Merry Christmas

Our nephew Dexter was enjoying one of his Christmas presents, and listening to Baby B's heart beat.

33 Weeks

Back in September I remember thinking "I wonder what I will feel like come Christmas". Happy to report I am still feeling pretty good, there are some things I could live without - not being able to stay awake past 9:00pm, finding a comfortable sleeping position, the backaches, and at some point I would like my bladder to come back (I really miss you).

We are heading to our families' houses to spend Christmas. While we are excited for this Christmas, I keep thinking about next year being Baby B's first Christmas. 49 days to go.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Chocolate Peanut Squares

These are seriously good, so good I have to keep them in my highest kitchen cabinet so they are not within arms reach. They are easy to make, you just have to be patient while each layer sets in the refrigerator.


Chocolate Peanut Squares

Layer 1: base
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup semi- sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Layer 2: Filling
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1-1/2 cups marshmallow creme
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

Layer 3: Caramel layer
1 package (14 ounces) caramels
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Layer 4: Icing:
1 cup cup of semi- sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:
Line a 13-in. x 9-in. pan with foil; butter the foil with 2 teaspoons butter and set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine base layer ingredients (chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and peanut butter); stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread into prepared pan. Refrigerate until set.

For filling, in a small heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add sugar and milk; bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; boil and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the marshmallow creme, peanut butter and vanilla. Add peanuts. Spread over first layer. Refrigerate until set.

For caramel layer, in a small heavy saucepan, combine the caramels and cream; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Cook and stir 4 minutes longer. Spread over the filling. Refrigerate until set.

For icing, in another saucepan, combine chips and peanut butter; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Pour over the caramel layer. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cutting. Remove from pan and cut into 1-in. squares. Store in an airtight container.

This recipe is from Taste of Home, the original recipe calls for milk chocolate, I use semi-sweet.

Peanut Tree

Over the weekend Julie and her Mom put up the tree for the baby's room, here is a brief video I put together of the process.

Chicken Tamale Cassrole

The is a recipe from Cooking Light, a super easy Mexican casserole. Cory made this for his work Christmas Party.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Ingredients:
1 cup (4 ounces) pre-shredded, Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
Cooking spray
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
Fat-free or light sour cream

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chilies) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese*. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Top each serving with sour cream.

*I like cheese so I typically use more than what the recipe calls for.

32 Weeks

We had a very busy baby weekend. Earlier this week Cory assembled the wardrobe from Ikea and we moved out the old bedroom furniture in the baby's room. On Saturday we spent the full day at child birthing class and were pleasantly surprised how much we enjoyed the class. Our favorite piece of the day was when the nurse compared the pain of childbirth to passing a kidney stone, the only difference being a baby is more fun to hold than a kidney stone.

After that we get to pick up our crib and dresser!! Today my mom came down to help me put up the vinyl wall decal we got for her room. Thankfully mom is a pro at putting things like this up. Below is a picture of the decal, ours will be slightly different colors to match the bedding. We will post pictures this week of our progress.

Veggie Squares

Sharing some of our favorite recipes for the holiday season. I made these for my office Christmas Party, they are super simple and always devoured within minutes.


Veggie Squares

INGREDIENTS:
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 cups total of veggies:
¾ cup broccoli florets, finely chopped
¾ cup sweet red pepper, finely chopped
¾ cup black olives finely diced
¾ cup red onion, finely chopped
McCormick Salad Supreme (you’ll find it in the spice section)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Unroll crescent rolls onto a baking sheet, and press together the seams to form a single sheet of dough. Bake according to the directions on the package and let cool.
2. Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, and basil together and spread the mixture onto the top of the cooled crescent rolls.
3. Sprinkle veggies on top of the cream cheese mixture.
4. Sprinkle McCormick Salad Supreme all over the top of the veggies. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and with your hands gently press the veggies in to the cream cheese mixture; it will help them stick. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Cut into squares to serve.

31 Weeks

We spent the weekend in Pittsburgh doing some shopping for the nursery at Ikea. Baby B is need of more closet space, just like her mom :)


Still feeling good except occasionally she likes to rest on my sciatic nerve, which is not too pleasant. She is moving a ton, its so crazy to see the shape of her hand or foot pushing through as she moves from side to side.

View from the top, I miss seeing my feet and being able to pull up my chair to my work desk.


Christmas is coming soon!

Hey Mom & Dad, where is the house?

My parents sent me photos of their house after last week's snowstorm that hit the southtowns of Buffalo. I probably shouldn't tell them that I can still see my grass.

30 Weeks

We tackled some major nesting projects this weekend; well really I did some Christmas shopping and when I got home 3 hours later Cory had transformed the basement into an organized storage space. All the baby stuff in the house is so exciting; less than 10 weeks until her arrival.

My doctor's appointment on Tuesday went well, she is growing right on target and my iron levels are returning to normal.

Cider Party, Turkey Day, and Baby Shower

Cider Party: photos here

Thanksgiving: photos here

Baby Shower: photos here

29 Weeks

Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day! We enjoyed two delicious Thanksgiving dinners at our a parents' houses. Looking forward to my first baby shower tomorrow afternoon.

28 Weeks

Officially in the third trimester! Still feeling really good, just a bit more tired than usual. Last week was really busy for us - Cory was in Indianapolis presenting at a conference and on Sunday we were in Rochester for his parent's annual Cider Party. We are looking forward to a quiet (and short) work week and a restful Thanksgiving. The students are off from school all this week for Thanksgiving break - that is definitely something to be thankful for!

27 Weeks

My doctor's appointment on Wednesday went well, Baby B is looking great. I on the other hand need to increase my iron intake. My bloodwork showed severe anemia. I have to take an iron supplement in addition to my vitamins to get my level up to normal. Next doctor's appointment is in 2 weeks.

Ordered the glider rocker this weekend. I resisted the glider at first, but they are so comfortable. Our furniture should be in around the New Year, which is not that far away, but I want to start decorating the room so badly!

Beautiful Fall Day

Julie and I had a very successful weekend working on leaves and the cutting back the flower garden. Despite rain for 4 straight days (and snow Friday night), by early afternoon on Saturday, Chautauqua was finally fishable. Here is a picture of a fresh steelhead who put up a good fight.
It was gratifying to walk up to a hole where two guys have been fishing for the better point of the morning and were about to call it quits, so they gave the the hole. Third drift on a green banana, I landed this guy. They agreed to take a photo and decided not to call it a day. I proceeded to catch two more over the next hour, to their zero (even considering I gave them the exact same fly).
Got to love fall.

26 Weeks

Movement is becoming more frequent and her kicks are getting stronger. Of course her favorite time to be active is around 2:00-3:00am as I am trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. Next doctor's appointment is this Wednesday.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from Cory, Julie, and Peanut B.

Julie and Peanut M&M

Trick or Treating was last night in our Village. For safety reasons we remove the glass insert to the storm door. Our front steps are short and when trying to open the door we have had some close calls with little ones stepping backward and almost falling.

Last night a little boy about four years old came to our door. After I put the candy in his bag, he looked up at me with big eyes and said "Are you magic? How did you do that?" I am really confused, until he darts his little hand through the open door. "I thought you were putting your hand through the glass door". After that he looked very disappointed that I wasn't magic.

Happy Trick or Treating!

25 Weeks

25 Weeks, the time is starting to fly by and we are coming to the realization that Baby B will be here in 15 weeks, a little more than 100 days. This morning I had my glucose test for gestational diabetes. You have to drink that yucky orange beverage and wait an hour to have blood drawn. I will find out next week if I passed.

How you know you live in a small town - last week I called our hospital about signing up for child-birthing classes. I was informed they had their last series of classes in late September/early October and they wouldn't be offering any more classes until January - if they have enough interest. Not enough babies are born to justify more classes. So we are looking into options at other hospitals and clinics. I am viewing this a positive - when we have our baby the hospital staff will be very attentive because apparently no one is having a baby in the winter, except us!

24 Weeks

For the past few weeks I have started to feel movement, a random flutter, but nothing consistent. On my birthday I felt my first kick - best birthday present ever! Even better Cory got to feel some of the kicks as well.

On Friday we got wonderful news, Cory passed the qualifying exam for his PhD! Now he has to write that pesky little paper - the dissertation.

This afternoon we are going to order the nursery furniture (thanks grandmas-to-be).


A glimpse in to what our house will soon look like....

Thanks to wonderful friends who have baby stuff they no longer need our house is starting to fill-up with baby gear and adorable clothes.




Thanks to Cory who made my 30th birthday, a week-long celebration. Last weekend we had an amazing dinner at sea.bar.

beef on weck roll, which really tasted like the sandwich

tornado salad was incredible

23 Weeks

I had a doctor's appointment on Friday and every looks great. Next appointment is November 10th. Tonight we are having an early birthday celebration with my parents, Cory's parents and his siblings. We are going to Sea Bar, and as tempted as I will be by raw tuna and salmon - I will be a good and stick with cooked rolls - maybe one piece of tuna, just don't tell my mom :)

Conversation from last weekend on parenting:

Cory: I'm just letting you know that I'm claiming 'good cop'.
Me: Oh really, you are claiming 'good cop', so does that mean I have to be 'bad cop'.
Cory: No. I'm just claiming 'good cop', you can be whatever cop you want to be, but I will be 'good cop' .
Me: Glad we worked that one out.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake in a Gingersnap Crust

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs*
3/4 cup ground hazelnuts (i used pecans)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
4 eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 9 inch springform pan.
2. Using a fork, combine gingersnaps, hazelnuts, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom and two inches up the sides of the pan to form the crust.
3. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the pumpkin. Mix in the cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until smooth.
4. Pour batter into prepared crust. Place pan on a baking sheet, the crust will release some butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 90 minutes, or until center of cheesecake is set. Allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.

*Use a food processor if you have one, makes this step much easier.

22 Weeks

Our Tuesday ultrasound was so exciting. Baby B was moving around a ton; she (its nice to know which pronoun to use) weighs about 20 ounces. The ultrasound tech thought my due date would be closer to February 7th rather than the 11th, based on the baby's measurements, but they are not going to change my due date. This afternoon we are going to have some fun registering; Cory has insisted on holding the scanning gun :)

Cory Wins the Bet!!!

Just got back from the doctors, everyone is healthy, baby was moving around a ton and oh yes...
Peanut B is a Girl!!!

21 Weeks

Childcare enrollment is tougher than getting in to college. Yesterday we toured the childcare center on campus; in August they moved in to a brand new facility. It is definitely our first choice, but of course there is a waiting list. We are pretty high on the waiting list, so we have a good chance of getting in for August. It is mind boggling to put your name on a waiting listing in July for childcare that won't happen until the following August.

Cory thinks we are having a girl, I think we are having a boy - on Tuesday we get find out who is right. We will post an update Tuesday night.

20 Weeks

20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go - it is hard for me believe to how fast this going. Cory has his written comprehensive exam this weekend. This is the first hurdle on the way to completing his Ph.D. I am staying with my parents this weekend, so Cory can write. My mom and I are going baby shopping - way more fun than writing a paper. Prayers and good thoughts for Cory are appreciated!

Apple Cheesecake

Wednesdays at work we take turns making soup or dessert for our office lunch. Tomorrow is my turn for dessert and I made apple cheesecake. It is the perfect dessert for the beginning of my favorite season, fall.

Apple Cheesecake

Crumb Base
1 cup graham cracker crumbs, softened
½ cup finely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons white sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling
2 (8 ounce) packages cream, softened
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups apples -peeled, cored, thinly sliced- about 3 large apples (microwave the sliced apples for two minutes to remove moisture)
¼ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup chopped pecans
½ cup of caramel topping- optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and melted butter; press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar. Mix at medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in vanilla; pour filling into the baked crust.

In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Toss the cinnamon-sugar with the apples to coat. Spoon apple mixture over cream cheese layer and sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped pecans.

Bake at 350 in middle of oven for 60 minutes. Turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven additional 15 minutes. With a knife, loosen cake from rim of pan. Let cool, then remove the rim of pan. Chill cake before serving.

Optional ***Drizzle warmed caramel over top of slightly cooled cheesecake.

19 Weeks

Elastic waistbands, where have you been all my life? I don't why I held out so long, but yesterday I started wearing maternity jeans and OMG so much more comfortable. I may never take these off. Starting to feel some movement, a random flutter or kick, but nothing consistent.

Matt and Dan are coming down on tonight, on Sunday the boys are going on a fishing charter for walleye. I am meeting Linda and my mom for lunch and a trip to the Quaker Arts Festival.