The Long Haul: Cooking

Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts

I Think I Have a Problem..

>> Sunday, April 17, 2011 – Cooking

..with white serving pieces.

Love them- They go with everything, I can combine manufacturers, they work with my formal china, and they don't make any certain food look gross.

Bed Bath & Beyond has a line of white serving pieces, and Homegoods carries The Palm line of serving pieces. Those are both my go-to for new pieces, but I;ve also gotten some at Ikea and West Elm too.

Freezer Meals for a New Mom

>> Thursday, July 8, 2010 – Cooking

Almost 2 months ago now our niece was born. I knew that I wanted to make some freezer meals for my brother and sister in law when she came, so the week after Sienna was born, I started cooking and baking.

For the freezer(s) I made:
Chicken Spaghetti
2 Turkey Meatloaves
Chicken Enchiladas
Banana Bread
Chocolate Chip Cookies

We also got a bag of Parmesan Breaded Tilapia that we love. These can be stuck in the oven right from the freezer and only take about 15 minutes to bake up.

The meatloaves were pre-baked so they only needed to be thawed and then popped into the oven to reheat. The enchiladas and spaghetti were assembled but not baked. They needed to be thawed and then stuck into the oven for about 20-45 minutes. Obviously, the bread and cookies were already baked.

In addition to the above, I also brought over a fresh lasagna, lettuce/croutons/salad and garlic bread for that evening, and some crackers for munching.

I brought everything over a week after Sienna was born so that the new parents would have a chance to get settled back in at home. I was so glad to be able to do this for them- I love having an excuse to cook and bake and I am sure that parents of a brand new baby have more pressing matters than making sure that they will have a full meal of non-fast food.

Lastly,
Sienna and Maui. How cute!?

A Mother's Day Dinner Party

>> Monday, May 10, 2010 – Cooking, Menu Plan Monday

Appetizer:

Gorgonzola and Carmelized Onion Cheese Ball with Crackers

Dinner:

Local farm raised pork chops from the farmer's market, grilled with a mild rub and BBQ glaze
Roasted Potatoes
Roasted Garlic Broccoli
Warm dinner rolls with sea salt and rosemary

Dessert:

(I got that sweet print thing when I was in Africa- the artist was making them right there!
About a month or so ago Amanda and I found this awesome frame that matches the print perfectly!)

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Cherry and M&M Oatmeal cookies

To Drink:
Strawberry Lemonade

My Favorite Things

>> Thursday, July 23, 2009 – Cooking, Design, Jaq

I've been tagged by Heather at Heather Drive.

The "rules" for this tag are:
1. Mention and link back to the person who tagged you.
2. List 6 little things that make you happy.
3. Tag 6 other bloggers and let them know they're "it".

So, without further ado, my favorite things:

1- Kitties! I would seriously have as many as my house would hold.. if only John weren't such a spoil-sport and holding me back. If it weren't for him, I would be THAT crazy cat lady.

2- Organization. I could spend hundreds of dollars on shelving, containers, dividers. Ahhh I just love it when everything has its own place. Its so refreshing.

3- Similarly, I love mopping and vaccuuming really dirty floors. It makes me feel so happy to see the clean come shining through!

Image

4- Sweets. I can eat chocolate, cake, cupcakes, frosting, etc all.day.long. Seriously- I cannot turn down sweets. It really makes it hard to lose weight...

5- College football. I was a hockey person growing up. Its hard not to be when you live in upstate NY. I played ice hockey throughout high school and my first year of college. Then I had my Life Changing Moment. I transferred schools. To the South. The home of college football. I was sold instantly. I love the atmosphere and just the sport itself. I look forward all winter/spring to the fall for the kickoff of football season. Once August comes, we watch football Saturdays (college), Sundays (NFL), Mondays (college), Tuesdays (really crappy college), Thursdays (college) and Fridays (college). Amen.

6- Gardening. I love planting seeds and watching them sprout and grow into plants with flowers or veggies. My love for vegetables came because my dad always had a huge garden and every summer we lived off of fresh vegetables. I am going to include fresh vegetables and landscape design in the "gardening" category.

and.. a bonus:

7- Design. I have such a potential to adore my job because of my degree. I enjoy the challenge of space planning & trying to fit all of these functions into a space, while making it the most efficient layout possible.. and still aesthetically pleasing. The icing on the cake is being able to select finishes and pull everything together. Don't ever call me a decorator though- wicked burn. I went to school for 4.5 years to become an interior designer- I do not "decorate," ie pick draperies and tchochkies. It gets me so riled up when people decide that they are good at picking colors and furniture & determine that they are now interior designers. Sorry honey, but that requires 4 years of college and passing a lisencing exam.

This was a quick little project senior year. It was a competition to design affordable/sustainable housing out of cast-off shipping cartons- like what you see on the back of a tractor trailer. Its not my favorite project, but it was fun & the other have too many images to share all of them! Someday I will try to do some posts with my projects. I think you can click the image to make them bigger.

Ok- I am going to tag:
1- YD @ A Little Bit of Everything
2- Meredith @ La Buena Vida
3- Leslie @ Leslie G
4- Amber @ WabiSabi
5- Jenna @ That Wife
6- Pam @ The Adventures of Mrs.Reagan

Cookie Party

>> Friday, December 26, 2008 – Christmas, Cookie Party, Cooking

For the cookie decorating party, I told everyone to bring as many sugar cookies as they would like to bring home with them. I provided frosting, sprinkles and snacks.