September 4, 2012
August 20, 2012
Pasta Night episode 1
The gauntlet has been thrown...straight down the gullet! Sunday started a tradition of dueling pasta night. The review of my first entry for family pasta night was "that is summer in a bowl!" I have set the bar high with this simple, fresh and yummy dish. The idea was inspired by this DISH on the Pioneer Woman blog. I forgot to take a picture, because I was starving!
I even forgot the pinch of nutmeg, so maybe it could have been a touch more delicious...but, I doubt it. Mr. Picky Pants won't eat onions, mayonnaise or eggs...so you will notice a theme in these items missing from any recipe posted in this series.
"Summer Sun Spaghetti"
1/2 # thick spaghetti
1 C Super Sweet grape tomatoes- sliced in 1/2 (these were a yellow/orange color- hence the "Sun")
1 C canned artichoke hearts (not marinated in oil, just plain)
1/8 C Half & Half
1 C Parmesan Cheese- grated
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbs olive oil
salt
pepper
*pinch of nutmeg
Heat 1Tbs of Olive Oil in an Everyday Pan, saute minced garlic, add artichoke hearts (whole) for 1-2 minutes, add tomatoes, salt, pepper and cover. Let simmer for 4-5 minutes until tomatoes have broken down. Add Half & Half and simmer for 1-2 more minutes. Ladle the sauce over the pasta/cheese* and toss lightly.
*Boil pasta al dente, drain and toss with 1 Tbs of olive oil. Put warm pasta in bowls and cover with grated cheese. Let sit, while the sauce is finishing.
This is a "PC" recipe, "portion control". If you want to feed more than 2 people or have left overs, double the recipe. Always have chicken stock (or Veggie for Aunt Jenn) to add if the tomato reduction doesn't produce enough liquid. The sauce should be not too thick and not too thin, just enough to coat the pasta but not create a "sopping" sauce at the bottom.
I use Half & Half for everything, in place or milk and heavy cream, equally. It stays fresh in the refrigerator FOREVER and works with almost any dish that calls for dairy.
I even forgot the pinch of nutmeg, so maybe it could have been a touch more delicious...but, I doubt it. Mr. Picky Pants won't eat onions, mayonnaise or eggs...so you will notice a theme in these items missing from any recipe posted in this series.
"Summer Sun Spaghetti"
1/2 # thick spaghetti
1 C Super Sweet grape tomatoes- sliced in 1/2 (these were a yellow/orange color- hence the "Sun")
1 C canned artichoke hearts (not marinated in oil, just plain)
1/8 C Half & Half
1 C Parmesan Cheese- grated
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbs olive oil
salt
pepper
*pinch of nutmeg
Heat 1Tbs of Olive Oil in an Everyday Pan, saute minced garlic, add artichoke hearts (whole) for 1-2 minutes, add tomatoes, salt, pepper and cover. Let simmer for 4-5 minutes until tomatoes have broken down. Add Half & Half and simmer for 1-2 more minutes. Ladle the sauce over the pasta/cheese* and toss lightly.
*Boil pasta al dente, drain and toss with 1 Tbs of olive oil. Put warm pasta in bowls and cover with grated cheese. Let sit, while the sauce is finishing.
This is a "PC" recipe, "portion control". If you want to feed more than 2 people or have left overs, double the recipe. Always have chicken stock (or Veggie for Aunt Jenn) to add if the tomato reduction doesn't produce enough liquid. The sauce should be not too thick and not too thin, just enough to coat the pasta but not create a "sopping" sauce at the bottom.
I use Half & Half for everything, in place or milk and heavy cream, equally. It stays fresh in the refrigerator FOREVER and works with almost any dish that calls for dairy.
August 10, 2012
Pre-School Teacher Gifts
A small token for Trevor's Pre-School teachers. Yes, they are teachers. Trevor told me all about Saturn, Mars, Jupiter and Earth last week!
The note reads: "Thanks for being Trevor's "key" to success"
Easy Peasy:
The note reads: "Thanks for being Trevor's "key" to success"
Easy Peasy:
- Use 3X4" scraps of fabric
- Place fabric "right" sides IN
- Sew up a 4" side, across 3" and down the other 4" leaving a 3" side open
- Mitre the corners with scissors
- Turn outside, in- square out the corners
- Insert 2.5X3.5 inch piece of Light HeatBond interfacing
- Turn in the open edges like a pillow case
- Insert 3" ribbon, folded in 1/2 with 1" sticking out
- Iron it to seat the HeatBond and flatten it out
- TopStitch around in a square to close, secure ribbon & flatten the fob
- Paint & Glitter an old key just for gift giving decoration -or- spraypaint a new/blank key and use vinyl letters to put their name on it.
July 26, 2012
King Ranch Chicken
RECIPE HERE
The verdict was...."it was good". Here are the things I like about it:
The verdict was...."it was good". Here are the things I like about it:
- It doesn't ask for soup in a can, all the foods are whole and fresh
- One roasted chicken is the perfect amount of chicken, without using much of the dark meat
- Always shred your own, good cheese. Preshredded cheese has a starchy consistency to keep it from clumping together and can taste alittle plastic
- Make 2 smaller pans
- DON'T over soak the tortillas- mine got too soggy
- Keep the tortillas whole, as the recipe calls for. I thought I would be clever and cut them into strips like lasagna and I think I will try whole next time
- You can adjust the heat if you have kiddo's or people who don't like spicy by using diced tomatoes instead of Rotel
- Immediately take the peppers from the over and cover them in plastic wrap. Let them sit until they cool off enough to touch. The peels come off much easier.
- Wear rubber gloves when chopping and handling peppers- I keep a box of restaurant gloves in my kitchen to use with peppers, garlic, shallots etc.!!
July 2, 2012
Cooking
If you know me at all...you know I love to cook. Being single and living on my own (for the first time EVER really) has resulted in me having a different outlook on dinner. A dinner of hummus, apples, cheese, nuts or leftover toddler dinner (plain pasta, 1/2 eaten chicken nugget, tots) is considered a good dinner in my book. 13 years of Cooks Illustrated and several other award winning cookbooks are just sitting on my shelf...gathering dust.
So, I got a nudge when I someone came over and the only thing I had for dinner was Mac & Cheese. I went through my freezer and pantry and decided to make some food, with love, freeze it, share it or eat it!
With what I had already in my freezer:
Ground Chicken
Chicken Thighs
Italian Sausage
Chicken Sausage
I spent $66.54 at Sam's Club and $33.88 at Walmart ($5 for a Matter T-Shirt)
Recipes to come for:
Make Aheads-
So, I got a nudge when I someone came over and the only thing I had for dinner was Mac & Cheese. I went through my freezer and pantry and decided to make some food, with love, freeze it, share it or eat it!
With what I had already in my freezer:
Ground Chicken
Chicken Thighs
Italian Sausage
Chicken Sausage
I spent $66.54 at Sam's Club and $33.88 at Walmart ($5 for a Matter T-Shirt)
Recipes to come for:
Make Aheads-
- Shredded Chicken Burittos smothered in Hatch Chili (Made 14 and freezed them without the sauce)
- King Ranch Chicken (used a whole roasted chicken from Sam's and the rest of the tortillas from above)
- 2 Shredded Chicken Quesadillas
- Skillet Greek Lasagna with Greek Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Sausage & Pasta with fresh Mozzerella
- Omlets
- Artichoke Dip
- Skillet Italian Lasagna
- Chocolate Chip Scones
July 1, 2012
Eddie Vedder
I have stated that I am late to the party when it comes to Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder. True statement! I have stopped checking my FB page at work and deleted the app on my phone because it is a waste of precious time that I don't have enough of. FB being a waste of time that I don't have wasn't enough of a reason to tune it out. It took the Supreme Court to steel my resolve. I know more about politics than most women in my demographic because I think it is important, but not because I think my particular issues and needs are more important than anyone else's dissenting views. The polar "debate" through singular posts make me crazy. Not as crazy as people who post "pray for me, but I can't tell you why" type messages...those take the cake!
...back to Vedder- go ahead and listen to Society (Into the Wild soundtrack) and Patriot and hover above it all and try to see this world and it's people- all of them- from a much less divisive perspective. I always want to just get in the car and drive...far...far away to Montana to be truly alone in nature. Or, as an ex-patriot in France so that I can appreciate what I already have when I hear those songs.
Happy Sunday! It's going to be a long road to November. Seek out truly important news and don't believe everything that scrolls at the bottom of the news feed!
ps. An entire post will be dedicated to the travesty of the Into the Wild soundtrack and Society receiving ZERO Academy Award nominations.
...back to Vedder- go ahead and listen to Society (Into the Wild soundtrack) and Patriot and hover above it all and try to see this world and it's people- all of them- from a much less divisive perspective. I always want to just get in the car and drive...far...far away to Montana to be truly alone in nature. Or, as an ex-patriot in France so that I can appreciate what I already have when I hear those songs.
Happy Sunday! It's going to be a long road to November. Seek out truly important news and don't believe everything that scrolls at the bottom of the news feed!
ps. An entire post will be dedicated to the travesty of the Into the Wild soundtrack and Society receiving ZERO Academy Award nominations.
June 29, 2012
It is possible...
To crash a sharepoint site in the middle of a busy conference day! I have come to learn that you can only have 5000 records in a single list. SMU has the best OIT Help Desk people and we got back up and running by 8:15 this morning.
June 28, 2012
Sounds easy enough....
I wish I hadn't spend all this time thinking it was selfish to want
Transformation....in progress! I finally have the strength to be my own editor and will rewrite this story, word for word, if I have to.
May 15, 2012
5 *Simple Things-Repost
Be Grateful
Act With Love
Check Your Motives
Watch Your Attitude
Forgive
It's not lost on me that the last two things listed seem to be the most difficult lately. But, what a great reminder of how grace is not difficult unless we chose to ignore just how simple it really is. Thank you Katie M'Lady!
Act With Love
Check Your Motives
Watch Your Attitude
Forgive
It's not lost on me that the last two things listed seem to be the most difficult lately. But, what a great reminder of how grace is not difficult unless we chose to ignore just how simple it really is. Thank you Katie M'Lady!
May 9, 2012
Single Mom- no more
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/denise-albert/divorce-diaries-dont-call_b_1498191.html
Single Mom will never cross my lips again! Well said, sister! The only thing she missed (probably because she was trying to make a point) is that for all the days where I do absolutely EVERYTHING...I now have days where I can't do anything for my son and have no choice but to focus on myself (which I never did as a married mom). I make the most of it so that my son sees me as not just a mom that can do everything but also a woman that can do anything. Run races, hike the grand canyon, sew, knit, being a great friend, a valuable addition to my team at work and actually read things that make me a smarter and more interesting woman.
Formerly Married Mom FMM, Available Mom, whatever...just not a single mom!
I used to feel it was an insult to me to be called a single mom, and compared to never married moms. Yes, I can be a snob (not proud of that, just stating a fact). I actually still wore my wedding rings whenever we traveled because I whole heartedly believed that people treated me better. I look young for my age and the way that people treat young, unwed mothers in this state is not something to be proud of Texas! It is an insult to the real single moms who do EVERYTHING on their own. Compared to them, I get a girls, spa, me-time weekend, every-other weekend. No guilt, no paying someone to watch him. The sadness went away when I admitted that our son deserved and needed time with his Dad, even though that meant it would be time away from me.
Single Mom will never cross my lips again! Well said, sister! The only thing she missed (probably because she was trying to make a point) is that for all the days where I do absolutely EVERYTHING...I now have days where I can't do anything for my son and have no choice but to focus on myself (which I never did as a married mom). I make the most of it so that my son sees me as not just a mom that can do everything but also a woman that can do anything. Run races, hike the grand canyon, sew, knit, being a great friend, a valuable addition to my team at work and actually read things that make me a smarter and more interesting woman.
Formerly Married Mom FMM, Available Mom, whatever...just not a single mom!
I used to feel it was an insult to me to be called a single mom, and compared to never married moms. Yes, I can be a snob (not proud of that, just stating a fact). I actually still wore my wedding rings whenever we traveled because I whole heartedly believed that people treated me better. I look young for my age and the way that people treat young, unwed mothers in this state is not something to be proud of Texas! It is an insult to the real single moms who do EVERYTHING on their own. Compared to them, I get a girls, spa, me-time weekend, every-other weekend. No guilt, no paying someone to watch him. The sadness went away when I admitted that our son deserved and needed time with his Dad, even though that meant it would be time away from me.
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