Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday. I did, despite spending way too much money, as well as a few unfortunate mishaps. It was my first time hosting an adult party on New Year's Eve, so I learned a few lessons, but I enjoyed celebrating the end of 2011 with good food, drinks, and friends.
I have not committed to any resolutions (yet), but I do intend to blog more. I also plan on excercising more and watching what I eat, not to lose weight, but to stay physically healthy. I will post a list of my goals, if I get around to making some.
A lot has happened since the last time I posted an actual update. I went on three vacations (New York City, New York; Oceanside, California; and Capitol Reef National Park, Utah), I turned 27 (no, I am not looking forward to turning 30), I put my cat down (Sean did a good job documenting his life on his blog, Cocoa (1996 - 2011): Tribute to a FAT CAT!), and the person who broke into our house was caught (but nothing was recovered). The biggest change happened more recently.
As most of you know, Sean and I are no longer together. I do not enjoy airing dirty laundry or posting passive aggressive comments on a public blog/website such as mine (at least for now; I may make it private, but I would rather not do that), so I will not say anything more about this, but if you want to know why (from my perspective, of course), I would not mind explaining over dinner or drinks. I will say I am certainly sad the relationship (including, it seems, the friendship) ended, but I am not depressed, and for the most part, I am happier. The good that has and will come of this experience far outweighs the bad.
This year will definitely be full of "new" -- new people, new places, new adventures, new opportunities, new beginnings -- and I am looking forward to it.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Sunday, March 27, 2011
2011 Birthday Wishlist
Here are some things I want for my birthday this year, categorized and roughly in the order of importance. I only want new, unused items, please. I'll add to this list as I think of more stuff I want. There are more items on my Amazon.com wishlist, too. (Yes, I pretty much copied and pasted my 2010 Christmas Wishlist post.)
Miscellaneous:
Clothes (Pants: 32W 32L; Shirts: Medium)
Board and Card Games:
The Settlers of Catan
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Recipes
The mortgage broker we used when we bought our house (Kevin Horrocks, Olympus Funding) occasionally sends us postcards with recipes. Here are two we recently tried:
Shrimp Paella
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 10
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 14-ounce diced tomatoes
- 1 8-ounce bottle clam juice
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 12-ounce bag arborio rice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 24 large pre-cooked shrimp
- 2 scallions, diced
Directions:
Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet. Saute the onions, garlic, and thyme for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, clam juice, stock, pepper, and paprika. Stir in the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook uncovered for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Saute the shrimp in the remaining tablespoon of oil and the oregano for 3 minutes. Place the shrimp and scallions over the rice and serve with salt and pepper.
Lemon Basil Chicken
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chunked
- 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup white grape juice
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (4 lemons)
- 8 Roma tomatoes, chunked
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
- 1 pound cooked penne pasta
Directions
In a large skilled, brown the garlic and mushrooms in the oil. Add the chicken, salt, and pepper and cook until done, about 10 minutes. Add the grape juice and simmer 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and tomatoes, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped basil. Serve over the pasta and top with Asiago cheese.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
I know you are thinking, "Christmas is over!" Tell that to Mother Nature. It snowed a lot last night, and it has been snowing again today. Besides, the title is appropriate for blogging about Christmas, which I was going to do last time, but we had company.
Anyway, I woke up around 8:00 AM on Christmas and nudged Sean awake. After I woke Mike up, we opened the presents under our tree. Sean bought me an iTunes gift card, Up In The Air on blu-ray, a Nintendo Wii, an extra Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and two games: Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Bros. We set up the new system and washed the dishes (because who wants to leave dirty dishes in the sink on a holiday?) before going to my parents' house at 11:00 AM.
We ate a yummy brunch and then opened more presents. My grandma gave me various knickknacks, my stepmom and dad bought me a Walmart gift card, and my sister bought me Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Tooth Fairy on blu-ray (it was a two-disc set...). We then played a quick board game before going to Sean's parents' house around 2:00 PM, where we opened even more presents (Sean's dad gave me Telestrations, and his parents bought me a nice watch and a bottle of wine).
Anyway, I woke up around 8:00 AM on Christmas and nudged Sean awake. After I woke Mike up, we opened the presents under our tree. Sean bought me an iTunes gift card, Up In The Air on blu-ray, a Nintendo Wii, an extra Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and two games: Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Bros. We set up the new system and washed the dishes (because who wants to leave dirty dishes in the sink on a holiday?) before going to my parents' house at 11:00 AM.
We ate a yummy brunch and then opened more presents. My grandma gave me various knickknacks, my stepmom and dad bought me a Walmart gift card, and my sister bought me Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Tooth Fairy on blu-ray (it was a two-disc set...). We then played a quick board game before going to Sean's parents' house around 2:00 PM, where we opened even more presents (Sean's dad gave me Telestrations, and his parents bought me a nice watch and a bottle of wine).
After eating lunch, we exchanged white elephant gifts (I ended up with the present I bought, a rip off bikini, which I gave to Sean). We then played Scene It? Star Trek, as well as Telestrations, which ended up being funnier than I expected. Around 7:00 PM, we went home. Sean played with his new camera, and I played the Wii.
Christmas didn't end there, though. A few days later, I bought myself a Nintendo DS Lite, a DS Lite Zip Case, and four games: Golden Sun, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, and New Super Mario Bros. Sean bought himself gifts, too.
It was, among many feelings, sad Mom wasn't here to celebrate with us, but all in all, it was a good Christmas.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Cooking With Marsala
I am glad I did not commit to posting a topic from The Blog Challenge everyday, like Sean did. I would have failed, considering I have not blogged since my last entry, My Favorite Things. At least I completed a topic, unlike Mike (but to be fair, he only committed to posting the list of topics). So, to make up for my lack of posts, I am blogging twice today! Yay! Lucky you!
A few weeks ago, I watched a Good Eats episode ("The Proof Is In The Pudding"). The host, Alton Brown, breaks into the liquor cabinet, not to concoct a drink, but to examine the uses of alcohol in food preparation. He made zabaglione, a dessert consisting of eggs, sugar, and Marsala. It looked really good and very simple to make, so I decided to make it. It was fantastic! Below is the recipe, as well as a recipe for chicken Marsala I cooked to go along with the zabaglione:
Zabaglione
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 8 - 10
Ingredients:
Bring 1-inch of water to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan set over high heat.
Add the egg yolks and sugar to a large glass bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on the highest speed, beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and the sugar is completely dissolved, 4 to 5 minutes. Decrease the mixer speed to low and add the Marsala and salt.
Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and put the bowl atop the saucepan with the boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Beat the mixture on medium speed, until it is thick, frothy, holds a ribbon, and the temperature reaches 145 to 150 degrees F, on an instant-read thermometer.
Spoon the warm mixture into custard cups or serving glasses and serve immediately or allow to cool slightly. Serve with fresh berries, if desired.
Chicken Marsala
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Put the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of waxed paper and flatten with a meat pounder until thin. Cut each chicken breast into 4 pieces. Add some flour to a shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off the excess flour.
Add the butter and olive oil to a large saute pan over high heat and heat until it sizzles (do NOT let it brown). Add the chicken and saute until brown on both sides. Stir in the sliced mushrooms and saute briefly, then add the garlic. Add the Marsala and simmer for 3 minutes, then stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Pour in the beef stock and let simmer until the sauce thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.
A few weeks ago, I watched a Good Eats episode ("The Proof Is In The Pudding"). The host, Alton Brown, breaks into the liquor cabinet, not to concoct a drink, but to examine the uses of alcohol in food preparation. He made zabaglione, a dessert consisting of eggs, sugar, and Marsala. It looked really good and very simple to make, so I decided to make it. It was fantastic! Below is the recipe, as well as a recipe for chicken Marsala I cooked to go along with the zabaglione:
Zabaglione
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 8 - 10
Ingredients:
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup Marsala
- Pinch kosher salt
- Fresh berries, for serving (optional)
Bring 1-inch of water to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan set over high heat.
Add the egg yolks and sugar to a large glass bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on the highest speed, beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and the sugar is completely dissolved, 4 to 5 minutes. Decrease the mixer speed to low and add the Marsala and salt.
Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and put the bowl atop the saucepan with the boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Beat the mixture on medium speed, until it is thick, frothy, holds a ribbon, and the temperature reaches 145 to 150 degrees F, on an instant-read thermometer.
Spoon the warm mixture into custard cups or serving glasses and serve immediately or allow to cool slightly. Serve with fresh berries, if desired.
Chicken Marsala
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 4 (8-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- All-purpose flour, for dredging, plus 2 tablespoons
- 3 ounces butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons Marsala wine
- 2 cups beef stock
Put the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of waxed paper and flatten with a meat pounder until thin. Cut each chicken breast into 4 pieces. Add some flour to a shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off the excess flour.
Add the butter and olive oil to a large saute pan over high heat and heat until it sizzles (do NOT let it brown). Add the chicken and saute until brown on both sides. Stir in the sliced mushrooms and saute briefly, then add the garlic. Add the Marsala and simmer for 3 minutes, then stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Pour in the beef stock and let simmer until the sauce thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.
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