Roasted Pecans for Steak Salad (updated)

A little update to the steak salad recipe. I loved the cinnamon pecans, but the previously used recipe sometimes didn't turn out as well as I would have hoped. I tried this one last week and it was AMAZING! It takes some babysitting, but it is well worth it!

Ingredients

• 1 egg white
• 1 1/2 pounds pecan halves
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Beat egg whites until foamy in a large glass or metal mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the egg whites will form soft mounds rather than a sharp peak.
3. Mix the pecan halves into the egg white.
4. Stir the white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a bowl; add to the pecan and egg white mixture and stir.
5. Coat the bottom of a jelly roll pan with the softened butter.
6. Spread the pecan mixture in an even layer in the prepared pan.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until crisp, turning occasionally, 45 to 60 minutes.

Couple of changes: I used a whole bag of chopped pecans, which I think was 2 cups (but less then 1.5 pounds). Switch the amounts of brown and white sugar (3/4 cup brown, 1/4 cup white). I covered  the pan with foil, which made clean up pretty easy.
I think they turned out AWESOME! And you could just as easily use a different kind of nut (almonds come to mind). The only thing I might change is add a little bit of salt, though on the steak salad paired with the blue cheese, I think it was perfect the way it was.


Hopefully now that life has settled back down after preparing, executing, and recovering from the Hawaii trip, I can get back to trying new recipes and blogging! It's weird how one event takes over your life for such a significant amount of time! It was an AMAZING trip, but I've found it so hard to tell people about it now that I'm back! I'm not sure whether it's just me, but I find it hard to relate something that was so much an experience, and less a story. I've found that as time goes by, I'm remembering bits and pieces that didn't come to mind when asked how the trip went.
It is nice to get back to "real" life though. Happy Sunday, everyone, and here's to hoping for a wonderful upcoming week.

The Hunger Games

       So as I've been going to the last two movies I've seen in theaters, I've felt the need to come home and decompress via blog. Maybe cause the principles are deep? Not really sure. I, Elon, Marie, and Teusink have just returned from the midnight showing of The Hunger Games. We'll see if this blog gets posted at the 3:30 AM time when it is being written!
       Little bit of background first...I read the book a little over a year ago, and loved it. Was not as fond of the next two books, though they were still good - I felt they delved too much into social/political commentary, which I am not as much of a fan of. Katniss is an amazing heroine - I found she was smart, clever, and I empathized with her character. She doesn't know how to make people like her, she's awkward, she's caring, she's strong - all traits I found endearing. So as the movie was coming out, Elon and I wanted to go see it - we had both read the books and it would be fun to do something like that together. We contemplated going to the midnight showing (which he first suggested when we put together that the date the movie came out would be while he was here visiting). Planned on going at midnight, but didn't get tickets. Contemplated it a little more and decided we didn't want to fight the crowds, so we would plan to go Friday to a late morning showing. Fast forward to today.
     It is a gorgeous 81 degree day. March has broken all kinds of Michigan weather records this year, which happily has happened during Elon's spring break! As a result, we have gotten to do many more outdoor, summery activities then I expected. So we decide to go to Lime Lake and go tubing. We spend several glorious hours in the sun (and I have tan lines to prove it, but not a sunburn - it's fantastic!). As we're packing up, the boys point out to me that there are what appears to be 4 tickets to the midnight showing of The Hunger Games that very night, abandoned on a picnic table. We were pretty sure they belonged to a group of teenagers who had been sunning themselves about an hour before. With no way of knowing who they were, and much ethical dilemma-ing on my part, I make a decision. My first thought was "Free tickets to a movie we already wanted to see!!" Then, "we can't just take them, they'll come back for them, and that would be stealing!" Then, "But I can't just leave them - what if they don't come back for them? They'll just be wasted!" So my solution was to take the tickets home, leaving a note with a rock on the picnic table that said "call this number if you are looking for your Hunger Game tickets". Sort of a ransom note, and I will admit to TOTALLY hoping they wouldn't call, but if I lost movie tickets that I was really excited about, I hope that someone would have been kind enough to try and help me get them back.
     The evening passes, and I call my Glee night buddies up and let them know we have tickets, and providing the owners did not call, did they want to go tonight? They enthusiastically agree, so at 10 pm, we head over to the theater. We have perfect timing, arriving just as the small line outside is allowed to move in to the theater. We get great seats, and settle down for the wait. At around 11, we decide to make a Meijer run for less over-priced snacks and drinks (yes, I will shamefully admit that I am one of "those" people who smuggle snacks in). At 11:40 we arrive back at the theater (having left Elon as a seat-holder) and get a phone call from Brean as we are heading in to the theater. "The people just called about the tickets" he says..."what do you want me to do?" At that point, I was pretty sure they were sold out, and we had just sat for an hour and a half to save seats. Plus, I really didn't want to disappoint these three other people who were with me, all excited to see the movie! What I REALLY wanted to tell Brean was the tell them that it was too late, that we were already there, or that he wasn't able to reach us. I was feeling very frustrated at the situation, but finally told him to tell them they could meet us at the front and we would give them the ticket stubs. Head back in to the theater, and low and behold, they have tickets left still!!! So we were able to keep our seats, and pass off the tickets to a very happy group of teenagers, about 5 minutes before the movie started. This was definitely not a story to get a pat on the back - it is a story to tell you that I struggle with doing the right thing a LOT of the time! So there you have it....little window into my soul. In the end, it was a nice feeling.
    So now on to the actual MOVIE decompressing! (if you are still reading this, I promise not to give away any spoilers!) I think the movie was FANTASTICALLY done. It kept the feeling of the book, and in some points even made the feelings more real then was felt when reading. The characters were well cast, and I felt it stayed pretty true to the book.
    My biggest struggle was during the first half of the movie, when they are going through the Reaping, and preparing for the games, my head just kept screaming "This is wrongboppers who were cheering and laughing, despite knowing it was a fictional story. It was an incredibly stark visual reminder of the power of people, and the damage we can do to each other.
    Once the the Hunger Games actually commenced, I found I was able to engage in the story, rooting for Katniss. The previous feeling of wrongness was not dissipated, but I was able at that point to enjoy the story for what it was...a story. And a well-told one at that. The pacing of the movie seemed a little rushed, but it wasn't too bad. I feel like if you haven't read the book prior to seeing the movie, there is a lot of character thoughts and back story that is left unsaid. I know they are usually not able to do that well in a movie, and people who hadn't read the book still loved the movie, so maybe it was better then I was thinking.
      So yes, I did like the movie. But it leaves me with questions, the wrestling of how to fix a world gone so terribly wrong. How to teach people to love, to figure out a different way to solve our battles that does not involve the bloodshed of either party? I am by no means a "peace at any cost" believer - you must stand for truth. And all of my mental puzzling has not come up with a perfect way. But I hope that maybe, someday, we can come up with a better way.
    On a slightly lighter note - teeny-boppers annoy me and make me laugh at the same time. The theater was pretty full, and we in our late 20's were definitely part of the "older" crowd (but by no means in our "middle age years" - never fear, Marie!). So this crowd of teenagers created quite the ruckus during the whole movie. There was lots of cheering, and clapping, and whooping, at some inopportune times of trying to hear the dialogue that followed the heroic action! I found it detracted from the moment and am curious to see if I like the movie even more after seeing it with my bookclub in a couple of weeks with a less enthusiastic crowd. (at least I assume it will be less enthusiastic, who knows!) I will say, it was kind of fun being surrounded by so much energy though! Probably while I'm still up at 4 am! :p
    So, blogger readers, what do YOU think? Did you like the movie? Did you read the book? Love them? Hate them? Wonder what all the fuss is about? I'd love to hear from you! I promise the next post will include a recipe (as this is a foodie sort of blog), but my brain is just too tired to pick one out right now! Until next time...

Herbed Chicken Nuggets

Hey blogger world! I am sitting here on a sunny Wednesday morning as Doofenschmirtz chases the sun spots that glance off Sully's collar, enjoying the quiet. It's been a stressful and busy last couple of weeks, one of the culminations being that my brother has come to visit! I am so excited that he is here (him being here was the busy preparation, not the the stressful part :p)!!! I've been a bit on the homesick side for Alaska these past couple of months, and it is so nice to have a little part of that brought to me. Some of the highlights so far - meatloaf (made by him - it was fantastic!), walking to the library to acquire books for the both of us, watching Sarah Palin's Alaska (and WHY is that a highlight, you may wonder...we watched it because since we are both from Alaska, everyone assumes we've seen it and asks us what we think. And we had never seen it! So we watched part of an episode...it made us laugh....), playing with the critters, and just catching up. One of the nice things has been that the weather has been sunny, and in the mid to high 70's all week so far. In the middle of MARCH! It's crazy.

All of that to say that hopefully the blogging sabbatical is done for now! ;) On to cooking! This chicken recipe has fast become one of my favorites, and has definitely worked itself in to our regular meal rotation as a quick and easy dinner that we usually have the ingredients for.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs, seasoned
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Trim any fat from chicken and cut into 1 inch cubes.
3. In a bowl beat the eggs with the water and add the chicken.
4. Combine the parsley, thyme, red pepper, bread crumbs, wheat germ, basil and ground pepper. Stir in the oil with a fork and mix well to distribute evenly. Pour seasoning mixture into a resealable plastic bag and the chicken pieces to coat.
5. Place coated chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 minutes, turn the pieces and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

The best part about it is that you can use it to fit your own tastes! I don't think I've ever actually made the recipe as directed - I just use Italian bread crumbs and whatever seasonings I feel like at the moment. (usually a lot of garlic based ones :P) Instead of cutting the chicken into nuggets (which I'm sure would be tasty, but takes more time), I have used chicken tenders, and have been quite pleased with the results! Just bake the tenders as directed on the package (usually 375 for 15-20 minutes). Serve with mashed potatoes and chicken gravy - it is fannnntastic.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

Stroganoff has to be one of my favorite food groups - beef, chicken - I love them both! My Mom makes the most amazing beef stroganoff. That was the most requested meal for my birthday dinners. This chicken stroganoff is equally good, and slightly easier, because you just throw everything in the crock pot and leave it for a couple of hours.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1/8 cup margarine
• 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

Directions

1. Put chicken, margarine and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
2. Add cream cheese and soup, mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through and warm.

Follow as directed. You really can play around with this recipe and I haven't had it turn out bad yet! This time instead of cubed chicken breasts, I put whole frozen chicken tenders in instead. Then after it had cooked for a couple of hours, I used two forks and shredded them before adding the cream cheese/cream of chicken. Served over egg noodles, it was perfect! Full of flavor and creamy, sort of a combo between stroganoff and alfredo.


I am typing this as I wait for Whip It to load - we just got back from watching a girl's roller derby scrimmage in Jackson, and I'm feeling inspired! ;) I pointed out to Brean as we were leaving that I could probably do roller derby, as he tells me all the time that I just continue on my way and mow people over. I think he's slightly crazy, but maybe a little bit right. Now if only I had the skating ability to back it up.
It was really fun though to go to a sporting event! I haven't been to many since I was in high school watching my younger siblings play, usually hockey or volleyball. Can I just add that my butt HURT after sitting on those bleachers for a couple of hours??? I don't know how you sports mom's do it consistently! But back to the actual game - I loved the crowd, and the energy that is flowing, both by the players and the audience. You watch with baited breath, waiting for the play, and then cheer or groan based on the outcome. I've missed that. So now I need to go find a sports team that I can watch consistently, so I can get my cheer on! Any suggestions?

Baked Ham Sandwiches /. Thoughts on "The Vow"

This will be a quick recipe post, because my main reason for posting today was to talk about my thoughts on The Vow (see below). But I don't want to disappoint you foodies out there! ;) These sandwiches were quite tasty, and worked really well to freeze for later lunches. (though I definitely recommend freezing PRIOR to cooking - we didn't, and I wish that we would have. They were still good though :P)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup dried minced onion
• 1/3 cup prepared mustard
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 8 hamburger buns, split
• 16 slices deli ham
• 8 slices Swiss cheese

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine butter, onion, mustard and poppy seeds. Spread about 1 tablespoon over both halves of buns. Layer ham and cheese on the bottom halves; replace tops. Wrap each sandwich in foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 6-10 minutes or until cheese is melted, or freeze for up to 2 months.
2. To use frozen sandwiches: Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until cheese is melted.

First of all - WAYYYYYY too much onion going on in these sandwiches! It was very overpowering to the other flavors, which were fabulous when you were able to get past the onion. Thoughts for the future on that  - either decrease the dried minced onion by at LEAST half, or possibly substitute them for some sauteed diced onion. I think you could probably leave the butter and mustard (we used Dijon - I probably need to buy stock in Dijon mustard, because I put it on EVERYTHING!) amounts the same, though that may change the mixture to more of a soupyness then a thick paste. Depending on how the mixture came out, I may just put it on one half of the sandwich instead of the top AND the bottom. I didn't have any poppy seeds on hand for this batch, but I think I would endeavor to get some for next time and see how that changed things. We ended up scraping off some of the onion mixture, and that being done, the sandwiches were really good! Definitely will make again with some changes.


The Vow: At this point, I'm pretty sure anyone who REALLY wants to see this movie has seen it, so forgive me if there are spoilers. Just got done watching it with some friends and am still processing - what better place to do that then cyber world? The reviews of the movie have definitely been mixed, probably with most people disliking the movie. I think I am neutral, with stronger leanings towards the "liked it" side. I think it was a less cookie-cutter movie and less of a romantic, slightly comedic film then it was portrayed in the previews. I was expecting the usual boy meets girl, falls in love, bad thing happens, they have some issues, but love triumphs in the end. If you haven't seen the movie, this next part might not make sense, but I shall forge ahead anyway!
      I was very disappointed that Leo (the male lead) signed the divorce papers. He had spent several weeks pursuing his wife, who couldn't remember who he was. Paige (the female lead) went back to her family, threw herself at an old fiancee, who was the last relationship she remembered, and really didn't seem to treat Leo as though the situation had any effect on him, just on her. Her treating him like that was very disturbing, yet with a movie title of "The Vow", I wanted and expected him to keep persevering! I think the film did an incredible job of showing real emotions that would be happening in that situation - he kept pursuing her based on their previous relationship, trying to encourage/force her to remember what they had. And he kept being hurt and frustrated when she just didn't remember. I wanted him to pursue a relationship with her, not based on what they HAD (which of course she can't remember), but what they COULD have in the future and quit trying to force the past into the future.
      In the end, after the divorce and 6-8 months of not seeing or talking to each other, that seems to be what happens. She still doesn't remember but wants to forge a new relationship with him. I can understand where both of them are coming from and it made sense to me. While I disliked the way Paige treated Leo, I can sympathize with the frustration of having a whole life you don't remember. I can't imagine waking up and having someone tell me they are my spouse, who I can't even remember meeting!

      A little disclaimer - I am not saying that as a blanket statement and there are a lot of unknown factors to be considered. I am NOT advocating for a situation in which there is un-repentance (repentance = a discontinuing of the behavior and an active pursuit of rebuilding the relationship with their spouse), repeated offense in this area (which I think indicates un-repentance, or an unwillingness to change), or unwillingness to forgive on the part of the wronged spouse. I am saying that to truly forgive someone who has hurt you that deeply in both beyond yourself, and demonstrates a grace undeserved by the offender
     I hope to nurture THAT grace towards my spouse, to accept the weaknesses and love regardless of the faults. I know that I can't do that on my own. And how grateful I am for a God who loves me that way, and who will give me the support to love that way too.

Cheddar, Beer, and Mustard Pull-apart Bread / Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

It's another two-for-one day, ladies and gentlemen. :) In honor of Dr. Who night (the theme this time is appetizers), I am again branching out and entering the world of baking, temporarily I'm sure. I think the reason I dislike baking is the time you have to wait for things to rise and whatnot. It just takes so much more planning to figure out when to start things! The Beer Bread recipe was one passed on from a friend, and Spice Cupcakes were a birthday request from my dearest mother-in-law. (though I added the pumpkin idea)

Cheddar, Beer, and Mustard Pull-apart Bread

Bread
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1/3 beer, preferably dark but really, use whatever you like to drink
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/3 cup rye flour (use additional a-p flour if you don’t have this)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast
1 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Filling
3 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon Dijon or a mustard of your choice
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Several grinds black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

1. Make dough: In a small saucepan, heat the 4 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup of beer, just until the butter has melted. Remove from heat and add the remaining 1/3 cup beer. Set aside to cool down slightly. You want the mixture warm (110 to 116 degrees), but not steaming hot.
2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, sugar, yeast and table salt. With the mixer on low, pour in the butter-beer mixture, mixing only until the flour is moistened. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. The batter will look lumpy, but will become smooth in a moment. Add the remaining 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and all of the rye flour, mixing until just combined. Replace paddle with a dough hook and let the machine knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes on low.
3. Oil a medium/large bowl and transfer dough to it. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside for 50 to 60 minutes, until doubled. Meanwhile, prepare fillings.
4. [Do ahead: You can also rest the dough in the fridge overnight -- wrapped tightly with plastic. The next day, let it rest at room temperature for an hour before rolling out.]
5. Make fillings: Back in the same small saucepan you used for the butter and beer, melt the 3 tablespoons butter. Remove from heat and whisk in mustard, Worcestershire and hot sauce until smooth. Set aside.
6. In the bottom of a medium bowl, stir together mustard powder, paprika, table salt and several grinds of black pepper. Add shredded cheddar and toss until grated strands are evenly coated with spices. I like to keep this in the fridge until needed so it doesn’t get soft and clumpy, making it harder to sprinkle over the dough in a bit.
7. Assemble bread: Either coat a 9-by-5 loaf pan lightly with butter or a nonstick spray and set aside.
8. Turn dough out onto a well-floured counter and roll the dough into a 20-by-12-inch rectangle, making sure it doesn’t stick to the counter by lifting sections and re-flouring the counter as needed. Brush the butter-mustard-Worcestershire mixture evenly over the whole surface, right up to the edges. Cut the dough crosswise into 5 strips; each should be 12-by-4 inches. Sprinkle the first one evenly with a heaping 1/4 cup of the grated cheese (which is now fine to leave out at room temperature). Gently place another strip on top of it, coat it with another heaping 1/4 cup of cheese, and repeat with remaining strips until they are stacked 5-high and all of the cheese is used.
9. With your very sharpest serrated knife, gently — so gently! The lightest sawing motions the weight of the blade will allow! — cut your stack into 6 to 7 2-inch segments (each stacked segment should be 4-by-2 inches). I say 6 to 7 range because while your 12-inch length should clearly yield only 6 2-inch segments, I find that the soft dough stretches so much when you lift and stack it that I end up with 7. Either amount will fit; this is totally not something to fret over.
10. Arrange stacks of dough down the length of your prepared loaf pan as if filling a card catalog drawer. I make this easier by standing my loaf pan up on its short end to make the next part easier. If, when you finish filing all of your dough stacks, you ended up with less than needed for the dough “cards” to reach the end of the pan, when you return the pan to rest flat on the counter again, just shimmy it a little so the dough centers. It will all even out in the final rise/oven. If you ended up with toomany dough cards, before you add the last stack, simply press gently on the dough already filed to make room for it.
11. Loosely cover the pan with more plastic wrap and set it aside to rise again for 30 to 45 more minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
12. Bake loaf for 25 to 35 minutes, until puffed and brown. Transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool for 5 minutes before flipping it out onto a serving plate/cutting board. 

http://smittenkitchen.com/2012/02/cheddar-beer-and-mustard-pull-apart-bread/

Mostly followed this one to the letter. I didn't have rye flour or hot sauce - just used more all-purpose flour instead of rye, and omitted the hot sauce. It turned out pretty well! I also did not have a stand mixer, so just mixed and kneaded by hand. The bread itself was very fluffy. I ran into the problem of how long to let it rise because I made it earlier then I probably needed to, so it ended up rising in the bread pan for about 2 hours. It was not as fully flavored as I expected. Next time I think instead of making it as a stack, I will make it into a roll by spreading the sauce and cheese across the whole dough when it's spread out and then rolling it. I'm not quite sure how to increase the flavor of the cheese/seasoning - I think it might just take some playing around. Definitely will make it again!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
•  
• Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Sift together the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
2. Beat 1/2 cup of butter, the white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Stir in the milk and pumpkin puree after the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
4. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting by beating the cream cheese and 1/4 butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; beat until fluffy. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with the cream cheese icing.

I'm going back and forth about this recipe. But since I didn't follow it directly, I'm not sure whether it's the recipe itself that needs some work, or my changes! :p First change, based on reviews, was to substitute the butter for vegetable oil - apparently for moist cupcakes, you NEVER use butter, only oil. Who knew. Also based on reviews, I increased the amount of pumpkin added by about 3/4 of a cup. On my own personal taste, I increased the nutmeg/cinnamon/all spice in the batter probably by almost double after the test taste before baking (I sprinkled it in, so I'm not sure exact measurements). 
The cupcakes came out with great flavor, but were VERY dense. I may go back to using butter and decrease the pumpkin next time to see if they come out a little fluffier. The frosting was pretty good, though I like a bit more cream cheese in the cream cheese to powdered sugar ratio, so I may shift that around a bit. The cinnamon added a fun color and brought out more of the pumpkin flavor of the cupcakes. 


Factoid of the day: I loooooove naps. Most of the time, as long as I HAVE extra time (I don't really do naps under pressure of a time crunch) it's so nice to just lay there and doze, even if I don't actually sleep. I usually will read for about 20-30 minutes and then doze for about an hour or so. I'm in this quandary place of reading - I'm reading a book that I really like, but am not flying through, but I just went the library yesterday and now have 7 new possibilities to read next! Part of me wants to read one of my new books (All My Patients Kick and Bite by Jeff Wells), and part of me is enjoying the book I'm reading (A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly). 

I went through a phase about a year ago when I read nothing but animal books, mostly collections of short stories written by vet's about their patients and clients. So this new Jeff Wells book has gotten me thinking about getting back into that phase, but we'll see. All that to say that I'm excited to read it. Crazy clients and unique animals make me smile (as long as the crazy clients are can be observed from a farrrrr distance! :P) and even though I live it every week day, it's fun to read about someone ELSE living it! 

I've decided that if I were to write a book, it would be comedic non-fiction, an anthology of sorts. My current ideas are either crazy client/animal stories from work or listening to the Bible on shuffle, in the style of A Year of Living Biblically. Either one could be fun. I'll let you know if I ever actually start working on this. :P 

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a Chaley original! I had a block of Queso  Velveeta cheese leftover from nachos last week, and thought to myself - "I bet this would be awesome over chicken enchiladas!" I couldn't really find a recipe that I had all the ingredients for to make actual enchiladas, so I made up my own from what I had. May need some tweaking next time, but it was pretty tasty.

Ingredients

2 lbs of chicken, cooked
Chili Powder to taste (probably a couple of teaspoons)
Garlic salt to taste (2ish teaspoons?)
7-8 burrito sized tortillas
2 sweet onions
2 cans of Rotel (one original, and one mild)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
8 oz. Velveeta

Directions

1. Sprinkle chicken with chili powder and garlic salt. Bake (or pan cook) until cooked through. 
2. Dice onion, and mix in a large bowl with the can of Original Rotel. 
3. When chicken is cooked, cut into chunks and add to the onion/Rotel mixture. Add Cream of Chicken and stir until mixture is consistent. Add additional chili powder/garlic salt to taste
4. Fill tortillas and place in a greased 9 x 13 pan, with the seam down. 
5. In a medium sized sauce pan, combine Velveeta and can of Mild Rotel and heat until melted. Pour over the wrapped tortillas and cover with foil. Back on 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until all is heated through. 
6. Can garnish with sour cream and chives if you have it on hand. 

So, some changes I would make next time. The chicken itself turned out awesome. I would probably cut down on the amount of onion to either 1 or 1 1/2, and maybe saute it with a little chili powder/garlic salt while the chicken is cooking. It was a little spicy for me (Brean thought it was just right) so I may either cut down on the amount of Original Rotel, or substitute it for a can of Mild. I thought I had shredded cheddar cheese on hand, which I discovered midway through this process that I did not...so I think that would be an excellent addition wrapped in the tortillas next time. Plus, maybe adding some more Queso - I like things cheeeeeeeeesy! :p 

Well, another Valentine's Day has come and gone. You'd think after 8 Valentine's together, Brean and I would have this thing figured out. Nope. Another cliched girl makes nice candle lit dinner, boy doesn't do anything, girl gets upset, boy gets upset, argument ensues, argument gets resolved, Valentine's day ends on a much less romantic note. Brean says that he hates Valentine's day because there is too much expectation. This is probably true, at least on my part. I don't know about the rest of the female race, but despite my best efforts to NOT expect presents, or a card, or SOMETHING on a holiday in which everywhere is telling you that you SHOULD get one, I fail miserably. So here are some thoughts on Valentine's Day, in no particular order. 

1) Valentine's is a made up card holiday. Definitely not going to argue with that. However, I think the premise behind the day is important. You SHOULD have  a day at least once a year that is specifically devoted to romancing your spouse, to making them feel special, to proving to them that yes, even after all these years, they are still the one for you.  And to those who say that they are not going to celebrate it because it's a made up holiday and that they can treat their spouse special whenever they want, I challenge them to actually DO it! It doesn't have to be on Valentine's day! Make up your own day! But set aside time specifically to connect in a romantic sort of way. 

2) Valentine's day should not be a day to make your spouse feel inadequate for not living up to all the hype. And I fail at that pretty consistently. Can I just put a plug in here that having "gifts" as your highest love language sucks most of the time? I was so excited to make a romantic dinner at home, and I kept telling myself "it doesn't matter if he doesn't bring you anything, because you are doing this because you love him". But it did kinda matter... I read a blog a couple of weeks ago about women tend to stuff their emotions into a nice little box that we just have to "deal with because we're women, and we're emotional, and we shouldn't be". I love the way the author unpacks "emotions" and lays it all out. I highly encourage you to read it if you've ever felt like your emotions are getting the best of you and "why don't they just GO AWAY?!" 

Emotions Vs. Feelings Vs. Heart

But I digress - intrinsically, part of me needs gifts to have the feeling of being loved. That does not mean that the person didn't love me before, or that my head didn't know that they loved me. Sometime it just takes that small gift, that thing I can hold in my hand, to make the feeling of being loved arrive. So often I sit there and try to reason through all of the reasons that I shouldn't expect a present, or that I don't need one to feel loved. I try to fit all of that hope, and longing, and feelings of unlovedness into a box that I can squash with a big hammer, because I tell myself I'm just being "greedy", or "selfish", or "demanding".. But they never fit in a box. Those emotions escape, threading tendrils through my attitude, my actions, and my feelings. And since I'm pretty bad about keeping my emotions hidden, it erupts into something that has to be dealt with. 

Gifts are hard for Brean, partly because they are his LOWEST love language. Often times, they don't even come up on his radar! So, for the other gifties (such as me), be patient with your spouse. It's not because they don't love you (despite the fact that it often feels that way), it really just may not occur to them. And for the non-gifties out there, be patient with us. Haha, I think patience and grace should be the theme of any relationship! 

My goal at this point is to be more honest with my emotions, both to Brean and to myself. The plan is that this will lead to more open dialogue, and more compromise to get a solution that works for both of us. A solution we've come up with so far is that Brean is going to shift the budget a smidge and have a category designated for buying each other presents. This way, he has the freedom to get me a gift, without worrying about financial constraints. I have much hope, not that this is going to be a miraculous fix to all future problems, but at least that it's a stepping stone to a better us.