For the love of my freezer....

I am lucky enough to have a chest freezer. Not a huge one, but one large enough to allow me to shop smarter, cook ahead, and freeze lots of goodies from my garden. In the long run, it saves us a TON of money.

I had no idea today what I wanted to make for dinner. After the whole NOLA weekend, yesterday was ring bologna, potatoes and corn. Just wanted something simple. So I had NO idea today. So I took laundry down to the basement, and stopped at the freezer on the way. Frozen turkey left from Christmas dinner! Perfect start for Turkey Tetrazzini... dinner dilema solved. Pulled a container of frozen strawberries out too, just for a treat. On a cold day like today, with the snow blowing, a little taste of spring/summer is just what the doctor ordered.

I recieved an amazing Taste of Home cookbook from my big sister this Christmas, and looked there for a recipe, finding a traditional from scratch tetrazzini. The recipe called to make a 9x13 pan, but when I got done, I realized that it was WAY more than my family of three could eat, so I prepped 3 smaller pans, one for tonight, and two.. you guessed it - went into the freezer!

There are SO many benefits to having a chest freezer. I can shop sales. It is an outreach of my pantry. I can buy in bulk, and separate. ALL saving me money. I can cook ahead for my family, again saving money, but also providing REAL food - even on those crazy weeks - simply by pulling a prepped dinner up from the freezer to thaw and cook.

So today - is my "ode to my freezer". One of my most important appliances!

Our NOLA celebration!

Being from Wisconsin, the super bowl wasn't as meaningful this year, with our Packers not playing. But my long time readers know that New Orleans is VERY close to our hearts. We have dear friends there, and have visited multiple times, and love the cuisine. With the super bowl in NOLA this year, it was my chance to put on a true NOLA feast!

About a week ago, I started building the menu, realizing that if it was only going to be my husband and I, all of the hard work would be wasted. So we invited a few friends over, and preparations began.

I hit more than one road block, as I started looking for some of the ingredients. Note to self: on my next trip to New Orleans I need to hit up a grocery store and stock up on the local ingredients! Luckily, I'm enough of a cook, that I can improvise. I knew what flavors I needed, and wanted, and I did the best with what I could find!

I started the day making fresh beignets for my family and a few friends who stopped by. We enjoyed the fresh and hot fried pillows of dough dredged in powdered sugar over cups of chicory. The only thing missing was the noise and bustle of the people going past the Cafe du Monde patio.... Such a yummy treat - and making them with my son made it all the better. He loves to cook and bake, so when my friends arrived, he allowed me to sit and chat with them, while he continued frying them and replenishing our supply. What a sweetheart. A truly great way to start our day!

While the beignets were frying, I started making some baguettes. One of my favorite sandwiches from the south is the Muffaletta. I had seen a recipe for a muffaletta dip, a deconstructed sandwich, and loved the idea. Rather than follow the recipe though, I did my own version - using what I had available to me. I created a muffaletta bruschetta - served on fresh baked baguettes. And it turned out amazing!

I couldn't have a NOLA feast without a poboy sandwich. The traditional sandwich of New Orleans, steeped in history, I tried to make our southern friends proud. I mixed up a spicy remoulade, fried up some breaded tilapia fillets, and served up a sandwich bar for people to make their own.

Jambalya was also on my mind, a simple version though - with only andouille, rather than three proteins. By the time this was cooking, the house was smelling amazing...

Of course there could be no other finale than a traditional King Cake. While making the yeast dough for the cake, I was shocked that it took over 6 cups of flour. If I'd read the recipe, I would have seen that it made TWO cakes. So, my dear son was able to take a King Cake to the party he was attending also. All good! The cake turned out perfectly - light, tender, and wonderful. Although I did make one huge mistake - in that I forgot to put the baby in the cake. Frustrating, to say the least, but it tasted the same. Just no fun in finding who would find the baby!

With everything baked, I dug out our stash of beads from Mardi Gras, and decorated the house. We had beads hanging from the ceiling fan, decorating the tables, and of course, decorating our guests.

 

Then I mixed up a pitcher of hurricanes to chill, and we were ready for the big game.

We had three friends over to enjoy the feast, and watch the game, and it was a perfect night. We enjoyed great food and drink, and laughed until we cried. We had a blast watching the game (and of course the commercials).

I love cooking, and more than that, just love having over the people that mean so much to me in this world. No better way to end the week than combining the two - and having a wonderful dinner party. Life is good!

listen to the silence

One of the most profound things I've realized in my time "post-corporate world" is that the world is so noisy. Our lives are filled with obligations, and distractions. And if we can simply find the time, and place, to stop what we're doing, and listen to the silence, we can hear what is in our hearts.

This quote came across my email today, thanks to my Oprah.com Thought for Today...

"There are times when we stop. We sit still...

We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper."
— James Carroll.

The world is so noisy... take time to pause and look for the silence.... it is in the silence that we can listen to our hearts, and God.

heaven?

A note from a dear friend who very recently moved away made me smile and cry within the same minute. And it made me think of all those that I've "lost" to other parts of the country, or world.

I've spoken about living "the new normal" before, but sometimes I wonder why my normal has to keep changing. Why people enter my world, only to then have to leave at some point.

I was the one to move "away" from my college friends when I returned to home after graduation. But then one moved closer to me, only to move away again several years later. My closest friend followed a job away many years ago - almost 7 years now - in the same year that I lost my mom. And now, our dear Pastor and wife, people so integrated in our lives....

And there have been many in between!

Yes, I learn to live these new normals - with social media, the internet, blogging, etc. keeping our communication fresh. But it's not the same as sitting on the deck with a cup of coffee, or laughing over drinks on the couch, or chatting over knitting or cross stitch.

What would I do, if I could have all of these so very important people all around me now? At the same time? I guess that is what Heaven will be like for me.... surrounded by ALL of my Blessings. All at once. Something to look forward to, I guess. Just wish I could have a little bit of Heaven here on earth once in awhile.

Little things add up!

A lot of people say that they could never cook as much as I do, could never "provide" for their family like I do. Between working, and kids' committments, there just isn't time. But what people don't realize is that it's the little things here and there, that add up to being able to do it.

Today I was making meatloaf for the family, so I doubled the recipe, and froze the second one for a future meal. I do this a lot when cooking. If making lasagna, manicotti, spaghetti pie, etc., I double the recipes, and freeze a second. Then, when there are those crazy weeks, I can pull something to thaw and cook. It's an amazing time saver. It allows us to have real food on weeks when we would normally have takeout, saving us money in the process.

There are so many little time savers. They may seem small and insignificant, but they add up! When I was working full time, it's these little time savers that helped me out.

So my message is this. Don't give up on cooking and providing for your family. Don't try to do everything, but don't give up completely. There are so many little things that you can do, to not only provide for your family, but save money, and do good things....

Good luck!

Girlfriend time....

One of the things I gave up when I left full time work was my weekend scrapbooking getaways. A friend asked me months ago if I could take her spot at one (so she wouldn't lose it), and I decided to. So for the first time in two years, I had three days away - at a spa-like retreat center - with girlfriends, great food and wine, and LOTS of pictures and scrapbooking.

I had forgotten what power these weekends have. The rest, relaxation, healing. Amazing what medicine laughter can be!

We spent the weekend looking at old photos, reliving stories, and sharing.

I also got to spend some long overdue time with my closest neice, someone as close as a sister, over wine one evening, and again over coffee the next day. For the first time, I was able to sit with someone and talk about some of my fears, and insecurities.. something that was so in need.

We cannot forget to feed our souls - with relationships close to our hearts, and time to let go and think. The world gets so noisy with all that our lives include. It is the times like this weekend, when we set all of that aside, that rejuvenate our souls.

breathing more clearly tonight. with a fresh outlook. rested. happy. Blessed.

saying goodbyes...

I try very hard to keep this blog positive, upbeat, and fun. But sometimes life just hands you something that isn't so great, and this is where I talk about my life. So if you're not in the mood to listen to my sad, selfish story, I am giving you a chance to opt out -

now would be the time.

So you're in? Thanks - it helps to think someone is reading.... I don't know why, but it does. I don't write for myself as much as I enjoy writing for you. So if you stuck with me, I thank you.

I've blogged before about the fact that our Pastor is leaving.

Tomorrow is the day.

And tonight I had to say goodbye.

And it sucked.

I didn't know how to invite myself over there to say goodbye, but Pastor fixed that for me - asking me to stop by to pick something up. And I'm so very thankful for the night - the couple of hours sitting at the dining room table chatting. But eventually it was time for me to go home, and the goodbyes had to be said.

And it sucked.

I cried last Wednesday at our goodbye dinner for Pastor's wife. I cried on Sunday - his last service. I cried each night chatting with his wife on FB. So I was kind of hoping that I could skip that part tonight. But no such luck.

When talking to my son about it, he, wise beyond his years, said "they're a huge part of our life".  so true...

My husband asked why I don't cry like this when I say goodbye to friends who live across the country...after a visit. I explained that they aren't a part of my daily life that is now gone. He told me "not to let the next one in so far". (Joking of course - knowing how deeply I care for both of them.)

I know change is good. I've definitely not kept away from change in my life. But I don't enjoy having to say goodbye to the good stuff so much.

I am so very thankful for the Blessings we've had with them in our lives. And my Faith leads me to know that God has other plans for us right now - and we will just have to wait to find out what that is. But my heart will still be sad to not have them in our daily lives. They will be greatly missed.