Surprises Abound

There are many things that are surprising about being a new mom, many things no one talks about or thinks to tell you.  Until I was pregnant, I had no idea that contractions would continue after giving birth during every nursing for the first few days.  Surprise!  I'd have preferred a nice bundt cake instead, but beggars can't be choosers.  There are those things that everyone talks about, such as the lack of sleep.  Can we please all agree to stop telling expectant parents to stock up on sleep while they can?  It's so annoying, and not scientifically possible to stock up on sleep.  Sleep is not like a casserole - you can't throw it in the freezer and pull it out after a really rough day.  Although maybe eating a lot of casserole could make you feel sleepy . . . 
But do you know what has surprised me most about being a new parent?  I am trapped in my house.  Now that Gracie is almost three months old, she no longer sleeps on the run.  We have to be home for her three daily naps.  Yes, three! Another surprise.  I thought there were only two naps.  Apparently there will be only two as she gets older, but for now, it's three.  I know I can't complain because there are parents out there who struggle to get their baby to take one nap, and my girl goes down very easily.  And yet here I am, still complaining.

Even though I had a vague idea that there would be naps, and we would have to be at home for them, I had no idea how tight the timeline would be.  There's only about an hour and a half window between the time Gracie wakes up and the time she's ready to wind down for the next nap.  And in that hour and a half, she needs to be fed and changed.  How is a woman supposed to get groceries?  And see other people who speak words?  I've tried going out to the mall, which is only a few blocks away, but I still end up running through the back alley home, trying to pinch Gracie's toes so she'll stay awake until we get home and I can lay her down.  Because she will fall asleep in the stroller, but only for a half an hour or so, which will turn her into a fire breathing dragon for the rest of the day.  A cute, fire breathing dragon,  but a dragon nonetheless.  

So it's a trade off in which both options seem unappealing: Do I want to lose my sanity because I'm trapped in the house, or lose my sanity because my child is in a foul mood?  I knew stay at home moms stayed at home, because I am fluent in English, but I just didn't think it was this stay at home!  And I'm a homebody - I like to be at home!  I guess I just don't like feeling trapped at home by the napping schedule.  And is it just me, or are all those mommy and me classes, which are supposed to be designed to get moms out of the house, scheduled at the two times of day the majority of babies should be napping?

I'll stop complaining now.  I just saw a woman on TLC who already has two sets of twins and is about to give birth to her third set.  She's going to need a casserole or two. 
So, if any of you other moms out there have ideas on how to take my mind off of being stuck at home, I'll take them.  I've been doing some baking.  Just yesterday I made a chocolate loaf with healthy beets "hidden" within.  Surprise!  The beet loaf was gross.  Sigh.
Shelby, Pity Party Planner Extroadinaire

Meal Planning 101

I make a monthly meal plan.  Upon finding out this fascinating fact about me, people generally have two reactions.  They are incredulous and can't understand how or why I make my monthly menu.  Or they're torn between a combination of admiration and jealousy that I call jealmiration.  Either way, I feel an explanation is in order. Why do I feel this way?  Because my sister-in-law said she thought such a post would be interesting to my readers, and seeing as she makes up a full 25% of my readership, I cannot ignore her.  
So, the method behind the madness:
Step 1 Organize your Recipes

I use a binder with plastic sheet protectors and dividers marking out categories like soups and sauces, side dishes, meats and poultry, etc.  My recipes are torn out of magazines, photocopied from library books, handwritten, or printed off (thank you Pinterest!).  A new recipe does not make it in to the binder until it has been tested and approved by Cee Lo and Christina.  Or just Jimmy and I.  This collection of favourite recipes then becomes your reference guide for building your menu.
Step 2 Give Yourself a Framework
To make this whole process easier, I like to give each day of the week a meal type.  At our house Monday is pasta, Tuesday is meat and roast vegetables of some kind, Wednesday is soup (which will become salad for summer), Thursdays are for stir fry, Friday is "fun" night, meaning homemade pizzas, quesedillas, or nachos (I know, woo hoo!). Saturdays are a "wild card" day meaning it's the day I usually try a new recipe or we go out to eat (the good times never take a break around here).  Sunday is the day my dad makes dinner, and I love leaving that day blank.  Of course, this framework should be customised to fit your schedule.  I purposely plan a lighter meal on Wednesday because that is yoga night.  You may want to plan to make a larger meal one night and have left over night the following day when you are busy with some activity or other.  You could even come up with a set of meals for two weeks and just keep rotating through them, adding something new in every once in awhile. To keep things fresh, I try not to repeat the same dish within a two week span, unless it's one we love.  
Step 3 Lay it Out
Get yourself a calendar of some kind and write your meals out so you can see them.  This is crucial!  I like typing my meals into my iCal.  Then I have them on my phone if I'm out and about and need to pick something up at the store.  
Now that you've got your plan laid out, take a look at your meals and start the master shopping list.  I use a ready made list like the one below to simplify the job a bit.  

I look at my calendar and tally how many meals I'll need chicken, beef, or pork chops for.  Likewise, how many packages of short or long pasta will I need for the month?  And so on.  Since most of the recipes are familiar to me, I can think of the main ingredients off the top of my head, but sometimes I reference back to the binder to double check.  I always look through my cupboards to see what I already have and which staples (spices, olive oil, etc) I'm running low on. In terms of produce and other perishable items, I look at what I'll need for the first week or so of the plan.  Add to this the breakfast, lunch and snack foods you normally buy, and you're ready to hit the store.  I usually go to Save On Foods for the first Tuesday of the month to get 15% off my entire purchase.  Superstore also offers a $25 gift card when you spend $250 once a month.  The only thing is, I don't like to buy my meat at Superstore, so it can be hard to get to $250, and it means I have to go to another store.  But sometimes it's worth it as Superstore has such great prices on other household items like dish soap, laundry detergent, and toiletries.  And I can always find something in the Joe Fresh section to bump up the tally.  Either way, I do only one big shop per month.  I freeze all of my meats and cheese to make it last, and I buy produce and other forgotten items on a weekly or bi-weekly trip as needed.
FAQ'S
A friend once asked me "What about freedom of choice?  What if you don't feel like having spaghetti and meatballs on a given night?".  Others may wonder what will happen if you decide to go out last minute (again, I say others because I never decide on anything last minute).  These people are just trying to find an excuse to avoid planning.  It's incomprehensible to me, but there you have it!  My answer is simple: if you don't want a planned meal on the night it's written, you swap it for another night.  And if you go out instead, maybe you just drop that meal all together.There's room for flexibility within the plan, really!  But knowing the plan is there far outweighs these petty worries about so called "freedom to choose".
And there you have it!  It takes some work, but I find the less often I'm at the store, the less money I spend.  And I love having a ready answer to the question "What am I going to make for dinner?".  It's like the runner's high for people who like to organize.  Jimmy raves on and on about what a marvel I am.  He really appreciates all the thought I put into the meal plan.  Or not.  Let's face it, this whole system is built around satisfying my OCD tendencies.  Jimmy wouldn't mind if we had the same meal every other day.  He does, however compliment my cooking on a regular basis.  He just isn't interested in the planning that brings it to his plate.
If you're still reading, I applaud you.  This seems very long winded and uninteresting, not to me because I love planning, but other, non-planners probably needed a nap half way through step 2.  We'll see if my sister-in-law was right through the page views and always plentiful comments left by my mom and her desk mate at work, each representing another 25% of my readers.
Always striving for new heights of neuroses,
Shelby

I am Cray - Cray

Today's nesting project brought to you by the chicken farmers of Canada.

Step 1: Grill chicken

Step 2: Take a picture of grilled chicken for your blog

Step 3: Slice and package chicken in meal sized portions to be frozen.

I'm getting tired of nesting.  Does that mean the baby is coming soon?  When I told my mom about my efforts (as if she didn't suspect based on the overpowering scent of charcoal emanating from my person) she said I was crazy.  I explained that a new mom friend had told me about this trick so that when the last thing you feel like doing is making dinner, you can thaw your pre-grilled and pre-sliced meat to throw in a salad, stir fry, or pasta dish.  Finally my mom agreed that planning ahead did sound like a better strategy than the one she used after my sister was born.  I'm not sure what she means.  I have fond memories of eating nothing but Chips-a-Hoy for weeks on end when my screaming sister came in to the world.
Yours in ever lessening sanity,
Shelby

Uh Oh!

I really made Blogger mad with my not so kind comments yesterday.  Now it won't show me my Reader of all the other blogs I religiously follow, nor will it allow me to obsessively pore over my stats page.  I can't believe it's still letting me write a post. I'm off to buy it some flowers to try and make amends . . .

While we routinely wake up to weather like this (just last Saturday was the latest storm), I know that spring will come eventually.  It may be time for summer when it arrives, but still, I know it will come at some point.  You only have to look to this past September when summer arrived for about a week to know that I'm right.  So while the weather here may not follow conventional time lines, you can create a spring like feeling by baking up a batch of these award winning bites of sunshine that I found on Pinterest.  They turned out crinkly just like the picture showed, and are perfectly tart and chewy-crisp.  I LOVED them.  No surprise they took the top prize at LDS Living Magazine's website, a site I have to admit I would never have been exposed to if not for Pinterest.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Award Winning recipe by Lauren Brennan 

Ingredients:

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray cookie sheets with non stick spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again.

3. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. 

4. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

5. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte (not melty or shiny). Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Jimmy turned his cookies into what he calls a "chip-wich", even though there are no chips in these cookies.  I would have made mine a chip-wich too, if he could've found Pinochio's Royal Vanilla ice cream for me to sandwich in between.  Alas he could not, and came home instead with cocnut ice cream.  Blech.  He said it was good, so if you go for coconut, you might like to try it.  I'll wait until I can get my vanilla. 
Meanwhile, Ellen has issued a pregnancy dance dare to all expectant mothers who should really be dancing for two.  She wants them sent in for mothers' day.  Should I do it?  I don't know if I can compete with this guy.

Until next time,
Shelby

Adventures in Babysitting

Today I put in what I'm hoping will be my last baby sitting shift before the bébé arrives.  With so many nieces and nephews, you might wonder how I can be sure I won't be called to the front lines again.  Thankfully after a long winter away, my mother-in-law is set to return this Thursday and will resume her regular child minding duties.
And as far as last shifts go, this one did not disappoint.  Highlights included wiping a very stinky and very sticky poop out of the training potty, a four year old and several bottles of brightly coloured nail polish, and a 36.5 week pregnant woman dropping it like it's hot in order to wipe up a "small" pee accident from the floor.  
Before all of this, the day started off quietly enough with a little baking project. Remember when I almost poisoned my nephew who is allergic to eggs?  Today I vowed to make up for that little blunder with some egg free baking.  Not only is the recipe egg free, it's also gluten, sugar, and butter free.  And it doesn't taste like cardboard, either!  

The original recipe comes from 101 Cookbooks, and I changed it only slightly.  The genuine article calls for 1/3 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut, but I care not for the texture nor flavour of coconut, so I left it out.  I've made the recipe twice now, and I have one tip.  As there is no sweetener in this recipe aside from that long, yellow fruit from the tropics, be sure your bananas are venerably ripe to impart a hint of sweetness.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Inspired by 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients

3 large, ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed until just melted

2 cups rolled oats

2/3 cup almond meal

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl whisk together oats, almond meal, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.  In a separate bowl combine bananas, vanilla and coconut oil.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  The dough is a bit looser than a traditional cookie dough, so don't be alarmed.

3. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet.  Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the bottoms are golden.  Makes about 3 dozen bite sized cookies.

And to finish the day off, my six year old nephew is hosting his second annual NHL playoff draft.  Last year I came in dead last.  I can't say why, as I have a bullet proof strategy.  I pick players who have names that sound cool.  I'll let you know how it goes this year.  I'm hoping for stellar results.  

Shelby

Sicko

Ugh . . . My aforementioned lack of motivation and energy has been compounded with a cold.  I have been rendered utterly useless.  I planned to start writing this post an hour ago, but needed those precious 60 minutes to recuperate after making the bed and emptying the dishwasher.  Lucky for you I have regained enough energy to write a post for you about . . . nothing much.
But fear not!  I have plans for another photo shoot with my mom tomorrow.  I also had a stroke of genius this morning.  It came to me right after I had crawled out of bed to make my husband his breakfast smoothie, but before I had packed his lunch and then crawled right back in to bed.  In fact, it came at the precise moment my husband appeared in the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed for a day inspiring the minds of tomorrow.
I realized my husband was looking pretty dapper.  This, in and of itself, is nothing new. Though it was a realization made easier because I myself looked the opposite of dapper with my nose rubbed raw by countless tissues and my belly hanging out the bottom of my too-small pajama top, but the fact remains that he looked good and does most mornings.  And so I think I'm going to have to do a feature on Jimmy's fashion.  I haven't actually broached the subject with him, but if he gives me any static, I'll just remind him that it's what the people want.
I should say though, that I don't believe it's that hard to dress well as a man.  Work wardrobe: nice dress shirt, nice dress pants, maybe the occasional sweater or cardigan, perhaps even a sweater vest, or even easier, a suit, and you're done. Casual wardrobe: nice jeans, a nice shirt, a nice jacket, and voila.  Don't get me wrong, some men have issues with fit - they seem horrified that their clothing might actually skim or touch their bodies - and there are many who still think pleated khakis are a safe bet, not to mention the whole colour blind gene that tends to be doled out along with the y chromosome that can cause problems.  All in all though, I would still argue that it's much simpler to put together a great wardrobe as a man than as a woman.  
And now that I've totally talked men's fashion down, I hope you can maintain your excitement for my new feature focused on just that topic.
Anyway the couch is calling, so I'd better get going.  Before I do, I know you've probably been feeling bad for Jimmy and the forced famine he's been enduring what with the lack of meat and potatoes around here lately.  Worry not!  I remedied that situation last night with this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

It became crystal clear just how deprived Jimmy has been when he wolfed down seven drumsticks.  Definitely a crowd pleaser.  Try it on your own fam, why don't you?
Shelby

Happiness is Strawberry Cake

When I moved out of my parents' house, my mom started the tradition of Sunday dinner.  I think her inspiration came from the Gilmore Girls and the fact that she couldn't think about me having moved out without weeping.  But mostly it was because of those fast talkin' Gilmore Girls.  A little over five years later, and the tradition is still going strong, although with my sister and her family having moved to Calgary, the crowd is a little smaller.  We try to make up for it through Skype, but it's not quite the same.
Dean is the master chef, creating delicious meals every week, with the exception of that one time that he went all Iron Chef and used apples as his special ingredient. Spinach salad with apples and grapes, pork with sauteéd apples and scallions, and apple pie brown rice (no one was a fan of this particular dessert inspired grain). The salad and pork are lovely dishes on their own, but all together it was apple overload. Below is a better combo.

Dean's beer braised short ribs, garlic mash, and asparagus
in a balsamic reduction.  Inspired!

Since the Smith's have moved, not only do we miss their presence, but equally so their desserts.  Homemade pies, cakes and cookies were pumped out of their kitchen on a weekly basis.  I thought they might Fed-ex their baking our way after they moved, but no such luck.  So I've been trying to keep up the dessert standard at our Sunday dinners with stunning results.  Just look at how happy Jimmy is with this latest creation.

So, how can you reproduce this delight amongst your family members?  It's easy!

Strawberry Stripe Refrigerator Cake

Inspired by the back of a cake box I saw once

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix, baked according to package directions (if you have discerning tastes like mine, I recommend Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe.  Much better than Betty Crocker.  I'm not kidding)

1 box of instant vanilla pudding, 4 serving size, prepared according to package directions

1 1/2 cups whipping cream, whipped

1 container of frozen strawberries in light syrup, thawed and blended until smooth

Directions

1. To make icing, fold whipped cream into vanilla pudding.  Set aside.

2. Using a chopstick or straw, poke holes in your cake at regular intervals.  Pour a small amount of blended strawberries into each hole, tamping the sauce down into the hole using your chopstick or straw, and adding more berries until the hole is filled.  This is a painstaking process.  Jimmy decided to help, as you can see below.  He thought pouring the sauce in generous portions would make this process easier, I think it made the cake look like it was seriously wounded.

3. Once your holes are filled, ice the cake.  Allow to set in the fridge for a few hours before serving.  This cake must be served out of the pan or the filling will leak out.

Look at those stripes!

Do you do a weekly family dinner, or are there other traditions you've started with your family?  I love this tradition and can't wait to bring bébé along, if only so that I can pass him or her off to someone else while I guzzle a glass of red.

Happy Tuesday,

Shelby

Allergies

I don't know how I turned out to be the paragon of healthy eating that I am today with parents like mine.  You heard just yesterday about my mom's m&m lunch menu.  Well, today my dad ate a whole jar of pineapple salsa with chips by himself.  He complained the rest of the day about how sick he felt, but still managed to eat two pieces of chocolate cake for dessert.  After his gastrointestinal overindulgence, he was walking strangely.  When my mom asked what was wrong, he said "I don't know, my body hurts.  Ever since I ate all that salsa.  I think I'm allergic to something."
We could not stop laughing!  What the what?  How does a man with no known food allergies suddenly develop a limp?  After the snickers subsided, my mom offered the same piece of advice my dad ALWAYS gives whenever anyone complains of any kind of stomach upset: "Maybe you just need to poop!" Cue the chorus of chortles.
Keep it regular,
Shelby

Road Trip

We hit Highway 2 today on a journey down south to visit family and watch Jimmy's game.  My mom drove, but felt a migraine coming on after about an hour and a half of driving.  Her solution?  Sustenance, a fine remedy if you're most people.  But my mom has different ideas about nourishment than most.  She wanted me to feed her m&m's.  I vetoed this proposal and instead made her eat some carrot sticks and a chocolate flavoured protein bar I had packed.  She complained the whole time, but the migraine didn't get worse, so my work as co-pilot was done.
My dad and I enjoyed a beautiful sunny walk to Starbucks upon our arrival while my mom, sister and niece went to run errands.

Coley is two, and talking more and more, but it often comes out as a dialect only his sister can understand. Without his interpreter present, poor Cole had to repeat "Me not see" numerous times before I realized his hat had fallen into his eyes.  Clearly he has unwavering faith in me and was trusting that I wasn't leading him into oncoming traffic.  Sweet, naive, little thing!  Little did he know I was too busy texting to pay attention to traffic.  We were lucky this time, I guess!  Next time I refuse to take him anywhere without his translator. 

Shirts off party.

The interpreter.

I Like Big Butts . . . ?

I asked my sensitive and supportive husband if he thought my posterior region was getting larger as part and parcel of this beautiful pre-natal state.  Instead of answering one way or the other, he said "Have I got just the thing for you!"  That thing is this:

I can't believe I didn't fully appreciate until now how complex the butt really is! Thank you Leandro - I look forward to getting whistles and cat calls in short order.  
I mentioned to Jimmy that all the cardio and jumping around may not be appropriate for a woman in her third trimester, but as always he had a simple solution. "For after then!"  Thanks honey.  In fact, I think this video series may just be the perfect push present.  Are you taking notes out there, expectant dads who read my blog in droves?
In the meantime, I'm doing everything I can to make sure Leandro has to work for the three easy payments of $19.95 plus $12.95 (American!) shipping and handling my husband will be forking over.  Case in point, the frozen hot chocolate I made last night for a Valentine's treat.  Made with 1/4 cup of hot chocolate mix and cream (not milk), this delicious treat should ensure Leandro has his work cut out for him.  I will be making this again, but if I switch to 2% milk (don't you dare get crazy and suggest skim!) I think I can have one every second day with little to no guilt.  I'm positive this is the healthy alternative to a Blizzard.  I will still have Blizzards too, but only when I get the two for one email from the Blizzard fan club.  What?!  You can't let a two for one coupon go to waste!

 

Happy Hearts

Jimmy surprised me today with an extra special bouquet of flowers.  They're special because he made the arrangement himself at a charity event with all proceeds being donated to the Lois Hole Hospital for Women.  

He even upgraded to the fancier vase, because as he said to me upon presentation of the bouquet: "You're worth it!"  The funniest cutest part of the gift was the mugshot card that came along with it.  

It's a nice idea, but this card is a little strange.  It reminds me a little of a kindergarten student showing off their work. 

Jimmy has been so busy lately with his own lacrosse season starting up, coaching basketball at school, and coaching lacrosse in Leduc, that he was only home for a quick 15 minute dinner this evening between coaching responsibilities.  In honour of Valentine's Day I made his favourite dinner which was inhaled on his way out the door.  It's an Asian chicken salad from The Best of Bridge, and it's delicious and easy.  Just make the dressing, stir-fry some chicken, peppers, pea pods, and asparagus, and serve over rice noodles.  I forgot to take a picture before dinner, but here are the left overs.  

We're such healthy people, there are hardly any vegetables left.

Dressing for Asian Chicken Salad

from The Best of Bridge

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon honey

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon salt

ground pepper to taste

1. Place all ingredients in a jar and shake to mix.  If you're lazy like me, you can skip mincing the ginger and garlic and throw it all in the blender. 


When he returns later this eve, I plan to serve him this sweet treat that I found on Pinterest.  I'll let you know how mine turns out, but it looks delicious and is reminiscent of our first date.  

Hope you're enjoying something sweet today.

XO

Shelby

Sluggish Sunday

Sorry guys, no fashion show today.  I'm feeling too lazy to get dressed and take pictures.  I will do so soon though, for reals.  Just not today.  So, what will I entertain you with instead?  What I'm making for dinner, of course.  I feel obligated to make dinner, and obligated to post, so why not put the two together?  Une solution parfait!
On the menu: Turkey meatball soup.  Jimmy's favourite soup.  This is a recipe adapted from Deceptively Delicious, a cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld geared towards getting children to eat vegetables, combined with my own recipe for tomato soup.  Why do I own a cookbook based on hiding vegetables from children, you ask?  Because my taste in food can be quite child-like, and I hate most cooked vegetables.  This book seemed like the perfect compromise.  The base of Jessica's soup however (just blended tomatoes and carrots?  Where are the herbs??), was too bland for even my tastes, so I had to adapt that part of the recipe. The results can be found below!

Turkey Meatball Soup

Inspired by Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld
Serves 4

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey breast

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 sweet potato pureé

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Inspired photography, I know.

For the soup:

1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes, whole or diced

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Small pasta shapes such as macaroni or shells

1.  Combine all meatball ingredients in a medium bowl.  Mash together with your hands, then roll into bite sized meatballs.  At this point you can either put them in the oven to brown at 425 for 8 minutes, or set aside to be cooked in the soup.  I think it's weird to cook raw meat in soup, so I opt to brown them first.  Jessica throws them straight into the soup, and maybe when I have three kids like she does, I will too.

Pic as promised.

2.  Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, and carrots, stirring often for 4-5 minutes.  Next add the garlic and herbs, stirring for another 2-3 minutes, or until all vegetables have softened and browned slightly.

3.  Add the tomatoes, stock, and salt and pepper to the pot.  If you do not have child-like taste in food, you can simmer for 20 minutes, adding in the meatballs to be cooked through.  If you do have child-like taste in food, you can pureé all of the ingredients for the soup in a blender before returning them to the pot and adding the meatballs to be cooked through.

4.  Meanwhile, cook your pasta until al denté, about 2 minutes less than the time recommended on the package.  Add pasta to the soup pot for a final 2 minutes of cooking time.  Serve with grated parmesan cheese, if desired.

A perfect wintry dinner for a lazy Sunday!  No pic of the finished product yet, as I must go and make it now, but I'll add one, and you can bet it will be breathtaking.  I just had to get this post published, as I'm sure you've been waiting with bated breath, and I always aim to please.

Also, for your viewing pleasure, the cutest video message sent to Jimmy by some of our nieces and nephew before his team played the Washington Stealth last night:

"I want you to take it to the Stealth! Take it to the stealth!"

There was also a follow up message after a big Rush win (and a goal for Uncle Jimmy), but due to technical difficulties, there is no sound, so I'll sum it up for you.  Says our nephew of five years: 

"Uncle Jimmy, I asked you to take it to the Stealth, and you took it to the Stealth.  So thank you for taking it to the Stealth."

Impossibly cute, no?

Shelby