Having a Toddler is NOT for the Short of Patience or the Faint of Heart

Bunnyworm is 2. She turned 2 on February 15th. She ate lots of cake, spent the night at her Granpa's, got to wear a motorcycle helmet, etc etc.

This is not about that. That was just to give you an idea of her age. And tell you she is loved.

So loved.

Daddybeast got up early for work, went to work, was told he wasn't supposed to be at work until this evening. He came home. I was still asleep.

He started  messing about in the kitchen and I woke up, got up, and started my day. Bunnyworm was being endearing and calling "RUUUUUUSSSSSSSSTYYY!" over and over again because she is 2 and her Gramma (my mom) has an orange cat (a very fat orange cat) named Rusty.

Rusty Bucket.

Bunnyworm's cat is the Wafflecat, so I corrected her, telling her "Rusty is Gramma's kitty, your kitty is named Waffles." That set off the "WAAAAAAAAFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" over and over and over.

Wafflecat

Then everything got quiet.

Too quiet.

Daddybeast had been making coffee in the kitchen when I woke up, and if you have raised a toddler you already know where this is going.

THE HORROR

This morning, instead of eating breakfast and leisurely drinking my sweet tea (coffee and I haven't gotten along since I was pregnant with Bunnyworm), I got to clean coffee grounds out of my daughters ears, nose, eyes, and hair. Daddybeast was beyond angry. He was so angry he just stood there and laughed. He told me to get my camera. So I did.

That sheet was new. It was clean. Bunnyworm's sippy cup leaked in the night and her old sheet was soaking wet with water so we put a clean dry one on. I took it outside and shook as much of the coffee out as I could. I just know it's going to stain.

Still, the only thought that went through my head when I saw this was "Thank god it's not poop."

Something New for Dinner

Two weeks ago I had two coupons for the Campbells Gourmet Bisques soups. They were also BOGO at Publix. So I bought 2. I bought the Butternut Squash ones because butternut squash soup is amazing, but kind of a pain in the ass to cook. I mean seriously. Making it gets a pot dirty, a pan dirty, requires the oven or a steamer cage. Gets the blender dirty. Handling scalding hot chunks of squash. With my toddler screaming "WANT IT! WANT IT! PEEEEEESE! AHH! AAAHHHHH! MOMMMMIIIIIEEE?!"

Delicious Laziness Enabler

Yeah no. Anyhow, the bisques are delicious on their own. It says 2 servings on the box (I think) but on it's own it's pretty much enough for one person. I used the first box/carton thing as a side dish. It was very well received. I always mix in heavy cream. I never measure, I just look at it and pour it in until I think there's enough. That's pretty much how I do things in general. Add until it looks right.

Anyhow. Thursday is baked chicken night. I defrosted chicken thighs dutifully this mornign but I really didn't feel like cooking anything fancy. I didn't want to have to cook vegetables on the side either. I baked bread earlier. Additional effort was not forthcoming. Bunnyworm also has diarrhea as a result of eating too many tomatoes. I've been cleaning that up all day.

So I looked in my pantry, muttering to myself to see what I could do to this chicken to make it delicious and nutritious without having to expend a lot of effort. I saw the box and I decided it looked good.

First I got on Supercook to see if what I was doing had been done before, but I quickly lost patience with scrolling through looking at things that were going to take WAAAAAAAAAAAAY more effort than I wanted to put into this.

Then I got on google. What herbs go with butternut squash? I got any number of combinations, but I decided to go with Sage & Onion. Goes well with chicken, goes well with butternut squash. Not complicated.

Then I looked in the fridge. There are always veggies in my fridge. I decided to grab some sliced mushrooms. The white ones you find in supermarkets, but portabella mushrooms would have worked just as well.

I got my fancy square glass baking dish (bought on clearance at publix) and plopped the defrosted chicken thighs out of their ziplock back into it. Then, because I didn't want raw chicken on my hands (ewww!) I used a clean fork to arrange them. Got my rubbed sage and sprinkled it on the chicken. Then I broke out my dried minced onion and shook it good and hard over the chicken.

Then I grabbed a bowl, the bisque, and my carton of heavy cream. I made scallop mushroom alfredo a few days ago. I had some left over and I'd hate to let it go to waste. I put the bisque in the bowl and poured in the cream. I have no idea how much I put in there. Let's just say 3/4 a cup. Give or take a few ounces. I used the raw chicken fork to mix it up. The bisque is really thick when it comes out of the carton. The cream dilutes it nicely.

I layered the mushrooms over the chicken. and poured the bisque/cream mixture over.

Then, because it felt right, I sprinkled walgreen's "NICE" brand italian blend cheese over the top thinly. I put this in the oven at 450 degrees. This is probably too hot, but it's the temp I'd baked the bread at and I didn't remember to turn it down (whoops).

I baked it for a really long time. Probably an hour, but 45 minutes would have been sufficient.

When I pulled it out of the oven, I sprinkled another thin layer of cheese over the top.

Daddybeast loved it. Bunnyworm loved it. I loved it. Wafflecat got yelled at for trying to lick my bowl.

Here is a recipe in a more comprehensible list:

Cream of Butternut Chicken
Makes 4 Servings

4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on/off per preference)
1 tbsp Rubbed Sage
1/2 tsp Dried Minced Onion
1 carton Campbells Gourmet Butternut Bisque
3/4 cup Heavy Cream
4 oz White/Portabella Mushrooms sliced (supermarkets tend to sell them in 8oz packages)
1/4 cup mozzarella or "italian blend" shredded cheese divided into 2 equal measures

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1.) Place chicken thighs in oven safe pan and sprinkle sage and onion over.
2.) Combine bisque and cream in bowl
3.) Layer mushrooms over chicken
4.) Pour bisque/cream mixture over chicken and mushrooms
5.) Scatter half of the cheese over the top of the bisque/chicken/mushroom mess
6.) Bake for 45 minutes (or longer--the chicken only gets tenderer, just make sure the top doesn't burn)
7.) Remove from oven and scatter remaining cheese over the top.

I wish I took pictures, but Daddybeast was into this as soon as this came out of the oven...

Grocery List for 2/13/12

One thing I am going to try to start doing is posting my receipts from when I go grocery shopping. This one is for today, I went to the Lilburn International Farmers Market which is owned by Nam Dae Mun. I have a Nam Dae Mun market closer to my home (built in an old Publix) but I don't like it as much. It doesn't have the variety I like and honestly, it feels smaller and is an old Publix. The whole time I am there, I am going "This is Publix." The setup confuses me and I am used to my store in Lilburn (LOLburn XD). I went to Publix yesterday and if I can find the receipt I will go ahead and add it to this, but if I don't well...

meh.

Anyhow. Here is what I got with maybe explanations for each one:

3 Ladies Jasmine Rice 50lb bag. $42.99. That comes to 86 cents per pound. Not bad for Jasmine Rice *if* you have somewhere to put it. I have a tote I pour most of it in, and a large glass jar on the counter that I keep full and has it's own 1 cup scoop for measuring quick and easy. I have bought 3 Ladies brand before and I really like the quality. The rice is all uniform and is clean with no debris in the bag (I cannot remember the brand I bought once that had moldy rice husks in it.). I prefer Jasmine Rice to regular rice because it cooks well and has a delicious aroma and taste. Basmati rice is good too, but it is a *thirsty* rice and takes a lot more water. Brown rice takes longer to cook (but is healthier for you) and I tend to use it in soups and 1 dish meals.

50lbs is probably the most economical way to buy rice, but only if you have somewhere to store it and can physically lift it. It is at the edge of my ability to lift. I scraped my arm trying to lift it out of the cart (I put it on the edge, but the cashier put it in the cart). Next time I may just buy a 25lb bag...

Plastic Sushi Mold 2 pc $1.99. Not an essential item, but I have been looking for one to make onigiri. I also want to make bentos for Daddybeast and eventually Bunnyworm, and I have looked online at amazon. This was much cheaper.

Bamboo Sushi Roll Matt .49. Another non essential item, but Bunnyworm kinda broke our old one.

Plastic Jar for Storing Spices/Grains $1.49. We have  a lot of miscellaneous grains in our home and we are always upcycling jars to put them in. This one will probably wind up holding split peas or black beans or something. Actually, it would work great to hold my millet.

Plastic Ladle Spoons $.49 each x 2. I like these little ladles for when we eat soup. My soups always have a lot of chunky stuff in it and I strongly believe in throwing a little bit of everything in. Soup isn't a watered down thing in our home. It's rich and thick and has lots of bits and has to be eaten with a large spoon. For whatever reason, the spoons keep disappearing, so I replenished 2 of them.

Double Basket Set $2.99. This one can be a bit confusing. It's a large plastic bowl with a large plastic colander that fits inside. Useless for draining noodles or hot things, but excellent for rinsing salad greens etc. The holes are too wide for rice or quinoa. I have several of these but Bunnyworm keeps breaking the colander part (she likes to take them into the bathtub). One of them is still in the tub with her toys in it. She can keep it there. I bought a new one.

Carrot Bag 5lbs $2.49. We eat a lot of carrots. Carrot sticks, carrot hearts (I use a cookie cutter), carrot slivers, diced carrots, you name it.

Family Pork Chop $14.48. The receipt doesn't say how many pounds and we already divided up the chops and put them in the freezer. It had 12 chops in it though, and I feel like it was a good deal.

Goya Chick Peas Can 29oz $2.19 each x 2. I love chickpeas. We use them often in our "Meatless Monday" meal. Of course, Bunnyworm's birthday is on Friday and I am thinking about making some Hummus to take to her party =) These are the large cans, and I like Goya brand a lot.

Goya Black Beans Can 29oz $2.19. Another vegetarian day favorite. Black beans and rice. Blackbean salsa (I will put a link in later). You name it. Good price, good brand.

Asian Taste Coconut Milk 13.5 oz Can $1.39 each x 4. The brand name is pretty silly, but the quality is good and I have bought them several times before. I just wish it had the easy open tab.

Green Zucchini $1.49 /lb x 3.81 lbs. ($5.68) We eat a ton of zucchini. In stir frys, curry, soup, logs, sauteed in butter, etc.

Red Onions 3lb bag $3.99 Great for guacamole, and salads. Red onions are supposed to be more nutritious than yellow or white onions. I think.

Iberia Extra Virgin Olive Oil 51oz $8.99 I love this brand. I've been buying Pompeian Olive Oil for years. I've bought Crisco brand before because it was on special and I had coupons. Neither of them has the flavor or aroma of Iberia Olive Oil. It smells better and tastes better than any I've ever bought before. The others *may* have some olive oil in them. There is apparently a lot of sheisty business practice going on with olive oil. There is this article on olive oil scam and another one from Daily Mail. Oh, and there is this one which outright lists Pompeian Olive oil and many other brands I've bought in the past and states they are being sued. *As they should be*. I have bought Bertolli and Filippo Beri. I even encouraged a friend of mine to buy some Carapelli at BJs because it was a large bottle and I had a $2 off coupon. All of them are rip offs. I don't know if Iberia's is any better, but it certainly tastes better. I will know in a few hours.I just put my small half empty bottle in the refrigerator.

update: I put the olive oil in the fridge for an hour and it has started to solidify. This is the easiest way to determine whether or not you have genuine extra virgin olive oil. I will only buy Iberia from now on in any large quantity.

Yakinori Brand Nori Sheets 21 grams $1.99. This is Nori, or that dried seaweed stuff that holds the guts of sushi together.

Chicken (Boneless) Thighs $4.16. I did not mean to buy boneless, skinless thighs, but the other packages were frozen and I needed something I could separate. It doesn't list the poundage but I got 6 thighs out of this package.

Whole Chicken 1.09 / lb x 3.25 lbs ($3.54) I love roasting whole chickens. These chickens are usually gibletless which is kinda sad, but hey. I roast the chicken at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for the first 30 minutes and then at 350 degrees for the rest of the time. I do 20 minutes per lb of chicken. I generally season it heavily and stuff half a lemon, half a head of garlic, and half an onion up it's bottom. I'll post the recipe for whatever I cook it with later tonight. I do not like freezing whole chickens because they take forever to defrost and I'm scared of them spoiling.

Lamb Frozen Shoulder Chops $2.99 / lb, $6.73. I love lamb. It *is* expensive, and it is always frozen here. I've been told there is a Halal Meat purveyor where I can buy kosher fresh lamb for a reasonable price. I just have never been in to check.

Boneless Chicken Breasts $6.59. Again, I didn't note the cost per lb or the weight before I threw away the packaging. I got 4 juicy thick breasts. That is 4 meals =)

Lemons 5 for a $1. I bought 5. I love using fresh lemons instead of the bottled stuff. I tend to roll the lemons along the counter, pressing down and it makes it easier to juice them once they are cut =)

Jumbo Sweet Potatoes $.39 / lb. x 3.16 lbs ($1.23) We love sweet potatoes here, with the exception of Bunnyworm. She likes them fried, but she doesn't like them otherwise. Shame. They are really healthy.

Granny Smith Apples (the nice ones) 1.12 lbs at $1.19/ lb ($1.33) I don't usually buy apples individually. These are for Bunnyworm's Party on Friday.

Orange Bell Peppers .78 lbs at $.99 / lb ($.77) These were on special. Great price for orange bell peppers. Going to be part of Bunnyworm's Veggie Rainbow at her party =)

Bi Color Corn 2 for $1 x 4 ($2) It says bi colored, but it looked like regular old corn to me. One ear is going in the Black Bean Salsa (recipe later) and the rest will get cooked...later.

Cucumbers 5 for $1.99 x 3 ($1.20) One of these will go on the Veggie Rainbow =)

Purple Bell Pepper .71 lbs at 2.49 / lb ($1.77) Good Lord they are expensive, but are going to be part of the Veggie Rainbow

Gala Apples (the nice ones) 1.51 lbs at $1.49 / lb ($2.25) These are for Bunnyworm's party. I buy bags of apples for regular use, but these will be cut up and tossed in lemon to keep them from oxidizing.

Fresh Ginger 1.39 lbs at $.89 / lb ($1.24) We use a lot of ginger here. It is very good for you. I have ginger powder, but I like to use fresh for curry. I blend it up with garlic and curry powder and make a very delicious paste.

Yellow Onions 3lb Bag $2.39 Regular onions for regular cooking

Red Bell Peppers 1.07 lbs at $1.99 / lb ($2.07) For the Veggie Rainbow.

Yellow Bell Peppers .95 lb at $1.19 / lb ($1.13) For the Veggie Rainbow. I should note that any left over peppers will go into stir frys and curry and everything else.

Green Bell Pepper 1.85 lb at $.99 / lb ($1.83) We use these in everything. Stir frys, curry, chicken soup, salads, you name it.

Broccoli 1.9 lb at $.99 / lb ($1.88) Yum!

Fennel 1.49 each Yummy but expensive. We toss it in olive oil and lemons and stir it in with baby potatoes and roast it.

Jalapeno Peppers (Green) .68 lbs at $.69 / lb ($.47) One of these is going in the black bean salsa, the others ... well, we'll see =)

Gala Apple Bag 3 lbs $3.49 each x 2 These are the general all purpose apples that go in pies, lunches, etc.

8 oz mushrooms $1.49 We use mushrooms in lots of stuff too =)

Celery $1.89 each We eat a ton of this, but most of this is going in the Veggie Rainbow

Honey Dew Melon $5.99

Roma Tomatoes 2.66 lb at $.59 / lb ($1.57) I like roma tomatoes. They seem to last longer than other tomatoes and don't seem to mold as easily.

Mandarin Oranges 3 lb bag $2.99 for lunches and snacks

Blood Oranges 4 for $1 x 8 ($2.00) For Bunnyworm's party. Interesting looking oranges

California Oranges Bag 8 lbs for $5.99 Some for the party, some for lunches/snacks

Hass Avocados 2 for $1 x 6 ($3.00) We eat tons of avocados. Bunnyworm loves them. They go great in my black bean salsa too =)

Bananas 5.55 lbs at $.49 / lb ($2.72) We eat loads of bananas too

Grade A large brown eggs 2.5 dozen $3.99 This was a good dollar cheaper than the white eggs.

Mangoes 7 for $6.99


My total for the whole mess was $193.96 which is the most I've ever spent here. Food enough for at least 3 weeks. The colored bell peppers are something I usually buy, but for her party it's worth it.

Vegetarian Spaghetti*

Ok, so not *really* spaghetti because I used Quinoa instead of noodles, but yeah.

Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

Bunnyworm ate ALL of hers

1 medium yellow onion chopped
1 zucchini chopped (I actually used my heart veggie punch to punch out the middle then cut the outsides up)
4+ ounces mushrooms (I used portabella)
1 head of garlic minced (you can use less if you don't like garlic)
1 handful (about 1/2 cup) baby spinach chopped
3 roma tomatoes chopped
1 small can tomato sauce (i use publix brand--4 for a $1!!)
Basil
Oregano
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Enough Olive oil to coat bottom of pan

I am terrible at measuring things.

Heat olive oil in pan (I used cast iron pan) and Iberia brand olive oil. It has a very strong flavor and scent and is AMAZING. To me, it tastes much better than the pompeian brand stuff I usually buy--and is cheaper.

Saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent then throw all the veggies in. Pour in tomato sauce, then add all your herbage. I don't generally measure my herbs, I just add whatever seems right. Salt *sparingly*. Seriously. Salt may be absolutely delicious and is essential in small quantities, but it will give you hypertension. Add as much pepper as you want. I used to not like pepper when I was a kid, but I do now.

 Saute all the stuff until the zucchini is cooked through. It's done. I wish I had taken pictures.


THE QUINOA (a basic recipe)
1 cup Quinoa, rinsed well
2 cups water (you can use broth or stock if you really want to)
1 tbsp olive oil

1.) Roll oil around a heavy bottom pot to coat
2.) Dump rinsed (the rinsing is important otherwise the quinoa will be very bitter) quinoa in pot and stir continuously until the quinoa starts jumping and making hissing/popping noises.
3.) Pour the water in, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with fork. Cover to keep it from drying out.


Bunnyworm *loved* this. She ate 2 bowls worth and got nice and sticky. She went straight from the highchair to the tub. The floor didn't even have to be mopped this time! I have no idea what the Daddybeast is going to think of it. He has a cold and is working late.

I want to bake a cake. Maybe I will...

update: I did. I used this recipe
http://gotnomilk.wordpress.com/2008/09/10/quick-and-easy-chocolate-cake/#

Feline UTIs

On Saturday Wafflecat peed 3 drops of bloody urine on the foot of my bed three hours before I was supposed to be at work. I called work and let them know I would be late. I called my mom and asked her if she would go with me and wield her mighty credit card at the vet office. My credit card is *not* mighty. It is puny.

Wafflecat has a UTI. He got a shot of antibiotics, a painkiller shot, several x rays, and a liquid antibiotic that smells of oranges that he HATES. He was also prescribed a special food for urinary health. He is only 11 months old. He is probably going to have urinary problems forever.

The vet told me that he had the UTI, but no kidney stones, and no damage or trauma to the bladder or kidneys.

I've changed his food to the prescribed diet, and I also changed his litter. He was using fresh step but I don't like the powdery ness. Changing the litter box gives me a horrible asthma attack. Now I'm back to using Yesterday's News which I used when we got him neutered. I put just enough in the box to cover the bottom and I change it daily.

Wafflecat had been peeing in my closet for a while and I was planning on taking him to the vet on Monday but yeah. Peeing blood is serious business.

I also bought him little bowls. We'd been using plastic bowls (so Bunnyworm can't break them) but I've read they hold bacteria and cause kitty acne (which Wafflecat has). The bowls are ceramic and shallow. It makes it much easier to portion out his food. I don't think he likes his prescription diet very much, but he needs to keep his urine acidic. The vet said the ph of his urine was 7. That is neutral and ideal for bacterial growth.

Anyhow, that was 4 days ago and he is doing much better. He's peeing in his litter box again and drinking. He doesn't eat as much, but I think he's holding out for wet cat food.

Fun fact: Wafflecat weighed 10.5 lbs at the vet. He was the only cat there, and the only animal bigger than him weighed 11 lbs and was a DOG. The other dogs were half his size. Wafflecat is huge.