Happy Birthday

...dear Kyle! Happy birthday to you!!!
Well, Kyle did not get hit by a sushi boat this birthday (august 2004, how do I link to old posts, anyone, bueller?). There were other fun travesties of the day. We had a delicious brunch at the Four Seasons. They served sushi for breakfast, wow what a concept. Abram broke a glass of orange juice on Kelly, who melted away when the orange juice entered his aura. The broken glass is being wisked away by the waiter. I realized how awful that must have been for Kelly, he hates oranges. I'm now imaging how disgusted I would be if Kyle threw raw onions all over my plate and clothes. Yuck!
Later on in the day Kyle bought a new laptop which did not work when we turned it on at home. Bummer!!! We did enjoy some tartlets and pizza at Whole Foods to finish the day off with.

We also went to Shakespeare at Winedale on Saturday. I really like this picture I took of Karen using those peace corp skills. Doesn't she just make it look so easy? That ice chest was very heavy.

I very happy both of these guys were born, and I am lucky to have them in my life!

5 Months Old

(ymca baby)

(ahhh, the good life)

Our little boy is 5 months old today. (I gave up on that whole weekly updating, it got to confusing.) He's growing up too fast!!! He can now:
-Roll from his back to his tummy, but only seems to go towards his left side.
-Loves to say Da da da da, and hold several conversations in this language.
-Has starting eating solid foods, fruits and veggies. (we might start giving him coca-cola in his bottle at nighttime...8 P, and ice cream for dinner)
-he has begun to recognize he has a mom and a dad, and will experience stranger danger anxiety.
-still does not sleep in a crib.
-is quite the grabby hands, and really likes to play with paper

He's has been getting lots of attention, because grandma and grandpa are here. Luckily no stranger danger there, that wouldn't be any fun.


Now here's what a 5 month old can do:

	Delight in knowing that if he drops something, it can even come back (although he doesn't look for it herself yet)
	Head control improves further and can now hold his head steady when in sitting position
	Attract you to him by making a variety of sounds (yes like to coo or sigh very loudly)
	Put his feet into his mouth to play (our baby is not too interested in his feet)
	Begins to concentrate on small details on her toys
	Enjoy the sound of crumpling of paper (right on target with this one)
	Socialise with her reflection in the mirror thinking its another person
	Socialises and smiles at everyone who smiles back
	Start using combinations of vowels and consonants
	Differentiate between 'Yes' and 'No' when used in the correct tone (haven't tried doing this too much)

Off Balance

This guy has been rolling from back to side a lot. We seriously need to baby proof the house soon.


I caught some sort of stomach thing this past week. It only lasted for a day, it was swift and sooo unpleasant. So, I haven't thought about food much. Plus we made this huge Chicken and Biscuits recipe on Saturday and have been trying to finish that off. I'm starting to get that cooking bug again, much better than that other bug I had.
Chicken Stew with Biscuits
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots), blanched for 2 minutes
1 10-ounce package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

For the biscuits:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and parsley. Mix well. Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Add the half-and-half and combine on low speed. Mix in the parsley. Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out twelve circles with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter.

Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. Brush them with egg wash, and return the dish to the oven. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.

Note: To make in advance, refrigerate the chicken stew and biscuits separately. Bake the stew for 25 minutes, then place the biscuits on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, until done.

Rating:This one definitely makes a lot of food. It will be good to have around on those busy weeks. Slightly salty, might be our own faults for not using homemade chicken stock. Definitely comfort food. We made more biscuits with the leftover dough. While Ina Garten maybe able to prepare this meal in 30 minutes with tv magic. The assistance of Kyle in the kitchen still made this a 2 hour process. It's an involved recipe, but still a yummy. I'm branching off from Rachel Ray. She's still my fav, but Ina can sure throw a party. I want to go see her in the Hamptons.

I think I'm off to go make this Amazon Cake I found. I discovered more things on the internet, like Yahoo groups, cooking websites....ack. I was reading Zach Braff's (kyle's twin - now if only he could get his share of movie/tv profits) website (which doesn't work with Mozilla) and he said Kevin Smith spends a 1/3 of his life online. I'm getting pretty bad. It's just my fingers won't stop clicking. The mouse is like crack for my fingers!

Busy Week

Favorite 4th of July Picture
We went to Round Top to see the 4th of July Parade and the Winedale kiddos. This was my favorite float in the parade. I might be a redneck and not even know it, because I swear we did tacky things like that when I was a kid. We used to swim in those plastic trash cans that kegs float in, filled up the back of my dad's truck with plastic lining and swam in that, and well after a good rain, gutter water made quite a pool. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

BABY
Awww, isn't he soo cute, looking at the book on his tummy while Daddy reads to him. Getting better at lifting that big ol' head And look at this guy try to sit up in his swing. I think he's pretty eager to get to walking. Oh dear god, we haven't child proofed the house yet!

HAIRCUT
I decided impulsively to cut all my hair of on Weds. I was tired of it falling out, which happens after being pregnant. My motto is that it will grow back eventually, so what the hell!!! Just call me Senora Helmut Head. Hey, Kyle had a mullet when he was in junior high, oh he'll deny it, but it doesn't get much worse than that.

FOOD
I made enchiladas suiza this week. Pretty darn good, a little too spicy, but not to hard to make and hit the Mexican food spot. We also added as much darn cheese as we wanted. This was a recipe taken from Self.Enchiladas Suiza

1 1/2 lb bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
2 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic
5 peppercorns
1 lb tomatillos (about 8), husked
2 serrano chiles
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup nonfat sour cream
8 corn tortillas (6" each)
1 1/2 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Place chicken in a large saucepan. Add 6 cups water, 1 tsp salt, 2 garlic cloves and peppercorns. Boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Remove chicken. Pull meat from bones; shred; set aside. Place tomatillos and chiles in a saucepan; cover with water; boil over medium-high heat 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup liquid. Transfer to a blender; add remaining 2 cloves garlic and cilantro; blend until smooth, adding liquid if necessary. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatillo-chile puree; reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring constantly, 10 minutes or until sauce reduces to about 1 cup. Reduce heat, add remaining 1 tsp salt and sour cream. Stir about 1 minute. Set aside. Heat oven to 350°. Heat a skillet over medium heat; warm tortillas 10 seconds per side. Divide shredded chicken evenly among tortillas; roll up. Spread 1/3 sauce in a 9" baking dish. Arrange enchiladas in 1 layer, seam side down. Cover with rest of sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until cheese starts to brown. Serve immediately.

Roberto Santibañez, culinary director at Rosa Mexicano in Atlanta

The skinny 406 calories per 2 enchiladas, 11.8 g fat (3.5 g saturated), 5.7 g fiber, 34 g carbs, 40 g protein

Source: Self Magazine
Opinion: Pretty darn good with lots more cheese than the recipe called for. And I'd like to try to stuff the actual enchiladas with cheese and chicken. Also, if you ain't to keen on spicy food, go with one serrano instead of 2.


I received my new Fonda San Miguel cookbook this week. (Yes, Dyan it does have that lovely cajeta crepe recipe, I'll try to get a photocopy to you). Fonda San Miguel is a wonderful resturant that serves interior Mexican food. It is sooo yummmmmmmmyyyy!!!! We went there for our negative 1 year anniversary for brunch.


Arroz Blanco
Basic White Rice

2 tablespoons safflower oil
2 cups long-grain white rice
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

Heat oil in a heavy, 3 quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add rice. Stirring often with a wooden spoon, cook 8-10 minutes, or until the rice is golden. Add chicken broth, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook an additional 20 minutes, or until all liquid has been absorbed. Fluff the rice and add salt, if necessary. Sprinkle with green peas and server hot. Serves 8

Source: Fonda San Miguel cookbook
Opinion: Fantabulous! We didn't use the green peas, but that didn't matter. Very tasty rice and it went well with the enchiladas.

On a seperate occasion, after a big lunch, we decided to have a light dinner of zucchini. Zucchini With Garlic and Lemon

Bread Crumbs Topping (optional)
2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Zucchini
5 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces each), ends trimmed
Table salt
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving, if desired
1-2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
Ground black pepper

1. For the Bread crumbs (optional): Pulse the bread in food processor until coarsely ground. Heat butter in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently with heat proof rubber spatula, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

2. For the Zucchinis: Cut each zucchini crosswise into several pieces, each 2 to 3 inches long. Shred each piece on large holes of box grater, rotating as needed to avoid shredding seeds and core (which should be discarded); you should have about 10 cups shredded zucchini. Toss zucchini with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and place in colander set in medium bowl; let drain 5 to 10 minutes. Wrap zucchini in kitchen towel, in batches if necessary, and wring out excess moisture.
3.Place zucchini in medium bowl and break up any large clumps. Combine garlic with 2 teaspoons oil in small bowl; add mixture to zucchini and toss to combine throughly.
4. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet over high heat until faint smoke appears. Add zucchini and spread evenly in pan with tongs; cook without stirring until bottom layer browns, about 2 minutes; stir well, breaking up any clumps with tongs, then cook until "new" bottom layer browns, about 2 minutes more. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and sald and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, drizzling with additional olive oil, if desired, and sprinkling with bread crumbs, if using.

Serves 4
Source: Cook's Illustrated/August 2006
Opinion: OMG this zucchini is now my favorite way to eat zucchini. I did not know zucchini could taste this good. Typing up the directions, the recipe sound difficult. Kyle actually made this one, and as a watcher it didn't seem to take him that long. I love lemon, and this recipe has lots of good lemon. This one's a keeper that we'll have to rotate through the recipes. We didn't do the bread topping. And we buy garlic alread minced up. I like to take short cuts when I can.

Baby 'Tude

We bought the little Darwin outfit at Moxie and the Compound. We happened to be in the neighborhood because I went to my first knitting meet up. Imagine a table of 15 women knitting and chatting. It was quite fun and I just might finish that scarf I've been working on for Kyle the past year.

Baby Noah is getting better a rolling from his back to his side. And he seems to be adding more syllables to his baby talk. It sounded like he replied "hey" to Kyle when Kyle said "hey". Exciting stuff. He's also become quite the grabby hands. He'll like to grab anything we are holding, romote control, cell phone... And one of his favorite toys is papertowel sheets. He's enjoying that cloth book a lot too.

So Much Food

I don't even know where to begin. So I'll start with desert first.

Currently we are in the process of finishing up the last batches of chocolate chip cookies. I had to give the new kitchen aid artisian mixer a whirl.

Dessert/Midnight Snack: Urban Legend Chocolate Chip Cookies


(too lazy to copy properly) Good if you like a chunky and chocolatey cookie. We are thinkinfg of adding coconut next time. I'm a coconut freak!

Dinner Tonight:

Chicken Curry
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooked white rice
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup (1 ounce) almonds, roughly chopped
Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut it into 1-inch pieces and place in a bowl. Sprinkle it with the curry and cinnamon, toss, and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Add the broth, cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer. Return the onion and zucchini to the skillet and heat until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.

Divide the rice among individual bowls, top with the curry, and sprinkle with the basil and almonds.

Tip: You can vary the ingredients depending on what you have on hand. Consider substituting coconut milk for the cream, eggplant for the zucchini, cilantro for the basil, or cashews for the almonds.
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Source: Real Simple July 2006
Opinion: Pretty tasty meal and didn't take too terribly long to make. Used pita in place of naan for the brea. Will probably make again.


Breakfast: Waffles (I don't know which recipe we used. It was a combo of two. But don't they look tasty. Not as good as Kyle's Dad's recipe. Tasted a little like bunuelos.)

And many nights ago we had...
Greek Chicken Pasta

1lb chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
8 ounces whole wheat penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add chicken, brown for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and simmer 10 minutes.

Spoon tomato sauce over pasta and sprinkle with feta.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: adapted from a poco-cocoa recipe.
Opinion: This one was way better than the other pasta recipe. It had a lot more flavor. This one's a keeper. And soooo easy.

If I gain 500 pounds this summer, you'll know why.