For dinner last night, Matt and I had "Curry Pork Burgers". They were great!! We had some leftover ground pork to use (from a fried rice recipe), and instead of using all pork we used about 1/2 pork and 1/2 hamburger. It was a really nice combination.
Here is the recipe:
Curry Pork Burgers with Spicy Ketchup
Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson, 2008
Prep Time:
5 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
10 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
6 servings
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds ground pork
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 scallions, chopped
2 large clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 hamburger buns
1 head butter lettuce
2 to 3 tomatoes, sliced
Spicy Ketchup, recipe follows
Directions
In a large bowl, using your hands mix together pork, coriander, curry powder, Worcestershire, cayenne, scallions and garlic, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Make 6 even patties and put in refrigerator until ready to cook. Heat a large fry pan over medium-high heat, add oil. Sear patties until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Cook in batches, if necessary. Serve inside hamburger buns topped with lettuce leaf, tomato slice and spicy ketchup.
Spicy Ketchup:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 scallion, finely chopped
In a saucepan over medium heat, lightly saute garlic in butter, about 2 minutes. Add ketchup, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. Cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in scallions. Cool before serving.
It was recommended to me by a good friend, and Matt and I watched it before Joey was born. Although we were already hoping for a birth with fewer interventions, I really enjoyed watching the movie and felt like I learned alot from it. I watched it again before Matthew was born.
This is probably my favorite clip from the movie. It helped me see how the process (which can sometimes be like a snowball going down a hill) can sometimes get out hand.
**Disclaimer, this post is in no way meant to offend and that would be my very last intention. I am grateful for the births that I've been blessed with, and also incredibly grateful to medical progress and the wisdom of Doctors!
That said, I hope you enjoy this clip from The Business of Being Born:
I've read alot of "things I love" posted lately: Here are a fewothers to see. So I thought I'd do one of my own. I hope you enjoy. This by no means, is demonstrative of all of the things I love, of course...
Finding a new recipe that looks great
Making the recipe and finding out that it is great
Really this post should be called Babysitting and Trading, but Bartering is another "B" word so...
I'm sure this is no revelation to any of you other parents out there, but just in case, here is something that works for us. Trading Babysitting!!
When I was 15, 16, 17, etc. I babysat. Kids here don't really do that. We are in a demographic and maybe a time when teenagers have so much work to do in between homework and afterschool activities, that they aren't looking to make a buck anymore and it seems that they don't have to make money to spend money either. I don't really get it, but that's how it is here. Is it like that where you live?
Gosh I remember raking leaves for $ .50 a bag and babysitting every Thursday night for the last 2 years of my high school. I digress.....
And even if we had money coming out of our ears (Lord willing....), and could find a trusty high schooler or college student who actually wanted to babysit, we honestly couldn't really afford to hire a babysitter, and then go out on top of that.
Out here, we aren't close to any family :-(
We aren't close to any old family friends :-(
Sometimes it feels like we're really on our own, aside from our friends!
Our friends. Our friends who also have young children, and spend most evenings like we do, with kids in bed by 7 or 8 wondering just how many board games, cable t.v. shows (thank God for Lost and 24!) and books we can get into.
BABYSITTING TRADING!!!
This is great. If you don't do this you should. If you do, you should do it more. Matt and I have traded with several different couples that we are friends with. Here's how we do it. The Date night couple, gets a full date night, someone arriving at their house to watch their kids, who are asleep in their own beds. It's wonderful! Who wants to go out and have a great time and then have to go pick up their kids somewhere else and drag them and their STUFF (oh the stuff....) home and put it all away and get everyone settled again. No. Thank. You.
It's been great. Trading with friends usually means that I help Matt get our kids mostly ready for bed, and then grab a book or the laptop and go out to our friends house. I stay there and keep an eye on their kiddos (maybe put them to bed, maybe they are already asleep) while they go out and stay out late late late. Matt gets some extra work done in the evening, and we look forward to our night out.
We don't do it all the time, but we do when we can afford to! And it's just nice to know that if a movie comes out or a party comes up and we want to go, we don't have to throw our hands up in the air at having young kids.... we just pick up the phone and arrange a little trade. It's like having your cake, and eating it too...and that works for us!
I found this picture when I did a search for "babysitter". Ha!
I love seeing greatness; like reading a book that is truly a work of art or cooking a meal that is so good you have to eat it with your eyes closed. Planting a garden and having everything come up and flourish (ok, so maybe I've never done that). Or seeing someone do something that they truly love and are totally gifted at.
In college and for a few years after, I sat under the teaching of a pastor whose sermons so deeply engaged me, they are written in my heart and memory in a way that no others ever will be.
Well not to compare spiritual learning with the Olympics, but there can be some similarities right??
Michelle Kwan
Did you all watch her as a teenager and cheer for her??
I was heartbroken in 1998 when Tara Lipinski won the gold medal at Nagano. I mean, good job Tara, but, ahhhhh.
She's just amazing! Listen to the crowds. They are crazy for her! The announcers love her. I haven't seen too many Olympics, but gosh..... if you aren't going to watch the whole thing go to 3:45 and watch from there. The look on her face when she perfectly lands a jump.... The way the crowd cheers and screams, it's perfection. It's true greatness.
I miss watching her skate so much! I wish she were in Vancouver now. I wish I could give her that gold medal, the one she never received because boy did she deserve it! She was (I'm sure still is) such a beautiful skater.
The clip below shows probably one of her most famous performances. I learned alot from reading her bio on Wikipedia. It really took me back to watching one of my peers in her greatness. Tonight and tomorrow night won't be the same without you Michelle!
I've been a very negligent blogger. Very absentee. Bad Laurie! Bad Blogger, BAD!
For my penance I am promising 1 blog (at least) every day for the next 2 weeks. You read it right. Once at day for 2 weeks. Starting today. And in good faith, I am going to do 2 blogs today. Stay tuned for #2, later today. I guarantee if you are a woman in your 20's or 30's you will probably be interested in it. Or I could be wrong.
So 2 blogs today, and one a day until Tuesday March 9. 16 All total. Whew. Wish me luck.
Now on to more fun news.
I am so so so long overdue for updates on my boys. And since today is update on your child day, (I've enjoyed several others today) it seems it is just the right time to catch up with my little Matthew.
I never shared his 4 month stats so here is a little recap:
At 2 Months Matthew was 13 lbs. 12 oz (80%), and 24 1/4 " (80%), and his head was in the 70th percentile.
At 4 Months Matthew was 15 lbs 10 oz (60%), and 25" (45%) and head was 93rd percentile. WHOA, there's a jump!
At 6 months Matthew was 17 lbs (31%), and 27" tall (60%) and...well.... his head is still Giganto.
We haven't had his 8 month appointment yet, but we will soon, and maybe I'll have a chance to post about that, during my 16 post penance.
So at 8+ months, Matthew is:
**Loving his food! He likes fruits best, but eats his vegetables and cereal and tofu without any trouble. He LOVES drinking from a sippy cup and drinks and drinks, way past where he is thirsty until he is just putting it in his mouth and spitting it right out, just to keep going. He'll drop everything as soon as he sees that cup of water (or juice) coming!
**Has tried some finger foods and can grab them, but I have to help him put them in his mouth, he doesn't seem to be able to fit something that small in quite yet.
(seems able to fit in larger items though!)
**Sits, but still needs some assistance and falls over after a few minutes. He is comfortable rolling around though and is a little safer that way. To have him sitting I need to have the dog outside and Joey in another room so he doesn't get knocked over, or I have to drop everything and sit there with him to protect him from the forces of BIG, in our house. He's slowly getting the hang of it though!
**Is totally potty-trained!!
**That was a joke.
**loves loves loves his brother and daddy and dog and cat and mom, but especially, his brother. When he's having an off day, he still lights up for Joey. Or when he really wants to eat, or is totally ready for naptime, Joey is the one that can still procure smiles and giggles.
** has his 2 bottom teeth and has for a little over a month, but no signs of any new ones
** Sleeps for about 12 or 13 hours a night.... bed between 7-8, usually when Joey goes to sleep, and wakes up around the same time b/t 7 and 8 in the morning.
**Has dropped his early morning feeding (6 a.m.) but is now ready to get up at 7 or 8 when he wakes up. Before he would wake to eat at 6 and then go back to sleep until 10.
**Still takes roughly 3 naps a day unless one is too long and then he'll only take 2. Pretty close to being ready to drop nap #3 though.
**Sleeps in the pack n' play in the guest room most of the time, but sleeps with Joey when we have company (the second crib is in Joey's room) and they've done great. After a few nights they start to wake each other up early in the morning, but I guess that's just how it goes.
** Has started this week to take some formula. It was a hard fought battle with him becoming more and more distracted nursing, and getting less and less milk and seeming more and more hungry and me pumping more and more, until I decided to try out a few ounces after he nursed and ate to see if he was still hungry or if he was getting enough. He wasn't getting enough. So now he drinks a few ounces with each meal in addition to nursing and eating his solids. We are going to work hard to keep nursing and at almost 9 months, I'm not too worried about it, although it was definitely a hit to my pride.
**Is still a very very easy baby. He's happy to sit or lay, or roll by himself to play. He loves to watch Joey play and is a great eater (minus the lazy nursing) and even better sleeper. He is flexible about missing naps and is always so so happy.
Head over to Lydia's blog, to try your chances (today is the last day) at winning the ultra comfortable, baby-loving, ERGO child carrier. If you are like me at the grocery store and you find yourself sporting one child in the child seat of the cart and one child in the basket where you have the groceries, hoping that at least SOME of your eggs make it home, and your bread is not smushed into tortillas, then you might be a great candidate for an ERGO.
