This week is going by too fast and I have so much to do. My work schedule is always so unpredictable, so that doesn't help. Moving sucks, and even though I seem to do it very often, I really hate moving. I have already done a lot, but still feel like I'm going to be up very late Thursday night trying to finish...I have to work tomorrow night until 10 so the plan is to get up in the morning at have at least 4 hours of good packing and cleaning time before I have to be to work at 1:00. I'm so bad at mornings though. Sigh.
Anyway, this whole process is super emotional for me...I've already done a lot of crying and I'm not going to get through typing this without crying some more. I love this apartment, I love my location, I love my landlord and I love my garden. I have definitely second-guessed my decision to move, but I do still feel like I made the right choice. I am so excited to live with Matt and his family and to get to spend more time with Leah and Heidi. I am so grateful to have such a loving and supportive family that is willing to let me stay with them. The whole goal of this move is to be able to get ahead financially in life and to be able to save money for some future expenses I plan to have in the next year or so. I do still hope to find a job in Logan, but I am getting more and more discouraged about all that and will probably just stay in my job as long as I can and hope the job market picks up a bit in a few months. I hate to be so motivated by money, but that is just the reality of my life right now.
This week has been extra hard because John is in Amsterdam, where he has been most of this month. He had to come back to go to some meetings in Mass and then flew in to SLC for a whole 14 hours before flying back to Amsterdam. He doesn't have internet at his hotel this week, and he is basically working 16 hours a day anyway, so our communication is really limited. It is so hard not to have my best friend to talk to and encourage me this week when I am so emotional and slightly stressed about this big change I am making in my life.
Ok, enough whining. There is just so much going through my head right now, and I just need to stay focused on my goals and for this week, the task of moving. I am heading to Idaho Fri afternoon for my cousin's wedding, so if I don't get everything done, I will have to miss the trip and I would be even more sad about that...so at least I have some extra motivation.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Garden update
My first ripe tomatoes!Gardening is way more fun when you get to start eating the things you are growing! I was so excited when I got home from work this afternoon and I had 2 grape tomatoes that looked red enough to pick, so I did. Woo hoo! There are more pinkish ones too, so hopefully I will have lots of ripe tomatoes over the next 2 weeks before I move. The tag says the grape tomatoes mature in 60 days, and I think it's been exactly 60 days (I seem to remember planting on May 15th or 16th). The other tomato plant says mature in 68 days, so I'm hoping to have something full size in about a week.
I nearly killed my lettuce over the weekend because I needed to water and then it was really hot, so it got all withered and sad looking. I watered it and have been watching it close and most of it revived. I read the little tab thing for the red lettuce and notices it says "full sun spring & fall and part sun summer" so it's probably been getting too much sun. Oh well.
Anyway, in honor of my first ripe tomatoes, I decided to have a big salad tonight, using mostly ingredients from my garden...but I did supplement with a few other things, but the whole salad is from locally grown+produced products. I was able to pick up a few things at the Farmer's Market at Pioneer Park over the weekend (tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, cherries, and some Nutty Guys stuff). The lettuce (green and red loose leaf), arugula, parsley, and grape tomatoes are from my garden and the I added some more tomato and zucchini from East Farms, some feta cheese from Gossner's, and the dressing I used was Caspers (I couldn't find a website for them, but they are in Providence, near Logan). It was so tasty!
My tasty saladI know I am a super gardening nerd now, but I'm excited about the progress of my garden, so I'm including a few more pics:
This mess is 1 grape tomato plant (Juliet Hybrid) , 1 tomatillo plant, 1 tomato legend, and a bush cucumber plant in the back underneath everything else. The grape tomato plant is taking over the garden.
All 4 swiss chard plants are finally growing...about ready to cook up some more!
This was the first cluster of tomato fruit, but not the first to fully ripen...although some are starting to. Hopefully I can pick some soon because the little vine is starting to really sag from the weight.
This lower bunch is where I picked from today...one more is almost ready!
This is the tangled mess that is the view out my kitchen window, but you can see a few of the cucumber plant leaves
Tomato Legend plant...hopefully will be red in about a weekWednesday, July 8, 2009
Chicken with Couscous and Spinach
This week's recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two, 2009, my new little cookbook. I'm always looking for smaller-scale recipes so I don't end up with a ton of leftovers. For those of you with families, I'm sure you can figure out how to double or triple the recipe, as this one only serves 2. Enjoy!
You will need:
1/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour
2 (6-8 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
table salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 C Israeli couscous
1 shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
3 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon graded zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 3/4 C low-sodium chicken broth
6 oz baby spinach (about 6 cups)
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 C)
Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working with one breast at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Carefully lay the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook until well browned on the first side, 6-8 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook until the thickest part of the breast registers 160-165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 6-8 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a plate, tent loosely with foil, and let rest in the warm oven while preparing the couscous.
3. Wipe out the skillet with a wad of paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon more oil and the couscous to the skillet and toss over medium heat until light golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the shallot, 2 teaspoons of the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the lemon zest, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is al dente, 8-10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, whisk 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1 teaspoon garlic, remaining 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper flakes together in a small bowl.
6. Stir the spinach, one handful at a time, into the skillet and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the feta and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the couscous between two plates and top with the chicken. Drizzle with the lemon juice mixture and serve.
The finished product-not too shabby
This was the picture in the book, so I think it turned out right
I loved this dish! I love feta and spinach, so I was excited to try this one. The recipe calls for Israeli couscous, which I could not find at Smith's. I noticed after that the recipe says orzo can be substituted, but I just used the healthier couscous option Smith's did have, which was Hodgson Mill whole wheat couscous with milled flax seed and soy (had more fiber and protein). I probably could have skipped the toasting step and I could have cut back a little on the chicken broth because my cous cous turned out almost soggy, but it was fine. It also seemed to make a lot-could have been 3-4 servings. My chicken breasts were pretty big too, so if I had sliced the chicken, it could have fed 3-4 as well. Next time, I will also add a little fresh lemon juice with the oil while I cook the chicken, because I love lemon flavor in chicken. I may even try substituting swiss chard for the spinach next time I have some to harvest (which should be soon-it's growing very fast).
I'm looking for recipes that call for cilantro, sweet basil, arugula, cilantro, and parsley-all of which I have growing outside and I need to use as much as I can before I move. I am a little overwhelmed with all the options for recipes online, so if you have one or more you love, let me know. My email is bkyoungs@gmail.com or leave one as a comment so you can share with everyone (all 3 of my readers). :-) Thanks!
You will need:
1/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour
2 (6-8 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
table salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 C Israeli couscous
1 shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
3 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon graded zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 3/4 C low-sodium chicken broth
6 oz baby spinach (about 6 cups)
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 C)
Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working with one breast at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Carefully lay the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook until well browned on the first side, 6-8 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook until the thickest part of the breast registers 160-165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 6-8 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a plate, tent loosely with foil, and let rest in the warm oven while preparing the couscous.
3. Wipe out the skillet with a wad of paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon more oil and the couscous to the skillet and toss over medium heat until light golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the shallot, 2 teaspoons of the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the lemon zest, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is al dente, 8-10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, whisk 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1 teaspoon garlic, remaining 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper flakes together in a small bowl.
6. Stir the spinach, one handful at a time, into the skillet and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the feta and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the couscous between two plates and top with the chicken. Drizzle with the lemon juice mixture and serve.
The finished product-not too shabby
This was the picture in the book, so I think it turned out rightI loved this dish! I love feta and spinach, so I was excited to try this one. The recipe calls for Israeli couscous, which I could not find at Smith's. I noticed after that the recipe says orzo can be substituted, but I just used the healthier couscous option Smith's did have, which was Hodgson Mill whole wheat couscous with milled flax seed and soy (had more fiber and protein). I probably could have skipped the toasting step and I could have cut back a little on the chicken broth because my cous cous turned out almost soggy, but it was fine. It also seemed to make a lot-could have been 3-4 servings. My chicken breasts were pretty big too, so if I had sliced the chicken, it could have fed 3-4 as well. Next time, I will also add a little fresh lemon juice with the oil while I cook the chicken, because I love lemon flavor in chicken. I may even try substituting swiss chard for the spinach next time I have some to harvest (which should be soon-it's growing very fast).
I'm looking for recipes that call for cilantro, sweet basil, arugula, cilantro, and parsley-all of which I have growing outside and I need to use as much as I can before I move. I am a little overwhelmed with all the options for recipes online, so if you have one or more you love, let me know. My email is bkyoungs@gmail.com or leave one as a comment so you can share with everyone (all 3 of my readers). :-) Thanks!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Swiss Chard
So one of my goals for this year is to try a new recipe each week and also to blog about it (because I love getting recipes from people, so I thought I would share). I have 4 lovely Swiss Chard plants growing right outside my door and I finally decided to try and cook some (also, the tall stalks were kept breaking off in the wind+rain so I figured they were ready). I think when I bought and planted the chard, I thought I would use the chard in a salad, but apparently it's supposed to be cooked, because those were the only kind of recipes I could find. My new favorite channel is the Food Network and they have a great website too. This recipe is the Neeley's (if you've never seen their show, they are a married couple) and can be found here.
Ingredients:
I tried to cut back the quantities a bit because I didn't quite have 2 large bunches to pick and because it was just for me. Adjust accordingly, depending on your tastes. I left out the red pepper flakes because I'm not into spice. One tip I read was to just cook the onions and garlic in the bacon grease and then add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar with the chard ribbons because rendering the bacon grease seemed to just get rid of the oil.
Anyway, it turned out pretty good. I will cook the stems longer next time (probably the same as the onions and garlic) because they were still pretty crunchy. The flavor was different, but good...kind of like cooked spinach. And of course everything is better with bacon. :-)
Ingredients:
- 2 large bunches Swiss chard
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 strips thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Slice the stems into 1-inch pieces and reserve. Stack the chard leaves into a pile. Roll together into a bundle and slice into 1/2-inch ribbons.
Heat oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute until browned, rendering the fat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add chard stems, cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.
Begin to add the chard ribbons in batches. Once the chard wilts down, add the next batch. Stir occasionally until completely tender, about 5 minutes.
The finished product
I tried to cut back the quantities a bit because I didn't quite have 2 large bunches to pick and because it was just for me. Adjust accordingly, depending on your tastes. I left out the red pepper flakes because I'm not into spice. One tip I read was to just cook the onions and garlic in the bacon grease and then add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar with the chard ribbons because rendering the bacon grease seemed to just get rid of the oil.
Anyway, it turned out pretty good. I will cook the stems longer next time (probably the same as the onions and garlic) because they were still pretty crunchy. The flavor was different, but good...kind of like cooked spinach. And of course everything is better with bacon. :-)
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
30 days
Sigh. I am super sad tonight. I gave my landlord 30 days notice today. My lease is up and I will not be staying. I am having mixed emotions about the whole thing. Best case scenario is I will have a job in Logan within 30 days and will move there. Worst case scenario, I never find a job in Logan and I have wait around for John to get motivated enough to move to Salt Lake City where I will be forced to stay in my current job because I can't find anything else. My kind brother and his sweet wife are renting me a room in their basement in the event I don't find a job in Logan by the end of the month.
I applied for another job with USU. It is with the 4-H program, specifically their Youth and Families with Promise program that works with 10-14 year-olds that are struggling academically, socially, etc. I think 4-H is a great program and I am so impressed with the program goals of YFP. The great thing about the job is I would actually be using my degree! That would be super. They are looking for someone with a degree in Recreation or Youth/Child Development...which just happens to have been my major+minor. So it's basically the perfect job. All the benefits of working for USU (seriously, great benefits) but I would be using my degree+experience and working with kids, which is what I have always wanted to use my degree for. So please send all the happy thoughts you can spare my way.
The saddest part about leaving my little apartment is leaving my little garden. I have developed a love of gardening this summer and I am so sad I won't get to reap the full harvest of my efforts. I hope whoever rents this place next will appreciate my efforts and continue to take care of my little garden so at least someone will get to enjoy it and it won't be a complete waste. I did learn a lot though and have had fun, so I still think it was worth doing (and I knew going in to it that I might move before the end of the summer). So far I have been able to use cilantro and swiss chard and should be able to use the chives, parsley, arugula, and basil and hopefully some tomatoes will ripen in the next 30 days. I have several clusters of grape tomatoes that are getting bigger every day...now if they would just get red+ripe. I intended to blog the progress of my little garden, but of course I never did. I did take a couple of pictures the first day I noticed tomato fruit, so you can get a little idea of what I have going. The grape tomato plant is so big and is basically taking over the rest of the plants around it (cucumber, cantelope, which I don't think stand a chance).
The grape tomato plant...and this was about 2 weeks ago so it's actually bigger now
first fruit-so excited!
Cilantro and 2 kinds of lettuce
Swiss Chard, chives, arugula, parsley, and a garlic plant you can't see because the arugula is now growing over it.
In the end, I think this is for the best. I am so hoping I will be making a direct move to Logan, but I would love the chance to live with Matt+Debi and their girls too. It would be nice to save some money and get a little more on top of my financial goals.
I'm going to try and enjoy the next 30 days the best I can. John is working so much right now (even weekends) and will be traveling to Amsterdam, Massachusetts, and Missouri this month...so basically we won't be see each other much. Not to mention he has decided to change his hours to match the guys he his working with in Amsterdam, which means his work day will stat around midnight and he will go to bed around 3:00 each afternoon.
So this month is going to be all about me, about packing and sorting and de-cluttering and making big decisions and hopefully starting a new job. I just want to enjoy it because it could be the last 30 days I live by myself.
P.S. I feel like no one is reading my blog anymore, since I changed it to private. I know I am not the most exciting blogger, but if you read this you should leave me a comment so I feel loved and supported. Thanks. :-)
I applied for another job with USU. It is with the 4-H program, specifically their Youth and Families with Promise program that works with 10-14 year-olds that are struggling academically, socially, etc. I think 4-H is a great program and I am so impressed with the program goals of YFP. The great thing about the job is I would actually be using my degree! That would be super. They are looking for someone with a degree in Recreation or Youth/Child Development...which just happens to have been my major+minor. So it's basically the perfect job. All the benefits of working for USU (seriously, great benefits) but I would be using my degree+experience and working with kids, which is what I have always wanted to use my degree for. So please send all the happy thoughts you can spare my way.
The saddest part about leaving my little apartment is leaving my little garden. I have developed a love of gardening this summer and I am so sad I won't get to reap the full harvest of my efforts. I hope whoever rents this place next will appreciate my efforts and continue to take care of my little garden so at least someone will get to enjoy it and it won't be a complete waste. I did learn a lot though and have had fun, so I still think it was worth doing (and I knew going in to it that I might move before the end of the summer). So far I have been able to use cilantro and swiss chard and should be able to use the chives, parsley, arugula, and basil and hopefully some tomatoes will ripen in the next 30 days. I have several clusters of grape tomatoes that are getting bigger every day...now if they would just get red+ripe. I intended to blog the progress of my little garden, but of course I never did. I did take a couple of pictures the first day I noticed tomato fruit, so you can get a little idea of what I have going. The grape tomato plant is so big and is basically taking over the rest of the plants around it (cucumber, cantelope, which I don't think stand a chance).
The grape tomato plant...and this was about 2 weeks ago so it's actually bigger now
first fruit-so excited!
Cilantro and 2 kinds of lettuce
Swiss Chard, chives, arugula, parsley, and a garlic plant you can't see because the arugula is now growing over it.In the end, I think this is for the best. I am so hoping I will be making a direct move to Logan, but I would love the chance to live with Matt+Debi and their girls too. It would be nice to save some money and get a little more on top of my financial goals.
I'm going to try and enjoy the next 30 days the best I can. John is working so much right now (even weekends) and will be traveling to Amsterdam, Massachusetts, and Missouri this month...so basically we won't be see each other much. Not to mention he has decided to change his hours to match the guys he his working with in Amsterdam, which means his work day will stat around midnight and he will go to bed around 3:00 each afternoon.
So this month is going to be all about me, about packing and sorting and de-cluttering and making big decisions and hopefully starting a new job. I just want to enjoy it because it could be the last 30 days I live by myself.
P.S. I feel like no one is reading my blog anymore, since I changed it to private. I know I am not the most exciting blogger, but if you read this you should leave me a comment so I feel loved and supported. Thanks. :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)