Snowy Day at Home

It's a Snowy New Years Eve here in the Boston area...We're expecting 5-7 inches, I think. It's just starting to accumulate. Shelagh has a friend over so she's pretty occupied.

She started off the day "working on her website", which to her means drawing out the seasons on paper. Not sure how that conclusion was drawn, but she's pretty serious about it.

There was also a fierce competition of Hungry Hippos this morning.

Rory started off a tough race car driver this morning, but Shelagh and Lily got a hold of him and his toughness is wearing off...

Meal Planning wk of 12/26

Here's my plan for the week...Next week begins the freezer cleanout project I am determined to complete before the baby arrives so that my mom has room to fill it back up :)

Friday - Take out

Saturday - Ham/Bean Soup - I wrote about this recipe in previous post. I did it to use up the ham bone from Xmas.

Sunday - Garlic Roast Pork Loin from The Complete Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells (my favorite cookbook), Mashed Potatoes, sauteed Brussel Sprouts w/ onions. This recipe is close to the Roast Pork from the book, but not exactly. I used a 3 3/4 lb partially boneless center cut roast, cut away the bones and tied them back to the roast. I used 6 cloves garlic, 1 Tbl salt, 1 tsp dried sage, 2 tsp dried rosemary. When the temp goes down to 300, it is expected to take 1-1 1/4 hours to bring the pork to temperature and I may even have to put the bones back in if the roast is done but the bones are still pink. Otherwise, same idea.

Monday - Teriyaki Chicken but without the Roasted Scallions (I love them but I have veggies in the frig I have to use), Gnocchi (Trader Joes), sauteed Zucchini

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - New Years Eve - not sure yet

Thursday - Roast Beef, Broccoli, Rice or Pasta something or other

Pampering Day

Yesterday was a total "me" day. With Joe having some stuff going on over several weekends in December and January, I realized I needed to schedule a day for myself before it's too late! I started the day with a nice prenatal massage and then a pedicure. I left the house a little early and sat at the bagel shop with my book for awhile first (The Secret Life of Bees per a referral from my friend at work who says it's her favorite book. I'm split right now at about 1/2-way through).

Then I did some shopping and pretty much reversed the physical benefit of the massage by being on my feet too long. You could argue that that's not the way to spend a day to myself, but doing errands without the kids and actually being able to browse is so nice sometimes. I got some crafts for Rorys 3rd birthday party next weekend (I'm not crafty...this took some time); a new outfit for myself for the hospital; and 2 outfits for the baby (I have no business buying her anything really since I have a ton of stuff from Shelagh, but I had no dresses for 0-3 and they were on sale at Old Navy).

Post-Christmas Food Catchup

Christmas week was really nice. We spent Xmas Eve in Southern NH at Joes brothers house with most of his family. The kids had a fantastic time with their cousins. Christmas Day we like to spend at home since the kids are still young and like to just hang out and play with their toys. I make dinner and my mother in law usually joins us in the afternoon. Joes brother and his girlfriend also joined us this year for a low-key meal of Spiral Ham, Roasted Potatoes, Rice, Creamed Spinach, and Chocolate Mousse.

It was my first time making Chocolate Mousse and the recipe I used from Everyday Food came out great and was fast and easy. After my disaster chocolate pudding, I was nervous about the consistency of the mousse not being right, but it was perfect!

I chose Spiral Ham so that I could not have to do too much...it's getting tough to be on my feel for periods of time. I kept the ham bone and searched online until I found a ham/bean soup that seemed good. I used this recipe for Good Ham Bean Soup...don't let the silly recipe title deter you. It was good. I used dried beans for the first time. Even though I soaked them in water for >24 hours, I had to cook the soup for 2 hours instead of 1 to get them soft enough. I think I like canned, rinsed beans better. Shelagh loved it once I added some corn for her. Rory insisted on having separate ham b/c he didn't want his ham to be "soupy". Seriously.

My 1st Hanukkah Latkes!

My first time making Hanukkah Latkes didn't turn out so bad! I used a recipe from Bon Appetit, which was fine save being short a little on salt. The recipe isn't on epicurious.com, but this one is close. The only missing ingredient is 2 tablespoons of matzo meal added to the egg mixture. Grating the potatoes and onion by hand would have sucked so happy I figured out the grating attachment for my food processor. It seriously took less than a minute to grate everything.

Baking Extravaganza

Shelagh & I had a baking extravaganza today...After the peppermint bark disaster, I decided to make some easier stuff to put together in bags for our family gift on Xmas Eve. Here's what we made...

Cranberry Bread (which I've written about before)

Cherry-Oatmeal Bars from Cooking Light - The recipe is actually for Cranberry-Oatmeal Bars with the option of a substitution for Cherry.

Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Martha Stewart Food

Meal Planning - Holiday Week

Had to plan this week with Hanukkah and Christmas meals...

Saturday - Linguine w/ Pesto - Joe was out so quick pasta dinner for me and Shelagh.

Sunday - 1st Night of Hanukkah - Latkes (not sure which recipe yet) & Gail Simmons Horseradish Brisket - Did a search on Food & Wine and found this brisket recipe. I just screwed one up a few weeks ago, so I wanted to try a new one. Note: I do not like ANYTHING spicy and always avoid Horseradish. However, I decided to give this a whirl anyway and just reduced the amount of it (Love her on Top Chef, but haven't had any luck on previous Top Chef recipes...probably b/c they are crappy as they are posted on Bravo). Here are some pics of the process today...

Starting with veggies...

After the Brisket is browned, smeared with Horseradish/garlic/olive oil paste...

After some of the Horseradish paste is wiped off by me and has been cooked for about 2 hours.

Final product cooling...Will go in the frig until dinner tomorrow night. I did taste a little forkful b/c I used a brisket 1/2 the size of the recipe (which is how I hosed the last one). I cut all the times in half and the taste seemed pretty good and not spicy. I'll update tomorrow night.

Monday - leftovers

Tuesday - Pork Tenderloin, Brussel Sprouts sauteed w/ Onions, Pasta; Kids: M & C

Wednesday - Xmas Eve - At Sister in Laws

Thursday -

Xmas Breakfast - French Toast & Bacon - I do French Toast like my mom did when I was a kid. Big loaf of Italian Bread, sliced thick. I soak it overnight in a random concoction of eggs, cinnamon, sugar/vanilla sugar and milk. I saute it in the morning until cooked through.

Xmas Dinner - Brown-Sugar Spiral Ham, Sauteed sliced Potatoes & Onions, Creamed Spinach. The sauteed thin-sliced potatoes and onions from the Tortilla Espanola last week inspired me to make them for a side dish (circle french fries to get the kids to eat them). Creamed Spinach is my moms, I think. it has shallots, nutmeg, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and cream...so good.

Baby Belly 34 Weeks

I just did some belly self-portraits...6 weeks to go until Little Girl Baby #3 arrives. I've never gone early, but here's hoping!

The kids showering some love on baby sister...

Why does any Snowfall = Nor'Easter?

This seems like a Boy Who Cried Wolf scenario to me. Granted we did get over a foot and Joe had to go out for an hour and a half last night and another hour this morning to get it all cleared, but why do they call any amount of snow a whole Nor'Easter? It's a bit of an exaggeration some of the time.

The kids went out with Joe yesterday afternoon and again this morning with me. I got a few cute pics of them outside (with me wearing almost all Joes clothes over the humongous belly I'm sporting).

Cheers!

Disastrous Baking Attempt

The Peppermint Bark over at Orangette looked so good and like a fun project for Shelagh and I to work on. I made the mistake of buying the cheaper white chocolate so I could make a double batch, as the grocery only had the good stuff in small packages at a high price. Here is the result of me trying to melt crappy white chocolate that didn't even have cocoa butter in it...A block of sludge (still tasted good, by the way). So much for Ghirardelli white chips at 2 for $5!

So, instead of throwing away the already mixed dark chocolate/cream/peppermint extract concoction I had prepped prematurely (Shelagh loves pouring the ingredients so we did it all at once at the beginning), I decided I'd just make the middle layer.

Not terrible, but just not great. Also, I think the imitation peppermint extract tastes funny, but that's what I had. I'm guessing there is a pure version that is better with less of a cough medicine aftertaste. Baking is just not my forte...

1st Snow!!

Joe Makes a Most Excellent Santa Claus

We went to our friends house for a Christmas Party on Saturday night and had a great time! The kids love to get dressed up...

I made my favorite Artichoke-Camembert Dip (recipe not on epicurious)...although it was short some cheese and a little soupy.

And Joe made a surprise appearance as Santa with the kids not having a clue despite the beard drooping on the left...

(How did Santa KNOW I wanted Headbands and Bracelets? How did Santa know I wanted cars?)

Lots of yummy appetizers, nice to catch up with friends, and nice to meet some really friendly new people.

Meal Planning wk of 12/12

I have been meal planning, but not posting lately. Here's the plan for this week:

Friday - Homemade Pizza - nothing fancy, just have extra sauce and bought premade dough and shredded cheese. Kids liked it and I was too tired from cleaning to do much else.
Saturday - Xmas Party - Wonderful apps a la Trader Joes at this party (Yes, you made the blog and I have another post coming so actually you made it twice, ES!)
Sunday - Swedish Meatballs with Buttered Noodles & Salad - This came out pretty good other than me hosing the meatballs a bit. If you make this, definitely stick to 10 minutes on the meatballs and not 12+. Also, add salt to the sauce.
Monday - Chicken Milanese w/ Roasted Carrots & Parsnips & Salad - Add more salt to the panko before cooking!
Tuesday - Smoked Salmon Pasta - Can't find this recipe online...leftovers for the kids.
Wednesday - Escarole, Bean & Sausage Soup - I don't use kielbasa for this but regular sweet italian sausage.
Thursday - Tortilla Espanola; Kids - M & C night

I'll post recipe links later when I get home. I have to do some work today :)
UPDATE: Recipes posted!

Last 10 Netflix Movies

I've been seriously anti-pop culture lately so I figure I should try to catch up. Here are my last 10 Netflix movies and thoughts:

1. The Other Boleyn Girl - It was ok. I just couldn't get past the backwards casting of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett did okay as Mary Boleyn, but Natalie just did not portray conniving/manipulating/voluptuous/seductive quite like I think Scarlett would have. Also, Eric Bana was just an okay King Henry. I watch The Tudors on Showtime and the casting on that show, while I seriously doubted it at the beginning, really grew on me and Jonathon Rhys Meyers really plays a kick-ass crazy/temperamental/arrogant King Henry. Eric Bana sucked in Troy too...he just doesn't do it for me. Actually, he was good in Munich, but that's it.
2. Snow Angels - This was good, but tough to watch as there is a little girl tragic accident involved that is just so heart-wrenching. Kate Beckinsale was good and I liked Sam Rockwell. I want to like him so badly, but the movies he's in never quite get there.
3. Tropic Thunder - I thought this was just so-so. I did agree that Tom Cruises cameo was very funny (although worthy of a Golden Globe nomination? I don't know about that). RDJr was good and I seriously forgot it was him several times. But, Ben Stiller can just be so annoying sometimes (reminiscent of his awkward character, Michael, in Reality Bites)
4. Firefly - last Disc of only Season. I liked this TV series. It was one of those 1 season TV shows on some random cable channel that got great reviews but got cancelled anyway. They ended up making a follow up movie called Serenity that I'll definitely watch now (see To Do List for Maternity Leave post coming up). It was sort of a cowboy Sci-Fi show if you can imagine that. Great characters. Nathan Fillion has this ugly-hot thing going for him a la Joaquin Phoenix (I don't think he has quite the same hair lip but it's similar) that is appealing.
5. Reservation Road - Also a disturbing child accident movie, but I just love Mark Ruffalo and Joaquin Phoenix. Jennifer Connelly also was so wonderful in this movie. Very emotional, but totally worth a watch.
6. 21 - This was that MIT students tricking Las Vegas movie. I liked it. Joe read the book so we had an idea about it before we watched. I thought it was pretty entertaining overall.
7. Leatherheads - Blah, blah. Not terrible, but not anything special. Reinforces my annoyance with Renee Zellweger. Usually I almost avoid anything she is in, but I wanted to see Jim Krasinski on the big screen and see if he has any potential outside of the office (jury is still out on that one).
8. Indiana Jones/ Crystal Skull - Wasn't into it. I think Joe liked it more than me.
9. Iron Man - This was a solid, superhero movie. I thought it was really action-packed, RDJr was great, as I had heard. The effects were cool, story was okay and overall I was in the whole time.
10. Nims Island - A friend recommended this for the kids and while I would have thought it was a bit much for them (and parts were), they talked about it for days afterwards.

Not too much good coming up either...As usual, I haven't seen anything nominated for a Golden Globe and will have to rush through all of those soon. Here's what we have at home now.

1. Strangers with Candy (Amy Sedaris)
2. Incredible Hulk - Joe watched this on the train down to NJ last weekend so I'll have to squeeze it in when he's not around.
3. Kung Fu Panda - We saw this in the theater with the kids, but I'll watch it with them again for Family Movie night this weekend. They loved it and it was Rorys first movie in the theater.

Pillars of the Earth

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and it was, as promised by my Uncle, an excellent book. Coming in at almost 1000 pages and with that annoying Oprah Book Club stamp on the front, I was hooked within the first 10 pages. I LOVE historical fiction and long saga stories. This was one of them and I'm so thrilled I heard there was a follow up book (although I think it takes place a few hundred years later). I am usually opposed to the "Author Rush" as once you zip through all an authors books excitedly, you have nothing left and are bummed (I have broken my own rule recently with the Twilight series though since I read all 4 in a row this summer). I haven't read Ken Folletts other books. He's known for thrillers which are fine but make me think of those quick airport reads that are good enough for what they are but just not meaty (ie John Grisham, etc). For me to dedicate my time and tiredness, I almost need a guarantee that a book will hook me in and keep me going.

Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone that loves a nice long story that seems to have no end in sight...

Beef Stroganoff

I got this recipe from Everyday Food magazine and it came out great! I think the Dijon mustard made a huge difference in the sauce and I used sirloin strips cut up small for the beef. It doesn't present so beautifully, but it tasted great both at dinner last night and at lunch today. I love buttered egg noodles too, so that always helps...

Family Xmas Weekend

We spent the weekend in NJ with my family for our annual before-Xmas Holiday parties. Rory was just well enough for us to make the drive down on Thursday. We spent the day at my Moms on Friday hanging out, prepping food stuff for the Saturday immediate family party and just relaxing. Joe came down Friday night on the train. Saturday morning my sister got us all tickets for a Santa train ride which the kids loved. Santa, Elmo, Tweety Bird & Sylvester (Who would have thought...), and Snoopy all were strolling through the train saying hi to the kids and singing songs. Saturday afternoon was a gathering at my Moms and then Sunday was a gathering at my Aunts for the extended family of Aunts, Uncles, my Cousins, and now all my Cousins kids...There had to be about 45 people there...seriously...and that's not even the whole crew. Fun times were had all around. Both kids are clear of all sickness, knock on wood, and the trip down and back was not too bad. I swear the car is the most comfortable place for me these days!

Here are some shots from the weekend...

Rory unaffected by Santa driving a car along the windowsill

Shelagh relaxing at my Aunts house

Rory making himself at home...

Shelagh leading Joe around at my Aunts and Joe loving it...

Band

The kids have been playing marching band lately. Despite the fact that Shelaghs guitar has only 1-2 strings and Rorys drum strap leaves a welt on the back of his neck, they march around the house singing and playing. Claps are required for bowing at the end...

UPDATE: I found a kid trumpet for Rory for his upcoming bday...I'm so excited! (Although remind me I said I was excited about this when it arrives and he's honking it in my ear!)

Running on Fumes...

Joe and I are both hitting a lack of sleep limit, I think. In a row, 5 nights of my dental discomfort + 6 nights of Shelaghs high fever, temperature checks, and medicine administration + 3 nights so far of Rorys high fever, congestion, & snoring. I've gotten up no less than 3-4 times per night for 14 nights straight. I'm actually looking forward to this baby arriving so that I can have 3 days at home alone with her while the kids are at preschool and I can actually SLEEP! Who the hell looks forward to nighttime feedings and sleep interruption as an IMPROVEMENT! Crawling to February...

Christmas Outfits

I couldn't resist posting this...(Sorry to spoil the Xmas Outfit surprise, family)

Nothing makes me happier than seeing my kids hug and kiss and care for each other, which they do so often. I don't know what, if anything, we did to foster their love for each other, but it is there and strong and inspiring. While a bit nervous for how Baby #3 will fit into this, I also have to note that both my kids adore my growing belly and shower her with kisses and "I Love You, Baby Sister" comments daily.

Just for fun...last years Xmas Outfits photo...

I can't help but notice how much Shelagh has grown in height and how much older she looks now. Both Joe and I are astounded, and slightly freaked out, that she will be 5 this Spring as we start to research Kindergarden for her. Rory is such a little man ("I not a little man. I a BIG BOY!!"). The tie helps ("Hey Mama, I look just like MY DAD!!" he said with his very congested and super sick sounding voice while admiring his new Race Car tie yesterday.)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving turned out beautifully. With Shelagh being sick, she and Rory had to be home with me on my traditional Wed-before-Thanksgiving-prep day. I was really nervous about this b/c usually I need to whole day to get everything super prepped so I can avoid being a crazy person on Thanksgiving Day. It worked out fine though...for once I gave the kids a TV free-for-all and they loved it, of course.

For the big day, I made

• Roasted Turkey with Italian Sausage Stuffing (from Food & Wine last year. I made the same one last year and also brined the turkey for 24 hours beforehand. I swear that makes a huge difference)
• Mashed Potatoes
• Squash with Brown Sugar/Butter
• Peas with Shallots & Prosciutto
• Mini-muffin sized Mac & Cheeses
• Cranberry-Apple Sauce
• Chocolate Covered Bananas for the kids
• Lemon Squares

All went well cooking-wise. I got a little further on my gravy this year than last year and my mother in law only had to save the end of my gravy :) Last year I ended up with minimal drippings and she had to totally save it. This year, I had good drippings, a dark thick gravy, and she only had to add broth and thin it out for me. It came out great. Started off too salty, but the raw potato trick to soak up the salt really worked! My sisters in law brought all the apps (bacon-wrapped scallops, cheese/crackers, spinach dip in a pumpernickel bread bowl), drinks, and my mother in law brought 2 pies and cookies.

We ate a little later than I had hoped, but the dark meat had to be cut off and put back in the oven and the gravy took longer than expected. Thanks to the crock pot for keeping the potatoes hot and the squash for staying warm on it's own.

The kids had a great time playing with their cousins. Rory found himself wrestling with his almost 6 and almost 7 yr old cousins and holding his own. Shelagh played dress up and followed the older girls around in awe. All in all, a great day.

Long, Sick Week & More to Go

As soon as my dental issue started to clear up, Shelagh came down with a super high temperature and what turned into a week-long unexplained virus. She was up every night for an hour or longer multiple times with 103+ at night and totally lethargic during the day. She really had no other symptoms other than an upset stomach too. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink much, barely would do the popsicle thing, and still wouldn't nap (although on her worst day she did pass out on the sofa which might have been a first for her). They tested her for everything and all came back negative, thankfully. By Friday/Saturday, she was totally back to normal.

Just in time for Rory to get it this weekend as I was sort of expecting in the back of my mind. I was just hoping he'd cross over with her a bit and not have us go through this 2 full weeks in a row. His temp hit 104.5 last night and I almost freaked out. It came down and I'm home with him today. He seems to be a bit of a better patient, drinking lots of fluids, still eating, happy to rest in bed or on the couch, watching Cars for the 100th time, etc. Our family Xmas celebration with my family is this weekend and I'm hoping he clears his bout by Thursday so we can head out as planned.

By the way, I couldn't be more STIR CRAZY! Between me being sick, Shelagh, Thanksgiving, and now Rory, I've been at home for most of the last 9 days and I'm going INSANE! I actually really want to go to work just to get out and change the scenery!