Christmas once again...

Today is my kind of day. The air is heavy and smells of wet earth and wood smoke, the sky is dark and looming, and the house is bright and warm in its midst. Life is solemn and cool just like the weather around me. This is what I crave.

   When the weather gets this way, it reminds me of my growing up years in the mountains of Oregon and California. Watching the rain come down, listening to its rhythm, seeing the patterns it made in the puddles it made. Nestling down in a blanket in the big lounging chair with a book and hot coffee, staring at the Christmas tree that stood in its glory just across the room.

   Well, its Christmas time once again, I'm so many miles from my mountain home, and worlds away from my family. I haven't seen most of them since about this time last year, and Christmas is a melancholy time without them. I still talk to my dad and sister as much as I can, their conversations help my world turn a little easier. While I try to hold onto life the way it was, I'm coming to realize that every day is a new beginning.

   Hoss and I went out on Saturday and bought our first Christmas tree! And while we don't have an abundance of decorations, we're both very happy with what we have. We got our tree from the lot his family has been going to for years. We settled on a Frasier fir and while we were hunting for "the one" I saw a very large and grand tree that would have taken up every inch of our 9 foot ceilings, and the best part, a small birds nest was built in one of the lowest branches. After inspecting the price tag I turned to the one across the aisle, and grabbed our slightly smaller, not quite so full tree... and the birds nest!

   When we went to decorate it, I dragged out all the ornaments Ive been collecting for months (and years), and we set to work. We strung lights, swagged gold beads, and in each of the bald spots sits a birds nest (thank heaven Hoss shares my love for birds and doesn't mind when I include them in every aspect of decorating). Looking back Ive always envied the look of my mothers Christmas trees, and while gold beads and white lights are the only similarities, it is ever reminiscent of the trees I grew up with. I realize now that it wasn't the trees or the decorations themselves that made them special all those years, it was the memories that went with them. Hoss and I finally have the opportunity to make our own memories, so little by little, I know Ill let go of my jealousy for my mothers tree and my craving for the past, and Ill focus more on making the story behind our tree a beautiful one.

From Do it Yourself Bride to Housewife to Workaholic...

   No one plans this sort of thing. I certainly didn't. My husband worked a full time job, and I was lonely, so I thought "hey, I should get a job so I don't have to sit around the house and mope while he's gone!" Plan gone awry. I'm now under the class of Workaholic. No, I don't carry a second job, one is quite enough for me. It keeps me away from home 50+ hours per week, my paychecks are the paltry sum earned by waitresses, the tips are phenomenal when we have a lot of customers, and I have no time for house or home anymore. That etsy shop I was planning on doing is now out the window. Turns out you need time to make things to sell. Now I would give about anything to have the time back. I still knit and sew in my off time. I have to do something to keep my hands busy or else I fidget which means I need to be doing something.

   My house has gone to wreck and ruin in the few short months I've been preoccupied. I don't cook anymore and my dear, sweet, patient husband takes it all with a deep breath and a smile when I bring home leftovers from the cafe'...again. The worst part of it? I keep collecting projects. I've been working on a scarf, and just bought more yarn for a second scarf. I didn't finish sewing my kitchen apron, started working on another which I did finish, and I have material to do yet another. I want to make Christmas ornaments to sell at the cafe' and already have some of the fabric for them, it's driving me nuts! Before I know it I'll have a sewing room like my mothers which we always called the fabric store since she seemed to buy compulsively and never did much with her well accumulated projects. Needless to say, I don't want that happening to me.

   If only I could achieve the seemingly impossible and collect time instead. Time with my husband. Time for cooking and making a home. Time to get my life back in order. I have done nothing worthwhile since I started working except save money and go on a honeymoon. I had a wonderful week with my husband. I was finally able to show him where I'm from. How I lived. The past I thought I would always leave behind, but I get to relive some of the best times in the best places and finally, with the best person.

   Since we got back, I haven't made one meal that was edible that didn't come from a box unless its breakfast, and even that is pushing it sometimes. I haven't been able to wash a full sinkload of dishes in one go. I don't enjoy cooking when all I smell during the day is food. I haven't made bread in two months. I have gotten into the habit of making breakfast for my husband on Sunday morning, but that's all. And lets face it, bacon and eggs isn't that complicated.

   Sooner or later I'll find the time again. I hope. Until then I'm still knitting and sewing upon occasion, and I try my best to take my day's at stride.

The Suddenly Employed Housewife

   My sister-in-law had this crazy thought of "wouldn't it be fun to run a cafe"? And that's how I got my job.

   Yup, I'm waitressing. It's not my favorite job in the world, but it's keeping the bills paid, helping me get rid of some unwanted body fat, and giving me inspiration to always strive for better. I've found that in serving, you better appreciate being served. And the more you appreciate good service, the more you strive to improve your own.

   Unfortunately in my new found employment, my house has fallen to wreck and ruin. I haven't dusted in a month, and my dishes are now being done by my wonderful husband who has sympathy since I work 10 hours more per week than he does.

   I'm finally getting used to the hours and am adjusting to the time I have at home and making the most of it. This weekend since my husband took on a few more hours, I went to the hardware, and bought some more potting soil, and pots, and spent the day repotting a lot of plants that were on my front porch, and bringing them all inside for the winter months that will be here very shortly. I have also had a horrible time with Boxelder bugs eating my herbs! In preparation of my bridal shower I bought an apple mint plant, and those vicious little bugs decided to eat it down to a nub along with a few other plants. I trimmed them back until there was no dead spots (which means no stems at all), and watered them until they were nearly drowned and left them in the sunshine until green started to resprout. As soon as they stabilized I brought them inside for a winters worth of recovery. Disaster averted.

   I'll really have to put up pictures of the inside of my house at this point. I'm sure I have more than 20 plants taking up every windowsill, part of the counter tops, and now the top of the tv cabinet. Not that I mind having living air purifiers around the house, it's just a little manic figuring out where everything should be. And trying to keep each plant in their appropriate light. I've already talked to my darling husband (hint hint) about installing a few grow lights in my kitchen, so I dont have to worry so much about my plants getting sleepy.

   And that has been my life for the past month. Soon, my husband and I will be going on the week long adventure of our honeymoon, and I cannot wait! I've been saving most of my tips, and paychecks to have some spending money for the trip. And it will be a nice vacation from my waitressing, and my husbands cheese making. Hopefully the plants survive the vacation!

Egg Fu Yong

The other day I found a recipe for Egg Fu Yong in my old 1960's Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. So, I went out and bought the ingrediends, and set to work.

I cooked a pot of rice first, and due to my husband, it turned out perfectly. He kept lecturing me on the need to leave the lid on the pan. And I'm very involved with my cooking, so I wanted to lift the lid every few minutes. I set the timer for 15 minutes, let the rice cook, and without removing the lid, I took it off the burner and set it aside while I worked on the rest of the meal.

Unfortunately, I'm working with a hotplate, so my Egg Fu Yong turned into Egg Fu Yuck. The eggs didn't cook like I wanted them too, it stuck to the frying pan a little bit, and it just didn't seem to work out all that well. Instead of those pretty little brown disks that you see in the chinese restaurants, I had a bright yellow pile of eggs and shrimp.

I made Chinese Brown Sauce, which, not to toot my own horn, was amazing! Even if the egg mash didn't work, we would at least have rice and brown sauce!

But somehow, it all came together. Everything was cooked on the same burner, but was still hot by the time it went on the table, everything was just perfect. ...Then we heard a honk come from our driveway. Yup. People.

After an hour long visit, the water was luke-warm, the food was icecold, and I was in tears. My beautiful dinner had cooled, congealed, and looked like stale muck. But, we ate it. It was not at all as bad as it looked, and everything seemed okay for a moment. Then my darling husband gave me a kiss, and said in his blissful innocense, "That was a really good omelet Honey".

Artichokes and Monkey Bread

Okay, last night was a night of firsts. It was my husbands first time eating an artichoke, and it was my first time making Monkey Bread.

First I called dad to find out how to prepare an artichoke, then, following his instruction, borrowed a pressure cooker from the Mom-In-Law, and cooked the artichokes under pressure for 15 minutes. While those were cooking, I started in on the bread. Using the Mom-In-Law's recipe I made one loaf, and realized I had too much dough, so I sat, with the bread baking, and my only burner occupied, rolling little lumps of dough for monkey bread. I dipped the dough in butter then rolled it in cinnamon and sugar until it was well coated, and arranged them in two layers in a greased round cassarole dish. I covered it and set it in the refridgerator for morning.

As soon as the time was up for the artichokes I took them off the burner, and immediately put the prepped skillet on. In the skillet was Butter, whole Rosemary and Thyme leaves, then chopped Oregano, Sage, and Basil. I melted the butter, then threw in a cubed boneless chicken breast, and sauteed until the meat was golden brown. I took the Artichokes out and set the table for an appetizer and I set the chicken to one side and started the water for the noodles. Half way through the appetizer I took the bread out of the oven, and the water was ready. So I threw in the noodles, set the bread to cool, and went back to the artichokes. As soon as we were done with the Artichokes, the noodles were ready, and supper was set on the table. Unfortunately, I did cheat a little bit and used Ragu Parmesan Alfredo Sauce (which I don't care much for), but I would need another burner to get the Alfredo and the noodles cooked at the same time.

Now that you've heard about my culinary masterpiece (at least I think so...), you can get the tour of my kitchen if you'd like to read further.

My kitchen is a box with 11 foot ceilings. It has 3 windows with Northern and Eastern exposure. It is the first room you walk into when you enter our home. And when I talk about my kitchen, I have to start with my porch. When my Husband and I were engaged, I kept thinking of food. The sorts of meals I would prepare, and the delightful aromas that would fill our over sized, yet comfortable, home. I went with the Mom-In-Law one day to a green house in a town about 30 miles away. I loved it. My dad was the person who introduced me to cooking with fresh herbs, and my sister taught me how to cut and dry them for the winter months, so needless to say, I bought some. I was conservative, at first, knowing exactly what I wanted. Rosemary was a staple. Oregano was a must. Basil to keep things sweet, Thyme was of the essence, so I took some Sage advice, and bought them all. I planted them in an old metal wash tub and set them on the porch to grow.

And here they sit. On my front porch, and they've now expanded into their own separate pots, lining the front steps, the washtub still holds my Sage and Basil because they've gotten so big. They're watered every day, and I even keep a few inside just for decor, and the hopes that they'll survive through the winter.

On my kitchen walls are some sparse cupboards and counter tops, a very small refrigerator, and two stoves that currently don't work (my gas range, and the Mom-In-Law's wood range). The counters are cluttered with things like my hot plate, and toaster oven, and an electric mixer my mother bought for me several years ago. I have my own baking counter, which, by two doors on the same wall, seems to be separated from the rest of the kitchen by invisible walls. The cupboards are all painted white for a fresh look, with their original copper handles. The walls are painted yellow to always keep the sunshine around me as I cook. And the final touch, my parakeet Andy sits in her cage in the corner, so she and I can sing while I cook.

And that is my grand life of food. The sunniest room in the house, also the warmest, most inviting, and deeply inspiring. I can only say I love my husband, my kitchen, and my life.

I Wanted To Be An Average Housewife...

   Right before I got married, I lifted up a small prayer that I would make a good wife with meals on time, a clean house, and an ever-welcoming kitchen.

   I knew at that time that my kitchen would be perfect. I love food, so why not have a perfect kitchen?! Always filled to brimming with hot savory dishes that make your heart melt and your mouth water by just one deep inhale through the nose. And that's where I woke up. I wanted a 4 burner and attatched griddle gas range cooktop. I'm stuck with a hotplate. I was in love with the thought of a pair of  double stacked ovens perfectly suited to making sure that every dish was set at the table at just the right moment. I have a toaster oven.

   Dont get me wrong, I have a real stove/oven combo, it's even a gas range! But...my house isnt plummed for gas in the kitchen, so my oven is sitting exactly where I want it with a piece of countertop laying across the burners, no food cooked on it thus far. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, the stove was free, I actually am starting to enjoy my hot plate, and sometimes I'm sure that my toaster oven is a dream come true, but I do miss having a real stove top so I can cook all the dishes at once, rather than cook them one at a time, and letting them take turns in the toaster oven to keep warm.

   Tomorrow, or whenever I see a computer in the next few days, I will give you a tour of my kitchen, and show you how I prepare my meals for myself and my brand-new husband.

   Tonights menu, Chicken Alfredo, fresh Itallian bread, and pressure cooked artichokes flavored with garlic. (This is my husbands first experience with artichokes, so wish me luck!)