Chocolate Chip Cake

Not much to report in the Fitz household. We're just waiting for a certain baby to arrive.
I've been cooking b/c well I am bored and I have actually been feeling like it!
Made this delicious cake last night. I am sure most of you have the recipe or a variation of it.
Mr. Fitz snuck (is that a word?) a second slice after I went upstairs and then complained all night and morning about how he was so full and his stomach hurt. I just looked at him like "oh really?" YOUR STOMACH FEELS FULL....REALLY??

Chocolate Chip Cake (tastes really good warmed up too with ice cream!)

INGREDIENTS
• Cooking spray
• Flour for dusting pan
• One 18 1/4 ounce yellow cake mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• One 3 ounce package instant pudding mix
• One 12 ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting top of cake

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray then put about 2 tablespoons of flour in the bottom of the pan. Tap the pan and turn it all around until the flour coats all surface of the pan. Dump out any excess flour into the trash can.
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, sour cream, eggs, oil and pudding mix. Combine with an electric mixer until very smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Place the batter evenly in the bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top appears set and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Have an adult help you remove the pan from the oven.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then take a butter knife and run it around the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust the top by placing confectioners' sugar into a strainer, holding it above the cake, and tapping the sides of the strainer. Move the strainer from place to place until the cake is dusted.

Dinner is ready!

On Sunday while watching the NY Giants BEAT the Dallas Cowboys and flipping channels to watch the Emmy's I made meals to freeze. It only took me like 1 1/2-2 hours including clean up to make four recipes to freeze. Doesn't look like a lot of food...but maybe it will last us a week or so. Better than nothing. It was fun too. I hadn't been in the cooking mood for most of the pregnancy but the last few weeks I have been cooking more.

Chicken, Rice, Peas, Tomatoes...kinda tasted like paella without the seafood b/c of the saffron and paprika.

Tarragon Chicken with Wild Rice

I also made a meatloaf and these awesome meatballs to add to pasta. I didn't get a picture of the meatballs or meatloaf...you know what they look like.

I had never made these meatballs before...but they tasted DELICIOUS. I was tempted to eat the next night for dinner.

Here are the recipes!

Title: Meatballs and Tomato Gravy

Description:It says gravy...which I think of cream or brown gravy...but the gravy is really tomato sauce. The meatballs were delish!!!!

Ingredients:

For tomato gravy: 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup reduced-sodium beef broth

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons crushed garlic

For meatballs:

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Hot cooked pasta

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. For tomato gravy, in a large straight-side skillet, combine marinara, wine, broth, oregano and garlic. Simmer, uncovered, on low to medium heat while you prepare meatballs.

2. For meatballs, in a large bowl, combine bread crumbs and milk and soak for 5 minutes. Add ground beef, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, mixing well. Wet your hands to keep mixture from sticking to them and roll into 1-1/2-inch meatballs (you should have about 30).

3. Raise heat under sauce to medium. When sauce is almost boiling, carefully drop meatballs into sauce. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove lid. Simmer for 5 minutes more.

4. Serve over hot cooked pasta or prepare to freeze.

Tarragon Turkey and Rice (I used chicken instead)

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 (5.9-ounce) box garlic and herb long grain and wild rice mix

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 tablespoon dried tarragon

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic salt

1-1/4 pounds turkey breast tenderloin, cut into serving-size portions

Fresh tarragon sprig (optional)

Directions:

Preparation and freezing directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together mushroom soup, broth, rice mix, lemon juice and garlic. Transfer to 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.

2. Combine tarragon and garlic salt. Sprinkle tarragon mixture over all sides of the turkey portions and place on top of the rice mixture. Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

3. Serve hot or prepare to freeze.

I hope this kid likes sports!

New York Mets


New York Giants (Mr. Fitz was very happy on Sunday, he hates the Cowboys!)


And finally, a TX team, my team.
San Antonio Spurs

Now we just need a baby!

With the arrival of Baby Fitz just around the corner. We wrapped a few things.
Bags are packed. Just need to add a few toiletries and cameras that are charging. All baby paraphenelia is washed and put away. All lists have been made...reminders for Mr. Fitz, who to call etc. All draft emails and draft texts are ready. What else...I do need Mr. Fitz to pack his bag and I need to purchase some snacks tomorrow.
I also finished washing all the linens for the crib. We haven't brought our crib home yet b/c we won't need it for a few weeks and we're still in the process of selling our house and we don't have room for it yet. But we do have this family bassinette that gets passed down to each child. My mom and her 3 brothers slept in it. All the grandkids have slept in it (even if it was only for one night...gotta sleep in it to say they slept in it) and now all the great grandkids have slept in it. I have to give it up in December for my cousin Amy and then she'll pass it on to my sister. My uncle refinished it and it's darling. Perfect for a new baby!

Nearing the End

Well....we're down to the final weeks/days until we meet our baby.

We are excited and anxious...we just want to know what it is!! We've attended all the classes, we've installed the carseat, and the bag is packed...now we just need a baby!
I am feeling pretty good still. Mornings are rough getting out of bed. I am pretty stiff and don't fall asleep easily...I just can't get comfy. Just a little swollen but nothing too bad. I am still able to exercise so that helps in the morning when I am really stiff. The baby is sitting on a nerve b/c somedays it's difficult to put pressure on my right side...it is really uncomfortable.
We're just playing the waiting game now! I go to the doctor once a week now. I fear she'll tell me to stop exercising soon. I really just do stretching in the pool and walking.

So far I've logged about 60 miles of walking, 19 hours of swim class and early in the pregnancy I would do weights. I really didn't start working out until the end of April. June and July I worked out almost every weekday. I've been really busy with work in August and this month so I haven't been able to go as frequently. But still try to do something at least 2-3 times a week.

Went to the doctor yesterday and this baby is BIG. The estimated weight is 7 1/2 pounds. Which I know is usually off, my dr. said 10% give or take. I'll have another sonogram in two weeks. If the baby is still growing at this rate we'll talk about inducing so that I am not delivering a 10 pounder. Apparently the belly is pretty big! So looks like as of now...we'll have a sweet baby in our arms at the end of the month or early October.

I really don't feel THAT big...but when my sweet husband takes my picture he's like whoa! And when my mom saw me on Skype...I think she said holy cow, you're big. At least it's all belly and just a little swelling.

Okay...as requested by Renee...here you go.

36 weeks pregnant.

DFW Shower

Several of my girlfriends and sister-in-laws put together a great baby shower for me. It was so nice and the food was sooo good!

We got lots of nice gifts. And my mom drove from San Antonio to DFW for the morning shower as a surprise. That's 4 1/2 hours of driving first thing in the morning for the 10am shower and then she left right after. That's 9 hours of driving for little ol me! ;) It was a great surprise...even though I already knew....I overheard the hubby on the phone.

Here are a few pics!

First, the food!




Me and Ga-Ga (AKA-Grandma)


Me and Fitz (AKA-Baby Daddy)


Me and the girlfriends (AKA-Babysitters)


The guests wrote on diapers.....thought this one was funny.

Shrimp and Red Pepper Pasta

Shrimp and Red Pepper Pasta
Ingredients

3/4 com commercial style Ranch-style dressing

1 (3-ounce) package refrigerated shredded Parmesan cheese

8 ounces dried angel hair pasta, uncooked

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

1 pound peeled medium-size fresh shrimp

1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips

1/2 cup sliced fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

Directions: To make it even easier I bought shrimp already cooked and mushrooms too.

Combine salad dressing and cheese; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add mushrooms. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add shrimp; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring often. Drain excess liquid. Combine hot cooked pasta, salad dressing mixture, shrimp mixture, red pepper strips, basil, and pepper in a large bowl; toss gently. Serve immediately.

Number Of Servings:4

Preparation Time:16 minutes, cook time 15 minutes