They say having a baby is expensive.

They would be correct.

There are of course the diapers, the wipes, the rash cream, the endless supply of clothes, laundry blah blah blah but more seriously there is my new coffee addiction. Now that Charlie is here and the cute kicks I once felt in the wee morning hours have been replaced by wailing, tight fists and a bright red face that coffee is no longer just appealing but absolutely necessary. I pay $3.50 for my morning brew. I know, i know…it’s a ridiculous price to pay for a coffee, especially now that I’m unemployed and have a baby but I just can’t help it. My morning mezzo with the most beautiful creamy heart-patterned foam on top is my reward for no longer getting eight consecutive hours of sleep a night. The fact that he slept twelve hours straight last night is completely irrelevant because I was up every hour to check he was still breathing. Please, somebody tell me when I will stop feeling the need to do this?

So the coffee sets me back $3.50; $4 if I feel generous enough to tip. But then there’s the pastry case. Oh my. The pastry case. The most amazing flakey and buttery biscuits…the kind where you find yourself saying things like: they are so rich I could only eat half… but really you could eat one and a half. Or two.

And and a half.

Oops.

Almond croissants, ham and cheese croissants and if that wasn’t enough now they sell muffins. The kind of muffins with descriptions that make you feel like you are doing yourself a favor by eating one. Whole wheat flour, carrots, flax….you know the kind.  Deceptive muffins. Muffins are the perfect new-mother breakfast- you can eat with one hand, whilst pushing a stroller because lets face it it’s hard to find time to sit down to eat with a newborn. But at $4 a pop I knew I had to start and end my order with the coffee and make the muffins myself. That or Charlie was going to have to learn elimination communication pretty darn quick.

These are based on one of the muffins they have sold in the past (the fact that they have different combinations each day makes them all the harder to resist). I wanted something a little heavier, that might actually hold my hunger pangs at bay for a couple of hours and not just satisfy a temporary sweet craving. When I say heavy, these are by no means rocks but they have a little protein in the form of quinoa which  makes them feel more substantial to an empty belly. I didn’t want to go the inside out carrot cake route- I didn’t really want them to taste like carrot cake at all in fact. Perhaps I should have called them raspberry and cream cheese muffins because those are the ingredients that really come through. The cream cheese is unaltered and helps to balance out the lightly sweetened muffins. The quinoa and pecans add a welcome crunch and the raspberries a burst of tart fruit leaving me feeling entirely satisfied without needing to dig deeper into your overdraft. Coffee not included.

1/ Once you have a baby,  you are no longer interesting-  your baby is. Unless your baby is crying in which case you are looked upon as the devil and your baby the devils spawn. Fact.

2/ Achieving one thing in the day outside of motherly duties is considered an accomplishment, no matter how small. Making the bed, showering, doing the laundry and cooking dinner are all awarded double credit.

3/ You will quickly learn to do things with one hand, even if it involves hot pans and a gas flame.

4/ Your house will live in a state of constant chaos. Not organized chaos like before, just complete and utter chaos.

5/ You will be grateful that you spent time cleaning like a crazy person as you waited an extra 15 (15!) days past your due date because you will never have time to scrub your pots or clean under the oven again.

6/ Your hairdryer will become a tool used to soothe your baby.

7/ Sleep is for the weak. Four hours are the new twelve.

8/ You no longer feel sympathetic for people who go out partying, have a hangover and miss a nights sleep. They will make up that lost nights sleep, you will not. Also, they had a fun night out and didn’t have to pay a babysitter.

9/ If you didn’t drink on a nightly basis before, you will now.

10/ You will find yourself singing nursery rhymes at all times of the day. It will drive you and everyone else nuts but you will find yourself unable to stop.

11/ You will  still look pregnant after you have the baby-and your father will probably point it out to you.

12/  Forgetful will become your first name, not your middle name. Pregnancy brain is just a gentle practice session before you get tackled by the heavy weight linebacker known as baby brain. Emails will go unwritten, you will eternally be faced with a cup of hot tea gone cold and text messages will get half written before there is sick down your back or poo running down your leg because you forgot never to pick up a naked baby.

13/ Never pick up a naked baby, no matter how short the distance is to travel. They will pee or poo on you, guaranteed.

14/ Regardless of whether or not you risk picking up a naked baby you will be faced with poo running down your leg, a leak that leaves your own t-shirt wet and sick stains on your shoulder daily.

15/ If you are changing your babies clothes more than once a day the nappies are too small. You will curse yourself for buying a box of 276 in the smaller size because yesterday they seemed to fit just fine.

16/ Breastfeeding is not the magical tool for loosing weight. You will have the appetite of a marathon runner, even though you’ve forgotten where you keep your running shoes.

17/ Your phone will be used more to take pictures and video than to talk.

18/ Until they can speak you will start most sentences with “I think”, “maybe” and “I don’t know”.

19/ Paying someone else to do your laundry will no longer be a luxury but money well spent.

20/ I’ve forgotten what this point was.

21/ You will note how difficult it is to get around New York Cities subway system with a stroller.

22/ The best visitors are the one’s who bring food. And clean. And hold the baby.

23/ Don’t bother looking in the mirror until your baby is sleeping through the night or you will be horrified at what sleep deprivation can do.

24/ You will leave the house on more than one occasion with your fly undone, your shirt on backwards and inside out and nursing pads coming out of the top of your bra. And you probably won’t notice until you get home and your husband points it out.

25/ Imagining having twins is now your idea of a nightmare. You now regard parents of twins as supernatural beings.

26/ You will never truly understand how much your parents have done for you until you have a baby.

27/ You will know love deeper than you could ever imagine.

It’s quite depressing how little time I’ve had to put into this blog over the past year. What with a broken leg a crazy work contract and then most recently there’s been this little distraction…

Charlie. Born March 1st at the rather antisocial (and yet now so familiar) time of 3:46 AM. For those wondering, yes he did eventually receive the threatened forced eviction via the sun-roof. At 15 days late and growing with every mouthful I ate, his time was well and truly up. But rest assured, it did not come without him putting up a mighty fight. The first words I heard when he was finally whipped out of me after 40 hours of inductions and no progress were not “It’s a boy!” or “Congratulations!” but “Wow- this is a big baby!”. And at a well-fed-and-would-have-quite-happily-stayed-at-the-buffet–little-longer-9lbs 8oz, big, he certainly was. All the more baby to love, I say.

There’s been little time for cooking. But now that my freezer, no longer full of quick pre-heatable meals is gradually being replaced with bags of breastmilk, I’m dragging my sleep-deprived self back into the kitchen.

Perhaps I should have started with food for dinner but I was distracted by Rhubarb at the market. And how could I not be? As someone who loves dessert…but ironically not so keen on sweet desserts, rhubarb is just so right. Of course it needs a little sugar to come to life but there’s really no need to go overboard.

Unlike most muffins, which are only good on the first day the rhubarb in these keeps them super moist and we are still eating them 3 days later. You don’t have to use vanilla seeds but they do make the muffins that much nicer.

Please note it has taken me 5 days to get this post up….who knew a little person could take up so much time!

Today is/was my babies due date. Baby seems to have other plans. Clearly, not content with being born in the middle of February he/she has decided to stay a little longer. As far as I’m concerned this tenancy agreement has now expired and I’m trying all the old wives tales to send baby the message that it’s time to pack up and ship out or face the consequences. No more Mr Nice Guy. Being new to this whole parenting thing I’m not sure what those consequences will be just yet but if baby Baxter gets any bigger then it may wells begin with a forced exit via the sunroof! We can discuss grounding and reduction in pocket-money face to face.

I can’t really blame the poor thing. It’s February after all. Perhaps one of the most miserable months of the year, even though this one happens to be unseasonably mild. Life must just be good in my belly. The food exceptional, the temperature cozy…..not a care in the world.

I stopped working 10 days ago and have been nesting ever since. Extreme nesting. Lying on the floor scrubbing underneath the oven kind of nesting- which I can tell you is no easy task with at nine month pregnant belly. I’ve also been filling the freezer…not with anything new and exciting mind but the staples- bread, shepherd’s pie, bolognase, soups, stew. Food that I can make without thinking because my brain power is not working at maximum strength these days. Just good hearty food, which assuming baby makes an appearance before the daffodils start blooming we may still want to eat.

There are also a few sausage rolls tucked away in there. For days when soup and bread don’t quite meet the mark. I made these for my baby shower a few weeks ago- a wonderful affair hosted by three of my dearest friends including Maggy from Three Many Cooks. I promised her this recipe…so here it is. I’ve posted about sausage rolls on this site before- but there are so many combinations, one can really never get bored of them. Anyway, they always seem to be a hit no matter what extra ingredients I put inside.

If you don’t have caramelized onions lying around in your fridge, you can make them very easily by slicing up 2 large onions and cooking gently in butter or oil until soft (a cast-iron pot works best). Once soft turn the heat up to medium and stir often allowing the onions to turn golden- this can take a little while but is worth the wait. Scrape up any bits that begin to stick using a wooden spoon and add a splash of water if they stick too much. Once deeply dark and sticky, turn off the heat and allow to cool before adding to the sausage meat.

These pictures are courtesy of Maggy!

If there is one thing that Don and I really disagree on, it’s how many kitchen props and gadgets I need. The answer is more than I have. And then there’s the storage of said gadgets. So I guess it’s really two things that we disagree on. If I had it my way the counter tops would be clear but I could magically press a button every time I needed my food processor, blender, kitchen aid, toaster, soda machine etc to appear. This is clearly not an option. Instead I keep the most used items out on the counter and the rest I pull out the stepping stool for, climb up and lug them out of high up places, unravel cords and then attempt to place them neatly back after wards. If they aren’t neatly put away one runs the risk of cords getting tangled and a food processor-caused concussion.  This was a chore when I wasn’t eight months pregnant…now it’s just a bloody hassle. Don would rather the counters were always clear too (except maybe for his keys, his hat, his ID card, his water bottle and yesterdays lunch Tupperware that uses our counter top as its dumping ground). It’s a big problem for those of us who live in small spaces but demand a well-equipped kitchen.

Recently I’ve been wondering whether my blender deserves a priority spot on the counter top. I’ve been making so much soup it seems to be all I use these days. Unfortunately I haven’t been very good at the writing down the recipe as I go part….nothing but pure laziness on my part and perhaps a pinch of pregnancy brain, which happens to disable ones ability to multi-task. I now know what it feels like to be a man. Perhaps I’ll stop giving Don such a hard time…

Last night I had a moment of clarity and managed to do both. Hurrah! I made potato and bacon soup and then grated cheddar on top because when I woke up yesterday it was 13F in NYC and Don had painted the heating switch shut. Even my neighbours rising heat couldn’t keep me warm and so on days that cold, new years resolutions or not, everyone could do with a little extra padding on their hips to keep them warm. It’s actually really not all that unhealthy- but eating a bowl of potato soup with bacon and cheese makes me think i’m eating a bowlful of creamy mashed potatoes, which gives me feelings of equal parts pleasure and guilt. Lets hang on the pleasure part though. The soup is creamy but sans cream. There is bacon fat but no butter- and really this has got to be better for you than french fries.

With most soups I like to blend everything together- maybe its just how I grew up eating soup but I like how a blended soup brings together all of the flavours in every bite. Unblended soups can have a cleaner, healthier taste but that’s not really what I’m always after. Having said that with this soup I decided to leave a third of it unblended so that there was some bite…more hearty stew than soupy mashed potatoes but still creamy. I threw a handful of spinach in the bottom of my bowl because well baby needs greens but it’s perfectly delicious on its own…even without the cheese.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Potato, bacon & cheddar soup

Creamy, hearty…..what more could you want?

Makes 10 cups

3 slices of thick cut good quality bacon, sliced (around 1cm thick will do)
2 large leeks, white part and light green only, cleaned and sliced
1 medium-sized onion, diced (1 cm or so thick)
2lbs Yukon gold potatoes (or Maris piper etc) peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
1 garlic clove, diced (about 1 tsp)
couple of sprigs of thyme
48fl oz/6cups chicken stock
Splash of milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Good strong Cheddar cheese, grated to serve

• In a large nonstick pot over a medium heat, cook the bacon until most of the fat has rendered and the bacon is beginning to look crispy (don’t let it get really crispy!) Remove any surplus bacon fat, leaving about 1 Tbsp in the pan.

• Add the leeks, onion and potatoes to the pot and stir together. Cover and let soften for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium-high. Stirring every once and a while allow the vegetables to take on a little colour- about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 minute, stirring to combine,

• Stir in the thyme and chicken stock and bring up to a boil. Turn to a simmer and let simmer for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are very soft. Remove the thyme sprigs.

• Blend 2/3 of the soup in a blender then return to the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add a splash of milk or cream if you would like it thinner. Bring back up to a simmer then stir in cheddar cheese to taste or just serve each bowl with a mound on top that your eating companions can stir in themselves.

My belly has become prime real estate. There’s a bidding war going on between my ever growing baby and the space in my stomach to feed said growing baby and baby is winning hands down. He/she is a ruthless negotiator and as my stomach gets shoved into a tight corner eating has become more of a challenge than a pleasure. It’s a good lesson in pacing myself. Us Helm’s and our days competing at the boarding school dinner table have not made us genteel feeders but pregnancy has taught me how vital it is to slow down.  Otherwise what goes down will get kicked (quite literally) back up.

Gone is the joy of the first trimester and the glow of the second- the third trimester has hit like a ten ton truck full of ugly sticks. My back hurts, my right hip hurts and my life has become one long kegal exercise as I try to ward off any unfortunate incidents resulting from a surprise left-hook from my little real estate tycoon. Ahh pregnancy….you were so wonderfully uneventful up until now. Which brings me to my real point of being here today.

Millionaire’s flapjacks. Hello.

Now before you start questioning how I could take a perfectly healthy flapjack and smother it in caramel and chocolate- let me remind you of two important facts. 1/ I am a hugely pregnant woman with raging hormones and 2/ don’t delude yourself, flapjacks were never healthy in the first place. Sure they mostly consist of oats but sugar and butter weigh in at a close second and third place so really what’s a little caramel and chocolate too?

It’s pure joy- that’s what. Fortunately, I was destined to share these at the second annual NY cookie swap supporting Cookies for Kids Cancer or else baby might have had something to say about them. Or perhaps more likely, would have kicked up a fuss about how many I was trying to squeeze in my stomach. I’m telling you, It’s a war in there.

There are many over-achievers one comes upon in this world. Some are commendable and the others are just plain annoying. These sprouts fall into the latter category, I hope you’ll agree. I’ve decked them out with so many good extras you might be wondering if they still count as eating a vegetable (look if the government thinks pizza is a vegetable then these definitely are). Think of these as Superman rather than Clark Kent.  Your average sprout…pretty plain looking, pretty bland, uninteresting. Toss in some superpowers though…in the form of pine nuts, bacon, caramelized shallots, a squeeze of lemon and a little parm and they may as well be flying through the sky in a lycra suit saving us from the baddies. Please feel free to step in and stop me at any time…..

What I’m trying to say is that there are vegetables and then there are pimped out vegetables and sprouts frankly need all the pimping out they can get. So this holiday season, help a sprout out, will ya? The process is remarkably simple. All you need is one pan- you could do it in three and multi-task but this will take all of twenty minutes to do from start to finish so you may as well save yourself (or the magic elves you live with) the washing-up. You can also make ahead all the add-in’s or exclude some all together…think superman without the cape but still the power to fly. If you’re serving this as part of a meal with all the trimmings….say Thanksgiving for example then you may want to omit the cheese. If you’re just serving a roast chicken with potatoes go the whole way and add in everything. Or if you’re the over-achieving guest who offered to bring a side-dish, bring this one. It may even outshine the hosts turkey. Hey if anyone can outshine the turkey, it’s superman…I mean super sprouts.

It turns out that when your pregnant you become fair game to weight/size related comments. I didn’t sign up for this. Sure, I signed up for the weight gain alright, the complimentary back ache too plus the water retention, the low immune system, nose bleeds….you know standard pregnancy symptoms- but comments on my weight…nope didn’t sign up for that. When has it ever okay to comment on a woman’s weight and where she carries it? Apparently, when one is pregnant. I think Don is more excited anticipating my belly button popping out than the baby (it’s going to happen). Maybe people think that they’re being funny or cute but asking a pregnant girl if she’s sure she’s not having twins is not such a knee-slapper when you happen to be said pregnant girl.  Also if you’re going to make comments like that then you sure as hell better give up your seat because my back hurts from carrying all this extra weight around. I have a work colleague who thinks it’s hilarious to say that I’m eating for three (I’m not). Yesterday he ate an enormous slice of chocolate cake for breakfast…so I asked him if he was eating for three now too.

I worked on a Macy’s ad recently. We made Martha Stewart’s Sour Cherry Coffee Crumb Cake from the Baking Handbook to photograph on a new cake stand. I like coffee cake- I adore the crumbs. I don’t understand why there isn’t coffee in it like the name suggests but I can get over that, it’s just too darn good to spend time worrying about it. Coffee cake reminds me of an old friend I had growing up. She always had Entenmann’s coffee cake in the house…the kind of thing we would never have in ours. I loved the buttery crumb topping- the cake I could frankly do without. Martha’s cake used sour cherries, we used frozen black cherries on the shoot- I decided any fruit could be used and apples won. The fact that they are the only fruit in the market right now made it a pretty easy choice. I like how the fruit sits in a single layer- it varies up the textures- cake, then apples, more cake, then crumb topping…you can’t just take a nibble of this cake, you have to have a slice. Heck why not make it an uneven three slices.  I didn’t have sour cream so I used buttermilk and the texture turned out much lighter than the original. I added a hint of orange, keeping the cinnamon just in the crumb topping so as not to overpower the cake with spices and cut down on the sugar. I also added oats and whole wheat flour to the topping- making it more like how I make a fruit crumble. I’m a fan of this cake…..and I’m pretty sure baby is too. That’s baby singular.

Apple coffee crumb cake

Makes one 9 inch cake- can be made in a tube pan

For the crumbs
300g/ 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
300g/2 1/2 cups flour (mix of plain and whole wheat)
150g/ 3/4 cup light brown soft sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
75g/ scant 1 cup rolled oats

for the cake
260g/ 2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
110g/1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g/ 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest 1/2 orange
1 cup buttermilk (or yogurt or sour cream)
1 average sized apple- i like something sour like Bramley or Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes(about 1 1/2 cups)

for the icing
65g/ 2/3 cup icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
zest 1/2 orange
enough orange juice to make a nice drizzle (about 1/2)

• Prepare a 9inch/23cm cake tin by greasing with oil and then lining the bottom with parchment/greaseproof paper and re-greasing. Heat the oven to 18oc/350F/Gas 4. Make the crumble topping- mix together your dry ingredients (minus the oats) and then rub the butter in, using the heat of your hands to soften the butter and make clumps. Add the oats and squeeze between your fingers to make different sized clumps. Measure out 2 cups and freeze the rest for a crumble topping for fruit or scones or another cake.

•  For the cake sift together the flour, raising agents and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment beat the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract on a medium speed until light and fluff- 2-3 minutes. Beat in the orange zest. Add the 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the buttermilk, then 1/3 flour then the remaining buttermilk followed by the remaining flour. Beating gently in between ingredient additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

•  Spoon half of the batter into your prepared pan. Arrange the apple cubes in a single layer, making sure that they don’t touch the sides of the pan (they will stick and burn). Top with the remaining batter, spreading so that it’s smooth and even. Sprinkle over the crumble topping.

• Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back when touched- about an hour. Rotate the pan half way through cooking. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes before tryint to remove from the tin.

• Meanwhile, make the glaze by sifting the sugar into a bowl and adding the orange zest and drizzling over a little juice as you whisk until you have the desired consistency- don’t add too much at once you will probably only need 2 tablespoons. Drizzle over the cake and slice up!

People like to talk to pregnant people. I like most other city-folk have always kept myself to myself on the subway, in a coffee shop or in the line at the check-out counter. It’s not that I’m not polite it’s just that I don’t have a tendency to strike up conversations with strangers- and I don’t usually attract the attention. When I get my hair cut or nails done I want to catch up on the latest gossip magazines…not make idol chatter. Call me anti-social…perhaps I am a bit. Being pregnant though, I’ve been making friends with all sort of strangers…I’m not even given the option. People like to talk to me. And here I was thinking all this time that I was just boring. Suddenly throw a baby in my belly and you can just call me interesting!

Of course, being interesting is not all it’s cracked up to be. For starters it’s kind of repetitive answering the same questions over and over. When are you due? Do you know what it is yet? Have you thought of any names? Do you have a preference for what it is? Have you had any weird cravings? How are you feeling? It’s all well-meaning. My replies are always followed up with an opinion or a story about somebody else they knew. Generally speaking they are never nice stories- people don’t like to share the stories about the friend they had who had the easiest pregnancy in the world and then barely blinked before they had popped out their child out who was immediately able to breastfeed, never cries and slept through the night from day one. Those are the stories you don’t hear. Nope. When you’re pregnant your old friends and your many many new friends want to share the stories that scare the crap out of you and perhaps even pass judgment on your own ever expanding waistline…are you sure it’s not twins? First I wasn’t showing enough…now apparently I look like I’m due next week.

To the disappointment of everybody who inquires- and for an interesting person I’m having a decidedly boring pregnancy. The baby is doing great, we don’t know the sex, I’m not willing to share names(because everyone one knows someone they don’t like with the same name), I’ve had zero cravings and I’m feeling just fine (because honestly, nobody really wants to hear about the weird rash I had, the itchy skin, the fact that my hips hurt from sleeping on my side and how tired I am come 8pm). Compared to a broken leg, pregnancy is like lounging in a pillow of soft clouds….

Soup. I’ve been eating more and more lately as the evenings close in sooner and the cooler air comes in. It’s so quick and easy- filling, healthy….all the things you want when you’re eating for two (or one and a 1 1/2 lb baby). This one is Cauliflower and thyme but what I love is how versatile you can make it. Curry powder and cauliflower are a great pairing and so is cheddar. You can add all of these as heat up a small batch. The rich golden colour comes from the carrot and slightly caramelizing the vegetables first…don’t skip this step it makes all the difference between soup that has depth and one that tastes and smells of cabbage.

Cauliflower & thyme soup

This soup is so thick and creamy that you will swear that there is potato and cream…fear not this is wonderfully healthy. Minus the butter and the optional cheese!

Makes about 9-10 cups

3 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, peeled and fairly finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and fairly finely chopped
1 large celery stalk, fairly finely chopped
1 head cauliflower, stalks finely chopped and kept separate from the finely chopped head
2 garlic cloves
a few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked (about 2 tsp)
1 quart good quality stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 cup milk
salt & pepper to taste
Grated extra sharp cheddar to serve, optional

• Heat the butter over in a large heavy pan over a medium heat until foaming. Add the onion, carrot, celery and chopped cauliflower stalks and stir to coat in the butter. Turn the heat to low, cover and let sweat slowly until really soft- about 15 minutes. Stir every few minutes.

• Remove the lid and turn up the heat. Allow the veg to take on some color, scraping the bottom of the pan if the vegetables begin to stick- about 5-10 minutes.

• Add the thyme and garlic and stir for one minute then add the finely chopped cauliflower head.

• Stir then add the stock and the milk and bring up to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and then cover and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes or until the cauliflower in tender. Liquidize in a blender until really smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then reheat to serve. Grate over cheddar if using.

I’m not good with weeknight suppers. I’m not even just shy of good I’m downright terrible. There’s something about being on my feet all day cooking that makes me not want to stand on my feet and cook anymore when I get home from work. All I can think about is getting on our lazy boy and getting my feet up. Even having the energy to communicate with my husband can be a challenge sometimes. People assume that because I’m a foodie that I always cook and eat the best foods but the truth is…all my good intentions fall on the back burner by mid-week. I can sit an wax lyrical to somebody about how they could plan ahead for the week and what they could cook but do I follow my own advice? Heck no!

Back before my accident if there wasn’t food on set to bring home for dinner then I would often opt for a bowl of yogurt with berries (and homemade granola) for dinner, the same old salad or last nights Indian take away leftovers stir-fried with rice with maybe a sprinkling of fresh coriander….I’m embarrassed to write this. Don was always happy with a quick pasta thrown together with things in the fridge and so that’s how we ate. I’ve just never been able to get my act together on the weekend to make things that I will still want to eat come Wednesday night. Don’t get me wrong- there’s a lot of cooking that takes place on the weekend but that’s just to get three homemade meals on the table over two days- and even if I go to the effort of making a couple of loaves of bread they never make it much past Tuesday. And you can call this an excuse but my fridge is usually so full of ‘work’ come Monday morning that I don’t want it laden with dinner food for the week. In my next house I will have two fridges.

Since my accident there have been some changes to this not being able to plan ahead thing. Partly because I now have somebody else to think about- somebody who’s relying on me to give it a good quality meal three if not more times a day. He/she is growing rapidly and is capable of giving me quite a hefty kick in the tummy these days. Yup, I’m pregnant and yes, in case you were wondering, I got pregnant with my leg in a full length brace. That seems to be what most people are interested in asking these days but that’s all the detail you are getting! My little bambino is due in February which means that assuming this baby follows his own mother’s strict enforcement of punctuality I’m already well over half way. It’s a crazy feeling- there are days when I look at my swelling belly and think- how in the world did this little miracle happen? Now that the cat is out of the bag- there will be more blogging about it…and don’t worry there won’t be any strange food pairings…I haven’t had any cravings. Well, maybe chocolate but that’s just standard!

Now that I’m pregnant Don and I have been thinking about the kind of traditions and values that we want our family to share. In doing so we realized that we had already gotten into a lovely habit ourselves- a late brunch on Sunday followed by an early bowl of soup for dinner in the evening. I like an early supper on Sundays- it has a way of easing that Sunday night stress feeling.  In the summer I’m sure it will change but for now as the weather is changing it’s lovely to come home to a hot bowl of soup after a long day at work. I forget sometimes that soup doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t have to be boring and without depth. I’ve found that a little butter makes all the difference, a dash of cream at the end makes it taste more luxurious and special, the quality of the stock is of utmost importance and if you allow your veggies to pick up a little colour before you add the stock there will be so much more flavour to be had.

Of course I realize that I can’t feed my kids soup every night for dinner so I also threw together a big beef casserole this weekend- half to freeze, half for this week. A simple one- beef, onions, carrots, mushrooms a stout beer and beef stock on low and slow for a few hours. I let it simmer in the oven whilst I had soup going on the stove…it was remarkably easy. Now I just have to work on getting meals for the other three weeknight meals.