Heart and Sole

photo courtesy of Heart & Sole website

Becoming an aunt nearly three weeks ago has been one of the greatest joys of my life.  My new little niece is just perfect, and her parents are truly amazing...more to come on my visit to NYC to meet her coming soon...

BUT, for now, I wanted to share with you a story of one the first of my friends to become an aunt, Stacey Haskins Garner.  It was eight years ago, and I have never seen someone so thrilled for her sister to have a sweet baby girl.  Sadly, baby Bowen only graced us on this earth for a few short days before returning to her Heavenly home, but her presence has been felt here ever since.  Stacey used this tragedy and turned it into something amazing:  Heart and Sole.  I encourage you to go to the website to find out the full story behind Heart and Sole and the absolutely incredible things that it has accomplished for the Children's Hospital of Georgia in Augusta.  

If you haven't already done so, click HERE to register for the 5K that is THIS SATURDAY along with the Evening Celebration which is always fabulous!!  Below is Stacey's story from this year:

Happy Cooking!

A Whole NEW Perspective ~ 2014

(original post found HERE.) 

Written by Stacey Haskins Garner Wednesday, February 19 2014

A Whole New Perspective ~ Looking at 2014 a little different.....

Happy February Everyone!
I like to think of this month as a time for LOVE, Valentines Day and Heart Awareness BUT also it is a very BIG time for Heart and Sole Inc ~ The KICKOFF for the Annual 5k and Evening Celebration.
Every year, I try my VERY best to explain to EVERYONE possible – “What is Heart and Sole?”  I started Heart and Sole in 2006, after losing my niece Margaret "Bowen" McElreath. For 8 years I have viewed the Children's Hospital of Georgia & HS from the view of being an aunt to a very special little girl. This year it is a little different for me than any other year, as I am expecting my first child, a baby girl, in June.  I now know the anxious feelings that come along with expecting a child and wondering the BIG “what ifs”.  As I try to cast away all of my fears, there are several factors that keep the “what ifs” at bay.

1. Faith in Him keeps me grounded…. Trusting Him at all times and knowing that He puts the right people along our path to care for the “what ifs” BUT you still have the "what ifs" at times. Without Him...  I would be a mess worrying.
2. I have an incredible doctor, Dr. McDonough. (If you know me… I am a little OCD and he tries his best to understand me BUT most important he calms me when I have concerns. I am in GREAT hands.)
3. I have a wonderful family and supportive friends. (No one said pregnancy is perfect or easy.)
4. LASTLY, I have the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. And this is what helps me sleep at night!

I am so excited about looking forward to this years Heart and Sole event in March with a whole new perspective…. As a future mother!! So whether you are a mother, aunt, grandmother, father, uncle, grandfather or a cousin….  Cast your fears away and support the ONE facility that is ALWAYS open and ready for the “what ifs”.
It can happen to you… in the middle of the night or a bright sunny day ~ You might face the “what ifs,” BUT know that the Children’s Hospital of Georgia is right here for ALL of us.
Join us for the 5K, Evening Event or both for a guaranteed GREAT time and Help make a difference!
For more information on where the 2013 funds were directed once donated to the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, PLEASE read below! If you joined us in 2013, you are part of the reason that these services and items helped make a difference and we thank YOU!
See you on March 1^st!!!
Stacey Haskins Garner
We are GROWING at Heart and Sole....
A BIG congrats to ALL of the new Heart & Sole babies that we welcomed and will welcome to HS Board Members this Spring!
James Gardiner "Bo" Weigle ~ Proud parents are Elizabeth and Reed Weigle (Dec. 2013)
Blakely Elizabeth Cowart ~  Proud parents are Lauren and Jason Cowart (Jan. 2014)
Baby Girl Walker ~ Expecting Parents are Whitney and Blake Walker ( Arriving in March '14)
Baby McElreath ~ Expecting Parents are Cameron and Sam McElreath ( Arriving in April '14)
Bennett Lane Dallas ~ Expecting Parents are Lauren and Al Dallas  (Arriving in May '14)
Baby Girl Garner ~ Expecting Parents are Stacey and Reed Garner (Arriving in June '14)

Heart and Sole 2013 Donations
CAMP STRONGHEARTS
Heart and Sole is the SOLE sponsor of Camp Strong Hearts each Summer. This is a camp that allows heart children the opportunity to be a kid and leaving the parents at ease that they are in the BEST hands. This commitment each year is a minimum donation of $15,000.
PICU
In 2013, Heart and Sole helped replace the Rocking chairs in the PICU. These chairs are used for the families that have young children that need the tender care of their families during the difficult time of being a patient in the hospital. Special chairs are needed to meet hospital code and these chairs are different, as they need to be cared for after each use.
General Surgery/OR Services
In 2013, Heart and Sole purchased a special Pediatric Crib that is needed to help the critical care infants and toddlers. This bed is in addition to many others on the PICU/NICU floors, yet with the limited type of this bed…. This gave the hospital space to care for one more child of this critical level.
ChildLife Specialists
In 2013, Heart and Sole gave funding for 50 game mounts for the game systems throughout the facility. This is extremely important, as many of these systems have been acquired through donor dollars and fundraising. These mounts make sure that these systems stay in each room and are properly cared for. A VERY big need in a children’s hospital is a way to distract these sweet children from the pains and ailments that they are experiencing.


Thanks for reading about this awesome organization... I hope you'll decide to participate if you're closeby...and even if you're not :)  Again, registration can be found HERE.

Happy Cooking!

Tomato & Mozzarella with Pesto Mayo on Ciabatta

Okay, it doesn't get much simpler than a sandwich for dinner, and this is a go to for dinner or lunch in my house. I buy the frozen ciabatta rolls and heat them according to the package instructions.  The last ones I got were rosemary & olive oil flavored, and they were delicious. You can change these up by using heirloom tomatoes, provolone cheese, and by adding herbs such as fresh basil or even some chives.  The key here is to use good, fresh cheese in the deli portion of the market.

Tomato & Mozzarella with Pesto Mayo on Ciabatta:
3 Roma tomatoes
1 ball fresh Mozzarella cheese
2 T prepared pesto**
1/2 cup mayonnaise
6 ciabatta rolls (fresh or frozen)

Heat ciabatta rolls until halfway done per package instructions.  Meanwhile, slice tomato and mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices.  Mix
pesto & mayo together in small bowl.  Cut ciabatta rolls in half and spread mayo mixture onto each side.  Place two slices of tomato on one side and one slice of Mozzarella on the other of each roll.  Place open faced ciabatta rolls back into oven to roast tomatoes and melt the cheese (about 5-7 minutes.)  Press the tomato side and the Mozzarella side of each roll together and slice in half.

Serve with Cape Code Kettle Style Potato Chips

**You can make your own pesto by blending 8 cups packed basil leaves, 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, 2-4 garlic cloves, and 1/2 tsp salt in the food processor until smooth.  At the end, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Happy Cooking!

Shrimp & Corn Chowder

This has a nice kick to it, but my kids did comment that it was spicy, so if you like some spice, go for the full tsp of pepper, if not, cut it down to 1/2 tsp.  The first time I made this, I made the whole recipe, and it was enough for two families of 5 with leftovers.  This time, I halved the recipe, and I still fed it to my family and have had leftovers for lunch for two days.  It's a very hearty soup...one of my kids loves shrimp so ate all of his shrimp but left the corn and the other loves corn so he opted to give the shrimp to his brother.  The baby loved it, and my husband and I enjoyed it just as much this time as the first time.  

Shrimp & Corn Chowder: (halved and modified from the Doggone Good! cookbook...original recipe found HERE.)

2 T butter                       
1 onion finely chopped
1/4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 quart chicken stock, low fat, low sodium
1 lb potatoes with peeling, cut into 1 inch pieces
16 oz frozen shoe peg corn  (original recipe calls for twice as much corn, but I think this is plenty)
4 ozsharp white cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 c. half and half
1 lb. medium shrimp, cut in half

Melt butter in stock pot.  Add onions and cook until translucent.  Add flour, pepper, turmeric, and salt, and continue to cook for about 3 minutes.  Add chicken stock and potatoes and cook for 15 minutes.  Add corn and cook for 10 minutes.  Add half & half and cheese and simmer until hot.  Add shrimp and simmer for 4 minutes until shrimp are pink.  

Happy Cooking!

Embracing the Storm

In anticipation of the snow this past week, in hopes of my husband being home more than usual because of the snow, and with the knowledge that Valentine's dinner was being made at home this year, I made a huge grocery run on Sunday...and then made another one on Tuesday, and maybe a third small one on Wednesday ;)  My plan for meals was based largely on the fact that it was Valentine's Week and that I wanted to show a little extra love to my family.  First up, love for my hubby...I decided to go the pasta route and feed into my husband's Italian roots; Penne with Creamy Sausage Tomato Ragu was a winner.  Next up, love for myself...hey, I didn't say this was all selfless:  Pork Verde Tacos with Ranch Salsa Angel Hair Coleslaw.  The pork was made in the crockpot, and the coleslaw was a cinch, making dinner that night incredibly easy and fun for all involved.  Love for my kids was shown with a special trip to The Children's Museum and to The Porch for hot chocolate with some of our best friends in town, and by making Salmon with Miso Sauce and yummy sides for dinner (that may not sound very kid friendly, but as I really DO NOT like salmon, and my kids love "pink fish" it really was for them.)  And the weekend was wrapped up with love for my marriage and my favorite Valentine's Day dinner to date.  George grilled Filet Mignon, and I made Lemony Shrimp Risotto!
YUM!!!   

So, enough about the cheesiness of Valentine's Week...you know I had to go there before getting a little more serious ;)

This week, we were saddled with a bunch of snow days.  One of my friends pointed out that this was a fun time to spend with family, hunkered down, literally not able to go anywhere, and just perfect for spending intentional time together.  Well, that's exactly what we did.  We embraced our "storm": we went sledding, we built snowmen, we took naps, we made brownies, we played games, we had great fun with friends, I sat on the floor more last week with my kids than I have in probably the last month.  We had an awesome day and a half with our daddy.  We rode down the driveway in a kayak!  We showed our super powers (mine is x-ray vision,) and we did cartwheels.  We did everything we were supposed to do to make the most of our snow days.  The week literally flew by.

In stark contrast, my friends and family in Augusta/Aiken endured one of the longest weeks that many of them had ever experienced.  Their activities were the same: spending time with family, hunkering down, literally not going anywhere, but all of it was viewed in a different light.  Their intentional time together looked very different than ours.  They were intentional about taking care of each other.  They were in survival mode taking care of their own selves/families, and they were also intentional about helping out their neighbors, friends, families, and strangers.  There was no enjoying being a kid by playing in the snow because there WAS no snow...there was only ice.  I will tell you, though, that the posts and messages that I saw from these friends were inspiring.  They made the most of a bad situation...they invited friends and family to have sleepovers, they made forts, they had movie nights in their cars, they cooked over campfires, they told stories by the fire, they cut trees apart to clear the roads, they delivered meals to the emergency crews, they moved trees with their bare hands to get to the hospitals to take care of people and deliver new babies into the world, they survived an earthquake!  They embraced the simplicity of life when there are no distractions and when comforts have been taken away...they saw that taking care of each other was more important than their own comforts, and I literally got chills reading their stories.  I KNOW it wasn't easy, but these people, my friends, were/are amazing.  So, for all of you in  Augusta and beyond, you are still in my prayers. Thank you for showing us all glimpses of how to truly "embrace the storm." 

Sometimes, embracing our "storm" is something that we choose to do, and we reap the benefits immensely.  Sometimes, it's forced upon us in the most unlikely of circumstances.  This week has been a great reminder to keep things simple, enjoy the comforts of life that I take for granted, and let myself take each day in stride because I really am one lucky gal.

This is a song that has been on my mind all week, so I thought I'd share the lyrics with you:

 "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns 

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus:]
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus]

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth


Happy Cooking!!

Oven Crispy Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Creamed Spinach

Oven Crispy Chicken: Recipe from Julia's Take Away Gourmet, found HERE.

Julia is an amazing chef/caterer here in Winston, and I was so excited when she shared this recipe on her website, www.juliastakeawaygourmet.com.  Here is a little bit "About Julia's Take Away Gourmet," written by Julia found on her website:

Julia’s Take Away Gourmet & Catering is a small specialty foods and catering company.  We operate out of a fully inspected & licensed catering kitchen in Winston-Salem, NC.  There is no retail site, yet!  However, on Wednesdays, customers can choose delivery or pick up from a weekly dinner menu offered to go.

The tag line “Enjoy the best of food and life” encompasses a lot about what I feel we should do more on a daily basis.  Too often we get bogged down with busy schedules, and I try to remind myself, and others, that to enjoy the best of food and life we simply need to sometimes slow down with good food shared with the ones we love.
For more information or questions, please look at the links on the sidebar for catering and dinner information, or email bluemoose@triad.rr.com.   Thank you!


NOTES:  You know that Bruno Mars song that says, "You're amazing, just the way you are..."  Well,
that's what I have to say about this.  This chicken reminded me of being at Taddy's (my grandmother's) house on Sunday afternoons.  The beauty of it is that you don't have to worry about the mess of frying the chicken, but you still get the delicious crispy skin that you crave.  My 4 year old announced that he couldn't use his fork, because the chicken was just TOO good.


Creamed Spinach: Recipe from The Pioneer Woman, found HERE.

NOTES:  I only had one bag of spinach, so I decided to only do 1/4 of this recipe.  Next time, I will do the whole thing because we were still wanting for more spinach once this was gone.  This kids were not huge fans, but they at least tried it.  This was easy, and so much yummier than using frozen spinach.


Mashed Potatoes:
6 medium russet potatoes
4 T butter
4 oz mascarpone cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 T milk (or more)

Dice the potatoes into about 2 in pieces and boil until tender when tested with a fork (about 20 minutes.)  Drain the potatoes and pour back into pot.  While potatoes are hot, add the butter and the cheese and mix with a hand or stand mixer. Add milk until you reach desired consistency.  I prefer mine a little lumpy, so 2T did the trick.  Add salt and pepper and mix until incorporated.

NOTES:  You may call these whipped potatoes, but I'm going with mashed :)  I had the mascarpone cheese on hand, which is why I used it, but you can certainly use cream cheese or sour cream, or even Greek yogurt to add some creaminess to the potatoes.  I like my potatoes pretty peppery, so if you're not a huge fan of pepper, you may want to cut down to 1/4 tsp.  My 4 year old announced that they were "kind of spicy"!  If you do add too much salt/pepper for your taste, you can always add a little more milk to cut it.

Valentine's Day Meal: Filet Mignon and Lemony Shrimp Risotto

We often like to do a date night in on Valentine's Day to avoid the hustle and bustle of the crowds out to dinner on this special night. Normally, we go with something a little fancier than usual but easy enough to make after the kids go down for the night. This year we landed on filets and risotto. I followed this risotto recipe verbatim, and I would not change a thing.  I was a little leery about dumping all of the liquid in at once rather than stirring in a little at a time as all other risotto recipes I've ever made have called for.  It was still creamy and delicious, and the lemon just made the shrimp & the risotto out of this world.  Perfect for a special occasion but not too difficult for a week night treat.
Filet Mignon with Lemony Shrimp Risotto:
This was our Valentine's Day Meal: (Kids were not invited to this date night in, but they did get to enjoy some filet prepared earlier along with some baked potatoes and edamame.)

Filet Mignon:  There is really no secret recipe here...we keeps ours simple and season heavily with only salt & pepper, throw on a very hot grill to sear both sides then turn down the heat to medium until it's done to our liking.  Sorry for the lack of information, but if you get a good cut of steak, season it, sear it, and then slowly cook it, there is really no way to mess it up...except for to overcook it ;)

Lemony Shrimp Risotto: (recipe from Giada De Laurentiis found HERE.)

Happy Cooking!

Pan Sauteed Salmon, Broccoli, and Potatoes with Miso Sauce

I have said it before, and I will say it again, I am not a huge fan of fish...especially salmon.  It's just too fishy for me.  I did, however eat an entire salmon fillet, as did all three of my boys.  The miso sauce is super yummy, and it masked, I mean enhanced, ;) the salmon flavor perfectly.  The veggies were yummy too, and, although I tried to sell the broccoli as "popcorn broccoli," the kids probably only ate 3 florets a piece...that's a win in my book!

Roasted Salmon, Broccoli, and Potatoes (recipe altered slightly from Real Simple found HERE.)

1 1/2 pounds petite white potatoes, cut in half

1 bunch broccoli (florets only)

4 T canola oil

3 T red miso (original recipe calls for white miso, but I had red, and it was great)

1 T rice vinegar

4 6oz salmon fillet

red pepper flakes

kosher salt & pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  In large bowl, toss potatoes with 1T oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper and pour onto a rimmed baking sheet.  In same bowl, toss broccoli florets with 1T oil, 1/4 salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.  Put potatoes in oven and roast 15 minutes.  Add broccoli to potato mixture and roast 15 minutes more.  Meanwhile, whisk together red miso, vinegar, 1T oil, and 3T water.  Set aside.  Heat 1T oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Season salmon with salt and pepper, and cook until opaque, about 3 minutes per side.  (I did this in 2 batches.)  Plate salmon and veggies on large plate and drizzle miso sauce over the salmon.  Sprinkle salmon with red pepper.  Serve with extra sauce on the side for dipping veggies and salmon.

Happy Cooking!

Unused Gifts

So, my plan this week was to eat out of the pantry/fridge/freezer and just got to the store for the staple items...you know, bread, milk, fresh fruit, wine :)  The idea was to spend as little as possible on food this week and see where we ended up.  We weren't overflowing with food, but we had PLENTY to get us through the week, so I thought this would be a fun challenge.  Plan?  Challenge?  Budgeting?  Be still my heart...three things that I LOVE...I had set myself up for a great week!  Well, I ran into a few problems...

(1) Because we really had no leftovers and no lunch staples, I ate lunch out with friends three days last week.  I rarely EVER go out to lunch, and it was fun, and I definitely wouldn't change it, but it certainly did not jive with my money saving strategy.  Oops!  (2) I was not excited AT ALL to cook dinner last week.  We ended up eating leftover Seven Layer Dip from the Super Bowl, two soups that were homemade (Creamy Sweet Potato and Rosemary Soup from the freezer and Brunswick Stew courtesy of Julia's Takeaway Gourmet,) Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets with Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and Lima beans, leftover Bean, Spinach, and Quinoa Burritos (frozen), and pizza.  Don't get me wrong, heating up leftovers and making dinners easy is a wonderful, beautiful thing...I just doesn't really suit me...and here's why:

(1) I really do LOVE to cook.  I love to make things from scratch.  I love to cook with my boys.  I love to make something yummy for my husband to enjoy when he gets home from work.  I love the preciseness of a recipe along with the freedom to change any ingredient to suit my tastes.  I love that I have an activity late in the day that I enjoy and that leaves my house smelling delicious.  I love everything about cooking dinner.  It truly brings me great joy.  (2) When I am bored, I snack more...lots of afternoon snacks were eaten by both me and the kids this past week because I wasn't busy preparing dinners.  (3) I really didn't spend any more "quality" time with my family by not cooking.  Usually the boys are with me in the kitchen or at least right in the next room and the baby is playing with the tupperware.  (4) I certainly didn't save any money :)

The moral of this story is that I will be back on track this week with a menu that I am excited about...
Creamy Tomato and Sausage Pasta
Rainbow Chicken Salad with Almond Honey Mustard Dressing
Pork Verde Tacos with Angel Hair Cole Slaw
Roasted Salmon with Miso Sauce
Lemony Shrimp & Risotto

We all have our different gifts and passions, and although I am lacking in many areas, I can say that cooking is one of my gifts.  I missed it this past week.  Have any of you out there put your gifts on the back burner because of a job, family, stage of life, time contraints, whatever?  If so, I encourage you to dust off those gifts and put them back into use.  I think you'll be surprised at what you've been missing!

Happy Cooking!!

Creamy Sweet Potato and Rosemary Soup

Creamy Sweet Potato and Rosemary Soup (recipe shared by my friend, Alyssa Sprouse and served on our girls' weekend)

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/creamy-sweet-potato-and-rosemary-soup-recipe/index.html

Prep Time: 15 M | Cook Time: 27 M | Makes: 4 to 6 servings (8 cups) | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large or 6 small shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds (about 2 to 3) sweet potatoes, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 (6-inch long) stems fresh rosemary
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

In an 8-quart stockpot, melt the butter and oil together over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, rosemary and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the rosemary stems. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese and maple syrup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat until ready to serve.

Cook's Note: The soup can also be pureed by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.

NOTES:  This soup is so velvety and delicious.  It has a sweet note from the maple syrup, and the mascarpone cheese just takes it over the top.  Once again, Giada had me at butter, olive oil and garlic.

Happy Cooking!!

It's All in the Eyes of the Beholder

As I reflect on this past week, what strikes me the most is how things can look so differently to different people or even to ourselves by taking a step back and reevaluating a situation with fresh eyes.

My first glimpse into this involved food.  I had every intention of making my children some mac n cheese and grilled chicken  because I honestly just didn't have the energy to fight about dinner after my baby being sick for an entire week.  Well, when the time came to cook dinner, I enlisted my 4 year old's help to make some Creamy Asparagus Soup.  In the midst of making this, he exclaimed, "Mom, this soup looks like slime!" to which I replied, "Well, that's because it's SLIME SOUP!"  Now, if you told me that I had to eat slime soup, I would immediately be turned off and think to myself, there is no way I'm eating that.  However, to 4 and 5 year old little boys, this sounded fantastic.  It is an understatement to say that I can't believe that they gobbled up their slime soup in record time!

My second glimpse actually occurred upon self examination after one of my non-finer moments.  The baby was up all night with, what we found out later, was a double ear infection, and the kids were out of school for a snow day (this was the second day that week that they had missed because of snow/conferences/etc and the baby had literally had me home bound the entire prior week being sick.)  I will spare you the details, but you can imagine my reaction to my boys when they woke up my baby, that I had worked so hard to get to sleep, from her nap...the loudness that came out of me was at least as loud as they were being...I know, counterproductive behavior at its finest.  A friend dropped by some soup, and it was that act of kindness that had me changing my attitude.  My friend was out in the snow delivering soup to me, and I was inside turning into Hurricane Amy (category undetermined.)  I turned the focus on me.  It wasn't that my kids were being a disaster...they were just being kids, excited about a snow day, and unable to go out and play in the snow because of their sick sister.  I was the problem that needed fixing.  After a self-induced mommy time out, getting the baby back to sleep, and having "Dance Party USA" to channel all of our energy, we were back on track...thank goodness because my delicious Bean, Spinach and Quinoa Burritos that my husband and I LOVED were not loved as much by my children...if the friend had not dropped by the soup (which we are eating tonight, by the way,) and if my attitude was still rotten, and if dinner had turned out the way that it had, we all probably would've gone to bed in tears :/

We had such a fun end of the week filled with a night by the fire enjoying exceptional comfort food, Slow Cooker Chicken with White Wine Sauce, a girls night out for me while my family ate Brazilian Fish Stew, a night out with couple friends, and a friend's 40th birthday party.  Being around friends is always a blast, and these three nights were no exception:

My girls night was therapeutic in that I got to see my friends open up about their kids, about what they're going through, about where they see themselves and their families and the directions they're going.  Then it was fun to see those women relate to each other through shared experiences, dreams, etc.  I love seeing my friends without their kids around because it lets you see them not just as "my child's friend's mom" but as a person who is passionate not only about her family but about so much more!

On our couples date, I saw my competitve streak rear its head through the eyes of those with whom I was playing a very intense game of darts.  I don't know that many people here know that I have this fierce competitive nature (ask my husband who may or may not find me in our basement by myself trying to beat the high score on our basketball arcade game...that was purchased for MY CHILDREN!)  I am happy to report that, although my team fell behind, I did land 3 bullseyes!!  I had some great conversations about my new identity as a "blogger" (the guys didn't really know what to think of this, I don't think ;),)and about my past life as a corporate girl.  I even got a half-hearted job offer at dinner on Friday night.  (Don't worry, I won't hold you to it!)  It made me realize that not many people have seen me in my competitive mode or my nerdy, math-loving, business world persona as I have not been working in a professional capacity since we moved here.  It was just nice to remember that there is more to know and see about me outside of the mama and wife roles that I have assumed in recent years...and it was fun to laugh at myself in the process.

I saw reflections of years gone by and of things to come at the 40th birthday party.  It was so fun to watch my friend with her family and friends that she's known for seemingly forever and with those of us who are newer on the friendship scene.  I got to see my friend through others' eyes...her mom's, her two best friends, and through the lens of a camera in pictures of her at different stages.  I especially loved seeing her children reflected in the images of her in her childhood pictures.

All of that to say, there are so many views from which to enjoy the world and to see people.  I was fortunate enough this week to see myself and others through my own and other people's lenses.  What a gift to take the time to do that every once in a while.  It is amazing the beauty that can be either seen or experienced in every situation if we all take the time to get to the right vantage point.

 I am going to continue to try and work on making it easier to find recipes on this blog of mine, so bear with me as I try out different formats.  This week my goal is to use up everything in my pantry and freezer and only go to the grocery store for the staples, so stay tuned ;)  

Happy Cooking!