Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Artistry in Food, Music, and Life

Baby Shower and Labor Day Eats

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I really do not know where to begin. I even meant to post yesterday but I am getting to the point where I am just tired of being on the computer. I have so many things to do that getting online seems like such a task, well, especially since I can just get on my phone and check on updates. I am nearing 6 weeks until my due date and everything is quickly approaching. You can understand what ends up becoming trivial right?

This weekend I had to catch up on grocery shopping for the next 2 weeks in addition to shopping for the little one AND getting the nursery completed. Did I get it done? YES! I probably tired myself out more that I should have but once I get going I cannot stop. Ryan reminded me not to overdo but better said than done.

I am cherishing my nap time, obviously not as much as I should but I am getting more tired and my feet are killing me, especially when I run errands from 1 pm to 7:30pm. Yes, I know, I know.

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This past Saturday I had my 1st Michigan baby shower. I say this because my mother had thrown me one back in May when I headed to Houston for my sister’s wedding. The ladies at church got a wonderful shower and games together and we had a lovely time.

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How about some yummy punch with crustless mini quiches, lemon cheesecakes, fruit cheesecakes, fruit-filled chocolate bowls? Yes, I was all very delicious! We played 2 games where the ladies had to guess who the baby would look like or be most like either Ryan or me. The game was very amusing.

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It was nice to receive more of my items from the baby registry and it inspired all my arranging I did on Labor Day. I finally updated my registry on Babies ‘r Us and Amazon, so I know all that I have left. It is pretty amazing the things that one needs to bring a new life into this world. There are so many CUTE things too. Either way, I was blessed and grateful with th baby shower my church family put together. It was nice visiting too!

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Monday I worked on the half nursery I have. The wall decorations are all up and finished but the bedding for the crib is not so I will wait till tomorrow to show you an update. It has been a huge relief to get another huge part of getting ready for the little one. It is exciting!

I took a break from decorating on Monday to make a delicious lunch. I made burgers along with some crispy potato wedges and a carrot and kohlrabi slaw that was delicious. Ryan claimed that the fries were the best I had ever made. That is really saying something. Really.

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Here are the quick recipes for the Potato wedges:

Crispy Potato Wedges
serves 4
8 medium yellow potatoes, cut in half, then cut in 4ths (wedges)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup potato starch or flour
1 1/4 teaspoon Tony’s cajun seasoning or seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut potatoes in wedges, as instructed and place in a medium bowl. Toss with olive oil. In a small bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients and add to the potatoes, making sure they are all evenly coated.
Place the wedges on the baking sheet making sure that all are directly on the baking sheet and not overlapping. Cook for 20 minutes and then flip the wedges on the other side and cook for another 10 minutes. These are by far the best crispy wedges!

Creamy Carrot-Kohlrabi Slaw
serves 4
2 small kohlrabis, peeled
2 large carrots, peeled
1/3 cup Earth Balance Original Mindful Mayo (vegan)
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoo agave nectar
salt and pepper to taste
In a food processor, use the grating plate to shred the kohlrabi and carrots. Add the shredded veggies to a medium bowl.
In a small bowl, mix the mayo, vinegar, agave and salt and pepper and mix well. Add to the shredded veggies and mix. Either prepare it so it can be refrigerated an hour before serving or immediately serve.

About Noelle

I’m an opera singer, full-time mom, pharmacy technician, food and mom blogger, recipe developer, and wife to a super talented choral director living in the awesome outskirts of Philly.