It's Time for a Change...or Maybe a Few

The post below was the last post that I wrote. It was June 2015. Summer was only beginning. How apt that I wrote about "embracing the season that you are in" because, boy, have we been through some seasons this year. 

Those of you that know me know that, in addition to the normal wonder of life and the lovely things that our family has experienced (the best of which were the births of my two nieces!), we have dealt with some pretty hard things over the past year...a scary hospitalization and the recovery that came afterwards, a life changing diagnosis, and fear of the safety of family abroad just to name some of the major ones. I don't mean to be vague and am happy to expand upon any of these things to anyone who asks, but these are not my stories to tell in a public forum. 

The bottom line is that we are all okay, we are all stronger because of the things that we have gone through, and we are all closer because of them as well. I haven't written mostly out of fear of not knowing what to write. I am not a surfacy person. When we talk, I want to know what's on your mind and what's in your heart...not just how your day's going. I want to know that too, but I want the conversation to go deeper. I haven't felt like I could go deeper on this blog over the past year because I didn't know what to say, I didn't know how to express how I was feeling, and I didn't want to invade anyone's privacy...so I kept silent. 

As of late, I have felt the need to make some changes. There are some things that I need to cut back on...mostly bad habits...trashy television watching, rose drinking, yummy summer food eating, focusing inward rather than outward. And there are some things I need to add more of...time helping others, time with my family, time for myself, running, healthy eating...just to name a few. 

One of the changes that I wanted to make was for this blog. I haven't kept up with it as I like to, and I miss it. I miss writing. I miss sharing recipes and sharing stories. I miss it all. It has taken me about a year to get to a point where I had the energy to make the changes that I wanted to to the blog, but it's time. It will be a work in progress, and I would love some feedback as my main goal is to make finding recipes easier for you all (and for myself!). For now, check it out, try some recipes, share your stories, and let me know what you think! In the meantime, here is the post from last summer. I hope you'll enjoy it. Happy Cooking!

Living in the Season:

Sea Gull

Summer is probably my favorite season. It's a time to slow down, let go of the schedules, head to the beach, spend time with friends and family, and eat those summer foods that I crave all year long. Tomatoes and peaches purchased roadside along with some freshly boiled peanuts are some of my favorite summer treats. We JUST started our summer as school was in session until June 12th, but we started it out with a bang!

We returned from our first family trip on Sunday...we went to CAMP! We were lucky enough to get to go as a family to Camp Sea Gull in Arapahoe, NC for six days. The weather was scorching hot and humid, and don't tell my hsuband, but I secretly LOVED it. The boys got to spend their days with their cabins and their evenings sleeping with us (yes, we had AC!). My husband, my two year old, and I spent our days taking long walks, going on boat rides, water skiing, hunting for sharks' teeth, canoeing, ziplining, playing golf, playing tennis, and eating messhall grub. I did not have to go grocery shopping, meal plan, cook, clean, or do laundry. It was heavenly...except for the fact that our two year old decided a week before we left that she could climb out of her crib every chance she got and naps were out the window when we tried to make her sleep in her bunk bed. The good news is that she literally fell over every night out of pure exhaustion!

We went straight from glamping to a glamorous wedding. One of my very dearest friends got married in DeBordieu, SC. We spent three days celebrating her and her new hubby alongside some of our closest friends from Wake...and their hubbies...and their parents. Every event took place at a stunning venue with wonderful food and lots and lots of laughter. I don't think that my stomach has hurt from laughing (or dancing) in a very long time. It was amazing, and I was so so sad when it was over.

DeBordieu

We will be traveling a bit more this summer and whether we are at home or away, I'm looking forward to lazy mornings and relaxing evenings, to grilling out and eating al fresco, to ditching naptimes and opting for long afternoons in the pool, to neighborhood playdates and baseball games in the backyard, to packing up on a whim and taking a road trip to visit my family, to celebrating weddings and to reconnecting with friends. The summer season is just different than every other season. It's less hectic, and it's a time to rejuvenate.

Each season brings its own joys. The fall brings anticipation of new beginnings with school starting and budding new friendships. The winter brings snow days spent with neighbors and holidays spent with our loved ones. The spring brings gorgeous flowers and time spent outdoors. The summer brings adventure and rest. Each season also brings its own challenges. The fall brings getting myself and my family back into a routine. The winter brings lots of time indoors and little sunshine. The spring brings end of year craziness. The summer brings the challenge of traveling with small children.

The key is to embrace the joys and accept the challenges as they come; to not live in anticipation of what lies ahead but to enjoy the moments and the seasons that we are in right now. And so it is with life, right? There are seasons of joy and of sorrow. There are stages of life with little ones and there are stages of friendships old and new. There are times to leave things behind and to press on towards what is ahead. There are days when we hold on to our loved ones with all of our might and there are times when we are forced to let go. We say goodbye to the past and hello to new beginnings. We anticipate the excitement that comes with life's changes: jobs, homes, relationships, and we often grieve, even if it's ever so briefly, those places and people that we are moving away from.

Right now my days are filled with little people needing me. My boys are in constant motion and my toddler is just as busy. My "job" these days is to take care of my little family. I often wonder what it is that's in store for the future...certainly there's more to my ultimate plan than cleaning my home, feeding my family, changing diapers, kissing boo-boos, breaking up arguments aka full-out wrestling matches, and the occassional tennis match, right? It's hard sometimes to look at the monotony of our days and not yearn for the future, but when we do that, we miss what's right in front of us. We miss the sweet smiles and kisses, we miss being told, "Mommy, you a princess!", we miss sweet love notes from our seven year old, we miss seeing our five year old's excitement as he exclaims that his 1 minute, 40 second freestyle lap was GREAT!, we miss sweet time with our husband sitting on the back porch and being comfortable just being.

The saying goes "The nights are long, but the years are short." I for one can certainly relate to this right now as our two year old is on a bit of a sleep hiatus. Sleep deprivation is definitely not the way I like to start my day, but I am trying to look at this as just another season that we are in. There are joys...extra cuddles with my sweet girl, and there are challenges...lying in the dark for thirty minutes only to have her tell me to "leave the door open" as I'm leaving the room when I am convinced that she's sound asleep. But this is where we are right now. My little people are all still tightly in the nest, and that's where my attention needs to be right now. There is plenty of time to go out and save the world, but today I'll just work on saving my sanity and enjoying the ride.

So here's to summer and enjoying this season to its fullest!!

Here are some of my favorite summer recipes that I hope you'll love:

Summer Squash & Tomato Pie
Grilled Mini Meatloaves
Stetson Chopped Salad
Brie, Tomato, and Gemelli Pasta Salad
Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob
Blueberry Tart Pie
Smoked Gouda Pasta Salad
Perfectly Boiled Shrimp
Tomato Pie

Perfectly Boiled Shrimp

Recipe & picture from Food.com

Perfectly Boiled Shrimp:
Recipe from Food.com found HERE.

NOTES: These are always a fun addition to a party or as a main dish. This method is fool proof and makes delicious shrimp every time. Serve with Ken's Cocktail Sauce and a side of french fries and cole slaw, and you've pretty much mastered one of our favorite beach traditions!

Happy Cooking!

Dinners Week 4: Parmesan, Pumpkin, and a PINK Party

Baked Veal Parmesan: (Recipe found in Open House, A Culinary Tour, The Junior League of Murfreesboro)
1/2 cup cornflake crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2 eggs
4 veal cutlets
1/2 cup butter
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp oregano
dash of onion salt
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Angel Hair pasta noodles (cooked according to package; about 1/2 of a regular sized box)

Combine the cornflake crumbs, Parmesan cheese, slat, and pepper in shallow dish.  Lightly beat eggs in another shallow dish.  Dip the veal cutlets in the eggs and then the crumb mixture to coat.  Melt the butter in a 9x13 in baking dish in a 400 degree oven.  Place the cutlets in the dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Turn the cutlets over.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Combine the tomato sauce, sugar, oregano, and onion salt in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Pour over the baked cutlets.  Top with the mozzarella cheese.  Bake until the cheese melts.  Serve over noodles

SERVE WITH: Arugula salad with simple lemon vinaigrette

NOTES: Don't let the "baked" part fool you.  This is really not a healthier version of veal Parmesan, but it is a lot simpler than frying the veal in a pan.  Basically the warmed melted butter in the bottom of the baking dish allows the veal to be fried in the oven.  I went ahead and prepared vinaigrette for the salad and the veal (actually I used thinly sliced chicken breasts this week because our grocery store didn't have veal, and I just can't do more than one store at this stage of my life) with the breadcrumb and Parmesan mixture in the morning so that I'd be ready to roll when the butter was melted.  DO NOT use the powdered Parmesan cheese.  Use the grated or shredded Parm in the refrigerated section.  I started boiling the water for the noodles and making the sauce when I flipped the chicken, and everything was done at about the same time.  My guys love this, but the sauce is a little sweet for me, so just beware that if you want a saltier marinara sauce, you may want to cut the sugar by about half.

  

Flaky Tomato & Mozzarella Tart: (Adapted from CovCom Cooks!)
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed and cut in half
1 yellow tomato, thinly sliced
1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each 1/2 of the puff pastry into a 9x6 inch rectangle.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.  Prick all over with a fork and top each half with 1 cup of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the basil, and half of each tomato.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are beginning to brown. 

SERVE WITH:  Leftover arugula salad from night before.

NOTES:  This is like pizza taken up a notch.  It is totally delicious and super easy.  You do have to make sure that you set the dough out to thaw (which takes about 40 minutes) and allow the dough to set after you roll it (another 30 minutes,) so this is definitely a recipe to start earlier in the day.  This week I used the yellow and Roma tomatoes, but you can also use grape tomatoes, or heirloom tomatoes (these make it really pretty!.)  I usually cheat the recipe a little and just refrigerate it after I put all of my toppings on it.  Cook time is only 10 minutes, so it is a super simply, slightly fancy dinner to prepare on a busy night.


Black Bean Pumpkin Soup: (Recipe found in Open House, A Culinary Tour, The Junior League of Murfreesboro)
3 (15oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup minced shallot
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T plus 2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 cups beef broth
1 (15oz) can pumpkin
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 pound ham, diced
3 to 4 T sherry vinegar
FOR GARNISH: sour cream, toasted pumpkin seeds

Combine 2 cans of the beans and the tomatoes in a food processor and process until coarsely pureed; set aside.  Melt the butter in a heavy, 6 qt pot over medium heat.  Add onions, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper.  Cook until onions are tender and starting to brown, stirring constantly.  Stir in the pureed bean mixture, the remaining 1 can of whole beans, broth, pumpkin, and sherry.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 25 minutes or until the soup is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stirring occasionally.  (May be prepped in advanced to this point and chilled.)

Just before serving, stir in the ham and vinegar.  Simmer until heated through, stirring frequently.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve garnished with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds.

SERVE WITH: Sister Schubert's Rolls!

NOTES: This is such a fun, fall soup.  It is delicious and pretty and is fun to serve on a week night for my family or for a dinner party in a fun pumpkin soup terrine.  I do not normally have sherry just hanging around, so I purchase cooking sherry at the grocery store (or substitute white wine.)  Sherry vinegar is not easy to find, so you can substitute white wine vinegar if you have that on hand.  This is great to make after Thanksgiving and use leftover ham.  If you don't like ham, you can substitute shrimp, chicken, or sausage. 


Pinterest Inspired 1st Birthday Party!!!

I found all of these recipes on Pinterest, so here they are (with their pinned images) to share :)

 
Easy Ham and Cheese Appetizer Sandwiches



Brie and Cranberry Tartlets


 
Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus



Perfect Boiled Shrimp with Ken's Steakhouse Cocktail Sauce

This is the actual smash cake!!!

Smash Cake and Mini Cupcakes made with yellow cake mix and frosted with Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

 NOTES:  I LOVE a good party, and this was such a fun party to plan for.  The only theme to the party was PINK!  After having two boys, I thought I would go all out with the pink food, pink beverages, pink flowers, pink outfits, everything.  Along with the items above, I served watermelon (not the best idea for this time of year!!,) sliced strawberries and grapes, ChickFilA nuggets, and pink lemonade for the kids.  I could not have pulled it off without my family helping, especially my sweet mama, who is a party planner extraordinaire.