Food blessings...

My friend had a baby last week. He was big and late and so very cute. I get to see him tonight! I love babies.

I remember when B was born and how all my friends brought me a lot of food. I remember sitting on my couch, slightly out of it, holding and nursing a tiny baby and thinking about what I would be getting for dinner. I remember having left overs and being excited when people would knock on the door. Also, I remember eating a lot of jelly toast. Patrick made it for me every morning because that's what sounded so perfect. I ate jelly toast for two weeks straight. It was delightful. Patrick is delightful.

That was such a huge blessing to me. I'm a firm believer in making meals for people - and not just for baby having. Are you sick? Did someone you love die? Are you overwhelmed? Let me bring you food.

So I'm making ratatouille tonight (with sausage on the sides for our guys) - with bread and apple crisp. But then I got to thinking, "Maybe I should take over a little more". And my mind went crazy! And then my hands followed. Never put me in a kitchen with a crazy mind and hands that follow. Well, unless you want me to bring you food.

I made granola last night and thought, "Maybe they would like granola." So I tossed some into a bag, incase Lauren needs a snack. And then I wanted to make cookies today. So I did. But I didn't have any vanilla, so I used almond extract in my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I like the results. So did my child. And so my sweet friends get cookies, too.

The first person to bring us a meal, Marlene, brought with her goodies galore. I mean, she went all out for us! Treats and snacks and fruit AND a meal. It was so kind and so thoughtful! And I want to pass that along. I'm sure Lauren has family and other friends providing and caring for her, but tonight is the night I get to bless her family. I only think it's appropriate to help a sister out by bringing granola and cookies. I'll even stop at Sonic for her, if she wants :)

Anyone else need a meal? Anyone want to come over for dinner? Come to my house, it's always so quite! Really. I won't mind!

Cooking with Julia - take 1

When Julia wrote, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" she used her words intentionally, I think. It really is an art. But, like I often say, I wasn't given the ability to sing, or dance, or create beautiful art work, or organize, or play an instrument. I can, however, cook. Although I think it's been more of "mastering an art" (if you will) than being born with an incredible ability to whip up anything my heart desires. And for the record, no matter how often I try, I cannot make gnocchi. Not at all. I just order that when we go out.

I digress. Here I am to tell you about my adventures with Julia as I work through her "art" of French cooking. I have gone to great lengths, my friends, to master this art. I went to a liquor store, pregnant, at 10 am one morning to buy things that I could not pronounce. I walked in an declared that I was, "mastering the art of French cooking. And I need alcohol." Classy, I know.

I have also ignited, on purpose, a dutch oven full of cognac and chicken and onions. With a toddler playing cars at my feet. This is one of my most proud achievements in this endeavor. Why? Because I did something I was so nervous about (the lighting on fire of my favorite pot). With a child close by. Without burning anything. Next time, I'll try to look a little more professional and then I'll show you how it's done :)

Of the three dishes I have made - french onion soup, coq au vin and Provencal vegetable soup - I liked the coq au vin the best. Maybe it's because I always thought it would be so hard to make and made it a big deal in my head, but really it was pretty easy and, aside from the fire thing, it was just like braising. Plus, it tasted good.

(this picture isn't the most glamorous. It really did look a lot better than this!)

The other dishes were quite tasty, too. There are just a few things I would tweak. Yes, I know, I just told you that I'm going to tweak recipes put into a book by Julia Child herself. That's just how I roll. But I promise it will be worth it! For instance, I don't think I would use cognac in the onion soup again. The flavors are so rich on their own. Plus you add salty swiss (or gruyere) cheese on top. The alcohol just overwhelmed the dish too much. And I only put in half of what the recipe called for!

The vegetable soup, while very good, didn't taste so good leftover. It must have been the potato/pasta in there. Next time I'll either feed a crowd or make a smaller batch. But what's not to love about a soup loaded with veggies and beans and pasta? AND finished off with a pistou!

I haven't made anything else, though. Life has gotten in the way and, honestly, I haven't made dinner for quite some time (thanks to our wonderful friends that have fed us while I've been so sick!!!!). But I have high hopes for this coming week. There have got to be some chicken recipes from Julia that I can find to use up the chicken in our freezer. If not, I'm making Chicken Piccata. Doesn't that just sound wonderful!?

Bacon.

This is random. I promise to blog about real things again soon. I'm just lacking motivation in a lot of ways. I am not lacking things to post about, though. This is just filler.

So, just to blog, I'll tell you about something I ate today: bacon.

In real-life (as in, not pregnant life), I don't eat bacon. In fact, I don't really like it. If a salad comes with bacon, or a sandwich, or whatever else people put bacon on, I say, "no bacon". So the fact that I ate it today is quite a notable activity.

With {very} few exceptions, I just don't like it. But to make myself look a little more American I will tell you this: I like ham. And pork meat of various cuts. But not bacon.

Today, though, I made baked eggs, baked oatmeal and bacon for dinner. Yes. I know. I chose to do it. And I ate approximately a lot [6] of slices. They. were. so. good.

But they were only good for a short time. The bacon accented our meal in a great way. Now I feel awful. Now my stomach hurts and I feel so gross. I remember why I didn't eat bacon in real-life. I remember that it makes me feel awful. And that the moment of tastiness is not worth the evening of awfulness. And really, I just think that it tasted so good because I'm pregnant.

I do think, in real life or pregnant life, if there is ever a salad with gorgonzola, bacon, homemade vinaigrette (with a hint of citrus), cranberries, pears and a lot of vegetables (onions, green peppers, avocado, tomato [although the previous two are fruits], artichoke hearts and cucumbers...for example) I would not ask for the bacon on the side. I would eat bacon in that salad. only.

And two final random notes:

*I love Jamba Juice. That does not make me feel awful.

*It was 10 degrees when I woke up this morning with a wind chill of -3. Good grief in America. I'm still trying to recover.

Ashley and Julia...

You know, when Julie and Julia came out I was just kicking myself for not thinking of that idea sooner. I could have written a blog, then a book and Amy Adams could have played me in a hit movie!!! I definitely missed the boat on that one. So I'll just pretend it didn't happen and go on this little adventure anyway.

Side note: I was so spoiled this Christmas and received things that are blessing my socks off! I'm so grateful for the kindness of my family! I got gorgeous diamond earrings, a Le Creuset grill pan, a Le Creuset baking dish (that's small and wonderful and perfect!), The Pioneer Woman cookbook AND Mastering the Art of French Cooking, volumes I and II. Those are just a few things that I'm still overwhelmed by. But, I digress.

Back to cooking. I've decided to work my way around Mastering the Art of French Cooking, volume I until Beta shows up. I'm really looking forward to learning more about French cooking and being "taught" by one of the finest. After looking through a few recipes, though, I told Patrick that I feel like everything is so over my head. And there is a lot of alcohol used in French cooking. That you have to light on fire. In a pan. With a match. Oy.*shaking my head* Bring it on.

After looking through the first few chapters, I have an idea of where and with what I want to start. I had to push myself beyond the sauces chapter to the poultry and soup chapters. I love the idea of making tons of different sauces, but where would I put them?! I'll save those for rainy days. I want to make at least two or three recipes a month from the cookbook until June. This should give me enough time to try different things and learn new techniques, but not overwhelm me. I have a feeling, though, that some months will have many more than two or three recipes when it's said and done.

Here is what I'm making this week (from the book and not):

Chicken noodle soup

Soupe A L'ignon = French onion soup

Coq au vin = Chicken in red wine with onions, mushrooms and bacon. This is something I have been wanting to try for a long time.

Pasta with sautéed veggies and chicken

Soupe au pistou = Provencal vegetable soup

Pork chops

Leftovers

I feel like everything else I make this week seems so boring! But, there is only so much our grocery budget can handle. Especially since I will be buying cognac and red wine this week :) But there are not rules in this adventure, so my simple pork chops could turn into something very French before I'm finished. :)

I'll keep you updated on this adventure. All I need is Kate to help me learn to say all of these things and I'm set! I'm certainly looking forward to learning and experimenting and can't wait to see what comes out wonderfully and what flops terribly. Plus, I'm looking forward to all the things I can make and eat once I'm not pregnant. A whole new world opens up after June, my friends!

So, until next time - bon appetit! (hee hee)

A request for sprouts...

I mentioned on facebook yesterday that I loved Brussels Sprouts...and I do. I got a request for a few recipes. So I posted a "food thoughts" blog over on the foodie blog I share with my sister, Kate. Check it out for recipes, health benefits and other randomness :)

I hope these are helpful and that you try them out! If you do, let me know how they worked and if you liked them. AND if you have a recipe you love using brussels sprouts, pass it along - I'd love to try it out!

Recipes

Patrick's out of town this week. He's in Utah looking at rocks and eating at lots of restaurants. But not us. We're staying home (mostly) and cooking up a storm. And by us, I mean mainly me. Benjamin is only helpful with pushing buttons and tasting. He's still very necessary, though.

My best friend has to eat a pretty restricted diet because she's nursing and the sweet babe doesn't tolerate dairy or soy well. I've been racking my brain for helpful recipes and made it my mission to help my dear friend eat well, even with restrictions! The sweet Lord knows that I wouldn't be able to do it, why should she have to suffer? I digress.

My first vegetarian/Cayla & Gemma friendly recipe was on a whim. I don't even know what to call it. Quinoa (keen-wa) salad? If you don't eat meat this is your grain!! It packs a serious punch with tons of protein, fiber, riboflavin and whole grains in every serving. Anyways...here is the recipe:


Quinoa Salad
Serves 2
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

You'll need:
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
dash of salt
1/2 of a red pepper - in slices
1/2 bunch of asparagus
1/2 cup diced onions
1 SMALL hot pepper (such as a banana pepper)
1 clove of garlic - diced
some salt, pepper, basil
1/2 can white beans - drained and rinsed
2 cups romain lettuce - cleaned and dry

OK. Start by lining a cookie sheet with foil, add a little oil and toss the asparagus and pepper slices on. Brush with oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes.
While the veggies are roasting, start the quinoa. Please prepare according to the directions (usually, 1 part grain to 2 part water - boil, reduce heat, simmer, done).
Also, you can chop and dice now to kill some time.
Now. Heat a pan, add oil and saute onion, hot pepper and garlic. Chop the (just roasted) red pepper into chunks and toss in the pan. Season as desired. You don't need a lot of seasoning - a little salt, pepper, basil - because the hot pepper and roasted red pepper.
Add beans into the pan, toss until warm.

For serving: Put lettuce on plate. Top with quinoa, hot mixture and asparagus. Serve with balsamic dressing - just incase.



I mixed all the warm ingredients before serving. I also tried the salad alone and with lettuce. I preferred it with lettuce (it gave it a nice crunch) and dipped occasionally into the balsamic dressing. I was pretty pleased with this. AND if you're not feeling the vegetarian way - add sliced chicken!

Also, I made nutella oatmeal cookies this afternoon. I decided that I wasn't going to follow a recipe. I mean, I make a lot of cookies, surely I can make up a recipe. They turned out so good. Fluffy. Just right, if you ask me :) I would tweak a few things, though. So, I'll give you my tweaked recipe....

Nutella Oatmeal cookies:
Preheat oven 350 degrees

You'll need:
1 stick of butter - room temp, slightly melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
some vanilla - I never measure vanilla. Start with 1 tsp.
2/3 cup nutella
2 1/4 cups quick oats
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
dash of cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Vanilla. Nutella. Combine dry ingredients, mix into the wet ingredients. If you're not opposed, stick you finger in the batter and taste it. Yum.

Take your magical cookie scoop and drop little balls onto cookie sheets. I think I got about 40 cookies from this batter. Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on your oven. Place on cooling rack, eat one warm. Wait about 3 minutes. Eat another one. Give one to your baby when he wakes up from his nap. He'll be SO grateful...even if he doesn't say so :)

Almond Cranberry Chicken - for Christina

A friend of mine suggested I make this dish from Taste of Home. I figured, tis the season for cranberries, so why not?! Patrick and I both enjoy almonds and cranberries, so it seemed a good fit. Per usual, I tweaked the recipe to what I had on hand. I would certainly make this again.

I'll tell you what I tweaked after you read the recipe:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• Directions
• Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. In a large resealable bag, combine the flour, salt and cayenne; add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, brown chicken in butter over medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.
• In the same skillet, combine the cranberries, water, brown sugar, vinegar and orange peel. Bring to a boil; cook for 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Spoon over chicken; sprinkle with almonds. Yield: 6 servings.

I used chicken tenders, therefore I did not need to flatten them. I added a dash more of cayenne because we like it hot. Oh, and while I was cooking the chicken, I added just a little white cooking wine to the pan for some added flavor. I used canola oil (about 2 to 3 tbsp), instead of butter, to make it a little more healthy.

I only had dried cranberries and they worked fine. They were a great texture, a little mushy, in contract with the chicken and almonds. I only had white wine vinegar on hand, so I used that. I didn't have an orange, but a clementine to zest. Finally, I used about 1/3 cup brown sugar, and not the 1/2 that the recipe calls for. I think the dried cranberries offered enough sweetness on their own to hold back on the sugar.

All in all, this was a great dish. Patrick commented that it tasted somewhat like a Chinese dish. I completely disagreed. It was very easy to make and pretty healthy, which is always an added bonus! Let me know if you give it a try! And Christina - did you try this already?

Meal planning this month...

As most of you know, I love to meal plan. Even though I meal plan, my love for cooking (my desire to cook anything and everything and my selfishness) exceeds our monthly budget on a pretty frequent basis. I think our monthly budget is fair and a good amount for Patrick and I (plus the friends I feed and baby food for Benjamin). We budget $400 monthly for food. We eat fresh fruits and veggies and I don't buy boxed meals too often. So it may seem that our budget is a little higher than some, but completely worth it for freshness!

My goal this month is to take what we have and make my meals from that list. I'll only buy fruits, vegetables, staples and things for breakfast and some lunches. I try to do this monthly, but when I get excited about making something I usually just go get what I need. I can have fun cooking and be mindful about our budget!

Here is the list of things we have:
*Chicken breasts (8, I think)
*Pork chops (2)
*Homemade meatballs (3 bags of 12)
*Ham steaks (1 1/2)
*Tortellini (small bag)
*Chicken thighs (about 1 pound)
*Drumsticks (3.5 pounds)
*Lasagna (pre-made and frozen from last time I made lasagna)
*Dried beans (5 bags of random beans)
*Pasta sauce
*Pasta
*Cous Cous
*Oatmeal
*Flour
*Sugar
*Homemade vegetable stock
*Rice
* Frozen Mixed vegetables (2 bags)
*Corn (blanched and frozen from this summer)
*Snap peas (blanched and frozen from this summer)
*Green beans (blanched and frozen from this summer)
*Shredded cheese (4 bags, bought on sale a few weeks ago)
*Plus - canned fruit, vegetables, beans and tomato products

Whew! Last night I went through and planned out 13 meals using these items. Here they are:
*Cinnamon oatmeal pancakes
*Chicken enchiladas
*Slow cooker chicken stew
*Meatballs with tortellini and corn
*Chili
*Lasagna with snap peas
*Pork chops with sauteed vegetables over cous cous
*Ham steak with smashed winter squash
*Ham and vegetable soup
*Minestrone
*Spaghetti with meatballs
*Chicken tortilla soup

This is two weeks of meals if we didn't eat leftovers and have a date night. Also, I haven't found a drumstick recipe (or 3) that I'm excited about yet. I can probably get these meals to go into week three if I plan well with leftovers (as in twice a week for dinner, plus lunches). I'm excited to try some new recipes, which meets my need to cook and experiment. Even more, though, I'm excited to challenge myself to stay within our budget and cook well and healthy!

If you have an drumstick recipes, let me know! More "Food Thoughts" coming soon.

I'm almost a pro...

We got a flyer in the mail over the summer for continuing education courses through IUP. Patrick and I flipped through it just for fun and then we usually toss it out. Well, Patrick found a class and insisted that it was looked into further. He called and there was a wait list, so he asked if I could be added. We got a call and now I'm taking a culinary arts class.

If it weren't for Patrick's desire to see me follow and pursue the things I love I would have never, ever signed up! It ends after Benjamin's bedtime. It's on a Tuesday night. I could go on and on. Patrick makes it possible every week by caring for the babe and is always excited to hear what I've learned.

I am by far the youngest in the class. And "by far" I mean, by 15 years. No problem, I can talk to anyone and all the folks are glad to see pictures of my baby :) The class ranges from people who cook often and very well to two old women who hate to cook and are taking the class to please their husbands. Seriously. The chef teaching is a young guy that used to be the chef at one of the best restaurants in town. He's now at a different place that's closer to his home (and equally as excellent, so I hear).

I'm having so much fun so far! Each week we do something, learn something, try something new! I'm certain I'm going to have to run an extra two miles on Tuesdays just to not gain weight. Last week we learned about making stocks and also how to use vegetables, plus tons of technique. This week we learned how to make homemade pasta and sauces. Oh boy! Everything was so good. Why have I been buying pasta all my life?!

Next week is the week I'm most excited about. Fish week!!! We're going to learn how to cut, filet, and cook a whole fish. We're learning fish buying and cooking basics. I can't wait. I even had a dream that I missed fish week and I was so disappointed. I'm so pathetic!

I can't tell you all how great this class has been. I'm learning so much and having a ton of fun in the process. Plus, I get to eat things like mushroom stuffed ravioli and then come home and experiment. Sweet!

So, feel free to let me share my knowledge with you. I'm almost a chef. (not really. at all. just for the record.)

A letter of thanks..

Dear Food Network,

I've always enjoyed watching all the great shows you air each day. Some of my favorite people to watch are Ellie Kreiger, Giada De Laurentiis and Paula Deen. Not to mention how great the challenges are and who doesn't like Ace of Cakes?

Recently I had a baby and, as you may know, there are some days that are just not fun. On hard days, I love knowing that channel 191 is there with someone to teach me a new recipe or a new kitchen tip. I also enjoying knowing that I can DVR a show I enjoy and go back to it later in the day. Watching these shows reminds me of how much I love being in the kitchen and makes me want to cook and bake again.

I'm so thankful for your network and wanted to let you know!

thanks,
Ashley

I'm still here....

Just a note to say that I am, indeed, still alive. It seems difficult to blog when all you do is eat and lay on the couch. I just have nothing to share! And no energy to make up random stories :)

*I did take a surprise trip to Chicago to see Cayla and that was wonderful. I will post pictures from that weekend very shortly. It was so wonderful to see my friend and enjoy life together. We laughed a lot, and I love that.

*I have a cold that will not go away and it's beginning to annoy me.

*I am currently experiencing all day nausea. Eating small meals helps, and I can only drink ice cold things. I believe it is because of the progesterone I'm taking. It's said to make pregnancy symptoms twice as bad. I'll endure if it means that this baby sticks around.

*We had our final appointment at Magee's today. I was so sad to leave. I have sincerely loved my experience there. It was hard to decide against having a baby there. Can you imagine a two hour drive while in labor?! So, I've been released to a regular OB. The one we chose is in Indiana and came highly recommended. We have our first appt next week. (that is a nice thing about being an infertility patient... They do ultrasounds weekly and require you to see a regular OB, with an ultrasound within 10 days of being released. Also they gave me a bag of cookies.)

*We heard the heart beat today! It was strong, at 146 BPM and the baby measured 12 mm long. It was incredible. I've never heard such a beautiful noise! We also saw the little arm and leg buds and baby's little "tail"!
*We picked some veggies from our garden at the farm the other day and we got some great things. Little hot peppers, jalapenos, onions, lots and lots of potatoes and HUGE zucchini. I made potato and leek soup using the potatoes and onions from the garden. yum!

I think that sums up my life over the last week or so. I do hope to have more interesting things to share in the future. Until then, I think I'll take a nap :)

Cooking my days away

Over the last few weeks, I've been introduced to some fantastic foods. Most of them are veggies that I've never tried or even heard of (kohlrabi, swiss chard, scapes, napa cabbage). I've had so much fun cooking them and eating them.

I've made some great things over the last week, if I may say so myself. Last Monday, we had braised chicken with tomatoes and leeks. It was so good! I saved the "sauce" and ate it with rice a few days later. I've also been using up some things in our house and made mini pizzas with whole wheat pitas. Toss some sauce, cheese and veggies on one and bake it for 10 minutes and you have a personal sized, healthy, pizza!

My friend Courtney is part of a CSA and gets great veggies every week. She is going out of town, so she offered me some of this weeks crop. She brought me some garlic scape, radishes, napa cabbage and an assortment of lettuce greens. Oh my soul! I've had so much fun with these things!

To use the garlic scape, I made a scape pesto and tossed it with the radishes, some cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini and onions to make a veggie gratin. Then I sprinkled parmesan cheese on top and baked until it was browning. So good! I'm so sad that the scapes are gone. They had such an incredible scent. I'm hoping that I can find more somewhere over the next week or two, but they are a quick and rare crop!

To use the napa cabbage, I wanted to use it all and make sure it was appreacited. I do enjoy cabbage and loved researching this type of vegetable. Not only did I get some great nutrtional info on it, it was the "food of the week" on the World's Healthiest Foods website! I finally settled on some good ole vegetable soup. I threw a bunch of things that I had on hand into a big stock pot and went to town. I used organic chicken broth, water, napa cabbage, carrots, celery, garlic, onions, sweet corn (from last fall that I had frozen), two cans of diced tomatoes, navy beans, pinto beans, fresh parsley and fresh basil. Whew. I let it cook all day and have way more than I anticapated! Lucky for me, I can freeze most of it. (let me know if you want some! ::grin::)

To use up some milk, I made a batch of quick biscuts in my food processor. They turned out great and we had those with the soup. Last week, I used up some zucchini to make Chocolate Chip Zucchini muffins. Do not knock 'em until you try them! They were fantastic and I had to get rid of them because I was eating all of them!


Finally, for good, and cute, measure - here are some pictures of our friend's sweet baby, Micah. We watched him yesterday so she could go to the grocery store. He so precious and is starting to smile a lot. Plus, he's one cute kid. It was fun to entertain him and carry him around while I cooked and cleaned in the kitchen.

As you can see, Patrick is ever so comfortable with small children

You have to tag team to get a smile in a picture. This was as close as I got. :)

Summer time!

I use to say that summer was my least favorite season. Although I'm not a fan of the humidity, I'm learning that so many other things about summer bring me endless joy! I love the warm nights where I can sit on the back porch and look at the stars. I love that I can walk every where (unless the humidity is out to kill). I love that the community comes alive with events. I love the farmer's market in town two days a week!

I could go on and on. Another thing that summer brings is tons of fresh fruits and vegetables! Our garden is still growing so there isn't a lot I can harvest, but I love being able to support the local farms at the farmers market. Yesterday, I stopped by and got: 5 ozs of freshly made feta cheese, a quart of strawberries, two pints of sugar snap peas, a french baguette, and one kohlrabi.

So to celebrate this fresh mark of summers return, dinner was light and easy. I made tuna salad, sliced a fresh tomato, and washed some strawberries and peas. I put the tuna on the baguette and dinner was done! Oh my soul, it was so good! Here's to a long summer of fresh produce and joyful days!

Greek food.

I've not eaten a lot of Greek food in my life. However, when I did eat it I enjoyed it. Today was "international food day" at Patrick's work. They occasionally do fun things like that. So we knew for quite some time about this day and then last night Patrick says, "so what are you making for international food day"?

Good question. I did a little online searching and then narrowed down my ethnic choices. Greek won out in the end because my mouth started to water every time I read a recipe. I ran to Giant Eagle at 9pm to get a few "Greek" things. When I woke up this morning, I got straight to work. Making rice, soaking tomatoes, dicing garlic, measuring spices...well, kind of measuring.

When the recipe was finished, I grinned proudly at my ethnic concoction. Gleefully, I scooped out a bit and tried this little dish. It was incredible! I was so pleased. Not only did I make more when I got home from running errands, I lined up eight days this month for Greek dinners! Woohoo!

I just have to share this recipe from Cooking Light...(yes, it's pretty healthy too!) But, the site isn't working right now. Check back for the updated post!

It's that kind of day

Normally, I love being in my house. I love the smell of it. I love the feel of it. I'm sure you know this, but mostly I love being in my kitchen. I really enjoy the home the Lord has provided for us. He certainly has fulfilled desires of mine through this home.

This kitchen remodel is taking a toll on me. Laugh if you must, but I'm having the hardest time working around the lack of counter tops. Only recently have I gotten a slight desire to cook and bake again because Patrick put the sink back in the kitchen (although we have to be careful because the sink is resting on the cabinets and the dishwasher tips forward when you don't hold it back while loading).

Today, I wanted to make waffles. I love waffles and with my handy waffle maker, I can make and freeze waffles at my leisure. I was following a Cooking Light recipe and happily stirred everything together when I realized that I didn't separate the eggs. You see, waffles need extra care because you need to fold in the stiff egg whites at the end to get the perfect waffle texture.

I poured a bit in to see if it would magically work. Nope. Too floppy, too soft, all wrong. I decided to throw in some bananas and chocolate chips and try to get some bread out of it. Well, that didn't go over so well either. How frustrating! I feel like I have a cooking handicap without a complete kitchen. It throws me off and I don't like it.

(The results of my baking time today...)

(At least the photograph well... ::grin:: )
Oh well, without experiments, without failure, how can I become better at what I love doing? So, I'll take this cooking flop of a day and learn from it. I'll be grateful for the lesson and appreciate the ability to get back into the kitchen. Until then, I'm going to go work out and drive around and look for stuff students threw out that I can bring back to life.

We're loving breakfast for dinner!

I've been buying a gallon of milk at the grocery store. It's insanely expensive, but we use more than a half gallon most weeks and at some point I run out and have to go buy more. This makes me think that I'm spending more, unnecessarily, on milk...so I buy the gallon to be safe.

To use up all of the milk by Monday(which is my shopping day), I've been making things with milk (which has SEVERAL perks, health wise) more often. Needless to say, I've found a few great recipes for breakfast foods. I love breakfast foods and love even more being able to whip up a tasty scone or a hearty waffle whenever I want.

I've used my waffle maker to make, well, waffles by the bucket load! We had some for dinner and then I froze a bunch, after giving a few away. Then tonight, I made Cranberry-Orange Oat pancakes. I've been loving the cranberry orange combo and have taken advantage of it as much as possible.

I'm not much of a pancake person, but I really loved this hearty, healthy and quite tasty pancakes. Patrick is more of a simple food man, but he enjoyed them too. I couldn't withhold such goodness. Let me know if you try these anytime pancakes!

(A few notes: I got the recipe from Prevention Magazine. I added a little more cinnamon than the recipe calls for and I also used fat free milk. They still tasted great! I added a bit on vanilla, because I love vanilla. I did use a 1/4 cup measuring cup, but made the cakes a little smaller. I got more out of the batch (to freeze) and two or three smaller ones were just enough. I served them with warm syrup.)

Cranberry-Orange Oat Pancakes
Submitted By: Mindy Fox

Prepare these ahead of time, freeze them, and reheat for the convenience of the boxed variety without the empty calories of refined carbs. Fiber-rich oats and whole-wheat flour keep your metabolism in high gear and your cravings in check.

Original recipe yield: 8

Prep Time: 20 Minutes	Ready In: 20 Minutes
Servings: 8

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup 2% milk

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil

3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1. Preheat nonstick griddle (if using electric griddle, set to 325 degrees F-350 degrees F).
2. Whisk together oats, flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, orange juice, milk, and oil.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in cranberries.
4. Drop 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle and cook until edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until bottom browns and pancake is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with agave nectar.

Happy cooking!

Back to the kitchen...

I put the cabinet doors back on. I agree with all your comments and appreciate your willingness to be honest. It was a fun moment in time, but it really didn't achieve what I wanted in the kitchen: clean, clutterless, functional organization. (that's not too demanding, right?) So I rearranged a few cupboards and I am looking forward to a new kitchen arrival tomorrow: a kitchen island "cart".

Patrick and I have been talking about adding another "section" of cabinets and counter top to the kitchen. Currently, there is one little "section" of cupboards that about a foot wide and has one cupboard and one drawer. It's not too helpful, but I need all I can get so I use it. Beside this section is an apple table. The previous owners left this thing when they moved out. I've kept it there because I didn't have anything else and it provided space to put things. The table has two little stools that have been great for climbing on and getting into the higher cupboards :) Needless to say, I don't love this area of the kitchen and it's not helpful at all.

On Saturday, I spent hours at Lowe's looking for drawer and cupboard organizers. I wanted to get a few wire backet "drawers" for the cupboards. I bought some and came home to install, when I realized that nothing fit (I even measured before I left) the right way. Discouraged I returned everything and realized that I had spent almost $200 to organize two cupboards and a drawer. I knew there had to be a better way. So I searched online for some ideas.

To install a larger "section" of cabinets in the kitchen it would cost $150, plus the countertop. Total with all the fixures and such would be $300-450. I didn't feel like this way the most efficent or wise choice that this point. Sure, we save up for house maintence every month, but to toss it all into this small section didn't seem like the best option.

Then I found the kitchen carts. I felt like this would be a great option if it had a few major things: Drawers, cupboards, storage area, flat surface on top for extra counter space and the correct dementions. I looked at a few stores in Indiana and found one larger one with only drawers and then several very small carts. I looked a few sites and found this one:

Not only was this little beauty on sale, but is being shipped for free! I love the little open area in the center. A perfect place for my essential baking items that are out on a daily basis. Also, having this cart grace the presence of my kitchen offers me more room to keep all my kitchen things in my, well, kitchen and not in the dining room hutch. I'm excited to see how this thing looks in my kitchen (it's coming tomorrow!).

So, I got the cart for $237. I felt like this was a decent splurge. I didn't get the biggest and best, but I did get a very quality item that meets all my criteria perfectly! I can take this thing with us when we move, or leave it for the next family. Best of all, the little section of cupboard will go in the basement for much needed storage space and the apple table will make it's way to the attic guest bedroom! What a perfect way to save money - using things we already have!

Catching up from the week of Chaos...

Today I was a little sad that Thanksgiving went by so quickly. Cook, bake, eat, sleep. My mom, step dad and sister came up for dinner yesterday. As did our friends Courtney and Zach. It was so nice to stay put this year and cook up a feast. I loved preparing everything and paced myself as best as I could. Patrick was a huge help in the kitchen, too.

I was most proud of the pecan pie I made. Everyone seemed to enjoy it immensely and that was pleasing to me. We had so much food! Patrick and I were fine with that because that means we get a lot of yummy leftovers!

Okay...now to catch up:
Patrick and I celebrated our three year anniversary on Tuesday. We had a fantastic day! We saw the "Bodies" exhibit at Carnegie Science Center and REALLY enjoyed it. The exhibit was incredible. We also had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and that was, as usual, very pleasing! We walked around Southside (as in, the southside of Pittsburgh) for a while and stopped in Sur La Table. Oh my soul...I could spend so much time and money in that store with such contentment! We bought one of these for the kitchen and I'm super excited to use it! I love getting new things for my kitchen. It always helps to have good tools handy!

ALSO, we had our appointment with the fertility doctor on Tuesday. She was wonderful and we both really liked her. She was very optimistic and very encouraging. It was so neat to hear her say, "I'm really confident that you will have a baby soon." Wow!

She went over several things with us including fertility options and in what order they normally proceed from this point. She discussed a few things that may be wrong with my body, even though we both know it's PCOS. They drew blood, just to get all the correct levels and such. We scheduled a phone conference in December and at that point we'll go over the blood work and get started on Clomid.

She was convinced that since my body is pretty healthy, it shouldn't be too hard for the Clomid to work. She was very sympathetic to what we've been through and such over the last two and a half years. The hospital caters to women and it was so nice to talk to the doctor and the nurses who knew what I was going through and deal with it daily. I'm really excited to see what God teaches us and does with this situation.

Wednesday, I had to drive to Morgantown to show my dad's house. It was discouraging to have to make the trip the day before Thanksgiving, but the meeting went really well and we're hopefully on our way to settling my dad's estate. The extra four hours in the car were not welcomed, but it did give me time to think and calm down (as the situation leading up to the drive was very frustrating) and that was nice. As hard as it will be, I'm ready for this to be finalized so we can have more closure.

Whew. I think that's all I have to report. It's been a long week and I'm ready for bed! I most certainly got up early this morning to go shopping, but was very disappointed at the lack of good deals. I do enjoy getting up early, though, so I didn't mind getting my day started at 6 am :).

Deviled eggs

Today, we are having a cookout. It's a house warming*thank you for helping us move*nice to meet you cook out. I've spent the majority of the last two days getting ready. I made cookies, pasta salad, baked beans, and a tomato/ cucumber salad. I even helped a friend make jam!

I've enjoyed this preparation. I, in fact, enjoy preparing for any event that involves people. I really do love to entertain. I've cleaned my house, I've made the lemonade. The cups and plates are all ready. Now, I'm ready for my friends to get here!

However, there is one thing that is causing me to lose patience today. That thing is called deviled eggs. I like them, you like them. Patrick loves them and so does his friend, Phil. I enjoy eating the leftover yellow goo you make to put in the middle. BUT I really, really, really dislike peeling the egg.

A few things I've found out, today, about making deviled eggs:
*Fresh eggs are good to use, but make sure they are 10 to 14 days old to make peeling easier.
*As soon as you're done boiling the eggs, drain them and put them in ice water. This also makes peeling easier.

This information would have been helpful yesterday. I've learned how to make hard boiled eggs so the middle does not turn green. I've even learned to use the water in my plants because it's full of nutrients plants need. But I've not learned, until today, how to best peel these wonderful treats.

So off I go to peel eight more eggs. At least I know why my eggs aren't peeling perfectly and that makes it just a little bit more bearable.

A cookout for two

Last night, Patrick and I "celebrated" my triathlon finish by cooking out together. I was really impressed with how well the meal came out and was super excited to share it all here. But perhaps the highlight of the evening was the Meadows banana split we shared!

Here was the meal:
Grilled Flank Steak with Rosemary Garlic marinade, with Au Jus
Summer squash saute
Corn on the cob

Summer Squash saute recipe:
1 squash, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
2 or 3 small tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup sliced onions
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
4 shitake mushrooms, sliced
4 tablespoons of butter, cut into four squares

warm half of the butter in a pan, add all ingredients EXCEPT the tomatoes and mushrooms. Saute for about 3 to 4 minutes or until warm and covered in the butter. Stir occasionally. Add the rest of the butter, tomatoes and mushrooms saute until warm and covered.

Yum! We really liked the flank steak. It is relatively inexpensive and both of us had plenty to eat with a steak just under a pound. There is even some leftover. I used a lot of the veggies from my market basket to make the saute. Also, to use up the other veggies from the basket, Patrick and I made some fresh salsa with tomatoes, green peppers, hot peppers, onions and jalapeno. I can't wait to try it!

We had a great dinner and an incredible banana split (can you tell I love these things?!). There is only one thing I would have changed about our meal last night... we would have gotten two banana splits :)