Cooking Talk

I think it is common to be in an upsetting cooking-rut. Cooking the same things every week and getting bored... wanting to try new things... but what to try? Well- I ordered a Bountiful Basket (http://www.bountifulbasket.org/) two weeks ago so I could get 20 lb. of peaches for canning. It was full of all sorts of things I usually don't buy. It allowed me to expand my horizons!

Sweet potatoes: Normally only eaten on Thanksgiving. 1) roasted with apples, brown sugar and cinnamon  2) shredded in breakfast casserole  3) boiled and mashed

Mangoes: Honestly I have never bought them at the grocery store-intimidating. 1) used in place of pineapple in chicken salad  2) new recipe: steak and mango salad (http://www.ourbestbites.com/)  A flip-flop would taste amazing covered in the marinade!!  3) soon to try mango pico de gallo. We LOVE cilantro at this house!

 

Cabbage: when I as a little girl we would have cabbage casserole, it seemed like, every week. I loved it! My sister, Whitney, hated it. (In fact one night my dad made her sit at the table till she finished it all. She missed TGIF she sat there so long...) Cason isn't much for cabbage casserole-but I can't just let the cabbage go to waste! So no new cabbage recipes, I am selfish and make what I love.

Cabbage Casserole
1 small cabbage               2 c. milk
3 TB butter                      salt/pepper to taste
1 chicken boullion cube    rice
3 TB flour

Chop cabbage, steam, and drain. Place in greased 9x13 baking dish. Combine butter, flour, and boullion on medium heat. When paste is formed, add 2 c. milk gradually, forming a thick sauce. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper. Pour over cabbage and bake at 350 for 30 minutes till bubbly. Serve over rice.

Doesn't sound like your thing? That's ok. The only reason I like it is because it's a childhood memory.

Romaine lettuce: So much fancier than iceburg, it makes a beautiful salad. Cason's favorite food? SALAD. NO LIE. He loves to order a salad or salad bar when we go out to eat. Strange-I thought it was in a man's genes to love meat and potatoes.

Bananas: Creighton LOVES bananas. So much so he has recently been eating one for breakfast and for dinner. Even with all of this banana eating I still had six that went black. BANANA BREAD! Recently I have been loving banana bread and trying new recipes. I think it stems from never having it as a little girl. My mom despises banana bread. I found a keeper recipe from Emeril Lagasse. (http://www.foodnetwork.com/)   He knows his banana bread! (It is the most basic recipe I have ever tried) I was able to make 3 loaves and froze two of them. Note: Banana bread is extra delicious after being frozen and then thawed. WEIRD. I KNOW.

 Not only am I in a cooking-rut, but a baking one as well. I have always baked cookies. That's what we did at my house when I was little! But Cason doesn't have a sweet tooth. And if I make anything it sits untouched. (OK-he'll usually humor me and have one.) Creighton and I wanted some cookies so we made some a few weeks ago. PITIFUL. Cookie making really is a skill I guess and one I've lost. They were flat, burnt and raw (same cookie!) and just plain unappetizing. It was so sad. Since Cason works nights, I often surf baking blogs (see my blog side-bar). I've seen some delicious looking treats... but maybe it's not a good idea to try any of the recipes!

When in a cooking-rut the best thing to do is... GO OUT TO EAT! Cason has an addiction to eating out. Actually, I think he is just addicted to Costa Vida. It is his restaurant of choice! I don't mind-what a relief to not have to think of what to make, prepare it, cook it, and THEN clean it up. Cason usually does clean up though-he's so sweet!

Couponing has been helping me decide what to make! But the last little while the only thing I've gotten steals on is junk food. A few days ago I got pop-tarts and cereal for a bargain. Breakfast is served! I am stocked on frozen pizzas and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese- my boys LOVE pizza, even cheap pizza. Snacking foods are great for Creighton. (CEREAL: I have that for dinner a lot since Cason works nights.) But I am lacking in the "real" food departmet. "Real" food CAN be bought with coupons (anti-couponers say it can't)-I just need to be focused on those items... (BTW: Couponers, do you do what I do and take pictures of your food? I do-I like to show Cason when he gets home from work and I ask him, "HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK THIS COST ME?) http://www.fabulesslyfrugal.com/: LOVE IT.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine, Jenny, was telling me she HATES to do laundry, so she reminds herself, "I am grateful to have SO MANY towels, clothes, etc. to wash. I am SO BLESSED!" I guess it is that way with most things, like cooking. Instead of grumbling about what to make, or that something has to be made I can be glad that I have food in the house, that I can buy my own food, and that I am a decent cook.

How's that for counting your blessings?

Caught Black-Handed

Today on my lunch break Cason and I were online changing his fall semester schedule. Creighton came in and started loving on Cason-hugging him and burying his face in his shirt. How precious. Until Cason saw that Creighton's face, arms, and hands were covered in black ink. Creighton found an ink pad!

While Cason ran to laundry room to try and remove the stains from his shirt, I rushed Creighton to the bathroom, stripped him of his clothes, and scrubbed his body. Ugh-how frustrating. Then Cason started to inspect the damage... But he only found a wad of diaper wipes covered in black ink. We started laughing hysterically as we imagined a panicked Creighton trying to remove the evidence of his doings. Then Creighton started laughing too. We all laughed in the bathroom for a few minutes and I realized the ink "fiasco" wasn't a big deal.

After dressing Creighton we went to the living room to read books and discovered.... the ink pad had been smeared all over my couch!! Grrr... But some Woolite carpet cleaner and a strong arm removed the evidence. Those micro-fiber couches ARE more stain resistant! Phew!

When I returned to work and told everyone about my lunch time activities I heard stories about lipstick smears on couches (yikes!) and sons who shave off their eyebrows (yikes! yikes!). Moms must have the best stories. But only when they have fully recovered and are finally able to laugh about it.

Everyday Life

During the summer I say to my patients, "So-do you have any fun plans for the summer?" They usually reply with, "No, not really. I am pretty boring." Pretty boring is ok by me! That's how I would describe ourselves at the Chambers house. No big vacations or events planned for us. But we still have fun being together!

A favorite thing to do: swimming in the backyard. Or, at least, filling the pool and standing outside of it and playing with the toys that are in the water. Learning new things like: dirt doesn't taste good and how to peel and eat a banana. Taking advantage of LOTS of free time: naps and watching cartoons and sometimes not showering because we're not leaving the house today! Going to: pet shops and watching the puppies and then out to lunch before daddy heads off to work. We may not be on vacation, but the "everyday things" are building memories for our family and they are fun to us!

For The Love of Blueberries

Why are there so many blueberry haters out there? It must be one of the most discriminated against fruits. Why? They are delicious and VERY good for you!

 Katie Jo LOVES blueberries! I have since I was a little girl. In fact one of my mom's most terrible memories has to do with me burning most of the front part of my body with very hot blueberries. I was just a baby.

When I lived in Arkansas I used to pick blueberries at the beginning of the summer and my family would freeze them and use them all year round. My favorite ways: in muffins and on waffles! Once I visited my dad early enough in the summer that it was still blueberry season and I picked a cooler full of blueberries. I took them on the plane with me and at security they were rifling through my berries sure I was hiding something in there. Because WHO eats THAT many blueberries?

 This last week I found a good price for blueberries and bought a few 2 lb. clamshells. At girls camp I made a delicious apple crisp in the dutch oven and started having dreams of doing a blueberry one... So I canned some blueberry pie filling! My own recipe from years of experience as a blueberry lover. Cason's not a blueberry fan. That's unfortunate for him. This blueberry crisp is going to be fantastic!

If you are willing to put aside your previous dislike for blueberries you may come over and have some too!

4th of July

This 4th of July we celebrated with a few fireworks in our driveway. Creighton was very interested and loved every minute of it. It is so much more fun to celebrate holidays with a little one.

Called To Serve

Today a girl in my Primary class, Shelby, bore her testimony in sacrament meeting about the lesson I had given. She told the congregation the entire Parable of the Ten Virgins. Then she even told them about the "hidden message." She taught them to be wise and follow Jesus Christ. I started to cry. I was so touched that she had actually been LISTENING to what I was teaching. Sometimes I wonder about them... It made me realize that my calling as a Primary teacher IS very important. It just made me love my calling even more. Those children are so special!

Her testimony was also a special blessing on this day. I have been feeling overwhelmed by my calling as Young Women Camp Director. Camp is this coming week and this last weekend I have been feeling like I am completely unprepared. Cason laughs-my numerous daily phone calls to ward/stake members, my lists strewn all over the house, and my bags and bags and bags of girls camp gifts/treats... He says, "Unprepared?" Camp was always a really great time for me and I want it to be for these girls as well. Feelings of inadequacy have been taking over as I think of all the things I haven't done, or can't do well enough. (I don't camp... Apparently you don't have to though to be called as the camp director.)

Shelby's testimony today made me realize that even though we might feel as though we are not successful in our calling- if we try our best and ask for the Lord's help, all will be well. In every calling I have had so far I always hope to bless this lives of those I serve, but I know that my life has been blessed much more than theirs. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had.

Girls Camp is is coming on Wednesday... I know that it will be awesome. The girls will have a fun time with lots of spiritual experiences. Serving in the Lord's church is always worth it.