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| Henry helping me blow out my birthday candle |
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Dave, Sam, Levi, Julie, Cari & Nathan - La Belle Vie 11/4/10
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Tuesday, November 23, 2010
My 35th Birthday
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Dirty Rice
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, diced
1 large carrot, cut in 1/2 inch dice
1 small sweet potato, cut in 1/2 inch dice
4 cups chicken stock
1 3/4 cups long grain rice
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
12 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 dried red chili
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Season burger with salt and pepper and brown in a large pot or dutch oven. When its cooked through, remove it with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add olive oil to the pot then saute the onions, celery and carrots until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sweet potato, chicken stock, rice, cajun seasoning, thyme, bay leaves and chili. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and put a tight fitting lid on the pot. Let cook 20 -25 minutes over medium-low heat.
Remove bay leaves, thyme and chili. Top with a handful of fresh, chopped parsley and serve in large bowls.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, diced
1 large carrot, cut in 1/2 inch dice
1 small sweet potato, cut in 1/2 inch dice
4 cups chicken stock
1 3/4 cups long grain rice
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
12 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 dried red chili
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Season burger with salt and pepper and brown in a large pot or dutch oven. When its cooked through, remove it with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add olive oil to the pot then saute the onions, celery and carrots until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sweet potato, chicken stock, rice, cajun seasoning, thyme, bay leaves and chili. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and put a tight fitting lid on the pot. Let cook 20 -25 minutes over medium-low heat.
Remove bay leaves, thyme and chili. Top with a handful of fresh, chopped parsley and serve in large bowls.
Fast Steak Dinner for Two
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 8 - 12 ounce steak, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, ours was top round
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch dice
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 cups small brussel sprouts, cut them in half if they are medium or large
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
1/2 fresh lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large handfuls arugula
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Get a pan nice and hot and add about a tablespoon of olive oil and the bacon. Cook until the bacon is crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the crispy bacon and reserve. Add the potatoes, onions and thyme to the bacon fat and olive oil and fry until they start to get brown and crispy, 4-5 minutes. Add more olive oil if needed. Add the chicken stock and brussel sprouts and cover to steam for 8 minutes. This will cook the sprouts and finish cooking the potatoes.
Meanwhile, get another pan very hot and add one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil. When the butter starts to foam, season the steak well with salt and pepper and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Move to a plate and tent with foil.
Remove the lid from the potatoes/sprouts and let the liquid cook down a bit. Remove from the heat and add the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
Squeese half a lemon into a bowl, whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add the arugula and toss to coat.
Slice the steak and divide between two plates. Mound dressed arugula next to the steak and scoop on the taters and sprouts. EAT!~
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 8 - 12 ounce steak, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, ours was top round
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch dice
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 cups small brussel sprouts, cut them in half if they are medium or large
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
1/2 fresh lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large handfuls arugula
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Get a pan nice and hot and add about a tablespoon of olive oil and the bacon. Cook until the bacon is crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the crispy bacon and reserve. Add the potatoes, onions and thyme to the bacon fat and olive oil and fry until they start to get brown and crispy, 4-5 minutes. Add more olive oil if needed. Add the chicken stock and brussel sprouts and cover to steam for 8 minutes. This will cook the sprouts and finish cooking the potatoes.
Meanwhile, get another pan very hot and add one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil. When the butter starts to foam, season the steak well with salt and pepper and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Move to a plate and tent with foil.
Remove the lid from the potatoes/sprouts and let the liquid cook down a bit. Remove from the heat and add the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
Squeese half a lemon into a bowl, whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add the arugula and toss to coat.
Slice the steak and divide between two plates. Mound dressed arugula next to the steak and scoop on the taters and sprouts. EAT!~
Monday, November 15, 2010
Baby Blue Eyes
Thursday, November 11, 2010
More Pancakes
I've spent a few months experimenting, trying to get an oatmeal pancake that I like. After some tweaking, here it is:
Oatmeal Pancakes
Dry ingredients:
1 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. oat flour
1/4 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. oat bran
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tbls. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. table salt
Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. canola oil
Whisk dry ingredients in one bowl. Whisk wet ingredients in a second bowl. Add wet to dry and mix just until combined. It will be lumpy and some streaks of flour are okay. I make them on a screaming hot griddle, about a 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. I like to add chocolate chips to these as they cook. They taste like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!
Oatmeal Pancakes
Dry ingredients:
1 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. oat flour
1/4 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. oat bran
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tbls. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. table salt
Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. canola oil
Whisk dry ingredients in one bowl. Whisk wet ingredients in a second bowl. Add wet to dry and mix just until combined. It will be lumpy and some streaks of flour are okay. I make them on a screaming hot griddle, about a 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. I like to add chocolate chips to these as they cook. They taste like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Two Singing Alarm Clocks: A Day in the Life
4:15am Siri wakes up. The whole daylight savings thing is messing with us. She inadvertently wakes Henry, too. He gets a nook and goes back to sleep. I bring her into our room where she nurses and goes back to sleep in the bassinet.
4:30am Momma falls back into bed.
6:45am Siri stirs. I pull her into bed with us and she nurses and falls back to sleep.
7:15am Henry and Siri start to sing, simultaneously, from different rooms. This is pleasant and funny and soon we're all up. We haven't set an actual alarm clock in a couple of years now.
The kids both get clean diapers and Henry gets a cup of milk and some playtime in his little kitchen as we make coffee and get the paper.
7:45am Breakfast - Henry is refusing to sit in the booster seat these days so he comes and goes from a grown-up chair (despite our best efforts to keep him seated) slopping Cheerios and milk across much of the dining room. I didn't peel his apple and even though he usually doesn't care, today he's decided to chew up the slices then spit apple peel on the table. Two year olds are gross. Siri, meanwhile, hangs out in the baby papasan chair, singing and chewing on a toy.
8:15am Daddy hits the shower and I gulp down a second cup before fighting Henry into a dry diaper and some clean clothes.
8:30am I set Henry up with some crayons and paper and he colors and practices spelling his name. He says, "H-E-N-Y HENRY!" He cannot yet draw the letters, but can identify them when I do, and when asked his name will say, "Henry Nesje!" While he is busy dumping the entire box of crayons on the floor, I get Siri changed and dressed.
8:45am Nathan is out the door to work. "Bye Daddy!" I quickly brush my teeth then round up the crayons before the dining room wall becomes a mural.
9:00am Henry needs a new distraction so the crayons and paper get put away and the play dough comes out. He hasn't seen play dough in a couple of months so I'm hoping it will entertain him long enough for me to feed the baby. Miraculously, he plays happily with me and the play dough for almost an hour while Siri fusses and eats and goes from the swing to my lap to the exersaucer.
10:00am Siri finally settles down for a nap in her crib. I set Henry up with crackers, juice, a blanket and Sesame Street after we clean up the play dough mess. I start a sink of hot, soapy water for dishes, check my email, then hop in the shower. I wouldn't bother, but it has been a few days and a shower will go a long way in improving my disposition. While I'm in the shower, Henry opens the door to the bedroom and turns on the light but, somehow, Siri remains asleep. He would have crawled into the crib with her, but I'd zipped the tent shut as a means of keeping him out. I manage to get dressed then run around trying to get some chores done like taking the diaper champ out and getting the dirty laundry piled up.
10:45am STREET SWEEPERS! DUMP TRUCKS! Suddenly our street is awesome. Since its a beautiful day, I open the living room window and Henry nearly loses his mind watching the cleaning parade outside. I get Siri up and suddenly we're all in shoes and sweatshirts outside. I load both kids and the diaper bag into the double stroller and we go a block over so Henry can watch the sweepers take another pass. He nearly waves his arm off when the driver of one of the street sweepers waves and smiles at him. He covers his ears and yells "LOUD!" while smiling.
11am Since its really, really nice out (SUNNY and 65!) I decide to head to the park on Almond and Arona. Halfway there I call Nathan and he meets us at Nelson's Cheese Shop, where we procure lunch. Sadly, Nathan is busy and has to run back to work, so I head to the park with the kids for a picnic. Henry wolfs down half of the hot dog with ketchup I got for him and then drops the other half on the ground. He has a few sips of milk and then takes off for the swings. I manage to get half my sandwich down before I have to run and help him. Lest I forget I'm in the city, I notice some darling graffitti on the table we've just eaten on, something scrawled in what looks to be blood. Yum. Also on the same table is some less interesting vandalism. I mean, if you are going to deface a public picnic table, try to come up with something better than I (heart) weed. I mean, really. We all do. You're just stating the obvious. But, I digress.
12pm Henry blissfully traverses the playground. Climbing and investigating everything. Siri, good naturedly, watches from the stroller. When she starts to fuss I carry her a bit. A group of moms and kids around H's age appear and he runs over and joins right in, chasing balls and taking toys that aren't his. He plops himself down at a table full of kids and moms and scores himself a cupcake. Fortunately, its a group of mom's I've met before! I nurse Siri whilst simultaneously following Hank around, making sure he doesn't fall off the top of the play structure he's managed to scale like a ninja.
1pm Toddler melt-down is imminent. Cautious coaxing of the boy toward the stroller where Siri is already strapped in is necessary. He WILL NOT be buckled in, thank you very much, Momma. I end up carrying him a block then bribing him by giving him the milk carton from lunch. Finally he's strapped in and ready to roll. I take a 15 minute work call on my iPhone while pushing both kids in the stroller with one hand on the way back home. Siri falls asleep. Henry dumps milk all over himself, soaking his pants, shirt and the stroller.
1:15pm Once inside the gate, I transfer Siri to her crib than go back out to retrieve milk-butt. I strip him down to naked, give him a quick wash and get him in a dry diaper and onesie. I get him in his crib, and with both kids down, I head back outside with a bowl of warm soapy water to wash down the stroller.
1:30pm I sit down to eat the other half of my sandwich from lunch.
1:31pm Siri wakes up. I am not making this up.
1:32pm I nurse Siri and she falls back asleep.
1:45pm I finally, actually, eat the rest of my sandwich and open my laptop to try and get some work done.
2:00pm Siri is awake, singing at the top of her lungs and playing with a stuffed goose. I try, in vain, to get her back to sleep.
2:30pm Having given up on getting any work done, I shut down my laptop.
2:32pm Siri now decides to fall into a deep, relaxing, snoring slumber. I restart my laptop.
3:00pm I run around the house trying to think of something to make for dinner. This involves grabbing some random meat from the freezer and surveying the half-rotted vegetables in the fridge. No great inspiration is coming to me so I return to trying to work.
4:15pm Naptime is over for Miss S so I change her and get her situated in the exersaucer in the kitchen. I drain the now icy-cold water from the dirty dishes. Recall me starting them hours ago? Yeah, I never got around to actually doing them. I fill the sink back up with hot and start some water for tea.
4:30pm Jeopardy is on and I hope to watch it and drink some tea. Siri is fussy, however, and Henry is just waking up. S screams for 10 minutes while I try and get H changed out of a massively poopy diaper. H gets a snack, S gets the boob, I slam some tea and a handful of leftover Halloween candy.
5:00pm Everyone is just dandy when Daddy walks in the door. However, being a bad housewife, I have yet to muster any sort of dinner plan.
5:30pm I'm starving. I throw a bowl of leftovers in the microwave, make up a plate of this and that for Henry and leave Nathan to fend for himself. Henry is still refusing to sit anywhere near is booster seat, so dinner involves a few bites here and there in between wrestling with H, including a tear-inducing time out after he climbs on top of the table. Siri gets some rice cereal a few bites at a time and, eventually, I finish a bowl of cold leftovers. Nathan kindly brings me a beer.
6:00pm Siri has an explosive poopy blowout that involves me stripping her naked, cleaning her up and putting her in clean jammies. Nathan corrals Henry.
6:30pm Nathan protects the baby from the toddler as I go to the laundry room to wash poopy out of baby clothes and fold a load. I refill our beers at the kegerator while I'm down there. I finish the dishes once back upstairs and take 5 minutes to quietly watch Henry play in his little kitchen. He methodically puts things in and takes them out and tries them again. Jabbering to himself without noticing that I'm watching.
7:00pm Siri is fussy so I nurse her and try to calm her. Both kids are snotty and I've been chasing them with tissues and the bulb syringe aka "booger sucker" all day.
7:15pm Nathan gets Henry into the bath. As they wash/play, I nurse Siri some more and she falls asleep. She is awake and fussy and asleep again three more times in the next 45 minutes. N reads to H.
8:00pm Both kids are asleep. Nathan and I fall into the couch with our beers and dig into the remaining Halloween candy.
8:30pm I fall into bed, exhausted, to read but end up staring at the TV until I fall asleep.
9:45pm I awake to the sound of Siri screaming. The virus has really settled in and she is having a hard time breathing. Rather than wake Henry, we bring her into our room. It will be a long, bumpy and sleepless night. *sigh*
4:30am Momma falls back into bed.
6:45am Siri stirs. I pull her into bed with us and she nurses and falls back to sleep.
7:15am Henry and Siri start to sing, simultaneously, from different rooms. This is pleasant and funny and soon we're all up. We haven't set an actual alarm clock in a couple of years now.
The kids both get clean diapers and Henry gets a cup of milk and some playtime in his little kitchen as we make coffee and get the paper.
7:45am Breakfast - Henry is refusing to sit in the booster seat these days so he comes and goes from a grown-up chair (despite our best efforts to keep him seated) slopping Cheerios and milk across much of the dining room. I didn't peel his apple and even though he usually doesn't care, today he's decided to chew up the slices then spit apple peel on the table. Two year olds are gross. Siri, meanwhile, hangs out in the baby papasan chair, singing and chewing on a toy.
8:15am Daddy hits the shower and I gulp down a second cup before fighting Henry into a dry diaper and some clean clothes.
8:30am I set Henry up with some crayons and paper and he colors and practices spelling his name. He says, "H-E-N-Y HENRY!" He cannot yet draw the letters, but can identify them when I do, and when asked his name will say, "Henry Nesje!" While he is busy dumping the entire box of crayons on the floor, I get Siri changed and dressed.
8:45am Nathan is out the door to work. "Bye Daddy!" I quickly brush my teeth then round up the crayons before the dining room wall becomes a mural.
9:00am Henry needs a new distraction so the crayons and paper get put away and the play dough comes out. He hasn't seen play dough in a couple of months so I'm hoping it will entertain him long enough for me to feed the baby. Miraculously, he plays happily with me and the play dough for almost an hour while Siri fusses and eats and goes from the swing to my lap to the exersaucer.
10:00am Siri finally settles down for a nap in her crib. I set Henry up with crackers, juice, a blanket and Sesame Street after we clean up the play dough mess. I start a sink of hot, soapy water for dishes, check my email, then hop in the shower. I wouldn't bother, but it has been a few days and a shower will go a long way in improving my disposition. While I'm in the shower, Henry opens the door to the bedroom and turns on the light but, somehow, Siri remains asleep. He would have crawled into the crib with her, but I'd zipped the tent shut as a means of keeping him out. I manage to get dressed then run around trying to get some chores done like taking the diaper champ out and getting the dirty laundry piled up.
10:45am STREET SWEEPERS! DUMP TRUCKS! Suddenly our street is awesome. Since its a beautiful day, I open the living room window and Henry nearly loses his mind watching the cleaning parade outside. I get Siri up and suddenly we're all in shoes and sweatshirts outside. I load both kids and the diaper bag into the double stroller and we go a block over so Henry can watch the sweepers take another pass. He nearly waves his arm off when the driver of one of the street sweepers waves and smiles at him. He covers his ears and yells "LOUD!" while smiling.
11am Since its really, really nice out (SUNNY and 65!) I decide to head to the park on Almond and Arona. Halfway there I call Nathan and he meets us at Nelson's Cheese Shop, where we procure lunch. Sadly, Nathan is busy and has to run back to work, so I head to the park with the kids for a picnic. Henry wolfs down half of the hot dog with ketchup I got for him and then drops the other half on the ground. He has a few sips of milk and then takes off for the swings. I manage to get half my sandwich down before I have to run and help him. Lest I forget I'm in the city, I notice some darling graffitti on the table we've just eaten on, something scrawled in what looks to be blood. Yum. Also on the same table is some less interesting vandalism. I mean, if you are going to deface a public picnic table, try to come up with something better than I (heart)
12pm Henry blissfully traverses the playground. Climbing and investigating everything. Siri, good naturedly, watches from the stroller. When she starts to fuss I carry her a bit. A group of moms and kids around H's age appear and he runs over and joins right in, chasing balls and taking toys that aren't his. He plops himself down at a table full of kids and moms and scores himself a cupcake. Fortunately, its a group of mom's I've met before! I nurse Siri whilst simultaneously following Hank around, making sure he doesn't fall off the top of the play structure he's managed to scale like a ninja.
1pm Toddler melt-down is imminent. Cautious coaxing of the boy toward the stroller where Siri is already strapped in is necessary. He WILL NOT be buckled in, thank you very much, Momma. I end up carrying him a block then bribing him by giving him the milk carton from lunch. Finally he's strapped in and ready to roll. I take a 15 minute work call on my iPhone while pushing both kids in the stroller with one hand on the way back home. Siri falls asleep. Henry dumps milk all over himself, soaking his pants, shirt and the stroller.
1:15pm Once inside the gate, I transfer Siri to her crib than go back out to retrieve milk-butt. I strip him down to naked, give him a quick wash and get him in a dry diaper and onesie. I get him in his crib, and with both kids down, I head back outside with a bowl of warm soapy water to wash down the stroller.
1:30pm I sit down to eat the other half of my sandwich from lunch.
1:31pm Siri wakes up. I am not making this up.
1:32pm I nurse Siri and she falls back asleep.
1:45pm I finally, actually, eat the rest of my sandwich and open my laptop to try and get some work done.
2:00pm Siri is awake, singing at the top of her lungs and playing with a stuffed goose. I try, in vain, to get her back to sleep.
2:30pm Having given up on getting any work done, I shut down my laptop.
2:32pm Siri now decides to fall into a deep, relaxing, snoring slumber. I restart my laptop.
3:00pm I run around the house trying to think of something to make for dinner. This involves grabbing some random meat from the freezer and surveying the half-rotted vegetables in the fridge. No great inspiration is coming to me so I return to trying to work.
4:15pm Naptime is over for Miss S so I change her and get her situated in the exersaucer in the kitchen. I drain the now icy-cold water from the dirty dishes. Recall me starting them hours ago? Yeah, I never got around to actually doing them. I fill the sink back up with hot and start some water for tea.
4:30pm Jeopardy is on and I hope to watch it and drink some tea. Siri is fussy, however, and Henry is just waking up. S screams for 10 minutes while I try and get H changed out of a massively poopy diaper. H gets a snack, S gets the boob, I slam some tea and a handful of leftover Halloween candy.
5:00pm Everyone is just dandy when Daddy walks in the door. However, being a bad housewife, I have yet to muster any sort of dinner plan.
5:30pm I'm starving. I throw a bowl of leftovers in the microwave, make up a plate of this and that for Henry and leave Nathan to fend for himself. Henry is still refusing to sit anywhere near is booster seat, so dinner involves a few bites here and there in between wrestling with H, including a tear-inducing time out after he climbs on top of the table. Siri gets some rice cereal a few bites at a time and, eventually, I finish a bowl of cold leftovers. Nathan kindly brings me a beer.
6:00pm Siri has an explosive poopy blowout that involves me stripping her naked, cleaning her up and putting her in clean jammies. Nathan corrals Henry.
6:30pm Nathan protects the baby from the toddler as I go to the laundry room to wash poopy out of baby clothes and fold a load. I refill our beers at the kegerator while I'm down there. I finish the dishes once back upstairs and take 5 minutes to quietly watch Henry play in his little kitchen. He methodically puts things in and takes them out and tries them again. Jabbering to himself without noticing that I'm watching.
7:00pm Siri is fussy so I nurse her and try to calm her. Both kids are snotty and I've been chasing them with tissues and the bulb syringe aka "booger sucker" all day.
7:15pm Nathan gets Henry into the bath. As they wash/play, I nurse Siri some more and she falls asleep. She is awake and fussy and asleep again three more times in the next 45 minutes. N reads to H.
8:00pm Both kids are asleep. Nathan and I fall into the couch with our beers and dig into the remaining Halloween candy.
8:30pm I fall into bed, exhausted, to read but end up staring at the TV until I fall asleep.
9:45pm I awake to the sound of Siri screaming. The virus has really settled in and she is having a hard time breathing. Rather than wake Henry, we bring her into our room. It will be a long, bumpy and sleepless night. *sigh*
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