It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like....CHRISTMAS??

I was out and about yesterday and noticed a house with a Christmas tree inside already up, decorated and lit. Now, I realize that Thanksgiving has been and gone over a month ago and even Halloween is a distant memory but isn't it a bit early to put up the Christmas tree? Maybe I am behind the times here but I would likely put it up two or two and half weeks before Christmas at the earliest. It would drive me insane to vacuum around it for a month! When do you put up your tree?

Lentil Stew...yummy for Mommy!

I am not as obsessed with my Crock-Pot as most of my posts make it seem. The slow cooker actually sat idle for a period nearly three years after a Frankenstein-esque batch of chili turned me off the whole slow cooker thing. I have gotten much better at chili...trust me...people will eat it now. The Crock-Pot came out of hiding once the posse started arriving on the scene. Much easier to have dinner cook itself while I attend to the screaming masses.

I'm tired of the same-old. I wanted to find a recipe that was lower in fat, didn't necessarily involve meat, and wouldn't leave me or anyone else hungry after an hour! I've been stalking the lentil and bean aisle at the grocery store for a while now but wasn't quite sure what to do with them. I have finally concocted a recipe for a lentil stew. I have a mishmash from quite a few different sources but I can give the majority of credit to A Year of CrockPotting and BusyCooks.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 cup dried lentils, sorted and washed
• 1 cup dried small white beans (soak in boiling water for 30 minutes then boil for 30 minutes before adding to crock)
• 1 acorn squash, peeled and cubed into 2 cm pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cm piece ginger, minced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1-28 oz. can diced tomatoes (not drained)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock

Prepare white beans, lentils, carrots and squash and place in crock. Saute onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes (not drained) and spices to onion mixture. Heat tomato mixture through and add to crock. Heat chicken stock in skillet and pour into crock. (My brain figures that heating all of the liquids gives the cooking a bit of a jump start when dealing with soups and stews...I could be wrong but it works for me.) Cook for 7-9 hours on Low for 5-6 on High. When finished cooking, take out 2 cups of stew and carefully blended until smooth. Add blended stew back into crock and stir. This makes the stew nice and thick.

Very thick and yummy! Makes a nice lunch on a cold day!

Baby Gear 101

Becoming a mother for the first time is a bit like shopping for your first car. You've seen them: the first time-to-be parents walking around Toys R Us test driving the strollers. Expectant and new moms spend a great deal of energy measuring the pros and cons of different cribs, playpens, and baby transporting devices. To travel system or not to travel system? That is the question. Well, one of many questions.

From one mom to another, baby gear falls into three categories: the "must have", the "nice to have", and the "can probably live without it."

The Must Haves:

1. A crib. Yes, you can use a bassinet for a while, you can even use a playpen in the short term but eventually you will need to have a long term place for the baby to sleep. Keep in mind that they will be in a crib until approaching two years old. It is an investment worth making.
2. A car seat. In many provinces it is now the law that a child must be restrained in a suitable car seat until 9 years old and 4'9". This even applies to children riding in a grandparent/care giver's car or taxi. For a newborn, an infant seat with base that stays in the car is definitely convenient and the most comfortable for baby but you *can* also use a convertible seat or 3-in-1 in the rear facing position for the appropriate weights. (Check the restrictions on the seat you are considering.)
3. Feeding seat. Be it a full high chair or one that straps to a kitchen chair, baby will need a place to eat that can take the ensuing mess. One that reclines is great for a young infant to sit and watch the world go by. One that folds up is great for trips to Grandma's or dinner out.
4. Receiving blankets (you will literally use them for EVERYTHING), light fleece crib blanket (seasonal), diapers, sleepers, undershirts (seasonal) and diaper wipes of some sort (baby washcloths and warm water works just fine.) More clothing is nice to have but baby will mostly live in sleepers for the first couple of months.
5. Diaper Bag. You can use a shopping bag, old backpack, large purse or what have you but you will need something to carry extra diapers and changes of clothes. Poop happens, usually at the most inopportune times.

The Nice to Have:

1. A stroller. In all likelihood you will eventually want a stroller to go for walks. The type of stroller that you purchase is decision that you need to make carefully. Strollers can be expensive. Consider what you want to do with the stroller: walk in the mall, walk outside, jog. A stroller that can go outside with rubber tires but is small enough to fit into the car is the best all around option. Travel systems are convenient but many people I know did not get much use out of the set together. They found themselves wishing they had spent the money on a stroller with more durable wheels for summer walks to the park. Also keep in mind that some babies outgrown their infant seat in a matter of months, then the expensive travel system is just a mall stroller.
2. A change table. Nice to keep baby off the floor or the bed for poopy changes. Nice to not kneel on the floor in that painful postpartum recovery time. Nice for the storage that they often provide. Necessity...nahh.
3. A swing. Literally saved my sanity with my first. It is the only place he would take a nap. With my second it simply took up space and gathered dust. If someone offers you a swing or offers to buy you one, sure, go for it.
4. A bouncy seat. I never used one but some people swear by them. May make a good alternative to a swing but has a limited usage. Once baby gets too heavy he/she will be sinking down to the floor.
5. A baby transporting device: a Snugli or Baby Bjorne, sling, ring sling, wrap or back carrier. There are too many to mention here but I will expand on this topic in a future post. Especially nice to have if you already have a toddler at home to chase after.
6. A nursing pillow. If you choose to breastfeed, they are worth every penny. Saves back, neck and arm strain and doubles as a prop for baby when they are learning to sit up.
7. A baby bath tub. Again, nice to have, many nice featured ones on the market but needs storage space.

The Can Probably Live Without It:

1. Playpen. Might be convenient if you want baby to sleep in another location of the house or at Grandma's.
2. Diaper genie, wipes warmer, bottle warmer, sterilizer.....I could go on here.

CAVEAT: This is my opinion, purely from my own experience, no hate mail please.

Adventures in Cabbage Rolling

Flashback 20 years. Setting: a warm kitchen somewhere in small town Canada. Time frame: the middle of autumn. Children fling themselves off the school bus and down the long dirt driveway. As the children enter the house, the thick stench of cooked cabbage slaps them in the face. Oh, horrors! It's cabbage roll time again.

Fast forward 15 years. Setting: a different small town in Canada. Time frame: the middle of autumn. A young married couple flip through flyers on a Saturday morning. Husband finds the M&M meats flyer: "Oooh, cabbage rolls! Do you know how to make those?"

Wife shudders. "No. I don't really like cabbage rolls."

"They're really good! You should try them!" Husband encourages.

Wife tries to suppress post-traumatic memories of completely sogged out cabbage swimming in watery tomato sauce. "Perhaps we could buy some for you."

Present day: small town Canada in the middle of autumn. I have eaten store bought cabbage rolls a few times now. The ones from M&M really are not too bad. I have managed to suppress the memories of horrible cabbage rolls from my childhood and managed to put the severe aversion to cooked cabbage smell behind me.

I have come across umpteen recipes for cabbage rolls in the past few weeks and I have been plotting to give them a try. Today I finally had the opportunity. I was under the impression that they were a lot of work. Cabbage rolls are surprisingly easy to make and are not a huge time commitment.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb lean ground pork
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• approximately 12 large cabbage leaves.
• 1- 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 splash worcestershire sauce

* Just a note about buying a suitable cabbage: think big and loose. You want a cabbage that has leaves large enough to fit your filling. Try to find a large cabbage with leaves in good condition. A cabbage loosely grown cabbage will also make your cabbage rolling life easier.

Here is what I did:

• For the filling: in a large bowl mix together the meat, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, rice, egg, and milk.
• For the sauce: in a separate bowl whisk together the tomato paste, worcestershire, brown sugar, and chicken stock. Set aside.
• Cut out as much of the core of the cabbage as possible. Carefully remove leaves one at a time taking care not to rip them. Cut off the thickest portion at the end of each leaf. Bring a large pot (make that huge) to a rolling boil on the stove and blanch the cabbage leaves a few at a time until they are pliable. This took approximately 2-3 minutes. Drain and put aside. Alternatively, you can steam the leaves or microwave them in a covered dish.
• Using one leaf for each roll, place 1/4 cup of filling at the stem end, tuck in the sides and roll up tightly.
• Place in the bottom of your crock seam side down. Continue rolling for remaining ingredients. You can pack the rolls fairly tightly in the crock and two layers will cook nicely. Over the first layer of rolls pour half of the sauce. Cover with a second layer of rolls and pour the remaining sauce over the top.
• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Mine were done in about 6.5 hours.

We were amazed that they could be cooked in the CrockPot. They turned out very nice. Not too mushy with a nice thick tomatoe-y sauce. Unfortunately when it is all said and done, the house still stinks like cooked cabbage but I am making therapeutic progress!

BRRRRRR...it's Chili!

What could be better than a warm bowl of chili after a walk on a breezy November afternoon? Chili is perfect for the Crock-Pot: the longer you cook it, the better it tastes. After years of tweaking and gleaning from various sources, I think I have finally perfected my recipe.

For the chili you will need:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1- 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1- 14 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1- 14 oz can Heinz Chili Style Pinto and Red Kidney beans (do not drain)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp (+/-) chili powder
• 1 splash Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute garlic, onion, and peppers until softened. Add ground beef and seasonings to skillet. Brown beef until thoroughly cooked. Add beans and tomatoes to skillet and simmer until heated through. Pour entire contents of skillet into Crock-Pot. Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours. Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy!

Getting Comfy with Chaos

This afternoon I was multitasking (read:letting it all slide while surfing) when I came across this entry at Diary of a Stay at home Mom. This author has put it so well. As moms we all have days (months...years...) like this. My house often looks like the aftermath of a tropical storm. Miraculously, it is all under control and everything gets done on time. One thing that helps me to organize is lists. Everything that is not part of the regular everyday is put on a list to be completed.

Secondly, be realistic about what you want to accomplish. A barbecue for 50 on the same day that you need to take the posse to the dentist isn't realistically going to happen. I am always amazed when I catch Crash Test Mommy on cable. While it is funny to see the 'wannabe mommy' replacement try to accomplish all of the tasks on the list, they always schedule a ridiculous activity that no mommy is going to do on the same day as everything else. Example: paint three rooms of the house, schedule a birthday party for ten and clear the four week backlog of laundry from the laundry room all in a 48 hour period. I think not.

Third, get comfy with chaos. I admit that I have made peace with my inner neat freak. I like my house to be neat and clean but it does not always look that way. My house is sanitary and somewhat organized but I am a constantly rolling machine most of my waking hours. I always have several things on the go: dinner in the slowcooker or oven, laundry that needs to be folded, and the constant rotation of dirty dishes that need washing. Eventually it all gets done and I seldom go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink. (No, I don't use a dishwasher, but that is a story for another day!)

Lastly, enlist the posse to help. You would be amazed how early in life they can learn to put their toys in the toybox or clothes in their own hamper! My little helpers do an amazing job when asked to clean up. It is an expected routine before meals and sleep time. Start early, be consistent, give a lot of praise for a job well done!

Manic Monday

The Monday after the time change always throws everyone for a loop. The extra hour somehow never translates into an extra hour of sleep. It always manifests itself as knocking bed and waking times off. Factor in Halloween on a Friday night and the dark damp weather of the beginning of November and you have the recipe for grouchy little people.

Today was a good day to sit in and read, read, read! I always ensure that we have a good supply of books from the library on hand. Alphabet books are the current hit in our home. Chicka Chicka Boom Boomby Bill Martin Jr. and Jim Archambault is one of my favourites. An interactive alphabet story about letter racing up the coconut tree, it is beautifully illustrated by Lois Ehlert. Many of Lois Ehlert's books are among our favourites: Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z, Waiting for Wings, and Pie in the Sky. Check out your local library!