Sunday Comfort BBQ Meatloaf

I was in the mood to make good home comfort food yesterday. Meat loaf sounded like it was just the trick, while Holly & I took turns feeding Oscar and fitting in much needed Sunday afternoon naps...LOL.



Dan's BBQ Meatloaf

1 & 1/2 pounds organic ground sirloin
1 pound organic Italian sausage
1 C rolled oats
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 eggs *(see note below)
1/2 C Worcestershire sauce
1 C BBQ sauce, preferable home made
3 T dried basil
3 T dried oregano
1 T dried thyme
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions

In a large frying pan saute onion, bell pepper, carrot and garlic until caramelized. Add Worcestershire sauce to pan to loosen up the browned bits. Add salt, pepper, dried herbs and BBQ sauce. Allow mixture to cool completely.

In a large bowl mix sirloin, Italian sausage, eggs and rolled oats together. Add cooled vegetable-spice mixture. Thoroughly combine and place in a 9X13 baking dish. I use a large size baking dish, cause I like my meatloaf not very thick, so it gets a crispy crust on it. Spread the BBQ sauce over the top and bake for 350 degrees for one hour, or until done.

* Note: While this recipe of mine is gluten free, it is not dairy free as I felt the need to use eggs to bind this all together. I'm sure you you could make this dairy free as well and find a suitable binder in lieu of eggs.

Our Little Miracle

I'm definitely eating a lot of words since I became a Father. All those aspects I worried about. The hesitations. The insecurities. The fear of the unknowns. All are seeming to dissipate as I transition into "daddy-ville" and bond with Oscar. I love his mannerism's. I can see a lot of myself in him. Not just some of the physical traits, but also the personalty traits as well. I love that he furrows his eyebrows and always looks "concerned." That has long been a trait of mine. I love how he smiles slightly out of one side of his mouth, a token Dan Craven smirk. And when he does smile, he sort of squints with one eye shut. I see myself in my boy in so many ways.

Words can't express how grateful I feel that Holly and I get to be parents. I still have a hard time fathoming that he is in our lives. It's so new still, but almost like he's always been with us.

And I continue to marvel at women in general. Those that choose to have children and are willing to put their bodies through so much to bring life into this world. I told myself I didn't want to watch all that labor & delivery with Holly. But jumped right in and assisted the doctor's and nurses. I was so proud of Holly for what she did for Oscar. I'm all teary typing this again, but I continue to marvel and the miracle of childbirth and am honestly amazed that every woman does not die in childbirth and that any children come out of the birth canal alive. Regardless of my dramatic choice in words, our own family miracle has happened. Holly and I have created life, and are being entrusted with a spirit to raise. And we get the opportunity to teach & train Oscar to stand on his own two feet in life. And love this little son of ours to pieces.

So yes, I continue to eat my words about not wanting to be a parent. Not wanting to have kids. I love this boy to pieces, and look forward to the day where Oscar can have a sibling of his own to grow up with.

I love you Holly. You are already, and will always be a compassionate, gentle, loving, nurturing and amazing Mother to our children.

Pickled Fig Preserves

Again, canning for me is relaxation at home. I enjoy creating new unique twists on traditional favorites. One of my favorite quick & easy appetizers is some crackers or rustic bread, slathered in some goat or blue cheese, with a generous helping of my picked fig preserves. I adapted this from two recipes and came up with something that I really enjoy flavor wise.



Dan's Pickled Fig Jam

2 lemons
4 pounds ripe fresh figs, stemmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 9 cups)
4 cups sugar
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Directions

Using vegetable peeler, remove peel from lemons (yellow part only) in long strips. Cut peel into matchstick-size strips (about 3 tablespoons).

Combine lemon peel, figs, sugar, red wine, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt in heavy large deep saucepan; let stand at room temperature 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Bring fig mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; continue to boil until jam thickens and is reduced to 6 cups, stirring frequently and occasionally mashing mixture with potato masher to crush large fig pieces, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat.

Ladle mixture into 6 hot clean 1/2-pint glass canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch space at top of jars. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe jar threads and rims with clean damp cloth. Cover with hot lids; apply screw bands. Process jars in pot of boiling water 10 minutes. Cool jars completely. Store in cool dark place up to 1 year.



The finished product. All ready for storage in our pantry at home.

Oscar Hinckley Craven

Our February 5th due date came and went, and Oscar, the fetus formerly known as "OHC" decided to make his debut on Friday February 10th...! Holly's water broke about 2:30am, and we made our way to Swedish-First Hill to deliver. Active labor kicked in, and he was born at 11:23am. Weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and measuring 21.5 inches long. Holly and I couldn't be happier for our new son joining our family.



Me & Oscar. I love this boy to pieces.



All swaddled in a hip blanket. Not a crappy hospital blanket...LOL...!



Holly and Oscar.



First day home post hospital discharge in the blanket that Shelly made for us, using material that my Mom had purchased before she died. It's nice for Oscar to have a blanket from his Grandma Craven.



He loves having his hands up.



First tub time...



Relaxing on the Cookie Monster blanket that Gretchen made for him. He'll definitely learn to LOVE Cookie Monster.



Learning to take a "bink" so he doesn't cry so much...



Oscar, Holly & Grandma "Nana" Finlayson. Three generations. Oscar is the first grandson on Holly's side of the family. He joins 7 granddaughters.



A cute frog hat that our friend Betsy got for him. Perfect for walks in the brisk, cold sunny air. We feel so very fortunate and excited, blessed and exhausted all the same time. We are transitioning into parenthood just fine with minimal freak outs.

Our New Little Oscar

Still can't believe Holly & I, have a healthy, handsome, strong baby boy. So grateful & privileged we get the opportunity to parent. Looking forward to the adventure that lies ahead. Not to mention all the fun photos & memories. I'll post photos when I get caught up on sleep. He arrived February 10, 2012 at 11:23am. Weighing 7lb7oz, and was 21.5 inches. I was able to help nurses & doctors with the entire delivery. Priceless memories. Especially what Holly was willing to put her body through. I love our new little family immensely!

My vegan, gluten free, dairy free power bar experiment.

In my continued effort to only consume the healthiest of food, I reviewed a few recipes this weekend on the granola and power bar front. I wanted something that tasted good, had enough season or spice to it, as well as having the right mixture of dried fruit and nuts in it. Additionally, I wanted to make this vegan. As well, as gluten & dairy free. This is what I came up with for healthy snacks for Holly and I to enjoy during the busy work week at our offices. Great source of protein and fiber. Pretty low natural sugar content from the honey. No refined sugar in this at all. And the batch split 18 ways is 128 calories per par, or if split 15 ways is 142 calories per bar.



Cinnamon-Cranberry Granola Power Bars

1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup packed unsweetened dried cranberries
½ cup chopped toasted pecans or almonds
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons best quality honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line an 8X11 inch baking pan with foil, allowing foil to extend over sides. Lightly coat foil with olive oil. Mix oats, cranberries, nuts, cinnamon & salt in a bowl. Combine olive oil & honey in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and begins to boil. Pour oil-honey mixture over oat mixture and stir until well coated. Transfer to prepared pan.

Using a spatula, press mixture evenly into pan, pushing down to slightly pack. Bake mixture until top is golden brown, about 23-25 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely for 1 hour. Using foil as aid, lift out of the pan. Place on work surface (cutting board), and using large sharp knife, cut into 15-18 bars.





Once portioned out, wrap in waxed paper and place in plastic bag. For best/freshest quality, consume within one week.

More Ways To Use Our Nutella Stash

As we continue to use up the vat of Nutella I gave Holly for Christmas, friends keep sending us recipes for items incorporating Nutella in some fashion. Noelle sent us this link to a blog that I have never come across. Not only did I get a good recipe to play with and adapt a little, I also got a new foodie related blog to follow.




Nutella Oatmeal with Fruit
Adapted from Simply Scratch

Ingredients:

1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats
2 tablespoons Nutella
1 teaspoon Dark Brown Sugar
A pinch of Kosher Sea Salt
Sliced Banana
Fresh Blueberries
Sliced Almonds

Preparation:

Heat the milk in a small sauce pan until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-high and stir in oats. Keep stirring, removing from the heat if necessary to stop it from over boiling. Cook until the oats have absorbed most of the milk. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar and Nutella. Pour into a separate bowl and top with sliced bananas, blueberries and nuts.

Pressure Canning Cannellini Beans

More projects with the pressure canner for our pantry. I love how easy it is to soak good quality organic beans, jar them up, and pressure can. I can control the spices and herbs. And get a best quality organic product for cents a jar.












This will come in handy for my homemade white bean spreads, soups, hummus concoctions and lots of other quick healthy prep meals.

Inheritance Cycle

I just finished reading the last book in the what I lovingly call the "dragon books". I got this for my birthday and it was my goal to finish this 840 page book before our little boy made his debut. I was introduced to the series by my brother, it's a young adult book which is a genre I enjoy reading, typically because they are easy to read and are clean. This book, while clean, is quite gory. I feel like this final book in the series is so much more graphic than the other three.

I can't say I'd recommend this series to others. The first book was very difficult to get into for me, but the second book had an overview of what had happened in the first book which I found very helpful and the story seemed to be more interesting in books 2 and 3. Book 4 though took so long to come out that I was a bit lost again even with the overview of the previous books at the beginning.

That said, it felt good to finish and put to rest the characters whose stories were so unresolved in the 3rd book. I'm also glad I read it so I know what age it would be appropriate for our son to read...which might be never, we'll see :)

Home Canned Meyer Lemon Curd

I like my practical side. Especially the practical things I ask for for Christmas and Birthdays. Plus I'm sort of a food snob, and really have a distinct palette and enjoy my recipe alterations and adjustments that I create at home. Plus, what's not to like about from scratch home food? Life's little luxury, not to mention economical.

I really like lemon curd. As a base for frosting, or as the layer in a quick lemon meringue pie or lemon bars. Fresh citrusy curd goes just about fantastic on anything. Including a slice of grilled baguette whit some ricotta, a smear of curd & some fresh chopped mint.



Zesting the meyer lemons and allowing the sugar to be scented with all the citrus oil.






Separating a plethora of organic eggs.



Lots of freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice






Incorporating the beaten yolks, scented sugar and fresh juice.









Double boiler going, as I whisk in the butter.






Cooking until thick and smooth.



Straining & prepping the curd for pressure canning.



The finished product. I broke out my first jar this past weekend and used the curd for a cream cheese-butter cream frosting for sugar cookies. Perfect lemony combination of soft & chewy sugar cookies, with the tang and richness of a citrus infused butter cream.

Seattle Snowmageddon Cinnamon rolls

When the snow arrives, and it frigid cold outside, nothing is better than tried & true comfort food. After a partial day in the office yesterday due to unexpected inclement weather for Seattle city, I came home and made a batch of cinnamon rolls for Holly & I to enjoy while we watched the snow and freezing rain ice pellets ravage the region.



Dan's Cinnamon Rolls

2 1/4 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk, sifted
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 cup granulated sugar or honey
1 tablespoon salt
6-7 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar, or more as needed
2 teaspoons cinnamon, or more as needed
1/2 cup butter, melted or softened

Bloom yeast in warm water for 15 minutes. Add vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, dry milk, sugar, salt and 3 cups of flower. Mix in mixer until sticky and combined. Continue to add flour until most is incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky. Continue mixing and adding flour until it pulls away from side of mixer. Liberally coat in more oil and allow to raise in a warm place until triple in size.

With flour on your hands punch dough out and turn onto floured surface. Shape into a rectangle. Spread butter, then sugar than cinnamon. Roll up jelly roll style and cut. Place in liberally buttered baking dish and allow to proof until double in size. Bake 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, and add your favorite frosting or glaze.

Dan's Cinnamon Roll Glaze

1/4 C milk
Splash of fresh lemon juice
Zest of half a lemon
1 tsp vanilla
2+ C powdered sugar

Combine milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Slowly whisk in powdered sugar to desired constancy. Spread on warm cinnamon rolls. NOTE: The photo above is a half batch of the dough. A half batch will yield you 12-15 rolls depending on the size. And I use a buttered 11X17 pan for mine, not a cookie sheet.

Office Baby Shower

I feel very fortunate to have so many wonderful people in my life wanting to throw us a baby shower. The first shower we had for our growing family was given by my office friends. I've worked at HA for 14 years and am thankful for all the friends I've made there over the years...and yet this is really the first time I've done anything with most of them outside the office. It's kind of sad I know. Now I see what I was missing, it was a lot of fun to be in a non-work setting with these ladies.



We had a really great brunch, it was quite the spread!



And of course we played the dreaded games. I'd heard so many people talk about playing the diaper and candy bar game at showers, but I'd never experienced it myself. Lucky me we got to play!







We had an amazing cake that was so beautiful and opened presents.







It was a great time, now to find a place for all our loot :)

Traditions!

Well, it was better late than never this year. Dan and I usually go see the Bellevue Botanical Lights display every Christmas, this year it ended up being a New Years Eve activity. It was COLD, but fun as always to see the fun flowers, animals and insects created out of lights.







One of the upsides of doing this later this year is it really wasn't super crowded.







And bonus the weather may have been cold, but at least it wasn't raining!







I did have a bit of an episode using the restroom though, there were some pushy moms trying to get their little ones front in line but I wasn't going to have any of that! I had to "school" a few people on etiquette for waiting in line for 2 bathrooms. I'm pregnant, it's okay to be extra grouchy right?







The new two new cool things this year were the vertical lights in the trees simulating rain and then there was a dragon that had smoke coming out of its nostrils.



It's a fun tradition, one that I can't wait to take our son to.