Endings

Anyone out there??? If you are, you should note, this blog is being "shut down" to make way for something new and exciting: http://middlebrookfamily.blogspot.com/.

A new blog for a new start. I'll be focusing a bit more on what you guys probably care about and a little less on cooking. Don't worry, I'll still share recipes. In fact, I have dedicated a whole new home to those I've already collected while writing this blog: http://sites.google.com/site/middlebrookcook/. It's not the best site (a little bland, font is inconsistent throughout, blah blah), but I think the organization works a bit better than a collection of random recipes in the side bar.

Keep in touch the next few weeks- life has been getting pretty exciting around here!

Tantrum Central

2/3 of our house have spent the day in a state of irritability. I won't mention names, but Thomas sure does deserve a good night's sleep. My fridge is currently stocked with leftovers from yesterday's chili and today's chicken peanut chow mein (it was yummy, see recipe below!), and there is still one uncooked meal from last week's menu. This basically means no Monday grocery shopping is needed this week. I'm a little worried for my social life because this is depressing news. Surely I'll find some way to survive (it's spelled J-A-V-A-J-A-C-K-S).

Grocery shopping is exciting (again- I know how sad this sounds), but this week it's extra exciting. I heard about an online meal planning service at MOPS. Dave Ramsey's name is all over it and although that was a bit of a turn off (sorry, self-help gurus are always a turn off to me, even if I agree they're helpful) I decided to give it a try anyway. The website is www.e-mealz.com. Basically you choose a plan (options include family of 4-6 or family of 2, low-fat, walmart, any store, etc) and then pay them $15 to receive a weekly menu and grocery list every week for three months. Their goal is to provide an interesting plan that costs no more that $75/week for a family of 4. The family of 2 plan should be roughly half the cost, but it fluctuates more. I chose the Low Fat Meal Plan for Two for any store. My goal is to save money, but it should also save me time. I don't mind the time I spend cooking and planning, but I have tried for 6 months and am not good at planning cheaper meals. What can I say, I love to cook exotic food.

So far here's what I think- They use some typical "low fat" corners which means the meals aren't necessarily "healthy". I should've expected this, but it's still a bit dissapointing. The meals don't sound gross, but they're not exactly what I would have picked out. They have a list of "staples" which they don't include in the price. These staples include eggs, milk, butter, salsa, etc. Not sure how much this will effect the overall cost. They do not list how much they are expecting the items to cost, so it's hard to price match while shopping to see where their planning and my reality don't match.

It'll probably be next week before I'm able to try out this experiment, but I'll let you all know how it goes! Leave a comment if you've ever used a similar service.


Chicken Peanut Chow Mein (from Cooking Light)

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups noodle mixture, 1/4 cup onions, and 1 1/2 teaspoons peanuts)

Ingredients

• 1 cup precut matchstick-cut carrot (I used 1 1/2 cups)
  
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed (I used 1 1/2 cups)
  
• 2 (6-ounce) packages chow mein noodles (I halved this and it was plenty)
  
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
• 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast (I used 1 lb, 1/2 lb is only enough for 2 servings)
  
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
• 3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 cup presliced mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons bottled fresh ground ginger (such as Spice World) (I used 1 tsp ground ginger, it was a little too much)
  
• 1 cup (1-inch) sliced green onions (probably only need 1/2 cup, I only had 1/4 and it wasn't bad)
  
• 2 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preparation

Cook carrots, snow peas, and noodles in boiling water 3 minutes; drain.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut chicken crosswise into thin strips. Add chicken and 1 tablespoon soy sauce to pan; stir-fry 3 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, broth, oyster sauce, sugar, and pepper, stirring well. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and ginger to pan; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add broth mixture, and cook for 1 minute. Add noodle mixture and chicken to pan; cook 1 minute, tossing to combine. Sprinkle with onions and peanuts.

Katherine - the Viking warior chef

I just noticed that my blog banner artwork is a little strange. All the kitchen tools in the apron pocket are normal...except one... huh.

Odd time for an update I know, but I HAVE to distract myself from ebay. I just realized that you can type in Janie and Jack and you find over 3,000 listings of discounted, slightly used clothing from my favorite children's store. It's my favorite, but Eden has basically nothing from there because it's ridiculously expensive. Well, not ridiculously. The clothing, fabric, and design are all phenomenal- but I can barely bring myself to pay full price for clothing at Old Navy (and rarely do at that) so $80 for an infant dress is a bit crazy to me. Thomas and I recently took a small "vacation" to Houston--- interuption: can I call it a holiday? it was just a little weekend getaway/refreshing trip. Isn't that what the brits refer to as a holiday? it's such a useful term, AHEM--- Thomas and I recently took a small holiday to Houston and I got to actually buy something from Janie and Jack. Maybe it's because it's my favorite time of year, or because my daughter was born so close to the holidays, or because I'm a mind-warped-American-consumer, but there is just something so special about THE Christmas outfit. I went nuts last year trying to find the perfect one. Let's just say Janie and Jack had about 10 to choose from and I couldn't resist. Sooo, here it is:
Can't you just imagine it with tights and a red satin headband?? These pictures don't really do the fabric justice. Now if only shopping for myself was so easy.

It's getting cold---- YAYAY!!!

It might seem odd at first, but if I was asked what my favorite-can't-live-without kitchen tool was I'd have to say my laptop. I try to keep all of my favorite recipes on here, use google way too often for recipe substitutions and measurement conversions, and watch hulu while cooking. In preparation for making chili tonight I opened up my blog to get the recipe (they're all on the sidebar!) and was shocked that I had never posted about this! Thomas and I bought a firepit last winter and broke it in by having a chili and smores party. Recipezaar is often a go to site when I'm looking for classic dishes and want to compare a variety of recipes. I found one titled "The Best Chili You Will Ever Taste" and haven't ventured to another recipe since. Well, here you go!

THE BEST CHILI YOU WILL EVER TASTE

Ingredients

* 2 teaspoons oil
* 2 onions, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 lb lean ground beef
* 3/4 lb beef sirloin, cubed
* 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 can dark beer
* 1 cup strong coffee
* 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
* 1 can beef broth
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 3 1/2 tablespoons chili sauce
* 1 tablespoon cumin
* 1 tablespoon cocoa
* 1 teaspoon oregano
* 1 teaspoon cayenne
* 1 teaspoon coriander
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 4 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans (I HALF THIS)
* 4 chili peppers, chopped

Directions

1.Heat oil.
2.Cook onions, garlic and meat until brown.
3.Add tomatoes, beer, coffee, tomato paste and beef broth.
4.Add spices Stir in 2 cans of kidney beans and peppers.
5.Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
6.Add 2 remaining cans of kidney beans and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Decisions, Decisions

There are some BIG life changes looming over the horizon for our little family. Until we know for sure what we are doing in January I can't plan. People, I NEED to plan!! It's stressing me out and affecting my ability to make decisions. We're not talking about big decisions that actually require insight and spousal approval. We're talking should we get two or three pumpkins-when should I eat lunch-what conditioner should I use on my hair-should I spend an extra $2 organic milk???????. I get myself worked into a ball of anxious energy over the tiniest things, and seem unable to make the slightest move without asking Thomas' opinion. Poor guy! :). BREATH.

For my sake (ok, for Thomas' sake too) decisions need to be made- by me- throwing all caution to the wind and not worrying about what anyone else thinks. This might seem like a silly exercise- but I need to jump start my independent thinking processes. So I'm going to type out a list of decisions without consulting Thomas. Ok, here we go....

1) GET MY HAIR CUT- there, I made a decision - been fretting over that one for weeks
2) DO TAKEOUT FOR DINNER TOMORROW- I guess to make this a really good decision I should decide where.....(fighting urge to ask thomas).....(trying not to feel horribly conflicted because that's the point of this exercise)......Rancho Grande
3) ORDER THAT DRESS I'VE LOOKED AT EVERYDAY FOR A WEEK, in two sizes so I know at least one will fit right.
4) STOP MAKING THIS LIST AND GO TO BED!

But first, I want to leave you with a little eye candy. A little perk for reading through such a personal rant. Not being able to make a hard and fast decision has led me to create a little inspiration board of ideas for Eden's upcoming celebration (excuse the poor image quality). Enjoy!

To Do List (they keep me sane)

During my week I think about a half dozen times "I should blog this." Now that I'm sitting at my computer with blogger open I can't think of what to say! Hmmm.....

Eden has her "first" viral infection. She has been fussy for about a week and we thought she was teething, but at a doctor's visit today it was discovered that she has a very angry sore throat. Fortunately, all the Tylenol we were giving her for sore teeth is the same treatment for this ailment. Hopefully she'll get to feeling better soon and we can all go back to sleeping through the night!

I've been super creative lately- meaning normal mommy tasks like cleaning house, cooking, and doing laundry have fallen to the wayside. Luckily Thomas has been home to help pick up the slack- he's such a sweet husband. He even hung some of my paintings up at Java Jacks :). There are several empty spots on the walls at our house now. Maybe I should paint more? Over the last couple of weeks I've finished a mock painting for a large scale mural, almost completed a large painting (just copy work) for a gift, baked an applie pie to celebrate the first day of fall (this will become a tradition in our family), baked scones THREE times, completed an album for my sister, and sewn pajamas. That doesn't sound like a lot now that I've written it out- but there was a very silly, fantastic, REFRESHING girl's weekend in the mix.

My to do list for creative projects is quite heavy at the moment:
-sew skirt
-paint mural
-finish large painting
-correct album
-start big girl quilt for Eden
and drum roll....da.dad.a.da.da.da.da...
-start new painting, a serious one (whatever that means, haha)

Oh, and remembering to cook and feed my family :).

Some catching up

What a refreshing morning! After almost two weeks on the road we returned home early Friday morning. Eden went to stay with her Grandaddy and CiCi Friday night so Thomas and I could catch a movie and sleep in- we were admittedly a bit road weary. The movie, District 9, was not at ALL relaxing- but it was definitely a well done piece of cinema. We ended up winding down by starting Scrubs Season 8 (I don't feel like divulging just how many episodes we watched) and eating ice cream. After sleeping in, which felt SOOOO good, I took a bubble bath while reading magazines and eating oreos for breakfast. Perfect morning off! Although, think I need to go on a dessert strike again :).

Here are a few pictures from our trip:

Stopping in at the Arkansas border for lunch- Eden's first time in a state other than Texas

"I'm ready to get out of the car!!"- just outside of Chicago

Outside The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago

Hanging out in St Louis

After visiting Trinity Evangelical in Chicago, Thomas officially likes the program and will be working on the GRE and admission paperwork over the next month. Once that's done we'll just have to see what happens next! Exciting, no?

I got the painting itch on the trip and am glad that I've wrapped up most of my sewing projects. I'm pretty sure that the sewing machine will be put up so that it isn't a distraction.

Here is the finished quilt for Emily's graduation present. I printed the Psalm 121 panel through spoonflower.com. If you're crafty, check them out, awesome service!!

And here is a skirt made for Emma's first birthday present. This is from JonaG's Edith Twirl Skirt pattern.
Be expecting some recipes soon!