Trying to get in as many date nights before the baby arrives as possible, we tried out the new "Mexican" restaurant in Leblon a few weeks ago. I put it in quotation marks because ethnic food in Rio in general tends to be very...meh. There are some good places, but most restaurants charge a premium for poorly executed dishes that are vaguely reminiscent of their namesakes. And that's even more pronounced in the Tex-Mex or Mexican scene. Gloopy yogurt-like sauce masquerading as sour cream, tomato sauce calling itself salsa, and sad, sad excuses for spicy fillings. Not to mention watery drinks, inconsistent flavors from visit to visit and exceptionally bad service...
But I'm not complaining. That's just the state of affairs, and it's actually a good thing, as it keeps us eating at home and saving our hard-earned reais. After all, there's nothing like watching the price of dinner climb (inflation? What inflation?) while the quality suffers to make you appreciate a home-cooked meal.
Which is why we were so thrilled with the Tex-Mex (not authentic Mexican, but certainly fits the spicy-and-cheesy bill we're looking for) served at Si Señor, located on Av. General San Martin 1011 (just before Rainha Guilhermina) in Leblon. Not only was the food excellent the first time, but it might have been even better the second time. It's not too often that we're willing to go post-work to Leblon, braving the traffic, just for dinner, but that's what we did yesterday. Vance informed me that this was "definitely" worth blogging about!
Since they're currently running a special to get people in on Monday and Tuesday nights, our bill was less than R$10 per person for the entreés (of course, drinks and desserts were both more expensive than dinner, but what can you do?!). Our server was fantastic, actually checking on our drinks, suggesting dessert items...not only doing her job but doing it well enough to make an impression. If you've been dining in Rio for any period of time, you know that's saying something! So go. Have quesadillas or a burrito or something. The sour cream isn't drippy. The jalepeños are spicy. The cook knows what he/she is doing, and the staff are friendly and efficient. Plus, going on a Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday after 6 pm gets you their special: tickets for 80% off the same entreé on a Monday or Tuesday...
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Pregnancy Posts: The Recipes
(The new blogger has some formatting issues. My apologies if this is funky and hard to read!)
As requested, here's a link breakdown to the recipes we used to stock the freezer in preparation for the baby.
1. Bagels
2. Cauliflower Cake . I adapted Smitten Kitchen's adaptation a little further, adding blanched kale/collard greens. This baby is g.o.o.d.
3. Cream of Spinach. Yeaaaah, I didn't watch, but I think the cook said it was basically sauteed onions/garlic with Parmesan cheese, creme de leite/cream and lots of wilted spinach thrown into the blender.
4. Tomato Sauce. I know she used skinned fresh tomatoes, along with a can or two of tomato "pelati," lots of fresh rosemary and garlic and onions...are you starting to see a theme here? My poor father could NEVER eat at our house-he's allergic to onions!!!
5. Zucchini-cheese patties. These are pretty versatile, and I didn't give the cook a recipe as they're something she makes for my friend on a regular basis. Basically, you shred zucchini, salt it and let the water
leach out a bit before squeezing it dry. Then add sauteed onion, garlic and herbs (fresh dill and mint are nice), along with some bread crumbs or flour, a couple of eggs, and some cheese (Parmesan, gorgonzola or feta are all phenomenal). Pine nuts or other nuts are optional. You can pan fry or bake the patties and they are just wonderful for a snack or a light lunch, but also go nicely inside an omelet...
6. Chicken Pot Pie . I alter this by poaching the chicken, leaving out the whole onions and subbing in plenty of parsley, celery and green onions (along with anything else languishing in the kitchen) for more veggie goodness.
7. Bestest Chocolate Chip Cookies. My recipe, at this point, from much trial and error.
180 grams butter
1 generous cup white sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 generous cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt (1/2 teaspoon regular Brazilian table salt, if sea salt isn't available)
1/2 bag of chocolate chips, semi-sweet
Cream butter, sugar and molasses well. Add in everything else but flour and chocolate chips. Mix flour in gently, then chips. Drop spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet (baking stone is even better) and sprinkle tops with a bit more sea salt. Bake at a decent oven temperature (gas heat is SO unreliable!) until just BARELY golden on the bottom. Remove and allow to sink slightly (3-5 minutes) before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
8. Homemade pasta (1 kilo of flour, 10 whole eggs) which made three separate dishes, plus enough leftover pasta (shaped into spaghetti/fettuccine shapes) for 2 extra meals.
8a. Spinach/ricotta/pine nut ravioli
8b. Pumpkin/ricotta/sage ravioli. Basically just pureed, seasoned pumpkin with ricotta. Pretty simple. Tastes divine.
9. Pumpkin/spinach/goat and cream cheese lasagna. I can't find this recipe...it's gone missing. Will keep looking.
10. Beef and bean enchiladas, sauce-free. The cook mixed the sauce in with the filling, but they turned out just fine and probably froze better for not having anything on top to make them soggy. Here's the recipe, as she made it:
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 T chili powder
2 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt
2 t sugar
2 cans tomato sauce or some combination of fresh or canned tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
2 T jalapeños (canned)
2 cups or more of shredded cheese (reserve some for sprinkling on top)
300 g cooked ground beef, salted to taste
1 cup cooked beans
1 can green chilies cream cheese
Brown onion and garlic in olive oil, then add spices, tomato sauce and water until flavors combine, about 10-15 minutes. (If serving right away, reserve sauce). Add other ingredients (except reserved cheese) and simmer for a little longer. When ready to assemble, fill tortillas or wraps with mixture and serve with salsa or chili sauce over top. Freeze assembled enchiladas well-wrapped in plastic.
11. Seafood patties. There are so many recipes out there, I think I just played around with this one from Martha Stewart as a base recipe. I use a combo of shrimp, fake crab, and fish; use plenty of garlic, onion and celery, and a combo of breadcrumbs and cracker crumbs. Works for us!
Have I forgotten anything??? There's nary a free inch left in the freezer...:)
As requested, here's a link breakdown to the recipes we used to stock the freezer in preparation for the baby.
1. Bagels
2. Cauliflower Cake . I adapted Smitten Kitchen's adaptation a little further, adding blanched kale/collard greens. This baby is g.o.o.d.
3. Cream of Spinach. Yeaaaah, I didn't watch, but I think the cook said it was basically sauteed onions/garlic with Parmesan cheese, creme de leite/cream and lots of wilted spinach thrown into the blender.
4. Tomato Sauce. I know she used skinned fresh tomatoes, along with a can or two of tomato "pelati," lots of fresh rosemary and garlic and onions...are you starting to see a theme here? My poor father could NEVER eat at our house-he's allergic to onions!!!
5. Zucchini-cheese patties. These are pretty versatile, and I didn't give the cook a recipe as they're something she makes for my friend on a regular basis. Basically, you shred zucchini, salt it and let the water
leach out a bit before squeezing it dry. Then add sauteed onion, garlic and herbs (fresh dill and mint are nice), along with some bread crumbs or flour, a couple of eggs, and some cheese (Parmesan, gorgonzola or feta are all phenomenal). Pine nuts or other nuts are optional. You can pan fry or bake the patties and they are just wonderful for a snack or a light lunch, but also go nicely inside an omelet...
6. Chicken Pot Pie . I alter this by poaching the chicken, leaving out the whole onions and subbing in plenty of parsley, celery and green onions (along with anything else languishing in the kitchen) for more veggie goodness.
7. Bestest Chocolate Chip Cookies. My recipe, at this point, from much trial and error.
180 grams butter
1 generous cup white sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 generous cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt (1/2 teaspoon regular Brazilian table salt, if sea salt isn't available)
1/2 bag of chocolate chips, semi-sweet
Cream butter, sugar and molasses well. Add in everything else but flour and chocolate chips. Mix flour in gently, then chips. Drop spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet (baking stone is even better) and sprinkle tops with a bit more sea salt. Bake at a decent oven temperature (gas heat is SO unreliable!) until just BARELY golden on the bottom. Remove and allow to sink slightly (3-5 minutes) before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
8. Homemade pasta (1 kilo of flour, 10 whole eggs) which made three separate dishes, plus enough leftover pasta (shaped into spaghetti/fettuccine shapes) for 2 extra meals.
8a. Spinach/ricotta/pine nut ravioli
8b. Pumpkin/ricotta/sage ravioli. Basically just pureed, seasoned pumpkin with ricotta. Pretty simple. Tastes divine.
9. Pumpkin/spinach/goat and cream cheese lasagna. I can't find this recipe...it's gone missing. Will keep looking.
10. Beef and bean enchiladas, sauce-free. The cook mixed the sauce in with the filling, but they turned out just fine and probably froze better for not having anything on top to make them soggy. Here's the recipe, as she made it:
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 T chili powder
2 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt
2 t sugar
2 cans tomato sauce or some combination of fresh or canned tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
2 T jalapeños (canned)
2 cups or more of shredded cheese (reserve some for sprinkling on top)
300 g cooked ground beef, salted to taste
1 cup cooked beans
1 can green chilies cream cheese
Brown onion and garlic in olive oil, then add spices, tomato sauce and water until flavors combine, about 10-15 minutes. (If serving right away, reserve sauce). Add other ingredients (except reserved cheese) and simmer for a little longer. When ready to assemble, fill tortillas or wraps with mixture and serve with salsa or chili sauce over top. Freeze assembled enchiladas well-wrapped in plastic.
11. Seafood patties. There are so many recipes out there, I think I just played around with this one from Martha Stewart as a base recipe. I use a combo of shrimp, fake crab, and fish; use plenty of garlic, onion and celery, and a combo of breadcrumbs and cracker crumbs. Works for us!
Have I forgotten anything??? There's nary a free inch left in the freezer...:)
Monday, April 16, 2012
Sick.
Sick.
Slightly reassuring.
But we care about this when it's outside our borders.
Stopping contraband, understandable. But in the wake of this, it's hard to argue that such policies and procedures are not aimed at the elusive "bad people" and rather at attempting to quell dissent. Think being able to protest in public is still a right? Get ready to spread 'em wide.
I appreciated the Authoritarian Catechism. Read the article through, or just scroll down towards the end to find it. I hate to be a pessimist, but this reads like a primer for how to behave in America today if one is not well-to-do and white. Oops. Did I say that out loud?
Slightly reassuring.
But we care about this when it's outside our borders.
Stopping contraband, understandable. But in the wake of this, it's hard to argue that such policies and procedures are not aimed at the elusive "bad people" and rather at attempting to quell dissent. Think being able to protest in public is still a right? Get ready to spread 'em wide.
I appreciated the Authoritarian Catechism. Read the article through, or just scroll down towards the end to find it. I hate to be a pessimist, but this reads like a primer for how to behave in America today if one is not well-to-do and white. Oops. Did I say that out loud?
Reinventing the Wheel
Our new microwave arrived, but we still can't use it. In Brazil, appliances come in two voltages, 110/127 and 220. I bought the right voltage, so that wasn't the problem.
No, the problem is that we have no plug-ins or adapters in the house that will house the electrical plug. It's yet ANOTHER model, a 20A, one with fat and chunky prongs that refuse to cooperate with the myriad of adapters we've already purchased, as well as the BRAND-NEW plug-ins I had the handyman install all over the house. See?
I checked the description of the product online, and nowhere does it mention this little twisty problem. Apparently, the fact that it is a microwave should be self-evident that it needs a special outlet, at least if I'm to understand the men at the hardware store. Also, for this kind of plug, NO ONE MAKES ADAPTERS. That's right. You'll have to change the outlet instead.
It seems Brazil has, yet again, managed to put their own unique slant on things, reinventing the wheel to such a degree that it ceases to function. And somewhere, someone is patting themselves on the back for being a brilliant engineer of electrical plugs.
Granted, I have little experience with electricity, but it seems to me that if you have 2 voltages, you should have at most, two different kinds of plugs. I don't understand this idea that "oh a microwave or a hair dryer, they use a lot of electricity, so they use a special plug" when they're on the same voltage as a toaster or a fan. How does the plug style have anything to do with the amount of electricity that the appliance pulls? Am I missing something here?
When I first moved to Brazil, I was impressed by the undiscriminatory electrical plug-ins. Featuring slots for both a round and a flat prong, one only needed an adapter for three-prong plugs. It was smart, efficient and reliable. And then someone decided to make things...better.
There are at least seven different styles of electrical plugs in use in Brazil; new products are supposed to be sold with the new model plugs, but that doesn't mean they can't sell old stock. We have a variety of options on appliances in this house, as you will see.
Exhibits one and two contain two plugs, either flat or round, equally sized. They fit into these old outlets without issue:
Exhibit three, mostly on American appliances, has two flat plugs, one fatter than the other, which will work in these outlets (or must have an adapter):
Exhibit four is the microwave, seen at the beginning of the post, with three round plugs set closely together and fat. No adapter available.
Exhibit five is the old-style of two thin round plugs with a thicker center grounding plug almost in a straight line with the other two, seen in the white double adapter.
Exhibit six? The traditional American-style three prong (two flat, one round) plug.
And exhibit seven, with three thin round plugs, the grounding plug slightly offset, supposedly the new standard (ha!):
Confused?
The solution at the hardware store for a while was to simply saw off the grounding plug when no one was making adapters for the new models. I thought that was less than safe, so we hunted throughout the city until we found adapters that would work for our particular products. But for this particular 20 A plug, for which adapters apparently aren't made, I'll have to install a new outlet. Joy.
Sigh.
I promise not to electrocute myself and ask the porteiro for assistance.
Brazilian engineering is stunning, is it not?
No, the problem is that we have no plug-ins or adapters in the house that will house the electrical plug. It's yet ANOTHER model, a 20A, one with fat and chunky prongs that refuse to cooperate with the myriad of adapters we've already purchased, as well as the BRAND-NEW plug-ins I had the handyman install all over the house. See?
I checked the description of the product online, and nowhere does it mention this little twisty problem. Apparently, the fact that it is a microwave should be self-evident that it needs a special outlet, at least if I'm to understand the men at the hardware store. Also, for this kind of plug, NO ONE MAKES ADAPTERS. That's right. You'll have to change the outlet instead.
It seems Brazil has, yet again, managed to put their own unique slant on things, reinventing the wheel to such a degree that it ceases to function. And somewhere, someone is patting themselves on the back for being a brilliant engineer of electrical plugs.
Granted, I have little experience with electricity, but it seems to me that if you have 2 voltages, you should have at most, two different kinds of plugs. I don't understand this idea that "oh a microwave or a hair dryer, they use a lot of electricity, so they use a special plug" when they're on the same voltage as a toaster or a fan. How does the plug style have anything to do with the amount of electricity that the appliance pulls? Am I missing something here?
When I first moved to Brazil, I was impressed by the undiscriminatory electrical plug-ins. Featuring slots for both a round and a flat prong, one only needed an adapter for three-prong plugs. It was smart, efficient and reliable. And then someone decided to make things...better.
There are at least seven different styles of electrical plugs in use in Brazil; new products are supposed to be sold with the new model plugs, but that doesn't mean they can't sell old stock. We have a variety of options on appliances in this house, as you will see.
Exhibits one and two contain two plugs, either flat or round, equally sized. They fit into these old outlets without issue:
Exhibit three, mostly on American appliances, has two flat plugs, one fatter than the other, which will work in these outlets (or must have an adapter):
Exhibit four is the microwave, seen at the beginning of the post, with three round plugs set closely together and fat. No adapter available.
Exhibit five is the old-style of two thin round plugs with a thicker center grounding plug almost in a straight line with the other two, seen in the white double adapter.
Exhibit six? The traditional American-style three prong (two flat, one round) plug.
And exhibit seven, with three thin round plugs, the grounding plug slightly offset, supposedly the new standard (ha!):
Confused?
The solution at the hardware store for a while was to simply saw off the grounding plug when no one was making adapters for the new models. I thought that was less than safe, so we hunted throughout the city until we found adapters that would work for our particular products. But for this particular 20 A plug, for which adapters apparently aren't made, I'll have to install a new outlet. Joy.
Sigh.
I promise not to electrocute myself and ask the porteiro for assistance.
Brazilian engineering is stunning, is it not?
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Fun times in Barra
Yesterday was a Rio adventure. Vance wanted to look for wood for some projects and so we decided to wander down to Leroy Merlin, one of the big hardware stores. Getting there only involved a modicum of confusion: there's the insanity around the big bus stop at the beginning of Barra, where pedestrians get to participate in a live-action video game. It's exhilarating. You have vehicles coming around two separate corners (it's one way traffic, and yet because of the brilliant "planning," from one direction there's actually this strange loop where the road briefly jogs into British (left-hand) driving, which confuses drivers who already don't know what lane they want to be in and have never heard of using those strange things called...brakes? Turn signals? All traffic is attempting to merge onto a highway. Meanwhile, as your bus stop drops off passengers on a virtual island without a light, traffic guard or bridge, the only way to get from one side of the road to the other is to imitate a chicken, darting out into traffic. I forgot to take a picture, but here's one borrowed from Google maps and another from a local blogger, both showing photos from low, low traffic times of day:
The crosswalk is lovely. Just wish they'd thought to, you know, complete it!
Arriving in one piece after nearly being puked on by small children in the van (got to LOVE public transportation and how it prepares you for parenthood), we had fun picking out stuff for our future projects, marveling at some of the ridiculous prices and generally goofing off. I even brought my camera along so you could share in our glee. Here are some highlights which are blissfully self-explanatory:
On the way back, we have even MORE fun. There are traffic lights and bus stops on both sides of the highway, but no pedestrian crossings on Av. Aytron Senna by the Leroy Merlin and the fish market. There IS a pedestrian/cyclist path running down the median, but the only way to reach it is by stepping over curbs, standing on the shoulder and running between traffic. Yay. Pregnant ladies love that. We also love riding in buses manned by insane drivers whose brakes are literally BURNING and who manage to engage in a ridiculous number of near-accidents in the 10 minutes we're actually on the thing. I think Vance would have liked to take the guy out of the front seat and permanently prevent him from ever driving again!
Traffic things have really been my thing this week. There was the near accident with my bus on Friday in which a woman tried twice (TWICE!) to drive through our bus to go the wrong way down a one way street, finally giving up, not by driving away, but by throwing her car in reverse on a major one way street. I can only assume this meant she was determined to make it down that street. After all, traffic direction is just a suggestion...
No worries though. Driving in Brazil isn't ALL bad. You can park wherever you want. See?
Apparently this person thought that the speed bumps in the parking lot were actually lines for where to leave your car. They did leave it running, but unmanned. I didn't have keys or a baseball bat handy, which is a shame. What I'd like is to have a collection of those gunshot stickers...and affix them to cars that park in the crosswalks, on the sidewalk, or like here, in the MIDDLE OF THE TRAFFIC LANES in the parking lot. Morons. They deserve to have a minor anxiety attack...
The crosswalk is lovely. Just wish they'd thought to, you know, complete it!
Arriving in one piece after nearly being puked on by small children in the van (got to LOVE public transportation and how it prepares you for parenthood), we had fun picking out stuff for our future projects, marveling at some of the ridiculous prices and generally goofing off. I even brought my camera along so you could share in our glee. Here are some highlights which are blissfully self-explanatory:
On the way back, we have even MORE fun. There are traffic lights and bus stops on both sides of the highway, but no pedestrian crossings on Av. Aytron Senna by the Leroy Merlin and the fish market. There IS a pedestrian/cyclist path running down the median, but the only way to reach it is by stepping over curbs, standing on the shoulder and running between traffic. Yay. Pregnant ladies love that. We also love riding in buses manned by insane drivers whose brakes are literally BURNING and who manage to engage in a ridiculous number of near-accidents in the 10 minutes we're actually on the thing. I think Vance would have liked to take the guy out of the front seat and permanently prevent him from ever driving again!
Traffic things have really been my thing this week. There was the near accident with my bus on Friday in which a woman tried twice (TWICE!) to drive through our bus to go the wrong way down a one way street, finally giving up, not by driving away, but by throwing her car in reverse on a major one way street. I can only assume this meant she was determined to make it down that street. After all, traffic direction is just a suggestion...
No worries though. Driving in Brazil isn't ALL bad. You can park wherever you want. See?
Apparently this person thought that the speed bumps in the parking lot were actually lines for where to leave your car. They did leave it running, but unmanned. I didn't have keys or a baseball bat handy, which is a shame. What I'd like is to have a collection of those gunshot stickers...and affix them to cars that park in the crosswalks, on the sidewalk, or like here, in the MIDDLE OF THE TRAFFIC LANES in the parking lot. Morons. They deserve to have a minor anxiety attack...
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Pregnancy Posts: Stocking the Freezer
Everyone, it seems, wants to know how ever am I going to manage with just my husband once the baby is here. To be honest, I'm not sure what they're talking about, because most of my life, I grew up around women who didn't have their mothers or aunts or friends or hired help around to smooth the transition to motherhood. What they did have, however, was a steady stream of meals, brought from Bible study ladies, good Sunday School women and the like. It's a wonderful tradition, bringing a new family meals for the first week or two. Some of the expat women coordinate a similar act of love here in Rio as well, and I'm sure when little G finally arrives, we'll get to taste the bounty of other people's kitchens. But that only lasts for so long.
And I think I might not want to think about cooking for a good month or two.
I have a bit of OCD in me. I really, really like pre-planning. I will mentally pack for a month before a trip and obsessively pack and re-pack my suitcases in the week (or two) beforehand. I've been making lists of what will go in the hospital bag for the past month...so it shouldn't be a surprise to know that planning what's going to feed us while I learn how to care for an infant has been, uh, on my mind. :)
I also really, really like food. The thought of tuna fish and ramen noodles as staples of our future diet is cringe-worthy. But this is not the best time for me to think about going into cooking overload, being 8 months pregnant!
So, instead of slaving away in the kitchen on my insanely bloated ankles and feet (seriously, people, I think if you stuck a pin in them I'd deflate like a funhouse balloon), I hired a cook for two days of intensive freezer stocking. Day 1 went smashingly well.
I did the grocery shopping, and put together a menu, with recipes and translations. She did all the work, bless her heart, and most of the cleanup. It was awesome! The house smelled so good all day, of onions and pumpkin and chocolate chip cookies…
To save space, I tried to use ziplock bags rather than plastic containers wherever possible. Even for sauces; I just squeezed the air out, carefully, then sealed well and laid them one on top of another to freeze flat. Some of the dishes were pre-cooked; others were simply assembled and frozen. For casseroles and main dishes, I bought several of those throw-away aluminum pans and then for extra freezer protection, slipped the filled and sealed pans into ziplock bags. Once you see the menu, I think you'll agree with me that it's pretty amazing there's still space in my freezer (as well as all the regular contents of my freezer: cheeses, mushrooms, pre-cooked bacon, coffee, ice cubes, beer mugs and etc...)!
Here's the menu:
Homemade pasta (1 kilo of flour, 10 eggs) which made three separate dishes, plus enough leftover pasta (shaped into spaghetti/fettuccine shapes) for 2 extra meals:
1. Spinach/ricotta/pine nut ravioli (6 dozen or 4 servings)
2. Pumpkin/ricotta/sage ravioli (6 dozen or 4 servings)
3. Pumpkin/spinach/goat and cream cheese lasagna (3 pans, about 8 servings, total)
4. Beef and bean enchiladas, sauce-free. There was a bit of a mix-up with this one, as she misunderstood and mixed the sauce in with the filling. But we'll just dump a little tomato sauce over the top when baking and they shouldn't suffer at all. (I think this made 14 enchiladas, or 7 servings )
5. Spinach cream (two quart ziplock bags full, plus a smaller container to eat through during this week)
6. Homemade tomato sauce (two quart ziplock bags full)
7. Meatloaf (three pans, I think, like the lasagna, some 8-10 servings)
8. Cauliflower and collard greens egg cake (one full cake should be at least 8 servings)
9. Chocolate chip cookie dough, shaped into rolls and frozen (4 logs, maybe 6 small cookies per log)
That works out to about 40 servings, or 20 separate meals! And that's just day one! A lot of this, granted, will be quick lunch options for me, or midnight snack stuff rather than full, one-dish meals for the two of us. I'm especially happy about breakfast foods that are ready to go. We've already made and frozen over a dozen waffles, and the egg cake will be a nice addition to the insta-breakfast options.
Because my freezer is starting to fill up, I think I might scale back my ideas for next time. I already have frozen ziplocks of precooked black beans (great for soup, or black bean burgers on the quick), and some homemade chicken patties in the freezer, so I think we'll just make Cajun-style fish cakes, a couple of veggied-up chicken pot pies which are my guilty comfort food (ahh, Ina Garten!), and more sauces. If there's room, we'll freeze bagels and muffins, too.
If anyone is interested in the recipes, I can post them over on my cooking blog; just drop me a line or a comment so I know which ones to do! And I'm still compiling ideas for day two, so if you have a killer recipe that freezes well, or ideas of what would be great to have on hand during the first weeks of life with a new baby, please do share!
And I think I might not want to think about cooking for a good month or two.
I have a bit of OCD in me. I really, really like pre-planning. I will mentally pack for a month before a trip and obsessively pack and re-pack my suitcases in the week (or two) beforehand. I've been making lists of what will go in the hospital bag for the past month...so it shouldn't be a surprise to know that planning what's going to feed us while I learn how to care for an infant has been, uh, on my mind. :)
I also really, really like food. The thought of tuna fish and ramen noodles as staples of our future diet is cringe-worthy. But this is not the best time for me to think about going into cooking overload, being 8 months pregnant!
So, instead of slaving away in the kitchen on my insanely bloated ankles and feet (seriously, people, I think if you stuck a pin in them I'd deflate like a funhouse balloon), I hired a cook for two days of intensive freezer stocking. Day 1 went smashingly well.
I did the grocery shopping, and put together a menu, with recipes and translations. She did all the work, bless her heart, and most of the cleanup. It was awesome! The house smelled so good all day, of onions and pumpkin and chocolate chip cookies…
To save space, I tried to use ziplock bags rather than plastic containers wherever possible. Even for sauces; I just squeezed the air out, carefully, then sealed well and laid them one on top of another to freeze flat. Some of the dishes were pre-cooked; others were simply assembled and frozen. For casseroles and main dishes, I bought several of those throw-away aluminum pans and then for extra freezer protection, slipped the filled and sealed pans into ziplock bags. Once you see the menu, I think you'll agree with me that it's pretty amazing there's still space in my freezer (as well as all the regular contents of my freezer: cheeses, mushrooms, pre-cooked bacon, coffee, ice cubes, beer mugs and etc...)!
Here's the menu:
Homemade pasta (1 kilo of flour, 10 eggs) which made three separate dishes, plus enough leftover pasta (shaped into spaghetti/fettuccine shapes) for 2 extra meals:
1. Spinach/ricotta/pine nut ravioli (6 dozen or 4 servings)
2. Pumpkin/ricotta/sage ravioli (6 dozen or 4 servings)
3. Pumpkin/spinach/goat and cream cheese lasagna (3 pans, about 8 servings, total)
4. Beef and bean enchiladas, sauce-free. There was a bit of a mix-up with this one, as she misunderstood and mixed the sauce in with the filling. But we'll just dump a little tomato sauce over the top when baking and they shouldn't suffer at all. (I think this made 14 enchiladas, or 7 servings )
5. Spinach cream (two quart ziplock bags full, plus a smaller container to eat through during this week)
6. Homemade tomato sauce (two quart ziplock bags full)
7. Meatloaf (three pans, I think, like the lasagna, some 8-10 servings)
8. Cauliflower and collard greens egg cake (one full cake should be at least 8 servings)
9. Chocolate chip cookie dough, shaped into rolls and frozen (4 logs, maybe 6 small cookies per log)
That works out to about 40 servings, or 20 separate meals! And that's just day one! A lot of this, granted, will be quick lunch options for me, or midnight snack stuff rather than full, one-dish meals for the two of us. I'm especially happy about breakfast foods that are ready to go. We've already made and frozen over a dozen waffles, and the egg cake will be a nice addition to the insta-breakfast options.
Because my freezer is starting to fill up, I think I might scale back my ideas for next time. I already have frozen ziplocks of precooked black beans (great for soup, or black bean burgers on the quick), and some homemade chicken patties in the freezer, so I think we'll just make Cajun-style fish cakes, a couple of veggied-up chicken pot pies which are my guilty comfort food (ahh, Ina Garten!), and more sauces. If there's room, we'll freeze bagels and muffins, too.
If anyone is interested in the recipes, I can post them over on my cooking blog; just drop me a line or a comment so I know which ones to do! And I'm still compiling ideas for day two, so if you have a killer recipe that freezes well, or ideas of what would be great to have on hand during the first weeks of life with a new baby, please do share!
Linky Tuesdays
So my ankles today could pass for those of a very pale elephant, and I'm indulging a weird pregnancy craving--sour gummies--while elevating those suckers. Perfect time for a link post!
Antique photography that is seriously creepy. And inspiring, in an "I-need-to-start-writing-again" way.
Because pregnancy acne and swollen feet make me start to wonder if I too should walk around with a sheet draped over my body, I decided to spend a little time learning how to do something other than a ponytail with my mane. Nice hair makes one feel a little more human. Hair Romance has a nice e-book (about US$10) with 31 different styles. I tried day 12 yesterday and got flattering comments from strangers about my 'do. Next up? Perfecting the beehive!
Pretty relevant historical info on abortion perspectives from the early years of the US, though the writer forgot to mention that colonial and indigenous "potions" were not 100% effective and did carry a much higher health risk for the mother. I'm not really going anywhere with that statement, just think it should be part of the historical witness. I've not verified the quotes given; many thanks if some kind reader wants to do the research and report back on whether these are fully factual or not.
On a similar note, while a bit fired up, these two articles raise good questions about the slippery slope we go down when decisions about health care are in the hands of legislators instead of doctors. I know I won't be going to a doctor who would let his or her personal views and assumptions about my potential future actions determine what parts of my personal medical history would be shared with me. Either that, or all patients will have to start moonlighting in the medical field, learning how to read our own charts, ultrasounds and lab results so we know whether we're being lied to or not. How's that for a great step forward in medicine?!
Great article about doing the right thing when it falls into your lap: "God’s will for your life? Easy." Also worthwhile to know that varicose veins can rupture. Scary!
As I'm pretty sure God's will for my life includes writing, and not playing Sudoku or being addicted to Pinterest, I think that's what I'll do this afternoon. Happy Tuesday to all!
Antique photography that is seriously creepy. And inspiring, in an "I-need-to-start-writing-again" way.
Because pregnancy acne and swollen feet make me start to wonder if I too should walk around with a sheet draped over my body, I decided to spend a little time learning how to do something other than a ponytail with my mane. Nice hair makes one feel a little more human. Hair Romance has a nice e-book (about US$10) with 31 different styles. I tried day 12 yesterday and got flattering comments from strangers about my 'do. Next up? Perfecting the beehive!
Pretty relevant historical info on abortion perspectives from the early years of the US, though the writer forgot to mention that colonial and indigenous "potions" were not 100% effective and did carry a much higher health risk for the mother. I'm not really going anywhere with that statement, just think it should be part of the historical witness. I've not verified the quotes given; many thanks if some kind reader wants to do the research and report back on whether these are fully factual or not.
On a similar note, while a bit fired up, these two articles raise good questions about the slippery slope we go down when decisions about health care are in the hands of legislators instead of doctors. I know I won't be going to a doctor who would let his or her personal views and assumptions about my potential future actions determine what parts of my personal medical history would be shared with me. Either that, or all patients will have to start moonlighting in the medical field, learning how to read our own charts, ultrasounds and lab results so we know whether we're being lied to or not. How's that for a great step forward in medicine?!
Great article about doing the right thing when it falls into your lap: "God’s will for your life? Easy." Also worthwhile to know that varicose veins can rupture. Scary!
As I'm pretty sure God's will for my life includes writing, and not playing Sudoku or being addicted to Pinterest, I think that's what I'll do this afternoon. Happy Tuesday to all!
Saturday, April 07, 2012
Easter
It's beginning to look as though we'll never go anywhere for holidays. Not complaining, just stating facts. With my hybrid hobbit/elephant feet at the moment, I'm not much good for going out walking (serious swelling starting to happen over here) and we just don't get organized fast enough.
So this Easter weekend has been spent mostly at home. We had a lovely evening with friends on Friday and today slept in, ate gourmet meals, and enjoyed our respective pet projects. Vance is going to make a baby toy as woodworking project #3 and I've been enlisted to come up with a milk paint recipe. Non-toxic, milk paints have been around for centuries. All you need is hydrated lime, milk, vinegar and pigments. So tonight included some pigment research, as I tried to find the best organic options for both color and price considerations. Though I do have a mortar and pestle, and briefly considered grinding down some of my unused semi-precious stones...I quickly decided that was much too much work!
On a purely practical note, I can't wait for Easter to be over, as it makes me claustrophobic to go into the grocery stores, with the aisles upon aisles of chocolate eggs hanging from the ceiling. It's like being in a cave where the stalactites are within inches of your head and clad in garish blue, purple and yellow foil, ready to drop at a moment's notice.
I'm not much for the whole chocolate-mania and rabbitness that surrounds Easter. Maybe that will chance once the kiddo arrives and when he gets old enough to decorate eggs. For now, though, it's a holiday I mostly celebrate quietly, contemplatively.
For example, today I read some great Easter Saturday meditations and comments; after all, today is the day Christians remember when God was dead. Seriously. It's a day of hopelessness, of living in despair, of being alone in the world. Not the sort of day for eating chocolate and celebrating because with God dead and the hope of a renewed world nailed up there with him, there's not really a whole lot to look forward to for the rest of one's existence. It's like being perpetually in the first 30 or so chapters of the book of Job…no answers, only condemnation and alienation.
Gosh. That's depressing.
Of course, as any avid reader can tell you, things don't really start to get good until you reach the lowest point of your story. You need to know there's nowhere to go but up. The hero is backed into a corner, all seems lost...and then...THEN things start happening.
That's why Easter is the biggest celebration in the Christian calendar.
It shows us that creativity wins.
Common sense and experiential wisdom say that once someone dies, that is it. Show's over. Goodbye, forever.
Apparently, God doesn't agree with our limited imaginations.
Glory, alleluia!
And so, on Easter Sunday, we get to celebrate triumph. Of life over death, of God over sin, justice over injustice, and love over all. We celebrate the resurgence of hope, of the possibility or rebirth, of making all things new. Of that new kingdom not being one in the clouds, for some nebulous hereafter, but right in this very moment. God is alive...and we (to quote Switchfoot ) have a "new way to be human." Pretty exciting, I think.
So...happy Easter! Celebrate resurrection!
So this Easter weekend has been spent mostly at home. We had a lovely evening with friends on Friday and today slept in, ate gourmet meals, and enjoyed our respective pet projects. Vance is going to make a baby toy as woodworking project #3 and I've been enlisted to come up with a milk paint recipe. Non-toxic, milk paints have been around for centuries. All you need is hydrated lime, milk, vinegar and pigments. So tonight included some pigment research, as I tried to find the best organic options for both color and price considerations. Though I do have a mortar and pestle, and briefly considered grinding down some of my unused semi-precious stones...I quickly decided that was much too much work!
On a purely practical note, I can't wait for Easter to be over, as it makes me claustrophobic to go into the grocery stores, with the aisles upon aisles of chocolate eggs hanging from the ceiling. It's like being in a cave where the stalactites are within inches of your head and clad in garish blue, purple and yellow foil, ready to drop at a moment's notice.
I'm not much for the whole chocolate-mania and rabbitness that surrounds Easter. Maybe that will chance once the kiddo arrives and when he gets old enough to decorate eggs. For now, though, it's a holiday I mostly celebrate quietly, contemplatively.
For example, today I read some great Easter Saturday meditations and comments; after all, today is the day Christians remember when God was dead. Seriously. It's a day of hopelessness, of living in despair, of being alone in the world. Not the sort of day for eating chocolate and celebrating because with God dead and the hope of a renewed world nailed up there with him, there's not really a whole lot to look forward to for the rest of one's existence. It's like being perpetually in the first 30 or so chapters of the book of Job…no answers, only condemnation and alienation.
Gosh. That's depressing.
Of course, as any avid reader can tell you, things don't really start to get good until you reach the lowest point of your story. You need to know there's nowhere to go but up. The hero is backed into a corner, all seems lost...and then...THEN things start happening.
That's why Easter is the biggest celebration in the Christian calendar.
It shows us that creativity wins.
Common sense and experiential wisdom say that once someone dies, that is it. Show's over. Goodbye, forever.
Apparently, God doesn't agree with our limited imaginations.
Glory, alleluia!
And so, on Easter Sunday, we get to celebrate triumph. Of life over death, of God over sin, justice over injustice, and love over all. We celebrate the resurgence of hope, of the possibility or rebirth, of making all things new. Of that new kingdom not being one in the clouds, for some nebulous hereafter, but right in this very moment. God is alive...and we (to quote Switchfoot ) have a "new way to be human." Pretty exciting, I think.
So...happy Easter! Celebrate resurrection!
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Please tell me when autumn will arrive
It's probably the extra pounds, but it feels so very very very hot here at the moment. Every inch of my exposed skin thanks the inventors of the air conditioner. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of being hot is that one gets irritated much quicker. I'm starting to feel like a geezer. I might have snarled at the managerial-type dude who chastised me today for not being in the preferential line. No matter that there was a holdup of old folks hanging out there, and that the real issue with his store was the fact that of 10 cash registers, only 6 were functioning and of the 6, only three people were actually working. Everyone else was counting their money drawers, starting or ending their shifts. It's such a good way to do business, by infuriating your customers and giving them a hard time for choosing the shortest line. If they didn't have the freshest fish in the neighborhood (and the only grapefruit juice I've ever seen in the city), I don't think I'd patronize them anymore.
On a less geezer-ish note, someone actually kissed my belly today too. I'm starting to get over the personal space issues. Big round of applause for me, please!
We did some glamour shots of the big-ness going on this week. You tell me which angle is more flattering: the accidental shot of me in droopy shorts or the posed portrait? (I felt it was necessary and fair to show that I'm not glamorous OR thinking about my posture on a consistent basis!) Also? The husband hates those shorts, which truly look as though they were designed for adult diapers. On the other hand, they are insanely comfortable and that's really all I care about when doing chores. Still, the poor man has to see them on a regular basis. I think he'll get the honor of burning them post-pregnancy!
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
On a less geezer-ish note, someone actually kissed my belly today too. I'm starting to get over the personal space issues. Big round of applause for me, please!
We did some glamour shots of the big-ness going on this week. You tell me which angle is more flattering: the accidental shot of me in droopy shorts or the posed portrait? (I felt it was necessary and fair to show that I'm not glamorous OR thinking about my posture on a consistent basis!) Also? The husband hates those shorts, which truly look as though they were designed for adult diapers. On the other hand, they are insanely comfortable and that's really all I care about when doing chores. Still, the poor man has to see them on a regular basis. I think he'll get the honor of burning them post-pregnancy!
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Sunday, April 01, 2012
Adoption Auction...Participation Needed!
My friend K and I have been close for over a decade. Living continents apart has made it difficult to keep in touch with the same frequency that we once had, but in spite of the distance, our friendship hasn’t withered. We met in college, first class of freshman year, where we were both music majors. We did a lot of goofy things together. We cried on each others’ shoulders. We were best friends and nearly inseparable.
We sang our senior recital together.
We were bridesmaids in each other’s weddings.
And not only K, but her whole family is close to my heart (her dad even officiated at our wedding!)
So it’s thrilling to discover that we’re going to be new mothers (her second child, my first) in 2012! K and her husband have been praying about adopting a child for some time now, and I’m so thrilled to announce that they’ve been placed with a baby girl from Ethiopia. Her name? Naomi Hiwot. Now they are in the midst of fundraising to help with the costs of flying there for court dates and all the other stuff that goes along with the adoption process. I wish I could be there to help with the garage sale they’re having and other things, but I’m here and they’re there and no one is letting me on a plane at this stage of pregnancy! So...
I am hosting a virtual auction. The links with each description will send you to eBay, where I listed the items today (the auction runs for 7 days). I’ll ship these items anywhere in the world that the USPS delivers (I’ll send it back to the States with my mother to be shipped, as there’s a better chance of it arriving!) If you win and want your stuff immediately, I’ll do my best to ship from Brazil, but I really don’t trust the postal system. If you prefer to wait, the items will ship at the end of June. Of course, if you live in Rio de Janeiro, I’d be happy to hand-deliver!
First up, a signed copy of my poetry book, “The Lonely Tourist’s Guide to Urban War Zones.” Retail price and starting bid: $10.95
Secondly, these earrings, designed especially for this auction.
With rose quartz, amethyst and 12k gold-filled components, they are approximately 1 ¼ inches long.
Retail price would be $18.00, bidding starts at: $15.00
Thirdly, a necklace, also a special design in honor of little Naomi Hiwot.
Hiwot is an Ethiopian name that means “life” and Naomi, a Biblical name, means sweet or blessed. Sweet life. Isn’t that beautiful? But the poet in me sees more than just a sweet name. Naomi is a wonderfully complex female character. You can read a little of her story in the book of Ruth. Naomi knew intimately the pain of loss and sorrow, bitterness and injustice. And yet…not all was wrong in Naomi’s life, though she even went so far as to briefly change her name to “Bitterness.” She is “adopted” by her widowed daughter-in-law and together they change cultures and countries, even though extreme poverty and vulnerability appear to be their only future. In spite of these daunting circumstances, Naomi found strength to keep her faith alive (along with a canny, creative mischieviousness) and in the end, is instrumental in bringing together a new, thriving family whose names are forever recorded as part of the lineage of Jesus.
I thought about this as I started playing with my jewelry supplies. I knew I wanted to use something to symbolize loss but also hope, symbolizing how the dark bits of our lives can be transformed through love. Adoption is such a beautiful thing…yet it usually comes about through tragic or unfortunate circumstances. Death or neglect opens the way for a new family, a family that has yearned and loved and prayed and cried and struggled for this child that they may not meet for months or years. I wanted to capture that tension in the necklace I designed for this auction.
The main stones in the necklace are sunstone, a man-made material. The sparkling gold flecks trapped within the deep blue nuggets and beads are flashing glimpses of hope and joy. The bronze-dyed freshwater pearls complement the color scheme, but pearls too, are a symbol of victory over odds, beauty from pain. A pearl is only created when something jagged and uncomfortable irritates the flesh of a mollusk...and look what results! Rose quartz, pale and delicate, reminds me of peace, of purity and of the delicacy of a baby. It is the color of new love, and okay, is also sappily traditional as the color of baby girls. Not that I’m in favor of gender stereotyping! Four tiny rubies surround the focal stone. Rubies are precious, July’s birthstone (fingers crossed she’s with her family by July!), and are one of the hardest stones on the planet (second only to diamonds).
And finally, these pieces utilize gold (a little, anyhow!). Gold was the obvious choice; a precious metal for a precious child, a reminder of our value before God and those who love us. I hope that with the love and support Naomi Hiwot receives from her new family, she will grow up to be a strong, resilient, creative woman who lives up to her name, bringing life to those around her and living her own out with conviction and beauty.
The necklace is 20” long and uses 12k gold-filled components, along with Beadalon wire and crimps, freshwater pearls, rose quartz, rubies and blue sunstone. This necklace has a retail value of $50.00 but bidding will start at $40.00.
Please consider bidding on these items. All the funds raised will be used for adoption needs; I’m donating time, materials and shipping costs so every penny from the winning bids will be sent on to them. The winning bidder should contact me with information on whether they would prefer that I ship from Brazil or if they prefer to wait for US shipping.
We sang our senior recital together.
We were bridesmaids in each other’s weddings.
And not only K, but her whole family is close to my heart (her dad even officiated at our wedding!)
So it’s thrilling to discover that we’re going to be new mothers (her second child, my first) in 2012! K and her husband have been praying about adopting a child for some time now, and I’m so thrilled to announce that they’ve been placed with a baby girl from Ethiopia. Her name? Naomi Hiwot. Now they are in the midst of fundraising to help with the costs of flying there for court dates and all the other stuff that goes along with the adoption process. I wish I could be there to help with the garage sale they’re having and other things, but I’m here and they’re there and no one is letting me on a plane at this stage of pregnancy! So...
I am hosting a virtual auction. The links with each description will send you to eBay, where I listed the items today (the auction runs for 7 days). I’ll ship these items anywhere in the world that the USPS delivers (I’ll send it back to the States with my mother to be shipped, as there’s a better chance of it arriving!) If you win and want your stuff immediately, I’ll do my best to ship from Brazil, but I really don’t trust the postal system. If you prefer to wait, the items will ship at the end of June. Of course, if you live in Rio de Janeiro, I’d be happy to hand-deliver!
First up, a signed copy of my poetry book, “The Lonely Tourist’s Guide to Urban War Zones.” Retail price and starting bid: $10.95
Secondly, these earrings, designed especially for this auction.
With rose quartz, amethyst and 12k gold-filled components, they are approximately 1 ¼ inches long.
Retail price would be $18.00, bidding starts at: $15.00
Thirdly, a necklace, also a special design in honor of little Naomi Hiwot.
Hiwot is an Ethiopian name that means “life” and Naomi, a Biblical name, means sweet or blessed. Sweet life. Isn’t that beautiful? But the poet in me sees more than just a sweet name. Naomi is a wonderfully complex female character. You can read a little of her story in the book of Ruth. Naomi knew intimately the pain of loss and sorrow, bitterness and injustice. And yet…not all was wrong in Naomi’s life, though she even went so far as to briefly change her name to “Bitterness.” She is “adopted” by her widowed daughter-in-law and together they change cultures and countries, even though extreme poverty and vulnerability appear to be their only future. In spite of these daunting circumstances, Naomi found strength to keep her faith alive (along with a canny, creative mischieviousness) and in the end, is instrumental in bringing together a new, thriving family whose names are forever recorded as part of the lineage of Jesus.
I thought about this as I started playing with my jewelry supplies. I knew I wanted to use something to symbolize loss but also hope, symbolizing how the dark bits of our lives can be transformed through love. Adoption is such a beautiful thing…yet it usually comes about through tragic or unfortunate circumstances. Death or neglect opens the way for a new family, a family that has yearned and loved and prayed and cried and struggled for this child that they may not meet for months or years. I wanted to capture that tension in the necklace I designed for this auction.
The main stones in the necklace are sunstone, a man-made material. The sparkling gold flecks trapped within the deep blue nuggets and beads are flashing glimpses of hope and joy. The bronze-dyed freshwater pearls complement the color scheme, but pearls too, are a symbol of victory over odds, beauty from pain. A pearl is only created when something jagged and uncomfortable irritates the flesh of a mollusk...and look what results! Rose quartz, pale and delicate, reminds me of peace, of purity and of the delicacy of a baby. It is the color of new love, and okay, is also sappily traditional as the color of baby girls. Not that I’m in favor of gender stereotyping! Four tiny rubies surround the focal stone. Rubies are precious, July’s birthstone (fingers crossed she’s with her family by July!), and are one of the hardest stones on the planet (second only to diamonds).
And finally, these pieces utilize gold (a little, anyhow!). Gold was the obvious choice; a precious metal for a precious child, a reminder of our value before God and those who love us. I hope that with the love and support Naomi Hiwot receives from her new family, she will grow up to be a strong, resilient, creative woman who lives up to her name, bringing life to those around her and living her own out with conviction and beauty.
The necklace is 20” long and uses 12k gold-filled components, along with Beadalon wire and crimps, freshwater pearls, rose quartz, rubies and blue sunstone. This necklace has a retail value of $50.00 but bidding will start at $40.00.
Please consider bidding on these items. All the funds raised will be used for adoption needs; I’m donating time, materials and shipping costs so every penny from the winning bids will be sent on to them. The winning bidder should contact me with information on whether they would prefer that I ship from Brazil or if they prefer to wait for US shipping.
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