Adventures in Cooking

I have been in a major cooking rut lately. I think it is part of the reason we tend to eat out more than we should. Lately Ryan and I have been watching a lot of Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Chanel (re-runs were getting old!). If you have never seen his show it is worth a watch. He can be pretty snarky and sarcastic, but he goes to interesting places and goes out of his way to meet and experience the "real" world (not the tourist hotspots). He is also a major foodie and the majority of the show focuses on the countries food and culture - but in truth food has got to be the biggest part of most cultures. I am inspired by this show to experiment with some new ideas.

The other day I was flipping through a magazine and bam I found 4 recipes right off the bat that actually sounded good and not to time consuming to make. The first one I tried was called New Mexican Style Pot Roast.

Now me being me cannot cook without a little tinkering so I have modified this from the original recipe. For instance the orginal recipe's cooking instructions were for using an the oven and cooking the meat for about 3 hours, I have no desire to sit around and do that so I crock potted it - probably used a little more beef broth/beer than was called for. Also the recipe called for squash - Ryan refused to even try it if I put squash in it so I omitted that. I did add (what a surprise!): onion, bell pepper, celery and carrots. And of course after enjoying our meal we have some more tweaking changes to make - I listed those after the recipe below.

New Mexican Style Pot Roast - ala Sarah

2.5 lb roast (salt/pepper/garlic powder to taste)
15 oz of red enchilada sauce
1 bottle of beer (I used an Amber Ale)
beef broth (enough to get the roast covered after the enchilada sauce and beer are added

I cooked the roast in the crock pot with the above mentioned ingredients on low all day

About 2.5 hours before serving I added to the crock pot (and turned it on high)

an onion
a green bell pepper
2 sweet potatos
celery (a couple of stalks)
carrots (several)
1 can of hominy

Result: YUMMO!!!!!!!

I will make this again - upon Mr. "I will not eat a sweet potatos" request I will add in a couple of red potatos and probably reduce to one sweet.

We both love hominy so I will put another can of that in
I also think ancho pepper would be good

When you open the pot to add the veggies - taste the sauce and add black pepper, red pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. I didn't do this and it was a tad bland - but we love spice!

I am going to try the other two recipes I found in the coming weeks. My goal is something new each week and to update on how it goes.

Bon Apetit!

Excitement in Sand Springs!

We are so excited Miri has been asked to be a "little person" in the Sand Springs Homecoming Court this year! Her babysitter, Rachael, is a nominee for Homecoming Queen - CONGRATULATIONS RACHAEL!!!!

The homecoming court always has little kids as pages - so Rachael immediately put Miri on the list. This year there will be two boys and two girls. Miri gets to go to the high school next week for pictures, she will get to ride in a convertible during the parade, with one of the football players, and will be part of the pep assembly on the day of game and of course on the field during the crowning ceremony during the game. No one knows until the ceremony at the game who the winner will be - we of course are keeping everything crossed for Rachael. For the actual ceremony she will have to wear a frilly, puffy dressy dress!!!!

Can we say a shopping trip is in the future! :-)

I will post pictures as soon as I have them!!!

A Brat

I don't know how it happened by Miriam has turned into a little brat. Tonight at dinner Cat took her to the potty since she was finished and none of the rest of us were. When the girls come back to the table (about 3 seconds before I was heading to find them!) Cat looks like she is about to cry and M runs right over to me and hugs me "I love you Mommy". As she is doing this Cat is talking to Jenna and Jeremy. Apparently while Cat was holding Miri's dress for her Miri decided to taste Cat's fingers. Yup she bit her! We never had a problem with her biting before, in fact Miri was always the one getting bit when she was younger at her babysitter's house. Jenna asked Cat what she did when Miri bit her, did you cry or hit? Nope. (I am proud of Cat for not reacting this way) Miriam did cry because she didn't want Cat to tell anyone!

So of course I start having a little talk with M, but she keeps saying "but I love you" and kissing and hugging and flashing that smile of hers. I did get through because she started crying, she knew I was mad and more importantly she knew she was wrong.

What I don't understand is when/how did my sweet little girl turn into a little brat? Why does she think she can just "be cute" and that excuse her behavior?

I don't let her run over us. She does get time-outs and if Ryan catches her a swat on the butt (if she is really bad). But truthfully she never does what she did tonight. What on earth possessed this behavior from her? And more importantly how can we nip this in the bud - I do not want a brat!

I am so tired

I can't even think straight. I guess that this is punishment to having a wonderful relaxing 4 day weekend! Our Labor Day weekend was great, except for the OU loosing part - that kinda sucked! I posted pictures on Flickr and Facebook for those interested.

I should have known Monday night when the phone rang at 10:00 that relaxing times were behind us. It was my Dad to inform me that Cat was running a temp. of 103! Yikes and Swine Flu were my first thoughts! I was right, her doctor confirmed it on Tuesday. For some reason the Swine Flu (H1N1) really scares me. I guess the biggest reason is Miri, she is at a vulnerable age (being under 65!) and has asthma, I actually fall into this same group, but I am way more scared for her than for me. But Cat's bought with it wasn't terrible. Her doc. did give her Tama Flu (anti viral medication) and she was bouncing off the walls by Wednesday night. I however worried and obsessed over Miriam, and I can tell it affected my sleep. By Tuesday when it was appearnt that Cat was recovering I was working on a better attitude about the whole thing.

In fact Wednesday morning I was kicking butt at work and getting tons done (as opposed to googling H1N1 vaccine info. trying to figure out how to get M vaccinated last week!) when the phone rang and my week tunnelled into complete non-productivity!

It was my Dad again. My Granny (maternal) had taken a turn for the worse and the nurse was afraid she wouldn't make it another hour. So my brother and I rushed over to the nursing home to be with her and my Mom. She was bad. I have read in books before about the "death rattle" and she had that it sounded so awful also whenever someone would bend to speak with her she would let out a moan, I couldn't tell from pain or acknowledgment. When my Papa died in Oct. 2006, it was much quieter - almost coma like. His death also took a lot longer. He died nearly a week after we were summoned to his bedside to say our last goodbyes. My Granny did not last that long, and I am glad. She died about 7 that evening. I hate to say it but it has been a relief. She had a stroke in the spring of 2008 and broke her hip in the fall, ever since then she has needed full time care and her mind was not all there. When we would visit we never knew what reality she was living in.

I feel very sad for my Mom. She is an only child and has no parents left on earth. I am not sure why thinking of this bothers me so much. My Dad is an only child too and his last living parent died when I was 12. Maybe because I am a parent now and my perspective on life has changed a little bit. I am not sure I am ready for life with my parents being the "elders" in the family. I liked the idea that there was a generation ahead of them in this world and that is no longer reality.

Tonight is the first evening I have been home before 10:30 since Tuesday and yet sleep alludes me. Why? I am not able to focus on much. I thought I was ready for her to die. I guess I was ready in the sense that I wanted her suffering to end. I was sick of watching my Mom worry constantly about her and in truth I was concerned that she would out live her reserves and my parents would have to start paying for her care out of their retired pockets. Now I feel guilt. Guilt I have thought all of that, guilt I wasn't a better granddaughter, I never seemed to find the time to go visit, unless my Mom was dragging me over there, guilt that I wanted her to find some peace and leave earth, guilt that the dying process completely grosses my out, I started gagging when I bent down to tell her bye because of the odor coming from her moan, and guilt that my Mom is now parent-less. Oh and guilt that I am completely frustrated with my Mom and her lack of organization. Yesterday I was over there looking for a letter my Granny had written about funeral instructions, I remember reading it when my Papa died, and telling my Mom to put it up where she would remember it when Granny's time came, we still haven't found it. This morning I helped my Mom pick out her clothes. We have known for awhile that my Granny was not going to need "real" clothes until it was time for her funeral. I would have thought Mom would have picked them out, had them ready for a steam press and all. Of course not. She ran them to the cleaners, played the "dead mom card" to get them steamed and over to the funeral home within an hour.

I don't think I am making much sense, I think I need to go to bed.

A Bedtime Story

Every night after we read books, Miriam requests her "Miri goes to bed-time story" This is just a recap story of her day, but a very important part of our bedtime ritual. Tonight's story went as follows:

"Miri got up early but was a really good girl because she let Mommy and Daddy sleep late. She played in her room and then after we all got up and went down stairs...."

"No Mommy! I got up and went down stairs to get birthday cake then I played in my room...."

Awww - so that explains the spinning in circles she did in our room this morning before we got up!

Passages

I can’t believe it is September 1 already. This morning was Miriam’s first day of preschool. She was such a big girl – no tears! But she did ask for an extra hug. I was a bad Mommy and didn't get the prerequisite before school picture, but here she is after school!

Getting her to not pose for a picture has been a little challenging lately!!

This summer has flown by. On the highlight list are:

Miri no long uses her bobo (pacifier)

And *drum roll*

She is FULLY POTTY TRAINED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe how quickly she is growing up. I also feel like these two accomplishments have fully ended her baby/toddler years – she is now a big girl (as she likes to tell me repeatedly throughout the day!) Sometimes I feel a little sad that we no longer have a little baby, but as time goes by and more and more trips to the store pass without the purchase of diapers I miss the total neediness less and less.

I have enjoyed all (well mostly all) phases of this journey. But I have to say right now is the best! Miri sleeps through the night, if she needs to get up and potty she does so without making a production of it (waking us up!) On weekends she is content to play in her room so Mom and Dad can get an extra hour or two (or 3.5!) in of sleep. Even though her room is normally completely trashed by the time we get up it is so worth it to have that extra sleep! She will not only play by herself inside (without the TV) but she will also play outdoors without trying to come in every few minutes. Her current favorite outdoor activity is to dig for pirate treasure in the backyard. She was digging in the middle of the yard until Ryan and I convinced her that the mole trails along the fence were really pirate trials! It is so nice to be able to read/relax outside without a “Mommy look at me, Mommy do this” every second. When we dine out she will entertain herself with her little toys, she even normally orders for herself! She is understandable and polite. She can still sometimes be a pill, but those instances are few and far between.

Now as much as I love this newfound independence, patients and company I am not looking forward to the day when we are no longer her world. I love the fact she wants us near her and she hugs and kisses all the time. Weekend mornings, after she has deemed we have had enough extra sleep, she comes up for cuddle and tickle time. There is nothing in the world greater than tickling your baby until she laughs so hard she snorts!

Ryan waited all summer for a big project at work, and now it has taken off, so he is really busy again and working long hours. I ended up working more than I really thought I would have to this summer, but it is all good. This fall/winter is not looking too crazy!