I love to write so I never thought of it as much of a chore, however now that I actually have to do it I find myself running out of time in the day! The baby's laundry is piling up and Dylan came home yesterday after getting his man parts removed so the house is a little crazy (and full of muddy paw prints). But at the risk of sounding cheesy, I am going to say it anyway, I wouldn't have it any other way.
So what is a busy girl to do when she is playing with a baby, chasing around a giant puppy and trying to write things that fit into the little category she is suppose to be writing in, and then she suddenly realizes she has to eat?! And did I mention this girl also has to fit into a wedding dress that will be delivered here in a month? Well I will tell you what this girl eats. My favorite thing as of late, scrambled eggs and chorizo on a corn tortilla. You might think this doesn't sound much like diet food and that is because it isn't. I don't believe in dieting but I do believe in good food in small portions. This is sooo simple to make and even though you may think of eggs as a breakfast thing, I actually like this for lunch. It is easy to hold Ally while browning up some chorizo in a pan (less than $2 for a thing of chorizo at Wal Mart!), then adding in some beaten eggs and you can easily with one hand just give it a little scramble. Throw some shredded jack cheese on top, pile on top of a warm corn tortilla and you are full and good to go for hours! If you want to make your own tortillas (which I highly recommend) follow this link to my other article where I have a recipe.
Good food for all those busy ladies out there! Plus it is so full of flavor you will feel like you are getting a special treat for being such a good little mommy! ;)
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
A new chapter! ... Again
Well it has happened! I will be getting paid to write about one of the things I love most in this world: food! The articles are suppose to be more "newsy" and factual in this particular writing and I need to come up with articles that are interesting to the general food loving public. Stuff like, "How to cut your grocery bill in half" or "How to cook for diabetes". I get paid according to how much traffic goes to my articles, so I am interested in what you guys want to read about! If you have any suggestions for articles or questions you would like me to answer, post it up on my 3 lbs of chicken facebook page and I will be more than happy to take it into consideration. Once my page gets set up for these articles I will make sure the link is known and you can all join me on this new adventure!
As a side note, I have a recipe for you guys! Beau gets paid once a month and it is getting close to the end of our month so I am scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to food in this house. I suppose I could run to the store and just grab a couple things to make my life easier, but I thought, "nah!" I want to try to make dinner for the rest of this week using only the food I already have in the fridge and pantry. Which sounded easier when I first had the thought... but last night I started digging around and I found a half a box of macaroni noodles, some jarred tomatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, and some leftover chicken from a whole roasted chicken I had made the night before. Put it all together and what do you get? Pasta with chicken in a tomato cheese sauce! Yum! I love how that sounds... tomato cheese sauce...
I would have a picture for you, but before I could get out the camera we both had pigged out on it and it was gone! But I can tell you it looked as yummy as it tasted!
As a side note, I have a recipe for you guys! Beau gets paid once a month and it is getting close to the end of our month so I am scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to food in this house. I suppose I could run to the store and just grab a couple things to make my life easier, but I thought, "nah!" I want to try to make dinner for the rest of this week using only the food I already have in the fridge and pantry. Which sounded easier when I first had the thought... but last night I started digging around and I found a half a box of macaroni noodles, some jarred tomatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, and some leftover chicken from a whole roasted chicken I had made the night before. Put it all together and what do you get? Pasta with chicken in a tomato cheese sauce! Yum! I love how that sounds... tomato cheese sauce...
I would have a picture for you, but before I could get out the camera we both had pigged out on it and it was gone! But I can tell you it looked as yummy as it tasted!
Pasta with Chicken in a Tomato Cheese Sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 whole onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups roughly shredded cooked chicken
2 cups canned tomatoes
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
a pinch of garlic salt
a pinch of brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
enough cooked macaroni noodles to feed 2 people
In a saute pan heat the olive oil and then add in the garlic and onion. Saute until soft and translucent and then add in the chicken. Saute for 2 minutes then add in the tomatoes. Let it simmer until the tomatoes begin to sauce up. Add in the rest of the ingredients (except the noodles) and let simmer for a couple minutes until the cheese is melted. Toss with the noodles and enjoy!
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 whole onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups roughly shredded cooked chicken
2 cups canned tomatoes
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
a pinch of garlic salt
a pinch of brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
enough cooked macaroni noodles to feed 2 people
In a saute pan heat the olive oil and then add in the garlic and onion. Saute until soft and translucent and then add in the chicken. Saute for 2 minutes then add in the tomatoes. Let it simmer until the tomatoes begin to sauce up. Add in the rest of the ingredients (except the noodles) and let simmer for a couple minutes until the cheese is melted. Toss with the noodles and enjoy!
If you happen to have more things in your kitchen than I did then feel free to throw them in your sauce! It will change the flavor a little so stay consistent, but some capers, balsamic vinegar or white wine, etc. would all taste really yummy.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Flu Stew
A few weeks ago my mom gave me a huge stalk of ginger, claiming that she has decided it is disgusting and does not want to cook with it. (She has never cooked with ginger or eaten it at all but bought a bunch in a recent health kick.) I happen to love the stuff so I happily carted home the fresh stuff and a little sidekick bag of candied ginger.
Ginger is one of those roots that is so healthy for you I can't believe people don't just throw it in everything! You can make it into a tea, eat it candied or pickled or if you please, even just chew on it raw. Or, my favorite thing to do with ginger, use it in soups! You can chop up a little of it and season your soup mildly with the fresh flavor, or use more to create a light and bright soup with the zingy notes that only fresh ginger can deliver.
As I said before, ginger is amazing for your health, and I strongly recommend everyone to eat it in any way you please around flu and cold season. As we have our chicken soup here in America, China has their soup-y tonic that uses a lot of ginger and lemongrass to combat the season's harshest germs. Ginger has a colorful history, including its use as one of the herbs to help combat the plague. It is prized in many Asian and Indian cultures, yet again, leaving me baffled as to why we don't eat it more often here in America. It is also used to alleviate any sort of gastrointestinal ailments (a fancy way of saying it will help your butt not stink up the house) and it has direct anti-inflammatory effects.
But if you are not used to the delightful flavor of fresh ginger (first of all, don't let your first taste be of candied ginger! It can be pretty strong!) try it in a hearty soup. While I was making dinner tonight, my simple veggie soup turned into a dinner targeted specifically at fighting flu germs by using the wonderful things I learned in school to become a natural chef. I am feeling a little germy after taking Boo to the doctors' office and there were many sneezing coughing kids...
I chose every ingredient carefully. I have the ginger and garlic for their antioxidants and cold fighting properties. Then I added onions which has a lot of the same benefits and vitamins as garlic such as vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Carrots and celery for flavor and because pretty much every veggie has some good for you things in them. (yay veggies!) Then chicken on the bone, becuase even though it may be thought by some to be an old wives' tale, chicken soup really does fight colds. In Chinese medicine it is thought to give you energy and chicken has been shown to support the immune system. Perfect for what we are trying to do here! And then my secret ingredient, mostly for flavor and because the high amount of vitamin C, I added 1 whole unpeeled apple with the skin on. And lastly, I used some regular button mushrooms because ancient Egyptians actually thought mushrooms were the key to immortality and would give you superhuman powers... do I need another reason? Beau has named it: Flu Stew!
Ginger is one of those roots that is so healthy for you I can't believe people don't just throw it in everything! You can make it into a tea, eat it candied or pickled or if you please, even just chew on it raw. Or, my favorite thing to do with ginger, use it in soups! You can chop up a little of it and season your soup mildly with the fresh flavor, or use more to create a light and bright soup with the zingy notes that only fresh ginger can deliver.
As I said before, ginger is amazing for your health, and I strongly recommend everyone to eat it in any way you please around flu and cold season. As we have our chicken soup here in America, China has their soup-y tonic that uses a lot of ginger and lemongrass to combat the season's harshest germs. Ginger has a colorful history, including its use as one of the herbs to help combat the plague. It is prized in many Asian and Indian cultures, yet again, leaving me baffled as to why we don't eat it more often here in America. It is also used to alleviate any sort of gastrointestinal ailments (a fancy way of saying it will help your butt not stink up the house) and it has direct anti-inflammatory effects.
But if you are not used to the delightful flavor of fresh ginger (first of all, don't let your first taste be of candied ginger! It can be pretty strong!) try it in a hearty soup. While I was making dinner tonight, my simple veggie soup turned into a dinner targeted specifically at fighting flu germs by using the wonderful things I learned in school to become a natural chef. I am feeling a little germy after taking Boo to the doctors' office and there were many sneezing coughing kids...
I chose every ingredient carefully. I have the ginger and garlic for their antioxidants and cold fighting properties. Then I added onions which has a lot of the same benefits and vitamins as garlic such as vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Carrots and celery for flavor and because pretty much every veggie has some good for you things in them. (yay veggies!) Then chicken on the bone, becuase even though it may be thought by some to be an old wives' tale, chicken soup really does fight colds. In Chinese medicine it is thought to give you energy and chicken has been shown to support the immune system. Perfect for what we are trying to do here! And then my secret ingredient, mostly for flavor and because the high amount of vitamin C, I added 1 whole unpeeled apple with the skin on. And lastly, I used some regular button mushrooms because ancient Egyptians actually thought mushrooms were the key to immortality and would give you superhuman powers... do I need another reason? Beau has named it: Flu Stew!
Flu Stew (ginger chicken apple soup)
coconut oil for sauteing
2 chicken legs on the bone
4 small carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 inches peeled ginger, minced
1 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 unpeeled apple, cut in half
chicken broth to cover
salt and pepper to taste
In a stock pot heat the oil. Brown the chicken legs on all sides and then remove from the pot and set aside. Add all of the vegetables and the ginger and garlic and saute for about 10 until they are soft. Add the chicken back in the pot and cover everything with chicken broth. Add in the apple. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, pull it out and pull of the meat and then add back into the soup. Before serving, remove the apple.
If the soup is good but tastes as if it is "missing something" a little more salt and some apple cider vinegar should do the trick to brighten it up a bit. For a heartier soup that you can use as a main course, throw in some pasta!
coconut oil for sauteing
2 chicken legs on the bone
4 small carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 inches peeled ginger, minced
1 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 unpeeled apple, cut in half
chicken broth to cover
salt and pepper to taste
In a stock pot heat the oil. Brown the chicken legs on all sides and then remove from the pot and set aside. Add all of the vegetables and the ginger and garlic and saute for about 10 until they are soft. Add the chicken back in the pot and cover everything with chicken broth. Add in the apple. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, pull it out and pull of the meat and then add back into the soup. Before serving, remove the apple.
If the soup is good but tastes as if it is "missing something" a little more salt and some apple cider vinegar should do the trick to brighten it up a bit. For a heartier soup that you can use as a main course, throw in some pasta!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Give me a break
Americans as a whole are notorious for working way to hard and then crashing into a heap where we then try to recoup ourselves through beer, food, red wine, kit kats or whatever else we feel will reward us for all our hard work. I am incredibly guilty of this unhealthy lifestyle. Once I even tried to live a yogic, serene lifestyle and I worked so hard at being calm and graceful and "one with myself" that I became exhausted and couldn't stand to even think of another day of happy thoughts and early morning meditations. and yet another time I wore myself out with books on other cultures' lives and tried to make it apply to my life so I could take naps at noon every day, eat whatever I wanted in small portions, and reward myself daily just for being me. Sounds fantastic except that yet again, I threw myself into it so wholly that it became not really a lifestyle at all, but more of a race with myself to see just how laid-back I could be... A friend of mine posted on her Facebook wall the other day "Everything in moderation, especially moderation." Aint it the truth?
Today I find myself running running running, and I am finally now collapsing. Nothing went as it should, I scratched nothing off my to do list and the baby has been fussy all day for a lack of naps that she will not lay down for. Every time I lay her down in her crib where she usually will quietly play with the corner of her blanket before she falls asleep, I found her rolling around, throwing her pacifier to the ground and giggling and cooing at the walls. But if I were to give up and take her out of the crib, her eyes get sleepy looking and she starts to scream... so this has been my day. And now Beau will be getting home late, the baby is still not sleeping, the laundry is not done and I was not able to run my errands because my car is broken. But still with everything else going on I have been running around cleaning, making wedding plans and trying to get things done. And now I just can't take it anymore!
So for those times when you need a little break or a "reward" for being awesome, do what I do. Turn to food! Still probably not a healthy habit but it works for me and I figure as long as I am still exercising and my waist is nice and thin (as it is) then what can it hurt? This is my favorite go to snack for days when I feel like I am sort of falling apart. One bite and I am picked right back up and I remember that life indeed is awesome and I don't always need to work so hard. Who is gonna know if I didn't make my bed today anyway??
How to make this wonderful treat:
First I toast 2 Kashi blueberry waffles. Then I slather one with Nutella and the other with creamy peanut butter. And then my favorite part, I break up some 80% dark chocolate into little pieces and sprinkle it around. Sandwich it together and wham-o! Perfection... it is so sweet and so rich and practically makes your teeth hurt, but the sugar rush is always just what I needed, and in case you haven't all heard, chocolate is a mood booster!
Today I find myself running running running, and I am finally now collapsing. Nothing went as it should, I scratched nothing off my to do list and the baby has been fussy all day for a lack of naps that she will not lay down for. Every time I lay her down in her crib where she usually will quietly play with the corner of her blanket before she falls asleep, I found her rolling around, throwing her pacifier to the ground and giggling and cooing at the walls. But if I were to give up and take her out of the crib, her eyes get sleepy looking and she starts to scream... so this has been my day. And now Beau will be getting home late, the baby is still not sleeping, the laundry is not done and I was not able to run my errands because my car is broken. But still with everything else going on I have been running around cleaning, making wedding plans and trying to get things done. And now I just can't take it anymore!
So for those times when you need a little break or a "reward" for being awesome, do what I do. Turn to food! Still probably not a healthy habit but it works for me and I figure as long as I am still exercising and my waist is nice and thin (as it is) then what can it hurt? This is my favorite go to snack for days when I feel like I am sort of falling apart. One bite and I am picked right back up and I remember that life indeed is awesome and I don't always need to work so hard. Who is gonna know if I didn't make my bed today anyway??
How to make this wonderful treat:
First I toast 2 Kashi blueberry waffles. Then I slather one with Nutella and the other with creamy peanut butter. And then my favorite part, I break up some 80% dark chocolate into little pieces and sprinkle it around. Sandwich it together and wham-o! Perfection... it is so sweet and so rich and practically makes your teeth hurt, but the sugar rush is always just what I needed, and in case you haven't all heard, chocolate is a mood booster!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Down Home Mondays
Every so often I sit down cuddled up next to Beau and I think, "I will write a little something on my blog." But nothing will come to me. I just sit here staring at the screen, thinking of all of the recipes I have and the dinners I have made and I just sort of wonder if anyone really cares to read about my day to day. Does it matter or make any difference to anyone that Beau and I spent the day ripping out ugly dead bushes from our front yard and hacking down the cactus of ugliness from our driveway? And will anyone gasp with pleasure and surprise when I say that Ally is sitting up by herself now? You might be happy to know I have adopted the "meatless Monday" practice in an attempt to create a happier, healthier planet.
The truth is, I think my life is fantastic and I absolutely love my simple routine of cleaning, making baby food, and doing yard work on long weekends. I take great pleasure in walking the dog around the block. I love playing peek-a-boo with my little Boo and when Beau gets home it is like the sun has just risen for the first time all day. I enjoy making dinner and I don't even really care that I don't have a dishwasher (even if I complain about doing dishes all the time).
As exciting as it all is for me, sometimes I am reminded of a friend who I had in school. She had a baby and I was far from the time in my life where I would ever consider such a thing as a possibility. She looked at me and said, "Sometimes I have to remind myself that not everyone thinks my baby is as adorable as I think he is." Could it be, that when I sit down to recount the events of my day or week, that nobody thinks it is as cute as I think it is? It is definitely a possibility...
But regardless, it does help me to unwind and I enjoy looking back at recipes or times in my life. So like it or not, here are a couple more recipes. What I made for dinner tonight: macaroni and cheese, peppered buttermilk biscuits and pan fried potatoes. Perfect for a meatless monday, or in smaller quantities, a lunch for a group! So enjoy! Or don't... but here it is regardless!
The truth is, I think my life is fantastic and I absolutely love my simple routine of cleaning, making baby food, and doing yard work on long weekends. I take great pleasure in walking the dog around the block. I love playing peek-a-boo with my little Boo and when Beau gets home it is like the sun has just risen for the first time all day. I enjoy making dinner and I don't even really care that I don't have a dishwasher (even if I complain about doing dishes all the time).
As exciting as it all is for me, sometimes I am reminded of a friend who I had in school. She had a baby and I was far from the time in my life where I would ever consider such a thing as a possibility. She looked at me and said, "Sometimes I have to remind myself that not everyone thinks my baby is as adorable as I think he is." Could it be, that when I sit down to recount the events of my day or week, that nobody thinks it is as cute as I think it is? It is definitely a possibility...
But regardless, it does help me to unwind and I enjoy looking back at recipes or times in my life. So like it or not, here are a couple more recipes. What I made for dinner tonight: macaroni and cheese, peppered buttermilk biscuits and pan fried potatoes. Perfect for a meatless monday, or in smaller quantities, a lunch for a group! So enjoy! Or don't... but here it is regardless!
Macaroni and Cheese
adopted from The African American Heritage Cookbook (and my memory)
1 1/2 cups dried macaroni noodles
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup milk
1 cup light cream
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp paprika
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the noodles until al dente.
While the noodles are cooking, in a pan melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk constantly for 2 minutes. While whisking, slowly add the cream and milk. Continue to whisk over a low heat until the sauce is thickened. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Stir in the paprika and salt and pepper. Stir in the noodles. Place in a 1 qt. buttered baking dish. Top with the rest of the cheese and a couple dots of butter. Bake for 30 minutes.
Peppered Buttermilk Biscuits
These biscuits are a basic biscuit recipe that I made a little healthier by replacing shortening with coconut oil and adding whole wheat flour. They are hearty and go well with soups or as a filler for smaller
meals. Even with the black pepper, they are delicious smeared with jam!
2 cups flour (1 cup whole wheat, 1 cup all purpose)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Cut in the oil with a fork or your fingers until it looks crumbly. Stir in the buttermilk and knead until it forms a dough. Roll it out to 1/2 inch thick, cut it with a glass cup, and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Pan-Fried Potatoes
2 potatoes per person, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 Tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
mesquite seasoning to taste
chopped fresh oregano
In a large saute pan, heat the oil. Saute the onions until soft and toss in the taters. Toss them with the salt, pepper, and seasoning. Continue to saute them at a medium to medium low heat for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through and crispy on some edges. Sprinkle with oregano before serving.
adopted from The African American Heritage Cookbook (and my memory)
1 1/2 cups dried macaroni noodles
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup milk
1 cup light cream
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp paprika
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the noodles until al dente.
While the noodles are cooking, in a pan melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk constantly for 2 minutes. While whisking, slowly add the cream and milk. Continue to whisk over a low heat until the sauce is thickened. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Stir in the paprika and salt and pepper. Stir in the noodles. Place in a 1 qt. buttered baking dish. Top with the rest of the cheese and a couple dots of butter. Bake for 30 minutes.
Peppered Buttermilk Biscuits
These biscuits are a basic biscuit recipe that I made a little healthier by replacing shortening with coconut oil and adding whole wheat flour. They are hearty and go well with soups or as a filler for smaller
meals. Even with the black pepper, they are delicious smeared with jam!2 cups flour (1 cup whole wheat, 1 cup all purpose)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Cut in the oil with a fork or your fingers until it looks crumbly. Stir in the buttermilk and knead until it forms a dough. Roll it out to 1/2 inch thick, cut it with a glass cup, and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Pan-Fried Potatoes
2 potatoes per person, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 Tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
mesquite seasoning to taste
chopped fresh oregano
In a large saute pan, heat the oil. Saute the onions until soft and toss in the taters. Toss them with the salt, pepper, and seasoning. Continue to saute them at a medium to medium low heat for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through and crispy on some edges. Sprinkle with oregano before serving.
Friday, January 14, 2011
beauty is only skin deep?
Last night Beau had control of the remote and instead of watching some sort of cheesy sci-fi channel or playing video games like he usually does, he flipped on something about Chris Rock talking about "black hair". Not like the hair that is the color black, but African American hair. I guess Chris Rock has two daughters and wanted to do a little research into the thing that will be a future part of their lives. I, being mixed with every other race in the world except for African American, look like a mostly white girl and have white girl hair. It is straight as a board and used to be thick before I had a baby. (now it is sadly thin) So I have never had to deal with exceptionally difficult hair, and when I got pregnant with a half black baby I was out of my mind with worry over what her hair would turn out like. Not out of vanity, don't get me wrong! I was afraid of being that white girl who doesn't know how to do her daughter's hair and she ends up with a crazy mess. Thank goodness for me she does not have very course hair, and lucky for her it looks like it is going to be exactly what I always wanted! Thick and wavy but blow drys straight if she wants it that way... and apparently this is what the rest of the African American community wants as well. I had no idea how much of this particular population is actu
ally wearing fake hair! I knew some of them did, but of the many women who were interviewed ALL were wearing weaves! Not only that, but did you know these weaves come from women in India who sacrifice their hair to the Gods because long hair is a vanity? What do you think that does to our karma to wear someone's hair that was sacrificed in the name of vanity? Hmmm... but anyway. Not only that, these weaves start at $1000! And for what? To have more "white" looking hair.
I was fascinated and horrified all at the same time, and the whole while I was watching these women spread gobs of relaxer (a potent and damaging chemical used to straighten hair) on their head, spend thousands of dollars on weaves and basically spend their lives fighting with their hair, I couldn't stop thinking "what happened to loving who you are? when did we all stop thinking we are beautiful just as we were born?"
It's not just the African American community, it is everybody and every so often I find it starts to seep into my thoughts without me realizing it. The new "thing" around town is for all the girls to wear extensions that create thick and beautiful heads of hair that look always perfect and make me fee
l like my poor hair is severely lacking. And what about this Bridelplasty?? That silly show on E! with brides all competing for plastic surgery so they can look perfect on their wedding days. Now weddings are not only about having a huge extravagant celebration, but the bride must look completely perfect and flawless. The pressure!!!
The only thing I have to say about all of this is that white girl hair is not as pretty as we all think it is and if we all end up looking the same then this world is going to be pretty damn boring. Remember when we were all kids and our moms told us to love who we are and don't change for anybody? What ever happened to that because I thought it was a pretty good idea! So to all the beautiful women out there:
Brides do not have to be perfect and have perfect bodies. Your soon to be husband is marrying you because he loves you just as you are. Don't scare him away by becoming a bridezilla and expecting everything to be perfect because honey, it won't be. Just as we expect our men to exude confidence for us to think of them as sexy, they want you to love yourself as much as they love you. So ladies, rock your curves, tuck your saggy boobs into a push up bra and throw on some spanx! Your crooked nose and your crows feet are all a part of you and it is beautiful!
And the one that concerned me the most- to all of you beautiful African American ladies out there who are spending so much money on an Indian girls sacrifices or chemicals so that you can look like you have perfect hair... well wouldn't you rather be able to swim in a pool or let your man run his fingers through your hair? Ladies you are beautiful just as you are! Haven't you seen the little Sesame Street girl who sings about how she loves her hair? Show your daughters that her curls are wonderful and unique and rock! Now, I know I have never had to live with wild, hard to control hair (though I know some people who have) so maybe I don't have any room to talk. But let me just say this: I love the 70's female afro! And I love my man's dreadlocks! So I think that we all need to put that hard earned money into a savings account, put down the chemicals, look away from Tyra Banks' hair and show the world that not only do you love yourself just as God made you, but you also love you hair! And p.s. girls: very often I find I am jealous of your amazing facial features and fantastic God-given cheekbones! With such beautiful faces, cheekbones and eyes, who needs long hair?
ally wearing fake hair! I knew some of them did, but of the many women who were interviewed ALL were wearing weaves! Not only that, but did you know these weaves come from women in India who sacrifice their hair to the Gods because long hair is a vanity? What do you think that does to our karma to wear someone's hair that was sacrificed in the name of vanity? Hmmm... but anyway. Not only that, these weaves start at $1000! And for what? To have more "white" looking hair.I was fascinated and horrified all at the same time, and the whole while I was watching these women spread gobs of relaxer (a potent and damaging chemical used to straighten hair) on their head, spend thousands of dollars on weaves and basically spend their lives fighting with their hair, I couldn't stop thinking "what happened to loving who you are? when did we all stop thinking we are beautiful just as we were born?"
It's not just the African American community, it is everybody and every so often I find it starts to seep into my thoughts without me realizing it. The new "thing" around town is for all the girls to wear extensions that create thick and beautiful heads of hair that look always perfect and make me fee
l like my poor hair is severely lacking. And what about this Bridelplasty?? That silly show on E! with brides all competing for plastic surgery so they can look perfect on their wedding days. Now weddings are not only about having a huge extravagant celebration, but the bride must look completely perfect and flawless. The pressure!!!The only thing I have to say about all of this is that white girl hair is not as pretty as we all think it is and if we all end up looking the same then this world is going to be pretty damn boring. Remember when we were all kids and our moms told us to love who we are and don't change for anybody? What ever happened to that because I thought it was a pretty good idea! So to all the beautiful women out there:
Brides do not have to be perfect and have perfect bodies. Your soon to be husband is marrying you because he loves you just as you are. Don't scare him away by becoming a bridezilla and expecting everything to be perfect because honey, it won't be. Just as we expect our men to exude confidence for us to think of them as sexy, they want you to love yourself as much as they love you. So ladies, rock your curves, tuck your saggy boobs into a push up bra and throw on some spanx! Your crooked nose and your crows feet are all a part of you and it is beautiful!
And the one that concerned me the most- to all of you beautiful African American ladies out there who are spending so much money on an Indian girls sacrifices or chemicals so that you can look like you have perfect hair... well wouldn't you rather be able to swim in a pool or let your man run his fingers through your hair? Ladies you are beautiful just as you are! Haven't you seen the little Sesame Street girl who sings about how she loves her hair? Show your daughters that her curls are wonderful and unique and rock! Now, I know I have never had to live with wild, hard to control hair (though I know some people who have) so maybe I don't have any room to talk. But let me just say this: I love the 70's female afro! And I love my man's dreadlocks! So I think that we all need to put that hard earned money into a savings account, put down the chemicals, look away from Tyra Banks' hair and show the world that not only do you love yourself just as God made you, but you also love you hair! And p.s. girls: very often I find I am jealous of your amazing facial features and fantastic God-given cheekbones! With such beautiful faces, cheekbones and eyes, who needs long hair?
Thursday, January 6, 2011
You Dirty Dirty Rice! ;)
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." so said the famous Mr. Charles D as we all may remember from High School. It is probably a very over-used quote, but I found it to be relevant to this week. It really is the best of times; Ally is getting cuter every day and continues to entertain me with huge smiles and sweet baby giggles. Beau and I are contentedly building our lives together and the dog has settled into his routine here. But it is also hard times... money, screaming babies, sleepless nights in the anticipation of some very mean teeth... So indeed, I am among some of the best times of my life, and some of the hardest. I suppose that is what happens when you have a baby young, but at the risk of sounding cliche, I wouldn't have it any other way.
This week has been particularly hard on the wallet and I am waiting for the next pay check before I go grocery shopping. So dinners have consisted of leftovers in the fridge thrown together into something hopefully edible. Last night we had bean chili with leftover taco steak thrown in, along with wild rice, spanish rice, and some salsa. Throw a little cheese on top and it wasn't half bad, plus I cleaned out my fridge with this one. But the real unexpected treasure was tonight's dinner. I had some ground beef in the freezer which I thawed, and a little bit of basmati rice in a bag stuffed into the back of the pantry. Out of this I made something quite delicious! I believe that part of what made this so very yummy was my chicken broth that I cooked the rice in. The recipe can be found in one of my past blogs. Basically just chicken, chicken bones, onion, celery, carrot, etc. I reccommend always making broth with all of your bones and keeping some in the fridge and some on the freezer. It will save a meal when you have limited ingredients.
This week has been particularly hard on the wallet and I am waiting for the next pay check before I go grocery shopping. So dinners have consisted of leftovers in the fridge thrown together into something hopefully edible. Last night we had bean chili with leftover taco steak thrown in, along with wild rice, spanish rice, and some salsa. Throw a little cheese on top and it wasn't half bad, plus I cleaned out my fridge with this one. But the real unexpected treasure was tonight's dinner. I had some ground beef in the freezer which I thawed, and a little bit of basmati rice in a bag stuffed into the back of the pantry. Out of this I made something quite delicious! I believe that part of what made this so very yummy was my chicken broth that I cooked the rice in. The recipe can be found in one of my past blogs. Basically just chicken, chicken bones, onion, celery, carrot, etc. I reccommend always making broth with all of your bones and keeping some in the fridge and some on the freezer. It will save a meal when you have limited ingredients.
Jasmine's Version of Dirty Rice
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper
1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic
a pinch of cayenne
a pinch of paprika
a pinch of whole cumin seeds
a pinch of mesquite seasoning
about 1/2 cup leftover spaghetti sauce
about 1/4 cup canned tomatoes
a little grated jack cheese on top
In a pot with a lid, boil the chicken broth, salt and pepper. Add the rice, turn down to a low simmer, cover and simmer the rice for 20 minutes. Turn it off and let it steam for a few minutes.
In a large saute pan, saute the garlic until golden. Add the ground beef and spices brown. Once the beef is cooked, add the spaghetti sauce and tomatoes to warm them. Let it all simmer together to create a little saucy meat mixture. To serve, put the rice down in a bowl, top with the meat and sprinkle with some cheese.
This really was very very tasty! And so stinken easy I can't stand it. :) I was also able to create a bunch of new baby food recipes while this was cooking that worked fantastic! Using the same basic, steam then blend method I cooked some apples, sweet potato, rice and carrots. All organic for my baby! Then I put some sweet potato in the food processor, a little but of rice and some apple puree. Blend it all up into a smooth puree and watch your baby love it! I would say the ratio was about 1/2 sweet potato, a little over 1/4 apples and the rest rice. (not the best ratio I have ever come up with, but hey, you get the idea right?) Also in my fridge is sweet potato rice, carrot apple, and apple. I am getting very good at this baby food making thing and I just love it! I wish it was as easy to feed grown ups...
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper
1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic
a pinch of cayenne
a pinch of paprika
a pinch of whole cumin seeds
a pinch of mesquite seasoning
about 1/2 cup leftover spaghetti sauce
about 1/4 cup canned tomatoes
a little grated jack cheese on top
In a pot with a lid, boil the chicken broth, salt and pepper. Add the rice, turn down to a low simmer, cover and simmer the rice for 20 minutes. Turn it off and let it steam for a few minutes.
In a large saute pan, saute the garlic until golden. Add the ground beef and spices brown. Once the beef is cooked, add the spaghetti sauce and tomatoes to warm them. Let it all simmer together to create a little saucy meat mixture. To serve, put the rice down in a bowl, top with the meat and sprinkle with some cheese.
This really was very very tasty! And so stinken easy I can't stand it. :) I was also able to create a bunch of new baby food recipes while this was cooking that worked fantastic! Using the same basic, steam then blend method I cooked some apples, sweet potato, rice and carrots. All organic for my baby! Then I put some sweet potato in the food processor, a little but of rice and some apple puree. Blend it all up into a smooth puree and watch your baby love it! I would say the ratio was about 1/2 sweet potato, a little over 1/4 apples and the rest rice. (not the best ratio I have ever come up with, but hey, you get the idea right?) Also in my fridge is sweet potato rice, carrot apple, and apple. I am getting very good at this baby food making thing and I just love it! I wish it was as easy to feed grown ups...
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
My picky piggy
The dog is giving me his sad eyes. I know he wants to go for a walk terribly and he will continue to steal the baby's binky, eat my bras and cause chaos until I take him on one. But all day I have been cleaning and rearranging furniture and basically doing everything but being a good doggy mom. Don't even get me started on how bad this makes me feel. But sometimes it is just so damn windy! I really do hate the wind...
Ally is content to play with the buttons on the Xbox remote; thank goodness she is at a pretty easy age right now. So I have taken a little break to continue to not take the dog on a walk and to just chill.
Ahhh... that's better.
In about an hour I plan to pack up the baby and go on a little family outing to the gym. Some people say not to go to the gym with your man, but I wonder who came up with the rule? I love going to the gym with Beau! We motivate each other. We get a little bonding time while we warm up and then it is off to our own areas of the gym where I am usually working out the butt area and he is off doing whatever men work out at the gym. Then back together for some cardio and a little sauna time. Plus it is kind of fun to pretend he is a stranger and to watch him from across the room... but anyway I won't get into that. I believe my grandmother reads these. ;)
This will be the very first time I have ever taken Ally anywhere where she will be watched by a stranger. (I usually leave her with my mom or Aunty Bean) She is a sturdy 6 months old now and I should be fine with the idea, but it has me strangely anxious. Not really for her safety or anything (although I am sure that is part of it) but more for the person who will be watching her! Is she going to scream and cry at them? Will they know what to do when she cries? Will they hold her like she likes to be held? What if they have terrible breath and breathe in her face the whole hour she is in there?! Ugh...
I am sure she will be fine. I guess I am just one of those silly worry wort types. And once she is back safely in my arms at home, I will continue on my mission to try ways to get her to eat carrots since I have already bought so many! So carrots and rice will be on the menu and hopefully all goes well.
Ally is content to play with the buttons on the Xbox remote; thank goodness she is at a pretty easy age right now. So I have taken a little break to continue to not take the dog on a walk and to just chill.
Ahhh... that's better.
In about an hour I plan to pack up the baby and go on a little family outing to the gym. Some people say not to go to the gym with your man, but I wonder who came up with the rule? I love going to the gym with Beau! We motivate each other. We get a little bonding time while we warm up and then it is off to our own areas of the gym where I am usually working out the butt area and he is off doing whatever men work out at the gym. Then back together for some cardio and a little sauna time. Plus it is kind of fun to pretend he is a stranger and to watch him from across the room... but anyway I won't get into that. I believe my grandmother reads these. ;)
This will be the very first time I have ever taken Ally anywhere where she will be watched by a stranger. (I usually leave her with my mom or Aunty Bean) She is a sturdy 6 months old now and I should be fine with the idea, but it has me strangely anxious. Not really for her safety or anything (although I am sure that is part of it) but more for the person who will be watching her! Is she going to scream and cry at them? Will they know what to do when she cries? Will they hold her like she likes to be held? What if they have terrible breath and breathe in her face the whole hour she is in there?! Ugh...
I am sure she will be fine. I guess I am just one of those silly worry wort types. And once she is back safely in my arms at home, I will continue on my mission to try ways to get her to eat carrots since I have already bought so many! So carrots and rice will be on the menu and hopefully all goes well.
Ally's Carrots and Rice
1/4 cup pureed carrots from the previous recipe
1/4 cup brown rice
2 cups water (aprox.)
boil the water and then add in the brown rice. Boil for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender. In your baby food maker or a food processor, blend the rice with some of the liquid. Continue to add liquid until the rice is the right consistency. Once smooth and baby food looking, stir in a bit of the pureed rice with the pureed carrots. Bam! Isn't making baby food fun? If only everything in life were as easy...
1/4 cup pureed carrots from the previous recipe
1/4 cup brown rice
2 cups water (aprox.)
boil the water and then add in the brown rice. Boil for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender. In your baby food maker or a food processor, blend the rice with some of the liquid. Continue to add liquid until the rice is the right consistency. Once smooth and baby food looking, stir in a bit of the pureed rice with the pureed carrots. Bam! Isn't making baby food fun? If only everything in life were as easy...
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
I am a mom...
With the holidays come and gone, there is a lot of visiting festively decorated houses and dropping by families' houses. All sorts of different ways of doing things, styles of furniture, food traditions and styles of parenting. After many days of observing other peoples' parenting skills (or lack thereof) and then watching a marathon of Super Nanny, I started to wonder: what kind of mother am I? And what sort of family will I raise? Will my kids scream cuss words at me while throwing toys at my face, like some of the little monsters on Super Nanny? Or maybe they will be little hippies and love the earth to the point of obnoxiousness. It's a little early to tell how Ally and all my future kids will turn out, but I do know what kind of person I am now and I am sure my own little quirks and habits will have some sort of effect on her future quirks and weird habits.
I started to notice the things I do as I go about my day while I tried to figure out what kind of mom I am...
I am the kind of mom who reads Natural Health magazine while munching on a donut...
I am the kind of mom who hates to eat animals or look at picture of animals who will soon be food, and yet I am always raving about the delicious pork roast I make every so often that is just SO yummy!
I am the kind of mommy who keeps a very clean house, despite a messy baby and a messy dog who try to make this as difficult as possible...
I am the kind of mom who is always reminding everyone to drink water even though I never drink enough myself.
I am the kind of mom who went to culinary school but who's favorite recipes are the quickest and least complicated...
I am the kind of mom who makes her daughter's baby food myself from organic veggies and fruits.
I am the kind of mom who has her baby on a strict schedule because it makes me feel less chaotic.
I am the kind of mom who hates the wind because it rattles my brain.
And I am the kind of mom who sits down on the couch with a sigh after a long day and sips red wine while browsing through Facebook.
I am certainly not the perfect mom (even if I might think so after a particularly awesome day of eating all her food, taking her naps on time and lots of happy giggling) but I do hope I will be a good role model for my little lady and someday have a beautiful, thoughtful and caring young woman on my hands. As for right now, all I can do is watch her grow.
I started to notice the things I do as I go about my day while I tried to figure out what kind of mom I am...
I am the kind of mom who reads Natural Health magazine while munching on a donut...
I am the kind of mom who hates to eat animals or look at picture of animals who will soon be food, and yet I am always raving about the delicious pork roast I make every so often that is just SO yummy!
I am the kind of mommy who keeps a very clean house, despite a messy baby and a messy dog who try to make this as difficult as possible...
I am the kind of mom who is always reminding everyone to drink water even though I never drink enough myself.
I am the kind of mom who went to culinary school but who's favorite recipes are the quickest and least complicated...
I am the kind of mom who makes her daughter's baby food myself from organic veggies and fruits.
I am the kind of mom who has her baby on a strict schedule because it makes me feel less chaotic.
I am the kind of mom who hates the wind because it rattles my brain.
And I am the kind of mom who sits down on the couch with a sigh after a long day and sips red wine while browsing through Facebook.
I am certainly not the perfect mom (even if I might think so after a particularly awesome day of eating all her food, taking her naps on time and lots of happy giggling) but I do hope I will be a good role model for my little lady and someday have a beautiful, thoughtful and caring young woman on my hands. As for right now, all I can do is watch her grow.
Ally's Favorite First
1/2 cup organic carrots, diced
1 organic apple, peeled and diced
3/4 cup filtered water
more water for steaming
steam the carrots for 15 minutes. Once soft, blend the carrots with 1/2 cup filtered water in a food processor until it is a smooth puree.
Steam the apples for 10 minutes and then blend with 1/4 cup water until it is a smooth puree. You can add more water if you would like a thinner puree.
In your baby food storage jar, mix 1/4 apple puree with 3/4 carrot puree for a yummy carrot apple baby food!
I used my Baby Cook machine to do the steaming and the pureeing. There are fool proof lines to show you how much water to add, a little steam basket to steam the fruits and veggies in, and very little clean up. If you do not have such a handy little contraption, the amounts of water and steaming times may take some trial and error. Also, with my handy little machine, I get to puree the fruits and veggies in the liquid it was steamed in to try to recapture some of those nutrients that are lost while steaming. You can do this too by using the steaming liquid instead of filtered water in the puree. Just steam your veggies in filtered water and ka-blam!
1/2 cup organic carrots, diced
1 organic apple, peeled and diced
3/4 cup filtered water
more water for steaming
steam the carrots for 15 minutes. Once soft, blend the carrots with 1/2 cup filtered water in a food processor until it is a smooth puree.
Steam the apples for 10 minutes and then blend with 1/4 cup water until it is a smooth puree. You can add more water if you would like a thinner puree.
In your baby food storage jar, mix 1/4 apple puree with 3/4 carrot puree for a yummy carrot apple baby food!
I used my Baby Cook machine to do the steaming and the pureeing. There are fool proof lines to show you how much water to add, a little steam basket to steam the fruits and veggies in, and very little clean up. If you do not have such a handy little contraption, the amounts of water and steaming times may take some trial and error. Also, with my handy little machine, I get to puree the fruits and veggies in the liquid it was steamed in to try to recapture some of those nutrients that are lost while steaming. You can do this too by using the steaming liquid instead of filtered water in the puree. Just steam your veggies in filtered water and ka-blam!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Chicky Chicky Chicken!
I am watching Beau play video games with my sister and her boyfriend and it almost makes me want to join in! Almost... :) I have never been much of a fan of these things unless it involves a little frog hopping across traffic to the river. I am very very competitive so I like instant gratification; meaning I like to win as quickly as possible. All of this shooting people, story lines, blah blah blah. It's just not my thing. But it sure is funny to watch other people play!
I would just cuddle up with a cup of hot chocolate and watch them contentedly except that it has been nagging at me that I promised some chicken recipes. So I thought I would take a moment to not only jot them down, but also to brag that I still have chicken in the fridge waiting to be eaten! One 3 pound whole chicken has been feeding us for days now, and it all started with a broth...
I have been obsessed with Nadia G lately (if you don't know who she is, you can look her up on the cooking channel's website) and I wanted to try a soup she made called Aztec soup. So I bought the stuff which ended up being very affordable and that is what started all of these chicken meals. The recipe only called for 1 cup of cooked chicken, but I wanted a whole one so I could make a broth. So I bought one little chicken friend and made a delicious broth. Usually I just stick the chicken, carved of its meat, in a crockpot and let it go on low over night. But this time I left the meat on, chopped it up to expose the marrow in the bones, and let it simmer with some vegetables (all chopped). I sauteed some carrot, celery, onion, and garlic in a stock pot. Then I added fresh oregano, threw the chicken into the pot and covered it with filtered water. I simmered it for 2 hours and let me tell you, the house smelled amazing! After I let it cool, I strained all of the broth into mason jars and hand picked all of the chicken off of the bones. There was already flavor in the chicken from cooking in the broth which is a nice added bonus.
As for the soup recipe it is a Nadia G recipe and I am not sure what the rules are about putting somebodies recipes on these things so I will just tell you this: you can look up the Aztec soup recipe by looking for Nadia G on cookingchannletv.com. It is a delicious, flavorful soup that is kind of spicy and very hearty. There is chicken, black beans, corn and wild rice in it. I used wild rice but I know the stuff is expensive and after eating it I would say that brown rice would work just as well. And she grills corn on the cob and then slices off the kernels and uses it in the soup but I am here to tell you that frozen corn does the job! And creme freche is her topping of choice; sour cream people. Let's keep it simple. Oh and one last thing, I could not find dried chipoltle peppers anywhere in my local grocery store- canned chipoltle peppers in that yummy sauce will do the trick. So take my little handy hints and try the recipe! It is well worth it.
And then for the rest of the chicken? That has been the fun part! Sure I could have done the obvious: chicken enchiladas, more chicken soup, etc. But I decided to just throw it in anything and everything. Chicken sandwiches for Beau to take to work with just lettuce tomato and cheese were simple and a nice change from lunch meat. Grilled cheeses with chunks of chicken, and then a personal favorite is this cheap box of spiral noodles in a cheddar cheese sauce (kind of like macaroni and cheese) and then just toss in chicken! My next meal will be tacos which is so super easy, just toss with some spices and grilled onions.
I know I didn't exactly give you any solid recipes to work with but I hope I at least gave you some ideas! So go out there friends and buy up some whole chickens, because they really do save money. Hence the name of this blog; there is so much to be done with Three pounds of chicken!
cooked leftover chicken
a mexican blend of shredded cheese
green or red canned enchilada sauce
corn tortillas
heat your enchilada sauce and soften your tortillas one by one in it before laying it in a casserole dish. layer down your chicken pieces, top with some cheese, then add another layer of tortillas. You can make another layer, or just top with lots of cheese and some extra sauce. Bake at 350 until the cheese is melted and it looks bubbly around the edges. let it cool a little before cutting and serving.
There are so many ways to fancy this up and make it amazing, so use this as a little rough draft and make your own masterpiece! Or make it as is for a quick dinner when you need something fuss free. It freezes very well and can definitely be made ahead of time and heated right before serving.
I would just cuddle up with a cup of hot chocolate and watch them contentedly except that it has been nagging at me that I promised some chicken recipes. So I thought I would take a moment to not only jot them down, but also to brag that I still have chicken in the fridge waiting to be eaten! One 3 pound whole chicken has been feeding us for days now, and it all started with a broth...
I have been obsessed with Nadia G lately (if you don't know who she is, you can look her up on the cooking channel's website) and I wanted to try a soup she made called Aztec soup. So I bought the stuff which ended up being very affordable and that is what started all of these chicken meals. The recipe only called for 1 cup of cooked chicken, but I wanted a whole one so I could make a broth. So I bought one little chicken friend and made a delicious broth. Usually I just stick the chicken, carved of its meat, in a crockpot and let it go on low over night. But this time I left the meat on, chopped it up to expose the marrow in the bones, and let it simmer with some vegetables (all chopped). I sauteed some carrot, celery, onion, and garlic in a stock pot. Then I added fresh oregano, threw the chicken into the pot and covered it with filtered water. I simmered it for 2 hours and let me tell you, the house smelled amazing! After I let it cool, I strained all of the broth into mason jars and hand picked all of the chicken off of the bones. There was already flavor in the chicken from cooking in the broth which is a nice added bonus.
As for the soup recipe it is a Nadia G recipe and I am not sure what the rules are about putting somebodies recipes on these things so I will just tell you this: you can look up the Aztec soup recipe by looking for Nadia G on cookingchannletv.com. It is a delicious, flavorful soup that is kind of spicy and very hearty. There is chicken, black beans, corn and wild rice in it. I used wild rice but I know the stuff is expensive and after eating it I would say that brown rice would work just as well. And she grills corn on the cob and then slices off the kernels and uses it in the soup but I am here to tell you that frozen corn does the job! And creme freche is her topping of choice; sour cream people. Let's keep it simple. Oh and one last thing, I could not find dried chipoltle peppers anywhere in my local grocery store- canned chipoltle peppers in that yummy sauce will do the trick. So take my little handy hints and try the recipe! It is well worth it.
And then for the rest of the chicken? That has been the fun part! Sure I could have done the obvious: chicken enchiladas, more chicken soup, etc. But I decided to just throw it in anything and everything. Chicken sandwiches for Beau to take to work with just lettuce tomato and cheese were simple and a nice change from lunch meat. Grilled cheeses with chunks of chicken, and then a personal favorite is this cheap box of spiral noodles in a cheddar cheese sauce (kind of like macaroni and cheese) and then just toss in chicken! My next meal will be tacos which is so super easy, just toss with some spices and grilled onions.
I know I didn't exactly give you any solid recipes to work with but I hope I at least gave you some ideas! So go out there friends and buy up some whole chickens, because they really do save money. Hence the name of this blog; there is so much to be done with Three pounds of chicken!
--------------
Quick and Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole cooked leftover chicken
a mexican blend of shredded cheese
green or red canned enchilada sauce
corn tortillas
heat your enchilada sauce and soften your tortillas one by one in it before laying it in a casserole dish. layer down your chicken pieces, top with some cheese, then add another layer of tortillas. You can make another layer, or just top with lots of cheese and some extra sauce. Bake at 350 until the cheese is melted and it looks bubbly around the edges. let it cool a little before cutting and serving.
There are so many ways to fancy this up and make it amazing, so use this as a little rough draft and make your own masterpiece! Or make it as is for a quick dinner when you need something fuss free. It freezes very well and can definitely be made ahead of time and heated right before serving.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Dog Food and Noodles
I remember being a kid and skipping into the kitchen to ask mom what was for dinner. "Dog food," she would say. "No mom, really! What's for dinner?!"
"Dog food."
We never actually ate dog food and I have no idea why these little moments always stuck with me. But they did, and last night when I was shredding beef from a leftover stew I realized it looked just like canned wet dog food! So this new recipe is now lovingly named Dog Food with Noodles. It is a wonderful recipe for leftover stew and thankfully tastes much better than actual dog food!
You will need...
leftover stew
corn starch (a couple pinches)
elbow noodles (cooked)
cheddar cheese, shredded- a couple handfuls
First off all, wit
h your leftover stew, pull out your chunks of beef and shred them, then add them back into the stew. Heat the stew in a pan and add a little corn starch to thicken the broth. Toss the stew with cooked elbow noodles. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and put the whole pan under the broiler to melt the cheese and get a little golden crust around the edges.
Kind of like a homemade hamburger helper... but better
! I served it with some garlic bread I made out of hamburger buns.
"Dog food."
We never actually ate dog food and I have no idea why these little moments always stuck with me. But they did, and last night when I was shredding beef from a leftover stew I realized it looked just like canned wet dog food! So this new recipe is now lovingly named Dog Food with Noodles. It is a wonderful recipe for leftover stew and thankfully tastes much better than actual dog food!
You will need...
leftover stew
corn starch (a couple pinches)
elbow noodles (cooked)
cheddar cheese, shredded- a couple handfuls
First off all, wit
h your leftover stew, pull out your chunks of beef and shred them, then add them back into the stew. Heat the stew in a pan and add a little corn starch to thicken the broth. Toss the stew with cooked elbow noodles. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and put the whole pan under the broiler to melt the cheese and get a little golden crust around the edges.Kind of like a homemade hamburger helper... but better
! I served it with some garlic bread I made out of hamburger buns.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Chicken & Asparagus
I love everything about the holidays! Especially all of the food at all of the many holiday parties. We have all been there, eating too much and getting a little tubby around the middle. Maybe even getting lazy from all of the sugar overloads. But I don't even mind the extra weight or the laziness as long as I get to eat and eat and eat!
Some days after eating and eating and eating I forget that I actually have to make dinner so that we can eat some more! It seems impossible that we will ever be hungry again after some of these holiday spreads, but inevitably after some time we are indeed hungry again. And on these days when I am lazy from coconut macaroons, holiday cookies, and little plate after little plate of delicious finger foods, it really helps to have a quick meal on hand. One that is loaded with good for you-ness too so you can get that energy back! And as it would happen, I have one of those recipes.
My mom gave me this recipe a few months back and I made some improvements on it. It is a beautiful little dish that looks like it takes lots of time (but of course it doesn't), and what I really love about it is that your vegetables are cooked right in!
chicken roll, mashed potatoes and gravy, romaine lettuce salad
Chicken and Asparagus Rolls
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds chicken breasts, pounded thin
4 slices mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese
1 lb asparagus
salt and pepper
and handful of flour
toothpicks
procedure
after flattening the chicken breasts to all the same thickness salt and pepper them and set them aside. (I marinated my chicken breasts for 4 hours in a dry brine. it was delicious! The brine is from William Sonoma. If you do not have a brine and want more flavor than just salt and pepper, you can make your own brine with course sea salt, pepper, dry sage and some dry thyme. rub the chicken, then pat it dry before cooking)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place a slice of cheese and some goat cheese crumbles then some asparagus on one end of chicken and roll it up. Hold it together with some toothpicks. Do this to all of them.
Roll the rolled chicken in flour and brown it on all sides in a pan with some butter or oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the toothpicks before eating.
Some days after eating and eating and eating I forget that I actually have to make dinner so that we can eat some more! It seems impossible that we will ever be hungry again after some of these holiday spreads, but inevitably after some time we are indeed hungry again. And on these days when I am lazy from coconut macaroons, holiday cookies, and little plate after little plate of delicious finger foods, it really helps to have a quick meal on hand. One that is loaded with good for you-ness too so you can get that energy back! And as it would happen, I have one of those recipes.
My mom gave me this recipe a few months back and I made some improvements on it. It is a beautiful little dish that looks like it takes lots of time (but of course it doesn't), and what I really love about it is that your vegetables are cooked right in!
chicken roll, mashed potatoes and gravy, romaine lettuce salad
Chicken and Asparagus Rolls
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds chicken breasts, pounded thin
4 slices mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese
1 lb asparagus
salt and pepper
and handful of flour
toothpicks
procedure
after flattening the chicken breasts to all the same thickness salt and pepper them and set them aside. (I marinated my chicken breasts for 4 hours in a dry brine. it was delicious! The brine is from William Sonoma. If you do not have a brine and want more flavor than just salt and pepper, you can make your own brine with course sea salt, pepper, dry sage and some dry thyme. rub the chicken, then pat it dry before cooking)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place a slice of cheese and some goat cheese crumbles then some asparagus on one end of chicken and roll it up. Hold it together with some toothpicks. Do this to all of them.
Roll the rolled chicken in flour and brown it on all sides in a pan with some butter or oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the toothpicks before eating.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
My List Of the Bucket!
With the new year fast approaching I have been hearing a lot about resolutions, goals, weight loss plans... all the same old things we all seem to think about right around the time we put away the eggnog and hang up the new calendars. I happen to not really believe in New Years resolutions. It always seems to me that I either make them too broad or too specific. Like for example I might say "be a better person." Yes, well that is all fine and dandy except that you have no idea what it means. Or I might get really specific like saying "lose 10 pounds." This one is extra horrible because what I am basically telling myself is that I am not good enough, I am too fat and now I must lose weight. And if I don't lose the weight? Well I stress about it for the first few months of the year, eventually becoming exhausted and then failing, where I then feel like crap. Not good.
So as I have grown older and wiser (oh yes, I am very wise at my 21 years of age) and I have decided that New Years resolutions are not for me. But all the talk of goals and things has gotten me thinking about something I do believe in. Bucket Lists! I have had an unofficial bucket list going on in my head for years. Something I have never written down, and some things I have never even said out loud, but all things that I have been longing for and that I am determined to make happen by the end of this lovely little life I am living!
One year, ten years, it doesn't really matter to me. But at some point in my life these are the things that I want...
#1 This one sounds like a weird thing to have on a bucket list, but I have really really wanted one of these dogs ever since I discovered the breed! I want to own a Bernese Mountain
dog! They are so beautiful and such sweet dogs. When I lived with the Buddhists there was one of these pretty dogs living there with us. Poor thing though, it was fed a vegetarian diet because he was "cruelty free" which is, of course, something I am sure all dogs are concerned about. He was so skinny and his fur looked like crap. I very often thought about sneaking some steak into that dogs bowl full of rice. (not just vegetarian dog food. The dog ate just rice!)
#2 I was reading a Backpacker magazine one day and saw a little tiny picture of this beautiful green hill and some ruins off in the distance. The heading said "4 day hike in Peru: Machu Picchu" I was instantly drawn to it and decided right then and there that I would hike to Machu Picchu someday. I actually went as far as to call a travel agency in Australlia and became friends with the lady who always answered the phone. It is my dream hike, my dream vacation, my dream whatever. I love that there is so much culture there, you get to see villages and beautiful scenery, and then at the end of it all, you have the satisfaction of ending up somewhere and not just hiking a giant loop where you end up back where you started.
#3 This one is a little embarrassing, because part of me feels like who am I to think that anyone would be interested even if I were to do it, but here it goes... I want to write a book. I want to write a cookbook, and I also have an idea for a fiction novel that I have been dying to get published. Silly? maybe... but I will do it anyway.
#4 I have always wanted to learn Italian and then go to Italy and order coffee. Sound a little reminiscent of Eat Pray Love? I assure you I had the idea way before Elizabeth Gilbert ever told us about her adventure! It all started when I bought an Italian cookbook, then from there I fell in love with the food, then the culture and then the language. I have always loved coffee. And wouldn't you know it? So do the Italians! Good strong espresso, just the way it was meant to be. And those beautiful words, that delicious food... I will go there someday in my life, and hopefully many more times than once.
There are a few more... okay, there are a lot more! But these are the four that I have held near my heart for many years. So there it is. There is what I want my life to be in 4 little paragraphs.
So as I have grown older and wiser (oh yes, I am very wise at my 21 years of age) and I have decided that New Years resolutions are not for me. But all the talk of goals and things has gotten me thinking about something I do believe in. Bucket Lists! I have had an unofficial bucket list going on in my head for years. Something I have never written down, and some things I have never even said out loud, but all things that I have been longing for and that I am determined to make happen by the end of this lovely little life I am living!
One year, ten years, it doesn't really matter to me. But at some point in my life these are the things that I want...
#1 This one sounds like a weird thing to have on a bucket list, but I have really really wanted one of these dogs ever since I discovered the breed! I want to own a Bernese Mountain
dog! They are so beautiful and such sweet dogs. When I lived with the Buddhists there was one of these pretty dogs living there with us. Poor thing though, it was fed a vegetarian diet because he was "cruelty free" which is, of course, something I am sure all dogs are concerned about. He was so skinny and his fur looked like crap. I very often thought about sneaking some steak into that dogs bowl full of rice. (not just vegetarian dog food. The dog ate just rice!)#2 I was reading a Backpacker magazine one day and saw a little tiny picture of this beautiful green hill and some ruins off in the distance. The heading said "4 day hike in Peru: Machu Picchu" I was instantly drawn to it and decided right then and there that I would hike to Machu Picchu someday. I actually went as far as to call a travel agency in Australlia and became friends with the lady who always answered the phone. It is my dream hike, my dream vacation, my dream whatever. I love that there is so much culture there, you get to see villages and beautiful scenery, and then at the end of it all, you have the satisfaction of ending up somewhere and not just hiking a giant loop where you end up back where you started.
#3 This one is a little embarrassing, because part of me feels like who am I to think that anyone would be interested even if I were to do it, but here it goes... I want to write a book. I want to write a cookbook, and I also have an idea for a fiction novel that I have been dying to get published. Silly? maybe... but I will do it anyway.
#4 I have always wanted to learn Italian and then go to Italy and order coffee. Sound a little reminiscent of Eat Pray Love? I assure you I had the idea way before Elizabeth Gilbert ever told us about her adventure! It all started when I bought an Italian cookbook, then from there I fell in love with the food, then the culture and then the language. I have always loved coffee. And wouldn't you know it? So do the Italians! Good strong espresso, just the way it was meant to be. And those beautiful words, that delicious food... I will go there someday in my life, and hopefully many more times than once.
There are a few more... okay, there are a lot more! But these are the four that I have held near my heart for many years. So there it is. There is what I want my life to be in 4 little paragraphs.
"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
(I hope you're right Ralph!)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Do stupid things Faster and with more Energy!
My dog is laying on my feet and I can feel his muscles twitch while he dreams. The baby is sleeping too. The house is quiet and covered in fluff from a giant stuffed bone I gave the dog a couple days ago. When everything is so quiet like this I can almost imagine my life before Ally, but I can never remember what it is I would do without entertaining and feeding a small baby! I can't imagine what life would be like if it was quiet like this all the time. Isn't it funny how you change once you have kids?
As if my life was not crazy enough, I have begun to move forward with plans to open a small business: a little coffee shop in downtown. Going through the paperwork and the motions, I am surprised by the simplicity of it all! So you want to open a business... go right ahead! It is kind of frightening that everyone has such a relaxed attitude about my future possibly unsuccessful (but hopefully successful!) business. I keep waiting for someone to say, "wait a minute! you are very young and it is possible that this may not work so maybe I should stop you! But instead they say "fantastic! let's open it as soon as possible!" Which is also very exciting as it is scary.
Yesterday I put on my nicest pants (which happen to be maternity pants that I had to keep up by folding over the elastic band) and gathered up my business plan and a notebook in a folder to go to a meeting at city hall to discuss my options and the steps I should take. Th
e folder I was holding is red which is a "power color" and that fact was not lost on me. I wanted to look fierce, professional, and like I knew exactly what I was doing! Which could not have been further from the truth. The truth is, I know nothing about business. In my favor I have my knack for learning very quickly on the spot, an innate business common sense and a lot of business owners in my family. But the only thing I actually really know is coffee. Coffee is a passion and obsession of mine and being a barista continues to be my favorite job I ever had. So here I was in a fancy office sitting at the end of a long black table with a bunch of old men and my red folder. "what the hell am I getting into?" I thought.
But the meeting went well and as far as I know I fooled them all, just as I was hoping to. I am now looking for the building that I want to put my business into, and being that the mayor is a long time friend's dad, I feel like I have a lot on my side. So here goes nothing!
When I open this little shop, I have a collection of recipes I would like to use for the baked goods I will sell. One of them is a unique and delicious vegan brownie I have been making for some time now. It is really delicious, you won't even know it is vegan! And they are so easy to make.
Vegan Rose Brownies
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup strongly brewed black rose tea (I use Gypsy's). whatever you use it should smell like flowers when it is brewed
1/2 cup oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
optional: 1/3 cup shredded coconut. pulsed in a food processor to be minced
preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a pan. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir in the tea, then the rest of the wet ingredients. Fold in the coconut if you are using it. Bake for 20 minutes
that's all there is to it!
As if my life was not crazy enough, I have begun to move forward with plans to open a small business: a little coffee shop in downtown. Going through the paperwork and the motions, I am surprised by the simplicity of it all! So you want to open a business... go right ahead! It is kind of frightening that everyone has such a relaxed attitude about my future possibly unsuccessful (but hopefully successful!) business. I keep waiting for someone to say, "wait a minute! you are very young and it is possible that this may not work so maybe I should stop you! But instead they say "fantastic! let's open it as soon as possible!" Which is also very exciting as it is scary.
Yesterday I put on my nicest pants (which happen to be maternity pants that I had to keep up by folding over the elastic band) and gathered up my business plan and a notebook in a folder to go to a meeting at city hall to discuss my options and the steps I should take. Th
e folder I was holding is red which is a "power color" and that fact was not lost on me. I wanted to look fierce, professional, and like I knew exactly what I was doing! Which could not have been further from the truth. The truth is, I know nothing about business. In my favor I have my knack for learning very quickly on the spot, an innate business common sense and a lot of business owners in my family. But the only thing I actually really know is coffee. Coffee is a passion and obsession of mine and being a barista continues to be my favorite job I ever had. So here I was in a fancy office sitting at the end of a long black table with a bunch of old men and my red folder. "what the hell am I getting into?" I thought.But the meeting went well and as far as I know I fooled them all, just as I was hoping to. I am now looking for the building that I want to put my business into, and being that the mayor is a long time friend's dad, I feel like I have a lot on my side. So here goes nothing!
When I open this little shop, I have a collection of recipes I would like to use for the baked goods I will sell. One of them is a unique and delicious vegan brownie I have been making for some time now. It is really delicious, you won't even know it is vegan! And they are so easy to make.
Vegan Rose Brownies
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup strongly brewed black rose tea (I use Gypsy's). whatever you use it should smell like flowers when it is brewed
1/2 cup oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
optional: 1/3 cup shredded coconut. pulsed in a food processor to be minced
preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a pan. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir in the tea, then the rest of the wet ingredients. Fold in the coconut if you are using it. Bake for 20 minutes
that's all there is to it!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
ms. piggy is delicious...
Alright folks! Between the baby and the endless list of chores I have yet to get to today, this is going to be short and sweet. But I feel it is very much worth your time!
I have an incurable addiction to magazines. For some reason I just really love the quick bursts of information littered with tips, recipes and glossy ads for things I can't afford. But being that we are trying to be super money savers lately, magazines are not on my list of things I am allowed to buy. But every once in a while a girl has to make an exception... like when this months issue of Better Homes and Gardens is just bursting full of delicious looking recipes I must try! So on my coffee table it sits, dog-eared and with pages ripped out. One of those pages in particular I want to share with you. A recipe for a stew that sounds like it has odd ingredients but is actually one of the most delicious stews in my recipe box!
Pork and Sweet Potato Stew
1 2 1/2- 3 lb pork loin cut into cubes ( I actually used pork roast on sale that I cubed and it was fantastic.)
3-4 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
10 oz. apple-cranberry juice (a little over a cup)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
(my procedure is completely different than the magazine's. so if you want to see how to do it their way, buy the mag!)
Preheat the oven to 325. cut off all if the extra pork fat and render in a cast iron dutch oven on a low heat. Once rendered, remove the fat pieces and brown the cubed pork on each side. Set aside. Add the butter and saute the onion and celery until soft. Add the sweet potato and saute for a couple minutes. Add the meat back into the pot, sprinkle with flour and stir to coat. Add the juice and chicken broth. The meat should be just barely covered, you can add more chicken broth or water if you need it. Season with salt and pepper and half of the sage. Put the lid on the dutch oven and place inside the oven. Cook for about an hour, until the flavors are melded together and the pork is cooked all the way through.
Delish! I served this stew with Hawaiian sweet rolls because it was right before
Thanksgiving and they were on sale. The rolls were perfect with it!
I have an incurable addiction to magazines. For some reason I just really love the quick bursts of information littered with tips, recipes and glossy ads for things I can't afford. But being that we are trying to be super money savers lately, magazines are not on my list of things I am allowed to buy. But every once in a while a girl has to make an exception... like when this months issue of Better Homes and Gardens is just bursting full of delicious looking recipes I must try! So on my coffee table it sits, dog-eared and with pages ripped out. One of those pages in particular I want to share with you. A recipe for a stew that sounds like it has odd ingredients but is actually one of the most delicious stews in my recipe box!
Pork and Sweet Potato Stew
1 2 1/2- 3 lb pork loin cut into cubes ( I actually used pork roast on sale that I cubed and it was fantastic.)
3-4 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
10 oz. apple-cranberry juice (a little over a cup)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
(my procedure is completely different than the magazine's. so if you want to see how to do it their way, buy the mag!)
Preheat the oven to 325. cut off all if the extra pork fat and render in a cast iron dutch oven on a low heat. Once rendered, remove the fat pieces and brown the cubed pork on each side. Set aside. Add the butter and saute the onion and celery until soft. Add the sweet potato and saute for a couple minutes. Add the meat back into the pot, sprinkle with flour and stir to coat. Add the juice and chicken broth. The meat should be just barely covered, you can add more chicken broth or water if you need it. Season with salt and pepper and half of the sage. Put the lid on the dutch oven and place inside the oven. Cook for about an hour, until the flavors are melded together and the pork is cooked all the way through.
Delish! I served this stew with Hawaiian sweet rolls because it was right before
Thanksgiving and they were on sale. The rolls were perfect with it!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Very Quick Lasagna
My lasagna definitely does the job on the days I don't feel like cooking. I have also discovered that it freezes exceptionally well and the ingredients are so cheap, why not make 2 or 3 for future dinners?
You will need...
a box of lasagna noodles (sometimes I like whole wheat, but the man doesn't, so it is up to you)
crushed tomatoes or canned tomato sauce
1 zucchini, diced
1 package mushrooms, sliced
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1 onion, diced
mozzarella cheese, shredded
grated Parmesan cheese
ricotta cheese (oddly, Beau hates this cheese! So i leave it out of mine)
fresh basil and oregano, chopped
butter or olive oil for cooking
in a large pot, boil your noodles, stirring to keep from sticking and then strain. Toss with butter or olive oil to keep them from sticking together and set aside.
Saute the mushrooms and onions with butter in a saute pan until just, soft. Set aside and saute the zucchini and red bell pepper until just soft. Now the fun part...
in a pan spread some tomato sauce so the noodles do not stick, and lay down your cooked noodles. On top of this add ricotta if you are using it, but if you do not like ricotta then layer some moz. cheese and lay another layer of noodles on top of it. Top this with some sauce, and then the veggies. Add one more layer of noodles, top with more sauce and then layer both cheeses on the top. Sprinkle with the herbs.
At this point you can either cover with saran wrap and freeze or bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted and everything looks delicious.
This is just my quick lasagna, but the great thing about this particular dish is its versatility! Swap out veggies for other veggies, add meat, or even use a white bechemal sauce instead of the red. The noodles are your canvas! and luckily, it is very hard to go wrong with layers of sauce, noodle and veggie.
You will need...
a box of lasagna noodles (sometimes I like whole wheat, but the man doesn't, so it is up to you)
crushed tomatoes or canned tomato sauce
1 zucchini, diced
1 package mushrooms, sliced
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1 onion, diced
mozzarella cheese, shredded
grated Parmesan cheese
ricotta cheese (oddly, Beau hates this cheese! So i leave it out of mine)
fresh basil and oregano, chopped
butter or olive oil for cooking
in a large pot, boil your noodles, stirring to keep from sticking and then strain. Toss with butter or olive oil to keep them from sticking together and set aside.
Saute the mushrooms and onions with butter in a saute pan until just, soft. Set aside and saute the zucchini and red bell pepper until just soft. Now the fun part...
in a pan spread some tomato sauce so the noodles do not stick, and lay down your cooked noodles. On top of this add ricotta if you are using it, but if you do not like ricotta then layer some moz. cheese and lay another layer of noodles on top of it. Top this with some sauce, and then the veggies. Add one more layer of noodles, top with more sauce and then layer both cheeses on the top. Sprinkle with the herbs.
At this point you can either cover with saran wrap and freeze or bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted and everything looks delicious.
This is just my quick lasagna, but the great thing about this particular dish is its versatility! Swap out veggies for other veggies, add meat, or even use a white bechemal sauce instead of the red. The noodles are your canvas! and luckily, it is very hard to go wrong with layers of sauce, noodle and veggie.
"Chaos is a friend of mine"
Becoming a mother has been one of the most challenging things I have done in my life thus far. Becoming a mother with a huge young dog is proving to be impossibly chaotic.
Beau and I had had "puppy fever" for quite some time now and we kept talking about getting a puppy. We wanted a Bernese Mountain Dog or a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Huge gentle giants known for their calm, family orientated nature. And what beautiful dogs they are! But unfortunately, living in the desert makes breeders of these dogs very rare, and the few that do breed them take full advantage of their growing popularity by charging $2000 and up! Ya, right...
So when my mom told us about a program that lets you adopt breeder dogs for free and all you have to do is let the program take them and pimp them off twice a year, we jumped at the chance! The dogs are very well trained, beautifully bred to look their best, and you get to use the program's vet, boarding and training. Then as an added bonus, the program is a place that provides guide dogs to the blind free of charge, so in a way we are helping a wonderful cause. We visited the dogs twice and met Bob Dylan, a beautiful chocolate lab. As soon as I saw his perfect face I knew it was over for me. We brought him home that weekend.
When we brought Dylan home, he immediately found the toys we had bought for him, ran around the yard and snuggled up in his very large crate that came with him. This was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship...
Fast forward about a week. I have now learned that Dylan must be briskly walked twice a day, no matter that it is absolutely freezing a windy outside, or he gets bored and destroys the house. So my mornings are spent bundling up the baby, pulling Dylan off the furniture and shoving us all outside where we then walk all over town until he is tired enough to just sit nice and eat his toys. He has so far desroyed my only black bra, a huge body pillow that left fluff all over the house, a baby toy and so many dog toys I can't even remember the number. He has also eaten a pumpkin pie and a stick of butter. As I write this I am puppy-sitting my mom's dog (from the same program. She raises them to be guide dogs someday) and Dylan is outside. He has destroyed our screen door which I am sure my landlord is going to love, and he is now standing on top of the washing machine, looking into the kitchen window.
That is the funny thing about labs. They are such beautiful, happy looking dogs and you bring them home expecting to have photos of that perfect, all-American family with your dog sitting nice in the center... and then you realize you are now living out pages from the book Marley and Me. And yet you still love them! There is something about a smiling Labrador retriever face that you cannot help but forgive which is probably why we are all still breeding them and claiming they are perfect family dogs.
Add all this puppy chaos to a screaming colic-y baby and you have a petty clear picture of my life right now. Which is why I absolutely relish those couple of hours after Beau gets home and we walk the dog, then bathe the baby and put her to bed and we can snuggle up on the couch and talk about our days or just quietly watch Bitchin' Kitchen on the cooking channel (my new obsession). Those few hours are my favorite of the day and looking forward to it helps me look past the destroyed baby toys and just laugh when Dylan pulls out my box of Christmas decorations and litters them all over the floor. It's all good, because in only 3 more hours, Beau will be home... And yesterday he just happened to come home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers that are now sitting in front of me and they smell amazing. Maybe I do live in that perfect all-American family portrait.
Beau and I had had "puppy fever" for quite some time now and we kept talking about getting a puppy. We wanted a Bernese Mountain Dog or a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Huge gentle giants known for their calm, family orientated nature. And what beautiful dogs they are! But unfortunately, living in the desert makes breeders of these dogs very rare, and the few that do breed them take full advantage of their growing popularity by charging $2000 and up! Ya, right...
So when my mom told us about a program that lets you adopt breeder dogs for free and all you have to do is let the program take them and pimp them off twice a year, we jumped at the chance! The dogs are very well trained, beautifully bred to look their best, and you get to use the program's vet, boarding and training. Then as an added bonus, the program is a place that provides guide dogs to the blind free of charge, so in a way we are helping a wonderful cause. We visited the dogs twice and met Bob Dylan, a beautiful chocolate lab. As soon as I saw his perfect face I knew it was over for me. We brought him home that weekend.
When we brought Dylan home, he immediately found the toys we had bought for him, ran around the yard and snuggled up in his very large crate that came with him. This was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship...
Fast forward about a week. I have now learned that Dylan must be briskly walked twice a day, no matter that it is absolutely freezing a windy outside, or he gets bored and destroys the house. So my mornings are spent bundling up the baby, pulling Dylan off the furniture and shoving us all outside where we then walk all over town until he is tired enough to just sit nice and eat his toys. He has so far desroyed my only black bra, a huge body pillow that left fluff all over the house, a baby toy and so many dog toys I can't even remember the number. He has also eaten a pumpkin pie and a stick of butter. As I write this I am puppy-sitting my mom's dog (from the same program. She raises them to be guide dogs someday) and Dylan is outside. He has destroyed our screen door which I am sure my landlord is going to love, and he is now standing on top of the washing machine, looking into the kitchen window.
That is the funny thing about labs. They are such beautiful, happy looking dogs and you bring them home expecting to have photos of that perfect, all-American family with your dog sitting nice in the center... and then you realize you are now living out pages from the book Marley and Me. And yet you still love them! There is something about a smiling Labrador retriever face that you cannot help but forgive which is probably why we are all still breeding them and claiming they are perfect family dogs.
Add all this puppy chaos to a screaming colic-y baby and you have a petty clear picture of my life right now. Which is why I absolutely relish those couple of hours after Beau gets home and we walk the dog, then bathe the baby and put her to bed and we can snuggle up on the couch and talk about our days or just quietly watch Bitchin' Kitchen on the cooking channel (my new obsession). Those few hours are my favorite of the day and looking forward to it helps me look past the destroyed baby toys and just laugh when Dylan pulls out my box of Christmas decorations and litters them all over the floor. It's all good, because in only 3 more hours, Beau will be home... And yesterday he just happened to come home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers that are now sitting in front of me and they smell amazing. Maybe I do live in that perfect all-American family portrait.
"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do." - Bob Dylan
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Gravy Me
"mmm biscuits and gravy," I mused out loud. I had wonderful memories of sitting around campfires with my family, thick buttery biscuits smothered in creamy country gravy on my paper plate. We never got very fancy with them, it was all mostly pop-out-of-a-tube biscuits and some simple gravy from a packet, but it is truly one of my favorite meals.
"I've never had 'em," Beau said. I stared at him in disbelief and bought some biscuits the very next day. How on earth could anyone have lived for 25 years and never have had biscuits and gravy??
So this morning while I was lying in bed waiting for Beau to get the baby without realizing he was gone taking the dog for a walk, I decided this chilly morning was the perfect day to enlighten Beau with the beautiful thing that is, yes I will say it again, Biscuits and la Gravy!
I use the basic pop-out biscuits with a little black pepper sprinkled on top and melted butter painted over the top after they get out of the oven. Nothing fancy! And then, you can buy the Jimmy Deen sausage in the little tube and either make it into patties or brown it in a pan in crumbles that will later get mixed into the gravy. Mixing in some seasonings makes it that much more special. It sort of depends on what you like, but some garlic salt, fennel, or thyme are all yummy. And then the best part... gravy.
Some people seem to be letting their lives pass them by without ever knowing how to make homemade gravy. Shame on you! It is so easy and so so delicious! You will only need a few things:
a couple Tbsp of butter
a small handful of flour
about 2 or 3 cups of milk (this is country gravy, not brown)
salt and pepper
the drippings from the sausage you were cooking, or any other yummy drippings
a whisk
Heat the milk in a pot or the microwave. In a pan (it does not have to be a pot. I use a saute pan with sides) melt the butter. Once melted, sprinkle the flour in the pan and whisk it around until incorporated. Without letting it brown, slowly pour in the milk while whisking. Let it simmer at a medium heat while whisking until it begins to thicken. This can take about 5 minutes. If it never thickens, sprinkle in a little more flour and whisk. Once it is thick and has cooked for a while (you want to cook out the flour flavor) season with salt and pepper, then pour in the drippings (and sausage if that is how you roll) and stir. Ta da! That's it! Be sure to taste it for the correct seasoning. It may take more salt than you realize.
Then you can pour the gravy over your sausage and biscuits and savor. Mmmm... Best when enjoyed by a campfire, but when this is not possible, it is just as good when sitting across the table from your man.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...
Beau is working late tonight, and in an effort to relax I decided to listen to a podcast I had downloaded a year ago from Yoga to the People and do yoga for an hour. I had no idea it would make me miss Berkeley so much!
Not just Berkeley as a place, but also who I was when I first began my journey to the city. It brought back feelings and memories of the beautiful smells, the damp air and soggy streets, and most of all, the exciting feeling that everything was brand new. It was a time when I was not only exploring a new and strange city, I was also exploring myself. I couldn't soak in enough of the people, the crazy random shops and the thousands of restaurants. I would never be in want of a coffee shop. For the first few months it rained and rained but I didn't mind at all. There was not a day gone by when I didn't cuddle up in my warmest Southern California garb and discover something new- be it a cupcake like I had never dreamed existed, or a scary ghetto neighborhood where there happened to be a fantastic farmers market. I didn't pass up any invitation for a party, an art opening or to go out and meet new friends. I met people who have taught me those sorts of important things only strangers can teach you, and I have also met people who I couldn't wait to get away from. All in all, those damp days were something I will cherish forever. The simple joy of starting every day walking next to the bay; soaking it all in, as if I new my time was limited. I have never been so happy.
And even more than those beautiful mornings and eventful days, oh those San Fransisco nights! The night I went to an art opening on a whim and met some of the most entertaining people I could ever hope to mingle with. That art is still some of my favorite I have ever seen. And outside the gallery, on a cold dark street, stood a band consisting of a tuba, drums, trombone, and other odd instruments. As they played, a chubby girl wearing a beanie sold homemade cupcakes for a dollar. I was delighted!
And then there was the jazz band that played once a week at the cafe down the street. Every evening I would walk to the cafe, buy a cup of tea and sit by myself listening to jazz... but I never felt alone. I believe the word I am looking for is content. Completely content.
I wouldn't trade all of those yoga classes in the city, eccentric artists' openings and BART rides for anything in this world.
Here is to you Bay Area! Thank you for being my home for the short couple of years I was lucky enough to live there. I miss your random beauty among the yuck and that excited feeling I would get in my belly when I found something new I had never seen before. *Muah!*
Not just Berkeley as a place, but also who I was when I first began my journey to the city. It brought back feelings and memories of the beautiful smells, the damp air and soggy streets, and most of all, the exciting feeling that everything was brand new. It was a time when I was not only exploring a new and strange city, I was also exploring myself. I couldn't soak in enough of the people, the crazy random shops and the thousands of restaurants. I would never be in want of a coffee shop. For the first few months it rained and rained but I didn't mind at all. There was not a day gone by when I didn't cuddle up in my warmest Southern California garb and discover something new- be it a cupcake like I had never dreamed existed, or a scary ghetto neighborhood where there happened to be a fantastic farmers market. I didn't pass up any invitation for a party, an art opening or to go out and meet new friends. I met people who have taught me those sorts of important things only strangers can teach you, and I have also met people who I couldn't wait to get away from. All in all, those damp days were something I will cherish forever. The simple joy of starting every day walking next to the bay; soaking it all in, as if I new my time was limited. I have never been so happy.
And even more than those beautiful mornings and eventful days, oh those San Fransisco nights! The night I went to an art opening on a whim and met some of the most entertaining people I could ever hope to mingle with. That art is still some of my favorite I have ever seen. And outside the gallery, on a cold dark street, stood a band consisting of a tuba, drums, trombone, and other odd instruments. As they played, a chubby girl wearing a beanie sold homemade cupcakes for a dollar. I was delighted!
And then there was the jazz band that played once a week at the cafe down the street. Every evening I would walk to the cafe, buy a cup of tea and sit by myself listening to jazz... but I never felt alone. I believe the word I am looking for is content. Completely content.
I wouldn't trade all of those yoga classes in the city, eccentric artists' openings and BART rides for anything in this world.
Here is to you Bay Area! Thank you for being my home for the short couple of years I was lucky enough to live there. I miss your random beauty among the yuck and that excited feeling I would get in my belly when I found something new I had never seen before. *Muah!*
Monday, November 15, 2010
when life hands you Lentils
This past week has been one of those weeks that flies by and all I can really remember of it is little blurs of exhausting events. You know that kind of week...
swoosh! There goes me getting scammed with a fraudulent check! Vroom! There's my doctor prescribing me the wrong birth control and it causing my breast milk to dry up and my baby to scream at me with hunger pains! Smash! I've just been hit with wedding to-do's and Christmas plans and a super tight budget! ...sigh...
Along with the bad, there has also been good but it was the kind of good that brings along its buddy, emotional exhaustion. Trying on wedding dresses, talking about the invitations and flowers and center pieces and Ahhh!!! With a really tight budget and only 7 months until the wedding date, I feel like I have been hit with a truck (a truck with cans tied to the back and "Just Married" written on the back windshield.) And along with everything else, as my baby gets bigger and cuter and more fun, she also gets more opinionated, fussy and she is starting to teeth. Needless to say, cooking fabulous meals and then writing about them has been way down on my to do list. And I mean waaay down. But I decided to sit at the computer today and blog anyway because I needed a little quiet mommy time. A little place where I can let it all hang out and complain.
Because today, as visions of Christmas to-do lists danced in my head and images of white dresses clouded my eyes, I did the classic Jasmine California stop a little ways up the street from my house and was immediately pulled over and ticketed. She said it was because my registration was expired, but no where is that mentioned on the ticket, just that I ran a stop sign (which I think is a little dramatic. "Ran" is not the right work for a really quick little stop-and-go-right-away). So there it is. A whole new week and already I have to show up in court and pay a fine for goodness only knows how much.
And now I am looking around and I can see that my flowers need to be watered, the wedding magazines need to be picked up and dinner needs to be started before my man gets home. The baby needs a nap, the floor needs to be vacuumed, the bills need to be paid, and the sink is full of dishes. I think of all of these people who give me strange looks or make snide comments because I stay at home to take care of my baby instead of working a "real" job and I wonder what their lives must be like where they can get away from it all for 8 hours a day and then come home to their family life. I think of it as a break! Don't try to tell me your life is harder because you have a real job. I never get a break from this! I don't get vacations or lunch breaks, and most of all, I don't get a paycheck! I am up at the butt crack of dawn with a boss who greets me by crying and sucking all of the nutrients out of my body and then poops. I spend my day making my man's house a place he is happy to come home to and I make sure his "kingdom" is running smoothly. Sometimes I forget to eat and I will dance around having to pee for hours before I get a chance to go. My hair looks like crap and the only make up I have time for is concealer to hide the dark circles and some mascara to make me look awake.
But the thing is, I wouldn't trade this last hard week for anything in the world. I do this job for free, but what I get out of it is more than I could have ever asked for. I have a man who loves me and tells me so when he comes home to me every night. And that screaming, pooping little bundle of spit up makes me more happy than I ever thought possible. So when my washing machine breaks, and the the car won't pass smog and I get a ticket, a fraudulent check, and the wrong birth control all in one week, well that's okay. Because I also get the toothless smiles, the hugs and all of the love I need to keep me pushing through.
So thank you to my little family! I love you guys and I am so happy that you love me enough to put up with the very simple dinner I will be serving you tonight; and I know you will not make a single complaint even if you really want to. =)
After a Hard Week Lentil Soup
4 or 5 strips of bacon
1 16 oz pack of lentils
1 large onion
2 ribs celery
3 small carrots
1 large beef (or pork) stock bone with marrow
in a saute pan, cook the bacon and render out all of the fat. Set the bacon aside and keep the fat. Dice all of the veggies and saute in the bacon grease. Add the lentils and saute for 1-2 minutes to soak up the bacon flavor. Pour the whole mixture in a crock pot, add filtered water a couple inches over the lentils and add in the beef bone. Cook on low until lentils are soft. Add more water if you need it. Season with salt and pepper and some dried herbs if you want them. Thyme, oregano, or sage are all good in this soup.
swoosh! There goes me getting scammed with a fraudulent check! Vroom! There's my doctor prescribing me the wrong birth control and it causing my breast milk to dry up and my baby to scream at me with hunger pains! Smash! I've just been hit with wedding to-do's and Christmas plans and a super tight budget! ...sigh...
Along with the bad, there has also been good but it was the kind of good that brings along its buddy, emotional exhaustion. Trying on wedding dresses, talking about the invitations and flowers and center pieces and Ahhh!!! With a really tight budget and only 7 months until the wedding date, I feel like I have been hit with a truck (a truck with cans tied to the back and "Just Married" written on the back windshield.) And along with everything else, as my baby gets bigger and cuter and more fun, she also gets more opinionated, fussy and she is starting to teeth. Needless to say, cooking fabulous meals and then writing about them has been way down on my to do list. And I mean waaay down. But I decided to sit at the computer today and blog anyway because I needed a little quiet mommy time. A little place where I can let it all hang out and complain.
Because today, as visions of Christmas to-do lists danced in my head and images of white dresses clouded my eyes, I did the classic Jasmine California stop a little ways up the street from my house and was immediately pulled over and ticketed. She said it was because my registration was expired, but no where is that mentioned on the ticket, just that I ran a stop sign (which I think is a little dramatic. "Ran" is not the right work for a really quick little stop-and-go-right-away). So there it is. A whole new week and already I have to show up in court and pay a fine for goodness only knows how much.
And now I am looking around and I can see that my flowers need to be watered, the wedding magazines need to be picked up and dinner needs to be started before my man gets home. The baby needs a nap, the floor needs to be vacuumed, the bills need to be paid, and the sink is full of dishes. I think of all of these people who give me strange looks or make snide comments because I stay at home to take care of my baby instead of working a "real" job and I wonder what their lives must be like where they can get away from it all for 8 hours a day and then come home to their family life. I think of it as a break! Don't try to tell me your life is harder because you have a real job. I never get a break from this! I don't get vacations or lunch breaks, and most of all, I don't get a paycheck! I am up at the butt crack of dawn with a boss who greets me by crying and sucking all of the nutrients out of my body and then poops. I spend my day making my man's house a place he is happy to come home to and I make sure his "kingdom" is running smoothly. Sometimes I forget to eat and I will dance around having to pee for hours before I get a chance to go. My hair looks like crap and the only make up I have time for is concealer to hide the dark circles and some mascara to make me look awake.
But the thing is, I wouldn't trade this last hard week for anything in the world. I do this job for free, but what I get out of it is more than I could have ever asked for. I have a man who loves me and tells me so when he comes home to me every night. And that screaming, pooping little bundle of spit up makes me more happy than I ever thought possible. So when my washing machine breaks, and the the car won't pass smog and I get a ticket, a fraudulent check, and the wrong birth control all in one week, well that's okay. Because I also get the toothless smiles, the hugs and all of the love I need to keep me pushing through.
So thank you to my little family! I love you guys and I am so happy that you love me enough to put up with the very simple dinner I will be serving you tonight; and I know you will not make a single complaint even if you really want to. =)
After a Hard Week Lentil Soup
4 or 5 strips of bacon
1 16 oz pack of lentils
1 large onion
2 ribs celery
3 small carrots
1 large beef (or pork) stock bone with marrow
in a saute pan, cook the bacon and render out all of the fat. Set the bacon aside and keep the fat. Dice all of the veggies and saute in the bacon grease. Add the lentils and saute for 1-2 minutes to soak up the bacon flavor. Pour the whole mixture in a crock pot, add filtered water a couple inches over the lentils and add in the beef bone. Cook on low until lentils are soft. Add more water if you need it. Season with salt and pepper and some dried herbs if you want them. Thyme, oregano, or sage are all good in this soup.
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