Preparation vs. Reality. Cooking edition.

Do you remember about a year ago I started posting the ways I was preparing for our Sri Lanka adventure?  It started here, continued here and here.
In case you don't want to link to those pages, I will tell you I talk about cooking, make-up, Marine Ball dress, driving, and getting my "woman-stache" taken care of.  

Now that we have been here a few months, I thought I would report back and tell you how/if my preparation has paid off.  Shall we start at the beginning?


Cooking.

Yes, friends, I have been cooking.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Almost daily.  I have actually mastered a few recipes, and we have a few family favorites.  I have to find substitutions for some of the ingredients, but for the most part, it has been fun to cook and try new things.

I have even cooked a whole chicken.  I accidentally cooked it upside down, but it turned out fine.

Thanksgiving turkey- here I come.

One thing I have learned is that cooking is A LOT easier when you have the right tools- plenty of measuring cups/spoons, thermometers, and bowls.  It is also a lot easier when you have someone to help do the dishes.  Especially since we don't have a dishwasher.  Well...technically, we have a dishwasher, but it is in another room (not the kitchen), so we don't use it.

Some of my failures:  I made bread, but forgot to add the salt, so it was disgusting.  I also made some pasta carbonara in which I measured the pepper incorrectly (way too much), and it was not so good.  I am sure there have been more, but these were the most recent...like Monday.

Overall, cooking has been great.  It has been a little tough to get used to cooking everything on my own.  The connivence of prepackaged foods is such a huge time saver, however, it is certainly more gratifying when I have made an entire meal from scratch.  I do find, however, when I make a huge meal, the next day my desire to cook is seriously diminished.  In order to overcome this, I just try to make one or two really nice meals a week, and something simple the rest of the week, have leftover night, or have "take-away".

For recipe ideas, I have become really familiar with Pinterest.com, and have actually made a lot of the recipes I have pinned.

In case you are interested, here are our favorites:


Blackened chicken with quinoa and an avocado sauce

Thai food- chicken (this we make at least once a week- usually more.)

Coconut Chicken (we also love this with shrimp)

OH, and for dessert, Pioneer Woman has the most incredible Texas sheet cake recipe (Thanks Anne, for the recommendation) - this recipe is great because it calls for buttermilk, which I have not seen here, but gives instructions on how to make your own.  Super helpful!
 

If you have any favorite recipes, let me know...I would love to try them out.

Birthday wish comes true.

I picked up the boys today.  They have just spent the last week with my mom.   That's right, my mom took the boys for an entire week, and they all lived to tell the tale.  Even better, Ben and I had an amazing week together, without the children.

Ben and I started our week by meeting up with Chris and Monica in Las Vegas for a few days.  We have done Vegas many times, but these were the highlights.


When walking out of the Paris Casino, I saw some cupcakes in the Valet booth.  I asked them where they bought them.  They described in detail where I could find them, and then one of them asked me if I wanted one.  Umm...Yes.  It was so good.

 It wasn't even ruined by the fact that five minutes earlier, I had eaten this:

I pretty much ate desserts the entire time.  What happens in Vegas, right?




This is the first time we have ever taken a picture in front of the VEGAS sign.

 

After we took our pictures, we met this "Junior Reporter" from Fox News.  He was doing a story comparing Las Vegas to Atlantic City.  My moment to shine, I must say.  I didn't get to see the final product, but I don't care, I just love that I was interviewed.

Applying lipgloss before the interview.

Thanks Chris and Monica for another fabulous trip to Vegas.  It keeps getting better and better.  I am grateful we have moved on from the HoJo, but anywhere we stay, it will still be fun.  

It was an amazing trip, and I am so grateful to my mom for watching the boys.  It was the PERFECT birthday gift!

Dinner that was a party.

Tonight was a first at our house.  We had a dinner party, and it was so much fun.  If I do say so myself- it was a success. 
I am sure you are all wondering what we ate (since my cooking skills are seriously lacking).  We had pulled pork sandwiches (which consists of putting a hunk of meat in a crock pot with some spices and adding BBQ sauce right before it is served).  We served it on rolls, with coleslaw.  So Yummy.   Then, the secret to a great dinner party, we had everyone bring a dish.  How perfect is that?  It was a great group, and we would be happy to have another dinner party sometime soon.


I even decorated the table.
Those little paper boxes are filled with M&M's.  Cute idea, right?

 Since I was already taking pictures, I thought I would throw in our other decorations.  During the time I was taking these pictures, Thomas was making mischief.

   

Aren't the sparkly pumpkins adorable?

You see, Thomas knew about the M&M's.  He had his eyes on the prize, and was waiting for the right opportunity.  He certainly found it.

Right after I took these pictures, he took his M&M hands and grabbed the white table cloth.  I was really frustrated, and almost cried.  Our guests were arriving in about a half an hour.  I called Ben, and he was trying to be as nice as could be and asked if I had time to wash the table cloth, but I did not.  Instead, I just put the hand print at Ben's place.  It worked.

Since I am now an expert, here is my advise for a successful dinner party:

1. Use a crock pot.  It is really hard to mess up.
2. Have everyone bring a dish.
3. Schedule a cleaning lady to come the day of the party so when people want to see your house, it is not embarrassing.  Maybe the day after too, but I didn't think of that.
4. DO NOT let your one year old chocolate lover know that there are M&M's on the table.  He will stop at nothing to get them.
5. If your one year old happens to get said M&M's, DO NOT reuse them. 
6. Enjoy the company and the conversation.

Happy Fall!

P.S. For those of you wondering, I really do like to cook, but when things don't turn out it makes me frustrated.  When it does work out, I hold onto it forever, and it brings me joy.  I usually need simple instructions, preferably with pictures.

Egg-licous.

I love eggs.  I have loved eggs my entire life, but I love eggs even more when they used in a way I find surprising.  It started when I lived in Moscow, and I tried carbonara pizza at Patio Pizza for the first time.  (Remember Patio Pizza family?)   Carbonara pizza is served with bacon and a runny egg in the center.  It was spectacular.  To this day, I crave carbonara pizza, and wish there was a place that served it. 
The next egg surprise came when I was living in Berlin.  When Jack and my sisters, Paige and Taylor, and I  would go out and enjoy all of the awesomeness that Berlin has to offer, we would often eat at the little corner bakeries/sandwich shops.  Not only was it convenient, but it was a fairly inexpensive way to eat.  A lot of their sandwiches had boiled eggs slices in them.  At first I was hesitant, but after I gave it a try, I will never be able to go back.  I find myself trying to come up with yummy ways to add boiled eggs to my sandwiches. 

Lupe has introduced my newest egg surprise:

A boiled egg in a meatball.  Amazing.  Not only that, but the sauce was outstanding- tomato sauce with a lot of kick. 
The best part was when I cut open the meatball, the egg was totally unexpected.  A yummy and delicious surprise.

Food Friend.

Ben doesn't like all of my cooking. As a matter of fact, if it comes to making the exact same thing homemade or from a box/frozen (for example, macaroni and cheese), he would rather have it from a box/frozen. My firstborn is very similar. Put a frozen burrito in front of Ben, and he will be satisfied. It is low maintenance to be sure, just a little frustrating when trying to decide what to cook for dinner. In order for me to be happy, and feel like I am providing a more healthy option than pizza rolls, I have certain food items that I will make so everyone will eat. We like to make everyone happy at meal times, without making everyone their own meal.  It used to be that on the nights that Jack and Ben would eat their frozen delights, they would be done in less than five minutes (including cooking time), and I would be left to eat my food all alone. I don’t really like eating alone.


Then Thomas started eating.

Now when Jack and Ben eat their frozen meals, Thomas and I enjoy something homemade. It works out great, and no one has to eat alone. 

Balance, isn't it fabulous?

I am so grateful for Thomas, and his wonderful eating habits.

P.S.  Please know that there are nights that all of us eat frozen food.  Did you know that P.F. Changs now has a frozen food option?  Oh and Trader Joe's has some frozen chocolate croissants that remind me of once upon a time in Paris.  I am certainly not above frozen foods, I just don't really like frozen burritos or Digiorno pizzas.

One thing we can all agree on-the need for sweet treats.

 

Lunch.

Today our cleaning lady, we will call her Lupe, made us lunch.  It was absolutely one of the best things I have ever eaten.  I realize that almost anything new that I try becomes one of my brand new favorites, but this was really delicious. Lupe, is an amazing cook, and today, she made us chile rellenos.  I have decided that maybe I should have her come cook all of our meals, rather than clean the house.  However, on second thought, that would mean that I would have to clean myself.  I am happy with her cooking every once and awhile, though.

This picture certainly does not do it justice, but it was amazing. 

I almost forgot to mention, we had a guest for lunch today.  I would like to introduce Jack's new friend, Robot.

Robot showed up right before lunch. When I called Jack up to the table, he made sure that Robot had a seat, and then made sure that I knew that Robot wanted some mango juice.  As soon as I started taking pictures of the food, Jack told me that he and Robot wanted their picture taken.  Jack jumped from his seat, stood by the chair and told Robot to say cheese. 

It was nice to have Robot over for lunch, he didn't make a mess and he was very quiet.  The perfect type of guest.

New Favorite.

The day after we arrived to Tijuana, we went to brunch with some people from Ben's work.  I had no idea what to order, someone suggested something, I ordered it, and it was amazing.  Unfortunately, I couldn't remember what it was I ordered (I was in the- I just moved to a new country, and I can't understand what people are saying around me- kind of daze). 
The great news- I finally figured it out.  Chilaquiles.  It is a traditional Mexican breakfast food.  It is made with tortilla chips soaked in either red or green sauce topped with cream, cheese, onions and chicken or eggs.  I know, it might sound a little strange, but it is incredible.  It is my new favorite food.  I am determined to learn how to make it from scratch.  However, I know my own abilities (or lack thereof), and so I am going to take baby steps.  I started today by using a kit that I found at the store.  It was super easy, and took less than ten minutes.  My next attempt will be finding a recipe for the red sauce, and if I get that right, I will try to make the tortilla chips.  I really hope that I will be able to learn how to make it well, so I can make it when we leave.  Wish me luck.

Chilaquiles from the restaurant La Diferencia

Chilaquiles from the box.

Taco Saturday.

Today we had lunch at our favorite taco stand.  It is our favorite for two reasons.  The first is the food is amazing.  The second is the kids can play around and make noise, and no one says a thing.

After watching Anthony Bourdain No Reservations, in New York City over a month ago, I really wanted to go to Katz Deli and get a pastrami sandwich. We finally went, and it was so good.

I wish we lived closer to the city so it would be easier to get there, but it is still great to be able to go.

Katz Deli is where Harry Met Sally was filmed when the lady said-I'll have what she's having.





The food. Really delicious, really filling, and really expensive. Definitely worth it. We had a great time.

Philadelphia.

Last week, Ben was given an assignment in Philadelphia, and Jack and I tagged along. We had so much fun. Most of the time we were there, it was FREEZING! We did have one day of 40 degrees, but that didn't last long, the other days the temperature did not get above 20 degrees. We were really happy that the hotel had a pool.
We had some cheesesteaks, and we even compared the two "Best cheesesteak in Philadelphia" places. The two-Pat's and Geno's are located right across the street from each other, but I must say-we definitely have a favorite.

Not only did Geno's have the best Cheesesteaks, we found a really sharp bone in Pat's and that made the final call. So, if you are ever in Philly-we recommend Geno's.

The sites of Philadelphia.

(At least the ones that were close enough to walk to, but good enough when you are 18 months.)

NYC!

We made it to NYC! Ben had to work there this week, and so Jack and I decided to take the train in and play. We had such a good time! The weather was perfect, and Jack was so good! Ben was working nights, so we saw him for a little while in the morning, and then we would have dinner together. What an awesome time! We were able to see so much, but we can't wait to go back!





We had lunch at the Carnegie Deli, and for the price of $33, Ben and I shared a sandwich! Too bad, Jack won't be able to go to College!




The view from "Top of the Rock". Amazing!






We made it to the Today Show, this is Al! My face was blocked, but little Jack had his debut!




Jack spent A LOT of time in his stroller, and most of the time, that was fine with him. He LOVED watching everyone and everything around him!





The Carousel in Central Park, he didn't want to sit on a horse, but it was still a lot of fun!




We went to M&M world, and Jack took out his binki as soon as we walked in, and tried to eat everything with a hard candied shell. He loved it!





Our little family takes on Time Square! It was so crowded and just so much fun!

We loved our NYC adventure!

MMM...Chocoalate!

Saturday morning Jackson, Ben and I were sitting around wondering what we would do with our day. Then-kidding-I said, "How about Hershey, PA?" Ben looked it up on the Internet, and it was only two hours away, so we were off.
It was so much fun. The town smells like chocolate, and the street lights really are shaped like Hershey Kisses! I was hungry just looking at them.
There is an amusement park, but Jackson is a little young for that, so we opted for the free "Chocolate World". There was a fake factory tour, a 3-D movie, and every kind of Hershey chocolate you can imagine. We had such a great time!


Who wouldn't love a place called Chocolate World?




Waiting in line for the "factory tour." The real factory is somewhere else, but this one was a pretty good replica. At the end of the tour- free pieces of chocolate, yummy!

Singing cows-it's all about the milk!



Jackson and his first taste of a chocolate shake! He absolutely loved it. I have never seen the kid drink so quickly in his life.