What's Cookin' - May 2009

Here are a few things we've made this past month. I'll only post the ones I recommend, so eat up!

Grilled Fusion Chicken - A simple chicken dish perfect for the summer...cool flavors cooked on the grill.

Raspberry-Cream Cheese Muffins - This batter is so sweet, these bad boys tasted like cupcakes to me! This is the perfect time to pick up some berries for very cheap.

Classic Banana Bread - Can't go wrong with this tried and true. I always add something...this time it was Craisins, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Pulled Pork - Pork tri-tip from Costco cooking all day in the crock pot, then doused with BBQ sauce? Simple and tasty, served with toasted whole wheat buns!

Chicken Tamale Casserole - Finally, a mexican chicken recipe the deviates from the traditional enchilada form. The cornbread is perfect!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole - It is what it is. Tasty, easy, and something I will definitely make again.

Basil Shrimp with Feta and Orzo - The BEST side dish I've found to be served with salmon. I go easy on the shrimp (and use the baby ones).

Glazed Pork - Simple and quick, served with creamed corn (below) and Ryan thought he was in heaven.

Creamed Corn with Bacon and Leeks - We don't eat much corn at our house (starchy vegetables don't pass the "mom" test), but this one I'd make again. Didn't have leeks, so I used some onion instead. And bacon for dinner...ummm...yes please.

Frozen Yogurt Pops from Deceptively Delicious - I've blogged about this book before (Lemon-Blueberry Muffins) because I think it's great for kids and vegetable-intolerant husbands. To make these simple summer treats, use 2 cups plain lowfat yogurt (I used vanilla), 2 cups frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or cherries) thawed in the microwave for 1 minute, and 1/2 to 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar. Combine the yogurt, fruit, and sugar in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

How to Beat A Hot Day; Or...May in the Central Valley

Yesterday was a hot one. After a very quick trip to the park and nearly getting our bums burned on the slide, Emily and I decided a different choice would be better. So, we hit up Sonic Drive-In's 2-4 Happy Hour for some refreshing cold treats. Emily opted for the usual Cherry Slush, while I indulged in a large Diet Dr. Pepper (with the good, crunchy ice!). We ate in the car (okay, van) while Jake slept and blasted some good ol' country music.

Best part: Making our toddler smile.

Second best part: it cost me under $2.00.

Copper, Wool, Brass, or Desk Sets; Or...Happy 7th Anniversary, Honey

Beating the 7-year itch is hard work, but lots of fun and completely worth it! We cannot believe how the time has flown. Ryan brought home these beauties for me (opting out of the traditional desk set or wool blanket...good choice, hun!) for our seventh anniversary.

We enjoyed a nice (kid-free) dinner at Max's Bistro, including a Blueberry Euphoria Martini, Sweet Potato Fries with Jalapeno-Arugula Aioli, and some tasty red meat! We talked about hitting up a second restaurant to get some Bananas Foster (our traditional special occasion dessert originating from Scotch & Sirloin in Ventura, prepared table-side...so tasty!), but a quick mention to our waiter and out he came with the magnificent meal-ender.

Here's to us, babe. Through the years...

A Toddler's Work

How to turn a simple lunch of macaroni & cheese, pretzels, peanut butter, and blackberries into this:

Step One: Remove pretzels from tray.
Step Two: Mix Mac & Cheese into peanut butter.
Step Three: Eat Up!

Before I Was a Mom

BEFORE I WAS A MOM
Author Unknown

Before I was a Mom
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom,
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was Mom
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words of lullabies.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
Or pinched by tiny fingers

Before I was a Mom

I had complete control of:
My thoughts
My body
And my mind.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child
So that doctors could do tests
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
Could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
Could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes

to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonder
Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Sleeps Like a Baby

Toddler Talk

Although I think Emily is a very good talker, sometimes her pronunciation is not the best. Here is a little guide to understanding some of Emily's verbiage:

Fire enshen - Baby Jake's pacifier (Supposed to be "fire engine." We think she calls it this because there is a "fire" sound at the end of the word, but who knows!)

Tummis - Hummus

PooBucks - Starbucks

pamish - sandwich

machamovie - Max and Ruby (Nick Jr. cartoon)

abalabella - abracadabra (what she says to "magically" open the doors to the car)

My Mother's Day = Wonderful

Why My Mother's Day Was Amazing:

1. Sleep. I think it is what every mother of an infant desires most, and it is what I got. Ryan let me sleep until 8:00 on Sunday, which is wonderful. I feel like a million bucks now!

2. Mother's Day Tea with my mom, sister, and our escort, Jake. This lovely event was hosted by Latinas Unidas and held at the Vineyard Restaurant where we grubbed on sweet bread, chile rellanos, mango salsa, and enjoyed just one of Joel's Lemon Drops (please try this...it will knock your socks off!). There was a Sexy Shoe Contest, though I didn't dare enter with my comfort-based apparel choices. Jenn won a great original oil canvas by a local artist, Mom got a Grandma's Baking Kit, and I got a prize for being the mom with the youngest child (finally...all those sleepless nights paid off!). I also got to see two moms honored as Mothers of the Year (one of them had 16 children and over 50 great-grandchildren, and the other raised four girls after being abandoned by her husband when the youngest was just two).

3. Time with my mom, who is amazing and wonderful.

4. Time with my kiddos, who are fun and adorable.

5. Dinner with the Fam, but no cooking for me! Because it is so hard to share holidays with multiple families, we decided to celebrate Mother's Day on Saturday, where everyone could enjoy the day guilt-free. Dad made his fabulous Pappy's Chicken, Ryan made some non-lumpy mashed potatoes, and Evan and Jenn topped it all off with some amazing Strawberry Shortcakes. Yuuuuuuum!

6. Handmade gifts, like this one that Emily made for me.

Formally Announcing...

Mommy Time

With all this "new baby" business, Emily needs her special time with Mommy and Daddy more than ever. Here is some Mommy time, but as you can tell from the photo, I had to pause my recording of "What Not to Wear" and that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Out of the Mouths of Babes: It Wasn't Me

"She did it."

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

We bake muffins fairly often at our house, mostly some form of banana nut. But after Lindsey introduced us to these on our trip to Tahoe, we've been craving them. It only took us a few months, but we finally pulled out the Deceptively Delicious cookbook and made them...they are just as delicious and nutritious as I remember! The feature ingredient in these bad boys? Yellow squash. It doesn't make my list of top ten veggies, but it apparently 1/2 cup is easily concealable, and has 4 mg of lutein (good for the eyes), and other good stuff (folate, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Omega-3's.) Eat up!

Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup firmly packed light/dark brown sugar
4 tbsp transfat-free margarine, chilled
1 cup lemon lowfat yogurt
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup yellow squash puree (puree=steam and put in food processor)
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 tsp pure lemon extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and the margarine with a wooden spoon. Stir in the yogurt, blueberries, yellow squash puree, egg, lemon extract, and lemon zest. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir just to combine, but do not overmix - the batter is supposed to be lumpy. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until the tops of the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center, 13 to 16 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap individually and freeze up to 1 month.

Servings Per Recipe: 12

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 149.6
Total Fat: 1.9 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 294.1 mg
Total Carbs: 28.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.3 g
Protein: 3.7 g

One Month!

Our little Jacob had his one-month Well Baby visit this last week and here's how it went:

Weight: 11 lbs, 3 oz. (75th percentile...big boy!)
Height: 22 inches (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 15 1/2 inches (50th percentile)

Lifts head for a short time: Yes
Responds to sound: Yes
Stares at faces: Yes
Follows objects briefly: Yes
Smiles: Not yet :( We're waiting!

Immunizations: Hepatitis B #2 (OUCH!)

He's nursing well and now takes a bottle of expressed milk once a day. We are still battling Thrush, and the topical treatment we got a few weeks ago did not work. Jacob now is taking another medicine, and he is not very fond of it. Hopefully it clears up quickly!

Our Little Man was extra sleepy after his Hep B shot. See...

"This is my Daddy"

Many, many things are about Daddy these days, and we're not sure the reason.

Incident 1

We were at a friend's 3rd birthday party and Emily told everyone at least twice, "My Daddy's at work" (pronounced "wook") without any prompting or questions. It's something she shares with almost anyone, anywhere.

Incident 2 (ongoing)

Mommy (noticing that Emily has shoes and a hat on): Emily, where are you going?

Emily: Fishing, with Daddy.

Sometimes she will say they are going to catch big fish, but other times she says they will only catch the little ones (as if she's trying to convince me to let her go???). We have never talked about fishing, and Ryan doesn't even know where to fish around here.

Incident 3

Emily and I draw on her Magna Doodle frequently. Its creative, but not too messy. Recently, she has been asking me to draw everyone she knows (usually Daddy, Mommy, Emily, Baby Jake, Mimi, Papa, Jenn, Evan, Anthony, Carrie), and I proceed to draw something resembling a stick figure either wearing a dress or a shirt and pants. Yesterday when she asked me to draw Daddy, I asked her to draw him instead. So she did, and when she was done, she proudly said, "This is my Daddy."