Goodbye 2012!

Wow, it has been FOREVER since I last updated.  So much has gone on since my last post...where to start.  Let's see, we survived the Mayan apocalypse, J. turned 8 months old, I've whittled down my ridiculously large pyrex collection, I finally had a successful pain de campagne baking experience and...well...J. turned 8 months old!

Back to the bread....I've been using Tartine Bread's baguette recipe, which I love.  It mixes commercial yeast (in the form of a poolish) with a natural levain of wild yeast so you're pretty much guaranteed a good rise.  I have not, however, before now, been successful using only wild yeast to get a good rise out of a round loaf (aka: boule).  Although my levain is over a year old, I've come to the conclusion that it's just not strong enough.  Enter the 250 year-old levain from King Arthur Flour.  This stuff is amazing, to say the least.  Fondly named Bradles (after its parent The Patriot.  Get it?  You know, King Arthur Flour...east coast...New England Patriots...Tom Brady...Mr. Bundchen....Bradles - you're following my logic, right?), it actually popped the lid off of my jar thanks to its sheer power.  Lo and behold, I finally got my first pain de campagne success.

Pain de Campagne

Here's the recipe I used: Weekend Loafer's Pain de Campagne.  I opted to use my kitchenaid mixer, rather than kneading by hand and it still turned out great.

If you love baking bread from scratch, I strongly urge you to get some of King Arthur Flour's Sourdough Starter.  Or better yet, let a friend get it and then stand in line for a handout when it's time for them to divide it and share the goodness.

Bradles the powerhouse

Meet Jack!

Forget waiting until December 31st, I think I need a mid-year resolution to be a better blogger.  But, needless to say, I've been just a wee bit busy.  I'm happy to report that after a harrowing pregnancy, little Jack finally arrived.  And now I can say that it was all worth it.

Our little sausage

At 9 pounds, he was not lacking in heft.  In fact, at 11 weeks old, he's well on his way to being a strong, healthy little chunkster.

The menagerie has welcomed him in with open paws/wings and Jack has recently made the astounding discovery that there's a world around him, and in that world lives cats, rabbits and chickens.  He's quite excited.

As for us, well, we're beyond excited that he's finally here!  Earlier this week NPR reported on the "Globals", a generation of 20 and early 30-somethings whose idea of the American Dream goes well beyond a house, a spouse and a traditional life. But while this lifestyle might be gaining in popularity, it's nothing new (something they failed to point out).  I myself delayed motherhood because I wanted to travel, study, build a career.  And I have quite a number of friends who did the same.  I guess maybe we were ahead of our time (perhaps we trendsetters should be known as "Globules").  And while I wouldn't change a thing, it certainly left me unprepared for how much I would enjoy having my own child.  Then again, maybe I enjoy it so much because I did wait...or perhaps it's just because I have the world's greatest baby (alright, I admit I might be just a little biased).  Whatever the case, I feel quite lucky to have had, what I think is, the best of both worlds!  Who says you can't have it all?

Mr. Smiley

Beach Ball Belly Update

Things are chugging along.  After failing my 1-hour glucose screening to test for gestational diabetes, I had the "pleasure" of taking the 3-hour glucose tolerance test where I drank twice as much sickly sweet glucose in 5 minutes and then proceeded to have my blood drawn four times over 3 hours.  Not a fun experience, but fortunately, much to my surprise, I passed.  No special diet for me!

Yesterday I started the third trimester.  While time sometimes seems to pass slowly, it's quite unbelievable that I've finally made it to the final trimester.  There is now A LOT of kicking going on, although in the past week, karate kicks have turned into more of a turning and rolling where the entire stomach moves in a wave.  I can't help but feel a little like Sigourney in Alien.

Selma, the cat, seems to enjoy laying next to my stomach and purring.  Clearly 'junior' enjoys it too as he'll move to her location and give playful kicks.  The chickens are oblivious, although Ginger decided to climb up on my lap and "perch" on the top of my belly.  I guess it makes a nice platform.  The rabbits seem to follow me around a little more and both cats have grown very protective, their favorite location is parked on the edge of the bathtub watching my every move.  If this child doesn't like animals, we're in trouble!

Here's a photo of our latest tormented fur-child Fred in a swaddle, as well as a couple of progressive belly shots.

Poor Fred's a good sport

24 weeks

28 weeks

Holy Crap, It's (gonna be) a Boy!

Once again, I have been very remiss in blog upkeep, but this time I have a good excuse... It's hard to think of clever posts, or undertake clever things to post about, when you've been spending a good 20 hours a day fighting morning (all day) sickness.  But there's light at the end of the tunnel and I've rejoined the rest of the world (in altered form) again, finally.  We won't mention the fact that I feel like a swollen whale.  Now I know why I waited 41 years to do this!

Mirrored self-portrait at 20 weeks...I'm about twice that size now

There's been much practicing and preparing for 'junior's' arrival in early May.  We ordered diapers (we're trying our hand at cloth diapering...gulp), we've got our baby-wearing devices, and we're stocking up on onesies.  But since there's no baby around yet to test them on, we've had to make due with some (un)willing and able guinea pigs...(please don't cite me for animal abuse, they really were quite content - well, as much as a cat in a diaper can express contentedness).

The chickens, so far, have been spared.

Polly and her Thirsties Duo Diaper Wrap

Betty and the cradle

Selma loves the Oregon Ducks!

Mike and Selma testing out the Moby

The Versatile Le Creuset Au Gratin...times 5

Thrifted Le Creuset gratin dishes, sizes 36, 32, 28 and 20 (times 2)

Aside from my giant round french oven, my other 'go-to' piece is a gratin dish that I thrifted awhile back.  And while it's perfect for small servings, I've been on the lookout for a larger one that will hold even more goodies.

My jaw hit the floor when I walked into a local Goodwill a few days ago and found this set staring back at me in the front case.  When I turned them over, I was thrilled to find the ubiquitous Le Creuset diamond and telltale "made in France".  I wasted no time putting them on hold while I scoured the rest of the store for more goodies...which was a good thing since I found the fifth matching 20 cm gratin on the shelf.

I'm always on the hunt for vintage Le Creuset, but it's rare to find a complete set, and in such pristine condition.  Aside from missing porcelain on the handle of the smallest gratin (which doesn't matter in the least to me), the other 4 pieces looked like they'd never been used (up until now, as I've already used them twice in as many days!)  I have a feeling these pieces will be seeing a lot of oven time!

Also linking up with Thrift Share Monday.

New Year's Day Black-Eyed Peas with Chevre

Legend has it that if you eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, the coming year will bring prosperity and good luck.  But why limit yourself to once a year.  This is one of my favorite quick and easy meals for dinner. It reminds me a lot of the Middle Eastern dish Ful Mudammas (stewed fava beans).

Happy Holidays!

Black-Eyed Peas with Chevre
Serves 2

2-3 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained (use dried beans if you have more time)
1/2 to 1 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
Handful curly parsley, chopped
Handful crumbled goat cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Dash of red pepper flakes

Drain and rinse the beans (if using canned)

Add to a medium-sized saucepan, pour in olive oil and add chopped garlic.  Make sure you have enough olive oil so that the beans can simmer in adequate liquid.

Simmer beans until they start to soften, about 10-15 minutes over medium heat.

Add lemon juice, scallions, tomatoes and spices and simmer for another 5 minutes or until everything becomes slightly soft.  Adjust ingredients to your liking.

Remove from heat and mix in parsley and crumbled goat cheese.

Serve immediately with crusty french bread or roasted potatoes.

A Little More Pyrex

A couple of recent additions...

I had found the 'Sol Flower' lid ages ago, and had been on the lookout for the bottom ever since.  I finally found it, for a mere $2.99

And here's one of my all-time favorite pieces that I'd been searching for ever since I'd discovered its existence way back when - the 'Mod Kitchen' Decorator Casserole.  I love the mid-century 50s vibe.  Good thing I have a billion extra casserole lids.