Another DITY Project

As I've discussed in earlier posts, my Husband and I struggle with organization. Lately I've been looking for a wall organizer that would hopefully help us with that. Something with a mail in and out box, space for a calendar and grocery lists, etc. I was really surprised how expensive they were! And of course most of them didnt have all the aforementioned elements. Since I've been Mrs. Do-it-yourself lately I decided to draw what I wanted and see if Kenny and I could make it together. The key word here being together. I'm sure most couples who take on a joint project will have disagreeing views on its execution. Kenny and I are no different.

First, a little background. My husband has a degree in architecture and for four years it was drilled into him that if it isnt perfect, you've failed. Me, well I agree with Monet, if it looks good from far away, great! No one will notice that little flub in the corner. Besides with this project in particular I was going for Shabby Chic so imperfections are what give it character. (And yes, I realize that Monet would most likely take offense to that likening.) Granted, no one wants to hear their architect say "Don't worry, those cracks in the foundation will give the building character". However, we are talking a WALL ORGANIZER here, not a skyscraper, but with Kenny there is no difference. So I knew the first thing I needed to do is draw my design to scale, otherwise he would look at it like his head was going to explode and ask questions that make me want to bang my head against the wall. Here is my drawing.

I felt confident that he could look at this and know exactly what I wanted to do. Nope. The first things he zeroed in on were the the in and out slots. Ok, so three dimensional drawing (any drawing for that matter) is not my forte. After a couple clarifying questions I thought we were on the same page. Off to Home Depot we go, hi-ho. Once we were there, however, it quickly became clear that I had not completely articulated the design nor thought it all the way through. At first we were both laughing at eachother saying "How can you not understand this?!" But of course that can only last so long and soon it looked like his head was going to explode and I definitely needed a wall to bang my head against. The men in the lumber aisles were starting to look a little nervous due to all my gesticulating so it was time to wrap it up. It took a few more rudimentary "3D" drawings, but we finally got the wood and other supplies we needed and back to the house we go, hi....ho....

With that fantastic start I could tell we were in for another Kenny and Ashley 'Adventure', I was not disappointed. About 20 minutes in, Kenny had already "messed up" two pieces of wood and had to start alllll over. Then he started bossing me around and I had to remind him that this was MY project and he was only there to operate the power tools! So much for the togetherness.

                                    Third try.

                          I actually used spray paint on the wood then sanded it in certain places to give it a distressed look

I would like to say that as the day wore on I was able to get Kenny to relax and not care so much about the details but really the credit needs to go to the Louisiana heat. A couple hours of dripping sweat in a garage will have just about anyone cutting corners! Once it was all put together I ordered a chalkboard decal from the Etsy.com and began peicing together my wine cork corkboard. As you can see I need a few more corks, but thats really just an excuse to drink more wine!

All in all we were very happy with the finished product. Will it keep us organized? Guess we will see.

"I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food I’m cooking.” – Julia Child

Ok, I'm back! Its been months and who knows what I've been up to.

A few months ago, my in-laws came to visit us in Shreveport. For a lot of people that could warrant a Dum Da dum dum DUM! But Kenny and I are lucky enough to truly enjoy spending time with our respective in-laws. SO for the special occasion I made dinner from Mastering the Art of French Cooking . Yes, this is the book featured in the movie Julie and Julia. My Grandmother was a fabulous cook and had an original version of this book that I now have the honor of owning. Check it out!

I was super excited to see that my version is on display at Julia's Cambridge, Massachusetts kitchen which can now be found in the Museum of American History in Washington D.C.

In the movie Julie makes Boeuf Bourguignon, a delicious beef stew. However, I have made this recipe and the following; Boeuf A La Mode (Beef Braised in Red Wine) and have to say in my opinion the latter is my favorite! First of all, anything that marinates for 24 hours is bound to be delicious am I right? Here is said marinade;
3/4c. each of thinly sliced carrot, onions and celery stalks
2 halved cloves of unpeeled garlic
1tb thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4c minced parsley
2 whole cloves
3lb piece of braising beef
1/2tb salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3c young red wine like Chianti or Burgundy
1/4c Brandy
1/3c olive oil

Yum! Marinate for 24 hrs, then drain 30 minutes prior to cooking. Don't worry, its supposed to look purple!

Dry, Dry, Dry with paper towels, Julia says if the meat is not properly dried it cannot browwwwn!

Preheat the oven to 350 and heat oil in Dutch Oven over moderately high heat and brown meat on all sides.

Pour out browning fat, then pour in wine marinade and boil down rapidly until it has reduced by half. Then add bacon rind and enough beef stock to come 2/3rds of the way up the roast. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove, cover tightly, and set in the lower third of the oven. Simmer for 3-4 hours, turning the meat several times during its braising. Beef is done when a sharp-pronged fork pierces it easily.

Skim the fat off the braising juices, and strain them through a sieve into a saucepan, pressing the liquid through the vegetables. Simmer for a minute or two, skimming, then boil rapidly until reduced to about 3.5 cups of liquid. Taste for seasoning, correct if necessary. The sauce should be lightly thickened. If it’s too thin, beat in the starch and wine mixture and simmer for 3 minutes.

Carve the meat and arrange on a platter with vegetables and a few sprigs of parsley, spoon some sauce over the meat.

ENJOY! or Bon Appetit!
I know this recipe may seem difficult but after watching a few of Julia's TV episodes, her fearlessness rubbed off on me. I used to feel like a mistake would ruin the whole meal but really no one will ever notice! Just take a deep breathe, keep the expletives to a minimum and fix it the best you can!

Flower Power....and such

Again, a long hiatus between posts. Don't you hate when people ask what you've been up to and your response is hmmm.... I've been busy...but what exactly have I been doing? Maybe this doesn't happen to any of you but it happens to me all the time! ANYWAYS, a few weeks ago I was invited to a 'craft night', most of the ladies were scrap booking but I haven't committed to all of that yet. Again, I have stumble upon to thank for this project, well at least part of it. I found a tutorial for paper flowers by who other than the great Martha Stewart! I literally wandered around my house looking for a place for these flowers, finally I decided that my dinning room could use some sprucing up.
First, I got card stock paper in three slightly different shades of yellow. Then Martha says to divide the paper into 4x4 inch squares and free hand a swirl, like so;

then cut along the lines and twist around your finger....

have your trusty hot glue gun ready, and glue the center of the flower in place and you should have something like this,

I then split a 6 inch foam ball in half and applied the flowers with the darkest at the center and fanning out. This was the end result,

I think it really lightened up the room!

It's a small Air Force after all

Just thought I'd share the one picture I have of Z in her bronco's jersey I mentioned in the last post. She is snuggling with her bff Moose Hillier. 

Congrats to the Hillier family who are expecting twins this year!

I met Jennifer Hillier through a Facebook group for OTS Spouses. This was my first experience with the amazing network of wives in the military. There is no describing the connection I've made with these women, they have encouraged and supported me before even meeting me face to face. Even now, we live hundreds of miles from each other but know at the drop of a hat, ALL of us would be there for ONE of us should we need it. There really are no words that can do this friendship justice. Only pictures.

Why not Minot? Freezin's the Reason.

"As long as we don't go to Minot, I wont care where we go" This is something I said quite frequently when Kenny first joined the Air Force. Last Friday the Air Force served my words up piping hot on a platter. Minot it is. That's North Dakota for those of you who don't know. Like 20 minutes from Canada, North Dakota.
Now I've never seen the merit of wallowing in self pity. For an extended amount of time that is. I promised myself and Kenny should we get Minot, I would wallow for five minutes and be done with it. Which is exactly what I did. Followed by slightly hysterical laughter at the irony of it all. After assuring Kenny I was not having a mental breakdown, I quickly began to see how the pros outweighed the cons of this PCS (Permanent Change of Station). But that's really beside the point. I can usually find the glass half full in any situation. The real point is that as an Air Force spouse I serve my country every day by supporting my husband. Never more so than when I do my best to make these transitions go as smoothly as possible.
However, this doesn't mean I wont be holding Kenny to an agreement we made when he was assigned B-52's. Zoe gets clothes. Until now the only article of clothing Kenny approved of was a Broncos jersey. But now its time to step it up a notch. We wouldn't want poor little Z to suffer from frostbite! Most of the items I have my eye on are very practical but I cant help sticking it to Kenny just a bit with this adorable little number

And yes, those are doggie long johns.

Quinoa. Pronounced Keen-Wah

Considered sacred by the Incans, Quinoa is making a come back. It is a grain, but also a complete protein so its great for all you vegetarians and a good substitute for rice and other carbs for you Atkins people. It is also gluten free.  So if you ask me it's a pretty under appreciated little grain.

Try it in the following recipe and see how you like it. I bet after that you'll think twice before grabbing the rice for a recipe.

Quinoa Summer Salad
1c. uncooked Quinoa
1/2 medium red onion chopped
1 can corn drained
1 can black beans drained
1 can diced tomatoes with green chili's drain about half way
1 green bell pepper chopped
Large handful of cilantro chopped
2 jalepeno's seeded and chopped
1 lime
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tb. red wine vinegar

- Combine 1c Quinoa and 1 1/4 c water in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. You will know it's cooked when the germ (the ring thing) has separated from the grain.
- In a large bowl combine the next six items. Add one tsp of the following spices and stir to combine. Place in the fridge while the Quinoa cooks.
- When Quinoa is done, fluff with a fork and let sit off the heat for 5 minutes. Then pour into the bowl of the corn mixture. Sprinkle red wine vinegar over the mix and stir. Add the remaining tsp's of seasonings to taste. Place back in fridge until ready to serve. Serve over baby spinach. If you want, you can mix together this vinegrette to serve with the salad.
-1/4 c olive oil
-2 limes
-1tbsp red wine vinegar
-1 tsp cumin
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1Tbsp chopped cilantro
Stir together to combine and serve.

Garlic Fried Rice

One of my favorite restaurants is Benihana. As a 6 year old when given the choice of eating anywhere for my birthday, even Chuckie Cheese, it was only Benihana's for me. I would spend the entire evening attempting to eat the fried rice with my chopsticks. Unfortunately there is not a Benihana in Shreveport so I decided to try and make the fried rice myself. Here's my first effort. I think it turned out pretty good but I'll update you as a get closer to the real thing!


Ingredients
1 1/2 c. uncooked rice
2 green onions sliced thin
1 carrot chopped fine
1/4 c. white onion chopped fine
2 T soy sauce
4 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 T vegetable oil
sesame seeds

- Cook rice according to package instructions. Chill for 20 minutes.
- Heat oil on medium high heat and add garlic, stir frequently for one minute.
- Add rice and stir quickly mixing in the oil and garlic.
- Pour in soy sauce, carrots and onions mix well for 2 minutes or until white onions are slightly softened.
- Salt and pepper to taste garnish with sesame seeds.

Attempts at Being a Grown Up

I am one of those people whose entire life is an adventure.
This may sound like a boastful statement, but its not and I will explain why. Now, just about everybody has adventures or occasionally eats at the Olive Garden instead of Chili's. But for me and Husband, just about every mundane detail of life becomes an adventure. This is not only due to my hyperbolic tendencies, but because we are incredibly unorganized, scatterbrained and impulsive. My Mom's favorite line is "How do you survive?!" The answer is, with difficulty. Every now and then after a particularly harrowing 'adventure' we stomp our feet and say enough! We will get organized! And we do. Well, we try. Here are some examples. This, was meant to be our mail system because paying bills on time became impossible when we were putting the mail in multiple piles all over the house.

See? Three slots, one for incoming, one for stuff that needed to be paid, and one for the outgoing. Fool Proof! Unless you don't use it that way and just start stuffing things in all the slots devil-may-care if its incoming or outgoing.
Then, we were going to make a drawer to contain all our important documents. Ooh Ahhhh. Genius. This is what it looks like now.

I am definitely messy, but usually if left alone I can talk my way back to a missing object. Husband on the other hand goes into a frenzy and starts overturning piles, emptying drawers, only to find the item in the fridge, or the trash....or in his pocket. Usually after this happens he decides he needs to 'clean'. The only problem is that his idea of cleaning means throwing everything away. And I mean everything.
For instance, a year ago we decided that we should get Zoe a microchip, because we love her and would go crazy if we ever lost her. So the vet micro-chipped her and gave me the the code and info I would need to activate online. I love Zoe, but for some reason I couldn't be bothered that day or week to do this. I'm sure I was incredibly busy with other 'adventures'. During this time, Husband went on a 'cleaning' bender and threw everything away. Including the activation codes for our beloved Z's microchip.
OK, So I'm totally ragging on poor Husband and that's not fair because most people who know me, know I cause plenty of the 'adventures'. Like, a visit to the Dentist. How on earth could that be exciting? Well, my sister was in town so we went to lunch then on over to my Dentist's office, which was closed. "Huh, could have sworn my appointment was at 1:30," but I don't write these things down, I rely on this 'steel trap' of a brain to remember it all. Drive back to Base, all the while calling the office, get to the gate  and I don't have my military ID, my drivers license or my credit card. Oops. Good thing I didn't have to pay for my appointment yet. Well, you have to have your Military ID to get on base, so I call my friend, she is used to these calls and said she'd be right over to pick us up. Run in the house, grab all my stuff, run out. Oops, run back in, almost forgot my keys. She drives us back to my car parked outside the gate just as I get through to the Dentist and, yes, I did have an appointment in 10 minutes. Whew!
"This would NEVER ever happen to me" says my sister.
And she's right, this would never happen to a grown up, but this is just life for me. Here's hoping that any day now our grown up genes switch on!

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Ahhh, so as you can tell I took a bit of a hiatus from the blog but now I'm back with a new recipe you gotta try!
Recently I had a request for an Italian recipe, this may not completely fit the bill but we really enjoyed it. Definitely a nice summery dish. If you cant find sun dried tomatoes in oil there are some that you can re-hydrate but they can be a bit chewy so look for the kind in oil.

Pasta
1lb Pasta
1/2 c pearled mozzarella
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1 c green peas, fresh or frozen
6 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1/2 c Parmesan

Sauce
5 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 c chopped parsley
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

-Cook pasta as directed, drain and let cool
-Combine sauce ingredients in a food processor and pulse until almost smooth
-Combine pasta with cheeses, peas and tomatoes in a bowl then pour sauce over mixture and toss.

Husband's First Flight in B-52

I've mentioned before that we are in the Air Force. More specifically my Husband is training to be a Navigator on the B-52. Also known as the Big Ugly Fat Fellow. When he was assigned this plane I thought I had no idea what it was but in fact I'd seen it a lot. Ever watch any Vietnam films or documentaries? Well the Buff is the one always dropping an obscene amount of bombs. Like in this video

Ok, so now that you've seen what it can do you can probably understand why their training is one of the longest.  But back to the videos. I apologize for the weird angle in the first one. This is the front view of their take off.

This is a better video at the other end of the runway taken by the pilot's wife.

Isnt their son adorable at the end?!

And thank you to all the family and friends who have supported us on this journey. Its been crazy and as you can see will only get more so.

"Sentence First- Verdict Afterwards"

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. "Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" was his response. "I don't know," Alice answered. "Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter." - Lewis Carroll

When I read this quote it gave me a little shiver. It so perfectly represents those times in our lives when we are faced with decisions and uncertainties that seem insurmountable. I cannot count the times I've felt lost like that in life, especially since we joined the Air Force. But the beauty of it is, decisions or no life goes on! Without our permission. I was talking with a bunch of Air Force ladies one day about how our lives are one big question mark. I said my solution is to have plans A through F knowing full well we will have to make up plan G on the fly because none of the others worked out. Its just my way of pretending to have control over the situation. The funny thing is, Plan G always turns out better than any of the others could have been. And its because it wasn't really mine.
My Brother is currently a senior in High School and contemplating where to go next year. I remember how overwhelming this felt and wanted to share a little thought with him. No choice is the wrong choice. Not really. I mean sure we make mistakes, that's a given, but when you make a choice with the right intentions you cant go wrong. How? Because what may feel like the wrong choice now, can end up being one of the best looking back on it. So what's my point. Keep trying. Stay positive. Life is going to happen to you no matter if you hide in a closet so why not make the best of it and try to enjoy the uncertainty?
By the way, I'll let you know when I finally take my own advice.

Mojo Slow Cooked Pork

 Some of our Floridian friends recently introduced us to Mojo sauce. Usually its used as a marinade or dipping sauce, but I love slow cooked roasts and thought I would play around and see what kind of magic my crock pot could create with this. The result was fall off the bone tender and very juicy. I served this with cuban black beans and rice

1.  1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as canola
2. 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
3. 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4. 1 1/2 cups orange juice
5. 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
6. 4 cups chicken broth
7. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
8. 2 teaspoons cumin
9. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
10. 3 lb bone in pork roast

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic while stirring constantly until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes or so.
• Add the next 2 ingredients and bring to a boil.
• Cook until reduced by half. (I check the beginning depth using my stirring spoon and use that to gauge the progress of the reduction.)
• Stir in the cilantro and cumin then season with salt and pepper.
• Pour in chicken broth and simmer for 2 minutes
• Pour liquid into crock pot and wipe out skillet
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet
• Pat roast dry and cook a few minutes on each side until browned.
• Place in crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours
• When roast is done, remove to cutting board 
• Pour crock pot liquid in saucepan and simmer, skimming the fat off the top. Use this to pour over pork and serve.

Modge Podge!

So I've really been wanting to start an herb garden in my kitchen and have been looking for some cute little planters. After a few months of looking I decided I would have to buy some ugly ones and MAKE them cute.  I bought a few of these plain planters that were on sale

Then got out my modge podge and painted little swirly designs on them. Once they had dried I spray painted them red. Much better if I do say so myself! When I was bringing the big one inside, there was a grotesquely hairy bug on it! So naturally I dropped it. Before I started over I thought I'd try to glue it back together and I think it gives it a little extra character.

Now to plant some basil, cilantro and garlic. I'll let you know how that goes....

"Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes"

One of the many joys of the military spouse is the extended time off between jobs whenever you move. (My current euphemism for being unemployed.) I'm sure this sounds delicious to all you 9-5ers, but after awhile you've got to find ways to feel productive! Again, I have stumbleupon to thank for my next project: an Acorn Wreath! (Courtesy of Dana-Made-It.com. Click on the link for detailed instructions)

I received a book on Feng Shui for Christmas that I found very entertaining. Some of the suggestions are a bit hocus pocus for me: Covering all drains so chi can't escape down them, mobiles to stir up stagnant chi... My favorite is the remedy for a household that has trouble holding onto money, place a rock on the inside of your backdoor to keep chi from escaping. Maybe this makes it harder to sneak out the back to buy those shoes you've been eyeing. In which case why stop there? Barricade yourself in! Rocks everywhere! But lets not get overexcited.

One of the concepts I do agree with is that an attractive entrance to your home is welcoming to guests and therefore good chi. So what better way to make your front door attractive than a nice looking wreath? Thus Zoe and I set about collecting the required acorns for this venture, surprisingly easy for February. The only suggestion I have for collecting the acorns, should you find yourself attempting this, would be to bring some kids with you. It will make you look far less...bag lady-esque. At one point a concerned citizen approached me to make sure I knew that acorns are not for 'people eating'. After assuring him I did, we hurried on our way so as not to disturb anyone else. The next step was to bake the acorns so that anything living in them didn't end up infesting our wreath! After assuring yet another concerned citizen, my husband, that we were not having acorn for dinner it was time to start gluing. Another suggestion, buy lots of glue sticks! I ran out with this much space left to go.

And then, of course, bought the wrong size glue sticks...

One other problem I ran into, was that the hot glue really didn't hold the acorns to the wreath well. We have some pretty intense winds here so that just wasn't gonna work for me! So I got out my trusty Modge Podge and used that to secure the acorns. Naturally, I went to the book of Feng Shui for color suggestions. I found that red is said to be a lucky color that is believed to bring happiness, good fortune and fame. So we will see if it works. But really, I just like red.

All in all I am pretty pleased with the final result.

Spring is Here!

It was such a beautiful day today I decided to take the camera around base and capture it. Here are a few.

Bienvenue a Mardis Gras!

Mardis Gras! Or Fat Tuesday, referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting for Lent. Also celebrated with masks, beads and yes, the occasional flashing. I had never really celebrated before but we moved to Louisiana four months ago and it seemed down right sacrilegious not to this year. So we packed up Zoe in her traveling bag and headed down to the parade to get a dose of the local culture. And let me tell you, every stereotype you can imagine was out en force. Grown men in camouflaged ones-ies, one even told me he had eaten a squirrel the size of Zoe once.... People with bad teeth, three teeth, NO teeth. Women wearing clothing that must have once belonged to a toddler. And what should have made us feel safer, policemen in riot gear. Witnessing all this, it stretches ones imagination to fathom the festivities in "N'awlins". All these prejudices aside, once the parade began and the beads started flying I found myself, as well as the group of rational and sane adults we were with, to be overcome by the hedonism and crazed by the need for MORE BEADS!!

After the parade we marched back to a friend's house to wait out the traffic and found ourselves counting our beads much like the way we counted our Halloween candy as children. I am proud to say that Z and I collected a grand total of 110 strands of beads!

However, we did not anticipate the way a dog would view the Mardi Gras shenanigans. What with people screaming, and throwing things at you, trucks honking, sirens blaring. Though she never used to, Z is now thrown into a tizzy by any blaring noise. I fear she may be suffering from doggie ptsd, but I am sure will be fully recovered in a few days.

Naturally on Fat Tuesday, I wanted to make something festive for dinner. I didn't think far enough ahead for gumbo so I settled for a quick Jambalaya and some fried fish. I think tonight was one of my better efforts so I will share it with you.

Ingredients
Zatarain's low sodium jambalaya mix
1/2 c. rice
1 green bell pepper chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 small white onion chopped
1 large breast of chicken chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
12 oz sausage (I used kielbasa) cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 c. Salsa (Pace)
3 1/2 c water
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp Emeril Lagasse's Cajun Essence
1/2 c. frozen okra
2 T. olive oil

- Heat 1 tbs oil in dutch oven over medium high heat and add sausage. Sprinkle one tsp. Cajun Essence and stir to coat. Once sausage has browned remove to a bowl.
- Add chicken to remaining fat in dutch oven and season with remaining Cajun Essence. Cook 5 minutes, stirring so all sides are cooked. Remove to sausage bowl
- Pour 1 T. olive oil in dutch oven and add garlic. Cook 30 seconds and add pepper and onion. Saute until onion is softened.
- Meanwhile combine water and salsa in a measuring bowl. Add to onion mixture and bring to a boil.   - Stir in jambalaya mix, rice and meat and return to boil. Sprinkle cayenne over liquid then cover and simmer on low for 25 minutes.
- Add okra with ten minutes left to go on cooking time.
- Fluff and serve immediately

Southwestern Chili

Since it is starting to get too warm for Chili, I decided to make it one last time and actually write down the recipe this time! I like cooking this in the crock pot because it really melds the flavors. Also, this is pretty spicy so if you aren't a fan of spicy, start with one tsp cayenne and one dried chili. For those of you who think its not spicy enough unless your nose is running and you are sweating, go ahead and try 1T of cayenne.

Ingredients
1 1/4 lb beef for stew
1 onion diced
1 green bell pepper diced
4 garlic cloves minced
1 T chili powder
1/2 T paprika
1 T cumin
1/2 T cayenne
1 can beef broth
1 can seasoned diced tomato sauce for chili
1 can diced tomato zesty jalapeno drained
2 dried red chilies
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1/2 c. frozen corn
1 T corn meal
- In lightly greased crock pot combine beef, onion, pepper and garlic. Add the next four spices and mix well with beef mixture.
- Pour in broth and two cans of tomatoes and stir. Place chilies on top of liquid and cover.
- Heat medium low for 4 hours
- Half an hour before the chili is done add the beans, corn and corn meal.
- Garnish with cheese and cilantro
- Serve with tortilla chips
ENJOY!

Apple Crisp

Two years ago when I got married, my experience with cooking was limited to the typical college student fare. Thanks to a friend's recommendation I now owe just about everything I know to America's Test Kitchen. And my Mom of course!

Baking on the other hand is a completely different story. Lets just say following instructions explicitly is not a strong suit of mine. So when I tried this Apple Crisp recipe for the first time, I was delighted with how easy it was and the results were amazing. This is now my go to dessert recipe that receives raves every time. You can use any combination of apples, but I recommend 1/2 Granny Smith, 1/2 Red Delicious. And if you don't have one of these,

Get one! It will make the whole process much easier and should only set you back about $10. Usually after the crisp has been assembled I like to mix 1/4c pecans with 1T unsalted butter and 3T brown sugar and sprinkle this over the rest of the topping. This gives you a little more of those caramelized pecans that are so yummy. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

Topping:

6 tbsp  all-purpose flour

1/4 cup  packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup  granulated sugar

1/4 tsp  cinnamon

1/4 tsp  nutmeg

1/4 tsp  salt

5 tbsp  unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened

3/4 cups  finely chopped walnut or pecans

Filling:

3 lbs  apple (6 to 8), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks

1/4 cup  granulated sugar

1-1/2 tbsp  fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp  grated lemon zest

Preparation

1. For the topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Add the butter and toss to coat. Pinch the butter chunks and dry mixture between your fingertips until the mixture looks like crumbly wet sand. Add the nuts and toss to incorporate. Refrigerate the topping for at least 15 minutes before baking.

2. For the filling: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the apples, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest, together and place in an 8-inch-square (2-quart) glass or ceramic baking dish or 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Distribute the chilled topping evenly over the fruit.

3. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Variations:

Crisp for a Crowd
Double the ingredients, bake the crisp in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, and increase the baking time to about 1 hour. (This works with the pear and peach variations as well.)

To make-ahead:
The crisp can be baked up to 8 hours ahead of time, cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature. Reheat in a 350-degree oven until warm, 10 to 15 minutes. You can also make the topping in advance: Prepare it through step 1, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Source

Excerpted from The America's Test Kitchen Family cookbook by the editors of America's Test Kitchen. Copyright 2005 by the editors of America's Test Kitchen. Excerpted, with permission by Harper Collins Canada. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

“My dog, she looks at me sometimes with that look, and I think maybe deep down inside she must know exactly how I feel. But then maybe she just wants the food off my plate.”

This is Zoe. Little furry love of my life!

Zoe likes....


Watching TV

Snow

Hiking

 Her Bag (Yes, we have a doggie bag. This was intended for carrying her when she was a puppy and couldn't make the long distances on our hikes as you can see above. However, Zoe doesn't realize she's a big girl now and still loves it when we get the bag out.)

As you can see, she is adorable. And quite unaware that she is not human. This might be due to the fact that I and the rest of my family treat her like our baby. But every dog has her flaws and Zoe's is a stubbornness that my husband claims rivals my own. This has resulted in two long years of potty training. Now the worst part of all this potty training was my belief that she knew what we wanted and just refused to give it to us. I really had no hard proof of this until recently. We had finally worked out a routine of two walks a day that seemed to eliminate indoor accidents. I should note here that Z is very courteous about her indoor BM's, she kindly preforms them in our bathtub....not something we taught her but I must say its easier to bleach that way! Anyways, we had a schedule, schedule was working. Then one afternoon my friend and I were having a little craft time (yes, I realize I'm an 80yr old woman) and were grossly neglecting little Z. Later that evening she had a very unproductive walk and we soon discovered why. During craft time, Z had exacted her revenge on me with a steaming pile of vindictive wrath in the tub. Anger and frustration begin to build inside me. Will it never end?!
And then I look at this face.