Baby Shower for Baby Gwoss

Lindsie threw a fabulous baby shower for Baby Gwoss last weekend! Here are some highlights from the day. And a party is only as good as the food, right? :)

We saw the Christopher Robin movie and Scott thought it would be cute to get a red balloon for the Winnie the Pooh doll that had already been gifted to us. There was a red rose in my wedding bouquet to represent Julie and we thought this was a beautiful nod to her being here in spirit.

Shenanigans with the siblings. Greg's shirt says 'Uncle Level Unlocked' and Lindsie's says 'World's Best Sister Auntie.' 

Our version of a guest book. Turned out super cute!

Up until our last fertility treatment, I had not looked at any baby stuff. For one reason or another, I got this nagging feeling to look up Winnie the Pooh nursery items right before our last treatment. I fought it off for a few days but figured I'd better just do it to get it out of my brain. It then became a beacon of hope and the next procedure was a success.

Adorable toppers!

Our spread included blueberry lemonade, blueberry and poppy seed muffins, croissants, homemade cinnamon rolls by Grandma Gwilliam (a family favorite!), egg casserole made by Grandma Gwilliam (this stuff is so good!), fruit platter, veggie platter with artichoke dip, macaroons, and dill weed, cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches which became a crowd pleaser. 

Aunt Karol helped us decorate!

Lindsie and I were proud of using already gifted onesies as part of the decor. :)

We ate, played games, opened presents and enjoyed one another's company. I couldn't read the cards until everyone left as I did not want to ugly cry in front of our guests. It was a great day with family and friends. 

10 Years Ago...

It's hard to believe it's already been 10 years since Julie passed away. We all miss her dearly. Scott dubbed September 9th an unofficial Goss Holiday. I thought it was sweet and like how it sounds.

Scott and I went down to Fremont to make pizza with Greg and Dean. It did not disappoint! We used the same crust recipe we've used in the past. This time Greg added onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and thyme to the crust. He also brushed the edges with fresh garlic and melted butter before baking.

Dough after it has rested at least 30 minutes.

Black olives, salami, red bell pepper, and mushrooms sprinkled with dried oregano before baking.

Tastes as good as it looks!

Supervision by Kitty.

Spanish Rice

I found this recipe for Spanish Rice about a year and a half ago. I was looking for something to round out a meal and found this gem. It's super easy and very tasty!

Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (I added chicken bouillon to water)
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked rice
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, turn temperature down to low and cover.
4. Cook for 20 minutes (no mixing after the lid is on).

I've made this several times and have served it as a side with soft tacos and carnitas!

Dinner with Brothersahn

Now that we are living in Lafayette, we are closer to San Ramon where Greg still works. We met up a few weeks ago for dinner like we did back in the day. Meeting up once a week for dinner was a regular occurence when I was still living and working in San Ramon. 

We would rotate between 4 restaurants: a Mediterranean or Thai place in Danville, or a bar & grill or sushi place in San Ramon. Since Baby is particular with what I eat and since sushi is a no no right now, we went to the bar & grill, The Hop Yard. 

What kept us coming back was the fried spicy mac & cheese bites. Since Greg is a fast eater, I have to make sure to keep up if I want my fair share!

Mac & Cheese bites. Oh so good!

Greg got adventurous and ordered the Impossible Burger. It is a meatless, plant-based patty he had read about. While he didn't hate it, not sure he will order it again. Since we were living it up he got it with garlic fries.

The Impossible Burger

I think there were only 2 times I didn't order the cheesesteak and had order's remorse each time. It comes with either chicken or beef, onions, mushrooms, banana peppers and melted Swiss-American cheese. Also feeling fancy, I ordered it with onion rings. 

Beef Cheesesteak

With the pregnancy, the whole gluten-free thing has gone out the window. Baby wants what Baby wants! I can tolerate it more than before so it will be interesting to see how my body reacts to it after I give birth.

 There's a Cold Stone not far from the restaurant so we walked over and each got a scoop. He likes cotton candy flavored ice cream with gummy bears and I ordered strawberry with Kit Kat bar.

 Mother always appreciates a picture so we snapped a few after dinner. (We did not plan the stripes.)

Chicken & Apple Sausage and Veggie Bake

For those that haven't heard, at the end of March we found out we are expecting! Those first 3 months I basically woke up to go to work and slept when I got home. No one ever told me how exhausting it would be in the 1st trimester! Thankfully morning sickness hit me more in the afternoon/evening so getting ready for work wasn't made more difficult.

Isn't he cute?

Needless-to-say, I didn't do a whole lot of cooking as I couldn't tolerate meat and could only stomach a bite or so before feeling full. Foods I usually enjoy no longer were appetizing. There are still a few things I love that he doesn't, yet.

I haven't had too many cravings but he does love his veggies. The first few months all I wanted was broccoli or corn. Scott would laugh when we ordered Chinese food so I could get an order of broccoli in bean curd.

Before Little One, I would make one pan meals often. It's super easy, healthy and tasty. You can customize it to your liking with a different combo of veggies, changing up the protein and seasonings. Kielbasa is tasty in this but I made it last night with a chicken sausage.  

Sausage and Veggie Bake

Ingredients

• 4 Aidells Chicken and Apple Sausages
• 1 large sweet potato, diced
• 1 bell pepper (I typically use red), diced
• 2 zucchinis, cut into thick coins and halved (To avoid overcooking)
• 1 cup button mushrooms (I quartered them since they were on the large size)
• 1/4 cup of oil (I used olive oil)
• 3 tbs of onion powder
• 2 tbs of dried thyme
• 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to your liking 
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Proceed to cut up the sausage on the bias, dice up the bell pepper and sweet potato and place all in a 9x13 baking dish. 
3. Pour the oil over the veggies and sausage, sprinkle the seasonings on top, and mix together by hand. (Of course you can use any combination of seasonings and amounts you like!)
4. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
5. While those begin to cook, proceed to cut up the zucchini and mushroom since we don't want to overcook them adding them in right away. 
6. When the 20 minute timer goes off, add the zucchini and mushroom and mix it all together. 
7. Bake for an additional 25 minutes.
8. In the last 10 minutes sprinkle the cheddar cheese on the top.

I let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Baby approved!

I'm so glad Little One tolerates meat now as this meal was hitting the spot.