I've been meaning to post these for a few days, but it's been rather busy to say the least. And Friday night, I was so tired from the week that I fell asleep at 8:30. *chuckle*
Anyway, the baby shower menu seemed to be a great success, so I thought I would share the recipes I used. I'm sharing the recipes in their original quantities; I multiplied the amounts several times over to feed the big crowd we had here on Tuesday!
Tomato Basil Sauce
This is adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe. The only difference is that she uses 20 leaves of fresh basil and I only had dried. I made three times this amount for the shower, but I think this recipe would easily serve 6 to 8.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (28-0z.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper
About 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
Heat a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and onion. Let onions cook with garlic slowly over 15 minutes. Be careful not to brown the onions; just keep an eye on the heat and stir the onions frequently. After 15 minutes, stir in tomatoes and raise heat to medium-high. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in basil and heat through. Serve over pasta.
Parmesan Cream Sauce
This is adapted from an Emeril recipe. If you want the original, go here. Supposedly it serves 4, but I have doubts; it's not that much sauce. I made 6 times this much for the shower, but I did have a lot of leftovers.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (I only doubled this for the huge amount I made; it's a lot of butter)
1 shallot, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (although I think it would probably work okay with fresh grated regular parmesan...)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sautee until tender. Add cream and bring to a boil. Cool until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted and well-blended. Serve over pasta.
Pasta Bar
Tomato Basil Sauce
Parmesan Cream Sauce
Grilled chicken, sliced
Cooked shrimp
Sauteed veggies: green, red and yellow peppers; mushrooms; red onion
Bow-tie pasta
Whole grain penne pasta
Parmesan cheese
Mixed green salad with croutons and various dressings
Dinner rolls
Dutch Apple Pie
I have had this recipe since approximately 9th grade, when I learned it in Mrs. Stephen's Foods class. I made it the first time Brock came to my house for dinner when we were 15. We weren't far enough in our relationship yet for him to tell me he didn't like apple pie, so I just assumed he didn't like MY apple pie. *chuckle* But Hannah likes this one.
Pie crust (I use Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts)
4 c. sliced Granny Smith apples
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. soft butter
1/2 c. sugar
Place pie crust in 9-in. pie pan and flute the edges. Heap apples in crust. Mix 1/2 c. sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Make a crumb mixture of the sugar, flour and butter. Sprinkle evenly over the sugar-cinnamon mixture, covering the apples completely. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 min. or until bubbly and brown. (Extra-good when served warm with ice cream, but tastes good cold, too.)
Punch
Brock's mom introduced me to this. I have no idea what to call it, but it was a very big hit at the party. Double it for a crowd.
2 liter bottle of Canada Dry Ginger Ale
Country Time Lemonade Mix (measured to the top line in the cap)
Be careful when you mix it together, because the reaction is rather explosive. :)
I also made Garlic Onion Cheese Dip with crackers.
And finally, I had a LOT of leftover dinner rolls. I just baked the Pillsbury frozen dinner rolls, and after a couple of days we still had several left and they were starting to go stale. So yesterday I made bread pudding with them - and they made GREAT bread pudding. So here's that recipe.
Bread Pudding
Hannah really loved this.
4-5 c. soft bread crumbs (just tear up whatever bread you have)
2 c. milk, scalded with 1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. chopped apple (I usually use apple instead of raisins, but just use raisins if that's what you prefer)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread crumbs in 1 1/2 or 2-qt. baking dish. Blend in remaining ingredients - start with the milk, because it helps make room for the other things. Place baking dish in 9x13 pan of hot water, about 1 in. deep. Bake 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted 1 in. from the edge of the pan comes out clean. (If you have a good glaze recipe, feel free to use it.)
I love good food!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
A success!
The baby shower went great! Dinner was ready on time...people had fun...Jen got lots of great presents...and Hannah had a terrific time entertaining everyone. Everyone fit in the house, and we had plenty of food. And it's only 10:30 and I have all the dishes done, and everything cleaned up. I am rather proud I pulled it off. :)
Monday, October 27, 2008
La di da di, we likes to party
I can't remember what song that's from, but it seems to me it's from sometime in the 80s. *chuckle*
Anyway, tomorrow is a big day at our house because I am hosting a baby shower for my friend Jen, who is due to have a baby girl in January. I really love my friend Jen, and when she told me she was pregnant one of the first things I said was, "I want to host a baby shower for you at my house." See, we work together, and I thought it would be nice to have all the women we work with over for dinner - which is a bit nicer than standing around our office just eating cake.
So, 25 people are coming over tomorrow. I think our house can handle it, but it's a bit bigger crowd than I originally anticipated when I had this brilliant idea. ;)
Also, I am cooking. I wanted to cook from the beginning, because I like cooking - especially for parties. I think good food is one of the great uniting forces in the world. But I've also never cooked for 25 people before, so hopefully we don't run out. We're having a pasta bar (two kinds of pasta, two kinds of sauce, veggies, chicken and shrimp) and then people are bringing bunches of desserts and appetizers (I made one of each, but I'm not crazy enough to try to do all the desserts and appetizers by myself, too). Tonight I made more pasta sauce than I have ever made in my life. Our refrigerator is literally full of pasta sauce...to the point where, when I was looking for something in the fridge this evening, Brock said, "It's behind the sauce," and we both cracked up. I also made apple pie, garlic onion dip, cooked 2.75 lbs. of chicken and chopped a LOT of vegetables.
I'm very excited to have this party, though - I think it will be really fun, and as long as everyone fits in the house and we don't run out of food, I'll be happy. :)
And now, as it is midnight and I have to get up and go to work early in the morning to get ready for 5 1/2 straight hours of meetings...I am going to bed.
Note, if you are coming to the shower: I didn't get around to sweeping the porch. So that's just too bad. Try not to notice the leaves and cobwebs. Also, I think I got the chicken a bit dry, but if you put a lot of sauce on it, I'm sure it will be fine. :)
Anyway, tomorrow is a big day at our house because I am hosting a baby shower for my friend Jen, who is due to have a baby girl in January. I really love my friend Jen, and when she told me she was pregnant one of the first things I said was, "I want to host a baby shower for you at my house." See, we work together, and I thought it would be nice to have all the women we work with over for dinner - which is a bit nicer than standing around our office just eating cake.
So, 25 people are coming over tomorrow. I think our house can handle it, but it's a bit bigger crowd than I originally anticipated when I had this brilliant idea. ;)
Also, I am cooking. I wanted to cook from the beginning, because I like cooking - especially for parties. I think good food is one of the great uniting forces in the world. But I've also never cooked for 25 people before, so hopefully we don't run out. We're having a pasta bar (two kinds of pasta, two kinds of sauce, veggies, chicken and shrimp) and then people are bringing bunches of desserts and appetizers (I made one of each, but I'm not crazy enough to try to do all the desserts and appetizers by myself, too). Tonight I made more pasta sauce than I have ever made in my life. Our refrigerator is literally full of pasta sauce...to the point where, when I was looking for something in the fridge this evening, Brock said, "It's behind the sauce," and we both cracked up. I also made apple pie, garlic onion dip, cooked 2.75 lbs. of chicken and chopped a LOT of vegetables.
I'm very excited to have this party, though - I think it will be really fun, and as long as everyone fits in the house and we don't run out of food, I'll be happy. :)
And now, as it is midnight and I have to get up and go to work early in the morning to get ready for 5 1/2 straight hours of meetings...I am going to bed.
Note, if you are coming to the shower: I didn't get around to sweeping the porch. So that's just too bad. Try not to notice the leaves and cobwebs. Also, I think I got the chicken a bit dry, but if you put a lot of sauce on it, I'm sure it will be fine. :)
Thursday, October 16, 2008
7 things about me
Thanks to Vic for tagging me! Here are 7 things about me you probably don't know:
1) One of the reasons I'm glad Vic tagged me is that I like talking about myself. I know that's supposed to be a bad thing, but it's true. I like talking to other people about themselves, too...but I am a sucker for those emails where you fill out four jobs you've had or what you eat for breakfast or whatever, and then send it on to all your friends. I know no one cares what I eat for breakfast, but there's something fun about writing down things like that. (For the record, this morning I had oatmeal mixed with granola, brown sugar, cinnamon and dried cranberries - a concoction of my own creation that I call "oatnola.")
2) I do not keep liquor in my house. This is because I like it very much, especially vodka, and I am concerned about the possibilities if I had easy access to it all the time. Because I am a comfort eater, I think it stands to reason I would be a comfort drinker, so it's just better not to tempt myself.
3) The top 4 days in my life have been the day I got engaged, my wedding, the birth of my daughter, and when the Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl. The 5th best day in my life will be when Barack Obama wins the presidency. I'm excited for that.
4) I harbor a secret desire to be a stand-up comedian. I won't ever, ever do it, and in fact have never tried, but it's the fantasy job I go to in my mind when my real job really gets on my nerves. Of course, since this is not grounded in reality, in my daydreams I am already wildly successful as a comedian and also never have to travel. :)
5) I think I might only want one kid. I am just so incredibly happy with the amazing one I have, and I really, right now, feel absolutely no desire to expand our family further. (Sorry, parents.) Also, I strongly doubt my ability to handle any more kids - it would require seriously compromising the attention I can give to my husband and my career, and I'm really not thrilled about that prospect. The poor cats are already getting the shaft. This is not to say that I wouldn't adapt if modern medicine should happen to fail me.
6) I have devolved in my organizational skills. I used to be hyper-organized. Now I can't really face filing. Brock does all of it at home, and at work I only do it when the piles of paper on my desk get to the point where I can't remember what's in them. I also haven't balanced our checkbook in approximately 4 years, or maybe more, because banking online is awesome. But Brock handles that too. I never keep receipts. My email inboxes (both personal and work) are muddled disasters of old messages that I will never use, but they're so out of control that it would take too much time to clean them up. I hate this about myself. But I also have to let some stuff go.
7) I am really proud that we moved out of Indiana and are making a life for ourselves here. I will always love the place I grew up, but I really love my home now, too. And when I think about the fact that we moved here when we were 22 and didn't know anybody at all, I am amazed at what we've done since then. I can't believe it never occurred to me to be nervous about moving away from everyone we knew. Now I would be absolutely terrified to move, but I can't really think of anywhere I'd rather live, either.
That's it from me. Now, I tag Robin and Brock to talk about themselves on their blogs, too! This is fun!
1) One of the reasons I'm glad Vic tagged me is that I like talking about myself. I know that's supposed to be a bad thing, but it's true. I like talking to other people about themselves, too...but I am a sucker for those emails where you fill out four jobs you've had or what you eat for breakfast or whatever, and then send it on to all your friends. I know no one cares what I eat for breakfast, but there's something fun about writing down things like that. (For the record, this morning I had oatmeal mixed with granola, brown sugar, cinnamon and dried cranberries - a concoction of my own creation that I call "oatnola.")
2) I do not keep liquor in my house. This is because I like it very much, especially vodka, and I am concerned about the possibilities if I had easy access to it all the time. Because I am a comfort eater, I think it stands to reason I would be a comfort drinker, so it's just better not to tempt myself.
3) The top 4 days in my life have been the day I got engaged, my wedding, the birth of my daughter, and when the Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl. The 5th best day in my life will be when Barack Obama wins the presidency. I'm excited for that.
4) I harbor a secret desire to be a stand-up comedian. I won't ever, ever do it, and in fact have never tried, but it's the fantasy job I go to in my mind when my real job really gets on my nerves. Of course, since this is not grounded in reality, in my daydreams I am already wildly successful as a comedian and also never have to travel. :)
5) I think I might only want one kid. I am just so incredibly happy with the amazing one I have, and I really, right now, feel absolutely no desire to expand our family further. (Sorry, parents.) Also, I strongly doubt my ability to handle any more kids - it would require seriously compromising the attention I can give to my husband and my career, and I'm really not thrilled about that prospect. The poor cats are already getting the shaft. This is not to say that I wouldn't adapt if modern medicine should happen to fail me.
6) I have devolved in my organizational skills. I used to be hyper-organized. Now I can't really face filing. Brock does all of it at home, and at work I only do it when the piles of paper on my desk get to the point where I can't remember what's in them. I also haven't balanced our checkbook in approximately 4 years, or maybe more, because banking online is awesome. But Brock handles that too. I never keep receipts. My email inboxes (both personal and work) are muddled disasters of old messages that I will never use, but they're so out of control that it would take too much time to clean them up. I hate this about myself. But I also have to let some stuff go.
7) I am really proud that we moved out of Indiana and are making a life for ourselves here. I will always love the place I grew up, but I really love my home now, too. And when I think about the fact that we moved here when we were 22 and didn't know anybody at all, I am amazed at what we've done since then. I can't believe it never occurred to me to be nervous about moving away from everyone we knew. Now I would be absolutely terrified to move, but I can't really think of anywhere I'd rather live, either.
That's it from me. Now, I tag Robin and Brock to talk about themselves on their blogs, too! This is fun!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
OhmyGodyouguysNKOTBwasAWESOME!
I wrote the title of the post that way in hopes you would read it really fast and squealy, kind of like a preteen girl would say it. Because that's totally how I was feeling on Saturday night at the New Kids on the Block concert.
)
This is a blurry camera phone picture of the main stage. They're singing and dancing there, but you can't see them because stage lighting is not nice to camera phones:
)
And this is a blurry camera phone picture of when they were on their "second stage," which was a little turntable thing in the middle of the crowd. If I had been next to them, I think I would have peed my pants. Or perhaps I would have tried to grope Joey McIntyre:
)
In short: I screamed my fool head off and had a fantastic time. My friend Lisa came up from Indiana for the show and spent two hours laughing at me screaming my fool head off, especially when I yelled, "I love you, Joey!" at the top of my lungs. But I meant it. And I'm sure he heard me. Besides, we went with three other girls, and at least one of them was screaming her fool head off, too. So it wasn't just me.
They sounded good. They looked great. Our seats were perfect. And I had a completely crappy week at work, so I needed something ridiculous and fun, and finding out I remembered every lyric to songs I hadn't even heard in almost 20 years was just what the doctor ordered. :)
Seriously...who can't get into some Hangin' Tough? Who doesn't want to scream like a maniac when their favorite group from childhood is on stage and actually sounding good, and dancing just like they did in 1990 (hello, penguin dance from The Right Stuff!)? Who doesn't think Joey McIntyre is SMOKIN' HOT?
I had the BEST time. I was a little hoarse after the concert and I didn't care. I laughed. I swooned. I danced. I waved my hands in the air like I just didn't care. I sang every word to every song at the top of my lungs. And I wasn't even drunk (unlike this girl in front of us, who came back after last call going, "You guys, THERE IS NO MORE ALCOHOL. THERE IS NO MORE ALCOHOL"...something that certainly did not happen the last time I saw NKOTB...)!
Here are some photo highlights.
Here is my ticket (that lovely background is one of our placemats...I could have cropped it out but just didn't feel like it):
Here are some photo highlights.
Here is my ticket (that lovely background is one of our placemats...I could have cropped it out but just didn't feel like it):
This is a blurry camera phone picture of the main stage. They're singing and dancing there, but you can't see them because stage lighting is not nice to camera phones:
And this is a blurry camera phone picture of when they were on their "second stage," which was a little turntable thing in the middle of the crowd. If I had been next to them, I think I would have peed my pants. Or perhaps I would have tried to grope Joey McIntyre:
NKOTB forever, baby. I wish I could have gone back again the next night to see them. LOVE THEM.
Don't rain on my nostalgia parade, either. I won't have it. Any malicious comments will not be approved. But I can totally take good-natured teasing. I probably deserve it. :)
Monday, September 29, 2008
Okay, fine, I admit it
I am totally psyched for the New Kids on the Block concert on Saturday. I am. I can't wait. I know I am being a total dork, and that I am not 10 anymore, but neither are these guys:
Quite simply, they are hot. And we're all legal now, which makes loving them rather odd - unlike when I was actually 10, and the furthest my imagination would stretch was holding hands, perhaps kissing on the beach, and then having an amazingly extravagant wedding at which all my friends would be jealous that I was marrying Joey and they weren't. And then I would go on tour with NKOTB as their bass guitarist, and all the screaming fans would be jealous that I was married to Joey and they weren't, and I would have to have private security because of all the death threats. Nevermind that I was 10, don't like the beach, and also never learned to play the bass guitar. And didn't have a chance of marrying Joey McIntyre. (Note to Brock: I think things turned out okay anyway.)
I have been listening to their new CD, The Block, in the car on a continuous loop for about three weeks. That is, when Hannah's not in the car, because these are not the NKOTB of yore - most of the song themes are not kid-friendly. This is because the Kids are not kids anymore, either...and I daresay their imaginations grew up the same way mine did. I, however, would not sing about some of this stuff on a CD my mom was probably going to listen to. Or I would just tell her not to listen to it. There's really no bad language, but I also don't want my three-year-old singing this, either.
Anyway, I am in no position to judge whether the CD is any good. I enjoy it, and only have to skip a couple of songs (I know we're all adults now, but there are just some things I cannot listen to my beloved New Kids sing. I have my limits, and I need to preserve a little bit of the innocent puppy love I had for them ca. 1988). I thought I would try to critically evaluate the songs, but the fact is that it just takes me back to a much simpler time in my life, before I realized that it does no good to dream of marrying Joey McIntyre, and I would have probably loved listening to the CD even if it was terrible. (For the record, I think it's actually pretty good. I just don't know if I'm objective enough to state that it is pretty good.)
So I am totally going to see them in concert on Saturday night. Unlike when I was 11, I will drive myself to the concert, and I will be meeting up with some girlfriends at a bar beforehand (don't worry, I will drink responsibly). Also unlike when I was 11, my friend Julie's mom will not have made sandwiches for us all to eat after the show (big shout out to Julie's mom, who deserves some kind of award for taking a bunch of insane preteens to a New Kids concert - especially when we had lawn seats and had to get there hours early to wait in line). However, just like when I was 11, I will probably scream myself hoarse.
Unlike when I was 11, my husband will be waiting to laugh at me when I come home. :)
Quite simply, they are hot. And we're all legal now, which makes loving them rather odd - unlike when I was actually 10, and the furthest my imagination would stretch was holding hands, perhaps kissing on the beach, and then having an amazingly extravagant wedding at which all my friends would be jealous that I was marrying Joey and they weren't. And then I would go on tour with NKOTB as their bass guitarist, and all the screaming fans would be jealous that I was married to Joey and they weren't, and I would have to have private security because of all the death threats. Nevermind that I was 10, don't like the beach, and also never learned to play the bass guitar. And didn't have a chance of marrying Joey McIntyre. (Note to Brock: I think things turned out okay anyway.)I have been listening to their new CD, The Block, in the car on a continuous loop for about three weeks. That is, when Hannah's not in the car, because these are not the NKOTB of yore - most of the song themes are not kid-friendly. This is because the Kids are not kids anymore, either...and I daresay their imaginations grew up the same way mine did. I, however, would not sing about some of this stuff on a CD my mom was probably going to listen to. Or I would just tell her not to listen to it. There's really no bad language, but I also don't want my three-year-old singing this, either.
Anyway, I am in no position to judge whether the CD is any good. I enjoy it, and only have to skip a couple of songs (I know we're all adults now, but there are just some things I cannot listen to my beloved New Kids sing. I have my limits, and I need to preserve a little bit of the innocent puppy love I had for them ca. 1988). I thought I would try to critically evaluate the songs, but the fact is that it just takes me back to a much simpler time in my life, before I realized that it does no good to dream of marrying Joey McIntyre, and I would have probably loved listening to the CD even if it was terrible. (For the record, I think it's actually pretty good. I just don't know if I'm objective enough to state that it is pretty good.)
So I am totally going to see them in concert on Saturday night. Unlike when I was 11, I will drive myself to the concert, and I will be meeting up with some girlfriends at a bar beforehand (don't worry, I will drink responsibly). Also unlike when I was 11, my friend Julie's mom will not have made sandwiches for us all to eat after the show (big shout out to Julie's mom, who deserves some kind of award for taking a bunch of insane preteens to a New Kids concert - especially when we had lawn seats and had to get there hours early to wait in line). However, just like when I was 11, I will probably scream myself hoarse.
Unlike when I was 11, my husband will be waiting to laugh at me when I come home. :)
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Homework. Meh.
I am four weeks into the school year, which means that homework is now starting to pile up in earnest. There's reading. There are projects to start working on. (My professor yesterday had the nerve to ask if anyone "was encountering any issues" in working on our final projects - which are not due until December. The issue I'm encountering is having professors who think you might actually work on a project that's not due for three more months this far in advance. Who has time for that??)
My project topics this semester are...if not quite interesting, at least intriguing. One is to "reinvigorate" the Taster's Choice brand. The other is to market Oreos to people in India. While "Oreos to India" sounds like some misguided relief program, I think it will be really interesting to learn more about Indian culture and marketing segments; figuring out how to get them to purchase a cookie (although it is admittedly a delicious cookie) is kind of secondary for me.
The Taster's Choice thing is in another world entirely, as I think the idea of the project is really cool, but having to work on a brand I've never even tried (and won't, as I don't drink coffee!) is turning out to be really challenging. I'm having a hard time paying attention to it. I am drawing heavily on my first semester of grad school, where I had to work very hard to care about Gain laundry detergent, which I had also never tried before. I have since tried it, as I bought two bottles to use as visual aids for my presentation, but a year later I haven't even finished the second bottle. If I end up buying Taster's Choice to use as a visual aid, I have no idea what I will do with it - because everyone I've told about this project has said, "Wow, they still make Taster's Choice?"
I guess the upside is that I could be a hero to Nescafe and give them the blueprint for bringing Taster's Choice back from wherever it's been since the 1990s.
I'm rambling because I'm avoiding the draft of my situation analysis. Must go do real work now. :)
My project topics this semester are...if not quite interesting, at least intriguing. One is to "reinvigorate" the Taster's Choice brand. The other is to market Oreos to people in India. While "Oreos to India" sounds like some misguided relief program, I think it will be really interesting to learn more about Indian culture and marketing segments; figuring out how to get them to purchase a cookie (although it is admittedly a delicious cookie) is kind of secondary for me.
The Taster's Choice thing is in another world entirely, as I think the idea of the project is really cool, but having to work on a brand I've never even tried (and won't, as I don't drink coffee!) is turning out to be really challenging. I'm having a hard time paying attention to it. I am drawing heavily on my first semester of grad school, where I had to work very hard to care about Gain laundry detergent, which I had also never tried before. I have since tried it, as I bought two bottles to use as visual aids for my presentation, but a year later I haven't even finished the second bottle. If I end up buying Taster's Choice to use as a visual aid, I have no idea what I will do with it - because everyone I've told about this project has said, "Wow, they still make Taster's Choice?"
I guess the upside is that I could be a hero to Nescafe and give them the blueprint for bringing Taster's Choice back from wherever it's been since the 1990s.
I'm rambling because I'm avoiding the draft of my situation analysis. Must go do real work now. :)
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