my kitchen

why wouldn't you want to cook (all the time) if you had a hubby that built you this kitchen!

BEFORE:  my lovely kitchen...already loved this place!  The wall color is so nice in person

AFTER:  Close up of my new counter-tops...granite slab picked out by Corey...in case you're interested its called typhoon bordeaux

Then there is the our new back splash he put up...by. him. self.

 oh and that involved pulling out the sockets to make them flush with the tile

 close up...beautiful!!!  i love it

   And I just realized I don't have a picture of my new sink and faucet.  I'll post later.  Corey and my Dad installed those. 

Some tips:  because I think we realized tonight my husband's passion (DIY)

1.  take out your old counter tops yourself.  It is really easy.  don't be mislead by your granite company when they want to charge you $300 bucks to do something you can do one evening after work.  Corey simply took a screwdriver and unscrewed the bolts that connected them to the cabinets.
2.  install (hook up) your new sink and faucet.  We purchased our sink from the granite company (they usually give you a better deal than you can get at home depot - for reference ours was $250 - it's a 70/30, 16 gauge.)  We purchased our faucet from home depot.  I don't think the granite company offered that, but it was around $220.  Installing is very easy.  People are a little intimidated by this but as long as you take it slow, oh and have some one who knows what they are doing, its do-able!

I really need to take a picture of this because it is probably my favorite part of my kitchen.  It is so convenient to have such a large sink...and it is really beautiful.

We still want to change out our appliances.  To tell you the truth they don't bother me too terribly.  One major thing to think about when choosing your granite is to think about your current appliances and whether you will be wanting to make any future changes.  We picked ours knowing it will go great with our current white ones and our future stainless steel!

Two (non) baked treats!

First I saw this cake batter chocolate bark on how sweet and KNEW I had to try it...I mean look at these pictures...

So fun!  But I knew I also wanted to make something Christmas-y.  So peppermint patties...why not!

Here are the recipes:

Cake Batter Chocolate Bark
6 ounces good dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)
12 ounces good white chocolate (I used Lindt)
1 teaspoon yellow cake mix
sprinkles of your choice (at least 3 tablespoons worth or more)
Melt dark chocolate either in the microwave or a double boiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour chocolate on. You can smooth it with a spatula to the thickness you desire. Stick in the freeze for 20 minutes.
Melt while chocolate. Whisk in cake mix, stirring well until no lumps remain. Let it set for 3 full minutes (or at least until it slightly thickens). Remove baking sheet with chocolate from the freezer and immediately pour white chocolate on top. Sprinkle on sprinkles. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Once set, break into chunks. Keep refrigerated.

Peppermint Patties

adapted from Joy of Baking

2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons evaporated milk

1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

drop of peppermint extract 

 1-2 cups chocolate chips

In an electric mixer, beat first 5 ingredients until smooth. Scoop into a bowl and place in the refrigerator to set. Once firm, roll into one inch balls. Push down to flatten. Set in freeze for another 60 minutes.

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler. Remove patties from freezer and dip in chocolate, setting on wax paper. Freeze again until ready to eat.

Can't wait to see how they turn out...and can't wait to see one of my best girl friends and her guy.  We always have a great time together.  Like I told her last time I saw her, I just try to soak her up when I do get to see her since its not too ofter since she lives in Chicago!

Pot Roast

Mmmm I am imagining the pup must be drooling in his cage right now at the smell in my house!  Sandra Lee's pot roast is cooking away...this recipe I found in the very first cookbook I ever purchased when we were first married at Sam's club for maybe 6 dollars.  It had a few "chefs" recipes at the beginning of the book and one was Sandra Lee's pot roast.  I searched the web but couldn't find this recipe of hers the same way it was in the book...so I don't have a link for you but boy is it good.

Pot Roast - please forgive my paraphrasing

Roast 3 to 6 lbs in size
2 cups red wine
1 pkg italian dressing mix
1/2 cup balsalmic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbls worcestershire sauce
4 cups (or more) beef broth
2 pkgs meatloaf seasoning
2 onions
couple stalks celery
carrots
other veggies if you wish...like maybe some mushrooms

1.  marinate roast overnight in wine, dressing mix, oil and vinegar, and worcestershire.
2.  discard marinade and pat dry with paper towels.  then brown or sear all sides of roast in olive oil.
3.  cook on low in crock pot 7-8 hours (or you could reduce cook time on high setting) in broth and meatloaf seasoning with veggies.

Can't wait to come home to this tonight.  And tonight I'm also baking (although I'm not sure how much baking is involved) a few treats for my hostess this weekend which I will share with you a little later.  They come courtesy of mrs. how sweet :)

Thanksgiving day in pictures

Thanksgiving was so wonderful...to give you perspective, Corey immediately asked - can we have Thanksgiving / any other holiday here at our house everytime?!!  I would love that just because I loved having family here.  Of course it makes me comfortable and makes the day very relaxing.  But thats not what its all about, so I am looking forward to seeing my extended family members next holiday.  So here we are...

the pup passed out - middle of the dining room

As my mom says, this is the look of pure contentment...and this was prior to him stealing a turkey leg off the counter...

our finished dining room and new table!  Cramed full with 9 chairs

beautiful table setting courtesy of our mom's

how pretty is this!  I wanted to leave it burning all night but was afraid it would get too hot on the new table. 

mmmm...pumpkin cheesecake was a hit...but I honestly couldn't think about eating it again...for like at least a few weeks ;)

my pup again, now asleep on the bed

and my craft :)  what the holiday is truly about!

Christmas time

I have been realizing that Christmas can go by so quickly each year as we start to get older.  And it just doesn't have the same Christmas-y feeling that it used to.  Why does this happen?  Rush, business, time, money, obligations...too many reasons to count.  I no longer soak up the season like I used to.  I don't stroll around the mall with my mom and sister or best friend in high school with no time in mind just enjoying shopping for others and looking at the lights and decorations.  I don't plan ahead like I used to and enjoy buying gifts for others like I used to.  (Don't get me wrong, I still love buying for others, I just used to REALLY love it.  Like plan way in advance each little present I was getting my sister and why it would just be perfect for her.) 


We are going up to Chicago this weekend to visit friends and attend their annual ugly sweater christmas party and we are really excited!  I hope that gets us in the mood :)  And also I want to go shopping Friday for gifts which will help.  I honestly think it has to do with being so busy at night after work and also on the weekends.  Not just having endless time to think Christmas.  To tell you the truth, I can't wait for the day I get to see Christmas again through the eyes of a toddler.  And until then, I'll look forward to and pray for that day.

I hope everyone is having a joyus Christmas season and keeping in mind the true reason for the season. 

Luke 2:9-12
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. (10) And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (12) And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Pablano Cream Sauce

We were in the mood for some mexican Sunday so I decided to try out this recipe I saw on Martha Stewart!  It was really good.  Next time I would probably add another pepper for the amount of cream used.  We mixed some salsa in and it was soo good!  I just topped mine on a chicken breast and Corey shredded chicken and had his in a tortilla. 

Pablano Cream Sauce
1 poblano chile
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup heavy cream
Coarse salt and ground pepper

We had this with homemade refried beans and some mexican rice.

This recipe was from the blog Eat at Home

Refried Beans
3 Tbs. butter
1 small onion, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
2 cans kidney or pinto beans, drained
1 can chopped green chilis
about 1 cup tomato sauce
salt to taste
Melt the butter in a skillet.  Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until soft.  Add the beans to the skillet and mash them with a fork.  Stir in the chopped green chilis and tomato sauce.  Heat until hot and bubbly.  There is no comparison to the canned stuff!

We had a great weekend!  We had dinner Friday night to celebrate Corey's sister Kelly's bday at Maggiano's.  Only one of our favorite restuarants!!!  Saturday I got to go shopping with my mom.  Although I didn't accomplish a lot of my Christmas shopping list we still had a great time together as always.  AND she treated me to a peppermint mocha from starbucks!  Yummy!  Then me and Cor went and picked out and cut down our tree!  Its seriously so huge.  9 feet tall.  So we had a fun time with that!  Then we went out for a few drinks with some friends that evening.  Sunday we went to church, watched the colts game, then decorated our tree!  Then this morning we awoke to the thing on the ground.  Pretty hilarious...not so hilarious was the many shattered ornaments that I am going to have to sweep up this afternoon!  But me, mom, and sis are watching eclipse tonight yay!

Roasted Tomato Soup with Poblano Peppers and Oregano

So I am not avoiding updating about how turkey day turned out...I am just terrible about uploading pictures from my camera.  And I really want to have pictures with that post!  I guess I should probably get better if I want to keep this blogging thing interesting! 

This soup was awesome!  Its a little spicy, but not too spicy (I guess you could change up the number of peppers you used to make it more or less).  The smell of the roasted tomatos and peppers was so good.  I am obviously a little obsessed with soups this fall/winter... which Cor says is ok by him because he loves them too!  I'll have to share the recipe for his mom's chicken and dumplings we had last week (prior to turkey day).  They are soo good and perfect comfort food for this weather! 

Here is your ingredient list, photo (and recipe of course) courtesy of For the Love of Cooking:

Roasted Tomato Soup with Poblanos and Oregano

 

3 large tomatoes

3 poblano chiles
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 cups of beef broth
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Preheat the broiler. Place the tomatoes on the baking sheet and place into the oven. Roast the tomatoes on each side until the skins are blackened. Allow the tomatoes to cool before removing and discarding the skins. Pull the core out and discard; place the tomatoes and its juices in a food processor and process until you get a puree.

Place the poblano chiles on the same baking sheet and place under the broiler until all sides are blackened. Place the chilies in a bowl and cover with saran wrap or a kitchen towel for 5 minutes to steam. Peel, pull out stem, and seed pod of each chile. Slice the chiles into smalls strips.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil, then add onions and oregono and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and roasted poblanos and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the tomato puree and beef broth then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Serve with cheese and enjoy!

 

I served with the queso fresca cheese I had left over from stuffed peppers the first time I ate this soup.  Then for the leftovers I actually toasted up some leftover bread with cheddar cheese under the broiler and made some little cheesy croutons out of it and topped the soup with those.  This was the way to go for me!  I thought it added a new dimension - I mean who doesn't like to add a little cheesy bread!!!

 

This was the first recipe I had made from For the Love of Cooking...but I don't think it will be my last.  We really liked the soup and I really like her style of cooking.  Homemade, and generally healthy. 

 

I just can't describe how much I am loving this new journey as a cook.  I mean I love all the new flavors that I didn't necessary taste before and I just constantly find new recipes I want to try and tackle.  And not to mention I sort of love doing it for those I love...like mr. corey.