Little Kissy Homemaker at the top of her game

Yeah, I'm gonna toot my own horn for a bit.

This morning by 10:00 I had:

1. washed the pans from last night's date night
2. sorted the laundry and put a load in
3. put clean sheets on the guest room bed in preparation for Sonny's sitter next weekend
4. started a pot of gravy
5. hemmed a pair of pants
6. prepared for the school and service meeting--we do bookstudy prep together

Then I slept from 10:30 to 11:20 when Dad called. Oh, I also managed to eat a bowl of cereal and share a banana with the dog.

I have laundry to fold, a bike to ride, a shower to take, and a dinner to make. (I'm a poet!) I bet I squeeze another nap in, too. I took two benadryl last night. It knocks me out for days.

I know it's not exciting but that is my day.

Catch ya later.

Well it's Wednesday

You know what that means--Date Night at the Saxes!

So, I gave Josh some choices for our date night fare. Usually, he just tells me to make what I want--his job is to eat what I prepare. The possibilities were: Talapia (which I made last night, instead), London Broil (preparation undecided) or panini style sandwiches.

He chose the sammies. So I'll be making a sandwich for him (roast beef and provolone with horseradish sauce) and either a turkey and cheese (goat, possibly) with tomato and grilled onions or a big salad for myself. I also bought french fries.

I have fresh lemon juice left over from preparing the talapia last night (lemon, thyme, garlic and panko encrusted and sauteed in butter) so tonight's cocktail will likely be Whiskye Sours.

I'm making banana-berry smoothies with low-fat yoghurt for dessert.

All this talk about food is making me very hungry and it is lunch time.

Ciao,
Kristen

dessert first

Okay Paula and Allegra--I forgot to include the dessert plan. I made an apple crisp. A very cheater (yet still tasty) apple crisp. T. Marzetti (they make the caramel dip for apples) make this "easy to bake" (their words, not mine) apple crisp mix. It turned out to be fairly easy. Peeling and slicing 8 apples (they were small) was a little tedious, but other than that it was easy peasy.

Dinner last night was very tasty. I'm not huge chicken parm fan, but I loved this recipe. It came from Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook (a first anniversary gift from a dear fan--thanks J). Before I share the recipe, I will say that while I did pound my chicken breasts, I did not use cutlets (as my loving husband pointed out to me, is essential for a true chicken parm) I will use cutlets the next time. Giada's timing is more in line with a cutlet.

So here goes: (my additions/changes in purple)

1 T olive oil (I know I used more, but I don't really measure much)
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (from my Aero Garden!)
pinch of red pepper flakes
4 chicken cutlets about 3 oz each (so she did call for cutlets, I had cutlets...I really need to read more carefully)
3/4 c marinara sauce (I used my gravy--again I don't measure)
1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese (I used thin slices of mozzarella and an Italian 3 cheese blend--no measuring)
8 tsp freshly grated parm (this is getting silly--I used parm and romano and I have no idea how much)
1 T unsalted butter; cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. In a small bowl, stir the oil and herbs to blend. Brush both sides of the cutlet with the herb oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I added the S and P to the herb/oil mixture.) Heat a large, heavy oven proof skillet over a high flame. Add the cutlets and cook until just brown, about 1 min. per side. Remove from heat.

Spoon the marinara sauce over and around the cutlets. Sprinkle cheeses over and dot with butter. Bake until cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. (I had to cook mine for more like 12 minutes. They weren't cutlets. I made a mistake!)

So dinner was yummy and the evening was lovely, if I do say so myself.

See how my garden has grown?! I have the grow light extended as high as it will go. This has definitely been a worthwhile investment for this cook. If you have the space for it, I recommend it. There is nothing like fresh herbs!

Sonny and date night

Well it seems that I will be cooking for both my men today. I'll get to Josh in a minute, but it looks like Sonny needs more boiled chicken and rice/potatoes. He was in for his recheck this morning and the vet recommended keeping him on this bland diet for a little bit longer (another week!). He checked out okay, but the vet thought it might be better if his diet continued to be bland. And he lost another lb+. Good for him, I guess. He's still overweight. I asked the vet tech how they make that determination. She said the vet really wants to be able to see a visible waist on the dog. I said that I'd really like to see a visible waist on me. She laughed, but she was built like a broom.

On to the date night menu. Chicken parm with a side of angel hair pasta (every time I make chicken parm, Josh says, "You know what would be really good with this? Pasta; you know chicken parm with a side of pasta.") I will make a Caesar Salad for my man...including the anchovies. I had three different sales people (at one time!) help me find the anchovies--they weren't with canned fish (like tuna and sardines). I don't care for Caesar salad so I will have a simple garden salad with tomato and cucumber.

To start, I will make these frozen roasted veggie and three cheese "purse" appetizer thingies. We've had them before and liked them but we haven't had them in a while.

I will make Manhattans. I will wear a skirt and I will have candles lit and music playing when I greet him at the top of the stairs with his cocktail. (Yes, we are that corny. But it makes for a very romantic evening.)

So we will enjoy our cocktails, company, and appetizers. The evening will continue and I will make dinner. I try to have as much prep work done in advance. I think we'll have our salads while the pasta water comes to a boil. When I drop the pasta, I will get the chicken started (I'll already have it prepped...just not cooked.) Hopefully it will all come out at once.

Now I just need to put clean sheets on the bed, vaccuum, dust, clean our bathroom, and have a Bible Study. I will need this date night!

Sonny kisses

I think Sonny is finally better.

He was at the vet most of the day on Thurs, and then vomited while we were at meeting.

Friday was good.

Saturday he puked.

Sunday was good.

Monday he puked, but this time he had the courtesy to do it outside while on his walk. When I got home from running some errands and getting my teeth cleaned, he demanded I feed him. Seriously. I had offered him some cheerios earlier and he rejected them, but they were sill near his bowl. He ate them all. Then turned around, sat down, and proceeded to bark his fool head off until I gave him some food. I had made him boiled chicken and potatoes last week. He ate all the chicken and left the potatoes. When he got hungry again, he ate the potatoes. So I fed him again. Josh fed him a third time while I was preparing dinner.

He has not vomited today, he made a good poo outside, and then ate breakfast. He's been playing and giving me lots of kisses. My Sonny dog seems to be back to me.

On a personal note, I'm trying to eat better and exercise more. I rode my bike for 6.9 miles yesterday. I'm not bragging...it took me 30 minutes over a 45 minute period to do that. I'm just hoping to get some encouragement from across cyberspace. Thanks!

updates all around

1. Sonny has eaten some of his special home made food. I gave him a little bit and he came back looking for more. I waited about an hour and gave him some more and he nearly knocked me over as I was putting in his bowl. He wanted more but I decided he should wait till dinner.

2. I know you were all concerned about the leftovers from last weekend's social events. We are still eating the dips. I did find that the roasted veggie spread was very good as part of an egg sandwich. I used the cranberry sauce mixed with dijon mustard over sauteed chicken. Mmmmm. Inspired by recipes I saw on epicurious.com

3. Stain came up about 80% with the dish soap and water mix.

4. Aero Garden is thriving. I've used lots of basil and will be making chicken saltimbocca tonight to use some of the sage.

That's it. I have to vacuum. No more procrastinating for Kissy.

ciao

Sonny's adventure

My poor dog. He hasn't had any food since Wednesday morning.

"Why?," you ask. He ate part of our bath mat on Tuesday night. It didn't digest too well. He vomited 7 times in 30 hours. (You should see my carpet...it's kinda camouflage looking.) I took him to the vet yesterday morning, around 10:15. (We had a high temp of...are you ready for this...0! All for the love this dog.).

She looked him over and right away said that he was dehydrated and recommended that he have IV fluids. She wanted to xray his abdomen to look for a blockage. We did that. No blockage visible, but she said she saw a lot of stool and that could hide a blockage. She said it could be pancreatitis...that would cause vomiting in dogs. There was a specific blood test for that. She also wanted to test his other organ groups, because the onset of diabetes or a liver problem could present with vomiting. More blood tests.

So at 11:45 I left him there to get fluids and blood tests and went to the grocery store. Rather than put him on a prescription food, I decided I would make him a bland diet. By 3:00 I had made him boiled potatoes and chicken. I can't let him have any until this afternoon. (I did toss him 4 cheerios and a very, very small bite of banana with my breakfast. Everything has stayed down.)

Josh and I went to pick him up at 6:00 last night. I think he was very happy to see us. He did vomit once while we were at the meeting. It had a large wad of bath mat in it. Josh thought maybe that was at least half of what he had eaten. I'm hoping that will be the last expelled in that fashion.

No more vomit stories. He did sleep soundly through the night (under my nightstand...I checked on him several times). Right now he is asleep on "his" sofa in the sun. I will probably try to hand feed him some of his special food in a little bit. My "grill guru" just called with several dog vomit cleaning suggestions. So we'll see what a little dish soap and warm water will do.

Dip update. cranberry sauce and banana bread

So I've spent the last 4.5 hours cooking. I baked a loaf of banana bread for Field Service coffee treat. (We meet at our house and have informed the group that at 8:45 there will always be coffee and maybe some sort of treat.)

Banana bread was probably the first thing I ever made by myself. The recipe is in an old Good Housekeeping Cookbook, that I took from my mom when I got married and I think she took it from Dad's mom shortly after they got married. That is not the recipe I made. This one I saw Giada Delarentis make on her show. Here 'tis:

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

Spread slices with honey or serve with ice cream.

Next I made the dips that I posted about earlier. All are very tasty, but as of right now (flavors may change overnight) I like the Thyme and Garlic one the best. Mmmm.

The other thing that I made to bring to this dinner is Cranberry Sauce. My friend is serving turkey as the main course...I just can't eat turkey without cranberry sauce. This is my favorite recipe...

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry Marsala
• 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
• 1 12-ounce bag cranberries
• 12 ounces frozen dark sweet cherries (about 2 2/3 cups), halved
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Preparation

Combine Marsala and dried cherries in deep saucepan. Boil until mixture is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 8 minutes. Mix in remaining ingredients. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, cover pan and simmer until cranberries burst and mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Cover; keep refrigerated.)

I made this yesterday and I keep going to the fridge to sample it. It is soooo, soooo good.

Mac and Cheese

I've done a lot of cooking over the past few months. Sadly, I haven't shared the recipes that I've made for my family...just the ones for friends. So I'm going to work backwards and share the ones that I've made for the most important people in my life.

This is one that I made at the end of Oct, in SC, while I was staying at Mom and Dad's house...without them, but with Grandmom and those infernal dogs of my mom's. I really thought that Allen would like this, but as eating with us took him away from Cars, he didn't eat with us. I think he liked the leftovers, though.

Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

nocoupons

• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 1 quart milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

This is an Ina Garten recipe as seen on Barfoot Contessa. I've yet to make this at home, but I feel a mac and cheese craving coming. Maybe next week.

Trio of dips

I have been asked to bring an appetizer/hors d'oevre to our congregation's pioneer dinner. Not being able to make up my mind, I decided to bring three different dips and the appropriate dippers.

Let me know what you think of these:

Blue Cheese and Caramelized Shallot Dip

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced shallots (about 4 ounces)

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 4 ounces blue cheese, room temperature

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots. Cover and cook until shallots are deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool.

Whisk together mayonnaise and sour cream in medium bowl to blend. Add blue cheese. Using rubber spatula, mash mixture until smooth. Stir in caramelized shallots. Season dip to taste with salt and pepper. Cover dip and refrigerate until flavors blend, about 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Serve dip chilled or at room temperature.

Thyme and Garlic Cheese Dip

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (packed) fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 7 1/2-ounce package farmer cheese or one 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Preparation

Blend first 4 ingredients in processor until garlic is finely chopped, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add cheese and sour cream; blend well. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to serving bowl; chill 30 minutes. (Dip can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

The first two recipes were found on www.epicurious.com. They originally appeared in Bon Appetite--March '01 and November '02 respectively.

The third recipe is Alton Brown's and was found on www.foodnetwork.com.

Roasted Vegetable Spread

Ingredients

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
• 1 medium onion, sliced into rings
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Challah, foccacia, or pita bread, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the bell pepper, onion, garlic, zucchini, and olive oil in a medium mixing bowl and toss until the vegetables are coated. Spread the vegetables evenly on sheet pan lined with foil and place to the oven. Roast, tossing occasionally, until they are soft and are beginning to turn brown around the edges, approximately 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Place the vegetables in the bowl of a food processor along with the cream cheese and process until well combined and spreadable; do not process until completely smooth.

Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread on soft bread, such as challah, foccacia, or pita bread. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Note: I just roasted a red pepper and onion to top a pizza. I followed these steps but only for 30 minutes. Most of my veggies burned. I will adjust either time or temp for Saturday. For tonight, I'll eat the burny ones (I thought they were nice and sweet) and give the less "well done" pieces to Josh.