A Journey to Happy...

Step 1 - Get Up!

2011-09-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Image from: Womenshealthtip.com

This morning the alarm went off at 6:00am. I know for most people, this is the regular time they get out of bed and begin their day, but not for me, I usually get up around 7:30am and catch a bus at 8:05am to work, and on the weekends, I like to sleep until 8:00am or 9:00am, if I'm lucky. However, in an effort to better myself (once again) I joined a gym and am making it a goal to work-out Monday thru Thursday before work. On Friday's, I will still get up at 6:00am but instead of going to the gym, I'll just head into work early so I can get out early and start my weekend. I decided to do my workouts early, because I can easily talk myself out of working-out after work. At least by going in the morning, I'm not quite awake and by the time I fully wake up, I'm already downtown.

Right now, I am struggling with trying to remain focused and keep my eyes open. I am incredibly tired and cannot stop yawning. I was hoping for extra energy after getting my workout in early. I hope tomorrow is easier.

Do you workout in the morning or evening?

Which do you find easier?

xo, Ivie

An Engagement

2011-09-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Most Weddings begin with an engagement, which begins with a ring and a proposal. However, my story began a different way and is still playing out. There was no diamond ring, there was no "down on one knee", there is just a man and a woman in love and ready for a congregated lifetime commitment.

Ryan and I have been together for 6 1/2 years, we've been through tough times and we've had wonderful experiences together. We love and support each other. We've also had many conversations about our future and our lifetime commitment to one another. We've spoken about what we want from our future and how we will eventually have a family and grow old together. A wedding was something that we would mention here and there, but we were waiting for certain things to fall into place. All those things may not have happened, but together we decided the timing would be right to get married next year.

There was no surprise, there was no ring; but the moment was ours. We decided together to make a public commitment in the presence of our friends and family next year. We will exchange vows, exchange rings, and revel with friends. We are excited for this day.

So I guess if you were to ask, "I am engaged and have a fiance". Those are odd words to me, but they are part of me now. I wear a ring, that was a Christmas gift from Ryan's mom. It is a simple white gold ring with my birthstone; but soon enough I will replace this ring with a wedding band that Ryan and I will pick together and exchange as a token of our love.

In the next year, there is a lot to be done. And when September 1, 2012 arrives, I hope everything falls in to place for a beautiful celebration. I will keep you updated on my goals for that day (there will be some weight loss - as I've put back on, what I lost), and there will be some budgeting wedding ideas. I am lucky to have many gifted and talented friends who can help us plan our day and I'm sure when the days arrives, I will be eternally indebted to them.

I hope this finds you well.
Happy Labor Day!
xox, Ivie

2011-07-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

I just want to document - Last night I slept for 10 hours, and I don't feel bad about. It was wonderful, it was necessary and I feel 1000% better today.

Yesterday, I was feeling frustrated, exhausted, and apparently hormonal. I broke down and cried at work - the first time since being back in 9 months. Thankfully, my boss is understanding and wonderful.

I also want to apologize for the blogging break - with free flowing money in our bank - not so flowing, our meals and life have been on a 6 day repeat - Hamburgers, Pasta, Sausage, Chicken & Rice, Pizza, Leftovers. I'm hoping things will improve, but I have a feeling budgets are not going to change too much in the next year. They might even get tighter.

What do you meal plan on a budget?
What are your staple dinners?

xo,
Ivie

Pork Adventures

2011-07-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

4th of July Porkfest Weekend

We spent most of the 4th of July weekend making sausage and cooking various pork products. We made the sausage, packaged it up and put them in the freezer for future meals. By making our own sausage we save money, know exactly what is in it, and can share it with friends - at a fraction of the price!

Pork Shoulder only $1.29/lb. at Costco

Cubed Pork Ready to Grind for Sausage

My Beautiful Stand Mixer does all the hard work!

Grinding the pork shoulder that has been tossed in the spices for the sausage.

3 kinds of Pork Sausage, Venison Sausage, Pork Ribs & Pork Butt for Smoking for July 4th BBQ and under all that - Flank Steak for Dinner later in the week. Our fridge is a little obscene after a trip to Costco. They have quality meat at amazing prices.

Smoking 1/2 of the sausage that was cased. The other half was packed into 1 pound packages and frozen. We smoked 2 layers of sausage, you can see the venison sausage under the andouille.

4th of July BBQ

For the 4th of July, we went over to our Friend's (Nick & David's) house. We made Pulled Pork Sliders, Baby Back Ribs, Potato Salad, and Corn Muffins. Below are some pictures from cooking and the finished product.

First Layer of Smoked Pork - Pork Butt for Pulled Pork Sliders.

Meat Cage!

Baby Back Ribs - on Meat Layer 2

The finished Ribs were falling off the bone. Sorry for the carnage picture, but there was not way to take this picture without it looking like carnage. The meat fell clean off the bone and was delicious!

Assembled pulled pork sliders, with our homemade coleslaw and dinner rolls from Costco. Ryan whipped up a BBQ sauce that made these extra delicious!

Corn Bread muffins with Cheddar on top!

It was a fun weekend and full of delicious food!

Did you BBQ for the 4th of July? What did you make?

xo,

Ivie

Friendship

2011-06-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

While on the bus today, I started thinking about friendship. I've had many friends all through my life, I've been hurt by friends and I've been comforted by friends. But what I started thinking about today was, what is the cycle of friends? My best friend is a lovely lady that I met in 1998, so we've only known each other for 13 years, but in those 13 years, our friendship has not floundered, it has not felt forced, and I know I can always lean on it. She is my rock and the person I have called on in the early hours of the morning. Aside from my boyfriend/partner, I know she will always be there for me, and I know I would do anything for her; including driving the 5 hours in the middle of the night if necessary.

I am not talking about those strong relationships, I'm talking about the other ones. The people we call "friends". I have friends, but as I get older I find my friend circle shrinking. I probably can't even name 5 people (outside of family) that I would feel comfortable calling at 2 am with a problem. I know this is a high standard to hold a friend, but at the same time, I hold myself to a high "friend" standard.

Do friends come into you life for a purpose and sometimes when that purpose is met, they move on? Are some friends, like our fairy god-mothers to get us through a hard time and when that time has passed, so are they? I'm not saying these friends are less of a friend, but the friendship does end and other friends move in.

It is just a few thoughts running through my mind lately:
Who could I call at 2 am?
Who would I rely on?
Who would call or rely on me?
Who do I miss?

Even if all the people that would fall within those 4 questions could fit on one hand, I still feel like a very lucky woman. I love my friends and I hope they feel they can rely as I feel I could rely on them.

xo,
Ivie

Weekend Plans

2011-06-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend we are off to Montana for a wedding and I got this dress to wear. I am excited about the new floor length maxi dress. The best features - pockets and convertible straps! I got it on sale at Macy's. I also got a white sweater to wear over it, so that my arms are covered.

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=553131&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results

When you go to a wedding, do you get dressed up? How dressy do you usually get?

I still don't know what shoes to wear, you won't actually be able to see my feet and I don't wear heals. I prefer to be comfortable. I might get some sparkle TOMS, which I can wear all summer long.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/toms-classic-glitter-slip-on-women/3062810?origin=keywordsearch&resultback=1686

Have you heard of TOMS? It is a great philanthropic company and I hear they make the most comfortable shoes! Check them out!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, I'll update you on the weekend when I get back next Tuesday!

xo,

Ivie

Smaller Dinner Servings

2011-06-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

I have been working on serving myself smaller plates. I am trying not to pile my plate high of food and then eating the plate clean. This has been difficult lately, because with an increase in exercise has been an increase in appetite. I am not sure how to handle the increased hunger, except with sheer willpower; and I don't have a strong will. How do you deal with extra hunger when working out?

Dinner Wednesday Night

Wild Mushroom Agniolotti (Ravioli) with Pasta Sauce and Chunks of Homemade Italian Sausage. We got the ravioli at Costco and will be purchasing them again in the future. We each had 10 ravioli (technically 2 servings) and it was more than enough and very delicious. Next time I will start with 7 ravioli, I need to continue to work on smaller dishes; starting with 2 servings, even if it looks small, is not a good start.

Dinner Thursday Night

Cheesy Shrimp and Grits with Bacon and Green Onions. Ryan made a homemade shrimp stock and we used it for the grits, we also added some cream and white cheddar to the grits. We topped the grits with shrimp cooked with thyme, bacon, and green onions. This was delicious and I could have had more, but this is an indulgent meal, and I didn't want to over do it. Have you had shrimp and grits?

xo,

Ivie

Super Feet!

2011-06-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

Super Feet

I feel like I have new feet! I know I seem a little overly excited, but for the past week, my right foot has H-U-R-T. I dreaded walking around the house and had no desire to do my morning walks. It was painful and my ankle even began popping with every step. I had purchased some Dr. Scholl's inserts over the weekend, but they didn't provide the support I needed. So, on Tuesday, I went downstairs at work (Nordstrom) and purchased some Super Feet. I was hesitant at first, because they cost $30-40 a pair, but I was in too much pain to continue to do what I was doing. I am so happy I bought these - in "Berry".

Dinner Monday Night -

Brisket Chili and Cupboard Chili merged magically to make this delicious dish. We used our leftover BBQ brisket, added it to a cupboard chili (crushed tomatoes, black beans, red kidney beans, corn, onions, garlic, and spices). I topped mine with green onion, and it added a "bite" and "crunch" that was perfect.

Featured Snack of the Week - About 100 Calories; 2 Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges and Celery Sticks!

Featured Breakfast of the Week - Boiled Egg with S&P, Fresh Cut Strawberries!

Do you use shoe inserts? I have flat feet and definitely need the support.

xo,

Ivie

Prepping for the week

2011-05-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Menu for this week!

It was pointed out to me that Pasta and Ravioli are the same thing.....I meant to write Pasta Sauce and Ravioli or Spicy Italian Sausage Sauce and Ravioli, but I got lazy. This week we are keeping it simple and I plan on serving myself smaller main dishes with a side salad for each meal. I have a LARGE container of mixed greens. I also plan on making salads for lunch this week.

To prep for the week, I cooked up 2 chicken breasts and then diced them and packaged them in 3 ounce baggies.

Chicken - Grilled and ready for lunch!

On Tuesday night, we are planning leftover Pea Soup and Quesadillas. Quesadillas are hard to make when I'm counting calories, because each tortilla is usually between 100-150 calories. I found these tortillas and tested one for lunch today. They are delicious and soft! They don't taste like cardboard, like most high fiber, whole wheat tortillas! They are a big win for me!

My new favorite Tortillas! La Tortilla Factory brand has been the best tortillas I've found, besides homemade tortillas.

Only 50 calories per tortilla and 7 grams of Fiber! WOW!

Ok, time to go ride my bike, and give my foot a day off. It is feeling a lot better today and the swelling has reduced considerably!

xo,

Ivie

Changes

2011-05-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends -
I've been trying to figure out how I can make a permanent "healthy living" change in my life and stick with it. I don't know how to do this. Last year I lost 40 pounds and in the past year, I've put it all back on. I even tacked another 4 pounds to my highest weight. I am not happy about this, or about being that close to 300 pounds. The thought of it makes me want to crawl in a hole and hide. I feel like there is no possible way I will ever be 150 pounds. I feel like a failure.

I am currently back where I started in Feb of 2010. I have been working on many aspects of my life - financially, emotionally, and in my career; but I guess I let my health fall behind. So, I teamed up with a couple cousins of mine and we are devising a plan to work together and get healthy. We don't want to be a statistic; we want to live long, fulfilling lives with our families and grow old together.

I have began tracking my meals, trying to be aware of what I am eating, and working out at least 5 times week. My cousins and I have even set a goal to walk/run the Skagit Flats 1/2 Marathon in Burlington, WA in Sept. I think this will be a great goal for us and I look forward to crossing the finish line with them. It will definitely be a symbol of our "healthy" life goals together. We are also holding each other accountable, checking in regularly and encouraging each other. It is nice to do this journey with others.

I have had a few setbacks in this first week. I have injured my right foot. I am not sure how I could have injured it so badly by just walking, but my foot is swollen, it hurts to put weight on my foot and the side of my foot is tender and bruised. I started last week with a walk in the morning on Monday and Tuesday, but by the time Wednesday arrived, I could barely stand or walk on my foot, so I rode my bike on Wednesday and Thursday. I took Friday off, and decided I had rested my foot enough and set out for a 5.5 mile walk with my friend on Saturday. I am once again in a lot of pain. I can't train for a 1/2 marathon if I can't even walk.

Another setback - not sticking to a menu and eating high calorie dinners after eating healthy during the day. I have been eating a light breakfast and salads for lunch; but when I get home, I eat too much for dinner and feel like I've counteracted all the hard work I put in all day. This week we've planned our menu and I hope we stick to it. I need to give myself smaller portions, even if that means using a smaller plate. (You can't fill up your plate if you don't have room!)

So this brings me to today - I am going to update you about my walking, about my healthy choices, about my setbacks. I'll still update you with dinner - but also a bit more content. I'll let you know how I feel, if I have any victories for the day and life in general. It may only be exciting for a few, but hopefully it will be helpful to me. I need to learn how to make a change - permanently.

xo,
Ivie

A Week Break

2011-05-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,
I've felt very un-inspirational lately and feel like my posts are starting to all look the same. So I am going to take a week break. I am working on a few things and feel I might have a lot to update on soon.

I have been working on my finances...
I have been working to make my relationship stronger with my boyfriend...
and, I have been working on me again...

I apologize for this short hiatus, feel free to contact me.
If you have anything you'd like me to write about upon my return - please let me know. I often wonder if anyone actually reads my blog - I never get comments.

I hope you have a wonderful week and upcoming memorial day weekend!
xo,
Ivie

2011-05-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

MENU!!!!

This week we are trying 4 new recipes! Butter Chicken, Caribbean Peanut Chicken, Thai Shrimp Soup, and Pork and Leeks on the grill. We've never grilled leeks. I am very excited about the new recipes and to I am going to share with you our Butter Chicken Recipe from last night. I found a recipe on Allrecipes.com and modified it. It was close to restaurant quality and will definitely be a repeat.

Butter Chicken over Brown Rice

Serves = 3-4

Time = 1-2 hours, depending on how long you want to simmer it, the longer the better

Heat = 3-4 star, for less heat, scale back the cayenne powder

Ingredients:

Spice Mix

2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp curry powder

2 tsp ancho powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp smoke paprika powder

1/2 tsp cayenne powder (we have 100K Scoville unit cayenne - we get the special hot stuff)

1 tbs peanut oil

1 large shallot, finely chopped

3 tbs butter, unsalted

1 lemon juiced

2 tbs ginger/garlic mix (1 inch of fresh ginger, grated on microplane; 6-8 cloves of garlic, grated on microplane)

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 cup heavy cream

1-15 oz can of diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained and pureed

1 cup of chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

2 small white potatoes diced

1 tbs peanut oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

Honey for sweetness - about 1 tsp to 1 tbs, to taste

Cilantro, garnish

*Next time modifications - 2 shallots or 1/2 of a large red onion, more ginger and garlic mix.

*For Vegetarians - Use cauliflower instead of chicken, substitute water for chicken stock.

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbs oil in a large saucepan over a medium high heat. Saute shallot/onion until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger/garlic mix, entire spice mix, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in heavy cream and yogurt. Bring to boil, and reduce to a simmer, stirring every 5-10 minutes.

2. Heat 1 tbs oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned.

3. Add chicken, diced potato, and chicken stock to butter sauce. Simmer for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours, while covered - offset by 1/2 inch for slight steam escape and so that sauce can reduce to thicken. Taste sauce for seasoning - salt & pepper. Add honey for sweetness.

4. Prepare rice about 30-45 minutes prior to butter chicken completion. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy!!!

Rainy/Cloudy Sunday Morning View of Greenlake

We are still really wet and cold in Seattle. I was meeting a few girlfriends on Sunday morning for breakfast and a walk, but the walk was scrapped, as you can see, it was really wet out. We did have a wonderful breakfast of crepes.

xo,

Ivie

Taking a different point of view!

2011-05-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

Let's start with the remaining dishes this week for dinner; then I'll share with you my realization and what changes are going to take place in the coming months. (Yup, I'm back on the wagon.)

Cod fish tacos, over corn tortillas, topped with chipotle coleslaw and some corn & poblano relish.

Cheese tortellini with homemade spicy itailian sausage and red sauce, topped with basil and parmesan.

Homemade Jamaican Beef Sausage and BBQ'd veggies - zucchini, mushrooms, red bell pepper, with a side of chipotle coleslaw and BBQ black beans.

Realization......

On Wednesday evening, I was feeling heavy; my body felt bloated and I was uncomfortable. So what did I do? I weighed myself and then freaked out! I can't just eat what I want and not exercise. I can't keep up this lifestyle or I'll be over 300 pounds, and I DO NOT WANT THAT! So I've decided I am going to start with small changes again - cutting simple carbs and dairy from my breakfast and lunch and adding more veggies and fruit to my day overall. No more desserts at work, no more chocolate after lunch (it really isn't healthy just because it is dark).

I've done this a million times, and I said last time was going to be the last.....apparently it wasn't. I am back up to my highest, and I've only got one direction to go - DOWN. I want to have a baby in the next 2-3 years and I want to be healthy to do that. I feel like life is all falling into place and I finally have a permanent job again; so it is time to refocus on me. I can do this.....baby steps.

xo,

Ivie

Menu - Already Busted

2011-05-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

This Week, I planned a menu that looked like this:

Sunday - Lasagna

Monday - Kofti and Cous Cous

Tuesday - Fish Tacos

Wednesday - Tortellini and Italian Sausage

Thursday - Jamaican Sausage and Grilled Polenta

Friday - Alfredo Chicken Pizza

We started Sunday by making the Lasagna, but on Monday our Kofti plan was out the window and we made beef nachos. Don't get me wrong, the nachos were fantastic, but this also leads to the possibility of improvising later in the week to utilize the veggies we were going to cook in the cous cous. We had also planned 3 meals with the possibility of grilling them (Kofti, Fish Tacos, Jamaican Sausage), so a lot depends on the weather - here up in the Great Northwest.

On Sunday, we made lasagna, with layers of ground turkey, spinach, and crimini mushrooms. We also mixed it up by doing a layer of alfredo sauce with the the other layers of tomato sauce. In the end, it was a rich, flavorful lasagna.

Lasagna with 2 slices of a baguette behind it.

What do you like to put in your lasagna?

xo,

Ivie

Quick Meals

2011-05-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

During the second half of the week, we planned meals that would be quick and tasty. We found an unopened box of orzo pasta in the cupboard and had shrimp on hand in the freezer, so we decided to do a twist on a Shrimp Scampi for Tuesday night.

Shrimp Scampi Orzo, topped with fresh tomatoes and parmesan.

On Wednesday Night we Grilled outside. We had a few hours of sun and dry weather, so we took advantage of it.

Beef Burgers with Pepper Jack Cheese and Russet Potato Fries from the grill. We put together a "Burger Bar", build you burger from the following toppings - Grilled Poblano Peppers, Grilled Mushrooms, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Pickles, and Avocados. My burger was so delicious, but too messy, I had to eat it with a knife and fork (that is when you know it is good). We usually measure our burgers with how many napkins you need before finishing the whole thing! Good burgers are usually a 2-4 napkin meal.

On Thursday - we ate a La Isla for Cinco de Mayo!
On Friday - we had homemade Pizza.

By the time the weekend rolled around, the cold I was fighting since Wednesday, was in full force. I've spent most of the weekend, sleeping on the couch in a NyQuil coma, but managed to get out and get my hair cut. I needed a haircut, I have been wearing my hair in a pony tail everyday. When I got my hair cut, it was such a wonderful feeling, my head - that was stuffed up and felt like it was going to explode, suddenly felt 10 pounds lighter.

My new short hair - and my crooked smile.

xo,

Ivie

This Week's Menu and BBQ

2011-05-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

Menu for May 1-6

BBQ Dinner on Sunday Night

We Smoked the Jamaican Beef Sausage that we made up on Sunday and ate that with grilled vegetables. We also grilled up our Green Chile Pork Sausage - the larger one was the pork, the smaller one was the beef sausage.

Smoked Chickens

We smoke 2 whole chickens to pull the meat and use for other meals during the week.

Smoked Chicken Enchiladas and Pinto Beans

We used some of the smoked chicken to make enchiladas on Monday Night!

xo,

Ivie

Last Week Wrap Up!

2011-05-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

Billy - Always in a good mood!

On Wednesday we went to a show at the Crocodile Cafe. We saw "We Are Augustines", who were formed from members of my favorite band "Pela", who are no longer a band. I have been waiting for this show for a couple of months now; I was so happy when the finally took the stage. After waiting in one spot for over an hour, I began to think - I am too old for this, I hope it is worth it. And it was worth every second once they started playing. I was sad that they only played 5-6 songs, since they were the openers, but they promised they'll be back in Seattle soon for more! I cannot wait!

Check them out: http://www.weareaugustines.com/

Wednesday Night Dinner - Boxed Macaroni & Cheese with Hot Dogs after the show [not photographed]

Thursday Night Dinner

We made pasta with our spicy italian sausage we made over the weekend and it was delicious. The sausage had the perfect amount of spice and heat! It is definitely a recipe we will repeat.

Friday Night Dinner - Homemade Pizza with Lamb Mergeza Sausage, Red Peppers, Goat Cheese, and Kalamata Olives [not photographed]

Saturday Night - Babysitting Ms. M

She was having a rough evening and fell asleep for a bit. I couldn't help but take a few pictures of her clutching my sweatshirt. She was a little worked up, so we were both happy about this little peaceful bit of time, even if it was just for 15 minutes. I look forward to babysitting her again and hopefully next time will be a little easier for her.

xo,

Ivie

Seafood - Tuna Steak & Shrimp Risotto

2011-04-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Monday Night Dinner

We seasoned a couple of tuna steaks and cooked them on the griddler, hence the perfect grill marks. We served the asian flavored steaks over pickled cucumber with thinly sliced shallot. This meal was so fresh and flavorful, however, it felt like we were missing something - like bread or a starch. Which may be why Ryan requested some quick-made peanut butter cookies for dessert. We had a leftover roll (1/2 batch) in the freezer that we just sliced and cooked.

Tuesday Night Dinner

We made a lemon and asparagus risotto and topped it with lemon sauted shrimp. This risotto was wonderful, the lemon zest and lemon juice added a bright flavor that reminded me of spring! We chopped an entire bunch of thin asparagus, into 1 inch sticks, and added them when we had about 1/4 of the chicken stock left to stir in. The asparagus was cooked perfect with a little crunch still.

What is your favorite seafood to eat and cook?

xo,

Ivie

Sunny Saturday and This Week's Menu

2011-04-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

Sunny Saturday

Last Saturday was expected to be a sunny warm day, so we set our to have a BBQ with friends over. We cleaned up the yard and headed to Costco for a good deal on meat (not in that order). We arrived to Costco 15 minutes before they opened - which was perfect for a prime parking space! We then went to get coffee from the nearby Starbucks and then got our pre-shopping breakfast (hotdogs and pizza) at Costco's cafeteria window, when it opened. We have done this a couple of times now - it is sort of our "thing", hotdogs and soda on a Saturday morning! After Costco, we spent a great deal of the afternoon cleaning the yard, mowing, cleaning the garden, burning out the BBQ of all it's winter build-up. and making sure things were presentable overall - and I loved over second of it!

Dinner!

We made - Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon with Chimichurri Sauce, Corn with Pecan Butter, Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce, and Heirloom Tomato-Mozzarella-Arugula Salad! It was our inaugural BBQ and it was delicious!

This Week's Menu!

2 nights of Seafood, our homemade Italian sausage and lamb mergeza - it should be a good week!

xo,

Ivie

Pork Pate Attempt #1

2011-04-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

Pictures from our Pate making:

Cubed Pork for Grinding

Flavors in our Pate

Grinding the Meat and extra Pork Back Fat

Mixing the ingredients in the food processor

Puree it down to a spreadable texture

Prepping the beautiful Terrine Mold (isn't it pretty!)

Folding in the Pistachios and shredded Carrots

Wrap, Bake, then place the weight on the mold while it cools

Slice and Serve!

The pate "broke" a bit, which is why you need to keep everything extremely cold during each step of the process. Although it wasn't the ideal texture, it still made fantastic sandwiches with dijon mustard on plain white bread. This was our first attempt and I'm sure there will be many more!

Have you ever made pate?

What kind and how did it turn out?

We followed a recipe in the "Charcuterie" By Polcyn & Ruhlman

xo,

Ivie

Posole Soup from Esquire Magazine!

2011-04-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Night Dinner!

We saw this posole soup in our April 2011 Esquire Magazine and decided it was a "Must Try". And it turned out amazing. I believe this will be our new Posole Soup recipe! It was pretty simple; we roasted 2 chicken breasts and 4 chicken thighs in the oven - instead of picking a roasted chicken carcass. Try it if you have the recipe, or if you want it, email me!

ivie.enriquez(at)gmail(dot)com

Soup simmering in our stock pot. This recipe had Kale! It was delicious and full of good veggie vitamins!

We served it topped with cilantro (instead of in it), goat cheese (which added the best creamy flavor - you can substitute sour cream), and avocado slices.

********************

Wednesday Night Dinner!

We've recently decided that burger night will just be a burger, no sides. It is filling enough on its own and whenever we try and eat a side with it, it is just TOO much. My burger was topped with swiss, mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles (w/ ketchup and dijon mustard).

Thursday night, we skipped the enchiladas and made nachos with our Mexican flavored "pulled" pork. We are also using the pork on our pizza tonight! We utilized this slow cooker pulled pork as much as we could this week - in 3 dishes; and we still have a little bit more - which will probably be used for Taquitos tomorrow! Is there an ingredient you like to make extra of and stretch it out over the week?

xo,

Ivie

Salmon Dinner Monday.....with Cake!

2011-04-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

Honey seared salmon over black bean sauce and Spanish Rice. To Die For!

Salmon and black bean sauce from Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook. Spanish Rice from my Grandma Ruby.

Pineapple turnover cake - made in our cast iron skillet.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Pineapple-Upside-Down-Cake

It was delicious, however, I now wish we would have added vanilla and brandy to the pineapple sauce part of the cake!

What did you make Monday Night to start your week?

xo,

Ivie

Empanadas and Dinner Menu!

2011-04-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

Shredded Pork, Sweet Potato, and Goat Cheese Empanadas!

We made empanadas for the first time and they were amazing. We cannot wait to come up with a 101 ingredient combinations to cook in this amazing little dough pockets. I found an easy, tasty recipe for the dough and split it in 1/2 to save some for next time. Recipe and others found here (and I cannot wait to try more of her recipes):

http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/06/11/empanadas-mendocinas/

~and she is a Seattleite like myself!

We put 3 pounds of Pork in the slow cooker with spices and cooked it on high for about 6 hours. We used some for dinner and the rest will be used in enchiladas this Thursday. I made up the dough and split it, to make enough medium size empanadas for dinner and a few for leftovers for one of us, and the other dough is in the freezer next time.

Here are a few pictures of dinner preparation from last night:

Empanada Stuffing - Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Slow Roast Pork, and Goat Cheese

(For some reason - the camera decided to focus on the middle empanada. I guess you can say, I'm not too skilled in the photography side of blogging.)

Folded in 1/2 and sealed with fork prints.

Egg washed and ready to bake, it really does add a nice appearance after it is done baking.

Finished Empanadas!

We ate them with sour cream, salsa, and a side salad.

****MENU****

Menu this week!

We came up with a Mexican themed menu and finally went to the grocery store for a big shopping trip. We picked 3 new dishes that we've never done before, to try this week - Empanadas, Honey Glazed Salmon, and a Posole Soup from the new Saveur Magazine.

For the past 2 weeks, we had managed to skip a big grocery shopping trip and created meals from ingredients we mostly had on hand. We ate the fridge and cupboards bare. So on Sunday we went to the grocery store - I used my new iPhone application, "Grocery IQ", and added coupons to my Safeway card, via Safeway.com. The end result was a savings of over 30% to my total bill, with almost $70 in savings! Ryan and I were very proud of ourselves with our small victory.

That is the most I've ever saved at the grocery store!

What is the most you've saved?

Reminder, update still to come - Pate and Sausage Weekend!

xo,

Ivie

Italian Nights!

2011-04-17T16:30:00.001-07:00

Wednesday Night - Leftovers for Ryan - Ramen for me!

Not Pictured - I ate Ramen, I'm sure you know what that looks like, at least I hope so. It isn't a culinary feat, but it is delicious, affordable, and invented by Momofuku Ando, which made him a billionaire.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/09/business/worldbusiness/09ando.html

Thursday Night

Chicken Parmigiana over Penne Pasta - We pounded down 2 chicken breasts and coated them with panko bread crumbs, chopped parsley, and parmesan cheese. We pan seared the coated chicken breasts and finished them in the stove with a 1/4 of sauce topped with sliced mozzarella cheese. We served the finished chicken on a bed of homemade pasta sauce, over penne.

Friday Night, Pizza Night

We picked separate toppings and this is what it looked like when it came out of the stove, with one cut dividing line. My side had Canadian Bacon, Pineapple, Red Pepper, and Mushrooms. Ryan's side had Chorizo Sausage, Canadian Bacon, Red Peppers, Poblano Peppers, and Mushrooms. We cooked the pizza on our standard homemade whole wheat pizza dough, with leftover red pepper pasta sauce and topped it with regular mozzarella cheese.

Over the weekend we experimented with our first pate and made some delicious sausage, which I will recap later. We also came up with a great Mexican themed menu for next week - and I saved almost $70 at the grocery store! So check back later for a couple more exciting posts!

xo,

Ivie

Catering Dreams and Dinners this Week!

2011-04-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

Monday Night Dinner

Veggie Fresh Rolls and Peanut Sauce

Chicken Teriyaki

Tuesday Night Dinner

Homemade Mac & Cheese with Poblano Peppers

We made a cheese sauce with grueyre and sharp cheddar, we also used shell pasta noodles - which hold more sauce, and topped it with panko bread crumbs and parmesan. It was delicious. We are eating our leftovers for dinner tonight, along with a hot dog!

Catering Dreams

I have dreams of catering/cooking for others. I am currently investigating if this is possible and would like to start doing something that would require 2-3 weekends a month. I have spoken to friends, and the best way to do it will be to start with friends and then friends of friends. First I need to find friends with extra money who will pay us to cook for them (something we do for free already)! We also need to come up with a name - hmmm, this one is a little harder, any ideas? Next, we need to figure out all the "red tape" that Seattle has for catering/food service companies.......believe me, there is a lot of hoops to jump through. We are not a friendly food service city.

Have you ever done catering?

Any tips you'd like to share?

Any fun/catchy names?

xo,
Ivie