World Prematurity Day

Four years ago today, at only 23 weeks pregnant, I was admitted to the hospital with preterm labor and a bulging sac.  I was pumped full of labor stopping drugs, air lifted to a hospital 45 miles away with a level 3 NICU, and put on STRICT bedrest with the hopes of being able to stay pregnant for at least another 9 weeks.  Less than 24 hours later, my water broke and I gave birth to a 1lb 10oz baby girl.

She was born with suspected sepsis, Respiratory Distress Syndrom, developed pneumonia twice, had 6 blood transfusions, Retinopathy of Prematurity, a spinal tap for suspected meningitis, was on an oscillator, ventilator, cpap, and finally a nasal canula.

Finally, at 3 weeks old I was able to hold her for the first time, for one hour.  It was the saddest & happiest hour of my life.

It was another 3 weeks until I was able to hold her again, and my husband was given the chance to hold his little girl for the first time.

115 days after she was born, 2 weeks before her due date, she finally came home to us.  A happy, healthy, and CHUNKY 8lb bundle of everything good in my life.

Tomorrow she will be 4 years old.  She's happy, 100% healthy, and nobody would ever guess that she was born even a day early.

Today is World Prematurity Day.  Today we honor the million babies who died this year because they were born before they were ready, and the 12 million more who struggle to survive.  Take a minute to visit the March of Dimes to find out what you can do to raise awareness of this serious problem, and to help every baby have a healthy start to life.

Key Lime Cupcakes

I've never had keylime.  Ever.  But a friend of mine asked me to make him some keylime cupcakes for his birthday, and what do you know....I kinda liked them.  They tasted just like what I imagine keylime pie tastes like.  And the frosting....oh, the frosting.  So light.  So....heavenly.  It's tempting not to sit here and eat the whole dozen as I wait for him to come and pick them up.  Here's the recipe, in case you want to have a piece of heaven in your mouth.

Key Lime Cupcakes

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 1/4 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 T key lime juice (about 4-6 key limes)
1T key lime zest
3/4 c buttermilk
a few drops green food coloring

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.  Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt 3 times.  Set aside.
3.  With the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, beat butter on low until it's softened a bit.  Add the sugar and increase speed to medium.  Beat until fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the lime juice, zest and food coloring beat until mixed (the batter will look curdled).
4.  Add the flour in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour, scraping down the bowl as necessary.  Mix on low until just combined.  Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full.
5.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 12-15 cupcakes.


Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 t vanilla
2 c heavy whipping cream

1.  Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla using whisk attachment, on medium speed until smooth.
2.  While mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in heavy cream.  Stop and scrap down bowl as necessary, whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak.

Garnish with graham cracker crumbs and a slice of key lime and there you go!  Heaven in cupcake form.

Vacation's Over

What a crazy summer!  Okay, not really.  Normally D and I like to spend as much time outside, by the pool, in the park, whatever, as possible - but this year was INSANELY hot and even more insanely HUMID.  We spent most of our time inside our air conditioned house watching movies and being lazy.  The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, though.  We had friends staying with us for about two weeks and then less than a week later we went to Michigan for vacation.  We just got back on Saturday, and two days later on Monday, D started her first day of school!  Well, daycare really...but it's like a preschool, and it's run by a college here and is very, very good.  I didn't cry even though I wanted to.  She loved it and didn't want to come home - that made me even sadder!!  But she seemed to do well, and now the job hunt begins.  Ugh, wish me luck.  On that note, here are some pics of our vacation and what I'll be missing until next year:



Lasagna Soup

I don't remember where I found this recipe....a blog out there in Internet land....but it has quickly become one of my household's FAVOURITE meals.  I mean, really....it's a lasagna, it's a soup, it's lasagna soup.  Genius!!

So, here is what you need:

1lb bulk Italian sausage
2 c chopped onion
2 c diced carrots
2 c sliced fresh mushrooms
2 T minced garlic
4 c chicken broth
1 can (15.5oz) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 can (15oz) pasta sauce
1 cup uncooked Mafalda pasta
2 1/2 c chopped fresh spinach
1 c provolone, mozzarella, or your choice of cheese

Brown the sausage in a large saucepan over med-high heat.  I could not find bulk Italian sausage last time I went grocery shopping (seriously? I searched the entire store) so I used links, but took the casing off.

Add the carrots and onions.  Saute 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in mushrooms and garlic.  Or, if you're like me and absolutely loathe even the idea of mushrooms, leave them out.  Saute another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add broth, stewed tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to chop up a bunch of mushy tomatoes), and pasta sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Drop in pasta (I used Radiatore because I've never even HEARD of Mafalda) and simmer until just cooked, about 10 minutes or according to package directions.

Just before serving, stir in spinach and cook until just wilted.

Place some cubed mozzarella cheese (or what you THOUGHT was mozzarella, but when you pulled it out of the fridge it turned out to be monterey jack, oy) in the bottom of your serving bowl.  This is seriously the best part, all the wonderful cheesy goodness on the bottom of the bowl.

Ladle the soup over the top.  Top with grated parmesan and freshly chopped basil.

This soup is soooooo good.  I'm sure you could add some other veggies in there as well, or use whatever type of noodle or meat you want.  My husband LOVES it, and it's hard to make a soup that he loves.  It's not very soupy, but very very VERY hardy, which is probably why he likes it so much.

My Neighbourhood

Yesterday was a beautiful day!  But chilly.  Really chilly.  But that didn't stop us from putting on our favourite pairs of shorts and taking a walk (or in D's case a tricycle ride) around the block a few times.

Homemade Soft Cheese

Making your own cheese is a lot easier than it sounds, and much cheaper than buying it pre-packaged in the grocery store.  It's also much more flavorful.  Following is a recipe for a soft cheese made from whole milk, very similar to ricotta...so much so that you can use it as a replacement in recipes.  It's also good marinated and served as an appetizer, or used as a dessert cheese.  Let's get started, hmm?

You will need a large non-reactive pot (stainless steel, enamel or porceline), one gallon of whole milk (NOT ultra-pasteurized!!), vinegar, some cheesecloth, and a candy thermometer.  Candy thermometers are very cheap, they run about $8 at your local Wal-Mart.

Hook your thermometer over your pot, and pour in the whole milk.  Heat over medium-low heat until the milk reaches 185 degrees F, stirring occasionally.  You want to heat it slowly, so that you don't scorch the milk.  This could take up to an hour.

While your milk is heating up, you can ready your cheesecloth.  Put a colander in a bowl and layer cheesecloth over it.  The fewer layers of cheesecloth you use, the dryer and more crumbly your cheese will be.  Since I am going to be using this cheese to make lasagna (yum!!) I wanted it a little softer, so I used 6 layers of cheesecloth.

When your milk has reached 185 degrees F, remove from heat and pour in 1/3 cup vinegar.  I used apple cider vinegar.  If you don't have vinegar, you may use 1/2 cup lemon juice.  Stir to incorporate, and then let the milk sit undisturbed for 5-8 minutes.  It will start to curdle right away, it's really kind of neat to watch.

Using a slotted spoon or a small strainer, transfer the curds into your colander with the cheesecloth.  I always start with a slotted spoon, but then find a small strainer so much easier to use!  You think I would have learned by now.

Tie up the cheesecloth, then hang by a wooden spoon over your pot to drain.  Let it drain for about 5-10 minutes until it reaches your desired consistency.

When it's done you can salt it a little (use NON-iodized salt).  If you're going to be using it for desserts use very little salt or none at all.  You can press it into a mold, or not.  Put it into a covered container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.  This recipe makes about 1 pound.

TIP:  The whey that is left over from making this cheese (all that liquid stuff that drains out and is left in your pot) has a lot of uses!  You can use it in cooking (broths or cooking liquid), and it's great nourishment for plants.

Easter Egg Cake Pops

I love to bake.  I probably do some sort of baking at least once a week, usually in the form of a cupcake.  Yum!  I have been wanting to try making cake pops for awhile now, and with Easter right around the corner what better to try to make than easter egg cake pops?

What you need:

Cake mix (I chose to use carrot cake)

Frosting (cream cheese, yummy!!)

Candy melts

Lollipop sticks

Edible ink markers

Styrofoam block (not pictured)

First things first, bake your cake and let it cool!  This doesn't take long if you pop it in the freezer.  I chose to let it set in my fridge for two days.  Please, don't be like me.

Next you want to break it up into a big bowl.

Add in your frosting.  You may not need the entire can...start with half and then add more if you need to.  I chose to dump the entire can in and ended up having to run to the store, buy another box of cake mix, and bake another cake to add to what I had mixed up already.  Again, don't be like me.

Mix well.

Shape into balls, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  They don't have to be perfect as you are going to re-shape them later on.

Next, melt the candy melts according to the package directions.  Pretend that it's white in this picture.

Then dip your lollipop sticks in the melted candy, and stick them into your balls slightly less than halfway.

Pop them into your freezer until they set.  This will take longer than you think it will.  You want them to be firm, but not frozen.  When they are ready, take them out and shape the balls to resemble Easter eggs.

Dip them into your melted candy (you may need to reheat it a little bit if it's gotten thicker).  Dip them straight down, rock them a little bit to cover, then pull straight up.  Tap them gently while twisting to allow the extra candy coating to drip off.  Most of ours had extra coating since we were too anxious to let it all drip off.

Stick them in your styrofoam block to dry.  Aren't they pretty?  See all that extra candy coating dripping off of them?  Yeah - you don't want that.

When they're dry, go to town!  Color them with your edible ink markers.  For some reason our markers were not working very well, so we ended up dipping q-tips into food coloring and painting them that way.  It worked so much better!

The point is to get creative!  Dip them in sprinkles or drizzle melted chocolate over them.  Whatever you decide to do have fun and enjoy yourself!