So…here’s the wrap-up…
Beau and I are closing on our new house on September 20th.
We close on our current house on October 14th.
We move everything on October 13th.
Any takers on celebrating, helping to pack, helping to load a truck, helping to unpack and/or celebrating again?
We’ll be waiting for your responses…
167. Beau kept his job! (Pfizer had layoffs today. L )
168. Money to buy gas to drive up to Myrtle Beach to see my husband while he’s away.
169. An understanding boss that isn’t mad when I show up to work late the next morning because I’m driving back from Myrtle Beach. J
170. Good conversations with dear friends
171. My layers are finally long enough to put my hair into a braid.
172. Girls at work that make me laugh out loud
173. 2.5 weeks until football season. Go USC!
174. Continental breakfast (that also makes my lunch) at the Hampton Inn
175. Helpful people at work who give me good direction
176. New challenges at work to helpfully grow my career
177. That the thing I go to everyday is turning into more of a career than just a job
178. A husband who’s excited for me
179. A mother-in-law who watches our “child” at the spur of the moment
180. God’s goodness in giving us good gifts
181. Blanket at work to keep me warm
182. Bananas and Peanut Butter
183. That I have nothing going on tonight, which means I can go to bed early!!!!!
184. My parents wake up super early and can talk to me on my drive back to Charleston
185. A steep bridge to walk over to give me a good workout
186. Dreams of the future
187. Hope
188. Meme, who’s letting us store our stuff at her house while we try to sell ours (any takers on wanting to buy?!)
189. A showing on Sunday (be praying they love it!)
190. My iPod at work-getting things done and humming while I do it
It was a shock to both of our minds and systems last night when I served up eggrolls for dinner. A mere appetizer if you will was our main dish, and well, only dish. Granted, they were homemade, but I was still struggling with not serving a “well-balanced” meal for me and the hub-bub. They were delicious though. Beau did the frying and did it real nice. Super crispy. Beau couldn’t stop talking about them. J Try them for yourself.
Chicken Eggrolls
4 T soy sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
4 chopped green onions
4 T vegetable oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
¾ head green cabbage, shredded
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 c fresh bean sprouts
24-30 egg roll wrappers
1 T cornstarch mixture, 1 T cornstarch and 3 T water
Canola oil for frying
To make filling, combine 3 T soy sauce, 1 clove minced garlic, half of green onions and 1 T oil in Ziploc bag, shake well to combine. Place chicken strips in bag, press out air and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
Heat 2 T vegetable oil in wok or large skillet over high heat. When very hot, add chicken to pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the chicken is cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add remaining T of oil to pan. Add shredded cabbage and carrots and remaining T of soy sauce. Stir to combine. Cook over high heat for 2 minutes. Toss in bean sprouts, remaining garlic and green onions and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
Dice chicken breast and add them to the vegetable mixture. Place mixture in a colander and in the sink. Press down firmly on the filling to release as much liquid as possible. Let the filling cool for 30 minutes.
To finish the egg rolls, heat about 3 inches of oil to 375. While that is heating, assemble the rolls. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on the counter with one corner pointing toward you. Add a T or two of filling (I used 3T) in the center of the wrapper. Fold the corner closest to you up over the filling and then fold in the two side corners. Continue to roll the filling away from you. Securely close the egg roll by lightly brushing the corner with the cornstarch mixture. Repeat with remaining egg roll wrappers and filling.
Fry several egg rolls at a time in the hot oil but without over-crowding, 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a large plate lined with paper towels. Place them vertically to help drain the oil. Serve warm with soy sauce or sweet n’ sour sauce. I served with them Sweet Thai Chile Sauce. Yum!
167. Seeing friends love on friends
168. Dunkin’ Donuts punch cards (free coffee)
169. The lady at the DD window. She gives me free punches on the card so I get to my free coffee sooner!
170. Coconut flavored anything
171. We’ve had some house showings!
172. God’s good gifts
173. God’s direction and leading in our lives
174. Bon Appétit Magazine-everything I make from that magazine is delicious!
175. My collection of herbs and spices
176. Coupons
177. My inner creative side that I’m trying hard to find and capitalize on (any advice?)
178. Birchbox samples
179. A free weekend
180. Free DVD rentals from Blockbuster and REDBOX
181. Food on my table every night
182. Nice smelling soap
183. Because I have faith in Jesus, there is hope (my husband so graciously reminded me of that yesterday)
184. Walks with husband and dog after work
185. I have a wonderful partner in life
186. Finally some progress with a project at work
187. Water
188. Earth Fare deals (this week is $1/lb chicken breasts! Can’t beat that!)
189. Grenadine. I can make my own cherry soda!
190. Laughter
So many things going on. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. Beau and I had a visitation to attend yesterday afternoon for a friend’s dad, which was actually fun.
I had to make a stop at the Peninsula Grill for a slice of their famous coconut cake for a co-worker’s birthday gift. Then there were errands, followed by the cooking of the meal. Last night’s meal? Chicken Adobo, a staple of the Philippines.
Chicken Adobo
1 T canola oil
8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned (I used drumsticks)
2 c chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
6 T soy sauce (I used 5)
3 T water
3 T white vinegar
2 T honey
½ tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
3 c hot cooked rice (I made the following rice)
Heat oil in large skillet over medium- high heat. Add chicken to the pan and sauté 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and add onion and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently.
Return chicken to pan. Add soy sauce and next 5 ingredients; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 12 minutes. Uncover and cook 20 minutes or until chicken is done and sauce thickens. Discard bay leaf. Serve over rice.
Cilantro Ginger Rice
1 c long-grain white rice
2 1-inch long pieces fresh ginger, peeled, cut into 4 rounds plus 1 tsp minced
1 2/3 c chicken broth
1 1/3 c chopped fresh cilantro
1 green onion, thinly sliced
3 T vegetable oil
1 T Asian sesame oil
1 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
Combine rice and ginger rounds in large saucepan. Add broth; sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil, stirring often. Cover; reduce heat to low. Simmer until rice is tender and broth is absorbed, about 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine chopped cilantro, green onions, and minced ginger in food processor. Add both oils and 1 tsp vinegar. Blend until almost smooth. Season cilantro oil to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar, if desired.
Transfer rice to bowl. Remove ginger rounds. Mix in oil mixture and toss.
Today is Tom’s birthday (co-worker) and my dear mother’s. To protect the innocent, I will not be revealing their ages. Back in June, us kiddos bought mom the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker for her birthday present. And no lie, she uses it at least once a week to make the SAME ice cream, Coffee Buttered Almond. And there’s a reason. It’s because it’s delicious!
I made it first when the family was in town. The only difference with my first batch and every batch thereafter is that the first one had actual coffee grounds in it rather than instant coffee. No instant coffee? Improvise! Just use coffee grounds. Be careful to check your teeth afterwards though, you’ll find little black specks everywhere. J
Coffee Buttered Almond Ice Cream
6 T unsalted butter
1 c slivered almonds
½ tsp kosher salt
3 c heavy cream
1 1/8 c sugar
1 ½ c whole milk
3-5 T instant coffee granules
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Add the almonds and salt and stir to coat. Continue to roast until the almonds turn golden brown and become aromatic. Remove and let cool.
Blend whole milk and sugar in a bowl with a mixer until sugar is dissolved. Add in the heavy cream, instant coffee and extracts. Stir to combine. Pour into your ice cream maker and follow the direction for your ice cream maker. In the last 5 minutes or so, add the almonds.
*I use 4 T coffee granules and it’s perfect to me. I’ve heard that 5T is a bit unbearable and 3T is weak. But try it out.
Beau has been asking to grill something so I searched through my little collection of recipes and found these kebabs that I’ve been wanting to make. Great idea because they were delicious!
Grilled Sausage and Shrimp Skewers with Smoked Paprika Glaze
3/4 c olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, pressed
2 T chopped fresh thyme
5 tsp smoked paprika
4 tsp Sherry wine vinegar
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp crushed red pepper
12 uncooked XL shrimp, peeled
12 1-inch long pieces andouille sausage
12 cherry tomatoes
12 2-layer sections of red onion
Cooking spray
Whisk oil, garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, sherry wine vinegar, salt, pepper and red pepper in medium bowl to blend for glaze. Transfer half of glaze to small bowl and reserve for serving.
Alternately thread shrimp, sausage, tomatoes and onion on each of 6 skewers. Arrange skewers on large rimmed baking sheet.
Coat grill with cooking spray and prepare to medium high heat. Brush skewers on both sides with glaze from 1 bowl. Grill until shrimp are opaque in center, turning and brushing occasionally with more glaze, 6-8 minutes.
Arrange skewers on platter. Serve with remaining glaze.
This is now one of our favorites and will be made again!
Our weekend was wonderful. Our BBQ Friday was delicious and the wedding on Saturday was a wonderful celebration with friends and then a little “go out” with some friends afterwards to Crave. I enjoyed a very delicious martini that evening. J Sunday was our first house showing and then we were surprised with another one right after. Both went well. I made cookies for the people coming to look at the house and they ate them! I was really excited.
After our walk with Argos and the house showing, Beau and I settled in for the evening. I started dinner while he sat in the kitchen and talked to me. We had a nice cocktail and relaxed. We ate a delicious dinner with a wonderful bottle of wine and watched a movie. Sunday nights are wonderful.
The wine? It’s a new brand that one of Beau’s docs told us about. It’s $4 and really good. It’s a very bold, full-bodied wine. Very good. And I made one of my favorites, Moroccan Chicken with Chickpeas and Almonds.
Moroccan Chicken with Chickpeas and Almonds
1 c whole almonds
4 chicken legs (drumstick and thigh)
2 T clarified butter or smen
Salt
Pepper
3-4 saffron threads
¼ tsp turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp ground ginger
½ c minced yellow onion
2 c sliced yellow onion
½ c cooked chick peas
4 c chicken broth
¼ c chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp lemon juice
Couscous
Place almonds in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover them. bring them to a gentle simmer over low heat, cover and immediately take off the heat. Let them soak for 1 hour.
Crush saffron threads together with turmeric. Heat butter in casserole or tagine over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sear in hot butter.
Add ½ of saffron/turmeric mixture, ginger and cinnamon stick to butter mixture (you may need to add more butter) and sauté, stirring constantly, until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add minced onion and sauté, stirring, about 6 minutes.
Add chicken, along with juices, sliced onion and chick peas to casserole. Add enough chicken broth to barely cover chicken. Cover the casserole and braise over very low heat for 50-60 minutes.
Drain almonds and add them to the sauce, along with parsley and remaining saffron/turmeric mixture. Simmer the sauce long enough to heat the almonds, 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with lemon juice and salt and pepper.
*I serve this over couscous. J
Beau and I have a busy weekend ahead of us. This afternoon we have an appointment with our mortgage broker and then a BBQ to go to at a friend’s house. Tomorrow morning I’m going to a couple yard sales to look for a kitchen table and chairs for the new house. And then, starting at 1:00
We have a wedding to go to for the rest of the day. Sunday we have our first house showing! I’ll be baking cookies to ensure the house smells delicious! ;)
The girls will eat cereal.
Yes, I should have said “play”. But let’s be honest.
I have found that when I talk to women whose husbands go out of town for work or what not, the thing that the wives are most excited about doing is eating cereal for dinner.
Yep. Us ladies love cereal for dinner and we often don’t eat that when the men are in town. They tend to want to eat a little more substance on their plate for that evening meal.
Cereal. Such a comfort and reminder of our single days. My favorite? Post Selects Banana Nut Crunch.
155. Beau and I just bought the house of our dreams and we plan to live there the rest of our lives!
156. iPod-getting to listen to music at work and zone other “stuff” out
157. Financial stability
158. New friends that God continues to bring into our life
159. Larry’s Giant Subs-the Destroyer is delicious!
160. Excel-I’m a nerd and LOVE making spreadsheets and formulas
161. A boss who values me
162. Plenty to do at work to help it go by quickly
163. A husband who’s proud of me
164. Beau and I both have parents that believe in us, support us completely and love us whole-heartedly
165. Air-conditioning in my car
166. Safety as I drive
My husband, the man of many talents, went to our home inspection yesterday with, of course, the home inspector. And we have a clean bill of health! There are a couple minor things for the current home-owner to fix, but no big deal. Whew! So excited! And Beau had a great time crawling under the house with the man and just learning everything he could about our soon-to-be home. I knew he would love the whole afternoon. J
We also had Katie and Tony Hlavacek for dinner last night. On the menu? Indian food! I made my Indian chicken curry with rice and Naan. Tony and Katie brought Dal, which I hadn’t had since I was in India. So that was a wonderful treat! And because I grew up in the Kimbrell household, we had dessert. If there are people in our home that do not live there consistently, there will be dessert. It’s just understood. So understand from here on out that if you ever come to my house for dinner for ANY reason, there WILL be dessert. So plan accordingly. J
Indian Chicken Curry
2 tsp each coriander and cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 T canola oil
1 lb chicken thigh, cut into 1” chunks
¼ c unsalted cashews
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 small tomatoes
2 T clarified butter or canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T minced fresh ginger
1 tsp minced jalapeno
2 each bay leaves and star anise
½ c coconut milk
1 T lemon juice
1 T chopped cilantro
Toast and grind the coriander and cumin seeds. In a bowl, stir together the seeds, ½ tsp salt, turmeric, pepper, cayenne and oil until well mixed. Add the chicken and toss well. Marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for an hour.
Toast the cashews and chop coarsely.
Thinly slice the onion, cut the tomatoes in half crossways and remove the seeds. Chop the flesh. In a saute pan over high heat, melt the butter and saute the onion until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, jalapeno, bay leaves and star anise and continue to saute until the onion is a light golden brown. Add the chicken and cook until it is opaque. Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften.
Stir in the coconut milk (I actually used a whole can of milk because I like a lot of sauce) and the remaining ½ tsp salt and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cover and let it all cook for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Stir in the lemon juice and cook for 5 more minutes.
Trasnfer to a warm bowl and top with cashews and cilantro.
Chocolate Chip Pie
1 unbaked pie crust
8 oz butter, melted
½ c flour
½ c light brown sugar, packed
½ c sugar
2 eggs
6 oz chocolate chips
1 c chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 325. Place pie crust in the pie plate and let it sit there. Don’t pre-bake it. Beat the eggs until they’re good and foamy. Add in the flour and brown sugar. Then add the melted butter and white sugar. Beat until it’s well mixed and smooth. Stir in the walnuts and the chocolate chips. *I have been known to add more chocolate chips and walnuts than the recipe calls for and it turns out JUST fine! ;) Pour this yummy goodness into your pie crust and bake for an hour or until the center of the pie is almost completely set. It should be kind of like a chocolate chip cookie in the sense that the edges are done but the center is a little gooey and yummy! Now, I serve mine with vanilla ice cream, but to each his own! Whipped cream is an acceptable substitution.
My adorable husband likes to go to our new house every couple of days and just look at it. So last night I’m in the kitchen baking bread and he tells me he’s loading Argos up in my car and would like all of us to go and look at the new house. J Yes, we just sit outside the house and look at it. And yes, we love it! I love that he’s so excited about it that he wants to go and look at it all the time. I enjoy it too. We’re so excited!
I am worried though, that the woman who still lives in that house might be scared that someone is stalking her, seeing as how one or both of us is there every other day or so. J
I told Beau last night on our way there that the day will come when our children are 12 yrs old or so and we’ll take them by the house we currently live in. We’ll drive by and sit in front of it and tell them how we lived there when we first got married. J
Crescent Chicken
This is an easy meal for a quick dinner, a potluck or if you’re a girl, trying to impress a guy on a delicious filler-upper he’ll love!
2 chicken breasts
2 cans crescent rolls
1 can cream of chicken
1 c shredded cheddar
1 c milk
Cook the chicken and shred. Roll the chicken up into the individual crescent rolls and place into a pan. Have the oven preheating on 350. And while you’re making all of the rolls, have the soup, cheese and milk cooking on low in a saucepan. Stir it occasionally. One the mixture is blended well, pour it over the pan of stuffed crescent rolls. Bake on 350 until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbly. Make sure the crescent rolls are a bread-like consistency and not gooey. Enjoy! Thanks Beth!
Beau took me out to dinner Friday night for “date night”. We were celebrating a couple of things.
1. Our five-month anniversary. You think “you’re celebrating five months”? Yes. We celebrate anything. In this day and age, we want to celebrate every anniversary. We love it!
2. We bought a house! We finally found the “one” we’ve been looking for for months. If we had written everything we wanted in a house on a list, everything would be checked off. This has everything we want and even more. We feel so fortunate and blessed to have found it and are able to afford it. We have many, many dreams for this house. We’ll have and raise children in this home, we’ll entertain and love people here, we’ll celebrate Christmases and nest here eventually. We’re so excited! Home inspection this week. It looks like we’ll be moving in the middle of October. Hootie Hoo! (That’s for you mom.)
Celebratory Limon Sunrise
Ice
1.5 oz limoncello
4.5 oz freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 juice oranges)
Splash of rose grenadine
Fill a high ball with ice. Pour the limoncello and orange juice into the glass. Top with a splash of grenadine, but don’t stir if you want the “sunrise” effect. Let it settle to the bottom. Serves 1.
116. My mom being in town again and getting to spend time with her.
117. Learning new things at work
118. Prilosec OTC
119. Coupons
120. God’s hand and direction in our life
121. Laughter between me and Beau
122. DVR
123. Rain (because I forget to water the plants) J
124. COKE zero-better tasting than Diet, but still no calories
125. My mother-in-law who’s working so hard to find us a house
126. Eyes opened to possibilities
127. Naan bread. Yum!
128. Credit at some of my favorite stores. It’s like shopping for free!
129. Getting excited over the “small” things
130. www.southernsavers.com that help me save money on groceries
131. www.hip2save.com that get me free samples that come in the mail and then I get to shake them in front of Beau and get excited about them
132. Date night tomorrow night! It’s a surprise! J
133. Fish oil supplements
134. My gummy vitamins-it’s like eating candy that’s good for you!
135. That my new passport will be free because I have changed my name within a year of getting my other one. Thank you!
136. New recipes all the time!
137. www.mint.com
138. www.unusualsoldiers.com Keeps me inspired
139. Nilla wafers (it’s obvious I like these because I think I mention them every week
140. Costco membership
141. Coke rewards gets me free Coke!
142. Zaxby’s great ice!
143. That we have enough beds to house people when they visit
144. Washer and dryer-I don’t have to wash by hand and hang dry my clothes
145. Education and the possibility of more
146. Great church that we love
147. Networking and helping friends
148. Waffle iron-love that thing!
149. My new pot rack! J
150. Magic wand to wash my dishes
151. Casual Saturday mornings with coffee and my husband. Nothin’ betta (as Grandma Thelma says)
152. Pop-Pop enjoys his rehab center so much and has made friends that he truly enjoys
153. Growing relationships with extended family
154. Sauvingnon Blanc-I shall have a glass tonight!
Beau and I sponsor a little girl from the Philippines through an organization called Compassion International. Out “little” girl is 14 yrs old and lives in a rural village. Her name is Charmaine.
I know people who work for this organization and people who have sponsored children for years. It’s a legitimate organization that seeks to help these children by providing food, medical help, education and hope through Jesus.
If you’ve ever thought about helping international children in need, consider Compassion.
“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.” ~Sydney Smith
Mom is coming into town this afternoon and she’s staying with me while Beau is out of town. It’s Bachelorette night. I was not turned on to this show until she started coming into town and got me watching it. Tonight is the finale so we’ll find out which loser the girl picks. Loser is too strong of a word. They’re nice guys, but in our humble opinions, she let the good ones go. L
Mom loves my Asian cooking. Last time she came I made Thai Green Curry Chicken. Tonight we’ll be having Kung Pao Chicken and Stir-Fried Eggplant with some white rice. Yum!
Stir-Fried Eggplant
2 long Chinese eggplants, cubed
1 ½ T soy suace
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T white sugar
1 green chile pepper, chopped
1 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp chili oil, or to taste
2 tsp salt
2 T vegetable oil
Place eggplant cubes into a large bowl, and sprinkle with salt. Fill with enough water to coat and let soak for 30 minutes. Rinse well, and drain on paper towels.
In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, red wine vinegar, sugar, chile pepper, cornstarch and chili oil. Sit sauce aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Fry eggplant until it is tender and begins to brown, 5-10 minutes. Pour in the sauce and cook and stir until the sauce is thick and eggplant is evenly coated. Serve immediately.
Kung Pao Chicken
1 ½ boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 T roasted peanuts
8-12 dried red chilies
3 T cooking oil
5 slices peeled fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic (sliced diagonally)
1 stalk scallion (chopped)
1 T cornstarch
2 tsp soy sauce
1 T Shaoxing wine
1 tsp oil
1 ½ T light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp black vinegar
2 T water
1 tsp cornstarch
Cut chicken into small cubes, rinse in water, pat dry with paper towel and marinate with the mixture of cornstarch, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and oil. Marinate 30 minutes.
Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat up a wok with 1 T cooking oil and stir-fry marinated chicken until 70% cooked. Dish out and set aside.
Clean the wok and add the remaining 2 T cooking oil until it smokes. Add in ginger and garlic slices and do a quick stir before adding in the dried red chilies.
Stir fry the dried chilies until aromatic and they smell spicy, then add in the chicken.
Do a quick stir before adding in the roasted peanuts and continue to stir a few times. Add in the sauce and stir continuously until chicken is nicely coated with the sauce.
Add in the scallions and stir evenly.
Dish out and serve with hot white rice.
Beau and I really worked hard this weekend fixing up our house, cleaning it and make some additions. Friday was our play/fun night. And Saturday we got to work! We cleaned, cleaned, cleaned (e.g. washed sheets, dog bed and all of our dirty clothes, Beau scrubbed the bathroom on his hands and knees, mopped all the floors in the house, vacuumed all the bedrooms, beat the rug that goes in the den, overhauled the kitchen with some much-needed purging of some items, cleaned out the fridge and disinfected it, cleaned out closets). We also took items to Good Will, returned some items at a few stores, visited both of Beau’s grandmothers and visited my Pop-Pop.
Sunday Beau Thomas Watersealed (can I make a name into a verb?) the back porch. We cleaned out the garage and did some purging there as well. Went to Lowe’s and bought the needed equipment and parts to install a pot rack. Beau put up the new pot rack that he designed and built himself! He also put in the new garbage disposal! In the midst of the pot rack and garbage disposal events, my sweet husband let me take a nap.
Is my husband handy or what? Look what a great job he did!
