Got Halloween Candy Leftovers?

I know that I'm tempted to make some of these recipes if we have leftover Halloween candy: (from NPR) Grown-Up Tricks for Treats

Happy Halloween!

Early Voting - 2008 Election

Here Ben is thinking, "My parents voted early - will you?"



This is the day that we took him with us as we cast our votes for the election!

Family Gathering Last Weekend

Last Saturday we went to my parents' house for a get-together since my sister Alicia was in town. Here's Ben playing peek-a-boo with his Uncle Alex:



Here's Ben being held right before we left:

"Leftover" Chicken Frittata

Occasionally I make frittatas with leftover ingredients that we have in the kitchen (based on a Giada de Laurentiis recipe from "Everyday Pasta" - Chicken and Orzo Frittata).

This time we made it combining eggs, shredded mozzarella, ricotta cheese, half of a rotisserie chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, garlic, salt, pepper, italian seasoning and crushed red pepper.

Normally I just make the frittata for my lunch (for a couple of days), but this time Josh and I ate it for dinner. He loved it - thought the sun-dried tomatoes and crushed red peppers really made the dish.

For once, there were no leftovers!

Penne with Sausage, Artichokes and Asparagus

Based on "Everyday Pasta" by Giada de Laurentiis, Josh and I made a dish based on the recipe for Rigatoni with Sausage, Artichokes and Asparagus.

We used whole wheat penne in place of rigatoni, but overall the recipe was great. The sun-dried tomato and artichoke jars we purchased at CostCo are definitely saving us money as we make recipes like these!

This pasta also makes for great leftovers!

Hawaiian Pizza

On Monday night, I made Hawaiian Pizza - a repeat in our household. It's a recipe from Robin Miller, one of the Food Network TV show hosts.

We tried the new Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust, and will be using it from now on - it makes a much better pizza dough for our tastes. I added crushed red pepper, cornmeal and garlic to the pizza, and made some substitutes (Canadian bacon for ham and cheddar instead of mozzarella. I also used half of a rotisserie chicken to save some time.

Josh liked the pizza, but next time we'll be making it with a garlic-teriyaki sauce.

Ben - One month old (already!??!)!

Josh and I can't believe that Ben is already a month old as of this past Friday. The amount he has developed in the past week alone is crazy - he is becoming more interactive each day. Here he is at one month old. He's started looking at the mirror in his crib and focusing on the toys.



Soon after, he had storytime with Josh and me - too bad that "The Lorax" didn't keep his attention for long (not that any story has yet!).



Right after storytime, he relaxed on the Boppy before bedtime.



The next day we went to my parents' house where Ben got a ton of attention. Here is Ben playing peek-a-boo with his Uncle Alex. While he's too young to laugh or smile, we could tell he was having fun!

Fettuccine with Wild Mushroom Sauce

Last night, my sister and I made Fettuccine with Wild Mushroom Sauce, a recipe found in The Bon Appetit Cookbook I received last year as a Christmas gift.

Ever since the third trimester of my pregnancy, I've really enjoyed eating roasted mushrooms. While the mushrooms in this recipe weren't roasted, it was a recipe I wouldn't mind making again.

Like with most pasta dishes, Josh and I used whole wheat pasta (this time it was rotini). I did not do the porcini mushroom re-hydration part of the recipe - instead I just used more chicken broth and the various types of mushrooms that were at the grocery store during our last trip.

Even with the changes, the pasta was good!

Next time we make this recipe, Josh insists that more cheese be included - specifically , he mentions that an addition of mozzarella cheese would be welcome.

Artichoke and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken

On Monday night, I made Artichoke and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken for Josh. It was based on a recipe from Cooking Light, only we changed it slightly, doing things like: switching red bell peppers for cherry tomatoes (since that's what we had at home), using chicken that was already thinned out (Thanks to HEB grocery stores!) and keeping the chicken breasts whole while baking in the oven instead of slicing them.

Josh ate three of the four in a single sitting - I'd say that means this is one recipe to repeat!

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chips Cookies

Right now my sister is in town from London, spending a few days with us (and meeting little Ben!). One day we used up the cinnamon chips that were in my pantry and nearing the expiration date. We made Oatmeal Cinnamon Chips Cookies, a recipe from the Hershey's web site.

We used dried cranberries instead of raisins, and got more than 4 dozen! Overall they are pretty good, but I probably would not go get the ingredients just to make this recipe.

Ben - Four Weeks!

This week was another one of firsts for Benjamin. He had his first bath after losing his umbilical cord.



He doesn't like them, even though the colorful rainforest tub is more comfortable than the sponge baths!



He also has started looking at more things further away - like the book spines in the study and our Aggie Band blanket that hangs above our living area couch. Ben now is more interactive with people, has even more expressions and places his hands together!









Here he is at four weeks with one of his aunts!

Ben - Three weeks old!

Last night, Ben decided to stay up from 9:30 pm to 2:30 am with constant feedings - he must be on another growth spurt! Unfortunately, last night I felt terrible, likely a mild reaction to the flu shot I received yesterday morning, mixed with sleep deprivation. I finally ended up getting about 6 hours of sleep, since being on disability right now I'm able to sleep in until 11 am if need be (but not for too much longer...).

Today Ben is three weeks old. The dogs continue to adjust. They've always been very cautious and gentle around him, but try to protect him from others.



He is more alert during his awake times, but has one heck of a yawn!



Benjamin has grown so much!



Since I will likely be back at work in three more weeks, I am starting to pump so that Ben can adjust to having some bottle feedings. Today he had his first bottle and he took to it like a pro! He gulped down a 3 ounce portion without any hesitation.

Balsamic Barbecue Chicken

I recently received my Amazon.com order in the mail, which included "Giada's Kitchen", the newest cookbook from Giada de Laurentiis. Josh usually likes any of her recipes that I try, and this one was no exception. I was a little disappointed to see how many of the recipes were taken straight from the Food Network show "Everyday Italian", rather than being recipes I've never seen.

That being said, the Balsamic Barbecue Chicken recipe I made for Josh was the third success in a row. He really liked the sauce and thought that the chicken (which I baked, instead of grilled) cooked perfectly. I hope there are more successes to come!

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Tonight I made another Cooking Light recipe: Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad. I used two avocadoes, but next time would use three. I did add a little bit of the adobo sauce from the chipotle chili in adobo sauce can. We really liked it and plan on making it again. This one also makes tons of leftovers if you're just cooking for two.

Ben's Getting Bigger!

It has been one week that Josh and I have been taking care of Ben without assistance, and the high learning curve continued! The first 24 hours involved many outfit changes, a crib set change, a few changing table clean-ups and a bassinet change. Luckily the laundry demands subsided in the days to come, but the next night Ben was up crying from 11 pm to 4 am.

I'm now avoiding broccoli and Oreos until I no longer nurse Ben, hoping that one of those (likely the broccoli) was responsible for the really late night. Normally he does get upset if he is awake without attention, but it is nothing like the frantic screaming that we experienced on Tuesday night. He is becoming more and more expressive too.

Last Tuesday he had another check-up. He weighed in at 8 lbs, 7.5 ozs - a significant change from the 7 lbs, 9 ozs from the previous Monday! We know that he is getting enough to eat too - some days I am feeding him every hour during the day!

Here is Ben at two weeks:


Ben during one of his alert times:


Our future Aggie!


Ben is enjoying his Boppy more as he grows, but prefers the incline position instead of the tummy one. Given tummy time and nursing, this is one of the most useful items that we have!

Crab Cakes with Roasted Vegetables and Tangy Butter Sauce

Now that Ben is born, I am trying to cook dinner at home each night. While last week consisted of our "staple" recipes, this week we're trying some new ones. On Saturday, we made Crab Cakes with Roasted Vegetables and Tangy Butter Sauce from the April 2008 Cooking Light issue.

The recipe turned out to be very good, unlike our recent mascarpone polenta disaster.

However, the amount of dishes generated was more than usual, and it is probably better for when we have more than 2 adults eating the meal. Given that the crab alone was $16, we will make this again, but likely only once in a while.

A Week of Firsts - Ben's First Full Week

After coming home from the hospital on Friday, Ben experienced a few firsts in the next week, including his first sponge bath at home:


He doesn't particularly like the baths, so hopefully that will change once we can give him baths in his rainforest tub - should be fairly soon!

Some nights it seemed as if Josh and I would never get sleep - but here's a photo before bedtime of Josh with Ben sitting peacefully!


Both Sadie and Perry like to be around Ben to guard him, especially during tummy time.




And Ben certainly takes after his father - once he is asleep, it is hard to wake him up! (Guess nine months in the womb around two loud dogs will do that...)


Ben really likes being swaddled.


Ben had his first baby lotion massage later in the week. Like baths, he doesn't enjoy these too much:


Luckily Josh is there to comfort him afterwards!


What a cutie!


On Friday night, we were in San Antonio for the weekend. Everyone else was at a football game while Ben and I stayed home. He was finally awake for a tummy time!






On Saturday, Ben wore his first onesie and pants outfit, and even gave us a glimpse of a gassy smile! I can't wait until he really starts smiling!



Last night we returned home. Ben quickly adjusted to a routine of clothing and diaper changes - we've gone through several outfits - and it hasn't even been 24 hours! I wonder if he senses that today is the first day that I'm here with him alone... either way, he is currently napping in his crib and could not look more peaceful - He is such a blessing!