Bechamel, ma belle...

Finally. After the epic battle with Hollandaise, I decided to try my hand at Bechamel. I'm so thankful that I started with one of the more difficult mother sauces first; Bechamel was a cakewalk in comparison. I got the roux to the right shade of caramel and whisked the milk in like a champ. Some kosher salt and a pinch of nutmeg later, velvety yum-yums. I let the kids taste the sauce on some torn pieces of wheat bread. The fact that they kept asking for more leads me to believe that I have succeeded in Sauce #2. But I couldn't stop there. Oh no, I had a plan for my sauce. Food number one on my top ten list of comfort foods is macaroni and cheese. This silken sauce was bound for greater things.

I boiled the whole wheat rotini and preheated the oven to the popular 375 degrees. While the pasta was percolating, I grated sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese into the Bechamel. I took a metal bowl and mashed together softened butter, some of the grated cheeses and crumbled Ritz crackers for a crumb topping. After mixing sauce and pasta, and laying the blend into my 9 x 13 Pyrex dish, I slathered on the crumb topping. After twenty minutes in the oven, I placed the casserole dish on my stove and waited. I am thrilled with the results. Katie is on her second plate and Liam finished his plate without "enhanced vocal encouragement".

While I am sorry my foray into sauce #2 was not as dramatic or eventful as sauce #1, I have no apologies for the end result of either. I now have to choose which of the remaining three sauces to attempt next: veloute, espagnole or tomato. Life is good, no?

Third times a charm, thankfully.

Welcome back! It's been an exceedingly long time since I last blogged. I guess I just haven't felt like I had much to say. I could come on here and wax poetic about the accomplishments of my children and the joys of parenting, but, honestly, nobody wants to read that. It's self-aggrandizing and that just ain't me. Anyway, since I have this thing, I may as well use it. Here it goes.

Much like Julie Powell and her trip through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I'm on my own culinary journey. It started last year when I made a New Year's resolution to make a dish each month from a foreign cuisine. I did okay, with some dishes really standing out (ie. shrimp etouffee, ropa vieja, and schnitzel with spaetzle) and others failing miserably (I'm looking at you, Coquilles St. Jacques and bangers and mash). It was a fun learning experience.

So here we are in 2011. I entered this year with no idea what my next cooking adventure would be. My husband, Jeremy, suggested I attempt the 5 Mother Sauces (Bechamel, Veloute, Espagnole, Sauce Tomat, and Hollandaise). Challenge accepted.

I began my journey this morning with Eggs Benedict. What a mess! Hollandaise sauce is tricky and requires insane whisking skills. My first attempt started wonderfully. My yolks were solidly separated from the whites, the butter nicely melted, lemon juice freshly squeezed. Within two minutes of the slow agonizing drizzle of butter into egg, the sauce broke into a scrambled mess. Slightly defeated, I tried again. This time, the butter exploded in the microwave. Shrug. I melted another stick on the stove, took a deep breath, and began to temper. When the eggs scrambled again, I lost my temper. I gave myself a quick pity party in the dining room, composed myself, and marched back into the kitchen with a renewed sense of purpose. Ok, maybe not a renewed sense of purpose so much as a sense of "I'll be damned if I let a freaking sauce defeat me". Knowing that my whisking skills are mediocre at best, and that my arm was exhausted from the last two attempts, I broke out the hand mixer and whisk attachment. I defiantly separated the eggs, whisked in the lemon juice and prepared for another battle with the melted butter. My makeshift double-boiler tried it's hardest to impede my efforts, but to no avail. Electric whisk and insane patience in drizzling in the butter resulted, finally, in a velvety yellow sauce. A pinch of sea salt and cayenne later and, voila, Hollandaise. I stepped back in shock, as if I was waiting for the sauce to spontaneously curdle or burst into flames. When it didn't, I moved to step two: poaching eggs.

Out of 8 eggs, I poached 5 well, and 3 with the yolks too stiff. Not bad for a first time endeavor. I won't bore you with the rest of the preparation; I've done enough already. My Eggs Benedict turned out pretty well. I think the Hollandaise could probably have used a bit more salt and cayenne, but it was quite tasty. Perhaps there is some hope for me in this challenge. We'll see.

Until next time, I'll be cleaning exploded butter from the nooks and crannies of my microwave.

Eat well!

I need a village...

Back in December, I interviewed for a slot in the nursing program at Everest University (formerly the ever-so illustrious FMU). When my interviewer was going over the times, dates, etc. of the program, she mentioned that clinicals would be held at varying locations, start time 6:30 am. At this point, I stopped the interview and inquired further since my children require care of some sort and no day care I know of opens before 6:30 am. I specifically stated this and advised that my husband works unconventional hours (24 hours shifts, 7:30 am to 7:30 am). I asked if this would be a problem, because I was willing to make up any time missed after clinicals, or on nights or weekends, when outside child care is more readily available. I was told that IT SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM, that a lot of single moms had expressed the same concerns, that as long as I met my required number of clinical hours I would be fine.

I start my next quarter of school on April 13, with outside clinicals starting May 20. I stopped by the nursing program office today to confirm that this will not be a problem. Guess what...it is. A huge problem. One that I must find a solution for before May 20. Apparently they are cracking down on giving concessions to certain students, so now no one gets any leeway for clinicals. At all. I was actually advised to ask my day care director to bring in someone early just for my kids. Because we all know the world revolves around my children and people will fall over themselves to get to work 30 minutes early to watch them. Ridiculous!

So, here's where I need a village. I need help figuring out how to get my kids to day care while getting my buttocks to the clinicals sites by 6:30 am. Jer's of very little assistance here. If he works on a Tuesday, he would not be home in time Wednesday morning and he would be scheduled to work on Friday. He has to leave here by 6:30 am at the latest to get to work on time. My clinicals are scheduled for Wednesdays and Fridays.

My family resides in BF Lakeland. His family lives near, but his mother, who would be the go-to person, is in the same boat as she works 24 hour shifts, too. She was supposed to be able to retire this month, but it got pushed back 18 months.

I am at a loss. I need some outside eyes, ears, and brains to give me some ideas as to what I can do. I can't quit; that's the last option, and I don't even really consider it an option anyway.

Please help!!!!

Resolution Update

Hello all and happy Labor Day weekend!

I figured since it is raining and I have nothing else to do, I'd update my blog. I have tons of stuff going on, but I'm going to focus on updating you on my progress as it pertains to my Top 5 Resolutions. So you don't have to read my last blog entry, here they are:

5. Set aside 4 hours a week for "me time" outside of all my other responsibilities.
4. Watch no more than 2 hours of TV daily and spend no more than 2 hours online daily (homework excluded).
3. Spend more quality time with my children every day.
2. Be more patient with my kids and my husband, and, well, everyone else too.
1. Lose 50 pounds by December 31, 2008.

#5 Well, "me time" is lacking, but only slightly so. I've starting reading for pleasure again and have been regularly going to the gym and doing me things there.

#4 I've done very well with this one, though I'm not quite down to 2 hours of TV. I do spend considerably less time online. I've discovered how destructive the internet can be, so I've cut my online time by about 75%.

#3 This could ALWAYS use more work, but I do make time to play with Katie and Liam.

#2 Patience remains the worst of my virtues. Something always seems to be pushing me to go faster. I have managed to reduce my snippiness. Other events in my life are forcing me to be patient. So I am learning.

#1 A-ha! When I wrote the Resolution entry of my blog I weighed 197 pounds. At my last weigh-in, I weighed 158 pounds. According to my math, that is 39 pounds down. It looks like this resolution in practically in the bag. I've been working out at the YMCA about 3-4 times a week, taking classes like Zumba, BodyStep, and BodyCombat, along with some weight training and cardio machines. I feel much better, more energetic, and much more confident. I started taking Alli a week ago to help with what I'm already doing. I have a cruise coming up on November 3rd and I will be looking hot on the big boat. I keep myself motivated by looking at what I've done so far and knowing that I am only 23 pounds from my goal weight of 135. I'm over halfway there and not showing any signs of stopping.

This year has forced me to really look at who I am and what I want. I'm becoming stronger, both physically and mentally. I will come out of 2008 empowered and with my life operating on my own terms.

My Top 5 New Year's Resolutions

So, here we are in 2008. It's so amazing how quickly time has flown. Twelve years ago, I graduated high school. Nine years ago, I married Jeremy (after 5 years of dating). I gave birth to my daughter four years ago and my son 3 months ago. The rest is mostly a blur.

I'm thirty now, which seemed so scary a decade ago, yet feels kinda comfortable now. I really hope thirty is my new Age of Reason (twenty-five was the original). I'd really like to have that drive again, that determination and ambition, tempered with just the right amount of maturity and responsibility. It is in that vein that I'm writing this post.

They (the ubiquitous and omnipresent They) say that, in order for your resolutions to stick, you must do four things: make them realistic, make them specific, write them down, and share them with family and friends. So, here goes my Top 5 Resolutions for 2008.

5. Set aside 4 hours a week for "me time" outside of all my other responsibilities.
4. Watch no more than 2 hours of TV daily and spend no more than 2 hours online daily (homework excluded).
3. Spend more quality time with my children every day.
2. Be more patient with my kids and my husband, and, well, everyone else too.
1. Lose 50 pounds by December 31, 2008.

Well, there they are. Feel free to comment on my resolutions or admit your own. I think we can get through this year and attain our goals together. Oh, yeah, learning to ask for help is my #7.

Anywho, good luck with your resolutions. I'll keep you posted with mine (getting better at contacting friends and family is #6).

Look at that face, with the little hand rubbing the aforementioned button nose. That is a cute baby. That is my son.

So, I hit 30 weeks today and I am so impatient for this to be over. At my last doctor's visit (I go every two weeks now), I was informed that little Liam Gabriel is already in position. He's been kicking my belly button all week. My momma-waddle is all exaggerated and EVERYONE who doesn't know me keeps offering the oh-so encouraging "You look miserable!" or "You're huge!" comments. Please, keep 'em coming. There's nothing like being kicked when you're down. I guess I'm just grumpy. Jeremy is on a 2-week vacation in the Keys, drinking beer and diving for lobster. I don't know when I'll get a vacation; doesn't appear to be any time soon.

On some happier notes, I have a lot of great stuff coming up in the next few weeks. Jeremy and I are going to a Shriner's charity event on Friday, then we have the Dave Matthews Band concert on 9/12. My mothers and I are glamming it up for My Fair Lady on 9/13, which should be a splendiferous occasion. Jer and I celebrate our 13th year of couplehood and 8th year of marriage on the 17th. September is just a busy month this year! I just hope my Gaby-baby stays put. I 'm considered full-term on October 14th. I just want him to be healthy.

Anywho, I promise to keep updating as events occur. And by "promise" I mean I'll try but no guarantees and by "as events occur" I mean when I actually sit myself down and log in.

Happy Labor Day, ya'll!

Lazy Ass

Yep, that's what I am. I haven't done nearly as much random blogging as I intended when I cranked up this little piece of internet space. I have to admit, I've been damn tired lately. Lugging around a baby and all that fluid is hard, tiring work. This does not include the fatigue that comes from battling the hormones raging within me. Those are fun. There's nothing quite like engaging in a 3-building search for Hostess cupcakes one minute and crying over being out of eggs the next. God bless the men in my life that put up with this without slipping Xanax into my prenatal vitamins. Hey, that's not a bad idea...

Anywho, y'all aren't here for me, you're here for the kid. And what a kid this is gonna be. It has been confirmed; we are having a boy. My son, Gabriel, is currently 1 pound with a heart rate of 142 beats per minute. He's an active little guy, kicking, punching, and rolling around with reckless abandon and a mind-numbing supply of energy. Had my daughter not spilled juice on the ultrasound photos, you would be seeing his adorable profile, which includes the cutest damn button nose on the face of the planet. Once the photos dry, I'll scan them in and share.

Not all the news was rosy today though. I have been informed that, since my daughter was 6 weeks premature, it is very likely that my son will also be premature. I believe the actual quote was "Most likely he'll come at about the same time your daughter did." Of course, the doctor can't make any guarantees, and they'll be monitoring me closely as that time approaches, but GEEZ. I've stressed out about this whole pregnancy for this whole pregnancy. Now I find out that I could be having this little guy in 11 weeks?!?! I am constantly thanking the PTB that Katie is remarkably unscathed following her premature arrival. She had some problems with her digestive system, as it had not fully developed inside the womb. Overall, though, she was healthy. We were unbelievably lucky with her. I can only hope that luck holds out for my son. He's the last baby I'm going to have. I'm doing everything to make sure I'm healthy and he's getting exactly what he needs. And yes, on occasion, he needs Hostess cupcakes. Back off.

So that's it. It's late (for me, anyway) and I'm tuckered. I promise to be more vigilant in my postings. Goodnight, everyone.