Time For a Fit...

I'm taking a break from blogging.  I love the diary-like stability of sharing our life in pictures, but we are in a new and exciting stage of life: Stuart finished grad school!!! For the first time since Corgan was born and for the first time in our new house, the thought of grad school is no longer part of our life.  For the next month, I'm going to enjoy my family, and my hubby, and not worry about having to tick out a daily blog.  I will be back with a vengeance later in September!

Foodie Tuesday: Pulled Pork Sandwich Pizza

A few Fridays ago, I posted a recipe for Crock-Pot Pulled Pork Sandwiches.  When we made it, we made extra to freeze for later.  Now is later, so here we go...

Pulled Pork Sandwich Pizza

Leftover Pulled Pork

chopped onion

dill relish

barbeque sauce

Pillsbury pizza dough

mozzarella cheese

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or coat it in butter, then lay out your pizza dough. Using the tines of a fork, pierce the dough a bunch of times so that the crust doesn't puff all up. Pre-bake it at 375 degrees for about 5 minutes (check the directions on the tube), and remove from the oven.

Add all your fixin's (barbeque sauce instead of pizza sauce, mozzarella, onion, and pulled pork).  Don't add the dill relish until after it cooks.

You can see it comes out beautifully!  (We cooked it according to the tube instructions.)

Before you eat it, add some dill relish on top.  This looks a little weird, but trust me, it's soooo good.  We even had leftovers of the leftovers so we took lunches to work.

Stuart's Photo Dump

No, this is not a guest blog from the hubby, and no, this is not a disturbing reference. Stuart blew up my email inbox when he sent me a whole bunch of pictures he had taken on his phone.   I picked a few of the gems to share with you all:

Here is one of Baby Girl when we had first moved into the house.  How tiny?!? Plus, it's way too obvious how big her head is!  When she was born her height and weight were in the 28th percentile, but her head was in the 50th.  She still has a large head in proportion to her body, but look at this head!! (Love her to death though.)

I wanted to post this one to embarrass my mom. In the small thumbnail that was in the email it looked my mom was trying to eat Corgan's head, now that I've uploaded it to my blog, I realize that it is me trying to eat Corgan's head.  Oh, well.  It's still funny.

Here is the real gem, though.  Don't ask.

Corgan's New (Old) Toy

I was going through my photos last night and found these from when my mom got Corgan a new toy.  I had completely forgotten to blog about these so I'm doing that now.

The parents had just returned from their trip to Yosemite, and they brought back a great toy for Corgan.  They bought a set of stacking blocks that had a whole bunch of nature pictures and facts all over them. There are little frogs and butterflies and bugs, and she loves them! Looking at the pictures, though, I can't help but notice how tiny she was.  It was only a couple of months ago, but she was so short and her face was so round.  It's always a treat to go back and check out pictures of my baby child. (Oh, and a cute video follows.)

Broom!!!

I posted a picture the other day on Facebook that had Corgan 'sweeping' my kitchen.  It was cute the first time, but now it's just flipping adorable!!!  First thing she says when she gets downstairs in the morning: "Broom!!!" First thing she says when she is finished with breakfast: "Broom!!!" First thing she says when she gets home from day care: "Broom!!!" First thing she says anytime she sees the pantry door: "Broom!!!"  First thing she says after dinner: "Broom!!!"  Do you get the idea?

BROOM!!!!

Trip to the Container Store

The other day Corgan and I ran some errands and one of them was to The Container Store.  Stuart and I laughingly call this place 'my church.' (His is Best Buy, in case you were wondering.) I had no idea that Corgan would enjoy it as much as I do, but she found a great toy! Who knew that dorm room trash cans could be so fun!

Here is one of my favorite videos of her EVER!!!

Foodie Friday: One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream

This recipe is amazing! I found it at another "Mom Blog," and we tried it the next day.  It is sooo easy, and soooo nummy. 

One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream

Bananas!!!

Start by freezing any bananas that you have.  Bananas that were getting ripe (but not brown-skinned) worked really well for us.

Next, slice your bananas into circles, lay them out on a baking sheet, then put them in the freezer for about 4 hours.  You can either bag them up for later, or move them to a blender.

Blend until smooth and enjoy! Eating right away is 'soft-serve' or you can put it back in the freezer to firm up a bit.  We like ours more like regular ice cream, so we put it back into the freezer.

We topped ours with some chocolate sauce (yes, I know that is a second ingredient).  It was quite tasty!

Foodie Wednesday: Lava Cakes

A few weeks ago, my mom hosted a dinner party, and I helped cook some of the menu.  One thing (I was shocked to find out) was Chocolate Lava Cakes. I am not a baker. I have never been a baker.  Things burn around me. And now I have to make a crazy difficult dessert that I've never made before for a dinner party? What?!?

Chocolate Lava Cakes

(click the name to go to the original recipe at Food Network)

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins

4 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of nutmeg

12 oz semisweet chocolate

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar (plus more for dusting)

6 large eggs plus 6 egg yolks

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

First, take out your frustrations on the chocolate.  I love chef's knives, so I went to town chopping the chocolate into melt-able chunks.

Next, (I forgot to take pictures) preheat your oven to 400 degrees and butter eight (6 oz) ramekins.  Sprinkle each ramekin with 1/2 tsp of the granulated sugar and set aside.  Combine the butter, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg, and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat.  Melt everything together.  This is a slow process, because you want to make sure you don't burn your chocolate.  It's already bitter.  Don't add 'scorched' to flavor profile as well.

Once the chocolate is melted, set the pan on a cool burner while you mix the other ingredients (flour, confectioner's sugar, eggs (and yolks), vanilla extract, and almond extract.  Whisk until everything is good and creamy.  Now add your chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and thoroughly combine.  Slowly pour the final batter into each of the ramekins.  Don't fill them all the way to the top.  They will climb a little, so leave a little gap.

Bake the cakes for 12-14 minutes.  This is where an oven light comes in handy.  Watch these puppies like a hawk!  You want cook them until the "tops are stiff and the edges darken." But just barely.  Remove all the ramekins and let cool for 5 minutes.  Use a small paring knife to loosen all the way around the edges of the ramekins.  The butter and granulated sugar you put on at the beginning will help, but the knife is important.  Transfer upside to your serving plates and dust with powdered sugar (I used a sifter, but you can also use a rice strainer).

Your end result should burst open perfectly and warm chocolate goo should come pouring out at you. I was so happy and relieved when these babies were done! 

Foodie Tuesday: Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

And the last post from the Houston trip. This time I promise!!

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

(This one was good, but plan on cooking it for up to 4 1/2 hours.)
1 Tbsp plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 lb andouille sausage
4 lbs chicken thighs
1 Tbsp creole seasoning (mix found in spice aisle)
1 cup flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
3 bay leaves
9 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp file powder
cooked white rice
hot sauce of choice

Since I had no idea what I was doing, I prepped all my ingredients before hand.  I find that this makes it very easy to work on new recipes.

Start with a large Dutch oven (thank you, Mom!), and heat 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil. Cook your cut up andouille sausage in the oil until its well browned. Mine took 8 minutes.  I followed the times of my recipe religiously, and all worked well. Take out the sausage and leave it on a paper towel to drain.

Next, brown your chicken thighs with skin on. Cook for 6 minutes (3 on each side) until browned. Remove the chicken, let it cool, the put it back in the fridge.  The chicken is not fully cooked at this point, so don't leave it on the counter.

The most important part of a gumbo is the roux.  This was first attempt at a roux so I followed the instructions verbatim.  I've quoted them for this next part so I don't mess it up for you. "Combine the remaining 1/2 cup oil and the flour in the same Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring slowly and constantly for 20-25 minutes, to make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate." Below is the progression of my roux.

I actually Googled some images of roux to see if I got the right look.  The picture looks really light, but I promise it was dark enough.  After this, add the onions, celery, and bell peppers.  Cook them in the roux for 5 minutes.  Add back in the sausage, then add the salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Slowly add the chicken stock while stirring.  Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered for an hour.  

Add the chicken into the stock mixture and simmer for an addition 1 1/2 hours.  Skim the chicken fat from the service as it rises. Once the cooking time if over, remove the mixture from the heat, and remove the chicken.  Take the skin off and throw it away, then pull the chicken off the bone and shred it.  Add the chicken back to pot.  Stir in the green onions and file powder and remove the bay leaves. Serve over the cooked white rice and enjoy! Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Foodie Monday: Cheddar, Bacon, Shrimp & Grits

I'm way backed up on recipes I want to share with you all, so this week is Foodie Week!  Each day I'm going to post a recipe that we thought was a keeper.  Hope you enjoy.  We will return to your regular programming next Monday :)

I know I told you that I was done with posts about Houston, but I guess I lied. We were inspired by Stuart's musical menu plan about Smashing Pumpkins, so we decided to do a menu plan about the concert we were going to. We did a whole week of meals based on Barenaked Ladies and Blues Traveler. Talk about good eats!!!

Monday: Hobo Dinners 

inspired by "Aluminum" by BNL

Tuesday: Kung Pao Chicken 

inspired by the line in "One Week" that says "Chikity China, the Chinese Chicken" by BNL

Wednesday: Cheddar, Bacon, Shrimp and Grits

inspired by Blues Traveler's Louisiana influences

Thursday: Steak Fingers and Mac & Cheese
inspired by the line in "$1,000,000" about mac & cheese by BNL

Friday: Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

inspired by Blues Traveler

Cheddar, Bacon, Shrimp and Grits

1 cup grits (not instant)
4 cups stock (I used chicken, but it calls for shrimp)
4 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon
1 pound shrimp
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup green onion
1/2 tsp cayenne

In one pot start heating your stock, in the other cook up your chopped bacon.  Save the fat.  I always love recipes that tell you to save the bacon fat.

Once your stock is boiling, whisk in your grits and season with salt and pepper.  Reduce the heat, and stir constantly.  The recipe I followed said cook for 15 minutes, mine took about 25. 

Cook your bacon until its good and crispy, then set aside on a paper towel to de-grease.  Try not to eat too many of the tasty morsels before its time to add them to your recipe.

 

In the bacon grease, cook the half the scallions, the garlic, and the shrimp.  You want the shrimpm to just turn pink. Add the lemon juice, rest of the green onions, and cayenne pepper to the shrimp mixture.

When the grits are done to the consistency you like, stir in ALL the cheese and butter.  To serve, ladle some grits into a bowl, top with some of the shrimp mixture, and sprinkle some bacon on top.  Enjoy!!!

Home With a Sick Corgan

Corgan woke up yeseterday with a fever, so daycare was out of the question.  We're still in summer mode at the office, so I took Corgan duty and got to spend the day with her.  I had to go into the office for an early with meeting with my boss, but seeing as we jokingly call him 'The Baby Whisperer,' I brought Corgan along.  She did great during the meeting, and then wanted to explore the campus and the office.

We took a little detour out onto the Jr. Kinder playground.  It wasn't even 9 o'clock, so the temperature was actually reasonable, and all the equipment is just about her size.  We toddled around outside for a bit, then went back inside to grab my things...

And then she found some books.  What toddler doesn't want to read a Word Perfect 9 instruction manual?!?

We headed home shortly after that, and she took a turn for the worse. By the time she was ready for a nap, her temperature was up to 103.2. Not good.  I gave her some Tylenol, and she slept for about an hour (which is more than usual), and woke up not like herself. This is a kiddo that is always waaaay too busy to cuddle. After her nap, she laid tummy to tummy with me on the comfy chair and watched 40 minutes of Sesame Street without flinching.  

She perked up a little about 3:30, so I took the opportunity to run two errands.  I had 8 almost overdue library books to return, and we were almost out of her soy milk.  She took along her new bunny doll that one of her Nana's friend crocheted for her.  She was quiet for a good long time, so I looked back while I was at a red light.  What did I find?...

She had completely de-tailed the bunny!!!  Little shreds of white, fluffy bunny tail were all over the back seat.  It was oddly cute. Now the bunny has a little nubbin.  

Running errands gave her a second wind, so she ran all around the house until bed time. She tried on mommy's shoes...

Caught up with some spiritual literature...

and even managed to fit in some light fiction.

She crashed out a little before her regular bed time without any fuss.  Here's to a healthier day for her tomorrow, but I loved spending some good quality time with my Little One!

Stuart Broke His Elbow

Well, not really, but it did make you open the post.  He actually severely bruised his elbow and now has elbow bursitis.  For those of you who don't know, Stuart is a martial artist. He has a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, but he hasn't been able to practice in a few years due to his graduate degree.  As his days in grad school quickly come to an end, he is getting more and more psyched about restarting work on his next belt.  Sunday night he felt compelled to try breaking some bricks and instead the bricks broke him.

Here is the set-up:

Here is the 'break:'

Another set-up:

Another 'break:'

Here is the aftermath:

Two days later he looks pretty much normal, but it felt nice for me to see that he can actually get hurt.  In five years of marriage, and two years of dating, I've never really seen him get hurt.  I know I shouldn't be so giddy about that, but knowing that your husband is actually human is a good thing.