Recipe of the Week: Pasta with Turkey Sausage, Spinach & Peppers

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Good Food Fast cookbook, which is a dandy.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound short pasta, such as radiatore, corkscrew or farfalle (bowties)
• 1 pound turkey sausage, casings removed
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 yellow (or red) bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 bag baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper, for seasoning
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top at the table

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook pasta. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta water; return pasta to pot.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage and 2 tablespoons water in a large covered nonstick skillet over medium until fat renders, 5 minutes. Uncover; raise heat to medium-high. Brown sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, 7 minutes.
3. Add garlic, bell peppers, red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water; cook until peppers soften, 6 minutes. Add 3/4 cup pasta water and butter; swirl to combine.
4. Transfer to pot. Add spinach; season with salt and pepper. Toss; add more pasta water as desired. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Ian is Four Months Old!

Our little boy is growing and changing so fast!  At his four-month well-child doctor's visit yesterday, Ian tipped the scale at 12 pounds, 11 ounces, and measured 24.75 inches long.  He has caught up to full-term babies, although I must admit I was disappointed when the scale didn't even come close to the 15 pound mark.  With Ian's recent eating binges, I was certain we were going to see a larger gain.  Even my sister said he felt heavier than that.  But regardless of my silly expectations, the great news is that Ian is right on schedule with growth and ahead of schedule in terms of motor skills - a direct result of sleeping on his tummy for over a month now.  The doctor put Ian on his tummy to test his ability to pull up, and not only did Ian pull up, he creeped and scootched all the way to the other end of the table.  The doctor said, "Whoa, now there's one busy baby!"  I didn't confess to her that my boy sleeps on his tummy, but I'm sure she knew.  And unfortunately, Ian sustained four shots and an oral vaccination before we left for the day.  That's the worst thing ever for mommies to experience!

Ian has been giggling and squealing nonstop, and sometimes I can't get enough, so I keep tickling and playing to get more giggles out of him.  Then, of course, it backfires and I realize I pushed the envelope too far when he goes from giggling to crying in 1.2 seconds.  But it's worth it to hear those gut-busting laughs!  He holds his rattle and adores lights and music.  He's my little kickin' chicken - as I've nicknamed him - because when he plays, his legs go a mile a minute.  He sits with very little support for extended periods of time now and has fun playing with his toys.  And he still gets the biggest joys from watching big sister Ava play and run about.  He is mesmerized by her every move!  And the best part?  He's been sleeping through the night (7:45 p.m. to 7 a.m.) for a month now!

But we weren't able to escape this month without challenges.  Ian came into his fourth month like a lion, and I hope he'll go out like a lamb.  He hit a growth spurt a couple of weeks ago and has given us a run for our money ever since.  Fortunately, he still sleeps through the night, but until a few days ago, daytime naps were nonexistent.  He would cry for hours on end, and there were days when I wanted to scream.  But after making adjustments to both his schedule and his bottle, we seem to have reached a golden zone of great naps and solid nights.  Quick, someone knock on wood!  Enjoy these pictures I took on April 22nd, his official 4 month birthday.

Baby feet are irresistible.

Such a big boy!

I look just like my sister!

Me and my crooked smile.  (So cute!)

"Whoops!  I was bored, so I rolled over."

Ava's Story Time (and Another Cute Story)

Yesterday, as I was playing with Ian in the family room, I heard Ava's soft voice coming from the dining room.  Her little voice was rising and falling in a rhythmical fashion, although I couldn't hear exactly what she was saying.  So I got up and tiptoed into the dining room, peeking around the corner to see exactly what was going on.  What I saw was something truly precious: Ava reading to her stuffed animals.  She lined them up against the wall, and sat between them, so they could all see the pictures.  She had a small pile of books beside her, as if she was planning to read the whole lot to them.  Ava had her favorite book, Over in the Ocean, and she was reading it aloud, just as I do when I read it to her.  At first she didn't see me, so I watched from a distance in silence for a moment, filled with both pride and guilt.  It's during these times that I can physically feel my heart breaking - not just with sorrow, but also with love.  My least favorite part of being a mother of two is that a lot of times I have to choose between children.  I can't be in two places at once, so much of my day is spent running back and forth between kids.  It's something I am still learning to cope with, and I'm not sure I'll ever get the hang of it, especially when something like this happens.  So I ran to get the camera, and I quietly went back into the dining room, where story time was in full swing.  I raised the camera to take a picture of our little bookworm in action, and as soon as I did, Ava stopped reading, looked up and said "Cheese!"  So I didn't get any good action shots, but I did manage to get a cute picture regardless.

Ava, as she finishes story time with her stuffed animals, Mickey & Bunny.

And today, during lunch, Ava clasped her hands to pray and began reciting a prayer song we've taught her (actually, it's a prayer song my sister taught my nieces, and we have picked it up along the way):

God our Father, God our Father

We thank you, we thank you

For our many blessings, for our many blessings

Amen, Amen.

On most days, Stefan and I sing the prayer while she listens, although some days she does try to sing along.  But today, Ava took the lead and sang the song all by herself.  When she got to the final line (Amen, Amen), she pronounced it "Oh Man! Oh Man!"  I giggled at this but immediately praised her for her efforts.  Oh Ava, you're just too cute for words right now.  Please don't ever change.  Please don't ever grow up.  Please stay just like this.  Forever.

Easter 2009

Has it really been two weeks since my last post? Wow. This has to be the longest span between two posts yet. Sorry. Life has been busier than usual (is that possible?) and I haven't had a chance to sit down and write a decent post. I do have quite a bit to share, so I hope to get the urge to write a lot over the next few days so that I can post about everything that's been going on. Let's start with the most obvious: Easter.

We had a lovely Easter weekend with Stefan's mom, grandmother and sister. They flew down from upstate New York to meet Ian, and for Great Gram McCarthy, it was her first time meeting Ava, too! Ava quickly warmed up to everyone, calling Gram "Grandma Great," and Maura was "Aunt Marmer." Maura was great at playing with Ava, and the grandmothers were always so happy to hold Ian and walk around with him. It was a fabulous visit, but after they left this morning, it occurred to me that we forgot to take a very important picture of Great Gram, Grandma, Stefan, Ava & Ian: FOUR generations. I kept reminding myself all weekend to make sure I took that photo, and I forgot. I'm so sad that we missed the opportunity, but it does give us all a great reason to get back together soon.  As usual, I didn't take a lot of pictures, but Maura did, so I hope to get those from her soon.

Grandma with Ian

It was Ava's third Easter and Ian's first, and neither of them really had a clue what was going on, but it was fun anyway. We started the festivities with a flashlight egg hunt on Wednesday night...
  

Ava hunting for eggs at her first-ever Easter Egg Hunt.

The rest of the weekend was very low-key. On Saturday afternoon, we colored Easter Eggs, which was a fiasco with a two-year-old.  Ava was so excited that she just couldn't keep her hands out of the dyes, and it was a mess.  But I reminded myself that she's just two and had an absolute blast - so what if she got a little messy?  

Ava was so proud of her work.

Daddy helping Ava retrieve an egg from the dye bath.

"OK, what do I do with it NOW?"

Ava and I dipping an egg.

On Sunday morning, Ava and Ian both learned the Easter Bunny had visited them!  Once Ava saw her basket, she said two things.  The first thing she said was, "WOW! Pretty!" And the second thing she said was, "Suh-weet!"  Stefan and I have never heard that come out of her mouth, and when she said it - correction, shouted it - we laughed until we cried.  It was so appropriate for the moment; Ava never ceases to amaze us with her words.  She spent the next several minutes examining her basket (or bucket, as she calls it) of sidewalk chalk, Color Wonder kits, bubbles, clothes, and of course, candy.  The chocolate Gators were provided by Stefan's dad and stepmom.  They're almost too cute to eat!  Almost.

  

And finally, on Sunday afternoon, Ava hunted for eggs in the backyard - our own little egg hunt.  She learned all about egg hunts during the flashlight hunt on Wednesday, so she knew exactly what to do.  We had a great time watching her run all over the yard, yelling, "Look! It's a pink egg! Look! It's a purple egg!" Stefan and I look forward to sharing the story of Easter next year, when she will be able to understand it (in simple terms).

  
  

Recipe: Oreo Cheesecake Balls

Yum. I got this recipe from my friend Anne, so I really can't take credit. But make these. Make them often. There's only three ingredients, and they couldn't be easier to put together. I made these for my sister's birthday, and they were divine.

Oreo Cheesecake Balls
1 Package Double-Stuf Oreo Cookies (yes, the entire box)
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 package chocolate chips (you choose the flavor)

1. Form crumbs with the Oreos (a food processor does this the fastest, but do whatcha gotta do to get those crumbs).

2. Combine the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese. I used a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and it worked beautifully. If you do this step by hand, you will literally need to use your hands. No spoon or spatula will do this job as well as your hands.

3. The mixture will be very thick. Form into balls - as big or as little as you want. I used a scoop to create golf-ball-sized pieces, and I got 24 total. But you can make them as big or as small as you want.

4. Refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.

5. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler. Either dip the balls into the chocolate or drizzle the chocolate over top. Either is fine, but I prefer it drizzled.

6. Refrigerate again for a couple of hours, until you're ready to serve them.

"Guilty as Charged"

For those who have read our blog in the past couple of months, you might remember a certain run-in with our local police authority about our expired, out-of-state tags. Today was our court date, and Stefan obediently went. He first met with a prosecutor who reviewed the two charges against us: driving with expired tags and failure to register the vehicle. She asked Stefan about the folder he brought with him - our War-and-Peace book of medical bills, illustrating the story of my complicated pregnancy, bed rest, hospitalizations, etc. Once Stefan explained to her that we endured some difficult times, making it nearly impossible to register the cars, get our drivers' licenses, etc., the prosecutor dropped one charge (the most expensive one) but kept the minor charge plus court fees. She asked how Stefan pleaded, and without hesitation he said, "Guilty." It wasn't worth a fight, and we both knew that although the timing was poor, we were busted for not registering our cars in Georgia. After all was said and done, we escaped with a total fine of just $86, so I am very happy. It could have been several hundred dollars worse, and we're lucky to get off so easy. I think what peeves me more than the fine, however, was the fact that my husband had to stand in a courtroom and plead guilty to a "crime." Seriously. Whatever happened to simply issuing a ticket and moving on with the day?

Three Months Old and All Smiles

We were all fast asleep at 2:12 this morning, when Ian officially turned three months old. But all day today, I kept thinking about that moment when he was born, and how it seems like it was just yesterday. I know it's so cliche to always mention how time goes by so fast, but when I consider that Ian is already three months old I am blown away. I just can't believe it. And we're enjoying him so immensely that I wish time could just stand still for a little while, so that I can memorize his face, his coos and gurgles, and his smile. Oh, his smile... It's the reason I get up each morning. It melts my heart. I am just so in love.

Ian is doing super. He loves to sit up and play more so than laying down. If I lay him on his back to play, he cries until I pull him into a sitting position, and then he smiles to let me know that's exactly what he wanted. This makes entertaining him difficult, as both of my hands are occupied steadying him, but he doesn't mind. My knuckles are tasty entertainment, and much of the time he just watches big sister Ava as she colors or runs around with her toys. He is just amazed by Ava. It's almost as if he is studying her and trying to figure out how she does all she does. I can just hear what's going on in his head: "Wow! She can walk and talk and color and hold her toys and wrestle with daddy. I can't wait until I can do all those things!"

Ian is cooing and gurgling nonstop, which is just adorable. He loves to just watch me make faces at him - his favorite being the ever-popular fishy face - and when I coo and gurgle back at him, he smiles so big I just laugh. It's just a treat. Really.

Our favorite time of day - both his and mine - is evening bath time. After we put Ava to bed for the night, I set up his bath on the kitchen island (my back won't be able to withstand nightly baths in the big tub until he is sitting unsupported). We dim the lights and play some soft music (Nicolette Larson's Sleep Baby Sleep album - THANK YOU TRACY!!). As soon as we lay him down to undress him, he starts to smile and coo. He could be screaming bloody murder, but the moment we turn on the music, dim the lights and start running the bath water, all is right with the world. Something happens and he just gets in the BEST mood. During his bath, he just lays there with this look of sheer contentment on his face, as if he's waited all day for his bath. I sing to him and he looks up at me as if I am the next American idol (um, I'm not, by the way). It is seriously my favorite time of day. I just don't want it to end.