Freeze!

We really need to get a new camera. There have been many photo ops lately, but nothing to capture them with. I think we might get around to fixing that this weekend.
I spent a lot of time back in the kitchen this week, which felt really good. Now that we are entering our second trimester (!), I am getting some of my energy back, and have not been quite as picky about what I want to eat. On Monday I roasted a bunch of pumpkin, and froze it for future use. It is slightly cheaper than buying the canned stuff, and I just really enjoy the process. The smell of the pumpkin as it is roasting, roasting the pumpkin seeds, all of it is great. I also had my first go at cooking dried beans. If you have a pressure cooker, this is one of the best ideas ever. Normally you would soak the beans overnight, and then spend 4-6 hours the following day cooking them. With the pressure cooker, you are done, start to finish, in 30 min! I have been wanting to do this for a long time, because it is way more cost effective. A can of organic beans is roughly $1.19. One pound of organic dried beans is roughly $1.29. You are getting four times the amount, for nearly the same price. We eat a lot of beans at our house, so this is awesome for us. They do not last super long once they are cooked, but you can freeze them. I bought 16oz containers, so I have a bunch of can sized servings waiting for me in the freezer. Now we need a second freezer.
Who knows if anyone reads this, but I like writing about the things I enjoy doing.

Neither Here Nor There

Ah, life. The past couple of weeks have been consumed by house hunting. Jesse and I really want to get out of the city, but I am not sure that now is the time. We had been looking at possibly moving to Lansdowne, a cute suburb 12 miles outside of the city. Unfortunately nothing that we were interested in, ended up working out, provoking more thoughts. Every part of us wants to get out of the city, except the people part. Even though we would not be moving very far, our friends would not be as close as they are now. We are going to have a baby in April, which will obviously bring many changes. I am terrified of being isolated. I have no idea how to remedy these things. So for now, I think we will stay in the city. I cry every day, and am never sure of what we should do.
On a lighter note, we saw Whip It last night. I totally want to do roller derby after this baby is born.

Life

There obviously has been a lack of posts. Excuse number one, I am pregnant, and nothing has sounded appetizing lately. Well nothing other than sushi, which I am not allowed to eat. Excuse number two, our house got broken in to, and the bastards stole our camera. This will probably turn in to more than a food blog. All I think about is this baby, but I will try not to bore you :) I am ten weeks, and things have been decent so far. There has been a lot of exhaustion, and some nausea, but I have yet to throw up. I am very grateful. We have our very first appointment at the Birth Center tomorrow, which I have been anxiously awaiting. My mom had gastric bypass surgery on Monday, and is recovering well. My nephew just turned one, and is amazing. He is going to love having a cousin. I was in three weddings this summer, and attended six I think. Fall is approaching, which I am ecstatic about. I am so excited to be pregnant in the fall and winter. Oh I lied when I said all I think about is this baby, I also think about moving. Germantown seems to be the best option, because we want to get out of the city and have more space, while also staying connected to the people we love. Dream house has yet to be found, and unfortunately I do not have any patience. I think that is it, in a nut shell.

Bulgur Lettuce Wraps

Whenever I am at a loss for dinner ideas, I usually end up doing something involving a grain that I have on hand, and whatever else I have on hand. I just laughed as a re-read that, because it is so unspecific. I knew I wanted to use the fresh fennel that I had just received in our CSA. I love fresh fennel! Anyway, so I sauteed it with some onion, and then threw in some basil sausage (thank you TJ's) that I had thawed five min earlier in a bowl of hot water. Oh, before I started all that, I put the bulgur on the stove. Everything was done around the same time, so I mixed it all together, and then went searching for something green to put on the plate. There was heaps and heaps of lettuce in the fridge, lettuce wraps anyone?

White Lasagna

I love white lasagna, so much that I never make lasagna with red sauce anymore. Let me warn you, this is not the healthier version. Here is a break down of the layers:
1. noodles
2. cheese mixture (ricotta, mozzarella, parm, fresh basil, fresh parsley, fresh oregano)
3. veggie mixture (sauteed spinach, zucchini, onion, garlic)
4. bechamel sauce
5. noodles
6. cheese mixture
7. veggie mixture
8. bechamel sauce
9. noodles
10. mozzarella
11. parm
12. fresh basil
Bake at 400 degrees until brown and bubbly. Indulge.

Israeli Couscous Summer Salad

Sometimes things turn out good, sometimes things turn out bad. This lovely dish? Well it turned out good, let me tell you! I made the couscous, and then added some caramelized onions! Then I cooked some yellow squash in balsamic vinegar, over high heat, so it caramelized! Then I chopped up some fresh basil and sprinkled it over everything! I am adding so many exclamation points because I seriously loved this dish. The onions, squash, and basil all came from our CSA. It is so fun when you can make things come together, without any planning. I hope you are encouraged to get creative.

Trader Joe's

I have my complaints about TJ's, but I also love them. There are many specific things that I only buy from there, because they have awesome prices for awesome things. Let me start with the non food items, sunblock and aloe vera gel. These are things that I have only recently discovered, and am ecstatic about. I bought a 4 oz bottle of all natural Alba sunblock from Whole Foods for $7.99...... then I discovered that TJ's sells a 8 oz bottle of their sunblock for $5.99.......... and they are made of the exact same ingredients! I have been at the shore all week using this stuff, and it totally works. Their all natural aloe vera gel is under $3 for 12 oz, and is 99% pure aloe.
Another thing that I love is their 99cent pizza dough! Do not get me wrong, I love making things from scratch, but the reality is, I do not always feel like it. In comes the pre-made dough. Slap on some pasta sauce, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil, and you have yourself a delicious quick week night meal. Or slap on whatever you have laying around, seriously, that is the way you have to roll.