Summer Stir-Fry

I've already started looking forward to Fall and anticipating the cooler weather foods like soups and stews. So before I got too far ahead of myself, I pushed myself to find more recipes which use the fresh vegetables of the season. And boy, I'm glad I did! This was a fantastic recipe and one Jeremiah has now requested I make often. Not only is it quick, but it is both Jeremiah and Zeke friendly! I don't know that I've ever used basil before -- *tsk tsk* I know! -- it was SO GOOD! It definitely added another beautiful dimension to this dish. I hope you try it before summer's gone!

Summer Stir-Fry
  *from "The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from my Frontier"

2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
2 lbs. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large zucchini, diced
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
3/4 c. red grape tomatoes, slice in half lengthwise
3/4 c. yellow grape tomatoes, slice in half lengthwise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 to 18 fresh basil leaves, cut in chiffonade
Juice of 1 lemon
Rice or pasta, for serving (optional) (I didn't not make either. It was delicious all on its own!) 

Melt 1 T. butter with 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and garlic, then saute until the shrimp are opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp to a plate. Increase the heat to high, then throw in the zucchini. Stir it around for about 45 seconds then scoot the zucchini to the edges of the pan. Throw in the corn and cook it for a minute then push it to the edge of the pan. Throw in the grape tomatoes, stir them around for a minute, then sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Then throw the shrimp back in. Stir everything around for about 45 seconds, or until it's all combined and hot. Then pour it onto a big platter. Sprinkle on the fresh basil then squeeze the lemon all over the top. You can serve this with rice or pasta. Serves 8-10.

Summer Stir-Fry 

To life... full of more of this!

Before the summer's over...

Grandma joined us for a trip to the pool. She helped us be a little more brave with our kid, ie. last picture! Compared to the beginning of the summer, Zeke is enjoying the pool much more. We are so glad! The pool closes August 18th so we've been getting in as many trips as we can... 

Fun with our beach ball! 

Throwing him in to Daddy! 

Grandma and Zeke had fun together at the pool! 

Underwater adventure! 

To life... full of staying cool in the pool! 

MMM: Mathematical Love

I can still remember driving Zeke home from the hospital, just 2 days old. My love for him was overwhelming, jealous, protective. I didn't want to share him with anyone else. I wanted to spend all my time with him, taking care of him. It was the heart-squeezing, eyes-misting, body-warming love --like nothing I had experienced in my life up to that moment. Sure, I love my husband in a way I love no other person. I love my family, I love my friends. But those are the types of love you choose, daily, to maintain, cherish, and grow. This one hit me like a line drive to shortstop. And even now, as he grows and tests boundaries and disobeys and doesn't seem to listen to me, I can't stop my heart from pouring out love for him. Sure, I get frustrated and sometimes lose my temper when he pushes a button I've told him not to; when he steps onto the laptop when I've said "no"; when he messes with the knobs on the grill while it is flaming hot. But in those quiet, peaceful moments when we're cuddling or reading a book or he's asleep in my arms, I feel my mama-love running deep through my veins for my firstborn child.

So how does this "mama-love" work with another baby? Right now it seems impossible for me to love another child as much as I love Ezekiel. I find myself wondering if it's possible for there to be favorites. What if I love one child more than another? Am I a terrible mother? Will I always compare the two? I heard (or read) once that when another child comes along, your love doesn't divide, it multiplies. Is this true? I surely hope so, but I really have no way of knowing until the day comes when I give birth to my second child. Until then, this is my most recent musing...

To life... full of adding children, subtracting selfishness, and multiplying love!  

Blackberry Pie Bars

Now that I'm back to cooking and baking again, I'm ready to start sharing some of these recipes with you. I made these last week and they were well received and eaten! I printed this recipe off at least 1 or 2 years ago, but just now have gotten around to making it for the first time. Jeremiah said these are the best bars I've made in a long time!

Blackberry Pie Bars
   *from joythebaker.com

Crust & Topping
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
zest of two lemons

Blackberry Filling
4 lg. eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 (16 oz.) packages frozen blackberries, defrosted and rained
  (You can also use 6 c. fresh blackberries, or 1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen blackberries and 3 c. fresh)
  **If you're using frozen berries, be sure to defrost and drain the excess liquid. Place the frozen berries on a plate in the refrigerator overnight. They're defrosted and ready for bar baking!

To make the crust and topping - 

Preheat the oven to 350* F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan with butter or cooking spray and set aside. Zest two lemons. (I don't have a zester, so I've always just used my cheese grater. In this case I wish I had made the zest much smaller because with the larger pieces it created some hard/chewy spots in the crust that I didn't really enjoy. So zest small!) Measure out the sugar onto a clean work surface (I just laid down some wax paper on the kitchen table.). Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with a bench scraper or the back of a spoon. Rubbing the zest into the sugar will release the oils from the zest and create a lemon scented sugar.

Combine the lemon sugar, flour, salt, and butter in an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment. Beat the ingredients on medium speed until the mixture looks dry and crumbly.

Reserve 1 1/2 c. of the crust mixture to use as the topping. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan. (It seems like a lot of crust and I wondered if the filling would even fit, but it does and it's actually quite a good ratio of crust-to-filling.) Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes until it is golden brown (this took much longer than 15 min. for me, more like 25 min.) Let cool for 10 minutes while you make the filling.

To make the filling - 

Whisk the eggs in a lg. bowl. Add the sugar, sour cream, flour, and salt. Gently fold in the blackberries. Spoon the mixture evenly over the crust. You may have to distribute the blackberries evenly around.

Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly over the filling. Bake for 45 - 55 minutes until the top is lightly browned. Cool for 1 hour before slicing.

I thought these bars were good both warm and cold. I think they would have been great served with some vanilla ice cream warm and then are good straight out of the fridge, nice and cold. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

To life... full of making lemon sugar for the first time!

Pregnancy - The Second Time Around

Maybe you've noticed on Facebook by now, but I've started baking and cooking again! It has been so nice to actually FEEL like making food -- one of my very favorite things to do. Yay for the second trimester! Just this week I've made 3 new recipes, plus made supper MOST nights of the week! We've had Mini Meatball Sandwiches, Chipotle Steak Salad (new), Chicken Enchilada Casserole (new), and tonight Blackberry Pie Bars (new). We had been eating out a lot recently because I've had such a hard time deciding on what to make, so it was easier for me to go somewhere and not have to make it myself. But now that my stomach isn't topsy-turvy all the time, I'm ready to try new recipes and make some fantastic meals at home! I will try to post about some of them, but this post I want to do a bit of comparison.

During my last pregnancy I wrote a little something every week... if I remember right. And it wasn't even that long ago! This time, I'm not setting that expectation for myself, but I do want to make a little comparison this time about how these pregnancies are similar and different. I like to be able to look back and read about these things because it IS so easy to forget.

I'm not sure how this is going to work, so I'm just going to use the free-flow method.

Last time, I ate to feel better and therefore gained weight right off the bat, in fact it ended up being about 1 lb. per week! This time, nothing has sounded good and unless someone else decides what to make or eat, I have had a hard time eating anything. I actually lost a little weight and am just now back up to what I weighed at the end of March (and I'm now 18 weeks).

Last time, we found out the gender of our baby and told everyone. This time, we know, but we've decided to keep it a surprise for everyone else. There is so much personal information out in the world,  particularly now in the age of Facebook, blogging, etc. And in many ways it has been helpful and good. When I read about other's struggles, their tips for parenting, and more I don't feel so alone in the world, even on the days when I don't have the chance to leave my house. But sometimes it's just nice to have a special secret all to yourself. To know something fantastic and get to celebrate that with your little family and plan and dream and eventually everyone else will know anyway. But right now it's special and I like it that way, even when people make a big deal about us not telling them. Sure, that's the age we live in, but that doesn't mean I have to do something just because it's what someone else wants (although that is extremely hard for me as a people-pleaser). So occasionally you may hear me say or read something that says he or she, but don't think I've "slipped up", I'm just going to enjoy throwing it out there from time to time... see what kind of response I get.

Last time, I'm pretty sure I was wearing maternity clothes by now. This time, not really. Just a pair of shorts and a shirt here and there, but for the most part if you look at me now, you wouldn't know I'm pregnant. Maybe just getting a little fat ;0) This is honestly ok because I don't have as many maternity clothes this time around (I was able to borrow MANY last time) and I get bored of wearing the same thing over and over.

Last time I was tired and I was working in an office and this time I'm super-tired and I stay at home with a toddler. A point of reference? Yeah, I don't really know how to compare the two. But the tiredness remains! A little nervous about how tired I'm going to be in 5 months...

I think I've felt the baby move around some already, but I think that is typical the second time because you know better what it feels like.

Last time I ate lots of sweets -- ice cream, cookies, iced coffee drinks. This time, not really. Coffee -- blegh, I couldn't even stand the smell until a few weeks ago and just had my first coffee drink - a caramel frappuccino - about 10 days ago. And when I've gotten hungry in the evenings, I usually heat up some more of what we had at dinner instead of eating dessert. Part of this I think is because I AM trying to eat healthier both while I'm pregnant and not, but also because it sounds a lot better than sugar.  Last time I also ate lots of cheeseburgers, this time, not so much. Also, to note, I have actually wanted cucumbers both times! And I don't typically eat cucumbers when I'm not pregnant. Last time I made the creamy cucumber salad and this time I made the old-fashioned cucumbers. Mmmm! Both cravings lasted about a week.

You might have already checked out of this post already, but that's ok. Sometimes I like to write, just to write and remember. For some reason, I have not been writing in my journal as much recently, but I don't want to forget what's going on in my life at this juncture. Especially when I go back and read, I'm always glad I took the time to write down my thoughts.

To life... full of the mundane & exciting!

18 Months Old!

Ezekiel - You are 18 months old! The changes since I wrote about you at 15 months are many. Here goes:

- You still sign "please" and have begun to do a modified version of "all done" which is extremely helpful! You wave "bye-bye". You say dada, mama, hi, and off (referring to fans, lights, etc.). You many animal noises -- "baa" for sheep, "arf" for dog, growling for a bear, "haw-hee" for donkey,  "doodle-doo" for rooster, and the funniest (at least to me) is when I ask you what sound the cow makes, "baa?" - it always sounds like you're questioning yourself. :)

- We moved to Colorado on June 1st. You handled the move well in my opinion. The trip itself out here was long and weary, but you have done a great job adjusting to your new surroundings, once again.

"Don't forget me!" 

- You remain a terrific eater! Nary turning a thing down, except tomatoes. Although to your favor, you always ask to try them, but you end up making a face and not eating the bite you took.

- You started walking on May 5th! Once you decided it was time, you didn't look back. Crawling was over and now you're practically running!

At Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park

- I bought your first package of size 4 diapers yesterday, the 3s are just starting to be too snug. You're wearing mostly 12-18 mo. and 18 mo. clothes. You weigh about 25 lbs. and are about 32 in. tall! **Updated 7/29/13 - We went to the doctor for your 18 mo. check-up today. They weighed you in at 25 lbs. and 8 oz. (45th percentile) and measured you as over 34 in. (I think they might have said 34 3/4 in.?!) which is the 95th percentile. You are growing like a weed!**

- You got your first "real" hair cut on Father's Day. We decided you were getting too warm with all those curls. We let you listen to the buzz cutters for awhile and you did just fine. Then we turned on "The Little Mermaid" and Mommy held you while Daddy did the cutting. You did a great job! We were proud of you.

Before  

Oh the beautiful curls. I do hope they come back! 

After - What a little boy! 

- You have 7 teeth now! These help you so much and make you look more like a little boy, for sure. You can bite grapes in half -- woo hoo! And just yesterday I think I saw your first molar starting to peek through!

- At meal time we say, "Let's pray" and you hold out your hand so we can hold hands and pray before we eat.

- Temper tantrums? Yep, you've started them! Mainly when we bring you inside. You have begun to respond when Daddy does a countdown, and usually shape up pretty quick after you've collapsed on the ground in sadness, disappointment, and anger. You love, love, love playing outdoors! You sweep with your little orange broom, find rocks, dig in the dirt, and really just enjoy being out there. You always go after the pinwheels and like to examine our garden. You particularly love to play in water -- with the little sprinkler toy Grandma Pam got you or with the hose or even when you find puddles of water on top of buckets and your sandbox. And you have a farmer's tan. Too cute!

- You are a great helper! When Mommy is making food, I can ask you to set things on the table or put things in the trash and 9 out of 10 times, you do it! You like to vacuum and sweep, although we're going to have to work on the sweeping as you like to use our big broom which is really too big for you to sweep with. And just a couple of days ago, I asked you to bring me my water bottle and you did! I foresee this as a great trait when the new baby comes!

You're going to be a super, big brother! 

 There are probably more things that have changed, but three months is a long time to remember all the new things you've accomplished! Mommy and Daddy love you very much! You are a sweet, tenderhearted boy and we hope that never changes.

To life... full of learning how to raise a child!

I'm back!

It's been over a month since I last posted. Life has been crazy and busy! Thank you for your patience as we've adjusted to our new life in Colorado.

Such a sweet, sweet boy -- signing 'please'.