it's a great day to celebrate granny

this is one of those glorious weekends 

where not much is 'scheduled'

and things are pretty laid back

yesterday morning anthony worked while i had lunch with a friend and ran errands

we had vodka pasta for dinner (yay indulgences)

today is church (at 4.30 pm. being part of a church plant is awesome that way)

and tonight we celebrate anthony's granny's birthday

(i believe there is brisket involved)

i have a gift to wrap

and worship rehearsal to get to

hope you're having a lovely day

xo

recipe of the week: (rerun.revamped.revised) vodka pasta

i've posted this recipe before, here.

however, i've revised it and made it better as far as we are concerned...PLUS i have pictures this time around :-)

lora's vodka pasta

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 pound hot (spicy) italian sausage (this is quite important!)
1 cup vodka*
1/4 cup chicken stock*
2 28 oz cans fire-roasted italian tomatoes (i use one can of crushed and one can of diced)
seasonings (salt and pepper, italian seasoning, etc) to taste
1/2 - 1 cup heavy cream
1 pound pasta (i prefer a small penne for this recipe)

(*this is the ratio: if you want a thicker sauce go with 3/4 cup vodka to 1/8 cup chicken stock)

heat a stockpot or large saucepan over moderate heat.  add olive oil, butter, onions and spices.  gently saute 3-5 minutes and add garlic

saute another 3 minutes and add sausage to brown. 

 add vodka, and reduce for 2-3 minutes.

 follow with chicken stock and tomatoes and any additional spices you may want to add.  bring sauce to a bubble, and then simmer for about 20 minutes.  i always use this time to prepare the pasta.

 after the pasta is cooked, add the cream.  stir into the sauce and return to a slight bubble, then serve.

and enjoy!

meal plan 12.11 - 12.17

getting this up a bit late!

sunday
it was a fend for yourself night since we found ourselves going in two separate directions.  i had kimchee with ramen, a particular favorite combo of mine that anthony will never ever taste.  not a fermented cabbage guy, i suppose ;-)

monday
we're having savory stew (which is exactly what it sounds like) at the in-laws for anthony's sister's birthday celebration.  i've also heard mention of derby pie.  yummy!

tuesday
leftover tikki masala (ladies and gentlement it was GOOD.  definitely remaining in the rotation)

wednesday
pastrami sliders on rye.  (new recipe)

thursday
homemade pizza night, of course.  we didn't get to do this last week after all, so i think we'll do a meat lovers pizza in our own way :-)

friday
we'll be in indiana with my parents...so whatever's on THEIR menu

saturday
still in indiana.  likely we'll be either dining at our favorite german place or eating with our friends brian and angie.

meal planning 10.30 - 11.15

sunday
...we ate out both meals...oops...

monday
reuben soup
(a recipe i am putting together...will post if it works! :D)

tuesday
bbq cheddar pitas
(a recipe that anthony found that looks pretty yummy!  we're not changing it, so no reason to wait to post my version...)

wednesday
taco mac
(one of my easy, go-to, throw it all together comfort food recipes...i can post it here if anyone wants it, but it's embarrassingly simple)

thursday
pizza pot pies 
(we are having friends over, so vegan version for at least a few of them!)

friday-monday of next week
i'm doing a weekend babysitting gig, so anthony is on his own :-)  there's plenty in the pantry for him to make, and he'll come over saturday and sunday to hang out so we'll eat their food :-)  yay for a lower grocery bill?

what i'm loving wednesday (9.21)

i'm loving that i got to spend last friday night with some of my best girlfriends.  my maid of honor and bridesmaids threw my bachelorette/lingerie shower and it.was.a.blast!  truly, i was just happy to spend time with some of my favorite people...the rest was a nice bonus!
i'm loving that my future husband makes a mean lasagna, and that we have leftovers to last us quite awhile!  can we say comfort food?
i'm loving that baby g's favorite thing right now is to grab the nearest soft blanket or stuffed animal and call for "snuggles?"
i'm loving the flex hours with my office job.  i get to take babysitting jobs, which means more income, and work from home, and pretty much waltz into the office when i feel like it.  i try to the majority of my hours in AT the office, but it does mean that most of the time i can go into work at 10 am and miss the craaaazy traffic.  and feeling professional 3 out of 5 workdays a week is A-MAZING.
i'm loving that pumpkin delights are back.  ahhh, and that the stores near me carry them! (last year i only found them in one store!)
i'm loving fitting comfortably into (most of) my size 6 wardrobe.  there are some outfits that just won't work yet, but i'm so happy to say hello again to some of my professional clothes...
i'm loving thrift store finds.  i have bought a gazillion glass pieces for the reception for less than $50.  bonus is that i don't have any sentimental "hold" if something gets damaged or lost!

recipe of the week: chicken cordon bleu soup

i'm not necessarily a 'soup in the summer' girl
but last week was a bit cooler (low 90s...haha)
and anthony said to "surprise him" for dinner one night

a few months ago i'd spotted a recipe for this soup online
and have seen a few variations
but (as usual) decided to create my own rendition of it

and
it.was.excellent

so, here's my spin on chicken cordon bleu soup!

chicken cordon bleu soup

makes 6 1-cup servings
nutritional info and printable recipe can be found here

2 tbsp olive oil
4-5 chicken tenderloins, cut into cubes
½ large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
½ cup white wine (i used sauvignon blanc)
2 ½ cups chicken broth
85 ounces diced cooked ham (i used ½ a package of trader joe’s rosemary ham)
3 stalks celery, diced
½ tsp white pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
--if not using rosemary ham, which is admittedly pretty specialized, 2 tsp rosemary should add the right amount if flavor--
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup skim milk*
4 slices of swiss cheese, cubed (OR 3 slices of swiss and 1 slice havarti)

heat olive oil in large pan
add cubed chicken, heat until pink is cooked out



add garlic and onion, sauté for 5 minutes



add wine, reduce (about 3 minutes)



add chicken broth, ham, celery and spices. bring to a boil






while waiting for the broth mixture to boil, in a second (medium) pot, mix cream, milk and cheese. heat until cheese is melted









pour cheese mixture into the broth mixture



reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes



we found pita bread an excellent side for this soup, and i also cooked some edamame for the table.
anthony liked this soup enough to have 3 bowls! I loved it too, but tried to refrain from more than another ½ serving since i AM watching my calorie intake!

this is definitely staying in the rotation, and i am thrilled that it’s not horrid as far as calories/fat go. *i played around with the cream/milk mixture on sparkpeople until i got it down to where i was happy. i'm sure that using fully cream like most of the recipes i searched online would be fantastic, but truly i didn’t miss the fat and calories added by that…and the flavor was incredible as it was!

hey, it's ok (tuesday)

hey, it's ok!

...to be a little creeped out by certain people without being able to pinpoint an actual reason.
...to declare some days pajama days (as long as you're home, that is!)
...to be annoyed that the battery on your iPhone seems to be getting worse and worse. as well as numerous other things.
...to be holding out for the iPhone 5 (or whatever they decide to call it) this fall.
...to once in awhile have a 'ramen noodles for dinner' night, not because you can't afford anything else, but because you actually LIKE ramen noodles. (kimchee is really good with ramen, in case you're wondering...)
...to have laughed until you snorted several times while watching bridesmaids
...to occasionally snort while laughing
...to be really excited about little things like apartment hunting, engagement pictures, and invitation wording

recipe of the week: creamy broccoli soup

this recipe has been in my "to try" file for awhile, but since the absolute main ingredient is broccoli (a favorite of mine...and one of anthony's worst enemies...) i had to wait for a night that we weren't going to be eating together.  and then came a snowstorm...and we were stranded in our homes on two opposite sides of town.

so i made soup.

creamy broccoli soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 bunch broccoli florets, roughly chopped and stems peeled and sliced (about 7 cups)
*you'll see 2 packages from trader joe's in the picture.  i underestimated joe apparently, and only needed one package.
1 large russet potato (about 8 ounces) peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
kosher salt and black pepper
2 ounces sharp white cheddar grated (about ½ cup)
*i bought english cheddar with caramelized onion.  YUM*
bagel chips, for serving


heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. add the onion and red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft (4-6 minutes).  *as you can see from the picture, i was quite liberal with my red pepper flakes.  the recipe calls for 1/8 a teaspoon.  there's at minimum a tablespoon in there...probably more.

add the broth, broccoli, potato, 2 cups water, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to the saucepan and bring to a boil.

reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very tender (18-20 min)

in a blender, working in batches, puree the soup until smooth, adjusting the consistency with water if necessary (alternately use a handheld immersion blender in the saucepan.)

top with the cheddar and bagel chips if desired before serving

did i like this soup?  absolutely.  i liked the unexpected spiciness of the crushed red pepper flakes.  they added an element to the mix that i adored.  the cheese was just enough, and the bagel chips...they were a nice addition.

it's not my favorite.  but i'd make it again, in addition to an entree most likely.  it's not a stand-alone meal in my opinion like some other soups i make.  but it's a really yummy broccoli soup.  :)

recipe of the week: sausage & ravioli lasagna

once in awhile a recipe is just what you need :)
i ran across this one in a southern living magazine a few months ago, and have been jonesing to make it ever since. monday night i was actually able to! it is SUPER easy and fairly quick -- it takes less than an hour total (maybe 45 min?), even including bake time.

i adapted the recipe somewhat, so it's not exactly as SL suggested at this point. i'll make notes of what i changed at the end.

sausage and ravioli lasagna

1/2 pound ground sausage or chicken sausage
1 24 ounce jar tomato and basil pasta sauce
(i used trader joe's, which comes in 26 oz. i just left a bit at the bottom of the jar for later.)
3 oz fresh baby spinach, thoroughly washed
1/2 cup pesto sauce
(again, used trader joe's...the bottle came out to exactly 1/2 cup)
20 oz package cheese filled ravioli
(if frozen, do not thaw)
1 cup shredded Italian six-cheese blend

preheat oven to 375
cook sausage in skillet over medium heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until it crumbles and is no longer pink. drain, then stir pasta sauce into the sausage

chop spinach and toss with pesto in a bowl (i tore the spinach -- i like the rougher texture)

layer 1

spoon part of the sausage mixture into a lightly greased 11x7 baking dish until it covers the bottom. top with half of the spinach/pesto mixture. arrange half the ravioli in single layer over the spinach mixture. repeat layers. if there is remaining sausage mixture (i used a bigger dish so there wasn't), top with it and then sprinkle with cheese blend.

layer 2

bake at 375 for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

popped in the oven

30 minutes later

and 5 minutes after that

recommended by myself, anthony, his sister, his parents and his grandfather's nurse.  definitely a winning recipe!


***
original recipe called for 6 oz of baby spinach. that was just too much for my taste, and i wanted the pesto to be more pronounced, so i chose to put half that amount in.
the original recipe also called for a 25 oz package of frozen ravioli. that didn't exist in any grocery i went into, so i bought a 20 oz and a 9 oz package of four cheese fresh ravioli from the refrigerated section of kroger. um, i didn't even end up using the entire 20 ounce package, so i definitely have enough for a second batch of this stuff...which i will likely be making in the next 3 or 4 days!
lastly, it recommended baking the casserole for 30 minutes and adding the cheese for another 5-8 minutes. i decided to just toss it on at the same time. it worked out just fine.

meal planning tuesdays

my friend casondra who is an AMAZING cook has started this little blog deal...and i love it! so i'll make every attempt to join in on a weekly basis!  hopefully it will keep me accountable not only with healthy options, but also with financial meal planning :)

because of my crazy schedule mine is a bit scattered...but here's my best guess of how this week will look.

tuesday (today)
breakfast: coffee
lunch: pita bread, hummus and veggies
dinner: taco soup at anthony's

wednesday
breakfast: coffee, bagel and cream cheese
lunch: at my nanny gig...most likely from their freezer
dinner: chick fila on the way to babysit IF there is time, otherwise i'll bring leftover thai noodles as a backup :)

thursday
breakfast: coffee
lunch: again at the nanny gig -- take leftover thai noodles if i didn't eat them wednesday night
dinner: we're celebrating a friend's birthday at a tapas restaurant

friday
breakfast: coffee, bagel
lunch: nanny gig -- take leftover burger
dinner: date night...all i know is that we're going somewhere "nice". :)

saturday
breakfast: coffee
lunch: leftover greek meatloaf
dinner: we've been invited over to anthony's aunt and granny's for dinner...so naturally we've accepted :)

sunday
breakfast: coffee
lunch: leftovers
dinner: it's superbowl sunday, so whatever is at the party :)

monday
breakfast: coffee and bagel
lunch: at nanny gig
dinner: sausage and ravioli lasagna

shopping list:
since i'm eating outside my own house a LOT this week, i'm just picking up coupon deals and the following ingredients for the sausage and ravioli lasagna at trader joe's

• pesto sauce

• tomato basil sauce

• sausage

the rest i have leftover from making it this past monday!

hopefully next week will be a bit more normal around here!

hey, it's ok (tuesday) .5

hey, it's ok

... to have equally wanted all 4 groups left to win the sing-off.  mostly.  but to have been quite excited about the top two, and to have been proud of the US for choosing in the right order :-)
... to love fruit snacks, even though you know there's little "fruit" in them
... to sometimes leave the christmas tree lights on all.night.long
... to get just as excited as the 3 year old co-chef about making sugar cookies together.  and to indulge in a heavily decorated by said 3 year old's sugar cookie.
... to buy 99 cent mint water from trader joe's on occasion just because it's yummy.
... to be overwhelmed with laughter at times when you think about God's provision in your life
... to ignore the healthy options at home and head straight through a drive-thru after a rather stressful last-minute shopping trip.  salads can be had tomorrow.  :D

:-)

it's a great day to get cooking

 

i finally got to cook today: yay!

i know i've mentioned before how i hesitate to cook these days, because i always feel like i'm in the way.

well, over the last few days i've really been resenting that

and i decided to heck with it

i live here

i'll cook if i want to, dammit!

this became even more an anthem this afternoon as i discovered that my olive oil was completely empty

(not because i'd used it...)

and i called anthony to vent 

that i hate feeling like i'm in the way, that i'm annoyed that my stuff (even though labeled) is used without asking, that i sometimes just hate living like this

bless him, he listened

and really, all i needed to do was be mad for a few minutes

i came back home and headed straight for the kitchen

take two, with olive oil this time

and i made my tomato soup, my chicken salad, and reorganized and labeled my part of the pantry

i set a pandora station for worship music

and i even chatted with the nurse who is here today

and i was blissful

:0)

i came back downstairs and went outside to my herb containers

i'd discovered earlier today that some of them had revived

so i bought a few replacements while i was out getting the olive oil

and i dug in the dirt a little and planted the new additions

and i was blissful

and now i'm sitting on my couch

watching tv

blogging

and sipping iced coffee with bailey's creamer in it

and i am blissful

no, things are NOT perfect here

but truthfully, things are never perfect.

and one thing is for sure:

i'm not going to be kept out of the kitchen anymore

as long as i'm not trying to cook while one of the nurses is also cooking for anthony's grandpa

i'm not in the way

and if the nurses don't want to share space

that's not my concern -- they can move to another room for awhile

because i live here too

and dangit, i want to cook! 

 

Fitness Friday: revolution

last year i discovered jamie oliver on a whole new level
 

i'm not sure how many of you watched his show but it was amazing.  and now food revolution has grown to be even more. his commitment to promoting healthier choices in cafeterias across the united states is astounding, and i fully support his efforts.  after all, it won't be too long before i will have children eating in a school cafeteria...i consider my attention to this issue NOW as an investment in their future.

(plus, as an educator, it'd be nice to have the option to walk into the school cafeteria from time to time and get a well-balanced lunch when i didn't have the time or energy to pack one.  i'm speaking in the nearer future for that one...God willing)

today's fitness friday is a little different -- i'm letting someone else do the talking.  a fairly famous someone else, and someone who most certainly doesn't even know this blog exists.  yep, i copied and pasted straight from his website...you can find the direct link to what i grabbed right here.

his philosophy so embodies how i feel about food, and i'll remind myself of that the next time i feel a bit guilty for eating a meal of comfort food :0)

Food philosophy

My philosophy to food and healthy eating has always been about enjoying everything in a balanced, and sane way. Food is one of life's greatest joys yet we've reached this really sad point where we're turning food into the enemy, and something to be afraid of. I believe that when you use good ingredients to make pasta dishes, salads, stews, burgers, grilled vegetables, fruit salads, and even outrageous cakes, they all have a place in our diets. We just need to rediscover our common sense: if you want to curl up and eat macaroni and cheese every once in a while – that's alright! Just have a sensible portion next to a fresh salad, and don't eat a big old helping of chocolate cake afterwards.

Knowing how to cook means you'll be able to turn all sorts of fresh ingredients into meals when they're in season, at their best, and cheapest! Cooking this way will always be cheaper than buying processed food, not to mention better for you. And because you'll be cooking a variety of lovely things, you'll naturally start to find a sensible balance. Some days you'll feel like making something light, and fresh, other days you'll want something warming and hearty. If you've got to snack between meals, try to go for something healthy rather than loading up on chocolate or potato crisps. Basically, as long as we all recognize that treats should be treats, not a daily occurrence, we'll be in a good place. So when I talk about having a 'healthy' approach to food, and eating better I'm talking about achieving that sense of balance: lots of the good stuff, loads of variety, and the odd indulgence every now and then. 

 
(and jamie ;)