a chookie chookie

reflections on 30...

2014-12-11T17:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday. For the past few years, I've been dreading this one...the big 3-0. But really as it was approaching this year, I'm good with it; in fact, I'm quite excited. With a little one on the way, this is going to be such an awesome, exhaustingly wonderful year for us that it's really quite hard to dread this milestone birthday.

And it's official! We made it well into the third trimester! We are so lucky and thankful that Baby's situation has improved significantly over the past couple of months. We made it through way too many weeks when we were constantly playing the "numbers game": if Baby were born today, he or she would have a x% chance of survival. And we've reached a point where we're in as good of shape as any pregnancy. It's still hard to wrap our heads around that fact, especially after anxiously checking off the weeks, days, hours, and minutes to get here.

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our story...

2014-08-27T19:32:00.001-04:00

So, I realized this morning that I haven't posted since May. It's now late August. Classes started this week. Where did the summer go?

Well, it's been an interesting summer here to say the least. After trying to start a family for the past few years, we decided we were going to start an infant domestic adoption. We spent all of May getting a majority of the adoption home study requirements done. Two days (TWO!) before the "point of no return" for the home study, as I like to call it, we got some interesting news...

I'm pregnant!
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tortilla bowls

2014-05-29T13:25:00.000-04:00

I've decided I'm officially an "old soul". Those who know me could have told you that long ago, I'm sure. I always prefer, and have always preferred, a cup of coffee with a friend over a night of dancing (unless it's swing dancing or salsa dancing...that's a different story!), a night in with a Netflix tv series over going to a big expensive show, a homemade dinner over a dozen roses, a rainy afternoon listening to music while bread is rising over going to the movies, a starlit walk through the neighborhood with the hubs and the pup over some big elaborate date, and a glass of quality wine over endless drinks at a bar.
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peanut butter rice krispy treats

2014-05-21T15:43:00.000-04:00

Summer is officially here! Well, it's kind of here. Students are done and grades are in. That's a win, right?

How do you define "summer"? My colleagues and I spent last week (the week after finals) in a windowless room learning how to administer and rate oral proficiency exams. Ever since, I've been judging random conversations, both in English and Spanish--awww, bless her heart, she's never going to get out of the advanced low range. I guess I shouldn't judge because sometimes it looks like I can't even write in complete sentences. And paragraphs? Hah. Anyways, hubs had graduation one weekend and freshman orientation the next. And, he may have left home at 5 am yesterday morning for a training seminar 2 hours away. Luckily we both work in departments that constantly keep us entertained...in their own special ways. So, is this really "summer"? I know they've always said that you shouldn't go into academia to get summers off. Perhaps we should have listened more closely.
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tortilla española (más o menos)

2014-05-08T15:25:00.002-04:00

Finals are done! (Almost all of) the grading is done too. A major painting project is complete, we're getting new carpet (yes, the green is finally gone!), and the exterior of our house is changing colors. So much is currently in the works... more to come about that soon! In the meantime...

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homemade vanilla and lemon extracts

2014-04-22T15:34:00.001-04:00

Yes, I have become THAT person. I am making my own vanilla extract. And lemon extract. In fact, I'm making most everything from scratch anymore.

Here are the few items that we usually buy prepared, as they are cheaper or just not worth the time to make regularly:
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100% white whole wheat artisan bread

2014-04-07T20:27:00.003-04:00

Like the new look? Little sister designed a new logo and header for me. On her snow day. Because she wanted to. And she's awesome. She surprised me with it =)

So, in other news, I've started to figure out my crazy body. I've been doing a lot of research as to what foods promote health and healing and which do more harm than good. I find it interesting that people used to only eat foods that lead to health, whereas now, it's much easier to find the junk at the grocery store. I've come to realize that all-purpose flour and refined sugar are my biggest enemies, as they are inflammatory. Leave them out, my arthritic knees feel pretty good. I have even been using the stairs occasionally (voluntarily) again on campus. That's something that hasn't happened in years.

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life and food

2014-01-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

Here's the deal. It's not that I haven't been cooking and baking away the past several weeks, not at all. It's not that I'm uninterested in taking pictures and sharing every bite. And, it's not you. It's me.

I've been having a bit of a food existential breakdown lately. I've been contemplating my food choices and their effect on my health. I've been experimenting with a different type of culinary lifestyle. I'm trying to figure out what works for me. I'm trying new recipes constantly, still a bit intimidated to adjust them at all, as I've been working with some new and exciting ingredients that are still fairly foreign to me.

Give me just a little time and I will be back with food that not only will taste good, but will also make you feel good. Promise.

classic beer bread

2014-01-16T20:26:00.000-05:00

...And we're off! The new semester is off and running. Four days down and quite a few left to go.

Sometimes it's the little things that get you through these crazy exhausting days and the sleepy-eyed mornings. We got cupcakes to cover 2 of the days, a little treat to look forward to after a day of stumbling through classes (as if I hadn't taught in weeks...oh wait). They kind of made my day. Twice.

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sweet potato dog treats

2014-01-09T18:37:00.000-05:00

So, we've had our little Cooper for almost 4 years now. He's always been pretty well-behaved, but he had this "quirk", as we called it. He licked. He would lick his paws and pits until they were raw. It got old really quickly hearing his lick, lick, lick and we would yell at him constantly to stop already.

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soft almond sugar cookies

2013-12-31T13:03:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since my last post, I know. Here's why...

Hubs and I went shopping for a new knob for our pantry doors. Okay, there's a little bit more to it than that.
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muffin pies

2013-12-01T16:06:00.001-05:00

I've been a little uninspired lately. Nothing has really begged me to be baked or cooked or sauteed. There has been little time to cook, and even less time to take pictures and blog. I'm sorry. Thanks for coming back.

For Thanksgiving, I wanted to try a new twist on the traditional flavors of the holidays. I saw some mini pies at our favorite local cupcake shop a while back and decided to give them a go for Thanksgiving this past week.

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What's in Season? Week 22

2013-10-30T19:43:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe the season has gone by so quickly. On the other hand, it will be nice not to have to constantly plan meals around the mountain of fruits and veggies that are piled precariously in the fridge. I say that now, but am sure that within a few short weeks we'll once again long for the fresh local food we've been so blessed with these past 22 weeks.

Here's what we got tonight in our last bag:

White stem bok choy
Green cabbage
Candy onion
Turnips
Sweet potatoes
Celery root
Cornmeal
Jonagold apples
Acorn squash
Luna burgers

So, that's all for the "What's in Season" posts for the year. When you'd like to find the freshest, most delicious apple or tomato or pepper, search for the ingredient on my blog to see when it was in season (in Ohio) to find the best produce available. I've come to realize that making a fresh peach cobbler in November isn't even worth the calorie intake, but one in July is irresistible. Try out the experiment and let me know if you can tell the difference!

homemade butterfinger bars

2013-10-27T17:52:00.000-04:00

It's going to be our first Halloween in a house! That may not sound terribly exciting, but we've never really had Trick-or-Treaters. I had a few (maybe 3 or 4) that came by at my grad school apartment, but that barely even counts. For the first time ever we've got a LOT of kids in our neighborhood and we're all stocked up on candy. Hubs was supposed to work late on Halloween night and I was supposed to be in class, but we're both skipping out. He's arranging his schedule to be home, and I'm skipping class (as a student, not as a lecturer!).

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What's in Season? Week 21

2013-10-22T16:27:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that it's already the penultimate Fresh Fork pickup for the season!

Here's what's in season at this late point in the year:

Spelt rosemary linguini
Broccoli
Pepper havarti
Red onions
Carrots
Sweet bell peppers
Concord grapes
Apple cider
Mustard greens

Hopefully the frost they're predicting this week won't affect the crops too much! The snow can wait at least one more week, right?

crock pot vegetarian refried beans

2013-10-19T12:26:00.000-04:00

It's winterizing weekend. We've already taken a car in to the shop to get it set for the season. Screens have been removed from our windows. Garden stragglers will be brought inside to enjoy as one last harvest feast. Operation leaf pickup will commence. Picnic table needs to be brought in. Firewood has to be moved for easy winter access. Dog needs to realize that the long summer walks are quickly coming to an end (if anyone has any recommendations as to how to explain that to a dog, I'm open to suggestions).

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What´s in Season? Week 20

2013-10-16T12:41:00.001-04:00

This is what's coming our way this evening:

Norland potatoes
Broccoli
Onion
Beets
Lettuce
Butternut squash
Baby bok choy
Eggs
Red turnips
Red peppers
Zucchini
Eggplant

It's hard to believe that the season's already wrapping up! Only two more weeks to go. A Tex-Mex recipe will be posted later this week. Stay tuned!

roasted pumpkin/acorn squash/butternut squash seeds

2013-10-13T19:29:00.000-04:00

It is full-blown fall up here. Leaves are a pretty autumn rainbow. The garden is (kind of) slowing down. Apple cider is waiting for us in the fridge. And, we just recently made our yearly HUGE batch of butternut and acorn squash soup. We've got a winter's worth of the savory soup frozen and waiting to feed us during the colder months.

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What's in Season? Week 19

2013-10-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

It's already week 19! It is crazy how quickly this season is going!

Sweet potatoes
Red cabbage
Eggplant
Celery
Carrots
Cauliflower
Honeycrisp and Golden Delicious apples
Beets
Fresh pumpkin sage linguini
Possibly braising greens

Recipe to come...

What's in Season? Week 18

2013-10-07T17:40:00.006-04:00

Here are (last week's) goods. Fall recipe coming later this week =)

Leaf lettuce
Mustard greens
Roma tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes
Broccoli
Red peppers
Bosc pears
Candy onion
Black turtle beans
Smoked cheddar cheese
Green beans

What's in Season? Week 17

2013-09-24T19:53:00.002-04:00

Here's week 17 for you as we are entering fall:

Kale
Peppers
Yukon gold potatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Jonathan apples
Raw honey
Acorn squash

I'm hoping for a few free minutes this weekend to post some other tasty treats...ahhh, the first few weeks of classes =)

What's in Season? Week 16

2013-09-18T20:34:00.002-04:00

Week 16 in the books:

Pinto beans
Eggs
Flat Rock cheese
Rainbow carrots
Beets
Candy onion
Green beans
Leaf lettuce
Roma tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes
Concord grapes
Cauliflower
Cantaloupe
Fingerling potatoes
Daikon radishes

Ready, set, eat!

homemade yogurt

2013-09-15T13:55:00.001-04:00

I had two big surprises this past week. First of all, somehow I got sucked in to "volunteering" to be our department website developer. I can't say I've ever done anything quite like it before, besides blogging, but I suppose I'm probably one of the most technologically competent people in the office. That may not be saying much, either. Anyways, I went to a one hour "crash course" in how to make changes to the website. I came back to my office and asked everyone what needed changed. Within minutes I had a request come in. I made the changes, slightly afraid that the entire university system would somehow implode due to me adding a new faculty bio on our website. But, IT WORKED! Perhaps I shouldn't have seemed so surprised.

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What's in Season? Week 15

2013-09-11T18:58:00.004-04:00

Here's tonight's fare...

Spaghetti squash (one of our favs)
Kohlrabi (fries)
Collard greens (vegetarian!)
Carrots (to fill some little pockets of deliciousness)
Peaches (crostata)
Sweet corn (love this)
Zucchini (spice muffins)
Butternut squash linguini (with just a little olive oil)
Mixed peppers (for pizza or pickling)
Bartlett pears (crisp)
Yellow wax beans (casserole)
Cherry tomatoes (for some guac)

Homemade yogurt recipe to come this weekend!!

rosemary focaccia

2013-09-09T21:33:00.002-04:00

In Maine a few weeks ago, I quickly developed a taste for focaccia. I'd made it before once or twice, but hadn't really put the time and effort into a real focaccia.

So, last week I decided it was time. It was the long Labor Day weekend and what I imagine will have been one of my last chances to spend the hours that focaccia requires for quite a while now. Classes are in full swing now and life has gotten nutty.
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