New Recipes

Taking a little break from the recap posts to share pictures and recipes of things I have cooked lately. Above is an improv meal I made one night with ingredients we had around the house. It is a Cajun Chicken Sandwich with fries. I seasoned the chicken with Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, and I think that was it. I sliced some jalapenos and sauteed them in a pan, once they were done, I removed them and cooked the chicken breasts in the same pan. When the chicken was cooked through, I placed them on a bun I had toasted with garlic butter. I covered the chicken with cheese and the jalapenos and served them with french fries. I found these frozen fries at Whole Foods and seasoned them with Tony Chachere's as well and topped them with the leftover jalapenos. I made a Creole Mayo I had seen in a recent issue of Cooking Light. You can find the recipe here (it goes with a shrimp recipe they had). We both loved this meal, and I will definitely do it again!

I made this Summer Squash, Bacon, and Mozzarella Quiche from another recipe in the recent issue of Cooking Light. Josh loved it (he is a huge fan of quiche), and I thought it was pretty good (I am not as big of a quiche fan in general). It was pretty easy to make, and pretty healthy as well.

New Mama

This is a picture of one of the happiest moments of my life (I know I am not looking my best, but that is beside the point). Here I am holding my son Jack just moments after he was born with my wonderful husband and my sweet mom.

I have always wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember, however, I was not in too big of a hurry to make it happen. A little over a year ago, Josh and I decided after almost three years of marriage that we were ready to start trying to have a baby. I was thrilled when we found out we were pregnant last June. God had given us a gift we did not deserve. Pregnancy for me was good. I felt pretty good throughout most of it, I only got sick a few times, and felt pretty comfortable and energetic for the most part (until about the last month). I enjoyed being pregnant. Some women absolutely hate it, others love it, even preferring it over not being pregnant. I would say I fall in the middle of the two extremes. I enjoyed feeling my son moving inside of me, seeing my stomach grow as he did, and anticipating what was to come (and I am not going to lie, I even kind of enjoyed all the attention). I did not enjoy the nausea (especially since I was in D.C. for most of that period, which you can read about in my posts from last summer), I did not enjoy gaining 50 pounds (especially in undesirable places like my rear end and thighs), and I especially did not enjoy the constant heartburn that kept me up most nights.

During pregnancy I talked to other moms and read all about giving birth. It is so nice to have the internet and be able to research and have a better understanding of what you are about to go through. Now I can't imagine how women did it before! Although those things helped prepare me, nothing could truly prepare me for the experience of having a child. There is absolutely nothing like it on this earth. I know every mom says that, but it's true.

Here is the basic rundown of my experience giving birth. This is the abbreviated version, even though it may seem long. Just know I could have gone much longer. I began having contractions at about 11:00 the night before Jack was born. I always wondered how I would know if they were the real thing, but after timing them for a few hours and feeling them get progressively worse, I had a feeling it was the real deal. We called the doctor and went up to the hospital around 4 a.m. (I think, but my memory is fading). When I arrived, they put us in a little room to monitor the contractions and check to see if I was dilated. We stayed in there for about an hour or two. I did not enjoy that time at all. I was in pain, I was tired, the room was dark, and the hospital floor seemed eerily quiet. Needless to say, I was very happy when they told us they would be moving us to the Labor and Delivery room, which was much bigger and very nice. I got an epidural around 9 or 10 that morning, and it made a world of difference. I am so glad I did it. I know some people are very opinionated one way or the other about the whole epidural thing, and I think it is completely up to the mom, but I will say I had a great experience with it. I was glad I did it for many reasons, but one of the main reasons was that I was able to sleep for about an hour or two afterward since I was no longer feeling the contractions. Josh was able to sleep too, and we both agree that was a great thing so that we were well rested for the delivery.

I think I began to push around 12:00, but once again, my memory is fuzzy. For some reason, I didn't realize how long I would have to push. I figured this would take about 30 minutes (I guess I missed this part in all of the online articles I read...hmm). Well, it took much longer (another reason I am thankful for the epidural). Without it I don't know if I would have had the strength to keep pushing. Plus it was really wonderful not to feel any pain! Jack finally arrived at 3:14. There is no way to accurately describe the moment he arrived. I was completely overwhelmed with joy. They gave him to me right away and tears of joy were streaming down my face. It was incredible. It was also amazing to share that moment with Josh. We both agree it was the best day of our lives (even better than our wedding!). My mom was in the room too, and it was so special to share that experience with her. My dad and Josh's parents were in Lubbock too, and soon after they were able to come in and meet Jack. What a blessing for Josh and I to have such wonderful parents to celebrate this moment of our lives with!

Next time I will write about the first few months of motherhood, but now it is time for bed!

New Look, New Name, Not Quite the Same...

Well, it has definitely been awhile since I have written. Life has been a little busy. We had our baby in March, in May Josh graduated from law school, I finished work, and we moved to Albuquerque. If you are going to have some big changes in life, you might as well have them all at once, right?

The birth of our son Jack was amazing, and I am loving being a mom (more on that some other time). The first few months of adjusting to motherhood, then moving to a new city kept me very busy and distracted. Not until recently did I begin cooking again on a regular basis and feeling like I wanted to start writing again. As I thought about coming back to blogging I debated whether I should continue to write primarily about food, or if I should expand the blog to cover more things I am interested in. After a little thought, I chose the latter. Why not right about all of the things I find interesting rather than just one? I know most people have stopped checking my blog at this point, and there probably were not too many people reading it to begin with, but even if no one reads it, I think I will enjoy getting back into the practice of writing on a regular basis. It's just fun. I think as a stay at home mom it is good for me to have a hobby like this too.

So, all that to say, I am changing things up a bit. I will be writing about the things I enjoy most, and those things which I find myself doing most often. That will include cooking (and anything to do with food), design (especially as I am decorating our new place), being a mom (this is the topic that will probably come up the most), travel, and the outdoors. Of course, there will most likely be other topics that will creep in here and there, and some that may end up creeping in a lot. So we will see where things go.

In the next few posts, I want to just talk about all of the things that have happened in my life over the past four months. So, enjoy!

Easy Curry

My friend Emily shared this easy and delicious meal idea with me. Cook cut up chicken breasts (or whatever meat you have around) in a pan with this yellow curry paste (you can find it at Asian Grocery Stores), and a can of coconut milk (you can find this at Asian Grocery Stores or most upscale grocery stores or World Market). Add any vegetables you have on hand too. When I made it this time I used frozen peas and corn. Cook until meat is cooked through. I usually cook it on medium until the sauce is bubbly then turn it down to low and cook for about 20 minutes or however long it takes for the chicken to cook. You can also do it in a slow cooker, but I don't know about the times for that. Serve over rice.

This meal is so simple, and very delicious (it has a nice spicy kick too)! I have started stocking up on the coconut milk and the curry paste at the Asian Grocery store, and I usually have rice, chicken, and some vegetables around, so it is a great last minute meal!

Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles

I found this recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles in a recent issue of Southern Living. They are pretty easy to make and taste very good. They have a nice, light texture. The recipe recommends topping with a blackberry and syrup mixture, but I used blueberries. I had some frozen ones in my freezer and just thawed them out. They tasted good with the waffles too! You can find the recipe here.

Healthy Dinner

Okay, so I know it's been forever. Pregnancy and busyness have caused me to not cook as often, and when I do it is usually something really simple and boring. But I have had a few good meals here and there, so I thought I would catch up and share some of them.

I probably cooked this a month or two ago, but it was good, so I figured I would share. I baked salmon fillets in a lemon and garlic butter sauce, but they didn't taste that great. Although, I am going to blame that on the fish, not my cooking. They didn't have any wild salmon at the store when I bought it, so I had to go with farm raised and it just did not taste as good. Even though the salmon was not a huge hit, I did make one of my favorite salads. Just top spinach leaves with some chopped hard boiled eggs and crumbled bacon. It is so easy, and really delicious. I used Annie's Naturals Lite Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing with it, which was really tasty as well.

Fall Flavor

I have been so awful keeping up the blog lately, so rather than trying to catch up with everything I have been cooking lately, I thought I would choose one of my recent favorites. My mom shared a recipe she had seen on Tyler's Ultimate on the Food Network for Ricotta Pancakes. You can find the recipe here. I tried them, and they were delicious! On Halloween night I was feeling in the mood for a flavor of fall, so I decided to take the recipe for the Ricotta Pancakes and create my own pumpkin adaptation. It was so amazing, that I have made it multiple times since.

The ricotta recipe is really two recipes in one. It has the pancakes with baked apples and crispy prosciutto. But when I made the pumpkin version, I left the apple and prosciutto portion out and for the pancake batter I omitted the lemon and substituted canned pumpkin for the ricotta (use the same amount of pumpkin as you would ricotta). The pumpkin has a similar consistency to the ricotta, so I think it makes a good replacement. I also sprinkled cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice into the batter. If you half the recipe, it makes 6 medium sized pancakes, which is what I do for Josh and me. The pancakes are pretty rich and filling, so we think this portion size is great. Serve with real maple syrup, and if you are trying to be a little healthier, put the syrup in a small dish and dip your pancakes in so you don't drown them in sugar.

So put on your scarf, watch the leaves fall, and enjoy some pumpkin pancakes!

Got a Little Catching Up to Do...

So, I have dropped off the face of the earth again (at least with the blog here), and since it has been over a month since my last post, I have a lot I could write about to catch up. However, I will leave much of it out, partially due to my laziness, and partially due to my forgetfulness of everything I have done/eaten in the past six weeks or so.

The other day I made this yummy cookie dough. I just used the Nestle recipe on the back of their chocolate chips. I think the cookies it makes are okay, but nothing great. However, the cookie dough is delicious! I think I ate a little too much...oops!

Taste of Philly

We also experienced great food in Philadelphia. The most famous food there is the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich. Josh and I had seen something on Food Network once about two rival cheesesteak places in South Philly, and we decided if we ever made it there we would give them a try. Well, these places were crazy. They are across the street from each other and consistently have lines wrapped around the buildings of hundreds of people waiting for their famous sandwiches.

So, Josh and I got in line at Pat's. It is the original, which you can tell looking at the building. It is very simple. They invented the cheesesteak sandwich.

Josh's parents got in line at Geno's, which opened later. Kind of looks like Vegas. I love it.

Afterward we all shared sandwiches and cheese fries from both places. The verdict? We honestly couldn't tell much of a difference in the sandwiches, but the fries from Geno's were better. Josh and I were saying we kind of think cheesesteak sandwiches are a little bland, so if we ever come back, we might branch out on the menu and try one of the flavored sandwiches.

On Sunday we ate lunch at Bobby's Burger Palace in the university area. This was recommended to me by a friend who use to live in Philadelphia. It is Bobby Flay's burger place, and is in the fast casual restaurant genre. If you are a Food Network junkie like me, you know who he is. He has a few locations along the East Coast.

The food here was fantastic! I had the Santa Fe burger which was topped with white queso, jalapenos, and blue corn tortilla chips...heaven. We also split sweet potato fries which were delicious. Josh had a burger with avocado, which he loved. Josh's mom is a vegetarian, so she ordered a salad, which she loved too. It is always nice to find a place that everyone loves! The atmosphere was great too. If you are ever in Philly (or anywhere else he has a location), give this a try!

The City of Brotherly Love

Okay, I have been doing a horrible job of keeping up the blog lately. So I am going to attempt to make up for it today!

Two weekends ago Josh's parents came in town to visit, and we went to Philadelphia for the weekend. We had never been there before, so it was fun to explore a new place together. The city has so much to offer with great museums, tons of history, and more.


We visited the historic area of the city, which was amazing. To think of all the amazing men in our nation's history that met here to form our country is incredible. Above is Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and below is the Liberty Bell with Independence Hall in the background.

This area is all a National Historic Park, so everything is free, but can be very crowded. On Saturday there was a heat wave in which we experienced a heat index of 104 degrees! This made for pretty miserable touring, and combined with the crowds and my pregnant belly, I was getting a little moody! However, we got up early Sunday morning and headed back to the area and it was wonderful. The weather was much cooler, and the crowds were minimal. We were able to walk right up to the Liberty Bell (the day before the line was wrapped around the building). So this was definitely the way to do it.


This is the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was really amazing to see this. If you are ever able to visit Philadelphia, this is definitely worth the trip!