It's about time!

Yup, it has been a several months since I last posted....AGAIN.  Seriously, where has the time gone?  Well after the Thanksgiving post things went a bit, well let's just say things got a bit crazy.  Let's break it down.
My boss gave her notice (at the end of October), HR did not post the job until mid-November, I applied, waited, waited and waited some more.  I finally got an interview mid-December, all while we were crazy busy at work.  I was offered the job and accepted.  YEAH!  Well to keep my long drawn out story shorter, lets just say I started my new job on January 3rd and had a crash course.  My days since the last week of December have been insane to say the least.
It is now September....where has the time gone? We made it through wrestling, baseball (2 teams), wrestling camp, football camp, 2 week vacation, school starting, football & Labor Day weekend horseshoe tournament camping extravaganza.  We are now back in the swing of all things routine.  Well except we now travel twice a week for football and our son is starting drivers education next week.  May all of you stay safe on the roads!

I have been doing little cooking since my schedule became so incredibly crazy at work, but still have managed to make a few recipes.  Today is also the day that my son and I spend in the kitchen for him to get his clock hours for his culinary class.  So far he has made zucchini bread with only a few words of wisdom from Mom.

Here is the recipe we used:  Zucchini Bread 
Just a couple of things.  For breads such as zucchini or banana, I like to butter and sugar the pans instead of flour.  Makes a nice crust and tastes really good.  Also, my son made one batch as written and I made a second batch substituting 1 c. unsweetened apple sauce for the 1 c. oil.  They both turned out great!


In addition I have a few of other favorites from the summer.  Try them out!

Watermelon salad with Balsamic Reduction

Cut up fresh watermelon
Chiffonade (thinly slice) fresh mint leaves

1/2 - 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

In a small pan over medium heat mix balsamic, sugar and water.  Reduce until syrup consistency.

Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the watermelon salad.  YUM!


Rhubarb Compote
4 cups diced rhubarb
1 1/2 cups sugar
1-2 T. lemon juice
1 T. corn starch
1-2 T. water

In a medium pan add rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice.  Cook until tender but not mushy.  Mix in a separate bowl the cornstarch and water.  Add to the rhubarb mixture.  Cook a few more minutes until thickened slightly.

This compote is great for topping French toast, ice cream or toast.

Last but not least here is MY recipe for stuffed pablano peppers....they may sound and look a little, well, interesting but they taste AMAZING!

Stuffed Pablano Peppers
4-5 Large Pablano peppers
1 package reduced fat pork sausage
2-3 ears of corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch cilantro
1 tsp. cumin
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2-4 oz. Cotija cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cut tops off of peppers and set them aside.  You will use them later.  Seed the peppers. In a large skillet, brown sausage over medium heat.  Pour off any remaining fat.  Reduce heat to medium-low. Add chopped garlic. Shuck and cut corn off of the cobs, add corn to the skillet.  Add black beans, smashing them slightly with the back of a spoon.  Chop up about 1/3 cup cilantro, add to pan along with 1 tsp. cumin (more if desired).  Stir until well combined.  Crumble in 2-4 oz. of Cotija cheese. Stir to combine and warm through.  Remove from heat.  Stuff peppers with mixture until almost to the top of pepper.  Replace the pepper top and stick with toothpicks to hold into place.  Grill peppers on the bbq, over medium-low heat until outside of peppers are soft and cooked through. Serve with sliced avocado & Mexican crema or sour cream.

This dish goes extremely well with homemade corn cakes, flat bread or tortillas.

This recipe is a great free-form recipe.  Change things up, add whatever sounds good to you.  Don't have Cotija cheese but have cheddar, then use the cheddar.  Don't have fresh corn, use canned or frozen. Do what sounds good to you!  Enjoy!

Job? Who has time for a job?

For the first time, really in my life, I find myself feeling like I am living in "The Land of the Lost". I was laid off from work on October 14th after having hours reduced from 32/week to 10/week back in May. Since then I have been religiously looking for a job. As anyone will tell you, it is like finding a needle in the haystack to actually get a job right now. So you may ask where "land of the lost" comes from....Well, you see there has always been a reason I have had a job. Bottom line is....I'm a better Mom, wife and person when I am working. I am more productive and I am just happier. Since I have been at home I have had to come up with ways to kill the urge flee for some retail therapy or worse HSN/QVC therapy (yes you can get food from them too). I've been feeling quite lost with this change that I am forced to face, it is really unfamiliar territory. Who knew it would be so difficult? It never was before. As the saying goes, drastic change calls for drastic measures. So it goes.......

I have always loved to bake & cook, but have only done basics. You know what I am talking about - soup out of a can, grilled cheese, tater-tot casserole, tacos, pork roast, chicken with rice..you get the idea. It has only been in the last couple of years that I have really started to experiment with food and baking (yup, some gets thrown away because even the dogs won't eat it...but not much).

I started to make homemade bread when I figured out it would save us between $40-$50 a month....just on bread (this includes loaves, rolls, bagels, etc.) Wow...that is a great savings and I will know what actually goes into the bread I make (kinda makes you think eww doesn't it?). Well as luck would have it, I actually like making bread. I've made white, wheat, honey-wheat, oatmeal, dinner rolls, sandwich rolls, slider rolls, cinnamon rolls, bagels, baguettes & french. I started out by using my bread machine to make the whole thing (yes a faux pas to those who spend hours and muscles kneading by hand - craziness I say), moved onto just using it for dough and now everything is made in the kitchenaid (unless I am crunched on time) and baked in the oven. Kitchenaid = the best invention since sliced bread! I have a couple new recipes bookmarked to try: English muffins & brioche. Maybe this week.

I can't forget autumn/winter transition. 'Tis the season for pumpkin. Oh, how I love anything pumpkin. I have an incredible recipe for pumpkin cookies (that seem to disappear faster than I can get them finished) and just found a great pumpkin muffin recipe. Yah, they don't last long either. Boys eat a lot when they are teenagers. Speaking of pumpkin, I made a fabulous pumpkin soup with bacon, toasted pecans & blue cheese....I know sounds kind of yucky, but it was really tasty. Two teenage boys and one happy husband gave the green light to make it again. Trust me I am just as surprised as you are.

So, I got really lucky in my life. I have one fabulous boy who pretty much eats everything, literally. When I say everything, if you looked in my fridge and cupboards, you would understand. Why didn't anyone ever tell me that teenage boys have two hollow legs? Seriously? The best part is it makes it easy to try new things. The only things I have found that he didn't like were the butternut squash ravioli and butternut squash soup....I think it might be the butternut squash, huh. Oh and the crazy thing he won't eat...tacos. I'm not sure if he really is my child because that just happens to be my very favorite dinner ever. Was he switched at birth? Not likely since he looks just like his Dad. Call me crazy, but who doesn't like tacos? That is just plain wrong. Whatever, he is missing out. I guess to his defense he really eats everything else, even stuff I would not dare try...I'm kind of a sissy with some things. Yes, it is true, I admit I am a complete wimp when it comes to some food items, think slimy or wild.

Anyways, as I said I have been experimenting a lot lately. Tonight is was the pumpkin soup, two nights ago it was homemade Cinnamon-Pancetta Carbonara. Now when I say "homemade" I really mean it. The only store bought pasta you will find in my house is orzo or fusilli (you know the cork screw kind for salad) or maybe once in awhile penne. I have been making my own pasta for a couple of years now and once you make your own, the store bought stuff just doesn't do. I do have to admit I use the kitchenaid with the pasta attachments, much to the dismay of a very dear friend who's Italian heritage finds that to be just shameful. But alas, it is the way I make it and I have not had any complaints, just ask the teenage boy who ate four helpings, a stuffed husband, sister and father. I am really expanding my food repertoire.

All of this just to say that I have enjoyed being in the kitchen preparing savory meals, sweet concoctions and breads, lots of breads. Really it all just started because I'm a terrible stay at home person and needed to find an outlet without breaking the bank. So now I ask, do I really have time for a job?

Where is the manual?

As a Mom of one 13 year old boy we have had many times in his short life that have tested everything I have and everything I am to "keep it together, be rational and remember he is just a kid". Sometimes I wonder how many times I have to repeat the same thing. Well, I am finding out that there are some things that you can not repeat enough....like "brush your teeth and wash your face". Questions like "did you feed and water the dogs?, are your chores done - the way they are supposed to be?" Ugggh. That leads me to the "remember he is just a kid" part. As I (we) try to teach basic, but utterly important life responsibilities, there are many times that I have treated him like an adult and have forgotten, he really is just a kid. I know it is not an epiphany, but a gentle nudge to myself to remember he is just a kid and only has a brief amount of time left to be just that. My wish for him is to grow up, be a loving, caring and responsible member of society. I guess if I remember the "big picture" those little reminders really are no big deal.

I am one of the lucky Moms. I have a kind and respectable son. He is loving and he still kisses me and tells me he loves me - everyday! (Don't tell anyone I said so, he is 13 after all and that is totally uncool.) He has great manners and really is learning about the responsibilities of life, even if I sometimes wonder.

Tonight's question. Where is the manual? I think that darn nurse forgot to leave it with me when I was wheeled out of the hospital that day in 1996.

So for all of the Moms (and Dads) that are on the same journey, finding their way along with their kid(s), here is to hoping we don't screw them up too bad as we write our own manual!