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Thing to Do #89: Learn to Cook

January 6, 2012 by Jessica 7 Comments

COMPLETED!

The goal was 52 recipes in 52 weeks. I actually finished this up during the holiday season with some furious baking but didn’t have the time to write it up.

Recipe #48: Peanut Butter Bon Bons

  • 2 cups peanut butter
  • .5 cups butter
  • 1 lb. powdered sugar
  • 3 cups rice krispies
  • 4 cups chocolate pieces

In sauce pan, melt peanut butter and butter. In large bowl, combine powdered sugar and cereal. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture. Blend together with hands. Form into 1/2 inch balls. Chill til firm. Melt chocolate pieces. Dip the candies in the chocolate and chill til firm. Makes about 100.

This dish is a staple during Christmas in my family. Although technically I’ve made bon bons before, I messed up quite a bit during my first few tries so it’s not a guarantee that I’ll get this one right everytime.

Recipe #49: Haystacks

  • 2 packages butterscotch pieces
  • 1 can (3 oz) chinese noodles

Melt butterscotch pieces. Mix in noodles. Stir til well coated. Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper or aluminum foil. Chill

This dish is another staple during the holidays. It’s probably a cheat to include in the list but the first time I made it, I burned the butterscotch, so it’s not THAT easy!

Recipe #50: Sugar Cookies

This recipe is the basic one I got off of the cookie cutter I bought. I got it in my head that I wanted to make little cookies in the shape of Gingerbread Men (except I don’t like gingerbread so I decided to do sugar) but dang if I didn’t mess up royally when trying to pick up the little cutouts. They fell apart, just like all of my previous attempts with roll out dough. VERY frustrating. Something to work on, I guess.

Recipe #51: Chocolate Banana Won Tons

The last of the Weight Watchers recipes to try. This was…meh. Like so many of the WW recipes, it was missing something…like sugar and butter! It was pretty bland. I could imagine with a little something something, it would be pretty tasty.

Recipe #52: Tyler Coconut Pie

  • 3 beaten eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter (melted)
  • 1 cup coconut
  • 1/2 light cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 unbaked 8 inch pie shell

In mixing bowl, combine beaten eggs, sugar, and butter, beat well. Stir in coconut, light cream, and vanilla. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees till knife inserted off center comes out clean, 45 to 60 minutes.

A recipe handed down to me by my mother, this was the first time I tried it. I have to say, it kinda tasted like hers! Really, none of my recipes actually ever taste exactly as good as Mama’s but I figure if I can get it close, that’s all I can hope for.

After a year of cooking, I did learn a lot. I now have a fully stocked spice cabinet, I spent a lot of time Googling cooking terms I had never heard of, and now know incredibly useful things like how to cut a mango. My nemisis continued to be any baking that required rolling out dough-something to work on in the future. I have to say I still don’t like cooking-it’s a big bother and mostly serves to make me anxious and irritable. Plus, once I’ve seen it in raw form, I’m usually not even hungry by the time I’m finished. But I’ll continue to work on it a little, if only to save a little money from going out to eat all the time.

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2012

Goals for 2012

January 2, 2012 by Jessica 22 Comments

I’m pretty pleased with what I did in 2011 but that doesn’t mean I’m slowing down any! This won’t be a big year for travel or too much adventure but there are still plenty of things for me to do!

#8 Sell a piece of art (and realize my childhood dream, which is #28 on the 40/40 list)

#46 Scuba Diving: Continue practicing my newfound SCUBA skillz by going to the rock quarry at least once.

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written (#7 on the 40/40 list): I mostly have really long ones left so out of the 10 remaining, I’m going to tackle 4 this year. As ONE of these things to read is the ENTIRE works of Shakespeare, I also want to see 2 plays performed live.

#65  Shout ‘Drinks Are on Me!’ in a Pub or Bar (#17 on the 40/40 list): I’m waiting to go my bar on a Tuesday afternoon at 3pm. I can swing buying drinks for 5 people.

#68 Save Someone’s Life (#8 on the 40/40 list): Donate 6 pints I’ve gone back and forth on this. I know they say donating blood can help save someone’s life but I guess I feel like I can’t be sure if MY blood actually saved somoene’s life. But most people seem to think this counts so let’s compromise. If I donate 5 gallons (which is 40 pints and the quickest I’d be able to accomplish that is 7 years), then can we say the likelihood of ONE of those 40 pints actually saved somebody’s life?

#84 Learn to Ski (#32 on the 40/40 list): As a hold over from the original list I had in high school, it’s high time I did something about this one.

#93.5 Get Your Name in the Ring of Honor:  I completed this goal in 2011 but I’ll have my plate unveiling this year.

Goals from my 40 Before I’m 40 List:

#1 Be Able to Do a Pull Up

#11 Learn to Rock Climb: Already have the Groupon in hand to make this happen!

#18 Watch the Top 1,001 Films: Watch 100 this year

#25 Drink All the Beers on the GQ List: Drink 20

#35 Visit all of the NC Breweries: Visit 10 this year

#36 Learn How to Ballroom Dance: Have the Groupon in hand to do this one as well! I think I’m going to try Salsa!

#37 Start Using Coupons

#38 See a Movie in a Drive-In Movie Theater: I’m putting a stipulation on this one. If they simply insist on showing family movies I’m not interested in, I’m not going to force myself to sit through some animated drivel just to check this one off. I think it would be super fantastic if they showed something like Star Wars. Could you imagine seeing that outside at a drive in movie theater? You’d really feel like you were in space!

From the Sports List:

#18 Attend a rugby game (and learn the rules): There are actually some local teams

#19 Attend a cricket game (and learn the rules): There’s actually a local league!

#24 Attend the Kentucky Derby: There is SOME talk about going this year with my good friend Jessica so hopefully this is happening this year.

Also, not officially on any lists but I’m hoping they do the “Over the Edge” event this year so that I can repel down the side of a building and I have also never been to a tea room and I want to try that out.

Think that’s enough? What’s on YOUR goals for 2012?

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Scuba

Final Results 2011

December 30, 2011 by Jessica 12 Comments

This has been quite the year, having very little to do with the list. But despite things going on in my personal life, I still managed to get some things done on the 101 Things to Do Before You Die list. May not have been as exciting as 2010 but still managed to tick things off the list!

#1 Write a Novel:  Big FAIL on the National Novel Writing Month again. I feel like I keep coming up with excuses but seriously I just had WAY too much going on in November. I said this last year but maybe I just need to pick another month.

#11 Visit Every State:  Original goal was to go to Pennsylvania but I’m not going to complain about checking Hawaii off the list instead!

#16 Get into the Guinness World Book of Records: I haven’t donated blood all year so epic fail on that. HOWEVER…AANR didn’t try to break 2010′s Skinny Dip Record, so that still stands!

#46 Scuba Diving/#87 Conquer Your Fear:  COMPLETED! (Well, at least the SCUBA diving portion. Time will tell about whether I’ve conquered my fear of water)

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written: The only one I read this year was The Master and Margarita. I spent all of my time working on the Global Challenge. But I also read Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rabbit, Run, Mildred Pierce, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and the latest Sookie book. 13 books total for the year. Not my best effort but better than most, I guess!

#52.1 Shakespeare Reading Challenge: Originally I was going to attempt to actually see some plays performed but my schedule never worked out. I really haven’t put any energy into this one :(

#52.2 Global Reading Challenge: COMPLETED! I read Winesburg, Ohio (North America), Evil Angels (Australiasia), The Good Earth (Asia), Out of Africa (Africa), The Master and Margarita (Europe), The Road (Future) and Love in the Time in Cholera (South America).

#89 Learn to Cook:  COMPLETED! (Sorry, I haven’t posted about my last 5 recipes yet. I’ll do that in the next couple of weeks).

#93.5 Get Your Name in the Ring of Honor:  COMPLETED! Planning on hosting my plate party in 2012.

#105 Krispy Kreme Challenge: COMPLETED!  Warrior Dash: COMPLETED!

Goals from my 40 Before I’m 40 List:

#6 Start Saving for Retirement: COMPLETED!

#19 Watch AFI’s 100 Best Films: COMPLETED!

#20 Sing Karaoke: COMPLETED!

#28  Sell a piece of art (and realize my childhood dream, which is #8 on the 101 list): FAIL!

#38 See a Movie in a Drive-In Movie Theater: Anytime I thought about it and had a free weekend, they weren’t showing anything I wanted to see. Pushed off to 2012.

#39 Lose 20 Pounds: COMPLETED!

Not on the list for this year’s goals but still to be noted:

On the official list but not planned at the beginning of the year:

  • #7: Eat Exotic Foods: I ate Haggis at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and bugs at BugFest
  • #98: Go on a Demonstration: COMPLETED!
  • #22: Go up in a Hot Air Balloon: COMPLETED!

So in 2011 I completed 11 of my goals, 4 of which are from the original 101 things to do before you die list, which brings the total to 38 things completely done and 13 things partially done. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. And I’m thinking 2012 is going to be even better!

So how did you do with your goals for 2011?  What do you have planned for 2012?

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Third Quarter Results 2011

September 28, 2011 by Jessica 9 Comments

I have to admit, it’s really gratifying to look back on where I started with this list and see how much I’ve accomplished. When people ask me “What’s next on your list?’ and they expect some big adventure, I have to admit that I’m really mostly just down to travel at this point (by and large). But, never fear, I’m always adding new adventures to the list-I’ll never run out of things to do!

#1 Write a Novel:  Nada, yet. Big plans to do the National Novel Writing Month in November.

#11 Visit Every State:  Managed to cross Hawaii off the list.

#16 Get into the Guinness World Book of Records: I haven’t donated blood all year so epic fail on that. Plus, I bought the Record Book for last year because I thought I’d be in it for the Skinny Dip but it wasn’t included. It doesn’t mean I’m not in it, it just means the Skinny Dip record is in the BIG official books that Libraries get, not the fun little one available for simple people like me. :(

#46 Scuba Diving/#87 Conquer Your Fear:  COMPLETED! (Well, at least the SCUBA diving portion. Time will tell about whether I’ve conquered my fear of water)

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written: I spent all summer on The Master and Margarita but I’ve mostly been working on the Global Challenge. I’ve also read Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rabbit, Run, Mildred Pierce, and the latest Sookie book. I’m really not doing very well with reading this year compared to my last few years.

#52.1 Shakespeare Reading Challenge: Originally I was going to attempt to actually see some plays performed but my scheduled never worked out. I really haven’t put any energy into this one :(

#52.2 Global Reading Challenge: So far I’ve read Winesburg, Ohio (North America), Evil Angels (Australiasia), The Good Earth (Asia), Out of Africa (Africa), The Master and Margarita (Europe), and The Road (Future). All that’s left is Love in the Time in Cholera (South America), which I’m currently reading.

#89 Learn to Cook:  I was working toward 52 recipes this year and I’m currently up to 47.

#93.5 Get Your Name in the Ring of Honor:  COMPLETED this one too! We’re planning the “plate party” as we speak.

#105 Krispy Kreme Challenge: COMPLETED!  Warrior Dash: COMPLETED!

Goals from my 40 Before I’m 40 List:

#6 Start Saving for Retirement: COMPLETED!

#19 Watch AFI’s 100 Best Films: I only have Shane and Intolerance left.

#20 Sing Karaoke: COMPLETED!

#28  Sell a piece of art (and realize my childhood dream, which is #8 on the 101 list): Nada, so far.

#38 See a Movie in a Drive-In Movie Theater: I’ve been making excuses on this one. Anytime I’ve been free, the Drive-In movie theater closest to us wasn’t showing something I wanted to see. Hopefully the stars will align and I’ll get both a free weekend and a good movie.

#39 Lose 20 Pounds: COMPLETED!

Not on the list for this year’s goals but I also joined the Bone Marrow Registry, so between that and donating blood, I’m working on #68 Save Someone’s Life. I visited Savannah and I saw UNC play (and win) in the NCAA tournament. We went to a Ren Faire and I also got a star named after me, which could fulfill #94 Get Something Named After Me (I’m still holding out hope for a street or a building or something.) Also, while SCUBA diving in Hawaii, I saw a Sea Turtle in the wild; that’s not on the “official” list but still cool.

We went to the VA Derby where I was in the top 10 finalists for the hat competition. I ate Haggis at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and bugs at BugFest (both part of #7 on the 101 list). I went on a demonstration (#98), Hot Air Ballooning! (#22 on the 101 list) and visited the Biltmore Estate.

So how are you doing with your goals for 2011?  Only 3 more months until 2012!

101 Things before you die, 40 Before I'm 40, Achievement, bucket list, Entertainment, Excitement, life list, Life Management, Miscellaneous, Nature, Recklessness, Relationships, Sport and Activity, things before you die, Travel
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Jalapenos Get Their Revenge

September 11, 2011 by Jessica 9 Comments

Recipe#42: Lamb Kabobs

This is the first time I’ve cooked lamb and I found out that baby bella mushrooms are also known as cremini mushrooms. I was supposed to marinate the lamb for 4-6 hours but I only marinated them for 2 hours and I think they were still rather tasty. Actually, Alex really liked these too. It didn’t call for onion and I almost added it anyway but decided against it at the last minute. I think if I had to do it over again, I would add the onion.

Chicken Pot PieChicken Pot Pie

Recipe #43: Chicken Pot Pie

This was pretty tasty. It calls to use only 4 crescent rolls but I didn’t like having a hole in the middle and afterall, the can had 8 and I didn’t want to just throw the other 4 away so I used 6 and covered the entire top. I think it looks better this way (and tastes better this way although, it obviously changes the point value). I could have sworn that I bought chicken stock but when it came time to assemble all of the ingredients, I couldn’t find the can. Luckily, at some other point I had to purchase chicken bouillon cubes and just boiled one of those for a cup of stock. Yay resourcefulness!

Pot Roast

Recipe #44: Pot Roast

When will I learn to read the recipe prior to making it? I started this recipe about 6:30pm one night and only after chopping the onions and cutting the potatoes did I see the part where it says “220 minutes” for cook time. But it was really good at 11pm that night (and good for lunch the next day).

Jalapeno Poppers

Recipe#45: Jalapeno Poppers

This was my first experience working with jalapenos and I’ll share this bit of advice: wear gloves. I didn’t and my hands were burning for hours after. I asked for help on Facebook and got a lot of suggestions. Most said use milk but I didn’t have any. I used rubbing alcohol followed by vegetable oil and that mostly worked. What’s hilarious is that I don’t even LIKE eating jalapenos and only had one “popper” but I thought it tasted pretty good. If you like spicy, I think this is a good one to try.

Mozzarella Sticks

Recipe #46: Mozzarella Sticks

Recipe FAIL! As you can tell by the photo, this one didn’t really work out. I don’t know exactly what I did wrong. Maybe mozzarella sticks should just always be deep fried. Oh well, I haven’t had a fail in awhile.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Recipe #47: Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

For a Weight Watchers Cheesecake recipe, this was pretty good. It uses Cottage Cheese, so the texture is a bit…off and I think the amount of almond flavoring is too much (I little overpowering), but I thought that for it only being 6 points, it was very tasty. I put in more chocolate chips than it called for and the cake “fell” a little bit while it was cooling but I’m pretty proud of myself for the way this turned out, since it was rated “difficult.”

Only 5 more recipes to complete my “Recipe a Week” Challenge!

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Mama's Baked Beans

Cooking with Ginger, Curry, and Tequila

August 2, 2011 by Jessica 13 Comments

 Recipe #33: Baked Beans
  • 21 oz. pork and beans (preferably Phillips or Campbell brands)
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 tbls molasses
  • 2 tbls brown sugar
  • bacon slices
  • 2 tbls bacon drippings
  • half a small onion, minced
  • 1 tbl yellow mustard

Set oven at 350. Cook bacon until slightly browning. Mix all other ingredients together and spoon into greased 9 x 12 baking pan. Place bacon strips on top. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 30 minutes (check after 15 minutes).

You gotta know that this is a Southern recipe when it calls for 1) Molasses and 2) Bacon drippings.  This is my mother’s recipe and when we went to a cookout and was asked to bring a dish, I though baked beans fit the bill. I don’t even really like Baked Beans but these are really good. Pretty simple to make so if you have a cookout you need to attend, fix this dish. I promise there won’t be any left!

Recipe #34: Margarita Pie

Margarita Pie

Made this one for another gathering. The level for this one is “Difficult” but I didn’t think it was that bad at all. First time for making pie crust and I didn’t quite make it go up the sides of the pie plate as much as I should have. Also, I didn’t have any Triple Sec so I just substituted Orange Juice. I figure all it was really needing was a hint of orange flavoring since it only asked for a .5 oz. When I put it in the freezer, it wasn’t quite level so when it froze, it froze at an angle but it didn’t affect the taste! It mostly tasted like a lime, creamy sherbert (you couldn’t taste the tequila).

Recipe #35: Spaghetti Amatriciana

Spaghetti Amatriciana

I finally learned what al dente was with this recipe. I liked it. It was a little different from what I’m used to (mostly just a ground beef meat sauce with spaghetti) but I liked it. It’s a LOT of onions, but I like onions so it works and it feels lighter than most pasta dishes. I am also realizing that I can’t tell much difference between whole wheat pasta and regular pasta so maybe that’s something I can incorporate permanently in my diet. Also, this makes a pretty good portion. It states you get 4 portions and I really did get 4 satisfying portions from it.

Recipe #36: Hawaiian Curried Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

Hawaiian Curried Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

I’ve only recently discovered curry. It’s nice for getting a different flavor every now and then. I didn’t use any shallots (I don’t like them) and I didn’t use coconut shavings either (forgot to buy) but I thought it was pretty good. I served it over brown rice and actually Alex liked it a lot. It calls for “mild” curry but I used hot and I think it made a difference. (Since I’ve started this diet, I’ve gotten more and more used to spicier foods because a spice usually doesn’t add points but it does add a lot of flavor). It says its 6 servings but it was more like 4 for us.

Recipe #37: Ginger Shrimp

Ginger Shrimp

Really tasty! Um…I really don’t have much to say about this but I would totally do this again. Pretty fast to make, really yummy, and really low in points. (Although it says 4 servings and we totally only got 2 out of it).

Recipe #38: Flank Steak with Onions

Flank Steak with Onions

This was ok. The marinade was good but since we ARE talking about flank steak (typically a pretty tough cut of meat) it could have been better if it marinated for much longer than the suggested 30 minutes. I also learned that flank steak is also called “London broil” at most grocery stores after having made one shopping trip, couldn’t find it, and came home to research it more.

So only 14 more recipes until 52. I’m kicking butt! What have you been up to?

144.4/-19

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100_3469

Great Cookout Recipes

July 2, 2011 by Jessica 6 Comments

I thought this post was appropriate for the upcoming July 4th holiday.

Recipe #29: Juicy Hamburgers with Oat Baked Onion Rings

The surprise about the burgers were that, even though they were used with 97% fat free beef, they were still really juicy and tasty. I don’t really count this as a “real” recipe since it’s just mixing together ingredients and making burger patties. But the Oat Baked Onion Rings were much more work intensive. Although they had a different texture than traditional onion rings and were a bit dry, they were truly flavorful. I would make both of these recipes again. I took a photo with a friend’s camera phone but I didn’t realize that I needed to hit save, so no photo is available-sorry!

Recipe #30: Easy Macaroni and Cheese

Continuing in the vein of comfort foods you may miss when you are on a diet, Mac and Cheese is something I’ve been craving. This recipe was really good even if not terribly cheesy. A little spicy but better than bland!

Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe# 31: Raspberry Muffins

These, unfortunately, were not terribly appealing. They were very dense and just didn’t satisfy. I ate one, Alex ate one, and Lydia ate one and then I threw the others away. I don’t feel it was me or my cooking skillz. Some of these recipes are just not good. I took a photo but even in the photo they don’t look very appetizing:

Raspberry Muffins

Recipe #32: Parmesan and Prosciutto Muffins

(Picture at the top) These were AWESOME! Alex didn’t like them that much but that just meant more for me. I ate them for breakfast for a week. They are a little dense but that’s the whole wheat flour. Very satisfying.

So what are your plans for the holiday weekend? Any cookout plans? My family always goes to see fireworks at the Carolina Mudcats, the local minor league baseball team.

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palm

Second Quarter Results 2011

June 30, 2011 by Jessica 16 Comments

I’ve got one more post on Hawaii but I’ll take a quick break to update you on the first half of the year’s goals. It’s funny to think that at the beginning of the year I didn’t think I would have much going on this year. I’ve done a LOT!

#1 Write a Novel:  Nada, yet. Big plans to do the National Novel Writing Month in November.

#11 Visit Every State:  Originally the plan was that we would go to Pennsylvania but that got scrapped when I got a new job without vacation. But then Alex had to go to Hawaii for work and I decided to tag along!

#16 Get into the Guinness World Book of Records:  Working on being the world’s largest blood donor.  Between being on antibiotics and having a low iron count, I still haven’t donated this year yet.  So far I’m up to 6 pints over my lifetime.

#46 Scuba Diving/#87 Conquer Your Fear:  COMPLETED! (Well, at least the SCUBA diving portion. Time will tell about whether I’ve conquered my fear of water)

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written: I’m working on The Master and Margarita right now but I’ve mostly been working on the Global Challenge. I’ve also read Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rabbit, Run and the latest Sookie book.

#52.1 Shakespeare Reading Challenge: I’m supposed to be reading 12 plays this year but I’ve got nothing yet.

#52.2 Global Reading Challenge: So far I’ve read Winesburg, Ohio (North America), Evil Angels (Australiasia), The Good Earth (Asia), and Out of Africa (Africa) as part of the challenge. The Master and Margarita counts for Europe and then all I have to read is The Road (Future) and Love in the Time in Cholera (South America).

#89 Learn to Cook:  So far I’ve done 32 recipes (Look for a coming post about the last 4 I’ve done).  That’s a little better than one a week so I’m doing really well with this goal.

#93.5 Get Your Name in the Ring of Honor:  I’m currently up to 174.  My new job is only one block from the Flying Saucer and I’ve gone there after work a number of times for a pint.  I’m getting this one done this year!

#105 Krispy Kreme Challenge: COMPLETED!  We’re also signed up for the Warrior Dash for August.

Goals from my 40 Before I’m 40 List:

#6 Start Saving for Retirement: COMPLETED!

#19 Watch AFI’s 100 Best Films: One thing I HAVE been doing is watching films (for proof visit here, here, and here). I only have 20 left.

#20 Sing Karaoke: COMPLETED!

#28  Sell a piece of art (and realize my childhood dream, which is #8 on the 101 list): Nada, so far.

#38 See a Movie in a Drive-In Movie Theater: No plans yet

#39 Lose 20 Pounds: So far I’ve lost 13.4 pounds by using Weight Watchers!

Not on the list for this year’s goals but I also joined the Bone Marrow Registry, so between that and donating blood, I’m working on #68 Save Someone’s Life.  I visited Savannah and I saw UNC play (and win) in the NCAA tournament.  We went to a Ren Faire and I also got a star named after me, which could fulfill #94 Get Something Named After Me (I’m still holding out hope for a street or a building or something.) Also, while SCUBA diving in Hawaii, I saw a Sea Turtle in the wild; that’s not on the “official” list but still cool.

So how are you doing with your goals for 2011?  Is the year flying by for you too?

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Cooking Up a Storm

May 26, 2011 by Jessica 13 Comments

I’m continuing on my “Recipe a Week” challenge with my focus on Weight Watchers recipes. I’m cooking a lot because you get really bored really fast eating salads.

The first two recipes I’m counting as one because they’re mostly just mixing stuff together and not really that challenging.

Recipe 24: Stuffed Peppers/Raspberry-Mustard Glazed Ham

The Stuffed Peppers (5 points) was pretty simple. Just a Green Bell Pepper stuffed with brown rice, chopped onion, salsa, and diced chicken. Simple but tasty…and healthy!

The Raspberry-Mustard Glazed Ham (5 points) was yummy; the glaze was tangy and sweet. I would definitely recommend this recipe (although the serving size was a little small and I had two helpings).

Recipe 25: Mixed Berry Crumble (Photo up top)

5 points

This was pretty simple, too, but it took a little bit more than just mixing things together in a bowl (although…actually…not that much more). This tastes like a really healthy berry cobbler, but it’s still sweet and tasty enough to not taste too healthy. I had some blackberries I needed to use up so I substituted in 1 cup of blackberries with 1 cup of blueberries and 2 cups of raspberries. Even the tiny portions were still pretty satisfying…although you may still want second helpings. I ended up eating this for breakfast a couple of times, although technically I guess it’s a dessert.

Recipe 26: Scallops with Fiery Fruit Salsa

4 points

Seared Scallops with Fiery Fruit Salsa

I really liked the salsa (if you like things really spicy, you may want to increase the jalapeno) and it was needed because the scallops were pretty bland. I always forget to dry meat before adding flour so the breading did NOT work out/made for pretty mushy breading. I’ve never had scallops that had breading anyway, so I think it would probably be best to just skip the flour altogether and just pan sear as usual.

Recipe 27: Shrimp and Mango Salad Pitas

5 points

It was actually much more colorful than the picture shows

I get really frustrated with recipes that put the preparation time as 10 minutes when it takes me 40 minutes. Am I really just that slow or are they lying? Plus, once you read the instructions, you realize that it won’t be ready for 3 hours. Very misleading. Also, have you ever cut a Mango? Took me awhile to figure it out.

Recipe 28: Spicy Pork Stir Fry

6 points

Spicy Pork Stir Fry

Things I learned on this recipe: Don’t stick your face directly over a pan when you are carmelizing garlic and ginger with red pepper flakes and chili oil. A good way to get a taste of what pepper spray must feel like.

These recipes were an adventure to shop for in trying to find Coconut Milk, Mangoes, Papaya, and Chili Oil. I had to ask 3 different people for help at the grocery store. But congrats to me for finally finishing up a Ginger Root and a bulb of garlic before having to throw them out. That’s one thing that I’ve discovered about cooking is that if you aren’t planning to continue cooking, it can get expensive quickly by the amount of things that simply go to waste.

154.3/9.1

101 Things before you die, bucket list, Life Management
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Little Bit of This and That

May 11, 2011 by Jessica 11 Comments

Just a filler post with what I’ve been up to lately.
  • Finally booked the Hawaii trip, officially. We’ll only be in Honolulu for 5 days and outside of a day trip to the Big Island to see the volcanoes, this will be more a relax-and-rejuvenate vacation rather than an adventure vacation. But I’ll check off #27: See an Erupting Volcano (if I see lava) and it will help towards #11: Visit Every State.
  • SCUBA Lessons were canceled this past Saturday so we may not be certified before going to Hawaii. I’m not too concerned; I’m sure we can still go diving with an instructor while there if we’d like.

BBQ Porkchops with onions

  • I’m kicking butt at cooking lately, having made three dishes in four days. That’s like a record for me. I made Fried Rice (added chicken), BBQ Porkchops, and a Slow-cooker Chicken and Rice dish, Recipes 21, 22, and 23. The Fried Rice tasted like…fried rice, so nothing special but good to just have something “classic.” The BBQ Porkchops I liked; citrusy and spicy. The Chicken and Rice was …okay; it tasted fine but it smelled like feet. Must have been the mushrooms.
  • I’m up to beer #159. Being on a diet is obviously slowing down my beer intake (they take up a valuable 5 points each!) but I should still finish this year.
  • And finally, films I’ve seen recently:

Suspicion I’ve seen quite a number of Hitchcock films, mostly his later stuff.  This is one his earliest and while it certainly has the appeal of suspense, it doesn’t quite deliver like his later films.  Of course, it could be one of those times where by the time I’ve gotten to it, I’ve already seen it rehashed in every other way.  And, after seeing a number of Cary Grant films recently where he plays comic figures, it was hard to separate him out as a threatening figure.  I never quite bought the idea that there was any real danger.

Jezebel I guess I may get blasted for this, but I really don’t think Bette Davis is very attractive.  Great actress? Yes, but really not very pretty.  That aside, I liked this movie in the beginning.  A very strong lead female character but then everything just kinda falls apart and I didn’t feel I was given enough reason for why the characters made the decisions they made.

Anything random you’d like to share about what’s going on in your life?

157.4/-6

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