Thirsty Thursday: The Riff Off (Toup's Meatery, New Orleans)

Last week I made my quarterly jaunt down to Louisiana for work.  After wrapping up all my site visits, I was rewarded by sharing an amazing dinner with my cousin Primo at Toup's Meatery.  This place has been on our radar for a while, and we finally got around to visiting.

(Photo Source: nola.eater.com)

Owner Isaac Toups may be familiar to you if you're a fan of Top Chef--he finished third on the 13th season of the show. But Toups Meatery has been around since 2012.  As opposed to Blue Oak BBQ, which sits catty-corner across Carrolton Ave and hosts a more laid-back vibe, the Meatery is more upscale, with low lights, small packed tables, plenty of ambient chatter, featuring a few local beers, double-digit cocktails and entrees ranging from $20-40.  Primo & I decided to start with the smoked trout deviled eggs, and then share the Meatery Board: $25 for a selection of their available house-made meats, pickled veg, and condiments.

Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs, topped with cracklin, pickled jalapeno, and trout roe.

Note: I swiped this photo from their Instagram--the low lighting inside didn't do much for my photos.

The Meatery Board didn't disappoint.  We enjoyed tasting our way through the variety of offerings, particularly the pickled wax beans, grilled jalapeno, housemade dill pickles, ginger sesame sausage, boudin ball, chicken-pork terrine with brandied cherries, and candied pork belly...

See...low lighting makes for crappy pics, and I can't bring myself to use a flash or bring in extra lighting.

...and OHHHH the rillons...I mean...pork belly is amazing in pretty well any form.

(Delicious photo borrowed from Tabelog.)

To accompany this, I selected the "Riff Off" from their cocktail menu.  While the name of course appealed my love of Pitch Perfect, the server's description of its contents sealed the deal.

Ingredients:

Plum Liqueur

Chicory Bitters

French Sparkling Cider

It's like fall, in a glass.  And it paired beautifully with the ginger/sesame sausage.

All in all, if you're a fan of tasty cocktails and housemade meats, this is a must for your "to dine" list. I do recommend getting a reservation, since even the bar was packed when we visited (8pm on a Friday).

Adventures in Parenting: 14 Months In.

Hey all--it's the holiday season!  Which means life is crazy busy.  But when isn't life crazy-busy, really?  Anyway, here's what's been going on since we last chatted.

Teeth:  we have CANINES coming in.  Top row canines.  He hasn't even gotten his bottom 1st molars yet.  His teeth are confused and out of order and he's BITEY.

WALKING (and falling):  Yes, he's finally walking.  It started about a week ago, with just a few steps.  Now he can toddle most of the way across a room, and also stand up on his own.  And now...the falling into things.  Yesterday, he managed to trip and fall into a door, the dog, his bookshelf, and an end table. No serious injuries yet, just a few scrapes and red spots (and LOTS of tears).  Not sure why he always picks the hard surfaces to fall into, rather than the padded coffee table, overstuffed chairs, etc.

New House:  Finally got moved into the new place.  The first night, we were so busy unpacking that Lil' Man didn't get put down to bed until 9pm. I was expecting him to be restless and up all night from being in a new place...but he slept through the night.  Wow...maybe it won't be that bad, I thought.  And then he was up every hour or so the night after that.  After a week, he finally settled in and got back to (mostly) sleeping through the night, but it was a little rough there.

There are plenty other adjustments to be had--like all the cabinets have no handles so our current babyproofing locks don't work, so we had to buy new ones. Or the baby gate at the top of the stairs that he likes to smoosh his face up against and reach underneath.  And he's also discovered that he can pull all the fun toys and books and decorative pieces OFF the cube shelf in his room.

Tantrums:  From a scientific perspective, I get it:  it has to be incredibly frustrating to have so many ideas, wants and needs to express, but be so limited in the ability to communicate them to anyone else.  When all you can do is point and grunt, life is essentially a REALLY long game of "Hot & Cold".  Lemme carry you around, you point in the general direction of the thing you want, and then you start bawling when I walk too far past the thing you wanted (usually a light switch, a door knob, or his toothbrush). Or when I take away the thing you want to play with because we need to stop changing our diaper and go to the grocery store.

That being said...it gets a little old.  I dunno where he learned these dramatics from.  You always hear about the "Terrible Twos" and the "Threenagers".  But "Tantruming 14 Month Old" has apparently never caught on.

New Day Care:  He's been at his new day care for a few weeks now.  It's been an odd transition--at his old day care, they had moved him up to the 1's class, so he was the littlest guy in there, and the only non-walker. At this day care, they decided to start him in the infant room so they could have a chance to assess him and so that he wouldn't get plowed over by the bigger kids. So now he's the oldest one in the room.  Drop-off has gotten a little more challenging too, as he's having some separation anxiety when we leave. It's slowly getting better--and if we time it right, breakfast is there when we drop him off and I can just put him into a high chair, and he could care less if I'm leaving him so long as there's food to eat. :)

It sorta feels like a step backward, since they were weaning off the bottle, and getting him to sleep on a cot in the old 1's class, and now that he's in the infant room his new teacher is fine with giving him both a sippy and a bottle, and he's back to napping in a crib.  But his new teachers are great, the facility is very nice, and aside from a few tears at drop off, he seems to be doing great, playing well, eating well, etc.  

Playing tunes for his new girlfriend/groupie, K.

Utensils:  His first day at his new day care, they sent me a photo of him eating lunch...with a spoon.  I'd never tried actually giving him a spoon to eat with, so we're working more of that in.  He's got the general mechanics down, but actually getting stuff a) ON the spoon, and then b) KEEPING it on the spoon is a challenge.

Thanksgiving:  We decided to host this year, since we have the new, bigger house.  My in-laws came to stay with us over the holiday and seemed to enjoy the new guest bedroom with attached bathroom.  Lil' Man always enjoys having them visit, and cried big fat tears when the left and he couldn't get horsey rides on his grandpa's legs anymore.  We did a traditional dinner with ham, mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce, pea salad, stuffing, and of course pie.  Lil' Man loved all of it--especially the week's worth of leftovers. 

Oh, and Cool Whip.  We had to hide the container from him for the rest of the week until we'd eaten it all, because if he saw it come out of the fridge, he'd start pointing and pitch a fit if we didn't give him a spoonful.

Stay tuned for next month, where we get to talk about Christmas!

Looking Back: Early Journal Entries from a New Mom

Recently, a new mom friend sent me a text message asking a question about something from "the early days".  New Mom Friend is just coming out of Week One. I remember those days.

...or at least...I thought I did.  And then I tried to answer her question and was all:

Because guess what--I was totally sleep deprived during those days, not to mention dealing with crazy hormonal fluctuations and Baby Blues and Mom Guilt and the overwhelming information on the interwebs and trying to play doctor on myself every few hours (because giving birth is a major medical ordeal, folks, and you have stitches...DOWN THERE) while also learning to keep a tiny new human alive. I really don't remember much, except that people came to see us and brought us yummy food, I was watching Treme on Amazon Prime during overnight feedings, and I spent a lot of time on my couch. 

But pre-baby, someone suggested "get a journal, and write in it every day".  And I did.  And now, I can look back, and at least get a few chuckles.  So I decided to share a few of those moments from the first 2 months here, with you.  If you're an experienced mom, maybe these will trigger a few slap-happy early day memories for you.  And if you're a new mom, or a not-yet-a-mom, or a mom-to-be, or even a spouse, maybe some of it might help you someday. Maybe even today.  

Tues, 10/6/15 - Happy birthday *Baby J*!  born 6:43pm, 19.5" length, 7#5oz. Rough night-Baby had trouble maintaining body temp.  Nurses took him down to NICU 2x to be under the warmer. [Note: our hospital practices rooming-in to encourage/support breastfeeding; there is no well-baby nursery.]

Thurs, 10/8/15 - They sent us home. We know nothing.  Tough 1st night: baby is confused between days and nights.  Hubs & I take shifts sitting up thru the night with him.

Sat, 10/10/15 - Lesson #1: don't eat chili again. Baby bean farts are BAD.  Rough night- Grandma, Hubs & I all take turns staying up with the baby.

Sun 10/11/15 - Was able to hobble through Wal-Mart with my mom to buy a nightlight for the nursery and some newborn onesies while Hubs stayed home with the baby.  Had to lean on cart the whole time and was worn out by the time I got home.  Much better night--sleeping 2 hours at a time [Note: This is my favorite entry ever.  I look back at it every time Lil' Man has what we call a "rough night" now, which involves 2-3x wakings in one night.]

Mon 10/12/15 - Eating like a champ. Less fussy.  Tried pumping for the first time after his a.m. feeding; got <0.5 oz.  Depressing for 10 minutes of work.

Fri, 10/16/15 -ROUGH DAY.  Soaked thru 4 sheets, peed on himself 2x during changing, needed clothes changed 6 times.  Fussy most of the afternoon, not wanting to sleep or lay down. Learned how to wear the Boba wrap.  Dealing with some serious Baby Blues. Hubs watched the baby while I ran some errands--A BIG HELP.  My 1st time out of the house since Monday. Pumped at 8pm to see how much I was making: ~1oz.  Fed it to the baby in a bottle--not great with the bottle, needed burped 3x, and still hungry after. Sorry, I'm empty. Thankfully had some stockpiled in the fridge.

Sat, 10/17/15 - Pumped at 10am: ~1.5 oz, and again at 5pm - 1oz.  Mom was here, so Hubs & I were able to get out of the house TOGETHER ALONE while Mom watched the baby. Went to Walgreens to pick up photos and for a walk at the park. Sy fussy from 4:30-9pm, tried gas drops around 8:30p. Asleep by 10pm, slept in 3 hr chunks.

Tues, 10/20/15 - Baby is 2 WEEKS OLD!  Hubs' mom here in the afternoon.  Hubs & I able to go out for our 1st date night (dinner at Patrick's) since baby was born. Gone for about 1.5 hrs.

Thurs 10/22/15 - Baby only fussy during family photos-- go figure.  Cooked dinner for the 1st time since baby was born: Italian sausage & zucchini "pasta" with a caramel apple sauce over ice cream for dessert. Published birth story on blog.

Sat 10/24/15: Baby very fussy this morning. Mom in town for the day. Finally got baby down for a nap around 12:30p. NEED TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. Mom watched baby while Hubs & I went to Target.  Of course, baby slept entire time we were gone.

Mon 10/26/15: 1st day home alone without the Hubs.  Baby slept most of the day. Had trouble getting him to fall asleep after bedtime feeding--kept waking & crying every half hour until 1am.

Tues 10/27/15: 3 weeks old, pediatrician appt today.  Baby has a yeast infection on his FACE.  Had to get meds at Walgreens--baby screamed the entire time while waiting in the drive-thru because car wasn't moving, Cashier gave me grief because he didn't have his own insurance card yet. So. Tired.

Thurs 10/29/15: Baby wanted to be held ALL. DAY.  Hubs' mom visited again & stayed with the baby so we could get out.  Ate at Red Lobster. It was amazing. Pumped 2.5 oz...one of the girls is underperforming.

Sun 11/1/15: Mom & Dad came down so we could go to Amy's murder mystery party.  Gone for 4 hours; baby ate 2 bottles while we were gone. VERY FULL...nursed him when we got home, and then still pumped another 5oz.  OUCH.

Tues 11/3/15: Very fussy in evening--we are TIRED.  Hubs is awesome for mastering the bedtime swaddle. I love him a LOT. 

Thurs 11/5/15: 1st outing into public with baby--Taco Bell for free A.M. CrunchWraps. Baby doesn't nap well, was fussy from 3pm until bed at 9:30.  ROUGH NIGHT.

Sun 11/8/15: [Note: a little over 1 month old] Went to Life Group for the first time since baby was born.  Baby napped most of the day, then fussy all evening, and VERY fussy at bedtime.  Woke up at 10:30p, 11p, 11:30p, finally asleep at 11:45p.  Woke at 3:30a and 7:30a for feeding.

Wed 11/11/15:  Dreary, wet, windy day.   Stayed inside, but need to GET OUT.  Hubs stayed with baby while I ran to get coffee without the baby.  Took my time and found a geocache. Did not pump.

Wed 11/17/15: Smiles today! Don't care if they're just gas--I need them. Napped in swing until lunch.  Went to Wal-Mart, baby fell asleep in the car seat on the way home, then wouldn't nap in crib or anywhere else except while being held.  Had to use wrap to wear him from 2-6p when Hubs got home--including while making dinner. Didn't burn baby or self.

Fri 11/20/15:  Tried bathing in the baby bath tub again--still hates it. [Note: We had to give him sponge baths on his changing table for about the first 3 months of his life.] Baby slept 10pm-5am.  Checked to make sure he was still breathing around 3am.

Tues 11/24/15: Fussy in the evening. Tried putting him down to bed at 9pm--he fought sleep until midnight again. Woke to feed around 3:30am.

Thurs 11/26/15: Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my amazing husband, our miracle child, for a good job, a roof over our heads, family, no debt, and the exercise ball.

Sun 11/29/15: Head home from Mom & Dad's house at 5:30p.  Stop at Menard's at the Lake--baby very fussy while Hubs ran into store--apparently gassy and big poop. Earth's Best diapers are WORTHLESS.  Had to change him on the floor of a Taco Bell bathroom...nursed him while I was there, sitting on the floor, because why not.  He slept rest of the way home.  House was 47F when we got home because Hubs had turned off heat before we left.  Had to set up a space heater in nursery.

Wed 12/2/15: Found mold in my pump parts.  Cried.  Then cleaned and sanitized pump parts.

Thurs 12/7/15: 2 Month Dr's appt today. Got 3 shots and 1 oral vax + Tylenol. Slept on way home  then fussy every hour, fed every hour, with 1 hour naps between. Had a poo-splosion--tried to give a regular bath, but he hated it. Screamed when we took his Band-Aids off.  I went grocery shopping to get away for a bit.  Had two poopy (soupy) diapers overnight.  Woke at 4am to feed, had to rock 'til 5am to get him back to sleep. Love him anyway.