Books I Read in 2015

Time to start wrapping up 2015!

I'm looking back at the list of books I read in 2015, and it's so weird, but I feel like I just read these all yesterday. It's hard to believe that some of these I read more than 365 days ago. It was a good year for reading, if a light year. I usually aim to read 2 books a month, but I only made it to 19 this year. Mainly because I stopped reading after I read "What Alice Forgot" in October, and started writing. So I'm not beating myself up. I probably would have read 4 more books in November and December. And writing is whole other type of self-education that I'm learning to enjoy. Here's how the year of 2015 went in reading-

Philly-Style Chicken Sandwiches

I put this recipe on my "idea" list for the blog about 6 months ago. I have a sticky note where I keep all my ideas for upcoming blog posts. I add to it, make something, scratch that off, add a couple more ideas, start the process over.

Spicy Shrimp and Pepper Pasta

Ugh, I'm not having a good Tuesday.

I'm dog-less today. The pups are off at the vet, having their teeth cleaned. While I'm sure they aren't having fun there, I'm definitely bummed. I hate days without my dogs. There is an empty heating pad on the couch next to me, with the Blue Monkey perched and lonely sitting atop it. The Blue Monkey also misses his friend. The dogs will be home in a couple of hours, but in the meantime I'll keep glancing at their toy box full of goods, wishing Gizmo was here to give me the stare-down for a tug of war. 

I think I'll also comfort myself with some pasta. Give me shrimp and pasta (together, please!) and I'll be your best friend for life. Seriously. 

This dish has just the right amount of spice. Even the hubby agreed. He's not the biggest pasta person (I seriously don't understand you non-pasta lovers out there), so I was shocked when he went back for seconds. And then proceeded to tell me how much he liked it. I'll take it! The sauce is pretty basic, as I was not wanting to veer into marinara territory, so don't omit any ingredients and I highly recommend not skipping the basil and the cheese. 

One last thing before I go- I did manage to finish watching "12 Years A Slave". Wow. Let me put this out here- I hated every single second I spent watching that movie. It made me brutally sad of what humanity is capable of. That being said, it's a great movie with a great message. The horrors in history are not for the faint of heart. I know I'm faint of heart, the rewatch-ability of this movie is a big, fat zero for me. That's ok, another Best Picture nominee down. We only have "Nebraska", "Dallas Buyers Club", and "Philomenia" left. Getting er' done!

Happy Tuesday friends!

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 tbsp olive oil
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 orange pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
10 oz dried fettuccine
1 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
garnish- Romano cheese shavings (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large, wide-sided pan over medium-high heat. When warm, add peppers and onion to pan. Sauté 5-7 minutes, or until peppers and onion begin to soften. Add garlic to pan, sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant.
2. Add diced tomatoes through crushed red pepper to the pan. Bring sauce to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer 10-20 minutes while you cook the pasta.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta has 3-4 minutes to cook, add shrimp to the tomato sauce. When pasta is cooked, drain, and add to the tomato sauce. Toss to combine.
4. Shrimp should be cooked at this point. If they are not, continue to toss pasta over heat for another couple of minutes or until shrimp are pink and opaque. Sprinkle basil over pasta. Season to taste with salt. Divide pasta among plates and top with Romano cheese shavings. Serve immediately.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck

For The Birds

Female cardinal at the feeder.

Nerdy confession time-

I really like bird-watching.

I mean,  I really, really like bird watching. They fascinate me. I could spend an afternoon in a chair by my French doors leading to the backyard, camera in hand, endlessly watching them fly from one tree to another. The hubby and I have acquired 2 bird feeders (and 1 one squirrel feeder that's now a woodpecker feeder) thus far, and I think it's just the beginning. I'm so excited to get some birdhouses in the spring to try and attract some nesting families. 

Are you snickering at me yet? Probably, but that's ok. I'm ok with my avian love. On that note, yes, I've taken lots of pictures of those flying, feathered creatures in my backyard. In the snow no less!

This is my squirrel feeder that now appears to be a woodpecker feeder. This is the female woodpecker at her claimed meal spot. She loves banging away on it.

This is Woody, the male woodpecker.. He's never far from the house, you can always here him when you go outside. He's the loudest woodpecker I've ever known.

A fat little bluejay.

The female woodpecker likes the other feeders as well.

The female cardinal guarding the feeder from what appears to be a finch (or chickadee? Don't know on that one).

Male cardinal by the re-claimed squirrel feeder.

I just love male cardinals.

Nuthatch at the feeder.

I found the female woodpecker's hiding spot!

She's a crafty one :)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! We've still got inches of snow on the ground (although not nearly as much my loved ones in Oregon who have received 13 inches of snow in the last couple of days!), which I'm not loving. Our private lane is packed hard with ice, making it hard to get out of the house. The roads are clear if we can get off our private lane, which takes some effort. There's also a chance of more snow in the forecast. I bet you can guess what we're doing today... That's right! Hunkering down and watching movies!

Are we the most exciting couple ever or what?

Happy Sunday friends!

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Happy Friday! It was a pretty fast week here at the homestead. The hubby had the week off, and as usual, the week went too fast. There was lots of being lazy, watching numerous movies, and eating bowl after bowl of popcorn. But, like always, the hubby had to go back to work. So off I go on my normal activities, which include making Loaded Baked Potato Soup and baking Nutella-Swirled Banana Bread. It's going to be a delicious day :)

Funny story- About 2 weeks ago, I was really craving pizza. However, if you've read my pizza dough recipe, you know it takes all day. I make it early in the morning because it cold rises in the fridge for +8 hours. That was the predicament- no dough. Not such a big deal in most areas, but I was soon to discover it was in mine. I do not do Pillsbury pizza crust, it's pretty gross. I'm really not into the prepared crusts like Boboli either. In Portland, I could pick up a ball of fresh dough at any grocery store. I usually picked them up at Safeway, but they sold dough at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's as well. On top of grocery stores, you could go into any pizza place and buy a ball of their fresh dough. It makes sense. If you aren't going to buy their pizza, at least they are selling you something in the dough. I always thought that was the point of a business- you give the customer what they want so they come back. Revolutionary, I tell you.

The point of all this. On this day, when I had no dough and all I wanted was to make a pizza (not buy a pizza from the numerous greasy chains around here), I called 10 or so pizza places to see if I could buy a ball of fresh dough. The first store I called, the woman on the phone acted like she'd never heard of anyone wanting to buy dough before. Then, without asking anyone, she said, "No, I don't think we would sell our dough." Fantastic. I was annoyed, but mildly. Until I called numerous other stores to be met with the same incredulousness that someone had the gall to want to buy dough. And then refused. Then I was super annoyed. I was not buying a pizza from any of these evil people, so I went with the Pillsbury. It was, as usual, so disappointing.

The moral of this story?

When I make pizza dough, I now make 2. And freeze one. And glare at these pizza places every time I drive by. Maturity at it's best, I tell you :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients:

1 onion, roughly chopped
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
1 zucchini, quartered and chopped
1 yellow squash, quartered and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
garlic powder, salt, pepper
Pizza Dough
1/2- 3/4 cup prepared pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Set aside
2. In a large bowl, combine chopped vegetables with olive oil. Season to taste with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread vegetables into a single layer on cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and browned. Set aside.
3. Turn oven up to 550º, placing pizza stone on top rack. Preheat oven 1 hour. Remove pizza dough from fridge and allow to rest on counter while oven preheats.
4. Roll pizza dough into a round. Remove pizza stone from oven, place on holder. Turn oven off, and turn broiler on. Move pizza round to the stone (carefully, the stone is beyond hot!). Brush pizza sauce onto dough. Layer vegetables over pizza sauce, then layer with mozzarella.
5. Bake in oven 5-7 minutes, or until cheese and crust are starting to get blistery. Slice, and serve immediately.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck

Bourbon and Brown Sugar Marinated Flank Steak

There's just something so American about steak and potatoes. The standard meal of the "burly" man. I'll give it this- it's true comfort food, and exactly what the doctor ordered in the middle of our region's third polar vortex of the month. 

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare flank steak. We don't eat steak a lot, but when we do, we devour. This recipe was actually a happy accident. I discovered it when I was first learning how to cook, about 6 years ago. My husband and I were living in our first apartment in Portland, OR and we were both working jobs with crazy hours. We didn't have a lot of time to cook, so I made stuff I could prep in the morning or the day before. I had put a flank steak in this marinade in the morning for that evening's dinner. The hubby ended up having to take clients out, and dragged me with him. We decided to leave the steak in the marinade and cook it the next night. You really aren't supposed to leave meat in marinade that long (it breaks down the fibers in the meat), so I was nervous 24 hours was too long. One bite instantly erased the doubt, however.

There is soooo much flavor in the marinade. It really tenderizes a tough cut like flank. I love the slightly sweet flavor from the bourbon, mingled with the salty, savoriness of the accompanying ingredients. The leftover marinade is boiled on the stove to kill any bacteria, infused with some cornstarch to thicken it up, and drizzled over the steak. Hmmmm, I wish I had some more. No such luck ----> :(

I hope everyone's having a great week so far. The hubby's had the whole week off, so we've been plowing through the Oscar nominations for Best Picture. It's our tradition. They are a hard bunch to watch this year! We've watched "The Wolf of Wall Street", "American Hustle", "Gravity", "Captain Phillips", and I made it through about 30 minutes of "12 Years A Slave". I had a very visceral reaction to "12 Years",  I'm not sure I'm going to be able to watch the whole movie. It's really hard to watch, I was crying within 10 minutes with no end in sight. The hubby might be watching it on his own. Today we are tackling "Dallas Buyer's Club" and "Her". Whew. So far, the only movie I've enjoyed watching is "American Hustle". I'd highly recommend it, the acting is superb and the movie doesn't drag.  I loved the fast pace. Ah, if only I chose the Oscars :)

Now back to the food-

Ingredients:

1-lb flank steak

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup green onions, minced

1/4 cup bourbon

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

1. Combine flank steak through Worcestershire sauce in a large ziploc bag. Marinate in fridge for 24 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

2. To cook the steak- remove from fridge 1 hour before serving. Allow steak to come to room temperature. Preheat a gas grill over high heat. When hot, add steak, reserving the leftover marinade. Grill 5 minutes on each side, remove from the grill. Allow steak to rest on a plate, covered by tented foil, for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice meat against the grain for best results. 

3. While meat is resting, prepare sauce. Pour reserved marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Mix cornstarch with 1/2 tsp water. Whisk cornstarch mixture into pan. Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and serve over meat. 

*This sauce + mashed potatoes= heaven. I recommend mashed potatoes as the accompanying side dish.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck

Random Thoughts: 3/18/13

1. Weird and Wild Weather- Um, it's March, and we got 3 inches of slushy snow yesterday. What's up with that? Then, I'm jolted out of bed at 7:30 this morning by a rounding slap of thunder on the house. Those 3 inches of snow? Almost completely gone by now, obviously melted by the warmer temperatures that ushered in the thunderstorms. Last year at this time, I was sipping margaritas on the porch in capri pants, sunning myself on a +70 degree day. The hubby reminds me the bugs won't be as bad this summer with all the freezing weather. I'm pacified by this, because there isn't anything I hate more than insects. Not. A. Thing.

2. The NCAA tournament- Yay, it's bracket time! One of my most favorites times of the year, save for the beginning of football season and the first days of summer. The hubby is livid that Kentucky didn't make the tournament. It was a really bad, ugly season for UK, though. It was hard to watch them play, they looked so different from last year's smooth, professional play. Better luck next year, men. At least we still have Oregon to cheer for. Go Ducks!

3. Gizmo- Gizmo continues to make himself more at home everyday. I think he's finally beginning to feel like this is his house. He used to follow the hubby and I everywhere around the house, begging to be carried around. He's finally started exploring rooms on his own, and galloping from room to room. I love the sound of tiny feet pounding the floor. He's also started taking toys in the other rooms, and I can hear him growling at the squirrel or the hedgehog as he attacks them. He even sleeps more securely, belly up most of the time. Then, there's this howling thing he does when the hubby gets home from work, it never fails to make me laugh. Man, I love those pups.

4. McDonald's Shamrock Shakes- Yesterday was St. Paddy's Day! The hubby and I celebrated on Saturday night, when we went out for a family friend's birthday. We had a little too much fun, the kind of fun twenty-somethings are supposed to have. Not thirty-somethings. Anyhoo, the point is yesterday I saw this article on McDonald's Shamrock Shakes. Oh, ick! If you need another reason to not eat at McDonald's, read that article. Did you know there are 820 calories in that one milkshake? That's more than half of my daily calories. It's also made with 54 ingredients, the majority of which are preservatives and obscure additives. Gross.

5. The Movie "2012"- Ok, ok, I know this movie came out a couple of years ago. I just happened to catch some snippets of the movie whilst I was watching TV yesterday. What I saw was freakin' ridiculous. I'm 100% sure, after watching 5 minutes of the movie, that this film didn't have a single scientist consulting on the plot. I watched the scene where, apparently, California is sliding into the ocean. The Earth's crust is crumbling, and yet, John Cusak's plane is able to take off in the middle of this? Then, to add insult to injury, this plane is flying close to the ground, underneath crumbling buildings, and close to homes being sucked into the ground. I'm by no means a physicist, but I do understand simple concepts like gravity. And the fact that the huge amount force needed for something to be sucked into the Earth, is probably going to suck that plane up too. Needless to say, I turned the channel in disgust after a few minutes. #MovieFail.

6. Another Haircut! I'm really into short hair right now. It seems like everyone has long hair right now, and it's fun to do something different. I chopped off 7 inches in January, and last week, I chopped off another inch and a half. Even though I don't look impressed in this selfie, I'm loving the hair cut. I chose this picture because it makes me laugh. You have to be able to laugh at yourself, right?

Well, it's time to get off my duff now, lots to do today! I've got a workout on the books, some general house cleaning, baking Raspberry Banana Oat Muffins and Salted Caramel Cookies for my family (who start arriving tomorrow!!!), all kinds of laundry, and making dinner for the hubby. Oh my!

Happy Monday everyone!

Jessica's Top 10 List: My Favorite Movies

As I fell asleep last night, watching the most boring movie of all time, "One For The Money", I couldn't help but think of all the movies I would rather be watching. My favorite movies are a mix of comedy and action, with one classic movie thrown in. Bottom line, I love comedy. Love, love, love a good laugh. I know my list would be laughed at and thrown out by any Hollywood critic, but guess what? It's my list. So, neener-neener :)

10. The Longest Yard (2005)

Oh, how I love Adam Sandler. There's not many of his old-school movies I don't like. The Waterboy, The Wedding Singer, Happy Gilmore. The list is endless. I love "The Longest Yard". I love that it's about football (one of my favorite sports), I love the cameo's, I love Chris Rock, and I lurve the soundtrack. There are a few movies on my list who's soundtracks greatly enhance my viewing pleasure :) What can I say? The right song, and some action makes my heart go pitter-patter.

9. Mallrats (1995)

I can almost hear everyone going, "Huh?". I love Mallrats. I'm a big Kevin Smith fan, for one. His movies always emphasize dialogue, and I love that. Jason Lee was perfect for this movie, his comedic timing in this film is impeccable. And well, throw in Jay and Silent Bob, and it's hard for me not to like it.

8. Bad Boys II (2003)

I heart Will Smith. Here is another movie whose soundtrack done moved me to "Shake Ya Tailfeather". I first saw this on a blind date in college, and while the blind date was less than stellar and I never saw him again, I did see this movie many, many more times. It doesn't hurt that Will Smith was pretty hot in this movie, but the chase and explosion scenes are so glossy and wonderful. I just love to watch them. You can tell it's a Michael Bay film, the action scenes have the same flow and beauty as "Transformers".

7. How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (2003)

My list is sorely lacking in rom-com's. I'm not big on romantic comedies, I prefer straight up comedy much more. Rom-com's are just so... so... puketastic. Yes, that's a word. Puketastic. Life never works out like a romantic comedy. That being said, I do love this movie. It works because of the two actors. I don't think this movie would have worked without Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. The movie served up so many laughs,  that yes, a rom-com made its way on to my list. "Our love fern! You let it die!"

6. The Italian Job (2003)

Love this captivating movie. The casting was perfect in this movie. This movie started my Jason Statham obsession, and Seth Green and Mos Def brought excellent comedic relief to this action flick. Again, I love all the action in this movie. It's glossy and beautiful to take in. I don't think Mark Wahlberg gets any hotter than this movie (except for maybe "Date Night").

5. Billy Madison (1995)

Oh look. Another Adam Sandler movie. The most classic Adam Sandler movie, I think. Who doesn't love Billy Madison? With Norm McDonald and Chris Farley? This is another movie that never, ever gets old. I could watch this movie over, and over again. I'll laugh every time. "Quit looking at me, swan!" I discovered this movie in high school, and my adult-self still loves it.

4. Van Wilder (2002)

No other movie reminds me of college quite so much as "Van Wilder". There were a couple of years there where my friends and I would grab some bottles of Boones, and sit and watch "Van Wilder". I can quote almost every line in the movie. This movie was pre- "The Proposal" for Ryan Reynolds, but I thought he was hot, hot, hot! Still do actually. And I still love this movie. It's one of the only Tara Reid movies I actually do like. This might be considered a romantic comedy, but it's more comedy than romance. In my opinion :)

3. Old School (2003)

How can I not love this movie? It's the first movie my husband and I ever saw together. Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn are a comedy dream team. This movie is when I first fell in love with Vince Vaughn. I love his fast-talking characters, and his style of dialogue. Movie scenes don't get much more classic than Will Ferrell's streaking scene. I want to watch it now, just talking about it :)

2. Tropic Thunder (2008)

This is a completely underrated movie in my opinion. I've heard from more people that dislike it, than like it. Are they crazy? Or is the comedy just a little bit over their heads? I don't know. I love Ben Stiller's action hero character, Robert Downey Jr.'s impersonation of an African American, Jack Black's drug addict, the pyrotechnics guy, etc. It cracks me up. "I'm a leadfarmer mother*#$@!". Not too mention Tom Cruise's amazing cameo! I love when he gets down to Flo Rida with his fat belly. And what about Matthew McConaughey and the TiVO box? Love, love, love.

1. Gone With The Wind (1939)

Say what? Is this completely out of left field or what?? But, seriously people. "Gone With The Wind" is my favorite book of all time. I used to read it once a month when I was a kid, so I will tell you I've read and re-read this book many, many times. I love Scarlett O'Hara. I love how strong she is, while still being a human. A human with flaws. Big flaws. That never mattered to her, how flawed she was. She had the strength to power on. I so admired Scarlett O'Hara when I was growing up. The book got me through so many hard times in my life, and gave me tons of inspiring quotes to apply to life. The movie was like a visual adaption of what had been going on in my imagination. The dresses, the landscapes, the homes. Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable were perfectly matched to the parts. I don't think anyone else could have played Scarlett like Vivian Leigh. No matter how old this movie gets, it will always be my favorite.

Is that a crazy list, or what?? Hope everyone's having a fantastic, sunny weekend :)