It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

Saturday started out VERY early for us.  Thatbaby woke up at 3am because he was sick.  He was sick all over his crib.  Poor baby.  We got him cleaned up and back to sleep.

He seemed okay that morning and we had a lot planned for the day.  Writing it off as maybe dinner disagreeing with his stomach, we pressed on.  On our way to drop my car off for routine maintenance, Thatbaby decided to show that it was not just a dinner disagreement.  He showed it all over the back of my car.  Poor baby.  When we arrived at the mechanic, I took baby duty - changing him into clothes that weren't covered in vomit, while Thatboy attempted to clean the car and carseat. 

Our plans for the rest of the day were revamped. He fell asleep on our way home, so we decided to take a slight detour to pick out our tree.  He stayed asleep while I transferred him to the baby carrier (Seriously, I don't know what I'd do without that thing) and we weaved through a forest of evergreens until we found the one.  Thatboy paid and had them hold it for us and we all headed home.  Then Thatboy headed back out to pick it up while I bathed the baby.

We spent the rest of the day just hanging out at home and doing our Christmas decorating. 

 

Our tree is officially baby-proofed.  It's anchored to the wall and the bottom branches are filled with Thatbaby-friendly ornaments.  He especially loves Thatdad's plastic-mini Disney character ornaments which he takes off and carries around.

Being home all day meant I could make a more elaborate dinner than I've been making recently.  A dinner that requires hours of cooking, not in a slow cooker.  And since Thatbaby wasn't going to be joining us in solids, I could make something suitably spicy.  I love braised meats - cooked low and slow, the tender meats fall from the bone and practically melt in your mouth. 

Chile braised short ribs   

1 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1.5 lbs bone-in beef short ribs

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups beef broth

1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

juice of 1 lime

1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped

1.  In a large ziplock bag, combine salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and coriander.
2. Add the ribs to the bag and shake to coat the ribs.  Marinate in the fridge overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 and heat oil in a large pan.  Brown the ribs on all sides and remove from plate.
4. Reduce heat and add the onions and garlic. Cover and let simmer until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits.
6. Add tomatoes, lime juice, and chipotle chile.
7. Return the ribs to the pan, bring to a boil, then cover and transfer the pan to the oven for about 1 1/2 hours. 
8. Remove pot from oven and place stovetop over medium heat.  Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.