Run Down Mama

There are a lot of different types of people in this world.  There are the types that can pour themselves into their jobs, ignoring the world, and their life around them for days, weeks, sometimes months at a time.  There are people that spread themselves too thin, trying to be there for every event, every person, just so that they feel like they're enough.  I find both of these types of people to be interesting, because I grew up around people like this.  Loving, dedicated, but extraordinarily different people.

I've come to realize as I've evolved not just as a mom, but as a person, I've become a bit of a challenge to describe.  Kyle laughs because in the same breath that he's calling me particular (like the house has to be "just so"), Laela will cover herself in finger paints and I'll just laugh as I dunk her in a bubble bath to let her finger paint herself and the tub.

That weird balance that I like to think I usually achieve is probably my most flattering attribute.  My worst is that I think that I can do everything.  I think I can cram in being the best mommy ever who teachers her daughter wonderful, fun, enriching things for the majority of her day (by the way, she can totally count to 10 now!).  I can cook all three meals and two snacks a day from scratch.  I can stay up until the crack of dawn when my husband gets home from second shift and hear about his day.  And retain the information.  I do all of the housework, maintain our social calendar, you name it, I do it.  My list of things that I get done in a day occasionally leaves my head spinning as my head hits the pillow. 

Being a mother is challenging in any circumstance.  But when you're sick, it bites the big one.  When you're sick and your husband has to leave for another double shift, and your baby is sick too, it can be overwhelming.

Thankfully, I have a guy who will get me sick packages before he leaves.  The kind of husband and Daddy that bundles up his girls in blankets, hands over the remote, and has ginger ale and crackers within reach of the couch.

The tough thing about being ill when your little one is ill is that you have to stay on.  You have to stay aware.  And you have to be supermommy to take care of them.

So what did I do?  I netflixed Sesame Street and we watched the Big Bird movie.  Then we snuggled in and watched a Sesame Street 20th Birthday documentary that was awesome.  After that we passed out.  I'm not a big tv person, especially for little ones, but when we're sick, that's the easiest way to chill out.  Laela and I say we're "laying like vegetables".

When we woke up, I made some tea.  Laela toddled into the kitchen, reached for a potato, and said "Mash please.  Thanks Mama."  So I boiled some water, added some salt, and threw in a rinsed potato.  I let it boil until it was for tender, added a dash of salt and pepper with olive oil, mashed it with a fork, and Laela ate it right up.  I suppose we all have our sick foods, and my little girl is a salty potato lover.

The point is that at some point, our bodies tell us when it's time to slow down.  I'm off to get some rest.

Hope that everyone is having a safe and natural-disaster free weekend.

Bangers and Mash!

I absolutely love a really good dish of bangers and mash.  Usually, I'll have it for dinner, but when I found myself without eggs, I had to think of what would hold Kyle over until dinnertime.  This is a pretty heavy meal, so when you make this, be ready to eat!

Bangers and Mash

You'll need:

• (3) Small Yukon Gold potatoes
• (2) Bangers (I got them from the meat counter at Whole Foods)
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tsp corn starch
• Salt and pepper
• Rosemary and thyme (about 1 sprig each)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

Instructions:

Mashed Potatoes:

• Boil water in a medium saucepan.
• Dice potatoes. 
• Once water is boiling, add the potatoes.  Boil until fork tender.
• When the potatoes are fork tender, add the butter.  Salt and pepper to taste.
• Mash the potatoes (using a blender, mixer, or immersion blender.)

Bangers:

• Set your skillet to medium heat.
• Cook on each side for about four minutes per side.  (You want each side a nice, golden brown.)
• When fully cooked, set aside. 
• Save all drippings.

Gravy:

• Using the skillet that you used for the sausage, raise the heat to medium-high heat.  Pour in the beef stock.
• Chop and add the herbs.
• Add the garlic and onion powder.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Mix cornstarch and water (about a tsp.) in a cup, and whisk into the boiling herb broth.
• Turn off the heat.
• Whisk until the proper consistency. (If it gets too thick, add a bit of water to thin it out a bit.)

To Serve:

• Scoop one serving of potatoes onto each plate.
• Slice the sausage and place on top of each plate of potatoes.
• Add gravy.
• Serve!

This was also really delicious when I reheated my other half of it for lunch with some corn.  Yum!

Monday, I'll be sharing another deliciously easy way to make roasted chicken- and what to do with some of the leftovers!  Have a great weekend!