Tuesday's Tidings!

1. Sunday night, Josh and I grilled steaks and we're looking through some of our ingredients to make our own steak sauce. People, do you know how many bottles of Tabasco Chipolte Sauce we have? We have 3 stinkin bottles! One...Two...Three! My husband has a problem!

2. Eden is officially 4 years old :( And she requested an actual cake, made with an actual boxed cake mix. *sigh* The fun part was, I let the girls make it. I just poured the batter into the pans. :)

3. The hubby bought me "The Hunger Games" dvd Saturday morning! He is such a prince, he left for work 30 minutes early so he could stop in and and buy me my movie. I lucked out with that guy I tell ya!

Tuesday's Tidings!

1. Guess what?

We're having a boy!!!!! We are so excited! And I have absolutely nothing, except for a few hand-me downs that looked brand new, lol! Let the shopping begin!!!!

2. I have a feeling, that this little dude is going to grow up and become an olympic gymnast. That or he's going to join the circus and be an acrobat! He is very very active, which I am completely loving!

3. So I have a reputation for killing blow-dryers. I'm not sure how I manage to defect them, but they never last me long. My current one, I've had for less that a year. Friday, it started making a very odd awful noise. Like there is something stuck in the motor. But it's not very powerful anymore, so now I'm stuck with letting my hair air-dry and only blowdrying my bangs. I'm sure my hair is appreciating the break from the heat, and I'm learning to embrace my naturally curly/wavy/frizzy hair. It's summer right, I guess I can get away with the unkept thing.

Weekly Menu on Brief Hiatus

I really enjoy writing out our menu on here each week, but, I think that for the rest of the month, the posting of the menu is going to take a break. I discovered last week, that since having company in town, flexibility is key and I know I'm not going to be able to plan for meals over the course of the next few weeks.

As I mentioned last week, My dad and his wife Jin came into town and we had a wonderful time with them. Jin made traditional Chinese Dumplings (that's pot stickers to us Americans) that were incredible! We have a ton of leftover dumplings in our freezer too.

Now, on Wednesday, the fun begins again. Josh's grandparents who are missionaries in Africa are coming into town from driving from Mississippi. Grammy shares my mother in love's birthday, which also happens to be Eden's birthday. So we'll have 3 generations of family celebrating their birthday on the same day. The very next day, my dad and Jin come back into town for the night and leave the following morning. And then the following week, Josh's uncle is coming to town to get his oldest situated into college and we'll be staying with my in-laws along with Josh's sister and her husband. We will be spending every evening with family I'm sure....and I'm not to sure how much cooking that means for me. Typically in the past, we're over at my in-law's every night.

And if that's not enough, at the end of the month, both Eden and Grace will be gone camping with my parents for a few days.

My guess is, when we get around to grocery shopping, we'll be throwing a lot of typical grocery products into the cart and maybe a few dinner making items here and there. This is a good and bad thing for me. Good for the fact that I can probably get away with throwing makeup into the cart and actually buying them, but it's bad for the blog seeing as though, there won't be a ton of cooking.

Please be patient with me as I try to figure out what all this family entails for the blog, lol! The good thing is I adore every person in my in-law's family so it will be a ton of fun! Either way, I'll figure out how to entertain you all somehow :)

Happy 9th Anniversary!!

Today is our 9th Anniversary!! It's hard to believe that we've been married that long, only because it feels like we're still dating. I know we've got all the responsibilities that come with being an adult, but we've been doing this for so long as a partnership that it seems easy most days.

We were just kids when we got married. Literally, he was 18 and I was 19 years old. By the worlds standard, way to young to get married. But, Josh and I firmly believe that when you have found the one you want to be with, why wait? Some may argue that by waiting, you can have a house, and established careers, and money in the bank just sitting there. We didn't have those things when we got married and I believe we're stronger for it! We jumped into our marriage and never looked back :) Ironically, we also got pregnant on our honeymoon :) Josh was working full time and going to school full time and I was working two jobs, but it's those first few years that really showed what we were made of as a young couple with a little baby in tow. I would never take back those years discovering each other and being completely dependent on the other. We are best friends!

We still have a lot of growing and learning to do together as a couple. By no means are we the perfect married couple, but he's the perfect partner for me and I, for him. Nine years, and 2 kids, plus 1 on the way, along with a crazy cat and it is a wonderful life! I'm so happy I married this incredible man!

Happy Anniversary Josh! I love you so so much!!!

P.S. I'm taking the rest of the week off from the blog to play with my hubby :) Have a great rest of your week!

Peach, Basil, Mozzarella, and Balsamic Pizza

You are probably skeptical about a pizza with peaches on it. My suggestion to you skeptics, is don't knock it till you try it! It's amazing! The flavor of the peaches on this pizza bring the notion of summer flavors to a whole new level. Seriously, your flip-flops will be knocked off your feet!

There is just something about browned mozzarella, combined with sweet basil, ripe peaches, and a delicious balsamic reduction that will have you oohing and awing till the last slice is gone! Be warned, whoever you make this pizza for, there could be a fight for that coveted last slice! A word of advice, it's worth fighting for!

Peach, Basil, Mozzarella, and Balsamic Pizza

(Source: Two Peas and their Pod)

Makes 2 pizzas

1 lb of your favorite pizza dough, or try our pizza dough recipe

For the Balsamic Reduction:

1 cup balsamic vinegar

For the topping:

2 TB evoo

8 oz sliced mozzarella

3-4 peaches, thinly sliced

1/2 cup, chopped fresh sweet basil

Assemble your pizza dough if your making your own or if you have bought some premade dough, have it ready to roll out.  

Pour the balsamic vinegar into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the balsamic has reduced down to about 1/4 cup. Set aside, and allow to cool at room temperature. 

Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees or as high as your oven will go. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven so it can get nice and hot. 

Roll out your dough into a circle. Place the pizza on a pizza peel or pan that has been generously coated in corn meal. Lightly brush the pizza dough with 1TB of olive oil. Top the dough with the sliced mozzarella, peach slices, and fresh basil. Repeat these steps when making the 2nd pizza. 

Place the pizza in the oven, directly on the pizza stone, if using or on oven rack. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the pizza crust is golden and cheese is browned and bubbly. Remove from oven and pop in your second pizza. 

Let pizza cool slightly, and cut into slices. Eat and enjoy while warm!

Tuesday's Tidings!

1. Normally I write these posts on Tuesday. But I'm being prepared and writing it now! Look at how punctual I am!!!

2. Grace is back from camping :) Eden is back from spending the night at her grandparents, they were both back home for less than 24 hours and then they were off to a birthday/slumber party at their friend's house the next night. Can I just say how QUIET the house is without my kids!? It was so too quiet and I missed waking up to all of their artwork they bombard me with. But they are back home under my roof and once again, I have pictures the kids have colored for me coming out me ears. Life is good!

3. My dad and his wife are in town from Vegas! It's been over a year since I last saw my dad. I'm looking forward to meeting his wife and visiting a bit before they head off to Washington to visit more family.

4. Because my dad is in town, I cleaned like a sleep-deprived mad woman. My house is spotless. I dare you to find a speck of dirt or a pillow out of place. Go on, take a look :)

5. Yes, I'm sleep-deprived. I slept so badly last night. *Yawn*

6. Josh bought me another a/c window unit for downstairs this past weekend. That's true love I tell ya! He wants his wife to be comfortable. Either that, or he is just tired of me whining about how hot I am. And trust me, when your pregnant, You get hot super easily.

7. Speaking of true love- THURSDAY, THURSDAY THURSDAY, is our 9th anniversary!!! Yup, 9 years! It really doesn't feel like it's been 9 years. In fact I would not believe that it's true except that Grace is 8 yrs old and we got preggo on our honeymoon, so you do the math!

8. Also on Thursday (which I think just became my new favorite day of the week) we find out what this baby is! Or at least, I better find out. This child had better cooperate or I promise I will spend the rest of my life trying to embarrass it with as many stories to it's future spouse that I can come up with. :) Heehee, not really. Okay, I'm a little bit serious. Okay, your right, empty threats- that's just what I'm about. But I sound really menacing don't I?

9. Josh felt the baby kick last night! For the past 3 weeks, that I have been detecting actual movement, Josh hasn't really completely felt the baby. He thought, at times, maybe he had, but he wasn't sure. And when you aren't sure, that's nothing to really get excited over. But last night, BAM! This baby was active! I think it was the delicious salmon Josh grilled for us all.

10. This past Saturday, was over 100 degrees! We just don't get temperature like that here in Oregon very often. It's one of the reasons I live here! I despise the heat! Give me 75-82 degrees and I'm happy. Anything above 82 degrees and you've got a grumpy moody woman on your hands. They don't say I'm high maintenance for nothing!

Weekly Menu 8/6-8/12

So I kind of lied to you all. I never really came up with a menu for last week. By the time Wednesday rolled around, I just completely did not care. If you were to ask me now, what I ate all week, I honestly could not tell you, except that the husband and I went out to eat to a Scottish pub in our town that evening and the food was incredible! Deliciously rustic macaroni and cheese, British battered fish and chips, artichoke heart and snow crab dip, and blackberry bread pudding rounded off our meal! This place knows how to cook incredibly amazing good food. In fact, I'm already craving the mac and cheese again and I've put in a request to have Josh fetch it for me after this baby is born. As in, bring it to me while I'm in the hospital. I usually end up staying in the hospital for a couple of additional days because different reasons, and let me tell you...they do not feed me enough! I feel like screaming, Hello, just had a baby here. I'm starving!" So naturally, our family is always so kind and sweet to bring us lot's of snacks. Can I please just snack on this delicious macaroni and cheese???

My dad is coming into town tonight. He drove from Vegas, stopped in northern Cali for my uncle's wedding and then onto our house for a few days, and then he's going up to Washington, before heading back down to Vegas again. He has requested that I make Cheesecake for him and he loves Josh's chicken enchiladas. So tomorrow morning, I'm going to make the cheesecake ( I can do that now, because Josh bought me an air conditioner for our downstairs and it's AMAZING) and then we'll make the enchiladas that night when Josh gets home. I can't wait, it sounds sooo good!

We're planning on going to the Old Spaghetti Factory one night (Hello Mizithra Cheese) because it's tradition and then I've requested he make his incredible BBQ potatoes one night. It's heaven in one smokey, buttery, bacony bite! My dad is also bringing along his new bride! I haven't had the chance to meet my dad's new wife yet. She is from China (and speaks English) and apparently makes really delicious Chinese dumplings. Now I don't know what those are, but she might make them while here, but my dad said it's an all day process so I'm not sure. But if she does, I'm going to take pictures and hopefully learn a little bit about making real Chinese food...not the Panda Express stuff, lol!

One night, after my dad leaves, Josh and I will head out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary- 9 years baby! I can't believe it's been that long, because honestly, it still feels like we're dating each other.  (Can I get an AWWW?)

We also find out the gender of the baby this week! My 10 yr reunion is Friday (I'm nervous for some reason), and I'm so excited to actually be getting maternity pictures done! So this is a really big week. I'm hoping with the craziness, I will still get some posting done, but I haven't prepped much. Usually, I'm a week ahead of my posts, but I slacked last week. Anyways, that's the rundown of the menu. There isn't really much of one, and it could continue to be like this for the next few weeks, because once my dad leaves, we have a lot more family coming in, and usually when Josh's grandparents from Africa are in town, we're eating over at his parents every night. It's a nice break from cooking for me, but kind of sucks for the blog. LOL!

How was your weekend?

Cod & Vegetable Skewers with Basil Chimichurri

I am always looking for fun new grilled dinners. I love playing with skewers, too. There is something about having your food on a stick that instantly makes it more fun and seemingly exotic. This dish is both of those things.

I've been wanting to make a chimichurri sauce for awhile now. I've seen Rachael Ray make them several times on her shows. Whether it was drizzled over steak or chicken, it always looked insanely good. I had yet to see this sauce drizzled over fish though, until I was watching Melissa d'Arabian make this meal on her show Ten Dollar Dinners.

From the marinade, to the skewer ingredients, to the chimichurri sauce (I dare you to say chimichurri ten times fast) this dish is easy, affordable, and so aromatic. As Josh commented while we were washing the few dishes that it took to make this meal, this dish tastes exactly the way you think it's going to taste after you smell it. It's hard to describe specifically, but suffice to say, smelling the dish is a lot like tasting the dish.

I can't promise this is going to be a dish your kids are going to love. Surprisingly, mine did. My girls are pretty good about trying new things at least once. They happened to adore this dinner. Eden was practically drinking the sauce and begging for more fish and Grace helped herself to seconds and maybe even thirds. By the end of the meal, all the food was gone except for a little bit of rice, which I will say complimented this dish really well. So if you're looking for an easy dish that tastes like something you might order on an island paradise vacation, try this!

Cod & Vegetable Skewers with Basil Chimichurri

(Source: Ten Dollar Dinners)

For the Marinade:

1/4 cup chopped white onion ( I used 1/2 of a large shallot)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup vegetable oil

juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 TB)

2 TB white wine vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Fish Skewers:

10 ounces firm white fish, such as cod (about 1-inch each)

3 small zucchini and/or yellow squash, about 1 1/4 lbs, cut into 1-inch pieces (used both veggies)

10-20 cherry or grape tomatoes (the amount depends on how much you like to load your skewers up with veggies-we like a lot of veggies)

For the Chimichurri Sauce:

1 1/4 cups fresh basil leave, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

1 TB finely chopped sweet onion (we used a shallot because that's what we had on hand)

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 TB)

1 TB white wine vinegar

8-10 (wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes. 

For the marinade: In a medium glass bowl, mix together the onion, garlic, oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper, to taste. Add the fish and squash and marinate at room temperature, about 15 minutes. 

For the chimichurri sauce: Combine the basil, parsley, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, to taste olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar to a food processor bowl and pulse until the ingredients are just combined and chunky. (A blender would probably work just as well)

Pre-heat the grill on high. 

For the fish skewers: Thread the marinated fish and squashes, and tomatoes onto the soaked skewers. Place on a well-oiled grill and cook until lightly charred on the outside and the fish is just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. While the fish is still warm, drizzle with a little chimichurri sauce and serve more on the side for dipping. 

Serve over a bed of rice. 

Lemon Chicken with Orzo

We all know how much I like to save a buck when it comes to meal planning. I try and plan my meals according to what I already have on hand and supplementing and splurging when need be. For this meal, I already had every ingredient on hand-which meant a free dinner on our grocery/menu list.

This dinner looks like restaurant quality food in my opinion. It tastes like it too. The softness of the orzo pairs perfectly with little bites of chicken and olives. It's like a little citrus bath in my mouth. But this dinner is so easy to make. In the time that it took my husband to do his evening workout, dinner was nearly done. Like he came down the stairs two minutes before my oven timer started yelling at me.

Though I was in the comfort of my own home watching the season finale of Food Network Star while eating this, I kind of was having an outer body experience where I felt as though I could of easily been eating this meal off in Europe somewhere. This was also my first experience with eating a shallot. My whole family loved them! So in my eyes, this dinner is a winner!

Lemon Chicken with Orzo

(Source: adapted from Bev Cooks)

1-2 TB lemon zest

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 TB extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 boneless skinless chicken breast 

(Note: for my family of 4, I used 2 breasts, and sliced them in half length wise and then halved them in the middle to create more food our us)

2 tsp fresh oregano ( I used dried)

1 tsp fresh thyme ( I used dried)

1/2 cup black olives, pitted and halved ( I used a combination of the leftover kalamata olives with the black)

1 shallot, sliced

4 lemon slices

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup orzo

1/4 cup shaved romano and parmesan cheese blend

1/2 tsp garlic salt

6 basil leaves, torn

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Combine the lemon zest, juice, oil, garlic, and chicken in a shallow baking dish or ziplock bag. Make sure everything is coated and evenly distributed. Marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes. 

Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray and arrange the chicken and marinade in the dish. Sprinkle herbs over chicken, along with the shallots, olives, and lemon slices. Season with salt and pepper. Bake chicken for 20 minutes. 

While the chicken is baking, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and cook the orzo according the direction on the package. Drain and return to pot. Add the remaining oil, cheese, garlic salt, and basil. 

Take the chicken out of the oven and switch the oven to broil. Put the chicken back in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until the lemon slices start to brown and the chicken is cooked through. 

Serve the chicken over a bed of orzo.