Eating around Edie

Last night I slept like a baby. B and Granny B, on the other hand, slept with a baby, which is not quite the same thing. Fortunately, there is not much for Edie to learn about feeding -- she seemed to know what to do about 20 seconds after popping out of B's belly. We're very fortunate -- the new mom we were sharing a small room with (divided by a thin curtain) had a baby who was refusing to nurse, and it was just all stress.

Side note about our roomies: Then again, these maroons were also ordering in sushi the first night they were in, and I overheard her family talking about some new cooking show about master chefs, where the food was just soooo boring, and how Tom Collicio is not a chef, just a restaurateur, and Craft is just ok. I'm not a fan of Tom C., but Craft is a spectacular restaurant and despite the media hype, he's the real thing. And B said they were watching Fox News all night, figures.

From 7 to 9, B and Granny B slept and every once in a while I'd shuttle Lil' Edie back and forth from B's milk supply, checking her diaper and just lovin' her. I think my beard might be irritating her skin, I may have to do something about that soon.

We took E to her first pediatrician app't today, and everything went swimmingly. It was nice being out in the world with B&E, out in Union Square. We took the bus home together, Lil' E's first ride on public transportation!

BREAKFAST: 8:30am, buttermilk pancakes, Neiman Ranch bacon, apple cider, 1.5 bowl
B gently woke me at 6:45am, so I got into the kitchen. Felt like it was Army time, and an army can't roll if it's belly ain't full. I put on a big pot of steel cut oats, which I don't like, but B and GrannyB do. I laid out a slab of bacon in the oven, and mixed up some buttermilk pancakes from scratch.

I made attractive plates for the ladies, with the oats in the center with a little pat of butter melting in a pool in the middle, garnished with quarters of pancakes on one side and a strip of bacon on the other. I wolfed mine down while standing at the range, and fed Rufus a whole strip of bacon, which he wolfed (catted?) down.

PM SNACK: 3pm, 2/3 of a slice of streetza, slug of ginger ale, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
After Edie's app't, walked past a slice joint on University below 14th St, couldn't resist as I've never tried it. Very typical slice joint. Slice reheated, very not fresh, crust a little too dry, sauce way too acidy, cheese cheap tasting and too plentiful. Not very good.

DINNER: 6pm, big salad, deep fried shrimp, 2 ears of boiled corn, a teaspoon of kimchi, a small bowl of chocolate chips and cashews, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
While B&E slept, I made myself dinner. I picked up shrimp from the market, but upon opening up, it smelled a little funky and felt a little slimy. So I made a simple batter with flour, milk, egg, baking soda and salt, and deep fried those lil' f@kers, just like any restaurant does with proteins that are a bit funky. Came out bleah. Method was on point, but batter needed more salt and more liquid to be thinner. Maybe some herbs or beer to amp up flavor. Corn was flavorless, not in season yet. I picked up some kimchi from the farmer's market but it was way too spicy and vinegary, gotta go to Little Korea and pick up some proper stuff.

Coming Attraction

Crazy day, everything good. Ediebird has come home to roost! Lil' E has been sleeping, suckling and pooping a lot. While she and the B have slept, I've been cooking up sweets for B's b-day on Sunday, and tinkering on the computer. For when people ask for pictures, rather than trot out some boring stack, trying to jazz it up.... here is the first crack at the first 15 or so seconds...

Chillin' with Birdie

Everything is great. Will be back on it tomorrow.

Bird's the Word

This food blog is temporarily interrupted by reality. 6 lbs, 14.8 oz, 20" long, Edna Berti Wildman. Edna after my momma Edna, Berti after B's grandma Bertha, affectionately referred to as Berti. I shall never call her Edna, that was my mom, but Edie, Edie Bird, Bird, Birdie, Boid, Edes, Ed, Bert, Bertrand, Bertholomew or perhaps MiniBets will all due just fine.


Not to state the obvious, but this blog will be taking a baby-centric spin, as that's where my life is going. The name of the blog was a foreshadowing of this event, btw.


She's like a mini me!!!!!


Monkey! Freshly squoze!

Ate a couple of bad sausage links and half a rubber waffle from the breakfast they served, later wandered out after Gramma B came and ate a bad slice of pizza, some potato chips and Gatorade. Running on fumes.

Edie has been furiously suckling on B, no issues there. The ultrasounds predicted 8+ pounds, so to have her come out under 7 was a bit of a surprise, but no worry -- it's clear in the first 12 hours of her time with us that she's all about gittin' hers. Very awake when not sleeping, very hungry for milk (well, it's all colostrum right now), and very shouty when awake and not gettin' none of that sweet B boobie. I can't wait to go bike riding with her! Eat pizza with her! Play her some ska music and dance around the living room! Conspire to play tricks om B! Double snuggle with Rufus!

I think I'm going home tonight per hospital regulations, but will skip the food blogging today. Will try to pick up the thread in a couple of days, folks.

Pizza and Baby Power

Not your average day. Had my first excellent steak sandwich, ate pizza on my bed while B contracted, and then we went to the hospital to give birth. Details to come. (Yes, I wrote most of this entry before I was a dad....)

BREAKFAST: 10am, glass of homemade lemonade, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Good, but I know I can make the best lemonade in the universe with some tweaking. A dash of salt, all brown sugar, make a simple syrup with it, yeah.

LUNCH 1: 11am, steak sammich, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Sliced the palm-sized piece of beef from yesterday's dinner thinly. Still juicy. Microwaved for 10 seconds, just to get the chill off of it. Toasted some 100% whole wheat bread. Put on the good mustard from the pickle shop, my mistake -- steak this good and perfectly cooked needs no condiment. Still, perhaps the best steak sandwich possible. My mom and dad used to eat steak sandwiches all the time, from left overs from steaks they ate the day before, and they were always kinda gross. I wish they were around to share this sandwich.

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, glass o' lemonade

LUNCH 2: 2:15pm, green salad with olive oil, vinegar and salt, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Made chopped salad with romaine, carrot, cuce, scallion, red bell pepper, white onion and some vine ripened tomato.

LUNCH 3: 4pm, 2 slices of local streetza, handful of chocolate rugula, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Back from the gyno, seems B is in labo rfer real, dilation and all that stuff. I picked up some slices on my block, some chocolate from the kosher bakery, then ate it in bed with the B while she had her contractions. Pizza and baby power.

LABOR SNACKING: 5pm-1am, a handful of chocolate rugula, a donut , water, I think that was it.

Tomorrow, a steak sammich.

Bebe is still FutureBebe, any minute now. Chill day, slept in, lolled around while B met up with her mom for another test uptown, food shopped, hung out with an out of town friend, met up with everyone for a nice dinner. Life is good for now, just need Bebe.

BREAKFAST: 10am, onion bagel and cream cheese, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5

LUNCH: 1:30pm, mashed taro treasure boxes, mixed gluten, mini lotus leaf wrapped sticky rice, mock shrimp dumplings, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Took myself to lunch at Vegetarian Dim Sum.

PM SNACK: 3:30pm, homemade lemonade, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Added a little light brown sugar, think I'm gonna play a little bit more with that next time.

DINNER: 6:30pm, a couple of pieces of bread and butter, lobster bisque, a small bite of king crab leg, a few snippets of slab bacon, half a steak and fries, a bit of chocolate cake and creme brulee, half a beer, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Dinner at Balthazar with B and a couple of friends. The steak just looked too big, took home half of it. Previously I would of just eaten it and felt sick, glad I had the good sense to pause.

I want some Bebe Show now!

Went out, but B was too pregnant to go out, so I went home. We need to get this bebeshow on the road!

BREAKFAST: 8:30am, ice cream cone, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5

BREAKFAST 2: 10:45am, 3/4 of a bagel and butter, some Gatorade, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

PM SNACK: 12:30, a little bit of bacon-studded chocolate

LUNCH: 3pm, fried chicken, various sides, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
This was supposed to be good fried chicken, I found it merely ok. I am not a fan of this food in general, though I do remember the fried chicken we were taught to make in c-school was quite fantastic. I guess cooking small quantities for yourself and on a restaurant scale are very different things. Which adds to the old warning: People who open restaurants only because they can cook at home are idiots.

PM SNACK: 6pm, ice cream cone, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5

DINER: 9:30pm. pizza with cooked sauce, ricotta, garlic, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Made at home with Pillsbury dough out of a pressurized canister pushed into n aluminium a half sheet pan. Topped with marinara I made a few days ago, a few dollops of whole milk ricotta, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and olive oil. Baked according to label, 13 minutes at 425, came out pale white and flibbidy flobbidy. Baked at 500 for another 10 minutes, almost burnt on the edges, still flibbidy in the middle. The toppings made it ok, but the crust was weird -- even though it was baked from raw, it tasted like I was eating a cheap frozen pizza.