Emmaversary

I've had this written since Monday, but I'm just now able to get it out.

Monday marked two years since I last saw Emma Lou. I am still as heartbroken today (I am tyring not to cry as I write this) and not a day goes by that I don't think of her. She was an amazing dog and I am so thankful for the short time that I had with her. I am also thankful that I took so many pictures of her because they are nice to be able to go back and look at. It's amazing what an impact pets can make on your life. I mean, who else is beside themselves (and sometimes gets so excited they pee on themselves) to see you when you walk in the door? Who provides hours of laughter without even trying? Who else loves you just as much, even after you scold them for peeing on your bed (yes, twice she peed on my bed)?

Pets are truly a blessing and, to the 2 of you that read this, please go home and hug your pets and show them a little extra love. I feel so blessed to have been raised in a family where pets were valued and treated as members of the family. I hope to impress those same values on my children.

My favorite memories of Emma:

Having to put sunscreen on her "nose ring" as my dad called it, losing her the first night I got her (she was hiding in the pillows on my bed), riding on the jet ski with her in her life jacket, sleeping with her between my legs and under the covers, her yelling at me a lot, having to carry her around the bear trail because she refused to walk, her love for my dad and his love for feeding her waffles and cheetos, all of her costumes, including her zebra bikini, her sausage  years, her kissable cheeks, jax trying to nurse from her (see above picture) her snatching and scarfing my kolache....the list goes on and on.

I love quick craftiness!

 

My friend Susan knows I love little quick sewing projects and sent me a link to this tutorial by Delilah's Momma. So, while my kids were watching a movie, (what?? it's TAKS week and I only have one class a day. Don't judge me) I whipped up this little guy from some scraps I had in my room. It's a precious business card/gift card/ID holder. The best part about it is that I got to use my amazing Janome Memory Craft 9700 embroidery machine. I love sewing on it! Janome's are wonderful machines and RISD has the priviledge of working with Thomas Sewing Center for all of our sewing needs. I enjoy working with them on a personal level too. They are good people. Anyway, this was sew easy (giggle) and took me 20 minutes from start to finish, and that time included getting all of the equipment out and situated. My next step is to figure out where the embroidery would go and do one that way. I can imagine myself putting my ID and credit card in this and carrying it in a clutch instead of carrying my big wallet (big in size, not in contents...that's for sure). Enjoy!

Apple Braised Chicken

This is a WW recipe that I tried a long time ago on my mom while I was doing WW in college (stupid skinny b that I was in college thought that I need WW...) Anyway, I wanted to revisit it because it's really delicious! It seems odd at first to use onions and apples with chicken, but it ends up being perfectly sweet and sour. It's only 5 points per serving, so paired with a good veggie, it's a very good, healthy dinner.

Apple Braised Chicken, adapted from Weight Watchers

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 large onion(s), sliced
2 medium apple(s), firm, cored and sliced
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (the original recipe called for just 1 c. apple cider, but I have a strange love for vinegar. This is what gave it a "sour" taste, and I loved it.)
1 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cornstarch

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, warm oil over high heat. Toss chicken with flour in a medium bowl, patting off excess. Place chicken in skillet and brown well on both sides. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Reduce stove temperature to low and add onion to skillet. Sauté, stirring often, until onion is tender and lightly browned.

Stir in apples, cider vinegar, chicken broth, salt, ginger and chicken. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken, onions and apples to a serving dish.
 In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 to 3 tablespoons of pan juices. Combine cornstarch mixture with remaining pan juices, whisking constantly. Simmer for one minute. Pour sauce over chicken and serve. Yields 1 chicken breast and about 3/4 cup of apple-onion mixture per serving. 5 points per serving.

Goat Cheese Bruschetta

While this is not a WW recipe, it keeps popping up in my head because IT'S FREAKING DELICIOUS. (Can you tell I'm still having bad cravings???) Anyway, I made this for Lane when we celebrated our one year anniversary with a picnic in the park next to our reception site. Then, loved it so much that I made it three more times but have just gotten around to blogging about it. This is a great finger food for a party or appetizer before dinner. It's really, really easy and just delicious.

Goat Cheese Bruschetta adapted from Real Simple
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 small shallot, finely chopped (I omitted because I didn't have a shallot)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as dill, parsley, chives, and basil) (I used parsley and basil, both dried actually.)
8 thick slices french baguette, toasted
2 4-ounce packages soft goat cheese
 In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir in the shallot and herbs.
Drizzle half the vinaigrette over the bread, spread with the goat cheese, and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Serves 8.

JUST SAY NO (to texting while driving)!

I apologize in advance for this kind of blog entry, but I have really been convicted lately and wanted to share. Embarassingly, I have to give Oprah credit for this conviction. (A benefit/curse of being a teacher is that you get home by 4 to watch Oprah...she's like a siren...you just get sucked in!) Anyway, she's got a new campaign to encourage people to sign a pledge to not text/talk while driving. She has interviewed people on her show that have lost loved ones in car accidents because the person that hit them was texting/emailing. I can't imagine losing someone I love for that reason and I really can't imagine ever forgiving someone for taking away a loved one because they couldn't put their phone down. But what if I was that person? What if I was the person who accidentally took a life because I was reading an e-mail or text? I just can't be that person.

Once being convicted, I realized how much I use my phone while driving and it's downright scary. Even though I've committed to not text/email while driving, I still struggle and I really have to think about it but, I just realized that most things aren't important enough to risk lives. If it is important, it's easy to just pull over and take care of it, then get on the road again.

No need to sign Oprah's pledge if you don't want to, but please make a pledge to yourself. From now on, no more texting/emailing when driving. I know it's hard for those of you that work a lot out of your car, but it's just not worth the risks. I think about my best friend's children or my niece and nephews, and even my dog...I can't risk someone taking them away from me because they were making a stupid decision.
 
Hugs-
LeighAnne
 
Oprah's No Phone Zone Pledge

Dear Weight Watchers...

Things I love...cupcakes, cake, wine, steak, mashed potatoes, cheeseburgers and french fries, queso and chips, fajitas, cheese and crackers....Shouldd I keep going?

Sadly, it's because of my love for all things fatty that I have become, well, a fatty myself. Why are all the good things so bad for you?

So, I joined Weight Watchers last week. I am excited about it and am really motivated and can't wait to be thin (thinner) again. It's put a little bit of a damper on my baking and cooking, but I'm learning how to adapt things to fit into WW.

Weight Watchers has a plethora of recipes and, for some strange reason, of all of those recipes, I chose fish and chips. I don't know what made me think that WW fish and chips would be as delicious as the orginial, because it was worse than words can describe. It looked like (and I would assume tasted like) cat vomit. It led me to somewhat of an emotional breakdown. I though eating right and exercising was supposed to make you feel better? After some encouraging words from my sweet husband, I was motivated again and really hopeful in the WW program. I am going to really try to take things we normally eat and modify them to fit into my allowed points. I am a little skeptical to try more WW recipes, but there was one I just had to try after searching for potato dishes.

We had our normal weekend night steak dinner and instead of mashed potatoes or cheesy polenta, I made the WW Potatoes Au Gratin. It was pretty delicious! Aside from taking an hour and a half to cook, it was really easy and only 3 points per serving.

*unfortunately, my picture didn't turn out, but it was very pretty!
Au Gratin Potatoes, adapted from Weight Watchers
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion(s), thinly sliced
1 Tbsp minced garlic (I added this to the original recipe)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
2 pound(s) Yukon Gold potato(es), thinly sliced
1 cup(s) fat free shredded cheddar cheese (I find that this cheese is pretty good. It's really stringy)
1 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
 
Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 2-quart covered baking dish with cooking spray.
 
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion  and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour; add milk slowly, stirring. Add potatoes and stir to mix. Bring to a boil. Stir in 3/4 cup of cheese, salt and pepper.

Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and level out surface. Bake for 1 hour, uncovered. Cover and bake until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes more.

Change oven temperature to broil. Sprinkle remaining cheese over potatoes. Broil 6 inches from the heating element until the cheese is golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces.