The nausea is easing. Twelve weeks, same as with Caleb — the first trimester ends and the body remembers how to eat. I celebrated by making Mom's fried chicken, which required standing at a hot stove and smelling hot oil and NOT GAGGING, which felt like climbing Everest.
The fried chicken was perfect. The cast iron. The seasoned flour. The golden, crispy, I'm-back chicken.
Ryan ate four pieces and said, 'She's back.' I said, 'She never left. She was just lying down.'
Caleb turned three on Tuesday, November 24th — three years to the day since his 3:47 AM birth at Camp Lejeune. Three years of this boy. Three years of sweet potatoes and ceiling fans and forty-seven facial expressions and 'He'p cook, Mama.'
The birthday party was small: Elena and her family, Tamara and her kids, Maria and her baby, Beth. The cake was dinosaur-themed (the firefighter costume was for Halloween; birthdays remain dinosaur territory). Chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream, dinosaur sprinkles. By hand, no mixer (still in mourning, still waiting for the insurance claim that will never come).
Caleb blew out the candles on the first try this year. Growth.
Mom and Dad FaceTimed. Dad sang. Caleb danced. Mom critiqued the frosting ('A little thin, Rachel — more powdered sugar next time'). The annual Donna Abernathy birthday cake review: thin frosting. Noted.
The pregnancy announcement: we told everyone at the birthday party. Elena screamed. Maria cried. Tamara said, 'Another one? In this desert? You're braver than a Marine.'
Mom and Dad already knew, obviously. Megan was told two weeks ago ('RACHEL. ANOTHER BABY? Already? But — but — okay. Okay. CONGRATULATIONS.' The Megan cycle: shock, concern, capitulation, enthusiasm).
Keisha found out yesterday: screaming. Sixty seconds of screaming. Then: 'Is it a boy or a girl?' (Don't know yet. Anatomy scan is December.)
The family expands. The kitchen expands. The table adds another chair.
Made Mom's pulled pork for the birthday — the celebration food, the potluck food, the 'something important happened' food. Caleb ate it in a bun with his hands and his face and his apron and his entire personality.
Three years old. One more coming. The table gets bigger.
Happy birthday, Caleb. Your sister or brother is on the way.
Mom’s pulled pork has always been the dish that shows up when something matters — birthdays, announcements, the kind of meals that mark a moment. With a house full of friends hearing the news for the first time and a three-year-old eating with his entire face and personality, I needed something with that same festive, feed-a-crowd spirit. This Moo Shu Pork Stir-Fry carries all of that — tender pork, bright vegetables, warm wraps — and it comes together fast enough that even a first-trimester survivor can pull it off without breaking a sweat.
Moo Shu Pork Stir-Fry
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork tenderloin, thinly sliced against the grain
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (cremini or shiitake)
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 8 small flour tortillas or Mandarin pancakes, warmed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the pork. In a bowl, combine sliced pork with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the rice wine. Toss to coat and let sit for 10 minutes while you prep the vegetables.
- Make the sauce. Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cook the eggs. Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble gently until just set, breaking into large pieces. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Sear the pork. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan over high heat. Add the pork in a single layer and cook without stirring for 1–2 minutes, then stir-fry until cooked through, about 2–3 minutes more. Remove and set aside with the eggs.
- Stir-fry the vegetables. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add mushrooms and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add cabbage and carrots and cook for another 2–3 minutes until just tender but still slightly crisp.
- Combine everything. Return the pork and eggs to the pan. Pour the sauce over everything and toss to coat. Add the green onions and stir-fry for 1 more minute until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve. Spoon the filling into warm tortillas or pancakes and top with additional hoisin sauce. Let everyone assemble their own — messy faces encouraged.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 890mg
About the cook who shared this
Rachel Abernathy
Week 290 of Rachel’s 30-year story
· San Diego, California
Rachel is a twenty-eight-year-old Marine wife and mom of two who has moved five times in six years and learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with half her cookware still in boxes. She married young, survived postpartum depression, and feeds her family of four on a junior Marine's salary with a freezer full of pre-made meals and a crockpot that has never let her down. She writes for the military spouses who are cooking dinner alone in base housing and wondering if they're enough. You are.
