Now I never have to wonder

In the New York Times this Sunday, there was an article about marital disagreements on whether or not food has gone bad or is safe to eat. Well, the article might just as well have been about me and Matt, because I am that woman and he is that man.

I like rules, so I like expiration dates.  I know, I know, I know that the milk doesn't go bad as soon as the clock hits midnight on whatever date the carton reads it's expired. But, we have to draw the line in the sand somewhere, so why not just follow the rule on the package?

I was thrilled to see that the article included a link to a site that has all the answers to any food safety questions you could ever have.

Is the site's advice a bit extreme and overly cautious?  Yes, so I'll try to use common sense, too.  But I'm extremely happy that now I have a go-to resource whenever I'm wondering whether I should pitch or dig into whatever item of food is in question.

PS:  Matt, you would be proud, though, that I have been flirting with danger on a carton of half and half that said "Sell by 3/5/11."  It's now March 9 and I might even just put it in my coffee tomorrow, too.

Miscellaneous

Here's a sampling of what we've been up to lately!

A hike at Lula Lake Land Trust - Shame on me for not getting a good picture of the stunning waterfall, but believe me, we saw it. 

It might have been that I was a bit distracted by Emery's discontent. Turns out the Ergo Baby Carrier may not be the ideal mode of transportation for longer walks with a nearly 12-month old.

A dinner of (partially) homemade thin crust pizza with bacon and onion - We almost always have pizza on Friday nights and usually buy it. Last night, though, I made a version of this plus this (with store-bought dough) and we might not be doing take-out again for a while. I loved how easy it was to whirl the sauce together in the food processor and the crust wound up being really thin, just how I like it.

Having tea parties - Emery's favorite thing to do in the kitchen is take out all the tea bags and strew them everywhere. Putting them back isn't my favorite thing to do, but it sure is nice how much they entertain her.

Groovin' to the music - I really need to take a video of Emery dancing ... whenever she plays with musical toy, she starts rockin' her shoulder to the beat. She's thrilled with these drums I got for $2.50 at America's Thrift Store, not as thrilled with the 38 cent tambourine, but for that price, who cares!

Keeping Emery away from cords - No matter how,

Determined,

She is to play with them!

3 Things

1. Emery is crawling.

So I am babyproofing.  And not blogging much.

2.  This salad, Shaved Brussel Sprouts with Fresh Walnuts and Pecorino is delicious. And easy!  And great for those nights when a regular old salad just doesn't sound that good or the lettuce is lousy at the grocery store.

3. Emery is about to pull herself up on the coffee table.  She has already demonstrated she can do so in her crib.

 So I must end this blog post now!

We've lowered the mattress

I know most parents of nearly 11-month olds lowered their crib mattresses long ago, but we've never had the need to ... until today that is.

What we've been doing and eating

Even as I begin to type, I am scratching my head thinking "What have we been doing?" because it feels like we've been very busy, but I'm not sure what to attribute that all to.  

Perhaps recovering from illness and nursing others back to health takes a fair amount of time and energy - we've spent a lot of time doing that, recently.  Last week, both Matt and I fell ill simultaneously. Now, whenever I think I'm having a hard day, I'll remind myself of how dreadful that day was and feel a lot better.

Fortunately we rebounded in about 24 hours ... now Emery is recovering from a cold that has quarantined us from the YMCA :(.  Her spirits are still wonderful, though, and she often finds refuge underneath the coffee table these days.

Eating?  Yes, we've been doing some of that.  Of note has been:

Baked tilapia with roasted broccoli and grape tomatoes - no link here, but so simple and for some reason, the broccoli tasted so divine. Almost as good as chocolate. 

Just mix mayonaise and mustard and brush on tilapia, top with breadcrumbs and grated parmesan, bake at 375 for about 15/20 minutes. Toss broccoli and grape tomatoes with minced garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil and roast at 425 for 10-13 minutes, or until broccoli starts to brown.

Salsa Couscous Chicken - this won a Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1998, and if you try it you'll know why. I followed a variation of this recipe found in a Junior League cookbook, which calls for an extra cup of salsa and double the amount of almonds, garlic, currants, honey, cumin and cinnamon - all variations that make it doubly delicious.

Whole wheat buttermilk biscuits - again, no link, but if you've never made biscuits before (and I don't think I had), they aren't so difficult and make the whole house smell, well, like biscuits.  And that's a pretty good smell.

Color coordination

I've begun teaching Emery that it's always important to match, even when going to places like Home Depot ... and that you get bonus points if you can match the store's decor!

PS:  However, we don't need to discuss my get-up for the day, just a step above sweat pants.

What we've been eating

This post might be the first of many (no promises, yet!), in which I give a rundown of "what we've been eating" ... well, what we've been eating that's delicious, that is.  I'll spare you from the flops, unless I really feel compelled to warn you about something lurking out there on the food blogs. Here goes:

Chard and White Bean Stew - compliments of Smitten Kitchen, this was fabulous. Emery even loved it. Do not skip the egg on top - it totally makes the dish.

Mega Fries - made these on our anniversary with steak, because the baby Yukon gold potatoes I really wanted to buy where nowhere to be found, which turned out to be just fine because these were awesome. So simple and crispy, a healthy alternative to real fries, and I didn't even have to flip them.

Baked Potato Soup - again, a Smitten Kitchen pick that Emery loved, and we enjoyed it, too. The roasted garlic is what sold me, and I don't think it's complete without bacon on top.

Indonesian Sweet Potato and Cabbage Soup - this was from a cookbook I have, but lo and behold it's on the Internet, too.  It was a little involved, but worth it. So flavorful.  I doubled the recipe, because cabbage is so uninspiring to me ... in fact, I know I will wind up tossing the half a head left in my fridge before I can think of a way I'd want to eat it.  And please don't try to sell me on making stir fry.

Tuna and White Bean Pasta with Gremolata Bread Crumbs - affordable, easy and delicious, this made a lot and I loved having the bread crumb mixture in it. And yes, Emery enjoyed it, too.