Quick Corn Bread

1 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse grained salt
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 large egg or 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together milk, oil and egg or egg whites. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and, using a fork, stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut into squares or triangles and serve immediately.

Cole Thomas at 26 Weeks

Here's this week's update from Babycenter.com:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches — about the size of a English hot house cucumber — from head to heel.

Benihana! (aka Mahalo)

Last month, when it was time to celebrate our birthdays, our area experienced the snow storm of the decade. Then, I got pretty sick. Anyway, part of our present from mom and dad Bergeman was to be treated to dinner. Because of the storm and my illness, the birthday dinner had to be delayed until tonight. The delay was well worth it! Tonight, we were treated to a great celebration at Benihana!

Our chef was very good; however, I must admit -
the fact that his name was Pedro kind of took away from the whole atmosphere! :)

Sydney and Sarah absolutely loved the chef hats they received.
Sarah was much better at keeping hers on.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

More pictures are posted with the January pictures on Picasa!

Sydney's Big Girl Room

The preparations for Sydney's big girl room are in full swing. So far, Tom has hung blinds and a ceiling fan. Next, he needs to paint and install crown moulding. I ordered her new bedding and bed rails. We decided to go with an owl theme. It should be really cute when it's finished. Sydney is really excited to move in. I'm hoping to get her in by Feb 1. That'll give her 3 full months to get settled before Cole arrives. In the meantime, we'll change the nursery back to a real nursery by converting the toddler bed back to a crib and adding the changing table back to the dresser. We may decide to make some small tweaks to the nursery to make it more "boy," but that depends on how quickly we can finish Syd's big girl room. Only 106 days until May 1 - people!

Swimming with Grandpa

Today, my Dad took Sydney to her swimming lessons. I've been getting bigger, and the maternity swimming suit seems to be getting smaller, and so it was a great deal for me! :) Sydney had a blast. All morning I asked her if she was ready to go swimming, and her answer was Papa? Papa? (Yes - swimming with your Papa!) Anyway, here are some highlights!

Kicking

More kicking

Serious concentration

Cole Thomas at 24 Weeks

Here's this week's update from Babycenter.com:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long -about the size of an ear of corn - he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Hmmm...

Well, I don't know what to think of this. There are good things and bad... Let's cover the bad things first: she has no pants on (we really need to work on that) and she could fall and hurt herself at any minute. Now, the good things: she's clearly practicing what she's learned at gymnastics and she's got beautifully straight arms in her handstand. I think her dad would have heart failure if he saw this. Maybe we'll have to make a totally unfair rule about no gymnastics in the house. I hope not! :)

Sydney as MJ

Chicken a la King

This was one of my favorite meals growing up. We usually serve it over rice.

1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup chicken stock
pepper
salt
dash of allspice
1/2 cups carrots
1/2 cup peas
cooked, diced chicken
parsley
rice

In a large pot over medium high heat, add the butter and olive oil. When the butter has melted, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk and chicken stock, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes or until the sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Season with pepper, salt and allspice. Stir in carrots, peas, chicken, and parsley. Continue cooking until heated through. Serve over rice.

Sydney Dines Solo

Tonight, Tom, Sydney, and I had the most wonderful dinner. We went to a little restaurant called La Villa Roma in Leesburg. We've been there plenty of times before; however, we rarely eat in. Tonight, we decided to splurge and actually sit down. They serve great, inexpensive Italian food. But, I think my favorite part of the night was how comfortable Sydney was throughout dinner - which made me very comfortable. The restaurant is especially family friendly, so it was easy to let Syd explore our area of the restaurant. She especially liked the booth across from our table. She went over and sat by herself and said, "big girl!"

Fun Times...

So - this weekend, we hosted a dinner party/playdate. Two years ago, I don't think if you'd asked me whether a dinner party and playdate could be combined, I would've answered yes. Anyway, it turns out you can host a successful dinner party and playdate at the same time. You just have to make some minor adjustments... like starting the party at 4:00 pm.

We hosted two couples and their children - both the same age as Syd. So, we had six adults and three children under the age of 2! It was so much fun to watch the kids play. They were incredibly well behaved and all got along just fine. We even managed to take a picture of all of them together - and they were all looking at the camera (must've been a dinner party/playdate miracle).

We also managed to have some adult conversation, too. All the husbands currently work or have worked for Triple Canopy - so they had plenty in common.

A good time was had by all!

Baby Cole at 23 Weeks

Here's this week's update from babycenter.com:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound - about as much as a large mango, you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

Penne a la Vodka with Shrimp and Chicken

Serves 6

3/4 pound penne
olive oil
salt
pepper
1 pound chicken tenders, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
dash of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup vodka1 pound medium shrimp, peeled
1/2 cup light cream
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add the penne and cook for 9 - 11 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside.

While the penne and the chicken are cooking, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the both cans of tomatoes and bring sauce to a boil. Season with salt and the red pepper flakes. Boil for 2 - 3 minutes. Pour in the vodka and simmer for about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, take out the garlic and add the shrimp. Continue cooking the sauce until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 - 5 minutes.

Add the cream, butter and chicken and stir to combine. Place the pasta in a large serving dish and add the sauce and the Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and add more salt and red pepper flakes if desired. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

Mexican Bubble Pizza

I believe this recipe won the Pillsbury Bake-Off several years ago. Anyway, I've made it several times with much success. It's on the stove as I type this!

1 1/2 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup water
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed tomato soup
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
1 container (8 oz) sour cream
3 green onions, sliced, if desired

Heat oven to 375°F. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently; drain. Add taco seasoning mix, water and soup; mix well. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 8 pieces. Add pieces to beef mixture; stir gently. Spoon mixture into ungreased 13x9-inch pan.

Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is bubbly.

To serve, cut pizza into 8 squares. Top each serving with remaining ingredients.

Grandma Estelle's Cheesecake

Use a spring form pan with a hole in the center.

Combine:

1 cup of graham cracker crumbs

1 T. sugar

½ stick of butter

Push into the bottom ONLY of the spring form pan.

Mix and make smooth:

3 8oz. pkgs of Philadelphia cream cheese

1 t. vanilla

5 whole eggs

1 c sugar

Pour over crumbs.

Bake in a 350° oven for 40 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.

Topping:

Mix together:

1 pint (2 cups) sour cream

4 T. sugar

1 t. vanilla

Pour over cheese cake….bake 5 minutes longer in a 400° oven.

Let stand to cool then chill before serving for at least 4 hours. Pre-slice the cake for your guests, wiping the knife between slices.