this made my day

Yesterday I got an email update from Simple Mom which is my current favorite place to waste time, mostly because her favorite quote is also one of my faves, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful" by William Morris. I am definitely addicted to decluttering... I have been involved in 5 garage sales in the last 6 months alone! I love simple clean lines and minimal decor. In fact, my mood is directly related to how much stuff is surrounding me this moment, but I digress. What I'm getting at, is Simple Mom has a great new e-book out that you can buy for only $7 and download yourself. Print it if you want or just view it on your computer, but it is a great book for getting that clutter under control. It's not the end to all your problems, just realistic, easy to attain ideas for keeping things simple. Go ahead, click the button... I dare you!

strombolli

Continuing the theme with another lunch recipe... This has to be one of Tech Guy's favorite foods of all time. In fact, he was the one who introduced me to this recipe when we got married. I had never even had Strombolli before much less prepared it! It only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake. I made 1/2 recipe for the 4 of us for lunch and there was only a little left over.

Strombolli

Dough:
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup oil
1 Tbsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
4-5 cups flour

Filling:
3 Tbsp mustard or pizza sauce
4 American cheese slices
Sliced salami
Sliced ham
1/2 lb fried sausage or hamburger (optional)
2-3 cups shredded Mozzarella

Olive oil
Oregano
Italian Seasoning

Mix first 4 ingredients; add flour until a soft dough is formed. Let sit while preparing meat. Roll dough into 2 large rectangular shapes. In middle 1/3 of dough, layer the following: mustard or pizza sauce, row of cheese slices, 1-2 rows of salami, 1 layer of ham, sausage or hamburger, Mozzarella cheese. Fold outer thirds of dough over filling*. Pinch and seal edges. Brush with oil; sprinkle with oregano and Italian seasoning. Lift onto cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned.

*I often braid it for a dressed-up look. Just snip sideways into the outer thirds, about 1" apart all the way along, then fold them in toward the middle, alternating sides. (I don't know if that made any sense at all...) :(

quesadillas

Since Tech Guy (dh) comes home for lunch every day, I've racked my brain for new yet simple ideas. Pretty much what I've come up with is that lunch is usually a take on sandwiches, which may include wraps, quesadillas, burgers, burritos, etc. One of the fastest and easiest favorites is chicken quesadillas... If you're in the same rut I am, this one's for you! All measurements are approximate, I just dump and pour:

6 medium chicken breasts
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can green chilies
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese
6 tortillas (any flavor)

Cube chicken and fry in olive oil, add spices and cook until done. Add green chilies and heat through. Place tortillas on hot griddle, add 1/2 to 1 cup meat mixture and 1/4 cheese and fold in half. Turn when golden brown on the bottom. Cut into 3 wedges each and serve with sour cream and salsa.

P.S. Don't forget, you can still enter the giveaway by clicking on the button to your left or clicking here.

the passion for motherhood

Somehow I've lost it... the passion for kids, for mommydom, for the whole package... Somehow between the loads of laundry, the fights, the juice spills, the wet Pull-ups, the sticky fingerprints, the incessent whining and the fall-into-bed-tired-only-to-wake-up-to-a-screaming-child moments, I've lost my zeal for being a good mom. I wander around in a zombie-like trance, coming out only to rant and rail against life, my husband, my kids, and whatever else is eating at me at the moment... I hate who I've become. How can I revive the fire, the joy in the journey... the special butterfly-kiss moments with my boys? To revel in the minute, the second, this short little time when they're all mine?

a must have for summer

To me, summer is all about picnics and barbecues and salads and experimenting with the grill. Of course, I'm always thinking about food, so this comes as no surprise... others think of swimming, hiking, etc. and I think of the food... Anyway, I have found the answer for a multipurpose ingredient that I always have in stock. It's a great dressing, but also an incredible marinade... and they come in the yummiest flavors: Roasted Red Pepper (great as steak marinade), Spring Herb Italian, Sweet Onion Vinaigrette (both super awesome on chicken breasts)... and those are only the kinds I've tried. They have every flavor imaginable, and they are rich, flavorful and oh, so gourmet. And I'm longing to check out these sauces...

Excuse me while I wipe my chin...

giveaway update

Don't forget, you can still enter my giveaway by clicking on the sidebar button on the left. Closing Date is midnight, September 15.

Honey Wheat Bushman Bread

I have a bread machine. Really, I do. But somehow it gets overlooked in the daily grind of life and I forget that fresh bread is only a push of a button away... until lately, that is. A friend of mine directed me to this recipe, and I've made it 3 times in the last week. Does that tell you anything? It is awesome, sweet, rich and full of wholesome goodness (does that sound like a cereal commercial or what?!) and my friend says it's great with BBQ, which I haven't tried yet, but I believe...

I've changed it a little, made it a little smaller - here's my version:

1 1/4 cup water, warmed
5 tsp. butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp. cocoa
2 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. instant coffee
3/4 tsp. salt
2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

My parents were here for night, so I made it this morning for breakfast, using the timed delay option... It was incredible to wake up to fresh bread and coffee without lifting a finger! The only thing to watch is that your yeast doesn't touch the liquids if you're using the delay. Mine did, and the loaf turned out a little heavy.

making my day

It has been so great getting all the comments... my blog doesn't usually generate that many, so it's kinda like having company... which is good! And quite a few have come over from Blog Around the World, which is very cool as well - check it out if you haven't already. Good luck to all you who entered in the draw, I realize it's a pretty long one, but I thought hey, why not, my birthday's in only a month and that seems as good a time as any...

this is my 50th post - giveaway!

50 Random Facts About Me

1. I'm the youngest of 10 kids
2. I love sweet tea
3. I hate too hot or too cold weather
4. I married a computer tech but I had hardly turned a computer on before that
5. My biggest dream is to visit Italy & Greece (mostly for the food!)
6. I'm 5'7" tall
7. I would love to be an interior designer
8. My worst fear is losing one of my boys
9. My husband is a firefighter and I worry to death when he's on a call
10. We live in a cozy new house we planned ourselves
11. I hate to exercise
12. I would love to like to exercise
    
13. I never learned to swim until I was 22
14. I'm almost 27
15. I always wanted to be a young mom
16. I am a young mom, first son was born when I was 21, second one when I was 24
17. My mom was 46 when I was born
18. I'm stubborn
19. I hate change
20. I love the colors chocolate brown, green, aqua and mustard
21. I have been to 5 Canadian provinces and 18 states
22. I love reading medical and legal thrillers
23. One of my less-than-stellar jobs when I was single was working at a chicken plant - ewww!
24. I also worked at a grocery store
    
25. And babysat
26. I love Indian food
27. I love anything curry
28. My favorite restaurant is the Green Olive in Calgary - awesome little Italian joint
29. I've been to Orlando twice
30. I've been to Niagara Falls once
31. I would love to go to Australia and New Zealand
32. And to visit my pen pal in Holland
33. I like to cook gourmet
34. I'm not a morning person
35. My most productive hours are 10 pm to midnight
36. I hate to clean but I love a clean house
37. I hate clutter
38. I love playing with houseplan software
39. I love IKEA!!!
40. It's taken me awhile but I'm learning to appreciate the ups and downs of motherhood
41. Nothing melts my heart like having my 5 and 2 year olds say "I love you" or "you're a nice mommy"
42. Cuz I don't always feel like I'm lovable or a nice mommy
43. I'm amazed that I found a guy as caring and long-suffering as my husband
44. I've been married 8 years to this amazing guy
45. I always vowed I would never take the kids on an anniversary trip
46. This year we spent our anniversary in Ontario... with the kids!!!
47. I love coffee
48. I don't like a lot of sweets
49. I love salty food
50. I love to read...

To celebrate my 50th post on this blog, I'm going to host a giveaway - my first ever! From now until my birthday - September 15 - everyone who leaves a comment will be entered for a copy of Charles Martin's new book, Where the River Ends. If you haven't read any of his books, you definitely need to! My favorite (and also the first one I ever read) is When Crickets Cry, very touching and an incredible story. So, all you need to do, is leave a comment here telling me about your favorite author and/or book and you'll automatically be entered! Enjoy!!

cashew chicken curry

Do you like curry? I'm in love with the stuff, but as I was Googling recipes last night - it was not curry I entered, but "cashew chicken". I had cashews on hand and wanted to try something new. This is the recipe that caught my eye, mostly because the 3 C's: chicken, curry, and cashew, are all high on my list of foods I love... And, miraculously, I had all the ingredients!

Cashew Chicken Curry

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 – 3 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut in bite-size pieces
29 oz. canned diced tomato
1 lb. carrots, diced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup ground cashews
1 cup nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup light coconut milk
8 oz. frozen peas

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven on medium-high. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until soft. Stir in the next 4 ingredients (curry through salt). Add the meat in batches, cooking each one through. Add the tomato, carrots, mushroom and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Stop here if you’re cooking ahead.) Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through but do not boil, about 5 minutes. Serve over basmati rice.

Giveaway Alert... coming up!!!

not so good...

Here I thought I did a reasonably good job...

36 As a 1930s wife, I am Poor Take the test!

i didn't get that

One thing that has bothered me for awhile, is when you call your phone company, and they have all these voice recognition questions. This in itself is a great idea, but have you tried doing that with kids in the house? They yell at the most inopportune times, and the detached female voice immediately intones, "I'm sorry, I didn't get that." I'm not kidding, this happens 3 or 4 times in one call... Can you say "frustrating"? Like today, I was trying to settle a fight while on the phone, so I say "guys!" in a stage whisper... and in that same detached voice: "Did you say, Goodbye?"

ARRRRGGGGGGGHHH!

fresh

I've read with envy these blogs, women telling how they drove 2 miles down the road for fresh organic produce, and wished I had a place nearby. But I realized one day that I actually am blessed with being close to several Hutterite colonies, so today I stopped by one. I was actually in a search for green beans - I like to blanch and freeze them whole - but this particular colony had just done up all their beans the day before. Somehow I ended up with this huge produce box full of potatoes, onions, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower and fresh honey. When I asked the sweet older woman what I owed, she replied "$20". What?! I would spend at least double that in the grocery store and it sure ain't this fresh! For supper dh grilled precooked ribs in BBQ sauce (from Walmart!), I made these potatoes, and we had a whole pile of fresh veggies to munch on. I think it's hardest on me this year not to have a garden, we're living in our new house but not much else is finished on the yard. Hopefully next year I can have a little green patch! What do you look forward to the most about fresh summer eating? I'd love to hear from my readers... and yes, I know I have a few! :) Stick around - hopefully soon I'll get together a Giveaway!!!

getting somewhere

One of the biggest thorns in my flesh with parenting right now has been with Buster's total lack of bladder control the minute he falls asleep. I'm tired of buying Pull-Ups for him and I'm tired of wondering whether the carseat will be soaked when he falls asleep in the car. Earlier this summer we told him he would get a GameBoy if he could stay dry for 7 nights in a row. So every once in awhile he would do 2 nights and I'd get all excited, only to have the 3rd night wet again! So imagine my great joy this week; this morning was the 5th dry night in a row!!! Folks, I think we have a winner!

shopping

I love shopping! I also have 2 small kids, so unless I want to fork over the $ for gas and a babysitter - or deal with crabby kids in the store, I prefer to shop online. One of my all-time favorite sites is Garnet Hill, where I've ordered everything from bedding to footwear to kids' clothes to this awesome stool. Some items are a little pricey, but the shipping is very reasonable and they ship right to my door in about 3 days, which is amazing because it comes out of the U.S. Now I have my eye on these adorable sweaters, which also happen to be on sale right now... and I have a $20 off coupon they sent me with my last order!! Life is good...

clean freak

I'm not what you would call a compulsive housekeeper... I like a clean house but I... kinda hate to clean... There, the admission is out! Anyway, I am a little picky about some stuff, such as the bathroom, but I don't often have a lot of time to spend in one room. So I started buying a big tub of Lysol Disinfecting wipes (Crisp Linen scent -mmm!) and every day (or so...) I run it over the sink area & toilet. They're not flushable, but the great thing is, you throw it in the trash and it keeps the room smelling awesome all day! It's a lifesaver for my main bathroom, used by 2 little boys who don't always have the best aim...

easy gourmet pork chops

Back when I was on one of my low-carb diets, I would google all kinds of recipes... some were total failures and some became family favorites. This is one recipe that finally stuck - it's very low-fat and full of flavor. Dh has always loaded his meat with BBQ sauce at the table, but this one he actually doesn't, so that says a little!

Gourmet Pork Chops

Pork chops
Olive oil
Any or all of the following: rosemary, thyme, marjoram, savory, oregano, basil
Garlic powder (minced garlic cloves would be lovely, just too garlicky for my family!)
Salt and pepper or Lawry's seasoning salt

Make a thick paste with the oil and seasonings; rub into pork chops and grill. Enjoy!

strawberries and cream

This is what summer is all about...

Slice fresh strawberries into a bowl. Dump in lots of sugar and cream. Close your eyes and inhale.

Bet you thought it would be more gourmet, more complicated than that, huh?!

staying ahead of laundry

Since laundry is my biggest daily nemesis, I'm always trying to find ways to stay on top of it. Here's what I've found works best:

Don't have only 1 or 2 laundry days per week. Rather, do a load every day, so you never have that huge pile staring you in the face Monday morning. I usually throw a load in at bedtime, of the clothes worn that day, so we basically never have dirty laundry hanging around. This depends, of course, on whether the clothing is all compatible fabrics & colors, and may not be quite as successful for a larger family but it works pretty well for 4 people!

clean?

I'd been gone for a couple of days, so when I entered the kitchen this morning, I couldn't remember if I'd run my dishwasher before I left. I opened it cautiously, smelled - okay, looked - okay, so I started putting dishes away. But then I noticed a few greasy spots on the coffee cups, and the residue of coffee in the bottom. WHAT!? I had just checked them and they looked fine! It kinda hit me right then, that's how I've been living my life... It looks okay, feels okay, so yeah, let's keep going - nothing needs to change! But God is not "okay" with that - I'm thinking of a quote I heard one time: "God loves us just the way we are but he loves us too much to leave us that way." So my quest for this year is to be more than "okay"...

summery sweet tea

For all you sweet tea lovers out there, have I got a recipe for you! This comes from my good friend and it's tangy, sweet and tastes like summer.

You will need:
6-7 tea bags (I use 4 regular and 3 Earl Grey)
6 cups water
3/4 - 1 cup sugar
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced
1 orange, sliced
Ice

Combine tea bags with water and microwave on high for 6-8 minutes. Remove tea bags and add sugar; mix well. Put fruit slices in a gallon pitcher 1/3 full with ice and pour tea syrup over. Let sit 30 minutes and fill pitcher with water. Serve over ice. Makes 1 gallon.

lemon dill salmon

I tried this recipe for our supper tonight and it was really good. Even dh, who despises garlic, cheerfully ate more than one helping. The boys asked for more as well, so mark this one down as a kid-friendly (and hubby-friendly) food to try! Great with wild rice and a summery vegetable salad, e.g. Greek.


Grilled Salmon with Lemon & Dill

4 salmon steaks or fillets
Marinade:
juice of 1 large lemon or 2 small lemons
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. dried dill
1 clove garlic, minced

Place salmon in a shallow non-reactive dish. Combine marinade ingredients; pour over salmon. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Grill salmon directly over medium coals, basting with marinade, for about 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily. Serves 4.

Note: instead of lemon zest, I sliced a lemon into paper thin slices and placed them all over the fillet. Beautiful and delicious!