Loaded Potato Soup

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I am excited for spring just about on every level, but there is one thing about the cold weather that I don’t mind holding on to and dragging into spring with us: comfort food.

Soup tops the list of comfort food for me, followed closely by anything with potatoes, so really this Loaded Baked Potato Soup is a match made in heaven. We are Irish so its basically in our blood to like this. If you’re looking to jazz up your St. Patrick’s Day menu, this ones a winner.

The first time I had it was at a book club where they read my book! I got to be a guest author. It was amazing to hear smart, lovely women talking about Anna and Andrew and Maine.  I was reminded again that everyone brings so much of their inner life to a book. I’ve recently heard several people describe reading a good book as a form of self care, and I totally agree. I always feel a bit unglued if I’m not reading a good book. I was so honored that these ladies had me, and I look forward to doing more in the future. Connecting with readers is so much fun.

This did not keep me from asking for the recipe for this soup, of course, because delicious is always delicious even if you are technically on the author circuit.  When my friend sent it to me I was even more intrigued by the title – it was a version of Panera Bread’s Loaded Potato Soup. You may want to tweak your seasoning a bit, I think I added a bit of onion and garlic powder.

I made a double batch of this right before our third (or was it fourth?) snow day and it was so lovely to eat the next day while we played and baby swapped. My kids could doctor it up just how they would a baked potato and everyone was happy, especially my husband who loves bacon and my daughter who loves mashed potatoes.

Soon, spring will have me eating all the asparagus and fiddle head ferns and pea pasta dishes but for now, a bowl of this soup and a good book is calling me. Especially since we are supposed to have more snow on Monday.

Think I may have to have a glass of wine with those.

 

Panera Bread CopyCat Loaded Baked Potato Soup (printer version here):

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium sweet onion diced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 cup cooked bacon bits or crumbs
  • 4 large Yukon potatoes scrubbed peeled and diced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 4-6 cups low sodium chicken broth or more
  • 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
  • 4 ounces cream cheese or sour cream room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish:

  • 2 teaspoons chives
  • 2 tablespoons of real bacon bits
  • Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

  1. Add olive oil to a hot medium pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
  2. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, for about 1 minute, stirring all the time.
  4. Add potatoes, bacon bits, dried oregano and dried parsley, stir to combine.
  5. Add chicken broth, enough to fully cover the potatoes. Cook on medium heat for about 12 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
  6. Once the potatoes have cooked, add butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt. Whisk in the flour until completely combined and gradually add in the heavy cream. Whisk the flour mixture until smooth. With the heat on the lowest stove setting, let the mixture cook until it starts to simmer and is getting thicker, stir occasionally.
  7. Add the flour mixture to the potatoes and gently stir to combine.
  8. Using a potato masher, mash half of the potatoes or as mush as you want. You can also add the soup to a blender or use an immersion blender.
  9. Add the cream cheese or sour cream, and stir until it melted.
  10. If the soup is too thick, add more chicken broth.
  11. Season with salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust.
  12. Garnish with chives, bacon bits and cheddar cheese.
  13. Serve and enjoy!

This was originally posted on the Sweet and Savory blog here.

Easy Peasy

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You probably already figured this out, since I haven’t posted here in a month, but having twins does not make for good food blogging.

I thought I would pop on here though and list the meals that I’ve discovered in this crazy season that are a) easy b) delicious and c) easy.  Most of the time I am cooking with a baby in the Bijorn or on my hip so I am low on pics. Let’s think of this post as word-of-mouth recommendations, shall we? There are different seasons in life and in the kitchen, and I subscribe to the idea that part of loving food is embracing the season you are in and not trying to fight it, or else you will be miserable. I know there will be seasons down the road where I will be creating recipes again. Maybe you have found yourself also in a season of needing quick dinners and easy ideas. I’m sharing the shortcuts I’m finding just in case.

One thing I am LOVING is that my local grocery delivery service (Peapod, run by Stop & Shop) has put up on their website meals that you can click on, and then they pull up all the ingredients and you add them to your cart lickety split. This is a much better (and cheaper) option for our family then Blue Apron or Hello Fresh. Plus I often have some of the ingredients in the pantry and don’t need to buy all of the ingredients. I think its genius and I’m so happy they started doing this (I may have emailed them the idea last year, so I’m biased, and no I don’t think that they listened to me or anything).

I am trying to be healthy, and chose real foods that are not processes and are good for a nursing mom. But I’m not killing myself either. I can do that when they are sleeping through the night and I join Insanity or stretch my running times to longer then 30 minutes. My motto right now is to enjoy this period, go easy on myself, and these dinners have allowed me to do just that.

1. Lemon Chicken – this one was a winner. There was something so comforting about this huge pot of juicy lemony chicken and potatoes that picked up all the drippings as it roasted. Bonus points that you get to cut up a whole chicken, which you have never done it is oddly gratifying. Here is a tutorial if you need one. Also lots of people asked me what this veg is and it is just sautéed Brussel Sprouts with pancetta – it is the only way I can get my kids to eat Brussels sprouts since they love it!

2. Thai Chicken Wraps –  There are a number of recipes on the web and I actually feel like I pull up a different one each time I make this. This one has a dressing I really like because you can throw all the ingredients in a blender and it tastes great. I am intrigued by the idea of collard greens to hold more then butter lettuce or Romaine leaves, but we just used Romaine leaves. Also, I used rotisserie chicken and skipped the first half of this recipe. You will notice there is NO cooking in this recipe if you do that. Yup. Dinner came together in 5 minutes, and I was like  what will I do with all this extra time? Answer:

3. Mini Turkey Meatball Soup –  You might have seen me make this on InstaStories. It is so so good. I double this and have lunch made for the week. While you are on her site check out her Instapot Mashed Potatoes. They cook in 10 minutes! It has me thinking generations from now everyone will cook using the Instapot and will talk about the times before we had it as ‘the olden days’.

4. Ina Garten’s Beef Tenderloin with Mustard Horseradish Sauce: The twins had their Christening this weekend and I made this for one of the dinners we had with family in town.

I also made this for Christmas Eve and we turned it into sandwiches for Christmas dinner. (The link above shows how to make it into sandwiches, we eat it either sliced with sauce on top or as a sandwich). It is fancy and delicious and takes 5 minutes to prep and cooks in 22-25 minutes. If you are looking to impress someone with a dinner but are scared to bite of more than you can chew, this dinner is for you. The scariest part will be paying – for the beef but it feeds 10-15 people and is worth it. It is so, so good and melts like butter in your mouth. Take the time to trim and tie it (again here is a tutorial). And this sauce? You need it in your life. I have come to mixing together a mini-version for my sandwiches instead of mayo and mustard.

5. Ski House Bolognese – I got this cookbook around the time we got a ski condo, but it is chock full of comfort food that is easy. I love their version of bolognese AND their suggestion to freeze half of it so you have a delicious dinner waiting for you that just requires a box of pasta.

6. Oven Roasted Sausage, Peppers and Onions – I have discovered a new love of this easy dish by roasting it in the oven. The sausage skins crisp up into a lovely, crispy but juicy texture. They are great for a crowd, too, since you can really bulk it up with rolls, good spaghetti sauce and provolone. Meatballs are good too but there is nothing to do for prep work with sausages except slice open the plastic wrap and put it on a tray. Bonus if you find pre-sliced peppers and onions.

7. Pioneer Woman’s Pulled Pork – Leave it to a rancher to tell you how to cook your pork. Not that they have pigs on her ranch. Do they? I don’t even know. Anyway, she makes a yummy pulled pork. I have made pulled pork many different ways lately because our au pair loves it, and because big roasts are cheap and last for days.

In a pinch I have just placed a hunk of whatever pork is on sale in a slow cooker, seasoned it with salt, pepper and garlic, and added a few cups of bbq sauce, and it was…pretty good. I have also made it by seasoning the pork, adding a can of root beer, and once it is shredded, adding sauce. This was also lovely. But I really love the seasonings in Ree’s recipe, and so did the other 50 people we fed with this over the weekend. Just know you can’t really go wrong if you are cooking it low and slow and it meets salt and bbq sauce at some point.

Here it is coated with the rub which I like to put ontop of a thin layer of mustard to hold the rub to it. Then let it hang out for 30 minutes to marinate. Then pop it into the slow cooker for 6-8 hours. (Note: I did try to make this in the InstaPot, but I have to say the meat came out more tender in the slow cooker.)

8. Mushroom and Goat Cheese Mini Frittatas – These mini frittatas are HEAVEN. I made a huge batch when my very healthy neighbors came over and plowed my driveway when my husband was traveling to thank them. I also doubled the egg/milk/sauteed onion mixture and made a second tray of them by putting diced canadian bacon and cheddar cheese on the bottom of the mini muffin tins, then pouring the mixture over. Both were amazing! And you can see that they are super easy and you can use any ingredients. But the mushroom and goat cheese one felt so decadent and luxurious, and I lived on them all week. I have been in a huge frittata kick lately, because it feels like all the work of making scrambled eggs or omelet but I have seconds and thirds in the fridge for later, saving me time and pots and pans.

Well, here is hoping you find something new to add to your repertoire on this list! I hope to share the next bunch of recipes I find with you here because, let’s face it, I am not eating out much in the near future.

Happy Eating! xoxo Katie

Spinach and Pancetta Stuffed Shells

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I am just getting back into the routine of making dinner, now that the babies are (sort of) on a schedule and I know when there is a 30ish minute window to cook. Not sure when there will be a window to cook and take photos, so I am re-sharing one of my favorite dinners that I posted a while ago. I have been craving it, and it is such a cozy comforting dinner. It is just special enough though that it could be made for a holiday, and the green from the spinach and flecks of red from the pancetta make it perfect for a Christmas Eve or Christmas day spread.

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It has just snowed in New Hampshire and the temps have turned to arctic, and every night we are craving a comforting, stick to our ribs kind of dish exactly like this one. It is from Giada De Laurentiis, and is one of her viewers most requested recipes. No wonder – the asiago cheese and garlic give the spinach the most perfect, fragrant flavor. And the salty chewy pancetta bites round out the dish.

I also love that this dish uses mostly pantry and fridge staples. If you call pancetta, asiago and ricotta staples, which I do now after this dinner made it into our rotation. I keep my pancetta in the freezer if I don’t use it right away. You can cook your shells ahead of time with lots of oil so they don’t stick, and store in a bag in the fridge until you are ready to use.

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And the hint of nutmeg in here makes this somehow a taste that you keep wanting to go back to. So you may want to make double.

The way the garlic simmers in the cream sauce (I used milk by the way but cream is the way to go if you have it) fills the whole dish with such a subtle flavor.  It tastes like you are at a wonderful Italian restaurant, with such decadent, subtle flavors. I also use mozzarella on the top because the kids love it and it melts beautifully.

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Every time I start stuffing these shells, I always dream about other combinations of flavors I could put in them. But then I take a bite:

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And I promise myself to make these again exactly like Giada does because it is pretty perfect.

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So if you are looking for a new special dish this Christmas, I promise you will thank me. And there are still 12 other nights left that we need to eat dinner too, and it will delight them on a random Tuesday as well.

Hope your shopping list is short and your wood pile is high!

Shells with Crispy Pancetta and Spinach (printer version found on Food Network here) –

Ingredients:
Shells:
1 (12-ounce) package jumbo shells pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound thick-cut pancetta, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 pounds frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta
1 cup grated asiago cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup cream (or milk)
2 cups grated asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the shells:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta cheese, asiago cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stuff the shells with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture each and place the stuffed shells in a large, buttered baking dish.

For the sauce:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to very low and add the 2 cups asiago cheese, parsley, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is dissolved. Pour the sauce over the shells. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis at foodnetwork.com

Love in a time of NICU {Instapot Beef Barley Soup}

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Sometimes when I want a good laugh, I think about everything that has happened in the last month.

Survive the end of a twin pregnancy.

Have a C-section.

Have twin boys (!)

Have a newborn with Down syndrome.

Have a newborn without Down syndrome, but with some considerable fussiness, especially when he gets his diaper changed or is not being held.

Have an emergency illness lower 6-day-old Ronan’s temperature to 94, and rush to get him admitted to Boston Children’s Hospital for hypothermia. Discover he has Hirschsprung’s Disease.

Heal from your 6 day old C-section while living in the sleeping suite (basically a dorm room) by rolling Michael around the halls of Boston Children’s in a clear plexiglass bassinet, which draws so much attention to your newborn that it takes you 20 minutes to get across the hospital.

Get terrified that you will lock yourself out of your sleep suite multiple times a day.

Get more terrified that you will lock your newborn in.

Leave your phone in the bathroom, discover it is gone and have a heart attack, then find someone took it to the Information desk.

Celebrate Halloween and a certain 10th Birthday with your big kids.

Commute into the big city. With a new born. Rush hour will double your time which makes you have to stop and nurse, which then triples it.

And finally, survive an overnight with twins at home. 

It’s quite a list, but it is also just one list. We are one of thousands of families who have sick children. And becoming aware of the hardships families have on top of sick children might be the best thing that came out of this. The first parent I met in the NICU was unemployed. The next parents were med flighted from Colorado through the night as their baby was born with half of an esophagus. When we moved to a room on a floor our roommate’s mom was such a good momma. Her love in her voice for her baby was like honey. She lived in a shelter before she brought her baby in for esophagus surgery – her four-year-old son had to stay with friends. Another father who was so patient and sweet with his 13-month-old son said they drove nine hours in a snow storm for their son to have the same surgery Ronan just had and were turned away because he had a cold. They were there to finally have it done almost a year later due to complications. As we were leaving, the family who was just admitted in the next bed over learned they would be there through Thanksgiving for their Down syndrome son’s surgery.

The thing that has made all this survivable – and in glimmering moments thriveable – is the love of others. The texts and prayers that poured in lifted us up. And of course, love showed up in food. It always does. Our neighborhood made a signup to bring us meals on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and wouldn’t you know it, we were struggling to make dinner every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Some of those days we were just coming home from the hospital. Some of them we were just being rushed back. Most of them we had just commuted home from seeing our baby sick, or having just had surgery. The days when your brain feels like it has been in a blender and your shoulders are clenched tight from not enough sleep, and nursing, and driving with a crying infant were so hard. To come home to a big pot of chili or Chicken Divan Casserole (It was so good, here is a similar recipe minus the curry and wine. Thanks, Kim!) was like a big, slow exhale.

The night we were discharged, it felt like I was leaving the scene of a battle as we left the hospital. I know every crevice and corner of Boston Children’s thanks to living there the better part of 3 weeks. I spotted all the places these difficult moments unfolded here.

Over there are the elevators I took to the sleeping spaces where I lived that first week. I came down all un-showered and sleep deprived, my maternity jeans too big and falling off of me. I got in line for coffee to get a Starbucks dark roast (aka, life-giving nectar). The person in line behind me noticed the state I was in – perhaps it was the newborn in the rolling plexiglass bassinet, or the falling down jeans, or spit up in my hair that tipped her off – and bought my coffee and croissant for me. Love shows up at the most amazing times.

Over there is where my husband and I ate pizza in a dazed silence the first night we were here, but we knew we would get through it. And there was where we took the kids to get gourmet cookies and muffins when they came down to visit. I bought gift cards for the mommas still facing surgery. I wasn’t going to receive all that love and not give some right back.

The whole time, all I craved was a postpartum with big down comforters and big pots of soup, maybe with a fire and a glass of wine. Whenever I would start to feel sorry for myself, which often happened when I ate the cold  quesadillas and french fries that the kitchen sent up to the NICU, I would remind myself of the bigger picture – Ronan was doing well, Michael got to stay with me, and we would all eventually go home.

Still, when I was tired of my jeans falling off and I went out to find some that fit, I stopped by Trader Joe’s. They had a display of barley + broth, and a craving for beef barley soup hit me. But there was no time to cook a big pot of soup all day. I had to be down at the hospital in a few hours. Then I saw their mirepoix mixture (pre-cut carrots, onions and celery), plus cubed beef, and I took a gamble that pre-cut ingredients and the Instapot could be fast and delicious.

It was.

Now I know what to make to pay all this kindness forward. And what to make now that I am finally snuggling my beautiful boys at home, under my down comforter, their milk-drunk faces in the crook of my arm.

Quick Beef Barley Soup (printer version here):

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ pounds stew meat
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 3 cups mirepoix (just a combination of chopped onion, celery, and carrots)
  • 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 cups beef broth (or vegetable)
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme, or 3 stems fresh
  • 2/3 cup pearl barley, rinsed

Directions:

  1. Season the stew meat with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot or in the instant pot over medium-high heat. Brown on all sides for about 2-3 minutes total. Remove meat to a plate and repeat with the second batch and the second tablespoon of oil. (To save time you  can brown half the stew meat in Instapot and half in a pan on stove.)
  2. If needed, add a little more oil to the pot and the mirepoix mix. Cook the veggies for 4-5 minutes or until the onions soften and become translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
  3. Instapot Version: Add the stew meat, mushrooms, bay leaves, dried thyme, water, and beef broth the to sautéed veggies in the instant pot, cover and pressure cook the meat for 13-16 minutes depending on the size of the stew meat. Allow the pressure to release before removing the lid. Cook on the high setting (for the instant pot you hit the slow cook button) for 1 hour or until the barley is cooked through. (For half that time, hit meat setting and cook for 30 min. Barley is still tasty but a little overcooked this way). Season to taste.
  4. Slow Cooker Version: Add the softened veggies, stew meat, mushrooms, bay leaves, dried thyme, water, and beef broth to the slow cooker and allow the soup to cook on the high setting for 3 hours or on the low setting for 6 hours. Season to taste. 

The Twins Are Finally Here

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{Welcome to the world Michael Seamus and Ronan Christopher Curtis. Born 10/13/17. Michael was 6 lb 7 oz and Ronan was 6 lb 6 oz, both 20 inches long.}

The twins were born after my last scheduled non-stress test, when I was discovered to be 2 cm dilated and my OB didn’t want me to go the weekend with breech twins and partially dilated, since a prolapsed cord (or the umbilical chord being able to hang down out of the uterus, possibly cutting off blood flow) was a big risk and a danger to the babies.

It was a blissful 5 days despite Ronan’s difficulty eating. Then his body temp started to move south, until 6 days after their birth it was down to 94 degrees, and we were sent to Boston Children’s Hospital. Ronan was diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s Disease, which is one of the complications many Down syndrome babies experience. The treatment is surgery to remove parts of his intestines that are not working due to missing nerve cells.

We are waiting for this surgery for Ronan in one week, and are so hopeful it will put him on a good path. We are so thankful to everyone who has reached out with love and care and offers to help our family, and most especially all the prayers. We can feel them.

 

Pregnant with Twins 34-36 Weeks (Baby Gear Edition)

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Oh, you’re still pregnant? That’s nice.

Note: The news is full of headlines that are heartbreaking at the moment so I know that pregnancy pains pale in comparison. Life is fragile, and should never be taken for granted. But I am writing these posts hoping they are helpful to other moms who are expecting, twins in particular, so what follows is for them.

Despite lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, 3 really great feast days that would have made fantastic birthdays, and my continued hope that I could report les bébés wanted to come early, we are all still hanging out together in our increasingly cramped quarters. 

At this stage of the pregnancy, my mental and physical limits are stretched beyond anything I have ever been through. For example, my biggest issue is actually just getting up from the seated position. Other problems include: walking, breathing, sleeping, carpel tunnel, swelling, heartburn, headaches, mental fogginess, emotional rollercoasters and a generalized feeling of needing to burst. I am a treat to live with.

But aside from all of that, the good news is we made it 36 weeks. I don’t have outrageous swelling. And the babies are so big! One is between 6-6.5 the other is 6.5. Feeling them move makes me ache to hold them, as does seeing them on all the ultrasounds I have. I know all that stuff about darkest before the dawn awaits us in the coming weeks, and our other kids couldn’t be more eager to meet their brothers.

I tend to wait until the end is near to really finish getting ready for baby, since it can be like the light at the end of the tunnel (especially in this pregnancy!). The last thing a veteran mom wants is baby gear, but I’ve discovered a few new things this pregnancy, and I’ve weighed and researched the twin must haves that have been recommended to me by other twin moms. (Also, you can probably tell by my lack of a fancy board but I am not a fashion blogger.)

One of the things I am the most excited about is companies that sell maternity shirts that can also be used as nursing shirts after the babies arrive. This is new since Andrew was born! Seraphine has a lot of shirts that have fit my huge belly and are so soft and great for nursing that I am actually excited to wear them after the babies are born and not toss them in a burn/give away pile. Here are a few that I grabbed at 20% off.

Maternity/Nursing Tops:

  1. Some people asked me about the shirt I wore in my last post – I was wearing this navy striped top and I can’t believe how comfy it is:

 

 

2) Maternity + Nursing Red Striped Top: 

I also love this one and have it packed in my hospital bag. The silver buttons on the shoulder just snap and unsnap for easy nursing. I got it in pink too when they went on sale. There are a lot more on their website, and I am eyeing their cable knit nursing shawl cover and gray roll neck sweater with easy openings on the side. I tend to live in nursing tanks and cardigans so we will see.

3) Other brands that have followed this trend are the Gap:

You might recognize this from the photo at the top. And Old Navy also has some that I have worn this pregnancy.

4) Free to Live Nursing Tops:

Ok, these are amazing. I got them on Amazon, and I mostly bought long sleeve plus this one in short. They are packed in my hospital bag along with a bunch of nursing tanks. I learned about them from Sarah Haley on IG. She is such a great mom to follow. She shares tons of tips and also has a work out DVD for the 4th trimester which I’ve already purchased.

 

OK, let’s move on to…

Baby Goods:

1)Twin Pack N’ Play:

I took a while to commit to this because we have a pack n’play already (ok, two, but one that may not be safe exactly). But this seemed like it would be great set up in our living room on the first floor for naps (I have two bassinets in my room, and we have one crib – soon to be two – in their room). After they outgrow the bassinet, it becomes a regular pack n’ play, which we needed for travel.

2)The Twin Z Pillow: 

I really debated which nursing pillow to buy, especially because they are not cheap! But when I talked to other twin moms, they said that they had 3 of these – one for the upstairs, one for downstairs, and one in the car. So I got one on Amazon, and then when I went to a local mom of multiples sales, I found another for less then half of the price. #winning

Not Pictured: Those circle baby entertainment things for when they are closer to 6 months old. My friend Molly told me she and her husband called them ‘Circles of Neglect’ which I will forever call them now. So I am still on the look out for 2 Circles of Neglect. 

3) Bassinet Sheets: 

These just look so cute on their bassinets in my room. I seem to have lost all of our bassinet sheets from previous babies, so a necessary purchase.

4) These Barefoot Dreams blankets are a tradition in our family. We give them as baby gifts to our family members and each one of our kids gets one. They become their most cherished lovey 75% of the time. It was so fun to pick out two different ones for this pregnancy.

5) Pottery Barn Kids Muslin Swaddle Blankets –

Speaking of family gifts and blankets, my cousin just sent me these adorable swaddle blankets from PBK.

They are so soft and are making my impatience to meet these boys even stronger. But I know with every impulse to hold them and nuzzle their new cheeks, the real thing will be even sweeter.

*****

And as we celebrate October as Down Syndrome Awareness Month, I have to admit that going back and forth thinking that one of our boys has DS and then after very good ultrasounds, thinking maybe they don’t has been a very weird roller coaster. Thoughts for the other twin are at the forefront of my mind for some reason. No matter what, we know these babies will bring so much joy.

Thank you for following along on this journey with me! I am keeping all of those who are hurting in the baby/fertility department so close to my heart.

xoxo Katie

 

 

Pregnant with Twins 32-34 Weeks

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This week we had another mile marker, another WAAAYYY out there date – Rob’s birthday – that seemed impossible back in February and March. Lucy’s birthday is this weekend, and I wondered way back then just how I would be feeling at this point in time. Will they come early and share a birthday week? Will I be miserable?

The answers are looking like no and not totally. I have this resignation that they will never be born, ever, and in fact they are just a prop in my belly, and that carrying around this belly is my new normal.

^Look at that! She switched things up with a new angle.

Perhaps this is because my OB scheduled a C-section at our last appointment (they are both breech), and she put it on October 17.

October 17.

4 weeks away. The day we booked the c-section, I was totally depressed. I am ready to tap out now I thought. I’ve been ready to tap out for at least a month.  I knew that going before 36 weeks meant the babies could have trouble breathing, and this of course was my doctor’s logic to waiting until after 38 weeks. But how in the world was I going to last until then?

My attitude was largely due to the fact that I was on the tail end of being really sick with the worst case of bronchitis I have ever had. With no room in my body to cough or breath, I couldn’t sleep at all, and I lived for my breathing treatments every 4 hours. (Isn’t this post SO fun?) I actually forgot about how uncomfortable my belly was because I was so sad about how much my lungs and ribs hurt. It will just go down as the hardest week of this pregnancy.

But in the week that followed, as I started to feel better and get more sleep, my attitude improved. Where I was feeling trapped by thinking of going 4 more weeks, I started to just think of it as my countdown and just accepted it. And in that finite structure of a month, I began to get my bearings, think about what was still possible in those weeks. Writing. Reading. Allowing myself to binge watch TV (so far, Scientology: The Aftermath and Billions have been my go-tos). Trying to take each day at a time, enjoy my kids, and let myself rest.  I focused on appreciating a full night of sleep since it will be the last for a little while. I went on date nights with my husband.

Of course I could go sooner but my babies always tend to hang on to me, blowing past due dates and induction dates that were set, but couldn’t be completed because conditions weren’t ‘favorable to induce’. Not that anyone is counting but they were all born at 40W, 41.8W, 41W (with a failed induction at 40W), and 39.8W (with a successful induction). So of course it makes sense I would carry twins to 38.5 weeks. Shaving a mere 10 days off of my singleton pregnancies.

But as I quickly approach 35 weeks, and there are only 3 weeks left, I am all of the sudden…fine. I am working hard on trying to finish my next book. My bag is not packed for the hospital but the babies bag is ready, and our bedroom is ready for our little co-sleepers when they come home. I am not in love with the amount of doctor appointments I have especially with 2 NSTs (non-stress tests) per week. The last one I had they kept me there for THREE hours because I got Starbucks right before and apparently a Salted Carmel Latte and Croissant make these boys think they are in a mosh pit or something.

They couldn’t complete measuring their heart beat for 20 minutes so I had to walk over to the birthing center for a more complete NST and when that didn’t work they sent me down to get an ultrasound with BioMarkers. (They scored an 8 out of 8, and I kind of felt like it was all a little unnecessary). But of course, hearing their heartbeats and seeing them is always awesome. I read somewhere in a twin pregnancy to let all these appointments at the end be a chance for you to bond with the babies, and it is great advice. I just hope we can bond for less then three hours next time.

So unless something amazing happens, you’ll probably see this belly reach inhuman proportions at a 36 week update. I don’t even want to think of how big I will be at 38 weeks so let’s just not talk about it.

xoxo Katie

Peach Brioche Bread Budding

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Peach season is winding down, and you may be looking for ideas on how to use up the last of your bushel (if you haven’t already eaten every last one in its wonderful naked form).  This dish marries two of my favorite things: seasonal fruit and bread pudding.

I fell in love with bread pudding after trying it at some of the quintessential New England restaurants in the area. If you have never tried this rich, comforting dessert, I would try to rectify that immediately. Once I learned how easy (and frugal) bread pudding was to make I was hooked. Don’t let the title ‘Peach Brioche’ slow you down AT ALL because you can use any good bread that you were smart enough to throw in your freezer or that you have on hand that is stale – french bread, sour dough, challah. All good. Typically recipes require the bread to be stale so that it soaks up the milk/cream/egg mixture better. It seems to be the perfect consistency when it has been in the freezer for a few months too.

I got into the habit of grabbing a loaf of brioche whenever I saw it at the store because it makes the best french toast – I love having a loaf in the freezer. So when I saw this recipe for bread pudding from a farm up north (that I can’t remember the name of, sorry farm!), I knew I wanted to make it with brioche even though they suggested french bread or sour dough. This decision did not disappoint – the brioche made it so velvety, rich and decadent, I would go for it every time.

But bread pudding is so flexible that use whatever bread vehicle you have on hand. In that spirit, when I went to make this I realized I didn’t have whole milk or cream, which really make the dish so rich, thick and custard-like. But betting on how flexible bread pudding is I went ahead and just used the milk I had in the fridge (skim or 1%). It was still so so good, soft and fluffy with just milk, so don’t let a lack of cream stop you from making it either.

The star of the dish though is fresh peaches. Our neighbor gave us so many we couldn’t eat them fast enough.

I love how the maple syrup and cinnamon are such light, subtle notes in this dish. I would never have though to pair them with peaches and yet they all have such a mellow, delicate, sweet perfumes that they help elevate this dish. Feel free to adjust the maple syrup to more or less depending on how sweet you like it (or just serve it with some on the side and eaters can adjust to their preference).

If you don’t make it in time for peach season, the fruit in this dish is very versatile – try pears and cranberries with perhaps white sugar as the sweetener, or plums and brown sugar, or even bananas and caramel or chocolate. But if you still have peaches, trust that this dish does justice to this fruit season that closes out summer and ushers in fall.

Happy Eating! xoxo Katie

Peach Brioche Bread Pudding (printer version here):

Ingredients:

Brioche, French, or Sourdough Bread, cubed  (about 8 cups)

3 c. peaches, peeled and cut into chunks

8 eggs

3/4 c. maple syrup 

2 c. whole milk (can use skim or 2% it will just be less creamy)

1/2 c heavy cream (can replace with milk it will just be less creamy)

Dash of cinnamon

Crumble Topping:

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. maple or lt brown sugar

½ t. cinnamon

1 stick butter, cut into small cubes

 

Directions:

Grease bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Line bottom with cubes of bread crumbs. Lay peaches on top.

Mix together all wet ingredients: eggs, maple syrup, milk, cream, and cinnamon. Pour over top of bread and peaches. Soak all night, or 4-6 hours if necessary.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 min. While it is cooking mix together crumble topping: flour, light brown sugar or maple sugar, cinnamon, and butter cubes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add crumble topping.  Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with extra maple syrup if desired, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

 

Pregnant with Twins 30-32 weeks

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I am writing these updates for other women who are pregnant with twins because I keep looking for them – shared experience is a powerful thing. You all have been so supportive every time I post one though, and I was honestly not expecting the outpouring of kindness, so thank you!

In trying to keep these honest, I worry that they might just sound negative, and as this pregnancy goes on I am focused on staying positive and trying to avoid the negative spiral that fatigue and pain can trigger. So I will just say this: imagine measuring full term 40 weeks (which I am), carrying babies that weigh between 4-5 lbs. (so, like a 10 lb baby) and then having 6 weeks to go.

But also: there are two healthy babies in there! Who already provide lots of entertainment to my other kids when they have a dance party after dinner. Think of two puppies in very tight bag and you get the idea. I’m trying to focus on the fact that every week is a progression towards having babies with less eating and sleeping challenges that will come home sooner rather than later after they are born. When I am really tired and don’t feel well it is so hard to remember this (basically all of yesterday), but then a good night sleep reminds me of the bigger picture. Lucky for you (and posterity) I am writing this today.

Plus, this week there as been so much news from the flooding in Houston that puts everything into perspective. I am sure there is a twin pregnancy (or singleton, or newborn or nursing baby) that has a mom who is also battling displacement, hunger, loss of property and possibly life.

In addition, in the last week, I learned of the death of a beautiful baby named Colin, who was born at 34 weeks with hydrops, an 11 year old who died in a boating accident, and a good friend shared the story of losing her baby Lily after she was born at 40 weeks. She found out at her 20 week ultrasound that she was missing the part of her brain that would regulate her breathing outside the womb. I will never take a healthy ultrasound for granted – something I already knew but just had a powerful reminder. Life is heavy sometimes, and I hope we can help others carry those parts together.

These last two weeks brought us through two of our biggest transitions – meeting our new au pair and the kids starting school. These dates loomed on the calendar and felt so far away, and now they are here. The great news is we feel like we won the au pair lottery. Louise is mature, kind, funny, grateful, and very willing to help, so I know we are going to be in good hands.

And the new school year has brought a structure that is exhausting in the beginning, but will mean everyone is settled on a solid, happy path when the babies come, and I am up all night and knee-deep in diapers and feedings. I could not be any more proud of these beautiful people.

While they are in school, I am hoping to do a lot of writing and reading, which make me forget about my fatigue and my heavy belly, or the fact that walking is difficult. I have already had a few great windows to work and it feels so good. And I am excited to dive into good books – I have been meaning to read My Brilliant Friend for a long time, so it is up on the reading stack. And I finally bought Slow Motion, Dani Shapiro’s memoir of the year after her parents car accident which killed her father and left her narcissistic mother in need of her care. And I will hopefully fill our freezer with meals for after the babies come. Let me know any good recommendations you might have on either the book or the food front!

So prayers for Houston, thanks to Louise, and yay for things like schedules, warm meals, and good books to comfort weary souls.

 

 

Italian Stuffed Cabbages

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Need a new recipe for your back to school repertoire?

This recipe had called to me ever since I saw it on SmittenKitchen this summer. And as most of you know, we’ve been a little busy growing humans at our house. Just standing on my feet for very long in the kitchen is hard, and my cooking dreams have been curtailed by a lack of appetite, energy, and plenty of food aversions.

But I finally got inspired to make this thanks to the cabbages my daughter planted (i.e. took cabbage plants home from school and as they were wilting on our window sill in June, decided to stick them in the garden). I had to do something special with these beauties, right? (By the way, I am guessing the chances you have a head of cabbage just siting in your backyard are very low. They were every other year but this one for me.)

Rest easy that the recipe calls for savoy cabbage leaves, which I think would be even better, since the leaves are softer and easier for kids to bite through. I didn’t mind theses at all and think you could use any cabbage leaves, but my youngest didn’t like the how thick and hearty these were, but they loved the insides. I was glad I made extra since the leftovers seemed to get better the next day.

The recipe calls for sweet pork sausages, and even though Smitten Kitchen says she omitted the fresh herbs and still loved them, I had them on my deck so I used them and I felt like they really added to the dish.

Assembly is super easy, and I love her suggestion of wrapping them with a toothpick (you can roll them like egg rolls too).

And the best thing about this dish is the very simple, pure tomato sauce. I ended up doubling it after this photo was taken because I had doubled the cabbages and I suspected the cabbage-bite-to-tomato-sauce ratio was important. (Turns out I was right).

So if you find yourself looking for a new dinner to add to your school night rotation, this one is a keeper. I served them with mashed potatoes (see the yummy recipe for some below) but rice, pasta, or polenta all seem like great sides to soak up the garlic-tomato sauce.

Happy Eating! xoxo Katie

Italian Stuffed Cabbages – (printer version here):

Makes approximately 12 cabbage rolls; a serving can range from 2 (petitely) to 3 per person. Serve with mashed potatoes (Deb at SmittenKitchen recommends these.

1 large savoy cabbage
7-ounce (200-gram) hunk of bread (see above), crusts cut away, torn into small scraps (you’ll have about 3 loose cups of scraps)
2/3 cup (approximately 150 ml) whole milk
14 ounces (400 grams) or approximately 4 plain pork sausages (I used sweet — i.e. non-spicy — Italian), casings removed
1 small sprig of sage, finely chopped
1 small sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 28-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

Prepare cabbage: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Discard any messy or broken outer cabbage leaves and carefully peel 12 nice, large leaves. (I think the cabbage can tell if you’re in a rush, and will tear more easily. Work carefully. That said, a torn leaf will hardly ruin the dish.) Blanch leaves for about 30 seconds to 1 minute (you can do a few at at time), until wilted, and spread out on towels so that they dry and cool.

Make filling: Place bread scraps in bottom of large bowl and pour milk over. Let sit for a few minutes, then mash it gently with a spoon until something close to a paste forms. Mix with sausage meat, herbs, parmesan and a pinch or two of salt and black pepper; I find this easiest with a fork or bare hands.

Make the cabbage rolls: Lay your first cabbage leaf on the counter. If it doesn’t want to lay flat, pare away some of the thickest stalk (with a paring knife or vegetable peeler) to make it easier. Form some of the filling mixture into a golf ball-sized round. Wrap cabbage leaf around it (see Note about shape up top) and pin at the top with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining leaves and mixture.

Make the sauce: To prepare your tomatoes, either break them up with your hands (for bigger chunks), run them through a food mill or roughly chop them right in their can with scissors (what I did here). In a heavy saute pan with a lid or a medium (5 to 6-quart) Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds (just until golden, not a moment longer) then add the tomatoes, bringing the sauce to a gently boil. Season with salt if needed. Add cabbage packages, arranging them carefully in the pan so they all fit, cover the pot and gently simmer them for 25 minutes. Remove the toothpicks and carefully turn the rolls over, cooking them for another 25. Remove the lid and simmer for another 10 minutes to cook off some of the wetness. They’re all cooked now, but if you can rest them for another 15 minutes before eating them, the flavors settle and they become even better.

Recipe originally found on smittenkitchen.com