curried coconut chicken

As I was browsing through recipes I saw this.

Not only did I have some frozen stir fry vegetables (Kroger brand, nonetheless) but also (light) coconut milk and last week I restocked my supply of chicken breasts.

We had this for dinner this evening and I REALLY liked it. I only made 2 chicken breasts and the 3 of us ate half of them (they were a pretty good size) and almost all of the veggies over brown rice. Averi seemed to really like this meal a lot!

I thought that putting in the frozen veggies at the beginning was going to make them WAY too cooked so I added them in with about 2-2.5 hours to go (I cooked it on low for most of it. The chicken was partially frozen when I started and it cooked for 7-8 hours on low primarily). I would not put the veggies in there ANY earlier than that and would probably do it a little bit later next time as they were plenty soft. I would also think about doubling the veggies and maybe also doubling the coconut milk/curry as I like having plenty of fluid for the rice. There was really plenty of "fluid" for our meal but the leftovers, which is mostly chicken, don't have THAT much.

Pete and I added quite a bit of salt to ours while we were eating and I added some red pepper flakes to mine which I thought was SUPER good. I don't know how much salt I would add to it in the crockpot (though I believe I did add some!) just because it was nice to just salt to our own taste.

I plan on making this again - it was super easy and I thought really really tasty!

mommy of 2

I have been thinking recently about how babies are babies in the womb. Of course, a person with pro-life views would say that babies are people from conception, that's just how it is. It seems though that other words we say don't always add up to that in the end. I hear people commonly say a phrase like, "I'm going to be a grandma", when, if we truly believe a person is a person no matter how small (thank you Horton) wouldn't it be more appropriate to say, "I am a grandma, my grandchild just isn't out yet!!". I don't believe that when we say, "I'm going to be..." that we don't believe babies in utero aren't people... it's just the normal way of talking. I have, more than likely, been "guilty" of the same kind of phrases during Averi's pregnancy and probably already with Teenie's but now I realize I want to intentionally speak of Teenie as a person! Although it is hard to wrap my head around it Teenie, at almost 13weeks, is my baby as much as Averi is even though I can't see or even feel "him" yet.

Psalm 139...

13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.^a
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

May God bless and protect our children inside and outside the womb and draw them to Himself!

(baby at 15 weeks along)

you don't have to pay a lot for good news

Before we knew about Averi I went and bought an expensive pregnancy test similar to this:

WITH a coupon I think I spent $10-$15 on it. Ouch!

I saw on some blog or coupon site that the Dollar Tree carries pregnancy tests that work just as well as "expensive" ones. SO I bought some of those - - I could buy multiple tests and not drain the budget!! - - and took the (unopened) one from CVS back.

Dollar Tree Test:

Lo and behold they work!

Not only did one of these great little Dollar Tree tests tell us about Averi (known as "Mini" in the womb) but, a little before Christmas, one of them also told us about baby Jacks #2 ("Teenie")!!

"Teenie" is due August 30th and we are so excited!

Happy Birthday Averi

Happy 1st Birthday Averi!

Averi's LONG birth story! (read at your own risk!)

On a pre-labor note, our last midwife appointment which was on Thursday (1/7) we had an ultrasound and they thought baby was 9lbs. 10oz. with a 42 week old head size (90%tile). So, I had heard ultrasounds weren't always very accurate but if baby hadn't been delivered by the next Monday my midwife wanted me to go to hospital and get outpatient labor inducing gel stuff (cervidil, I believe). I had already purchased castor oil (which is now in our linen closet upstairs) for drinking on Saturday evening for a good last measure, if nothing happened before then. I did drink black cohosh, my mom brought me panda black licorice (which I do like, yum), drank cumin tea, and tried some accupressure too.

Well...... Wed./Thurs. (1/6 & 1/7) night my mom came over and stayed with me to keep me company while Pete was at work. Friday (1/8) night she didn't end up coming over just because we hadn't really communicated earlier than like 7:30pm. Pete went to work and I talked to her and was like "I feel fine, you don't need to come over tonight..." so we planned on her coming over Saturday (1/9) night. Anyhow, I took Remington on a walk about 8pm (about 2 miles). I was accompanied by some Mormon Missionaries on bikes for part of it and talked with them. Remington and I then went to Target (he stayed in the car =) to get a couple things. On the way home from Target I was thinking I wanted to get in the shower when I got home (which had been a relaxing place for me during pregnancy). So I did just that and I just felt funny. Then I got out and laid down for a little. I think my mom called and asked me how I was feeling and I told her I was feeling kind of weird or some such. I puttered around, putting away the groceries, etc. I text Pete between and told him I was feeling a little "contracty" and I might call him later - I think at that point I was timing my contractions and they were b/w 5-10 min. apart. I sat down to read and write and my mom called to check up on me and ask if Pete was coming home - I told her I didn't want to "call wolf" and she was like, "you are 6 days past your due date and you had your membranes stripped yesterday, you are probably in labor." This comment helped me realize oh yes, probably true. Good point mom. So I kept timing contractions. Remington kept me company while I rested in bed (we called him my “doula”). After talking to Pete he wrapped up some things at work and came home about 2:30am (a great plus was, because I was still kind of staying on Pete’s work schedule, I had been only been up since about 4pm that day and Pete got up about 7pm, so the timing was great (thank you Lord!)!) By that time it was very nice he was home for moral support and there to rub my back when contractions came. He finished up packing up some stuff and timed the contractions. By now contractions, I believe, were b/w 3-5 minutes apart. We had decided to bring "munchkins" from for the nurses to give them with our birth plan. So we left to go to the hospital and stopped by Dunkin Donuts on the way. Being in the car during labor was very, very uncomfortable. We got to the hospital about 5am. My mom met us there to pick up Remington. She took a distant picture of us checking in at the ER. I was not in the mood for pictures which was a good sign that this labor was real (though now I like to see the picture!). I got checked and was 5-6cm. I was admitted. Started off in bed in the L+D room with the fetal monitor - I think pretty much ALL my labor pains were in my back so Pete was rubbing and pushing on it a lot (push harder please!). The nurse or midwife suggested I go in the shower - that was a most wonderful suggestion! I'd say I spent my most "comfortable" time in the shower standing up during contractions (leaning over/swaying like stretching my calves look) with Pete spraying the nozzle on my back from outside of the shower. I could even sit down on the bench in there and rest in between contractions. They had me try a birthing ball (that looks like a peanut - 2 balls together with a place to sit in the middle) - that was REALLY uncomfortable for me. So, let's see... I probably went back in bed for another fetal monitoring session then back in the shower - it was getting painful by then (not that it wasn't painful before but really painful now! About now was more when I was getting “verbal” during the pain). At one point I felt like pushing while in the shower. We pushed the call button in the bathroom. My midwife came in and checked me and said I was 8cm. She said something like it will be like you HAVE to push rather than just feeling like you want to push. I think very shortly after that though I went back in bed and things started going. I guess my midwife thought Averi was posterior till the end when she flipped around and, all to say, my back was HURTING. I was thinking before this time (pre-labor thoughts, ha!) how giving birth in a squatting position seemed like a great idea – No way was I going to do that then. so... I guess next was pushing time which lasted maybe 30-45 minutes. I was mostly on my back (hospital bed propped up "back" I recall, though my memory of some particulars are foggy) but they had me on my side a little too. The nurse was super helpful at this point in directing me (I think she said she had given birth to 3 of her own kids drug-free – what a blessing to have such a supportive nurse!) - take a deep breath.... next urge to push try to push for 10 seconds etc. etc. I was not a silent laborer. there was probably a hospital tour going past our room while I am yelling and grunting... I heard/saw the midwife call to make sure the Dr. was close by just in case he was needed… the Midwife asked if I wanted a mirror and by that point I had no desire for such, it just hurt! My water broke while pushing - midwife said she broke it with her finger nail. That was a crazy feeling too - so much water GUSHING out. It seemed like after a point her head must have got past my back bone or whatever was so uncomfortable. Then came the new hurt of coming out. I felt her head (I guess that's what that was!) with my hand 1 or 2 times while she was crowning. push push push... finally she came out at 10:43am! Baby was passed to me - she was bloodied up a bit but with no vernix to speak of (they said she had a little on her leg). As she was getting passed to me I saw that she was a girl and said so!! She got wiped down on me. It was crazy to see her the first time when she was all the way out - how big she looked and not even because she was 9lbs.! My midwife did give me an episiotomy (1st degree) and I tore a little too. I don't know what I would have done without Peter there pushing on my back and just being there for me... he helped alot!

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. John 16:21

I'll be honest with you, It took me more than just the seconds after Averi was born to forget the pain though now I see her labor/birth as one of the most wonderful memories of my life.

What a joy our Averi girl is.

best carrot cake I've ever had

I got this recipe from a friend (after she made it and I had some!!!) and Pete and I made it for the Jacks' side Christmas gathering.

INGREDIENTS

For cake:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 4 large eggs

• 2 cups sugar

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

• 3/4 cup buttermilk

• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup fresh pineapple, crushed (I used canned!!!)

• 2 cups carrots, peeled and coarsely grated

• 1 1/3 cups loosely packed shredded, sweetened coconut

• 2 cups finely chopped walnuts

For buttermilk glaze:

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

• 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh orange juice

• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest

• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Recipe continues below ↓

---

advertisement

---

DIRECTIONS

For cake:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Generously butter two 9-inch round cake pans, each about 1 1/2 inches deep. Dust each cake pan with about 1 tablespoon of flour and tap out the excess.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Add the sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla and thoroughly incorporate.

Add the pineapple, carrots, coconut and 1 cup of the walnuts and mix well, then add the flour and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake on the center rack of the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the sides of the cakes pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

For buttermilk glaze:
While the cake is baking, mix together the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup and baking soda until well blended in a small saucepan.

Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until heated through and the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Set aside and cover to keep warm.

Remove the cakes from the oven and put them, still in the pans, on wire racks sitting on baking sheets. Using a toothpick, poke about 20 holes in the top crust of each cake layer.

Do not poke holes deeper than halfway through the cakes.

Whisk the glaze and pour it evenly over the cake layers.

Let the cakes cool completely and then cover them, still in the pans, with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours, or until completely chilled.

For frosting:
In the bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and set on medium speed or with a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and cream cheese for about 2 minutes or until fluffy.

Add the confectioners’ sugar, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla. Mix slowly so that the sugar doesn’t fly out of the bowl. Gradually increase the speed and beat for about 1 minute or until the frosting is smooth.

For assembly:
Remove the cake layers from the refrigerator and invert them on a work surface. You might need to run a kitchen knife around the edges to loosen the layers. Put 1 layer on a platter, glazed-side down.

Put about 1 1/2 cups (a third) of the frosting on the center of the cake layer and spread it evenly over the cake. There should be a layer of frosting about 1/2-inch thick.

If the frosting is soft, return the cake to the refrigerator to stiffen it up. Put the other layer on top of the cake, glazed-side down, and frost the top of the cake with about 1 1/2 cups (a third) of the frosting. With the remainder of the frosting, cover the sides of the cakes with a thin layer. With the tip of the spatula, press lightly into the top layer of frosting and pull it up to form little spikes. Repeat over the entire top of the cake.

Lightly sprinkle top of the cake with about 3 tablespoons of chopped walnuts. Press the remaining walnuts onto the sides of the cake. Serve at room temperature.

flourless cake

I made two of these cakes for a Christmas event. I only used about half of the poppy seeds called for because I just didn't buy enough. I did not use glaze on it as I thought it was sweet enough by itself, though it was not very sweet. I also baked them in a 9" round cake pan as that is what I own.

I give this gluten-free recipe a 2 thumbs up!

the sweater dress

There were a couple of online tutorials that helped me along with this idea... and I am not sure where those links are right now. here is my finished product!

This is made from a woman's sweater. It is the original neckline hem but I sewed it so the neckline was smaller. I wanted to get the bottom of the sweater in the dress (the closer together stripes) so I had to cut the sweater to get the right length for Averi. That left me with an unsightly seam so I thought the belt was a must. I was trying to sew on a belt made of some thicker cotton jean-ish material but had a very rough time sewing that with the ribbing of the sweater. Thankfully months ago I had picked up some random elastic at SAS and happened upon this thick blue elastic that I thought worked just fine for the belt!