Luchen Kugel

We had a bunch of apples from Costco and I wasn't sure if we'd eat them all, so I decided to make Kugel. We had all the other ingredients and it's one of my favorite thing to have for breakfast. Kugel is a Jewish side dish, not a breakfast food, but who cares!

My Grandma gave me this recipe, which was her mother's recipe. We don't have a lot of family heirlooms since both my maternal Grandma and Grandpa were 1st generation Americans, so it is nice to have a bit of family history! Her kugel is a sweet, apple and raisin kugel, yum!

Bertha Schreiber's Luchen Kugel

1/2 lb (8oz) broad egg noodles

2 eggs (sometimes I use 3 to hold together better)

3 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp shortening (my Grandma uses margarine, I use butter)

1/2 cup raisins

2 apples peeled and sliced (I usually eyeball and add an extra apple if needed)

*Boil noodles as directed; drain and cool.

*Add slightly beaten eggs to the cooled down noodles to coat.

*Melt fat (butter or marg.) to mixture of apples, raisins, cinnamon and sugar.

*Add some more cinnamon and sugar on top. If you have a really hot oven, I would suggest skipping this step.

*Bake in greased casserole at 350F (180C) for an hour

Serves 4 to 6.

X-Factor

Finally some people who can sing! My favorites from tonight:

Jamie Archer



Miss Fitz

I ♥ My Friends/Family

I'm a very lucky girl! My best friend Sabrina sent me this super cool diaper bag last week. It's called OiOi, I'm not sure if it's punk or Jewish or both like me, but I love it! How cute is it???



My sister Alison also sent this super cute penguin hat from Etsy, modelled here by Gee Gee and Emma.

The Bebe is going to have a cute warm noggin' and I'm going to have a styling bag to schlep it's dirty drawers around in. SCORE!

Thank you xoxoxo

22 weeks

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Their lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and they are even developing tiny tooth buds beneath their gums. Their eyes have formed, but their irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers their body and the deep wrinkles on their skin, which they'll sport until they add a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside their belly, their pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

*How far along?: 22 weeks
*Total weight gain: Don't know, they don't weigh me at my appointments
*How big is baby?: Spaghetti squash or papaya
*Maternity clothes?: Yup
*Sleep?: I've been attempting to nap, but I wake up feeling even worse then before I slept

*Best moment this week?: NBH trying out the baby carrier we bought

*Movement?: Super squirmy/twisty bebe

*Food cravings?: No
*Labor signs?: No
*Belly button in or out?: Innie
*What I miss: Energy
*What I'm looking forward to: Preview of "Funny People" tonight
*Milestone: Getting our flat valued to go on the market

X-Factor is back!

X-Factor is back and in it's honor I decided to have a cheesy dinner of Velveeta shells and cheese :)

The format is the same as last year, except contestant must audition in front of a live audience as in the "Got Talent" format. I have to say I'm not a fan of the addition of backing music at this stage; I don't think you get the same impact you get with a capella auditions.

Perhaps it's not surprising then that one of my favorites is Duane Lamonte, who sang a capella. he made it through the 1st rounds last year, but not to the live shows.

I haven't watched the X-tra Factor yet, but all in all I wasn't that impressed with the 1st episode. I feel like I barely saw any auditions and where were the groups? the over 25s? Hopefully it will get better as the season goes on.

I ♥ Esteban

Cincinnati's emergency kicker and international soccer fan booted the decisive extra point late in the first half and the Bengals beat the sloppy New England Patriots 7-6 on Thursday night.

'' 'Esteban' Ochocinco is back, the most interesting footballer in the world,'' Ochocinco said. ''Everyone has to remember, I've always said that soccer is my No. 1 sport. I think Ronaldinho would be proud of me right now.''

Ochocinco practices kicking but had never done it in a preseason or regular-season game in his eight years with the Bengals, the first seven as Chad Johnson . But when Shayne Graham 's groin felt sore in pregame warmups, coach Marvin Lewis decided to rest the team's franchise player and see what Ochocinco could do.

He did very well.

After the game, Ochocinco pulled out his PDA and displayed a photo of him with soccer star David Beckham.

''Soccer's my first love, Kicking's easy ... like riding a bike,'' he said. ''I can kick them from 50, 60 yards, left or right hash mark. ... I kicked all through high school.''

© Sports Illustrated

Greek Nachos

I have a lot of food blogs in my Google reader and came across this post for Greek nachos, unfortunately there wasn't a recipe. Cue NBH to the rescue! He googled and created his own interpretation and it was really good!


1 packet of Quorn mince
4 pita pockets
1/2 cucumber
1-2 tomatoes
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 lemon
160g feta


Spice Mix:

2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon


1) Cut Pitas in half and then into wedges. Drizzle with olive oil sparingly and bake in the oven at 200C for 10 minutes or until brown and crisp.

2) Roughly Chop Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Feta and set aside.

3) Mix yogurt and zest and juice of lemon and set aside.

4) Brown Quorn in a little oil and then add 1/2 cup of water and the spice mix. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat until all the liquid is gone; about ten minutes.

5) Arrange pita chips on a plate and top with "meat," and feta. Grill until cheese melts.

6) Top with tomatoes and cucumbers. Drizzle with lemon yogurt sauce and enjoy!

NBH adds that he put a few drops of peppermint extract to the sauce, but only because we didn't have any fresh mint. He'd add the mint to the sauce and garnish with it as well next time.

21 weeks

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like they're practicing martial arts as their initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know them better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

*How far along?: 21 weeks

*Total weight gain: Don't know

*How big is baby?: Banana or Carrot apparently and 3/4 of a lb (weight of a large potato, we played with the scales at the grocery today)

*Maternity clothes?: Yup

*Sleep?: I've been waking up every 2 hours in during the night to pee, not fun

*Best moment this week?: Detailed scan/Finding out the sex

*Movement?: Still getting kicked, a lot especially after eating chocolate

*Food cravings?: Nope

*Labor signs?: Nope

*Belly button in or out?: Innie

*What I miss: Nice hair. My hair looks like crapola still.

*What I'm looking forward to: Paycheck on Thursday

*Milestone: Finding out the baby's sex and NBH feeling kicks from the outside

Pretzels & Puppies

For some odd reason, in the sonogram waiting area they always have American cooking magazines. I can't for the life of me figure out where they come from, but I enjoy them none the less.

During our last wait we saw a recipe for homemade Auntie Anne's pretzels. Since I haven't been feeling well NBH googled the recipe and from scratch made me Auntie Anne's style soft pretzels and sweet mustard sauce.

They were really yummy and I'm super impressed he made something with live yeast, something I've never attempted. I might ask him to try Cinnamon rolls next!

In other random news apparently Emma wanted to play Scrabble last night, too. She walked in front of me and sat down square in front of my spot.

Yes we play board games before we go to bed sometimes, so what? And for those with eagle eyes and a dirty mind, it's a male chicken, ok?

Elvis, Madonna & Us

51 years ago

Madonna Louise Ciccone born.

32 years ago

Elvis Presley dies.



6 years ago

NBH and Blondie meet.

Detailed Scan

Yesterday, we went for my detailed scan, which is sometimes called an anomaly scan. You aren't given one automatically in my health board area, but come on y'all know me, I get what I want!

Basically a Doctor comes and looks at the baby's brain, spine, face, heart, limbs and other organs to make sure there aren't any visible defects.

Baby Moore was what she called "a wriggler" aka they wouldn't sit still and kept moving about. As NBH said "we can tell it's yours;" me a bit hyper? Never! The babe was also sticking it's tongue out at us, so it is cheeky already.

Everything looked great. You could clearly see all 4 chambers of the heart beating away and she said the baby had chubby cheeks and long legs, so a little bit of me and a little bit of NBH already. I had a dream we saw chubby cheeks on an ultrasound, so that was a bit creepy!

Later she realized she hadn't printed off pictures for us and went back to take some and it had gone to sleep and wouldn't move. So basically whatever the Dr. wanted, it did the opposite. Personally I kinda think it looks like a Panda and a bit creepy here, but here are the pics.

Imagine the baby is lying down and looking at you from the side. The two black spots are eyes (remember it is like an xray).

We do know what sex the baby is, but as some family members would prefer to be surprised, we will not be announcing what that is. Sorry!!

20 weeks

They're swallowing more these days, which is good practice for their digestive system. Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. They're also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of their head to their bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, they're measured from head to toe.)

*How far along?: 20 weeks- half-way there!

*Total weight gain: Another 2-3kg over the last 2 weeks, eek.

*How big is baby?: Cantaloupe

*Maternity clothes?: Bought two new t-shirts for work

*Sleep?: I had two weird dreams, one in which some guy punched NBH and I then mouthed off at him and he grabbed me and another where these red spots on my chest started bleeding. Also had one where I was dating Paul Rudd and another where I baked Nutella cupcakes; they were more pleasant.

*Best moment this week?: Amazingly decadent (and free!) dinner at the Millennium for our anniversary

*Movement?: Getting kicked a lot. Mostly after I eat or if I am leaning over (like at my desk)

*Food cravings?: Lack of cravings; nothing ever sounds good

*Labor signs?: Nope

*Belly button in or out?: Put in the PTFE belly bar and as my stomach pushes out it is super obvious that I have a stomach piercing and not a belly button piercing, not very attractive, but then neither is two holes on my stomach.

*What I miss: Energy, still.

*What I'm looking forward to: Detailed scan on Friday and *hopefully* finding out what the bebe is packing (check out the poll on the top of the blog)

*Milestone: Half-way there!

1st Anniversary Weekend

NBH and I had a great anniversary weekend.

He made me a bouquet of origami tulips, since the traditional 1st anniversary present is paper. He also got me vouchers for cooking classes at Braehead foods, which I am super excited about!
I got him tickets to see Brian Wilson (from the Beach Boys) at the Royal Concert Hall in September. NBH keeps missing his shows and this will be his first time seeing him; it's also a Greatest Hits show, so should be good!


We had a free night at the hotel we held our Scottish reception at as well as dinner and breakfast. We assumed we'd have to choose from a set menu, but we got to have ANYTHING off the menu for free! Here's what we had:

Starters

B: Pan Fried Loch Fyne Scallops

French Black Pudding, Pancetta and Olive Mash

NBH: Warm Tuna Salad

Served with Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Black Olives & French Beans

Main Course

B: 8oz Fillet

Specially selected, quality aged, Scottish Beef from West-Greenland Farm,Castletan, Thurso. Seasoned and cooked to your liking with Grilled Plum Tomato and Chunky Hand Cut Fries

Tender cut from the Tenderloin that will melt in your mouth

NBH: Pan Seared Fillet of Seabass

Pureed Peas, Fennel & Potato Salad

Side Order of Pomme Dauphinoise

Dessert

B: Apple Crepe

Cinnamon Ice Cream

NBH: Trio of Brûlée

Lemon, Orange, Vanilla Bean

We thought we'd have to pay for NBH's wine, but they comped that too! We also got 4 drinks vouchers with check-in. All and all it was a very decadent and lovely night!

12/52/365=♥

~08/08/08, Ault Park, Cincinnati, Ohio~

19 weeks

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.)


Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Their brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that they may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to them, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Their arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of their body now. Their kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on their scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

*How far along?: 19 weeks
*Total weight gain: Haven't weighed myself since last week
*How big is baby?: mango, mmm I had some in a smoothie this am
*Maternity clothes?: jeans all the time, tops sometimes; wearing a top my mom got me today
*Sleep?: I think it's time for one of those special pillows as I keep waking up with a dead arm that's been under my side/stomach
*Best moment this week?: Introducing the baby to Cincinnati style chili, mmm
*Movement?: Not very much lately
*Food cravings?: Sweet stuff
*Labor signs?: Nope
*Belly button in or out?: In; ordered a PTFE belly bar today
*What I miss: Energy
*What I'm looking forward to: Celebrating our 1st anniversary with dinner/bed/breakfast at the Millennium (where we had Scottish reception) on Saturday
*Milestone: I can see my bump even through over sized t-shirts

Information from BabyCentre and The Bump.

I ♥ My Family

I came home early from work on Friday because I was feeling crappy and found not one, but two care packages from Cincinnati!

My lovely cousin and BFF Laura sent me a box with American magazines, Cincinnati City Beat, chips, Frisch's Big Boy Tartar Sauce, Duck Sauce, Skyline Chili and two super cute sets of baby socks to cover our bases. What's up with the dryer balls? NBH found a commercial for them hilarious the last time we were home.

My Dad sent me 8 cans of Cincinnati style chili, chili seasoning packs (so we can make our own with veggie mince for NBH), Velveeta Shells and Cheese, Blackberries Foster, Michigan Fudge and Popcorn.

I love getting mail of any kinda (not bills), especially care packages with goodies I can't get in Glasgow; it makes me not miss home so much.

Thank you!!!