Saturday, October 31, 2009

Adventures in baking: pan de muertos

Happy Halloween!

I must admit, Halloween has never been one of my favorite holidays. I couldn't handle all the candy when I was little and I don't really like being scared so the haunted houses and such never appealed to me.

However, the two days after Halloween are called el dios de los muertos (the days of the dead) and it is a traditional Mexican holiday which I adore. It is basically a time to remember loved ones who have passed away and celebrate their lives. In Mexico families traditionally go to the cemetary for the day and visit the graves of the deceased with gifts of their favorite foods, marigolds, and other treats.

Pan de muertos (bread of the dead) is a traditional food eaten during el dios de los muertos. It is essentially a slightly sweet bread with an orange sugar glaxe on top. YUM!

Although neither Steve nor I are hispanic, we have embraced this holiday and look forward to celibrating it as a family through the years.

I've wanted to make pan de muertos for a while but was either too broke to afford making it or couldn't find a recipe I liked. This year I managed to get everything together in time and it turned out quite well in my opinion! I'm going to post the recipe on the July 2009 nestie cookbook for those of you who read that and if anyone else wants it leave me your email address and I'll send it to you!


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Friday, October 30, 2009

My Husband Rocks!

Last night we were watching Ghost Whisperer reruns (our new favorite show) and in the episode the main character's husband died. Automatically I start thinking about how I would feel if something like that happened to Steve and the emotions were completely overwhelming. So... there I was bawling my eyes out two minutes into the show. When he realized what was going on, Steve turned to me and started tickling me and saying the most random stuff. At the time it was sort of annoying because I have been doped up on pain meds for my toothache and thus exceptionally grumpy the last few days. However, when he finally stopped I was smiling and laughing with him.

Today when I was thinking about what to use as my MHR for this week I kept thinking about last night and all the other times he has done everything he could to make me smile and laugh and be happy. Whether it's a tv show that hits a little too close to home or a real life tragedy or just something random that makes me mad/annoyed/upset.... he's there with funny faces and tickling and everything else to help me feel better.

All of that being said, MHR because he is always able to make me smile... even when I don't feel like I can.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

back to the drawing board...

As some of you already know, I had a job interview yesterday. I was really excited because, out of the probably 50 applications I have put in since leaving my job in August, this is the first interview I have gotten.

I went and met the family, had a lovely conversation with the mom, held the baby and felt like it went really well. However, this morning I received an email letting me know that they decided to go with someone else.

I'm more than a little bummed about it.

As if that weren't bad enough, I got a call this morning from the temp agency I talked to about a month ago saying they had a job for me and needed me to start immediately. When I asked for details the lady said she would call me back. Three hours later I call back and they tell me sorry but they filled the position already. WTH?

Now I am back to square one... looking for jobs and applying everywhere I can think of. :(

Monday, October 26, 2009

menu planning monday: 10/26 through 10/31

Many of my friends from the knot/ the nest have taken to posting their weekly menu plans on mondays. This gives all of us an opportunity to share recipes amongst each other as well as help ourselves get organized for making dinner during the week. With Steve being gone so much I don't really make dinner plans for myself but, since he will be home for a while I'm joining in the menu planning! Our menu for this week is:

Monday: breakfast (blueberry pancakes and bacon)

Tuesday: Steaks, mashed potatoes and sweet peas

Wednesday: tomato and chicken linguine and zucchini rounds

Thursday: BBQ chicken, baked sweet potatoes and corn

Friday: buffalo chicken pizza

Saturday: leftovers

Btw, today is world pasta day so I encourage all of my fellow carb lovers to celebrate as much as possible. :) I will be having pasta for lunch!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

a big fat WTF?

I consider myself to be a very tolerant and accepting person. Although I may not agree with another person's beliefs I can respect their right to their own opinion and, in some cases, listening to their point of view helps me to define my own. It was in this spirit that I began looking into some books recommended to me on Feminism and Feminist theory.

According to the dictionary (yes, I looked it up) "feminism" is defined as "the doctrine advocating social, political and all other rights of women equal to those of men". A feminist is defined as a person who subscribes to the ideals of feminism. Working with that definition, I consider myself to be a feminist.

That being said, I am beyond shocked at some of the so-called "feminist" ideology being published right now. I was in Barnes and Noble today browsing the women's studies section for the above mentioned recommended readings and I saw an entire shelf dedicated to books about "the trap of motherhood".

Upon seeing these titles I thought to myself, "how can motherhood be anti-feminist"? So, I pulled a few of them and scanned the introductions. What I saw shocked and angered me.

These books were saying that being a mother was detrimental to women as children become a "life long burden" and that women are "trapped" into a role of caregiver for the rest of their life. One book went on to discuss how a woman who has children will never be as successful as a woman who chooses not to and that by being a mother she is holding herself back.

To this I say: are you freaking kidding me?

I am not a mother but it is one of my strongest desires. Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be a mom and been fascinated by the fact that women have the power to grow a human life within their bodies. I understand that motherhood requires a great deal of sacrifice, time and energy but isn't that true of anything worth having? I didn't read enough of these books to see any statistics or facts to back up the theory of non-mothers being any more successful than mothers but I would imagine that this theory is heavily dependant on a person's idea of what it means to be successful.

Maybe my own views are keeping me from being able to see these ideas objectively, but it breaks my heart that there are women who are rejecting something so truly amazing for political reasons. It's not like this was one book out of thousands... this was an entire shelf of books with similar ideas.

Friday, October 23, 2009

major sad face... but ending on a happy note

For those of you who haven't heard, a water main broke in Savannah this afternoon and cut off service to the entire northern half of the city.... also known as the half of the city I live in. An hour ago everything was fine but when I got home from the store I turned on the sink to and got nothing... not a drip.

This is inconvenient in general but it's especially bumming me out today. I had planned to be "awesome wife" and suprise the hubby with homemade chicken noodle soup and apple pie for dinner when he got back from his business trip tonight. However, soup requires water as does prepping a chicken, and making pie crust... you get the idea.

Our maintanence people at the apartment said that city crews are working on the problem but nobody knows when the issue will be fixed. For now, it appears that I'll be busting out some pre-made pie crust for the pie and calling a hail mary for dinner. *keep your fingers crossed for a speedy fix to the no water situation.*
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In other news.... My Husband Rocks!

Steve has been gone all week (again) on business this week. It isn't very much fun to be a newlywed and be constantly seperated from your husband. I seriously don't recommend it. However, the situation has brought to light a great quality in my husband that I probably never would have recognized otherwise.

My husband rocks because he always calls me every day he is away from me no matter how busy he is. That may not seem like much to some people but by the end of another lonely week being able to talk to him abotu random events of the day make me feel so much better. I also like knowing he's thinking of me too. :)

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

random music rec

The upside to being home a lot is the opportunity to do things I don't normally have time to do... like check out all of the music recommendations people have been giving me for a while. I've been catching up on those quite a bit this week and I am in love.

Ladies and gentlemen.... I give you Halestorm.


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Words do not express how much I enjoyed their self titled album. I just want to sit here and listen to it on repeat until I have all the words memorized so I can sing along... this is definitely music to jam out to. If you like enjoy bands with a distinctive style and sassy lyrics then you will adore Halestorm.

Their official website is http://www.halestormrocks.com/ which is also where you can watch videos, hear some of the music an get much more info on the band. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Monday, October 19, 2009

A day worth writing about

Today did not start out well. In fact, by the time afternoon rolled around I was feeling pretty frustrated with job searching and the various other issues that have arisen since Steve and I moved here in August. However, as soon as I stepped out my front door on my way to the grocery store and the breeze hit me, my mood instantly improved.

It's the first truly fall-like day of the year here in Savannah. The weather is cool and crisp, the trees are just hinting towards their colorful encore and, for once, the air actually smells like something other than the paper mill and low tide... it's refreshing. Today is the type of day that makes me reminisce about apple picking and cider making when I was little and makes me want to bake bread and go on a hayride. Today is the type of day that I cherish because all of the warm fuzzy feelings I associate with the fall season come rushing in to cheer me up.

Fall is my favorite season for many reasons, not the least of which being that it coincides with football season. Everything from the colors to the food and the holidays that occur during the autumn months make my heart smile. I was worried that I would miss the season completely being in a coastal area like this but today proves that my fears were unfounded.

In an act of gratefulness for the arrival of my favorite season, and the much needed warm fuzzies, I am taking the rest of the day to relax in some of my favorite ways. I am cuddled on the couch in cozy pajamas, cuddled up in my new favorite quilt (a wedding gift from my aunt Kim), reading and drinking coffee with gingerbread flavored creamer out of my favorite mug (it's green with a rocket ship on it and says NASA). Later, I am planning to chat with some dear friends. All the while I'm listening to my "cozy" playlist made up of all my favorite bluesy, indie, country songs. As I type this Bonnie Raitt is crooning out "Angel From Montgomery" so I lift my coffee mug to those reading this and send my warmest wishes for a happy fall y'all!

Friday, October 16, 2009

My Husband Rocks!

My friends from the nest first let me know about "my husband rocks" a little while ago and now that I have a blog of my own I will be participating!

For those that aren't familiar with it, "my husband rocks" is a movement that seeks to highlight the sweet and loving things our husbands do each day. Too many couples get bogged down in the shortcomings of their partners instead of accepting them for who they are and loving them anyway. "My husband rocks" attempts to prevent that from happening.

So... each friday I will post something positive about my husband. I also encourage other couples to try it as well.

This week... my husband rocks because he bought me flowers just because he knew I would like them. Not just any flowers either, a collection of fall wildflowers with several different varieties of daisies! (For those who don't know, daisies are my absolute favorite flower in the entire world.) This means Steve rocks on more than one level... buying flowers just to make me smile is awesome but he also managed to remember my favorites too. :)

Here is a picture of the bouquet so you can all see exactly how beautiful the flowers are!

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

working out: back on the wagon again

Today was day one back in the gym for me after a long break.... and it was rough.

I am not a runner... not by any means... and I have awful will power. So the idea of making myself get on a treadmill and do anything remotely like running for any length of time is not high on my list of things I want to do.

But.... fitting into my cute jeans in time for the big G2G in Boston most definitely IS on my to do list. So to the gym I will go. :)

To help myself get through each workout without dying I've put together a playlist of songs that always manage to get me pumped up no matter what I'm doing. Today I was really feeling "Maneater" by Nelly Furtado. I first heard the song on Dallas Cowboy's Cheerleaders:making the squad on CMT and I fell in love with it! The beat is nice and steady and the lyrics make me smile. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoVsi_bP7s

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

grocery shopping

Although menu planning is typically done on Mondays this week has been a little strange with the hubby and I being gone. So... that means that today was menu planning/ grocery shopping day.

I'll be the first to admit, I adore grocery shopping. It is an activity that combines two of my favorite things... shopping and food! Just like any serious shopper, I'm as picky with where I buy my food as I am about where I buy everything else. Not suprisingly, there are very few places in Port Wentworth, GA that I enjoy shopping for food at. Since I had to get some non-food items, today was a walmart day (one of my least favorite places on the planet) and it was.... walmart. Every aisle was crowded and it took me 30 minutes to sort through the produce to find stuff that wasn't wilted or bruised.

BUT.... I did manage to get everything I needed and stay within my budget.

I also got to try out my nifty new grocery gadget when I got home too! Behold, the One Trip Grip!

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It holds the straps of your grocery bags so you have one convenient handle and can carry more groceries at a time. Since I live in a 3rd floor walk-up apartment the less trips to the car the happier I am. Today I managed to get everything inside in one trip!

So... in about an hour I will be starting dinner (a new recipe from one of my nest friends). I'll post the results tomorrow. :)

Monday, October 12, 2009

new beginnings

The last few months have held a lot of changes in my life both spectacular and frustrating. In July I married the love of my life. August brought a move across the state, unemployment and taking a semester off of school. September brought a change in career plans and some serious financial strain.

Some of these changes sparked a desire for more change in the very near future and the setting of some specific goals between the hubby and myself. In light of all of these changes (both actual and anticipated) I felt that a new blog was in order to chronicle our progress.

In case you were wondering about the title of the blog, it's actually a line from an Elton John song I love and have been listening to a lot lately, Warm Love in a Cold World.