Tune-in Alert!

This week on Facebook former Miss America contestants are posting crown shots or pageant pictures on their profiles to advertise the pageant this weekend. I managed to find this shot of a gorgeous S.D. crowning me! Not a great picture of me but I suppose it conveys the emotion of the moment. Tune in to Miss America this Saturday night, 8/7 central on TLC!

Oh yeah, I did that!

I'm determined to find a set of recipes that I can rotate into a schedule for my family (if you can't tell from recent postings). It can be hard to find time to cook at the end of a long day, but I think it will be extremely important as Franklin grows up for us to have that quality time together. Yesterday, I tried cooking a whole chicken for the first time. Yes, buying a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is easier. However, I like the fact that I can control the ingredients used on the chicken myself. And nothing beats the visual reward of pulling a perfectly browned, crispy-skinned chicken out of the oven!

I used a recipe from Barefoot Contessa (the chicken queen) with only slight modifications:

Ingredients

1 (5 to 6 pound) whole roasting chicken
Kosher salt (I used gray sea salt)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks (I used baby carrots instead)
2 bulbs of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges

1 bag parsnips cut into chunks
Olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string (NOTE: I did not have kitchen string and chose to neglect this step as a result) and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, parsnips, garlic and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil.

Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Here's the result:

Do you guys eat parsnips? I love them. If you've never had a parsnip, I think you're missing out. You can find them in the grocery store near the carrots, they actually look like white carrots. You treat them just like carrots too, and they get sweet and juicy when they are roasted as well. Super yummy and good for you too. I served the chicken with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, by the way. Frank seemed to enjoy it! This was one of those recipes, like a pork tenderloin recipe I got from L years ago that I still make all.the.time., that you can fix the night before or in the morning, and just pull out of the fridge and put into an oven at the end of the day. An hour and a half later, dinner's ready.

My baby is THREE MONTHS OLD!

Oh my goodness, where did the time go??? Our little bundle of joy is growing up too fast, and is getting bigger every day. Franklin know definitely knows that Frank and I are his parents, and grins at us all the time! That gummy grin just makes my day. He's still such a good baby, we are so lucky and I've got my fingers crossed that future siblings follow his lead. He regularly sleeps from around 9 PM until 6:30 or 7 AM, and takes two good naps (and a couple catnaps) a day. Recently, Franklin found his thumb (much to Frank's dismay). On the baby monitor at night, we can hear him sucking on his hand and thumb when the pacifier falls out. Our little piglet sure is a noisy baby boy! He's grown out of many of his 0-3 month clothes, and I packed a lot away last week. Franklin still hates tummy time, but likes his activity mat and loves to bounce! I'm looking forward to putting him in his doorway jumper, and I have no doubt that he will LOVE it! Just a few more weeks and I think he'll be ready. Franklin still has amazing neck control, and grows stronger every day. He can sit with very little support and does the mini-push up like a champ. We're singing lots of songs in our house these days, and his favorite seems to be "Old McDonald." I think he likes the animal noises. He likes Gloria Estefan too... I need to find a few more songs to sing him I think.

He giggles at us when we act silly (which we do all the time to make him giggle because it's soooo cute) and loves his swing. Bathtime has also become one of my favorite times of the day due to Franklin's hambone thighs and the major splashes he's already creating in the bathtub. I have a feeling I'm going to get very, very wet when he gets a little stronger. He still makes sweet noises when he takes a bottle, and after he finishes the "kitty" noises appear before you burp him. And oh, those chubby cheeks!! Don't you just want to squeeze and kiss them?? (I do, about a hundred times a day!) He's also growing hair, finally, and at the moment it's standing on end... it kind of looks like he has constant static electricity, which makes him even cuter. He really seems to enjoy school, and is a pretty good boy according to his teachers. I can't wait until he can actually play with the other babies in his class, although it may be awhile! This little man is more than we could've ever hoped for and has made up for the horrid 9+ months it took to bring him into the world (ha!) Isn't he the cutest baby you've ever seen??

Nom nom nom...

A few weeks ago during the national championship game, Frank and I ate one of the best tasting dips I've ever had. The ingredients included Conecuh sausage and lobster tails, and it was cooked on a Big Green Egg. YUM! I'm always on the hunt for good appetizers, and I wanted a version of that dip that I could make myself (sans lobster and Big Green Egg). Here's one we tried this past weekend that turned out really well:

HOT BAKED CHEESE AND CONECUH SAUSAGE DIP

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 package Original Conecuh Sausage, cut into small pieces

1/2 an onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 round unsliced loaf rye or sourdough bread

Preheat oven to 350°. In medium skillet, over medium high heat add the oil and saute sausage, onion and garlic until lightly browned. Beat together sour cream, cream cheese and Cheddar until smooth. Stir in the sausage mixture and artichokes. Cut a slice off the top of the bread and scoop out insides, leaving about a one-half inch shell. Pour cheese mixture into bread and wrap in foil. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, until dip is heated through.

I liked this recipe because you cook it in the bread bowl, which makes serving and cleanup easier! Dad, I have a feeling you'll be all over this one.... Happy Monday!

Congrats!

I forgot to post this last week, but congrats to our cousins Ashley and R.J. on the birth of their beautiful baby girl Campbell May last week!! We hope to introduce Franklin and Campbell very soon!

Hose, Hose, Hose

A recent posting on Corporette made me think about a dilemma many women seem to face during the Spring and Summer months in the corporate world... what to wear with a skirt/dress when you have pasty legs??

When I started this blog, it was one of the first topics that I posted about. A brief post, but I think it made my feelings pretty clear. Some of you may disagree with me, but I think nude hose are gross. Why, following the creation of Spanx, anyone would feel the need to wear them is beyond me. There are a million, trillion different self tanners out there, and I promise- no matter your skin tone- one will work for you. No additional sweating caused by man-made materials constricting your legs all day long, no worries about snags or runs. Here's what Stacy London of What Not to Wear had to say about hose:

"First of all, the only "hose" I really hate are the semi-sheer ones in "suntan" or "black." They look dated and remind me of a time when women would walk to work in their suits, those hose, white sweat socks and white leather aerobic sneakers. Blech. Might as well throw in a whole can of hairspray, too. Too '80s! Stay away from anything that has a mid-range "denier" number that indicates the sheerness of the hose (10 is very sheer, 30 is semi-sheer and 50 is opaque). I recommend a good self-tanner for the pale-leg situation, but also realize that won't help with spider veins. Look for opaque tights and try them in a subtle color, like a burgundy or deep purple, when wearing a neutral-color knee-length skirt or suit. They will hide your legs and add a visual punch to your outfits!"

I very rarely disagree with anything that Stacy suggests, but I disagree with a few things that she suggested above... colored tights might work for some careers out there, but if you work in a corporate environment please stay away from burgundy or purple tights. I'd like to see a partner's face if I showed up in purple tights with a gray suit. Nevermind, I take that back. I'll avoid that look at all costs. I think the rules are simple: Black very sheer (I agree with that part of Stacy's suggestions) hose with black shoes and a black skirt suit in the middle of winter are acceptable. I choose to wear opaque black tights instead--they provide extra warmth in the middle of our very brief winter down here, and look professional as well. Another tip: Heidi Klum doubles her opaque tights to make them very opaque. The rest of the year, I use self-tanner.

And while we're on the topic of hose and tights, I'd like to comment on another common phenomenon that I personally consider a fashion "don't"-- knee high boots with bare skin showing. Take this look, for instance:

As beautiful as she is, don't you think the look would have been a little less, well, trashy looking, if she'd had on opaque black tights instead of leaving the area in between the top of the boot and the bottom of her dress bare? If it's cold enough to wear the boots, it's cold enough to throw on a pair of black tights as well. Would've made the entire thing a lot more streamlined and slimming... instead she managed to cut off the line of her body in the middle, making her legs look shorter. Here's another one I take issue with:

Boots with a suit = fine. And thank goodness she at least managed to put something on her legs... but wouldn't this have been soooo much better if she'd just worn black tights? Particularly at her age?? It clearly would make the fact that she has on boots with a suit a lot less "look at me, I'm fashionable and have on boots with a suit!" Don't you think?

So, here's how I think you do it the right way:

Classy, fashionable, warm. Just my humble opinion.

Under the Sea

Franklin loves his Under the Sea Activity Gym! He figured out today that if he kicked the side of the gym he could make the octopus and rattle hanging from the top of the gym make noise an swing back and forth. My son is ALL BOY!

A brief update on Franklin....

Franklin visited Dr. Levin yesterday for his three month appointment... He's now 12 pounds 11.5 ounces (45th percentile), 23 inches long (25th percentile) and has a head circumference of 16 inches (40th percentile). I was pleased that our little butterball wasn't such a shorty this time! Hopefully he'll keep growing taller, his chubby cheeks make him look awful round sometimes. Frank took him to school for the first time this morning, and I'm on my way to the treadmill... will post pictures later!

Yummy

Last night Frank was treated to a homemade chicken pot pie, made by yours truly! I've always wanted to know how to make one of these (I know, that sounds silly because it's super-easy), and yesterday I finally tried. Here's how I did it:

Crust
1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling
1/3 cup butter
1/2 a chopped onion (I used a sweet onion)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store)
2 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.

2. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

3. Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Here's the result:

No, unfortunately that's not a picture of the one I made, but it did look just like that. Swear. Even Frank was impressed. This one's definitely going into the recipe arsenal... only took about 20 minutes to prepare and then the cooking time. Great for a quick weeknight meal.

A word from Franklin....

My mommy thinks that I am the cutest baby ever, and likes to take pictures of me all the time. Here are a few she took this morning....

Mommy is also really proud of me for sleeping in my own room. I started Monday night, and really didn't seem to notice the transition. She also likes that it's easier to see me during the night because the video monitor she convinced daddy to buy has night vision. Pretty cool, eh? Mommy and daddy are also really funny, and I've started giggling at their funny faces. They both really seem to enjoy that! Last night daddy and I spent some quality man-time together while mommy had dinner with her friends. Daddy gave me a bath for the first time, and I really liked it. In fact, I think daddy should start bathing me every night. I've enjoyed visited my school this week too, and am getting to know the other babies in my class and my teacher Ms. Adrienne. I really like school, and thought it was pretty funny that I have the biggest head in my class and the chubbiest cheeks-- but the least amount of hair. Oh well, I suppose that's yet another thing that my daddy and I have in common (the hair thing, not the chubby cheeks or big head thing). In just a few short weeks I'll start spending a lot more time at school.... mommy seems to be excited about the fact that she'll get to spend the majority of her days without baby drool and spit up all over her clothes and in her hair, but she'll miss hanging out with me all day long. I'm getting big really fast, and go back next week for my three month appointment! I have new tricks up my sleeve every day, so stay tuned for the update!

Lost and Found

It's been an exciting week! Franklin is still battling a lingering cold, although it hasn't transitioned into a cough and he's not experienced any sleep loss or reduced appetite. I'm ready for him to be 100% though, I know it must be annoying to have trouble breathing through your nose and not be able to get it out!

In any event, this week we had a breakthrough - Franklin found a consonant! Babies begin to babble in vowels, and this week Franklin managed to put together a "goo" and a "coo" with his oohs and ahhs.... He does quite a bit of babbling all day long, and I'm sure he'll be quite the talker once he learns some actual words. He's getting stronger and stronger too, and improves his neck control and arm/ leg movements everyday. It's so fun to watch my little one reach these milestones!

And while Franklin found a consonant, I have begun to lose my hair... Yes, a normal part of the postpartum experience. But I'm sure Frank is not enjoying the clumps of hair in the shower drain that have only recently begun to appear. I've been on the lookout for this for awhile, and unfortunately it started this week. So let's hope that I come out on the other side of this postpartum adventure with a few lovely locks to style. And I'm aware that I haven't posted a "weight loss diary" in awhile, but I'm still working hard... I made it through the holidays without gaining any (a pretty big accomplishment I think!) and am only four pounds from where I was at my first appointment with Dr. Straughn. The weight hasn't fallen off nearly as fast as I'd hoped, but we're on a slow decline. It just may take me a little longer than I'd expected to return to my normal weight. I also decided to remind myself (something I'd forgotten) that the 10 pounds that I gained prior to getting pregnant was intentional and for a reason-- my BMI was too low pre-pregnancy and the weight gain was necessary to reach the recommended number of "20" to make our chances at conception easier. (See, all part of my NY Resolution to "give myself a break," right!?!)

Franklin is napping in his swing at the moment, but when he wakes up I'll post new pics! He's getting so big (and getting more hair!), I can't wait to share!

The End... and the Beginning

2009 was a year of endings and new beginnings. Frank and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary and the end of our life together as newlyweds... then we celebrated the beginning of our life as a family. I mourned the end of a semi-svelte figure, and welcomed the beginning of a body nourishing my baby boy. Frank and I saw friends marry... and divorce. We welcomed at least eight babies to the world (two of which have yet to be born, however), and said goodbye to a few very special family members who will be missed in ways I could never express. It was the end of a decade in more ways than one.

I don't think I've ever been as excited to welcome a new decade and celebrate the start of a new year. I have a few resolutions that I'll share, and a few that I'll just keep to myself I think:

1. I will to attend church regularly with Frank and Franklin, something we stopped when I found out I was pregnant and the swine flu scare was in full force. Both Frank and I were raised in the Church and it's something that we both will fully instill in Franklin.


2. I will read more (books).


3. I will spend less.


4. I will get my financial house in order (as in meet with a financial planner, more fully establish my 401-K, start a 529 for Franklin, finish our will, get a safety deposit box and put our important papers in there, and start a strict savings/investing program).


5. I will learn to cook a "signature" dish.


6. I will get in shape, hopefully by running a 5K before my thirtieth birthday (at the end of May).


7. I will give myself a break (this one will be hard).


8. I will make sure Frank knows that he's an amazing husband every day, and will continue to work to make our marriage strong.


9. I will be more patient (with myself and others).


10. I will be "present" with Franklin... instead of thinking about laundry, the dirty kitchen, the floor that needs vacuuming or the brief that's due when spending time with him, I will remember that he is only little for a short while and that I need to make every moment with him count.

That should be enough to get me started. 2009 is a year that I will never forget, and I have no doubt 2010 will be as well. Happy New Year!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to me!! On my 30th birthday, I hope to share the day with four "friends" and a few real friends by watching ladies who have inspired me in many ways....

A Year in Style....

Cathy Horyn of the New York Times wrote a particularly insightful piece (especially for the NYT) just prior to the beginning of 2010... Here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/fashion/27LADIES.html?_r=2&ref=fashion

Here's a snippet: "Mrs. Obama, though, has successfully separated the personal from the political. Indeed, the only thing more surprising than the storm over Ms. Palin’s “Pretty Woman” makeover is that almost no one has raised an eyebrow over Mrs. Obama’s wearing of non-American labels, which include Nina Ricci and Junya Watanabe, and some of the most expensive at that."

My mother and I have had many conversations about Michelle Obama's wardrobe. My mother doesn't exactly appreciate her style... I, on the other hand, think "Mrs. O" usually looks very fashionable and I appreciate her willingness to leave the stepford First Lady look behind. (and yes, Mom, I did love what she wore to the Kennedy Center Honors-- the purple dress and statement necklace were not only appropriate but beautiful). She's only in her mid 40's after all, with two children who have yet to become teenagers living in her home. I don't believe that when a woman hits 30, or even 40 or 50 for that matter, that she must subscribe to the unfortunate school of thought which dictates women chop their hair off into permed bobs and only wear mom jeans and boxy suits. Yuck. I certainly hope when I reach 40 (at the start of the next decade) that I'm sporting Blahnik and Louboutin and have found a fabulous tailor who makes me look like a million bucks in a Chanel suit.

I think the most interesting part of Horyn's article is her comparison between Mrs. O and Sarah Palin... a comparison that I believe is unwarranted. Mrs. O isn't running for office. She isn't trying to write legislation (unlike Hillary Clinton as First Lady) or solve the world's problems. She's chosen to champion healthy eating and childhood obesity (I think, no official platform has been released from her office). Sarah Palin, however, appears to be dressing for the "job she wants" - she aspires to be the Commander in Chief, not the official host(ess) shaking hands by his/her side. IMHO, it's a bit like comparing apples to spinach--the only things they have in common are that they're high in fiber and low in calories.

That's not to say that I think Mrs. O can do no wrong-- I applaud the fact that she has two kids and has managed to stay in shape, keeping the toned arms she's become famous for so, well, toned. However, sleeveless dresses seem to have become her trademark. Sometimes sleeveless just isn't an appropriate look... like when you're meeting world leaders or speaking at a professional luncheon. How about throwing on one of those J Crew cardigans, Mrs. O? I'd feel much better about it. I also agree with Horyn about Mrs. O's lack of support for American designers. Yes, we have become a global society. But I'd certainly appreciate seeing her sport a few more items made in the USA. Lastly, how about the columnists that go on and on about Mrs. O's choice of less expensive "off the rack" items be truthful... an outfit isn't affordable if the dress is from JCrew but the belt that makes the dress look so fabulous is by Azzedine Alaia (and therefore costs more than most of the clothes in my closet combined).

In any event, I'd love to play dress up in Mrs. O's closet. Sarah Palin can keep her suits (even if they came from Neiman Marcus). Here's to seeing what else comes out of the White House in 2010... let's hope I like it as much as Mrs. O's shoes.