New Year, New Hodgepodge

It's Hodgepodge day! Head on over to my mom's blog to join in on the fun or check out other people's responses. 

1. Share one happy moment/memory from the holiday season. 

I wrote a whole blog post about our holiday here where you can check out all of our happy memories but for today, if I'm just picking one I think I will go with mini golfing on a cold rainy day with my family. It doesn't sound all that happy what with the cold and the rain but it was such a fun afternoon spent with the people I love. 

2. Let's be reasonable with our expectations going into this new year, k? What is one thing you'd like to accomplish/improve/complete/do in 2022? 

Let me start by saying that I completed a new years resolution for the first time ever I'm pretty sure. In 2021 I decided I was going to read through the Bible in a year using The Bible Recap plan. I have attempted to read the whole bible in a year many times- at least 4 if not many more than that. But usually I get stuck around Leviticus, Numbers etc. But not this year! I made it all the way through and finished right on time on December 31st and it is something I am oh so proud of! So if your answer to this questions was to read the bible in a year I highly recommend you head over to this site- it links the plan they use (a chronological plan) and also gives you the info on the daily podcast that goes along with the reading. That's where the recap comes in. Tara-Leigh Cobble "recaps" that days reading for you- it isn't a devotional, it is a true recap of what you read and it helps clarify so many things. I'm working through it again this year but I added in the optional daily study guide to go a bit deeper.

Off of my rabbit trail, back on the main path, this year something I want to accomplish/improve is my writing! I want to take a writing course or two- nothing fancy but something through masterclass probably and get into a better habit of writing regularly. And I'm not speaking solely of my blog, which I do enjoy writing on, but other types of writing as well that will probably never see the light of day except on my own computer or journal. I'm ok with that though :) 

3. Every January 1st (since 1976) Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse or just general uselessness (go here to read more about how the words are chosen). Here are the words/phrases they'd like to see banished in 2022-

wait, what?-no worries-at the end of the day-that being said-asking for a friend-circle back-deep dive-a new normal-you're on mute-supply chain

Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly? Which of these words would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word/phrase not on the list you'd like to add? 

Hm of these words/phrases I say "wait, what?" fairly regularly and don't see that stopping anytime soon and I also frequently use the expression no worries. While teaching I found myself saying you're on mute far more than I'd like although these days I spend far less time on google meet/zoom.

If I were picking one I'd like to see go I'd love to be done with "new normal". And if I were adding one, as a teacher if I never heard the words synchronous/asynchronous again I'd be alright with it. 

4. Best thing you ate in the month of December? 

Oh boy, I ate a lot of delicious things in the month of December so it is difficult to choose. We were fed like kings when visiting our families- prime rib (twice!), brisket, lobster all the things. I also ate a lot of Christmas cookies and treats and I would probably have to say that the treats are my favorite- white chocolate peppermint bark is something I only eat at the holidays and I just love it! 

5. January 5th is National Bird Day. Are you a bird lover? What's your favorite bird to see in the wild? Choose a phrase from the list that follows and tell us how it relates to your life currently...eat like a bird, bird's eye view, early bird, bird-brained, free as a bird, a little bird told me, or kill two birds with one stone.

Hm, I guess I'm a bird lover in the sense that I enjoy seeing birds from afar like a heron on my parents dock, or a hawk sitting on a telephone wire. I enjoy seeing the exotic birds at the zoo as well. But in terms of up close and personal with birds that would be a no, I'm actually a bit afraid of birds. I was once tasked with feeding my parents blue birds that were living in their bird house for a week while they were away and was NOT a fan.

Of the phrases listed I can assure you eat like a bird does NOT apply to me right now, I pretty much finish a meal and decide what I'll be eating next as soon as I'm done. I think perhaps I'd have to say bird-brained. While I feel that I am an intelligent person pregnancy has made me a bit "bird brained".  I left my car running when I went into Lowes a few weeks ago- keys in the ignition and all. Don't worry, I realized my error when I was in the doorway and trying to lock my car with non-existent keys. I've become very forgetful in general so I think that phrase suits me best for now. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I made this for dinner the other night, it's a favorite of ours and I've made it several times. I found it on pinterest so I linked it for you here. Her pictures are much prettier than the one I took also. They are delicious and easy and pretty healthy. It comes together in about 30 minutes and mostly in one pot (plus a sheet pan) so it's super easy clean up too! Two things that are high on my list these days, relatively quick and not too many dishes to do. Her recipe is an instantpot recipe, which I do own so I use it when I make these, but you could definitely do it without. She offers a suggestion for using the slow cooker or honestly you could just use a rotisserie chicken too. I do make a few changes when I make it- I don't use whole 30 BBQ sauce as she suggests although I'm sure it would be healthier that way. I also don't make my own pickles- we always have a surplus of pickles in our home so I just use what I have. Seriously, I think we have 4 different types of pickles right now. I also use less mayo and more vinegar in my coleslaw because hubby isn't a fan of mayo based slaws.  Check out her recipe and enjoy! 

Final Hodgepodge of 2021

We had a great visit to my sister's last weekend that I want to recap but the Christmas shopping and wrapping and baking has me running around like crazy this week so stay tuned for that, hopefully before this weekend rolls around. But I didn't want to miss the last hodgepodge of the year, so I'm taking a pause from baking to answer today's questions. Join in at my mom's blog! 

1. How young is young? In the past, according to various organizations who decide these things, age 60 was the 'border age' to old. The World Health Organization has done new research recently and divided up the categories as-0-17 (underage), 18-65 (youth or young people), 66-79 (middle-aged), 80-99 (elderly senior), 100+ (long-lived elderly). Your thoughts on this particular breakdown, and also your thoughts as to where you land?

I think based on the people I know in their 60's this new breakdown makes so much sense! I know some spry and wonderfully fun people who fall at the end of the "young people" or beginning on the "middle-aged" and I would never describe them as old. I also like that it places me firmly in the young people category. And while I know I thought 31 seemed SOO old when I was a kid, it certainly doesn't feel that way now. Well except when I want to get in bed at 8:30 on a Friday night. 

2. TIME magazine has declared Elon Musk person of the year in 2021. What say you? If you want to know more about how they choose you'll find that info in the link here. If you were choosing, who would be your person of the year? 

I don't usually pay a lot of attention to the this announcement but I have heard a lot about Elon Musk this year. And while, I wouldn't say I've always been impressed with him or seen the huge appeal, he's definitely had some influence this year. The most interesting thing related to Elon Musk, I viewed this year was a docu series on Netflix called "Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space". While it doesn't center around Musk himself, SpaceX is his company so he obviously played an important role and I found the whole series very interesting. I recommend it if you're looking or a end of year show- just 4 or 5 episodes on Netflix. 

If  I were selecting the person of the year, I'm inclined to say teachers, or nurses or both. I would have said this same thing last year as well as these groups of people have continued to step up in challenging situations. 

3. I read here ten habits of extremely likable people which include-they greet the world with a smile on their face, they ask questions, they're consistent, they put the phone away, they remember names and use them, they keep an open mind and don't pass judgement, they're authentic, they're kind and generous, accountable for their mistakes, and they send thank you notes.  

So, are you likable-lol? Which one of these habits could use some further developing in your own life? What is one habit/quality you'd add to the list? 

Well I like to think I'm likable and I would say many of these qualities on this list are things I work to possess in myself. But there are definitely some areas that need improvement. If I'm picking one, it's putting my phone away. I definitely need to limit that time. I think I would add being punctual to that list. I love people who are punctual. 

4. One non-holiday related task/job/goal/dream on your to-do list that you hope/plan to make happen before the new year rolls in? 

Finish hanging pictures in our home...there's only 3 more. Does it count as being on my to do list but really my husband will be the one to do it? 

5. Share with us some of your holiday plans. 

Hubby and I will be visiting both sides of our family this holiday season, a few days at each. We sure would love if everyone could be together since neither of our siblings will be making it home this year but nevertheless we're looking forward to time with family celebrating the joy of the season. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Since I mentioned I've been doing some baking I thought I'd share what's on my baking list with a link to the recipe I'm using if you need any inspiration. 

Gingerbread cookies, Peppermint Snowball Cookies, Chocolate Cherry Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms, and Martha Stewarts (ok this isn't what these are called, but it's what I've always called them- I use a recipe card from my Mema, but I've found the link I think).

I also made this delicious white chocolate peppermint bark. I found this idea last year from a girl I follow on instagram and I've linked her blog post about it here for you. She even includes a little card that you could add to yours if you're giving it as a gift. So definitely check that out.  This is SO SO easy, takes hardly any time and makes the best neighbor gift or personal holiday snack- whichever you prefer.

1. You start by crushing a bunch of candy canes. You can use the large or small but I think the small are easier to crush and since I also crush candy canes for my peppermint snowballs, I'm all about making it easy. 

2. After crushing them, you want to sift them so there isn't as much peppermint dust in the mixture. You just want the chunks. 

3. Melt white chocolate. I'm sure you're supposed to use a double boiler but I don't have a bowl I can use for that so I microwave it and it does just fine. I do 1 minute, sitr, then 15 sec, stir then 15 sec and stir one more time- done! After its melted you'll add in some of the crushed peppermint- not too much but enough to distribute it through the chocolate.

4. Spread the mixture on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and sprinkle the top with more crushed peppermint. 

5. Let it set- it would set fine on the counter I'm sure but I do it in the fridge to save time. Takes just a few minutes.

6. After it's set break it apart and store in an airtight container till your ready to eat! 

Catching You Up

Whew! Where did the last week go? I feel like things have been going a million miles a minute...although I don't feel like I have all that much to say to show for it HAH! So even though I missed the hodgepodge questions this week from my mom's blog...I present to you a hodgepodge of my life right now. 

Over the weekend, hubby and I enjoyed some delightful weather and a delicious lunch out! We had the yummiest fried chicken sandwiches complete with a hot honey drizzle. I have determined that I need to be better at taking pictures of my life so I have better images to go with my blogging words. But for today I will leave you with this picture of our yummy lunch...with a few bites taken out of it because I remembered to snap a pic only after I dove in! 

It is finally warm here! So what did I do on Monday? Made soup hah! Because why not? I love soup and can eat it year round even though it feels more "fall/winter". This particular soup was a new recipe and it is 100% one I will be trying again! I've linked the recipe I used and I followed it almost exactly. It's full of italian sausage, creamy tomato sauce, tortellini and kale (which I swapped for a kale/spinach combo). It was a big hit for both me and my hubby. And it made the perfect amount! Each of us had 2 bowls for dinner and then we had just enough for leftover bowls for lunch the next day. So do yourself a favor and pretend its 30 degrees out and curl up with a bowl of this deliciousness! 

Gemma...sweet Gemma. Last week I mentioned that she was having some trouble with her foot. We did go to the vet and had a corn removed and had a little sore on her foot treated. Well a week later and we were back at the vet today...some more yucky boo boos had developed and I noticed them last night. Why do things with pets always seem to happen after vet hours? But nevertheless we managed to squeeze in for an afternoon appointment. Only to be told that these new booboos were actually a result of her foot being bandaged from the previous injuries. Maddening! So I feel like a horribly neglectful puppy parent that I allowed them to develop but she's gotten treats and snuggles and I think she's forgiven me. 

And I will leave you with a story from yesterday. I am a teacher, for those that didn't know. And in these warm weather days some of us enjoy eating our lunch outside to soak up that sunshine. So yesterday as we're enjoying our lunch, we heard a yell. And we all kind of looked at each other because you just knew this was not a "playing with my friends/being silly" scream. This was a a hurt/scared scream. So we stand up and look over in that direction, not really seeing much and then all of a sudden I spot it...

"That kid is stuck in that tree!" And lo and behold we heard the scream again. And this time I was sure..it was coming from this boy who had climbed up a tree one leg on each side of a y shaped branch only to decide he in fact did NOT want to be up there, and was very scared. So I ran. Yep I RAN. And let me tell you I do not run. Should you see me running, know something important is going on. But myself and another teacher got moving because it seemed like he might fall any minute and was going to need a grown up pronto. Luckily, he decided as we came skidding to the base of the tree that he could attempt to jump down and he made it to the ground with no injuries and only a few more tears. 

One thing is for sure...there is never a dull moment. 

Tuesday Rambling

Not much has been happening in my neck of the woods, hence the lack of blogging. Without the commitment or accountability of a challenge, writing when there isn't too much to write about can be tricky! So here is an assortment of the everyday I've been living! 

This past weekend here was  mucky, rainy and  grey so it was spent mostly indoors. Although, Saturday we did venture out to the gym, followed by some Mexican food (because balance) and managed to go to both Lowes and Home Depot. Because apparently they have different things... Anybody else's husband particular like that? Apparently Home Depot has the better selection of valves needed for a few leaky pipes, but Lowes has the paint selection we want.  So both it is! Conveniently, they are literally right across from one another which I find rather curious. 

Speaking of paint...we were picking out some samples for the "master" bathroom. Why is that in quotes you ask? Because our master is itty bitty, so itty bitty I actually use the guest bath instead, so calling it a master seems a bit silly. Nevertheless it's getting a facelift which hubby and I are both super excited about! I posted the demo picture in a previous post but we've pulled out the fiberglass insert shower and are having the shower walls tiled with a lovely grey oversized subway tile. And so, we decided to also go ahead and paint since the current color doesn't fit the color scheme we're going for. So we went to Lowes (after Home Depot) and picked up about 20 color swatches - whoops! We essentially picked up all of their light grey shades, particularly the ones with a blueish undertone to bring home and examine closely. We've narrowed it down to 6 which feels like good progress. We won't do any actual painting until the tile is up, so stay tuned! 

Also on Saturday, I received this fun package of earrings! A sweet friend of mine from college has started a business selling these beautiful, fun, unique handmade earrings. I gifted several to family members for Christmas (and myself!) and these lovely stud packs were from the newer release. If you're looking for some new earrings or a great gift her shop is called Mixed Off Main.

Sunday was of course Mother's Day but hubby and I unfortunately couldn't be with either of our moms. So instead we made several phone calls and Facetimes. We talked to my mom, hubby's mom, and all the grandmothers. It's hard not to be with your mom on Mother's Day, particularly when you're someone like me who is so close to their mom, but its those days when I am extra thankful for the invention of Facetime! My momma sure is extra special and I gifted her this picture of us on my wedding day. Having my mom with my on my wedding day was the most precious and special thing. Many loved ones were unable to attend due to travel restrictions, including my sister, so having my mom by my side every step of the day was exactly what I needed. And that's who she is, someone who is there for me every step of every season of life. 

And outside of all the phone calls we managed to squeeze in a grocery run, some sushi for lunch and several episodes of the new show we've been watching. Which is definitely not a new show, but it IS new for us. Boardwalk Empire- all about the men who "ran" Atlantic City in the prohibition era. 

And this little one here...has something going on with her foot. She's been limping around for several days, just looking absolutely pitiful! I've got her a vet appointment for tomorrow to hopefully figure out what's going on. She is the world's sweetest dog, and I sure do hate it when she's not feeling like her cheerful, lovey self. 

The last thing I will leave you with is my favorite summer pasta recipe...it is not summer here. It's May and this weekend was a high of 42. But I am working on some serious wishful thinking to get summer to show up soon! I made this veggie side dish last week and then the following day put it over pasta- with a little extra liquid added. It's always been a favorite both ways- on it's own or with pasta. And in the summer when squash, zucchini and tomatoes are ripe and readily available it's the best! I don't have an exact recipe but roughly...

Ingredients: 

• 3 (ish) yellow squash/zucchini- quartered 
• 1/2 yellow onion or a whole one if your onion is small- diced
• 1 cup (ish) fresh tomatoes- chopped (I prefer grape or cherry tomatoes but whatever you have will be great!) 
• salt/pepper
• garlic
• Mozzerella cheese- shredded, or fresh whatever you have!
• pasta (optional)

Directions: 

1. Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan- I prefer one with high sides particularly if you're going to go the pasta route. 

2. Let the onions, and squash saute by themselves for about 5 minutes and start to soften. 

3. Add the tomatoes and let them begin to blister and release their juices- most of the "sauce" element comes from how much tomatoes you add. If I'm doing pasta I typically add a few more tomatoes than if I'm just doing a side dish. 

4. Give everything a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. 

5. Let everything saute together for about 10-12 minutes until the squash is soft, and the tomatoes have released their juices but aren't total mush. 

6. While the squash is cooking, boil your pasta if you plan  to use it.

7. After everything has cooked- add in your mozzerella. Fresh is great in this, because it gets really stretchy and you end up with these gobs of cheese throughout. But shredded works just fine. 

8. If using pasta, drain it and add directly to the squash mixture and toss. If needed, add in some pasta water for extra moisture- I don't typically find this necessary. 

9. If not using pasta, then just spoon up and serve alongside some grilled chicken, steak, whatever you want and enjoy! 

Unfortunately this is the only picture I took and while it's not great you can definitely see the glorious summer colors of this delightfully flavorful, chunky dish/pasta sauce. Enjoy! 

I is for Indian Food

Continuing along today with the April A-Z Blog Challenge. Our family moved to England when I was just shy of 13 and spent the next 6 years across the pond. This month, as part of an A-Z blogging challenge. I am reflecting on the time I spent overseas during my teens.

I is for Indian Food

Living overseas meant that I ate an abundance of delicious food. And it also meant, I got to try things I hadn't had before. Now I know you're probably thinking that being in England, the most popular food would be fish and chips right? And there are definitely a lot of fish and chips to be had and I ate my fair share. But something else that tops the lists of England's most popular dishes? Indian curry! And it was in those years living in my little village outside of London that I developed a deep love of Indian food, particularly curry. 

I was just about 13 when we moved overseas and while I have never been a picky eater, I had never had curry before. And sometime in those first few weeks of living there we ventured out to a local Indian restaurant in our town- Bawarchi's. None of us really knew what we were ordering or what we would like but we made our best guesses and went for it. And let me just go ahead and tell you, our family still talks about this restaurant pretty regularly- despite the fact that we have not lived there in 12 years. In the years that we lived there I would say we were at Bawarchi's almost weekly and once my sister and I left for college my parents would sometimes find themselves there even more frequently. 

As I mentioned, I am in no way a picky eater. I will try anything once and for the most part feel like my palette is pretty broad- there's not many things I've tried that I haven't liked. But the one category of food that has never been a favorite is spicy food. I just don't seem to be able to handle the heat! So it might strike you as odd that I love curry so much, since I think it's frequently associated with spiciness. But I found a few dishes that are not spicy and are just plain delicious. My favorite dish? Butter chicken. I pretty much ordered that butter chicken every time we went to that restaurant. Our favorite waiter used to get a kick out of coming to take our order, looking at me and saying "Vindaloo for you?" before chuckling to himself and writing butter chicken on his pad. For the record, the vindaloo was the one of spiciest dishes on their menu. 

The butter chicken had the most delicious, velvety, creamy sauce that had a delightful blend of spices but wasn't spicy. And there is nothing better than dipping naan bread into that sauce or spooning it over the rice. And in the years since I have left England I have ordered butter chicken at a handful of restaurants and made it myself and I am still waiting for the just right recipe that will be exactly like Bawarchi's. I haven't found it yet, but I'm still looking. My other go to is chicken tikka masala- a classic and can be made mild (for me) or spicy if you'd like. And something else not to skimp on? The veggies! chana masala (chick peas) , aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower), gobi bhajee (cauliflower) or brinjal bhajee (eggplant). I find that even still when I'm ordering Indian food, I over order because I don't want to skip any of my favorites. 

Many a Friday or Saturday night was spent with my family around the table at Bawarchi's. And there were tears when it was time to eat there for the last time- and not just from our family, from the waiters as well (which tells you just how much we were there). And while I'm still on the lookout for a restaurant to make me butter chicken just like Bawarchi's, I've ventured to making a few different for recipes at home for those nights when I'm feeling homesick for England. 

I've linked my favorite butter chicken recipe that I've tried- I hope you might try and enjoy it too. And if you have any yummy Indian recipes I need to try? Send them my way! 

Butter Chicken (recipe from eazypeazymeals)