A taste of the harvest

Nothing tastes better than something you've nurtured and grown on your own land (okay, it's a city lot, but still) that you've put up for the winter in order to have wonderfully delectable Sunday dinners that have all hands crying for more. This makes me want to do The Growing Challenge (brought to my attention by my good friend Hippy Goodwife), which wouldn't be too hard since I only grew beets and beans from seed last year, but I won't cop out and only add the obligatory 1 new item...but I digress.

Today I pulled out pumpkin that I grew this summer, baked and froze for the winter. I also had a package of 4 cheese ravioli. Ah ha! I know what I can make...lazy CzaMama's pumpkin ravioli! I'd never made it before, but the image of it was amazing! Sure I've actually made pumpkin/squash ravioli, and let me tell you, it was divine but really, who has time like that with a toddler?! Not I.

So this was my solution. I melted about 3-4 tbsp butter (I said this was good!) in a medium saucepan, added 1 tsp of homegrown, dried sage, browned the butter and added it to my Cuisinart that already contained the 1.5 lb of thawed pumpkin. I then added a dash of freshly grated nutmeg and about 1/4-1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Completely pureed the pumpkin and while it while it was whirling about I added enough whole milk to make it "saucy," like CzaMama.

I set the sauce on a very low burner, and set to boiling the ravioli (following the package directions). Once the ravioli was cooked, I drained it and tossed in the pumpkin sauce to lightly coat the pillows of loveliness.

Needless to say, CiBaby gobbled up her dinner tonight, which has been a feat lately as she's been pushing a lot away. But this dinner contained her fav 5...cheese, noodles, pumpkin, peas and an apple for dessert.

Nothing says SUCCESS like a bulging belly.

Is that a Baby Ruth in the pool?

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, someone pooped in the pool tonight...and it wasn't CiBaby or me! (We checked CiBaby's swim diaper, and I'll tell you if that poop was able to squeeze out of her skivvies it deserved to be let free!)

"EVERYONE OUT OF THE POOL!" yelled the instructors...uhh okay! It's not like I want to hang around a floating turd. A quick "examination" by the lead instructor (she got a net...no hands, no hands) determined that yes indeed class would be canceled.

On our drive home T-Daddy said to me, "I was wondering if it was her since the poop was swirling around your swimming suit." Oh barf. Did I mention that we blew bubbles in the pool tonight too? Double barf.

Off to have a drink...It's medicinal!

Testing Testing 1-2-3 Testing

Is this thing on?

That's right Ladies and Gentlemen, CiBaby has entered...The Testing Zone.

"There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space… and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition… and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call…" the Toddler Testing Zone.

2 Nights in a Row!

Holy smokes! CiBaby has slept through the night, in her own room, 2 nights in a row. That makes 3 times in 1 week, and all in her room. That beats the 4 months before that when there was only 2 nights where she slept through...I think we're making progress!

Did I mention she's in her own room?! Yep. A little over a week ago I just couldn't take it anymore. She was in bed with us all the time and basically on top of me. Did I also mention that she's a little furnace??? Ugh. For awhile I was thinking that I was going into menopause with the night sweats I was having. With that I put up her blackout shades, moved in the sleep sound machine and night light and voila, she was in her room! She did quite well that night and it's been getting better each night. Of course there have been a few tears, some screaming, temper tantrum throwing and one bloody nose (I have no idea)...but it's progress right?

3/11/07 Pictures of the CiBaby abode!

I still have a shelf and pictures to add above her bed.




This awesome picture was a gift from a dear friend. Not only does it go with CiBaby's room PERFECTLY it also looks so much like her AND the kicker of it is CiBaby became a U.S. citizen in Hawaii!

There are a few things that still need to be done. The couch/daybed is still coming and I need to get crackin' on the curtains before the sun comes up really early.

It's 4706

...do you feel old?

Today we celebrate Chinese New Year, the year of the rat.

How are we going to celebrate? CzaMama is making dinner! We are having Barley and Vegetable Soup, Soy Roast Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onion and Cashew and Chili Fried Rice, all from the Chinatown cookbook, and some Big Bowl egg rolls (from the freezer section ;-). Then after dinner, CzaMama is running away to a Tupperware party (LOL!).

T-Daddy is celebrating at work today, they are having a Chinese New Year celebration, but it's only for employees (boo!).

Along with our celebrating we will try to bring ourselves good luck and keep away the bad luck. I will briefly open the door as it's only 9F degrees today (remember, it's the tundra). It's a good thing I bought new shoes for Saturday's wedding last weekend and that I already have the pants I'm going to wear. Oh shoot, I can't sweep today...darn. Although I don't think I can get away with not cleaning at all...I guess we just won't have as much good luck as possible. It also looks like I can only spruce up my hair as I don't want to wash away my luck.

When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other. - Chinese Proverb

Happy New Year!

**All of the recipes were absolutely delish!

The unconventional chicken

I will preface this entry by saying that I love Asian flavors.

While I like your typical roasted chicken seasoned with sage, thyme, bay and the like, I occasionally like to kick it up a notch. 2 nights ago I made a chicken in my handy, dandy dutch oven (mainly because that sucker was too big to fit into a crockpot) and seasoned it with Chinese 5 Spice and Kosher Salt. Nothing too fancy but oh-so-delicious. CiBaby even gobbled it up! She eats everything you say? Almost...it's hard to get meat in her, it's a texture thing.

Today, from our unconventional chicken I made unconventional chicken soup and boy-oh-boy was it DELISH! Like any stock making I covered the bones with the rest of a can of chicken broth and then water to finish it off. Then to the broth I added 1 onion, about 1/4 cup soy sauce, a couple tablespoons Mirin and a 2-inch chunk fresh ginger (sliced). I let it simmer for about an hour. Cool and strain.

Added to the broth was chunks of golden beets (T-Daddy asked if it was pineapple...hmmm, no), parsnips, and carrots. Let those simmer until tender, remove from heat then added chicken (of course), sliced mushrooms, 2 cubes of Trader Joe's cilantro (from the freezer section - this is a great product!!!) and about 1 tablespoon sesame oil (have I mentioned that this is one of my favorite condiments???). I made some noodles separately which I added to each bowl, so they don't get mushy.

Paired with some hot bread it was mmmm mmmm mmmmmm mmm Good! All I have to say is Campbell's has nothin' on me.

Tomorrow's adventure in this frozen tundra is to make some homemade spaghetti sauce, no Asian flavors here.

Bustin' Out

After a fun filled evening (a whole 30 minutes) of swimming last night I dressed CiBaby for bed in the most adorable lavender fleece with embroidery sleeper. We found it when we were on a quest for warm sleepers, not those flimsy ones they have most places (they're great for Spring and Fall, but not winter on the Tundra), as CiBaby can't stand to have covers on most of the time. Oh sure we could crank up the heat a bit, but then T-Daddy and I sweat buckets and my "moms" would get soggy. But I digress.

She fell asleep on the car ride back from the pool wearing her sleeper and her space suit all while being strapped into her astronaut chair. The night was going to be a breeze, or so I thought, compared to the last few when the 3, yes you read that correctly, teeth popped through those sore little gums.

Around 11:30 PM CiBaby awoke and stood up in her bed next to me, she wanted in. I nestle her in but she was reliving her need to "kick, kick, kick" like at swimming. While she was kick kick kicking the snaps on her getting-too-small sleeper were going "POP POP POP." Yes, that's right...her legs were BUSTIN' OUT! No more would they be confined to the soft warmth of those sleeper legs, I want to be FREE! Oh wait, do I have a blanket on me??? KICK KICK KICK some more! Oh for heavens sake.

So, this morning, at 2:30 AM I had to redress CiBaby in pjs that fit but I forgot socks. Oh lordy, you'd think she was in a dancing contest for the rest of the night...Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last!

The moral(s) of the story...you may have to do an extra load of laundry so you're not left with the sleeper that's on the verge of being a wardrobe malfunction AND don't buy a sleeper with snaps, no matter how cute it is!

Garden "Moms"

Have you ever seen the elusive Garden Mom? Now, I'm an avid gardener, and a Master Gardener at that, and I have yet to encounter the Garden Mom. Little did I know, but this is a Garden Mom...




And here, all along I have been calling them Garden Gnomes! I was informed by CiBaby that they are "Moms." We have this discussion in the morning while we're waking up in bed. She points to my pjs that have garden gnomes on them and asks "Wha dat?" I tell her it's a Gnome and she says "mom," over and over and over.


Just another day in the life of a toddler learning words.

Kix

Kid-Tested, Mother-Approved...sort of!

Did you know that Kix are so much more than only cereal? They are:
1. Little mine-fields - if you've ever stepped on a Kix you know what I mean. Crunch! What was that? The good china??? No, just another Kix in a powdery heap of death (insert eye-roll).
2. Cat toys - need I say more?
3. Dog treats - crunch crunch snort crunch
4. Fuel for a Playskool car

Did you know you could do more than just eat a Kix (like a "normal" person)? You can:
1. Dump them out in a pile in the corner and come back to CzaMama with an empty bowl, pointing for more...you can never have too many.
2. Have them rain down, one by one, on the cat when she walks by.
3. Put them between your little front teeth crunching them in a perfect half!

Who knew so much fun could be rolled into a corn puff the size of a pea???

Fear of the White Coat

After a fun morning of roaming about, CiBaby had to go see the Nice Doctor and Sweet Nurse for a couple of shots. We did great waiting our turn, playing with some fun little girls and coloring. Then it was our turn. Sweet Nurse came out to get us and CiBaby did okay, we went into the room and the look of fear started to take her over. Then Nice Doctor poked her head in...the tears started flowing and nothing had happened yet! The site of Nice Doctor and Sweet Nurse gloving-up threw her over the edge...and I can't say I blame her! How does the fear of doctors start and how can I nip this in the bud? I don't want her to turn out like CzaMama! Just another thing to mull over.

What's in the Freezer delight

One of my resolutions is to use my library of cookbooks more. I have so many beautiful and wonderful cookbooks but tend to "throw" things together for dinner. Something I've been drooling over for years was a gift under the tree this year...a dutch oven. Technically the lid was wrapped and under the tree, literally, the rest was put away as those things are HEAVY! If you don't have one, save that coupon money and get thee one (they have very reasonable dutch ovens at TJMaxx/Marshalls).

Last night I found some pork country-style ribs in the freezer that were just begging to be made in the dutch oven (D.O.). I pulled out a couple of books and landed on Garlic Spareribs from Chinatown: Sweet Sour Spicy Salty which I picked up at William-Sonoma (on sale, of course!).

I started by browning the pork in the D.O., but first rubbing the pork with arrowroot and browning in olive oil. The recipe goes as such...

Garlic Spareribs
1 lb 2 oz pork spareribs, cut into 1.5-2 in lengths
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp superfine sugar
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce (I used fish sauce as I didn't have oyster)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp peanut oil (I used canola as I didn't have peanut)

Combine stock, sugar, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil in a bowl. (I put the canola in with this as I was doing it in the D.O.. I also tripled the recipe because I had about 3 lbs of pork, but I only used 1/2). Once the pork was browned I added the sauce and put it on a low flame for about 2 hours with the lid cocked, this way the sauce could reduce a bit.

We had udon noodles glazed with the sauce from the cooked pork and green beans. CiBaby started with the pork and beans but settled on slurping up the noodles...Yummy!

A huge hit in the CzaMama/CiBaby house.

A year in retrospect

Boy this year flew by, it only felt like a few days. Oh wait, it's January 3, 2008! Never mind.

2007 was the fastest year in the history of my life. For almost the first half T-Daddy was on active duty, thus not home. The middle was spent in Hawaii and the end was in China picking up CiBaby and getting adjusted to toddlerhood.

January started out quiet until I called our agency inquiring about the Waiting International Children (WIC). My heart was telling me that this was our path. After a brief discussion we were sent information on one little girl, whom I lovingly refer to as the paper-ripper. A few days later I was on a plane to visit T-Daddy where we sat and mulled over the paper-ripper, but we had some reservations about the timing of picking her up. It was to be 4-5 months, however T-Daddy would still be on active-duty and wouldn't be able to travel. As this was something that we really wanted to do together we had to release her information. If she was meant to be ours, she would be there in a few months.

Paper-ripper sat on the WIC page for months. The longer she sat there the more we thought she was the one. When the day came that we could say "Yes, we want her!" she was gone. My heart broke but that little voice inside me said that if she was truly the one then she would have still been there. She was someone else's "one." A month and a half went by and just before I was about to fly out to road-trip back with T-Daddy I got a call. It was late Friday evening (May 11, 2007) and the call came to work. As I was a "single" work geek at that point I was still there. Our "one" found us! CiBaby found us. We accepted our referral, did more paperwork and hurried up and waited.

Summer came and so was our Hawaii vacation. The week before we were to leave I found out that my job was possibly going away as our office was merging with another. Not something you tend to like to hear right before you leave on vacation. Our vacation was absolutely wonderful, a great time to reconnect as a couple in a beautiful setting.

Life returned to normal. We kept waiting to hear when we would travel to pick-up CiBaby. During this time I found out that I wasn't going to have a job as of the beginning of December, but they weren't leaving me out in the cold. This also made a very hard decision, to go back to work or not, much easier.

September came and we were contacted by our coordinator asking us if we could travel the following weekend...Ummm huh??? As it turns out, that didn't work for the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou anyway. It was like early/false labor! We were able to get our appointment for October 23rd. Of course it couldn't be too easy though, our fingerprints were going to expire a couple of days shy of our appointment! After much hustling on our part and our agency's part we got our fingerprinting appointment, then we could relax and get ready for the trip.

October was a blur. I finished up working and got us ready to leave for China. We spent one fun evening with friends in San Francisco before jetting off to China. The first real day in Beijing we went to see the Great Wall, which was an awesome experience. The next day we flew to Wuhan in the Hubei Province where we met and picked-up CiBaby. Our semi-rocky start softened and we had a wonderful time getting to know our new daughter while experiencing an amazing culture.

November and December were months of routine making and celebrating.

2007 was a fast, crazy and amazing year. Here's to another great year!