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!

Love

Makes my heart smile :)

A lot of livin'

Wow.  What a busy week it has been.  We have tried out some fantastic new recipes but I failed to take picture of many before diving in...I should eat more often, maybe I wouldn't have such a vivacious appetite at dinner if I did.  Who am I kidding? I always have a vivacious appetite. My mom can vouch for that and she made sure to tell a table full of my college guy friends that very thing.  They still haven't stopped saying, "Give it to Bud, she'll eat it!" and it has been far too many years for me to care to count...

I digress.

I have been hard at work learning to sew:


Red thread wasn't such a good idea when I realized how hard it was to guide the material through!

Learning to decorate:

 Don't judge; first night of a basic decorating class! I am pretty darn proud of my handy work!

Chasing around an ever-moving 9 month old that is resembling a toddler more and more every day...where did the time go??

Getting said 9-mo-old "unstuck" (after taking an obligatory picture of course!)

And cooking!

Butternut Squash Rissoto...Eli was not as patient as I would have hoped while I stirred!
 (This recipe was exact out of Cooking Light)

Simple dishes are best and this one is just that...

Spinach, Bacon, and Mushroom Quiche...you had me at Bacon...

My mouth is watering...

What you need:
1 frozen pie shell (I used a Pillsbury 9" deep dish)
5 pieces of bacon (I used apple-smoked)
1 Medium onion chopped
2 cups of packed fresh spinach
1 C chopped fresh mushrooms
1-2 T bread crumbs
3 slices or 1 C cheese (used what we had which was 2 slices of muenster and 1 of colby)
6 oz of 1/3 fat cream cheese (room temperature)
3/4 C milk (we used skim!)
3 shakes Worcestershire sauce (I can never spell that right...or say it right for that matter)
5-8 shakes of hot sauce depending on your tolerance and brand.
4 eggs
S&P to taste

Ok, so, bacon..how I love thee.  Cook this in a skillet until nice and crisp. Remove the bacon but save about 2 T of the grease.  Throw in your onions.  (mmmmm-mmmmm)
Cook those for about 2 minutes and then add in your mushrooms. Cook about 2 more minutes or until onions are pretty much transparent, loaded with bacon flavor and smelling delish.  Add in your spinach and stir that around until nice and wilted, about 2 more minutes. 

Vege is complete.  Add back in your bacon, crumbling as you do, and stir that around. 

Now is when I remember to get the pots out of the oven and preheat it...375 degrees will do it.

Get out your pie crust and spread your bread crumbs around.  Now, layer in your vege and bacon...try not to eat all the bacon...maybe just one piece :)

If you read through the entire recipe before starting, do this next step while your veggies are cooking. If you don't, well, they can hang out in the pie shell while you do it:

In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese for about 30 seconds and then add the eggs 1 at a time. Beat in the milk, W-word, and hot sauce.  Add s&p now (about 1/4-1/2t P and 1/2-1t S).  Beat this on Medium high for about 5 minutes until it looks light yellow and frothy. 

Back to your pie shell: Put in half of your cheese or two slices on top of the veggies and then pour your egg mixture over that. Gently shake the pan to let the fluid soak in to all those amazing layers.

Bake for about 30-35  minutes and then add the rest of your cheese on top and put the quiche on the bottom rack of your oven for about 10 more minutes. 

YUMMY. 

Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend with fantastic Superbowl munchies :)