So I can't find the iconic picture of Milwaukee's City Hall with the "Welcome Milwaukee Visitors" sign made famous by "Laverne and Shirley," but welcome visitors to my little corner of the blogosphere.
I am the featured blogger today on the SITS Girls Recipes site! I feel so honored! I feel so unprepared! I need to clean house! I need to add more recipes! I need to fix broken links and messy lists! Tidy the joint up a little bit.
I hope you enjoy my recipes, and the rest of my blog. Now that I've been featured on a recipe blog, I'm taking a vow to post one new recipe a week. I'm not committing to a day yet, just one recipe a week. Enjoy!
Tortellini Carbonara With Ham
2 pkgs frozen cheese tortellini
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked ham
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I use ground peppercorns from a pepper mill) or more to taste
Bring three quarts of water to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package directions. Drain well, set aside. Heat oil in deep 12 inch, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add ham, cook 1-2 minutes to heat through. Add half and half, stir well continue to heat.
In small bowl combine eggs and cheese. Beat well to combine. Slowly stir egg mixture into cream mixture. Continue to stir and cook until mixture begins to thickent (about 2-3 minutes). Remove skillet from heat. Add cooked, drained pasta. Return to medium-low heat, stirring and tossing pasta till coaated. Season with black pepper. Makes six servings.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
A Bunch of Random Thoughts
I have a holiday weekend hangover (not a real hangover, I'm just tired) and can't form a coherent thought that's longer than a couple of sentences, so here's just a random collection of stuff for Monday.
1. I laid out in the sun yesterday and it felt wonderful. Forget about global warming. Forget about skin cancer. Slather on some SPF 50 and spend some time in the sun. It did wonders for my mood, and changed my skin color from translucent to off-white.
2. I'm 4 days away from running my 5K. I didn't run all weekend. I feel guilty about it. I am going to do an easy run today (2 miles) then take the next two days off.
3. A note to all of you with music players on your blogs. You make it very hard for me to blog surf at work. I forget to turn the volume down and suddenly I'm rocking out. I like the music... it just always startles me. Fortunately many of you have taste in music that is similar to my own.
4. A note to all women, and women with tween/teen girls: your dresses should cover your butts. I'm serious here. Tunic tops are in fashion right now, but if the thing just barely covers your butt, you should seriously consider wearing something underneath the tunic. I spent time at the zoo this weekend and saw way too many moms/women/stick figures in dresses that weren't really dresses, just really long tops. I don't care how you are built, underpants hanging out or flashes of butt cheek from under your "dress" have never been in fashion. Unless you're a hooker or a stripper.
And then there was the girl in church who looked to be maybe in junior high with the skirt that didn't cover her butt cheeks. This girl was tall and thin, very pretty, but I didn't need to see the flash of her underwear IN CHURCH. And she was there with her mom, so obviously mom saw her daughter before they walked out of the house this morning. The girl spent half of church tugging at the non-existent hemline of this micro-micro-mini skirt trying to make sure her butt wasn't hanging out. AT CHURCH! Of all the places you don't want your butt/underwear hanging out, I would think CHURCH would be at the top of the list.
5. The bathroom has now been painted. Craig did a great job, doing two coats and hanging the main mirror/medicine cabinet this weekend. I forgot to take pictures last night but it looks awesome. I promise to take an update pictures tonight, and post it tomorrow. So you'll just have to sit in eager anticipation until then.
1. I laid out in the sun yesterday and it felt wonderful. Forget about global warming. Forget about skin cancer. Slather on some SPF 50 and spend some time in the sun. It did wonders for my mood, and changed my skin color from translucent to off-white.
2. I'm 4 days away from running my 5K. I didn't run all weekend. I feel guilty about it. I am going to do an easy run today (2 miles) then take the next two days off.
3. A note to all of you with music players on your blogs. You make it very hard for me to blog surf at work. I forget to turn the volume down and suddenly I'm rocking out. I like the music... it just always startles me. Fortunately many of you have taste in music that is similar to my own.
4. A note to all women, and women with tween/teen girls: your dresses should cover your butts. I'm serious here. Tunic tops are in fashion right now, but if the thing just barely covers your butt, you should seriously consider wearing something underneath the tunic. I spent time at the zoo this weekend and saw way too many moms/women/stick figures in dresses that weren't really dresses, just really long tops. I don't care how you are built, underpants hanging out or flashes of butt cheek from under your "dress" have never been in fashion. Unless you're a hooker or a stripper.
And then there was the girl in church who looked to be maybe in junior high with the skirt that didn't cover her butt cheeks. This girl was tall and thin, very pretty, but I didn't need to see the flash of her underwear IN CHURCH. And she was there with her mom, so obviously mom saw her daughter before they walked out of the house this morning. The girl spent half of church tugging at the non-existent hemline of this micro-micro-mini skirt trying to make sure her butt wasn't hanging out. AT CHURCH! Of all the places you don't want your butt/underwear hanging out, I would think CHURCH would be at the top of the list.
5. The bathroom has now been painted. Craig did a great job, doing two coats and hanging the main mirror/medicine cabinet this weekend. I forgot to take pictures last night but it looks awesome. I promise to take an update pictures tonight, and post it tomorrow. So you'll just have to sit in eager anticipation until then.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Mmmm... Birthday Cake
That was my best Homer Simpson impersonation. I love birthday cake. It doesn't have to be fancy. It doesn't have to have filling. Just a box of Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker cake mix. Preferrably fudge marble flavored. And the frosting has to be buttercream. My mom makes the best buttercream frosting. And since it's nearly the end of the first week of July, and the Nablopomo theme is "Food," and I haven't posted about food yet, here's my first food post. Plus a couple of birthday cake photos.
Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter or margerine
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar one cup at a time, beating well at medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, frosting will appear dry. Add milk and beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Keep icing bowl covered with damp cloth until ready to decorate cake. For best results, keep bowl in refrigerator when not in use.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
The Story of Alex - Part Two
Just before midnight on July 4, 2008, I started the hard labor process.
I had already exhausted one shift of nurse's and was on my second. The first nurse was wonderful. She was probably in her late 40s early 50s. She was a great coach. She and Craig helped me through a couple of pushes, but the baby still wasn't budging much.
I pushed and pushed in every concievable position (and even a couple of really inconcievable ones) for the next 4 hours. About 3:30AM on July 5th I was exhausted emotionally and physically. I had been awake since 6:30AM the previous morning (cruising toward 24 hours awake), I hadn't had anything to eat in almost the same amount of time, and I'd been pushing for 4 hours. I just wanted to be done!
Craig was wonderful through the whole thing. He held my hand, my leg, my foot. He did whatever he was told. I think there was only one point when I yelled a him because he was hurting me. They finally called the on-call doctor at my OB/GYN group to come in and deliver me. We were almost to the finish line but it felt like labor was never going to end. I was exhausted and the nurse said she was going to leave and be back in a few minutes. She gave us 30 minutes to rest and recharge. It was wonderful. I actually took a power nap in that short amount of time.
The nurses came back had me push several more times and we made a little progress but the baby reached a point and just wouldn't budge any further. The doctor came in and checked me and said that we needed to start considering a C-Section. I just about lost it. I made it this far... the baby is coming out the old-fashioned way. They gave me the option of trying a few contractions with the vacuum extractor or going directly to a C-Section. If the end result was a C-Section either way, might as well try the vacuum thingy, right? I was getting a little scared because it was taking so long and even though I was numb from the middle of my back down, I could feel how exhausted my body was and I was really uncomfortable.
The vaccuum extractor was attached to the baby's head (OWWWW for me), a blur of activity and faces began rushing around the delivery room. It was kind of like an out of body experience. The doctor told me we would have three pushes with the vaccuum extractor attached, and then it was C-section time. I could see all these people hovering around me, but it was almost like I wasn't a part of the action. Really, I was the main attraction, but it was just a strange, surreal experience. I gave the first push all I had. I pushed so hard I saw stars.
Nothing.
Now I was getting mad. The child had missed its deadline and now my uterus was trying to serve the kid an eviction notice and he/she wouldn't come out.
The next contraction I gave it even more than I thought I had. I pushed with every ounce of my being. I summoned strength I never knew existed. After nearly 24 hours of labor, and nearly 6 hours of pushing...
Alexander Thomas Hofer was born at 5:45AM on July 5th 2005. 7lbs, 11 oz. With a big red bruise on his head because he was so stubborn.
So Happy Third Birthday to ALEX! He is still stubborn! He is still cute! And I love him a little bit more every day!
The SITS Girls Do It Again!
This week's contest is for a $100 Target giftcard. I love my Target. I actually got a little teary eyed when I heard a rumor that the Target near my house was going to become a SuperTarget.
Then the city council decided to toy with my emotions: they didn't approve the expansion and the rumors have since gone away.
If you've never heard of SITS, go check them out, and if you register tell them Sydney sent you!
I really don't know how these super cool chicks get all their great prizes, but they are obviously doing something right. They are driving traffic to a lot of blogs through word of mouth--err... word of blog? word of web? Not sure what the right term is.
I WANT TO WIN!
Then the city council decided to toy with my emotions: they didn't approve the expansion and the rumors have since gone away.
If you've never heard of SITS, go check them out, and if you register tell them Sydney sent you!
I really don't know how these super cool chicks get all their great prizes, but they are obviously doing something right. They are driving traffic to a lot of blogs through word of mouth--err... word of blog? word of web? Not sure what the right term is.
I WANT TO WIN!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Friday Flashback
Happy 4th of July everyone! Today is a very special day for me. Three years ago today, I went into labor with Alex. It's kind of a crazy story, so I'll start it today, and end it tomorrow, on his third birthday.
Alex's due date was June 28th. He was over a week overdue. My OB/GYN said they wouldn't induce me till I was 10 days overdue. So by the third of July, I was irritated to say the least. The child who had taken up residence in my belly and delighted in dancing on my bladder and throwing elbows, knees and heels every which way was showing no signs of coming out. The kid missed his or her deadline and Mama was unhappy! I tried eating spicy food, taking long walks in the evening, willing it to happen. Nothing worked.
July 3rd, 2005 Craig took me out to dinner at Saz's. It was so yummy. We both had to work on the 4th of July. We got up as usual that morning. I got to work a bit early and of course, the newsroom was quiet. I set off to my work filling the 6PM show full of perfect balance of patriotic stories and relevant news of the day. I started feeling uncomfortable. So I got up and walked around. Felt a little better, then sat down to do some more work. Ugh, couldn't get comfortable again, and felt like I had to go to the bathroom. After about 45 minutes of this, it occurs to me that the discomfort is coming at regular intervals. Holy buckets, I was in labor. I did NOT want my water to break at work, so I called Craig and told him to get ready, I was on my way home.
We called the doctor's office answering service, waited for a call back, and started pacing.
I labored for about 2 hours at home before we headed for the hospital. Once we arrived at St. Joe's Hospital I was freaked, but feeling pretty good about things. It was a little after 2PM when we got there. The nurse's were great and helped me get settled. The only bad thing was my blood pressure was elevated, so they made me stay in bed. All I wanted was to walk around and help speed along the process, but they had me strapped to a monitor. The contractions kept coming and they were strong. I kept trying to convince the nurse's that I was fine, that all I needed was to walk around a bit and my blood pressure would come down. About 6PM they finally cleared me to walk around, and then they tell me that if I want an epidural, now is the time. UGH! I knew I couldn't go through labor with out drugs (more power to those of you who did it without drugs! I was in pain and I had an option not to be) so I took the epidural. Somewhere shortly after the epidural, they broke my water. I don't remember the specifics of when that happened. What I do remember is that it hurt! A resident broke my water, and she kept apologizing because it took a couple of attempt. I do remember that.
Craig and I hung out for several hours waiting for the baby. It was great. We talked, watched TV (we watched an entire Brewers game, some fireworks, the news, Seinfeld, Friends, and maybe MASH). It was a very pleasant labor experience. The nurse who started the whole process with me kept coming in and checking me... she even stayed late after her shift got over hoping that I'd deliver. But baby Hofer wasn't going anywhere fast.
Meanwhile, I hadn't had anything to eat since 8:00 AM, so I was starving. They wouldn't even let me have a Life Saver. My pleasant disposition was starting to fade. I had been in that bed for nearly 6 hours. By midnight, I was finally ready to push.
to be continued...
Alex's due date was June 28th. He was over a week overdue. My OB/GYN said they wouldn't induce me till I was 10 days overdue. So by the third of July, I was irritated to say the least. The child who had taken up residence in my belly and delighted in dancing on my bladder and throwing elbows, knees and heels every which way was showing no signs of coming out. The kid missed his or her deadline and Mama was unhappy! I tried eating spicy food, taking long walks in the evening, willing it to happen. Nothing worked.
July 3rd, 2005 Craig took me out to dinner at Saz's. It was so yummy. We both had to work on the 4th of July. We got up as usual that morning. I got to work a bit early and of course, the newsroom was quiet. I set off to my work filling the 6PM show full of perfect balance of patriotic stories and relevant news of the day. I started feeling uncomfortable. So I got up and walked around. Felt a little better, then sat down to do some more work. Ugh, couldn't get comfortable again, and felt like I had to go to the bathroom. After about 45 minutes of this, it occurs to me that the discomfort is coming at regular intervals. Holy buckets, I was in labor. I did NOT want my water to break at work, so I called Craig and told him to get ready, I was on my way home.
We called the doctor's office answering service, waited for a call back, and started pacing.
I labored for about 2 hours at home before we headed for the hospital. Once we arrived at St. Joe's Hospital I was freaked, but feeling pretty good about things. It was a little after 2PM when we got there. The nurse's were great and helped me get settled. The only bad thing was my blood pressure was elevated, so they made me stay in bed. All I wanted was to walk around and help speed along the process, but they had me strapped to a monitor. The contractions kept coming and they were strong. I kept trying to convince the nurse's that I was fine, that all I needed was to walk around a bit and my blood pressure would come down. About 6PM they finally cleared me to walk around, and then they tell me that if I want an epidural, now is the time. UGH! I knew I couldn't go through labor with out drugs (more power to those of you who did it without drugs! I was in pain and I had an option not to be) so I took the epidural. Somewhere shortly after the epidural, they broke my water. I don't remember the specifics of when that happened. What I do remember is that it hurt! A resident broke my water, and she kept apologizing because it took a couple of attempt. I do remember that.
Craig and I hung out for several hours waiting for the baby. It was great. We talked, watched TV (we watched an entire Brewers game, some fireworks, the news, Seinfeld, Friends, and maybe MASH). It was a very pleasant labor experience. The nurse who started the whole process with me kept coming in and checking me... she even stayed late after her shift got over hoping that I'd deliver. But baby Hofer wasn't going anywhere fast.
Meanwhile, I hadn't had anything to eat since 8:00 AM, so I was starving. They wouldn't even let me have a Life Saver. My pleasant disposition was starting to fade. I had been in that bed for nearly 6 hours. By midnight, I was finally ready to push.
to be continued...
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Impersonal Medium? I think not!
I have heard it said that the internet is an impersonal medium. That you lose out on something in your "conversations" because there's no eye contact, no emotion. You never get to really know people because you can't hear your voice and they may be crazy weird stalkers who are telling you lies. They may be posting fake pictures so you never really know what they look like.
That's a bunch of hogwash... horse puckey... mule muffins... turtle turds!!!
I am lucky enough to have a wonderful bunch of friends in real life. Friends scattered all over the country who I've known since grade school and high school, a few from college, and a handful I've made here in Milwaukee. I hold these people very close to me.
I launched this blog back in January, not knowing what to expect. Really it was just a way to get writing and have a little fun. I never expected to make such amazing blogging friends. And though we have never met in person, I do consider you friends. Thank you! I look forward to getting to know you all better.
That's a bunch of hogwash... horse puckey... mule muffins... turtle turds!!!
I am lucky enough to have a wonderful bunch of friends in real life. Friends scattered all over the country who I've known since grade school and high school, a few from college, and a handful I've made here in Milwaukee. I hold these people very close to me.
I launched this blog back in January, not knowing what to expect. Really it was just a way to get writing and have a little fun. I never expected to make such amazing blogging friends. And though we have never met in person, I do consider you friends. Thank you! I look forward to getting to know you all better.