Today's Inspiration- John Baldessari and the Conceptual Art Class Fantasy

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My 6 Favorite Apple Week Recipes

Since we finished up Apple Week yesterday, I thought I should write about our Apple recipes that really work. I am going to do this instead of things I am grateful for, because a whole lot of my daily gratefulness is for food and a partner who can really cook!

6. Hot sausage sandwiches- I think I maybe got a hot sausage sandwich at Applefest once, but I associate the smell with Liberty Street, crowds, and fall colors, so we usually go this route at some point in the week. My only tip you might not already know is that the peppers and onions stay better if you put them on the bottom. Also, apple mixed in works alright, but not great.

5. Apple Curry and Chicken- This was our big experiment this apple week, and I think the combination of sweet and super spicy was delicious. We were going to do a Chutney, but one of our friends who was potentially eating with us hates garlic (isn't that tragic? Who hates garlic?) We got this recipe from allrecipes.com, and we cut the chicken in half. The whole thing (with rice added) lasted us 2 and a half meals, so it is also a great cost-efficient meal. My only other advice is to double (at least) the curry, and a little salt wakes up the other spices. We like our food spicy, so if you aren't as much that way, you can probably go with the original recipe.

4. Apple cinnamon rolls- For the brunch on Saturday, I made my cinnamon rolls with chopped up apples in the filling. People ate 2 o 3 of them, and I have never had complaints about them (another hand down from my Mom- there aren't too many of these, since she is also not so much with the cooking, so she makes her specialties absolute homeruns). I think there have to be ways to make these more "apple-y" but I will have to work that out next year!

3. Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Apples and Bacon- Apples and Pork are such a perfect combo, which is funny if you think about Judeo Christian history. This recipe, which we found here, singlehandedly (singlesproutedly?) changed my mind about brussel sprouts. The Boy also added raisins. If you want a little extra for any apple recipe, just add raisins.

2. Apple Pancakes- Easy peasy. First, whatever your batter looks like for pancakes (we usually start with a mix, and we found a cool one local to Seattle), throw in a tablespoon of brown sugar and a couple good shakes of cinnamon (why do recipes always give wimpy amounts of cinnamon?). Mix that in for your pancake base.

For the apple topping, cut up 2-3 apples. Put in a bit of brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add in 1 tablespoon of butter and a couple squeezes lemon juice. cook over low heat until it reduces and your apples are soft (The Boy says not too soft!).

1. Grilled Cheese with Cheddar Cheese, Bacon and Green Apple- Ahhh, I had totally forgotten just how delicious this is. You make a regular grilled cheese, but do it with sharp cheddar. Start by cutting your apples (we use granny smith for this) into thin slices (thinner is better, because bigger slices fall out). Fry the bacon until it is crispy, and wipe off any excess grease. Then, pile it in your sandwich (buttered bread, cheddar, apple, bacon) and grill it. It may sound crazy, but try it, and thank me later.

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Picture of the Week- Another Walk Around Greenlake

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Bumpwatch Week 33

How Far Along: Just finished week 33! BBG is the size of a durian, and though I am pretty sure I can tell you where the head, butt, and feet are, I am not sure I could tell you which is which! His eyes can stay open, he will turn toward strange noises (not that I know this because his dad makes a tyrannosaurus rex noises at him to see if he will do it), and his brain keeps developing. Also, he is up to a solid 4-6 pounds! What a chubber!

 

Best Moment of the Week: Apple week was fun as always. I have been less brave about testing new recipes, but this week we tried Apple Curry, and it was pretty delicious. We have resolved to put more food experimenting back into the schedule, because it is fun and sometimes works out really well. We also hosted a big group of The Boy's work friends at our Apple Pancake Breakfast, so that was the closest we will get for a test run of Thanksgiving. I was glad it went really well, and we have been bumming out and getting work done the rest of the weekend (also, I am way bigger, but the big baggy sweater isn't doing anyone any favors. I apologize).

Most Interesting Prego Quirk:You are hot, literally! In the third trimester, your temperature gets high, and even though the weather is getting colder, I am not really hankering for layers. It is the first time in 11 years that The Boy has been the cold one. I don't have any complaints about this, but it is one of those weird things.

I Would Really Like Some: I am pretty happy, but this week had a lot of apple pie! The Boy is making the mobile, I am making our Christmas ornament gifts, and HGTV is on Netflix. I have no complaints!

 

Bizarro Thing No One Warned me About: It feels like every week, the whole thing gets a lot more real, and I am having a bit of a freak out now. The end of pregnancy just gets scary, and you aren't supposed to talk about it. You are supposed to be full of majestic joy and glowing from all the anticipation to meet the beautiful majestic child that is just going to change everything, etc. Maybe this happens to other people sooner, and maybe I am going to lose some mommy card for saying this, but I feel a little like I am in mourning for our life as it is, which in general I have really liked a lot. I hear I will love him a lot, but basically everything I have read suggests that when right after he stops hanging out in my uterus, he will be a bit of a jerk (I kid, sort of)

These feelings are weirdly coupled with the excitement you are "supposed" to feel (really, no one worry- I basically always go into change kicking and screaming), but I keep reading one article after another about how children change anything, wreck marriages, keep you from fulfilling your goals, etc, and I really just need to stop. Other pregos are perhaps wiser that way. It's like knowing you have to walk through a door in 6 weeks, and you just spend the entire time reflecting on what horrible thing is behind the door. On the other hand, you are bound to be pleasantly surprised (not to mention I think I will actually really be good at being a mom- I have always wanted to have kids, it's just weird that the time is here). This is probably one of the most epic dives into something new a person can take, and it seems alright to be afraid. In the name of preparedness, you learn about things you will never have to deal with and I know a lot of the challenges we will face are not even on my radar. At the beginning of pregnancy, they tell you every possible horrible that can come out of it, and you will actually experience about 5% of that. Yes, you feel weird or worse on some days, but the vast majority of your pregnancy (unless you have a really problematic one), you are just setting priorities and pushing through. It's just the prep for the big game, right?

No one warns you about this, because I am sure once they come and they are cute and have tiny feet you forget all about it, or something. But I am not worried about it, and if you are feeling this way, I don't think you should feel bad about it either. Maybe the reason other pregos all seem kind of sour is because they are also mourning their Saturday morning sleep-ins, but I feel a renewed energy to go and see movies with the Boy and have a few adventures that aren't poop-related.

And The Boy?: I think he is also grappling with the crazy reality that we are not that far out from being parents/ real adults. This week he turned on the name he has been fighting for the whole pregnancy, and I think a huge part of that was realizing that this name is not assigned to a theoretical person, but a real one who will have to live with it. Suddenly he wanted to give Bumbo Baby a really wimpy name. We worked it out, and the name is officially decided! One thing off the list!

Looking Forward to: My mom is coming to visit this week! I am excited to have her here, and we are going to put her to work (Poor woman always gets put to work) helping us move the furniture I am currently unable to help with, which means the nursery will actually be arranged, and we can get some storage and finish it up! Woot woot! Also, this week is the baby class blitz, so by the next time I do a bumpwatch, I will be a car seat, newborn care, and relationship expert (ish). 

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Quote of te Week- It's World Teachers Day!

"Those who educate children well are more to be honored than those who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well."-Aristotle

"I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit." -John Steinbeck

"Most of us end up with no more than 5 or 6 people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives." -Andy Rooney

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3 Things for Yesterday- Sprouts, Reporting, and Voting!

1. Apple, Raisins, Brussel Sprouts, and Bacon- I mostly do not like brussel sprouts. When the boy makes them, I always think I like them, and then about 4 sprouts in, I never need to eat them again. But I try every time! This combo was pretty delicious, and if you have to eat brussel sprouts, I recommend trying it this way.
2. Applefest Reporting- I like hearing about everyone's good times, plus the juicy gossip brought about when one puts a ton of people in the same place with nothing but fried food and crafts to distract them.
3. The push to get people to register to vote! Have a complaint about your local government? Frustrated that the current congress has worked less than any in history? Caught yourself bad mouthing much of anything about how the world is working around you? Seriously, voting is the bare minimum of citizenship. Go register! It's good for the soul!

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Today's Inspiration- Otis Redding - "These Arms Of Mine"

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