Still Here

Three weeks today! Here we are this morning.




I was telling some girlfriends that I made the photo black and white to cover for me being so pale lately.

Lara is all better on the jaundice front and that horrid bili "blanket" is gone finally. She has a rash and a cold though and I told my oldest daughter that she's only 3 weeks old and wrecked already, just like everything new that we get ;o)
Baby girly is really happy and quiet, a real blessing lately since things are always heading on at a tumultuous rate here.

Food is a distant memory lately, especially consumption. Nobody here seems to have picked up the cooking gene from me so we've made do with whatever is easy. I did get Thanksgiving dinner together even if it did include things like apple pie from cans and frozen crusts. We all survived it.

I'm hoping for a game of Ready, Set, Cook! really soon although I can't promise a date...you'll have to grip the edge of your seat awhile longer!

Love to you all, thanks for all the congrats and well-wishes!

Here She Is!

This is Lara Emma (taken Tuesday the 14th), she was born on Thursday November 9th at 10:11 pm about 20 minutes after we got to the hospital. She weighed in at 8 lbs 14 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long.

She has had some jaundice issues from birth with ABO incompatibility and a positive coombs and is still on the bili-blanket at home. We didn't get home until Sunday because her bilirubin levels were too high to let her go. She had been on double phototherapy at the hospital and hopefully we can get rid of the blanket here at home really soon.

Nothing happened last Wednesday despite our efforts so we resumed on Thursday later in the day and that adorable little girl is the result of it all! My monitor is not working right so it's hard for me to tell if the color etc. is right in the picture but I'm sure you get the idea! She is very alert for so little and very happy :O)

Ready, Set, Deliver!

I bet you guys will forgive me for no R,S,C this week.

I saw my midwife yesterday and we are planning to have this baby tomorrow. Wait, did I just say "we"? Hahahaha! Well, you know what I mean.

I'm not detailing but, things are progressing and I have some natural and homeopathic labor "kick-starters" on hand for tomorrow morning. Last time the kick start took about 2 hours to work and baby was here in 7. We shall see!

At any rate, I won't be around to post recipes Thursday and even if I were I can already tell I definitely won't feel like it!

So, send me all kinds of easy labor vibes and prayers and etc. and hey, someone boil water, k?

No Baby

For anyone waiting on the edge of their seat, just remember, nobody wants this baby here more than me!!!

Someone find me the time to do it though, please?

I'll update if baby makes an appearance :O)

R,S,C #21 Recipes

And here they are! Some really great looking recipes, check them out and check out the players over at their own blogs!


Ian at The Gallumphing Gourmand contributed this:

Pumpkin Chili

500g (1 lb) ground beef
1 C chopped onion
1 C orange bell peppers, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 798ml (28oz) cans Roma tomatoes, including liquid
1 (15oz) can pumpkin, drained
1 (15oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 C red wine (or chicken stock)
4 or 5 jalapeno peppers, sliced
1/2 C frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 tbsp chipotle pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
grated cheddar cheese

Heat a little oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, and add the onion,
bell pepper, garlic and some fresh ground pepper. Cook for about five
minutes, until the onion and pepper start to soften.
Add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef has
completely browned.
Add wine, tomatoes, pumpkin, kidney beans, jalapenos, corn, chipotle flakes,
cumin, salt and some more fresh ground pepper. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
Let simmer, covered for about 2 hours. Check every 30 minutes, and add more
wine (or chicken stock) if the mixture looks too dry.
Scoop the chili into small hollowed-out pumpkins, and sprinkle some grated
cheese over the top.
Serve with tortilla chips or pita bread.

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From Kfarmer at Kfarmer & the Dell:

Jack O' Lantern Stew- Boo!!

1 large pumpkin
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 red pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
4 carrots, thinly sliced into rounds
3 celery sticks, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound lean ground beef
2 cups cooked rice
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 large can tomato soup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the insides. Rinse well. Carve a spooky face onto the pumpkin, without going all the way through the flesh. Rinse well, oil outside of pumpkin. Bake the pumpkin shell for 30 minutes.

While shell is baking: saute the onion, green and red peppers, carrots, celery, and garlic until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Brown ground beef and chicken. Add the veggies and cooked rice and cook over low heat, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes to let the flavors meld.

Remove pumpkin from oven and let stand 15 minutes.

Stir the tomatoes and soup into the meat mixture. Place meat mixture into pumpkin. Put back in oven for 20 minutes.
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Krista at In The Kitchen with Krista sent this in:

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 medium sugar pumpkin
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups tomato juice
3 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 pound fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
1 cup uncooked white rice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Wash pumpkin, cut off top, scrape out seeds and discard.
Place hamburger in a large, deep skillet. Crumble and cook over medium
high heat until evenly brown. Drain fat, add onion and garlic; saute
slightly.

Add sugar, Italian herbs, salt, pepper, tomato juice and rice; mix thoroughly.

Layer inside of pumpkin with 1/3 of cabbage, green beans and beef and
rice mixture.

Repeat layers, replace lid and bake for 2 to 3 hours.
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My own submission:

Harvest Meatball Stew

1 pound of lean beef
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1 cup chopped onion
1 clove of minced garlic
4 cups of beef broth
2 cups of peeled pumpkin, 1 inch cubes
1 cup peeled potatoes, 1 inch cubes
1 cup carrots, 1 inch cubes
1 cup green beans in 1/2 inch lengths
1/2 cup thick applesauce
1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste
3 tablespoons of flour OR cornstarch dissolved in water

Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, egg and nutmeg together well, seasoning with salt and pepper as desired. Form into 1 inch meatballs and brown well in a large soup pot with a little oil.
Remove meatballs and set aside.
Add onion and garlic to pot and stir over medium heat until onion is barely transluscent.
Add remaining ingredients except meatballs and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add meatballs back into pot and simmer for an additional half hour.Remove from heat and take out the bay leaf.
Return to medium heat.
Pour thickening flour/water OR cornstarch/water into the stew and stir constantly until thickened.
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The recipe the ingredients came from:

Beef Stuffed Pumpkin

1 (4 lb.) pumpkin
1 Pound lean ground beef
1 Cup chopped onion
Cooking oil
1/3 Cup chopped red pepper
1/3 Cup chopped green pepper
1 Clove minced garlic
1 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon thyme
1/4 Teaspoon pepper
1 (7 1/2 Oz.) can pitted ripe olives
1 (8 Oz.) can tomato sauce
2 beaten eggs
Cut top from pumpkin; scrape out seeds and fibers. Simmer in salted water to cover for 20 to 25 minutes or until almost tender. Drain. Brown beef and onion. Add peppers and garlic. Cook one minute. Remove from heat, stir in remaining ingredients. Spoon into pumpkin. Place "lid" on top. Brush pumpkin with oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes.
Cut into edges to serve.

Note: Adapted from a recipe found at RecipeSource.com