Suspect cloud passing by my office

For Broccoli Lovers

At some point when I lived with Paulette in Spain I fell in love with broccoli.  She would steam the broccoli florets until al dente, drain the water, then quickly saute with a touch of olive oil, freshly chopped garlic and ginger.  Love it!

Then, when my friend Hilary and I spent the better part of a year cooking together after we both moved home from overseas - me from Europe and Hilary from Vietnam - she showed me her version of steamed broccoli.  It's very similar to Paulette's recipe, except the broccoli florets are SLICED.  Chop some garlic and ginger, saute for a few in a small amount of olive oil. Then, add the sliced broccoli, when well mixed add a splash of soy sauce, fish sauce, white wine, and hot pepper sauce and hot water.  Mix it all up so that the flavors get into every little nook and cranny of the broccoli. Cover and steam until al dente.  Yum!

Well, last night I wanted to BAKE broccoli.  I didn't want to have to babysit the broccoli on the stove, so I looked up baked recipes and found this from Ina Garten: "Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli"

It's a must for all broccoli lovers, and would be a great recipe for those who aren't thrilled about broccoli and want to try a fresh approach!

Buen Provecho!

Albondigas

Or Spanish Meatball Soup :-)  This is one of my new favorite recipes.  Paul isn't as big a fan as I am, but he lives with it.  I didn't get this one from Spain...it is a variation of a recipe from Cooking Light (my fav!).

Here is the original recipe: Hidden Rainbow Albondigas
I never quite figured out the uncooked rice aspect of this recipe and when i tried to follow it by the book, i ended up with a mushy mess.  If anyone else would like to give it a try and has success, please let me know how it goes :-)

Back to my version...

Basically, raid your fridge for any veggies that need to get cooked.  Cabbage and carrots work particularly well, but really your imagination is the limit.

For the soup:
Chop veggies and saute in a little bit of olive oil.  Last night I started with garlic, added carrot, bell pepper and onion and some broccoli.  If you live with a veggie-phobe (one with irrational fear of vegetables) like I do, then saute veggies till caramelized.  Then add two cans of chopped tomatoes (or about 4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped).  Get the tomatoes good and boiling.  I then puree this mixture to make a soup. note: if you don't have a hand blender i highly recommend getting one.  it is the most versatile tool in the kitchen that i simply cannot live without (especially given my husbands fear of crunchy veggies in his food)!  Back to the soup, add water or chicken stock to thin the mixture a bit and return to stove to simmer while you prepare the meatballs.  Be careful not to turn the heat up too high or you will scorch the bottom of the pan.

Meatballs:
In a food processor, shred your veggies.  I used carrot, bell pepper, onion and a little bit of broccoli.  You want about the same volume of meat to veggie mixture.

Combine the veggies and 1 lb of lean ground beef (or you could use another meat...chicken, turkey or pork)

Add:
1 egg
1 cup of bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste.  feel free to add your favorite seasonings.  be creative!
mix well

once the meat mixture is well blended, start forming 1 1/2" balls and drop them into the simmering tomato soup.

simmer until the meat is cooked (about 30 minutes or as long as you need to get the rest of the meal together...you really can't overcook this one).  the meat gives the tomato soup a wonderful flavor.  Given the fact that you do cook the meat in the soup, i would recommend using a lean cut.

serve with pasta and top with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Fine day for a pig roast!

Crazy Week

I have been wanting to post an update to the clomid for a while now, but wanted to wait til I was for sure about a few things.  It has been so hard maintaining my silence and many of you know i just wasn't able to :-)

With this round of clomid things went much better than before.  I was still super emotional but was able to recognize that it was the clomid and keep things much more under control.  Paul was great.  Any time I would get upset or start to freak out he would just say "hey!  it's just the clomid.  it's ok."  I have the sweetest husband in the world :-)

Well, I started taking the ovulation tests on day 12 as instructed by my ob/gyn and never got a positive until day 20.  Our timing was more or less on target and given the signals my body was giving out, I knew it was possible that if I had released an egg (which is what the PCOS prevents and the clomid is supposed to help with) i might be pregnant. 

A few days before my expected period, I started cramping and my breasts were super sore...both typical pms signs for me. So, i prepared myself for my period and another round of clomid.  I spent the entire weekend running to the restroom every time i would have a strong cramp, but nothing ever happened.  so we started taking pregnancy tests (yes, tests).  i didn't want to believe it.  there was this oh so faint line that could possibly maybe indicate "pregnant" but not having ever seen what a positive looks like, i didn't know if I could believe it or not.  so, a few days later, and no period, i decided that i needed to go digital.  no more interpreting faint vertical lines. and lo and behold it came back "pregnant"!  Yay!!!!  I finally allowed myself to believe that I might just be pregnant.  I have no idea what other women go through when they get this result, but not having at all ever let myself fantasize about actually BEING pregnant, I had no idea what to do next.  So, i started looking up due dates, bought baby books, checked out baby furniture online (land of nod has some super cool stuff!), bought a new bra and clothes...i figured if i am going to be overweight for the next 9 months, at least i can be cute! i so let myself go there.  and it was wonderful!

this whole time, i have been cramping and have this incredible pain in my side and back.  midweek it seemed to subside.

I did start reading about baby nutrition and learned that my weight issues can cause problems for the baby and got quite upset with myself for not being in top shape when this happened.  Just this past summer, I have started a year dedicated to finding balance in all areas of my life...spiritual, physical, mental and emotional.  I have the mental and emotional down, it's the spiritual and physical areas of my life that have gotten out of whack lately...anyway...i have been taking steps to find this balance and actually started losing weight and achieving the goals i had set for myself.

I called my ob/gyn and they had me in on Thursday for a blood test to confirm the results of the home pregnancy test.  I got a call yesterday around lunch time that the results had come back low and they wanted to retest on monday.  i didn't know what to think or even ask, so i just rescheduled the labwork and hung up.  almost as soon as i did, a million questions rushed through my mind...what does this mean?  am I or am I not pregnant?  how can you be just a little pregnant?  WHAT IS GOING ON?????  So i tried to call back, only to be told that the office is on lunch break and i would have to call back in 90 minutes.  UGHHHH! 

Meanwhile the cramping was coming on strong and i started spotting.  I tried to remind myself that this can be normal for some women and it wasn't very much.

So, i was somehow able to wait it out and called back and left a message.  Finally heard back from them and really wasn't able to get any information.  They just said that the levels were "borderline" and if I was pregnant the levels would be up on Monday.  So i just had to sit back, relax and wait it out.  I was in fact pregnant...the test said so, right?  A little while later the spotting turned to bleeding.  And I accepted the fact that I might not be able to maintain this pregnancy. 

I just took a pregnancy test and the faint line is nowhere to be found.  I am sad, but I know that God has a plan and this just wasn't the right time.  Over the years, He has so faithfully taught me to trust His timing and lean not on my own understanding.  I am going to wait until i talk to my doctors before I come to any major conclusions, but I would like to believe that i was in fact pregnant so that we now know that i CAN get pregnant.  And now, this gives me the chance to continue with my weight loss and healthy eating / exercise plans.  I had even come up with a new dinner schedule for me and paul that accomplished a few things...we eat together, eat earlier and then he can go back to work when he needs to and i can go to bed if i need to.  i think i will still implement this plan...we'll see how it goes :-)

thank you all for your prayers and support.  for those of you who knew about the positive pregnancy test this week, i thank you for your excitement and encouragement.  i know many of you have been praying for us and i cannot tell you how much it means to me.  thank you for your faithful love and friendship.

"May the LORD bless you

and keep you;

May the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

May the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."

- Numbers 6:24-26

A few of my favorite things...

Fall is definitely my favorite time of year...i love the fresh breeze flowing through the house, football on the weekends, and hanging out with friends.

For the first time my tea olive tree has bloomed and the scent is intoxicating.  It smells like New Orleans.  I had no idea what this tree (really its more like a large bush) was all about until one day I was wandering around the local nursery and the scent stopped me dead in my tracks.  i HAD to have one.

Well, that was two years ago and it has never gone into full bloom.  So disappointing.  Until last week. 



You'd never guess that those little blooms pack such an incredible scent...i wish i could transmit it through this blog, but I guess you'll just have to stop by for an afternoon cocktail on the front porch to take in its full effect!

A few weeks ago, crisp fall air inspired me to do some much overdue yard work this weekend. It has been so hot this summer, that our newly landscaped yard has not received the attention it needed. So, yesterday I decided to redo all of my planters with mums and pansies. Each year, I usually dump out the old potting soil and replace it with fresh miracle grow. This seems like such a waste, so I decided to test out something. I mixed in composted manure and fertilizer to the pots and planted like normal. Hopefully it works because I have planted EVERYTHING this way :-)

And of course, I LOVE the sound of football on the weekends.  War Eagle!

Lastly, one of our favorite fall meals:

Boiled veggies with Chorizo (spanish cured sausage)

Get a pot of water or stock boiling.  Add a bay leaf (or two) and some olive oil.  Add a cured sausage...anduoille from south louisiana is a good substitute if you can't find chorizo.  The key is that it needs to be a cured sausage...not fresh from the meat department. Meanwhile, start prepping your favorite fall veggies (peel and cut into large chunks)  You can use potatoes, turnips, carrots, onions, really it's up to you.  The only trick is to add the vegetables that need the longest cooking time first.

Once the veggies are almost cooked add your favorite green (spinach, turnip greens, collards, or my favorite, kale.)  They should be chopped and cut.  Note, if you are using collards or turnip greens, they will need more cooking time and can go in with the first batch of veggies.

I usually just let the kale sit on top and steam as the other veggies are cooking in the water.

Once all the veggies are done, remove them and the sausage from the water and serve them on a nice platter.  Drizzle with olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice.  To round out the meal enjoy a nice glass of Rioja and sop up the juices with french bread.

Leftovers are the best part of this meal.  Puree any leftovers (minus the sausage) to make a nice hearty winter soup!  To serve, add a little bit of olive oil and lemon juice.  Enjoy!

- rebecca

Visit from Hilary and Finn

My highschool friend Hilary came home for a visit with family and to introduce us to her little cutie, Finn. 


Dex just loves babies!



Hilary and Finn having a little chit chat!