Death to Cockroaches!! ... or, Two Ways.

To the timid and intrepid alike,

On the East Coast, there is a phenomenon not known in the cooler states of the West Coast.  This phemon single-wingedly wreaks terror and havoc upon an innocent population, and their presence has created a market for enterprising exterminators who, pardon the pun, prey upon the weak-mindedness of the average person.

I speak, of course, of the cockroach.

I have had more encounters with them than I care to (that is to say, one or more)) since moving to the fair state of Virginia.

Most recently, I was stalked and chased by a large example of said species, Periplaneta americana.  It should be noted here by the gentle reader that this particular variety bears the celebrious distinguishment of being the fastest of his kind, reaching speeds of up to two miles per hour.  For a 1.2" average length creature, that is pretty distinctive - adjust for his size and were he, say, a lion, he would be running at speeds of 50 MPH.

In other words, the flat, nearly indestructible pest of the order Blattaria is the cheetah of bugs.

I tried to put up a picture of a cockroach, but I almost gagged and died.
So, you get the PG version.  A big X! 

I had gone into the laundry room to fetch something - Lord knows what, only that I did not emerge with it.  I flipped on the light, moved a box and like a speeding devil, out came the black shape of a cockroach.

I screamed.

Wheeling, I ran for safety.  I dashed into the kitchen.  Tail waddling from side to side, he followed.  I made a hard turn around the fridge and headed for the dining room; I could almost hear his heavy breathing, rattling through the exoskeleton as he scuttled across the linoleum, dodging the produce box and the kitchen stool.  I sped into the dining room, wailing for Mr H.

"Cockroach!!!"

Good husband that he is, he came running with the Cockroach Killer - a spear that puts the Masai warriors to shame with its lethal effectiveness and household versatility.

Kill 'em and clean 'em with one handy tool. 

Raising it high like a mandrill dedicating a baby lion king, he brought it down with a thunderous crash, flattening the panting vermin in its tracks.  

Death to cockroaches!!  


For a slightly less violent, but just as deadly approach, you can spritz them with soapy water - it dries out their exoskeleton and, apparently, they can't breathe and die.  When the baby boy was just two weeks old I was feeding him in the middle of the night when I caught a huge cockroach running over his clean diapers and burp rags beside the bed.  It was dark and Mr H was asleep but I unloaded almost an entire bottle of soapy water on him ... it took some minutes but he eventually expired.  


Death to cockroaches!! 

Mrs H

@_mrs_h
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Purple Food

Soup lovers, food lovers, lovers,

It is a truth universally known that there are as many recipes for borscht as there are Jewish grandmothers.

So I should probably confess two things here - 1) I am not a Jewish grandmother.  2) This is probably not a true borscht.

It is just a soup with beets in it, hence, this American calls it borscht.

It is the simplest soup I make, and it is hands down my favorite.  When we made this for dinner a week after I delivered our son, I ate almost a half-gallon of it.  It's that good.  Forget the biscuits - pour me more of that purple stuff!

All of this went into the pot for our big soup!  Yes, every leaf and twig!

Un-True Borscht

I make a huge pot of this and put the leftovers in jars for later - it never lasts more than a day in the fridge.  The good thing is, I don't feel guilty pigging out on this ... read on to know why! 

Beets, including the greens (if organically grown)

Two or more of the following:  Carrots and their greens, turnips and their greens, leeks, green onion, potatoes, cabbage, kale, bok choy, escarole, mushrooms, tomatoes, canned tomatoes, use your imagination

Water 

Salt and Pepper

Optional: Heavy cream or sour cream

Chop, slice, or dice the vegetables (I prefer slices for some reason).  Include the tails, greens, and skins of the beets and other root vegetables.  Chop the greenery finely.  

Put it all into a pot and cover with water, with an inch of headspace.  Bring to a boil and boil for twenty minutes or until the root vegetables are soft.  

Add salt and pepper as desired.  Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream, or a pour of heavy cream.  

Enjoy! 

Mrs H 

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This post shared at Wednesday Fresh Food Link-Up! 

Dinner Menu X

Since Dinner Menu IX overlapped into this week, this menu is a little short.  This week, a few family members are coming into town to visit - my mom and two sisters!  I am so excited - I anticipate more "interesting" food with their avid assistance and ideas!

Wednesday
Escarole and Bean Minestra
Trader Joe's Croissants
Sour Cream Spice Cake

Thursday
Pasta Inverno (as we sit in the AC sweating, the irony of this is not lost on me)

Friday
Oven-Braised Root Vegetables
Oven Baked Basmati Rice (we used sesame oil)
Ice Cream

Saturday
Teriyaki Take-Out!

Sunday
Fried Egg Open-Face Sandwiches

Custard's Last Stand: Banana Custard

Dear sweet ones,

I do love pudding.

He was a bit of a pudding himself.  He may be famous, but
he's not exactly a war hero.  

Our family visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield in 2007.  Quite the remote place!

Pudding is very easy to make from scratch - more or less just a creamy custard with whatever various flavors you want - vanilla, chocolate, banana. 

In this case, banana.  Mr H's favorite!  He prefers it chilled; I prefer it hot.  But somehow, our marriage stands.

Banana Custard
This recipe is based on one I made a long time ago, found in a magazine.  The riper the bananas are, the sweeter they will be; if they are very black, you will only need 1/4 cup of sugar.  This recipe makes about four cups, a little more depending on the size and quantity of bananas you choose to mix in.  

1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (see note above)
1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
Pinch salt
1-1/2 cups whole milk (preferably)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 - 3 bananas, chopped

Whisk together sugar, starch and salt in a saucepan.  Beat the egg yolk in a bowl and set aside.  Whisk in milk until smooth; heat, stirring continuously, over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir for two more minutes. Remove from heat.  Slowly pour the hot mixture (most or all of it), in a steady thin stream, into the egg yolk - beating the yolk continuously.  Return all of this to the saucepan and, stirring constantly, bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.  Cook for two minutes again. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, if desired.

Pour in chopped bananas; beat with a mixer or fork.  Chill in bowls, if desired, or serve immediately!

Top with more sliced bananas, or pour over wafers for an extra treat.

Standing still,

Mrs H
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Dinner Menu IX

This menu will be a little longer than usual, as I'll just merge the last few weeks, what scrappy record I do have of them.

Mr H tackled the dinner menu for the week Little Cowboy was born, and I was so grateful that I had already shopped, created a menu, and had everything ready to cook!  It made life easy as we didn't need to hunt up grub or go to the grocery store.

I sat in the kitchen nursing the baby, and Mr H would chop this and that while I directed (if needed) from my perch.  Despite the fact that the kitchen was usually over 100 degrees with 90% humidity (it was 105 outside the day after our son was born!), we had a good time.

Most of the menu devolves into just a listing of main dishes, but it will hopefully still help you to generate ideas for your own menus.

Monday
Oven Porcupines
Volcano Potatoes
Tossed Salad
Banana Cream Pudding

Tuesday (I put together the menu for the week forward, did the grocery shopping, and light contractions started this night ...) 
BLT Salad
Tapioca Pudding

Wednesday
Fruit Bowl
Chocolate
Juice
I was in labor and do not recall any interest in food :D Although I did eat some incredibly good chocolate that Mr H brought me, and at the urging of the midwives, around 2AM I had some tapioca pudding that I had made on Tuesday.  I had other things on my mind! 

Thursday - the day little cowboy was born! 
I cannot remember what we ate for dinner! 

Friday
Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

Saturday
Chopped Cobb Salad 
Homemade Popsicles

Sunday
Creamy Chicken Fettuccini and Peas
Braised Turnips and Beets
Sauteed Turnip Greens
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Monday
Chicken Runsas (Mr H's first experience making yeast dough!) 
Tossed Salad

Tuesday
Enchiladas* and Sour Cream

Wednesday
Fettuccini
Green Beans

Thursday (My first time back in the kitchen since Tuesday!  Yes, Mr H made all those meals!  He continued to make many of the following dinners, as well.) 
Borscht
Cream Biscuits

Friday
Sub Salad
Orange Fizzy Drink

Saturday
BLT Salad

Sunday
Bratwursts with Trader Joe's Brat Buns
Baked Beans with Bacon
Salad
Wine
Lemonade

Monday
Cottage Pie*
Salad

Tuesday
Spinach-Beef Macaroni Bake

Wednesday
Italian Pasta Salad

Thursday
Crazy Quesadillas and Sour Cream
Salad
Root Beer

Friday
Baked Macaroni & Kale

Saturday
Cottage Pie*

Sunday
Buffalo and Blue Cheese Chicken Salad Wraps

Monday
??

Tuesday
Enchiladas*
Sour Cream
Blueberry-Peach Crumble with Ice Cream

*These meals came from the freezer - we prepared multiple batches of them in advance!

These quesadillas, cooked by Mr H, were loaded down with everything from
chicken to mushrooms, turnips to onions, cheese to beans - and they were
GOOD! The best I've ever had!!

Must have salad in this heat! 

The baked beans cooked outside on the porch in the slow-cooker,
as a friend had suggested - since temps were in the 100s! 

I can eat this borscht by the gallon!!

A lovely cottage pie from the freezer

Mr H cooked turnips and beets and I couldn't stop eating them

Cooking the greens from the turnips and beets

Fettuccini dinner

A full fridge is a happy fridge!

Chopped Cobb Salad - I ate almost the whole thing ...

This lovely fruit bowl, composed by Mr H, was the 

perfect snacking material for us while I was in labor

What happens when you leave a popsicle on the counter and get distracted
by changing diapers ... 

And so, we head into another week!

Mrs H

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The Grand Return

Dear readers, who are not strangers although it has been some time, 


Perhaps not surprisingly, it has been exactly three weeks since we last spoke! 


To save myself a thousand words, I will give you a picture to illustrate what I have been doing.

I got out a homemade fudgsicle, and ...

You might say I have a new distraction now!  The little cowboy has been growing rapidly, thanks to his ravenous appetite.  He is three and a half weeks old now.  

Cozy after his bath in a towel from Auntie Jessie

Keeping up with my last-month-of-pregnancy tradition of taking a nap a day, I've been getting plenty of sleep - a lot more than I suppose I anticipated, based on all the grim sleepers' comments of, "You will be so tired!  Just wait."  Glad I didn't listen. I feel well-rested (most of the time!).

I absolutely love this sleep sack by Aiden + Anais,
a gift to the little cowboy from Grandma H!

Mr H was graciously given two weeks off work, and this eased us into life with a newborn.  He did all the cooking, cleaning, and chores for the first week, but I insisted on helping with at least light work in the second week.  It's hard for me to stay away.

We take walks about every day, and have visited the beach
a few times - just two blocks from our house - and got some
salt-water on Little Cowboy's toes :) 

I'm not supposed to be "exerting" myself too much yet, so I still take it slow.  Casual walks and some gentle yoga at home are the only exercises I have participated in yet, and that is actually very challenging for me as my body longs to be "exerted" much more than that!  

This little carrier makes trips to the market easy, and shields him from the sun 

I have ten "bonus" pounds still, but that's okay because according to the midwives, my body was storing up in anticipation of his nursing habit (and at the rate he eats, he'll take all ten pounds by years' end!).  I'm burning 400 - 500 calories a day just feeding him!  I'm not concerned about working it off - yet.  But I do look forward to saying good-bye to the extra baggage!  

This carrier, from Great Auntie Nee, makes life easy when we go for long walks

Now that Mr H is back to work, I spend my days feeding Little Cowboy, cuddling him, burping him, napping with him and, in between all of that, washing diapers, dishes, and clothes.  A lot of washing goes on!

Mr H is in charge of bath time!

When the little cowboy was seven days old, I was allowed back into the kitchen and made a simple dinner of borscht and biscuits.  Between Mr H and I, we continue to prepare nutritious, homemade meals for our family.  We have eaten out once, because Mr H was longing for a hamburger!  

Having an infant, a child, our own precious boy, is every inch the joy I hoped it would be.  But it is more than that.  

It is a thing beyond words.

Mrs H
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