Sweet Life of TL

At long last - Lasagna!

2010-03-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

I will apologize up front. I didn't have pictures because the camera was dead and I totally forgot to charge the battery. FAIL - but that doesn't compare to the HUGE WIN I just had with my first lasagna EVER!

I have always been intimidated by making lasagna after watching my Mom for years slave at the process. Start your sauce the day before by scratch. Carrot, Onion, Garlic, tomatoes that were whole that I got to help squish into the pot - seasoning for days, tomato sauce and paste and on and on and on. THEN you cooked the noodles, trimmed the noodles - layer after layer after layer. I was just too afraid to make it without it being a total failure.

Tonight, on a very festive occasion - MY BIRTHDAY - I decided I wanted lasagna and I was going to make it. (Sorry Stouffers) So I went to the store to purchase ingredients.
Lasagna Noodles -check
Two jars of sauce - check
Ricotta cheese- check
Parmesan cheese- check
Mozzarella cheese - check

We already had some ground beef in the freezer so I pulled that out to do it's bidness ;) Opened the sauce and used a jar and a half along with the cooked beef once it wasn't a block of frozen red substance. The jar sauce I used and happen to still love is Classico Tomato & Basil. It's not the sweetest sauce out there by any means and has a decent amount of flavor.

I called my Mom for advice as I always do. She told me how to make it as I frantically tried to write it all down. "Just follow the directions on the box, it's not that hard" she says. As I picture her in the kitchen many times during my childhood slaving away over her process.

*SIGH* Ok, I can do this!

I read the directions a few times - just to make sure I knew what I needed to do. I just had to remember these were telling me to cook the noodles and I wasn't going to do that. Hmm.

I pulled out of the fridge the items needed to mix the "stuffing" with. The Ricotta slipped out of it's container with the most distinct sound and ending with a big thud in the bowl. It did NOT look yummy! Cracked in two eggs, added 3.5 cups of the Mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan and mixed. This looked interesting. Was it going to taste good? Not so sure!

Before starting the assembly process, I tasted the meat sauce. It needed a little something. I added some sage, thyme, oregano, and a little salt & pepper. MUCH BETTER!

Now to put this pan of potential perfection together!!!

"layer bottom of pan with noodles slightly over lapping them" - if any of my 2 readers have ever made a lasagna with "oven ready" or not cooking your noodles first - you know that they aren't the easiest thing to work with. Yes, the pan is 9 x 13 - YES the pan is square and so are the noodles - but they are rock solid and don't move or conform to the shape you wish them to - DUH!

I put my first layer down trying to break and crack the noodles to create the shapes and lines to fit this square yet unsquare 9 x 13 pan. Maybe next time I'll actually cook them. We'll see. :)

Now cheese mix. WOW this stuff doesn't move easy and yes I'm only supposed to use half and spread it all over this 9 x 13, dry noodled mess without moving things around!? HA! Note to self - use a fork not a spatula for this process - it works SO much better. Small strokes and move things around. It will fit! Dump half your sauce mix over the cheese mix and repeat layers. Yeah well - this wasn't the box directions first time making a meal they've stressed over making since cooking became a thought. GEEZ!

I eventually got the 2nd layer on. Preheated the oven to 375 and baked for an hour. GUESS WHAT I FORGOT!?! You really should cover the damn lasagna so the noodles can catch some steam and cook - HELLO! Thank you for the loving reminder Mom! :)

I open the oven after the timer goes off an hour later and pull the lasagna out to top with cheese to melt. oooh! OUCH! There are some burnt or slightly darkened and dried out pieces around the edge. DARN IT! Not a total fail but not a total win! Oh well, you live, you learn right!? Thank you for your amazing words of wisdom Alanis Morissette. I topped it with cheese after picking off some dried out burned edges and placed it back in the oven to melt.

After the cheese looked oooey and gooey (did I spell that right?) I brought it back out of the oven to rest while cooking the garlic bread. I was terrified! Did the noodles cook!?? If I stuck a knife in this thing (which didn't look so bad!) would it go all the way through?? YES! WOOO HOOO! WIN #1!!! The noodles were cooked and I wasn't totally screwed for leaving the foil off during the baking process. Would it taste good??? We'll have to wait and see.

The garlic bread finished - sorry to disappoint, but it was store bought. Sliced it up and served with a modest slice of the lasagna. Of course wanting to avoid total taste failure - I served Matt & Nate first waiting anxiously to hear some sort of response before dying or giving an enormous sigh of relief to continue on to my taste test. (waiting, waiting, ..... OMG SOMEONE SAY SOMETHING!)

"Mom, this is the best thing EVER!" "oh yeah, no more store bought please"

YES! YES! YES! They like it! Shew! My turn! :)

It was great!!! I didn't have a total fail! It was really tasty and cooked well. I can't tell you just how proud I was and how the anxiety of making my Mom's lasagna finally left my body. I no longer fear the huge pan of lasagna.

I do apologize that I am lame and didn't check the camera to see if it was charged to take a picture of my lasagna deliciousness but life goes on. (wow I'm full of analogies today! sorry!)

One more hurdle in the great kitchen of life has been jumped over and I accomplished another course. I promise not to make it so long before my next blog. :)

Thanks for reading :)

Much <3

Omeletes by The French Chef & What's next?

2010-01-13T22:54:00.000-08:00

Julia Child the ever famous The French Chef was on PBS today making Omelets. Who knew that what I've been making as an "omelet" is considered by Julia to be leathery eggs! Huh! She recommended a deep skillet with high sides that was non stick. Hmm. I've done my one person omelets in a small pan - low and slow. She said "They are quick and shouldn't take you more than 30 seconds to make". Say what Julia!?

You beat your eggs with a splash of water to fluff them up a bit when you beat them. Then you lube your pan with a tablespoon (hello french cooking! would you like some more butter with that?) of butter - get it on the highest heat your stove will muster - and then dump your eggs in before the butter browns. Then you basically shake it around till it folds in on it's self and give it that saute flip that Julia called "jerking" lol - it's barely enough for the egg to set - before dumping it on your plate and topping it with goodies. You can also stir in your goodies for your omelet before putting the egg mixture into the pan and shaking the hell out of it for a few seconds and that's a "French" omelet. WHO KNEW!

I personally have become really good with the low, slow & covered method regardless if Julia the great thinks if they are leathery! Matt & Nate never complain! Just this morning Matt had a two egg, sauteed mushroom & Havarti omelet. He loved every bite! :)

I guess the moral of the story is kids: make your "omelet" the best way it speaks to you! You like them a little more cooked? Give it a lower heat so your eggs don't burn on the bottom and cover it with a lid so the top cooks at the same time (less moving the pan around to get the egg on top to cook) and add your good "stuffing" and fold it over! :) GEEZ! *how in the world omelets can be so complicated is beyond me!*

What's Next!?

Well all 3 readers :) Here's what is on the list of potentially what's next! Tell me what you think! I'll make it! *these jumped out at me from the cookbooks I have*

Gnocchi with quick Tomato Sauce
Crispy Chicken with Parmesan Tomatoes
Chicken stuffed with dried Tomatoes & Basil
Potato Crisp Chicken
Chicken Ragout
Boeuf Bourguignon
Texas Style Chili (this is an entire blog on it's own! the great chili debate)
Three Cheese Lasagna Rolls
Bayou Dirty Rice
Chicken & Dumplin's (southern staple?)
Chicken Positano
Beef Wellington for 2
Skirt Steak Stroganoff

Now I realize there is a LOT of chicken on this list. It's CHEAP PEOPLE! :) I'm cookin' for 4 on a budget! :)

Much <3

Beaten, Battered & Oh Well!

2010-01-10T18:33:00.000-08:00

Today was the open casting call for a brand new show to air on Fox called "Master Chef". I just found out about it a few days ago from a friend on Twitter. They were looking for people who like to cook or entertain with food who didn't have professional experience. I wasn't too sure when I initially found out about it, but with a lot of encouragement from Matt I thought what the heck. I know I don't have a lot of experience, but it would be fun!

I went through a few recipes and decided to go with the Shrimp Scampi. It's most assuredly the most involved recipe that I've done or maybe that's just my take on it, since I've not made it a million times. At any rate, I fell in love with this recipe. **Warning- this blog might be a bit long so if you aren't sitting, you might want to**

I don't know how else to tell of my experience other than it's been interesting. I sent my initial email telling my story about how I love to cook and that I'm VERY new to the game. I wasn't going to sugar coat anything of my experience or try to bite off more than I can chew so to speak. :) They would see right through that crap anyway. In the process of sending the producers my store and pictures of plating things and such - I made a virtual friend :) Well she may not consider me one, but she was very sweet and I could send an email to this address and she wasn't going to judge me based on my lack of cooking history. She actually liked the fact that I'm so passionate about cooking and willing to show my true non cooking pro colors :) THANK YOU Maria - you'll never know what that little bit of kindness has meant to me.

I first sent her a picture of a plated tasty treat :) I got this idea out of one of Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks. This is a double chocolate brownie with coffee ice cream(Starbucks - the only way to roll coffee ice cream) with chocolate sauce and a strawberry for decoration. :) Not the most complicated thing in the world, but it was fun (yet stressful) to make but damn tasty! :)

I believe I also sent Maria a picture of my Portobello Steak & Crab dish that y'all got to see earlier in this blog. That was tasty too! :)

Then, just a few nights ago when I made the scampi for the first time, I was SO PROUD of myself that I had to send Maria a picture of it. I just couldn't help myself. :) Within just a few minutes of me hitting the send button, she called me to giggle with me. A little kindness goes a long way people! Learn how to use it! :)

I really wasn't nervous about this experience. I know I don't have but a scratch of cooking experience - all self taught with the long distance help of my Mom Laveta. *You'd love my Mom - she's awsome!* So the process went like this:

Wake up at 8 - take a shower. Get dressed. Get in the kitchen and get cookin'! :)

For only being the 2nd time of making the Scampi it was MUCH better than the first time and the first time I couldn't stop ooohing and aaaaahing over the sauce! I got everything packed up for plating and put the good stuff in a warm mug and took off. Nate kept me company and gave me a lot of support while being nervous. I had a check in time of 11-12 and got to pass through the CRAZY line outside of Sir La Table in Kirkland. It went from the left side of the store in the alley, all the way around the front of the store and up the right side down the street.

I had a pre-screened pass if you will to not sit in that line. So we got in really quickly and didn't have to wait in that MONSTER line. We get inside and immediately I felt in over my head. You can see some people have already plated their stuff and HOLY COW, I must have looked like an idot. But I had the balls to be there and do it anyway. I didn't care.

As the line moves around, I learned that I'm not the only one with little experience and that was comforting. Some dishes I saw, I thought "wow, really!?" I could do so much better than that! I was finally moved around the room to a station where I could plate my Shrimp Scampi. YEAH! (not so much) we had waited there - plated almost an hour - watching people who had come to plate after me come and go. The longer I waited, the worse my stomach got and the more I wanted to cry. Ugh!

We finally get in front of a Chef Judge. The one I wanted to be judged by because she sat with Maria (Woo Hoo!) and I should have kicked myself. I was already seriously nervous and I realize that she was just doing her job, but I felt like I was tore up by this woman who was the professional.

She asked me about how I made the dish and what was in it. Were the shrimp fresh? Why do you clarify butter? Is there stock in the dish and did I make it myself? Uuuuh. :( I'm sorry I didn't have a picked chicken carcass just hanging around to boil & simmer for hours with amazing fresh herbs to blow you away with my chicken stock. I had store bought free range chicken stock. KILL ME! No I don't know why you clarify butter. I now know that it removes water and milk solids and leaves pure butter fat which gives it a higher smoke point, but that doesn't mean much to me and Scampi when I'm not cooking it at a very high temp anyway!
My toast pieces were too large and the plate was unbalanced. It tasted just like scampi. Win!? NO! She got what I was trying to do but it didn't work for her. She seemed very put off that I wasn't bringing her an original creation and that it was a recipe from my Mom.

I was crushed. I tried to keep the tears back. It didn't work. We packed up - I turned in my packet and we headed home. Crying while driving is really hard. But tell me something - why do your best come backs always come AFTER THE FREAKIN' FACT!?
Now I would love to tell that judge or ask her - when she first thought about cooking - was she cooking out of cookbooks and recipes from those around her or was she just the most amazing natural that she was cooking the most amazing inspirational dishes from the get go without any training and a large budget!?!

Did this hurt a little? Yes! Will this stop my cooking adventure? No way in hell! I'm far from done people! As a matter of fact - I encourage all you non cooks who might be interested in cooking to join me in my journey in learning how to cook!

I've had my minute to be sad- now it's time to move on and COOK MY ASS OFF!

Much <3

HOLY SCAMPI BATMAN!

2010-01-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

I feel like the Campbell's soup commercial! Cause it was "so mmm...mmm... good!" I was looking for a dish to make for Sunday (more details Sunday). I tried the steak & crab dish. It was nice but it wasn't BAM! Mom kept bragging about how delicious this Scampi dish was that she and Aunt Donna can't get enough of.

So I think I wrote this thing down about 3 different times before finally deciding to try it. It sounded complicated! "Clarify a stick of butter." Well, I've never done that before! In all honesty this was probably the most complicated dish I've ever made just on the butter part! MAN!

The first stick - separated and didn't really bubble thanks to the heat being way too low. It just looked like an oily mess! YUCK!
TAKE TWO!
Second stick of butter was MUCH better. I turned the heat up a bit- things separated and bubbled & foamed and all that jazz that butter is supposed to do when you "clarify" it. :)

Now the easy part - shrimp! I purchased 2lbs of shrimp (on sale baby) that had already been cleaned - I just needed to peel them. It was time to delegate! Jackson was playing/crying/grumping under my feet and all over the house so it was time to make this go faster. NATE TO THE RESCUE! Nate scrubbed in (LOL) and helped me peel. He was very proud to pull the shells off and the tail of the shrimp still be attached. I didn't even have to pay him for his labor! He just wanted dinner :)

I floured the shrimp and chopped fresh garlic. I thought you could have too much fresh garlic. Not so much! I wanted more! I had to double the amount of garlic - I thought we were all going to stink! :) After browning the shrimp in the sparkly butter - I added the garlic and let it fill the house with smells of NOMS! (Have I ever told you this cooking thing rocks!?)

Chicken stock, some simple herbs & a little sauce - no I mean white wine :) and we were ROCKIN! I sliced some baguette and kept dipping it in the sauce as it was coming together. As it came together and simmered I could see trouble ahead! No wonder there are so many cooks over weight! You just can't stop yourself when it tastes so damn good!

FEAST YOUR EYES ON THIS!

I didn't really have a plate to make this look fancy - then I remembered the lonely set of China we got from my brother & his wife. SCORE! :) Look how far I've come! :) I'm SO stinkin' proud of myself! I could have written all night about this one, but it's late, I'm sleepy and it's going to be a long weekend which those of you who listen/read (all 2 of you) will read about on Sunday/Monday. :)

I'm happy to answer questions - send you the recipe but all I can say is even the shrimp hater in the house (Hubby Matt) thought this was good. "Thicken the sauce and ease up on the lemon." I love that I can get honest feedback from Matt & Nate and it doesn't hurt my feelings a bit. Now if Gordon Ramsay was giving me feedback, I might cry :)

Much <3

Tonight, tonight - is not just any night :(

2010-01-05T17:46:00.001-08:00

The little one is sick and I have things going on - so I apologize to my 2-5 readers. Nothing exciting this evening. Check back tomorrow!

<3 U

Mmmmmm- Panini

2010-01-04T19:20:00.000-08:00

Last night was a rather rough night with Jackson. He didn't seem to remember that sleep was important and was up about 5 times last night. Therefore, today was fun yet easy night in the kitchen. Meals don't always have to be complicated. Tonight I didn't have the brain power nor the energy for complicated. My assistant tonight in the kitchen?? You'll love this!! :)

The Griddler -by Cuisinart. AMAZING! :) One of the best tools on the market if you ask me! (don't ask me about any other of the tools on the market though - ok!?) :) This bad boy has the ability to open completely flat. Slip on the flat plates and you can cook bacon, eggs or your favorite vanilla, cinnamon pancakes! Change out the flat plates for your grooved plates (so simple I can do it!) and you've got the best panini maker around! The dials on the front of the Griddler are very self explanatory and easy to understand.

The panini ingredients for dinner tonight were easy breezy to assemble and even more fun to nom on! Nate has just your simple turkey and cheddar cheese. Matt and I had Roma tomatoes with Arugula & Havarti.
Sorry about the shadow on the picture - I'm SO not a photographer! :) I initially tried to cut the tomatoes on my new Mandolin and it tore the first half to SHREDS! Which is just fine if I want them that way - all torn up and nasty but that wasn't my goal. I broke out the tomato knife for the rest. Muuuuuch better! :)

All these beautiful ingredients were assembled on a fantastic sourdough bread and toasted to perfection. NOOOM! Here is a picture of dinner - mid-grilling :)
It doesn't look very pretty here - (I think this was Nate's) but I got better with the assembly with each one.

Needless to say - dinner went easy. Jackson is changed and in bed. I should workout tonight, but I'm so tired I don't think I could safely be on the treadmill for 3 miles and not fall after the first 10th due to heavy feet. Tomorrow is another day.
Night y'all!

Is Spaghetti boring?? Not always!

2010-01-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

How many of you use spaghetti night as the lazy cooking night? (I'll wait for the crickets to stop chirping) In my single Mom days, it was how I lived. As I got further along in the kitchen it was the lazy cooking night. Now it's - I've still not done it completely from scratch (that will come eventually) but how can I jazz it the jar sauce?

A jar sauce can serve as a great starting base for a great spaghetti night. Tonight, I used the Classico line of tomato and basil. Most times I make spaghetti, it's ground beef, sausage, ground turkey or we've even used ground lamb in our house for our protein. The star tonight was meatballs. (giggle- sorry my inner dork tends to show its self from time to time)

I might have had time or the energy to make the from scratch today but in the words of most of the Dewey siblings "meh!" When I saw the bag available at Costco yesterday of pre-made frozen Italian style meatballs - I went LAZY COOKING NIGHT! (LOL)

So here is how tonight went after last nights extremely involved dinner -

Break out the crock
Chop: Green Bell Peppers, Onion, Garlic
Pour in Classico
add Peppers, Onions
8oz free range chicken stock (it's just really good)
diced tomatoes
tomato paste
about a cup of Chateau St Michelle Merlot
Italian seasonings
1/2 cup Parmesan
enough meatballs to feed 4 people
cover and turn to low since about 11am

This was great! My only complaint is I either picked a bad pepper (the diced pieces were rather bitter in the sauce) or does that mean I added them too early? Hey - I said that my cooking ventures would always go my way! I mean really, I've only been at this seriously for less than a year.

Tomorrow night we are having panini's for dinner thanks to my AMAZING family who gave us the Griddler for Christmas. (let me tell you what - this thing is A W E S O M E! Used it a ton already!)

We all know what Spaghetti looks like - so forgive me for no picture today.

Still to come:

Shrimp Scampi and a new Crock recipe that will come in handy in Feb as our temps drop!

Night y'all!

Love U!

New Year - New blog!

2010-01-02T20:22:00.000-08:00

So my friends, family & loved ones :) This is going to be an all new blog. I am sure I will still talk about my running and getting into better shape however life is taking me into a 2nd direction!

I've caught the cooking bug! My poor Mom, while I'm sure is very proud of me now, she has been waiting for the moment where the cooking bug would bite me. In my lineage, there are a bunch of Southern women who live to cook. It's in my DNA! I only wish I had taken the time to pay attention when my beautiful Mom was trying to teach me in my younger days that cooking is an art!

I was waaaay too busy doing everything thing else teenage/high school appropriate to even consider cooking. Even as I got older, had a child, lived on my own as a single Mom, I cooked to get by or survive. Spaghetti noodles & jar sauce. Box Mac n Cheese. You get the picture right?? :)

About a month or two ago, the cooking bug rushed up on me like a fever that I can't cure with Tylenol! I just want to cook. A L L T H E T I M E!

I know not every cooking adventure will turn out well or the way I want them to. I know that I'm very hard on myself when things don't go my way in the kitchen. Guess I better get over that or I may never learn anything.

While I don't know jack about what knife to use with what task in the kitchen or how to pronounce everything correctly but I do promise to keep at it and keep you informed. If you're reading or not :) (I know you're reading Meghan! I <3 U!) *at least I'll have one reader!*

Matt got B&N gift cards for Christmas and he told me to use them. CRAZY I KNOW! The man who can't sleep without new books, let me use his "gotta have new book smell" cards! :) LOL

My purchases were:

The New Basics Cookbook - by Julee Rosso & Shelia Lukins
The Good Housekeeping Step by Step Cook book

Not to mention I've borrowed 4 from my brother in law Nick - THANK YOU!

Tonight's cooking adventure wasn't from any of those cookbooks -it was from my own imagination and my Mom's cookbook.

Portobello Mushroom with Steak and Crab Imperial -

I watched a youtube video on how to prep the mushroom - MAN you have to be much easier removing the gills of the mushroom then I thought you would have to be... hence the rough looking mushroom. It didn't turn out the way I wanted it to when I cooked it. Oh well! Try, try again! I am however getting really good at timing a steak under the broiler! :) The steak turned out fantastic and seasoned very well - just a light Montreal Steak seasoning. (I'm sure the professional cooking world hates that stuff, but I love it) The Crab Imperial is a dish that I've made before, but couldn't remember what I needed so I had to call Mom.

We had a communication issue (my ADHD kicked in) and I messed it up! I had whipped this poor little egg white into serious submission with stiff peaks. LOL. (that is laugh out loud Moma! I <3 U too!) I folded it into the dressing that is used on top of the crab and around the plate that you see. Mom wanted me to put it into the crab mixture. OOOPS! (I so must not have been paying attention) SO she says " just pour it in the crab mix". I kept thinking how wet it would be and that it would take forever to bake. Sure enough - the mixture was too moist and I had to bake it an additional 15 minutes then threw it under the broiler to dry it out more. You live, you learn, you keep cooking!

Needless to say - the flavors worked very well together despite the contradictions that kept singing in my head over and over.

Next I think will be Shrimp Scampi :)

While I'm most positive that none of these dishes will assist my smaller figure goals - Portion control is everything AND I will keep at it in the gym. The holidays were a wee bit stressful so I've put back on a few pounds. Nothing 5 nights a week doing cardio and at least 3-4 mornings a week lifting weights can't fix!

I think I will look for another 5k around March. Anyone wanna join? Meghan? Lauren? Anyone? :)

Well my fabulous friends! I'm heading to bed with an amazingly tolerant hubby who doesn't mind eating my ... (he, he) screw up's in the kitchen. :)

Love U!

Blogging Running Cooking OH MY!

2009-07-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

So it's evident that I still suck at blogging. I think I'm about to turn over a new leaf. The past two days have been a very interesting to say the least. Carol has decided after being a little too relaxed over this summer that we're all going to do a couch to 5k training program. "All" as in: she, Johanna and me (GASP!) No, no - really she asked if I was interested. I've always wanted to push myself harder to get into better shape. Why not now!? :)

If you are not very familiar with this type of program it looks like this:

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

We have started something very similar. We hope to be ready by October for the Salmon Days 5k. I however, opened my big mouth and agreed to do a 5k "Beer Run" (lolz) where you do the 5k and at the end is a beautiful beer garden awaiting your sorry tired butt to guzzle a hopefully cryogenically frozen beer (lolz again). This nice run just happens a week or two before the Salmon Days run. I'm hoping I'm ready.

Yesterday -Carol, Jo,Jackson, River and myself walked for 30 around Pine Lake Middle's track. I didn't think I was pushing myself hard enough. I could talk just fine the entire way around the track and never really broke a sweat. We finished and I pushed Jackson back to the car in his stroller. Once we hit the car, I was beet red and rather warm. Guess I did a decent job after all.

Today - HOLY COW! My only goal was to not pass out and Carol have to pick me up off the ground. I'm not a runner. Have never really been a runner. Have always been afraid of running due to being top heavy. We started out walking for 2 minutes. Ran for the 60 seconds following those two minutes and continued this way for 10 laps around the track (correct me if I'm wrong Carol). The first few runs were ok. I thought I could hang with it. We stopped for water. The next few became increasingly harder! I got to the 5th run. I could still stand but it was starting to become work. 6th run - I'm still standing - I can still see. 7th run - Uh how many more of these are there!?!?! 8th run- OMG I think I'm gonna have to stop..... gasp gasp gasp. WATER! 9th run - Ok I've kinda caught my breath I can do this (last 20 seconds of this run ... maybe not) Ok - "Last run! Make it your best!!!" (Yeah, thanks Carol!) :) I pushed myself as hard as I could. A personal trainer would have made do the same thing if it was my last one of the day - I ran hard and by the end I was gasping pretty hard for air. BUT I DID IT! I did all 10 MOFO laps and didn't die! I said a nice 4 letter S word (sorry Carol) :) a few times.

It probably took me the entire rest of the lap to catch my breath and some water. We stopped to stretch out so we wouldn't hurt that bad later. OH WELL. Still hurt! :) I hope tomorrow doesn't suck since it's a walking day. :) I'm looking forward to the success I have with this program and having my sister and niece by my side while I do it. I know it will be one of the hardest things I'll ever do besides birth children. I promise to complain A LOT but I also promise not to give up. Thank you Carol and Johanna for being there for me! OH, Sasha and River too! :)

Did I ever post the pictures of the Taco Lasagna?? It's not the most difficult casserole I've ever made. It takes about 15-20 minutes of prep work. After it looks like any cheese topped dish you bake but boy is it tasty!

1pg Ground Turkey (1.25lbs)

1pg favorite taco seasoning (I like McCormick)

6 Medium Tortillas (we like Mission)

48oz or 3lbs of your favorite salsa (Spikes All Natural Santa Fe Chunky is my fav)

4 Cups Mexican blend cheese

1 can refried beans

In a 9x13 baking dish spray with no stick cooking spray

Line two tortillas in the bottom over lapping and splitting a 3^rd and placing the straight edges along the ends of the baking dish

Warm refried beans to can specifications and spread about half on top of tortillas. They are gonna move so you’ll need your fingers J

Cook turkey and drain

Add taco seasoning and water required by package

Add 16oz of salsa to seasoned turkey and combine completely

Spread half of the meat/salsa mix on top of refried beans

Top with enough salsa to cover the meat mix – spread as evenly as you can J

Top with 2cups cheese or enough that salsa isn’t visible

Repeat layers! J I promise it’s worth it!

Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 30 minutes (that’s just about long enough to warm everything back through and melt all the cheese)

ENJOY!

Much love!!!

TL

Recovery, cooking & Jackson's first trip to the pool!

2009-06-10T15:35:00.001-07:00

So yet again, I forget the camera to another weekend! We were set to go to the Island on May 30th to celebrate Toad's birthday on the 31st. The Thursday before, I had made appointments for the boys to have their Annual check up's at the Doctor's office. It was a beautiful sunny day. Typically days where Nate has a doctor appointment he will beg to get out of going to school. "Mom, please can I stay home? I'll clean!" HA! This day was not much different than those days before where he tried to get out of going to school after a Doctor appointment - EXCEPT he complained of a tummy ache. I just knew that it was due to his sunny day fever and nothing more. We left VM and headed home. Knowing in the back of my mind, I'd have Nate grab his stuff and take him to school. He protested over and over that his tummy hurt and that he really shouldn't go to school. I even asked him to tell me the truth - that it was really only because of a sunny day that he wanted to stay home. We get home, come up stairs and Nate starts throwing up! DAMN IT! I felt like such a jerk for not believing him!

24 hours later, Nate recovers - after many towels and missed attempts at throwing up in the toilet. Friday we plan our trip to the Island. Saturday morning - we pack up and head out.

We reach the Island only to have Jackson start throwing up early Saturday afternoon. Puke just rolled down hill from there! In it's wake - the casualty list: Nate, Jackson, Matthew, Lauren, Nick, ME, Meghan, Joe, Mom - I believe in that order :)

Even after the illness - my stomach cramped after eating for days. I think everyone is finally in the clear.

I made an attempt at Turkey Stroganoff. I wasn't sure how it would turn out since I was using ground turkey. It wasn't bad! Not bad at all!

At the grocery story I found Frenches Beef Stroganoff seasoning packet and followed the directions. I decided it needed some tweeking! McCormicks Garlic and Pepper grinder, White Pepper and Salt to add additional seasoning. Real onion and mushroom. Since most ground turkey packages are more than a pound - I doubled the sauce receipe.

Not the healthiest dish in the world - but pretty darn tasty over egg noodles! I'm a complete failure since I didn't take pictures of the finished product for you - but I swear I won't do it again! :)

Yesterday, Nate and I took Jackson to the pool. You would be AMAZED at just how much effort it takes to get a toddler ready for the sunny outdoors when they are as pale and pasty as a sheet of 8.5 x 11 lined paper!

I change Jackson's diaper. Might as well have bathed him in a vat of baby sun screen (arms, legs, belly, face, neck, ears- could have done his scalpe if I wanted to have a greaser for a child) He had on his little SPF 50 shirt, little swimmers underpants and swim trunks. He looked so cute but was so grumpy I couldn't get a picture - I tried several times!

I pack up a sippy cup, snack, towel and we stroll down to the pool. Jackson enjoys the stroller ride to the pool. Nate lets us in. You could see the confusion in Jackson's face as to why all these kids at the pool were squealing with delight. "I know that stuff is water! But those kids seem so happy about it!" I pick JD up and we head toward the water. I walk down the stairs into the water and JD starts to whine until his feet hit the water. It was all over from there! He screamed bloody murder until I got out of the pool. Holding him close to me above the water wasn't going to do it! He was PISSED! I got out of the pool - his immediate silence was enough for me. We headed home.

Our adventures in the water will not stop here - we will continue to try. Maybe his Aunt Mae Mae will have better luck?? She's a water baby so I hear :)

Tonight's dinner will be Taco Lasagna - I will post the receipe and take pictures this time I SWEAR IT! :)

Much love!

I suck at blogging!

2009-05-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

So! I apparently suck at this blogging thing! I've not made it a priority and I've had a hard time finding a normal time to do it. Ah! The joys of being a SAHM! There's always something else going on. Cleaning - Cooking - Throwing up children. JOY!

Lets see - what have you missed since my last blog ?

My Mom came to visit from Baltimore to visit. Nate and Jackson had their birthday's. We've had beautiful weather and I've cut my hair! Shew!

Aunt Mae Mae is gifted with the camera and in the kitchen! She made Jackson's birthday cake for him to dive into! It was the most delicious Vegan Chocolate cake I think I've ever had the pleasure to taste! I mean words just can't describe how good it was! (Wouldn't you agree Tiffany!?)

Matthew's Mom also purchased a cake for both Nate and Jackson from Blackbird Bakery. They have a great product! It was also a hit among the adults! Most of the kids had cupcakes. Nate decided to play face smash with his cupcake as to not feel left out of the "lets get messy" part of Jackson's 1st birthday. Jackson instead of diving in face first chose to be rather meticulous about how he approached his cake. It was a great party! Thanks to all who showed!

We also discovered that weekend that Jackson will follow in the footsteps of his Father and Uncle! Looks like he's gonna skate!

This weekend we will visit the Dewey clan once again over on the beautiful Bainbridge Island. I will be sure not to be so LAME - take the camera- snap some shots and blog about it! :)

I will leave you with some cute and awesomeness! :)

Joyful weekend - Spring is here!

2009-04-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a joyful weekend. All my boys are home and I've enjoyed their company even though 2 out of 3 are currently trying to kick a cold. Jackson spent Friday night running a fever and miserable but we made it through the night thanks to the graces of Motrin.

Matthew has been making homemade bread recently and I can't tell you just how nice it is. Walking through the house with the scent of baking bread is just so heart warming. He's getting really good at it too - no bread machine - all hand made. Imagine home made bread - toasted- with just enough butter to make you say "mmmmm" out loud. YES! It's that good!

Spring has sprung and things are warming up quickly. Nate is spending lots of time outside playing with his friends. It's nice that he has an abundance of friends to play with here. Jackson and I get out every day that it's sunny and go for a stroll. I've learned if I lay him down in the stroller that he WILL nap while we're out walking. It's nice that there are so many paths here in Issaquah for us to take walks. I don't think we'll get bored.

I've been trying to get a little creative with the camera here recently. I've been taking more and more pictures. I'm not very good just yet, but the more I take and learn about how to use it's features, the better I figure I'll get. Here's one I took of some Gerber's I had at the table -

I've taken to cooking - never thought I'd say that. :) My mother would be so proud! :) Healthy cooking has become a goal. I'm going to start trying out new stuff - posting the outcome and sharing the recipes with you here. I've got a few cookbooks that I'm looking through now. Once I decide what my first new dish will be- I'll let you know :)

I will probably start blogging about several things -

Mommy stuff
Cooking Healthy
Local Markets (my reviews cause I'm determined to visit ALL of them)
Working out - the joys and the struggles
Days of Our Lifes - yes, yes, the soap - I'm an addict
Photos
and just general rants and raves

I'll let this one go for now :)

Much love!

This is new!

2009-04-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Well Family, Friends and who ever else might be inclined to read :) I'm new at this blogging thing - but I'm going to give it a shot. I can't promise that what you read will be interesting, but it will always have some meaning to me or what I blog about will have touched me in some way. Don't hold back on comments either! :) Sometimes brutal honesty is a good medicine! :)

Much love -

TL