Merry Christmas to ALL

What's Cookin': Cowboy Cookies

Between helping out with the Christmas party at work we were throwing for our local adopted 4th grade class filled with underprivileged children and our neighborhood cookie exchange, I went to work baking nine dozen cookies this past weekend. I am traditionally not a fan of baking cookies as mine haven't turned out well in the past and I find it monotonous to put baking sheet after baking sheet into the oven. That said, I decided to stay somewhat traditional with a variation of a chocolate chip cookie that I've had before and really enjoy, the Cowboy Cookie.

The original recipe calls for chocolate chips, nuts and shredded coconut, but since I was cooking for the masses I omitted the nuts and coconut from the batch going to the kids and the coconut to the batch going to the exchange. Basically both are oatmeal chocolate chips cookies ... I love the texture (and fiber!) the oatmeal adds to the cookies. I'm pleased to say that this round of cookie baking was a success! Maybe it was that I had some stellar football to watch (ha ha!) while baking or that it's much easier to maneuver around the new kitchen. Whatever it was, I may just try my hand at cookies again in the near future.

Cowboy Cookies

1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 c all purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
2 c rolled oats (quick or old fashioned)
2 c (1 package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 c shredded coconut (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder, mix well. Add oats, chocolate chips and coconut, mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets, remove to wire rack and cool completely.

Yields 4 - 5 dozen cookies.

Light at the end of the tunnel ...

For the past four years Mike and I have been able to get away from the cold and snow for a few days and enjoy some fun in the sun in the middle of winter ... 2007 was Cancun, our first vacation as a couple, 2008 was Amber's wedding in Jamaica, 2009 was April's wedding in Cabo and 2010 was Christina's wedding in the Dominican Republic ... in keeping with our past, we booked a trip to Florida next month ... and it came at just the right time to ease my seasonal snow depression. Some people may call it a "babymoon," and yes, this will likely be our last vacation before Baby Kelly arrives, but I like to think of it as tradition.

Looking forward to a little less of this ...

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And a little more of this ...

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What's Cookin': Slumgullion

Everyone has a dish that reminds them of a certain memory and for some reason Mike thought of his Mom making his family slumgullion when he was a kid and thought it sounded perfect a few weeks ago when the Steelers had a Sunday night game. He explained the dish to me and my first reaction was "that sounds like goulash, that my babysitter used to make us." Regardless, I never turn down an opportunity to have dinner cooked for me and sat back and enjoyed the last few minutes of non-football TV while Mike prepared his dish. It turned out wonderfully and is a great, simple winter dish that I think most kids would enjoy as well ... that said, it can easily be jazzed up. Enjoy!

Slumgullion

1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
dash or two of oregano
dash or two of red pepper flakes
1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup water

12 oz elbow macaroni or cavatappi pasta

Heat water and boil pasta for 2/3 of the recommended cooking time.

While pasta is cooking, in a deep skillet/saucepan, brown meet with the onion, green pepper, garlic and spices. Drain and fat from the pan. Add tomatoes, condensed soup and water and allow to cook until the pasta is ready. Add pasta to the pan and allow to finish cooking and flavor marry for about 15 minutes.

Soundtracks: Instruments Optional

As if Wednesdays weren't awesome enough being hump day AND Modern Family night, NBC put out The Sing Off (it's Glee without the plot!!) and made my snow woes fade a bit for a few hours twice a week. On top of that, I heard this tune on my ride home today, thank you Sirius! I mean, does it get any better than one of my favorite Christmas Carols teamed up with one of the best tunes to come out of the 80's?!?! Wait for the 2 minute mark, I promise it's worth it ... and afterwards take a listen to their other tunes posted on YouTube, these guys are freaking amazing!

Travelling Gal: London

As most of you know, back in November I took a little trip across the pond to London for work. Our conference was Tuesday through Thursday and then I stayed until Sunday to take in the sights and visit with my number one cousin who currently resides in Belgium, but was a London local for about a year most recently.

London was unseasonably warm for November during the first part of the week, highs in the 60s with overcast skies and pockets of rain here and there. Although I was stuck in work conferences, we did wander into the city for fabulous dinners two nights and those small glimpses of the city got me ready for a weekend full of fun.

On Friday I was on my own and enjoyed taking in the sights based on recommendations and my own personal interests. I saw Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard, Trafalgar Square and the Tower of London. That evening Leah and I searched out traditional pub fare and had a wonderful dinner of fish and chips (sadly, I wasn't able to sample any of the wonderful beer selection).

On Saturday we set out to see more sights and had a wonderful girls day. We started with Westminster Abbey, walked through the area taking in sights such as the London Eye, street vendors and artists, Leah's old stomping ground - Kings College, shopping at Harrods, riding a traditional double-decker city bus, and a high, formal tea. The weather Saturday was chillier, but hardly a cloud in sight and I was amazed at how much we packed into a day. Baby Kelly was a trooper and allowed me to walk to my heart's content and kept me on top of any typical first trimester symptoms.

The icing on the cake was returning home and seeing the mass news coverage of the royal engagement and being able to say, "I was there just a few weeks ago!"

Buckingham Palace - simply goregeous architecture!

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Changing of the Guards ... it started to rain just as the procession started, making an already crowded area even that much tighter, but still a neat tradition to witness.
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The statue across from Buckingham Palace and one of my London friends.

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After the Changing of the Guards I bought myself a hot chocolate to warm up and wandered around St. James park for a bit, the leaves made everything look even more beautiful!

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I loved this shot of a castle with the London Eye in the background, although the day was a bit dreary and it was raining fairly hard at this point, it didn't keep BK and I from loving all the city had to offer!

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I managed the Underground (London's Subway) on my own and after a warm-me-up lunch in Trafalgar Square made my way to see the Tower of London. I was amazed at the mix of an old, historic castle (the Tower) and the sign in this picture ... that was probably the neatest thing about the city for me; seeing how seamlessly the old and new married together.

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The Tower of London from the outside and inside. The walking tour was very worthwhile and your pass allowed you to wander the beautiful grounds and 13 towers all day. I would highly, highly recommend this stop for anyone visiting London.

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Inside the Tower of London and the Queens Jewels showcase (cameras aren't allowed, but I didn't know that in the beginning, whoops!). Our tour guide was a hoot and throughout the Tower grounds they had folks dressed in period costumes.

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Westminster Abbey and Big Ben ... again, amazed that we walked up from the Underground station and Big Ben was literally right there. Westminster was simply amazing! Unfortunately cameras aren't allowed to be used, but this is another "must visit" stop in London. I love thinking how beautiful it will be for the Royal Wedding in April!

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The London Eye! We opted not to ride due to long lines and fear of heights for both Leah and myself ... plus, we were rather enjoying our foot tour of the city.

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The end to a wonderful day was Leah treating me to a Formal and Traditional High Tea. It's no secret that I love anything in minature form, so aside from the great company and tradition, this was right up my alley. The theme of the entire trip was how friendly and polite the people of London were and this was no exception; we almost felt bad having to ask for our check after enjoying the tea and treats for well over 2 hours.

Baby Bump: 16 Weeks

Baby Kelly and I are trucking right along in our tour of the produce section ... up to an avocado this week! I have gained 4 lbs as my 15-week OB appointment on Tuesday and hearing the heartbeat was like music to my ears. Our next appointment is early January with the half-way point ultrasound; we could find out the gender if we chose to, but we've decided to keep it a surprise. I think anyone reading knows that I'm the planner to end all planners and we both agree that this is one of the few things in life that can be a true surprise. I've picked out the nursery bedding and can't wait to paint and finalize the furniture selection, and you know I'll be posting about it.

I'm feeling well, still tired at times, but much better than the first trimester. No major or regular cravings to speak of ... I really miss lunch meat for some reason, specifically the Turkey Tom from Jimmy John's, but I'll cope. I think the minute you're told you can't eat something, you mentally want it even more. Case in point, hot dogs. Never pre-pregnancy would I really want a hot dog outside of a summer cookout, but tell me I can't have them and it turns into Mission Impossible. Luckily I found some "natural, no nitrates added" hot dogs at the grocery store to satisfy my new need for processed meat. And a scoop of ice cream does wonders when a glass of wine isn't available to take away the stress of a hard day at work ...

I made the plunge and purchased two pairs of maternity jeans last weekend at the Gap Outlet ($9.99 each!!) and found some great work pants online at Ann Taylor Loft (40% off and free shipping didn't hurt, either!). I'm going to need to merge into maternity tops sooner rather than later as my "normal" shirts are looking a big short these days. Luckily I found some great deals at Old Navy and have a few sweaters, cardigans and camisoles arriving this week.

** Photos from BabyCenter.com **

 I'm still working out the kinks with getting the "bump shots" and am not a fan of the double chin that comes from turning sideways. The 16 week picture was taken last night before we went off to my work Holiday party ... definitely the last time I'll be wearing a "normal" dress for a few months and I wanted to be sure to capture that moment : )

Making our House a Home: It's beginning to look a lot like ...

... Christmas! For one reason or another I never bought myself a proper Christmas tree when I was single and neither had Mike. When we moved in together we were festive, decorating and lighting up the outside of the house, but decided to wait until we moved to get a proper tree. Enter the end of my first trimester and a burst of energy the weekend before Thanksgiving and we were good to go (much to Mike's chagrin that we had a tree up before Thanksgiving ... hey, I have learned to use that energy when I have it!). We did wait to decorate outside the house until after Thanksgiving and hope to do more lights next year when the bushes have grown into their skin a bit.
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First snowfall (of what I fear will be many) of the season!

Our first tree ... complete with a few presents ... still looking for coordinating, but not match-y stockings for BK and the cats.

The entryway ... I need to find a small table to put under the mirror.

Daisy LOVED the fire ... she just sat and stared the entire time it was going.
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She mourned the loss of the fire by warming herself on the marble ... so sweet.

Merry Christmas!

Friday Funny: Cat Diaries

I found this at one of my daily blog check points, The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, and it really made my Friday. This week has been a bit of a challenge at work (hmmm, running theme?) and I needed a smile. As I work from home here and there, I have no doubt that a day in the life of Milo or Daisy would be very much the same. Happy Friday!!

What's Cookin': Or not so much cookin', but being picked up

My Friday afternoon though process:

... Hmmmm, I forgot to pick up eggrolls at the store to go with our chicken and broccoli tonight.

... Maybe I'll just have Mike stop at Timmy's Wok to pick up a couple, I could use an eggroll tonight after this crazy week.

...Well, they really are the experts at making Chinese food and that chicken and broccoli dish I picked up there last month was really tasty. And with the sauce on the side and steamed rice, it's not that unhealthy.

... And, it's really cold out today, I could use some wonton soup to warm me up.

... And the chicken we have would grill up nicely for a salad over the weekend ... and the broccoli would work perfectly as a steamed side with another dish early next week.

A phone call to Mike settled it ... Timmy's Wok won out. I find it best not to mess with the thought process of a pregnant woman's cravings as it results in binge eating of all food in sight later in the night ... best to just satisfy the craving as long as it's not too ridiculous or unhealthy.

Friday Funny: Forrest Gump

Even if you're not a "cat person", you can't help but chuckle at this ... Happy Friday!

Bursting at the seams ...

Literally around here lately ... I've only gained 3-4 lbs so far and am 14 1/2 weeks along, but man are my pants getting tighter by the minute. My work pants, which were already a little snug due to a lack of exercise recently, are totally un-buttonable most days and my "comfy jeans" are getting really close. Thank goodness for the Bella Band during the day and lounge pants at home! And due to changes on the top by shirts aren't fitting the way they used to and I'm going to be at risk for baring my midriff anyday now ...

I'll be honest ... before I was pregnant maternity clothing seemed grand ... I mean, you get a new wardrobe, lose buttons and zippers and let's face it, most pregnant women look cute as a button ... until it's your own waistband that's expanding. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited, I think I'm just in the "in between" phase where my clothes are tight, but manageable, and maternity clothing seems like I'm buying something three people could share. I branched out this past weekend and bought a few shirts with my Mother-in-law in tow, but when the sales lady asked if I needed to look at pants I firmly stated "I'm not ready to go there just yet." And don't even get me started on that "belly" they had hanging in the fitting room. I put that thing as a test and it seriously looked like I'd just shoved a pillow under my shirt - totally ridiculous ... if that's what I'm going to look like in a few months, I'm really nervous.

I have found lots of maternity sites online, Old Navy/GAP for home / lounging basics, Hot Mama, Ann Taylor, Asos and Nordstrom for work wear ... but it seems that the actual department in the stores are very small with horrible selection and online is the way to go ... and since I have no idea what size to order, I get even more overwhelmed. I probably have shopping carts with a few items loaded at each of the above stores, but am too afraid to pull the trigger.

So, you Moms out there ... any advice? Favorite shops? Sizing words of wisdom? Anyone willing to take me under their wing and force me to shop ( ha ha ... well, kind of )?

A boy and his birds

I'm taking a much needed vacation day today as we are heading to Pittsburgh early this afternoon ... and, I just love having a few hours to get a few things done around the house. I finally found some valences to hang in the kitchen, breakfast nook and family room to complete the room and had Sherwin Williams make a custom paint color to touch up a few patches we'd made to the walls (who knew they could make a custom color, btw?? and they did it for free). Anywho, I was removing the old curtain rods and attempting to hang new ones when the kittens started going crazy. They love looking out the windows and it's an added bonus when they see a bird or a rabbit or a deer (no joke, we have deer in our yard regularly) ... but today put them into kitty heaven ... a flock of no fewer than 100 birds were in and out of the yard all morning, collecting pieces of dried grass, twigs and berries. It was a constant cycle of flocking in and out and Milo and Daisy just sat there in awe ... I wouldn't be surprised if we came home on Saturday evening to them sitting in the same spots.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I have so much to be thankful this year and can't wait to share the holiday with my wonderful family!!

Baby Kelly as an Appetizer Platter

Other than a few books I have at home, I get most of my information related to the pregnancy from BabyCenter.com as they have a great weekly e-mail newsletter and easy-to-find quick answers to random questions. One of the features I love the most is their comparison of the baby's size to common food items ... hence the many nicknames I've called Baby Kelly. We've graduated from a poppy seed to a lime in a matter of 10 weeks, something I find absolutely amazing.

I'm officially in my last week of the first trimester and feeling pretty good. I dodged any major morning sickness and my fingers are crossed that sticks for the next 27 weeks. I dealt with a lot of fatigue and some afternoon nausea, but nothing unbearable. I've been fighting a cold/cough for about 4 weeks now and hope the meds my doctor gave me this past week kick it for good.

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I can't believe I'm already a third of the way there!

** All photos are from BabyCenter.com **

Happy Birthday Mike!

Mike's birthday was on October 23, but better late than never to post about it, right! Mike is seven months older than me and I LOVE to remind him of that every year around this time. This year we decided to combine his birthday weekend with a visit to his brothers in Cleveland, which is also only a 2-hour drive for his parents from Pittsburgh. We also knew when we planned the trip that we'd be able to share the news about Baby Kelly with everyone in person, so it was perfect.

We drove up Saturday morning, had lunch at the Great Lakes Brewery with his brothers, checked out the West Side Market and then hit up the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the entire family. We only had about an hour and a half at "The Rock," but that was perfect with our combined ADD. If you ever find yourself in Cleveland, it's a neat stop; they have standing exhibits as well as featured exhibits, The Boss was featured during our visit.

Mike begrudgingly posed for this picture on our way out (no cameras allowed inside).

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The rest of the day was spent with family at dinner and sharing our news. Mike's brother picked an awesome place, Pier W, I save up all of my fish "allowance" for the week to enjoy dinner here and it was totally worth it. Of course everyone was thrilled with their "tickets" to the big event and the homemade Apple and Chocolate Cream pies Mike's Mom brought with her were the literal icing on the cake of a great weekend.

Friday Funny: How to Wrap a Cat for Christmas

Megan's Mom posted this on Facebook yesterday and I couldn't help but post here ... hilarious ... and also a great way to start getting into the Holiday spirit!

Go Big Blue!

Mike and I lucked into the most beautiful weather for a November football game that I can remember. Way back in the summer I purchased tickets through the Alumni Association for the Vandy game thinking "it'll probably be cold and miserable, but at least we'll have a good shot at winning" ... boy was I wrong (about the weather, luckily not the winning!). We popped down Saturday morning, parked at a friend's house that lives within 10 minutes walking distance and had great seats. Also through the Alumni Association, we were able to get two sets of lower level seats for this coming basketball season.

Go Big Blue!

As an added bonus, we found naming inspiration should Baby Kelly be a boy (we aren't finding out the gender, btw) ... In case you can't read above, Shipwreck Kelly played for UK 1929-31 ... I think it has a nice ring to it : )

World Premiere

During October we were out of town several weekends in a row ... it was tiring, but all for a great reason. We wanted to invite our parents to the "Event of 2011" happening in Cincinnati next May:
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That's right, I have a bun in the oven and we are thrilled!

We found out just as I had returned from my girl's trip to San Francisco and the longest three and a half weeks of my life occurred between then and my first OB appointment. Luckily everything looked great during the visit, but they wanted to take a peek at Baby Kelly before I headed across the pond to London ... fine by me if it meant to get to see our little peanut earlier than usual. Seeing the little gummy bear below was just amazing and hearing the heartbeat put us both over the edge.

We had decided to wait to tell our parents until after my first appointment and were lucky enough to do so in person. Needless to say, they are thrilled as well. The rouse that we were giving them tickets to show in Cincinnati provided quite the double-takes ("who is Baby Kelly? is that a new artist?"), which added to the level of surprise and was perfect.

First Photo - Baby Kelly at 9 weeks

I went for my second OB appointment this past week and again all of my labs looked great. Baby Kelly, however decided not to be cooperative when the doctor went to hear the heartbeat. Although the doctor wasn't worried, he knew I would be and ordered an ultrasound. Again, it was amazing to see the little fig bouncing around the heartbeat was music to my ears.

Baby Kelly at 12 weeks

Unless Baby Kelly is uncooperative at my next appointment, we won't see our little peanut again until early January when I'm about 18 -20 weeks. Speaking of weeks, I'm 12 weeks today and after the measurements from the first scan, my due date was moved up a few days to May 28, aka my birthday. I know that only a small percent of babies are born on their due date, but for now it's fun to have a birthday buddy : ) And, so help Mike for the next 60 or so years in the month of May as our anniversary is the 23rd ... I figure that makes it easy to remember, right?

Still Kickin' ...

Yikes, it's been almost a month since my last post??!! I was really on a roll ...

I made it back from London, had a great time, but brought a lovely souvenir called a "cold with a nasty cough" back. The time change didn't get me, it was the hacking up a lung the day after I landed that wasn't so pleasant. Before the trip we hired a couple new gals at work and they're doing great, but I had to spend significant time transitioning; now that they're a few weeks in, I'm reaping the benefits of four extra hands on our team. And during all of this, we were out of town several weekends. OK, enough excuses ... look for some posts with fun pictures coming soon!

And, in the meantime, to prove I actually crossed the pond, here is a phone picture of Buckingham Palace right before I saw the changing of the guards (very cool, btw!).
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Going Global

Better late than never ... at 31 I'm finally making my first trek across the pond. I'm heading to London for work in two weeks and am super excited! I have a conference to attend for a few days and am staying an extra few days to enjoy the city. I'm the luckiest gal in the world as my jet-setting cousin that currently lives in Brussels and most recently lived in London for 2 years is meeting me in The Big Smoke (apparently London is known for it's fog and this is it's nickname ... ) for the weekend.

So, bring on any suggestions you have for what I "must" see in my two days of free time. In return I promise to make you insanely jealous with a post on my grand adventures : )

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What's Cookin': Chicken & Dumplings

This past weekend I wanted to make comfort food and went straight for my Big Book of Casseroles Cookbook, I first came to a recipe for Chicken Pot Pie and immediately began to reminisce about the many, many times my Mom made this for me as a child. I mentioned the dish to Mike, and just like many other Northern things that come out of his mouth, was shocked to hear "I'm not really a fan, although I've only ever had the individual frozen ones." Oh my. I figured we needed to start with a basic chicken and dough dish and opted for Chicken and Dumplings, one of his favorite Cracker Barrel dishes (I find this and Ramsey's are the perfect places to introduce him to some of the South's finest). This recipe did not dissapoint! Although it takes a while to cook, the hands on time isn't as extensive and I had chopped the veggies and chicken the night before, making it much faster. Enjoy!!


Classic Chicken & Dumplings

1/2 c all purpose flour
3/4 t salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

1 chicken (about 3 lbs), cut into serving pieces (I used only breast meat)
1 T butter
2 T vegatable oil
1 chopped yellow onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I omitted ... can't handle the texture)
1 garlic clove, minced
3 carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
4 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 t dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, 1/2 t salt and pepper in a small bowl. Using a zip-top bag, toss the chicken in about half the flour mixture, reserving the rest for later.

In a large Dutch oven, over medium heat, melt the butter with 1 T oil. Brown chicken in two batches, cooking pieces about 5 minutes on each side. Add oil as needed. Remove chicken to a plate.

Add remaining oil to the Dutch oven and add veggies. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining flour mixture. Add stock and bring to a boil, whisking until smooth. Add the bay leaf, thyme and remaining salt. Return chicken to the Dutch oven.

Cover and bake until chicken is no longer pink in the center, 45 minutes to one hour. In the meantime make the dumplings.

Remove the lid and discard the bay leaf. Place dumplings on top using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and bake for 10 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a dumpling comes out clean.

Parlied Buttermilk Dumplings

2 c all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley
1 c buttermilk

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and parsley. With a fork, stir in the buttermilk until the dough is just blended.

New Ride

Well, we've done and gone totally suburban now, y'all ... we traded in Mike's 2005 Chevy (complete with 228,519 miles, and no that is not a typo) and purchased a 2010 Ford Edge this past weekend. I am in love!! I love the four doors and sitting up higher and the amenities like auto-connect Bluetooth, heated seats and a panoramic sunroof don't hurt either. I never thought I'd drive an American car, but thanks to Toyota's little brake snafu earlier this year, my eyes were opened. Mike is now driving the Solara, which with only 77,000 miles on it is like a new car for him as well.

Running Fool: Nashville Women's Half Marathon

After returning from a wonderful weekend with my gal pals in San Francisco and enjoying a few days at home, I trekked to Nashville and ran my fifth long-distance run and fourth half marathon (13.1 miles) since 2008, the Women's Half Marathon. My friend Whitney and I decided we'd both run in the early summer and kept each other motivated to train from afar as she lives in Music City.

We had perfect weather and the course was interesting ... a bit hillier than I anticipated and with hills at miles 11 and 12 (who does that when planning?!?!). The medal is by far the neatest of the five I've earned ... the pendant in the middle is removable and can be put on a separate chain. We started the weekend with dinner with an old college friend and a comedy show with Chelsea Handler (hilarious and I highly recommend!). So, if running 13.1 miles means I get to have this much fun around the race, sign me up for another : )

Friday Funny: Mean Moms Rule

A friend posted this on her Facebook page yesterday and I have been dying laughing as I browse through ... Rules by the Meanest Mommy in the Whole Wide World ...

My favorites are ...

Rule #390: Claiming a stomach ache might get you out of eating dinner, but you may not have ice cream to make it feel better.

Rule #386: Don’t lick the cat. She cleans herself.

Rule #382: Do not tear the UPC codes off all the boxes and labels before we pay for the items at the grocery store.

Rule #379: Licking a pickle does not count as dinner, and therefore, does not make you eligible for dessert.

What's Cookin': Lasagne

Although the weather hasn't necessarily been cooperating, I decided that during the first week of Autumn I needed to make something that would at least trick my brain into thinking the weather was getting cooler. And, I was on vacation and had time to make a meal that took longer than 30 minutes to prepare ... and, I needed to carb-o-load for my upcoming half marathon ... and, Mike would surely appreciate eating through the leftovers while I was gone all weekend ... not that I needed to justify making this somewhat unhealthy dish or anything ... Paired with homemade garlic bread, this hit the spot!

Lasagne

6 lasagne noodles, cooked according to package directions

Ricotta Filling:
1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
1/3 c parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Meat Sauce:
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
1 t Italian seasoning
Dash of salt and pepper
1 14oz can diced tomatoes and 1 14oz can tomato sauce
or 1 26oz jar of pasta sauce

2 c mozzarella cheese


Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil lasagne noodles according to package directions.

Add the olive oil to a saucepan and heat over medium. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the beef and cook until no pink remains. Drain any liquid once browned. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, or pasta sauce and let simmer for at least 10 minutes.

Combine all ingredients for the ricotta filling in a medium bowl, set aside.

Using a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish spread a layer (about 2/3 c) of the meat sauce on the bottom of the dish. Top with 3 lasagne noodles. Top with 1/2 of the ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the remaining meat sauce and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Starting with the noodles, repeat layers ending with mozzarella cheese.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Two Weeks in Paradise: Our Honeymoon

Over Labor Day weekend I finally got around to creating a memory book of the amazing two weeks we spent in Hawaii on our Honeymoon (see the post below). I just love looking at our wedding album and am so glad I spent a few hours putting this together. I used shutterfly and was amazed at how easy the site was to navigate; I keep thinking of what book I'll create next, this could get dangerous.

(The first several pages are botanical pictures, I promise we did things outside of looking at flowers the entire trip, so feel free to skim past those)

Two Weeks in Paradise: Our Honeymoon

Click here to view this photo book larger

Happy Birthday Milo!!

Milo turned two last week, the day before I left for San Francisco. My how the time flies! Mike was out of town for work, but I couldn't bear to not celebrate in some form or fashion. Milo has turned into quite the sophisticated kitten, so we kept things low key with a small cake and only a few presents; he requested we also make a donation to his first real home (the local SPCA) and I'll be dropping some food and cat litter off later this week. Happy Birthday Milo!!

(and, yes, he was allowed on the counter for a brief second and it was thoroughly disinfected immediately after the celebration ... it was the only way he could enjoy his "cake" without kid sister butting in)

What's Cookin': Eggs in a Basket

My childhood friend Mandy and I were masters of adventure in her backyard. And her Mom was a master of wow'ing me with her culinary skills. I had forgotten about one of my favorite childhood meals until a few months ago when we were thinking through a weekend breakfast and were low on eggs. Although rather elementary, the premise is quick, simple and delicious!

Eggs in a Basket (per egg)

1 egg / 1 slice bread / butter spray / S&P to taste

Heat a skillet coated with butter spray. Using a biscuit cutter or glass, cut a hole in a slice of bread. Place the "basket" and the reserved "nest topper" in the skillet and allow to toast for a minute or two. Add the egg to the "basket" and flip when it reaches your liking.

Mike and I prefer our eggs over easy and the "nest topper" is the perfect vehicle to soak up the runny yolk.

Friday Funny: Crazy Puppy

I saw this posted on Facebook with the caption reading: These people were always finding water all over their pool deck and furniture, every time they came home, after being away for a few hours. They thought the neighborhood kids were watching for them to leave, and using the pool. However, they could never catch them doing it.So, they set up their video cam and left. This is what they found:

I don't care if the back-story is true or not, this is hilarious!

Wordless Wednesday

Making our House a Home: Landscaping

We loved pretty much everything about our new house when we moved in ... except the landscaping. It wasn't necessarily horrid, just really, really overgrown and unloved. Overgrown to the point that spending an afternoon trimming or cutting back was worthless. We found out after moving in that two owners ago had done pretty extensive landscaping, but the previous owners hadn't kept up with much of anything. We had good bones to work with in that the beds were laid out nicely and there were a few plants worth saving, but we really needed a major overhaul.

If you know me, you know that I like to knock things out pretty quickly if it's on my radar. Since it was late spring / early summer and the outside of our house was the first thing visitors and neighbors saw, I wanted this project done ASAP. Mike, on the other hand, was in a bit of sticker shock from the new home purchase, new furniture purchases and was delusional in thinking we could do it all on our own. This led to our first real exercise in compromise, aka our first big round of arguments, aka WWIII at the Kelly household.

In the end, the quote we received was extremely reasonable and the compromise was that Mike could "Mexican labor" his way through the yard up until the professionals started work. The lag time between us the initial meeting and the start of work was about 6 weeks and Mike did make some decent headway, kudos to him and the Kelly genes of strength.

I've been working from home about one day week and my schedule is relatively flexible, but the day they started work I had to be in the office as my boss from Indianapolis was coming in to go over my annual review and raise/bonus. I was a little bummed that I wouldn't be there to see the progress in person, but man, was I in for a surprise when I got home that night. It was like Christmas! Other than a few plants left to put in the ground and mulching, they had whipped through all 3 areas of the yard in a matter of hours. And, on the hottest day of the year, no less. They finished up the next day and we were thrilled! The best money we've spent in a long time .... and the ultimate reward was Mike admitting (1) it was totally worth every penny, (2) it was the right time to do the project and (3) the professionals did a much better job than we as a team could have done. Victory, errr, compromise has never felt so sweet!

The hot summer was not been kind to our new plants, but they have powered through and we are excited to see how they look next Spring after a fall and winter to really root into the ground. We hope you can come see for yourself sometime soon! Click on any of the picture sets to enlarge.

Front Yard Before n

Front Yard After

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Side Yard Before and After

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Back Side Yard Before and After
(please excuse the wilty, on their side plants, they were re-plants are still getting their footing)