eating well

friday, february 20th: chili dogs. not sure what placed the idea in my head, but i wanted chili dogs. which is kind of funny to me, seeing as how i've had them all of probably once before in my life. bryan made a slightly spicy chili using the Red Gold diced tomatoes with green chiles. they added a little bit of kick, but overall weren't very hot. still, spicy enough that oliver didn't get any.

sunday, february 22nd: mom and dad joined us for dinner. i made country style pork ribs in an egg lemon sauce with mashed potatoes and celeriac. the meat recipe was from Lobel's Meat and Wine. it was very, very good, and combined two of my favorite things - pork and lemon. for dessert, i made a flourless chocolate torte, which i served with fresh blackberries. i used a new torte recipe, which didn't set quite right, so it was a little more pudding like. no one had any complaints, though - just second helpings.




tuesday, february 24th: crockpot mongolian beef with udon noodles and asian vegetables. this didn't turn out tasting quite like i thought it would, but pretty close to mongolian beef, and still very good either way. oliver really loved it as well, especially the noodles coated in the sauce. he really seems to like asian flavored dishes!

wednesday, february 25th: with bryan too sick to eat, i was able to make a meatless dish for ollie and i, so i decided to throw together a quick pasta primavera style dish. i sauteed a can of Red Gold tomatoes with onions and garlic, added some white wine, oregano, and vegetables (peas, carrots, and beans), heavy cream, and parmesan, and tossed all that with pasta. it turned out even better than i expected, and it was a huge hit with oliver as well.

saturday, february 28th: winter greens lasagne, to which i added some sweet italian sausage made at the outpost, and served just with some garlic bread. this is one of my favorite pasta dishes, and everyone else liked it as well (though oliver wouldn't eat the greens this time, whereas last time he gobbled them up just fine). for dessert, i made some butterscotch chip cookies, which i then used to make ice cream sandwiches, along with some brown sugar ice cream. oliver was not allowed to partake in dessert, being the mean mommy that i am. they were good, though i am assured the cookies were the best part. bryan and his dad, who was staying with us, continued to nibble on the leftover cookies.

sunday, march 1st: shannon had emailed a pancake recipe which she swore was absolutely delicious. it involved buttermilk, wheat germ (which she substituted flax seed for), and no sugar (just honey). mom had some extra flax seed she gave me, and i endeavored to try the recipe for sunday breakfast. the recipe also calls for whole wheat pastry flour, which i didn't think i had (but it turns out i did) so i used regular unbleached all-purpose flour. shannon didn't lie - these were very good. oliver ate 2; actually taking the last half of his second to the museum with bryan and bill, refusing to let it go, and snacking on it all while they were there. i had lunch waiting for them when they arrived home: tofu coconut curry. bryan had wanted to use up the small amount of brown rice we had left, so i made that and made up the rest. using the wok, i sauteed green onions and garlic, then the red pepper, snow peas, and tofu; added coconut milk, red curry, and lime. topped the brown rice with the curry, and a sprinkling of cilantro leaves. oliver, who normally is a huge fan of peas, wasn't too keen on the snow peas, but he loved the tofu in the coconut curry! for bill's last night in town, we decided on a lamb dinner: mustard crusted pork chops, mustard greens with walnuts and lemon, giant lima beans with onions, lemon zest, and parsley, and pita bread. bryan and bill, the resident lamb lovers, were very, very happy. for dessert, i made cottage pudding, which is a cake with warm lemon sauce. this is definitely one of my favorite desserts, and a strong childhood memory. my mom made it, and her mom before, and her mom before that... needless to say, this recipe has been in my family for some time.

monday, march 2nd: anasazi enchiladas. i already knew i liked this recipe a lot, and bryan and ollie became big fans, too. i used feta instead of ricotta, and topped with a local raw milk jack cheese instead of monterry jack and cheddar. oliver loves beans and tortillas, and i'm sure the sweet sauce didn't hurt anything. bryan liked it so much he forgave me the abuse of serving him a meatless meal.

tuesday, march 3rd: chicken gratin with onion sauce and gruyere, wild rice, and roast squash. the chicken recipe was also from the Lobel's cookbook, and i loved it. the sauce was onions, dijon, and creme fraiche, and the addition of a lovely local, aged gruyere didn't hurt anything either. oliver loved the wild rice, as he loves all things rice, but wasn't a big fan of the chicken (silly boy). i am contemplating ice cream for dessert.

WFD tomorrow: thick cut pork chops and feta wheatberry salad.

we have some delicious meals planned over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned! also trying to find good uses for those Red Gold tomatoes.

we haven't been up to much lately. oliver has had a string of colds (hello, winter in wisconsin!) with some pretty serious coughing (though the pediatrician assures us it's just a cold). bryan was near his death bed with some flu-like symptoms recently as well. keeping busy with housework, errands, and playing with oliver, mostly.

bryan's dad, bill, flew in this past saturday for a quick weekend visit, leaving us yesterday. it was nice getting to see him, and having him see how much ollie has grown since he saw him last fall. we didn't do a ton while he was here: he accompanied us to the outpost to do our shopping saturday, and sunday, he and bryan took oliver to the museum while i had some alone time (during which, instead of lounging and reading as i had planned, i did more laundry, baked a cake, made the marinade for the lamb, vacuumed, and folded yet more laundry).

this weekend, bryan is taking me out on a date to the the watchmen. we both very much enjoy the superhero movies they have been making as of late, so we're both looking forward to seeing this. plus, i never thought going to the movies would be so darn exciting. see what having a baby does to you? mom has agreed to tend to little oliver.

and now for the cute baby pictures:



the disaster zone (monday, february 23rd)






my little musical prodigy (tuesday, february 24th)






i swear the cabinet's not empty yet, dad (tuesday, february 24th)




and some museum pics from sunday:

learning about indians with grandpa bill

and dinosaurs too

posing with dad

be sure to check out the additional pictures in the february and march galleries, especially the videos of oliver dancing to lucinda williams here and here!