Giada's a Genius Disclaimer: another food post with no photos

Even though her voice, tone and expressions usually bug me, Giada has some of the best recipes. Last night I used her recipe to make Sausage, Peppers, and Onions. We ate them sandwich style and it was soooo good. I'm enjoying it now as my leftovers for lunch. This is the link to the recipe. Below are the modifications I made.

Ingredients
1/8cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 links Hot Italian Chicken Sausage
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Chardonnay
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes (olive oil and garlic diced from Whole Foods)
Ciabatta rolls or loaf
Provolone
Directions
Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on both sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain.
Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the peppers, onions, salt, and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, and garlic and cook 2 more minutes.
Add the tomato paste and stir. Add the wine and tomatoes. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the browned bits. Bring to a simmer.
Cut the sausages into 4 to 6 pieces each, about 1-inch cubes. Add the sausage back to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
Split the Ciabatta. Hollow out the bread from the bottom side of each roll, being careful not to puncture the crust. Put as much provolone as desired in the dug out side. Fill the sausage mixture on top of the provolone. Yummy!!

Definitely the best sausage and peppers recipe I've ever had. The tomato paste and wine really add richness. I also prefer things spicy, which is why I opted for hot Italian sausages. Whole Foods has the best non pork Italian sausages. Joab had seconds and I did not get heartburn. I guess my baby has no hair.

My first UT

Even though Joab vows that he won't let it happen, this kid is likely to get the same brainwashing toward loving UT that we all got as children. Of course, I was lucky enough that both my parents went to UT, but hey, at least this kid has a brilliant mother. Here are some of baby's new loot...

My first UT onesie, thanks Grandma

Some UT socks (not my first, though) also thanks to grandma

My first UT football thanks to Aunt Megan, it even plays the eyes of Texas!!

My second and third UT onesies, thanks to Andy and Heidi.

The baby told me that putting these on will make him or her so happy and stop crying right away. I can't wait to get more!! I got tons of other cute stuff, too, but had to share these. They must have read my post from Anne's shower...

Giddy pregnant

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment, which I kind of forgot about because now they are every two weeks, so it's not so exciting. I was happy that I only gained 2lbs in two weeks, since I gained 6.5 in a month at my last visit. The visits are, luckily for me, kind of old hat. The only thing that changes is my weight, otherwise my blood pressure is always good, the baby's heartbeat is always a strong 150ish, I'm measuring where I'm supposed to, blah blah blah. But blah blah is what you want.
Anyway, random strangers are much more likely to talk to me about when I'm due, what the gender is (and how cool or crazy it is that I'm not finding out), how I'm feeling and if I have names picked out. When I was leaving yesterday morning, I got on a very full elevator and one woman had a staring problem. She was mostly staring at the woman behind me who was pregnant, or maybe her son who was about 3, but I think caught herself and started staring at me and must have thought "she's huge! she must be expecting any day now."
Staring woman, "How much longer do you have to go?"
Me, "9 weeks."
Staring woman, "Oh, I bet you just can't wait."
Me, "No, I can wait"
Staring woman, keeps staring in disbelief.
Me, "This is my first baby. I can definitely wait." Walk off elevator.
Pregnant woman with 3 year old laughs while the rest of the elevator is appalled.
I think women are expected to be non stop giddy and clapping hands whenever we think about the little bun in the oven, but that's just plain dumb. My mom feels that way, but I sure don't. I'll be happy to let this kid stay in there until I have a crib set up, we're moved into a new place, I've figured out how we're going to pay for college. Honesty is so disappointing.

Mark it 8, dude.

Look what's coming to Minneapolis, long after I'm gone? This treasure of a movie is something I've probably watched 9million times. No, but, really, it's safe to say that I've watched it at least 150. In various states of sobriety. If you know me, you know I love all things Coen brothers, starting from the early and lucky influence of my parents making sure we loved and appreciated Raising Arizona. Anyway, this is a good one. I wish I was in Minneapolis to attend it. It would have been an awesome time for Phil to come visit his favorite sister. It will probably be in the summer, when people remember why they live there and seem to forget about the winter they suffered through only three short months before.
http://twincities.decider.com/articles/lebowski-fest-rolling-toward-minneapolis,24570/

Naturally, it will be stopping in Austin. Why am I here again?

It's easy to be green

Green is the new black. We all know that. Last night my parents, Joab and I dined at Ruggles Green. It is the "only certified green restaurant in Houston city proper." I love Ruggles in Rice Village, and Ruggles Green has the same perks, only better. A variety of sandwich/pizza/pasta/salad offering in an order at the counter style restaurant and desserts that you will have trouble resisting. So what does it mean to be green? Technically the must reach standards to be Certified by the Green Restaurant Association, but the gist is to provide an environmentally sustainable business. Anyone who has worked in restaurants should know that waste waste waste is the name of the game, so it's a great thing to see. Plus, it's nice to know that the menu is paying attention to sustainability practices.

I ordered the All Natural Chicken Sandwich: Natural Chicken & Plantains Sauteed in Marinara Sauce, Topped with Apple Smoked Bacon, Cilantro, Guava Caramelized Onions, Black Beans,
Guava Sauce & Mango Chipotle Dressing, served on a Whole Wheat Bun. I know, sounds like a lot. Maybe too much. But it wasn't. I didn't notice the black beans, plantains or marinara; maybe they were missing? And it was topped with avocado and included their pickles, which may be a problem for some, but I was going to add them anyway. The pickles are, truly, pickled cukes, not brined. The mango chipotle dressing was delicious and not overwhelmingly doused on the sandwich, the bacon perfectly cooked, the onions delicious. It didn't seem to match the description, but it was good chicken sandwich, as far as chicken sandwiches go. I made the mistake of adding mustard (I know, but I'm a vinegar freak!) which I didn't do when I had the leftovers at lunch, and didn't miss it. I, of course, ordered it with sweet potato fries. Yummy, crispy, just salty and not greasy. Naturally my dad ordered an additional side order for the table since he ended up getting pasta and can't resist sweet potato fries.

Dad ordered the spicy shrimp pasta, which I didn't get to try, but he complained that it wasn't spicy enough. Joab ordered the spicy southwest smoked chicken pasta which was quite spicy and very smoky. A unique flavor for pasta, very much a smoky, barbecue feel and not exactly what Joab was going for, but the rest of us liked it a lot. Mom ordered the curry chicken salad. It was also tasty, and wasn't curried chicken salad, but a salad, which chicken breast and curry flavoring. Dad and I argued about it needing a vinegar element. He said it did, I said it would ruin the flavors. It turned into a semi argument, but I stand by my assessment. He doesn't really know what he's talking about and the vinegar would have ruined it; I think he didn't like it because of the fruit elements. Or maybe it was my realization that the mustard I put on my sandwich overpowered the delicate balance of flavors the chef intended. You have to really like curry flavor to like it, but why would you order a curry salad if you didn't really like curry? Curry isn't one of those on the fence things that people kind of like, like garlic mashed potatoes or something. You love it or hate it.

Remember what I said about dessert? Naturally my fat pregnant ass had to get some, and we split the Charlotte’s Webb - Alternating Layers of Moist Chocolate Cake Pieces,White Chocolate Espresso Pudding, Fresh Whipped Cream & Crunchy Heath Bar Pieces. Yum. Just as good as it sounds. Definitely glad we split it between the four of us.

Oh! I almost forgot they have a great list of organic beers and wines. I don't remember what everyone ordered, but everyone liked their choices. I cannot provide any insight, because my tongue doesn't seem to like the taste of beer or wine in pregnancy.

I am also happy to note that Texas has 7 certified green restaurants or resorts. Minnesota has none. Does that make up for the fact that you can recycle at almost any trash can in Minneapolis? Probably not. And, in all honesty, you can't compete with the greeness of Minne. I do miss that...

Who knew??

At the advice of my doula, I went to a breastfeeding class that was WAY out in the Woodlands on Saturday morning because the woman who teaches it, Sherri Urban, rocks. She did. She was great. I learned a lot, feel more confident and comfortable about nursing our baby and she kept me interested. One little kernel of knowledge I was happy to know is that breastfeeding is protected under Texas law!!! There are 41 states that allow women to breastfeed anywhere in public or private, and I am so happy that Texas is one of them. In addition, it's one of 27 states that has laws about breastfeeding and work, and actually has a mother friendly worksite program that encourages employers to support nursing mothers. How can I get my office to sign on? I always get excited when I hear about women friendly or progressive laws in Texas and look forward to sharing them with all my Minnesota friends who think Texas is so backwards. Naturally, with a little review, Minnesota is one of the states with the most progressive laws, but that's expected, right?
I guess I'm lucky that I grew up in a family where I saw all of my cousins nursed as a natural process in child development and maternal health. I've never understood why people get so grossed out or embarrassed by breastfeeding, though I'll admit when I walked up to a table I was waiting on at Shady Grove and all four women were nursing I was a little taken aback. Young and naive, I guess. Hopefully the day will come when people are disgusted by women whipping them out for beads, instead of whipping them out for nutrition.