Wow...where have I been?

I'm starting to get lazy when it comes to cooking. I've been making the same meals over and over again. I promise to do better.

I have, however, been crocheting and I made this water bottle holder for my oldest daughter Alexandra.



I had found a pattern online that I was trying to follow but it wasn't turning out right so I undid the whole thing and winged it. I'm pleased with how it turned out. I made the strap wide because I decided to add a pocket for Alex's cell phone.

I'd like to make another one and this time I'll write down how I made it so that I can post the pattern for anyone who'd like to make one.

Books Read in 2010

Ever since I received The Kindle as a gift I have been reading something every.single.day. So much more than I ever have before. Add that to the fact that my daughter came home with Twilight so I decided to see what the fuss was about and now I'm hooked.

I plan to update as I finish each book. A lot of these are free downloads from Amazon. I can't wait to see how many books I finish by the end of the year.

1. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
2. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
3. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
5. A Promise To Remember* - Kathryn Cushman
   
6. Slow Hands* - Leslie Kelly
   
7. Irresistible Forces* - Brenda Jackson
   
8. The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks
9. Dear John - Nicholas Sparks
10. Sundays at Tiffany's - John Patterson
11. Mistress By Mistake* - Maggie Robinson
12. Secrets of the Tudor Court* - D.L. Bogdan
13. Dancing in the Moonlight* - RaeAnne Thayne
14. Tender Graces* - Kathryn Magendie
15. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella - Stephenie Meyer
16. Handle With Care - Jodi Picoult
17. Forgotten: Seventeen and Homeless* - Melody Carlson
    
18. Change of Heart - Jodi Picoult
19. The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet
    

*Free download from Amazon - don't judge the trashy novels :-)

Carrot Lentil Soup

I'm always on a mission to get my middle daughter to eat something that is not bread or goldfish crackers. So I was especially excited to find this recipe for Carrot Lentil Soup. I love lentils since they are fantastic sources of protein and fiber. Two things that I know Stephanie is not getting enough of in her daily diet.

The soup is very easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly and the next time that I make it I will add more carrots. I'm not sure if my carrots were on the small side but it wasn't a pretty orange like I saw in the original recipe.




I wasn't even going to take a picture because it looks like something I'd find in Eva's diaper. Looks aside, this was one yummy soup! I love how the carrots gave the soup just a hint of sweetness.

I took a bunch of plastic containers to freeze the soup into portions to have on hand for Stephanie's lunch. I'd like to double or even triple this recipe because I think it would be awesome for everyone to have for lunch with a sandwich.

Carrot Lentil Soup

1 1tbsp tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
3 3carrotcarrots, sliced
2 2oniononions, chopped
2 2cloves garlic, minced
1 1tbsp tbsp (15 mL) minced ginger root
1 1tsp tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
1/2 1/2tsp tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 1/4tsp tsp (1 mL) pepper
6 6cups cups (1.5 L) vegetable stock or chicken stock
3/4 3/4cup cup (175 mL) red lentils

Garnish
2 2tbsp tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh coriander or parsley
1/2 1/2cup cup (125 mL) plain low-fat yogurt
(Alternately, sour cream and dill)

Heat oil in saucepan over medium. Cook everything except the lentils and stock in the oil for about 5 minutes (until onions start to soften).

Add stock and lentils. Bring to boil, then simmer 20 minutes. When carrots and lentils are soft, puree soup with immersion blender or in batches in regular blender.

Garnish with herbed yogurt or sour cream when serving. This soup freezes well.

Win a signed copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

This giveaway has me very excited. Although I haven't made any of Ree's (the Pioneer Woman) recipes yet I do check out her website regularly and once I get back into the swing of cooking I plan to tackle the recipes that I have bookmarked.

Go to An Everyday Angel and follow the instructions on how to enter for your chance to win a signed copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Good luck!

Roasted Chicken Drumsticks

I haven't been cooking anything new lately. I am uninspired to cook. Both of my babies are teething...Stephanie has been struggling with her molars and Evita with her first teeth. So for the past week they have been waking up crying from the pain. Never at the same time, though. One wakes up crying and once she has fallen back asleep and I think that it's safe to drift off into dreamland the other one wakes up crying. There isn't enough make up in the world right now to cover up the dark circles under my eyes.

I'm almost embarrassed to post this "recipe" for roasted chicken drumsticks since it's not really a recipe at all. I took my crappy pictures of the food but was just going to delete them when I received a text from Alberto the next morning praising my chicken. I won't tell him my secret but I will share it with you.

I was dreading cooking the chicken because I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I wanted something different than the usual salt, pepper, garlic, oregano & lemon. I opened the refrigerator door to get the chicken out when I saw this...



...and I knew what I was going to do.

Since this isn't a recipe I can't post how much of this or that I used but I will share what I did.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Place chicken in baking dish and pour about 1/2 cup to a cup of dressing over chicken.



I didn't marinate it this time but I plan to next time to see if it makes a difference in the flavor. I ended up sprinkling a bit of salt & pepper on top because I love flavorful skin.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes to brown.



I served it with white rice and sauteed zucchini & onion. I had intended on adding a can of diced tomatoes to the zucchini but realized that I didn't have any. On a whim I added some of the salad dressing and it turned out great.

Win a Bracelet!

Hey everyone!

I thought that I'd share with you all the opportunity to win a beautiful personalized handstamped bracelet. All you need to do is click on the link below, check out the amazing photographer and follow her rules for entering in the contest.

http://lifeisahighwayphotography.com/

Good luck!

I'm so excited...

and I just can't hide it!!!!!

I just got an early Mother's Day gift and I am still in shock that my subtle hints actually worked. OK....maybe the half a dozen emails gave Alberto the idea that I really really wanted it but I really am surprised that he bought it.

Ta-da!!!!! It's my brand new KINDLE!!!!!!!


I'm so happy that I can't stop smiling! There are so many times that I have wanted to read something but didn't have anything. Going to the bookstore with the babies is out of the question...at least until I'm sure that they'll sit still for story time. And I never get around to ordering online.

I really think that this will help me get back to reading the way I used to. Now I need to find a cute pink cover for my new toy!