A Chocolate Bomb and Some Big Changes

Yes, there is indeed a dessert called a Chocolate Bomb.

Greg and I went to Barolo's for dinner on Valentine's Day. This is the same restaurant we went to last year, and it was an amazing dinner. But the most interesting part was the dessert. We got something called a chocolate bomb. I believe it was pomegranate ice cream, covered in cake, and then dipped in chocolate. It was delightful.

Greg and I have both been crazy busy this month, so it was nice to get away for an evening. Greg has only two weeks left of working his day job. He has quit in order to stay home with the kids, though he'll still see clients in private practice in the evenings. Greg is a therapist, so he started working evenings at a practice in Hinsdale to start this transition. This has meant that the last three months he's worked three nights per week, plus Saturdays, in addition to his full time job. We are hoping (desperately, desperately hoping) that we will be better off financially, even if Greg works fewer hours. The cost of daycare has become prohibitively high, and Greg was lucky enough to have this opportunity, so we're taking the leap.

I think Greg will make a great stay-at-home daddy.   :)

Belated Recap: Valentine's Day

I just realized I forgot to finish blogging about how Greg and I celebrated our Valentine's Day. It was a pretty good one, too. We went back to Barolo Ristorante in Joliet, because we remembered how good the food was when we went there in December. It was just as good this time. It is possible that it was even better, because we were able to truly enjoy our meal this time.

You see, Nick's Grandma Toni and Aunt Sarah came over last Sunday so that Greg and I could go out. Eating a meal without worrying about anyone throwing noodles at us is an amazing thing. The table stayed relatively clean, and not once did I have to wrestle anyone onto the changing table in the ladies room. Lately, Nick has been finishing his food more quickly than us lately. Then he tends to yell, "I all done!" until we let him get down. There was no rushing over this meal.

Instead, we lingered and concentrated on the food. We started with calamari, which is always one of my favorites. Greg actually ordered the same dish I had last time, while I decided to try something new: I ordered the free range lamb chops with bok choi and whipped sweet potatoes. I do think this was the best darned lamb I have ever tasted. . .

or perhaps it was just the peace and quiet that we enjoyed. Nah, it was the lamb. It was so tender and just perfectly seasoned. It was a lovely meal, but my favorite part was the dessert. I always want to order tiramisu at Italian restaurants. I adore it because it is creamy and flavorful, but not too sweet. This tiramisu was excellent. I wish I had some tonight.

Oh, and the presents? I think Greg and I both did a super job. I got him a gift certificate for us to take a couples cooking class at Flavour Cooking School in Forest Park. Sometime in the next month or two, we'll take a three hour class where we'll learn special techniques and learn to cook a very fancy dinner. The evening ends with a romantic meal where we'll get to eat what we made. Since Greg and I both love to cook, I figured it'd be nice to actually do something together. He's sure excited about going. Plus, it'll be another kid-free night out where we can enjoy our meal.

His present wasn't too shabby, either. I got a gift certificate for a 60 minute pregnancy massage at the Herrington Inn and Spa in Geneva. I'm torn as to when I should cash this one in. It would be so nice now, because I've been having some back pain, especially in my tailbone. But I know that if I wait a month or two, it'll be that much worse and I'll be glad I waited to get this massage. We'll see what I finally decide. Either way, I love this Valentine's Day gift!

Greg is usually pretty good at the romantic gifts, but this one was just perfect. I guess it proves he really was listening to me when I've been complaining about my aching back. That means a lot.  :)

I hope your Valentine's Day was as good as mine.

Valentine's Day Cookies for Daddy!

Last Saturday, Greg had to go to a conference for work. He was gone all day, so Nick and I decided to bake him a Valentine's Day surprise: chocolate crinkle cookies. Greg is an absolute chocolate nut--he loves any kind of chocolate.

I've been meaning to make these for awhile, but I was always out of either vegetable oil or unsweetened chocolate squares. According to Kristen at That's What She Said, both of those ingredients are critical and should not be substituted. (She's the one who gave me the recipe.) I was still out of vegetable oil, but I figured I'd be brave and try canola oil anyway. Yup, I'm a rebel. Oh, and Kristen? It was the chocolate that was important. Canola worked just fine.  : )

A few weeks ago, I bought Nick a present he likes better than any toy I've ever got for him: a step stool that allows him to reach the counters. Once or twice a week since then, Nick and I have made something together in the kitchen. I love these times because instead of pretending interest in some of Nick's toys, we're doing something that we both enjoy. "I stand on that!" Nick will insist all week. "I stand on that. Make cookies! I help!" He tells me this nearly every day, pointing next to the refrigerator where I keep our step stool.

On Saturday Nick kept sneaking into the pantry and grabbing random ingredients. It's a good thing he couldn't figure out how to operate a can opener, otherwise we'd have had cannelloni beans in our chocolate cookies.

Nick actually pours in every ingredient while we're baking. I usually have to measure, but he does all the adding and turns on the mixer. I made sure he did most of the work this time, because these cookies were Nick's Valentine present to his daddy. Sometimes, though, this resulted in spills. Like, for instance, when Nick tried adding the baking powder.

He missed.

Notice the pile of baking powder on the floor. Anyway, the dough worked out great, and it kind of had the consistency of thick brownie batter. It tasted just divine, too. I love brownie batter.

Nick got really mad, though, when I had to put the dough in the fridge for an hour and then in the oven.

He doesn't understand the concept of waiting for cookies. He wanted them right now. Nick was, um, a little perturbed when I put away the step stool.

The cookies, by the way, were delightful and enough to kill any chocolate craving. Though I think I actually prefer just eating the dough. I would call that "chocolate balls of joy."

Here's the recipe for "Chocolate Crinkle Cookies" if you're interested. The only thing I changed was that I used canola oil instead of vegetable oil. Oh, and I decreased the granulated sugar just a bit, added an extra 1/2 of an unsweetened chocolate square, and used white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. I guess I changed it a lot. They were delightful, though. Nick loved them.

Greg definitely liked his Valentine's Day present from Nick . . .

A little man with a rose and a stinky, who got himself stuck in a precarious place. . .

Happy Valentine's Day! Doesn't my little man look oh-so-serious and brooding in this picture? He's holding the rose that Greg brought home for me. Check out Nick's t-shirt. I found it on e-bay. It has a skunk on the front that says, "Love Stinks." Then, on the back, it has a big number 14 for Valentine's Day. I know, this picture below looks like a mug shot. Guess what Nick had just done right before I took the picture? I'll give you a hint: it stinks and it's not love. 



The last two appointments in a row, Nick has waited until the middle of my physical therapy appointment to, um, stink. PT is going pretty well, by the way. My foot pain has decreased enough that days go by where I don't even think about my feet. There are still times I'm really sore, but my feet feel so much better than I did just a few months before. The combination of my amazing physical therapist, some truly expensive shoes, and my weird orthotics means that I can now walk without wincing. Hopefully they'll be able to conclude that I've made enough progress to not need surgery, at least not imminently.

Oh, and guess what else Nick did during physical therapy? While I was on the table getting heat applied to my legs, this is where Nick crawled. Then, he couldn't get out.

 

He's actually in a little box-like place under the table--totally stuck! He was like that for awhile, because I wasn't able to move and I didn't think he was in trouble. Nick kept saying, "Mommy, I no like under table." I'd reply, "Well honey, come out then." Finally he shouted, "Stuck! I stuck!" Yes, I grabbed my camera before we figured out how to get him out from under there.

Besides tables with secret places to hide, the PT office also has fun exercise equipment to play on. Today they had me working on standing on one leg on a destabalizing pad that moved a bit. Nick thought it was the coolest thing ever and wanted a turn. He is far more coordinated and balanced than I am. Sigh. A pregnant lady wearing orthotic shoes standing on one foot on a destabalizing pad must've been a hilarious sight. Nick thought it was easy. He was even dancing on it.

The present in his diaper isn't all Nick gave us for Valentine's Day. He also made us these at daycare. They made me smile in a way that only artwork by a two-year-old can. I need to remember to take pictures of his artwork more often. I've been saving some stuff he's done, but it's easy to lose.

 

Greg and I celebrated our Valentine's Day on Sunday, and I'll talk more about that tomorrow. Lots to tell!  :)

A Night out for Valentine's Day

We celebrated our Valentine's Day on Saturday, because that's when we could get a babysitter. I was impressed: Greg brought me roses and took me out to a really nice restaurant. We went to Catch 35 in Naperville, but because it was Valentine's Day we had a 4:30 reservation. Actually, the timing was really great, because they weren't too crowded and we could linger over our food. Oh, and the food. . . it was amazing, and not too expensive, either. We had calamari, which was divine, and Greg had their salmon, which he said was excellent. I had crab bisque and the Valentine's Day weekend special of lobster and filet with a mushroom sauce over blue cheese risotto. (My mouth is watering as I remember.) But my favorite thing was their key lime pie. It was a true key lime pie, not green and fakey like at some places. My only regret is that Greg and I split dessert. I wish I'd have ordered my own to take home.

Going out early had its advantages, too. Not only did we get to linger over our food in a fairly uncrowded room, we also didn't have to wait to be seated, and we were awake to truly enjoy our food. Last year we had 8 p.m. reservations at a place up in Rosemont, and they didn't seat us until 9:30 because they were so crowded.

After our wonderful dinner, we went out to the movies, which we haven't done in months. Picking a movie to see is always a challenge, but we finally decided on the Sherlock Holmes movie. (Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, both looking sexy? Count me in!) I liked what they did with it, actually. I loved the Sherlock Holmes books when I was in high school, and some people criticized this movie because they took it in a different direction. I didn't mind, though. . . I thought it was well done.

We both enjoyed the movie, but it's getting weird how much action there is in movies nowadays. I'm not necessarily talking about chase scenes and whatnot. Rather, the movement doesn't stop, almost as if the filmmakers think we all have ADD and can't concentrate on one thing for more than a few seconds. I'm afraid all movies are going to be like that from now on. I have a very good attention span, but there's not much chance to use it in movies nowadays.

My sister made this little cupid from a picture of Nick she took a few weeks ago. I thought it was appropriate for Valentine's Day. Oh, and yes, I'm aware that she's missing an apostrophe. I still think it's adorable. Especially his hair--it gets all curly and cute when he comes out of the tub.