Housewife (with Original Recipe!)

Well, as of yesterday, I officially became a stay-at-home Mama!  We looked into daycare for Rue, but were wait-listed, quoted insane rates, or given ultimatums about diapering & even told to have a bottle packed per feeding.  Going over our budget, adding in the cost of care, extra bottles, extra pumping supplies, disposable diapers, & things like gas to daycare, work, & home... I would have been making approximately $50 a week, tops.  And that was if we continued to eat all our meals at home.

Then we looked at how our time would be divided up & our overall quality of life.

Rue still wakes up in the middle of the night at least once, usually between 2-4 AM.  Then I would have to prep a slowcooker meal before work in the morning, so I would have to be up by 5 AM.  Then I would have to leave almost an hour earlier than I used to so I could drive in the opposite direction to drop off Rue all day.  Then I would go to work, where I would require 3 pumping breaks in the day to maintain supply & keep my freezer stocked with enough milk to keep Rue on breast milk exclusively at daycare.  At night, Rue can fight sleep until midnight, & often does, leaving next to NO sleep for Mama.  Basically, it was a big, expensive, exhaustive hassle.  And we wouldn't necessarily know who Rue was with all day, or what she was learning, or how much time was really spent with her.

Rue's face here says everything that needs to be said about how we felt about the situation:



So we decided to have me stay home.  But I am not giving up on bringing some income home!  I am working really hard on the photo business, & you can expect to see more client work popping up on here, as well as special offers & tutorials!  I am also taking my homemaker status very seriously.  While Ted is off bringing home the bacon (quite literally, we love bacon here), I am home cooking it.  And running endless loads of laundry.  And vacuuming.  And taking copious amounts of photos of my baby.




I have always had serious anxiety about cooking.  In my mind, I light a burner (& I mean light; we have a gas range) & my brain instantly begins to babble about fire hazards, singed eyebrows, & fume inhalation.  Electric stoves were not much better, with the ever-present possibility of a rodent gnawing through the wires JUST enough to expose the metal bits... & POOF!  There goes the insulation in the wall, & there goes the kitchen.  Microwaves leak radiation & refrigerators leak freon.  Common sense tells me I am being ridiculous.  Anxiety tells me these threats are not only very real, but are guaranteed to happen to me, specifically.  It's a real problem.  It was paralyzing sometimes.

Then I had your more average fears: I will burn dinner/ it will taste terrible/  I will start a meal & forget it.  I am happy to report that that has not happened.

I started by using Pinterest as a recipe generator.  It is incredible how useful that site is.  And sometimes not so much.  But mostly, pretty helpful!  But I almost always read recipes incorrectly & have to improvise... which has actually turned out pretty okay!

We had balsamic BBQ chicken breasts with green beans & salt & vinegar potatoes one night.  I never thought I would meet a potato I didn't like, but I learned that there is definitely such a thing as too much vinegar.  Ick.  We also had a steak dinner in a slow-cooker one night.  I substituted frozen baby carrots for the corn on the cob & used a roast cut of beef & as much A1 as we had in the house (which was 1/4 a tiny bottle brushed over the meat to create an even coat).  We also had a couple slices of Sunny Sourdough bread c/o Amber of SuperNaturale & Manna Organics!  It was delicious & I was incredibly proud!  We have breakfast for dinner at least once a week, & often have some sprouted breads with those!  We loved the Banana Walnut Hemp bread.  So delicious.



Ted suggested meatballs for dinner some night, & I knew I wanted some of those sweet & tangy meatballs that people make with jelly.  Notice the jelly jar in the above photo?  Yeah, I wanted to use that!

So I looked around online for recipes, & they all call for two ingredients: grape jelly & chili sauce.  Or ketchup as a base, jelly, & various spices.  Here's the thing: I cannot eat tomatoes.  I can have trace amount of tomato in things, like A1, or dipping sauces, when you use a small amount of that thing in proportion to a large amount of meat or whatever.  I haven't had a tomato in years (I really miss cherry & grape tomatoes... a lot).  When I eat one, my tongue gets itchy, which is a warning.  I have no idea what would happen beyond that; frankly, I am too chicken to play with fire.  Or at least food allergies.  Yikes.

Long story short, I would not be marinating my meal in tomatoes all day (or, as some friends like to call it, "Mary death-fruits".  I have the best, most serious friends!).  I found a recipe in our crock pot recipe book (the kind that is really more brochure than book & comes with the crock pot when you buy it. Ours is the "WalMart edition" crock pot.  Fancy!).  It was the kind that calls for a ketchup base.  I looked it over, said "that's what you think!" & set to work.  Making my own recipe.  I know, I know, pretty heavy stuff for a gal who is still getting over fear of common kitchen appliances.  But making dinner is now my job, & I always put 150% into my work.  Cooking not excluded.

Some of these ingredients are hard to come by, so I am including alternatives in parentheses.  Especially the jam I used, which we made ourselves using the fruit from the fig tree in our back yard.  I will post about canning some other time.  :)

SRIRACHA TERIYAKI MAPLE FIG MEATBALLS

(or Teriyaki Maple Jam Meatballs)

serves 4 

(or 2 really hungry people, or 1 person who really likes leftovers)

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup brown spicy mustard

* 1/3 cup Sriracha Teriyaki Sauce (or plain Teriyaki sauce)

* 1 cup soy sauce

* 3 TBSP fig jelly (or jelly of choice)

* 1 cup maple syrup

* 1 1/2 TSP ground allspice

* 1 TBSP minced garlic (optional or to taste)

* 1 pack frozen pre-cooked meatballs (22 oz)

* Combine ingredients sans meatballs in slow cooker.  Stir until well mixed.

* Turn on HIGH until obviously warm (the lid should fog up).

* Add in meatballs, stirring into sauce mixture.  Make sure each meatball is coated in sauce, & keep meatballs in a single layer in the mixture.

* Keep cooker on HIGH for 30 minutes.

* Stir & cook on LOW for 5-6 hours, covered.

* Stir before serving!

These come out of the cooker really soft & marinated through.  We enjoyed our over a bed of fluffy white rice with green beans & carrots on the side.  I also modified the recipe a bit; I originally used 1/2 cup of Sriracha Teriyaki sauce & 1/2 cup soy sauce, but found the mix a bit too intense for my taste.

Let me know if you try it!  I hope you like it!

Etsy Monday: Sneak Peek of the Kitchen!

So today I have located items on Etsy that would go perfectly with our new kitchen... and I have prepared some sneak peeks for you, too!  The big reveal will come later, as we are still working on some details.  We probably will put off some of the finishing touches until after the wedding, since we are at the point where it looks pretty good and is functional.  The last few things are only aesthetic things we want to incorporate, but can live without for the time being.  Anyway... here are today's finds!

These copper measuring cups measure up to our aesthetic!

via: hurstdesigns

This beautiful color study would enhance our palate, as well!

via: painttheory

These earthy rock magnets would help to disguise the refrigerator in it's natural setting...

via: aremarkyoumade

This painting of orange marmalade against a soft blue background would help set the tone for a tasty treat...

via: permanentmagenta

These wooden shelves wouldn't look out of place with our cabinetry! (I like how the seller used one image and mirrored it... are there really two shelves?  You decide...)

via: sundaytreasures

So... here's the sneak peek... can you see where the above items may add to our design?  (Please forgive the weird colors... I tried to correct them, but this camera really picks up on the yellow tones in tungsten light!  Lesson learned...)

(haha, I have really messy chalkboard handwriting... that isn't how I usually write!  I swear!)

Psst... I also changed up my banner!  I like how this one is a little shorter, so the banner isn't as overbearing as the original!  I also updated my business site today!  Productivity makes me smile!

Hope you all had a wonderful Monday!

xo

Photobomb Friday: Que Siraz Sirah...

I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day long weekend!  Clearly, I am still struggling with internet here... anyway...

I don't remember what the difference is between Siraz and Sirah... something about the roots being grafted maybe?  Something about Siraz being from Turkey?  Not sure.  But I had a blast this past weekend with Patchie, Her Boy, Kaite, her boy, my Bear and a few others at Ingleside Vineyards!

It began innocently enough... we arrived in defiance of a threatening sky that quickly yielded a beautiful day... we sat in the courtyard and began noshing on the crackers and cheese my Bear packed... Patchie and I ran rampant like wild women with our cameras.  There was also a little museum on site of stuffed animals and Native American mannequins.

We waited on the whole party to arrive and entered the gift shop where we checked in for our free tour.  It's a small establishment, but a real charmer. They have tons of oak barrels, a few steel vats, and their own mechanized bottling line, complete with regular and specialty labels.

After our very informative tour of the two buildings on site, we got down to the good stuff... the wine tasting.  This is why I cannot for the life of me remember the difference in Siraz and Sirah... but it made a clever title.  For a mere $10 we all took the full tasting experience... and it was more than worth it.  Bear and I even found some wines we agreed upon, which probably means my tastes are becoming more refined, or we were more tipsy than we thought, in which case by that time everything tasted amazing!

Following the tasting we purchased a couple more glasses of wine and leisured about the picturesque courtyard a while longer, lingering in the early evening sun while munching on more crackers, cheese, hard salami, fruit and Patchie's "you're having a baby boy"-blue-iced- made- "you're getting married"-purple-iced-with-silver-sprinkles cupcakes... which were delicious, if a mouthful to say!

We wrapped up the evening with a trip to our local Outback Steakhouse for real food, and I think I managed to surprise Patchie with a free birthday brownie... which is a feat, considering I was really giggly and less-than-covert at that point!

Hope you enjoy the Photobomb!!!  Anyone visit a local winery lately as well?  I'd love to read about it and see photos!  Happy weekend, Snappers!

Of course, this weeks Gratefuls!

Well, I am off to continue kitchen renovations... our last day (hopefully)!

Etsy Monday: Cooking Up Inspiration

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!  Bear and I did, his family had a lovely gathering here, and my parents were able to attend as well!  When the day slowed down, Bear, myself and our parents got some work done on our kitchen renovations!  We should have a REAL KITCHEN by the end of a month!  YAY!

To celebrate this epicness, I put together a small Etsy edition of kitchen related things.  I say small because it isn't as involved as some Mondays of the past, but for good reason!  Bear got off work really early, so we are about to run out the door for the hardware store to get some supplies so we can continue kitchen things!

So, without further ado, here are today's featured items!

We are excited to have a dishwasher and say good-bye to hand washing all our dishes!!!  We are ALSO excited to have a real kitchen sink (instead of a laundry tub) to use for the fine dishes we still have to hand wash...

Here's a handy sign for the dishwasher, with an easy flip switch!!!

via: wonbien

I am a sucker for pretty plates and platters.  Even when I have no use for them... look how lovely!

via: clayswan

We could get fancy in our new REAL KITCHEN (ha!) with some fancy shmancy gourmet salt!  And it's oh-so-pretty!

via: craigsmarket

These little postcards would be adorable framed and on the wall in the kitchen!  I love the mid-century modern look to them... and they are BRIGHT which is perfect, since we painted out home to look like the inside of a bag of Skittles (I kid you not)!

via: amyawalters

And what REAL KITCHEN would be complete without a collection of recipes and a handy place to jot them all down?  I love these colorful cards!  You could color code your breakfast, lunch, dinner, desert and appetizer recipes on them!!!  Yes please.

via: 1canoe2

Like I said, today's a short Etsy post, because the real world insists I get the kitchen renovated before filling it with adorable colorful things!

In similar news, I can't decide which KitchenAid stand mixer I should register for!  There are so many lovely colors.  Our kitchen is painted "Toasted Apricot" and the cabinetry will be a distressed black (with chalkboard paint coated front panels for easy to-do lists!  Also, I always wanted to write on furniture and walls and have it be OK...), with copper and cream accents.  Maybe I should go for a pale yellow that leans towards the cream color?  I just don't know!  Anyone have a KitchenAid stand mixer?  Do you love yours?  What color do YOU have?

Have a wonderful Monday!  Hope your weather is as gorgeous as the weather is here today!

A Sneak Peek...

of my past weekend.  We were busy with my Bear's sister's Bachelorette party and Bridal Shower.  The latter took place at our house, so there were lots of home improvement projects and decorating.  I made cupcakes and Bear made Sweet and Sour Hawaiian Pizza (which uses Sweet and Sour sauce in lieu of tomato sauce, which meant I could eat it... but he used Swiss cheese which I am not a fan of).  I also took a TON of photos for the event!  Here's a little glimpse of the party ambiance...

There were 300 goldfish in the jar.  I guessed 303.  The winner apparently had to guess the same amount or less than the actual amount, so I didn't win.  The winner guessed 236.

The little wine bottles in the mini pool of ice were a huge hit!  All the favors were in the little sand box.  Fortunately, no cats peed in the sand... until after the guests went home...

There was sangria, veggies, fruit, mini burgers on a toothpick, Sweet & Sour Hawaiian Pizza, chicken wings, lots of chips and such, sweet tea, Coca-Cola, wine, and for dessert: cupcakes I made (blue and green for the wedding colors with either buttercream or Hershey's chocolate icing), rich mousse shot glasses, and tequila jello shots.  Phew.  I think I remembered everything?  Oh, shrimp was available too.  But not for dessert.  :)

Keeping to the Luau theme, I wore a wrap dress I was gifted by my Bear's parents.  Instead of wearing it the strapless way, I tied the ends over the shoulder and cinched the fabric with a brooch.  The pattern has elephants on it!  And those are the goldfish over there... I referred to them as "installation art" for the event.

Alright, that's about all I have.  I am geeking out a little because this Saturday marks the pilot episode for the new season of Doctor Who and Sunday we get the next episode of Game of Thrones!  Yes, blogiverse... I am a NERD.  And I am PROUD!  haha

I'll be back tomorrow with some lovely Weddingness!  Anyone else have a crazy but fun weekend last weekend?

Etsy Monday: Game of Thrones!

For anyone who was not aware, Game of Thrones premiered last night on HBO!  My Bear introduced me to the George R. R. Martin series, A Song of Ice and Fire, when we we began dating.  I was a bit apprehensive at first, because there is definitely a lack of respect toward women (usually pawns, swapped out to appease the lust of men, but many female characters are strong, independent women) and a moral societal structure that simultaneously infuriated, baffled, and intrigued me.  Politics play a key role, particularly in the first novel, for which the HBO series is named.  I was really excited to see the characters come to life, particularly Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and Arya Stark.  The pilot did not disappoint (I watched it over and over to try and pick out small details I may have missed the first time...).  I can't wait until the next episode, and found out the next book in the series is due to hit bookstores on Tuesday, July 12, 2011!!!  I haven't read ALL the books we have yet (the series is pretty long already, but all the characters and plots are so intricate... we can't figure out how the various tales will all come together for a wrap up in the series), but Bear has, so he will jump for joy at this news!

Anyways, todays Etsy Monday is all about Game of Thrones.  If you have HBO, I highly recommend the series.  If not, I give you permission to spend more time at the houses of your friends that do.  I do not suggest creeping outside your neighbors window with a bag of popcorn trying to view their TV set while they watch the series, though.  They may mistake you for a White Walker and attack... or simply call for law enforcement (nobody likes a creeper).

The first book, and as far as I can tell so far, the series revolves around the House of Stark.  The Starks live in Winterfell in the northern most reaches of the land within The Wall, which divides the Kingdoms from the surrounding lands inhabited by wildlings and horrific creatures (the Others!).  The House of Stark's sigil is the Dire Wolf, a creature that lives further north beyond the wall.

via: cutitup

via: pegbeard

There are seven Kingdoms in the land, each plays an important role in the series.  They are represented by several Houses: the House of Targaryen which once held the main seat in Kings Landing, the House of Greyjoy, the House of Baratheon who currently holds Kings Landing, the House of Tyrell, the House of Arryn related by marriage to the House of Stark,  and the House of Lannister related by marriage to the House of Baratheon.

via: buniquebeads 

Each House has their own sigil and political stance in the land called Westeros, and with the onset of political turmoil, each plots to seize and control the coveted Iron Throne set in Kings Landing.

via: uncommonwhimsy

The Iron Throne was won by Robert Baratheon from the Targaryen House, descended from Aegon the Conqueror.  The sigil of the Targaryen House is a dragon, the last living of the species were important in their house securing the throne at the beginning of their long reign.  No living dragons have been seen since, and the two remaining Targaryens, Daenerys and her brother, flee across the narrow sea to Essos, to rally forces to assist them in winning back the crown.  Daenerys is married to the Lord of the "savage" Dothrakis and gifted three dragon eggs at the wedding, which have turned to stone over the years they had lain dormant.

via: andracassidy

The House of Stark is comprised of several members, headed by Eddard and Catherine Stark, and their children: Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon.  Eddard's bastard son, Jon Snow, also resides with the family.  In Winterfell, "Snow" is the surname given to bastards of high birth.  The House motto is "Winter is Coming", even though the Stark children were born during a long summer and have never endured a long winter.  Unlike our planet, the seasons in Westeros are not definable by any timetable, and may last several years.

via: foxwise

via: midevalnerd

The Wall that secures Westeros from the wild woods is guarded by men all in black, known as the brothers of the Night's Watch.  These men were once a proud group, but as the community became comfortable with the lack of perceived threat beyond the Wall declined to convicted criminals and other "unsavory" characters.  The woods beyond hold small colonies of people free of the influence from Kings Landing, referred to as wildlings, as well as horrific creatures (again, White Walkers and the Others... eep!).

via: thisyearsgirl

 The closest time frame I can equate the series to is mideval: lots of tapestries, jousts, tournaments, beheadings, impalments and the like.  The series is so absorbing, and HBO has done a wonderful job thus far in bringing texture, color, and richness to a world beyond our own!  The costumes, props and set decorations really allow the viewer to believe in the different surroundings and characters.  It's pretty amazing, some of those sets!

via: thecomrade

via: jackhandmake

 If you get HBO, be sure to watch this series!  If not, I am sure you can use Netflix or maybe even hulu.com to see the episodes!  (You can also get a feel for what their lives may have been like by visiting your local Renaissance Festival!  Can't wait for MDRF!)

In personal news, this past weekend was busy for me and my Bear.  His sister is getting married at the end of June, and her bachelorette party and bridal shower were this weekend.  I have tons of photos, and will share some from the latter event.  Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I won't post the bachelorette ones.  I took photos at her behest, and will get them to her alone.  Then she can do with them as she will.  I don't want to be responsible for anyone's reputation (although the party was actually really really tame; we went to a local Irish Pub, had a few rounds, and sang along with the band while eating delicious food)!

Happy Monday!  Anyone have a great TV series or book series you want to share?  I would love to hear of them!

Foodies our Friends.

Lately, my Bear and I have been trying to have over friends more often, hopefully once a week, to cook, eat, play video games, talk, and (one of my motives) have mini photo shoots.  The last two weeks have been nothing short of amazing!

It all began with Valentine's Day.  Our good friends Patchie and The Boy were at the bar with us and we got to talking about the big fat love day (at the time, it was a little more than a month away).  We discussed the annoying commercials, the jewelry store jingles that get on your nerves, the cheap chocolates that are overpriced and flowers and mostly, the impossible waiting list at restaurants.

We happen to live in a suburb off of the DC/Baltimore area that is comprised of a few things: McDonald's (usually situated across the street from another McDonald's), other fast food chains, chain restaurants of the sit and eat persuasion, mom and pop restaurants, bars and small sandwich shoppes and the like.  Occasionally, there are chain stores like WalMart and Target, a couple thrift stores (where my patronage lies), lots of mass jewelry establishments (all of which are within a mile of a sister store), and other places to spend money.  We also happen to have a lot of beautiful parks and things, but that's a different story.  Anyway, in such a location of a million choices for that V-Day dinner, it's a mystery to me how we have the population to keep lines as long as they get.  But we live in no-chefs land.  So there's that.

We were whining about the holiday madness, the financial state of affairs (thanks, economy.  Bite me), and such when our other friends Katietron and Kyle joined the conversation.  Not sure who originated the idea, but it was a combination of this, my goal to learn to cook (and distance myself from the other no-chefs of this place), and Patchie and Katietron's love of cooking that eventually led to the dinner plan.

Bear and I have an apartment of our own (as in, we rent it from his folks, but it does have our art on the walls, and that's what counts!), so we decided to host the event.  I immediately began searching for activities and DIY photo backdrops for classy couples portraits.  I have never been very domestic, but I cleaned like I was a Merry Maid for this event, and finally found the perfect backdrop option.  I may or may not have had to hypnotize the Bear to help me construct an indoor tent out of string, safety pins, red sheets, red and white scrap fabric, and white lace, festooned with twinkle lights.  In any case, we managed to erect this really awesome love tent.  I may have to admit that I jumped inside and began singing Love Shack while giggling.  It may have happened.

The lighting was a simple flood light clipped to a chair off camera right, allowing for a more dramatic approach than my usual natural or available light technique.  I really liked the results (and learned a bit about metering by approximation, as in, I need to invest in a good digital light meter).

The Valentine's menu was amazing, consisting of Patchie's breaded pork chops (which were totally drool worthy), my take on Bear's Dad's Green Bean Bundle recipe (green beans and carrots wrapped in bacon and drizzled in a brown sugar and garlic butter sauce), and Katietron's mashed potatoes (with herbs and butter and garlic... soooo fluffy and delicious).  Katietron also made sangria that had us red faced and giggling and homemade chocolate truffles for dessert... so very decadently rich.

We decided to do this dinner thing again, and did this past Sunday.  We had another theme: PJs and Breakfast for Dinner.  I dismantled the love tent (and now have some holey sheets from the safety pins... oh, well), and pulled out the futon.  I piled it with all my childhood sleepover favorites: latch-hooked unicorn pillows, stuffed animals, crazy print sheets, lots of pillows.  Patchie and I let the men-folk (and Katietron, master chef) work their magic in the kitchen this time.  And dinner was amazing.  Menu?  Well, let's see... Kyle's manly scrambled eggs with salt, pepper and cheese (except for this lactose intolerant girl's portion), Katietron's pastries (pancakes, Belgian waffles, and ho cakes, which apparently are somewhere between a pancake and crepe and not at all the pancakes with a low self esteem I thought they might be), Bear's Eggs in a Basket (aka Bullseye Eggs) and toast.  Also, we breezed through a half pound of bacon each (a three pound economy package of delicious dead piggy), mimosas, screwdrivers, blueberry beer, fresh squeezed OJ and sugared fruits.

All in all, this anti-tradition gal may have found a tradition worth keeping!

Not sure why I felt like writing all about our magical adventures in foodie land... except maybe to validate my new addiction to the Wii Fit.  I ran 2.5 miles today, and promptly ate a homemade pizza Bear made (the Marizabeth special: olive oil and garlic base, cheese, pineapple, and easily another 1/2 lb of bacon).  I guess I'll be running again tomorrow...