Spring, where are you????

I knew the weather warm up was too good to be true. All week it has been dropping in temperature and this morning I woke up to find some ice pellets on the balcony outside of our bedroom. They are predicting 1-2 inches of snow for later today.

Madeleine and I were up and about early this morning. I am a little short on iron these days (failed my test last week) so in addition to the iron supplement I am now taking, I am looking for more iron-rich foods to eat. Grocery store had bags of fresh spinach on sale for 99 cents this week (instead of the usual $3) so I picked up a couple of bags. Madeleine and I made one of my favorite breakfast recipes, Spinach-Cheese Bake. I use real eggs instead of the egg substitute. Good thing I bought an extra dozen eggs yesterday at the store as 2 mysteriously hit the floor when my back was turned (SPLAT! Uh oh, Sophie. That NOT nice).

Spinach-Cheese Bake
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Cooking spray
2 (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 3/4 ounces)
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Preheat oven to 350°.

Pour the butter into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; tilt dish to coat. Place spinach evenly in bottom of dish; sprinkle evenly with cheeses.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Pour milk mixture over cheese. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.Yield: 12 servings

CALORIES 157 (34% from fat); FAT 6g (sat 3.7g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.4g); IRON 2.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 18mg; CALCIUM 263mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.1g; SODIUM 494mg; PROTEIN 10.8g; FIBER 1.6g

I was also looking through the cabinet and found a 1/2 empty box of Cocoa Krispies and a bag of chocolate marshmallows (impulse buy). We made some Rice Krispie treats. I was short a cup of cereal, so I use 5 cups and placed them in a 8 inch square pan instead of a bigger one. Haven't tried them yet and I am hoping they are not too chocolaty. Not a huge fan of chocolate these days.

The MOTY Award goes to ....

I am feeling like Mother of the Year. Madeleine got a rash on Sunday on her back and I was debating taking her to the doctor or not. They had one appointment left for today so I took it. Turns out the rash is scarlet something-or-other (long name) and is a sign of a throat infection. She actually has tonsillitis. She has no fever and never complained of a sore throat although the doctor says her tonsils are quite red and inflammed.

In other news, looks like our camera decided that would start working again. Need to get busy taking pictures.

I Losing Patience Elmo

Madeleine was standing in the bathtub putting her bath toys away while I waited with her towel. She was trying to hang them all back up, but the Elmo cup kept falling back in the tub.

"I losing patience Elmo. You behave."

Hmmm ... words spoken often at daycare, perhaps?

Penne with Chicken, Arugula, Roasted Tomatoes, and Feta

Admittedly for the last few months, if it wasn't for Madeleine, I'd be existing on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and David would be fending for himself. Usually I cook big on the weekends and we have leftovers to choose from as well as some meals from the freezer. My cooking on the weekends was getting to be a rare thing.

I was at Sam's Club on Friday and they had a big display of grape tomatoes. Got me thinking about a recipe I discovered from a friend last summer and have made several times since then - Penne with Chicken, Arugula, Roasted Tomatoes, and Feta, originally from Bon Apetit magazine. I am not a huge fan of arugula so I use spinach instead. Using a chicken from Sam's makes it super simple to put together. I cut back on the oil and often use rosemary when I roast the tomatoes (unless I have fresh basil from the garden - then I mix it in the tomatoes after they roast). I have also used blue cheese crumbles in place of the feta with good results.

Best part - Madeleine always gobbles it up.

Penne with Chicken, Arugula, Roasted Tomatoes, and Feta
Yield: Makes 4 servings

3 12-ounce bags cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 cups shredded roasted chicken breasts without skin (from purchased roast chicken)
8 ounces penne pasta
6 cups arugula leaves
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

Preheat oven to 475°F. Mix cherry tomatoes, oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until tomatoes are soft and beginning to brown in spots, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Transfer tomato mixture, including any juices, from sheet to large skillet. Add chicken to skillet and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Ladle out 1/4 cup pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain pasta; return to pot.

Add tomato mixture, arugula, and reserved 1/4 cup pasta cooking water to pasta; toss over medium heat just until arugula begins to wilt, about 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.

Living with the Manners Police

As any good parent would do, we are working to make sure Madeleine says 'please', 'thank you', 'excuse me' and all that good stuff. It has all started to click and I must say I am pretty proud that she now will say 'please' and 'thank you' without any coaching.

She has now moved beyond that though, and now coaches David and I. 'What do you say mommy?' and 'What do you say daddy' are heard quite often in the house, especially around supper time.

Yesterday we were going into daycare and I held the door open for a man who was carrying in his infant in a carrier. He just walked through the door without a word. Mind you I'm 6 months pregnant and was carrying my own 32 lb child.

"Mommy, that man is not nice. He didn't say thank you."

He glanced over his shoulder at me and then at Madeleine, almost as if he was expecting that I correct her or something and just kept on walking.

I think Madeleine was a pretty good judge of character on that one.

A Day at the Hospital

David had surgery today to remove the rod and all the bolts they inserted into his leg last year. Surgery was scheduled for 7:15 so we were told to be there at 6 ... which meant we needed to leave the house at 5:15 at the latest. With Madeleine. Good times.

So I waited until the last minute to wake the little bear and we left with Elmo backpack packed. Dropped David off and went into the kid's waiting room since it is more Madeleine friendly than the adult waiting room ... of course this later caused problems even though I told the nurse where we would be AND I had a buzzer.

So by 8:30 we had breakfast, admired the fish in the fish tank, watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, played Memory, colored, put the train tracks together with another little boy and read about 20 books. By 9 o'clock the ONE snack David had packed in the backpack (and a fruit snack at that) was gone. Seriously, who packs a lousy fruit snack for an almost 3 year old and a 6 month pregnant woman, knowing we had at least 5 hours at the hospital. David lost snack packing privileges at that point (which was probably his intent). All in all, a good time.

Nurse came out at 9:00 ... and told us the anesthesiologist called in sick and David went in more than an hour late. 10:00 Madeleine melted down.

Anyway, the surgery was successful. Took out all the hardware (the rod was green, which I found interesting for some reason) and they said all the tissue looked healthy. They took samples to make sure the MRSA was gone. It was close to 12:30 when we finally got out of there and headed home. Madeleine and I then took a 3.5 hour nap :)

Interestingly enough, David is in a lot of pain. With all the surgeries he had last year he never had any pain - only a dull ache. A sign that maybe there was some more nerves healing in his spine?

I am addicted

I am addicted to Lexulous on Facebook.

I love Scrabble and David refuses to play with me (because he always loses). I have discovered that in a matter of minutes I can have as many games as I want going at once, with people all over the world.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step in recovery - no?

I'd delve into this a little deeper, but Diane L. in CO is waiting for me to take my turn.

I have to eat the strawberries MYSELF

Local grocery store had strawberries on sale and while I figured they wouldn't be all that good, thought they at least LOOKED good. I washed and stemmed some and put them on the table. Madeleine pulled the bowl towards her.

"I have to eat the strawberries MYSELF mommy. You can't have any."

"You aren't going to share with me?"

"You can't eat them mommy. Your belly hurts cause the baby kicks you."

She better not try and pull that with chocolate. :)

I told you so ...

I swear, David has been waiting the last seven years to be able to say those words.

I have had a 'cold' for the last week or so that moved down to my chest over the weekend. Since I am pretty much unable to take anything for it, I figured it was lingering due to lack of drugs. After having to listen to him for the last couple of days, I finally made an appointment for this morning.

Well, I have 'walking pneumonia' and am out of work for the next 3 days (gee, is that why I was getting winded walking). I have a nice little supply of antibiotics and an inhaler, which I cannot figure out how to use. I don't think I have gotten a dose in yet.

So, I sit here up in bed and am listening to the 2 of them talk while they are eating supper. Pretty cute ... she is telling him he needs to be careful when touching a cactus or he'll hurt himself. We don't have a cactus in the house.

Hmmm ... now she is coming up the stairs babbling about taking a shower in the basement bathroom. Should I investigate why she has gotten a swim diaper and her bathing suit for what is supposed to be her nightly bath?

Nah, I think I'll just stay up here, oblivious to the whole thing. Obviously daddy has the whole situation under control.

My belly hurts

"Mommy, I think I need to go to the doctor."

"Why?"

"My belly hurts. My baby keeps kicking me in the belly."

A Chef in the Making

I've pretty much given up on being allowed to put together a meal on my own .... even including toasting a bagel. Madeleine seems to have this sixth sense about when it is time to start cooking supper. I've tried sneaking upstairs (or downstairs) as the case may be to cook, but I turn around and there she is, dragging the chair after me and grabbing whatever utensils she deems appropriate. I suppose I should embrace the help before she decides it is work she doesn't want to do or that mom is uncool to hang around with.

I've decided that my love of cooking come from both grandmother's as my mom made it pretty clear while we were growing up that cooking was not on her list of favorite things to do. My Italian grandmother always seemed to have a cake in the pantry for guests to snack on. Every weekend there was homemade sauce and meatballs on some sort of pasta.

My Polish grandmother was the same way. She was always cooking something. This Tuesday is Paczki ("Poonch-key") Day, which means this weekend would have been a VERY busy weekend in the kitchen. My aunt has carried on the tradition as I know several of my first cousins are getting together this weekend to make them. I have seen them for sale here at the grocery store and was lured into trying them. Once. It was nothing more than a jelly donut. So disappointing. But I digress.

Last weekend my holper and I decided we were going to make a heart-shaped cake for Valentine's Day. One of my favorite (and quickest) cakes to put together is this Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake from Cooking Light. I make a few modifications to the original recipe as I am not a huge fat of the fat free products (OK, I don't like all the chemicals added when fat is removed ... seriously, HFCS is needed in sour cream ... but again, I digress). Here is our finished product:

Chocolate-Chip Bundt Cake

1 cup sour cream (I discovered yogurt works well when your sour cream is fuzzy)
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons instant espresso or 4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
4 whole eggs
1 (18.25-ounce) package devil's food cake mix (without pudding in the mix)
1 (3.9-ounce) package chocolate instant pudding mix

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (um, more like a cup)

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray, and dust with flour; set aside.
Combine the sour cream and next 6 ingredients (sour cream through chocolate pudding mix) in a large bowl, and beat mixture at medium speed of a mixer for 3 minutes. Add the chocolate chips, and beat the mixture for 30 seconds.

Spoon the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake cake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Invert cake onto a wire rack, and cool completely. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar.

We used a basic white frosting recipe off of recipezaar.com but as I look at it I realize that I didn't really follow the recipe at all. Huh, imagine that. Must have been busy trying to prevent someone from adding pumpkin pie spice (the one she always grabs) to the bowl. :)

That not nice baby!

Lil Stinker has started moving more and more and now you can feel the kicks on the outside.

"Madeleine, come here and put your hand on mommy's belly. You can feel the baby kick."

She comes running over and starts pointing her finger at my stomach.

"That NOT NICE baby. Don't kick mommy!"

I now ask if she wants to feel the baby move.

Out of my control!!

I haven't posted in a while because the motherboard in my laptop decided to stop working .... again. Booted it up one night and I got an error message that the adaptor was not compatible with my laptop and it wasn't going to charge. Guess what - it didn't!

On the plus side, I am 2 years into my 3 year warranty. On the flip side, this is the second time this has happened to me. Last year about this time the same thing happened. When I was talking with Dell's customer service, they told me they have issues with the XPS laptops and their motherboards. Ya think?

Even though the morning sickness has passed, I am still not all that enthused with cooking. It isn't that I'm not hungry, but I seriously could eat bagels and cream cheese with bacon OR fruit topped with yogurt all day. Honestly. Haven't gotten tired of either but I have a feeling others in the house would rebel if they kept seeing one of the two on the table every night.

So, I dug arund in the freezer out in the garage and came up with a package of bone-in chicken breasts and after some searching, decided to try Spicy Chicken Cacciatore. Upon unwrapping the chicken, I discovered that when I asked for 2 chicken breasts, they gave me 2. Whole breasts. Each still in one huge piece. Note to self the next time I get checken at Fareway, ask for ONE and ask them to cut it for me. Since I wasn't up for losing any fingers, I opted to not try and cut them in half myself. So, rather than follow the directions and simmer for a short time, I let the ginormous chicken breasts simmer for and hour and a half - until they fell off the bone. Came out pretty good, if not a tad bland. I think it needed some fresh basil.

Madeleine and I also amused ourselves (OK, we amused David) with making some Banana Bread this morning. Recipe claims it is the best ever, but I can't attest to that. Bananas are the one food that I absolutely cannot stand to eat, even when disguised in bread. Both Madeleine and David seemed to enjoy the piece they shared for snack this afternoon, so I'll consider it a success.

I don't want a baby brother or sister

We had one of those moments last week where something Madeleine said just left us speechless.

We were on the way home from work and we were stuck sitting in traffic. There was an accident up ahead, just past our exit. Madeleine was sitting in the back seat, munching on some cereal.

"I don't want a baby brother or sister. I want a black baby."

Hmmm ... I didn't think that children this young noticed racial differences (at least that is what I have read) but I guess that is not the case. I really wonder what goes through that little mind sometimes.

Where is Ham and Cheese????

"I can't find Ham and Cheese. Where is Ham and Cheese?"

These were the shouts we heard from Madeleine's bedroom last night. Ham and Cheese. What is she talking about? She went in there looking for a story ...

She comes back crying, "Can't find it mommy. Can't find Ham and Cheese with Eggs".

Ah .... she was looking for Green Eggs and Ham. Daddy to the rescue - he found it in the laundry basket (don't ask).