Comfort food

August 14, 2012

It's hard to remember now that Sam wasn't always the happy kid he is now.  And even harder to remember that Nick and I weren't always as content as we are today.  Pretty much from week 28 of my pregnancy (when Sam was mis-diagnosed with brain abnormalities-boo to overreacting doctors) to the day he was born (a month early) until he was almost 10 weeks old, there were lots of tears in this household.  From all of us.

After he was born, there were breastfeeding issues, his acid reflux, sleep deprivation, and post-partum depression. I was a mess.  I remember looking at Nick one night after Sam had finally drifted off to sleep on my chest and saying I felt like a shell of my former self.

April 9, 2012

I was so sad.  The overwhelming joy I felt when I held Sam for the first time had faded into a fog. 

April 16, 2012

I'm grateful that I had Nick to rely on to feed me and comfort me during those days.  There were many nights that he came home from work to find me in the rocking chair trying desperately to soothe our fussy baby while the white noise machine blared crashing waves and seagulls crying.  Dark days, my friends, dark days.  Knowing that a hot meal was waiting for me made the endless shushing bearable.

Though I learned a lot during the first three months of my life as a mom, I'll focus on the most edible.  My husband can really cook.

Pasta with peas, eggs, and cheese.

Grilled steak and onions with olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

 

Portuguese fish stew with mussels, clams, shrimp, and King crab legs.  Fun fact- I'm allergic to crab.  Found this out after devouring more than half of this bowl.  Itchy palms=run to CVS for benadryl  

Farewell, my spiny friend.

Nick also made some stellar stuffed mussels with spinach that are unpictured because we ate them too quickly.  I *heart* muscles. 

I'm lucky that my issues weren't anything that Lexapro and good food couldn't cure.  To all new moms and dads out there- be kind to yourselves.

Roasted Garlic Onion Pizza

Ever noticed that the audience on the Rachael Ray show always claps for cheese during her cooking segment?  Doesn't matter if it's mozzarella, Parmesan reggiano, Romano, cheddar...they clap like they're watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade for all kinds of dairy goodness.  

I've always found that a bit strange- does cheese really require applause?  Does Rachael need their unconditional support as she grinds, grates, slices, and smothers?  

Well...I was wrong.  Cheese deserves praises.  Especially when it's on top of this pizza.

So take a deep breath.  Sit down.  Relax.  

Maybe even grab a napkin. 

'Cause you're about to drool.

LEGEND...wait for it....DAIRY!

The secret to this pizza comes in a jar and it's not your mama's marinara.

Hello, lover.

Here's a loose recipe to follow if you want to recreate this masterpiece in your own kitchen. 

Roasted Garlic Onion Pizza

1 premade pizza dough- I used whole wheat dough from Portland Pie Co.    (found at Hannaford's)

~1/4 cup Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

6 1/4 inch slices of fresh mozzarella

~1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil

cornmeal

Take dough out of refrigerator about a half hour before you plan to stretch it.  This makes it so much easier to work with.

Preheat the oven to 475.

Dust your baking sheet with a few tablespoons of cornmeal.  You want enough to cover the entire surface with a thin layer.  This prevents the pizza from sticking and provides some lovely texture.  If you have a pizza stone, you can skip this step.  I don't, so I just use my gnarliest baking sheet that I've had since college.

Stretch the dough into a rectangle. 

Spread the jam in a thin layer over the dough, leaving a half inch border.  Make sure the surface is evenly coated.

Layer on the mozzarella.  It won't cover the whole pizza, but it will melt and ooze over the pie while it bakes.

Sprinkle the Parmesan over the mozzarella.

Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the pizza- make sure to put a bit on the crust.  You could use a pastry brush and gently paint the oil onto the crust, but who has time for that nonsense?

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Gaze at it's glory.  Let it cool, lest you be scorched  by molten cheese.

Devour.

Serve alongside a spinach salad to maintain your virtue. 

 

Beach day

A few weeks ago we headed up to Gloucester for the day.  It's such a quaint beach town, perfect for a hot summer day.  

Sam's not a huge fan of his carseat these days, probably because it gets so dang hot.  What is it about carseats that makes them baby ovens??   We have a Chicco KeyFit30 and Sam comes out of it sweaty every time.  Maybe it'll keep him warm in the winter?  Anyway, due to Sam's transportation preferences, I wore him in the Ergo all day.  He stayed comfy and happy and I ended the day with a baby-shaped sweat stain on the front of my dress.  And no, there are no pictures of that.  It was gross.

 We got there around 11 and decided to have an early lunch at the Cape Ann Brewery. 

 A honey pilsner & a lobster roll for Nick and a pale ale & a giant bowl of clams for me.  No pictures of the food because it was housed.  Seafood=summer.

After lunch we wandered around the town center.  Stopped in a few antique shops and toy stores.  Cannot wait to buy so many toys for me Sam to play with!

A pit stop at Cape Ann Olive Oil Co. netted us a bottle of Chipotle olive oil.  So flavorful and a nice finishing touch on any Mexican dish.  I sampled entirely too much oil and vinegar and left SO thirsty- the espresso balsamic vinegar was surprisingly drinkable.  Would've bought a bottle, but how exactly does one use espresso vinegar?  I can only eat so many salads.  

 Last stop was Hammond Castle.  This modern medieval castle is a gem.  "The Father of the Remote Control" John Hays Hammond Jr. built this for his wife as a wedding present.  Pretty sure I just got a pair of earrings from my husband to be...nice ones, but still...

Don't be jealous of my awesome floppy hat. 

 The castle sits right on the water's edge with pristine views of the Atlantic.

Time to burp.

Sam got a great view of all the interesting ceilings at the castle, as he required a bottle while we were there.  Nick and I traded off carrying Sam and feeding him at the same time.  I'm getting some amazing triceps caring for this kid.


Our first full day out with the wee one went quite well- no true meltdowns from any of us.  High five, family!

Broccoli Cheese Breakfast Casserole

I love hot breakfast.  Whether it's oatmeal or pancakes, I like something warm first thing in the morning.  Bake ahead breakfast casseroles have been my go-to breakfast item for years.  I'd made a 9x13 pan on Sunday night and Nick and I would split it throughout the week. 

Now with Sam on the scene, having a quick breakfast is more of a need than a want.  I jokingly refer to Sam as "the warden" and let me tell you, he runs a tight ship.   He demands several square meals a day and doesn't take kindly to waiting. 

He was nice enough to help me make this week's casserole, even got his hands a little dirty in the process.

I use this basic recipe as a jumping off point and generally add ham, cheese, and broccoli.  So good and filling!

The green grass grows all around

 Even though Sam is only 3 months old, I decided it was time that he get used to the great outdoors.  His first camping trip is scheduled for August!  Here's hoping he likes dirt and decides to sleep through the night- God bless the other campers, in advance, for putting up with a noisy baby.

  

 Sam oversaw my weeding efforts and Gilligan helped clean up the weeds by throwing them around the yard.

Our poor, neglected garden.  Between the heat and the infant, it's hard a rough go this summer. 

Sam worked on his core strength while Gilligan gazed longingly at all the flowers he wanted to trample. His on backyard probation since he ripped Nick's thriving grapevine out of the ground.  Naughty doggie. 

I was clearly more amused than Sam by our backyard adventures. 

Found out, rather quickly, that someone is not amused by the hose.  So we sat on it instead.  Take that, hose!

Happy belated birthday!

Happy birthday to me!

And Nana!

And Uncle Matt!

Make a wish!

Fiscally frisky

What a difference three weeks makes!  I went back to work on July 2.  I gave my notice on July 9 and Friday, July 20 was my last day!  Craziness.  I'm so grateful that I get to spend this time at home with Sam.  And now it's especially important to me to keep costs down now that I'm not bringing in the big bucks.  I'll do the usual cost savers- walking instead of driving, more library books, turning off the A/C when it's not super hot, etc. 

I'll also use nap time to do some planning...

  And couponing!  I tried to get into coupons a few years ago and just didn't have the patience for it.  But now it's kind of a like a game for me- how much money can I save?  The trick for me is to only use coupons for things we really need.  It's easy to find a deal on random items and think, "score! a direct hit!" but if it's something we never use (air freshener?  kitty litter?  doritos??) then I gotta show some self control and move along. 

This week I found two coupons for cereal- each for $1 off 2 boxes of General Mills cereals.  I combined the coupon with a deal at Star Market that gave $6 off 4 boxes of General Mills cereals.  Total cost for 1 giant box of Cheerios, 2 boxes of Wheat Chex, and 1 box of Peanut Butter Cheerios (a girl has to have some fun!)= $16. 47.  Price paid= $8.47.  Love!  While we don't normally eat a ton of cereal, my sister and niece are coming up next week and I hear wee ones with teeth love Cheerios.  So excited to see them!!

I also had a coupon for formula.  Despite my best efforts, I wasn't able to convince them to give me the best deal, but I still saved $5 on 2 cans.  And I got to annoy all the other people in the express line while I sent the assistant manager to double check the price!  Sorry, folks.

 

So while I'll try my best to stick to my budget, it's so important to me to keep Sam in good food.  He is chomping at the bit to get after some solids!  Last night at dinner he was royally ticked off that we were all eating and he wasn't, despite having just had a bottle.  

I plan to make most of his food and I've got Baby Led Weaning on hold at the library.  He's just now starting to develop his fine motor skills and I can't think of a better way for him to practice than by squishing some food in his chubby little hands.  

Plus, he already likes carrots!