Tea Time!

Well, I haven't cooked anything interesting lately - been really busy with work and school and getting ready for our upcoming NJ trip :) BUT, I did make some really good tea!

If you haven't seen the signs of my tea obsession (and there are so many signs), then I must tell you that I have a tea problem... I've been drinking tea all my life (as most good southerners do) with little ill effect, that was until Jenny (McPepin) introduced me to Teavana -the really good stuff. She even supplied the paraphernalia!

So, I made some iced tea - Fruit Garden - and took it with me to school today as a treat, since Tuesday is now my looong day. I must say it was quite delicious. I know it is not really cooking, but you do have to get the water temperature and the steeping time right and make sure it is sweetened appropriately. So, I will call it my recipe for the week - or my tea of the week. Although I am way more excited about my tea of the weekend...

I will not be bringing my tea supplies to NJ as the airport security may find it suspicious - 'No, I swear it is just loose tea and an infuser'. However, I will not go without - me, Matt, and Momma Stanton have plans to go to Alice's Teacup! This is by far the best tea house I have ever been to and I am confident in saying that is my favorite in the world. I have not been to that many tea houses, but it combines TWO of my most favorite things - Alice in Wonderland and Tea - what is not to love. Erin took me to Alice's Teacup for my Girls' Weekend before the wedding and it was so much *fun*. The decor is awesome and the tea selection is impressive to say the least. They also have fabulous scones! Hmmm...maybe that will be the next recipe I tackle... Anyway, I am really looking forward to it - will post more next week!

What's Cookin' Part 2

I recently decided that I too, will feature recipe a every 1 to 2 weeks. I will attempt to cook the winning dishes from Top Chef, either the elimination challenge or the quick fire. That way, we'll see if the food really is as good as they say on TV. First up, Arctic Char with green stuff. It appears that Fabio from last season will help guide me through the recipe. Can't wait. Not sure where to find arctic char though...

What's Cookin'?

So, I have not forgotten about my plans to cook through the Joy of Cooking - just been really busy and have not had to time to blog :( I've been busy writing and Shawn came to visit for a few days and we celebrated Marc's birthday (in style I might add! - will blog about in the future, but need some pics) and we had an 80's weekend of Def Leppard, Poison, and Cheap Trick, and on and on...

Anyway, the first recipe I tackled from Joy of Cooking - I am going to start calling it JOC - was the Salsa Fresca. Now, I know what you are thinking - 'What is so special about fresh salsa?' Well, I admit it is VERY easy to make, but I have never made a real salsa. I have made corn salsas and fruit salsas and my avocado salad, which is a salsa of sorts. But I have never made a real salsa. The ingredients were brief - tomatoes, onion, lime juice, jalapeno, radishes (?!?), garlic, and cilantro. Just chop and throw everything together, salt and pepper to taste. And it was special in a way, we had some good friends come over and we enjoyed a simple meal outside on our new patio. Matt grilled some burgers with bacon, jack cheese, and guac and we had some fresh salsa with our chips.

And that is the point of my JOC mission - to enjoy some new recipes for our everyday.


And for our everyday this week...

Lentil Soup with Greens
I *love* making soup! It is so much better (and more fun) than a can. And this week is a soup week. Last night we had one of our fav easy meals - grilled cheese and tomato soup. I tried a tomato soup from the Martha Stewart Everyday Food site, the Classic Tomato Soup. It was quite good, but my current favorite from the same site is the Creamy Tomato Soup. If you have not checked-out this site for recipes, you must! I have loved everything that I have tried. So back to JOC, tonight I tried the Lentil Soup with Greens. This was a very hearty and yet healthy soup. You start with a mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) and I added some bacon, and you just saute, then add the lentils, diced tomato, thyme and water. I also added some zucchini and kale towards the end. Finish with some balsamic and parmesan cheese. We had it with a green salad and some multi-grain bread. It was very satisfying. A good meal after a long day...

And that reminds me... All this cooking talk makes me think of one of the projects in my perpetual queue of craftiness - a decorative project for the kitchen. After all, our kitchen is *bitchin'*!!


This is from the book Subversive Cross Stitch. Shawn gave this book to me a few Christmases ago :)

Julie & Julia

So, have you seen the previews for Julie & Julia? If not, you need to check this out: Julie & Julia Trailer

Anyway, in the movie Julie is inspired by food and decides to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook and blog about it. It gave me the idea to do the same thing, but with The Joy of Cooking. My Grandma Jen gave me the 75th Anniversary edition of this book a few years ago for Christmas and it is my favorite and most cherished cookbook (and I have many!). The 75th edition even includes a note from Julia Child herself. So, it must be meant to be.

Each month I will choose a chapter to experiment with and cook some of the recipes from that chapter. And then I will blog about it. I start next week. Stay posted :)

Love you Jen!

SCUBA Workouts??

So, last week I was talking about my new gym and how they wanted to know what my fitness goals were. And I tried to come up with some, but was told my goals were not original or specific enough. So, I started thinking that I want to be stronger. I really want to be able to carry 2 full tanks at once and of course my gear. So far, this has required multiple trips up and down the dock or Matt gets loaded down like a pack mule. Either way, I want to be able to carry my own weight in one trip. I plan on doing rescue training soon and I will definitely have to get stronger for that. Or start going to Judo so I know how to toss around people twice my weight. Anyway...

Yesterday, I was again asked my fitness goals (moving from a white card to a gold card - woohoo!) and I told the guy specifically what my goal was...

They are now customizing exercises for me so I can achieve this goal. He even went so far as to ask me how much the tanks weigh and the position that they are carried. I can only imagine what these exercises will be - a simulation - I am sure.

'Hold out these 50 lb weights at both sides, now hold them out a little - you don't want the tanks knocking into your knees and ankles - and walk... Oh, here comes the steps to the dock/boat/bar/etc. - now do some lunges. And don't forget to breathe.'

I can't wait!

1st Annual BBQ

Thanks to everyone who came out for our 1st Annual Summer BBQ! We had a great time and hope you all did too. If you couldn't make it - don't worry, we will have plenty more festivities :) Remember our Halloween Party is coming up...

Landscaping Done!

At least done with the professional work - Matt and I will also be adding our own touches. Eventually Matt will take the Christmas light clips off the roof too.