Happy Valentine's Day

I hope you are all having a lovely Valentine's Day and I hope you get to spend some time with the people you love.

Over 10 years ago I met my husband - he was a friend of my older sister's. He seemed nice, talented, silly. A couple years later, my sister graduated and I started hanging out with him more. He seemed ever nicer, more talented, and sillier. After graduating from high school, we went our separate ways - I went to college and he went to serve a mission for the LDS church. A few years later we went on our first date after his mission (a wedding of a mutual friend). We knew then that we wanted to keep dating. We were so happy.

I lived in Idaho at the time and he lived in Utah. We dated long distance until I graduated from college. I moved to Provo, UT to work and be closer to him. A few months later we were married. We were so happy, so in love.

Two and a half years later we welcomed our baby girl into the world. We were no longer a couple, we were a family. Ariel developed quickly into an amazing father. I was proud to call him my husband. We were so happy, so in love.

Now, we have two more years added to our happy married life. We have gone through hard times and great times - all have made us grow closer and more in love. AC is a great husband, a great father, and my very best friend.  We are so happy, so in love, so excited for the future!

Happy Valentine's Day Ariel - you are the bacon to my eggs!

Yellow Thai Curry

I just started working night shifts now for my job. It is so much nicer to only miss a few hours of Lou's day - rather than the whole thing. I think we will both do much better.
The only problem is the obvious one - I am tired. I have great friends who are helping me watch Lou for a few hours in the morning so I can sleep, plus I sleep during her nap. That gives me about 6 hours of sleep - which is much better than I expected. But, I am a 8-9 hour girl. I know there are few of us out there, but I really need that amount of sleep or I am cranky/weepy/impatient. The days after I work I am moving slow and don't get much done around the house. Then dinner rolls around - and I need something fast and easy. This Thai Curry recipe is just that - easy easy! Thank you Trader Joe's!

Yellow Thai Curry

2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, cut in half then sliced
1 large bell pepper, sliced
1-2 tomatoes, sliced (I like to use a Roma or something with a lot of flesh and not a lot of juice)
Trader Joe's Yellow Thai Curry sauce (I use about half the jar)
Salt and Pepper

In a large frying pan or a wok, heat up a few tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken breast pieces with salt and pepper. Toss in wok, stirring occasionally, until almost cooked through. Add in onion, cook for an additional two minutes. Add in bell pepper, cook another 1 minute. Add sauce and tomatoes, cook until heated through. Serve over Jasmine Rice.

*If you don't want to do chicken - substitute any meat you like - pork, shrimp, beef, whatever you have in the freezer!

Creme Brulee

I had a great birthday - nice and calm. I didn't get the creme brulee made until later in the week - but they were certainly worth the wait! Mmm. Lindsey raved about this recipe on her blog, so I decided it was the one I should try. I was not disappointed!

Crème Brûlée
by Dorie Greenspan
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk 3 large egg yolks
1 / 3 cup sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
About 6 tablespoons sugar or sifted light brown sugar, for topping

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 200ºF. Put the six baking dishes on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Bring the cream and milk just to a boil.
In a 1 or 2-quart glass measuring cup or in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together until well blended but not airy. Still whisking, drizzle in about one quarter of the hot liquid---this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won’t curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the cream and milk. Give the bowl a good rap against the counter to de-bubble the custard, then strain it into the baking dishes. Place dishes in a larger dish (i.e. 9x13 pan) and pour water into the larger pan until reaches half way up the custard dishes.
Bake the custards for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the centers are set---tap the sides of the dishes, and the custards should hold firm. Lift the dishes onto a cooling rack and let the custards cool until they reach room temperature.
Cover each custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably longer. (The custards can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.) For the sugar to be successfully caramelized, the custards need to be thoroughly chilled.
Makes 6 servings.

Tips from Dorie:

• The most efficient way to caramelize the sugar topping is to use a blowtorch . If you don’t have a torch, you can chill the custards very, very well, then set them in an ice-cube-filled roasting pan and run them under the broiler. You won’t get as even a coating with the broiler as you would with the torch, but you’ll still get the flavor and the pleasure of a crackly sugar crust over cream custard.
• The best baking dishes for crème brûlée are shallow, ideally just an inch high, about 4 inches in diameter and holding about ¾ cup of liquid. Porcelain, pottery or glass gratin or baking dishes are perfect, but if you don’t have them, you can use ramekins or even disposable aluminum foil pans, an unglamorous but effective solution.
• Serve the crème brûlée when the crème is really cold and the brûlée is still warm. You can serve the whole dessert chilled, but the sugar topping won’t have its characteristic crackle. And while I think crème brûlée should be served with nothing more then a spoon, you could offer berries and cookies as accompaniments.
• The custard for crème brûlée must be made ahead so it has plenty of time to chill, but once you’ve caramelized the sugar on top, your storage time is over if your want the sugar to have crunch.

What's in Season - February

I hope you are all having a great February so far. It is so cold here I have even avoided the grocery store. But, if you are able to brave the weather and get out to the stores - here's what's is going to be the best!

Here's What's in Season for February:

From left to right (kind of):
Oranges
Cauliflower
Rutabaga (just learned the difference between rutabaga and a turnip is a rutabaga is a cross between a turnip and a cabbage)
Brussel Sprouts
Turnips
Broccoli
Apples
Tangerines (and all it's family members)
Endive
Grapefruit
Escarole
and Fennel

Enjoy the freshest produce!

Smoothies

So today is my birthday and I am taking it easy - no work, no big events, just relaxing at home. I think I might whip up some creme brulee for tonight. We shall see how it goes.
For my birthday I decided to share with you one of my favorite breakfasts - smoothies! (I also have these for lunch, dinner, or a snack!) It is freezing here, so this helps me remember the warm days of summer.
This is more of a method than a recipe so pay attention to the tips at the bottom.

Smoothies

1 cup ice
2 cups frozen fruit (store bought or leftovers from the summer)
1 cup yogurt - any flavor
splash of lime/orange/lemon juice (optional)
2-4 cups fruit juice


Place ice, fruit, ice, lime juice, and enough fruit juice to come almost to top of fruit in the blender.

Blend until smooth, Add remaining fruit juice if needed to thin out the smoothie. Makes about 6 cups.
The smoothie I have pictured has peaches, strawberries, blueberries, strawberry yogurt, and grape juice.

Tips:

• Put the food in the blender in the order I listed. It makes blending easier because the ice doesn't just float and avoid the blades. 
• I like my smoothies a little thicker - add more juice or even milk if you want to.
• I like my smoothies to have something tart - so that's why I add lime juice - use your judgment. 
• Try many combinations:
• Peaches, Mangoes, Strawberries with orange juice
• Strawberries, peaches, with lemonade and limeade
• Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries with your favorite juice
• Pineapple, bananas, strawberries, with pineapple juice
• Peaches, Strawberries, Bananas with peach juice
• Taste before serving it up - depending on the ripeness of your fruit you may need to add sugar or something a little tart to cut the sweet.
• Experiment!

New Job

The first few months after moving to Nebraska was a little busy and stressful for me, to say the least. I just couldn't face adding training for a new job on top of my already overwhelming list:
- move
- adjust to husband in first semester of law school
- get settled/find friends
- finish up online classes (which were both more time consuming than expected)
- be a good mom

Lucky for me, I was able to interview for a nursing position on an L&D unit in a beautiful new hospital. They hired me, but were willing to let me start after things settled down a bit. AC and I thought after Christmas break things would be better. So, last week, I started at the new Medical Center just outside Omaha. I still have 2 1/2 weeks of training left - just enough time to get adjusted to the charting and how things are run. So far so good! The nurses I have met are all so friendly and in the words of Annie, "I think I'm gonna like it [t]here!"

Between my hour commute each way and my 12 hour shifts I don't get to see my daughter at all on the days that I work. It totally stinks. I cried on my way home Monday realizing that I wouldn't get to see her.  (I blame the tears on pregnancy hormones.)  Once I am off orientation I will work nights (7 pm to 7 am) and only two days a week. Then I will only miss a few hours of her awake time and she will barely know I am gone. I am excited for this new adventure and we will see how it goes! Wish me luck!

Spanish Tortilla

So the other day, I was reading Vanessa's blog and thought that her Spanish Tortilla sounded yummy, easy, inexpensive, and I had all the ingredients. Perfect! Dinner was solved. So I took her recipe and made a few adjustments.
I will say, the flipping is a little tricky - but if you have a plate, it probably would have worked better than me trying to use the lid of my frying pan (not as balanced).

Spanish Tortilla

adapted from Vanessa
vegetable oil
3 potatoes
8 Eggs
1/3 cup of milk
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 tsp garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 slices of thick ham, cubed
1/2 green bell pepper, cubed
cilantro, for garnish
1 tomato, diced, for garnish

Heat oil over medium-high heat. You want just enough to coat the pan and about half way up your potatoes. Cook until potatoes are almost fork-tender (about 8 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, milk, garlic, salt, pepper, and cheese; set aside.
Once potatoes are browned and almost fork tender, drain oil. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low. Add in your egg mixture. Add ham and peppers. Gently stir the egg mixture for a few seconds. Cover pan with a lid. Once you feel like it is done on the sides and bottom, here comes the tricky part! Get a plate out and flip the pan over to the put the Spanish Tortilla on the plate. Then slide the Spanish tortilla off the plate and back into the pan so the other side can cook. (She made it sound so easy!) Once cooked through, remove from pan, garnish with cilantro and tomatoes.
Serve warm or room temperature. Serves 4-6 people.

Broiled Grapefruit

I love grapefruit and this time of year they are delicious. I was introduced to this way of eating grapefruit by one of my best friends when we were in high school. I didn't really like grapefruit at all, but this converted me. (I like it without sugar now too).
This is really simple to make too!

Broiled Grapefruit

serves 2
1 grapefruit (I prefer pink over yellow)
2 Tbsp brown sugar

1. Cut grapefruit in half, remove seeds if visible.
2. Sprinkle each half with 1 Tbsp (give or take depending on your preference)
3. Place under preheated broiler for 1-3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved and started to caramelize (I could have gone a little longer). Eat!

12 on the 12th - January 2011

I have followed Miranda's blog for a while and love these posts she does every month. I have only done it once before, but I hope to be a little better about it this year.

1. Yikes. My poor husband had to walk to his first day of school in that!
2. Breakfast - broiled grapefruit (recipe to come)
3. Went to see what she was up to - "just weeding"
4. Spent part of Lou's nap ironing shirts for my husband (this is about half of what I did)
5. After she woke up, and while I finished the last couple shirts - she drank three of these spray bottles full of water.
6. My daughter likes a lot of "boy things" -- she was very excited to see the tractor shoveling our apt complex's parking lot (post nap hair is so awesome)
7. Dinner - my version of Vanessa's Spanish Tortilla - (recipe to come)
8. Hit my 24 week mark!
9. My treat when the husband went back to school to study
10. How I found my shoes that night when I was tidying up.
11. My intended way to spend the evening -- only I got distracted by my new work schedule and trying to find babysitters
12. It was a long day, I got a lot done around the house... but I was exhausted and pregnant = emotional. I needed a couple of these.

What's in Season - January

So I am back. Thanks for all your wishes and help with this rough past month we had. Little Lou is doing great - crazier than ever. Her EEG came back normal. Just a febrile seizure. (Just - like it was nothing! ha. Little do they know her parents were slightly freaked.) We are healthy, happy, and have bigger appetites than before. We all must be going through a growth spurt.
Even though we are almost half way through January, (wow, seriously?!) I thought you still deserved to know What's in Season this month! I am so excited for all the citrus. Our local store was having a big sale this week. I am totally having a broiled grapefruit for breakfast tomorrow!

image via

What's in Season in January:
Broccoflower
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cardoon
Cauliflower
Chestnuts
Endive
Escarole
Fennel
Rutabaga
Winter squash
Sweet potatoes
Turnip
Oranges
Apples
Grapefruit
Tangerines, tangelos, other mandarin oranges