The Great Blizzard of Oz aka Snownomi

So the start of this week was great, it was President's day, a paid holiday at my place of work. Then Mike stuck around on Tuesday, we went and greeted my friends new little girl Katie (5 weeks old now) and then went out to dinner with my gal Michelle and her hubby Jake and had some laughs and a good time with friends. Of course right now it seems all my friends are either getting married, pregnant (Michelle), or having babies (Kristy). I love them all the same but being a girl sometimes it's a bit of what Mike calls "tick-tock." Yeah there is pressure but I'm sooo not ready and I'm happy with how things are chugging along. That comes when the time is right.

I digress. Then Thursday morning 6 am hits and BAM! The Great Blizzard of Oz hits the Kansas and, as Mike calls it, the snownomi hits Missouri.

Where I live received about 10-12 inches plus snow drift. Mike got about 12 where he lives. I must say my car, Audrey, was buried pretty well. I was able to work from home for 2 days and then found that the plows had come and pushed all the snow up behind my car.

So I bundled up when work was over, pulled on my waders, zipped up my coat and donned my snow hat and pulled out the gloves and headed out to tackle the now 2 foot mound of snow behind my car.

So all I had at the time was my snow scraper and a dust pan. The dust pan broke instantly after attempting to scoop the snow. So then I was left with my snow scraper which just took forever.

After about 45 minutes I was tired and my back hurt but I was still about 6 inches from pavement.

I finally got close to the ground but then then wasn't sure I was going to be able to back up over what was left. I was right, the next day I got myself stuck 6 feet from the curb of my parking spot and was stuck there all day until I could borrow a shovel from the office. At that point I was able to rock my car back into the parking spot.

My dear upstairs neighbor saw me out there and had been off on Thursday as well. She was cooking up a storm that day and brought me some homemade turkey taco soup and some crackers to warm up. It was delicious! Then we spent the evening playing Mario Cart and having a good time with girl talk. I don't get to do that a lot.

So then Friday night after I had gotten my car back in it's spot Mike called and asked if I was coming out or if he was. I said I would. He came out last weekend so it's a fair way of splitting the gas cost.

Of course at that point I had to figure out how to get the remaining bit of snow out from behind my car. So I called up a friend and asked if he had one, he didn't but he came and picked me up, since he had his car free, and took me to Home Depot where we bought garden spades and then shoveled the last 2-3 inches of snow from behind my car so I could back out and leave.

So I arrived Friday night, Mike had me come look at a totally awesome snow fort made by one of the student organizations. It was "Wicked" awesome  Was made with snow bricks and looked like castle turrets and even had flags on them. Then the next day when we drove by to get some good pictures it was ruined by some rude college kids. :( That was at least an all day event to make. It's so sad when mean people come and ruin something so amazing.

Mike and I then decided to go sledding, he has a "jet sled," which is a boat type sled that is used during hunting to haul decoys and gear without bogging yourself down like a pack mule. It makes the most amazing sled for sledding for sure. It hauls ass. We went over to a hill by the frat house and we started at the big hill which all the little kids were using. At that point we went down, one time each, of course because of the bottom of the hill not having any insurance on keeping you out of the road or out of the woods that were just beyond, that caused you to have to bail out of the sled before reaching the very bottom.

Of course to tip that sled over takes some effort. Mike did fine and ended up next to the sled. Me, I ended up bailing and then the sled landed on top of me upside down. So I was a camouflaged snow turtle.

After our adventurous day in the snow we decided to make something delicious after our nap.

Pork tenderloin, rubbed in sweet and smoky seasoning, then baked in the oven. Served with a side of broccoli sauteed with bacon and onion. Then served with portabella mushroom sauce over egg noodles.

The sweet and smokey seasoning we have is found at the Kansas City River Market downtown. It has a great spice station you can buy spices by the scoop. Found this sweet and smokey one day while down there and was told it was like BBQ potato chip seasoning. It is, and it totally rocks with pork. Pork chops, chicken, popcorn etc. It's amazing for sure. I need to get back to the market actually.

So our vegetable side was broccoli sauteed with a small amount of oil, onions and bacon. That glob in the middle is a concentrated pat of chicken stock. Which helped add seasoning and flavor. The bacon we used was hormels real bacon bits that you keep in your fridge. Less oil and less cooking time.

For a starch we decided on egg noodles. Then we were trying to think of a sauce. Then it hit us, Progresso makes those new recipe starters. We picked up one can of Creamy Portabella Mushroom cooking sauce. It's rather plain by itself and I reccomend adding salt, pepper, and some garlic powder. We also added some cooking Marsala wine. This made a very delicious and addicting noodle. This could definnitely be served with chicken or beef. The can even suggests making this sauce into a beef stroganoff. Of course Mike and I tend to stray from actual recipes when it comes to cooking. We find a base and then tweak if from there.

Final product was a tender, moist and totally delicious BBQ pork loin. YUM! Then served with the broccoli bacon sautee and noodles with creamy portabella mushroom sauce was just the perfect combination.

Now there are leftovers and unfortunately it will not last us through the Blizzard of Oz (Snownomi) part 2 that is coming Monday night/Tuesday morning. Another 10-20 inches depending on the area you are in. Mike is pegged to get up to 15 inches at his place, while I should get anywhere from 10-12 inches. Ugh, looks like Tuesday and Wednesday I will be working from home again. I start to get cabin fever after about a day fand with work, it's not like I can just clean the house completely from top to bottom all day like I would if my job didn't provide me a laptop. Ah well, I have a job, it's not so bad, they pay me decent and I really shouldn't complain too much.

So folks, if you're getting snowed in, make sure you have something to cook as well as something to do to entertain yourself, me, I have my neighbor to play Wii games with. If you're lucky enough not to have snow, then enjoy cooking with things you find interesting while leisurly walking down the grocery store aisles with shelves that aren't empty haha ;)

Now go out and cook!

Time for a recap - where have we been!?

Ok, ok ok, yes we went a little MIA there. 

I can't say we have cooked or baked much, I have gotten into a rut lately of when I want to bake I stick to the norms. Right now norm means making beer bread. I am FINALLY getting through all the beer that was in my fridge that I knew full well I wouldn't be drinking. I've kind of lost my taste for drinking beer on a regular basis, I'm more sophisticated now - thanks to the wonderful Mike - now I drink Jack and diet Coke. (more expensive too). I blame you dear. ;)

So the weekend of Labor day I had made beer bread and was intending to take to Mike's house when I left. Well, it came out great, I almost over cooked it and burned it since I dropped by my local Hyvee and then ran into a friend, whom I cannot talk to for just 10 minutes, it's always about an hour or more with him. So then it dawns on me when I'm talking to him that "OH CRAP! I LEFT MY BREAD IN THE OVEN!" So then I rush home with thoughts of flames coming from my kitchen window. I arrive home to my sauna kitchen and find the bread perfectly baked! *PHEW* Heart attack averted.

So it was perfectly baked and when I let it sit for a few before cutting (I like to slice my bread then keep in my Tupperware to stay fresh so I can just grab a portioned slice and go) Well when I went to slice the bugger it just fell apart on me. That has NEVER happened.

In any event it still tasted good and Mike and the roomie thought it was delicious.

So that Sunday we decided to make a breakfast skillet. It was quite delicious. It was a quinoa veggie skillet with egg and bacon. Bacon is a must.

As much as I like to believe that you need to rinse the quinoa, unless you have a sieve or cheesecloth, it's a pain and will not be done next time. The veggies included: small sweet potato, green and red bell peppers (1/2 each), onion (1 small), garlic (1-2 cloves to taste). Then there was quinoa. A few strips of thick cut bacon for a topping and and egg cooked your favorite way. I prefer my eggs gooey and over easy so it can be sopped up with bread or just drench this skillet to a delicious goo :) Mike likes his over hard, basically a flat hard boiled egg. I have yet to perfect how to do that for him. I WILL do that, I WILL learn to over cook an egg ;) I jest, I don't mind, those eggs are great for sandwiches.

So you add quinoa to the veggies once the veggies are all cooked up (we forgot mushrooms and decided that white potatoes would have been better or even red). Then you have to add chicken stock/veggie stock or beef stock or water (your preference) to the mix and let the quinoa soak it all up. TOOK FOREVER! Well, seemed like it did due to us being hungry and ready and the smell of bacon floating around the kitchen while the bacon bits sat and mocked us from the counter.

The skillet was worth the wait, could have used some salt and pepper to taste and I had a hard time cooking eggs that morning. In the end regular potatoes would be better, won't forget the mushrooms next time and will use more bacon to top it off with. All in all, not bad. (recipe will be below)

So then when I returned home the next week, Tuesday, I felt like making bread, so I did. I made a no yeast bread. Which I was ultimately hoping would be like Mighty Melts bread, but alas, it is not. Still tasted decent and was tasty while it lasted.

I pulled this out of the oven, all excited because it doesn't take long and is super easy to make. It came out quite crusty and quite pointy. Was not fun to cut. Was quite difficult actually. I think this is due to the fact that they didn't have me put any egg wash or butter wash on the outside before baking and also the bake time was a bit long. I even pulled it out a little early. Next time I will egg wash the crust and then butter, like I did, after baking as well.

As you can see it requires buttering the crust after baking, to soften it. Yeah right, still hurt my hands to cut and the bottom crust - OH MY GOODNESS - was almost un-cuttable! I had to work at it. Tasted good though, especially hot out of the oven with some butter. YUM!!

It was really really really dense and tasted like a soft pretzel, more so than the pretzel bread recipe I made a while back. I think I may try turning this into pretzel bread instead next time I get the craving. Either way the recipe is a keeper, just need to tweak it.

Quinoa Breakfast Skillet

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped (will probably double this)

1 small sweet potato, chopped (will use regular potato – red or russet next time)

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed (will not rinse, was a royal pain)

1 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock (or water)

4 eggs, cooked your desired way

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Cook until fat is rendered and bacon is crispy, then remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Reduce heat to medium-low and add sweet potato, onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic to the skillet, tossing to coat. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring once or twice, until soft.

Add uncooked quinoa to vegetables and stir for 1-2 minutes, allowing it to lightly toast. Pour in stock or water and bring the mixture to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15-ish minutes until quinoa is cooked through. While quinoa is cooking, prepare eggs as you'd desire. Once cooked, taste and season to your liking.

Serve quinoa in bowls topped with eggs and cooked bacon.

No-Yeast Bread

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tablespoon baking soda

1 1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons vinegar (cider or white)

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients and mix. Combine water and vinegar. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for two or three minutes (no need to overdo it). Shape into a round (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches high), then place on pan. Dip a sharp knife into flour and cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.

Bake 40 minutes. Remove, and while hot, glaze with melted or softened butter. The butter glaze gives flavor as well as softens the crust.

Nutrition:

(depends on ingredients and brands you use, this is a rough estimation)

165 calories, 1 grams fat, 33 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein per serving. 

Yes, I included nutrition on the bread - why? Mike and I have been doing the "Insanity" workout. I am on my 4th week and he is on his 3rd. I personally can't say I see a difference but then again, that's me. I'm hoping for the best. I can, however, see a difference in Mike. He's looking great. So we are eating healthier (we still have our treats mind you), and exercising hard. I will definitely be ready for my 5k Rugged Maniac in October. 

So folks, that is what we have been up to, Mike cooked pork chops and black bean salsa Friday last weekend but we didn't take pictures. He was so kind to make dinner while I worked out and sweat my booty off. We then pretty much didn't cook after that and ate out, probably not practical. We will see what the weekend holds this weekend since we are off to St. Louis to visit his parents, the official official meeting of the parents. Should be interesting. Granted from what I have seen of his parents, they are a normal mom and dad. It's gonna be easy. We will share what we can from our St. Louis adventure, the local joints and local favorites. Time to get our foodie hats on. 

Go out and cook folks!

The Busy Weekenders Sandwich Love

Soooo forgot to post this on Friday when we had this. We had a full weekend of hanging with friends and a wedding to attend followed by more hanging out with friends and more on Sunday. So, we hardly cooked with as busy as we were but after going to the gym on Friday together and burning off what we had eaten the night before (empty stomachs) we decided on some simple sandwiches.

Ham and cheese!

Side view

Was hungry obviously if a bite is taken before the photo.
You can see Sarah's toes.

So we made some ham and cheese with just some basic brown sugar, store bought ham luncheon meat.

But this is no ordinary ham and cheese. We used hoagie rolls  (Sara Lee) and toasted them in a pan with the homemade jalapeno cheddar butter that Sarah had made with those cute heart shaped biscuits earlier. So, toasted up the bread on the inside with the butter, makes the bread taste like it's had cheddar cheese baked into it almost. Had a very mild kick as the jalapenos used were canned.

From there the bread had the meat and cheese added (Sarah had her slice of cheese in the middle between the meat, Mike did his on the outside of the meat on both sides.) But you can do what you like.

Once the bread was filled it was toasted on both sides, much like grilled cheese. Then it was time to add our lovely mango slices and kiwi slices to the plate and kickback and relish in our hard work from the gym and relax before mini golf that afternoon. (Sarah beat Mike by 3 strokes, just FYI, hehe)

We didn't cook dinner that night since we went to the Slavic Fest and had some sausages and such there.

So the next day we didn't cook at all since we didn't wake up till 12 and then went out to lunch for Mike's birthday. Hit up the golf course grill. Not bad. After that we just relaxed and enjoyed the day until we had to get ready to go to the wedding. We then had delicious food there. Brisket, pulled pork, cheesy potatoes, veggies, fruit, chocolate strawberries and a really moist and delicious wedding cake. Yum, wedding cake is probably the best cake on the planet. Of course after the wedding and reception we went out and hung out with friends and had a blast then stayed up until the wee hours of the morning before actually going to bed.

Sunday we swam and Mike helped our friend with his deck and gutter. We always eat well at their house. Prior to getting there we stopped at subway and split a sub. Of course dinner was pretty delicious. Our friends live on a farm so they raise their meat and our food has a name. Mike had "Bacon Bits" (that's the pigs name) ham steaks, little Tricia had "Oreo" (the cow) steak. I ate chicken that was from Sam's Club. Haha! It was a smorgasbord. We discovered covering snap peas in taco seasoning or ranch seasoning. DE-LICIOUS. Those things were gone in a matter of minutes. Veggies are a big thing there. Lots of fresh veggies, all the time.

Great weekend, just not a cooking weekend. More of a foodie weekend.