renovation

In hopes of renovating my process of cooking (referring to my last post), I decided on Friday to find a meal that was both simple and fast.  Hopefully this would prevent tragedies like the night before......  Loved the idea of gnocchi, but not the extensive prep time.  I found this recipe and decided to try it:

Pan-Fried Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi

Should you read the article that precedes the recipe, I would mention here that I don't recommend going about finding good recipes in the same fashion. For a lot of reasons.  If you need a list of them, feel free to ask me.  That said, the recipe is FANTASTIC!  Super duper easy and fast too.  My 3 year old helped make it, and he loved eating it all the more!

As usual, my result wasn't nearly as beautiful looking, but it was definitely amazing to taste.  It was a wonderful light dinner before going to a show at the college.  Delish!

betrayal

Have you ever felt like you were betrayed?  Either by someone or something...?  I find that I sometimes put it on myself--I expect something, but then when I get a different outcome, I feel cheated and angry.  And other times I am just being far too naive and let people cheat me--like, when about 8 months ago a young girl and her "brother", along with her "father" came for a "fundraiser" for "cheerleading."  (Notice the parentheses....????)  Right.  Well, I was so excited to help them since I had done so many fundraisers myself, being in band and all, in Middle School and High School.  And even though I RARELY buy fun things just for me (since we don't really have the money to do that kind of thing), I thought I would make their day by giving them $10 for a candle.  Oh the joy it brought me knowing I could help them out!

And oh, the anger I still feel at having been cheated out of my ten dollars!!  Okay, so, I suppose there's still time for them to get that candle to me.... I mean, it's only been EIGHT months.... I was only very pregnant when they brought it and now have a SIX MONTH OLD DAUGHTER.... Right...  Guess I shouldn't assume things.....

But anyway, I was feeling betrayed this evening because I decided, for DH's and my 4th anniversary, to make a special meal.  I had never had potato gnocchi before, but it looked super yummy and I was prepared.  I had been eyeing the pictures for weeks now and making sure I had all the ingredients.  I did a quick skim of the procedure and looked up what to do if you don't have a potato ricer on hand....  I felt so prepared.  And seriously, I was actually starting to make the meal at 4:30(pm)--I almost never have my act together that early in the day. ;-P

"Simple Potato Gnocchi"

That's what it said.  "Simple."  Does that word mean something to you?  I think I might have some inaccurate associations with that word because when I think "simple" and meal prep, I think, this won't cause me angst and make me wish I had never started this process at all.  There certainly have been meals in my past that have made me feel that, but "simple," no, surely a dish that has the word "simple" as its first descriptor couldn't be such an entree. Nope.

And yet, there I was, at 7:30, still minutes away from getting the meal on the table, thinking to myself....

SIMPLE?!?!  SIMPLE!?!?!  Three hours later and you call that SIMPLE!!!??!?!  My legs hurt from standing by the counter for the last three hours barely moving; my skin is down to its final layer because of how many gazillion times I had to wash potato off my hands; my counter is a mess and my sink is full of dishes that I won't have energy to wash until tomorrow; my children are ready for bed; my husband was ready for our anniversary dinner by candlelight over an our ago, and to top it off, I'm ANGRY that the recipe said SIMPLE!!

Okay, so, again, maybe it was MY fault.  What was I thinking?  I do have this problem with deciding to make new recipes on the worst of days, but seriously..... this is crazy.  And of course, while in the middle of the process, I realized that it even warned me (in small font, of course) by saying something like "prep time: 2 hours"--which is an already woefully underestimated number as far as my culinary skills are concerned.  As much as I want to be a good cook, I'm really not at all.

So, is the moral of the story "look before you leap"??  Is that it?  Don't give money to strangers (duh...) and don't make recipes that say "simple" until you look at the prep time and know for sure it's going to be something amazing....??  Hmmm..  I think the real issue is me.  How can you overcome your problems when you ARE the problem?

"chicken spackets"

Tonight I made something that my husband coined "chicken spackets" (SPA-kets) and I figured I'd share it with all of you!  I took my normal recipe for the inside of spanakopita, added boiled chicken, and put them into pastry puffs.  Yum!  I've decided that I could put anything into a "pocket" and my toddler would love it.  We called them "spackets" because that was a combination of spanakopita and pocket--seemed to fit!

Here's what I did:

1) boil chicken on the stove until tender.

2) mix together 1 egg, 1 10oz. package thawed spinach, 1/2c. feta cheese, parsley, dill and oregano.

3) tear apart chicken and add to spinach mixture.

4) cut pastry sheet into four squares.  place mixture into pocket and fold into a triangle.  squeeze edges to keep filling inside.

5) bake at 350 degrees--maybe ten minutes??  check on them every five minutes, i'm not sure how long it really took! i was baking muffins at the same time.... :)

That's it right there with some yummy squash. I just cut the squash in half and put it on greased foil in a 400 degree oven.  Half an hour later and it's finished!  You can serve just like that--add salt, pepper and butter, then people can mix it all up in the shell itself.  It's yummy AND easy! :D

"larry"

While buckling baby Abby in the car to head to the library:

Elijah: "We will get another baby when she gets big."

Me: "What??"

Elijah: "When Abby gets big, we will get another little baby."

Me: "Oh, really?"

Elijah: "Yes.  It will be Larry."

Me: "Larry??"

Elijah: "Not like the Veggie Tales Larry...."

Me: "A different Larry?"

Elijah: "Yes.  A different one.  Baby Larry."

Me: "Interesting....."

carrot soup

I didn't think to post this until after I had dumped the contents of the leftover soup into a bag to freeze it, so, regretfully, I don't have a beautiful picture of this soup brimming on the stove.  But, I figured I'd share the recipe with you nonetheless because it's super yummy and healthy too! :D  My toddler loves it.  Actually, I have quite a few pureed soup recipes that my son (and the rest of us) love.  I'm sure I'll be sharing them with you as the colder months approach.  They are my go-to on any day I'm feeling tired, or just want a warm bowl of yummy soup to end my day in comfort!

Here's one of two carrot soup recipes I have.  This one tastes more heavily of carrot, so make sure you use good, sweet carrots that aren't too old. :)

4c. Chicken Broth

2c. water

1 package dry onion soup (or, one fresh onion with seasonings)

2lbs. Carrots scrubbed and sliced

dash of nutmeg

1/4c. peanut butter

2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

dash of tobasco/ hot sauce (if you want--I didn't have any on hand to add)

Simmer all ingredients in a pot 15-30 min.  (With the kids and all, I actually let mine sit for an hour or so--don't think it really matters...)   Puree. Enjoy!!

I put what was left in a freezer bag for another time.  This is something I love doing with our soups.  On a really busy day, I can just take it out of the freezer--add some salad and bread and that's it!  Dinner is served!

blank slate?

It's a good thing I don't believe in tabula rasa..... you remember the concept from high school, right?  "Blank Slate"...John Locke?  Ring a bell??  Basically it's the idea that people are born as a blank slate and all of their attitudes and perceptions of the world come from how we nurture them--as though we are writing the language of their life on them.

Anyway, now that I've reminded you of what it means, I will say again that it's a good thing I don't believe in it.  Because if I did, boy would I be in trouble.  As a "stay at home mom" (not that I stay at home all day by any means!!!), I would surely be the cause of any problematic issues that my son has--seeing as how I am the foremost authority and teacher in his life.

If this were the case, then here are some things you could learn about me from my toddler:

1) I am extremely covetous.
2) I whine.  A LOT.
3) I am not always good at sharing.
4) When I'm not in a good mood, I push people around.


Oh dear.... this doesn't bode well.  I think these things actually could be said about me.  :-P
This is a problem.  Hmmm.... how about some things that definitely can't be said about me:

1) I definitely don't sit on top of other people just to see how they react.
2) I don't squeeze my food between my fingers and then wipe it all over the table.
3) I don't lift my shirt up and exhibit my belly button every time I get really excited.
4) I don't pick up lint off the floor and roll it in between my fingers for hours. (Yes, my child has OCD.)


Phew!  Boy, I had myself scared there for a moment.
Tonight, Elijah refused to go to bed--tears streaming down his crinkled face--because he wanted his sister's blanket with him in bed.  Of course, since she's only six months old, she really wouldn't have known the difference.  But, on principle, we told him he couldn't have it.  That certainly wasn't the answer he wanted to hear!  I am glad to blame the Fall, and not me, for his extreme covetousness.  ;-P  (I do always love to point blame.)

mamas

I was sent this via email from a friend and had to share it:

THE MAMA TEST

 I was out walking with my 4-year-old daughter. She picked up something off of the ground and started to put it in her mouth. I took the item away from her and I asked her not to do that.  'Why?' my daughter asked.  'Because it's been on the ground; You don't know where it's been, it's dirty and probably has germs,' I replied.

At this point, my daughter looked at me with total admiration and asked, 'Mama, how do you know all this stuff? you are so smart.'  I was thinking quickly and replied, 'All moms know this stuff..... It's on the Mama Test. You have to know it, or they don't let you be a Mama.'

 We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information.  'Oh.....I get it!' she beamed, 'So if you don't pass the test you have to be the dad.'  'Exactly,' I replied with a big smile on my face.






There are times when I feel this great sense of power, like that idea, "I am invincible.  I am woman."  Of course, most days, I laugh at what a preposterous thought that is, but there are days here and there that I feel like being a woman and a mother is an amazing thing.  My husband and I were watching a series of movies based on John Adams a month or more ago and there was a scene in it with Abigail Adams (John's wife) and daughter Nabby.  Nabby asks her mother why the boys, who are off doing things other than the daily chores, always get to do the fun stuff.  To which Abigail replies, "Because we let them."


I don't think I'll ever forget that line!  There is something intangibly valuable and wonderful about being a woman and mother.  Don't forget it!  :)