I love the smell of Christmas

I adore the smell of balsam pine and crisp winter air.  Well, as much winter as you get in Tallahassee, Florida.  Today was a beautiful winter day.  Crisp air, no clouds, 70 degrees.  

After church today, I was able to put a few things away downstairs (it's almost back to normal) and then I baked chocolate chip cookies for my son and his friends.   I have searched and searched for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe .... a chocolate chip cookie must be crisp on the outside but a little chewy in the middle.   About a year ago, I finally found the perfect recipe.  I'm going to post it below; I would reference where I obtained it from, but I copied and pasted the recipe from the internet without getting the website or blog name.  I think the recipe came from a blog I like called Savory Sweet Life, but I'm not entirely sure.  So, if this is your recipe, I apologize in advance.  The plagarisim is not intentional :-)  and yes, they are the perfect chocolate chip cookie.   The house still smells amazing several hours after they are done.    I made a small plate for the construction workers to share tomorrow as well.  Maybe they will enjoy them and work just a bit harder to get my house done by Christmas!

I was also able to get another Christmas project completed today.   Again, I would love to post pictures, but I don't want to give away hints to anyone.    Pictures to come soon.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups (12 oz) all-purpose flour *If at all possible, please weigh the flour
• 3/4 tsp. smallish-medium coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until it is nice and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes on medium-high speed on a K-5). Add both eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour until cookie batter is fully incorporated. Finally add chocolate chips until well distributed. The cookie batter should be somewhat thick. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough or use a medium cookie scoop and plop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are nice and golden brown. Remove from heat and allow the cookies to stay on the cookie sheet for an additional 2 minutes. Pick up the parchment paper with the cookies still on top and transfer to a cool non-porous surface. Allow the cookies to cool on the paper for at least 3 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

A Friday off ...

So I had today off from my paying job.  I don't ever really consider myself off work because I have a husband, son and house to take care of too.  But today was the first Friday I have had off since the end of June.  I forgot just how messy traffic is on a Friday at lunch time, especially during the Christmas season!  

I did get to have a little fun because I met my sister Debbie at Joanns because I was out of fusible interfacing.   I always think I have yards and yards of the stuff in my drawer, but when I go to make a handbag I find myself piecing together scraps to make it work.   Thank goodness its fusible!   After Joanns, we then made a little jaunt over to Kirklands and the Christian bookstore.   I'm pathetic though, just those three stores and I was exhausted!

George and I started cleaning downstairs and are starting to be able to turn our downstairs into "normal."  We still can't put the dishes away in the hutch because they forgot to paint the baseboards behind the hutch....but otherwise, downstairs is "finished" construction wise.  Now I just have to load books on bookshelves and hang pictures.  The upstairs is coming along quite nicely too.  The new banisters are in the stairwell and the stairwell has been painted.  The vanities are in, but the countertops and sinks are not.  That should happen on Monday.   And then on Wednesday, the carpet guy should start ....and the plan is that all should be finished by Friday, December 23rd.   It will be great to actually put my cosmetics in a drawer instead of hauling them from bedroom to bathroom. 

Tonight in celebration of the fact that George and I had a Friday off together, we are making homemade pizza....George asked for chicken, tomato and feta pizza.   The dough is ready and waiting... I can't wait!  Pictures of the sewing/handbags and construction to come.   Can't post too many pictures or it will spoil Christmas surprises... 8 more days.....

Work, stress and important things

So, today I am strugging with how to juggle work, home, family and my own wants and needs.   I love being a nurse, and really don't even mind being a nurse manager, but my current job is pretty stressful.  I guess when you close your eyes at the end of the day --- all anyone wants from their job is a little satisfaction and a little respect.   In nursing school, they say that the definition of stress is "responsibility without authority."   I feel like that pretty much sums up my current job.    Then, you add in family responsibility: the formation of an 11-year-old boy, keeping a house, preparing meals and keeping a husband relatively happy.   Top it off with the holidays --- and you have a whopping case of stress.   It gets very hard to keep your priorities straight.    So, my goal for this weekend is to try to figure out how to make sure that the important things stay at the top of my priority list.   

I have a former co-worker struggling with chemo as she battles breast cancer in both breasts.   She and I weren't very close, but she is constantly on my mind as she stays positive after a double-radical masectomy, a post-surgical infection and chemotherapy treatment.   Regardless of what I've got going on, at least I am relatively healthy.    Audra DeMoss, you are a true hero; I think of you and pray for you every day.   You help me remember what is truly important.  Live Strong.

On a lighter note, I drew the name of someone in a gift exchange today which is supposed to be $10 gifts.   I know that in reality it is probably worth more than $10, but I think I will make a handbag for the gift exchange.   Then I won't have to leave my happy little sewing room this weekend to go shopping.    Now, that sounds like a plan. 

Last Saturday, I picked up an eggplant at the local farmers market --- along with some baby vidalia onions and fresh garlic.    I'm going to make my favorite eggplant dish on Saturday:

Sicilian Ziti Bake ala Anna

·         1 lb box of ziti – cooked to Al Dente (Set Aside)

·         1 lb grated mozzarella (separated)

·         16 oz ricotta

·         2 eggs (separate)

·         2 – 3 tbs milk

·         ¼ cup parmesan

·         1 lb ground beef

·         1 – 8 oz can and 1 – 16 oz can Hunts Tomato Sauce

·         1 can Hunt’s Tomato Paste with Italian seasoning

·         1 eggplant, thinly sliced

·         Italian breadcrumbs

·         Italian seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper…

Prepare 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 375 F

Beat  1 egg with the milk.  Season with salt and pepper.   Dip thinly sliced eggplant into egg mixture and then dip into seasoned breadcrumbs.    In a heated skillet with enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, cook eggplant until golden brown.    Place in the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan.

Brown ground beef and drain if necessary.  Add 1 clove of finely diced garlic to beef.   Add two or three tablespoons of the tomato paste to the ground beef.  Add two or three tablespoons of water until ground beef is slightly saucy.    When ground beef is done, then spread it over the eggplant slices.

Make a sauce with the remaining tomato paste and the tomato sauce; season to taste.

Mix the ricotta, ¼ cup parmesan, ½ cup mozzarella and 1 egg with Italian seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper.  Spread or drop on top of ground beef.

Mix the ziti and the sauce; pour on top of the ricotta mixture.   Top with mozzarella.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and mozzarella melted and starting to brown.

Makes me look forward to the weekend even more......

But my groove caught a snag

So my last post so enthusiastically claimed that I had my groove back.  Well, my groove forgot one thing...and that is...I have an 11-year-old boy.   We spent all of Saturday at the Southeast Regional Yoyo competition.  And yes, I said yo-yo.   Andrew has become quite involved with trick yoyoing with these amazing yoyos that have bearings and spacers that are completely unlike any yo-yo I have ever seen.  At any rate, he competed in the amateur trick ladder and the amateur free-style.  He has never competed before, and while he didn't win, I was truly impressed with the mature way he handled himself.   He viewed it as a learning experience and was happy for his friend who won.

Unfortunately, he had to learn a hard lesson a couple of days later when the same friend who won did not show the same graciousness.  He became jealous that Andrew had started a new line of tricks that involve what is called "off-string" yoyo (exactly what you think -- the yoyo comes off the string during the trick and you have to land it back on the string to complete the trick).     It involved some pretty mean phone calls and an ugly post on Andrew's yoyo blog.   But again, I was impressed how well Andrew handled the situation.  He was hurt and felt betrayed, but he quickly identified others who were his true friends.   (Of course, I secretly want to pull the boys hair out in handfuls... but don't tell Andrew I said that!)

I have started a couple of handbags for gifts and I really need to finish work on a present for my sister, but I think this year, she may have to get something commercial this year.  Andrew has a Mini Mu math competition all day Saturday and I'm hoping to talk George into taking him so that I can possibly spend the day sewing.  

The construction on the house is going fairly well.  The wood floors are in downstairs and they have begun the tiling work in the master bathroom.   Tonight George and I were able to put some living area furniture back into place -- so it is starting to look like home again!  
 

Anna Got Her Groove Back

Several years ago there was a book by Terri McMillan entitled How Stella Got Her Groove Back.  I read the book, but frankly the title stuck with me much longer than the actual story.   I don't really remember how Stella "got her groove back" but I know that she did.

Well, I think I've got my "groove" back.   I'm still working long hours at the job, but I've recaptured the fact that when I am home, rather than sitting doing nothing and being frustrated....I can sew, and it takes my mind off the frustrations of the day.   The past several days, I have made a baby quilt and a couple of christmas gifts.  And it feels amazing!

I purchased the fabric for the baby quilt over the past year just because they were fun.  No real project in mind ---they were not purchased together.   So when a co-worker asked me to make a baby quilt for them for a baby boy --- and she wanted primary colors.   So, one Saturday, I got my customary cup of coffee and sat down on the sofa and turned on PBS to watch Fons and Porter.    It just so happened that they were doing this adorable quilt using hexagon cuts to make a braided look.  I thought it was just perfect for these bright colors.    The best part of the quilt, though, is that absolutely adorable backing fabric.   It's just too bad that Andrew has outgrown this fabric or else I think his room would be covered in it.  

Our house is in a state of disarray as we undergo a minor remodel -- new floors throughout and remodel of the upstairs bathrooms.   While I thought it was a good idea to schedule the contractor during November when it was cool and his schedule was light, I failed to think about decorating for the holidays.  I hope the work gets done soon so that we can enjoy a few days of holiday decorations

It's still hot but summer's over

The bad thing about living in Florida is that school starts back in late August and so summer is declared "over" but the heat lingers on....  I'm still not quite sure how my Andrew got to be old enough to start 5th grade tomorrow.   I'm hopeful that he will have a great year.

I finally finished my batik quilt that I call "peaceful."   (Sorry about the blurry photo; I'll try to post a better one later.) It was one of those great pieces that I found to be an amazing stress reliever.  I used simple blocks with calming colors.   My original intention was to give it as a gift, but this quilt helped me through some stressful times over the past few months, so I think it has to stay here with me.   Just running my hands over the fabric seems to calm me.   It's like a meadow or a waterfall calling to come, sit, relax a spell.   The world will be waiting when you get back. 

Now it's on to finishing Nina's quilt and then Andrew's.   I'm hoping to finish Nina's soon so that I can have Andrew's done by his birthday.

Work's been busy, so very little creative cooking is going on.  My wonderful 2nd cousin, Gail Bongalis, came for a brief visit last weekend and so I made Spanakopita (spinach pie) and George grilled chicken.   I'll be happy when the weather cools down just a bit so that I can finally turn the oven on again! 

Summer --- as in "It's just too hot to cook."

This week has already been quite busy and it's only Tuesday!   My sister, Diana, is in from North Carolina (see her blog at www.logcabinlife@blogspot.com) so I'm trying to fit in visits with her while juggling mom and work duties.   My 10-year old son's social life keeps me hopping.  Today, he went with some dear friends to a nearby Theme Park.  When he got home, we fed him a quick supper (thank you Walmart Rotisserie chicken) and then I drove 30 minutes to take him to spend the night with his aunt.  He is excited because they will be building a 942 piece mega blocks creation.  He believes it will keep him and Aunt Diana during the day tomorrow.    I certainly hope it does!

Even though I believe home cooking is the best, there are those nights that a Walmart Rotisserie chicken just can't be beat.  Especially in Florida in the summer....Let somebody else heat up their kitchen!   One of my favorite comfort foods requires absolutely no cooking --- and frankly, just cools me off in the summer heat.  My mom used to make this for special occasions when I was a child.   I just make it routinely and hope I won't have to share!    It goes really well with Rotisserie chicken, or just about anything.  I think it makes a great workday lunch...but then again, I think I'd eat it for any meal.  I make mine with no added sugar, but you can make it the full sugar variety, too.

Sunshine Salad (no added sugar)

1-24 oz container low fat cottage cheese

1 - 8 oz container sugar free cool whip (thawed)

1 - 3 oz package sugar free orange jello

1 small can crushed pineapple (in its own juices)/well-drained

2 cans mandarin oranges/well-drained

Put all ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Stir it until it is a lovely light orange color.  Place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.    Enjoy.   Whew!  That was so hard.   Be careful who you let taste this amazing concoction or else it will go much faster than you intended!

Here's to busy summer days when we don't have to heat up the kitchen!

This one is for Diana

My sister has been begging me to blog for a while, so I finally got up the courage to start.

  

My blog name is from the label I created to place in items that I sew for others.   My passion is making handbags/totes and quilting.   I also absolutely, positively love cooking.    I am an RN whose passion is critical care (ICU, heart surgery, trauma) but now I work as a Manager of Clinical Practice in Home Health, hoping to help people prevent or recover from those critical illnesses.

Like most working moms, my greatest struggle is making sure I spend quality time with my husband and son while giving a 110% at my job.    I think one of the reasons I cook so much is that I feel that home cooking shows my family that they are more important to me than a couple of TV dinners.    So my goal is always to find quick recipes that make tasty, healthy meals.  I forgot to mention that my husband is Greek and my father was Greek --- so most of our meals have a Mediterranean vibe.

One of our family favorites is "Mediterranean Pasta."   I got the recipe from my mother-in-law when I first married my husband.   She always served it as a side dish on a "buffet" but, frankly, I think it makes a perfect meal with just a salad and a loaf of bread.  Over time, I have tweaked it (of course) to make it the perfect quick and easy meal.   It does make a full 9 x 13 casserole, so it is great when you have friends and family over.  I always freeze any leftovers --- or you can just reduce the recipe by half if you have a small family.  A couple of hints --- it tastes better to me if it sits for about 30 minutes after bringing it out of the oven.  I assume it is because the juices absorb in the orzo a little more.    My husband swears it tastes better the second day.   So, this is a great little dish to make in advance for a church supper or an office function because it warms up so nicely.

MEDITERRANEAN PASTA

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 cans Hunt's seasoned diced tomatoes (basil and oregano flavor)

1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp (either frozen or fresh) with the tails removed

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper 

1/2 tsp italian seasoning

4 oz of Feta crumbles

1 cup dry orzo

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook orzo in boiling water, per package directions to al dente.   While orzo is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat.  Toss chopped onions into the olive oil and cook until translucent.   Pour in both cans of seasoned diced tomatoes and allow to simmer for at least 5 minutes.   Toss in fresh mushrooms, pour in white wine and pepper, salt and italian seasoning.   Stir and then toss in the shrimp.   Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the shrimp are pink.    Remove from heat.

Pour the orzo in a 13 x 9 casserole, then pour the shrimp mixture over the orzo and stir the pasta and shrimp together.   Sprinkle the feta evenly over the pasta mixture.   Bake in prepared oven for 15 - 20 minutes until the pasta is bubbly and the feta begins to melt.

Makes about 8 hearty servings.

Well, Diana, I hope this blog makes you happy.   I think I might actually like blogging!