Recipe Organization

I love my Cath Kidston Recipe Organizer! Before I bought this binder, I tried the index card in the box thing, but that didn't work because I started printing out so many full-page recipes from the internet. Then I started sticking everything into a file folder & would have to rifle through it every time I needed a recipe, which was a nightmare. The 3-ring binder method really works for me. I need a way to keep full page recipes & a way to divide them by appetizer, main course, etc. You could just as easily (& cheaply) make your own binder, which some of you may have already done. I went ahead & bought this one because of all the info printed on the insides of the binder. I needed all of those conversions, etc. Also, for me, sometimes it's easier to just pay the extra money then to task myself with finding time to make my own.

For those of you interested in making your own binder, here are the tabs/dividers that are in mine:

Appetizers

Soups

Salads

Main Courses

Side Dishes

Desserts

Drinks

Miscellaneous

The tabs are pretty good. I don't have much behind the Salads & Drinks tabs, so I could probably do without those. I also wish it had a Breakfast tab. I've been sticking all of my breakfast recipes behind the Miscellaneous tab. Other than that, no complaints. Also worth noting, the actual dividers have pockets for recipes on index cards or scraps of paper. Very handy!

Like most of you, I accumulate a lot of recipes. I print out everything I come across online & stick it in my binder. If I haven't made it within 6 months to a year, I throw it out. I'm bad about printing out overly-ambitious recipes, so I do a lot of purging. I put new recipes in the front of the section so I see them every time I sit down to decide what to make for the week. If I find myself skipping past them week after week, I throw them out.

I bought this for $13 on Amazon, but they've apparently quit selling it. Davis Kidd used to have it in-store, so maybe check there. Always check the rings in the binder, I found that half of them are broken for whatever reason.

Again, I'd love to know how you guys organize your recipes, so please leave lots of comments!

Weekly Meal Planning & Recipe Gathering

I've been getting a lot of questions about what I cook during the week, where I get my recipes, which cookbooks I use, etc., so I thought I'd put it all out there.

Meal Planning:

Once a week, usually on Sat. mornings, I sit down & plan out what I'm going to eat for the week. This list used to just cover dinner, but now that I'm watching what I eat, I'm also writing down what I eat for lunch. I use a simple 2 Post-It method. Since I typically eat at my desk 4 days a week & we usually eat at home 4 nights a week, I divide the Post-It into boxes of 4. One Post-It for lunch & one for dinner. On the dinner Post-It, I label each of the 4 boxes with the day of the week I'll be cooking, then I simply write down what we'll be cooking/eating that night. Pretty easy, huh?

Grocery Shopping:

Once I have my meal plan figured out, I make a shopping list. First, I write down everything we're out of & all the usual stuff we buy once a week, i.e. milk, half & half, etc. Then I write down everything I need for b'fast, lunch & snacks. Then I go back to the meal plan & write down everything I need for the dinner recipes I'll be making during the week. Because I'm borderline OCD, sometimes I re-write the list according to product placement in the store, i.e. produce first, then canned goods, milk & cheese last, etc. It's a sickness. Also, I typically go to at least 2 grocery stores -Trader Joe's & Publix, so sometimes I divide my list by which store the food is in.

Recipes:

I get recipes everywhere. I used to primarily get them from cookbooks, but now that I've found so many recipe-based websites, I've been getting a lot of stuff online. I also get a lot of recipes from friends. I recently subscribed to Cooking Light. I've only received 2 issues, but I've made quite a few recipes from those 2 issues. Love Cooking Light! They also post a lot of recipes on Twitter that aren't in the magazine, so definitely recommend following them if you're on the Twitter. Here are some of the websites I frequent:

http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/

http://smittenkitchen.com/

http://www.tastespotting.com/

Also, I don't watch a ton of Food Network, but I do get some recipes from Good Eats & Rachael Ray (I know...).

Cookbooks:

I have some awesome cookbooks that I get a lot of recipes from. Here are my favorites:

The Best 30 Minute Recipe

Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook 14th Edition

The Weekend Baker

Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast: Weeknight

I have had a few people recommend the following cookbook to me & it's definitely on my wish list:

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

A mere 2 years ago, the only thing I could cook was baked chicken & Zatarains Red Beans & Rice, so I've come a long way. Having a fully equipped kitchen has made all the difference. Plus, John has learned that cooking relaxes him, so him cooking a few nights a week is HUGE. He usually picks out 1 or 2 things that he wants to make, which keeps things interesting because he chooses things I would have never chosen. We definitely have recipes that we like to make on a regular basis, but we do make a concerted effort to try new things & to not fall into a rut where we're making the same things week after week. Surprisingly, I don't love to cook, so the excitement of trying new things is honestly what keeps me in the kitchen.

I'd love to hear what other people do in regards to meal planning, finding recipes, etc., so please leave lots of comments!

Bon appetit!

Just Checking the Boxes

I wish there was a way for me to adequately convey how over graduate school I am. Seriously, so over it. In my first class, they told us to strongly consider going full time & getting out in 2 years because when you do what I've done, which is take 1 class a semester for 3+ years, you want to kill yourself by the end. Hindsight.....

I'm in a class now that I have zero interest in: public budgeting. Aside from a general lack of interest, it's definitely the hardest & most time consuming class I've had to date. I like the teacher, but she's young, she's new & she thinks we care more than we do. And she apparently thinks we have 4 hours a night to dedicate to this class. As my friend (& fellow grad student) Mike said, I'm just checking the boxes at this point. The days of actually reading the chapters are over. I read enough to do the weekly assignments & that's it. If I even do that.

I'm burned out. I had that huge budget memo due 2 weeks ago that I spent an entire 3-day weekend working on & now I have a mid-term coming up on Wed that I need to spend all weekend studying for. The last thing I want to do is spend another weekend holed up in my house because of this class. I've never had a class that required this much work. Again, over it.

I think this is compounded by not knowing what all of this hard work will get me in the end. When I started this, I assumed I would stay with the State & just move up into a higher level (higher paying) job. Now that the political climate has changed so much & the budget is what it is, there are no state jobs. Obviously, I have the option of going back to the private sector, but all of my contacts & connections are with the State. I'm going to end up a secretary with a masters. Which is what's keeping me up at night, in case you were wondering.

Anyway, long story short, I'm sick of school. I've got 2 classes this summer, 1 class in the fall & then I'll graduate in Dec. I think. I need to talk to my advisor & confirm this. Ugh.....

Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday Night:
Date night with MK! We ordered take-out, opened a bottle of wine, & watched Coco Before Chanel on DVD. So good! Audrey Tautou made a perfect Chanel. Highly recommend this movie. Oui, oui!

Saturday:
Spent the day working on my "dangerously low" vitamin D deficiency: ran 3 miles around the hood & spent all afternoon reading on the deck. I also did a little detective work & found the house where the pack of stray dogs live, well, at least two of them. There was a little boy outside feeding them, so I stopped & told him to tell his parents that they're breaking the law by letting their dogs run loose & that I was going to call Animal Control & that if he didn't want his pit bull to die, he better figure out a way to keep him in the fenced in back yard that he keeps escaping from. I thought telling the kid that I was going to kill his dog did the trick because I didn't see the dogs for the remainder of the day. Well, that was short-lived as John went outside to smoke later that night & they were running loose again. RAWR!

Saturday Night:
John & I walked next door to Korea House for dinner. Yes, again. I can't help it, I love that place. Then we went home & watched The Hurt Locker. This movie wasn't as intense as I was expecting, but that's probably because it's been talked about so much. I bet I would have had a stronger reaction had I seen it in the theater. Still, it's a good movie & definitely worth watching for the small percentage of you who haven't already seen it.

Sunday:
My sister had a bad night in the hospital, so I went up there to try & cheer her up with my tales of telling little boys that I'm going to kill their dog. It worked for the most part. Unfortunately, the babies couldn't leave on Sunday. They had to spend some time in the little baby tanning beds. My sister was obviously upset because she didn't want to leave them, but she also didn't want to stay in the hospital for another night. Ultimately, I took her home & her husband stayed with the babies. It actually worked out for the best because she got to come home & reconnect with Abigail & Jessica before bringing the twins home on Monday.

I also had to drop my car off to have repair work done. My car has been driving like crap lately & I assumed it was due to all the potholes from the snow. When I had my oil changed last week, I asked Firestone to check it out. They told me I needed to replace all 4 struts, change my 2 cracked power steering belts, & all this other stuff. Total? $1500. So I told my dad & he called his mechanic friend & he said not to trust Firestone & to call this mechanic friend of his. We called & the guy not only fixed my car, he did it for $300. Apparently only the 2 front struts & the power steering belts needed to be replaced. Effing Firestone.....

Spicy Shrimp & Grits

I took the March issue of Cooking Light to the hospital on Thursday & quickly flagged this recipe to try ASAP.

Spicy Shrimp & Grits

4 servings

3 cups 1% lowfat milk

1 cup water

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp salt, divided

1/4 tsp black pepper, divided

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits

1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

4 slices applewood-smoked bacon

1 lb peeled, deveined large shrimp

1 cup thinly vertically sliced white onion

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1 chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce

1/8 tsp ground or crushed red pepper

1/4 cup green onion strips

1 tsp Tabasco

1. Combine milk, water, butter, 1/4 tsp salt, & 1/4 tsp black pepper in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer; gradually add grits, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat to medium; cook 4 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese.

2. While grits cook, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 tsp drippings, crumble bacon. Add shrimp to drippings in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove shrimp from pan. Add white onion to pan; saute 1 minute. Stir in bacon, tomatoes, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, & remaining 1/8 tsp black pepper; saute 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp, chipotle chile, Tabasco; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are heated. Serve over grits; sprinkle with green onions.

Kim's Notes: For the shrimp, we buy the $5.99 bag of large shrimp from Trader Joe's. Also, I never use "fresh" cheese because I don't grate. I used a Sargento parmesan reggiano blend. This recipe was really good, especially the grits. Next time I'll use less grape tomatoes & less green onions. It was just too much, not bad, but too much. Also, for a recipe called "spicy", it wasn't that spicy. I may add more fire next time. The recipe recommends trying fresh chile peppers. I may add a little garlic, too. Lastly, this was surprisingly quick to make. I think it took us 20-30 minutes total. Definitely recommend this recipe.

Introducing Hailey & Hannah

My sister gave birth to healthy twin girls this morning. Hailey Dawn (lavender bow): 6 lbs 4 ounces. Hannah Leigh (pink bow): 5 lbs 15 ounces. They were born at 7:55 & 7:56am, respectively. They're both approximately 18 inches long. Welcome to the world, Hannah & Hailey, or as John would say, happy 0th birthday!

Full photostream here.

Babies!

Thursday is D-day. "D" meaning delivery. My sister is scheduled to deliver her twin girls tomorrow morning & I can't wait, especially since one of them (Hailey) is taking my middle name. She'll be my favorite, of course. Sorry Hannah, hopefully your Aunt Amanda will look after you since you're taking her middle name, which, I'm sad to report, is not "Montana".

I'll report back tomorrow with pictures, weights, etc.

Wednesday Weigh Day

I weighed the same today as I did last week. Taking into account how much I ate & drank this (3-day) weekend, I'll take it. Honestly, I was expecting to have gained a pound or two, so maintaining was a nice surprise. I've lost 8.5 lbs total. I'm still doing pretty good with my eating Mon-Fri, but I need to reign it in on the weekends & up my exercise.

I've started getting up before work & riding the elliptical for 45 minutes, so surely that will produce results. Also, today I used My Fitness Coach for the first time & really liked it. It's 100x better than the Wii Fit &/or Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum. I like that you don't have to exercise on the Wii balance board. I hate that board.

It took me about 30 minutes to create my profile. It's a pretty detailed profile, way more so than the Wii Fit. You get to pick your work-out setting & music, which I love. This morning I did a 30 minute upper body work-out (urban setting; 80s music). It was really similar to the Sculpt classes I usually take at the Y. Well worth the $20 investment. Highly recommend this game to anyone with a Wii.

3-Day Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday Night:
The usual: wine & Netflix. I watched The Hangover, which I thought was hilarious. No idea why I waited so long to watch this movie. So funny!

Saturday:
Intended to work on my homework, but spent most of the day shopping. I mostly bought legitimate things like groceries, toothpaste, etc., but I did take a detour through Green Hills Mall & bought 2 Spring items at Ann Taylor Loft: a cute, denim tulip skirt & a long-sleeved navy striped tee. I paid too much for the skirt, but I don't care. I heart it.

Saturday Night:
We met Jon & Ali at Korea House for dinner. People, I love Korea House. Seriously, I could marry that dolsot bibimbap, & have an affair on the side with the seafood pancake.

Sunday:
John's dad was here en route back home to Maryland, so he dragged us to an early morning breakfast at Cracker Barrel. John went back to bed & I worked on my budget memo. Around noon, we got restless, so we ventured down to Lower Broad & John bought a much needed new pair of cowboy boots. Aside from that brief excursion, I really did spend all day working on this horrific budget memo that's due on Wednesday.

Sunday Night:
We ate a big breakfast & snacked all day, so we weren't really that hungry, but went to Tequila's for dinner, mostly out of boredom. It's the hidden Mexican restaurant next to Big Lots. It's surprisingly good. And apparently they have karaoke on Saturday nights, which I'm very intrigued by.... We came back home & watched Inglourious Basterds. Well, John watched it. I promptly fell asleep.

Monday/President's Day:
Seriously, budget memo. All. Day. Took a 2 hour break to get a brow & bikini wax & finish Inglourious Basterds, but that's it. I hate this budget memo.

I'm making asian short ribs for dinner tonight & started to post the recipe, then remembered I've already posted it. On 2-19-09. How weird is it that I made this exact same dish almost a year ago to the day. Anyway, recipe here. It is really good.

The Best Made Plans

Too long, no blog. This week kind of sucked. John & I ended up being sick the majority of the week. I almost quit my job (again). I took an ativan instead & lived to fight/work another day. I've got a big class project due on Wednesday that I need to do this weekend. John's dad is coming back through town today & spending the night with us. And... it's Valentine's Day. I feel like I'm behind on the things I usually do on the weekends due to either snow or being sick, so I'm making some lists.

Things I'd like to do this weekend:
Get a manicure
Get my filthy car washed
Make a Valentine's Day dessert
Go to the mall (I'm out of shampoo, face wash, etc.)
Shop. I need some new shit.

Things I have to do this weekend:
Work on class project
Clean the house
Do laundry
Make meal plan & go to the grocery store(s)
Target run for toothpaste, toilet paper, etc.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday Night:
Stayed in & watched Miss Potter, the biopic about Beatrix Potter with Renee Zellweger & Ewan McGregor. I didn't love it, but I liked it. Carolyn, I think you would like it.

Saturday:
Got up in the 20 degree, snowy weather & ran the Predators Fangtastic 5K with MK & Melissa. Aside from the freezing weather, it was actually a lot of fun. The course was good & I was able to run the majority of it. And I wasn't sore afterwards, aside from a little bit in my calves. My throat & lungs hurt all day/night, but I was fine by Sunday. I'm definitely going to start running more 5Ks around town.

I also got my hair cut by Chrissi at Paul Mitchell. Our hair inspiration was Heidi Klum. I haven't been able to wash/style it yet (more on that later), but I have high hopes.

Saturday Night:
Went to dinner at Sir Pizza for David's birthday. I was pleasantly surprised at how non-creepy it was & at how good the pizza was. Also, $5 pitchers of PBR. What's not to love? The party continued on to Strike & Spare, but we came home. I was exhausted & my throat was hurting from talking so much.

Sunday:
I started taking antibiotics for an infection I didn't know I had & they wiped me out. I managed to do brunch with Ali & Jaime & run my usual Sunday errands, but then I came home & slept all day. I woke up & made chili. We kind of watched the Superbowl, but we're not really football people. I still wasn't feeling well, so I went on to bed.

Sunday Night/Monday Morning:
Sickness of ebola proportions. Seriously, I woke up around 3AM & thought I was dying. I cursed the chili & tried to go back to sleep. I got up for good around 5AM because I was certain an alien was trying to chew its way out of my stomach. It came in waves. I'd feel normal for a few minutes, then my stomach would spasm & clutch. I called my doctor & she said there's a "nasty" GI virus going around & unfortunately all you can do is let it run its course. She warned me it wouldn't be pretty & my God, it wasn't. Around this time John wakes up, also afflicted with the chewing alien condition. Thank God for 2 bathrooms. That's all I'll say. It was bad. I can't remember a time when I was this sick. On the plus side, I'm pretty sure I lost enough weight to fit into my Se7en jeans. Maybe I'll go try them on now.....

D is for Depression

I had my annual physical 2 weeks ago. The doctor called me yesterday to tell me that I have "dangerously low" levels of vitamin D. Guess what dangerously low levels of vitamin D cause? DEPRESSION. Mystery solved. I knew I was depressed. This not only confirms what I've been thinking for the past couple of months, it also explains why. I can't tell you what a weight off my shoulders this is. I don't need therapy; I don't need anti-depressants - I apparently need to move to Florida.

My mom has the same issue, so I shouldn't have been too surprised. Apparently our bodies just don't absorb vitamin D. My mom & I have the same doctor, so when I had my physical last year, my doctor went ahead & had me start taking daily vitamin D & calcium supplements, which I've done for the past year, to no avail clearly. So now I'm starting this 3 month vitamin D booster... It's some huge vitamin D pill that I take once a week for the next 3 months. The good news is, at least they caught it before it turned into rickets....

More info on vitamin D deficiencies here.

Badger Car Salesman

I secretly hate it when people don't post anything but a YouTube clip on their blog, but I'm totally doing it today. Mike sent this to me a week or so ago & it has since made it's way through the entire staff, including interns. In fact, Mike's intern (aka "Smooth Bobby") has been instructed to do the "wibble wibble wobble" on demand when asked. And he does. It's awesome. So without further ado, I bring you.... the badger car salesman.



You're welcome.

Cheesiest Potato Soup

Tiffany & I have been swapping soup recipes all winter. This is the latest one: cheesiest potato soup, as Tiffany says, "because if it's not the cheesiest, why bother?!"

Adapted from All Recipes.

Cheesiest Potato Soup
Serves 6

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic
1 cup diced onion
2 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
1 3/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 package chopped pancetta or 4 strips bacon chopped

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and garlic in butter until softened. Stir in potatoes and broth, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

2. In a separate skillet, cook pancetta or bacon until done.

3. Puree potato mixture in a blender or food processor or using an immersion blender; return to pot over medium heat. Stir in cream, cheese, dill, pepper, salt, cayenne, and cooked pancetta or bacon. Bring to a low boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, 5 minutes. Serve.

Kim's Notes: Okay, do not pour the potato mixture into a food processor. It's too much liquid & it will drain out before you can stop it. It will however, make your dog happy, as she will be licking chicken broth off your floor all night, but it will ruin your soup. Use a blender instead. Luckily, I had still had some chicken broth left, so we added that, some water, & kept going. Lesson learned.

This soup was still really good, Cuisinart disaster aside. Definitely recommend it. Serve with some good, crusty bread. Delish!

Shrimp Fried Rice

Adapted from Simple Fried Rice recipe in The Best 30-Minute Recipe book.

Shrimp Fried Rice
Serves 4 to 6

3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup (6 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups cooked white rice, chilled
1 bag Trader Joe's large cooked shrimp, tails-off
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp oyster-flavored sauce
1 cup bean sprouts
5 medium scallions, sliced thin

1. Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in a wok (or 12" nonstick skillet) over medium heat until shimmering. Add eggs & cook without stirring until just beginning to set, about 20 seconds. Continue to cook eggs, stirring constantly, until eggs are cooked through but not browned, about 1 minute; transfer to small bowl & set aside.

2. Add remaining 2 1/2 tbsp oil to wok & return to high heat until just smoking. Add peas & garlic & cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice, shrimp, soy sauce, & oyster-flavored sauce & cook, stirring constantly until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes.

3. Stir in bean sprouts, scallions, & reserved cooked eggs & cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve.

Wednesday Weigh Day

I'm starting to hate Wednesdays. Wednesday is my Weight Watchers designated 'weigh day'. And it sucks. I did really well at first, but I've hit a plateau. Actually, that's a lie. I haven't hit a plateau, I'm just over-eating & not working out. It all started with John's birthday weekend. I drank too much & subsequently ate too much, thus reigniting the eat & drink whatever you want Fri-Sun fire. This past weekend was a complete bust as I was snowed in with nothing in the house but chocolate chip cookies & red wine. Then this past Mon night I didn't eat all day & gorged on Papa John's for dinner. Side note: 4 slices of Papa John's cheese pizza is 20 Weight Watchers points. To put that into perspective, I'm only allowed 24 points a day. The 7-point Klondike bar that I washed the pizza down with put me over the top.

So I weighed myself this morning & did miraculously lose 0.5 lbs this week. Shocking considering how much I ate this weekend. I've lost 7.5 lbs total. Not bad, but not good. John finally figured out how to get cable in the work-out room, so I've been getting up early & riding the elliptical for 45 minutes before work, which will surely help. I wish I still had time for Spin & Sculpt. Stupid life-sucking job....

So my goal is to get back on track & wrangle in my crazy food ways Fri-Sun. I'm running a 5K this Sat, weather permitting, so hopefully that will help me to be more conscientious about what I eat. Hopefully....

Weekend Snowpocalypse Wrap-Up

Friday:
Snow!!! Got home around lunchtime & spent all day watching people wreck on Charlotte & get stuck trying to make it up the hill on our street. I felt like Pearl from 227. John finally got home & we ate dinner & watched The Aviator, which was amazing. Yes, it's 3 hours long, but still, amazing. Martin Scorsese, you are the master.

Saturday:
Cabin fever. Driveway & street a solid sheet of ice. My husband, the Eagle Scout, decides to shovel our driveway, which takes all day resulting in a half shoveled driveway, cracked asphalt & ultimately a broken snow shovel. Unbeknownst to me, while he was outside he was also pushing cars out of ditches, helping neighbors & generally being awesome. He also met one of our neighbors & realized he was the old sound guy from Exit/In. Apparently he works at The Rutledge now. Anyway, I was bored out my mind, but John had fun.

Saturday Night:
Still unable to leave our prison, I mean house, we walked next door & met our neighbors Mike & Amanda at Korea House. I had never eaten Korean food so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was so freaking good! I had the dolsot bibimbap, which was amazing. We also started with the seafood pancake, which I was scared of, but ate & loved. This might be my new favorite restaurant.

After dinner, we walked back home & watched Angels & Demons. I'm a big Dan Brown fan & both John & I read Angles & Demons & loved it. The movie didn't disappoint. Parts of the ending were different from the book, but overall it was pretty much the same.

Sunday:
Cabin fever reaching Donner Party proportions. Around noon, decided to risk it & leave the house. Went to Trader Joe's, Publix, & pretty much every store in the West Nashville Shopping Center, then met Mike & Chrissi for an early dinner at Cinco. Mike & John spent the whole dinner talking about Homicide & their shared dream of being a cop while Chrissi & I talked about hair & ghosts.

Full snowpocalypse photostream here.