So I think all of this recipe sharing is just great! On Sunday I finally had the time to figure out what to do with one of the enormous zucchinis my friend gave me from her garden. Brad and I pretty much spent the entire afternoon cooking with zucchini. We made zucchini cookies, zucchini bread, a kind of zucchini stir fry, and then froze more shredded zucchini for fun with zucchini on another day. I still have to try the zucchini chocolate cake and zucchini pancakes my mom sent me recipes for.
Anyhow, though all three zucchini recipes that I tried are fabulous, I wanted particularly to pass on the creation we made in the frying pan. My mom said that she used to just saute zucchini and onions with a bit of butter or oil, and then add tomatoes and sprinkle on some parmesan cheese. So we experimented with proportions and added some fresh pressed garlic too with a dash of salt and it was amazing! Really quick too. Next time you have zucchini, try it. I guarantee you'll like it!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Spaghetti Sauce = YUM!
It's funny how many people request this recipe after tasting it. You'll never go back to Ragu or Prego again! And it's so easy! Anyway, without further ado...
Spaghetti Sauce
4 onions chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 lb. hamburger
3 large (28 oz.) cans tomatoes (blended or diced--or any combination)
2 6 oz. cans tomato paste (or one 12 oz.)
2 T salt
Sautee onions and garlic with olive oil and pepper in a large pot. In separate pan, brown hamburger and drain off fat. Add three large cans of tomatoes and two 6 oz. cans of tomato paste to sauteed onions. Add browned hamburger and salt.
*Note: I have never tried fresh tomatoes, but if you'll be using home grown tomatoes, I'm not sure if you need to cook the tomatoes first. You might need to either cook them separately or cook the sauce longer until they become tender. If you plan on blending them, you might not need to bother with cooking them separately at all. Play with it and see what you think. Three large cans of tomatoes should roughly equate to about 10 cups of home grown tomatoes once they're diced or mashed up.
It really is as easy as that! :) I used to get cans of whole tomatoes and then blend them, but I find that I enjoy diced tomatoes too for a chunkier sauce. Some people like it smooth and some people like their sauce to be chunky. My little brother hates the texture of onions, so he blends the onions too! You can do whatever suits your taste. This recipe makes quite a lot, so I always just freeze what's left over and then it's a super easy meal on a night when you don't have time (or just don't want) to cook. Enjoy!
Spaghetti Sauce
4 onions chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 lb. hamburger
3 large (28 oz.) cans tomatoes (blended or diced--or any combination)
2 6 oz. cans tomato paste (or one 12 oz.)
2 T salt
Sautee onions and garlic with olive oil and pepper in a large pot. In separate pan, brown hamburger and drain off fat. Add three large cans of tomatoes and two 6 oz. cans of tomato paste to sauteed onions. Add browned hamburger and salt.
*Note: I have never tried fresh tomatoes, but if you'll be using home grown tomatoes, I'm not sure if you need to cook the tomatoes first. You might need to either cook them separately or cook the sauce longer until they become tender. If you plan on blending them, you might not need to bother with cooking them separately at all. Play with it and see what you think. Three large cans of tomatoes should roughly equate to about 10 cups of home grown tomatoes once they're diced or mashed up.
It really is as easy as that! :) I used to get cans of whole tomatoes and then blend them, but I find that I enjoy diced tomatoes too for a chunkier sauce. Some people like it smooth and some people like their sauce to be chunky. My little brother hates the texture of onions, so he blends the onions too! You can do whatever suits your taste. This recipe makes quite a lot, so I always just freeze what's left over and then it's a super easy meal on a night when you don't have time (or just don't want) to cook. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Halloween Costume Test Trial
So it's only one more month until Lily's grand entrance (that is if she's on time). And since she'll be born in October, Brad and I were thinking about what her first Halloween costume should be. We were thinking it would just be irresistibly cute to dress her up as a lily flower--you know with her face being the center of the flower and the petals all around like an Anne Geddes photo or something.So then Brad was trying to figure out what we should be to go with her, and I thought it would be cute to dress up as gardeners. But as I near the end of my pregnancy I've been feeling particularly big and full, so I thought of myself more as the flower pot than the gardener.
Then Brad got a mischievous smile on his face and asked me if people might think it inappropriate if we came to a Halloween party as the respective flower, flower pot, and gardener carrying a little sign that said, "I planted my seed in this pot and this is the flower that we got!"
So what do you think? Too scandalous?
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Recipe Report: Caprese Style Shells
I made this the other night and it was so tasty! Thought I'd share! :)
Ingredients
So delish!
Ingredients
Serves 4
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- Vegetable oil, for grates
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets
- 8 ounces medium pasta shells
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. Meanwhile, heat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill, and cut into thin strips, halving if long.
- Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Add chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella, parsley, Parmesan, and butter. Toss to combine. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a sauce that coats shells (you may not need all the water). Serve with more Parmesan.
Nymbler
So, there's this great site I found that generates names based on names that you like. I think it's so great! Just for kicks, I put in all of our names and had it generate names. Here's what Nymbler came up with:
Benjamin
Katherine
Roderick
Adrienne
Anne
Jack
Terrance
Cristina
Joanna
Jacob
Reuben
Tasha
Jenny
Michael
Kenyatta
I thought it was kind of funny since I have also lived with Joanna, Jenny, and Adrienne. How many of your roommates have been named?
Benjamin
Katherine
Roderick
Adrienne
Anne
Jack
Terrance
Cristina
Joanna
Jacob
Reuben
Tasha
Jenny
Michael
Kenyatta
I thought it was kind of funny since I have also lived with Joanna, Jenny, and Adrienne. How many of your roommates have been named?
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Domestic
Remember how we all used to tease each other about being domestic and highly marriageable? I seem to have fond memories of Katie using that phrase a few times. :)
Well, I really think that I became the epitome of Domestic today. My friend, Beth, and I went and picked peaches last week at an orchard just a couple of miles up the road from where we live. And today we canned them!!
I wish I had a picture for solid proof, but if you can just get the image of me, eight months pregnant, standing over a hot stove, in bare feet, canning peaches, then I think you will agree that it doesn't get any more domestic than that!
Beth has done a bit more canning than me (given that I've canned, well, nothing ever before!), but had never tried peaches, so it was an adventure for the both of us. We attempted two different recipes: a light syrup regular hot pack, and a peach pie filling. It was a lengthy, hot process, but I think that we got the hang of it and that the cans turned out well. The true test won't come for several months because what's the point of canning if you eat everything you canned in two weeks? But I sure am anxious to try a peach pie out soon...
So if you have any questions about canning send them my way because, if I wasn't before I certainly am now, Domestic. :)
Well, I really think that I became the epitome of Domestic today. My friend, Beth, and I went and picked peaches last week at an orchard just a couple of miles up the road from where we live. And today we canned them!!
I wish I had a picture for solid proof, but if you can just get the image of me, eight months pregnant, standing over a hot stove, in bare feet, canning peaches, then I think you will agree that it doesn't get any more domestic than that!
Beth has done a bit more canning than me (given that I've canned, well, nothing ever before!), but had never tried peaches, so it was an adventure for the both of us. We attempted two different recipes: a light syrup regular hot pack, and a peach pie filling. It was a lengthy, hot process, but I think that we got the hang of it and that the cans turned out well. The true test won't come for several months because what's the point of canning if you eat everything you canned in two weeks? But I sure am anxious to try a peach pie out soon...
So if you have any questions about canning send them my way because, if I wasn't before I certainly am now, Domestic. :)
Monday, July 30, 2007
5 years
Can you believe today is my 5th anniversary? Zeke and I really celebrated over the weekend on Friday and Saturday but today is the day. It's so crazy to me! Last night, Stephen (Rucker) was here and Zeke was telling him the detailed account of how we started dating. It was fun to remember and I even learned a few new details that I hadn't known before! If it wasn't for Sarah knowing Cory and the ward boundaries being changed, who knows if Zeke and I would have ever met. Thanks for being my good friends through the years. I love you all so much! Thanks for all of the good memories - I look forward to many more!Here are some pictures from my wedding day to reminisce:
Monday, July 02, 2007
Potty Training, Pedals, Hormones & Naps
It's been a while since I've been on the blog - sorry ladies. Here's some updates from my life:
1) Potty Training - to me this was the thing I always dreaded most about parenting, which is part of the reason that we waited until Lucas turned 3 before even attempting anything. So for his birthday we bought him some 'Cars' underwear and 2 days later, the madness began. He started by peeing his pants and then right afterwards saying, "Mom, I need to go pee!" So the first 3 days we went through many pairs of underwear and shorts. He would humor us by sitting on the toilet every so often and after every time he would say, "I want a jellybean now!" (side note: we were bribing him with a jellybean and sticker for him to go pee). He would ask for the jellybean even though he hadn't done anything in the toilet, so we started explaining to him that he needed to 'get some water out of his penis.' Well, that quickly became his new favorite phrase. So by day 4, he finally peed in the toiled and was so excited and exclaimed "I got some water out of my penis!" That apparently was all it took though, because he hasn't had a wet accident since and is very good at going pee in the potty. And on a related side story, last Sunday during nursery I took him to go pee and when he returned to his friends, he also exclaimed loudly, "I got some water out of my penis!" That can only sound cute coming from a 3-year old. As far as pooping in the toilet, that has been a whole new battlefield. Poor kid fights the sensation and then becomes constipated and basically, we're still working on that one. But for how much I dreaded this whole experience, it has actually been amazingly pleasant and we're so proud of how quickly Lucas decided to pee in the potty.
2) Pedals - I think I told most of you that Lucas has been asking for a pink and green tricycle for months. Well for his birthday, he did get a tricycle from his abuelos and even though it's a Radio Flyer and hence red, he absolutely loves it! The first 2 weeks, he was an amazing Fred Flinstone and could 'ride' the tricycle all over the place just by running with his feet and avoiding the pedals. Zeke and I knew that until Lucas realized the benefit of using the pedals and how it would actually help him go faster, he would not even think about using the pedals. Well finally last Wednesday night, he got on his bike and finally decided to start using the pedals and is now a pro on his tricycle. It's so cute to watch him ride it. So basically, this was one more experience of Lucas' need to think things through before he decides to do them. In other words, he inherited the 'Wohlgemuth stubbornness' as Zeke likes to call it. Until he decides to do something on his own, no matter what we try to say or do, he won't do it. I'll be interested to see how this personality trait manifests itself in the years to come.
3) Hormones - My reference to this one is basically the fact that when I'm pregnant, I can cry hysterically over seemingly little things. To make a long story short, I didn't know that I had to go to a certain group of pharmacies to fill a prescription that I need, and now I'm probably going to end up paying an extra $25 on the prescription. Yes, it's a huge disappointment to have to spend extra money, but $25 isn't really that much So after I called my insurance company, I literally started crying hysterically because I was so frustrated and upset and it took me a good 15 minutes to calm down. Of course I called Zeke during this hysterical crying outburst and poor guy -- I don't think he will ever understand the pregnancy hormones and understandably so. He was of course very nice to me on the phone and everything, but I could tell that he was quite confused at the intensity of my crying. But apparently, this outburst had one benefit so read on.
4) Naps - As a preface to the continuation of my previous story: Lucas still takes an afternoon nap, but lately, it has been really hard to get him to bed at night and some evenings he doesn't fall asleep until 10pm, so Zeke and I talked about getting rid of his afternoon nap. Well the last few days, he did great. He didn't take a nap, and he did great all day, and went to bed at 8pm no problem. But then yesterday, things went a little bit awry. Our church is from 1-4pm, the time of when Lucas used to take his afternoon nap. Well, he seemed okay when church was done but on the way home he fell asleep in the car. And when we got home and I picked him up out of the car, he stayed asleep, and then when I put him on the couch to sort of try and wake him up, he stayed asleep. So I gave up and let him sleep, but then I wanted to wake him up to ensure that he would go to bed at a normal time, and he was Mr. Grumpy the rest of the night. I suppose this should have been a signal to me that maybe he still needs a nap, but nevertheless, I still decided not to give him a nap today. He was pretty whiny in the afternoon, but I figured that's mostly because he's constipated (see #1). So now back to my story from #3. While I was on the phone with my insurance company, Lucas was still kind of bugging me, but once I got off the phone and started my hysterics, he basically retreated and to the living room to play with his cars. I was caught up enough in my own emotions that it took me a while to realize that it was very quiet in the living room and when I went to look, I saw Lucas cuddled up on the floor with his blanket, asleep. Poor kid.
Asleep on the couch, after church.
Asleep on the floor today after my hysterics.
Anyway, thanks for reading. This turned out longer than I expected.
1) Potty Training - to me this was the thing I always dreaded most about parenting, which is part of the reason that we waited until Lucas turned 3 before even attempting anything. So for his birthday we bought him some 'Cars' underwear and 2 days later, the madness began. He started by peeing his pants and then right afterwards saying, "Mom, I need to go pee!" So the first 3 days we went through many pairs of underwear and shorts. He would humor us by sitting on the toilet every so often and after every time he would say, "I want a jellybean now!" (side note: we were bribing him with a jellybean and sticker for him to go pee). He would ask for the jellybean even though he hadn't done anything in the toilet, so we started explaining to him that he needed to 'get some water out of his penis.' Well, that quickly became his new favorite phrase. So by day 4, he finally peed in the toiled and was so excited and exclaimed "I got some water out of my penis!" That apparently was all it took though, because he hasn't had a wet accident since and is very good at going pee in the potty. And on a related side story, last Sunday during nursery I took him to go pee and when he returned to his friends, he also exclaimed loudly, "I got some water out of my penis!" That can only sound cute coming from a 3-year old. As far as pooping in the toilet, that has been a whole new battlefield. Poor kid fights the sensation and then becomes constipated and basically, we're still working on that one. But for how much I dreaded this whole experience, it has actually been amazingly pleasant and we're so proud of how quickly Lucas decided to pee in the potty.
2) Pedals - I think I told most of you that Lucas has been asking for a pink and green tricycle for months. Well for his birthday, he did get a tricycle from his abuelos and even though it's a Radio Flyer and hence red, he absolutely loves it! The first 2 weeks, he was an amazing Fred Flinstone and could 'ride' the tricycle all over the place just by running with his feet and avoiding the pedals. Zeke and I knew that until Lucas realized the benefit of using the pedals and how it would actually help him go faster, he would not even think about using the pedals. Well finally last Wednesday night, he got on his bike and finally decided to start using the pedals and is now a pro on his tricycle. It's so cute to watch him ride it. So basically, this was one more experience of Lucas' need to think things through before he decides to do them. In other words, he inherited the 'Wohlgemuth stubbornness' as Zeke likes to call it. Until he decides to do something on his own, no matter what we try to say or do, he won't do it. I'll be interested to see how this personality trait manifests itself in the years to come.
3) Hormones - My reference to this one is basically the fact that when I'm pregnant, I can cry hysterically over seemingly little things. To make a long story short, I didn't know that I had to go to a certain group of pharmacies to fill a prescription that I need, and now I'm probably going to end up paying an extra $25 on the prescription. Yes, it's a huge disappointment to have to spend extra money, but $25 isn't really that much So after I called my insurance company, I literally started crying hysterically because I was so frustrated and upset and it took me a good 15 minutes to calm down. Of course I called Zeke during this hysterical crying outburst and poor guy -- I don't think he will ever understand the pregnancy hormones and understandably so. He was of course very nice to me on the phone and everything, but I could tell that he was quite confused at the intensity of my crying. But apparently, this outburst had one benefit so read on.
4) Naps - As a preface to the continuation of my previous story: Lucas still takes an afternoon nap, but lately, it has been really hard to get him to bed at night and some evenings he doesn't fall asleep until 10pm, so Zeke and I talked about getting rid of his afternoon nap. Well the last few days, he did great. He didn't take a nap, and he did great all day, and went to bed at 8pm no problem. But then yesterday, things went a little bit awry. Our church is from 1-4pm, the time of when Lucas used to take his afternoon nap. Well, he seemed okay when church was done but on the way home he fell asleep in the car. And when we got home and I picked him up out of the car, he stayed asleep, and then when I put him on the couch to sort of try and wake him up, he stayed asleep. So I gave up and let him sleep, but then I wanted to wake him up to ensure that he would go to bed at a normal time, and he was Mr. Grumpy the rest of the night. I suppose this should have been a signal to me that maybe he still needs a nap, but nevertheless, I still decided not to give him a nap today. He was pretty whiny in the afternoon, but I figured that's mostly because he's constipated (see #1). So now back to my story from #3. While I was on the phone with my insurance company, Lucas was still kind of bugging me, but once I got off the phone and started my hysterics, he basically retreated and to the living room to play with his cars. I was caught up enough in my own emotions that it took me a while to realize that it was very quiet in the living room and when I went to look, I saw Lucas cuddled up on the floor with his blanket, asleep. Poor kid.
Asleep on the couch, after church.
Asleep on the floor today after my hysterics.Anyway, thanks for reading. This turned out longer than I expected.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
It's a GIRL!!!
I'm sorry Katie, but alas it is a girl. :) We had the ultrasound yesterday and saw a lot of blobs and things that the technician was telling us was the liver, the kidneys, the brain, etc. I could of sworn I was having a baby frog until she finally focused on some recognizable features like the spine, the hands, the feet, and the entire head with two little arms and hands rubbing the face. It was soooo amazing! It is so nice to be able to refer to this little baby as 'she' and be certain! I'm pretty sure we will call her Lilian. Or maybe Lillian. I haven't decided on the spelling yet. Any suggestions?
Monday, June 11, 2007
Catch up
So here's a few photos just so you can see that I really did graduate and move to Oregon!
Look closely; there's the prophet!
Aaah, Meredith has made it coast to coast at last!
And now you can see how fat I am now that I'm 22 weeks! Just kidding, this was in a fun house mirror at the Rose Festival in Portland.
Friday, June 08, 2007
A long hiatus!
Ladies! I'll have you know that I'm back finally! I don't know why this blogging stuff doesn't like me, but it seems that I get the hang of it for a while and then Boom! For some reason it doesn't work for a while.
Well, Brad and I are getting settled in Oregon and we LOVE IT! The weather has been lovely and there are tons of things to do, so come and visit us any time.
Plus, we're finally getting all of the doctor appointments figured out and scheduled. I'll get to find out what the baby is on WEDNESDAY!!!!!
Any guesses?
Well, Brad and I are getting settled in Oregon and we LOVE IT! The weather has been lovely and there are tons of things to do, so come and visit us any time.
Plus, we're finally getting all of the doctor appointments figured out and scheduled. I'll get to find out what the baby is on WEDNESDAY!!!!!
Any guesses?
Monday, April 30, 2007
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Blah-Blah-Bloging
Well, I just wanted to say that you all have a pretty good excuse to abandon the blog, being pregnant and everything. I don't. So here's my post. :)
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Baby It's Cold Outside!
When I left to go to my basketball game this morning, the thermometer in my car showed -14! Anyone feel like taking a trip to come visit?!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Wide Shots, Far Shots, Close Ups!
Hey girls! I just realized that it's been a while since we've updated our blog, so I thought I'd post a little news. I guess the good part of not posting is that it doesn't mean we've been entirely out of touch.
Last week Meredith and I went to a reading of Stones In His Pockets at an adorable little deli in the Avenues. It was fun to hear the story again, but I had forgotten how many swears were in the script. I think I didn't notice it as much when we were in New York because the actors' accents were so thick. I this it's fun occasionally to be around artists who consider themselves true contemporaries - the types that dye their hair bright bright red or wear clothing that you're sure must be made of wheat or oatmeal or something else completely organic. Good fun.
I'm about ready to decide where I'm going to end up. Does it seem like I've been saying that for months now? Maybe that's because I have. For how much I hate this process, I sure have been prolonging it. Blah.
Last week Meredith and I went to a reading of Stones In His Pockets at an adorable little deli in the Avenues. It was fun to hear the story again, but I had forgotten how many swears were in the script. I think I didn't notice it as much when we were in New York because the actors' accents were so thick. I this it's fun occasionally to be around artists who consider themselves true contemporaries - the types that dye their hair bright bright red or wear clothing that you're sure must be made of wheat or oatmeal or something else completely organic. Good fun.
I'm about ready to decide where I'm going to end up. Does it seem like I've been saying that for months now? Maybe that's because I have. For how much I hate this process, I sure have been prolonging it. Blah.
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