A plea

By the way, I know that there are a ton of readers who are not followers. Please follow my blog :) If you follow within the next 24 hours, I'll throw in a free back rub. Just wait, If you follow and comment, I'll not only throw in the back rub, but I'll give you a free hug with no shipping and handling fees. ha ha just kidding. Thank you all for reading though and I would love to see who my readers are! LOVE YOU

Mexican Cheese Chowder

Dish: Mexican Cheese Chowder Book: Quick and Healthy Pajamas: Teal peace shirt and plaid bottoms that Trevor wants to burn Meal: Dinner Eaters: Trevor and me

I'm very sorry that I had to take a short sabbatical from blogging. I have been a very busy girl. My life has drastically changed... for the better, I might add. Trevor proposed!! Since he proposed 2 weeks ago, I have done the following: ran a half marathon, coached mom in getting a principal job!, booked a venue (The Stanley), been to a bridal show, bought a wedding dress, picked bridesmaid's dresses, scheduled a DJ, planned a trip to Co for a Bridal Crawl, found a vacation home for the family in Estes, picked invitations, chosen a honeymoon place, scheduled all meetings with florists and cake designers, picked tux's, opened a bank account, planned table settings and favors, gave Trevor at least 3 back rubs a week, kept my job, and I'm sure a whole lot more that I can't think of. So, again I apologize for the lack of blogs. I promise to recommit as of today. About the food... Today I decided to make a soup. I am wanting to be a bit healthier because of the upcoming nuptials. Don't hold me to the previous statement though; 5 months is a very long time. The only sad part about a soup is that Trevy bought me a new colander because of my complaining on a previous blog and I can't use it yet. Anyway, I started by following a fast and healthy recipe for Mexican chowder. As I began cooking, I realized there were no "Mexican" qualities in the recipe. I then decided to kick it up a notch. The soup started with a broth and lots of veggies. I am using the really big pot, normally used for noodles. I guess that I should register for some pots so that I have more than 2 choices! I then added the Oh So Magical invention that I love, corn starch. At this point, I was supposed to add cheese and be done with it. Boring... I rummaged through the pantry and found some rotel and cayenne. I also made some guacamole on the side. I am getting to be a pro at guac, if I may say so myself. (hmmm: that saying doesn't look right when written...) So I did add the cheese to finish it and wallah, soup. I spooned it into our bowls. I then added crushed tortilla chips to the top and finished it with a dollop of guacamole. When Trevor came out, he decided to "make the guac better with a new trick." He proceeded to add a spoonful of sugar. Note to all guac eaters: Don't add sugar to guacamole. Anyway, we started the soup. Trevor took one bite and said, "Honey, this may be your first 10." We ate and talked and enjoyed the deliciousness. I think that soups are my favorite thing to cook! Yay for a fixed up recipe turning out perfecto! Trev-o-meter: "I give it a 9.5."

Chicken Pot Pie

Dish: Chicken Pot Pie
Book: Taste of Home
Pajamas: Light blue and purple striped, very soft
Meal: Dinner
Eaters: Trevor and me

Let me begin this post by explaining that this recipe spans two days. Wednesday: I get to Trevor's house to cook and I have most of the ingredients. I still needed chicken bouillon granules and flour. I forge the great storm to the grocery store, pick up the supplies and get home by 7 to begin the intense chicken pot pie recipe. I put the chicken in the pot to boil. I open the flour to make the filling and I notice something not quite right. The flour is not white. It has more of a peppered look. Wait, the pepper is quivering!! I look in horror and teeny black bugs are meandering through the flour. I screamed and immediately confiscated the infested bag. I then changed my plan to good old spaghetti, red sauce, and ranch dressing.
Friday: I brought flour from my house and the cooking began. As the chicken boiled, I made the gravy. It was very straight forward. Again, I chopped the chicken too quickly after it came out of the pot. I got a nice steam facial and my fingers are still a bit sore. I put all of the "insides" to the side and started on the dough. It consists of flour, celery seed, butter and cream cheese. I began mixing it to no avail. I then decided to use my hands. I mixed and mixed and as I finished I realized we have no rolling pin... I made the bottom part by hand. I pieced the dough together in the dish and kneaded it to the correct thickness. I then filled it. Now the top really needed a rolling pin. I used my genius problem solving skills and buttered the pam bottle. I rolled out a perfect dough lid! I'll never waist money on a fancy smancy rolling pin!! I put the pie in the oven and waited 30 minutes. When it came out, we sat down to eat. I cut it and a cloud of steam filled the air; so we waited, and waited and waited. Finally it was cool enough to try. It was very good! It tasted a lot like the Marie Calender's pot pies! Trevor said he felt like a shepherd. I think that was a compliment!

Trev-o-meter: "I give it a solid 8."

Tortellini chicken soup

Dish: Tortellini Chicken soup, homemade hummus
Book: Fast and Healthy
Pajamas: Fuentes t-shirt and pink velour pants
Meal: Dinner
Eaters: Trevor and me and Millini

Let's start by saying one good, one bad today. I'm going to start with the bad. Trevor loves hummus and pita. I finally found some garbanzo beans at Wheatsville Co-op (Thank goodness for the hippies.) After I gathered all of the ingredients, I read the recipe and found out that I needed a food processor. hmmmm well, I have a very strong arm. So I drained and rinsed the garbanzo beans in the can because I still don't have a colander. I put them in a bowl and started to chop the garlic. My fingers still smell like old gym socks. I squeezed the lemon and poured the olive oil in. I began to chop, and chop, and chop, and chop, and chop, and chop. I think I chopped and ground and mashed for about a decade. The consistency was still chalky and chunky. I put it aside to ice my bicep. After I took an aleve to sooth the pain, I mashed a bit more. Trevor swooped in to try it and swooped out to the store to buy some hummus....

Ok, now for the success. I read over the recipe and it started with simmering the ingredients and adding boiled chicken. Wait, it doesn't tell me how to boil chicken? I can do this. So I put the raw chicken in water and put it on high in a pan. I waited and soon the chicken turned white. I let it go for a while because I didn't want my curse of undercooked meat to continue. I then decided it had to be done. I poured the water out and put the chicken on the cutting board. I chopped it up and lost all of my fingerprints due to the temperature of the meat. I put all of the ingredients in the big pot. I felt fancy for some reason (parsley, sweet corn, tortellini, broth, green onion, fresh garlic, etc.) When the spinach wilted (I told you it's sophisticated), I took the soup off the stove. I dished it out and we tasted it. It was good, but missing something. We added salt, pepper and cayenne. Trevor added a bit too much cayenne to his... His taste buds are swollen. We really enjoyed this soup though. We gushed over it throughout the entire meal! I'm so happy to be a good cook again!

Trev-o-meter: Trevor said he gave it a 9. I told him that was a bit high. He changed it to an 8 but said that he wanted it again soon.

Beef Burgundy

Dish: Beef Burgundy
Book: Fast and Healthy
Pajamas: sweaty workout clothes :)
Meal: Dinner
Eaters: Trevor and me

I've heard some very positive feedback in the past days. This response renewed my culinary strength and helped me get through the grieving process that was due to the honey dijon catastrophe. I went for a run and then went to Randall's to get ingredients for the next 3 recipes. In the store, I was searching for the perfect sirloin and a creepy meat man asked if I needed any help with his meat. My gag reflex was too great to hear that statement without a small "huh." I then finished my shopping, meat and all, and made my way to Trevor's. On a side note: What are chick peas and do they sell them at the grocery store. I need them by Friday... Okay, back to today. I started with the meat, from now on it will be called sirloin, the word meat gives me a mental image of the meat man and his huge baggy polyester pants. The sirloin was already cubed (thank the lord-see: potato soup blog) I put it in the non stick skillet and started to cook it. Again, I still had trouble with cooking the inside enough without the outside burning. When I cut it smaller and it seemed pretty well cooked, I put it aside. I boiled the water for the egg noodles. In the skillet, I put the condensed onion soup (don't lick that can- it's gross) and 1/4 c red wine. I think I might have put a bit more in the skillet and a lot more in my mouth... All of the other ingredients went in and it began to bubble. I have found that corn starch is somewhat magical. No matter what it is mixed with, when it gets hot, it magically turns it thick. I love it! The sauce was looking and smelling delicious. I put that to the side and focused on the noodles. They seemed finished and I went to drain them. Big Problem, no drainer. I looked everywhere. I ended up putting the pan up against the sink to hold the noodles. Egg noodles are slippery suckers- that's all I have to say about that. Next it was time to put it all together. I put the noodles on the plate, the beef on top, and then the sauce. I garnished with green onion, parsley and pepper. I was so proud. Trevor sat down took one bite of the 'sirloin' and gagged as blood dripped out. He then proceeded to cut each piece to check for blood drips. I got the pan, with a pouty face on, and recooked his meat. I also mentioned how everything else would now be cold and ruined. When the 'sirloin' was well done, I re-served it. Now we ate. It actually tasted quite good. I really think I'm getting the hang of using recipes to cook.

Trev-o-meter: 6 "Good and very edible but I would never ask for it."

Honey Dijon Chicken

Dish: Honey Dijon Chicken
Book: Taste of Home
Pajamas: brown SOFT top and plaid pj bottoms
Meal: Dinner
Eaters: Trevor and me

The words you are about read contain graphic scenes. Please proceed with caution.
I got to Trevy's house ready to cook. I had been looking forward to this recipe since I found it yesterday. I got 4 cloves of garlic ready by smashing them and chopping them. I put them in a pan with oil and thyme. I put the chicken breasts in and waited... and waited... and waited. How long do chicken breasts need to cook for cryin'out loud. I ended up chopping them up into tiny pieces to make sure that they cooked. In the meantime, I started mixing the glaze- dun dun dun dun...dun! I put cornstarch and pineapple juice in, so far so good. Next came the 1/2 a cup of Dijon mustard (that is the yellow kind right?). At this point it's looking pretty gross. Next in plops the 1/3 c honey. I almost puked just stirring (note: I clean up snot rockets and pukey peepee kids all day and they don't phase me). I go over and poor the glaze over the chicken. huh(gag noise). I stir and stir waiting for a miracle to happen, it doesn't. I think, "maybe it'll taste good at least." I go to the microwave to heat up the instant 90 second bag of rice. In the back of my head I'm thinking, "this will be the only thing we can eat." I put some slimy chicken and "safe" rice on each plate and called in Trevor. I started eating and didn't say a word. I wanted to hear Trevor's opinion. I gagged down each bite. Even the rice was revolting. I watched Trevor as he cut and smelled. He took one bite and it was all over. In my opinion it tasted like the nastiest tv dinner ever made. It was a complete failure.

Trev-o-meter: A 2 at most. (He said this as he poured the entire pot and his plate down the sink after only taking one bite).

Chili

Dish: Chili
Book: back of a box
Pajamas: yellow Life is Good top, plaid pj bottoms
Meal: Lunner
Eaters: Trevor and me

I ran 10 miles today and wanted to really treat myself but still stay somewhat healthy. I decided on chili! I looked up a recipe in my book, but they all were a bit too detailed for a day that I was soooo very tired. I ended up at the store looking on the back of seasoning boxes. I got one that looked easy and good. I browned a pound of sirloin. Then I split it into 2 pans, one for me, one for Trevy. I put lots of onions and corn in mine and nothing in his (I should have put beans though...). I put water and tomatoe paste in next. Then I added salt, cayenne, chili powder, and Worcester. I let it simmer for 15 minutes. My pan had no lid so I put a pizza baking sheet on top. I then went and snuggled a bit with Trevor. I think that I snuggled a bit too long... I ran out to check on the chili and of course Trevor's looked perfect. Mine looked glued to the bottom. I scraped it into my bowl and spooned his into his and we ate. We added some cheese and ate it with some French bread. Although mine was a bit charbroiled, it was still delicious. I love home cookin'

Trev-o-meter: "I would give it a solid 9 if it had beans and if I could eat it with Frito's."