Christmas 2011 Cooking Recap: Part 1

Having my family out over Christmas meant 2 things:  I was relieved of John duty and we got a chance to make a bunch of yummy food.  Here is a recap of the latter.

Cookies:

Aunt Dora's Love Knots

Peanut Butter Blossoms

In an unbelievable fit of mental ineptitude, I took pictures of neither of those cookies being  made.  I will blame it on the fact that I spent most of the 23rd feeling like I could well, let us leave it at I nearly was hugging the "porcelain" god.  Thank goodness Mom was there to help out.  The Love Knots are a holiday must.  The Peanut Butter Blossoms I did on a whim.  I had purchased a bag of Christmas foiled Hershey's Kisses and noticed the recipe on the back.  I had not made or eaten blossoms in years - probably back to the 3rd or 4th grade.  Clicking on the link will take you to the recipe.  I have not worked with shortening in a really long time.  Odd huh?  I think I have posted the Love Knot recipe before.  If not, let me know and I will share later.

Christmas Eve - Seven Fish Dinner:
I must thank my brother, Matthew, for coming up with a plan to attack this massive undertaking and for making several of the dishes.  Without him, we would not have made through all seven fishes.

Antipasto Platter

Shrimp, Meats, and Cheeses - An easy dish to knock out the first fish.  Now technically there shouldn't be any meat at all during the meal but we make an exception because well, who doesn't love proscuitto, soppressata, or cappocolla?!?!  The cheeses were Pecorino Romano and Sharp Provolone.

Baked Calamari

I can not take much credit for these.  Kroger has done a great job with these frozen babies.  Pop them in the oven and take them out when the timer goes off.  I will take credit for the sauce.  That is all mine.

Crab Meat

Big Secret->  Straight out of a can.  But gosh it looks like I did a bunch of work right?  Plus, it didn't taste half bad either.

Stuffed Clams

Yet another dish I can not claim as my own.  As I was perusing the Hyvee fish counter, I came across these beauties.  Stuffed with crab and scallops, I just could not pass them up.  Super tasty.  I was glad I indulged myself.

Blackened Tilapia and Caesar Salad

Light and yummy.  We only worked the Tilapia and bought a couple of bag mixes for the salad.  We snagged the blackening recipe from Paula Deen of all people.  Unfortunately, I don't think we might ever be able to reproduce it.  Matt threw together the seasonings without really paying attention to the amounts.  I can tell you what we used - Paprika (quite a bit), thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.  To blacken, dip fish in melted butter (cooled), coat in seasoning mixture, and heat in saute pan for 3 - 4 minutes until the fish becomes flaky.  Simple right?

Fettucine with Clams and Mussels

My brother found some great recipes.  While I am not a big mussels or clams sort of gal, this was totally yummy.  Even more surprising was that we bought the live clams and mussels at the Hyvee about 2 days before and managed to keep them alive for this meal.  This recipe is a Giada concoction.  Only difference here is we switched out her linguine with fettucine and shallots with some regular chopped onions.

Salmon with Puff Pastry and Pesto

Our final fish in our seven fish feast.  Another yummy Giada recipe.  I actually thought that I had messed up by purchasing to many tilapia filets and not enough Salmon.  Turned out that the small Salmon filet (small because all the other filets were huge at the counter) turned out to be just right once we cut it into 5 pieces.  By this entree we had reached out tummies' capacity.  The only differences between what you see here and the recipe, we did not add almonds and for some reason I could not find puff pastry.  So I winged it and bought some pre made pie-crust.  It didn't puff quite the same but it didn't turn out as dense as I thought it would once we compiled all the pieces.

Wow, I think I need to save the Christmas Day dinner recap for another entry.  Lessons learned: 7 entrees requires lots of dish washing.  Make sure your guests are ready to help out with that.  My brother is awesome at helping in the kitchen.  He has been given the okay to work in my kitchen anytime he likes - unsupervised.    That's huge.  I hardly let anyone in my kitchen, let alone unsupervised.  He does good yummy work.

Check back in for Part 2 or Day 2 or Seriously, you are going to put the bird in that?!?!?!

Somewhat Sleepy...

My son has been awake for what seems like eternity.  Even as I type, one-handed mind you, he is still awake, nuzzled in the crook of my left arm with his eye-lids fluttering.  He has been wide-eyed since about 2230 last night.

It seems to me that he all of a sudden realized that the world was out there - he could stuff his fists in his mouth, kick his feet, "ooh" and "aah", and guess what the world will respond to him.  Albeit, mommy does not always respond as quickly as we would like.  The pugs are amusing to him except on the rare occasions John is having tummy time and they decide to go nuts and nearly step all over him.

The big kicker I guess is that JT has started sucking his thumb.  Not only his thumb, his entire fist.  Why would anyone want one measly finger when you can have five stuck in your mouth?

Well, that was not the post I had intended on for today.  I really just wanted to write about our Christmas eating/cooking extravaganza.  Maybe I will manage it once "Daddy" gets home, so boy can sleep on him all night.

New Home

Well, not really but sort of.   I have been trying for ages to figure out how to migrate my livejournal posts here to blogger for quite some time.  Quite some time now has a new standard - just over 14 months.  I finally figured out at way and let me tell you it was not fun.  It was quite a pain in the rear end.

But it is done and I am happy to be able to access almost everything through my google account.  You should be happy as well - that means I can post with more ease and that means more procrastination for you.  

I am working on my set of New Year Resolutions - it should be a challenge to say the least.  So look forward to that in a couple of days.

In the meantime, here is a short video for you to enjoy.  My son John has finished his bottle and our not so smart pug, Walter, sat down next to us.  A kicking fest ensues and apparently Walter likes it.

Day 288

Wow what a week.  I don't even know what I should or shouldn't tell.  It's just been a whirlwind.

A big note - there is only about 10 weeks left in this whole year.  I am so excited.  But these next couple of weeks are just chock full so many different activities.  I am having a bit of trouble keeping track of things.  It might actually be stressing me out.

I pretty much have the semester planned out with the exception of finals week.  I worked out what I want to do, now all I need to do is get everything created.

I am still trying to figure out what to do for Turkey day.  No traveling for me and Silvio I think.  A few free days of nothing would be fantastic.

My apologies for not being more descriptive.  My brain is all sorts of scattered.

I did get the house all decorated for halloween.  I am happy with the results.  I don't have any plans for Halloween.  I'll probably just hand out some candy and maybe see if there is any ghost hunters on tv.

Day 281

There is only one more week in the quarter.  But the past couple of weeks have been rough.  School has been presenting issues - not students but other things.  The gamecocks lost.  It was confirmed that I need to figure out some plans for a Kansas Turkey Day.  There was a possibility that someone might return home early.  But that is no longer even a likelihood.  I guess Andy is super important.

Not sure how I will manage these upcoming holidays by myself.  But the upside is there is about 11 more weeks left in this deployment.

Nothing else important to share.  Watching the Black Cauldron.  Also picked up Pete's Dragon which I haven't seen in forever.  I can't wait to watch that one. 

Day 274

Week seven of the school year is over.  It was unbelievably long and trying.  I had to have several stern talks to my students - about grades and behavior.  I also had some issues with professional work that I need complete this year.  Needless to say I was a bit stressed out this week.

I met up with some friends on Friday evening to see Janis Ian.  She is a folksinger from the '60s.   A very controversial artist.  Probably the most well known song of hers is "At Seventeen".  I found the concert to be quite enjoyable and also very insightful.  It is amazing to hear about how different life was like only 50 years ago.  Not to mention it was nice to do something somewhat cultural.  Next month, Spamlot is coming to town.  I need to find out if I can get tickets.

Did you notice the day - 274?  Nine months over and done with.   Already have moved into the 10th month.  Only a manageable number of weeks left until Andy gets home.  I managed to get the rest of the semester's lessons finished.   That means I can actually start enjoying some of my weekends.   So I already have.

Right now I am watching Beauty and the Beast on Blu-Ray.  It is really quite amazing.  It reminds me of when I first watched it - except the animation seems soooo much crisper.  I think that might go on a Disney movie watching kick again.  I love Disney movies.

On the book front.  I started reading Don't Take My Lemonade Stand.  But I don't like it - just not my style.  I guess I will just start on some of the other books that I have.

Only 2 more weeks until the end of the quarter...

Day 267

Six weeks of school completed.  Parent teacher conferences went well.  It was quite a difference from last year's conferences.  A bunch of parents that really care about what their kids are doing and where they are heading.  That was refreshing.

The weekend was crazy.  I thought I would get a chance to do some relaxing.  Not really.  Technology has decidedly thwarted me this weekend.  I spend most of the time trying to set up a new computer once I found out that my laptop has a corrupted hard drive.  Even the disk repair utility said it could not fix the laptop.  It still runs though.  It surprised the heck out of the Apple people that is was still running.  So now I plan on running it as an actual laptop (it was just sitting around in one spot like a desktop normally would) until it dies.

It finally was nice and cold outside.  I love change in weather.  It means we are getting closer to the end of the year.  Closer to Andy coming home.  Silvio loves this weather too.  He can make it through a long walk without crazy panting or nasal issues.  Another refreshing experience.

As a mental note - I need to find a really great pair of gloves or mittens.  I managed to find a somewhat warm pair of liner gloves.  Now I need the outer layer.  My fingers get absurdly icey cold.  Anyone have any suggestions on really warm gloves?

Day 260

5 weeks of school over only 13 more to go.  Week 6 looks to be the most energy consuming.  Parent Teacher Conferences.  Ugh.  I really don't like spending all day at school only to get an hour off and then be back at school from 4:30 to 8:30 at night.  Then do it again the next day.  The only saving grace is the Friday we have off following the second evening of conferences.

Not much else to report.  Almost done with the Mathematical Universe.  My brother got me super cool stoneware that I wish I had more time to use.  I spent some time putting together a package for Andy.  I have not made one for him in a while.  But I won't get to send it until Friday when I have off.  It may just be the last package I have time to put together.

I have had run ins with lots of spiders lately.  I am not talking the little kind.  I'm talking 1+ inches kind.  Thankfully, I have been the winner in all contests and contests have been outside not in the house.  But I refuse to take any chances.  Bug guys will be taking aim in just over a week to finally to ease my mind.

Lately, I have been getting these minor panic attacks - one over the spiders and the other over Kansas storms.  I think the 90mph storm has set me off.  Yesterday there was another bad storm at the start of the KSU game.  For the entirety of the storm I was unable to function.  I could not do any other tasks except fret about the storm.  I think there is something really weird going on - not sure if it's hormonal, a side effect of deployment, or if I really have a problem.  Only thing I know is that when we get orders to get out of here, I will definitely be a happy camper (that is no reflection of my not liking our house or actually liking the town here).  Sorry double negative...

Probably won't hear from me until next weekend - after conferences.  Who knows if I will even be able to think coherently then.

Day 253

I have managed to survive the first four weeks of school.  Tomorrow we embark on week number 5.  But that means there are only 13 more weeks left in the fall semester.  The fall semester is so short.  But that is alright.  It brings me closer to having Andy home.

I have had a busy weekend.  Friday was particularly long.  I had school all day with a painful cough.  I came home to try to wrap up my grading.  Did that and napped for about a half hour.  Then jetted out for the football game.  I saw a lot of students there.  I think they find it amusing that I am there.  After the homecoming game, I signed up to chaperon the homecoming fun night.  Believe you me by 9:30 I was ready for bed not for 2 hours of blasting music/karoake/raffles.  I didn't get home until after midnight.  Yikes.

Saturday - I woke up feeling awful.  Throat was not working properly.  I vacuumed and dusted the whole house - which probably didn't help.  I got up on the ladder again to change light bulbs.  I can't wait til Andy is home and he can change the lightbulbs.  I'm not a fan of the ladder.  I went to mass which was nice.  I saw a lot of familiar people there.  I guess this place is becoming more like a home.  Came home to a load of laundry.  Fun

Today - got up a bit late - still with some throat issues.  I can't tell if if is an actual sore throat or some awful case of allergies.  I talked to Andy for a bit, made some beef soup, and then mapped out the rest of the semester.  This year it seems so much easier to be prepared for my classes.  Last year, I could not get more than 2 weeks ahead.  Now I know where i am headed for 3 months.  Maybe it is because i am familiar with the text and understand how to pace the students a bit better.  You may ask why all the planning for the end of the semester.  When Andy gets home, I would really appreciate having as much free time as possible with him.  These hours put in planning now will turn out to be a godsend later when we want to take little trips when he comes home.

I did get a whole new batch of books in the mail.  I am currently reading Mathematical Universe.  Have up on the docket:  Quantum Evolution, Don't Take Away My Lemonade Stand, The Tao of Physics, On Food and Cooking, and Euler's Gem (written by my honors thesis advisor at Dickinson - David Richeson).  I am super excited about reading these books even though they may seem a little on the dry = academic side.

Catch ya later - I am hoping this week will be a breeze.

Day 248

On a somewhat random note, I have stopped making big meals for myself and have returned to the microwave/prepared meal option.  Yes, I still bring my lunchables - Deli Select kind, not that weird processed salt filled kind geared towards small children - with me to school for lunch.  I try to make meals on the weekends but the weeknights have been unpredictable lately.  I don't really have a set time to come home, or I am home early and spend 3 hours grading or whatever.

But I guess what is the thing that concerns me the most is that (and don't take this the wrong way) - I still lost a couple of pounds over the past 3.5 weeks.  I am not sure if this can be attributed to no soda drinking, which by the way I don't even have a desire to drink anymore.  Even Coke or Ginger Ale, my two favorites, just seem way to sugar -y.  I don't know if it is stress or what.   I do not even get the chance to workout on a regular basis.

Maybe I should go eat a package full of cookies or something.  Yeah I could do that.

Other news - had a meeting with my second year mentor.  I really like her.  She is a bit on the busier side.  But I feel like she is so much more down to earth and that I can talk to her about issues and things.  I guess that is good because it counteracts my not so good experience with PLC this year.  Other than that, I am still wavering as to what I should do for next year.  I feel like I am such a better lecturer that I belong in a community college setting with office hours - but my students are so....much fun.  Maybe that is a consequence of the fact that I sit on the weekend and evenings talking to Silvio all day.  Their conversation is better than no adult conversations.

Ack wine makes my stream of consciousness just a little off.  I need to take out the garbage and take Silvio for a walk.

Check in later.