Great furniture deals

Check out this great furniture deal from WorldMarket.com

http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3909373

Under $100! amazing

This week's tentative menu

This week's TENTATIVE menu...

Monday- Chilaquiles. Going to leave out the chicken and use zucchini instead.
Tuesday- Skeeball league. Dinner out.
Wednesday- Ryan and Taylor cook for Beth and Melissa (probably something with a ton of butter and cream... boys are such fatties)
Thursday- Michelle's recipe: salmon topped with Gorgonzola and balsamic reduction with salad and couscous
Friday- Petite beef tenderloin with potatoes and broccoli

The Pursuit of Happiness

I StumbledUpon this and thought it was simply wonderful! Hope you all enjoy it as well!

15 Lessons to Keep in Mind:

1. The only person that can ever truly make you happy is yourself. Stop depending on everyone else.
2. People lie, stuff happens. Don’t take it too personally.
3. Want people to think you’re amazing? Start believing you are, and then they will too.
4. Smiling is the ultimate anti-depressant. Smile and laugh out loud, it doesn’t look stupid, I promise.
5. The world is never just black and white, right or wrong, one way or another. Try and see things from as many points of view as possible.
6. "Let everything happen to you, Beauty and terror, Just keep going, No feeling is final" - Rainer Marie Rike
7. Have empathy.
8. Gossip, problems of the past, events you cannot control, negative thoughts and negative people; time spent on these is time poorly wasted.
9. When you're jealous or find yourself filled with hate for someone/something, stop. The only person its hurting is you.
10. Although the newest, most expensive material things may make you feel as if you’re a better person, they won’t hold you at night or listen to you when you need it. Make sure your priorities make sense.
11. Step outside your comfort zone- it’s when you’ll really feel alive.
12. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, the people who really matter, don’t mind
13. Let your emotions out sometimes, humans have them for a reason.
14. Celebrate the things you have. Think only positively of the things you don’t (but would like to have) and they too will come.
15. Love unconditionally ♥
    

Quote o' the Night

Sexy Photo of the Day

TGIF!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

It's the dead of winter in NYC and I'm jealous of all the lovlies living (and visiting) CA who are basking in the sunshine right now. Yesterday I had to walk 1.5 miles to get to work in 20" of snow! It was insane. I was buddled up in a hat, mittens, scarf, and Hunter boots, so I was happy as a clam and the Park was stunning.

The clean, white snow doesn't last for long. Today (as I zoomed by on my usual bus route--thanks MTA for getting back on the road) it was already looking black and gross. But those moments yesterday were glorious--a true Winter Wonderland!

I've been bad about my cooking this week. Last night was out for sushi with friends, and previous nights were leftovers and a Lean Pocket--yum! This weekend I'm planning on doing a big trip to the grocery store (trips to the grocery store in NYC are abnormally BIG and exciting events) to load up on supplies for a week of home-made, warm meals! On the list...

-- A big pot of White Chili (http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/white_chili/)-- I hope it's as good as Beth's Chili recipe that she posted last night
-- Meatloaf-- to curb that craving
-- Chicken Tamale Casserole (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001854020)
-- Baked Chicken and Sweet Potato Fries-- inspired by Michi's post earlier this week!

Mmmmmm...now my mouth is watering. Tuesday, I'm dragging the boy on a NYC date night and I'm SO excited! I got 2 tickets to Jersey Boys on Broadway!!! When you live in NYC you never take advantage of all the shows out your backdoor, so I jumped on a 2 for 1 deal! I have heard great things about it and can't wait. Stay tuned for a full recap.

Leaving you with this image that I stumbled across. I couldn't agree more...




XOX,
Lou.

Green Enchilada Chili

1-- I am in LA!! Loving michi's place and soooo happy to be here for some quality time. We're both finishing up work stuff so I thought I'd post this before I forgot!

2-- I made Green Enchilada Chili last night and it was AH-MA-ZING. With a lil cornbread- that's the way to my heart. Ryan also loved loved loved it. The photo above is not mine but it's nice to put a pic with it.

I highly recommend everyone make this! Such a great meal for a chilly/chili (ha!) night. And if ya wanna go low-carb, just lose the cornbread side.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, diced
• 1/4 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (28 ounce) can green enchilada sauce (but you'll only use 3/4 of it)
  
• 1 (7 ounce) can green salsa
• 1 can sweet corn (no salt added)
• 2 cans diced green chilies
  
• 3 cups water
• 4 roma tomatoes (diced)
  
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 lime, juiced

Directions

1. In a 4 quart pot, heat 1.5 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the jalapenos and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the ground turkey and cook until evenly brown. Remove the browned meat and jalapenos from the pot and set aside.
2. In the same pot used to cook the meat, add the remaining 1.5 tablespoons olive oil, butter, and onion. Cook for 2 minutes or until the onion starts to soften. Stir in the salt, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper and cook until the onion is soft. Mix in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Reduce the heat to low. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring for three minutes. Slowly pour the enchilada sauce (only 3/4 of the can) into the onion mixture, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Mix in the green salsa and water.
4. Return the cooked pork and jalapenos to the pot. Add in the diced tomatoes, green chilies, and corn. Increase the heat to medium and slowly bring the soup to a boil. When the soup boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Before serving remove from heat and stir in chopped cilantro and lime juice.

The more cilantro, the better! If ya wanna step it up, you can also top it with sour cream and/or cheese.

Meatloaf Madness

As mentioned, meatloaf has been on my mind. I mentioned it out loud at my cubical mate sent me this:


A picture of his very own meatloaf made last night. Look at that latticed bacon... and it's turkey bacon!! The funniest part of all, he's this big guy from jersey. Not one you'd expect to be whipping up turkey meatloaf! (I keep accidentally typing meatload..haha)

-1/4 c. Ketchup
-1/4 c. Frank's Hot Sauce
- 2 T. Worcestershire
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup. Bread crumbs
-2 parts ground turkey
-1 part lean ground beef
- turkey bacon
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- salt & pepper
-Seasoning to taste
- Paprika
- fresh parsley (if avail)

Combine all ingredients. He blended in his new Cuisinart-- I think hands work just as welll. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes... eat with extra ketchup.

Mmmmmm, this is a must this weekend!

Magazine Break

Take a break from your day and page through this online magazine Matchbook

Is it 5pm yet?

I want this to be me right now!! At home with comfy socks and books and a couch. Oh cubicle, I despise you....

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce Recipe Review

Good morning! I'm not 100% awake yet. Totally faking it until my coffee kicks it! In the meantime, I'll write about tilapia :)

On to the recipe. This was awesome- the flavors were spot on and exactly what I wanted out of it. Spicy, sweet, super flavorful. A couple of things to note:

- The end product didn't really look like the above picture, but that didn't take away from the flavor at all. It was delicious.
- Next time, I would only use 1/2 a can of coconut milk and just adjust the seasoning as I go. It made a ton of sauce- not that I complained, it's delicious sauce. But we tossed out more than half at the end of it.
- I served this with mashed potatoes. For some reason, white fish with mashed potatoes is super comfort for me. Supa comfort. But I think serving with rice would make for a more authentic Thai dish if you're going for that sort of thing.

Definitely put it on your menu if you've got some frozen tilapia fillets to use up or if you find another white fish that's on sale.

YELLOW!

I am loving that it's getting warmer and wanting summer clothes already! I was watching I Love You, Man this weekend and loooooove how much Rashida Jones wore yellow.

Check out this post to see:
http://inbloomstudioblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-love-you-yellow-shirt.html

Baby it's Cold Outside...

Hello! It's Monday and it's freaking cold and this is how I feel about it:

If you can't tell by the look on her face, she's pissed. It's FREEZING cold in NYC today and it's putting me in a terrible mood! The only thing keeping me going today is knowing that I have left-over Chicken and Dumplings in my fridge for dinner. Ladies, let's talk about these little dumplings. They are divine. One of the best dishes I've ever made. I ended up going with my girl PW's recipe, because PW is the bomb: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/chicken-and-dumplings/.

To digress for a minute, about 3 years ago now, one of my besties (who also happens to be the bomb and she happens to have a dumpling in her belly) introduced me to our girl PW. It was love at first sight! Her recipes, although not low cal or always the healthiest, are worth the splurge. Every single one I've tried is delicious. This made it on my Thanksgiving menu this year:

Scrumptious Apple Pie

It tasted as good as it looks. Anyway, if you're looking for something super yummy, you can always count on PW. Back to the dumplings...they were delicious and surprisingly easy to make. The "whole chicken" thing scared me a bit, but I was assured it was nbd (no big deal) by aforementioned dumpling carrier and she was right! I had the nice guys at Whole Foods chop that sucker up and I just threw it into the pan. It was delicious and I will keep this recipe on file for another cold, wintry night!

This weekend I also tried the tomato and mozzarella panini's--they were delish! Perfect lunch for an afternoon on the couch watching football!

This week for dinner my plans are pretty lame. The man of the house will be away, so I have no one to impress. (This is funny: JP (and my mom actually) thinks my new cooking craze is my way of pushing him along on his commitment plans...hysterical. Not true, but awesome if it's working :)

Monday: Cormeal Crusted Tilapia (even though I just said I'm having dumplings I remember I have this in my fridge...some guy at the fish counter got 5 lbs and decided that if he was getting THAT much, I should probably get some too. Peer Pressure.)



http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001867551

Tuesday: Leftover Dumplings
Wednesday: Hospital Night (I'm looking forward to a Lean Pocket-- I admit that I sometimes have a thing for processed foods)
Thursday: Meatloaf...still looking for a good recipe. Please share if you have one! I've really been craving this with lot's of ketchup!
Friday: Take-Out (you'll see this as a reoccurring theme on Friday's...I never have the gusto to cook on a Friday night)
Saturday: Finally going to get to the Mexican Casserol I intended to make 2 weeks ago

That's all lovlies. Jealous that Beth will be in LA (in the sun) this weekend! A trip to Sprinkles for a Strawberry cupcake is a must.

xo

This Week's Menu! Week of January 24

Hi everyone! Hope yall had a restful weekend. I hear it's been record breaking cold for those of you not in southern California (where the weather is currently 71* and gorgeous). Hope you stayed toasty!! 


It's Monday. and I'm feeling the case of the Mondays like whoa. Not only has my lack of sleep really started to add up (why, little baby, do you insist on jazzercising at 3am every night!?), but work totally hit the ground running at 6am PT and I didn't have a sec to enjoy my coffee and blogs. BUT. on the total bright side. Beth is visiting this weekend!! She gets in on Thursday when all the fun can begin! Because of that- don't have too much planned for menus since we'll probably be out, but I think that cooking a fancy-shmancy meal one day might be fun too. Because then we can blog about it!


Last week I stayed pretty close to the menu I planned. I didn't make the Dijon Pork Chops- so those are sitting in my freezer waiting to be used. The quiche I made came out awesome because I finally made my own crust! Granted- I used bisquick, but it was a good way to make crust making more approachable. The filling was Canadian bacon, spinach, and mushrooms. I topped it off with some low fat swiss cheese. Delish. I did zero cooking this weekend, but a lot of progress on the baby prep front so I'm completely satisfied. 


Here's my menu for this week! I'm sure it'll leave lots of leftovers too...


Monday: Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce- can't wait to try this!
Tuesday: Roasted Chicken with green beans and sweet potato fries
Wednesday: Beef Stroganoff- Eli, you inspired me :). My recipe is from Simply Recipes
Thursday- Sunday: Beth is here! So we'll wing it/cook something fun/eat out


Total side note: the BEST. I mean, THE best homemade/baked fries recipes I've ever tried is here at Lottie+Doof. I usually cut out some of the oil that the recipe calls for- I've found it doesn't need it. So I'm going to do my sweet potato fries in this fashion.


What are your menus for this week?? Please share- I found that so helpful last week!

TGIF

Hope everyone has a great weekend! It's freeeeezing here in NYC. I'm planning on staying in, watching movies, and making this yummy soup with the beggies in our fridge:

Chicken Stew with Dumplings:

Recipe found here: http://www.whatmegansmaking.com/2011/01/chicken-stew-and-dumplings.html

XOXO

You're Telling me this doesn't look appealing...

Worms in the Mud Pies

Worms in the Mud Pie
(makes one large pie or can be split into 4-6 individual serves, adapted from this chocolate cream pie recipe)
1 1/2 cups Oreo Cookie Crumbs (about 1 1/2 packets of Oreos, white centres removed and crushed)
115g (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup pouring cream, plus 1/2 cups
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
A pinch of salt
4 egg yolks
4 ounces (115g) good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tbsp icing sugar
To decorate: Gummi worms (snakes), Flake chocolate

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Combine cookie crumbs and butter well and press into a single pie dish or 4-6 individual dishes. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes to set the crust, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup cream, buttermilk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into saucepan with the remaining hot mixture and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (mixture will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Place the 1/2 heavy cream in a chilled mixing bowl and add the icing sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cool chocolate pudding mixture, then spoon the chocolate mixture into the prepared pie crust. Using gummi worms and chocolate, decorate the top of the pie. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. Can be stored for a couple of days in the fridge.

Oatmeal Cookies With Cranberries and Chocolate Chips

Cake. It's all I think about these days. I dream about it. I eat a healthy lunch, and I want to sully it with a funfetti boxed cake with funfetti icing. Could it be that my mind is filling itself with thoughts of cake in order to defer thinking about the baby coming in 11 weeks, 1 day? Probably. I'm ok with that for now. I've not indulged as much (thankfully!) - those Dove dark chocolate squares have kept most of my cravings at bay. But sometimes, a girl just needs some cake. 

Sadly, today is not that day. I made these Oatmeal Cookies With Cranberries and Chocolate Chips from Women's Health. They were tasty and also functioned as a craving curber. Can't say that they are a perfect substitute when you need a decadent dessert, but they certainly work as cookies, as opposed to 'healthy' cookies. Know what I mean?

The end product is sort of a mixture between granola and a cookie. But anything with chocolate chips takes it out of the healthy category in my mind so this is definitely not granola. I might even add more chocolate chips next time. But the cranberry/chocolate combo worked perfectly and I would definitely make these again. Maybe with white chocolate chips next time?? 

Recipe for Oatmeal Cookies With Cranberries and Chocolate Chips 

(Sorry no picture- these cookies are not very photogenetic and my iphone sucks for food porn.)

Crispy Polenta with Eggs, Tomatoes, Mushrooms

How amazing does this look? I hope to try making this at home soon and will report back! Click the link below to see the full recipe.

Recipe: Eggy, Crispy Polenta with Tomatoes & Mushrooms

Din-Din

I started dinner at 4:30 yesterday. Lame, but I was bored after my power walk. I may be closer to June Cleaver than I thought! We had Lentil Soup and Caprese Paninis. I sort of winged it for the paninis, but it was loosely based on this recipe from Jane Maynard at This Week for Dinner.

One day I'll be cool enough with the camera to snap my own pictures. But this one is courtesy of This Week for Dinner.

Supa easy recipe:

- Sourdough Bread slices
- Mozzarella
- Tomato slices
- A spot of light mayo (literally a light smear)
- Fresh cracked pepper
- basil chopped up

Assemble sandwich
Heat a skillet with pan (or if you're feeling decadent- with BUTTER! That's what I did. Don't judge.) and cook the sandwich until golden brown on each side.

I guess it's more of a grilled cheese then a panini. What's the diff really? A panini is pressed consistently perhaps? In which case, this is a grilled cheese. I digress. It was a delicious, meat-lite meal.

Must. Get. This. Puppy.

you MUST go here:
http://www.dailypuppy.com/puppies/mika-the-old-english-sheepdog_2011-01-13

Wish Upon A Star

Morning!

Wine cork bath mat

This is cute! I want to make one: http://www.craftynest.com/2010/03/wine-cork-bath-mat/

Winter Couscous

The Ultimate Winter Couscous from LisaIsCooking

I had a couple of little butternut squashes that I’d been neglecting, and a turnip collection sat hopeful but lonely in the vegetable bin. It was time to find a good winter dish where they’d be put to use. That didn’t take long once I grabbed my copy of Plenty. The recipe really is called the ultimate winter couscous, but I don’t think that means you have to stick to it too precisely. You could use any type of winter squash, and turnips weren’t even mentioned in the ingredient list, but I was sure they’d be fine. What was in that list was carrots, parsnips, shallots, dried apricots, chickpeas, chopped preserved lemon, harissa, and lots of spices. The vegetables were to be roasted until tender and sweet, and I could imagine the smell of the spices filling the kitchen before the oven was even warmed. I think this is the ultimate winter dish because it really couldn’t go wrong. It was full of warm spice flavors, sweet roasted charm, and perky acidity and heat.

First, big chunks of all the vegetables needed to be roasted, and I used carrots, parsnips, turnips, and butternut squash. Shallots were added to the roasting pan along with cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay leaves, ground ginger, ground turmeric, hot paprika, chile flakes, olive oil, and salt. After roasting for a bit, chopped dried apricots, chickpeas, and a little water were added to the pan. Just before the vegetables were ready, couscous was added to boiling water with saffron and olive oil. After the couscous had absorbed the water, butter was added, and the couscous was mixed and fluffed. When the roasting pan was removed from the oven, a big spoonful of harissa and some chopped preserved lemon rind were stirred into the vegetables. The couscous was served topped with the roasted vegetables and some chopped cilantro leaves.

This was such a fragrant dish, and it hit on just about every flavor you can name. The preserved lemon added little sparks of brightness here and there while the cilantro brought some fresh herbiness. The flavors of all the vegetables had become sweeter and more intense from roasting, and the spices permeated each bite. This was an ultimate winter dish, and I’ll remember it next time my butternut squash or turnips or parsnips are feeling overlooked.

Chicken & Potato Hash

Taken from THE THREAD AUSTIN...

Last weekend, I went to Z’Tejas for brunch and because I was so grumbly in the tumbly, I completely forgot to take a picture of my meal before devouring it. It’s not the first time I’ve ordered the Chicken and Potato Hash, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I made it my mission this week to recreate the dish in my own kitchen, and last night we executed this mission. It took about $30 worth of groceries (for 2 people/servings), an hour of prep, an hour of cooking, about every pot and pan I own, and a ton of clean up time. Was it delicious- yes! Was it time-consuming- YES.

VERDICT: It’s fun to make at home, but save yourself the hassle and clean up- get into Z’Tejas, get your order in this Saturday or Sunday, and let the pros in their kitchen work their magic. If you’re willing to put in the elbow grease, then scrub about 10 pots and pans, check out the steps below.

Step 1: Cube rotisserie chicken.

Step 2: Roast corn over an open flame and shred russet potato with box grater.

Step 3: Blister and peel a poblano pepper (not pictured) and a red bell pepper.

Step 4: Dice the peppers, a small red onion, and cut kernels off of roasted corn cob.

Step 5: Saute ingredients above with cubed chicken.

Step 6: Use the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, a little heavy whipping cream, a little white wine, and some sauteed garlic and shallot to make a cream sauce to top the dish with. Note: Z’Tejas uses a chipotle hollandaise instead.

Step 7: Use your shredded potatoes, salt, pepper, and some oil to make a potato galette.

Step 8: Fry two eggs over easy (with salt and pepper). You could scramble them instead, if you like.

Step 9: Plating. Galette on bottom, sauteed mix next, eggs on top, then spoon some adobo sauce over it! VOILA!

*Big thanks to Ryan, the mastermind in our kitchen

Copy Cat Chic

This is a blog I follow that yall should check out. The blogger posts furniture and household items that are expensive, and then posts the cheaper versions! So you can get "the look for less."

Visit the site here.

Mussels (or Clams) Marinara di Amore

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 pound mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 8 ounces linguini pasta
• 1 lemon - cut into wedges, for garnish

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and saute garlic until transparent.
2. Add tomatoes, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes to skillet; reduce heat to low to simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve.
4. Add wine and mussels to skillet; cover and increase heat to high for 3 to 5 minutes or until mussel shells are open.
5. Pour over hot pasta, sprinkle with parsley and squeeze lemon wedge over all. Garnish with remaining lemon and serve.

Nutritional info:
Amount Per Serving Calories: 304 | Total Fat: 5.4g | Cholesterol: 9mg

New Blog Series: On my mind this very moment

Good Morning my dears! My coffee is finally kicking in-- thank goodness.

One of my favorite blogs, the lil bee, posts a series every Monday called "On my mind this Monday morning...". It's just of list of things that are on her mind. Often random, funny, and inspiring, I've decided we shall have our own version of "On my Mind..." Here goes installment number one. Live from NYC, it's "On my mind this very moment..."

- Is it really only January 19th!?! January seems to have a lot of days
- If today is Jan 19th, that means tomorrow is the 20th, which means, my birthday is exactly 1 month away
- I'm getting closer to 30-- mmmm, that's strange.
- I love playing "domestic goddess" with my friends
- I'm dreaming about engagement rings...this one is pretty. I'll take one. Please and thanks.

- I've never posted on a blog before-- this picture thing is a little tricky.
- I'm supposed to run 4 miles at lunch today. I don't feel like going. Hopeful Katy Perry will inspire me.
- There he goes again... (there is a sales guy here in my office that has a morning routine: print some papers on printer, pick up papers, walk to desk (not his own) and staple papers, wait for it, wait for it...proceed to bathroom. Return in 20 mins. It's awkward...we all know what he's doing in there. Doesn't he know that's what smart phones are for these days?!?
- I should do some work-- I was just nominated employee of the quarter. (I wish my picture was hung in the break room...hahaha)
- It's almost 12pm now
- It's Wednesday... again!
-I wonder how long it's going to take me to figure out how to move this picture so I can post...

Lighter General Tso's Chicken

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/lighter-general-tsos-chicken

Gingerbread cookies

The only differences are that I also add a teaspoon of cloves and instead of margarine, I use butter. I don't worry about getting unsulfured (I don't know what that is) molasses. I use Brer Rabbit Molasses, and I don't always put in the lemon extract. It's best if you make the dough a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. Then take it out and let it get back to room temperature before you start rolling it out.

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup margarine, melted
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup unsulfured molasses
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Mix in the melted margarine, evaporated milk, molasses, vanilla, and lemon extracts. Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. The dough should be stiff enough to handle without sticking to fingers. If necessary, increase flour by up to 1/2 cup to prevent sticking.

3. When the dough is smooth, roll it out to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface, and cut into cookies. Place cookies on the prepared cookie sheets.

4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. The cookies are done when the top springs back when touched. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

DGiT

We have arrived! Right now it's just us. But we should invite other budding domestic goddesses in training to grow our little group. Think about it. Right now. We got someone in New York, Minneapolis, Austin, the Bay Area, and Los Angeles. If I spill red wine on my carpet or need to know if I really need to rinse and dry my raw chicken before cooking it. I need to call someone a couple of time zones away to get help on what to do!

Not that this will be a throw back to 1950s tupperware parties where all we can talk about are babies, keeping house, and 'the men' (or will it??). I don't plan on going all June Cleaver with starched dresses, pearls, and heels in the kitchen.

I wish! I'm not that put together. Although totally feeling her hipster vibe with the plaid and quasi-popped collar. You go June Cleaver!

I do, however, enjoy recipe sharing, design ideas, pretty things in general. And with weddings and babies coming 'round the corner anyways (yipee!), there's plenty of opportunities to girl-out on here.

So it will be a place to share and laugh and get inspired. Hopefully. I know we're always sharing things via email, so now we can publish it here and have it to reference for later. 

Beth's kicked us off with a couple of recipes, so let's all comment and ooh and ahh and ask questions. Let's begin.... :)

Fennel Salmon Pasta

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/salmon-pasta

Use light sour cream instead of regular (obv)

Black Bean & Chicken Chilaquiles

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001545709

Add to the recipe:
- 1 can corn (you can also make this a veggie meal by replacing the chicken with the corn)

Garnish with:
- jalapenos
- salsa
- light sour cream
- cilantro (this is a must!)
- avocado