Mediterranean Meal

Sunday afternoon I FINALLY finished Eden's fabric book- one more thing for her to chew on! I am SO SO SO glad this project is over. It's a little sloppy looking because I just winged it- no pattern- not much forethought, but it's all for Eden and she doesn't know the difference. Here are a few pages:



Speaking of the little munchkin- she was so cute last night! It was pretty gloomy and rainy yesterday and we were in desperate need of a walk so we went to the mall. Of course a little browsing took place as well. We stepped into Payless and she LOVED trying on shoes! What a girl.

Here's this week's menu-

M- Date Night!
T- Kefta (Meatballs) with Yogurt Dipping Sauce and Citrus Tabbouleh (recipe below)
W- Rice and Beef Stuffed Peppers (recipe in side bar)
Th- Szechuan Pork (recipe in side bar)
F- French Toast with Fruit Topping and Chicken Spinach Sausage

Monday night a neighbor friend who had practically BEGGED to keep Eden watched for a few hours while Thomas and I got a little brake. We ate delicious sandwiches in an empty restaurant, splurged on magazines, comics, and books at Hastings, and read them while enjoying java jacks coffee and watching NeanderPaul perform (way cool!).


This is from last night's dinner- no pictures- but it was delicious AND pretty. It's from the Mediterranean Mezzas cooking class I attended.

Citrus, Olive Oil & Herb Tabbouleh
1 and 1/2 cups bulgur (light, cracked wheat)
1 and 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon honey
3 large garlic cloves, minced
Optional: 1 teaspoon ground coriander
2- 15 ounce cans mandarin oranges, drained, roughly chopped
1 packed cup flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
4 large green onions, ends trimmed, chopped (whites & greens)
1 cup packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
3/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives

Place bulgur in large bowl. Mix in the boiling water. Let stand until bulgur is tender and water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Whisk the oil, lemon juice, zest, honey, garlic, and (optional) coriander in small bowl to blend; set aside. Add salt to taste
Mix the oranges, parsley, green onions, mint and olives. Add oil mixture; toss to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand at least 30 minutes to blend flavors. Makes 8 servings.

Kefta (Meatballs) with Yogurt Dipping Sauce
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 green onions, ends trimmed, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 large egg, beaten lightly
2 tablespoons dried currants, chopped raisins OR chopped dried apricots
1 pound ground lamb or ground chuck (needs at least 10% fat)
1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
Minted Yogurt Sauce (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 450. Combine all of the ingredients except the lamb and breadcrumbs in large bowl. Add the lamb and bread crumbs and mix well, being careful not to compact the meat.

Form level tablespoons of lamb mixture into 1 1/4 inch meatballs, arranging ona tray as formed. (Note: Meatballs may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered loosely.)

Bake meatballs in upper third of oven 8-10 minutes, or until golden and just cooked through. Serve with the yogurt sauce. Makes about 3 dozen meatballs.

Minted Yogurt Dipping Sauce (Labeneh):
2 containers Greek Yogurt (about 1 and 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste.

Stir all together.

5 months

Eden turned 5 months today so it seems as good a time as any to do a little update on the kiddo.

At 5 months Eden:
Rolls over from back to belly... but has forgotten how to roll from belly to back.
Razzes... or at least I think that's what they call the spittle speak.
Yells with glee... in high pitched tones only dogs and moms can hear.
Smiles... CONSTANTLY :)
Still sleeps through the night... on her belly now.
Wears 9 month clothing... which I probably need to get more of :).
Giggles when you blow raspberries... especially on her belly and neck.
and
Is a ROCK STAR nap taker... making this post and the dishes possible.

I forgot to post my weekly menu on Monday (I know you're all DYING to know what we're eating :) ). To be honest, it's been really helpful to look back at this blog and see my menu planning and recipes, so just bare with me cause it's not going away! These recipes share a lot of cilantro.

M- Chicken Corn Tacos w/ cantaloupe (check out side bar for menu link)
T- Salmon w/Maple Lemon Glaze, Snow Peas (bought at the farmer's market), and saffron rice- see recipe below
W- Cilantro Lime Chicken
Th- Soy Citrus Scallops
F- Leftovers - or something else :)


Salmon with Maple-Lemon Glaze (from Cooking Light, April '09)

The flavor on the fish was light and sweet and paired well with saffron rice and a sweet veggie.
It's fast, healthy, and cheap- YAY! Triple threat. (The cheap only applies because I got the salmon at Sam's- but it still counts!).

I changed this recipe because I don't have an oven safe skillet. Instead of searing it in the pan first and then moving it to the over, I simply broiled it for about 6 - 7 minutes on a roasting pan. I brushed it with the marinade about half way through.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag; seal. Refrigerate 10 minutes, turning bag once.

3. Remove fish from bag, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute.

4. Heat a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes. Turn fish over. Brush marinade evenly over fish. Broil 3 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Color Me Happy

For Christmas I got to spruce up our living room a bit. Yeah, I know that was four months ago, but it's taken me a bit to get everything framed and hung. We replaced the metal sculpture and clutter that previously decorated our mantel with some fun prints I'd been drooling over at etsy.com, got some colorful accents (rug, pillow, throw), and moved the furniture a bit (aka moved the recliner that broke the window twice).
Here are the results!

Before:




After:
Not a huge change, but it definitely feels more like us. Notice, the kid has replaced the cat :)



The next step is to replace the lace curtains with some colorful, handmade "roman shades." I'm not actually good enough to make real roman shades- it involves a lot of patience and some special hardware, but I did find an easy looking tutorial on Martha Stewart.

One of these fabrics, along with white solid, I think would be nice:

Featured Creativity

As promised, here are some photos of what I've been up to.


Eden's Easter Dress, which hopefully won't fall apart in the wash as soon as I attack it with some fabric glue. It's a bit big in the arms, but was very cute with a cropped white sweater and white satin shoes. Sewing tiny clothing is much faster and does not have to fit as well- I think I'd do it again.


Rykan was born last Thursday and so I hurriedly finished her receiving blanket. This project is very sweet and EXTREMELY useful so I try to make it for all the little babies I know. She was 7 lbs 11 oz, 1+ 1lb over Eden's birth weight, but I seriously could not remember Eden being so small! It was so pleasant holding such a tiny life AND I got to swaddle her :).



A couple from our church had there 3rd child and first boy about a month ago. We're collecting needed items and I got to make the basket, meaning I got to try out making a name banner. I used what I had except needing some ribbon. During their renovation, the Nacogdoches Walmart got rid of their craft/sewing section (boo) so all I could find was some expensive Martha Stewart ribbon. Worst ribbon ever!!! Oh well, it got done- all from my head, no pattern.


I love making handmade presents (as you can see) and whipped this together for my sister-in-laws birthday (it was yesterday so I can post pictures of it now). It came out a bit brighter than I expected and I'm glad it's permanent home is not my yellow kitchen. I changed the pattern a bit and I think it will work well in its intended home.



Well, I think that's about it! I'm currently working on a soft book for Eden, but it won't be done for a couple weeks. Speaking of the little sprout- I'll leave you with a picture of her:

Let's try and make this quick...

The kid is napping and I should be getting ready for the day- this usually happens at 6am- but I overslept this morning (till 7 am) and it was great! She is so cute right now when you put her down for naps. No matter how tired or asleep she already is, when you set her down she starts flailing all of her limbs wildly for 30 seconds, takes a deep breath, and then is completely still and asleep :). It's one of her many cute things.

Easter weekend was very lovely and fairly stress free. Friday and Saturday were cookie madness again as I prepared cookies for Trinity and James' renewal ceremony. The ceremony was very sweet and their little family looked so cute!

The rest of Saturday was spent preparing for Sunday company and lunch and hanging out with our friends Kali and Joel- the conversation was too good to cut short and we stayed up a little later than normal. During their visit I baked a banana chocolate chip cake (bundt cake- RECIPE BELOW!) and prepared the ham glaze for Easter lunch. My parents and brother and sister-in-law came over for lunch yesterday which was such a treat as I don't see them as often as I'd like. Eden was pretty fussy at the start of lunch and after trying everything else we stripped her down. Apparently she felt like celebrating Christ's victory in the nude and spent lunch all but naked. Clearly there was no need to make her a dress :).

Today is iphone day! Thomas put my phone together yesterday and surprise, surprise, it worked. WHAT??!!!! Yeah, it survived going through the dishwasher. I had tried on two previous occasions to resurect this phone to no avail- apparently the battery was the only thing wrong. We decided that we would keep it as a back up for the next time Thomas destroys his phone (he's used up all the trade-in's the phone insurance allows). If you have an iphone, tell me what your favorite ap is!!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups mashed, well ripened bananas
2 1/2 cups self rising flour
2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
2. Beat the sugar and butter together until light in color and texture. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Reduce mixer to low and add mashed bananas. Gradually add in flour. Mix in chocolate chips by hand. Spread evenly in pan.
3. Bake 1 hour or till a toothpick comes out clean and the cake starts to pull away from pan.
4. Cool 10 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Lots of Lists

Our little family is still doing pretty great - cooking a lot of well balanced meals, exercising more, sleeping well, fitting in both family and personal time, and overall staying pretty sane! High five to us.

Here's our menu for the week:
M- Chicken Fajitas
(sauted chicken, bell pepper, and onions, served with wheat tortillas, tomato, and guacamole).
T- Shrimp and Broccoli
(recipe is in the side bar)
W- Steak Diane, Mashed Potatoes, and Corn
(Thomas has been asking for mashed potatoes, I'm steak impaired but this was pretty easy! See recipes for
this at the bottom of entry)
Th- Homemade Vegetable Pizza
F- Turkey, Provolone and Sundried Tomato Pesto Paninis

Our week in recap:
Monday night we rented Get Smart- one we had missed when it first came out- HILLARIOUS!
Tuesday my mom came to visit and took Eden on a little shopping trip- new party dresses, just in time for Trinity and James' party this Saturday!
Wednesday Eden and I went to Lufkin to get an Easter Ham from Sams (we had a gift card for signing up recently) and check on getting an iphone. That was actually a pretty frustrating morning- Eden wouldn't eat or sleep, the AT&T store was totally unhelpful, I was confused on Sam's hours and got there too early, blahblahblah. The evening totally redeemed the day- Eden took a really long nap after Thomas came home, was in a terrific mood when she woke up just in time for church, AND Sarah kept the nursery! Thomas and I haven't attended Wednesday night services together in months- one of us is always in the nursery. It was quite a treat- followed by excellent conversation and coffee.
Thursday Eden and I went to MOPS and she rolled over for the first time! Just a small group of mom's showed up- Trinity, me, the director of the program, and one of the other mom's that I really enjoy talking to. We discussed the need to ask for help and talked about sharing Easter with our kids. It was probably the most Christian centered meeting we've had and it was very refreshing. That evening I got to do a little crafting-

Projects I'm up to:
1. Making Eden a cloth book
2. Finishing Eden's Easter dress (done!)
3. Making a quilt for the living room
4. Finishing a receiving blanket for a baby (due in a week!)
5. Designing a small vegetable and herb garden

Friday is Today! Eden is taking stellar naps- which is good because she woke up at 6 am. We've already mixed dry ingredients for the cookies I'm making for the paty tomorrow and taken a long, wonderful walk where we ran into lots of neighbors and friends.

Things we're looking forward to:
1. Party Party- Trinity and James 10 year vow renewal- so happy for them :)
2. Easter services
3. Hosting Easter Dinner for my parents and brother and sister-in-law. (I've never baked a ham before- cross your fingers!)
4. Getting my iphone on Monday!
5. Thomas leaving for a raising on Tuesday- back on Friday- looking forward to this because me being left alone with Eden while he works out of town has been a long time coming (only one night in the last four months, wow!) It's going to be nice to finally get it over with.
6. Getting contacts on Wednesday- or whenever they can order them in.
7. Getting our flower boxes next week and adding some curb appeal.


Sick of lists? I'll just leave you with the recipe for the steak. Mashed potatoes Thomas style- I skinned then boiled 3 lbs of potatoes, mashed them with an entire head of roasted garlic, creamy horseradish, a little milk, and creamed goat cheese then baked them in a casserole dish for about 40 minutes. OBVIOUSLY this was not the healthiest meal, but totally happy husband making.


Steak Diane

Ingredients

• 4 rib eye steaks (1/2 in)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter (divided)
• 3 teaspoons green onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon fresh chives, minced

Directions

1. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 2 T butter in skillet,stir in onions and mustard.
3. Add steaks.
4. Cook for 3 minutes on each side.
5. Remove to serving platter and keep warm.
6. To skillet, add lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, and remaining 2 T butter.
7. Cook for 2 minutes.
8. Add parsley and chives.
9. Pour over steaks.

Odds and Ends

I ran across this deal through one of the thrifty mom blogs I read. If you sign up for the DQ blizzard fan club (and come on, who doesn't, right?) you get a coupon for BOGO free blizzard. You guys enjoy one for me!

Also, for you fashionistas out there, this is kind of a cool site to check out- just see it for yourself- I can't explain it, but it's tons of fun.

The little one and I are off to get ready for a trip to Lufkin for some grocery shopping and whatever else trouble we can get into!

One dark and dreary morning...

Eden had her four month check-up yesterday and was so wound up she didn't take any naps. Whoever said those shots make babies sleep hasn't met our quirky little kid. Eden is big and healthy- 70% on length, 75% on head (she's growing into her noggin!), and 80% on weight- a whopping 14lbs and 11 oz. She has been cleared for cereal and I can't wait to try out the first oh so messy feeding.

Our lives are so full right now that it is hard to find time to blog- it is also hard to catch up from my last post- but I'll try to hit the highlights:

Thomas took Eden to her Mamier's on Friday, taking along with him Creamy Chicken Enchiladas I made them for dinner. I'm shocked to discover that I've never posted this recipe before. We eat it often and it's my go to recipe when preparing dinner for another family. Check out the recipe below.

While they were traveling I made cookies and watched Crossroads (not the Brittany Spears version but oh just equally unwatchable). After very little sleep, I braved the freezing weather to sell cookies. The cold snap sort of killed the spring fling- but I was still able to break even (covering one time purchases like the tablecloth) and make enough to pay myself about $1.50 an hour. I will not be doing this in the future :), but it was fun while it lasted.
The rest of our weekend was VERY relaxing- I napped, we took a walk at the lake with Ryan and Anna (well, Thomas and Ryan played disc golf), ate sushi, bought and watched A LOT of Pushing Daisies (which Thomas loves), sewed a little for a friend's baby shower, and found my phone- IN THE DISHWASHER.

Yeah, I'm special, I've been told.

Monday was spent feeling crazy because I didn't have a phone (I'm addicted), Tuesday was spent traveling to see my parents and borrow a junker phone from my brother, and yesterday was Eden's dr appointment. Caught up now?

So I get to buy a new phone... and I'm starting to think iPhone. Thomas made the excellent point that if we move- easy connectibility will be a must. I'm still not convinced that I'm worthy of such a fancy phone, but I'm sure I'll grow out of that soon!

Today is dedicated to gathering ingredients and prepping cookies for Thomas' mom's family reunion this weekend. My current plan is to make Midnight Cowboy Chocolate Chip cookies (sans cocunut), butter rum cookies, and hazelnut caramel cracker bars. They are all pretty quick and easy and two of the doughs can be made a day ahead of baking. I'll let you know how they go, but for now will just leave you with this yummy recipe:

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (drain well!!! or your enchiladas will be soggy)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 8-ounce carton light dairy sour cream
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 7-ounce can diced green chiles, drained
6 flour tortillas (smaller ones)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped tomato for garnish

Place chicken in a large saucepon in enough water to cover. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes ro utnil chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove chicken from saucepan. When cool enough to handle, use a fork to shred chicken into bite-size pieces (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Set aside.

In a large bowl combine chicken, spinach, and green onions; set aside. For sauce, in a bowl combine sour cream, yogurt, flour, cumin, and salt. Stir in milk and chile peppers. Set aside.

For filling, combine half of the sauce and the chicken-spinach mixture. Divide filling among tortillas; roll up. Placed filled tortillas, seams sides down in a greased 2-quart rectangular baking dish.

Spoon remaining sauce over tortillas. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 oven about 25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese; let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with lots of chopped, fresh tomato.