Posts Tagged ‘food’
When I read Shanny’s post about foods that she won’t eat, I had to participate on my own blog. Here’s my list, and I could probably think of a few others if I had more time:
Most seafood. I’ve had clam linguine before, though, and it was actually pretty good. Kind of chewy, but I lived through it. :) And Jeff and I enjoyed a shrimp appetizer during our first anniversary that I really liked ~ probably because the shrimp was breaded and sauteed in garlic and butter! I like crab rangoon at Chinese restaurants. And my MIL’s crab rolls are yummy, although I can only eat one or two. I wouldn’t mind trying crab cakes and salmon cakes sometime, actually.
Canteloupe. I *loved* it as a child, and my parents tell me that I ate it like candy. Tastes change, though. Or maybe I overdosed on it?
Honeydew. I just don’t like the taste of it. Doesn’t have much taste, in my opinion.
Mushrooms. Just blech all around. I even hate the way they look.
Cheesecake. I just don’t understand cream cheese in a dessert. That’s for BAGELS! I got the stomach flu once right after having some cheesecake, so that’s probably another reason why I dislike it so much.
Beets. They taste like dirt. I’ll dye my yarn with them instead, thank you very much.
Liver. Although I’ve never tried it. But the thought is just disgusting.
Bison, buffalo, venison, and any “wild game meats.” Apologies to my SIL, Jennifer, and her family, who are avid hunters and lovers of venison!
Okra. Due to the slimy factor.
Canned fruit cocktail. Give me *real* fruit salad, please. What are the “cherries,” anyway? Tiny grapes dyed pink?
Green olives on their own. I like them *in* things, like the delicious cheese ball that my dad makes. Or in a green-olive tapenade over chicken or something. Oh, but a MARTINI ~ that’s different! :)
Anything with the word “tartare” after it. No raw meat for me. How can anyone eat raw hamburger?
Sushi. In Indiana, we call that “bait.”
Scotch bonnet peppers. Aren’t those the *really* hot ones? I like spice, but not *that* much heat.
Ham and cheese sandwiches. (See cheesecake experience above.)
Cottage cheese. Just not a big fan of the texture. Some people enjoy it with pineapple on top of a lettuce leaf, and I don’t get that.
Lots of you wanted the potato soup recipe that I used the other night … so here it is! :)
6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 1/2 C water
1/2 C chopped onion
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 C shredded cheese
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
In a 3.5- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine potatoes, water, onion, bouillon cubes, and pepper. Cover; cook on low for 9-11 hours or high 4-4 1/2 hours. Stir cheese and milk into soup. Cover, cook on Low 1 more hour or on High 30 minutes more. Mash potatoes slightly.
Lucas sat down on our living room floor this morning and drew a school bus! Pretty good, huh? He *loves* school buses, and I keep thinking about how he’ll be riding one before we know it. He keeps telling us that he has to be 10 years old before he can ride one, though! :)
How are you guys doing today? I totally slept like *crap* last night. And I’m a “single mom” from now until Sunday, when Jeff gets home from Texas. Pray for me! LOL! :) I think that I’m totally going to crash at some point today. I’d *love* to take a nap this afternoon, but I don’t know whether that’s possible with Meredith not taking naps anymore. She gave up naps when she gave up her crib (Lucas did the same thing). But it’s a tradeoff … she does *really* well now with falling asleep at night! Anyway, I’m *so* tired today that I’m not expecting to get a whole lot done. I’m not awake at all. I *have* to put in a few loads of laundry and do the dishes, though, because we have no plates on which to eat!
Speaking of food … one of Lucas’s preschool teachers asked him yesterday what he ate for Thanksgiving dinner. Lucas responded, “Crackers.” LOL! :) Yes, that’s true … we did have crackers and cheese … but he sure ate a lot more than just that! His teacher said that she wishes she had thought of that ~ it would have made cooking much easier! :) I made some potato soup from scratch last night, and it was *so* good. It was a slow cooker recipe that Carol gave me a long time ago, but I turned it into a top-of-the-stove recipe. That’ll be lunch today, along with some rosemary-olive oil bread! Yum!
When autumn rolls around, I start thinking more about food. I get into such a baking mood. And in my opinion, autumn has some of the very best foods of any season … apple crisp, apple cider doughnuts, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, squash sauteed in butter and brown sugar, mashed potatoes and gravy … you get the idea. And I’m sure that I’m not alone … from the time that Halloween rolls around (all that Halloween candy!), all throughout Thanksgiving (a holiday that definitely centers around food!), and then Christmas and New Year’s, there’s just so much good food to eat.
It’s very dangerous for my waistline. I seriously have to watch it … I can feel the pounds pile on during this time of year. Everything in moderation, right? I want to enjoy the holidays, but I also don’t want to regret eating a bunch of unhealthy stuff. I’m thinking about incorporating some raw veggies into our Thanksgiving appetizers this year. :)
I keep seeing print advertisements and commercials about alli, a new diet pill/program. I don’t know much about it ~ and frankly, I don’t think that diet pills are a good idea. I think that healthy eating and exercise are extremely important instead. But if you’d like to learn more about Alli, definitely check it out. I need to get back into yoga … I’ve fallen off the wagon there. I think that it could also help my back, which has been hurting for about a month now. :( I used to do yoga three times a week … oops! The pants that I’m wearing right now are feeling a bit too tight, and they used to be loose before. That’s not good. I definitely need to get more active.
Today at preschool, Lucas’s teacher asked him what he’s thankful for. I couldn’t *wait* to hear his answers! Lucas said, “Food. Ice cream. Pizza. Toast. Apples.” LOL! :) So cute. What can I say … Lucas has inherited his father’s big appetite! :) We’re supposed to compile some pictures relating to those items, and then the kids are going to make “thankful posters” at school for their Thankful Presentation, which is November 25th.
I’ve started getting into Thanksgiving mode, too. While Luke was in school today, I thought about our Thanksgiving cards for this year and sat down at the computer to sketch out some designs. I’ll be making my family’s traditional Thanksgiving Cake, and I’d like to make a pumpkin pie from scratch. (We attempted that last week while our parents were visiting, but I used a carving pumpkin ~ which was definitely too watery and the wrong kind, as I learned from Stef. Thanks for the tip!) My family always gives the “first Christmas present of the year” on Thanksgiving Day, and it’s always something handmade (my mom started that tradition a long time ago). So, I’m excited to hopefully do some crafting soon.
I have a headache today ~ probably just due to “female stuff.” It’s so dreary and dark outside that it’s making me lazy, too. (We’re loving this 60-degree weather, though ~ no need for Classic UGGs, LOL!) We have a ton of pepperoni to use up, thanks to my inlaws ~ so tonight for dinner, I think that I’m going to bake some pepperoni and cheese-stuffed breadsticks and make a salad. Daylight Saving Time is still screwing me up … this morning, it was only 9:30, but I swear it seemed like it should be lunchtime!
Here you go, Sweetie ~ an entire blog entry about you! And I’m not even venting about anything ~ imagine that! :)
1. He’s sitting in front of the TV. What’s on the screen? Some kind of science-fiction show that he has DVRed (”Chuck” comes to mind).
2. You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? I *guarantee* that he’ll order non-creamy Italian or a fat-free vinaigrette.
3. What’s one food he doesn’t like? He *hates* mustard. (OK, so that’s a condiment. He dislikes mushrooms, as do I.)
4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? A Sprite because he doesn’t drink. And chicken-noodle soup. :)
5. Where did he go to high school? In northern Indiana.
6. What size shoe does he wear? 12, I think.
7. If he were to collect anything, what would it be? He used to collect “Star Wars” stuff when he was a kid. But now, I’d say that he collects books. He loves to read. Oh, and I think that he enjoys collecting CAT5e cables, LOL! :)
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? “Thanksgiving on a sandwich”: turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, etc. (in other words, “The Gobbler” at the Albany Pump Station). I’d have to agree.
9. What would he eat every day if he could? Chicken, spaghetti, frosted cherry Pop-Tarts, and orange juice (to name just a few!).
10. What is his favorite cereal? Apple Jacks.
11. What would he never wear? Pink. I really do think that he would look handsome in a pink tie!
12. What is his favorite sports team? Everything Indiana/IU.
13. Who will he vote for? I have a pretty good idea, but I’m not going to say in the interest of his privacy.
14. Who is his best friend? He has a lot of close friends, and we got to see most of them a few weekends ago when we attended our friend Chuck’s wedding.
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do? Have an anxiety disorder (and flake out on things sometimes).
16. How many states has he lived in? He was born in Oklahoma, then lived in Indiana for a long time, and now we live in New York. So that’s three.
17. What is his heritage? Mostly Finnish, German, Danish, and a tiny bit of Irish.
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? He loves chocolate and raspberry together and also adores carrot cake. This year, I’m thinking about making him my mom’s apple-raspberry tart (a favorite of my dad’s).
19. Did he play sports in high school? Yes, he was on the basketball team.
20. What could he spend hours doing? Working! haha :) Being on the computer and playing the Wii.
Shannon had a great idea yesterday. Instead of a tea party, she suggested that maybe we could do Western-themed foods and activities at Meredith’s “My Little Pony” second birthday party. That way, the boys attending the celebration wouldn’t feel overwhelmed by all of the girliness! :) That’s something that I was concerned about. We could serve chili … I have a *great* white chicken chili recipe. And bring on the equestrian clothing! LOL! :) Also, it would be a great opportunity to have pink and brown balloons ~ such a pretty color combination. I don’t know … it’s something to think about, anyway! Can you tell that I *totally* get into planning stuff? :)
Lucas wanted to finger paint when we got home from running errands this morning. So, I stripped both of our kids down to their diapers, put them into the bathtub, gave them four tubes of finger paint and plenty of paper, and let them go to town. What a great idea … it kept the mess contained, they had a blast, and they enjoyed a nice bath afterward. Plus, now our guest bath is decorated in pretty colors! :)
I have a *ton* of things that I’d like to accomplish before we leave for Montreal this weekend. But … hello, we’re only going for a weekend! You’d think that we were leaving on a two week-long vacation. Packing won’t be too difficult, although the kids will still need a lot of gear. I can’t wait to get there and explore the area! This children’s festival is going to be a *blast* for them! And I can’t wait to take pictures, of course! Hopefully I’ll also get to practice my French a little. :)
We had lots of fun yesterday at our friend Nathaniel’s fifth birthday party. It poured down rain, which moved the celebration inside ~ but that gave the kids an opportunity to create a really fun craft (birds made from decorated paper plates and plastic spoons). I’d never heard of that before.
The food was delicious … homemade baked macaroni and cheese, spicy meatballs (I *definitely* need to get the recipe for those!), cucumber sandwiches, fruit salad, chicken wings, pizza, and of course a *delicious* birthday cake (with a train theme). We bought Nate a science kit (with which he can create his own underwater volcano), and I hope that it won’t make too much of a mess! :) Lucas didn’t eat much because he was *so* engrossed in playing with toys. Meredith was *all* about the balloons and the ball that she received as a party favor! She also took off her shoes in order to try on someone else’s (our girl has a “shoe thing”), and she also climbed into Elinor’s high chair. (Elinor is Nate’s sister ~ she turns one in a few weeks.) It was funny to think about this time last year … Nora wasn’t here yet! How time flies. This past year has gone by *so* quickly.
Anyway, I took some pictures yesterday, but shooting in Manual mode didn’t really work. Most were blurry, and the ones where I used a flash ended up with all kinds of shadows. :( I need to learn more about taking good pictures indoors.
So now, I have “birthday on the brain.” Meredith’s second birthday will be here before we know it (just two months away!), and we’ve decided to do a “My Little Pony tea party” theme. Won’t all of the guys just *love* that? Yes, I’m thinking about dainty little tea sandwiches, pink and purple balloons, ponies everywhere, and plenty of different teas to try. I sat Meri on my lap this morning and looked up My Little Pony party supplies (watch out, Checking Accounts! LOL!), and when she saw everything she pointed to the screen and said, “Oooooooh!” How much would she *love* having a pony birthday cake?
Party ideas are welcome! (I had a My Little Pony when I was a kid. I think that her name was Butterscotch, but I can’t exactly remember. I loved brushing her mane. Isn’t it funny that lots of the toys from when we were kids are now making a comeback?) My Little Pony is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, too!
So last night, I had a terrible dream that all of my teeth fell out, one by one. And let me tell you how *very* glad I was, when I woke up, to discover that it was just a dream! Has anyone ever had that same nightmare before? Besides needing a trip to the dentist, I thought that I would search online to see what this dream symbolism could possibly mean. Here’s a page that describes various interpretations, from being anxious about your appearance to a fear of getting old to a fear of being embarrassed in some specific situation to a sense of powerlessness. Yeah, I guess that I’ve been feeling all of those things, to a certain degree! Interesting. But seriously … I’m going to make a dentist appointment here soon. I could have also dreamed about my teeth because my husband casually told me this weekend, “Oh yeah … I have a root canal on Tuesday.” What?!? OMG … I hope that it goes well for him and that it isn’t too painful.
Our power went out yesterday for quite a while. Most of the afternoon, in fact. Made me incredibly behind on my freelance projects, but at least today I’m making some good progress. I love when the power goes out, actually. Jeff and I sat down in the living room by candlelight, each with a good book to read. We don’t do that enough. When the power goes out, it kind of forces us to take time out from the daily grind and just “be.” It’s always weird not to hear the hum of our various computers. But silly me … I thought to myself, “Oh! While the power’s out, I’m going to vacuum real fast while I have the chance.” Duh! That kind of requires electricity.
Oh, and last night I came up with some menu ideas for this upcoming week. Thought that I would participate in “Menu Plan Monday” for the first time! Here are my ideas … just loose guidelines …
-fettuccine alfredo with shrimp (Jeff actually requested this); garlic bread
-taco salad (inspired by Christina!)
-Italian pepperoni pasta salad; fried or grilled zucchini on the side
-breakfast for dinner: zesty brunch quiche; probably some fruit salad to go with it
-soup and sandwich night: some kind of deli meat sandwich; carrot-dill soup
-Fridays are homemade pizza night (Jeff wants pineapple/apple/pepperoni, but that sounds disgusting!)
And … some very exciting news around our household … the other day, Lucas went to the potty standing up! He was *so* excited and said, “Just like Daddy!” Meredith is also showing interest in sitting on the potty seat. I think that we might be potty training two at the same time!
Spur of the moment, we decided to attend the eighth annual People’s Parade in Kinderhook, NY on Friday. And I’m really glad that we did, because it was lots of fun. Anyone could march in the parade, and the whole idea was to celebrate the contributions and efforts of citizens that led to the establishment of our country and our system of democracy ~ as well as to commemorate our constant duty to maintain it. People decorated tractors, cars, bikes, wheelchairs, emergency vehicles, trucks, you name it. (Isn’t there just something so special and exciting about a parade? They’re always so invigorating and happy!)
Right after the parade, everyone enjoyed refreshments and then greeted the Kinderhook militia, who marched in and read the Declaration of Independence. (See the guy on the left? Is he smokin’ hot or what???) It felt wonderful to hear the declaration read aloud ~ made me truly remember what the holiday was all about. Very inspiring. The militia then prepared its rifles and fired ~ directly at the Kinderhook Bank building! LOL! :)
We stopped for ice cream after that. (What Fourth of July would be complete without ice cream?) I enjoyed a waffle cone filled with two scoops of ginger-flavored ice cream, and let me tell you … I was hesitant at first, but it was some of the most delicious ice cream I’ve ever had. Jeff and the kids shared some raspberry sorbet and killer chocolate. For the rest of the afternoon, we pretty much just stuck around home and cleaned/reorganized things. I am so psyched at the amount of work that we got done! It feels so good to make order from chaos, and now we have lots more storage space. We also gathered a bunch of stuff to offer through Freecycle. Being organized puts me into a good mood! :)
For dinner, I fixed pork chops and hamburgers as well as corn on the cob, fruit salad, sparkling lemonade, and a way-too-rich chocolate-peanut butter candy dessert (this indulgent eating will stop as of tomorrow!). Finally, we headed over to East Greenbush, NY, to watch Albany’s downtown fireworks from a distance on the lawn of the Holiday Inn Express hotel. We spread out a blanket, enjoyed the fresh summer air, and watched a gorgeous sun disappear below the horizon. It was a nice vantage point. I took a few pictures but wasn’t able to capture much because I didn’t have a tripod with me. (Plus, I figured that a fast shutter speed would work best for fireworks ~ whereas it’s actually slower shutter speeds that create more of an artistic effect. Thanks for that tip, Christina!) I sure enjoyed snuggling with Meri on my lap (it got kind of chilly) and spending time together as a family. (Plus, my anxiety didn’t bother me once ~ yeah!)
Here’s one of my absolute favorite photos of the entire day. An older boy was running around in the grass right in front of us while we were waiting for the fireworks show to begin (there were lots of people running around with air tools ~ a.k.a., Frisbees!), and I knew that it would make a fantastic picture. I hoped that I could catch a nice silhouette, and I think that I definitely did:
What a wonderful day and a fabulous way to celebrate the Fourth ~ fun, fireworks, (yummy) food, family ~ and freedom!
