Weekend Wrapup

This weekend was filled with cooking Whitney's last meal at home for awhile (Saturday's post on Pizza Dough) and we also make pumpkin bread (recipe coming later this week).

Whitney left yesterday to go back to college to start the spring semester of her sophomore year. Other than business law and accounting I think she will like her classes. She's already dreading those two.

I got all the Christmas decorations put away but the snowmen are still out. We also gave the house a good cleaning. I made a list of house projects that need to be done and it was three pages long. Some are easy (scheduling the carpet cleaner), some will be put off probably for a year (planting front shrubs...not a good idea in a drought with water rationing) and some will cost a bunch of money (kitchen counters). But some we will tackle right away (back door and bathroom sink).

If you aren't following me on twitter (@TracyReinke) you missed out on my witty commentary this weekend on both the Miss American pageant and the Golden Globes. Katie from So Funny Story and I were going back and forth and I must say we covered it all.

In case you wondered, I thought Jennifer Lawrence was trying to catch bread crumbs in her bust line with the extra fabric sticking out.

Another loser was Halley Berry. Weird print and weird placement of cutouts.

Winners were Zoeey Deschanel. I thought she went for color in a simple elegant way (usually she's a little kooky).

I also liked Tina Fey's outfit that she wore during the show. Talk about a knock out dress.

So there you have it. My weekend wrap.

Pizza Dough Recipe

I love to make homemade pizza. We used to always make it for Friday dinners when Whitney was home. We always use the bread machine to make the dough. For a long time we made plain dough but then we searched the Internet and found this one. Yummy is the only word to describe it. It is very fluffy so don't use it if you want a thin crust pizza.

Bread Machine Pizza Dough
Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

1 cup flat beer
2 T butter
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp yeast

Put in bread machine in order and use dough setting. Let dough sit 10 minutes before rolling out.

We use a flavored beer, usually a berry type to add a little sweetness to the dough.

Friday Fragments - Overflowing with Information

I missed last week's fragments due to the fact that my mother was in town and I can't figure out how to cut and paste html code on my ipad. So this week is an overflowing amount. I can't contain them anymore.



As I said my mother was visiting. We spent her visit looking at places for her to live here. She's thinking about moving to be closer to me since she is getting older. We visited a senior apartment complex and also the big furniture store in town so she could price furniture. She would need to decide if it was cost effective to move her furniture or just buy new stuff.

I'm so happy that the garbage disposal/kitchen plumbing is fixed. I realize that dirty dishes are the trigger for me to go over the edge. I had a meltdown because of all the clutter. Normal clutter doesn't bother me but piles of dirty dishes...yikes. I won't let that happen again.

It rained here. This is big news since we are in desperate need of water. Our water source is down the lowest it has ever been and they are talking about water rationing starting in a couple of months. Normally that doesn't happen except in July/August. This is pretty bad.

This is the lake. All that brown is supposed to be under water. The road is going into it because it is a man-made lake and the road was sacrificed to make it.

Whitney's first allergy shots were this week. They explained how they do them and still one of the vials was too strong. So they are going to have to dilute it even more which will add two more months to get her to maintenance level. She was very brave though during her shots. She'll be going on her own starting next week. Luckily the clinic is only about a ten minute drive from her school and she has no classes on Fridays.

My house still has every Christmas decoration up. Between going away for the holidays and then having company I haven't had time to do it. I'll try and get the Christmasy stuff put away this weekend but the snowmen stay out through February.

Anyone watching Top Chef? I sure wish they would get rid of Josie. Gosh she gets on my nerves. Please next week get rid of her.

Ever bend back a fingernail without breaking it? Know that pain? I did that Thursday morning and I must have ripped it enough from the nail bed for it to bleed. I got to work and had a bunch of blood under it. Let's just say that wasn't pleasant.

Oscar nominations came out. I've only seen one movie in 2012 so I'm a poor judge of if they did good or not. But I'll still watch the show to see the fashion disasters. Last year I actually went to bed before the end. A sure sign of getting old.

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

This is one of those recipes that you go...hey, I could have come up with it myself. But it is a favorite in the house.

Cheesy Baked Tortellini
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese (we use ricotta)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (we skip this ingredient)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (1/4 tsp dried)
• 1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
• 2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella (regular works too)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inchbaking dish.

Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.

Happy Hodgepodge

Joining in this week for hodgepodge mania. I needed something to kickstart blogging for the new year.

1. What is ONE thing or area in your home or life you hope to report is completely organized when 2013 draws to a close? Do you have a plan to make it happen?

Well every year I say I'm going to organize my utility room desk. And I did clean it off when I painted in November. But now it is back to being piled with stuff. I hope to rectify that situation soon.

2. What's the worst uniform you've ever had to wear for a job?
Only time I had to wear a uniform is when I worked for Builders Square while in college. A yucky apron (think Home Depot).

3. What was your last kitchen 'mishap'? This question comes to you courtesy of Betty who blogs over at A Glimpse Into Midlife...everyone go say hi to Betty!

Not sure what the last mishap would be but the most infamous one is when I tried to make a pecan pie and melted the spatula in the hot corn syrup. I did learn a lesson that plastic melts under high sugar heat.

4. How do you protect yourself from other people's negativity?

Try and avoid negative people.

5. Who in your family do you most resemble (physically)? If you have children, who do people say they favor? Do you agree?

Definitely my mother's side of the family as I get older. More and more like my grandmother. When Whitney was little she looked more like Dan but she is more like me now.

6. January 8th is National Bubble Bath Day...will you be celebrating?

I take a bath almost every night but not in the way most people do. For some reason (don't ask) I like to run a bath and just listen to the water slowly fill the tub. Then I empty it. I know wasting water but I've stopped using hot water so it is only cold water.

7. Some of the 'world's best winter festivals' are - Mardi Gras (New Orleans), Quebec Winter Festival (Canada), Sundance Film Festival (Park City, Utah), Rio Carnivale (Brazil), Sapporo Snow Festival (Japan), Venice Carnival (Italy) and the Harbin Ice Festival (Northern China). Of those listed (and if cost were not a factor) which would you most like to attend and why?

Of those listed, I would probably choose the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan. Just look at what they can do with snow.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My mother came for a visit. Everything went well except on Saturday when I noticed that our garbage disposal had a crack. It had been leaking and spewing stuff under the sink. So I was down to one sink while cooking a huge turkey dinner on Sunday. And then we tried to change it out last night and broke a pipe connection. Luckily the plumber is at the house right now fixing things. I was totally out of dishes and silverware with no sink at all and couldn't do any laundry.

Scalloped Potato Gratin

Our first Christmas dinner was frozen lasagna courtesy of limited cooking in a condo. Our second Christmas dinner was ham this past Tuesday. We normally have broccoli and scalloped corn but Dan wanted to have scalloped potatoes too. I hadn't made them in years and luckily I actually had a recipe in my box (which means we've tried and liked it). These were really easy to make.

Scalloped Potato Gratin
recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme (I used about 1/4 tsp dried thyme)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Butter (I sprayed the pan with cooking spray)
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices (I actually didn't even use this much)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg.

While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes.

So I got busy and the cream sort of bubbled up much more than it was supposed to when heating. And I added an extra layer of potatoes because I think my dish was smaller than the one he used. And I didn't sprinkle extra cheese on top and broil because we were already pretty brown when I pulled them out after 40 minutes.

But it was super tasty. Nothing like a good warm heavy cream dish with nutmeg to make anything taste good.

This is what half of it looks like after we ate

Hodgepodge - Welcome 2013!

First post of 2013 and I choose to celebrate by doing a Hodgepodge. Hey, if I can so can you!

1. How did you ring in the new year?
We all watched the ball drop in NYC (11pm our time) and then two out of three people went to bed. I stayed up to watch the ball rise in OKC at midnight.

2. What is one thing you are looking forward to in 2013?
Going to China in June for a work conference. Yes I have to work some and the months leading up to it may be difficult, but hey, I'M GOING TO CHINA!

3. Steven Spielberg is quoted as saying, "All of us every single year, we're a different person. I don't think we're the same person all our lives." What say you?
We most definitely change over the years. Hopefully we mature too.

4. The Pantone color of the year for 2013 is emerald green. Like or dislike? Do you already own something this color? Will you add something in this shade to your home or wardrobe in 2013?
Love this color. Finally something that looks good on me. I'm not sure if I have anything quite that deep of green in clothes but I can certainly add it!

5. Speaking of emerald...what's your favorite gemstone?
I do love emeralds. Especially emerald cut emeralds.

6. Share a favorite book or movie from 2012.
James Bond movie - Skyfall. Think I've covered this a few times last year, lol.

7. What is something you want to tell yourself at the start of this brand new year?
I don't make resolutions. There is nothing magical about changing the calendar. You can decide to change anything you want at any point.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
My mother is coming for a visit tomorrow for a few days. She lives quite a bit away (ok halfway across the country) so she will be flying in tomorrow and escaping the Wisconsin snow. Looks like the weather here will be lovely...sunny and 50's.