The Last Five: New Recipes I've Tried

I'm not a great cook; nor is it something I particularly love.  I do like to bake, but mostly because I like to eat baked goods. Sometime I feel particularly inspired and enjoy the process, but mostly I just want to get something fast, cheap and easy in my mouth (#TWSS).

I do know how to make a few things in my sleep (hellllo E's favorite pasta and chicken!) but I like to try something new once in awhile. Some of the following are winners, some are just okay (which may be more of a product of the cook as opposed to the recipe).

Baked Gnocchi with Chicken - E loves gnocchi and so we had a package of it lying around, but the times we've made it according to the package I thought it was really bland. Since I also had chicken marinating that I had planned to grill but then didn't and it had to be cooked, I made the chicken and then made my own version of this. Except that I don't like muchrooms and didn't have spinach so I used zuchinni and corn I had on hand. I liked this, I think it was just okay for E.

Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers - oh my yum! These are awesome. I made them once with chicken and a couple of times since using ground turkey since it's been cheaper. Also I used whatever cheese I had on hand at the time, I think it was even a couple of cut-up pieces of string cheese once. No matter, they are delightful. We took them camping and it felt like a bit of a sophisicated upgrade from your standard hot dog, you know? It's easy to make quite a few of these and freeze them, also they make cute little sliders for a crowd that maybe isn't such a fan of spicy.

"the BEST fluffiest chocolate frosting EVER" - So I pinned this and the pin didn't track back to the original source... I tried to track down something identical and found this on Kraft recipes. Full disclosure: I had a big glass of chocolate-coconut milk on hand from a recipe I had started to make (this one) when I realized I had low-fat coconut milk instead of the the full-fat I needed... Long story short, I decided to try using that in the recipe and it still came out great. One person mentioned (without prompting) that it had a slight coconut taste and one person (again, unprompted) mentioned a slight pudding taste. I loved the texture of this right out of the fridge -- it was more like mousse than frosting (I also ate the rest out of the bowl after frosting all the cupcakes I made. The only thing was that it was a hot day and just leaving the cupcakes covered on the kitchen counter for an hour or so while doing party prep caused the frosting to melt a bit and sticking them back in the fridge didn't reclaim the same fluffy, mousse-y texture. Bottom line: super yummy if you keep it nice and cold.

Hungry Girl Sassy Wonton Tacos - I had something like this at a restaurant awhile back and was stoked when I found the recipe (I mean, it's not rocket science, but...) and had been meaning to make them for awhile. I made these the other night for a potluck but I think they'd be better without having to transport --- 20-25 minutes in the car left them a little sloshed-around and a little but soggy but still good. I cheated a bit by using a salad mix (it was basically cole slaw with some bacon bits and tossed in bbq and ranch sauce) and since I had some "salsa-con-queso" sour cream on hand from a family dinner and an avocado, I added those as garnish. The shells are the most time-consuming and hands-on to make, I had to turn them so that both sides browned evenly and there's a very fine line between firm enough to hold fillings and firm enough to crack when you touch them. Also, it was quite easy to make the opening way too narrow and almost impossible to stuff. Since I had leftover chicken and salad topping E and I made them again the next night but just cooked the wontons flat and ate them tostada-style. just as good if a little bit messy (they really had a tendency to crack and fall apart when you bite into them). Verdict: Very cute but probably easier (if higher calorie count) to skip the wontons and just use tortillas as a burrito or tostada. The filling combinations are yum.

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats - There's no special trick to these or anything, you just need the Pumpkin Spice marshmallows and make as you would any other Rice Krispie Treat recipe (or for the Heather-and-Leila version -- don't even bother putting them in a pan and cutting into squares, just let the molten marshmallow cool enough --or not -- to eat straight from the pot). If you like pumpkin-flavored-any-and-everything this time of year, of course they're yummy.

I also tried adding a zuchinni and a yellow squash to the turkey chili I've made a few times... I wasn't sure E would like the veggies but he gobbled it and even ate leftovers, which he usually only does with pizza, score!

What should I try next? I have a cookbook of beautiful-looking chocolate recipes for the holidays, so I think some of those will be a must in the next month. Maybe I should try making some kind of showstopper chocolate cake for our anniversary (our 5th is coming up -- ahh! where have 5 years gone?!?! -- and I want a tribute to our amazeballs chocolate cake covered in ganache).

I also want to do that thing where you make like ten crockpot meals and put them all in your freezer at once and then you have crockpots and leftovers and your life is magical... but have I done that yet? Obviously not.

Until then...

Happy Cooking!

 

That awkward stage of life...

... where you're too old for raging Halloween parties but you don't have children on which to focus all your attention and creative costume impulses...

So instead, you put on your boots to trek through the pumpkin patch, watch Hocus Pocus with your husband, burn your pumpkin spcie candles (which reminds me, HOLD THE PHONE I haven't had a Pumpkin Spice Latte yet!!!) and watch the Disney cartoons that scared you as a tyke and will forever feel like Halloween.

Remarkably, we managed to get all the Forsythe kids and their significant others
together for an outing at the same time and even more remarkably I think everyone enjoyed it.

There are some things that just feel like Halloween -- remember this Disney cartoon? No matter how many times I watch it I hold my breath in fear for all the little guys.

This is my earliest recollection of being introduced to CCR :)

 

 

Ohmygosh, remember these? I hadn't realized how much good music they played... does the Disney Channel still do stuff like this? They should. YouTube you are a wizard time machine.

 

Have a safe and happy Halloween and don't summon the Burning Rain of Death! ;)

 

 

#HalloweenCostumesMyHusbandRejected

I love Halloween. But the last few years the universe has conspired to temper my festive-ness and celebrating... that or I'm just getting old and won't go out on a weeknight, can't drink more than a half glass of wine and we don't have many kids living in our condo complex so we don't get many trick-or-treaters (despite me putting up what seemed like a million signs pointing to our highly-decorated front door).

This year I think we'll be passing out candy at my grandparents' house... they live in a cool, walkable neighborhood and apparently get tons of kids... which they try to avoid by going to the movies so they don't have to answer the door all night. #PartyPoopers #JustKidding

I've suggested at least a dozen couple's costumes which have all been rejected, including:

• Pennsatucky and Pornstache (my top choice)

• Jon Snow and Tyrion (When E's hair is long he looks like Jon Snow. I'm short and have a scar on my forehead, close enough.)

• Belle and Gaston (Belle is E's favorite Disney princess and I say E has great arms. This was perhaps met with the most vitriolic reaction)
• Chris Evert and Bjorn Borg (We were actually going to do this a few years ago but someone refused to wear shorts like this, which I think ruins the effect)
• Rapunzel and Eugene Fitzherbert (I think this one might have a chance)
• Minions (I probably have the best chance with this one)

Ah well. Chances are we won't do anything anyways. Can I instead share our "greatest hits" of the last few years?

It hasn't really felt like autumn yet here... a few cloudy days (and a teensy bit of rain), but for the most part I only get "fall" by burning the pumpkin spice candles. HOWEVER I am forcing the issue with plans for this weekend -- our condo association is showing Hocus Pocus (love that movie!!!!!) on Friday night by the pool, a Dia de los Muertos event on Saturday (started out as just doing some reconnaisance work for an event we have coming up but I'm looking forward to it!), and a day trip out to a big farm/pumkin patch... it's kind of a big deal out here and every year my friends take their kids but I haven't had a chance to see it yet. Hoping for apple cider donuts and fall leaves! ALSO, and perhaps most importantly, The Walking Dead is back.... how can that not feel like Halloween?! :)  (also been getting into the Sleepy Hollow show that's new this season... wasn't expecting much but so far so good! And I manage to hold it together -- last year on Halloween we watched The Woman in Black and had to watch almost the whole movie on mute because we were seriously freaking out.).

What are your Halloween plans? More exciting than ours, I'm sure!

Happy Haunting!

 



Adolescent Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to us.

Well, do people celebrate the anniversary of when they started dating ("dating")? Or when they met? We haven't really celebrated over the last few years and even before we got married didn't usually make a big deal out of it, but... it's nice, right?

 

E and I met in high school. He played tennis and I played softball and the practice/utility field that we used when the softball field flooded every year was right next to the tennis courts. Not that I hadn't noticed him already (I mean, there were only about 400 kids in our school). I thought he liked my best friend at the time (she was tall, skinny, fashionable and a little slutty while I was horribly awkward). Amazingly, he liked me. He really liked me. :)

Could the formal outfit in the top corner and his hair be any more late-90's?

I feel so lucky and blessed to have found love and a best friend and partner at such a young age. Were we idealistic and dumb? Probably. Did we at least not pull a Cory and Topanga and wait to get engaged and married until we were (mostly) done with college? Yes.... although I sometimes wonder if it made a difference.... No matter. I have to trust that we are where God meant for us to be and although I really wish He would give us some insight into his plans and especially His timing so that I could have an easier time trusting and letting go a bit... He got us this far.



Our high school closed and sits abandoned. #creepy
Last summer we went back to where we met and fell in love :)



Feeling nostalgic and love-y,

Employment Update

Still looking for a job.

It's ok.

Haven't ruled out the following, which makes not a bad life plan:

1. Win The Amazing Race

   

   The camo + matching Knockaround sunglasses is a good look, no?

2. Appear on morning and late-night talk shows as the winner and of course the fan favorite
3. Use part of my winnings to fund the establishment of a small creative biz/party planning service/nonprofit
4. Parlay that into a Martha Stewart-esque line ofchildren's clothing, pet accessories, home furninshings, dishes, artisinal bath products and candles, possibly a frangrance

   

   #MarthaPleaseAdoptMe

5. Further Karsashian myself (yes, it's a verb) by opening a restaurant and cute little shop full of handcrafted, eco-friendly goodies and perhaps and bed-and-breakfast or a Glampground
6. "Host" parties and events for straight cash homie, a la Paris or Heidi Montag (except instead of Vegas or Miami clubs and pool parties it would probably be like, "Come have a cup of coffee and crafternoon" or "Watch the Padres game and eat carne asada nachos")

   

   Obviously I've been working off the carne asada nachos
   and made Cookie Monster into a hat of some kind.

7. Win Dancing With The Stars, obvi

   

   My destiny
    



Thoughts, comments, suggestions? In this economy, a reality TV career is as reliable as pretty much any other field, right? Maybe I should go back to school and become a nurse as was my plan going into high school (I was influenced by my RN grandmother and also watching a LOT of E.R. at the time).

Hasta!

The Last Five: Books I Read

I love to read. I always have. As a kid I always had a book with me--in the car, anywhere I had to wait, if we went to a restaurant... I remember going to the library what felt like almost every week during the summer (thanks Mom!) and even reading with my nightlight after I'd already been tucked into bed. Both my parents did so much to foster my love of reading and I hope they realize what a gift that has been--it's something I hope to do for my own kids one day.

Of course as a student the pleasure reading seems to fall by the wayside a bit but now I try to always have a book in progress and really love to end my day with some reading on my pillow, even just for 10 minutes.

If I had to choose I'd have to say that I love history/historical fiction, or current books about places I just can only imagine (I loved Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, there's been a few that I've passed on to multiple family members that we all loved - Cane River was one, Big Stone Gap was another; and I absolutely love books about smart, strong, sassy women--I read Bossypants by Tina Fey on our vacation last year and had tears in my eyes from trying to stop myself from laugh-snorting on the plane, and my favorite book of all time is Little Women.)

 

I thought I'd pass on the last few that I've read, I hope someone might find a new favorite or even just a light read.

All Things Bright and Beautiful / All Creatures Great and Small - I remember reading some of James Herriot's children books (especially The Christmas Day Kitten) but didn't realize until recently what a collection he had produced. This is just such a sweet collection of stories and although it looks like a huge book (the version I have is actually both volumes published together), the nice thing is that you can pick it up, read a quick chapter, and put it down for a few days or a week if you have to; it's not so involved that you have to remember lots of names, dates, etc., although the main few characters are so delightful you won't have trouble remembering them, they feel like old friends. I read this over the summer but given the geography (old Yorkshire farmland), it would be lovely to read this over the winter curled up in a blanket with your warm beverage of choice.

Lady of the Rivers / The White Queen / The Red Queen - I'm grouping these together even though I first read The White Queen over a year ago.... and even though these were published in a different order, I would suggest reading them in chronological order (though there's some overlap in The White Queen/The Red Queen). I love historical fiction, and I know these books can sometimes have more fiction than history, but they are still fascinating, and what I love best is that they tell history from the perspective of three incredibly strong and determined women. Especially in a time when women had so few options and were usually taking instruction from a father or husband, it's great read about women who fought to shape their own destiny and to fiercly protect and advocate for their children and families. Sure they are at times ruthless and manipulative, but they get things done.

Serpent in Paradise - If you are like me and dream sometimes of going Kerouac and heading to an island where your future children will never hear of Fox News or partisan politics or have to hear anything ignorant or experience bigotry or witness hatred or wear shoes.... then this book could make you think twice. The author experiences living in the most remote community in the world and from her experiences you come to understand that human nature knows no geographic boundaries and living in any kind of community is both challenging and rewarding. I found it fascinating even though it's apparently a bit dated in terms of present-day access to the island, etc.

The Madonnas of Echo Park - Found this at Dollar Tree, of all places... What I loved about it is the really diverse cast of characters, and how the author wove together each of their stories. Everyone's lives flow and connect and pass each other in unexpected ways and made me turn back to a page earlier in the book to see if there was a clue I missed. I also really like that most of these characters are working class, or even pretty impoverished--dealing with daily trials, broken families, "bad" neighborhoods--and so often these are stories that stay in the dark, that we don't hear... and yet they are interesting and touching and deserve to be told. This book helps bring a better understanding of others and reminds me that everyone we meet is fighting their own battle and has a story to tell.

What have you been reading--- anything on this list? If so, what did you think of them? What should I add to my list? Are youa Kindle/IPad type of reader or are you like me and still like to turn pages?


Happy Reading!

 

cathartic

When my hair starts to get past my shoulders I always think that I am going to let it keep growing and have long, flowing, Bohemian-looking awesomeness or something huge and sexy...

And maybe it looks ok once in awhile (trust me, I know this is not even long by most standards but this is about as long as I've ever had it)... but mostly it just starts to feel stringy and split-endy and generally boring and gross. My hair is super-fine so it feels yucky if I don't wash it at least every other day (i.e. - I'm not one of those girls who can wash it once a week); and basically I just get sick of it and bored.

#AwkwardSelfies

And usually chop it off. Right around my shoulders seems to be my sweet spot.

I'd been thinking it was time to cut and when the job news (or lack thereof) came last month I took it as a sign that it was time for a change and fresh start. So two days after the Big Announcement, off it came. I find it kinda' cathartic (that's such a chick-flick thing to say, right?).

Besides, I think this looks a lot more polished for all the interviews I'll be having (knock on wood). #Hopefully

Post-job interview!

It also feels ten pounds lighter and looks healthier. I like to think it's like at the end of Tangled when Rapunzel really came into her own once she lost all the hair literally weighing her down (sidebar: Seriously Eugene? You just take a random hack at her hair and it magically becomes this cute, layered bob? Ok Vidal Sassoon.).

I mean, the first time I asked for The Rachel in seventh grade,
it looked like my head was run over with a lawnmower.
A lawnmower with its eyes closed. #AmIRite?

So buh-bye long-ish hair. I'm sure I'll be back at some point. In the meantime, saving money on shampoo!

What was your last big hair change - cut, color, bangs? Are you the type to cry after a haircut (no offense but I smirk at you if so)? Do you prefer Rapunzel's hair to be long and lovely or short and sassy?