Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We normally head up to my parent’s house for the holiday, but since I’m on call my family ended up coming down here and we spent the day at my uncle’s house near Sacramento.

I decided to try something different for my dessert contribution this year, and took the pumpkin we got from Winterport Farm and roasted it up to make a bourbon pumpkin cheesecake.

Since I also love cranberry sauce an ungodly amount, I put myself in charge of making that too.  My version this year involved cranberries, a couple of whole satsuma mandarins (juice, pulp, and rind chopped up), and fresh grated ginger.  I am already planning on heading back to the store to buy several bags of cranberries so I can make this later in the year (or maybe make a bit to can up now).

And, because I loved our dinner so dang much, here’s a list of what was else was made:
-Pumpkin/ginger/cranberry bread (I made for breakfast)
-Sausage and herb stuffed mushrooms
-Turkey – my dad does this with lots of herbs under the skin and I’m not sure what else
-Stuffing with bacon, walnuts, and other yummy things
-Arugula salad with persimmons, pomegranate seeds, and blue cheese
-Green beans with onions and irish cheddar cheesy sauce
-Mashed potatoes
-Gravy
-Brussel sprouts with bacon (we love some bacon)

We had pie for breakfast so I’m holding out until later today to eat up the rest of our leftovers from last night. Mmmmm.

Can my house please be put back together?

Our house is a disgusting mess.

I blame it on the forever unfinished renovation.  Everything on the floor in there is suppose to be in the living room and kitchen.  But it needs to be moved out, because that desk–going to go.  I’m anti-desk (I never, ever sit at them) and Paul never goes in that room.  So we’re trading the desk out for a futon so that people who spend the night here actually have a place to stay (instead of the couch with Hazel).

Peppers in November

Here in Sacramento we are still getting Anaheim peppers in our garden in mid-late November.  In fact, I think we have more of them now than we’ve had all season.  It’s kind of insane, and disturbing, if you think about it too much.

While I was in Texas, one of the other students was from Mexico and taught me how to make chili rellenos.  I’ve been craving them ever since, so when I noticed all the peppers hanging out in the garden a few days ago I knew exactly what I’d make with them.

So that’s not the best picture ever, but they were pretty dang good.  And, in an effort to be more authentic (and to make up for the brown rice being the least authentic thing ever), I put cheese in the beans.  Do you normally do this when you make beans?  It makes them about 100 times more delicious.  They get all creamy and awesome.  And it hardly takes any cheese at all.

Preventing the flu

I’m curious how many of you are getting the H1N1 vaccine, or what you are doing this flu season (if anything) to help prevent getting a bug.

While I’m not anti-vaccines, I’ve never before in my adult life felt compelled to get a vaccine against anything.  And being a reasonably healthy person, I’ve never seen a reason to get a seasonal flu shot, even when I spent a flu season in college working at flu clinics, helping distribute the vaccines!

But, working with so many pregnant women and new babies, and working in a WIC office where hundreds of people are coming through each day (and not necessarily the healthiest people), I’ve basically convinced myself that I should get the shot.  I actually attempted to get one through a county flu clinic, but so did 4000+ other people that day!  It turns out my doctor’s office has them, but they won’t give me one until next week (after all their patients under the age of 24 get their shots).

I’ve heard that after you get the shot you should treat yourself as if you are sick for a few days, to give your body a chance to get a handle on the nastiness you’ve injected into it, so I’m planning on stocking up on garlic and probiotics, which are my usual prevention measures.  I’m also interested in trying elderberry, but I’m not sure whether I should get a tincture or syrup if I’m taking it preventatively.  Anyone know?

So that’s the plan, but I’d love to hear what other things people are doing to fight the flu and bulk up their immune system.

Nope, not pregnant

Because I know this post is going to make you want to ask, I thought I’d get that out of the way.

But it seems like everyone on the internet is knocked up these days.  And they are posting the dang cutest baby things.  Like this:

Cute right?  It almost makes a girl want to get pregnant (but not YET).  That same company also makes some other insanely adorable items.  Of course, they are from Europe, where fabrics are 100x cuter and they don’t cover their baby clothes in flame retardant.

bench monday

It is currently 8 pm and Paul and I are ready for bed.  But instead we are going to be heading out soon to get to pub quiz in Davis.  This will be our second week, and while we do not place (kind of, sort of, close…but we need someone over the age of 35 to answer the stuff before our time), it’s a ton of fun.

Also, I sewed those leggings today, using a shirt I bought at the thrift store and this awesome, super easy, tutorial.  As it turns out, mens shirts are too big for me (even a small one), so next time I’ll buy a woman’s shirt to avoid the baggy knee look.

They are incredibly comfortable though.

PS-Those shoes and that amazing umbrella (which deserves more photos later), both under $3 at the thrift store this week.

Fall Farm Weekend

Yesterday, Pul and I spent the day at our friend’s family farm in Ione, California.  Their farm produces grassfed beef and has an annual pumpkin patch (among other things).  It’s been in their family over one-hundred years, and it’s pretty rad.  Twice a year they host a group of our friends for a farm weekend (spring & fall).  I posted a few pictures from our spring stay here and here.  If you live in Sacramento and are interested in grassfed beef I can give you their information.  They are going to have a bunch to sell in Sacramento on Wednesday of this week, if you let me know before then.

While we didn’t spend the night this weekend (Paul had to work today), we went up in time for a big farm breakfast yesterday morning (biscuits, eggs, muffins).  Then we did the traditional farm tour, which involves lots of climbing in hay and frolicking in fields.

After the farm tour we ate up the big pot of chili we’d made in the morning.  This was consumed alongside copious amounts of homemade cornbread with butter and farm raised honey.

All filled up from lunch we went and fed the cows.  The cows are always free to munch on the grassy fields they live in, but Farmer Dan also grows some hay on the farm to supplement their feed during the winter.

With the chores done, a few of us went on a hike around their upper ranch.

It’s places like this that make it hard to imagine living anywhere besides California.  I love rolling golden hills so dang much.  Do other places have that?

After a close encounter with a possessed pony (it had red eyes and breathed fire…or so the story goes), we were rescued by the rest of the group who met us in the big truck to hang out on a hill to watch the sunset.

After the sunset we made our way back to the farmhouse for more eating.  Yes, most of farm weekends involve food.  We made taco salads with farm veggies and farm beef and some additional supplies brought in by all the visitors.  Although I’m on call and can’t drink, there was much wine and beer consumed by the rest of the group and I’ll admit I tried a tiny sip of bacon infused burbon another friend made.  Before we left for home, we indulged in slices of the lemon meringue and chocolate pies one of my very talented friends baked up.

Pins & Needles

I went in for my second acupuncture appointment today and whooooa boy.

He placed a needle somewhere in the middle of my scalp and it was so damn intense I almost immediately had a horrible tension headache.  I hardly ever swear in public and I actually used the “f” word on the table.  But the time we realized it wasn’t going to get better (sometimes the needles hurt for a minute and then get better), and he went to remove it, my scalp had literally pushed the needle out of my head.  I’ve got a really strong scalp, apparently.

I asked him afterwards why the points in my head are so much more intense than the other points.  He thinks it’s because I’ve got too dang much going on in my head.  He told me to try and chill out when I can.

That’s good advice…Now how to make it happen?

 

PS.

I want to go to Vegas.

If you come with me, I might make you turn into a pirate.

Sorry for the earlier rant, folks.

An update on my uterus

My dad seems to occasionally stop by this blog (hi dad), most recently to let me know that he disapproves of my crock pot use (something about the lack of braising, and it not being real cooking).

Which makes it weird to write about my period, and sex, and stuff like that.  Because even though I will talk about it with anyone, because that’s what happens when you work in women’s health for a long time, it’s still a bit weird.

But I’m going to say this anyway, because what is blogging for, if not getting stuff off your chest in way too public a way…

Please stop asking me if I’m pregnant.  Or telling me that you can tell I’ll get pregnant soon.  Or that I’ll have cute babies.  Yes, I know I’m a young married person.  And I know I work with pregnant ladies and babies all day. And I know I sometimes say I’m hungry, or I have to pee, or I get the hiccups and you might overhear that information.  None of those things mean I’m pregnant.

Sometimes things are not quite as simple as you’d like to believe that they are.  And I promise that if I get pregnant someday, I’ll be blogging about it here.

For now, I need a glass of wine.