOUIS - Buffalo Bill, a Wild West character. Hm, makes perfect sense to place that team in NY - definitely west. Despite being geography challenged, I'm going with Buffalo because they're bigger.
DALLAS over WASHINGTON - I can't cheer for such a racist team. I'll stick with the cowboys.
CHICAGO over PHILADELPHIA - I have no idea who/what a 76'er is but I'm pretty sure a bear would crush them. Bears have no mercy.
Monday Night Football
PITTSBURGH over BALTIMORE - Deviating from the mascots for a moment, I believe the Steelers have some of the craziest fans in the world, so since this is a home game I'll take them over the birds.
COMBINED FINAL SCORE: 41
I'm not sure I'll be able to use this logic again. The mascots just don't merit much attention or make much sense. Shouldn't the be ferocious animals like lions, tigers, and bears, oh my?
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
As promised, here are some pictures from the first professional haircut. Despite my worrying and trying to plan ahead by asking fellow parents, Colin wowed us all and did remarkably well. Brooke, the hairstylist, was just amazed how well he did. Luckily she had a few toys to keep him occupied. As you can see, he also got to sit on my lap which helped tremendously. The only time he even quibbled was at the end when she sprayed some water on his hair. He just wasn't a fan. I'm so proud of him and thankful he behaved. 
Looks like I need to add some zebra print to my wardrobe!
It's hard to take a picture of a moving object. I think you can get the general idea though.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Unspoken Words
Tomorrow Colin will be 15-months old! My how time flies. Wes and I look at baby pictures now and don't even recognize our precious angel. How is that possible? It's only been a little over a year? I can remember certain periods of time - first solid foods, sleeping through the night, standing on his own - but for the most part everything blurs together. I know this is normal but why can't we be different? Why can't we slow time and enjoy each and every minute? We do enjoy every minute, there just aren't enough of them!
Today was our well-visit with the doctor. I'm always anxious to go because it seems there are always unanswered questions. We always leave feeling better, until the next day when a new question arises! No one ever warned me how ambiguous raising a child would be. Why hasn't someone written a "if this happens, do this" book? I'll add that to the list of books for Wes to write. Seriously, for most scenarios, there are only 1 or 2 options for solutions, remedies, etc. So why can't someone write "The Answers to All Your Questions"?
In the beginning, Colin had what we self-diagnosed as colic. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of dealing with a child with colic, it's essentially a non-treatable pain in the neck (for both child and parent) that also has no official diagnosis. The symptoms vary so that makes it even more challenging to diagnose and deal with. In the simplest form of a definition, it's basically stomach issues that result in prolonged periods of inconsolable crying. So here you are new to this whole parenting thing, with a baby that won't stop crying. You feel like a terrible parent because you can't make your child happy or make the pain go away. My point is, no one ever talks about these things. Sure you might hear ways to lose that last bit of baby weight, or how to effectively potty train your toddler, or how to wean from the bottle, but why doesn't anyone tell you that colic or the like is a possibility, or better yet how to deal with it? And here I am talking about it (that's at least a baby step) but I have no solutions. Unfortunately, there are no solutions, you just learn to deal.
That brings us to today (well not really but I don't have all day). Today's issue to discuss with the doctor was Colin's eating habits. Don't get me wrong, he's the best eater in terms of variety, but he still has other issues. The most annoying habit is grunting loudly between every bite. Imagine trying to take a bite while your child is grunting/yelling at you for another bite. It makes eating a little challenging. Wes and I have adapted and eat at lightning speed. The real issue is whether or not Colin is every truly full. He rarely, if ever, stops eating on his own free will. As long as we keep putting the food in front of him, he keeps opening his mouth for another bite. There comes a point when we feel like we should stop. I mean this little being's stomach capacity is surely only about 1/4 of ours, right? Who would know with him? Well because Colin hadn't gained much weight since our last visit, the doctor gave me the go ahead to feed him more. He said keep feeding him until he stops eating. So if I start that tonight, I'll see you tomorrow because he won't stop until he physically can't hold his head up! Maybe I'll be proven wrong. Again, why can't there be some kind of guideline that tells you to feed "x" age child "x" amount? I know all kids are different but we as adults are supposed to follow the food pyramid, why can't babies/toddlers have a similar guideline? We get a range and they could too. I'll add that to my list too.
As if the doctor's visit today wasn't enough torture for Colin, he's also getting his first professional haircut today. I thought I was doing just fine but somehow the hippy look is getting lost on Wes. I like the disheveled look but his hair grows so fast, I'll allow a little trim. I have my camera in tow so I'll post soon.
Today was our well-visit with the doctor. I'm always anxious to go because it seems there are always unanswered questions. We always leave feeling better, until the next day when a new question arises! No one ever warned me how ambiguous raising a child would be. Why hasn't someone written a "if this happens, do this" book? I'll add that to the list of books for Wes to write. Seriously, for most scenarios, there are only 1 or 2 options for solutions, remedies, etc. So why can't someone write "The Answers to All Your Questions"?
In the beginning, Colin had what we self-diagnosed as colic. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of dealing with a child with colic, it's essentially a non-treatable pain in the neck (for both child and parent) that also has no official diagnosis. The symptoms vary so that makes it even more challenging to diagnose and deal with. In the simplest form of a definition, it's basically stomach issues that result in prolonged periods of inconsolable crying. So here you are new to this whole parenting thing, with a baby that won't stop crying. You feel like a terrible parent because you can't make your child happy or make the pain go away. My point is, no one ever talks about these things. Sure you might hear ways to lose that last bit of baby weight, or how to effectively potty train your toddler, or how to wean from the bottle, but why doesn't anyone tell you that colic or the like is a possibility, or better yet how to deal with it? And here I am talking about it (that's at least a baby step) but I have no solutions. Unfortunately, there are no solutions, you just learn to deal.
That brings us to today (well not really but I don't have all day). Today's issue to discuss with the doctor was Colin's eating habits. Don't get me wrong, he's the best eater in terms of variety, but he still has other issues. The most annoying habit is grunting loudly between every bite. Imagine trying to take a bite while your child is grunting/yelling at you for another bite. It makes eating a little challenging. Wes and I have adapted and eat at lightning speed. The real issue is whether or not Colin is every truly full. He rarely, if ever, stops eating on his own free will. As long as we keep putting the food in front of him, he keeps opening his mouth for another bite. There comes a point when we feel like we should stop. I mean this little being's stomach capacity is surely only about 1/4 of ours, right? Who would know with him? Well because Colin hadn't gained much weight since our last visit, the doctor gave me the go ahead to feed him more. He said keep feeding him until he stops eating. So if I start that tonight, I'll see you tomorrow because he won't stop until he physically can't hold his head up! Maybe I'll be proven wrong. Again, why can't there be some kind of guideline that tells you to feed "x" age child "x" amount? I know all kids are different but we as adults are supposed to follow the food pyramid, why can't babies/toddlers have a similar guideline? We get a range and they could too. I'll add that to my list too.
As if the doctor's visit today wasn't enough torture for Colin, he's also getting his first professional haircut today. I thought I was doing just fine but somehow the hippy look is getting lost on Wes. I like the disheveled look but his hair grows so fast, I'll allow a little trim. I have my camera in tow so I'll post soon.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Another Birthday, Another Dessert
Thank goodness my coworkers' birthdays are spaced out! Today we celebrated the only September birthday. This particular person loves anything banana and had originally requested a banana pie that had been in Southern Living a year or so ago. The problems were a) he had already had this pie before and therefore could judge my pie based on his previous experience (no good) and b) that one was too easy. I have to at least put some elbow grease into these things to make it look like I slaved in the kitchen for hours! So when I found this recipe from bon appetit, it sounded like a winner. The reviews were mostly positive and even those that weren't had easy remedies. I followed the recipe pretty much as is, my additions and subtractions will be italicized.
Banana Cream Pie
Crust
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (depending on your pie plate, you could reduce to 2 cups)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I used 1 cup whole and 1/2 cup 1%)
3 large egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 pounds total), peeled, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I only used 2 large bananas.)
Bourbon caramel glaze:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T. butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt
2 T. bourbon or rum
For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and mashed banana in large bowl to blend. Add unsalted butter and stir to moisten evenly. Press onto bottom and up sides of 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Bake crust until set and pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.
For filling:
Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in whipping cream and whole milk, then egg yolks. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add vanilla bean. Whisk over medium-high heat until custard thickens and boils, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in unsalted butter and vanilla extract. Discard vanilla bean. Transfer custard to large bowl; cool completely, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour.
For caramel:
Combine all ingredients except alcohol in small saucepan. Stir all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce to a simmer and stir until desired consistency. Remove from heat and add alcohol (if desired). While caramel is still warm, spread 1/2 over warm crust. Let cool completely.
Stir custard to loosen, if necessary. Spread 1 cup custard over bottom of prepared crust. Top with sliced bananas. Spread the remaining 1/2 caramel over bananas, then 1 cup custard, covering bananas completely. Repeat layering with remaining bananas and remaining custard. Chill banana cream pie until filling is set and crust softens slightly, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. Cut pie into wedges and serve.
Banana Cream Pie
Crust
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (depending on your pie plate, you could reduce to 2 cups)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I used 1 cup whole and 1/2 cup 1%)
3 large egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 pounds total), peeled, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I only used 2 large bananas.)
Bourbon caramel glaze:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T. butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt
2 T. bourbon or rum
For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and mashed banana in large bowl to blend. Add unsalted butter and stir to moisten evenly. Press onto bottom and up sides of 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Bake crust until set and pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.
For filling:
Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in whipping cream and whole milk, then egg yolks. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add vanilla bean. Whisk over medium-high heat until custard thickens and boils, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in unsalted butter and vanilla extract. Discard vanilla bean. Transfer custard to large bowl; cool completely, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour.
For caramel:
Combine all ingredients except alcohol in small saucepan. Stir all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce to a simmer and stir until desired consistency. Remove from heat and add alcohol (if desired). While caramel is still warm, spread 1/2 over warm crust. Let cool completely.
Stir custard to loosen, if necessary. Spread 1 cup custard over bottom of prepared crust. Top with sliced bananas. Spread the remaining 1/2 caramel over bananas, then 1 cup custard, covering bananas completely. Repeat layering with remaining bananas and remaining custard. Chill banana cream pie until filling is set and crust softens slightly, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. Cut pie into wedges and serve.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
You're All Going Down!
Thankfully this is just a blog and no one can hold me to those words. It's fun to be able to trash talk for once in my life and not have to worry about someone bigger or stronger than me (most people) making me eat my words. With that, I present to you my first round of picks for the BFL (Blogger Football League). With my logic, you can take these picks straight to Vegas baby! If you'd like to show your mad guessing skills, feel free to sign up and join us at InstaMom's site.
Week Three Games
WASHINGTON over ARIZONA - I think Arizona is where Matt Leinert is and I remember my husband telling me that he hasn't done jack, so I'm going with WA. Plus, the game is in WA and AZ is used to playing in hot climates, so the cooler weather might throw 'em off.
CAROLINA over MINNESOTA - This is an easy one, who doesn't love the Carolina's? And blue jersey's - no brainer!
TENNESSEE over HOUSTON - Again, baby blue on the jersey but also my good friend, Heather, lives in TN. It does sort of go against everything I believe in to cheer for any team located in the state of TN, but since their colors aren't horrendous orange, I'll make the exception.
NEW ENGLAND over MIAMI - Despite Tom Brady being hurt, I heard someone say that his backup did well. I figure he has something to prove, so he's giving it his all. Plus, Miami has been in the middle of hurricane season so their practice has surely been affected.
BUFFALO over OAKLAND - Have you ever been to Oakland? No? Then don't! Don't get me wrong, San Fran is one of the best cities ever but it has this wart of a city, Oakland, attached to it. That is where I saw my first IKEA though, so there's something to be said for that.
GIANTS over CINCINNATI - Although I like to go to Cincinnati to shop and eat, everyone knows their football team, well, has seen better days. Plus, any team that wears Halloween colors during months other than October, are clearly impaired.
KANSAS CITY over ATLANTA - I remember Wes saying that Atlanta had the worst fans in the world. Peer pressure won't let me root for a team that no one else is rooting for.
CHICAGO over TAMPA BAY - Da Bears! I love the Windy City. I think they have a coach that used to be at UK, so I'm really cheering for my alma mater.
ST LOUIS over SEATTLE - St. Louis is closer and my friend, Jamie, lives there.
SAN FRANSISCO over DETROIT - This is a no brainer! Who would want to live in Detroit, especially if your choice was San Fran, one of the greatest cities in the US! Plus, I've heard 49'ers a lot more than Lions (those are the corresponding names, right?)
DENVER over NEW ORLEANS - Is New Orleans even a city anymore? Denver is at a higher altitude, so I think that will play into it somehow.
PITTSBURGH over PHILADELPHIA - I have a friend who is a big Steelers fan, so I'll help her root on her team.
BALTIMORE over CLEVELAND - Any team that was dumb enough to think Tim Couch would amount to a hill of beans is not very smart. Sorry Cleveland, you're brown and ugly, my pick is Baltimore.
INDIANAPOLIS over JACKSONVILLE - Jacob, tight end, Tamme - enough said.
DALLAS over GREEN BAY - Tony Romo has to be hot since he's dated both Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson. Who cares if he can play football (which I think he can), he'll be good to look at.
Monday Night Game
NY JETS over SAN DIEGO - As much as I'd love to visit San Diego, I think the Jets have been around longer and that should mean something??
COMBINED FINAL SCORE____62_____
Don't you feel more knowledgeable just reading my selections? This week's logic was based primarily on geography. Stay tuned next week to see what my motivation will be!
Week Three Games
WASHINGTON over ARIZONA - I think Arizona is where Matt Leinert is and I remember my husband telling me that he hasn't done jack, so I'm going with WA. Plus, the game is in WA and AZ is used to playing in hot climates, so the cooler weather might throw 'em off.
CAROLINA over MINNESOTA - This is an easy one, who doesn't love the Carolina's? And blue jersey's - no brainer!
TENNESSEE over HOUSTON - Again, baby blue on the jersey but also my good friend, Heather, lives in TN. It does sort of go against everything I believe in to cheer for any team located in the state of TN, but since their colors aren't horrendous orange, I'll make the exception.
NEW ENGLAND over MIAMI - Despite Tom Brady being hurt, I heard someone say that his backup did well. I figure he has something to prove, so he's giving it his all. Plus, Miami has been in the middle of hurricane season so their practice has surely been affected.
BUFFALO over OAKLAND - Have you ever been to Oakland? No? Then don't! Don't get me wrong, San Fran is one of the best cities ever but it has this wart of a city, Oakland, attached to it. That is where I saw my first IKEA though, so there's something to be said for that.
GIANTS over CINCINNATI - Although I like to go to Cincinnati to shop and eat, everyone knows their football team, well, has seen better days. Plus, any team that wears Halloween colors during months other than October, are clearly impaired.
KANSAS CITY over ATLANTA - I remember Wes saying that Atlanta had the worst fans in the world. Peer pressure won't let me root for a team that no one else is rooting for.
CHICAGO over TAMPA BAY - Da Bears! I love the Windy City. I think they have a coach that used to be at UK, so I'm really cheering for my alma mater.
ST LOUIS over SEATTLE - St. Louis is closer and my friend, Jamie, lives there.
SAN FRANSISCO over DETROIT - This is a no brainer! Who would want to live in Detroit, especially if your choice was San Fran, one of the greatest cities in the US! Plus, I've heard 49'ers a lot more than Lions (those are the corresponding names, right?)
DENVER over NEW ORLEANS - Is New Orleans even a city anymore? Denver is at a higher altitude, so I think that will play into it somehow.
PITTSBURGH over PHILADELPHIA - I have a friend who is a big Steelers fan, so I'll help her root on her team.
BALTIMORE over CLEVELAND - Any team that was dumb enough to think Tim Couch would amount to a hill of beans is not very smart. Sorry Cleveland, you're brown and ugly, my pick is Baltimore.
INDIANAPOLIS over JACKSONVILLE - Jacob, tight end, Tamme - enough said.
DALLAS over GREEN BAY - Tony Romo has to be hot since he's dated both Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson. Who cares if he can play football (which I think he can), he'll be good to look at.
Monday Night Game
NY JETS over SAN DIEGO - As much as I'd love to visit San Diego, I think the Jets have been around longer and that should mean something??
COMBINED FINAL SCORE____62_____
Don't you feel more knowledgeable just reading my selections? This week's logic was based primarily on geography. Stay tuned next week to see what my motivation will be!
Monday, September 15, 2008
New Routine, College Football, and Last Week's Recipes Reviewed (in no particular order)
I have a lot to say but not much to say about any one thing, so I thought I'd combine them all in one. Let's start with the good news first, not that any of the other things are bad, but this one deserves to be first. In a matter of 1 day, Colin has changed his sleeping routine. I suppose this new trend started on Saturday when he only took an hour and half nap (as opposed to his normal 3 hours). We had a full day of activities and then I put him to bed about 7:15pm. He sang, cried, and grunted until he finally conked out about 8ish. Well something magical happened between 8pm and the next morning. Some divine intervention prevented him from waking up at his normal 6:45-7am hour. I hope you're sitting down. He slept until 7:35! Now for those non-parent readers, you might not fully appreciate the joy of an extra 30 minutes, but trust me it's an everyday-is-your-birthday kind of good! Of course this meant his nap routine was also thrown off. With the gale force winds blowing our house from side to side, it's amazing he was able to nap at all! I ended up rocking him to sleep (notice I'm not complaining since I haven't got to do this for several months). I had little to no expectations that he would repeat this treat again this morning. Well he fooled me, he slept even longer! This morning he slept until 7:45 and laid quietly in his crib until 8am! Did someone speed up the clocks and it's really Christmas? I'll just shut my mouth and be thankful for the extra z's! Of course I'm used to him being my alarm clock, so I overslept by 15 minutes. Oh well, it was worth it!
It's no secret that my husband loves college football. In fact, love might not be a strong enough word. He lives, breaths, and eats football (yes, he's already planning the food for the next tailgate). When the season first started, a friend of his started a fantasy football thingie on FoxSports. Thankfully, there's no money involved, just bragging rights should you win. I happened to talk to his friend at the beginning and he offered me a chance to play too. He wanted females in there so he could give others a hard time should they get beat by a girl. I wasn't sure about this back-handed compliment, but I agreed. The first week I did quite well and placed 5th out of 12. I think I maintained the next week but I dropped off a bit this week. Each week I learn another little nuance that Wes allegedly "forgot" or said he told me - each one crucial to my picking! Now, I have no excuses because I know all the rules. I don't want to deceive anyone into thinking I have any clue what I'm doing. I pick based on traditional female logic - those favored, team colors, mascots, and location. If I could just get FoxSports to put little pictures of the mascots next to the college name, then I'd surely win!
A fellow blogger, Amy in Ohio, is going to launch the BFL (Blogger Football League) for picking NFL games. I have NO knowledge here but now we're getting into celebrity gossip! I can surely pick now. Do I choose Tony Romo's team because he must be good looking based on the fact he's had both Carrie Underwood and now Jessica Simpson as girlfriends? But then how much time does he really have to practice football if he's out whoring around with them? Now there's a real conundrum. Stay tuned to see if my logic holds up with those truly in the know!
I just wanted to quickly give you a thumbs up or thumbs down for the recipes I made last week. The ham with my made up glaze was fabulous. I just pressed some brown sugar into the ham before baking (it had already been cooked previously), added a little water to the pan, and heated for 25 minutes. While it was cooking, I melted a little butter in a saucepan and added more brown sugar. I poured that on the ham after cutting. Yum. The corn casserole was also tasty. It was more like corn spoonbread but I will still repeat it. The mashed sweet potatoes was another made up recipe but I was trying to duplicate something I had at Corbett's in Louisville. While I didn't succeed in replicating the taste, they were still tasty. I peeled and sliced the potatoes, tossed them with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. I roasted them in the oven at 425 for about 30 minutes, removed and pureed in a food processor. I then added a few dashes of liquid smoke, trying to simulate the smokey flavor. I was hesitant to add too much because I didn't want it to be overpowering, but it turned out I didn't add enough.
The gnocchi was good. My mom had never had gnocchi and thoroughly enjoyed. I used some fresh shrimp from Fresh Market and yummo! I used two types of gnocchi, sweet potato and spinach. I much prefer the sweet potato, which ironically tastes nothing like sweet potatoes!
The roast beef swirlwiches and the cranberry quinoa salad were also big hits. The quinoa salad makes enough for an army so you could easily half the recipe. If you haven't tried quinoa before, this would be a good recipe to try. It's one of the best, if not the best grain you can eat. It has a very mild flavor and it's very versatile.
The Asian chicken slaw was a repeat recipe, which is very rare for me. It was tasty and is better after it has set for several hours, or overnight. I always enjoy it more the next day after the flavors have melded together.
Last night were the caramelized beef skewers, warm potato salad, and fried corn. The skewers and the corn were to be grilled, but Mother Nature had other plans. I improvised and cut the corn off the cob and cooked it in the skillet. The warm potato salad was made with fingerling, red-skinned, and purple potatoes. Then it had raclette cheese on top, all tossed with a vinaigrette dressing. I was so anxious to try the purple potatoes. While pretty, the taste is no different than any other potato. They are hard to find though - definitely seasonal. I found mine at the Good Foods Coop.
I hope you're able to try some of these recipes. Let me know if you do and if you like them! Sorry for the long post, but I warned you I had a lot to say!
It's no secret that my husband loves college football. In fact, love might not be a strong enough word. He lives, breaths, and eats football (yes, he's already planning the food for the next tailgate). When the season first started, a friend of his started a fantasy football thingie on FoxSports. Thankfully, there's no money involved, just bragging rights should you win. I happened to talk to his friend at the beginning and he offered me a chance to play too. He wanted females in there so he could give others a hard time should they get beat by a girl. I wasn't sure about this back-handed compliment, but I agreed. The first week I did quite well and placed 5th out of 12. I think I maintained the next week but I dropped off a bit this week. Each week I learn another little nuance that Wes allegedly "forgot" or said he told me - each one crucial to my picking! Now, I have no excuses because I know all the rules. I don't want to deceive anyone into thinking I have any clue what I'm doing. I pick based on traditional female logic - those favored, team colors, mascots, and location. If I could just get FoxSports to put little pictures of the mascots next to the college name, then I'd surely win!
A fellow blogger, Amy in Ohio, is going to launch the BFL (Blogger Football League) for picking NFL games. I have NO knowledge here but now we're getting into celebrity gossip! I can surely pick now. Do I choose Tony Romo's team because he must be good looking based on the fact he's had both Carrie Underwood and now Jessica Simpson as girlfriends? But then how much time does he really have to practice football if he's out whoring around with them? Now there's a real conundrum. Stay tuned to see if my logic holds up with those truly in the know!
I just wanted to quickly give you a thumbs up or thumbs down for the recipes I made last week. The ham with my made up glaze was fabulous. I just pressed some brown sugar into the ham before baking (it had already been cooked previously), added a little water to the pan, and heated for 25 minutes. While it was cooking, I melted a little butter in a saucepan and added more brown sugar. I poured that on the ham after cutting. Yum. The corn casserole was also tasty. It was more like corn spoonbread but I will still repeat it. The mashed sweet potatoes was another made up recipe but I was trying to duplicate something I had at Corbett's in Louisville. While I didn't succeed in replicating the taste, they were still tasty. I peeled and sliced the potatoes, tossed them with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. I roasted them in the oven at 425 for about 30 minutes, removed and pureed in a food processor. I then added a few dashes of liquid smoke, trying to simulate the smokey flavor. I was hesitant to add too much because I didn't want it to be overpowering, but it turned out I didn't add enough.
The gnocchi was good. My mom had never had gnocchi and thoroughly enjoyed. I used some fresh shrimp from Fresh Market and yummo! I used two types of gnocchi, sweet potato and spinach. I much prefer the sweet potato, which ironically tastes nothing like sweet potatoes!
The roast beef swirlwiches and the cranberry quinoa salad were also big hits. The quinoa salad makes enough for an army so you could easily half the recipe. If you haven't tried quinoa before, this would be a good recipe to try. It's one of the best, if not the best grain you can eat. It has a very mild flavor and it's very versatile.
The Asian chicken slaw was a repeat recipe, which is very rare for me. It was tasty and is better after it has set for several hours, or overnight. I always enjoy it more the next day after the flavors have melded together.
Last night were the caramelized beef skewers, warm potato salad, and fried corn. The skewers and the corn were to be grilled, but Mother Nature had other plans. I improvised and cut the corn off the cob and cooked it in the skillet. The warm potato salad was made with fingerling, red-skinned, and purple potatoes. Then it had raclette cheese on top, all tossed with a vinaigrette dressing. I was so anxious to try the purple potatoes. While pretty, the taste is no different than any other potato. They are hard to find though - definitely seasonal. I found mine at the Good Foods Coop.
I hope you're able to try some of these recipes. Let me know if you do and if you like them! Sorry for the long post, but I warned you I had a lot to say!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Back in the Saddle Again
After a much needed break from cooking, I'm back at it. I honestly didn't miss cooking until about Friday. So come Sunday, I was ready to get back at it. Wouldn't it be nice if we could have breaks like this about once every couple of months just to get us energized and excited about cooking again? To get ahead of the game, I planned 2 weeks worth of menus while in the car on the way back from TN last week. Now for next week, all I have left to do is make the grocery list and buy the groceries. I don't know about you, but making the menu is half the battle for me! Here's the run down for the next 2 weeks:
Ham with brown sugar glaze, corn casserole, smoked mashed sweet potatoes
Gnocchi with shrimp, asparagus, and basil pesto and salad
Roast beef swirlwiches and spinach/cranberry quinoa salad
Asian chicken slaw and frozen spring rolls
Italian Chopped Salad
Portobello Sandwiches and Wheatberry Salad
Caramelized Beef Skewers, warm potato salad, grilled corn
Burgers, baked bean, and leftover salad (potato or wheatberry)
Ham with brown sugar glaze, corn casserole, smoked mashed sweet potatoes
Gnocchi with shrimp, asparagus, and basil pesto and salad
Roast beef swirlwiches and spinach/cranberry quinoa salad
Asian chicken slaw and frozen spring rolls
Italian Chopped Salad
Portobello Sandwiches and Wheatberry Salad
Caramelized Beef Skewers, warm potato salad, grilled corn
Burgers, baked bean, and leftover salad (potato or wheatberry)
Blessed
Sometimes when you least expect it, someone comes along and does something nice for you. My mom is often one of these somebodies! Last week she offered to cook dinner for us every night. Am I lucky or what? After some hesitation, I mean she does watch my child 3 days a week so I don't want to overwork the poor lady, I agreed. To say this was wonderful would be the understatement of the century! She had treated like this once before the week of my birthday but somehow I enjoyed this one even more. I think it's because it was one of those no-need-for-a-special-occasion-type of things that made it even more special and of course appreciated. Mom, Wes, and I (and Colin) all have similar palates and will eat just about anything. She and I both love surprises so each meal was a total surprise. That was nice but the real treat was not having to plan, shop, prepare, and clean up for an ENTIRE week! Although she used many recipes I had made before, they somehow tasted even better when she made them. If you cook at all, you know that someone else's peanut butter sandwich always tastes better than the one you made, probably because you didn't have to make it. Thanks Mom, I enjoyed each and every morsel!
To show some type of gratification, I treated Mom to dinner Saturday night at Serafini's in Frankfort. This is the sister (or brother) of Portofino and The Summit in Lexington. Since both of those restaurants are generally good, I thought this one should be of the same caliber. Thankfully, it was! It was even perhaps better than Portofino's. Since Colin was it tow, I was glad that we were the only patrons when we arrived. Not that Colin is bad, he is just a remorseless eating machine and wants to tell everyone about it. A few other diners did come in and I'm sure they were glad when we left. Colin literally grunted (this is what he does to indicate he wants another bite, despite the fact his mouth is already crammed full of the last bite) the entire time we were eating. I ultimately stopped eating so that I could get him out of his seat because he had taken to crying hysterically. It could have been because he wanted more to eat, he was tired, his teeth were hurting, or he was just being a pistol. We walked over to the windows and he calmed down. I took that as I sign that I had eaten enough, which was probably very much the case. The evening was absolutely beautiful and the restaurant is on a quaint, railroad split road, across from a city park. There was some type of festival going on in the park so there was live music. Mom thoroughly enjoyed herself and that's what the night was all about.
On to the food review. The menu is divided similarly to that of Portofino's - appetizers/salads, pasta dishes, and main entrees. Then of course they have nightly specials, as if the regular menu wasn't comprehensive enough! I am not a huge appetizer fan because I find they are usually grease laden and fill me up too much before the much anticipated dinner course. I am, however, often tempted by salads. Now that I am so interested in cooking, I find myself looking at restaurants to get ideas that I can copy for dinner. The menu included 2 salads, one a KY Bison Flank Steak Salad, and the other a Apple & Goat Cheese salad. Although the steak salad was quite tempting with the various nut, cheese, and dried fruit garnishments, Mom and I both opted for the Apple & Goat Cheese salad because it was offered as a "small" salad. Wow, I could have stopped there. It's not that the salad was particularly large, it was just so darn tasty. I'm not usually one to rave about salads because I generally find them quite blase, but this salad garners special attention. There wasn't anything inventive about it, the flavors just melded well. A bed of mesclun greens were topped with thinly sliced Granny Smith apples, super soft goat cheese crumbles, candied pecans, and tossed in a mustard vinaigrette. My taste buds are dancing just thinking about it!
Although the reviews I had read online all commented on the service, or lack thereof, we found our server to be quite attentive and very efficient. Perhaps it was because I had a loud infant and he was trying to graciously push us out the door, but whatever the case may have been we appreciated it. Our dinner course followed quickly behind the removal of our salad plates. Oh yes and somewhere in between here we were served a small plate of ciabatta bread slices, nothing fancy, nothing to write home about, in fact Colin was the only one to even sample the bread. The entrees arrived and were quite ample. I ordered the Spinach and Three Cheese Ravioli and I added salmon. My mom ordered the Sauteed Sea Scallops with Yukon mashers and wilted kale. We ordered these 2 dishes with the intention of sampling each others but with Colin in full on grunt mode, I was distracted and we didn't really get to divide half and half. We did however sample one another's food. My ravioli were huge, probably 4x4 squares. They were green, thus the spinach, and were filled with a ricotta, and I'm guessing parsley, mixture. The sauce had a smorgasbord of ingredients, ranging from sun-dried tomatoes, to nuts, to mushrooms, to pearl onions, all in a tomato-based sauce. The optional salmon that I selected was atop the bowl, chunk style. I'm not sure I would opt for the salmon on a second visit because I don't think I got enough salmon to merit the up charge. It was also slightly overcooked and just didn't provide much flavor intensification. As I mentioned earlier, I ended up taking half of my entree home, but Wes was thrilled the next day to have it for lunch. For what it's worth, he agreed that it was quite tasty.
My mom's entree, the scallops, were in a pool of blood orange, cranberry, browned butter sauce. The sauce was quite tasty but a tad sweet and I think I would be tired of it after a few bites. The scallops, 5 of them, were quite large and cooked well. I've developed a bias about the cooking of scallops since eating them at Azur - no one cooks them as perfectly as they do, but I digress. Her scallops were arranged around a mound of mashed potatoes, Yukon mashers as they called them, and topped with a few leaves of wilted kale. I would have preferred more kale and less mashers but she thoroughly enjoyed her entree.
We had to skip dessert since Colin was ready to go. I must have been distracted though because part of the reason I had chosen this restaurant was because of a blurb I had read in the Herald about them featuring peaches in their desserts. Both Mom and I love peaches and I was eager to see what concoctions they had come up with using peaches. Of course I didn't think about that until we were almost home. Oh well, must have been yet another voice telling us we didn't need it. Darn those voices!
If you're looking for a nice restaurant, somewhat off the beaten path, while enjoying a picturesque country drive, I recommend Serafini in Frankfort. To my knowledge, they do not have a website so you'll have to call for a faxed copy of the menu, if you're interested.
To show some type of gratification, I treated Mom to dinner Saturday night at Serafini's in Frankfort. This is the sister (or brother) of Portofino and The Summit in Lexington. Since both of those restaurants are generally good, I thought this one should be of the same caliber. Thankfully, it was! It was even perhaps better than Portofino's. Since Colin was it tow, I was glad that we were the only patrons when we arrived. Not that Colin is bad, he is just a remorseless eating machine and wants to tell everyone about it. A few other diners did come in and I'm sure they were glad when we left. Colin literally grunted (this is what he does to indicate he wants another bite, despite the fact his mouth is already crammed full of the last bite) the entire time we were eating. I ultimately stopped eating so that I could get him out of his seat because he had taken to crying hysterically. It could have been because he wanted more to eat, he was tired, his teeth were hurting, or he was just being a pistol. We walked over to the windows and he calmed down. I took that as I sign that I had eaten enough, which was probably very much the case. The evening was absolutely beautiful and the restaurant is on a quaint, railroad split road, across from a city park. There was some type of festival going on in the park so there was live music. Mom thoroughly enjoyed herself and that's what the night was all about.
On to the food review. The menu is divided similarly to that of Portofino's - appetizers/salads, pasta dishes, and main entrees. Then of course they have nightly specials, as if the regular menu wasn't comprehensive enough! I am not a huge appetizer fan because I find they are usually grease laden and fill me up too much before the much anticipated dinner course. I am, however, often tempted by salads. Now that I am so interested in cooking, I find myself looking at restaurants to get ideas that I can copy for dinner. The menu included 2 salads, one a KY Bison Flank Steak Salad, and the other a Apple & Goat Cheese salad. Although the steak salad was quite tempting with the various nut, cheese, and dried fruit garnishments, Mom and I both opted for the Apple & Goat Cheese salad because it was offered as a "small" salad. Wow, I could have stopped there. It's not that the salad was particularly large, it was just so darn tasty. I'm not usually one to rave about salads because I generally find them quite blase, but this salad garners special attention. There wasn't anything inventive about it, the flavors just melded well. A bed of mesclun greens were topped with thinly sliced Granny Smith apples, super soft goat cheese crumbles, candied pecans, and tossed in a mustard vinaigrette. My taste buds are dancing just thinking about it!
Although the reviews I had read online all commented on the service, or lack thereof, we found our server to be quite attentive and very efficient. Perhaps it was because I had a loud infant and he was trying to graciously push us out the door, but whatever the case may have been we appreciated it. Our dinner course followed quickly behind the removal of our salad plates. Oh yes and somewhere in between here we were served a small plate of ciabatta bread slices, nothing fancy, nothing to write home about, in fact Colin was the only one to even sample the bread. The entrees arrived and were quite ample. I ordered the Spinach and Three Cheese Ravioli and I added salmon. My mom ordered the Sauteed Sea Scallops with Yukon mashers and wilted kale. We ordered these 2 dishes with the intention of sampling each others but with Colin in full on grunt mode, I was distracted and we didn't really get to divide half and half. We did however sample one another's food. My ravioli were huge, probably 4x4 squares. They were green, thus the spinach, and were filled with a ricotta, and I'm guessing parsley, mixture. The sauce had a smorgasbord of ingredients, ranging from sun-dried tomatoes, to nuts, to mushrooms, to pearl onions, all in a tomato-based sauce. The optional salmon that I selected was atop the bowl, chunk style. I'm not sure I would opt for the salmon on a second visit because I don't think I got enough salmon to merit the up charge. It was also slightly overcooked and just didn't provide much flavor intensification. As I mentioned earlier, I ended up taking half of my entree home, but Wes was thrilled the next day to have it for lunch. For what it's worth, he agreed that it was quite tasty.
My mom's entree, the scallops, were in a pool of blood orange, cranberry, browned butter sauce. The sauce was quite tasty but a tad sweet and I think I would be tired of it after a few bites. The scallops, 5 of them, were quite large and cooked well. I've developed a bias about the cooking of scallops since eating them at Azur - no one cooks them as perfectly as they do, but I digress. Her scallops were arranged around a mound of mashed potatoes, Yukon mashers as they called them, and topped with a few leaves of wilted kale. I would have preferred more kale and less mashers but she thoroughly enjoyed her entree.
We had to skip dessert since Colin was ready to go. I must have been distracted though because part of the reason I had chosen this restaurant was because of a blurb I had read in the Herald about them featuring peaches in their desserts. Both Mom and I love peaches and I was eager to see what concoctions they had come up with using peaches. Of course I didn't think about that until we were almost home. Oh well, must have been yet another voice telling us we didn't need it. Darn those voices!
If you're looking for a nice restaurant, somewhat off the beaten path, while enjoying a picturesque country drive, I recommend Serafini in Frankfort. To my knowledge, they do not have a website so you'll have to call for a faxed copy of the menu, if you're interested.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Another Hallmark Holiday
Ah yes, Hallmark has done it again. For all of those unsuspecting mother's and grandchildren, Grandparent's Day is this Sunday! A lady I work with, Card Lady as I like to refer to her as, gently reminded me that I only had a few days to get my cards in the mail to ensure delivery by Sunday. Yes "Mom", I'm on it. I promptly walked my lazy butt over to Hallmark to buy some cards (thank goodness there's one close to where I work or Grams and Granny would not be celebrating this holiday). Although I'm sure Hallmark coined this holiday, their selection was sub par at best. The selection was a menial 10 cards, 1 for Great-Grandparents, 3 for Grandmother only, 2 for Grandpa only, leaving a whopping 5 for an actual "set" of Grandparents. Am I the only cheapskate in the world that refuses to buy each grandparent a separate card? Come on Hallmark, help me out here. I already have to remember to buy the card, make myself go buy it, feel guilty that all I'm doing to celebrate the holiday is send this silly piece of paper, put a stamp on it, and mail it - isn't that enough? Oh and then I have to remember to cover all my bases and not leave anyone out. I suppose in the future I'll be able to pull my ear 3 times to the left and my mouth will shoot out a card. Or better yet, it will just spontaneously transmit the card from my brain to the recipients brain and cut out the paper and mailman completely. Until then, Hallmark have mercy.
Despite all my cynicism, I really am quite grateful for all the grandparents and great grandparents in my life. Colin is so lucky to have 2 full sets of grandparents and even 2 great grandmothers to enrich his life. I know they love him all dearly and he feels the same towards them. I guess it's not so bad that Hallmark makes us take a day out of busy schedules to tell the ones we love that we appreciate them and are blessed to have them in our lives. With that, I love you Mom, Dad, Granny, Papaw, VerVer, and Mamaw! You are all terrific and we couldn't have made it without you!
Despite all my cynicism, I really am quite grateful for all the grandparents and great grandparents in my life. Colin is so lucky to have 2 full sets of grandparents and even 2 great grandmothers to enrich his life. I know they love him all dearly and he feels the same towards them. I guess it's not so bad that Hallmark makes us take a day out of busy schedules to tell the ones we love that we appreciate them and are blessed to have them in our lives. With that, I love you Mom, Dad, Granny, Papaw, VerVer, and Mamaw! You are all terrific and we couldn't have made it without you!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Overnight Success
Never would I have dreamed 6 months ago when I asked my mom to watch Colin in August, that I would have such separation anxiety! Wes' cousin, Shane, got engaged somewhere around Thanksgiving and intended to marry Kayla the following summer (as in now). When he sent out "Save the Date" cards earlier this summer, I mentioned it to mom and she said she would be glad to keep Colin. The reception was to be in TN, Kayla's hometown of Crossville to be exact. Wes was immediately skeptical and wasn't keen on the idea of leaving Colin. I, on the other hand, was ready for a break and thought this sounded wonderful. A night with other adults and getting to enjoy the company of my husband without worrying about a crying baby or a bedtime - what's not to love, right? Wrong. As the day got closer and closer, I could feel my heartstrings pulling. I once thought it would be Colin that would be most effected, but now it turns out it was me! I found myself holding him a little longer and squeezing him a little harder the night before we were to leave. I just had to get one more ounce of love in him and from him. He fell asleep before we left on Saturday so we didn't get to say goodbye - probably for the best.
Wes and I both missed him a lot, but we also thoroughly enjoyed our time together. This was the first time we had been away from him overnight and it was tough. I think what I missed most was ironically what I complain about the most - hearing him first thing in the morning, my little wake up call. I realized that I love going in his room and picking him up from his crib. He's always so excited to see me, he's warm, and he loves to curl up on my shoulder to cuddle.
I'm happy to report that Colin and Grams did just fine as well. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure Colin even realized we were gone. I think he must have thought he just took a really long nap. He was excited to see us, but not as excited as we were to see him. I got to witness Wes and Colin's special bond again, as Colin's face lit up when he saw Wes. Wes got down and played and played with him. It just warms my heart to see them interact. I always knew Wes would make a great father, but I don't think I could have ever imagined just how exceptional he really is. I'm so lucky to have both of my boys!
Wes and I both missed him a lot, but we also thoroughly enjoyed our time together. This was the first time we had been away from him overnight and it was tough. I think what I missed most was ironically what I complain about the most - hearing him first thing in the morning, my little wake up call. I realized that I love going in his room and picking him up from his crib. He's always so excited to see me, he's warm, and he loves to curl up on my shoulder to cuddle.
I'm happy to report that Colin and Grams did just fine as well. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure Colin even realized we were gone. I think he must have thought he just took a really long nap. He was excited to see us, but not as excited as we were to see him. I got to witness Wes and Colin's special bond again, as Colin's face lit up when he saw Wes. Wes got down and played and played with him. It just warms my heart to see them interact. I always knew Wes would make a great father, but I don't think I could have ever imagined just how exceptional he really is. I'm so lucky to have both of my boys!
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