The tally of clothes

These days, it seems like the hardest thing is to not simply replace my entire wardrobe. My regular pants are getting too tight (even with the hair-rubber-band-loop-through-the-button-hole trick), but my maternity pants make me feel like I'm wearing a hefty bag from my waist down. Pants are still falling down, and I've hit several websites, finding stuff for my growing body, and I'm slowly building up my maternity wardrobe. Here's a running tally (and this is for my own curiosity as well), and how much I've paid for my wardrobe so far (including taxes/shipping where applicable):

• Black pants, Gap Maternity ($32, on sale)
• Jeans, Liz Lange for Target ($30)
• Black long-sleeved T, Motherhood ($12)
• Black short-sleeved T, Motherhood ($10)
• Red short-sleeved T, Motherhood ($10)
• Black empire waist dress, Motherhood ($42)
• Khaki shorts, Motherhood ($20)
  
• Black turtleneck, Old Navy ($20)
• Green cargo pants, Old Navy ($24)
• B/W/Red Flower halter top, Japanese Weekend ($25)
• Pastel Flower halter tunic, Japanese Weekend ($24)
• Black/Red print wrap dress, Japanese Weekend ($130)

So the grand total so far, for my growing wardrobe, is about $380. I also got some things yesterday from H&M, not from their maternity Mama line, but just their regular line - I may return some of them today, depending on what I find at in their Mama department. The wardrobe is definitely growing, and I'm trying to make sure that all the pieces can coordinate with one another, so that no one piece is a uni-tasker.

Foodwise this week - not that much to report from the week. Daytime diet wasn't that spectacular - I had my usual daily helpings of apples, Asian apple-pears, grapes, and yogurt. Lunches, most of them were purchased sandwiches. Dinner...Monday evening, I made scallion pancakes, which Hubby lent his help to roll out and to pan fry; with seafood soup (shrimp, fish, sea scallops, fish balls, scallions, and carrots). Tuesday, I didn't feel that hungry, after a late lunch of ham and cheese sandwich, so I helped myself to some great Kashi TLC crackers with cream cheese and cotswald from our local cheesemonger. Wednesday evening, I cooked up a quiche lorraine, with bacon, asparagus, and goat cheese (but used too much cream and not enough egg - too liquidy). Thursday, we had an evening event at Hubby and my previous firm, where they host an Art Night to showcase art from local artists, so we went, had some cheese and crackers, and also met up with my friend Jennifer, for art perusing and dinner at Bistro Francaise - I had an overly salty French onion soup and some escargot with butter and garlic. And last night, Friday night, pooped from the week - I enjoyed a helping of Hubby's wonderful PB&J on wheat bread.

This morning, at first anticipating rain from the forecast, but pleasantly surprised by the clear beautiful day outside, I took my usual walk down to the farmer's market to see what was available from the local farms. With the fall season coming into full swing, there wasn't much ware out there - more prepared foods than anything. I helped support the local high school with a purchase of a slice of apple pie (no worries to Hubby, since, gulp, he doesn't like apple pie - and he's supposedly the American, not me!); and then, with apple pie in spoon and hand, I moved on to other stands. I picked up some Asian apple pears, some Fuji apples, a red bell pepper, some small bartlett pears, and 2 loaves of prepared breads (raspberry swirl, and carrot loaf, yum!). The stands are thinning out from the height of the summer, but I am looking forward to setting some root vegetables into the ground this autumn, to see how well they'll fare during the colder months - so, I didn't really feel that sad that the growing season for most is coming to a close. On my walk home, I also stopped by our local bakery to pick up a baguette (addictive in this household, and I may start trying my hand at the French loaves at home again this fall).

So that brings me to now. After unloading my produce finds this morning, and hearing Hubby shuffling about (ah-ha! the bear wakes from his slumber!), I sliced up a couple of slices of the what raisin bread I had remaining from loaf I got from the market last weekend, and got ready to make some French toast. Mine, I like them plain - I know, most people will mix in spices and sugar into their egg mixture, but I like mine just plain. This way, the raisin bread gets to sing the song of its wonderful flavor, without getting overwhelmed by other ingredients.


French Toast (with raisin bread)
Dunk thick sliced raisin bread into a flat lipped pan with 2 whisked eggs - press to soak in the egg. Heat up the frying pan, and with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Bring the pan to medium heat, and lay on the egg-dunked slices of bread, one at a time. About 4 minutes each side, and I pressed on the top to make sure the egg did squish out where needed, so that it was cooked through. Brown on each side.


And that, with a glass of OJ, was it for this morning! Wonderful breakfast... well, yes, 2 parter, since I also had the slice of apple pie at the market... and then I finished the last of my hemming tasks. I finally got all my pants hemmed (you have to understand, some of these pants have been sitting around, unhemmed, for well over 6 months now), but I know I won't be able to wear them until after the pregnancy. But, at the least, they are done and ready. Whew!

OK, with apple and water in tow, I am off to check out H&M today, to see what they have downtown in their Mama line. Wish me luck!

1st day for maternity wear

So last night, at long last, I hemmed my maternity pants. They've been sitting around for about 3 weeks now, unhemmed, and dragging on the floor like the arms of a sloth. This morning, I was all excited, to wear my maternity pants for the first time. And this morning's experience has definitely confirmed my fears: I am officially in between just about everything. Too big for my regular pants. Too small for maternity pants. These damn things have an elastic waist, but they're slipping off every time I sit down or stand up, enough to look just somewhat low-rise and to make my bootie look saggy. So, if you happen to walk around DC and see some chick walking like a penguin with pants slowly making their southward migration...be a dear, help me out.

I'll call it my sympathy catwalk strut for the baby's first sans-clothing days.

Bike ride to recenter

I did my bike commute today, 14 miles, and it definitely helped me recenter. The last couple of weeks were crazy, with daytime and evening events, deadlines, and culmination in our baby-announcement party this past weekend. Today, at first, I didn't feel like biking, but I decided to get off my lazy ass and hop back on the bike. I have to admit - it really paid off. My bike commute allows me to gear up for my day at the beginning of the day without the white-knuckle stress during rush hour; clear up my mind at the end of the day; and I don't have to worry about parking during the day. And with the earlier sunset, the ride home is beautiful, with the ducks and geese gathering at the side of the Potomac for their evening swims and dinners.

This morning's ride was not terribly eventful - well, that is, until I tried to walk backwards with my bike to scan my access card to open the office building's entry door. What to my surprise, I tripped over the pedal, and down I went. Luckily, I had some insulation (i.e., my growing ass) to buffer the fall, and outside of a scrape from the gear plate on my leg, I was pretty much OK. So apparently, I can bike on 2 wheels all just fine; but get me on that left-foot-right-foot walking thing, and I'm just a mess. Get me my skateboard already!


This evening, with Hubby at a crit at University of Maryland, I was left to my own devices for dinner. The weather is beginning to cool, so I decided to make some chicken pot pies, modified.


Chicken Pot Puff Pastries

• Puff Pastry shells
• Chicken breast, defrosted, cubed, and seasoned
• Variety of vegetables, diced (I used sugar snap peas, celery, and carrots)
• Salt
  
• Thyme
• Oregano
  
• Majoram
  
• Tarragon
• Cream
• slurry of corn starch and water
  

I tossed the puff pastry shells into the toaster oven, and baked per package instructions. While the shells baked, I cubed the chicken breasts and diced the vegetables. In a pan, I heated up some oil, sauteed the chicken, and once the chicken was opaque, I added the vegetables, the seasoning, and some water to simmer the mixture. I also added cream and the slurry to thicken.

Both parts, the chicken/vegetable mixture and the puff pastry shells, finished cooking at about the same time. I filled the shells with the mixture, and poured some of the sauce on top. This I had with some steamed carrots. Tasty, buttery, and almost all home-made - and on top of all that, this dinner didn't take longer than 1/2 hour to make. That's a winner in my book!

Busy week, party weekend, and a green finish

Our shortened week last week resulted in 2 days away from the office: one, a holiday, and the other, a trip to NeoCon East in Baltimore for a design trade show. Then, another day, I was out of the office the whole day, at meetings in the morning and in the afternoon. Meetings left, meetings right - it wasn't a light week, that is for sure. I promised myself that, with my growing belly, this weekend, I would hem the pants I got last weekend - well, it is Sunday night, and that didn't happen. It definitely was a busy, crazy week, with no time left to blog on.

We hosted a party last night for our friends, mostly to make the official announcement to everyone that yes, we are having a baby. Most already knew, but for a handful, this was exciting news indeed. This being our 17th week, Hubby and I are both getting more excited about our future prospect, and reality is unfolding, albeit slowly. I've even started feeling a bit of movement! Yesterday morning, as I woke up, and we began talking about preparations for our afternoon party, I rolled over from my right side onto my back, and I suddenly felt this little lump in my belly push upward from under the belly button! It was weird and exciting all at the same time. Now, you have to understand, I am picturing that scene out of Alien - you know which one I'm talking about. So this upward pressure, I'm envisioning my insides getting completely torn out in no time, as I am sure will undoubtedly happen.

So for our party...


Asian Chicken Wings

• Chicken wings, seasoned with salt and pepper, and marinated in:
• Soy sauce
• Garlic
• Scallions
• Ginger powder
  

There are a million and one ways to make these wings. I chose to deep fry them first, and then season them with more of the same mixture of sauce (I also added a touch of sugar and some Sriracha for spice), because I didn't get to marinating the wings until about an hour before the party. Typically, they do best when marinated overnight, so that the flavor goes completely through the wings, but I didn't get to get the wings until the afternoon of the party. Otherwise, you can marinate the wings overnight, and choose to either deep fry them, or pan fry and then simmer them on low in a mixture of about 1 part soy with 4 parts water. Either way, these wings are great, and they went pretty quickly!


Scallion Pancakes

Dad was in charge of making these savory snacks, and he made them wonderfully! He gave me a hard time when he discovered that the first trial pancake I fired up, I did it without any oil in the pan. Granted, they came out dry and hard, but, I told him, they're also healthier, and with a dipping sauce, they could pass. He vehemently disagreed - and these are words coming from someone who typically eats very healthy foods!

• Flour
• Hot (boiled) Water
• Sesame Oil
• Salt
• Scallions, chopped finely

Mix flour with some boiled water, enough to knead into a dough. We never measure the quantities - we just keep mixing a bit of water into the flour until the dough comes together. Dad told me, this is what we call cooked dough, since it's made with boiled water instead of cold water. Roll out a fistful of dough into a round, brush it with a mixture of sesame oil, salt, and scallions (make sure to have enough salt - it does help season the pancakes and make them tasty), and roll up the round. Stand the dough roll up on one end, and squish it down. Roll it out again. This process (and I've repeated it a couple of times more other times I've made these pancakes) gives the pancakes their flaky texture.

Heat up just enough oil in a pan to coat the bottom, and once the oil is hot enough to pan fry these pancakes, lay one down into the oil. Fry one side until browned, then turn over and fry the other side. Serve either plain or, if you end up with tasteless bricks like those I've churned out in the past sans oil in the pan, with a dipping sauce of choice (I like mixtures of vinegar with ginger, or soy with Sriracha, or soy with ginger and garlic).


Cucumber sandwiches

Easy, easy, easy. I seasoned cream cheese with a touch of cumin, chopped scallions, and parsley. Spread it on a little bread round (we used baguettes sliced thin), and pair with slices of cucumbers.


Tostones

These were made by Father in Law (FIL) - and they are such wonderful Puerto Rican snacks. He sliced up boiled plantains, pressed them thin (to about 1/4" thickness), and towel dry the little guys. In a pan, pour in about 1/2" of oil, and heat up for frying. Lay in enough tostones to fill the pan, but do not crowd. Flip them over once as they brown on the bottom side, and fry until thoroughly browned. Season lightly with kosher salt.


So that was the cooked part of our party - we also set out variety of cheeses, cubed melons, raw vegetables, and a slew of drinks. I scored a virgin Pina Colada - yay! Dad made it for me, and it was wonderful. By the end of the night, we had a crew of about 6 of us that remained, so we decided to fire up the grill. I marinated some chicken drumsticks in basically the same mixture we had for the wings, and we also had steaks marinating in some adobo seasoning (salt, tumeric, oregano, garlic) and onions. We added to these vegetable sides, of tomatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Our crew of 6 were quite happy to enjoy the smaller dinner after the roar of the crowd had left.

Today, Hubby and I were quite well exhausted. After enjoying a breakfast of ginger pound cake one of our guests brought for us, and seeing Dad off, we crashed out on the couch for about an hour in the afternoon. There was the Green Festival going on at the Convention Center, so we hauled our asses off the couch to go check it out. We met up with our good friend Bonnie, who was with us last night at the party with her boyfriend Andrew (Ha! Andrew was a touch hung over after our party, so he didn't join us.). This convention, I also attended last year, and it brings together all kinds of Green companies - green eating, co-ops, green building materials, green politics, green ideas, green products. This year, there seemed to be a lot more food companies who set up stands than last year. Some local companies - Honest Tea was out, with samples of their teas. Bonnie, Hubby, and I each got different teas, and sampled each others: Pearfect White Tea, Mango White Tea, and Just Green Tea. Bonnie felt her Pearfect White Tea was a touch on the bitter side, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. The Mango and the Just Green were both winners on our palates. From My Organic Market, a local organic supermarket, we sampled some barbeque chips. We also sampled bites from free-trade chocolate makers, Clif bars, Luna bars, Nature's Valley chocolate soy milk and OJ, wonderful almond butter with honey, and some chocolate crackers. Bonnie and I also scored boxes of Annie's Organic White Cheddar Bunnies and Graham Bunnies - no bunnies were harmed in the making of the, um, bunnies!

We also saw some vendors for organic cotton diapers and organic cotton onesies. Both areas were very informative, and the onesies were really cute. We're still researching the options for diapering and clothing, but, both having grown up with cloth diapers, Hubby and I are definitely considering cloth diapers as a strong option. Seventh Generation, I am glad to say, also makes chlorine-free disposable diapers - a good alternative for convenience. We came away from this convention with some more information about available products, and the strong turnout at the event gave me hope that people are realizing, or at least curious, about green options to conventional living. Hey, if our palates at the convention are any indication, going green is at the least tasty!

OK, long week, long weekend, ready for bed. Til tomorrow!

Clothing, SCORE!

After searching for clothes at online retailers, ordering some from Motherhood, and being disheartened by what I found in the maternity department at Target, I decided to go for another hunt yesterday. Morning, I started off with a visit to the local mall, where I hit several stores, some for maternity only, some just regular clothes. My first stop was Arden B. Luckily, right now, empire waist styles are still en vogue, so I'm finding some luck with just regular fashion-forward clothes that can still accommodate my growing belly. Case in point - a couple of weeks ago, during Hubby and my first excursion to find some maternity clothes, we stopped into Express, primarily for the great men's shirts that Hubby wanted to check out. I regarded their heap of summer clothes, all on sale, with some fear, and decided, oh, why the hell not, just dig right in and see what I can find. Narrowing down by preferred colors definitely helped cut down the hunt time. I pulled out one top that I liked, a red satin number, in small. It seemed narrower up top, and then, in classic empire fashion, it bellowed out just below the belly. When we went to try on our clothes, it fit just perfectly! And with room to grow! And it was on sale! So for now, while empire styles are still in fashion - it's a great time to stock up on some of these tops before they leave the stores, and still have clothes that will fit a growing belly (without the growing maternity clothing price tag).

So yesterday... I stopped into Arden B, and found myself a black dress, strappy number, empire waist. It fit great, was a jersey material that won't wrinkle, but Hubby ruled the straps too fussy when I brought it home. (When I returned it today, the Then, I stopped into Motherhood, and I found a pair of khaki shorts with a belly band (perfect for this little watermelon I'm starting to sport), and another black empire-waisted dress. Funny thing on the second black dress, Hubby wasn't sure he would like it when I first pulled it out of the bag, but when I put it on, he ended up liking it. It was a similar jersey material, so no wrinkles, with wider-set straps. And for all of $40, I say it was a great buy. I also stopped into Pea in the Pod (which also carried some Mimi Maternity items), but I didn't really find anything. For now, I'm looking for basics, and clean-cut ones, since I'm definitely finding that a body out of the acceptable skinny norm looks a lot better in cleaner designs that in fussier ones. Contrary to what I am sure is some advice somewhere out there, heavier bodies typically look better in cleaner designs. All those straps, patterns, fussy layers, etc - the only thing I found was that well, it just made me look more like a strapped sausage, patterned beach ball, and much too layered to be anything but tiramisu with some serious identity issues.

I headed home, where Hubby and I shared some lunch. This was such a rare treat! Usually, we don't get a chance to meet up for lunch, and this was one of those few opportunities. So for lunch, I baked up some French fries, and made some simple ham sandwiches. OK, not that simple, but they are really good.

Taipei street food - ham sandwiches
In Taipei, some (OK, I only found 1 during the whole summer I spent there back when I was in school) street vendors sell these sandwiches for breakfast. Simple white bread sandwich, with ham, egg, cucumber, mayo, and butter. Yes, mayo AND butter - I don't know that we really could add more fat to this sandwich besides deep frying these suckers in lard. And the street vendors, they butter both sides of each slice of bread before throwing it down onto the frying pan! It's no wonder, after eating one of these street wonderments, I felt like I was ready for sleep again.

Yesterday, I did a somewhat simpler sandwich. I omitted the egg (mostly because I forgot about it), used whole wheat bread, and used vegan mayo on my sandwich. The ham, we also used organic ham, no preservatives. I sliced one of the cucumbers my father gave me, enough for about 6 slices per sandwich, thin slices. I toasted the bread, and buttered only one side of each slice. I lopped on some mayo, layered on the ham and cucumber slices, and there we were, lunch ready to go. With the fries, it was a perfect meal!


Afternoon, I spent some time reading the Baby Bargains book our good neighbor JC gave us. She found the book very useful when she was preggers with her little one, and thought we would be as well. What a treat! The book was chocked full of tips, websites, comparisons, details, prices - you name it, it got it. So, I hit the maternity clothing section. I found that there were whole slews of maternity websites I hadn't hit. Motherwear.com - great styles, and I may pick out one or two as accent pieces as my wardrobe grows with my belly. Japaneseweekend.com was another great website, mostly for ideas, since most of their pieces were pretty expensive. I also checked out duematernity.com, estyle.com, and nordstrom.com - they all have wonderful styles to browse. Most were out of the price range I was looking at for the clothes to last me through the next 5 months, and they had styles that were too trendy to be timeless for the future possible bambino numero due e tre. But hey, that's further down the road. For the time being, Hubby and I have decided to not get anything until we need it. And for the time being, I just need some basic tops, and some pants that can allow my belly to breathe comfortably at the end of the day.

So, after surfing the web for a while, I decided to just make Target my last stop. Hubby had helped me pick out some jeans and black pants from Gap Maternity a couple of weeks ago, but I was floored by how expensive their clothes were for what they were offering. Granted, Gap, I've trusted their clothes for years now, but I felt like at their prices, they knew maternity hunters were locked in and can be chumped out of their money because they have you where they want you - on the demand side of supply. So, I went for a search for those very pieces, black pants and jeans. I usually take a size 6, so I figured, oh, why not, let's start there. Well, the Liz Lange size 6 jeans with belly band (oh belly band, so on my tummy!), it was swimming around my belly like a swim donut. So, I tried the size 4, still swimming. Then, it was down to a size 2. That, it fit well, and my belly still had some room to grow. Who knew! The black pants, I wanted something a little looser, so I pulled a size 4. It fit well, but Hubby wasn't impressed with the overall fit when I brought it home. So off it went, back to the store today - but the jeans were keepers.

So, so far... Motherhood, I got basic basics. I did keep one dress shirt from the pile of clothes I got, but we'll see how the quality goes, as I've heard negative reviews of the quality of their clothes. Target's Liz Lange line, quality isn't as great as I would like, but I'm curious to see how long the jeans will last - otherwise, they fit just great. Gap Maternity, I'm keeping those black pants. Their fit, still clean and well constructed, but I wasn't so impressed with their pricing, but I have yet to find another pair of black pants that fit just as well and are still at their price range. Mimi Maternity, middle-of-the-road, wonderful clothes, but they can get expensive. I'm going to do a search on their website for a good suit - that is one outfit where I will not spare a dime. Pea in the Pod, more designer items, but I find I can just as well scour websites and other equally stylish non-maternity stores for comparable empire-waisted pieces to fit a growing belly.

The hardest thing I found so far is pants. Not the easiest fits, and it is a given that an expecting woman most likely will not be able to wear pants with shirts tucked in, especially not after the 16th week (we're now into our 17th!). The best thing I have found so far are built-in bra camisoles, just from regular stores, but I do look for ones that are longer than just past my waist. Even if my belly grows, the camisoles, especially the longer ones, will still cover the belly, particularly during the colder months, and I know I can layer on top an empire-waisted top, shirt, or sweater on top of the camisole without catching belly cold.


So after my shopping excursions during the day, I came home to make dinner. I did a variation of the pork roulade we made the last day at the CIA.

Pork Roulade

1. Variations - I took one pork loin, butterflied and hammered out the loin to be about 1/4" thick. I sliced it in half in the short direction, so that I had 2 pieces I could use for rolls. In fact, come to think about it, you could slice it in half in the long direction, so long as you could roll up carefully (then you end up with a short big roll). I seasoned the loin with salt and pepper, each side, and threw the loin into the fridge until I was ready to roll.
   
2. I made a dried-fruit mincemeat mixture on the stove, with dried apricots, dried cranberries, dried cherries, and dried raisins. I heated up these fruits in a small saucepan until just beginning to sizzle and caramelize in the dry pan. I then deglazed with just enough water to cover, and seasoned the mixture with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
3. Prepare an icy ice bath, with a smaller bowl to be able to sit comfortably on the ice. Go ahead and set the oven to preheat at 350.
   
4. Once the fruits disintegrated enough to become almost a lumpy paste (I added enough water while the mixture simmerd to allow the fruits to further disintegrate, and to make sure the mixture did not dry up), remove from heat. Scoop into the smaller bowl of the ice bath, and stir to cool the mixture quickly. The more you stir from one side to another, the easier it will be to get more of the mixture exposed to the cold sides of the bowl, and the sooner the mixture will cool down.
5. Bring out the loins! In one loin, I sprinkled some cayenne pepper and parsley. I then laid on the mincemeat, in a thickness to match the thickness of the pork. Starting at the narrow end, I began the rolling process, making sure the final seam was on the bottom.
6. With the other half of the loin, I sprinkled on some parsley, sage, chives, green onions (dried is AOK), and thyme. I layered on some sliced and chopped mushrooms, and rolled up this half of the loin in the same way I did with the other half of the loin.
7. Put the rolls into a 9x9 pan, and bake uncoverd for 25 minutes.
8. I also prepared a mushroom cream sauce. Sliced mushrooms, into a hot pan with oil, saute until caramelized. I took the shrooms off the heat, and whisked in enough heavy cream to serve, and seasoned with salt and pepper. This sauce, I served on the savory roulades (not the mincemeat ones).

So that was the protein portion of last night's dinner. I also steamed some spring baby carrots, green beans, white asparagus, and roasted some red bliss potatoes. Yummy dinner, and we took a walk to get some ice cream for dessert afterwards. Wonderful day, wonderful evening!

Tis time to serve

What a miserable Saturday. Not event-wise, event-wise it was pretty good. Father in Law (FIL) came by for a visit, since our neighborhood was doing an art festival thing, so we figured, have him come over, see what our neighborhood is like for one of these festivals, and have him stay for dinner. Originally, we were going to cook dinner at home, but after a day of walking around, checking out different vendors, eating some food from the local vendors who set up stands in the festival, we would let someone else do the cooking. Not that much different from the week's eating habits! And in the morning, I also did some cooking for my office. There were wonderful smells wafting through the house for much of the day - partnered, in part, with some smell of paint and wood stain from work Hubby was doing on the house. But that's another story all together.

The cooking started in the morning. My office was in the midst of an office shuffle, and since the boys won't let me carry anything up and down the stairs, I figured, I'll still help out, with food. So, I told them, I would be by at lunchtime, with lunch in tow. Since some of the stuff I needed, we didn't have in the refrigerator, it was off to the market - pre-made pie crust, cheeses, cream, butter. By the time I returned, I had about an hour and a half before high noon, and I knew the boys, having been moving stuff around the office all morning, would be hungry, so I better hurry. Quick items, and they came out pretty good.


Chicken Pot Pie

1. Premade pie crust - I baked the bottom first in a pie pan, and while it was baking...
2. I browned defrosted and seasoned (I used salt, pepper, oregano, tumeric, and garlic) whole chicken thighs in a deep pot, no oil (the skin generated enough oil).
3. I also chopped up 1 baking potato, 3 stalks celery, and 2 carrots.
4. When the chicken was browned on all sides, I added enough chicken stock to just cover the mixture. I also added some cumin, sage, and oregano into this thin soup.
5. While this mixture rose to a boil, I made a slurry of corn starch and water (about equal amounts of each). Once the chicken soup got to a rolling boil, I added the slurry, to thicken, and added some freshly-ground black pepper and sea salt to flavor. I also added the vegetables.
6. I let it simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until thickened.
7. By the time this mixture reduced some and began to thicken, the bottom pie crust was already long done. I pulled meat off the thighs, and added them to the pie crust, and then piled on the veggies as well as some of the thickened stock. This is actually a good time to taste the stock, to see if you need more seasoning before adding it into the bottom pie crust.
8. I then rolled out the top crust (also pre-made), and cut to fit the pie pan I had. The left over - that's another little dish I made on the side, to follow.
9. This pie baked at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (though I left it in just a little too long, and the top got burnt, grrr), following the instructions on my pre-made pie crust box.
   

The left-over pie crust, I kneaded it together, and rolled it out into a 8" round. I added to half- of the round some of the chicken still left on the thighs, along with some of the thickened stock, some carrots, celery, and potato. I then folded the round to make a half-moon shape, and sealed the edge. This mini hand-held chicken pot pie, I baked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, for Hubby, while I ran off to deliver the food to the boys at the office.

Simultaneously...


Mac and Cheese
OK, I know it's easy enough to just to it out of the box, but really, it's even better when you do it from scratch, and know what cheeses you've tossed in.

1. I boiled up about 2 cups of macaroni, in salted water.
2. At the same time the mac was boiling, I made a roux of butter and flour (any amount is fine, just keep the ration between the two 1:1).
3. To the roux, I added herbs and spices: my choices were nutmeg, coriander, and rosemary.
   
4. Once well mixed, I removed the roux from the flame, and added about a cup of half-and-half. This step - add carefully, so that it doesn't all separate, as cream has a tendency to do in hot mixtures. You may want to temper the cream first before adding it back into the roux. I was in a rush, so I added about 1/4 cup of the half-and-half into the roux first, to bring the temperature of the roux down, instead of the other way around. It worked, but I think I was lucky.
   
5. I also added about a cup and a half of grated cheese (I grated guyere and emmenthaler, for a fondue-themed mac and cheese) to this mixture.
6. Once the mac is done, I drained out the pasta, and threw it into a loaf pan. I poured the cheese mixture on top, and there it was - pretty much done. You can add bread crumbs to the top if you'd like, but I skipped that step.
7. I threw the mac and cheese into the oven the same time the chix pot pie went in, so 400 degrees, 20 minutes. If you like a brown top, broil it for another 3 minutes on high at the end.

So that was my morning. It was a rush, but I got it done, and got the lunch to the boys at 1pm. Oh, I also threw together a quick appetizer - thick sliced cucumbers, scooped out of the seeds a bit for a cucumber bowl, to which I added some creme fraiche and a little slice of salmon. It was a hit!

In the afternoon, Hubby and FIL were off to look at some cars together. I decided to put together a little soup to warm us all up on such a chilly and yucky day, before we head off to our local Mexican restaurant for dinner (which, BTW, I couldn't even eat, being so full from the all-day-munchathon).

Chestnut soup
Again, I don't use specific quantities while cooking, so many apologies. Anyway, I made this soup a while ago when we had our office over for dinner, a French dinner. It was thick, creamy, perfect for a winter evening. I decided it could help kick off the cold season this year.

1. Roasted chestnuts, a la Trader Joe's. They have them off and on in their freezers, but I had some left over in our freezer, so out they came for the soup. These little guys still have their shell on, so I peeled them of their shells and fuzzy skins.
2. In a 2-quart (I think) pot - just make sure it's not so wide that you get so much surface area exposure, so that the soup doesn't evaporate too quickly while you're simmering it - I threw in 4 thick slices of pancetta, to brown, and to draw out some oil for the rest of the ingredients I was adding. Once browned, sizzling, and oily, I added some Asian fried shallots (you can also use fresh, I didn't have fresh so I figured I try this out to see how it comes out. It came out just delish.), some dried onions, and celery flakes, in lieu of fresh celery root, which I also didn't have. This was a recipe full of substitutions yesterday. Saute until just fragrant and until the other ingredients have soaked up some of the oil from the pancetta.
   
3. Add the chestnuts, some sliced mushrooms, and a tablespoon of butter to this mixture. Mix well.
4. Add a sprig of sage and 2 sprigs of thyme, and mix well.
5. Add enough chicken stock, to just cover. Bring to boil.
   
6. Reduce heat, and cover the pot to let simmer for about half an hour.
7. Add a shot of cognac, stir in. Flaming optional.
8. Remove from heat, and serve with a spoonful of cream on top.

I served this soup in little squashes, of which I removed the top, sliced a bit of the bottom so that they would sit squarely, and hollowed out the inside. They presented beautifully - but do keep in mind, if you'd like to do this, make sure to leave about 1/2 inch of the bottom intact, so that the soup doesn't leak out the bottom. You'll know when you go down too far - and then try it again on another squash. It took me about 2 squashes of practice before I was able to do the hollowing-out thing without scooping too much out of the bottom.


So that was yesterday...

Today, Hubby and I decided to go on a bike ride, to get breakfast and to get some butter for baking in the afternoon. We stopped by a local coffee shop, Misha's, where we ran into 2 of our good friends! What coincidence, and we had warm, wonderful laughter while we enjoyed our muffins and bagels. Misha's also has the most beautiful OJ - mango colored, like the OJ I had at a cafe in Portland, Oregon, not long ago. Hubby got a slice of the choco-chip cake, and I got a salt bagel w/cream cheese. If you haven't had salt bagels, and if you're hunkering for good soft pretzels - soft bagels are a good substitute. A good shot of those salt crystals, and your craving may well be served.

I craved some chocolate yesterday, enough to go hunting for a good chocolate chip cookie recipe, so Hubby's selection of the chocolate chip cake was perfect. A couple of bites, and my taste buds were pleasantly satiated. Of course, then, when we biked over to Trader Joe's, they had their miniaturized versions of their wonderful peanut butter cups out for tasting, along with little bites of their peanut-butter chocolate cake thing, and boy, my chocolate taste buds were getting their tasteful. So we picked up a box of those mini peanut butter cups (they really are so cute!), some butter, and some bread. Then, it was off to home.

One of our neighbors was having a neighborhood cook-out at their house, so I decided to bring over some brownies. The basic recipe, I give my heartfelt nod to Fine Cooking magazine, their "Comfort Food" issue about a couple years back, to which I still refer for recipes and ideas. It is, by far, the one magazine (not type, not production, just that one issue) I refer to in the kitchen most often, for some ideas or for recipes. I made the brownies out of that issue once before, to raving reviews, so I decided to do it again. This time, though, I made some substitutions (I'm so glad I did it before Hubby saw, since he would have called "blasphemy" to my experimentation with baking recipes!).

Brownies, a la Fine Cooking with substitutions and alterations

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (stick and a half)
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablepoon honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

1. Set oven at 350. Line a 9x9 baking pan w/aluminum foil, or grease w/butter and coat with cocoa powder (instead of flour. Trust me, it makes too much sense for chocolate baked goods!)
   
2. Heat up the butter until thoroughly melted.
3. Whisk in the cocoa and chocolate chips.
4. Whisk in the sugar, honey, and vanilla extract. Remove from heat, allow to cool completely
   
5. Add all 3 eggs at once, whisk thorougly to combine.
6. Add flour, and fold with a spatula until just combined.
7. Add peanut butter, and fold with a spatula until just combined.
8. Pour into your baking pan, and bake for 22 minutes, until the toothpick comes out damp, but not moist.
9. Let cool completely on a rack, before removing from pan and/or slicing.

I had one of these guys tonight, and it was really good. The peanut butter, it didn't string out through the batter as much as I'd liked, but the bits of peanut butter through the brownie were nice surprises with each bite. We enjoyed some brats, some really wonderful cole slaw, and some excellent ribs this afternoon.

By the end of the party, and having also gone to another family's house to see what renovations they had done, my feet and stomach were definitely ready for some comfort wear. I was glad that I was still able to fit in my low-rise jeans, but they're definitely getting tight around the waist. Upon walking home, I kicked off my flip flops, and ran right to our bedroom to grab my yoga pants and some comfy socks. That's definitely one big, albeit unexpected, benefit to my yoga practice - the clothing fit wonderfully around my belly! The pants already have a band at the waist, which allows my expanding tummy room to grow withough falling off. The yoga tops, too, aren't bound too tightly around the waist, so they're quite comfortable as well. I guess I really should just get more yoga clothes - they'll serve double duty!

I also picked up some clothes this week, from a couple of Internet sites. I hit Motherhood.com, since it was a name I recognized, to see what they had. On the website, their selections seemed really great, and the prices were amazing. I received the box of clothes this week, and Friday night, I popped open the box to fully inspect everything that I got. A white button down shirt - excellent, just $20, fit without being TOO loose. Fabric was also good. A wine-colored sweater, it was more like a long-sleeved ribbed tee shirt - and that's going back. The tee shirts they had on their site were pretty good - they're thicker, the way I like them, and not expensive, maybe $9-$12 each, depending on short- or long-sleeved. I also picked out a couple of pairs of pants - not impressed, and they're going back. A wine-colored shirt with some beading at the waist, looked better on the website than in person, so that's going back. So some hits, some misses. I think they're good for some basics, but not for everything.

I also got some undergarments through Babycenter.com, thru whom we're getting weekly emails on the status of our baby (since it hasn't yet been able to navigate its way to using the umbilical cord as a cup-and-wire telephone system to let us know what it's doing in there). They looked wonderful - I won't go into all the details, but some things, I definitely need as my belly expands, that I didn't expect some of my undergarments to not fit. So all the things I got, keepers.

I've also found that slip-on shoes are much easier, even this early on at 16 weeks, to put on, than ones that required that I bend down in order to put them on. I got a pair of mary-janes from Aldo about 3 weeks ago, just before I headed off to the CIA. They've been great! Fun, funky, and they're not the heavy-duty on-your-feet-all-day slip on shoes. I can wear them with skirts, even with pant suits. Of couse, my usual slip-on heels, I can wear those with my suits, but these offer an alternative to the usual boring heels.

What else have I found to be a surprising help... oh, my pre-made food, has definitely been a life-saver on more than one occasion. I'm going to tackle one of these weekends to make more of these pre-made things, to store away. Even, for example, pre-seasoning our frozen meats - it just takes that extra step out when I get home from work, to make cooking dinner even easier. Our office is closed tomorrow for the holiday - I may just make that my daytime task to tackle!

Frustration, still

The day went along without a whole lot of hoopla. Rain, rain, everywhere, not that much eventful for the day. Foodwise, we did delivery Chinese for lunch, and enjoyed a neighbor's potato pancakes this evening with our Trader Joe's roasted garlic chicken sausage and a small salad. So foodwise, not that much new, the usual scattering of fruits throughout my day.

In other events however, at the end of the day, Hubby and I decided we would take an Audi A3 for a test drive, since, with the impending growing belly, I guess my 2-seater really won't be all that appropriate for carrying an infant around. But then, I mentioned this to one of my colleagues, and boy, it launched an all out convinceathon. Apparently, accompanying the growing belly, an ass the size of a 16 wheeler, the hourly hugs with the local all-you-can-eat smorgasbord, and mood swings that make the ultra black-diamond rollercoaster at Six Flags look like a ride on the local winky-dink kiddy swing, a pregnant family is expected to also start purchasing random monster-sized gas-guzzling vehicles so that they can transport their one 7-pound child from point A to point B. He launched into an all out reasoning as to why it is that we really, truly should reconsider purchase of a small vehicle and instead purchase the largest vehicle we can, since, apparently, his family doesn't unload their truck of all the tricycles, bicycles, and gear for the local park, and they could use all the space they could get.

As you can probably tell, this got me thinking, but not about our decision to forgo the two-seater for something with, at least, a sizeable trunk. Do we, as consuming Americans, determine more of what we "need" based truly on what we need, or based on what others tell us we need?

Case in point: my 3-person family grew up with sedans, and my mother, as a paraplegic, drove a van. Not once did we ever fill that van up the way I pictured the trunk of my colleague's SUV, not even on road trips. And somehow, we got along just fine. Some of my friends' parents drove minivans, but the mass majority drove stationwagons. Even Hubby's family grew up with stationwagons. And somehow, we all survived our deprived childhoods. No big problems of adjustment, of complaining that there wasn't enough space, or worrying about having to lug just about everything in the house from point A to point B.

Am I just completely missing something?

Amazingly, somehow, people living in cities seem to get by with children sans SUV's. My parents did when we lived in Taipei for my first 6 years, and all my relatives there still get along just fine without these monster vehicles transporting their family, their extended family, their extended families' families, and all their tricycles around. So that brings me to wonder: if the majority of, if not the entire, rest of the world doesn't need these SUV's to survive daily life, what makes American life so special that we need to have these monster vehicles to survive life with children? Do we truly need to transport all the contents of our house from our house to other people's houses in order to feel comfortable (at which point, who cares about going to other houses, we might as well just stay home)? Or do we need these large vehicles as just a mark of status? Or have we all been just so busy gaggle with the Joneses, that we don't realize any of us could actually take the lead and be the Jones?

For much of my life, I've fought categorization, fitting into any given mold, and general mass-migrative thought. And for the most part, I exist as an outsider because I don't care to digest mass thought like it's white bread. Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't necessarily mean that it makes sense for each of us. And progressing along this pregnancy, I still try to fight that incessant American need for categorization as much as possible. I've defied, so far, most of the stereotypical marks of pregnancy. Who knows, maybe through the rest of the pregnancy, I'll still be able to take to my scooter while everyone jumps on the back of the trailer.

Bad food week

How the hell do I proclaim that I love to cook, and then end up with weeks like this when I don't feel that inspiration to creat something in the kitchen, anything? I don't know what it was that hit me this week. Monday night, it was the easiest dish on the planet, my chili; lunch was Chipotle. Tuesday, Hubby was off to teach, so I was left to my devices - it was yoga class, followed by Ethiopian (miser watt) take-out. Oh, and lunch, I stopped by a cafe near home, on my way from one meeting to another, didn't even stop in the house to make something to eat - I got an egg salad, with a mango smoothie, and an eclair for dessert. Yesterday, lunch was the left-over Ethiopian, and dinner, Hubby and I decided to make some non-nitrite non-nitrate hot dogs, and I made a salad of carrots and cukes. The ultimate of fast-food, easy-food weeks. And seriously, I do love to cook. Really.

And now we end on today. Breakfast, I started off with a pear, then followed up a couple of hours later with an onion bagel. Lunch was ramen, one of my favorite brands from Taiwan, but definitely not the most healthy choice. Dessert was some huge globular grapes (so good!). I had an apple in the afternoon, some crispy Indian snacks, and on my way home, I munched down an Asian apple pear. By the time I got home, I really wasn't even all that hungry. So dinner was cereal, with raisins. Yeah, just the way to follow this week's trend.

Who knows, maybe that's why this week I feel like everyone's tearing at a piece of me. I think tomorrow, I'm going to refocus on myself, regroup, and cook again. Just right now, I really have no idea what I'm going to cook.


In other news... the belly is starting to pop a bit. We're hitting 16 weeks, so 4 months in. Almost at the half-way point, and this point, my weight started going up. People started to notice the little bulge, and different reactions come from all sides. Some regarded to my impending news and bulge with a reaction of fragility, as if I might break at any second, and immediately wouldn't let me do so much as lift a finger (much less listen to me gloat about being able to ride 14 miles or continue regular yoga). Some, with an air of discontent or disapproval at the news - I'm not sure yet which it is - that they try to hide with a fake smile at the news. Some immediately want to know how I'm feeling and whether or not I'm puking my brains out (sorry kids, no puking yet, but give me a Jager and I'll show you puking). Some, of course, regarded my news with excitement and joy. I regard each reaction with understanding - they are, each, imparting their hope that a) I know what I'm doing, and b), the baby that results will bring to this world more joy that the world can give it. It is just that little bit of hope, that keeps everyone going, and I can only hope that this baby will carry that hope for the world.

However, the expectation that an expecting mother should have to suffer for nine months in order to bring life into the world, I think that's an expectation that is unrealistic. Through the start of this process, I'm learning the truth, whether external or internal, that (surprise surprise) everyone is different. Expectations that every pregnant woman is going to puke like a supermodel for 9 months, immediately consume everything in sight and look like a walking chicklet, or suffer from some sort of extensive physiopsychosomatic malais to prove their worth as a life-carrying being are unfair. I think it's enough that we have to carry a feeding life form for 9 months, one that we will worry about for the rest of their lives, without having to satisfy the world's expectations of what "properly pregnant" should be. Haven't we all pushed categorized and molded each other aplenty?

Man, I feel like chili tonight!

Monday, the start of the week. It's never easy to cook on this first night of the week, as the rush of the day often results in an exhausted return home and lack of energy to dream up a dinner menu . Alas, tonight, there was a slight chill in the air, and since football season has already started without my celebratory chili cooking all afternoon, I figured today is as good a day as any to get started. So without further adieu...

My Beloved Chili
Now, Hubby claims that my chili has saved his life once, filled his stomach at least a handful of times when I wasn't home to cook, and most definitely filled our kitchen and abode with great smells on countless occasions in the last 6 years we've been together. It was also the dish that got my office salivating one cold day a year and a half ago. My chili, I don't do any beans (you know, someone during my week at the CIA said I really have a southern streak in me - and my all-meat chli could very well be another testiment to the truth in that statement, though I would never admit it!), just ground beef. I typically use one 28 ounce can of UNSALTED crushed tomatoes, but tonight I found myself in lack of said can - I instead used 2 smaller cans of diced tomatoes tonight. Spices, I vary the quantities, but the basic spices I use are cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper (the southern flavor again). Basic salt, pepper, finely chopped onions, scallions, cilantro, and minced garlic also go into the mix. Tonight, I did things backwards, and the mixture didn't cook as long. My chili usually cooks for the length of a football game, just to gauge time frame.

Anyway, the usual procedure is:

1. Place a bit of the ground beef you're going to use in your pot of choice (preferably not a wide-mouthed pot, so that the liquid doesn't evaporate too quickly), and heat to release some oil from the meat.
2. Add finely chopped onions, and saute until translucent.
3. Add garlic, saute until fragrant. Be careful not to burn, lest the garlic goes bitter in the pot.
   
4. Add the remainder of the ground beef, and, stirring frequently to break the beef into small pieces, saute this mixture until well-browned.
5. Add crushed tomatoes, and mix well.
6. Simmer, covered, for the, ahem, length of a football game. If it goes overtime, even better.
7. Add herbs and spices of your choice at the very end - I add cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cilantro, and scallions. Stir well and simmer for another 5-10 minutes, covered.
   
8. Taste, and adjust spices to your liking.

So there you have it folks, my wonderful chili. We enjoyed it tonight with some cheese on top, sliced day-old French baguette, with grapes on the side to finish the meal. I told Hubby not to eat too much of it, as tomorrow, after all the flavors have had a chance to meld together tonight, will show a much better-tasting chili, but hey, what can you do when Hubby requests seconds?