Month

January 2013

Pomegranate Practice

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Over the holiday season, I made the most delicious salad with pomegranates, oranges, spinach, and red onion and a refreshing orange and rosemary dressing (I will be sharing soon). However, whileI was excited at the prospect of this salad, I had never peeled a pomegranate before. So I bought one, and practiced (I know I’m a nerd).

I read a few things online and then got to work. The kids were excited to join in on the fun and try something new.

 

Tips:
– Wear an apron. Pomegranate juice stains terribly.
– Use dishes that are dishwasher safe when cutting a pomegranate. The juice might stain wooden cutting boards.
– The finer the strainer or colander the better.

First, fill a large bowl with cold water and place it in the sink to capture any splatters.

 

On a plate cut the pomegranate in half and then in fourths.

 

Put the sections of pomegranate in the bowl of water, then carefully start pulling out the seeds. The seeds will sink to the bottom and the white pith will float to the top.

 

Here is what the pomegranate looks like when seeds are removed.

 

Then, skim the top of the water with the strainer and remove all the pith. Throw the pith away. Then strain the seeds through the strainer and give them a good rinse.

 

Finally, put in a bowl and serve.

 

The kids enjoyed them for a little snack. When we were finished I covered them and refrigerated them.

 

Not as Hard as I Thought: Painting Stripes

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Over the summer, we noticed that some of the paint around the shower in our downstairs bathroom was starting to peel and bubble off the wall like this:

 

 

After talking to some bathroom experts, they advised us to re-caulk everything in the shower to prevent water seeping onto the drywall. We hired a professional to come and make sure that every corner of the shower was water tight. After a few weeks of making sure there were no more leaks, I decided to re-paint the bathroom.

This room was left pretty much untouched out of necessity. It was the only working bathroom in the house when we moved in, as the upstairs bathroom was getting a few facelift type upgrades (you can check that out here). Now that I have the time to paint (sort of) and we have another bathroom we can use while I work on this one, I thought I would patch up that nasty drywall and give it a fresh coat of something new.

 

The room is so so small, however it gets a great deal of sunlight from the window, so I wanted to do something light and soft. I also wanted to take into consideration the fact that Brian and I have been mulling around painting the nearby family room in the next few months and we like rooms to kind of flow. After seeing these beautiful pictures from my favorite blog Young House Love (I actually got to meet these creative geniuses in November, you can check that out here), I thought I would try some horizontal striping in our small bathroom too.

Brian and I made the trip to Home Depot and picked out the two perfect shades of soft gray. The base color for the room is Behr’s Barnished Clay in satin and the darker stripe is Behr’s Perfect Taupe also in satin. The paint expert at Home Depot said the satin finish is perfect for bathrooms for easy clean-up.

This is what it is looking like so far:

 

Brian and I think it has turned out better than we could have imagined. This technique is pretty easy and I used time saving tips for lazy people on striping from this Skinny Boppy for help (anything that caters to lazy people is up my alley). We are already thinking of other places to incorporate this easy technique. I still have to do the other walls, and as you can see I still have paint supplies all over the bathroom, but I couldn’t wait to share the progress. Hopefully, I can have a finished room to show at the end of the week. In the meantime it is time to put the paint clothes back on and finish up the stripes.

 

 

 

The Perfect Gift: Beef Bourguignon

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When I was a kid, there were a few things that I did a lot: watch TV, watch movies, listen to music, and read books. Sure, I rode my bike, played with Cabbage Patch kids and roller skated, but I have a lot more memories reading Romona Quimby books or laughing to episodes of Cheers than I do of riding my bike. Also, I must mention we didn’t have cable growing up, so while a lot of my friends spend Saturday afternoons watching Nickelodean, I spent a lot of time watching PBS cooking shows. Julia Child was one of my favorites. She just seemed so at ease and comfortable and above all real. There was no phony baloney-ness about her. She cooked like my grandma and my mom, and that is what I loved about her. Even as a small kid, I remember thinking, “I bet I could do that.”

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child was on my Christmas list this year.  I was so happy when I received it thanks to my wonderful husband and kids. All those memories came flooding back.

Before Christmas, I was scouring the internet for recipes, and I found a slow cooker version of beef bourguignon. I must say, it was delicious, and thank you so much to
Dining with Debbie’s recipe. It was detailed and straight forward, and inspired by the queen of French Cooking herself, Julia Child. It was not as difficult as I originally anticipated, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. There is, however, a bit of prep to this dish before you put everything in the slow cooker so I would save it for a weekend and not a workday.

The original link to the recipe is here, but here are a few pictures. I wish there was scratch and sniff computer screens, because it smelled divine cooking all day.

 

Bon appetit!

Super Easy Dinner: Deconstructed Greek Salad with Roasted Salmon and Yogurt Sauce

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Yesterday, I shared my goals for 2013. Like most people, eating healthier is at the top of the list. I think it is hard to not want to eat healthier after a season of indulging in home made treats and butter laden food.

When I think healthy food, two things that always come to mind are fish and salads. With both of these things I am kind of a novice, but I was able to adapt a recipe I saw on Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa D’Arabian. She made a Greek Salad with roasted salmon. While I was watching her I couldn’t help but think that she just paired my two favorite healthy things.

 

My version turned into a Deconstructed Greek Salad with Roasted Salmon and some Yogurt Sauce, and here’s why. Everyone in my family is so picky when it comes to their salads. My husband doesn’t like tomatoes, the boys don’t like peppers, Coco doesn’t like olives, and none of the kids like are that crazy about a lot of lettuce. So I cut everything up that I normally would, but displayed it in a way that everyone could just take what they wanted for their salad. I have decided that this is how we are going to do salads from now on. The kids loved all the veggies and feta cheese, and spent a lot of time dipping pita chips in the yogurt sauce.
The best part of this dish is it is a “throw together meal” as it doesn’t require a lot of actual cooking and it takes about 15 minutes to prepare. By the time you put the salmon in the oven, you can mix up the sauce and cut the veggies. Then dinner is served. No more excuses for an unhealthy meal due to lack of time around here.
Deconstructed Greek Salad, Roasted Salmon and Yogurt Sauce
12 oz of fresh Salmon sliced into 3 oz pieces
1 lemon zested and cut into wedges
1 head romaine lettuce washed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 package of grape tomatoes cut in half
1 cucumber seeded and chopped
2 bell peppers cut into strips
1 14 oz can black or Kalmata olives
1 very small red onion cut into thin slices
1 6 oz package of feta cheese crumbles
1 bag of plain pita chips
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Yogurt Sauce
1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 lemon zested and juiced
1 clove of garlic finely minced
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In small baking dish sprayed with cooking spray place salmon. On top of each salmon filet put a pinch of salt, black pepper, and some lemon zest. Put in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
While the salmon cooks, place vegetables and feta cheese on a large platter. Then, make the yogurt sauce by mixing together the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Put in a small serving bowl.
Remove the salmon from oven and squeeze a little lemon juice on top. Then serve with vegetable platter, yogurt sauce and pita chips and let everyone construct their own salads.
*Side note. I also had some balsamic vingegrette on the table in case no one likes the yogurt sauce.
I hope you enjoy this dinner as much as we did. Brian is still talking about it.
Linking up at Serenity Now for Weekend Bloggy Reading.

Take Care: Goals for 2013

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So, since the rest of the blogosphere has shared goals for 2013, I thought I should join in on the fun. There is something about writing down goals, and declaring them to people that lights a fire in you to actually get some things done.

I tend to like themes. Theme gifts (like the wine Bridal Shower gift I put together), theme dinners (Mexican Night, Mom’s favorites, etc), theme parties (this was big during my college days), theme movie marathons (John Hughes is my favorite). So I thought it might be nice to have a list of theme goals for 2013.

The theme for 2013 is Take Care. When I say goodbye to people I typically say, “Take care!” and I really mean it. So this year, I thought I would go with this as my theme. Here goes:

1.) Take care of me! 2012 was a year of getting back on the wagon when it comes to eating things in moderation and getting back on track with fitness. I was able to run a few 5K races as well as an 8K and a 10K. Also, I was able to drop some pounds with healthy eating and cutting out some things that are not needed (daily coffee etc.). While I came a long way in 2012, I want to do even better in 2013. I would like to try some yoga practice while trying to create some healthier food options and share them with you too! I also would like to get back in the good habit of early to bed and early to rise. No more late nights of writing with a bowl of ice cream sitting next to me.

 

2.) Take care of my family! I do this every day, and I try very hard to be a good wife and mom. However, in 2013 I would like to focus on being more regular about date nights with Brian. While we spend a lot of time together, very rarely is it alone and I would like to try and make time for us about once a month. When it comes to the kids, I would like to take some time and focus on doing more spontaneous fun and less scheduled activity. They are only little once, and I should be taking advantage of this time before they would rather spend more time with their friends than their parents.

 

 

3.) Take care of this house! Since we moved into this house, I feel like we have tackled a lot of big projects, and there are still more that I would like to do. While all the projects are not huge or life changing, they are definitely projects that would make our house feel more personal and sentimental. Also, I would like to have a regular house cleaning routine (hopefully I can find something on Pinterest).

 

 

4.) Take care of my writing! Over the last few months, I have been amazed in myself and all that I have been able to accomplish. To be honest, I have never liked something this much. I am finding while I may not be the next Maya Angelou, I really love writing and seeing the response that people have to what I write. It is exhilarating. Every day, I am writing down more and more ideas I have for Home Everyday as well as South of I-80. I would really like to be more consistent in my posting and hope to write a little more out of my comfort zone once in awhile.

 

So there you have it. My theme goals for 2013. What is on your agenda for 2013?

P.S. I posted a little something on South of I-80 today as well if you’d like to check it out. 

“Ohhhh yeah!”: Christmas/New Year’s Wrap Up

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Since I have yet to fill everyone in on our Christmas and New Year’s I thought I would give you a little glimpse. While Christmas and New Year’s themselves were wonderful, most of the Winter Break, we spent nursing colds, sore throats, and stomach flu. Don’t worry I will spare you those pictures.

Christmas Eve we went to Mass and then stopped home to do some last minute prep before heading to my Mom’s for a dinner of beef tenderloin, potatoes, and veggies. My Mom has hosted Christmas Eve dinner for as long as I can remember. I love that we are all together, and the kids love playing with their cousins.

Christmas Day is typically an early wake up call here. The kids could hardly wait to see what Santa had brought. The kids get to ask Santa for: something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. We have been doing this tradition since Russell was born, and it seem to work for us and also helps to cut down on spending while also teaching our kids the importance of needs over wants as well as putting a focus on reading.

Here are the kids racing down the stairs!

 

George asked for a horse (this kid loves anything equestrian). While I’m not sure if he wanted a real horse or not, he was happy to have a new buddy. I have caught him holding this horse while riding his rocking horse near his small stable of horses. Also, he has been sleeping with it every night, so I think it was a win (did I mention this kid loves horses?).

This pretty much sums up Coco’s Christmas morning. She spent the morning with her mouth dropped open in total disbelief. She loved her eco dollhouse complete with solar panels, wind generator, recycle bins, and vegetable garden.

Russell hopped right on his bike. He explained that his bicycle was a “need” as he is too big for his tricycle. We agreed. He looked like Will Ferrell trying to ride a tricycle. Needless to say he is counting the days til Spring.

 

After a breakfast of cinnamon rolls, we all crashed and took naps. Then we hosted Brian’s family for a dinner of ham, champange risotto with peas and parmesan, and spinach salad with oranges and pomegranates (don’t worry I will share these recipes soon). We also had all the traditional favorites. Then we finished with a dessert of home made chocolate chip cheesecake (I can share that too).

New Year’s Eve is hosted by my sister and everyone brings a few favorite finger foods and we have a little bubbly. The kids spent most of the night playing Wii with their cousins, but they were insistent on wearing some of their new clothes.

 

I must admit, even though the kids are happy at school and Brian is glad to be back into a work routine again. I am missing all the downtime we had as a family. Hopefully, we can plan on a family movie night soon.

 

Smart Cookies: Italian Butter Cookies with Lemon Glaze

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Every Christmas, I make Italian Butter Cookies with Lemon Glaze. Brian’s grandmother, Grandma Yo, made them for most celebrations, but always had them at Christmas time. They are light and almost refreshing, and perfect with a cup of tea. Since most people are looking for a little something lighter this time of year, I thought they would be a perfect Smart Cookie recipe for the month of January. Technically they are still cookies, but they are not as heavy, and may serve as a small reward for all the time put in at the gym.

The recipe is fairly straight forward, but they do require a little bit of effort to create the little doughnut like shapes.

 

Grandma Yo’s Italian Butter Cookies with Lemon Glaze

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 stick butter melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp pure lemon extract
1 – 3 Tbs milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In another large mixing bowl beat together sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla until well incorporated. Next, slowly add flour mixture until soft dough is formed.

 

Next, take about a tablespoon of dough and roll into a thin log and then form into a doughnut shape as shown below.

 

Place on baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes.

 

While cookies cool, mix together powdered sugar, lemon extract, and milk until a thin glaze is formed. When cookies are cooled, dip into glaze. Store in a air tight container.

For more information regarding Smart Cookies or to volunteer visit their website at http://smart-cookies.org.

To look back at past Smart Cookie recipes you can click here, here, and here.

 

 

 

Happy New Year: December Wrap Up

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Happy New Year, Readers! I hope that your holidays were full of family and friends like me! December was a whirlwind of activity, and January has us all resting and taking it easy. We are all recouping from the activity! It was nice to focus on family and take a small break from writing. I have to say though, I absolutely love writing this blog, and missed posting and interacting with my readers daily. I could not wait to get back, and start sharing again!

As we ease into 2013 and think about goal setting, I would just like to take a small glance back at December 2012 for a little recap.

As you know, as soon as Thanksgiving leftovers were in the fridge I started the holiday decorating and planning. Since the Christmas music has been playing for awhile in our house, I got permission to put the trees up in November, but the rest of our holiday cheer got put up in December. I started with a quick and simple snowflake garland made by my little elves. Then I worked on the creating a holiday mantel, dining tablescape, and putting out my favorite sentimental Christmas decorations. Also, I was actually impressed with myself for getting our Christmas book Advent Calendar going by December 1st!

It wasn’t all Christmas in our house in December (I think it was getting to be overload), so I tackled a home project that I thought would be nice to have ready for the kids while they were on Winter break. I created the perfect creative spot for them to work on drawing, coloring, painting, and crafting with some storage containers I already had on hand. Also, with the help of a friend, Brian was able to get rid of our rusty basketball hoop.

My kitchen was busy as it is usually around this time of year, but not everything had a holiday theme. I shared my recipe for homemade chili as well as a quick guacamole I made for the kids.

Then it was time for some sweets. It was birthday time for me, and since I am a December baby, and I don’t think that Christmas cookies count as a birthday treat, I whipped up some cupcakes with my favorite chocolate buttercream frosting. Finally, I baked vanilla biscotti and dipped it chocolate as the SmartCookie recipe to pair perfectly with coffee and late night studying.

I am so looking forward to 2013 and cannot wait to share some amazing ideas with all of you!