Phase 2...

Phase 2 of our backyard project begins this weekend. We had several palletts of pavers and bricks delivered on Thursday, and plan to begin work tomorrow morning (if the weather cooperates). I will post pics as progress is made.

Weekend Update

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter weekend. Daniel and I traveled to the 'Land of Cleve' to visit with the Fam. We enjoyed a great dinner at the Blue Levee restaurant in Rosedale (their crab cakes and fried green tomatoes ROCK!)on Friday. Saturday was filled with playing outside, dying Easter eggs, and answering this question about 1000 times....Why? (My 3 year old niece came up with my younger sister.) She also asked me if the Easter Bunny was a girl or a boy...I told her that I really didn't know since the Easter Bunny always comes while I'm asleep. I was caught a little off guard by this question...can you tell I don't have kids? Anyways...work's killing me and I'm ready to go home and see my husband, so that's it. Enjoy the pics below. Oh, I forgot to cover my plants this weekend and so the frost got them pretty good. I'll keep you posted if they survive.

Food Pics

WW is going well (although I cheated at lunch today) and I have lost several pounds this week. I've stuck with either oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast, lean cuisene or leftover ziti for lunch (except today), and then a healthy WW recipe for dinner. Below are pics from the two WW recipes I tried this week.

Asian Grilled Pork Chops: This WW recipe says to only marinate for 10 minutes, but I did it overnight and it made a huge difference. The marinade consists of lite soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, minced garlic and fresh lime juice. Throw it on the grill and voila! Very delicious!


Baked Ziti: Below is a picture of the WW Baked Ziti. It was pretty good and made alot. Each serving has 5 points (I think). I will try and work on arranging my blog so you can click on the left to view actual recipes rather than me including them in the blog. This recipe called for lean ground beef, but I used lean ground turkey instead. I would not recommend that you make this if you don't like herbs. Since it contains almost no fat, the recipe calls for oregano, rosemary, and thyme to give it flavor. I will definitely chop the dried herbs next time...sticks of rosemary erk me. Daniel was very happy with this dish and we've been eating on it all week. Served with salad and 1 slice whole wheat toast.

New Project

Hooookay...I have started a new project. It is called 'get in shape before you have to wear a swimsuit in July'.

Project Manager:
Me (based on past record I am obviously not qualified for position, but unable to obtain personal chef and personal trainer for the right price ... ie...free)

Due Date:
July 2007 (potential trip to Key West)

Materials Needed:
- 2 willing participants (or 1 willing and 1 who doesn't have a choice cause I buy and make all the food :))
- a freezer full of lean cuisenes to eat for lunch
- new, healthy, WW recipes and the time, money, and motivation to cook them
- some form of exercise
- willpower, willpower, willpower

I will be trying out several new recipes from WW and from Cooking light and posting pics and updates here for your enjoyment. I will NOT be posting how much I weigh, but I will include how much I have lost each week and if any of the long lost muscules I used to have return. Hopefully having to report to all 3 of you who read my blog will encourage me to stick with it! It will also allow me to be your low cal/low fat recipe guinea pig. I eat plain oatmeal with splenda or low fat yogurt for breakfast and lean cuisenes for lunch, but plan to try fun recipes at night. On the menu tonight: Baked Ziti (actually baked whole wheat penne cause Kroger didn't have any Ziti) and a big salad.

Project: Phase I

Since we were able to get bricks Friday afternoon, we were able to begin phase I of our backyard project. Below are photos of our progress thus far.


Step 1: Start with a sketch drawn in the dirt.


Step 2: Very carefully measure said sketch.


Step 3: Begin digging out beds with 2 shovels. Note to self: Next time rent a gas powered tiller because our yard is dry, clay filled, and hard as a rock. We spent about 4 hours digging out these four beds and mixing in peat moss, potting soil, and manure based compost.


Step 4: Begin moving 1000 bricks from spot (up the hill) where they were originally dumped to spot (down the hill) where we actually need them to be. It was too dark after this step to do anything more than shower and eat and sleep.


Step 5: Very carefully lay bricks using a tape measured anchored in center of circle to insure alignment is exact. This part went relatively fast compared to previously mentioned steps.


Step 6: Realize that you bought 1000 bricks, but you really needed 1015 bricks. Seriously consider stealing bricks from neighbor...


Step 7: Ignore unseemly gap for the time being and begin planting. I found candytufts and azalea plants for about $2.50 a piece. I also, finally, got my poor roses planted.


Step 8: Marvel at how much 2 people accomplished in 2 days and how fabulous your yard is going to look when all phases are complete.


FYI: Future phases include paving inside of ring for firepit/seating area, adding large vegetable bed in the back of current flower bed circle, adding addition beds in various places around yard, and whatever other crazy ideas we decide to do. We are having so much fun doing whatever we want with our yard! Cause it's OURS!!!!

Garden Update

Some of you may find this blog very boring. Our lives currently revolve around our yard. This weekend we 'plan' to brick some flower beds and pave a firepit. We have planted so much recently and I want to track our progress. So, here goes...

Below is a picture of the numerous veggies and flowers that we planted in starter trays. We planted these a week and a half ago...I am amazed at their progress! They are about ready to go in the ground, so we have to get our beds all fixed up this weekend. These trays have: cucumbers, squash, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, okra, corn, spinach, lettuce and various flowers. Obviously, I have grand plans for a 'salad garden'.


Below is my less impressive herb garden. I started these a week before the seeds in the tray. Lesson learned...those trays kick butt. Regardless, I have cilantro, chives, and rosemary??? I'm not sure which is why there are pieces of paper stuck in the pot to remind me. I very fancily labeled the veggie trays with sticker labels.


This next picture is probably a sin to any rose gardener. I bought these roses from wal-mart several weeks ago and Daniel stuck them in a garbage can with a little water until we get our bed done. Amazingly, they have grown and leafed out! Can't wait to see what they do when we actually take care of them. There is a white rose bush and a coral colored rose bush (can't remember their actual names...once again a sin, I'm sure).


This is a picture of one of the first blooms on our sweet olive bush. I may be crazy, but I think the bush smelled sweeter before the blooms? Anyways, I love them and get so excited every time a new sweet little cluster blooms.


These are the red azaleas that we planted in the front of the house. I was late taking a picture and some of the blooms are a little droopy, but I'm crazy about them anyway! Home depot has azaleas on sale 2 for $3 this weekend, so I'm going to get more and put them every place i can!


These are my pink azaleas planted under our breakfast window. I thought I wasn't going to be crazy about the color, but, once again, I love them. They are the one bright spot in the backyard at the moment and make me smile!


I hope you have enjoyed your journey through our half-assed gardening extravaganza! I pray that I have pictures on Monday of a beautiful, formal backyard with a bricked 'firepit' area, brick raised flower beds, and lots of new plants. That being said, I pay yard workers with food and beer if you are interested...

Off the subject, cause I'm a girl, I just want to say that I really love my husband. Our one year wedding anniversary is just a month away and I can honestly say I love Daniel now more than ever. Lately we have been spending our Friday nights having a nice dinner at home together, drinking, dancing, singing, being silly...and it has been fabulous. How wonderful is that I love to spend time with my husband? Ok, I'm done now. Thanks for letting me velveeta all over you.

Umm....bake cookies?

For those of you who don't know, I've been working on the never-ending, stressful as heck, pain in my rear, project from you know where... This project, from the place that never freezes over, causes me sleepless nights, constant worry, health problems, and yes....even tears. I'm not a big crier. Daniel can probably count on one hand the number of times I have cried in front of him. But this project has made me cry more than once.

Ok, so now that you have an understanding of how I feel about said project, let me tell you what happened today. While discussing this 'project', my boss asked if there was anything he could do to help. I replied, "Give me a new job." He replied, "What job would you like?". I replied, "Umm...to bake cookies all day...". I'm not even sure where this response came from. But it was the only thing that came to mind as to what I would rather be doing. I have a feeling he was expecting me to request a different department, but no, I want to bake cookies. Do you think perhaps my subconscious was voicing what would really be my dream job? If so, does anyone know how I can pay the mortgage by baking cookies all day? On that note, does anyone have an unbelievably, make someone rich good, cookie recipe?

DON'T DRINK THE WATER....

The water in Oxford is apparently been doctored with fertility drugs in the last couple of months. There are at least 6 employees (or employees' wives) from my company that are expecting. I know of 3 people outside of the company who just found out (or just announced) that they are expecting too. Most of these babies are due in October, so there must have been alot of New Year's celebrations! I'm very happy for everyone, and equally happy it's not me! We do get asked frequently when it will be our turn, but I am enjoying having free time with Daniel, a clean house (well, not at the moment), and sleep! I do feel the tick of the biological clock (or gong as it may be), but Daniel does a pretty good job of silencing that in short order. But really, is there anything better than a nap with a baby?

PS- Happy Birthday to Rachel!

More Yard Pics

Ahhhh.... trees

The Martins had a very productive weekend. Betty and Freddie came to town Friday night, and we savored a wonderful dinner at Yocona River Inn (filets of course). Saturday started early with the direct tv dish getting blown off the house. Thankfully we were able to borrow a gas powered auger (i have no idea if this spelling is correct) which is basically a big gas powered drill for digging post holes. It made quick work of putting up a post to hold up our direct tv dish.

After stuffing ourselves with pancakes and bacon we made the trek to the nursery for 'landscaping ideas'. You might think that 'ideas' are things you jot down on a piece of paper. In actuality, they are truck loads of trees and shrubs that you spend tons of money on. Please keep in mind that we knew there was a 90% chance of rain on Saturday- not the best weather for landscaping. Thankfully, many hands make quick work. The four of us (but mainly Daniel and Freddie) were able to plant about 12 (please ignore any plant name spelling mistakes) Eleagnus (also known as Ugly Agnes and Ukulele), 3 azaleas, 2 Fostori hollies, 3 yaupons, 3 river birches, and 1 sweet olive in about 3 hours time in about 35 mph winds. Dealing with bags and bags of dry peet moss and potting soil in strong winds is not exactly fun or easy. I still find dirt in my ears when I clean them.

The rain finally ran us inside where we enjoyed cold beer (or crown for JC). For dinner I tried a new recipe for a parmesan pecan baked catfish. I absolutely hated this recipe and as such will not be posting pics or the recipe. We were able to enhance the crappy food with the soothing sounds of the weather radio blaring tornado warnings....a very relaxing and enjoyable evening after working in the yard all afternoon!!! Anyways, the storm passed quickly and amazingly our new plants/trees/shrubs survived!

I awoke early Sunday to a brilliantly blue and cloudless sky. After seeing Betty and Freddie on their way, Daniel and I continued our weekend o' landscaping with a trip to home depot. We stocked up on a few more plants and made our way home to continue our productivity. We planted 5 more azaleas, mulched all the beds and plants, potted 2 Ligustrums in urns by the front steps, planted a Forsythia, Camellia, and climbing jasmine. We plan to work on a bed for my roses and to plant our japanese magnolia this weekend. It is really amazing the difference some landscaping makes! We can't help but say how much we love our house and yard every time we pass by a window and see our new trees, etc. I, of course, keep forgetting to download the pictures I have taken thus far, but will add them to this post as soon as I remember. Hopefully after this weekend I will have even more to share with you all (usually I would use the term 'all' loosely, but since I have discovered my Mom has shared this blog link with everyone in Cleveland...hello Cleveland!).

Daniel is been out of town since Monday morning this week on a business trip. He drove down to New Orleans for 2 presentations and then over to Lake Charles for a third. It is the first time I have stayed alone at our new house. I haven't really been scared, but I have been bored without Daniel to talk to and play with. It is supposed to storm again tonight, but I'm hoping to sleep through all that. Daniel returns tomorrow, so only one more night as a single gal. I'll be very happy to have him back!

A big THANK YOU!!!!!!! to Mom and Freddie for all of their hard work and gardening expertise this past weekend! We literally could not have done it without you! We love you and owe you big time!

V-Day

Daniel and I celebrated our first V-day as a married couple on Wednesday. It was terribly cold, so we stayed in and cooked a 'fancy' dinner and dessert and watched LOST. There is a new fish market in town, so I bought some grade A1+ tuna steaks from there. It was not cheap, but was definitely delicious! I found a recipe on thenest.com for a peppercorn crusted seared ahi tuna with creamy wasabi sauce and it was sooooo easy and VERY good. I eat sushi very rarely, so I was a little worried about how I would like the seared tuna, but it was fantastic. It was so tender, and the spice from the peppercorn was a great contrast for the wasabi sauce. I served mashed potatos and a coleslaw salad with toasted almonds on the side. Although the fish about broke the bank, I would definitely make this recipe again. I also plan to use the wasabi sauce on salmon in the future. For dessert I made a weight watchers version of Brennan's bananas foster and served it over homemade crepes with fresh whipped cream. I, of course, forgot to take a picture of the desert, but it was very good. I will post both recipes for anyone wanting to give them a try. To top off this beautiful meal, Daniel surprised me with a single rose and a gift card to David Austin roses, so I can get some bushes for the yard! It was a very thoughtful and romantic gift, and I can't wait to get my roses ordered! I'll have to say....this was probably the best V-day I've ever had! I sure do love that man of mine! (and good food too)

Pan-Seared Ahi Tuna With Wasabi Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons black, white, or mixed whole peppercorns

3/4 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

2 pounds fresh ahi tuna fillets

1 cup Chardonnay

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt(or to taste)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 to 3 teaspoons wasabi powder (or more to taste) stirred into a paste in 1 or 2 teaspoons of water; or 2 to 3 teaspoons wasabi paste

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
Crack the peppercorns and coriander seeds and spread on a plate. Press the tuna steaks into them firmly on both sides to coat them with the spice mixture. Set the tuna steaks aside. Make the sauce. Bring the wine to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat and continue boiling until it has reduced by half its volume, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and continue boiling until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the lemon juice and kosher salt. Using a whisk, beat in the butter a piece at a time until the sauce is thick and glossy. Whisk in the wasabi paste and continue stirring until it is thoroughly combined with the sauce. Taste the sauce and, if necessary, add a little more salt or wasabi.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the tuna fillets and cook them until done rare to medium-rare as you like, 1 minute or a little longer on each side. Remove from the heat and cut crosswise into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spoon the sauce attractively onto individual heated serving plates or a platter. Arrange the slices of tuna overlapping on top of the sauce in the center of the plate. Serve immediately.

BANANAS FOSTER
This is our version of the classic dessert created at Brennan's restaurant in New Orleans.
1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons brown sugar Juice of 1 orange A healthy pinch of cinnamon 2 ripe but firm bananas, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices 2 tablespoons rum 2 scoops non-fat vanilla yogurt or ice cream
Put butter and sugar in a skillet over medium heat stirring with a wooden spoon until sugar starts to caramelize. Add orange juice, cinnamon and mix to smooth. Add bananas, coat well and cook 1 minute. Add rum, flame and cook, swirling mixture until flames subside and mixture begins to thicken. Spoon over frozen yogurt or ice cream in a goblet or cut glass dessert dish. Serves 2.
Cooking Tip: Flambéing isn't hard or dangerous as long as you follow a few simple rules: a)Use only the amount of alcohol called for in the dish, b)Don't wear loose clothing or have hair dangling, and c)Have a large cover close by to snuff out the flames if they get out of hand.

Happy Friday

What a wonderful surprise to wake up to a light dusting of snow on the ground this morning. I could tell instantly it wasn't enough to keep me home from work, but was still beautiful to see. I even took a picture of our house and neighborhood, although, it doesn't look quite as exciting in the photos as I was seeing it. I guess that means I'm a crappy photographer, but you can't be great at everything! (read 'anything' here- but i'm not bitter, no, not at all) So, I'm not going to take the time to download the pics to my computer so you can see it. I'm sure you'll survive the disappointment :). Anyway...

Big plans for the Martin clan this evening! We are headed to the Wally World. Only items currently on our list are beer (for Sunday) and potatoes and cheese. If you can't tell, this list was created by Daniel. He is newly addicted to a potatoes au gratin recipe I made last weekend, so I will be forced to make it again every week for the next month or so til he gets sick of it. Man cannot live on au gratin potatoes alone! We are very excited to have nothing on our weekend agenda except Super Bowl Sunday. Other than that, I plan to cook, clean and start my veggie seeds. I will also be finalizing the list of photos for our wedding album. I'm a tad behind on that...

Maybe Monday I will have something exciting for you to read about. Sorry if this was boring. Below is a fun tidbit. tid, tid, tid- "I know what a bit is, but what is a tid?" (from Scrubs)

New favorite song for your enjoyment: Regina Spektor - Fidelity
If this song doesn't make you nod your head or wag your foot....you must be dead inside ;)
http://www.myspace.com/reginaspektor (click on Fidelity on the right)

pie

I come from a family full of fabulous cooks. There are certain dishes that only these women are allowed to cook for family gatherings. Example 1: only my Mom makes the boiled custard at Christmas and the homemade ice cream for 4th of July (the ice cream is made with boiled custard, so it's only fitting). Example 2: my aunt Beth always makes the caramel pie. I have not yet attempted the boiled custard since it requires so many things to be just right. I have, for the first time, attempted my aunt's caramel pie...

Years ago my older sister took our favorite (and Mom's favorite) recipes and typed them up and made us all our own cookbook of family favorites. As any woman who has hand written her own recipes knows, you don't always put all the details that someone who is unfamiliar with the recipe would need to know. I have run into this problem several times now while using this cookbook. the first time was when making 7 minute icing. At no point in the recipe does it say to beat the icing over a double boiler. so, I didn't. I don't remember who ate that cake with me, but we basically ate chocolate cake with uncooked meringue on top. Don't know how we didn't get sick.

the second time the cookbook bit me in the arse I was making Mississippi spice muffins for my mom and some of her friends. You may not be aware, but Allspice is usually only sold in the tiny little spice bottles...apparently for good reason. Regardless, when the recipe said 3 cups of allspice, I took it at it's word and bought about 10 of the small spice bottle of Allspice (not cheap by the way). For any of you with a mental image of what my muffin mix looked like after adding 3 CUPS of Allspice, you are exactly right. It looked like dry, dark mud (or poop). I actually cooked one batch of these 'muffins', but it didn't take me long to realize something was horribly wrong. I even kept saying to myself, "I don't remember the batter being this dark and dry!". As it turns out, a line had been left out of the recipe when it was typed up. Instead of being 3 cups of Allspice it should have been 3 cups of applesauce, several other ingredients, and then about a tablespoon of allspice. Won't be using that recipe again!

So this weekend I attempted my aunt’s caramel pie using the recipe from our family cookbook. This recipe basically consisted of: eggs, sugar, flour, milk- top with meringue. Not very helpful for someone who has never made caramel pie before. I even called my aunt Beth to get directions. She was driving and her cell phone was cutting out, so I didn’t have the chance to ask all the details I should have asked- what temp, how long, etc. To make matters worse, I called my Mom in the middle of cooking and she starts giving me different directions! Realizing it was too late to turn back, I resigned myself to throwing out the caramel pie filing as soon as I finished cooking it. Surprisingly, the pie was phenomenal! The flavor was perfect, the texture was smooth, and it looked pretty. My meringue did pull away from the pie crust a little and could have been higher, but all in all, was pretty darn good for my first time. My aunt beth better watch out... I will post a pic of my pie as soon as blogger quits janking up.

Talented husband

My very talented husband used to be the head baker at Bottletree Bakery. I was beginning to think he had forgotten how to bake bread since he almost never makes any for us. Thankfully, reverse psychology works wonders and this week he made me this glorious, beautiful, delicious apricot/pecan bread. Keep in mind, he is not using a bread machine. He does everything by hand. Let me tell you, this bread was fabulous. I ate about half this loaf in one day. I put most of the rest in the freezer so I can snack on it this weekend. Daniel has created a monster and I now demand fresh bread every week! I think this weekend I will request cinnamon raisin. YUMMY! I sure do love that man of mine!

Avery Margaret Is Here!

I just got to listen to the birth of my second niece, Avery! She arrived at about 2:40 pm today. She weighs 6 pounds and has a head full of dark/auburnish hair. My amazing sister received no drugs and her labor only lasted about 3 hours! Even though I was listening through a cell phone with my mom giving play by plays, it was the most amazing thing!!!! I will post pics as soon as I receive them.

No Water = No Fun

I woke up this morning in a pretty good mood. My first thoughts were: my bed is so warm and comfy, it's Friday, it's the beginning of a long weekend, going out for mexican at lunch....Unfortunately, this good mood wasn't to last. When I went to turn on my shower, instead of a nice hot flow of water, I got violent bursts of cold water. And then no water at all...Thankfully, it did eventually come back on. I'm not sure what the problem was, but was probably due to all the new construction going on in our neighborhood.

On a better note, lunch was great. My department went to Papito's and I completely stuffed myself. This is one of the 4 new Mexican restaurants in O-town. I had the chicken combo- 1 chicken burrito and 1 chicken enchilada with all the fixins'. The decor is alot of fun and sort of makes me feel like I'm at disney world. I believe this restaurant may be 2nd on my list of Mexican restaurants, but I will have to have a 'Rita before I can truely rank it :). I haven't had a drink at my #1, Madre, but they automatically get the top spot due to their guac cart. Guacamole is my new obsession, so any restaurant that makes it in front of you with fresh ingredients rocks. None make it as good as me though...

We have a long weekend this weekend, and lots of rain on the way. I imagine most of our time will be spent drinking and watching movies. There is a chance we might clean house or work on lawn plans. there is an even slimmer chance we might go shopping in Memphis or Tupelo. As long as I can nap and watch food network, I'll be good to go.

No baby yet...

I've been waiting to hear all day whether I will be getting another niece today, but it looks like it will next Tuesday instead. My sister isn't due until the 31st, but had my first niece so early they are expecting this one to come early as well. My mom totally disagrees with that since I was the second child and I was a MONTH late. She was dialated 4 cm for two weeks I think and then they finally induced! Hey, Cancers are homebodies...what can I say? So it looks like I will be waiting another week to meet Avery. Such is life and babies.

Venison chili

So I cooked venison (deer to the lay person :)) for the first time last night. I live in Mississippi, so naturally I have eaten venison before....but never cooked it. I'll have to say I'm not a big fan. I apparently just have some sort of mental block against it. I'm blaming it on the Disney movie Bambi. anyways, one of my step brothers gave Daniel and I tons of ground deer meat, so I figured if I cooked chili with it, I would never know the difference. I was wrong. I mixed it with ground hamburger meat, but I swear I think I had a grimace on my face the whole time I cooked it. It's so red and bloody looking and it just has this smell- not bad, just not normal (ie not groung hamburger or turkey smell). I ate a bowl of it and it didn't taste bad, but I was kind of grossed out the whole time. I tried to just shovel it in without thinking or tasting. Daniel ate 2 big bowls and says it was really good, but I just don't know if mentally I can do it. Unfortunately, I have a freezer full of venison chili, so I guess I'm going to have to suck it up and learn to love it. I am a great lover of food and it goes against everything that I am to eat something that I am not craving or savoring or in some way enjoying. My mouth is watering with nausea just thinking about it.... I know it tasted good, but I don't think there is any getting past this mental block against it. I need therapy.

In the beginning...

...there was nothing on my page but the words 'under construction'. But, I am finally trying to get this thing set up and looking...sooooo goooood (this is a teen girl squad reference for any other nerds out there ---http://www.homestarrunner.com/tgsmenu.html).