Basil

This week was basil.  It goes well with anything that has tomatoes in it.  I used it to make a tomato basil sandwich yummy!  I also used it on pizza.   I tried to make a pesto sauce.  I don't think it turned out very good. I think it taste better cooked than raw.

Cilantro

After experimenting with mint, I moved onto Cilantro.  It is the perfect herb to add to any Mexican dish. Here are some of my favorite recipes with cilantro.

Cilantro and Lime Rice  (This is just like the rice at Chipolte. It  adds a little flavor to a boring food.  It even taste good with brown rice, so you can get that fiber. )

Tomato Salsa (I skip the pepper and add beans and corn)

Mint

I am clueless when it comes to cooking with spices, herbs, and other seasonings. I have always wanted to be a chef that just knew what flavors to add to make  the meal taste just right, so I am going to be experimenting with every single herb and spice until I understand each flavor.  I thought that I would start with an interesting herb that I have never cooked with .. . Mint. It is fresh and fun.  It always taste good in gum, but will it taste good in food.  I went to allrecipes.com.  You can sort the recipes by ingredients.  I typed in mint and I am going to try all the recipes that I think sound  appetizing.Here is what I have tried so far.

Fresh Mint and Cilantro Salad  This was really good!  The melon soaked up the mint and lime flavors.  It had a really fresh taste and the mint was not too overwhelming.

Computer Baby

David is busy working on his PhD at Stanford in Computer Science.  He has also taken on a part time job to help cover the cost of me not working.  He works once a week and makes as much as I would make teaching if I had to pay for child care.

Utah visit

              Four Generations,  Me, Grandma, Aspen, and Mom
                                     

We braved a sixteen hour car ride with a baby to make a visit to Utah.  Luckily she slept in the car most of the way; however, there was an emergency pull over in the middle of Nevada at 10:00 p.m.  She just wanted to be held.  If you have ever driven through Nevada, you know there is a whole lot of nothing.  The exit we took went no where and we parked on some gravel until she calmed down.  I won't recommend a car ride this long with a baby, but sadly David's grandmother passed away.  I really wanted to go to the funeral because she has always been so nice to me.  She even called me while I was in the hospital just to see if I was okay.  We enjoyed seeing all of David's family and hanging out with mine too.

Baby blessing

I was lucky to have family in town for Aspen's baby blessing.  She cried most of the time,but David was able to pull through and give her a wonderful blessing.  I made the dress myself before she was born, but I had to do some serious altering because she is so tiny.