Holy Guacamole!

We may have started a new family tradition last night. 

A friend of mine was in town from Florida for Thanksgiving and had brought me the most beautifully ginormous avocado I've ever seen.  (Why don't I ever remember to take pictures??)  Now this may sound like a weird gift, however, I'm a bit of a guac connoisseur.  So this was the best...  gift...  ever...

Well, this avocado was super ripe and when an avocado's ready, you can't wait.  So last night, we decorated our Christmas tree and ate guac for dinner.  It was fantastic.  I think it's our new tradition. 

Guacamole
1 ginourmous avocado (or 3 regular ones if you don't have a friend in Florida)
1 limes worth of juice
1 clove of garlic
3 T of chopped tomato*
1 minced chili*
Handful of chopped cilantro
salt & pepper

MASH everything together.  Seriously, that's it.

You may have noticed that many of my recipes aren't particularly precise in the measurements.  That's because I hate to measure.  So, as you're assembling your guac, be sure to have a bag of chips nearby to taste as you go along.  Just don't eat the whole thing.  I've done that and it never ends well.

*I have to confess that last night I used fresh tomatoes and chilis for the first. time. ever.  And it was REALLY good.  But if you're lazy like me, go buy yourself a can of petite diced tomatoes with chilis and use that instead.  I recommend the Red Gold brand, but whatever you can find.  I will caution you that Rotel is not the same thing as diced tomatoes with chilis.  I've made that mistake before, too. 

Apologetic Monday

The entire holiday weekend I had these fantastic ideas for posts floating in (and out) of my head.  And here it is Monday, and I don't even have a meal plan to offer you.

Truth be told, after spending a good portion of the weekend in the kitchen, I'm done.  We have enough leftovers from yesterday's Round 2 Thanksgiving to last the better part of the week and I'm going to enjoy that.  And considering the munchkin is getting over a slight bout of the stomach flu and isn't particularly interested in eating anything other than crackers, I'm not gonna worry about it.

So I'm hoping to do a little regrouping tonight and will get some substantive content up tomorrow.  And hopefully this raging headache will have subsided by then.  (Courtesy of my daughter and her ridiculously hard head slamming 60 mph into my nose.)

Black Friday Madness

Watch out.  I'm about to get on my soapbox.  And it ain't gonna be pretty.

Now, I've never been a big Black Friday shopper.  Years of working in retail has ruined it for me.  But every year, the stores get a little crazier.  I remember the first year that stores opened at 6am.  I remember it being a big deal.   Because in my personal experience, no one hit the mall until at least 8am.  Everyone was in a tryptophan hangover.  Who wanted to get up that early to go shopping??

And then there was the year that Walmart opened at 5am.  WHAT??  That's ridiculous!!  But apparently there were some people out there that thought it was pretty cool, so they kept doing it.  And every year it gets earlier and earlier.  And it's not just your major retailers anymore.  Places like Michael's and GNC are opening at the crack of dawn.

My thought was, "Whatever.  Let the crazy people get up at the un-godly hour of 3am to save $50 on a tv.  What do I care?"

But this year has officially crossed the line.  Stores are opening on Thanksgiving this year.  What do you absolutely need to buy so badly that you are willing to interrupt a holiday for?  Furry boots??  No thanks, Old Navy.

I guess I don't understand why people aren't more upset.  Thanksgiving is a day for family, not deal hunting.  Consumerism has completely taken over most other holidays, so I guess it was only a matter of time...

There is one place that is taking a stand this year.  Paramus, New Jersey has laid down the law and will not allow stores to be open ridiculously extended hours in their municipality.  Curfew is 10p and early risers won't find anything open until the respectable hour of 7a. 

I applaud their initiative and wish more cities would take a stand.  My heart goes out to all the poor souls that will have to work this holiday instead of enjoying time with their loved ones.  Not so long ago, retailers were closed on Sunday.  Every Sunday.  It was a day of rest.  A day for family.  Now we can't even get that on Thanksgiving.

What are your plans for the holiday weekend?  Will you be hitting the stores?  What deals are you ready to throw down for?

Contentment

I have a confession to make.  I'm not perfect.  *Gasp*

And actually, I think I'm about as far from perfect as you can get.  Now, I suspect some of that self-deprication stems from a little thing I call my OCD.  I think it all originates from growing up in a house where drink glasses were wisked away to the dishwasher the moment they were set down empty.  I know.  I have problems.  Blame it on my mother.  I can't even begin to imagine what kind of complexes my daughter is going to have.

Instead of cleaning my house last night for impending holiday guests, I created a blog button.

Not so much my priority for the evening...  But isn't it pretty?

I had rationalized that it was too early to start prep cooking for Sunday's feast.

And pretended the toilets weren't disgusting.

Because as much as I want to be "that mom" (you know the one that goes to the gym everyday, gets errands completed with two kids in tow, keeps a spotless house, and has dinner in the crock pot all by 10a), I know that I am not.  And I'm trying to make my peace with that.  But it's not easy.

Lately life has been one big lesson in contentment.  And while I look at others and often times wish my life were different, I know that this path has been put before me to teach me something important.  To learn to live more simply, more appreciatively, more consciously. 

Two years ago really began a new chapter for our family.  With our first baby on the way and both my husband and I recently laid off, we were totaly unprepared to deal with the situation before us. 

It was like going through the five stages of grief.  Or maybe more like a 12-step program. 

Initially there was fear.  Lots of fear.  "How were we going to survive?"  And then there was denial.  "Of course!  Unemployment!  We're gonna be fine..."  Then there was desperate zealousness.  (I know that's not a stage/step.  Work with me here.)  And I threw myself into figuring out how to be a supermom, scouring the interweb for some magic bean that would allow me to be a full time stay at home mom.  But when it was all said and done, I had to accept the fact that the numbers didn't add up.  And that something had to change.

So, here I am. 

And even though I don't get to stay home and have crafting playdates, and my house may not always look the way I'd like, or I long for a small dose of train-wreck cable tv...  I know that every sacrifice makes us a stronger family. 

Also, I'm pretty sure my kid won't grow up with an obsession about clean baseboards.  She may not even know that they are supposed to be cleaned.  And she might be better off because of it.

Meal Planning Monday: Turkey Day Edition

Ah, Thanksgiving week.  I am counting down the days until I get to plunk piles of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and other glorious Thanksgiving fare on my Chinet plate.  But until Thursday, I still need to feed my kid.  And I guess my husband, too.

Oh, and did I mention that I offered to cook Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday for my in-laws?  What was I thinking?  I mean, I was almost in the clear.  Exempt from all kitchen responsibility on the biggest culinary day of the year.  And then I remembered that damn bird in my deep freezer.  And I couldn't help myself. 

Monday:  Mini Meatloafs, Mashed Potatoes, Peas

Tuesday:  Ravioli, Bread

Wednesday:  Dinner courtesy of my in-laws

Thursday:  TURKEY DAY, otherwise known as THE BEST DAY OF THE YEAR

Friday:  Leftovers (hopefully)

Saturday:  Pizza with friends

Sunday:  Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean/Yellow Bean Casserole, Cranberry Sauce, Dinner Rolls

Five Question Friday

I'm linking up with others for Five Question Friday!


1. What Christmas song do you loathe?
Ugh.  So many I've blocked them out.  After working in retail for over 10 years and listening to Christmas music for weeks on end while folding sweaters, towels, whatever, I could live the rest of my life without hearing another Christmas song again.

2. Do you and your significant other cuddle at night or sleep on opposite sides of the bed?
After 2 1/2 years, our Sam's bargain basement mattress has two dents the size of the Grand Canyon, so even if we wanted to snuggle, we'd be seperated by one of us falling into one of the ravines.  Next time I'm buying a Sleep Number bed.


3. Have you ever had surgery?
Yes, lucky number 3.  Twice I've had my guts ripped out and the other time I had a baby ripped out.  None were pleasant experiences.  Obviously.


4. When do you typically have your holiday shopping done?
Characteristically, December 23rd.  I refuse to shop on Christmas Eve, so if I'm not done by then, I say screw it.  However, I've been trying to improve my planning skills, but there is always that one person that stumps me until the very end.  And I go out on the 23rd and buy them a gift card.


5. If money were not an issue (and you HAD to pick something), what would your ultimate luxury item be?
Probably a 50mm lens for my dSLR.  Or a boob lift.  But if I were to go really frivolous?  A '69 Stingray 'Vette.   

Okay, now answer these questions too and link you answers to My Little Life

Thankful Thursday

For those of you that remember anything from high school English class, you might be able to look back on yesterday's post as foreshadowing...  Dun dun dun.  I know, how dare I bring up high school two days in a row?!  But I promise, that's the last time. 

Trying to be a good little planner, I've been working on a vague list of future posts.  And by list, I mean mental notes of ideas that usually come to me when I'm in the bathroom. 

But for Thankful Thursdays, I went as far as writing three words on a post-it note.  "Home," Health," and "Family."  Like I said.  Vague.

But I guess I've had autoimmunity on the brain.  Not like I don't always have it on the back of my mind.  That's what happens when you're lucky enough to be part of the autoimmune disease club.  And I'm extra special because I play on two teams.  I guess that makes me pretty lucky.

And truthfully, I am lucky.  Despite the severity of my Crohn's, I live a pretty normal life.  Every once in awhile, I'll have a bad day.  Usually caused by doing something stupid.  Like eating copious amounts of ice cream or McDonalds.  But my daily life isn't limited by my disease.  Until there is a flare up.  That's when I feel like I'm getting zapped by a Proton Pack.  (Don't cross the streams!!) 

As for the MS...  Most of the 6 years I've been living with the disease, I haven't really noticed it being there.  Until after I had the baby.  Then things tanked.  But still, it's not like I couldn't walk.  I just woke up one morning and was numb from the chest down.  And eventhough it's still there after 8 months, I can still function pretty normally.  And most of the time I forget about it.  I like to think that the reason I can't see is because my contact prescription isn't right.  And that could be completely accurate.  Or it could be optic neuritis.  Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

But I am reminded everyday how lucky I am to be in marginal health.  Because more than likely, neither one of these diseases is potentially going to kill me.  And that puts me ahead of so many less fortunate people.

So when you start whining about having the flu this February (even though you got the flu shot), think about the millions of people out there that are just battling for another day on this earth.  It puts things in perspective real quick.

And I apologize for being such a downer.  Go get some ice cream.  It'll make you feel better.  It always works for me.  And it's totally worth being "Ghostbusted."

I'm Bringing Immunity Back: The Old Friends Hypothesis

Those other systems don't know how to act...  Damn you Justin Timberlake.  I can't help but break into song when I see the words "bringing" and "back" in the same sentence. 

But seriously. 

I've got the beginning of an A+ high school term paper in the making here.  Read on to be in awe of my awesome use of the "Introductory Statement."  My high school English teacher would be proud. 

But seriously.

Since the birth of Industrialization some 100 years ago, modern society has made significant advances in business, technology, and medicine among other things.  And that's a good thing, right?  I mean, what would we do without cars, or banks, or antibiotics?

But how much can we alter our environment before we throw the balance out of whack?

That is essentially the theory behind the Old Friends (or Hygiene) Hypothesis.  While no one wants to go back to the days of cholera, the modern preoccupation with sanitation has caused it's own onslaught of problems.  By killing off all the worms, bugs, and germs, we have in fact  evicted our bodies' best roommate.  You know the one that always washed the dishes and cleaned the bathtub?  Without these "dirty" parasites, we have weakened our bodies' ability to regulate immunity.  The effects of immune dysregulation can be seen in the millions of people affected by allergies, immune, and autoimmune diseases.

So, I urge you to throw out the Purell, touch a bathroom door handle, and let your kids eat dirt every once in awhile.  Apparently it tastes pretty good.  Or at least my kid thinks so.

*Stay tuned for the next installment of "I'm Bringing Immunity Back."  Release date TBD.

Dinner Under 20: Enchiladas

Last Friday we attempted our first "At Home Date Night."  The point is to feed the munchkin something easy for dinner and then after bedtime, we can have a quiet dinner undistracted by monkeys climbing out of highchairs.  But with me not getting home from work until 530 and then having to drop my car off at the shop, we didn't really get to have the full experience.  Nonetheless, I had planned a grown-up dinner.  Meaning a meal that wasn't geared for a child's palette.*  And considering we were short on time anyway, I guess everything worked out pretty smoothly.  So, throw this one in your recipe box for nights when you have a million things to do before 7p.  Heh.  Like that isn't every night, right?

Cheesy Beef Enchiladas
1 cup shredded beef (I used left overs from roast beef sandwiches)
4 tortillas
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
shredded cheese

This really couldn't be easier, folks.  Matter of fact, the "recipe" isn't even necessary. 

Grab a tortilla and dip both sides in the enchilada sauce.  You could even put the kids to work doing this.  Then spread some beef down the middle of the tortilla.  Feel free to use ground beef, shredded chicken, or whatever else you like in your enchiladas.  And roll 'em up side by side in a pyrex dish.  Like cigars.  Add a little more enchilada sauce then top with cheese.  As much as you want.  My husband did the cheesing, so you couldn't actually see the enchiladas below.  But I was kinda okay with that.  Then here's the best part.  Nuke 'em!  For about 10 minutes.  Since everything is already cooked, you just need to heat them through.  Now if you have something against microwaves, you won't hurt my feelings if you throw them in the oven.  But who doesn't like dinner ready to eat in under 20 minutes?

*Note that I only had HOT enchilada sauce on hand, so that's why I wasn't about to feed these to my kid.  She's a wuss and can't handle the heat. Which was confirmed after she bit into a cayenne pepper last night.  It wasn't pretty. 

Meal Planning Monday

Late last week, the husband took it upon himself to clean the fridge.  I mean, really CLEAN the fridge.  So when I came home from work, I could clearly see all the food that was on the verge of growing legs and running out the back door. 

Which of course inspired me to take on a challenge to use up all the remaining odds and ends that have been setting up shop in my fridge like they are the phlem family in the Mucinex commercials.

So, here's my cast of characters...

• 1/2lb raw Italian sausage
• 3/4 of a pint of heavy cream
• 1 grilled chicken breast
• 1 mango
• 3 2 kiwis (1 just wasn't salvagable)
• about 1 cup of leftover shredded roast beef
• 1/2 head of cabbage
• about 2 cups of tomato sauce
• most of a can of pumpkin puree
• about a 1/4 cup of pesto
• 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth (It's actually just the juice from a crock pot chicken...  Does that count as stock?)

The challenge: Create a meal plan that uses up all these ingredients before the HAZMAT team is called in to remove them from my kitchen.

*Disclaimer:  I swear I am not feeding my family rotten food.  These are just items that have been sitting around without a plan for a little too long.  Well, except for the pesto.  I'll have to check on that one...  But it's not like I'd be able to tell if it's moldy anyways...

Monday:  Spicy Penne with Tomato Cream Sauce, Homemade "French" Bread

• Uses sausage, cream, & tomato sauce

Tuesday:  Stuffed Pork Chops, Roasted Cabbage, Cornbread

• Uses cabbage

Wednesday:  Roast Beef Hash, Eggs (over medium), Toast, Fruit

• Uses roast beef

Thursday:  Chicken and Pumpkin Lasagna

• Uses chicken breast, pumpkin puree, cream, & tomato sauce

Friday:  Second attempt at having a weekly date-night.  Leftovers for the kiddo and maybe take-out for us grown-ups.

The pesto (if it's still good) will probably be portioned out and frozen since the hubs isn't really a fan.  But the monkey loves it and it's great for when dad's at work and it's just the two of us for dinner.  Same story for the chicken juice.  I pulled a recipe for making cream of chicken soup, so if I get ambitious this week, I might make that for the freezer.  We'll see.

Five Question Friday

I'm linking up with others for Five Question Friday! So, here's a little look into my life...


1. What is the most physically painful thing that has ever happened to you?


My last bowel resection...  After going through a difficult pregnancy with active Crohn's Disease, my body was not quite capable of healing efficiently after having my guts ripped out (quite literally). 


2. How much sleep do you get at night?

I really try for 8 hours because that is what my body legitamately needs.  However, how many parents ever get 8 hours of sleep?  The neverending laundry is usually to blame for my lack of sleep.


3. How long did you believe in Santa Claus? How did you find out that he does not exist?


If memory serves me correctly, I was 8 years old when my older cousin spilt the beans walking into Marshall's.  It happened something like this...  "You mean you don't know that Santa isn't real??  You're such a baby."  Can you tell I hold a bit of a grudge?

4. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?


I'm pretty sure it was Avatar.  Obviously, I don't make much effort to see things in the theater unless the "theater experience" is really necessary.  I was a little worried about hating the 3D, but they've come a long way since the paper glasses. 

 5. What do you wear to bed?


I can't sleep when I'm cold...  And I'm always freakin' cold, so I get myself dressed for the tundra before hitting the sheets.  Mismatched pajama pants and an old t-shirt.  Preferrably the purple one I've had since I was a child.  It's perfectly broken in after 20+ years.  Oh yeah, and thick fuzzy socks.  None of those little running socks here.  I mean business.


Okay, now answer these questions too and link you answers to My Little Life

Thankful Thursday

And so I continue my expression of gratitude...  in no particular order. 

I have to say that or my husband might get upset.  He gets sensitive when the dog gets more attention than he does. 

I'm feeling especially fond of my husband today.  Not that I'm not always fond of him.  And I think he'd agree that we may not always like each other, but we always love each other.  We're cool like that.

But he's typically a hands-off kinda guy.  Meaning that he lets me hold the reigns about 95% of the time.  And I'm good with that.  My OCD demands a little more control over the day-to-day.  But today was one of those moments that I thanked my lucky stars for him. 

You may recall from Monday's post, I had a little phone mishap over the weekend.  Well, after five days without a working cell phone, I'm still in Verizon purgatory.  And I'm about to chuck this stupid piece of technology off a bridge and move off the grid where I will never need to use a phone again.  And he sensed that.  He's great at dealing with my crazy.

So, in order to avoid the ugly process of moving out to the middle of nowhere and learning how to milk cows and generate our own fuel, he jumped in and started removing things from my overflowing plate.  Without me knowing.  Which ordinarily would send me into a crazy fit.  But today, it was a godsend. 

So, thank you for taking care of the insurance policy.  Thank you for cleaning out the fridge.  And thank you for marrying me.  Because I know that I come with a lot of baggage.   Without you, I'd be hiding in the closet in the fetal position, Sybil-style.  You calm me.  You make me a better person.

Black Friday

After working in retail for 10+ years, I still wake up in cold sweats thinking about the dreaded day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.  (Fun Fact:  Contrary to popular belief, that's actually not the biggest shopping day of the year...  the Saturday before Christmas is.  As a last minute shopper, I can't say that I'm surprised.)  But if you are a glutton for punishment and willing to battle the crowds for some great deals, you can save yourself a little hassle by being prepared. 

Make a list.  Fighting the crowds will be much easier if you have a game plan.  Know where you are going and what you are looking for.  And hopefully you won't have to tackle someone for the last Cabbage Patch Doll.  (My mom still tells me this story 25 years later...)

Do your research.  Check out Black-Friday.net for leaked copies of store ads.  You can sign up for their email updates and be notified when new store ads become available.  Walgreens ad was released today, and while there aren't many items on my gift giving list, there are some great household deals.  Although, I could get my brother-in-law toilet paper...  I'm sure he would appreciate it.

Start early, if you can.  Yes, Walmart usually opens their doors around 5a, which is ridiculous in my opinion, but I can tell you, by the time 11a rolls around, parking lots are going to be jam packed and your patience is going to be wearing thin.  So, if there is something that you have on your "must buy" list, it might be worth finding someone to stay at home with the kids while you run to the store.  Then you can bring donuts home for breakfast!

Happy (Deal) Hunting!

Simple Savings: Laundry Soap

When I was first laid off, I scoured the internet for weeks looking for ways to save a buck.  I figured if I didn't have much power over what money was coming in, then I had to control what was going out.  Many sites spoke of cancelling magazine subscriptions, giving up lattes, and forgoing mani/pedis.  But we were already there.  So, how do you save money when you are already on a shoestring budget?

The answer: do it yourself.  But how much is your time worth?  If you can save $8 for 15 minutes of your time, do you do it?  Now, I'm not advocating that you start making your own ketchup or weave your own fabric.  But there are lots of household products that can be easily made at home with significant cost savings (and higher quality).  And especially if it's an item that you use a lot of...  The savings could be great.  So, I guess if we ate a lot of ketchup, I might consider making that at home, too.  But I do more laundry than I eat ketchup.  And that's how I came to make my own laundry soap.

Hardware:

• large bucket that will hold approximately 5 gallons (I use a plastic Tidy Cats Litter Container)
• saucepan
• box grater
• spoon
• measuring cups

Software:

• 1 bar of neutral soap (I use Ivory)
• 1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
• 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
• 4 cups of water

Start by heating the water to near boiling in the saucepan.  Grate up your soap and add it to the hot water to melt.  Measure out the washing soda and borax and add it to your bucket.  When your soap is melted, stir it into the party.  Then fill up the bucket with hot water.  Approximately 3 gallons, but I don't actually measure.  Now, all the tutorials out there will tell you to allow the soap to cool overnight.  Personally, I don't like how chunky it is that way, so I just give it a quick stir every 15-30 minutes until it appears to be setting up.  And if you forget about it for longer, it's not a big deal.  You'll just have bigger chunks of soap to contend with.  Here's a link to a great tutorial, for you visual people.

The bottom line:  For about 15 minutes of my time, I have a huge bucket of laundry soap that'll last me about 8 weeks (doing approximately 8 loads/week) for $0.99.  That's $0.01/load. (Using 1/2 cup of soap per load.)  That's drastically cheaper than the Arm & Hammer detergent I was previously using ($0.12/load) or the industry leader, Tide ($0.23/load).  But beyond being cheap, it's really effective.  You can apply it as a pre-treater/stain remover...  It's even removed formula stains, which are near impossible to wash out.  And I never have to run out for detergent to make sure the hubs has a work shirt in the morning. 

Meal Planning Monday

Last weekend was...  Well, I'm still rebounding. 

Saturday started out just like any other day.  I had to run errands with the munchkin, which is always interesting.  And unfortunately (for both of us), one of those errands was getting a new pair of jeans.  I'm sure every mother has nightmares about strapping their toddler into a cart in hopes that they can keep them restrained long enough to try on a pair of pants.  And although she definitely wasn't thrilled that I couldn't figure out what size I needed, we made it out relatively unscathed.

The grocery store did not go quite as smoothly once Houdini Baby figured out how to get out of the strap in the cart.  Even the steering wheel on the car cart (which I went out of my way to dig out of the cart corral) did nothing to distract her.  So, I reassessed my grocery game plan and ended up in the check out line with $40 worth of meat, four 2 liters of soda, a ginormous box of baking soda, and a dozen eggs.  The cashier was definitely looking at me funny.  Although, I guess I could just be projecting.

Fast forward...  Home.  Lunch.  Nap.  All is well until my phone battery is dead.  And let me tell you something about my cell phone.  It's like 114 years old in phone years.  It's from the prehistoric days of flip phones.  And it's not easy to get that baby charged.  So, here we go.  Plug in charger.  Nothing.  Unplug.  Replug.  Nothing.  Jiggle.  Charging.  Carefully set phone down.  Don't breathe.  Damn.  Not Charging.  Unplug.  Try to increase charger contact by tightening charger port.  Nothing.  Maybe bending the pins a little to one side will help.  Enter pocket knife.  Shit.  Bad idea.  Charger won't fit into port anymore.  [Dramatic flatlining sound.]  I pronounce time of death. 

So, hubs arrives home after driving 1000 miles in 20 hours and I welcome him back with, "Hey, remember we need to drop my car off at the shop?  Oh yeah, and I need a new phone.  Now."

Well, two days later, and we're still jacking around with fixing my car and getting a new phone.  So, meal plan this week is going to be simple.

Monday:  Chicken Wraps, Pineapple

Tuesday:  Roast Beef Sandwiches, Steamed Veggies

Wednesday:  Sweet & Sour Meatballs, Rice

Thursday:  Stovetop Mac n Cheese

Friday:  Beef Enchiladas, Rice, Beans

Saturday:  *Birthday Dinner*  Citrus Salmon baked in Parchment

Spinach, Beet, and Goat Cheese Pizza & Work Place Drama

I had every intention of writing a very focused recipe post today...  But I have to admit I'm a little distracted.  You see, our company's server has been a little wonky today...  But that's not what is causing my silent repetition of inappropriate explicatives.  It would be the constant vocalization of frustration brought on by said server.  Namely by one person.  And that's why I want to shoot myself in the face.

Disclosure: I do try very hard to maintain a positive attitude and not be a perpetual complainer (unless it's for the sake of humor), but there are just some days that put even the most devout optimist to the test.  I'll have to write a separate post on my attempt to take the "No Complaint Challenge."  Operative word being "attempt."

But the great thing about being surrounded by spastic people? It calms me. It's a skill that the hubs and I have perfected since the arrival of our willful darling child. So, when one parent is at their wit's end after a long day of dealing with a whining, tantrum-throwing, and explosively pooping child, the other steps up and can take over to reinstate peace in the house.  And I had no idea that it would be applicable in the workplace.

But, I digress...

There's this thing called a roasted beet salad that you may have seen a few times on restaurant menus.  (Apparently, it's become a little cliche according to the foodie world.)  It's generally a spinach salad, topped with roasted beets, goat cheese, and walnuts.  And it's delicious.  I mean, is there anything with goat cheese that isn't delicious?  So, after slaving away for hours making pizza crust only to discover that i was a little short on toppings, I decided to try something a little different.  Salad on top of a pizza.  (Pilad?  Sazza?  I'm trying to be an innovator here...)  

The concept is simple.  Take your pre-baked pizza crust, add a generous amount of spinach (because it will cook down substantially), top with diced roasted beets and goat cheese, then finish it off with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  Then bake.  Sounds weird, I know.  But I was surprised at how darn tasty it was.  Ok, that's really not a recipe.  So, to not be a liar, here is one.

Honey Wheat Pizza Crust
1 1/2 c warm water
2 1/4 tsp dry yeast
3 1/2 c flour (I used 1 1/2 cups of AP and 2 cups of whole wheat)
1 tsp salt
1 (scant) Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp white pepper (I used black pepper which doesn't look as pretty, but who cares?  It's covered in sauce anyways...)
Olive oil

I use my super fast Kitchenaid mixer, but if you don't have one of those fancy contraptions, you can certainly do it by hand.  Just be prepared to get messy.

COMBINE warm water and yeast in your mixing bowl.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Sift in the AP flour and mix to combine.  Add salt, pepper, and honey and mix some more.  Then the whole wheat flour gets added to the party.  Now the fun part...  Lock the mixer, turn up the speed to med-low, and watch it dance!  Let it go for about 3-5 minutes or until your dough looks smooth and elastic.

ADD a little olive oil to your bowl and roll the dough around to get it lightly coated.  Then cover with plastic or a towel and let it rest for about 1 1/2 hours.  Or until doubled in volume.

TAKE your completed dough and divide it up into individual pizza crust portions.  (I like to get about 6-8 crusts out of a batch, but I make them small and thin.)  Roll into balls then flatten out...  So they look like, you know, pizzas?

HEAT up a cast iron pan of sorts to screaming hot.  Now I've tried a lot of pizza baking methods, and found this by far this works the best to avoid that soggy crust...  Now put your dough in the dry pan.  I like mine all crispy and bubbled...  Like real Italian pizza...  But this last time I went for a thicker, chewier crust. 

When you're ready to make your pizzas, just brush on a little olive oil to prevent the crust from getting soggy during baking and add your favorite toppings.  Bake at 350° until hot and cheese is melted.  And you won't hurt my feelings if you don't want to try my Pizalad...

Thankful Thursday

Thanksgiving has got to be my favorite holiday.  For one thing, it's a wonderful opportunity to create family memories without all the pressure of gift giving.  (ugh.)  And then there's the food...  Crispy, golden turkeys, mounds of mashed potatoes, my aunt's stuffing that she only makes once a year...  Heaven.

But of course, Thanksgiving isn't just about turkey.  And in an effort to create a catchy blog series recognize all that is good in my life, I thought I would take a few posts and give thanks. Holla!  (That went too far, didn't it?)

Seriously, though...  The last two years have been a challenge for our family, starting with both my husband and myself getting laid off from our jobs in 2008.  And while losing our jobs was a hard blow to our financial situation, I truely believe that everything happens for a reason. The life lessons our layoffs have provided have been invaluable.  We have learned to live on less.  And habits that were created out of financial necessity, have made us better people. 

Some of the things we've learned:

1. You don't need to spend money to have fun.  I pride myself on finding free (or nearly free) family activities.  Many times there are great events hosted at local parks, stores, recreational complexes, or even the library.  You just have to know how to find them.  In the St. Louis area, http://www.stlcalendar.com/ is a great resource for things happening around town. 
2. Cable is a waste.  Back in January, we finally made the decision to ditch the cable and we haven't looked back since.  Sure, it's saved us $60/month, but more than that, it's encouraged us to do more valuable things with our time rather than watching Law & Order reruns for three hours every night.
3. Don't buy what you can make.  For example, I began making our own laundry soap.  And with the amount of laundry that I do (including using cloth diapers), I believe it saves a lot of cash.  I can make a batch (which lasts about 6-8 weeks) for probably less than $1.  And for a minimal time investment, it's totally worth it. 
4. What you can't make, buy on sale.  For a long time I tried to play the coupon game.  And the thrill of getting stuff for next to nothing is quite exciting.  But recently I've learned that many times you end up spending money you wouldn't normally spend in order to save a couple bucks.  (Ahem, I'm talking to you, Walgreens and your Register Rewards.)  That's not to say that if there is a product you use regularly, you shouldn't watch for the sales and stock up at the best price.  I do still clip coupons, but only for items I know I will use. 
5. Reduce waste.  I hate to waste.  It started out as financially motivated, but I've also come to appreciate the environmental aspects as well.  Look at objects and ask yourself if it can serve an additional purpose.  Check out your fridge and see how you can make the most of your food supply.  And so you know, I'll be that person at Chick-Fil-A stuffing that last leftover chicken nugget into her purse, just in case...

Prep Cooking: It'll save your sanity

Fact of life: When the fridge is empty, take-out is on the menu.  We've all fallen prey to the "it's 430p and I haven't got a thing to cook for dinner" disease.  Or my favorite, the "I'm running late (again) for work and there's nothing to grab for lunch" syndrome.  (Confession: today was one of those days...)

Hopefully my little confession won't make this post less authoritative.  But I swear I made up for it by prep cooking my a$$ off last night.  Actually, that's an exaggeration.  I needed to make some pizza dough for dinner tonight and since my kitchen was "freeze off your digits" cold, I needed to turn on the oven.  And if the oven's on...  Well, you should probably throw something in it.

So, in an hour and a half (most of which I spent playing Wheel of Fortune on Facebook), I ended up with six honey wheat pizza crusts (that's three meals worth, folks) and a bunch of roasted beets.

But what do you do with beets??  I mean, who eats beets?  Aren't they nasty?  And they stain everything they come in contact with, right? 

If you are of the impression that beets only come in a can to be consumed by people that lived through The Depression, you are sorely mistaken.  But it wasn't until I was exposed to some genuine, home grown roots that I discovered the glory that is the roasted beet.  They are rich and sweet, taste great hot or cold, and uber good for you.

To roast beets...  Get yourself a long piece of foil.  Trim off the greens (which can be used for a variety of things themselves) and tails.  Place them on the foil (on a sheet pan) and drizzle a little olive oil on them.  If you're feeling extra-ambitious, throw some whole (unpeeled) garlic cloves in there, too.   I mean, who couldn't use a little roasted garlic in their life?  Now fold up the edges of your foil, pouch-like, and throw it in the oven.  (I'm sorry, I know a picture would be really helpful here.  Wait!  Here's one courtesy of Crazy Aunt Purl.)  About 400°F for an hour to hour and 15.  Or until you can insert a fork easily.

(photo cred: http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/images/blog/roasted-beets.jpg)

Sounds easy enough, right?  But what about peeling them?  Don't you need HAZMAT gear to keep everything in your kitchen from staining red?  I've tried a few different methods and my favorite by far is a paper towel.  (If your house is paper-free, I'm sure you have a rag that wouldn't mind being sacrificed for the cause.)  Take the paper towel and fold it in half.  Pick up the roasted beet, root end towards the middle of the paper towel.  And rub from the top (where the greens were attached) down.  It should peel off pretty easily.  Then throw the paper towel with the skin in the trash.  (Or compost.  Whatever your style is.)

And voila!  Roasted beets to dress with butter, cut up and serve on a spinach salad (mmm...goat cheese), or puree with some white beans for a beautiful hummus.

My only advice: if you're going to be serving them to a toddler, get out the HAZMAT gear.

Dinner Under 20: Sloppy Joes

For many Americans, all sloppy joes come from the same place...  The Manwich can.  And for years, I followed the same path.  And as I made the transition to real food, the 'ol Manwich can was one of the first things to go.

And to my surprise, my homemade version was substantially better!  (As many homemade foods are.)  However, there were still quite a few ingredients in the recipe that I was trying to phase out...  So, I continued to make adjustments. 

The recipe called for condensed tomato soup and ketchup as the base.  But both of these products are laden with sugar and artificial ingredients.  My swap?  Plain old tomato sauce. 

Now I have quite the sweet tooth, so it's been a challenge to cut out sugar all together.  But I was able to cut back the brown sugar to about 2 tablespoons as opposed to the nearly 1/2 cup called for in my old recipe.

Let's see...  Now we have a slightly sweet tomato sauce with meat.  So, what takes this to the sloppy joe level?  Worcestershire sauce.  Nothing can replace the rich flavor of Worcestershire sauce.  It just makes beef taste beefier. 

So, that's about it.  Four ingredients, 20 minutes, and dinner's ready...

Sloppy Joes
1lb ground beef, browned and drained
16oz tomato sauce
3T Worcestershire sauce
2T brown sugar (or less if you aren't quite as addicted as I am.)
*optional: diced vegetables such as onion, bell pepper, or carrots.

SAUTE ground beef until brown and drain grease.  Add veg, if desired, and cook until softened.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer about 10-15 minutes.

Adventures in Housekeeping

Yesterday I was feeling quite disappointed in myself as I was reading this amazingly informative blog on how to maintain a clean house.  I thought about the laundry list of things left undone at home and I could feel myself climbing into my shame hole as I obsessed about the 1" thick layer of dust on my dresser.  And I started drafting a post.  It was kinda funny.  Definitely self-depricating (as many of them are).  And overall, very negative.  I couldn't post it.

I went home and commenced my normal routine of greeting my sweet baby girl and starting dinner.  As I'm cooking the sloppy joes, my mother in law (aka the nanny) asked me, "Don't you hate cooking dinner after coming home from work?"  And my answer was "Not if I have a plan."

So, why should creating a plan for housework be any different from a meal plan? 

And with my new found determination (and a little help from a 20oz Dr. Pepper), I started to tackle the source of much of my cleaning guilt...  The bedroom.  I told myself I was only going to dust.  But that turned into some purging/organizing.  And then carpet cleaning.  And baseboard dusting.  Then before long, the room looked cleaner than it had in months.

To my surprise, it only took an hour or so of my time.  And it was certainly more gratifying than watching Dancing with the Stars.

Meal Planning Monday

Being left to my own meal planning devices this week while the hubbs is away was an exciting prospect.  I dreamt of meals filled with peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, artichokes, and all the other things on his "I won't touch it with a 10 foot pole" list.

Ironically, there is not much on this week's menu that falls under that category...  But there a few new recipes that I'm excited to try.  If all goes well, I'll post recipes soon.

Monday: Sloppy Joes, Cole Slaw, Veggies 'n Dip, Applesauce

Tuesday:  Election Day = Leftovers

Wednesday:  Homemade Pizza, Salad

Thursday:  Honey Chili Chicken, Steamed Carrots, Rice

Friday:  Stuffed Squash