#BOSnow

So I fell off the blogging wagon. Again. Maybe I’m not cut out for blogging. Who knows? What I do know is that I kind of like writing it, even if months go by without taking fingers to keyboard, so I’m going to give it another go.

A lot of cooking and reading has gone on since we were last together. I have so many good eats and good reads to share with you. And Ben started Kindergarten. Kindergarten!!! By baby is truly no longer a baby. He’s doing well and loves going to “the big boy school” with Jake. Time really does fly.

And now to what everyone (at least around here) is talking about. Snowmaggedon. New England has received unprecedented amounts of snow is the short space of three weeks. My kids have spent most of the month of February at home. Never before has our school district had to call this many snow days in one winter – much less in such a short amount of time. The plowed snow along the side of our driveway forms mountains. Streets have been narrowed. Snow banks are so high you can’t see around corners. There is more snow expected this weekend and I’m not sure where we’re going to put it all. Spring is just around the corner. Thank goodness.

Being stuck inside for days on end does have it benefits. We’ve had a lot of family time and had fun playing board games and watching movies and generally enjoying being together. The boys have had more homemade cookies in the past few weeks than they’ve had in their entire lives. And I’ve had plenty of time to tinker in the kitchen and read. I’ll write about all of that soon – some highlights are Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, my obsession with freezing homemade burritos for quick lunches, the best pork tenderloin ever and Sarah Addison Allen’s new book (love her!).

In the meantime, did you know that if you use purple carrots, you get purple chicken pot pie filling? Tastes just as good, though.

I’m going to be stuck inside for another weekend (and at least of few more if this pattern continues) as Winter Storm Pandora heads for New England. I’d love to try some new recipes - f you’ve got a favorite post a link in the comments!

My Latest Read: Molly Wizenberg, How I Love Thee

I didn’t think it was possible to love Molly Wizenberg any more than I did before. But I do. I just finished her new book Delancey: A Man, A Woman, A Restaurant,A Marriage. I couldn’t believe my luck getting it from the library so quickly. It was released on Tuesday with a waiting list of over forty people, but by Saturday it was wine. My guess is that the peeps at my library know a good book when they see it and bought multiple copies to keep up with the demand.

Anyway, Delancey is a memoir about the early years of Wizenbergs marriage during which she and her husband, Brandon, opened an upscale pizza restaurant called, well, Delancey. This is not just a book about the restaurant or food. It’s also about finding your way in the early stages of marriage and building a strong foundation on which your marriage can grow. I found myself rooting for Molly and Brandon and cheering at the end when Delancey finds its feet and is a rousing success. The food also sounds dee-lic-ous. It makes me want to jump on a plane to Seattle just to eat there. If anyone is looking for a quick, yummy read, this is it!

In other news, remember that book I published about a year ago? Well, it’s won an award. Last month

TheNever King won the Independent Publishers of New England award for Best Genre Fiction. I guess I should finally figure out how the market it now, huh?

I also ran (and sometimes walked) a 5k on Mother’s Day. After a serious ankle injury at the beginning of April and an adulthood of wanting to run a 5k and not doing it, this was a huge deal for me. I feel inspired to finally get in shape and joined my local Koko Fit Club. They are running a special deal for the summer and it looks like the program will provide the hand holding I need to kick start my fitness routine. According to their measurements I’ve already gained 1.2lbs of lean muscle – woo hoo! Although  I weigh more than when I started Koko (thanks to muscle weighing more than fat) I look smaller and my clothes are fitting better, so I’m going with it.

I’ve also been pinning recipes like mad to Pinterest. And I’ve fallen in love with Stitch Fix. I also have to say that the whole "Concious Uncoupling" thing has left a bad taste in my mouth regarding Gwyneth Paltrow. 

I’m back in the blogging groove so look for upcoming posts about the boatload of books I’m picking up from the library this afternoon, grill recipes now that nice weather has arrive in New England, my next fix from Stitch Fix and my trials and triumphs getting rid of the baby weight I’ve been carrying around for the last five years. Am I still allowed to call it baby weight given that my youngest will be six this year?

What have you been up to?

What's For Dinner: March 10th-15th

There is finally hope that Spring is on the way to New England! On Saturday we enjoyed temperatures in the high 40’s (don’t laugh – when you’ve been dealing with the Polar Vortex temps in the 40’s are downright tropical!) and daylight savings time means it’s light until 7:00pm Woo hoo!!

My friends convinced to but a Living Social deal for BTone Fitness. They describe it as “torture” but say it has transformed their bodies. Should be, um, interesting. I plan to try my first class next week!

I didn’t make it to number one on the waiting list for The Winter People this weekend as I had hoped, but I did get The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty. I started this weekend and it’s a fun read, as Moriarty’s books always are. More on that later in the week!

At a girls get together yesterday Stitch Fix and Birchbox were hot topics of conversation. Anyone tried either?

It’s Monday, so here’s what’s for dinner this week:

Monday – Salsa Crock-Pot Chicken – Before I left for work this morning I put four frozen chicken breast and a jar of salsa on Low.  A half hour before serving I’ll had a can of black beans and a cup of frozen corn. Dinner. Done.

Tuesday – Roast chicken, roast potatoes Trader Joe’s Parisian Carrots (little carrot balls!)

Wednesday – Vegetarian Chili from Annemarie at Real Food Real Deals.  Meatless Wednesday!

Thursday – Trying this Skinny Southwestern Crustless Quiche from Cookin’ Canuck (I also joined her Run Like a Girl Challenge #runwithdara. Join me!) She says its 141 calories which is great – I have been looking for a low cal quiche for a long time. We call it Scrambled Egg Pie around my house. It’s all in how you spin it when it comes to getting the boys to eat it!

Friday – Stuffed Shells with Kitchen Sink Sauce. What is Kitchen Sink Sauce, you ask? Take any veggies you have hanging around. For me this week it was celery, onion, and zucchini. Sauce the veggies until soft. Add one clove of minced garlic and sauté for one minutes more. Add 1 28-oz can and one 15-oz can of crushed tomatoes and 1 6-oz can of tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender. Simmer for 10 minutes more. Healthy, full of veggies and my kids swear it tastes like the jarred sauce we buy. This recipe makes a lot so freeze some for another day!

What’s on your plate this week?

Thanks to Org Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday!

Strep Happens

It has been a crazy week and a bit around my house. All three of my boys got strep throat. Then as one got well they would get it again from those who were still stick. It’s been an endless round of me playing nurse and miraculously not getting sick. I am happy to report that everyone is well again and looking forward to life returning to normal. In other news….

Somehow, I have been talked into running the Warrior Dash with some friends at the end of May. The Warrior Dash is a 5k with a twist – there are twelve obstacles and a ton of mud. Given that I am not in the best shape and haven’t run a 5k since A Splash of Color last Spring, I’ve got a lot of work to do. Couch to 5k starts NOW. Given that it’s still freezing here in New England, I’m going to have to adapt the program for the elliptical in my basement until the snow melts. I may do the Splash of Color again in early May as a (non-obstacle) practice run.

In book news, I’m next on the library waiting list for The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon. I’ve been looking forward to reading this one. I’m hoping to get it in time to curl up with it this weekend. Review to come!

I gave up wine for Lent. I like to relax with a glass of wine – this is going to be a tough one. But Lent is about sacrifice, right?

The Scotsman gave up red meat. This is obviously going to affect my meal planning.

Last weekend I attended a lovely Southern themed dinner hosted by a friend (solo, as The Scotsman was still spreading his strep germs). The whole meal was wonderful and made me think of warmer times ahead (because the weather is always nice in the South, right?) but my favorite dish was the Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole. Tastes like dessert but served as a side dish because it’s a veggie!

Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole

6 medium sweet potatoes

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

½ cup butter, melted

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 TBS flour

¼ cup butter

1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

½ cup flakes coconut (optional)

Cover the sweet potatoes in boiling water and cook for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Peel and mash the sweet potatoes.

Combine the sweet potato, ½ cup brown sugar and the next 4 ingredients. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth (I have found that an immersion blender will work, too.) Spoon into a greased 13x9” baking dish.

Combine the 1 cup brown sugar and the flour. Cut in the ¼ cup of butter until the mixture is crumble. Stir in the pecans and, if desired, the coconut. Sprinkle the mixture over the casserole.

Bake uncovered at 350®F for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbling around the edges.

Hello. My Name is Diana and I'm a Cookbook Addict.

My Cookbook Collection

I love  cookbooks. It’s an addiction. Curling up with a good cookbook is my idea of a good time, especially if you throw in a crackling fire and a glass of wine. It’s where I get inspiration for my kitchen experiments as well as your average weeknight dinner. Between Snowmageddon and the boys being on school break, I’ve been home a lot this week. I’ve been paging through my collection planning some fun I the kitchen for the weekend. Sadly, I’ve had to do it without the crackling fire as the wood pile is buried under a couple of feet of snow. But I did have my wine ;-)

Here are some of my favorites that I come back to again and again:

Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach

Jenny Rosenstrach "gets it". We all want yummy, healthy, easy and quick to make meals because with kids and a job and a million other things it's hard to get a good meal on the table.  The recipes I've tried have been easy, quick and my picky little munchkins have not rejected a single one. I’m able to make many of them with things already in my fridge or pantry - perfect for those nights when planning dinner is a big fail. Last night I made Lazy Bolognaise and it was delicious. I wish I'd made more to freeze for another dinner.

The charm of Dinner: A Love Story is not just in the recipes. Rosenstrach is a gifted writer and supplements the book with laugh out loud stories that make you realize that there are people out there just like you - struggling to get a good meal on the table but making it a priority to at least try - and Jenny is one of them.

Feast by Nigella Lawson

I am firmly on Team Nigella.  The poor little lamb really has been through the ringer lately, hasn’t she? Anyway, I consider a Nigella Lawson cookbook recreational reading. The descriptions for each of her recipes bring personality to the dish and gives you a little glimpse of Nigella’s life. Some favorites from this book are the Mini Meatloaves, Lemon Roast Chicken and of course, the Everyday Brownies that gave me hope that I can bake without a visit from the fire department.

Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten

I was first to introduced to Ina Garten shortly after I got married. My step-mother gave me Family Style after I asked for the recipe for the turkey meatloaf she made when we went to visit my parents (it’s in the book.) It started my love of all things Barefoot Contessa and I now own all of her books, but Family Style is the one I use the most. The pages are stained and gross, but to me that’s just a sign it’s well loved. My Turkey Sausage and Goat Cheese Lasagna and Chicken Pot Pie are from this book. It also has the best meatball recipe I’ve come across. The recipes aren’t very figure friendly, but for special occasions and comfort food emergencies this book never fails.

What are some of your favorite cookbooks?

Learning To Love My Slow Cooker - Beefy Stuffed Peppers Recipe

A long time ago, in what seems like a previous life , I was one of the marketing managers for Crock-Pot® Slow Cookers. I knew the ins and outs of the slow cooker function intimately, edited a cookbook produced by the company and moderated the recipes and message boards on crockpot.com. Why I left the world of marketing is a blog post for another day, but given my previous job in the world of slow cookers, you’d think I’d be some sort of slow cooker maven with tons of delicious recipes up my sleeve, right? Um, no. Not even close.

My dirty little secret was that I couldn’t make anything that tasted good in the slow cooker. Recipes turned out bland. The Scotsman would hang his head in despair every time I hauled out the slow cooker as he knew another flavorless meal was coming. I wondered what was wrong with me. There are tons of people utterly devoted to their slow cookers. Why couldn’t I get with the program? About a year ago, I gave away my slow cooker. It was taking up valuable cabinet space and I rarely used it. Then, this past Christmas, I had a change of heart. As a busy working mom, I knew the slow cooker could make dinner time so much easier, if only I could find some flavorful recipes that whole family would enjoy. My mom got me another slow cooker for Christmas, and I’m happy to say we’ve found some recipe winners that I’ve been making regularly for the past couple of months.

The first thing we tried was pulled pork. I had a pork roast in the freezer from our meat CSA and I tossed it in the slow cooker with a chopped onion and bottle of on barbeque sauce (any brand will do) and let it go on low for 8 hours. At the end I shredded the pork, put it on whole wheat buns and called it “BBQ Burgers” (it’s all in the marketing where Jake and Ben are concerned.) It was a big hit with everyone.

However, our favorite recipe so far is a Beefy Stuffed Peppers. We kind of made it up based on a (non-slow cooker) dish from our childhoods. I was worried it was going to be bland but it isn’t at all and is so delicious. It’s also super easy – you don’t even have to brown the meat. The recipe calls for your favorite marinara sauce to be poured on top of the peppers, but we’ve been using Simply Balance Organic Squash and Pumpkin Sauce from  Target. It adds extra veggies and is a bit thicker than other sauces, and holds up well in the slow cooker without getting watery.

I’ve been pinning some slow cooker recipes on Pinterest and hope to try at least one a week – of course I’ll share the good ones with you!

The Peppers: Pre-Sauce

Beefy Stuffed Peppers

4 Bell Peppers (any color – we use red and yellow)

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

¾ cup cooked brown rice

½ TBS Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

1 jar marinara sauce (about 24-oz but if your jar has a little more or less, don’t sweat it)

Mix together the ground beef, onion, rice, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Cut the tops off of the peppers and scoop out the seeds. Stuff the peppers with the beef mixture (if you have leftover beef mixture, it can be frozen for another time.)

Place the peppers in the slow cooker. Pour the marinara sauce over the peppers and cook on Low for 6-7 hours.

What's For Dinner? February 17th-22nd

Happy Monday! Here’s what we’re eating this week:

Monday – Salmon in Italian Dressing, Roast Potatoes, Broccoli – This is a super easy recipe my kids like. Marinate 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half in ¼ cup Italian Dressing. Spoon over salmon and bake until cooked through.

Tuesday – Chicken Shwarma in Pita Bread, Tomatoes and Cucumbers in Vinaigrette – The Scotsman loves him some Shwarma ever since he tried it at a take-out place near where we used to live. We’ve never made it at home, and he decided it was time to change that. After extensive recipe goolging, he chose this one.

Wednesday – Slow Cooker Beefy Peppers – I made these for the first time three weeks ago and they were immediately added into the dinner rotation. Super easy and delicious. Recipe to come on Wednesday!

Thursday – Homemade Pizza – well, with store bought dough and sauce. But its assembled at home. That makes it homemade, right?

Friday – Salsa Chicken, Cornbread – Last weekend a neighbor told me about her go-to slow cooker recipe: throw frozen chicken breast and a jar of salsa in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours. During the last half hour add a can of black beans, a cup of frozen corn and a sprinkling of shredded cheese.

Saturday – Beans and Rice, Parmesan Cauliflower Cheese – my kids love beans and rice. Me? Not so much (I think it’s a wee bit on the boring side). One day, I’ll figure out how to spice it up without offending the kids taste buds.

What’s on your menu this week?

This week I’m participating in Menu Plan Monday hosted by the Organizing Junkie.

I Baked - And My House Didn't Burn Down!

Not the prettiest but it's my first try!

I have a confession to make. I’m scared of baking. I can never get it right and I don’t know why. I’m intimidated by the fact that you must be exact in you measurements and if the recipe says to use water that is a specific temperature, you’d better listen. The word “pastry blender” makes me shudder. Inserting a toothpick into a cake to see if it’s done makes me break out in a cold sweat. I never think it’s done and end up burning it.  Cookies end up like hockey pucks. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m a confident cook when it comes to savory things, but I have issues with the sweet stuff.

I’m trying very hard to get over this. My first baby step into the world of baking was Nigella’s Everyday Brownies. I was blown away by how easy they are and I have successfully made them many times since I first tried them in October. Woo hoo! I even got adventurous and added half a cup of pureed pumpkin to them around Thanksgiving and piece of candy cane at Christmas. My advice to you if you decide to try them: do all your mixing and measuring before you start. For example, Nigella tells you to combine various dry ingredients, eggs and vanilla, measure out sugar, etc. If you do all of this before you start and have four bowls at the ready (sugar measured out, cocoa powder mix, eggs and vanilla, chopped chocolate) things will go much better for you as all must be added in quick succession to prevent the mixture from sticking.

I’ll be taking my second baking baby step this weekend with Chocolate Cherry Cake (recipe below.) I had this at a party last weekend and had two slices. It has more processed ingredients than I would like and down the line I might try my hand and at making homemade replacements for the cake mix and cherry pie filling. But for the moment, I’m taking it slow and following the recipe as is.

Coming up next week: my menu plan for the week, a book review, and my adventures with slow cooking.

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Cake:

1 package fudge cake mix

1 21-oz can cherry pie filling

2 tsp almond extract

2 eggs, beaten

Frosting:

1 cup white sugar

5 Tbs butter

1/3 cup milk

1 6-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions for Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 cake pan.  

In large bowl, combine the cake ingredients. Stir until well mixed.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  

Directions for Frosting:

In small saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and milk.   Bring to a boil and stir constantly for one minute.   Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth.   Pour over cake. 

An (Easy!) Dinner For My Valentine

Valentine’s Day is Friday and, as usual, the Scotsman and I aren’t doing anything. It’s not because we don’t enjoy spending time together, it’s just that we don’t need a holiday to remind us to do it. That said, I only need the tiniest excuse to make something special for dinner, so Friday I’ll be making Turkey Sausage and Goat Cheese Lasagna.

The Scotsman has been requesting this a lot lately. I find this odd because he says he hates pasta. How can a pasta-hater love this dish? How can someone who loves this dish write off pasta as a food group? Anyway, since I love it too, I’m just going with it and not asking questions. It’s an Ina Garten recipe that I’ve modified. I love the Barefoot Contessa (many of my “signature dishes” are riffs on hers) but I find she over complicates things. This is my streamlined version of her recipe, which I think tastes just as good, with half the prep time.

It’s not something that’s in our regular meal rotation as four types of cheeses means it has a zillion calories. But it’s my go-to for occasions that call for a special recipe. Serve with salad and garlic bread. I’m going to top off the meal with this yummy looking cake from Modern Mrs. Darcy. Enjoy!

TURKEY SAUSAGE AND GOAT CHEESE LASAGNA

Adapted from Ina Garten (serves 8)

2 Tbs Olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 gloves garlic, minced

3 links sweet Italian turkey sausage

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1.5 Tbs Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

1 box “no-boil” lasagna noodles

15-oz ricotta cheese

4-oz goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup Parmesan, grated

1 egg

1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preheat your oven to 400®F.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook on medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the sausage to the pan by squeezing it out of its casing, breaking it up with a large spoon as you go. Cook until the sausage is cooked and no longer pink.

Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, Parmesan and egg.

In a 9x13 dish (or 2 8x8 dishes – eat one now and freeze the other for another day. I do it all the time!). Layer as follows, ending with a third sauce layer: sauce, noodles, mozzarella slices, ricotta mixture.

The Culinary Bibliophile is Back!

It 's been more than seven months since I last posted on this blog. I'm not sure what happened. My guess is that it was summer and we were outside enjoying the gorgeous weather. Then school started. Then the holiday season was in full swing. In any event I'm back. Why? Because I found that I actually missed writing. I surprised myself by enjoying writing this blog for the sake of writing it, whether or not anyone reads it (although I hope someone does!) So here I am. And here's a sprinkling of what's been going on for the past seven-ish months and lessons I've learned:

Ben turned five and is now officially registered for Kindergarten for the Fall. Time flies!

My Beef Brisket and Chicken Pot Pie are great things to make to deliver to a friend in need.

I have taken of the roll of Fellowship Chair at church. Basically this means I plan the social events like the Easter breakfast, holiday party, Lego night and various potlucks. I'm not sure how this happened , especially since I've lamented about how I take on too much, but being Fellowship Chair has fulfilled me in ways I couldn't have anticipated. I'm glad I said "yes" when asked.

That said, I've learned to say "no" more often. I don't go to every single meeting of the preschool parents association. I don't sign up to volunteer for every event at Jake's school (but I do still help out at our favorites.) I have put hanging out with friends and family as a priority - more often than not I say "yes" to these invites. My life is less stressed and much richer as a result.

The Scotsman has been traveling a lot more for work. I'm trying to be grateful that he has a good job rather than stressed about childcare and household logistics while he's away.

Jake is into soccer big time (both playing and watching). He's joined two leagues and loves to watch games on TV. The Scotsman even set him up with his own fantasy league for the English Premiership. It's been fun to watch him grow in and embrace the sport!

The Americans on FX is a great show. The Scotsman and I can't wait for the new season to start at the end of the month!

Sleep is the cure for whatever ails you. I am finally getting a good nights sleep fairly regularly and I feel so much better because of this. Who knew!?!?

Books I have read (by the way, these are not affiliate links - I'm just trying to make it a little easier for you to browse. You can also see what I've been reading on my Goodreads profile): What Alice Forgot, The Man Who Ate Everything, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, and Reconstructing Amelia, among others.

The Scotsman can't hate pasta as much as he says he does. He's been regularly requesting my Turkey Sausage and Goat Cheese lasagna, as recently as last night. There is hope! And I promise to post the recipe soon.

A snow storm, great neighbors and a bottle of wine are a fabulous combination.

I'm learning to embrace my slow cooker.

Doing everything the night before (making lunches, laying out clothes, etc) is the key to a better day.

So that's what's going on with me - what's been going on with you?

What's For Dinner - June 8th - 14th

Last night I cleaned out my freezer. It contained many "mystery" items as well as stuff from Trader Joes that was so old I'm not even sure TJs carries those products anymore. I was holding on to them because I hate to throw away food, but I decided that they were adding to both physical and mental clutter as far as the freezer is concerned and are probably so past their prime that they wouldn't taste good anyway.

What I found was some perfectly good meals and meal starters that I forgot we had which have helped me with this weeks meal planning, not to mention greatly reduced what I needed to buy from the grocery this morning.

Here's the line-up:

Saturday - Nigella Lawson's Mini Meatloaves. I found a ziploc full of them during the freezer clean out. The Scotsman made them about a month ago and I had fogotten that we froze half of them. These are delicious, super easy to make and kid friendly. Give them a try!

Sunday - The Scotsman is making some sort of middle eastern inspired turkey burger. I think he got the recipe from Gwyneth Paltrows book. I don't know much about it except that it involves Tahini and will be served in whole wheat pita bread rather than buns as he asked me to pick up those two things at the grocery. If it's good, I'll post the recipe next week.

Monday - Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs from One Hungry Mama

Tuesday - Salmon (found some in the freezer). Try this easy recipe my mom has been making for years - place salmon in a baking dish. Fill the dish with white wine until the wine comes half way up the salmon. Sprinkle with fresh or dry dill (and if you have neither, don't sweat it, just cook as is). Cook for 15 mins or until fish flakes easily.

Wednesday - End of Year Picnic at Ben's preschool. Pizza and salad will be provided.

Thursday - Pasta. With sauce from a jar. Thursdays are tough for us because Jake and The Scotsman get home late from soccer practice.

Friday - Taco night! Jake and Ben will only touch avocados and raw tomatoes when they are in the form of guacamole and salsa, so I try to work in taco night once a week. For some reason, burrioto night does not fly with them.

What are you eating this week?

Project Simplify

Folks, I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed lately. I feel like my to-do list is never ending; things that need to be cleaned, errands that need to be run, things to remember for the boys, gifts to buy. I look around my house and I see clutter everywhere. Jake and Ben's rooms are still a disaster area. The kitchen island is a dumping ground. The dust bunnies under our bed are almost bigger than the cats.

Yet I've done nothing to remedy any of this.

After a lot of thinking I've come to two conclusions. The first is that I have so many tasks on my mental to-do list that I don't know where to start. The second realization is that my perfectionist tendencies are getting in the way. I know I don't have the time to make things my version of "perfect" so I don't do anything at all. I need to change that way of thinking. Poking around the interwebs for inspiration I have come across two mantras that I need to take to heart; "progress, not perfection" and "don't let perfect be the enemy of good enough".

With that in mind, I've embarked on my own little Project Simplify. I am taking baby steps at taking control of the clutter, both physical and mental. Over the past few days I've taken two little steps. I've unsubscribed from all of my junk email - you know, those promotional emails you get every day because you ordered one thing from the company for a gift three years ago. They have been filling up my inbox recently making me groan every time I switch on my computer in the morning. Three days later, I have just a few emails that I actually want to read and some mental clutter is cleared. Woo hoo! I've also been taking a few things off the kitchen island every time I go into the room and putting them away, rather than trying to clear the whole mess at once. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I'm satisfied by this, rather than worrying about all of the things I didn't put away.

My goal is to have a less cluttered, more streamlined house and to-do list by the time the boys go back to school in the Fall. But it's progress I'm after, not perfection :-)

I've been reading a few blogs for inspiration. Here are some of my favorites:

Small Notebook

Simple Organized Living

Simple Mom

How Do You Control The Clutter In Your Home?

What's For Dinner

Tomorrow starts a new month. So I’m recommitting myself to meal planning which fell very much by the wayside in May. This is what we’re eating for the next week. It’s meant to be hot, hot, hot here in the New England so I’m taking advantage of the grill. What are you eating this week?

Saturday – Steak, potatoes and corn on the cob on the grill. I may decided to marinate the steak in 1 cup creamy Italian dressing, 1 cup “regular” Italian dressing and 1 cup BBQ Sauce. It’s the “secret” recipe from a local restaurant that makes the best steak tips.

Sunday – Grilled Tandoori Chicken (recipe below – from my friend Kelly who served it to us at her house last week. Delicious!) grilled veggies, Naan bread. I may get adventurous and heat the Naan on the grill.

Monday – Taco Night!

Tuesday – Penne a la Vodka with prepared sauce and salad.

Wednesday –  Homemade Turkey Burgers (1 lb ground turkey, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, ½ cup shredded zucchini, 1 egg. Form in to patties and grill), Maple Baked Beans (recipe in previous post), more grilled veggies.

Thursday – Grilled veggie frittata (I don’t really have a recipe – I’m going to wing it.)

Friday – Grilled Shrimp, couscous, watermelon

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

1 lb chicken (I use random pieces from my meat CSA. Most are bone-in. Boneless breasts or thighs would be fine, too)
2 TBS plain yogurt

1 TBS lemon juice

1 Tbs tomato paste

2 TBS Tandoori spice mix (I purchased mine at Whole Foods, but you can get it almost anywhere)

Mix the ingredients together and marinate the chicken for 2-3 hours. Grill and enjoy!

Reading Challenge: Success or Not Challenging Enough?

Library books are like buses. You wait and wait and not a single one comes along. Then three come at once. I’ve been on the waiting list for three ebooks at my library for well over a month. I received an email yesterday letting me know that all three were mine for the next twenty one days. I’m going to do my best to squish them all in as it makes me sad to return a library book without finishing it.

I worried about how the heck I was going to read three book in three books and then I noticed something odd on my Goodreads profile. It turns out that I’ve reached my “2013 Reading Challenge” goal of 25 books already. Given that I only joined the challenge in late January and didn’t record any of the books I read earlier that month, I must be averaging 1.3 books a week. Who knew? Certainly not me! Obviously I’m not challenging myself enough. I like a good challenge so I’m deciding what to do next. Up my Goodreads challenge to 75 books? Broaden my horizons by reading a genre I’ve never been crazy about (but what would be the fun in that?) Do something totally different?

Below is a list of the 25 books I read as part of the challenge with the star ratings I gave them on Goodreads. We have a quiet weekend ahead of us so I plan to spend lots of time in the kitchen. Recipes to come!

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen – 4 stars

Inferno by Dan Brown – 3.5 stars

Plenty: One Man, One Woman And A Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith – 4 stars

The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan – I chose not to rate this one.

I’ll Take What She Has by Samantha Wilde – 3 stars (read for one of my two in-person book clubs)

The Girls Guide To Love And Supper Clubs by Dana Bate – 4 stars (really cute with lots of yummy food)

The Racketeer by John Grisham – 3 stars (read for Goodreads bookclub)

The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb – 4 stars (the perfect grown-up ghost story)

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple – 4 stars

Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks – 3 stars

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg – 4 stars

The Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke – 3 stars (sometimes I like a little fluff but this was not one of Fluke’s best)

Gods Lions: The Dark Ruin by John Lyman – 3 stars

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson – 5 stars

The Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke – 3 stars (ok, I’ve been reading a lot of fluff lately)

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen – 4 stars (my new favorite author)

Dead Anyway by Chris Knopf – 3 stars

The Devil’s Grin by Annelie Wendeberg – 3 stars

MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche – 4 stars (read it for a Goodreads bookclub thinking I would hate it. I ended up rally liking it.)

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling – 3 stars (read for in-person bookclub called The Gratuitous Bookclub)

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg – 4 stars

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin – 3 stars

Deadly Pedigree by Jimmy Fox – 3 stars (won in a LibraryThing giveway)

Finding Camlann by Sean Pidgeon – 4 stars

Proof of Heave: A Neurosurgeons Journey Into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander – 4 stars

Inferno - Fire Up the Grill

May has been a busy month. I feel like I’ve always been on the go, whether it be to a soccer game, birthday party or church event. But I’m looking on the bright side; it all involves having fun with my family and the weather has finally turned. Summer is just around the corner!

In a decidedly non-outdoor activity, I finished Inferno, Dan Brown’s latest Robert Langdon Novel. It’s a good book and I enjoyed it. But I think I set my expectations too high. I loved The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons. What I loved most about those books was the details of little known history and the insinuation that the worlds great leaders and artists have been protecting a precious secret, generation after generation. And I love that the premise could actually be true (or maybe it isn’t – but that’s part of the fun!).

While Inferno is based on Dante’s work of the same name, the plot and the “secret” are modern. I preferred the ancient of the previous books. This book is more of a modern day thriller. While Brown’s previous works take place in the present day, the plot is very much rooted in the past. With Inferno, not so much and I was a bit disappointed. However, if I had considered this a standalone book and not set myself up for a DaVinci Code Part II I would have been much happier. And it gets you thinking about the future of the human race (I’ll say no more so I don’t ruin it for you!) Think of it more as Nelson DeMille novel (BTW – I love DeMille.)

On a bloggy note: it has occurred to me that I don’t really add pictures to my posts. Would you like me to? Or do you not care either way?

I would be remise if I didn’t leave you with at least one recipe. Grilling season if finally here! Here’s a three step plan for an easy peasy (lemon squeezy, to quote Jake) week night dinner on the grill for four:

1.       Take 1 lb shelled and de-veined shrimp and toss it in ¼ cup soy says and 2 TBS honey. Thread onto kabob skewers. Add some veggies if you’re feeling fancy but don’t sweat it if you’re not – this is meant to be easy and quick.

2.       Throw some ears of corn on the grill and cook for 15 mins. 5 minutes before the corn is done but the shrimp on the grill and cook until pink.

3.       Heat up the below recipe for baked beans. You will have made a huge pot earlier in the week so that you can have super yummy leftovers throughout the week (they taste even better the next day). Or you can cook the them on the same day. Just start them an hour before the corn and shrimp. I recommend doubling the recipe.

Maple Baked Beans

3 15-oz cans baked beans (I use Bush’s Onion flavor – saves me chopping an onion to add)

1 TBS minced garlic

¾ cup maple syrup

2 TBS tomato paste

1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce

1 TBS chili powder

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large pot (use a cast iron dutch oven and you can cook it on the grill!) Cook for about 45 minutes, until liquids reduce.

How I Was Seduced By Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwynnie seduced me slowly. It started with a review of her first cookbook, My Father’s Daughter, in People Magazine. It piqued my interest and I wondered in passing if it was as good as the review said it was.

About a week later I was in BJs, the questionably named Northeast equivalent of Costco. My Father’s Daughter was calling to me from the book section. I paged through the book and thought a lot of the recipes looked good and were things that I would make. But still, I chose to move on to fill my cart with a mother lode of toilet paper.  The next day I logged on to Amazon and right on the homepage Amazon was suggesting My Father’s Daughter was “something you may like”. I took it as a sign and ordered it.

Why was I so fearful of The Blonde One? First and foremost, I swore off celebrity cookbooks a long time ago. Just because you can win an Oscar, sing a song fairly well or play a mean game of football does not mean you can cook. I (perhaps unfairly) assumed celebrities got publishing contracts for cookbooks because they were celebrities, not because the recipes were any good or all that original. And I’ve never been a huge fan of Gwyneth Paltrow. I don’t hate her, but I certainly don’t love her. I would describe the way I feel about her as “meh”. And a post on her Goop blog about how she was a ball of stress choosing a gown for a big awards ceremony did not endear her to me. If only all of us had choosing a designer dress as the most stressful issue in our lives.

I will be the first to admit that I misjudged GP. I loved My Father’s Daughter and have cooked many yummy things from it such as Cheesy Stuffed Burgers (made with turkey and a kid and husband favorite) , Leek and Gruyere Frittata and Spiced Apple Crumb Muffins. The recipes aren’t terribly original, but instead are her own take on the classics with simplicity and flavor being key. And it introduced me to the wonder that is Veganaise. So it was a given that I would preorder her latest book, It’s All Good, when the folks at Amazon alerted me to the fact that it was in the pipeline.

The first thing I will say about It’s All Good has nothing to do with food – it’s the photographs. I am 99.9% sure that Gwyneth is not wearing a lick of makeup in any of the photos! I assume she’s trying to be down to earth and natural, just like the food in her book. Now THAT endeared Gwynnie to me. And I want to know what she uses on her skin – it looks fabulous!

Just like it’s predecessor , It’s All Good is full of yummy recipes. Rather than filling the book with recipes that remind her of family and home as she did in her first book, this book focuses on “pure” and healthy recipes. They are inspired by a recent decline in Gwyneth’s health and the discovery of food allergies in her children that were put right by a whole-foods diet with a bit of elimination diet thrown in. As a result, the book is largely gluten and sugar free. While in principal I’m fine with this (I am all about eating good, minimally processed, chemical and preservative free foods),  I wondered if the lack of sugar and gluten would make this book a dud. I needn’t (is that word?) have worried as I’ve made some delicious things from this book;  Barbecued Chicken Spanish Style, Lentil Salad with Mustard and Tomatoes and Japanese Chicken Meatballs (a HUGE hit with Jake and Ben). Although in the interest of full disclosure, I thought her elimination diet was a bit neurotic. Thankfully, this makes up a small portion of the recipes in the book.

While I will I will not be cooking a whole fish in salt in the outdoor roasting pit I have in my backyard (not!) like GP, I enjoyed the simple, whole-foods recipes It’s All Good contains and will be cooking from it for a long time to come.

In book news – I just started Dan Brown’s latest, Inferno. I know Dan Brown’s novels are very controversial. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em (I am not ashamed to admit I fall in the “love” column). I’d love to know what you all think.

In other news – on Saturday we became a cat family! We adopted Maggie and Stella, two adult black cats (well, Maggie has some white on her) and we are all enjoying the new members of our family, especially Jake and Ben!