Twenties

 

Yay for baby number two at 20 weeks!  This little nugget is rocking my world!  He or she is kicking up a storm these days.  And Jeremy finally got to feel the kicks - my favorite part!  B2 is still set to enter the world on or about August 28th - my gram's b-day along with a dear friend :)  If B2 is just a few days early, he/she will share a b-day with my cousin.  August is a popular month!

And here is my other August baby- at 20 months!  This was his first experience with dandelions - he doesn't quite have the lung power to blow on them yet...

Belly at 20 weeks - just like last time, it is taking some serious time before I pop!  I have *slightly* more of a bump with round two, but not much:

Well, let me take that back - definitely more a bump with round two!  Maybe it all the delicious food we've been making lately?!

Now then, this recipe really has nothing to do with 20, except that it took about 20 minutes to prep - so easy!  Yesterday I marinated a flank stake in a fairly simple marinade, J grilled it, and we made these amazing Vietnamese Sandwiches!  The leftover flanks steak = steak fajitas for dinner tonight!  I love when I can find a great use for leftovers - in generally I LOATH leftovers.  Jeremy usually ends up taking them to work because I want them out of of my house.  But this one we must share, so good!

Vietnamese Steak Sandwiches

Adapted from Great Food Fast
~Serves 4~

Flank Steak Lime Marinade

1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes, or 2 super juicy (or "jui-she" as Owen says) ones like I had!)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
2 tbsp minced, peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds flank steak
Veggie or Olive Oil
Coarse Salt and Ground Pepper

1.  In a resealable plastic bag combine the lime juice, soy sauce, scallions, ginger and red pepper flakes.  (I added Veggie Oil because all of my steak marinades call for oil and it helped with the grilling.)   Add the steak and seal the bag, place it in a dish to catch any leaks.  Marinate the steak in the fridge, turning occasionally, for 30 minutes.  (I marinated mine for at least 6 hours - what is 30 minutes going to do?)

Heat the grill to high; lightly oil the grates (which is not necessary if you splashed a little oil in the marinade).  Remove the steak from the marinade, letting excess drip off, toss marinade.  Season the steak with Salt and Pepper (we omitted and didn't miss!).  Grill to desired doneness (6-8 minutes for med-rare, turning once).  Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Sammies

1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 carrots, grated
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 avocado (not called for, but totally worth it)
4 hero rolls (I used whole wheat)

1.  In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, sugar, red pepper flakes, rice vinegar, and 1 tbsp water.

2.  In another bowl, toss together the carrots, scallions, and cilantro leaves.  Toss with half the vinegar mixture.

3.  Slice and lightly toast the hero rolls.   Layer with the carrot mixture and steak.  (I added avocado - yum!)  Drizzle with the remaining vinegar mixture, if desired.

DELISH, and super easy...NOT Owen tested :)

Sunset Salad

I am SO EXCITED for two reasons: 1) This salad was super simple and delish (although Owen literally threw it on the floor, so maybe not as kid friendly as I thought); 2) I FINALLY figured out how to take a decent food picture inside without it turning out orange!!!  I have been taking a photography class and I am LOVING it.  It is all about practice - food sits still so you can take multiple pictures and get it just right.

Little bug does NOT sit still, so again, practice, practice, practice!  I worked REALLY hard to get this picture as he was ALL over the place at the Insect Zoo.  It kind of looks like he is striking a pose as a grass hopper :)  We went to K State Open House this weekend and the Insect Zoo was free.  (Although it is hard to beat the normal admission of $2!)  O got to pet some cockroaches...good thing we had lots of wipes! 

Now then, the food.  I called this salad "Sunset Salad" because I got it out of the January 2012 issue of Sunset Magazine - my FAVORITE mag.  Ever.  It makes me feel like I still live in California :)  The quinoa and the chicken make this little summer salad very hearty and filling.  Owen used to gobble up quinoa, but now that he is obstinate and a pill, he just scoops it out of the bowl and onto a plate, or straight up throws it on the floor.  NEAT!

Quinoa Salad with Chicken, Avocado, and Oranges

Serves 4-6 as a main course

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup quinoa (I used 1 cup dry, per my package instructions)
1 tsp chili powder
3 tsp minced garlic, divided
Zest of 1 lime
2 tsp plus 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp each, kosher salt and pepper, divided
1 lb boned, skinned chicken thighs (we used 2 HUGE chicken breasts)
1/4 cup lime juice
4 large oranges, peeled and segmented (I only used two and I cut the segments into thirds)
2 ripe avocados, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 scallions (the original recipe didn't call for it, but I thought it would be a nice addition and it was)

*Next Time* I will add celery and some halved grapes - YUM!

Instructions

1)  Cook the quinoa according to the package directions and fluff with a fork.  Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.

2)  We grilled our chicken, but the instructions are for broiling:  Preheat broiler with a rack set 4 to 6 inches from heat.  In a large bowl, stir together chili powder, 2 tsp garlic, the lime zest, 2 tsp oil, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper.  Add chicken and toss to coat.  Put chicken on a baking sheet and broil turning once until browned and cooked through, about 12 minutes total.  Let cool slightly, then slice and add to reserved quinoa.

3)  Add remaining ingredients to quinoa and chicken, toss to coat.  (Now, we marinated and BBQ'd the chicken a few days ago and just made the salad tonight.  Had I thoroughly read the instructions I would have known that the "remaining ingredients" includes: 3 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp each of kosher salt and pepper, and 1 tsp garlic!  Undoubtedly it would be even better if I actually followed the instructions and added all of these remaining ingredients...)

Now, I have to share some of my fave pics from my most recent photography field trip to Wildcat Park!

We took pics in this huge black walnut grove.  I love the sunlight!

Working on my aperture settings...

As I was leaving, I passed a beautiful wheat field.

Can you see what looks like fishing wire hanging from the tree?  It is a freaking spider web!

There were tons!  I wish I had a better lens and a tripod!

And finally, Virginia Creeper - a sign that we were meant to return to the great Commonwealth of Virginia!

Masterpiece!

Jeremy's Ebelskivers filled with mint chocolate chips!  It was also St. Patrick's day, thus the green was fitting!

And I don't mean Downton, which I am thoroughly obsessed with and totally disappointed it won't be back until January!!  Anyfood, one Christmas I couldn't take my eyes off of the Ebelskiver (round pancakes originating in Denmark) pans at Williams Sonoma.  Once I received said Ebelskiver pan I went to work trying my hand at these tasty filled pancakes.  Alas, I was discouraged as I couldn't get them right!  I inevitably would get the first batch right, but then the second batch I would burn the butter, which would then make the pancakes look burned, so I would try to turn them before they were cooked all the way through, and we would end up with flat rather than round Ebelskivers. 

But I finally had my *aha* moment - turn the temperature down to Medium.  DUH.  Seriously?  As an avid cook, how could I miss such an easy fix?!?!?!  Well, either way, the butter doesn't burn, the pancakes cook evenly because the outsides aren't burning, they are easier to flip over and fill, etc. 

My Ebelskivers filled with cinnamon chips - LOVE!

I think another contributing factor was that until now, I used the premade batter from WS.  Lucky me, I didn't have any left and had to make my own!  Scratch Ebelskiver batter is the way to go - so lovely and fluffy!  And easy!  And YES, they are delish.  Now, I don't think this recipe will be one my readers will try, so I am not going to take the time to write it all down!  But if you are interested, leave me a comment and I will happily forward it to you!

Owen wasn't quite sure at first what these round things were...he is a huge fan of the plain old flat pancakes...

Alas, he approved!  I think he preferred the "chock-it" version, however.  He LOVES chocolate.  He knows Nestle Tollhouse bags and chants "chock-it, I try it" until I eventually give him a few chips.  That kid has got my number!!

Can you blame me?!?!!?