Dan - My Little Man

Sometimes I call Dan, "Dan, my little man". When we first met - he suggested I call him that to remember his name and joking about height. But I don't call him "little" because he is short. I certainly don't call him "little" because he is petty or belittling in things he does or says; he is so positive and can make people feel so special and important. But, sometimes I call him my "little man" because once in a while I get a glimpse of the little boy in him.This is a horny toad that Dan found outside on his run the other day. He caught it and brought it home to show me. He was so excited to show me what he'd found and wanted me to see it. It made me smile.

I love Dan, my little man.

I Made it Monday: Baked Corn Casserole

This is a recipe I got from my Mom. I always loved it when she made it so I finally got the recipe from her before we moved. We love it; especially when we have chili or something like that. It makes me a little homesick sometimes, but it is nice to have a little reminder of home now and again. I have discovered that the sour cream makes all the difference. Most recently I tried fat free sour cream - and it was good, but not quite as good as the good stuff! I often double this recipe for bigger groups. It is also very easy! Just remember 1 and then the ingredients.

Baked Corn Casserole:
1 can whole kernel corn - drained
1 can creamed corn
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 egg
1 stick of margarine
1 - 8 oz. of sour cream
opt - 1 can of green chilies

Mix well and pour into an 8x8 greased pan/baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Enjoy!

Quiet morning, Kickball, and Cocktail party...

Saturday was a good day.

It started at the wee early hour of...9:30. I was SO tired after this week of working a few overtime days and several 4am wake ups that I didn't wake up once through the night (a rarity for me). One of my favorite things is to be able to wake up when my body wants to wake up and I can just laze in bed until I feel fully awake, refreshed, alert and ready to get up and do something. Well, today I didn't feel like getting up and doing anything for quite some time. Dan and I just laid there talking while waking up and I did a little reading and finally finished my current book Confessions of a Shopaholic (to save for another post)...all while still in bed. It wasn't until about 11:30 that I finally rolled out and went to help Dan make some Pancakes and Turkey bacon (It was an experiment and I think we like it. Definitely not the same as bacon, but a healthier and rather yummy alternative if you aren't craving the exact bacon taste/texture.) Then we "rushed" to our next activity of watching a show on the computer while eating breakfast in bed. Then we laid there a little longer enjoying full bellies, the quiet morning (well afternoon by this time) and a little more reading while Dan was on the computer. I finally finished my current book Confessions of a Shopaholic (to save for another post). It wasn't until 1 that I finally got dressed and ready for the day.

Dan's work was having a kickball tournament for all the classes in his program that had signed up (turned out only 3 teams showed up which was nice). After much fretting and stressing on my part, since I was invited to play with them, I finally decided I would go, but not play. I am no good at such activities (especially if a ball is included) and I didn't want to embarrass myself or an entire team which I had no idea how serious people would be taking AND I didn't know anyone from any of the other classes. So, I purposely wore weak shoes as a lame excuse that, "No really I can't play - I have bad shoes on." Instead of, "just trust me you DON'T WANT me on your team", because someone could have easily guilted or pressured me into playing against my will, but with bad shoes its just not an option. In the end, I don't know why I worried so much about it, because it was pretty fun and laid back and I probably wouldn't have done much worse than a few other players out there. Nevertheless, I enjoyed being a spectator. Dan was the star of the show. His kicks were home runners. During one kick the bases were loaded and he kicked that ball all the way across the field. It was a GRAND SLAM! I was so proud of him! I screamed, clapped and leaned over to the girl next to me and said, "That's my husband!" She probably could have cared less with her apathetic face, but that didn't bother me - I proudly cheered him on his way!

Afterward, we went home, showered and Dan went to dinner with some guys from his class while I headed over to a girls night cocktail party with the women I've met, and kind of made friends with, some girls from Dan's work. Obviously I wasn't there for the martini's, but it was still a lot of fun - it is a neat and fun group of women. I enjoy getting together with them and I'm glad they invite me along (The last girls night out was a night of appetizers, talking, and the twilight movie). Tonight, the host provided my own jug of lemonade (well, it was for everyone there, but I was the only one actually drinking it at first). None of them are really heavy drinkers when it is just the girls so it stayed fun the whole time (sometimes, with class get-togethers there is a little more drinking which takes them to a place that the sober mind can't quite see what is so funny.) . We had all kinds of foods and appetizers and just enjoyed talking and playing with the two babies that were there for a while. It is refreshing to get a girls night out now and again.

Saturday was a good day.

I Made it Monday: Coconut Curry Chicken

This has been one of our favorite recipes for a few years now. I have cooked this on the stove AND in the wok (which is much faster). It is basically very easy - what makes it a little more complicated is the time (which I rarely use the entire time they say - I just cook till the chicken and then veggies are done.) and also how many veggies (if any) you use. In other words how much do you have to cut up and how fast do you cut?

We serve this with plenty of rice. It is so good and the coconut gives it a very refreshing taste and cuts any sharp spiciness of the curry. For some reason it never really turns out the exact same color - I don't know if it is different brands of canned tomatoes or what kind of veggies I put in. NEVERTHELESS, this is a dish that we are always happy and satisfied with and usually cook when we are in the mood for something different but don't want to go out to eat.

Coconut Curry Chicken:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch chunks or small bite sized pieces.
1 tsp salt and pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 Tbs oil
2 Tbs curry powder
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (14 oz) can of coconut milk
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed, diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
3 Tbs sugar

- Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper (I usually forget this step and have to add it later)
- Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over med-high heat for two minutes (mixing the powder into the oil).
- Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more
- Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
- Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan (DON'T forget the sugar!) and stir to combine.

- Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30-40 minutes. ( I usually let is simmer 15-20 minutes then I start adding veggies (the ones that need the longest cooking to the least.). Some of the veggies we like to use are green beans, mushrooms, spinach, brussel sprouts cut up, squash or zucchini, and anything else you want!)We put leftovers the next night in pitas! It was yummy all over again!

Seeing San Antonio

Dan and I finally got the chance to go to the temple again. We sure miss living so close in Washington, but the distance somehow makes us appreciate it more. Our temple district is actually the Lubbock, TX temple, but it is farther than the San Antonio temple (3 1/3 hour drive - plus there is more to see and do there). We will go to Lubbock next, but yesterday it was all about San Antonio!

San Antonio has a small temple, but I was blown away by how beautiful it was. The woodwork, paintings, and the amazing stained and textured glass designs were breath-taking. It was so refreshing to be there. It is so peaceful. Going to the temple helps me function better. When I go I am a little less quick to get angry, offended, and sad. I feel happier and more content. Things run smoother. I guess you could say that going to the temple is to me as gasoline is for a car. (How's that for a simile? :O)
After the temple we drove into downtown San Antonio and wandered around The Alamo. I learned so much! I always had a little bit of an idea what had happened, but I never saw the big picture of the Alamo in the struggle between Mexico (Santa Ana) and America, or that TEXAS was at one point it's own republic, or country! Now I understand a little more about this Texas Pride deal! Anyway, after we went to the Alamo we tried to wander around the mall and downtown, but it has been quite some time since we have been in the "city" and it was a little noisy and overwhelming (not to mention all the crazies the city attracts). So, we didn't spend as much time in San Antonio than we originally thought, but we were ok with that.
On our way home we had dinner at a famous BBQ spot called Rudy's. You would never guess that the shack-looking restaurant had some of the best BBQ I've ever had. FINALLY, BBQ to live up to the Texas hype (I was starting to think it was a myth)!

All in all we had a wonderful day, a peaceful drive, enjoyed each others company, and got to see a beautiful green Texas (we just had a ton of rain this weekend - everything will be brown again in a day or two). It was a happy day.

T-O-D-A-Y in a nutshell...

T - is for the time I got to sit on the top stair outside with Dan for a few minutes this evening feeling the warm sun on our backs and the cool breeze on our faces and share a Sonic slushy - and be close.
O - is for the outstanding deals I got shopping tonight! (2 scrub tops for $7 each and great deals to build our food storage!)
D - is for the dog I chased down this morning for our neighbor. (She can't move very fast, but the dog sure can!)
A - is for my awesome job that I enjoy every day. (Today flew by and I've been 100% on all my IV's for a week!)
Y - is for the yogurt called gogurt that I love to eat frozen!

I Made it Monday: Fall Apart Pork Chops (Slow cooker)

This is VERY yummy and So EASY!!! Think just a few hours ahead and have a few ingredients on hand - most of which may be in your cupboard already. It doesn't seem like it could be that great, but Dan and I have just loved this dish every time!

Fall Apart Port Chops: (4 servings)
2 tsp oil
4 center cut bone-in pork chops (I usually have the boneless in my freezer).
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup (or chicken - I really like it with the chicken)
1/4 Cup water
1/4 Cup cooking wine -OR- apple juice -OR- I have always used apple cider vinegar since that is what I have in my cupboard.

- Heat oil in large skillet over med-low heat. Brown pork chops on both sides; drain excess fat, the season as desired (I often use all or combo of the following: S&P, garlic powder, thyme, and some cumin with a little bit of chili powder, and basil - I rub it into the meat). Transfer pork to slow cooker.
- Whisk together soup, water, and juice/vinegar in a bowl. Pour mixture over the pork.
- Cover; cook on HIGH 3 hours or until meat is tender (longer for very thick chops).

A little funny...

My Dad showed me this video when I was in Seattle in March. I thought it was so funny. THEN, conference came around and Elder Nelson was talking about The Lord's Prayer as a pattern - it was a great talk and I learned so much - but every time he read parts of the prayer I just heard this in my mind. It was hard not to disrupt Dan with an occasional giggle.

I Made it Monday: Eat Your Veggies!

Not the best picture - I forgot to take a picture when it looked really good in the WOK

One of our favorite ways to eat veggies is in a stir fry. We have introduced ourselves to all kinds of veggies this way. We got a WOK for Christmas 2 years ago and use it all the time. We just start some rice in the rice cooker then clean and cut whatever veggies we want while we put some sort of meat (if you want meat in your stir fry) or tofu in the wok. Add the veggies and any sort of cooking sauce you like. Sometimes we do teriyaki, sweet and Sour, and sometimes we just do different spices or soy sauce. This last time we just put in some water, lemon juice and a variety of spices like crushed red pepper, basil, and added some cilantro and called it good…and it was! It’s a great way to try new veggies. Our favorite veggies to WOK are bok choi, brussel sprouts, bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, onions, egg plant, and whatever else we want or have.

Send Me To Nursery!

This title is what some invisible sign over my head must say. This last Sunday Dan and I had just sat down in Sunday school when a frantic looking woman rushed in, took one scan of the room, then came straight to me and asked if I could come help in Nursery today. One leader had just moved, the other home sick. There was only one original leader in the room with the kids.
Part of me wanted to say, "No way Jose!", but I guess I'm just too nice for that. My experience in Nursery is that when it is "good it is very, very good; but when it is bad it is horrid!". I nervously followed the woman into the nursery room and actually took a step back toward the door when I saw 18 little toddlers! 18! That's insanity! LUCKILY, a couple of the parents stayed. It actually was not too bad. The one leader had a lot planned and was very good at moving the kids from one activity to the next - I never once looked at my watch. One activity was bubbles. A couple of adults blew bubbles and the kids went bizerk trying to pop them all. I was sitting on the floor watching when I saw one little boy get SO excited trying to pop some bubbles he threw his arm right back into a little girl's face. There was a little shriek of pain then the saddest face I think I've ever seen and one HUGE tear start to roll down the little girls cheek. She looked around the room, looking for... Mom? Dad?...no luck. Then she saw me and decided I would have to do. She ran to me and her little soft arms wrapped all the way around my neck so tight and she buried her face in my neck and cried. It felt like she just melted right into me - no fear that she had no idea who I was. At the same time I felt like I just melted inside. I sat and held her and rocked her. That was the highlight of my day.