Dinner at Christina's

Kids in the Kitchen: Ham and Cheese Roll-Ups

2012-01-13T18:01:00.012-06:00

I stole two kids for the weekend.

I don't have any of my own yet, so I need to borrow them in the meantime.

Thankfully, my goddaughter's mother is a very trusting woman, so I have my goddaughter and her little sister for three whole days.

Today was their first day here and we made dinner together.

I saw a commercial for these a few days ago using crescent rolls, so I added ham and the crescents to the shopping list. It's a really simple recipe, perfect for little helpers.

It's also really easy to change it up based on personal preference. You can change lunch meats, cheeses, or even add spreads, herbs and spices, or vegetables to your liking.

You will need:
2 cans of crescents (mine were 8 piece low fat)
16 pieces of cheese
16 pieces of ham (mine was reduced sodium and fat)

Have all the little helpers go wash their hands. While they're busy doing this, get the different components ready. I had each ingredient separate and ready for easy assembly once the kids got involved.

I assembled one and had them watch. After that, we took turns with each girl making her own roll-up and putting it on the baking sheet until we ran out of ingredients.

Pre-heat the oven to 375° and bake for about 12-15 minutes, watching closely because they start to brown quickly.

I served us with baby carrots and hummus on the side. Johnny loved them. He sat between the girls because they argued who got to sit next to him. (Nobody argued over sitting next to me...)

They were both really excited to eat the dinner that they made. Johnny and I made sure to tell them how good they tasted and what a good job they did. Both mentioned it was the best dinner and the best night a few times while eating.

In fact, they ate so well, both girls got to have a small bowl of ice cream. They gave dinner and dessert thumbs up! :)

Let them eat (Wedding) cake!

2012-01-06T18:30:00.001-06:00

To be honest, I really didn't care about having a wedding cake when we started planning a year ago. It just seemed silly to spend hundreds of dollars on one cake, especially since neither of us are big cake fans.

As luck would have it, our venue included the cake with our wedding package. I asked about excluding it, thinking we could make our own pies and Christmas cookies. We would have only received a $100 credit, so it ended up being worth it to have a cake!

I looked through the bakery's portfolio and instantly chose "Snowflake Tessie." It was simple and elegant. White icing with some white snowflakes. The topper was understated greenery, which went with my decor. In the sample the ribbons were red, but I knew that'd be a simple switch to my color choice of green.

In September we tasted wedding cakes and all of you guessed correctly - I went with Cannoli!

The thing I didn't count on was having to provide the topper and ribbon! I planned the wedding as frugally as possible, so I actually made the topper myself. I used the trimmed bottom of a plastic bowl, fake greenery I bought to make all the bouquets/boutonnieres, and lots and lots of hot glue! I was so proud of how it came out.

Thankfully, the women at the bakery tied the bows, I would never have been able to make them look so beautiful!

Because cannoli cream contains Ricotta cheese, Johnny chose to avoid it because chances were high that it had whey. Allergic reactions on your wedding day don't sound fun!

Instead of a "first slice," we did a "first bite" with some gingerbread men we bought ahead of time.

Chomp! We each bit off the other's head!

At the end of the day, I'm glad we had the cake. We took the top home and I had a few slices for breakfasts in the days after the wedding, since we weren't saving it to eat together. The rest I froze in individual slices to enjoy with my mom throughout the year when we get a craving!

Wedding Eats

2012-01-04T15:15:00.011-06:00

Back in September I blogged about Johnny's and my trip to New York for wedding food tasting! We were so impressed with all of the samples, that it didn't really help to narrow down our choices. After much deliberation, we finally settled on:

(old photo of mine from the tasting)

Passed Hors d'Oeuvres:

Mini Buttermilk Biscuit with Honey Mustard Glazed Ham and Swiss Cheese
Franks in Puff Pastry with Honey Mustard Sauce
Twice Baked Fingerling Potato Stuffed with Bacon and Boursin Cheese
Beef Tenderloin Medallion on Crostini with Goat Cheese and Oven Dried Tomato
Mini Mozzarella en Carozza with Pomodoro Sauce
Oven Roasted Mushrooms with Sausage and Sage Stuffing

Displays:

Artisan Cheese Table - A selection of domestic and imported cheeses, dried fruits, assorted fruit preserves and honey, crackers.
Arthur Avenue - A selection of imported Italian meats, imported provolone, marinated artichokes and olives, garlic crostini, breadsticks, mustard, ciliegine mozzarella, and fine extra virgin olive oil.

Sadly, Johnny and I did not get to try (or even see) the displays. We were busy with pictures during the cocktail hour and riding on the merry-go-round, so we didn't make it over to that part of the room. However, we did get to eat all of the hors d'oeuvres because the staff thoughtfully kept bringing a plate with 2 of everything on it over to us.

Buffet:

Mixed Green Salad
Assortment of rolls and butter
Chicken Pot Pie
Cider Glazed Pork Loin over Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon Jus
Roast Beef Tenderloin with Carmalized Shallots and Madeira Jus
Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes
Apple Glazed Carrots

The buffet was amazing! Everything on it was delicious, especially the beef. I filled my plate and stomach to the brim. Unfortunately, my dress started to feel really tight so I stopped at one plate. I didn't want to be uncomfortable the rest of the night, but boy was it good!

Christmas Dinner

2011-12-27T15:14:00.024-06:00

Right after the wedding my parents left for Italy. Johnny and I came back to North Carolina with my brother and his girlfriend, Claire. We had a really low-key Christmas with just my God daughter and her family, us, and my brother. I loved the small Christmas. It was really fun company and just enough food to feed us, without going overboard with a gazillion sides and stress.

My brother cooked Christmas dinner, so no recipes, just sharing the day in photos!

First, he rinsed off the duck that had been brining for 48 hours.

Then, he scored the skin so the fat could render as it cooked.

Our first course was ...cheese. Just cheese. Lyn brought cheese, Michael brought cheese, and I had cheese. It was pounds and pounds of all kinds. Salami wrapped provolone, goat cheese, baked brie, and sharp cheddars.

Michael brought this wine all the way from California to share with us. He has been storing it for 4 years in a cellar, so we were really excited about it.

He was really proud of this "crust." Apparently it's sediment, and meant he stored it correctly on its side? He told me to take a picture, so I obliged...

All of the meal in progress-- busy kitchen!

The duck resting.

Awesome, crispy skin.

Really cute presentation. Legs, thighs, breasts, then wings.

My god daughter, Marissa, led us in prayer.

Then the family was ready to chow down!

The roasted duck with red wine cherry gravy.

Roasted teeny tiny potatoes with onions and garlic.

White wine braised kale with bacon.

The wine continued to flow...

...which led to funny faces...

...and new brother-in-law love!

After dinner, we went down the road to show the girls a really over-the-top decorated house. It's been on The Today Show and HGTV.

The Newlyweds!

Merry Christmas! :)

Brining a Christmas Duck

2011-12-23T21:05:00.003-06:00

It's no secret that I'm a fan of duck over turkey. Since roasting duck for Project Food Blog (boo hiss), I've made it again for Johnny and myself, and last year for Thanksgiving.

My brother is home for Christmas this year, and my God daughter and her family are coming to visit. I asked my brother if he wanted to do duck and he said yes, and that we should brine it.

I've never brined a bird, but he said "Mrs. Food Blogger" could handle it, and I accepted the challenge.

I googled a bit and went off his recommendation of "salt, sugar, and orange" to come up with the below on my own, based on what we had.

1.5 cups table salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp mustard seed
1 Tbsp fennel seed
1 tsp celery seed
1 Tbsp black pepper
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup brewed tea, cooled
1/4 cup orange juice
2 navel oranges, cut into chunks (include peel)
1 head of garlic, cloves crushed and peeled
1-2 cups water, as needed

I put everything but the oranges and garlic in a 2 gallon zip bag. I squished the bag for a few minutes to help dissolve the salt and sugar. Then I added the oranges and garlic. I let everything sit for about 30 minutes to let the flavors start to blend.

Then I added the duck and squeezed the air out of the bag. I added about 1 cup of water for the solution to cover the entire duck. Once the bag was sealed, there was no air in it and the brine surrounded the entire bird. I put the bag in a giant bowl in the fridge to avoid any tipping or unplanned leaks.

I'm going to let it brine until Sunday morning when Chef Michael comes to prepare it. I'll let you all know how my first brining experience turns out! I'm excited!

Have you ever brined anything?

I do!

2011-12-22T16:03:00.002-06:00

Johnny and I got married Monday!

Here is a teaser photograph we got yesterday that I thought I'd share with you guys.

A few FAQ:

We got married at Bear Mountain State Park in upstate New York. My family is from the area, so I still have a lot of family, friends, and connections there. Not to mention it's absolutely beautiful and perfect for a winter wedding!

I am 27, Johnny is 34. We were together 5 years in September.

I got my dress at David's Bridal and absolutely loved it! It did not have a train, so I chose a cathedral length veil for the ceremony to trail behind me.

Instead of carrying a bouquet, I carried my Grammy Calvino's prayer book (pictured above). She carried it down the aisle for her December wedding.

Because we got married at a state park, the venue area is open to the public on the weekends until 5pm. We could either have a much later and shorter wedding, or choose a weekday. That is the reason we had a Monday wedding.

We are not going on a honeymoon right away. Johnny has a big work project for his company he's been working on. We're hoping to go sometime in February or March after the project is wrapped up.

I'll post more photos as we get them and also some food photos!

Fail

2011-12-06T20:26:00.002-06:00

Tonight I cooked dinner, intending on blogging about it.

I miss cooking.

I miss taking pictures of my food.

I miss blogging.

I miss sharing with you guys.

Anyways, here's what my house ended up looking like:

Yes, that's thick, dense smoke.

I had to scream for Johnny's help.

The fire alarm went off. The dog howled.

We opened all the windows. Turned on all the fans.

It's two and a half hours later and my eyes still burn.

Dinner was steak, caramelized onions, and roasted butternut squash.

My pictures of it ended up looking like grainy cat barf, so I deleted them.

Maybe one day I'll get my blogging juice back.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2011-11-14T11:52:00.004-06:00

This sort of falls under the "semi-home made" category, but it was my first ever Pineapple Upside Down Cake and we all enjoyed it, so it's worth sharing.

We had some family friends and my parents over for dinner. I've known Jack and Sylvia pretty much my whole life. They live out in western NC now, but occasionally come to the Outer Banks to visit.

My dad tipped me off ahead of time to make this cake for them, and to be honest I was a little nervous. Last time I made an upside down cake it stuck to the pan and I had to patch it back together! I used a highly reviewed Dunkin Hines recipe, with a few alterations to cut back on fat, calories, and sugar.

Topping:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
20 oz can of pineapple rings
cherries or walnuts, optional

Cake:
Dunkin Hines Pineapple Supreme cake mix
1 pkg vanilla instant pudding (I used fat free, sugar free)
4 eggs
1 cup water (I used the 100% pineapple juice from the can)
1/2 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350°. Generously grease a 12" baking pan.

Melt butter for the topping in a medium bowl in the microwave. Stir in the brown sugar until dissolved. Spread into the bottom of the baking pan and arrange the pineapple rings, cherries, and/or walnuts, if using.

Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water (or juice), and oil in a mixing bowl. Mix at medium speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Pour batter over the pineapple rings. (Note: All of the batter may not fit in the pan. Make a smaller cake alongside, or reserve for later use.)

Bake for 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes, then invert onto serving plate while still warm.

I was so excited it popped out of the pan cleanly! The cake itself was really moist and rich. I've heard people boasting about including instant pudding in cake mix before, but never tried it myself.

And my will power is happy to report we sent the leftover half of the cake home with Jack and Sylvia!

My New Favorite Way to Grocery Shop!

2011-11-11T16:14:00.003-06:00

Baked Boneless Buffalo Wings

2011-11-05T18:28:00.001-05:00

I've really been trying to behave myself the past few weeks since the wedding is next month. I bought my dress back in January, a few pounds lighter than what I am now.

Of course, as soon as I put my mind to eating healthier, I instantly crave all things obnoxious. Soda, cheesy meals, things covered in gravy, and deep fried anything.

So when I saw Ally post these Boneless Buffalo Wings I knew I hit the jackpot and bookmarked them right away!

Baked chicken is on the healthy end of the spectrum, but boneless wings with the finger licking sauciness would seem like I was indulging in a sinful meal!

I made a much larger quantity, and I had to change a few things due to what I had on hand.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
~3 cups flour (Don't ask me how a box of Bisquick disappeared since we moved in- I know I unpacked it and put it in the cabinet under the microwave.)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Buffalo sauce (I used Texas Pete extra mild)

Preheat the oven to 450°.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and milk. In a second large bowl, stir together the flour, cheese, garlic powder, and paprika.

Cut the chicken into little 1" chunks. Soak in the egg bowl, then move the pieces into the flour bowl and toss to coat. Spread out onto two greased baking pans and bake for 20 minutes, flipping half way through.

Once cooked, put the hot chicken chunks into a large bowl. Pour the buffalo sauce over top. Fold with a large spoon to coat everything evenly.

Plate with celery sticks and bleu cheese or ranch dressing. Serves 6.

I didn't know it beforehand, but both Lyn (our company) and Johnny are not big fans of buffalo wings or bleu cheese. They both ate and ate and ate multiple servings of this, praising it highly.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. Quick, easy, and painless. Plus a lot of veggie-munching goodness!

Broccoli Cheese Quinoa

2011-11-04T09:06:00.005-05:00

This was inspired wholeheartedly by Laura's broccoli cheese quinoa, posted earlier this summer. I bookmarked it until I had the time and kitchen to make it myself.

That time has finally come.

I kept mine really simple and strictly broccoli and cheese. Hers is a lot more inspired. This is one of those dishes you can add to based on your personal preferences.

Two of my favorite little girls, my God daughter and her sister are visiting. I gave them a vote of taco night or broccoli and cheese with a special new food said KEEN-WAH! Surprisingly, it was a unanimous vote against taco night! I didn't mind, though because I really wanted to try this!

2 cups quinoa
4 cups vegetable broth
1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
3 heads broccoli, washed and cut into florets

In a large pot I cooked the quinoa and vegetable broth. Alongside, in a separate pot I steamed the broccoli.

When the quinoa had just a minute or two left, I stirred in 1 cup of the cheese, until fully melted and replaced the lid.

Drain the broccoli of any residual moisture from steaming and dump in the big pot. Fold everything together until incorporated.

Serve sprinkled with the additional cheese. Serves ~6 adults a dinner sized portion.

Yum, this was so good. All of us "big people" had two servings. I also served roasted buttercup squash alongside for more bulk to the meal.

Thankfully there's lots of leftovers for lunch today! I can't wait to dig into them!

Christina's Birthday Dinner Party!

2011-10-29T19:03:00.007-05:00

First, I would like to apologize for my entire lack of food photos in this post. I'm an out of shape, rusty blogger. Once things started happening I completely forgot about my camera on the side table until long after my guests left.

October 23rd was my 27th birthday. My bosses Jeffrey and Linda had been trying to get up with me for weeks about going out to dinner, them cooking dinner, coming here for dinner, etc. Eventually when we had a plan in place, they had both had dental work so weren't much in the mood for chewing.

(recycled photo)

My butternut squash soup would do the trick perfectly for my birthday dinner party!

I used our rental home's nice dinnerware to make the evening feel more special. I find if you set the table ahead of time and make sure everything is at the ready it makes your guests feel special and the evening runs smoother. The dinner centerpiece was a huge, fresh salad I cut everything by hand for. Lots of the toppings were in small bowls so guests could customize the toppings based on their preferences.

As Johnny pointed out, the orange soup would look great served in these beautiful bowls! With the dinnerware being so busy, I chose to omit dinner decorations, and let the bold plates and bowls speak for themselves!

Appetizers were fresh shrimp cocktail my dad brought, olives, pickles, and bread with a vegetable tapenade. (<--Spell check wants me to change that to tapeworm -- ewwww!)

Dinner started with a huge salad. I used the seeds from the butternut squash as a crunchy topping to connect the courses.

For the seeds I simply tossed them with:

vegetable oil
paprika
garlic powder
salt
pepper

And baked at 350° for about 30 minutes, stirring them a few times to make sure they were evenly toasty and nobody stuck together.

Dessert was a delicious home made key lime pie my boss Jeffrey made from scratch! That's real whipped cream with key lime zest in it! So good!

Disclosure: There are paid links included in this post. Please note, it really was my birthday, and the photos and words are all genuine Christina, unaffected by this opportunity. Just simply a chance to earn a little cash for the upcoming wedding!

Plotting my Return

2011-10-28T10:54:00.005-05:00

Over the past few months I've neglected this little blog of mine.

However, my stats have been unaffected.

I guess random Googlers fuel my traffic, not "regulars." So now I don't feel as guilty about letting you guys down since you are all buttheads who don't recognize my awesomeness.

Just to keep you up to date:

We moved out of the tiny apartment into a 4 bedroom house on the beach.

House hunting was not progressing and we thought we'd take this opportunity to rent a bigger house, a few steps from the ocean. The off-season prices are amazing and when will we ever have a chance to live in a sandy oasis again?

This means we have a full kitchen again. I haven't unpacked everything yet, though. I need to stock up on some pantry staples and possibly get some stuff out of storage. I'm hoping this will mark my return to blogging because I miss it, even if you don't miss me (which, you should!).

Edited to add: If you want to come visit, send me an e-mail. Seriously! There are 3 extra rooms!

Lemon Bars

2011-10-04T20:36:00.000-05:00

My dad is a sucker for all things lemon. The other night he pulled out a Company's Coming "Most Loved Treats" cookbook, turned to lemon bars and let me know I should make them, if I had the time.

The crust called for 2 sticks of butter, so I got to googling, trying to find some waist-friendly alternatives.

I used David Lebovitz's crust, because it reduced the sugar and butter:

1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla, stirring until well-mixed. Spread out into a 7" x 11" pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, until browned. Remove and let cool while you make the filling.

For the filling, I adjusted the cookbook's recipe to include less sugar:

4 eggs
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp peel (I didn't have any, so I omitted)
1 1/4 cup sugar (it called for 2!!)
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
confectioner's sugar, optional

Whisk the eggs until frothy. Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, and peel if using, mixing until incorporated. Stir in the lemon juice. Pour into the cooled crust. Bake for ~20 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Sprinkle the top with confectioner's sugar if desired.

Cut into bars and enjoy!!

Weekend Pumpkin Pancakes

2011-10-01T17:55:00.003-05:00

I grabbed this at a gift shop while Johnny and I were in Sleepy Hollow, NY last weekend. It was all decorated for fall and Halloween, so really I couldn't resist. Plus, you could smell the spices through the bag, tempting you to take it home and make them. I love how it says "best weekend pancakes" because weekend pancakes always seem to taste better than weekday pancakes. (I think so at least.)

It was nothing crazy. I probably could have found a recipe to make at home. But hey, it's convenient and cute. I made it for dinner because I love breakfast for dinner!

The mix was really thick. Usually when I make Bisquick pancakes they're runny and pour easily. This was super thick like a cake batter.

I ran over to my parents' house and ~~stole~~ borrowed their griddle. We don't have much in the pots and pans department so it just seemed easiest. I cooked a package of little sausages and about a dozen of these fluffy, cakey, pumpkin spice pancakes. The scent was ahhhmazing. I told Johnny that our upstairs neighbor probably wanted to kill us from the smells wafting up into his apartment.

I ate 3 pancakes and 4 5 of the little sausages. I've been trying to behave myself for the wedding. I'm tracking my exercise on Daily Mile and have swapped out a meal a day for SlimFast shakes. The two month mark is coming up quick!!

Road Trip Deli

2011-09-30T12:36:00.004-05:00

The last wedding appointment Johnny and I had last weekend was with our Reverend. I found him online with great reviews, and after calling around to talk to a few officiants, I chose him. I love the guy! He's really personable and always cracks me up with a great sense of humor. This was Johnny's first time meeting him and he agreed. While we were walking away he squeezed my hand and told me I made the right choice.

We got in the car to drive away and I realized we should grab some food. I spotted Goldberg's Famous Bagels. There was no question. A Jewish deli making bagels? Can you get better than that!? I chose the everything bagel (BOTH sides were toasty and covered with toppings) with home made cream cheese and chives with Nova. He sliced the Nova fresh off the side of a salmon before putting it on my bagel.

For good measure, I texted my dad a picture with the caption "You jealous!?" It was delicious and makes me wish we had more Jewish people in the south. They just know their stuff.

Wedding Cake Tasting!

2011-09-27T15:47:00.001-05:00

When I think of wedding planning I think of two things: a nervous girl trying on dresses and an excited couple stuffing their faces with cake samples.

Since I already tried on dresses, I've had the cake tasting to look forward to for months!

Our venue works hand-in-hand with Homestyle Desserts, a local bakery to include the cake with the reception cost. At first I was a little weary because I wasn't sure if it was a good bakery. I read some online reviews and the locals just go ga-ga over them! My nerves were settled!

When we opened the doors to get out of the car in the parking lot, we both nearly fainted from the scent. There were people rushing in and out with huge white boxes full of tasty treats. The display cases were filled top to bottom with every Italian dessert, pastry, and treat you could imagine.

We were ushered behind the counter to a table and given 4 slices to try.

Starting at the top was Chocolate Mousse with chocolate cake and chocolate mousse. Going clockwise, next was Double Temptation, chocolate cake with cheesecake. Next was the Amaretto Cake, vanilla amaretto cake with vanilla and chocolate custard filling. Last was Cannoli Cake, an Italian sponge cake with Cannoli cream and chocolate chips.

In about 4 seconds the plate looked like this. When I looked at the selections back in February I pretty much already made up my mind. The tasting just solidified that choice!

Which one would you pick?
Which do you think I picked!?!

Bear Mountain Wedding Tasting

2011-09-25T14:07:00.007-05:00

If you've wandered over to the Wedding Planning tab, you already know that we're getting married at Bear Mountain State Park in December.

We narrowed down our choice after we learned the chefs are CIA grads and heard several good reviews from people that had eaten at functions there. I have not been a bridezilla about things, but I wanted to make sure our venue had outstanding food.

The paperwork we've had for months features pages of mouth watering selections. When our wedding coordinator said we could do a tasting I jumped at the chance to help narrow down our choices.

We chose 4 hors d'oeuvres to sample (from the left):

crispy pork belly with apricot marmalade on toasted corn bread
beef tenderloin medallion on crostini with goat cheese and oven dried tomato
mini buttermilk biscuit with honey mustard glazed ham and Swiss cheese
twice baked fingerling potato stuffed with bacon and boursin cheese

We also had two entrees to try:

cider-glazed pork loin over braised red cabbage with bacon jus

(Oops! We accidentally dug into this one before I snapped a pic, which messed up it's presentation!)

penne with vodka sauce and peas

Everything was so delicious. We had 2nds and 3rds of the entrees. It was so fun to sit and do a tasting- that's the first time I've done anything like that. I certainly feel very confident that any dish we choose will be ammmaazzzing! I can't wait for December to get here so I can stuff myself!

Baked Chicken Enchiladas

2011-09-20T22:18:00.003-05:00

Long time readers might remember Johnny's surprise Fiesta birthday party last summer!

We made a whole variety of tasty Mexican treats, including some chicken enchiladas. My boss Linda was at the party and loved them so much, she's been asking me for a year to make them!

When I moved back in June it was the first thing she mentioned to me and I just haven't had the time until now to make them for her.

Just like the party, I made a really big batch. Enough for a pan to go to Linda and enough for us to have for dinner. Please feel free to cut the recipe down if you're just making it for a normal dinner. Otherwise make a pan for now and freeze a pan (before baking) for later!!

2 pkgs McCormick enchilada sauce mix
10 oz. can of tomatoes with green chiles
3 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)
4 cups shredded cheese (I used a reduced fat blend)
~6 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 can black beans, drained
2 dozen 8" flour tortillas

In a large high sided skillet mix together the sauce packets, tomatoes, and water. Cook over medium high heat until bubbly. Stir in the sour cream until smooth and let simmer a few minutes to thicken.

Shred chicken into a large bowl. Add 1/4 of the sauce, 1 cup of cheese, and the drained can of black beans. Toss everything until well mixed.

Spray two large baking pans with non stick spray. Fill each tortilla with a thin strip of the mixture down the center, wrapping to close. Place fold side down into the baking pan.

Pour the remainder of the sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake in a 400° oven for 30 minutes. Serve with extra sour cream.

Celebrate!

2011-09-11T22:02:00.004-05:00

This week there are three things to celebrate around here.

First -- we sold the house!! It officially closed on Wednesday, September 7th.

Second -- September 7th also happened to be mine and Johnny's 5th anniversary!

Third -- September 12th is Dinner at Christina's third birthday!

Biz just celebrated her 3rd blogiversary too and I loved the "look back" she did.

Dinner at Christina's fans have been there for:

The story of my chef brother
My Grammy passing away
My first Video Demonstration: Pan Fried Pork Chops
My Dad's Homemade Sausage
My first Blogger meet up
My second Blogger meet up
Friday Firsts
When Johnny proposed!
Major House Renovations
Moving into our new tiny apartment
And following along as I plan our Dec. 2011 wedding!

I decided to splurge a bit at the grocery store on behalf of this special week. We had a great Saturday night dinner.

Massive grilled steaks medium rare, grilled onions, grilled poblano chiles, and sweet potato waffle fries.

Come on Irene.

2011-09-05T15:16:00.012-05:00

The entire week before Irene I had this song stuck in my head, but Irene instead of Eileen. (Sidenote: what a funky video)

I've grown up on the east coast. On the barrier islands of North Carolina, better known as the Outer Banks. It juts out into the ocean and the widest part is 3 miles.

It has seen its fair share of hurricanes. Hurricanes are a way of life here. They come and they go. Tourists freak out and are evacuated first, leaving us locals with a day or two of quiet, peaceful summertime to enjoy. I don't know a single local that evacuates. In fact, the majority of locals I know find hurricanes exciting and a chance for a "hurricane party." Businesses are closed, the tourists are gone, it's summer and you have no work. What a great excuse to kick back and have a few drinks while sitting under a porch or in an open garage while a large storm blows past!

Hurricanes usually hit here from the east. The entire eastern side of the island are vacant rental homes. Nobody lives in them, rich out-of-towners own them, and they're built with strict codes to survive the wind and water. If the ocean does flood, they're on stilts and goes under them and recedes. Worst case scenario, a few fall into the ocean and NC 12 (aka "The Beach Road") floods. It's par for the course. No harm to people, and besides anonymous people nobody has ever met in far away states having to file an insurance claim for their rental home, life returns immediately to normal.

Once in a blue moon, though, hurricanes come up from the south. The water between the islands and "the mainland" are sounds. Brackish water- a mixture of ocean water and fresh water. Calm, no real tide or waves. Great for boating, water sports, and crabbing. Since it's not the prime ocean side real estate, it's also where locals live.

We all know the classic hurricane look and shape. Arm bands in one direction, an eye, and arm bands in the opposite direction.

When a hurricane hits us from the south it affects the sound. That first armband blows the sound west. It's gone from here. Locals know immediately and start going to take pictures of themselves "walking on water."

Saturday

When I woke up Saturday, I logged on Facebook to see many photos of the sound blown out. Everybody knew it was bad news. I turned on The Weather Channel, expecting coverage. Instead, for the next 24 hours they still had that same guy 1 mile away, pretending to be blown away by the ocean. The ocean stopped being a threat the second Irene made landfall. That was evident by every person that lives here, somehow TWC just missed the memo. Or, I guess they just need the dramatics for ratings and hysteria.

Sunday

Saturday night the eye went over us and blew the sound back in. We knew this would mean flooding, it always does.

However, nobody anticipated Irene sitting over us blowing non-stop for 16 hours. She blew the sound in, then kept on blowing.

Instead of just affecting that single row of soundside homes, entire towns were under water. Not only did the sound flood, but any canal connected to the sound flooded.

I have dozens of photos of homes underwater, cars up to their windows in water, and roads that became rivers. My own street was closed just a mile down the road from flooding and loss of homes. If you are my friend on Facebook you have seen some in a private album, but I just don't feel right posting them publicly on the Internet.

The Outer Banks has never flooded this badly in anybody who is living's life time. Manteo was chest high with sound water. Nags Head was cut off as the sounds connected over the road. Hatteras and Rodanthe are still cut off because a new 12 foot deep inlet was created when the sound connected with the ocean. Wanchese and Colington are almost entirely condemned. Parts of Kitty Hawk with homes from the early 1900s that have never had flooding experienced 1-2 feet of water in their first floors.

The photos I have seen and the destruction I see every time I leave my house to drive anywhere is unreal. I've seen photos of floods on TV or in books, I just never thought I'd see it less than a mile from my own home.

The stench is unbearable in areas as hundreds of fish and crabs lay rotting a mile away from the now receded sound.

At certain points it feels as if you are driving through a tunnel because debris and ruined belongings line both sides of the street as high as my car.

Despite all this, city officials decided to open our borders a mere 24 hours later to returning tourists. I understand they want to put on a brave face to salvage the tourism industry, but really I feel it was a slap to the face.

It was so disrespectful to the thousands of locals who lost their homes, businesses, and cars. Many cities hadn't even cleared the water from their roads, had their power or Internet restored, or evaluated the damage.

Politics, I guess. Unfortunately, by silencing the damage for tourism dollars, they also silenced the call for aid that many, many locals now need. We've learned that this will be a grassroots clean up act. Truly, neighbors helping neighbors. At the very least, I can say that I'm glad to be a part of a community that has stepped up and taken care of each other the way we have.

I survived Irene.

My own work was saved by chance. The businesses on either side were condemned and will remain closed until repair work is complete and they are inspected to reopen. I could easily be out of work for a few months instead of the few days I was.

We were also lucky to receive no flooding. Thankfully my parents' property is tucked back in a great location with no threat from the ocean, sound, or canals. We did lose a few trees and a tenant had her windshield broken from a branch.

But at the end of the day I feel lucky. Lucky to have not lost anything from a storm that I saw first hand to have taken so much from people so close. And lucky to again call myself a part of this hearty community that can show a hurricane who's boss - no matter if it takes the rare path up the sound.

Micro Living

2011-08-24T14:22:00.004-05:00

Well, Johnny is finally here and we've moved into my parents' smallest apartment. Like 300 square feet small.

Fun fact: Right now our two storage units are more square footage than where we're living.

I thought I'd give you a tour. Excuse the clutter and mess. As you can imagine, we're still in transition mode and cramming two people and a cat into such a small space doesn't leave much room. Corky's staying over at my parents' house until we get a house. :(

This is what you see when you walk in the front door. Ta da! The whole apartment!

To your left in the entryway is a small microwave stand/pantry area. Poe's food is also there. The bathroom is right there too, but I'll spare you a picture of that.

Once you're in the apartment, this is the kitchenette area. A fridge, tiny cute little oven/stove, and some counter space and cabinets with a bar sized sink. You're correct in noticing there's no dishwasher. (You'd also be correct in guessing that sometimes I walk our dirty dishes over to my parents' house and put them in their dishwasher.)

Above the stove is a spice rack that I promptly filled up. I think it makes the place look super homey!

I also used the shelf above the sink for a makeshift baking supplies area. This also looks so homey to me!

We used two of our Ikea triangle desks to form a larger triangle that takes up less area in the apartment. This is where Johnny has been working, where I'm blogging from RIGHT NOW, and doubles as our eating table.

Another overview of the apartment, with Poe looking out the window. Desk area right in front, bed in the back, and fridge with kitchen to the left.

I've got a recipe coming up with bread I made from all the juicing puree/pulp! I couldn't stand to waste it all!

Winner!

2011-08-14T13:59:00.002-05:00

Sorry guys, I forgot to post the winner on Friday! It was #9 - Biz!

Beth I'll get the coupons out to you tomorrow!

Nut Butters and popchips Giveaway!

2011-08-07T21:50:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we got a catalog at the ice cream shop for a bunch of new products. Something that caught my eye were a line of specialty nut butters. I asked my boss if we could try them, so he called up for some samples.

~~I tore into the box like a mad woman.~~ I was a leetle excited when they came. This resulted in an injury. (Sad face)

There were 6 little 2 oz. samples.

A chocolate hazelnut one, which my boss used right away to make a milkshake. YUM.

Plain hazelnut, which I love and think would work well on a sundae.

Dry roasted pistachio and cashew nut butter which are pretty dry and hard to spread.

The cinnamon pecan is a nice touch- very good on toast.

And last -- the cherry almond. Absolutely disgusting. DISGUSTING. Tastes exactly like almond butter mixed with cherry cough syrup. So, so nasty. I washed my mouth out in the kitchen sink after. haha

Ok, who wants some popchips!!!??? I have three free coupons that expire the end of October.

Leave a comment below letting me know if they're available in your area and I'll pick somebody at random Friday, August 12th.

Just Juicy!

2011-08-05T21:55:00.008-05:00

For months and months I've been envious of Spabettie's juicing posts. She comes up with the most creative combinations, which result in beautiful photos of vibrant, refreshing looking juice.

Recently, Kristina posted about a juice fast she's been doing. I thought it sounded like a great idea, and was just the motivation I needed to start juicing myself.

I'm sure it's no surprise that the past few months I have been absolutely stressed out. Between finishing my Bachelor's degree, packing to move, being away from Johnny for 2.5 months, re-starting work, planning the wedding, and selling the house in IL there's just been a lot going on.

My cystic acne I had years ago returned, making it necessary to go on a lot of meds. I've been in a lot of pain, which lead me to my mom's rheumatologist to get tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis (I'll know the results next week). Overall, I've just felt pretty crappy, have been on a lot of medications, and have gained some weight and been eating unhealthy.

Scary, and embarrassing to say, but I was actually contemplating buying diet pills. With the wedding in 4 months I'm now feeling desperate to shed about 10 pounds. I bought my dress 8 months ago. It used to fit perfectly, but now it's snug. I want to be comfortable on the big day.

So, long story short - I'm going to be replacing one or two meals a day with juicing to see if that helps my body feel better and shed some extra weight.

Today I stopped by my local fruit stand and the grocery store to stock up.

I bought 10 pounds of carrots, 5 pounds of apples, 6 limes, 4 lemons, 5 pounds of beets, a pineapple, 2 heads of broccoli, a head (?) of celery, a big knob of ginger, and 4 peppers for juicing.

I also bought a bag of mixed greens, a little butternut squash, and a quart of figs for the sake of yumminess.

The first juice I did was pretty tame. I'd never juiced before and I wasn't sure how I'd like the flavor of everything unsweetened and raw.

Four large carrots and two small apples went into this. It was very carroty, but good.

I ate a big meal at work, so by the time I got home I was hungry, but didn't want to eat a huge meal again.

Two beets, two carrots, two stalks of celery, and a lime went into this one. A little more "root vegetable" flavor than I'd like, but still good.

I've also made sure to follow Kristina's golden rule of cleaning the juicer before you enjoy your juice. It's a great motivator and makes it easy for the next time!

7 Links

2011-07-31T16:04:00.012-05:00

Mara chose me to do the the 7 Links challenge. I'd seen this on a few blogs, and I think it's a fun way to look back on your blog and share some of its hidden contents with readers.

1) My most beautiful post.

Wow, this one was hard. I just have a point and shoot that I'm not even that skilled at using. I think this roasted cabbage with grilled tofu turned out nice, though!

2) My most popular post.

Statistics-wise my baked chile rellenos and shortcut cubed steak stew have been neck and neck for months.

3) My most controversial post.

Kind of funny, but at the bottom of this post I mentioned John Besh, who spoke at my brother's CIA graduation. I poked fun at his blazer and periodically a random googler will end up there and get pissed at me for it. I delete them as they come in, but I've been called a b*tch more than once by "Anonymous."

4) My most helpful post.

I've done a few "how to" posts, complete with step by step pictures. I think the most popular is how to butterfly a chicken.

5) A post whose success surprised me.

I was pleasantly shocked to see such a warm response about my Project Food Blog entry, where you describe yourself as a food blogger. I wrote from the heart and wasn't sure people would take the time to read it. I've since made it my About page, since I think it does such a good job describing me and Dinner at Christina's.

6) A post that didn't get the attention it deserved.

I really need to do another post on this to take pictures and give it justice, but rustic cabbage soup rocks! I make it about once a month in the winter months. It is really, really good and healthy.

7) The post I'm most proud of.

I'm not really sure if I conveyed through the blog how badly Project Food Blog crushed me. I was eliminated after round 2, but thought I would make it much, much further. I went in there balls out.

I poured my heart out in my story, I spent 7 hours making tamales from scratch, and I spent a couple hundred dollars and three days cooking for the dinner. I was devastated to be knocked out, and didn't even go into my kitchen for a few weeks. It was the closest I've come to quitting blogging. I was bitter against the contest, the process, the judging, the voting, and those that moved on when I didn't.

So, the post I'm most proud of is the five course dinner for 9 that I planned, shopped for, prepped, decorated, cooked, plated, and served by myself. I still can't believe it when I look back, but it's there in photos so I know I did it!

7 bloggers whose 7 links I'd like to see:
Cheryl
Laura
Beth
Kristina
Ally
Jessie
Roz

eBay Central

2011-07-28T22:43:00.006-05:00

I'm sure if you follow me on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook you've noticed my many, many, many eBay posts.

My mom and I are on a mission to make a bunch of extra cash for the wedding. So we've cleared out her many attics and closets, and gone to an auction or two, and hit up some yard sales and thrift stores.

We set up banquet and folding tables in the extra bedroom to organize everything for easy access.

There's stuff on top of the tables, and also under in baskets and boxes.

I have a scale I've been using to weigh everything for shipping. We have a whole closet full of boxes and packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and cushioning. A corner of the room is also devoted to envelopes and tape, for more packing.

I even moved my computer in here for easy listing!! It's on a little makeshift desk. I have markers, measuring tape, my scale, and everything within easy reach!

For the past three weeks anytime we aren't working, we've been eBaying. It takes so much time to research the items you have to see what they are and how much they're worth listing. Then you need to photograph them, write descriptions, and weigh for shipping.

I have added an eBay widget on the right hand side of the blog, under my profile to keep up with the action!!

I've also been finalizing some wedding stuff lately, since we're now under the 5 month mark!!! It's so crazy to think in 4 months and a few weeks I'll be getting married!

I'll update soon with wedding details and add it to the wedding tab too!

Tidbits

2011-07-22T12:27:00.002-05:00

I have to leave for work in a few minutes, but just wanted to do a quick update to let you guys know we accepted an offer on the house. If everything runs smoothly from this point (inspection, appraisal, financial red tape) they want to close on Sept. 7th!

A lot of my work shifts have been 2-10pm so I haven't been doing any cooking. I'm sad I don't have anything to update about.

August/September Taste of Home

2011-07-18T21:30:00.006-05:00

Everybody go get the August/September of Taste of Home. The front looks like this:

Then turn to page 33. It looks like this:

I think you'll recognize a certain somebody.

If you're nice, I just might autograph it for you to keep forever and say "hey, I knew that girl once."

House for Sale!

2011-07-12T10:12:00.004-05:00

You've seen me post photo updates of the house for about 4 months now.

It's finally done, cleaned up, and ready to go on the market this week!!

Through the hard work of my dad (a licensed contractor), Angie's list recommendations, and Johnny, I give you the final product:

FULL ALBUM HERE

Please help share the word on the off chance you know anybody looking for a house in the Chicago suburbs! The sooner it sells, the sooner Johnny can move to NC and we get to live in the same ~~time zone~~ state again!

Softshell Crabs

2011-07-11T22:14:00.005-05:00

I never showed you this, way back from when my dad was helping us renovate the house. It was a long time ago, I know, because he cooked these on a Friday for Lent.

Plate of fresh soft shell crabs he brought from NC. To clean the crabs you cut off their face (I know!) and you can eat the entire thing. Crabs molt their exterior, hard shell so there is a brief window for soft shell crabs. However, my dad does pull off the soft top shell, which makes it easier to clean the inside of the crab, removing the lungs and other gunk. I MUCH prefer eating soft shell crabs that my parents clean, versus those at a restaurant. I learned that the hard way- yuck.

Taking a little dip in oil.
Hopping out of the tub!

We had a huge, huge pile of soft shells. Which Johnny was pretty scared of. He said they looked like giant, fried spiders.

So, we also had some fried fish for him, too.

My plate, stuffed to the edge. The seafood was served alongside some fried rice my dad made and a green apple slaw I made.

And you better believe by the end of the night that whole platter of crabs and fish was gone!

Whoops!

2011-07-06T22:14:00.003-05:00

So, I just get back to regular posting and some sort of normalcy, and I go and get my computer infected with a nasty virus! Johnny, the web developer/resident computer fix-it man is of course a thousand miles away in IL, while I'm here in NC. Hopefully he'll be able to find the time to remote in and fix it, so I can return to posting again ...again.

Sorry guys!

Edited to add: Looks like everything is back to normal after Johnny worked on it for a few hours last night. :) I just lost all of my settings and everything, so I need to re-do it all so I recognize what the heck is going on!

Tour of "Home"

2011-06-30T12:08:00.003-05:00

Right now I'm living in my parents' upstairs guest room. (Also known as my brother's old room when we were growing up.)

This is how it looked for about 3 weeks. I didn't want to unpack because I thought I was moving into the apartment soon. It seemed easier to live out of boxes and suitcases then unpack/repack twice. Not a fun feeling, though.

Now this is how it looks once I realize I won't move into the apartment and my mom forced an unpack upon me. (I'm stubborn, I had a good cry about the unfairness of the apartment situation and a stubborn attempt to find a replacement apartment.) This is the desk area with Poe's glowing eyes. I am sitting there RIGHT NOW!

My hastily attempt at making a bed and all my brother's artwork still on the walls. Oh! And a TV with cable! Haven't had that in months. I've been enjoying all these cool shows I missed like Storage Wars, Extreme Couponing, etc.

Thumbs up for my own bathroom!

It's not too exciting, but like Biz pointed out in my other post, at least I can stash some cash in the meantime I'd otherwise be spending on rent.

So, there it is - my home for ...the next few weeks? ...the summer? ...the next few months? Who knows!? Hopefully the house will sell soon, Johnny can come out here, then we can move into our own place together. Because I'm really starting to miss him. :(

Tour of Work

2011-06-27T12:11:00.000-05:00

I am working at Hawaiian Island Sno Balls in Duck, NC. It is a quiet little town that is designed for lots of foot traffic. The speed limit is only 25 mph, and they are really good about a bunch of crosswalks, pedestrian signs, and really wide sidewalks to share the road with. There are a bunch of little plazas and boardwalks with tons of gift shops and restaurants.

To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and less than a mile to the west is the sound, a body of brackish water, which means it is half salt-water, half fresh-water. There are lots of places to rent bikes, kayaks, windsails, or just sit and enjoy the sunset.

When you walk in the front door you're greeted with tons of bright colors! There's one of my bosses, Linda - posing with her can of soup. I caught her while she was making lunch one day.

To the right is the area where you order, and the ice cream cases. We have 24 flavors of "hard" ice cream that we scoop, plus a soft serve machine with vanilla, chocolate, and swirl. We make all kinds of floats, malts, sundaes, shakes, etc. with the ice cream if you are interested in more than just a scoop!

What we're really famous for, though, are sno-balls. This is a coarsely shaved ice served in a cup, with flavored syrups added. There are literally hundreds of flavors and special recipes my other boss, Jeffrey, makes by hand. People also get funky with the toppings on these too, we have a sno-ball cream, chocolate, and marshmallow.

Here's a better view behind the counter and of the sno-ball ice shaver.

The industrial fridge, which I'm always insanely jealous of. I wish I had one of these at home! It has so much room, and is so open and easy to see inside for easy organization.

We also do all kinds of specialty coffees, espressos, lattes, etc. This was the part of the job I was most anxious about when I first started 4 summers ago. But now it's like 2nd nature to me and I love whipping up drinks. I also find that people ordering specialty drinks tend to tip better than those just ordering a scoop of ice cream! Cha-ching!

This is Linda's home made fudge section of the store. Every Sunday is her day "off," but it's anything but. She spends the whole day making new batches of fudge for the store. Everything from plain chocolate and vanilla, to crazy renditions of a Snicker's bar.

Above the fudge is a container of salt water taffy that I steal pieces out of all the time. I love our taffy, it's so soft, unlike the rock hard pieces I remember when I was little. And on the right are little bags of ~~crack~~ chocolate covered espresso beans. I steal some of those too.

And there you have it! That's where I'm working, saving up the moolah, and hopefully working off some excess pounds! We have free access to anything we want, but thankfully I'm not much of a sweets eater, so I generally abstain.

Moving Adventures

2011-06-25T22:15:00.000-05:00

We picked up the 16' moving truck on a Wednesday.

We loaded it, with the help of our friend Goran, on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

After loading my Jeep on the trailer, we were ready for the drive on Friday!

There was just enough room between the seats for Poe's cage. Corky shared the passenger seat with whomever was sitting there at the time.

Poe amused himself by munching on Corky's tail.

Johnny started the drive off first, once he fueled himself with Starbucks.

After that we took shifts each time we stopped for gas. Honestly, the drive wasn't too bad. I was nervous at first about driving the truck and towing something. The worst part were people who loved to cut in and out in front of me. It was annoying to have to adjust the speed so often in something so big and heavy.

We drove through the night Friday. After being up over 30 hours, we rented a 16 x 20' storage unit and unloaded the truck, with the help of my dad, before returning it. Then, we got up early on Sunday morning and I drove J back to the airport to return to IL.

Needless to say, I slept pretty much the entire day Monday.

House Before & After

2011-06-24T20:25:00.008-05:00

In no particular order...

Back patio before and after being pressure washed.

Downstairs fireplace area before and after being finished.

Upstairs bedroom/office before and after being painted/carpeted/new windows.

Before and after of foyer area staircase with new railings and banisters.

Before and after of messy and dirty laundry room.

Before and after of 1970s exterior light (and unpictured broken intercom) with new light and plaque.

Before and after of upstairs bathroom counter.

Before and after of upstairs bathroom shower.

Before and after of shed, which got a new roof and door.

Before and after of downstairs bathroom.

Before and after of downstairs family room.

Above sink kitchen light installed.

There are obviously many, many other changes. I have folders and folders of photos documenting the whole thing. But I thought I'd just show you the main rooms.

Johnny is now in the process of interviewing real estate agents to put it on the market. If you know anybody in the SW suburbs of Chicago that would be interested, please don't hestitate to steer them our way! We put a lot of work into the house, from roof to crawlspace. My dad is a licensed contracter in NC, so everything was done meticulously and correctly. No slapped-up, quick-fixes here!

Where I am/What's going on

2011-06-23T22:14:00.004-05:00

I know my blog has been all over the place the past few weeks. I simultaneously apologize and thank you for hanging in there.

For those of you who have no clue what is going on/want more info. let me fill you in:

1) My dad came out to IL and worked on the house for several weeks to finish everything so we could put it on the market.

Photos of the progress are in the following posts (oldest to newest):
Pepperocini Beef Roast + House Progress!
House Updates + Engagement Pics
Wedding and House
Roast Beef Dinner & House Pics
Cream Cheese Cookies + Update Photos
Burgers, Beef, and Building

I have yet to put up the finished photos, I will get to that in the next post. I thought it would be easier to wait and do an organized before/after for easier comparison and instant gratification.

2) I moved to NC first, leaving J behind in IL to sell the house. This allowed me to haul a bunch of our junk out of the way, get the pets out of there, and start getting settled down here. This makes for easier house-hunting and saving money while I work to make the transition easier when J comes.

I'll post a few fun pics of the moving truck/storage unit/18 hour drive crammed in the moving truck with pets in a future post as well.

3) I have a job now. I'm working at my usual summer job at the ice cream shop. It was waiting for me when I got here, with open arms. It's great to just jump into a job you already know and not have to deal with the awkwardness of being trained/meeting new bosses and coworkers.

A future post with a "tour" of my work is upcoming! I thought you'd like to see everything, since it involves all types of food!

4) I am living in my parents' guest room. The apartment situation fell through. First the tenant was going to leave May, then mid-June, then the end of June. Now he isn't leaving. But he might in the future if he doesn't get a raise. (Yeah, I know. Too much to deal with.) So I finally unpacked. I have my computer, my stuff is put away, and I feel SO MUCH BETTER. I'm not thrilled to be 26 years old living in my parents' house, but thankfully they're gracious enough to let me.

I'll also post a "tour" of my current living situation soon.

So I hope that answers some of the questions I've been getting! Now that my computer is hooked up I will be back to regular posting and updates. Now that I'm working, I don't have as much time to comment on all of your blogs, but I do check them out when I have the time (usually on my phone before I fall asleep).

Korean Pancakes

2011-06-19T15:54:00.004-05:00

When I opened the box from Sophia, this was one of the things I was most excited about. To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect. I saw "Hot" and I saw "Sweet." I thought it would be like a sweet batter with a spicy filling.

The photos on the back are adorable. Why can't our American packages have cute little cartoons showing us how to cook each step!?

I saw the brown spoonful of filling and thought perhaps some sort of bean paste?

Well, needless to say, I was wrong! First, you mixed water, an included packet of yeast, and the pancake mix in a bowl and kneaded for 5 minutes. You rolled this mixture into 10 balls.

Next, you rolled out the dough into your hand, put a spoonful of the mixture, and sealed it. You placed it in a hot pan with a little oil. After the bottom browned, you were instructed to flip it over and mash it with a spatula. Then, you cooked each side an additional 1-2 minutes.

I anxiously broke into the first one and promptly burnt my mouth on the molten hot filling. Turns out, it is like a cinnamon sugar mixture. It melts down to this gooey, maple syrup kind of jam with little bits of nuts in it. Sinfully delicious! Thank you, Sophia!

FroYo

2011-06-12T12:14:00.005-05:00

You guys post about fro yo all the time and I have never been! Sure, I've eaten frozen yogurt in cartons you buy at home, or made my own. But as far as these trendy little by-weight froyo places? Never been.

Until last week. Visiting my God daughter, we went for it after dinner since they ate all of their turkey.

You grabbed your bowl, filled it up with the flavor of your choice (under the spoons), then had fun with the toppings! There was a salad bar area with lots of fresh fruit and candies. Along the wall was a row of gumball machine-like devices for even more toppings like cereals and other crunchies.

The cash register had a scale in front of it, so you put your bowl there and it was .39c per ounce. I got strawberry yogurt, banana yogurt, and put fresh strawberries, blueberries, and crumbled sugar cone on top. It came out to about $3.

Here is my God daughter, Marissa with her bowl. I promise she's not always a blur! I'll have clear pics of her in future posts.

And her little sister, Cecelia, shouting "CHEEEEEEEEEESE" while she poses with her bowl!

Welcome Package

2011-06-11T12:15:00.005-05:00

Sorry guys, it's been crazy around here lately.

Johnny and I packed the moving truck with help from our friend Goran on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday we left a lot later than expected and drove all day and night from IL to NC. We got here about 10am with a 16' moving truck and my Jeep on a car tow behind.

We rented a 16x20' storage unit and unloaded everything into there. At this point we'd been up about 36 hours. It was exhausting. Some of the stuff I moved into my parents' house, where I'll be staying for a couple of weeks. It's a confusing, scattered mess. Some of my stuff is in IL, some is in the storage unit, and some is thrown in boxes and suitcases around here.

I heard from work I didn't have to start until Friday, the 10th, so I took a short road trip to my God daughter's house, about 3 hours from here. It was so nice to be close enough to family and friends for a change!

Now I'm back at my parents' house, but the A/C upstairs is on the fritz. One second it'll be nice and cool, then without any warning it won't come on and raise up to a blistering 88F! I moved into their downstairs guest room, so now my stuff is scattered even MORE.

I'm using my mom's laptop to post this. Hopefully the apartment will be ready soon and then I'll be able to sort through my stuff, officially unpack, and hook up MY computer. Thanks for hanging in there through all this!

Sophia, the sweetheart that she is, sent me a care package to my parents' house. It was here waiting for me on the table when I got back from visiting my God daughter.

I was just expecting these - fruit chews she had a photo of on Facebook.

But no, she sent a whole slew of goodies!

Also soup, which I broke into right away for lunch. It was spicy, I went through three tissues while eating it! So delicious, and had a separate vegetable packet, not like our Americanized ramen!

Thank you Sophia, you rock!

I'll try to be better about posting! Either from my mom's laptop, possibly my iPhone (if I can figure it out), and definitely my computer once I get it hooked up.

I have a lot to show you guys! The house photos, pictures from my trip, and of course food!!

Beer Can Chicken

2011-05-31T23:05:00.002-05:00

Edited to add: This is my 500th post!

This is also known as Beer Butt Chicken for obvious reasons!

I've wanted to try this forever, but never got around to it until now.

I started with a 4.5 lb. fryer and added:

2 cans small whole potatoes
carrots, chopped
celery, chopped
1 can/bottle beer of your choice (I used Polish)
salt
pepper
paprika

Because my beer was from a bottle, I scrubbed one of the potato cans clean after ripping off the wrapper and poured the beer in that. I placed the vegetables in the bottom of a roasting pan with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. The chicken received a generous rub-down of salt, pepper, and paprika. Carefully slide the chicken's cavity over the can and place it in the center of your roasting pan.

Make sure your oven racks are low enough to fit the pan in your oven. I ended up having to remove a rack. Roast at 200° for about 2.5-3 hours, depending on your chicken's weight. Finish under the broiler for a few minutes to toast up the skin if that's your thing!

This was SO juicy! I really enjoyed the flavor the beer injected into the chicken from its steam. It wasn't very "beerish," but it was still delicious! I'll definitely be adding this to the rotation of chicken options after seeing how easy it was!

The next post will from NC. I'll show you the rest of the renovation photos and moving pics!

New Sandwich Topper

2011-05-28T23:17:00.000-05:00

As I was making a sandwich (on a hamburger bun from the freezer to use up) I went for the usual mayonnaise, but then stopped when I spotted a tub of hummus I made. I always see hummus spread on vegetarian sandwich options, but why not on a cold cut sandwich?

I smeared a healthy helping of a few tablespoons and it was delicious! Healthier than mayonnaise and adds another boost of protein to your lunch to keep you fuller longer!

Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

2011-05-27T12:14:00.000-05:00

Hopefully all this time around my dad will eventually rub off on Johnny and he'll learn that real men can cook. (Fingers crossed.)

The other night my dad whipped up a meat sauce using his Italian sausage, leftover roast beef, and leftover pork. It was really hearty and thick. In fact, we ate it two nights and I froze about a quart of it too!

And the one part of the meal I was in charge of, boiling the spaghetti, ended up like this. (Yes, I threw it out b/c our floors are currently filthy.)

Burgers, Beef, and Building

2011-05-24T14:44:00.007-05:00

Ok, so technically it's not building, as much as renovation, but I was on an alliteration roll, so please forgive.

In an effort to clear out the freezer before I leave for NC (because we all know J isn't going to make any progress in that department with me gone and him home alone), we grilled some of the delicious Marx 100% Angus beef 1/2 pound burgers I won a few months ago from Christo's contest. Every time we eat them I am shocked at how good they are.

Then, I tried the pepperocini beef with giardiniera as promised. It was delicious, but a tad on the spicy side for Johnny and me. Next time I might do mild, or mix some giardiniera with pepperocinis. Served on toasted rolls with mozzarella cheese.

Entrance with new light fixture and address sign.

Me and J trying out the downstairs mirror to see if it works. (Ignore my GUT hanging out.)

Upstairs shower tiled, not yet grouted. New tub in place. (The old one was mustard yellow, yummy!)

Master bedroom carpet out, walls patched, ready to be painted.

Terrified/confused dog. Has no clue where all this construction and packing is leading...

The chaos/mess that is taking over the house as I work my way through cleaning/packing.

Edited to add: Sorry, I forget all of you aren't mind readers, and need a bit of explanation. We're finishing the house in IL to be able to sell and move to NC. I'm leaving first with some of our stuff and the pets to stay at my parents' house in NC. This way the pets and some clutter will be out of the way while we show the house. I can also work my usual summer job at the ice cream shop to make some money to make the transition easier. J is staying in IL while the house is on the market. Then when it sells, we'll purchase the house we picked out in NC and me, J, and the pets will all live in the same place again.

Cream Cheese Cookies + Update Photos

2011-05-19T22:13:00.005-05:00

I've been craving snacks and sweets lately. With none in the house, I decided to bake some up. We've gotten my dad hooked on Dexter, so while we worked our way through season 3, I snuck into the kitchen for refreshments.

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used sliced almonds)

Cream shortening with cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk. Add the dry ingredients and a sprinkle of water if too stiff. (Feel free to add chocolate chips, other nuts, or dried fruit also.)

Spoon in 2 Tbsp size blobs onto a cookie sheet. Using your straightened fingers, flatten the top of the cookies.

Bake in a 350° oven for about 15 minutes. The bottom and sides will begin to brown. Remove to a wire rack and try to let cool for a few minutes.

We've made a lot of progress on the house since I last showed you pictures. The entire downstairs is done, save for a few tiny details (installing the fire alarm, etc.) and scheduled professional installs (carpet and windows).

Downstairs doors and trim all up and stained.

Laundry room floor/doors repainted, old stuff taken out, and new (clean) insulation installed.

Downstairs bathroom done, except for mirror and new window. I'm so excited about this! For as long as I've lived here, this bathroom had been completely gutted. It's going to be awesome to have a 2nd operating bathroom.

So, now that the downstairs is done, we get to move upstairs!! Here's me geared up for demolition. Smashing out old tile can be a dangerous job!

Upstairs bathroom completely gutted. And that's where we are, now. There were a lot of imperfections in the original construction, which we found once stuff was ripped out. Right now we've been stalled by a lot of problem-solving, delays, and multiple trips to home improvement stores.

Hopefully the next update I give you will have a better ending, with another nice, new, shiny bathroom!

Roast Beef Dinner & House Pics

2011-05-13T11:38:00.005-05:00

Please CLICK HERE for more information on two great causes going on THIS Saturday, May 14th!

Last night I made a roast beef and potatoes alongside. On the stove top I made some green beans, much like this recipe.

It was really good, even though I wanted the meat a little more rare. I'm so not good at judging when is the best time to pull it out and how long to let it rest, etc.

Some house update pics, for those of you following along:

J modeling the size of the new fireplace. He's 6' for reference.

Downstairs closet and bathroom doors hung and framed out.

My daddy staining the doors.

The doors off, some shelves hung, and the frames stained.

A patch of grass in the backyard we accidentally killed. Whoops!

200' of baseboard stained. (Dad's working on installing it downstairs right now.)

Various Reviews

2011-05-12T19:00:00.001-05:00

Sometimes Blogger uploads my pictures sideways for no reason. Even J, the web developer/programmer, can't figure it out. I usually fiddle around and re-save them to fix it, but for now, since I'm posting from a random computer and don't have much time, I'm leaving them sideways. Sorry!

I got these Magnum ice cream bars with a coupon from Foodbuzz. They come in a 3 pack box, and are usually in the $4-5 range, but these were on sale for $3 at my local store. All of the flavors had whey (boo) so J couldn't test them, and I went with my choice since I'd most likely be the only one eating them. (My dad's not big on dairy.)

It was pretty good. The milk chocolate was my least favorite part, I think I would have preferred dark chocolate. I liked the crunchy of the almonds and the ice cream was amazingly delicious and creamy (maybe the whey?). Honestly, unless I had the coupon I probably wouldn't buy them. $1+ for a lone bar is way out of this ~~cheap~~ frugal girl's budget.

I won Ally's AMAZING giveaway a few weeks ago. I literally screamed and called J over. This is, hands down, the awesomest giveaway I've won! I got 4 of these little cookbooks, an (unpictured) grocery bag, and 52 coupons (1 year's worth) for FREE Organic Valley products. Our store carries their milks and butter, but I'm hoping NC will have a wider variety of their products. It'll still be cool to not have to buy milk for a whole year! Thanks again, Ally!!!

I saw a commercial for these and wanted to try them. I'm not usually a cookie person, but something about these caught my interest. I had a coupon from the Sunday paper, so I got them.

Wow, they're good. The peanut butter ones were my #1 choice and are reminiscent of Girl Scout's Tagalongs. Dangerous, but oh so delicious.

I received a coupon through Foodbuzz's Tastemaker program and Magnum ice cream to purchase the bars. The photos and opinions are my own.

Do Good this Saturday!

2011-05-12T15:04:00.000-05:00

Laura of Hey What's for Dinner Mom is hosting her annual Bake Sale for Share Our Strength to end nationwide hunger this Saturday, May 14th.

Click here to visit her site. You can donate via Paypal, shop for treats if you're local to her, and enter to win a cool, vintage giveaway!

Also, Stamp Out Hunger is this Saturday, May 14th too! To donate, simply place non-perishable foods in a bag out by your mailbox. Your letter carrier will collect the bags for local food banks.

Two simple ways to help combat hunger, here in our country. I hope you'll consider participating in one, or both!

Pizza Night

2011-05-11T14:02:00.005-05:00

Last night I made home made pizza, per my dad's suggestion. I used Biz's no-rise crust, except I let it rise.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup warm water
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) dry yeast
1 Tbsp olive oil

In a measuring cup, add the dry yeast to the warm water. Let sit about 5 minutes, it will get cloudy and foamy. Add the olive oil, and stir.

In your mixer, pulse the flour, salt, and garlic powder together. Slowly pour in the liquid while it is running and let mix for 2-3 minutes. The dough will become really elastic and pull away from the sides in a big, warm ball. (TWSS) One batch of dough is enough for a larger, rectangle pizza (about 12" x 18") or 2 smaller, circle pizzas (about 10-12").

Grease a large bowl and turn the dough to coat. Cover with a damp, clean towel and set in a warm spot to rise for a few hours.

Roll out over corn meal and voila! I usually prebake mine at 425° which makes it easier to add the sauce and other toppings. Then I finish it for about 20-30 minutes at 375-400°.

Ours used Newman's Own garlic sauce (we really liked it so I got more), fresh mozzarella cheese cut into slices, green pepper, onion, minced garlic, and some of my dad's breakfast sausage. Sprinkled with Italian spices and baked until brown and bubbly.

I served crudites with hummus alongside for extra veggie power.

Wedding and House

2011-05-09T11:29:00.003-05:00

Johnny and I went to his friend's wedding on Saturday. I think I look 86 instead of 26 in this pic. That's J's older brother photo bombing us, btw.

The reception food was delicious! We started with bread and had this delicious cream of chicken soup with rice.

Then a salad, and a family style dinner of the above yummies. Finished with a cherry jubilee dessert. Later they served fresh fruit and pastries. Here in the Midwest you take a slice of the wedding cake to go. Weird, huh!?

I thought this was so nice of the couple. They had these signs on each of the tables and around the room. I don't care what those ~~bitchy~~ opinionated brides on The Knot boards say, a donation in lieu of a favor is a really nice thought!

Yesterday we headed to J's parents' for Mother's Day. We got his mom this little greenhouse kit that J's younger brother put together for her. She's starting all of her plants for her big vegetable garden, so it'll come in handy.

She also just got her yearly shipment of baby chicks. (She raises hens for eggs.) It's always my favorite time of year when they arrive! I pick them up and snuggle them, they're so soft! These are about a week old and just fit in your hand.

Also, my dad's back in town. House progress where we left off - the downstairs' shower door is installed.

He grouted the tile floor down there and the cabinet and all electrical stuff (outlets, switches, lights) J installed.

J also swapped out our front door exterior light. The old one was on the house from when it was built in the mid-70s. It was really old, black, rusty, and full of wasp and spider nests. This makes the front look so much more inviting, I think!

And my FAVORITE progress of all -- my dad did this cement treatment on the fireplace. I just can't get over how awesome it looks! I'll have to get a picture of myself standing next to it to show you guys how big this is. It's such an awesome focal point of the room.

Ever wonder?

2011-05-05T17:02:00.003-05:00

How a fried egg would turn out on your panini press?

Yeah, me either.

I met Ree!!!

2011-05-03T00:03:00.008-05:00

Chances are if you've talked to me on the side you know I love Ree and her blog, The Pioneer Woman. I've wanted to meet her for quite some time, but timing has just never worked out for when she's in town.

Earlier today I saw her tweet about being in Naperville, which isn't far from Johnny's work, which isn't too far from our house. So I met him at work and we drove out to the bookstore.

I was really nervous, so I texted Mara and Sophia to get rid of some giddy anxiety and tweeted with a bunch of you to pass the time.

I grew up a piano playing, ballet dancing, straight A kind of a gal, so I haven't led the most exciting life.

My celebrity spottings thus far have included handing Van Cliburn a bouquet of roses at a concert and asking him to blow my mom a kiss (which he did).

I also was in the same building as Joey McIntyre once. (He was Fiyero one of the three times I've seen Wicked.)

I know she's not a movie star (yet), but I kind of think of Ree in celebrity-like status. I've loved her books and her blog and seeing her on TV. I was going to have to walk up to her and talk! Eep!

Anyways- there I was, wearing my holey yoga pants, and the line finally dwindled down. There were 103 tickets and we were #98, so it had really dwindled down.

Ree sang Ethel Merman for the girls in line ahead of us, much to my delight. Then we approached her and I gushed bout loving her blog, and her, and Johnny and I talked about her little son that we find adorable, and then poof! it was over and I survived! She is so down to earth and sweet that I forgot my irrational fears of turning bright red, puking, or bursting into tears, embarrassing myself.

We were starved, so after we headed to a little Italian place just up the street, Rosebud. It was the first time either of us had eaten there, but J's friend highly recommended it.

I started with fried calamari. Hands down the best I've ever had! Delicious!

Then I had fetticine alfredo. (I went with a low-fat, low-cal dish since I have to fit into a wedding dress eventually.)

Johnny had some vodka penne dish. He almost always chooses vodka sauce dishes when we eat Italian. He loves them. And he ate this entire plate to prove it.

Then he had a creme brulee for dessert (I snuck a few spoonfuls of it). I ordered some cannolis to go, which I'll eat tomorrow in my PJs while catching up with 16 & Pregnant online since I watched every Glee episode in existence and now have to wait for new ones.

Sorry the restaurant photos are dim. I just have a point and shoot. Which brings me to a survey:

Your opinion on putting a camera on a wedding registry:online surveys

Royal Wedding Talk

2011-04-29T19:27:00.009-05:00

Yes, I was one of those who stayed up all night to watch the Royal Wedding and I had a fantastic time!

I set up a little makeshift viewing area in the spare room/my office so I wouldn't disturb J. I used my monitor to stream it live on Hulu, lounging on the bed/couch while munching banana bread and tweeting.

(Ignore all the messy boxes and clutter, remember I'm in the middle of packing!)

Highlights:

-Seeing everybody's excitement on Twitter and around the world. It was such an "It's a Small World" moment to know billions were watching the same as me.

-Kate's dress was absolutely stunning. I loved the classic direction she went in with the lace, the neckline, her veil, and that tiara.

-The princes actually looking like I imagine princes SHOULD look. Sashes, medals, gloves, and all.

-Prince Harry sneaking a peek at Kate for William. Easily my favorite moment of the whole affair.

-The little flower girl covering her ears from the roar as William and Kate kissed on the balcony. I imagine my little face would look much the same at that moment, too.

Criticisms:

-Barbara Walters yapping constantly about inappropriate stuff: Diana's death NON-STOP, funerals, suicide, Harry being better looking than William, William's baldness INCESSANTLY, etc. I found it very disrespectful and tacky, personally. Most of it was gossipy and petty, rather than informative and interesting. She's a news anchor, not a high school cheerleader. Dial it back, Babs.

-Why can't William turn around SOONER to see his bride? He didn't get to see her until she was beside him? I feel like he should have gotten to see a full walking-down-the-aisle-towards-him moment for at least a few feet at the end.

Did you watch? What were your highlights/criticisms?

These are my confessions...

2011-04-27T15:42:00.006-05:00

I haven't been cooking much lately.

My dad bought me this bottle of wine as a joke, but I think it's perfect.

Here's the back. So true, right?

Poe is so funny, he loves jumping on the bar stools and sitting up to the counter like he's going to be served. If you give him a fry this is his reaction every time! We love watching it and usually do it over and over, letting Corky reap the rewards!

All of you Glee tweeters, posters, and Facebookers finally piqued my curiosity and I started watching the first season on Netflix streaming.

Let's just say I was up until 6 am this morning watching while J happily snored next to me.

My favorites thus far (I'm only on episode 7 or 8 so don't ruin anything for me) has been I Could Have Danced All Night and Defying Gravity. Both were already personal favorites of mine, so it was cool to see them on the show because they aren't exactly BillBoard Top 100 chart toppers.

Also, is it normal to have fluctuating crushes between Finn, Mr. Shuester, and Puck?

I think Finn looks SO much like a knock off Stephen Colletti:

And Puck looks like he could be Shane West's brother:

Amiright!?! I know my hot boys.

This is what happens...

2011-04-25T22:27:00.003-05:00

... when you accidentally turn the burner to LOW instead of OFF and don't notice for about an hour.

Pan Can Fundraiser

2011-04-22T07:30:00.001-05:00

Mara of What's for Dinner? was one of the very first blogs I started reading two and a half years ago when I joined this awesome community. I found out that she lives near me, so we've met in real life a few times. She also recently took Johnny's and my engagement photos. Mara is as sweet as they come and I'm so glad that of all the food bloggers I follow, she's one of the few that happens to live near enough me to make that bond from "online" friend to "real life" friend.

As many of you know, Mara lost her dad in January to pancreatic cancer. This is now a cause near and dear to her heart. Next Saturday, April 30th Mara will be walking a 5K in her father's memory.

Her fundraising goal is $1,000 to benefit Pancreatic Cancer Research.

Today, Friday, April 22st from 8am - 9pm Mara has organized an online flea market fundraiser.

(Click the button above to be taken directly to her blog.)

Rumor has it that many friends and bloggers have donated a whole slew of items (some tasty!) to be bid on. Mara will update the blog a few times throughout the day to reflect the highest bids emailed to her.

Mara is such a great person and important member of our community. I really hope you go shop, bid on something, and/or donate to support her and this terrific cause!

Also, please spread the word throughout the day. Blog the link to Mara's flea market. Post it on Facebook for your family and friends. Tweet about it to your followers. Help get the word out!

Tea Towel Winner!

2011-04-21T11:07:00.005-05:00

Hi everybody! Thank you so much for going and showing Mara some support for her PanCan 5k walk and fundraiser!

The PanCan fundraiser flea market will be Friday, April 22nd. It will be live from about 8am - 9pm. All bids will start at $10 and Mara will update the prices a few times throughout the day as she receives emails from bidders. I've heard that some really great bloggers have donated an array of tasty treats and amazing items! So make sure you stop by her blog tomorrow to peruse and shop!

The winner of the tea towels was jhitomi! I'll send you an email to get your address so I can mail these out to you!

Thank you again, and don't forget to stop by the flea market tomorrow!

House Updates + Engagement Pics

2011-04-19T18:59:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the delay! Most of the pictures I've taken in the last month were on a completely different computer than the one I usually blog with. So I just kept forgetting to boot the other one up to show you the progress!

Johnny and my dad redid the rotted roof of the shed. It was delayed a few days because our resident shed squirrel had a nest of teeny baby squirrels in there.

See the little, pink foot and tail? I followed the instructions on some web sites to set them in a box and the mama came and got them safely!

Johnny and I cleared out the shed of all the junk in there, swept it out, and put back some missing panel pieces. It's going to be getting a new door that locks, then we can use it to store some boxes in the meantime before the move.

My dad cut down a dead tree and trimmed back another tree so the squirrels can't get in the shed anymore.

We enjoyed some nice bonfires in the back to burn the wood instead of having to haul it out to the road.

My dad finished the downstairs shower. It's all grouted and the new fixtures installed!

Next step is the new door, but that's on hold until he gets back too! He tiled the floor down there, just hasn't grouted it yet. That picture must be on the OTHER computer, though.

And in case you interested in some engagement pictures Mara did a post with a few highlights!

iPhone Recaps

2011-04-18T14:01:00.007-05:00

Ok, so I've been a horrible food blogger the past few weeks!

But, deep in my veins I was still a food blogger at heart. Something in my DNA would make me whip out my iPhone and snap some pics of note-worthy meals I had for you guys.

A slurpee!! Ahh, when was the last time you had one of these? It'd been way, way too long for me!

We went to Ikea one weekend to look at bathroom stuff for the re-do. My dad got Lox.

I got the Swedish meatballs and 3 bars of chocolate that we all split!!

An apple I ate as a snack had a bellybutton!

Dinner out one night featured a not so appetizing sounding drink menu ..

And this past weekend we went into the city to meet with Mara for our engagement photos! She took us to Old Town Social where we drank Prosecco.

And I ate these delicious poached eggs over spinach and artichoke hearts with Hollandaise!

In addition to splitting these sausage and gravy biscuits with Johnny! (He had his own plate of Banana's Foster french toast while Mara let us sneak a taste of her Waffles and Sausage.)

We were serenaded by a Dixieland band because it was brunch! Fun!

I'll post some of the engagement photos soon for you guys to see!

Tea Towel Giveaway!!!

2011-04-16T13:56:00.003-05:00

I will be giving away 3 sets of tea towels (6 total).

There are two ways to enter (each worth one entry):

Entry 1 - Go to this post of Mara's and read about her online fund raiser. Come back here and leave a comment letting me know you checked it out. I hope you'll consider donating something or at least shopping on Thursday, April 21st.

Entry 2 - Tweet "Help @imadedinner raise money for pancreatic cancer- donate an item, baked good, or service to her online flea market: http://bit.ly/g5CQsc" and leave a 2nd comment letting me know you've done so.

Entries will be collected through midnight, Wednesday, April 20th. I will announce the winner on Thursday, April 21st, just in time for the flea market!

Banana Walnut Muffins

2011-04-10T21:36:00.001-05:00

Like Errign, I can't stand bananas once they are ripe. I like them with a little bit of green, right before they become ripe, otherwise it makes me want to gag.

Anyways, I bought a bunch of bananas for the three men currently residing in my home. And they sat, and sat, and sat. I asked what was going on once they became spotted and they confessed that none of them wanted to eat them in case somebody else wanted them.

I know, right? Men!

So, in my first ever baking experiment where I kind of loosely went off a recipe and threw stuff in a bowl, hoping it'd turn out:

3 over ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 flour
3/4 sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
pinch of salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Add all of the other ingredients, except the walnuts. Stir until everything is smooth and incorporated. Fold in the walnuts.

Scoop even amounts into 12 lined muffin tins. Bake in a 350° oven for about 25 minutes.

I'll update you on the house in the next post - we've got a lot more done, if you can believe it! I'm too tired to sift through photos now to show the progress!

Pepperocini Beef Roast + House Progress!

2011-04-07T12:50:00.000-05:00

Swistle has been blogging, tweeting, and shouting from the rooftops lately about how good this beef recipe is. Apparently it's been making its way through the blog world like wildfire. Which is news to me, because I never saw it until last week, despite being an avid reader of A Year of Slow Cooking and even own the cookbook!

So I picked up the two ingredients necessary. Yes, two. 2.

2-3 lb. beef roast
16 oz. jar of pepperocinis

Put the beef in the slow cooker and dump the whole bottle of pepperocinis on top (liquid and all). Cook on low for 8 hrs. or high for 3-4 hrs. (The beef can even be frozen.) Shred the meat with two forks and serve on your choice of bread, topped with cheese and condiments if you wish.

I had already eaten 3/4 of mine before I remembered to take a pic. So I got this quick shot of my dad's sandwich (Biz will appreciate the crushed red pepper flakes!)

It was really, really good. The meat was tender and was reminiscent of a pulled pork BBQ with the prominent vinegar taste. It had a really nice kick to it from the pepperocini. I'm not usually a spicy person, but this was a tasty spicy, so it was great!

In the future I think I'd like to try it with hot giardiniera pickled vegetables. That way there's a nice spicy variety in there to chomp down on, not just the pepperocini.

(Source)

For those of you keeping track of the house update - there's been a ton of progress made!

Downstairs has been taped, spackled, sanded, and primed.

The fireplace is done being framed out.

The downstairs' bathroom is drywalled and the shower is tiled (not yet grouted).

I removed the wallpaper and trim from the upstairs' bathroom.

The outside patio, sidewalks, driveway, and windows have been pressure washed to remove all of the dark grey/green mold and mildew stains.

And I managed to get J's dream tile (granite) down from $10.99/sft to $7.55/sft using my Italian bargaining skills. This saved about $535 in materials and tax!

Kale Chips

2011-04-06T16:08:00.000-05:00

I finally tried kale chips. I know, I know I'm late to the game. But the only place around me I can find kale is at Wal*Mart and I know you won't blame me for avoiding that place.

It's a simple process. Stem the leaves and tear into 3-4" pieces. Rinse thoroughly and drain. Toss in a bowl with olive oil and your choice of spices. You could sprinkle garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, etc. depending on your mood.

Spread out onto a greased baking sheet and pop into a 350° oven for 12-15 minutes. The leaves will be dried and crispy when they're ready to be removed. Some areas might remain slightly soggy/steamed but most crisp up some upon standing.

I thought they were good, but they didn't rock my socks off. Plus I think it's a lot of effort for not a lot of product.

If I were to make these regularly, I'd do really big batches because you snarf them down pretty quickly. Although I'm not sure how well they keep and also how the nutrients are once you've baked them to a crisp.

Chili!

2011-04-04T20:06:00.004-05:00

I made a bland meatloaf the other night (I forgot to double the seasonings for 2 lbs. of meat instead of 1 lb.) and my dad suggested we turn the leftovers into a chili.

3 cups dried pinto beans
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 small yellow onions, diced
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
15 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 cup water
~1 lb. cooked hamburger meat

Rinse the beans and discard any bad ones. Soak in a large bowl with enough water to cover the beans overnight. The next day, strain the beans and rinse again.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Saute until soft. Add the spices and seasonings, stirring to mix. Add the cans of tomatoes, and rinse the cans with a little bit of water and add that to the pot. Add the beans and cover, letting simmer over low-medium heat for about an hour until the beans soften.

Crumble the cooked hamburger meat in the pot, stirring to incorporate everything. Cover and let simmer until everything comes up to temperature and the beans are al dente.

Serve over rice with toppings of your choice. We used shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and chives. Serves 5-6.

Johnny and I aren't big on spicy, but this was a nice heat level for us. My dad added extra Texas Pete and crushed red pepper. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to your personal preference.

Southwestern Succotash

2011-03-30T20:50:00.004-05:00

We enjoyed some of my tamales for dinner, so I needed a quick side dish. Working with what I had on hand, this is what I whipped up.

1 Tbsp olive oil
3 green onions/scallions
1 cup frozen corn
15 oz. can of black beans, drained
1 cup leftover grilled bell peppers
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the scallions. Once they're softened, add the frozen corn and stir until it comes up to temperature. Add the can of beans and grilled bell peppers. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin, stirring to mix everything. Put a lid on the skillet and let it slowly heat through.

The house is coming along pretty well! My dad and cousin got here Monday and have already finished the drywall job downstairs that Johnny and his brother started. The downstairs bathroom is re-drywalled and the shower gutted. Next comes some tile work for the bathroom and fireplace, then they'll be able to paint! It's exciting to see so much work get done in such a short amount of time.

Friday Firsts - Breakfast Nachos

2011-03-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday everybody!

My first for this week was making Biz's breakfast nachos as a midnight snack. Yummy yummy!

To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!

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Breakfast Nachos

2011-03-24T01:36:00.005-05:00

Truth be told I'm a night owl.

Actually, the more I read about the subject, I think I probably suffer from delayed sleep phase syndrome. This is the inability to awaken and fall asleep at socially acceptable times but no problem with sleep maintenance. Or, where your timing of sleep is off, or shifted. I sleep full nights, I just go to bed way later and sleep in. My peak period of alertness has always begun at about dinner. I feel my most awake from about 8-midnight.

I remember when I was little my parents would tuck me in bed and I'd read book after book after book. It was not uncommon for me to plow through one or two Baby Sitter's Club, Boxcar Children, or Nancy Drews a night. I also had a variety of cassette tapes my mom would play for me, ranging from nighttime prayers, to songs, and sounds of nature.

So it is of no surprise that most of the time I'm up late reading your blogs or snacking on something tasty.

Tonight I finally got around to making a treat I've wanted for a long time:

Biz's Breakfast Nachos!!!!!

Mine are a slacker's version, nowhere near as gorgeous as hers.

I heated some refried beans in a skillet while I scrambled 2 eggs. Then I mixed the two together. I spread this over some tortilla chips and doused everything with taco sauce. Had I been motivated to, I would have added sour cream or perhaps green onions too.

Either way they were delicious! So filling and tasty. I loved them!

I wonder why it took me so long to try them, or why I didn't think of them myself! I love making breakfast burritos - so a breakfast nacho isn't too far of a stretch.

Packing progress! I've gotten all of the clothes I won't need for the next few months packed. Now I'm working on other unnecessary items like books, photos, and knick knacks.

Because we're still working on the house while living in it, it's going to be a wild dance of musical chairs, but in box form. I'm trying to get as much of our stuff out of the way as possible to make this easier. My goal is to leave just the bare necessities of furniture and stuff to "stage" the house, while having the rest of it packed away neatly and out of our way!

PFP Week 10 Update

2011-03-21T16:29:00.005-05:00

Hello everybody! Happy Monday and start of spring! It's nice to see some sun and warm weather, even if it's supposedly temporary.

I've kind of got a lot going on in my life right now. I'm finishing up my last class before I get my BS and start working on my MBA. My dad is wrapping stuff up in NC and is headed here shortly to help us finish the house in the next month. We're going to be moving back home to NC, so I've started the first stages of packing. I've also got the wedding planning almost done, with some hiccups along the way (including my dress ordered in the wrong size grrr).

I just want to let you guys know that I still love all of you, still love the blog, the blogging community, etc. but please understand if I'm not as active in the next few weeks with my posting and commenting.

My progress for the week:
I weighed myself mid-week and had gained, but weighed myself now and am 1 pound less than last week's weight. Phew! That's stil a -2lb. weight loss from the start. Enough with this yo-yoing!!! Still holding strong on the "no soda challenge."

Beth (aka Biz) checked in on Facebook:
She's down ANOTHER 2 pounds! A grand total of 8.8, and only .2 lbs from her 5% weight loss award from WW!!

Amanda updates:
She is staying the same, but would like to lose something next week. Her total weight loss is still around 7 lbs!

Menu Plan for the week:
I'm going to take a hiatus from the menu plan in the meantime. I want to work our way through the freezer and pantry before the move, so I'm going to be more in a "throw meals together" mode instead of planning and purchasing specific menu items.

Tip of the week:

There are some really great food documentaries out there. If you have Netflix, quite a few are on streaming, otherwise you can rent them.

Health wise I've watched Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America's Greatest Threat and Food Matters. Both of these really wake you up about some of the goings on in our bad health, FDA rules, food production, etc. Some obvious shock and awe bits, but for the most part they are really informative and compelling.

Entertainment wise I've also watched Kings of Pastry and Pressure Cooker. These are really awesome if you're into food and competitions. Kings of Pastry follows french pastry chefs fighting for the highest honor in France and Pressure Cooker follows a Philadelphia high school culinary class as the students compete for culinary scholarships to go to college.

There is a HSN Spring Weekend Event being hosted by Bon Appetit March 26-27th. Click here to check out the schedule, which features some well-known chefs, and some of the great products they're offering.

*Disclaimer - I'm receiving a $10 HSN card for posting the above notice and link. I'm going to be selfish and keep it for myself since we have the upcoming move and wedding which require tons of purchases.

Friday Firsts - Lipton's packet

2011-03-18T15:35:00.003-05:00

Hi everybody, sorry I'm so late with Friday Firsts this week! After taking a few days off from the blog world while out of town, it's hard to catch up and jump back into things.

I always have some Liptons packets in the pantry. I mix them with sour cream for dip, since the majority of salad dressings and dips have whey in them. This week I used one in a recipe. That is the first time I've cooked with the packet and it turned out pretty good!

To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!

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Tuna Noodle Casserole

2011-03-16T16:11:00.000-05:00

The inspiration for this recipe is really wacky, so bear with me.

The last night we were in Florida, it was just me, Johnny, and my brother Michael. I was in the kitchen of the rental home cooking fruit filled pancakes and scrambled eggs for our dinner. Johnny and Michael were lounging in the living room talking, with Hoarders playing in the background.

All of a sudden I heard both of them scream "ewwww" and other loud outbursts of disgust. I ran into the room, spatula still in hand, to see what was going on. Apparently, the teenaged daughter of the hoarder had boiled pasta, spooned huge spoonfuls of Miracle Whip in with it, and stirred it together with canned tuna and peas. She put this concoction in the microwave to heat it up, and then they ate in their car, since it was the only place for both of them to sit.

That was Sunday night, and it's kept replaying in my head since. It was so disturbing, especially since both of them were overweight and battling diabetes. I kept thinking "why would they make something so unhealthy?"

I had to make something like it myself, but I wanted to make it healthy. I really don't know why, but I felt like that was the only way I'd be able to get over my disgust of the situation.

1 pound of elbow macaroni
1 cup fat free sour cream
1 packet Lipton's Recipe Secrets mix (I used vegetable)
1 cup frozen spinach
1 cup frozen peas
1 can of albacore tuna, packed in water

Bring a pot of water up to a boil. Season with salt and boil the pasta 2-3 minutes short of being done (very al dente).

While the pasta is boiling, mix the sour cream, Lipton's packet, veggies, and tuna in a covered baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Drain the pasta and mix with the other ingredients. Put the lid on the baking dish and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serves 3-4.

PFP Week 9 Update

2011-03-15T18:58:00.007-05:00

Hi everybody! Sorry this update is a day late. I was in Florida for my cousin's wedding and we just got back yesterday.

This is me with my little brother. Michael before the ceremony. The 3 piece suit and shoes he's wearing were my dad's from the 70's.

Here I am with my two cousins at the reception. The one on the left, Michele, is the Maid of Honor, and the one on the right, Alicia, is the bride (duh).

It was nice to be in some sunshine for a few days, I even got a little bit of a burn!

My progress for the week:
I weigh the same as last week. I was a lot more active in the past week with all the walking around airports, out with family, and shopping. I think that countered any of the good food I ate while out of town. I DID have one of those small airplane cups of ginger ale on the flight out. Technically that goes against the "no soda" mini goal, but my stomach hurt and it was such a small serving I went for it anyways. The rest of the trip and the return flight I successfully avoided soda.

Beth's update:
She has not weighed in because she feels like that will trigger some ED thoughts. She has successfully avoided binging and other set-backs!

Beth (aka Biz) checks in to say:
She is down another 1.8 lbs. She also ran her fasted 2 mile at 22:40, or an 11:20 mph pace!

Mel needs some motivation!
She is up another pound, but still down a total of .6. Let's help her out with some motivation here and on the Facebook page!

Laura checked in:
After a month of illness and teen drama, she is back, feels good, and is ready to go! She thought of healthy meals and made them, has been drinking copious amounts of water to cleanse her system, and walked her dogs 40 minutes.

Menu Plan for the week:
tuna noodle casserole (recipe will be posted soon)
New England Boiled Dinner (for St. Pat's)
Taco Pie (also posted here- Revisit: Taco Pie)
Meatloaf (J's request)

Tip of the week:

(Source)

Raw nuts! They're a great, healthy snack that packs a punch of super-filling protein.

Here is a great article about raw nuts (and seeds) here.

I highly recommend NutsOnline.com for all your nuts and seed purchases. Everything I have bought from them arrives quickly and they have amazing prices and quality.

Friday Firsts - 3 new ingredients

2011-03-11T00:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday everybody!! This week just flew by, for me at least.

This week my first was definitely using a bunch of new ingredients. I used just three alone in my fish tacos: coconut sugar, Tepin chilis, and Szechuan peppercorns.

To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!

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The Ridiculously Delicious Challenge - Stage 3

2011-03-08T20:38:00.004-06:00

Thank you for your votes, everybody! Because of you, I have successfully made it to Stage 3 of the Ridiculously Delicious Challenge, hosted by Marx Foods!

In this stage of the challenge, I had to choose one of the other 14 blogger's recipes who advanced and makeover their recipe utilizing three of my unused ingredients from the original eight mystery ingredients.

After perusing the widely diverse recipes, I chose to interpret the Moroccan inspired fish tacos and coleslaw by Lawyer Loves Lunch in a new way.

My makeover uses a different flavor inspiration - the lively Jamaican jerk seasoning. Jerk seasoning is such a unique spice/marinade. It uses sweet, spicy, hot, salty, all in one burst of unmatched flavor. I looked through recipe after recipe until I found a list of must-have inclusions. In place of the traditional brown sugar, habanero chilis, and black pepper I used the coconut sugar, Tepin chilis, and Szechuan peppercorns, respectively. I feel like these ingredients still represent Jerk seasoning's complexity, while adding a diverse spin.

Jerk seasoning:
1/3 cup coconut sugar
3 gloves garlic, minced
7 or 8 dried Tepin chilis, ground (more or less depending on your spice tolerance)
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, ground
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground Thyme
1 small onion, minced (can use green onions/chives)
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Coleslaw:
1/4 wedge of small green cabbage
2 Tbsp mayo
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp celery seed
salt and pepper, to taste

Additional:
1 lb. cod fillets
10 6" tortillas (your choice of corn or flour)

Begin by mixing the Jerk seasoning ingredients in a shallow glass dish. Taste and adjust seasonings to your personal preference.

Liberally cover the cod fillets in the Jerk and allow to marinate for at least two hours.

Chop the cabbage into bite sized pieces. Mix the remaining ingredients together with the cabbage. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours for the flavors to develop.

Heat a griddle pan to high. Cook the cod fillets through, until they begin to flake.

Plate your fish tacos using the warmed tortillas, generous chunks of the Jerk marinated cod, and a healthy forkful of the coleslaw.

This is such an explosion of flavors. The Jerk seasoning covers every tastebud on your tongue with heat, sweet, spice, warmth, salty, and peppery. The coleslaw is very tart and refreshing, a nice addition to the other complex flavors.

Only 10 of the 15 Stage 3 competitors will move to Stage 4, so wish me luck! There will be no voting for this round. The 8 recipes chosen the most times to be made over will move up and Marx Food's opinions will determine the other 2 advancers.

Edited to add: My 2nd choice makeover choice would have been Snippet of Sue's salmon.

PFP Week 8 Update

2011-03-07T14:25:00.005-06:00

My progress for the week:
Up 1 pound. I stuck to my meal plan throughout the week. Then we ate unhealthy things over the weekend. Week 1 of no soda a success!

Janelle's progress:
Despite it being her daughter's birthday week, she was still down .8 pounds!

Beth (aka Biz) reports:
She checked in with WW for the first time in 3 weeks, since having to concur her husband's cancer and hospital stay. She only gained .6 pounds during all of that stress! She gets to keep her -5 pound sticker! Awesome news!

Jenn's goal this week:
To get her ass in gear and workout in the morning, despite not being a morning person.

Menu Plan for the week:
leftovers
I also need to do a freezer and pantry inventory

Tip of the week:

Water!!! When trying to get healthy it is so important to drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Some important health benefits:

can decrease your appetite
contains important nutrients and oxygen
helps remove waste from the body
helps regulate body temperature
keeps bowel movements normal

To calculate how much water you should be drinking, begin with your weight and divide by two. The resulting number is how many ounces of water you should be drinking daily.

I have some "fun" glasses that I devote to my daily water intake . I chose these glasses because it's easier to get excited about drinking water and to remember to refill them multiple times throughout the day. Invest in a reusable, refillable water bottle. I never leave the house without filling up my Sigg.

If plain water starts to bore you, you can thinly slice lemon or cucumber to "fruitify" your water. It adds a crisp, refreshing taste without the unhealthy addition of flavored packets, added sugar, or empty calories.

Healthy Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

2011-03-06T00:11:00.000-06:00

If you're not interested in a healthy version, my usual fried version can be found here.

This was kind of a science experiment of a dish. I wasn't sure what would or wouldn't work, but I'm happy to report that it turned out well enough to share with you guys!

I started with my usual way of doing things, and made some healthy substitutions along the way, both in the ingredients and cooking methods used.

3 medium to large eggplants
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk
1 24 oz. jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup low fat mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Begin by washing and slicing your eggplant in 1/4" thick pieces. Lay out on baking dishes and sprinkle with Kosher salt to draw out some of the moisture.

While the eggplant sits, combine the flours, salt, and pepper in a large, flat Tupperware style container. In another large, flat container, whisk together the eggs, skim milk, salt, and pepper.

Use a few paper towels to firmly pat down the eggplant, grabbing any excess moisture that has been drawn out. (I only did one side because I'm lazy.) Preheat the oven to 375°.

Start your assembly line, which will go like this: a feather light dusting of the flour mixture on the eggplant, a dunk into the egg mixture, and another feather light coating of the flour mixture. Lay the battered eggplant pieces on a greased baking pan. Pop the pan in the oven, and continue with the eggplant pieces until all are battered, on a sheet, and in the oven. Each pan should bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the eggplant has softened and the batter is browned (at least on the bottom).

Mix the jar of sauce with the water to thin it out a little bit (helps with easier spreading). Grab a very large casserole dish and spread the bottom with a thin layer of sauce. Remove the first pan of eggplant put in the oven. Lay the pieces out in the casserole dish. Pour 1/3 of the remaining sauce overtop, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and a few Tbsp of the Parmesan. Remove the second pan of eggplant put in the oven, and repeat the process. Finally, remove the last pan of eggplant from the oven and lower the temperature to 300°. Repeat the layering process, omitting the cheese, using your spatula to firmly press down the layers. Pop back into the oven, covered for 30-45 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Remove the foil, sprinkle the last of the cheese, and finish under the broiler.

Serves 5-6. Reheats well. You can also assemble and freeze the dish before baking. When ready to bake, just thaw and bake until the sauce is bubbling.

I'm not going to lie, this is a tedious dish to make, with a lot of hands-on time. It took me about an hour and a half from washing the eggplant to popping the assembled casserole into the oven for the final bake. I personally love the battered eggplant, but if the coating isn't your thing, you could certainly skip the battering steps and just roast slices of eggplant and make the dish the same way from that point on.

It's definitely worth the effort, though!

ABCs of Christina

2011-03-04T22:28:00.008-06:00

A = Age: 26 which I can't believe. I always ~~act~~ feel much younger than what I really am.

B = Bed size: King, but I wish it were bigger. Then I could further myself from J's snoring self and actually get some space of my own without a cat and a dog all up in my business.

C = Chore you dislike: I hate dishes. Hate them.

D = Dogs: Corky who is 7! (This is his presidential shot if he ever runs for office)

E= Essential start to your day: Amazing Grass

F = Favorite color: Green (as if you couldn't tell)! It just makes me really happy.

G = Gold or silver: Silver or white gold.

H = Height: 5'4"

I = Instruments you play(ed): Piano and flute

J = Job title: Lazy ass student/bum

K = Kids: negative

L = Live: Chicagoland

M = Mom’s name: Debbie-Lyn

N = Nicknames: Mystina and when I was younger Stina, occasionally Teeny and other "small" names because I was tiny.

O = Overnight hospital stays: When I was 9 months old I had meningitis, so that was a bunch of hospital stuff. Then when I first moved out on my own when I was 20 I got tonsilitis really, really badly and ended up in the hospital for two days.

P = Pet peeves: Too many to list! Ignorant people. Disrespectful people. Bad grammar. Bad driving. People that don't understand stop signs. Knuckle cracking. I'll stop there.

Q = Quote from a movie: I quote movies all the time, but I have a feeling I'm the only one that gets them. Hmm.. let's choose "I'm a good girl I am!"

R = Righty or lefty: Righty

S = Siblings: One younger brother, Michael.

T = Time you wake up: Depends on when I got to sleep the night before. Usually around 8 or so when J is up and leaving for work. If I'm being an insomniac, it can be as late as 11 or so. Occasionally J and I stay up all night (watching movies or shows on Netflix) and then I'll sleep until like 3 pm

U = Underwear: Current pair? blue with turquoise edging

V = Vegetables you don’t like: Um I was going to say tomatoes and mushrooms, but neither of those are technically a vegetable. So, really I think I like them all!

W = What makes you run late: Not wanting to get out of my warm bed.

X = X-rays you’ve had: Dental ones, obviously. Chiropractor ones. My tailbone when I fell down the stairs here and broke it. My foot when my toe got caught on J's Doc Marten's and turned all shades of hideous blue, black, and purple. Observations with acid reflux.

Y = Yummy food you make: See: my blog archive

Z = Zoo animal favorites: Caruso, the white cheeked gibbon at Lincoln Park Zoo. He sucks his thumb and always recognizes me and goes apeshit (no pun intended). We have millions of photos and video evidence of his affection for me - ranging from shrieking and running over to the glass, sitting pressed up against me, or doing a little mating dance.

Friday Firsts - Quinoa Crust

2011-03-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday everybody! Today is my little brother's 23rd birthday! Happy Birthday Michael!

If you haven't already, could you please take a second to vote for my Lucia Buns? It's one click to vote, no registration required. (Voting ends TODAY!!) Thank you!

This week my first is baking a dish with a quinoa crust! It turned out really cool and I hope to use the method in the future with more dishes and casseroles! I tend to forget about this little grain and how versatile it is.

To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!

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Vegetable and Quinoa Bake

2011-03-02T21:23:00.007-06:00

I've been turning to my health cookbooks more and more lately for inspiration. This Healthy Heart Cookbook had a recipe for a rice and broccoli bake. I thought it sounded like a really good idea, so I took it and ran with it. I changed the rice to quinoa, added way, way, wayyy more veggies, and left out some of the cheese.

Crust:
2 cups plain cooked quinoa
1 egg
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Filling:
1 cup frozen spinach
1 bell pepper
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
2 jarred, roasted red peppers
5 eggs
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Note: This can be made in a single 11 x 7" casserole dish, or separately in two pie plates.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg for the crust. Fold in the cheese and quinoa until evenly incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Spray your baking dish or pie plates with non-stick spray and turn the crust mix out into them. Using the back of a spatula or your hands, carefully form the crust along the bottom of the dish(es) and up the sides.

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large mixing bowl, add the veggies as you chop with the cheese. Feel free to add any combination of vegetables and cheese according to your individual tastes or preferences. You could even add beans, potatoes, or salsa - get creative! Reuse your medium bowl to beat the 5 eggs. Add to the large bowl and keep folding with the vegetables until everything is mixed. Season with salt and pepper.

Gently pour the egg and vegetable mixture into the crust(s), using a spatula to even out if necessary. Pop in the oven, uncovered for 20-30 minutes. Check the center for doneness with a knife. Let stand a few minutes before cutting. For breakfast or lunch, I would say this could serve 5-6. For dinner it serves closer to 3-4.

I was nervous about this one, but it really knocked our socks off! The quinoa crust was delicious. It held up really well, and the crunchy bits were really nutty and delicious.

I loved the combination of all of the vegetables. It was a really colorful meal, which always makes me feel like I'm eating healthy!

If you haven't already, could you please take a second to vote for my Lucia Buns? It's one-click to vote, no registration required. Thank you! (Voting ends March 4th)

One Click!

2011-03-01T13:34:00.002-06:00

Hi everybody, please take a minute to CLICK HERE and vote for my Lucia Buns at Marx Foods blog!

It's just one click to vote, no registration required. Thank you!

Video Demonstration: Sausage Stuffed Peppers

2011-03-01T08:59:00.000-06:00

I was surprised to find a huge box on my door step Friday! Inside were three bottles of Newman's Own salad dressings, three jars of Newman's Own sauce, a flip HD camera, two coupons for Newman's Own frozen pizza, and instructions to make a short video.

The video instructions were simple enough:

demonstrate a meal that could be cooked in 30 minutes or less
showcase at least one Newman's Own product

I could do that! And I already had just the recipe in mind:

Sausage Stuffed Peppers

4 bell peppers
1 onion
1 lb. sausage
1 handful mozzarella cheese
1 jar Newman's Own sauce

Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Wash and cut the peppers in half lengthwise, removing the seeds and membrane. Chop the onion. Carefully put the 8 pepper halves in the boiling water, return to a boil. Place the onion and the sausage in a high sided skillet and cook over medium heat until the sausage is no longer pink. Turn off both burners. Stir in a big handful of cheese with the sausage and onions. Turn the oven on to 350°. Drain the peppers and place in a large baking dish. Spoon equal amounts of the sausage mixture into each pepper. Top with about 1/4 cup of Newman's Own sauce. Cover baking dish with foil and place in the oven for about 10 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy!

The Newman's Own products and flip HD camera were received complimentary as part of a video demo promotion through Newman's Own and FoodBuzz. The recipe and opinions are my own.

PFP Week 7 Update

2011-02-27T22:55:00.005-06:00

My progress for the week:
Somehow I'm down 1 pound. Not sure how or why. I ate CRAP - fast food, a frappachino, pizza twice. But I did use my under the desk pedal bike pretty much every day! This week I really need to get my food choices back on track.

Beth checked in on Facebook:
She had a cold/flu this past week that made her eating go out the window, too. She's frustrated with her poor choices and possibly erasing past progress.

Beth (aka Biz) let us know:
Her husband is finally home from the hospital! She did not go to her WW weigh in, but this week she plans on working out 4 days, staying within her points, and sticking to her meal plan.

Janelle has good news:
She's down another pound!

Mel updates us:
She is maintaining her current overall loss of -1.4 pounds. Her goals this week are no soda, cardio workouts during her lunch break, and menu planning!

Good job everybody! It seems some of us have hit a speed bump, or have had a lot going on with sickness (in our family or us). I'm really proud that we're still reporting to each other and making attempts to get back on track. Even if we stumble, it is such a good thing to acknowledge that and to make the effort to chug forward with new goals to achieve.

Menu plan for the week:
baked eggplant parmesan (already have the ingredients)
Stuffed Green Peppers (filming for a video post)
Vegetable and Rice quiche
leftovers

Tip of the week:

My mom has these old VHS exercise tapes. Two of them are awesome - 8 minute arms and 8 minute legs. I loved them so much I bought my own copy from Amazon and had Johnny upload them onto his computer then burn them in DVD format.

I get really discouraged/ADD when working out. These are really short and to the point. Each repitition is only 30 seconds, so just when I'm starting to get bored it switches. It even has a countdown and visual progress so I can SEE how close I am to being done!

The host's name is Jaime Brenkus (what a hottie! wink wink) and he also has 8 minute buns and 8 minute abs, although I haven't done either of those. Check for them on Amazon, and also maybe on Netflix or YouTube!

Short term goal:
How about we commit to a short term goal and report back in one month (week 11 update) to see if we succeeded? This was Mel's idea, and I think it's great to be able to meet small goals on our way to our overall goal. I propose that we don't drink any soda until the week 11 update! If you're in just let me know in the comments or on the Facebook wall!

Friday Firsts - Roll Success

2011-02-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday everybody!

I have tried, and failed miserably, a few times at rolls. Try as I might, I just always end up with hard, dry blobs. This has been mighty discouraging, since I'm able to make pie crusts, quick breads, yeast breads, and pizza dough no problem.

Well, I'm proud to say that I had my first roll success! And, it was with a recipe I tweaked, no less! I made saffron rolls with dried cherries for the Marx Foods challenge. Voting will be open March 1st - 4th. I'll be linking to it on the blog and tweeting when it comes time to vote, I'd really appreciate your support!

If you haven't already, please stop by and give me some wedding shoe advice! I could use some 2nd opinions!

To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!

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The Ridiculously Delicious Challenge - Stage 2

2011-02-24T22:17:00.010-06:00

I advanced to stage 2 of Marx Food's Ridiculously Delicious Challenge! Each of us that advanced were sent a mystery box containing eight ingredients. We have to use two of them in this recipe. I chose an unlikely pair: saffron threads and dried tart cherries.

While researching saffron I came across a Swedish tradition called Lucia Buns. These are rolls, laced with saffron, baked during the feast of St. Lucia, on December 13th. The rolls are traditionally formed into an "S" or a cross of two "S" shapes and studded with currants or raisins. I chose to replace the traditional dried fruit with the dried tart cherries.

I started with a plain yeast roll recipe and worked from there.

1/2 cup warm water
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) yeast
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp saffron threads
5 cups flour

1 egg
2 Tbsp water
handful of dried tart cherries

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the warm water and yeast. Let sit a few minutes to dissolve and start to foam. Next, add the boiling water, cold water, and melted butter to the mixer, beating on low. Beat the egg and add that to the mixer with the salt.

In a small bowl, mix the sugar and the saffron threads. Using the back of a spoon, grind the saffron threads against the abrasive sugar. Work them together for a few minutes, breaking the saffron up until it becomes fragrant and mixes throughout the sugar. (A mortar and pestle can be used here if you have one.) Add this to the stand mixer.

Now, 1/2 cup at a time, gradually add the flour. The dough will be sticky and start to pull away from the side of the bowl. Let run for a few minutes on low speed until the dough gets a shiny, smooth look and is very elastic.

Oil a large bowl and turn the dough out into it. Let it rise in a warm spot for at least an hour until doubled in size. Punch down.

Form into 12-14 balls. With floured hands, roll each one into a cord about 8-9" long. Shape onto a greased baking sheet in the shape of an "S."

Mix the second egg with a couple tablespoons of water and beat. Brush lightly onto the tops of the rolls. Stud the center of each curl in with a dried cherry or two. Let rise another 30-60 minutes.

Bake in a 400° oven for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Delicious eaten warm.

Johnny and I could barely wait for these to get off of the baking sheet to try them! They poufed up so beautifully, I was actually really proud of myself. This is my first success with baking rolls! I've never been able to get any results better than dried out, hard pucks.

The insides were speckled with a fantastic bright yellow from the saffron. I would say that the saffron's presence in the roll was more of an aromatic experience, tasted through the sinuses and the back of the throat, versus a strong flavor on the tongue. I loved the tart cherries on the top, it was a startling sour, chewy treat on an otherwise fluffy cloud of comfort.

I'm glad I didn't wait for December 13th to make these! Johnny and I will be enjoying them for breakfast and snacks for a few days.

Voting for the Ridiculously Delicious Challenge will be held March 1-4th. If you like my recipe, I will post links and tweet when it is time for you to vote!

Salmon, Spinach, and Spuds

2011-02-24T09:22:00.000-06:00

I found a hidden gem in the last door of the frozen food aisle. Up on the top shelf, nearly out of sight.

It's an inconspicuous 2 pound package of frozen, wild caught salmon, plainly packaged with no flashy graphics or name brand. The filets are individually wrapped in vaccuum sealed pouches for convenience. Regular price is $12.99, but it's been on sale a couple times over the past few weeks for only $9.99.

Johnny isn't usually a seafood fan, but with that deal (and a similar one on cod) I'm definitely cooking with fish a lot more lately. I haven't heard any complaints yet, so I'll keep it up!

This recipe was inspired by a sea bass recipe in one of the culinary mystery novels I've been reading.

4 filets of wild caught salmon
2 cups frozen, chopped spinach (no need to thaw)
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a 9 x 9" square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the filets in the bottom and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and mix these with the frozen spinach. Spread this mixture evenly over the salmon. Season with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the salmon begins to flake and the onions are tender. Remove the foil and let bake another 5 minutes for any residual moisture from the spinach to reduce off. Serves 2.

I plated this with some boxed garlic mashed potatoes I've had hanging out in the pantry.

Johnny said it was good, not great. He preferred the salmon and pea puree dish I cooked earlier this month.

I have to disagree. This was so full of flavor! It tasted like something you would get at a restaurant. I really loved it, and am sad there aren't any leftovers.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

2011-02-23T18:14:00.003-06:00

I love breakfast for dinner! Johnny? Not so much.

But we struck a compromise that I can make it at least once a month. I didn't feel like an elaborate dinner, so I made some delicious apple cinnamon pancakes that hit the spot.

Even Johnny had to admit that they were great!

2 cups Bisquick HeartSmart mix
1 1/4 cup skim milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 red apple, diced

Whisk everything but the apples in a medium mixing bowl. Wash and cut the apples in a small dice and fold into the mix.

Preheat a griddle pan and scoop the pancakes out using a 1/4 measuring scoop, for even size and cooking.

Once the pancake's edges become dried and the whole pancake forms small bubbles, flip it over to finish on the other side. These are best cooked slowly over a medium heat so the apples have time to cook and soften.

Makes 14 pancakes using the 1/4 cup measuring scoop.

The side of the Bisquick HeartSmart box says that 3 pancakes are 200 calories. However, the addition of other ingredients (vanilla, apple, etc.) will change that number.

I left the skin on the apple, which made for pretty pancakes and a nice crunch throughout.

In addition to maple syrup, I also mixed sugar and sour cream for another tasty topping option.

The apple was moist and soft, with a warm comforting flavor from the cinnamon. I loved these pancakes and will definitely be making them again!

Now, for some wedding shoe help!! I know I'm a food blogger, so I threw a feeler out on Twitter and had positive responses that nobody would mind some random wedding/shoe talk.

I would like to wear green heels during the ceremony. I had like 20 bookmarked, but have since gone through and with Johnny's help have it narrowed down to four options.

Keep in mind that the wedding will be late afternoon/early evening and it will be December. If you run across any other pair of green heels you think I should consider, don't hesitate to e-mail them to me!

Option A:

Option B:

Option C:

Option D: