I realize that I will probably never be consistent in my blogging. A perfect example is how I planned on doing a blog of things that I am thankful for every week and it has been more than a year since my last. I suppose that the saying "better late than never" probably applies here as always with my sporatic blogging habits.
#1- My husband's love- I know I already said I was thankful for my husband but I just beel so lucky to feel his love every day of my life in all the little things he does. I truely understand what warm fuzzies feel like now because that is how I feel when he kisses me gently on the forehead or hugs me for no reason. I am so thankful I found my soul mate who I can grow old with.
#2- Our New Apartment- A few months ago we moved out of our old apartment into a much nicer two bedroom apartment in a much friendlier neighborhood than our old apartment. I finally can love being at home.
#3- My craft room- Since we moved up from a one bedroom apartment and had no real need for a second bedroom, my amazing husband gave the other room to me to use as a craft room. I love my husband so much but it is so incredibly nice to have my own space to be creative in.
#4- Our kitchen- we actually have a kitchen now! I am no longer stuck cooking using a wall with appliances on it that happens to be a part of our living/dining/kitchen area. I love having a separate room with so much more space to create in. It has sparked my interest in cooking more than the old place ever could.
#5- My parents- When we moved into our new place, my parents were such a blessing in helping us to create a home. My dad helped move furniture and both my parents supplied us with hand me down furniture to help our apartment looked lived in. It's amazing how the furniture that had our old place bursting at the seams made our new place look so bare. I will always be thankful for tow loving parents who would go to the ends of the earth for me.
#6- Yard Sales- We were able to have a yard sale with others in our community and made quite a bit of money selling things we never used any more. Also we were able to find several things for our apartment at yard sales as well.
#7-Fall- I love that time of year when the leaves start changing into such vibrant warm colors and the air gets chilly but is not too cold yet.
#8- Stew- This goes along with me liking fall, I love being warmed up after a chilly day with a warm bubbling crock pot full of homemade stew made with tons of fresh veggies.
#9- Bountiful Baskets- I started doing bountiful baskets about a month ago and in the last month I have been able to explore so many new recipes using all the fresh produce I get every week. Also I have been able to cut back on many unhealthy snacks by reaching for fresh fruit instead. I feel so much better and I know it must be because I am finally getting tons of fresh produce in my diet.
#10-Our Song- Everytime I hear the song that my hasband and I call our song it just brightens my day. Whether I am with him or not I always smile thinking of how much I love him.
I think I will limit this blog to only ten things I am thankful for. I plan on making some homemade pasta for the first time ever and I want to make sure I have plenty of time to do that before my husband comes home from work.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Monday, October 8, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
What a long time
Wow, I must say, I am embarrassed at how long it has taken me to post another blog. Right now this blog is somewhat like my journals growing up. I would always lose them for months at a time. I guess I can't really use that as an excuse since this is online. I guess all I can say is that life ran away with me. Well time to update on the last several months of my life and then I promise to try to post more often.
In June, my mom retaught me how to knit. I picked it up quickly as she had already taught me the basics when I was a child. I spent time over the next several months knitting scarves for everyone for Christmas as well as some hats, bags, and other small projects. I am still enjoying knitting and since Christmas is over, I am searching for a sweater pattern to make my own sweaters.
In July, My husband and I had a yard sale and I sold my childhood polly pocket collection for enough money to buy myself a sewing machine. I have really been enjoying teaching myself how to sew. Some of my projects I have made include backpacks, aprons, purses, doll clothes, quilts, potholders, and stuffed animals. I will post pictures of some of my favorite projects later.
On July third, I celebrated my first anniversary with my husband. We rented a cabin in three island crossing state park and had a relaxing few days together away from the lights and sounds of the city. When we got back into town we celebrated his 22nd birthday with a trip downtown with his sister.
In August, life got really crazy. I got a second job working a night support for a man who is quadriplegic. With both my jobs, I was working six nights a week for a total of about 65 hours a week. Andy started school again but since I graduated I got to really start experiencing what life is like without school.
September went quickly in a haze of work for me and work and school for Andy. A former friend from freshman year, Reilly, moved in next to us and we became much closer than we ever were before. I finally have a friend nearby that I can do girls days with. :)
In October, I celebrated my 23rd birthday with a tattoo from my husband, but I was unable to much of anything else since I worked the night before and the night of my birthday. We celebrated with my family later in the week and they put a baby picture of mine on a cake. Luckily none of my friends had to see that. lol
In November, My friend Amanda and I had a table at a craft fair. After spending months crafting, we were disappointed that the church holding it had not advertised. As a result, we barely sold anything, but we did get to enjoy knitting together like old ladies for the day and trading with other vendors. The highlight of my day was trading a jar of jam I had made for a purse from the woman next to us. I would say that was a nice bonus for the day. Later that month, I celebrated my brother's 27th birthday. Seems like the years have flown. I still remember nerf gun fights in the yard and arguing over which disney movie to watch.
December brought a flurry of Christmas shopping, crafting, and wrapping. I discovered some of my Christmas crafting plans will have to wait until next year, but at least I finished at least one homemade thing for each person on my list. And trust me when i say that with a husband who comes from a family of nine kids, my Christmas list is about as long as Santa's. We were able to spend Christmas with both of our families, doing Christmas morning with his family and afternoon with mine. Around Christmas time, I also made the decision to quit my second job. Andy got a better job in December so we didn't need me to work both jobs and working so much had gotten too stressful for me.
January brings a new year and what feels like a new life. Now that I have cut back on work I have once again been able to enjoy things like cooking and baking. Sadly, we ate too many pizzas and hamburgers the last few months because of how busy I was. For this year, I plan on once again reviving my passion for cooking and posting some yummy new recipes. Who knows what else the year will bring, but I am certainly ready for the adventure that ensues.
In June, my mom retaught me how to knit. I picked it up quickly as she had already taught me the basics when I was a child. I spent time over the next several months knitting scarves for everyone for Christmas as well as some hats, bags, and other small projects. I am still enjoying knitting and since Christmas is over, I am searching for a sweater pattern to make my own sweaters.
In July, My husband and I had a yard sale and I sold my childhood polly pocket collection for enough money to buy myself a sewing machine. I have really been enjoying teaching myself how to sew. Some of my projects I have made include backpacks, aprons, purses, doll clothes, quilts, potholders, and stuffed animals. I will post pictures of some of my favorite projects later.
On July third, I celebrated my first anniversary with my husband. We rented a cabin in three island crossing state park and had a relaxing few days together away from the lights and sounds of the city. When we got back into town we celebrated his 22nd birthday with a trip downtown with his sister.
In August, life got really crazy. I got a second job working a night support for a man who is quadriplegic. With both my jobs, I was working six nights a week for a total of about 65 hours a week. Andy started school again but since I graduated I got to really start experiencing what life is like without school.
September went quickly in a haze of work for me and work and school for Andy. A former friend from freshman year, Reilly, moved in next to us and we became much closer than we ever were before. I finally have a friend nearby that I can do girls days with. :)
In October, I celebrated my 23rd birthday with a tattoo from my husband, but I was unable to much of anything else since I worked the night before and the night of my birthday. We celebrated with my family later in the week and they put a baby picture of mine on a cake. Luckily none of my friends had to see that. lol
In November, My friend Amanda and I had a table at a craft fair. After spending months crafting, we were disappointed that the church holding it had not advertised. As a result, we barely sold anything, but we did get to enjoy knitting together like old ladies for the day and trading with other vendors. The highlight of my day was trading a jar of jam I had made for a purse from the woman next to us. I would say that was a nice bonus for the day. Later that month, I celebrated my brother's 27th birthday. Seems like the years have flown. I still remember nerf gun fights in the yard and arguing over which disney movie to watch.
December brought a flurry of Christmas shopping, crafting, and wrapping. I discovered some of my Christmas crafting plans will have to wait until next year, but at least I finished at least one homemade thing for each person on my list. And trust me when i say that with a husband who comes from a family of nine kids, my Christmas list is about as long as Santa's. We were able to spend Christmas with both of our families, doing Christmas morning with his family and afternoon with mine. Around Christmas time, I also made the decision to quit my second job. Andy got a better job in December so we didn't need me to work both jobs and working so much had gotten too stressful for me.
January brings a new year and what feels like a new life. Now that I have cut back on work I have once again been able to enjoy things like cooking and baking. Sadly, we ate too many pizzas and hamburgers the last few months because of how busy I was. For this year, I plan on once again reviving my passion for cooking and posting some yummy new recipes. Who knows what else the year will bring, but I am certainly ready for the adventure that ensues.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Pork Fried Rice
The other day, I told my sister in law that I was going to make fried rice and she looked at me in amazement. "YOU know how to make fried rice?" she questioned as if it were some great feat that only the brave attempt to do. When I told her that it is one of the easiest things I know how to cook she didn't believe me. What I can never believe is that most people react in this way when they find out that I can make fried rice. My husband's coworkers didn't believe him that his wife was white after he brought it to work with him one day. Even when he showed them a picture of me, they thought he must be joking.
I actually don't remember when I learned how to make fried rice because I've been making it most of my life. I would like to give you a link to the recipe, but my mother made up the recipe a long time ago. For years my mom searched for a fried rice recipe similar to that of her favorite restaurant Jade's Chopstick, but alas, no recipe was to be found. Finally, she set out to make her own recipe and I feel she succeeded in making one which is almost as good as the fried rice at Jade's.
You can use this as a side dish if you make something like sweet and sour pork, but I prefer just eating a big bowl of this by itself. I apologize for the quality of my camera, I only had my phone with me to take a picture that day.
Pork Fried Rice
Ingredients
3 cups instant rice
3 or 4 eggs
6 or 7 green onions, chopped
several slices of ham, cut into small pieces
salt
pepper
soy sauce
olive oil
Directions
1. Cook the instant rice to the directions on the box. If you have time, make it before you plan to make the friend rice and cool it in the fridge for a while. this will keep it from sticking together when you cook it.
2. Put about two tablespoons olive oil in a hot frying pan and scramble the eggs in it.
3. When the eggs are cooked add the rice, ham, and green onions. Stir in a little more olive oil and a few dashes of soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook the rice, stirring occassionally until it starts to brown. If you like lots of soy sauce, feel free to add more as the rice cooks. Serve as a side or by itself.
I actually don't remember when I learned how to make fried rice because I've been making it most of my life. I would like to give you a link to the recipe, but my mother made up the recipe a long time ago. For years my mom searched for a fried rice recipe similar to that of her favorite restaurant Jade's Chopstick, but alas, no recipe was to be found. Finally, she set out to make her own recipe and I feel she succeeded in making one which is almost as good as the fried rice at Jade's.
You can use this as a side dish if you make something like sweet and sour pork, but I prefer just eating a big bowl of this by itself. I apologize for the quality of my camera, I only had my phone with me to take a picture that day.
Pork Fried Rice
Ingredients
3 cups instant rice
3 or 4 eggs
6 or 7 green onions, chopped
several slices of ham, cut into small pieces
salt
pepper
soy sauce
olive oil
Directions
1. Cook the instant rice to the directions on the box. If you have time, make it before you plan to make the friend rice and cool it in the fridge for a while. this will keep it from sticking together when you cook it.
2. Put about two tablespoons olive oil in a hot frying pan and scramble the eggs in it.
3. When the eggs are cooked add the rice, ham, and green onions. Stir in a little more olive oil and a few dashes of soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook the rice, stirring occassionally until it starts to brown. If you like lots of soy sauce, feel free to add more as the rice cooks. Serve as a side or by itself.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
My First Bread
Today was a very special day for me: I made bread for the very first time. When I was growing up, I was lucky enough to have a stay at home mom who was talented in all the ways that a mom could be. She grew her own fruits and veggies, sewed clothes for me and my dolls, made me plastic canvas barbie furniture, knitted me hats and gloves, and cooked and baked some of the most amazing food. One of the things I remember most from my childhood was a tattered old red Betty Crocker cook book that I loved to put stickers on while my mom was cooking. From this cookbook, my mom created a plethera of delicious goodies including homemade bread, pies, cobblers, biscuits, cookies, and casseroles. I don't remember anything coming out of that book that I did not love.
A while back when I was at a used store, I browsed through the books not looking for anything in particular. That's when I spotted it. I found my very own copy of that beloved cook book from my childhood. That was when I set the challenge for myself: to make my very own homemade bread. Now I had watched my mom make it countless times as a child, but could I reproduce that delight in my own kitchen without my mom there to help me?
I decided that today was the day to go for it. And boy am I glad I did. After making my arms sore with kneading and boiling as I turned on the heat in my apartment for it to be in a warm environment while rising, and hours of waiting, I have produced two beautifully golden loaves of bread. They plumped out of the pans just as they were supposed to and reached that deep golden color I remember so well from my childhood. It's amazing how something as simple as bread can give me such a feeling of accomplishment.
Traditional White Bread
6 to 7 cups all-purpose or bread flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
2 packages active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups very warm water (120° to 130°)
Margarine or butter, melted
1. Mix 3 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, shortening and yeast in large bowl. Add warm water. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.
2. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 40 to 60 minutes or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
3. Grease bottoms and sides of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 or 9 x 5 x 3 inches, with shortening.
4. Punch down dough and divide in half. Flatten each half with hands or rolling pin into rectangle, 18 x 9 inches, on lightly floured surface. Roll dough up tightly, beginning at 9-inch side, to form a loaf. Press with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Press each end with side of hand to seal. Fold ends under loaf. Place seam side down in pan. Brush loaves lightly with margarine. Cover and let rise in warm place 25 to 50 minutes or until double.
5. Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 425°.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to wire rack. Brush loaves with margarine; cool.
From "Betty Crocker's Cookbook." Text Copyright 1991 General Mills.
A while back when I was at a used store, I browsed through the books not looking for anything in particular. That's when I spotted it. I found my very own copy of that beloved cook book from my childhood. That was when I set the challenge for myself: to make my very own homemade bread. Now I had watched my mom make it countless times as a child, but could I reproduce that delight in my own kitchen without my mom there to help me?
I decided that today was the day to go for it. And boy am I glad I did. After making my arms sore with kneading and boiling as I turned on the heat in my apartment for it to be in a warm environment while rising, and hours of waiting, I have produced two beautifully golden loaves of bread. They plumped out of the pans just as they were supposed to and reached that deep golden color I remember so well from my childhood. It's amazing how something as simple as bread can give me such a feeling of accomplishment.
Traditional White Bread
6 to 7 cups all-purpose or bread flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
2 packages active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups very warm water (120° to 130°)
Margarine or butter, melted
1. Mix 3 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, shortening and yeast in large bowl. Add warm water. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.
2. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 40 to 60 minutes or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
3. Grease bottoms and sides of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 or 9 x 5 x 3 inches, with shortening.
4. Punch down dough and divide in half. Flatten each half with hands or rolling pin into rectangle, 18 x 9 inches, on lightly floured surface. Roll dough up tightly, beginning at 9-inch side, to form a loaf. Press with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Press each end with side of hand to seal. Fold ends under loaf. Place seam side down in pan. Brush loaves lightly with margarine. Cover and let rise in warm place 25 to 50 minutes or until double.
5. Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 425°.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to wire rack. Brush loaves with margarine; cool.
From "Betty Crocker's Cookbook." Text Copyright 1991 General Mills.
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