my attempts...

and the stockings were hung...

2012-01-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

this is the first year in many that i haven't been in the middle of thesis research, coursework, or getting ready for a Christmas baby...so i decided i'd load on the projects!

two of my most Christmas themed projects were a Christmas table runner for my mother-in-law. {i love how it turned out.}

and stockings. i didn't really know what i was getting myself into...they were a lot of work, but i enjoyed the process {for the most part} and LOVE how they turned out. i've got enough fabric to make a few more for any future kiddos...so these will last our family for quite some time {hopefully forever}.

anyways...it was a crafty Christmas...and i think that made it even more fun than usual!

pears

2011-09-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

lest you think i am an overachiever, let me start by saying this venture was slightly accidental. not accidental as in i accidentally bought 10 quarts of pears, but accidental in the fact that i had not planned to set out on this venture alone.

you see, i have this goal...to become involved in my ward. so seeing an opportunity, i signed up for 'canning groups'. 'great', i thought, 'this is a great way to be doing something and meet people'. little did i know that the term 'group' was being used very loosely.

a week or so after signing up i got a call from a friend in the ward. she found a great deal on pears and wondered if she could pick some up for me. i thought that sounded like a great idea...that is until she said they weren't really going to be able to do the groups...since it was the weekend before school started. but by then...it was too late. i was stuck...with 10 quarts of pears.

so i peeled. and i peeled. and i peeled. then i got excited and started filling jars...but i only filled 3 1/2 jars...so i peeled some more. and i peeled. well, you get the idea, there was a lot of peeling involved.

it really wasn't as technical a process as i had imagined it would be. hot water. sugar. lids. steam canner. and lots and lots of time. and peeling...don't forget the peeling.

luckily for me, all of my jars sealed and i can call this venture a success. but i must give credit where credit is due. first to my mother-in-law who gave me the steam canner a few Christmases ago...thank you, thank you, thank you! and to my own mother...who answered several distressed questions and gave great over-the-phone instructions. thank you, thank you, thank you!

my jars are currently sitting on a shelf in my cold storage room...much too pretty to be eaten.

pickles

2011-08-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

in an effort to make use of the massive quantities of cucumbers coming from my garden...i ventured into the land of pickling. luckily, i saw a segment on studio 5 (a utah morning show) on pickling.

i opted not to process them, so we'll be eating 5 pints of pickles in the next 2 weeks. let's hope they're good!

next up...dilly beans.

kale chips

2011-07-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

in a random turn of events i came home with a bunch of kale from a visiting teaching appointment last week. with the kale came specific instructions on how to make kale chips. i've been hearing lots of great things in the nutrition world about kale chips for quite some time now, but just haven't gotten around to making them.

so...here we go.

tear your kale into 'chip' size pieces leaving out the main stalk (i hear it's bitter)
brush with olive oil and place on cookie sheet
sprinkle lightly with seasoned salt
bake for approx. 6-8 min in a 400degree oven

as for the result...i would call them...interesting.

they had a slightly veggie taste, but mostly tasted like the seasoned salt (which i sprinkled generously...next time i would go easier on that). the texture was the interesting part...it was almost like eating dry leaves...but more tasty. they were fun to eat in a way, just because of the way they crunched in your mouth.

i would say that if you have a burning desire to eat kale (which is chalk full of nutrients) this would be the way to go. for me, being extremely picky about texture, they were a bit strange.

anyways...an interesting venture into the world of kale.

congo bars

2011-06-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

so you know when you eat something and it totally hits the spot...and then when it's gone you're still thinking about it weeks later. (well, maybe that's just me and my relationship with chocolate.) well that's what happened with the congo bars.

my mom made these when i was visiting in early may...and here it is almost the end of june and i still can't get them out of my head. so i broke down and made them. i say 'broke down' because a) they are slightly complicated [a two step process is just beyond my 'easy' qualification]...and b) i'm pretty sure i can eat the whole pan by my self [my bike and i will be spending much more quality time together this next week to compensate].

so now the pan of deliciousness is cooling, the anticipation is killing me, and my house smells incredible. i think it's time to crack open a cold diet coke to celebrate.

garden 2011

2011-06-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

three summers of marriage. and three different garden plots.

of all three, this one is the largest...which also means it took the most work to get ready. but after a lot of sweat, i finally got it planted this morning. we're taking a low-key approach this year and hoping for the best. i mostly used the seeds i had left over from last year, along with a few extra plants. i got the strawberries from a friend (thanks keri!) back in april. in addition to the strawberries, we've got basil, cilantro, dill, a green pepper, two varieties of carrots, radishes (just to space out the carrots...who actually eats radishes?!), three varieties of cucumbers, marigolds, beans, and a pumpkin.

the previous owners of our home put in this nifty little irrigation system...we'll see how it works for us.

i love gardening. for some reason, turning over the dirt, adding a little water and some seeds is very therapeutic for me. i'm sure it won't be perfectly weeded. and who knows how much of it will actually produce, but for now...i'm just enjoying it.

water...

2011-05-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

since we've been in our new home...a total of 6 weeks mind you, we've have 3 different water issues in the basement and one leaking fridge. water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink. okay, so we do have water to drink, but still, we have had water in plenty of places we don't need it.

anyways, we're all dried out now and our fridge is fixed. so...onto decorating...finally. hopefully i can get a few things up on the walls (at least the ones that are painted) and decide on a few more paint colors. i'm really looking forward to buying some rugs (if i can ever decide on what i want) and getting things settled.

so...nothing really exciting going on here...just thought i'd post a little update.

our house...is a very, very, very fine house...

2011-03-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

well, we've done it. we've officially made a big step towards actually becoming adults. we're buying a home. so here are a few photos to show you all what we've got to work with. in the next few months there will be lots (and lots) of painting, decorating, organizing, and just plain getting things figured out in our new place. so let's start with the 'before'.

this is the front of the house (i actually didn't take this one, it's from the listing, but you can see the gorgeous trees in the backyard when they are in full foliage. love them!). it could use a little landscaping love, but we'll get to that this summer.

next we have the view from the front door. this just might be my favorite part of the house. i love all of the light that the windows and doors let in. you can't tell from this photo, but the paint color in this room is a tomato red/orange color. not my favorite for this room, so we'll be working on that first.

this is the view from the far right corner of the living room. you can see the kitchen. that strange wall is where the fridge sits and the mud room/garage door entrance is on the left. (we're up to three paint colors now...keep counting!)

here's another view of the kitchen. the kitchen sink window looks out over the garden area. and yes, we'll be painting the yellow walls too.

here's the mud room. it's got some great shelving and hooks...and yes, our fourth paint color.

next is the upstairs bathroom...and the fifth paint color so far.

and now onto the master bedroom (paint color #6). the bay window looks out over the backyard.

and now the master bath...paint color #7. if you haven't caught on by now, the previous owners loved to paint.

there are two more smaller bedrooms on the main floor...with, you guessed it...two additional paint colors...that takes our total to #9.

okay, now to the downstairs. we LOVE this room as well. it's very spacious and we love the fireplace. the downstairs was finished about 5 years ago, so it feels slightly newer than the upstairs. (and yes, this is a new paint color...#10)

here's the downstairs bath...with two sinks and a jetted tub! technically it's the guest bath, so come on over! and yes, another paint color (#11).

also in the basement are three additional bedrooms, the laundry room, and storage room. another charming feature is the play nook under the stairs. it's super cute. and just in case you were wondering, all three of the bedrooms and laundry have their own paint colors...that takes us to a grand total of...drum roll please...#15! for now we probably won't paint the basement. the colors are fairly nice, so we're not going to create too much more work for ourselves.

here's a quick look at the backyard. this is a view looking off the deck to the right.

this view is looking towards the back of the house.

and this view is to the right of the previous picture. there's a garden spot and a small sand box and nice little shed.

i hope you enjoyed the tour! and we look forward to having you all as visitors! (just be sure to bring your paint brush!)

mighty, mighty vinegar

2011-03-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

so two cleaning problems at my house.

#1--nasty, nasty buildup from the dishwasher on my glass drinking glasses. so here in utah they pulled sulfates out of the dishwasher soap...and my glasses have been cloudy and gross ever since. they were getting so bad, our finger prints were showing up in the buildup. GROSS. seriously.

long story short, i did some online research and found that vinegar was the answer. so i filled my sink (just enough to cover my glasses laying down) with hot water and some vinegar, soaked them over night...and wa-lah! sparkly clean!

there are a few small spots that could have easily been removed if i had been ambitious enough to scrub them, but i think i'll just soak them again when they start to cloud up again. (they also do say that a cap-full of vinegar in your dishwasher (after it's started to fill) will help prevent the buildup.)

#2--terrible hard-water stains on my glass shower doors. again...vinegar to the rescue, plus a few other ingredients. the online research results recommended lemon juice (applied with a sponge) for the most of it, and then a paste of vinegar and baking soda for the tough spots (but my whole door qualified as a tough spot if you ask me). then you spray with a mix of water and vinegar. then squeegee or finish with window cleaner.

this wasn't quite as dramatic as a result, but it still worked. i'm planning on doing a second round and hopefully it will all come off.

ah the power of vinegar...

cna anyone?

2011-01-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

just passing this along.

if you or anyone you know is interested in getting their CNA, check this out...and pass it along.

http://www.advantagecna.com/home.html

thanks!

latest project

2010-12-30T15:37:00.000-08:00

just thought i should share my latest project...

oh and i made the quilt too. i think they both turned out pretty great!

burnt sugar almonds

2010-11-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

i think i may become my father's favorite daughter...after i make him a batch of these that is!

burnt sugar almonds

eric and i whipped up a batch of these tonight, and not only do they taste fabulous...my house smells a-maz-ing. seriously.

i can safely say that this is not the last batch of these we'll be making this holiday season.

just thought you should know.

still meal planning

2010-10-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

the planner in me is loving the meal plans. it makes cooking so so so much more enjoyable.

here are the plans from the past few weeks:

sun - flank steak, garden potatoes, green beans
mon - steak sandwiches
tues - quesadillas
wed - steak sandwiches
thurs - sloppy joes
fri - chicken enchiladas, homemade salsa
sat - out

sun - bruschetta chicken, corn on the cob
mon - breakfast casserole, fruit
tues - hamburgers, corn on the cob
wed - pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob
thurs - grilled pizza
fri - out (girl's weekend)
sat - out (girl's weekend)

sun - pulled pork sandwiches
mon- french toast
tues - black bean quesadillas, chips and salsa
wed - pizza strombolli
thurs - (i honestly can't remember)
fri - at kristyn's
sat - grilled pizza

sun - cereal (just home from st. g)
mon - breakfast burritos
tues - pasta and garlic knots
wed - out
thurs - pulled pork sandwiches
fri - indoor picnic date (turkey sandwiches)
sat - pulled pork sandwiches

sun - lemon oregano chicken, corn on the cob
mon - waffles, fruit
tues - broc/ham pinwheels, corn on the cob
wed - cashew chicken, brown rice, broccoli
thurs - cashew chicken, brown rice, broccoli
fri - ham and potato soup, bread bowls
sat - out

phew...i didn't realize i was so behind.

now here's my plan: keep things recorded, note what works/doesn't work, and then reuse my plans...hopefully improving functionality, variety, and nutritional value. this past week (last listed) was prob the most successful in the variety/functionality category (note common ingredients broc, green onions, ham), but not so much in the nutritional value area (note the syrup, cream cheese, and half&half). so...it's a work in progress...and prob always will be.

i'm also working on a loose 'day of the week' theme: mondays = breakfast, tues = crockpot/sandwich, wed = beans/rice, thurs = pasta, fri = soup/sandwich. we'll see how that goes.

anyways...it's going well, and making my cooking life much more enjoyable.

pillow obsession...the outcome

2010-09-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

i finally started working on my pillows...

check it out.

also, these little babies will be hung on the wall. i quite like how they turned out.

that's all.

basil, oh how i love thee...

2010-09-05T15:44:00.001-07:00

in case you haven't heard, i have a thing for basil. i love it.

so when it came time to plant our garden this spring, i planted quite a bit. 5 square feet or about 16-20 plants. and just as i had hoped, it flourished.

we've been enjoying it all summer long, and now as the summer comes to a close, it's about time i started preserving it for the winter (since that was the whole reason for the ridiculous amount of basil i planted).

so after a brainstorming session with my mom and a bit of internet researching, i came up with 3 possible preservation methods. now there are quite a few more than that, but 3 that seem to fit my purposes.

1. chop and freeze in water
2. chop and freeze in boiling water (to blanch while freezing)
3. chop and freeze in olive oil

so, i plan to try all three methods this year, and then in the future, i can use the one that works best for me.

and just in case you were curious about the process, let me share...

wash...

stack...

roll and slice...
enjoy the yummy basil smell...

pack into ice cube trays and fill with water (or oil)...

and freeze...

let's hope my hard work will pay off mid-winter when i'm craving fresh basil!

this meal brought to you by...

2010-09-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

my sister turned me onto a fabulous site...www.melskitchencafe.com. the majority of her recipes are things we'd actually eat, with normal ingredients, and decent nutrition. [side note: i also really like 'the best recipe' section.]

and since our meal this evening was primarily from this website, i thought i'd share. so without further adieu...this meal is brought to you by Mels' Kitchen Cafe.

The Best BBQ Sauce

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Perfect Corn on the Cob

i made the buns on tuesday (for sloppy joes, more on that later) and the bbq sauce yesterday. so today was relatively easy, especially since the pork has been in the crockpot since this morning.

tasty.

more meal planning

2010-08-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

so last week didn't quite pan out in the meal planning department. it wasn't a complete failure, but it wasn't entirely successful either. mostly just frustrating with things not quite turning out as planned. and i guess when you're pregnant, things like that can drive you to tears...at least that's what i hear.

anyways, here's a quick update on this coming week's plan. (just a side note, this isn't turning into a meal planning blog, but i need the practice an accountability that posting about it creates.)

sun - rosemary chicken and potatoes (side note: this was not good. note to self: i don't really care for rosemary)
mon - french toast and fruit
tues - sloppy joes w/homemade rolls
wed - hot dogs at the baseball game (make bbq sauce for next day)
thurs - bbq pork sandwiches/rolls/corn on the cob
fri - fajitas/homemade salsa
sat - hamburgers
sun - flank steak/onion red potatoes/grilled zucchini

i do realize that i went from sunday to sunday just now, but that's because i need the planning. for some reason, all the sudden, late yesterday (saturday) afternoon i realized i hadn't planned anything for sunday. thus the quick (and not so tasty), experimental meal this afternoon.

here's to another shot at meal planning; hopefully with less frustration.

pillow obsession

2010-08-24T15:12:00.001-07:00

you'd think that i'd be focused on baby planning. however, i've recently become zoned in on decorating my living room. not sure where that came from, but i'll go with it.

my current decor is focused around green. green pillows. green chair. green storage containers. you get the idea. i think a bit of additional color is needed to spice things up.

so after some internet browsing and inspiration seeking, i found some pillows and fell in love...in love with the pillows, not the price. and since i have some mediocre sewing skills, and pillows are basically straight lines, i decided to make my own.

i was going for some specific colors with some geometric patterns. here's what i found. (the lighting is kinda stinky, but the blue on the far right and left are actually the same blue. also...notice the green chair and pillow.)

and i love them. next, onto deciding shapes and sizes.

meal planning

2010-08-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

for someone who loves to plan, i loathe meal planning.

maybe it stems from all of those dietetics assignments that required us to plan meals for elderly dialysis patients with wound healing concerns. maybe its a pregnancy thing. i'm so sick of eating and though i'm starving all of the time, nothing sounds good. maybe it's just a wife thing. who likes meal planning anyways?!

the alternative...the non-planning approach is NOT working. it's frustrating. it's unhealthy. it's mentally exhausting. so, it must be done.

as i've been working on my plans this afternoon, i've remembered why i have failed at planning meals in the past. a) something comes up and the plan flies out the window, b) it doesn't sound good when it comes time to make the meal, and c) i end up planning too many meals and we drown in leftovers.

so this time i'm approaching it in a new way.
1) i plan to be flexible (planning 2-3 weeks ahead, but only printing out one week at a time, after i've reevaluated),
2) i'm strategically using some meals that will make good leftovers and others that we'll only eat once...and then planning lunches accordingly, and
3) i added an events section (this way i can correspond actual life with meals). hopefully by taking some of our evening plans into the meal plan i can make things fit a bit better together.

alrighty then.

here's a quick look at this week:

so that's that.

my current attempt

2010-07-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

so...for those of you who haven't heard the news...my current attempt is surviving pregnancy. now that i've completed the first trimester, life can begin again somewhat. not to say that i wanted to die during the first trimester, but there were days that i started to consider it. feeling constant nausea is just no fun, but definitely worth it.

it was also an interesting experience from the food/dietitian point of view. because of my nutrition background, i know (almost too much) how incredibly important nutrition is to development, especially early development.

however, sometimes, reality gets in the way. at first, i couldn't get enough protein...cottage cheese, protein bars, and string cheese were foods i couldn't get enough of. then, suddenly and unexpectedly, those foods were completely disgusting. seriously, gagging.

and then it was all about the carbs...gatorade, crackers, toast...but no sweets. yes, the girl who LOVES cookies...now has absolutely desire for them. (most of you are thinking that would be great, yet it's really so sad for me.) though carbs were most appealing, food in general was just plain annoying. the phrase, "i am SO sick of eating" was heard often, very often.

and now that i'm moving into the second trimester, the appetite is slowly coming back (though some foods are still very off-limits, mostly texture related...string cheese, shredded chicken, etc). hopefully, food will once again be a friend and the fruits and veggies and home-cooked meals can again start flowing in the z household.

so that's the current attempt...surviving the next few months of pregnancy...and then onto another adventure...motherhood! i can't wait!

much better {bread}

2010-05-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

i tried again. i'm bound and determined to make good, homemade bread. the kind my kids will remember and try to replicate. [note i haven't had the courage to replicate my mom's recipe...i just couldn't bear to ruin that recipe, so i will wait until i have developed my bread making skills just a bit more.]

so today i tried this recipe: honey whole wheat bread. and wah-la. i think it actually turned out. now the true test is the days following. even my last attempt was okay on it's baking day. however, the next few days...dry, course...bleh. so here's to hoping that this recipe will weather just a bit better. i'll keep you posted.

bread

2010-04-30T15:03:00.001-07:00

i tried my hand at making bread for the very first time today. after all of those years watching my mother make perfect loaves, i gave it a shot. and let me tell you, they're not beautiful. but add a little bit of butter...and it's pretty darn tasty (although i do have a violent case of the hiccups now...related? i think so.)

now before you critique the dietitian for making white bread, just know that i didn't have any whole wheat flour. okay, okay, so a dietitian should have whole wheat flour, i'll repent and go get some for the next batch.

okay, on to the recipe. being absent minded, i forgot that i actually have a copy of my mom's fabulous bread recipe and went in search of this one: Easiest White Bread Recipe You Eve r Tried. it is easy, however i still managed to botch the directions and did things in slightly the wrong order. oh well, my mom has assured me it didn't matter. (guess my mediocre results are due to inexperience.)

here are a few pics. lumpy, yes. nonuniform, yes. flat, a bit. tasty, pretty much.

verdict: next time try mom's french bread recipe. for now, we'll be eating lots of french toast.

and it begins...

2010-04-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

we started planting our garden today. peas. potatoes. carrots. swiss chard. spinach. that's all for today.

on that note, i put together a plan for our garden with the 40'sq in mind. however, when we went back to our plot today, it's a whopping 80'sq. yikes. now what?!

okay, so i've quickly filled in most of my new space, but not too sure about my plan since i've not been a square food gardener before. any advice about trellises in the square food garden? do i need to leave space between them? should i orient them north-south (two to four 10' long rows) or east-west (six 4' long rows)? can i really grow tomatoes on a trellis? ah...questions!

2 new

2010-03-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

2 new what? 2 new recipes...new to me anyways. both of these have been sitting in my mental 'what to make for dinner' file for a while now, so i finally got around to them this week. first mexican chicken (i don't know where i picked this up, so if it's yours, thanks...take credit in the comments!). second stromboli.

mexican chicken
4-5 boneless/skinless chicken breast (I semi thaw and chunk them in approx 2 inch cubes, but you can leave whole frozen, I just found that if I leave them whole, we only get 2 meals out of this, if I chunk them, we get 4 meals)
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans (I do not drain or rinse)
1 can ro-tel tomatoes (don’t drain)
cumin to taste (I love cumin so use approx 1 teaspoon)
garlic powder to taste (same note as above)
Option: If you have a lime hanging around, you can squeeze the lime juice in the pot too… or add a bit of the zest.

All in the pot.
Cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours in crockpot.
Serve over white rice with some shredded cheese, sour cream and diced avocados.
*notes in () are from the original author.

my notes: we quite liked this. i only used 1 chicken breast because that's all i had on hand, but it was still good. i did cut them into chunks, which i would do again, but i would also shred it about an hour before serving. i used frozen corn, just in case you were wondering. also, i served it over brown rice, just because that's what we prefer. i'll definitely make this again, mostly because it was super fast to throw together.

stromboli
*This recipe is courtesy of kristyn...thanks!

1 loaf Rhodes frozen bread dough, thawed but still cold
2-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 pound thinly sliced ham
1/3 pound thinly sliced cheese of choice
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
garlic salt or garlic bread sprinkle, optional

On a lightly oiled surface, roll bread dough out into a 10x15 inch rectangle. Leaving 1-inch boarder on each side of bread dough, spread with mustard. Arrange slices of meat and cheese on dough, leaving 1-inch space along edges. Starting along one long side, roll Stromboli up "jelly roll" fashion. Pinch edges together to seal; fold ends under; brush top and sides with beaten egg; using a sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch deep vents along top; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and optional garlic salt. Place Stromboli on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray, seam side down. Cover with plastic wrap which has also been sprayed with non-stick spray; raise 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and bake 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Cool 10-15 minutes, cut into 6 pieces and serve warm.

my notes: so technically this is not a new recipe. pretty sure mom made it in some form or another when i was growing up. also, i've made it several times into a pizza roll (also very good). but it was the first time i made the ham/cheese version. we also liked this one...it was a good week at the z's.

not dead

2010-03-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

so...i'm alive. not dead. (you were glad to hear that i'm sure.) just uber busy with the thesis and the rest of life. so i guess that i could title this post 'attempt at surviving', but i won't. between our trip to orlando, cub scouts, thesis, thesis, thesis, thesis, thesis, thesis, and keeping our life running, not too much time is left for any projects. (although, i am currently giving up diet coke, so maybe that's a project.)

just wanted to say hi and for the record...i'm not dead.

shredded beef tacos

2010-02-28T15:58:00.000-08:00

mmmmm....

2.3# beef round roast
2 cloves pressed garlic
2 small cans green chilies
1/2 white onion, chopped*
2-3 t cumin
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 can beef broth**
275F
5 hours***

add black beans.colby jack cheese.guacamole.salsa.lime.cilantro.

among the many things i love, i love shredded beef tacos. pure goodness.

and since this was just one of those "attempts" here are a few notes for next time:
*that's all i had, otherwise it would have been a whole onion
**i would use additional fluid [water or beef broth], it was slightly dry, but still tasty
***though it was tender enough, if i had added more fluid, it could have cooked for another 45 minutes and been even more tender without being overdone

this recipe brought to you by bec and james...their recipe, slightly modified by me (only for time and temperature). thanks guys!

bit the dust

2010-02-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

the basil bit the dust today. i had a glimmer of hope that it would make a miraculous recovery (especially since there was no real reason that i can think of that it was dying). but that was not the case. sad. maybe i will try again...

in pursuit of...basil

2010-02-20T11:07:00.001-08:00

i love love love fresh basil.

i love it on pizza.

i love it in soup.

i love it in just about anything.

i also love growing it.

and sometimes i am successful.

and sometimes i am not.

after having such a fabulous growing experience this summer with my basil (see green gorgeousness above), i just couldn't resist the following. while searching out some of the fresh herb last week for a few recipes, i ran across a live basil plant. it was green. and growing. and i am a sucker for live plants. i need those living things. they are cheery. they bring outside in. they make me happy. and generally, i'm a successful indoor plant grower.

however...this little dude is not doing so well.

i have a feeling it was doomed from the beginning. it's only been under my supervision for 10 days now...and it started this limp behavior from day 2. i kept the soil nice and damp. i put it in the sunniest place in my house. i did everything right...so really, i'm not crediting the demise of this sad little guy to a failure of my green thumb. i'm chalking this one up to...well not me.

any tips out there for growing herbs indoors? i'd love to hear them!

branching out

2010-01-25T06:54:00.000-08:00

one of my goals this year is to branch out a bit as far as recipes go. it's been an interesting process during the last year of cooking for 2. combining tastes and preferences isn't all that easy when you've both created habits during your long single existence. so...it's been (and continues to be) a process of trial and error to find things we both like.

here are a few of the recent recipes i've tried.

lion house rolls -- so this was the first time i have ever attempted rolls...and i must say, they turned out quite tasty.

pw mashed potatoes -- the last time i made mashed potatoes...not good. so i took the challenge and mastered the mashed potatoes. they were good, but i have a feeling it had more to do with the cream cheese and half and half than me. good, but neither of us have a real love for mashed potatoes, so...these won't be repeated very often.

crock pot pork chops -- these were fine. not fabulous. but fine. i don't think i'll make them again though.

lemon rosemary salmon -- so good. and very pretty. in honor of our engagement anniversary, salmon was on the menu (but no snails this year). we were both quite impressed with this recipe. easy and tasty.

my goal is to try something new each week...so far so good. i'll keep you posted.

fumbles

2010-01-18T12:57:00.001-08:00

i've quilted before. i've pieced a quilt before (see the lovely little number above). i've had my fair share of figuring out many a different patterns. and quite successfully i might add.

but today, today is not a successful day. just now, i spent the better part of an hour marking a quilt top. it's a simple little thing. cute. easy. but for some reason, i'm just not using my quilting brain today. i marked the two ends of the quilt completely wrong. and i'm frustrated. frustrated that i didn't figure it out until i was almost finish marking it. frustrated that now there are pencil marks all over my quilt top that are completely incorrect. frustrated that i didn't take one simple step (comparing the two edges before marking lines across the entire top, which didn't quite line up, but i thought it was just because the fabric was slightly stretched and that I had missed a marking here or there) to avoid all of this. okay, so now that i've vented...i guess i'll figure out how to fix my brainlessness.

that's all. just wanted the rest of you to know that you're not alone in your fumbles. (at least i hope someone else out there fumbles...at least that's what i'm telling myself right now.)

philosophy

2010-01-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

i’ve been throwing this idea around for a while and trying to figure out how to put this all into words, so bear with me as i fumble through the following.

as a dietitian, i’ve had many opportunities to think about my ‘health philosophy’. i’ve always believed that ‘all foods fit’. i’ve always believed that each individual is unique in their food preferences, nutrition needs, and fitness goals. i’ve always believed that we have been given a sacred stewardship over our physical bodies. and i’ve always believed that there is direct connection between our physical bodies and our spirituality.

more recently, my belief in the connection between the physical body and the spirit has evolved. the need for constant physical nourishment is directly related to our need for constant spiritual nourishment. it takes time, effort, and energy to take care of our physical bodies. it takes time, effort, and energy to take care of our spirits. our Heavenly Father could have created our bodies without the need for physical nourishment. He could have made them non-discriminatory to the types of food our bodies require [meaning a cookie will provide equal nourishment as a bowl of blueberries]. but He didn’t. and i believe He did this for a reason. which leads me to believe very strongly that we were given these physical bodies to teach us something more than ‘all foods fit’.

now, don’t get me wrong, i am no where near perfect in my food choices. just like i am no where near perfect in the rest of my choices. but, every day, i make an effort, to make better choices. and isn’t that what it’s all about, being better? doing our best?

so this leads me to my current attempt, my attempt at being intuitive. i’ve actually been working on this for a while. it first started when i gave myself permission to really allow all foods to fit. i stopped restricting those ‘not so good’ foods and started figuring out how they make my body feel. how do i feel after i eat a burger and fries? let me tell you…awful. but i still do it…because i forget how awful i feel afterwards. how do i feel after a chicken fajita full of fabulous toppings like salsa, cilantro, avocado, cheese, sour cream? wonderful. fabulous. so my new attempt it so really pay attention to how my body feels.

but this doesn’t end with food. it spills over into fitness. now, i first will confess. since i started grad school, running, etc, has been hard to fit into a routine. i ran a bit here and there. hubby and i even started training for a relay race. but it just never really fit into my life. thus it never stuck. back to being intuitive. as i started really paying attention to how my body felt. i realized how horrible i felt. my muscles felt tight and weak at the same time. i felt like my entire body was full of toxins and staleness. so, with an early delivery from santa, our bike trainer arrived.

it didn’t get much use in december due to the craziness of grad school. however, since coming back from christmas, it’s been busy. the first week, my body felt good. i could almost feel the nastiness that had been building up in my muscles seeping out. however, the current sinus infection that has invaded my nasal cavity has strongly discouraged the use of the bike trainer or any extra physical effort for that matter. but, that’s part of listening to my body. not pushing when it needs to rest. pushing harder when it feels good. listening. being intuitive.

this philosophy also doesn’t end with fitness. sleep. for the last…well i don’t know how long, i’ve been one to pride myself in how early i could get up in the mornings and still function. while dating hubby, i was averaging 5, maybe 6 hours a night on a regular basis. not good. i don’t know what it is about grad school, but my once 7 hour requirement has spiked to 9 or 10. so, in the spirit of listening to my body, i actually let myself stay in bed after hubby leaves in the morning. i anticipate that as i continue to be more intuitive, this number will probably change. i’ll just have to keep listening.

so, what does this all boil down to? honoring the gift of the body. being positive with my choices. being positive with my thoughts and perceptions of my body. being grateful for a healthy body.

lion house rolls

2010-01-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

today was the day for yet another attempt...my first attempt at rolls. so after discussing the topic thoroughly with my mom (thanks mom!), she led me to a great recipe for lion house rolls, which you can find by clicking here.

overall, it went fairly well. though...as this is a learning process, i will say that i let them rise too long (due to the roast that was in the oven, taking up space, at the wrong temperature...oh well). it turned out to be a mostly cosmetic problem, resulting in an uneven texture on the top of the rolls. but the texture and taste was fabulous.

mmmmmmmm......

and yes, if you've done the math, this means that hubby and i will be eating 2 dozen rolls...all by ourselves. mmmmm...time to get back on the bike! (more to come on the bike...just in case you're curious.)

the acti-fry

2009-12-03T20:05:00.000-08:00

i am lucky. seriously. (i mean really, have you met my hubby?!) okay, but really, this post is really about my luck in winning prizes. at the nutrition conference i attended in denver, i entered to win this very cool kitchen appliance called the acti-fry. it makes french fries from 2pounds of potatoes with only 2 tablespoons of oil. and as a rd who happens to enjoy french fries, this is very cool.

so...my prize, the acti-fry, arrived at our door a few weeks later...and i was thrilled. seriously. jump up and down thrilled. (i am not kidding...i jumped up and down.) okay, back to the point. with this fabulous appliance, we decided to attempt our own french fries.

first...cut.

then...add 2 tablespoons of oil.

then...let the acti-fry begin.

then...30minutes later.

mmm....mmm...mmm.

survey says...they were pretty good. next time: cut smaller fries. try different seasonings. add burgers. (we ate turkey sandwiches...it just wasn't the same.) all in all...the acti-fry will see another day.

minis

2009-10-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

things are more adorable when they are mini, right?!

in case you couldn't tell, they are mini pumpkin pies with jack-o-lantern faces. if you want the recipe...click here. mine may not be quite as cute as the ones featured in the recipes, but hey...it was my first attempt. (the faceless ones were for eric...he later admitted that he could barely taste the chocolate.) cute and tasty.

Survival?

2009-10-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Is it an "attempt" if you're just trying to survive?! Between my thesis and moving...survival has been the main goal for the last 2 weeks.

We're currently moving from survival mode to functional mode...which includes my "attempt" to organize. Our new place is slightly smaller than our last place...that factor on top of the complete chaos that is created by moving has created a disaster area in our 2nd bedroom. My current "attempt" to deal with that situation includes shutting the door and walking away. Maybe next week will be a real "attempt"?!

PS...I should be embarrassed to admit that our "attempts" at eating well have resorted to freezer meals and frozen pizzas, but I'm not. That's just life. And life isn't perfect. And neither are my eating habits. Maybe this blog should be called "confessions" instead of "attempts"...

more tomatoes

2009-10-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

tomatoes. lots of tomatoes. and though i love them, they are a lot of work (especially the little ones).

and since i don't want to invest in canning at this point in life, freezing is the best option. so, because this process was new to me, i thought i'd share it with you.

[to tell the truth, this isn't the first time i attempted this process. i actually completed my first batch, along with several calls to my mom, a few weeks ago. and that process inspired this blog. i figure i'm not the only one who calls my mom frequently during a project and never really knows if i'm doing it right or not. so i figured i'd share all of my attempts with you. back to the tomatoes...]

1. wash well

2. boil water

3. prepare ice bath (note to self: have enough ice on hand for the plethora of tomatoes. second note to self: prepare a bowl large enough for all of your boiling hot tomatoes)

4. dump tomatoes into boiling water. leave them in the boiling waters for...well...not very long (i probably took them out a bit sooner than i needed to but i'd say it's less than a minute)

5. drain tomatoes and transfer them immediately to the ice bath. leave them there for a few minutes while you get your next stations ready

7. peel the tomatoes. flash boiling, as above, cooks them just enough to loosen the skin.

8. cut the tomatoes into large chunks

9. bag and freeze

apparently (according to my mom), you can use these just like diced canned tomatoes after they thaw...we'll see. i have yet to try them yet.

that's all. (that and the 12 pans of cookies i baked this week. but we'll save that for another post.)

take 2...sundried tomatoes

2009-09-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

i'm no quitter. so i tried again.

and because i was determined to make this batch better than the last, i made a few modifications. first, i seeded my tomatoes.

and since with the seeds, comes a whole lot of liquid, i decided to be a bit more vigilant on the time. i checked them at 4 hours and did a bit of rearranging. since the tomatoes varied in size, some were more done than others.

and after about 30-45 minutes for the beefier tomatoes, they were all done...success!

(sorry the picture's kinda weird...i've had all kinds of trouble getting things uploaded. i think it's our internet.)

how does a garden grow?

2009-09-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

so, i've always been a gardener. back in the day, the 4-h days to be exact, i got a blue ribbon in gardening. i had my own plot in my mom's garden. i have no idea what i grew, but i'm sure it was blue-ribbon worthy. i think there may have been a bell pepper involved.

last year, my garden-attempt was limited to a 6" by 18" container. cilantro (that didn't quite make it but provided a few happy salads). sage. dill. basil. the basil was a huge hit. it even made the trip to utah with me. basil = happiness.

so this year, when we found our humble abode, and it had a small garden plot i was beyond thrilled. so thrilled, i moved 72 square feet of rock so i could get to the dirt. thrilled. i sketched out my space and planned what i would plant. i sketched. re-sketched. consulted with the hubby. resketched. and then...i planted.

and watered.

and waited.

and watered. and waited.

(ps...that's my head poking out of the tomatoes. and they aren't giant just because they are taller than me...really, have you ever seen tomatoes that tall?)

it was a joyous process. and i loved every minute of it. i even loved when the giant tomatoes fell over. i even loved when the giant tomatoes fell over again. (i didn't so love when the hubby hurt his hand helping me with the stakes for the giant tomatoes. there may have been more than one can of cream of mushroom soup harmed in the process...sorry, to my hubby, not to the decimated cans.) but i loved it. and now...it's loving me back.

i love my garden.

sun-dried tomatoes

2009-09-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

so...i have a plethora of tomatoes (see the future post on the garden...that's a attempt for sure!). and in trying to be domestic/frugal/un-wasteful i decided to make sun-dried tomatoes. easy. right.

actually, not so hard. i...
1. quartered my juliet tomatoes (a cross between a roma and a cherry...according to me)
2. placed them skin down on a piece of foil that was covering my pan
3. interspersed unpeeled garlic cloves
4. salted and peppered liberally
5. drizzled with olive oil

6. put in the oven @ 225F for 6 hours
7. checked them a few times
8. left them in for the full 6 hours (ignoring my intuition to take them out sooner)

9. removed burnt sun-dried tomatoes from the oven
10. curbed my disappointment

so, really it wasn't that hard, and my ingredients were mostly from my garden, so i didn't waste that much. and i learned that you should always follow your intuition. the end.