I have been musing on babies recently. I have 9--count them, 9!--friends who are pregnant right now, most with second children. I had my second child a minute after having my first and we're not planning on anymore so I'm kinda wistful, a little bit jealous, and a lotta bits relieved at the arrival of so many other people's new babes. My kids, if they could understand, would be relieved too--DD does not like it when I get near a baby, even if she is very curious about babies, notices them everywhere, and plays with her own dolls more. I can't even fathom bringing a little one home now--I tried it with a friend's new baby a few weeks ago and couldn't juggle holding the baby with the toddler crawling up us both. Just like people always tell me they can't imagine having twins! And in both situations you just cope and there are good things and hard things but it becomes normal for you and so you don't notice so much. But the new baby smell, the new clothes, a new little character to learn about . . . even with two kids at home, I won't have that again except if DD lets me borrow somebody for a bit. Mind you, I don't really want another baby but since I don't really remember DD and DS as babies I would love to revisit the experience. You see, they are two now. And we've been to lots of second birthday parties so I'm constantly reminded that all the kids are growing. And I look back and it's a daze, which is part of the reason I journal and am keeping this blog. If I don't remember babyhood, will I remember this period? Our dancing around the living room to Irish music yesterday? How DS says "that be fun" when he wants to do something? How DD asks to be "uppy up?" How DD loves to jump? How DS loves to make music? But I'm not convinced I'd remember another baby's babyhood--or the twins' toddlerhood if there were a baby in the house--even if I could do it all over again a dozen times. But at least then I could be on TLC, right? Now, there's a goal.
So, today I made a casserole for one of the aforementioned friends who is on restricted activity hoping to make it to her scheduled c-section next week. And there I was, in the grocery store on an unscheduled visit, trying to remember a recipe suitable to take. While DD had a breakdown because she isn't napping. And I couldn't think of a thing (no wonder, I was carrying her under an arm screaming and sobbing in a football hold searching the aisle for inspirations. It's a wonder DCFS wasn't called. Though, DS was happily driving the little car in front of the car. He didn't even want to leave when we got out to the car. One out of two isn't bad, right?). And there were no magazines touting church suppers or casseroles or the like. So what did I do? I started reading labels--cream of mushroom soup, crackers, bread stuffing--trying to remember some of the meals I got. I am in charge of organizing the meals and in an odd way, for me, it's how I can take part in this communal pregnancy we're having. Otherwise, despite having been pregnant and being able to talk about it and labor, I feel pretty left out of everything right now. This is how I can help out and feel useful and stay in touch with this.
And so I came up with this--"Swiss" Chicken with Stuffing--which I delivered with bagged salad and some iced lemon cookies. I hope it was good. It isn't how we cook normally--it's American comfort food par excellence, and thus not healthy. It was comforting to me, anyway.
One down, eight to go.
**Whoops, just recounted--the number is 10!
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4 cups Pepperidge Farm stuffing
1 1/4 cups water, boiling
4 tablespoons olive oil
4-6 chicken breasts
paprika
4-6 slices Swiss cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup milk
Preheat oven to 375F.
Spray Pam on 9 x 13 baking dish.
Boil water and mix it with olive oil. Pour this mixture over stuffing.
Place chicken breasts over stuffing mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Top with slices of Swiss cheese.
Combine milk and mushroom soup. Pour over casserole.
Bake covered for 45 minutes or until cooked through; uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes until surface bubbles and browns.
adapted from Pepperidge Farms stuffing bag
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