Okay already, I get it!

Do you ever have times in your life where the same lesson keeps popping up over and over and over again? Lately God seems to be beating me about the head with something and it all finally crystallized for me last night.

Some background: I am a TV junkie. I don't even want to calculate how many hours I spend watching TV in a week because I very well could vomit when I see the number. But know this, I'm quite sure its horrifying. While I love great dramas, classics, documentaries, cooking shows, comedies; my favorite brand is reality TV. It started with american idol and went down hill from there. It just completely feeds into my need to know everything about everyone.

On Monday night I watched the Bachelor finale and while I don't think it tops Jason for smut, Jake certainly did his part to continue the long line of picking the pretty girl who is completely wrong for you (although calling Vienna pretty with that horrid blonde hair is a stretch, she should totally go with her natural color, it looked lovely from the roots and fits her complexion better) <<< See that? That snarkiness that quite literally just spilled from my fingers? This is why God is talking to me!

So anyway, last night for some reason instead of going straight to my list of recorded tv candy, I checked out the guide. Lo and behold, To Kill A Mockingbird is on. My favorite all time book, and a darn good movie! So cousin and I settle in to watch. WOW not a good moive, a great movie. Themes of love and family, understanding and the human condition. Of prejudice and pride, of sacrifice, of justice, of respect. The whole time I'm watching I'm thinking about how much more I am getting out of this experience compared to last night.

And then all the conversations and readings from the recent past  just start flooding my brain

• The conversation with a co-worker about quality programming and how many truly great shows there are right now, and how I watch ALL of them and more
• The blog of a mother who almost lost her son and how she's choosing to focus on not just the good things in life, but the best things. The eternal things. 
• Story after story of folks who live their life without tv
• Prayers to God to show me how to better myself, how to make myself worthy to be called Mom 
• My desire to give up something for lent, but having no clue what to do 

I have better things to do with my short time on this earth. So dun dun dun dah! I've decided to give up TV for a month, starting when I get back from vacation. (I am considering an American idol exemption, its only on once!) And after that, I'm limiting myself to 14 hrs a week, and I'm going to try to only watch shows that make me better in some way.

I'm both scared and excited. A lot of the time Hubs and I spend together is in front of the tv, and I'm not sure how he's going to take to losing his tv buddy. I'm more excited than anything, cause think of all the time I'm freeing up! All the books I can read! My house will be so clean!

Honestly, I feel like God has spoken to me, and to not listen would be disobedient. So I'm doing this thing, regardless of my feelings and I'm sure its the right path. What do you guys think? Anyone have any sort of experience here? Great book suggestions? Want to do lunch? I'll have time...

Bringing you up to speed

In chronological order:

• We found a house
• We bought a house
• My cousin Morgan came to stay with us (initially while she looked for a place, but people who want to rent rooms are CREEPY, so she's here indefinitely)
• We moved into said house on Dec 5th, during which we got 5 inches of snow
• Moved in for two weeks when snowpocalypse hit, 18" of snow- I still thought snow was fun at this point
• My parents came in for Christmas AND we had all the family Christmas's at my house, in-laws, my fam, my mom's extended fam- all within a 24hr period. All having just moved in 3 weeks earlier. I've since recovered my brain cells and will not be doing that again.
• January is a blur, I did a lot of unpacking and decompressing from the homebuying experience. There was also more snow. 
• In early February snowmaggedon hit, dumping a full 2 ft of snow. Then three days later, 12 more inches. I think I left the house twice in a week. I still had to work from home. It was lame. I now break out into tears and hide in a corner whenever I see snow in the forecast.
• Hubs turned 34! I got a migraine and he spent all day taking care of me. (Boo to that) I tried to make it up to him by making red velvet cake from scratch. Epic fail. At least his sheperd's pie turned out well.
• Snow is melting, Kristen is happier.

I reserve the right to blog about any and all of these events in detail at a later date. I also have some new recipes to post,  which are bangin. We also found mold on our pantry ceiling, discovered the leak that was causing it and determined that we need a second heatpump put in to effectively heat and cool our home but I'm blocking the chronological order of these events cause they make my head hurt.

Also, my husband has decided to caulk everything in our house, which is great, except he refuses to learn the right way to apply it, so its messy. And he thinks rope caulk is God's gift, so he uses it almost everywhere. Including the baseboards. (This might not sound like a big deal, but let me explain. Rope caulk is like putty, which means its slightly tacky. We have four animals in our house. So I have a grey, messy, tacky line along the perimeter of every room that is now teeming with fur) Sigh. I love him. I love that he's trying to make things better. If anyone has any tips on how I can focus more on the effort he's making and not the hours of work that his "help" is making for me I would really appreciate it. I feel like this is a skill will become an acute need once motherhood comes calling.

Okay, I pinky swear to blog more often than once every 6 months. Next weekend I'm heading to the Carribean for a Disney cruise with my Mommy! We plan to dominate all Disney trivia competitions, get a tan, and majorly relax. Hopefully that will provide some good blog fodder :o) Until then peeps!

Househunting sucks or alternately titled Buyer's Market my foot

Hubs and I have embarked on the glorious journey that is buying your first home. As a military brat, I know a little bit about househunting or so I thought. I had been looking online for months and there were plenty of places that fit our price range and our area. So we went in bright eyed and bushy tailed, full of hopes that our experience would be different from all our friends. We would find the perfect place and find it easily.

WRONG.

Oh so wrong. When my SIL asked if I had cried yet, I thought she was exaggerating. Surely it couldn't be that bad. Oh it is. Why? Because sure, there are houses on the market but 95% are short sales and apparently no one realizes that a short sale actually benefits the seller by NOT making you go in foreclosure and ruining your credit for years! So people trash places and frankly, apparently a lot of people take pretty crappy care of their houses to begin with. Theresa on Real Housewives of New Jersey said on the show in explanation of why they were building "I just schkeev looking at other peoples houses". I thought she was a princess. I apologize Theresa, I totally get it now. People are gross.

The houses that are acceptable have multiple bidders before I can even call my realtor to look at them. Maybe in some parts of the country the buyer is king, but around DC my friend, that is a joke. I truly believe at this point that if (no, no positive thinking! When!) when we find our house it will proof of a loving God. Divine intervention is my last hope.

Crab-tastic

Crab is delicious. I would eat it everyday if I could. I got a great deal on some pasteurized crab meat so I bought 4 pounds. FYI, pasteurized crab lasts for like 8 months in the fridge so when it goes on sale I stock up.  I am a huge fan of Chicken of the Sea backfin. It has huge chunks of crab meat, is cheaper than jumbo lump and I have never found a shell. No, seriously, never. If you've ever dealt with fresh crab meat you know how crazy that is.

Anywho, I used the first pound to make crab cake benedict, which is one of my absolute favorite foods. (Picture eggs benedict, then swap the canadian bacon for a crab cake. Mmm hmmm, divine) I mean, crab covered in hollandaise? What could possibly be wrong with that?! Tonight I'm doing surf and turf cause we're having company for dinner. I use the same crab cake recipe for both meals.

Crab Cakes
1 lb fresh crabmeat (As I mentioned, I prefer backfin)
1/2 c mayo
2 Tbs Dijon mustard
1-2 tsp lemon juice (I'm sorry, I don't measure. Start with one and taste it, does it need more lemon? However, its hard to go overboard with lemon and crab)
1/2 tsp worstershire sauce
~1/2 tsp Old Bay (to taste, no substitutes here though!)
~1/2c bread crumbs (either panko or fresh that you dry out in a 200 degree oven for ~8 minutes)

Mix all ingredients but crab together in the bottom of a bowl. Drain and pick through crab removing any shells (if necessary, see Chicken of the Sea above :o) Gently fold crab meat and filling together, trying not break up the crab meat. It should hold together somewhat, if not, add a bit more mayo, like a tablespoon. Divide into four parts and form into crab cakes about an inch think.

Preheat a non-stick skillet to medium/ medium-high. Coat bottom of skillet in olive oil (~2-3 Tbs). Gently place in crab cakes and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Bottom should be dark brown (Lift whole crab cake out of pan on slotted spatula and look under neath, don't try to lift up side to peek) Flip and cook 3 minutes on other side. Serve immediately.

If I'm going benedict style, I make a blender hollandaise.

Blender Hollandaise
3 egg yolks
1tsp lemon juice
pinch of cayenne pepper
large pinch of salt
1/2 c butter, melted and piping hot (I nuke for 1.5 to 2 minutes)

Add everything but butter to blender and blend for 30 seconds on whip setting (high). While blender is still on, add butter to blender. Mix for 15-20 seconds. Taste for seasoning. Add a bit of water if too thick. Serve immediately.



As much as I like crab cakes though, one of those pounds of crab meat absolutely has crab rangoon written allllll over it. I've been craving these lovelies for a hot minute now. When I first figured out the recipe (My bestie Wezi made them once and I had to figure out a recipe) my sister in law and I probably made it a dozen times between the two of us, in about the span of 3 months. It rocks. You bake the rangoons rather than fry them so you can feel less guilty as you shovel them into your face! Its a pretty easy recipe as far as difficulty, but it is labor intensive so if you've got a buddy to help, grab them. Don't worry, there's plenty to share.

Baked Crab Rangoon
8oz crabmeat (I use fresh, but canned would still be yummy)
8oz cream cheese (I use light)
2 Tbs mayo (I use light)
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp worstershire sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
5 scallions minced, white only
1 pkg wonton skins
1/4 c butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together all ingredients but wonton skins and butter. Get a plate and a small bowl of water. Take one wonton skin and put about a teaspoon of the filling in the center. Dip your finger in water and wet the edges of the wonton. Pull the corners of the wonton to the center, sealing all edges together into a pyramid shape. (I'll get pictures up the next time I make this!) Place onto a cookie sheet and repeat until you use all filling. Using a pastry brush, brush butter on each wonton. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges are browned and crispy. Serve with duck sauce or just all by themselves.

Honey Dijon Salmon

Seafood is life in this house and salmon is one of our absolute favorites. I adapted this recipe from one that my co-worker Marquette gave to me. It is easy, quick and oh so good! Its a go to staple in my house.

Honey Dijon Salmon

4 6oz portions of Salmon
Salt and Pepper
1/4 c mayo (I use light)
1/4 c dijon mustard
1/2 c honey
2 Tbs butter, melted
1/2c breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Place salmon in 13x9 dish, salt and pepper fish. In small bowl, mix mayo, mustard, and honey together. In another small bowl (I use a mug), mix butter and breadcrumbs together. Spoon or pour honey mixture over fish, covering completely. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top of the sauced fish. Bake for 12-15 minutes until breadcrumbs begin to brown (or fish reaches 130 degrees internally)

I serve with roasted asparagus and cous cous ( I love the roasted garlic and olive oil box mix from Near East). Spoon the pan drippings over the cous cous, yum yum.

Chicken Teriyaki

So sometimes I am just not up for being a gourmet. Especially when we are trying not to eat out, sometimes a girls just gotta get something on the plate! This is when I go all Sandra Lee semi-homemade on ya! Last night I made Chicken Teriyaki with fried brown rice (cause its all about moderation right :). This is the very first meal I ever made my husband and he loved it, which told me that at least he was easy to please!

I have a couple of overall cooking and prep tips I use to make life easier overall. I buy chicken breasts when they are onsale for $1.99 a pound and then take them home and chop them up, put into freezer bags, add marinade and freeze them. This way all I have to do is take it out the night before and it marinates and defrosts at the same time. And you only have to touch nasty, disease ridden raw chicken once!

Chicken Teriyaki with Fried Rice

1-1.5 lbs chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces, marinated in teriyaki (sauce, marinade whatever floats your boat)
1 cup Uncle Bens converted Brown Rice
2 tsp powered Chicken Bouillon (I use no sodium)
1 bag of frozen veggies (again, whatever floats your boat. I use broccoli, carrots and cauliflower mixed)
1 tsp chopped garlic (I use jarred, I said this was a get it on the table meal!)
2 eggs
1Tbs +1tsp soy sauce.
4 Tbs teriyaki
Olive Oil
1 Tbs butter

Add rice to small saucepan, along with bouillon and 2 cups water. Cook according to package directions.

Heat a medium deep sauce pan to medium high. Add chicken to pan, leaving behind as much of marinade as possible. (I use a pair of long handled tongs to fish out the chicken and leave behind the rest) Brown chicken for 6-10 minutes (depending on how small you cut the chicken) until cooked through. Remove from pan.

Add ~1cup of water to pan and bring to boil. Add bag of frozen veggies and bring back to boil. Drop to low and cook with lid on for 5-6 minutes until veggies are softened but not mush. Drain Veggies and add chicken back to pan. Add 3 Tbs teriyaki and 1 tsp soy sauce and cook until liquid is gone (about 5 minutes). Remove to bowl.

Beat eggs in small bowl until combined. Heat same pan to medium high, add Tbs olive oil and butter. When butter has melted, add garlic to pan. Add cooked rice to pan, and remaining teriyaki and soy, and stir to coat. Stir for 2-3 minutes, then make a well in the middle of the pan. add egg to middle and cook, stirring only egg for about a minute, scrapping bottom of pan. Then stir all together and cook for another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve Teriyaki in bowls over Rice. The longest thing here is to wait for the rice to cook. This is also a great way to use leftover rice!!

Dinner last night

Yesterday I was bound and determined NOT to go to the grocery store. I just wasn't ready to face Giant on a Sunday. Too many people wandering in and out of aisles and it takes away from the fun of MY wandering the aisles.

I knew I had steaks in the freezer and asparagus in the fridge, but had no clue exactly what I was going to do with them. Plus, in my warped mind, Sunday dinner is more than meat and veg. I had some arborio rice so I decided to make risotto. I didn't have any mushrooms or chicken stock but I went with it anyway. I did have beef stock and by the end result of the dinner, I officially apologize to beef stock for overlooking you earlier. Dinner was fan-frickin-tastic if I do say so myself! (Or you can ask Hubs, he agrees :o) Seriously one of the best meals I've made in a hot minute and certainly the best on the fly ever. I'm putting the recipe below with quantities for the whole meal, cause that's how I roll.

Sirloin with wine sauce, risotto, and roasted asparagus

4 5oz Sirloin Steaks (NY Strip)
salt & pepper
3 Tbs Olive oil
1 quart beef stock
1 bottle of Red Wine (Just use what you have on hand, but make sure its something you would drink!)
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbs Worstershire Sauce
2 Tbs + 1 tsp unsalted Butter-divided
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
1/4 c + 1 Tbs chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 cup arborio
1/3c parmesan
Some fresh thyme and parsley (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375. Place asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet, and top with 1 Tbs shallots. Drizzle with ~Tbs of olive oil, salt& coarse ground pepper. Toss to coat and then set aside.

In a saucepan, heat beef stock on low.

Heat a large skillet on high, add 1-2 Tbs of olive oil, enough to lightly coat pan. Dry steaks with paper towel and salt and pepper one side. Place in pan seasoning side down and salt and pepper other side.

Heat another large skillet (preferably deep) on medium, add ~1 Tbs olive oil and 1 tsp butter. Add remaining shallots, cook for about 1 minute and then add arborio rice and garlic. Risotto is labor intensive but fairly simple. For all the below steps, you should be stirring frequently. Cook for 1-2 minutes until rice is opaque.

About this time, you'll need to flip the steaks. Check them first to make sure they are nice and brown.

Back to risotto. Add ~1/3c of red wine and cook until wine is completely absorbed. Add ~1c of heated stock and simmer until mostly absorbed.

Take steaks out of pan and place on cookie sheet in oven. Set timer for 5 minutes for medium. Place asparagus in oven also. Turn steak pan to medium and add 1/4 c of stock and 1 cup of red wine. Stir and scrape bottom of pan to deglaze. Add vinegar and worstershire. Stir occasionally, when the sauce coats the back of a spoon, taste, adjust seasonings and then turn off the heat. Add 1 Tbs of butter and ~tsp of chopped thyme. Let stand until rest of dinner is ready.

Take steaks out and cover with foil. Set timer for 10 minutes.

Continue adding stock to risotto in small amounts until all is absorbed. Don't let the stock completely absorb before adding more. Once all stock is added taste and season. Turn off heat add 1 Tbs of butter and parmesan. Stir and let sit for a minute or two.

When timer goes off, pull asparagus out of the oven. Plate risotto, steak and aspargus; generously sauce the meat, and sprinkle chopped parsley on risotto & steak. It should look a little something like this:



Serve with the rest of the wine and enjoy! Suuuuper yummy stuff. Sunday marks the beginning of our 30 days of no eating out. I'm going to try and post all the recipes but we'll have to see :)