A serious travesty, kindergarten, and a tender heart

Yesterday, my coffeemaker died. Yup. Died. And anyone knows me knows that I cannot function properly until I've had my cuppa in the morning. It was awful. Nothing I could do about it- Starbucks does not exist in the sticks, so I sucked it up and progressed through my day. Then, I was out in the garage looking for something for Zander- when I found my saviour. My little used cappucino/espresso maker. Oh the joy! And I happened to have just bought a nice dark roasted coffee bean. I was singing praises 10 minutes later. So for now I will be having cappucino in the AM instead of coffee. I think I can live with that for a little while

So today I took Abigail to school to meet her kindergarten teacher and take her school supplies. I am not initially impressed with her teacher- but the classroom was very inviting, and Abigail seemed to like it, so I am happy with that. As I understand her teacher has recently had a baby, so today's activities probably signaled an end to her time at home with her baby- and I can completely understand why she may have been a little off today. What I am most disappointed with is that Abigail won't know a single person in her class. :-( That makes me sad for her. I know she makes friends easily, but she has a special attachment to a few of her friends, and I had really been hoping at least one of them would be in class with her. It was very surreal today taking her in. I can't believe that a week from today I will be taking my baby to school. I am going to be so worried about her every day for so long. I know she will love it, but there are so many things that she hasn't been exposed to yet. Although initially I am most concerned about her being hungry all day long at school. She is not a big eater at meal times. She eats until she is full- a great example for those of us who like to overindulge! AND the kindergarteners have kunch at 10:45 am! 10:45! There are days that we don't get around to breakfast until 10:30 or so. I just hope she adjusts quickly- and eats all of her lunch. And yes, I am packing her lunch for her. She can't wait to go tomorrow and pick out a lunch box. At times she can be picky- and I know that the lunch room monitors do not let your child leave food on their tray- so to prevent many many hassles, I will lovingly pack my daughter her lunch every day.

As I am typing this in, I am just glued to the television. My heart is just breaking for all of those people in the south. During our recent trip to Florida, we spent a good deal of time in Alabama- and just enjoyed our time there. It feels so personal now. Andy and I really felt like the people in Alabama were some of the nicest we've ever met. True Southern Hospitality at its finest. Every time they show someone on the news with young children and babies, tears come to my eyes, because I simply cannot imagine what they are going through. As I watched my kids play in the backyard tonight, I was so greatful that they are safe and sound, anad having a good time. Many, many times over the last two days I have wished that we lived closer to the disaster area so that we could help. I would offer to share our home with another family in a heartbeat. These people have lost everything- and we have a garage full of too much stuff. Stuff seems so trivial to me today. I spent a good deal of time online looking for something to do. Right now it seems the best way to help is to donate money, but I think I am going to start a process of packing up some boxes of our "stuff" to send south. We have too many clothes, too many household goods, too many boxes stashed away. Anyway, I have things to do yet tonight while my precious babes sleep, so I will sign off with a plea for prayer for those people who need to be helped yet- may they find peace and rest tonight, and shelter over their heads.

An accomplishment today!

Today I learned how to sew! I got out my machine and got to work learning how to make a poodle skirt. I will say, it was waaaay easier than I had anticipated. The waistband was a little tricky, but I must say, the skirt looks pretty darn good. And of course, it's Abigail's size, so it is adorable as well. I am costuming Bye Bye Birdie this fall- and I've decided that I want to make some of the costumes. One of my goals in life is to learn how to sew really well. Every year I work with the kids at the High School and help them with the costuming. My favorite shows to do are period shows- because the costumes we rent are just gorgeous, and I always wish I could learn how to make them, so this year I started. The late 1950's are pretty easy, but it's a good era to start with. Fun styles and fun fabrics- and very easy lines to sew. :-) I'm going to have to make sure I photograph my creations and share them.

Unfortunately, my sewing adventure prevented me from doing much in the kitchen today. The excitement of the day came at breakfast when I broke out the waffle iron and made Abigail some waffles for breakfast. But, I had been thinking about making some pork tacos. So since I was thining it, I thought I would pretend I had made them and share the recipe here. This is a super simple, super quick recipe, and a surprisingly tasty taco. You can cut back on the chipotle chile powder if you want- I like to use 1/2 tsp. chipotle, and 1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder- it makes it a little sweeter. Do make the onion and cilantro relish though- it adds the perfect flavor to the tacos, and they wouldn't be near so good without. This recipe comes from an issue of Cooking Light magazine- summer of 03 sometime I believe. I'm sorry I don't know the exact issue.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Pork and Pineapple Tacos
Serving Size : 4

3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chipotle chile pepper powder (such as McCormick)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound pork tenderloin -- trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 can pineapple tidbits in juice -- (15 1/4-ounce) undrained
6 flour tortillas -- (6-inch)
3/4 cup salsa verde

Combine onion and cilantro.Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine chipotle powder, chili powder, salt, and pork in a medium bowl. Add pork mixture to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan.
Add pineapple to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in pork mixture; cook 1 minute or until pork is done.
Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 2/3 cup pork mixture down center of each tortilla. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons onion mixture and 2 tablespoons salsa; roll up.

Today is Banana Bread Day

I bought a bunch of bananas last Wednesday, and essentially forgot about them, so I am on a banana bread making spree today. I have found with my banana bread that although it is fabulous fresh- it is even better after it has had the opportunity to sit in the freezer. For some reason the freezing process makes the banana bread super moist and super flavorful. Go figure! Anyway, since tonight's supper is a fabulous rendition on macaroni and cheese out of a box, I thought I should share my banana bread recipe.

It's important when you make banana bread this way to keep the buttermilk and baking soda separate until the last possible minute. When those two combine, they create a chemical reaction that adds leavening to the quick bread. This works quickly- hence the term quick bread. For this reason I mix the dry ingredients together separately from the wet ones. And always make sure to sift your baking soda- there is nothing worse than enjoying a lovely slice of banana bread and hitting a lump of baking soda with your tongue. Blech. Here is my tried and true recipe- and do give the freezing a try- you won't believe how much better it is after it's been in the freezer. I like to have several loaves in the freezer all the time anyway- it makes for a quick addition to a meal when company shows up unexpectedly. Just make sure you double wrap the bread for freshness. I like to wrap it in heavy duty foil and then pop it into a large Ziploc Freezer bag. Make sure you label the bag to prevent UFO's (unidentifiable frozen objects).


Banana Bread

1 stick margarine or butter- room temperature
1 1/4 C. sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 C. mashed ripe banana (about 3-4 medium bananas)
1/2 C. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 C. chopped walnuts (if desired)- occassionally I will add chocolate chips as well

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Grease bottoms only of two loaf pans

3. Combine butter and sugar, mixing well. Add eggs, mis in thoroughly. Add bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.

4. In a seperate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir well to evenly distribute.

5. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. Fold in nuts, if desired. Divide mixture into two loaf pans and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes. Time will depend on the size of your loaf pans.

Picklin'

Well, yesterday, along with my pie and veggies, I made a double batch of sweet pickle relish. That turned out great- I must say. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of heat the Hungarian Wax peppers add to a few of the jars. Today, in an attempt to do "something" with more of my farmstand produce, I made refrigerator pickles with some overgrown picklers. The first one I made only made one jar- and of course, is from my new acquisition Fresh Every Day.

Mom's Fridge Pickles

Makes about 1 quart

1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 TBS sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly gound black pepper
6 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dill seed
4 to 5 small kirby cucumbers, peeled in stripes and cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
1 small white onion, thinly sliced into rounds

1. Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper flakes, and dill seed in a quart jar. Place the lid on the jar and shake until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Layer the cucumbers and the onions in the jar using a wooden spoon to press them tightly into the jar, shake it well, and refrigerate it at least 4 hours, shaking the jar occassionally to keep the ingredients mixed. These pickles will keep in the refrigerator for at least 1 month.

Now for the things I did differently. I did not use a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. That seemed like a lot to me- especially since my jar from Penzey's is still pretty new- and quite fresh. So I maybe used 1/4 tsp.- and I think I was right on the mark with that one- a bit of a zip, but not too much. I also did not have dill seed- so I used a little more than a teaspoon of dill weed, and that seemed to work the trick- plus I think the dill weed makes a pretty pickle. I may try the dill seed next time, but I think I will still use the dill weed too. And my final change was not to use small kirby cucumbers. I did use pickling cucumbers- but these were way overgrown, the type used for sunshine pickles. Since the were the diameter of a regular cucumber, I sliced them, and then sliced those slices in half- instead of peeling in stripes. I am certain you could make these with any cucumber. They are a wonderful refrigerator pickle- very good, and an instant hit here. I also made 4 quarts of a different recipe- but those need to sit for at least 24 hours before trying- so I have to wait to report on those ones. They look good- but I goofed on the amounts of cucumber I had, and had to make a double batch of brine. Wouldn't you know it- I look in the fridge now at the jars, and there is a lot of floating vegetables- like, I was probably off by half. Hopefully they will still taste good- but we'll see tomorrow.

Now back to the produce box...

Pumpkin Pie, Roasted Vegetables, and No SPAM on my blog please.

Please don't post a spam comment on my blog. I will simply delete it anyway- so save yourself the time and just don't do it. Thank you.

So tonight I tried a new recipe for roasted vegetables from Fresh Every Day. Very good, and very easy to throw together. I've been having fun at the local farmstand, so I threw it together with things I had purchased from there. I chose to do the variation with broccoli- and it was fabulous! I've never roasted broccoli- and quite honestly, didn't think it would be very good- but it surpirsed me. An instant hit, and the possibilities are limitless. I'll post the recipe in a little bit.

The pumpkin pie was fabulous! I am going back to the farmstand to pick up more pie pumpkins. I figure that I can bake them and freeze the pulp in 2 cup containers- just what I need for one pie. I tried a new crust recipe that I am quite pleased with. It is a Flaky Pie Crust- also from Fresh Every Day, but I did add a few teaspoons of sugar to the dough- I like my crust to be on the sweet side. Next time I will add a whole tablespoon though. But the crust was very easy to work with- and extremely flaky and tender- it may become my standby crust. I have another disk of dough in the fridge for apple pie later this weekend. I got my first bags of Paula Red's- and they are sooooo good! Must make apple pie with them. Yum.

Back to the pumpkin pie- the filling recipe was from The Joy Of Cooking. I used the variation of 3 eggs, and other than that, made the recipe as written. Next time, however, I think I will reduce the ginger by half. It was a little overwhelming- and I would like to taste more of the cinnamon. But a must repeat. The texture was amazing. It wasn't quite as thick and heavy as a sweet potatoe pie- but it wasn't as light as the standard custardy pumpkin pies. I really think the homemade puree made the difference here- and I think I will have a hard time going back to canned pumpkin for pies. Anyway, here's the recipes I used- for crust, pie, and vegetables. Enjoy! I am thrilled with my new kitchen, and I am inspired to cook away. There are many more adventures to come.

Roasted Mushrooms with Green Peas and Tomatoes

8 ounces cremini, button, or portobello mushrooms, wioped clean, larger ones cut int pieces

3 cups frozen petite peas (16 oz. bag) rinsed and drained

1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes ( I used chopped fresh tomatoes)

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced (I used sweet yellow)

2 TBS olive oil

2 TBS melted butter

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (I omitted)

1. Preheat the oven to 400

2. Place the mushrooms, peas, tomatoes, and onion on a large baking sheet with sides. Drizzle the oil and butter, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Spread the vegetables in an even layer and roast for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the mushrooms are golden brown and the tomatoes soft. Sprinkle with parsley, and additional salt and pepper, and serve warm.

This recipe can also be made with broccoli or green beans, though the beans will take about 5 minutes longer to cook. You can also use this recipe as a base to prepare the vegetables on the grill.

Judy's Flaky Pie Crust

makes 2 9-inch pie crusts

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 3 TBS vegetable shortening

1 large egg

1/3 cup ice water, plus 2 to 3 TBS as needed

1 TBS white vinegar

1. Stir the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the shortening and cut in into the flour with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

2. In a seperate small bowl, beat the egg with the 1/3 cup ice water and vinegar. Pour this into the bowl with the flour mixture, stirring with a fork just until it comes together. Do not mix any more than necessary. If the dough is dry and crumbly, add more water, 1 TBS at a time, until it comes together, but don't add so much water that the dough becomes wet and sticky.

3. Lightly dust your hands and work surface with flour. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and form it into a ball with your hands. Divide the dough ball into two pieces, and flatten each piece into a disk about 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.

Pumpkin Pie

1 Flaky Pastry crust

2 to 3 large eggs

2 cups freshly cooked pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cups light cream or evaporated milk, or 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves or allspice

1/2 tsp salt.

Preheat oven to 375. Make sure your pumpkin puree is at room temperature.Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in remaining ingredients thoroughly. Warm the pie crust in the oven until it is hot to the touch. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie crust and bake in the center of the oven until the filling seems set, but quivery- like gelatin-or a knife inserted near the middle comes out clean. This could take as little as 40 minutes, or as many as 60- depending on your pumpkin and your oven. Check it every 5 minutes after 40. Let cool completely and refrigerate.

Yeah me!

Hooray! I'm back! We had a horrible snafu with the cable company and moving. Somehow they never got my change address order, and of course didn't have any open appointments for a week. So I spent an entire week without my computer- and without TV. The only thing we could get working was the DVD player- so at least that was something.

I did not realize how attached I was to my blog. :-) Every day I was itching to get on. Hmmm Let's see. In the last week we have moved, celebrated two birthdays, and I have been busy in the kitchen. I am a happy person. In fact, today I canned a double batch of sweet pickle relish. Yum. I added some hot peppers to a few jars too- I'm looking forward to seeing how that turns out. I also made my first pumpkin today. I know. I always associated pumpkin with bread and pie- and never equalized it with squash (which it actually is) . Today at the farmstand, Abigail wanted to get some little pie pumpkins- and it was her idea to make pie with them. Hmmm. I've never made pie with fresh pumpkin. I've never made fresh pumpkin. Pumpkin comes out of cans in my world- or they are used for decorative purposes. Boy, was I missing something. I took two pie pumpkins and split them in half. Then I roasted them at 375 for about an hour, and scraped them out. That's it. I made it sure it was nice and smooth and smushy, and let it cool to make pie. I gotta tell you, that pumpkin is delicious. I still have a small bowl of it sitting on the counter- and I keep strolling over and eating spoonfuls of it- as is. No sugar, so salt, so butter. Plain. I am going to have to get more pumpkins. The pie will be out of the oven soon, and I'm looking forward to THAT! I tried a new crust today, so I will wait to post the recipe until I am sure it is a good pie. :-)

If you are in the mood to waste some time...

And have some time to waste (unlike me, who shouldn't right now). Someone on the CL bulletin board shared this site. Very fun, very good for wasting time. Give it a whirl.

http://www.widro.com/throwpaper.html

And let me know how you do. The darn fan keeps throwing me off- and the best I've gotten is 5.

And now it's a home!

Today I was able to unpack my cookbooks. It is officially a home now. :-) Of course, having a pantry, my cookbook shelves no longer are needed to hold actual "stuff" so the shelves are looking a little bare. I must do something about that. ;-)
I did get 2 new cookbooks in the mail yesterday. I got The Ultimate Muffin Book by Bruce Weinstein and Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster. Both look to be promising books- both on the reading side and the cooking side. I am also excited to learn that Foster's Market is actually in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina. That just cements the idea that we really need to go visit Andy's brother sometime. Probably not anytime soon though...

I also apologize for the lack of posting I imagine to be coming up this week. Our cable gets transferred sometime on Friday- so I will likely not move the computer until then. The problem is going to be that the computer nook is not cable ready- so Andy will have to look into that.

And on a personal note- Mom Waz, if you are checking in here- could you send me an e-mail? I've sent you several in the last 2 weeks, and the last couple have gotten returned. I just want to make sure my computer is behaving. (And make sure I have the right e-mail address). I'm sure we'll talk soon!

I have a real pantry!

I am just thrilled about this. For the last four years I have "made do" with pantry shelves all over the place. I had pantry shelves in the basement, pantry shelves in the laundry room, and pantry shelves (sort of) in the kitchen. It made it a real challenge to keep an organized kitchen. Today my darling husband took the time to put wrap-around shelving in a closet in my kitchen. I can only imagine that the closet was designed as a coat closet (hence the hangy-bar thingy). But there is a second coat closet off the living room- and we certainly had no need of two coat closets. So hooray for me! I am just itching to move everything in my kitchen over and start organizing. It will be fun to decide what goes where.

Also on the positive side is that we picked out a computer desk. I think. It is small enough for the space- but a little more than just a glorified desk. For now we will use the desk it is on, but I want to put my desk in Abigail's room for her art projects. The computer desk will have to wait a little while though, as the finances are getting tighter than tight. But I am excited about having a computer in my kitchen space. Then again, maybe that's not such a good thing! :-)

I think that's about it for today. I am exhausted. I spent today taping off the woodwork in the bedrooms for layers and layers of paint. I have decided not to paint the ceilings, which may not look right, but that's a lot of ceiling. Tomorrow I may throw together a little meal at our new house. Andy moved the dining room table over- so we'd at least have someplace to eat. Stay tuned!

I figured out the links!

I'm so excited! I figured out how to add links to my blog. I know I am soooo behind the times with that one- but I did it anyways. Be sure and check them out- there is foodie inspiration there to be sure. I will be adding more links- I just wanted to be sure I could get it to work in the first place. While my kitchen is non-functional, perhaps you could visit the other blogs in the meantime. A week and a day from today and I will be making my first real meal. BBQ Ribs, corn on the cob, and a salad most likely- I cannot wait! And maybe an Au Gratin potato as well. Unsure yet how to finish the meal. Until then, it's more food out of a box. Tonight though Andy comes home, so I think I will pull a couple of steaks from the freezer- I think he will appreciate that. Unless he had steaks last night. Hmmm. I guess I better call and find out.

A new look

I think I like this look better. It just looks cleaner. Let me know what you think.

Tonight I made a fabulous dinner for the kids. Mmmm. Nothing can beat Spaghettio's with hot dogs cut up into it. Okay, so maybe a lot of things could beat that, LOL. I did eat a little- but today in a moment of weakness I bought some cheeses, and I threw together a yummy spinach dip for after the kids go to bed. Yeah, hot spinach dip with pita chips- not exactly healthy, but so good, and I really need a "real food fix". Although there was something neat yesterdayu about having a McDonald's meal on my new dining room floor with my kids. They succeeded in properly christening it with ketchup and orange hi-c. So life is grand.

Now back to that spinach dip. I bought some new cheeses for me. I bought a Swiss Gruyere and a Raclette. The gruyere I may have had before- it is a nutty cheese, and is not one you can eat a lot of at a time, but it adds a fabulous flavor to whatever (in this case spinach dip). The raclette....lets just say, yikes. It is a stinky cheese made in France. And stink it does. I did not know it was stinky cheese. My brave self tried it, and surprisingly, it has a mild flavor- but it has a wonderful creaminess, which makes it perfect for fondues and warm spinach dip. I added a hunk of smoked gouda, clove of garlic (chopped, not whole silly!), a package of frozen chopped spinach-well drained, black pepper, smoked paprika, basil, water chestnuts, and Fox Point Seasoning from Penzeys. Oh, and a little sour cream and dijon mustard to bind it all together. Normally I'd use mayo there, but I'm out. I plan on tossing it in the oven a little later and scooping it up with some toasty pita chips. Hmmm. I hope bedtime is coming soon. :-) Ah, and that whine from the other room tells me that, indeed, bedtime is upon the household. Have a nice evening! Now hopefully I can find a few drops of wine here somewhere...

Baking cookies...

So I have decided that a new home needs to be christened by a batch of cookies. There is nothing like the yummy smell of baking crispiness and chocolate to make a home smell like a home. So tonight I am taking the cookie dough for Mocha Truffle Cookies- because I could also use a chocolate fix. :-) I have posted the recipe before- so check out my archives if you want to see it again. Super simple cookies- with melt in your mouth goodness. Yummy. Today is going to be a long day- waiting until 4:00pm tonight. And of course, the kids were up rediculously early, and are immensely crabby. Hooray for me. This morning we are going to go take care of our weekly church cleaning, and then after that...? I'm not sure. There will be a nap involved for Zander, and probably some Nintendo for Abigail. I dunno- maybe I will finish painting the kitchen today. Andy and I worked on it last weekend- and made good progress. We still have to do the backsplash though and behind the fridge. Andy promised he'd do it next weekend, but with getting the house earlier, I want him to be able to use the weekend putting in the necessary shelving in the pantry, closets, and basement. So I will likely finish his work here for him.

So for Zander's bedroom we are going with a transportation theme. Anyone who knows my son knows how much he loves cars, trucks, boats, and most imprtantly- the choo-choo. I think I am set on painting his room green and blue. The bottom half of the wall will be green- top half blue. I would like to find a border to put bewteen, so that I don't have to make the line precise, so that will be a search. Abigail's bedroom we are unsure with yet. Somehow we have to incorporate her treehouse bed, so I had been thinking of doing "The Enchanted Forest" for her. That way we can doll it up with animals, fairies, stars, rainbows, etc. All kinds of fun things. What I'm not sure on is color. I'm leaning towards a purple. Enchanted Forest screams unicorns to me- and unicorns must have purple (it is a rule!). I recently saw a wall treatment where the homeowner took sticky back vinyl and cut out grasses and reeds to make a meadow on a wall. I was thinking that if I could find the vinyl, I might be able to do a similar thing with some trees and clouds. I dunno. first I have to talk Abigail into going to Home Depot to look at paint- and talk her out of whatever her first choice is. :-)

I hope everyone has a nice day!

Whoo-Hoo!!!!!!

I get the keys to our new house on Wednesday!!!!!! At 4:00pm central time, I get my new place!!! I cannot wait! I was supposed to get the keys next Monday- and it has been almost painful waiting- but things have come up and we get to move in sooner! Yippee!! To anyone who might read this, I am going to try and have the phone transferred ASAP. I also have my cell- so if you need to get ahold of me, you can call me on that. If you are reading this and you need my cell #- please e-mail me and I will either call you or e-mail you back. I'm not comfy putting my number here on the blog.

SO this will be fun! Now I can stop the actual packing process, and just start moving stuff over. How can you beat that. I just hope that my sister Rachel is getting her place! She is supposed to move in on Wednesday, and I pray for her that she is working everything out and will be able to. It is so exciting to move out into your own apartment- I would hate for her first attempt to go sour. Follow your heart's desire Rachie!

I'll post more soon- in the meantime, there is cleaning to do!!!!

As promised- blueberry ice cream

This turned out pretty good. I took two recipes that I found and combined them to create my own version. Quite good, if I say so myself. All the blueberry recipes called for straining the blueberry mixture- and I did not do this. I'm sure the results would have been an even creamier ice cream, but this way it had more flavor, and added interest from the blueberry bits scattered throughout. This makes a healthy 2 quarts of ice cream- which is awkward since my maker is a 1 1/2 qt. maker. Usually I can get the canister to push through 2 batches in a row if it's cold enough to start with. So I went through my normal procedure, and halfway through the second freezing, I realize that I don't hear the machine whirring. Dear Zander decided to explore, and it sat for a good 20 minutes or so before I realized what he had done. So my second batch didn't process enough, and I'm sure the finished result will be more like a sorbet than an ice cream. Oh well. Nest time I put the machine up higher.

Blueberry Ice Cream

4 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 TBS water
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup 1% milk
3 cups half and half
1 TBS vanilla extract

Combine blueberries, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan ove med. high heat. Stirring frequently, heat to boiling. Let boil for 5 minutes- stirring occasionally. Cool for 15 minutes. Combine cooled blueberries with 1 cup milk. Either blend with an immersion blender, or puree in a blender. At this stage, you may strain the solids if you desire. Mix in the 3 cups of half and half and the vanilla. Chill for at least 8 hours before pouring into the ice cream maker. Follow the manufacturers instructions. Allow to ripen in the freezer for 2-4 hours before serving. Makes 2 quarts blueberry ice cream.

I think the kitchen is officially closed. :-(

Yup. Sorry, I think it has to be that way. On Sunday we are tentatively planning a picninc at the hot air balloon rally, and I am thinking I'll make some Greek chicken salad and the accompaniements. I found the recipe in RR's 30 Minute Meals 2, so at least I know it's simple. But other than that, I think I need to pack some things away. Oh wait, today I want to make some ice cream. I want to pack my ice cream maker- and the canister is in the freezer, so I figured I should defrost by making a batch! I am thinking about making blueberry ice cream. I for sure will make my vanilla base, but I have more fresh blueberries- and I love blueberry frozen yogurt, ice cream has to be better! I just have to decide if I should cook the blueberries into a sauce first (similar to pie filling) or sugar them to release their juices. I will have to look around, I don't recall seeing a blueberry ice cream before- and I hope it's not cause the blueberries get funky or something. I guess I'll post back with my recipe and results.

Ooooooh Blueberry Pudding Heaven!

I did end up making the blueberry pudding cake below. Oh, it was soooo good. It will definitely get a re-play at my house. I think next time I may double the recipe and make it for company. It was so easy, and so good. The only thing I didn't care for was that I made up some freshly whipped cream and added too much sugar. I should have gone with my original intention to whip the cream with a little vanilla and leave it at that. Instead I added sugar, and it really was too sweet. The blueberry pudding definitely was screaming for cream though. And it was good. I must find out who the original poster was and thank them. Enjoy!

Extolling the virtues of Vinegar

Never in a million years would I have thought to do this, but- today, on the advice of several online friends, I added vinegar to my laundry. I used it in place of fabric softener. And you know what? It worked great! And my laundry doesn't smell like a pickle! This is truly amazing in my book. A small jug of the good fabric softener runs me about $6.00. I buy a bottle about once a month (sometimes more often, sometimes less) so in the long run, I am paying about $80.00 a year, just to have soft laundry. I used plain old white vinegar, and put it in my downy ball. Total, it's approximately 1/8 cup vinegar. A gallon of vinegar costs $1.00. You do the math. A gallon will probably last 2-3 months. So I went from $80.00 down to less than $10.00- that's a good deal!

Now, to further analyze the aspects of the vinegar, I made sure I washed a little of everything. I am most impressed with the towels of all things. There is nothing worse than climbing out of the shower and wrapping up with a crunchy towel. Yuck. Using the vinegar- and hanging it on the line, my towels are way softer than Downy and the line. When I have a working dryer, I will test it in the dryer- but I am most impressed with the line drying results. My whites are also brighter- not a yellowed, bleached brighter, but a cleaner, whiter brighter. It will be interesting to see how it works in the long run. The bonus is that the vinegar will help keep the washer clean- so when Andy fills it with his gross yucky laundry, I don't have to worry about tossing in a load of whites right after.

Plus, I have a measuring cup of vinegar out for laundry day, and it is also absorbing any stray smells from the laundry room- thus deodorizing the entire room. Neat, huh? I plan to try a couple of other things with vinegar. I am going to use it to scrub down the kitchen stove (inside). I am dreading that task- and am thrilled with the thought of using something non-toxic. Anyway, back to my work. I just had to share my spectacular laundry reults!

Sharing a non-tried recipe

I just have to share this. It sounds so good- and there's blueberries everywhere right now. I really want to make it, I can just see the scoop of cake on my plate with a large dollop of freshly whipped cream. Oh, yum. I may make myself a deal that if I can get everything done today that I want to, I can treat myself. We'll see. I am also debating a trip to a Farmer's Market today. I'm really in the mood...I'm just not sure. This is not one that I've been to before, so I'm not sure about their offerings. I'm sure it will pale in comparison to my usual one, but seeing how I've seriously been lacking the time to get to the one in Appleton, I thought I might try out the one that's just nearby. We'll see. Anyways, here's Blueberry Pudding Cake. Yum.

Blueberry Pudding Cake

Servings:
Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method--------
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no need to thaw)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine -- melted
Topping:
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup boiling water

Toss the blueberries with cinnamon and lemon juice; place in a greased 8 inch square baking dish.In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder; stir in milk and butter. Spoon over berries.Combine sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over batter. Slowly pour boiling water over all.Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until cake is golden and tests done.Cool a bit and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.NOTES : Serves closer to 6 at my house!

I feel like I gotta post something

It is a happy day on the internet for me. Finally the CLBB is back up and running. I had a bit of a time getting to log in again, but I had some wonderful help, and the world is back to normal. It's funny. Even though I knew the boards were down for updating, and no one else was getting on either, I felt like I was going to miss out on something if I didn't try logging in as much as I could. I know, sad isn't it. It did work out for the best, because I got a lot done over the last two days as far as cleaning and packing things up goes. So I guess that's good.

I have to say that I have really been enjoying reading many different foodie blogs over the last few days. I can only apologize for mine not being quite so entertaining. Maybe someday I will get that camera I want, and then there will be glorious pictures upon pictures. In the meantime though, maybe I can inspire you to try something different. I inspire myself sometimes, but most often I am inspired by other people who will try anything once.

This recipe is indeed different for me. Tuna Burgers. That's right- burgers. Now in my little world, tuna comes in a can and gets mixed with Miracle Whip and veggies to create tuna salad. That's it. I don't care for hot tuna- unless it's a tuna melt. But then the tuna has to stay slightly on the cool side while the American cheese slice on top gets melty and browned. There's a fine line there that can only be met with a careful eye and a toaster oven. But I digress. I saw an episode of Food 911 a long time ago. On that episode Tyler went to the home of a Day Care Mom who couldn't get her kids to eat her tuna salad. Yuck. She didn't drain the can enough. Anyway, he made these tuna burgers, and by golly, every single one of the kids gobbled them up. I just had to try them. Now the recipe calls for fresh tuna steaks. Yes, fresh is probably best, but we're not making sushi here, so go ahead and purchase frozen tuna steaks- they'll work just as well. Just make certain that you thaw them properly.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Tuna Burgers
Recipe By :Tyler FlorenceServing Size : 6
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method--
1 1/2 pounds tuna steaks -- cleaned and trimmed
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 green onion -- chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley -- chopped
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs

Cut tuna into tiny pieces. Combine all ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Brush with vegetable oil.
Pan fry over medium heat, five minutes per side.
Description: "Sandwich"Source: "Food 911" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 216 Calories; 7g Fat (31.7% calories from fat); 29g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 105mg Cholesterol; 137mg Sodium.

Now when I made them, I did fry them as he said, but I found the burgers to be slightly on the dry side when done. The burgers are a little softer in nature than say a ground beef burger. More like a turkey burger in texture actually. But the flavor was quite good. We topped them with a dab of mayo, lettuce and tomato. And they were quite good. Abigail ate hers, Zander ate his, and we deemed them repeater. I do think though that if you used a grill basket and some oil, you could certainly cook the burgers on a grill. They would probably be even better that way. We'll do that one soon, I think.

Sorry, no new jam today

Ah, I actually accomplished something housewise today. So I am sorry to say that I did not jam today. However, I did manage to get my bathroom torn apart and painted. It actually looks really nice. Tonight after the kids go to bed I will also be painting the hallway. It's all prepped- just needs the paint. I also managed to pack away some kids clothes, all of our sweaters, and pull out some new clothes for Zander. I had been planning to do a major laundry day, but with threatening weather headed this way, I thought it would be best to do laundry tomorrow so I can hang it up. But I feel good that I accomplished something. Who knows what will get done tomorrow. Tonight I will sit down with some posterboard and make a large calendar for the next few weeks, detailing each day with some packing and a cleaning task. Ugh. I hate moving.

We Be Jammin'

Well, I've been a busy little beaver! Making the blueberry lime jam the other day really got me going! I always forget how much I love to make jam. I know, I know, we have a move coming up and I should be working on getting my house clean. But homemade jam!!! Yesterday the cherries at the grocery store called to me. So I picked up 4 pounds of cherries to make jam with. I've never made cherry jam. And to be honest, except for my spiced blueberry jam (which i LOVE) I have never made jam except from the directions on a box of pectin. I found a cherry jam recipe in a Better Homes and Garden's book- and proceded. I hade intended to make 2 batches, but I used more than half the cherries to make one batch. So I made and processed the first batch and assessed my fridge.

I found a few more pints of blueberries- no what could be better than cherries AND blueberries? So I used the cherry jam recipe again, using about 3 cups cherries and 1 cup of blueberries. Oh..My..God. That is the single best jam I've ever made. It has this fabulous sweet and tart flavor all its own. A single mouthful produces a punch of the sweetest gooey goodness. You can literally taste the cherry followed by the sweetness that can only come from a blueberry. And you are left going- "wow, that tasted wonderful!"

The cherry jam by itself I was a little disappointed with. I think my problem was that I used fresh squeezed lemon juice for the 1/4 cup juice called for. I think it added too much of a fresh lemon tang- and while good, it almost is more of a lemony cherry jam. I can taste the lemon. Still good, but not the sweet goodness I was shooting for. So with the Cherry-Berry (nice name huh?) I used bottled lemon juice. And the fruity flavors just shine. Lesson learned on the bottled lemon juice, I think. I will save the fresh juice for marmalade, or a lemon- something jam. I am proud of the Cherry-Berry though.

Next up (I think) is a batch of Nectarine Plum Apple I got from Beth on the Cooking Light bulletin board. Beth seems to be some kind of canning genius, she has recipes and tips for everything. I just love reading her advice and experience. Anyway, she shared this recipe with me,and I hope to give it a whirl today. We'll see though. I feel like I've been neglecting my house, (not to mention kids) and I have a rule that I can't start a canning project until my kitchen is clean to start with. And well, my kitchen is a little bit trashy looking from yesterday's jamming.

And if that CL bulletin board is not working soon- I think I'm going to scream! Supposedly there is a big update going on. I can only hope that whatever they are updating does not ruin the boards. Surely there wil be something for everyone to complain about. One can only hope that maybe they are adding more smilies- and that will make everything okay. ;-)

On the Zander front, I have a bit of proud Mommy progress to report. Last night he spent the whole night in his big boy bed in his own room. Yippee! The night we got home from camping, he slept all night there too. Then on Sunday he spent the night in Mommy's bed because he wasn't feeling well. Monday night I had a fight on my hands. He did not want to go to bed. He kept crawling out of his bed (not an easy feat, mind you) so I decided to put him where he couldn't get out- his crib. Yeah, he was out of the crib before I was even out of the room!!! Seriously. So I put him back in, thinking it a fluke. Nope. He crawled out. So he spent the night in Mommy's bed again- only this time Abigail joined him. (I'm running out of room!) Two nights ago he fell asleep in my arms- so I put him in his big boy bed. He spent most of the night there- but woke up and ended up in bed with me again. But last night- he spent the whole night there! And woke up a sparkley little boy! Tonight after he's asleep I am going to put some toys at the end of his bed to find in the morning. I really want him to like his bed- and he seems to so far. This weekend Andy has to take down the crib. The way he crawls out of the crib is scary. He kind of half falls- so it's going away. Probably to the curb, it's pretty beat up.

Anyway, if anyone's interested in the Cherry-Berry recipe, here it is. It uses not quite 2 pounds of cherries, and basically a pint of blueberries that have been picked over. Pick over the cherries, pit, and coarsley chop them. Pick through the blueberries, and coarsely chop those. Measure 4 cups chopped fruit and juice. (admittedly though, I was over the 4 cup measure on the cup- but not by too much).

4 cups cherries blueberries
1 box powdered pectin (not low sugar)
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon zest
1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
5 cups sugar

Combine fruit, pectin, zest, and lemon juice in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the sugar, and return to a full boil over high heat, stirring the entire time. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat, skim with a metal spoon, if necessary. Ladle into hot jars and process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes. Start timing after the water has returned to a boil.
Makes 7 half pints.

It's zucchini time!

Well, the garden has started to run over. Mom shared with me the first bunch of "bread zucchini" as we call it. One zucchini made four loaves of zucchini bread. I popped two into the freezer- but I am happily munching away at the other two. I still use my mom's bread recipe with a minor adjustment. I did my searching, and the bread with the flavor I liked best was Mom's. The only thing I don't like about it is the cup of oil. So instead I use 1/2 cup oil, and 1/2 cup applesauce. Works perfectly. It's enough oil to mantain the integrity of the bread. Yesterday's breads were Mom's version- with chocolate chips, because I had a bag of mini chips to use up. Today I am using the second large bread zucchini, and I plan to make chocolate zucchini bread. (After I go and get some cocoa, of course). I thought I would share that recipe. It's just enough different. And I think the recipe originally came from Mom Waz. I'm not totally sure of that- but it is one of the few recipes Andy had when we got together, and it's a keeper. I don't usually reduce the oil in this one.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 1/2 cups zucchini -- shredded
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa
1 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine ingredients, and pour into 2 loaf pans.
Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.
- -

It's time to hit the canner!

So despite the fact that I should be concentrating on purging my house of trash and start getting a packing order planned, I just had to can something. I saw an ad in our local paper that pickling cucumbers were available- and that got me excited about making my Kosher Dill Pickles. So I whipped out the recipe and made my shopping list. Surpirsingly I only needed mustard seeds and dill heads- and of course the cucumbers. Then I tagged a recipe for Curry Dills which sounded unique, so I headed off to my local grocer to pick up the mustard seeds before heading to the farmstand.

Well, they were out of mustard seeds. Apparantly someone beat me to them. I was not about to drive 20 minutes one way for seeds, so I put my plan on hold. I was sooo disappointed. Well. When I got to the produce department I found that they had blueberries on sale for 99 cents a pint!!! So I changed plans and picked up some pectin for blueberry jam. I also had a bunch of limes that needed to be used, so I made some blueberry lime jam. It's setting up as we speak- and tastes pretty good. Next time I will up the lime zest a bit- but it's a nicely sweet jam with a bit of tang from the lime.

Anyway here's the recipe if anyone's intersted. It's from the Ball Blue Book

Blueberry Lime Jam

Yield: about 6 half-pints

4 1/2 cups blueberries
1 package powdered pectin
5 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon grated lime peel
1/3 cup lime juice

Crush blueberries one layer at a time. Combine crushed blueberries and powdered pectin in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Stir in grated lime peel and lime juice. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Maybe tomorrow I'll do some driving so that I can make some pickles. I will share those recipes too when I get a chance.

Ahhhhh! Withdrawal!!!!

Not a good morning!!! The Cooking Light Bulletin Boards that I frequent every day are malfunctioning!!! This is a travesty! Everytime I try to check in, I get javascript. How terrible. It has been like that since about 8:00 last night- I hope they fix it soon!

Okay I lied

I said I probably wouldn't be cooking much. Here it is- extremely hot outside, and I 'm dying to turn on the oven. Dumb, dumb me. It is quite toasty in my house right now.

However, the recults of said oven turning on are quite tasty. In fact, pretty darn good if I may say so. I received a new issue of Cooking Light today, and I had to make this, given the fact that Mom gave me a zucchini from her garden and said- use quickly. So I did. This recipe reminds me so much of fried zucchini- without the frying. Obviously it is not a substitute (what can possibly compare to fried zucchini) but these are delicious, and a wonderfully different way to use the zucchini. Here's the recipe:

* Exported from MasterCook *
Zucchini Oven Chips
Serving Size : 4
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method-------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/4 c dry breadcrumbs
1/4 c grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsps skim milk
2 1/2 c zucchini slices -- 1/4" thick
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp
Source: ""Cooking Light Aug 2005 p. 150""Yield: "3/4 c" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 74 Calories; 2g Fat (23.8% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4mg Cholesterol; 245mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Okay, now for my slight changes. I used Italian Style dry bread crumbs (I like Progresso brand, 99 cents for a can that lasts for a long time) instead of plain bread crumbs. I also baked mine on a stone instead of the oven rack procedure given. That just seemed silly to me. I baked them for 20 minutes, then flipped them over for the remaining 10 minutes. Perfectly crispy and delightful. The only thing I might change is to slice them a little thicker next time so they are juicy in the middle. In my opinion, these are screaming for a bit of marinara for dunking, but they really are good as is. Oh- and I think I would reduce the seasoning salt by half next time. The parmesan contributes salt, and they seem a tiny bit salty to me. But enjoy! So easy and so yummy! Great for a snack or part of a meal I think.

Back from camping!

Well, we're back. We had a good time camping. Abigail and Zander had a good time being outdoors- and I have to say, they slept REALLY well at night. So well, in fact, that Zander spent the entire night without Mommy. I'm debating putting him into his big boy bed tonight. I have a few more hours to decide for sure. First I have to find his bed under the mound of toys. =)

Back to the camping bit...I was a little disappointed with the water conditions. We were on the Green Bay and I didn't think the water could green up there- but it did. There was one day that we were in the water, but otherwise there was this thick pea-soup like muck all along the shore. If you went in a little bit, it was fine, but I could not, for the life of me, get Zander in the water. I had hoped that I would be able to take him to the beach, and just let him play how he wanted- whether that be in the sand or the water or both. But with green water...anyway. It was a good thing there was a nice breeze blowing off the bay. The last few nights Abigail was wishing for home, so we decided to come home early. Silly girl. Once Grandma and Grandpa left (and cousin Kara) she got real sad and said that she missed home. So we packed it up. Of course, as we pulled away from the campground it started to pour- and I imagine that it rained for a good aprt of the day- so thankfully we missed that! And then we got home, unpacked, and as soon as we were done, it started raining here. So timing was perfect for not planning it!

And for a house update- we are taking it! And of course, now that we've decided we are taking it, we want to get the moving process over with. We told our current landlord that we will be out by September 1st. But we're hoping our new landlords give us the month of August for free so that we can move over the course of a few weeks. With Andy working out of town, that is the best plan for us. That way I can pack up the van every day and move a little bit over there. Plus there's cleaning and painting to do. We will be adding some color to the new place- and I'm really looking forward to that. We are also going to paint this house for Lisa. The kitchen/bath/hallway here need a coat of paint- and we want to do that before we leave here. We are also ISO a new washer and dryer (If you don't know what ISO means- see previous posts!) so if anyone hears of a pair going for a reasonable price...

Well, I think that's it for now. I am sorry to say that with a move coming up, I may not get much done in terms of cooking and trying new recipes. I am sorry about that...but hopefully I will get a little something done in the mean time. =)

Goin Campin...

I will be away from my computer for the next week. I'm taking my kids camping. I must be insane. Andy will be there in the evenings, and Mom and Dad will be there- but for the most part, I am taking my beauties camping by myself. Yikes! Wish me luck! Hoefully I'll remember to take pictures so I can post them later.

An Update

Well, we've gone and done it, I think. We received a call this week on our ad. It was someone with a 3 BR duplex- and were we really set on a house? Um, yeah. I thought. The woman on the phone was so nice- I thought a peek at the duplex couldn't hurt. I took along Lizzie for another perspective. It ended up I rather liked the place. The living room is small. And the basement is smaller than the one we have- but since we have a HUGE basement, it wouldn't be hard to be smaller. The three bedrooms though are very large. The two kids rooms have very large closets, and they are the size of our large bedroom now. The master bedroom has a huge walk-in closet and a private full bathroom! There is an additional full bathroom on the second floor, so there's no worries about kids in the night with the steps. The kitchen is much bigger than the one we have and has a distinct dining area. Although, in fairness, any kitchen is bigger than our kitchen. I have to say, Lizzie was no help at all in pointing out the bad. =)

So this morning Andy went to look at it. The things he didn't care for, were really trivial factors. Neither of us like the living room. So hopefully we can do something to it to jazz it up and make it more homey. Anyway. Our ad is supposed to run in the paper for 2 more weeks. I would hate to take the duplex, only to have someone with a decent house call. So we are sending our application plus some earnest money to the homeowners. That way it's on hold for us, and we can let the ad play out. We also don't want to hold out for 2 more weeks waiting, and then someone else comes along to rent the duplex. So I guess we're moving! We are planning to be in the last weekend in August. The kicker here is that we were hoping for someplace that could either be a rent to own, or something we would purchase eventually- and these people would also potentially be interested in selling. So we could very well be moving into our first "house". It's amazing how things work out.

My cup runneth over...

Last night my 17 month old son wrapped his arms tightly around my neck, gave me a humungous hug (his first "real" hug) and said to me "I yuh you." Nuff said. I love my little boy too.

Just a quick post

I have decided that I am entirely too busy right now. On Monday I was trying to figure out how I was going to fit everything in for the week that I needed to. We have a wedding this weekend, and I am decorating both the church and the hall for them. I am also trying to get organized and ready to go camping for a week. We are really not ready for a week long camping experience. We need too many things to make it comfortable. Then on top of that I wanted to clean the house, just in case they needed to show it next week while we were gone. Well guess what? The reality fairy paid a visit, and I have to have the house spotless by 5:30 pm today for a showing. Grr.

It gets worse.

Last night, the garbage disposal decides it's had enough. I'm not talking about a simple fix, like something is stuck in it. Nope. I think it has passed on to appliance doom. Yeah, and there's stuff in there. To top it all off, the absolute worst thing right now is that our TV has decided to throw in the towel. We have no picture at all. I can hear stuff, but the picture never comes on. Financially, we are really not in a position to buy a new TV and the TV stand we'll need to go with it. I can certainly manage without the TV, but there really are times when I would just like to turn on Backyardigans for Zander and Abigail to chill out with while I get supper on the table.

So today I will look at Hobby Lobby at their markdown furniture and see if I can find something inexpensive to temporarily set a TV on, and I will bring up the smaller TV from the basement for now. The drawback there is that I can't plug anything into the TV, so I won't be able to access cable channels over 88, and not VCR or DVD. But at least it will be something.

And on the looking for a house front, the ad is running in the paper. Imagine my surprise when I get a phone call by 2:00 on Monday- right away! Unfortunately, it is a 3 BR, but it has no basement, no bathtub, a 1 car tiny garage, and it's right on HWY 54. I mean, right on the highway. I think we might at least look at it and see what we could do with it, but it is not set very far back from the highway, and I cannot imagine allowing the kids to play outside there. So strike one. Hopefully we'll get another call. The ad repeats in today's paper, and then it also runs for 2 more weeks. So wish us luck there!

Happy Spaghetti

Last night I made Giada's Lemon Spaghetti. It was such a bright, happy summery dish. It was definitely very lemony. I probably would not serve this as a main course- it features much better as a side dish. I served it alongside Greek marinated chicken thighs and a panzanella salad. It was great, a very simple and quick dinner. The lemon spaghetti literally takes seconds to throw together. In fact, you could get everything prepped in the amount of time it takes the spaghetti to cook. Great dish. It will be repeated here.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Lemon Spaghett
Recipe By :Giada De Laurentiis Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00Categories :
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 494 Calories; 25g Fat (46.1% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 57g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 5mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 Grain(Starch); 0 Fruit; 5 Fat.
NOTES : I used half the amount of olive oil with no problems. I also reduced the lemon juice, just a tad. I used the juice of two lemons, which was less than half a cup, in addition, I used a scant tablespoon of lemon zest. This was happy spaghetti.

What does ISO mean?

So I have placed an ad in the local Buyer's Guide. The gist of the ad is that we are looking for a 3 BR house to rent in the area. I submitted my ad online, and a sales rep. called to confirm text and arrange payment. The ad started like this: Seymour family ISO house to rent long term in Seymour area. I kid you not, the sales lady asked me "what does ISO stand for?" You're kidding right? In the age of computers, how is it possible she didn't know what ISO meant? And she is a newspaper ad salesperson- I would think they would have tons of different abreviations that they come across on a day to day basis. When I told her it was "in search of" she said, "oh, that makes sense, I have room here, so we'll just print it out." Whatever lady, as long as you're not charging me per word.

My ad will run for 3 weeks, and I'm hoping someone bites. i think. We really don't want to move, but we literally do not have room where we are now. If we can't find a house to rent now, we will suck it up and stay here until we do find one. We obviously will not move to an apartment, and it would be hard to move into another duplex. Ideally we are looking for a long term rental that we can eventually purchase when we can secure the financing. That would mean a decent enough yard for the kids to play in and for me to have my herb garden. Of course, a minumum of 3 BR's, a basement, PAINTABLE walls, and either a larger kitchen, or the potential for a larger kitchen with a little remodelling. It's probably asking for a lot- but I might as well hold out for something good. I do have my eye on a couple of houses in particular that have been on the market for awhile. I'm hoping that the sellers of these homes are having a tough tme selling, and will be willing to rent. So we'll see. If we are meant to move, an opportunity will present itself shortly, otherwise we are staying put.

Recipe # 2: Basic Polenta

Well, I gave it a whirl. I don't know what I expected from polenta. After all, it is basically corn meal and salt. Back in the day it may even have been known as gruel. What I made was essentially a variation of Cream of Wheat. On a normal day, for breakfast, I love cream of wheat. I am not a fan of breakfast foods for other meals. I couldn't see myself sitting down to a scoop of polenta with bolognese on it, so I did stray from the recipe a tad.

I pressed it into an 11x7 pan and refrigerated it until it was firm. Then I was able to cut the polenta into squares and saute them with a little butter- vastly improving the taste and texture. I heated up my leftover bolognese and had myself a very satisfying supper. Really satisfying actually. I had a fairly small bowl, and it filled me up before I could finish what I had put together, so I had leftovers for lunch. Howevwer, the jury is still out on the polenta. It was a very good foil for the bolognese, I admit that, but I am just not sure I like it. There are 2 other polenta recipes in Giada's, and I will try them both to accomplish the challenge. I'm just not sure. I am pretty certain that Andy would not like polenta. But I am wondering if it is something Zander would eat- maybe with a little grape jelly on it? I will think about it. Anyway, here is the recipe for inquiring minds.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Basic Polenta
Recipe By : Giada De Laurentiis Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:05
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method-------- ------------ -------------------------------- 6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted.
Start to Finish Time: "0:25" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 198 Calories; 6g Fat (29.3% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 31g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 720mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 1 Fat.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July all! Last night we shared our little fireworks display with some close friends, and had a good time visiting. To me 4th of July is about connecting with friends and celebrating the good things in life and the wonders of living in a country where we are free to celebrate as we please. This year it seems to have a little special meaning as a dear friend is traveling this weekend visiting with family and friends before heading to Iraq. While he is there he will be helping a people gain the same freedoms that we take for granted every day. Not only will he be serving his country, he will be serving his God as he shares his testimony with anyone who will listen. Whether that be fellow soldiers or the Iraqi people, he will share. Have you been thinking of a friend that you have lost touch with? This is the perfect holiday to catch up and share a story. Even a quick note of "Been thinking of you" can cheer the lowliest spirit. Most importantly, have a safe and happy holiday, and remember to give a prayer and a thought to those overseas fighting for freedom who are unable to celebrate with us.

I love McDonald's!

Well, this afternoon my body has decided that it is going to get sick with whatever Zander and Abigail have had. Not good. It was very wierd and all the sudden. This afternoon I was feeling drowsy so I made myself a coffee drink and had a nice visit with my sister. After she left I sat down with Zander to give him a micro-nap, and Boom! it hit me. Now I feel weak and shaky, and I alternate between goose bumps and feeling hot and sticky. My throat is feeling scratchy too. So say a little prayer for me please! I am single Mommy until 5:00pm Friday evening, and I have a dinner date for Friday. Poor Abigail has been so neglected of Mommy time, I hope I can beat this bug swiftly.

I am looking forward to bedtime tonight! Oh and the I love McDonald's is because both of my kids are sitting on the living room floor happily munching french fries and chicken nuggets while I ponder whether or not I can make it to bedtime tonite. Gotta love it. Happy Wednesday!

Cooking Challenge!

Yesterday in the mail I got the most awesome cookbook to date. It is Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis. If you haven't seen her on FoodTv, she is just the cutest thing. She is so pretty, so tiny, and everything she makes looks so good. The bonus is that it's also so easy. So I am presenting myself with a cooking challenge. I have never gottne a cookbook where I actually want to make almost all of the recipes- so my challenge is that I will. There are only 125 recipes in her book, so I will make each one and post my findings here.

Tonight I started with her basic sauce: Simple Bolognese. Mmmm. It was very good. The only change I had was that I forgot to pick up some pecorino romano, so my sauce was cheeseless. I used less oil than called for, and I used Muir Glen crushed tomatoes with basil for extra flavor. It was really good. I imagine it would be phenomenal with the cheese added to it. It was extremely thick. I served it with frozen ravioli, which was okay, but the sauce is screaming for a plain pasta or even a nice slab of french bread lightly toasted as an open face sandwich. I have plenty of leftovers, so I will pick up the romano cheese to add to the remainder. I am also thinking this would be a good time to attempt Polenta, as Giada recommends the bolognese as a topping for it. So we'll see. Here's the recipe.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Simple Bolognese
Recipe By : Giada De Laurentiis
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method-------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion -- coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves -- peeled and coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk -- coarsely chopped
1 carrot -- coarsely chopped
1 pound ground chuck beef
1 can crushed tomatoes -- (28-ounce)
1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley -- chiffonade
8 fresh basil leaves -- chiffonade
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

In a 6 quart pot, add extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onions become very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Raise heat to high and add the ground beef. Saute, stirring frequently and breaking up any large lumps and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley and basil and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1/2 hour. Finish bolognese with Pecorino Romano. Check for seasoning. Serve hot.
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Gripe to Star Wars Fans

Well, I want to take a minute to scold Star Wars fans. Shame on you. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard complaints about the acting in Episode 3. Um, did we see the same movie? There was one point where Padme was acting super sitzy "Let's go back to Naboo Ani..." but other than that, I don't know what fans are complaining about. And let me tell you, I am very picky about movies. I am constantly picking them apart and criticizing the acting. The one complaint that got me the most was that George Lucas did a poor job of depicting the emotional aspects Anakin went through? Again, I say, were we watching the same movie? OMG, Hayden Christensen was phenomenal. His eyes and facial expressions throughout tell the story of the turmoil alone. Wow. I was a fan of Hayden's before, but this sealed it. (If you haven't seen Life As A House- do it!!) And every once in a while he would get the identical expression on his face that Luke Skywalker would have once in a while. Lucas could not have done a better job casting Hayden. Amazing. And if you are reading this blog and have not seen Episode 3: first of all, do I know you? And second of all, what rock have you been hiding under? Go see it and enjoy it, and then curl up and watch episodes 4,5,and 6. They are totally different now- in a much better way.

Sorry It's been awhile!!

Hi all! Sorry for the lack of blogging. Our computer has been down for almost a month now. Turns out, of course, that the Motherboard is bad- so I have a new computer on it's way finally. In the meantime I have the computer that Rachel uses for school- thanks Rachie! I will post plenty more in short order- there is much to catch up on!

In mourning

This is a sad day indeed. Tomorrow night at 12:01 millions of viewers across the globe will cheer as the opening frame of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith blazes across the screen. The unforgettable sounds of John William's orchestration announcing the arrival of the final installment of one of the greatest sagas ever told. And I won't be there. I purchased 3 tickets to the midnight screening of the movie to take Caleb and Rachel with me. And of course, things have not worked out according to plan. Andy left this morning for Madison for the week, and I will be home alone with the kids for the week. Obviously I can't sneak out for a late night movie viewing. The entire problem is that Zander really doesn't quite sleep through the night. He wakes up and wants Mommy. So I pull him into bed with me and we fall back asleep. He doesn't always stay there. At some point I scoop him up and drop him back in his bed. But there is no substitution for Mommy during the night. So I will be giving my tickets to Rachel and Caleb, and I will tell them to take Jake with them, and have a good time- but I don't want to hear about it.

Andy is so going to owe me a movie date. The annoying part is that it will take us forever to get around to actually arranging child care and going to see the movie. I told Andy his work actually owes me the $$ I spent on the tickets. Ah well, the Sith will be Revenging for some time I'm sure. I'll get to see it eventually, and I guess if I wait longer, than it will just take me closer to the next movie we are going to go see. Since we only get out to a movie once or twice a year- that's a big deal. I think in the last 3 years, the only movies we have seen out has been LOTR. On December 9th The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe comes out- and that one Andy has already told me he is taking me to that one. So that's okay.

Have fun at the movie guys. I'm sorry I have to miss opening night. There will never be another night like this. This is the viewing the die-hards go to. Everyone dresses up, and I bet there will be stormtroopers there. Maybe even an Imperial Guard or two. If there is a Vader there I will be terribly sad...

Fudge, fudge, and more fudge

Okay, this one is soooo good. I am not a huge maple fan either, and it is really good. If you left out the maple you would have a really nice brown sugar fudge. I am contemplating toasting the walnuts next time to add a depth of flavor- but these are so good I made two batches right away. And soooo easy. And did I mention- they are really good? =)


I used an 8 x 8 pan and they were perfect. Perfect thickness. They are the perfect balance of a creamy fudge and a crumbly fudge. Mmmm. (Now I have to go have a piece!)

* Exported from MasterCook *

Perfect Maple Walnut Fudge

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups packed brown sugar
5 oz evaporated milk
1/2 pound butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup walnuts
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring

Butter a 9x13-inch pan and set aside. (9x13 will produce very thin fudge. use a smaller pan if you like thicker pieces.) lining the pan with foil or paper and buttering that makes cutting and removing much easier.

n a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat very slightly and boil 10 minutes while stirring constantly. No longer! (I didn't stir constantly. I was fairly good about it, but I left it every now and then and that turned out to be ok.)

Remove from heat and add powdered sugar, vanilla and maple flavoring. Mix thoroughly with hand mixer on medium until thick and glossy - just a couple of minutes. Fold in walnuts and pour in prepared pan.

Note: This recipe also doubles easily. For thicker fudge double and still use the one pan.


Source:
"Shared by Valchemist on CLBB"
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My next great adventure

So my next kitchen adventure is going to be fudge. I love fudge- who doesn't. So my next big project is going to be the art of fudge. This last year I really think that I mastered my truffles, so I'd like to master fudge- and maybe in the future you may be the recipient of a beautiful gift box of Erika's Edibles or Edibles by Erika- I haven't decided. Do you prefer one over the other?

Anyway, I wanted to share this recipe I found for pumpkin fudge. It sounds incredible- but I admit I haven't tried it yet. I plan to soon- but I've been a little lazy lately, and need to restock my pantry before I can really start "fudging around". But I will do it soon.


* Exported from MasterCook *

PUMPKIN WALNUT FUDGE

Recipe By :Gourmet
October 1991


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 cups sugar
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons unsalted butter -- cut into bits
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped walnuts

In a 4-quart heavy saucepan combine the sugar, the milk, the corn syrup, the pumpkin puree, and a pinch of salt, cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, and cook it, undisturbed, until a candy thermometer registers 238°F. Remove the pan from the heat, add the butter (do not stir it into the mixture), and let the mixture cool until it is 140°F. Stir in the vanilla and the walnuts, beat the mixture with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until it begins to lose its gloss, and pour it immediately into a buttered 9-inch-square pan. Let the fudge cool until it begins to harden, cut it into squares, and let it cool completely. The fudge keeps, stored between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container, in a cool place for 2 weeks.

Makes about 2 pounds.


Source:
"shared by lorilei on CLBB"
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Let's Have A Greek Night!

For Mother's Day this year Andy made me my favorite meal. Mmmm. He made a fabulous Greek marinated pork roast on the grill, a greek salad, adn some roasted red pepper hummus. Mmmm. I was in heaven. The only thing missing was the Greek style yogurt with figs and honey. (Which I cannot find Greek yogurt around here). So here is my marinade for pork kabobs, and they go well with Tzatziki- a cucumber dressing. Even better if you slide them onto pita bread with some lettuve and tomatoes. Might be leftover night tonight.

My only note here is that I only use 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and the juice and zest of one whole lemon. Everything else stays as written. If you use a whole roast- just give it plenty of time to marinate. Overnight works best. This can be oven roasted or grilled- although grilled really is the best application here.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Pork Kabobs

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pork

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup onion -- chopped
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon parsley -- chopped
1 clove garlic -- minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds pork -- cubed

Combine, marinate, and refridgerate for several hours, turning occassionally.

Drain pork. Thread on skewers, leaving a small space inbetween cubes. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, turning frequently.

Serve with pita bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions.


Serve with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce


Categories : Sauces & Condiments

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
8 ounces plain yogurt
1/2 cup cucumber -- chopped
1 tablespoon onion -- chopped
1 tablespoon parsley -- chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

Combine, chill until ready to serve.


NOTES : Do not use fat free plain yogurt.

So how do I post a comment?

I thought today I would give a bit of a tutorial. I know there are several people who are reading this blog- and not commenting. And I thought, maybe that's because some of you are new to blog land and don't know how. So I thought I'd help you out. At the bottom of every post I make, there is a little blurb in the bottom right corner that says "0 comments" or "2 comments" etc. Click on the word comments, and it will take you to a control panel where you can leave a comment about that post. It's up to you whether you want to create an identity to sign in with- or just leave an annonymous comment. Either way- it would be nice to hear from you! I will try to be back ;ater with a recipe to share. Today I am thinking Manicotti or Stuffed Shells, or something Italian. We'll see.

KINDERGARTEN!!!!

*sniff*
I took my baby girl to school today. It was only screening- but still. I am sooo not happy with our school district's decision to offer only all day kindergarten. I could take Abigail 20 minutes away to Freedom- they still offer half day. But then we'd have to drive back and forth. I guess thinking about it, it would be totally selfish on my part. I'm sure she will do fine, and will love school completely. I have decided to send her to summer school to get used to the process. It is offered for three weeks at the end of June- and it's just a few hours long. So that will kind of warm her up to the idea of school. Of course she passed the screening with flying colors- she even gave the teacher a hug before leaving. I just can't believe it is here already. Although- I AM looking forward to school shopping. Yippee! Children's Place and GAPKids here I come! (Andy better keep up the long hours- my girl is going to school in style!) While I am looking forward to spending some one on one time with Zander- I am such a reluctant Mommy. And I really think that if I had proof that homeschooling worked- I would consider it. But I have yet to see such an example. Plus I am such a procrastinator. So I will do my duty and send my precious princess to school. *sigh*. It is a sad day indeed.