Phoenix Nesties
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
**Megamuffin**
The biscotti were so so so delish! I did the cinnamon and sugar topping and just absolutely loved them! We dunked them in our coffee, and seriously, have you noticed how amazing baked goods and coffee are together? That is a combination I could live off of.
I had trouble with one loaf though 
I'm not sure if it was my crumby cookie sheet, or if the sugar melted and ran under the dough, but one loaf was charred. Both loafs were on the middle rack, side by side. Oh well. I'm going to make cranberry and walnut biscotti tonight. Woohoo!
Re: **Megamuffin**
Yay! I'm glad you liked it! I totally agree -- they're really good with coffee. Darn, I wish I had some right now, ha. That sucks that one of them charred, though! It sounds like it may have been a fluke, if the other one turned out well. Maybe the one that got charred was a little thinner than the other one and baked a little faster?
Let me know how the cranberry and walnut combination is -- I've been wanting to try that!
I will def let you know!
Sidenote: Do you have a great Belgian waffle recipe?
Can't wait to meet my baby boy!
I don't have a good waffle recipe -- I've actually never tried to make waffles. But I'd love to try that sometime, so let me know if you come across a good recipe!
I do have a good buttermilk pancake recipe, though, if you're ever looking for one. It's a good base that you could try a lot of different variations with. As long as we're talking about breakfast food (which I LOVE), I've also got a killer blueberry muffin recipe. I was on a real breakfast food baking kick for a while, haha.
Oh oh oh! I'd love to try both recipes, I love to eat, esp. breakfast! I'm not having much luck finding a waffle recipe, so I might do your pancakes instead.
Sidenote #2: What kind of cravings have you had since getting pregnant?
Can't wait to meet my baby boy!
Here are the blueberry muffins: http://easttowestbakers.blogspot.com/2009/11/blueberry-muffins-for-brunch.html
And the pancakes: http://easttowestbakers.blogspot.com/2009/07/buttermilk-pancakes.html
I also use allrecipes.com a lot when I'm trying to find a recipe for something specific. I don't know if you've ever used that site before, but it's great because people comment on the recipe and say how they changed it to make it better. I'll usually read through a bunch of the comments and if everyone agrees to cut down the sugar or whatever, then I follow their advice and the stuff always turns out great.
My pregnancy cravings seem to change all the time, haha. The only one that I've had the entire time is pickles. I always want pickles. But I also had 2 or 3 days when all I wanted to eat were BLTs. And then I was on a HUGE cake spree for a couple of weeks (it started when I all of a sudden had to have yellow cake with white frosting). The weirdest one was when I suddenly craved a white mocha from this little independent coffee place back in Ohio. I used to drink them all the time in high school, but haven't had one in probably 7 or 8 years. But for a couple of hours, it was all I could think about...I could practically taste it! Luckily, Mike is very easy-going and amused by it all, so he's always happy to run to the store for me.
Ok, I don't want to freak you out, b/c I honestly have no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to pregnancy, BUT... A girl I went to high school with recently had a baby, and she had the pickle craving, and her doctor said she had low iron - or something like that. I don't remember, but pickle craving is standing out in my mind for some reason. Has your doc said anything about that?
Anyways...both recipes look yummy! I have a feeling I'll be making a couple of your recipes tonight. Have you made cinnamon rolls before? A girl posted a her recipe on the whats cooking board today and they looked so so so good.
Can't wait to meet my baby boy!
Thanks for the pickle warning! I go to my midwife on Friday, so I'll be sure to ask. I'm not too alarmed because I think pickles are a very common thing for pregnant women to crave. But better to be safe than sorry, so I'll definitely check with her.
I made cinnamon rolls once during a baking class that my hubby paid for me to do for fun. They turned out really well, but they were so much work that I never made them again, haha. What is your favorite thing to bake?
Let me know what your midwife says! I really have no idea what I'm talking about, pickle cravings just stood out in my mind from when my friend was pregnant.
Just based on the ingredients alone they seem like they'd be a lot of work, but I'd like to give it a shot. The pic really looked like it'd be worth it. I love to bake cookies, all different kinds. I really love to cook too, I love the adventure in trying new recipes.
DH and I have this 5-year plan (that is more of a dream, than a reality) that we'll move to Jerome or Cottonwood and open a little bakery. Does your DH bake with you?
Can't wait to meet my baby boy!
Yeah, I'm sure the cinnamon rolls would be worth the effort. My mouth is watering just thinking about them now, haha.
I love your five-year plan!! Jerome would be a fun place to do that, too. It's such a great town. I would definitely drive up there to get some of your cookies.
I've always wanted to open a bakery, too. I'm not much of a cook -- DH is the cook in our home. We figure that we make a pretty good team with him cooking and me baking. 
We've always said we want to open a sandwich shop or some kind of little deli, where he'd handle all the entrees and I'd handle the desserts. Most likely that will never happen, but it's fun to dream.
Oh your deli idea is so cute! Don't you just love when men cook? I think its sexy, Casey always thinks I'm kidding when I say that though.
What part of the valley are you in? Are you going to any of the upcoming GTGs?
So, last night I made waffles using a recipe from allrecipes.com (I forgot to tell you I love that site too!). And I doctored it up a bit w/ some anise and extra sugar, and cinnamon. The end result was perfecto! Do you like Italian food? B/c allrecipes has an excellent (and easy-to-make) alfredo. I can send you the link if you're interested.
Can't wait to meet my baby boy!
I loooooove that Mike cooks. It's half the reason why I married him!
I'm in NW Phoenix, by Metrocenter Mall. We like the area because we're so close to the 17 and the 101, so we can get to a lot of places in the Valley fairly easily. You're in Fountain Hills, right? Do you like it there?
Ohh, I bet those waffles were so good. And I LOVE Italian food. It is rivaled only by my love of Mexican food, haha. Definitely send me the alfredo link!
Here it is (sorry I don't know how to make it clicky):
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-and-Easy-Alfredo-Sauce/Detail.aspx?src=etaf
It literally took me less than ten minutes to make, and we both loved it, I will never buy the box mix again.
Yup, we are in Fountain Hills, and we love it (given the circumstances). Its where our families are, and its the smallest town - that we're aware of - in the valley. I'd prefer to be back east, or in northern AZ at the very least. We're in the end phases of renovating our first house - such a project! Do you rent or own?
We're planning on going to the Saturday GTG (at least until 8:00 - we're only 19 and can't stay past then since its a bar). I'm looking forward to meeting you and hearing all about the ultrasound!
Can't wait to meet my baby boy!
Wow, that alfredo looks SO good. I will def have to try that!
I'd love to be in Northern AZ, too. It reminds me more of Ohio. I especially love Flag. We take road trips up there a lot, and we also say it would be nice to have a little home up there some day.
Renovating definitely is a lot of work! But I remember how pretty your kitchen photos looked - you guys are doing a GREAT job. We own a 2 bedroom condo. I really love it, and over the past few years we've done some upgrades and have gotten it to where it's more our style, which is nice. The only problem is that it is sort of small (1000 square feet). I think it will be fine with one baby, but any more than that and it would start to get pretty tight in there. I bought it in 2005 just before the peak of prices, so needless to say, we are staying there for a while, whether we like it or not.
Worst case scenario, we could always rent out the condo and rent a bigger house to live in, but for now, we think the condo should be big enough.
What a bummer that you guys have to leave at 8! But I'm glad you're going -- hopefully we'll see you there!
Flag is really great, I wanted to go to school up there, but I couldn't stand being away from my mom like that. I love going up in the winter for the snow b/c it reminds me of Connecticut.
Aw thank you so much for the compliment! I hope you're able to come to our housewarming, whenever we get around to setting a date... Our house is not much bigger than your condo! But having a garage and a backyard make it feel bigger. It is such an upgrade from our dungeon, whoops I mean apartment. I'm hoping we can stay in it even after we've had a couple of babies, while they're still small enough.
When you guys decide to start house hunting, check out FH, we can be neighbors
Have you made plans for your baby shower yet?!
Can't wait to meet my baby boy!
I'd love to come to your housewarming! You definitely will need to celebrate how awesome it looks when it's all done.
It sounds like it's the perfect size for you right now.
I guess Fountain Hills might actually be a shorter commute to work (in Mesa) than my current home, haha. So maybe I should add it to my list of places to look whenever we finally house hunt!
I'm trying to decide whether to go back to Ohio for a shower. My mom wants to throw me one back home in June, but the flights right now are really expensive, so I'm not sure whether we'll be able to do it. We've got to decide in the next week or two (so my mom would have time to get the invites out), so keep your fingers crossed for me that flight prices drop!
I will def keep my fingers crossed!
I work in Mesa too! Near Fiesta Mall! What part of Mesa is your office in?
Can't wait to meet my baby boy!
Can't wait to meet my baby boy!
Can't wait to meet my baby boy!