Crummy Weekend....

Actually it started Friday....Jack had a dentist appointment. He was actually excited about going believe it or not.
We got in and they took us back so he could get xrays. That went pretty smooth. Then back to the dreaded 'chair'..with the ringing of drills and strange smells wafting through the whole place..I shuttered...This place by far makes me weak in the knees...I loathe the dentist...even though it has been eons since I came for a check. If and when I do go I will need to be fully drugged and out of it before I let any one fondle my mouth....
The tech was super nice to little man, and kept asking Jack questions. Jack apparently was speechless and responded with a funny grin, baring all his teeth. I had told him the dentist would want to see all his teeth and that is the only thing that stuck..lol.
While she was cleaning his the teeth, the dentist approached us and stuck the xray film in the thing..(not sure what it is called, but you know what I am talking about..that white thing with the light to check out the xray..) I was watching her..closely..and she kept writing stuff down, then looking at the film, then writing more stuff. She then pauses, looks at me with creepy, shifty eyes, I smile politely and she sneers, turns back to writing. Hmm..that was weird.
Then she looks at me and informs me that Jack has cavities.
"Oh" that is the only thing I muttered..because I thought it was weird for him to have any. He brushes 2x a day..no candy, no soda..and look at Lily..she went to the dentist for the first time when she was 9 and had no cavities.
Then she says not only does he have cavities..but 6 of those little buggers!
I practically choked on my gum.
After regaining my composer...
"WTF?"
Well I didn't really say that but I am presuming by the look on my face, she knew I was completely baffled.
Apparently he has cavities in between teeth, which means that the two teeth will be affected.
Crap.
I asked why they would have to be filled since they were his baby teeth, they are gonna fall out anyway.
Well true, but it will go up into the nerve and to the root she says.
Crap.
They didn't do it then..I wasn't prepared and Jack obviously wasn't either.
Unfortunately, we will be frequenting that wretched office again. Sooner than later.
And if that wasn't bad enough..to top that off Lily had to go to ER on Friday.
Thursday Justin and I were watching a movie while the kids were playing in the backyard. Lily comes in screaming because there is something in her eye. I flush her eye with water and there is a small eyelash in the corner, so I was able to get that out. Whew..that's all it was.
Boy, was I so wrong. She continued to cry..like all night..and finally she stopped when she fell asleep.
I told her if her eye still hurt then she could call me from school and I would come pick her up.
That morning..(after Jacks dental disaster) I was at a friends house..we were going to work out. No less than 5 minutes after I arrive there, the school is calling my cellphone. I go get her and bring her home and immediately call Kaiser. I told them the whole ordeal and tell them her eye is burning and her vision is blurry.
The told me a nurse would call me back in 2 hours.
Whatever..
So we waited and waited..and at exactly the 2 hour mark the phone rings and its the kaiser nurse. She lets me know that any eye issues need to be sent directly to ER..that they won't even take them in the pediatric office.
I was so mad..they couldn't tell me that 2 freaking hours ago?
I get the kids and off we go. I drop Jack off at Justin's office and Lily and I head to the ER.
It was my worse nightmare. Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a germophobic hypochondriac...and this is the wrong place to come.
There were countless bloody folks...I counted 4 people with barf buckets and old people moaning. There were about 50 people in there. We found 2 seats in the corner. And there we sat for 3 hours.
Finally they call us and off we went. The nurse was really nice, and he was making jokes with Lily.
We went into 'the eye room' and sat and waited for the doctor..for another 35 minutes. He came in and immediately started some procedures...He did some stain thing and then had her look in this big black eye machine..(sorry folks, I don't know the correct medical terminology) and he did find that she had a very small corneal laceration. Those usually heal on there own in a few days and he wrote a rx for eye drops for pain.
Four hours and $110 later we stopped and grabbed some dinner and went home. I was already 1 1/2 hours late for work.
And wouldn't you know, after that she never once cried or complained about her eye..and to top it off, we never even used the eye drops.

Cajun Chili Cornbread Skillet

This was super good...

The sweetness of the cornbread and the savory spiciness of the chili was fantastic....

First up...

Using a cast iron skillet, brown up one pound of ground turkey...drain

In a a bowl combine the turkey, 15ounces of canned chili, some fresh garlic and 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning..(I however realized at this point that I didn't have this particular spice, so I improvised and threw in some paprika, cumin and black pepper..not sure if that's whats in Cajun...but I was too lazy to research it on the computer)

Next.... slice one green and red bell pepper into rings...for a total of 12 rings..(six each color).

Arrange the pepper rings in the cast iron skillet in a circular pattern, overlapping them.

Chop up some onion and put that over the pepper.

Now put the turkey mixture over the pepper and onions in the skillet.

In another bowl combine 2 8.5 packages of corn bread mix..

3 eggs, 1/2 cup of water, and 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese..Mix well. Add in some more Cajun season (if you have it) to the corn bread mixture.

Pour bread evenly over the turkey.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Loosen edges of cornbread from skillet. Invert onto a large plate.

Sprinkle with more cheese.A dollop of sour cream is nice with this also.

Valentines Day

We had our Valentines Day on Friday actually. My friend watch the kids Friday and then I watched her daughter Saturday. I didn't want to go anywhere. I wanted to stay home..warm and cozy and just cook and have a cocktail or two.

Its funny when we are alone. I feel like I don't know how to act without the kids here. Its been so long since its been just us. This year I was doing stuff for Justin. I bought some steaks and some veggies to grill...We were going to have some salad..but we decided not too. I even made him a homemade organic carrot cake in a heart shape and some home made chocolates..heart shaped of course. I scoured a few stores to find him a few beers. I like picking out single beers for him. Its kinda fun..This is what I picked out....

Here are a few steps of the cake..I forgot to start photographing it from the beginning And of course the candy.

We played some board games and drank some Whiskey..

We even had enough time for me to belt out some No Doubt on Rock Band2..that was great.

The kids came home around 830pm and we tucked them away in bed.

We really need more of dates like this. :)

Rainy Day Thoughts....

Its raining outside..
No..actually its hailing outside and I have been thinking about this blog for some time now..
Wondering what to do...
Should I only post if I have a good recipe?
Shall I post my most inner thoughts and contemplations?
Well I have been going back and forth on this for quite some time..
Ultimately, I have decided to just blog, to talk and just get thoughts out that have been lingering deep within.
I have been on Facebook for some time now, and really for me the only fun thing is updating your 'status'...
I particularly fancy what Justin says..where does he come up with this stuff..???
Cracks me up.
For some time I thought this blog was morphing into a foodie blog...
But realizing I have more then ingredients to post I have decided its just a blog...no label... no nothing..just my thoughts..
I have missed coming hear and typing away..
So perhaps there will be some grub..
perhaps there will be some ranting...
But there will always be something.
I feel like I am in some weird vortex..or maybe some time lapse where nothing is happening..its weird...
Some days..(like today for example) I feel like running away..
but hey, doesn't that make you a better mom when you make time for yourself?
I miss hiking..its been a week since that has happened. I really want to go tomorrow, but it would be ridiculously muddy..
Justin and Lily will be attending the 'father/daughter dance' soon... and yes of course there will be pictures. I just have to figure out how to be sneaky and capture cute little moments on camera...oh and who will watch Jack while I do that is kinda important too.
So much has happened since the last time I posted...
Eventually I will get it all out...
But for now...
I am off to finish my Cape Cod and enjoy the rain.
Peace.

Finally updated!

Finally I have a moment where I can add a few things. The holidays came and went..(I must say I am so glad its over!)Kids didn't even give a crap about the stuff they got..seriously..in the middle of opening presents Jack throws a gift down and asks if he can go play Donkey Kong...

So yeah..good bye holidays..

I am so ready for Spring..and warmer weather..and more importantly gardening! We are going to do container gardening this time and I can't wait.

In other news I started hiking with a good friend from work..(Hi Kara!) So far we have only been twice..but we shall continue, hopefully conquering a new place each weekend. I've lost 6 pounds which is awesome and better yet, Justin even wants to hike! He even bought himself some hiking shoes! :)

Now..onto some food...

First up is a wicked good Philly Cheese Steak Sammy...

*Thinly slice one onion and one green pepper

*Drizzle in some oil in a hot skillet

*Saute until onions are translucent(maybe 10 minutes)

*Next up add in some sliced roast beef..I get mine at the deli counter at the local grocery store. It tastes better than the pre packaged crap.

*Cook until thoroughly heated..then add some A-1 sauce...

*Slice open a long roll and add some Provolone and Munster,

put it under the broiler for like 2 minutes until its all eewy gooey, melted.

*Pile up the meat and veggie mixture over the top..

*Enjoy...p.s. have the napkins handy..this is disgustingly messy!

Now..for something a little more healthy...

*For lunch today I gathered these items...

3 parsnips, one celery root..(that's the weird monstrosity sitting there) and 3 potatoes.

*Clean and peel all veggies. Be prepared to get a serious workout when shredding these..that celery root is a bitch to grate! Use your cheese grater.

*Put all this in a bowl and add some salt, pepper and olive oil.

*Heat your skillet with some spray and throw down a pile of that shredded goodness. Cook for about 5ish minutes on one side..(you'll see it turning golden brown..that's when you flip it)

Cook for another 5 minutes.

Add some sides if you want..I used a bit of sour cream and fire roasted salsa..

Lily LOVED this...Jack..well whatever..hes so freaking picky these days..

I made some Oatmeal Scotties for a man at Justin's work..he always loved it when I made those, so he got a huge tin for Christmas...

Kids put together a authentic German gingerbread house...

and finally, Santa was pleasantly surprised when he stopped by our pad... :)

That's all for now..I will be a regular blogger again..now that all the holiday bullshit is over...pinky swear!

Crockpot Cassoulet

I have been wanting to make Cassoulet for a long time.. its a hearty slow cooked bean dish originating in the southwest of France.

Being that I have been working constantly (hence the lagging on this blog) I found a quick and easy 4 1/2hour Cassoulet recipe.

Here's the how to:

*Dice up one medium onion and saute in a large skillet with one tablespoon of olive oil.

*Chop up about 4 boneless,skinless chicken thighs

*Add in 1/4 lb of turkey sausage.(However..I miss read this and I ended up buying Italian sausage and I added more like 1/2 lb and it was fabulous).

*Add the chicken and sausage to the skillet along with 3 cloves of garlic..

*Cook until browned. Remove from heat

*Add 4 tablespoons of tomato paste and 2 tablespoons of water...mix well to evenly distribute

*Put in crockpot

*Next add 3 cans of Great Northern beans..rinsed well and drained.

*Cook in crockpot on low for 4ish hoursWhen its ready chop up some parsley and sprinkle seasoned bread crumbs over it.

Enjoy... I really loved this dish..in fact I think it would be way better if you don't even use the turkey sausage and go for the Italian sausage..it has much more flavor..you can taste the fennel..its wonderful.

In other news, Lily and I visited a ranch where my sister in law has her horse. Lily was so thrilled to be going as she loves horses.

We will be going hopefully every Saturday (weather permiting) so Lily can help out and maybe feed the horses or brush them or any thing she can. Eventually Justin and I may allow her to have riding lessons..Here are some pictures I took..

She was so happy and very brave too! I was intimidated to say the least..I was terrified a horse would bite me when I fed some carrots...Lily had no care in the world. Didn't even think of that. Litia,(my sister in law) showed Lily the proper way to do it).

Our Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was very mellow and relaxing. We really got excited because it rained all day and was kinda chilly. It was pretty much close to a perfect day with the exception of missing family...

I made a few new recipes this year for an appetizer and dessert. Dinner..we were pretty simple..turkey and stuffing. No one wanted potatoes or cranberry sauce....whatever..less work for me.

I made a artichoke spinach dip and it was so good!

Here's the how to:

*Cut up 14oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts..throw in a bowl

*Chop up 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach..toss in bowl

*Add in 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

*Toss in 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

*Add 3/4 cup mayo

*1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

*Mix up

*Put in a pie plate

and bake until heated through, maybe 20 minutes on 350.

.

(However, my turkey was in and set on 325 so I put it in there at that temperature and it was fine for 20 minutes.

I bought a loaf of french bread and a bag of white corn tortilla chips for the dip. I must say the chips were far superior ..

the bread was tasty, however way too dense and filled you up too quickly..(which I guess could be a good thing..)

I had a 19lb turkey. Put the giblets and neck in a pot with water covering it and set it on low..through out the process I added the drippings to the pan to make gravy.

I created a herb butter compound and that is what I basted the bird with.

In the cavity I put in carrots, celery and tarragon.

Here's the how to for the butter:

Gather these things..(one stick of butter, fresh, organic tarragon, rosemary and chives)

*Melt butter and dice the herbs and put in butter. Add a few cracks of black pepper and we're good to go.

Paint on the mixture all over the bird and the leave whatever is left on top of the stove..the butter will stay melted from the heat of the oven.

Next up..stuffing...

My mother in law told me how to make this years ago...I love this..I would be totally content just eating this covered in the gravy.

First you need to tear up a loaf of white bread. (The kids always do this for me, they love it

Next...add in a stick of butter, bunch of diced onion and celery, cook for a few then add in a handful of raisins and one apple diced..(skin on).

Now add in the bread and some poultry seasoning. If needed add some more butter...I think I used 2 sticks..(yeah I know not figure friendly..but c'mon its thanksgiving...!)

Cook until browned and some parts are crispy..so good!

Finally the dessert. I made a cheesecake pumpkin swirl...

And unfortunately I don't have the photos for the step by step guide because Jack and Lily were fighting the whole time over who got to add this or stir that so I was being the referee instead of the photographer.

Here is the end result and it is so good..just think cheesecake with a hint of pumpkin and spice. Yum. Justin doesn't like pumpkin pie so this worked out good.

And lastly we were feeling so festive yesterday

and with all of us bugging Justin, our holiday tree went up, how could he say no to these faces?It was fun, the kids had a blast and all the presents are wrapped and underneath. Jack woke up this morning shouting Santa came! I guess he forgot that I put those there last night. Maybe its not such a good idea to put them there a month early. Oh well, its pretty and I am done, yay!