A Need to Knead

Some days, no matter what it looks like outside or what you feel like inside, you just need a break from it all.  We have had a great day thus far...a happy baby at 6am (ok, 7am would have been much nicer...), a great breakfast, I drank an entire cup of joe as opposed to my normal third, and Eli and I had a swim date with a dear friend and her two little girls.  It has been great!

As Eli snoozed, I have been prepping for dinner--BBQ chicken pizza.  We love pizza and typically have it a couple of Friday's a month but lately we have been ordering out more than in.  I found a recipe and in typical fashion altered it a bit to fit what I had in my pantry.  I had no idea that as I worked that dough that tension would release in my back and shoulders! I found myself saying a few prayers, breathing more easily and even closing my eyes as I turned the dough over and over. Giada's recipe said to work the dough about 10-12 minutes and I'm telling you, I didn't short change it at all.  I got every second out of that dough before I let it rest back in its oiled bowl.

Who knew that I could find such joy and relief in preparing dinner...I think the Italians are on to something; it isn't just the wine that can have so many health benefits, simply working the dough has done wonders for my mood today :)

Cin, Cin, and bon appetit!

Pizza Dough (Makes 3)

1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 t sugar
2 1/4 t active yeast (or 1 packet)

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 t kosher salt
olive oil

stir the sugar and then the yeast into the warm water and let it sit while you prepare the flour.

In a large bowl stir the flour and salt together with a wisk.  Add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.  I actually took my rings off half way through this process and started combining with my hands.  If the dough is too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time.  If it is too wet, add flour a Tbsp at a time.

Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured surface and with floured hands knead it for 10-12 minutes.  Enjoy every second.  Let your mind rest and just relax!! Once the dough is nice and elasticky (that is so a word) rinse out your dough bowl, dry it, drizzle in a little olive oil to coat the sides and bottom and place your dough in it.  Cover it with a damp dish towel and let it rest in your oven, undisturbed for about 2 hours.  Gently deflate it and separate the dough into three balls and place them each into an oiled bowl.  Let them rise again for about another hour.  You can refrigerate for a day, wrap in plastic then foil and freeze, or make 3 pizza's.  We made two...carmalized onion, bbq chicken and a summer squash with spanish olives and 3 cheeses...both were better than imagined! Have fun and make your pizza your way!

I grew these!

They may just look like your Kroger green beans but these beans are special. These beans are the first we will harvest this year. They are the first thing I have ever grown from a seed and can actually feed to my child. These beans give me hope that I might just learn how to garden. I might just learn how to grow enough to put away for the winter. Ok, baby steps, I might be able to grow enough to put a can or two away (I don't think I will be able to convince Isaac to till up half the back yard yet but, maybe if these beans taste like my grandpa's he might not need as much persuading).

I love these beans :)

Ninja!

While I took my cake decorating class, Isaac's office ate most of my projects. Today is the company's "quadrennial" party at the boss' house and he asked me to make one of my cakes. Isaac said he asked for a Ninja cake. I didn't have a ton of time, Eli's nap time, but I think it will do! What do you think? It is chocolate with chocolate and peanut butter chips with a homemade strawberry jam filling. Buttercream icing :)

Derby day treats!

Can you guess what these are going to be??

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Yes, I know what you are thinking...where did she go? Well, let's just say that the few hours I had to sleep in the past month, I took them! I had no intentions of April being a busy month, in fact, I had a nice little to-do list to help me stay stress-free as Eli's first birthday approached.  Best laid plans my friends.  That just didn't happen! One thing after another and I found that naps weren't long enough and I was ready for bed around the same time as Eli...though I rarely went then.

I have been trying out a TON of new recipes though. I love the Jessica Seinfeld books more and more with each recipe. 

More details will follow, but let your tastebuds be teased with these pictures of "what I ate" this past month:

 Some fun with Easter :)

 Polenta topped with eggplant, mushrooms, onion, marinara and mozzerella

 Black bean burger with provolone, avocado and spinach (Eli LOVED this) and some homemade mac n cheese...both recipes out of Seinfeld's book!

 Tilapia with Mango/Avocado salsa

 Mexican style polenta

Pumpkin pancakes with some Glier's Goetta

Southern Comfort

The bread story will have to wait for another day. Let's just say the hubs wrapped and put two bricks that are supposed to be bread in the freezer for me as I have been out of town since last Friday.

Life is crazy. Life is fleeting. Life passes so quickly. This week has had a lot of ups and downs and I needed some comfort food.

Hello Blue Bell. I have missed you.

Let it rise!

My first attempt at making bread! Fingers crossed it rises and tastes alright....

Nothing is ever simple with me...yes, that is a big mess!

Care Package!

When I was little and we would go to visit my grand parents my Mama (pronounced maw-maw) would bake a lot of things with us. From counting out the marshmallows for the Rice Krispy treats to baking a lemon meringue pie, she always let us bake with her.

I learned a lot about cooking in that kitchen. Some valuable baking lessons and definitely some lessons about my family. Most of my favorite memories and two equally important lessons were developed when we would make snickerdoodles.

Lesson 1: Unlike brown sugar, you do not pack flour. This results in very dense and not so sweet snickerdoodles. (I was so proud of myself for packing it so tightly!)

Lesson 2: If everyone wanted to eat cookies, don't tell my father we were making snickerdoodles. That man's fingers are stickier than the dough and he had some pretty sly tricks to distract you while he stole some dough.

If, like my husband, you have never made snickerdoodles, you need to. In fact they are so wonderful and easy you should stop and make them right now. Everyone will love the smell that is coming from your oven and everyone will buzz around with joy after eating them. If you have kids in your kitchen then this is a recipe for you! It is so fun to roll the dough into balls and then spin them in cinnamon and sugar!

I have never made snickerdoodles outside of my grandmother's kitchen. While I lover her cooking and her recipes, this generation is less enthused to use crisco in every item we make.  In fact, I pretty much avoid if at all possible.  I just have issues with it. 'nuf said. SOOO, I found a recipe on food.com that was all butter instead of crisco...I'm in!


Since I baked these at half time of the Kentucky/Baylor game, pictures are only at the end...I told you they were fast!

Here we go:

Cream a cup of butter with 1 1/2 cups sugar and then add two eggs, one at a time.  Here is the optional part: I added in the zest of 1 lemon (finely zested!) and the hubs and I thought it was fantastic! Do what you will :) 

 

In a separate bowl, combine (aka wisk) 2 3/4 cups flour (don't pack it! I promise, it isn't a tasty experiment!) 2 tspns cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda (I actually did about 1 1/4 tspn and they were fantastic!) and 1/4tspn salt.  

 

Gradually add your dry ingredients to your wet.  Let the dough chill for about 10 minutes as you preheat the oven to 350 and get out your pans.  In a small bowl combine 3 TBSP sugar with 3 Tspn cinnamon.  

Get out your dough and roll it into about 1 inch balls. I used my TBSP to scoop them out since I had it handy.  Once you have them rolled, throw them into the cinnamon and sugar mixture and roll them around to coat.  I did half of my cookies on parchment paper and half on an ungreased non-stick cookie sheet. Both came out with no issues, just some minor sticking on the plain pan.  Do whatever you prefer :)

Bake these puppies for 10 minutes exactly and remove them from the pan to a cooling rack as soon as they come out of the oven.  Don't worry, the bottom is sturdy and they will cool light and fluffy....and delicious. 

 

Since my dad wasn't around, this made about 3 dozen cookies.  Enough to share :) 

My grandma used to send me these in a care package when I was in college or deployed, so I decided to return the favor.  Love you Mama...these should be on your doorstep tomorrow!

Eat, Drink, and be glad...

There are so many stresses in this world and my family is definitely far from immune to them.  When things get tough though, that's when we dig in...what other choice do you have?  I have been doing several things to find perspective.  Perspective...it can really change your attitude!  On my fridge, I have two important perspective reminders: "Count your blessings, not your worries," and this picture:

This is Roberto and his 3 year old son Roberto Jr.  I met them in Mexico when I was a senior in high school, and think about them often.  They were a beautiful family who found joy in life amid dirt, a hole in the ground for a bathroom and cardboard.  My youth group helped build them a house made of wood, shingles and sheet rock.  I hope they know how much they changed my life.

As I look around my solid home, I think back to my childhood and have been looking at old pictures: when did I develop the belief that I should have all the nice things right now that my parents have only recently acquired?  I'm learning that being a single income family means what you have is good enough and needs are funded, not wants.  I only recently realized that my childhood dining room set consisted of metal folding chairs...as a kid, who cared what kind of furniture you had? All we knew was that we were loved.  I want that for Eli.

So,  I have been reading the book of Ecclesiastes and man, it is far from all sunshine and butterflies! BUT, I found this conclusion today and thought I would share: "So, I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad.  Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun." Ecc. 8:15 

Now, to put this in context, the writer begins this book by saying, "Meaningless! Meaningless!...what does a man gain from all his labor..." Ecc 1:2 and 3. Quite hopeless in the beginning but how true is it that if we find joy in the every day tasks and our home life that work doesn't seem so bad? So, that is what I intend to do.

Let's eat!

In addition to reading Ecclesiastes, I have been between 3 new cookbooks I received around my birthday.  (Once again, I am so blessed to have a Moma who feeds my obsessions!) Since Jessica Seinfield is teaching me all about the importance of nutrition in EVERYTHING we eat in her books, "Deceptively Delicious" and "Double Delicious," and Jennifer Reese is teaching me how to be economical in her book, "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter," we had some yummy whole wheat and flax seed bagels with homemade Greek-style yogurt.

The bagels are not the easiest thing you'll ever make, but if your child wakes up at 6am on a Saturday morning, why not? The yogurt on the other hand, SO EASY, and Reese gives a cost comparison of $1.75 a quart for homemade yogurt vs. $8.00 for a quart of the Fage yogurt I have been buying for Eli.

Here we go!

Yogurt:

All you need is 1/2 gallon of milk and a quarter cup of yogurt so you can get the live cultures for your new amazing yogurt. (I used organic, whole milk this round but am going to try out skim milk next since we make a lot of smoothies.)

Poor the milk into a large pot and heat over moderate heat until it is ready to boil but don't let it boil.  I stirred it the entire time (as suggested in Reese's recipe) and cleanup was easy.  Remove it from the heat and let it cool to about 110-115 degrees (luke warm).  This temperature is important to activate the cultures in the yogurt.  Add the 1/4 cup yogurt and stir.  Cover it with a damp towel and put it in your oven, turned off, over night.  To make it Greek-style, in the morning take it out of your oven and spoon the runny yogurt into a colander lined with cheesecloth or a clean old pillow case and place the colander over a larger bowl to catch the whey that will drain out.  I let mine drain on the counter for about 4 hours and then it was perfectly thick. (don't use paper towel as a cloth in your colander...I tried since I didn't have cheese cloth and it just didn't hold up after that many hours.)  Spoon this into an air tight container and refrigerate.  The yellow watery liquid that has collected from your strained yogurt is actually whey.  Don't eat this like Little Miss Muffet, instead, put it in a container and store it in your refrigerator for up to 10 days.  It is a great ingredient in the bagels you will soon be making (or bread!).

You now have about a quart of yogurt!

Now for the yummy, yummy bagels:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup milled flax seed, 4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast, 3 TBSP granulated sugar and 1 TBSP kosher salt.  Add in 1 1/2 cups of WARM whey (from your yogurt) or water.  It really must be warm to activate the yeast.

Beat this hard with the paddle and then transition to the dough hook when it starts to come together.  I had to add about another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour because me dough was pretty wet.  You want it to be dry to the touch and not stick to you.  Once it is at the desired "stickiness" kneed it for 5 more minutes.

Move your ball of dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp dish towel.  I put mine in the oven for an hour until it had doubled in size.

Prepare your baking sheets: You need one greased with some vegetable oil (I spread with my hands since the paper towel seems to take most of it for itself...) and generously spread corn meal on a second sheet. 

Punch down your dough and put a large pot of water on the stove over medium high heat.

(Watch out people, I have a mean right hook!)

Separate the dough into 10 sections and roll them into nice little round balls. Some of mine were pretty....most were a little oddly shaped.  Let's call them rustic :)   As you make these pretty, rustic balls, make the hole in the center with your thumb and gently pull the dough away from the hole to form your bagel shape.  Let these rest on the greased cookie sheet for about 10 minutes.

(Ok, so maybe only one looks nice and round...I like things to have character!)

Now, preheat your oven to 400.  Your water should be to a nice rolling boil.  Add in 2 TBSP of dark brown sugar.  Drop 3 bagels in the water. After about a minute, flip them over. I used two of the wooden handles from my rubber spatulas.

After another minute, remove them from the water. I used a slotted, flat "flipper" spatula.  Place them back on the greased sheet to dry slightly and continue with the other bagels until all have taken a dip.

As the others cooked I topped some of my bagels with cinnamon and sugar and parmesan cheese.  I left 4 just plain.

Once they have dried a bit, move them to your cornmeal baking sheet.  Place them in the oven for about 25 minutes until nice and golden.  Let cool slightly then dig in!

We were out of cream cheese so I topped mine with some of the greek yogurt...sounds odd, but it was wonderful!

Eat, drink and be glad.  Saturday is looking good :)

Mission Birthday Cake 3

Definitely some lessons learned, but overall, I like the colors! Eli won't have daffodils on his cake, in fact it will hopefully be a lot smaller and simplistic. I am just looking for a good, colorful, and as natural as possible mess. This should do it!

I got the cake recipe out of Jessica Seinfield's book, Deceptively Delicious, and modified the cream cheese icing so the consistency was closer to buttercream. I know Jessica, less sugar for the kiddos; but I really want a pretty cake, too!

Who knew heart healthy and beta carotene filled pumpkin could go so unnoticed in this yummy cake!

Happy Spring!

Mission Birthday Cake 2

Chillin' in the fridge post icing. Hoping the cream cheese frosting holds up! My bet is if we stick with this icing, Eli will look like a Smurf!

Mission Birthday Cake

Initial attempt:
Deceptively Delicious. Can you guess the hidden vegetable?

This is the frozen cake to try and keep the crumbles minimal. I even had to hurdle a gigantic spider to get this puppy in the freezer (and no I didn't kill it, I ran around it like a big girl!) (and yes it was HUGE and even turned to stare me down!)

The things we do for love. (of cake and babies)

Thirty-Five Years

I am behind on many things but this one just couldn't wait any longer! I think of things I want to share all day long, and then before I know it it is the end of the day and those thoughts are all still trapped in this head of mine.  Hang on, this is a good one.

35 years and 3 days ago, two teenagers, one of which was still in high school, made a commitment to love and cherish one another "until death do us part." Or as more famously in my family, they exchanged rings and my nervous18-years-by-3-days old father said, "with this wing, I thee red!" In Lightner tradition, I'm sure he did turn red! :)

But there they stood, two kids who started dating in junior high, in front of their family and friends in a rented dress and tux and scared, excited, and not having a clue what life would hold for them.

Powdered blue and all.

It was what I assume a fairly simple wedding but it has been a spectacular marriage.  Of course partly because I am a product of it ;) But they have stood together through thick and thin, for richer or poorer, and in sickness and in health.  My sisters and I couldn't have more loving and wonderful parents and I know that all of us hope that we can come close to being as great of parents as them.

I have often written or said that my father is my hero. And he is.  This man was 18 when he got married, 20 when he became a father and 27 when he moved his wife and 3 daughters to Texas to start a career with a new company.  He worked long hours and traveled often but made sure he was home for birthdays and every Friday night for those Texas football games where he proudly sat at the 50 yard line and tried to catch one of the footballs his basketball-playing-turned-cheerleader daughter tried to throw to him. (I was about 80% on accuracy! Again, he taught me how to throw a mean spiral on a little football!) He supported us both financially and emotionally through dance recitals, pageants, little league and cheerleading competitions. Since he had three daughters, he also worked on weekends or whenever he could putting air conditioners into homes.  You try spending 8 hours in a shell of a home on a summer day in Texas. He is still invincible in my mind however, I still insist he always wears a helmet on his motorcycle! I love you Daddy.

One thing I haven't said often enough is that my mother is also my hero.  She too was an 18 year old who has dedicated her life to my father and us girls.  Now that I am a mother, I can truly appreciate how much she did for us and am still trying to figure out how exactly she did it.  It is from her and her parents that I have developed such a love of food and cooking.  I have watched her love on her family for 30 years now and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't do something that she taught me. She supports us even when she doesn't want to and loves us unconditionally.  Our home was always a loving place and our friends from growing up still call to update her on life and I'm sure if my parents still lived in Texas there would be a steady flow of visitors even though us girls are all moved out.  She is amazing and one of my best friends.

I would love to share with you so many of the fabulous dinners that my mom makes but since I know she is one of the few who follows my blog, and is doing an amazing job at dieting, I don't want to start a craving SO this is a lean and green meal just for the two of them.

Shamrock Salad (Yes, I know, I should have put this out before St. Paddy's day.  It has just been too beautiful to keep me inside long enough to post!)

Simple, yummy, and healthy!

Bake or grill a chicken breast per 2 people that you are feeding.  If you buy organic or Amish chicken, you can probably do 1 per person since they aren't as big and more natural.  I just lightly seasoned my with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper before baking for about 30 minutes. While that cooks, break off the woody end of some asparagus and but them on a baking sheet.  Drizzle some olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper over them and then toss with your hands to coat.  Put these in the oven the last 15 minutes or so of your chicken baking.

Now, make your dressing.  In a mason jar, pour in about 1/2 cup of SEASONED Rice vinegar.  Add to that about 2 TBSP olive oil, a TBSP of dijon mustard, about a clove or minced garlic (you can omit this if you want) a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and some salt a pepper to taste.  Shake it all up good.

In a bowl put in your greens of choice.  We had Romain, Boston Bib, and Spinach.  Slice your asparagus and chicken into bite sized pieces and throw them in there.  Now the best part, slice up (I cube) an avocado and add that to your salad.  Toss with some dressing and dig in!

Mmmm, my stomach just growled.

13 going on 30

Have you seen this movie? Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, that girl that is in so many movies as the sidekick...the Thriller dance scene. I love it.  As I looked in the mirror on my 30th birthday there were a few things that stood out to me.

1.  Really gray hairs?? You choose to stick out everywhere today.  Did you grow overnight??
2.  Aside from the crazy gray hairs, I still see that adventurous teenager in the mirror.
3.  Chocolate cake is going to taste so good tonight.

We have been really busy here in the VanHoose house.  After my AWESOME trip to Vegas with my parents and sisters (more on that to come) our house was hit by a bomb and each of us fell prey to a flu-like illness. I blame someone on my airplane. I don't know who they are but thanks to you we all went through a zombie like period.  I guess I should have played Thriller afterall.

My birthday dinner was not fancy and out on the town as Isaac had hoped.  Since he was still running a fever we decided to save society from our illness and stay in for dinner.  Since we decided to stay in, and we had all been sick, I decided comfort food was on the menu.  It really doesn't look like much but I'm telling you, it melts your sorrows away and makes you think that you got a little magic dust sprinkled on your head and are a kid again. 

Salsbury steak, mushroom gravy, Potato Casserole (Lightner family tradition!) and Green Beans.  Simple and yummy.

I recently learned roses in my cake decorating class and was able to try that out on my cake.  Since I normally make white or strawberry for class, we went all chocolate here.  The cake was from a box but then I added some extra flour, sugar, vanilla, almond flavoring, instant coffee and chocolate chips to make it that much more decadent.  Not to mention the chocolate butter cream frosting.  A long time favorite is the "perfectly chocolate chocolate frosting" that is on the side of the Hershey's box.  If you are ever looking for a great cake and icing, this is an easy go to recipe.  I modified the icing recipe slightly as I used 2 sticks of softened butter and instead of melting it and adding the cocoa to it, I just creamed it and doubled the cocoa.  I then alternated back and forth between powdered sugar and milk until I got the desired richness. I think all in all it was about 2/3 a cup of milk and 4 cups of powdered sugar. 

The roses are just some leftover buttercream that I had in my freezer...seems that is becoming a staple in my freezer! 

My 2 sisters have contributed a lot to my 30th birthday.  My older sister asked me while we sipped on white wine spritzers in Vegas, "so, do you have any resolutions for your next 30 years? Any deep thoughts?" A great question and one which you would think would spawn an awesome conversation.  I, unfortunately, had not thought that far ahead so I think my response was something like, "uh, um, nope. Not sure." 

Well, I have had a 4 hour plane ride and 2 hour car ride to think and I came up with a few.

1. Floss more if not every day.  Seriously, you only have one set of teeth and considering how I like to eat, life will be come boring and full of oatmeal if I loose all my teeth!

2. Get outside more.  I have always loved flowers and gardening. Time to get those books out and further my education...outside with a lot of sunscreen on.

3. Give more than I get.  This should be easy but is so hard.  I look around and see just how blessed I am; wonderful family, a healthy  baby, parents who are a big part of my life, in laws who actually like me, a husband who tries so hard to make me smile, a wonderful home, an education, I can keep going! But if I look beyond my house there is a world out there hurting and I want to do a lot more about it than just write about doing something about it.

4. Laugh out loud every day. I think this will be my favorite :)

5. Save for travel.  I don't want money to be the reason why I miss any family milestones.

6. Keep learning. My Hero Mrs. Cain always said, "if you aren't learning anything, you must be dead. There isn't a day that goes by that you shouldn't learn something."  Not only do I want to learn, but I want to remember what I have learned too.

7.  Bake, cook and clean.  The first 2 are easy. The last one, not so much.



And then there is my younger sister. She so perfectly reminded me that though I am not in a new decade of my life, there are some perks to being a grown up.   You can eat cake and ice cream for dinner any time you want and no one is going to tell you not to. 

And that is exactly what I ate last night. :)  Take that gray hairs.

Favorite dinner

I didn't get a picture of this meal because it was so delicious and so wonderful that Isaac and I talked while we ate and before I knew it, I had eaten it all! What was this magical dish?

One my husband prepared for me :)

BBQ bourbon glazed chicken, home made BBQ sauce and delicious roasted asparagus.

Yes, please! I will have some more :)

Let's go back...

I have been doing horribly at putting into words all the people that I am thinking about as I near the big 3-0.  I have made multiple lists, thought through what I would like to say, pictures I would like to share and yet nothing gets typed because I spend too much free time day dreaming and not enough putting it in "ink." Hoping this will change after this post!

I don't have a recipe to go along with this one yet, but if I am going to go back and start with people who influenced and encouraged me, outside of my family, I'd have to start by remembering my amazing dance teachers. 

Thanks in large part to my talented older sister, I was allowed to start dancing around the age of 2.  Ms. Patty's dance studio taught me my first "boogie woogie" and step-ball-change. Moves I still use today :) Ms. Patty was such a dedicated teacher that after we moved to Texas, she continued to choreograph routines for my sister to compete with.  Using the old "on your shoulder" recorder, my parents shot a video of Ms. Patty's legs only (she was camera shy!) so that my sister could practice and then repeat.  My sister was an amazing dancer with great teachers.  Unfortunately for her, I got the height if the family thus dashing her dreams of becoming a Rockette.

Since we did move to Texas, we started taking lessons at a new studio, recommended by Ms. Patty.  Sandra Bell was our new teacher and she worked hard with my parents to get us all in on a single night so we only had to make the hour drive once a week. Yes, an hour drive (without traffic) for a parent and 3 kiddos...8, 5 and 3. 

Through the care and nurturing of these incredible women who followed their dreams and started their own dance companies, I learned how to get over the fear of stage freight and to perform. I learned discipline, how to smile through pain, and how to walk away with grace. We unfortunately stopped taking dance lessons when I was in 4th grade and that is something I wish I could have continued to this day.

 With Ms. Patty (I think I was 4 or 5?)

Ms. Sandra is standing behind us as we perform. (7 years old.)

Thank you Ms. Patty and Ms. Sandra. I have no idea where you are today, but because of you, I am who I am today. And don't worry; I still dance almost, if not, every day and Eli is thoroughly enjoying spinning around the house with me! 

Livin' Large

I had big plans for Mardi Gras. Let me explain: I love food. Our family vacations were often to destinations in Louisiana where we played at the hotel pool while my dad worked and tried crazy foods like frog legs and alligator when we would head out for dinner.  I have been to New Orleans multiple times over the years but notably, never "of age."   I learned more about the traditions of Fat Tuesday from my classmates in college than I ever did visiting the state.  Just as Texans are passionate about their bbq and just about every other thing that could be considered a tradition, I learned that from Slidell to Baton Rouge and every other nook of Louisiana,  natives take pride in the traditions of Mardi Gras.

Like I said, I had big plans.  That is until I realized a few things:
1. I have a walking, talking, under your feet baby who is transitioning to a single nap a day which leaves me little time to research/plan/execute a meal in a short amount of time.
2. My husband had no idea today was FAT Tuesday and started his workout and healthy eating routine on the eve of such a fantastic day.
3. I have only 8 days until I leave for my girls trip to Vegas and that cute little sequined dress hanging in the laundry room (strategically placed so I can see it from the refrigerator) isn't getting any bigger and with rain and other obstacles my runs have not been getting any longer.
4. My friends who I can count on to partake of yummy indulgences were already partaking in other indulgences before they give them up tomorrow and would not be able to help me eat the food.

SO, the yummy gumbo I had planned to make again, but this time alter it to be jambalaya would have to wait.  It is really good though...If you are looking for a recipe to base yours off of, use this one.  It is by Paula Deen but the butter is missing and replaced with sodium instead...(note, opt for low sodium beef broth instead of he bullion cubes!)

So, I made a concoction I will liken to and therefore call Deviled Chicken Salad:

So easy, y'all.

2 chicken breasts
about 2 TBSP grainy mustard
1/4 Cup Parmigiana Cheese
about 1 TBSP mayo
about 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
lettuce for salad (your choice)
avocado
tomato

Preheat the oven to 425.
Combine the mustard, mayo and cheese in a bowl.  To avoid a mess with clean up, I lined a baking dish with foil and then put the chicken in there.  Spoon the mustard mixture onto the chicken and then top with the panko bread crumbs.  Bake this for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is good and cooked. 

In the mean time, assemble the rest of your salad...lettuce, avocado and tomato is what we had so I did a mix of romaine and "spring mix."  The avocado was amazing with the chicken so if you can, don't leave this out!

Once the chicken is cooked, cut into pieces and get all the breading/mustard you can onto the salad with it to act as a dressing.  If you want, you can add a light dressing before you add the chicken but we didn't mind the taste of the lettuce!

And that is dinner. Nothing too celebratory but within our diets :)

This, on the other hand, was not:

Which is why I only had one piece and gave the rest away.  Amish friendship bread from our freezer topped with about a cup and a half of powdered sugar, maybe a TBSP of lemon juice and just enough water to make it spreadable. 

I need to add yellow sprinkles to my shopping list. 

To my amazing Louisiana friends, thank you for your enthusiasm and your crazy parents who would send King Cake to the Academy.  Allie, it has been too long. I miss you.  Van, we will never forget you.

55 Years

 

When I was born, my grandparents had already spent 25 years honoring one another as husband and wife.  Two small-town kids, my grandparents were high school sweet hearts and have stood beside one another for 55 amazing years.  That is so hard for me to fathom, 55 years! Besides congratulating my Mama and Papa of loving one another through it all, they are incredible people apart as well as together.

Don Lightner is a symbol of what our country used to stand for.  I know that there are still people out there like him, but not nearly as many as there should be.  He is a business man who puts friends ahead of his own profit.  Not only friends, anyone he sees in need.  When was the last time you had your AC go out and the repair company said, "you  know, these are hard times. Just pay us when you can."  When was the last time you called up a friend and said, "I lost my job, can you pay my rent this month?" My grandfather is the kind of person who has and always will do what he can to help, "the least of these." He wasn't always a business owner.  He retired from Wonder Bread years ago but before he could retire from one job, he had already started another out of his home. He worked the night shift watching the bagging machine for more years than I can imagine.  The night shift; opposite of his bride and still mangaged to be a father to two children, a school board member and countless other amazing things that I probably don't even know about.  He is amazing. Simply put.

My grandmother...wow. She is a saint in my book.  The spiritual leader and backbone that has humbly lead and inspired the generations that have followed her.  She worked for 45 years at the same desk job. She re-used her same paper sack, baggies and foil for weeks, always taking her lunch and never spending the extra money to eat out yet always gave freely on Sundays and to anyone who needed it.  She treats others with kindness and love.  She, too, would give the shirt off her back to help those in need and too often, people will take advantage of her kindness, though she rarely lets it bother her. "They must need it more than I do." Oh, and if you ever get a glimpse of the bible she has read and re-read, it is duck taped together! She has other bibles, she just prefers this one for her at home reading.

These two incredible people have been such an influence in my life. Their love for one another, through thick and thin, their love for others and their love for family is something I hope to possess and pass on to our future generations.  I love you so much Mama and Papa.  Sorry I am a few days late, but happy 55th wedding anniversary! In your footsteps, my family spent the morning with some amazing families at an apartment complex enjoying smores, hot dogs, and sharing the Joy of love in Christ.

Tuscany

I am a food network and food-inspired-television-show junkie.  I didn't used to be. I have many things that I attribute this descent to: the Navy- you introduced me to Sushi, Southeast Asia, and many wines and beers of the world; my husband- your excitement over food rivals my own and challenged my competitive spirit to create better dishes (but please, taste the food before you start adding spices! I don't ALWAYS forget the crushed red pepper!) and most recently, Eli-had you not eaten so much and so often in your early phases I would never have been able to memorize the show line up and therefore been able to turn on the TV just in time to catch Barefoot Contessa, followed by Giada at Home and then flipping to the reason for this post, Anthony Bourdaine, No Reservations, promptly at 5pm.

As Eli played the other day I saw that Anthony Bourdain was going to be doing his show from the magical land of Tuscany.  Isaac and I were lucky enough to get to spend a few days in Florence a couple of years ago and we reminisce about that trip on a weekly basis.  (No exaggeration...the food, the wine, the scarves, the gellato..drifting off now...)

After about 10 minutes of watching him oooh and ahhh over wine and cheese, I decided it was a pasta night.  After a quick survey of my kitchen and a comparison to some recipes online, I found this recipe which I felt wouldn't derail our efforts to eat healthier.  (You have to cut the calories somewhere when you are busy in a cake decorating class and making chocolatey Valentine's treats)

I pretty much followed the recipe but I cut up half of a rotisserie chicken, didn't have as much fresh basil so I added extra crushed red pepper, cracked black pepper and paprika (not the same but we like spice!) and used 2 14.5oz cans of Hunts Fire Roasted Tomatoes.  I had a box of whole wheat linguini and used about 1/2 to 3/4 of it.  We paired an inexpensive Pinot Noir with it which picked up the peppery notes that in our opinion, enhanced the flavor.  (Chianti was an obvious first choice but we didn't have the luck of having one on hand.)

It was a quick meal to throw together and set a relaxing mood which we can always appreciate.

And for my first of hopefully many random things over the next 30 days, here are the cupcakes that I decorated last night in class that I then offered to all the employees of Michaels.  Strawberry with Nutella filling:

A tribute to Donald and Lovella Lightner to follow...after I get Eli his snack :) 

Live to Love

Ahhh, Valentine's Day.  A day loved and despised by so many.  I for one have always loved Valentine's Day. Maybe it was because my mom would have pretty pencils and erasers at our seats when we came to eat breakfast that morning and then we would enjoy some yummy heart shaped pancakes.  Maybe, it's because when I became a hopeless romantic after reading stories like Romeo and Juliette, I fell in love with the idea of someday having my own balcony scene and Valentine's Day provided the perfect excuse for a man to perform such lovestruck acts.  Regardless, I completely embrace a day to celebrate Love.

I could write quite the essay on the many facets of love in this world. (And I still have SO much to learn!)  On just how crazy it is that one word, Love, can cover so so so many types of love. Maybe that's why I love the move Love Actually. That and the fact that Hugh Grant dances around the Prime Ministers mansion to "Jump (for my love)" :)  But it just truly is amazing how love is displayed each day.  Google tried to capture that today.  It's not about gifts...it's about reaching out to people and loving them how they need to be loved, not how we want to love them.

Since I haven't written in a while, I'll just cover a few basic things and let you know a few things to come.  (You know, throw out a little hook and see if anyone bites!)

I have enjoyed prepping for this holiday so in my world, that means baking and cooking.  Way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right?


Thanks to Pinterest, I found this idea for cupcakes:

They were super easy, mostly from a box and got just the reaction I was looking for from my husband...he is sharing a few with co-workers but kept about a 1/2 dozen for himself! haha. This made only 30 cupcakes using a small scooper for the brownie mix (I used Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate and mixed according to the box)

 and 3/4 of a large scooper for the cake mix (I used Pillsbury and mixed according to the box).

Once scooped, bake for 18-20 minutes or until the cake springs back when you pat it.

  It was a lot of fun to play with the designs :)

For breakfast this morning, we enjoyed whole-wheat pancakes and in honor of my mother, they were heart shaped :)

I modified the cooking light recipe as follows:
1 C whole-wheat flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 spt baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 egg lightly beaten
1 cup skim milk

I put just a pat of butter in the bottom of the pan before the first pancake went in.  Yum :)

Lastly, for my Valentine, being that he is a Kentucky boy and Bourbon lover, I made him Dark Chocolate Bourbon Truffles that I found here.  I used a food processor for the nuts and this made 22 gooey balls.  I rolled 7 in pecans, 7 in Red sugar and 8 in Dutch processed cocoa powder.  Oh, and I used Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Ok, so what's to come?

There is a hill that I have been climbing and I am about to reach the top of it.  To help me celebrate (and not dwell upon it in a negative way) my 30th birthday, I have decided to do 30 days of 30.  Over the 30 days surrounding my birthday I plan to pay tribute to the most influential people in my first 30 years as well as do some random acts that help me LIVEACHDAY to the fullest.  I am pretty excited about it and can't wait to share with you what I learn.  Starting soon!!

A few last photos from late:

My first cake in the cake class I am taking...Strawberry filled with home-made strawberry jam! Lesson learned though, when you make your own buttercream, DON'T refrigerate it before class...it just doesn't turn out the same if you add water to try and soften it...what a mess!

And, from his Nonnie, the next generation of cooks is ready for the kitchen!

It's a little big but he'll grow into his "tuxedo" apron!

Happy Valentine's Day. May you fill someone's day with Love!