Polish Dinner for Two

this past week i made what was quite the scrumptious dinner for EM and i. i really didnt have a plan except for i knew what ingredients i had to work with. 

 

polish kielbasa, organic kale, potatoes and onions.  

when i cook i rarely measure anything so forgive me for not having exact increments. i started by pealing about 3 potatoes (again change the amount depending on how many people youre cooking for) and placing them in a pot of water to boil. 

it is important to salt the water, you want to flavor your potatoes and allow them to boil until they can be easily split by a fork. then drain and set aside. 

i started by cutting half of a white onion and sauteing them in olive oil until close to translucency. 

while you are waiting for the onion to achieve that level you want to cut up your kielbasa.

once your onions look like this... 

go ahead and add the kielbasa to the mix allowing them to brown. 

you will notice the brown yummy bits start to produce at the bottom of the pan. to deglaze the the pan i used some white wine vinegar. itll lift all the goodies right up. 

after all the flavor has been added from the bottom of the pan go ahead and add in the kale. i used the whole package since it does reduce down quite a bit! 

once the kale has reduced down, add salt and pepper to taste. now go ahead and add the potatoes that you had set aside. 

mix and lower the temp. since everything is now fully cooked. during this time i went ahead and made an improv dressing. 

dijon mustard, regular yellow mustard, and balsamic vinegar. whisk until combined, and then slowly drizzle olive oil into the mix until emulsified. and some lemon juice, until you have achieved the result you are going for. add a dash of sugar and salt to taste. 

combine the dish with the dressing and get ready to eat! it really was an incredibly easy and scrumptious meal. EM really enjoyed it, when he is normally hesitant to my random kitchen creations. this was a perfectly warm and cozy dish for any relaxing night at home. 

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Semi-homemade Chocolate Cupcakes with Homemade Marshmallow Topping

as you all can probably tell i have become a little obsessed with making cupcakes. now, since i am no expert baker i have greatly adopted the concept of having them be semi homemade. this past week EM and i found a coupon on duncan hines cake mix. cake mix make the best cupcakes! my mother in law had another get together with her friends, so i decided to make some goodies for her to take over.

i started off with making simple, and incredibly moist might i add, chocolate cupcakes.

it is incredibly important that you allow the cupcakes to cool fully before you even think of putting any sort of frosting or topping on them. 

then i had the idea of doing something a bit different...marshmallow. i had never made a marshmallow topping before, but how hard could it be? 

you start out with some simple ingredients ...

allow the egg whites to sit out and become as close to room temp. as possible. then in a kitchen aid mixing bowl combine all ingredients except the vanilla. mix, and place over a pot with about an inch of boiling water. (make sure the water doesnt touch the bowl) and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved, about 6 minutes. remove the bowl from the heat and place back into the stand mixer. beat on medium for about a minute then on high for 5, or until you get nice stiff peaks. add your vanilla and mix for another minute until fully incorporated. then BOOM! yummy yummy marshmallow frosting. 

with a spatula scoop the frosting into a piping bag, i personally use a gallon size zip lock bag for easier filling, and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes. 

allow the frosting to set for about 30 minutes then brulee the top with a kitchen torch or long fireplace lighter. 

when EM came home he was able to taste one before they were gone, and he loved them! 

here is the list of ingredients and quantities for the frosting. 8 large egg whites, at room temp. 2 cups granulated sugar. 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. 1/8 teaspoon fine salt. 2 teaspoons of vanilla. (i cut all the amounts in half and still had plenty left over)

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A Letter to My Baby

God is SO good! the closer and closer i get to meeting S the more emotional i become. if you had asked me a year or two ago where i would be now i would certainly never imagine that i would be where i am today...expecting my first baby. a perfect baby boy.
i cant even begin to describe the emotion i feel when i think about him. even now as he kicks my ribs :) i had always imagined that i would have a little girl first then a bunch of boys...but they say if you want to tell God a joke, tell Him your plans. how true. i could not be happier than i am this day knowing that soon i will get to meet my son. the amount of love i have for him already is indescribable. just the thought brings me to tears.
i cannot wait to hold his tiny body in my arms. though i will miss having him within me. something so incredibly special that any mom understands. i felt him move before anyone else could.


sebastian,

my sweet little boy. you are so dearly and purely loved. your daddy and i couldnt have asked for a greater blessing. he always tells you good night and kisses my belly, telling me how much he loves you and how he cant wait to meet you. you have taken a man who was afraid of not being ready to be a dad, to someone who cannot wait to hold you and that smiles at the thought of you. that is the greatest gift you could ever give him. because of you we have become an even stronger family. you are so small yet what you have already accomplished is so great.
we are close to a month away from your birth and we practice every night for that wonderful event. i know it will be one of the toughest days of my life, with the most amazing of outcomes. we get to bring you, our son into the world. i just pray that your daddy will be there, for it's something i truly dont want him to miss. he always tells me how great i will be, even if he cant be there...but i know it would kill him if he couldnt see you make your first appearance into this great big world.
we have loved you from the minute we knew you were in our lives and that is something that will never change! that love will only get deeper and deeper. you are so blessed to have such an amazing man as your daddy. he is already so protective of you, touching my belly ever so gently, never wanting to do anything that could remotely hurt you. the day we were able to see your little face was such a wonderful day! you were already so handsome! and your daddy had a grin from ear to ear seeing his little boy.
you are our heart. and we are so blessed to have you.

love you forever and always,

your mama

29 weeks our last echo-cardiogram 

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Crochet Away

so these past few days have been quite a doozy! with being extremely tired and starting to really feel the physical effects of pregnancy. i easily have more nausea now than i ever had these past 32 almost 33 weeks. back pains and stomach pains are a new part of the repertoire but that means hes growing and getting bigger. closer and closer to when we get to meet him! all in all though things have been great! he is on the constant move, doing flips as we speak.

this past sunday i hit 32 weeks (check out little ones to see a belly update) and it was superbowl sunday! we made quite a feast! even made blue and orange cupcakes, clearly EM and i cheered on the bronocs...even though we ended up being more than a little disappointed.

blue cupcakes with orange buttercream

i ended up with a little more than anticipated...3 trays of mini cupcakes. though they didnt last long. oops. 

today, aside from recovering from the massive sugar rush, i have been spending my time crocheting and attempting to finish the baby blanket im making for S. still have a ways to go before i can add the border, but i will definitely post a picture when it is completed. assuming that day ever arrives. 

now break over and back to the blankie!

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