Husband's Top 5 New Recipes

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was trying out new recipes this summer and getting my husband to rate them. Well, I finally got him to compile the list of his favorites! These are only from the new ones that I had never made him before. I'll also show a link to the recipes if they're online, or I'll give credit where credit is due if it's from an old-school recipe book. So, without further ado, my husband's top five favorite food of the summer:

1.             Skinny Tuna Cake

I found these posted on Pinterest. You can find the recipe here. These were my husband's absolute favorite new meal. He loved the cakes themselves, but he could not get over the Chipotle Mayo. He wanted to put that stuff on everything! He had me make extra, so he could dip his potato wedges in it. 

Those potatoes aren't burnt. They're purple potatoes! Not the most photographic dish, but delicious. 

2.             Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken

I had been meaning to try this recipe for years (Procrastinator? Me?)! This is a Self Magazine recipe that you can find here. It was tasty, and my husband especially liked that there was a little bit of a spicy kick to it, so it wasn't your stereotypical "oven fried chicken." The hardest part about this was just remembering to marinade the chicken in the buttermilk beforehand. It was really fun making the saltine breadcrumbs. Instead of putting them in a blender, I decided to let a little frustration out and put it in a ziplock bag and pound it into crumbs. Haha. It was a rough day. 

Sorry, no picture for this one. It was eaten before I thought to bring out the camera. 

3.             Avocado Toast

This one, I read about in Gwyneth Paltrow's newest cookbook, which I'm totally planning on buying. However, I just remembered it because it was so simple. I knew my husband would be game to try it because he's an avocado fiend. When we have fresh avocados from the farmers' market, we love to have this the next morning for breakfast.

All you have to do is toast a piece of bread, spread some mayo or vegenaise on it, put half of a sliced avocado on there, and then sprinkle with some Old Bay Seasoning. However, my husband and I decided that we like to put Greek Seasoning on it even more. Boom. Done. Super easy and tasty. My husband was in heaven. 

Simple and delicious. 

4.             Rustic Tomato Tart

This one can be found in the Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers’ Market cookbook. My husband said it tasted like pizza. Hey, if it looks like a pizza, smells like a pizza, and tastes like a pizza, I’m okay with calling it a pizza. It’s also very quick to make.

All you need are 2-3 ripe tomatoes of any color, salt, a clove of garlic, unsalted butter, an 8”x10” rectangle of frozen puff pastry, ¾ cup mozzarella, 4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, 2 Tbsp of fresh basil, and some olive oil.

Heat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C), and put the rack in the upper third portion of the oven.

Slice the tomatoes, and place them on paper towels with some salt on them to help drain off excess moisture. Keep them there for roughly 30 – 60 minutes while you’re doing everything else.

Thaw out the puff pastry (mine didn’t take long to thaw), and cut it in half.

In a small bowl, melt the butter, and add the garlic, finely chopped (Or, if you’re like me, the pre-chopped stuff. Don’t judge. I hate how the smell lingers on your fingers when you do it yourself, and it is also faster.). Put the puff pastry on parchment paper, and then brush with the garlic butter mixture. Season with salt.

Leaving a quarter of an inch border, sprinkle the pastry with all of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan. Put the tomato slices on top of that, and then sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan on top.

Bake until puffy and golden brown. I like to put my parchment paper on top of my pizza stone for easy handling and even baking. Chop the basil, and sprinkle on top of the tart, once out of the oven. Drizzle with some olive oil. Serve immediately. 

We've had this for dinner multiple times already. We both love it. 

5.             Pasta w/Avocado & Bacon

This was another really quick and easy dish. Since my husband adores avocado, I knew he would like it, but, add bacon, and there won’t be any leftovers. In fact, he ate it so fast that I couldn't get a picture. 

Honorable mention - One Pot Pasta

This dish was ridiculously easy. Like it says, it’s a one pot dish, meaning that you just throw it all together, cook it, and you’re done. Great for busy nights. It also has a little bit of kick to it, which was a nice surprise. I got to use a lot of my homegrown basil, which I always love. 

Check out these recipes. They are all delicious and relatively quick to make. What were some of your favorite dishes that you made this summer? 

Moving

You may or may not have noticed my absence from the blog recently. My husband and I moved into a house about 20-something miles from our old townhome. We started moving on July 25th, and we finished on July 29th. That's right, folks. It took us four full days of loading up trucks, trailers, cars, and anything else we could get our hands on to move here. By the end of it, I didn't even recognize the little place we called home for the last two years.

It looks so different without all of our furniture.

Before we could even start moving, we had to paint our new living room and kitchen. The old tenant had a thing for palm trees, and she had the walls an awkward moss green (palm tree?) color that would majorly clash with my couch. Luckily, four of our amazing friends came over for a paint party. 

That green was even worse in person. You can see our new color in the upper left corner of the picture.

Now, we're just working on finding homes for all of our belongings in our new place and getting rid of all the junk I had no idea we accumulated until we started boxing all of our stuff up. Shh...don't tell my husband. 

Then, last weekend, my brother and sister-in-law came to visit. Naturally, since my house wasn't exactly ready yet. I planned for us to do stuff elsewhere. Their guest bedroom and guest bathroom were done, as well as the kitchen, but not anything else. 

Living in the DFW metroplex, I knew about the Dallas Aquarium, but I saw the news talking about an exhibit at the Sea Life Grapevine Aquarium and decided to check or out. It was a little small, but a lot of fun, and I loved their emphasis on conservation and wildlife rescue. 

I was trying to stretch out our weekend more so much that I almost forgot about that dreaded moment in every teacher's vacation: my summer is over. That's right, being a band director, I'm required to go back earlier than the rest of the teachers for planning and helping with marching band. Monday was the day I went back. Two weeks of planning and marching band, followed by a week of teacher inservice, and then school is back in full swing. 

I do feel a little bad for the marching band kiddos though. It was so nice all of July, then August hit, and bam! it's the Sahara Desert outside. In case I have some people reading this that aren't acquainted with Texas weather, let me give you a visual: 

Yep, we're now in "summerer." It's this time of year that we can't wait for Fall to hit ~ the cooler weather usually hits around Halloween. Until then, I'll be working on the inside of my house and dreaming about the day they turn on the AC in my part of the school. 

Once Upon a Kitten

Last Tuesday, my husband found a cold, scared kitten in the wheel of a car in the middle of a storm. Being the kind natured man that he is, he brought the little one home, tentatively called "Ratchet."

Poor little Ratchet was in a terrible state. He had roughly 50 fleas I took off of him, really dirty ears that I cleaned, was terribly hungry ~but was only roughly four weeks old, so I bought milk replacer~ and he had swelling on his mouth and undercarriage. Once I had him cleaned up a little, I asked if any of my friends were willing to adopt him. 

How could you say "no" to that little one? 

In the beginning, all he wanted was to cuddle, something my sweet pug was more than willing to do. Not only that, but she also acted as his protector. She would put her body between Ratchet and either of our not-so-welcoming cats. She would also chase off our cats if they became particularly aggressive. 

That's my girl. 

After a few days, his swelling went down, and we realized that he was actually a she! We renamed her "Ella."

And then, she started feeling more energetic. She started drinking from a bowl, learned how to use the litter box, started exploring, and she finally started playing. 

That's her underneath the glass of my dining room table. Why is there a fall wreath there? We're moving...don't judge. 

Unfortunately, we couldn't keep the little girl. We already have 2 cats and a dog, and we're in the middle of a move. So, with heavy hearts, we had to find someone to take her in. Luckily, we found the Dallas Cat Lady who fosters cats until they find their forever home. I'm so glad we found a loving atmosphere to give her to. It was hard to let go of the little tyke. If you're in the Dallas area, and you want an adorable little black cat, she'll be up for adoption in a week or two. Look her up. 

The Evil Minion in Me

My husband and I had a date to go see Despicable Me 2 the other night, and it was ridiculously cute. I'm totally one of those adults that go to see "kid" movies. My favorite part about the movie - and it's predecessor - is the minions.  They are the epitome of adorable: sweet, giggly, happy all the time, and love to have  a good time. In the second movie, there is a twist on the minions: the evil minions.

Now, some of you may be wondering why in the world I'm talking about the minions on my blog. Well, I recently was made aware of one of my flaws: when I'm hungry, I kind of undergo my own little evil transformation.

Yep, that's me when I'm hungry...and my husband on the left.

I wasn't really clued into this fact until this summer. I thought I was just a stereotypical redhead - well, half redhead...I'm strawberry blonde - every now and then I would just have a "bad day" and be a little irritable. My sister and husband helped coax me into realizing the truth. 

My sister, being more new-agey than myself, told me that I had a lot of "pitta" in me. Well, I had no clue what in the world that meant, so I looked it up, and one of the characteristics said, "Strong digestion, strong appetite; get irritated if they have to miss or wait for a meal." Okay...crazy Ayurvedic people.  

Then, one day when I was a little, um...irritated, my husband said, "I'm taking you out to eat. Let's go get some food." Naturally, I wondered what in the world that had to do with me being annoyed. However, when I actually ate something, I miraculously started feeling better. Weird. Then, yesterday, after not eating anything all day, we were on the way to one of my husband's gigs with his band. I was getting annoyed at dumb stuff, so I actually suggested we go find something to eat this time. Again, I miraculously started feeling better once I started to digest my food. 

Well, dang. I guess they both knew something I did not. Now, I'm becoming a lot more mindful of how long it has been since my last meal. I'm the type of person that gets busy and forgets to eat. Apparently, that's a bad idea. I'm going to have to keep that in mind when school gets back in and I'm teaching again. Because, when dealing with a bunch of little minions - normal and evil - it is always easier when I'm having a "good day." 

Goodbye, Old Friend

Yesterday, I decided to finally say goodbye to a good friend of nine years: my belly button piercing.

I always thought it would be an easy choice to make once the time came, but it was actually quite hard. I've had it for so long, that it had almost become part of me. Plus, every time I see my belly button, there's still a reminder that it was there, and I can't get a consistent answer on how long it will be until the hole closes up. 

So, why would I take out a piece of jewelry that I've grown so fond of and had for so long? Well, it's a twofold reason. First, I think it's time to grow up. Most people I see now with them are people in their teens to early twenties...or Britney Spears. Either way, not a good sign. 

Second, I've heard horror stories about the stretch marks people get around their piercing when they keep it in while pregnant. Now, don't get all excited. I'm not pregnant. However, I would like it to start healing before we try to be. 

So, here's too you, my old friend, but it's time to move on. I've known you for longer than I've known my husband. He saw my unadorned belly button for the first time yesterday. Luckily, he thinks it's "cute." 

Summer Livin'

Since I usually don't have much free time during the school year, I decided that I'm going to try all of the delicious-looking recipes that I've been meaning to try for...oh, a year. You know the ones: those that you pinned on Pinterest and marked in your cookbooks for "later?" Those. My husband has been making fun of me because "every meal looks like something out of a restaurant," but I consider that a compliment. And, let's be honest, he totally loves being the taste tester.

I've been so busy trying out all of my fancy new recipes and packing for our move - less than two weeks! - that I've neglected to even download my vacation photos onto my computer. For me, that's a big deal. I'm usually done with that within a day of being home. I'm a total picture person. Pictures will soon come, promise. I just have to download them. And edit them. And pick a select few for the blog, so I don't just throw hundreds on here and photo assault everyone. I promise, a vacation recap is in the works!

I've been making sure my poor herbs will survive this heat long enough for them to make the move with us. You know it's transitioning from "toasty" to "Sahara Desert" when my plants need to be watered twice a day instead of once, and I still worry about them shriveling up and dying, especially my basil. If anyone has any advice on how to better do this, I'm all ears. Until we get into our new place, there is very limited shade, and it's a tiny balcony on the second floor. I've been loving using my fresh herbs in my new recipes. I just want to make sure they stay delicious and not call it quits on me. Hang in there, herbs. We're almost there!

Catch Up

I realize I was a complete tease when I re-did my blog, wiped all the old posts, put up a fresh one, and then I left it. For a long time. So, it's time for a quick catch-up. You will have to forgive me. It has been insane recently. Pinky promise, it won't happen again.

I finished off the school year with a bang. In a nutshell, we did our last concert, we had a crazy recruitment which consisted of an insane storm, a floating flute and band binder going towards a storm drain, using music stands as umbrellas, and a bus that, once we thought we were safe, leaked on us, we fit a bunch of enthusiastic kids on their instrument-to-be, did the huge check-list that all teachers must do at the end of the school year, cleaned a lot, and said good luck to our 8th graders who were leaving us for high school.

See you in August!

Next off, I had to prepare for my long-awaited trip to the UK and Ireland with my husband. It took more planning than usual because I decided to challenge myself: I was going to travel overseas for two weeks with nothing but a carry-on. My husband didn't have a choice in the matter, so he was going to do the same. So, I very carefully made a plan, wrote multiple packing lists, and did trial-and-error trying to pack liquids acceptable enough for TSA. In the end, it was a success!

Then, we finally got to go on vacation and relax! We saw a lot of my family, some of whom we hadn't seen since our wedding over three years ago. We had a lot of catching up to do! We went to three big cities, but my favorite parts of the trip where when we were walking in the gorgeous countryside in Wales. I haven't been that at peace in a long time.

How could you not be relaxed with that view?

We returned to the US on the 3rd,  so we decided to stick around for the 4th of July and barbeque with my parents.

When we returned from our trip, it was as if we jumped back into everything running. We were waiting on finding a new place to live until we knew whether or not my husband got a new job. Unfortunately, he did not; hopefully he will next year. Even so, we wanted to find a new place to call home. So, it was the beginning of July when we got back from our trip, and we have to be out of our current place by the 28th.

Little bit stressful? You betcha. Luckily, we found a rental house we were interested in along with, oh...20 others on Saturday, we viewed it on Sunday, we told the landlord we were interested in leasing it yesterday, we put in the background check and were approved today, and we signed a lease this evening. Thank God! Now all I have to do is be ready to move in a little over 2 weeks time. Lots of lists are being written, and lots of boxes are being packed.

So, now that we are all up-to-date in my little corner of the world, welcome back to my blog! I'm looking forward to writing on here much more frequently. Hey, I even put a profile picture up! Never though you'd see the day, did you?