What's Cookin

I go through phases where I am on a roll with cooking. Some weeks I am on fire, others I am indecisive, lazy and have a creative block. (We eat chili dogs on a regular basis)  I love to cook and the time and effort it takes is so worth it when it comes out so delicious. Here are a few of the things I have whipped up this summer that were so good.

1. Bruschetta

So easy and so satisfying. Nothing better than tomato and basil (fresh from the garden). I just grabbed a recipe off Pinterest. There are a few different variations out there but I'm pretty sure you can never go wrong. 

I used: tomato, basil. red onion, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. 

2. Greek Salad

When you have cucumber coming out of your ears you have to use them up. So greek salad it is, and anything with Feta on it is just amazing. 

For those of you who want to know about my balsamic vinaigrette, it's really no secret. 

1 packet Good Seasons italian dressing mix

Buy the little craft thing for the dressing that is right next to the packet of mix at the grocery store.

Here is the catch, use balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. I get my balsamic at Costco, its really good. 

Easy! You will never make another dressing, Promise!

 3. Asian Quinoa Salad

Now that I know how to cook quinoa properly and bought the Good Stuff from costco I really love it. Here is the link to this recipe on Pinterest. It was great. Really fresh and lots of crunch with the veggies.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/287948969900275472/ 

4. Orzo Caprese Salad

The orzo was delicious. Just added tomato, basil, diced mozzarella, olive oil, salt and pepper. So fresh and yummy. 

Also I try and boil a whole chicken once every week or so. Its so easy and makes for tons of yummy chicken. You just throw it in a pot for an hour and let it simmer. Then pick it when your done. I usually add cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and bay leaves when I boil it. I am able to throw shredded chicken into whatever recipe I want, make sandwiches or salads. Then I freeze a few ice cube trays of chicken stock. It works well for us in our house!

5. Summer Salads

See... chicken and berries. This salad with the balsamic dressing I mentioned above = perfection!

Making use of all the fresh summer fruit. Two thumbs up for fruit on salad!

6. Mexican Quinoa salad

Save the best for last! I am a sucker for Mexican flavors. 

Quinoa, canned black beans, frozen corn, diced tomato, cilantro, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and lime juice. You can add jalapenos for an extra kick. Top with avocado, chicken or shrimp or eat it plane. So so good! A new favorite in our house. 

The PERFECT Pie crust!

One thing my mom is known for is her amazing pie crust. She currently has about 10 homemade apricot and peach pies packed in the freezer. Of course whenever we come to visit there is a warm pie waiting for us. Usually Jared and I go home together but this time I was alone and thus I ate 3/4 of a pie all by myself within 3 days ("a la mode" of course). Lets just say I gained a few pound while I was home. 

So this pie crust is absolutely amazing. It is flaky and light and melts in your mouth! The recipe comes from a Crisco cookbook that was printed in 1973. Apparently my great grandmother was an amazing baker and inspired my mom to follow in her footsteps. My great grandma gave my mom a copy of this cook book back in the day. Since then my mom has picked up various copies at Goodwill thrift shops. She NEVER passes up an opportunity to buy one. 

At first glance you know this crust is going to be good with a title like "A perfect pastry every time!" Along with the fact of course that this crust is made with CRISCO! 

So there are two recipes: Single Crust OR Double Crust

You would of course use the single crust for things like lemon meringue or pumpkin pie. The double crust for most other fruit pies or even chicken pot pie.

Single Crust
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Crisco
3 Tablespoons cold water

Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in Crisco with a pastry blender (or two forks or knives) until the mixture is uniform. Should be fairly course. Sprinkle with water, a tablespoon at a time and mix with fork. When all water has been added work dough into a firm ball.

Use a pastry cloth or floured board and roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches larger than the pie plate. The easiest way to transfer the dough from the pastry cloth to the plate is to fold it in half and then place it in the plate and fold it back over. Then trim the edges. Prick the dough with a fork a few times before baking to make sure it doesn't bubble.

To Bake without filling: Bake at 425 for 10-15 min.
With Filling: refer to recipe for specific pie

Double Crust
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Crisco
1/4 cup water

Follow the instructions from above except divide the dough in half before rolling it out. For baking with a double crust follow the baking instructions for whatever pie you may be baking. For example (Apple pie: bake at 400 for 30-40min).

Mothers Day

Last year I got to celebrate Mother's Day, but I had only been a mom for 2 months. This year I am celebrating a whole year of motherhood. I Survived! Nothing could have prepared me for all I have experience this year of being a mom. It's funny because there are a bunch of blogs out there that have lists of the Top 10,20 or 100 things that first time moms should know. This list include the BEST bottles, pacifiers, toys, nursing bras, strollers, activities, medicines and food to give to your baby. These lists go on and on. What these lists don't prepare you for is the emotional response to having a baby. Nothing could have prepared me for the emotional roller coaster that is the first year of parenting. I cried, a lot. Tears of JOY, exhaustion and stress. Over the last year and 2 months I have fallen completely head over heels in LOVE with Ellie. She has always been independent but still needs me for so much, and I love that! She has changed so much, and I already find myself worrying about her going to school and hoping her life will go smoothly. I can't let those thoughts consume me though. For now I have to relish her beautiful LITTLE body and the baby she is, because I know that she won't be a baby for that long. I love being a mother, I feel very fulfilled. Most days I feel like I have found a good balance between being ME and being a mom. I feel a huge sense of responsibility to raise Ellie to be the best person possible, and this is making me a better person. I think it's pretty amazing that a little child who can hardy communicate has the ability to make a 25 year old woman be a better person. She has helped me recognize my faults and want to fix them. That pretty powerful! Thank you Ellie, you are everything I could have ever hoped for. I love you!

What we did today

Jared built be some grow boxes and we now have a little garden spot. It's not much, but all the room we need. I'm excited to get planting!

Tonights dinner! Recipe on my other Blog.