S'mores

My good friend (who is a nicer version of Martha Stewart) gave us the best 4th of July treat ever. S'mores. Not your run of the mill Keebler and Hershey variety. The homemade graham cracker and Ghiradelli kind. Ones that make you ooh and ahh and squeal like a little girl when you bite into them. 

Using good quality chocolate made a world of difference. As did the homemade grahams. Go make some today. It'll put a smile on your face. 

Bajio's Green Chicken Chile Quesadilla

It was a sad, sad day in the Packer home last week. Ella and I drove to our favorite Monday night dining establishment only to find out it had closed. Bajio will soon be Costa Vida. It still boggles my mind that they would swap a Bajio for a Costa Vida when there's a perfectly good Cafe Rio 1 mile away....but alas...que sera sera.

So to ease my pain I made my version of our favorite meal. The Green Chicken Chile Quesadilla. Or Nachos. Or Salad. All good. And this time I paid attention to how to make it.

2 chicken breasts
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c lime juice
1 T Southwest Chipotle Seasoning

1 sweet onion
2 4-oz cans of green chiles
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
2/3 (almost, but not quite. Maybe 2-3 T less) c sugar
1/4 t salt
dash of cumin
dash of chili powder


Marinate the chicken, oil, lime juice and seasoning in a plastic bag for an hour or so. Mash the chicken around in the marinade and pound it until the thick part of the breast flattens out a bit.

Grill the chicken. While it is grilling saute the onions and green chiles. After 10 minutes or so, when they are about half-way cooked, add the vinegar and sugar. Once the chicken is done shred it and add it to the onions and chiles. Let cook together for a minute or so.

Serve on cook at home tortillas (did you know that you can buy food from Costco.com now? There is a $20 delivery fee, but you'd probably save at least that much by avoiding that inevitable impulse buy) with black beans and cheese. It made 2-3 big quesadillas.

Not quite as good as Bajio, but pretty tasty.

neither here nor there

• i ♥ jamie oliver. I am so in favor of the Food Revolution. Knowing what you are eating; preferably whole, natural, unprocessed foods. Especially in our schools. I'm loving this season and going to go back and watch last season. That doesn't mean I didn't just eat a chocolate marshmallow brownie. I did. 

• Anna might be the sweetest baby in the world. I am loving this newborn period. Nursing her is a great experience, not angst ridden like it was with Ella. Having enough milk makes all the difference. 

• A baby announcements that I sent to a friend in Italy was returned to me. Apparently Lucia has moved. Thankfully this box wasn't checked: "Sorry for not having delivered this submission as the recipient is....deceased." Those Italians. Tell it like it is.

• Ryan and I had our 10 year anniversary last week. We went out for dinner to celebrate and I thought we were going here. I was a little surprised when we ended up here. And Ryan was a little surprised that I thought we were going to celebrate 10 years together at a deli. 

• The Podium Girls are one of my favorite things about professional cycling. This may be one of my favorite outfits yet. You can't fully appreciate it because the mid-calf bike jersey/pant suit with white stilettos aren't in the video, but still, it's pretty great. (No need to watch the whole thing. First 15 seconds will suffice.)                                                     The "I missed the Royal Wedding, but made the Tour de Suisse" girls weren't bad either.

• Just bought our tickets for Ben Folds. This is 2 years in a row. Feeling very hip. And a little old, because I think that possibly only people over 30 like Ben Folds.

• I've made this recipe twice, and liked it both times. I cooked it longer than it called for. 

• Ella often says, "Why were you making their mouth go like that?" Translation: What does that expression on your face mean? Why are you happy, surprised, upset? It is funniest when she says it in reference to an illustration in one of her books--"Why is Boots making his mouth go like that?"
• Happy Father's Day.  If you are Ella's Pa you got one of these, and you loved it.

this and that

Kimmy, who is always up on what is up and coming, introduced me to two great things. 1) The LDS Children's Sing Along app is fantastic. Totally worth the $4.99. Ella has learned so many great songs all on her own. We love it. 2) Shellac (aka gel) manicures. I am not a manicure person. But I am a fan of the shellac. It's like having chip-free acrylic nails without the acrylic. Thanks, Kimmy.

I sent this video to Grandma Packer, but she couldn't open it. It's not a great movie, but does showcase Ella's keen fashion sense. 

• Aunt Bev (everyone should be so lucky as to have an Aunt Bev) asked for this recipe I brought to our Memorial Day lunch. Tuscan Bread Salad:

One loaf crusty bread into cubes
5-6 ripe tomatoes, diced
2 yellow or orange or red peppers, diced
1/4 c chopped basil
1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella, cubed 

Dressing: 6 Tbs olive oil, 3 Tbs balsamic vinegar, one clove minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste

Toss the bread cubes with a few tbs olive oil and bake at 400 until brown, about 10-15 minutes. Toss all the ingredients together, let rest for a few minutes and serve.

• I've got a new sub-header.  Try as I might I couldn't embrace the chaos....it just wasn't in me. A new mantra was needed. In med school when you asked a tired, overworked, underpaid (seriously underpaid, by about -100K) med student how they were doing a common tongue in cheek response was "Living the dream." But here I am, now on the other side, living the so-called dream. And it's filled with dirty diapers, snot nosed kids, crying babies (both at work and at home), and sleepless nights. But it's pretty great. Wouldn't have it any other way.
• Speaking of great, this girl is such a sweet baby. I am enjoying the newborn period SO much more this time around. Not sure why, but I'll take it. 

• My favorite conference talk was on kindness by Elder Ballard.  I have a dear friend who has cancer and her outlook is unsure at best. I was talking to her the other day and with deep wisdom she said that this life is all about our relationships. Relationships with our family, friends and God. The rest simply does not matter. So true. 
• I have reached the post-baby hair loss stage. I thought I was skipping it this time around, but oh no, hair is coming out by the handfuls. Not fun. But I should try and remember that, really it doesn't matter. Perspective is easier to talk about than to actually embrace. 
• Remember this recipe? Try it in a cupcake version. No liners needed. Just spray Pam in the muffin tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Seriously good.
• Speaking of recipes, I'm loving a new cookbook--Our Best Bites. Good "what should I cook for dinner tonight" kind of recipes. Thanks, Janice, for the tip.

life with two...

{ella and anna, week three}

...is harder than life with one.

But worth it.

There are days when I think I'm figuring it out, and days where my only saving grace is the wonderful friends and family supporting me. I know people do it without help. Those people are stronger than me. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has taken Ella, brought meals, cleaned my house and a myriad of other kind gestures. One of my favorite quotes is by Spencer W. Kimball:

The Lord does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.

Thank you to all those people. You have kept me sane.

In other news, tonight I cooked for the first time in a month. A new use-what's-in-your-pantry-because-it's-Sunday recipe. It was delicious. Give it a try. Chicken with Apple, Onion and Cider Sauce. My modifications: yellow onion instead of red and homemade chicken stock leftover from the Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Chicken. (But don't be too impressed. After enjoying this for lunch we had cold cereal for dinner.)

a few random things

• When we were in Paris Taylor and Ryan discovered this remote controlled flying hovercraft (I am sure that is not a good description). Ryan recently got one for work and brought it home to test it out. Ella loves it. In case you can't understand Ella at the end, here's a transcript: "What's the matter helitopter? It says, 'I want to get up in the sky.'"

• Last week when I went to the OB I was measuring small and I had lost weight. She assured me that everything was probably fine, but we should do an ultrasound just to make sure. Between this visit and the ultrasound I had a dozen people (mostly patients) tell me "You're having that baby in February? You are so tiny!" I didn't take offense because I knew they meant well, but it made me cringe, just a bit, every time. The only safe words to say to a pregnant woman are "You look great," and don't take offense if she starts crying :) We had the ultrasound today and everything is indeed fine. Baby is growing well and right on track.
• I got this clock for Christmas. These pictures aren't great, but see if you can figure out what time it is. 10:40 or 11:40? 7:25 or 8:25? 11:20 or 12:20?

• The baby is not breech, so I'm going to try for a VBAC. I realized that while I've seen a lots of babies born I'm pretty clueless as to what labor really means. So I'm doing some reading. Anyone have a favorite book? I'm looking for something along the lines of "The practical girl's guide to labor and delivery." {I am having an epidural, as it is recommended for a VBAC.}
• Good Sunday night (ie, trying to make food from your cupboards without going to the store) meal: A knock off of Bajio's Green chicken chile. Loose directions: Marinate chicken breast in lime juice and southwest seasonings. Grill and shred. Meanwhile, saute onions and green chiles and garlic. Make a reduction out of apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, cumin and some chili pepper. Add the reduction to the onion/green chile mixture and cook until caramelized. Add chicken and black beans to mixture. Serve over nachos, in tacos a salad or a quesadilla.

Book Club

I joined a neighborhood book club a few months ago. Normally I am opposed to book clubs. Not on moral grounds; it's just that I don't want to feel like I'm back in Mrs. Cunniff's AP Literature class dissecting characters and musing on plots. But I liked the people involved in this group so I gave it a whirl. And it was fun. So fun that this month I hosted it at my house. I was feeling domestic and put together a light dinner. Butternut Squash Soup, Crusty Loaf Bread, Lemony Arugula Salad and Pumpkin Cupcakes. Sounded like a good menu. And it was. But everything was a little off. Not enough that it was bad, but enough that you just wanted to tell people, "I know this is okay, but really, it can be so much better." No one likes the apologetic chef, so I tried to keep my mouth shut. But here, on my personal sounding board, I'm telling you how it could have been so much better.

Butternut Squash Soup

I didn't add the curry, and maybe I should have. But the real downfall was the consistency. It needed a little cream. It ended up a roasted vegetable puree. I did cook the onions a little longer, which was a good thing. Next time I may try her original recipe.

Crusty Loaf

It needs more salt. Probably double what the recipe calls for. I forget this about half of the time.

Lemony Arugula Salad

2 bunches arugula

3/4 c candied pecans

1 c grape tomatoes

2/3 c fresh parmesan

1 avocado

Dressing

zest of one lemon

1 T white wine vinegar

juice of one lemon

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 t dry mustard

2 t sugar

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

My downfall here was that I used all of the dressing on the arugula was drenched. Dripping. I think 1/4 to 1/2 would have sufficed.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

These were delicious. I ate two.

At the last minute I fell victim to the "I am going to run out of food" mentality and added another soup. This was probably a bad idea because I was rushed and the other food suffered because of it. But here's the recipe anyway. It was easy and fast.

Tomato Basil Soup

1 1/2 cup water
31.5 oz spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cup half and half
4 1/2 oz pumpkin
2 chicken bullion cubes
garlic powder
paprika

chopped basil

30 Days of Thanks #10

Ella turned two this week. I know that theoretically she turned two on August 29th. But it wasn't until November 9th that she started to act like a two-year old. We had two major meltdowns in as many days, enough so that Ryan seriously started to wonder what had happened to our child.

Thankfully Ella and I had a great day today. We snuggled up this morning and read "The Gingerbread Baby" and then later today made Gingerbread Babies of our own. It was a good day, free of major tantrums.

I found this recipe online, which is always a bit of a gamble, but they turned out great.

Soft Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup dark molasses
• 1/2 cup butter, softened

1. In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices until well blended. (I like to use a wire whisk but a spoon will work too.)
2. In another large bowl beat the egg and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
3. Add the molasses and butter and beat well.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix just until blended. (Overworking the dough will make tough cookies.)
5. Form the dough into a disk shape, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
6. When you are ready to bake the cookies, make sure one of your oven racks is in the center of your oven and preheat oven to 350F degrees.
7. Line your cookie sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper. Alternatively lightly grease the cookie sheets with shortening or cooking spray.
8. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick, getting it as even as you can.
9. Cut with a 2-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter or your favorite shaped cutter.
10. Place cookies at least 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
11. When you have cut as many cookies as you can, lightly press the cookie dough scraps together, re-roll the dough and cut out additional cookies.
12. Bake for about 10 minutes or until they are slightly firm when you touch them lightly with your index finger. (You don't want to let the edges brown or over-bake them or they will be very hard.)
13. When done, remove pan from the oven and immediately transfer the cookies with a spatula to wire racks to cool completely.

updates and other mumbo jumbo

• Pregnancy. I am 25 weeks. Depending on who you believe my due date is sometime between February 8 and 14th. And...it's a girl. My Aunt Cari, who is one of my very most favorite people in the whole world, loved being pregnant. I don't. One more thing for me to work on to try and be more like her.
• Going organic. I try, but am far, far from doing it all the way. I try to avoid the ones that are supposedly worse, the "dirty dozen." Pretty much it just means that I don't buy as many fruits and vegetables as I used to, which has its own consequences. We're trying.
• Ella. I often call her "my Ella" and she has taken to calling herself "your Ella." Such as, "You want to share your pillow with your Ella?"
• Room swap. I've decided to move Ella to the guest room and keep Ella's room for the new baby. But I don't think Ella is ready to move to a toddler bed, so I'm going to move her crib with her. I think I'm going to buy a pack n' play with bassonette feature for the new baby. I think I'm going to paint Ella's new room a deep blue (something like La Fonda Deep Blue) and use one of these two rugs. Which one do you like better?
  Field Poppy (in green)
  
  
  
Modern Love

• Posture. I hate even talking about this. I was doing so well, and now I'm not. And the watermelon in my belly isn't helping. 2009 was supposed to be the year of the straight back. Then 2010. Is there any hope for 2011?
• This is my new favorite potato casserole recipe.
• This is my new favorite pumpkin cupcake recipe.
• Ella got these boots as an early Christmas present. I think they may be the cutest thing I've seen in a very long time.

Apple Cake

I've been craving apple cake lately have been digging around for recipes. I remembered this one from the Costco magazine that I made two or three times last year.

No, it is not good for you. Yes, it is absolutely delicious. I also tried it with pears, and maybe even liked it better.

Caramel-Glazed Apple Cake

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
5 Granny Smith apples
1 1/4 cup chopped pecans and walnuts
2 1/4 tsp vanilla

Caramel Glaze
4 T butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour and a 9x13 pan (Or 2 8x8 pans).
Beat sugars and oil until well blended. Add eggs one at a time. Sift dry ingredients together and add to egg mixture until just blended. Stir in apples, nuts, and vanilla. Pour in pan(s).

Bake for 50-75 minutes (mine was about 60). Let cool in pan while preparing glaze.
Glaze: Melt better over low heat. Stir in sugars over med-low and cook for 2 minutes. Add cream and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Stir constantly.

Poke holes in cake with skewer or toothpick. Pour glaze over the cake. Serve warm and top with whipped cream or ice cream.

Eat. Enjoy. Crave.

keeping up

I should probably just keep this to myself, and let you all think that I am an amazing cook and a real whiz in the kitchen....but I can't help myself. I just got a new cookbook and it looks amazing. I've only gotten through the first 50 pages but already I want to try my hand at these tasty treats. The cookbook is called keeping up cookbook and is written by the author of Favorites, a Collection of Ivory Family Recipes. Favorites is a great cookbook with tried and true recipes, but I think keeping up looks even better.

check it out here

yum, yum, yum

The Harlem Family Recipe Book strikes again. This time it's dessert. And it's delicious. Right, Annie?

Carrot Cake Supreme

(Karen Bryner)

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

3 large eggs

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla

2 c grated carrots

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained

3.5 ounces flaked coconut

1 c chopped pecans (I left this out)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. Stir together dry ingredients. Beat eggs and mix wet ingredients with electric mixer. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrots, pineapple, coconut and pecans. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Frost with Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting. Chill for several hours before slicing. Store in fridge. For best results, cover and chill cake, serve on second day.

Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting

11 ounces cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup butter, softened

16 ounces powdered sugar (I didn't use quite this much)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy, 1-3 minutes. Stir in vanilla.

Attention to Detail

Last night we had friends over for dinner and I was in charge of dessert. In the spirit of fall I decided upon caramel apples. The recipe said to cook the caramel to 225, about 15 minutes. It quickly turned a beautiful golden color, then brown, then dark brown. But the thermometer only read 150. So I kept cooking. Finally I could smell it burning, so even though it only read 200 I turned off the heat. It was only as I dipped the apples in the dark, thick, gooey goodness that I realized my mistake.

Can you guess?



So we had candied apples, which would have been delicious if the caramel (toffee?) didn't shatter as soon as you bit into the apple. Oh well, better luck next time.

Crusty Loaf

Today is your lucky day. On Fast Sunday I often torture myself by reading cookbooks or looking through food magazines. I know--it just makes it harder and is not in the proper spirit of the day, but somehow I always find myself with Ina, Giada or Betty. Today it's Ned. Ned Gardner is in Jamie's ward, and he contributed this fabulous recipe to the Harlem Family Recipe Book. It is absolutely wonderful. I even bit the bullet and purchased a cast iron pot just so I could make this bread.

One hint: read the recipe all the way through before starting. The first time I made this I ended up not having enough time to finish the bread properly and had to rush to Albertson's and buy bread to take to a gathering.

3 c all purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
cornmeal or wheat bran as needed


1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water and stir until well blended; dough will be sticky and shaggy. Cover dough with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature.

2. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, gently shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Place dough on flour dusted towel, and cover with another floured towel. Let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450. Put a 6 to 8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from the oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over in pot, seam side up (it may look like a mess, but it's okay). Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Roast Chicken

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It is easy, delicious, and gives you the appearance of a gourmet chef when all you really did was throw a chicken in the oven. Every time I make it I fall in love all over again.

My only tip is to place the bird breast side up. I have done it upside down more times than I'd like to admit, and while it still turns out, it is not quite as good. Also, I never make the gravy; I just spoon the juices (they are amazing) over the chicken and vegetables.

Barefoot Contessa Perfect Roast Chicken

• 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 large bunch fresh thyme

• 1 lemon, halved

• 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1 Spanish onion, thickly sliced

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

nocoupons Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pate ht outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of the lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken (I never have kitchen string, so I always skip this step). Scatter the onion slices around the chicken.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all the fat from the bottom of the pan, reserving 2 tablespoons in a small cup. Add the chicken stock to the pan and cook in high heat for about 5 minutes, until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan. Combine the 2 tablespoons of chicken fat with the flour and add to the pan. Boil for a few minutes to cook the flour. Strain the gravy into a small saucepan and season it to taste. Keep it warm over a very low flame while you carve the chicken. (Like I said, I skip this step too.)

Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve immediately with the warm gravy.

If you want to roast vegetable with the chicken, place 8 whole new red potatoes, 4 carrots, cut diagonally into quarters, and add them with the onions. Place the chicken on top of the vegetable for roasting.

Something New

If you're bored in the kitchen and looking for something new and different, check this out. It is the Harlem 1st Ward cookbook, created by Jamie's Young Women. Jame tells me that there are some really great recipes, and some that are...well, unique. Either way, it's only $12 and goes for a good cause. You can email jamie at jamiesuewride@gmail.com or me at alissapacker@gmail.com if you want one. (The above website is actually one of Kimmy's friends who is in Jamie's ward. Small world.)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This is one of those recipes that you don't really want to give out because once you do people realize you're not actually a good cook; you can just follow a great recipe. So my secret's out...don't tell Bobby.

Throwdown Cookies
3 eggs
1 c raisins
1 t vanilla

1 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar

2 ½ c flour
½ t salt
1 t cinnamon
2 t baking soda
2 c oatmeal

Mix the raisins, eggs (break them up with a fork) and vanilla in a little bowl. Let them stand for an hour.

Cream the butter and sugars. Add everything except the oatmeal and egg mixture. Add the oatmeal and egg mixture together. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350° for 10-12 minutes.
They are better underdone rather than overdone.

food and fun

Thayer gave me the new Barefoot Contessa cookbook (Back to Basics) and I am loving it. My favorite new recipe is the Herb Marinated Pork Loin. It is easy, tasty, and reasonably priced. I bought a pork tenderloin at Costco for $13.51. I froze half of it, and the other half fed 6 adults and 1 child and had leftovers to boot. Can't beat that. Here you go:

Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-6 lemons) (the second time I made this I used bottled lemon juice and it turned out fine)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbs minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 1/2 tbs minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tbs chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
2-3 pork tenderloins, 1 lb each
freshly ground black pepper

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 tsp salt in a 1 gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 3 hours. (I've tried marinating it overnight and marinating for 3 hours--couldn't tell much difference.)

When you're ready to cook, preheat the grill. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grill, turning a few times to brown on all sides, for 15-25 minutes--until the meat registers 137 degrees at the thickest part.
Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Carve in 1/2 inch thick diagonal slices. The thickest part will be pink; this is just fine. The end parts will be well done--something for everyone.

On another note, Ella is getting more hair. No ponytails or braids, but if you look close enough you can see a little clip hanging on for dear life on her left side. I've long maintained that there are two hair genes. One for thick, beautiful hair and one for styling hair. Most people get one or the other, and a few lucky people get both. I have neither. Hopefully Ella is okay with a little clippy because that's about all I'm good for. No french twists here.

And on yet another note, I am nearly done with my quilt. Thanks to a little positive encouragement from Beth et al it turned out nicely (with a few carefully placed skewed stitches to make it appear handmade). I'll post pics when it's done.

What to do with the Leftover Turkey?

Turkey Pot Pie, of course.

1/2 chopped onion
3 T butter
1/3 c flour
1 c cream
2 c chicken stock
1/2 bag of diced frozen potatoes
Celery, carrots, corn, peas
Turkey
Pillsbury ready made pie crust


Saute the onion and butter together. If you want your carrots a little less crunchy, toss them in the last minute or two. Add flour, cream and chicken stock. Heat until thickened. Mix together with vegetables and turkey. Cover with pie crust. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Easy peasy, and delicious.

A Smorgasborg of Ella

We had a great Thanksgiving. Janet, Brad and Alisha, Ryan, Ella and I celebrated together. I made my first turkey, and I was fairly pleased with the results. I found an Ina Garten recipe that uses a turkey breast instead of the whole turkey. Plenty if you are having a small gathering, and everyone gets white meat!

On Friday I had to work, but had a break between patients in the morning, so I stopped at Smith's Market Place to pick a few things up. It was crazy; packed with people, long long lines, free donuts, and socks that were 50% off. I kept thinking, "If it's this crazy at the grocery store, what does Target or Wal-Mart look like?" Maybe next year I'll find out.