Dear Monday

Another Monday, and I'm enjoying being at home.  Hooray!

Here are some Monday letters with Megan.

Dear Monday, I thoroughly enjoy spending you with my bum on the couch and watching snow fall outside... Versus sitting on my bum at work and wanting to rip my hair out.

Dear Snow, I love you.  You make my heart very happy.  Now enough with the flurries and dusting.  I want some accumulation!

Dear Chocolate Covered Pomegranates, You are delicious.  And may prove to be the death of my waistline.

Dear Crock Pot, I made chili in you last night and it reminded me that I don't use you and your glorious-ness nearly enough.

Dear Fellow Dog Walkers at Lions Park, I know you feel sorry for me when you see me walking our crazy pups.  But, if I hear "Who's walking who?" "You sure are getting your exercise!" or "Boy, he looks strong!" one more time... I'll probably just keep smiling and laughing with you.  Geesh.

Dear Hubby, You had to work 10's this whole weekend.  I am so proud of you for working so hard and doing it without complaining (or whining like a little girl).  You are superman!

 Happy Monday, folks!

Take Luck,

LP

Fill in the Blank Friday

It's Friday!  Time to fill in some blanks with Lauren.

[1] One of my favorite things to do when I have free time is absolutely nothing.  I love curling up on the couch or in bed with a snuggly blanket, puppies, Hubby and a book or the laptop.

[2] When I have free time I tend to find things to make it so my "free time" is occupied by studying, cleaning, organizing, or some other domestic-goddess duty - instead of curling up on the couch or in bed with a snuggly blanket, puppies, Hubby and a book or the laptop.

[3] If I had an entire day completely to myself I would sleep in, soak in a bubble bath, read a book, drink a vanilla latte, have lunch at Panera Bread Co., take an afternoon nap, watch a "chick flick" or two, bake, and eat ice cream.  Lots of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

[4] I would prefer to spend my free time (alone or with others...) Both.  I love spending my free time with Ryan or friends and family, but sometimes I really do enjoy spending some free time alone.

[5] Most of my free time happens on my Fridays off and the weekends.  Glorious, glorious days!

[6] The best thing about free time is it's free!  You can do whatever you want.

[7] The next time I have free time I should probably soak it up and enjoy being "bored" but I'll probably keep myself busy with something... And then regret it later.

Hoping everyone has a weekend full of relaxing free time!

Take Luck,

LP

Kitchen Flubs

Kitchen flubs are one of my pet peeves.

It is so frustrating to put the money and time into planning for and preparing a meal for Ryan and I, and then be disappointed in the results.

I have told Ryan from Day 1 (OK, maybe Day 10 when I first cooked for him) that I would much rather he be honest with me if he doesn't like something that I make - because ultimately he would be the one who suffered and have to continue to eat it.

Unfortunately, kitchen flubs have happened more than once this past week.

A few nights ago, I went out of my cooking-comfort-zone and put chicken enchiladas on the menu. 

The recipe was pretty simile, although long.

The end result wasn't bad, but I was disappointed and mostly ate the innards (chicken, tomato, corn, onion and chilies) after discarding the tortilla.  For those of you who know me - you know that this behavior isn't too uncommon... But still.

Chicken enchilada fail.

Ryan assured me that he enjoyed it - and within the next few days the pan of enchiladas.

After consulting our menu for the week and the groceries we bought today, I decided to make tuna casserole.

Easy.  Fast.  Yum factor = High.

I fixed Ryan his plate and while I was in the kitchen fixing myself a plate, Ryan said, "Have you tried yours yet?"

Translation: This is bad and you don't want to try this.

Awesome.

Tuna casserole fail.

The worst part was that after trying to dish for myself and concurring with Ryan's assessment of the dish - neither of us could figure out what the problem was or why it tasted "weird."

Ryan also mentioned more than once, "I hope we don't get food poisoning."

So, needless to say that I am feeling more that inadequate in the cooking department this evening.

Normally, I do just fine and can whip up some good meals.  Certainly not a master chef by any means, but I satisfy us and keep our tummies full.

Have you had any cooking or baking fails lately?

Did your husband or boyfriend fear that you were poisoning him?

I would love to hear I'm not alone.

Take Luck,

LP

Fill in the Blank Friday

Time for another Fill in the Blank Friday with Lauren.

[1] The holiday season is rapidly approaching!  I can't believe it's already December 2nd.

[2] Snow makes me happy, happy, happy.  I love snow - especially when freshly fallen.  Sans footprints or tire tracks.

[3] The best comfort food to eat when it's cold out is chicken noodle soup.  Preferably from Panera.

[4] Winter is the best time for crafts, fires in the fireplace, and snuggling up under warm piles of blankets.

[5] I can hardly wait for getting our tree, putting up lights, baking cookies with Mom and Rachel (hello, cookie dough!) and hearing what my sister-in-law thinks about one of her gifts.  It's probably the one I am most excited to give.

[6] When it comes to holiday gifts I prefer to give.  I love buying gifts for loved ones, and usually have a hard time keeping my surprises secrets.

[7] If I were to rate my excitement about the holiday season on a scale from 1-10, I would say I am at about a 8.  I am really excited about Christmas this year and I have no idea why.  My eyes even got misty the other day just thinking about cutting down our Christmas tree.  Geesh.

That is all.

Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend!!

Take Luck,

 LP

Dear Monday

Dear Monday, I woke up with a headache-headache.  It evolved throughout the day into a work-headache.  Let's not make this a pattern... Mmkay?

Dear Beef Strogenoff, Why can't I get your sauce right?  I'm starting to think that you will never taste as good as Mom's.  I'm not giving up - I will conquer you, yet!

Dear Mellow Tunes, Listening to you while making dinner tonight was so soothing and wonderful.  I needed that.

Dear P90x and Tony Horton, I hate you and love you at the same time.  But mostly hate you.

Dear Snow-in-Forecast, Please come.  And dump buckets.

Dear Kennedy, Next time I Skype with you - Please at least pretend to be as excited as I am.  Waiting 10 whole seconds before asking, "Where's Ryan?" would make my heart very happy.

Dear Liam, I'm hoping that someday you will Skype with your Uncle Ryan and immediately ask him, "Where's Lauren?"  That would make my heart equally happy.

Dear Hubby, This makes two weeks in a row that you have come home bearing ice cream treats.  Is this a ploy to fatten me up?  Or are you just trying to be sweet?  I just can't decide.

Hoping everyone had a wonderful Monday!

Take Luck,

LP

Plum Crisp

I mentioned in my previous post, that my current obsession is Plum Crisp.

I went over to my friend Meg's house last night and she shared this absolute deliciousness.

So, I decided to share it with you.

I apologize in advance for the mouth watering you will experience while reading this post.

Here is what you need for Plum Crisp:

Crisp:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Plum Filling:

4 plums thinly sliced, pit removed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 by 8 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. To make the crisp, mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Stir in the melted butter and mix until mixture is moist. 

Press half of the crisp topping into the prepared baking dish.

3. For the plum filling, put the plums, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla in a large bowl.

Stir until plums are well coated.

4. Spread the plums evenly over the bottom layer of the crisp.

Sprinkle the remaining crisp over the plums. Gently pat the crisp topping down.

5. Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes, or until the crisp is golden and the fruit is bubbling. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.  Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for extra deliciousness.

Our house smells delicious.  Like brown-sugary-cinnamony-plums.

Enjoy!

If you try it out, let me know what you think!!

Take Luck,

LP

Fill in the Blank Friday

It is time to link up with Lauren at the litte things we do for another Fill in the Blank Friday!

[1] My current obsession is plum crisp.

[2] Fridays off make me happy.

[3] My greatest strength is being a hard worker.

[4] Feeling anxious, nervous and overwhelmed are my greatest weaknesses.

[5] My life is beautifully wonderful.  I can't wait to add to our family. 

[6] In high school I was a three-sport athlete. 

[7] When I'm super tired my pigeon-toed-ness comes out full force. 

Well, that was easy!

Take Luck,

LP

"C" is for Cookie

So through my blog creeping I have stumbled across several great cooking/baking recipes.  I am (almost) always looking for new things to try in the kitchen, as my repertoire is not too extensive.  Last month I came across a post at The Larson Lingo titled, "Cookie Snobs Unite."  So I continued on and read the post, thinking "Hmm... She is a cookie snob."  I quickly reminded myself that I have no room in the world to judge as I am a snob when it comes to pretty much anything I eat.  Ask anyone who knows me at all and they will tell you that I am one of the pickiest, finickiest (is this a word?) eaters they have ever met.

I digress.

I love chocolate chip cookies, and they are pretty much the only cookie that I cannot refuse.  It's also one of the only cookies that I like.  I don't like nuts so that eliminates a large portion of cookie choices, and because I am so picky, I usually find other reasons why I don't like other cookies.

Again, I digress.

When I was young, I memorized my Grammy's recipe for chocolate chip cookies and have faithfully made my cookies according to said recipe ever since.  In the back of my mind I always felt that they were a little hard and non-chewy, regardless of how long (or short) I baked them for.  But since I made them from her recipe, to me they were fantastically fabulous.  When I was reading the post at The Larson Lingo, she described these snobby cookies as "thick and soft."  Hmmm... This sounds like my kind of cookie!  So, acknowledging and later accepting that I would be cheating on my sweet Grammy's cookie recipe, I decided to embark on trying this new one.  

Sorry Grammy.

For the most part, the new recipe (which I will later share) calls for everything that my Grammy's recipe does.  The biggest difference was that this new one needs a package of instant vanilla pudding mix (I'm pretty sure this is what makes them so friggin' soft!).  I am not exaggerating when I say that while at the grocery store to buy all the necessary ingredients, I stood in front of the instant pudding for a good five minutes, trying to decide if I believed Mel at The Larson Lingo that this instant pudding mix was really necessary.  In the end, my compulsion for following rules won and I caved.

I made the cookies per Mel's instructions, and HOLY COW!!  These were the best cookies I have ever tasted.  Even Ryan, who does not particularly care for sweets (especially cookies), ate several.  Now that's really saying something!!  As promised, they were thick, soft and chewy and duh-licious.  My mouth is watering just typing about it.  

I have been meaning to blog this recipe to share with the blogosphere but I kept thinking that I wanted to take pictures as I went.  This obviously would require me to make the dough, which means I would eat it.  Then I would have to bake the dough, which means I would eat the cookies, too.  Oh, the dilemma.  I thought of the perfect solution.  I'll type out the ingredients and directions and then give a link from The Larson Lingo with all the cute pictures and commentary.  That way - everyone wins!! 

So, without further ado, here is an amazing recipe for chocolate chip cookies from one snob to another.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 package instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 oz)

2 eggs

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 bag of chocolate chips

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside

-In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar

-Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended.  Stir in the eggs and vanilla

-Blend in the flour mixture.  Finally, stir in the chocolate chips

-Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet

-Bake for 10-12 minutes

   

Here is the link to the complete post at The Larson Lingo:

Cookie Snobs Unite

I hope you'll try this new recipe.  I would love to hear what you think... And if you are ever able to go back to your old recipe again.

Take Luck,

LP

White Chicken Chili

Here's what you need to make this deliciousness...

Ingredients:

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1 tbs.)

-One Large Onion

-Diced Green Chilies (Check the label for Mild/Medium/Fire Roasted!!!!)

-Ground Cumin (1 tbs.)

-Great Northern White Beans (2 cans)

-Chicken Broth (2 cans)

-Chicken (1.5 lbs. or so – depends on how many people you are feeding)

-Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack Cheese (One bag of shredded or one brick… Depending on which cheese you buy!) (Pepper Jack definitely gives it a kick)

-Sour Cream (garnish)

-Good dipping or dunking bread (I usually buy French)

Directions:

-Boil the chicken for 15 minutes, then shred/rip it

-Sautee (until clear) the diced onion in a pan with EVOO on low

-When clear (or when you tired of waiting, like me), add chilies and cumin.  Let heat/sit for 2 minutes

-Add the white beans (undrained) and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.

-Add the shredded chicken and the cheese.  Heat/stir until the cheese has melted.

-Viola!

-I usually dish up a hearty spoonful of sour cream into each bowl to make it a little thicker 

I wish I could take credit for coming up with this, but I got it from a college teammate of mine, Ashley.  And I thank her :)

Take Luck,

LP