Sunday, March 28, 2010

Big Pink Beds

There could be a part of me that is coveting
the owners of these beds...

A few thoughts come to mind when I look at them:

kitsch, Marie Antoinette, ostentatious,
ethereal, chic, over-stated, feminine,
luscious, tawdry, prodigious, marvelous, Madame X

I ADORE THESE BEDS!




Saturday, March 27, 2010

Tulsa Time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4peL__Q08zQ

Only a few years ago I saw Jason Boland put on one hell of a concert at a fraternity party in Norman, Oklahoma in the pouring rain--and then proceed to down his sorrows and depression with a bottle of Jack with the hosts of the party. He was conflicted, sad and tortured.

Since that concert, Boland has lost 50 (or so) pounds, doesn't sleep with a bottle next to his bed and is a self-proclaimed man of God. His Johnny Cash-type 180 is seen not only in his actions, but reflected in the lyrics of his music as well.

The recent release of Jason Boland & The Stragglers' video just made my morning-Tulsa Time-you know, the old Don Williams tune made famous by Eric Clapton (that he apparently didn't even sing when his tour led him through Tulsa).

The combination of his healthy life, his newly found faith in God, his recognizable voice and a down-home song makes for an awesome 3 minutes and 51 seconds!!

I hope it makes your day too! Click on the link above to watch!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Could it be true!? A guarantee!?

According to both the owners of the Italian restaurant, Scalini's, in Cobb County, Georgia AND my girlfriends at work, this recipe for eggplant parmigiana is guaranteed to induce labor. To date, Scalini's owners claim that 300 women, in the past 23 years of business, have given birth within 48 hours of consuming this delicious meal smothered in cheese and marinara sauce.

So is this a sure bet? Could this be the answer for the poor women of this world that are tired of wobbling when they walk, sleeping on their side, not being able to give themselves a pedicure or the worst of all-not being able to go for an afternoon run? Or maybe I'm just hoping that this is a sure bet for inducing labor for myself because of the mentioned annoyances...?

Technically, our little girl won't be 'full-term' until week 37-tomorrow I will be a week shy at 36 weeks (9 months!). But don't kid yourself, if we aren't holding Knox Leon Jolie-Pitt's future wife in our hands in 2 weeks, I will be testing this Italian hypothesis, along with any other suggestions you might have. And if this hypothesis doesn't prove true, at least we had a darn good meal out of it! Let's get to cooking my friends!!!

Ingredients
  • 3 medium sized eggplants
  • 1 cup flour
  • 6 eggs, beaten
  • 4 cups fine Italian bread crumbs, seasoned
  • Olive oil for sauteing
  • 8 cups of marinara sauce (recipe below)
  • 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 pounds of mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 2 cups of ricotta cheese
  • Directions

    1. After you wash the eggplant, slice them into 1/4-inch thick slices. You may choose to peel the eggplant before you slice it. However, you may want to leave the skin on since it contains a lot of vitamins.

    2. Place the eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt, then cover with another layer of paper towels and hold it down with something heavy to drain the excess moisture. Let them sit for about an hour.

    3. Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dust with flour, dip in beaten eggs, then coat well with breadcrumbs.

    4. Saute in preheated olive oil on both sides until golden brown.

    5. In baking dish, alternate layers of marinara sauce, eggplant slices, ricotta, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, until you fill the baking dish, about 1/8 inch from the top. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese, and bake for 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

    Scalini's Marinara Sauce

    Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons of chopped garlic
  • 3 Tablespoons of olive oil
  • 8 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
  • 1 cup onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
  • 1/8 cup of fresh chopped sweet basil
  • Pinch of thyme
  • Pinch of rosemary
  • One teaspoon salt
  • One teaspoon black pepper

  • Directions

    1. Lightly saute the onions in olive oil in large pot for a few minutes.

    2. Add garlic and saute another minute.

    3. Add tomatoes and bring sauce to a boil, then turn heat low.

    4. Add remaining ingredients, stir, cover and let simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally

    Friday, March 5, 2010

    Reves Doux Mes Amis!

    If you haven't met Etsy.com, then please, introduce yourself-QUICKLY!

    I just LOVE this website. It's a fabulously anomalous site to buy and sell things handmade. You can find everything on this site from handmade jewelry, to paper goods, needle crafts, hand-blown glass items, anything & everything for your wedding, the PERFECT gift for your family/friends and unique items for your home that you won't find in stores.

    Nearly everything is custom made for you by artists across the US. One of the neatest things that I've found on Etsy.com, is the opportunity to commission artists to create oil paintings based on the picture that you send them-how cool is that!? Another great thing about Etsy.com is that you have the ability to directly contact all of the artists with any questions, thoughts or comments.

    Heidi Devlin is an artist that features a delightful collection of her handmade pillows on Etsy.com, and I think I'm in LOVE! They are all custom made based on your requests, and have a wonderfully personal touch that you'll cherish forever. Perfect for anyone! Best of all, they're SO affordable! My favorite is the pillow-"Reves Doux"-which means "Sweet Dreams" in French. I'm so excited because Ms. Devlin just confirmed that she is going to stencil our little girl's first and middle name in place of "Mon Enfant!" What a perfect example of the wonderful benefit to being able to correspond directly with the artists!

    ENJOY!

    Monday, March 1, 2010

    Fighting the Ho-Hums

    Never did I envision this blog falling victim to the pregnancy ho-hums; and thus it has. My pre-baby brain was full of creative ideas involving cooking and other such endeavors that challenged me during our adventure in Miami. And then 'it' happened. 'It' being the details involved in pregnancy that drive your husband to spend a little more time at the gym, and force his excitement with the weekend question, "honey, what needs to be done around the house today?" Needless to say, there have been moments of complete lucidity, and then those dreadful moments that bring you to tears when the cat sees a toy in the measuring tape as you try to get the length of the crib mattress for your mother that's creating a crib-bedding masterpiece.


    With that being said, there really hasn't been a moment of calm in the 33 weeks since we knew our baby girl was coming. So, I feel inspired to share a few moments and convey that, really, my creative endeavors haven't ceased completely, nor has our active life in Miami-I've just struggled with the ordeal of making POINT A connect with POINT B to equal POINT C-the blog.


    My cooking certainly hasn't been cut too short. After all, we all need a nightly hearty dinner. Per the request of the sweetest boy I know, I made a Hood family favorite for Valentine's Day-the Jello Pokey Cake. Smothered in strawberry Jello, this classic was quite delicious. However, I couldn't quite recall if it reminded me more of my summers at New Life Ranch or visiting relatives at nursing homes. Brian loved it-and that's all that matters.


    I've been experimenting too, and come to a conclusion; one should NEVER make cinnamon rolls without yeast. Don't listen to the online recipe comments made, "a quick, Betty-Crocker-comparable Saturday morning treat." They just don't compete, and any palate knows the difference-even my baby girl knew the difference, in utero. I can't help but compare cinnamon rolls to a Tulsa classic-Petty's cinnamon rolls. DELISH.


    One thing I love about Brian is that when he sets a goal-he always finishes it. His recent goal was to complete a 1/2 marathon prior to his daughter's birth. In typical Brian James fashion, one isn't enough of anything-so he finished two in less than a month-the second on a bum knee. The Chicago & Marine Corps. Marathons are now calling his name. Don't blame me if I like the runner booty that has come of this 'vice.'


    One of the recent highlights of the past few months was the acquisition of our newest family member-Cimarron Grosvenor. He's the first born (10.11.09), and only boy, of the litter of pups that my mother and father raised-Clementine, of course, being the mother. From the moment I held him in my hands at 2 weeks old, I knew we couldn't live without him-disregarding that everyone said I was crazy for taking a puppy 3 months prior to giving birth! He has made a seamless transition to our life in South Florida.


    Grosvenor is mild-mannered and loving, and he will make a wonderful gun dog with his desire for discipline and loyal personality. His maturity level, at only 5 months, constantly amazes me. He LOVES his daddy and LOVES to stand at my feet while I cook dinner-hoping for the occasional vegetable to drop to the ground. Daily, Brian and I comment on how fortunate we are to have such a wonderfully adapted, well mannered dog in our lives. The true test of his nature was proven this past weekend when he joined us for dinner at some friends' house that have a 9 month old baby girl, Olivia. Grosvenor was interested yet extremely gentle with her-I was a proud mom.


    Finally, we're 33 weeks pregnant with our first little girl. Elated, thrilled, nervous and unprepared are a few of the adjectives that I could easily use to describe the feeling in these final weeks. But the most honest of all of the feelings that we presently have is BLESSED. She is healthy, kicking and announcing to the world that she will be here soon. I can't help but think about her growing up to be a woman, and with those thoughts, I recalled in terror, a comment that my father made to me (in anger and frustration, naturally) at the tender age of 17 that I haven't forgotten, "someday, I hope your daughter does to you what you're doing to me." I suppose I do have a few things coming my way...


    A few questions that I'm asked regularly that make me smile are:
    "Do you have any cravings?" Answer: no-but I really like chocolate in all forms.
    "Is the nursery ready?" Answer: no, I'm waiting on my mom and mother-in-law to finish that up for me...oh...and sleep in the same room as the baby as well. Really my answer is: Nursery? Who can afford a third or fourth bedroom in Miami?
    "How are you feeling?" Answer: there have been a few moments that I've really felt badly, but other than that, this has been a very easy pregnancy. I DO confess to complaining a few extra times when Brian comes home, though, for the sake of an extra back rub that night.
    "Do you have a birth plan?" Answer: whatever my insurance says that it'll pay for. My birth plan (or whatever that is) = free.
    "Have you and Brian taken any Lamaze classes?" Answer: no. I am also the girl that didn't take bridal pictures.
    "Are you going to have an epidural?" Answer: heck yes. I'm not looking for a medal of completion. I got enough of those in elementary basketball.
    "Are you ready?" Answer: what kind of a question is this? Yes, people ask this quasi open-ended question. Am I ready? Are WE ready? I mean of course we're thrilled to meet our baby girl in April, but when you're a first-time parent, do you EVER have any idea of what is REALLY about to change your lives? According to our parents, Brian and I have no idea about what's to come-and that's the exciting, thrilling thing about life! Yes, we're so 'ready' but then again, we have NO idea what's to come-that's why we're counting on the knowledge of our mothers-with collective experience from five children, they can help tell us what to expect. Love you RAF & JAH!


    I'll keep you updated on the continued adventures Brian & I encounter. The support that we are shown THOUSANDS of miles away in Miami is continually humbling. Thank you. We love you.


    Cimarron Grosvenor 2.21.10

    A fun day at the beach!


    First, and definitely NOT the last 1/2 marathon!
    Grovie was Dad's BIGGEST fan!

    33 Weeks folks!