Team Espinoza

by Amanda

Last year I had a goal to read 36 books in one year. Late July I got derailed by extreme morning sickness and I wasn’t able to read for a few months. I still managed to read 29 books in 2010. I am not disappointed that I wasn’t able to meet my goal. I did get to read some good books and some bad ones.

A few of my favorites from 2010:

1. Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

I still remember specific details from the books that follow the story of a young girl in a dystopian future. I enjoyed that these books are real page turners. The first book is my favorite. Daniel read the entire book of “Mockingjay” to me when I was really sick. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to the Districts and Katniss. I didn’t like the “all war is evil” theme, but overall I enjoyed the bizarre world that the author created.

2. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

I really loved how this book is cleverly written. Descriptive, but still kept the casual pace the book. The book tells three different stories paralleling each other from different time periods that all tie together in the end. I will definitely be reading another Kate Morton book again soon.

3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I am so glad I re-read this as an adult. I can appreciate the genius of the story told from Scout’s point of view. I also liked how the book didn’t focus one central theme, but touched on several themes such as racism, coming of age, feminism, small town, relationships with the poor, prejudice, etc.

4. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

This sci-fi book told different vignettes of human life on Mars in the 1950s. Some are really memorable and wacky. It took me a little while to understand the book, but once I did I enjoyed how it twisted my mind to think of an alternate world.

5. Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

I read three Adriana Trigiani books in 2010. “Brava” is the sequel to “Very, Valentine.” I enjoyed the second book more than the first, because there was not a lot of need to spend time setting up the characters. I appreciated the settings the book as much as the characters. Valentine is a kind young woman with an entrepreneurial spirit and looking for romance. Delightful and entertaining, without being totally mindless.

After picking out my favorites of 2010. I realized one of my requirements of a good book is how well they stand up to time. How well will you remember months and years later?

My least favorite book: “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel.  So long and so boring. Plus it has a terrible ending. I do NOT recommend this one.

You can see my full list here. I haven’t given grades to the last few books yet.

Have you read a good book lately? Do you have a favorite that you read last year?

In the past 2 years I have developed a passion for cooking, baking, and trying new foods at home. It began with Season 3 of Top Chef. The show inspires me to try and cook foods I normally love to eat at restaurants. Also, Daniel and I love to try new restaurants and find hidden gems in San Antonio. With young children and a smaller food budget eating out doesn’t happen that often. Making amazing meals and treats at home saves us the hassle of eating out and it is cheaper. Cooking has become my new favorite hobby.

Foodie Fridays will be my place to share what I am learning, links to recipes I enjoy creating, kitchen tools, and anything that deals with food.

My first topic:

French Oven Recipes

I LOVE my French Oven. Daniel gave it to me for Christmas 2009. My friend, Jennifer, got a French Oven for Christmas this year and asked me what recipes I use with mine. Here are my favorite recipes that use a French Oven.  I have made all of these and can vouch that they are wonderful!

1. French Onion Soup

This is the reason why I wanted a French Oven in the first place. I love browning onions in the pot. I once thought I could double the recipe, so I doubled the butter at the beginning. Huge mistake! The onions never browned. So be sure to follow the recipe as it is. For the record, I think French Onion soup with Swiss is just as good as Gruyere.

2. Beef Drip Sandwiches

The link lists Beef Drip Sandwiches in two different ways. I have made both, but prefer the regular recipe over the Italian version. The Italian version has all that dried Italian seasoning that gets stuck in your teeth. My husband likes them both the same. I wanted to make this at home, because I love the Beefeater Sandwich at Jason’s Deli.

3. Chicken and Dumplings

I made this for the first time last week. I about died when I went to drop in the dumplings and the batter disintegrated into the broth. I scooped out the goopy mess and re-added it to the batter I hadn’t dropped yet. I added more flour and cornmeal to give it a thicker texture. This time they didn’t fall apart! Phew! Also the dumplings then had a bit of the chicken stock, onion, celery, and carrots inside them. They tasted great. The entire pot was quickly eaten up by 4 adults.

TIP: Let the chicken simmer longer than the recipe calls for. A lot of the chicken was still raw when I went to shred it. The entire process will take you longer than you think it will, but it is worth it!

4. Spinach Cheese Strata

The web page for this recipe doesn’t exist anymore, so here is the recipe below. It is delicious, but not entirely cheap. A block of Swiss is about $5. I like making this when we have French Night.

Ingredients
1 loaf French bread
1 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 cup spinach (1 package frozen, thawed and well-drained)
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. salt
Black pepper to taste
12 oz. grated Swiss cheese
4 large eggs, beaten
2-1/4 cups low-fat milk
8 oz. cooked chicken meat (if desired)
Directions
Butter the pan on bottom and sides, and line the pan with French bread cut into 3/4-inch slices. Microwave onion in microwave-safe bowl for up to 2 minutes, or until translucent. Melt butter in large Le Creuset silicone mini-bowl for 20-30 seconds. In large bowl, add spinach, dill, salt, pepper, onion and melted butter. Combine well and spread this over the sliced bread in the pan. (If adding chicken, divide it evenly over top of spinach here.) Sprinkle half of the cheese over all and arrange the remaining bread on top of the cheese. Stir beaten eggs, milk and 1/4 tsp. salt in medium bowl. Pour mixture evenly over the top layer of bread. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and chill 1 hour or overnight, if desired. Bake uncovered at 375ºF for 45 minutes until puffed and golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Cleaning Tip: Scrub baking soda, a little water, and soap to clean inside the grooves at the bottom of the pot.

What do you like to cook in your French Oven?

Why have I waited so long to read “The Scarlet Pimpernel” by Baroness Orczy? It is the classic tale of intrigue, suspense, and romance. I loved it! My book club should be warned, they may be forced to read it this year. I highly recommend it!

The ability to read recipes from the web while I am cooking them is beautiful.

I have been nervous about this week on the calendar. As I already mentioned on Monday we had a sonogram to check on the health of the baby and the status of my placenta. Then yesterday on Thursday I had my 3 hour glucose test.

Here are the results of this week:

* Baby E3 is perfectly healthy and right on track with my due date of March 24th. However, I am still hoping to go 2 weeks early on March 10th like the other two.

* My placenta is a grade 2 and right on par with where it should be.

* I PASSED my glucose test!! I do not have gestational diabetes! Phew! I was nervous, because I failed it with my first pregnancy and was borderline with my second pregnancy. Failing would have meant pricking my finger test blood sugars and keeping a food journal of all that I ate.

GOOD NEWS: With both the placenta and gestational diabetes scare behind me, I am now on track to have a healthy delivery at the birth center in March. I can’t wait!

BIGGER NEWS: We found out the gender of the baby.

***** We are having a BOY!! *****

We didn’t find out the gender with the first two, but with 10 weeks left to go in my last pregnancy we found out. We don’t have a specific reason for finding out the gender, other than we just wanted to know. We were confident that the doctor couldn’t mistake the gender. And thankfully with a boy, there is no mistaking those parts.

We are thrilled that Roman and his little brother will be born in the same month only two years apart. Our hope is that they can share a room as well. It is settling in with me that Annabelle is my only girl. Daniel has warned me that with two boys, “you will smell things that you have never smelled before in your life!” I am not entirely sure we are prepared for life with two brothers, but we are excited and can’t wait to be a family of 5!

Baby E3 loves anything pecan and iced tea.