Cooking: A new kind of summer!

In addition to not blogging, I have not been reading a lot of blogs. I sit at a computer all day and so I don't want to do it for recreation either.

I have missed a lot, but not really. I noticed several of my favorite bloggers have taken breaks as well. Good to know I am in good company.

My sister Karen, who is in Bolivia as we speak.

Gratituesday: Pasta

Is it just me, or is pasta just the best thing in the whole wide world? Especially if you are like me and you have relegated it to the thing you eat maybe six times a year? Steve and I have considerably cut grains out of our diet the past few years and pasta was one of the first things to go. That was fine by me, since I never have been one who LOVES pasta. That is more Steve's territory.

Whatever: The list is back

August is here. My least favorite month of the year. This dates back to being a child. My birthday aka The National Holiday is in early September, so August is a brutally long month. Also, school starts in August. ALL school, elementary, high school, college...I loathed it all. Summer ends in August for most people and I love Summer. Like it is my job.

Cooking: Why eat out?

I always have a million blog posts running through my mind. 

Things I want to preach about...(people taking responsibility for how their kids behave, what they eat, how they shop, Monsanto), things I want to learn about...(how to have a better attitude, how to pray better, how to raise successful teenagers) and things that I do and find surprisingly good.

This past week, I made two really great meals. Well, three if you count what I ate and not the boring tacos I made for my family. Steve and I have gotten to the point that we rarely eat out. When we do it is often anticlimactic, as we find that most of the foods we love to eat, which are higher end at restaurants, I make at home. 

We eat better than a lot of our peers, mostly because we are cheap and we love food.

I lucked into two great deals on seafood these past 10 days and we have had Red Royal Shrimp (a treat if you ever can get them) and wild Alaskan salmon. Both were half price at Earthfare, which has wonderful meat and seafood. (I am not being paid to say that, I wish I was..ahem, Earthfare, ahem). 

This week we had tacos, shrimp and salmon.

I made my own shrimp boil and it was absolutely delicious. I usually use Zataran's shrimp boil, but as I am sure it has MSG in it, have ceased buying it.  I tweaked a recipe I found online and even Mr. Hard-to-Impress was indeed, impressed.

For the salmon, I threw three ingredients together and marinated the fish for about 45 minutes.  We love horseradish, so I mixed equal parts mustard, horseradish and Stubb's BBQ sauce (no cornsyrup) together. A little salt and pepper, and the salmon grilled up nicely. Delaney oohed and aahed over it, as well. Succeess.

Cooking is not hard, it just takes a little forethought. As a country with so many health problems caused from affluence, we could all use a little more home cooked, not out of a box meals.

Here is the recipe for the shrimp boil  I made. Try it once and you won't go back.

Happy Eating.

Shrimp Boil for 2 pounds of shrimp

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbl. peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tsp. mustard seed
• 1 1/2 tsp. celery seed
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/4 cayenne pepper
• 1/8 cup kosher salt
• 4-6 bay leaves

To boil shrimp, bring 8 cups of water to boil, add spices. Add shrimp and cook til done. If cooking Royal Reds reduce cook time to half.
Rinse shrimp under cool water to cease cooking.
Serve with sauce of choice. We recommend Louisiana Hot Sauce brand cocktail sauce

Cooking: A new way to balance your diet

Well Kids, I missed a whole week of blogging. 

Yep, I basically had writers block. 

I hardly read any either. Instead, I drove over 400 miles taking my children to practice, conditioning, camp, swim meets (two) and several social events. Oh, and I worked every day this past week, putting me up to 5 whole hours of catering. Very busy week. 

This past week was a game changer for me. First, it was my favorite week of the year. The kick off for summer and I was outside as much as possible. I ran or walked every day, worked in my yard and spread two truck loads of mulch. I felt great.

Second, I ate mostly fruit all week. Cantaloupe, grapes, and watermelon were what I craved and I ate them with a slice of cheese and on Tuesday, a piece of sour dough toast. I felt great all week, and lost 5 pounds. Yesterday I read an article about eating that turned on a light bulb for me. The article, in Vogue magazine of all places, was about a spa that people attend which  basically resets the body. Detox and rewiring what one eats is involved. Now, I am not interested in that, but the article explained that most people eat too much acid and their body uses their own minerals to survive. Hence we are always tired, run down, etc.  LIGHT BULB! The doctor also said our metabolism slows down as the day goes on and we should not eat anything raw after 4pm. LIGHT BULB! 

I got up this morning and researched acid vs.alkaline and found a lot of  science behind the doctor in the article's recommendations. The main offenders of a high acid diet are meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, grains, and legumes. A balance is 60/40 = alkaline/ acid. The imbalance can lead to fatigue, gas, weight gain, osteoporosis, cancer and general poor health.

As a vegetarian, I struggle to eat sometimes. My family eats mostly paleo, but vegetarians don't really do paleo well. So, I eat a lot of salads. I also have a lot of stomach issues. Hence the light bulb.  Lucky for me,there are not a lot of changes I need to make to my own diet. My family's diet could be another story. I am happy to discover that because I buy hormone free meat, we are getting the least alkaline of the most alkaline food we eat.  Combining meat with vegetable in a 1:3 ratio (Meat: veggie) is the best way to consume meat.  Family, get ready to eat more veggies.

The biggest change for my family will be crackers and snacks. My family loves crackers. Saltines to be exact. I had already made a pact with my husband that the two main offenders in our kids' diets would not enter our house this summer. Crackers and ice cream. He was happy to keep the crackers out as he eats them himself and  we agreed to only eat ice cream out. 

Armed with my new found info, here is the menu of the week. 

Casa Swann 60/40 Menu

• Grilled cider vinegar marinated chicken/ grilled zucchini/ steamed green beans with garlic/sauteed kale
• Chicken Stew/ Tuscan tomato kale soup
• Kale frittata/ grilled sweet potatoes/roasted turnips
• chicken tacos/ veggie tacos/ watermelon salsa 
• Bunless burgers/ roasted potatoes/ sauteed spinach

Happy SUMMER!

Here is how my family and I started our summer kick off a week ago at Midsummer Music and Food festival in the ATL. The Soul Rebels  is a band from New Orleans and Steve and I saw them at Track29 here in Chattanooga in the Spring. Needless to say, they were AWESOME!

Cooking: Hurdles of childrearing

We ate fancy yesterday. 

Smoked pork shoulder and chicken, homemade jalapeno slaw, spinach salad with strawberries and walnuts, red potatoes with mustard vinaigrette and for dessert, grilled pound cake with strawberries and whipped topping. When I was telling my girls what we were going to eat for dinner as we headed out to watch the US Cycling Championship Race, my oldest remarked, " We eat so well in the summer. "  I was in heaven! With the exception of the potatoes (of which we barely ate any) that was a meal at which most kids would balk. We seemed to have jumped a hurdle in child rearing.

Gratituesday: Really, good food

 This week's Gratituesday is about food and food memories.

I was telling my husband today about one of my birthday meals as a kid.

I am a notoriously picky eater. Not in the sense of  "plain food" or  "no spice" but in the "it must be good" food. I am not a huge fan of fast food, I don't like chain restaurants, don't eat meat or sandwiches (wet bread) and truly love "fresh food". Basically, I like what most people would consider high end food, at least when it comes to eating in restaurants.
Needless to say, we don't eat out much. 

As a kid, I was less picky. Although I really have never liked meat (except BBQ, I am a Texan after all)  or fruit punch. I loved sugar cereal, but my favorite breakfast was boiled eggs and grapefruit. Apparently I have been an old lady my entire life. We rarely at out and I loved pretty much any meal my mom made with the exception of two dishes,  liver and chicken and dumplings (wet bread).

When my mom asked me in the of 4th grade what I wanted for my birthday dinner, I said...

Lima beans and corn bread. Yep. Large lima beans and Martha White corn muffin mix. 

How low maintenance is that? 

I also wanted a KISS album. 

Loved this album

 

I love eating really good food. As a vegetarian, it is harder and harder to find it cooked well. Most people want to add bacon as a substitution for good flavor. That is cheating and of course, not acceptable to me.  When I find truly flavorful, well cooked food, I am over the moon. Especially if it is something that I really love and rarely find. Like giant beans. I ate these last week from a food truck and I was instantly back to that birthday so long ago.

 As someone who likes to eat,what food tastes like and how it makes me feel is very important. I am so grateful that my favorite restaurant has decided to have a food truck at both the Friday night concerts we loyally attend as well as the Chattanooga Market which we rarely miss. Terra Nostra gets me. They really,really get me. 

Cooking: We can solve it all

I have written before about how I think it is ridiculous that we are an obese society.

Monday, while I was clicking around on one of my favorite blogs, I found an old post that added another layer to my thinking about how cooking can fix our country's problem.

Cooking: Happy Mardi Gras!

It's Mardi Gras!

Time for partying and last minute decadence before we hit the long desert of Lent.

My favorite thing about Mardi Gras is the party.  I used to have huge ones. After I had kids, we even had floats! This year it has been a little less party, but the sentiment is still the same.

I made a GIANT king cake  this year (I left it for it's second rise while I was at Mass and Mass ran about 30  minutes longer than I had expected)and promptly ate half of it. Yep, I literally ate about 4,000 calories of cake between Saturday and Sunday.  Enjoyed every second of it. I mean, I make it once a year and damn if I am not going to enjoy it!

Steve made jambalaya and once I find his recipe, I will post it. But suffice it to say, it makes about 103 servings and so we are having it for dinner tonight.

Happy Mardi Gras to you! 

 Mardi Gras/Lent Week at Casa Swann Menu

• Jambalya
• Beef/ Kale enchiladas
• Kitchen Sink salad (Ash Wednesday)
• Valentines Day...Chicken Cacciatorre for my one true love

This is hands down THE best king cake in all the world. I have had them from Mississippi and Louisiana bakers and I have to say, this recipe is way better. Save yourself the $75 and make this one.  Just be ready to eat it all!

Ooey, Gooey, Warm King Cake

Cooking: I covet, therefore I am

I admit it.

I am a coveter. 

I covet like it is my job.

Gollum...I am.

Only, I don't necessarily covet a precious gold ring (more like a gold horseshoe necklace ala Carrie Bradshaw). I covet random things. I covet dishes and boots, milk glass and beads from the 1950's, art and  good blue jeans. I wish for weird things like garden gnome cookie jars and vintage lamps.


I am a sentimental fool, and I have lots of random things to prove it.
My mother-in-law has given me various things of my husband's and their family's over the years and I have kept most of them (his baby moccasins, the pewter sugar and creamer, and of course, her turquoise necklace that pinches like the devil when I wear it to  name just a few) because they are part of his life story. I have cookbooks and recipes from three grandmothers and I have my grandfather's dog tags.

All of these things are historical to me and will be passed down to my daughters as they get older. But the things that are not my own personal story are the things I truly  covet. I am always looking for for shell backed chairs, milk glass, vintage boots (Frye Campus size 7 if you come across a pair), and old levi 501s. Large paintings that grace walls at my favorite art gallery in town are always sighed over when I visit them. Weird owl mugs and Mexican pottery are things I notice when I am out and about. Why? I have no clue. Maybe I just like random things. Or,  more likely, they trigger a nostalgic memory for me. Either way, I like being a little bit off odd.



I have fairly good self control. My house could be shrine to my weird covetousness. However, I live fully in the realization that I would never be satisfied if I indulged my every whim. So, I convince myself that I am waiting for that "perfect" fill in the blank item that will be the thing that makes me truly  happy. And for the most part, I am already happy with the things I do have in addition to the things that actually do make me happy.

Cookies and a goofy kid, what could be better?

In the meantime, I am reading my cookbooks and getting ready for the Mardi Gras season which starts this weekend. I am hoping I can talk my husband into making his famous jambalaya to kick it off right.  We will be dragging out our tacky decorations and beads and readying ourselves for our favorite season.


Almost Mardi Gras menu

• Chicken tacos/veggie tacos with Mexican slaw
• chili (using chicken from Monday's tacos...recipe to follow)
• baked chicken, baked squash, baked sweet potatoes
• Pork Ragu, spaghetti squash with mushrooms, sauteed greens
•  Jambalaya (?)

Cooking: I got a new book (or two)

I am obsessed with cooking right now.

We had our usual, calorie laden deliciousness over the holidays. 

I made cookies, Delaney made cookies, I made cake, Delaney made fudge.

We cooked lots of hearty dishes as well. Chicken chili, tortilla soup, Delaney made from scratch chicken noodle soup, etc.

 We ate a lot at home and out as well.

Basically, we ate the holidays.

We had a really wonderful Christmas,which went on for days, just like I like it. The theme of it was family and moderation, which is how Steve likes it. I haven't seen him this happy at Christmas in years. Our gifts were very heart felt and perfect. 

I asked for the Dinner, A Love Story book/cookbook and received it AND this one as well. I was so giddy when I opened them. It was like getting diamonds AND sapphires.

I have mentioned before I love cookbooks and I have over 70 of them. Some I cook out of regularly, some I read for ideas, some are heirlooms and others I just have because they represent an era in my life that I don't want to forget. 

Ah, yes...parking lot burritos courtesy of this book.

My two newest I have read cover to cover, like a greedy addict (which I am). 

I have been a reader of the blog Dinner, A Love Story since my friend Meg, told me about it. I think her husband, John is the one that found it. I believe (but don't quote me on it) that Jenny Rosenstratch and her blog helped fuel  what was already her weekly menu planning. I have been planning a menu for a few years as part of my family's goal of not being wasteful and my plan to lose weight a few years ago . I lost 25 pounds that I gained training for a marathon and have kept it off except for my yearly holiday 5. Writing down what we were going to eat made it easier to stay on task at the grocery store and in my mouth.

I have saved years of planners with our dinners in them, sometime remembering to put where the recipe was located, mostly not. Reading Jenny's book has inspired me to take better notes when I plan my meals.  I have done that in my cookbooks, noting things such as "great for a taking a meal to someone who had a baby" and "Ellie actually ate this" and " Substituted...".  But unless I open said cookbook, I have a hard time remembering those recipes were important or good. 

So,  notes are being added to my planner. Thanks, Jenny!

As I read her cookbook, I felt like I was talking to a friend. One with whom I have a lot in common. She has two girls very close in age. I have two girls very close in age. She had a daughter who is a

 " demanding eater", Ellie was an easy baby, but would eat nothing green, spicy, or at dinner. 

We both care about food and believe eating good and real food is important. We both move the "healthy" food to the front when guests come over.Needless to say, I loved her book and now could be a stalker of her family, if they lived anywhere near me in the south. "We NEED to be real world friends..." Joking, Jenny, just joking.

Does this look like the face of a picky eater?

If you have not read her blog, do it. She and her husband write it together and I have to say their writing styles are so similar, I often wonder if she is writing as him. They are smart, funny and really into food and books, with which I can personally identify. (The books and food...well, I hope I am smart and funny, too.)

The cookbook is an extension of the blog. Reading it felt like a conversation. The recipes are easy to follow and don't require much outside of what most experienced cooks would have in their kitchen. 

My family is going to love the book, as a lot of meat recipes are contained within, meaning I might actually cook more than my fall back chicken. In fact, tonight we are having pork ragu. 

WHAT? 

In Season is a lovely cookbook as well, but with recipes for things such as emu eggs and eel, neither of which are available in Chattanooga, even at The Wholefoods, makes it more of a read for inspiration cookbook. Summer will be the season I cook from the most. 

Here is the link for the meal we are eating for dinner. The crew is camping in the yard, so we will be eating it outside in 40 degree weather. I will be eating defrosted Tortilla soup. There will be s'mores. 

Come on over!

Merry Christmas!

I hope all was calm and bright in your necks of the woods.

Ours was lovely and truly wonderful.

I get so sentimental about the holidays and enjoy every single second of them once they are here.

We did it up right this year with the girls doing a fair amount of wrapping (they are Daddy's little wrappers) and after one lesson, they both are on their way to being master wrappers.

Cooking: Fun, fun, fun

We had a busy weekend...

Friday, we watched the girl's classmates play soccer and then went to dinner with one of the best soccer players on the  team ( and my youngest's bestie) and her mom, my dear friend, Ann. 

Taco Mamacita was delicious as always. If you are lucky enough to live near one

 (Nashville, Chattanooga or St. Simon's Island),

 go and order ANY of their tacos and their Mexican Chop Salad.

 Best.Salad. Ever!

Also, the chipotle sauce on the table is amazingly flavorful and HOT!

 Great on anything, but be careful, it is really hot.

Saturday, we hosted our Ragnar Relay team (GO Pacer & Chasers!) at our house for chili, football and s'mores. We had 10 kids at our house and it was really fun. Our house is like a redneck oasis in the middle of the neighborhood. Tree fort, trampoline and a big yard that we don't really care about keeping  "nice".  Super fun and of course, there were s'mores!

I have to say, it was the cleanest my house has ever been after a party with 10 kids in attendance. 

Testament to a fort and a trampoline being excellent sources of party entertainment.

Sunday, which is always Funday at Casa Swann was a day of church, confirmation class and then...

Chili Cookoff.

My husband and one of his funniest buddies entered  The Chattanooga Market's chili cook off.

I  They were reluctant to enter, as our lives are always so busy on the weekends. But the powers of persuasion of Paul Smith were excellent.

I don't know about Ken, but there was chili making going on at Casa Swann until 2 am  with my husband working on  his masterpiece. 

They set their tent up and once our girls got back from mass, they proceeded to sell samples. 

We had lots of  girls selling chili and taking money and talking trash.

Dutch oven was the first to run out and when the judges tasted it...

THEY WON! 

Classes of 2016, 2017 and 2019 representin'

Had no doubts whatsoever, although Alchemy Spice gave them a run for their money, for sure.

After the market closed and we loaded the dutch ovens into the cars, we headed with the celebrants over to one of our favorite restaurant/brew pubs for some excellent salmon dip and salad. I am so predictable. Every time I eat there, I order the  Brew house Salad. What can I say, it has goat cheese, nuts, apples and goat cheese?!?

All in all, it was a delicious and fun weekend. 

I ran twice and got to have coffee with friends Sunday and then hung out off an on
 the rest of the day with various ones as well.

Lovely.

 

Casa Swann's Lovely Weekend...Now it's Monday Menu

• Pesto  baked chicken*/roasted carrots/ spinach salad
• Tomato, chickpea and squash stew
• BBQ chicken Sandwiches/baked sweet potatoes/roasted zucchini
• Mexican Pork Tenderloin, sauteed collard greens, roasted carrots

*didn't get made last week...carried over til Monday

Food: Stuffed poblanos recipe

I spent a large a fair amount of time surfing the 'net looking at food.

I really enjoying reading about foods that people cook. I have picked up several new techniques by doing this, including cooking a very juicy chicken breast on the grill (indirect heat) and pulling the pit out of an avocado the easiest way (hacking into it with the knife). My newest skill is roasting peppers. 

Being from Texas, I love peppers. Spicy, smoky peppers are my very favorite and I took it for granted that all Mexican restaurants serve #1 Tex Mex food and #2 Vegetarian stuffed poblano peppers. WRONG on both accounts. The Mexican food in Tennessee is okay. It is very hard to find true Mexican food and even harder Tex Mex. 

So, when I found a bumper crop of peppers in my garden, I decided that is what I would make, my favorite, stuffed poblanos. However, the peppers of my childhood are stuffed with cheese, battered and deep fried. Delicious, but a night of insomnia waiting to happen.

So, I got on the internets and read about how to roast the perfect pepper and I created this recipe.

Enjoy.

via

Tanya's Stuffed Poblano Peppers

6 large poblano peppers. De-seeded*

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 large zuchini diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 large tomato, chopped

1 large garlic clove, diced*

2 Tbl. Alchemy Southwestern Spice or southwestern spice of your choice

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Heat your oven to broil. Place peppers split side down on a cookie sheet and roast for approximately 12 minutes or until they start to turn and blister. Turn oven down to 400 and cook for about 5 minutes longer. You don't want them to completely blacken, but you want them to be roasted. While you are roasting peppers, chop and diced vegetables can combine all except onions and garlic in a large bowl. In a pan over med. heat, cook onions, seasonings, and garlic until translucent. Be careful not to burn garlic (I add it in the last minute or so). Add to veggie mixture, combine,adjust salt and pepper and allow to sit at room temperature to combine flavors.  Once peppers are roasted, remove from cookie sheet and place slit side up in baking dish, making sure there is enough room for each, but that they are touching. Fill with veggie mixture and sprinkle with feta cheese. Return to oven and bake 20 minutes or until cheese starts to brown. Serve with sliced avocado. YUMMO!

* Seeds can be removed easily by cutting round top of pepper and slicing 3/4 lengthwise down. Remove all seeds and membranes. 

* I use jar garlic. Easy and potent.

Eating: Southern Kings

 

Well, the novelty has worn off the renovation.

I am sitting in my office surrounded by makeshift clothing racks. Essentially, I am sitting in a closet.

Last  night, however, we escaped the madness that is three beds and a spin  bike in our  bedroom and went over to our buddies' house for Sunday-Funday. We ate like southern kings and even had peach daiquiris from a real daiquiri machine like the ones you see in bars in New Orleans. They are fancy, these Sunday-Funday friends of ours.

Stacey is the hostess with the mostess and we had bbq, homemade macaroni and cheese, fabulous basil and tomato dip with fancy crackers and potato salad. I brought roasted green beans and tomato,cucumber and feta salad along with semi-frozen homemade strawberry ice cream. Oh, and had this, which was delicious and quite refreshing, I must say.

       Source: laurenconrad.com via Annie on Pinterest

We had met at the Chattanooga Market yesterday for a quick (and extremely warm) trip away from our families. A full shopping basket, a glass of sangria and we were back in our AC cars in about twenty minutes. In that twenty minutes, in addition to lovely sangria, I acquired two different kinds of tomatoes (Holy Land being my newest to try), patty pan squash, zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, peaches, blueberries, green beans and strawberries. Oh, and Rio Grande spicy goat cheese. Summer is the best time for eating, in my opinion.

I guess yesterday was a food day. This week however, is my favorite week of the year. 

Independence Day is my very favorite holiday and I am working hard to make it my kids' favorite as well. So, this week, we will eat like southern kings, we will light things on fire and we will enjoy the freedoms that come with being Americans. Including sitting in a makeshift closet while blogging.

 Casa Swann Best Week of the Year Menu 

• Salad with grilled chicken, blueberries and avocados
• Grilled patty pan squash, chicken/veggie  pita sandwiches
• Happy Birthday, AMERICA! Roasted veggies, shrimp, cucumber, tomato and feta salad*
• Pesto pasta, kitchen sink salad

* I have two recipes to share with you this week. 

The first came from my sweet and oh so super cool friend, Amy who lives the cooler version of my life in Charleston, SC. She and I have the same sense of humor and sensibilities about things, but she is less mean and has better clothes.

The second I got from Pinterest and made last night for Sunday-Funday.
Delicious and EASY!

Enjoy!


Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad

• about a pint of halved or quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1 medium field cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and diced to about 1/2-inch
• 1/2 of a medium red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
• 1 tbsp  red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp turbinado sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste

1. Combine cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, basil and feta cheese.  Toss to mix. 
2. Whisk olive oil, vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt in  small bowl.  Taste dressing and adjust seasonings if necessary.
3. Drizzle dressing over salad, whisking as you go.  Toss salad to coat evenly with dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings.  Serve immediately, or allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes for the cucumbers to soften and the flavors to blend.

Serves 4 as a healthy side portion.

Roasted Green Beans

• 1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in half 
• 1 package sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbl. Olive oil
• 1 tbl balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper 
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Roasted green beans with mushrooms and balsamic . Marinate in ziploc bag, spread out on cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 30 minutes,  turning once.Sprinkle with Parmesan and roast for 5 minutes more.

YUM -O!

Food: Eating whilst stressed.

                                                                 Oh. My. Word. 

We have torn our house to  bits. 

Actually, on my encouragement, my husband tore our house to bits.

As if!

When we moved into our house in 2001, we ripped up carpet and had new stuff installed. 

That was a long time, two toddlers, 5 cats and 6 dogs ago.

Carpet is supposed to last 5 years before it gets toxic and funky.

I scrubbed spots out of that carpet for 10 years. I believe all our animals and kids at one time or another released a bodily fluid in that room.

It looked good, but was stinky and  the stains were reappearing at an alarming rate. Time to go!

So, out it went. 

Now we have staple infested subflooring. And three steps with beautiful parquet that our carpet installers apparently thought we did not like to see, ever. 

wish they looked like this!

LINK

We also have started the process of replacing our 90 year old windows with something a little more energy efficicient than a piece of swiss cheese.

That opens up a new can of worms, of course as new windows are a little differently sized than old ones. So, my house looks like a bomb went off and I am in the middle of second thoughts about projects.

At least my kitchen is intact...for  now.

This week I will have painters, floor guys, friends with experience and of course, us working in my house. And it is my sweet husband's birthday... Happy Birthday week, Sweetie!

Casa Swann " At least there is food" menu

• Swim meet pizza

• grilled chicken legs , roasted zuchinni, black eyed pea salad

• Steve's birthday dinner at his mama's house (peach, basil and greens salad and dessert by me)

• Swim meet (burgers and tots at 4:30)

• grilled chicken and veggie flat bread sandwiches

Eating: Hiking makes us hungry

 We went on about an hour long hike today.

An easy peasy one to stretch our legs and hop on rocks.

We saw no snakes (always good) and we commented on how cool water bugs are and talked about Katie Couric and how awesome she is. We have such random talks when we are walking in pairs.

large rock

 The hike was easy, my youngest wore flip flops, in fact.

But, we worked up appetites. 

dry waterfall

Girls hopping the rocks

This week, we are eating from the freezer. 

And the farmer's market.

*We have swim meets this week, so we will eat on the run at least one day.

Casa Swann Wavemaker's menu

 Leftover smoked turkey legs, sauteed kale, salad with strawberries, banana bread

Subway*

grilled chicken,roasted zucchini and carrots,chickpea salad

 Slow cooker pork, slaw, baked sweet potatoes

Eating: A recipe for the weekend

Strawberries are almost gone here in Tennessee.

Of course, you can get the giant California ones, but who wants to eat strawberries that were picked last week when you can get ones that were picked hours ago.

I will go back to eating the big ones when the local ones are gone, but for now, I am enjoying them as much as I possibly can. Which means I have strawberry juice on my nose on occasion.

Here is a recipe I made up (I am famous for this) based on a couple of different things I had eaten before. It got rave reviews from my husband and mother-in-law. The ground pepper is a must. If you don't grind your pepper, go get yourself a grinder TODAY. There is no reason a grownup does not own his or her own pepper grinder. 

But I digress.

Enjoy.

Strawberry Cashew Salad

(serves 4)

(all measurements are approximate as I do not measure when I cook, only when I bake)

1 cup raw cashews

2 avocados

Tennessee strawberries 

8 ounces spinach or salad mix

 Dijon mustard vinaigrette*

salt and fresh ground pepper

In a oven heated to 300, roast cashews until golden brown. Lightly salt and cool. In a bowl, cube the avocado and slice enough strawberries to equal the amount of avocados. Add greens and cashews. Toss lightly  with desired amount of dressing and salt and pepper to taste. 

Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

(again, approximate as I don't measure, but this makes a lot and it will keep for a week)

1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey

salt and ground pepper to taste 

* This salad is a make and eat salad. It does not hold up at all once you add the dressing and toss it.

Gratituesday: Rap and strawberries

Odd title, I know. 

But, unless you have been under a rock the past week,  everyone knows Adam Yauch died this weekend. And for those of you who read my blog and are not  members of Generation X, he was one of the Beastie Boys. Now, I did not personally know Adam, aka MCA, but he had a profound effect on my social life. I listened to Licensed to Ill while getting ready to go out when I was a freshman in college. I listened to Ill Communication while getting ready to go to work waiting tables. I listened to Hello Nasty as I spent hours driving  between St. Louis and Nashville, St. Louis and Indianapolis, Indianapolis and Chattanooga, Chattanooga and Nashville. (Basically, it was a road trip CD.)

My kids know the words to Intergalactic, No Sleep 'til Brooklyn and of course, Brass Monkey. Classy, I know. But those songs get us rocking. I can hear any Beastie Boys song and burst into dance in a heartbeat. I love them. There, I said it. 

Via

Two things really hit me about Adam's death. First, he is only 7 years older than I. Second, he and his band, are a huge part of the musical landscape of my life and most of my generation's life. We all know the words to Fight for your Right (to party) , even if we don't like rap. Also, Adam represented what I think of as being a part my generation's "thing". We were the" End Apartheid" generation, the "Free Tibet" generation. And, as we have all had kids, gotten jobs, moved on to home ownership, that seems to be something we have moved away from. Adam Yauch was a huge advocate of the fight against the injustices that have been going on against native Tibetans by the Chinese. He never stopped, even as he "grew up".  I see his death as either a wake up call or the end of an era for Gen X'ers. 

As I ponder what that means for me, I am grateful for all the fun times and crazy memories that come back when I hear a Beastie Boys song. 

I also loaded up on strawberries this weekend, thanks to a huge favor from one of my favorite people. I normally never get to eat the strawberries that I buy as my eleven year old fruit fly eats them all.

But, this week I got two gallons! Ha!
And, as they are one of life's sweetest and simplest pleasures, I am in heaven.
 

I am so grateful this week for Paul and STRAWBERRIES!