Posts Tagged ‘Good eats’
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Since I can remember, I have been convinced I was born in the wrong decade. The signs were all there: I’d rather listen to Nat King Cole than Nirvana. At fourteen. I’d rather watch An Affair to Remember than Titanic. {I mean, who passes up Cary Grant for Leo?}. I was completely different than most every girl I knew. There was just something about the post-war years that seemed romantic in my young heart.
Not much has changed, other than my age. And despite being an iPad toting, internet dependent, Generation Y’er, I secretly yearn for days of old. So naturally, when my friend let me use her “family” cookbook, I fell in love.
Just flipping the pages of Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook makes me feel like June Cleaver. I want to promptly put on my apron, turn on the radio {aka, Pandora app on my iPad} and begin baking. Perhaps even invest in nice serving ware and a dinner bell.
It took over a year of not so subtle hints before I out right forced Jonathan bought the book for me. After reading him the recipes {along with their humorous, but actually helpful tips} Jonathan announced “I don’t know why we didn’t buy this sooner. We are 1950’s people”. Indeed we are.
Yesterday I used Betty’s recipe for yeast rolls and loaf bread. Then for dinner I made sausage and asparagus that I smothered in a cheese cream from the cookbook’s sauce section. And per the cookbook’s suggestions, I topped the night off with banana cake and white butter frosting. I was a bona fide housewife and I loved it! Well, except for the constantly-cleaning part. I need to look into maid service if I’m gonna keep this up.
Bon appetite, June Cleaver!
Visit Jill at Diaper Diaries for more Things I Love Thursday.
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I’m leaving today for Blissdom. And much like when I left for New York last fall, I have taken some steps to help Jonathan out while I’m away. Because, while some days I’d like to think my full time job is my blog, it isn’t. My full time job is taking care of my family. I take a lot of delight in my work and want to make sure that I can still fulfill my wife/mother roles while away. So here are some ways I’m helping Jonathan cope with me being away:
1. Organize the girls clothes –
Each day is bundled together, with the girl’s name on it. Unwrap, dress and you’re ready to go! {I did provide layers, in case the weather goes all crazy on me.}
2. Organize meals –
I have the freezer stocked with dinners and the pantry loaded with quick and easy snacks. I’ve also made a list of side options to go with each meal.
3. Organize activities – While Jonathan is super active in the girls’ lives, he doesn’t quite know what activities there are to do around town like I do. So I made a list for each day to let him choose.
4. Sticky notes –
I did this when I traveled to New York. Jonathan said it was helpful {for other things – like coffee}, but the dog never did get fed…
5. Movies – While I tend not to want the girls to watch much television during the week, I know it’s an easy pass time. I’ve made sure there are several episodes of their favorite show recorded so they can watch a set amount as needed.
6. Diapers/Wipes/Pull ups – Jonathan isn’t as into cloth diapering as I am {read Jonathan doesn’t cloth diaper}. To prepare for the week, I stocked up on disposables. Because there is nothing worse than having to run to the store just for diapers.
7. Back up help – We were very blessed to live right by three close families while in Iowa. At the drop of the hat we could ask for help and they could be there in no time. Now, as we are still meeting people, I’ve had to do a little more planning. Still, we’ve been really blessed with people willing to help Jonathan {even if it is just inviting him to playdates} so that he doesn’t feel alone in the process.
8. Answering my phone – I’m notorious for not answering my phone. And it drives Jonathan bonkers. Because of that, for the next few days, my phone will be attached to my hip {not literally – not a big fan of those hip holders}.
9. Sweet loving – I’m making sure Jonathan gets some sweet loving before I leave. And… It’s not what you think. I made him a batch of cookies {as bribery for girls} and am currently baking some blueberry muffins – which are his favorite.
10. Grace – Taking care of the girls and being a homemaker isn’t Jonathan’s full time job, it’s mine. I need to loosen up any expectations I might have for how things should go – or honestly, how the house should look when I get back. I need to be overwhelmed by the fact that my husband is showing me this grand gesture of love and respond in kind, with grace and love.
What do you do to help your husband prepare for you being away?
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
Hannah Makes Tortillas
Posted on: January 21, 2011
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While we were packing to move, Hannah decided to take a break and make some tortillas. You can hear Grandma in the background – she was less than pleased. But, personally, I thought {and still think} it was pretty hilarious.
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The other day, Jonathan said “You really tricked me about who you are while we were dating.”
Those words might seem to sting, but they didn’t. Because it’s true. Well, at least what he was referring to: My love/hate relationship with Chinese food.
While we were dating, we loved eating at Asian restaurants. One we found while visiting friends in Boston, Pho Pasteur, was amazing.
Madam Mam's Spring Rolls*
We ate there two, maybe three times on a week long trip. When Jonathan would visit me in college, we ate at some favorite haunts: Madame Mam’s and Thai Noodle House. Yum, yum, yum! And since Asian food is one of Jonathan’s favorite, he was thrilled that his girlfriend loved it.
And then we got married.
While we lived in Iowa, we didn’t find one Asian restaurant that we both enjoyed. Not because they weren’t good, but because I am incredibly picky. I am no fan of Panda Express buffet style Asian food. Yet it seemed that was our only real option in Iowa. So whenever Jonathan would ask “Do you want Chinese food?”, I’d sigh and say “No.”
And Jonathan felt duped. All this time I claimed to like Chinese food, when in fact, I didn’t. Or so he thought.
So this weekend when Jonathan said “You tricked me” I had to clarify:
I didn’t trick him. I still love Asian foods, I just don’t like Asian food chain restaurants. There is a big difference. Upon learning this tidbit of knowledge {although I’m fairly certain this wasn’t the first time I told him my pickiness}, he was elated. As in I-don’t-care-if-we-just-ate-let’s-drive-to-Madam-Mam’s-now-and-eat-again elated.
Needless to say, this week’s date will include Asian food.
And we’re both pretty excited.
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The idea of a monthly menu makes me giddy with excitement at not being forced to cook every day. To have that bewitching hour, in which my kids always go a little crazy, free to spend time with them instead of cooking. But honestly, the thought of cooking for a day {or two, or even three} makes me less than enthusiastic to try monthly meal planning.
When I was 8 months pregnant with Julia, my mom, Jonathan and I spent an entire day cooking meals to freeze for after Julia was born. By the end of the day, I felt, well like I had spent all day on my feet at 8 months pregnant. And I thought, “Never again”. So, couple that with my nervousness of spending a day cooking with two small children with no back up and you can see why I’ve never attempted it.
Until now.
I found a once a month cook book at Marshall’s. I flipped through it and realized how incredibly easy their menu planning was. And since the book was only $2.99 I figured I had little to loose. The meals I choose were very, very, very simple. Taking chicken, stuffing it in a freezer bag with some oils, juices, spices, ect., and freezing it. Then on the day you plan to use the meal, you take out the chicken, thaw, then bake. I made 8 meals in less than 30 minutes. Seriously. 30 minutes.
I found some amazing deals on meat at my world’s favorite store, HEB. In addition to the meals I made myself, I also scored awesome deals on prepackaged meats. HEB sells prepackaged fajita meats, along with other flavored chicken. They do “quick sales” in an attempt to get nearly expired meat out. It’s totally find, if you use/freeze it within the next day.
Sorry for the bad photo quality! If you can't see it, the meat was originally $6.09 and I got it for $2.43!
I also got some great deals on meatballs {buy the meatballs on sale, get free spaghetti sauce}. By the end, I had my entire month’s meals. I don’t know exactly what I spent on just the meals, since I bought our regular supply of milk, eggs, etc. In total, my bill was $145. Which is wonderful, since it covered all of January’s meals!
Here’s a look at some of the month’s menu:
Beef Stew
Talapia
Lemon Chicken
Addictive Sweet Potatoes {I made a large batch of potatoes and bean and froze them in separate bags}
Fajitas
There are several other meals, but that’s just a quick overview. I have the schedule made out that we have a certain dish once every other week. I incorporated a one fish and one vegetarian meal a week, because that’s something our family typically strives towards.
Have you ever tried once a month cooking? What did you think?
Top Ten Christmas Highlights
Posted on: December 28, 2010
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I’m still in shock that Christmas is over. Every year, after the food has been consumed, presents opened, friends or family have left, and the stillness of post-Christmas life set in, I’m always a little sad and shocked that things happened so quickly. This year was no exceptions. It was a busy, fun {with some drama} filled weekend. Here are my holiday highlights:
1. No sleep – I knew going into the weekend none of us would sleep. And I was all too correct. Between family arriving late at night, festivities being delayed, and general funness to be had, there wasn’t much time for sleep. Thankfully, the girls made up for it by sleeping in the first day we were home.
2. Food – So. Much. Food. And someone brought cake balls, which I had never had, which were so incredibly amazing. I stepped on the scale yesterday. Hmmm… let’s just say I started back running this morning.
3. The presents – Or lack thereof. We didn’t give the girls, or anyone, anything for Christmas. The girls did, unexpectedly, get some gifts from other people, but there was such a peace at not feeling obligated to purchase anything for anyone.
4. Food – Did I mention there was a lot of food? Well there was. Cake balls and reindeer cupcakes. Tamales and sweet bread. Turkey and my mom’s dressing. Poached eggs with Bearnaise sauce. Hmmm….
5. Movie watching – Our family loves A Christmas Story and has to watch it at least once during the holidays. I watched it with my two younger {cause I can no longer say little} brothers. An absolute favorite.
6. Cousins galore – My girls have been on a cousin high for days. All Julia can talk about is “My cousins this”, “My cousins that”. It’s sweet as can be.
7. Grandparents are the better version of parents – Julia thinks her Grandpa hung the moon. In the weeks leading up to seeing my parents, Julia talked non stop about them. “My Dampa got this for me”, “My Omi lives in Tennessee and wants to see me”. I could quote her for days. This girls loves her some Dampa and Omi.
8. Drama – Ok, every holiday has to have some drama, right? Or is that just me? Literally, it was me. Sad to say, I had a few not-so-great moments this weekend. I even have a post to tell you all about it.
9. Far off friends – I got to visit with Emily, my friend who I met once in Iowa, before she moved back to Texas and then on to Scotland. We’ve formed a friendship over our blogs and we had the best time spending an afternoon with her and her two kiddos.
10. Food – Ok, now I know I’ve mentioned the bounty of food we had. But did I mention I skipped making dinner on Christmas {because we had so many leftovers} and ate Nutella on French bread instead? Yeah, well I did. And it was awesome.
How was your Christmas? What are some of your favorite highlights?
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
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Since being married, Jonathan and I have never spent a Christmas with our families. Not that we didn’t want to, we did. But we lived too far away and never had enough time off work to make a trip happen. Last year we were able to go to my parents’ for Thanksgiving and loved it. Now that we are in Texas, we are thrilled with all our family-for-the-holiday options. This year my parents, two younger brothers, and our family, will be meeting in Ft. Worth, where my older brother lives with his wife and kids. To make it even more fun, my SIL’s family will be there too. The last guest tally was 36 people. Eekk! {That’s a squeal of joy}.
I volunteered to plan out our meals for Christmas Day. And while it’s a big task {did I mention several teenaged boys will be there?!}, I am beyond excited to put my hosting, cooking, Christmas-loving skills to work. Here’s a small preview of our Christmas Day menu:
{photo credit}
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Pork Loin Roast with sides and clover rolls
Call me crazy {cause I know I am!}, but I am really looking forward to this cooking adventure. Being in the kitchen with my mom and stepdad {both fabulous cooks} and enjoying the hectic, loud, loving family reunion just feels too good to be true. *happy sigh*
What are your plans for Christmas? Any favorite holiday recipe I should try out?
Vist Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
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One desire I have for my girls is that they would grow up cooking along side me. At times it can be quite overwhelming having a 3 year old and a 1.5 year old “helping” me, but I am always looking for ways to incorporate them.
Our family makes a lot of homemade tortillas and the girls {i.e. Julia} always want to help roll them out. Unfortunately we only have one rolling pin and it is way too big and way too heavy for the girls. In the past I’ve had Julia use a little plastic play one, but it doesn’t work very well. Then last week I found this:
It’s a junior size rolling pin made by Fiesta. It is made from silicon and is non stick. It’s the perfect size for the girls! We’ve used it once and Julia loves it! Her tortillas might not turn out perfect, she is able to help now and make her and Hannah’s tortillas.
What tricks or tools have you picked up to help incorporate your kids in the kitchen?
Visit Kristen at We Are THAT Family for more Works For Me Wednesday.
Snickers, Butterfinger, Caramello – Just a Few of My Favorite Candy Bars
Posted on: December 7, 2010
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Thanks to Mary at Giving Up On Perfect for her Coke post, I felt I could finally come clean and admit: I have an unending love for candy bars. Even though I typically eat healthy, wholesome, natural foods, I can’t say no to a candy bar. And try as I might to act like I don’t like them, given the choice, I’d eat one every day {hanging head in shame}. Here are my all time favorites:
1. Snickers – Perhaps the quintessential candy bar, Snickers embodies everything a candy bar should be.
2. Hershey’s bar – The bar that can do anything. Without Herhsey’s we wouldn’t have such joys as S’mores or Kisses.
3. Butterfinger – I ate a Butterfinger every day in my last two trimesters with Julia. It was worth every extra pound I gained.
4. 3 Musketeers – The “healthier” option with 30% less fat. A light and fluffy candy bar that is even better when frozen. Hmmm…
5. 100 Grand – I didn’t discover this candy bar until college. Whoa! What was I missing?!? Chocolate. Caramel. Crispy rice. Heaven.
6. Dove bar – I always feel a little luxurious when I eat a Dove bar. Like I should be eating it at a spa, not my pjs right before bedtime.
7. Crunch – I think Crunch bars are the forgotten candy bars. But when I scored a good deal on Crunch bars for Halloween candy, I renewed my love for this chocolatey-crunchy bar.
8. Milky Way – A bar of many choices. Milk chocolate. Dark chocolate. Caramel. Much like a 3 Musketeers, these bars make great frozen treats.
9. Caramello – Yummy chocolate caramel goodness. Not to mention it’s made by Cadbury, the makers of the Easter goodness known as Creme Eggs.
10. York Peppermint Pattie – While not a “bar”, I think the York deserves to stand in the candy bar category. A refreshing, delicious treat that makes this girl happy pretty much any time.
What are your favorite candy bars? Which ones do you think I should have added to my list?
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
I Think I Forgot How to Cook
Posted on: December 6, 2010
- In: Life
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{photo credit}
Between packing, moving and living in transit, I haven’t cook for nearly three weeks. Sure, I’ve put together a meal here and there, but I haven’t had a real menu in weeks. We don’t have our things yet {another story, another time}, but I do have a crock pot and a few borrowed pots and pans. The girls and I went to H-E-B this morning to restock our pantry. It felt good to be able to shop and buy good foods. I think our entire family will be happy not see a fast food bag for a really long time. And if nothing else, my hips will be happier.
This weeks meals are pretty simple, since I can’t bake anything yet. We have a lot of chicken that we got on sale and are going to try to eat up before buying anything else. Here’s what I have planned:
Monday – Creamy Chicken with Rice
Tuesday – Chicken Tacos with Beans
Wednesday – Veggie Stir Fry with Rice
Thursday – Ribs with Mashed Potatoes
Friday – Fish and Pasta
Saturday – Soup and Sandwiches {lunch}
Sweet Potato Burritos {dinner}
Sunday – Sweet Potato Burritos leftovers {lunch}
– Grilled Chicken Salad {lunch}
Hopefully by next Monday I will be back to baking, making homemade rolls and feeling more like a real cook!
Visit Laura at I’m an Organized Junkie for more Menu Plan Monday.
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