Tag: cooking

Small Success: the Unplanned Week

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Small Success dark blue outline 800x800Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

I’m just sitting here watching TheKid’s blood sugar levels; through the miracle of technology I can see just how he’s doing, even though he’s at school 3 1/2 miles away. It’s been a tough week in Diabetes Land, and he’s still not in a good place. But he’s at school.

Also through the miracle of technology, I am listening to the Pope addressing Congress. I am just in awe of the ways in which technology and social media have opened up the Papal visit to people who can’t be present at the events in person.

Some successes this week:

  • I didn’t blow a gasket when it was suggested that TheKid should not have eaten the donut (from a classmate’s birthday celebration) or drunk the soda (given him by the PTA ladies after the milk delivery was a no-show and they were scrambling to give the kids who’d paid for beverages something to drink. For the record, he did so well self-dosing his insulin for those things that his blood sugar was a perfect 105 at the end of the school day. Fighting this same battle again and again is frustrating. He can eat a donut every now and again. I’m proud that he was responsible and careful about self-dosing for an unexpected treat, and I’m happy for him because, for once, (and thanks to the miracle of technology in the form of an insulin pump) he got to just have his donut and not have to be singled out.
  • I didn’t lose my mind regarding those last-minute schedule changes that happen when a kid misses school. I managed to roll with it a whole lot better than I usually do.
  • I totally nailed a seat-of-the-pants recipe for beef noodles. I hope to get it written up over at Cook and Count soon. Since you can’t taste it, I’ll just give you a look:

beef noodles with pot roast C

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

 

Small Success: Get Cooking!

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Small Success dark blue outline 800x800Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

Here’s what’s been going on around here last week:

  • I survived that meeting I was all nervous about on Saturday. Turns out there wasn’t anything to worry about, but worrying is what I do best. The only glitch we encountered was courtesy of the fluorescent light in the meeting room that decided to flicker, then died a slow and smelly death. That put an end to the meeting very quickly and led me to call the parish business manager at home so she could get a maintenance worker to check it out (turns out, it was a ballast in the fixture and when those things go bad, they fill the room with stinky smoke). So we didn’t burn down the building.
  • My chicken chili was a hit (that was lunch at the meeting), and I got the recipe up at my poor, neglected cooking blog. chicken chili blanco (3) c T
  • I also put up some new photos for the 2 things I baked this week: sesame tahini cookies (which I turned into a slice-and-bake recipe) and apple coffee cake. I’ve been working hard on getting better-quality photos for the blog and on labeling those photos with titles and my foodie Twitter handle.

slice and bake sesame tahini cookies (1) CT

apple coffee cake (12) c t

  • And I listened to some podcasts while cooking and cleaning. That’s the kind of multitasking I can get behind.

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

Monday Recap: September 7, 2015

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Monday Recap-What I've been writing

At CatholicMom.com:

Progressive-550x260

You’re invited to the very first CatholicMom.com Virtual Progressive Dinner!

You’re invited to our very first Virtual Progressive Dinner here at CatholicMom.com! Find out how you can share your favorite recipe and join the fun.

Book Notes: Two Novels with a Side of Angels

Novels are always a pleasure to read, but they don’t have to be a “guilty pleasure.” I reviewed two novels you’ll want to share with the teens in your life–but don’t miss the chance to read them for yourself.

rainbow stirfry c title FI

Meatless Friday: Rainbow Stir Fry with Shrimp

Here’s a quick-cooking shrimp stir-fry with plenty of colorful vegetables for your next Meatless Friday meal.

 

 

What’s for Supper? August 23-29, 2015

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whats-for-supper

I’m a huge fan of meal-planning linkups, so I was all aboard when Simcha Fisher announced she’d be hosting a “What’s for Supper?” linkup each week. The best part about this linkup is that you don’t do your week-ahead meal plan, but actually your week-before plan. So you get the real thing here. Or as much of the real thing as we remember.

steak fajitas from leftovers (2)c for cook and count

SUNDAY 23: Steak fajitas and macaroni salad

piccata bites c

MONDAY 24: Chicken piccata bites, steamed spinach, rice

big batch savvy spaghetti and meatballs RHTUESDAY 25: Spaghetti. I made a big batch on Tuesday, so now I have enough in the freezer for 10 more dinners (the containers keep getting smaller as the number of people eating dinner in this house shrinks. We’re down to 3 now…)

BYO Strawberry shortcakeWEDNESDAY 26: Happy Birthday to TheDad! Big Brother came home for dinner and grilled New York strip steaks (seasoned just with salt and garlic pepper). I baked sweet potatoes and made corn on the cob. For dessert, we had “build your own strawberry shortcake” with pound cake, fresh whipped cream and sliced strawberries (and mini chocolate chips).

Hawaiian Chicken c titleTHURSDAY 27: Hawaiian chicken over rice with broccoli/cauliflower vegetable blend.

FRIDAY 28: We visited my parents. They made grilled salmon with honey mustard, corn on the cob, broccoli & cauliflower, raw carrots and celery and Caesar salad.

barbecued chicken c title

SATURDAY 29: Barbecued chicken, salad, and Trinity Rice (to use up the leftover rice from earlier in the week).

trinity rice with almonds c square

Hop on over to Simcha’s linkup and get some great ideas for your family dinners!

Cookbook Review: Around the Table with the Catholic Foodie: Middle Eastern Cuisine

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When I met him at the Catholic Writers Guild Conference earlier this summer, cookbook author, podcaster and CatholicMom.com contributor Jeff Young told me that he purposely creates his recipes to feed large groups of people–that way, you’ll want to share.

Around-the-Table-with-The-Catholic-FoodieYou’ll definitely want to share the meals you make from the recipes in his cookbook, Around the Table with the Catholic Foodie: Middle Eastern Cuisine.

Don’t be intimidated by the idea of “Middle Eastern Cuisine.” Most of the ingredients in Jeff’s recipes are easy to find. One spice that might be more difficult to get locally is sumac, but you can get that online. I was fortunate to find it in a local Turkish market.

When you make Jeff’s recipes, you’ll be using real foods: fresh ingredients and no chemical substitutes. It’s a healthier way to eat, and I guarantee you that it’s more delicious too. I’ve followed Jeff’s blog for years; I think I found it when I was looking for a jambalaya recipe, but you’ll find much more than Louisiana cooking at his site. Soups, breads, pizza–it’s all there.

Jeff’s directions are clear, and he includes plenty of tips on working with certain ingredients and mixing your own spice blends. But one of my favorite things about this cookbook is the story that goes with each recipe. Stories are part of the fun around the dinner table, and they’re part of the fun of this cookbook as well. Many of these Middle-Eastern recipes originated in the Holy Land, and the first two chapters of the book are all about the family table, food in the Bible and “where food meets faith.” Don’t skip these just to get to the recipes!

sesame tahini cookies (4) FII’ve made several recipes from this cookbook so far:

  • Oven-Baked Salmon (3-ingredient easy and completely delicious)
  • Sesame Tahini Paste Cookies (pictured above)
  • Fish with Pistachios and Dill
  • Crispy Roasted Potatoes
  • Parsley Potatoes
  • Carrots with Cumin
  • Rice Pilaf
  • Lamb-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
  • Israeli Chopped Salad

Some of these recipes have made it into the regular rotation around here. All of them have been excellent, and I have a few more recipes in my meal plan for the coming weeks. (I even planted a grape vine this spring so I could get grape leaves to make one of the recipes, but I don’t have quite enough leaves to do this yet.)

Finally, I’ve given two copies of this cookbook as gifts to people I love who love cooking and trying new flavors. I’m not done trying recipes from this book and I’m also not done purchasing it as a gift.

Note: Your purchase of this cookbook through my Amazon affiliate link helps feed my cookbook habit. Thank you!

Monday Recap: 8/17/2015

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Monday Recap-What I've been writing

At CatholicMom.com:

Book Notes: Walk Softly and Carry a Great Bag

walk softly carry great bag

Here’s my review of Teresa Tomeo’s purse-sized devotional, Walk Softly and Carry a Great Bag, and interview with the author. This is a book you’ll want to tuck into your favorite handbag!

Tech Talk: Never Miss a Homily Again

Good Friday Homily large

A growing number of priests and deacons have begun offering the text and/or audio recordings of their homilies online, so that people who didn’t get to hear the whole thing can catch up later–and people who want to prayerfully review it can do that as well.

Book Notes: Saint Clare–beyond the legend

f2d99-saintclare

My review of a biography of St. Clare that delves deeper into the significance of her life rather than following a timeline.

At Cook and Count:

spicy honey chicken (1)c TITLEOn the Grill: Spicy Honey Chicken

sesame tahini cookies (4) TITLE smallerSesame Tahini Cookies

At Dynamic Women of Faith:

catholic drinkie book

My review of The Catholic Drinkie’s Guide to Home Brewed Evangelism by Sarah Vabulas.

At Real Housekeeping:

big batch savvy spaghetti and meatballs RHBig Batch Savvy Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Try the recipe–and join the discussion in the comments box about roaster ovens!

Monday Recap: August 10, 2015

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Monday Recap-What I've been writing

 

This was show week for The Kid’s theatre camp, which meant several extra trips (20 minutes each way) and working the concession stand for 2 shows and a cast party AND auditions for the next production. There hasn’t been much writing OR cooking this week.

But there was a little “stress baking” yesterday between that cast party and audition.

At Cook and Count:

spicy pecan ranger cookies TITLE (3)

Cookie Time: Spicy Pecan Ranger Cookies

At CatholicMom.com:

shrimp fajitas (11)c for FI

Meatless Friday: Shrimp Fajitas with Cool Corn Salad

sesame tahini cookies (4) FI

Book Review: Around the Table with the Catholic Foodie: Middle Eastern Cuisine

Monday Recap: July 20, 2015

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Monday Recap-What I've been writingGood thing I took the “morning” out of Monday Recap! It’s been a busy day.

CWCO_live_smI’ve done a little cooking this week. And a lot of working ahead; tomorrow I’m off to attend the Catholic Writers Guild conference, where I’ll meet a bunch of CatholicMom.com contributors and a few old friends–and hone my selfie skillz with Erin’s contest. That means I had a lot of work to do for CatholicMom.com in advance of this conference, but I got a few articles done here and at Cook and Count as well.

Last week at Cook and Count:

Diabetic algebra

Algebra for Diabetics (and the people who feed them): how we work out the daily Word Problem of how many carbs are in a particular meal.

Mexi Melts (1)c title

Mexi-Melts: who needs Taco Hell when you can make something even more delicious at home!

Fennel pork chops (5)c title

Italian Pork Chops with Fennel: tastes like sausage but much healthier–and on the table in 15 minutes.

 

Monday Recap: July 13, 2015

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Monday Recap-What I've been writing

At CatholicMom.com:

wunderlist logoTech Talk: Checking Things Off My Wunderlist. Tired of writing lists in your planner and on Post-It notes and scraps of paper that get lost or aren’t with you when you need them? Here’s my review of the Wunderlist app, which lets you go paperless with all your lists.

Meatless Friday Radio Feature with the Catholic Foodie. Our weekly Meatless Friday feature here at CatholicMom.com got a shoutout this week on contributor Jeff Young’s show on Real Life Radio, Around the Table with the Catholic Foodie. Listen in!

There’s been a lot of cooking this week over at Cook and Count!

Monday recap collage for cook and count 07132015From left to right:

Jersey Fresh Cool Corn Salad

Shrimp Fajitas

Slow Cooking: Sausage & Pepper Sandwiches

CMP (chocolate, marshmallow, peanut) Brownies

Asian Marinated Steak

 

Small Success: Shoes, Schedules and Chocolate

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ThuSmall Success dark blue outline 800x800rsdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

1. For work, I’ve gotten a lot done and prescheduled and I have a plan to continue to get ahead in advance of the Catholic Writers Guild conference, coming up in less than 2 weeks. That’s a WIN for productivity.

2. I made a run to the shoe store this morning, not for retail therapy (my usual reason for buying shoes) but because tendonitis in both feet is flaring up again and I didn’t have any shoes in the house that I could wear without pain. More than that, I was worried that I’d have to show up at the CWG Conference (and meet lots of people of influence) dressed like Melanie Griffiths in the opening scenes of Working Girl: business attire and running shoes. earth origins sadieI found something I like that can be worn with dress pants and that give my feet the support they need: Earth Origins Sadie. I feel like I can stand up in these shoes all day long. They’re not formal, but they’ll be fine with black or gray trousers and a nice blouse–and that’s exactly what I needed.

I also need to bite the bullet and get rid of all the shoes that hurt when I wear them, because clearly I cannot wear them anymore.

3. I baked a decadent dessert for tonight’s folk group practice. CMP browniesWe’re celebrating the 45th wedding anniversary of two of our group’s founding members. So here’s your sneak peek at CMP Brownies (chocolate, marshmallow, peanut). I’ll be writing up the recipe later for Cook and Count.

4. I managed to semi-reschedule my Adoration hour to accommodate The Kid’s camp pickup time (which is not flexible.) I’m blessed to share my hour with a retired couple, so I made sure they’d be there, and then started my hour early so I could leave early and make it to pickup. Usually I hate, hate, hate both rescheduling things and asking for accommodations, but I survived the experience.

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

Note: that link for the shoes is an Amazon affiliate link, which means if you follow that link and purchase something from Amazon, I’ll get a little kickback that can be applied to one of the gazillion books on my wish list. Or more shoes.