Hooray for warm weather!

Today was a gorgeous 70+ degree day, so we joined some friends for a trip to the zoo. It was a small zoo in a county park, little more than a glorified petting zoo, but it did have some cool things like mountain lions and monkeys. I tried to point out the animals, but Emma didn't have a clue what was going on. She did enjoy being out in her baby Bjorn, though. She likes to face out and see everything and kick her legs. As for me, I enjoyed the warmth and learned that an ox is just a particular breed of cow. (Who knew?)

PS. The picture isn't great, but if you look closely there's a porcupine up in the tree.

Pasta Primavera

I took advantage of Spring vegetables for dinner last night. It was delicious, and the recipe is from Cooking Light, so it's good for you too.

1/2 lb. uncooked fusilli (short twisted pasta)
2 cups (1-inch) diagonally cut thin asparagus (about 3/4 lb)
1/2 cup shelled green peas (about 3/4 lb. unshelled peas)
1 teaspoon olive oil
cooking spray
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into julienne strips
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2/3 cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curshed red pepper
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add asparagus and peas during the last minute of cooking. Drain; place in a large bowl.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add tomatoes; saute one minute. Stir in broth, whipping cream, salt, and red pepper; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Add tomato mixture to pasta mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and basil. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Happy Spring!

Spring arrived today and it couldn't come soon enough! The picture was taken yesterday, looking out on our little patio and to the parking lot. (Pleasant view, eh?) That is what Spring looks like in New Jersey. To be fair, though, the ice has melted quite a bit since the picture was taken.

I *love* the Spring. I feel like I'm waking up from a long hibernation. The older I get the more poignant this feeling is, and the more I understand the symbolism of rebirth found in Easter. I am excited to have warmer weather and get Emma outside. I can't wait to introduce her to sun and grass. I'm also looking forward to Spring clothes. She has been so rolly-polly lately, curling up her legs and grabbing her feet whenever I take her pants off to change her diaper. It will be fun to see her little body when she's only wearing a onesie.

May the snow and the cold be officially gone!

Video Issues

I'm still trying to figure out how to post a video. Apparently the link has issues so now I tried to embed the HTML code so you could just play it from this site, but I'm not sure that that works either. It all seems to work on my computer so I'm not sure where the problems lie. Which one (if any) works? If anybody has any advice on how to do this, I sure would appreciate it.

Minestrone Soup

For those of you still having wintery weather...

8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (16 oz) can chopped tomatoes, including juice
4 stalks celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
1/2 cup fresh green beans, cut into pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dry sweet basil
1 can (10 oz) Campbell's Bean with Bacon soup
1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth

Fry bacon and drain all but 1 Tablespoon of grease. Set aside bacon. Saute onion and garlic in reserved bacon grease until golden. Add other ingredients, except soup and broth; simmer 15-20 minutes until vegetables are cooked. Add soup and broth; simmer 20 minutes.

We've got a roller!

On Friday, March 9th, Emma became a roller. I set her down on her back on the living room rug, went into the kitchen to get a glass of water, and when I came back she was on her tummy. I was a little surprised, and a little sad that I missed the first roll. But Emma is obliging and she spent the rest of the evening practicing her new trick. It felt like watching a nature show as she tried to see which way worked best (she favors going to her left), and tried to figure out what to do with her arms. Thus far, she can only go from back to tummy. She enjoys "tummy time" a lot more when she gets there herself, but after a few minutes she gets frustrated. It sure is cute, though. Here's a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r6HhYkX2lw

Guess it's time to baby-proof the house!

It is time.

So here I am, jumping on the bandwagon of bloggers. It seems to be the new trend, and like most trends, I'm a little behind. But thanks to Erin, Jess, Amberly, and Maren for inspriation.

I decided to start blogging for several reasons. One, to keep family and friends (especially the grandparents) informed of Emma's daily habits. Two, I've always been terrible at keeping a journal. Now I can blog and keep track of the things that are important and make me who I am (and who I'm not). Three, blogging seems like a great way to keep in touch with those of you who are far away.

For better or for worse, here it is.