Mmm...Cheesy

Another one of those crockpot kind of days. It is beautiful and clear today. Quite a change from yesterdays weather. I have yoga tonight and class is during normal dinner hour. This means it's easy dinner time! I'm in the mood for something carb-a-licious: mac and cheese!

One of my most cherished stories about my Grandpa Alderson has to do with baked mac and cheese. Whenever we went to Pittsburgh to visit Jeff, my brother, and I would plead for this delicious treat. My mom certainly knows how to make it but it somehow always fell short to the original. So, Grandma would graciously prepare our favorite. Everyone would gather around the table, Grandpa would bless the meal, and we would dig in. This was the story for 20 odd years. Grandpa passed away a few years ago after a fall led to other health problems, including pnuemonia. It was at his funeral and wake that I learned the loving truth. He HATED baked mac and cheese! Really disliked the stuff. But every time we came up he ate it because we wanted it. He did it to make us happy. Wow, amazing, right?!

Now I'm hungry and teary. Not always a great combination. Mac and Cheese has become somewhat synonomous with Grandpa now. It's a small opportunity to remember him.

So to the cooking.


Ingredients:
1 lb. uncooked pasta (I'm a fan of elbow)
3 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. half and half
1 egg
2 c. mild cheddar
1 c. mozzarella
1 c. jack or other tasty cheese
1/4 tsp. pepper
dash of salt
1/4 c. bread crumbs (optional)

Prep:
1. in a small bowl mix the spices, milk, half and half, and egg.
2. mix the liquid mixture, pasta, and cheese in the crockpot.
3. top with bread crumbs
4. cover and set.

cook on high 1 to 3 hours or on low 2 to 4 hours depending on how you like your pasta.*

*UPDATE: to increase the creaminess factor, cook for maybe an hour on high and then set to warm. I cooked mine on high for a little over two hours and it wasn't very moist. Don't over cook! otherwise it's lovely!

Crockpot Taco Soup

Mike and I are trying to control our financial lives. One way to begin this process is to smooth out some spending areas. We've streamlined our bills and now we have to work on other expenses- in this case groceries.

I love groceries! I do. I like to cook (though Mike would disagree) and I have to admit that I go into Kroger with a small plan. We know what we need but don't know what for. It is my challenge to start actually planning meals and shop around those meals. I know that Real Simple and other media focus on just that- planning simple, delicious meals with built in grocery lists. I am a fan, however, our tastes and schedule don't always allow for featured meals. Case in point, today.

This is Monday. We agree. Mike and I have Choral Society this evening from 7.30 to 9.30. We have to leave by 7 to get a good parking space and to have a chance to socialize beforehand. Mike however gets home around 6.30. Well that doesn't leave much time for a well-prepared meal. Let's not also forget the fact that we'll spend the next few hours singing. We don't need any gastronomical adventures, understand.

So, I've found some delightful looking crockpot meals for Mondays and possibly Wednesdays (yoga class). The choice: Taco Soup. It is very easy and surely will be a nice treat on this cool October evening. I found a few recipes and blended them to suit my needs. Here is the recipe for you to try. Feel free to mix it up with your favorites, add some, delete some, go gluten free, watch your sodium, whatevs!

Ingredients:
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can red beans
1 can white corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles
1 lb. ground beef (I used a little more because I had it available)
1/2 packet of taco seasoning
1/2 packet ranch dressing mix
cheese and sour cream for garnishing.

Prep
1. brown the meat and drain the fat
2. rinse and drain the beans
3. add drained beans and entire cans of tomatoes and corn to the crockpot
4. add meat into the mix
5. this is where I add the seasonings. I also added 1/4 c. water, a splash of lime, and about 2 eye-balled tablespoons of lemon juice.

Slow cook on low for 8ish hours or on high for 4ish hours. Garnish with sour cream, onions, chives, or cheese in any combo. Enjoy with a spoon or your favorite tortilla chip!

Mmmmm....super hungry now. Oh slow-cookers!

Elbow

Elbow is a band from Manchester, England with a simplistic and haunting sound. The melodies abound and are absolutely riveting. The sound is simplistic but it is nothing short of complex and emotional. We got to know Elbow when they opened for Coldplay this summer. They opened with Starlings, the first track on The Seldom Seen Kid. It begins with a light electronic intro and blasts into being with a chorus of trumpets. Spectacular! I remember turning to the bearded one and just sitting there slack-jawed. Point is, I adore them now. The website for the album is killer. It's probably the most visually striking website for a band I've seen. And it's so simple! *sigh* Please to enjoy!

a bit of happy!

just sharing a bit of happy with you.

New Blog

I needed a creative kick, so I've created a blog specifically for my arts and crafts. Same name, new channel. I will be keeping up with both of these.

repletewithclass.wordpress.com

Unhappy

I am in a creative funk. For two and some odd years now I have teaching children about creativity and the basics of art. I'm sapped and have nothing other than a large portfolio of art projects to show for it. My teaching skills and organization have grown exponentially but where's my artistic growth? It's not there and I'm unhappy. Don't take it the wrong way, I love to teach and I love the things that are created in my little neck of the woods, but I need something for ME gosh darn it.

This may not seem big, but it is. Conclusions:

Work on your own art dammit!
Get rid of cable (deep breath)
Work on your own art dammit!
Take back your space for creativity.
Commit.

MLKing weekend

There is no such thing as Columbus Day in the South. We do not have the day off. Instead we have Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This holiday provides another day off shortly after our return from Christmas holiday. This past year we went to the Outer Banks with some friends from VA. We stayed in Corolla at Erin's Uncle's house. This place was fantastic. We had a room that faced the ocean, a pool that was frozen over, a hot tub (delightful), a large kitchen, a game room, a half keg from local brewery Carolina Brewery, and other delights. Mike's birthday was this weekend and Erin baked him a cake. We had frozen pipes for the first two days which made things really fun. The weather was amazing that weekend. It rained for the beginning of the weekend and by Monday it was warm and we could sit out on the porch. We had nosy neighbors, a moonlight ocean dip, some hot tub time, pizza shaped like Obama, puzzles, Swedish games, and other general merriment. Here are some photos of this hopefully repeatable weekend!

It took all of us to complete this puzzle.

The men cooked the pizza.
Steve loves America! (but he's open to other countries too)

Mike enjoying the warmer weather and the porch.A walk on the beach.
Casa de Young People.
Before we left it was warm and sunny. We had a snow day the following day.

take THAT recession!

Mike has gotten himself a job. An honest to goodness, full-time job. It's the electric violin shop in Durham and we couldn't be happier. He starts tomorrow and it calls for a celebration tomorrow night! It's been a tough four months, but God is good.

Pictures to share

All from New Years 2008 at Diana's. All long overdue. All fabulous!

Forgot about this!

I was cleaning and sorting photos the other day and came across photos from the 4th of July in 2008. A beautiful hummingbird flew into a window and was slightly stunned. It stayed still long enough for me to take a bunch of photos. Here are a couple (not the best ones though, too special for blog-world).

This is Big John holding the little thing. Amazing!

Scared but not panicked

A local school which shares our feeder middle school most likely has cases of H1N1 (swine flu). All three of these schools are year-round and most people think that it's a matter of time before it reaches us. Just keep my school in mind, like I said, I'm scared but not panicked.

Three generations of Wagner women

I only have one grandparent remaining. Sometimes I think that people take for granted the fact that they have all four of their maternal and paternal grandparents. Mike has all four of his grandparents. My mother's dad passed from complications of lung cancer before I was born. My step-grandfather (the only one I ever knew, thus really grandpa) passed in December of my Junior year. I vividly remember my girls from the hall being very supportive while I drove back and forth to Pittsburgh the week leading up to his death. Grandad (my dad's dad) passed the following Summer. Mike and I were dating and this was the first family function we ever attended together. My Grammy passed the day after Thanksgiving this year. She was 90 and a tough old cookie up until the end. She died from congestive heart failure. I am left with Grandma Alderson and though she is not as old, she has aged considerably in the last few years. She took care of Grandpa for several years as his health deteriorated. I think that anyone would suffer the same effects. Well, I was recently in Pittsburgh and my mom was there as well. Throughout the years we have taken photos of us together. I have one from when I was about seven and it has Great-grandma Wagner in it as well. She passed a few years after that so we've been left with three generations for quite some time. I wasn't sure the next time I would have the chance to see her alive (don't think I'm so morbid, just realistic at this point) so we took what may be our last three generation photo. The funny thing is that I know exactly what I'll look like when I'm 80. Do you see the resemblance?? Anywho, here's the Wagner ladies. Enjoy.

Where have I been?

I can't believe I've gone two years without this. This one is dedicated to Mike!

reminder to self

“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”
--Pablo Picasso

I used this quote in a post almost three years ago. HEH-LLOO. Paging self. I need to find some way to remind myself that these kids I teach are marvels and that that's precious. That being said, the first day was today and it went well. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I've really stepped up my game this year and I'm ready to implement. I hope it goes well!

Most original idea

So, maybe not the most original idea, but delightful all the same. I am currently reading Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously. I saw that it was being turned into a movie and that's what piqued my interest. I try to read books before seeing the movies. Mike happened to have a copy from the bookstore and I've been slowly reading. It's not the best book, the writing is choppy and a little too muddled for me. You may think I'm not a great judge because of my own inadequate writing, but sometimes I'll skip whole passages because she babbles on. Regardless, the idea of someone going through Mastering the Art of French Cooking is intriguing and exciting. I can honestly promise that I will never cook my way through the cookbook. There are things I will never eat in there and that is being true to myself. It's not really about breaking down the wall of French cooking for me. Though wasn't that the whole mission of Ms. Childs? To throw pomp and snootiness out of the kitchen?

Mike has been feeling ill since we've gotten back from Vienna. He's tried to consume some normal foods but we've had a lot of soups too. We were out in Carrboro today and when we stopped in Weaver Street the price for leeks and potatoes was good. I decided I would try my hand at Potage Parmentier. I mean if this self-proclaimed mess of a woman can make it, I can too. It will be a snap (fingers crossed).

Ingredients:
3-4 cups of diced peeled potatoes (1 lb.)
3 cups thinly sliced leeks, including the tender greens
2 quarts water
1 Tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons softened butter
chopped chives for garnish

To Cook:
Simmer vegetables, salt, and water together, partially covered for 40-50 minutes. Mash the vegetables into the soup with a fork or pass through a food mill. Having no food mill I will use my trusty potato masher. When ready to serve, bring soup back to simmering. Then off the heat, Add the butter in small bits and whisk in. Taste and correct for salt. Add chives and enjoy. See, wasn't that easy? Makes 2 quarts of soup for 6-8 servings.


Looking forward to creating this delicious meal. I'll be back later this evening to let you know how it went. Ooh, suspense!


Update:
I must say that this was simple, delicious, and hearty. A success! I wasn't able to puree the potato and leek mixture as much as I probably should have but it worked all the same. Mike and I happily ate two bowls in silence. Since there was no meat protein in the soup and I have a freezer full of various meats I decided shrimp was our best bet for a pairing. Shrimp goes down as one of my favorite foods ever. Ever! I could eat it three times a week for life. I don't, but I could. Since the soup takes so long to simmer I had plenty of time to prepare the shrimp. If you'd like a go here are the

Ingredients:
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. minced garlic (no garlic salt or flakes please)
Tabasco to taste
a large smattering of herbs of your choosing.
[i used basil, thyme, sage, parsley, and some salt and pepper]

Prep:
Clean and shell your shrimp. Rinse to get the slimy coat off and dry on a towel. Set aside. In a medium sized bowl mix together the above ingredients. Whisk briskly. I assume that you can cook the shrimp however you'd like and it would still workout, however grilling shrimp is tops. Grill the shrimp and as soon as it is finished put it into the whisked sauce. Serve immediately.

It was a great idea. We enjoyed Potage Parmentier and Basque Shrimp. If you're up for some cooking that doesn't involve the microwave I would recommend this meal. Bon appetit!

Wir sind in Wien

We arrived safely, although delayed, on Friday morning. We've seen a lot so far and had some really great meals. Soon I'll be back to add pictures.

Tschüss

FRIENDly competition!

Ok, so you may have heard that I leave for Vienna in 8 days. The last time I traveled abroad I sent probably thirty postcards to friends. Folks, that gets expensive, especially right now. I wish I could be going with a group of you dear people but that's not how things work. Sooo I have decided to have a literal drawing for postcards!

I hear you getting excited already. Love it!

The rules:
1. You must be a friend (check)
2. I must have your CURRENT address
3. You must let me know you might want a Viennese postcard (important)
4. I will choose (depending on how many give me their names) a person per dayish. I may be busy here and there.

I plan on sending a hand picked postcard about everyday. Like I said, things may actually get busy.

Get to it kiddos! Enter to get a postcard. A small piece of beautiful Vienna!

This is true joy

What do you get when you mix enthusiastic elementary kids, a chubby Latino, and a New York PS? You get true joy (in the form of a Journey cover). Sing it children!

MacGyver!!

Mike loves this show. We have a couple of seasons on DVD but he recently found it in reruns on Slueth. Obviously that means we DVR them. Every once in a while we'll sit down to watch it. It's pretty hokey. The last episode had Mayim Bialik (Blossom!). We are currently watching an episode that involves Nazis, stolen art, a congressional race, and lots of poor acting. It's entitled: The Ten Percent Solution. There's a Canadian man playing a German. The fighting and violence is terrible. And there's always a Sam! What's with that? MacGyver entered with quite a mullet. This one trumps any other I've seen so far. Masked men everywhere! MacGyver goes down too quickly. So much terrible confusion. It's amazing. Ooh, the 10% solution was just uncovered. California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada will become the new Aryan nation. Ha! Their headquarters is a silver mine and OH! the police chief is a Nazi too. Didn't see that coming. This is too much. How's MacGyver gonna get out of this one...

Five seconds MacGruber...

Amazing he punctured a metal door with a rock and a swiss army knife. He embedded the tube that was gassing them, created a spark, and shazam they just blew a hole in a metal (and plywood) door! Go Macgyver, Go!

Thought we were dead! Ha. Think again! (This was all too easy)


All in a days work for MacGyver.


And p.s. Henry Winkler was a producer on the show. The Fonz?! Say it isn't so!

Countdown still rolling!

WIEN in 14 days!!!