I am thankful...

Remember when you sat down for Thanksgiving dinner with your family, and everyone had to go around and say something they were thankful for? Well, I guess I'm a bit emotional, considering the surge of rampant hormones flowing through my body, and I decided I needed to make a list of everything I am thankful for. And I realized, it's a lot. Bear with me:

I am thankful for my husband. Although he drives me batty sometimes and I chase him around the house using my best nagging voice, he never ceases to amaze me. He is the most generous, loving, comical, wonderful man I have ever met and I cannot for one minute imagine my life without him. How boring and empty it would be.

I am thankful (of course) for my family. That's a no brainer, but there is something so amazing about unconditional love from your family. That never gets old.

I am thankful for my animals - all four of them. Every day I walk in the front door and they are all waiting for me, slobbering and purring, and it melts my heart. And each one of them provides hours of entertainment, snuggle time and serious loving. They hold such a special place in my heart.

I am thankful for maternity leggings. I pretty much live in them and I'm sure my office is tired of seeing me in them. And I don't care. They are the most comfortable clothing item in my closet (but I am not thankful for the growing bubble butt I must shove into those pants).

I am thankful for my morning commute bus driver. When we are stopped in traffic he rocks out on his air drums. He's got some serious skills and for some unknown reason, I get enjoyment out of it. I always wonder what song is playing in his head...

I am thankful for gingersnap lattes at Starbucks. Um, hello??!

I am most thankful for this beautiful little growing child inside of me. I'll admit, at first it was hard for me to feel an attachment and bond to something that doesn't even feel like it's there. But lately all I can think about is come March I will actually have a daughter, a family of my own and all the new adventures parenthood brings. Each time she lovingly kicks me right in my bladder and almost makes me pee my pants, I stop and think about this amazing miracle Andy and I will get to meet in a few months. And I am SO excited.

Sappy enough for you all? I've got more but I'll stop at that. Happy Thanksgiving!

A Green Moment

I'm trying to be more "green". Being from Bellingham, I think it's in my bones to be earth-friendly and a little tree-huggerish (yep, that's a word). So I love green tips for the home whenever I can get them.

Green tip of the day: Don't just toss your old fabric softener sheets from the dryer. You can reuse them to dust your t.v., stereo, Wii (hey, I don't know what you're into), etc. Not only will they collect dust, but it will help to repel dust in the future.

I knew about doing this with new sheets, but never thought to reuse. Aha moment!

Overdue for an Update

With the recent move and lack of internet connection at home, a flu/cold that had me out for a week and catching up on work, I'm way overdue for a blog update.

As many of you know, we found out Monday morning that we are having a girl. Needless to say, both Andy and I were a little stunned because we were so convinced we had a boy on the way. The ultrasound tech had a hard time getting the baby to cooperate (had her legs closed like a lady should) so after searching for 5 minutes, she said she is "pretty sure" it's a girl. Pretty sure? She said she would have seen boy parts otherwise, so we're feeling about 98% confident at this point. Andy and I have now let the news sink in, and it's finally hitting me. I just can't imagine Andy with a daughter! Too precious.

As you can imagine, my mind has now been racing with nursery ideas, names and trying not to go out and buy a million little cute outfits. This could be trouble.

Quick Tip

If you are a recessionista like myself, you are probably familiar with packing your lunch to work or even at home, which often includes leftovers, and often includes plastic containers to tote your homemade goodness in. I love me some leftover spaghetti!

What I don't love is that nasty, oily, red colored film that never seems to go away after you wash your container. But, fear not! I have a quick tip to keep your containers clear and film-free. Before you add your leftovers, spray the inside of your container with cooking spray, or if you are like myself and trying to be healthy/organic, a dollop of olive oil spread around the inside will do. Voila - no more grimy greasy film.

Cornbread Pudding with Apples and Sausage

I only recently discovered bread pudding. I never had it growing up, but the first time I made it I thought, "where have you been all my life?" The different ways you can make it are endless - savory, sweet, etc. And it's a great way to use up bread that's just sitting around.

I came up with this dish last night when I was trying to decide what to do with leftover cornbread from the other night. I was happy with the end result and my kitchen smelled like Thanksgiving! I served it along side a simple green salad.

I wish I could post a picture, but still can't download any pics until the computer is up and running.

Cornbread Pudding
½ lb sweet turkey Italian sausage
2 apples, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cups cornbread, cubed
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 Tb dried thyme
1 Tb dried savory
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375°

Remove sausage from casings. In a large saucepan, brown sausage over medium high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks.

In a large bowl, combine cooked sausage, apples and onions. Add cornbread to mixture.

In a small bowl, combine milk, eggs and seasonings (thyme through pepper). Mix well. Pour ½ milk mixture over cornbread mixture. Add 1 cup of cheese. Fold gently (and I say gently because cornbread breaks very easily). Repeat with remaining milk mixture and cheese. Fold till combined.

Pour entire mixture into a greased 13 x 9 casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is browned and crunchy. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Hello City...

Not much new to post other than we are moved into the city, loving it, but hating the fact that it looks as though a nuclear bomb dropped in our house. We have so much work to do.

We also don't have our internet hooked up. Comcast likes to make you wait 3 years until they can get someone to come out and hit the switch. The lack of internet, cable or anything to the outside world is both refreshing and a little disturbing.

On another note, things are going well in our lives. Not much to update on, other than Lil Baby Shep seems to like to eat, as every time I sit down to eat a meal it does tae bo in my abdomen. And I confess, I do call the little one "it". I'm a bad mother.

Hopefully more exciting stuff is in the near future. I finally debuted the KitchenAid pro series Andy got me for our anniversary. It's the most amazing, beautiful piece of machinery I've ever laid eyes upon. I think it will be put to good use in the near future (don't even get me started on all the things I can make and then stuff in my face...)

Confessions of an erratic blog poster

I'm all over the place, I know. Summer is still in full force. We have decided to move into the city. And I have a bun in the oven that has kept me parked on the couch every night, zoning out in front of the t.v., unable to move for fear of yacking on myself (TMI? No?).

No excuses, I need to get in gear because it is my favorite time of year!! Today's less than ideal weather conditions have me thinking of chunky home-made soups, hot apple cider and pumpkin bread. Oh weird, I'm thinking about food...

So, my friends, hold tight while I get my life in order and settled (for the next 4-5months, anyway). I promise, I miss you too.

Pasta in my belly makes me happy

If you haven't already, check out Dutch Girl Cooking. The blog itself is beautiful, and the recipes are so interesting. It really gets me inspired. I was searching yesterday and found the recipe for Roasted Tomatoes & Mangor Sauce and I was hooked.

Clearly, stopping at the QFC wasn't going to yield any mangor, so I settled for simply using marscapone (I didn't include any gorgonzola for personal reasons, but will have to try that one!). Anyway, long story short, I loved the idea of the recipe and made my own spin-off. It was delish.

4 plum tomatoes, halved
1/2 large onion, quartered
6 garlic cloves
1 tb olive oil
Salt & Pepper (pinch or more)
1 cup marscapone
1 package fusilli pasta
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
Grated parmesan (if your heart desires)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a casserole dish, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic and oil. Stir to cover the veggies with oil. Roast in oven for 45 minutes, still browned and veggies are soft.
In a blender, add the roasted vegetables (plus the juice and oil left in the casserole dish), salt, pepper and marscapone. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions. Drain pasta. Combine pasta and tomato sauce and mix well. Top with chopped basil and grated parmesan, if desired.
Enjoy!

I apologize that I have no pictures of this delectable meal. My mother and sister were visiting last night and we were starving, so we dug into the pasta eagerly and did not wait. We couldn't - the pasta was like a siren song dragging us in...

Girly talk

Confession: I have a mild obsession with makeup. Even though I can be pretty lazy some mornings and I swipe on some powder and blush, I still love getting dolled up when I have the time and energy. And eyeshadows??? I'm like a kid in a candy store when I get anywhere near the MAC counter. Hold me back...

That's why I love Makeup411. It's a website completely devoted to, duh, makeup. They have beauty breakdowns, which give the product information on hundreds of looks - want to look like Kristin Stewart in Twilight? There's a breakdown for that. There's also a message board where people post, and most often users are makeup artists that have really good suggestions. They also give product reviews - a must for people like me who will run out and buy just about anything.

If you love playing around like a 7 year old in your mother's makeup bag, you will enjoy this site.

Inhale.... and exhale...

Life gets crazier by the moment. Between camping trips, broke-down vehicles, trips to Napa Valley and Sacramento for a family wedding, more broke-down vehicles, and trying to catch up on the new seasons of Project Runway and Top Chef, I am EXHAUSTED.

I am not going to lie when I say I can't wait until summer ends, albeit this summer was pretty fantastic. Fall, please hurry up and get here so I can have my life back, alright?


The dapper groom (cousin Andy).


I love my family.


Again, I love my family, but...

Love and Memories

Five years ago today, on a balmy summer evening at Avalon Golf Club, before 150 or so guests, I married my best friend and the most wonderful man I know.

I can't believe how fast these years have gone by. Between trips to Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, two dogs, two cats, a large and loving family and numerous new additions, I don't know how we have ever found time for each other, but we somehow have.

I thank heavens every day that I have such a wonderful husband. I don't think every married couple can say that their best friend is their spouse.

Here's to celebrating the past five years and MANY more to come!

Slow Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken

I have always thought Nigella Lawson is fabulous. I love watching her shows mostly because she is so elegant and I love the way she talks, but also because her food is simple and wonderful.

I hear her often on NPR and while I was searching recipes on their site, I came across this one - sounds summery, easy and delish (and I love the way she describes what to do).

Slow-Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken by Nigella Lawson

Ingredients
1 chicken (approx. 3 1/2 to 4 pounds), cut into 10 pieces
1 head garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
2 unwaxed lemons, cut into chunky eighths
small handful fresh thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
10 tablespoons white wine
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Put the chicken pieces into a roasting pan and add the garlic cloves, lemon chunks and the thyme; just roughly pull the leaves off the stalks, leaving some intact for strewing over later. Add the oil and, using your hands, mix everything together, then spread the mixture out, making sure all the chicken pieces are skin-side up.

Sprinkle over the white wine and grind on some pepper, then cover tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook, at flavor-intensifyingly low heat, for 2 hours.

Remove the foil from the roasting pan, and turn up the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the uncovered chicken for another 30-45 minutes, by which time the skin on the meat will have turned golden brown and the lemons will have begun to scorch and caramelize at the edges.

I like to serve this as it is, straight from the roasting pan: so just strew with your remaining thyme and dole out.

Serves 4-6

I'm totally making this recipe for dinner this week.

Jeez...

Michael and Farrah? What a sad day in Hollywood. They will be missed by many.

It's a great day to be a Coug

Unless you are Ryan Leaf. What a joke.

http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_061709SCB-leaf-arrested-at-border-TP.8da7b4fd.html

Quick tip for the furry friends

I love the hot weather. Emma and Guinness, not so much. Poor Emma is all black, and as my mom calls her "solar dog".

If you are taking your pups outside during the hot weather, take a bandana, wet it with cold water, and tie it around your dog's neck to keep them cool. This should provide some amount of comfort for them.

And ALWAYS keep water on hand. Dogs naturally have higher body temperatures than humans, so imagine how they are feeling while we are roasting in the heat. Keep the pooches hydrated well, and in the shade if possible.