Kids Dish

I’ve got a chicken defrosting in the fridge. It’s the last of the garage freezer stash of foods to be cooked. Everything else in there is cooked and ready to go for when this baby decides to make an appearance. I’m not due for a week, but I am ready to not be pregnant any more. I am cranky, sore and impatient and I’m finding it difficult to maintain the current level of organization in my house.

My thoughts have turned to things that are rumored to start labor. I’ve been using Evening Primrose Oil for two weeks and drinking lots of Raspberry Leaf Tea. The tea has brought on contractions but nothing that’s caused me to think the baby may actually want out. I’ve been walking up and down the stairs in my house repeatedly- usually with a very vacuum cleaner in tow, and aside from today when the weather just wouldn’t support it, I’ve been walking as much as I can. I’m not crazy enough to try castor oil but there are foods that are supposed to bring on labor.

Spicy foods are often rumored to jumpstart labor and today I ate the majority of a can of pineapple hoping that would start things. The eggplant Parmesan I made a week and a half ago didn’t do its job but I’ve heard great things about this recipe for Scalini’s Eggplant Parmigiana. Apparently 300 women have gone into labor within days of eating it. Sadly, I don’t think it will work until my due date has come and gone, but I may have to give it a try later in the week.

My garage freezer inventory:

* 1 9�?x 13�? pan of eggplant parmesan
* 3/4 of a large baked ziti in three portions
* 2 8-cup containers vegetable soup
* 1 3-quart and 1 4-cup container of beef stew
* 1 9″x13″ pan of rotini with goat cheese, spinach and red pepper sauce divided into individual servings
* 6 bean and sausage enchiladas (1 dinner and leftovers if Boyfiend doesn’t gorge himself)
* 1 tray (3 meals) chicken enchiladas
* 2 8-cup containers of chicken soup
* half a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough
* 6 cranberry muffins
* 6 strawberry mango muffins
* 18 blueberry pancakes

I’ve also got a bunch of chocolate ricotta muffins I baked tonight that still need to be wrapped and frozen, one more chicken defrosting in the fridge, and three more cups of shredded zucchini. I may just make zucchini cakes for dinner one night instead of more bread or muffins.

The chocolate ricotta muffins were not on the list of things to freeze. I had a huge tub of ricotta and ended up with a few cups left. I made yet another baked pasta dish to get us through dinner for the rest of the week and still had over a cup of ricotta that needed to be used by the 30th of this month, something unlikely to happen if this baby ever pops out. So I turned to Mr. Google and found a lovely recipe for Lemon Ricotta muffins that called for 3/4 cup of ricotta. The recipe called for blueberries which I have and lime zest, which I don’t, but would replace with orange. I was ready to make them but thought I’d quickly look for a recipe that called for a bit more ricotta. When I saw chocolate and ricotta together along with the phrase “chocolate cheesecake,” looked at the recipe and saw it called for more ricotta, I was sold and looked no further.

Chocolate Ricotta Muffins
from Joy of Baking.com

Makes 12 regular-sized muffins.

I was really hoping the baby would come early so I could enjoy a Cinco de Mayo margarita but alas, it is not to be. Instead I will leave you with a few celebratory recipes for margaritas for the parents, sparkling limeade for the kiddos, and snacks for everyone.

The Perfect, Potent Margarita
3 oz Tequila
2 oz triple sec
1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
shake with ice until the shaker is frosty. Serve in a glass with a salted rim with wedge of lime. This is not a drink for amateurs. Serve in a glass with lots of ice and let it get melty before drinking if you’re unsure of your ability to handle it.

Sparkling Limeade
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
10-12 limes, juiced and strained
zest of one lime
sparkling water or club soda
lime wedges

To make limeade you’ll need to make a simple syrup. Bring one cup of water to boil and add two cups of sugar. Stir until dissolved then stir in the lime juice and zest. Let cool and set in the fridge.

For each glass of limeade you’ll need about half an ounce of syrup topped with the sparkling or fizzy water of your choice. Adjust the ratio of syrup and fizz to taste. Serve with a wedge of lime

Guacamole
3 ripe avacodos, halved, pitted and peeled
one small onion, chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
one small tomato, chopped
juice of 1 1/2 limes
slightly more than half a cup of fresh cilantro, cut into smallish pieces (Do not substitute with dried. Yuck. It is better to omit the cilantro entirely if you can’t get fresh.)
salt and pepper to taste

Mash the avocado with a potato masher or fork then add the remaining ingredients, mixing until everything’s combined. Serve with tortilla chips.

Speaking of tortilla chips, I see no reason not to buy a bag (I’m not affiliated in any way, but on the east coast Tostitos brand are the lightest and crispiest), but if you’re by chance some health nut, feel free to bake your own. You’ll need a package of tortillas, some vegetable oil, salt and chili pepper

Cut the tortillas into 8 wedges, brush with the oil, sprinkle with salt and chili pepper to taste and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until chips are lightly browned.

Currently in the freezer I have a 9�? x 13�? tray of eggplant parmesan, three two-adult and a toddler servings of baked ziti, half a tray of black bean sausage and cheese enchiladas, half a dozen cranberry muffins, about a week’s worth of blueberry pancakes, chocolate chip cookie dough, and a quarter of a chocolate zucchini cake.

I have an unspecified amount of chicken stock in the fridge. I need to skim the fat from the top and decide exactly what I what to do with it. I’ll leave some out for risotto for tomorrow night’s dinner, but the rest is going to soup I’ll make and freeze for later. Also in the fridge, I have about four cups of shredded chicken, a by-product of the chicken stock. Two cups will probably go to another pasta dish- probably baked rotini with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. The other two cups might go towards more enchiladas. Or maybe I’ll just use it for chicken noodle soup so I don’t have to buy any more tortillas. It’s a tough call.

The good news is that I’m feeling prepared. I no longer fear that we’ll be forced to eat pizza and cheesesteaks for weeks after the baby is born. I still have three cups of zucchini to make bread or muffins with, a small 2 lb roast and two whole chickens I should cook in the next week or two to make more room in the freezer for meals.

I placed a fairly large meat order for May that included a 10 lb value pack of ground beef so we’ll have no shortage of ground beef for burgers as well as steaks, and a couple of whole chickens for when we run out of frozen dinners. My CSA starts in early June which means plenty of veggies.