Craving...

Another food post! All thanks to my pregnant cravings, but this particular dish is a favorite whether I'm pregnant or not. So what is it?

Formally, my craving is called Okonomiyaki, but Dad simply called them "Japanese pancakes" growing up, which is what I say too. Dad also did a simpler version than what you might find in Japan, but I am an advocate for simple. Here is what you would find in Japan:

If you want to know more, visit here: Okonomiyaki. Those examples are much more elaborate than what I grew up eating, and probably just as tasty, but I will stick with what I know :)

So how do you make my Dad's version of a Japanese pancake? You need:

2 c. flour
1 tspn baking powder
2+ c. milk
Any lunch meat diced (we used bologna...don't hate!)
Chopped green onion

I didn't put particular ingredient amounts for the meat or green onion as it depends on the eater! Use more or less as you like, but I personally prefer a nice balance of meat, green onion, and batter. As well, use milk as necessary to get a silky consistency. You don't want the batter to be too thin or too thick. When finished, the pancake should be nice and flat, but about 1/4" thick.

Once you've combined all ingredients and the mixture is at the right consistency, cook the mixture like any American pancake on an electric skillet or in a pan.

Serve with soy sauce of course :) and enjoy!

Year one done...

Here I am, sitting in amazement that the first year of marriage has come to an end, and we are going into our second full steam ahead. I am amazed, not because I had doubts we would make it, but that the time flew by so quickly. I think part of the rush came from experiencing our first year of marriage and the upcoming birth of our first child both at once. I just can't believe we are already here. We truly have come a long way from September 2007, and I am really curious and excited for our future, making sure to enjoy every second of the present.

So what did we do to celebrate? We hit up the good ol' ATL for a nice getaway (from the pets?). Maybe just a getaway from life in general and enjoying the luxury of a fluffy king-sized bed (definitely a luxury for an 8-month pregnant woman and a man who has worked 10-hour days for weeks on end and put up with said pregnant woman). We enjoyed a nice dinner at Veni Vidi Vici. I love Italian and it was perfect. They called us by "Mr. and Mrs. Foster" and gave us a lovely "Happy Anniversary" treat at the end of our meal. I felt as if we were pampered and far, far away from anywhere called "Georgia."

Our lovely evening "abroad" continued with coffee at Cafe Intermezzo. We've been to the one near Perimeter, but the one in Buckhead, where we were, is a little different to say the least. Still a nice after-dinner treat and definitely something to remember for the years later.

So what is the first year like, you ask? (Maybe you didn't, but let's pretend you did.) Definitely highs and lows, as to be expected, and A LOT of learning. I have learned more about communication with my husband than I thought I ever would, and I'm still learning. Thankfully, he still remembers the easiest way to mending my heart--spontaneous, no-occasion-needed flowers and my favorite candy.

We still enjoy our hobbies -- soccer, cleaning up the house and yard, playing with the dogs, and of course movies. We have some new activities, such as preparing for our first child due in two weeks and frozen yogurt eateries. All in all, this last year has really made it evident how much I should thank God for putting my husband in my life. He truly is my best friend, the better part of me, and the one who I can count on through anything. He calms the storms in my head and gives me a stage to make a fool of myself without throwing tomatoes or insults. I am eternally in love, and that's fine by me.

Bring it on year two...

Well, almost a year after my last post, I reenter the world of blogging with a post on food...
(What better way!)

So my days at work often are hectic, crazy, and stressful. Unlike other people, my stress reliever actually is coming home to make a meal enjoyed by my husband and me. During the summer months, when I really have no excuses to be stressed, I can take more time to plan out meals and be creative. But that's not to say old staples aren't still tasty! So tonight we're having a one-pot meal of meatloaf and potatoes.

Just a quick recipe:
1lb of ground beef
3 medium potatoes
Spices -- depends on the person, but I always use the same few basics
2 eggs
1/2 medium onion (chopped)
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
4 tbsp butter

Mix the ground beef, eggs, onion, breadcrumbs and spices. The spices I like to use are:

Parsley ~ Garlic Salt ~ Fresh Black Pepper ~ Salt

**Of course, use or add what you like to your taste!

Make sure all ingredients are mixed well and create a mound. Brown in a large pot for 4-5 minutes on med-high heat. In the meantime, prepare your potatoes. I like to make "shreds" or "shoestrings" with my potatoes because cooking will be a bit faster. Once the meatloaf has browned one side, use your Wonder Woman strength and flip the sucker over. Add your potatoes around and on top of the meatloaf. Be sure to salt your potatoes as well. I like to add the 4 tbsp of butter around the potatoes at this point. Reduce the heat to low (just below simmering). 

Your one-pot meal should be finished in about 20-30 minutes! Enjoy!

Dental hygiene is a must.

The increasingly painful stings on some of my upper molars forced me to finally search for a dentist in the area that would suit my needs. Yesterday, I stumbled upon the Family Dental Associates and read some pleasant reviews online, so called to check for an appointment. To my surprise, knowing how busy dental offices can be, they had an appointment for today at 8:00AM. Early, yes, but necessary given the painful circumstances and my upcoming schedule returning to work.


So here I am, sitting in the elegant waiting room, waiting for the dental hygienist to call my name (still trying to get accustomed to Foster). Name called and exit door left. She takes a few x-rays and I'm in the chair, that I loathed so much as a younger version of myself. Then the fun begins...


She starts by asking a few questions and then goes on to count how many fillings I have. Then she goes to measure my gums for gum disease. She explains that any measurement between a 1 and a 3 is good, and any measurement above a 3 is not. Luckily all of my measurements were 2s and 3s. 


The dentist comes in at this point and does all of his normal routines and checks. He notices that I probably clench my jaw at some point, which I do at night during my sleep. He also notices the soreness at my gum-line (the main event). He explains that could be from a few things and tells the hygienist to use some sort of fluoride resin to help seal the areas and decrease the pains.


She then goes on to clean my teeth, remove tartar and calcium build-up, and polish them to a sparkling white. All the while, she explains the following: I need to make sure I'm using a soft or extra soft bristle toothbrush; that I should brush lighter for a longer period of time, instead of tougher for a shorter period of time. She also explains that Sensodyne toothpaste works really well in cases like mine where I need to rebuild some of those barriers to protect my teeth. She also explained how, when and how often I should floss to maintain good gum condition and clean in areas brushing does not. She also explains that by clenching my teeth at night, I am constantly working my jaw muscles. Just like working any other muscles, they'll increase in size, so that might explain something about my jawline and TMJ. 


Okay, so all of this information may sound like rambling, and hopefully to many of you, this information is already known. For me, I learned a lot today about my teeth, how to take care of them, and what not to do. I'd recommend visiting this dentist, if you're in fact looking for a teeth-cleaning home. They are wonderfully friendly and sweet (even at 8AM), and almost like a "teaching dentist office" in that they inform you about the things you should know. 


So here's to keeping those pearly whites clean and gums healthy!

Choose your "battles" wisely...

I have been reading The Help via my new Kindle (thank you husband). Although I am not finished, I highly recommend this book. Hopefully I'll still hold that recommendation after I'm finished reading. Nonetheless, the book has made me think. Think about how life use to be during segregation. Think about how different things are now, but that we could still do to go further. Think about how much two words can mean in various circumstances--two words: thank you.

Do you say thank you to your waiter or waitress when they fill your glass or bring your food? Do you thank the bagger at the grocery store when he/she offers to take your cart to your car? Do you say thank you when a complete stranger holds the door for you? This "battle" is one people should choose to have with others. Imagine how the world might be if we all said thank you more. Think about the positive chain reaction that could happen if you said thank you to someone. I guess I could continue our conversation about this topic, but honestly...just think about it next time. Often times, what we say has a serious (unknown) impact on others. I would feel better knowing I did everything I could to make it positive.

Night sun of a bee's labor

So our wedding was nothing short of a perfect day. We were surrounded by loved ones and had the time of our lives. So much gratitude to everyone who could make the trip to see our ceremony and celebrate at the reception. The food was great, the friends and family were great, and the conversations...great. Nothing short of perfect.

Then off to our honeymoon with little sleep and headaches from...a long day, we'll say. Short drive to Atlanta to take a flight down to Orlando. From Orlando, a short drive over to Port Canaveral, where the fun began...kind of. We got onboard fairly quickly, and enjoyed the first glimpses of what the next five days would encompass. Despite what our shuttle driver claimed, we discovered that we had in fact actually beaten our luggage to our room and wouldn't see it for a few more hours. So we did what many bored Americans do with free food...we ate!

We found one of the buffets that ran a bit like The Real Chow Baby, where you snag your ingredients at a salad bar type arrangement and hand it all to the chef, who then includes your desired meat (if any) and self-chosen sauce and cooks it all until finished. I chose glass noodles, mushrooms, carrots, onions, shrimp and the Thai barbeque sauce. It was interesting to say the least, but good. Definitely enough to hold me over until our scheduled dinner reservation at 6PM daily.

So from here on out, I'll skip all the boring details (although, food is not boring to me). I'll move ahead to   my opinions of the whole trip...

The ship was definitely interesting. I was expecting a little less neon and a bit more elegance, but overall, I was impressed, as the cruise was my first. The food was also not what I was expecting, but was satisfactory. I enjoyed the wait staff at our dinners every night. They were enjoyable and conversational, which was nice because the other couples seated at our table came one of the four nights for dinner. The rooms were small, but to be expected fitting over 2000 people on one ship. Again, the staff in this department were also enjoyable.

My absolute most favorite part of the entire cruise was spending the day in Nassau at Atlantis for our excursion. The ocean is beautiful, as well as the resort. We enjoyed the lazy, but slightly rapid, river. We enjoyed taking pictures and drinking Nassau Coca-cola, which is far better than Coke here in the States.

The best part of the excursion was our visit to Dolphin Cay. We did a shallow water experience with a 10-year-old dolphin named Elektra. She was very friendly and extremely playful. We got to pet, hug and kiss her, as well as see a few of her tricks. I particularly got the privilege of sticking my finger in the beginning part of her mouth (image right at her lips, if she had them). She would close down on my finger and then make a "fart" sound with her blow hole -- as if  she and I were doing the "Pull my finger" joke together. Absolutely amazing and beautifully smart creature. I was in love with the entire experience.

Overall, I'm not completely sold on cruises. The entire experience was great. I enjoyed having almost everything I needed in one location, but I love the freedom to go wherever and do whatever like at a resort, especially with the food. (I see food being a theme throughout this blog!) I had a wonderful experience and a lovely get-away with my new husband. Guess we'll see where our next adventure takes us...when the credit cards get paid off :) Until then...more news in our daily lives to come...