Friday, August 31, 2012
Pinterest Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken
I'd like to use this blog to also document some recipes and meals we try. We like to try new recipes often. Pinterest has only fed this kitchen monster. Some recipes we've tried have been good, others not so much. So here's what we tried last night:
Pinterest Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken with Fried Rice...except I used wild turkey from my dad instead of chicken. He gave us several bags of wild turkey, and it's been really good and noticeably tender this year (wild turkey can often be pretty tough). We've been on a freezer clean out kick, so this recipe is one I thought I could easily swap turkey for chicken on.
The review: The turkey was good. You coat your chicken/turkey in cornstarch, THEN egg. We'd never tried that before, and it resulted in something like a tempura batter. We will be trying this method again next Spring when the morel mushrooms come back up. I also added some vegetables to the mix: snap peas, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, water chestnuts. I snuck in brown rice instead of fried rice, but left out the peas and carrots. The turkey was good, the sauce okay, the fried rice was great. Neither of us are huge sweet and sour sauce fans, so I'm not surprised we weren't blown away. But the rice! That's the best fried rice I've ever made...with no butter needed to boot!
I'll continue to use my dad's wild turkey in some Pinterest asian recipes. Wynston thinks the sauce is a keeper, if I cook the vegetables seperate next time. I'll keep the batter and fried rice recipes for sure.
Pinterest Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
Pinterest Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken with Fried Rice...except I used wild turkey from my dad instead of chicken. He gave us several bags of wild turkey, and it's been really good and noticeably tender this year (wild turkey can often be pretty tough). We've been on a freezer clean out kick, so this recipe is one I thought I could easily swap turkey for chicken on.
The review: The turkey was good. You coat your chicken/turkey in cornstarch, THEN egg. We'd never tried that before, and it resulted in something like a tempura batter. We will be trying this method again next Spring when the morel mushrooms come back up. I also added some vegetables to the mix: snap peas, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, water chestnuts. I snuck in brown rice instead of fried rice, but left out the peas and carrots. The turkey was good, the sauce okay, the fried rice was great. Neither of us are huge sweet and sour sauce fans, so I'm not surprised we weren't blown away. But the rice! That's the best fried rice I've ever made...with no butter needed to boot!
Please note: This is not my picture, but one from the original website.
I'll continue to use my dad's wild turkey in some Pinterest asian recipes. Wynston thinks the sauce is a keeper, if I cook the vegetables seperate next time. I'll keep the batter and fried rice recipes for sure.
Pinterest Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Ava - August 2012
Little Miss now weighs about 12 lbs and is around 25 inches long. At our 2 month check up in July, she was measuring 50th percentile in weight, 90th percentile in length! She is one long girl. We have now officially outgrown our 0-3 jammies and some 0-3 onesies.
August brought about the biggest smiles and Ava's first laughs. This little one now loves looking at herself in the mirror and "standing". She is so strong. Ava is now eating 4 oz bottles each feeding. Sometimes when she eats, she gets mad if you look at her, other times she'll stare right into your eyes/heart. <3
Just this past week we started trying the Early Bedtime Method. That means going to sleep no more than 2 hours after dinner, meaning about an 8:15 bedtime for Miss Ava. She has done really well with this, and I keep telling Wynston that one of these nights I'm going to bed then too! This has yet to happen. :) She has come so far from when she was a newborn and wanted to stay up till midnight.
Ava's "jabbers" are my favorite new thing. Somedays she talks more than others. I just love listening to her and wondering what she's saying. I miss her squeaks and newborn sounds though. Where has the time gone...
Life is so much easier now that Ava is a bit older and we are getting the hang of things. Sometimes she watches BabyFirst TV. Mio and Mao, a claymation cat show, is my favorite. Ava seems to like this show where a squirrel looks for a hidden acorn...I think she'll fit into country living quite well! She still doesn't care to be on her belly, and there are days that tummy time still involves Ava laying on her face, eating her blanket. Ha! She is in the early phases of teething, and we finally had to break out the bibs to help deal with the drool situation! Ava will put anything she can get her hands on in her mouth, and has an iron grip when mom's hair is what she's got a hold of.
Ava, we love everyday with you. By the end of the work day, I just can't wait to see your adorable face.
August brought about the biggest smiles and Ava's first laughs. This little one now loves looking at herself in the mirror and "standing". She is so strong. Ava is now eating 4 oz bottles each feeding. Sometimes when she eats, she gets mad if you look at her, other times she'll stare right into your eyes/heart. <3
Just this past week we started trying the Early Bedtime Method. That means going to sleep no more than 2 hours after dinner, meaning about an 8:15 bedtime for Miss Ava. She has done really well with this, and I keep telling Wynston that one of these nights I'm going to bed then too! This has yet to happen. :) She has come so far from when she was a newborn and wanted to stay up till midnight.
Ava's "jabbers" are my favorite new thing. Somedays she talks more than others. I just love listening to her and wondering what she's saying. I miss her squeaks and newborn sounds though. Where has the time gone...
Life is so much easier now that Ava is a bit older and we are getting the hang of things. Sometimes she watches BabyFirst TV. Mio and Mao, a claymation cat show, is my favorite. Ava seems to like this show where a squirrel looks for a hidden acorn...I think she'll fit into country living quite well! She still doesn't care to be on her belly, and there are days that tummy time still involves Ava laying on her face, eating her blanket. Ha! She is in the early phases of teething, and we finally had to break out the bibs to help deal with the drool situation! Ava will put anything she can get her hands on in her mouth, and has an iron grip when mom's hair is what she's got a hold of.
Ava, we love everyday with you. By the end of the work day, I just can't wait to see your adorable face.
Ava's first nap on the boat. 8-29-2012
Summer 2012 Photo Gallery
Easter 2012, so about 8 month's pregnant. Sorry it's sideways!
9 month's pregnant
Lily and Lola, enjoying some warm baby clothes.
May 2012
Me and my little newborn, May 2012
June 2012
Wynston's European mount. He did this during our time off together in June.
Such a sweet sleeper. June 2012
First bath in the tub. She looks so tiny to me here!
Our little family, 4th of July 2012
Marshfield Parade
Me and Ava, August 2012
She's an armful here!
One of the deer in the backyard.
Little lady, August 2012
Catching Up - Summer 2012
Well, here we are, August 30th. The summer is winding down fast. This summer has been one like no other around our house.
Summer started hot and about a early this year. Luckily Miss Ava decided to arrive on May 12th, keeping my days "pregnant in 90-100 degree heat" to a minimum. Thanks for that little one! Some day, I'll get a post on here about our Ava's big day. But not today. We spent most of May either outside walking to help bring on baby, or cooped up in the house after she got here.
June was not a lot different. Ava and I savored the precious time that is maternity leave. Spending each day together, getting to know one another and figuring out how to make it through each day!
Summer started hot and about a early this year. Luckily Miss Ava decided to arrive on May 12th, keeping my days "pregnant in 90-100 degree heat" to a minimum. Thanks for that little one! Some day, I'll get a post on here about our Ava's big day. But not today. We spent most of May either outside walking to help bring on baby, or cooped up in the house after she got here.
June was not a lot different. Ava and I savored the precious time that is maternity leave. Spending each day together, getting to know one another and figuring out how to make it through each day!
Father's Day 2012
We took our new little family of 3 to the annual Marshfield 4th of July Parade. Thank goodness my brother has an office on the square, complete with air conditioning and a couch! Mommy also turned 29 in July. Craziness. July also proved to be the month we moved Ava out of our room and into her nursery. She is a champ at sleeping, and does very well in her crib.
August was a very busy month for work for both Wynston and myself. We've also skyped with Aunt Carly, who is down in Jamaica. That was a fun first. My 10 year class reunion picnic and evening gathering were last weekend. This was a great opportunity for Ava to spend her first night away from home. So off to Marshfield she went! We were very proud of her, but missed her so much that evening.
There are so many things I know I'm leaving out on. In closing, here's an overview of what I'd like to remember:
- Long walks spent talking about upcoming baby (we miss those, and hope to restart them in the Fall)
- May 12th, 2012
- Figuring out our car seat in the hospital parking lot
- Diapers, diapers and more diapers
- My nursing journey
- First Father's Day and Mother's Day
- Ava's first bath
- Ava's first smile
- Adobe birthday dinner
- Ava's love for "standing"
- Getting Ava in the pool
- Watching the neighborhood twin fawns grow (there are two sets of twins here!)
- Ava's new laugh
I know that is just a tiny bit of how our summer has gone. But I am behind and don't want to go on and on. Boring!! I'm looking forward to the fall and seeing how our little family changes and adapts.
**NOTE: my computer is being a pain this morning. I have a LOT of photos to add to this post, but I think I'll do that in a separate posting. :) So more to come! **
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Diving In
Okay...we've decided to "dive in" the blog world. And boy, do I have a lot to learn! Right now the feeling of starting this blog reminds me of that first jump into the city pool's deep end...exciting yet scary.
When I first told Wynston I wanted to start a blog, he was surprisingly supportive. I want this blog to be a place where I capture memories of our family and daily lives as we grow, but I also want to use this as a platform for our friends and family, both near and far, to watch little Miss Ava grow. I'm sure her adventures will abound and I want to share that joy!
My main concern, thus far, is the time commitment. I want this place to stay up to date, but I don't want it to become a burden and take away from the precious minutes of our lives. So...I'm hoping for regular posts. How regular? Not sure. So be patient with me! Also, I hope this place evolves and grows design-wise as I go. Right now I've got something simple just to get me started.
When I first told Wynston I wanted to start a blog, he was surprisingly supportive. I want this blog to be a place where I capture memories of our family and daily lives as we grow, but I also want to use this as a platform for our friends and family, both near and far, to watch little Miss Ava grow. I'm sure her adventures will abound and I want to share that joy!
My main concern, thus far, is the time commitment. I want this place to stay up to date, but I don't want it to become a burden and take away from the precious minutes of our lives. So...I'm hoping for regular posts. How regular? Not sure. So be patient with me! Also, I hope this place evolves and grows design-wise as I go. Right now I've got something simple just to get me started.
I'll finish with a bang...meaning an adorable little recent pic of our favorite girl.
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| Ava and Poppy. This was her first overnight trip and after a short fit, I hear she was quite the sweetie! |
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