The Big Gender Reveal

I can’t remember the last time I anticipated an event like I did with our 2nd trimester anatomy ultrasound!

I was going to find out if my baby was a girl or boy!  It seemed so crazy to me that I was going to know this information, and it was one step closer to making this whole baby “thing” seem more real!

18 weeks (and a few days)…this was the day of the ultrasound! 

The weeks leading up to Wednesday were the longest I can remember.  This was like right up there with my wedding day.  I didn’t even think I’d be able to sleep the night before…it felt like the biggest Christmas Eve of my life!!

My appointment was at 10:30am, but there was no way I was going into work beforehand…it would have been pointless.  Not like I’d be able to concentrate. 

The drive there, checking in at the hospital, waiting to register, then waiting in the ultrasound waiting room, then even waiting through the beginning of the ultrasound!!

WAITING!! 

Our ultrasound tech was a really nice woman and she asked if we wanted to know the gender, then got started.  First she started by looking at some of my anatomy, then the baby starting with the head and working her way down to make sure everything was there and measuring ok! 

Then we got to the goods.  I knew from seeing pictures of ultrasounds on BabyCenter that we were looking at that area, and I was trying to figure out if I could see anything before she said it.

Then she says: “see those 3 little lines, that usually means its a girl, but let me look around a little more to be sure”

2 seconds later

“yup, that’s definitely a girl!”

A girl??? A GIRL!!!!!  I didn’t freak out or anything, but as she continued with the ultrasound I was just kind of sitting there with a huge smile on my face trying to absorb that she just said I’m having a GIRL!!!!

So many people asked me ahead of time whether I had a “feeling” for what it was, and honestly I had no idea.  I never got that “feeling” you all speak of.  Never had any dreams of one gender.  Nothing. 

I did notice that Brian and I both would sometimes refer to the baby as “he” or “him”.  So I guess a little part of me, if I had to pick, would have thought it was a boy. 

Being a girly girl myself, I think I always pictured myself with a daughter, although once I was actually pregnant I was getting excited at the thought of either a boy or girl. 

But I’m SO EXCITED NOW!!!!!

It all just feels so much more real now!!  All my family is pretty excited for a new little girl too!! 

Now I can start shopping, and thinking of nursery ideas, and NAMES!  Oh man, I have a feeling a name is going to be the hardest thing for me.

And no I’m not sharing until she’s born ;) 

Mom and I had a blast on Black Friday looking at all the cute baby girl clothes :)  But I was good and only bought one thing.

It was on sale!

says “love to shop” very fitting if you ask me.   

And there SHE is

She’s kind of smiling in that picture!  It’s still so weird to officially refer to her as a HER! 

Oh and everything else looked great!  10 fingers and toes.  We saw all 4 chambers of the heart…so cool!  Even saw her stomach which was full!  So she’s already a good eater :) 

Other than that the long weekend consisted of family time at Thanksgiving, shopping time with mom on Friday, family time with Brian’s family on Saturday and some delicious food today.

Almond-Coconut pancakes for breakfast

Mmmm cappuccino.  So happy my love of coffee returned!  Still I don’t have one everyday. 

Stuffed pork chops for dinner

One of my favorite Giada recipes…  Pork Chops stuffed with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Spinach.  Mmmm and goat cheese ;)

I also made a batch of quinoa salad to have for lunches with some grilled chicken.  This was basically:

• quinoa cooked in chicken broth
• chopped: red pepper, cucumber, red onion, celery
• chick peas
• spinach (baby spinach rough chopped)
• Feta!
• dressing of:  olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, dried oregano, garlic

Mix all together.  Add chopped grilled chicken.

In summary:

Hope you had a great weekend.

It’s a girl!!!

Let the fun begin!!

Grillin' = Eggplant + Tomato + Goat Cheese

During the summer heat, most of our meals around here consist of some type of protein and some vegetable…on the grill.  We have an AC in our house, but when its really hot, and that has been most of the time around here, the last thing I feel like doing is cooking indoors.

Luckily, I think most everything tastes amazing fresh off the grill so I’m not complaining. 

The dilemma I’m usually faced with is what seasonings to use to make tonight's dinner different from last nights. 

Fish is super easy when you grill it in foil!  This was a pieces of wild Alaskan salmon with lemon, capers, and herbs.

But generally we just check out what meats/fish are on sale and go from there.  However we just started a meat CSA share from Chestnut Farms which I’m psyched about and will let you know more as we work our way through our first month’s share. 

Anyways, so one day I was browsing through Anthropologie and saw this cookbook! 

I think Anthro is one of my favorite places to find awesome cookbooks.  They don’t have many but they are all usually pretty good!

This book, The Gardner & The Grill is packed with recipes for the grill using all sorts of veggies, meats, fruits, and even sandwiches and flatbreads.

The first recipe I made was for a grilled Eggplant with Grilled Marinara Sauce!  I had an eggplant that needed to be used, so this was perfect and so easy. 

I’ve never been a huge eggplant fan, but I love it when it’s prepared so its cooked really well so it gets buttery and soft.  Even better with a nice grill flavor.

Because of this, I make sure to prep my eggplant to remove the bitterness and extra moisture…Eggplant will suck up any liquid or oil like a sponge!

I don’t remember exactly where I got this tip, but this is what I do:

Eggplant Prep!

• slice eggplant in thin slices
• arrange on a baking sheet
• sprinkle both sides with a little salt
• cover with paper towels
• place another pan w/heavy object on top
• let sit for at least 30 min.

I let mine sit for longer actually, until I’m ready to use it.  The salt brings the water to the surface so the paper towels can soak it up.  This also removes some of the bitterness.

Now:

• Heat one side of your grill to medium/med-high
• brush the eggplant with olive oil
• Chop 2-3 large tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• handful of basil, rough chopped
• salt + pepper

Make a faux pan out of aluminum foil and put in it the tomatoes, garlic, basil, drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt + pepper.

• Grill eggplant slices over direct heat, and place pan of tomato mixture on indirect side.
• Cook eggplant for 4-5 min per side, or until soft and it has good grill marks (watch thin pieces as they will burn fast).
• Meanwhile stir tomatoes a couple times.
• Once eggplant is done, remove everything from heat and arrange eggplant on a platter.
• Top with tomatoes and crumbled fresh goat cheese.

This was fantastic!  Even Brian who didn’t think he really liked eggplant, loved this as well.  In fact I’ve been buying more and more eggplants lately and can’t wait to make this again.

This was super simple and would make a great side dish for a party or bbq. 

Veggie + Goat Cheese + Chive Frittata

I had some really fantastic breakfasts this weekend! 

Funny, I went out to breakfast a few weeks ago when I was up in Portsmouth for the weekend for my friend’s birthday and I realized it was the first time I had been out to breakfast in a long time!!  I love going out for brunch/breakfast, but I’ve realized that making breakfast at home is my FAVORITE meal to cook on the weekends!

Our house gets nice and sunny, and I love sitting at our table with a fresh cappuccino and whatever breakfast dish we decide to cook up. 

Not to mention I can do this all while still in my PJ’s :)

Saturday morning, I was craving sweet! 

This is easily the 3rd or 4th time I’ve made these Almond-Coconut pancakes since I first came up with the recipe!

My tweaks this weekend were to add 2T of Oat Flour and increased the almond milk to 1/2 cup.  Of course the addition of the flour makes these not Paleo anymore, but that’s an easy thing to leave out.  Delicious both ways.  The flour made them just slightly softer. 

This weekend I enjoyed my pancakes with a few chocolate chips, some real maple syrup, and split a banana with Brian.

Sunday morning, I had no idea what I wanted.

Sweet?  Savory?  Eggs? 

Then I remembered that I wanted to make some sort of baked frittata or other egg dish I could pack up as leftovers to have for breakfast at work some days this week!

Frittatas are so simple and so delicious, plus the flavor combinations are endless!

Ever since I saw the cookbook Plenty on Megan’s blog, I knew I had to own it, and I bought it a couple weeks ago.  In it, there is a recipe for a Smoky Frittata made with cauliflower and smoked mozzarella.  It sounds so flavorful and the picture looks like cheese heaven. 

This recipe was my inspiration for the frittata I made this morning.  I used vegetables and cheeses I just happened to have on hand.  I also used some Greek yogurt and ricotta cheese to add some creaminess to the egg mixture. 

Cauliflower for breakfast.

 

Vegetable + Chive + Goat Cheese: Frittata

• 1T olive oil
• 1 cup chopped cauliflower
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 cup baby spinach (about 2 big handfuls)
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 2T part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/tsp paprika
• salt & black pepper
• 2T finely chopped fresh chives
• 2oz goat cheese, crumbled (or more if you want)
• a sharp cheese to grate on top (I used Gouda Parrano)
• 3-4 cherry tomatoes, seeds removed, sliced (optional but delicious)

Pre-heat oven to 375

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and egg whites.  Then whisk in the Greek yogurt, ricotta, and mustard until all combined.  Add paprika, salt & pepper, and chopped chives.  Stir to combine and set aside.

In a cast iron or other oven proof skillet, heat oil over medium heat.

Add cauliflower and zucchini and sauté for 3-5 minutes until vegetables are tender (mine even got slightly browned in my pan which is good too).  Add the fresh spinach leaves and sauté for about 2 more minutes or until spinach is wilted down. 

Move around veggies in the pan so they are evenly distributed in the pan.  Pour in egg mixture, don’t stir.  Sprinkle the goat cheese around, place the sliced tomatoes on top, and grate as much of your sharp cheese as you want right on top.

Remove from stove and place in the oven.  Bake for 5 minutes, then turn oven onto broil and broil for 4-5 minutes until the frittata is set and the top is just getting slightly browned on the edges. 

Remove from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving!

Next time I’m going to add even more tomatoes, the bites I had with tomato were my favorite…well except for the big melty chunks of goat cheese.   

I enjoyed a big slice with an iced latte (topped with a little whipped cream), and 1 of my leftover almond-coconut pancakes.

Having whipped cream in the fridge is dangerous…mmm.

Can’t wait for breakfast tomorrow!

So for those who pack their breakfasts for work…what do you bring when you’re craving something savory/salty??  Sometimes I just don’t want oatmeal, or yogurt…and those are the mornings I end up buying breakfast sandwiches.  But, of course, that’s something I don’t want to do too often. 

Sometimes I’ll even cook an egg in the microwave and add that to ham and cheese on toast.  It works. 

This Time Last Year

Let’s see…Saturday night, Labor Day weekend, 2009.  I was at my mom’s house.  We just got home from a delicious and exciting dinner at Stellina in Watertown.  Well I’m sure it was delicious, however I had practically no appetite as my nerves were getting the better of me.  It was the rehearsal dinner for Brian and my wedding!!

The recap of this exact day is here…it involved, manicures/pedicures, Choco-Tacos, friends, and family.

This year was a little different (although Jocy and I did get manicures/pedicures last night).

This year my morning involved…Kodiak Cakes!

I know I’ve said this before, but I’ve never been a pancake “mix” person because they are so easy to make from scratch.  But man these are SO good, and you really can’t go wrong with equal parts mix and water.

I always have my usual: chocolate chips melted on top + real maple syrup, but on one of my little cakes I spread Justin’s Maple Almond Butter for a little more staying power.

With this I ate half of a grape fruit.

                
Love weekend breakfasts.

Last year, Jocy (my maid of honor in case you forgot) and I drove around to multiple stores so I could find a cute carry-on bag for the honeymoon and then flagged down the ice cream man to indulge in a Choco-Taco while I still had an appetite.

This year Brian and I ran errands and went to Sel De La Terre in Natick for lunch with my mom.  I always have a good meal here.

Baked aged goat cheese with arugula salad, red onions and pine nuts with added chicken.

Mmmmm goat cheese!

For dessert:

Wedding Cake topper!!

Last year

This year :)

The verdict…STILL GOOD!

I think the fondant actually acted as another protective layer.  This was the lemon cake with raspberry filling.  My cakes also included a carrot cake as well as chocolate.  I like options.

And now as we wind down this Saturday night, I’m home with my husband and while I’m still getting up early tomorrow…it’s not to get ready for my wedding day, it’s to head to Nantucket!!  Mini anniversary trip :)

Not gonna lie though, I think I may have to try on my wedding dress at some point ;)

Stay Tuned for a wedding re-cap on our Anniversary…the 6th!

Bridal Shower Catering

Yesterday my good friend, Jen's, Bridal Shower!! Her wedding is only 3 weeks away now!

There are 8 of us bridesmaids, and two live in California so they weren't able to fly out for this. However, the rest of us put on a lovely brunch for friends and family at her father's GORGEOUS house on the coast. (this is the same house I raved about at New Years). I kind of put my self in charge of the food for two reasons...#1 no one else stepped up haha, and #2 I LOVE doing it!!

7 trips to 5 different grocery stores later, and a late night Friday + early morning yesterday and we had a beautiful spread of food (too much obviously).

Being a brunch I wanted to have a good selection of breakfast foods with a little lunch mixed in!

The Menu consisted

Beverages

• Champagne
• OJ
• Grapefruit Juice
• Cranberry Juice
• Coffee

Baked Goods

• Mini Blueberry Corn Muffins (used Jiffy mix...Jiffy is pretty much the only box mix I'll use for any baked good. It's a classic and the corn muffins are just SO good!!) I used this recipe from their website with a bag of frozen wild Maine blueberries I picked up. I didn't have apple juice so I used water with a squeeze of honey!
• Mini and regular size Chocolate Coconut Muffins - I used my recipe, but with a few tweaks. I used all coconut oil, and added a tad more sweetener (an extra tbsp of brown sugar, and maybe a little extra squeeze of honey, plus I used regular sweetened coconut) I figure not everyone loves a good healthy not-so-sweet muffin like I do, so I just wanted to make them a tad more crowd pleasing...and they were!
• Cranberry-Orange Scones - I used this recipe I found online, just subbing out the lemon for orange and I did not make a glaze.

For both scones I cut the butter into the dry ingredients the night before, kept it in the fridge, then added the wet ingredients, shaped, cut, and baked in the morning of the shower.

• Plain Cream Scones - Using this recipe, and not adding the currants.

For both scones I cut the butter into the dry ingredients the night before, kept it in the fridge, then added the wet ingredients, shaped, cut, and baked in the morning of the shower.The cranberry orange scones waiting to be baked. It's been a long time since I've made scones and the very dry crumbly dough was tough for me to work with so even thought it's supposed to be like that I may have added extra cream, but in the end they were awesome.

• note: For both scone recipes I used light cream wherever it called for heavy cream because I used all the heavy cream making Clotted Cream for the scones! I've only ever bought clotted cream, but since I saw a recipe in my tea time cookbook I decide to use that! It was pretty good, more like whipped cream and I like other store bought ones more but it worked.

Presentation - All the baked goods arranged on a tray:
There was also a Sour Cream Coffee Cake with chocolate chips and walnuts (this was a special request I put in to my mom...she makes the best and I asked if she'd make one for this!)

(there are also mini chicken salad pitas on the table, but we'll get to those in a minute)Clotted Cream with two different Jams: Strawberry-Rhubarb and Raspberry

Fruit and Yogurt

• My first idea I had was to have a Yogurt Parfait Station!! We got strawberry and vanilla yogurt and served it along side lots of toppings:
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Two types of Granola
• dried cranberries
• walnuts
  

We have a lot of this as leftovers (actually lots of everything) but it will not go to waste obviously!

• We also had a lovely LARGE fruit tray with Cantaloupe, Honey Dew, and Pineapple!

Protein and Veggies (and dairy and more carbs too hehe)

• The other breakfast items included two large frittatas!
• The first was a version of my aunts Asparagus and Gruyere Fritatta from last Sunday. Although when I learned she made it was 3 cups of heavy cream I decided to "Bridge-fy" it haha.

Above: pan of asparagus topped with shredded gruyere prior to being covered in egg mixture

For the frittata:

• I cooked 2 bunches of asparagus in boiling salted water for a few minutes until limp, then into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. This was done Thursday night, along with grating the cheese!
• For the egg mixture I used 9 eggs, 3/4 Non-fat Evaporated Milk, 3/4 cup light cream, 1.5 cups whole milk, salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg.
• Sprayed the large 18"x13" jelly roll pan with cooking spray, placed asparagus, topped with cheese, poured egg mix on top, baked for 25-30min at 350 until set!

I also made another large fritatta the same way but with:

• Chicken Apple breakfast sausage
• balsamic caramelized onions
• goat cheese
• I have yet to try this one but I heard it was amazing!
  Baked at home, but re-heated at the shower!

• Another crowd pleaser was the salad. I used one of my aunts salads she makes a lot but added goat cheese...of course.
• SO COLORFUL!!
• 2 packages baby spinach
• sliced strawberries (about 1 quart worth)
  
• candied walnuts (almost 1 bag from TJ's)
• goat cheese!! (about 1/3 of a large log)
• Dressing: extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard
• Delicious!!!

Next was Chicken Salad Mini Pitas!

• Made a classic chicken salad with
  
• Cooked Chicken (5 breasts, steamed/boiled)
• chopped celery
• halved grapes
• chopped walnuts
  
• Lite Mayo mixed with a little sour cream and honey!
• Placed in Mini Party Pitas I saw at the grocery store ( I know Trader Joe's has them too)
  These were a hit! They are the perfect size to pop in your mouth :)

Final Savor food item was: Slice Baguette with Honey Mustard, ham, green apple, brie...heated in the oven at 350 for 8 min (or until cheese melts).
I left some without ham for the veggies!!
The one thing I didn't have to worry about was dessert. The bride's mom offered to pick up some things from a local french bakery...perfectly fine by me!! :) She got cute little mini pastriesWe also had Penuche Cake! This is a family recipe of my roomates and she was dying for a good opportunity to try out this famous cake her grandmother always made. It's SO SO SO GOOD!!! It's like a cinnamon cake with this brown sugary icing (it was like caramel when it was hot). You just need a small bite as it's SUGARY, but oh so good.

Shower Go-ers enjoying the day:
Shower Fun: A gift, bridal bingo, and the obligatory ribbon "bouquet" she'll use for the rehearsal
It was a loooong night for roomie and I. We didn't get to bed until 1:00AM Friday night and had to get up at 5:30AM Saturday to get back to the food, but it was worth it.

BEST PART: A few people asked me if this (i.e. catering) is what I do for a living, and that was probably one of the best compliments I've ever received!! It felt great after all that hard work to hear things like that. Especially when someday I would love to do something like this for a living.

Sorry I wasn't able to post until now, we had a few friends over allllll weekend and the spa day bachelorette was today so I have not had a free moment until now!! Can't wait for bed :)