The Blessed Home

Christmas 2011

2012-01-01T20:25:00.001-05:00

The holidays are now winding down here at home. We had a WONDERFUL holiday and were so excited to celebrate with Gianna.

Everything started Friday, December 23 with lunch with friends. A group of us from high school still get together at Christmas. This year, there were two new babies and one on the way. It's so exciting getting together with these girls and see where everyone is in life. Often, this is the only time we see each other all year.

That night, we had dinner with my family to celebrate two December birthdays. We played BINGO for prizes, a tradition in our family.

Saturday, Christmas Eve, I got up bright and early and hit the grocery store at 6:30 a.m. I made a prime rib lunch for Randy and I with corn casserole and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries from the Pioneer Woman. In the evening, we went back to my parent's house for Christmas Eve dinner. This year, dinner consisted of appetizers, which was really fun. We had buffalo chicken dip, sausage stuffed mushrooms, ham and cookies. We tried watching a Christmas movie, also a tradition, but Gianna was tired, so we headed home.

Christmas morning, we had Gianna's gifts all set in front of the tree. Here's the pictures from the day.

The tree with Gianna's gifts. We got them all out, put together and unwrapped. She can't unwrap this year, so we thought this would be easier.

Loving her exersaucer.

She kept looking at us and smiling. It was like she knew it was Christmas and had been given a gift. That was the best present ever.

After we opened gifts at our house, we headed to my parent's house for the second Christmas of the day.

Tree and gifts.

Getting ready to open stockings. The yellow bag next to Randy contains the surprise Ski Doo snowpants I got him. He wanted them so badly, but I told him I couldn't afford it. Little did he know, I had conspired with my dad to pick them up. Unfortunately, there has been no snow around here, so the snowmobiles have been sitting.

Gianna and my mom.

The Cresswells opening gifts.

Julie, Travis and my mom. This must have been after we opened gifts judging from the mess behind them in the dining room.

After the gifts.

Cooking dinner.

Max playing.

Natalie playing.

Getting tired.

After we left my parent's house, we headed to Randy's mom's house for the third Christmas. Then we celebrated with his grandparents, sister, dad and aunt for the fourth Christmas.

For four Christmases, Gianna did really well. She was tired by 7:30 (after having barely a nap all day) but held out pretty well until about 8:30 when we decided it was time to get her to bed. She slept like a rock.

For New Year's we went to dinner with my parents and then headed home. We spent some time with Randy's sister, grandparents, aunt and her friends for a bit but, again, Gianna was done by 8:30 and ready for bed. She did so well with all the activity of the holidays. She's not much of a napper when there's a lot going on, but she's done so well. Tuesday I head back to work and she'll go back to daycare. I've only had to work one day since December 22, so I think that's been pretty fun.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.

Gianna's Dedication

2011-12-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

A few times a year our church does baby dedications. We choose to dedicate babies instead of baptizing them because we believe baptism is an action you take when you turn from your old life and wash away the sins and walk into a new life with Christ. Because babies aren't ready to make that decision, we choose that to be a decision made later in life. We do a dedication because Mary and Joseph took Jesus as a baby to be dedicated.

On Sunday, November 13, 2011 Gianna was dedicated to the Lord. It was so much more of an emotional service that I was originally prepared for.

Each family was called up to the stage, and while we made our way up, a picture of the child with their parent's names, birth date and the meaning of their name was displayed on a large screen. Our pastor had chosen a Bible verse for each child based on the meaning of their name.

We each received a small Bible meant for babies and a chocolate sucker. We also received three roses; a red rose to reprepsent the father's blood line, a white rose to reprepsent the mother's purity and a small yellow budding rose to repesent the new life that is the baby.

After we were all on the stage (I believe there were eight babies and families) the pastor led a charge for the parents that we agreed to raise the child according to the Lord's will. Then a different member of the pastoral staff laid hands on each child and pastor prayed for each one. Within the prayer he called each child and prayed something specific for them. For Gianna, it was prayed that she would live to fulfill everything the Lord has in store for her life. I had been praying that specific thing for her since I found out I was pregnant.

After the service, the pastoral staff had a meal and cake for everyone. We had my husband's mom and grandparents, dad and stepmother. On my side we had my parents and sister, Julie, attend the service and dinner and with us.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T07:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all reading this. My little family is going to have a busy day. We always eat at my parents' house which will have 17 people in attendance this year. It's quite a house full. Afterward we'll head to my husband's mom's house and spend a few hours there and end at his grandparents' house for another couple hours. I'm not quite sure how Gianna will take to all of this excitement, so we had a low key day yesterday and are hoping for some naps today.

Yesterday we got her Christmas pictures done, and I was so excited with how they turned out. They cost more than I had hoped, but that's always expected when you see so many cute poses.

I'm off work until Monday, so I have a few craft projects I want to finish and a few more I want to start. I hope to post some pictures of those soon.

Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to all from my little family.

Some Highlights

2011-10-24T19:26:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we hit the 3 month mark with Gianna. She's growing and moving, and I love her more each day.

Our famliy has been moving toward a more "natural" diet lately as a result of some digestive issues with G. We're eliminating as many preservatives as we can from our house. It's still a struggle especially since we're so used to certain things and trying to find alternatives, but we're working on it slowly. Small chanages at a time.

I've really been getting the itch to start sewing again lately, and I'm hoping to order some fabric Wednesday and start another quilt. Most of what I want to make is for G, so I'm sure she'll have many quilts soon.

I'm hoping to take some picture of my fall decor soon, but in the meantime, here's some things from Pinterest that I'm loving.

I'm considering buying this dress for G for Thanksgiving

Felt food tutorials

A new take on pumpkin pie

Candy corn pumpkins. I attempted these and they did not turn out well. More details to come.

Candy corn dress. My mom made G one of these. She wore it yesterday, but I forgot to take a picture. This one is for sale on Etsy located HERE

DIY Fall Wreaths

2011-10-07T12:07:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was completely "fall" weather. It was kind of rainy, cool and the leaves are changing.

My husband and I decided to make a trip to the local Cider Mill. Walking in there is like walking into fall; pumpkins, mums, cider, the smell of apples and cinnamon. We bought some cider along with a couple donuts. On the way home we stopped by a little roadside stand selling pumpkins. I'm in the process of decorating and hope to share some pictures soon.

Because it was rainy out, we spent most of the weekend indoors, so I made a couple wreaths inspired by things I saw on Pinterest.

The first was made with tulle inspired by the colors of candy corn. This one was for Gianna's door because it was more fun. I can totally see myself making a whole set of these for different holidays.

I used a spool of orange and a spool of white. I couldn't find a spool of yellow, so I bought it by the yard (2 yards) and cut it into strips.

I tied the strips onto an embroidery hoop in an "X" pattern. This one goes this way.

Made an X

Keep going until done

I experimented with going in small segments of colors and decided I liked the larger color block segments better.

The second wreath was more easy. I just took an old grapevine wreath I had, removed the old stuff and bought a few picks from Hobby Lobby. I added the letter B for our monogram and hung it up.

The first wreath cost only $7 and the second was $3 because I already had the wreath. Not bad.

And because I can't do a post right now and not include her:

Gianna all ready to go last Saturday.

What A Week!

2011-09-19T08:21:00.000-04:00

Today starts my last week home of maternity leave. I go back to work on Thursday (Thursdays start our pay week at work). I'm looking forward to having a regular schedule again and getting out of the house daily, but I am not looking forward to leaving my Gianna. She has a great babysitter and I work with the girl's mom, so I know she's in really good hands. Today we go for her first set of shots, and I'm a little nervous. Luckily, my husband is getting out of work early to go with us.

Here's some highlights from the week:

We wore our first pair of jeans! These are not flood pants, I promise. They just get pulled up when she's moving around a lot.

We also canned several batches of tomatoes. They will go along with the peaches, peach vanilla honey butter and pears that are canned.

And most imporantly this week... The Canadians came home! It's been about six months since my sister and her family came to visit. This is only the second time we've gotten to meet Aubrey, their daughter. She's such a little love!

Natalie (Julie's daughter) and Gianna playing

This is Max, my nephew (Natalie's brother). I think he'd had enough of the girls!

Mandi and Aubrey. Aubrey's looking a little concerned.

The three girl cousins playing. This picture makes my heart sing. I love seeing these little girls together.

Natalie is such a good cousin. She's always trying to help and play with the kids. When Gianna is crying, she always comes over and sings her a song to make her stop. Here, she must be teaching Aubrey how to play with the dollhouse.

Natalie, Gianna, Mandi and Max. Clearly Max was already sick of babies.

So, our weekend with the Canadians was spent shopping, talking, eating and catching up. I wish I had taken more pictures over the weekend. Mandi has already said they'd like to come back for Thanksgiving, and I'm hoping they will. I love my family!

2 Months

2011-09-14T15:20:00.000-04:00

My little girl is now two months old. It's so hard to believe. I tell her all the time she's the sweetest thing I've ever known and I truly mean that.

This month she has been smiling a TON at us. Sometimes I just hold her and she smiles and coos. It's amazing how my heart melts.

I go back to work next week. I'll have had about ten weeks off which has been amazing. When I was pregnant I thought I would only get six weeks, but I took some extra time so we could find a good babysitter and I could just be with her. I'm happy to say she's been sleeping through the night for the past two weeks now, which is such an answer to prayer.

I had a good friend over for lunch last week. Her little boy is about six weeks old, so they came and visited. I made this Pumpkin Pie Dip and it was amazing. I just throught I'd share the recipe here with the fall season approaching... or is it already here. Hard to tell in Northwest Pennsylvania where it's hot one day and we need jackets the next!

One Month

2011-08-11T12:08:00.000-04:00

Today is the one month birthday of my little girl, Gianna. We took some pictures this morning and it's pretty much like every other day around here with the sleeping, eating, burping and diaper changes.

I've been working on a small quilt for her. We hit the quilt shop a few weeks ago and I picked up some charm packs of Bliss and we're working on this Whimsy quilt. Here's my progress:

All the blocks are done, I just need the time to put them together.
We've also been trying new recipes from How Sweet It Is. Here's a few we've liked so far:

Red Velvet Brownies
Crispy Honey Lime Tilapia

So, we're moving along well here. We're still working on getting Gianna on a schedule, but we're trying. She's such a sweet little girl and a pretty easy baby. Usually if she's crying it's because she needs a diaper change or nursed.

Here's a cute little story. Now, I know they say when babies smile it's because they have gas. That being said, last Friday night I was getting ready to put her down for the night. She was asleep (or almost asleep) and I said to her, "I'm your mommy and I love you." She looked up at me and smiled. I'm not even kidding. It was the sweetest moment.

Hope you're enjoying your summer!

My Sweet Little Lady

2011-07-20T16:57:00.000-04:00

Last Monday, July 11, my husband and I welcomed our sweet little girl into the world. Gianna Mary-Lynne was born at 5:27 p.m., 5 pounds 7 ounces and 18.5 inches long.

She was born early. We had our 36 week sonogram which revealed that she was not measuring where she should be. We had a repeat sonogram at 38 weeks. After the sonogram, the doctor came into the room and said, "Well, I think we need to pick a delivery date." Basically, she still was not measuring where she should and there was some concern because her head was only measuring in the 5th percentile. We were told they tend to worry when any measurements are outside the 10 to 90th percentiles.

So, we were given the option of Monday or Tuesday (this was a Friday appointment), and we chose Monday.

We could not be happier. Despite her small size (she dipped down to 5 pounds at her lowest), she is otherwise healthy. This is a huge answer to prayer. When the doctor said we needed to induce as soon as possible I was so worried something would be wrong with our little girl. Stories of other babies that did not make it came to mind and it was an intense weekend for me filled with worry and prayer. But, I gave her to the Lord when I first became pregnant and trusted that His will for her life would always prevail. So, I had to stop worrying and, here she is, beautiful and perfect.

Thank you for all the prayers for those that knew what we were going through. We're excited to start this journey through life with her. More to come... when I get time!

The Nursery

2011-07-02T12:18:00.001-04:00

I'm officially in Week 37 of my pregnancy which means the baby is considered full term and I could go into labor at any time although I'm thinking it's going to be a few more weeks. At our last sonogram we found the baby was on the small side, we are having a repeat sonogram this coming Friday. I love sonograms because we get to see the baby, but please keep her in your prayers as she's only in the 18th percentile for growth. The doctor said they want the baby between the 10th and 90th percentiles, so technically she's in the range, but she's toward the bottom. Our tiny little one weighed 5 pounds 7 ounces last Friday, so I'm looking forward to seeing how big she is now.

Major picture alert below. We finished the nursery Memorial Day weekend, but I have been putting finishing touches on things, reorganizing and decorating ever since. I'm not completely done with everything I want to do, but I can post more updates later. Since our home is our apartment and we are hoping to purchase something soon, we didn't paint the room or do anything permanent. I have so many ideas for her "real" nursery when the time comes which should be soon. So, here we go with the pics.

This is one side of the nursery. Her dresser is straight ahead and her cradle is right in front.

This is what's above her cradle right now. There's a shelf with some sonogram pictures, a wedding picture of my husband and I and a sign that says Family. On the wall is the quilt her for cradle bedding which will stay there until we get a real baby quilt from my mom (cough cough, wink wink mom). We purchased the quilt at Pottery Barn Kids. Hanging with it is her tutu that my sister, Mandi, made. G B are her initials. And the big shadow on the wall is her chandelier which I forgot to take a picture of.

We decided to use a cradle for now which is the nursery. We opted to save the crib until we're in our house. I'm not sure yet whether the cradle will stay in the nursery or be moved into our room.

Some new friends waiting for her in her bed.

Closer picture of tutu and quilt.

I could not get some of these pictures to rotate, so turn your head on its side. This is a better picture of her shelf, quilt and tutu. The first frame has sonogram pictures, the second has a glittery G in a frame I made and then is our wedding picture and the Family sign. The votive holder was from my baby shower.

This is the changing station and dresser. Her changing pad has a pink cover with white polka dots, a lamp, candle holder and a wipe warmer. Above is a shelf with Beatrix Potter books (my grandmother got my sister and I the same set when we were little) and more candle holders that I made.

Sorry for the flash, but the picture was pretty dark without it. I made several of these candle holders mostly because I wasn't sure in the begining how to decorate the nursery. I took large holders (or vases), added pink vellum and got these embellishments from Michael's. I think there are three in the nursery total.

Another sideways picture. This is her bookshelf with very few books at this point. I like everything in baskets or put away neatly so that's why every shelf pretty much has a basket.

The top of the shelf has a framed sonogram picture- this was the first one we received. Next to it is a frame where my hsuband and I put our pictures on either side and the baby in the middle. It still has the "model" babies as I haven't found good baby pictures of us yet. The two bins contain baby supplies. One has all the toiletries and the other the receiving blankets/burp cloths.

The rest of these baskets have stuffed animals, bibs, toys, pacifiers and wash clothes. The large on on the bottom has things we'll need later but received as gifts like spoons, bowls, etc. One shelf has all the blankets and afghans. Next to the shelf on the left is a white hamper and on top is her diaper bag (filled for the hospital) and my bag for the hospital. On the right is the Diaper Genie and closet door.

And here I am at 36 weeks.

I hope you enjoyed the mini tour. I still have a full closet to show you and her chandelier which I'll take pictures of right away. Very soon she'll be here, so I'll have to catch up on baby shower pictures too. I'm also in the middle of a project involving her window which I hope to finish this holiday weekend. Hope you enjoyed looking!

Poem

2011-06-07T19:52:00.000-04:00

The women I work with threw a baby shower for me a friend and coworker of mine who is due with her first little girl five days before me. On each of the tables was this poem. I had not heard it before but I'm told it's made the rounds on the internet and e-mail. Even still, it brought tears to my eyes reading it.

Newborns Conversation with God

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.

God said, "You will simply call her mom."

Just Updates

2011-06-04T21:21:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I forget I started this blog to keep track of what's going on in our lives so I can look back and see where we were and what we were doing. I usually feel if I'm going to post something it needs to have a picture or a cute story which often holds me back from posting anything at all. So, there's no pictures here just my ramblings of pregnancy/house/marriage and what we're up to.

I'm in Week 33 of pregnancy. So far, things have been rather easy. I'm feeling her move MUCH more now and often very strangely. She'll push really hard on me (as hard as a 4 pound baby can). It's weird but also reassuring that she's moving. We had one scary night not so long ago where I started having horrible pains in the middle of the night. I woke up around 1:00 a.m. with pain so bad I couldn't even get out of bed for about 15 minutes. I figured it was gas, so I took some Tums and walked around for about 45 minutes. Went back to bed and fell asleep for about 30 minutes and then was up again with the same symptoms. I walked, sat, walked some more until at 4:00 a.m. I tried getting back in bed, but the pain was so bad I yelled out and that woke up my husband who insisted I call the doctor. I called and they requested I go in and be monitored at the Women's Hospital. I spent the next few hours there with, of course, no pain. At this point, we're still not sure what caused the problem. I never passed any gas, I wasn't dehydrated and the pain stopped. It was a scary moment, but everything has been fine since.

I had two baby showers; one from family and one from my coworkers. Both were beautiful (I hope to post pictures soon) and we received some very generous gifts.

On Memorial Day we finished the nursery. Since it's a temporary nursery until we buy our house we didn't paint but decorated and organized. I love walking in and seeing all her stuff in there. I walk in the the closet and look at all her little things hanging and I can't wait to see her in them. I feel so blessed.

Speaking of buying a house, we put a verbal contract on a home today that was for sale by owner. We have to call a lawyer on Monday and get the formal paperwork drawn up before have an official contract, but we're so excited! We're already planning and looking at ways to fix the house up.

Today is also our 6 year wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe six years has already passed since we first married. It's also our official 10 year mark; our wedding date was the four year anniversary of our first date. Ten years is crazy for me to think, but I also couldn't imagine my life without my husband. He's amazing.

I've been working on several sewing projects and some craft projects for the nursery. I just got a new camera for when the baby comes, so when I figure out how to upload the pictures onto the computer I'll be sure to post. Until then, thank you for reading this blog post up to this point. Sorry if it was boring, but I'm glad to have gotten everything down I've been thinking.

O Glorious Day!

2011-04-22T11:52:00.000-04:00

I think this weekend is one of my favorites. It's such a time of reflection for what Jesus did for us on the cross. We've been listening to the song O Glorious Day by Casting Crows all week. I found this video on You Tube and thought I'd share.

I hope you have a wonderful Good Friday!

Week 23 Update

2011-03-29T18:41:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted a baby update for awhile and, since I'd like to look back on these posts someday, I thought I'd get something together for this week.

How Far Along?

23 weeks 6 days. Tomorrow will start 24 weeks.

Maternity Clothes?
I'm mostly maternity because the pants are much more comfortable and the tops are much longer.

Sleep?
I get up twice per night to go to the bathroom but, other than that, I'm still sleeping just fine.

Cravings?
Cereal mostly. I love having a bowl of cereal in the morning and I usually have one before bed otherwise I wake up many times in the night with a growling stomach. I love walking down the cereal aisle at the grocery store just looking at all those boxes. It's hard to pick one!

Aversions?
Nothing in particular.

Best Moment Of The Week?
We had another sonogram last Wednesday because our little girl was all curled up during our 20 week sonogram and we needed more pictures of her heart and kidneys. I love seeing her each time although I wish she would cooperate more. We tried to get a 3D picture of her face, but she had her foot up resting on her forehead!

Movement?
Every day, several times a day. It's the most amazing feeling ever. Since I can't see her every day or talk to her every day, feeling her move is almost like holding her every day. I look forward to those moments when she's awake and moving around.

Funny story, at our sonogram on Wednesday the technician was pushing really hard on my belly with her equipment and I felt our little girl kick right where she was pressing so hard.

Gender?
Still a girl- the technician checked again when we were there on Wednesday.

Labor Signs?
Nothing yet, Praise the Lord!

Belly Button In Or Out?
In.

What I Miss
I still miss sleeping on my stomach. Nothing else really seems to bother me.

What I'm Looking Forward To
We have another doctor's appointment on Friday and we'll map out our plan for future appointments (as in when we start coming every two weeks and then every week).

Milestones
Nothing that I can recall. I read this week her lungs will develop a bit more.

Weekly Wisdom
Still enjoying every moment of this (since things are pretty easy right now) but I'm anxious to meet this little girl. I guess that's not wisdom but more a reflection.

Sewing Project

2011-03-08T20:06:00.000-05:00

My mom has been an avid quilter my whole life. She has always tried to get my sisters and me to start, but I never felt I had the time... or the extra money to invest in a sewing machine and all the many tools and gadgets you need to get started. With nursing school now over, I have a regular job which keeps me busy during the week but leaves my weekends open. My husband golfs on Saturdays in the summer and snowmobiles on Saturdays in the winter, so this leaves me with some time. So, I finally decided to start sewing and I love it.

I made two table runners for Christmas for family members.

My third project was another simple table runner made with Bliss from Moda. It was simple squares, but I got some good practice sewing 1/4 inch, binding and quilting it.

Small table runner with my Valentine's flowers from my husband

I love this Bliss line of fabric and am hoping to make something else with it at some point.

After making three table runners, I'm moving on to a larger quilt, which I'll show pictures of later. I'm anxious to finish this quilt already since I want to start projects for the nursery.

It's A...

2011-03-06T12:15:00.001-05:00

Friday Randy and I had our sonogram Friday morning to determine the gender of our baby. Our doctor's appointments have always been on time and this appointment, of course, was 45 minutes late. Go figure! Saturday afternoon we invited about 20 family members over for a Gender Reveal Party. I first heard of this type of party from Shannon at Bless Our Nest. I thought the idea was so cute, I knew we had to do it. Randy and I couldn't wait to find out what we were having, so we knew before the party, but the rest of the guests had no idea. I posted a picture of the invite I made on a previous post. We asked that each person wear pink if they thought we were having a girl and blue if they thought it was a boy. Out of all our guests only four wore pink! Everyone thought we were having a boy. Here's some pictures:

One of my consistent cravings has been chocolate so we made a chocolate bar down the table with pink and blue chocolates we found.

Grandma's sugar cookies with pink or blue frosting

I designed this cake; white frosting with pink and blue spots. The inside of the cake has either pink or blue frosting. When we cut the cake, it revealed the gender.

We purchased this cradle from someone I work with. We thought we'd put some of the things we'd purchased already for the baby in the cradle. We bought the pink snowsuit days after finding out we were pregnant. I saw it at Macy's and wanted it. I figured if we had a boy, I'd just return it later. There are two shirts that say My Aunt is the Best and I Love My Aunt that my sister, Julie, brought to the party. The blue suit with the elephants my husband purchased because I loved it.

Inside the cradle; some books, outfits and Baby's First Christmas items we've purchased

A Santa hat and matching striped pants for Christmas

We wrapped silverware in napkins and tied them with pink and blue spotted ribbons

More candy

The cake... preparing for the big moment

Randy cutting the cake. All the family begged us to cut the cake before we ate lunch.

Can you see the frosting?

PINK!!! It's a girl!!!

The happy couple. We wore opposite colors to throw everyone off since we knew it was already a girl.

We were shocked it was a girl as we've been thinking all along we would have a boy. I'm so excited to start looking for bedding and planning the nursery. We are truly blessed.

Week 18 Bump Update

2011-02-23T17:38:00.001-05:00

So somehow Mandi dropped the ball on week 18 and never posted so I don't have a picture that I can copy from her blog. They say at week 18 the baby is the size of a green bell pepper, so we'll use our imaginations on how big the baby is.

How Far Along?

I start my 19th week today.

Maternity Clothes?
The same as before- I'm about half maternity and half regular.

Sleep?
I'm up a little more in the night now. I'm not sure if I'm just uncomfortable or what the problem is. I wake up at 6:00 a.m. and I find I'm up looking at the clock sometime during the 3:00, 4:00 and 5:00 hours.

Cravings?
Still chocolate although I'm finding I'm craving things I haven't eaten in a long time as well. Like today, I was hungry for a hot dog. I also really want fish a lot but have to be careful of the servings due to mercury. I think my cravings change almost daily.

Aversions?
Nothing at this point.

Best Moment Of The Week?
We purchased our crib this week. Here's a picture:

I work with a good friend who is due about 6 days prior to me. She purchased her crib this weekend as well. So, this morning she sends me a message and asks what we got. While I was sending her the name of the crib we purchased she sent me a picture of her crib. It was the same one! Except we got our crib in this cherry color and she and her husband purchased their crib in an oak finish. It's already a little weird that we sit right next to each other, wear the same colors certain days and got pregnant right around the same time. Now we have the same crib as well!

Movement?
Still those little feelings mostly at night.

Gender?
We have our sonogram next Friday and will find out at our Gender Reveal Party the next day, Saturday. Here's a pic of the invite I sent everyone.

It's kind of a tease. You think we're going to say, It's a boy or girl, and instead it says, It's a... Gender Reveal Party.

Labor Signs?
Luckily none.

Belly Button In Or Out?
In.

What I Miss
Sleeping on my stomach and eating cookie dough (no raw eggs). I also have to be more careful in restaurants. Twice now I have ordered a steak that came really rare even though I asked for medium well. I hate sending things back, but I can't eat meat that is too rare either.

What I'm Looking Forward To
Our Gender Reveal Party.

Milestones
Nothing that I'm aware of besides being able to tell the gender.

Weekly Wisdom
I'm told to enjoy this time of pregnancy. I'm not as large as a house yet but I'm starting to feel the baby move. There's no more morning sickness or exhaustion. It's just an overall good time.

Bump Update - Week 17

2011-02-17T20:27:00.001-05:00

So, we somehow lost a week. We counted so carefully, but when we went to the doctor last week we were told we were in our 16th week and thought we were only in our 15th week. How that happened, we have no idea, but we just finished Week 17. So, I'll recap.

How Far Along?

Technically today I'm 18 weeks 1 day.

Maternity Clothes?
I lost 25 pounds before getting pregnant so my "fat girl pants" still fit but my regular pants do not. Some tops are okay but others I need the extra room. So I guess I'm 50 percent maternity and 50 percent non-maternity.

Sleep?
Still sleeping well although I just read at this point I can't sleep on my back anymore because there's a large vessel that will get extra pressure making blood flow more difficult. I love sleeping on my stomach but I'm getting worried about that too.

Cravings?
Chocolate all day ever day although I'm being very careful. In fact, Valentine's Day was Monday and my husband bought me a beautiful box of Romolo's chocolate that I haven't even opened yet. Romolo's is my favorite. Other than that, I'm craving fruit quite a bit which I love; it's healty for me and healthy for the baby.

Aversions?
Nothing at this point.

Best Moment Of The Week?
On Saturday I basically blew up in the stomach area. I told my husband but was wearing jeans and a maternity shirt which was baggy, so I barely showed. Later that night I had on a nightgown and my husband said, "Wow! You really are getting larger." That's the only time I will take that as a compliment! I also found out today one of my best friends from high school is having a baby and is due two weeks after me. It's so exciting to go through this with good friends.

Movement?
YES! I posted during Week 15 that I thought I felt movement and my doctor confirmed it. Little tiny feelings in my stomach and usually at night. I thought it could be gas, but my doctor said if it's happening that often, it's definitely the baby. So exciting!

Gender?
No news yet. We're thinking it's a boy, but we'll find out for sure on March 5.

Labor Signs?
Luckily none.

Belly Button In Or Out?
In.

What I Miss
Sleeping on my stomach. I also got a really bad cold this week and didn't have many options as far as medicine. Plus my doctor's office said I'll get it much worse being pregnant as my body will protect the baby. I go tomorrow to have my lungs listened to by the doctor to make sure I didn't get pneumonia.

What I'm Looking Forward To
Finding out what we're having... boy... or girl...

Milestones
I'm told at this point if we went to the doctor we could find out the gender. That's an amazing milestone.

Weekly Wisdom
My sister, Mandi, gave me a book Praying Through Your Pregnancy and I'm loving it. The prayers are of things I never even thought to pray for my little one.

Steeler Bars

2011-02-07T20:25:00.000-05:00

So, the Super Bowl was yesterday. My husband is a Denver Broncos fan so, by marriage, I'm also a Denver Broncos fan. But, living in Northwest Pennsylvania it was hard not to get caught up in Steeler Fever for the big Bowl yesterday. The guys all got together at my parent's house on Sunday morning for a snowmobile ride and my mom and I went to chruch and cooked for the party.

My mom made chili (from her own recipe) and I contributed Buffalo Chicken Dip (AMAZING). My only variation was to use real chicken breasts as opposed to canned chicken. We also had chips, coleslaw and whatnot.

I also contributed these little babies: White Chocolate Oreo Cream Squares that I saw on Sweet Tooth Sweet Life blog. Here's some pics. Follow the link for the recipe. By the way, I dyed the white chocolate yellow so we would have true Steelers colors (yellow chocolate, black and white cookies).

Unfortunately, we lost one partier before the party even started. My poor little Molly Bean was all tuckered before the game started.

Our Steelers lost, but I think we had fun anyway!

Bump Update

2011-01-31T18:18:00.001-05:00

I've stolen this post from my sister, Mandi, from when she was pregnant. My goal was to record things week by week so I could remember this pregnancy. Unfortunately, work has kept me busy and I've been exhausted these first weeks, so coming home from work and blogging has been the last thing on my mind. Now that we're officially in the second trimester I feel energized. Hopefully I can keep up with this!

Tomorrow we start week 15 which means our baby is the size of a tangerine. I love those analagies- your baby is the size of a lemon, a lime, a grape. I love that we're growing!

How Far Along?

15 weeks tomorrow.

Maternity Clothes?
Not really. I went shopping this weekend to find pants and, let me tell you, this area has only a few pairs of maternity pants that don't cost $40 and that look good. I purchased a bunch of tops online a few weeks ago. I wore one, but it was too big. Maybe soon.

Sleep?
Much better! Up until a few weeks ago I was waking up every hour and one particular night I didn't fall asleep until after 11:30 p.m. and was up and never slept again after 2:30 a.m. Not good! Now things are getting better and I'm sleeping mostly through the night. I was napping when I got home from work, but I don't feel like I need that so much anymore.

Cravings?
They come and go. I'm swayed easily. If someone says they're hungry for a hamburger, I'm suddenly hungry for a hamburger. My one consistent has been chocolate. I want it all the time. Romolos is my weakness!

Best Moment Of The Week?
Now I know thay say you can't feel the baby at this point, but I swear I do! When I'm in bed at night and resting I know I can feel something moving. Nothing big and not anything that can be felt by putting my hand where I feel the movement on the outside, but I know it's got to be more than gas... or something. This Friday we go for another doctor's appointment which means we'll get to hear the heartbeat again.

Movement?
See above. Our baby is a mover and shaker though! When we saw our sonogram from last month the baby kept jumping up and down. It was the funniest thing to see ever! The sono tech just let us sit there and watch the baby jumping and moving around for several minutes. It was amazing!

Gender?
Unknown yet but we feel like it's a boy.

Labor Signs?
Luckily nothing yet.

Belly Button In Or Out?
Still in.

What I Miss
I crave foods I can't have. I want to eat fish at least several times per week but can only have it once. I've also been wanting a salami and cheese sandwich with mustard. I haven't had one since I was probably in middle school because it's not something we ever buy around here. Unfortunatley, I can't have salami. I'm also wanting lattes all the time which is another no no in the caffeine department. Small sacrifices for an amazing blessing.

What I'm Looking Forward To
EVERYTHING! Getting a nursery together, knowing the gender, holding the baby... I could go on.

Milestones
Officially past the first trimester.

Weekly Wisdom
I saw an amazing Bible verse a few mornings ago that we're going to have put up in the nursery. I've never written this, but it took my husband and I two years before we could get pregnant. Sometime I'll put the whole story down, but when I saw this verse it made me cry:

I prayed for this child and the LORD granted me what I asked of him. I Samuel 1:27 NIV.

A Few Updates

2010-12-16T17:41:00.000-05:00

It's been well over a month since I last posted on this blog, so I'm not sure how many are still reading. I thought I'd post a few updates on what's been going on here in our house.

First, I'm working full-time and have been since this summer. Because of this, I don't often even feel like posting anything or making new recipes. I get home and I'm tired and just want to relax.

We also got a new puppy. She's a little beagle and we love her. Her name is Molly and she and our other dog, Maddie, are getting along... most of the time. I have almost no pictures of her because she's always moving. I can start to snap a picture of her and then she shifts position and by the time the camera snaps all I get was the back of her head.

I've been sewing. I'm not really good yet, but my mom is an amazing quilter and she's teaching me everything. I can make simple things at this point and really enjoy it- it's a good stress reliever. Hopefully I'll post pictures of the things I've made.

Finally, and most significantly, my husband and I are expecting our first baby. We've been trying for two years and in September I started getting TONS of tests to figure out why we were having trouble. In the middle of it all, I got pregnant. I'm 8 weeks along at this point. My doctor said not to tell anyone until 10 weeks, but after two sonograms I'm told we're out of the woods.

So, this blog is about to change a bit. I'm hoping to keep it going as more of a diary about the pregnancy, the baby (when it's born) and our day-to-day life so we can look back and remember everything.

Fall Decorations

2010-10-12T20:47:00.000-04:00

It's officially fall in Northwest Pennsylvania, and I couldn't be happier! Fall is my favorite season; I love the colors, the temperatures and decorations.

I "lost" a box of fall decorations somehow this year. It always amazes me when my husband and I lose something since we live in an apartment instead of a large house. We always say, there aren't that many rooms to search. I'm sure the box is somewhere in the attic, but instead of looking I decided to just use what I had on hand and what I could find.

Here's a few pictures.

My mom made this decoration for me several years ago and I use it every year. It's an old metal bowl with a garland and pumpkin candle.

Another idea from my mom; a small crock with a little pumpkin sitting on top.

Part of my mantle decorations. A star tart burner with a Macintosh Apple candle in the back, old bowl with garland and primitive pumpkin and another fake pumpkin beside.

The TV stand. On either side are glass vases with mums and picks.

A close up of the vase on the side of the TV

Hope you enjoyed a small tour of my home. Sorry about the poor quality of the photos as they were taken with my camera.

My Favorite Story

2010-10-10T08:37:00.000-04:00

This blog has been put on the back burner for quite some time. I've wanted to start posting again, and the day I decided to do something, of course, the whole blog design fell apart. I had to start from scratch and fix everything.

To start, I wanted to share a story I heard last summer from a Beth Moore series in a Bible Study I did at church. I've looked through the web since I first heard the story and this is the first time I have found a video. Hope you enjoy it!

9/11 Remembered

2010-09-11T07:48:00.000-04:00

Photo courtesy of foxnews.com

Giveaway

2010-07-20T19:50:00.000-04:00

I love the blog urban farmgirl. She puts up amazing photos and decorating ideas. To celebrate her 100th post she is hosting a giveaway of $50.00 to White Flower Farmhouse. Head on over and enter for a chance to win!

Barefoot Blogging - Greek Panzanella(ish)

2010-07-17T13:26:00.000-04:00

One of our Barefoot Blogging recipes for this month was chosen by Tara of Smells Like Home. The recipe was for Greek Panzanella Salad.

I have made this recipe in the past and though I really love it, I am not a fan of the bread in the salad because it get mushy, which is one of my least favorite things to eat. Usually if I make the salad I save the bread and put it on top of the salad to eat like croutons instead of mixing it in.

This time though, I decided to change the salad up a bit. To start, I added noodles instead of bread. I also did not add the cucumbers or olives. I left out the capers because I had just run out. For the veggies I grilled zucchini, grilled red onion and grilled green pepper as well as tomatoes. I also doubled the amount of dressing because the noodles soaked up so much of it. At the end I added a little pepperoni.

I thought this was one of the best summer salads I have made yet. I loved all the flavors, especially the garlic with the veggies. I liked the noodles in the salad instead of the bread as well. Here's the original recipe:

Ingredients

Good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
Kosher salt
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, large diced
1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds
1/2 pound feta cheese, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted

For the vinaigrette:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil

Directions
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned. Add more olive oil as needed.

Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta, olives and bread cubes and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Creamy Barley with Tomatoes and Greens

2010-07-13T22:34:00.000-04:00

I haven't had anything new to post lately, so I thought I would pop in for a few updates on my life and good recipe.

I finished school in May and am officially a nurse... well I still have to take my boards which will come later this month. I accepted a new job at my compay and am starting on Thursday. I'm really excited to get back to a regular work schedule. I've enjoyed working from home and having flex scheduling but I'm looking forward to having a routine again. I've been pumping up my work wardrobe and am almost as excited about that as I am about the actual job. The job has nothing to do with nursing, which is another story for another day, but I'm really happy about the prospect as well as being able to have my nights, weekends and holidays which I would mostly be giving up starting as a new nurse. Plus the salary is about the same without some of the headache. I still love nursing and want to pursue something part-time, but I'm waiting for God's direction at this point.

So, on to the recipe. I've had a few cups of raw barley in my cupboards for some time now and have been wondering what to do with it. I saved this recipe some time ago but never used it. Until tonight. I loved this recipe. It was a little different than what I would normally make, but it was really good. My pictures turned out horrible, so I'm posting the one from the website courtesy of Real Simple. Here's the link and the info:

Creamy Barley with Tomatoes and Greens

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil (I only used 1 tsp.)
1 large onion, finely chopped
kosher salt and black pepper
2 cups quick-cooking barley
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup dry white wine
8 cups torn mustard green leaves (from 1 small bunch) or spinach (I used frozen spinach)
2 ounces Taleggio or Brie (rind removed), cut into small pieces (I used Brie)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

Directions
1.Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
2.Add the barley, tomatoes, wine, and 2½ cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
3.Add the mustard greens, Taleggio, and ¼ cup of the Parmesan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mustard greens are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan.

Enjoy!

Barefoot Blog - Scalloped Tomatoes

2010-06-30T22:26:00.000-04:00

I still do not have a camera cord, so this post is going to be sans photos.

Our second recipe for Barefoot Blogging was chosen by Josie of Pink Parsley and was Scalloped Tomatoes.

Since I have no pictures I'll give you the basic rundown that this recipe was made of tomatoes, basil and garlic with croutons. I actually really enjoyed this recipe except the croutons that were mixed with the tomatoes which became soggy. I think had I taken most of the juice out of the tomatoes it might have worked out better. Either way, the flavors were wonderful and I think, with some tweaking, I would try this recipe again... especially when I have too many tomatoes in the house. I cut the recipe in half and it worked perfect for my husband and I.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

Good olive oil
2 cups (1/2-inch diced) bread from a French boule, crusts removed
16 plum tomatoes, cut 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned basil leaves, lightly packed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12 inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are evenly browned.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. When the bread cubes are done, add the tomato mixture and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil.

Pour the tomato mixture into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot or warm.

Enjoy!

Barefoot Bloggers - Sour Cream Coffee Cake

2010-06-25T11:46:00.000-04:00

Photo courtesy of http://www.foodnetwork.com/

I haven't Barefoot Blogged in several months because I was finishing school and my extra time was really short. So, this month is my first back to cooking and I'm really excited because Gwenn at Cooking in Pajamas chose Ina's Sour Cream Coffee Cake. I saw this recipe made on the Barefoot Contessa years ago and wanted to try it but never did. Unfortunately, my first month back also happens to coincide with my losing my camera cord, so the picture above is from Food Network's official site and not my own.

This was actually my first coffee cake since being married, and we loved it! It was so moist and flavorful. I will be putting this recipe in my box for later use.

A few tidbits: I do not own a tube pan, so I cut the recipe in half and baked it in a loaf pan instead. The result was that the bottom and sides browned well before the middle was cooked. So the middle of the cake was slightly underdone, but I had to take the cake out of the oven so it wouldn't burn. I would recommend just making the whole recipe in another pan in the future if I don't get a tube pan in the meantime. Also, I forgot to add the nuts to the center layer and chose instead to put them on top. I definitely would put the nuts in the middle in the future as well.

My recommendation is to make this cake! It was wonderful.

Ingredients

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Enjoy!

Top 2 Tuesday

2010-06-22T09:41:00.000-04:00

Today I am again linking up with Top 2 Tuesday from the Undomesticated Momma. This week I have to post the Top 2 reality shows I would like to be on. So here we go:

1. As if I had a choice, it would be The Real Housewives of New York, but let me specify. I would want to be on the show if I had the lifestyle of the ladies on the show; unlimited amounts of cash, celebrity in NYC, etc. I'd love to know what it's like to live in one of the most glamorous cities in the world, dining out and shopping with friends by day, attending charity events by night.

2. The Next Food Network Star but only if I could be the ultimate winner. I think their challenges are a little odd sometimes and I have to wonder if Ina and Giada had to go through the ridiculousness they make these contestants go through. But to have my own show on the Food Network in the end would be my dream come true!

Hymns

2010-06-20T09:16:00.001-04:00

My husband's grandparents, Charlie and Dorothy, are huge party animals. They have a large backyard that is decked out for backyard picnics complete with tables, chairs, fire pit, games, refrigerators and even a sink to wash your hands. They often have these picnics throughout the summer for their church friends. The church my husband and I attend is really large and, though we sit in the same seat and have for the past five years, we still sit around different people every Sunday. At his grandparent's church, the congregation is small and everyone knows everyone else. In fact, if you start attending during the summer, you are encouraged to attend one of Charlie and Dorothy's parties to get to know everyone.

My husband grew up going to their church, so he is familiar with everyone who attends... I'm still learning their names since we only go there a couple times a year.

Last night Charlie and Dorothy had one of their parties and my husband and I attended. We had other things going on Saturday night, so we didn't arrive until 10:00 p.m., not even sure if people would still be there. We were surprised to see so many cars still there! As we walked down to the fire we heard them singing and someone playing a guitar. They were singing hymns. Our church usually does not sing hymns and opts for more contemporary worship, so it was nice to hear these old songs that I learned when I was young. One such hymn stuck out in my mind, so I thought I would share it for this Sunday. I love the words.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

(Refrain)
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

(Refrain)

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

(Refrain)

Top 2 Tuesday

2010-06-14T21:31:00.000-04:00

I'm linking up with The Undomesticated Momma this week for her Top 2 Tuesday post. This week, I had to indulge in my top 2 Guilty Pleasures.

1. Real Housewives from Bravo. My favorite girls are the New Yorkers but the Jersey wives are growing on me too. In addition there are the OC babes (love them) and Atlanta (not as into them). I've also heard there's a DC show in the works. I love watching to see what the girls are wearing, buying, where they are traveling and especially what kind of drama they are getting themselves into. I especially love the tidbits I pick up from tabloids and such about what is going on behind the scenes with these ladies. In fact, I'm watching the Real Housewives of New York City's reunion special right now.

2. Reading. I know that sounds odd, but since finishing school a month ago I have been reading almost nonstop. I hit the library about once a week and pick up as many as three books to read at home. I like it better than watching television because I can take a book anywhere; outside, to bed, etc. I just tonight finished Emily Giffin's Something Blue and have read some of her other books. I've also been reading The Yada Yada Prayer Group series by Neta Jackson, which is only ok but once I started the series I wanted to finish. I also have Somewhere Inside by Laura and Lisa Ling waiting for me next.

Runners up for my Top 2 were cooking and vacationing, even if just for the day out of town.

Date Night & Giveaway

2010-06-09T09:58:00.000-04:00

The other day I was looking around the internet and happened upon this blog- The Dating Divas. It's a group of 12 women who realized that to make a marriage work you need to actually work at it. So, they made this website. Each woman takes a turn posting a dating idea and sharing how it worked for them. I was especially taken with their Minute to Win it post. If you've seen the gameshow on NBC you know that a person gets a minute to do a simple challenge to win some money. The Dating Divas reworked the gameshow to include couples. All the info is on their website including an invite for your friends. I'm so tempted to put something together by the end of this month.

One of the best things I have found about the website is that most of the ideas are cost effective. We're not talking go-out-of-town-every-weekend kind of ideas; we're talking here's-a-cheap-and-fun kind of idea. My husband is working late all month, so last night I had a chance to go through a chunk of the website jotting down ideas. Check them out!

And for the giveaway...

I came across the blog Urban Farmgirl this morning and she happened to be doing a $50.00 giveaway to:

Head on over and enter for a chance to win.

Lemon Chicken with Satay Dip

2010-06-07T16:29:00.002-04:00

I have not been a good Barefoot Blogger for the past several months. Either the recipes chosen were ones I had already done or I forgot to get half the ingredients so I was unable to make the dish by the end of the month. I was on the site recently and decided I should try to get going again, but I noticed nothing new was posted for June. I'm not sure when something might be posted, so I thought I would share a recipe I tried a few weeks ago and LOVED!

I'm always looking for new ways of making chicken, since we eat it at home so many nights per week. I looked through the Food Network's website and always look for Ina Garten recipes. I came across this Grilled Lemon Chicken with Satay Dip and thought I would give it a try. Like most of Ina's recipes, I cut this one in a quarter and split the dip with my husband. Boy was that a mistake; I loved it and he hated it and threw his away before I could manage to save it! So, the following week I made the recipe again for myself, some other chicken dish for him, and saved the extra. I added a little chicken broth to it to thin it out and used it over Chicken Stir Fry.

So, I thought I would whip it up again today and take pictures to share. I only managed one good picture though. Once the chicken is on the grill and I'm making the dip, I seem to forget about the camera.

Here's the recipe and link: I cut the oil in the dip to 1 tsp. of each and it seemed to work out fine.

Ingredients
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
3/4 cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, halved and skin removed

Satay Dip, recipe follows

Directions
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour over the chicken breasts in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.

Heat a charcoal grill. Grill the chicken breasts for 10 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Cool slightly and cut diagonally in 1/2-inch-thick slices. Skewer with wooden sticks and serve with Satay Dip.

Satay Dip:
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2/3 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Cook the olive oil, sesame oil, red onion, garlic, ginger root, and red pepper flakes in a small, heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat until the onion is transparent, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, ketchup, sherry, and lime juice; cook for 1 more minute. Cool and use as a dip for Grilled Lemon Chicken skewers.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

The Summer Begins

2010-06-03T13:59:00.000-04:00

A big thank you to everyone for the sweet comments on my last post. I finally graduated with my nursing degree and really could not be happier. These few years have certainly been the most stressful of my life, and I'm so happy to finally be done. The first few weeks off I spent just sitting around, reading books, taking long walks with my husband and enjoying not having to open a textbook to catch up on reading assignments, study for quizzes and tests, brush up for a simulation experience or fill out care plans.

So this summer has officially begun for me. Here's a peek at what we're up to this summer.

My husband and I are training for our first 5K at the beginning of July. We started our training a few days ago and are really excited. I'm so happy to be running again and extra excited that he is joining me.
Studying for my boards. I took a test before graduation that said I should take my boards within the first few weeks of graduation. Those weeks are over now, so it's time to schedule the test and get this over with before I start to lose the information I worked so hard to learn.
Cleaning and reorganizing the house. We are hoping to purchase our first home soon after I get a full-time job, so I want this apartment to be ready so we can just move out. I have a few painting projects to do and whatnot before we leave, so I'm going to be busy with that this summer as well.
My older sister is pregnant with her first child which means a baby shower! I have some great ideas in mind that I hope to post about as well.

So, other than that, the Real Housewives of New Jersey is shaping up to be an interesting season already, so I'm set to DVR most of the episodes to watch when I get time. I'm also hoping to get a quilt finished I started years ago if my mom will help me... I think she will.

Tomorrow will be my five year anniversary with my husband and I'm so exited. FIVE YEARS!!! I almost cannot believe it has been that long for us. If you're wondering who we are, I filled out a survey last year on this blog. I'm not sure what we're going to do this year to celebrate. We had intended to go out of town but the vacation we were planning got moved to October and is now a family vacation. We were also going to get out for the weekend, but those plans fell through as well due to some things coming up at my husband's work. I'm sure we'll do something... so I better get planning! Enjoy the weekend!

It's Been Awhile

2010-05-17T21:32:00.000-04:00

If you read this blog at all, you might have noticed a bit of an absence the past... oh month or so. Well, I am happy to report that I finished my last Nursing final today. I won't get my grade until sometime tomorrow, but I feel pretty confident at this point. Our school has a really strict grading policy and we lose many students each term (I think we lost 16 last term alone, 20 the term prior to that), so nerves are shaky for all of us today. I can't tell you how may text messages, phone calls and Facebook chats I have gotten from other students today who are nervous.

Our official pinning ceremony is at 7:00 tomorrow night and we are hoping grades will be up by noon tomorrow. The timing is terrible obviously... not knowing your grade until noon or so and having to be at the school by 6:00 p.m. does not leave much wiggle room time wise.

But, I feel as though a huge weight has lifted off my shoulders now that it's all over. All day long I wanted to sit and read a book, so I guess I will be hitting the library soon.

I have lots of pictures, receipes, etc. to share, so stick with me as I try to revive this blog.

My Sweet Nephew

2010-03-29T21:21:00.001-04:00

Sorry it's been so long. School has been kind of crazy lately. Add to that my job, husband, dog, etc. and you get a girl with some limited time.

I've only got a few minutes tonight so I thought I would share some sweet pictures of my little nephew who is five-months-old.

Too cute for words!

That outfit! Too funny. That little guy makes my day.

Top 2 Tuesday

2010-03-02T13:36:00.001-05:00

I discovered a great blog recently: the undomesticated momma. She has a great thing going called Top 2 Tuesday. Basically, you grab her button and post your top 2 whatevers on Tuesdays. This is my first time posting.

This week's Top 2 were favorite stores. Here's mine:

Wegmans is one of my favorite places to shop. Sounds crazy to pick a grocery store, but I love to cook and make up new recipes. I love going in there because your senses are bombarded with smells, colors, sounds, etc. I actually look forward to going here on the weekends and could spend HOURS especially in the produce.

My second favorite place to shop is The Limited. I love their clothes! I used to go almost every week and buy things from their store. Then I realized how much money I was spending and stopped going anywhere near them for literally months so I wouldn't overspend. Now, I go when I can. I'm also really happy you can shop online now which makes things so much better.

A few of my top contenders were Sams Club which is actually where I have been buying most of my clothes lately (they get really good brands there), Target (for everything) and Macys.

Barefoot Blog - Baked Shrimp Scampi

2010-03-01T18:50:00.000-05:00

I'm a little behind on posting this, but this month's Barefoot Blog recipe was chosen by Jill from Insanely Good Food and was Ina' Baked Shrimp Scampi. I had a bunch of pictures but for some reaon was deleting things on my camera and deleted a few too many.

If you want the recipe, please follow the link above.

My thoughts on this recipe were mostly mixed. It was an easy recipe to put together (although I hate adding that much butter to anything), but the breaded topping basically fell off the shrimp altogether. For that reason, I would probably revise it to my own taste without all the butter and the breadcrumbs.

Beth Moore

2010-02-10T13:09:00.000-05:00

It's been a hugely busy week for me with work and school and now, unfortunately, snow. I got a little time to finally read some blogs I haven't been able to check on in quite some time. While going through past entries for Living Proof Ministries' blog I found a post for a discussion group Beth Moore is doing for her new book So Long Insecurity.

If you're unfamliar with Beth Moore, you should get to know her! She is an amazing woman of faith. I became familiar with her last summer when I attended a woman's Bible group based on a Beth Moore study. She is very informative and also extremely humerous. I'm currently going through her devoitional 90 Days With the One and Only.

The blog that she writes is very informative about what she's up to day to day and also full of inspiring words. So, with her new book coming out she is asking anyone who wishes to join the book discussion to log on HERE for Roll Call and then purchase the book. The readings begin Thursday, February 11, 2009 and this will last for nine weeks. You can find all the info HERE.

I am anticipating this being a really good study and it's always interesting to hear what an author has to say about discussion topics related to their own book. If you happen to join, let me know either through e-mail or comments so we can talk and maybe share some information.

Barefoot Blog - Shrimp Bisque

2010-02-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

First off, let me say a huge apology for not posting my Barefoot Blog recipe earlier. I have been super busy with tests, clinical for school, etc. I made the soup over a week ago and this is the first second I have had to post anything.

So, let's get started. This was my month to pick a recipe! When I joined the Barefoot Bloggers I was number 115 or something like that and am number 28. So, the recipe I chose was Shrimp Bisque. Here's how it went.

Ingredients

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
4 cups seafood stock
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3 leeks)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the shrimp shells and seafood stock in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock. Add enough water to make 3 3/4 cups.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the leeks and cook them for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the leeks are tender but not browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the cayenne pepper and shrimp and cook over medium to low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Cognac and cook for 1 minute, then the sherry and cook for 3 minutes longer. Transfer the shrimp and leeks to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until coarsely pureed.

In the same pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring with a whisk, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pureed shrimp, the stock, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and heat gently until hot but not boiling. Season, to taste, and serve hot.

So there it is. My first choice for the Barefoot Bloggers. I'm looking forward to chosing more recipes in the years to come.

By the way, this soup was amazing. It had more ingredients than I had originally wanted, but so worth it.

Pork Tenderloin with Pears and Shallots

2010-01-18T18:36:00.000-05:00

Tonight for dinner I decided to make something new from Bon Appetit magazine; Pork Tenderloin with Pears and Shallots. This recipe turned out so amazing I thought I would share it.

The only variation I did was add salt and pepper to the sauce at the end. I used low sodium veggie stock, so I felt it was needed.

The way they instructed to roast the pork was the best thing to happen to pork in my household. It turned out so carmel colored and amazingly tender whereas I usually tend to dry a tenderloin out.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme plus fresh thyme sprigs for garnish
1 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloin
3 large shallots, each cut into 6 wedges through stem end, peeled
3 unpeeled small Bosc or Anjou pears, quartered, cored
4 teaspoons butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3/4 cup pear nectar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 475°F. Mix oil, garlic, and chopped thyme in small bowl. Rub mixture over pork, shallots, and pears. Heat large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and shallots; brown on all sides, turning, about 7 minutes. Transfer shallots to platter. Transfer pork to baking sheet (do not clean skillet). Roast pork until thermometer inserted into center registers 145°F, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, add pears to same skillet and cook over medium-high heat until brown on cut side, turning once or twice, about 4 minutes. Transfer pears to platter (do not clean skillet).

Mix butter and flour in small cup. Add broth, pear nectar, and butter mixture to same skillet; boil until sauce thickens, scraping up browned bits, about 7 minutes.

Slice pork; arrange on platter. Surround with pears and shallots. Drizzle sauce over pork. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

P.S. Please excuse the blurry and somewhat off colored picture. My mom is borrowing my digital camera this week, so this pic was taken with my phone. If you want a better picture click on the link above which will take you to the magazine's website.

Barefoot Blog - Indonesian Ginger Chicken

2010-01-13T15:30:00.000-05:00

The first Barefoot Blog recipe for the month of January was chosen by Todd of A Cooking Dad and it was Ina's Indonesian Ginger Chicken.

Let me start by saying that Saturday night my husband went snowmobiling and I was going to be alone for dinner. I really wanted some chicken but was sick of all the same old recipes I keep using. So, I decided to give this one a try. I actually had all the ingredients in the house... there were only five. As Ina would say, "How easy is that?"

Ingredients
1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed

Directions
Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown.

I made some slight variations. First, I used boneless skinless chicken breasts because I always have those on hand. Second, due to poor timing on my part I did not marinate the chicken overnight. Instead I put the chicken, along with all the marinade, into a pan lined with foil and baked it.

Please do not be deterred by my rather bland looking picture (it was the best one). This chicken was some of the best I have ever had. I will now be keeping ginger in the fridge on a regular basis to make this recipe. I highly recommend this one.

Goals for 2010

2010-01-05T08:58:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share with you some of my goals for this new year. Notice I said goals and not resolutions as I have a hard time sticking to those.

1. Attend church more and get involved. We attend a very large church, so getting involved as been sort of tricky. I pushed my husband to join the softball team and play on a basketball league where we have met some amazing friends. Notice I never joined anything but said "we have met some amazing friends." I tend to tag along, so this year I want to get involved more on my own.

2. Save more money. We are dying to buy our first home, so I have been trying to save money like crazy for the down payment and furniture shopping, etc. This means we have to start cutting back, which is always hard.

3. Continue getting healthy. I joined Weight Watchers back in October and have lost now over 20 pounds. I have a way to go, but this program is helping.

4. Run half marathon in July. Running is something I got into last summer and has helped me so much. I never thought I would see the day I could run four miles at one time. Now I'm gearing up to do just over 13!

5. Finish school and get a job. This should be closer to the top of my list. Since starting nursing school I can honestly say I'm getting way burned out. I have until May to go, so the countdown is on! Then I'll have to navigate the job market to find a hospital I like.

6. Spend more time for myself. I have a packed schedule with school, work, husband, dog, social life, etc. that I rarely take time just for myself. My needs tend to get pushed back as there is always something else that needs done on a regular basis. One of our pastors talked about keeping one day open (hopefully Sunday) to just relax and refocus and spend time with the Lord. I am hoping I can do this.

7. Get organized and scheduled. I find I run better on a schedule as I know where my time went. I purchased a planner for this year and have already been scheduling time for myself. I also want to get things organized around here. We have grown out of our apartment completely thus the need for the new house. If only I could get my husband on board with the organization...

Well, there you have it. My goals for the year. Feel free to keep me on task for these. I'll let you know my progress as we move along.

Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful

2010-01-03T19:15:00.008-05:00

The weather here is some of the craziest snowfall I have seen in a long time. We got about 2 feet of snow in literally a day; it's 3 feet in some areas of the yard where it has blown and drifted. My husband cleaned out the driveway about 9:00 this morning and by lunch it looked as though he had never even been out there. He's back at it trying to get the cars cleaned out so we can go to work/school tomorrow.

I never got around to showing any of the pictures of my Christmas decorations, so I thought I would do it now. Had it not been for my sister, Mandi, the house never would have gotten done. Last year we never even put up a Christmas tree! I was just too busy with school and work and other things to get everything out. So, a big thank you to Mandi for all her hard work. Here's just a few pictures of what she did.

This is the top of my fireplace mantle. I love the snowman.

Here's a view of the whole fireplace. The primitive stockings that are there were made by me and my sisters after going to a craft fair this past fall. There's one for me, my husband and my dog. They never actually got filled.

Here's our tree. It always seems to look the same to me, so this year after Christmas I went out and bought a TON of stuff to redo the look for next year. We usually do red and gold Christmas balls, but this year we did snowflakes, white lights, sentimental ornaments and candy canes. The bit white rectangle in the center is a card from my husband.

This next tree is one of my FAVORITES! My mom did this tree at her house. It's a small alpine tree that she decorated completely with peppermint candy ornaments and candy canes. The best tree I have ever seen.

P.S. The snowman at the bottom is my mom. At a Christmas party at her work, the woman that organized the party took pictures of each of the people in the office and attached their faces to these snowmen forms. My niece had a ton of fun with that ornament. There's also an elf of her somewhere from last year's Christmas party.

We had a big family dinner on Christmas Eve since my little sister had to work on Christmas day. She is a new nurse this year and, since she is new, she had to work the holiday. This is a picture of my niece's place setting.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. My sister decorated a TON more. Some of her ideas were putting Christmas balls into crocks and decorating my ironstone in the kitchen with pine branches. Maybe I'll take pictures before I take it all down next weekend.

Hope your holidays were as wonderful as ours!

Barefoot Blog - Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms

2010-01-02T11:40:00.005-05:00

Michelle of Welcome to the Club chose one of our Barefoot Blogging recipes for the month of December. The recipe is Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms.

As a little background to this recipe, my mom decided we should have stuffed mushrooms for one of the many parties we had over this holiday. Everyone loved them but agreed they needed a little more "oomph" to make them a better appetizer.

I had misread the recipe for this month as Sausage-Stuffed Meatballs for some odd reason but was really happy to see it was actually mushrooms. It made quite a confusion when my husband thought he was getting meatballs and was instead getting mushrooms (which he hates). I made the recipe for our New Year's Eve party and they went over really well. I highly recommend this recipe and will keep it on hand for future parties.

Since I'm not sure how to copy and paste recipes into blogger anymore (and I don't feel like retyping it out), just visit the link above for the details.

By the way, January is my month to pick a recipe for Barefoot Blogging, so stay tuned to see what I have selected.

Getting to know you

2009-12-14T14:18:00.004-05:00

Since I still can't seem to get pictures onto this new computer I decided to post a little question and answer page that someone sent to me.

Getting To Know Your Blogger - Christmas Edition

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags: I love to wrap gifts. It's one of my favorite things ever. I always buy my wrap the day after Christmas so I get the good stuff at a discount price.

2. Real tree or artificial: We do the artificial. It's only 6.5 feet, it comes in three sections, cost only $30.00 and is pre-lit. I couldn't ask for more.

3. When do you put up your tree: I try to get it up the weekend after Thanksgiving. I love having it up so the longer I can see it, the better.

4. Do you like eggnog: I've only had it once in my life, but I think I liked it... as long as there isn't too much nutmeg.

5. What is your favorite gift received as a child: I got a Barbie Dream House for Christmas one year when I was younger. I was so excited. The box was the largest one under the tree. I felt so special!

6. Do you have a nativity scene: Yes. My mom bought me one for the house. Last year, in an effort to get more into the "reason for the season" I had my dad make me a cut out sign that says JOY for the yard. In the center of the O is a nativity scene. I love it.

7. Who is the hardest person to buy for: My brothers-in-law. I never know what to get them.

8. Easiest person to buy for: My niece, Natalie, and new nephew, Max. They are also the most fun to buy for.

9. Mail or e-mail your Christmas cards: Always mail. I buy these the day after Christmas as well at Hallmark. I always get something religious and usually they are quite beautiful.

10. Favorite Christmas movie: It's A Wonderful Life, Elf, ... this list could go on for awhile. My dad was big into Christmas movies and would pile them up in front of the tv to watch when I lived at home. Each night he would pick a different one.

11. When do you start shopping for gifts: Black Friday!

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas: With the movies we would watch we always had mom's Chex party mix. That with my grandmother's big gingerbread cutouts.

13. Clear or colored lights on the tree: White.

14. Favorite Christmas song: Hark Hear the Bells, Away in the Manger, Canon, etc., etc.

15. Travel or stay home for Christmas: I have never traveled at Christmas, so I guess stay home.

16. Can you name all Santa's reindeer: Of course. I still remember that song from long ago Christmas shows in school.

17. Angel or star tree topper: Never had either. I have a bow up there.

18. Opening presents Christmas Eve or morning: Always morning although my husband and I do on Christmas eve.

19. The most annoying thing about this time of year: The people that are out there driving on the busy roads that clearly cannot drive well. I'm talking Peach Street on a busy Saturday if you know Erie.

20. What I love most about Christmas: Family and the Christmas Story.

21. Snow- to love or hate: Love at Christmas. Hate by January 1.

22. Can you ice skate: Never did.

23. Favorite holiday dessert: Anything made by my mom or sisters or my grandmother when she was able.

24. Favorite holiday tradition: Opening stockings first, watching Christmas movies with my dad and sisters... and mom when she could, baking...

25. What do you prefer, giving or receiving gifts: I LOVE TO GIVE!!!

Where have you been?

2009-12-03T19:02:00.004-05:00

I haven't been posting lately and I apologize to anyone out there that likes to read this blog regularly... not that I posted really regularly before but...

I've recently gotten a new laptop (praise the Lord) because my old one had just about had it. It was getting to the point where it would take me several minutes to load a web page at times. I knew it was the computer because my laptop is set up next to my work computer and that always worked fine. So, with a new laptop I'm still working out all the little kinks that I'm not used to. The first is loading pictures.

I have two barefoot blog postings to make from the month of November. I made both recipes with quite a bit of success in our house so here's the recap minus the pictures.

The first recipe was Creme Brulee. This was a treat! I grew up watching cooking shows all the time and whenever they would make creme brulee I always hoped someday I would have the chance to do the same. The recipe was wonderful. I wish I could show the pictures to prove it. It was chosen by Suzie from Munch + Nibble.

The second recipe I actually made at the beginning of November. My husband and I caught Ina cooking on the Food Network and making Company Pot Roast which just happened to be the second recipe for the month of November. I had a roast on hand in the freezer, so we made this recipe and loved it. I omitted the brandy because I didn't have any on hand. I also substituted the chicken stock for beef stock which I thought might give it a richer flavor. Either way this recipe was wonderful and easy. Perfect for a fall-ish Sunday afternoon which was how we enjoyed it. The recipe was chosen by Lisa from Lime in the Coconut.

Well, there you have it. I've been updated. More to come.

A Week With Barefoot

2009-11-10T18:55:00.003-05:00

Last week our Barefoot Blog challenged us to make five different Ina Garten recipes- one each day. I ended up only making two of the five and both on the same night. They both turned out wonderful.

The first is one of my personal favorites, Caramelized Butternut Squash. I make this recipe at least once a week now that squash is in season. Sometimes I substitute the brown sugar for pure maple syrup. Fabulous and easy. Check out the link for the recipe.

The second recipe I made was French String Beans. I didn't add the peppers to this one because I didn't have any on hand and wanted to make the recipe anyway. Usually I would add them. A quick and easy side dish.

Here's the plate put together with a stuffed pork chop. This is actually my husband's plate. He put everything on there and thought his was much better looking than my plate, so I told him I would put his picture up instead.

Check out the Barefoot Blog for the other three recipes; Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars (I made them last summer and loved them), Chicken Chili and Roasted Potato Leek Soup.

100 Books to Read

2009-11-08T09:28:00.005-05:00

A friend of mine recently sent me a forward in Facebook of 100 books that everyone should read. The survey stated that most people have only read about two books from the entire list. I have only read 36 and some of those I marked because I had seen the movie but can't remember if I actually read the book.
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Since I'm always looking for a good book I decided to tackle the rest of the list. I marked off two books that I had no desire to read and also marked off anything I have read in the past five years or so. That left me with 92 books yet to read. I'm sure this will be a list I work on for a few years. So, I thought I would pass this list on, piece by piece, throughout the weeks. I'll give you 10 books and let you know what I've read and where I'm at. Here's the first 10:
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Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Harry Potter series - J. K. Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Bible
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

From this list I remember reading a few back in high school but will reread them now. I marked off the Harry Potter series because I don't care to read those books. The Bible is always a work in progress for me, so I will continue to read that one on a regular basis.

I'm currently working from further down the list on Anne of Green Gables. I love this movie (it's one of my all time favorites) but the book is a little slow. Even so, I'm enjoying it.

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes

2009-10-31T12:01:00.004-04:00

Yesterday my husband and I were supposed to attend a fall party with some friends. Due to some circumstances we ended up not going, but I had already made my treat for the party- mini pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I loved the idea because they were small enough to grab pop in your mouth without committing to a big dessert.

The recipe I used is below and is for a large sheet cake. I cut the recipe in half to make about 36 or so mini cupcakes. I also added a little chopped chocolate to the the top of half the cupcakes just to make them more black and orange.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Ingredients:
1 can (16 oz) pumpkin
2 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs beaten
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Combine pumpkin and sugar, mix well. Add oil. Add eggs one at a time. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat into cake. Grease and flour a large sheet pan, add batter and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes. (About 12 to 15 minutes for the mini cupcakes.)

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
3 oz cream cheese, soft
5 Tbsp. butter, soft
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup to 2 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 tsp. milk

Mix cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar and milk, whip. Enjoy!

Max Reed

2009-10-26T19:00:00.002-04:00

This past Friday my new little nephew was born, Max Reed. He was 6 pounds 9 ounces and 20 inches long; just a tiny little guy.

I was fortunate enough to get to spend a lot of time with him as the hospital where he was born is only about 10 minutes from my house. I got to go spend mornings with him so his mom could shower and have her breakfast and wait for dad to get out of work and come over. As a result, I spent HOURS just holding him and looking at him. I think we've bonded.

I'm looking forward to many more "bonding" sessions with this little guy.

Barefoot Blogger - Cheddar Corn Chowder

2009-10-20T12:49:00.003-04:00

The first Barefoot Blog recipe for the month of October was certainly a fall-ish recipe. Jill from My Next Life chose Ina's Cheddar Corn Chowder.

I made a few variations. First, as always, I cut the recipe in half. Second, I didn't have any bacon in the house. I'm trying to cut back on the fat and calories, so I used Canadian bacon instead and felt the recipe still came out great.

Even though the picture is quite blurry from the steam coming off the chowder, I was hungry and didn't want to wait to take the picture, this recipe was really great. We enjoyed it in our house and will make it again.

Y0u can follow this link to the receipt: Cheddar Corn Chowder.

This is the only Barefoot Blog recipe I will be making this month. The next recipe is for Blue Cheese Souflee. I'm not a fan of blue cheese at all and can't think of a reasonable substitute, so I'm going to be passing on this one.

I WON!

2009-10-12T12:43:00.002-04:00

I'm in the middle of babysitting my niece, Natalie, but wanted to take a second to say I won the Four Fat Chicks giveaway of a $100.00 giftcard to Target. You can see my progress calendars posted along the way of all the workouts I did.

I must say, this was a tough challenge. September was an awful month for me for getting in workouts and such. I had to really struggle to get things in even if it was a combo of pushups, jumping jacks, etc. for 20 minutes. Great cardio though.

Anyway, I'm grateful to have won the giveaway and am brainstorming all the ways to spend $100.00 at Target. Hopefully I can make it last.

I wanted to say a big Thank You to the Four Fat Chicks for their generous giveaway.

September Calendar Completed

2009-10-01T12:59:00.002-04:00

Yesterday marked the end of September and, thus, the end of the challenge issued by Shopping is Our Cardio to work out for at least 20 minutes each day for the month of September. I succeeded in working out 29 days out of 30, which i still think is pretty good.

There were days I didn't go to the gym (a lot of them in fact) so I had to find creative things to do around the house to get in some cardio from running stairs, push ups, jumping jacks, etc.

I'm hoping to win the $100.00 gift card to Target but even if I don't I'm happy that I finished out this program.

Barefoot Blog - Beatty's Chocolate Cake

2009-09-30T19:06:00.004-04:00

The second recipe for the month of September for my Barefoot Blogging was another cake. Beatty's Chocolate Cake was chosen by Mary of Passionate Perseverance. I had step by step pictures of what I did here, but can't seem to find my camera cord to load them up tonight. So, I'm sorry that this picture is a little on the dark side but it was taken with the camera on my phone.
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Back to the cake, it was one of the BEST chocolate cakes I have ever had or made in my entire life. The chocolate flavor was amazing and the cake was pretty easy to make as well.
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The frosting made me a tad nervous because it had a raw egg yolk in it. I know in savory cooking you can substitute a raw egg yolk for mayonnaise, but I just couldn't seem to justify adding mayonnaise to a cake. :) So, I added the yolk and was glad I did. That frosting was about the best frosting I have ever had in my life. This recipe is getting laminated (when I come across a lamintor) and added to my favorites.

By the way, I cut the recipe in half and put it in a 9 by 9 pan instead of making a double layer cake. Much less work that way. Enjoy!

An Exhausting Weekend

2009-09-27T18:14:00.002-04:00

This weekend was really busy for us here at my house. Here's a recap.

Friday was my niece, Natalie's third birthday. I went with her and my sister out to lunch and to some hair appointments. Natalie got her hair cut (she has a full head of curls). Then the beautician pinned her hair up in a sort of "up-do" that made her look so grown up.

Natalie after her hair appointment.

Isn't her shirt adorable with the cake on it.

Saturday morning my mom and I walked in the Memory Walk here in Erie. The Memory Walk helps raise money to fight Alzheimer's Disease. My grandmother, my mom's mom, Jane, is in her 15th year of Alzheimer's which is almost unheard of. This was our first year walking and it was wonderful. We kept a really brisk pace for our 2.5 miles. Sorry, no pics.

Saturday night we went to my sister's house for Natalie's "official" birthday party. We had sloppy joe's, a veggie tray, apples with dip, pasta salad, cake and ice cream. For our party favors, we each left with a baggie of one of my favorite fall treats.

Party favor

All it contains is a mixture of salted peanuts and candy corn. It's the best mix of salty and sweet.

My dad recently started to run a car lot in my home town. In addition to selling cars the business sells four-wheelers, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, motorcycles, gear, etc. Because my husband doesn't work on Fridays, he often will be my dad's "driver" and take cars to and from the auction with him. Because of this, we were also invited to the party. It was a potluck lunch and afterwards the business had a bunch of their four-wheelers brought down for people to ride.

Now, I'm used to riding four-wheelers as it was something we did often when I was young, and when we moved to the country it seemed my dad always had at least one at the house. My husband asked me to ride with him and, though I trust him, I was worried. My pastor, Pastor Jack, recently did a sermon where he said we should stop fearing everything and let God take control. With that attitude I looked around and saw a little boy about five or six with his grandfather on a four-wheeler. I figured if they could do this, so could I, and I would be fearless.

Unfortunately, that little boy and his grandfather never went with us and we hit some really tough trails. Images of riding when I was young and seeing people get tipped or rolled on these things and getting stuck in some of the mud holes (it has rained at least the past three days here) worried me. But, my husband is a capable driver and we made it back safe. It was actually pretty fun when I stopped worrying and started having fun. Plus, I got an amazing strength workout if you count keeping every muscle in your body clenched for about 30 minutes a good workout.

Here's some of the pics from the day.

My dad with his boss on one of the safer vehicles. They even had seat belts.

Some of the group of four-wheelers we rode.

Afterwards, my mom and I decided to start walking back to her house. We made it probably a little over 2 miles before my dad and husband picked us up.

Though it was a great weekend, I am exhausted and ready for bed and it's not even 7:00. I guess I'll go watch some football until I fall asleep.

Exercise Calendar

2009-09-23T18:08:00.003-04:00

Here's my calendar for the week. I did miss one day of exercise, Saturday. I moved around and did some power cleaning but nothing specific that would constitute for exercise.

I haven't been to the gym in about two weeks, so most of my workouts have been things I could do here at home; walks, lifting some weights, squats, pushups, etc.

Hope everyone else's calendars are getting filled!

Barefoot Blog - Birthday Sheet Cake

2009-09-22T07:25:00.003-04:00

The first recipe for the month of September was Ina's Birthday Sheet Cake as chosen by Susy of Everyday Gourmet. I made this cake for a Labor Day/My Birthday party at the beginning of the month but why I never posted it I'm not sure.

I'm keeping this post short so I'll just give a quick review. If you want the recipe, just click on the link above.

I thought the cake part of this was really good. I actually requested this cake a few years ago for my birthday and it was delicious. This was my first attempt at this frosting though. I have NEVER done a frosting without powdered sugar and was a little worried about how it would turn out. Turns out, my fears were recognized. My frosting never quite set up. I whipped it on high for about 15 minutes or so and it never really thickened or stiffened. I ended up having to add some powdered sugar just to thicken it so it could be spread on the cake. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be that runny, but I don't remember it being like that when Ina made it on tv. I also found it to be quite rich but that may have been due to the chocolate chips I used.

Either way, I probably will not make this frosting again. I will probably make the cake though if I should never need to make that much cake again. The above picture was the last piece of cake. I completely forgot to take a picture of the cake until the end!

Exercise Calendar

2009-09-21T09:05:00.002-04:00

Here's my exercise calendar. I took this picture to post on Friday, so nothing beyond that has been filled in yet. See my previous post about this giveaway at Shopping is our Cardio.

Giveaway Repost

2009-09-08T20:06:00.003-04:00

This is just an update to the giveaway on my last post. I had to repost today so that I could get a whole week's worth of exercise in.

Here's my calendar:

Close up of my week

A whole month yet to be filled in

If you want to get in on this giveaway for a $100.00 gift card to Target, check out the link for Shopping is our Cardio. Even if you're too late to get in, check out their website as it's pretty neat.

Double Post

2009-09-04T09:55:00.004-04:00

First I have to get my Barefoot Blogging stuff taken care of. I never posted my recipes from August due to being on a blog vacation so here they are. Short and sweet.
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The first was from Veronica from Supermarket Serenade chose Banana Mango Daiquiris. I don't drink alcohol, so I wasn't sure how I was going to make this recipe at first. I finally decided to make the base of the daiquiri and then instead of adding rum I added sparking water. It was really refreshing. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture. If you go back to the link above for Barefoot Bloggers, the recipe is posted.

The next recipe was from Andrea of Nummy Kitchen and was White Pizza with Arugula. I love, love, loved this recipe! It was wonderful. I omitted the goat cheese on the pizza because I don't care for it very much. I didn't substitute it with anything and wish I would have as I think it would have added an extra element to the cheese. I also added a touch of honey to the arugula salad on top of the pizza because I felt it needed some sweetness. Here's the pics:

Slightly overdone pizza.

Pizza with arugula salad on top.

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Secondly, I wanted to get involved in a giveaway at the blog The Four Fat Chicks - Shopping is Our Cardio. To get into their giveaway of a $100.00 gift card to Target all I had to do was commit to working out every day for the month of September. I had to print up a calendar to fill in each day and decorate it. I decided to decorate mine with sayings that inspired me and running races I hope to be involved in in the future to keep me motivated and keep my eyes on the prize.

Full calendar.

Best pic I could get of this week's results.

By the way, I'm now up to running 4 full miles at a time and am hoping to get a long run of 5 miles in this weekend. And, I got my sister, Mandi, running also. Pretty exciting. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Birthday Celebration

2009-09-03T10:46:00.004-04:00

For my birthday this year my husband planned a few surprises. First, he surprised me with a trip on the Victorian Princess with a dinner cruise. This is a ship that goes around Lake Erie. It has three decks; two indoor and then the top deck which is open. We had gone on a sunset cruise years ago when we were dating and I had always wanted to go back for a dinner cruise. He planned the cruise several weeks ago as a surprise.

Us aboard the ship.

Partial picture of the ship.

Sunset

The lights of downtown Erie.

For my actual birthday, he had to work late and wasn't going to be able to meet up with me until around 8:30 p.m. My parents invited me over for dinner. We ate and then had some cake and opened presents. One of my gifts was a lovely Vera Bradley purse (my first if you don't count the lunch bag I bought years ago and no longer use).

There was a large present that I had to open last which ended up being another surprise from my husband.

My Kitchen Aid mixer. I have wanted one of these for years and each Black Friday for the past two years I would get up extra early to either hit the mall or look on the internet for a good deal. Each year I have been unable to get one either because they sold out too quickly or the sale wasn't nearly as good as I thought it was supposed to be. He has kept this in the back of his mind and decided to finally get me one! I can't wait to see what wonderful things I can make with this.

I set it up this morning!

Back from Blog Vacation

2009-09-01T09:07:00.002-04:00

It's been a pretty quiet summer here for me but not for my husband. He has worked really long hours the past few months with lots of good overtime. That means that when he's home, I like to spend quality time with him. So, we found a way to get our quality time together and help me with my running. We joined a gym.

When we were first married four years ago we joined a gym near our home that was really trendy and designed more for athletes than people needing to get into shape. I was about 10 pounds lighter then but I could barely run 1/2 a mile, so this gym was pretty intimidating. That question, "Where do you go to get in shape to go to the gym?" comes to mind.

We've looked at a few gyms over the past several years trying to find something that fit with little result. The best gyms are on the other side of town which means a 30 minute commute that we will rarely do. So, a few weeks ago we joined a local YMCA. They did a huge expansion project and the place is massive which means lots of treadmills to run on and lots of opportunities to cross train in various outlets- swimming, racquetball, basketball, etc. It has been amazing! I enjoy running outside, but we live on a busy street and the nearest side streets are all hills which is amazing for training but not for distance. In addition, a few weeks ago it had been blistering hot and I was actually scared to go out and run for fear I wouldn't do well. I have a treadmill, but we live in an apartment and our downstairs neighbors don't like the banging, which means I have to wait until they leave the house to run on it, which is about never. So, joining a gym was the best choice for us now.

Since my blog vacation I am now running all my 3 miles together without stopping which is such an accomplishment for me. Even at my thinnest I could not run more than 1 mile at a time. This week we are pushing it up to 4 mile runs, which I'm looking forward to.

I have lots of fun things to post- recipes and a few neat things I have found on the web. I can't wait to get back into the swing of blogging.

Blog Vacation

2009-08-23T16:20:00.002-04:00

If you follow me regularly, you may have noticed that my posts have been few and far between lately.

With summer winding down I have been taking a bit of a blog vacation of sorts. I've been keeping busy with running, cooking, hanging out with my family, having a yard sale and organizing my home for the coming fall... which means winter is near here in Erie.

I'm hoping to start posting again later this week as I have a few Barefoot Blogger recipes to share as well as some projects I have been working on around the house. I found a great site to help you lose or maintain your weight that I would also like to share.

Keep with me. I'll be back shortly.

Running and a Project

2009-08-11T15:46:00.006-04:00

I haven't posted in over a week because I have been literally running my behind off. I have been busy here around the house and with work and especially busy keeping up with my running workout.

My goal last week was to run 3 miles a day, 5 days as week and I was able to accomplish it! I'm still running my miles in intervals (warm up, run 1 mile, walk 2 minutes, run 1 mile, walk 2 minutes, run 1 mile, cool down) but I'm so excited that can I at least do this routine. It's an accomplishment I never thought I would get to.

On Saturday I decided to amp things up a little bit and run 1.5 mile intervals with one 2 minute walk between. This Saturday I'm hoping to run all 3 miles together. Whew! Never in my life have I run more than 1.5 miles at a time let alone 3. Even when I was at my thinnest and most active I never pushed myself this hard... that was at least 40 pounds ago... but I'm getting there. I noticed this week my clothes fitting much more loosely and when I stepped on the scale I was in a weight range I haven't seen in a long time. But enough about that...

This Friday my sister came to my neck of the woods for an appointment that turns out is next week. Since she had the morning off we decided to do some shopping. Unfortunately, since it was still early nothing was open. We stopped by Michaels since it was one of the only stores open and I found this.

It was on clearance for $9.99. I thought I would buy it and paint it black and put it in the kitchen. I gave one drawer to my husband and one to myself to put misc. things that we come home with all the time; car keys, sunglasses, golf accessories, etc.

I decided to paint it on Saturday afternoon but didn't have any black paint on hand. Since the stand I was going to put it on was black anyway, I decided to go with a different color. I had a gold metallic paint on hand from a project I did with my husband's aunt, and I mixed it with some white and cream craft paint and got this taupe-like color.

It's painted and ready to go, but the pictures didn't turn out well. You can't even tell it's been painted at all! But it has been working out well for us keeping our stuff organized. I'm actually tempted to go back and pick up another one for the bedroom. We'll see for now.

Bad Day to Good Day

2009-07-30T18:35:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a bad day for running and eating healthy. I have been setting my alarm for 5:30 a.m. to get my workouts in early. Unfortunately I woke up at 4:00 a.m. During that 1.5 hours that I got to continue sleeping I dreamt that a bear came out of the woods that I run near. I got away somehow but needless to say I was kind of spooked about getting out there. So, I put off the run. Putting off that run led to some bad eating. I had one Poptart for breakfast with the hopes to get some fruit in later. Unfortunately, I ate the other Poptart instead and my eating also spiraled from there.

From that bad day, I learned today could only get better if I made it get better. So here's a few tips:

Don't let one bad day turn into a bad week. Get back on track the next day. We are all human and sometimes we just need a day off to rest and splurge.
Don't ever go two days in a row without working out especially if you are just starting a routine. One day off has to come during the week. I get two days off so I just switched them around so that yesterday was my day off instead of Friday. If you take two days off in a row, it becomes much harder to get back on track with a workout.
Try to do a small workout. I didn't run three miles yesterday like I should have, but I did take my dog for a walk during the evening. It wasn't the type of cardio I had hoped to do but at least it was something.
If you give up on eating healthy for a day, at least try to drink plenty of water, at least 8 glasses. The water will help you fill up faster so maybe you can skip that second Poptart... or the Oreos at lunch... and the sub for dinner... or the ice cream for a snack... (I told you I was off yesterday!)
Don't let yourself give up! Get it together for tomorrow. I felt so bad about yesterday that today I ate really healthy and am planning my run for after dinner. And you know what, I felt so much better today. I wasn't as sick feeling as I was yesterday after all the bad food and lack of activity.

I hope those tips help!

What I've Been Doing

2009-07-28T21:06:00.006-04:00

I thought I would share something that I have been up to lately... Running.

When I take a look at my body, it is certainly not where I want it to be. I'm only 25 and feel like I'm wasting my time doing all kinds of quick diets or just using the excuse, "I'm watching what I'm eating" only that usually translates to, "I'm watching what I'm eating for this meal and maybe about two more and then I'm back to normal again." Obviously this has only led to small results and usually gains back.

So, I did the scariest thing I could think of and the one thing I always thought I could never get any good at. I started to run. I enlisted my friend who is a marathon runner, a size 0, a great motivator, an amazing personal trainer and also one of the scariest people I know because she lives and breathes running and I knew she would make me do this. And she has!

I started out one month ago only able to do 4 minute walks combined with 2 minute runs. She gave me a strength workout that I could barely finish. There were lunges that burned my thighs and arm exercises that worked me so good I lifted my arm to put on deodorant when I was done and my arm shook.

But, a month later I am proud to say I am now running 1 mile, resting for 2 minutes and completing this cycle until I reach a full 3 mile run. Wow! To say I have surprised myself is a vast understatement.

My ultimate goal is to run a half marathon next summer which will require some intense training leading up to that challenge. My friend/trainer ran it this past Sunday as though it was a piece of cake, but I know it will be tough. My biggest pitfalls through this are the mind games I play with myself that I can't do it, I'm not good enough to run that extra bit or I just need to quit. I'm working hard on overcoming that to get myself into a healthy state.

Stay with me through this journey and I will continue to post my results.

Fruit Lollipops

2009-07-24T08:34:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday night we got together with some friends for a small bonfire. It was the kind of party where you could bring something to share or not. At first I thought I would bring the usual- a pan of brownies or a plate of cookies. Then I thought I would rather take something light and easy. I decided to do these fruit lollipops. I just skewered watermelon, grapes and fresh pineapple onto lollipop sticks. They were perfect to pick up and pop into your mouth without needing a fork.

I also whipped up a little fruit dip by mixing some cream cheese with Cool Whip and a small squeeze of lemon juice.

They were such a hit! My husband and I were planning to leave by 9:00 p.m. because he had to get up early for work. When we finally left at 10:45 p.m. the plate was empty.

Barefood Blogging - Peach & Blueberry Crumbles

2009-07-22T17:24:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it, but I am posting a Barefoot Blog recipe a day early. Usually I am about a week late!

Aggie from Aggie's Kitchen chose our second Barefoot Blog recipe for the month of July- Peach and Blueberry Crumbles.

I had a difficult time copying and pasting the recipe here on my blog, so if you want the link, just click here. It will take you to our Barefoot website and from there you can scroll down to find the directions.

I thought this recipe turned out wonderful. I had to cook my quite a bit longer because I added it all into one casserole dish instead of dividing it up into ramekins like Ina did. Even still, it came out beautifully and delicious.

I Cannot Believe I Own This

2009-07-16T19:11:00.003-04:00

If you watch anything on the Food Network you will notice many of the stars using enameled cast iron cooking pots. I have wanted one ever since I first started noticing them. I have several recipes that start with cooking on the stove and then have to be transferred to the oven. Unfortunately, I never had a pot I could use on the cook top and then in the oven without fear of melting something plastic off of it.

Around Christmas my husband and I were at Macy's and I was looking these pots over pretty well, especially a blue Martha Stewart number. He kept insisting I get one, I kept saying I couldn't stomach the thought of buying a pot for $100.00... or more in some cases. So, I never got one. Until now.

I was looking around Macys.com the other day and saw that the Martha Stewart blue pot I had wanted so badly at Christmas was on CLOSEOUT! I added one to the shopping cart online but when I went to check out I discovered that with tax and shipping I really wasn't saving that much more than I would have at Christmas. So, today I called Macys and, after the fourth phone call, I finally got someone on the line. The sales lady went and found the pot and held it for me until I could get there tonight. In addition, she offered me a coupon worth $10.00 off. In total my pot, which originally cost an ASTOUNDING $160.00, was only $63.00.

If you want one, I think I got the last one in Erie at Macy's, but they are still available online if you want to pay shipping.

Barefoot - Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes

2009-07-14T09:50:00.004-04:00

This month's first Barefoot Blog recipe was Ina's Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes chosen by Cat of Delta Whiskey. I wasn't sure how this recipe would go in my house as my husband usually isn't a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, but it went over REALLY well. We both loved it so much we disagreed over who should take the leftovers for the next day!

Ingredients
1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

For the dressing:
5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
1 teaspoon capers, drained
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

Directions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.

I did make several adjustments for this recipe. I thought I had everything I needed when I checked the recipe but actually didn't. By the time I realized what I was missing I was already cooking and didn't want to face the rush hour traffic to head to the grocery store. I substituted out half the olive oil since I was running low. I added instead half a cup of pasta water which worked well. I also ran low basil. The basil plant in my garden wasn't full of leaves, so I had to use some dried basil instead. I missed that fresh taste the basil would have added, but the dried stuff worked out pretty well. I will DEFINITELY make this recipe again! It was like an upscale version of traditional Italian pasta salad. Very good.

Giveaway

2009-07-12T20:36:00.003-04:00

My mom over at Neat & Tidy just recently put up her 100th post. In honor of this, she is hosing a giveaway on her blog. Hop over there and sign up!

Living Room Renovation

2009-07-08T16:50:00.005-04:00

When my husband and I first moved into our apartment it was supposed to be a temporary situation. His grandparents own the home and the rent is small, so thought it would be good to save some money for a few years to buy something more permanent. When I started nursing school we put our home buying on hold until I graduate. This meant we would spend more years here than we had originally planned. We were both disappointed but also have found ourselves maxed out on space. I had pretty much come to the conclusion the place would be sort of cluttered until we move out because we have no where else to put our things.

Then my sister, Mandi, from Finding Home, came home for a visit. She spent almost two days renovating, redecorating, moving furniture and organizing three main parts of our home that needed it the most. Here are the final pictures.

Quilt rack and pictures in a corner. I call this my grandmother's corner since she made four of the pictures there.

TV moved to a different wall between two windows. The couch is right in front. This is a window Mandi found in Canada that we hung with a berry vine wreath in the center. It looks so much better than the shelf I had there with a million country decorations on it.

A red dry sink redone. I had this on a different wall that was too small for it. I also had it stuffed with books and photo albums. Now all that stuff is neatly put away.

From one side of the living room.

From the opposite side.

Rocking chair with my dog's pillow in front of the window.

The BEAST! I bought this treadmill last year and it was the source of much turmoil since it takes up so much room and really can't fit into the doorways of either of the bedrooms. It has to stay in the living room which meant we had to figure a way to make it work in the room. We ended up putting it along a wall behind the couch. I think it works!

There are no before pictures but I can tell you we decluttered a lot! I had lots of country decorations and we pared everything down so it all looks more clean. I'm forever grateful to Mandi for coming and helping me get this all figured out.

A New Look

2009-07-06T08:17:00.003-04:00

This weekend was a busy one. I had a big 30th birthday party for my husband at the Seawolves ballpark. We had a buffet picnic, watched the game, got rained on, watched the Seawolves lose and then watched fireworks at the park. It was an amazing party! I unfortunately forgot my camera so I have no pictures except the ones my sister took.

While my sister, Mandi, was home from Canada she helped me completely redo a lot of things including this blog. I have a whole new looking blog and I think it is much more me than the old one where I kept changing the backgrounds and trying to find something that fit. Because this was designed specifically for me, and partially by me, I think it fits me much better.

While she was home she also came to my house and did a complete overhaul of my kitchen and living room. I didn't take any pictures yet, but check back later in the week as I hope to have them up.

I'm also going for a new look personally. I recently started a weight loss journey through running that I hope to post more about later. I'm right now starting slowly and racking up as many miles as I can throughout the week. My goal is to run a 5k by the end of summer and a half marathon next summer.

Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July!

Strawberry Jam

2009-07-02T08:17:00.003-04:00

One thing I wanted to do with my strawberries was make some jam. I'm not one who cans things, but I thought if I made a small batch for the refrigerator for now that would be great. I used, of course, Ina Garten's recipe for Easy Strawberry Jam.

Ingredients
3 pints fresh strawberries
3 cups superfine sugar
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and small-diced
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Directions
Place the strawberries in a colander and rinse them under cold running water. Drain and hull the strawberries. Cut the larger berries in half or quarters and leave the small berries whole. Place the strawberries in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot such as heavy Dutch oven and toss them with the sugar and orange-flavored liqueur. ( left the liquer out).

Bring the berry mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Add the apple and blueberries and continue to keep the mixture at a rolling boil, stirring occasionally, until the jam reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. This should take 25 to 35 minutes. Skim and discard any foam that rises to the top.

Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then store covered in the refrigerator. It will keep refrigerated for at least 2 weeks. To keep the jam longer, pack and seal in canning jars according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I cut the amount of sugar by half so my jam ended up a little runny, which was okay. It still works great on toast and I used it on some (frozen) waffles this morning.

I made two containers and put one in the fridge and one in the freezer. I'm not sure if this is a jam to freeze or not, so we'll see when it gets pulled out later in the year.

Strawberries - Day 2

2009-07-01T15:16:00.003-04:00

I'm a day behind on my strawberry posts due to the major flooding we had in this area yesterday. It was kind of a zoo in my neighborhood, so here we go today.

What did I do with all those lovely strawberries? I froze most of them. The best way I have found to freeze strawberries, or any berry, is to do it individually. I hulled and washed them then placed all the berries on sheet trays and put them into the freezer. After a few hours or so they start to harden. Then, I took them out, let the trays sit for a few minutes so the berries could unthaw from the sheet trays and placed them in freezer bags. They stay frozen individually instead of in a large block. This allows me to pull out a few berries or a cup of berries without having to unthaw the entire bag.

When they thaw out, they won't be exactly like they were when they went in. They usually thaw losing most of their juice, but you can still do great things with them. Because these berries were rather small they are great to pop in your mouth frozen, make smoothies out of (recipe later in the week) or make jam (recipe later in the week) or sauce.

A Week of Strawberries

2009-06-29T08:14:00.002-04:00

I somehow hit my husband over the head with the nice stick on Satuday. Not only did he go for a run with me in the morning but he also went grocery shopping with me and took me to pick strawberries. I think he was buttering me up because he wanted to play golf all weekend, but it worked for me. We went to a local place that had amazing strawberries last year and again this year. I got two four-quart baskets. All this week I'm going to post what I've done with them.

On Sunday I made our favorite dinner of roasted turkey breast. I decided to make this strawberry pie to go with it. This is a recipe from Weight Watchers, but really does not taste like it. Throughout the recipe they call for low fat or fat free everything but I'm leaving it "normal" and you can decide what you want to do.

Easy Strawberry Cream Pie

Ingredients:
Half of a 12 ounce can of frozen orange-strawberry juice concentrate thawed
8 ounces cream cheese
1 package vanilla pudding mix (4 1/2 cup servings)
1 1/2 cups whipped topping
1 cup strawberries chopped
One graham cracker pie crust

Directions:
In a blender or food processor, combine juice concentrate, cream cheese and pudding mix; processs until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl; fold in whipped topping and strawberries. Transfer to pie crust; spread evenly. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Barefoot Blog - Gazpacho

2009-06-28T15:01:00.003-04:00

The second Barefoot Blogging recipe for the month of June was Ina's Gazpacho and was chosen by Meryl from My Bit of Earth. I wasn't crazy about this idea. I don't like cold soup and from looking at the recipe it looked more like a really mild salsa, but I read an article recently that said Gazpacho was about the most perfect recipe because it is all veggies. I gave it a try on Friday.

Ingredients
1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

My husband and I thought the recipe was good. We still aren't that crazy about cold soup, but I'll add this one to the recipes I've saved and we'll see if it gets pulled out again. It made a really nice light dinner on a hot night.

Fourth of July Decorations

2009-06-26T10:37:00.003-04:00

I don't have many decorations for the Fourth of July. I purchased a package of mini flags from Wal-Mart around Memorial Day and have been putting them around the house. Here's a few things I have done.

Ironstone in the kitchen

Mason jar with some berry vine and a flag in the living room

Laundry Room

Kitchen Table

Candle light in the living room (a little blurry)

Bathroom

Have a great weekend!

Firecrackers

2009-06-17T09:03:00.002-04:00

My mom found this idea for firecrackers somewhere along the way in blog land. She made them around Memorial Day and gave me some. Even though we aren't yet to July 4, I still put them on my table.

They were pretty simple to make; cut a dowel, paint red and white stripes down the sides and a black band on the top, drill a hole in the top and insert a piece of twine. Pretty easy but so neat to look at. I put mine in an enamelware bowel on my kitchen table where I can enjoy them.

Barefoot Blog - Curried Couscous

2009-06-13T15:04:00.003-04:00

For our first Barefoot Blogging recipe of this month, Curried Couscous was chosen. I will admit now that I made some major substitutions for this recipe. I had forgotten about it when I got groceries, and in an effort to save some money and time I decided just to make the recipe with things I had in the house. Here's how it went:

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion

Directions
Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

So for starters, I didn't have any couscous, so I used brown rice instead. I wasn't sure how much to use since I was supposed to cook 1 1/2 cups of couscous, so I just cooked one cup of brown rice. Second, I didn't have any plain yogurt so I used light sour cream. The only yogurt in my fridge was already flavored, but since I had the sour cream I thought I would try it out. I thought it worked out well. Next, I cut the amount of olive oil in half. I like to try and lighten up the recipes now and then and all that oil just didn't seem to be needed for us. I also omitted the sliced almonds since I had none of those either. I had walnuts in the house but didn't think the substitution would result the same. I also sauteed the carrots and red onion for about five minutes. At the end of five minutes I turned the pan off and threw in the raisins just to let them warm and "bloom" a bit. Finally, I added two pieces of cooked and cubed chicken just to add some protein for lunch.

We are not fans of curry in my house. I had a small container of ground curry in the back of my spice cupboard that had never been opened, which was lucky since I needed it for this recipe. Even though we have never tried something like this before, my husband and I really enjoyed this recipe. I guess that's why I chose to become a Barefoot Blogger- to try out new things. I'm not sure we'll eat this again really soon, but I'm keeping a binder of recipes I print off the Internet and I think I will add this one in.

Honest Scrap

2009-06-10T13:50:00.003-04:00

My mom recently honored me with an Honest Scrap award. The rules are simple:

First, thank the giver. So, thank you mom that you gave this award to me. It's not the first I have received, but it is the first one I have actually posted. I don't think my blog is that great and I often forget to post, but it means a lot that you chose me... out of the MANY blogs that you read.

Second, list 10 honest things about myself.

1. I enjoy going to church, reading my Bible and being a born-again Christian. My faith is my center and I'm grateful each day to be in the care of a very loving God.

2. I have a wonderful family, and we are very close.

3. I love nursing. There are so many aspects that could gross you out and, believe me, I have done it all! But I still love it. Though I am not an actual RN yet and merely a student, I'm looking forward to the day I step on the floor in my scrubs and get to help people. It's so rewarding.

4. I am starting to like gardening and always look for little projects outside I can do around the yard.

5. I love to cook and clean.

6. I enjoy walking with my husband most evenings, especially if we are walking in a neighborhood where I can scout homes I'd like to buy.

7. My husband plays on a softball team for our church and I REALLY get into the games. I'm such an introvert, but put me at the field and I'll yell, whoop and scream... especially for my guy.

8. I don't take pictures well at all. I always get red eye or a double chin.

9. I enjoy getting up and putting in a full day at work.

10. I can read my dog's mind. She has to only look at me and I can know exactly what she wants. As long as we don't start looking alike...

Third, post the Scrap award - Done.

Thanks Mom!

June 4

2009-06-09T12:29:00.002-04:00

For our anniversary my husband took me out to dinner. Afterwards we went to Presque Isle to watch the sunset which is one of my favorite things to do during the summer. It seems we only get to go about once a year, which isn't nearly enough. The last time I heard, Erie ranked somewhere in the top three for best sunsets in the world! That's amazing.

These pictures weren't actually taken by me last Thursday night. They were taken by my husband's grandmother a few years ago. I thought they were so pretty, I had to add them instead of the ones I took.

Fourth Anniversary

2009-06-04T14:23:00.003-04:00

Today my husband and I are celebrating our fourth anniversary. We got married on the four year anniversary of our first date, June 4, 2001. That means we have been together for EIGHT years!

We don't have much time to celebrate today as he has his first softball game tonight with our church's league, tomorrow is golf league and a birthday party for a friend, Saturday is a 50th anniversary party for his grandparents, etc. Hopefully we will get to celebrate Sunday.

Here's a questionnaire I saw at Bless Our Nest that I thought would be fun.

1. Where did you meet?

We met through his sister at my junior prom while I was with my date. Ironically this was also May 4, 2001 exactly one month before our first date. How funny is that? He asked me out the next day and I refused. We met a second time a month later at a graduation party. He called later that weekend to ask me out and when I wasn't home he asked my mother for permission to take me out. Who can say no to that?
.

2. How long did you date before you were married?
.

As above, our wedding day was the four year anniversary of our first date.

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3. How long have you been married?

Four wonderful years.

4. What does he do that surprises you?
.

His thoughtfulness always surprises me. He will do the dishes if I ask, do laundry and when I'm not feeling well or just feeling down he's my biggest cheerleader.

5. What is your favorite feature of his?
.

His eyes.

6. What is your favorite quality of his?
.

His sense of humor and the way he cares for me.

7. Does he have a nickname for you?

Too numerous to count; bean, bean burrito, bean baby (don't ask). JB is the latest.

8. What is his favorite color?

Blue and orange- bronco's colors.

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9. What is his favorite food?
.

Tacos, tacos and more tacos.

10. What is his favorite sport?

He plays golf and softball and loves them both but he watches anything under the sun- hockey, football, baseball, golf... this list goes on.

11. When and where was your first kiss?

He took me to this pond in the country at night after we had been dating for about three weeks, and we'll leave it at that.

12. What are your favorite things to do as a couple?

Vacation, watch movies and television, take walks, try new restaurants.

13. Do you have children?

None.

14. Does he have a hidden talent?

He can recall sports facts REALLY well... now if only he could remember things like what I wore on that first date... :o)

15. How old is he?

29 right now. He turns 30 in early July.

16. Who said, "I love you" first?

He wrote it in a card because he was too nervous. I still have the card. It was October 4, 2001. (We seem to have this thing for doing things on the fourth of the month.)

17. What is his favorite type of music?

We listen to mostly Christian music in our household but I also catch the rock station on the radio from time to time.

18. What do you admire most about him?

.
How much he cares about me and the other people in his family. He's very protective.

19. Do you think he will read this?

I think I'm going to MAKE him read this one.

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20. What color are his eyes?

Brown

I love you honey!

Barefoot Blog - Lemon Cake

2009-06-01T08:28:00.003-04:00

One of the recipes for this month of Barefoot Blogging was Ina's Lemon Cake. It was a bonus recipe for this month.

I made this cake for Memorial Day, and I had some issues. My cake didn't turn out as expected. The cake itself is placed into a loaf pan, so it comes out looking similar to a quick bread.

Unfortunately, mine never really stayed together. I cut the recipe in half to make only one loaf instead of two, but I didn't think that should have been a problem. I thought about making a new cake, but honestly, all the zesting and squeezing lemons for their juice was a bit much and I decided to leave it as is.

I added the syrup to the top of the cake, hoping it would help hold things together, but I never added the glaze since it was somewhat impossible.

The taste of the cake was wonderful though. I took it to the Memorial Day party anyway and told my mom to just stick a fork in and have at it... so we all did! I'm thinking about giving this one a try again when I have some extra time.

I'll post the recipe at the sidebar.

Barefoot Blog - Outrageous Brownies

2009-05-24T10:23:00.003-04:00

I skipped the first Barefoot Blogging recipe of this month, Tuna Salad, since we were out of town. So, I skipped around and made Ina's Outrageous Brownies. I have made these in the past and found them very good, so I decided to "tweek" the recipe by making them cream cheese outrageous brownies.
.

Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Mix 8 ounces of cream cheese with 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 egg. Pour dots of cream cheese mixture to the top of the brownie mixture and swirl through. (This is what I added in.)

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Vacation Recap

2009-05-20T13:06:00.003-04:00

We are back from vacation and we had such a wonderful time. We ended up coming home home a day early due to rain.

We stayed in Edisto Island, South Carolina which is right between Charleston and Hilton Head. We spent most of our days on vacation in the Charleston area and spent one day in Savannah, Georgia. I have always wanted to visit both of these places and finally got the chance. Below are just a few of the pictures that we took.

Hydrangeas from a plantation we visited in Charleston.

Magnolia Plantation.

Tree lined streets that were everywhere and so beautiful.

It was a great trip but it's always nice to come back home as well.

Vacation Time

2009-05-08T08:24:00.002-04:00

Satuday morning my husband and I will head on our vacation. This is a first big vacation in several years. We're going to see a little bit of North Carolina, a lot of South Carolina, a little of Georgia and finish up in Washington DC. Hope everyone has a great weekend and Mother's Day!

My Weekend with Natalie

2009-05-06T11:42:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday afternoon I decided to take my niece, Natalie, from my sister so she could study for a test. I thought it might be fun to incorporate some "projects" into the day for fun things she could do.

Since we went to my parent's house, I asked my mom for an old T-shirt for Natalie. I thought she might have a size medium or something... but she grabbed a size XL! So, mom pinned it up to make Natalie's project dress.

She painted a little wooden box with pink, purple and cream for her mom for Mother's Day.

Next, we walked around the yard and picked this little flower. My husband was helping my dad place mulch around the flower beds, so Natalie added her flower.

Then we decided to water the flowers. My mom gave us each a mason jar which we filled over and over again with the hose. Sometimes she took the water out of my jar for her own.

Sometimes we watered flowers, sometimes we just watered mulch.

Because it was getting cold, we came in and Natalie decorated a white gift bag for the box she painted earlier.

I think I successfully tired her out. After a bath, she laid on the couch to read stories until her mom came to pick her up.

"Lobster" Cobb Salad Rolls

2009-05-03T15:14:00.004-04:00

For Barefoot Blogging we were given a challenge for the month of April; make one of Ina's more expensive recipes on a budget. We could change anything about the recipe. The recipe chosen was Ina's Lobster Cobb Salad Rolls.

Here's the real recipe:

Ingredients:
For the vinaigrette:
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
5 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
2 ripe Hass avocados
1 lemon, juiced
1 bunch arugula, washed and spun dry
1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat, cut in 3/4-inch dice
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quarters
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound lean bacon, fried and crumbled
3/4 cup crumbled English Stilton, or other crumbly blue cheese
8 hot dog rolls

Directions:
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

For the salad, cut the avocados in half, remove the seed, and peel. Cut into 3/4-inch dice and toss with the lemon juice. If the arugula leaves are large, cut them in half crosswise.

Put the lobster and tomatoes in a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and toss with enough vinaigrette to moisten. Add the diced avocados, crumbled bacon, blue cheese, and arugula and toss again. Fill the hot dog rolls with the salad. Serve at room temperature.

I made the dressing the same as posted but substituted things in the salad. First, I did not add the avocados since I don't really care for them. I also used whole tomatoes instead of cherry since they were less expensive in the grocery store. I also did not add the blue cheese because I really don't like that either. Finally I substituted the lobster for shrimp. I had a bag in the freezer so I roasted it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

I thought the salad was okay. I don't know if it was the substitutions I did, but it tasted a little bland to me. So, the next day I drained the remaining sauce off what was left of the salad (I took it to a picnic at my family's house) and added a little light mayonnaise, salt, pepper, more Dijon mustard and a little lemon juice. I put it on top of a bed of lettuce and thought it tasted much better as a salad.

Barefoot Blogging- Croque Monsieur

2009-04-27T20:02:00.003-04:00

Kathy from All Food Considered chose our second regular Barefoot Blogging recipe for the month of April as Croque Monsieur. When I read the recipe I thought it sounded really good. It unfortunately met mixed reviews here at my house. I loved it but my husband wasn't too crazy about it. I would make it again, but maybe just cut the recipe for one.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (5 cups)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
Dijon mustard
8 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.

To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.

Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

BB - Savory Coeur a la Creme

2009-04-19T15:23:00.002-04:00

Anne from Anne Strawberry chose our extra Barefoot Blogging recipe for the month of April and she chose Ina's Savory Coeur a la Creme. I don't even have any good pictures from this recipe. I hated the recipes and forgot to even take any finished product photos.

Basically you mix some cream cheese, cream, salt, pepper, lemon juice and lemon zest together, wrap the mixture in cheese cloth and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. What you get is a mixture that gets a chutney poured over top. Then you dip crackers in it.

It was not good. My family could barely eat it, and I saw that no one that took some on their plate ate it all.

Ina makes a sweet coeur a la creme, and I think that might turn out okay. Maybe someday we'll try that instead.

I will say one good thing came out of this recipe; for the topping, you have to add a chutney. I couldn't find anything I thought would be appropriate at my grocery store, so I decided to make my own. I found this recipe for cranberry chutney from www.allrecipes.com and it was fabulous.

Make the chutney, skip the coeur a la creme.

Barefoot Blogging- Chinese Chicken Salad

2009-04-13T14:56:00.003-04:00

Due to the busy holiday weekend, I never posted my Barefoot Blogging recipe. McKenzie from Kenzie's Kitchen chose the Chinese Chicken Salad. So, here it is. I'll make it short and simple.

My mom had taken a vacation day for Thursday due to the holiday and my sister needed a babysitter for my niece since she had a doctor's appointment (second baby on the way), so I decided to babysit and cook lunch for us girls. My mom provided the home and the dishes and decor.

I cooked the lunch. The salad is made of a bunch of ingredients for the dressing (recipe posted at sidebar) along with chicken, asparagus and red bell pepper slices. We added our salad to a bed or lettuce just to give it some heft.

It was a great dish although I expected something a little more oriental tasting. I would give this one four of five stars, but probably won't make it again. Sorry Ina!

He is Risen! Mark 16

2009-04-12T07:36:00.002-04:00

The Resurrection

1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

9When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

12Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
14Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

19After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Happy Easter!

Isaiah 53

2009-04-11T12:38:00.003-04:00

1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Presque Isle

2009-04-05T19:05:00.004-04:00

This Sunday after church my husband and I attended a few open houses for homes for sale and decided to head down to Presque Isle. Friends of mine that live out of Erie often ask me when I am going to move from Erie, and I have to say I really never want to. I love living right on a lake. From my house, on a clear day, you can look out my bedroom window and see down to the lake, and I love it! I kept telling my husband how much I love living near the lake and especially Presque Isle, especially in the summer.

We went first to the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. Both my husband and I have always wanted to go but never really found the time. We first went up to the observational tower to get some good lake views.

This is one with the new roller coaster.

Okay, so the view wasn't that great seeing as how it was kind of dreary today and no foliage was out yet, but it was neat anyway. I'm sure it's beautiful in the spring and summer.

Back inside we looked around at some of the exhibits.

Local photographs.

More local photographs.

One of the best things about this place is it's free. You can just walk right in and enjoy yourself. You can see a 15 minute movie on Presque Isle, and there's also a gift shop and a cafe. There's a movie theater that plays movies that are supposed to be educational and pretty good, but we didn't spend the money... maybe we'll go back this summer and do that.

We finished up our afternoon at Sara's which is a 50's style diner/eatery. It's just the place you have to go when you're on Presque Isle. It's an Erie staple.

Zeppole

2009-03-30T20:01:00.003-04:00

Several weeks ago, pretty bored and a little creative, I decided to try making Zeppole. I had watched Giada De Laurentiis make a version of her Zeppole the day prior on television and thought it sounded really good. So, I checked my ingredients and lucky for me, there weren't many to this recipe. Here's how it goes.

Ingredients:

1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 stick butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
Olive oil, for frying

Directions:

Cut open the vanilla bean lengthwise. Using the back of a knife, scrape along the inside of the vanilla bean to collect the seeds. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into a small bowl. Add the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside. (I actually left out the vanilla bean.)

In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Return pan to the heat and stir continuously until mixture forms a ball, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the flour mixture to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Beat until smooth. If not frying immediately, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.

Using a small ice-cream scooper or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot olive oil, frying in batches. Turn the zeppole once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed up, about 5 minutes.

Drain on paper towels.

Toss with cinnamon-sugar. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately

I tossed half of this recipe with cinnamon surgar and the other half with powdered sugar.

These were wonderful and really easy to make.

Barefoot Blogging - Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts

2009-03-26T08:30:00.013-04:00

The second recipe for this month on Barefoot Blogging was from Anne at Anne Strawberry and was Ina's Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts. I should start by saying I wasn't thrilled this recipe was chosen as I don't particularly like goat cheese. But, since I hadn't had it in a few years I thought my tastes may have changed a little and I might actually like it. Here's how it went:

I prepped my tomato and other ingredients:

Carmelized some onions:

Then put everything together for the oven. I was a little worried how these might turn out since Ina's tarts looked like they had a well in the center and the directions just said to score a circle in some puff pastry rounds. I wasn't sure my would puff all around the filling:

But they did. Here's the finished product.

My husband didn't care for these because he doesn't care for onions (although I couldn't help but notice he ate all of his). I tried to goat cheese when I was crumbling it for the tarts and thought these were going to be a disaster because I hated it so much. They actually weren't though. Once they baked, the taste of the cheese melted with the other flavors.

Some on Barefoot Blogging had posted they would be making their tarts with feta cheese instead and I think I'd like to try that in the future... maybe even a little mozzerella like a caprese salad in a tart. We'll have to wait and see.

I also wanted to post that I used chicken stock instead of wine in the onions and I made my tarts a little smaller. I got six tarts out of one sheet of puff pastry.

Recipe posted at sidebar.

Fireproof

2009-03-24T15:28:00.007-04:00

My husband and I purchased the movie Fireproof when it first came out on DVD, which was a few months or so ago. We never watched it until this weekend, and I have to say, I wish we would have watched it sooner.

It's a Christian-based film (which are hard to find) with a really good message to it. The acting here and there was so-so and you could tell it wasn't a Hollywood blockbuster, but the message cut straight to the heart. I give this movie two thumbs up, five stars and whatever else there is to signify a great rating.

Along with the movie there is the website Fireproof My Marriage which I haven't gone fully through yet but hope to in the near future. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it.