By Heather O.
And there is no bigger sin here at MMW than being boring.
The problem is, life just isn’t all that exciting these days. I have a baby. I keep her alive. The end.
So welcome to my random crap post. And try not to be bored.
J’s birthday is coming up, and he wants a Webkinz party. Okay. Doesn’t he know I’m NOT Tracy M, and I can’t just create Webkinz invitations and a Webkinz cake out of thin air? I did my best Tracy M impression, however, and painted a silver W sticker the colors of the Webkinz logo W, and used a yellow crayon for the circle. Tracy would be properly appalled at the result, I’m sure, but it appeased my son, so there you go.
I’m still working on the cake problem, however. Thoughts?
I served my family our new favorite veg dinner, Chick Pea Masala (THANK YOU DEBORAH!), and this time I substituted the rice for bulgar wheat, which, for some inexplicable reason, enhances my milk supply. Who knew. J gobbled it all up with glee, saying “yummy rice, mom!” and I got depressed thinking that my child is going to grow up thinking that rice is brown and round like a vegetarian freak I’m turning him into. I got all existential angsty, so Dh told me I probably needed a nap.
He might be right, considering that since my baby got the flu, she has yet to remember how to sleep through the night, and thinks that the hours between 10pm and midnight are the party with the parents hour, a thought reinforced by the fact that DH has brought her into our room for the past 3 nights to enjoy hanging out with us, saying, “She stops crying when I change her environment.”
Yeah, well, I’d stop crying if somebody changed my environment too, especially if it involves tropical beaches and nonstop fruit smoothies. But nobody seems to have whisked me away to such a place. Slackers.
On a brighter note, flu+nursing+vegetarian diet=some serious weight loss, causing the Wiz to lament that she and I might weigh the same. Since I still have a good 15 pounds on her, it’s not going to happen anytime soon, but it’s fun to imagine her consternation at weighing the same amount as a woman 2 inches taller than she is. But nobody ever mistakes me for a skinny little man, so there might be some benefits to her beefing up some.
In our sickly state, we watched a LOT of movies. “Snow Dogs” is a particularly bad one, and I spent the entire time trying to figure out where I had heard the main character’s voice before. Turns out he plays Mr. Waternoose in “Monsters Inc.”, and his hands in real life are so arthritic they actually resemble the creepy crab claw hands of his animated counterpart. I am not making this up. He really does have crab claw hands.
Which just goes to show that you really can learn something every day. Even when you are half delirious with fever watching a silly movie about sled dogs. The movie did move my son, however, as he began to bawl with ferver when the housepet border collie “Nana” whimpered when she didn’t get to mush with the rest of them. Since it’s Disney, however, which means it’s a movie completely void of reality, the housepet border collie of course saves the day in the end, becoming the lead dog, and pulling off a miraculous sledding victory. J was so thrilled, he made up a cheer that went, “G-O, G-O, N-A-N-A! Go, go Nana! Yay, Nana!”
Yeah, he was delirious, too.
But he did write the cheer down so I wouldn’t forget it, and serenaded me with it early the next morning. Very early. ‘Cause even when he’s delirious, my boy still likes to make his momma happy.
And if crab claw hands and cheers about border collies isn’t random enough, well then, I don’t know what to tell ya. I’m all out.




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Pingback #1 by Another post, because The Wiz said yesterday I was boringFebruary 26th, 2008 at 8:31 am…enhances my milk supply. Who knew. J gobbled it all up with glee…
Still laughing here. Your writing is never boring!
Comment #2 by AhnaFebruary 26th, 2008 at 9:03 amQuinoa Heather! It is so good and can replace any other grain, at least that is my conclusion. It is a complete protein (all nine essential proteins in one serving!) I use it for breakfast with dried fruits and for dinners with veggies and cheese. It has become our favorite grain. On to Amaranth!
The cake: Easy - bake a sheet cake, cut out the W and frost it in rainbow colors on the top. Then on the sides, using a star tip, put polka dots all over! TaDa!
Comment #3 by chroniclerFebruary 26th, 2008 at 9:05 amI am so proud of you for making stuff! Who cares what it looks like- you KNOW J loves it! Yay for you!
I need to make that recipe from Deborah- gotta go find it now in the comments…
Comment #4 by Tracy MFebruary 26th, 2008 at 9:08 amHow old is your son again? Fortunately my kids are too young to care about Webkins. They still like easy party themes like Bugs and Pirates and Safari. All my CTR-7 kids are crazy for webkins and wii, though. Which definitely strikes me as weird because it seems kind of girly, like Beanie Babies and Polly Pocket. I’m not looking forward to those fad items where you have to “collect them all”. My kids had better not get their hopes up.
Comment #5 by snow whiteFebruary 26th, 2008 at 9:31 amGood hint about the bulgar wheat! I never knew that! I’ll be starting up nursing again next month, so I’d better stock up.
Tracy-
I don’t even use a recipe anymore for the Masala, as the flavors are so forgiving. I dice and sautee an onion in olive oil, then add 2 or so minced cloves of garlic, then add a can of tomato paste, some water, cinnamon, curry, and ginger to taste, which usually comes out to be about a tablespoon of each. I have used lemon juice in the past, but the last couple of times, I haven’t. I let the sauce get to the consistency I like, then add the chickpeas (one can, or about a cup and a half presoaked, cooked beans works for our family), and then let it simmer for a little while, stirring and adding water when I need to. When I’m really together, I make naan to go with it. When I’m so out of it I even forget to cook rice while it simmers, I go for the bulgar, which is done in minutes. Then I serve it with fruit on the side for something fresh. EASY.
Comment #6 by Heather O.February 26th, 2008 at 9:42 amThat sounds pretty similar to a chickpea recipe that’s one of our favorites too. We’re having it tonight. You might not live near one so I’m taunting you, but Trader Joe’s makes frozen Naan that is delicious and heats up in the oven in about 2 minutes.
Comment #7 by FoxyJFebruary 26th, 2008 at 9:47 am“Yeah, well, I’d stop crying if somebody changed my environment too, especially if it involves tropical beaches and nonstop fruit smoothies. But nobody seems to have whisked me away to such a place. Slackers.”
Still laughing!
Comment #8 by HRHFebruary 26th, 2008 at 9:55 ammaybe the barley helps because it contains something similar to brewer’s yeast?
my milk comes in really slowly (like 5+ days postpartum)and my last pediatrician recommended I knock back a few beers. When I told him I really couldn’t, he said to try the supplement form at the vitamin store.
once it’s in, though, there’s no stopping it.
would like your naan recipe. mine just don’t turn out right.
Comment #9 by What About Mom?February 26th, 2008 at 9:57 amI just use the recipe I found in Joy of Cooking. But I don’t have a pizza stone, so I just plop mine on heated baking sheets, which doesn’t have the same effect, so mine aren’t all that great either. And never use whole wheat flour to make it. Whoo boy, was that a disaster.
Yes, FoxyJ, you’re taunting me with Trader Joe’s goodness.
Comment #10 by Heather O.February 26th, 2008 at 10:03 amI secind Quinoa. It’s sooooo yummy, and even my uber picky 5 yr old just gobbles it all up!
And your posts are never boring. Nevah, evah!
Comment #11 by mellocelloFebruary 26th, 2008 at 10:23 amI make my naan with a mix of ww/all purpose flour. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can get an unglazed terra cotta tile at Home Depot for about 99 cents, and it works just as good, and is perfectly safe, as a replacement stone. (thanks, Alton Brown!)
Comment #12 by Tracy MFebruary 26th, 2008 at 10:43 amHow about turning a circle cake into a wheel of wow or maybe a kinzcash coin? Or you could just make cupcakes and stick one of those gold foil covered chocolate coins (kinz cash) on top and call it good. That’s all I got. Good luck!
Comment #13 by bythelbsFebruary 26th, 2008 at 10:49 amHmmmmm, this is the second post in what a week that has to so with something about boring. Yet people read it and comment. What does that say about us all, I know for me, my life is just about as dull as…whell, whatever is dull, so these posts actually are not boring! Oh, I like cake and have never tasted a bad cake despite what it looked like! I’m sure you will do great!
Comment #14 by JSFebruary 26th, 2008 at 11:09 amA tablespoon of ginger? Powdered or grated? Do you get wild dreams? I find that if I use more than about a teaspoon of powdered ginger in a recipe my husband and I both have racing dreams. Although it could be a stir-fry thing.
The same thing happens when we eat hormone-treated chicken, so I’ve tryed to switch almost entirely to buying a lot of the natural hormone-free chicken when it’s on sale.
Comment #15 by ResearcherFebruary 26th, 2008 at 11:17 amI use powdered ginger, and it’s probably not quite a tablespoon. That does seem like a lot doesn’t it?
But no, I don’t get crazy dreams from ginger. And I have to say–how bizarre.
Comment #16 by Heather O.February 26th, 2008 at 11:38 amBoring posts are the best. They rock! And cause my boredom to flee. Which is good. Since I’m blogging out of boredom. (Am I allowed to admit that?)
Comment #17 by cherylFebruary 26th, 2008 at 12:21 pmHuh. I guess it is bizarre about the ginger & chicken. I’d never thought about it extensively. Both my husband and I are also quite sensitive to allergy medications and can only take small doses, and I can’t even use something like Benadryl or Motrin. It’s no wonder our kids are a little different with us as parents.
Comment #18 by ResearcherFebruary 26th, 2008 at 1:44 pmHRH beat me to it. I was going to quote the exact same thing. I will anyway:
“I’d stop crying if somebody changed my environment too, especially if it involves tropical beaches and nonstop fruit smoothies. But nobody seems to have whisked me away to such a place. Slackers.”
That has to be one of the funniest things every written on any blog.
Comment #19 by RayFebruary 26th, 2008 at 2:31 pmSeems as though you could take a rectangle cake, (9×13) and cut it into longer rectangles and make a “W” out of it? That is way lame, but is my cheapest and doable idea. Good luck!
Comment #20 by Jo in UtahFebruary 26th, 2008 at 3:02 pmI think I’m missing something. What do you do with the sauce, do you soak the wheat? Does it end up as a big blob side dish like rice? Please enlighten those of us who are blogging while drinking Dr.Pepper and burning BBQ pork…
…oh, and, uh, naan?
Comment #21 by WbprawFebruary 26th, 2008 at 3:52 pmI didn’t say you were boring, I said posting a link to Segullah doesn’t count as posting. If you’re going to quote me….
And yeah, naan? Hello? I should know what this is?
Comment #22 by The WizFebruary 26th, 2008 at 4:05 pmHeather, you are never boring. I love your posts… Thanks for “keepin’ it real”!
:-)
Comment #23 by GingerFebruary 26th, 2008 at 4:09 pmNaan is traditional Indian bread. It’s supposed to be like a flat bread, except it’s lighter and fluffier than just a tortilla. Except when I make it. Then it’s like a hockey puck. But I’m getting better at it, I promise. But it goes great with masala, because you can soak up the yummy sauce with the bread after you eat the beans.
The bulgar wheat—-It comes in a box, and you cook it like oatmeal, which means you can just add water and nuke it, or if you want a grittier taste, just pour boiling water over it in a bowl, and let the wheat soak up the water. And yes, it does end up like a big blob side dish like rice. Well, more like couscous. I do have a recipe that uses it in vegetarian chili, however, and the recipe says it turns into something resembling ground beef texture. This is all totally new territory for me, however, so I’m not counting on it being perfect the first time I make it. Really, these days I basically shoot for edible.
I did, however, make a spinach/cottage cheese/mozarella calzone tonight from the Moosewood cookbook (my bible these days), and it totally ROCKED. DH was very impressed. And pleased I served something besides PBJs. Which is what we had last night. Seriously. What can I say, some days I’m more with it than others.
Comment #24 by Heather O.February 26th, 2008 at 4:25 pmI am glad that I am not the only one who makes hockey-puck naan! And I even cook it on a pizza stone. Hopeless. But I can make a really good lamb and spinach curry that my kids just wolf down.
Comment #25 by fluffychickyFebruary 26th, 2008 at 4:57 pmI have never even considered the possibility of cooking my own Indian food. I am so impressed (by all of you who do.)
And that line about changing your environment cracked me up, too.
Comment #26 by ZinaFebruary 26th, 2008 at 6:26 pmI love to cook Indian food, but never nan. I live too close to a trader joes…
We do a yellow curry that it is similar, you cn throw in potatos, carrots, peas, etc, etc. Don’t forget the mango chutne and Raita (yogurt sauce). heaven.
WE live in an area where lots of Indians have come to work, so we have GREAT Indian food, and Ethiopian food (which is a mix of Indian and Africa…more yummmm).
I’ll have to try bulger…
Comment #27 by bekFebruary 26th, 2008 at 8:00 pmOh my goodness Heather O. You crack me up to death. I swear. It’s like I am sitting in your living room and you’re just talking your regular Heather talk and I love it. I love, love, love it.
Comment #28 by KelliFebruary 27th, 2008 at 12:48 amJust to clarify, the Trader Joes frozen naan is way better than the fresh… maybe it is because I have never tried the pizza stone.
Anyway, I am a slacker. I tried to make indian once and accidentally dumped half a jar of cinnamon in it (the sprinkle top came off). Ever since then, hubby will only eat Indian if it comes from a restaurant or a TJ’s jar. Oops!
And, Heather, you are never boring.
Comment #29 by WoogieFebruary 27th, 2008 at 8:17 amI was pleased to discover that the Fresh & Easy market that just opened up right by my house sells naan. 4 for a dollar, which may be a ripoff, I have absolutely no idea, having never bought naan before, but I really like the garlic naan they’ve got. I wonder how different making naan is from the recipe I’ve got for pizza dough. Hmmm. I used the garlic naan I got the other day for dipping into the creamy spicy tomato soup I made (hooray for doctoring up plain old canned soup so that hubby thinks it’s all fancy and special).
I’m going to have to try that chickpea masala (chickpeas are just garbanzo beans, yes?) I’ve looked up a bunch of recipes for Indian food online, but they all call for weird spices that I do not have and don’t feel like driving 20 minutes to the market that might carry them when I’ve got a grocery store full of normal spices approximately 2 minutes away. Cinnamon, curry, and ginger are all residing in my pantry though, so I could make it if I go get a can of beans.
Comment #30 by kaduseyFebruary 27th, 2008 at 9:47 amI love reading your posts. Never boring.
Comment #31 by ValerieFebruary 27th, 2008 at 10:39 amAs for the cake… not sure if anyone mentioned it yet, but on the webkinz website there is a link somewhere for extras or something I can’t remember and there are ideas for b-day parties, and I think one or two for a cake.
Go surf the web!
Zina-
I never never EVER considered cooking my own Indian food until my doctor ordered a vegetarian diet. I’m impressed at all the people who are making it without a doctor’s orders. Plus, I don’t make Indian food. I just make chick pea masala with naan. That’s it. After that, I’m out.
Comment #32 by Heather O.February 27th, 2008 at 12:39 pm