Cooking

at 03/17/10 9:51AM
Since I have become a stay at home mom, I have really been using my cooking skills. Having a newborn in February of 2009 made us a little leary of going out, due to not knowing how Chloe would react in a public setting. As a result, our budget saw some great returns :) Though we have gotten over our leariness now, we try to eat "in" as much as possible, since it's better for the budget and the waistline (usually).

Sometimes my cooking "skills" fail me and I am not often great at experimenting. Therefore, recipes are becoming one of my best friends! Last week, I made Chicken Piccata which Adam and I both have really enjoyed at restaurants. It was FABULOUS and so simple! Now, if salt is not your friend, you may not like it, cuz it's a pretty salty dish. Here's the link to the recipe I used.

http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/chicken-piccata.html

I use her recipes a lot and they have always been tasty!

Yesterday, I made corned beef and cabbage in celebration of the Irish holiday today (Wednesday holidays are sorta inconvenient.) I had never eaten corned beef and cabbage, much less made it. It was delicious! Chloe even ate a few bites of the corned beef and she isn't a big fan of meat yet! I used Alton Brown's recipe. His recipes are often more time consuming and labor intensive, but this one wasn't too bad.

I'm always on the lookout for new, thrifty, tasty recipes. Feel free to share your favorites!

  • ceoltoir
    For Xmas Kaye gave us a "kit" to make red beans and rice. You should get the recipe for that from her. It was wonderful!
    by ceoltoir at 03/17/10 1:05PM
  • frogkisser
    I love collecting recipes, maybe we could exchange a few. I'll start gathering some up for you!
    by frogkisser at 03/17/10 6:46PM
  • spence2b
    You can cook for me anytime :) Or, I can cook for you. Maybe this summer I will have you and Chloe over for lunch.
    by spence2b at 03/17/10 9:28PM
  • ekholl
    When I took Hunter for his annual checkup at Vanderbilt they told me that often times toddlers dont like meat that is not salty, so I'm sure that is why she chose the corned beef...and which is why toddlers often love hotdogs and such type "meats" (if thats what you want to call them)
    by ekholl at 03/18/10 9:23AM
  • lindseymarie
    I'm with Rebecca--love to swap recipes. I'll have to get some of mine out.
    by lindseymarie at 03/18/10 10:05AM
  • frogkisser
    Curtis doesn't eat a ton of veggies; kinda a meat and potatoes guy, but he will eat the basics (corn, green beans, salads). We eat a lot of peppers and onions in our dishes, though (those are Curtis' favorites). Chicken, pork, beef, fish, whatever. Casseroles, crock pot dishes, pastas, etc. We aren't too picky. How about you guys?
    by frogkisser at 03/18/10 5:13PM
  • ekholl
    I had ramen today...and NO...last year's visit...
    by ekholl at 03/18/10 11:00PM
  • praguer
    My son simply doesn't eat. Seriously - his baby sister eats more than he does. :( His favorite meal is "bread and cheese." (Just like his father, but his father eats a LOT more!) I'm sure he'll grow out of this, too, but for now, I worry about his skinniness! As for recipes, we're into "Mexican." K can't handle the spices right now, but I'm only nursing her for one more month. Then, it's back to burritos! (Or "taco bells" as my hubby calls them)

    Oooh! I just saw your post below. Congrats! Your world is about to change . . . the craziness and fun is just beginning. :)
    by praguer at 03/19/10 3:22PM
  • ekholl
    And as for you liking salt when you're pregnant, be happy that your blood pressure doesnt skyrocket like mine does. When I was pregnant with Hunter, I cut out almost all salt...
    by ekholl at 03/20/10 9:21AM
  • frogkisser
    If you give me your email address, I have some recipes ready to send you!
    by frogkisser at 03/20/10 7:28PM

Baby Malone #2...

at 03/14/10 3:55PM
Due at the end of October!
  • ceoltoir
    Yaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!
    by ceoltoir at 03/14/10 6:37PM
  • sunshinebear
    Exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy for you and Adam!!!
    by sunshinebear at 03/14/10 10:28PM
  • yoda
    Congrats!
    by yoda at 03/14/10 11:53PM
  • leslianne
    Congrats! :-)
    by leslianne at 03/15/10 2:16AM
  • elizabethk
    Congrats!!
    by elizabethk at 03/15/10 9:45AM
  • lindseymarie
    Congratulations!! So happy for you all! :)
    by lindseymarie at 03/15/10 10:01AM
  • denisemccaskill
    Congrats!! So excited for you both!!
    by denisemccaskill at 03/15/10 2:24PM
  • s_laughter
    Congrats!
    by s_laughter at 03/16/10 9:37PM

Spring Fever...

at 03/08/10 1:35PM
didn't have much time to settle in my house! As soon as the sun popped out, Chloe and I RAN outside! Sunlight is absolutely spendid after a frigid, dark winter! It has been sunny here ALL weekend, so this morning Chloe and I went out and dug around in the front "flower" bed. Then we went to Home Depot and purchased some dirt and some seeds. We came home and brought up my HOMEMADE compost from the backyard and got all that good stuff mixed into the bed. The "flower" bed is now a cold-crop vegetable bed! We planted leaf lettuce, head lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and radishes. I've not done seeds much before, so we'll see how much of a crop we actually get. If I can just remember to water...

I have great plans for a home-grown vegetable crop this year! We have a bed on the side of our house that is the only place that gets plenty of sun in the summer to grow anything. So, I am going to plant tomatoes and peppers there. The cold-crop bed will be turned into an herb bed. I'm thinking of planting squash or cucumbers out by our mailbox. The bush and vine I planted there last year may have been a little neglected, so I need to do something different there anyway.

It's SO exciting that Chloe is old enough to go outside and play this year and she can dig in the dirt with me. She even used her mini shovel a bit today :)

To all of you still hibernating...get off your duff and get outside, it's good for the soul!
  • ceoltoir
    The boys are frolicking in the back yard right now! We just got back from taking a walk WITHOUT JACKETS! Yay!
    by ceoltoir at 03/08/10 2:27PM
  • lindseymarie
    Wow, so impressed! I want to grow some veges, but think I'm going to wait till next year to start that
    by lindseymarie at 03/08/10 6:04PM
  • wifelet
    Matt's anxious to plant our peas for this year - everything else, he has to wait a couple more months, but the peas can go in now! :)
    by wifelet at 03/08/10 7:25PM
  • gallatinrealtor
    You amaze me!
    by gallatinrealtor at 03/08/10 8:17PM
  • mayflower
    Spring is coming!!!!
    by mayflower at 03/09/10 8:41AM
  • praguer
    We still have snow. :( VERY ready for Spring! We have to wait until May to plant tomatoes, but we have a couple in pots on the balcony every year. I very much miss my garden and digging in the dirt!
    by praguer at 03/11/10 9:09AM
  • candesmama
    this makes me SMILE! I have waited 27 years to hear something like this. xxoo
    by candesmama at 03/12/10 10:11AM

Pebbles

at 02/27/10 7:21PM
For those of you who knew her...

My beloved "pet" friend has returned to the dust :(

  • ceoltoir
    I'm so sorry, Crystal. She was your friend for many years. I remember when she was a puppy.
    by ceoltoir at 02/27/10 7:40PM
  • candesmama
    Oh I dreaded this day... I have so many happy memories of her though. I remember the Christmas that you got her. You and EL sneaked into the living room to see, but you couldn't get away without her following you. El had to stay and shut the door while you crept back to bed.
    Those windows in the victorian house went all the way to the floor and when Pebbles heard the school bus, she would run to the dinning room and push aside the curtains with her non-nose with her tail wagging as hard as she could while she watched you get off the bus... then when you disappeared around the corner of the house, she ran to the kitchen door to greet you as you came through.
    And then when she stayed with me while you went to college, how she looked at me strangely when I accused her of shaking the bed during our one and only earthquake....
    She was the BEST dog ever. Seriously. xxoo
    by candesmama at 02/27/10 7:46PM
  • beckdobbins
    I'm so sorry Cyrstal!
    by beckdobbins at 02/27/10 8:15PM
  • s_laughter
    Sorry to hear that!
    by s_laughter at 02/27/10 10:12PM
  • gallatinrealtor
    Oh, Crystal, I am so sorry. I know you loved her so much. She was such a beautiful dog.
    by gallatinrealtor at 02/27/10 10:27PM
  • lindseymarie
    Oh, I'm so sorry. I know it is so hard to lose a special companion like that.
    by lindseymarie at 02/28/10 7:46AM
  • denisemccaskill
    Aww..I'm so sorry! :(
    by denisemccaskill at 02/28/10 11:27AM
  • rdb18
    I'm so sorry. She was a great friend to you
    by rdb18 at 02/28/10 5:21PM
  • lynny
    I'm so sorry. :(
    by lynny at 02/28/10 7:35PM
  • candesmama
    I don't know if MOM will gets on here very much, so I wanted to add her comment to me.... "I MISS PEBLES...I KNOW YOU DO...SHE WAS A SPECIAL SWEET COMPANION...AS LONG AS I LIVE, I HOPE I REMEMBER HER, THAT WHITE LITTLE BALL OF FUR, CHASING THAT BIG DOG AT THE RIVER...AND HE RAN FROM HER..."
    by candesmama at 03/01/10 1:01PM

Toddling...

at 02/26/10 9:59AM
I am always looking for good books on raising children (Yes, I believe all child rearing should be based on the Bible, but it doesn't tell you things like how to introduce solids!) and sometimes I need a little humor to lighten up the awesome responsibility I have for this little soul.

Chloe hasn't started walking consistently yet, but she takes a few steps here and there, when no one is paying attention to her.

So, I am preparing myself for toddlerhood. The book I am reading now is called The Girlfriends' Guide to Toddlers. My favorite excerpt so far is this

"It was so much simpler when you could put the baby down in one general area and expect him to pretty much stay there safe and sound. Sure, you had to allow for the occasional rollover, and then there was that way-too-brief period when he crawled on all fours, but there was no movement so significant that it made blinking your eyes or turning your head an invitation to disaster. Now, he's streaking from one peril-fraught room to another like a lunatic with a death wish and you would give anything for him just to be still. I'm beginning to find the humor in the situation now, but there were times when I felt like a fool trying to put a collar on a bumblebee."

  • ceoltoir
    "like a lunatic with a death wish" and "trying to put a collar on a bumblebee" - those are hilarious, and accurate, descriptive phrases! But seriously, this is one of the absolute BEST times of life. Enjoy it!
    by ceoltoir at 02/26/10 10:22AM
  • candesmama
    Toddlers are so much FUN!! I would have had 2 or 3 more if I could have afforded them. Taking them outside to swing and play in the leaves.... just all kinds of new adventures. :) xxoo to our toddler and her parents!
    by candesmama at 02/26/10 2:07PM
  • leslianne
    FOR REAL! I like the quote!
    by leslianne at 03/01/10 8:36PM