30 minute meal?

So now that all of us have had a lot more sleep, I'm getting back into my groove. Decided to pull out a few of my under-used cookbooks and see if anything peaked my interest. Since evenings typically involve cluster feeding, the witching hour and a mad dash to get Jack fed, bathed and happy- something quick or no-fuss slow cooked would be best.

Ah ha... my old friend Rachael Ray! I LOVE her first cookbook but have barely use the 365: NO REPEATS.

Stumbled upon the recipe for Spanish pork chops in a roasted red pepper sauce with green beans... GAME ON

Time start: 6:50
Time Finished: 7:15.... wait... UNDER 30 MINUTES???

Oh and it turned out really good!

Rachael Ray's Spanish-Style Pork Chops with Chorizo and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Green Beans

Definitely will be taking another look at this book again!

Family Update 5/26

Hi Everyone, its been a LONG time since I blogged... well its been a long time since I've had TIME to blog. Right now both kids are sleeping and this mama is sipping coffee in peace :)

So to catch everyone up to speed...

BIG CAT

Catie is doing great. Sleeping well at night and starting to smile and coo. She is such a little sister. Everytime Jack tries to "hug" her, she has that "moooooooommmmmm he hit me!" sort of cry- you know the trembling lower lip, sad eyes. It shouldn't make smile but it does. 2 month check up went great- except for her peeing all over the baby scale- 11 lbs 8 oz and 23'' so she is in 75th percentile for both- atta girl!

JACK ATTACK

Jack is full speed ahead but is that anything new? His molars are coming in so he has been pretty grumpy the last 2 weeks (yes WEEKS!) He is learning new words all the time and even started singing. You all saw the video of him climbs a ladder at the playground... well he decided to climb the REAL one at home while Ryan was cleaning the gutters... he almost got to the top and I almost had a heart attack.

RYAN

Ryan has been really busy with work the past few weeks. Still loves his 10 minute commute, which gets him home with plenty of time to mow our giant lawn. He has been growing hops for his home brewing and they are really coming along... this whole gardening thing is kind of fun! Looking forward to celebrating his birthday next week. Birthday dinner menu includes chicken kiev and whoopie pies- yum!

MAMA BEAR

I have been coping with the new family dynamic fairly well. It was pretty scary at first but I just figured it out. I just finished a class for second time moms that was a life saver and introduced me to a great group of moms. Finally able to start to hit the gym again- training for a 5K. Did my first last night.. 42 minutes- not exactly great but I'm proud that I finished it. Also will be starting a beginners drawing class in June- never considered myself an artist but what the heck.

ETC
After making yet another awesome banana bread, I've decided to enter the state fair competition. I think I may try a few variations to see if it can be improved. My Grandma Marj knew what she was doing...

Year Two

Two years ago today, this is what Ryan and I were up to...

 Photography by eight20photography.com

Not sure I would have imagined that we would be here two years later, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Seven and half months pregnant!

We had a wonderful second anniversary painting our second child's nursery. Our first major home improvement project in our first house. Because we have awesome friends who were able to keep an eye on Jack, we were able to spend the afternoon focused on the room, no TV, phones or computers. This project really reminded me of why Ryan and I work so well together, we are a great team. Yes we were able to go out to a nice dinner but I had more fun painting!

Before:

Mole trying to ummm help

Couldn't resist the Home Depot hats :)

After:

I'd like to get some letters on the wall to spell Catherine and maybe a mirror but other than, we're done! 

And if you were wondering about Jackster...

Wish I had a better pic of him, but he doesn't sit still long enough!

This is his new big-boy room, painting done by Grandpa Ron

All there's left to do in his room is hang his window valance. 

Cookie Swap

Jack and I attend a weekly rotating playgroup. Next week it will be a cookie swap! I have actually never been to a cookie swap but the idea of lots of cookies and an excuse to eat them all is very exciting.

Jack + Oreo 

Now the hard part... what to bake... I don't have a "traditional" treat I make every year so I raked my mind for cookies and candy that have been apart of my family. Even with my gourmet Grandma Marj, nothing comes to mind! My maternal grandmother, GiGi,  made a 50's concoction called minted walnuts- which taste exactly like sound.. minty and walnuty- no thank you.

With the purchase of our first home, Jack old enough to eat cookies, and another little cookie monster on the way- the pressure is on to find a family favorite for the holidays. So I turned to 'ol faithful, The Joy of Cooking. As I browsed the pages I noticed there are ALOT of Christmas cookies. I narrowed my search down to recipes that were A, relatively easy to make B, somewhat festive and C, a little different from the usual. Some of the runners up were Angel Slices, which has a description stating "these are the cakes that St. Peter gives children at the gates of Heaven, to get them over the pangs of homesickness". While at first glance this seems sweet, I realized this is a cookie for dead kids- not exactly a great treat to bring to a playdate. Another bar that peaked my interest was Lebuchen, German Honey Bars. Bars are easy to make, and this recipe includes honey, cardamon and candied citrus peel - the uniqueness I was looking for... but are they festive?

 Lebuchen, one of the oldest forms of cookies... but not festive... sigh... 
www.whatscookingamerica.com

Then I came across chocolate crinkles. I vaguely remember having them at some point in my childhood and that I liked them. They have a dusting of powdered sugar which gives a wintry appearance and they seem relatively easy to make. All I need now is a twist to give them a personal touch. Peanut butter? Chili? Hazelnuts?  Hopefully I will be inspired by Sunday afternoon... I forecast a stop at Penzey's Spices in the near future.

(www.ericasweetooth.com)

Will keep y'all posted on my crinkle progress!

Half way there...

Today I am 20 weeks along in my pregnancy, 20 to go baby.

(not quite the cute pumpkin belly like Bri... more like I swallowed a pot)

As most of you know, I had an ultrasound this week and discovered we are expecting a baby girl. The ultrasound went relatively smoothly. Everything looks great, all the parts are where they are supposed to be and mama is healthy too. But this little one is VERY active and kept moving so the technician couldn't get the right angles. I actually had to do yoga type movements TWICE to get her to move in the right spot.

Due date is still projected for April Fool's day but since I will be doing a repeat C-Section, it will be a week before.... kinda weird to schedule our daughter's birthday!

So far I'm still feeling great, been blessed to have another morning-sickness-free pregnancy. I've been pretty tired still and REALLY hungry but other than that, no complaints! Craving lots of salty foods, this week it was steamed rice and soy sauce and oh god it never tasted so good...

Jack Update...
Jack is doing well, running around like a one year-old should. Luckily he listens (sort of) and I don't have to run after him too much. His latest trick is using everything like a phone- socks, blocks, remotes, whatever. He also started saying "No",  he knows what it means but doesn't use it in the right context. Still signs "all done" and "more" although I think more means eat in his mind.

(Jack "texting")

He really enjoyed the family that has come out to visit in the past few weeks, its been fun enjoying this unusually awesome fall weather with our loved ones.

Looking forward to seeing Auntie Amanda and Uncle David at Thanksgiving and Great Gramps at Christmas.

Autumn

In Southern California, fall consists of one last heat wave, Santa Ana winds followed by wild fires. While this may not sound appealing- it is one of my favorite seasons in Southern California. Wildfires aren't exactly a good thing but the hazy orange sunsets with a creepy red sun are unbelievable. Something about a strong burst of warm wind that almost knocks you off your feet is exhilarating (especially if you accidentally wear a skirt!)

Taken outside of our apartment in 2007

Now that I live in an area where we have an actual autumn season, I really love fall. Instead of wildfire coverage on the news, there is a leaf color report. And if you can find a hill to look over, it looks like the trees are ablaze.

Taken at the Landscape Arboretum of Minnesota


And what other time of the year do you get to take fun pumpkin pic's of your kids?

Ever wondered what they do with these pumpkins? Here's one idea...

 Or have you ever seen a corn pit? Yes, a pit full of corn (dried thanks goodness!)- I thought it was fun... don't think Jack felt the same way...

Fall is definitely my favorite season. Pulling out the sweaters and scarfs, brushing off the pumpkin bread recipes and enjoying the bug free weather is just what we need before a long winter.

Happy Fall everyone!

Apple Jack Party

Jack's turning one and we're doing it Minnesota style.

I have no idea where I got the idea for an Apple Jack party but as soon I heard it, it stuck. There is a huge apple harvest in Minnesota in September, perfect for my Johnny Appleseed.

The hunt for all things apples started in August, when we moved into our new house. Michael's had some super cute apple gear I scooped up at the dollar spot, including his invitations.

Here is the house all decked out for apple fun.


For the itty bitty ones, I made these little apple hats- yes they look like some sort of elementary school project but I couldn't help myself. Jack wasn't a fan...

We had an apple tasting station for guests to try the popular varietals of Minnesotan apples.

We used caramel apples for the favors with more of those darn cute stickers from Michaels.

Jack's highchair...

With my oven out of order, I had to go ahead and order Jack's cake last minute. I got this cake from Byerly's (similar to Bristol Farms for my CA friends). They gave us the round cake for free for his first birthday- Woohoo!

 

and the apple cake... yes it's cheesy- but I couldn't think of anything better to write :P

Jack's big present? A Radioflyer wagon which he enjoyed getting rides around the lawn in. His favorite gift? Tickle Me Elmo- he went CRAZY for it!

(whats cuter than a baby in a wagon? two! Jack and his buddy Jude)

Jack had a great time at his party. Full of smiles, laughter and a few steps too! Thanks to everyone who came to share this special day with our little guy.

A movie with Jack's cake demolition and Tickle Me Elmo fun will be posted on FB soon!