Runaway October

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I hope all of you are having a wonderful day. I know I am!

My boys got me this:

Isn’t it cute?

Here’s a Mother’s Day Interview from my 3 year old, Declan:

My Mom

I really love it when my mom puts my clothes on.

My mom likes to wear underwear.

My mom always tells me, “Go to timeout.” (Yikes!)

The best thing she does is feed me breakfast.

It makes her happy when we get on our bikes, go bye bye and have breakfast.

My mom loves to relax by sitting in the chair and talking to me.

I like it when she reads bed time stories.

The best thing she cooks is pancakes.

When my mom shops she likes to buy food and fabric.

My mom’s favorite household chore is ironing.

My mom’s favorite TV show is Spongebob.

If she could go on a trip, she would go to the park.

I love my mom because she is a good, nice mama!

Thanks to Let’s Explore for the wonderful idea!

I have a hard time cooking for my brood some most days. Some don’t like mushrooms, some don’t like anything spicy, some don’t like food that requires work (such as chicken wings), some just don’t like anything like little Rowan. It can get frustrating when you’re flipping through a cookbook listing off delicious recipes and everything gets vetoed by one person or another. It’s also frustrating when you give up and choose something and it doesn’t getting eaten quickly enough to not grow slimy in the fridge. I know. It’s hard to believe that happens in this house.

Matt, the boys and I stopped by a Half-Price Book store the other night, and I rescued a couple beat up lowfat cook books for a dollar a piece. Can you imagine the groans that caused? “Lowfat? You mean ‘Flavor Free’ right?” Etc etc. But there are actually quite a few recipes that I think will end up being keepers. This recipe is one of them.

Seafood is not something we normally eat. I’ve never been huge fan, Matt doesn’t see what the hype is about, and kids will be kids, right? My brother on the other hand… We made a double batch and picked up a pound of shrimp on sale for less than 5 dollars. Everything else I pretty much had on hand.

Even a large serving of the dish comes in under 350 calories. The pasta makes it very filling, and the broccoli gives you lots of good vitamins. Am I the only mama blessed with kids that generally love vegetables?

Pardon my bad pictures. The sun had gone down before I started dinner. Oops!

Pasta in Garlic Sauce with Shrimp and Broccoli

Adapted from The 99% Fat-Free Cookbook

This clear, thin garlic sauce is a noteworthy change from the heavy mound under which pasta typically is buried. It lends both a permeating flavor and a gloss to the pasta, set off by flecks of seafood and vegetables.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 10 gloves garlic
• 1 cup 99% fat free, reduced sodium Chicken Stock
• 8 ounces uncooked thin-strand spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 pound broccoli florets (About 1 large head)
• 1/2 cup sliced white onion (About 1 small onion)
• 1/2 pound cooked medium shrimp (About 24) peeled, deveined, and halved
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

• Put the garlic and stock in a small nonreactive sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the garlic is soft and easily smashed with a fork. Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta, stirring to make sure the strands don’t stick together, and cook over high heat to desired tenderness. (3 to 4 minutes for homemade or other fresh pasta, 8 to 10 minutes for dry pasta.)
• Meanwhile, put 1 tablespoon of water in a nonstick frying pan and bring to boil over medium heat. Add the broccoli and onion and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp, dill and the remaining tablespoon of water. Stir, recover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
• When the pasta in done, drain it in a colander and return it to the pot over very low heat. Add the garlic puree then mix well to coat the pasta. Add the broccoli-shrimp mixture and the seasonings. Toss together until well blended and serve immediately.

Nutrition info:

• Calories      316.1
• Total Fat     2.5 g
  • Saturated Fat     0.2 g
  • Polyunsaturated Fat     0.9 g
• Monounsaturated Fat     0.2 g
• Cholesterol     110.5 mg
• Sodium     613.3 mg
• Potassium     416.4 mg
• Total Carbohydrate     49.7 g
  • Dietary Fiber     4.8 g
  • Sugars     2.1 g
• Protein     22.2 g
• Vitamin A     30.0 %
• Vitamin B-12     14.1 %
• Vitamin B-6     15.8 %
• Vitamin C     115.2 %
• Vitamin D     0.0 %
• Vitamin E     7.2 %
• Calcium     7.8 %
• Copper     9.1 %
• Folate     39.6 %
• Iron     25.0 %
• Magnesium     10.6 %
• Manganese     18.5 %
• Niacin     30.3 %
• Pantothenic Acid         6.3 %
• Phosphorus         14.5 %
• Riboflavin     22.1 %
• Selenium     36.7 %
• Thiamin     36.0 %
• Zinc     8.8 %

Which household chore do you dislike the most?

I dislike them all, but the ones that really get me are laundry and dishes. It’s a never ending battle. As soon as the kitchen is spotless it’s time to cook a meal. As soon as every scrap of laundry is washed and folded it’s time to change into pajamas or whatnot. It’s not like washing windows or scrubbing a toilet. With those, you’re good for at least a week.

What’s the best museum you’ve ever visited?

I haven’t seen many I guess. I really like all kids museums. Hands on activities rock!

It’s Star Wars Day today. I’ve never seen any of the Star Wars movies. What “common” movies haven’t you seen?

I think I’ve got most oldies covered. I don’t see many new ones, so I haven’t seen that Twilight movie yet. {collective gasp from the aduience} Yes, I know.

Join us!

Did I mention that I was participating in the 2009 Chinese Coin Quilt Piece-along? It’s being hosted by two of my favorite bloggers: Juliette of Chickpea Sewing Studio and Karin of Orange Flower. Basically, the premise is to complete a Coin Quilt sometime within the year of 2009. That’s it. No deadlines, no requirements or restrictions, no partners, no nothing. How much easier can it get?

Here are some of the wonderful coin quilts that have already been finished. Aren’t these ladies amazingly creative, and on the ball to boot?

1. coin top, 2. DSC_6007, 3. Elena’s Quilt, 4. Quilt #4 — Stacked Coins, front

The rest of the 2009 Coin Quilt Piece-Along Flickr pool can be found here.

I am to the sandwiching and quilting stage on my coin quilt. I have to clean a spot on the floor long enough to get everything pinned together. See why it takes me so long? It’s like someone somewhere is bound and determined to make me do housework, no matter how much I avoid it. These sites have been the inspiration for my little quilt.

• Here is a great downloadable Coin Quilt tutorial by CluckCluckSew.
• A Stacked Coins Baby Quilt tutorial is available at The Moda Bake Shop, provided by CrazyMomQuilts.
• Great Coin Quilt inspiration at Handmade by Alissa.
• Another Coin Quilt tutorial via Home School Blogger.
• MaryQuilts.com has a few Chinese Coin Quilt tutorials in the right sidebar, though there are many many more beautiful tutorials listed as well.
• More Chinese Coin Quilt instructions from Field Trips in Fiber

If you feel the urge to participate, please join us!