{What I Love Wednesday}

The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper.

My First Loaf!!

My first loaf of bread ever!! I made a basic whole wheat loaf. If was very good...today I took it to work with some leftover sliced ham and cheddar cheese. Everyone made sandwiches. Good-bye, bread!

Cat VS Bread Machine

Today I decided to make my first loaf of homemade bread. I just couldn't wait anymore. After work, I went to the store to buy flour and yeast, then came home to get started on my newest venture. After deciding to make a two pound loaf of whole wheat bread with light crust ( who knew there were so many decisions to make-where's the button that says "bread"?!), I put together my first loaf of bread and closed the lid. Immediately, all kinds of swishing and churning sounds erupted from the bread machine. The cat was lounging on the top of the refrigerator when I started the machine. In 1.5 seconds he had leapt from the top of the fridge and was gone to hide safely--in my stationery box. After a minute he came back to assess the danger and act out the stages of bread machine battle mode (see photos, below). After bravely peeking at the bread machine from the dining area, he stealthily jumped onto the kitchen counter (the no-go zone in our home) and started a boxing match with my new bread machine. After a couple of minutes I suppose he figured out that the machine would not hurt him...he backed off, but continues to run back and check it out from the dining chair every time it makes a sound. I'm really excited to taste my fresh bread. Maybe I should make a tuna loaf for the cat! :)

Step 1: Hiding in Fear

Step 2: Angry Cat Ears: What is This?!

Step 3: Bravely Assessing Potential Household Threat!!

Step 4: Crisis Averted: The Realization That the Breadmaker is, Indeed, An Inanimate Life Form.

Step 5: Acceptance & Continued Monitoring :)

New Year, New Hair

I am starting to get the urge to change my hair color again. This happens to me every so often--the last time was almost a year ago, when I colored my hair a dark brown with a hint of auburn. I don't want to go that dark, but I think I want to bring back a touch of red again. Especially since Rich really likes the reds. Not sure, exactly, what color to go with, but Jose will be able to help with that delicate decision making process. :)

For now, I am tending to my sick hubby and relaxing a bit, until tomorrow when I can call to make my hair appointment!

Cheers!

Good-bye, Christmas!

Our Christmas was absolutely amazing! Even though we have been together 4 years and married almost 3, this is the first Christmas that we have enjoyed with just the 2 of us. We started around 1:30 with opening presents...bazillions of presents. It took us over an hour to open everything! We had presents from each other, and family and friends and it took a long time! We of course, being somewhat young at heart thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We took 134 pictures together, mainly because of my new digital camera (which I opened last night). Okay, so maybe it was a few more than necessary, but we had fun! After opening presents, we Skyped with my in-laws in order to open our stockings (from them). Rich's mom always does such an amazing job with the stockings. She finds so many unique little things to put inside! Then I got to work preparing my chicken. I suppose I should go through prep since I blogged about this chicken yesterday!

I rinsed the hen, then pulled the skin on the breast away from the meat. I pounded my lemon, then sliced it in half. I also kept 2 thin round slices for garnish. I squeezed the lemon into the cavity of the bird. I then sliced in onion-1 round slice, and cut up the rest into large pieces. I filled about 2/3 of the cavity with the onion. I also rubbed the halves of lemon onto the skin. Then I prepared my butter. I combined 1 stick of softened butter, 2 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper together. Then I took about 2 tsp of fresh thyme (leaves only) and mixed that into the butter as well. I rubbed the majority of the butter mixture under the skin on the breast of the chicken, then spread the remaining butter on top of the chicken, I took several sprigs of thyme and inserted them about 1/2 way into the cavity of the bird, then trussed the legs. I salted and peppered the top of the bird, then set a slice of onion and 2 slices of lemon, with some long slices of lemon zest and thyme leaves for garnish. Then I put the chicken, carrots, and potatoes in my roasting pan and decided to add some chicken broth to the pan. I added about 2/3 of a small can of Swanson broth.  I started it at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, then lowered to 400 for about 50 minutes. It came out DELICOUS. It was so succulent and moist. I don't feel like the recipe called for enough salt and pepper. I think I would double it next time, but we salted at the table and it was fine. I am going to post a picture of my pre-roasted meal and the finished chicken. My only complaint is that the skin didn't get as brown and crispy as I like, but I'm fairly certain that's because I added the chicken broth to the pan. Though it affected the skin, it caused the potatoes and carrots to be delish!!

Goodbye, Christmas!!

Christmas Eve!

Rich & I opened a present each on our Christmas Eve together. Rich got me a digital camera. It's so cute! It's tiny & purple. I started charging it right away, so I can use it in about 27 minutes. :) I love it!

Tomorrow I am going to make a roast dinner for our Christmas meal. I decided to roast a chicken instead of a turkey since there are only 2 of us, and I like the look of a whole bird. I am also going to roast Klondike rose potatoes and carrots with it. While I was out today picking up some last minute items, I saw some beautiful fresh thyme. It looked so fresh and was so fragrant that I decided to buy it. I wandered past some Meyer lemons, and picked one up as well. By the time I got home I decided that I would roast our Christmas chicken with thyme and fresh lemon in the cavity. After browsing around online for a recipe that would make the most of these simple ingredients, I decided to try this one:

Lemon Thyme Roasted Chicken

I generally use recipes as "guidelines", so we'll see how it goes. Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

Random "Recipe" of the Day

This morning, I got up early. Earlier than the "early birds" even dare to chirp. I made the bed, fed the cat, got ready to go, switched the loads of laundry around, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, and still had some time left over. I decided to put something in the crock pot to simmer for supper. I opened the fridge and realized that I had lots of leftovers from the infamous Taco Night, also had a half can of leftover crushed tomatoes, and an open can of diced tomatoes and jalapenos from a Mexican dish I made on Monday. I also had a half pound of 93/7 ground beef that I hadn't cooked yet. So, I ended up making a kind of Chili. Here's an approximation of the "recipe" that I came up with.

"MOSTLY TACO LEFTOVERS" CHILI

3/4 pound ground turkey, seasoned for tacos (from Taco Night)
1/2 pound 93/7 ground beef, browned (do not drain)
1 cup pinto beans, in juice
1 cup black beans, in juice
1 large beef bouillon cube (I used Knorr)
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1 cup water
1/2 of a 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes & jalapenos
To taste:
Salt & Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Paprika
Chili Powder
Ground Cumin

I simmered it in the crock pot for about 8 hours. It was delish!! It would be hard to replicate, I suppose, but then again most of what I make from leftovers never comes around exactly the same again.

"What I Love" Wednesdays

You all know what I am talking about...that "Hello, Shoe" moment when you see a shoe that demands to be added to your life. One of my favorite discoveries of 2010 is the ShoeDazzle website.

Let me explain...you log on to www.shoedazzle.com
From there, you answer a few questions to indicate what your taste is. Once you complete your profile, you've got to wait about a day to wait for the site's stylists to pull a list of shoe, handbag, and accessory options for you.
My favorite thing is that for every item--whether it be the perfect pair of shoes, the cutest handbag, or a beautiful piece of jewelry, the cost is $39.95.
Each month, you get a new selection of shoes, handbags, and accessories to shop. The items(s) you choose are shipped for free via UPS. If you don't like the item, you can slap on the return label and drop it off at a UPS drop location--shipping prepaid by ShoeDazzle.
If you don't want anything that month, you also have the option to skip and your card will not be charged.

I made my first purchase from ShoeDazzle a couple of months ago. Since it was my first order I got my first order for 50% off--so, I got a super cute pair of olive green detailed pumps for $19.97. They are super cute! Initially they were too big. So, I popped them back in the box and sent them back to LA for an exchange. Within about a week I had the new pair. They fit perfectly and go really well with a few of my outfits--especially a beautiful green blazer that I love to wear every once in a while.

Taco Night

So tonight, as I'm heading home, I get a phone call from Rich. His fellow station manager, Ashley, is visiting from Orlando airport, and Rich would like to bring him home to fix our WiFi connection. "And, what are we having for dinner? Do you have enough food for Ashley, too?"  Fortunately, I spent the entire day on Monday cleaning our home. So, no problems there. The house is sparkling clean. The animals have just returned from the groomer's, and everything is in its place. Unfortunately, tonight was "Taco Night". Now let me explain. My husband's FAVORITE tacos are the kind from a box. You know, 10 little flour tortillas in a foil baggie, a little packet of taco meat seasonings, and a foil pouch of taco sauce. Warm up some beans, cook the meat, and buy pre-shredded taco lettuce, pre-diced tomatoes, and a bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese. Of all the meals I can cook, "box tacos" are a very exciting occasion for Rich.  

In the entire 9 months that Rich & I have lived here in Fort Lauderdale, we have not entertained anyone except for family in our home. I'm not exactly sure why, but we just prefer to take people out. And on the one night that Rich wants to bring home a dinner guest, we are having tacos and there is nothing that I can do about it. My 45 minute commute home just doesn't allow for a quick change of dinner plans. Ashley couldn't be coming on pot roast day, lasagna day, turkey chili day, or even dutch oven chicken day. Nope, according to Murphy's law, Ashley would be my first official houseguest--on TACO NIGHT. After fretting briefly about this for a few minutes, I decided that a meal eaten in the company of friends is better than a swift kick in the head.

On the positive side, Ashley is a very pleasant gentleman from England who just moved here a few months ago. We had a great time!! My husband was very happy that he was able to bring a dinner guest home on such short notice. And I was happy because, even if I had to entertain my first guest on Taco Night, at least I learned from my mother how to do so with flair! 

Acquiescence

Yes, family & friends, I have finally succumbed to the pressure from you all. Apparently the short snippets of information I feed to you on Facebook is not sufficient. I must BLOG in detail, complete with pictures, to satisfy your curiosity!! I'm sure that my blog will never equal the amazing standard set forth by one Becky Fischer Post, whose daily posts I have come to look forward to and I enjoy each one with relish! :) But, my meager blog-offerings, I hope you all will accept as one of my gifts to you in the Holiday season!