Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Winter Doldrums

Happy Valentine's Day Humble Readers...

Well, it's happened again.  Nary a word from me since Sunday night... what's going on here?  I have a dozen blog posts rattling around in my head, but they just don't seem to want to exit through the ends of my fingers. 

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The snow in the Shire is slowly melting.  We've had snow on the ground since before Halloween, so I'm not at all sad to see it go.  That's not to say that the weather has been nice, far from it.  Yes we've had sunny skies, but we have constantly been rocked by wind all week.  I love the effects of a Chinook wind, but I'm not a fan of the wind itself. 

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I broke down and watched the season finale of Downton Abbey the other day.  I'm not going to give anything away, I promise, but I do have to say I'm pissed.  Seriously, the whole evening after I watched it I was MAD.  It's going to be a long wait until next January for season 4.

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Weight-loss update: I'm plateaued again.  I'm down 24.5 pounds, which is awesome.  But I'm stuck again.  I'm a little bit concerned because I inevitably gain weight when we go to K-town.  Mostly because of all the wine we consume when my mom, sister and I are together.

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I'm happy with how my super-fake King Cakes turned out for Mardi Gras.  I'm not much of a baker, so the real deal was rather out of reach for me to attempt, but I wanted to have a special "zert" as Ginny called it.  So, this is what I made...

Pretty simple really.  Crescent rolls (in a tube), filled with a bit of nu.tella, then topped with a simple glaze and sprinkles in the colors of Mardi Gras... purple, gold, and green. 

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So, it's Valentine's Day.  A pretty important day in the hobbit hole.  Today is the 7th anniversary of when my Beloved and I were matched on eHarm.ony.  I always try to do something special for dinner, and when it's in the budget we do try to go out at some point around V-day.  This year's special dinner is New York strip steaks, double-stuffed twice-baked taters, oven roasted asparagus, sautéed mushrooms and onions, and cheesecake for dessert.  Things are well in process at this point, and I'm planning on leaving some time between when Ginny gets up from her nap and when my Beloved comes home to have Ginny make a card for her daddy. 

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I'm hoping to squeeze some time in tomorrow for Pippin's 9 month post.  I'm already a few days late, and I want to get it out there.  How is it that he's been on the outside for as long as he was on the inside already???  When Ginny was this age, Pippin was conceived.  Wow.

Food of Love

Hey Humble Readers!

I have had the laziest of lazy days today.  About the only things that I expended any effort on today was bathing Ginny (always a workout) and making dinner (Cheeseburger Crescent Pie & Salad).  Oh yeah, and there was this mess that I had to clean up...

Yesterday I promised you all a play by play on my fancy V-day dinner, and here it is...

On the Menu:

Mushroom Caps stuffed with Caramelized Onion & Cream Cheese

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Lemon & Dill

Warm Baby Potato Salad with Dill & Smoked Salmon

Oven Roasted Asparagus

Strawberry Gallette

I didn't have a recipe for the mushroom caps, so I just sort of threw them together at the last minute.  I removed and finely chopped the mushroom stems, sauteed them in a touch of olive oil, and then melted in a bit of softened cream cheese.  I had some leftover caramelized onions in the fridge, so I chopped them up and added them to the mix, then stuffed the mushroom caps and topped them with a bit of seasoned bread crumbs.  I popped them in a really hot oven (450F) for about 8 minutes.   I only made 6 for the two of us, but really I could have eaten a dozen all by myself.

The rack of lamb was the element of the meal that I was most nervous about.  It was tough to find a rack of lamb at a regular grocery store around here, but I managed to find a nice cut.  I marinated the lamb in the juice & zest of two lemons, a bunch of minced garlic,  a lot of fresh chopped dill, and some olive oil.  I let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours.  About a half hour before I was going to cook it, I took the meat out of the fridge and patted it dry.  Then, in a very hot (oven safe) skillet with a bit of olive oil I browned both sides, then covered the exposed bones with foil, and transferred the whole thing, skillet and all, into a hot oven.  It took about 12 minutes at 450F to get a beautiful medium rare. 

I got the recipe for the potato salad from a Food Network Canada show, Chef At Home.  I saw it on an episode over the holidays and it was the starting point for this whole meal.  It was super simple, just some baby yellow potatoes quartered and boiled until tender, combined with a dressing made of sour cream, lemon juice & zest (1 lemon), chopped fresh dill, chopped green onion and a tablespoon of capers.  At the very end, I added in some strips of smoked salmon.  Super yummy and different!

The asparagus was super simple, and I'm sure I've told you all about roasting asparagus before.  Just trimmed up the spears, drizzled them with a bit of olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper.  I put them in the oven along side the rack of lamb and they were done in 7 minutes.

Dessert... oh my heavens!  I came across this on Pinterest, and I was so amazed at how easy the recipe sounded that I had to try it.  Anything with pastry has always intimidated the snot out of me, so I confess that I cheated and bought a pre-made pie crust.  Then I combined a small bag of frozen sliced strawberries with a tablespoon of cornstarch and two tablespoons of Spl.enda (my concession to the GD).  I rolled out the pie crust and loaded the strawberries into the middle, leaving about an inch around the outside.  Then I folded the edge over, folding a bit as I went.  I brushed the pastry with a bit of eggwash and then sprinkled sugar (yes, real sugar) lightly over the whole thing.  I baked it on a parchment lined baking sheet for 35 minutes at 350F.  Then I grated some semi-sweet chocolate over the top.

Honestly, I usually do like my own cooking, but I was amazingly impressed with how this meal turned out.  Usually after I make a fancy dinner like this, I'm so worn out by the time it's ready to eat that I don't want to be bothered eating.  This meal was so easy, I barely felt like I was doing any real work.  And if it's just our wee little family for Easter this year, I'm so doing rack of lamb again.  Much less work than a leg of lamb.

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Jem asked a question about yesterday's post...about the pizza proposal.  Here's the backstory...

I knew that my Beloved was going to propose, I just didn't know when.  He had had 'the' conversation with my Dad, which I felt was important, a couple of weeks before.  We had actually already set the date and even booked the hall. 

I knew he was coming for a weekend visit (he lived on the flatland, and I lived in the mountains), but I wasn't expecting him that particular night, which was a good thing as I was in a terrible mood after a difficult day at work.  All I knew was that I was going out for dinner with my parents and some friends.  When we got to the restaurant (Pizza H.ut), there he was, waiting for us.  I was surprised, but him popping the question was the furthest thing from my mind.  We ordered two pizzas for the table and some appies.  I munched a few chicken wings and we were just chatting away.  One pizza came out, but it wasn't one that I wanted (ham & pineapple, ick!) so I was waiting for the second.  It seemed to be taking a ridiculously long time, and I was getting grumpy because I was hungry. 

When the pizza finally came out, the waitress set it down right in front of me.  And spelled out in green peppers across the pizza were the words "Will You Marry Me?".  My mom, who was across the table from me, didn't see the words, and was going on about how it took so long to come out and then they didn't even cut the silly pizza.  I was just a bit speechless and finally I told her to read the pizza.  In the mean time, my Beloved had pulled out the ring (a beautiful oval cut blue sapphire with two little diamonds on either side, in white gold) and popped the question.  Of course I said yes, and here we are, almost at our 5th anniversary.

Week 26: Happy Vale-Matchiversary Day!

Hey Humble Readers...

How are things in your neck of the woods?  Hereabouts, things have been mellow.  We had a fairly busy weekend, with my Dad visiting on Saturday, and then heading down south to my MIL's on Sunday after church.  Oh, and we had a very important meeting at church this weekend... our congregation voted to extend a call to a new pastor!  Yay!  We've been without a regular pastor for more than two years.  If he accepts, then he'll be in place by the summer. 

Have you had a nice Valentine's Day?  Do you do anything special with your loved ones, or is it just another day?  My special V-day dinner turned out amazingly well... I think it was the best meal I've ever cooked.  But you'll get to hear and see all that tomorrow.

V-day is an important day for my Beloved and I.  Six years ago today we were matched on eHar.mony.  It was actually the day I signed up for their service.  He had been a member for a few months already.  We had a bit of a bumpy start to our match... for technical reasons, my account was delayed in being 100% activated, and when my Beloved tried to initiate contact I wasn't able to respond yet.  It took a couple of weeks to get things sorted out, so in that time he gave up on me and closed the match. 

Once I was finally able to send him a message, it was a pathetic little "can we give this another shot" type of message.  We started on their guided conversation path, but before long he closed our match again, because he had decided to start dating another match.  I have to tell you, I was pretty bummed.  I tried to move on to other matches, but I kept thinking about him.  A couple of weeks later I noticed on my eHar.mony home page that our match had been reopened.  I debated long and hard about it, but I tentatively sent him a message.  We met face to face in June of that year, and in October my Beloved proposed on a pizza.  And the rest, as they say, is history. 

But enough of the mushy remembrances.  On to the update!

How far along? 26w0d (only 12 weeks left!)

Maternity clothes? Yup.

Body Oddities? VERY dry skin, alternating constipation and IBS flares, acne, bruises from insulin injections, back ache, cracking joints, super sore & slightly leaky boobs, dry/itchy eyes, leg cramps, round ligament pain, tingly fingertips, very tired, NEW THIS WEEK: very gassy (a possible side effect of my new heartburn meds?) and Braxton-Hicks have started.

Sleep? Super tired again this week.  But my sleep hasn't been as good as it was.  Nightmares and a lot of tossing and turning have disrupted things lately.

Intense Dreams?  I had a horrible nightmare the other day that I haven't been able to shake.  In the dream, I had an inkling that something wasn't right, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  I called Dr. B and he refused (and I mean refused!) to see me until the following day.  I went to the hospital (alone), and when the nurse checked me out, the baby's heartrate was 24 bpm.  She told me that the baby was dying and there was nothing they could do.  I have a very vivid image of me staring at my belly, praying that the baby would move.  The rest of the dream was about delivering my now still born son (yes, in this dream the Halfling was a boy).  I woke up in tears.  I got up and chugged a water bottle full of ice water, just in hopes that it would wake up the baby, and get him/her moving.  And I was wishing with all my heart that I had a doppler.

Best moment this week? When I finally felt the Halfling move after that dream.  It was about 5:30 in the morning and I just sat on the couch and bawled my eyes out in relief.

Worst moment? Once again, shopping on Saturday was physically taxing.  I got home with a very sore back.

Movement? Not as frequent as it had been, but a much more consistent pattern now.  First thing in the morning, about 10 minutes after I eat, and in the evening while the Braxton-Hicks kick in, so does the Halfling. 

Food cravings/aversions? Ham & Swiss sandwiches from Tim Hortons.  Mmmmm... I want one right now!

Rings? Still on, but getting snug.

Gender? Still leaning toward a girl, altho that nightmare had me thinking boy for a little while.  Please take a moment and answer my poll question (in the column to the right), and let me know what you think!

Medical Concerns? Gestational Diabetes (insulin 5 times a day), High blood pressure (on 50mg of lobetalol 3x daily), continued heartburn (on 60mg of Pan.taloc daily), kidney stones (they're back!), low lying placenta.

What I miss? my sex drive, being able to get down on the floor to play with Ginny easily

What I look forward to? my next ultrasound (March 7), not having to inject myself 5 times a day

Emtional State?  Mostly good, but that dream really stressed me out

Inspiration Needed!

Hey Humble Readers...

First, let me get something out of the way... Beloved, if you are reading this, STOP!  COME BACK TOMORROW!  THIS POST IS NOT FOR YOUR EYES!  GO AWAY!  NOW!!!!

Okay, back to my Humble Readers...

I am in need of some suggestions.  I know it's early to be thinking about Valentine's Day, but it's an important day for my Beloved and I (the 6th anniversary of when we were matched on eHarm.ony) and while we can't afford to do something big and splashy, I do like to make a fancy meal for us each year.  Because of our budgetary restrictions, I need to plan ahead for any out of the ordinary ingredients I might need. 

I have chosen one part of the meal, but I seem to be working backward.  Normally, I choose the main course, and then choose sides to go with it.  This time around, I found what I think will be a great special occasion side dish, but I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to serve with it. 

Warm Potato Salad w/ Smoked Salmon & Dill
Image courtesy of http://www.foodnetwork.ca/

This is what I have found.  It's simple yet elegant, in my opinion.  And totally outside of our normal menu choices.  And veggies to go along with it will be easy enough... oven roasted asparagus or broccoli, maybe with some sauteed mushrooms. 

The thing is, I can't come up with a main dish to go along with it.  The cooking program the recipe was featured on had it in a menu with penne with a lobster cream sauce but potatoes and pasta?  That's too much starch for me, even if I wasn't diabetic.  Not to mention, I have never cooked lobster, and I'm not quite ready to attempt that yet. 

I'm not sure if I should go with more seafood (and if so, what?  My experience cooking seafood is still rather limited), or if I should go with red meat (steaks, maybe?).  I know I don't want chicken, because we eat that all too often... same goes for pork. 

Ok readers, please put on your thinking caps.  I want to plan this so that I can build it into the budget over the next few weeks.