Big Fat Ugly B

Influenza B
Why did we get our flu shots?
My boy sick again

I cannot seem to get my little guy healthy this winter. The whole city is down with this flu. Daycares are closing, people cannot visit the maternity ward at the hospital, the nursing homes are closed to visitors, it's just crazy. I know the flu shots can't protect against all strains, but....well what does it do?? Do I assume we all would have come down with 9 other strains without that shot? I'm starting to think the shot is just a placebo. Every single year that my family gets a flu shot, we still get the flu. Can't they add these other strains into the shot? I know I don't understand how this works, but can it be better explained before they plunge a needle into Noah's arm and make him scream? Grrrr.

I think I'll start a new tag called Grrrr for things like this. Daily Grrrr maybe. Or weekly. Or maybe Random Grrrr.

Feelin' frisky Friday

Possible changes
Looming on the horizon
I hope and I dream

Today was such an exciting day for reasons I don't share on here. But I think good things might be coming and I'm so ready. Also the weather has been gorgeous, it's Friday, everyone is healthy and happy....it's just one of those days when I'm thrilled to just be in today and looking forward to tomorrow. I hope everyone else has a few moments like this sometime this weekend!

:)

Hail to the Chief

Abraham Lincoln
Must be turning in his grave
Sorry Mr. Prez.

I totally understand that it must be hard to keep daycare kids amused - especially in a state like SD with long, cold winters. But this just smacks of desperation. Well...at least someone, somewhere is doing something for Presidents Day.

Hey does anyone know what happened to Thursday Thirteen? I missed visiting all the fun lists. Hope it comes back.

***Warning*** DIETERS DO NOT READ!!!!

Chocolate dreaming love
Gooey dripping nectar love
Drowning in heaven

Diet? Oh come on!
A life without chocolate?
That's no life for me.

*cheating - the first one is "chock-late" the second is "chock-o-late"*

(Why is it that Blogger.com will sometimes freak out over fonts???? I can't turn off the italics. Yes, I see the little "i" button up there. I even went into the html and it won't go away. Grrrrrrr.)

Yesterday I promised two chocolate recipes. Here they are.

This recipe is from "The New Doubleday Cookbook" by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna, copyright 1975, 1985. I hope I'm not sued for putting this up. Look at this way - it's free advertising for a wonderful classic cookbook. And if you don't like the cookbook, it's hefty enough to use for home defense.

Best Chocolate Fudge

4 cups sugar
1 cup milk
3 one ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla

1. Heat sugar, milk, chocolate, salt and corn syrup, uncovered in large, heavy sauce pan over moderate heat until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.
2. Continue cooking, uncovered, without stirring but occasionally moving a wooden spoon back and forth over bottom of pan until candy thermometer reads 236-238 degrees or mixture forms a soft ball in cold water.
3. Remove from heat, drop in butter, and cool without stirring to 110 degrees. (I cheat here because I cannot keep a candy thermometer in one piece. I put the sauce pan in about an inch or two of cold water in the sink. I considered it ready when I can comfortably touch the bottom of the sauce pan.)
4. Add vanilla and beat until fudge is quite thick and begins to lose its gloss. (This is VERY important - you want the fudge to have a dull matte finish.)
5. Spread into well buttered 8x8 pan. Cool until firm and cut.

Fudge is all about texture. It should be slightly grainy and just melt in your mouth. Some people do not like the texture at all. That's fine. For those people, just melt some chocolate and let it re-solidify in a different shape and tell them it's fudge. Candy is really difficult for me to make. I usually don't make things that I have to *really* measure and pay this much attention to. I suspect that this fudge would be even creamier and more delicious by substituting half & half or even whipping cream for the milk - but I'm too chicken to mess around with this recipe. I don't know if you can directly sub these items without messing it up.

I got the next recipe from some company that was trying to get me to join a recipe club. They sent me this and an AMAZING recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I lost. *sniffle* I don't remember the name of the company or I would give credit.

Chocolate Cheesecake

(Ok - the real recipe said to make one crust with Oreo crumbs and butter in a 9-inch springform pan and to make one cheesecake. I didn't have a springform pan so I improvised and made TWO cheesecakes in prepared crusts - easier and it's TWO!!! People!!!! You can graciously give one to a group of people or for a potluck while secretly hoarding one all for yourself. TWO!!!)

2 prepared Oreo cookie pie crusts
3 eight ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
8 oz (8 squares) semisweet chocolate, divided
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, sugar and eggs at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Spread 1/2 of mixture evenly between 2 pie crusts (so 1/4 of mixture into each).
3. Melt 6 oz of chocolate and stir into remaining cream cheese mixture until well blended. Drizzle batter evenly into each crust to make swirls.
4. Bake cheesecakes for 50 minutes. Transfer to wire rack. Cool completely. After cooling, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
   
5. Before serving, melt remaining 2 oz of choclate and mix with sour cream. Spread over cheesecake. Chill briefly until frosting is set.

The sour cream frosting sounds freaky. Do not be afraid. It's to die for. All this cooling completely and chilling briefly is.....optional....hahaha....if you don't mind slightly messy looking cheesecake because you are like me and just can't wait that long to make a complete pig of your face. :)

Enjoy!

Burning up

Yet another cool idea stolen from Lotus

Glassy blue green eyes
Fever, cough, and runny nose
Baby boy so brave

We've walked on the moon
Hearts and lungs can be replaced
But still we get colds?

One half year smoke free
I'm still surprised I did it
I'm so proud of me

I hate when little guys are sick. They feel so awful and have no idea why. And now all those news stories say you can't give cold medicine to kids. He's had Tylenol and now we just wait - curled up on the couch watching Spider-Man 2.

Speaking of news - how heartbreaking what happened in Kirkwood, Missouri. When we lived in St. Louis we used to go to Kirkwood all the time. In fact, Dylan's guitar teacher had his business there. A wonderful place called the Magic House is also in Kirkwood. It's really just a nice suburb. VERY expensive place to live - but friendly and kind of funky with it's shops and restaurants. Such a senseless act and waste of lives. Sad.

It's all Maggie's fault

Yet another cool idea stolen from Lotus

Maggie sent a link
to a site about my "Lost"
I am so hooked now

I've been reading the funniest stuff in the world at Cracked.com all freakin' night. "Crack" is a good name for this site. This is the most clever funny stuff I've ever read. My sides hurt, my face hurts from smiling, and I've done absolutely nothing productive with my time this evening. Thanks Miss M.

Not flu....and boys

Yet another cool idea stolen from Lotus

(Pssst...didn't have flu.
This is what I get eating
food that's not my own.)

Green eyes clear and bright.
My very first boy to love.
Starting to leave me.

Another to love
Who knew a heart could grow more?
Completing our home.

Haiku-ed Food

Yet another cool idea stolen from Lotus

Lasagna my love
Why so many carbs and fat?
Who cares - you're too good!

The following is a recipe I found at AllRecipes.com. My changes are in italics. It's good the original way, but we just changed things up for our taste. This is a lot of work, but fun if you like to cook and well worth it no matter what.

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (whatever - hot, mild, sweet)
  
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef (or a pound or all beef or all sausage - whatever)
  
• 1/2 cup minced onion (I prefer to use 2 or 3 shallots)
  
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed (maybe 3 - we LOVE garlic)
  
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water (we use red wine here)
  
• 2 tablespoons white sugar (this is to cut the acidity of the tomatoes - you can substitute shredded carrots, but at this point why bother!)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves (absolutely use fresh basil instead of dried....it makes all the difference in the world to this dish...I use about 3 tbsp fresh minced...it's night and day how much better fresh is here)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (some people don't like these and they are usually included in italian sausage...I use them, but you could eliminate them I guess.)
  
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (to taste)
  
• 1 tablespoon salt (to taste)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (to taste)
  
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (unlike the basil, I think you can use dried here - or eliminate completely....you can't really taste it with everything else in the dish)
  
• 12 lasagna noodles (I try to get the oven-ready kind to avoid part of Step 2 below)
  
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced (we use WAY WAY WAY more)
  
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (we use WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY more)
• we also add: Romano cheese
• minced Portobella mushrooms - maybe 1/4 to 1/3 cup
• about half a package of baby spinach minced....this and the mushrooms are added in Step 1
  

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. (Simmering time is important - the longer it simmers, the more the flavors marry. Do AT LEAST an hour. Some of the reviewers at the original site make the sauce the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator over night to blend - not a bad idea.)
   
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. Either use the oven-read kind or just put the regular kind in a pan of cold water before you start anything else. By the time you're ready for the noodles they will be soft enough to work. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. (Whatever - just make reasonable layers using the sauce and the cheeses - it doesn't have to follow this exactly. I usually add one last layer of mozzarella about 15 minutes before it's done, because you can always use one more layer of cheese!)
   
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

This really is a fantastic recipe. Experiment with adding other meats, vegetables, and cheeses to your tastes. But I really cannot stress enough to use fresh basil (if you can get it).

Shameless Copycat

I just cannot seem
to think up good blog topics
myself. Copycat.

When I did my 2007 blog year in review post a few days ago, I noticed that my blog has really undergone a turnaround. I used to blog much more about news and other things external to me. But for at least the last half of 2007, my blog really became more about me. I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with that - it must be that I'm way more interesting than the news. (hahaha) Just an observation - I don't know that I'm going to change anything.

Anyway, here's what I made for dinner last night. It was fantastic. I'll put up a picture with weekly winners.

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced
7 oz fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp white wine
1 tsp lemon juice
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts - butterflied and pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
6 slices bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute garlic and spinach in olive oil until spinach is wilted.
Combine cheeses, spices, and liquids with spinach and garlic.
Distribute evenly among breasts.
Roll up breasts like a burrito.
Wrap bacon around breasts, crossing in the middle, secure with toothpicks.
Place stuffed chicken on a wire rack in a 13x9 pan.
Bake for 45 - 60 minutes until bacon is crispy and chicken is cooked through.

This worked out really well, but I might make some changes. I will substitute mascarpone for cream cheese....or maybe ricotta. I will also wilt fresh basil with the spinach - I didn't do it because I was out of fresh. I might also try substituting balsamic vinegar for the lemon juice. Adding diced mushrooms might be yummy too. Really I think you could use any ingredients in the filling. I just tried to use up some things I had on hand. Pictures Sunday.