Balti and frosty

The weather here is unseasonably warm, which is a major bummer for skiing but makes for great snowman building. Rowan fell in love with the movie frosty the snowman while we were in ohio, watching it multiple times a day. So he has been dying to make a frosty of his own. After his nap we put him in his backpack for a short hike up our hill with the mutts. This is an amazing improvement over four months ago when he would kick and fuss and scream bloody murder when put i. His carrier. Once he learned to walk there was to be no carrying. I guess he has grown older and wise, because he even requested to ride! He did get out to walk for the last quater mile or so.

When we got back from the hike we built a snowman in the backyard, which rowan, of coarse, named frosty.

Dinner was paneer balti with shrimp, sagg and naan. Here are the two recipes:
Paneer balti with shrimp - mix two heaping tablespoons of tomato paste with, four heaping tablespoons of yogurt, two large garlic cloves crushed, garam masala and chayne pepper to taste, a tablespoon of tamarind paste, teaspoon of salt and ground corriander. Set this sauce aside, fry cubed paneer and shrimp in a mix of two tablesoons butter and two tablespoons oil. Remove from the oil and add the sauce, stiring until fragrant. Add the paneer and shrimp to the sauce cooking until the shrimp are done, then add half a cup of cream, heating through.
Saag - saute half a chopped onion, two cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of minced ginger. Add curry powder until fragrant. Stir in one 16 oz bag of frozen spinach, two tablespoons of yogurt and half a cup of cream. Cook till bubbly then blend in a food processor, return to the stove for a few more minutes.
Serve both over basmati rice with naan on the side.

Garlic shrimp pasta (12/6/2011)

This was a quick weeknight dinner of garlic shrimp pasta with an arugula salad with blue cheese and pear with a balsamic dressing. I used my traditional red sauce, capvatelli dried pasta and tossed the shrimp on top.

Back again

I have installed the Blogger app on my phone in hopes that this will make me post more often. As most of my pics are now on my phone as well this should make posting pictures easier too.

So where to start, how about a recipe, I will try to post one a day until I get caught up. I worked on a organic biodynamic farm all summer and have an abundant supply of veggies to work with, sadly that stopped last Thursday so I will try using seasonal veggies from the supermarket. Last night we had kale and potato soup with sausage.  The recipe came from a book called "the soup bible"
This one is easy - boil a couple of pounds of potatoes and mash into a paste using a little of the boiling water. In a pot add aproximately 6 cups stock, I used chicken but it called for veggie, add about 8 ounces kale that has been finely chopped in a food processor, and a package of sausage cut into disks. Simmer for t minutes, add the potato paste and simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve over two slices of baguette.

I return - or Rowan sleeps again

Time can go by so fast when you are chasing after a young one. Its been three months since my last post and lots has changed. The weather for one. It is finally summer here in teton valley. The grass is green, the sky is blue, the temps are warm (~80's) and the streams are flooded.
We are in the process of buying a house. The estimates for building our "dream home" were over by about $150,000. And sadly with the economy, it would not be worth what it costs to build once complete. So we have put that idea on the back burner. Maybe some day. We found a really nice home off of old jackson highway, on a hillside. Its 2,700 sq feet and has a first floor and walk out basement. I think it will be a great place to raise Rowan.
I went to Ohio for a week with Rowan to visit my parents. He did great on the plane flights and had a wonderful time seeing Nana and Pop-pop. Kirsten and Blair were able to visit too and Blair took Rowan on his first amusement ride! Kirsten is now 7 months along and looks beautiful. Rowan loved chasing her dogs around the yard. He got to spend time in  the kiddie pool mom got for him and went to the zoo! He love the monkeys and seals the best. I think beacuse they were the most active.
Aarons dad came to visit over the fourth of July weekend. We took him to an air show with Mig fighters at huntsman springs and went to the victor city parade. Rowan had a great time hanging out with grandpa.
I am working on a farm one day a week and rowan is in a play group with 4 other children while I work. HE is the youngest but seems to enjoy the older kids and has done great.

Birthday and Grandparents

My little guy turned one! I can't believe its been 365  days since we were in the hospital and my life changed completely. 365 nights of interrupted sleep. 365 days of joy and wonder. 365 days of diapers and poop and more poop. I can't imagine life without him. He has changed so much in such a short period of time. He runs around the house now, can say dog, dada, ball, block, duck and my new favorite - night night. He knows how to sign for milk and food.
My parents came out to visit for rowan's birthday and we had a great time. We didn't do anything major, just alot of playing with the grandson. They got to go to story time and the gym. We went out to dinner one night at Wildlife brewery and they got to see the land we hope to build on. I know rowan had a great time with them.

ice is nice

We just had a great weekend in Bozeman Montana ice climbing with friends from SLC. Christine and Adam and Kris. We met there friday midday. Rowan was really awesome for the car ride  up and slept a good chunk of the way. We played in the hotel pool and grabbed dinner at Bacchus. I went back to the hotel to put Rowan down and then went back out while aaron stayed with him. Normally he will go back to sleep for Aaron after he is down but sadly he was having none of that.. Poor little guy screamed for a hour while i was gone and aaron frantically tried to reach me.

Afteer a fitful nights sleep we bundled up and headed up hyalite canyon to climb. The weather was fairly warm which was great for both ice and Rowan. I hiked up to the first climb with him in the back pack and we all did some fun climbs. Kris and I went down around noon and Aaron continued climbing. I met him at Montana ale work for dinner. Very Yummy! We all retired early after an exhausting day.
Sunday we all hiked in to another climb together and this time aaron played baby sitter and hiked out with rowan after the first climb while i did a second one with Christine and Adam. We then went to a wraps place for lunch (eh) and stopped at norris hot springs on the way home. Really neat place.

Cookies and positive thoughts

In reverse order from the title - my little sis has come down the the ick and is feeling rather awful. So I'm sending positive thoughts out to her and my family who are visiting her and making lots of tea and soup. Hang in there! Also, a friend of Aaron's has had his cancer return and is putting up a good fight but could use all the good thoughts the universe has to offer.
I am on a cookie kick. I used to bake a cookie a week or so back when we lived in an apartment on 11th east. I am starting to get back into it again. Maybe it is tied to renting or maybe it is just the freedom of not having to constantly be working on a house and the extra time that that affords. Last weeks cookie was orange ice box cookies with chocolate.

Recipe:
1/2 c unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 c sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 c orange juice
1 tsp grated orange zest
8 oz chocolate for dipping

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and blend until smooth. Mix in the dry ingredients alternatively with the orange juice. Mix in the zest. Place a sheet of plastic wrap in the work surface, place the dough on the plastic wrap and shape into a cylinder. Refrigerate for one hour. Preheat oven to 375 . Cut cookies into 1/4 inch circles. Bake until lightly browned around the edges - about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Melt the chocolate and dip half the cookie into it. Refrigerate until firm. 

Walking!

Ok so its just a few stumbly steps but he does it consistently! Pretty soon he will be cruising the world. Happy 10 month birthday rowan.

Untitled from denise bertsch on Vimeo.

Happy wednesdays

Today is shaping up to be a great day. Rowan didn't really sleep that great last night so I laid down with him this morning for his first nap. Mia even joined us. Once he woke we got his diapers and clothes all folded and put away. We went to story time and Rowan met another little boy his same age named Will. We are really liking the library time, we pick out new books each week and got the signing time video last week. We are trying to teach him some signs to help stem whining and grunting for things.

watching the signing time video

After lunch I actually got rowan down for his afternoon nap and we are officially going on more than an hour now (shhh, don't want to jinx this). With all this sleep I am able to update the blog, get the dishwasher started and finish the last little bit of laundry. The weather has cleared too. There is a beautiful blue sky and the grand is poping up above the clouds. Might have to go cross country skiing this afternoon! oops he awakes - more later and a cookie recipe

Food I make

 Aaron and I both like to cook but it seems that I have fallen into the role of being head chef most of the time now adays. I think it is 1. because i can be a control freak and plan menus a week in advance and 2. aaron is working all day while i watch rowan so cooking dinner is both my break from baby and aaron's chance for some one on one father time. I made two dishes i was really proud of this week. The first was Brazilian fish stew - amazingly yummy - even rowan liked it. I would not recommend this for an every day meal though. all the seafood will set you back a very pretty penny.

My mis all in place

The finished product

The second was an indian meal - buttered chicken and curried cauliflower, chick peas and spinach. Amazingly Rowan ate both meals. He seemed to really like the seafood and was into the cauliflower and chick peas. Hopefully he will continue with his good eating habits.

The curried veggies

The butter chicken over rice with nann

weekend fun

We had a great weekend with christine and adam visiting us for skiing. They got here late friday night. Saturday morning we had a quick breakfast, french toast bake and sausages, and then Aaron took them on a tour up Mt Oliver. They took brewer and yogi who ended up becoming little walking snowmen. They both had to be carried out. We did fondue that evening and had a great time chatting and catching up. The next day was my turn to get out skiing. Unfortunately the fates were not in my favor. The pass was packed and the snow was super heavy. We did a short hike and then i tumbled down the mountain. The lesson is that denise needs fatter skies and was not meant to tele ski. Time for an AT set up for me.

Here is the recipe for the french toast bake -
In a buttered 7x10 pan tear up 3/4 a loaf of bread ( i prefere wheat but pick whatever sounds good to you)
in a bowl mix 7 eggs, about a cup of 1/2 and 1/2, about 1/2 cup orange juice, sugar, cinamon, vanilla
pour over the bread and let sit overnight
right before putting it into the over, generously dollop with butter
bake at 350 until the eggs are set and the top is crisp

back again - aka the baby sleeps

So my blogging took a bit of a hit as I've been setting up a new (temporary) home and Rowan is learning to nap. Well he is napping! And the dishes are done, and the laundry is folded and there are only a few dust bunnies lurking so i will let them live to see another day. Unfortunately i don't think this extended nap will be a reoccurring theme. We had a late night (9pm) last night so he is extra tired.

What has been going on around here lately - lots! I spent two weeks at home in ohio with my family. IT was wonderful to have so much time with them and rowan got to know his grandparents better too. Aaron joined me for the second week and got a chance to get out and ski and ice climb the first week. It was a well deserved break for him. Brief run-down of activities - shopping(of coarse!), great lakes, hiking, philly, winking lizard, Santa and church.

Hike to Brandywine falls

Animals and baby!

Christmas Morning

Yay! Thanks for the noisy pull toy uncle blair!

Nana and Pop-pop with their favorite present

Aunt Kirsten made Rowan a beautiful stocking!

Aunt Kirsten and Uncle Blair give the coolest gifts!

Rowan and his walker wagon from Nana and Pop-pop. Look out, man on the move!

Nana's Tupperware drawer was a big hit

Sledding!

We flew back into town on the 28th and after a whirlwind day the 29th drove home that evening. Note to self - check Idaho dot before driving home. We drove all the way to route 33 only to find it closed due to high winds, blowing snow and zero visibility. We had to drive all the way back to pine creek pass. We made it into our beds around 1am.The next day Aaron went out to shovel and ended up paying a front loader $15 to plow our drive we had soo much snow.

The view of the plow from the bedroom balcony

We had a quite news years and celebrated the eastern time zone before going to bed. I am starting to settle into a routine with Rowan. Mondays are shaping up to be pool time and Wednesdays are story time. I might go to open gym with him on Tues or Thursdays. We are starting to meet other families which is really nice. We have been getting out cross country skiing a bunch too. Rowan normally naps in the chariot but on occasion he stays awake and just looks at the world.

Skiing with the Grand Tetons behind me.