She's just that awesome..

It was 1 pm, Eden had only taken one 45 minute nap about 10am, so I started thinking, she is probably going to take a nap soon. She let out one little yawn a minute later, I swaddled her, laid her in her crib,and left her smiling and wiggling. I came back 2 minutes later to find her fast asleep. Yes... she's just that awesome. We have actually worked pretty hard at teaching her to put herself to sleep- but she's a baby so you can't really expect too much- but she is great at it!

Other things she is great at (aside from being freaking adorable)
*Head control
*Tracking and eye contact
*Communication (she can literally carry a conversation- wait her turn to speak, expect a response- of course, towards the end of a discussion she gets really excited and speaks at the same time you do- I think she gets that from her mama :) )
*SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT
*Being a lefty
*Letting her mama eat lunch- we're still working on daily showers- for both of us

In non-Eden news- I started painting again! It's a simple decorative kiddish piece, but hey, at least I'm putting brush to canvas, or board in this case. It'll be a fun, playful piece in which I plan to use acrylics, pastel crayons, paper, and who knows what else. I've also picked out fabric and a pattern for Eden's Easter dress- we'll see if it gets done!

Insert interesting title here

Cooking class was so much fun! If it wasn't for my lack of interest in anything competitive- culinary school would be a blast. When I get around to making some of the dishes we were shown I'll be sure to post about them in more detail. My favorite dish was the oranges in simple sauce with mint slivers. I was both surprised at the simple things I learned by watching a professional chef and the things I already knew that seemed to be new information to a lot of attendees. The best basic tips I walked away with were how to properly dice an onion, chop up and store herbs, and zesting citruses.

If you do not care about my cat skip this section :) - In non-cooking news, our cat is officially an outdoor cat. He has gotten progressively whinier since Eden was born and the climax was last week when he meowed all day long, waking Eden during her naps, and then to get our attention at 2 am knocked a wooden bell my parents had given me off of the dresser- breaking it. This wooden bell has a chime box that plays Edelweiss and my dad used it to put me to sleep. I loved it growing up. Luckily for the cat, he just broke off the handle and in such a way that it is fixable and will never be noticed- but still. He can come and go into the laundry room through the dog door but we keep it closed off to the rest of the house. It's been 3 days and he's only begged to come in once- and half-heartedly at that. If you live in Nacogdoches, please do not hit him if he's in the street :). I don't want to talk about it too much because you will all discover I really am a crazy cat lady- a realization I stumbled on the other day. Thomas told someone that Joseph's last name was "Underfoot" and I caught myself just before I could exclaim "don't you know his last name is Middlebrook?! you accepted him as family when you married me! Underfoot can be his middle name." So now he's outside, distancing himself, and I can be rescued from crazycatladyitis.

OK- in news you all actually care about- Eden is the cutest kid ever! Seriously, I haven't laughed this often, this hard, in YEARS. I wanted to have a kid this "young" for several reasons, but one was because I liked the idea of being a youthful parent. The truth is this kid would have made me feel young no matter my age. She reminds me to be playful, laugh at crazy situations (like the unfortunate pooing of March the 2nd which I will refrain from sharing in such a public place), and not take everything so seriously- especially other people's opinions. These are goals I have been trying to accomplish for a long time. Who knew it was as "simple" as having a kid ;).

SAVER TIP FOR THE DAY:
I was just thinking that Thomas and I do not utilize the library enough- especially for movies. We rented tons of movies before Eden was born. Even though we don't do it very often now, we're pretty bad about racking up late fees- which are higher at the video stores than at the library. The biggest drawbacks of the library are the lack of new releases and the limited amount of copies for the newer ones. Then today I read Abigail's blog and found a great tip- Free Movie Monday's through RedBox. You can find instructions for getting and using the promotional code here, and check in on each Monday for the new code here. THANKS ABIGAIL!

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So, I added a feature to my blog which is going to make MY life a lot easier as I add favorite recipes and I hope it will inspire a few happy evenings with good food and friends to all of you readers. After I set it up I realized it might quickly outgrow the alphabetized organization and need categories- but meh- this is all I've got to offer for now.

It seemed as if the bad financial times had been skipping over my friends and family for a while, but it is finally starting to seep into the lives of people I know- lost jobs, tighter budgets, etc.etc. I liked the list of suggestions from This Vintage Chica blog. It has all set me into planning mode for cutting our expenses- finding coupons, shopping the sales, planning meals better, etc. Anyone with tips and ideas let me know! Right now I'm just focused on using every bit of food I buy- finding recipes that share ingredients and "eating to the back of the pantry" as my parents would say (this last part is funny- like yay right funny, not haha funny- considering how packed our pantry is, but you get the idea).

So I bought chicken on sale BuyOneGetOne, cooked it, chopped it up, and am spreading it across a few recipes. Monday night was Curves White Chili. I bought onions by the bag when they were on sell BOGO, had leftover jalapeno and cheese, and have this great chicken stock powder I got in a barter using tablecloths I no longer used. BTW- bartering is my favorite form of thrifting ever. Hit me up- seriously.

White Chili
Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbls olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
7 ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
1 teaspoon powdered cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup cooked white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
8 ounces cooked chicken breast, cubed
chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in soup pot until tender. Add Jalapeno, chiles, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and salt, and saute another minute. Stir in chicken broth, beans, and chicken. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in cilantro and cheese. Makes about 3 servings.



The rest of the chicken will be used for Chicken and Dumplings tonight. The only ingredients I had to buy were the Carrots and Potato- the rest is in my pantry. BTW- I half this recipe and cut out the celery (Thomas doesn't like it).

My current goals are to buy more ingredients in their most basic form- shredding cheese myself, using my bread machine, buying heads of lettuce and bunched spinach.


So after sounding as if I'm a super saver (haha-I'm totally not) let me burst my own bubble and tell you how excited I am to go to a cooking class this afternoon! Definitely not on the cheap side of entertainment, but I have been wanting to go to a cooking class forever and can't wait! It's on Morocan cuisine and I'll let you know how it goes.

Fun in Houston

Eden's Mamere and Pawpaw kept her last weekend and Thomas and I got farther out of East Texas than we had since Eden's birth- a whole 2.5 hours! It was a weekend all about food and shopping. We hit up Ikea, the Galleria, and Central Market; fueling ourselves in between at Nikko Nikko's (greek), some organic coffee shop place on Westheimer, Indonesia Grill, and La Madeline's. We even managed to get in a little education at the Natural Museum of Science where there was an exhibit on the Jewish roots of Christianity. It focused on providing context for the culture that was just before, during and after Jesus' time in and around Jerusalem. This was the most important time we shared together. Thomas is getting more and more serious about pursuing further education and possibly teaching old testament history. It's really important for me to share in that part of his life and I have a LOT of catching up to do. We had tons of fun with him playing teacher and me student (as always :) ).


Central Market provided wonderful treats for us foodies. Here's a list of some of our spoils:
* Gorgonzola Raviola
* Gnocchi (which Kroger in Nac is actually carrying now)
* Lemon artichoke pesto - used on the gnocchi
* Raw Hazelnuts
* Ciao Bella Bacio Gelato - a favorite memory from Italy, this is seriously the best ice cream ever
* Edamame
* Frozen cubed sweet potatos
* Naan
* Korma and Tikka Masala Sauces
* Five Spice Powder and Garam Masala Spice
* Peach Amaretto Jam - already used to make Jam Cookies - see picture above
* Blood Orange Juice - another favorite of ours from our Italy trip
* Black Pepper and some kind of aged cheddar - both fantastic
* Golden raspberries - same flavor but less tart- awesome

So I used the lemon artichoke pesto and gnocchi last night for a quick, delicious dinner. I cooked a few chicken tenders in a skillet with the fantastic Pecan Oil Thomas got me for Valentine's Day, and then sliced them into smaller pieces. I cooked the gnocchi in boiling water, removed them - reserving the water and adding to it asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces. Everything went into a big bowl and was tossed with the pesto and was served with a salad.

Setting the mood

We actually went on a date for Valentine's Day-ooohhh. Have we reformed our anti-valentine-day-ways? Nah- it was just convenient timing. We took Eden to Carthage and let my parents babysit for the evening and we went to a movie and then dinner with my brother and sister-in-law. We chose to see Coraline in 3-D which was awesome! Although it was a little creepy and we were sure all the small children in the theatre would need a little counseling afterwards- it was quite enjoyable. Dinner was.. interesting. We gave our name to the hostess at Johnny Carinos- one 40 minute wait and a call to 911 later we were sitting down to a meal that was interupted by police officers three times. No big deal- there was a wreck outside of the restaurant for which NO ONE STOPPED. Seriously people - STOP if you witness a wreck- the restaurant did not have a view of the road we could just hear it- so my police statements were frustratingly inadequate- but as the 911 caller I apparently still had to give one.

Although there has been a lot of cooking, I haven't blogged about it due to the embarrassment that I have met very few of my criteria- namely the cheap, healthy, and sometimes quick criteria (ok, so that's all of them). First it was the tomato and pesto tart which was a little expensive because of the goat cheese, pesto, and asparagus, had to bake for an hour, and was made only slightly more healthy by using a wheat crust. Next came the Indian feast (I even found flatbread in Nacogdoches!), which was at least quick- but most importantly fun. One of the prepackaged side dishes (chickpeas in curry, mmmmm) came with a CD of Indian Classical music- like getting a prize in a cracker jacks box. Admittedly it was annoying after about 3 minutes; however, I committed and kept it going through dinner.

That brings us to tonight- I will meet my goals!! I've made this one before and I know it's healthy, quick and cheap. It's quite tastey- enjoy!

Szechuan Pork Stir-Fry- from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 6 ounces soba (buckwheat) noodles, uncooked
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 2-inch strips
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
• 1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
• 3/4 cup red bell pepper strips (about 1 small pepper)
• 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 3/4 cup (2-inch) diagonally cut green onions (about 4 green onions)

Preparation

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork, chili garlic sauce, and ginger to pan; stir-fry for2 minutes. Add bell pepper to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add broth, soy sauce, and peanut butter to pan. Reduce heat to low; cook for 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick. Stir in onions. Serve over noodles.

Cooking and Blogging...

Baking isn't happening so much... although I did manage to make scones for breakfast... barely. Yesterday we ate dinner at 6:30. I turned up the oven and popped some blueberry scones in just as I took out our baked pasta. We ate a quick dinner, while feeding the kiddo, and rushed to church (in time to catch a few hymns!). I really was listening to the service, but something Steve said made me think of breakfast, and then the scones, which were still in the oven. I jumped up from my seat, ran into the nursery where Thomas was with Eden, exclaiming I was rushing home to make sure our house wasn't on fire. The time on the car clock read 7:36 as I hurriedly dialed a neighbor. I was about 7 minutes away and figured a lot of cute baby clothes could burn up in that amount of time (seriously?! baby clothing is what I thought of). She called me back moments later saying everything looked fine and not to rush, scones would just dry out and blacken anyway. I was still thinking there would at least be a lot of smoke and a smelly oven waiting for me, but everything seemed ok.
And you know why?
The silly oven wasn't even turned on. That's right. I turned it off. They were half-baked because of the pre-heating. I managed to salvage them- probably shouldn't have. Who knows what health risks there are when one eats dough that was partially raw and warm for an hour, but meh, I'm already ill.
So there was that baking. And Thomas happily watched Eden a few hours this past weekend so I could make him cookies.


But there's mostly just been cooking. I've promised a few friends that I would start posting the dinners I make for Thomas and me. I've aim for quick, healthy, and cheap recipes (in that order) and am finding a lot through Cooking Light's 20 minute meals.

The following recipe gets Two Thumbs Up (one from Thomas and one from Katie). The sauce is pretty strong, but a good compliment to the shrimp. I served it over basamati rice cooked in chicken broth. It met the criteria of being healthy and quick, but isn't so cheap because of the shrimp and ginger (I bought bottled prepared ginger because it was faster). I'm pretty weary of cooking shrimp and found this to be super easy.
It made enough for our dinner and Thomas' lunch- so probably about 4 normal servings. Enjoy!

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
• 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups small broccoli florets
• 1 cup vertically sliced onion

Preparation

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry 30 seconds. Sprinkle shrimp with salt. Add shrimp to pan, and stir-fry 3 minutes or until done. Remove shrimp mixture from the pan.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil to pan. Add broccoli and onion to pan; stir-fry 4 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Add shrimp mixture and broth mixture to pan; cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Look! I have time to play in photoshop, you know what that means...

... Eden feels better!

Sorry for taking so long to report back on the health and well being of our family. I'd like to use being a full time mom as an excuse, but um, we all know my blogging habits.
So when I last left you Eden's Dr. had recommended a diet change. I had serious doubts, but it worked! There are still a few mixed emotions about the switch, but Eden's disposition dramatically changed within 6 hours of the recommended course of action. It took her about a week to have a random crying spell, and they are still very few. Now we are trudging along on this path, not the one we intended to be on, but isn't parenting all about the unexpected and following your gut concerning what's right for your child?

Currently we are chilling in the living room. Eden is in her pack'n'play enjoying her pimped out mobile (every girl should be so lucky). She has just been contentedly cooing away, entertaining herself for about 30 minutes now. Life is so different!
Of course the tales of parenting are never without a few bumps in the road. We moved her to the nursery on Friday and the timing was perfect! I have come down with a bad cold (flu??) and coughed all Sunday night and would have kept her up- not that she needed any help- she went from her schedule of bedtime at 9pm, feeding at 3am, up at 7am - to 9pm, 11pm, 1am, 3am, 5am, 7am.... I couldn't sleep in between because I was coughing so much. Thomas, who had slept through the night, was excited to come home and relieve me. Unfortunately, that afternoon he had a bad reaction to some medication and was too dizzy/nauseous to do anything (this also happened last Thursday, but I wasn't quite as sick and had a better night's sleep). Luckily, we have wonderful family/friends who babysat for a few hours.

So thank you for all the prayers, we're all back on track now. Thomas' side affects are all but gone, my bad cold now feels like bad allergies and my voice is back, and Eden is back to her regular sleeping schedule (did I mention that she often likes to party after her 3am feeding?).

Oh and if anyone wants to have a good laugh, I finally got my Babies'N'Me Pilates video. Eden is now going to be downgraded from cute, cuddly baby to workout equipment. This should be amusing- she weighs 12 lbs!