Chopping Up a Watermelon at 4:00AM

"Why are you chopping up a watermelon at 4 o'clock in the morning?", my dear husband asked.  My reply, "I don't know what else to do at 4 o'clock in the morning." 

You see, sometimes in life you have to view your circumstances and take advantage of opportunities that otherwise will not come around again.  The watermelon on the counter at 4:00am was one of those "opportunities."  Carpe Diem.

Last night I fell asleep tucking Jett in. (It's about 60/40 on any given night this will happen. "Curious George and the Baseball Game" is a really relaxing book.)  I woke up around Midnight to have a brief conversation with my husband that included his intention to be ready for the day by 4:00am so that he could get to the farm to plant. This meant that I needed to get up and shower and prep for the day at 3:30am. (Why? Well that's a good question that involves a toddler who is a light sleeper, a noisy hair drier, and a fear that I'll be faced with a day of meetings and my hair sticking out in all directions, or worse, hair that's still wet.)

So, by 4:00am, I had a choice, a) go back to bed, and risk bed-head in all of its glory, or b) get up and start the day.  Obviously I went with "option b".  Now normally this would be my perfect time to do homework, but I submitted my last final for the semester on Sunday night.  The list of things I could do at this time of the morning is quite long (and apparently includes blogging) but the watermelon was there starring me in the face, as I came to the realization that now would actually be the only time I could cut up the watermelon.  What an "opportunity"...

So there I was standing in the kitchen holding a large knife, hacking up a watermelon in the wee hours of the morning. I contemplated life, Costco, and why I bought a watermelon in the first place.

I couldn't help but think back to my high school musical "Guys and Dolls", standing on stage more than a decade ago in character as Miss Sarah Brown, watching Sky Masterson sing "My Time of Day", and thinking about what a romantic concept the early hours of the morning were. 

Chopping up a watermelon at 4:00am was not exactly the picture I had envisioned...

Good morning friends!  I hope you have a wonderful day, and if you have a hankering for watermelon, I have three tupperware in my fridge ready to share.

A Chicken in Every (Crock) Pot

In 1928 the Republican Party used the quote “A Chicken in Every Pot…” in a political campaign for Herbert Hoover as president.  Wikipedia tells me that this phrase actually has its roots in seventeenth century France when Henry the IV wished his peasants prosperity.  What does this have to do with anything?  Well for one, this is a phrase my mom has said on occasion and I didn’t really know what it meant until it appeared in my economics text this semester.   Cool.   Secondly, I put a chicken in the Crockpot this morning and my house didn’t burn down, so I’m thinking that’s pretty good prosperity. 

If you have been so kind to have read this blog before, you know that I have an irrational fear of my Crockpot.  I’ve stated this in occasional conversation in the last few months and I’ve determined that this should be right up there with topics you don’t discuss in polite company like religion or politics.  I have been told that I’m crazy, and the Crockpot is the working mom’s best friend.  I think I’ve actually offended a few people as though the Crockpot is their friend. It’s all very strange.

But, today was the second time in 2013 that I used the frightful appliance, and the house is still standing.  I may be ready to conquer my other irrational fears like getting stuck in an elevator or watching a movie about crop-circles on the SciFi Network.  Or not…

I’ve been contemplating the restaurant desert that is my favorite town, and have been hungry for Indian food.  Hy-Vee Chinese buffet doesn’t count, but it's honestly the closest thing we have.   So for my Crockpot adventure I did a Google search for Tandoori Chicken in the Crockpot, where I found a blog post by author Stephanie O'Dea who used a Crockpot for like every day in a year, and I would guess her house is still standing.  I’ve never stumbled on this blog before, but I already know I like the author as she has a similar aversion to chicken guts, and lots of ideas of what to do with a Crockpot.  So about 6:25am this morning between straightening my hair and waking sweet baby, I attempted a loosely crafted version of this dish.  (There is no Jessica-edited recipe, no pictures.  I used the Rachael Ray style of measuring and stuck a lemon in where the guts used to be.  Very culinarian.) It turned out to be very tasty and my family actually ate it.  Crockpot lovers, you win this round.

In other news, I haven’t been blogging because I’ve been studying economics and Starbucks. (Literally, I have a project due on the organizational theory behind Starbucks…sadly, I haven’t been drinking enough…Starbucks.)  Technically it is “Spring Break” but as good as JCrew is for retail therapy, somehow buying a wardrobe that looked like it belonged in St. Barts, hasn’t actually not gotten me to a sunny beach.  If you’ve posted pictures of your tan and umbrella drinks on Facebook, I would normally say I’ve deleted you.  This year I’m saying, please take me with you!  Mama needs a vacation. 

Accidental Crockpot Creation

I have no idea how this happened, but I'm pretty happy it did.  If you've been following the blog for awhile you know that I'm completely afraid of my crock pot.  I don't know how to use it, the recipes that I've found are usually multi-step, include cream of something, and I'm always afraid that I'll leave for work and burn the house down. 

I was inspired by Hy-Vee's $3 dinner idea for Beef and Vegetable Lo Mein when I logged on to activate my new fuel saver card.  It was yum at first site and I wasn't sure how I was going to pull it off...enter the crock pot.  I knew I had a package of frozen steaks in the freezer that desperately wanted to be eaten, so in the morning I popped them (still frozen) into the crock pot with a garlic clove, half an onion, a little olive oil and a splash of soy sauce.  I turned it on low and hoped for the best (and that our homeowner's policy was current.) 

Over my lunch hour I stopped at Hy-Vee, which is literally my place "where everyone knows your name", waved hello to all the friendly employees that I have come to love, and ran into several friends who were also grocery shopping sans kiddos.  I picked up some fabulous produce, including the organic broccoli and seasonal oranges pictured above, and only broke the rules for four cans of diced tomatoes.  My total was $68.04. 

When I came home from work about 5:30pm we still had a kitchen to speak of and the meat smelled incredible. I quickly washed and chopped up some broccoli, mushrooms, and scallions, heated a pan and coated it with olive oil. I threw in another garlic clove and sauteed the mushrooms and broccoli.  I sliced the meat and put it in nearly last since it was already cooked.  I added a little of the drippings from the crock pot to the pan for extra flavor, and squeezed half an orange for a little citrus note.  Scallions went in just before I put everything on the plate.  While all of this was going on in the pan, I quickly boiled some lo mein noodles (which believe it or not, I had in my cupboard!)

It was a truly fabulous Use-it-Up night!  I still don't totally trust my crock pot, but I might be gaining just a little more confidence in it...

What I Used-Up:
Three frozen steaks
Lo Mein Noodles
1/2 onion
1 orange
1 head of broccoli

Spring Break 2013

I figure we are about two weeks away from the 2013 barrage of friends' photos from spring break trips from Cancun to Key West.  So I'm really super excited to be the very first among you to post pictures from our thrilling spring break staycation.

This trip was a big deal for our little family as we determined that it was the very first time we all stayed away from home together for more than one night.  So as my little sister packed for her semester-long Italian adventure, her big sister's family hit the road for a thrilling weekend in Beatrice, NE. Leaving after work, we made a stop at Grandma Clara's for pizza and playtime, and then proceeded to roll into the big city around 10pm.  Way past everyone's bedtime. 

Daddy left the next morning bright and early to work cattle, leaving Jett and I to a day of exploration.  First we enjoyed the gourmet breakfast bar at the hotel, where Jett enjoyed watching the pancake machine.  We were upgraded to a room with a view.  Jett's favorite view of a Ford dealership, and just beyond the horizon we could see the shining bright green of a John Deer implement.

After taking in the view and lounging in our suite, we set out to see the sites and found a very big, very orange playground at the YMCA. 

It was a balmy 40 degrees so before long our course was changed indoors where we watched elementary basketball practice.  All that exploration made us hungry again and Jett got to have his very first McDonald's Happy Meal.  Excitement didn't quit as we got to watch a man in a red lift and bucket fix the lights on the golden arches. 

Our morning adventure left us feeling quite exhausted so back to the resort we went for a little siesta.  We woke up just in time to join our cousins at another fun park.  For a little afternoon snack, we visited Dairy Queen where it was about 105 degrees, and if you closed your eyes and used your imagination the Blizzard machine sounded just like the roar of the ocean.

Soon it was time for the main event, the St. Paul Lutheran School carnival.  There were games of all kinds from cake walk to bean-bag toss - our favorite! 

There was even a big fake cow that we got to touch. We happily waved goodbye to everyone and finished our adventure with pizza at a quasi-alfresco cafe on a beautiful deck looking out on the inside of the furniture store in the mall. 

 

I sincerely hope that I haven't made you too jealous. I wish you lots of sunshine and excitement on your own spring break trips this year!



Black Friday Guilt-less

A writing from Black Friday 2011, just so that we ALL remember what happened last year...

Recovering from any holiday weekend, it’s easy to have a little extra guilt on Monday over too much turkey, stuffing, rolls, and pie.  Even running the Turkey Trot this year at the YMCA didn’t save me from that regret.  However, I got lucky and have no guilt from a Black Friday shopping spree.

This year my sister and I lost our minds and decided to try Black Friday shopping.  While the media had pumped up this 2011 event as one of the biggest with retail stores opening on Thanksgiving Day, and people all over the world condemning American commerce, Lillie and I got the itch.  I think it was the thrill of the idea of being in the mall in the middle of the night that got to us.  So at 7 p.m. after learning of a super great, can’t miss deal on car seats at Toys R Us, we devised what I thought was a brilliant plan.  Pick Lillie up at 8:15, Toys R Us by 9:00, in and out by 9:30 with the car seat, The Muppet Movie at 9:45, back to Younkers by Midnight.  Brilliant!  Ha!

We arrived to Toys R Us to find crazy women who had been lined up since 5pm, and a growing queue of additional crazies lining up past the entrance of Khols.  We stood in line patiently for about five minutes, before my shopping ADD kicked into full swing and I started devising a plan to cut, line jump, and/or bulldoze my way to the front.  (I didn’t want to miss the singing puppets after all, as we had pre-purchased to avoid lines.)  Well that was another stupid idea, as crazy, deal-driven shoppers know their surroundings like gazelle at the watering hole. So, we abandoned ship and went to the Muppets. 

There is something wrong with a country whose people are lined up for hours to save 20% off and stand in line for another hour checking out, but where the Muppets is empty for the late show.  It was a terrific movie that I could see again and again.  I’m glad we didn’t miss it.  We did however miss the car seat deal.  We tried Younkers and the mall, but the mystique couldn’t beat the wall to wall people carrying as many pillows as they could hold.  We left with $8 earrings and an oath to shop online next year. 

So today, I may have stuffing guilt and a little pie guilt, but I have no Black Friday guilt.  So I tried to cut…some crazy woman pepper sprayed the people behind her at a Wal-Mart.  I probably would have been the victim if we hadn’t had the sense to go see the Muppets.

Hi, my name is Jessica, and I am not a perfect mom.

Hi, my name is Jessica, and I am not a perfect mom.  Whew.  Well now, that feels much better.

Sometimes in our household we have chocolate chips in our pancakes. For breakfast. With syrup on the side.

I've been known to buy diapers and other baby supplies at the drugstore or grocery store, without a coupon, and without price checking, because I'm tired and I don't have time.

I don't buy organic everything.

We co-slept with our son for way too many months. and there are still more than just a few days where I not only cuddle my baby to sleep, but fall asleep next to him because I'm exhausted.

I don't know how many fruits or veggies my kiddo has eaten today.

I don't know what my kiddo has eaten today.

Some nights he asks for milk before bed, and I give it to him.

My son knows what the five second rule is.

I didn't breastfeed very long. 

He still has a pacifier, and I have no idea how to help him break the habit.

After a rare, but occasional 14 hour day, I might eat buggles and a cupcake for supper, in front of my child.

He gets juice.

He has tried pop.

He knows what a Snickers bar is.

One day I bribed him with a spoonful of pudding to eat his green beans.  I'm sorry, but it worked.

He knows that Arby's equals french fries...and a shake.

Sometimes I forget to count every object we see.

We use disposable diapers.  I have no guilt about that landfill.

He won't know a foreign language before preschool.  After four years in high school and one semester in college, I only speak Spanglish related to food items.

We watch TV.  He's seen every episode of Doc McStuffins 100 times.

Sometimes when we watch Doc McStuffins, I read Vogue.

We do not use the correct words for private body parts. 

At Wal-Mart, I let him play with the toys in the toy aisle. 

We dress for swimming at home, not at the YMCA...against their policies.

My husband and I have argued in front of our child.

We don't always pick up all our toys.  No one in this house does.

He will be two and doesn't have a sibling.  I'm sure he's already "spoiled" according to some. 

I hate the word "spoiled."

He wears shoes at the playground...WAIT! That's a good one.

Not only will he get to choose a piece of candy to eat on Halloween, I actually bribed him with M&Ms to try on his costume.  He wouldn't take them.  He hates his costume.

He knows Grandma Judy brings cake. 

One of his first words was cake.

I'm not perfect, and I don't pretend to be.  But what I do is the most important thing.  I love my child unconditionally, forever, and always.  I try my best, and my best means sometimes he sees me, his mama, in a very real light.

I pray, I teach, I praise, I build confidence, I hope, I love.

Not so secret subliminal message, "Football hurts!"

Since before he was born Jett was talked to, prayed for, and read to.  Immediately he was cared for, loved, read to more, talked to more, and sung to in Spanish (even if it was just food related words I could remember from high school.)  I've tried to provide him good nutrition (aside from the Handy Snack incident), his grandma practices good manners with him, we count constantly, talk about colors, letters, and describe nearly every experience possible. 

Along with all of these positive lessons and messages, I've also said something else over and over.  No, he will not play football.  I was reminded of this again last night as I ran past the junior (very junior) football kids practicing in full pads.  Nope, not my baby.

So, I've started to send my own not so secret subliminal message whenever we see a football game on TV or kids in the field.  "Ooh, OUCH!  Football HURTS!" This summer when we saw the cross country teams running, I'd say, "Oh, look at all those fast kids.  Jett, you will be fast like that and run someday."  Now that boys tennis has begun, we purposefully take a different route to the park on Saturday mornings in hopes that we'll see all the "cool, smart boys" playing tennis at the courts.  I've even started planting these seeds with my husband, trying to convince him that cross country or tennis would be much better fall sport choices in preparation for basketball season.

 

So, this weekend when you are watching the local high school teams or cheering on the Huskers, please say a prayer for me, because I'm sure I've committed a cardinal Cornhusker sin, and another prayer for my baby, because I know it's going to take a decade of prayers and divine intervention for my little quarterback to actually believe that "Football HURTS!"

A Fire Alarm, Sticky Floor, Pinterest Kind of Night

"The most expensive ingredient in your house is the one you are throwing away." - Melissa d'Arabian

Pinterest is for those random few minutes in between, and last week I had more of those than usual.  I went a little crazy, pinning everything in sight. It can be a little more than just a little addicting you know.  I took advantage of the in between time and pinned several new recipes that I actually wanted to try.  A different approach than pinning recipes that just look good.

Today with a full week ahead of us I thought it would be a good time to try out a new crock pot recipe, and boy was it a good one.  For those of you who have been following along since Use-it-Up February, this recipe is the perfect solution for using up some odd-ball ingredients. 

This is my version of Spicy Crockpot Chicken.
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salsa - whatever amount you have available, up to about a jar
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. dried onion
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
3 mini bell peppers or one big bell pepper roughly chopped
1/2 cup water

This is the perfect recipe for me because there is no way to mess it up.  I always have half eaten containers of salsa in my fridge and this is a great way to use-it-up.  Put the chicken in the crock pot and the other ingredients right over top in the order listed.  Set crock pot for 6 hours on high.  Shred chicken about 30 minutes before serving and let it soak in all the juices.  Serve on multi grain tortillas.

(On a side note, if you haven't tried Mission's new artisan brand, you are missing out.  I love the flax and blue corn.)

Inspired by the success of the chicken, I decided to try another pinned recipe that "looked good," roasted chick peas.  They were as bad as they sound and for some reason the fire alarm thought I had started the house on fire.  I didn't notice any smoke, but that's what you get for putting in new batteries and roasting tiny beans in the oven on high heat.

After all of that, I was craving something sweet and thought it would be fun to make vanilla shakes.  Sure, that sounds like a nice idea, except that I "forgot" that my blender doesn't work.  Just because you haven't used your blender since 2008 doesn't mean it's still not working...maybe if you just gave it another try.  It's only ice cream and milk, how bad could it go? 

Darn subconscious.  If a blender is broken in 2008 and no one fixes it, it still will not work.  It made an awful sound, sputtered and splurted, and I ended up mushing together something that resembled a shake with my spoon.  Somewhere between waving a dish towel around the hallway and talking myself into the blender situation, I momentarily lost my mind and handed the baby a cup full of shake and a spoon.  He's pretty good at both, but the consistency was really bad.  Pretty soon the shake was all over his face, hands, arm and legs.  And all over the floor.  Kevin laughed at me and suggested that maybe making a shake wasn't such a good idea.

Having it all doesn't mean having it all together.  If the rest of the week goes this well, I think we'll be doing pretty good! :)

Graduation Staycation Road Trip - We Survived! He Did It! And The Stuff That I Love!

"There was this really smart mom that kept pulling out new toys and snacks for her toddler during the ceremony.  He was good the whole time.  So smart!" - Random Amazing Graduate Student

Yup, that was me, the really smart mom.  At least I think that was me.  It might have been the other dozen or so brilliant mamas around the room that in addition to praying wildly before the ceremony for patience, good naturedness, silence, and an aisle seat, also were smart enough to pack "the goods" before the hour and half ceremony.  Regardless, it was a very nice comment from someone that told this to my husband as he walked up to receive his diploma and get hooded. (Hooded?  Receive his hood?  That's why I'm going back to school.)

The trip up was a breeze.  Jett was a fabulous, happy, rested boy when we left and jabbered happily until Lincoln, at which point we dropped daddy off at his coaches' meeting and ran off energy at the Lincoln Children's Museum for an hour.  He then promptly fell asleep and remained that way until we hit Kearney.  Ah-may-zing!  We arrived and I asked Kevin if he would be up for extending our trip to the Black Hills for the rest of the weekend, thinking this whole traveling with a kid thing was a cinch.  Luckily, he had the good sense to say no.

The ceremony came and I was that "smart mom" who stashed away all kinds of "never in a million years would I feed my child Handy Snacks if I didn't want him to be quiet during a very important event," kind of things.  Thanks to the aaforementioned congealed cheese, gummy snacks, and a host of new cool toys I broke out for the occasion, we made it.  Barely, but we did.  It also helped that Jett's four-year-old cousin Katie sat next to him, was SUPER good, and let him touch her blond curls and say "pretty" for about 20 minutes.

My child was good as gold through lunch, and then vacationitis hit.  You know, that rotten hang over feeling you get before vacation is actually over.  You want to crawl out of your skin, run around like a banshee, burst into tears, and detox after eating congealed cheese for days...Well, news flash, this hits toddlers after a mere 24 hours on a trip.

Luckily or unluckily depending on where you were sitting in the car, Jett slept to Grand Island (44 minute nap, but who is counting) where we met our wonderful friends and their three kiddos for a play date.  I love Chris and Amy and their boys.  A truly amazing family that I wish we saw more often.  The kids played for nearly two hours, and Jett loved their child-sized trampoline and giant St. Barnard puppy.  I thought for sure he would sleep until Seward, but no luck.  He was however, "stuck!" and I had a chance to try out the car toys and apps everyone had sent me. 

So here is the stuff that saved me.  The stuff I love.

1. My favorite app was "Bizzy Bear Builds a House," very sweet, interactive and narrated with a British accent.  I'm not sure why that matters, but it was somewhat soothing.  Coming in a close second was the Disney Junior app that lets you watch select shows like Doc McStuffins. 
2. Cow puppet.  I asked my mom what she recommended I bring and this was her fabulous idea. 

    3.   Playdoh - in a bag.  This is SO smart!  Whoever put Playdoh in a zip top bag knew what they were doing.  Now the people who give this to toddlers who think it's a gummy snack do not know what they are doing, but that's a different story.  Jett loved to smoosh it, after he took a bite.

   4.   Flash cards. Who knew? I picked these up after perusing the school supply section at Walmart.  Jett loved looking at these and repeating the colors as a gave them to him.  We also received some Thomas the Train cards somewhere along the way and he loved these as well.

5. 27 Quart Storage Box.  You will thank me later.  Now I don't fancy myself organized, but when I put all the car toys and handy wipes in this nifty neat little container, and managed to keep the car somewhat together without my usual bundle of tote bags, I thought I had arrived. 

6. I found Jack at the Lincoln Children's Museum and had a hunch we'd become buds.  This is magnetic paper dolls for boys and I love it.  Jett loved it too, score! (The only bad thing is Jack's container, he now lives in a Ziplock.  But I won't hold that against the guy.)

7.  I also loved the Crayola Color Wonder Stow and Go Studio.  It was a little above Jett who isn't quite loving markers...yet, but he did love putting the caps on and off, and the neat little package kept everything together in the diaper bag.  This was a big hit with his cousin Katie during the ceremony.

8.  Darn Handy Snacks!*
*For those of you who are offended by congealed cheese and judging me, I don't blame you.  For the record, Jett's mother also packed fresh cherries, (pits removed of course), homemade whole wheat and flax zucchini muffins, and veggie and fruit squeezy packs.  Oh, and some gummy bears...

What I learned in 1 hour, 6 minutes, and 38 seconds

I ran a 10K and I'm a mommy!  Today's run was a great personal accomplishment and I really enjoyed the experience.  I signed up on a whim, thinking it would be a good way to kick off the holiday, and only trained for about 3 weeks.  When I arrived at the race site this morning and saw all the "real runners" stretching and warming up and I started to get nervous, realizing that I didn't really know what warming up for a 10K would be.  I could tell this was a serious group because this was the first run I've been in where none of the participants wore their complementary shirts.  Wardrobe says a lot in these situations.

The "Real" Runners



I at least felt like I was wearing the right thing, having just purchased my first pair of Nike Tempo shorts.  I lined up near the back of the race, hoping I would find friends there. 

I ran 95% of the race, but had to stop briefly to get a couple of good pictures, and spit in the creek (unladylike I know!)  The track was half uphill and gravel, a very different environment than running on flat pavement.  One of the songs on my playlist was Sugarland's "Down in Mississippi" and the phrase "all you're going to see is a$$es and elbows," started making a lot more sense at about 4 kilometers in.



Corn on my right, beans on the left.

 

It was really a beautiful morning, clear and cool with a slight breeze.  The view was pretty incredible as well.  The time gave me a lot to reflect on, and I can say that in addition to finishing (and not finishing last,) I learned a lot about myself and the sport of running today.

1. Nike Tempo shorts are the greatest invention. Ever.  (I guess that's not about running or myself per say, but I learned that I need to buy more.)

2. I'm not very competitive, but I am the Miss Congeniality of the race.  When we reached the half way point and turned around I was the only one who was cheering on the people in the last half.  I started wondering if this is unspoken etiquette that you aren't supposed to talk to your fellow racers...

3. I don't know the rules or etiquette of running.  Which side are you supposed to pass on?  Is it appropriate to give someone the thumbs up when they pass you?  Is it okay to stop and take pictures?

4. I can't drink and run.  I must stop, sip, and then continue.

5. Litter bothers me more than I thought.  Come on people, this isn't the Summer Games, slow down enough to get your paper cup in the trash can.  Thank you.

6. Short strides uphill, long strides downhill.

7. My iPhone playlist is a little questionable.  Flo Rida, Nicky Minaj, Ke$ha, Kanye, Black Eyed Peas, and until I heard all the songs back to back, I hadn't realized I downloaded all my hip hop tunes with the explicit language, oops. 

8. A funnel cake may not be the best breakfast after running a 10K.

9. You MUST, repeat, MUST stop and stretch well after running. Not just touch your toes and push the stroller, but seriously stretch.  Otherwise you will wish you were dead rest of the day.

10. I really love running.  Who would have guessed?

The Most Politically Incorrect Game

In my prayers each day I hope that my baby boy will be strong, healthy, smart, and well rounded.  We read at least a half-dozen books each night, he plays basketball with daddy, cooks with mama, and makes polite babbley conversation with friends over dinner.  He plays with stuffed bears, dogs, and even a Cabbage Patch doll.  He has a construction set, a kitchen set, pretend cell phones and occasionally naked art time (more on that another day.)  I hope he grows to believe he can be nearly anything he wants to be.

I say nearly because this idea of well-rounded play has been challenged lately.  First by daddy, and then I confess, by mama. 

This is a Nerf Gun.  A six-barreled Nerf gun.  It makes a terrible loud sound when the suction cups stick to the filing cabinet in our basement.  They are fast, they are foam, and they are a heck of a lot of fun!  This is not a toddler's typical game.  Unless they live in our house. 

I was horrified at first. Immediately going to thoughts of a child psychologist or future Kindergarten teacher, I was terrified of what we someday might have to explain.  That we, his loving, doting, do-everything-we-can-right parents condoned this sort of activity.  And then I tried it.  There is just something about shooting a Nerf Gun at the end of a working mama's day that lets go of a lot of stress.  And my sweet baby laughs hysterically, runs after the darts, and gives me a smile that says, "lets do it again!" 

I can feel the judgement radiating across the web from mothers who make their own organic baby food, read books in French, and use cloth diapers.  I know, I would judge me too.  It's a terribly politically incorrect game that pretty much sums up my parenting style.  Hyper-conservative, ultra careful best intentions, but bottom line, if it works, we roll with it.

Crockpot Confession and a Great Use-It-Up Night

I have a confession for you.  My crockpot scares me.  Okay - it's not just my crockpot, and it's really not like "Ooh I'm so scared I'm going to sleep with the lights on!" That would be really weird. It's more like I'm intimidated by the idea of using a crockpot.  I know the whole point is that you leave them plugged in all day, and tada when you get home supper is ready.  But you know what, they get really, really hot.  I'm not sure how I feel about leaving something  that hot on my counter all day while I'm gone.  And I feel like the idea of slow-cooking is unpredictable to me.  When I put something in the oven at 350 I know how long it will take to cook depending on what it is that I'm baking.  When I cook in the skillet, same thing.  But the crockpot I have to trust...

All of that to say, that I used my crockpot today.  I put my qualms about it aside, plugged it in and left for eight hours (you see it sounds really weird when you see it in print, very unnatural.)  But the results, I will admit were very good.  I had one final package of pork chops to use-up, so I put those in the pot with half of a chopped yellow onion, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and equal parts water to reduce the gravy a bit.  Even though I loath having to use cream of something soup (see Use-It-Up Post 25) in this case it worked.  The chops fell apart and had a really great dense meaty flavor, and they stayed very tender, which can be a tricky thing for pork chops to accomplish.

The whole meal was a great example of a Use-It-Up night.  In the morning before I left for work I also made a batch of bread dough and put it in the refrigerator.  I'm learning the tricks of baking as I go, and today was a really good lesson; while it may seem convenient to make a batch of dough ahead of time, you must give ample thawing and rising time if you intend to make bread.  I did not, and tried to hurry it along with no luck.  So when life hands you cold dough, make breadsticks.  I buttered a 9x13 pan and pressed the dough along the side, as if I was making a pizza crust.  I then drizzled a tablespoon of butter on top and sprinkled garlic and oregano.  The breadsticks then went into a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.  About half way through I used-up some Parmesan cheese and sprinkled that on top while they finished baking. 

The results. Yumm!

On the side we had coleslaw and snow peas.  Dessert was an extra special treat because I also had apples to use-up.  Apple crisp on a Monday does not usually happen in this house, but it must have been fate because it did.  Here is the recipe:

Apple Crisp

6 peeled and sliced apples

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 stick of butter (or 8 tablespoons)

Coat apples in granulated sugar and put into a 9x13 pan.  For topping, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Using a fork or knife cut cold butter into small chunks and combine with topping mixture until you have small granules of butter incorporated into mixture.  Pour topping over apples and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.





Friday Frivolity

It's Friday, the end to a week that was full of long, heavy, somewhat stressful meetings.  So how does one unwind from a week like this?  For starters a short fast run before the rain, and then a long stroller ride with my favorite guy after the rain.  Jett and I were fortunate that just as we stepped out the door a beautiful spring rainbow appeared.

The unwinding continues with a little Friday frivolity. We all have those things that we do that are dorky or edgy, slightly weird, unconventional, in certain company perhaps a little bit salacious, and that if done excessively may put us in the same category as the people from the "My Strange Addiction Show." These guilty pleasures get us through this kind of week when we just need something light to preoccupy our attention for a bit.

For me this list includes watching The Real Housewives or Bethenny Ever After, making my own Girl Scout cookie blizzard with mint chip ice cream and Thin Mints, munching on chocolate covered popcorn, reading People Magazine, or perhaps the worst, listening to teenie bop music by Ashlee Simpson (yes, she recorded a very crappy album about a decade ago before the whole Pete Wentz thing and child named after a Disney character) and "Party in the USA" by Miley Cirus. No judgement people!

But let me add another to the list that has jumped to the top of things I do when real life is bogging me down, a blog that my sister told me about, Suri's Burn Book.  This is perhaps the most hilarious blog that I have ever read.  It's written from the perspective of Suri Cruise, framing her as a celebrity toddler hater and professional criticizer of all things TomKat.  Her post about Jessica Simpson's recent cover of Elle Magazine made me laugh so hard I was almost crying.  So incredibly funny! A truly great way to salute the week goodbye and ring in the weekend with a few laughs.

Tonight we had Indian Food. Don't tell my husband!

Tonight we had Indian inspired food.  Do not, I repeat, DO NOT tell Kevin! He had no idea.  You see I have this theory that if I just slowly introduce new food styles and flavors and pair them with old standbys like smashed potatoes and green beans, that over time my family's taste bud profile will expand.

I am a huge fan of Indian food and Indian inspired food, but I don't get to eat it enough.  Living in a moderately small Midwest town, we can barely find authentic Chinese food (the best is at Hy-Vee) let alone Indian food.  That's one challenge.  The other is that very few people in my immediate circle like Indian food.  I think I need to get some new friends! (Kidding of course.  Well, mostly.)

I love you Hamburger-Plain-Ketchup-Only-Thank You, and I'm-Allergic-To-Peas, well you know you have my heart, but sometimes a girl has got to step out and have some flavor!  So I'm slowly introducing it in hopes of an eventual menu revolution.

Tonight's new recipe was one that I had been dying to make since I saw it in Everyday Food Magazine, Tandoori-style chicken.  This simple marinade was easy to make and the flavor profile was not overwhelming, just incredibly delicious.  Slight sourness from the yogurt and lemon juice, with a nice kick from the spices, paired with a beautiful fragrant aroma from the ginger. 

I picked up on a step from Aarti Sequeira that Indian food often calls for ginger and garlic, and that you can save a couple of steps by dicing the two ingredients in a food processor with some vegetable oil, and save the extra in an air tight container in the refrigerator for future recipes, up to about two weeks.  If you have not caught Aarti's new show on the Food Network on Saturday mornings at 7:30 a.m., it is definitely worth setting your alarm for.  She gracefully battles the misconception that Indian food is complicated to make with a lot of airy charm and quiet wit, and is very good at teaching helpful tricks that anyone can use.

In addition to my old standbys I also tried something new for me - braised kale.  Kale has been hailed as one of the new super foods and has made headlines in most of the major health and fitness magazines and food publications over the last 12 months.  It's high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium, and a host of other nutrients that I can't spell.  I cooked it like I would wilted spinach and flavored it with a bit of lemon.  I wouldn't say that it was on my top ten list for vegetables, but it wasn't too bad.  I'm definitely going to try a couple of different methods of cooking it, so stay tuned.

What kind of food do you love, that no one else will eat with you?