You Say Goodbye...

2013 is coming to a close.  It has been a whirlwind year - filled with some important goodbyes.  Yet every goodbye is followed up by a new hello.

Our goodbyes this year:

• Command of Delta Battery 1 - 5 FA
• Our First House - and the mortgage and all that jazz!
• Family Readiness Group Leader
• Webmaster of the Fort Riley Our Community Spouse Club
• Kansas
• Our fantastic wonderful friends (many of whom also moved)

Our hellos this year:

• The Foreign Area Officer functional area
• New Stomping Grounds in CA
• India - culture, history, food!
• Graduate School life at the Naval Post Graduate School
• Making new friends
• Thomas Jacob (This is my favorite hello this year!)

I hope your 2013 has been satisfying!

Cheesy Gnocchi Casserole

I know I have been a bit quiet lately.  We have had some visitors and the end of the first quarter of graduate school is taking some adjusting.  I shall regale you with a new recipe that I have tried.  This one comes from the Food Network.  I bookmarked it one day while I was trolling through posts on Google+.

Cheesy Gnocchi Casserole with Ham and Peas

from The Food Network

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
One 8-ounce piece deli ham, diced
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
One 17.5-ounce package potato gnocchi
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese

Steps

1.  Preheat the broiler to high heat.
2.  Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
3.  Add the ham and thyme and continue to cook until the ham is lightly browned.
4.  Add the chicken broth and 3/4 cup water and bring to a simmer.
5.  Add the gnocchi, stir well, cover and cook until the gnocchi is slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
6.  Uncover and stir in the peas, cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
7.  Sprinkle the cheese over the top and broil until golden and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Serve.

The Final Product

This turned out pretty tasty and was fairly easy to put together.  Some notes - I had a bit more that 17.5 oz of potato gnocchi - I think I had two 10 oz packages.  So I don't think they cooked as evenly as they should have.  Unfortunately the "cream" sauce that was supposed to form never really did.  It was definitely more soupy than creamy.  It might be user - I thought my chicken broth and water was at a simmer but maybe it never made it there.  Not a bad first run for it.  I would definitely do it again and incorporate some of the reviews others had made on the dish: use a hot italian sausage instead of ham, try some different veggies (broccoli, carrots), use a mixture of cheeses besides just swiss, and I may try using an alfredo sauce to get more creamy texture.  Definitely a quick weeknight meal!

Thanksgiving

As we sat down to our Thanksgiving feast, the hubby and I discussed Thanksgivings past.  We had one at his parent's home and several with a very good friend in Kansas.  I have not had to make the entire meal by myself in a very long time.  With two boys who have not had stellar behavior as of late, we decided to keep our affair at home.  With that, I decided to try a new recipe.  Normally, I have done my birds (on occasions other than Thanksgiving) in a roaster oven which is a fantastic tool.  As it was only the 4 of us, (well 3 of us because Thomas is not eating solids yet) I made the call to not cook a full bird.  I decided on turkey breast roasts instead - in the slow cooker!

Bacon Turkey Breast

from Crockin' For the Holidays

Ingredients

1 bone-in turkey breast (or at least 5 pounds with or without skin)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 - 1/4 tsp pepper
1 can turkey gravy
2 1/2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 - 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tsp rubbed sage

Steps

1.  Rub turkey with garlic, salt, and pepper.
2.  Place in slow cooker.
3.  Mix gravy, flour, Worcestershire sauce, bacon, and sage together.  Pour over turkey.
4.  Cook on LOW for 8 hours.

The Final Product

The entire meal was yummy.  Son number 1 would probably tell you the biscuits were the best part.  The turkey turned out really well.  Next time I might only cook for 7 hours as it was not as moist as I like.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't dry when it came out - just after it was cut it lost a bunch of juiciness.  You can not quite tell from the picture but I complemented our turkey with a green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and biscuits.  Even better, everything came out at just about the same time.  It made me feel great.  It also got me thinking to a couple of years down the road - will I be able to put together a yummy feast in India?  I guess I will find out in a few years.  This Thanksgiving post is not complete without my two hams:

 

Slow Cooker Blue Cheese Flank Steak

Yesterday, I tried out a new slow cooker recipe in the hopes that it would become part of our regular rotation.  Here is the recipe:

Slow Cooker Blue Cheese Flank Steak

from Crockin' for the Holidays

Ingredients

2 pounds flank steak
salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 onion, sliced
1 package sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup blue cheese

Steps

1.  Sprinkle both sides of the flank steak with salt and pepper.
2.  Dip both sides of flank steak into a plate of flour.  Lay as flat as possible on the bottom of the slow cooker.
3.  Place onion and mushrooms over the flank steak.  Pour beef broth, wine, olive oil, and vinegar over the meat.
4.  Cook on LOW for 8 hours.
5.  Before serving, add blue cheese and stir until mixed.

The Final Product

I can not give a totally accurate review of this recipe.  Why you may ask - you even provided a little picture?  Well, I spent about 2 weeks on the look out for flank steak in the supermarket.  I had seen in the last month or so but all of a sudden it was MIA. So I substituted a 3 pound London Broil.  The long cooking time would have made a flank steak much more tender.  The london broil got a bit dry.  The juice had a nice flavor and I enjoyed the blue cheese addition.  I hope to get my hands on a nice flank steak to try this recipe in its proper for.

Slow Cooker Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

It is a Monday - so it is a slow cooker sort of evening.  We are trying out a new recipe for pork tenderloin.  This is supposed to be a special occasion slow cooker recipe.  Hey, Mondays are rough - so why not make dinner a special occasion!  Okay, maybe that is a stretch.  My thought process is if it is really good - then making for a holiday meal will be a snap.  Here it is:

Slow Cooker Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

from Crockin' for the Holidays

Ingredients

1 package pork tenderloin (2 loins to a package)
1 package bacon
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup white sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp white vinegar

Steps

1.  Wrap tenderloins with bacon, trying to cover the loins completely.
2.  Mix remaining ingredients for marinade.
3.  Place meat in a pan, pour marinade over it, and cover with plastic wrap.
4.  Refrigerate at least 3 to 4 hours (or overnight).
5.  Place in slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

The Finished Product

I was pleasantly surprised by this recipe.  I honestly thought that the bacon would come off of the tenderloin while cooking.  But as you can see - it is still intact.  The marinade added a nice tanginess to the pork.  Next time, I plan on using the low sodium soy sauce to make it a bit healthier.  I will be keeping this one in mind when we have guests over.

Potato and Pesto Soup

Yesterday, I decided to pull out a recipe that I have not made in a very long time.  Long time - you are probably thinking, oh the past couple of months.  Not even close!  I pulled this one out from before the husband and I got married.  I did not think I had any "unknown to hubby" recipes left.  I found it while trying to map out our monthly meal plan.  Here it is:

Potato and Pesto Soup

from the past

Ingredients

3 slices bacon
1 pound potatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
2 ½ cups chicken broth
2 ½ cups milk
¾ cup macaroni
⅔ cup heavy cream
parsley, chopped
salt
pepper
parmesan cheese
Pesto Sauce

Steps

1. Finely chop the bacon, potatoes, and onions. Fry the bacon with the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat for 4 minutes. Add the butter, potatoes, and onions and cook for 12 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add the stock and the milk to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the macaroni and simmer for a further 10-12 minutes.
3. Stir in the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the parsley, salt and pepper, and 2 tbsp of pesto sauce. Transfer the soup to serving bowls and serve with parmesan cheese and fresh garlic bread.

The Finished Product

I was a little tentative about making this blast from the past but I was not let down.  The hubby enjoyed it and JT, my toughest critic, decided he wanted to try some (lately he has been rather unwilling to eat our dinners).  JT ate the pasta and sucked the cream broth off of the potatoes - weirdo!  For your knowledge, 1 pound of potatoes is approximately 2 medium/large potatoes.  I chopped up three and that was clearly too much.  I also forgot about 1/2 a cup of chicken broth.  Don't forget it as it will yield more "soup" at the end.  I also used campanelle (they look like flowers) but I would recommend using a shorter/smaller macaroni than that - cavatelli, radiatori, orecchiette, or a gnocchi - but not as short as orzo or ditalini.  Enjoy!

Comparison

With two small children, it is hard to keep myself from comparing them.  They are so close in age that I can remember their infant time easily.

JT at 3 months

Thomas at 3 months

I catch myself saying "wow, Thomas, you are huge!" on a very frequent basis.  I have to keep reminding myself that Thomas was 50 percentile across the board.  He is average while JT had a bunch of hurdles to overcome.

When I think about the first few months of JT's life, I am grateful that we have had very few issues with Thomas.  Those first couple of months were a hellish experience with JT and I am glad I kept my mind open to the option of having a second child.  We are so blessed to have giggly Thomas.  That is not to say that we are not blessed to have JT - just that JT's beginning makes me cherish the "normalcy" of Thomas's entrance into the world.  Little or big things like pumping to help keep JT healthy in the NICU to Thomas eating cool formula from the fridge; waiting for JT to put on enough weight be big enough to sit in the bouncer to Thomas growing out of clothes like it is his job; or how it took nearly 6 months to get JT to sleep through the night whereas Thomas sleeps 9+ hours at 3 months.  I think the pictures below are a better match then their monthly age:

Thomas at 3 months

JT at 6 months

They are totally brothers.  There is no doubt about that.  Also no doubt - that I love them to the ends of the earth!

Chinese Food

We have had a rough time finding reliable inexpensive Chinese food out here.  Luckily, my mom shared a recipe with me a few weeks ago that I think will cover our Chinese food urges while we continue to hunt for "the chinese food place".  She sent along this great slow cooker recipe.

Slow Cocker Sweet Garlic Chicken

from Six Sisters' Stuff

Ingredients

4-6 chicken breasts
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
2-3 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 Tablespoons water
Rice or noodles, cooked
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Steps

1.  Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken (frozen, thawed or fresh) inside slow cooker. Mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper together. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
2.  Take chicken pieces out of slow cooker (mine basically fell apart) and pour remaining sauce into saucepan. Place saucepan over high heat. Mix together corn starch and water, pour into saucepan, and mix well. Let sauce come to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to thicken and turns into a glaze. Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two (it will continue to thicken as it cools down).
3. Sprinkle red pepper flakes on top if desired. This can be served over rice or noodles, I also like it with a baked potato on the side (It's good on top of the potato too!)

Finished Product
This was really tasty.  A few things to note - I used 1 pound of thawed chicken tenderloins and cooked on low for 6.5 hours.  This left my chicken pieces dry.  I would really recommend using some big chicken breasts so that they stay moist.  The sauce was super yummy.  I think next time I might switch out the lemon-lime soda (I used 7up) for an orange soda.  I did not sprinkle the red pepper flakes on at the end.  The hubby likes his spicy - so we just add to our individual servings.  I served the chicken over basmati rice, which I have taken a real liking to lately.  A definite keeper and big thanks to my mom for passing this one along.

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

With long class days on Mondays and Wednesdays, I have really come to rely on my slow cooker.  So is have been adding new recipes into my rotation with success.  This week I decided to try baked potato soup from the Crockin' Girls.

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

from Crockin' Girls

Ingredients

6 Large Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Large Onion, diced
1 Quart Chicken Broth
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 Cup Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup Cream (Half and Half Okay)
1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Steps

1.  Combine all ingredients except for cream/ half and half, and cheese.
2.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours (potatoes should be tender).
3.  Then you will need to mash potatoes until coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thickened.
4.  Stir in cream and cheese. Garnish with toppings (bacon, chives, sour cream, cheese).

The Final Product
I apologize that I am lacking a picture.  The soup was good.  But I could tell that is was very different from usual baked potato soup.  First, it seemed to not be on the really creamy side.  It may be due to the fact that my 6 potatoes were not all large but I also used less chicken broth that specified (two 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth).  I also used about 8 oz of cubed velveeta cheese - next time I plan on using a mexican shred mix.  Give it a little more flavor that just cheddar.  At the end, since it lacked thickness, I put the slow cooker on high for another 15 - 30 minutes.  This helped a bit.  It turned out to be a good alternative to my usual baked potato soup.

Personal Goals

I have been spending a lot of time getting the boys - JT and Thomas - into a reasonable routine.  While Thomas naps throughout the day, I can expect to get both boys down for sleeping for up to an hour and half in the afternoon everyday.  A glorious hour filled with  letting the dogs out, prepping dinner, and everything else I didn't get done before.  That being said, I am starting to get antsy that I am not in great shape anymore (and I still have preggo weight laying around my joints).

So I am committing myself to a couple of things-

Short term: 30 Day Plank Challenge
After 2 c-sections my abdominals are a mess.  My core is more aptly a bowl of jelly.  So to whip my belly into shape, I am following along

I have done day 1.  My abs could manage the 20 seconds barely.  My arm muscles on the other hand, ouchies!  I thought my mommy arms from lugging around my 12 pound and 25+ pound children would have helped me out here.  I hope completing this will help my two longer term goals.

Long term: Pilates
Pregnancy really messes with your joints.  So I have slowly starting doing my old floor routine again.  I am only doing about 5 exercises right now but every week I start to add another exercise into the rotation.  It provides a good stretch and allows me to strengthen and tone my entire body.

Long term:  Disneyland Half Marathon (August 2014)
After JT was born, I chose to work my way to completing a 10K (6.2 miles) race, which boasted free beer and pizza at the finish line for participants. It was a lot of fun and it kept me motivated to work out - even through the 6 mile workouts pushing JT in the stroller.  This time I have upped the ante.  Maybe someday I'll even try a full marathon.  Thankfully this one is about a year away.  I have a bit more time to get mileage under my belt and ensure that I don't injure myself.  Right now, I have a 1, 2, and 3 mile walking route with the boys and there are still 3 more months before I can safely run with Thomas in the double stroller.

Just keep plugging away!