new fall faves, cooking edition

one thing i love to do when i'm home and have extra time is to cook a nice meal. a friend introduced me this website, which has so many yummy recipes and helpful cooking tips. a few weeks ago, i made the creamy chicken & wild rice soup with homemade bread bowls. 100% delicious and amazing. i highly recommend.

i've also made the pumpkin chocolate chip bread a few times. it tastes exactly like fall and jared and i seem to get around a full loaf of it in no time. as the recipe says, it definitely tastes better on day two. another fantastic recipe, and it's surprisingly really easy to make.

buon appetito

mom & i took an italian cooking class at thanksgiving point.
i'm sure it was more useful for one of us than the other. i'll let you guess who's who.
the chef, who cooks at cucina toscana---mmm, exuded all things italian culture.
i was in my own heaven watching him talk with his hands as he
told stories in his strong accent.
 he walked us through tiramisu, pork tenderloin and
my favorite of the day lasagna bianca.

happy day

tax deadlines are some of the better days of my life, i.e. right next to birthdays, christmas, and july 4 in terms of anticipation and awesomeness. i left work friday the 15th at 6 pm with all my returns filed, feeling 99 parts exhausted and defeated and 1 part ready to go out and celebrate. jared and i decided on a quick date to our favorite thai siam.

if you ever go, you must get the sticky rice dessert with mango. i'm telling you - the stuff is legit.

we sat and chatted. lucky jared got to hear my list of ten thousand things i would like to do with my new free time. i don't know what it is about being so consumed by work, but with every busy season i manage to create list after list of things to do post-busy season. maybe it's my way of keeping hope?

here's some favs from my lists:

• run on the jordan river trail
• d.i. trip for frames and books
• ease into my lost social life
• put that 20% off urban outfitters coupon to use
• find the sunshine and get a tan
• refinish and reupholster chairs from classifieds

alls i know is that sounds like heaven compared to taxes.
so happy to move onto more interesting things.

resolution no. 3

plan a weekly menu.

i know life is in order when i spend time on saturday planning lunches & dinners
for the following week, and then i go to the store and buy all of the groceries i will need.

it fixes the problem of getting off work at 6 and then trying to think of something to make
followed by jumping in the car for a quick trip to the store,
only to start cooking dinner way too late.

it fixes the problem of wondering what to buy at the grocery store
and buying items that sit in my fridge unused until i dump them in the trash.

it helps me eat more home-cooked meals and less taco bell dinners.

and i think there is something about a home-cooked meal,
especially when i have the right ingredients and know what i'm making.

here is my inspiration.

from ollibird.

this post concludes my 2011 resolutions.

here's how i'm doing with resolutions no. 1 & 2:
i joined my neighborhood book club this month and am reading googled by ken auletta.
and i'm baking bread like crazy.
one month down, eleven to go.

s'il vous plait

hey how are you? are you feeling the christmas cheer?

the first week of december has been a whirlwind of parties and gatherings, errands and to-do lists,
and nights in eating soup and watching the jazz play.
mix in my favorite holiday radio station
--contemporary holiday on slacker radio--
and a couple mugs of hot cocoa, and it's been a busy and joyful december so far.

this week i got together with cousins, aunt, grandma & mom for a fondue dinner.

isn't grandma's fur coat lovely? she is hip like that.

melting pot's dessert is above and beyond anything else i've eaten--todiefor!

i'm the oldest grandchild on this side of the family,
and it's crazy to see my cousins so grown up and in college and one even married!

my mom and aunt, like peanut butter & jelly, generally found together.

the company was fabulous & the food tasty.
also, main street is lit up beautifully if you're in the area.

keep it up december. i like where this is going.

monday slumday

i can't honestly believe...

i'm still watching the bachelorette. the lines feel more scripted and the cheese is thicker than ever. i think it's reached the phase where nobody should be trusted even though everyone professes to be there "for the right reasons." what does that even mean? i'm not convinced ali is even going to pick anyone in the end, and it makes me mad just thinking about it. i think she's gotten what she wants from it--the fame and glam. yah-dee-yah... time to find another television timewaster.

oh, and the bachelor pad preview?!? the bachelorette was never a functional/wholesome show, and the bachelor pad looks about 1 million times worse. jared says he would watch it just to see the weatherman, and i might agree. he's hilarious! i love his line from the bachelorette when he's filming the music video and he and ali are passionately kissing in the library when talks about the scene saying,

"like a rocket ship - it just blew up emotionally."

haha! are you kidding me?

just one more thing about the bachelorette... how about craig r. tonight? he's so vocal and his opinions are right on! i would like to see him and "rated r" fight it out.

i woke up saturday morning...

to the aftermath of my birthday gift, my first month's bill from the iphone. as if the dozens of dropped phone calls were enough of a gift from at&t, my bill was sky high and i assure you i didn't use not even one extra minute/text/data. they have a fee for everything, and oh my plan is prepay because that's what i signed up for (really?), and don't forget the ginormous setup charge!!! ugh. i called customer service at 9 am when it opened, and they were about as helpful and friendly as a couple of robots on another planet. basically i've got 2 years of crap coming my way.

the phone is awesome, and i can multi-task just about anywhere with it. {this is what i will tell myself for the next two years.} i'm skyping, and tweeting, and blogging, and being entertained with games and the world wide and it's fun! it's almost scary how much i can do with it. like i have to think to myself to put the phone down and just let it be me and jared for the night.

to celebrate the pioneers...

we had my family over for a bbq. for the first time in our marriage and my life, in the last six months or so i think the cooking thing has finally clicked. the mr. and i make regular meals together complete with side dishes and vegetables, and we both actually like how they taste. it hasn't always been this way. just ask my family (or spend a few minutes with me in the kitchen with them), and all of the old jokes will come back. like one time i thought a cucumber was a zucchini and i cooked it with olive oil and squash on the stove. yea, it doesn't taste right.

i've ventured out of my usual recipes to try a few new ones. i could never say i love a recipe blog or website because you just never know what you're going to get. but i can say that jenna's peach mango chicken over coconut rice is to die for, and sara has perfected the classic pancake. serious, if you're looking for new recipes try them both and then look around on their blogs for more ideas.

ps - isn't jenna's recipe blog adorable?

i'm off to bed to sleep this monday away and carry on refreshed from leaving my worries here with you. good night.

what my heaven will be like

i have a new favorite dessert. do you ever order the molten chocolate cake from chilis? it happens to be one of my favs, and i just found out how to create the masterpiece myself. you should create and then indulge too. mmm.

from the small parties cookbook by marguerite marceau henderson:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
12 tablespoons butter
3 large eggs
4 egg yolks
1.5 cups powdered sugar
.5 cup flour

coat 6 ramekins with softened butter and then sprinkle with sugar.
heat the chocolate with the butter in a saucepan until melted.
in a bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolks until frothy.
add to the bowl the melted chocolate when cooled, the powdered sugar and flour.
bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees.
eat within minutes of removing the cakes from the heat.

i like my heaven served with a small spoon of vanilla bean ice cream and some kind of berry, preferable raspberries.

cookies for jared

every saturday i sit on the couch and flip through a few of my favorite cookbooks, partly because i'm entertained by pictures of yummy food and classy entertainment, but mostly because i get really sick of eating tacos and pasta. i like to try new recipes. some are better than others. i'm reminded of my recent try at gorgonzola pasta, which the mr. and i tasted and within seconds the entire dinner was washed down the drain and we searched quickly to find something to replace the terrible taste in our mouths.

last saturday as i sat flipping pages and jotting down ingredients, jared joined me and said a few "mmmmms" and awwwwws" as i passed different dishes. at one point we passed a recipe for peanut butter cookies. just like a little kid, jared told me they are his favorite cookie and talked about how delicious the little kiss was on top.

i haven't seen a lot of him this week, and he's gone again tonight. i stopped at the store on my way home and i'm currently baking these:

i thought i would surprise him with a few cookies and a note. so mooshy-gooshy, i know, but everyone likes an unexpected treat.

Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:
• Olive Oil
• Onion
• Fresh Garlic Cloves
• Fresh Basil Leaves
• Whole Tomatoes (3)
• Salt
• Parmesan Cheese

Saute a diced onion and 2 whole garlic cloves in olive oil (about 1/4 cup) on medium heat for about 7 minutes. Add 3 whole peeled blanched tomatoes, basil leaves (about 7), and some salt. Cook on medium to medium-low heat while pasta cooks. Add parmesan cheese before serving.

Serves 4.

One of My Favorite Dates

Dinner at Texas Roadhouse...

Followed by shopping at Gateway where my ever-so-patient husband paces the floors of Urban Outfitters while intermittently commenting on all of the "grandma sweaters."

Jared gets to eat steak, and I get to look at all of the hip new styles. A perfect date.

Parmesan Crusted Halibut Cheeks

Mmmmmm... I ate lunch at the Metropolitan Grill today, and I am becoming a huge fan of halibut. It might just be my new favorite food. Now, I just need to learn how to cook it myself. The idea of cooking fish really freaks me out, but maybe I can find a way to get over it.

The people at work treat me really well. Yesterday and today I ate out on the company. They really spoil you with the best food, which is really nice for my poor husband because I'm still not up to par in the kitchen. I think he survives by eating lots for lunch and really stocking up during the day so that at dinner time he can stomach whatever comes his way. Okay, I'm not that bad, but still I could use some help. The same 3 dishes get really old.

A Whole New Way of Doing Breakfast

Okay, check it out. So I eat oatmeal nearly every morning for breakfast. I have this daily ritual. I get to work at 7:45, then at about 9 a.m. I head to the lunch room to make a packet of oatmeal. I’m not a crazy fan of the texture or taste, but I must admit it’s not half bad for how healthy it is. Recently I discovered the absolute best-tasting oatmeal I have ever tried. My friend Rachel at work gave me a packet of Archer Farms Organic Blueberry Almond Instant Oatmeal. It’s made with real blueberries and has such a yummy flavor. Due to the whole organic thing it’s slightly more expensive than regular oatmeal flavors, but it is most definitely worth it. You’ll also be glad to know that it’s just as healthy as your average oatmeal too. These packets of deliciousness can be found at a Target store near you. Thanks Rachel!

De*LISH*ous Blueberry Muffins

It's a well know fact that I'm not Rachael Ray or Paula Deen when it comes to cooking, but there is one thing the Lishes have learned to master--Blueberry Muffins. This recipe comes from somewhere online, who knows, but you've got to try it. These are the best muffins ever. ENJOY!

Blueberry Muffins
Topping
1/4 cup flour
2 T sugar
2 T brown sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
2 T cold, unsalted butter cut in pieces

Mix the above ingredients in a small bowl with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Set aside.

Muffins
Cream together:
7 T unsalted butter at room temperature (I substitute 3 T of applesauce)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs

In another bowl mix:
2 1/4 cups flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Measure 1 cup of milk and to that add 1 1/2 t vanilla in a glass measuring bowl. Add the dry ingredients and the milk/vanilla mixture to the creamy mixture alternating between the dry ingredients and the milk/vanilla mixture. When mixed add 1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen). Be careful to not over mix.

Spoon the mixture into muffin tins and sprinkle some crumb topping on each muffin.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
Makes 12 muffins.