Lots of news

I've been debating how to share some of the "bigger" news that we have to report. Since I just don't have the energy to come up with anything clever, I'll just be frank - I'm nearly 17 weeks pregnant and our house is for sale!

These circumstances coupled with the fact that Matt is looking for a new job are about all the change I can handle right now. I feel, though, that I'm managing it all with uncharacteristic optimism and peace. Someone pointed out to me that I might be one of those rare women whose hormones actually balance out during pregnancy. This I have never heard of, but if it means more peace and less pessimism, I'll take it!

I've also recently developed an addiction to playing solitaire on my phone. I've probably played it 98 times in the last week, mainly because I just can't win. And I hate that. Every time I'm so close to winning, I have the superstitious thought "If I win, this means we'll sell our house." Or, "If I win, this means Matt will get a great job."

Ridiculous, I know. While sometimes it feels like the odds are stacked against us, I'm beginning to get the feeling that we'll actually sell our house and Matt will get a great job, and the baby will even be born before I win a game of solitaire.

And you know, that will be just fine with me!

A recipe for frittata

For those of you who are asking, here's the Simple Frittata recipe from "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home" that I love to use:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter (or a combination)
1 medium potato, cut into quarters and thinly sliced (I like to use a sweet potato)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
some vegetables (optional) sorry I don't have a proportion, but I just use however much I feel like, or however much I have! Veggies that work well include bell peppers, spinach, kale, mushrooms, tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs (basil, chives, oregono, tarragon, pretty much whatever you like! and i probably use more than 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed (optional)
4 or 5 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated cheese (optional)
salt and ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the potatoes and onions covered, stirring frequently. After about 4 minutes, add the optional vegetables (add them a little later if you're using something that cooks up quickly, like spinach, kale or tomatoes), and continue stirring for about 8 minutes until the potatoes and onions are tender and golden. Stir in the herb and optional garlic. Pour the beaten eggs over the sauteed vegetables, tilting the pan to distribute them evenly. Sprinkle on the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 10 minutes, until the eggs are set and golden on the bottom.

To brown the top of the frittata: If your skillet is flameproof, simply place the frittat under a preheated broiler for about 2 minutes. Otherwise, carefully slide the frittata onto a plate and then flip it over, back into the skillet, to brown the other side. To serve, cut the frittata in half.

Serves 2.

Penny pinching evening

We've had a bit of a rough week or so. Matt is now what he jokingly calls a "statistic" of the recession and is no longer working for General Motors. Fortunately, we're doing pretty well and are by no means in the breadline ... however, I'm not opposed to using my "free bread" coupons at the local gourmet grocery store and we're certainly watching what we spend a little more carefully.

So tonight I served up what's probably going to become a regular in our quick-and-easy, budget meal lineup - fritatta. We definitely got our full serving of vegetables - half a bunch of kale each, along with red pepper, onion and sweet potato, a good amount of protein, and it only took me about 15-20 minutes start to finish.

After dinner I said "I wish I could have an ice cream cone!" Matt acknowledged that I've been doing such a good job with all of this unexpected change, and said he'd get me one, and that it could be a good way to use up our change.

I thought he meant our quarters. But no, he meant our pennies in the change dish. He asked me to count them out and I looked at them, fumed a little, started counting a few, and then said something to the effect of "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

I'm really glad I stood my ground, because Matt relented pretty quickly, counted the pennies and took me to get my cone. Even better, he didn't make me hand the man behind the counter all the pennies. I can't imagine what the cashier was thinking, and I couldn't see his face because I was trying to hide behind Matt the whole time.

So it was a penny pinching evening indeed ... and pretty fun, too!

I did it!

I safely made banana bread! No knife accidents, or any other kind of accident for that matter, involved.

I did hesitate a little before preheating the oven and committing to the deed, because this Saturday feels strangely similar to the Saturday last summer when Matt was gone backpacking. A cloudless sky, perfect temps, an open day spread out before me with hardly any responsibilities, excitement for Matt's approaching return, and satisfied feeling of accomplishment for making it through the whole 8 days without him.

So why tempt fate? Because this banana bread with cinnamon crumble topping is just SO good.

A fun trip and kitchen safety

I just returned from a fantastic few days in Annapolis and Charlottesville. Of course no trip to Charlottesville would be complete without some time with Tucker, who now eagerly refers to me as "Yiz!" whenever he wants my attention. We had a lot of fun tromping around at the park, playing with trucks, reading, and listening to numerous renditions of "The Wheels on the Bus."

I came home to a house FULL of notes from Matt, who is backpacking in the Sierra Nevadas this week. Everywhere I turn, every cabinet or door I open, there's a note! Definitely a wonderful surprise.

However, I felt suddenly reprimanded when, barefoot, I opened the knife drawer to find a knife to slice some bread, and was reminded by a note from Matt to "wear foot protection."

It's not that Matt's some kitchen safety czar. He's simply reminding me of what happened last summer when he was backpacking - I dropped a knife on my foot while trying to make him banana bread. This little accident put me into surgery and onto crutches for about two months. Not fun.

So, I immediately put on my Merrells and am vowing to have them on at all times while handling knives this weekend! And, incidentally, I have loads of frozen bananas that are just begging to become banana bread. Dare I give it another try?

I want to make these!

I wish this post was a description of how tasty these cookies were, but alas, I haven't even bought the ingredients yet. I'm just enjoying looking at the picture, and am trying to figure out when I'm going to make "The Best One-Bowl Chocolate Chunk Almond Cookies." I'm such a sucker for any recipe that starts with "The Best." If they're the best, well, then I just have to make them!

By the way, this is starting to feel more like a cooking blog and less like a Detroit blog, so I'll throw in a local picture for good measure. This is Matt showing off his wakesurfing abilities for the ladies!

The longest salon visit of my life

I really only like to have men cut and style my hair. I feel like they're more objective, and not as chatty. I also am partial to having the owner of a salon cut my hair, and fortunately I've always been able to find skilled men who own their own salons and don't chat too much.

However, I'm beginning to feel a little uncomfortable about how much my haircuts and highlights cost, so last week I went down a new path. I went to the Douglas J Aveda Institute, which is a fancy name for school. So I entrusted myself to a very tentative young stylist and just told myself that anything she did could probably be reversible.

What I neglected to consider was the amount of time it would take a student to highlight and cut my hair. When 30 minutes had gone by and she was just getting around to sectioning my hair for the foils (which, by the way, is not something pros do - they just start foiling), I knew it was going to be a long morning.

Three hours later my hair was still not cut. I had texted Matt multiple times pushing back my ETD, as well as made it clear to poor Suzie (don't worry, I'm giving her a fake name) that I needed to leave by 2:00. (this was sort of a lie, but just couldn't take it anymore!)

Thankfully, Suzie's supervisor swooped in and saved the day by cutting my hair in 12 minutes, while Suzie supervised, or, rather, observed. This almost totally redeemed the situation, especially because I got a professional haircut for only $16! Oh, and you're not allowed to tip at the Institute, so I scooted out of there without a hole in my wallet.

Would I do it again? I'm not sure. I think it's a question of what's worth more to me - my time or my money.

And of course I'd like to find a male student, but I'm still figuring out a tactful way to make that request!