Windows

Last night was delicious. C surprised me at the car after work. He was supposed to be in Salt Lake in economics class. Apparently traffic was terrible on the way up and they weren't going to make it on time. He was leaning up against the car just waiting for me to walk outside. It was as warm as it's been in months and I got a taste of springtime. Unexpectedly seeing C makes my heart freak out. I hope it stays that way for a very long time.

He gave me a kiss that probably embarrassed the people around us, opened my door for me, and drove me home.

I made barbecue chicken salad with pineapple, chow mein noodles, corn, and bell peppers. C had rootbeer and I had water, in goblets from our wedding. While I made dinner (in my slacks and pumps from work), C played me love songs on the piano. Right when dinner was ready and I was just pulling some biscuits out of the oven, C came up behind me and hugged me, smelled my hair, and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

There are times when I am worried about bringing a child into our home. The world is such a scary and dark place. There is evil all around us. And then, nights like this remind me, there is so much good and love and beauty, too.

Life is crazy. There are fights. There are too many things to get done and never enough time to do it all.

And so, I wondered, while I was making dinner, if someone looking through our window would see the laundry basket full of clothes sitting on the table, the smudges on the window itself, the wife cooking alone, the husband playing the piano, the wife's clothes getting flour on them because she's not wearing an apron, the disaster in the next room, the vast array of imperfection so easy to point out. Or I wonder if that same person would see a man and a woman so absolutely enamored with each other that service comes easy. That the daily chores will get done, probably together, and that sometimes a quick meal and a long kiss balance each other out. That love is silly and fun. That a meal at home can be just as romantic, even without candles or music or chocolate-dipped strawberries.

And then I started thinking about the other "windows" I've looked in. How often have I judged others, including C, without knowing the whole story? What could look like one thing is probably something else. And the something else is probably so much better than our first thought.

And then I sat down to dinner with my gorgeous man and we held hands under the table. And we prayed. And my heart overflowed with love for a man who knows what I know. And a Heavenly Father who thought I was good enough to be blessed with such a husband.

I write this today, because the bad days are sure to come. Hopefully, on one of those bad days, I'll be able to read this and realize just how good I've got it, and how good the world really is.

Even if it doesn't seem like it on first glance.

Laundry Day Issues

Ever noticed how when you try extra hard to do something nice, things often go so wrong it's comical?

Tell me I'm not the only one that happens to.

Take today for example. I came home from work, was super productive with designing and headed off to go Visiting Teaching. Visited with a super cute girl from church for about a half hour and then came home to make dinner for C who was biking back from class. I was looking fabulous today. Turquoise satin shirt, brown slacks [size 4 baby! don't hate. :) I haven't been able to wear them since the wedding], and heels.

Thai pasta was on the menu, and I had some cooked chicken pre-chopped in the freezer. Pulled out the chicken, threw the sauce together, etc. I thawed the chicken under some cold water, but it was still frozen into some chunks so I was just going to let it thaw the rest of the way while the sauce thickened. I'll admit, I was feeling pretty on top of it.

One poorly guided swoop of the spoon later and there is thai peanut sauce [read: El Pato jalapeno salsa and peanut butter] splattered all over my satin shirt, the bread machine, the floor, the far wall, the fridge, and the stove, none of which are in the same general direction.

I immediately take my shirt off in a panic, thinking about the grease and stains that are inevitable. Additionally, wonder-husband had started the laundry, and so all of my shirts are in the kitchen/laundry nook, but they're all wet. Kitchen window is WIDE open, and I realize I'm wearing a hot pink bra. [It's laundry day, after all.] Thus, walking back across the kitchen, past the window, is not exactly going to happen. The sauce is burning, and I can't run upstairs to grab a shirt, so I begin to rummage through our delicates batch. Miracle of miracles, one of my white-ish blouses made it into the delicates batch on accident.

Let me paint this picture for you.

Hot pink bra + white blouse = very visible hot pink through white.

However, if C's the only one who's going to see me, who cares. And so, we enjoy a nice dinner together and watch make it or break it on the couch eating ice cream right out of the carton. I, then, head back upstairs to package up some of my new scrapbooking products, and C heads to the kitchen to finish up the dishes. [love him.]

And...there's a knock at the door. At 9pm. I ignore it because I know full well how I look and I'm not about to go welcome the world into our home. C can't hear it. The water's going. I call down to C. He can't hear me either.

Knock at the door #2. More urgent this time.

So, I go down and open the door, doing the strategic half-way hide behind the door without looking awkward move.

It's our home teachers.

We completely spaced it.

Feigning pleasant surprise, I excuse myself for a moment and invite them in. Panicked moment #2 begins when I realize 90% of my clothes are downstairs in the laundry nook and therefore none of my colored tank tops are up in my bedroom. Why I didn't just put a different [darker colored] shirt on is beyond me. So I grab a white jacket. Really Kristin? Really?

And all through our conversation with the Home Teachers, I'm moving all over the couch trying out different ways to sit to potentially shield my fluorescent bra with a combination of C's body, my pathetic jacket and completely avoiding eye-contact.

Fail.

And all because I wanted to have dinner on the table for C.

Some days you really just have to wonder if it's all worth it.

lol.

Freezer Cooking Menu: June 2010

The meals in our freezer are dwindling, which means it must be time for OAMC! I'm hoping to have my major cooking day on Saturday, but it may get pushed to Monday, so my mom can help. She'll be in town all week! I'm so excited to see her!

Our month is going to cost next to nothing because I already have about 10 pounds of chicken and 4 pounds of ground beef that I found on sale last month. I also found dry milk on sale at Smiths for a dollar, so I bought 6. Now I can afford to buy dehydrated fruit for the oatmeal! I can't wait.

Here's what's going down:

Dinners

• Buffalo Chicken Pizza


• Stuffed Hamburgers [Jalapeno Cheddar this time.]


• Italian Chicken Rolls


• Lasagna


• Taco Salad


• Cream Cheese Chicken


• Sweet & Sour Chicken Bowls


• Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches


• Chicken Enchiladas


• Tamale Pie


• Pineapple Chicken


• Macaroni Chicken Bake


• Divine Crock Pot Chicken


• Teriyaki Stir Fry

Sides

• Crystal's Butterhorns

Lunches

• Brown Bag Burritos

Breakfast

• Instant Oatmeal

Need some recipes? Check out my Recipes page!

Note: I've also had requests to come see a Freezer Cooking day in action. I'm happy to open up my kitchen to those who are interested. Contact me for more information.

Leave a comment with a recipe you'd like to see. I'll post a recipe as soon as it receives 5 votes!

Spiders in my Soup

I have a hard time with spiders. They don't even have to be real and I burst into tears. Seriously. For example, this picture is at our wedding reception. I am the one in the white dress, hiding behind my father, and the kid who looks all too pleased with himself is my brother, Rick. If you look real close, you'll notice that there is a very large spider hand-puppet on his hand. This hand-puppet's name is Phillip.

I hate Phillip.

I understand he is not alive, nor real, nor could he eat me. However, he is gross. I do not like gross things.

I do not like spiders.

So, yesterday, I came home from work around 5:30. It had been extremely cold and I was all set on making a great warm dinner for C so we could cuddle up and watch the 4 hours of Lost we'd been waiting for. [It was the finale. No judging!] I have one last Tortilla Soup mix that we wanted to use up because it's not a very good warm weather food. I also put on a batch of chai tea. [Worth it! Want the recipe?]

Here's the image. Two pots full of water on the stove. I walk across the kitchen to get the soup mix and come back. Before I can put the rice in, A FREAKING SPIDER THE SIZE OF A 50 CENT PIECE COMES CRAWLING OVER THE BACK OF THE POT AND INTO MY SOUP. [And you know how much more creepy spiders become when they come crawling over the edge of something. freak. legs everywhere, and you KNOW they're looking straight at you with all 8 of their ugly UGLY eyes mocking you for being so dang petrified.]

So while I'm flipping out, HOPING that stupid thing falls in the water, that devil of a creature makes the BURNER CATCH ON FIRE. So now, there is a spider in my pot, still very much alive, the burner is on fire, and I can't move the pot because there is the mother of all nastiness inside and I can't turn off the burner because the spider will get me. *too close* I am perfectly content to let the house burn down so long as that spider does NOT come near me.

I don't think I've ever actually screamed out loud at a spider. Not because it startled me, but because I was so upset that it was there. And oh, I screamed.

And then I ran up the stairs to introduce myself to our new next door neighbor and ask if he can come save me, because C was on his way home, but that stupid thing was ON THE MOVE.

Wonder neighbor came over and coaxed it onto a paper towel and carried the thing LIVE out of the apartment and set it free.

And I am alive.

Barely.

I still periodically get up and do the arm flail, body shake thing.

Creeper.

10 Easy Ways to Go Gourmet

By Guest Blogger: Jessica Nan
If you are interested in being featured on CallMeKristin.com, please contact me with Guest Blogger in the subject line. I do reserve the right to decline inappropriate or unrelated content.

Credit

If you have seen Ratatouille you’ll remember the common phrase of “Everyone can Cook!”  I too am a firm believer in this phrase, but maybe with a little twist. “Everyone can cook, but not everyone can cook well.” Secret is, Everyone CAN cook well, it just takes a little refining and some patience. Lucky for you, I’ve picked my 10 favorite tips and tricks to dress up almost anything in the kitchen!

1. Be fearless: "The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-[heck] attitude."  Julia Child You can do this, people do it all the time.


2. Mise en Place: This is French for ‘everything in place.’ You watch those cooking shows where everything is just measured out and they throw it all together in 30mins. This will simplify your recipes, and make them quicker. Running back to the pantry for that extra cup of flour is just annoying.


3. Discover your talents: What is that one dish you want to perfect? What do you love? I love to make cinnamon rolls, I’ve made them so many times I probably have 10 different variations. Take a basic recipe and change it up. I love to put a little orange juice in my frosting, it complements the cinnamon just like Christmas Morning.


4. Cute tools: It’s always more fun to make something cute if you feel cute. I love my cupcake apron, lime green zester, and cherry red bowl scrape. I have an apron for just about every month.


5. Never underestimate a pastry bag: taking an extra five minutes to pipe your mashed potatoes into rosettes with make you look like a five star Chef. I pipe everything!


6. Always let your dough rest and rise: The key to a light fluffy dough is to not over work it and let the yeast have time to develop. The more you rush it, the tougher your bread will be.


7. Colors: I was told the first day of class you, “Eat with your eyes first.” If it doesn’t look appealing, you aren’t going to want to put it in your body. With butter creams and frostings, avoid over-the-top colors. Purples, Blues, and Greens are very unnatural. Opt for the pastels, spring colors.


8. Good working music: Singing into my Whisk to Michael Jackson’s ABC 123 is just about standard in making a good product.


9. Read the instructions on what the dish is supposed to look like finished: Golden, Brown, and Delicious works well. (GBD) Use cooking times as a ball park figure.


10. Make mistakes: the best thing you can do is make a mistake. That’s the only way you will learn what works and what doesn’t. Who knows maybe adding parsley instead of thyme will make the dish better?

Jessica Nan is currently attending Johnson and Wales University pursuing degrees in Baking and Pastry, Culinary Arts, and Culinary Nutrition. She plays for the University’s basketball team, and hopes to graduate with honors.