Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

I am 20 week pregnant today (half way!) and I had a Level II ultrasound this morning. Everything looks good, healthy and normal and we are quite certain it's a girl! She was very active and gave the technician some trouble because she wouldn't stop moving long enough to get really good pictures. Here are a few, however, for you to enjoy (or try to make out). I think I could clean these up a bit if I a) had a decent scanner and/or b) knew how to use the delightful Photoshop software I own (eyes rolling)...

Laundry Assistant

January Fun - See what you snowbirds are missing?

It was nearly 30 degrees today. A great day for sledding around the neighborhood and soaking up some sunshine. Henry has gotten the hang of the sled and yells if I stop for too long. He holds on now and handles corners like a champ although he took one faceplant in the snow today. To his credit, he shook it off without crying and got right back in. He likes to watch the squirrels and listen for the birds and today said hello and waved at the mailman.

Black Bean Tacos

These are really, really good. Just had to share.
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/fasteasyfresh/2009/02/crispy_black_bean_tacos

Another year, another baby!

Happy New Year! Good news! Nathan, Henry and I will welcome a new baby into our world in June. I am 17 weeks pregnant and the results of all of the preliminary tests are in. Everything looks good! We will find out at the end of this month whether it is a boy or a girl. The official due date is June 14th, which is the anniversary of Nathan proposing to me at the Twins game and the day we usually celebrate by going off to a baseball game somewhere. I guess this year we might have to postpone depending on when the baby decides to arrive.

So far this pregnancy has been much, much different than the first. I've been sicker and more prone to headaches. Maybe its a girl?

Pretty Awesome Turkey Meatloaf

This was originally a Williams-Sonoma recipe that's been tweaked several times. Its yummy.

1 tbls butter
1/2 tbls olive oil
1 small onion, diced fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, diced fine
10 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 egg
1 tbls tomato paste
1 tbls Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 lb ground turkey
Ketchup

In a small frying pan, heat butter and olive oil. Saute onion and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sage and saute 1 minute more. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Mix everything together with the ground turkey until well combined. Pat into a loaf pan that's been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven an top with a slathering of ketchup. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until the sugar in the ketchup has begun to carmelize. Cool slightly, slice and serve. I served it with potatoes, beets and carrots that I roasted with rosemary and olive oil in another pan alongside the meatloaf and a mixed green salad.

Christmas Slideshow

Click here to watch a slide show of the Christmas festivities at our house

Little Lefse Lover