Here at casa de newborn, they post a Monday through Sunday dry erase calendar on the fridge. Work schedules are copied and placed there along with the dinner menu for the week. To be fair, and so that no one is overwhelmed in the kitchen, everyone picks a day to cook. So, every week this house is blessed with my cooking pizazz. Now, I know what you're thinking, this is the same girl who used a turkey baster to remove excess water from brownies-in-a-box, right? Yes. And this is the same girl who added 11/3 cups of cinnamon instead of 1 and 1/3 cups to sweet potato pie? Right you are. Wait wait wait, the same girl who tried to make Kraft mac and cheese, it turned out hard and lumpy, and her mother made her eat it anyway? Correct. But now a days it truly is pizazz worthy food, well pizazz for me anyway. Tonight's menu, prepared by yours truly, was salmon cakes with garlic sauteed spinach served over rice and a soy-ginger sauce. Some may read that and think, "pppttshh, big deal" but if you've ever had to eat one of my not so mouth watering concoctions you'll know what a momentous occasion it really is. I think after so many failures in the kitchen it still surprises me that I can actually make edible food. I patiently waited until Cara and Mama Newk said that it was delicious several thousand gazillion times before I was finally able to calm down and enjoy dinner. So far I've made gourmet broccoli mac and cheese, grilled chicken and my famous veggie kabobs, apple cider roast, and winter veggie baklava. I'm actually excited to try new recipes, although C+T should beware, they may have created a kitchen monster, a creative and inventive cooking monster that may not always have the intended end result. Because that's just not how I roll.
I'll leave you with a little video of my favorite band and the recipe if you would like to make it yourself, I'm sure almost everyone will make it fancier than what I did, ain't no shame.
To love and short nights,
Kiki.
Salmon Cakes:
Mix 14 oz can of salmon (the cans here don't have ounces so I guesstimated), 1/3 cup bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon curry powder (again C+T don't have measuring spoons so I guesstimated), two chopped chives, juice from half of a lemon, add whatever other spices you may enjoy (we had dill laying around so added a bit of that as well). Mold into patties, coat fry pan with EVOO, cook on medium until golden (about 4 minuets on each side).
Spinach:
Heat EVOO (or butter if you're really going for flavor) and garlic to taste (we like a lot of garlic and minced about four cloves) until its golden, add washed spinach (depending on the serving size per person, we used a whole bushel but you could use a bag of baby spinach) and cook until wilted (we did a lot and it took about 10 minuets).
Sauce:
Mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger (again no measuring spoons were used and if you'd like an extra kick just keep adding that ginger), you could add chives as well if you have some extra.
Serve with rice topped with spinach topped with cakes topped with sauce. Squeeze extra lemon as needed. Voila! I can feed people!
You were born September 14th at 6:23pm. Weighing in at 8 pounds 11 ounces, 21 inches long, with 3.5 inch long kickers! (I knew you were destined for tingers and fands, just blame your parents) Your father held up better than I did during your birth, he didn't faint or cry, (unlike your Aunt Kiki who was a blubbering mess) and was in complete control of the situation. Your mother was even more amazing, I got to see a whole other side to her strength (but I am glad your ears are too tiny to pick up on the F bombs).
You sneeze just like your Dad and have tiny elf ears just like your Mom. You make squeaky noises and have finally picked up on this whole feeding business. Normally tiny baby finger nails creep me out, but your Mom has already said I'll have to cut them for her. Surprisingly I don't mind. In fact, I'd like to cut them soon so you don't scratch that perfect face. Don't worry, I'll wait until you're already upset, so you don't associate me with crying :)
I spent yesterday assembling a baby swing that Aunt Rosie and Uncle Devin got just for you. Even though I got upset and started throwing heavy machinery around the room, I knew you'd appreciate it and play in it and swing away in it (if any one can stand to put you down for a long enough time). But even if I spend the rest of my free time assembling battery operated devices, I'll do it happily for you.
You're taking a nap with your Memay right now and every now and then she sheds a tear. She isn't sad, she's in love.
Thanks for being here,
Love your extremely happy/excited/mesmerized Aunt Kiki
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Tuesdays are for us
bake baklava savory
haikus are funny
"When I finish a book I mope around for a few hours because I feel a hole in my heart. When I finish a series, it's even worse."
Since I graduated from nursing school (has it really been almost 3 years?!) I have been determined to read for pleasure again. No more textbooks, no more theories or nursing diagnoses or medical term flash cards. No more 35 page papers on colon resections (it's true, still saved to my hard drive, all that hard work is difficult to click and drag to the recycle bin). I joined a book club and on top of reading a book a month, I would complete a book series in half that time. I don't know when it started but I have become obsessed with not a genre or author, but more with a continuation. I finally read all of the Harry Potter's (I know, a decade late), and moved onto the 13 book mega Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, and it all snow balled from there. I guess there is a sense of accomplishment when they're all lined up on your book shelf, you can see the pages stacked one next to the other for two feet, it definitely feels impressive. I guess what I like is getting to know the characters more and more. If I've met you and got to know you and chose to spend time with you, why wouldn't I want our relationship to continue? After finishing A Game of Thrones I've been waiting for the second installment from the Aldinga Library (since Cara finally convinced me there was no point in adding that much weight to my luggage) and needed something to fill the gap. Thanks to a suggestion from C&T, right now I am closing in on the last and final book of the Tomorrow When the War Began series by Australian John Marsden. To say I recommend these novels would be slight underkill since I have literally spent the last week and a half with my nose stuck in book after book. And I'm beginning to get that feeling again, like a friend is moving away, this book will end and there won't be more. Sigh. Until the library calls that is.
