Starting the Big List

It's official, I've broken in my Day Zero Project!



54.   Read one hundred and twenty-five books (9/125)

I've read nine books since we last talked:

1. Nora Roberts - The Next Always 
2. Diane Haeger - The Secret Bride: In the Court of Henry VIII (In Progress!) 
3. Sophie Kinsella - Shopaholic Ties the Knot 
4. Sophie Kinsella - Shopaholic and Sister
5.  Sophie Kinsella - Shopaholic and Baby 
6. Nora Roberts - Enchanted 
7. Nora Roberts - Charmed 
8. Nora Roberts - Entranced 
9. Nora Roberts - Captivated

The new Nora Roberts book was okay, but not as good as some of her others. The Sophie Kinsella Shopaholic series is SO funny and cute. The flop movie turned me off, but I'm so glad I gave the books a chance. I've loved every Sophie Kinsella book I've read -- I think I might have even read them all? The Nora Roberts series was cheap for my Kindle. It was a little fantasy, with witches and magic. It was okay, again. Nothing amazing, but plenty good enough to curl up with and forget the world for a while. My favorite kind.




69.   Try ten new slow-cooker recipes (2/10)

 I've been trying so hard to use my slow cooker more. I've got chili on the menu for later in the week. But I've had the hardest time finding good recipes for it that don't come out totally bland.

We tried a BBQ chicken recipe that was just that - BLAND. It was so bad, I didn't even eat it. Fail! But it counts.

Last week I tried a different beef recipe. I have a favorite that I make all the time, and everyone loves. But I wanted something different, so I tried this French Dip Recipe. It was pretty good! I topped the sandwiches with mozzarella and broiled them for a few minutes, and they reminded me of a sub you would pick up at a sandwich shop like Charlie's Subs, which we have on base. Still pretty tasty. I've got half leftover which we'll probably eat later this week.



70.   Try ten restaurants in and around Misawa (2/10)

Since the weather is so full of snow and ice, we've been staying close to home. Which makes adventures hard to tackle, so we've been eating instead.

We tried a local Italian restaurant called Angelo's one weekend.

Excuse the blurry photo. I took a picture of Jeff eating his tortellini, but he was chewing and it's just bad. I ate most of my margherita pizza before I remembered to snap a picture. It was a really good dinner. We both got a salad and delicious crusty garlic bread. Both of our meals were delicious. We'll probably go back sometime in the near future.

We also tried a local fast food place called Sukiya. We've heard about it a lot from our friends but hadn't gone yet. On Saturday I had a craving for yakisoba, but my favorite place had no parking, so we went elsewhere. We tried Sukiya since it had plenty of parking (this little city has NO parking).

It's basically rice bowls of all combinations. Jeff got a basic beef bowl, I got a 3 cheese beef bowl, and we both got miso soup. It was really tasty, although I think I prefer another rice bowl place we tried a while back. I didn't take a picture, but it looks really similar to this. This picture is from the other place I prefer, which I cannot pronounce the name of, and we went there a couple times over the summer. I've been meaning to go back, but you know how that goes.

It doesn't fit neatly into the checklist, but I've started my "Get in Shape to Climb Mount Fuji" challenge. I worked out hard last week and was dying by Friday, and I started it again this week. I'm hoping next month I can make it longer than five minutes on the stair stepper...but I have lost 3lbs. since I've started!

Breakfast

First, I have no explanation for my all-over-the-placeness with blogging. Back and forth, back and forth again. I'm sure there's a legitimate reason somewhere, but I don't have it at the moment. Bear with me please.


Ever since I started working at 6:30/7am, breakfast has been a quick and hurried shove food in my mouth as fast as possible while I run out the door type of event. Even when I didn't work and stayed home all day, I'd grab something quick and small for breakfast. Cereal, granola bar, what have you. Of course, I get hungy again in an hour. Not the best idea.

http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/03/breakfast-sandwiches/

Since I've been making baby steps in eating better, I decided this week was the week to work on my morning habits. I'll never be the girl who can get up an extra 30 minutes early to scramble an egg or fix something filling, no matter how hard I try or what time I work. Morning's just aren't my friend.

But this was easy! Using this blog post as inspiration, I went and cooked a dozen eggs this weekend. I stumbled on the post on Pinterest and had pinned it a while back, thinking about how good McDonald's breakfast can be sometimes.

www.macheesmo.com/2010/03/breakfast-sandwiches/

Basically, you bake the eggs in a muffin tin until fully cooked. Assemble the sandwiches and freeze. Easy.

For my first try, it wasn't too bad. The eggs were a little overdone, but mainly because I got distracted and didn't watch them closely enough while they were baking. Still good enough. I assembled with cheese slices because it's even less work, froze uncovered for maybe 30 minutes (it was getting to be my bedtime and I was impatient!) and then wrapped in tin foil and froze again.

This morning, I popped three in the oven at 5:35am and set the timer for 25 minutes while I went to finish blow drying my hair and getting ready for work. They came out just in time for me to wolf one down and chug as much coffee as I could without burning my tongue. I can manage popping something in the oven and walking away, I just can't carve out an extra couple of minutes of standing in the kitchen. I left them in a few minutes too long, so the english muffins were a little too crispy. But still good. Jeff and I both enjoyed them, and I stayed full much longer than normal.

I'm planning to make them again for breakfast tomorrow, with a few minutes less in the oven.

Now I just need to figure out a handful of other ways to get a good breakfast with no time in the morning. I'll get sick of these if I eat them every day, but right now they taste lovely and extra special replacing my normal toast or granola bar.

The recipe is pretty self-explanatory. The only new thing I discovered was the muffin tin. In the past, I've made a quick fried egg and assembled a sandwich. This was easier, and I was left with a dozen eggs rather than just one.

Here's another link in case you've missed it: www.macheesmo.com/2010/03/breakfast-sandwiches/

Chicken Stuffed Crescent Rolls

There is no real name for this recipe. I call it something different every single time I make it, and Jeff never knows what to call it. But he loves it. The first time I made these, he said they were his favorite recipe of mine so far. He still inhales them. I believe my aunt was the first to try to stuff her crescent rolls, then my dad added broccoli, and eventually I tried the recipe and loved it. It's easy and quick and is so good.



I'm sharing because it is so easy and quick and delicious. I'm always in need of more weeknight meals, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.



I vary the amounts of chicken and broccoli, but basically you want some chopped chicken and some chopped broccoli. This time, I baked one chicken breast and chopped it into small pieces, then defrosted about 2 cups of broccoli until it was soft enough to chop, and chopped it into similar-sized pieces. (I was trying to use less meat and more veggies to sneak a semi-meatless meal into my husband's meat/meat/meat diet...) Sometimes I add chopped onion as well, but I was out of onions. Mix it with some salt, pepper, and whatever seasonings you like. I usually use garlic powder and onion powder.





Take about 4oz. of cream cheese, softened, and stir into the mixture. I call it healthy since it's reduced fat.



Then add a handful or two of shredded mozzarella cheese. I also call this healthy when it's low fat. The cheeses make this extra creamy and delicious though.



When it's all combined to your liking (add more of whatever you want!), roll out your crescent rolls. Instead of eight triangles, you need four squares. Flatten and press the seam to form a fairly large, thin square/rectangle shape.



Separate mixture evenly between four squares. I almost always have leftover mixture just because this recipe doesn't have any specific measurements. You could save that for something, but I usually don't. I put just enough mixture so that I can close the square into a ball.



Which is the next step: closing the dough and trying to seal all the mixture inside the roll. It doesn't have to look pretty, mine never do.



Spray lightly with Pam so it browns on top, then pop in the oven. I follow the directions of the crescent rolls package, usually adding additional minutes until they're nice and brown on top.



Like this.



You could serve them with rice or something, but usually one roll is more than enough for me. It tastes really great on a cold evening. These also taste just as good warmed up the next day as leftovers. And since it's ingredients I almost always have on hand, this is such an easy meal to throw together!




P.S. I haven't actually cooked in some time, these pictures are from quite a while ago! Woops. I'm hoping to get back into trying new recipes and cooking healthier meals on a more regular basis soon.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

A few weeks ago, I took my yeast adventures to a new level and tried homemade soft pretzels. I had made pizza dough successfully, so I figured why not?



Oh my goodness, they were good. I used Annie's Eats' recipe, and found it easy to follow and delicious.

Some notes from my experience:
-It would be a lot easier to do with a stand mixer. I mixed by hand, which probably didn't mix the dough as thoroughly. It liked to split and pull apart when I tried to roll it out and shape the pretzels. You can see the splits in the finished product.
-The recipe makes it sound pretty easy to separate, roll out, and shape the dough. It was more time consuming than I expected. Maybe it's just my inexperience, but it was a lot of work for 8 pretzels.
-They look pretty wimpy until you put them in the baking soda and boiling water. This plumps them up before they go in the oven.
-Really coat the pretzels with the egg wash. I didn't do it very thickly and they didn't brown like I was expecting, so they were a tad too crisp.
-I didn't have kosher salt, so I left them unsalted. I like unsalted pretzels anyways, though.
-They didn't turn out as pretty as Annie's, but they tasted darn good so I didn't mind.



-They are absolutely delicious.
-The recipe makes eight and I ate them all in a weekend. For lunch, snack, and dinner. Delicious.
-You should try it! Mine weren't perfect and took more time than I expected, but oh they were so good.



I took Annie's suggestion and froze the leftovers. Then I just heated them in the microwave for a minute or until warm, and they tasted soft and delicious. If I were to make these for a party or something, I would definitely take this route.

I prefer mine with spicy jalapeno cheddar cheese dip. I also used sour cream as a topping when I ran out of cheese. No pretzel is complete without some kind of dip!





Finding these pictures on my computer makes me drool a little, and makes me want to make them again. Maybe I'll need to find a chunk of time to play with yeast again? Maybe some caffeine too if I attempt these before next weekend...

What's Cooking In Our Kitchen

Since we moved out here, I've been doing tons of cooking. I actually have time on my hands (a little too much at the moment!), and I've been enjoying using it to cook good meals at home rather than buying greasy fast food or mediocre restaurant meals. I've been trying a new recipe or two every week. Some are flops, some need tweaking, and some come out delicious. So I figured I'd start sharing.

This is the first recipe I've tried from Weight Watchers, and both Jeff and I love it. It's simple and quick and has delicious flavor without being overpowering. We pair it with a bag of steamed veggies for a super healthy dinner. Oh, and I don't have fresh herbs right now, so I use dried. It still gives a great flavor, but I'm looking forward to using fresh in the future.






PointsPlus™ Value: 3
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 35 min

1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz halves
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
2 tsp rosemary, fresh, chopped
2 tsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup(s) canned chicken broth
1/2 medium lemon(s), quartered (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a small, shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to prepared pan and drizzle with oil; sprinkle with lemon juice, rosemary and parsley. Pour broth around chicken to coat bottom of pan.

Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes. Garnish with fresh lemon and serve. Yields 1 chicken breast half per serving.




Pioneer Woman's Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika. This is my favorite new recipe I've tried the past couple months. It took some tweaking to get it the way I wanted it, but once I did, it was a delicious beef stew that Jeff and I inhaled for days. The recipes on her website, so I'll just let you jump over there for it.

The first time I made it, I followed her recipe exactly and it was okay. Next time I tweaked. I realized I added too much liquid because I used beef stock and water on accident, rather than one or the other. I simmered the beef for about 4 hours before I added anything else, and by that time the beef was shredding and falling apart on its own. Jeff and I both liked that consistency a lot more than chunks of meat. I used light beer because it's what I had, and the broth didn't thicken like she described for me. So I added a flour and water mixture until the sauce was as thick as I wanted it. I loaded the stew with potatoes, carrots, and celery. With more veggies, it stretched longer and we had tons of leftovers to freeze or enjoy for lunches. I made it on a cold snowy day and it was just perfect. I kind of want to make another batch soon!



I tried my hand at homemade pizza dough recently. I ran out of olive oil the day I planned to cook the pizza, and without the oil the crust just didn't crisp and brown like we wanted it to. It was still loads better than a refrigerated pizza crust, but not quite *there* yet. I've got the other half of the dough (her recipes yields two crusts) hanging out in the freezer, so I'm going to attempt another pizza again soon. Jeff's a big fan of my homemade pizzas. I feel better since I load them with healthier things like turkey pepperoni and tomatoes. It's one of the few meals that he actually enjoys my tendency to overuse garlic! Although he doesn't enjoy my black olive love... We've been having pizzas about once a week, and he'll compare and contrast my different attempts. It's cute. We're working our way towards a pizza we both love.



Last night, I tried my hand at Annie's Eats' Orange Chicken. It was okay, but not my favorite. Next time I make it, I plan to tweak the sauce a little. It wasn't the mild, sweet flavor we envisioned when we sat down for orange chicken, but it was still good. I looked over the recipe again trying to figure out if I mis-measured something, but as far as I can tell it just needs tweaking for our personal tastes. Eventually we'll get the orange chicken we want!



This weekend, I'm getting ambitious and trying chicken gyros, with homemade pita bread! Jeff and I both love gyros, especially with lamb, but since we can't find lamb here and can't thinly slice it like our favorite restaurants back home, I jumped at the idea of using chicken breasts, which I always have around. We've tried a recipe for gyro lookalikes made with pork before; Jeff loved it and I was so-so about the pork. But chicken is always good.

I'll let you know how it turns out!


I never thought I would enjoy home cooking so much. I'm getting to the point where I can guestimate measurements and add seasonings I think will pair well with some confidence, instead of worriedly trying to follow the exact recipe. And I'm trying things I never thought I'd care about like making my own bread and salsa. The quality of food is SO much better than what we could get at a fast food place or even frozen. And since cooking with grease and fat and all that generally grosses me out, I cook much healthier. Like in the orange chicken recipe that calls for fried chicken bits, I just used a small amount of oil and browned rather than submerging the pieces in oil. A small change, but it makes a difference!


My lovely husband also appreciates my home cooking. He even accepts and encourages my healthy alternatives, urging me just to not tell him what's different or changed. The only time he's ever gotten frustrated with my healthy habits was when I tried to feed him veggie sausage patties. I thought they were delicious!

My Favorite Beef Sandwich Recipe

I know there are a million different ways to make a tasty beef sandwich. Back home in Chicago, every restaurant has a different delicious recipe. They also sold tubs of beef pre-made to just heat up and enjoy. When I moved west, those tubs disappeared and the beef sandwich selection got a lot less interesting. Big bummer! My dad got this recipe from a friend who runs a catering business, so I like to think it's extra special. My dad shared it with me and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite meals.

This one is my favorite beef sandwich recipe for a couple reasons:
1. It's easy - stick it in the slow cooker and forget about it.
2. It's plain and simple - no fancy ingredients or expensive meats.
3. It has THREE ingredients, and one of those is water!

Since I love it so much, I figured I had to share.



Here are the super easy ingredients. One jar of peperoncinis, one chuck roast, 2 cups of water. I used a 3lb. roast this time because I didn't want too many leftovers, but I usually make 5-6lbs. in one batch. It freezes perfectly and thaws out delicious. In my grocery store, the peperoncinis are stocked with the relish, pickes, etc.

You can buy either sliced peperoncinis or whole, like I did. If they're whole, remove the stems. I also remove the peperoncinis after cooking because I'm not a big fan of cooked peppers, but that's your choice. Since I like the flavor but not the pepper, I use the whole peppers so they're easier to pull out after cooking. Also - you'll be using the juice from the peperoncini jar. For sandwiches full of spice, use all the liquid. If you want less, use less juice. The smaller the roast, the more flavor. With a 3lb. roast, I used all the juice. It was full of spice, but not burn your mouth dying kind of spice. Just a little kick.



Put the roast in the slow cooker and pour water, peperoncinis, and the liquid from the jar (however much you want)over the roast. Cover and cook for 12-16 hours. The longer the better!

I started the beef the night before and checked it in the morning. It was getting brown and smelling delicious.



I also flipped the roast because it was getting too brown on the top. At this point (about 8 hours in) pieces broke off of the roast but were not falling apart like it will when it's done.



The point is to leave it cooking until a fork can easily tear the meat apart. If it's falling apart, it's good to go. Once it's cooked completely and falling apart deliciously, I remove the whole peperoncinis. This step is a personal preference.



Remove the roast to a pan and shred with two forks. If it's cooked enough, it should shred quickly and easily. And it should smell ah-mazing.



I usually put the meat back in the juices for about 30 minutes to heat it back up to boiling and keep it super moist.

Once it's all hot and bubbly, serve on some rolls. Pour some juice over the meat to have a super moist sandwich. My husband says some red and green peppers would taste really good in this recipe too, but like I said, I'm not a big fan of cooked peppers. I think it tastes delicious as is. Of course, you could add anything you want to this.

But it's delicious and spicy and filling as is. I just made this last weekend, and I'm pretty sure it will be on the grocery list again soon!