You say Tomato, I say Le Creuset

When Ryan and I started recieving gifts for our wedding, one of the first things to arrive was the amazing Le Creuset Dutch Oven in Tomato Red. I had remembered registering for it but didn't realize just how lovely a pot can be. Super heavy yet so delicate. We went for the red to add a splash of color and eye candy to our dull apartment kitchen. Since then we have accumulated several more pieces in the Tomato color. Here they are in all their cooking glory.

The star shaped mini-pot and the canister were added today thanks to an awesome sale at Sur La Table. Now that I put them all together I just get giddy. Is it normal to have an emotional reaction to cookware? Of course not! Le Creuset just makes a damn good pot in extremely pretty colors. I have made several memorable meals in the dutch oven and the HUGE skillet is just perfect for a dish like chicken catchitore (which I made last night- yum!). The cast iron just holds the heat AND cold very well and the enamel makes cooking in it much less scary and clean up a snap.
Next item to add to the collection? Who knows- but there will be more, for that I'm sure :)
Perhaps this little lovely?

2 1/4 qt Braiser- I think I could use this for much more than braising. Making sides, roasting veggies etc.

Another skill you can't put on a resume

This morning I started getting things back in order after a long weekend. Its amazing how much there is to do after a holiday- and we didn't even entertain! The mountain of laundry is just a little bigger, Jack ingested just that much more God-knows-what off the floor, instead of a few of the big forks left- they are ALL in the dishwsher and so on. So as I was crawling around looking for loose change Ryan habitually leaves on the floor, I realized I have a SKILL. Not just anyone can change the sheets with a baby on one hip or put on make-up while pumping (if TMI, too bad this is a mom blog!). A few more multitasks include but are not limited to...

Vacuuming with a baby strapped to your chest and moving the cord with my toes.

Improvising a laundry basket into a baby carrier

Using my toes as another set of hands ( I was blessed with the Walton oposable toes, Jack is too!)

- Checking email while spoon feeding a baby
- Doubling a stroller into a shopping cart
- Cook dinner while simultaneously drawing a bath for the little munchkin, knowing exactly when to go and turn off the water
- put away laundry and catch up with my podcasts
and the list could go on and on....

Runner up!

One of the ways I dropped the baby weight was training for a 5K. I gave myself 2 months to train and ended up getting in great shape- I was able to drop that last 15 pounds that just wouldn't budge. Never in my life had I ever been a runner. I played basketball yes, but most of that was sprinting. This is a new venture- and I'm hooked.

The day of the race I felt really confident and super healthy... then I found out there was a 10K option. 10 kilometers, or a little over 6 miles seemed daunting. As much as I was proud of running 5K, I couldn't help but feel a little silly running along side ten year-old girls, who actually ended up beating me. After the race, I was ready for more- I quickly looked online and found another race... the Raspberry Run- a 5 mile run in mid-July. So far I have only ran the 5 miles twice, both in about an hour. I have some serious training to do if I want to accomplish my goal of 5 miles in 50 minutes. We'll see what happens.

Minnesota, Here we come.. errr are!

So after months of discussions, long hours of thinking, and browsing the MLS listings in CA and MN, Ryan and I have decided to stay in Minneapolis. It wasn't an easy decision but one that we are both happy with. Its pretty hard to beat 365 days of sunshine, fresh produce and family nearby. But once we REALLY thought about moving here permanently our perspective started to change. The schools in Minnesota are some of the best in the country, the jobs are plentiful and Minneapolis really is a big city (believe it or not!). But the really clincher was on a trip back "home" for Ryan's training. A 2 hour commute EACH WAY. We barely saw each other during the week, Ryan was exhausted and we realized... this is what it could be everyday. Then we started looking at homes in CA, all we can afford as first time buyers is a crappy house in a crappy neighborhood or a small crappy townhouse.

The skyline of downtown Minneapolis and the Mississippi River.
© The Greater Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Association

So househunting we went, mostly online but it was pretty overwhelming. The amount of inventory in our budget out here is incredible over 300 homes within a 20 mile radius! We had to narrow it down to neighborhood and ended up lovingthe city we currently live in,  Eden Prairie. We found a house we love and made an offer. It was accepted so now we wait.. first we waited for the inspection- scary yes but pretty uneventful (thank god). Next step, bank appraisal- and as long as that goes well we move in August 1st! Woohoo! Pics of our first house to come... when we find out it is OURS.

First Crack at Making Homemade Babyfood

Jack is now over 5 month old and its time to start solids. We've tried rice cereal, prunes, applesauce and a fingertip of whatever we're eating here and there (which is really fun, who knew a baby would like beef stroganoff???). Today I decided to give homemade baby food a try. I didn't follow any recipes or read any books on it but did get a lot of guidance from Sarah at Amma Maternity- a class for moms with babies I'm currently taking.

I choose carrots to begin with, because- well,  we had some in the fridge and they weren't going to be used anytime soon ( I hate carrots). I peeled and cut the carrots into one inch pieces and steamed them until mushy.

Then I put them into my beloved food processor and added some breastmilk. I then added some filtered water to thin out the puree until it was the consistancy of heavy cream (A pointer from Sarah).

I poured some into a small cup to feed Jack and then put the rest in an ice cube tray and covered with plastic wrap and popped them in the freezer.

I then went to strip Jack down and of course, he had a dirty diaper so I put a towel in the high chair put him it naked with a bath ready to go.

 

Clean naked Jack:

First taste... hmmm not so sure about these carrots

 

And this is why I had a bath ready to go, a towel around the high chair (also because he wasn't even wearing a diaper!) and a wet towel on hand

So the first shot at homemade babyfood went pretty good, I'm not quite sure if Jack even ate any of it but I guess I'll find out tomorrow... ewwww

Dinner for One

Every Tuesday night, hubby goes out and plays raquet ball with his buds. Once the baby is in bed, its all ME TIME. So once a week I make a dinner for myself that Ryan isn't crazy about. I happen to have two of these quiet nights to myself this week. Tonight's din-din is roasted roasted veggies with turkey Italian sausage and pasta.

Ingredients
- Random veggies of your choice, in pieces all the same size (I used asparagus, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms and onions)
- clove or two of chopped garlic
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped (but you can use whatever you want)
a few good "glugs" of Olive Oil
1 link Italian sausage, cut into bite size pieces (optional)
2 handfuls of pasta
about 1/2 cup pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 350
Toss oil, veggies and rosemary together. Spread on baking sheet and bake until veggies are done to your liking (I like them super brown) 20-30 min
Boil pasta and toss with sauce
Thats it!

Most of the time when its just me I just pop in a lean cuisine or frozen pizza but sometimes I just have a craving to get in the kitchen.

What do you like to make for yourself?

Jet Fuel

While I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life, taking random classes at community college and still living with my parents, I worked as a barista in a coffee shop. This experience turned me into a professional coffee snob. I could whip up a 2% double 180 latte with the best 'em but that was about 5 years ago. Now its Foldgers and coffee creamer 2-3x a day- usually zapped at least once before finishing. But even though my coffee quality has significantly gone downhill I still like to try make it a little bit interesting... by trying new coffee creamers. Most of the time I have at least 2 bottles in my fridge at any given time, one I thought might be fun to try and my 'ol standby, Irish cream. My latest endeavor was Coffee Mate's Honey Vanilla Creme.

Sounds like it should be good right? Who doesn't like honey, or vanilla, or cream? Well its pretty bad in coffee. Other coffee creamer failures are as followed...

- Carmel Apple
- Sweet Butter cream
- Southern Butter Pecan

My top 5 favorites
1. Irish Cream
2. Ameretto
3. Peppermint Mocha
4. Pumpkin Spice
5. Parisian Almond Cream

Flavors I wish they would invent... maybe I should email the creamer companies- any other suggestions?
- Girl Scout's Thin Mint Cookie
- Girl Scout's Samoa Cookie
- Frosted Flakes cereal milk (am I the only one who pours the cereal milk in coffee?)
- Black Walnut