BACON BOMB EXPLOSION!!

Hello! 

To begin with, Joanna and I had a lovely Friday evening visit with her family at Janet's roommate's wedding reception in St. Paul. Here is a picture: 

(Notice how Janet is VERY happy - even though she did not catch the bouquet. . .) (And notice how Joanna is holding her belly - probably because little Russell is trying to get out because he knows what daddy is going to cook up on Tuesday .. . . .) 

Now on to the BACON: 

So, for the last several months Joanna has had to plan the meals - because I was studying, and because only she knew what did/did not sound good to eat. But, this week Joanna told me that she was tired of planning the meals and that I could! So on Monday we had meatloaf / green beans / mashed potatoes. And Tuesday? Well, we had. . . . . 

BACON BOMB!!!!!!

You may ask yourself:   Self, what is a Bacon Bomb? 

Well, just follow along with these picture tutorials on how I made it: 

Step 1: Get some sausage and rough ground pork. I just used a food processor. Mix together, and form into a square shape.

Step 2: Put some chopped onions and bacon bits and pork-rub on it. I had to make my pork-rub using paprika, oregano, garlic+onion powders, salt, lemon-pepper, etc.

Step 3: Add some veggies: green peppers, tomatoes, etc. Also, add a generous amount of shredded CHEESE (not pictured).  Also, brush or pour some BBQ sauce over it.

Step 4: Starting with one side, roll it until it makes a log. Pinch the seem and ends.

Step 5: Lay out the bacon in strips. This should be thick-cut. You will be weaving this in a moment.

Step 6: Weave the bacon together by lifting and replacing alternating parallel strips with the perpendicular strips.

Step 7: Now you should have a nice woven bacon mat, as pictured below, and a  pork log. Put some more pork rub on the outside of the log. Put the pork log on to the side of the bacon mat, and roll it - covering the log with a cozy blanket of bacon. (Look how awesome that bacon blanket looks!)

Step 8: This is the log being rolled in the bacon. Continue rolling.

Step 9: This is what the final rolled and patted tight bacon-pork log should look like.

Step 10: Brush the whole top and sides with BBQ sauce. Put it on a rack on a pan and put it in the oven. Oven bake at 275 to 300 degrees for 2 to 3 hours - rebrushing with BBQ sauce every half hour or so. OR, just put this on the grill - away from the flame - so it receives indirect heat and smoke - to cook. . . . rebrushing it also. . . at 275 degrees or so, for 4 hours.

Step 11: When the meat is done, and the out side is a nice and carmelized (but not burnt) then take it out and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Step 12: Cut slices and enjoy!! (When you cut into it, the insides with squeeze out like an explosion!)

This is SUPER delicious! Try it! 

To see professionals make one, watch this:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1IiUAtoNBk

 (That is the BBQ-Pit Boys video on how to make and grill a Bacon Bomb.) 

Enjoy! 

- BEN

March: National Craft Month

I really do have some crafting things to share for this wonderful month completely dedicated to crafts, but I'd like to whine for just a little bit first.

Yesterday was decidedly spring, as is today, and as the next week looks to be.  Hallelujah! But, I can't even break out any fun spring clothes because they won't fit.  I'm too cheap to go out and buy any spring-ish maternity clothes because in 4 months I'm hoping to be in my normal clothes.  Wishful thinking, I know, but it's keeps me going through the drab wardrobe days.  Sigh.  And, since I'm still working I need two wardrobes: one for work, one for not being at work.  So many clothes, that I'm just going to have to do without.

Anyway, back to National Craft Month.  I've actually completed some projects!  That's a big deal since I haven't had enough motivation to get things done the past few months.  Here they are:

A maternity skirt.  I got the fabric from Mom's stash over the summer and then bought a little knit fabric to form a front panel.  It works for the intended purpose, and I even get a compliment on it at church the next day!

I have struggled trying to direct my crafting to boy things, but I saw a tutorial for this on line and knew that baby needed it.  His daddy is such a dinosaur fan that it works perfectly.  Plus it was easy and makes good use of this cardigan from Grandma.

 

Cadbury Creme Egg cake.  Don't judge it by its appearance because it was really really good.  We had some leftover cake in the freezer that I frosted and then had to make sure that all the Cadbury egg halves got used up. That and the fact that I had done way too much the day I made it are the only reasons I have for the lame experience.  I suggest everyone try to make it it.

 

Little bunnies.  I don't have any little pom-poms or googly eyes, so they are just embellished with the ribbons.  Plain, but still cute.

The Bar Exam

Ben has been studying like crazy for the bar exam the past little while.  Back in the fall he bought some bar study books and ever since then the intensity of his studying has slowly gotten higher and higher.  Now I'm lucky to have him send me on my way to work each morning and then eat dinner with him and read our scriptures and say our prayers together at night.  He doesn't even come to bed anymore because it is usually late late at night and then he tosses and turns waking me up more than I already wake up on my own.  It's nice to have the entire bed to myself, but just feels weird to know that he's sleeping on the futon in the other room. 

Almost every conversation we have consists of one of the following: how his studying is going, how well prepared he feels for it, what the weather will be like on the day he actually has to take it (the biggest snow of the season is predicted for Tuesday and yes, Ben is concerned about driving to it), how they score it, how they write the questions, what his goal score is, what his plan for taking the test is, etc.  You name it, we've talked about it.

 We both keep telling ourselves it's just so many more days.  Well, now it's just until Wednesday.  Then Ben won't have to stress about studying for and taking the bar, just stress for two months about how well he did on the bar.

Ugh.

And, so I've spent many a lonely night with the tv or a chick-flick to keep me company while I try to find something to do to occupy my time.  Before we got married I asked one of my friends how being married to a law student was.  Being married to someone studying for the bar exam is far worse than being married to a law student.  I'm ready to have a husband back even if that means he'll be pestering me when I'm trying to get things done.  I've missed his pesterings.

By the way, the bar consists of written response questions, 1 pretty much asking you to do a lawyer-like task ie. write a memo and 5 based on Minnesota law on day one and then 200 multiple choice questions on day two.  If you want to join along with Ben, feel free to spend all day Tuesday writing essays and all day Wednesday filling in a bubble sheet. 

Daily life

Here are some random pictures from the camera files.  They pretty much depict daily life here.

 Ben is awesome at doing most of the household chores while I'm at work.  Like today for example.  He did the laundry because I didn't have any clothes to wear.  This is how he folds my clothes when he does my laundry.  He neatly piles up the like clothes together (see the socks are clearly matched in pairs) on my half of the bed.  Then he leaves them for me to fold.  He knows I like them folded in a particular style, so instead of folding them and having me refold them, he leaves them to be folded once.  Once I'm done, he helps me put them away :)  He is also really great about making dinner almost every day, and it's not an easy task because I never know what I want to eat.  However, he always does such a nice job serving them, right Mom?

This is a fun little prize I found today.  Can you tell what it is?  It's the smartest thing ever and I want to collect enough that I can send them with our children in their school lunches when they are older.  I was really excited about it when I found it.

And, here is a birthday picture.  Lauren and I look so excited.  Actually, I look a little drugged and Lauren doesn't look like she wants to wait for me to blow out the candles.  It was a fun day, though.  And, the cake was delicious!  I've been craving marble cake for months, and Ben braved the task and made me one (I did have to frost it, though...)

So, that's about it.  And by the way, that green thing is a kiwi knife/spoon.  And, it works.  I used it on my kiwi I ate with dinner tonight.

Survey

Not for you, for me.

Two weeks ago on a particularly snowy Monday, Ben and I went to the mall to go walking.  We hadn't been there too long when a lady stopped us and asked if I could do a survey for them.  I said sure, and then she made sure I fit into the age group they were looking for: female between the age of 18-34.  So, her partner took me into a back room in the mall and said she had a couple questions to ask me, then answer some questions on a computer, and then I'd take some shampoo and conditioner home to use for two weeks.  They would call me back, ask some more questions, and then send me a check.  I was very willing once I heard I'd be getting paid :)

For the past two weeks now I've been using their special shampoo and conditioner.  The only thing I've decided is that I can't wait to go back to my normal shampoo and conditioner.  And, I can't wait for that check to come in the mail.  Not that it has been any inconvenience, it's just that I use my shampoo for a reason.  It's good for my hair (and more so for my scalp, but that is beside the point since the survey was only about hair).  It was nice having the new stuff because it means I've got a few more weeks before I have to buy shampoo again.

Now it's just waiting to see how much that check will be.  I hope they send it out really quick.

Seriously!?

Several weeks ago I was added to this group on Facebook:

That's right.  A group for the people who have recently gotten married and left the singles' wards here in the Twin Cities and are now pregnant.  And, you read that first line right, too.  I was added.  Not invited.  Added. 

I don't want to share my pregnancy with the other 11 people in the group.  I don't even really know them, even though two just joined our ward this fall and are due around the time I'm due (yes, that means honeymoon babies for quite a few of them).

And, the things they post on there aren't that exciting and are no brainers.  Take the following for example:

 

This was a really popular topic.  It seemed like everyone had an opinion (or two or three) and chimed in on what they thought, what their doctor appointment schedule is, etc.  Then the original poster added this addendum to her post:

Well, DUH!! If you are worried about how infrequently YOU have chosen to see the doctor and HE wanted to see you every four weeks, it's your own fault!  Schedule an appointment in between!  And, don't complain about it to this facebook group.

So, I want to know what I should do.  I've tried ignoring the posts, but I can't help looking to see what new crazy thing is being posted about when I get the little notification.  And, now they want to have a get together.  I don't want to hurt any pregnant lady's feelings by quitting the group (they would know because there are only 12 people in the whole group), but I'm sick of being a part of it.

What should I do?  I'd be glad to take any opinion.  And, if you want to join just for the fun of it, I'll add you and you can be apart of it.  We can fake your own pregnancy:)

The baby bump

5 weeks

15 weeks

20 weeks (and 1 day)

I don't know how I managed to look really awesome in all of these pictures, but I'm pretty sure it's because we always take them before we go to bed or after I get off of work.  Or maybe it's because I don't really do my hair anymore because I'm too busy sleeping in to have time to do it.  I realized this morning that I can't see my toes anymore if I'm not purposely standing so my belly doesn't protrude as much.  I'm glad that now I am at 22 weeks, and I can't wait to get back to my pre-pregnancy body.  I don't think I'll complain about my body anymore once I get it back.