Emeril's Recipe: Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan Curls

Emeril's Recipe: Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan Curls

1 Spaghetti Squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Slice spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. Drizzle cut side with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place squash, cut side down on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until squash is tender when pierced with a fork.

Remove squash from oven and cool slightly, to handle. Into a bowl, shred the inside of the squash with fork to resemble spaghetti. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and top with curls of Parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

Yield: 2 Main course or 4 Side servings.

Spaghetti Squash & Whole Foods

She did it!
Cheyenne got her driver's License!
I'm so proud of her! :)

Here she is...

Today has been a busy day. I went in for my second ultrasound. Evan weighs 3 pounds 15 ounces. He's a very healthy boy. I got some really good pictures of his little face. He's so handsome!

I was in the Arden area so I went to Whole Foods to buy a spaghetti squash. I had never even heard of this vegetable until I saw Emeril cook one on Planet Green. I thought it was some specialty veggie that only rich people ate so the only place that would sell such a thing would be Whole Foods. I pick one out; take it to the register; that bad boy cost me $5.50! Yeah, for a stupid little vegetable! But I figured, I'm pregnant, I need to eat healthily, what's five bucks?

What the heck's a spaghetti squash? Here's one...

I still needed to buy pepper. We've been out for some time and it's one of those things you never remember until you need it. While at Whole foods, I saw 8 different types of organic pepper. None of them costing under $6.00. I think pepper is one of those things that should be fairly cheap so I decide to go to Trader Joe's on my way home; pick up the pepper and get some pumpkin butter while I'm there.

So there I am, in the check out line at Trader Joe's... when what do I see? I whole bunch of spaghetti squash in a bin with a sign that says, "Any squash - $2.49!"

WTF? I just got ripped off! Imagine my frustration! The cashier asks me how I am. I say, "I'm pretty mad actually. I just paid more than twice that for a squash from Whole Foods." He says, "Yeah, why do you think they call it Whole Paycheck?"

You can kiss my ass Whole Foods.

Cheyenne

I'm taking Cheyenne to get her driver's license today. I hope she passes it!

Pregnancy Pain Update

The pain I'm experiencing is either gas, which I suspected, or round ligament pain. Joe recommends that I eat more fiber. He thinks it's constipation gas and says I don't go enough. Pregnancy is gross. I've had pretty diabolical gas for the last couple of days. Thankfully, Joe doesn't seem to mind the smell. He actually seems to enjoy it, which is weird.

Evan's measuring bigger than 30 weeks so I get another ultrasound. His head is snugly nestled under my left set of ribs so I'm going to have Joe try to turn him into the proper position. It's very disturbing to feel the baby kick low into your body. Very unnatural.

Something occurred to me this morning. What happens to Trevor if I die in surgery? I need to make a legal document saying I do not want him with my mother. I'd like it best if Joe and Lance collaboratively raise Trevor. Joe will eventually get remarried, then Trevor will have a mother. But until then, I think Paula and John have a more structured environment for Trevor than anyone in my family, (besides Scott) and I think it would be best if Trevor lives with his brother. I should discuss this with them before it's too late, 63 days until Evan's here. :)

Nothing To Do

I'm going to go to Barnes & Noble, find a book and sip on a latte.
Then I'm going to World Market to get Kira's birthday present.
Then I'm going to come home and click click on my blog.
I kind of like not having anything to do. It's nice.

Evan's Birthday

I signed off on my cesarean yesterday at the doctors. It's official, Evan will be born November 28th!

Fishing & Picnicing Pictures

This is when Trevor, Joe and I went to Apple hill.
I've never seen Trevor as happy as when he caught that fish!

Rollin' down the street Smoking Indo

Rollin' down the street
Smoking Indo
Sippin' on gin and juice
Laid back
With my mind on my money
And my money on my mind

Seems we might be able to get the house after all. *Smiley face
All we had to do was get a guy to agree to do the land work for cheap, (god I hope he's not an idiot) and move costs from one loan into another loan. Viola!

Weirdly, I have been craving cigarettes after 9.5 months cessation. What's up with that?

Halloween 2009

"He did the mash...
He did the monster mash...
The monster mash...
It was a graveyard smash..."

I've already picked out next years Halloween costumes. I will be a bottle of mustard, Trevor will be a bottle of Ketchup, Evan will be a hot dog, and Joe will dress up as a concession stand worker pushing Evan in the stroller that we will decorate to look like a hot dog cart.

It will be awesome. This year, I think I will either forgo getting a costume or, if the weather is nice enough, I will paint my belly to look like a pumpkin.

As seen here.



I love Halloween!

Our House & Our Babies

"I'll eat my candy
With the pork and beans
Excuse my manners
If I make a scene"
~Weezer


I was so upset last night at the possibility of us not getting our house. Joe said, "Bad stuff doesn't happen to me. You're rolling with the big dogs now..."
That made me laugh.

Then a while later he said, "feel better now?" I didn't. He said, "Don't worry..." as he looked me in the eye, "all we need is each other, and our babies."
AWE! Melt my heart, why don't you! That was so sweet and it's true. That is all we really need. I feel better now.

What exactly is the problem that I'm so worried about? The contractor we're working with wants an extra $20,000 for work we thought would be much less. It's crazy and ridiculous actually, $14,000 for excavating? $6,000 for septic? WTF? Are you serious? They're serious.

What's worse, I asked for the list of things that need to be done to the property so that I could get competing bids from other contractors. I paid $250 for the guy to come out and survey the land, right? No, they said they will not assist me in hiring competitors. They even went as far as to hide pertinent information in the docs we're supposed to sign once they "found out" I was shopping bids.

If we don't start construction soon, we wont be able to move into our home until god-knows-when. Spring probably. Luckily, a very kind neighbor and friend of the Christopher family opened up an apartment over her barn for us. That's a relief. At least we'll have somewhere to stay temporarily.


In other news, my pregnant belly is bigger and better than ever. I get aches and pains here and there, but this morning, I pulled a muscle putting on my underwear. That's pretty pathetic. Actually, what's pathetic will be when my belly gets in the way of me putting on my own shoes. I see that happening by next month.

I wonder, why do I still have heartburn? I only ate spicy turkey chili, a bean burrito, a blueberry scone and a big fat brownie for dinner last night. I'm being sarcastic. I know exactly why I have heartburn... I've been infected with a government sponsored bioengineering experiment of which I will give birth to a rapidly aging baby, of course.

Or did I see that on TV?

House

This house thing is killing me. :(

I'm do not want to lose this house. I've invested so much time and energy in making it perfect. I have everything picked out, I know where I'm going to put our furniture, I have all these dreams about what it's going to be like living there.

Oh, I hope money doesn't keep us from getting our house.

Pumpkin Madness

Here's what I plan to make this holiday season.
Let's just say, I'm crazy about pumpkins! *maniacal laugh

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

One 9-inch pie shell.
6 ounces of cream cheese, softened.
¾ cup of cooked pumpkin.
2 medium sized eggs.
1 ½ cups of sugar.
¼ cup of flour.
½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Beat the cream cheese, eggs and sugar together until the mixture is smooth.

Add the pumpkin.

Stir in the flour, nutmeg, and the cinnamon. Beat well.

Pour into the pie shell and bake for one hour.

Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:

COOKIES
1 medium egg.
2 cups of flour.
1 cup of butter.
1 cup of sugar.
1 cup of pumpkin.
1 teaspoon of baking powder.
1 teaspoon of soda.
1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
1 teaspoon of vanilla.
1/2 teaspoon of salt.

ICING
1 cup of powdered sugar.
1/2 cup of brown sugar.
4 tablespoons of milk.
3 tablespoons of butter.
3/4 teaspoon of vanilla.

Preparation Instructions:

COOKIES

Cream the sugar and the butter.

Add the pumpkin and the egg.

Add the dry ingredients.

Bake at 350F for about ten minutes.

ICING

Combine the butter, the milk and the brown sugar.

Boil for three minutes minutes. Allow to cool.

Stir in the sugar and the vanilla.

Apply icing to the cookies.

Fishing At Apple Hill

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. Teach a man to create an artificial shortage of fish and he will eat steak.
Jay Leno



Trevor, Joe and I went to Apple Hill on Sunday. I took the picnic basket with carrot muffins and sparkling blueberry juice and we went fishing.

All the boys from the lake crowd around Trevor and Joe, probably because Joe is the coolest big kid at the pond. Trevor catches his first fish and a look of pure happiness shines across his face. The fish gets away once it gets in Joe's hands and goes back in the water. Joe forgot how slippery they are.

Within minutes of trying for a second time, Trevor gets another fish, a rainbow trout I believe. I'll post the pictures of him fishing next weekend. I can't even describe how wonderful it was. He was so happy to take that fish up and watch it get cleaned. He brought it home for the family to have some for dinner that night.

The funniest part of the experience was when Trevor and Joe caught the second fish, an "adult" came up and helped them secure the fish. Second funniest part, Joe got fish-slime all on his pants and smelled like the pond for the rest of the day.

As Long As We Don't Buy Him A Leotard...

♫I decided that you are the him for me!
Oh boy!♫
Song by Solange



I love milestones. Today is the 300th day of our relationship. This morning I woke up and said to myself, "I love it when Joe puts my coffee cups on the bottom shelf! I love him so much!" That man makes me so happy.

We're going up to Placerville tomorrow, I'm looking forward to that. Trevor's going to show me some of his Karate moves. The school canceled Art so he's going to do gymnastics anyway. I think as long as we don't buy him a leotard, it's safe. Who knows, maybe he'll be the next Kerri Strug?

I think I'll go to Trader Joe's today and buy some of that sparkling pear juice. It's in a wine shaped bottle so it'll fit in my picnic basket. A Saturday picnic sounds like fun and I know Trevor likes to do fancy little things like that. I'll bring some sandwiches and fruit. We can all just kick back on a blanket and catch up on the week. That will be nice.

The house thing is moving along quite well. We have an expected move in date of November 30th. That means we might be staying with the parents for a little while. I'd like to bring Evan home and have a comfortable place for us, especially because I'm going to breastfeed. It's not that Joe's mom and dad's isn't comfortable, but it's hectic with so many boys running around, (and I'm very modest about them not seeing my breasts.)

I'm supposed to get a glucose screen by next week but you can't eat anything sweet for 12 hours before the test. I haven't been able to do it, all of my cereals are sugary. I guess Monday, I could boil some eggs. I would be very surprised to find out that I have gestational diabetes. It's the only disorder I'm not paranoid about getting.

I downloaded some new music yesterday. Beyonce's little sister, Solange, has a new album out. It's good, she sounds like a modern Diana Ross. I like it, it makes me want to dance. Ooh, speaking of dance, wouldn't it be cute if Trevor learned how to dance? I think I'll look to see if Placerville has any kids dancing lessons. As long as we don't buy him a leotard, It's not gay.

Where Were You?

Where were you, when they built that ladder to heaven?
~Cartoon Alan Jackson

My root canals were denied, again! Joe handed me the letter this morning. That's a pretty bad way to wake up. Speaking of bad ways to wake up, it's 9/11.

Question, today is a holiday of sorts. Correct?

Do you say "Happy September 11th"?

I say happy 4th of July, Cinco De Mayo, or I'd say Happy Bastille Day if we were French.

How do you convey a sense of, "Hey, it's September 11th, remember all that bad shit that happened? Well, I just wanted to say, have a happy 9/11."

What is appropriate?

Pumpkins!

I can not stop thinking about pumpkins.

I want pumpkin pie, a pumpkin spice latte, some of that pumpkin beer, (I know I can't have any of it) and most of all PUMPKIN CARVING!!!

I want Fall so bad! I want the all the things associated with it; leaves falling off the trees, the smell of fireplaces, going to the pumpkin patch, picking out costumes, trick-or-treating, cloudy days, big full moons, and having to snuggle up because it's chilly.

Oh Baby!

Evan will be here earlier than I had expected.

I am electing to have a cesarean. My reason? I found out there is a very small possibility I could rupture my uterus when pushing. It is a very small chance, but if it did happen, It would be catastrophic. So I'm not going to risk it.

Evan will be here on November 28th! (The day after Thanksgiving)

My Most Favorite Picture Ever

Heartburn & Circumcision

Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.
Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

I haven't been able to sleep because of heartburn. I've tasted stomach acid in the back of my throat for two days now. I hope it doesn't burn a hole in my esophagus. They say chronic heartburn is a sign of a hairy baby. I can't picture Evan having a lot of hair though; Joe and I were both bald babies.

I've been anxious lately over my son's circumcision, as well. Mainly, over not getting him circumcised. I'm worried because I have no idea how to take care of an uncircumcised penis; i.e., how to clean it, how to teach him to clean it, potty training, etc.

I actually said, right after Trevor's circumcision, "that was the best $200 I ever spent." Not having to pay special attention to Trevor's wiener was especially important to me at the time. After all, I was a single mother. What do I know about wieners?

Last night Joe said, "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

I don't know how he does it, but him just saying that makes me feel a little better. It reaffirmed that he'll be there and I wont be the only one parenting. I wont be the only one cleaning it and I wont be the only one potty training. I do feel a little better actually.

I go to the doctor today, hopefully she'll have something for the heartburn.

Mama Drama

♫ "Let the rain fall down
everywhere around you
give into it now
let the day surround you
you don't need a reason
let the rain go on and on..."



Last night my mother called around 9:30 pm. I always say, a phone call after 9:00 pm is never good. This was no exception.

At first she sounded defeated and lonely. I have sympathy enough for her to at least hear her out. She said, "I'm off work next weekend, Will you bring Trevor to come see me?" I told her that I could not commit to it tonight, though I would try.

I was really considering meeting with mom and taking Trevor up to see her; when she said in a nasty voice, "We have some things we need to get straight..."

Wait, what? That sounded like angry drunk talk. I said, "Excuse me?" She said, "Yeah, I have every right to through you and Joe's whole family in jail for kidnapping!"

Then she goes on to say,

..."You should never have put him into a foster home..."
..."You sold Trevor to Joe's mom and dad so you could get a house..."
..."They get over a thousand dollars a month for him living there..."
..."You took him away from his family and gave him to people who don't love him..."
..."You never even see him..."
..."You're a terrible mother, you can't be around him for ten minutes without screaming at him..."
..."I'm going to have you arrested..."
..."I have friends who are cops..."
..."I know people..."
..."I'll see you in court..."
..."Does Joe even know you have a history of violence?..."

I told her I still stand firm in my decision to take Trevor. I am not on drugs or alcohol, I do not want them in my life. I do not want them in Trevor's life. I'm not willing to fight with her; I do have sympathy for her in that she must be lonely, but that does not give a right to hurt me or Trevor. I told her not to call unless she's sober.

Heavy Babies & Sugar Plum Fairies

♫ "When I wake in the morning love..
And the sunlight hurts my eyes..
And something without warning love..
Bears heavy on my mind.."


This baby's starting to weigh me down. I read he weighs over 2 pounds, though it feels like 10.
I go to sleep early, wake up late. Eat a lot. Life is good. (one would think)
I'm tired all the time. I'm tired of being tired. :( Hurry up and finish cooking baby, I'm ready for you. :)

On a cute note, Trevor is going to start Karate next week! I'm so excited for him. He can do Karate or Gymnastics. Joe, (who I trust to make the manly decisions) says gymnastics is girlie. He says, "what if Trevor found out he's really good at gymnastics and starts prancing around the house like a sugar plum fairy?"

What would I do without Joe? Trevor's so lucky to have him, too.

I love how Joe kisses me every morning before work! I remember this morning it startled me, but I was so excited once I woke up enough to see it was my honey.

Feelin' good... Feelin' great...

♫ Feelin' great... Feelin' good... How are you? ♫
~ OutKast

I don't understand why Joe doesn't want to read through my old emails. I just don't understand.

I even gave him full permission!!!

I've read his... I read his. I want to know everything he's ever done or said. Is that wrong of me? Am I the weird one?

I hope he doesn't think I invade his privacy. I don't look at it that way.

Maybe I'm just used to always having my personal space invaded by a boyfriend and have just come to expect it?

Yeah, that's probably it :)







LOL :) I bet he wont even read my Live journal

It's been a long time...

Timbaland : ♫
It's been a long time
I shouldn't a left you
Without a dope beat to step to...


Can you believe it's already September? I can't.

Journal update:

Joe Christopher proposed to me this July; I said yes of course; It's a half Karat Tiffany; We're madly in love.

My Sweetie knocked me up on March 8th of this year; It's a boy; His name is Evan Joseph; I hope he looks exactly like Joe; Evan's due date is December 2 2008.

We are moving to Placerville; It's so beautiful up there; I'm truly the luckiest girl in the world; we picked out a great home.

My little Trevor is in 1st grade; He loves to read; he has an impressive imagination and has learned how to put it to good use where he lives as a mountain child, (which I now affectionately refer to him as.)

I have been ready for a long time to build a future with someone. I have the best family and am finally, genuinely happy.

Goodness, I used to be way dorkier than I am now

I need to change my profile picture... wow, that's a blast from the past... :-/