Grillin' and Chillin' and Microwavin'

Careful readers may have noted that there haven't been any theme-meals lately to celebrate the babies' progress in growth relative to the size of various produce items. This isn't because of a lack of desire but rather because the scale has recently taken an unpredictable and seemingly inaccurate turn. The Bump's baby size chart took an odd turn saying that at week 22 they were the size of papayas and at week 23 they were the size of pomegranates. Remember that in week 20 they were the size of cantaloupes. I don't know about you but I've seen and eaten a lot of produce in my day but even the largest pomegranate I have ever encountered was smaller than the smallest cantaloupe.

So it was that I decided to check out the BabyCenter.com but their chart just made things more annoying because at week 23 they said the babies were the size of mangoes and we already did mangoes in week 19! Some would argue that this is because the size is measured from crown to rump until week 21 when it's measured from head to toe. I think this is an extremely weak argument. We need a better baby-to-fruit comparison scale!

So it was that I decided to take a little time off until these charts start making a little more sense.



Jen has not had much in the way of cravings lately but this afternoon she developed a sudden and ravenous desire to consume Chipotle. I've only ever been to Chipotle once in my life. Even Jen's cheapness sensible frugality knowing we had plenty of food already at home did not stop her from giving in and allowing me to bring her to Chipotle where we loaded up on burritos and tacos, an uncharacteristically heavy lunch for us both. Jen's tightwad nature sensibility did, however, allow her to advise against me getting a Negra Modelo which looked delightful sitting in their drink cooler. Given the amount of beer we had at home I could not disagree so instead I enjoyed another Organic Lager from Mill Street Brewing Company which was the closest thing we had to an appropriate Mexican lager.

Given Jen's earlier bout with high blood pressure readings this week I did a little reading up on the matter. Through my research I discovered that foods high in potassium and calcium have the effect of lowering one's blood pressure. This may not be wise considering my already incredibly low blood pressure and that most doctor's are surprised that I am even conscious after taking my readings, however, one has to think of the mother and babies in this situation and put their own interests (and possibly life) on the back burner.



With temperatures in the 80s today (and approaching 90 tomorrow) I thought it a fine opportunity to fire up the grill and even to eat outside, something we rarely get the chance to do, but since our super built a new patio, and invited us to use it, tonight seemed like the perfect night. As is often the case with the beginning of the grilling season I started by grilling a little too much so I grilled the kale before making it into salad.



The salad consisted of grilled kale (190mg potassium per 100g, 134mg calcium per 100g) sun dried tomato (3400mg potassium per 100g, 109mg calcium per 100g), chopped almonds (266mg calcium per 100g), sesame seeds (919mg potassium per 100g) lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper.



I started off by grilling some asparagus and salmon, however, as soon as the asparagus hit the grill the propane tank died. In desperation I threw some salmon onto the grill but, as you can see from this picture taken five minute later, the grill hadn't exactly retained enough heat to cook the fish through.



So it was that I had to run back inside to microwave the asparagus and salmon to finish them. This wasn't so bad as I have long maintained that microwaving is possibly one of the best ways to cook fish. That being said, the grill flavor wasn't quite as intense as I'd hoped for from this meal.



I served the "grilled" salmon (636mg of potassium per 100g) with the potato (535mg potassium per 100g) dill salad with chili powder (278mg of calcium per 100g) and smoked paprika (164mg potassium per 100g), some leftover buttermilk ranch dressing, salt, and pepper.



There is a small amount of potassium, and a much smaller amount of calcium, in your average beer. However, I wasn't really intending this to be the most nutritious part of the meal. Besides, Jen isn't drinking so I was alone to reap all the nutritional benefits of the beverage.

For beer I enjoyed this Deviant Dale's from Oskar Blues Brewery in Colorado. This was a beer that I probably would have hated a couple of years ago but I found myself loving it tonight. It had a slight oniony taste, almost like leek tops, from the hops.



For a little dessert I made this yogurt (183mg calcium per 100g, 234mg potassium per 100g) with dried apricot (1500 mg potassium per 100g), dried figs (680mg potassium per 100g), oat bran (532mg potassium per 100g, 54mg calcium per 100g), pistachio (1000mg potassium per 100g), pumpkin seed (919mg potassium per 100g), flax seed (255mg calcium per 100g) pumpkin seed oil, honey, and a drizzle of molasses (1500mg potassium per 100g).

After watching the Flyers and Penguins beat each other up all afternoon (while occasionally taking a break to play some hockey) we were tempted to go out for ice cream as is our NHL Playoff tradition but instead we left it at merely having this yogurt for a sweet treat at the end of the meal.

There will be plenty more hockey, plenty more fighting, and plenty more opportunity for late night runs to Longford's.

Well, until the babies are born. Then you will see a dramatic chance in the tone and pace of the blog entries. Just thinking about it makes . . . me . . . want . . .

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

In Belgium They Call Summer Winter

Sometimes, when the pressure is on, one does their best work. This doesn't really apply to me but I thought I'd bring it up because I find it to be an interesting fact.

Tonight I had 15 minutes to put together dinner before picking up Jen at the train station. That meant I had to kick it into SUPER PREP MODE, a state only previously achieved during extremely stressful days when working in restaurants. Achieving SUPER PREP MODE while at home and only cooking for two is overdoing it a bit but it does make for a speedy dinner.



I started off by putting out some Italian bread with some St. Angel which I'd purchased for Jen since it's delicious and pasteurized therefore meeting the criteria of every alarmist study on eating during pregnancy that we have come across.



In a pan I browned up some garlic with butter and olive oil, threw in some shallots, Yukon Gold potatoes, and tossed in some chicken then threw it into the oven with a little rosemary on top. After dashing out to pick up Jen I returned home, threw in some chopped New Jersey asparagus, roasted Divina tomatoes, mozzarella, and a little more rosemary before tossing it under the broiler to brown.

This was a hasty but happy dish, one that can only happen when one is in an extreme rush. I'd recommend it as a nice spring dish for early in the season where it is still chilly at night.



For a drink I opened up the last of Jen's Valentine's gifts, this Winter 12 from Hof Ten Dormaal in Belgium. This was a fantastic beer with just the right amount of Belgiany goodness and a great floral taste. I thought it had the taste of fresh flower petals from the type of hops used until I found out from the back of the bottle that there were actual rose petals used in the brewing process, something that Jen had told me but I had forgotten.

I'm not sure why this beer is called Winter. The website, written entirely in the strange language of Belgium, may or may not explain this name but if they are referring to the season I think they have it all wrong. This beer was wonderfully refreshing but it is odd to be refreshed when it is 49 degrees out. I would love to have this beer again on a hot day in mid-summer.

Maybe in Belgium summer is actually called winter!

Eat, Pray, Sit

Yesterday took an unexpected turn when we went in for a check up for Jen and the doctor started talking about how she should meet some of the doctors at the local hospital. We were listening to her and nodding our heads until she ended everything by telling us to go up to the third floor and pick up a phone on the wall and tell them Jen's doctor's name and they'd let us in.

No password was given.

We thought this sounded okay until we realized that she meant to go do this right now. "Oh, so we're not talking about some appointment in a week or two, you want us to leave here and go immediately to the hospital?"

"Yes."

Let it be known that there was nothing actually wrong. They just saw a few things that they wanted to monitor to make sure that there'd be nothing wrong in another month or two. So Jen spent the entire day from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM lying on a bed with two heart rate monitors (one for each baby) and getting her blood pressure automatically taken every thirty minute. We got a snack and I got to go get us lunch from the hospital's cafeteria: the most tragically confusing assortment of counters, menus, and extremely unhealthy food offerings I've ever set eyes on. If food is going to be that unhealthy shouldn't it at least taste good?

The highlight of our day was catching Eat, Pray. Love on TV.



When we got home we were, once again, forced to make do with whatever we had lying around as we once again did not have time to grocery shop. I had bought these figs for Easter then forgot to put them out so I plated them up with some blanched almonds, Toma Celena, and drizzled it with a little honey.



For salad I cleaned some red leaf lettuce and served it with sliced avocado, crumbled goat cheese, and pistachios.



Pizza, my second favorite dish to use up whatever crap we have lying around (after pasta), was made with grilled artichoke hearts, sliced fennel, and whole basil leaves. Jen had been craving pizza ever since she saw a photo of some delicious pizza while eating the hummus and pretzel snack pack provided by the hospital. Watching Julia Roberts eat a whole pizza during Eat, Pray, Love. didn't help.



For a drink I cracked open this 75 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head. I'd picked up a couple of bottles a week or two ago after finding them at a local beer shop and I've been eager to taste it especially after hearing from multiple sources that it was Dogfish Head's best minute-themed IPA to date! It was a very nice beer but I may still be partial to the 90 Minute IPA. As you can tell from the picture it had the most incredible head of any beer I've ever poured.



After five or six minute the head had only partially diminished leaving this pillowy foam behind. It had the consistency of egg whites whipped to a soft peak. You have to either be very patient to drink this beer or just prepared to have a foam-covered nose during the entire glass.



Even after finishing the beer the glass was covered in meringue-like foam all the way down the glass and leaving a solid floor of head on the bottom of the glass. It was quite remarkable. Maybe the particular yeast used were just really fond of maple syrup. I didn't get a ton of the maple flavor until toward the end when it had warmed up a little int he glass.

So far after the 60, minute and 90 minute I find the 75 Minute to be right in the middle of the pack. So, by that logic, the more minutes the better!

I currently have six bottles of 120 minute aging in my "beer cellar." Even though I'm terrified of the 18-23% alcohol content, if this logic holds it will be the best of all. I just haven't found a day where I feel comfortable having the equivalent of four beers. It's too scary because I am too much of a wuss.

The Great Rice Debate

Yesterday, as an Easter treat, our super gave us a huge plate full of pulled pork, rice, and beans. It was an extremely nice gesture but since we already had a ton of food lined up for dinner I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with all of it. However, after arriving home this evening and realizing I had nothing to do for dinner I decided to use this food in tonight's extremely lazy dinner for two!



I started off by making this salad with avocado, lime, radish, mixed baby greens, olive oil, salt, and pepper.



After that I put together all the pulled pork, rice, and beans into burritos.



Burrito purists will likely be appalled by the fact that I put rice in this burrito. There is a heated debate amongst foodies as to whether or not rice belongs in a burrito. Since I hate anyone who identifies themself as a foodie I have little to no interest in this boring debate. To me, part of what makes food great and interesting is that you can do anything with it. And if you happen to have a lot of rice in the fridge that you need to use up, why not slap it into a burrito and enjoy it? And why not add in some fresh salsa, avocado, and sour cream? There are only two reasons to answer no to those questions. One is that you don't like those ingredients, and that is completely acceptable. The second reason is that you are a stuck up, self-identified foodie who has sucked all the joy out of your own life to the point that you live under a rigid set of rules about what the true ingredients in marinara sauce are, how you can serve Eggs Benedict, and the only way to make true pesto.

If you are that kind of person then you are the reason that cuisines grow stale and old then die. Live a little, people! There is more than one way to make pesto! Stop being so boring!

Okay, sorry about that.



I'm winding down the number of single beer bottles in the fridge so I had to dig around a little to find an accompaniment for tonight's dinner. What I found was this Brekle's Brown from Anchor Brewing. This was a fantastic malty little beer that was extremely easy-drinking and was designed to bring on the maximum amount of hatred from Jen. I regretted having purchased only one bottle of this beer as it was extremely tasty and a surprisingly good accompaniment to tonight's burritos.



By Jen's request we enjoyed a lovely post-Easter dessert with this Cadbury Creme Egg. We have 12 more Cadbury Eggs to go. Based on our currently annual rate of consumption this means we'll finish this batch up some time in July of 2013.

Now, if only I could figure out how to tun these Cadbury Creme Eggs into a delicious dinner. Hmmm. Maybe a Cadbury Creme Omelette.

Easter? I Hardly Know Her!

As is tradition my parents were headed down this Easter to pay us a visit. At least as is tradition for the past couple of years anyway.



When they got here I put out a simple brunch of smoked salmon, toasted poppy seed bagels, rye bread, cornichons, cream cheese, greens, and sliced red onion.



Jen took the first shift in the kitchen and put together some hot cross buns. This came with the normal amount of lament and regret that generally accompanies her baking sessions. The result was also the same as her normal baking sessions: delicious results.

And no one even noticed that there were only raisins and not raising and currants! I am still suspect of any recipe that requires both raisins and currants. That seems a bit redundant.



I showed my parents the best of what New York State has to offer in terms of cheese. I made up this slate of Toma Celena from Cooperstown Cheese Company in Cooperstown, NY; this Eden from Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie, NY; and this washed rind Point of Origin, also from Sprout Creek Farm.



The lamb I bought had an excessive amount of fat on it. After trimming it all off I decided, rather than throwing it away, to just mix it in with the vegetables I was going to roast. I threw some potatoes, spring onion, crushed garlic clove, and quartered artichokes into the pan along with some olive oil and threw it in the oven while we snacked on the cheese.



Today was the exact day my twin batch of beers was ready for consumption so I served up the first batch, this Tea & Toast from Brooklyn Brew Shop. It came out very nicely despite the fact that I had to use my mouth to start the siphon when I bottled it, something I had been worried about at the time. Apparently washing my mouth out with vodka ahead of time actually worked!



After enjoying the cheese and searing the lamb rack and asparagus on the grill outside I took out the vegetables which had cooked up beautifully with the extra lamb fat and meat added.



I topped the grilled asparagus with some shaved Bella Lodi, lemon juice, and lemon zest.



I smeared the outside of the seared lamb rack with goat cheese and then crusted it with crushed pistachios. This is a dish I made at a restaurant I worked at years ago and Haven't made in about a decade. I think I made it for Jen in 2002 when we first met.

Structurally it didn't hold together all that well due to me being a little too hasty about my pistachio crushing but the flavor was there.



My mother brought some Italian egg biscuits that she'd made which were delicious. Even Jen, a longtime hater of all things anise, was quite taken with them. The best part is that my mom made a giant bag of them which are just in time to replenish the depleted banana muffin supply in our freezer.

This truly was an amazing Easter weekend. It started off with the greatest chicken we've ever consumed and ended with a freezer full of cookies.

I guess we have a lot to be thankful for.

Oops. Wrong holiday.