Sad news on the eve of such a joyous occasion

Here I am expecting my second child any minute and I received some very sad information.

He's leaving me.

My Cookbook Guy is leaving me.

He travels quite a distance to peddle his wares at this market and it's just not worth it anymore, with the price of gas being what it is. He used to ride with 'the honey lady' but she doesn't come anymore.

Not only that but he had nothing last night. Nothing.

It's the end of an era. It's probably for the best since I'm out of room and I didn't have the strength to stop myself. Now I can take some time to appreciate the books I've purchased over the past year. I was accumulating them faster than I could use them.

I left the auction empty-handed last night. I didn't need any produce and the guy who sells the candy my son likes (Sour Patch Kids) was MIA (it had rained pretty hard earlier and he has an outdoor stall). It was a depressing evening at the auction.

Thank you!

I wanted to thank the ladies that posted positive birth stories for me in the comment section when I requested them the other day. I really did feel better after reading them. I'm probably slightly less terrified than I was before LOL.

I still have a couple more days (hopefully!) so if anyone else has a positive birth story, I'd love to hear it.

Comfort Food--Tuna Casserole

Tuna Casserole
Pillsbury Complete Cook Book Copyright 2000, 2006

1 (7-oz) pkg ( 1 ½ cups) uncooked elbow macaroni I used Smart Taste and probably a bit more than 7-oz
1 cup milk I forgot this!
4 oz (1 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese I used Cabot's 50% Light Cheddar
1 ( 10 ¾ -oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup I used the lower-sodium version
1 (6-oz.) can tuna, drained, flaked I used 2 cans
1 (4-oz) can mushroom pieces and stems, drained
2 tablespoons chopped pimientos, if desired I omitted these
2 teaspoons instant minced onion I only had about 1/4 teaspoon left so I added some onion powder
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ cup potato chips

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2-quart casserole. Cook macaroni in large saucepan or Dutch oven to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain, return to saucepan.
2. Add all remaining ingredients except potato chips to cooked macaroni, stir to combine. Pour mixture into greased casserole; sprinkle with potato chips.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 35 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Yield:6 (1 ¼-cup) servings Per serving: 330 cal, 13g fat, 30mg chol, 660mg sodium, 35g carbs, 2g fiber, 18g protein
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I decided that making this recipe was as easy an any alternative I could come up with so you get one more recipe this week. Tonight I'm making (frozen) burgers on the grill to serve with purchased macaroni salad.

This was good but I forgot the milk. I knew something wasn't right but I somehow missed it. It didn't ruin the dish. It wasn't as creamy and probably slightly saltier than it would have been with the addition of the milk but it was still okay. I think I prefer tuna casserole made with egg noodles.

It was weird making my grocery list for next week since I didn't have to plan any meals for next week.

Well, that might be all you hear from me for a while or it might not. We'll see.

Still cooking--Maple-Glazed Pork Chops

Maple-Glazed Pork Chops
Pillsbury Complete Cook Book Copyright 2000, 2006

Pork Chops:
4 pork chops
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon coarse ground pepper

Maple Glaze:
¾ cup pure maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup (I had to use both - more fake than real)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Heat grill. Rub both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. In small saucepan, combine all glaze ingredients; mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Set aside.
2. When ready to grill, place pork chops on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill 4 to 5 inches from medium coals. Cook 15 minutes, turning once.
3. Brush pork chops with glaze. Cook an additional 10 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once and brushing frequently with glaze. Bring any remaining glaze to a boil; serve with pork chops.

I used smaller boneless loin chops so my cooking time was less than described above.

Yields: 4 servings. Per serving: 370 cal, 8g fat, 50mg chol, 430 mg sodium, 54 g carbs, 20 g protein
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I had originally planned a pork chop and gravy recipe but it seemed more like a grilled pork chop kind of night. Unfortunately I didn't have enough pure maple syrup to make this and had to use mostly pancake syrup which is fine on pancakes and waffles but really an entire different animal than pure maple syrup and I'd prefer not to use it in recipes like this.

These weren't bad but the sauce lacked the oomph the would have made them really special. I really think it was the fake syrup that messed it up. It's sweeter and has a heavier maple flavor that pure maple syrup. The tang from the other ingredients would have shone through a bit more with the real deal.

Yeah, I'm still cooking. I opted to skip the gym last night instead. I'm really looking forward to my vacation from the gym.

I'm still nervous too. If you have a positive (i.e. nontraumatic) birth story to share with me, I'd love to hear it.

No cheese!--Mom’s Skillet Goulash

Mom’s Skillet Goulash
Pillsbury Complete Cook Book Copyright 2000, 2006

8 oz. 2 ½ cups uncooked rotini I used Smart Taste and added more pasta
1 lb. ground beef I used 1 1/2 pounds
1½ cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 (14.5 or 16 –oz.) cans whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up
1 (10 ¾ oz.) can condensed tomato soup I used the lower-sodium version
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

1. Cook rotini to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine ground beef, celery and onions. Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.
3. Add cooked rotini and all remaining ingredients; mix well. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.

Yields 6 1 1/3 cup servings. Per serving: 370 cal, 12g fat, 45mg chol, 750 mg sodium, 45g carbs, 4g fiber, 20g protein
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Goulash (the non-Hungarian variety) is a typical dish in this area yet not one that I have personal experience with. Sure, I've eaten and made many similar dishes but I usually add cheese, which isn't usually included in hamburger goulash. We probably eat way more cheese than we should so this was a nice change and it went over well. I only had a larger portion of ground beef in the freezer so I added an entire box of pasta and I was able to stick a nice portion in the freezer, along with putting aside a smaller portion for lunch today.

I might not blog everyday this week. I'm running out of steam. I had recipes planned but I'm just too preoccupied with thoughts of how this having a baby thing ends. Ignorance was bliss the first time around.

Yesterday Randi asked if I had ever posted a picture of all my cookbooks. I did, about 1 1/2 -2 years ago:


But, that was then, before I discovered my cookbook guy - I have an entire other bookshelf filled now and then some. I'll have to get more pictures.