Happy Monday!

I can say that because my week is short this week...

My work week ends on Wednesday at noon!

WHOOO HOOOO!!!

Even though I won't be saying whoo hoo when I get my paycheck in two weeks.

But I just can't be sad about that right now.

I had a fabulous weekend and this is the face I wake up to every morning....

You totally thought I was going to post a picture of Steve, didn't you?

Ha!

Well....

Kempton is my best boy...

...but I guess he comes in at a close second...

Not bad, eh?

And the best part?

They fight over who gets to sleep next to me.

It's always nice to feel wanted.

Although they both snore very, very loud...

But I think Kempton sheds a wee bit more. 

Stay tuned for a delicious recipe to use up some of your garden tomatoes and basil!

Things I Love Right Now

Here are some things that are on my mind and making me happy right now:

• Kempton. It is his 8th birthday today. That dog has been through more with me in the past 8 years than anyone else in my life. And I'm very glad he can't talk...hee hee hee. I don't know what I would do without him. But most of the time, I don't know what to do with him...naughty bad boy. 

• That the weather is cool enough to start the oven. Normally I hate when summer leaves, because winter and I are not friends. But exercising and cooking are more fun in the fall, and those are two things that I am trying to do regularly right now. I made 3 pans of Chicken Enchiladas last night...one "mild" version for Steve to feed the kids tonight, one delicious pan for dinner last night, and one to put in the freezer for future use. Did I mention that I also made Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup? Soup tasted so good with the cold wind blowing and rain beating against the windows last night. Yes, I made all of these things using leftover Spicy Shredded Chicken. Make it. Now. I'll post pics later (you've heard that one before, right?), but I have a lot of catching up to do.
• That I got to snuggle with my sunshine for an extra hour this morning. Usually he is up and gone by the time I get up for work, but today he got to sleep in because he was going to take pictures of his kids on their first day of school this morning instead of going to work. It was so chilly out, I didn't want to get out of bed. Yes, I was late for work. But Steve has the perfect body temperature for snuggling. It couldn't be helped.
• That when I left Steve's parent's house yesterday to go home, Katy hugged me so tightly I almost didn't leave. But I wanted them to have some daddy time without me there...and I was in desperate need for a nap. I don't know how you parents do it. 
• Labor Day weekend. I will post pictures later, but it turned out to be a wonderful weekend. At first I was sad because I wasn't spending it at the cabin like I did every year, but I ended up having a great time. 
• Pot roast, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, macaroni and cheese, chicken noodle soup and risotto. Comfort food. It would make me happy if someone would bring me one of each, please? Or better yet - just make it summer again, so I feel like eating salad and fresh veggies instead of pasta and meat. Thank you! 
• That it isn't Monday today. HA! It's already Tuesday...I have a 3 day work week this week, droogies!

Enjoy the cooler weather everyone! 

Camping on Rainy Lake

Our totally kick ass campsite...one of my favorites in Voyageurs National Park. Hauling all of your gear, coolers (we don't really like to rough it), therma-rests, etc. up the rock is not fun. But once you are set up...beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

I know that I am biased, but is there a more beautiful lake anywhere?

As we were cruising around, exploring the little bays around our campsite, we came across this tiny little deer swimming across the channel.

The poor, tiny thing was either so scared or so tired, that when it reached the shore it just stood there, shaking. It wouldn't jump out of the water. I wanted to take it home and raise it and love it and protect it. But I'm not sure that Kempton would be cool with sharing the tent with a baby deer for the next couple nights.

While Steve was catching walleye, I was catching tiny bass that were barely bigger than the bait I was using.

Almost every time we dropped our hooks down, we had a bite and reeled in a fish...most of them were small, but a couple of them were around 19 inches.

Finally I catch a walleye! Wanna kiss, little fishy?

Taking a rest in the front of the boat...fishing is hard work!

Breakfast on Sunday morning...fried eggs over the campfire!

Chef Steve (he specializes in breakfast entrees)

Loons...the sound of Rainy Lake...

I've seen a lot of sunsets on Rainy Lake, but this one was up there in the most beautiful ever. Did I mention that a huge storm blew in right after this? Steve and I sat on the rock at our campsite, and watching the lightening and sipping wine for about an hour before the rain started. And the wind. And then for the next couple of hours, we stood outside in the hurricane-like conditions holding our tent from blowing away. Literally. But we continued to enjoy ourselves (and continued to sip wine)!

Jambalaya!

Yum.

This is one of Steve's favorite meals that I make.

He just told me that last week when I made it.

He said that he doesn't ask for it very often because he always thought it was really complicated to cook.

Wrong!

It is very easy.

Delicious and simple...gotta love that!

It's also pretty hearty, but doesn't require the use of the oven, so if you are getting tired of the light, cool meals of summer and looking for something a little more substantial, this would be perfect!

You can make substitutions to use what you have on hand (or because you can't find andouille sausage anywhere in town...boo!); sometimes I leave out the ham, sometimes I sub out andouille sausage for kielbasa or hot Italian sausage or chicken (although, that makes it less authentic...but still delicious!). I use red pepper instead of green pepper, because it's what I had in the fridge.

Go ahead and play around with the spices, too. I used all dried herbs (crazy, I know), and like to make it spicy.

Go ahead and show your surprise.

I will leave you with the basic recipe and you can tweak it however your heart desires! Just make this soon!

I serve it with some crusty bread and if I'm feeling ambitious, a salad.

And it is even better the next day.

Jambalaya (serves 4 very hungry people, or 6 moderately hungry people)

• 1 pound of raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (I take the tails off too)
• 8 ounces andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 cup of cubed cooked ham (you could also sub cubed cooked chicken)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup uncooked rice
• 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 1 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes (regular or fire-roasted), undrained
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven; add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic; saute until tender. Note: if you are using bulk Italian sausage like I did last time (instead of cooked sausage), brown the meat at the same time...it imparts a great flavor on the veggies too). Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, rice, sausage, thyme, basil, bay leaves, and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer, covered, until the rice is tender (about 15 - 20 minutes). Check seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed. Increase heat to boiling again and add raw shrimp. Cook until just opaque. Add ham and heat through, checking seasonings one more time. Discard bay leaves...Enjoy!!!

Printable Recipe

CONGRATULATIONS!

My bff Stephanie and her wonderful boyfriend Chad got engaged last Friday! Congratulations to the happy couple!

They were on an adventure vacation in Wyoming when Chad popped the question. I am such a sucker for romance...I nearly burst into tears when I heard the good news. And guess what?! I am the maid of honor!!! And it is an honor. Steph and Chad - I love you both very much and I am so happy for you! Here's to years and years of happiness together! xoxoxoxo YAY!!!!

Garden Update 4: The Tomato Plants That Took Over The World

Holy crap.

My tomato plants went wild this year.

I don't know if it was the "new" soil in my brand new garden...

...or the fact that it has been a beautiful, warm summer...

Or maybe it has something to do with me being a stellar gardener?

Either way - my tomato plants were about 7 feet tall, and wide enough that they were choking out my basil, corn and pepper.

Were.

I chopped their heads off the other day.

And several arms.

I hope that they survive it, and start putting all their energy into the bazillions of fruit that already exist, instead of trying to take over the world.

And I hope that my peppers survive.

The basil and corn already look great, but the growing season is getting short, and I feel like my poor baby vegetables still have a way to go! My green beans are just flowering now...my onions and carrots are still babies, my basil could get bigger...

PLEASE, Mother Nature, let it be summer for another month or so! Is that too much to ask?

Anyway, here are some pics...

My "Early Girl" tomato plant, after I viciously hacked it off. See all of the fruit? All of the very green fruit??? Early Girl my ass.

Beans! In the last week or so, they have climbed all the way to the top of the fence (6 feet), and started flowering. I hope there is enough time for them to produce beans.

A mess of two ginormous cherry tomato plants, choking out my corn...but I showed 'em...this was before I had my way with them.

Remember the Giant Marconi pepper plant that my dad gave me for my garden? After the rabbits got in (and before we reinforced the mesh with chicken wire) and ate most of the limbs, it never fully recovered. This is the only pepper on it. Boo hoo. I hope it lives to turn red.

THIS is why I garden. A perfectly ripe, bursting with flavor, home grown cherry tomato. Don't mind my dirty fingers. You are lucky that I waited to eat it long enough to get a picture...delicious. And the very first one of the season.

Bell pepper...one of only a few. Darn tomato plants.

Jalapeno!

Here is some corn, after I cleared out some of the cherry tomatoes that were trying to kill it. I wonder if it will produce any ears?

Here is some of the bounty...basil (yay!), onions, peas, cherry tomatoes, baby carrot. And for the record, there was no Miracle Grow used here...no sir, my garden is organic! Just poop (manure), humus, and some compost that I got from Steve's mom and dad!

Sweet and Savory Chicken Legs and Grilled Zucchini Chips

My hot water heater shit the bed last night.

Steve and I went out for sushi and then to the movie Eat, Pray, Love (I didn't even have to take him against his will! I think I'll keep him), and when we came back it smelt like something was burning/melting...

It was the hot water heater. I don't know what is wrong with it or if it's fixable or how much it will cost to replace. All I know is that if it would have started my house on fire with Kempton inside of it, there would not be words for how unhappy I would be right now. Just that fact alone makes me want to bring him to work with me every day.

Or put in a doggy door.

Except that it would probably also be a skunk door, a raccoon door, a mouse door, and a spider door. UGH.

Either way, everyone is fine and the hot water heater is no longer hooked up to a power source and Steven is going to help me figure out what I need to do.

Preferably today, because after I go running I will be in need of a warm shower.

In the meantime, at Georgia's request (and because I totally forgot), I am going to turn my attention towards food and post the recipes for the Sweet and Savory Chicken Legs and the Grilled Zucchini Chips that I made a couple weeks back...

The chicken was good - I am not a huge fan of chicken thighs/legs/drumsticks, but I wanted to try this recipe exactly as is for the first time. Next time I might use chicken breasts instead. The flavors were really good, and you could definitely tweak it to turn down the heat if you were cooking for those with sensitive palettes, or turn it up for people like...me!

Turns out I didn't make the recipe exactly as is.

Shocking, I know.

I only used one package of legs instead of two, but I used the full amounts of everything else (I wanted extra sauce because I put it over white rice).

Also, it was hot out and I didn't want to start the oven. So I used the grill instead!

I will post both methods, as well as the zucchini recipe I used for the side dish. These turned out really good.

Unfortunately, Steve doesn't like zucchini so he wasn't super impressed.

The other bad news is that I didn't get any "after" pictures...just "before" ones. We didn't eat until really late that night and it was very dark out by the time we pulled the food off of the grill. Here are the before pics:

The chicken, before it went on the grill. Imagine the perfectly cooked chicken bathed in the sauce, the sugars all caramelized, making it thick and dark.

Imagine this raw zucchini marinated, grilled, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and delicious, ok?

Enjoy!

Sweet and Savory Chicken Legs (adapted from the recipe Hot & Sweet Drumsticks by Teri L. on Tasty Kitchen*) this version will serve 3, but can be easily doubled

• 1 package chicken legs/drumsticks (a little over 1 pound...my package had 6 legs in it)
• 1 cup of apricot preserves
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (I used Sriracha, but you could use anything)

Combine preserves, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic and hot pepper sauce in a small saucepan and heat (stirring frequently) until the preserves are melted and everything is combined to form a sauce that is about the same consistency as honey.

For the oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place drumsticks in a single layer in a baking pan and pour apricot mixture over the top. Bake for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, spooning the sauce over the chicken periodically.

For the grill: Preheat the grill to 400 degrees. I lined a baking dish with aluminum foil (easier cleanup) and put the drumsticks in a single layer, then I poured the sauce over top. Cook until chicken is done (on the grill it took about 60 minutes, but I cooked it indirectly for the first 40, then realized it wasn't cooking fast enough and put it directly over the coals for 20 minutes and they were done. If you cooked them directly the whole time it would probably only take 30 - 35 minutes), frequently spooning the sauce over top.

Let the chicken sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve over white rice to soak up the yummy sauce!

Printable Recipe

Grilled Zucchini Chips

• One large zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
• kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• a couple pinches of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Toss sliced zucchini with olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Marinade for at least 30 minutes. Preheat grill to 400 degrees. Grill each side of the zucchini rounds over direct heat for 2 - 4 minutes per side, or until they are browned (I ended up flipping some of the larger slices a couple of times until they were done). Working quickly, remove them from the grill and lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle immediately with parm cheese. Serve. 

Printable Recipe

* A note about Tasty Kitchen: for those of you who do not know, this is a recipe sharing site that The Pioneer Woman created. It is not made up of celebrity chefs (though there are some seriously awesome food bloggers on the site), but mostly home cooks like you and me. I would encourage you to check it out the next time you are looking for a recipe. Here is the website: http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/
And if you decide to create a profile and start sharing recipes, my profile name is: Lindsey @ Sunshine and Jellybeans...look me up and be my friend!