Checking In!

I've been visiting friends and family in southern California for a week, got home tonight, and leave tomorrow night for Hong Kong. Whew...lots of traveling!

I'll be home again in about a week, and then I will do some serious blog posts. But here is a preggers picture to hold you over...

Nichole & I at the top of the tropical fish tank at Long Beach Aquarium (thanks for the back-scenes tour Jeff!)

And the winner is...

Contrary to popular belief....

we're having a girl!!

Looks like we have a future Scrippsie on our hands (I better win the lottery first though since tuition has almost doubled since I was there!!)

Boy or Girl???

What do you think? Is there a baby boy or a baby girl coming in December? Vote on the right, and I will let you know TOMORROW!!!!!

Holy Squash Mama!

It's getting hot here, which means the garden is taking off! In fact, it can't be left unwatched, or this happens:

I picked all this squash this evening! Now to the cookbooks...

To show just how super-sized these things are, check out the squash mamas with their babies (considering these "babies" are your average grocery store sized squash, these are some big mamas!)

And here is another mama and her baby to be!

Fruit Salsa

The only pregnancy craving I have had so far is fruit, fruit, and more fruit! Conveniently, my fruit cravings began in the spring when the markets were full of fresh cherries, and now I can't get enough peaches!

Beautiful fresh peach, garden pepper & garden cilantro

With our garden beginning to produce, I can whip a quick salsas with my fruit-of-choice. These fruit salsas are great with chips and tacos, but I prefer to spoon them over grilled chicken, pork, or fish. You can use whatever fruit you want, but stone fruits and pineapple are great choices. And the pepper choice is totally open too. If you prefer mild salsas, use an Anaheim pepper, but if you like spice, try a Serrano. We have 4 pepper plants in our garden this year, and I am not sure what any of them are, but I used a mild green pepper in mine. This is a very easy, straightforward recipe, without precise measurements.

Fresh Fruit Salsa

1 piece fruit of choice (if using pineapple, use 1/4 of a small fruit)

1 mild pepper or 1/2 hot pepper

1 handful fresh cilantro

lime juice

salt & pepper

Dice the fruit. Chop the pepper and cilantro. Mix in a bowl with the juice of 1 lime. Season with salt and pepper. If you want to add red onion, it is a nice addition too! Enjoy =)

Peach salsa served over a gigantic grilled pork chop, Caribbean beans & rice, and chile-spice rubbed grilled squash (it took me 3 days to eat that pork chop!)

Spicy Cesar Salad

A while back Scott did a cooking demo with Cat Cora at Macy*s. Cat Cora is a food network star, and the only woman Iron Chef. She came into town on a book tour, and Scott's company was in charge of prepping and styling her food for a local TV appearance on "View From the Bay", and during her Macy*s cooking demo. So basically, Scott got to hang out with Cat Cora all day. How cool is that? I met him in SF for the cooking demo, and loved Cat Cora so much that we purchased her latest cook book: Cat Cora's Classics with a Twist.

After flipping through her book, I was set on replicating her "Spicy Cesar Salad with Chipotle Croutons." However, I twisted the recipe a bit to fit what I had in my pantry. Now, Cat Cora has a degree in nutrition, and is in tip top shape, but apparently this salad dressing must be for her "cheat day". So here's my twist on Cat Cora's salad:

Spicy Cesar Salad with Smoky Paprika Croutons
Serves 4-6

Smoky Paprika Croutons
6 slices bread (French, sourdough, or other), cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp smoky paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375. In a medium bowl, toss the bread cubes with the olive oil. Transfer to a baking sheet (don't wash the bowl). In a small bowl, mix the smoky paprika, salt and pepper. Evenly sprinkle the mixture over the bread cubes, then toss again with tongs or your fingers to coat with the spices. Bake the croutons until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Turn them with a spatula and brown the other side, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing and the salad.

I made my bread cubes with some homemade bread I found in the freezer, but you can use any store bought bread!

Smoky Paprika

Don't these croutons look scrumptious?

Cesar Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon Asian chili paste (such as siracha) (more if you want spicier!)

1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (or make your own past by grinding up anchovies...or omit if you want)

2 garlic cloves, minced

24 leaves from a heart of romaine lettuce

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In the same bowl you used for the bread cubes, whisk together all the dressing ingredients.

Place the lettuce in a large bowl, drizzle the dressing over the leaves and toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan and the croutons. Enjoy =)

Cat suggests doubling the dressing and using it again later poured over a cold salad over boiled new potatoes. I did just that and it was super!

Oh, and one last thing, I have to brag on behalf of Scott that Cat Cora complimented him on his knife skills and said he made "perfect" whipped cream! Way to go Scott!!

Scott & Cat Cora!

See! I am pregnant!

So here you go, proof that my belly is in fact growing:

4 months pregnant, beginning to show!

Pretty soon I'll be as big as our super-sized squash plants! Seriously, I have never seen squash get this big, and our garden hasn't even starting producing yet! We are in for a world of squash soon...stay tuned for recipes =)