Risotto virgin

I'll admit it...this was my first time.  I was nervous since I heard it was difficult, but peer pressure led me to trying it.  (twss)

So, I tried the real simple risotto recipe with the Slammin' Salmon and a side of asparagus.  The meal was DELICIOUS!!  I did a marinade that was similar to the Slammin' Salmon on the asparagus (balsamic, oil, lemon pepper, garlic, soy, a little brown sugar) and it was great. 

My fear in risotto was thrown aside.  Yes, it takes time and attention (Real Simple says that you don't need to hover after you get 1 cup of broth absorbed), but it was totally worth it.  It was smart doing a grill recipe with the risotto since my husband grills and I was able to put my attention to cooking it just right.

Overall, this was a great meal and I will keep the idea of using risotto as a side on the back burner for another perfect dish.

Chicken Philly Pasta + New Food Processor = a little too crazy

I recently got a new food processor.  Top of the line, fancy bells and whistles, the whole hootenanny...because we had store credit at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  Since the Chicken Philly Pasta required chopping veggies, I decided to try out the processor for the first time. 

Once I figured out the correct blades to use, I started chopping.  Onion, green pepper--it was all so quick and easy.  I threw some mushrooms in there and then decided to "jazz" up the recipe a little more.  I threw in two jalapenos (seeds and all) in the mix to add a little spice.  I only shredded 6 oz of swiss since I thought a pound was a lot of cheese.  I put in all in a 13x9 pan, covered it with foil and left it in the fridge to bake later in the day for dinner. 

So, it was delicious....just a little too spicy.  I think next time I will hold back my love of processing my food and only add one jalapeno. 

Changes to the recipe:

Here is the link for the recipe for the Chicken Philly Pasta...
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-philly-pasta/detail.aspx

I took out the "chicken soup base" primarily because I wasn't quite sure what they meant. 

I added mushrooms (totally fabulous) and 2 jalapenos (next time I will only add 1) since we like a kick in our food. 

I cut back the cheese to 6 oz of Swiss.  I felt like this was fine if you wanted a "skinnier" meal than what the recipe was making. 

I also added some more seasonings than what the recipe called for, such as garlic powder, onion powder, and a little celery seed (I'm a big fan and a place where we used to get some killer cheese steaks used to add it to their mix).

Possible future changes:

I think I would like to try a melting Mexican cheese in the dish next time.  I wanted something creamier.


Overall, I think the recipe is a keeper and I'll definitely make it again. 

Did anyone else try it??  Thoughts, changes, suggestions?? 

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls REVAMPED to make a freezer meal too!!

So, here is the link to the allrecipes.com recipe that I used in this week's menu Stuffed Cabbage Roll....
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls/Detail.aspx

I made some minor changes (and didn't spend much more) so that I could make a freezer meal while preparing tonight's dinner.  Here is what I did...

Since I bought 1 ½ lbs of ground beef, I decided to up the recipe and make extra cabbage rolls for the freezer (I did this with Manicotti once and loved having an easy-to-make home-cooked meal at my fingertips).   I made 2 cups of rice and added the whole can of tomato soup to the bowl of stuffing ingredients; I added another full can to the pan when I was simmering the cabbage rolls.  Rather than using a few of the cabbage head leaves, I (being the frugal person I am) pealed down the cabbage head until I the center was pretty much a solid mass; I think I got about 22 leaves off of the one head.  I paired up the smaller leaves for the cabbage rolls that I was going to use for tonight’s dinner.  I put 2-3 tooth picks in to help hold them together.  Then, when I got to the larger leaves I made them singly.  I prepared a jelly roll pan with foil and a bit of oil and set approx. 8 of my “prettier” rolls on it.  I placed it in the freezer for about 2 hours.  After, I put the frozen rolls in a freezer bag with the directions for cooking and needed ingredients (tomato soup). 

Now, I not only made a dinner for tonight, but I have one in the freezer that’s ready to be cooked!  J  *Looking at how big the "big" leaves from the head of cabbage are, I'm thinking there is more like two meals here!!  Wow!!  Talk about a cheap and worthwhile meal! 

My Plan for Menu Planning

I've thought a little more about the logistics of posting these menus for weekly dinners.  I listed my reasoning for wanting to do this, but I didn't mention that I hoped to give other moms, wives, people, etc out there great ideas for good eats.  The benefit of reading and using my blog is that I am going to compile the shopping list for the weekly dinners so that you don't have too.   

My weekly menu goal is to include at least one chicken meal, one fish meal, one beef meal, and one pasta meal.  The recipes that I am using are ones that not only sound good, but that don't sounds too strange.  There is nothing I hate more than cookbooks or recipes with odd ingredients or strange foods that I don't like to eat/cook.  We are honestly making these meals as I post them, so Week 1s meals are our dinner plans for this week.  As I've mentioned in other posts, we do have an 18 month old, so my meals are also keeping her in mind.  My hope is that she will eat the same meal as us, but I will of course have other things on hand if she doesn't like it. 

We always keep salad and fresh/frozen veggies stocked so that we can add them to any meal if we are feeling hungrier than usual or if there isn't a green element to the meal--like the Slammin' Salmon and Risotto for Week 1s menu (we are adding asparagus to the menu). 

I think I will post the weekly dinner menus on Friday or early Saturday so that everyone can get their shopping done over the weekend if they'd like.  If that doesn't work for some, start your weekly dinners whenever you'd like.  Maybe plan to start your week off my going out to eat or eating leftovers in order to give yourself more shopping time.  Do whatever works for you.  I'm just doing this to make my life easier, and I thought I'd go ahead and share my work. 

It seems like people are taking a look at what I have to say and what I am posting, so I hope that means that it is making sense, sounds good to eat, makes you laugh, or just keeping you interested.  Please feel free to post comments on recipes as you make them--I know I will--and add requests for menu items or changes. 

In the words of Thomas, "I hope to be a really useful engine!"

Trip to the Grocery for Week 1's Menu

I was excited to head to the store today to get everything I needed for the week.  I bought all of the ingredients (even the odd-ish ones for the Slammin' Salmon since we are going to try to eat more fish for dinner).  Since I knew what I was buying, I was able to find coupons for the items I was purchasing (a total super mommy thing). 

However, while buying the white wine for the risotto, I decided to pick up a couple other bottles (nothing over $5 of course--we're on a budget, you know!) and I also had to get two things of ice cream because it's summer and hot (more along the lines of a "sometimes-super mommy).  So, with only a couple of side tracks (much needed ones), I  got everything on my list which included items for the weeks worth of dinner plus other weekly needs for around $100. 

Sleeping Success!!

As some of you know from Facebook, we have been struggling to get our 18 month old daughter to sleep.  We moved about 3 months ago and finally got her into the groove when all of a sudden something switched.  She was a bear to get down...literally growling, smacking, and screaming.  Our once 10 minute routine was taking 2 hours and was unsuccessful.  Along with other personal craziness, this was tipping me off of the not-so-deep end.

Our attempt to resolve the situation was to move her to her big-girl room even if it was earlier than we had planned.  Through luck we had obtained a toddler bed for $10, so I reconfigured the guest room--moving the toddler bed to the corner, pushing the guest double bed off to the side, leaving the recliner in there (because I had no idea what it was going to take at this point---if she told me she wanted to sleep in the leather recliner, so help me, we would have let her), and moved the nightstand next to the toddler bed.  We made sure we closed all of the upstairs doors except for hers (which we left cracked) and ours (which we left a little more open), and of course we put up a child gate at the top of the stairs--geesh, there was a lot to do!  We even bought a $9 Dora LED nightlight that projects on the ceiling...we were at THAT point.  The first night when asked if she was ready for bed, Caroline jumped off of my lap and said, "Dora?".  She ran to the steps and was ready to go.  My heart skipped a beat. 

Well, it wasn't that easy.  We still had ups and downs.  Some nights she went down without a struggle after 15 minutes, others it was more like an hour and a half and 5 books to the face.  I think I only cried once, and from what I remember, Caroline didn't cry at all (we can clearly see who is stronger here).  We bought bed rails for the guest double bed which was beginning to look like Caroline's new bed since she didn't sleep but a couple of hours in the toddler bed, and I even bought a $60 white noise machine....oh, and also a $7 hippy lavender spray for her room (once again, desperate).  Our cheap switcheroo had now cost us over $100.  But I know that I can't put a price tag on it....and by "it" I am meaning my sleep and sanity. 

So long story not-so-short, last night Caroline slept from 9:15pm until 7am this morning!!  Of course my husband and I still complained about getting up early (I don't think that will ever change), but we were elated!  I think that we may be crossing into knew territory.  Here's hoping that we continue to see more long nights in our own bed and less nights sleeping in the recliner downstairs. 

Now, if I could just get over being freaked out when I wake up to seeing an 18 month old standing in the dark hallway outside of my bedroom in the middle of the night! 

"I look like this because of your daughter."

I know that many things go "down hill" after you have a child--sleep, weight, looks, complexion, sex drive, etc....I've heard it.  I never knew that I'd lose my hair...

My daughter is amazing.  She is creative, talented, funny, and a GREAT hair puller.  It's a fact that Caroline finds comfort in my hair.  Since birth, she's enjoyed twirling my hair when she sits on my lap, when she's tired, and when she's falling asleep.  It's a constant form of comfort for her. 

Tonight, while I was putting her to bed (aka: literally pinning her down to keep her from hopping off of the bed and playing with her toys), she relaxed as I sung to her and she twisted her fingers in the hair around my face.  She twirled and pulled my hair out of my ponytail and I continued to sing and unintelligible lullaby to her until she fell asleep.  Time and time again, my notes were made sharp by a tug and snap of my hair.  I honestly heard 10+ hairs snap from my head. 

In all of the parenting comments, notes, blogs, etc, that I've read, I've heard many comments about childhood behavior, but I've never been told about the hair pulling.  I've asked friends, and yes, other mothers are suffering from the same balding behaviors that trouble me.  So new or expecting mothers, be warned!!  Your little bundle of joy may be after your locks.   

I love my daughter dearly, but when she becomes a mother, I might just have to pull a few hairs out for good measure.  

Nothing but love for my life and my little one,
Jessie