One Handed Wonder: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I often joke that the definition of a mom is "the ability to do everything one handed."    This is especially true in the first few weeks, when one hand is usually fairly busy holding a nursing baby.

With that in mind, I thought I would bring over some one-handed treats for a friend who just had a darling baby girl.  Like juicy, drippy, cheese burgers.  Because the other thing about those first few weeks you're also ravenous.

The other thing I brought was based on my own nursing experience.  I was never much of a dessert person, until I started breastfeeding.  And then I wanted sweets all the time.  Someone told me it's because your body uses so much sugar in making the breastmilk that you start craving it.  I have no idea if that's true, but I do know that I wanted to stick something sweet in, like cookies.  And since oatmeal is supposed to be a natural supply booster for breastfeeding moms, I thought oatmeal chocolate chip cookies would be the perfect one-handed treat.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter

1/2 cup dark brown sgar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/8 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375.  Cream the butter in an electric mixer.
2. Add both sugars and beat until light and smooth.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. 
5. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and beat to combine.
6. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.  Drop on silpats/parchment paper on cookie sheets, about 1 inch apart.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.

You Can't Go Back Again: Mexican Chicken Skillet

The first time we headed to the drive-in, Thatbaby fell asleep on the way there, slept through 2 movies, stayed asleep on the way home and once we got home.  It was amazing.

Ever since that first time, we have not been nearly as successful.  But in the naive hope we can once again have that "perfect night" we keep trying. You would think we'd learn our lesson right?  Last weekend was another failure.

We did eventually make it to the drive in to see Hangover 3 and Star Trek 2.  And Thatbaby did fall asleep on the way there.  But woke up right before we arrived.  And then refused to go back to sleep.  Thatbaby did fall asleep again, only to wake up during Star Trek.  Luckily the movies were good, which probably means that we will continue with our misguided plans.

There is another area in which I attempt to go back when I shouldn't.  The chip bag.  I have a lot of bad habits that I didn't even realize I had.  Until I married Thatboy.  Who is quick to point out that I do things like put the toilet paper on the roll the wrong way.  And apparently I don't close chip bags the right way either.  So according to Thatboy, they get stale the day after I open them.  I don't mind, I go right back in there.  Thatboy refuses to touch them though, so I have to come up with creative ways to use them.  Like mixing them into salads or turning them into chilequiles.  This recipe is similar to chilequiles, but more dinner oriented, using tortilla chips, chicken, and cheese.

Mexican Chicken Skillet

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 chicken breast

1 shallot

1 garlic clove

1 chipotle in adobo, minced

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 bag tortilla chips, crushed

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a skillet.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet.  Brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.  Remove chicken from heat.
2. Heat remaining oil, then add the shallot, garlic, and chile and cook just until fragrant, about 30 minutes.
3. Add the chicken broth.  Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer.
4. Add half of the tortilla chips and the chicken and cook till chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes.
5. Let chicken cool, then shred with 2 forks.
6. Return the shredded chicken to the skillet along with the tomato and the remaining tortilla chips.  Stir to get everything incorporated.
7. Add the cheese and continue cooking until the cheese melts.

The Kindest Cut: Veggie Alfredo Pizza

If you're a pet-owner you're probably familiar with that look of resignation your loved one gets when they know they're stuck.  We usually see this during trips to the vet, or when we drop Thatdog off for boarding.

Thatbaby has proven that he is equally adept at that sad sad look of resignation when we took him for a haircut this weekend.

He was very excited to get there and sit in the car.  And then, seconds after he was seated, it all sunk in.  And we were treated to cries and pleas of "up up! all done!"  And then came the silence.  The downturned eyes.  That face that let us know, he knew - there was no escape. 

Luckily, haircuts are over almost as soon as they begin, and he was back to his normal self relatively soon after we got home.  (Well, after his nap - but technically that was after we got home)

Thatbaby was much better with a different kind of cut - the kind that separates a pizza into slices! We all like that kind of cut.  I especially like it when that cut makes slices covered in veggies.  Thatboy likes his covered in meats, but he'll make an exception from time to time. It's been ages since I've made fettuccine alfredo, but when I used to make it, I loved to add veggies to that too.  Maybe to counteract the heaviness of the sauce?   The idea translates well into a pizza.  This is a vegetarian version, but you could add chicken if you want it meatier.

Veggie Alfredo Pizza

pizza dough

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/4 cup parmesan

1 broccoli crown, chopped

4oz artichoke hearts

1 bunch of spinach, chopped

1 Tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped 

8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 425.  Roll out pizza dough and par-bake for 10 minutes.
2. While pizza dough is baking, melt the butter in a skillet.
3. Add the flour, whisking until smooth.  Cook for 1 more minute, until a nice paste forms.
4. Slowly add the milk, whisking to combine.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat and cook until thick and bubbly.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone and parmesean, stirring until the mascarpone is melted into the sauce.
6. Use this sauce to top the parbaked pizza dough.
7. Spread the broccoli, artichoke, spinach, and sundried tomatoes over the sauce.
8. Place the mozzarella over the veggies and return the pizza to the oven.  Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

It Evens Out: Kasha Varnishkes

Two weeks ago, Thatboy and I had a brilliant plan to return to the drive-in for a great double feature, The Hangover 3 and Star Trek.

But then his dad got sick and instead of the drive-in, we were packing our bags to head up for a visit.  Being on the eve trial, I wasn't sure when or if we'd make it to the movies again.

But thanks to your good thoughts, instead of being in trial the entire month of June, I have a week or two of reprieve.  So I texted Thatboy on Friday morning, suggesting - "movie tonight?"

We were amped.  We were ready.  I pulled a pizza from the oven for a quick dinner and as Thatboy lifted Thatbaby to be put in his chair, he noted that Thatbaby seemed to be running a fever.

"I'm sure it's just a low grade" Thatboy said as he inserted the thermometer.  Seconds later he was proved wrong when the thermometer flashed 104.4.   I made him take it again - that seemed ridiculous.  Our son was fine moments earlier, and he'd never had a fever that high before.  But again, the thermometer showed something much higher than a low grade. 

A quick call to the 24-hour nurse line assuaged some of our fears, but she made us an appointment at urgent care for 8:15, just to be safe and get him checked out.

By the time we arrived, Thatbaby seemed to be well over his fever.  He was running, bouncing, playing, his regular jolly old self.

By the time we were seen by the doctor, his temperature was back down to 97.8, but he was a bit of a cranky mess given that it was an hour past bedtime.

The entire situation was reminiscent of stories my parents told me of when I was a babe, and they were new parents.  According to legend, I would spike amazingly high fevers, necessitating a trip to the emergency room.  And by the time we got there, the fever was gone and I was a happy, cooing baby.  Which made my parents feel a bit crazy.  It looks like this apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Thatbaby seems like whatever caused that mysterious fever is gone, but he's still been a bit fussy this weekend.  We blame it on a combination of crazy schedule changes, congestion, and teething (teething is pretty much the excuse for any unwanted behavior when you have an infant/toddler).  Sickness growing up met things like butter noodles or eggs for dinner.  This isn't too far removed. Kasha Varnishkee, or bow-ties with bulgar, is a child friendly, sick friendly meal from my childhood.  I think it's typically served as a side dish, but a nice big bowl brings back childhood memories for me and works as an entree on its own.

Kasha Varniskes

1 cup farfelle
2 Tbsp canola oil
  1 large onion, diced
 1 cup kasha

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 cups chicken broth

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Heat oil over medium heat and sautee onions till browned, about 10 minutes.  Remove onions from pan.
3. Combine egg and kasha, stirring to coat the kasha with egg.  Put kasha in the pan and cook, stirring until the kasha separates into individual grains.
4. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.
5. Add onions and pasta, recover, and let sit an additional 10 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Mommy Mondays: 20 Months

Weight: 28lbs 3oz (+ 20 lbs, 13 oz)

Height: 32" (+ 12")
Head: 19" (+ 5.65")
 

 

Sleep: We're getting used to our early mornings round these parts.  This month we've had a couple rough nights where he was waking up, and a couple nights where he was sleeping in.  If there's one thing you can depend on with infant/toddler sleep, it's that you can't depend on infant/toddler sleep.

Eating: Still working on weaning.  He finally got comfortable with that dropped morning feed, but with the schedule changes while Thatboy was out of town and all of us were out of town, I thought I'd wait to drop his last feed. 

Best Moment: There are so many this month, but one of my all time favorites was after I dropped him off at school I saw him playing with one of his bestie friends.  Thatbaby jumped into one of those little cars with an open back and motioned his friend to jump in.  His little friend hopped in the open back and the two of them began cruising around the playground.  Beyond adorable.

Monthly Wisdom: This is just a reminder that toddlers are jerks.  Talking to the other moms/dads at daycare we're all having the same issues with our kids behavior with other kids.  Thatboy picked up Thatbaby one day and all the kids rushed to tell him that "X pushed Y" and now "X was in trouble."  Another of Thatbaby's besties has taken to biting.  We got a note home about Thatbaby taking toys away from other kids.  And you know what?  It's hard as a parent.  We walk the fine line between trying to discipline cats and not wanting our children to grow up and become serial killers.  I never look at it as "bad kids."  I love each and every one of Thatbaby's classmates, even the biters and pushers.  It's part of the toddler way.  And all we can do is continue to model good behavior and correct what we can, when we can. 

Goals for the Upcoming Month:
- Still the babysitter. One day... one day.

-  Better naps/ morning sleeps.

- Dropping that last nursing session.

- Making it through a trial while single parenting!

Things Thatbaby is doing:
-  We've got a little parrot.  Some may call this a language explosion, but it's not so much that his vocabulary is expanding on its own, but that when you ask him to say something, he does.

-  His favorite color is currently purple.  Of course, he thinks every color is purple.
-  He's started stringing together thoughts.  Like calling things "Thatbaby's brush" or "Dada's big truck."  He likes to take us places by offering his hand and telling us "walk me momma" or "walk me dadda" or "walk ______" inserting the name of a friend.

- Conversely, as much as he likes walking with us, he's also starting to demand independence.  He won't let me hold his hand while walking down the stairs anymore.  Which is scary.  And means I now stand in front of him with my arms out - just in case- as he goes down the stairs.

- Thatbaby is able to climb ladders on play structures!

- Our little jumper is actually leaving the ground when he bounces.  And his new favorite trick is to jump back - so he lands on his butt.

 

Fingers crossed: Rotini and Sausage in Red Wine Sauce

You know the saying "When it rains, it pours?"  Well it is pouring right now at work.  I've been putting in late nights for weeks, trying to prepare for multiple trials, motions, hearings.  As an example 2 weeks ago I had to go straight from one hearing to another - traveling across the county to get there.  Tomorrow should be even more exciting, as I have 2 court appearances at the same time, again, across the county.  Luckily my boss is taking over one of them for me, but depending on the results, things could get even uglier OR they could lighten up a bit.  I'm hoping for the latter.

Tonight, in anticipation that something good will come of tomorrow, we actually packed up relatively on time.  Thatboy still had to pick up Thatbaby from daycare since I wasn't going to make it again.  But I DID have time to make dinner!  Nothing complicated - we've been having some fairly boring meals lately, mostly due to my lack of creativity when I'm trying to make them late in the evening.  This one gets a spruce up from some leftover tomato sauce that I thought should get used up, and some chicken sausage which only needs to be heated up.  Which means, the longest aspect of this dish is boiling water and cooking the pasta.  While it cooks, you can get everything else ready, so that when the pasta is done, so is dinner! 

Rotini and Sausage in Red Wine Sauce

8oz rotini

1 pkg chicken sausage

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 red onion, diced

1/4 cup zinfandel

3/4 cup roasted tomato sauce

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt

 

1. Cook pasta according to box directions.
2. Brown sausage over medium high heat and remove from pan.
3. Add olive oil to pan, then saute the garlic, onions, and bell pepper until onions are transluscent (about 5 minutes).  
4. Add zinfandel and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half.
5. Add roasted tomato sauce, oregano, basil.
6. Add sausage and pasta to pain, toss.
7. Stir in parmesan and serve.

Spring Sick: Chicken with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Arugula

How do these things happen?  Last night was the first time in ages I had a good night's sleep.  Thatbaby has been sleeping through the night for ages, but I haven't been as lucky.  Restless, tossing and turning, up waiting for the alarm to go off.  And last night there was none of that.  I was out like a light until my alarm went off at 6am this morning.  And I got out of bed - with a massive headache.

Seriously?

I don't know if it's the stress, the air travel, or the fluctuating weather, but my sinuses/allergies are hitting me hard.  Runny nose and all. 

Thatbaby's got it too.  And while I muddle through the day, he's being especially cranky about being under the weather. 

The only cure for sickness is chicken noodle soup, right?  Or you can try to make a spring time version with chicken, cheese, and greens.  It's not soup, but it has a similar comforting feel to it, a combination of the breading and cheesy goodness.  And greens always make you feel like you're doing something to get healthy.

Chicken with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Arugula (Adapted from Bobby Flay via  A Taste of Home Cooking  as seen on Elly Says Opa)

1.5 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 oz baby arugula
1/2 cup flour
  1 egg, beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4″ thickness
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
4oz fontina cheese, thinly sliced
4 thin slices prosciutto

1. Whisk the vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste together in a large bowl. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking, to emulsify. 
2. Add the arugula and toss to coat.
3. Place the flour, egg, and panko in three shallow bowls/pie plates.  
4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  
5. Dip chicken in the flour, then egg, then panko.
6. Melt butter and oil in a skillet.  Add the chicken and cook 4-5 minutes per side, until chicken is golden and crispy.
7. Place fontina on top of the chicken and cook for another minute.
8. Top each chicken breast with 2 slices of prosciutto and arugula salad.

Confusion in California: Tortilla Soup with Shrimp

You often hear about the fabulous weather in Southern California.  It's a lie.  Kind of.  We do have fabulous weather, but what they don't tell you is how inconsistent it is.  When I first moved here, I never knew what to wear to school, because it could be sunny one day and pouring the next.

I now keep an umbrella and cardigan with me at all times.  But I do have a problem when dressing Thatbaby for school.  I never know whether to put him in shorts or pants. Long sleeves or short sleeves.  And this past week has been especially trying.  It's May, and yet cloudy showers and cold winds still dot our skies - mixed in with insanely hot days that feel like August.

When Mother Nature can't make up her mind - how do you expect me to?  Take a cold weather meal like soup, and mix it with my favorite warm weather food - shrimp!  As soon as spring seems to be working its way into summer, shrimp makes an almost weekly appearance in our house.  So it only seemed right to incorporate it into a soup.  And tortilla soup doesn't seem to be a heavy winter soup.  I think it's a combination of a tomato base and the spice.

 Tortilla Soup with Shrimp

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chile powder
2 Tbsp chipotles in adobo
5 cups chicken broth

1 can hominy, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
3/4 shrimp, peeled and deveined 

1. Heat oil in a pot and cook the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, cumin, chile powder, and chiles.  Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the chicken broth, hominy, and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.  Let cool.
4. Puree the soup in a blender and return to the pot.  Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Add shrimp and cook till shrimp are pink, about 3 minutes.

Hello Old Friend: Stirfried Lemongrass Chicken

The title of this post could refer to so many things.  It can refer to the fact that Thatboy is finally home from his trip to see his parents.  It could refer to the fact that I am likewise home to enjoy my own bed after joining him this weekend. Or it could just refer to the fact that my butt is perched on the couch after having to spend my Memorial Day at work until late this evening.

But it doesn't.  It actually refers to stirfry.  A meal that used to be a staple round these parts.  I can't tell you when or why I stopped making it, but this easy dish hasn't graced our table in ages.  And it was time to rectify that.

I had a thai chile, just hanging out, begging to be used.  And as I leafed through my starred recipes, I happened to find a fabulous stirfry and it reminded me that it has been too long.  So I pulled out my handy wok and got to work.

The thing that I love about stirfries is how quickly they come together.  And this one is no different.  Sometimes lemongrass can be overwhelming, but it's very subtle in this dish.  Thatbaby especially liked the cashews, pulling them out, proudly announcing his "BEAN" before popping them in his mouth.  (I added the chile after I pulled his portion out).

Stirfried Lemongrass Chicken (From Prevention RD)

1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp chicken broth

 1 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sambal oelek

 2 Tbsp canola oil, divided
1 Tbsp lemongrass, sliced and peeled
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3 shallots, sliced
8 oz haricots verts, trimmed
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
1/3 cup unsalted cashews
1 Thai chile, thinly sliced

1. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, chicken broth, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sambal oelek
2. Heat a wok over high heat.  Add a Tbsp oil and swirl to coat.
3. Add the lemongrass and garlic and stirfry until fragrant (about 30 seconds)  Remove the lemongrass and garlic with slotted spoon and place in a small bowl.
4. Add the bell pepper, shallots, and haricot verts to the pan and stirfry for 2 minutes, until tender crisp.  Add them to the lemongrass bowl.
5. Add remaining oil to the pan, swirling to coat.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook until browned, 2 minutes.
6. Add the cashews and chile to the pan and cook another 2 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
7. Stir in the chicken broth mixture and vegetables.  Bring to a boil and cook for a minute until sauce thickens.

Mommy Mondays: More on Names

When Elly was pregnant with her second son, we exchanged emails regarding the names for her impending bundle of joy.    While brainstorming boy names, I roped in L&O for some of her input.  Filling her in on Elly and my conversations, L&O quickly remarked that the conversations sounded a lot like conversations she and I had.

Which makes sense - because my friends tend to be as into names as I am.  And have similar, fantastic taste.   We tend toward the traditional, which I think may be a generational thing, as most of Thatbaby's daycare class has classic names.  Some deem them old fashioned, but I much prefer them to the misspelled "creative" names that have inundated us for a while.

So with that in mind, this is how Thatboy and I picked a name.

1) A vetoed name was immediately off the list.  If he didn't like a name, it was off the list.  Which got rid of quite a few of my favorites. 

2) Names of friends and names of family members were off the list.  As someone with two cousins that share a first name, I get annoyed having to qualify whether I mean Sam X or Sam Y when talking to family members.


3) I’ll never forget being in elementary school when my best friend’s older brother decided to change his name.  According to him, he went from his middle name to his first name – although no one believed him.  We all thought he went from his first name to his middle name, because we’d never heard of anyone originally being called by his middle name.  My best friend (who probably knew) told me we were being ridiculous.  If we were correct, his parents would have given his brother the initials A-S-S, and no parents would be that cruel to a child.  While not quite as drastic, we made sure to rule out any initials that would give our son or daughter any difficulty.  Unfortunately, that ruled out an entire letter for first names, but it’s a sacrifice we think our future children will thank us for.

4)  Similarly, we ruled out another letter for first names, the letter that begins our last name.  Because to me, having a first and last name starting with the same letter makes you sound like a cartoon character (see Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny) or a comic book character (see Peter Parker, Lois Lane).


5)  No made up names.  These are some of my FAVORITES because I always picture the parents sitting around saying “Hmmmmmm there are millions of names out there, but I don’t like a single one of them!  I’m going to make up my own to show how smart and creative I am.”  Problem is, it rarely makes you look smart or creative.  Usually it has the opposite effect.  The two most common ways to make up a name are to take a name that exists and change the first letter (I’m looking at you Zaiden) or to combine two names by smooshing them together in an almost inhumane way (Charmony).  









6) No made up spellings.  This is where you take a perfectly good name and decide to butcher the spelling to make it more “unique” or “creative.”  Again, like the made up names, it rarely has the effect of making you look smart or creative. I have a friend who named her daughter Alice.  Which is a fabulous name.  She had to seriously battle with her husband who wanted to spell it Alyss.  But that was back during the time of the “y” when those things were stuck in any which way into any name – whether it needed a y or not.  I’ve noticed the trend has moved to “x” and you’ll start seeing more names like Jaxon floating around.  Usually (but not always) you’ll see these misspelling associated with really common names – as though the parents are trying to say “See, I knew there would be 70 Olivias in her class, so I wanted to set her apart by naming her Oilyveah.”  But when you’re screaming across the playground for little Oilyveah to stop kicking little Xristoffer in the head, the other 69 Olivias and their parents aren’t going to realize your precious pumpkin has a different spelling (all sound same).  Likewise, what lesson are you teaching your child?  That conventional spelling doesn’t apply?  If you don’t like the way something is spelled, change it!  I see that going over REALLY well during the elementary school days of spelling tests and spelling bees.

On My Own: Grilled Calamari Salad

TFIL is currently having some health problems, so on Wednesday morning, Thatboy flew up to his parents, leaving Thatbaby and I home by ourselves.

While I've left Thatboy and Thatbaby alone for a weekend, this is the first time I've had to solo parent for longer than a day.   And while Thatboy had the advantage of dealing with a weekend, I've got the added bonus of trying to get through our regular weekday schedules.  It really makes you appreciate having a partner around to walk the dog and help with the dishes.  Even with easy dinners, I've found myself getting to bed much later as I attempt to clean up and get ready for the next day.

So rather than share with you a recipe for veggie dogs, I figured I'd dig into the archives and share something a little more impressive - but not that much more difficult.  A couple of months ago there was some sort of weird squid phenomena here in San Diego. One of Thatboy's coworkers offered us some squid they had caught, and Thatboy asked if I'd be interested.  We love calamari in this house, so I said of course!

Thatboy thought I would bread and fry the calamari, but something this fresh shouldn't be coated in breadcrumbs!  Instead I decided to make it into a nice, fresh, salad.  The fresh calamari was sweet and juicy - make sure not to overcook it, which will make it tough and rubbery.

Grilled Calamari Salad

1/4 cup blood orange olive oil

1/8 cup white wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 calamari steaks

1 tsp lemon pepper

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch spinach

1. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper.  
2. Sprinkle calamari steaks with remaining salt and lemon pepper.  Grill calamari for 3 minutes per side.
3. While calamari is grilling, toss together the cherry tomatoes, beans, and spinach.
4. Top salad with grilled calamari.
5. Drizzle dressing over all.

Choo Choo and Zoo Too: Birria

    

Have I mentioned Thatbaby's obsession with trains?  He adores them.  He loves playing with his toy trains.  He loves watching the real trains go by, and he loves riding on train rides. 

I came across a petting zoo in Orange County that mentioned it was right across from the train station.  I thought it sounded like a really fun day to take the train from San Diego to Orange County and spend some time at the petting zoo.  It would allow Thatbaby to ride on a REAL train and spend some time with animals.  I contacted Myrtle, since I hadn't seen her in a while and she lives in Orange County.  I thought it would be a great meeting up point.  And she agreed.

Thatbaby was SO excited that he was going on a train.  He kept pointing to the tracks while we were waiting saying "choo choo."  But the reality of the situation was a little more than he could handle.

It took him a little bit to calm down.  Lap cuddles certainly helped.  As was being able to look out the window.  It wasn't too long until he decided that train travel was his favorite way to go.

At every stop he would turn to us and say "more? more?" and we were happy to oblige.  He even warmed up enough to move to his very own seat.

When we got to Orange County we headed to get something to eat, and then met up with Myrtle and her family.  We all made our way to the petting zoo.  We got all the kids a tray of food to feed the animals, and Thatbaby wasted no time in getting started.  He decided this alpaca was his favorite and he fed her (him?) all his grapes.

And then we headed into area with rabbits, guinea pigs, and chickens.  Myrtle made herself right at home - she's quite the bunny whisperer. And she helped Thatbaby with his first up close rabbit encounter.

Thatbaby also got some time with some guinea pigs.

 We then moved to the goat corral.

The goats were a little pushy, so Thatboy took over the feeding at this point in time, while Thatbaby ran around pointing and laughing at his new goat friends.

Thatbaby also enjoyed a little quality time with some pigs.  I think he liked the fact that they actually made the noise that he says a pig makes.

 The petting zoo also had a play area for the kids, and Thatbaby took advantage of running through the doors and sliding down the slides again and again and again.

 All in all, it was a pretty successful day!

 Our lunch before the petting zoo was at a Mexican restaurant one of Thatboy's coworkers recommended.  I'm so grateful to live in Southern California where good Mexican food is in abundance.  It's a cuisine I never tire of.  And I think part of the reason I love it so much, is because growing up on the East Coast, or version of Mexican food was completely different.  The only "Mexican" in the town I grew up in was Taco Bell.  And the next closest (45 minutes away) wasn't that much better.  Mexican food was pretty much tacos.

But there's so much more to Mexican food than tacos!  This Birria is a Mexican stew that I've never seen on a menu growing up, but makes use of fabulous Mexican flavors and meats.  If you have a carneseria near you, I highly recommend picking up your meat there.

Birria

4 dried guajillo chiles
4 dried ancho chiles
1 cup hot water
1 lb stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces
1 lb beef ribs
2 1/2 quarts water
1 onion
8 garlic cloves
2 fresh bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp oregano

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp chipotle chile powder

1. Toast chiles in skillet for 30 seconds on each side.  
2. Cover with 1 cup hot water and let sit for 20 minutes.  Pour mixture into a blender and puree.
3. Combine the stew meat, ribs, water, onion, and 6 garlic cloves in a large pot.  Bring to a boil and cook for 1 hour.
4. Add the bay leaves, thyme, chile puree, cumin, and oregano and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. While simmering, combine the remaining garlic, vinegar and chile powder in a blender.
6. Serve the stew with the chipotle sauce on the side.

Runnin' Free: Liberated Free Form Lasagna

Running is an affordable sport - for the most part.  I did my first 5k in 2003.  They're easy and up until this year, relatively cheap.  In 2010 I did a race every month.  I would say that on average I paid about $25 a race. 

But running has become more popular, and more expensive.  Everytime I've gone to sign up for a 5k this past year they've been closer to $50 than $25.  And really, I have a hard time justifying spending $50 to run 3 miles - which I do every day of the week for free.  So I've been putting 5ks on hold for a bit.

But when I saw a race on Living Social with a $12 entry fee I was intrigued.  Even more so when I realized it was right around the corner from my home - the course was actually the same route we've been running on the past couple weekends beside the water.  Which made it easy to rope Horse Whisperer and Mrs. Pirate into doing it with me.

 

It was a really easy course - just out and back.  Up a hill, then down a hill.  It was Horse Whisper's first 5k and she did great!  It actually wasn't the fastest race I've run, but it sure felt like it was over quickly.  Maybe because we're used to running 5 miles, so 3 was nothing.

We crossed the finish and collected our medals.  That's right - a $12 5k WITH MEDALS!  Which makes this officially one of my favorite races.  The race support was fantastic, with lots of free drinks and food, and a bounce house for little ones.  The only thing it was missing was a post-race beer garden.

And since I like to pair running with pasta - here's a great one for you.  Valli calls this "Liberated" Lasagna - it's a very deconstructed free form type of meal with all the components you're used to with lasagna - pasta sheets, sauce, and cheese.  I like it because it's a great way to use up extra or broken lasagna noodles.  You don't have to use the roasted tomato sauce, but I would recommend it.  It's a fantastic recipe and makes enough to have leftovers to freeze.

Liberated Free Form Lasagna with Arugula Basil Pesto and Roasted Tomato Sauce (From More Than Burnt Toast)

1 pound red cherry tomatoes
1 pound yellow cherry tomatoes
1cup olive oil (divided)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/4 cup fresh basil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
2 generous handfuls (loosely packed) fresh arugula
1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lukewarm water

6 sheets of lasagna noodles

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine the tomatoes with the 1/4 cup oil, onion, 2 cloves of garlic, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes  salt, and pepper in an oven safe dish. Roast until the tomatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes to an hour
2. Combine tomato mixture with 1/4 cup basil chiffonade, parsley, and oregano in a blender; pulse several times, until smooth.
3. Place 1/2 cup oil, remaining basil leaves, arugula, Romano cheese, pine nuts, remaining garlic, and  lemon zest in food processor. Process to a thick paste.
4. With motor running, add remaining 1/4 cup oil and 2 tablespoons water to processor. Blend until smooth. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper. 
5. Cook lasagna sheets according to package directions. On an ovenproof plate create alternate layers starting with cooked pasta sheets, arugula-basil pesto, slices of buffalo mozzarella and roasted tomato sauce and ending with pesto. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, just enough to melt mozzarella. Sprinkle with grated Romano. Serve immediately.

For the Birds: Crispy Pasta Cakes

I've been meaning to write about this for a while, but life gets in the way sometimes.  At least now I have a more full story to share!  A couple months ago, Thatbaby and I were playing on the balcony when a hummingbird seemed to take an unusual interest in us, flying right up to us!  Thatbaby was enthralled.  When I told Thatboy about it, he figured it was because Thatbaby was wearing a brightly colored shirt.

A few days later however, we discovered the real reason for the bird's familiarity.  She had built a nest in our windchimes!  We watched her there for weeks assuming she was sitting on her eggs. And eventually she proved us right!  2 little baby humming birds! 

Thatbaby was enthralled with his birds, the mama (Tweet Tweet) and the babies (the little littles).  Every morning, the first thing he wanted to do upon waking was say good morning to the birds.  Every day when we got home from school he ran to go see them.  And every night before bed he would say good night to them.

We watched them grow bigger (relatively, I mean they were still hummingbirds) until it was time to try out their wings.  And one at a time, they left the next, off to explore the world.

Every now and then, Thatbaby looks up at the nest and points, asking for the Tweet Tweets, and I remind him that they flew away.  I'm not sure if he totally understands the concept, but it's kind of a hard one to explain.  When I made these pasta cakes, they kind of reminded me of a bird's nest. Pieces piled together - strings and leaves.  They certainly don't taste like nests though!  These are a little too easy to eat.  A complete comfort food.  Pancakes are like that, and really, these are like noodle pancake.  With veggies, which I would like to say makes them healthy - but probably not.

Crispy Pasta Cakes (From Bizzy Bakes)

2 cups cooked spaghetti, cooled and chopped into 2-inch pieces
2 cups grated zucchini 
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used monterey jack and swiss)
1 small onion, diced
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
black pepper pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil

1. In a large combine spaghetti, spinach, zucchini,  cheese, onion, egg and flour.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Scoop pasta mixture into pan using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Fry 3 minutes per side, until golden.

Mommy Mondays: S is for Swaddle

Last week Audrey asked for tips for weaning from the swaddle.  This is an area where I wasn't sure how much help I would be, until I stopped and realized how old Audrey's son is.  So I'll share our experience, with the caveat that we swaddled till Thatbaby was almost 6 months old, so I don't have a ton of advice for weaning earlier than that.

Thatboy and I have fantastic insurance.  One of the benefits of having fantastic insurance is the amount of free prenatal classes you get.  So we got to attend a weekend bootcamp about life with a newborn back when I was pregnant.  The class advocated Dr. Karp's "Happiest Baby on the Block" techniques.  I remembered hearing about the wonders of this book from Kim, who used the techniques with her daughter.   One of the techniques mentioned was swaddling, and our class worked with us, teaching us how to do it right.

The swaddle is supposed to help make babies feel more "womb-like" keeping them all bundled up as though they were still snug in mom's tummy.  And this helps them calm down.  It has the added benefit of helping with the "morro reflex" that startle reflex infants are born with that makes them "jump" themselves awake, or makes them wakeup when you try to lower them into the crib.  Basically, a swaddled baby is a happy baby that sleeps better.

We used the swaddle from the start - with either a blanket (Thatboy's preference) or the Halo Sleep Sack with Swaddle (my preference).  But you can't swaddle forever (trust me, I looked into it).  It becomes unsafe for an infant to not have use of his/her hands when they start rolling onto their stomach.

Luckily for us, Thatbaby never rolled.  No stomach to back, no back to stomach.  If you put him down, he'd stay there until you picked him up and moved him somewhere else. Which meant we didn't have to worry about stopping the swaddle for safety reasons.  Instead, we could wait it out a bit.  And wait it out we did. 

When Thatbaby started sitting at 5 months we tried to "break the swaddle" anticipating that rolling might come along with this and wanting him to have a little more arm freedom in the crib for pushing himself up.  But Thatbaby was not ready to stop.  Without the swaddle his morro reflex was still too strong.  He would wake up when trying to put him in the crib and/or wake up every 45 minutes during his sleep-transition cycle when he would startle himself awake.   So back in the swaddle he went.

At 6 months, we tried again.  Just a few short weeks later, and all of a sudden there were no issues with being unswaddled.  He'd fall asleep and stay asleep even with his arms free.  Like magic.  Based on that, I think that development played a lot into it.  He needed some more time, and thankfully we were able to give it to him.  So my advice on weaning from the swaddle is "If you can, wait and try again later."  Obviously, this isn't going to work for you if your baby is a rolling fool, or trying to sit up in the crib, or trying to climb out of the crib.  And if you fall into those categories, my guess would be that even unswaddled, with time/development your child will become easier, as their morro dissipates and their transitioning between sleep cycles gets better.  So my advice to those parents?  Same as with everything, remind yourself that this is just a phase and you WILL get through it. 

How Appeal-ing: Sour Cream Cookies

I know I made it sound like my weekend was all full of fun and frivolity, but that was just Sunday.  Last week, I got the last minute word that my boss wanted me to argue an appeal on Monday.

A quick law lesson:
There are 3 levels of courts in the state system - trial, appellate, and supreme.  Cases start out in the trial court.  If you watch any courtroom dramas, this is probably what you're familiar with.

If things go wrong in trial court, you can seek an appeal with the appellate court.  This isn't a case of "I don't like the verdict,"  there has to be a clear error for the court to address.  When this is done, both sides research the laws and write briefs arguing their sides.  The court then schedules a time when the parties can come in and argue their points.

I wasn't around during the time of the trial.  I wasn't around during the researching and writing of the briefs.  Up until Thursday I hadn't given two thoughts about the case or the appeal.

Which meant I spent Friday at work reading over all the papers.  And getting home pretty late.  Saturday I holed myself up, reading cases and crafting my argument for Monday.

And Monday morning I was up bright and early, heading for the Court of Appeal.  Appellate argument is very different from what you see in trials.  There is no jury.  The parties aren't there.  Instead you stand and begin making your argument, as the judges throw question after question at you.  Your "argument" really consists of having convincing answers to their questions. 

I did Moot Court in law school, which is mock-appellate argument, but this was my first time doing it for real.  And it was just like in school, and I enjoyed it just as much.  Even though the judges seemed to be against our position. 

Monday night I celebrated all my hard work with cookies.  Wouldn't you?  I'm sure you've had "cake cookies" made with boxed cake mix.  They're cakey and fluffy and easy to make.  These cookies taste similar - cakey and fluffy, and obviously easy to make.  Thatboy thought they were the infamous cake cookies, and after my day in court, I wasn't going to argue with anyone!

Sour Cream Cookies

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

5 Tbsp melted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

12 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 375.  Beat the eggs in an electric mixer.
2. Add the sugar, sour cream, butter, and vanilla, beating until combined.
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and nutmeg together and add to the wet ingredients, beating until combined.
4. Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.