Life in Oakland

I woke up today, again happy that my little man slept through the night. I think he might actually have this down for good. Although, honestly it didn't really bother me that he woke up at 3:00am. I am usually up any way with all the sleeping disorders that I have. I'm up going to the bathroom or getting a drink what is an extra 5 minutes to spend feeding my adorable little son.

I looked out my big window from bed this morning and it looks grey and cold. I thought how great it would be for Athen and I to stay in our jams all day long cuddled up in our cozy beds. Although it was a great idea, it wasn't going to happen. I realized that I have to pick up the girls tonight at 5:30 for dinner. What should we make??? Or should we just go out to dinner? I think maybe we will go out, the girls will like that. 

Last night I made a very delicious recipe. I have been looking for a good cheesy scallop potato recipe and haven't come across one yet. I can go for hours and hours reading through the ingredient lists in cook books. If I don't like what ingredients are on the list I won't try it. Most of the potato recipes I have come across have flour to thicken it, that turns me off. I'm not really a fan of flour and corn starch in recipes. This one didn't so I tried it and it was delish. I sauteed some shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes in butter. I then added heavy cream and milk. I then sliced up some red potatoes and added them into the saute pan and brought it all to a boil. I then added some Italian sausage (I cooked separately first) which was not in the recipe but sounded good, and I had some left over from my lasagna the other day. Once it cames to a boil I add to a baking dish. I then added Swiss cheese or Gruyere and Parmesan. Baked for 45 minutes. It was so creamy and cheesy - yummy! We had some chicken with it as well but the potatoes stole the show.

PS - I love my gold All Clad bakeware set. It is the best! I have had it for about 6 or 7 years now. I hope it lasts forever.

A few days ago I made lasagna. I didn't make my normal made up recipe, I tried a new way. I have this delicious bolgenese  sauce recipe that I like to make. I thought I would try that with lasagna. I cooked up some hamburger, Italian sausage, garlic and onions. I then added a can of Italian style diced tomatoes and let simmer for a while. I then took off the heat and added heavy cream and fontina cheese (the cream and cheese are what make the recipe so rich and delicious). I then layered the sauce with lasagna noodles and cheese - fontina, parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar. It turned out great. Rick told Athen that he would love his mother's lasagna when he got older. I think Rick liked this lasagna better then the red sauce one I make, but then again who doesn't like a good creamy pink sauce. As you can see I LOVE cream in anything. 

I also made some homemade chicken fingers with a parmesan breading. I baked them on a baking stone rather than frying them. We also had cheese fries with it. I was practicing some meals for when Athen gets older.

The potatoes last night were delicious, however, I think my little man doesn't get along so well with white cheeses. I know he doesn't like Camembert and I think he doesn't like Swiss cheese. He has been pretty fussy today. He seems to get that way when I eat Swiss. Cheddar doesn't really seem to bother him much and neither does cream - lucky for me. It's going to kill me not to eat all those left overs in the fridge. The things a mother must sacrafice for a happy boy. 

The little man was so fussy we had to get him out of the house. I put him in the Bob and we went for a walk. I love walks and runs with this little guy. I love that instead of working in the city, I get to take my cute little guy on walks. Instead of driving a few miles down to the beach, I decided to walk around our neighborhood. We do live in an interesting place. I brought the camera along and decided to take a few pictures of what we see. There are so many more interesting things to see close by but I'll just take a few each time. Today we saw:

The Oakland marina. We live a block from the water's edge. We like to walk the path along the water. 

Livingston Lofts. Rick and I looked at living here before we found our place. They are really nice inside but the location was a little too artsy for me.

The Sara Lee Bakery. This is a block from our warehouse and there are several reasons why this is a great thing. The wonderful smell of fresh baked bread that creeps down our hallway in the early morning and the night time. We can smell the bread as we pull into our parking lot at night - yum! Another reason is they have a bakery store with super cheap bread. You can buy a Sara Lee loaf of multi grain or sunflower bread for just $1.25 instead of $4.99 like they sell it at the grocery store.

Here is a picture of our lovely warehouse which we may be leaving in the next few months. We love this building, it has been great to us. While we were on our walk the other day Rick said that when we came to look at this building for the first time (before we were even engaged. I was looking for a place of my own) he felt that this is where our first child would be born. He was right. However, I thought well why didn't you just propose then wasn't that a good clue??

This is the hallway in our warehouse. I like it. It is painted a light yellow color and is bright, happy and very wide. It is perfect for moving large furniture in and out of. It makes me happy every time I walk down to our door. Our door is the one on the left right under the sky light.

Random love for today: I love it that every time I put a onsie over Athen's head he laughs out loud because he is ticklish. Happy Day!