I love My Children

I do love my children, just some days they seem to get the best of me.  I try to be a good mom, but boy, they wear me out some days.  I so want to be that fun-loving mother, but when two are fighting, one is being sassy  and another is sucken into self-quiet, IT"S HARD!  Please forgive me, my frustration.  AAARRRGGGHHH!

Boeuf Bourguignon a La Julia Child - 148007 - Recipezaar

Has anyone had the pleasure of watching Julie and Julia? It's a cute little flick about a young woman who decides to blog about cooking her way through Julia Child's Infamous cookbook. It also parallels the life of Julia Child while she was writing the book itself. The book took several years for Julia to write,, and it was fascinating learning about her life experiences. But I digress, the one thing I always wanted to make a La Julia Child style was her Boeuf Bourguignon. Alas, tonight I finally made it and it was delicious! If something incredibly rich with multiple levels of flavor doesn't appeal to you, then you should NOT try this recipe. I absolutely adored it and seeing as our weather has been bordering closer to late fall than late spring, today's rain deemed appropriate for this heavy meal. I tried not to mess with it too much, but I didn't have all the herbs on hands so I had to improvise marginally. Also, my sauce finished beautifully right out of the oven so I didn't strain it or mess with it any further. I just added the mushrooms and onions and served over egg noodles with crusty french bread. So yummy. Please give it a try if you haven't already, and if you feel like you are not an experience cook, this was fairly easy to make. The steps outlined from the link below are exactly how they appear in her book, but just a little clearer text. Happy eating!

Boeuf Bourguignon a La Julia Child - 148007 - Recipezaar

Pillars of the Earth on Starz Update!

I found the release date of Pillars of the Earth being aired on Starz for those of you who have access on cable;  July 23.  Check your local listing.  Again, if you are looking for a great epic novel, you might have just enough time to read it before then.  Found a link on Amazon for only $3.83, pretty good price and well worth it.  Once you start, I guarantee you'll be sucked in.  This was the first novel that Tom read cover to cover and I'm not talking years ago, I mean last year.  I'm still surprised that his first novel was over 1100 pages.  He was addicted.  Please comment if you have read this book.  I'd love to hear what other people have to say about, plus if you've read the newest one, please weigh in with that too!

Here's the link if you want to check out more

Pillars of the Earth Television Official Site

Hawaiin Cuisine = International Night?

Okay so I cheated.  For dinner tonight I wasn't feeling incredibly creative so I fell back on an old stand-bye, Kalua Pig which is soooo yummy!  Instead of taking the time to wrap a whole pig in banana leaves and digging a giant whole in the ground to cook it, I just rub a large pork roast in liquid smoke then sprinkle with Hawaiin finishing salt (red or pink will do, but I prefer pink) and pop it in the crock pot.  Cook it on high for 8 hours or so and wa-la....beautiful pulled pork style, Kalua pig.  To accompany the pork we made white rice finished with coconut cream and Shannon-Style Kimchi.  While Kimchi is traditionally from Korea, the Hawaiins eat it in profusion especially with pork.  Obviously I didn't have 2 weeks to pickle cabbage so instead I braised my cabbage, cut into bite-size pieces, in vegetable stock till mostly tender then rinsed under cool water.  The sauce... 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, a good shake of chili pepper flakes, a dash of salt, 1 tsp of sugar, 1 tbl of rice vinegar and 1 tbl of Sriracha hot chili sauce.  Honestly, I didn't measure any of this stuff, I just poured it in and adjusted to taste really how I cook most times.  So while you didn't get that great fermented/pickled flavor that you do with real kimchi, it was a decent substitute.  If it were just Tom and I eating, I would have definately used more hot sauce and made it spicier, but all-in-all I really liked it.  The sweetness of the coconut was delicious with the spiciness of the kimchi and the smokiness of the pork.  Those Hawaiins know what they're doing :)

Valentine's Day-The Movie

Tom and I watched this movie with Ainsley this week.  When it came out in the theaters, all of the reviews were less then stellar however,  with an all-star cast including Jessica Alba, Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Taylor Swift and Kathy Bates, it was still a must see in my book.  I have always enjoyed shows that follow the lives of many people who are connected to each other.  To me it comes across more like a book and being an avid reader, this is definately a good thing. 

Besides the great cast, the writing was simple but funny.  I'm not always interested in some deep, dark comedy.  I enjoyed the goofy characters and the ways they interacted with each other.  If you are looking for a good laugh and a great looking cast, then Valentine's Day is an enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours.  We all did!

School Projects Galore

Why is it at the end of the year, teachers feel compelled to assign large projects.  With the exception of Zane, all the kids are concurrently working on huge projects at school.  Drew is reading a Hugo Award winning novel and writing a report on it.  The fun part is it's science fiction (not his favorite genre) and close to 700 pages long.  He abhors every minute of it.  I never thought it would be a struggle to get him to read. 

Trevin is working on a group project on the Battle of Bald Hill in Atlanta from the civil war.  In addition to a five page report and a 10 minute speech, he and his cohorts have to make a diorama of the battle.  The boys were here last night, and I must say, it was like the blind leading the blind.  It truly is a teenager thing.  It is not only my children that are easily distracted and find it hard to stay on task.  After 5 hours, help from Tom and I, and a lot of screwing off, they did get a pretty nice-looking diorama.  I'm proud of them.

Finally, we have Austin.  He is the 'Wagon-Master' of his group project which he takes very seriously.  They have been studying the Oregon Trail and he has to re-create a working replica of a Oregon Trail Wagon with all the supplies included.  Austin is strict on things looking real so it should be fun.  I'll post pictures once we get it done.

In short, my point is, why do they assign this stuff all at the same time?  Can't they take sympathy on those of us with multiple kids and spread the big stuff through out the year :)  It's great though, they truly are learning a lot and I'm so proud of everyone of them!

Don't Judge a Wine by It's Price

As an instructor at Western Culinary Institute, whenever we were doing wine tastings students would often ask how I knew a good wine when I tasted it? The simple answer is always, "If you like it, it's a good wine." It really doesn't matter if a wine costs $4.00, $40.00 or $400.00, if it's something you enjoy drinking, then it's worth every penny you paid for it. In fact, for all of you who watch your spending (who doesn't in these economic trying times) finding a delicious wine for an affordable price is like finding gold in an abandoned mine in California; it's a treasure to be valued. My most recent find was shared with me by my dear cousin Sammie Jo. For brunch on Mother's Day she was serving what else, but mimosa's, champagne mixed with orange juice, and the champagne she used was called Schloss Biebrich. Strictly speaking it is sparkling wine and not champagne as wine can only be labeled as 'champagne' if it comes from france and made from any combination of three grape varietal; pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. This particular sparkling wine hails from Germany therefore cannot be dubbed champagne, but I digress. The point is, I tried the wine sans orange juice and absolutely loved it. I have searched long and hard for a sparkling wine/champagne that I enjoyed as much as a 2002 Louis Roederer Cristal that I tried several years ago at a champagne tasting. Seeing as a bottle of that costs around $200.00, I'm been looking for something a little closer to my price point. The Schloss Biebrich is my personal diamond in the rough. This great little bottle of sparkling costs a mere $4.99 at Trader Joe's. Jackpot! I'm so excited by this find. I havent' found a wine treasure like this in forever. If you enjoy sparkling wine half as much as I do, or you have a celebration coming up and can't bear another bottle of Cooks or Andres, then try Schloss Biebrich in the Sekt style. Prost!

Dual Family Functions

The day started a little questionable, weather-wise. Tom was out watering the plants this morning while I finished preparing some eats and it started to rain. Luckily the weather cleared and we ended up with a fairly nice day. We headed to Tom's brother's boat to enjoy brunch with Rita, Tom's mom, his brother David and his nieces, Breana and Kelly. Trevin's mom is in Maui so he was able to tag along with us. We didn't get to see Rita for Mother's Day last week so that was the reason for the gathering. I made overnight baked french toast casserole from Paula Dean and Tom made a delicious fruit salad. It was a relaxing time to be had by all. David is always a very gracious host; I enjoyed myself.

Then it was off to Vancouver to meet up with my side of the family at Grandma and Grandpa's for Grandpa's birthday bbq. It's always such fun to see everyone and chat. Josie got to come with us and she met Zach, their dog and they got along better than anyone expected. She had a good day too, judging by how zonked out she is right now!

Hope everyone had a fine weekend and enjoyed the weather!

Asian Cooking New Passion

This week for International night on Thursday, we did Thai food. I am really enjoying different Asian cooking methods. I absolutely love my wok. I want to use it all the time. It real is quite amazing how different food turns out when cooked in a wok versus just a regular frying pan. I'm expanding my Asian pantry as well. My new favorite thing... fish sauce. Not what you may expect, but it adds such incredible flavor to things.

So, for Thai food this week, I went pretty tame with Pad Thai, Cucumber Salad and Sesame Green Beans. Everything was delicious. Yes, I again used Epicurious as my source and tinkered with the recipes a bit. It's fun to make stuff for the first time, but the second time is even more fun because you know what you want to adjust to make it your own. The kids really enjoyed the meal overall, well, everything but the shrimp for Trevin and Austin. Those two like seafood the least. Even Zane and Ainsley like it better than they do and Drew absolutely loves it. I added tuna poke style even though it is not traditional Thai, but more because Tom and I love it. Here are the links if you want to check them out for yourself. Happy cooking!

Green Beans with Thai-Style Sesame Sauce

Cucumber Salad

Jasmine's Pad Thai

I did both shrimp and chicken in the pad thai, but you can try any combo of meat that you prefer or use just one.

Also, in order to make cashew butter, just blend 1/2 cup cashews, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp sugar in your food processor and add olive oil to desired consistency. I made closer to a cup of butter and added it to the pad thai as well. Yummy!

MMA Youthology Launched

Exciting News! As you all know, Trevin and Austin are both involved in MMA or Mixed Martial Arts. Some parents believe this is a "violent" sport and disagree with youth participating in it. Because of this, Tom and I were motivated to do some research and find out more about the sport and the benefits it can provide for kids. What we discovered was there is still very limited information out there and what you do find is hit and miss. Therefore, MMA Youthology was born. We have created a site that centralizes information for parents to learn about the sport and what it has to offer our youth. I urge everyone to check it out and spread the word if you or anyone you know is interested in learning more about MMA and let us know what you think. Thank you for your support!

MMA Youthology

Mother's Swarovski Crystal Rings

Because Mother's are so amazing, I've decided to dedicate another blog to their matchless abilities. My mother is such an incredible woman whom I admire immensely. She inherited some mighty talent from her mother. My mother can paint, do woodwork, bead, sew, the list is endless. She has given so many of her creations to friends and family as gifts; we are all so blessed to receive them. Each one has a piece of my mother's heart and soul in them, and her joy truly comes from creating something specific for those she loves. I have bugged her numerous times to sell her masterpieces but she adamently enjoys the freedom to make what she wants when she wants :) I can understand her point. The item of the week is one of her creations. She taught herself how to bead these beautiful swarovski crystal rings and they are breathtaking. Each one is unique and unrivaled to anything else on the market. Everytime I wear one, I receive numerous compliments because no one has ever seen anything like it. If you are interested in this ring or one like it, feel free to contact me and we can arrange to have one special ordered based on your size and color preferences.

In addition to my mother's talents, she is one of the most loving and giving women I know. She has taught me so much and regardless of the fact that I am, well, a full adult, she gives me endless support. I admire her so much and love her even more. Thank you, Mom, for everything. ~ Thosha

Happy Mother's Day

Did all the Mother's out there get the love and pampering they deserve? I certainly hope so. As all us mothers know, motherhood is the most underpaid job (monetarily) in the USA. We reap our rewards in different ways. Kissing sweaty forheads and brushing away hair from their brow while they are sleeping, grasping their hand to cross the street safely, hugging them tightly in the morning when they wake up, wishing them a good day when they head off to school. While many would interpret these actions as us giving to our children, it is us mothers who reap the true reward from these actions. The love in our hearts fills us up and keeps us motivated for all the days to come of constant reminding to put their backpack away or to make their bed. Many trial and tribulations face us as our children grow including our ever-present companion, guilt, but of course, it is all worth it. So on Mother's day, I hope you had the opportunity to bask in the love of your children and they were reminded to be extra kind to you. You deserve it, I know I do.

I was blessed enough to receive tulips and cards from all my children. My favorite part is their attempts at secrecy to surprise me. That's how I know they love me and all the little things they give. Thank you to all of you; you are all so dear to my heart and I don't know what I would do without you! xoxo ~ Thosha

Drew Gets His Braces On

Three years I've had 'discussions' with Drew about braces. Many an evening meal he has asked, "when can I get my braces on? Can that be my birthday/Christmas present?" In these economically trying times, coming up with $2000 for the co-pay has been somewhat of a challenge to make the commitment to getting Drew's braces put on. I agree with him fully that he needs them, unfortunately things like rent and food on the table have been more pressing at times. ALAS, the day has finally arrived. I awoke this morning with excitement knowing I was giving my son something he so desired at long last. After a busy morning of getting ready and the other kids off to school, we were off to get them put on. Insurance dictates we use Gentle Dental or Willamette Dental so it was off to Oregon City to Gentle Dental. All the x-rays and ground work already completed, the appointment actually ended up being much shorter than I had originally anticipated. After an hour and a $600 down payment, we were done and Drew finally had his braces on. Oh the irony that once he finally had them, he was nervous about going to school :) I, however, think they look great on him and am happy he'll finally be able to get all the kinks worked out plus he'll end up with an even more gorgeous smile! Good Luck Drew! I'm sure you'll have sore teeth tonight.

Asian Shrimp, Pineapple, and Peanut Salad Recipe at Epicurious.com

Asian Shrimp, Pineapple, and Peanut Salad Recipe at Epicurious.com

I was browsing on Epicurious (My absolute favorite site when looking for yummy new ideas) and found a fabulous new recipe. It is not often that I am so completely blown away by a recipe like I was this one. My favorite recipes are those that have many different flavors going on and this one definately satisfies in that department. Tom is not a lover of nuts in food so I did leave out the peanuts, but I think I will try it with some crumbled on top next time. The fresh mint really makes this recipe and don't be afraid of the fish sauce; it sounds scary, but it is a necessary component. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Trying New Things

In my perpetual search for ways to earn some money in the eternal struggle of survival I have added the gadget at the left with something offered for sale. I no longer want to just survive, I want to thrive! SO... I will now be offering an 'item of the week' for sale. This week I'm kicking it off with the horse weatervane statue seeing as I am such a huge horse fan. If anyone has anything they produce that they would like me to promote... please let me know. Let's make a deal! Let me know what y'all think!

Peak Potential

What a profound weekend! I learned so much about myself at the Millionaire Mind Intensive that Tom and I attended. Step-by step I learned about my attitudes towards money and myself emotionally. Why I fear things, why I am bitter about things from my past and because of those things, why I react the way I do to things that happen to me now. I am positively hoarse and have a sore throat from screaming so much. Mmmmm, ice cream.... thanks Tom. That feels much better :) Where was I? Oh yes, empowered. I am now empowered to take charge of my own future. Be a better parent. Be a better person! Hoo-Ya! Anyone want more details? Feel free to contact me... I'll let you know all about it!