At Last

I did it. I finally made it to the grocery store. That means I'm obligated to start cooking again. Daddy-O will be happy. Very happy.

For supper tonight, I made an easy recipe that I've made several times before. It came from Prevention magazine years ago. We were overdue for a little healthy cooking. 

The recipe only calls for asparagus, but when you shop at a store where the check-out girl has to ask, "What is this?" as she looks at it, the asparagus might not be the freshest. Apparently not much asparagus is purchased there. So I used the best looking spears and filled in with zucchini---which the check-out girl thought were cucumbers. I shop in a very small town. 

Easy Asparagus Chicken Stir-Fry

2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut on diagonal into 1" pieces

1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 tsp. bottled minced garlic)

2 cups sliced cooked chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)

1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)

Combine soy sauce and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and garlic; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Toss in chicken and soy sauce-honey mixture. Heat thoroughly. Serve with brown rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.

This is good just as the recipe is written, but unlike what you order at your local Chinese restaurant, it's not swimming in sauce. This sauce is more like seasoning. Next time I'll probably double the amounts of the soy sauce-honey mix--three teaspoons is not much "sauce" or seasoning for this amount of vegetables and chicken. And tonight I threw in a handful of roasted peanuts (instead of sesame seeds) just because there was an open jar on the counter. That added some nice texture. 

It has been so long since I have cooked a real meal, I forgot about the sink-full-of-dirty-dishes part of cooking. Wonder if Daddy-O will surprise me tonight and do the dishes?  

Emptier Nest

I guess we could call this the "emptier nest" stage. Still getting used to our different schedule. On the upside, I do have more time for some projects that have languished for a while. And I have spent hours cleaning out cabinets and drawers that were years overdue. Clearing out clutter and cobwebs in my house also helps me clear out clutter and cobwebs in my mind. Do you find that to be true? I'm not done, but it's well on the way.

School starts on Monday--both here and five states away. Can't wait to hear how it goes for Big Sister. She starts middle school which is a huge change. Plus, she is in a new state. I'll be saying a prayer for her that she finds a friend quickly.

I have promised Daddy-O that I will actually buy groceries today. And I guess he assumes that means I'll cook something, too. Better get moving before I decide we can go "just one more day" without shopping. I've said that a lot lately.

Do Nothing

You can ask Daddy-O. He'll tell you. I've lost my kitchen mojo. With all that we've done this summer, all the changes that we are adjusting to, the urge to cook just disappeared. Mind you, we are still eating, thanks to a stash of things I put in the freezer at the beginning of summer.

Instead of cooking, I've been cleaning--that deep kind where you empty the whole cabinet, wonder why you ever kept the stuff, and then throw most of it away. And in all this cleaning, I came across a recipe in a South Carolina Living magazine laying on the desk under a pile of papers. It was dated 2010. It's been a while since I cleaned to the bottom.

The name of the cake spoke to me. And to my current mood. I had all the ingredients for the cake on hand. Instead of the icing in the recipe (it called for nuts and coconut which I didn't have,) I found an even easier one.

So when you are in a "do nothing" mood, do what I did and bake one of these:

Do Nothing Cake

2 cups self-rising flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large can (15-oz.) crushed pineapple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients together with a spoon. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Icing:
1/2 stick butter
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Combine ingredients in a bowl. Blend well. Pour over hot cake.


They say confession is good for the soul... As I was typing this recipe, I realized that I forgot to add the vanilla. (Told you I've lost my mojo.) But this cake is wonderful as is. I just ate the piece in the photo. Can't wait to taste it next time with all five ingredients instead of just four!

Happy Birthday Baby

Baby Sister is two years old today. 

Wonder if it's time to rethink the "Baby" part of her name?

Happy birthday! 

Wish I could give you a birthday hug.

Love, Mimi

What I Did During My Summer Vacation

While I was getting ready to travel, one thing I planned (probably better than the rest of my trip) was what knitting to take. I started a shawl just before we left and I knitted during much of the 17-hour drive west. I knitted a little most days I was out there, usually before anyone else woke up. I knitted in the airport as I made my way home. And I knitted at the lake last week. All those little dabs of time here and there added up. The shawl is done. If I counted correctly, this shawl was knitted in six different states! Now I'll have to wait for cool weather so that I can wear it.

Pattern:  Aestlight Shawl

Yarn:  Dream In Color Smooshy

Needles:  Size 6

While I was in the midwest (I know they claim to be "south" but it's not), I also managed to whip out a baby hat and ship it to Jessica just in time for a baby shower for a co-worker. 

Pattern:  Kid's Fruit Hat by Ann Norling

Yarn:  Debbie Bliss Cashmerino

Needles: Size 6

And Jessica made one of our favorite party treats for the baby shower. We got the recipe from her college roommate. It's an easy recipe and makes enough for a party. They are somewhere between a cupcake and a brownie. Can't go wrong with that combination. The roommate didn't have a name for the recipe, so we named them after her!

LIBBY’S FUDGY NUTTY CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate

2 sticks butter or margarine

¼ tsp. butter flavoring

1-1/2 cups chopped nuts

1-3/4 cups sugar

1 cup plain flour

4 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt chocolate, margarine.  Stir in nuts and butter flavoring.

Mix sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla. 

Add chocolate mixture and fold together.

Add paper liners to mini- muffin pans. Fill with batter.  

Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes.  (It usually doesn’t take 35 minutes for them to bake, especially if you make miniature cupcakes.  It’s best to check with a toothpick to see if they’re done starting at about 25 minutes.)

Yield:  about 5 dozen miniature cupcakes

You should really try these. It's a "bet you can't eat just one" kind of recipe.  

Approaching Normal

After weeks away, helping Mommy and her young family get settled in a new house, a new neighborhood, and a new town, I have made it home. I took a week off to rest before getting back to the farm. And rest, I did.

On hot days, I stayed inside and watched movies and read and knitted. 

On pleasant days, I kayaked and swam. And I slept and slept.

Many years ago when I was a young woman, I heard a speaker at an inservice training talk about the importance of "keeping your bucket full." He said that we all have many people who need to "dip out of our buckets" and that we couldn't be of help anyone unless we kept our own buckets full. 

My bucket is filled to the top now!

Resting & Relaxing

After lots of work unpacking and unpacking and unpacking and then leaving everyone a million states away, we came to the lake for a little rest. And to give my heart time to catch up with my body.




A whole day in my pajamas is a rare occurrence for me. But it is supper time and, yes, I still have on my pjs. Finding our new normal will take a little time. But as fall schedules start back we will settle into things. But for right now, I'm taking a break.



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