Spaghetti Squash with Chive Cream

My herb pot is lovely this year, but it's really growing out of control. So many herbs, so little time (or thyme, really, because I didn't grow that this year and I miss it) and I'm running out of fresh ideas to use them up before cold weather hits. My abundant chives have been particularly challenging. I love chives and I thought I would use a ton of them, but I soon ran out of recipes and got stuck using them with potatoes, and we don't eat too many potatoes around here. So I scoured and searched and thought, then combined ideas to create this deliciousness:

Spaghetti Squash with Chive Cream
Ingredients:
1/2 of a medium spaghetti squash (about 6-8 in long), cooked and flesh removed, and pipping hot
2 Tablespoons (slightly less than 1 ounce) cream cheese, room temp
1/2 C heavy cream, room temp
3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives with a pinch of parsley in there too
salt
freshly ground pepper

Method:

In a small saucepan, melt the cream cheese over medium low heat. Add the cream to the melted cream cheese, whisk thoroughly to combine, and bring to low, bubbling boil. Turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper, and mix in the fresh chives and parsley.

Fluff up the spaghetti squash with a fork to be sure that the noodley parts are well separated. Pour chive cream over spaghetti squash and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper, if needed (and more cracked pepper is always needed).

If you want to lighten up this recipe, try using Neufchatel cheese and half and half, but that's really only if you want healthy veggies, which is silly :)

Enjoy!

P.S.- Jeffrey loved this so much, after we completed the dish he asked me to whip up some more chive cream and proceeded to devour the other half of the spaghetti squash. It's really that tasty.

22 weeks and a 23rd birthday

I'm calling this my first official bump! Don't belittle it.....it certainly feels large to me and I'm now feeling like a legitimate pregnant lady-tight pants, slight waddle (though I try my best NOT to waddle), itchy belly skin, and uncomfortable, sleep-scarce nights.

{22 weeks}

It's all quite new and positively remarkable as I observe these amazing-and as Jeffrey constantly reminds me- beautiful changes. It's taking some adjusting, but this little bump serves as a daily reminder of our new commitment and responsibilities, and as it grows, so does our joy and excitement.

Other exciting news: I had a birthday! And it was a caramel apple filled affair (I'm LOVING caramel apples right now-I think about how I can incorporate them into every meal, or food group, or snack), topped off with family and wonderful friends and crisp Autumn weather. Birthdays make me feel like I love the world and like the world loves me back. Thanks to everyone who in any big or small way helped to make my day special (and yes, facebook comments totally count:) but so does dessert making, or dinner making, or gift giving, or texting, or positive thoughts, or anything really).

Some musings...

I've been thinking a lot lately about babies. For obvious reasons, of course, it occupies my mind for approximately 9 of 13 waking hours (hey, I go to bed early folks), with the other hours being filled with thoughts of food, school, work, food, dreams of naps, crafts, ideas for creative exercise, and sometimes shopping.

For 9 hours, there's never a shortage of things to think about. It affords me plenty of time for mulling over important things and small things. I think of important and amazing things before I fall asleep, right as I wake in the morning, when I feel our little boy kick to assert his presence, and all the pockets of moments in between.

But lets talk about the small things for now.

Like how I want this vintage pram. Badly.

{i'd have this washed up and re-upholstered so it can reach its maximum potential}

Like how I hope (and pray) that our child doesn't need one of these to keep him in his crib:



Like tummy size. This is my angel mother, carrying me-although at the moment it looks like I'm carrying her around. Let's actually not talk about this now. That's a bit scary.

{i love you mama}

Like baby layettes:

{romper, winter water factory}

Just little things that occupy my thoughts and snatches of free time. If you want to join me in frivolity, feel free to leave me a link in the comments to something wonderful or adorable. I'll be happy to give you an excuse to look at baby things, and it'll probably make your heart happy too.

El Jefe Celebrates-One Quarter of a Century

My lover turned 25! (On August 31st....)
Birthday plans are sometimes tricky for the Mr., but to help me out there are always a few things I can rely on: for his birthday dinner, he'll want juicy steaks, garlic green beans, and rosemary roasted potatoes with grape juice to wash it down (this guy LOVES grape juice); he'll want a cake, and it'll have to be chocolate; present wise, some electronic is usually on the birthday list.

Other than that I'm on my own to collect ideas for what to get the big guy and whether or not we'll do a shindig or a quiet affair. I usually begin planning a few months ahead of time, but following my latest trend, this big celebratory day snuck up on me! Luckily, Jeffrey broke form and had a list for birthday presents he had created himself....sheesh, you'd think this would make me happy but he wanted everything I had planned to get him, which sure ruins all the good surprises and makes me look very un-clever.


Jeffrey didn't know that I had invited some people over to share all that chocolate cake with us and celebrate the big day, so at dinner just the two of us sat eating dinner and chatting and Jeff said, "None of my friends came." I felt so bad!! And although I was happy inside because I knew his friends were coming, I just hated to cause him pain on his birthday. Right after dinner, we heard a knock at the door (a common occurrence with apartment managing), and with a puzzled look Jeffrey walked to the door and said, "Who could that be?" I smiled inside but said aloud, "It'd better not be some girl who locked herself out of her apartment!!" Then......SURPRISE!! In pops our friends with presents and ice cream and many happy returns to Jeff :) Success.

Dear me, where did August go?

So hey everyone it's September! And once again I've been remiss in sharing tidbits from our journey, which is a shame because so much has been happening, I really have some interesting fodder for blogging to share. Now of course, highlights of the past month or so will occur.

1. I walked for graduation! I will be graduating in December, and as there isn't a ceremony that is held in December, most graduates are encouraged to walk in April. I however, and as you may know, rarely like to do anything the usual way, so Shane and I (both December graduates) walked and participated in commencement ceremonies in August. My parents and grandparents came for the blessed early celebration, as well as a very pregnant Krista-who surprised everyone! (Except for Jeffrey and I of course...)

{there were refreshments after the ceremony, and this is where, and how, my family found me}

{underneath it all, this is how I made it through the event without fainting. For more information on why the skirt I bought one week before graduation didn't fit, see life update #4}

2. Jeffrey finished his super computer! It starts up completely in 45 seconds flat. It also has a Blu-Ray player disk drive, so now he's all into that. I'm pretty proud of him though, it is a pretty awesome piece of technology.

3. School started again. Along with more work (lets talk about how I should work less....perhaps another time?). I AM excited to be in my last semester, I just think it still hasn't hit me yet. We took over apartment management in our complex about 2 weeks before school started, and my head has been swimming ever since. I do believe that I'm about to get my legs under me again, but it's sure hard with tenants knocking on our door at all hours, and running around doing maintenance, and putting out the occasional fire (not a real one, thank goodness, just metaphorically). All in all, I definitely feel like I working two jobs, and going to school.

{our new apartment...and oh whats that??...a ginormous sunflower!! this blossoming beauty is so big!}

4. And in other news, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!!! A BOY!!!! I'm currently at 21 weeks, (21 down....19 more to go!) I've been feeling ok mostly, my largest complaint would be that I'm tired and I always feel like a beached and bloated whale. Or a sausage stuffed into a skin that is 3 sizes too small. Or a ravenous wolf that loves milk, buffalo wings, salad, more salad, french onion soup, pizza, tomatoes, peaches, paninis, pickles, and lasagna.

I can't button my pants anymore without feeling faint-so though the pictures may not show it, I assure you I am growing! And the best news of all: the baby is doing great. Our perinatalogist, who analyzes our frequent ultrasounds (one of the perks associated with being an ex-cancer patients...LOTS of baby pictures and some extra care!) uses words like "perfect," "great," "beautifully," which are more than encouraging to a little mama with lots of worries. But at this moment all my worries are at rest. Our little boy is growing splendidly, he is measuring a week and a half big (it must be all the veggies), and swims and flutter kicks all the live long day.

In addition to our perinatalogist, we see a team of midwives for our baby care. It was really important to me to see a woman for baby matters, someone who would directly understand how I was feeling about nearly everything, and both Jeffrey and I value the support and range of birth options provided by our midwife team.

Needless to say, after 2 jobs, school, and making a person all day long, I konk out every night around 9pm-or earlier. But we are both so excited and can hardly wait for our little love bundle to arrive around January 22, 2012. Until then, love, foot rubs, and the occasional Indian-takeout (or pizza...or mega salad bar) will keep us alive.

{16 weeks}

{18 weeks}

{21 weeks}

Extra! Extra!

Big news: Pioneer Woman is coming to Food Network. Grab your butter, put on your cowboy hats, and get ready, because it's gonna be great!


See the FN news release here.

See Ree Drummond's fab site here.

And the first time I gushed about her here.

I'm very much too excited to say more. I'm going to go mark my calendar for August 27th.

Weekend Mirths, A Key Recipe

It was a pretty simple weekend. Nothing too fancy, just family and work around the house. So I'll give you something to kick your week up a bit-Key Lime Pie.

This is strikingly easy to make, I mean, seriously so cinch. You juice some limes, you beat some eggs, you open a can, bake, the end.

So you should probably make it soon :) I ventured upon making it simply because the Freff smacked his lips one day and said, I feel like some key lime pie. As I looked up recipes, I would ask if he liked this or that about the pie (like meringue topping or sour cream, etc.).
Eventually he confessed: "Well, I've never actually had key lime pie, but I really like the yogurt. Does it taste like the yogurt?"
Me (between hearty chuckles)-"Yeah it's pretty much like that."
Jeff-"Then I think I'll like it."

We topped our pie with loads of sweetened, whipped cream, although next time I'll do a meringue. I also purchased a pre-made graham cracker crust, because to me, it's one of those things that tastes the same if it's homemade or store bought, plus if I was going to make my man juice 22 little round balls, I figured I should do everything I could to make the rest of the process go smoothly and quickly.


It's best to let this pie refrigerate over night, this mellows the flavor and puts it at optimum eating delight. If you can't wait that long (we didn't and that my friends is how I know this) get ready to pucker up, because the pie is tart! Almost overwhelmingly tart, but still yummy. Just try to wait though, ok?





Key Lime Pie
adapted from Emeril Lagasse's recipe found here

For the Pie:
1 9-in graham cracker pie crust
2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
1 C key lime juice, about 22 key limes-rolled prior to slicing and juicing to break juice pockets
2 whole eggs

For the topping:
2 C heavy whipping cream
3/4 C powdered sugar (Jeff likes his really sweet, so use less or add gradually for your preferred sweetness)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a bowl with a pouring spout, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended, and pour the filling into the pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

The Final Installment

We were out until 3am this morning participating in the wonderful events that encircle a Harry Potter premier. We started with a double feature showing Deathly Hallows Part 1 at 9pm and Deathly Hallows part 2 at 12:01am. Amidst the parade of muggle-dressed ministry workers, Professor Tralawneys, Weird Sister bands, and Dobby the house elves, we waved our wands and sat on the edge of our seats waiting for the final end of saga that began when I was 12. Two massive sodas, one large jug of popcorn, a box of dots, and a bag of raisinettes later, I was fit to burst but quite content with the way things all turned out. Until I had to get up for work this morning. And until I realized that the movie was the end of an era. I'm feeling a bit sad today, despite my contentedness, and I'm not sure whether to resist the urge to run to the library and check out books 1-7 and re-read them (or re-re-re-read them) or just let the dust settle.

Either way, we'll be trying to recover from the excitement all weekend long, drinking butterbeer, and if I can possibly stand another kernel of popcorn, I'll be making this homemade kettle corn recipe.

Try these butterbeer recipes to keep your HP spirits up:
food network
Butterbeer cupcakes
Mugglenet Butterbeer
Wizarding World of HP Top 5 recipes

I hope you all have a great weekend! Go out and fight the HP crowds-it's worth it.

P.S.-we were so glad we did the double feature! Double the fun and when we walked into the theatre at 7pm we were seated right away, while hundreds upon hundreds (we're talking A LOT of people!!) were already lined up waiting. They must have been there for over 8 hours! When did you get in line? Were you able to get a good seat? Did you use any special techniques to secure your spot?

Wonderful Weekend Mirths

This past weekend Jeffrey and I had the wonderful good fortune of escaping to the wilderness to slow down, enjoy life, and relax. On Friday, the two of us loaded up our car (though trips like this always make my Mister come down with a huge case of truck lust) and left the bustling, cramped city life behind for the sweeping expanses of green and red and gorgeous rock formations of Southern Utah. We stayed in the most adorable cabins, fished-and ate what we caught-hiked, and soaked up fresh, clean air and pristine views.

{sweet little country cabin}

{the view off our back porch}

{a dinosaur print we found on the hike! Jeff thinks it's a horse hoof-does look like a hoof to anyone else? I don't think so. DINOSAUR people}

{I was fascinated by the faces naturally carved in the rocks}

{he's fearless}

{the valley of Dixie National Forrest after a tremendous hail storm; two inches of juniper-berry sized hail covered the scenic byway we drove on}

{my little sun-burned kneecap got toasted through a whole in my jeans}

{Red rock cliffs escorted us home}

Weekend Mirths, spanning 2 weekends

It's time for my favorite I'm-way-behind-in-blogging-so-please-accept-my-photo-essay catch-up game! We've been delightfully busy lately having way too much fun and I'm still waiting on the handsome geek to finish his computer so I can bombard its 2 terabyte hard drive with pictures, and have I mentioned that 3 months after moving we still have not finished unpacking? Do you know me? Do you know how I tolerate mess and disorder? I don't. But I do love long summer weekends spent with my bestest making memories we'll never forget, so I'll leave the boxes and to-do lists out of mind for now. These days are just too good to waste.

{stopping to play Pooh sticks}

Our weekends start at 1pm on Fridays-that's when I finish my work and school week and when Jeffrey finally decides to crawl out of bed. :) One of our favorite Friday activities is to grab lunch at Molly's-the BEST lunch place in Provo-then work off their delectable chocolate cream cheese cake riding our bikes around town or going for a walk. Sometimes we brave the shady Provo River trail, dodging bums and plump shirtless men, focusing our attention instead on the gushing river and abundance of trees.

Two weekends ago we joined with our cousins for a Cousins Camp-out at Payson Lake, and may I just say that camping with kids is really fun. My youngest cousin present, Timm, was the resident bear watcher for me, so he was the maniac making sure all the food was picked up and put away, which left me time to roast more s'mores.




We L-O-V-E glow sticks in my family. A party just isn't a party without them.

Dan was camp chef extraordinaire, cooking up the seriously most edible, even delicious, camp food I've ever had while roughing it.

I think it took all week to get the smoke smell of of my hair, so when the weekend of July 4th arrived we were ready for something a little more fancy. Friday night we drove through the canyon to Sundance, where the Utah Symphony was holding an outdoor patriotic concert. We were lucky to have a beautiful, clear night, so the sounds of America rang out over the gathered crowd.

The Symphony played patriotic songs, scores from All-American movies and plays, but our favorite was when they honored service men and women and families by having them stand when their songs were played. I felt remarkably grateful for so many people who honor and serve our country.


Two old favorites: Red Vines (now available in pull-n-peel!!!!) and my trusty red flats made for an All-American celebration.

Saturday night was the big fireworks show, and our pals Shane and Robyn joined us for explosions and strawberry shortcake. The fireworks were so beautiful this year, I almost cried with delight.

{fireworks awe}

Sunday night we decided to trek up to Jeffrey's grandparents' home to spend the holiday with them. Some force in the universe conspired against us though, and no sooner had we set out than we got a flat tire! With a little help, we switched out the bad tire for the slightly less bad spare tire...and braved the back roads up over the mountains at a daring speed of: 40 mph :)

We discovered that we much prefer the back road and will most likely take the extra time to drive the scenic route when we again head north.

{we made to grandpa's house}

Miraculously we found someone to fix the tires on the 4th of July-what a relief- but the grand summation of the entire Independence Day weekend was our drive home through the valley that night. Fireworks broke up the night sky on either side of the interstate, for miles ahead of us and miles beside us, and accompanied our travel the entire way home.