Pie and Pits November 24, 2009

If you have yet to make your Thanksgiving pie(s) for this year, may I suggest this beauty? Just looking at it makes me drool.  It’s like the best of three worlds–pumpkin, pecan, and cheesecake all rolled into one!

——–

Also, once I use up my shampoo, I’m considering going ‘poo free, and today I read this post about natural deodorant, and my mind is churning on that one, too.  After all, our skin our largest organ, and as Katie (in the deodorant article) puts it, “One of its job is to absorb.”  I want to be as aware of what I’m putting on my skin as of what I put in my mouth.  Have any of you ever tried either?  If so, what were your results?

Sunday Sunshine 09.13.09 September 13, 2009

Contrary to last time, This Is Why You’re Thin.  Thanks, tranabanana, for the link!

The mother in me cries when I read these posts, but the Christ-lover in me acts.  There are so many great organizations out there who help these sweet, needy children.  Are you supporting one?

5 Grammar Mistakes That Make You Sound Like A Chimp – I’m sure I’m guilty of some of these!

Moroccan Tagine August 18, 2009

I made this recipe (from my cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance) tonight, and boy, was it yummy!  Plus, it made tons of leftovers for lunches for tomorrow (my kind of meal!).  And if anyone can tell me how to pronounce “Tagine,” bonus points!!!  I’ve just been calling it Moroccan Stew to save myself the embarrassment.  :)

2009 Goals Update 07.02.09 July 2, 2009

1. Spend daily time in prayer and the Word (I used to do this no problem, but since Anja was born, my discipline in this area has slipped)
Off and on.

2. Read 2 photography books
Finished with one. Started a second.

3. Read 1 Photoshop book
Started it!

4. Book an average of 4 on-location sessions and 1 wedding each month
Have booked more weddings and more sessions. Praise God!

5. Sell our townhome and purchase a home with a $500 less per month payment
Got a yard sign and a tube for flyers tonight.  Still no legitimate bites from our online ads.

6. Organize an office for myself (instead of using the dining room table…)
Still waiting for the house in which to do it.

7. Have a baby or get pregnant
Second part of this goal attained!

8. Lose 10-15 lbs.
Um, not really worrying about this anymore.

9. Make healthier meals most nights each week
Depends. Most of the time, when I’ve planned, we eat well, but sometimes my cravings get the better of me and we’ll have pancakes (though I do throw some fresh berries on them at least) or order a pizza.  I’ve also been on a big Mexican kick, whether it’s some guacamole for a snack or Gluten-Free Chicken Enchiladas or Chicken Flautas (Mom, you should try this one–I used up the rest of the corn tortillas, and they were yummy!) for supper.  Thankfully, most Mexican recipes can be interpreted in a healthy fashion.

10. Reduce grocery bill to $250/month (this could be the hardest one…seriously)
I have a feeling this is just a big FAIL for the year. Nigh impossible unless we plan on cutting all fresh produce out of our diets (which is not happening!).

“I danjuss!” June 19, 2009

Translation: “I’m dangerous!”

That’s what Anja said to me after lunch today.  Little weirdo.

Anyway, I am recording what I made for my own keeping (because it was yummy!), but feel free to copy and/or experiment and share your results.

Italian Couscous with Chickpeas

Combine 1 can drained and rinsed chickpeas (garbanzo beans), 1 cup water, 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, and 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in 1/2 c. couscous (we use whole wheat with flax), cover, and let sit for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, chop up 1/2 a green pepper and 1/2 an avocado.  After the 5 minutes, fluff the couscous mixture with a fork.  Stir in 2 T. to 1/4 c. Creamy Italian (we used Paul Newman’s, and I’m sure normal Italian dressing would be fine, too) dressing.  Put into serving bowls, and sprinkle avocado and green pepper on each serving.  We also topped ours with about a teaspoon of sour cream, then stirred it in.  Even that small amount adds a surprising amount of flavor.  Enjoy!

Perhaps I should not work out more often… May 20, 2009

Sunday I didn’t have time, Monday and Tuesday I wasn’t feeling well, and the result?  I lost 3 pounds.  I didn’t even try.  Ugh, how frustrating.

The rest of this will be a mish-mosh of negativity (indicative of my brain right now), so feel free to ignore it if you so choose.

——–

Monday night, while feeling dreadfully ill, I went to Let’s Dish.  A very friendly person gave me a too-long orientation in the non-air-conditioned space.  Then I went about dishing my eight meals, which took me about another hour and fifteen minutes.  I left feeling like death baked in an oven.  Husband kindly put the meals in the freezer and chose two to keep in the fridge for preparation this week.  We started last night with Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken.  It tasted fine, but nothing special, and certainly not better than the stir-fries I make on my own.  Also, we found large chunks of cartilage (like whole shoulder sockets) in several of the chicken tenders.  That is very gag-worthy to me.  I’m pretty picky about my meat, when I do eat it. (My mom is nodding her head right now.)

So, in my efforts to save myself time and some sanity this next month, have I sacrificed the quality of my family’s meals?

——–

I watched the Dancing with the Stars finale last night, and Gilles didn’t win, even though he was the best dancer.

——–

I got an email back with a “signed” addendum to a wedding contract from a client this week.  Her “signature” was her name, typed into the spot indicated “signature.”  I wrote her back letting her know that this wouldn’t suffice, and could she please mail two hard copies with signatures?  So what came in the mail today?  Two hard copies, printed from the typed version.  Still no actual signature.  I could maybe excuse this if she was a dewy-skinned, 21-yr-old bride-to-be who had never seen the likes of a contract before in her life.  But she is, at my guess, at least in her 50s, and has to, has to, know that that’s not a legal document, right?

Since the wedding is this week, I will be bringing the addendum with me to the event for actual signature.  Sigh…

——–

Wedding season starts in full force this week for me, so you may not see me ’round these parts much.  Which, after today’s post (if you can call it that), is probably not a bad thing!  :)

Here, Try Some Recipes April 7, 2009

This past week I made several new recipes, AND they’re all online so they’re easy for me to share with you as well!

First off was Baked Brie with Caramelized Onions.  I had a big wheel of Brie on hand and have always wanted to try baked Brie.  This recipe was not disappointing!  And it was pretty easy.  The only thing I did differently was mash the roasted garlic and serve it on the side.  I served it with crackers, but some pieces had so much puff pastry they didn’t really need crackers.

Next was 7-Layer Meatless Tortilla Pie.  I took a picture of it before it went into the oven:

Husband, who is not a fan of beans, liked it despite the fact that it contains 3 cans of the offenders. Both Anja and I gobbled it up as well.

Last, and probably my favorite of the three was Hearty Vegetable Soup.  I’m not always a huge fan of tomato-based soups, but this one pleasantly surprised me.  It is, like the previous two items, vegetarian, but oh so delicious!  Husband actually raved about this one, and Anja also enjoyed it a lot.  I did make some negligible changes to this recipe, listed here in case you care:

1. I didn’t have a leek on hand, so I added a bit more onion, probably a full cup.

2.  I cooked the carrots, onion, celery and potatoes in a little olive oil in the stock pot for 7-10 minutes before adding the rest.  Helps soften the up a bit.

3. I used barley instead of rice (Quaker Medium Pearled).

4. I added 1/2 tsp. sea salt (because I used low-sodium juice) as well as more water and tomato juice.

Helpful note: This recipe makes a LOT of soup.  We ate it for 3 or 4 meals!

These meals may seem rather heavy to those of you who are now grilling out every night, but remember that we got snow two days ago and are still wearing winter coats.  :)

She looked tasty March 28, 2009

A couple of weeks ago, we got a packet from Compassion with an updated photo of our Compassion child, Nubia.  This time around, they also included bookmarks and wallet-size photos so you could have more than one reminder to pray for her.  We pray with Anja every day and are trying to teach her the importance of praying for others, so I gave her one of the little cards and we prayed for Nubia.  I let her keep it with vain hopes that the Holy Spirit might begin to work something in our little girl’s heart, a desire to intercede for dear Nubia.

A little later that afternoon, I found this:

She’d never eaten paper before, but apparently Nubia was yummy enough to launch a cardstock feeding frenzy. Now we find bites out of the corners of board books, teeth marks on low-lying picture frames around the house; it’s ridiculous.

However, I’m still holding out hope that my little fiber-lover will become a prayer warrior.

Flashback Friday 02.20.09 February 20, 2009

Darling Sandwich Maker, how I loved thee!  In college, you were a staple.  Rarely did a day go by when you were unable to produce some sort of gooey sandwich-y goodness.  I hearken back to the days of studio, late nights and early mornings made joyous (or at least bearable) by the promise of some PB&J melting delectably between slices of bread.

Forget the stuff of infomercials; you were the stuff my ham ‘n’ cheese dreams were made of!  You were my “ramen.”  No Totino’s or baked potato months for this girl when I had you by my side.

Sandwich Maker, I salute you!

Delicioso! Letza make-a pizza with the works!* February 3, 2009

Actually, not pizza.  Risotto.  I made this tonight–it was yummy!

We’ve had oodles of food since Christmas that I’ve been dying to share with you, but haven’t.  This post was actually set to go up shortly after New Year’s, so this risotto recipe is (still yummy but) old news.  Here are some we’ve tried that have been bit hits with the family recently.  Most of them are my own (I twist and re-vamp several versions of old recipes with new ingredients until I find something I like), but those that aren’t are noted so.

And in case you can’t tell, I like my soups, stews and one-dish meals in the winter, thankyouverymuch.

——–

Wild Rice Soup for a Slow Cooker

4 c. cooked wild rice
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 c. shredded carrot

4 cans (or 48 oz) chicken broth
1/2 T. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
dash pepper
1 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 can 2% evaporated milk
2 T. cornstarch
1 can cheddar cheese soup

Prepare the wild rice according to package directions.  Sautee the onion, garlic, celery and carrot in 2 T. olive oil until soft (5-10 minutes).  Stir the cornstarch into the evaporated milk.  Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 3-5.  Super yummy and much less fatty than other versions!

——–

Easy Chili

1 lb. hamburger (we get the leanest we can)
1 med. onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 can chili beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 c. frozen corn
1/3 c. honey
3 T. chili powder (or to taste)
28 oz can (or two 15 oz cans) diced tomatoes (Muir Glen fire roasted are AWESOME)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. coriander
salt and pepper to taste
Toppings:
Light Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese
Fritos

Brown the onions, garlic and hamburger.  Add the rest of the ingredients (except toppings) and simmer for 45 min. to 1 hour.  Top with some shredded cheddar, a dollop of sour cream and some corn chips–OH MY.  So good.

——–

Lentil Chili Soup in the 7th Edition The New American Heart Association Cookbook

1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 med onions, chopped
3 med garlic cloves, minced
1 med green bell pepper, finely chopped
3 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. light beer or water (we used water)
1 1/4 c. water
1 1/2 c. dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
6 oz can tomato paste
2 1/2 to 3 T chili powder
1/2 T cumin
1 tsp. salt-free all-purpose seasoning (we used Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb)
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
3 or 4 medium green onions, thinly sliced

Heat a heavy stockpot over med-high heat.  Pour oil into pot and swirl to coat bottom.  Cook the onions, pepper, and garlic for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the broth, beer, 1 1/4 cups water, lentils, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, all-purpose seasoning, sugar, and cayenne.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 35-40 minutes, or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.  Add water as necessary.

Ladle into bowls.  Sprinkle with cheddar and green onions (and a dollop of light sour cream, if you’re me).

This was surprisingly, fantastically yummy.  Even Husband, who doesn’t care for beans or lentils, liked it.

——–

And now, I am very, very fat.  :)