Mike and Music

I work really far from home.  90 miles away.  And it inevitably leads to questions and comments.  The one that has been driving me the most crazy lately is when someone asks if I can take the train and I explain yes, I can, but I choose not to.  I usually explain the reasons I choose to drive, though not usually in this much detail:

a) because the train is really expensive– $500+ per month, which is more than it costs to drive.  That cost doesn’t include getting to the train station in the morning from home (not too big a deal, because Mike can almost always drop me off) and getting to the office from the train station, which is a $10 taxi ride.  Plus doing it in reverse, where I’d have to find someone at work to drop me off or pay a taxi, and then figure out how to get home since in the evenings, Mike can’t always come get me.

b)  because it takes a half hour longer each way, meaning I’m on the road for 4 hours/day instead of 3 hours.

c) because it stresses me out to have to rush for the train in the morning and to worry about getting out of the office at a certain time so I can make the train.  Especially because outside of peak times, the train only runs every 2 hours.  So if I miss the 5 and the 6 p.m. trains, I have to wait until 8.

Anyway, here’s the first part of the rant.  I tell people that and then they go on and on and on about how I should take the train anyway.  About how if I took the train, I could do things like read or use my computer, which I can’t do when I drive.  About how it’s so much more relaxing than driving.  About how they just don’t understand how I can do it when it must be so incredibly stressful and awful to do everyday.

Um, yeah.  It would be less stressful and awful if people weren’t constantly reminding me what a pain in the butt it is.

Okay, that concludes my rant.  Thanks, I feel better now.

We haven’t tried these Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts from allrecipes.com yet, so I can’t definitively say if it’s yummy or not, but it’s spinach, chicken, and bacon, plus some other good stuff.  I have to assume this tastes great.  We’ll find out later in the week, when we dig in.

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 8 slices bacon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place spinach in a large glass bowl, and heat in the microwave for 3 minutes, stirring every minute or so, or until wilted. Stir in sour cream, pepperjack cheese, and garlic.
3. Lay the chicken breasts out on a clean surface, and spoon some of the spinach mixture onto each one. Roll up chicken to enclose the spinach, then wrap each chicken breast with two slices of bacon. Secure with toothpicks, and arrange in a shallow baking dish.
4. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, then increase heat to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C), or use the oven’s broiler to cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to brown the bacon.

Lately, as a result of pregnancy, I’ve been fairly anemic.  My red blood cell count is low and, as a result, I feel tired (exhausted, actually) all the time.  In an effort to boost the iron in my diet, Mike and I have learned more about what foods are rich in iron, and looked for recipes that contain those foods.  Tonight Mike is doing some major batch cooking of spinach-intensive foods, as you can see from this picture.  He has already used 2 and 1/2 pounds of spinach!

Tonight’s culinary adventure includes these delicious spinach enchiladas.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach , thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 10 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 1 (19 ounce) can enchilada sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook for a few minutes until fragrant, but not brown. Stir in spinach, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat, and mix in ricotta cheese, sour cream, and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese.
3. In a skillet over medium heat, warm tortillas one at a time until flexible, about 15 seconds. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture onto the center of each tortilla. Roll up, and place seam side down in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the remaining cup of Monterey Jack.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is lightly browned at the edges.

They’re not traditional at all– hello, Mexican food doesn’t usually have ricotta in it!– but they’re really good, and I’m thrilled that Mike made a double batch!

Well, today was ultrasound day… Lots of good pictures of baby Watson!

(Click on the thumbnails to see larger photos.)

And for those of you wondering…

It’s A Girl!!!

Assuming everything goes according to plan, Mike and I will find out the sex of our little one on Wednesday.  Obviously we’re very excited, and will be happy whether it’s a boy or a girl.  The important thing is for the baby to be healthy.  That said, I’m curious to know your predictions: will Baby W. be a boy or a girl?  Leave a comment with your guess, and check back next week for the answer!

Mike and I just got back from a week-long trip up and down the California coast.  We headed out and made a beeline for San Francisco and then meandered our way back down the coast on the 1, which is the scenic highway that runs through the state.  It was so nice!  We spent a couple of day/nights in San Francisco and were able to see Mike’s grandma, a couple of nights in Monterrey (which was amazing), and a night apiece in Morro Bay, Agoura Hills (not that exciting, but we had to stop somewhere!), and Hollywood.  We saw so many miles of gorgeous coast, so many lovely sunsets, so many historic sights (Hearst Castle, the Mission at Carmel, the Reagan Presidential Library, etc.)…  It was a great vacation, and I’m glad we were able to make it happen.  I felt pretty good– we took it easier than we have on past trips, less walking and less standing due to my aching and swelling feet– and we had a good time making memories together.

Those of you who are connected to us on Facebook have already seen a few pictures, but if you’re interested in the full album, click here for the Kodakgallery slideshow.

Now it’s back to the real world!