New Recipe Nights!

New Recipe Night.  It used to send my brothers and I running when were were kids.  Literally.  And for good reason.  Can anyone name the worst new recipe night recipe from the Taillon family?    All five members of my family will name the exact same recipe without hesitation.  I'll let you guess a little bit before I tell you.  Not all new recipes were bad, but it sure did make us sweat just thinking about it. 

Why am I bringing this up?  Because, in an attempt to keep things interesting here in our house, I myself now torture my own family with new recipe night.  Luckily, Aidyn is still too young to know that she should panic a little over a new recipe.  Overall, I haven't had any major flops, but some recipes are definitely better than others.  Two of my most recent new recipes are Edamame Lo Mein and Individual Sized Frittata. 

I don't even know if Frittata is the right word for this.  I wanted to make an egg dish, but knowing Aidyn wouldn't eat everything I wanted to toss in, I decided to make them individual sized.   I had some Egg Beaters, and I divided it up between three ramekins.  I cooked up some chorizo sausage as well as some veggies (mushrooms, spinach, leftover asparagus) and added it to the eggs.  I tossed in some cheese and baked them at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. 

They looked great, but overall, I would give it a solid...meh, so-so.  I think it needed some salt and possibly even a different size dish.  I'm not sure what it was lacking, but it wasn't as tasty as I had hoped for.  I at least got Aidyn to try a bite, and she even said she kind of liked it.  I guess I'll take it! 

My Edamame Lo Mein on the other hand was pretty tasty.  One day while grocery shopping I ran into one of the Moms from my school.  She had a recipe for Edamame Lo Mein and it sounded pretty good.  I changed the recipe a little for my own tastes but I think it came out pretty well.  Even though edamame is a good source of protein on it's own, vegetarian dishes are a hard sell at my house, so I cooked up some beef on the side that had been marinated in some of the same ingredients as found below. 

Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti  - I used a thin rice noodles found in the Asian section of your market
• 2 cups frozen edamame, (shelled soybeans)
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce, or vegetarian “oyster” sauce
• 1/4 cup rice-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks - I used asparagus because I already had some on hand
• 2 small red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and edamame and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, whisk scallions, oyster sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and crushed red pepper in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add carrots and bell peppers and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pasta and edamame. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is crispy in spots, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sauce and stir to combine.

I will definitely make this one again!  I especially like it because the ingredients can easily change to whatever I have to use. 

So, not both a raging success, but at least it wasn't Apple Beef Stew I was trying to serve up! 

Ok, that is all for tonight.  So much left to do still before my friend Megan comes on Friday!  She doesn't know it yet, but I've been combing my cookbooks and magazines for a few new recipes to try while she's here.  Waaahahahaaaa....

A new start...again.

So, I started a new round of physical therapy today.  The guy was really nice, although a little chatty for my liking...I was there for almost 2 hours.  It's probably not a good thing that my feet medical history could take 2 hours to cover.  I'm going to be doing Ultrasound, massage, and electric stimulation (e-stim) as well as some exercises to do at home.  He didn't seem to think I would need the 6 weeks that the Dr. prescribed to me, but I guess we'll see. 

The appointment took so long, Aidyn and I weren't home for long before we had to run out the door again.  There is a dance studio here in town, and they held an open house tonight.  We took Aidyn so we could check the place out and see if she would be interested in taking a dance class.  If you are wondering...yes, yes she is.  We signed her up for a Ballet/Jazz/Tumbling class.  It meets only 1 night a week for 8 weeks.  The price didn't seem to bad until you factor in the dance shoes, tights, and leotard that is required for the class.  What the heck are the tights for anyway??  Aidyn is super excited.  As soon as we got home, she shimmied into the tights and pulled on her new dance shoes.  She showed us a curtsy, a pirouette, a jump, and a skip.  I gotta say, for a 4 year old, she's pretty good at walking on her toes.  Maybe we do have a dancer on our hands. 

Ok, it's late.  Off to bed.  Lots to get done tomorrow!  Only a few more days before my friend Megan gets here!! 

Night!

Playing Catch Up

Hi All!

I know it's been a while.  I guess I have had a lot going on, and I guess that is why I feel like I've been playing catch up, over and over again.  Let's see, where to start?

I have a diagnosis from my Dr. of Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome in my feet.  Basically, a nerve issue.  I am starting physical therapy for it on Monday.  I haven't run or been to the gym since I ran my 1/2 marathon about a month ago.  The good news, is that my feet aren't hurting as much.  The bad news, is that I'm not running or working out and I'm really starting to feel it.  I'm hoping starting therapy and some nice summery weather will get me out of my rut and back to the gym. 

This past Thursday was Aidyn's last day of preschool for the year.  I get a little anxious this time of year since we never have a solid child care plan for her.  I know that sounds terrible, but it's just how we do it.  This summer, Aidyn will be getting a spot at the daycare I work for for the month of June and maybe the month of July.  It's really helpful that she'll be going to work with me every day.

Last weekend, Aidyn and I took a little roadtrip to Colorado to visit my brother Josh.  He has owned his restaurant, The Savory Cafe for one year now, and they had an anniversary celebration that I just couldn't miss.  Aidyn and I had a blast!  Pictures and details are below. 

Next weekend, which is Memorial weekend, my friend and college roommate, Megan is coming to visit with her little girl Tanner.  I'm SOOOOO excited to have them here.  We are going to have so much fun.  I can't wait to take them to our Farmer's Market and to explore downtown.  We are also going to Kansas City for Jiggle Jam, which is a weekend long kids music fest.  We took Aidyn last year and had lots of fun, so I'm happy to have somone to share it with again this year. 

I have so much to do this week to get ready for them.  I got to work today cleaning up Aidyn's playroom and bedroom to make room for our guests.  What should have been an hour project has turned into a weekend long project.  I moved a piece of furniture in Aidyn's room to vaccum and dust behind it, and then procceded to change the whole layout of the room, which also involved a massive toy shuffle.  I tend to do that when I do major cleaning.  Do you change things around in your home a lot or do you keep things as is all the time?

Ok, back to our CO weekend and all the fun stuff we did! 



Our view Friday morning

1st stop after some breakfast on Friday, the candy store...of course. 



Then Aidyn rode the Carousel of Happiness with Unky Josh and Kelly



...more than once



Getting ready to boil some crawfish and Me with my brother Josh



More spices?  Sure, why not?



Getting ready to boil some crawfish

Trying to get the crawfish to battle each other

Me and Aidyn with Unky Josh

The staff found it hilarious to call him Unky Josh all weekend

A stowaway in the crawfish bucket.  He was named Lucky...lucky to have not been tossed in the pot

Fried chicken, coleslaw, potato cheese fritters, greens and cornbread.  Man, that bread looks good huh?!

That's because I made it!!

Finally talked Aidyn into holding a crawfish.  Lasted about 1.5 seconds.

She was not freaked out at all to watch them get cooked up



Yes, I did have to try everything - Butcher steak, crab cakes, fried pickles, spicy coleslaw, sweet potato custard




Saturday morning breakfast - housemade bacon!



Aidyn with her friends McKenzie and Hayden Rigsby in Boulder, CO

We spend Saturday afternoon in Boulder.  We wandered around the Farmer's Market which I miss going to a lot, and bought a few random items for the restaurant:  baby kale, beets and mushrooms.  We did a little shopping and found a new Crocs store, which are the best shoes for little feet.  Our big score for the day...pink crocs with Scooby Doo on the toes.  We also met up with my friend Erin and her little girls.  I miss them a lot.    

A quick lesson on the dishwasher...

and she's off to work!



New York sour.  Yes, it was good!



Sunday morning view

Coming into the town of Nederland, CO



A view of the snowy town between the trees. 



That's all folks!

Back to the Very Old Drawing Board

After a fairly painful week, I finally got in to see a Dr. today for my foot.  There was news and not so good news.  First, there doesn't appear to be a stress fracture which is good news.  BUT, he did speculate that the pain could be coming from plantar fasciitis, which if I have my choice, I'd take the fractured foot...seriously. 

For those near and dear, you already know I've had my run-ins with plantar fasciitis before.  For the last 10 plus years in fact.  I thought I was over and done with hearing about it though when I saw a Dr. about 3 years ago and was told it was not in fact plantar fasciitis but actually the mechanics of or how my foot was "made".  I was more or less told too bad so sad and sent on my way.  Needless to say, hearing the possible diagnosis re-introduced to me today was more than discouraging. 

The small silver lining though is that the Dr. today had other possible diagnosis and has ordered an MRI to be sure.  He is going to check for something called Tarsal tunnel syndrome (yes, same idea as carpal tunnel) as well as Baxter's Nerve Entrapment.  Both basically involve nerve damage and have symptoms similar to plantar fasciittis.  In all my years of dealing with this, and the double digit doctors I've seen, this is the first I've ever heard of either of these.  So, maybe there is a chance this time around for a correct diagnosis.  However, the treatment for all three is more or less the same.  Which...been there done that. 

So!  I am literally back at square one and mostly out of commission until the MRI is done.  I'm getting pretty antsy to get back to the gym though and may try some biking this week just to feel not so fat kiddish.

I'm trying to stay positive that this will be the right track and this Dr. will know what he's talking about....but after 10 years, my positivity is not exactly overflowing. 

Sorry for the bummer of a post, but that was my day today.  At least I had a great weekend before getting crappy news.  Aidyn and I went to a ballet performance on Friday night and then hit up the Farmer's Market on Saturday.  On Sunday we went to Art in the Park here in town which is a great local event with a craft sale, a bouncy house for the kids, food vendors, live music, and even DiscDogs - a cool event for dogs and owners to show some Frisbee catching skills.  It was a chilly day, but with something for everyone, it didn't really matter. 

Off to bed now.  Hopefully, I can shake this negativity and move forward.  I'm thinking a road trip to the Rockies may be in my near future to help cure me.  A good laugh, a stiff drink(s) and my brother telling me to stop being such a baby sounds like just what the doctor should order.