Six Years Down, How Many More to Go?!

   Marriage is a crazy concept if you think  about it.  You're taking two people, who each have different life experiences, different perspectives, and different opinions, and basically telling them to put up with each other for the next 50-70 years.  The craziest part is that these two different people enter into this crazy pact by choice!  Although I wanted to be with J for the rest of my life, at 19 I don't think I really knew what I was getting into.  Then again, I don't think anyone does, regardless of their age on their wedding day.  It's just one of those things you don't know until you do it.  Well, six years ago today, I entered into the crazy commitment with J, and it's been a wild ride.  Ups and downs, forward and backward, we've moved all over the spectrum together.  And although there were days I wanted to just throw my hands up and call it quits, I'm so thankful to be married to this man.  He drives me nuts (on purpose).  He pushes my buttons (on purpose).  He causes me to rethink my beliefs, my standards, and my goals.  He challenges me to be a better me.  He supports me in my ventures.  He's my biggest fan, and my worst critic.  He loves me in his way that is totally different from my own, and he causes me to questions what the Hell I was thinking the day I said, "I do", but more than anything, he shares my life.  He's the first person I want to call when I have a great day at clinical.  When I failed my first test in Nursing school, he was the one I wanted to talk to.  When Monkey is having one of her days where I just can't win, I know he's there to pick up my slack.  As cliche as it may sound, there's no one else I'd rather travel through this world with.  So here's to you, Love!  Happy Anniversary :-)

     

     Now for the rest of you, I guess I owe you something for being such a good sport and sitting through my cheesiness. How about a recipe?  Here's one I made for J the other night that he loved!  

Paula Deen's Quick Italian Meatballs with Spaghetti

Makes 4-6 servings

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

2 lbs ground beef

36 pepperoni slices, finely chopped

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Quick Spaghetti and Sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place a wire rack over baking sheet, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and bell pepper, and cook for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Set aside to cool. IN a large bowl, combine cooked vegetables, ground beef, pepperoni, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt.  Shape mixture into 2 inch balls.  Place on prepared rack, and bake for 15 minutes or until no longer pink.  

Paula Deen's Quick Spaghetti and Sauce

1 (25 oz) jar pasta sauce

6-8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 (16 oz) package spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

To thinly slice the basil, stack several fresh basil leaves, and roll them up tightly.  Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the bundle, and watch it cascade into tiny ribbons.  

In a large saucepan, combine pasta sauce, basil, oregano, and pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat until safe is warmed through.  Add cooked pasta and meatballs.  Toss gently to coat.  

Enjoy!

It's Good to be Needed

     This past week I started another semester at WCU, but this one is a bit different that any other before.  I'm finally moving into the Nursing program, and we have hit the ground running.  It's an adjustment to say the least, but it's one I'm enjoying.  I've never been one to study much, I was blessed with the ability to excel academically with minimal effort, but it seems those days are behind me.  Every morning I wake up two hours before my family to get in a few chapter's worth of studying.  When Monkey wakes up I fix breakfast for all of us and play catch up on housework.  I spend what time I can with my family before I cook dinner.  After dinner I lock myself back in my study to finish up what I can while J bathes Monkey and gets her ready for bed.  We do bedtime stories as a family and then J and I go to sleep.  It's been a huge reversal from my normal schedule of doing whatever I want with my daughter whenever I wanted.  My time with her is limited lately, and I know once clinicals start that time will shrink again, so I've been stressed out about the idea that she'll learn to do without me or won't want me around as much.  Even when J tried to sooth my fears and explain that they were unwarranted, I still was brought to tears last night when she seemed completely uninterested in my presence at bedtime, but was all about her daddy.  I knew that was a good thing, but I couldn't help but feel replaced.

    Thankfully it didn't take long to be reminded that she still needs me.  In the middle of the night she came into our room, and I thought she must of had an accident, so I started to wake J to take care of it (it was his turn), but then I heard, "Mommy, I had a nightmare", and I knew couldn't pass this off, nor did I want to.  I enjoyed walking her back to her bed, tucking her back in, praying with her for better dreams, and soothing her back to sleep.  It was definitely the reminder I needed to let me know that no matter how much other stuff comes into my life, my daughter is my priority, and even if I'm busier than usual, as long as I make sure to remind her daily of her importance to me, she'll understand why I can't be there 24/7.

  Now you must be wondering why I'm on here if I'm worried that I'm not spending enough time with my baby girl, and the answer is simple: my child would rather watch the Justice League than play with me.  She doesn't mind if I sit next to her, though, so here I am.  And while I'm here I might as well share a recipe, so here you go:

Mediterranean Baked Chicken
from The Clever Carrot

For the marinade you'll need:
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2-3 TBS marinade from artichokes
4 springs fresh oregano, leaves stripped

For the bake you'll need:
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, left whole
1 (14 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 (14 oz) can northern white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 Kalamata olives, pitted
1 small tub marinated bocconcini (I just learn these are tiny mozzarella balls, and they're yummy!)
olive oil
salt and pepper
Garnish with fresh basil and parsley to taste

Drain artichoke hearts, reserving its juice in a small bowl.  Pat artichokes dry with a paper towel; set aside.  In another bowl or in a gallon-sized bag, add 2-3 TBS reserved artichoke marinade, oregano, and garlic.  (If you still have extra artichoke juice, save it to drizzle over the dish when finished baking.)  Cut chicken into 1 1/2 inch strips; add to bowl/bag.  Drizzle with olive oil, and mix well to coat.  Marinate 1-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 400.  In a large roasting pan, place onions and tomatoes.  Toss with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and tomatoes begin to burst (about 15-20 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a large skillet warm 1 tsp oil over moderate hear.  Brown the chicken on both sides, working in batches.  The chicken will be slightly undercooked.

Remove roasting pan from oven.  The onions should be soft and sticky.  If not, cook another 5 minutes.  Add chicken, artichoke hearts, beans, and olives to the pan.  Roast 5-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile chop bail and parsley if using.  Remove chicken from oven.  Add bocconcini and herbs; toss gently to combine.  Drizzle with olive oil and extra artichoke juice if desired.

Enjoy!

   This was so good.  It was easy to throw together, but was "fancy" enough for company.

Big Papa's Lasagna

     You know how the other day I was talking about how I've been feeling homesick, and I've been cooking wonderfully comforting foods that are horrible for my hips?  Yeah, that's still going on.  Lucky for you, though, tonight I'll be sharing my wonderfully-comforting-yet-horribly-fattening recipe.  Tonight's homesick cure is in honor of my step-daddy.  He makes the world's best lasagna!  Seriously, it's so good and rich, with chunks of cream cheese sprinkled throughout the layers.  Hmmm!  Just thinking about it sets my mouth to watering.  Tonight I decided to recreate it.  So here we go:

Just look at the ooey, gooey goodness!

Big Papa's Lasagna

Lasagna noodles (I only used 8 out of the container)

1 tsp olive oil

1 lb ground Italian sausage

1/2 onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

1 jar pasta sauce

1/3 cup water

Seasonings to taste (I used garlic powder, onion powder, Tony's and Italian seasoning)

1 egg

1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 (8 oz) package shredded Italian cheese blend

3 oz cream cheese, cut into small cubes and divided

Cook pasta according to package directions, adding olive oil to help prevent sticking.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  

While the pasta is cooking, cook meat, onion, and garlic in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Add pasta sauce, water, and seasonings.  Stir until blended and warm throughout.  Turn off heat and set aside.  In a medium bowl, beat egg.  Add ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and a handful of the Italian cheese blend to the bowl.  Mix well, and set aside.

Heat oven to 375.  In a 2-quart baking dish, ladle just enough meat mixture to cover the bottom of the pan.  

Add noodles, trimming to fit. (I had to cut 2 in half lengthwise.)  Spread 1/3 ricotta mix over the noodles.  Top that with 1/3 meat mixture.  Sprinkle 1/3 Italian cheese blend over that and 1/2 of cream cheese cubes.  Repeat.  

Finish off by spreading remaining 1/3 ricotta mix over noodles.  Pour remaining 1/3 meat mix over that.  Sprinkle with remaining Italian cheese blend.  Bake at 375 for 35 minutes, or until all cheese is melted and bubbly.  

     Thankfully I'm going home tomorrow, albeit for a few hours, but hopefully it will be enough to keep  me from indulging in anymore comfort food for a while.  I'm working on a half-marathon, but I don't think even my running schedule will be able to keep up if I don't stop with all this food!