Kitchen Failure and Success

I just love casseroles for many reasons. Not only do they define comfort food for me, but they are usually easy to prepare in advance and are great for hectic evenings (and the lazy ones). Fall and winter are perfect times to have a casserole. Now, I never make the ones that call for "cream of something" canned soup. The combinations of noodles, cheese and buttery crunchy toppings just make me salivate. I do tend to get into a rut, I have a rotation of just a handful that are my go-to recipes.

I was so excited to find a new cookbook called The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever. There are yummy photos and a huge assortment of casseroles that are outside of the norm, but easy to prepare without exotic ingredients. Those of you who have been in my kitchen know about my large number of cookbooks and the fact that I have more storage for cookbooks than for dishes. I even had to bring in a bookshelf to hold more of my growing collection. I read cookbooks like others read novels. This leads me to another point for those of you who know my cooking style....I am completely unable to follow a recipe or measure ingredients. I just get inspired and go off on my own tangent.

Now on to my failure in the kitchen. I tried my first recipe in the cookbook that struck my fancy...South African Spiced Biryani. This recipe looked like something I would find in an Indian cookbook, one of my favorite ethnic cuisines. I had everything on hand, so I threw it together and actually followed the recipe (this was my first mistake - I know better than to follow a recipe!)

I was so excited about dinner, the house smelled wonderful from the combination of spices, the cardamom especially. I was so excited to dig into this meal that I even skipped taking a picture of it just so I could eat faster. The whole family agreed unanimously and in unison that this meal SUCKED!!!!!!! It tasted terrible. A complete failure! I quickly made some shrimp quesadillas as a replacement meal, at least they were good.

I am not going to let this bad meal keep me from trying other recipes from this book. It is just a disappointment to see a meal that I was so looking forward to end up in the trash.

You may remember my recent post about the death of R2D2. I had not attempted bread since he went to bread maker heaven. It is now time to move on from my grief and attempt to make bread without a bread maker. I know it is possible. I tried a recipe from a friend for Whole Wheat Bread. The bread came together and the kneading process was not nearly as bad as I remember as a kid. I felt so productive making bread for the family. A simple pleasure I should do more often.

I should have taken pictures along the way, but all I did was the finished product. The house smelled delicious from the bread. The bread was perfect! Soft, moist and light. Perfect with a generous amount of fresh butter on top. I gave one loaf to a friend and the girls and I have done a successful job of polishing off the second. I see more bread baking in my future...I do own many cookbooks on the topic...now I just need to find them in my collection!

More Halloween Party Pics!

To see more of the Halloween Party fun, check out Lora's blog!

Yes, this does qualify for a very lazy post. he,he,he!

My life in a comic strip

I am a huge fan of the comic strip Stone Soup. It is delivered to my inbox every morning. This one came through and I swear that it is about ME!

Stone Soup
by Jan Eliot

Olive Fingers

On Sunday we had leftovers of chili and beer that needed to be consumed. This was just another excuse to have friends over again! We ordered a pizza for the kids and threw some veggies on a plate so there would be some food that resembled healthy. I put some black olives out. Nora Beth is convinced that they taste better when eaten off of her fingers. I remember getting in trouble for doing this as a kid. Sometimes you just need to have fun with your food.

Nicole stopped by to say goodbye after her short visit. Shianne is so attached to her. I so wish she lived closer to us. Darned her for wanting to lead an adult life. She needs to live with us until all my kids are grown and out of the house!

We said our goodbye's to her. We hope to see her near Christmas.

This was another fun night. Lora came over with her boys and her friend Brad. I am so glad that Lamar and Brad are hitting it off - they have bonded over sports, beer and obscene jokes sent to each others phones!

Pumpkin Carving Party

On Saturday we hosted our annual Pumpkin Carving Party. We had close to 100 people at our house. This party seems to get bigger each year! Here are some of the pumpkins that are gracing the front porch of our home.
As always, I cooked a lot of food. Chili is a staple for this party. There was Casper the Friendly Ghost mild and From the Witches Backside hot. The pot of queso dip was just about licked clean. I made a Kitty Litter Cake that the kids really enjoyed. It did look like the real deal, and believe it or not, tasted really good.

Here is a group having fun around some pumpkins. We got smart this year and rented a large patio heater to keep the garage warm. We were so impressed with how well it worked that we are keeping our eyes open to purchase one.

Here is Shi working on one of her pumpkins.

There were some organized games for the kiddos. The gross-out table was a hit along with the Jello Brains. The little kids had a pinata and the older kids made mummies of themselves. The mummies were a huge hit!

Here is Holly mummifying Shianne.

Lamar even got in on the action. Here are Lamar and Shianne. They were laughing so hard.

It was a great party this year. It is always fun to have a party where the adults and kids argue over who had the most fun. This will be a tough party to top next year.

Our Nicole, All Grown Up

Ok, I know that she is not ours, but she is so important to us that we will make that claim. Nicole came into our life just before Shianne was born. She started watching Shianne when she was 3 months old and continued up until about 3 years ago when she decided to go to the Air Force. Now look at her. She is married with a beautiful baby. Coincidentally, Courtney is 3 months old. Lamar and I are so excited to finally be Aunt Stacey and Uncle Lamar to this little girl.
Nicole came home for the weekend for a family event. We were so excited to see her and finally meet Courntey in person. It is so unreal to see Nicole as a mom. I am so happy for her in her new phase of life.

Shianne was so excited to hold Courtney. It won't be long until Shianne is babysitting Courtney. That means we have to convince Nicole to move back here.

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round....

During a recent conversation with a friend, she learned about my anxiety around public transportation. I am not against public transportation in any way, but the thought of figuring out a bus schedule and changing buses really causes my palms to sweat. Now my friend is a regular on the bus...and by choice! She was determined to show me that the bus is not all bad.

She took it easy on me and we met at the West Salem Transit and made our way across the bridge. We got off the bus and walked to the Carousel.

Nora Beth was so excited to ride the bus. Here she is with her friend. This excursion was a big deal for her. A bus ride, carousel ride and playing at the park...sounds like a great day for a three year old. To top it off, she got a chocolate ice cream cone on the way home. I definitely scored some points today!
Now the bus ride was not bad. I still have no plans on making this a regular event. The thought of changing buses and being on the other side of town with the bus being my only form of transportation, still causes my heart to race. Baby steps.

Lamar and the Girls - Sans Mom

I went away for my conference/retreat and left Lamar with the girls for four days. He was insistent that he had it under control.

He was bailed out for dinner by an invitation from the neighbors on day one of me being gone (thanks Chad and Joy!)

Day two he was feeling adventurous and actually made dinner. Fillet Mignon, pasta with my homemade sauce and green beans. Yes, he made a vegetable - albeit from a can - but nonetheless - a vegetable! He even staged the meal like I do with wine and a candle.
He was off to a good start, but it went down hill from there. McDonalds and Pizza Hut were the menu until I returned on Wednesday afternoon.

Lamar took the girls to Bauman Farms for some good fall fun. Here they are having a great time on the hay swing.

I had a wonderful time at my conference. There was delicious conversation on some serious birth topics. It was great to speak with like minded women and enjoy some much needed relaxation in the hot springs.

I arrived home to find the house clean, everyone fed and a pile of laundry needing my attention. Ahhhh.....back to reality!

The Girls

I am getting ready to go to Breitenbush for a retreat/conference. I will be gone for 4 days. Lamar is stocked up on tater tots, frozen pizza, ice cream and Crystal Light. There is also healthy food, but I am sure that will remain untouched while I am gone. I have been looking forward to this retreat for 6 months. I was not sure if I would be able to go earlier in the week since I still had a pregnant mama, but she had her baby on Friday night. Another very fast labor, once labor actually began.

I thought I would leave you with some pictures of the girls to tie you over until I return. here Shianne and Jibby are cuddling. They do this every morning and night. Jibby demands Shiannes attention. If Shianne is in a rush in the morning, Jibby will follow her around until Shi stops and pays attention to her. Jibby would be lost without Shi.

Here Shianne is just kicking back in the living room waiting for football to start this morning.

Nora Beth is ready for the game today. Lamar just got her this outfit to wear at a game in December. She was insistent on wearing it today. I have been teaching her some cheer moves. She thinks this is fun.

This is how we usually see Princess Nora around the house. This dress is her favorite since it is pink. She talked me into another tiara at the store yesterday. She likes tiaras like I like shoes. A girl needs her accessories!

I cheated!

I am sure that title got your attention. But I did. I cheated....on the Pinot that I normally drink. Lamar has been sick so he was unable to taste beer for our upcoming party. A friend of ours has started a brewing company and we wanted to support him with getting a keg. I am not a huge beer fan, but I have grown a bit to respect all that the brews can offer. I went over to his house to taste what he had to offer.
As pictured above, I tasted Belgium Pale Ale, Lill's Pills, Laurens Pale Ale, Oatmeal Ellie and Abbey3. Each had a very different taste. Oatmeal Ellie will make an appearance in a beef stew or BBQ sauce in the near future - I will even have to make up my own recipe to highlight the yummy flavor of this beer. I choose the Laurens Pale Ale for the party.

The brewery's name is Seven Brides Brewing and each beer is named after one of the seven daughters between the three partners, hence the name Seven Brides Brewing.

I came home and told Lamar all about what I had done. He looked at me with a blank face, fuzzy eyes and red nose. He promptly went back to his box of Kleenex and moaning on the couch. He said the Pinot would forgive me.

Onion Soup saves the Day

I had a great day with Nora Beth today. We had a lazy morning then headed to the birth center to pick up our veggie box that was delivered. We are getting a local box of farm fresh, organic veggies from a midwife that I work with. It was filled with corn, cilantro, tomatoes, broccoli rabe, grapes, cucumbers and kale. I am sure a stir fry will be in order for tomorrow.
Nora Beth was fascinated by these flowers that were outside the birth center door. It was all I could do to convince her that they did not need to be picked.

We then went to the park for playgroup. She had such a good time with her friends. Here they are hanging from the play structure being monkeys! She was exhausted by the time we left.

Lamar has come down with a head cold. Of course, he thinks that the world is coming to an end. Whenever a cold hits our house, French Onion soup is made. The onions and garlic are great for congestion and the broth is good for the stomach. I pair French Onion soup with my signature 4 cheese grilled cheese sandwich on rustic bread. I know that the crouton and cheese belong in the soup, but I have issues with that. It is a texture that I do not enjoy, hence the grilled cheese on the side. Lamar was so satisfied with dinner, that he headed straight to bed - exactly where he needed to go to get himself well again.

4018 days

4018 days. What does this mean? This is how long Lamar and I have been married. This weekend marked our 11th wedding anniversary. Lamar was proud of himself with coming up with the actual number of days.

We were fortunate to have family friends volunteer to watch the girls overnight so we could get away for the night. THANK YOU E.Pat and Suzette! We stayed at the new resort at the Oregon Garden. This just opened up two weeks ago. We had a great meal, bottle of wine and enjoyed a relaxing evening with beautiful views.

We were afraid to go to far away since I am on call for a birth and my mamas have a tendency to want to labor on days that are important to me. It was still great to just be out of the house for one evening.

We had to come home on Sunday morning early enough for the Viking game. We enjoyed a lazy day and I made a great dinner for the family. I even did my best to keep it within the locavore rules. Everything was local except for the pork loin.

I made a Fennel and Paprika Pork Tenderloin with a Heirloom Tomato Salad and a Potato Galette. The meal was delicious and my picture does it no justice. We opened up a bottle of Pinot Noir that I had been saving for two years. It was delicious.



I also wanted a great dessert to follow this meal with. I tried to find a local ice cream, but could not find a flavor that I was happy with. I decided to make my own. I do own an ice cream maker and it is incredibly easy to use. The ice cream made its appearance with an apple crisp. Again, my photography gives no justice to the deliciousness of the food.

Wardrobe Malfunction

Wardrobe Malfunction. This is a phrase that has etched itself into our vocabulary. I can now say that I have experienced my own wardrobe malfunction. On Thursday night I went to Oregon State University to watch a production of Birth, The Play. After the performance, I was on the panel for the talk back discussion.

It was during this production that the malfunction happened. Fortunately, no one noticed it but myself. Nothing was exposed, no modesty was broken, just a big wake up call for me. It is time to go shopping for clothes that fit me properly.

Why do I need to do this. Well, I am happy to say that I have lost a significant amount of weight. Something I have been wanting to do for several years. It has been a lot of work and I am thrilled with the results.

I did not decide to loose the weight from any kind of societal pressure, I just was not happy with myself. Part of that whole finding myself again that I mentioned in my first post.

Back to the clothes shopping. I got the girls up on Friday morning and we headed to the outlet mall. We were in the Gap and I had a whole pile of clothes to try on. I am such a bad judge of what sizes to get, so I just grab a pile and head in. I try on a skirt and to my surprise, it was to BIG. Now, this is an experience that has never happened to me. I put the skirt over the door and asked the sales girl for a size 2 because the size 4 and 6 were to BIG! Me....asking for a size 2!!!!! I did not need the skirt, but I bought it just because of the number that it had on the tag.

I know that it is a complete societal pressure to get stuck on a number. The number really means nothing. But that American Girl inside of me, saw that number and it made me happy. I had a moment of consumerism. All the work I have done over the past 6 months has paid off and the skirt really hit it home for me.

I also found some other great outfits. I was like a little kid shopping for candy. So much so that I lost track of time and realized that I spent the whole morning shopping and slacked off on the other things I needed to accomplish that day.

I went back to OSU later that evening for the second performance of Birth with a great new outfit and confidence that there would be no repeat of the wardrobe malfunction!

A Catch-up

For those of you who read this regularly, you may be wondering....What happened to Stacey? There have been no posts for a week! For those of you asking this question, you get two posts in one day!

It has been such a busy week. Here is a quick re-cap

Monday brought us Monday Night Football. We made pizza and had friends over to watch the Vikings play.

Tuesday was Nora's first day of preschool (see previous post for more info).

Wednesday is the busy day of each week. Both girls have music classes. I also got more tomatoes and made salsa. I also made rosemary jelly, pepper jelly and curry jelly. The preserves all turned out beautiful. I can't wait to see their appearance on a cheese tray with some yummy wine! I envision a girl party in the near future.

Thursday, the day is not over yet, but so far I have canned pizza sauce, dehydrated tomatoes and cleaned around the house. Nora Beth and I will make a trip to the grocery store and Shianne has soccer practice. Tonight I am going to Oregon State University to see Birth, The Play, and participate in the post production panel of local birth workers. I will write more about this in tomorrows post.

Whew....that is about it.

Nora Beth Starts Preschool

This is a day that Nora Beth has been waiting for for quite some time. Every morning she watches Shianne leave for school and askes "When do I get to go to school?" Well, today is the day she got to go. I have had Nora Beth on the waiting list for this program since she was 10 months old.

We arrived at school and there were many kids not wanting to leave their parents, and many parents who did not want to leave their kids. That was not the case for our family. Nora Beth quickly ran into the classroom and proclaimed it was time for us to leave since she was now busy. Already we are getting kicked out by her! She did not let the fact that she did not know any of the other kids bother her. She jumped right in and began to paint.

This is a program ran by high school students at our local high school. Fortunately one of our sitters is in this program. Nora Beth was very excited to see Delaney in her class. Nora Beth came home from her first day with several paintings and was excited to go back again.

I am so excited to see this new phase in her life. I have no expectations for "academic" learning from this program. I just want her to have fun, socialize and learn how to stand in line. She feels like such a big girl now that she gets to go to school. She was smiling all day, for that alone, it is worth sending her.

Lamar, The Foodie

I had my class in Portland today, so Lamar was left at home all day with the girls. Not to let me take all the credit for the food around here, he made dinner. Yes, you read this correctly....Lamar Made Dinner! He went gourmet and made taco salad. When I arrived home, the girls were well fed, they were eating pumpkin pie that Lamar purchased with Cool Whip. He even gave them soda. (I will start the detox tomorrow...LOL!)

Locavore, WHAT?

I mentioned a while back while doing the food budget that October would bring the Locavore Diet. What is this, you ask. Well, Locavores only eat food that is grown withing a certain radius of their home, say 100 miles. The benefits of this include reduced fossil fuels being used for transportation, support for the local economy, fresh, in-season food and a personal knowledge and appreciation of where ones food comes from. Many locavores will take the Marco Polo approach when it comes to spices to flavor their food, since spices have been traded throughout history. The downside of this diet is that it can be limiting and expensive. It is not enough that a product is made locally, it has to be made only of local ingredients.
We are very fortunate to live in one of the most bountiful areas of the world. Fresh produce is abundant. We are close to the ocean, dairy land, wheat fields, meat producers and vineyards! The only thing I have not been able to find locally is sugar, but honey is a substitute.

At first, I thought this would be an easy challenge, but then reality hit me. This was going to be very expensive and difficult. I have decided to modify my original plan. All meat, dairy, eggs, produce and bread will be local. Every day, at least one meal will be completely local. I feel that these parameters are completely manageable for me. I already do a great job of supporting our local farmers market and bakery. I just found a new place for farm fresh eggs and raw milk. We are looking into investing in a side of Bison that is raised just down the road from us.

The above picture shows the bounty that Nora Beth and I got at the farmers market on Wednesday. The peppers looked great. I see some pepper jelly in our near future.

I started off day one of this challenge with a delicious stir fry of veggies from the market and some chicken pesto sausage I recently purchased from a local butcher. Today I made some beef chili to watch the OSU football game. Unfortunately, the Beavers lost. The technicians at work should be thrilled to work with Lamar tomorrow after he ate chili tonight!

Vegetable Play

I took Nora Beth down to the library today for Story Time. The stories were all about vegetables and the craft was using the vegetables as stamps with paint. Nora Beth thought this was great. Each vegetable made a different shape - and most importantly she got to play with her food! Her friend Paisley joined us. It is always cute watching the two of them together.