Funky Lunch Anyone?

I found this site via Hostess With the Mostess that has made me excited for lunch time again. It's not really an original idea for lunches: Sandwiches and Vegetables. It's just the amazingly original presentation. I don't know very many kids that wouldn't smile for a Funky Lunch. I know it's not an everyday thing, but when it will only take a few more minutes for a really happy lunch time, I'm willing to put in the effort. Check out more pictures in their gallery.

Please note that this is a start-up company. They are trying to get a book together to teach you how to make lunches like the ones in their gallery. I love their company goal and hope you all will share this site with your friends and family!

Thai Soup

(I don't claim to be a good food photographer :) )

During my last trip to Idaho, my mother-in-law made this soup for me. It was SO yummy and SO fast to make. I thought it would be a good recipe to share. It can be made with chicken, halibut, salmon, shrimp, crab, or any combination of the five. In the above picture, I combined shrimp and crab.

INGREDIENTS:

1 14oz can of coconut milk

2 Tbs red curry paste

2 Tbs brown sugar

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 of one red bell pepper (chopped)

2 Tbs fish sauce

1/3 cup water

sticky rice or jasmine rice

chicken, shrimp, crab, halibut, or salmon

INSTRUCTIONS:

Make rice according to package directions. In another pot, simmer coconut milk and curry for 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients and cook until heated through. NOTE: Because the seafood cooks so fast, you can just add it uncooked. If you are using chicken, cube and cook BEFORE adding to the soup.

Spoon rice into serving dishes. Ladle soup on top and serve immediately.

Tomato Sauce From Heaven

My sister in law is Italian. And this is her divine recipe just the way that she used to make it with her Nonna when she was a little girl. So you should make it (with homemade pasta) and feel like you took a step into Italy!

Amazing Tomato Sauce

16 Roma Tomatoes (dark red), cut into eighths

1 yellow onion (chopped)

extra virgin olive oil (about 1/2 c.)

4 cans 16 oz tomato sauce

6-8 cloves garlic (peel off the white paper and keep the cloves whole)

1 bunch of fresh basil (Carpinito Brothers located in Kent sells gloriously huge bunches of basil for only 99 cents!)

Salt and pepper

Cover large pot bottom with olive oil.

Saute onions, salt, pepper, basil and cloves of garlic.

When onions are tender toss chopped tomatoes into pot.

Don't stir.

When red water appears on top add the tomato sauce.

Cook 1.5 hrs on med/low and 4 hrs. on low (covered)

If sauce is too thin add a bit of tomato paste to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Now take a chunk of fresh baguette and dip it into the sauce. Mmmmm. Enjoy! And let me know if you have any questions!

Weeks vs. Months of Pregnancy

Do you ever get really confused by the weeks and months of pregnancy. If you ask someone how far along they are and they say 6 months what does that really mean? During pregnancy it's much easier for me to think in weeks, but often when I tell someone how many weeks I am (especially those who haven't been pregnant since before I was born) I get confused looks. But for me months confuses me. I think maybe because it's a little more vague.

So the other day someone asked me how many months I was and I had no idea! They looked at me as if to say "You must be a real idiot." So I looked for a good way of seeing the breakdown. Here you all go:

So I'm 32+ weeks along which means I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant. I'm in my eight month and third trimester. Yes, for me it's coming soon. I hope this helps some of you the way it helped me.