Happy Valentine's Day! I am hoping that The Husband gets home early enough that we can have a nice dinner here. I am thinking steaks, but who knows, I will have to check the freezer. Do you like how I plan ahead? I hid a cute little card for him in his armoire for him to find this morning...he was really touched. Today I am going to bake some heart shaped cookies and try not to eat any of them I feel so deprived but I have lost a little weight on Weight Watchers and I don't want to mess it up. One cookie leads to another and another...
See the beautiful painting of the rooster? I won that on Sharon's giveaway. Her blog is My French Country Home, and if you haven't been there, you are one of the few. She shares her life in the gorgeous French countryside, you will love visiting. She had a weeks worth of giveaways and I won this painting by Ande Cook of Chickory. It's painted on a piece of wood, I love all the detail. I think it is going to look fantastic in my English Farmhouse kitchen at the lake. Thanks Sharon and Ande.
I also won a mystery gift bag from the beautiful and sweet Kathleen Ellis. A book, a bracelet and some vase filler gems. Her lifestyle posts are something you won't want to miss. Thank you Kathleen.
I was cooking again Friday night to meet up with Carmie's challenge of cooking a recipe a week from all of my dusty cookbooks. As you can see from the cover and pages of this book, it has been much loved. I bought it right after I had Abigail, as I was searching for quick meals and these are great because you get everything you need in one pot {or pan, crockpot, casserole...}.
Just add some bread or a side salad.
This week I made Chicken Cacciatore and it turned out great. Enlarge the pictures and you will have the recipe.
I used chicken tenders so we wouldn't have to deal with bones. Doing it this way also means I shaved off 1/2 hour of the cooking. Try it this way, you will like it. I also confess I was out of frozen beans so they aren't in this, but do add them, they give it a nice crunch and more color.
This is the chicken after you have browned it.
And this is everything simmering in the pot. The wine really adds the flavor, so make sure you use it. and ONLY use something you would drink.
I served it with couscous but rice is good, too. And a small salad. I sort of threw this on the plate to take a picture as everyone was anxious to eat. I guess that's a good sign. Join Carmie at The Single Nester to see what's cooking at her place this week.
Saturday night took us to The Pit with another couple. People come from all over for their barbecued ribs and pulled pork. 
I love looking at all of the memorabilia. 
Everywhere you turn there is something interesting to look at. 
Did I mention the food is delicious? Everyone had the ribs, but I ordered the Greek Chicken Oreganata served with a baked potato, pasta and Texas Toast. Oh, and lots lemon. Most of the dishes are on the Greek side, although all of the waitresses speak Polish. Go figure. And everything is cooked over a wood burning fire. Yum!
Isn't this an awesome place?
Yesterday we went to another party and then I was home and in bed at 9:00. I haven't had a chance to pick up my book, Pride And Prejudice, but I am working on it and look forward to the movies.
We had a warm up this weekend...it actually got into the 40's. The snow is really melting fast. I actually just wore a sweater to the party yesterday. To think I was freezing last week.
I hope everyone had a good weekend and that I didn't overwhelm you with all of this food. Now I'm off to do some much needed cleaning and laundry, and then to make those cookies. I hope all of you have a wonderful Valentine's Day with those you love! :-)
It has been a really cold week here, right now it is 9 degrees. I had to go grocery shopping and as the wind whipped around me and made my eyes tear, I thought, "Why do I live in Illinois?". Well, to answer that, it's all I've ever known and I would terribly miss the 4 distinct seasons that we have. So it's grin, with teeth chattering, and bear it.
I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes...you are all so sweet. I wore my boots! Yes I did. We went on a casino boat on Lake Michigan {the boat stays docked} and since there was valet parking, I had those babies on. We had dinner there with 4 other couples and I did all but put my feet up on the table to get them noticed. And this was my lucky week, not only did I win $150.00 on the slot machines, I won 2 giveaways last week. I will surprise you with them when they come. So today I bought a scratch off lotto ticket and I am going to do that later with my fingers crossed. ;-D
Super Bowl Sunday {which seems like ancient history now} passed very quietly in our house. The Husband, who is not a Packers fan at all, refused to watch the game and did paperwork instead. I curled up in bed with the dogs, still in my jammies and watched The Holiday. I can't believe I have never seen it, as I am such a sucker for Christmas movies and romantic story lines. It was good. I love Kate Winslet and Jude Law is very easy on the eyes. 
That movie could have a nice sequel, maybe set around Valentine's Day. I am hoping there will be a lot of good romantic comedies on this weekend. I live for the Lifetime channel. I can be such a nerd. Is anyone doing anything special for Valentine's Day? We never go out for dinner as it's so hard to get a seat at a nice restaurant and we are going out next week for my birthday now that all the kids are home again.
Speaking of food, I was going to join Carmie's Cookbook recipe challenge again this week, but I was just so late in getting in on it. She made a wonderful Light Lemon Meat Loaf and you can check it out at her blog, The Single Nester. Hopefully I will have something next week.
I've had this book for awhile now...I feel like I am the only person in the world that hasn't read it or anything by Jane Austen for that matter. I flipped for this copy because it is a Keepsake Edition with gorgeous illustrations, as you can see by the cover. Anyway, I started it Monday and I am halfway through it...I can't put it down. The Husband is happy to see that I have moved away from my computer and I can now be found lying around with my nose in a book. So have you read it? Did you identify with any of the characters? I'd love to say I am an Elizabeth, but I don't think I really have her sense of adventure or her spirit. Then again, Jane is almost a saint. Well, she's kind and thoughtful and never says a mean thing about anyone, maybe we could all strive to be like her. Well, let me know if you have read it or any other Jane Austen books. And I understand there is also a movie...who is in it? I am speed reading so I can rent it.
Well, this is all I have for now, I know, a boring post. I have a fire going and I bought one of those 'already roasted' whole chickens from the grocery store, so all I have to do is a few side dishes and be done. Then I can go back to my book!
Hope you are all having a great week. Thanks for visiting! :-)
We all survived the blizzard of 2011. I actually slept through most of it, but was awoken by the thunder and lightening. Now, that is something I have NEVER experienced in all of my Midwestern years. I think the weather people were calling it Thundersnow. 
The Husband made a wise decision to buy a snow blower back in December when they went on sale. It is amazing that we went so long without one but since we live on a city street, and there is just a short sidewalk and driveway, we got by. Boy, did he need it Wednesday. He went out several times as the snow kept coming down. Coming home from Ft. Meyers Beach on Tuesday, his was the last flight out until Thursday, so he just made it. The storm started just a few hours after he landed in Chicago. 
Everything was closed down, shut down, The Husband closed his office. It felt like one long weekend with him home. We took a ride to get salt at a gas station a few blocks away and everything was deserted looking, just walls of snow on each side of the street. I didn't take any pictures because I thought maybe we had all seen enough snow pictures for one day.
Someone had a birthday Thursday. I still get excited on my birthday, I want the cake and balloons and everything. I woke up late Wednesday night to find Abby in the kitchen and she just dropped what she was doing and stared at me. Half awake, I didn't realize she was baking me a surprise. "We didn't have any cake mixes, so I'm making you birthday cookies." Oh, my heart nearly broke in half. Then she said, "And I'm doing a very neat job." I think she was referring to what a perfectionist I can be when I bake and cook. My little heart broke again.
So these are my birthday cookies and I even had one or two and blew off my diet. They were yummy. When son Jeff gets home from a trip to L.A., we will all go out to dinner to celebrate.
The Husband was able to sneak my gift into the house last night, these beautiful Coach boots. My little heart broke again. He knows me so well. They are suede so I have to wait for the crappy weather to get over to wear them. I really am a lucky girl. And if birthdays can always be like this, I don't mind getting older.
See you next week! :-)
Once upon a time, I was hospitalized with pneumonia and stuck in the hospital for days. My husband, my sweetheart,
my friend, bought and brought me this cookbook, knowing that I enjoyed reading them as much as cooking from them. Are you like that? I started folding corners over on the pages of recipes I wanted to try and soon the book looked like an accordion. I knew it was a keeper.
I came across a fantastic blog the other day called The Single Nester. Carmie is another gal who loves to read cookbooks and decided to cook a recipe a week from her cookbooks. I volunteered to do the same. Believe it or not, I have over 100 cookbooks. Anyway, we decided to do this together. After you read my post, please visit Carmie...we are in this together.
As I have said, this book was like my bible, but I hardly referred to it after my hospital stay and it's a shame. It has wonderful, doable recipes that I have neglected to try. Okay, Blondie, stop babbling. Today we are making Green Bean Provencal. Why? Because I had most of the ingredients in my fridge. An essential ingredient is French style tender baby beans. I was going to use some fresh green beans {and you can}, but I happened to find them on a trip to Costco this morning while we were stocking up on our blizzard provisions. A wonderful side dish is made with them as I will illustrate. Ahemmmm...
Above is the recipe. If you can't read it, even enlarged, please email me and I will send you the recipe.
Some of the fresh ingredients...
...and the haricots verts. Don't let the name scare you..use trimmed greens beans if you want.
A little info on them.
So first you cook these little babies over medium heat for about 3~4 minutes until tender crisp.
Drain in a colander.
Do your nails OR in the mean time, chop some onion {one large} and 4 cloves {I used 6...we love garlic} coarsely. 
The recipe calls for peeled, seeded tomatoes. I was NOT going to spend precious time peeling 4 tomatoes which requires boiling or blanching, so forget that, but do squeeze out the juice and seeds or your end result will be soupy and runny. I have illustrated that above. Should have done a manicure while I had the chance. Just give a quarter of a tomato a good squeeze into it's pile of goo. Add the tomatoes and wine to the pan where you have been simmering the garlic and onion and cook for 20 minutes over medium heat. Squeeze in that lemon juice; it really make all the difference, and the pepper. I added a pinch of salt, too.
Add the green beans, and olives and let them heat up. about 3 minutes. And this is what you have. The recipe says that this is great with a roasted chicken. Well, I was fresh out. I made pork chops and we spooned this right over. As I was cooking and sniffing, I couldn't help but think that this would be a wonderful sauce for fresh shrimp. You tell me.
That's all I have. Oh yes...we are in the middle of a blizzard, but I am trying to ignore it. So it also seems, the majority of the country, so I won't complain. Try to find something to keep you busy...stay warm and safe! :-)
I really had to perk up after the last post. Wow, what a downer I sounded like and I'm usually not that way. Some of you identified with the winter blues and some of you had very positive attitudes. Almost all of you said I should go to Florida. With The Husband doing his 'business' thing from morning until evening...including dinners, I just didn't know what I would do with myself all alone. I'm like that and I wish I were more adventurous. Maybe next year...
After taking The Husband to the airport, I stopped at the grocery store to stock up on provisions. No one to take this little lady out to dinner. I couldn't resist these pretty tulips. Just walking by them cheers me up. They are the first flowers that come up in my garden, so they really remind me of spring.
So far they haven't opened so they may just hang around for awhile. After The Husband was safely carted off to said airport, I cleaned the house from top to bottom. Abby and I then got to work making a few of these...
...veggie pizza's. We used a pre~made crust and some Mario Batali marinara sauce and then just sauteed some veggies in olive oil for the topping. A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and into the oven for 15 minutes. Emily and her boyfriend came over for this quick and easy dinner, too. 
I will definitely keep some of these crusts on hand...It is so much less expensive than ordering out.
We spent most of the evening sitting in front of this, watching a movie. We then played some board games. I lost of course. But it was fun.
This is not what I munched on...in fact I have given up all of this good stuff. I joined Weight Watchers last week and I am really excited and optimistic to be on a program. You have to remember that son Kevin is getting married in August and I really want to look nice. Pictures can be brutal. After following a low carb diet for years, {and having great results for the first three years} it is wonderful to have fruit, bread and pasta again. 
So my cupboards and fridge are all stocked up with good things and I have a great focus, something I truly need during these cold, long months. I know a few bloggers that are on the programs and it's fun sharing information and tips with them.
These little babies fill the house with their sunshiny smell every time I peel one. It makes me feel so good about myself. I will keep you informed about my progress. Have any of you tried Weight Watchers? What are you doing to get rid of those holiday pounds?
I haven't started to exercise, but I think I am going to give this DVD a try...I have to start out slow.
So we had a great Saturday night. Milo was a bit confused that The Husband didn't come home from work at his normal time. He is used to sitting here and waiting for the car to pull up. 
And when the fire died, it was time for bed. This is the beautiful throw that I got at Ikea last weekend. It is SO soft. I love to take little naps with it. And I feel one coming on. I hope all of you are having a great weekend so far. If you are feeling a little down, like I was last week, make something homemade, throw a log on the fire and have some fun playing games with your kids. It works for me! :-)
This won't be a long post because there is absolutely nothing going on in my life. The days are supposed to be shorter but they feel long...even the dogs seem bored. No reason to run out, no errands, no lunch dates. The kids have been around, but they always seem to be rushing off someplace. This is true cabin fever.
And yes, these are Christmas ornaments, but I left them up because they reminded me of Valentine's Day, which is just around the corner. I have added a touch of red here and there to get in the mood. It goes well with all the white outside...more of which is coming down as I write. 
I have plenty to keep me busy. I cleaned all morning long {even though the cleaning ladies were here this week} and I can bake or make dinner ahead of time, or organize closets...read, watch a movie, browse through seed catalogs and plan my garden. I can sort through boxes that I brought home from my Dads house. Do you know he saved my postcards, letters and cards? He was so sweet. I need some motivation, maybe I'll just take a long, hot bath.
The Husband is leaving on a business trip. Is it still called business if it is in Florida? I was invited to go but I'm not really one to bum around all day by myself. I could really use some retail therapy though, a little time on the beach. I think more vacations should be taken during the winter, summers are overrated. 
Not to get off the subject of boredom, I wanted to tell you that daughter Abby is painting her room. This necklace matches the color she picked out. She also bought a black comforter that reverses to gray and some pillows. I think she may be on to something with this color combo. I was a little disappointed at first that she wanted to paint as I did her room a while ago in a pretty shade of yellow with nice pops of teenage color. But it will be interesting to see what she does. I can always close the door. Well, I think I need to get busy and snap out of it. What have all of you been doing to snap out of the winter doldrums? It really is hard to have a positive outlook all the time. And this is my journal, so there!
Have a good one! :-)
Happy Valentine's Day! I am hoping that The Husband gets home early enough that we can have a nice dinner here. I am thinking steaks, but who knows, I will have to check the freezer. Do you like how I plan ahead? I hid a cute little card for him in his armoire for him to find this morning...he was really touched. Today I am going to bake some heart shaped cookies and try not to eat any of them I feel so deprived but I have lost a little weight on Weight Watchers and I don't want to mess it up. One cookie leads to another and another...
I also won a mystery gift bag from the beautiful and sweet Kathleen Ellis. A book, a bracelet and some vase filler gems. Her lifestyle posts are something you won't want to miss. Thank you Kathleen.
I was cooking again Friday night to meet up with Carmie's challenge of cooking a recipe a week from all of my dusty cookbooks. As you can see from the cover and pages of this book, it has been much loved. I bought it right after I had Abigail, as I was searching for quick meals and these are great because you get everything you need in one pot {or pan, crockpot, casserole...}. Just add some bread or a side salad.
This week I made Chicken Cacciatore and it turned out great. Enlarge the pictures and you will have the recipe.
I used chicken tenders so we wouldn't have to deal with bones. Doing it this way also means I shaved off 1/2 hour of the cooking. Try it this way, you will like it. I also confess I was out of frozen beans so they aren't in this, but do add them, they give it a nice crunch and more color.
This is the chicken after you have browned it.
And this is everything simmering in the pot. The wine really adds the flavor, so make sure you use it. and ONLY use something you would drink.
I served it with couscous but rice is good, too. And a small salad. I sort of threw this on the plate to take a picture as everyone was anxious to eat. I guess that's a good sign. Join Carmie at The Single Nester to see what's cooking at her place this week.
Saturday night took us to The Pit with another couple. People come from all over for their barbecued ribs and pulled pork. 
I love looking at all of the memorabilia. 
Everywhere you turn there is something interesting to look at. 
Did I mention the food is delicious? Everyone had the ribs, but I ordered the Greek Chicken Oreganata served with a baked potato, pasta and Texas Toast. Oh, and lots lemon. Most of the dishes are on the Greek side, although all of the waitresses speak Polish. Go figure. And everything is cooked over a wood burning fire. Yum!
Isn't this an awesome place?
