Hearty Potato Soup {recipe}

recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

 Lately, I have been making lots of food.
What else is there to do when the temperatures drop into negative zone Fahrenheit?
Brrrrr. But-freezing cold. 

I mean, I am hungry pregnant lady after all.

Staying at home, and baking and cooking up a storm, makes my husband the happy beneficiary of the happenings. I don't know why and what's happening here but nesting is definitely getting to me. 

I think I'm reading more food blogs than fashion anything right now. Washing floors at least twice a week, scouting for pillows for my new couches and just organizing the house like crazy.

Well, at least the house is clean and there is always food. Delicious food. 

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman and it's perfect. It's so hearty, thick yet perfectly creamy. 

Try it for yourself.

Ingredients

6 slices Thin Bacon, Cut Into 1-inch Pieces

1 whole Medium Onion, Diced

2 whole Carrots, Scrubbed Clean And Diced

3 stalks Celery, Diced

6 whole Small Russet Potatoes, Peeled And Diced

6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Or Vegetable Broth

3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour

1 cup Milk

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste

Black Pepper To Taste

1/2 teaspoon Cajun Spice Mix

1 teaspoon Minced Fresh Parsley

1 cup Grated Cheese Of Your Choice

Preparation Instructions

Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.

Return the hot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove half to 2/3 the soup and blend in a blender/food process until completely smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs. Stir in cream, then stir in parsley, reserving a little for garnish.

Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese and crisp bacon pieces. 

*** I love to eat it with black yeast dough Russian bread. It reminds me of home.

Ready. Set. Go.

Since I don't know how big he's going to be, I packed a newborn and 0-3m outfit.
What am I missing?

I've asked several people and the opinion is split on whether or not take clothes to the hospital.
What else am I missing?

At this point the nursery is completely finished - it looks so darn cute. My hospital bag and his diaper bag are packed. All that's left is to wait and see. 

Honestly, I think every mother is worried about the birth process and for me, being the control freak that I am,  it's hard to let go. I have absolutely no control over the entire thing as it's very unpredictable. 

But I have decided not to let the worry get to me - I can't fix, help or speed up the process by worrying. So I'm going to try to enjoy these last couple of weeks as a preggo woman. I'm going to soak in the freedom that I still have (trip to B&N anyone?) and the inability to tie my own shoes. 

As much as I can, I ask for advice from experienced mothers, read other people's blogs and opinions on everything from Pitocin to a birthing ball. But until I go through it, I don't know how it is, although it's good to be ready. For everything. 

Nifty Thrifting

{image}

You just received that Pottery Barn catalog and swooning over a rustic table with modern chairs on page 15. The price on that thing? Ridiculous, and you know it. So what to do? Find one and make it your own. At a thrift store

I love thrift store shopping - it's fun, unpredictable and always low-cost. I have been asked on multiple occasions how do I find clothes that look so good when I tell them it's from thrift store. 

There are a couple of tricks.

 Now that we are in our new home, I'm scouting for one-of-a-kind accent pieces, but it's not easy. 

Here are couple of tricks on finding the 'this is so lovely/cute/gorgeous! where did you get it?' piece.

Quality, over quantity. Browsing the racks and rows of old, used furniture, don't think about getting more stuff. Let's face it - you probably have a million sweaters so when picking out clothes, look for unique patterns, familiar store tags and little to no use/wear. I know that the low prices are tempting but select only the best, even if you have to walk away empty handed. Unless you want your closet looking like thrift store itself.

Take your time. Thrifting is time consuming. Nothing is laid out for you and matched like in the department store. There isn't a sign saying "This table is very sturdy. Just needs a fresh coat of paint" Dig through everything. Be patient. You never know.

Distinguish between junk and treasure. This is hard to do at times. When looking for furniture make sure it's sturdy, has no cracks and isn't going to fall apart the minute you put it in your trunk (they don't do refunds). Learn to recognize good quality and sort of have a vision.

Be consistent. You have to be a regular at any thrift store, because nothing is there for very long time. Check the stores often and ask when they receive major shipments, or days when they put out new stuff. Know the sale days. Yes, they have those. Even Salvation Army has 50% off everything day. So what if it's cheap when you can get it cheaper!

Have a goal in mind. Don't just go in aimlessly looking for something. You will never find it. And if you do, it turns out you didn't need it in the first place. Only because you see $0.99 price tag on it, doesn't mean you have to get it. You are more likely to find specific pieces when you know what you are looking for. There is a lot of junk in those stores. But when you know you want that cute little frame with Victorian border so you can spray paint it the color you want and proudly display it over the fireplace, your eyes will ignore the junk and help you find the piece you are looking for.

Never mind the stigma. For some people, it's demeaning to go to a thrift store. It's below them for some reason. Either they are too proud, or too stuck up, or too rich (I mean, good for them) to thrift. There is nothing embarrassing about finding good stuff for cheap and turning it into a one-of-a-kind treasure. If someone gives you a weird look about going to the thrift store, just ignore it and think about all the money you are saving your family (if aren't buying junk that is).

I'm a thrifter and I know it!

Can You Say Big Belly?

cardigan: Loft, skirt: NY&Co, shoes: Anna Taylor, shirt: Target, 

So yes, here I am.

My big pregnant belly and I. 

I think this may be the last picture I'm willing to put on Internet for everyone to see.

Honestly I didn't know I was this huge until saw these pictures. I mean, that baby is taking his chubs very seriously. I have all the regular symptoms of 9 months preggo lady - heartburn, lower back pain,  hunger at all times of day and night, restless leg syndrome when I want to sleep, swollen ankles, going to the bathroom a million times a day in turn making myself familiar with the location of all the public restrooms in our town. But this belly is getting kind of uncomfortable. I can't tie my shoes, it's hard to sit straight up and don't even get me started on trying get a full night's sleep. 

Can't wait for him to arrive.
The doctor says that everything is normal and going very well. What does he know? He never carried one of these. The baby's head is down and there is no way to tell how big how is - I mean shouldn't they have invented some machine for that too? 

I had couple contractions (it hurts. like a lot) which only made me think that I hope I won't chicken out and try to go the natural way. 

So while I get bigger and try to eat the fridge itself (midnight snacks are the best),

 hope you are having a great day.

Crepes {recipe}

I have been craving crepes lately. 

It goes like this: 'Womb service. Yes, Can I please order some crepes filled with farmers cheese and strawberries. What's that? Whipped cream? Suuuure... send that can of whipped cream up!"

So, I have been making them every night, and the hubs loves it.
He loves the new and improved, always-hungry version of myself. 

He is benefiting a great deal from this whole pregnancy thing and keeps saying that maybe I shouldn't go to work after all, stay at home and make delicious food, while I'm making babies. Well that's new.

This recipe is as simple and easy as it gets. In Russian food there is a version of these, but much fattier and has sour cream in the batter.
I like them both ways but this is my go-to recipe. 

We eat them as a dessert (above picture) or plain for breakfast. Whatever you fancy, can dress them up with everything from fruit to Nutella. 

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour

- 2 eggs

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 1 1/2 cup of milk

- 1 tbsp butter

- pinch of salt

In a medium mixing bowl sift together flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl beat the eggs with fork and add milk to combine. Pour the milk mixture into flour while constantly mixing it with a whisk. Don't stop until there are no more lumps left. If needed add a little more water/milk. The batter should even consistency and not thick.

Heat up a small non-stick frying pan on medium heat and coat it with a butter. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and swirl evenly. 

***You don't need to use spoon/spatula to smooth it out, just swirl until the entire pan is coated with batter and it isn't moving anymore. 

Allow 1 minute on the first side and when flipped, about 30 seconds on the other. 

Cheese Filling:

- 1/2 lb  of farmer's cheese 

- 1 tbsp whipped cream cheese

- 3 tbsp of sugar

- 1 tbsp sour cream

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix the farmer's cheese and cream cheese together, then add sour cream, next add sugar and vanilla. Place 1 tbsp (or more ;-) of cheese mixture into each crepes and fold. 

Melt about 1 teaspoon of butter in a skillet and sauté the folded cheese crepes on medium heat until light brown on both sides. They don’t take long to sauté. Be careful not to burn them.

Refrigerate crepes that aren't being served.  They keep in the fridge for almost one week, or you can freeze them up to 2 months. Sometimes I make couple batches and freeze them for easy breakfast solution later.

Wash strawberries and cut into desired pieces. Add a little bit of strawberry preserves or topping and mix. Pour strawberries into crepes, sprinkle with almonds and top with whipped cream. 

Enjoy!

...then go back for seconds.