A Friendly Recommendation

Image via Wikipedia

Today, I must pass on a Trader Joe's product recommendation that I received via email from my dear, witty friend. It's just so passionate, I felt it necessary to share with the cyber blog world.


Tonight, I suggest for you the Trader Joe's "Goat's Milk Creamy Cheese" which comes in a small, blue container and retails for $2.99. It has the consistency of a very soft cream cheese and is wildly delicious. If you spread it on some warm, toasted Italian bread with some torn basil on top you will want same sex marriage to become legal so that you can marry me based on this suggestion.

I'm serious.

and

I love cheese.

xo, alicia

Stay-cation Sunday

What do you do when you're looking for something different to do on a Sunday evening, but feel exhausted and the effects of the economy? You pitch a tent in your backyard, of course!

The kids went to bed early, and Mr. Dan the Camper Man took the opportunity to whip out the old Dewig tent (from the days of his crazy camping bachelor days). He convinced me to join him for a snuggle while we enjoyed this warm, gorgeous Sunday evening.

This is our lovely backyard view from inside the tent. I don't know as though I've ever laid down in my own backyard in the last 3 homes we've lived in. I won't lie- it was really great. Milestone #1.

So as we were laying there snuggling I proceeded to get the giggles because there's just something really humorous to me about lying in your husbands arms on the ground in a tent. In your own backyard. While two children are sleeping. Inside. And then I began thinking about all the hardcore camping and backpacking and hiking that Dan did in his days of youth growing up in Colorado, and then I'm immediately thinking how my own childhood outdoor experiences were completely contrary to his- in fact, just lying here in my own backyard is about the closest I've ever come to camping. And I'm completely enjoying the moment, truly I am. Dan is so happy in his element, and I can tell he's just so darn proud to have his wife in his tent FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER (before I entered his tent, I asked him how many girls had been in there before me, and he happily reported: none. Great answer). But immediately, I'm spinning with 200 questions. Why is it so smelly in here? Is there mold growing in here? How can these thin flimsy little strips of fabric really protect us from the elements? Could this thing up and fly away? Is there more homemade ice cream?

And then I sort of looked up at him with a bright new realization and asked "This is the closest thing to a vacation we're going to have this summer, isn't it?" That dear sweet husband of mine replied, "Yep, and this tent will still be up, right here tomorrow." So far, our Staycation is lovely and I'm actually sincerely anticipating doing it all over again tomorrow evening. (Milestone #2.) Perhaps we'll send you a postcard.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Some Tips to Save On Camping Equipment (raunchyjohnson.com)
• Tent reviews (hermenaut.org)
• Summer is here, lets go camping! (gadling.com)

Friday Night

Image by QuintanaRoo via Flickr

Eggplant Parmesan dinner prepared- check.
Kids bathed- check.
Children angelically asleep in bed- check.
Husband away and happily playing poker- check.
Kitchen cleaned- check.
Dog fed- check.
Laundry folded- check.
Chat with parents- check.
Cleverly embark on breakfast prep for upcoming busy morning- check.
Make amazingly delicious organic strawberry ice cream, consume (small) portion drizzled with chocolate sauce, throw on pj's, cuddle up with book and read until state of drowsiness sinks in- check.

It's been a great week. And bright and early tomorrow, the Monterey Bay Aquarium awaits us, which I'm certain will include several remarkable blog-worthy moments and/or photo documentation for disclosure.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]">

Siblings

Here's big brother, the cutest and most helpful little child laborer I know.
:)

New Look...

Image by Christine ™ via Flickr

...same blog. Since you asked, these colors just go SO much better with my skin tone than the other one did. You like? Also, let's be honest; orange (which is quickly moving up in my ranking of very favorite colors) is totally the new green.

"Ridiculously Thick Yogurt"

I would like to introduce you to my new found friend, Fage Yogurt (and please respectfully adhere to the proper pronunciation- "fa-yeh"). We just met, Fage and I. But I'm getting ahead of myself, because this is the part where I must first and foremost give an obligatory shout out to my sister who ever so thoughtfully set the two of us up on a blind date just mere days ago. Lisa, from this day forward, Fage & I will toast to you each and every morning that we spend together. Alright then, on with the Fage.

Fage is basically a VERY creamy strained Greek yogurt. The folks who work for Fage don't lie when they claim their product is a "ridiculously thick yogurt". Indeed, it is. I wasn't sure if thick yogurt would even be something I'd be into- I mean, I usually just get the good ol' Trader Joe's Organic whatever flavor, with a very normal, classic yogurt texture. Which is lovely. I have no complaints with them. I've been very happy and satisfied for years with the status of my current Trader Joe's yogurt relationship. I've not felt a need to look around, play the field, or much less stray. But when that sister of mine just kept gushing and babbling on and on about this Fage's magical powers, I was left with robust...yogurt curiosity. What had I been missing, if anything?

And then, I bit into the creamy heaven and realized this Fage stuff is on a whole new playing field. The only thing I can appropriately compare its texture to would be cheesecake. Except it's healthy! I would have settled for just great taste, but Fage is actually pretty amazing in the nutritional benefits department:

• 100% natural
• 20 grams of protein per 8 oz. serving!!!
• 120 calories, nonfat (although it also comes in lowfat and whole milk, too)

Con:
Not organic. Which is huge, I know. Especially with dairy. We are trying our hardest to stick with organic in all things dairy, and this sort of puts a damper on my yogurt parade. However, I fully intend to at least inquire as to whether or not they have plans to produce an organic line of their yogurt, and if so- you all better watch out. It will be Fage Organic Yogurt for all of your birthday/Christmas/wedding/baby shower gifts from that day forward.

Try it- let me know what you think. I'd really like to know. That means you, Alicia (they have it at Trader Joe's, did I mention?)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Carrot Cakey Cookies Guest Post from Sara Morris of Sprouted Kitchen (thekitchn.com)
• Greek Yogurt Breakdown (fitsugar.com)

Father's Day

Today has been an eye opening day for me. Several times I found myself subconsciously on the threshold of breaking the "good wife's code to giving her husband a stress-free and peaceful Father's Day". Either by asking Dan to do something, complaining to him, or just plain nagging him about petty nothingness, it all threatened to taint the vibe of this special day that I was initially so eager to create. And then, fortunately, I somehow dug down deep, found the consideration to bite my tongue while thinking....just stop- it's Father's Day.

Or- how 'bout JUST STOP?

That's when the epiphany hit. I realized that if I treated every day a little bit more like Father's Day, and a bit less like an ordinary any day, my husband would without question see a kinder, happier, more gentle & loving wife. For me, this day set aside to honor my own father and husband took on a whole new meaning. Maybe we have these "holidays" not necessarily for the 24 hour celebratory pleasantries, but to remind us of how we're really supposed to be to one another. All the time. Perhaps if I try a bit harder to be my best self around Dan more than just one special day a year, he would be able to see the depth of my love for him more clearly. I mean, who really wants a stagnant, linear marriage relationship, anyway? Isn't (shouldn't?) one of the main goals in life to become better people? Better spouses? Better citizens? Better mothers? Better friends?

Of course...this doesn't mean I'm not allowed to gently remind the man about the age-old toilet seat feud. After almost 5 years of marriage, you'd think it would be easy to remember this one teensy little thing. I'm just sayin'.....

Summa-time

Well, folks, it's official- summertime has hit the Dewig Household! We four are celebrating this season in different ways; me with a bit more time on my hands to catch up on...well, everything. Reading is really what I seem to be doing more of these days, and in my wise old age of 30, I have learned that I am a girl who desperately needs and loves the quiet respite that nap time provides each day. Also, with my new found commitment to actually planning out meals each week, I find myself in the kitchen quite a bit, baking and cooking up a storm, trying to create nutritious but inexpensive concoctions. It's not easy, but who doesn't love a challenge? Heck, speaking of a challenge, Dan & I even actually invited our calculator into Trader Joe's the other day on a family grocery shopping trip, trying to keep the grand total under the $100 mark. (We came very, very close, and the whole experience just reinforced what I already knew- Trader Joe's prices ROCK).

Ben has found a unique outlet to celebrate the summer season, ever since he learned about the evil snail creatures that peruse our yard, searching only to destroy any and all plants that Mommy & Daddy care for. Dan has taught Ben the gruesome (albeit potentially helpful) art form of squishing any and all snails he encounters. I try to just turn away from the snail gore and plant my nose back into my book where it belongs. Here's the little handsome fella (and yes, he's outside in his undies in this first one):



As for Miss Ella, she is entirely consumed trying to do this with most of her free time. The summer weather even allows her to do this in the buff on occasion, which (in my completely unbiased opinion) is just outright adorable. I just love her. We are very much tied at the hip, she & I, and I am doing my darnedest to enjoy every second of her babyhood, close my eyes at least once a day, breathe deeply and say, remember this moment, save this moment, lock it in your heart for always.
This is Ella after attacking her first pancake ever (blueberry, of course). She seems to be a fan of the carbs, and I have a feeling she's following in her Mama's footsteps in the Deep Love for Pancakes department.


Dan is now home pretty much full-time, and I'm learning that a parent to child ratio of 2-2 is a whole lot more peaceful than what I'm used to the rest of the year. Having him around to help actually makes me appreciate myself. That made no sense- what I mean is, having him help out as much as he does makes me realize how much a stay-at-home-mom does all on her own during the course of a regular day.

Family Beach Days are a new priority for me this summer. That's right, I've made priorities for these next 8 weeks. I see no reason why we shouldn't be spending at LEAST two mornings a week strolling alongside the water. So far, so good. This was our first of two walks this week (!!!!)

So far, the "moral to my summer" seems to be that although Dan's profession as a high school teacher will never be a lucrative one, it has its definite obvious perks. You simply cannot put a price tag on the time that we are able to spend together this summer. Now that Ben is 3, his day-to-day events are ones that he is actually going to remember from this point forward, and what an awesome experience we are blessed to provide for him- the gift of time with BOTH parents. I don't know who's happier to have him for all of these "stay home days"- my kids or me.

Dan, thanks for working so incredibly hard during the school year so that we get to relish in your presence all summer long. It feels so great to have you home for breakfast, lunch AND dinner. We heart you!

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]">

What We Had For Dinner

Ohhhh, boy. Just do you & your loved ones a favor, and make this. You won't believe how much delightful tastiness POW is packed into these cute little turkey patties. And the sweet potato fries? Are you kidding me? Does it get better than this? (perhaps, if I had thought to make chocolate shakes to dunk our sweet potato fries into, but that may have been a bit much for a Thursday). Thank you Martha Stewart, and her June 2007 publishing of this recipe in my very favorite & necessary kitchen bible magazine, Everyday Food. Go ahead! I double dare you NOT to love these.

By the way, our grocery stores don't seem to sell actual "mini buns", so I just bought some (super cheap!) whole wheat dinner rolls and sliced them. *Alternatively, you can use those "King's Hawaiian" Honey Wheat rolls. DELISH!



Turkey Burger Sliders

Serves 4

• 2 slices white sandwich bread for breadcrumbs, (about 1 ounce each) OR....if you have your own store-bought breadcrumbs, like me, just use that. About 5 tbsp.
  
• 1- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
• 2 ounces cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 small onion, coarsely grated
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil + more for grill pan
• 12 "party-size rolls" *
• Lettuce, sliced tomatoes, ketchup, and mustard, for serving (optional)

In a food processor, pulse bread until fine crumbs form (or measure out store-bought breadcrumbs). Transfer to a medium bowl; add turkey, cheese, onion and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and mix gently just until combined. Form twelve 2-inch patties (about 3 tablespoons each).

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook patties until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Alternatively, you can BBQ these- just make sure to spray grill with non-stick spray, as turkey has a tendency to stick to the grill.


Serve on rolls with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, and mustard, if desired.


Sweet Potato Fries:
Serves 4

• 2 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds total), peeled and cut into 1/2-by-2-inch sticks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide potatoes between two rimmed baking sheets; toss with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer, without overlapping. Roast, tossing once, until tender and starting to brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Sprinkle with lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Toss to coat.

Sleepy

You know when someone wants to make a statement or ask a question, but they don't want to admit that THEY are actually the one making the inquiry? As in, "so I know this guy....", or "I have this friend who..."

Today Ben totally adapted a 3 year old version of this.

He stayed up late last night, had a busy morning playing outside and then had some quality time with his Auntie Alexis & cousins. He clearly had a full morning, and was starting to wind down. We were heading home, about to pull into our garage when he spoke up from the back seat:

"Mama, our car is really tired. Our car needs to stop driving now, eat some lunch, and then take a nap, okay?"

I just checked on him and he is now snoring like a baby. Naturally, the car is, too.

Inspiration

The bathroom is grossly underestimated in my opinion- people never say that the bathroom is their favorite room in a house. Usually it's Kitchen or Family Room that get all the praise & glory. The bathroom is such a functional room- people don't really give it the love & respect it deserves (that's right, I said "deserves".) And I don't know about you, but my bathroom has sure seen me at my worst a whole lot more than any other room I frequent. It's the most loyal of all our rooms, really. Anyway, it just struck me that I get about 97% of my inspiration of blogging ideas or material while I am either showering or getting ready for the morning in my bathroom. Maybe it's because it's the only place I'm usually alone, and can therefore think a bit more clearly. I wonder how many other people utilize the bathroom to foster their creative genius. I'm guessing a whole bunch. And so humble little bathroom of mine with funky outdated tile and a shower stall that's so freakishly small I feel claustrophobic every single time I step in, I dub you New Favorite Room in the House. Congratulations.

A Plethera of Information

Today feels like a bullet-presentation-of-information type of day. This is what happens when I store up all my blogging thoughts & stories while additionally failing to meet my quota of spoken words throughout the day.

• Today Ben & I were outside working & watering in the yard and he came around the corner with a big smile on his face. I noticed that his....crotch-al region appeared very unusual. I asked him what he had done, to which he replied: "Oh nothin', Mama. I just put some rocks in my undies. I like the way it feels." Why, yes. Of course. Who wouldn't love rocks in their undies? Good gracious, boys are a kick.

• The month-long watering commitment at my parents house (while they are doing heavens-knows-what in Maui paradise) is going pretty well. However, emphasis needs to be on the COMMITMENT part. I guess when you have four children who have all grown and left the nest, you invest in millions of potted plants that take hours and hours to upkeep. I'm serious. These people have plants on the driveway, roses in the front yard, pots in the front patio, pots & veggies in the side patio, plants in the back patio, and then two vegetable beds in the side yard. However, I will tell you that so far my favorite thing is finding the first 5-leaf branch on the roses, and then cutting those suckers back. I think it's time Dad lays off the rose fertilizer just a tad, because no one needs THAT many roses. Honestly. It's like a rose steroid-fest over there.

• Last night my dear Liz & Dan kidnapped me and DRAGGED ME to the movies to see....wait for it....Drag Me to Hell (did you get the pun???). Yes, you read that correctly. I, Nicole Marie Dewig went and sat in a horror-ish type flick. Those of you who know me know that I hadn't even seen a truly "scary" movie until I was around 25. I just don't do scary movies- who wants to pay money to be emotionally and psychologically scarred for days? Not I. But...there was so much pleading and begging in Dan's (Findrick) voice, and then he whipped out the "but it's almost my birthday" guilt card, and well- what could I do? At the end of the day, it was an opportunity to get out of the house, hang with two of my favorite peeps, and hope to be entertained. I don't have much to say about the movie except that it was pretty awful, not scary at all (no, really- the movie didn't frighten me. The only time my heart raced out of fear was after Dan yelled in my ear to spook me, but obviously that doesn't count), and the theater was full of rowdy and rebellious overly chatty teenagers. BUT, we actually got some pretty great laughs out of it which reduced the movie to a slightly disturbing bad comedy. See? Another lesson learned in not judging a book (movie) by its cover (title). Thankfully, 'twas a night for double features, so we followed up with the wonderful Up which was pure loveliness. The first 10 min. alone were so adorable precious and funny that I was laughing so hard, I had tears. Go see it.

• Do yourself a favor and watch this because he never ceases to amaze me, and I can't seem to get enough of his live album or DVD. And one of these days I'll blog about having backstage passes to his show, but never actually meeting him.....

• I feel like there were many more things that were blog-worthy, but now after seeing how incredibly L-O-O-O-O-N-G this bit of information already is, I think it's a good time to conclude, and leave you all wanting more :)

Pruning

You know when you're getting old when you have a conversation with your husband that goes something like this:

Dan: There's some really cool You Tube videos I've been watching lately about pruning trees. I think you should watch them. I've already learned so much and I think I have an idea now of what we need to do with our fruit trees once they're done blooming

Me: Ohhhhhhhhh. That sounds great! Maybe we can watch some this weekend- we don't really have anything going on Friday night!

Gone are the days of lavish plans to hit the town and paint it red, and in its place are the the days of some intense pruning tutorial videos. And I'm pretty sure y'all will be thanking us for our lack of exciting social interactions & engagements when our nectarine & peach trees are yielding the tastiest fruit this side of the Mississippi. Don't worry, we promise to share.

Sausage-ology

My dear Alicia has informed me that a recipe follow-up to my previous sausage blog would be appreciated. I could never deny her, so here it is. Wait until you see how sometimes the tastiest of all recipes really are the easiest!

Have fun diving into sausage heaven:

The Meschi/Dewig/Kathy Z. inspired Oven Roasted Sausage with Balsamic Onions, Carrots & Potatoes:

*Please note that the quantity of each ingredient is completely up to you, and how many mouths you'll be feeding. The amount I listed below was about 8 servings. Also, I did not include this the other evening, but I've previously used fennel in this recipe as well which is absolutely divine.
Ingredients:
1 large onion (red or yellow), cut into half circle slices
1 lb. sausage, cut into halves or thirds (of course, we recommend the world famous Corralitos Market sausage, specifically the linguisa because it's not too spicy for the kidlets)
Bag of baby peeled baby carrots
5 red potatoes, quartered
2-3 cloves minced garlic

Preheat oven to 425

Place all veggies/garlic into large bowl and drizzle liberally with olive oil, lots of kosher salt & pepper. Toss together, and place into large baking dish. Place sausages on top and carefully drizzle balsamic vinegar over everything. Toss to coat, if necessary. Roast in oven for 35-40 min. or until veggies begin to brown & caramelize & a knife cuts into potatoes easily. ENJOY!

Bare Necessities

Is there anything worse than being out of olive oil, toilet paper, garbage bags, milk, eggs, diapers and toothpaste ALL AT THE SAME TIME? How did our family have such precise timing, that we would make these items extinct in our home simultaneously? This list alone will rack up over $100 at Costco. I hate money. Sometimes I think that if Adam & Eve never sinned "in the beginning", there would be no money, only lots of beautiful stores, and we'd just walk in with our lists, take what we need, and leave. And then when your neighbor was in need of anything, they'd just walk over, ask for what they need, and you'd cheerfully give it to them. Greed & selfishness have really ruined everything, haven't they?

In other news, here's Ella with her first pair of sunglasses. Notice how she is not smiling, and therefore not finding mommy & daddy's idea of sunglasses photo shoot even remotely entertaining.

p.s. Mom & Dad, if you are taking a break from your Aloha state of mind to periodically check in with my blog while you're away, I'll have you know I have been an EXCELLENT groundskeeper while you've been away, and I've been consistent about my watering duties. So....don't be mad at me if there's a couple plants that look a little less full of life. Let's chalk it up to your plants being attached to you and missing you terribly. Also, if you're looking for suggestions, a really great way to reward me for my efforts would be some chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Just trying to be helpful.