Pinterest Success - New Recipe

So like a good librarian, I like to catalog ideas on pinterest: recipes, craft patterns, gifts for people, random fun things.  Often those recipes get forgotten because they aren't something with a deadline. I have been known to make homemade gifts from pinterest ideas and I regularly use my library storytime board ...but those things have timelines attached to them... the recipes seem to just go into some deep void of foods that look pretty in photographs.

With that said - I'm not sure what came over me last weekend--I browsed back through my boards and picked something to try for the fun of it!  I so rarely cook for the fun of it... it always feels like a chore that needs to be done after a long day of work and commuting... but with a weekend that had no holiday plans in it for the first time in forever I had time to cook for fun and this is what I made... Broccoli Tots.  No, they don't look quite as pretty as the pinned version but for a first try they came out OK!  Henry liked them the best (for me I would want to cook the broccoli just a tad longer before chopping - but I like my vegetables mushy!) but each of the kids gave them a shot too.  Perhaps I've found a new weekend activity... pinterest cooking!  Do you have a favorite pinterest find?  I'd love to hear about it!

Happy Photo #57 - Chicken Corn Chowder (with recipe)

Ingredients:

1 can chicken broth (I wound up using a tiny bit more than a can)

1 can corn (I drain the regular corn)

2 cans cream style corn

1 pint heavy whipping cream

Chicken breasts 

1 can Rotel (or can us a can of diced chili peppers or both)

Onion

Garlic

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Rice if you like a thicker soup

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Chop onion and saute in soup pot and then brown diced chicken.  Add stock and garlic and let cook for a bit.  Add all corn and rotel/peppers and let cook for 20 minutes or so.  Add whipping cream and bring to low boil.  Add as much rice as you like to thicken.  When almost done add cheese and stir in to incorporate into chowder  (I just eyeball this too.. depending on how fattening I want it).  

Serve with yummy bread... I added chopped garlic to the bread too... need to keep the vampires away :-)

Comfort Food -- Happy Photo #55

Happy Photo #55:

When I was a little girl I didn't like sauce on my spaghetti.. just butter and parmesan cheese.  Sometimes I still crave it that way and to make it better... it's super easy to make and cheap :-) Bonus happy because of the cool bowls I just got from Carrie that I am putting to good use.  

Glam bands and Librarians and Food... Oh My!

OK... so the three things in my blog title aren't all a part of one great story I'm going to share... but they could be!

Just over a week ago I was at the Maryland Library Association conference in Ocean City and had a great time!  I got to room with an old friend and a new one, caught up with some fantastically fun librarians from around the state, ate some great food and learned a thing or two along the way!  There's something really cool about coming together with peers, sharing ideas and having a common desire to better libraries for our communities... and also, I don't know if you've noticed but librarians aren't stereotypically boring but actually quite a bit of fun to hang out with. 

Along the way we ate at some tasty restaurants and one that I would HIGHLY recommend is Liquid Assets.  It appears to be a liquor store/bar at first glance but they also serve some amazingly delicious food.  I had the deluxe grilled cheese (spectacular) and shared and order of their donuts for dessert... the glaze was out of this world.

After spending time away from home for a few days last week...this weekend was all about some quality time with my husband and a plethora of 80's rock bands.  We went to the M3 Festival on Friday and Saturday and rocked it out with Firehouse, Lita Ford, and Whitesnake.  You can tell by the link that there were lots of other bands there but in my opinion those are the three most worth mentioning.  By the way... I think that if you are going to tour again 20 years later and were once known as a "hair band" that you should still have long crazy hair... or fake it (Firehouse - I'm talking to you!)  It just wasn't the same experience watching a few of the bands with shorter manes... just saying.  Props go to Lita Ford and Whitesnake for keeping the long locks in great shape! In between the bands I had a great time people watching...people wear, say and do pretty silly things at rock concerts and I never got tired of just sitting back and taking it all in.

Unfortunately I don't have much to report on my 101 things to do list... I accomplished some things (I ordered fish a few more times in restaurants and knocked that off the list and went to a few more classes at the gym) but nothing earth shattering or terribly exciting. I'll get back to it this week... I hope to get to the gym a few times, get some outdoor running in, and hopefully squeeze in a trip to a state park with my happy hound.

Monthly Updates?

Maybe my single goal for the next month should just be to blog weekly... even just to say "hello".  I am definitely not in the habit and then I find myself a month later trying to figure out what they heck I have accomplished in the last month.... it would be much easier to remember a week at a time!  I have no good excuses... sure I've been busy but it doesn't take more than 10 minutes or so for a quick blog post.  Ah well... there is always room for improvement :-)


What I've accomplished from my 101 list of things to do list:
3. Read 5 Children’s Novels - This one is now complete... I read this years Newbery winner Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool and I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it!  Check out the link to goodreads to find out more about it and to read my review.

I also tried 3 new recipes for a total of 9.  One more new recipe to go!  I made some Paula Deen Pork Chops and Mac and Cheese.  I made a few adjustments... for starters I just fried the pork chops in a little bit of olive oil on both sides and then finished them off in the oven while the mac and cheese was baking... I DID NOT fry them in six cups of vegetable oil.  I also used whole wheat flour when breading them.  With the mac and cheese I used what I had on hand which was low fat buttermilk and sour cream so I saved on a few calories maybe.  Even with that said I think that the mac and cheese especially is a "once in a while" recipe.   It was SOO rich that I can't imagine making it regularly.  It was delicious in small portions though.  The pork chops were delicious with the modifications... they were so moist and I almost always dry out pork!
The last recipe that I tried was a bean soup recipe from the same Paula Deen cookbook as the mac and cheese but we didn't love it... My husband actually said it tasted like hot dog soup (maybe the smoked sausage in it?) and he hates hot dogs so that's not a compliment by any means.  I couldn't find the recipe online to link to and it wasn't so fantastically wonderful that I feel the need to type it all out for you sorry :(

As for my goals in general - I have been to the gym several time in the past few weeks and also on the treadmill... its supposed to be nicer this week so maybe I will even try to sneak in an outdoor run (run/walk!).  I have read a little more of the Bible but this is a goal I definitely need to get better at! 

All in all - January/February has been an "ok" month(s) so far... but I am so ready for spring!!

Type at you again a week (or month!).

Stumbling already?

Well... I guess I've already proven I can't be trusted to blog weekly :-)  It's ok... I'm not going to be too hard on myself-- I'll just try harder next time... really... I promise!  The last few weeks have been full of dreary weather, stomach bugs, and general blah.  But I did read some great books!  I read two more Children's books toward my goal:

The Keeper by Kathi Appelt
The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan

I enjoyed both of these books but I LOVED The Dreamer.  It's a beautifully written "fictional biography" of Pablo Neruda. I think adults who enjoy poetry should definitely give it a shot even though it's written for kids.

I've also read a few other books towards my goal of reading 50 books this year (you can check out my goodreads page if you are really curious) and one I especially enjoyed was Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.  I enjoyed the characters - all of them, not just the main characters and the love story was well done and not cheesy--a lot of the moments felt very true to teen life and while the plot was nothing groundbreaking the quality of writing makes this book stand out.

Surprisingly I did manage to try a few new recipes so far this year as well.  I made this Chicken Noodle Casserole which was quite good - though a little bland (might have to play with some spices) and also a Cauliflower Hamburger Casserole which was not delicious in the least (I used the ingredients search on the website and searched for ground beef and cauliflower because I had some of each that needed to be used- there aren't many recipes with both and I think now I know it's for a good reason).

As far as my 2011 goals I have been reading my ten pages of The Bible as many days as I can - I admit that a few days of oversleeping got in the way (I like to read it in the morning when I first wake up).  The 10 minutes a day of exercising which seems so easy has gotten done maybe half the time and as I already pointed out - I haven't exactly been blogging weekly.  So the good news is that there is so much room for improvement!  If I had aced the first few weeks it would have all been down hill :-)

For the coming week or so:
I hope that when I blog next I will be able to say that I have drug myself to the gym (that gets the benefit of my money monthly without me actually walking through the door on a regular basis) a few times, gone for a few runs, read another 50 pages or so of The Bible and finish my goal of reading 5 Children's novels (from my 101 things to do list).

The journey continues....

I've been sort of off track lately with everything... house cleaning, cooking, reading, etc.  There just aren't enough hours in the day it seems.

I have completed a few more items though (not many!). Here they are:
Tried one new recipe:  Salsa Chicken . The recipe calls for it to be baked but I took the advice of a few of the recipe reviewers and did it in the slow cooker.  I sprinkled my chicken breasts with the taco seasoning and then placed it on top of some salsa (and some extra onions and peppers I had on hand) in the slow cooker and then added a little more salsa on top of that.  I let it cook on low all day and had perfect filling for burritos :-)  yum!  The chicken practically fell apart and mixed with the other ingredients it was a great filling.  I'm sure it's good baked as well and served more traditionally but I had errands to run and wanted it to be ready when I got home. 

I also read another Children's book: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia . It's getting some Newbery buzz out on the internet which is the reason I picked it up.  I'll let you judge for yourself if you decide to pick it up :-)

Those are sadly the only two things from my list that I've gotten to lately :(  
I have been going to the gym and doing some walking/jogging and trying to stay physically active... I feel a lot better physically and emotionally when I manage to stay on top of this.  I've also been visiting dad a few times a week and trying to squeeze in chores, reading etc when possible... maybe as fall and winter set in I will be able to tackle some of the "inside activities" from my list.

Short and Sweet

Things I have accomplished:

Read 1 biography: My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster - It was an enjoyable read while I have been home sick this weekend... fun but also had moments where it was thought provoking. 

Read 1 Children's book: Welcome to Camden Falls by Ann M. Martin.  This is the first in the Main Street Series... I really enjoyed it - I included a few thoughts on the book in my goodreads review (follow the link).

I read a third book: After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick -It's a young adult book (though I would put it on the younger end of this age range -- middle school probably) so I can't count it towards my list because I already finished that category but I thought I would include it here anyway.  It was well written and deals with a weighty subject without making the reader feel depressed the whole time they are reading it (though there were tears at the end).   This book is a sequel to Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie which I have not read yet so they are definitely able to stand on their own.  

I also made two new recipes - both of which I would recommend.  As with many of my recipes I found them on allrecipes.com
Here they are:
Pasta Salad:  I didn't actually include the chicken in this ( I was going to a party where I knew there would be vegetarians) and I left out the corn as I didn't have any but threw in some carrots because I had some shredded carrots on hand.  The dressing was good and I think overall it was well received.

Turkey Burgers:  Like a few reviewers said I added a small amount of bread crumbs ( I use panko) and I also had "fiesta ranch" dressing mix on hand so I used that in place of the plain ranch and it was really good... a little bit of a kick.  It was a big hit in my house.

The only other task I accomplished was to attend one "Groove" class at my gym (out of the 3 that is my goal).  I'm not very good at it yet but I think I will need to attend the 3 that I set out to do to see if I will get better and give the class a chance.  It was a good workout and the hour went by pretty quickly.  "Kick" is still my favorite though.  Something about pretending to kick and punch things is nice after a long day of work :-)

One Day At A Time

It's been a few weeks since I've posted an update...actually it's been a full month now that I look back at the date... and life has been hard.  On July 10th I lost my mom and one of the best friends anyone could ask for and I'm still not sure I've come to terms with it.  I often reach for my cell to call her like I would several times a day to say good morning, or tell her something silly her grand-dog had done and I miss those little moments like crazy. Knowing she doesn't have to struggle anymore and that she's with my nephew in Heaven is comforting and I feel so blessed that I was given the gift of saying goodbye and being with her and my family in those final moments.   I have never ever witnessed the kind of bravery as I did in her that day. 
The weeks following have been a blur.  As hard as the week of mom's funeral was - I was lucky enough to be surrounded by family and friends and the love and support was overwhelming.  Someone mentioned to me during that time that it was amazing to see how close my highschool girlfriends and I still were after 15 years and I am so grateful for that, they were there for me and my family each and every day making sure I ate, holding me when I cried or just sitting quietly with me.  It was also wonderful to be surrounded by family everyday and perhaps the hardest moment for me was when everyone started going home and "real" life had to resume.

"Real life" however didn't really resume for me right away as the following week was spent at a work training, the "Maryland Library Leadership Institute" in Port Deposit, Maryland.  Truly this was for me just what the doctor ordered... It was intensive and engaging and kept my mind occupied almost every waking second.  I was lucky enough to have a fabulous group of peers to work with through the week (Thanks 46% Fairly Content!) and I must say it lived up to the praise of all of my coworkers who have gone before me through this program.  I learned a lot about myself and how to push out of my comfort zone at work and hope that it will carry over into my personal life as well.  Plus - the food was amazing!!  The "meal" bell rang five times a day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and morning and afternoon snack.  Fresh baked scones/tarts/and cookies between meals is something I will definitely miss but I'm sure my trainer at the gym will be glad was only for a week!

So now after a week of being able to distract myself I find myself back in the real world and it's definitely an adjustment...one I'm taking day by day as I work through my grief, prepare for a crazy busy week at work, and try to regain some focus on making myself a better person.   I took a look at my list to see if I had in fact accomplished any of my goals in the last month and this is where I'm at:
a. I tried a new recipe (new to me anyway) and made dad some barbecue with mom's recipe.  He liked it much better than when I cook with my own recipes :-) 
b. I ordered fish at a restaurant and had tuna steak when we went out with Chad's mom 4th of July weekend.  It was good... but not as good as the Rockfish I had in Ocean City!
c. I pushed my comfort zone by speaking at my mother's funeral.  I didn't think I had it in me but I did and it was a blessing to be able to honor the woman who meant the most to me in life and I thank God for helping me get through it.

Today it's off to see my dad and hang out with the family...and tomorrow back to the library for the first time in two weeks...and whatever comes my way I'll just take it one day at a time.

Over a month with no updates :(

Well I had every intention to update this blog at least once a week (but my list only said "start a blog" so I'm not in trouble !) but life gets in the way sometimes. My mom has been in the hospital or rehabilitation facility since March 29th so a lot of my energy has been with my family. I'm happy to report that her spirits are good and that she is hopefully over the worst of her illness.

I haven't made fantastic progress with my list but I've been able to check off a few things.

I have certainly been visiting my family a lot and did some cooking for my dad while he has been home alone. I discovered an important fact though, dad doesn't like my cooking. I tried making barbecue, baked chicken and vegetables, a chicken casserole and homemade coleslaw only to find each of these still in the fridge barely touched when I would return. He did enjoy my sliced and sugared strawberries, and the "mush" I made him (which is really more like polenta). So in the past week or so I have stuck to taking him groceries that he can make himself and am leaving the cooking up to my Aunt Eva who lives next door to my parents and who is an extraordinary cook! I would choose her cooking over mine any day too!

I did manage to clean out the file cabinet (I know - contain your excitement) and I have read three teen books (OK - I didn't "read" all of them... but for the purposes of this project I am going to count "listening" to them as well). I listened to Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey, and read Fat Cat by Robin Brande. Hattie Big Sky was fantastic, it reminded me of my love for the Little House series that I have read and reread over the years. I recommend it to everyone, young and old!

My most exciting (at least to my taste buds!) accomplishment was ordering fish in a restaurant. I had the Crab Rock (sautéed crab over blackened rockfish) at Jules Restaurant in Ocean City, MD. I've never had rockfish before and it was DELICIOUS!! I highly recommend this restaurant, a friend that I was dining with told me it was the best rockfish she had ever eaten and I trust her, it melted in my mouth. I should have taken a photo! I will learn.

I hope to update more regularly in the future...but I make no promises!
Carol Jen