You Know, Stuff

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Once again, I'm reduced to creating a hodge-podge post of all my goings on because I couldn't get my act together this week. *sigh* But, what do you expect?? Life happens. 
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SICK KIDS...

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Both of our kids were ill this past weekend. Blah. Aidan had a bad cough that didn't seem to want to die down. Dylan got an eye infection, so a few hours were spent at Children's Hospital. Thankfully, he wasn't running a temperature and didn't have to be admitted. Small favors, right? 

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WHAT HE SAID...

"I'm ALIVE. Thinking about it, noticing it, is new. You do things and don't watch. Then all of a sudden you look and see what you're doing and it's the first time, really."

-- Ray Bradbury

Saw this quote today and thought it was pretty great. Really summed a lot of what I've been feeling lately. 
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TASTINESS... 

Here are a couple tasty things we made this weekend. Sadly, I was pretty lazy with the camera, so not many of our delish meals were captured. Oh well.

I always make a big batch of multigrain pancakes on the weekend and freeze some so the kids can have them through the week. We like to play around with different ingredients for the pancakes, but there are certain flavors that are the biggest hits, like this weekend's batch...

Multigrain Blueberry Pancakes w/ Pure Ohio Maple Syrup

We really love doing a Pizza Night every other week. Very tough to beat homemade pizza! This is another menu item that we like to change up frequently; the sky's the limit when it comes to toppings. This weekend's pizza was TO DIE FOR...

MEDI PIZZA

Our Mediterran-style pizza:

fire-roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, chopped almonds (that I had roasted not long ago), fresh basil, Kalamata olives, crumbled goat cheese (wanted something a little creamier than Feta that night), grated extra-sharp Provolone, and EVOO on a garlic and herb crust.

We served it up with a little spring mix salad with red wine vinaigrette.

DELISH! A veritable veggie orgy!!

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POETRY...

I CHOP SOME PARSLEY WHILE LISTENING TO ART BLAKEY'S VERSION OF "THREE BLIND MICE" 

by Billy Collins

And I start wondering how they came to be blind.
If it was congenital, they could be brothers and sister,
and I think of the poor mother
brooding over her sightless young triplets.

Or was it a common accident, all three caught
in a searing explosion, a firework perhaps?
If not,
if each came to his or her blindness separately,

how did they ever manage to find one another?
Would it not be difficult for a blind mouse
to locate even one fellow mouse with vision
let alone two other blind ones?

And how, in their tiny darkness,
could they possibly have run after a farmer's wife
or anyone else's wife for that matter?
Not to mention why.

Just so she could cut off their tails
with a carving knife, is the cynic's answer,
but the thought of them without eyes
and now without tails to trail through the moist grass

or slip around the corner of a baseboard
has the cynic who always lounges within me
up off his couch and at the window
trying to hide the rising softness that he feels.

By now I am on to dicing an onion
which might account for the wet stinging
in my own eyes, though Freddie Hubbard's
mournful trumpet on "Blue Moon,"

which happens to be the next cut,
cannot be said to be making matters any better.


I dig Billy Collins and I'm super excited that he was chosen to be Bexley's Community Book Club Author for 2011. I can't wait to see him in April!! 
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NEW STUFF...

I bought a few things this weekend in addition to the usual suspects (tolietries, bananas, etc.):

A pretty tablecloth to cover the hideous table currently residing in our dining room (too bad I couldn't cover the chairs also...ugh). This will have to do until we pick out a dining room set.

And a few clothing pieces that were on sale (whoo hoo!). A lavender shirt (I'm not really a purple gal, but it is the hubs' favorite color, so I try to work it in, occasionally), $3. A pair of distressed boot cut jeans (my fave!), $4. A cute little black dress (can you ever have too many?), $5. Yay for Target finds!

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CHEMO...

I had treatment yesterday. Boo. However, I did end up with some SUPER news. I thought I wouldn't finish my treatments until the end of September, but my doc said that by his calculations, my treatments will end at the beginning of August. HOOOOOORAY!!!! How exciting is that??

Unfortunately, I have to start on my hormone therapy this week. Blechety-blech.
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TUNAGE...

I've spent the past several days listening to one of my all-time favorite albums, by one of my all-time favorite bands...Big Calm by Morcheeba.

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I think it's impossible to be stressed out by anything when listening to the melodic tunes on this album. Hello? The serenity is right there in the title...Big Calm! 

It is my ultimate go-to album for chilling out, and this week I've seemed to need it more than ever. I have belted out Blindfold more times than I can count, but it has done wonders for my mood. A couple glasses of wine and some Morcheeba go a long way to helping me achieve a zen-like state of mind.


Switching gears slightly but keeping within the muzak category, I present my lineup...
 
5 SONGS I'M RUNNING TO THIS WEEK:
Higher Ground - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Sinnerman - Nina Simone
Ballroom Blitz - The Sweet
I Just Wanna Live - Good Charlotte
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin

COOL DOWN & BE COOL SONG OF THE WEEK:
Hit Me Baby One More Time - Travis
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EVERYTHING ELSE...

Well, I have to save something for future posts, 
don't I??

Won and Done

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I am sooooo freakin' excited!! Yesterday, I OFFICIALLY finished my radiation oncology!!! Huzzah!!!!

I can hardly believe it, but after 6 looooong weeks of schlepping across town to undress and have lasers pointed at me (which is not as cool as it sounds), I have finally finished. And, even though I'll have another few weeks of "baking" and losing a few layers of skin, I can still count today as another big milestone in my treatment schedule. One more thing to have out of the way on my road back to normal. I'll take it!

Last day of treatment, ba-by!

When I got home, I had a few more surprises. Turns out, I'M A WINNER!!!

I received an email from Goodreads informing me that I had won a copy of All the Time in the World: New & Selected Stories by E.L. Doctorow.

This is the 19th book I've won on Goodreads, but it never gets less exciting. Can't wait til it arrives and I can curl up with it!

But, that's not all...

When the snail mail was delivered, I became a winner again...and again. I was a two-time 4th prize winner in a Playtex instant win game, and I won...*drumroll*...2 free boxes of tampons! (Try to control your little green monster.)

Score! 

All these exciting events in one day really deserved a celebratory meal. I decided to make one of my favorite dishes...

Spicy Shrimp with Spinach and Whole Wheat Cappellini

and one of my favorite desserts...

Truffle Brownies

A really great day all around! 'Bout time I got one of those, don't cha think?

Sharing the Love

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I thought we had a pretty good Valentine's Day, especially considering that it fell on a Monday night, we have two kids, and we're pretty boring people. So, if you put all that aside, I would say it was a very smashing Val Day, indeed.

For dinner, we made a DE-LICIOUS mushroom and Gruyère tart with a mixed baby spinach salad tossed in a Dijon vinaigrette. Yummmmy! We love this dish and have made it at least 3 times in the past month. Seemed like a winner for a nice Valentine's meal. (You don't have to be jealous...I'll post the recipe.)

FLAKY MUSHROOM AND GRUYÈRE TARTS

(Jan 2011 Real Simple recipe)

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided

10 oz. assorted mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, button, oyster, etc.), sliced

1 shallot, sliced

kosher salt and black pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc)

4 oz. Gruyère cheese, grated (1 cup)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp white wine vinegar

4 oz. mixed greens (6 cups)

2 radishes, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp fresh chopped chives

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Unfold the pastry and cut it into 4 squares. Place the squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet and, using a fork, prick the dough all over.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add the mushrooms and shallot and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned and tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute more.

3. Dividing evenly, sprinkle the pastry squares with half the cheese, leaving a 1/2-inch border on each. Top with the mushroom mixture and remaining cheese. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 13-15 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Add the greens and radishes and toss to coat. Serve the tarts with the salad and sprinkle with chives.

Serves 4
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Then, it was time for dessert, so we got in the car and went to Jeni's for ice cream...

PLAY ME!

We LOVE ice cream and it doesn't get better than Jeni's, I can assure you! Rather than sticking with our favorites, we opted to try a few new flavors...(descriptions courtesy of Jeni's)

Jon's pick: GOAT CHEESE w/ COGNAC FIG SAUCE

(Mackenzie Creamery, super fresh goat cheese with pockets of saucy cognac soaked figs & almonds. A lighter, more ethereal cheesecake with Courvoisier & figs.)

My pick: CHERRY LAMBIC SORBET

 (Tart and real cherry flavor, sweet lambic on the mid palate with almost bubbly texture. Finish is clean and exhilarating.)

Dylan's pick: DARK CHOCOLATE

 (Mouth-filling, palate-gripping, intense chocolate flavor with a fudge-like texture. Pleasingly dry finish.)

Aidan's pick: WILDBERRY LAVENDER (with sprinkles)

(Complex. Intense lavender with hints of exotic spices and lots of brambly berry flavors.)

All very different, but all very delicious! A good time was had by all...

We headed home, wiped sticky faces and hands, and put the kiddos to bed. Then, Jon and I had a very nice Valentine's evening alone, cuddled up together on the sofa.

Jon set up our favorite snack: a bottle of wine, sliced raw milk cheddar cheese, and some water crackers.

LAZY BONES Cabernet Franc Vintage 2009

Wine and Cheese...ooh là là

And we settled in to watch a few episodes of Episodes, which were still hanging about on our DVR, and laughed our asses off. Brilliant!

So, I guess all you need is love (of course), good company, good laughs, and good food (esp ice cream!) and you'll have a fabulous Valentine's Day! At least, we did.

Hope you did, too!

Mixed Bag

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SUNDAY -- Edward Hopper

We never really know what we're going to get up to on Sundays. More often than not, our Sundays are a mixture of cooking, cleaning, running some errands, and relaxing. We like it this way. Calm. Simple.

But, before we delve into Sunday, let me give you a quick rundown of Saturday night...

* Aidan lost a tooth (his 3rd in the past month and a half...5th ever?) and came into some green from the TF.

* Dylan puked all over the place the minute we walked into Trader Joe's; or, as Jon likes to put it:

A family of four walks into Trader Joe's. The youngest one goes, 'bleeeeeeeeeech'.

* Jon and I watched The Sunset Limited on HBO. Pretty good flick, but we stayed up too late, so I was about to pass out toward the end.

Now you're all caught up. Back to Sunday...

* Jon and I planned out our weekly menu (which might be our favorite thing to do on Sundays) and then, shopped for the week (thankfully, we were still allowed in TJ's after the whole puking incident...eww). Got some good stuff planned, so stay tuned because the meals could very easily end up in the blog.

* Aidan wrote out his valentines for his class. Harry Potter valentines. And he wrote one to himself. Nice.

* Jon peeled and sectioned 20 clementines and put them into heart-print cupcake wrappers for Aidan's class party since I had volunteered to bring fruit. So, why did Jon get stuck peeling and separating all the oranges, as the citrus juice seeped into his hangnail, causing tremendous pain? Because he's so good at it, of course. (At least, that's what I told him.)

* Dylan played with his Thomas trains and sang along with a DVD of Thomas songs. Good stuff. All his whistle noises were precious.

* I did my daily 1-hour workout on the treadmill, BUT on this day, I managed to run 10 minutes straight without walking. Whoo to the hoo! (I've had terrible joint pain for months now because of the chemo, and well, I'm not a runner, so this is a huge deal for me.) I'm actually starting to believe that I might be able to pull off running the Race for the Cure 5K in May after all.

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5 Songs I'm Running To This Week:
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
Banquet - Bloc Party
My Brain is Hanging Upside Down - The Ramones
Gravel Pit - Wu Tang Clan
I Need More Love - Robert Randolph & The Family Band (in honor of Valentine's Day)
 
Cool Down & Be Cool Song of the Week:
Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams
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* Jon folded a few baskets of laundry AND put them away. He's the best!

* I sent a few stalkerish texts to my best bud, D. I made her laugh. Actually, I made her cackle and hoot.
Hee hee hee. *snort*

* Aidan made a few Lego creations and asked if I would photograph them and put them on my blog. (In fact, he asked me to do this a few days ago too, but I was lazy and didn't blog.)

(I have no idea what they are supposed to be, 
so don't ask.)

* I cooked a delicious dinner...VEGGIE STIR FRY with a side of CRAB RANGOON. I never use a recipe for the stir fry; I just grab whatever veggies look or sound good and then cook them up with a little oil and fresh garlic.

Last night's stir fry included: broccoli, carrots, yellow onion, snow peas, red bell pepper, cremini mushrooms (baby bellas), mung bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and scallions.

I always make a nice brown sauce for the stir fry with some low-sodium soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, red pepper flakes, corn starch, and brown sugar.

I'd never made crab rangoon before, but they are my absolute favorite Asian treat and I had some leftover claw meat (from the crab cakes a few days ago), so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

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CRAB RANGOON

4 oz. cream cheese (at room temp)

1/2 of a green onion (minced)

1/8 tsp soy sauce

1/8 tsp garlic powder

3 oz. crab meat (I used refrigerated claw meat)

1 egg

wonton wrappers (thawed, if frozen)

oil (for frying -- I used canola oil)

Fill a large saucepan with oil. Heat oil on high until temp reaches 375° F.

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, green onion, soy sauce, garlic, and crab in a bowl.

Beat egg in a separate bowl.

Lay out 3-4 wonton wrappers and brush two connected sides with the egg (forming an L). Place 1 Tbsp filling in center of wonton. Fold non-egged sides over to the egged sides, forming a triangle. Seal edges tightly.

Working in batches of 3-4 wontons, deep fry for 1-2 minutes (flipping the wontons over once) or until golden brown. (Do not overcook or they will burst open.)

Makes approx. 12 - 15 wontons.

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The results were very pleasing...

* The kids made some happy faces...

and some cheezin' faces...

then, it was time for baths and bed. (Aidan wasn't very happy about washing off his HP scar.)

Well, maybe it wasn't the most exciting day in the world, but it was full of a lot of super sweet nothings that ended up making the day great. Just wonderful...

Checkin' Stuff Out

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We had a nice family trip to the library libraries on Saturday. That's right, libraries...plural. As I've said before, we are book junkies and what is better for a lit fix than a visit to the local library? Why, a visit to two local libraries, of course!

First, we headed downtown to the main branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

2010 Library of the Year

Our kids checked out the model library on display...

 A Lego Library!

then, ran off to the Reading Tree House...

A little brotherly love

and posed as pirates...

Arrr, me hearties!

Then, we'd had enough foolin' around, so we headed off in search BOOKS!

After making their selections, the kids were ready to read...

Dylan and I cuddled up with some Thomas books

and did some cheezin'...natch.

 Aidan lounged in a book nook

and hung out with Dad

Then, it was time to check out...

But before heading out, we stopped to check out the sweet sculpture display...

Pretty cool, huh?

As I stated above, we went on to another library.

En route...

Our second library of the day...the Bexley Public Library.

The kids raced right in, anxious to head off to the Children's Department.

I let them go off with Jon while I browsed the stacks and curled up in the comfy chairs.

Books, beautiful books

Could snuggle up in here all day long
 

Oh, those shelves! What wonders they contain!!

A little later, I caught up with Jon and the boys...

Aidan hanging outside the AV Department

...and we headed home with our treasures!

Our bag is stuffed!

Such a lovely day! I could spend every Saturday this way.

ahhh....