"After this I'm gonna dream about peppers"

... and other thoughts from my last month with Rachel Ray.

Tonight's supper was so incredibly spicy I find myself online looking for ways to "cool" it down. Granted, LK and his British palate aren't too fond of food with a kick (he misses so much in life). But when it's too hot for me, I know something went wrong. Even Geo, who is, at the table at least, our adventurous child, said tonight he'll be dreaming of peppers after this meal. And for the first time in my month of cooking Rachel Ray, I've found one that I think will not be cooked again.

So here is what I spent the last month cooking listed by their number from Rachel's 365 no repeat cookbook.

January List Part 1

#4 Mac-n-Cheddar with Broccoli
I'm gonna have to try this one again. Apparently is does matter that you actually have a full pound of macaroni. I was pretty far into the preparation when I discovered I only had, at best, half a pound, so when all things were combined I successfully made macaroni cheese soup. It was, however, one of the few things I've made that got better by being shoved to the back of the fridge.*

#97 Chicken Tortilla Soup with Lime I made this one when Ryan (as in the same Ryan from the Wishing Well Project, an organization you should totally look into supporting) brought his friends over to our house for an impromptu Ice Party 2010. Ryan's three friends were all from various parts of Asia, and one, Spark, had never been to an American home or eaten anything Tex-Mex. I used yellow bell peppers instead of green (Target had a run on green bell peppers- I mean when you're stocking up for the worst ice storm in decades, you must have green bell peppers!). Since we had guests I doubled it but only used 1 bell pepper and only 1 jalapeno. I also left out the cumin and coriander because I didn't realize I was out and just sprinkled a random amount of chili powder instead. I did not put the chips in the bottom because that sounded gross. Overall this was a good broth based Chicken Tortilla Soup, but if you want the best, you need to buy Tanya Leckie's cookbook. That is the best ever.

#99 Chicken, Corn, and Black Bean Stoup
We already discussed this one. Though after looking to see that the can says it contains 3 chipotle peppers and the recipe only calling for 1-- I'm suddenly thinking there in lies the spice problem.

#111 Pork Chops with Grainy Mustard and Raisin Sauce
We had this when the Panters spent a Sunday afternoon with us eating and playing BananaGrams (which is a fabulous game). It would have been better if I realized it was an Indian type dish (I realize now the golden raisins should have been a big clue.) I would have served it with rice instead of mashed potatoes.

#113 Ginger-Soy Chicken on Shredded Lettuce I used regular soy sauce because who in Oklahoma knows what tamari is or where in the world to buy it?! I also only used 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes (remember the hubs spice deprived mouth). I also piled a little bit of white rice on the lettuce before putting the chicken on top. Tasty.

#140 Beans and Green Soup
A little too spicy, should use 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes next time instead. I also used endive because I couldn't find anything that specifically said "escarole" and some site I found while frustratingly standing in the grocery store said you could use endive as a sub. Plus if you look up both on wikipedia escarole takes you to endive, and since wikipedia is the bible of all knowledge, that must right.

#177 My Mom's 15-Minute Tomato and Bean Stoup
I made this when mom and dad were in town. Excellent! I used 2 cans of tomato paste with 2 cups of water instead of the tomato sauce because when making my grocery list I misread what I would need so I had no sauce and only paste. I also used 2 Roma tomatoes that I had diced and forgotten about for a previous meal instead of canned tomatoes and I completely omitted the yellow beans because I couldn't find them.

Tomorrow, January list Part 2. Come hungry ... And, if you're interested, my friend Michelle did a year of cooking every day with Rachel Ray (whew! She's more of a woman than me!)

*I do not endorse this method for most dishes. Most of the time it gets very very gross.

Lumina Chords

I chose Lumina from Joan Osborne's Relish album as my first song to learn because it's slow and it doesn't have too many chords. (The fact that Cadd9 and G are really close together helps too.) My tutor found the original chords online but I've clean their post up and added a few twists of my own.

And my sweet DH said to add me playing this on here. Be nice- I just had my 5th lesson today.


My notes:
Joan sings lower than I do, so I play this at capo 1, but if you want to sing along with the song you'll want it tune to your basic EADGBE

Joan plays this with a full down and up strumming rhythm, but I only know down strumming right now. However, I've been able to create a sound similar to what Joan does with a full down and up strum by using this pattern (D= down strum)

Chorus:
Cadd9  G     Cadd9  G
DD     DD    DD     D (PLUCK B PLUCK B) D
Lu-      mi- na
Cadd9          G     Cadd9  G
DD             DD    DD     D (PLUCK B PLUCK B) D
Come and wrap around me
Cadd9  G     Cadd9   G
DD     DD    DD      D (PLUCK B PLUCK B) D
Lu-      mi- na
Cadd9               G    Cadd9  G
DD                  DD   DD     D (PLUCK B PLUCK B) D
Take me through the snow

Repeat for the rest of the chorus chords

Verses:
D          Em     Cadd9      G
DD         D      DD         D
Eve take a train, Eve took a train
Cadd9           G   Cadd9  G
DD              DD  DD     D (PLUCK B PLUCK B) D
Went to see her man
D       Em      Cadd9   G
DD      D       DD      D
Melting inside, melting away
Cadd9              G   Cadd9  G
DD                 DD  DD     D (PLUCK B PLUCK B) D
Like butter in the pan

Repeat for the rest of the verses. Alright, so now for the chords.

Intro:/ Cadd9 G - / x8

Chorus 1:
Cadd9  G    Cadd9  G
Lu-     mi- na
Cadd9          G     Cadd9  G
Come and wrap around me
Cadd9  G    Cadd9   G
Lu-     mi- na
Cadd9               G    Cadd9  G
Take me through the snow

D          Em     Cadd9      G
Eve take a train, Eve took a train
Cadd9           G   Cadd9  G
Went to see her man
D       Em      Cadd9   G
Melting inside, melting away
Cadd9              G   Cadd9  G
Like butter in the pan

Repeat Chorus 1

D          Em     Cadd9       G
Eve took a fruit, Eve bit the fruit
Cadd9              G    Cadd9  G
Juice ran down her chin
D           Em  Cadd9           G
Babies will put things in their mouths
Cadd9          G   Cadd9  G
Never heard of sin

/ Cadd9 G - / x8

Chorus 2:
Cadd9  G    Cadd9  G
Lu-     mi- na
Cadd9          G     Cadd9  G
Open like the sea
Cadd9  G    Cadd9   G
Lu-     mi- na
Cadd9          G    Cadd9  G
Sing me in the dark

D          Em   Cadd9      G
Eve had to ask, Eve had to ask
Cadd9              G      Cadd9  G
What is wrong with this?
D           Em     Cadd9      G
Here is the place, now is the time
Cadd9            G    Cadd9  G
Let's invent the kiss

Chorus 3:
Cadd9  G    Cadd9   G
Lu-     mi- na
Cadd9          G     Cadd9  G
Come and wrap around me
Cadd9          G     Cadd9  G
Come and wrap around me
Cadd9          G     Cadd9  G
Come and wrap around me

/ Cadd9  G - / Cadd9  G (hold) /

Train up a child in the way he should go

Today ISH was given training in one of life's most important lessons:







Just think, when I was his age I had to remember "8 cups 2 scoops, 12 cups 3 scoops." He doesn't know how good he has it.

Celebrating Ground Hog Day

LK is a big fan of Ground Hog Day. So I decided to take a break from 365 with Rachel Ray streak I was on and make "Puxsutawney-Phil-in-a-Blanket", "Ain't-No-Sunshine-When-He's-Gone Lemon Rosemary cupcakes" (see recipe below), and "Wishing for Spring Salad" in honor of this often overlooked holiday.

Here is what I've learned from that little "science experiment" (see point #6 in earlier post: Introductions)

1. When standing pigs-in-a-blanket on end so that it stands up to be somewhat "ground-hog-coming-out-of-the-hole-esque" you run the very possible risk that they will look less like ground hogs and more like an object lesson on circumcision.
   
2. They will look less phallic once baked.
   
3. If a cupcake recipe calls for "cake flour" there's probably a reason why
   
4. By not using "cake flour" you run the very possible risk that your rosemary lemon cupcakes will actually look more like lemon potato latkes and taste more like lemon curd than look and taste like cupcakes.
   
5. Greasing your Pampered Chef stone cupcake pan with Crisco because only after returning home from the store did you realize you did not have any cupcake paper is likely to exacerbate the lack of "cake flour" problem.
   
6. Memphis BBQ is probably a better "ground hog" day meal. (mentally filed away for next year)
   

If it really is the thought that counts, then this was one of the best meals I've made in a long time. If not, it was at least a humorous one.

---

Recipe for "Ain't-No-Sunshine-When-He's-Gone Lemon Rosemary cupcakes"
copied at some point from Better Homes and Gardens (I added the Bill Withers reference in honor of Phil


***** UPDATE FEBRUARY 9, 2010. *****
This recipe will produce lemon curd results every time (which is yummy in it's own way). Click here for the real recipe including all ingredients.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 22 minutes plus 5 minutes to cool
Servings: 15 cupcakes I only made 12 larger ones

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1/4 cups cake flour
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 recipe Lemon Glaze (see below)

1. Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line fifteen 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside. In medium bowl combine cake flour, rosemary, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium-high for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, lemon extract, and vanilla. Beat on medium-high for 2 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping bowl.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture; beat on low after each just until combined. Stir in the lemon peel and lemon juice.

4. Spoon batter in prepared cups to three-fourths full. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. (Bake 36 mini cakes 15 to 18 minutes; 6 jumbo cakes 25 to 30 minutes.) Cool in muffin cups on rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.

5. Spoon Lemon Glaze on cupcakes. Let stand 10 minutes. Makes 15 (2-1/2-inch) cupcakes.

6.Lemon Glaze: In small bowl combine 1 cup powdered sugar and enough lemon juice (5 to 5-1/2 teaspoons) for spreading consistency. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel.

A Love Letter to Southwest Airlines

I know, I know- I said I'd keep work out of this; however, baggage fees aren't really work. Baggage fees are an infuriating part of travel (and travel is hobby. So see- no work).

What I know is that most airlines behave like 9th grade girls. One does something snitty and the others feel the need to follow in turn. Just like in January, when Delta raised their baggage fees, and the Continental felt the need to join in the fun, followed quickly by American. And I sit here wanting to scream-- It's not a competition to see who can have the highest fees people!

But thankfully Southwest- doesn't feel the need to play the "Mean Girls" games with the other airlines. And base on article published by Travel Weekly on January 31, it looks like Southwest has no plans to start.

While airlines continue to rack up even more revenue by charging higher checked-baggage fees, Southwest remains resolved to let bags fly free, saying it has enabled the carrier to capture market share from its competitors. ... [Other] Airlines are willing to put up with the anecdotal backlash because the baggage fees for them, so far, have made good financial sense. ... [And] Southwest would stand to pocket $732 million annually if it initiated a baggage fee, IdeaWorks estimated. ... But, IdeaWorks warned, "Corporate hubris may push the industry to some sort of tipping point. Southwest’s management (and its investors) should expect and require healthy market share gains from its bold product positioning endeavor."

Since the beginning of fees for bags I've been one who has strongly encouraged my clients to travel on Southwest. Even if the ticket is (on a rare occassion) more expensive than the others (though that doesn't happen often). I remind my clients they can save at least 100.00 per person round trip in additional baggage fees by traveling on Southwest. And it looks like I'm not the only one thinking that way. The article goes on to say that CEO Gary Kelly has already seen the benefits.

It is very clear we are seeing a share shift, somewhere between half a million and $1 million worth of additional customers. We reduced capacity 8% in the fourth quarter, and at the same time we grew our passengers.

So thank you Southwest- you may be a low cost airline, but IMO, you are far above the other airlines in your commitment to customer service. May you grown and prosper and continue to remember us, your passengers, the reason you're around. May you never forget that you don't have to be a 9th grade girl. And may you always love our bags.

A Brief Introduction

I'll blame this blog on Mandy, who three weeks ago told me I should have a blog. At the time I wasn't feeling like I'd be able to be one of those witty people that would attract blog followers in droves (Pioneer Woman, I am not).

But since Mandy said that, I've been thinking that maybe even if the droves of followers don't come, perhaps blogging is something worthy of doing.

It's not that I'm a complete novice to the blogosphere. I've posted a time or two on LK's blog when I've had a rambling thought or two. And anyone that follows me on Twitter knows that if you linked my 2,600 140 character posts together it alone would equal a blog. But I've never really had a blog, my blog.

And so, here I am, blogging.

And who am I?

I'm the wife of a man who has loved me through the ups and downs of our 8+ year marriage. A man who I respect and love. I'm blessed to have him as my friend, partner and love.

I'm the mother of two amazingly curly-headed boys. Parenting isn't easy, and the fact that the younger is so much like his mother has presented new challenges, but it's a role that I wouldn't exchange. And the older they get, the better it is.

I'm a work from home travel agent who loves the challenge of putting travel packages together for my clients. It's like working a giant puzzle and every day is something new. But really I aim to keep work out of this as much as possible.

I'm a home improvement fiend. We bought a house two years ago and I've already redone the main bathroom, boys room and guest room. The hallway (my lovely silver hallway) is mostly done as well-- started too many projects at one time to get that one finished in a timely fashion. However, most of the remaining projects are requiring professional help. It's a new role for me - paying someone else to do the demolishing and re-creation; but I like it because I get to plan and then it's like magic and it's done. LK doesn't believe me when I tell him the saw dust is Pixie Dust. But it sure feels that way.

I love photography- when LK and I travel it's the main aim of our trip and our photographs have become the main souvenir we take back with us. Though currently I still use the "P" setting on my Cannon and would like to work towards a more fully manual setting. And I do enjoy tweaking the pictures once I've taken them. It's not that I don't like how they come out on their own, it's just I see tweaking as a furthering of the artistic process.

I am finally enjoying cooking. I hadn't really (ever) cooked before I got married and back then a "meal" was Hamburger Helper paired with a can of fruit cocktail. To me, cooking is one big science experiment. I don't follow the directions well (more I don't pre-read the recipes and thus are unprepared for following directions much of the time). Some times my science experiments are bad (and I mean substitute ranch dressing for milk or hot dog stew bad) and some times they're good (Like apple crisp I can't recreate because it I threw it together and can't remember how I did it- but was met with AMAZING acclaim by the guests). The last month I cooked only from 365 days with Rachel Ray. I wish it had pictures and don't believe them when they say it can be done in 30 minutes (they don't include the pre-prep time), but overall the outcome has been very very yummy. And none call for canned fruit cocktail.

And most recently, I'm a student of guitar. I've always seen myself as a guitarist, playing along with the Indigo Girls or Ani DiFranco as I drive the kids to gymnastics in the mini van. But I was always too much of a perfectionist to try it. Until this year. This year I've hired a tutor and am working towards better combining the person I think I am with the person I am.

And I am an avid fan of the color turquoise.

So welcome to my complykated little world of apron and guitar strings. Please, make yourself at home.