Poor Baby

Welp, it only took us 7.5 months, but we have our first sick baby alert. 

Yesterday I got the call as I was on my way into work - Thatbaby was running a fever and I needed to go pick him up.  When I got there he was asleep in his crib.  I scooped up his hot little body and brought him home.  We spent the day cuddled up on the couch.  He was just sleepy for most of the day, but when he was awake he was his usual chipper self.    When we called the after-hours nurse last night after his fever spiked she asked "is that him squealing and playing in the background?"  It was.  We didn't need to bring him in.

Instead we took turns going in to work today so one of us could stay home with our sick boy.  His fever seemed to have broken last night, but then started trending upwards this morning before heading back down to normal again.  We're playing it safe and doing split duty tomorrow too.

One of the signs that Thatbaby wasn't feeling up to snuff was that he turned his head at his usual food favorites.  He was still eating fine from his main food source - me.  But the watermelon and butter noodles went untouched.  Today it was clear he was feeling better when he was back to gnawing on bread and shoving spinach in his mouth by the handfuls.

Spinach, that dark, green, leafy, magic vegetable which I can only imagine is chock full of the kinds of things that a sick baby needs to get well again.  And as a special treat, I stirred some cheese into this one - because we all know how much I love cheese.  Almost as much as I love spinach.  But only a fraction of the amount I love that sick little boy of mine.

Cheesy Spinach

10 oz frozen spinach
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp onion, chopped
1/2 can evaporated milk
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Cook spinach according to directions on package. Drain and reserve liquid. 
2. Melt butter in a pan over low heat.
3. Add the flour, stirring until a paste forms and bubbles.
4. Add onions and sauté 3-5 minutes or until translucent. 
5. Add evaporated milk, spinach liquid and Worcestershire sauce slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook mixture until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. 
6. Add pepper, celery salt, garlic salt, and cheese.  Stir until melted.
7. Stir in the spinach.

This will be better in the summer

I can't believe it's only Thursday.  It's been such a loooong week for me.  And Thursday means it's not over yet. 

I think part of the issue is that I am definitely fighting off some form of illness.  My original plan was to stay in bed all day, but I got called in to cover a deposition so into work I went.  I did leave right after the depo was over, but then I ended up running errands so I didn't get home that much earlier.

Luckily, Thatboy decided tonight would be a good night to pick up a pizza for dinner.  Which is a nice temporary reprieve when you're under the weather.  All I had to do was throw together a salad.  This is as basic a salad as you can get - tomatoes, spinach, and red onion.  In the summer this salad will sing in a much richer key but it still works when you're so stuffed up you can't taste anything.

The basic salad is highlighted by a tangy horseradish vinaigrette which couldn't be easier to make.  If you're new to making salad dressings, they're nothing to fear - mix an oil and a vinegar and then just start playing.  Often I'll use a juice of some kind, but this salad called for something a little more interesting, a little more sinus clearing.

And now I'm off to bed with the hopes that tomorrow no one will notice me napping on my desk!

Red Onion and Spinach Salad

2 cups of spinach leaves

2 tomatoes, sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 Tbsp horseradish

1. Arrange spinach on plates and places sliced tomatoes and onions over.
2. Sprinkle salt over the entire plate.
3. Whisk together oil, vinegar, and horseradish in a small bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour dressing over the spinach, onion, and tomato

What you should do with winter tomatoes

I know.  Eventually I'll get over this tomato obsession.  I always do.  Just don't expect it to happen anytime soon.  Instead I'll find ways to make them work and make me happy.

Joanne suggested roasting the tomatoes - I haven't tried that, but it's only February.  So what do you do with firm tomatoes with no flavor?  You stuff them!  That unripe exterior perfectly holds the filling, which is so full of flavor you won't even notice that the tomato is missing it.  It becomes a blank, flavorless canvas on which to paint.

And like any good artist, I paint with lots of colors.  Which is also another excuse to use spinach - you know I love that stuff, and unlike tomatoes, spinach is delicious in the winter.

Stuffed Tomatoes

2 large tomatoes

salt

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 tsp chopped basil

1 Tbsp chopped onion

1/2 cup cooked spinach

1/8 cup sliced water chestnuts

3/4 Tbsp olive oil

pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400.  Coat a baking pan with just enough oil so the tomatoes won't stick.  Cut a slice from the top of each tomato and scoop out the pulp- making sure to leave enough of shell so the tomatoes don't fall apart.
2. Sprinkle the insides of the tomatoes with salt, invert them and let them drain for 15 minutes.
3. Squeeze the juice out of the pulp and chop it finely. 
4. Combine the pulp with breadcrumbs, basil, onion, spinach,and water chestnuts.
5. Add the oil and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Fill the tomatoes, place in baking pan and bake for 20 minutes.