Stocking the Freezer - 7 days and counting!

Maternity leave is a wonderful thing. It gives you the time you need to make sure you are fully prepared for the soon-to-arrive bundle of joy; to wash every onesie, burp cloth and blanket; to fold them and organize them in their appropriate drawers; to take them back out, fold them a second time, and place them in a very similar, but strangely better spot. (I may or may not have done this several times already.) It allows you to assemble the stroller, hang some wall-hangings, and install the car seat, and that extra seat-base for the second car. Then, it affords the (probably unnecessary) opportunity to go back the next day and do it all over again, just in case. It lets you take your husband back to USA Baby for the umpteenth time, pick up that rocking chair (the last item for the nursery!), put it together and give it a few test rocks - just to make sure it's comfy and rocky and ready for our little bambino.  It is my last chance to do those last few things. And so, I have cleaned our condo from top to bottom, packed my hospital bag, read every baby book I own multiple times, organized the endless pile of diapers (that will somehow only manage to last us a week), set up the nursery and the bassinet, and assembled every swing, play gym and bouncer we own or ever could own. Oh, and I picked out a birth announcement.

But as of today I am 39 weeks pregnant, and I find myself restless and quickly running out of patience (not to mention clothes that fit - my poor husband has had to hand over his Notre Dame lacrosse shorts and multiple, mostly Steelers t-shirts because I refuse to buy any more maternity clothes this late in the game). So despite all of the wonderfulness, my maternity leave has also given me far too much time to sit around and over-analyze each and every slight pain, ache or never-felt-before sensation. With each one, I freeze, hoping that the time has finally come. I stare at the clock begging my body to do it again. Of course, nothing ever happens. My contractions are irregular and for the most part painless (although often times uncomfortable) and I find myself quickly realizing that yes, I will, in fact, be pregnant forever.

So today, one week out from my due date, I knew that I had to find something to keep my hands busy and my mind distracted. With every item on the baby checklist complete, the only thing left to do was stock the freezer. I know that whenever this baby finally decides to grace us with her presence, that we will be overjoyed and madly in love. But I also know that we will quickly become overwhelmed and beyond sleep deprived. (Insanely happy? Of course. Insanely sleepy? Uh, that too). I am sure on most days, the last thing I will have the time or energy to do will be to cook dinner. So in anticipation of the inevitable, and the need to just do absolutely anything before I lose my mind waiting for this sweet (though apparently stubborn) baby girl, I am going to make and freeze several meals over the course of the next week that can be easily reheated on a moment's notice. So for starters, the freezer's menu will include: Chicken and Vegetable Casserole, Minestrone, banana bread and/or muffins (at Adam's request) and today's dish: Spinach and Meat Lasagna.

Start off by boiling a large pot of water. Once the water comes to a rapid boil, add a touch of salt and 12 sheets of lasagna, and then bring back to a boil. Cook for approximately 8 minutes or until noodles are al dente. Meanwhile, brown 1 lb of ground beef over medium heat.

Once the meat is cooked, drain the excess grease and return to the burner. I happened to have leftover spicy Italian sausage from a meal earlier in the week, so I chopped it up and added it to my beef. Next, add a cup or so of homemade or store bought pasta sauce, a bit of pepper, onion powder and basil.

In a large bowl combine 15 ounces of ricotta cheese, 5 oz of shredded parmesan cheese, 2 eggs (beaten), and 10 ounces of chopped spinach.

Once the lasagna noodles are cooked, drain the pot and lay the noodles out so that they do not stick together and end up tearing.

In the bottom of a large lasagna pan (such as the one shown below by Mario Batali!) spread about 1/2 cup of your pasta sauce.

Layer 4 sheets of pasta, slightly over lapping. 

Next spread half of the ricotta and spinach mixture over the noodles until completely covered.

On top of the cheese mixture, spread 1/2 of the meat mixture.

Repeat the last 3 steps. Finally cover the entire dish with the remaining pasta sauce.

Cook for approximately 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Once the lasagna was completely cooled, I covered it and put it in the freezer for an easy to heat up meal once the baby arrives! Before serving, I will obviously be reheating it, but also adding plenty of mozzarella cheese and freshly chopped basil to the top. Cannot wait!

Adam had to have a piece before it went into the freezer.

Oh and just a word to the wise to any doctors out there: if you are going to tell an extremely pregnant woman at her 38 week appointment that her baby will be arriving "soon" you better mean within the next week or so, otherwise, you are just plain mean. Anytime between now and the Fourth of July is not considered to be "soon." Seven days (hopefully!) and counting and cannot wait!

Is it Spring Yet?

When my husband was applying for jobs, I told him that I would go anywhere he wanted as long as it was south of our current location which at that time was South Bend, IN. Somehow he managed to accept a job in one of the only major cities north of South Bend - Milwaukee. He promised me though and stated over and over again, that the weather would be no worse, no colder and if I am not mistaken I believe he said we would experience less snow in Milwaukee than we had in past years in South Bend. I did not believe him.

Today is May 4th. We are a full month and a half into "spring," yet I wore my winter coat to work this morning and it snowed two whole days last week. When I check the forecast each morning, I find myself getting overly excited for temperatures in the 50's and not surprised at all when the high is only 42. I often point out to my husband that South Bend is consistently 10 degrees warmer than Milwaukee. Now don't get me wrong, Milwaukee is a far better city than South Bend. There is much more to do, wonderful restaurants to try out, apparently some great beers (50 more days and I can confirm that for myself!) and not a week goes by that someone doesn't tells me how amazing the summers are here. Yet somehow I find myself constantly asking "is it spring yet?"

Last week as the rain continued to fall and I was still wearing my winter sweaters I decided the only way to encourage spring to come was to start acting like it had already arrived - make a meal worthy of a beautiful spring day: beef tenderloin with mushrooms, fingerling potatoes, and a delicious carrot cake.

Beef Tenderloin:
Beef tenderloin is such a great cut of meat that you really should not have to do too much to it. I simply coated it with a bit of olive oil, and sprinkled it with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.

I cooked the meat at 450 degrees until it reached an internal temperature of 140 degrees. I allowed it to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it.

Before serving the beef, I made a simple mushroom gravy by heating olive oil in a large skillet. Once warmed, I added a bit of thyme and a whole package of mushrooms and allowed the mushrooms to become tender. I then added about 1/2 cup of chicken broth as well as 1/2 cup of white wine. After bringing the gravy to a boil, I simmered the sauce until it began to reduce. From there I added a bit of corn starch mixed with water to work as a thickening agent.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes:
This is perhaps the easiest way to make potatoes and the results are amazing. It only took 3 simples steps to prepare: drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, season with rosemary, salt and pepper, bake until fully roasted.

Serve along side of the beef with mushroom gravy.

Carrot Cake:
Now as wonderful and as simple to make as that meal was, the true spring item of the night was the carrot cake. Of course, requested by my husband, this cake was moist and light and with each bite brought spring a little bit closer to Milwaukee. Here is out how you make it:

Start by greasing and flouring two round cake pans.

In a large bowl combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of allspice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Whisk together 3 large eggs at room temperature and 2/3 cup of vegetable oil.

Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture until just combined.

Next, grate 1 and a 1/2 cups of carrots. For me this took approximately 5 carrots, but depending on the size you could need a few more or less.

Lastly, mix in the shredded carrots and 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple. The crushed pineapple adds a little extra moisture and keeps the cake fresh for longer.

Stir the batter until combined and then scrape even amounts into each cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow the cakes to cool for awhile before removing from the pans. Otherwise you risk breaking or cracking. While the cakes cool, make a simple cream cheese frosting. Start by beating together 8 ounces of cold cream cheese, 5 tablespoons of softened butter and 2 teaspoons of vanilla in a bowl.

Slowly, and only a little bit at a time, add confectioners' sugar until you have reached your desired consistency. Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon and stir until combined.

Once your cakes are cooled, you can begin the assembly process. Take your time assembling the cake. Rushing through this process can cause broken pieces of cake in your icing. Simple place your first cake on a cake stand. Slowly spread a portion of the icing outwards. Try not to go back and forth over the same area.

Once the bottom layer is complete, gently place the second cake on top and repeat the icing process. Once the cake is fully covered, coarsely chop about a cup of walnuts and lightly press them along the edge of the cake.

Spring may be a bit delayed this year, but in the meantime we can at least enjoy a meal worthy of a beautiful spring day. Although I will probably continue to ask and wonder if it is spring yet (or if it will ever arrive), I am happy to know that with each passing day we are getting closer and closer to summer. And this summer will bring me the greatest gift of all - Baby Fischer! I hope she likes carrot cake.

Lamb Kebabs

Adam and I decided last week that we needed to be a bit more adventurous in our cooking. The time has come to expand our limits a bit further and tread waters that have been previously unexplored in our little kitchen. In order to do so, we made the decision to purchase one item each week, be it a meat, spice, grain, vegetable, really anything will do, that we have not previously used, or at least not used very often or in a long time. So, last week while we were at the store we had a whole new task at hand: find an adventurous ingredient and we did just that when Adam threw ground lamb into the cart.

A few days went by and I kept thinking about the ground lamb that was sitting in our freezer. I had no idea what to make with it. I thought about lamb meatballs, but that seemed too easy considering we already make meatballs. I considered some type of pasta for awhile, but again, that didn't seem different enough from our regular routine. I thought about flatbreads, burgers, and basically anything that I had made with ground beef in the past, but nothing seemed right for our new experiment.

My memory then took me back to the several months that Adam and I both spent studying abroad in Fremantle, Australia (also the place where we "officially" first meet and started dating). There was this wonderful, little, hole in the wall place, where the owner barley spoke any english, but made one heck of a kebab. He had every kind of kebab you could imagine and each one was better than the last. He of course always had lamb kebabs. The perfect first recipe to start off our new adventure.

I was actually shocked at just how easy these kebabs were to make. It only took a few ingredients and a little bit of time. They are a great option for a weeknight meal when you need something in 30 minutes or less. Here is how I made ours:

I started off by combining the package of ground lamb, about 1/2 of an onion finely chopped, roughly 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, approximately 1/2 teaspoon of 9 spice curry powder (a great christmas present from my in-laws!), a little salt and pepper, 1/2 cup of Panko crumbs and 1 egg all in a large bowl.

With my hands, I mixed all the ingredients together until fully incorporated. You do not want the mixture to be too wet, otherwise it will be difficult to shape. If need be, you can always add a bit more Panko until reaching the right consistency. You also do not want it to be too dry. If it seems a bit dry, you may need a second egg. Once the mixture is complete, I simply formed long patties with my hands and placed the lamb on a baking sheet.

Now I would have preferred to grill the kebabs (and would have put them on skewers in that case), but we unfortunately have yet to purchase a grill for our new place - something I need to fix as soon as possible. I was stuck with the next best option which was the oven. I baked the kebabs at 425 degrees for about 17- 20 minutes. Halfway through the baking time, I drained off the excess oil that had accumulated and then flipped the kebabs to ensure that they would brown on both sides. Once fully cooked, I let the kebabs rest on paper towels to help extract any left over oil.

To assemble the kebabs I took whole wheat naan which I had toasted a bit in the warm oven, spread them with baba ghanoush hummus and then layered with the lamb, fresh tomato and spring lettuce.

This was a great start to our new adventure in cooking. The cinnamon and curry added just the right amount of spice, while still allowing the flavor of the lamb to come through and the kebabs themselves were almost too easy to make. A perfect week night meal and a perfect reminder of those great days in Australia. Now we just need to get back to Fremantle so that we can compare our kebabs to our favorite little vendor. Perhaps a trip to the land of Oz for our second wedding anniversary, Adam....?

Meatballs!

This day and age, woman are taught or pressured into believing there are certain meals they cannot or should not eat. My husband often reminds me of this when I say no to a particular food or dish, claiming that I do not like it. He will often call my bluff and force me to admit that I don't really even know if I like it, I just tell myself that so I won't want it. It is an interesting little trick that I have been unknowingly using for many years. For me, the following are some of the foods that I "don't like:"

1. Meatloaf - Although I did not try this gross-looking, bacon-encrusted, drown-the-flavor-out-with-ketchup, meat for many years, it is my husband's favorite meal and I have had to eat it once or twice since we have been married. I still do not like it. Perhaps part of the reason I still don't like it is because I believe it is bad for me, but I have given it a try and have been unable to come around. It stays on the list.

2. Hamburgers - growing up my parents did not take my siblings or me to McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's or any of those other fast food hamburger joints (as an adult, this is something I am actually happy about and a habit I have kept). The only time we frequented these chains were on road trips and the majority of time we ended up at an Arby's where they serve "Market Fresh" sandwiches and salads. Although, I do recall that, after my tonsils and wisdom teeth were taken out, my mom brought me a Wendy's frosty. Those I like - and have no problem eating! (Sometimes, I even dip Adam's french fries in my frosty. Don't judge me; it's awesome). However, you will rarely find me ordering a hamburger and if I do it is usually of the turkey, quinoa or veggie variety. And I really do prefer those. Sorry Adam, it's true. (Although, your grilled burgers - the ones you learned from your Dad - with the worcestershire, soy sauce & garlic powder ... I'd happilly order them anytime).
3. Chipotle Burritos - Yes, I have tried them. And although most people stare in disbelief when I say I don't like them, it is true! And, I really do not like how I feel after eating them. Yes, I will admit, the fact that there is a whole day's worth of calories in just one burrito has probably influenced my taste buds. This is my husband's favorite item to argue with me on the whole "taste vs. health reason" for not eating something.
4. Real potato chips - I am more than happy to stick to the baked variety. They even taste better.
5. Bologna, Salami, Pepperoni and any other deli meat speckled with fat - overly processed, overly gross.
6. Mayonnaise - You will never find this condiment spread on a sandwich of mine. The only time I use it is as a part of a larger dish and even then, I use the light stuff. (See also: ranch dressing. Never bought it. Never will.)
7. Regular Soda - I do think it has a weird flavor, but again, I probably convinced myself of this because I know it is unhealthy. Pregnancy has, however, cured me from even diet soda. I haven't had a sip in the last 28 weeks.
8. Creamy Soups - I avoid them like the plague. I am perfectly happy sticking with broth based soups.
9. Prime Rib - I honestly really don't know if I like this or not, and since I cannot recall the last time I even had it, it makes the list.
10. Meatballs - This one I use to avoid just because I did think it was bad for me. Whenever I had meatballs, they were so rich and decedent that I knew they just had to be bad for me. Although they tasted great, my mind kept winning the argument. But....

Over the years, the more meals I have made, the more I have come to realize and appreciate that you do not have to avoid certain dishes or foods, you just have to prepare them in your own healthy way. More often than not, I even find that the healthier version tastes better. My husband has been really pushing some of the above items lately, convinced (and supported by scientific fact) that if I eat them while pregnant, our baby girl will be more likely to enjoy them when she is born and thus, as a result, he will have a partner in crime. He has requested and been denied meatloaf multiple times this year (a disappointment he took into his own hands last weekend; making and eating a whole meatloaf while I was away for the weekend). Worse yet (at least for him), I have not had any bizarre pregnancy cravings that make me want to eat any of the above items. He was really hoping that the pregnancy gods would grant him that one wish...

Last weekend though, I flew to Kansas City for a wonderful baby shower put on by my sisters. My oldest sister, Erica, created a collage of pictures of both Adam and me when we were babies. And this was one of pictures she used:

When I saw this picture of Adam eating spaghetti and meatballs as a little kid, my heart melted. He had been denied meatballs for far too long. His unborn baby girl deserved the chance to determine for herself if she liked them too. So, on Wednesday night as he and his very own "League of Dorks" (if you are a Sports Guy fan, you know what I mean by this), began their fantasy baseball draft, I happily whipped him up some meatballs and quietly served them to him, so as to not interrupt the ridiculousness that is him, his friends and their weird song about Julio Lugo.

This meatball recipe was actually discovered by Adam while watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay. He made them for me during several attempts to persuade me to take them off my list of banned food. And being the understanding husband that he is, he even agreed to my adaptations of the recipe so that it met my "healthy" standards.

So here are our very delicious version of a healthier meatball!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease two baking sheets.

In a large bowl combine 1 pound of lean ground beef (you can use a mixture of other lean ground meats if you would like, however, we have discovered that using just beef - as opposed to, say, beef and ground pork - provides the best flavor), 1/2 cup of italian flavored bread crumbs, 4 large eggs, 1/2 cup of skim milk, 4 oz of parmesan cheese, 1/2 of an onion coarsely chopped, about 2 oz of chopped fresh parsley and 3 oz of chopped fresh basil.

With your hands, mix all of the ingredients together until fully combined. You are looking for a certain consistency with these meatballs. You want enough breadcrumbs so that they will stay together, but also enough liquid so that the meatballs are moist and delicious once baked.

Once fully mixed, shape your meatballs to the size of a golf ball or a bit larger. Place on the greased baking sheets.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Do not over bake though!

While the meatballs are baking, make your pasta sauce in a large skillet. If you are short on time, feel free to use a jarred pasta sauce of your liking. To add a little something extra to the jarred sauce, use this simple trick that I learned from Ina Garten: chop up and saute an onion, and then add the jar of (preferably good) pasta sauce. The sauted onion brings out an extra element of flavor in the sauce. Once the meatballs are cooked, transfer them into the skillet along with your pasta sauce and continue cooking for another minute or so.

Serve with chopped basil and a touch of parmesan cheese.

This healthy meatball recipe has won me over and removed meatballs from my list of "bad" foods. Now, I cannot wait to make them for my daughter, and capture a picture of her enjoying them just as her Daddy did when he was young.

Lenten Meal: Baked Pasta

Once a month, I am graced with the wonderfulness of a great mail day. No, it is not that rare day without bills (although that is very nice), and no it is not due to a special letter from a long time pen-pal (I would first need to find that pal); no, it's the day when my favorite cooking magazines arrive, a day that truly is like Christmas morning. From the moment I open that little gray door that keeps our treasures locked inside, I can see them folded up neatly and just waiting for my attention. On the way up the stairs, I stare intently at the insanely detailed photos that grace the covers, and hungrily read every headline, waiting until I am safely in our condo before pouring over every page. Last month was no different, my magazines arrived and I was hooked until they had been read cover to cover.

Half way through Bon Appetit, I discovered a full spread called "Melting Pots." Eight pages, of rich, comfort food all consisting of only baked pastas. I wanted to try each and every recipe, immediately, but one in particular stood out as the perfect no meat on Fridays lenten meal: Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch. So instead of turning to eggs or fish on Friday, I went all out with my latest most favorite pasta dish.

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch (adapted from Bon Appetit):

First, begin by preparing all of your ingredients. Wash and chopped 2 medium sized eggplants, 2 yellow bell peppers, and 2 cups of cherry tomatoes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place all of the chopped vegetables on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a little basil and oregano. Bake until the vegetables are roasted and soft.

While the vegetables are roasting, combine 2/3 cup of basil, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of pine nuts, and a dash of salt in a processor and blend.

In a large bowl, add 1 large can of whole tomatoes with their juice, 8 oz of heavy whipping cream, and an additional cup of basil. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Set aside until later.

Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a boil. Add in 1 pound of rigatoni and cook until al dente. Once cooked, drain and pour pasta into a large baking pan.

Add the roasted vegetables, the tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to the pasta. Stir until combined.

Chop up some fresh mozzarella cheese to add on top of the pasta and pretend to not see when your husband sneaks a few pieces.

Sprinkle the pasta with your basil and pine nut mixture as well as the fresh mozzarella.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

There are still 4 meatless Fridays (tomorrow being one!) left in this lenten season. So, if you are looking for something amazing to spice up your Friday night, this Bon Appetit recipe is the one to use. It is just that good and unlike the regular, old pasta dishes most of us so often turn to. The basil and pine nut mixture makes this whole dish stand out in a class of its own, so much so that I almost felt guilty for enjoying my meatless Friday so much.

So enjoy, on a Friday in lent or any other day of the year. And have no fear, the next great mail day should be coming soon.