BBQ Chicken Pizza

Oh finally! Inspiration and the time to write a non-pregnancy blog post! I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Last night, after hemming and hawing in the car about "Eat out? Ooh, Chinese sounds so gooood! But we shouldn't spend the money. And we're having Asian tomorrow night, etc.," we finally decided to make another grill pizza. We had one on Thursday night, and while it was delicious, I was in the mood for something really savory and salty. I suggested BBQ Chicken Pizza. Jake got giddy with excitement. BBQ Chicken Pizza it was.

When we got home, Jake turned on the grill and I immediately pulled some of our cooked chicken from the freezer. Seriously, preparing meat in advance is the BEST. THING. EVER. Meals come together in no time at all! I cut up some onion, cheese, and pepperoncini fresh from the garden. Jake mixed our leftover pizza sauce with some BBQ sauce, and trust us--it doesn't take much to give it a BBQ flavor. He then mixed a bit of this with the chicken. I was skeptical of this method at first, but it really did help keep the chicken from drying out. I stretched the dough. I didn't do any fancy twirls with the dough, but I think my dad still would have been proud. Then we assembled. Here is the pizza before baking:

 Then we put it on a pizza stone that we use exclusively for the grill. If you try and use one for both your oven and your grill, your house will get smoky very quickly (trust us!). It's best, we've found, to NOT heat the pizza stone up before hand on the grill. Since the heat source is bottom heat, it has a tendency to burn very quickly before the rest of the pizza is done. And about 12-15 minutes later, here's the beauty of a pizza we turned out:

Dad, you taught me well :-)

And because we had some garden greens to use up (beet and kale), I sauteed those up with some onion, garlic, and creole seasoning for what turned out to be a delicious Southern meal--pizza style. Delicious!

Time flies...

Dear Blog,

Time flies. I'm so sorry to have neglected you recently.

In my paltry attempt to make up for my busy, whirwind life these past two weeks, here's a bit about what's been happening. I hope you enjoy the catchup!

1. 35 weeks came...

and went.

2. Last weekend was spent making freezer meals. Unfortunately, I didn't have the energy (nor free iota of time or set of hands) to document it, but here's how I helped get us stocked up for when baby arrives:

• made two fryer chickens in the crockpot--season and forget it!--that turned into 2 8X8 pans of chicken spaghetti hotdish; 4 two-cup containers of cooked, cut chicken ready for whatever stirfrys or yummy dishes we can dream up; and 3 quarts of scrumptious chicken broth.
• made one large pork roast in the crockpot--season and forget it!--that turned into 4 large containers of pulled pork for sandwiches, Thai dishes, or something equally as good.
• 7 two-cup containers of spaghetti bolognese sauce
• 6 two-cup containers of sloppy joe mix
• 2 loaves of pumpkin bread
• 1 loaf of zucchini bread
• 1 large batch of granola
• 4 pizza dough balls
• 28 breakfast burrito wraps
• 18 chorizo, bean, and rice burritos
• 2 8X8 pans of lasagna

And I think that was it. All in all, I probably spent about 11 hours over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the kitchen prepping, cooking, and cleaning. So not terrible. And now we've got a whole lot of food to use up once Baby Melbs arrives! A small price to pay for how useful it will be later on!

3. We received a lovely package from my mother-in-law, Mary, that contained the beautiful and gorgeous quilt she made for the crib. It matches the set that we were interested in perfectly! I couldn't believe it!

Isn't it just darling? I can't wait to wrap up Baby Girl in it and snuggle her tight as I rock her to sleep :-)

Also included in the care package (which I love to get, even at this age...I must remember to pass those onto our daughter when she's old enough to get mail!) was another quilt we can use for downstairs, some clothes, Jake's baby blankets (which almost made me cry--how sweet we get to wrap up our little girl in all that history!), and a strand of butterflies to hang, and I thought, "Hmmm...I bet this would make a great mobile for the crib!" And with a little finagling, here's what I came up with:

4. Jake and I also finished setting up the nursery--what a relief! Well, I should say ALMOST as we still have a small bookshelf to put together. But that'll be easy-peasy. So here's the snuggling corner, all set up...

...and the changing table, all ready to go. We're using disposables for the first week or so until the meconium poops have passed and because we had them to use up! Then it'll be onto the cloth diapering adventure...

...and then the crib corner. Oh wait, what do I see? Is that a letter? Yes, but it's the one I gave before--in place! The rest have been photoshopped out :-)

And because I don't want to torture my dear mother toooo much (because I know the effects of Karma), here's another letter, but where it will go, who shall know!

5. 36 weeks is here--one more week until full term! Both Jake and I are having a hard time really comprehending that Baby Melbs could arrive at any time. We're trying to savor our time together, in this state of two-person family that we're in right now, before we welcome our sweet addition and have to reconfigure how we operate and function. Which might take some time, but, as the point of this post goes--time flies! So either way--we'll survive, and hopefully well enough to savor all the moments of Baby Girl's infancy to the max!

So, Blog, I hope that this has made you feel better about my recent two-week absence. I did miss you and hope to update you with more cheer and happenings soon.

Love,
Alyssa

The Last Getaway

The Last Getaway, the "babymoon," the "final trip you're going to have just as a couple before you get saddled down kids." We had been talking about taking this kind of trip for quite some time now, and because circumstances afforded that we could NOT just jet off to Jamaica again (dang!), we opted for another, short getaway that we both love to do: camping!

(reader's thoughts) Wait! Stop. Seriously? Alyssa, are you nuts? Aren't you, like, really pregnant right now?

Answer: why yes, yes I am really pregnant now. Here's the obligatory weekly update to prove it.


Ah! It's growing!

But camping is something that Jake and I try to do at least once a year. Now, it's only ever been once a year even though we say we're going to go more often, and I just couldn't fathom the thought of not even making it out ONCE this year. So on the first free weekend we've had in ages, I said, "Honey, let's go camping!" And so we made our reservation for a campsite at Raccoon Creek State Park, one of my all-time favorite hiking destinations (and Mom, don't worry, it's only about an hour's drive from Pittsburgh, so if I would have gone into early labor, we would have been just a short ride away!).

One of the things that Jake and I love most about camping is cooking over the campfire. We pride ourselves on cooking some pretty fabulous, scrumptious meals while we're camping (a skill taught to me by my Dad--Happy Father's Day!). So for Friday night, we had a version of "taco in a bag." For those who've ever been to a small-town fair in MN, you know exactly what I'm talking about, but it's taco fillings stuffed into a personal size bag of Doritos. Scrumdidliumptious. Only this time, I tried to be "healthy" and got the baked Doritos instead (never mind it still is laden with MSG and artificial colorings), so we ended up making giant taco salads using some frozen taco meat I had stashed in the freezer.

Taco filling turns into...

gigantic taco salads!

Then on Saturday morning--campfire coffee, fried ham and eggs, and toast. We used a half stick of butter for the meal, just to give you a gauge on how good it tasted!

And then, oh then, came the best part of this meal. The bananas I had brought with were almost all destroyed by various things being thrown on top of them. So I salvaged what I could, fried them up and put them on toast. Next best thing to fresh banana bread that I can think of. They were so sweet and caramelized!

And on Saturday evening--homemade brats, cheesy potato packets, and baked beans. Nothing more classic than that!

And for desert: a twist on the S'more using Mr. Goodbar instead of Hershey's chocolate. I think it's my new favorite thing!

Jake and I also love to go hiking. So even though I worried about sending myself into pre-term labor, I couldn't resist taking Beau out into the great outdoors, letting him offleash, and seeing the beauty of nature. Our first hike on Saturday ended up being considerably longer than either of us imagined. Close to 6 miles and 3 hours later, we finally returned to our car! Sunday morning's hike went much quicker, although in some ways it certainly wasn't easier. It started off with a huge ascent (let's just say I didn't stop sweating after that point), and then it went down into this valley with a babbling brook. It was quite serene and beautiful. Here were a few pics we captured from our hikes:

Ferns, ferns, everywhere! It makes me feel like I'm in The Land Before Time.

A random old oil barrel in a stream...

We saw these flowers everywhere! Don't know what they are, but they sure are pretty!

Happiest puppy on the block :-)

Water droplets everywhere. I bet the humidity was at least 85% the entire time we were there.

Shoo, dragonfly!

At this point, Jake goes "Geez, it sure looks like you're having fun!" I was just trying to keep the little, pesky gnats out of my eyes!

Another cool thing I personally enjoy about camping is how easy it is to set up a little make-shift "home away from home." And undeniably, it's pretty easy because I have husband who knows what he's doing in that department!

Jake tending the fire with his poking stick (insert funny comment here).

Jake with his hatchet, trying to divide some of the wood...

...and hatcheting in action!

Relaxing in the sunlight.

And laughing in the breeze :-)

Even when it means protecting me from wild animals, like this young raccoon who came wandering over to our campsite before dinner on Saturday.

Can you spot him?

There he is!

So while it wasn't a glamorous babymoon to an exotic location, we both had a wonderful time basking in each other's company without a care in the world. That being said, we're already talking about how we can bring Baby Girl camping next year. We're going to start her off young around the campfire :-)

Holidays = food and family

When it comes to most holidays, I must admit: it's not the history I typically think of, or even the religious aspects of it. What I think of most are food and family. Doesn't matter which holiday it is, this is what it all boils down to for me. Unfortunately, living so far away from said family means that we don't get to see each other all the time on holidays (at least in person--there's always Skype!), so when we've had holidays out here in Pittsburgh, it thus boils down even further into "food."

This Easter was no different. I must admit that there was some acknowledgment on my part that this would be the last big holiday sans child so I better do all I can in the kitchen while I can without the interruption of pitter-pattering feet. Although truth be told, I'm totally psyched for holidays with children because children = crafts. Awesome!

But I digress. And so I did go all out with this scrumptious feast...

Maple glazed ham
Baked potato
Asparagus deglazed in wine with parmesan cheese and cracker topping
Butternut squash with butter and thyme

Corn muffins
Strawberry spinach salad with homemade poppy seed dressing

For dessert, I cheated. I bought an angel food cake and ice cream from Giant Eagle, but then I made my very own strawberry sauce. This hit the spot after we took Beau for an evening jaunt. So yummy!

This is what he does when I tell him to smile :-)

The other big news of the weekend is that we have finally transitioned the office downstairs (pics coming soon) and have spring cleaned the other bedroom, which means...(drum roll please)...we are ready to begin setting up the nursery! YEAH! Here's our first two decorating projects for the room that we completed just because we could.

Decals from the bedding set that we stuck on the ceiling fan.

Decals on the lamp.

Hopefully Baby Melbs likes the decor when she arrives. Otherwise, she'll just have to change it herself ;-)

Planning Ahead

I'm beginning to understand the virtue of planning ahead.

Yesterday was an incredibly productive day for me. I got up and made 2 large loaves of pumpkin bread, one loaf of wheat bread, and bread dough. I did 5 loads of laundry. Then I proceeded to spring clean from top to bottom both the bedroom and the bathroom (with the help of my dear husband). As much as I dread spring cleaning--even with my "nesting" instinct kicking in--it feels nice to have 2 of 8 rooms completed. 1/4 of the way there!! I And then I went grocery shopping while he prepared dinner, only to come back and prepare two more dinners for the week.

And the benefits of all this planning ahead are already paying off. I was able to come home today and pop the hot dish I had prepped right into the oven, take Beau for a nice long walk, and return with enough time to do the yoga video I had lazily skipped this morning. Then I prepped some of the bread dough for cinnamon rolls...

which, by the way, smell amazing right now (and okay, I might have had one right out of the oven, smothered in butter--oh so yummy!).

I packed my lunch for tomorrow since it always takes up so much precious time in the morning when I'm constantly rushing out the door. I know I'll be breathing easier tomorrow morning :-)

And what's waiting for dinner tomorrow night? Enchilada filling that I made on Sunday night, all ready to go. Just fill and roll tortillas, top with sauce and cheese, and away we go.

I know in the end that it probably takes just the same amount of time as doing it the day of, but it's nice not to have to think too much about dinner when I come home. I'm really hoping this strategy pays off once the baby arrives, too--because we all know how crazy life's gonna get then.

On a completely and unrelated side note, our dog has decided that he's from the hood. Have a good night!

Cheese Explosion

So funny story: over 2 weeks ago, I walked in to volunteer at the East End Food Coop for my usual Tuesday afternoon shift, when I noticed that all of the cheese coolers were empty.  Apparently some pipes had some leaks in them, and so they had to take everything out.  Even though the merchandise was still good, they couldn't sell any of it.  But they could give it away to employees and loyal volunteers (aka me).  After my shift is done, and I've been told by at least 5 different people about the free cheese and tofu products they have, I make my way back to the veggie cooler to find the holy grail of cheese: an entire cart full of local artisan cheeses, from Monterrey Jack to Cheddar to Swiss to Colby to Mozzarella to Provolone to Smoked Gouda to Sage Jack.  They encouraged me to take as much as I wanted and to not forget my friends who might like some too.  I walked out of there with well over 20 bricks of cheese.

Needless to say, we've been working through the cheese bit by bit, but we still have a lot left.  Tonight, I braved my fears and made homemade macaroni and cheese.  My fear lies in the fact that I grew up on the blue box stuff, so my view of Mac n Cheese is rather narrowly limited to that.  My fear is that I don't know what real Mac n Cheese should taste like.  But fear no more, I say.  I found out tonight!

I adapted a recipe from allrecipes.com.  Here's what I did:

Preheated the oven to 400 degrees.  Greased a 9X13 casserole pan.  Boiled for 8 minutes in a pot too small (note to self for next time) 1 pound (16 oz.) wheat elbow macaroni.  Drained pasta.

While that was boiling, I combined the following in a large bowl, almost too small for the end product (note to self for next time):
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded provolone
1 1/2 cup shredded colby
1 cup shredded swiss
1/2 cup shredded smoked gouda
1 cup shredded monterrey jack

Mmmm....cheese explosion....

Next I made the sauce:
3/4 cup plain yogurt (subbed for sour cream which I didn't have)
3/4 cup heavy cream (arteries began to clog at this point in the night)
1/4 cup chicken broth (the recipe's reviews said it was a little dry, so I added this)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. Jamaican jerk seasoning (probably could've used more)

Wait...there's nothing in here!  Because Alyssa forgot to take the picture when it was full :-(

Finally, I combined the drained pasta and cream/yogurt sauce with the cheese.  Stirred thoroughly, popped it in the pan, and topped with a little bit of cheese I reserved and bread crumbs. 

Popped it in the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese was melted.  Then put it under the broiler for about 3-5 minutes, and voila!

Cheese explosion turned yummy goodness, topped with fresh parsley.

The only thing that slightly redeemed the health factor for this meal was serving it alongside steamed broccoli and sliced tomatoes.

But take my advice: don't go back for seconds (note for next time).  Your tummy (and arteries) will thank me.