One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today she came into our lives...finally. Let me explain. She was three weeks late. It was the most emotional three weeks of my life. I was scared. Not about giving birth but because I was worried if I was making the right decision by waiting until she was ready. There is so much fear mongering when it comes to childbirth. I was planning a homebirth and the chances of that looked like they were slipping away. I tried everything...EVERYTHING! Castor oil, acupressure, Castor oil... again, walking, bouncing, yoga... you name it, I tried it.

What finally did it? Acupuncture. This had been suggested over and over through the waiting process but I was reluctant to do it, not because I didn't think it could work, but because it was expensive and I didn't feel like getting stuck with needles.

I went...finally.

They told me I would need at least 2 treatments so I made the appointment for my second treatment for the following day.

Day two began with a home visit from my midwife. She checked me and said the baby's head was definitely lower. Great news. I went to my second appointment and even fell asleep on the table.

I left feeling pretty good. I really had done everything I could to induce labor naturally. So if it didn't happen I wasn't going to beat myself up over it.

It was Saturday and I had made the decision to give up on the homebirth and go into the hospital for induction on Monday if nothing happened over the weekend. I was three weeks overdue after all.

Let me mention that I was going to the hospital every few days for close monitoring in addition to my midwife visiting me almost everyday to make sure everything was ok. It was.

Saturday afternoon I was sitting in bed talking with G about my day and more importantly what were we going to have for dinner. I had started to feel "crampy" earlier but wasn't getting my hopes up as I had been experiencing Braxton Hicks for weeks. But a trip to the bathroom revealed that this might be more than Braxton Hicks. We didn't tell anyone right away. We wanted to be sure and we wanted to enjoy what was probably going to be the last drama free night we were going to have for a long time. Labor continued. Thank God!

I was just uncomfortable enough to not be able to sleep. I dozed a few times but that was about it so I new it was on.

The next morning we called our douhla, the midwife, my bestie and just about everyone else.

I was surrounded by people I love.

I labored all day Sunday. Contractions weren't strong enough, long enough or close enough to call the midwife yet. The birth pool had been set up in the nursery (for weeks) and it was ready for some action.

We labored on. Another sleepless night. The pain was really starting to pick up. I was howling through the night while everyone got some much needed rest. I hopped in the bathtub a few times which was a welcome relief.

Early Monday morning we called the midwife. I could tell G. was nervous. I think he thought the baby was just going to fall out without warning. He wanted a professional there just in case that happened.

She came, she checked, she gave me the bad news... 1 centimeter.

COME ON! It was Monday. I started this thing on Saturday. I haven't slept for two days. I did what any laboring mother would do... I cried.

I was really in pain now. Not to mention utterly exhausted.

We opted for the hospital. An epidural so I could sleep and a little pitocin to speed things up.

Let me say here that this was everything I didn't want and I had alot of emotions running through me at this time. If she had told me I was 3 centimeters, I probably could have soldiered on. If I hadn't already labored for 2 1/2 days, I probably could have soldiered on. 

I was broken. It was time.

Did I mention the hospital we had to go to was 45 minutes away. Oh yeah. That happened.

And there was an accident on the road we had to take. We were stuck at a major intersection for what seem liked an hour but was probably more like 15 minutes. 

My douhla got out of the car and tried to yell at the cop directing traffic to let our lane go but I don't think he could hear her.

I love her.

Here I am after my epidural...on the phone. I was very happy. 

G. was so relieved he fell asleep.

Everything was progressing nicely and we were getting close to 10cm. 

Then my water broke. Light meconium. Hmm.

Shortly after that, babies heart rate starts plummeting. All very typical of births with medical intervention. Not good, just typical.

Long story short...we ended up in the operating room. Yup. C-section.

We like to joke that I managed to have every labor experience that you could have, all in one.

Some creepy painting my BFF took in the hallway.

In the end we had a healthy little baby girl. We were ecstatic.

And despite the drama and immediate seperation we had after her birth, she latched on right away and never looked back.

The day I came home from the hospital, my mom and sister came to visit. They were in love too.

It's hard to imagine that she was ever that small.

He was reluctant to hold her at first. But look how cute they are together.

They're still best buds.

It has been a year of firsts..

...first nap in the crib

...FIRST NAP!

...first foods

...first ear infection (that was rough)

...lots of loads of diapers

...first avocado

...first day in the pool

...first friends

...first underwear on head.

And yes, those are my underwear.

She likes to help me with the laundry.

First Birthday.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a special day for us.

Iris will be 1 year old.

Anyone who has children knows what a particularly special birthday this is. 

I get butterflies just thinking about it.

It marks a year growing, changing, laughing, crying, learning, expanding and the list goes on and on.
And that's just me. Kidding.

This week is all about Iris!

Stay tuned!

Random things...

Almost another week has gotten away from me without blogging. 

We made our last trip to the shore.

 Our usual last stop is to Ocean City, NJ. 

It's so nice after Labor Day. No beach tags needed. No crowds. It's just right.

Next year I want to get a house there for a week so we can really unwind and enjoy the seaside environment.

24 hours just isn't enough time. Especially with a baby. No sooner have you set up a pack and play, the mobile highchair and whatever else you need, it's time to pack it all up and leave.

Exhausting.

We did manage some beach time and a walk on the boardwalk.

Even a trip to Mack and Manco's Pizza. 

If you're not familiar with them, it's like a boardwalk institution.

It really is the best pizza ever!

Iris was gettin' jiggy with Uncle Ricks birch beer.

I even learned a new game. Mexican Train Dominoes. So fun!

Now I'm preparing for Iris's birthday party.

I finished the invitations.

Barely.

I also completed a little project in the midst of chaos. 

I saw this on pinterest and happened to have two strands of lights that I wanted to do something with but wasn't sure what. 

They were left over from our wedding (5 1/2 years ago). They have 8 different settings. Some, seizure inducing. I had my BFF Danielle collect 2 large glass olive jars for me from her work. I washed them, soaked and scraped the labels off and inserted the lights. Easy.

It adds just a little extra light and whimsy in my workspace.

I have to confess that part of my erratic blogging is due to a certain nugget that does not sleep through the night (even though she's a year old).

I wouldn't even mind if it was one (or even 2) wake-ups a night.

It's more like 3 or 4.

Perfectly spaced out in 3 to 2 hour incriments.

That's an improvement from the 5-7 times a night.

I have had 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep maybe 5 times in a year.

Sometimes I just feel like I'm completely losing my mind.

Most of the time I feel like crying.

I know people who have had it alot harder than me.

I try to remind myself of that when I'm feeling particularly fragile.
I'll share more on that some other time.

Randomness.

Favorite Tomato Tart.

I've been making this tart since 2002. Wanna know how I know that? 

Because this magazine is from the fall of 2002.

It's a William-Sonoma publication. 

I don't know if it was the only one they ever published but I never saw another issue other than this one.

I looked...believe me.

If anyone knows if there were other issues I'd love to hear about it.

Please comment below. I heart comments!

Anyway, I will never throw this magazine away. One, because I never throw magazines away. I recycle them or pass them on. And two, sometimes a magazine captures my heart and I keep it forever. 

Like this one.

 I think the subtext says it all... "Paris in the Fall".

There are so many recipes in this magazine that I have used over and over.

Simple. Fresh. Delicious.

In particular is the dough recipe for this tart.

Crunch Dough

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup ice cold water

1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter (6oz.) cut into cubes

In mixer (or by hand if that's how you roll) combine dry ingredients.

Add butter and mix until crumbs form.

Add enough of the water for your dough to come together.

Remove from bowl on floured surface knead it together a few times and form a patty.

Wrap it in plastic and chill for at least an hour before using. 

The recipe recommends chilling overnight so if you were doing this for a group you could make this the day before.

I blind bake it for about 10 minutes then remove the pie weights and bake it for about 5 more or until the bottom looks dry.

Then I slather a layer of Dijon mustard, crumbled goat cheese, salt, pepper, thyme (dry or fresh), caramelized onions (1 large or 2 medium, not pictured) and then the tomatoes. 

I had some heirloom tomatoes so I just sort of haphazardly layered them on but if you use plum tomatoes you could arrange them in fancy circles.

Then I just bake it off until the tomatoes look wrinkly and roasted. 

Honestly, I don't know an exact time but if I had to guess, about 20 minutes.

If the edges of your crust start to get to dark cover them with foil.

I also make a balsamic syrup to drizzle over it. You must make this. 

This tart just isn't complete without it.

Balsamic syrup

 1 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp. honey

Simmer until it coats the back of the spoon.

Store in an airtight container.

Serve the tart with a nice salad or top it with some microgreens.

Enjoy!

Cookbook.

I recently acquired this gem from a certain going-out-of-business bookstore along with a few others, but that's a story for another time.

The Wild Table by Connie Green and Sarah Scott with a forward by Thomas Keller.

 I'm fascinated with foraging. We live in the woods where I know there is a bounty of edibles. I'm just not sure what's what. I'm hoping this book helps. 

Look at all the pretty pictures. Ooooooooh Aaaaaaaaaah!

Stuffed morels...HOLD THE PHONE!

 I just love my cookbooks. Each one was chosen with care. I'm a visual learner so I like lots of pictures.

I had them neatly stored/displayed in our kitchen island ready for action.

 Unfortunately, at the moment, they're sitting in boxes in my workspace/dressing room out of the terrorizing hands of this person...

...and some even had the good fortune to be reassigned to the dining room buffet. Which I quite like and plan on keeping them there as permanent residents.

The recipe that struck my fancy  was this one...

Luscious Chanterelle and Corn Chowder.

Adapted from The Wild Table.

2 strips bacon

3 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup diced onion

1 medium celery stalk, diced

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup chanterelles, chopped

 (the recipe called for 3/4 cup but they're expensive and this seemed to be plenty)

1 lg. yukon potato, peeled and chopped

(I used three small potatoes I got from the farmer's market)

3tbsp. flour

1 tsp. thyme

(I used dried)

sea salt and pepper to taste

1 quart mushroom stock

(see this post for stock)

1 cup heavy cream

Brown bacon in stock pot. Add butter. Add onion, garlic and celery. Cook until tender and translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Stir in corn and potato and cook for 3 more minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Add your stock while stirring continuosly.

Bring to a boil, then simmer  covered for 20 minutes or longer. Stir in cream.

Sidenotes: The recipe called for a bay leaf but I didn't have one. It also called for some lemon juice at the end but I was scared it would break my soup so I ommited it. You could also substitute chives in place of thyme. Some creme fraiche would be nice too for a little tang. I might even shave some truffle over the top next time to really dress it up (great for a dinner party).

Did I mention my absolute obsession with all things mushroom.

I didn't really have any pregnancy cravings to speak of but post-partum I developed this taste and insatiable craving for mushrooms. Particularly shitakes, chanterelles, truffles(duh) and morels. 

Yeah, I'm a cheap date.

This bag of awesomeness came from our local farmer's market mushroom guy. 

He even gave me a truffle... FOR FREE! More on that later.

I served the finished product with a simple slice of country white bread slathered in butter.

Again , any questions, don't hesitate to comment.

Take Stock.

I was thinking long and hard about what I wanted to share with you today. 

Another recipe?

Baking? (which I am not that good at BTW)

Ingredients?

This one might come under the category of ingredients.

It's stock (in case the title wasn't clear enough).

Now, let me start by saying I used to do the whole chicken carcass deal and will probably do it again. 

However, as life got busier, I got lazier in the kitchen.

I started buying stock (insert gasps here).

It's no big deal and you can get very high quality organic store-bought stocks these days. 

We've come a long way since the bouillon cube.

Let's go back a second... I didn't necessarily get lazy but I needed to simplify...everything. 

Recipes got stripped down, prep times took on a whole new dimension (no time for experimentation, just get down to it) and one pot dishes became my new best friend.

Things got easier as we found our stride and I started introducing some of the more...complex recipes and ingredients that we loved so much, back into our lives.

Including making stock.

I was chopping onions one day and as usual I had a bowl nearby for scraps (headed for the compost pile). Next, I started pulling stems off mushrooms and chopping a few other veggies. It occurred to me that instead of throwing this bowl-o-scraps in the compost pile I could throw it into a pot of water and have me some homemade stock.

So that's what I did. It was wonderful.

Stock doesn't have to be fussy. I don't always add carrot and celery. Sometimes it's just mushroom stems and onion scraps with a little salt and pepper.

Keeping it vegetarian keeps it simple. No cooling down time and skimming fat.

I just ladle it right into some mason jars and pop it in the fridge.

I use my stock for making rice, grains, polenta, braising liquids and soups. It adds so much more flavor (and nutrients) than just plain water.

Also, if I've collected scraps but don't have the time to start the stock right away (or the stovetop space) I keep the scraps in a container in the fridge until I have the 30 seconds that it takes to get it started.

Unfussy and uncomplicated!

A little sidenote: If you want to freeze your stock, leave room at the top of the jar for expansion and let the stock cool completely before putting it in the freezer.

Kick Ass Kulinary Week!

I've been on a tear in my kitchen so I thought I would share with you some of the recipes I've been trying, have loved for a long time and things I always do.

Let's kick it off with this Stuffed Acorn Squash.

I loooooooove this recipe and it's so simple. I discovered it here on The Kitchn where it was adapted from a Dorie Greenspan recipe.

So here it is, my stuffed acorn squash recipe adapted from The Kitchn adapted from Dorie Greenspan. Follow?

First, get yourself some acorn squash (or grow your own).

One feeds two.
I recommend making two (4 servings total) as it is a great and easy dish to reheat.

Start by slicing your squash in half. I do it long ways because I think you get more stuffing space this way.

Scoop out the innards with a spoon.

Rub a little olive oil on the flesh and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Now you want to make your stuffing.

Tear up some bread minus the crust (about 1 1/2 cup) and place in a bowl.

Mix in some shredded gruyere cheese or whatever you have left over in the fridge. 

As the recipe suggests, this is a good time to use up odds and ends. 

Cook off 2 slices of chopped bacon.

When it starts to brown add some onion and garlic until translucent.

Don't forget to season but go easy on the salt as the bacon has a lot of salt already.

Add the bacon, onion, garlic mixture to bread and cheese. 

And here's where I add my own twist - I add some chopped walnuts (about a 1/4 cup).

Add about a tablespoon or two of heavy cream and mix everything together and stuff it into your squash like so.

Place face down in a roasting pan. I suggest you grease your pan so the stuffing doesn't stick. 

Roasting it face down like this creates a beautiful crust (see below for crusty goodness).

Roast for about 45 minutes.

Use a spatula to remove from pan so you don't lose your stuffing and turn over onto plate.

Dig in baby! You'll never look at a squash the same way again!

This recipe is so easy and delicious. 

I also think it's a great dish to serve to guests maybe along side a nice salad.

If I haven't explained a step clearly enough or you have questions please leave them in the comments section and I'll answer/explain anything you want.

I hope you enjoy this week of culinary goodness. 

More fun stuff on it's way!