Waiting is the Hardest Part

Words of wisdom given to the Jersey Girl, who is patiently and at times not so patiently awaiting the arrival of her Jersey Baby, over the past two weeks include the following:

Go take a ride on a bumpy road.

Wash your windows.

Eat spicy food.

Take a long, brisk walk.

Keep moving.

Stop cleaning and go lay down.

Rest now because you will never rest again.

Observations made to the Jersey Girl regarding the fact that she is still insanely prego:

We thought for sure you’d go over the weekend.

You’re all baby.

The baby must be really comfy in there.

You must be due any day now.

You look lower.

You don’t look lower

You look ready.

You don’t look ready.

How do you feel?

Yes, pregnancy means the whole world is your own personal peanut gallery. I know all my fam, friends and that random lady in the grocery store mean well, but when your baby is past his due date, these conversations get old.

I guess you could say I’m just really ready for the Jersey Baby to get his cute bootie here. His lateness is driving me and his Daddy loco.

Each night we think this is The Night, and we’re always totally wrong. I’ve been rockin the Braxton Hicks contractions for a few weeks now. Awesome. But they never lead to much more than a tossing and turning and groaning and sometimes cursing Susan who wakes up every hour.

I am 2 centimeters dilated. Hurray!

But yeah. We have a Friday morning appointment to get our induced labor on. I’m sure I’m going to sleep so soundly Thursday night. Ha ha.

When trying to stay calm, I love to bake. I’m sharing with you a recipe I made in September or October. I don’t even remember, and I don’t know what I was trying to calm down about. Apples are the star of the show, so you can still make it now and get a super yum yum result.

Spiced Apple Coffee Cake is featured in “The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book.” I know, I know. You’re thinking, “This cookbook? Again? Really?”

Yes, I totally pimp out “The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book,” but I have to say it rocks. Seriously. If you have anyone near and dear to your heart who loves to bake, you should totally gift them this cookbook. Its awesomeness revolves around the gorgeous pictures, clear and concise recipe instructions and helpful baking tips. All the things I look for in a baking cookbook. So, that’s why it has the Jersey Girl’s heart.

The cake is very fall. I did substitute all-spice for the cardamom that was called for in the recipe. The reasons are as follows: 1. Cardamom was not to be found in my house. 2. I did locate the spice in a local grocery store, but that cat cost 20 smackaroos for a teeny, tiny container. No thanks, McCormick. I’m all for spending dollas dollas on good quality ingredients and cooking items, but for a spice that I’m going to use once, I don’t think so.

Anyways, all-spice works fab in spiced cakes and desserts, so that’s the way this cake went down in the Jersey Girl’s house.

Spiced Apple Coffee Cake
Makes one 9-inch (23-cm.) cake

1 ¼ cups (9oz/280 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 cup (2 ½ oz/75 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
1 ½ tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 lb (500 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped, then tossed in 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (pippin, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Granny Smith)
½ cup (4 oz/125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz (250 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ cups (12 oz/375 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Vanilla Glaze (recipe follows cake recipe)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Grease and flour a 9-inch (230cm) round springform pan or square baking pan or baking dish. If using a glass baking dish, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius).

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cardamom and cinnamon. Add the apples and toss to coat.

In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat well until smooth. Using a large spatula, gently fold in the apples just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake until the top is golden brown, 60-70 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the sides of the springform pan, if using, and place the cake on a wire rack set over a piece of waxed paper to catch any drips. Drizzle with the glaze Let the cake cool to room temperature. Cut into wedges or squares to serve.

Vanilla Glaze
To make the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together ¾ cup (3 oz/90 g) confectioners’ (icing) sugar, sifted; 2 Tbsp condensed skim milk, warmed; and ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract until smooth and pourable. Adjust the consistency of the glaze by adding more milk, a few drops at a time, if necessary.

Please note: The Jersey Girl used all-spice instead of cardamom. She also bakes with extra large eggs. In the Vanilla Glaze, she used regular milk instead of condensed skim milk. She made the cake in a 9-inch square baking pan.

The Waiting Game

Patience is a virtue that I usually have, but awaiting the arrival of the Jersey Baby is starting to drive me bananas.

I know, I know – he’s totally not due until Nov. 8. But based on last week’s doctor’s appointment, I was convinced he would be arriving early. So was the doctor. Unless, he was pulling me leg. Or propping up my delusional high hopes. I thought for sure when I was grabbing my belly in pain on Monday night, that the Jersey Baby would be arriving on Election Day. A fitting date, since his Daddy and I are news/politics junkies.

But alas, he’s still not here. And today, the doc started the labor induction talk. Oy.

While waiting, I’ve been getting my cleaning on. And I started Christmas shopping. And, I’ve totally been cooking up a storm. Of course, I had to slow my roll on my culinary concoctions since I only have one mouth to feed, and well, I hate to dispose of good food. There’s only so many leftovers The Husband can eat.

I love this time of year. Especially for cookery purposes. That’s because it’s all about comfort food. And since I’ve been stuck at home, the need to be comfy has taken over my being.

On a recent chilly willy night, I rocked out my Chicken and Dumplings. This dish reminds me of my childhood, when my Moms would make Chicken and Dumplings using Bisquick. I always loved it as a kid, but no offense, Mom, dumplings from scratch are way way way better than the Bisquick variety.

My Chicken and Dumplings dish is super easy to make. You do need cake flour for the dumplings.

This is perfect to eat on a cold dreary fall night. Hope you get a chance to do so!

Chicken and Dumplings
Makes 5 servings

For the soup:

2 lbs. chicken breast or tenders, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 baking potato, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 dry bay leaf
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. flour
4 cups chicken broth
2-3 cups water

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, add oil and butter.

When butter melts and begins to bubble, add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, onion and garlic powders, thyme and salt and pepper. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth. Lower heat to a simmer. Cover partially. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Chicken should be cooked through and vegetables should be tender.

At this stage you may add the dumpling batter.

Dumplings
Inspired by “The Joy of Cooking”

1 cup cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 extra large egg
Scant ½ cup milk

In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk together milk and egg. Slowly pour into dry ingredients. Stir together with a spoon.

Return soup mixture to a simmer.

To cook, drop dumpling batter into simmering pot of soup using tablespoons so that the batter is scattered throughout the top of the soup. Once all the batter is in the pot, cover the pot with a tight lid. Simmer for 10 minutes.

You may serve at once, but be careful! The dumplings will be hot.

Lucky Seven

For seven years, I’ve felt like the Luckiest Girl in the World.

That’s because I’ve got The Husband.

He is totally my best friend and the love of my life.

God. This sounds like a Hallmark card.

Fitting, since today is our wedding anniversary. And all of the greeting cards I’ve perused in the past week to mark the occasion have been totally lame.

This year’s anniversary is particularly awesome because our baby is due for arrival any day now. And we have waited for him for what seems like an eternity.

Well, just about four years.

It’s funny how life works out sometimes. Back when Mark and I were engaged, we attended pre-Cana classes, as required by the Catholic church. During our classes we each confirmed that we wanted two children – preferably a boy and a girl. We decided we would have our first three years into the marriage. No. 2 would come a couple years later.

It’s safe to say that the plan was an epic fail. And despite our many years of crazy happiness and good times, our inability to have a baby brought us much stress and tears and worry and woe. But, we did learn that sometimes matters of life and love don’t work out based on a planned timetable.

No doubt, The Husband is going to make an amazing Daddy.

How do I know?

It’s evident each night when he talks to my belly and the biggest smile ever lights up his face. Or, when he practices his storybook reading skills while the bambino kicks me and I just laugh. Or when we patiently put together baby gear and install car seats whose instructions were written by crazy people. (No offense, if you write baby equipment manuals.) The signs of Awesome Daddy in Training are all over his face during my doctor’s appointments or when I’m folding freshly washed baby clothes or when he's planning for Junior's future finances.

And then there are those moments when I wake up in the middle of the night obsessing about having a happy and healthy baby. I toss and turn, then pace the house, peruse the Internets or play solitaire or clean a room or organize a pile of clutter. Inevitably, I will eat a bowl of cereal. Three hours later in an attempt to find sleep again, my jostling around sometimes will wake The Husband and he’ll hug me and say, “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be OK.”

And with that, I can rest soundly.

I hope our baby inherits many of his Dad’s qualities: Gorgeous smile, charm, good humor, passion for life, patience, determination. Because, for reals, The Husband rocks.

And I really am the Luckiest Girl in the World. Happy anniversary, Baby Doll! You know I love you.

Today, I’m sharing with all of you one of The Husband’s hands down favorites: Gnocchi. I go by the Giada De Laurentiis recipe, but I do mix the dough with my Kitchenaid handmixer, rather than a fork as the recipe calls for.

I made gnocchi for The Husband a couple weeks ago. They were fab. Making homemade pasta is fun, and I envision my little boy helping me do this one day. Maybe they will be his fav, too.

I served the gnocchi with my Mean Marinara. For the recipe, please see below.

Gnocchi

From “Everyday Pasta”
By Giada De Laaurentiis
Makes about 54 gnocchi

2 baking potatoes, such as russet (about 12 ounces each)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup all-purpose flour

Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. Microwave the potatoes on high until tender, about 12 minutes. (You can also bake the potatoes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes, or until tender. While the potatoes are still warm, cut them in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Discard the skin. Using a fork, mash the potato well. Stir in the egg, salt and pepper. Sift the flour over the potato mixture and stir just until blended.

Scoop out a large spoonful of gnocchi dough.

Roll each scoop on the work surface into about a ½-inch-diameter rope.

Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough over a wooden paddle with ridges or over the tines or a fork to form grooves in the dough. Set the formed gnocchi on a baking sheet while you form the rest of the dough.

Working in two batches, cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water until they have all risen to the surface, about 3 minutes. Scoop the gnocchi into a colander with a slotted spoon while you cook the second batch.

Serve gnocchi with your favorite sauce, warmed and top with grated cheese.

Please note: The Jersey Girl makes her dough using a KitchenAid handmixer, instead of a fork and spoon. The mixer leads to a smoother dough.  When rolling out the dough, lightly flour your surface so that the dough is easier to handle.

Mean Marinara


2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion or half a medium/large onion, finely chopped
8 (yes 8) cloves of garlic, finely chopped
¾ tsp. red pepper flakes (you can cut back this)
1 can Cento pureed tomatoes (28. oz)
1 can Cento crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
A little bit of water – probably half a cup
20 fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion. Sweat the garlic and onion for five minutes. They should be very fragrant.

Push the garlic and onion to one side of the pan and toast the red pepper flakes for a minute. Mix into the garlic and onion.

Add the pureed and crushed tomatoes. Use a little bit of water to rinse off the tomato on the sides of the cans and pour into pot. (We Italians don’t like to waste food!) The water should measure to a half cup.

Add salt and pepper to taste. I did 20 grinds of my pepper mill and a scant 1/4 tsp. salt.

Snip basil leaves into pot with cooking shears.

Turn your heat down to low. Simmer partially covered for 45 minutes. Make sure you stir every 5 to 10 minutes.

Enjoy now or tomorrow or freeze for later on in your life.

Dream a Little Dream

I had a nightmare this week. In it, I consumed McDonald’s.

Gah!!!!

I don’t discredit the success of McDonald’s and the world’s love of it, but oh dear readers, McDonald’s goes against all I believe in. And I don’t eat it. Ever. Not even while prego. Not even while starving and prego. Not even while starving and prego and it’s the only option for food.  This is all hypothetical, of course.

I have consumed the McCrack as a child, but I gave up fast food for Lent my junior year of college, and well, I’ve been grease and drive-thru free ever since.

Earlier in my pregnancy, my little sister Monica offered some words of wisdom, “Eat what your body wants. If you crave a Big Mac, just eat it, Susan.”

She didn’t say I would dream about the Golden Arches. Although my girl did warn me that dreams about old boyfriends will haunt me at some point during the nine months. That happened in July.

So, in my fast food dream, I was housing some Chicken McNuggets.

Gag.

And family members were telling me I was getting really, really fat and this obviously caused me super major dismay. I immediately woke up surrounded by my fortress of pregnancy pillows in a cold sweat, headed straight to the bathroom because that’s what prego ladies do – we empty our bladders a lot – and then proceeded to toss and turn for a good hour before falling asleep for another crackhead dream.

Seriously, my night visions are so trippy. And I obsessively try to figure out what they mean.
Recent conclusion: You are a lunatic pregnant woman.

I often relay my psycho dream tales to The Husband, who just laughs and shakes his head.

Last week, all my sleepcapades were about TV.

I was a cast member of the "Jersey Shore," cooking with the Situation.

Later that evening, Dr. Patrick Drake of "General Hospital" fame and his Fatal Attraction-esque stalker Lisa were hanging out with me in my great room, which was in Port Charles.

I promptly decided during one of my late-night bathroom breaks that it was time for a good book.

Anyway, I don’t crave anything with “Mc” before it. But I recently really wanted some Sausage and Peppers.

I made mine with turkey sausage instead of regular pork sausage.

As The Husband noted, “You can’t even tell the difference.”

Sausage and pepper sandwiches evoke memories of street fairs and summer. Yay!

And the bell peppers are super delish this time of year.

Turkey Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches
(Makes 6 servings)

6 Italian turkey sausage links
1 large red bell pepper, in ¼-inch slices
1 large green bell pepper, in ¼-inch slices
½ large onion, sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
¼ tsp. or more to taste crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
½ cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
6 torpedo rolls

Using the tines of a fork, poke holes on each side of the sausage links.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once heated, add sausage. Brown on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes total.

Remove sausage from pan. Set aside.

Add bell pepper slices and onion. Saute for about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes more.

Add water. Bring to a gentle bubble. Return sausage to pan. Cover with the lid and cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Serve sausage and peppers on rolls.

Bar Food Without the Bar

So, right. There’s totally a bun in my oven.

It’s a boy bun, which my already rockin’ mother’s intuition told me from the first weeks of being knocked up. (Between The Husband, The Jersey Girl’s Poppa and The Jersey Girl’s Fabulous Mother-in-Law, this kid will totally own every piece of baby Phillies gear that has ever been put on the market. No need to thank me, MLB.)

According to legend, a woman with child craves ice cream and pickles. But, you see dear readers, this Jersey Girl Soon to Be Jersey Momma was a bit of a barfly in her day, and well sometimes a gal needs a little pub fare while memories of Stohli Vanilla and ginger ale dance in her head.

So, I bring to you my Buffalo Chicken Salad with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing.

Salad?!? In a bar?!? You trippin’.

Listen, kids. There’s a reason the Jersey Girl has been a petite kinda gal her whole life: She tries to make wise food choices. Sure, my stomach was most likely sending subliminal messages of hot wings to the brain, but my brain fought back and said, “How about some chicken tenders in a yum yum wing sauce over a salad?”

And, my brain won. But, my stomach was happy.

Interestingly, my pregnancy diet consists of crazy amounts of fruit and vegetables. I actually crave blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, peaches, salad and on and on. I shared this with one of my friends recently, and she thought I was totally loco.

Yes, many formerly pregnant broads tell me how they would eat a whole pizza in one sitting, tubs of ice cream every night, a pound of pasta all at once. But, eating big does not work out for me very well. In the end, feelings of nausea, disgustingness, sloth and guilt overcome the Jersey Girl. And then The Husband deals with my moaning and whimpering and depression. And plus, I so do not want to gain 100 pounds in nine months.

Now, don’t get me wrong, my whole day involves frequent eating and drinking gallons of water. It’s exhausting, actually. But making wise food choices most of the time is working for me. And then, when I eat a bowl of homemade ice cream or a Godiva truffle at the end of the day I don’t feel bad at all. I just feel blessed that there’s a little guy in my belly, who’s been kicking like crazy the past few days. Yay!

Buffalo Chicken Salad with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
(Makes about four servings)

For the salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
¼ red onion, chopped, (optional)

Place all ingredients in a salad bowl.

Top with Blue Cheese Dressing (recipe below).

Very Manly Blue Cheese Dressing
5 ounces of crumbled blue cheese
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. scallion greens or chives, finely chopped
¼ tsp. black pepper
Pinch of salt

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients on medium speed until well combined. The dressing should be thick and very blue cheesy.

For the chicken tenders:

1 pound chicken tenders
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1/3 cup favorite wing sauce
2 Tbsp. butter

In a wide bowl, place flour, pepper, salt and Cajun seasoning. Mix together with a whisk or fork.

Place each chicken tender in the flour mixture. Toss until coated.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once skillet is hot, place chicken tenders in sizzling butter. Brown on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Once chicken is brown, pour in wing sauce. Cook for about 2 to 3 more minutes, until sauce coats the chicken and is heated through. Remove from heat.

To assemble salad platters:

Place salad mixture on dinner plates. Top with two or three chicken tenders. Dollop with Blue Cheese Dressing.

The Joy of Baking

I bake, therefore I am.

Oh yes. The Jersey Girl is getting philosophical.

Can you stand it?

So, when the world feels sad and lonely or I want to bang my head up against a wall, chances are I will take to the kitchen and bake to my little heart’s content.

Other times when stressy or nervy and wiggin’ out, you will find me at the piano playing for hours upon hours.

And if things are really bad, look for me in a shoe department.

These days, the Jersey Girl is pretty calm. Ever since quitting my morning/afternoon/night job of being a slave for a newspaper, my daily grind isn’t really so grinding.

It’s pretty awesome, actually. Play piano with kiddies and adults. That’s my day. And currently, Miss Susan and her lovely 41 students, are on hiatus.

So, there’s no worry going on except when I really start thinking about childbirth.

Often, the fam requests that I bake somethin’ somethin’ for various events, simply because they know poppin’ some sweet stuff into the oven brings me happiness.

And, many peeps in my fam loathe baking. Exceptions are my grandmothers, who I totally take after, and my godmother Aunt Karen and her no. 3 son Blair, who is a pie-making genius.

But you so should not harbor fear over your oven or that bundt pan, dear readers. Embrace them!

You CAN bake. It’s not that challenging. And I always declare, “If I’m going to eat a cookie, I’d rather it come from me than a factory.”

Which leads me to my latest foray into the “Williams Sonoma Baking Book” – Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. Oh hell’s yeah. They’re really fab. You bake them a bit long for a cookie – 15 minutes – which puts them onto the crunchy side. They are fab with a glass of milk, which is good for babies growing inside of you. And chocolate does wonders for soon-to-be-mommies who are off coffee and wine. Eek.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
From the “Williams-Sonoma Baking Book”
Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 oz (30 g) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (4 ½ oz/140 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. (3 oz/90 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
2/3 cup (5 1/3 oz/165 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup (2 oz/60 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup (6 oz/ 185 g) bittersweet or semisweet (plain) chocolate chips
½ cup (2 oz/60 g) coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 baking sheets with parchment (baking) paper.

Put the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler and melt, stirring occasionally over barely simmering water. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until blended.

In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed or a wooden spoon, beat together the butter, shortening, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well blended and fluffy. Beat in the melted chocolate. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended. Add the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Add the chocolate chips and the nuts, if using, and continue stirring until just blended.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 1 ½ inches (4 cm) apart. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until they are puffed but still look moist on top, about 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool briefly on the pans on wire racks before transferring them to the racks to cool completely.

Please note: The Jersey Girl uses extra-large eggs. She omitted the pecans/walnuts due to a food allergy.

Forever Hungry

Pasta makes me happy.

During the no-carb, Atkins diet craze, I thought the whole world had gone mad.

Because a life without tortellini, capellini and lasagna is so not for me. Ditto for bread and pizza.

Everything is moderation is my motto.

Unless, I’m pregnant. And then, well, I kinda want pasta and/or pizza like everyday. And I keep jonesing for a chocolate doughnut.

Don’t do it, Susan. Don’t do it.

Seriously, I may eat pasta twice a week during this bun-in-the-oven stage of life. And ironically, I can’t eat a lot all in one sitting. I can’t eat a lot of anything all in one sitting.

Except sushi. Oh, how I miss thee.

I’ve made the dubious mistake while being pregnant and eating out to order copious amounts of food only to become full three bites in.

My eyes are bigger than my stomach as my Poppop would say.

These days, my stomach seems to be bigger than anything. At 19 weeks, I’ve gained 8 pounds. Not too shabby, I suppose. The issue is that I’m always hungry. I eat about six to eight times a day, which can be exhausting, actually. And, I drink about 4 gallons of water daily. The baby-growing process sure does work up a girl’s thirst.

In addition to pasta, I do eat tons of fruit and vegetables. In fact, I am quite thrilled that blueberry season is upon us here in H’town.

And, OK. You caught me. So, I've had one chocolate doughnut. The baby wanted it.

So, onto the recipe at hand: Bacon and Grape Tomato Pasta. I came up with this one night when The Husband was working late.

It’s kind of like an arrabiata sauce – which features bacon. But instead of canned tomatoes I used a pint of fresh grape tomatoes. Yum yum.

Bacon and Grape Tomato Pasta
Makes 2 main dish servings or 4 side dish servings

4 strips bacon, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ medium onion, chopped
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
12 basil leaves, chopped
½ box gemelli pasta
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add bacon. Cook until browned, about five minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a paper towel-lined dish to drain excess oil.

Remove saucepan from heat, and remove some bacon drippings. Leave about 2 Tbsp. in the pan. Return pan to medium heat. Add garlic, onion and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add grape tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes.

Using a ladle, transfer 2 or 3 scoops of pasta water to the saucepan. Bring to a gentle bubble.

Once pasta is cooked to al dente, use a spider ladle to transfer pasta to saucepan. Coat pasta in sauce. Return bacon to saucepan. Toss. Add basil leaves and toss. Check for seasoning and serve.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

That's a Wrap

The food rules of pregnancy are made of evil.

You can’t eat this. You can only have two servings per week of that. This type of fish will kill you, luncheon meats can carry harmful bacteria unless microwaved until steaming and a cup of coffee is taboo.

Blah blah blah.

It’s enough to make a girl, who is totally jonesing for some major sushi, go crazy.

Basically, I like to eat what I want to eat when I want to eat it. Of course, my pregnancy situation is completely messing with my mind and cravings. (Please see previous post re: Fruit Loops and cheese steaks.)

And quitting coffee, actually, wasn’t too tough for me. (I thought I would go into Celebrity Rehab-type withdrawal, but I didn’t.) In fact, one night when I decided to live on the edge and have a half-cup of joe at a family gathering, the side effects of shaking, headache and heartburn made me vow to never drink coffee again so help my unborn child. At least while prego.

Anyhoo, one of the fishes that “they” (They being the evil experts who came up with all of these freakin’ rules and regulations) say that salmon is a wonder food for the pregnant gal.

Fortunately, I love me some salmon and since I can’t get my sushi fix, I have to settle for fish in the cooked form.

Here is a Giada recipe. It’s really fab, and I had a bunch of plum tomatoes lying about so I thought it would be a good use for them. You cook the salmon in foil packets. This process makes cleanup a snap. Yay!

I wanted The Husband to shoot some photos of me making the foil packets, but he claimed that all of you would understand based solely on the instructions. I believe his exact words were, “Your readers aren’t idiots; they know how to wrap something in foil.”

And, since we’re being honest here, I must admit, my eye is on the prize come November: Obviously, the bambino; followed by a sushi dinner fit for a queen; a bottle or two of red wine; and a pot of coffee. If that’s wrong; I don’t want to be right.

Salmon Baked in Foil
From "Everyday Italian"
By Giada De Laurentiis
 
4 (5 ounces each) salmon fillets

2 teaspoons olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained
2 chopped shallots
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Sprinkle salmon with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Place a salmon fillet, oiled side down, atop a sheet of foil. Wrap the ends of the foil to form a spiral shape. Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon.

Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely; seal the packets closed. Place the foil packet on a heavy large baking sheet. Repeat until all of the salmon have been individually wrapped in foil and placed on the baking sheet. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve.

There's a Baby in my Belly

OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG.

The Jersey Girl is gonna be a Jersey Momma.

Holy bleepity bleepity bleep bleep bleep. Bleep.

Still freaking out and in shock and tearing up when writing/saying/telling these words:

I’m prego.

I’ve been DYING to tell all y’all. But, me and The Husband thought it best to wait ‘til we knew for sure that the bambino was all Kool and the Gang.

Of course, our fam and closest friends have known for a while. My sisters knew five seconds in. But, I’m really thrilled to tell my millions of devoted readers, since my pregnant situation has totally impacted my blogging, or I should say: lack of blogging.

And I do not like keeping secrets from my Internet peeps, all 25 of you. Ha.

It’s been a bit trippy since we found out. I’ve been spending most of my time reading about babies and pregnancy and all that while freaking out that I’m actually prego. I mean let’s be real, I deal with plenty of childrens day-to-day, but they come to me at age 5 and older. And my nieces and nephews, well there are a dozen of them, but when they get all stinky and snotty and whiny, I just hand them off to their respective Mom.

The good news is, my sister Monica and my Dad claim that I have uber patience and that’s a good trait for a Momma.

Yay, me.

Me and The Husband are still in La La Land regarding the bambino. It’s quite shocking, actually.

Because, no joke dear readers. It’s taken forever times forever plus forever. I was pretty much accepting the fact that aunt and piano teacher and godmother and perhaps mother of awesome adopted child were in my cards and that was that.

But I’m wrong. Woo-hoo!

Of course, it hasn’t been all peaches and cream, lilacs and roses.

Oh, no, no, no.

You all know about my asthma situation from a few weeks ago, and it’s still going on strong with the awesome pollen levels that are kicking my soon-to-be exceptionally wide bootie. And being in the first-trimester stage kind of thwarted my treatment options. Which, is probably why I was sick for forever and a day.

Then, of course there’s been the nausea. Oh, the nausea. Nausea is what tipped me off. I was minding my own bizness, getting my Jillian Michaels exercise on, when intense nausea made me bust out an EPT on a whim. It was negative. Of course, of course. Do you know how many negative pregnancy tests this gal has taken? About a million.

But two days later, I was still nauseous and still waiting on the monthly gift that ladies have the joy of getting and thought, “Hmmmmmm. What’s going on here?”

And voila, positive pregnancy test.

The Husband is just crazy ecstatic. And he’s so doting. OMG.

So, being prego is completely impacting my eating habits. First off, I’m always hungry. I mean ALWAYS HUNGRY. It’s crazy. I’m so used to going like hours upon hours without eating. So, this is a total change for moi.

And, I’ve been wanting food that I never want: Cheese steaks. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love a good cheese steak now and again, but I had two in a like a two-week time span. Good thing I live in South Jersey.

Also on the top of my food list are Fruit Loops (it’s like I’m 8 years old, people) and bagels with cream cheese. Fun fact: This was totally my diet in college, mixed with cheap vodka and Crystal Light.

I also eat strawberries, oranges and cinnamon toast like nobody’s business.

My other cravings include Indian food, which I so love and Mexican food, which I also completely and totally love. Fortunately, we live near two rockin’ restaurants that serve up these good ethnic eats. Coriander, located on Route 561 in Voorhees, has mac daddy Indian food. Love the lamb saagwala. And, Los Amigos on Route 73 in Berlin has fab Mexican food. The night we went there were three other obviously prego ladies in the house. I took that as a sign.

But, one night, I decided to do Mexican myself, and The Husband documented the results. So, I thought I’d share. I feel healthier when I cook the food I eat. My big sis Michele told me cooking would skeeve the bejesus out of me during the first trimester, but honestly, it hasn’t. I was just always tired and icky feeling and cranky pants, and hungry. Oy.

Word on the street is that you feel super awesome in the second trimester, which I’m officially entering, so hopefully I will be cooking and blogging more!

Chicken Soft Tacos
Makes 4 super big soft tacos

1 lb. ground chicken or pork
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ onion, chopped
½ large red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
Hot sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken. Brown for about five to six minutes. Season with cumin, chili powder and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Push chicken to one side of the pan, leaving an empty space, add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Saute for a few minutes, then toss with the chicken. Cook for about two to three more minutes. Adjust seasonings.

Serve with warm corn tortillas, shredded lettuce, grated cheese and salsa. Guacamole would rock, too, but the Jersey Girl has a mad allergy to avocado.