Wish I had a picture

Of the delicious Strata I made for Christmas day brunch!  I thought the online recipe would have one, but it doesn't.

I need to recap Christmas, but until I do that I thought I'd pass on a fabulous strata recipe that you can make the night before.  I was a bit skeptical when I was making it, but it turned out sooo yummy and even good the next day reheated.

Proscuitto and Goat Cheese Strata
(just imagine a 9x13 dish with a golden brown topping in place of a picture)

I didn't add extra eggs or milk as others had mentioned in the reviews.  I didn't think it needed it. 

Quick, easy, early prep and a crowd pleaser....right up my alley!

Cranberry Eggnog Muffins

I heart Food Network Magazine.  While reading through the December issue I saw a recipe that sparked my interest. 

Cranberry Eggnog Muffins

Not that I have alot of time right now to bake, but I enlisted a little Elf (Davis) to help and it kept him occupied for awhile and was a little time for us to hang out.  

Enjoy!

Finally

You may remember this post.  I had agreed to a trade for help with some house ideas and in return I would make her two cute kids aprons.  Well...then I got pregnant and was so tired I didn't get around to sewing.  When I finally started I made part of the aprons but never finished them..for some reason I wasn't real motivated to make kids aprons.  I think its because I didn't have anything to measure them on and hated spending time making something that might not work.

Needless to say I made a switcheroo and decided to make her a bag out of the fabric she picked out for the aprons.  Kinda tacky, I realize, but I whipped this together much faster and was hoping to finish it the day I went into labor. 

I finally finished it yesterday.  I'm happy with how it turned out, hope she is too.

Birdie Sling

Anna Marie Horner Voile Fabric

Added some piping to spice it up a bit.

Took the same piping fabric and added it to the inside of the strap



Hate it when I'm this behind on things...and am thankful I'm done.  It felt good to be sewing again.

Alot can happen in a week

Last week about this time I found myself in the hospital.  Let me take you back just a bit..I promise to keep it short. 

Last weekend was full of Thanksgiving, Duck football game, friends staying with us over the weekend, Duck Basketball game, dinner party at our house and ended with what I was hoping was a lazy Sunday.  As I was watching Kendra :) relaxing on the couch I felt like I tinkled my pants...hmmm that wasn't normal.  I brushed it off until it kept happening.  I quickly started to panic and jumped into the shower just in case it was something. 

After talking with the doctor we went to the hospital. And after some deliberation (I swore up and down to them I don't pee my pants, this was very unusual!) I was admitted and while my body started to dilate more on my own they decided that night to start Pitocin.  Ok, fine I had been there done that..lets roll!  Well, holy crap, not sure how I made it to a 7/8 last time without an epidural but I was at a 4 and needed one stat.  After getting the wonderful drugs I changed in 30min to a 7 and then 20min later to a 10...it was time to push.

WAIT, how the hell did I get here?! I'm actually having this baby?!!!...was all I could think of.  I was supposed to have another 2-3 weeks! I still had a week of work, I had a pedi/mani that weekend, I needed to get some more stuff and.... Anyway after pushing 3 times, Miss Sloane decided to make her entrance. 

Sloane Marie Simmons

11/29/10

1:13am

5lbs 15oz

19 inches

Thankfully she is eating well and is pretty low key.  I realize they wake up in another week or so, but Davis wasn't even eating well from me at this point so things are already better.

I'd like to check this off my 40 b4 40 list, I'm sure I'll be talking alot about her on this blog.

Here's to sweet surprises!

Left-overs..

Looking for a tasty way to use your Turkey left-overs this week?

I've made this recipe quite a few times, even though I've only used chicken it calls for turkey.

Turkey Enchiladas w/ Sour Cream

[Sunset]

Its easy, quick and tasty.  When I make mine I shred a Rotisserie Chicken from Whole Foods, and have tried it with various cheese.  Tonight I mixed cheddar with cotija cheese and it was great.  I also add some canned green chilis to give it a bit more flavor.

I should be done with my sewing project this week.  I'll post pics of that and the nursery soon.

1.5 cm dilated, so things are looking favorable for induction a week before my due date (if she doesn't decide to come on her own).  2 weeks left of work and this week is short! yahooo!

I'm sewing...

Ohh yes, you heard me right!  Stay tuned......

[Anna Maria Horner]

I've also got nursery pics on the way.  Just finishing up a few things this weekend.  Am loving how it turned out.  I received an adorable Little Giraffe brand hooded towel from my girlfriend last night.  I hung it on her door handle...when I walked by it this morning, it made me all giddy!  I guess it hit me, how fun it will be to have another sweet soul in the house.  Wonder what she'll be like.

5 more weeks people, 5 more weeks.

Fall

I started this post a few days ago, here is what I said:
I'm digging fall this year.  I think its because it hasn't truly started raining yet.  The crisp mornings with the sunshinning really starts a day off great...I see whats coming though and it isn't looking too "great".  Rain that is.

Well, its here...the rain.  And I have to tell you, I'm not digging it. I feel like there was no easing into all this rain crap...which I think is the least we deserve after such a stellar (not) summer.

We went to the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago, so much fun!

Davis's favorite friends, his cousins

This is as close of a bump shot you'll get folks

BiZi Farms rock

Its kinda funny what changes in just a few days.  When I started this post I had a major disclaimer about how I wasn't a crazy mom...that I wasn't making my kid do swim lessons....but wasn't allowing him to quit either...that he has mad skills in the pool but cries the whole time...blah, blah, blah.  Well much to my surprise Davis made it through his swim class tonight with mad skills and NO CRYING!  Sooo thrilled and excited.  We did bribe him with a Duck football helmet, but still.. thats been on the bribe list for the last 2 weeks and it didn't work..so I'm going with the fact that we've finally turned the corner.

As any proud mom would do, I'll share some video's of the little phelps swimming.  They were taken last week so there is a bit of crying in the first float video.

***Ohh and whatever you do...don't tell B you saw him with his shirt off..I had strict instructions to not get him in the shot, although that was nearly impossible.*** 

Some float skills

He loves to jump off the box, this is a new teacher but typically they swim to the side on their own.

BTW, thats not him crying.

This video is the slide, another one of his favorites.

Not a great video, sorry..and thats not him crying.

Had a little Halloween get together with a few of the girls and their families on Saturday.  The kids painted pumpkins and the parents ate alot of GREAT food (man these girls can cook!).  A good time had by all! Especially the kiddos with their cute costumes.

If your looking for a quick and easy dessert recipe for Halloween, click here. 

I can't quite figure out how they got such smooth ghosts?  Ohh and I for sure pulled a little Sandra Lee, Semi-homemade with these guys...store bought cupcakes and I took the nasty frosting off ;)



Whats that you said?? The nursery?  Yes, well its coming along..nicely.  I should have it close to being done this weekend or next.  I'll post pics soon.  Girls are WAY fun to shop for..this is going to be dangerous!

So there you have it...a little of our happs this fall.  Its been busy and about to get busier!

Babymoon

Brandon and I just got back Monday afternoon from a long weekend in "the City".

San Francisco that is.  I was in SF visiting Apple, Google and Oracle Wednesday-Friday so B flew down Friday evening.  We stayed in a fabulous hotel about 2 blocks from Union Square.  I love getting away, I tend to not worry about things as much, finally feel relaxed and I don't think about what needs to be done next.  I sure wish I could be more like that in my everyday life...HA right!

Friday night 2 colleagues and I had dinner at Bar Tartine, it was good...not the best ever but a good dinner and fun company.  Saturday morning B and I slept in until 8am (whoa, late huh :) and then ventured down to the Ferry Building.  I visited the Ferry Building for the first time last year and fell in love!  It truly is a great place and they have a huge farmers market there on Saturdays.  The weather was perfect.  We ate breakfast along the water, drank coffee, and just sat and chatted...and of course people watched.  I could have sat there for hours.  Here are a few highlights from the Ferry building:

Look at these cupcakes!

Pot de Creme, I couldn't resist! I mean look at them...they are adorable!

We spent the rest of the day visiting neighborhoods we hadn't been to, shopping and what else..eating!

Sunday we took the Cal Train out to see one of my girlfriends.  She had just had her third child.  Sweet baby Stella.

Sunday night was NOPA, my most favorite restaurant in San Fran.  I'm sure there are better ones there, but so far this is my fave.  I tried it a year ago and have thought about the white bean appetizer for the last year, and guess what it was just as good this time as it was a year ago.  I have B now hooked on this place..delicious!

To say we travled by Trains/Planes/Automobiles is an understatement!  We were supposed to take Bart to the airport on Monday...but by that point I was done.  Ready for something a little nicer, we grabbed the hotel towncar...it was worth it!

Now back to reality :)

Batter Up!

We celebrated Davis's 3rd birthday tonight.  I figured a baseball theme was in order, seeing as he is only slightly obsessed about baseball ;)  We thought we'd truck down to the park and have a mini baseball game to kick things off, but rain kept threatening us so the kids played in the back yard instead.  I bought foam party hats and then a variety of foam stickers and let the kids decorate their own party hats.  It was fun and helped keep the kids busy.

I made a Happy Birthday banner after not having much luck finding a local one on Etsy.

Might I suggest using the die cut machine at Craft Warehouse for lettering like this...so easy and quick!

Goodie Bags

Had fun putting these together!

The menu consisted of Baseball food

Apps :  Popcorn and veggies

Main: Hot Dogs, Brats, chips/dip and homemade Mac n Cheese



The smile on his face when everyone started singing was priceless...he was so happy.

Fun times! Can't believe he is going to be three on Thursday!

Nun's Puffs

Not these Nun's.... but these Nun's

[Pass the Pocky]

I woke up this morning and felt like going out to eat.  With the hubs in China still it doesn't make me really want to cook.  But I figured a slow morning at home was what Davis and I both needed.  So I skimmed through my good ol' Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for a french toast recipe.  I came across Nun's Puffs.  Having never heard about these I figured I'd give them a shot.  I decided to halve the recipe, which usually doesn't work out so well, but since it was easy ingredients I figured I'd try.

They turned out great!  The puff up so beautifully in the oven and fall just a touch when removed.  The best way to describe the flavor is fluffy yet dense with a bit of egg flavor...you see they taste like German Pancakes, only they aren't flat.  So I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on them with syrup and enjoyed!

Here is the receipe if you want to give them a shot:

Nun's Puffs

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
Honey * or syrup and powdered sugar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously grease twelve 2 1/2 inch muffin cups, including the edge and around the top of each cup. Set aside. In a medium saucepan melt butter; add milk. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that does not separate. Remove from heat; cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute with a wooden spoon after each addition or until smooth. Divide dough evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling cups about two-thirds full; sprinkle with sugar.

3. Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Remove from pan. Serve immediately. If desired, serve with honey (or syrup and powdered sugar :) 

On to other news, I didn't have any luck finding a professional organizer.  So my sister in law offered to help.  She did a walk through and we basically made a game plan.  It involves moving things around in 5 rooms, a hallway closet, and some of my kitchen cupboards.  So its going to take a while, but I now have a plan and am not freaking out as much anymore.  I've got just about 3 months until baby girl comes, with work being super busy, life at home busy and a few trips planned its going to go quickly.

To pass the time

Since I haven't been sewing or blogging much I thought I'd offer a great recipe for the fall weather we seem to be experiencing. 

The hubs left for China (again) yesterday so I figured I would make a big pot of soup and use it for lunches this week.  Its one of my standby's, so delicious.

This recipe is from Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook.  Its a great cookbook, one that I use often.  Come to think of it, I haven't really ever had a recipe from her that didn't taste good.

[cookin' canuck]

Tortellini Soup with Pancetta & White Beans


3 tbsp olive oil
4 oz pancetta, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cup chopped Swiss or red chard (1 bunch)
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (9 oz) package fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Set a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat and add 3 tbsp olive oil. Add the pancetta, shallots, garlic, and carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the pancetta is crisp. Stir occasionally while cooking.

Add the low-sodium chicken broth, chard, and beans to the pancetta mixture. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to a simmer. Add the fresh or frozen cheese tortellini. Simmer for 5 minutes for fresh or 8 minutes for frozen tortellini. The tortellini should be just tender.

Season with 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
*  My own variations:  I don't add garlic (because I thinks its stinky) and I don't add as much swiss chard.  I just kind of eye ball how much I want.  I typically cut it in longer narrow strands so its not overwhelming. *


Ok, moving on.  I'm kind of up to my ears in stuff at our house.  I think I'm starting to freak out a bit that this baby is coming and well that means rearranging stuff.  When you live in an old house (82 years old) there isn't great storage solutions and not alot of closets.  So now I have to reevaluate where everything is going and how to best organize it.  I'm seriously contemplating hiring a professional organizer.  1) I dont' have a ton of time to do this the right way and 2) not really what I want to be doing.  So if you know of anyone, can you please pass their number along. 

Love

I love alot of things...and we'd be here forever if I named all of them off..one local place I love is Cannon Beach.  Not sure what it is about this little beach town, but I truly enjoy spending time there.  Part of what I love is that its not dumpy like some beach towns, and yet its not commercialized like others. 

This last Saturday Brandon and I dropped Davis off with the grandparents and headed to CB.  We haven't been to CB together in years, and lets face it...some time alone without a little one deciding he wants to do something different ever 2 minutes just sounds like bliss.

The funny part of it is, is that most of Portland had the same idea.  We had made our reservations a few weeks prior not knowing it would be sizzling in Portland. 

The minute we rounded the corner into town, it was cloudy! hahah  We didn't mind the clouds and breeze. We wandered through town, had lunch and talked, and then sat on the beach for a few hours reading.  The one thing that struck me as we were sitting down having coffee and pastires the next morning (reading the paper uninterrupted), was this is what life was like before kids.  I had sort of forgotten.  And while I wouldn't go back to that life and we kept wishing Davis was with us, it was a great reminder to get away for even just one night every once in a while and enjoy. 

Had to post this one...not sure what this lady was thinking? 

Maybe the rock looked better than we did :)

Such cute houses!

ahhhhhhhhh so relaxing!

Do you have any fun/quick destination spots you want to share?

Big Boy

I put off the transition of Davis moving from crib to a big boy bed for quite some time.  I don't know what it was, but I just wasn't quite ready...not only that but I didn't want to store the crib.  I just wanted to move it right into the new baby's room.

I had been searching everywhere for a good looking bed, and when I say everywhere...I mean everywhere.  I had finally found one on PotteryBarn Teen, but was hoping to find a bit better of a steal.  Our last stop before placing the PB order was Kids Zone in Beaverton.  Much to our suprise they had a great selection and we found his bed for a great price.

The transition went well, no problems...and I have added some side rails to keep him from tumbling off.

When we decorated his room before he was born, I stuck with things that could grow with him...so this was a quick job...add the bed, get some bedding and done!  The nursery for baby girl will be a bit more involved.  Can't wait to tackle that!

We are painting the front room this week!  More pics to come!

Sewing and showers

A good friend of mine surprised me about 9 months ago when she told me she was expecting.  You see, she was always on the fence and then one night she dropped the bomb! I couldn't have been more excited.

We threw a shower for her last night and it was great!  We all like good food, good drinks and good desserts.  So we decided we would make a variety of her favorite items.  It consisted of homemade gourmet pizza's, salad, chocolate cream pie and nectarine/berry pie from Random order, and lil' mamma cookies.  DELISH! 

Two Tarts- Lil' Mamma cookies

Random Order- Chocolate Cream Pie

Random Order- Berry Pie

I had spotted some cute flag banners awhile back.  Just needed the perfect excuse to make one.  So yes, I have been sewing, it was a fun/quick project.

her and her hubby make bacon, so the pig bookends were perfect!

If you live in PDX and haven't been to Random order to try their pie's, truly your missing out...and if you haven't been to Two Tarts to try their cookies... I'm not sure we could be friends ;)  Put both of these on your 'must do' lists and thank me later.

No way!

[btrendie.com]

I'll be completely honest...I thought for sure I was having another boy!  I felt that it might have been a girl in the beginning but one night I saw a blue blanket in my dream and woke up with a strong feeling it was a boy.  You have to understand, that I have a strong intuition and its been correct too many times to doubt it. 

Brandon and I went into our appointment fully convinced it was a boy so when she went to the nether region I kept looking for a boy part (they are SO obvious on an ultrasound) and I didn't see it, so then I thought...maybe it needs to pop up or something (which I know it doesn't), and then I worried what if our child hasn't made up its mind yet and its an IT!  But low and behold it was a GIRL! Shocked, so shocked I couldn't even get excited!

As the night has worn on, I've gotten more and more excited.  Same with Brandon.  Crazy I tell ya!

As a side note...I've been sewing a little.  Have some projects (aprons) that I've been talking about for months and haven't done much with more done than they were a few weeks ago and have a quick project to whip up this weekend for my girlfriends shower. She is due in 3 weeks, and doesn't know what she is having.  You people who don't find out have serious, serious will power!

I'll post pics soon of these fun projects.

Berry Pickin'

I had never been berry picking before, so therefor Davis had not either.  I figured I would take him Saturday afternoon, and then saw some friends were going on FB.  Ohh the power of social media.  We all met at Kruger farm for some fun.

Little Jo in her strawberry hat!

Hayride

Looking good ladies!  Surprisingly it was sunny and warm. 

It started to rain once we got on the bridge to head home.

My kid may not look like me, but he is as picky as I was at his age. 

He didn't eat anything we picked, but enjoyed picking them.

The farm

Mateo and Davis are in the same class together at school, buddies!

They even sell naughty berries! Perfect for bachelorett parties! J/K!