Quick list of recent pregnancy cravings

I thought it might be fun to keep a running list of my most recent pregnancy cravings and if they've been fulfilled. My mind has been focused on food lately and I'm thankful I'm able to eat more normally again (the first 12ish weeks were rough!). In no particular order:

• Pickles - We ran out at home, must buy more (yes, I will admit to sipping a little pickle juice from the jar, yum!)
  
• Ice cream - Not with the pickles, but I love me some chocolate ice cream & milkshakes
  
• Sushi - I've abstained from the raw stuff since August, but I'm going to try my hardest to get some soon!
  
• Five Guys burgers - I had my first Five Guys burger about a month ago and have been craving them like mad since. Paul indulged me today by meeting me there for lunch, score!
  
• Chick-fil-a - since we're about a mile away from one at home, I've had this one often
  
• Citrus - I am loving oranges & grapefruits. We get our Broughton Band fruit this weekend!!!
  
• Turkey & Stuffing - Thank goodness Thanksgiving was last week, just in time!
  
• Mexican - Particularly from our local, not so good for you, place.
  

Every week brings a new craving!

Wait! Did I mention we're expecting on this blog? I don't think I have! See, I'm am blog-a-holic and post to a few, so in my pregnancy induced amnesia, I hadn't thought to bring it up here. So if you hadn't caught on, I'm pregnant and we're excited to be bringing 'oldmarried baby' into the world at the end of April in 2009!

Thanksgiving Success

Photos courtesy of my brother - Thanksgiving Day eats

Final turkey prep


Turkey going in the oven



The spread!


A full plate

Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

This list is more of a reminder for me this week, but I wanted to share what we'll be eating this Thursday :)



Apps/Light lunch
Veggies/dip
Chips/Salsa
Hot Spinach/Artichoke dip
Pigs in blanket

Dinner
Herb Roasted Turkey breast (Barefoot Contessa recipe)
Turkey Gravy
Garlic Yukon gold potatoes (recipe)
Stuffing
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potato Casserole (with marshmallows on top!)
Yellow squash Casserole (squash from mom & dad's summer garden)
Green Bean Casserole
Watergate Salad
Fresh yeast rolls

Desserts
Pumpkin Pie (recipe)
Pecan Pie
Fresh whipped cream
Flavored coffee

YUMMY! I can't wait until Thursday!

Holiday Eating Tips

I'm sure most everyone has seen this gem in an email at one time or another. However, I do think it needs repeating with the impending (eat-yourself-silly) holidays.



HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet
table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see
carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum
balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare.. You
cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares
that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going
to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it.
Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of
gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of
your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk
or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a
sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to
control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is
to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New
Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do.
This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the
buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plat e of food and that vat of
eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like
frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position
yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before
becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of
shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or
if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always
have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor
Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the
mandatory & celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean,
have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the
party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention.
Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Soup for you!

Well, the correct quote from Seinfield would be, "NO Soup for YOU!" But it's not true! Well, at least not at The Original Soupman franchised locations. Although, the website does list the rules for ordering...



We were craving a nice bowl of soup yesterday and decided to try out the 'soup place,' despite its TV reputation. A quick idea of what you can get at the Soupman - everyday they make a soup from the following varieties:

Hot Soups
· One seafood (Lobster, Crab, Shrimp, Seafood Combination, ...) bisque.
· One vegetarian (Black Bean, Lentil, Yankee Bean, Lima Bean, Black Eye Pea, ...)
· One spicy Mexican chili (Turkey, Beef, Chicken, Sausage, Mushroom, Beans, Vegetarian ...)
· One clear broth (Chicken Vegetable, Chicken Broccoli, .......)

And a few other soups such as:
· Barley (Mushroom, Chicken, Beef, Vegetable, Turkey, ...)
· Gumbo (Beef, Chicken, Shrimp, Seafood, Turkey)
· Goulash (Beef, Veal, ...)
· Creamless Vegetable (Asparagus, Mushroom, Potatoes & Corn, ...)

Chilled Soups (in season)

· Gazpacho, Cucumber, Vichyssoise, Fruit, Borscht, ...

You also receive a slice of crusty bread, a piece of fresh fruit and a square of tasty chocolate with your cup or bowl (a cup was enough!). I tried the lobster bisque and Paul had the mushroom barley - both were delicious! You can also get salads, wraps, paninis and sandwiches. We'll be back.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins - just in time for fall!


• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used a little more than a cup - I'm a choco-holic)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.

Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Key Lime Cheesecake

I found this recipe on Group Recipes and I knew I had to make it for Paul's birthday. It was pretty easy and extremely tasty!

The set-up

(I also purchased a few regular limes in case I didn't have enough juice. After my hand wore out on the small limes, I did juice one regular lime. There. I admit I sorta cheated.)

Getting the lime juice out of the itty-bitty key limes was not easy, but so worth it!


Recipe


* 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 5 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
* 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes)
* 3 eggs
* whipped cream (for dolloping later)



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the butter and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl.

3. Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter.

4. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about one half of the way up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan. You don't want the crust to to form all the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake.

5. Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set it aside until you are ready to fill it.

6. In a large mixing bowl, combine creamcheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.

7. Add the lime juice and eggs and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.

8. Pour the filling into the pan.

9. Bake for 60-70 minutes (if the top of the cheesecake is turning light brown, it's done).

10. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

11. When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator.

12. Once the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and cut the cheese cake into 8 equal slices (or size of desire). (I let mine cool overnight)

13. Serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream on top. Garnish with lime zest and slices of key limes.

The finished cake (I had plenty of limes leftover for garnishing - maybe a little too much on the garnish!)


The birthday boy approves!

Grilled Summer Squash/Zucchini Vinaigrette

I found this recipe while looking for ways to cook summer squash & zucchini. We had been grilling them with a few spices/olive oil and red onions, which was quite tasty, but we needed something fresh. This recipe is delicious!




Grilled Summer Squash Vinaigrette

6 servings

Hands on: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced (I've used 2 cloves, crushed with a garlic press)

Pinch of cayenne pepper (I've used about 1/4 teaspoon)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds summer squash and/zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Oil for coating grill grate

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (opt)

Heat the grill to medium high, for direct-heat cooking. Mix the vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Toss 2 tablespoons of this mixture with the squash in a medium bowl or plastic bag until evenly coated. Brush the grill grate with oil or cooking spray (Weber's is awesome). Put the squash on the hot grill, cover, and cook until browned and barely tender, about 6 minutes, turning halfway through. Put on a serving platter and immediately pour the remaining vinaigrette over the squash and serve (DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BASTE THE VEGGIES WITH THE MIXTURE ON THE GRILL - it will produce flames).

*Goes great with steak!*


Recipe By Elizabeth Lee | Wednesday, June 20, 2007, 12:19 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tomato Basil Salmon

This recipe was sent to me by my best bud Lu. I believe she found it on the awesome recipe exchange site "Group Recipes." It was a delicious weeknight dinner and it was too good not NOT to share. Enjoy!

Tomato Basil Salmon

Ingredients

• 2 (6 oz.) fresh boneless salmon fillets (on sale at Lowe's Foods this week!)

• 1 Tbsp. dried basil

• 1 tomato, thinly sliced

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

• 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese (or eye ball it - I made a nice crust of parm cheese - freshly grated)

-->I also added a dash of salt & pepper to the fillets before topping them with tomato



Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray (or use the awesome non-stick aluminum foil).

3. Place the salmon fillets onto the foil, sprinkle with basil (and salt & pepper if desire), top with tomato slices, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until the salmon is opaque in the center, and the Parmesan cheese is lightly browned on top, about 20 minutes.

Simple Berry Cobbler

Berry Cobbler
(Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry or all of the above!)

1 cup milk
1 stick butter melted
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 cup self rising flour (this is key!)
2 cups fresh berries (I used closer to 2 1/2)
Juice from 1 small lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Wash and drain berries (I used a mix of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries).

Butter a baking dish (I like to use a longer, shallower dish)

Whisk flour, sugar, melted butter and milk together in a bowl (makes a fairly thin mixture). Pour into buttered baking dish.

Add lemon juice to berries and a dash of sugar (if desired). Evenly distribute berries across the batter in dish (they will sink a little). Sprinkle sugar over top of berries.

Bake for about 45-55 minutes until light golden brown and bubbly. Serve with whipped cream and/or scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This recipe courtesy of many people - our mothers (yes, even mine!), old southern recipe books and The Pioneer Woman.

Cheeseburgers - oldmarrieds style

Yeah, so I posted a picture below and never got around to posting an actual recipe. So here goes (a little late for the big grilling weekend)



Cheeseburgers
1lb ground beef (we like ground sirloin or lean 90/10 or 93/7)
1/2 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (dry)
1 egg beaten
2 Tbs Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper
4 buns

Toppings
2 tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 Vidalia (or sweet yellow) onion, thickly sliced
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
Bunch of green leaf lettuce, washed & torn

Preheat grill to 400-450 degrees (pretty darn hot)

In a bowl, beat 1 egg and mix in the dry Ranch dressing and steak seasoning.

Add ground beef and mix well (hands work best!) Divide into 4 even sections and roll/flatten into hamburger patties.

Cook hamburger patties on the grill with a dash of Worcestershire sauce on each side (turning once) to desired doneness. Top with cheese last 45 seconds of cooking (will melt quickly depending on thickness of the slice)

While cooking burgers, place thick slices of tomatoes & vidalia onions on a grill sheet*. Season lightly with salt & pepper. Cook for 3 minutes per side, turning once.

Lightly toast buns on grill after removing burgers to rest.

Top with grilled onions, tomatoes and lettuce as desired and enjoy!



*Grill sheet

Grilled pineapple with honey citrus

Ok, I admit it, this recipe came from our new Weber grill cookbook. We tried it and LOVED it. It's a perfect end to a perfectly grilled dinner.



"Grilled Paradise" (The Weber Gas Grill Cookbook, 2007)

Glaze:
3/4 cup fresh orange juice (we used regular OJ)
1 TB honey
1 tsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
4-6 slices of fresh pineapple

Optional - garnish with vanilla ice cream & mint

To make the glaze: In a small sauce pan combine the glaze ingredients and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Keep the glaze warm or reheat when ready to serve.

Season both sides of sliced pineapple with cracked pepper. Grill over indirect medium heat until well marked, 6-8 minutes, turning once.

Serve each pineapple slice with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle glaze over top.

Quick review: Inn on Pamlico Sound

This was one of the best dinners we had in long time. We both ordered the duck on our first night at the Inn on Pamlico Sound on our 5th anniversary trip to the Outer Banks. It's one of the few fine dining establishments between Avon and Hatteras. They have a private chef on site who offers daily catch specials as well as organic veggies, beef and chicken. We hope to return soon.


Paul and his dinner entree (YUM!)

Photo teaser

... new grilling recipes/ideas coming soon...

Oldmarrieds cheeseburger with grilled tomatoes & onions


Grilled squash & red onions with Tuscan tuna


We are LOVING the new grill. It totally rocks my socks!

Cooking with fire

Old & busted*


New hotness**


*3 years of being lovingly used and battered by wind & rain (literally, it took a good spill off the patio) finally made us retire the grill we bought the first week we moved into our new house

**expect grilling tips soon! the summer cookout season kicks off this weekend!

Herb Garden Update

Here's what I've got growing on -

Chives (which are blooming)


More chives with thyme & small rosemary bush in the background


Blueberries! (1 of 4 bushes!)


Flat-leaf Italian parsley from last season (starting to go to seed now)


Our lovely Tuscan blue rosemary bush (with blooms)


Seedlings (basil, flat leaf parsley & cilantro)


Hello basil! I can't wait to eat some of this with tomatoes & mozzarella or in bruschetta


Our HerbFest buys (mint, basil, lantana & sweet bay)

Speaking of herbs...

We love to garden, well, at least for the first half of summer (until it gets too hot/buggy/weedy). Every year since we moved into our house, we've added on to our garden. We've grown (with wildly varying success) tomatoes, onions, peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe, squash, okra, blueberries, broccoli, lettuce and carrots (and my little key lime plant). We are undecided on our garden plantings this year due to the drought & water restrictions. Last year we constructed a great watering system (misters & drip), but at this point they are only allowed to be used once a week.

Some of last year's garden bounty

Watermelon


Cantaloupe


Yummy little 'maters


Banana peppers


Potted tomato plants & basil

However, I have to grow my herbs! They are just too easy to grow instead of shelling out big bucks at the store to buy them. Our perennial herbs are rosemary, thyme, chives and our biannual Italian flat leaf parsley. I've already started growing some seedlings of basil (2 kinds), cilantro and more Italian flat leaf parsley (can never have too much!) inside.

I started growing them just about a month ago with the little peat pots and mini-greenhouse -


I do not have an updated picture of my cute seedlings, but I will soon! They are growing like weeds (well, they kinda are weeds... but very tasty ones!).

We had a nice time checking out Wake Forest's HerbFest. We went early on Saturday morning and were rewarded with a vast selection of plants. I practiced self restraint and only bought 1 basil (Greek), 1 mint (Spearmint - perfect for mojitos), 1 sweet bay, and 3 Ms. Huff lantana. I am terribly tempted to go back for more and I can because the festival continues on through this weekend! Here are 2 pictures from HerbFest last Saturday morning - I think they can consider it a smashing success once again:

HerbFest 2008

This is a kinda-sorta "eats" related entry. For the last 9 years, the town of Wake Forest has hosted a nifty spring festival called Herbfest (there's a long history here). We've gone the past 2 years and throughly enjoyed ourselves. I could linger for hours touching, smelling and admiring all the plants (Paul would rather we pick something and move on!). We usually buy some yummy herbs for our garden and then a few interesting plants (like cinnamon scented geraniums).

It starts today and goes through April 27th - a whole week (and some odd days)! I can't wait to get up tomorrow morning to check out the duck parade, some bee keepers, listen to WPTF's live "Tarheel Gardener" radio show and of course, pick up some plants. Check it out if you're in the Raleigh area - you won't be disappointed!

Oh! And if you check out my cute town, stop by the Wake Forest Farmer's Market. Open Saturdays, 8am to noon - "Over the years, the Wake Forest Farmers' Market has grown into a lively community event each Saturday morning. We offer our own fresh-off-the-farm produce; pasture-raised beef, poultry, and pork; free-range eggs; fresh and dried herbs; honey, jams, and preserves; fresh-cut flowers; and delicious baked goods. The majority of our farm products are raised using environmentally sustainable agricultural practices, which are healthy for the soil, water, air, animals, and YOU!" It totally rocks!

Rustic steak dinner

Quick restaurant review

We're pretty avid watchers of the UNC TV show, NC Weekend, and always enjoy Bob Gardner's segments on places to eat across the state (apparently he's the state's barbecue authority). So when we saw an episode with Bob at a steakhouse not too far from our house, we decided to make a road trip. This was back in the spring of 2005 (I think!).

All we knew was they had great steak - better than Angus Barn, we heard. We were game! Where is this magical place? Middleburg, NC. Just north of Henderson, in Vance County, just barely south of Virginia and Kerr Lake. The restaurant, the aptly named Middleburg Steakhouse.



Our favorite thing to order - the filet mignon (absolutely delicious)! Their smallest 6oz portion is all you need (and you can't beat the price - $14.95). The price includes one trip to their well stocked salad bar, a side item (potato, veggies, rice) and homemade rolls. If that doesn't fill you up, start out with their stuffed mushroom caps or finish with their hot fudge chocolate cake. YUM. They also have several other cuts of steak along with chicken and seafood. One quick warning - we're fairly certain there is no "non smoking" area so be prepared for some smokers. The second level seems to be the worst offender for smoke, so we usually try to dine early, with the 'early bird,' 65+ crowd (they aren't usually big chain smokers!).

Warning - history info, for the non-nerdy readers, skip ahead
(taken from "HomegrownHandmade" - awesome NC info website)

Built between 1932 and 1934 by local residents and funded by the Civil Works Administration (CWA). All of the materials used in construction were donated by local businesses and residents. The log building was designed so any individual log could be removed and replaced without upsetting the logs next to it. For many years the building was the focal point of all community activities. As time passed and travel became less difficult, residents began to venture further outside the community and use of the building lessened. For many years the building stood abandoned and was often vandalized and used by hoboes traveling on the nearby railroad. In 1976, Irvin Greenway and his son Tommy, both local residents, leased the building with plans to convert it into a restaurant. Six months of extensive renovations followed. All lighting, plumbing and electrical were replaced along with a new roof. With the exception of a few minor innovations, the interior and exterior remain as originally constructed over fifty years ago. A large stone fireplace and rough hand cut logs create a rustic but cozy atmosphere for evening dinners. Menu consists of steaks, seafood and salad bar. Beer and wine are also available.



From visitnc.com

"Middleburg Steak House is a local landmark in Middleburg (outside of Henderson). The atmosphere of this old 1934 log building is rustic and casual. Dine in front of a large stone fireplace as you relax in the main dinning room surrounded by exposed hand hewn logs. Only minutes away from the Historic District of Henderson's downtown area. Reservations suggested. Dinner only. Menu consists of steaks, seafood and salad bar. Beer and wine are also available. 252-492-7088"

Location: US 1 North & Hwy 158 (from I-85 take exit 220)
Middleburg, NC
Hours: Wed. thru Sat. 5:30 - 10pm; Sun. 5:30 - 9pm
Attire: Casual

Favorite gadgets - 3

It's been a while since I posted a "favorite gadget" (or posted anything for the matter) so here's one that's a staple in our kitchen, we even keep one in our suitcase for traveling.

The Waiter's Corkscrew

They can be as elaborate as this Williams Sonoma model (for only $50!)


Or as simple, and inexpensive, as this generic brand you can find at your local Bed Bath and Beyond for just $5.99!


Why do I prefer this type of corkscrew than any other? Well, first, it works! And works quite well once you get the hang of it. Secondly, it's small and easily stores in your utensil drawer without taking up a huge amount of room. They work by using leverage (simple) and a little finesse.

It took me a little while to master the 'art' of opening a bottle on my own (I used to rely on Paul's brute strength), but I had to finally learn the skill so I could open and cook with or enjoy a nice glass on my own.

How to use a waiter's corkscrew (step by step instructions from eHow.com or videos from a Google search)