Monday, 9/27/2010

I love it when Ben tells me what he wants for dinner.  It saves me the time of trying to come up with something to make.  This morning he said that he was in the mood for pork chops.  I purchased three, pre-packaged, thick-cut chops at Fred Meyer.  Let me pause and say how annoying I find this.  Why do I have to go to a meat counter in order to buy an even number of pork chops?  I want to purchase two or four pork chops at a time, pre-packaged.  To resolve today's odd quantity purchase, I sliced each chop in half.  Ta-da...six chops.  Unfortunately, this means we will be having pork three times this week, instead of two times.  Ugh.  That's a lot of pork.  

I marinated two of the chops in Stubb's Pork Marinade and four of the chops in Grill Mates Zesty Herb Marinade.  Ben had a zesty herb chop, and I had a Stubb's chop.  Katie had an apple cinnamon breakfast bar and raisins for dinner.  She is usually a fan of pork, but tonight she wouldn't touch it.  Katie watched me cut the chops this afternoon and called them bacon.  That's pretty close for a 21-month-old.  Ben and I had a caesar salad on the side. 

Sunday, 9/26/2010

It was nice to be home with Katie after a day away.  She had a great time with her grandma, but did not nap for her.  After lunch at home, we all went to our church's re-dedication.  The building just underwent its first significant renovation in 50 years.  It included the addition of an elevator, new office space layout, a new conference room, a large gathering space directly outside the sanctuary, and a large patio.  Here are a few photos Ben took of the new space last week.

The new patio off of the enlarged narthex.

The new entrance to the building which gives an immediate view of the church and YMCA offices.

The new narthex/gathering place. 

Katie almost made it through the entire dedication.  We ended up taking a five minute walk outside so that she could get some "too sleepy" energy out of her system.  Soon after the ribbon cutting took place, we went home and put Katie down for a nap.  Just an hour later, Ben and I took a nap too:)  The fridge didn't have much in it for dinner; so, we went to Luna Park Cafe for dinner.  

Katie chanted "burger" all the way to the restaurant.  When I gave her some of mine to eat, she wouldn't eat it.  This was not surprising.  She did eat a few of my french fries and drank some chocolate milkshake.  I had a bacon cheeseburger with pickles and ketchup.  Ben had chili cheese fries.  We ordered Katie her very own chocolate milkshake from the kid's menu.  We thought it would be smaller for kids.  Nope--it was exactly the same size as the small chocolate milkshakes we ordered for ourselves.  Don't worry--we didn't let her's go to waste:) The food at Luna Park Cafe is delicious; it is just hard not to eat too much. 

Saturday, 9/25/2010

Well, I certainly retreated today:)  I drove up to Semiahmoo Resort this morning, arriving just after 11:30am.  I checked into the hotel, took a run on the indoor track, had an hour-long Swedish massage, read my book on the beach, watched a wedding from my hotel room, and then enjoyed a lovely evening with Ben, his co-workers, and their spouses.

I loved running on the track, mainly because I wasn't doing it while pushing a stroller!  I've been trying to build up to running 30 minutes while pushing Katie in the stroller.  I now know how taxing that is on my progress.  I haven't run for two weeks due to my cold; I forgot to stretch; and, I was able to pick up exactly where I left off without any more fatigue than normal.  Towards the end of the run, I even contemplated running a little longer than I needed to for this particular workout.  I guess it is nice to know that I am for sure working harder with the stroller than without it.  And the massage--ah, it was wonderful!  I haven't had a massage in several years. I was so relaxed that I fell asleep briefly a couple times.  Thankfully, there wasn't any embarrassing snoring:) 

Our dinner was served buffet style.  I really enjoyed my caesar salad with smoked salmon.  That was a nice change from the basic caesar I usually make at home.  I wasn't too thrilled with the look of the chicken and always avoid prime rib; so, I opted for the wood plank salmon for my entree.  That salmon was only ok.  It lacked flavor in my opinion.  I much preferred the smoked salmon in my salad.  The roasted potatoes and roll were pretty good.  And for dessert, we had a peach/blackberry cobbler.  We couldn't taste the peaches, but Ben did point out that he thought the texture was a bit off for a berry cobbler:)  There was disappointment at our table when we realized they weren't serving ice cream with the cobbler.   Come on...who serves cobbler without ice cream?  And, along with all this food, we enjoyed wine...lots of it. 

Thanks, Jennifer, for watching Katie so that I could retreat and enjoy an evening away with Ben:)

Friday, 9/24/2010

My mother-in-law drove up from Portland this afternoon in order to take care of Katie for us this weekend.  Ben is participating in a leadership workshop with his company today and tomorrow at Semiahmoo Resort, in Blaine, WA.  Lucky for me, spouses were invited to join in the Saturday night dinner.  I will be driving up tomorrow morning after breakfast with Katie.  Needless to say, it was a busy day of cleaning:)  It's a good thing we have company every once in a while.  Without it, our house would never get cleaned.  I managed to get the house clean, just as she arrived! 

I heated up the remainder of the Smokey Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner. Again, I must say that this recipe makes plenty for four decent sized bowls of soup, despite what Rachael Ray says:)  Jennifer even saved some of her's for tomorrow.  After getting Katie down for the night, Jennifer and I watched the season premiere of The Office and enjoyed catching up on family and friends. 

Thursday, 9/23/2010

We made tonight's dish for the first time in January this year. Now that it is Fall, we can have it again. 
WHOO HOO!!!

Smoky Chicken Tortilla Soup  

Recipe from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
3 cups chicken stock
1 pound chicken tenders
1 bay leaf, fresh if available
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 slices thick, smoky bacon, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons sauce
1 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
Salt to taste
4 cups corn tortilla chips, lightly crushed
3/4 pound (2 cups) shredded fresh smoked mozzarella or smoked sharp white cheddar cheese
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 red onion, chopped
Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Preparation:
Bring broth to a simmer and add the chicken tenders. Poach them for 6-7 minutes with a bay leaf.

While the chicken poaches, heat EVOO in a medium soup pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook it until crisp then remove it with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain off the excess fat, leaving 2-3 tablespoons in the pan. Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and cook them for 5 minutes. Stir in chipotles and tomatoes.

Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid, dice it then add it to the tomatoes and chipotles. Pass the poaching liquid through a strainer then add it to the soup pot as well.

Place a pile of crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of each soup bowl. Cover it liberally with cheese then ladle the hot soup down over the top. Serve it with lime, raw onions and cilantro at the table.

Notes on preparation:

1.  I didn't have chicken tenders on hand.  Instead, I used chicken breasts, which I sliced into chicken tender sizes.  

2.  We don't like crunchy onions in our house.  So, I cooked the onions and garlic for much longer than 5 minutes before I stirred in the chipotles and tomatoes.  I pretty much waited until the garlic was ready to burn;)

3.  I found smoked yellow cheddar on sale at Fred Meyer (8 ounces for $3.99).  I decided to use that rather than purchase smoked mozzarella for twice the price.  It was just fine:)

4.  I didn't add any extra salt to the soup.  The chicken broth, bacon, and tortilla chips have enough salt on them.  

5.  Rachael's website said that this recipe serves 2 with some left over seconds.  I think it makes enough for 4 decent bowls of soup.  I was plenty full after having a 1/4 of the soup for dinner. 

Wednesday, 9/22/2010

Katie and I picked Ben up from work tonight.  By the time we got home, we had about 20 minutes to make and eat dinner before I had to head out the door for a service at church.  We made a large chicken quesadilla, which Ben and I shared.  I dumped some shredded rotisserie chicken into a small skillet, added a packet of chicken taco seasoning and a little water.  I stirred them together and let them sizzle for a few minutes over medium heat.  In a larger skillet, I started to build the quesadilla.  On a large tortilla, I put down a layer of shredded Mexican cheeses, a layer of the seasoned chicken, chopped jalapenos, another layer of cheese, and topped it with another tortilla.  I let that cook for a while, hoping that the bottom tortilla was getting a bit crispy. 

Now, I don't know about you, but the flipping of a filled quesadilla is always a bit daunting to me.  It is big, not all melted together yet, and you know you need to get some heat to the other side.  Tonight I used a large spatula and did my best.  I got most of it turned over, but when it was done, the quesadilla had some crispy cheese and chicken on the part that didn't turn well.  

In the meantime, Ben blended about half of the remaining salsa I made this week into a thicker, less chunky texture.  I thought I was going to have the "raw" salsa with my quesadilla, but quickly found myself using the blended salsa instead.  The blended salsa stuck to the quesadilla slices, where the unblended just slid off.  I want to say that I prefer the raw salsa texture, because I feel it would show the maturity of my taste buds.  But, if I am being completely honest, I do prefer the blended texture. 

Tuesday, 9/21/2010

We had our PEPS gathering at Jen, Andy, and Jackson's home tonight.  The kids were really busy!  The rocking horse was rocking.  The crayons were coloring.  The bubble wands were making bubbles.  The lawn mowers were mowing.  The kids might have even had a few bites of food too;)

Jen made a delicious roasted eggplant, baked penne dish.  I'm not sure what the ingredients were, but the sauce had a nice heat to it.  I must say, this is only the second time I have ever eaten eggplant.  I don't think I would have known what I was eating if I hadn't asked what she was serving. Jen also put together a tasty salad with mixed greens, onions, craisins, cheese-- feta or goat probably, and a nice dressing.  For dessert, we munched on oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies.  We had to leave a little early tonight, so we didn't see any of the kids melt down.  It was kind of nice to leave when everyone was still happy:) 

Monday, 9/20/2010

I picked up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store this morning.  I shredded it as soon as I got home, so that we can use it for meals this week.  It is much easier to shred chicken when it is warm than when it is cold.  Tonight we used the chicken in a caesar salad.  We usually add freshly cracked black pepper and extra Parmesan cheese to a Fresh Express Caesar salad kit.  Unfortunately, I didn't notice that we were almost out of Parmesan. The rest of the ingredients were quite good, but the lack of Parmesan left the salad a little short on flavor tonight.

Once we got Katie down for the night, I started to make salsa for the first time! When I first met Ben, six years ago, I wouldn't even try salsa.  Now, I love the stuff enough that I bought tomato and pepper plants this year.  I sure wish the weather had cooperated with us more.  The tomatoes and peppers got a really late start and are just barely getting ripe.  I ended up choosing this Alton Brown salsa recipe off of www.foodnetwork.com.  The recipe called for six Roma tomatoes.  I used four tomatoes from the store and supplemented with four smaller tomatoes from my yard.  The recipe also called for a total of four jalapenos--two roasted, skinned and chopped and two seeded and minced.  Since a lot of the heat of a jalapeno comes from the seeds, I decided to use the Felicity peppers from my yard for the seeded, minced peppers.  I purchased a couple jalapenos at the store to roast.  

I've seen peppers roasted on the stove top, over a gas burner on the Food Network before.  When Ben walked into the kitchen, he said something like "Nice work Emeril."  That made me smile:)  Roasting peppers was harder than I expected it to be.  The peppers seemed to release some oils during the roasting process, which made them slippery.  They kept sliding off the burners and needed to be watched constantly.  Having never done it before, I ended up pulling them off of the grill too early.  After being roasted, the peppers went into a paper bag where the steam was supposed to help loosen the skins.  Well, the only parts that loosened were the parts that were crisped by the burners.  It took a little scraping with a knife to skin them.  I think that it would have been easier if I let them roast longer.  

Anyway, an hour later, I had chopped tomatoes, onions, dried peppers, roasted peppers, raw peppers, juiced a lime, and added in a few other ingredients to create a delicious salsa.  The recipe said to refrigerate the salsa for 12 hours for flavor infusion.  I couldn't wait and was happy to try it in its chunky, fresh consistency on a couple tortilla chips.  Ben is not a fan of chunky salsa, but was willing to give it a try.  I plan on serving this Wednesday with chicken quesadillas and will put some of the salsa in a blender so that Ben will enjoy it more.  I am definitely going to save this recipe, but will continue to try others.  I am so pleased to have grown some of the ingredients I used:)  

Sunday, 9/19/2010

I am super pleased to announce that Katie made it through church today in the nursery without a parent at her side and without puking!  Way to go kiddo:)  She's been having anxiety when being dropped off at the nursery  for several weeks now.  It is the same nursery, same kids, same everything that she's been familiar with for the last year.  Anyway, we pulled out all the stops today and managed to get to stay without us.  I hope she continues to be fine with it.  

We ate grilled Italian chicken sausages and spaghetti in pesto sauce for dinner.  It was a simple dinner. I cut up some sausage for Katie, but she wouldn't eat any of it.  I also gave her some plain spaghetti with butter on it in her favorite bowl.  She played nicely with the pasta, but wouldn't eat any of it. 

Saturday, 9/19/2010

Our very good friend Sydney came over for dinner tonight.  Ben made Spicy Peanut Chicken for us.  We opted to serve it over plain white rice this time.  This is such a delicious dish.  And, other than having to cut chicken, bell pepper, and ginger, it is really easy to make.  Katie nibbled on some cinnamon bread that Sydney brought over, and then she ate corn and rice.  

After dinner, Katie finally figured out how to get her little feet into my big shoes and walk around.  She's been trying for a while, and today was her first success!  She had a little trouble navigating the threshold between the carpet and the kitchen tiles, but did amazingly well in my shoes.  I know this has nothing to do with dinner, but she is soo cute!  

After Katie went to bed, Ben, Sydney, and I played a round of Banagrams.  Then, Sydney stayed with Katie while Ben and I went out for a couple hours to celebrate the 13th anniversary of our friends Tracey and Troy.  What a fun evening! Thanks Sydney:)

Friday, 9/17/2010

Getting Katie to eat dinner has been a bit of a challenge lately.  She has been going down for her nap around 11am and has been getting up around 3pm--super long naps!  She snacks before her nap, but doesn't really eat a lunch until she wakes up.  With just three hours between when she eats her late lunch and when Ben and I are ready for dinner, she doesn't each much when we sit down as a family.  She is usually ready to get down from her high chair at the same time we start to actually eat.  Today, when Katie got up from her nap, I went down the list of foods Katie could eat for lunch.  She said "nope" to all of the options.  Knowing that she would eventually be hungry, I started to bake some halibut for her.  She sat down on the floor and played with cans of food she pulled out of the pantry.  She never whined or acted hungry, but did finally eat around 4pm when the fish was done.  It was quite a nice afternoon with her:)

I cooked a couple pieces of fish for myself and ate around 5pm.  Ben usually takes the bus to and from work, but I thought it would be nice to see a bit more of him tonight.  So, after I was done eating, Katie and I went downtown to pick Ben up from work.  He was starving by the time he got home.  He opted to eat the left over green beans and ground beef from yesterday, instead of waiting for the halibut to cook.  

Thursday, 9/16/2010

Tonight I made Asian style ground beef and green beans.  The recipe was previously posted here.  Before I talk about making the dish, I have to share my frustration with trying to prep dinner with a 21-month-old in the house.  Katie just will not play by herself when I am doing something in the kitchen.  She constantly yells "up" at me.  I calmly explain, over and over again, that I am getting dinner ready and can't hold her at the same time.  She doesn't care.  "UP" she yells.  Well, today I was trying to get all of the ingredients measured out and chopped up so that I could quickly make dinner when Ben got home.  After yelling at me didn't work, Katie decided to try to put herself between me and the counter section I was cutting beans on.  Her little shoes really hurt my sandal feet when she steps on them.  I tried to reason with her.  I tried to explain how it hurts when she steps on my feet.  I moved her away.  I sent her on errands to get things from other parts of the house.  My efforts failed.  She interpreted my actions as a game.  So then, she did her best to step on my feet with purpose.  That was the last straw.  I told her she was going into a time-out in her high chair for a minute.  

After 30 seconds in her high chair, I looked over to see her yanking large amounts of hair out of her head.  This isn't the first time this has happened.  Last weekend she did it while we were driving home from taking a run on Alki.  We've read about it online, and we have concluded that she is doing it for attention.  Regardless of the reason, it makes me sick to my stomach.  I mean, every mom wants her little girl to have an adorable hairstyle.  I don't want to see her like this.  Yes, I could stop what I am doing and give her my full attention, but then dinner would never be ready.  I hope that she moves past this phase quickly!

OK, enough with sharing my frustrations--back to tonight's meal.  In the past, I have not used the proportions of beef and beans the recipe called for.  I usually go heavy on the beef and light on the beans.  As a result, there hasn't been enough sauce for the dish.  Tonight, I followed the recipe exactly and the meal turned out great!  It was actually my first time making the dish from start to finish myself.  I usually have Ben make it, because he can flip the beans in the skillet.  Well, tonight, for the first time, I flipped the beans myself!  Also, Ben took Katie upstairs while he changed his clothes after work.  That allowed me to cook uninterrupted for a while:) 

During dinner, Katie was an absolute angel for her daddy.  She giggled, made silly faces, and was a joy to be with.  She ate a little macaroni and cheese with peas in it.  I'm glad I got to see cute, smiley Katie and not the mean, foot stomping Katie before she went to bed:)  

Our internet service went down today and will hopefully be fixed tomorrow. It is amazing how many things we do daily rely on having an internet connection.  With little left to do, Ben and I decided to watch a movie, drink wine, and eat brownies to end our night.  It was a good night:)

Wednesday, 9/15/2010

P.F. Chang's has come out with a line of frozen meals for two.  I noticed them in a freezer at the end of an aisle at the store this week and decided to give it a try.   I chose the Shanghai Style Beef variety--beef with a sweet and savory sauce, onions, string beans and red bell peppers.  It was really easy to make.  Empty the bag of frozen ingredients into a non-stick skillet, cover and heat on a medium-high burner for 6 minutes.  Then remove the cover and cook for another 7 minutes or until the sauce thickens and food is hot.  I didn't have to add anything to the dish.  It was plenty of food for Ben and me.  Other than being heavy on the onions, it wasn't bad at all.  I think I paid $7.99 for the meal, which is definitely less than it would have cost me to purchase all of the ingredients for it. I'll definitely try another variety. 

Katie was ready to eat before we were.  She ate watermelon chunks, cheddar cheese sticks and deli counter chicken breast.  When it was time for Ben and me to eat, she was begging for a cookie with the most adorable little girl smile.  I couldn't resist.  She got her cookie:) A week ago she called them "co-coos".  Now she proudly calls them "cookeees".  It is certainly a joy watching her figure things out. 

Tuesday, 9/14/2010

Our good friends Laura and David invited us over for dinner tonight.  We were really looking forward to spending time with them and to a good meal.  They are great cooks:)  We were not disappointed.  They cooked a fantastic meal for us! Newly married, they had fun new cooking tools and equipment to test out, including an electric wok.  David manned the wok, into which he fried chunks of chicken that were marinated and then rolled in cornstarch.  The recipe for the chicken came from Laura's parents.  The chicken was served in an amazing sauce with pineapple chunks, green peppers, and carrots over white rice. Ben and I both went back for seconds--it was that good!

We had baked broccoli with crushed garlic as a side dish.  The recipe came from Cook's Illustrated.  If you've known Ben and me for a long time, you know that broccoli is one of the veggies we will not eat.  Laura and David couldn't remember if it was on our do-not-eat list and decided to go for it.  The broccoli dish was already in progress when we arrived, so I don't know if I know all of the ingredients in it.  I do know that it included crushed garlic and freshly cracked pepper.  The broccoli florets were cooked on a baking sheet at 500 degrees and came out a bit charred.  I think Ben and I both felt obligated to at least try the broccoli since we were guests at the meal.  Well, you will not believe it...we both liked it!  Ben even had a second helping.  It is silly to say, but I am very proud of us for trying something new.  Thank you Laura and David for gently pushing us out of our veggie comfort zone.  It worked:)

We were the photographers for David and Laura's wedding at the end of July.  Tonight we had the pleasure of delivering their final wedding photos to them.  We ended the evening by watching a slide show of the photos and enjoyed fresh peaches sliced on top of a sweetened biscuit with vanilla ice cream. The biscuit recipe also came from Laura's parents.  Other than Katie hollering "home" and "all done" at us, it was a great way to finish the night.  Laura said she would share the recipes with us.  I guess that means I need to buy a wok:)

Monday, 9/13/2010

This might be my easiest, quickest post yet.  Tonight we had the same chipotle chicken sandwich that we had last night.  The only difference was that we used cheddar cheese instead of provolone.  Katie still isn't interested in this chicken, so she had a hot dog dipped in ketchup and some grapes.

Sunday, 9/12/2010

Ok, if last night's chicken was great...tonight it was fan-frickin-tastic!  I mentioned in yesterday's post that the chipotle pepper marinated chicken was of pub sandwich quality.  So, tonight we made our very own pub sandwiches.  Here's how we made them:

Marinated chicken breast- We sliced one left over breast in half, making two thin-cut breasts.  After being reheated in the microwave, I topped each piece of chicken with a slice of provolone cheese. The heat from the chicken helped to melt the cheese. 

Bread-  We purchased heavenly Panino Rolls, made by The Essential Baking Company in Seattle.  We sliced two rolls in half, buttered them and broiled them until golden brown. After they were broiled, we spread Boar's Head Savory Remoulade, Cajun Style Mayonnaise, on one half of each roll.

Bacon-  The bacon just made this sandwich.  I pan fried four slices of thick cut bacon until crispy.  We used almost two slices each.  The remainder we shared with Katie and had as dessert;)

I am pleased to know that we have enough ingredients to make these sandwiches again this week--can't wait!

Saturday, 9/11/2010

A couple days ago I put four chicken breasts into a chipotle pepper marinade.  My original intention was to use it that night, but we ended up having other things instead.  Tonight we needed to have dinner in a hurry and grilling the chicken was our fastest option.  I learned a valuable lesson...marinate chicken for a long time!  The chicken was awesome--the kind you hope to find on a pub sandwich.  This was the first time we have used this flavor of Grill Mates marinade.  We were both really impressed.  We served it with a caesar salad.  

Katie wouldn't even touch the chicken to her mouth.  She opted for a "ha dahg".  That is toddler speak for "hot dog".

Friday, 9/10/2010

Today is technically not the first Friday of the month; however, Ben's company celebrated "First Friday" tonight. In a nut shell, employees from his company gather together the first Friday of each month at a local restaurant or tavern to chat, eat, and have a few drinks.  Due to Labor Day weekend, this month's gathering was postponed a week, until today.  Katie and I had been out and about, running errands, and stopped by Ben's office to take him home.  When he mentioned that first Friday was in progress, we decided to park the car and partake.  We met his coworkers at El Malecon, on the corner of Seneca and Post Alley.  It is just a block away from his office; so, it is convenient.  The servers are nice and the food is OK.  The best part is that there is always room for a large party. 

I was starving by the time we got there, so I basically ate nachos along with a margarita for dinner.  Ben only ate a couple chips, so he had left over spaghetti and garlic bread when we got home. Katie was quite entertaining at the restaurant.  She said "hi" to everyone, gave fist bumps and high-fives, and played with her food.  She didn't eat much, but that does seem to be a dinner trend these days.  

After we put Katie down for the night, I started to bake cookies for our church's 2nd time sale tomorrow.  If you are in or near West Seattle and you like to hunt for treasures, you should stop by Fauntleroy Church UCC tomorrow, between 9am and 3pm.  In addition to the great deals, you will find delicious baked goods...like my cookies:)  I baked Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies using a recipe I got from www.verybestbaking.com--a Nestle website.  The specific recipe is found here:  http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=32364. 

A couple notes about the cookie recipe:

• I add in a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips for each batch.  The recipe says you can add an optional 1/2 cup.  I found that I needed more chocolate:)
• I have never made the glaze that the recipe calls for.  I don't think the cookies need it with the chocolate chips.  Also, the glaze would make them too sticky to stack and store efficiently.  
• In my oven, the cookies are definitely done in 15 minutes.   
• I don't grease the baking sheets, because I line my baking sheets with Silpat--non-stick baking mat. 

After eating his first pumpkin cookies of the season, Ben said "Ah, Fall is here" with a big smile on his face:)

Thursday, 9/9/2010

My company's annual picnic was this afternoon.  I signed up to bring a main dish to the potluck, because there always seems to be an abundance of dessert and only a few main dishes.  Not wanting to cook, I decided to pick up Thai food from Buddha Ruksa on the way to the picnic.  If you live in the Puget Sound, are open to going out to eat in West Seattle, and you like Thai food, you need to check out Buddha Ruksa.  The food is delicious, the staff is very friendly, and the prices are really reasonable.  Anyway, today I picked up an order of Crispy Garlic Chicken and an order of Phad Prik Khing--stir-fried fresh green beans, tofu, bell pepper, and kaffir lime leaves in curry paste.  When it was time for me to take Katie home from the picnic, I was thrilled to find that there was enough of both dishes to take home leftovers for dinner.  Score!!!

Tonight, I heated the Phad Prik Khing up in a small saucepan and microwaved the chicken.  Ben and I finished those plus the remainder of the Hot Mango Chutney Cashew dip, from his mom's birthday party, for our dinner.  We thoroughly enjoyed our meal:)  Katie was not OK with the spice of the Thai food or the dip, so she ate a hot dog dipped in ketchup.  I think she enjoyed her meal too;)

Wednesday, 9/8/2010

When I planned our menu for the week, I hoped we would have spaghetti left over to eat tonight.  Thankfully, that is exactly what happened.  Ben and I each had a bowl of spaghetti and were satisfied.  Katie took another marathon nap (four hours!!!) and didn't eat lunch until after 3pm.  Understandably, she really wasn't that hungry for dinner and just nibbled at her spaghetti.  

After dinner, Ben and I played a good game of chase and hide-and-go seek with Katie, per her request.  What fun!  She giggled, squealed, asked for "more", and ran and ran and ran until it was time for her to go to bed.  I guess we wore her out--she didn't make a peep after we put her down for the night:)  For dessert, Ben and I each enjoyed another juicy peach from the market and a spoonful of Nutella.  Oh, and I had an orange vodka tonic.  Quite a nice evening:)

Tuesday, 9/7/2010

We hosted our parent support group in our home tonight.  We served spaghetti with meat sauce, caesar salad, garlic bread, and giant brownies with nutella.  Oh my gosh, it was all sooo delicious!  The spaghetti sauce was Ben's family recipe--a secret.  I know enough of the recipe to make sure we have the right ingredients, but I could not tell you how much of each ingredient to add to the pot.  That remains a secret:)   The caesar salad came out of Fresh Express bags, with extra Parmesan cheese and black pepper added.  I got the giant chocolate hazelnut brownie recipe out of a Sunset Magazine.  Wow, were they ever a hit!

Katie has taken long naps this week, and it has been great!  I have been able to get my tasks done for work and get a few things done around the house too.  Today I was able to start and finish baking the brownies, which baked in muffin tins.  What a clever idea--no cutting!  The brownie batter was spooned into the muffin cups.  I then created little wells in the center of each brownie and filled the wells with Nutella.  I think this was the first time I have purchased that delicious spread.  It is too bad I didn't finish the jar off with the brownies; it is definitely at risk of being consumed by the spoonful this week;)  Ben's spaghetti sauce was enjoyed, but the brownies were devoured with smiles!  

After she woke from her nap, Katie spent the afternoon walking into the kitchen with her mouth wide open, asking for "cake".  I promised her that she could have some "cake" after dinner.  Lucky for her, I fulfilled my promise.  I would have willingly eaten her brownie:)

A couple non-food related highlights from the evening:

• Katie and Jackson gave each other a hug--arms wide open, cheeks touching.  So sweet!
• When Oliver left, he was asked to give Katie a kiss goodbye.  She puckered right up and got one right on the lips.  Cuties!

Monday, 9/6/2010

It was so nice to wake up today, a Monday, and know that we didn't have to go anywhere today:)  And, now, looking back at the day, I am so glad it was laid back, relaxed, and quite productive.  It was a truly excellent Labor Day!

For dinner tonight, Katie ate mandarin oranges, grapes, a few bites of chicken, peanut butter, and some graham crackers.  It was quite the smorgasbord:)  Ben and I finished off the hamburger helper I made a few days ago.  While that was a pretty boring dinner, our dessert was phenomenal!  While at Pike Place Market yesterday, we got to sample a slice of ripe yellow peach that was to die for.  At the end of the tour, we just had to go back to buy some--four large, juicy peaches for $2.99 a pound.  They were worth EVERY penny:)  Ben and I each had one tonight; although, we did have to share with Katie who kept demanding "more".  In general, Ben doesn't like peaches.  But, tonight I would like to caption this photo of our sliced peaches with a quote from Ben.

"Katie, I'm sorry.  I was in peach bliss and didn't even hear you." ~ Ben Ackers

Sunday, 9/5/2010

Before I get there, I have to mention that we had a lovely brunch this morning with Matt, Jenna, Braelyn, and my Aunt Margie, Uncle Bill, and cousin Katie.  Margie brought a tasty french toast casserole, and we made a cheesy potato and ham casserole.  Sweet and savory!  It was also the perfect opportunity for family photos:)

Matt, Jenna, and Braelyn hit the road for Spokane around 11am.  We were able to put Katie down for a short nap before we went out to celebrate Spencer's birthday.  After a frantic 10 minutes at 1pm, we got out the door with a very sleepy Katie and headed to Pike Place Market, downtown Seattle.  We met Jennifer, Spencer, Karen, and Michel for a Savor Seattle food tour of Pike Place Market.  Yes, we did go on this tour when our friends Thad and Shannon visited last month.  It is that good:)  We stopped at the same places on the tour, but had a few different food items. Check out my previous post for descriptions and photos of most of the food.  Here are a few photos from today's tour.

Me and Katie sampling mini donuts at the market.

Waiting for our chowders.

Spencer, Jennifer, and Ben at the end of the food tour.

After the tour, we did a little shopping at the market and ended up at Mexico Cantina Y Cocina at Pacific Place Mall for dinner.  Ben and I shared a wonderful sandwich-- the Torta de Mexico.  It was a slow-roasted pork sandwich with smoky chorizo, melted provolone,and chipotle sauce.  It also came with a black bean spread which we ordered on the side so that Ben could use it.  The combination of the pulled pork and the chorizo patty was amazing!  We ordered a plate of fish and chips for Katie.  She didn't eat much, but I can honestly say I didn't expect to have such great fish and chips at a Mexican restaurant.  What a great day!  

Happy Birthday Spencer!!!

Saturday, 9/4/2010

Our dear friends Karen and Michel invited us all, Matt, Jenna, Braelyn, Ben, Katie, me, Jennifer, and Spencer, over to their home for dinner tonight.  Jennifer is in town to celebrate Spencer's birthday tomorrow.  They had a lovely spread of veggies, crackers, cheeses, cured meats, fresh berries, and wine ready when we arrived. 

For dinner, they roasted potatoes and carrots, had mixed salad greens and a variety of dressings, jalapenos bread, corn on the cob, and roasted pork tenderloins.  Everything was delicious!  At the end of the evening, we enjoyed a fantastic birthday cake for Spencer.  

Michel got the cake at a local French bakery.  The cake was chocolate; the filling was chocolate mousse; the outer frosting was unlike anything I have had before.  Without knowing for sure, I would say it was a French buttercream.  I think it was made with shortening, instead of butter.  All I know for sure is that it was fantastically delicious.  Ben had to share quite a bit with Katie...she loved it too!  Not only was it wonderful to the taste, but it was beautiful too.  I just love the lettering on the cake. 

Friday, 9/3/2010

Tonight Ben and I barbecued chicken drumsticks for Jenna and Matt.  I rubbed the drumsticks with our standard bbq rub.  Ben used Pendleton bbq sauce, because we were out of Jack Daniels.  It was a pretty good substitute.  We boiled several ears of corn to go along side the drumsticks. 

Ben and I stayed up late tonight so that we could watch The Blind Side.  What a fantastic movie!  It is definitely one we will own someday.  I don't remember the last time I saw a movie starring Sandra Bullock in which I forgot she was the actress.  I believe she earned the Oscar she won for that role.  Ben and I only have one more movie to watch that was nominated for the 2010 Best Motion Picture of the Year Academy Award--An Education.  I should make sure it is near the top of our Netflix queue.

Thursday, 9/2/2010

This evening my brother Matt, sister-in-law Jenna, and niece Braelyn arrived from Spokane.  They are spending the holiday weekend with us.  What fun!!!  Braelyn has been a pretty sick kid since she was born, but she is looking great now.  She has a beautiful smile, gorgeous hair, and gives wonderful hugs.  Can't wait to get to know her more this weekend!

For dinner, we made up hamburger patties and threw them on the grill.  I purchased ground beef with 20% fat instead of our usual 5%.  What a difference that made.  We didn't need to add an egg to help keep the patties together and the burgers didn't stick to the grill at all.  Ben added our standard seasoning to the meat--A-1 steak sauce, Johnny's Seasoning, and freshly ground black pepper.  We all topped our burgers with cheddar cheese, and Jenna and I added dill pickles.  Together with beer and Doritos, we were happy campers:)

Wednesday, 9/1/2010

Ben and I both had meetings at our church tonight.  His ended at 6:30 and mine began at 7:00.  So, Katie and I picked him up at 6:30, drove home, and then I dropped the two of them off at the house and went right back for my meeting.  Since we weren't going to be eating together, I opted for a simple cheeseburger macaroni hamburger helper dinner.  The flavor was a little dull, so I added about a teaspoon of chili powder and 10 shakes of Tabasco sauce to the dish while the pasta cooked.  It turned out to be quite enjoyable. 

Katie must be in a growth spurt right now.  She is taking 3+ hour naps and seems to be eating 7-8 times a day.  Tonight, according to Ben, she used her frequent hunger as a stall tactic. Ben watched a couple videos online with her and told her it was time to go to bed.  As they started to walk to the stairs, she said "food" and started pulling at the pantry door.  He went through the entire list of food items that were options for her to eat.  She said "no" to each one, except oatmeal.  Thinking that she might be stalling, Ben took a long time preparing a bowl for her.  He expected her to get distracted or say "no" before he actually cooked it.  But, she didn't.  She willingly got into her highchair and got her bib on.  She took one bite and said "all done".  Argh!  Ben knew that was a possibility, so he didn't get too frustrated with her.  Since my patience level was way down this afternoon, it's a good thing the oatmeal thing happened with Ben and not me:) 

Tuesday, 8/31/2010

This morning I accounted for all of our receipts from the month.  I found that we had a little more money in our dining out budget than we usually do on the last day of the month.  What a nice surprise!  So, Katie and I picked Ben up from work and took him to Cactus for dinner.  The last time we ate there I had the nachos and fell in love.  I couldn't try something new tonight; I had to have them again.  As expected, the nachos were delicious.  I am a little disappointed in myself for finishing the whole dish.  I actually stopped halfway through with the intention of taking some home for lunch tomorrow, but found myself eating them all.  Oh well.

Ben ordered a Chimayo Enchilada--blue corn tortillas, house-made chorizo, chicken, spicy green chile sauce, and jack cheese.  It was served with their delicious rice and black beans.  He was disappointed in his enchilada.  He said the quality had gone down hill a bit--something about the tortilla being broken up and not wrapped around.  We still enjoyed our meal out together as a family.  

Katie ate a little cheese and a few grapes, drank some water, ate a lot of black olives, and refused chicken and sausage.  Her nap schedule has shifted to later in the day and is causing her to eat lunch late in the afternoon. I imagine that is making her less hungry for dinner. Thankfully, she was in a pretty good mood while we ate. 

What a nice way to end the month!

Monday, 8/30/2010

Other than beer-battered halibut fillets, I usually don't go for pre-made frozen entrees.  But, tonight I tried something different for dinner. Out of curiosity, I wandered down the frozen dinner aisle at the grocery store.  I found and purchased Fred Meyer's Private Selection brand "Cajun Stuffed Pork Chops".  They were actually pretty good.  Ben said they tasted kind of like his stuffed pork chop recipe.  The chops were stuffed with andouille sausage, red bell pepper, and seasoned rice.  It also seemed like the chops had been rubbed with cajun herbs and spices.  I was rather pleased with the amount of flavor they had.  

Since we came home with a pound of spinach from the birthday party, it seemed appropriate to make a spinach salad to go with our pork chops.  Oh, and we are still drinking left over wine too:)

Sunday, 8/29/2010

We had a nice, leisurely morning at Jennifer's. Katie let us sleep in until 8am!!! We got ready, had breakfast, and then took our time packing and loading the car. Thankfully, the traffic was pretty smooth for our trip back to Seattle. We got home mid afternoon and had plenty of time to unpack and settle in before the Emmy's started:)

Our dinner was primarily left-overs from the birthday party. Before we left Jennifer's this morning, she helped us divide and pack dips, chicken, potatoes, etc. How nice to come home and have food ready to eat! In addition to the party food, Ben and I also made small plates of nachos, using taco meat from last week.

We watched the Emmy's all the way through and were thrilled that our favorite new sitcom, Modern Family, won several awards tonight. Nicely done!

Saturday, 8/28/2010

It's party day...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIFER!!!

It is my mother-in-law's 60th birthday today.  Ben, Spencer, and I are throwing her a big party along with her friends Chris and Larry.  They graciously agreed to let us hold the party at their home in Oregon City, Oregon.  Thank you Chris and Larry!  After a delicious coffee cake breakfast, the three of us took off to run errands and prep for the party.  Katie got to stay behind for some Grandma time.  Maybe I should say, Katie stayed behind so that Grandma could have some Katie time:)

Our first stop of the morning was JaCiva's for the birthday cake--chocolate cake, chocolate mousse filling, and butter cream frosting.  Spencer forwarded a photo of the napkins we purchased for the party to be used as cake decoration inspiration.  They did a fantastic job matching the colors and overall floral theme.  The cake was quite yummy, although, I did eat too much in the end.  I planned on sharing my large corner piece with Katie, but then she wouldn't eat a bit.  So, I ate the whole thing by myself.  Later, Katie really did want cake and insisted on sharing it with me.  Yes, I ate a lot of cake tonight.  And yes, I had it with vanilla ice cream too. 

Once at Chris and Larry's home, we arranged flowers, decorated, arranged tables, washed potatoes, stuffed peppers, chopped rosemary, sliced citrus fruits, prepared appetizer dishes, and got ready for the wine and cheese tasting.  We were busy!  For the first two hours of the party, we served appetizers and had a blind wine and cheese tasting activity.  Yesterday we shopped for wine and cheese at New Seasons Market, located not far from Jennifer's home.  Ben did pairing research ahead of time and took his list of 10 wine and cheese combinations to the store.  He and Spencer did their best to pick out the right cheeses first.  Then, they talked with a wine steward who helped pick out the right wines to pair with the cheeses at the right prices.  After the wines were selected, the cheese expert was back from her break and helped tweak the cheese selections a bit.  In the end, we were under budget on wine and cheese and super pleased with the service we received.  Just so you know, if you buy a case or more of wine at New Seasons Market in one purchase, you get a 20% discount.  That is huge!

For the tasting activity, we covered the wine bottle labels and numbered them.  I made the cute covers:)  The cheeses that complimented each wine were cute into bite sizes and piled in front of the bottles.  We made a large poster that listed the wines and cheese in random orders.  If the guests were interested in participating in the activity, they could take a stab at guessing which wines and cheeses they were tasting.  I am very proud of myself for guessing 8 out of 10 wines correctly.  Unfair advantage you say?  Nope...I left Ben alone for his research and didn't pay any attention to the wine steward while he recommended the wines.  I'm just that good ;-) We purchased a wine glass for each person who said they were coming.  I made personalized tags to circle the base of each glass.  With 28 adults expected, we did our best to avoid wine glass confusion.  I think it worked well! 

We had quite a few appetizers to choose from.  Chris prepared stuffed jalapenos and a fresh veggie dish with a Peppercorn Parmesan dip.  I made a Hot Mango Chutney Cashew dip, a Spicy Lemon Veggie dip, and roasted elephant garlic.  Ben blanched a pound of sugar snap peas to go along with the veggie dip.  We served sliced french bread baguettes to spread the chutney cashew dip and roasted garlic on.  The dip recipes and peas I made are included at the end of this blog entry.

For dinner we made Pollo Pibil--citrus spice marinated chicken, roasted potatoes with rosemary, and our standard household spinach, mandarin orange, and goat cheese salad with balsamic vinaigrette on the side.  For the salad, we ended up using about a pound of spinach, 1 1/2 small cans of mandarin oranges, and a 1/3 of a pound of crumbled goat cheese.  Follow the imbedded link for the chicken recipe, previously posted on this blog. The potato recipe will be at the end of this blog entry too.  

At the end of the day, we feel like we threw a great party.  The guests enjoyed themselves and Jennifer had a wonderful time.  It was a lot of work, but TOTALLY worth it:)  

Jennifer, Spencer, Katie, Ben, and me

Here are the recipes:

HOT MANGO CHUTNEY CASHEW DIP- from my friend Taran


Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
2/3 cup sour cream
3-5 tsp curry powder, depending on preference
1/2 cup hot mango chutney
1 cup chopped cashews, divided

Directions:
Mix together all ingredients, saving 1/4 cup of the cashews for later.  Spoon into a serving dish and top with the reserved cashews.   Spread on slices of french bread baguettes or similar bread. 

Notes: I doubled this recipe due to the high number of guests expected.  With the amount of food available, we ended up taking home one recipe worth of the dip.  I'm not complaining, but it is worth mentioning.  It is a rich dip. 

SPICY LEMON DIPPING SAUCE- from Alton Brown's cookbook "I'm Just Here for the Food, volume 2.0"

Ingredients:
2/3 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
Zest from one lemon, chopped fine
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and tarragon.  Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

Notes: This really is a spicy dip.  The spice hit on the tongue is a bit delayed.  The recipe calls for 12 ounce of sugar snap peas.  I have found that you will end up with 2-3 times more dip than you need for 12 ounces of peas.  So, either have more peas available or make a smaller batch of dip.  

SUGAR SNAP PEAS- also from Alton Brown


Ingredients:
Heavy pinch kosher salt
12 ounces of sugar snap peas, trimmed and rinsed (approximately 4 cups)

Directions:
Bring 2 quarts of water and the salt to boil in a 4-quart saucepan, covered, over high heat.  Add the peas and cook uncovered for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.  Drain the peas and immediately plunge into ice water.  Drain and set aside.  The actual time of course will depend on the peas.  These aren't big ole green beans, and few things are as awful as limp sugar snaps.  So stay right with them as they cook.

Even if the dip is perfect and the peas are dead on, the dish will fail if the peas are wet.  Once they've chilled down, dry them well or the dip just won't stick...and that would be sad. 


ROASTED POTATOES WITH ROSEMARY- from the Safeway brand Produce Stand fresh rosemary package

Prep time: 10 minutes--for one batch;)
Bake time: 25 to 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 pounds small (1 1/2 to 2-inches) red skin or White Rose potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, course type preferred
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Scrub potatoes, dry well and cut in half lengthwise.  Pour olive oil into a rimmed baking sheet into which the potatoes fit comfortably.  Heat in oven until oil is hot, about 3 minutes.  Swirl to coat pan and place potatoes cut side down in hot oil.  Sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until cut side is golden brown.  Remove from oven, turn with a spatula, sprinkle with rosemary and toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Notes: We made approximately 9 pounds of potatoes for the party.  Thankfully, Chris and Larry have two ovens.  With two full baking sheets in each oven, the potatoes were ready in 30 minutes.  Be warned, the oil heats up quickly in 450 degrees and starts to smoke.  Keep your fan running when you open the oven door to reduce the risk of a smoke detector going off.