I feel the motivation

creeping back. Maybe January is my primer button... hopefully. 

So, I mentioned the cutting back on eating out and making more meals at home. We'd started talking about that last year, and we really started acting on it at the end of November. I think it all started when I bought an extra turkey so we could have sandwiches. Trying to keep it going, I decided to try a recipe for a meal that I've always hated.

Chicken pot pie. I've never liked them, but they kept coming up in conversations. Then a video for recipe popped up. It was this one HERE. Guess what. I'm totally a fan now. Well, I'm a fan of these chicken pot pies. I'll definitely make these again.

I was immediately inspired to start cooking more. Right after that was Dad's birthday, and he requested biscuits with sausage gravy for breakfast. I tried a recipe for 7Up biscuits. They were awesome.

I was on a roll so I decided I needed a new dutch oven for Christmas. I picked out this Le Creuset and it's so pretty.

I knew the first dish I would make would be coq au vin because it's been a while since I've made it.

Next up was a copycat recipe, ish. I wanted the mushroom sauce from La Madeleine. I went ahead and pan fried chicken breasts to go with it.

I forgot that I was trying to get into the habit of taking pictures of things I'm making (to help with the motivation) and it was almost gone by the time I remembered. oops.

I stepped aside and let Cosme make something that he'd been wanting, and it was something that I'd never had. He made butter chicken and we all liked it.

Next up was something I'd been seeing on Pinterest and it didn't go over so well. I made orzo with roasted vegetables. I thought it was decent.

I went into the next one from Pinterest and wasn't expecting much after the orzo, but it was surprisingly good. Let me clarify. I hoped it would be good. Once I started mixing and sampling, I had doubts. It called for roasting strawberries and rustic bread. I had a loaf of brioche and a loaf of sourdough. I decided to sample each. I tried whipping the ricotta with honey as instructed, but it wasn't enough and I pulled the powdered sugar out. That did it. The brioche tasted better, but the sourdough's texture worked better. I'd probably stick with the brioche. I also learned that I'm not a fan of roasted strawberries. I will keep them plain and sweetened next time.

First with sourdough,

and next with brioche.

Anyway, since I feel the motivation coming back, I figured I'd post all of this to help keep me on track.

Now I've got to get a grocery order placed because I'm planning on red beans and rice today or tomorrow.

the breakfast from yesterday

 was piperade with scrambled eggs, another one from the cookbook.

We enjoyed it.

I didn't end up making the shrimp until lunch today. I wasn't crazy about them. I wasn't crazy about any of it. Maybe it's because I just wanted some chicken from Cane's, or a burger and fries from anywhere. Things just weren't in my favor. I had a headache most of the day. I got busy and didn't eat breakfast. I didn't have breakfast so I didn't take any vitamins. I didn't drink my coffee because I don't even remember why. I had errands to run. When I got home from running errands I was tired. My head was still hurting, and probably more since I was hungry and under caffeinated. I pulled the shrimp out and saw that they still had heads and needed cleaning. I didn't know what to serve with the shrimp so I heated up a quinoa/bulgur mix that I picked up from HEB. I made black beans to mix with it. (If everything else flopped, I would settle for plain beans.) 

So, here are the broiled shrimp.

They weren't much different than how I normally make them, seasoning wise. I normally don't cook my shrimp with the shell on. Having to peel cooked shrimp is just ugh.

I need to find some MD friendly meals that don't require so much prep. I need some convenience meals. I need a fast breakfast for when I know I need to take my vitamins, but where I also don't have to spend 20 minutes getting it ready. I have other things I need to get done as well. I can't just focus on food. It's exhausting and annoying and discouraging.

Speaking of discouraging...

Another ripe fig that something else found before I did.

Better luck next time.

and just like

that, a month went by. The rheumatologist appointment is this week. So much for all the plans I had. Sure, I've done better, but I haven't been all in. I'm happy with the small steps that I've taken. I've stuck with my vitamins and supplements, I've researched more, I've laid off most of the processed foods, I've cut way back on red meat, and while I still allow myself one Diet Dr Pepper, the Cokes are few and far between. I'm talking like maybe one a week. So hey, that is a big deal for me. 

I bought this, thinking it was a Mediterranean Diet cookbook. 

While it isn't an actual diet book, it seems like a pretty good cookbook. I've gone over recipes and compared to the MD guidelines and I think it'll be okay. I made this today, lavash with spinach and tomatoes. 

I made a little adjustment because I'm not ready to take on olives, but we both enjoyed it. I already have something planned for tomorrow's breakfast. I can't say what it is because the book's inside and it's something I've never heard of.

 

I've also tried to get more walking done, but sometimes I just don't. My ideal walk is having my bathing suit on underneath, then coming home and stripping down to go straight into the pool.

It doesn't always work out. I was dressed and ready yesterday, but the weather had other plans.

It looked like those clouds would get to the house before I did.

There definitely wasn't any swimming afterwards. 

Anyway, the appointment is this week. I'm once again accepting any and all prayers, crossed fingers, and good vibes. Also, all this going on and coming up is doing a number on my nerves. I've been working on ways to calm down. I really don't know how. I've been doing all the research on that as well.

That said, I've been thinking about doing an art journal. They say that helps with stress and anxiety. I wouldn't know because I haven't started. I thought tonight would be a good night. I'll actually probably start after this. 

Who knows? Maybe tomorrow I'll have a whole new thing to show and tell. Art journaling.

seeds are

ordered, soil is purchased, and pots are waiting.  I went to Home Depot on Saturday and saw some big pots that I really liked.  There were a few colors: maroon, blue, and I think they called the last one yellow.  It definitely didn't look yellow to me, but there was one in the very middle of all these oversized (and not light) pots that I wanted. 

 

At first I wasn't going to be difficult and ask for help, but I wanted it.  I asked for assistance and got it.  And while I had help, I also asked for them to get another one I'd been trying to pull down but couldn't reach.  Side note: I really like the way those blue ones look in this picture, but they were a lot lighter in person.  Anyway, I'm on the way to being ready for planting.

Speaking of self sufficiency...

 

I'm not a Starbucks regular.  I actually think the Starbucks hype is kind of obnoxious, but hey, that's just me.  One morning a few weeks ago, I made a stop for some breakfast.  These are awesome.

 

I was determined to find a recipe to make them at home.  I found a version for baking and bought the ingredients... except for the monterey jack cheese.  I just saw that listed in their description.

Ta dah!

They were NOT the same.  I didn't expect them to be perfect, but I was hoping for a little better than this.

 

By the way, that pan is STILL soaking with that Dawn soaking spray... and it's been scrubbed.

I think I'll stick to the occasional trip to Starbucks.  Also, I halved this recipe and it made 12 mini muffins.  The Starbucks order comes with two and they're so rich that one is really enough.

I need to go.  We've got birthday celebrations tonight and while I managed to get a key lime pie and cheesecake baked and in the fridge last night, I still need to go buy stuff for dinner.  The cheesecake didn't look the same as it normally does.  I really hope it turns out better than the egg bites.  

Starbucks, anyone?

I have one thing to

say... wow.  This was what the zucchini looked like this morning.

Here it is next to yesterday's picture.

So, of course I'm obsessed and I had to check on them later in the day.

Look at the change from this morning to this afternoon.

After taking the afternoon pic and zooming in, I noticed two little nubs sticking out on the tomato side.  Here they are later in the afternoon, more than nubs and actual little things.  Sprouts?

What if this turns out to be my calling?  That's wild.  It also might not take much to amuse me when it comes to something I know nothing about.  I'll just keep learning as I go.  I ordered some bigger containers today, but that wasn't easy.  I had to find something that was food safe and BPA free.  I'm turning into one of those people.  ugh... I figured though, why go through all the trouble growing my own stuff if it's contaminated with some funk from plastic?  Anyway, I found some containers and they're supposed to be delivered tomorrow.  Want to know why I need them ASAP?  Because the roots are busting through the bottom of the egg carton.

So that's the latest in my adventures of gardening.  I did have a bit of panic this evening though.  What will I do when spring comes around and caterpillars are everywhere?  I've come up with a couple of options and am hoping I might have it figured out.  More to come on that.

All the vegetable excitement yesterday had me wanting to cook.  (There hasn't been much of that lately.)  I bought tomatoes the other day to try something I saw and we ended up liking it.  I don't remember the actual name, but you roast little tomatoes and smash them.  Cook some chopped shallots in olive oil, then add the tomatoes and some garlic with a few capers and a TBS or so of water.  Mix all that up with angel hair pasta and also toss in some basil (which I had growing outside, thank you) and fresh, torn up mozzarella.  (And I don't get the fresh mozzarella thing.  Isn't most mozzarella fresh if you plan on eating it?)  Whatever the dish is technically called, this is it.

It was good.  I also warmed up some french bread and found a copycat recipe for Carrabba's herb oil dip.

That's it for now.  It's almost my bedtime so I need to go research gardening stuff before I fall asleep.  And don't fret, I should have another plant pic tomorrow.

I'm fine with the

quarantine, I just don't like the reason behind it. I placed a couple of grocery orders to pick up tomorrow and one will be picked up on Friday. The grocery part of quarantine SUCKS. I don't like how so many things are out of stock. I don't like how my HEB order is taking a week and how once I finally get an available time slot on Kroger, it's unavailable by the time I'm done.

In the meantime, I'm cooking what we have. On Friday I threw stuff together. I put some shrimp in one skillet, corn in another, and asparagus in the oven.

Can you tell I didn't really want any asparagus?  Speaking of which, it finally clicked that I don't need to make the whole bundle at once. It looks like this one might make several meals. We had more of it with tonight's dinner. We had spaghetti instead of the chicken we've been eating on for a few days now. We like it but we're kind of over it. I told Cosme we have to eat it, no wasting. It's shredded chicken with salsa, corn, and black beans. It looks like slop, but it really is good. 

It's good in a tortilla too. He still didn't want it though. I told him that food is hard to come by these days so we have to eat it... and we will. 

And finally, there's the cake I baked because we needed something sweet. 

My usual white with almond buttercream didn't sound good so I went with yellow and chocolate. The frosting might need a little more cocoa powder. 

So that's that. Quarantine and meals. 

i had seven bananas

and their next stop was the garbage. (Lets see, my banana bread recipe calls for 6-7 bananas.) Instead of wasting them, and not knowing when I can buy more, I made banana bread.

Waste not, want not. 

When Cosme asked for a drink last night but didn't finish it, and especially because it was Coke, I capped it with this gadget and saved it for this morning. 

Voila! Good as new. 

You know, it makes me feel good knowing I'm not wasting. I'm learning... and it only took a pandemic. 

I've been thinking about

making something for a while and I finally did it yesterday. I've been watching videos and comparing recipes.

See where I'm going here?

Here's the first, a little sample to try. 

Corn tortillas.  I need more practice. I think I probably should've used a little more water, and maybe even gotten it a little warmer. I also probably should've kneaded it a bit longer.  The flavor was fine, but the texture was off. They could've been softer.  Maybe I should've let the dough sit longer after it was mixed and kneaded. I don't know. I'd already told Cosme that if they didn't turn out right, our tacos would be taco salads. 

We didn't have salads. And I just realized I didn't put any salsa on Cosme's taco.

They even passed the hot buttered tortilla test. 

But that's not really a hard one. 

They were a lot faster and easier than flour tortillas, except for the part where you make the dough...  I'll practice and it'll all be fine. 

It's time to get up and get busy. I can't lie here and think about tortillas all day. 

i baked a cake

yesterday and it's gone over really well. I didn't pay attention to what it's called, but I'm calling it a Strawberry Milkshake Cake because it tastes like a strawberry milkshake in cake form.

It called for fresh strawberries but I only had frozen. I found it on Pinterest and it's super simple. Bake a white cake in a 9x13 pan. Mix 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk with a bigger container of thawed and drained berries while the cake is baking. Once it's done, poke holes in cake. Pour milk and berries over cake and chill. Top with cool whip. So while I'm calling it a Milkshake Cake, it's basically a poke cake and tres leches. It's good. I'll probably try it one day with fresh strawberries. 

i think this morning was

was the first time I've ever said I had an epiphany. I found logic behind everything going on right now. Just the other day, I was trying to figure out what was going on in the world when the coronavirus hit. Mind blown. I won't get political right now though.

Speaking of creepy things happening, I had Alexa playing 80s music while I was cleaning grout this weekend. I had to take a break at one point. I stretched out on the couch and started scrolling through the suggested things on Instagram. Alexa started playing Footloose. A video clip popped up on the IG feed... the dance scene from Footloose where they're dancing to Footloose. 

The eagle flies low at night. The eagle flies low at night.  Only kidding. (Sweat beads form) I don't know how it all works, but I'm sure they're listening through more than just Alexa. Whatever.

About the grout, I didn't finish. I think I'll finish this weekend. 

It's a process and we have a lot of tile. Honestly, I probably won't finish this weekend either. I just hope to come to a better, more evened out stopping point. 

I also made a brisket. I think it needed more time because it was a little on the chewy side. 

But it was so juicy the way it was and it had a good flavor too.

The only bad thing is, one can only eat so much brisket. I don't know how much that is exactly, but we're almost there. 

Time to squeeze in a few chores... and think of some better code phrases. 

i didn't take the Christmas

lights down from the trees in the front yard after Christmas 2018. Well, I didn't take all of the lights down. I still wasn't cleared for normal activities after my surgery,  so any lights that required a ladder to reach were left behind. When Christmas 2019 came to an end, I hauled the ladder out to take everything down. I didn't think the tree would grow that much in a year.

I cut the lights off, except for those stuck in the tree. Oh well, I thought I'd share since I just found that pic. 

I'm trying a new brisket recipe. It calls for curing salt. I figured any of the three grocery stores would have it. I checked the apps to order some. Nope. You know who does have it?

The sporting goods store. I'm still trying to figure that one out. 

Speaking of new recipes, I found one HERE for waffles. 

It's a keeper. And I didn't even have to go to Academy for any ingredients. 

When we got back from Academy with the curing salt, I put tots, fries, and shrimp in the oven while I prepped the brisket. The brisket went into the fridge and lunch came out of the oven. The baby wanted to stay outside so we made a picnic of it. 

I sure wish we had more weather like this. It's so nice out there. Maybe we can do it again tomorrow, but with a delicious brisket. 

I deleted just under

1700 pictures from my phone last night. There are still a lot more. Going through them all, I saw this one. 

I watched a video on YouTube and decided we needed pollo de caldo a few weeks ago. It was good.  I thought my corn and chicken really belonged on a plate. I also let Cosme know there was a good chance that corn would end up getting buttered and salted. 

There was one morning I made pig in the blankets. I took a picture because this will never happen again. 

There was one broken sausage left with two little scraps of dough.  Crazy, I know... and totally worthy of a picture. 

HEB ran an ad before Valentine's Day. If you bought a box of chocolates, you got a box of dog treats for free. Wow. 

I didn't get it. 

And then one night the sky was really pretty. 

And...

Then I deleted those with the other 1650+ pictures. 

I had a dream the other night that I had a stack of bacon. I grabbed it and carefully took a huge bite, as if it were an oversized sub sandwich. Then I realized NO MEAT TODAY and I spit it all out. I'm about to go make bacon (or bakie, as Little E says) and stack it high in a tortilla.