Peach Cookies

I’m still here! As much as I love posting, I look forward to the day that Lucy’s arrival creates a noticed absence on the blog! I’m due on Wednesday, but three of my friends (also due next week) have already had their babies. Seeing pictures of those new babies makes me excited (and a little bit jealous). It doesn’t help that I found my first stretch mark on my stomach last night. But all in good time. She’ll get here exactly when she needs to.

And considering recent events in Colorado Springs, it’s a blessing she’s stayed safe inside. We’ve experienced yet another horrific forest fire, which has already destroyed almost 400 homes. My sister and her family were evacuated on Tuesday. Thankfully, their house still stands but the fire is far from contained. The city has been cloaked in smoke. Not good for anyone’s lungs but especially a newborn baby.

I’ve been spending time with my family and friends, and I’ve been organizing every inch of my house. Not only did I make these soft and chewy peach cookies yesterday, but I put the finishing touches on Lucy’s nursery. So after a long week, a little dose of sweetness is bound to do everyone good.

I adore this letter pressed card. Too pretty to store in a box.

Baby book (completed and ready), a sweet picture of my mom, and two gifts made with love.

Someone’s new favorite place to nap.

Rocker and changing table (painted by my mom) and a precious quilt made by Ryan’s cousin.

Peach Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR 1/2 teaspoon raspberry extract (such a good addition!)

1 cup peaches, chopped (don’t use ripe peaches as they’ll be too soggy)

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and melted butter (about 2 minutes). Add eggs and stir until combined. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until a cookie dough begins to form. Fold in fresh peaches. Allow batter to chill for 15-30 minutes in freezer.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove batter from freezer and firm into large, 2-3 tablespoon sized balls of dough. Arrange peach cookie dough on prepared cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes (cookies should look slightly undercooked). Allow to cool completely on cookie sheets before removing (and enjoying!)

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Healthy Philly Cheesesteak

Ryan was born just outside of Philadelphia. I visited Pennsylvania with him while we were dating, but unfortunately we’ve only been back once since we got married. Each time I visit, I fall in love with the countryside, the people, and the food. We’re hoping to make a trip out east this fall with Lucy. A visit to Philadelphia always merits two culinary indulgences: a freshly baked soft pretzel and a Philly Cheesesteak.

Now, there are endless debates about where to get the best Philly Cheesesteak…and I don’t begin to consider myself an expert. Instead, Ryan and I make a healthier, more heart-friendly Philly Cheesesteak at home. We load up our hoagie rolls with lean meat, freshly sauteed veggies, and provolone cheese. We talk about the apple orchards during the fall, about the town of New Hope where Ryan’s grandparents grew up. And we feel ever so thankful to have friends and family all over the country.

These Philly Cheesesteaks are loaded with bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. I bought a grass-fed flank steak from Whole Foods and asked the butcher to slice it thinly. Within 30 minutes, we had these delicious sandwiches on the table. You can make your own hoagie rolls if you’re feeling ambitious, but with 99 degree temperatures here in Colorado, we went for store-bought.

99 Degrees and 39 weeks pregnant!

Cravings: Peanut butter and bananas are my new power food. Freshly pressed juices, hard-boiled eggs, and English muffins are also at the top of the list.

Health: Last week, my OB checked me and I was 3 centimeters dilated and 70% effaced. She told me, “You have a lovely cervix for a first time mom,” which I took as a compliment (although one I don’t entirely understand). My OB went out of town over the past weekend and so I hoped and prayed Lucy would wait until her return. Wait, she did, but now I feel like she won’t ever come out! I have almost constant braxton-hix contractions throughout the day, but nothing too painful. Two of my friends (with babies due around my due date) have welcomed their little ones into the world. I’m trying to not get impatient! My older sister Susanne’s first baby was 10 days late…so we’ll see what happens. I’m still walking and stretching and enjoying every movement of hers I feel inside me.

Fears: Fears have transitioned into manageable concerns. There is so much we don’t know (about labor and delivery, about parenthood), and yet I’m confident Ryan and I will handle each obstacle with love and grace. A huge forest fire erupted in Black Forest yesterday. My sister and her family were evacuated from their home, and we still have no idea if it’s standing. The fire is near the hospital, and there’s much concern throughout our community. Just last year, my parents nearly lost their house in the Waldo Canyon Fire. Lucy will be coming into the world at a very tumultuous time here. Please keep the people of Colorado in your prayers.

Hopes: There is a peony bush in our front yard. We haven’t done any landscaping since we moved into our new home, so this spring has brought surprise after surprise as bushes turn from brown to green. Just yesterday, the peony bush began to bloom and as I walked outside I told Lucy that the tiny pink flowers were blooming for her. I hope that Lucy learns to find beauty in this world, a world that can be unpredictable and often frightening. We’ll surround her with love and support as she grows from a newborn to a little girl, and we’ll take time to point out the small miracles that flood our days.

Ryan and I have completed nearly every item on our list. Now we’re just waiting. I’ve loved being pregnant, and I know I’ll miss her inside of me once her birthday finally comes. And so I’m taking each moment as a special gift and savoring these last few days we have together, as one.

Healthy Philly Cheesesteaks

1 (12-ounce) flank steak, trimmed and cut into thin strips (ask butcher to assist, if possible)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 large portobello mushroom caps

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red or green bell pepper

1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

4 slices provolone cheese

4 hoagie rolls

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Remove brown gills and stems from portobello mushrooms . Thinly slice mushroom caps.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add beef to pan and sauté for 2 minutes or until beef loses its pink color, stirring constantly. Remove beef from pan. Add remaining oil to pan. Saute onion for 3 minutes before adding mushrooms, bell pepper, and garlic; saute vegetables for 6 minutes. Return beef to pan and saute for one one minute or until mixture is thoroughly heated and vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Stir in Worcestershire, soy sauce and mustard.

Distribute meat and vegetable mixture evenly amongst sliced hoagie rolls. Arrange provolone cheese slices on top of each hoagie. Broil in a 500 degree Fahrenheit oven until cheese is melted and bubbly (be sure to watch your hoagies closely as broiling can turn to burning quite quickly!)

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Banana Coffee Muffins

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer weekend. I’m still pregnant…and happy about it too! My OB was out of town over the weekend, so we told Lucy to wait until she returned. And she did. Now we’ll see if she’ll listen to me again. I’d love for her to be born over Father’s Day weekend.

My motivation to work in the kitchen is diminishing. I still feel good, but the thought of turning on my oven or stove when our house is already nearing 80 degrees is less than appealing. Yesterday afternoon, I knew I’d feel better if I baked something…but it took a lot of convincing to actually get out my bowls and pans.

If I’ve missed anything during my pregnancy, I’ve missed coffee. As a graduate student and a writer, I drank at least two cups of strong, black coffee every day. One of my best friends (the lovely Mallory) opened a coffee shop (Vintage Heart) in East Austin, and I spent my mornings there, working and drinking. But when I got pregnant in October, I developed the strongest aversion to most everything I loved. I couldn’t even smell coffee without feeling sick. This lasted about 12 weeks…I thought it would never end.

When I moved back to Colorado, my stomach finally settled. My OB told me I could drink coffee occasionally, but that it was best to avoid caffeine as a general principle. Since hearing that advice, I’ve had a few cups of good coffee…and while I loved the taste and the slight jolt of energy, Lucy reminded me that caffeine indeed crosses the placenta. She moved and kicked and shifted her body. And so for her sake, I don’t take more than a sip. Or I make a batch of these coffee banana muffins.

This is a classic banana muffin recipe made more complex with the addition of strongly brewed coffee. If you don’t like the flavor of coffee, leave it out, but I think you’ll find it adds a layer of complexity often lacking in most banana muffin recipes.

Oh yes, I usually post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you don’t see a post from me on one of those days…you can assume our baby has made (or is making) her arrival! I’ll be sure to update my facebook page with baby pics as soon as everything settles 🙂

Banana Coffee Muffins

1/3 cup butter, melted

4 ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 TBSP strong, brewed coffee

1 teaspoon finely ground coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12 tin muffin pan with paper liners or grease with butter.

With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, coffee, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, mix until it is just incorporated. Fold in the chopped nuts (optional). Divide muffin batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Cool on rack before removing from pan.

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Almond Banana Pops

My kitchen table is currently covered with baby gear. An ergobaby box (yay!), breast milk storage bags, a few children’s books, a sweater knitted by my second cousin…the list goes on and on. Cleary, Ryan and I have been blessed by generous friends and family. I’m happy to say there are very few things we need to complete the baby picture…namely the baby herself.

But in the flurry of these last few weeks, my time feels more stretched than ever. There are friends I want to see, restaurants I want to eat at, projects that still need work. If I allowed it, I could easily work from dawn till dusk! So I have to remind myself (constantly) that my most important job right now is rest.

When I developed a craving for something cold and sweet on Tuesday afternoon, I dreamed up these almond banana pops. I don’t own Popsicle molds, and I didn’t want to satisfy my cravings with heaps of frozen sugar. My husband loves Arrested Development, so I guess the idea of a frozen banana wasn’t buried too deep in my mind. I’ve also been devouring Greek yogurt lately. Not only do I need the probiotics and calcium, but pregnant mamas can always use more protein. So frozen bananas, Greek yogurt, and crushed almonds and animal crackers quickly became an easy and healthy frozen treat.

To make the greek yogurt taste more decadent, I added a teaspoon of McCormick Pure Almond Extract. It was exactly what my banana pops needed…an extra layer of flavor to match all the contrasting textures. It might also be fun to add food coloring to your Greek yogurt. I know my niece and nephew would love to eat a blue banana pop!

Almond Banana Pops

*Yields 4 banana pops

2 bananas, cut in half

2 cups honey Greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon McCormick Pure Almond Extract

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

1/2 cup finely crushed animal crackers

4 Wooden sticks (or 2 thick straws cut in half)

Insert wooden stick (or straw) into banana. Straws work in a pinch, but wooden sticks are more sturdy and will make your life much easier.

Place Greek yogurt in a wide and shallow bowl. Stir in McCormick Pure Almond Extract. Mix together chopped almonds and animal crackers in a separate wide bowl.

Roll bananas in Greek yogurt, using a knife or spoon to cover any holes. The thicker the better! Then, roll covered banana in chopped almonds and animal crackers. Set on a plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining three bananas. Place plate in freezer and allow to chill for several hours before eating.

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Austin Breakfast Tacos

As many of you know, Ryan and I moved to Austin in 2010. I started graduate school and Ryan worked at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas. We made life-long friends, found our cat, adopted our dog, got pregnant, finished graduate school, and ate a lot of breakfast tacos. Growing up in Colorado, Ryan and I had never heard of a breakfast taco. We have breakfast burritos here (which while satisfying…just can’t compare).

Now, of course, there are many variations of breakfast tacos. But the ones we liked best always started with a thick and chewy flour tortilla. If you don’t have access to these (and most of us don’t) then make your own. This is my favorite recipe, and it’s so much easier than you think! As for what comes next? Scrambled eggs, shredded cheese, sliced avocado, crushed tortilla chips, and high quality salsa. Simple but satisfying.

And now for the fun part: 38 weeks pregnant!

Cravings: Banana walnut muffins. I haven’t been able to enjoy one of these yet. I’m very picky when it comes to baked good (surprise, surprise) and it’s been too hot to turn on my oven this week. Thankfully, Colorado Springs just experienced a drop in temperature, so I’m hoping to get my baking pans out this afternoon. Right now, I feel like I could eat half a dozen muffins.

Health: Lucy has dropped deep into my pelvis (which is part of the reason I feel so hungry…my stomach finally has room again!). I won’t get too graphic, but my body is progressing. Labor feels more and more imminent each day. Unfortunately, I found out I tested positive for Group B Strep last week. About 1 in 3 or 4 healthy women test positive. Group B Strep doesn’t cause problems for healthy adults but it can make babies very sick, so I’ll have to receive antibiotics during labor unless my body can clear the bacteria before then. When I envisioned my birth, I didn’t envision antibiotics, and so the news upset me (much more than it should have). But I learned over the course of this last week to let go more. To appreciate the miracle of what is happening and to understand that labor and delivery will be far different than what I want or expect. Of course, we still plan for a natural childbirth, but in the end, every women has to let go of her preconceived notions and let her body and her baby guide her. So Group B Strep turned out to be a good lesson for me. Sneaky bacteria.

The List: Ryan and I went to Boulder over the weekend. We enjoyed the farmer’s market, ate great food, and walked along Boulder Creek. We couldn’t have had a more perfect day. We also ate at a fancy restaurant (last night for Ryan’s birthday) with my sweet sister and brother-in-law. I still need to organize pictures from Paris, but Lucy’s nursery is completely finished, which means I’ve crossed off both frivolous and practical items from our pre-baby list.

Hopes: As I get closer to delivery, I find my fears abating. Instead, I’m filled with hope and a deep sense of joy. I imagine holding her for the first time. I imagine Ryan kissing her forehead. I imagine the quiet moments we’ll share in the middle of the night. Of course, I know that newborns are work. I know there will be days where I’m exhausted and frustrated and anxious. But I’m going to be a mother to a daughter, and Ryan will be a father to his sweet girl. She’ll delight us in ways that no other human being could, and we’ll all grow together, as a family and as individuals. I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity to bring all of this into our world.

Austin Breakfast Tacos

*Serves two

4 homemade Flour Tortillas

4 eggs

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup shredded cheese (white cheddar is our personal favorite)

1/2 hass avocado, sliced into thin strips

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

Warm tortillas on stove top or in microwave. Set aside. In a medium skillet, melt butter over low heat. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs until light and frothy. Pour egg mixture into warm skillet and cook, over low heat until sufficiently scrambled (we normally like our eggs runny, but because I’m pregnant we cook them much longer).

Sprinkle cheese down the center of each tortilla. Spoon warm egg mixture over cheese, allowing the heat from the eggs to melt the cheese. Top with sliced avocado, salsa, and crushed tortilla chips. Serve with hot sauce.