New Year’s Eve’s Eve Birthday

Yesterday The Hubs turned another year older.  As usual, he refused any offers of celebration, going so far as to hope that no one at his new job realized it was his birthday (he was out of luck).  Silly Hubs!  I say live it up, but that’s not his style.

Instead, we continued what has become his usual birthday celebration – tacos, a gooey butter cake, and a quiet evening at home.

But, unable to ever leave well enough alone, I tried to take every opportunity to make the same ol’ same ol’ slightly more special.  My tasks began with the tacos.

Rather than use the typical store bought tacos, I used The Dish on Delish’s ungreasy taco recipe.  It’s really easy and I absolutely loved them.  You want the recipe?  Okay, in the spirit of celebration, I will share:

You start with regular corn tortillas.  Spray them with canola oil cooking spray [I sprayed them on both sides, so the spices would stick but the tortilla wouldn't].  Then sprinkle them with chili powder to taste and kosher salt.

Then drape the tortillas over a bar of your oven rack so that it creates a shell.

[Next time I'll drape the tacos over 2 bars each to make a wider shell base.]

Bake tortillas for 7-10 minutes at 375. So yummy!

[The Dish on Delish also has a yummy recipe for lean & spicy taco meat if you're interested - muy  delicioso.]

Once the homemade tacos were done, I set the table with all the fixins, another fancification.  The Hubs keeps it simple, adding only cheese to his tacos, so I usually don’t go to the trouble of worrying about other toppings for myself.  But for this fancy occasion, we had all the options.

After the even-tastier-then-usual meal, the celebration continued with gooey butter cake and presents. The gooey butter cake was too, well, gooey to put candles in, so instead The Hubs blew out the candles on the centerpiece:

Do you think the wishes will come true even if the candles weren’t on a cake?

And last but not least, the present:

If you ask me, this is The Hubs feigning surprise at his new replacement iPod [His old one broke a month or so ago and he has been "borrowing" mine ever since.  So really this was a gift to the both of us.].  He swears he didn’t know, but look at that face.  Doesn’t that look like a fake surprise to you?  Either way, he was definitely happy – even moreso that I did the dishes for him.

All-in-all it was a good New Year’s Eve’s Eve birthday, if I do say so myself. The nice thing is that, since today is New Year’s Eve, the festivities can continue – steak anyone?

Thanksgiving 2008 Part 2: The Feast

This Thanksgiving was the first that The Hubs and I have spent without any family; we’ve always traveled home or had family come to us.  But because this year was just the two of us, we decided to make it a low-key holiday, beginning with the meal.

After deciding not to be concerned with fanciness and tradition, we only made those things we count as our very favorite holidays dishes.  For Hubs that included the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and the apple pie.  I added cranberry sauce and broccoli and cheese casserole, as well as seconding the apple pie.

Cooking began Wednesday evening, when I made the pie and the cranberry sauce.  On Thursday I didn’t continue preparations until after the Turkey Trot – one of the perks of it just being Hubs and I was that there was no time table.  So I came home from the race, put the turkey in the oven, and got to work on all of the sides.

Everything turned out perfectly, though the turkey did give me a small headache.  I got the smallest turkey I could find – 8.5 pounds – since it was only for two people.  But because of the small amount of meat, it proved difficult to get an accurate temperature reading.  In the end, it turned out perfectly, but next time I won’t get a bird and smaller than 12 pounds – bring on the leftovers!

Though the meal (and the company) was fantastic, I have to say that I’m getting a little sick of turkey, broccoli and cheese casserole, and cranberry sauce – the leftovers I’ve been working on all weekend.  The apple pie, on the other hand, never gets old.

Interested in what happened after the meal?  Check tomorrow for the third and final installment: Trimming the Tree.

Eat My Words

For you, dear readers, a weekend recap via the amazing food I ate in Mount Dora:

• Friday, dinner: traditional English fish ‘n’ chips at The Frosty Mug, an Icelandic Restaurant and Bar. 9/10, only losing a point because they had to substitute Grouper for the Haddock.
• Saturday and Sunday, breakfast: the absolute best muffins I’ve ever had in my life, Blueberry and Double Chocolate Chip respectively, from the Sunshine Mountain Bakery. 10/10.
• Saturday, lunch: the absolute best (do you see a pattern here?) Coconut Shrimp I’ve ever had in my life from Pisces Rising.  11/10, extra point for the amazing Orange Chili Sauce.  Yum.
• Saturday, dinner: the most amazing meal I’ve ever had, period.  We ordered family style from Casa Mia Trattoria, allowing Angelo, the owner, to bring us whatever he chose.  We started with calamari, prosciutto and mozzarella, and fresh Italian olives and hard cheese.  It was all amazing; I don’t even like olives but those were wonderful.  Angelo then brought us tortellini with two different sauces: a spicy marinara and a to-die-for alfredo pesto sauce. The main course followed, consisting of a mix of seafood (including mussels, which it turns out I am not a fan of), chicken cooked in a balsalmic, red wine, mushroom sauce (I have never had a sauce like this and it’s probably the best thing I’ve ever tasted), and lamb chops (yum!). Despite being completely stuffed, we then enjoyed a dessert tasting menu with 5 or 6 different pastries, all amazing.  Not one to finish a meal until absolutely necessary, Angelo then brought us all two shots of limoncello.  This along with the countless bottles of wine that accompanied the meal, not to mention Angelo’s enthusiasm and boisterous personality made the meal one never to forget.  You should be very, very jealous. 14/10.
• Sunday, lunch: bologna sandwich and homemade chicken noodle soup from the amazing Yalaha Bakery. Man, I need to live somewhere that has as many fantastic bakeries as Mt. Dora. 9/10, losing one point for not being able to expand my stomach enough to try all of the pastries they offered.

So, basically, I can’t eat for a week because I need to lose the 30 pounds I have put on over the past two days.  Still, no complaints here.  Yum, yum, yum.

What, you don’t know?

I just realized that I haven’t told you all the “big news” yet.  This guy:

got a new job.  Yay, Dave!  As of a week from Monday, Dave will no longer be employed by State Farm and will, instead, be making sure they (and other insurance companies) comply with federal regulations at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulations (or at least I think that’s what his job entails; I know for sure the employer is right).  The best part about the new job for Dave is that it is step one on his path to becoming an actuary. But the best part about the new job for me is that it comes with awesome insurance.  And considering that we currently pay for insurance entirely out of pocket (read: lots of money, not so much coverage), I am particularly pumped about this.

In other changes in the Altmaier household, I have started eating “grown-up” cereal.  No more Fruit Loops  or Honey Nut Chex for me.  In an effort to eat more fiber and less sugar, I am now munching on Banana Nut Crunch.  I must tell you, this is a day I never thought would come.  Sigh.

You might also be interested to know that this guy:

is about to get to spend a whole weekend home alone, with no parental supervision.  Isn’t he a big boy?  Okay, that’s not entirely true.  But he is going to be home alone for most of a weekend.  The second weekend of October, Dave and I are going to Mt. Dora, Florida to spend the weekend with Dave’s grandfather; Dave and Papa will spend the weekend cycling while I read (for a change of pace) and hopefully do some shopping.  For the first time, we’re leaving Potter behind and entrusting him to the care of his new pet-sitter, Nida.  Nida will visit twice a day to feed him, play with him, and take him on a lengthy walk that will hopefully keep him so tired that he’ll forget that we’ve abandoned him.  Keep your fingers crossed.

And that’s about it.  I’m so absorbed in school these days that I was fairly oblivious to the fact that the price of gas in Tallahassee jumped to $5.50 last Friday and then even more oblivious when I didn’t realized that it had dropped back down again.  You might say I’m a wee bit busy.  But aren’t we all?

Bruschetta & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

I don’t have a lot going on in these last few days before classes start on Monday; I’m just finishing up lesson plans and continuing to read for my prelims. So, until I have something more interesting to offer, I thought I’d share what I made for dinner tonight.  This Bruschetta & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast is one of my favorite recipes.  It’s easy to prepare, though it takes about 45 minutes to bake.  But it’s good every time: colorful, moist, and flavorful.  I usually serve it with a small salad and some form of potatoes.  Enjoy!

This is the recipe:

1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained

1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella, divided

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken

8 small boneless chicken breast halves

1/3 cup Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

• Preheat over to 350 degrees.  To prepare stuffing, combine tomatoes and their liquid, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, basil, and stuffing mix, stirring just until moistened.
• Put 2 chicken breast halves in a large, freezer weight re-sealable bag. Pound the chicken with meat mallet until chicken is 1/4 inch thick.  Repeat with remaining chicken breasts, 2 at a time.
• Place pounded chicken breasts, smooth-side down, starting at the narrow end, as tightly as possible around stuffing mix (I use toothpicks to keep the chicken closed).
• Place in 13×9 inch baking dish with seam-side down, as this allows the chicken to hold together.  Pour dressing evenly over chicken and bake for 40 minutes.
• Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese and bake 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.

Yum, yum!

My Mundane Weekend

This has been a fairly slow but productive weekend for me.  Friday was the same-ol’, same-ol’.  Walked in the morning, worked, worked out in the afternoon.  For dinner Dave and I planned a low-key meal at Panera (I was craving a fruit-filled salad) but, upon leaving to drive over there, we noticed that Tallahassee’s new IHOP (which happens to be about a quarter of a mile from our apartment) had quietly opened up.  So, instead of the healthy salad, I indulged in the Stuffed French Toast.  I’ll admit, even as I ordered it I couldn’t help but think it was going to be too-sweet and disgusting.  But nope, holy cow was it good!  Now, my waistline won’t let me eat there too often, but it’s kind of nice to know that cheap, tasty breakfasts are so close-by.

Saturday morning Dave, Potter, and I went walking with our friends Lucy, Ben, and their dog Reece, which was nice.  Lucy, the dogs, and I walk every morning, so it was a nice change of pace to have the whole families together on Saturday.  Afterwards Lucy and I went to the Farmer’s Market, which on Saturdays is both a craft and a farmer’s market.  Lucy had never been and I was delighted to introduce her to it.  Plus I found some excellent tomatoes, peaches, blueberries, and cheese (from a local dairy).  Yum!  The rest of the day I enjoyed my air conditioning rather than the 100 degree heat and did some things around the house.

Today, however, was an unexpectedly good day.  Dave and I returned to a church that we haven’t been to in a while to hear its new pastor.  Let’s just say that it was the first “intellectual sermon” (which I consider a plus) that I’ve heard in two years or so.  Any pastor that recites Blake from memory, quotes Joseph Campbell, refers to Kierkegaard, and somehow makes it all urge me to refocus my faith gets my vote!  His preaching style reminded me very much of that of Dr. Powers, our pastor in Bowling Green, and was a welcome change of pace.

On top of that, on the way home from church we stopped by Target to pick up a new air filter.  While there, I took one more look at the curtains.  Mind you, I’ve been staring at curtains in various stores for weeks and weeks, trying to decrease the nighttime light in our master bedroom.  I’ve just been unable to convince myself that anything I’ve found would be perfect.  At Dave’s urging, I finally just bought some to bring home and look at next to our bedding.  Though I loved the curtains, I didn’t know how we’ll they’d match.  Turns out, they’re perfect!  I couldn’t be happier.  Finally being able to cross that chore off of my to-do list felt very good.

Too bad tomorrow starts another long week of the summer session.  I swear this session is sucking the life out of me.  Luckily I have some fantastic things to look forward to.  This Saturday I’ll be driving to Destin to visit my 6-months pregnant friend Katie who is there on vacation.  Yay!  It’s SO nice to be able to see a friend who knows me so well. Then the next Saturday starts my vacation…woohoo!  Dave’s family will arrive in Tallahassee on the 26th and then we’ll all head to St. George the next day.  I CAN’T wait!  These two facts alone will get me through the next few weeks.  And hopefully tonight I’ll sleep better than I have in a long time, thanks to my fantastic, light-blocking curtains.  Ah, the things that make me happy:)