A few years ago, actually about 6 weeks after Maia was born, I had the very unfortunate circumstance of contracting C. Diff. I had just finished a course of antibiotics for mastitis, killing all the good bacteria in my gut and leading to the C. Diff proliferation. By the time I realized how bad off I was and went to the doc, all I could do was wait over the weekend for lab tests to come back. By then it had been almost a week of being unable to eat or drink. Even a sip of broth would cause my stomach to cramp severely. I had my friend an ER doc in MN on speed dial to ask when exactly I should go into the hospital for an IV. Meanwhile, I was still attempting to nurse my newborn. Stubborn and still conscious, I waited it out until the labs came back and a new round of drugs got me back to normal. Thankfully, throughout the week my mom came to stay and help with Maia while I was otherwise mostly incapacitated.

The point of this story, of course, is food. What could I do at the time, but lie on the couch watching the Food Network for hours and days on end!? I reached levels of hunger that I had never before experienced. Sensations made increasingly more interesting by the mind games of watching delicious food prepared and photographed to perfection, while I couldn’t stomach a soda cracker.

On the day I started to get better, Jason came home with Mud Pie from Kopps. I knew better than to eat it right away. In fact the torture of waiting a few more days while able to eat (albeit very simple foods) may have been the greatest. So now, when Mud Pie is up for its annual cameo at Kopps, I don’t miss out.

The 45 pounds was easy – a little thing called kindergarten. Now I have just one running partner to keep me pushing.

Jason loves apple pie, so generally on his birthday I try to make one for him.

What could be better than the Elegant Farmer’s pie in a brown bag? So I thought I try it myself and found a recipe that sounded good.

Yum!!!

S: “That’s a dolly.”

Funny part is weren’t discussing the type of pretty dolly that might have come to mind first.

]]> http://sydneyshimko.org/family/seemingly-normal-conversation/feed/ 0 http://sydneyshimko.org/family/ice-cream-treat/ http://sydneyshimko.org/family/ice-cream-treat/#comments Mon, 05 Sep 2011 00:17:42 +0000 Sydney http://sydneyshimko.org/?p=1161 J (while giving T. an ice cream reward as promised, for keeping his pull-up dry all day): “Buddy, great job keeping your pull-up dry all day! Now, when it’s bedtime you’re gonna sit on the potty again, right? … and when you wake up in the morning, what are you going to do?”

T: “Go out for ice cream.”

The only thing more impressive than their size is their appetite–hornworm can make quick work of your plants overnight.

I quickly ran to the garden to seek and destroy. Jason laughed when I told him these were the largest creatures I have ever killed, but I wan’t laughing. Draining their green blood was not high on my list of fun events for the day. Nevertheless, we were really luckily to have caught them before they destroyed all our pepper plants.

For reference and recipe, please see the original post here.

My book!, originally uploaded by Sydney Shimko.

My book arrived and I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am! I may have to make a smaller (more affordable) version than the 12″x12″ to share.

See the preview here. http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2366954

Ingredients

• 1 bunch swiss chard
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/8 tsp tabasco sauce
• 1 small onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• salt & pepper

Instructions

Trim and chop chard, discarding any tough stems. In a large skillet, heat olive oil, add onions and garlic, and saute 2-3mn until softened. Add chard, tossing to coat leaves. Cover pan with lid and heat 3-5 mn until chard is wilted and tender. Add tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, Tabasco sauce and basil. Heat 2-3 min. Remove from heat; mix in sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4-6 servings.

Notes

I’ve made it with yogurt instead of the sour cream, or left it out altogether, and it was still great!