Quickly Now the Old Year Passes

Here we are, the last day of 2013! I participated in a reading challenge for the first time ever this year, and I've been meaning to post about it, well, all year. Better late than never?







My friend Indiana Jane challenged us to get a list of book suggestions from friends, and to then pick 5-10 of those books to read in 2013. Here was my list:

-Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith*
-Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin
-Redemption by Karen Kingsbury*
-In Cold Blood by Truman Capote*
-The Blue Mountain by Meir Shalev
-I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith*
-Borderliners by Peter Hoeg*
-The Underland Chronicles (The "Gregor Books" - 5 book series) by Suzanne Collins

I'm not sure if I technically met the challenge, but I had so much fun with it that I wanted to post my results anyway.


I completed five books (indicated with *).

I read at least half of two. "Animals Make Us Human" I got bored with and only read about half. "The Blue Mountain" I had through ILL and had to return before I could finish. I was only a few chapters away from the end.

The books I was perhaps most excited about reading, the Underland Chronicles, I never even started. They aren't available at my library and I have wanted to purchase them, but I'm so cheap I couldn't convince myself to spend so much money on myself. They are still high on my "To Read" list!

I really had fun with this challenge. I'm not sure I would have read any of these books without the recommendation of friends. I've been trying to pick a favorite, but I can't. "In Cold Blood" perhaps has stayed with me more than the other books, if for no other reason than the haunting pictures of the murder's eyes on the title page. "Child 44" I enjoyed so much that I also read the rest of the trilogy. "Redemption" is a Christian-fiction novel, not something that I usually read, but I appreciated the message - a couple fighting to save their broken marriage. "Boarderliners" was very different, and very hard to put down. Perhaps sometime in 2014 I will succeed in writing full reviews.

I may attempt this challenge again next year, it was a lot of fun. I am also challenging myself to read through my own bookshelves. It is embarrassing how many books I have sitting on my shelves that I have never read! I started working on this a few months ago. I started with the A's and have made it to the C's. I'm not reading every book, just ones that I haven't read before (or haven't read for many years and want to read again).

Father's Day

Shamelessly copying an idea from a facebook friend, in observance of Father's Day I asked my girls some questions about their Daddy. The answers were, at least to me, too precious not to share.

From three-year-old Belle:

What is your Daddy's name? Dad Sam
How old is your Daddy? Nine years old
What is Daddy's favorite food? vegetables and bananas
What is Daddy good at? work
What does Daddy do at work all day? Just work.
What is something your Daddy has taught you? He taught me about church.
What did Daddy do before he had kids? He got baptized!
What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? I like him to dance with me.
How does Daddy show you he loves you? He shows me a smiley face.

From four-year-old Peanut:

What is your Daddy's name? Sam Wirgau
How old is your Daddy? 16 and a pound years old
What is Daddy's favorite food? ice cream
What is Daddy good at? preaching at church
What does Daddy do at work all day? work and work
What is something your Daddy has taught you? He teaches me about Jesus.
What did Daddy do before he had kids? Got married!
What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Dance and dance and dance!
How does Daddy show you he loves you? By taking care of me.

Bluebonnets & BBQ

Holy Week, Easter, coughs and fevers, a 2-year-old turned into a 3-year-old, we got a new roof and lost internet, a tornado hit and while we were out of town and we lost internet again, and my little blog got neglected. Someday I may post some of our last meatless recipes (there were some good ones!) and share our Easter menu, but not today.

Last week we went on an adventure.  We covered over 1000 miles of Texas through big cities and tiny towns. The weather included sun and 90+ degree temps, and buckets of rain in the 40's. Our eyes feasted on open, flat fields, on rolling ranch land peppered with greening mesquite, and the famous Texas Hill Country where we saw blankets of wild flowers in every color of the rainbow.

Oh, those wild flowers! I didn't even try to get a picture because I knew I couldn't capture them properly. I've seen photos and paintings of bluebonnets, but it was nothing to the real deal.

We went to attend a conference in Austin and a PALS retreat in Midland. My Dad presented at the conference in Austin, which was one of the main reasons we decided to make the trip. This was the first time we've seen him since our move last July, and it was delightful to see my babies smiling and snuggling with their Grampie. We made sure he got some real BBQ, Mexican, and banana pudding, which meant we were able to enjoy some good eating as well.

In both places the kids and I had playmates, which made the week all the more delightful. I'm such an extrovert that, despite the exhaustion from miles in the car and (not) sleeping in hotel rooms, I felt energized and refreshed at the end of the trip. The kids did too, especially my oldest who has loved socializing since she was a wee lass. It made me so thankful for our home and our life here in Texas, and for the many new friends we have met since we moved. All the same, the cities were fun, but I was glad to get home to the country, away from the traffic and hustle-bustle.

And when we pulled up at home, my mind's eye still seeing those lush hills and wildflowers, I promised myself to weed the long-neglected flower beds in my front yard. The drive, the pleasant spring weather, and the book I'm reading (Wild by Cheryl Strayed) about a woman hiking the Pacific Coast Trail, have given me the itch to be in the great outdoors.  We are contemplating a trip to the nearby Wichita Mountains to celebrate my baby's first birthday next week, and I'm determined to get the yard in shape. My thumbs will only ever be green if they are painted or bruised, but I'm hoping to try to keep a few pepper plants and some simple flowers alive this year. Or at least keep the weeds semi-tamed.

Meatless Meals, Week 5

This week my husband and I made an important decision. From now on we will keep the peanut butter and jelly in the same compartment of the refrigerator door. We go through a lot of PB&J in this house (note the extra large jar of peanut butter), and one or the other is usually present in at least one meal every day. The cheese, eggs, produce, milk, etc. all have assigned spaces in the fridge. Why has it taken me this long to designate a spot for these guys?!

So that is the big news here. Nothing much else to report.


But speaking of peanut butter, I really encourage you to try this week's soup recipe. A friend shared this recipe, but I was more tempted by a pureed version. I have to admit I was a bit nervous about this one. Peanut butter and tomatoes? Really? It smelled great, but I didn't trust it. I even waited until my husband and kids all tried bites before I started eating. In the end I was very glad I had ventured into unknown territory because we found a new family favorite:

Wednesday - West African Peanut Soup (rating: 5/5)

I didn't have peanuts on hand, so I left those out and double the peanut butter. I will be making this again, however I may wait until I have obtained an immersion blender. Just because it would be easier, you know. Certainly not because I overfilled the blender and then had to scrape and scrub caked-on orange splatters off the counter, fridge and stove on Thursday because I didn't have time to properly clean the mess before church on Wednesday. No, no, that would be silly. *cough*

Thursday - Picnic

It was a beautiful day and we were in town running errands and decided on an impromptu picnic at the park instead of rushing home to cook. We made giant salads from the salad bar at the grocery store deli, along with some fried okra, fruit, and grilled chicken for the kids. It was a delightful family evening.

Friday - Fajita Pizza (rating: 5/5)

There are lots of fajita pizza recipes out there, so I can't claim I invented this one. I kept it pretty simple, too. I sauteed sliced onions, orange and yellow bell peppers, and garlic in butter with a sprinkling of Trader Joe's taco seasoning. I used my usual whole-wheat thin crust recipe and topped it with a think layer of ranch dressing, followed by the veggies, and topped with a blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheese. My kids love peppers, so this was a big hit with everyone.

Saturday - Pancakes (rating: 5/5)

I forget exactly what was going on this day, but for some reason my husband wasn't around for dinner and I wanted something easy, so we went for pancakes. I make my own mix and always have it on hand, so they are always quick. We had the topped with peanut butter and honey and had orange slices on the side.

Sunday - Chana Masala (rating: 3/5)

Yeah, no, we didn't have anything Irish for St. Patrick's day. I was bummed, but we got over it. I didn't properly plan ahead when grocery shopping and the most authentic dish I could have made with supplies on hand would have been boiled potatoes. It would have been really authentic, but we wanted something a bit more substantial. This was OK. I'm not sure I made it properly, because it wasn't saucy at the end. And even though I used 1/4 of the amount of jalapeno recommended it was a bit too spicy for my tastes, and the kids weren't fans. To be fair I kinda fudged on the spices and basically just used garam masala, curry powder, ground cumin, and cayenne.

Monday - Grilled Cheese, Blue Corn Chips & Peach Mango Salsa (rating: 5/5)

'Nuff said?

Tuesday - Re-fried Bean Quesadillas (rating: 5/5)

Thawed some beans from the freezer, spread them on a tortilla, sprinkled with cheese and green onions, folded the tortilla, and fried in butter.

Meatless, Week 4

We have been Spring Cleaning this week and I have spent more time vacuuming closets than I have spent in the kitchen. We started bright and early Monday morning working on this ambitious checklist from Oprah.com, promising that the whole house can be cleaned in 8 hours. Don't tell Oprah, but 12 hours later we weren't even halfway there.

When we moved here in July I didn't do much organization in our closets and cupboards. We have been blessed with lots of storage space, which meant I could toss random objects into a closet, shut the door, and forget about it. Down here we have to spray for bugs regularly, especially those of us living in the country, so I decided it was a good time to completely empty each closet, spray pesticide, organize all the junk, and put it back neatly. It almost felt like we were moving again.

Now here I am on Friday morning, with four rooms remaining on my list - kitchen, playroom, half bath, and utility room.We have sent four bags to Good Will and filled two bags of trash from cleaning alone. Ew. It is very refreshing to get all this STUFF out of my way.  I have to admit that I am running out of steam, but hopefully this cup of coffee will help me get motivated for the rest of today.

Meanwhile, here is a peek at what we've been eating.

Wednesday - Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup (repeat from Week 1)

Thursday - We had to drive to the city to pick up the car from the mechanic, so we grabbed dinner out at Taco Bueno.

Friday - Spinach Madeleine Pizza (but you already knew that)

Saturday - White Bean Paste & Tomato Chutney on homemade whole wheat french bread, and leftover Lentil soup (rating: 4/5)

Sunday - Ginger Broccoli Stir Fry (repeat from Week 1) served with Quinoa

Monday - Spaghetti, sauce from a jar, cheese (this was our big cleaning day, so lazy supper)

Tuesday - Onion Quiche and Cranberry White Chocolate Scones (rating: 5/5)

Both recipes from America's Test Kitchen. I used Kerry Gold Blarney Castle cheese (found for just $3 at Aldi), farm eggs from a neighbor, and Texas sweet onions (very different from those onions you Yankee folks have). Amazing. The leftovers made an excellent breakfast the next day, and it was so good we didn't mind eating the same meal twice in a row.

Spinach Madeleine Pizza

I tried something new for our Friday night pizza. My original idea was a white pizza with spinach, but when it was time to start cooking I just wasn't in the mood. I thought about making Alfredo Ranch Pizza with spinach instead of chicken and bacon, but that just made me wish for bacon so I changed my mind. Then it hit me. Why not make a pizza out of Spinach Madeleine?

I meant to take a picture, but it smelled so good we gobbled it without a thought of the camera. Yeah, it was that good.

Spinach Madeleine Pizza

1 batch thin pizza crust dough (I use half whole wheat flour)
3 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 Tbs finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/2 c. whole milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder

4 oz fresh spinach
a pinch of cayenne pepper
a generous dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 500°F. Cook fresh spinach over medium high heat in a large dry non-stick skillet with a pinch of salt until completely wilted, about 4 minutes, remove from pan and chop fine. 

Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, until blended but not brown, about 1 minute. Add onions and jalapeno, cook until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add milk very slowly, stirring constantly, to avoid lumps. Cook until smooth and thick, about 30 seconds. Add salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce and cheddar cheese. Stir until melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach back to skillet and stir to completely blend.

Spread evenly over prepared pizza crust, top with mozzarella cheese, and bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust looks golden brown.

Meatless, Week 3

The view from my front door.

Many of my friends and family are enjoying a snow day today. My facebook feed is decorated with pictures of white landscapes and rosy smiling faces of children peeking out from layers of poofy snow gear. I have many happy memories of playing in the snow, and coming in to warm up with cocoa and a pile of blankets. But I don't miss it. Snow is beautiful, and no picture can capture the loveliness of ice covered trees sparkling in the sun, but I love being able to peek out my window in February and see the rich green of the wheat fields. Outside the sun is warm and the birds are singing. March really looks and feels like spring, and I'm ready for it!

I'm also ready for Easter. I haven't been having lots of meat cravings or feeling particularly deprived, but my tummy was grumbling when I walked past the meat case at the grocery store. I enjoy a good ham (or lamb!) for Easter dinner, but at the moment I'm thinking a nice, thick, juicy steak. Meanwhile, we are doing fine with our meatless meals, and enjoying the savings at the grocery store.

Wednesday - Baked Potato Soup and fresh french baguettes (Rating: 4/5)

As a lifelong Lutheran, I think Lenten midweek pre-service soup is in my blood. Our congregations have fellowship and snacks after the service, which is a lovely way to finish out the evening - and offers time to chat and nosh without having to watch the clock. But even if I am eating at my own kitchen table instead of a church basement, I want soup before church.

This was my first attempt at baguettes, and I was very pleased with the result. We enjoyed the leftovers as french toast for lunch on Thursday.




Thursday - Black Bean Croquettes with Asian Flavorings (Raing: 5/5)

From "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman, one of my favorite cookbooks. These are a favorite of ours, even the baby gobbles them up. I always forget out quick and easy they are to make - I had dinner ready and on the able in 15 minutes. I feel sketchy copying out the recipe from the cookbook here, but if you want it send me a message and I'll email it to you. I served with a avocado/lime/yogurt sauce (equal parts mushed avocado and plain yogurt, with a squirt of lime juice and pinch of salt) and a side salad.



Friday - Pizza Skewers with Garlic Butter Dipping Sauce (Rating: 5/5)

This was a special twist on our usual pizza night in honor of my daughter's 4th birthday. I served with without the sticks. The sauce was exceptional. So good, in fact, that my new 4 year old was lapping up the leftover sauce after the rolls were gone.

Saturday - Refried Bean Burritos

Yes, again. I wasn't feeling particularly creative and we had all the ingredients on hand.

Sunday - Baked Mac and Cheese (Rating: 5/5)

You probably can't see the recipe, America's Test Kitchen is stingy with their recipes. I have their Family Cookbook, a gift from a friend, and I use it often. Bittman and ATK are my go-tos for kitchen advice, I would be lost without these books. This Mac and Cheese is amazing. The secret is using broth and whole milk for the roux.

Monday -  leftovers

Tuesday - Pita Quesadillas with Cilantro Hummus

I can't really give this a rating, because we didn't really end up following the recipe. I made the pita bread (a la Bittman), and it didn't puff properly, so no pockets in the pitas. I also cheated and bought roasted red pepper hummus because it was on sale and I couldn't find roasted red peppers. So I made pita chips and we dipped them in the hummus and had a spinach salad on the side. I was stuffed at the end of the meal, so I think it was a success anyway.

Meatless Menu, Week 2

I love browsing random food blogs. Especially ones with stunning photography. You know what I'm talking about, those blogs that have you drooling all over your keyboard because the pictures are so vivid you can actually smell the food.

This isn't one of those blogs. I don't have the equipment or the talent for that kind of photography. Good news for you is that many of my favorite recipes come from those blogs, so pretty pictures are just a click away.

Our second week went well. I'm starting to get in the groove, and not missing meat quite as much. We found many of the meals from this past week to be very satisfying. I hope you will, too.

Thursday - Re-fried Bean Burritos (Rating: 4/5)

I took my inspiration from Chipotle and what I could scrounge from the fridge and freezer. I try to always keep refried beans and cooked brown rice in my freezer for quick meals or sides. I heated beans and rice in the microwave, and added cilantro, onions, avocado, tomato and a squirt of lime juice, and wrapped the whole mess in a giant Trader Joe's burrito tortilla.

Friday - Homemade Cheese Pizza & Salad (Rating: 5/5)

Almost every Friday night I make pizza. Usually I top with whatever pizza-worthy leftovers I can find, but this week I just had cheese. I always keep some good mozzarella on hand for pizza night. My husband and I have been surprisingly pleased and impressed with Wal-Mart's Great Value whole milk mozzarella. No, really, Wal-Mart cheese. I made this crust with half whole wheat flour and a glop of honey, topped with Trader Joe's pizza sauce, a generous heap of grated cheese, and a light sprinkle of garlic salt.

For the salad I used spinach and mixed greens and topped with sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and a light sprinkle of grated Parmesan (cheese, not powder).

As an aside, my Mother is going to be shocked that I prepared something with pecans AND ate it. I'm not a big pecan fan, which I realize is a problem for someone living in the south. Well, we needed the protein, and I'm discovering that toasted pecans from the trees in my yard are a bit different from those things on the grocery shelves.

Saturday - Roasted Tomato Soup with Pinto Beans and Honey Beer Bread (rating: 5/5)

This is one of my favorite meals. I've made this soup three or four times now, and it has turned out beautifully each time. I could eat half the batch by myself. It is hearty and full of flavor. The bread is melt-in-your-mouth good, especially when still warm. I also set out some slices of raw milk sharp cheddar, which I found on clearance at Aldi for $1.69. We had some friends join us, and they brought a salad. We all finished the night with happy tummies.

Sunday - Lentil Sloppy Joes with King Arthur Beautiful Burger Buns (rating: 4/5)

I've made these joes a few times before, but I was never quite satisfied with the flavor. So I tried something a little different, mostly ripped off from the regular Sloppy Joe recipe in America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, with some of my own tweaks. The buns were amazing, to the point that I may never buy buns again. I followed the recipe as indicated, subbing 1 c. whole wheat flour for the all-purpose.

Lentil Sloppy Joes

1 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 carrot, minced
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 c. red lentils, rinsed
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 c. tomato puree (I zipped a cup of canned diced tomatoes in the blender)
1/2 c. ketchup
1 1/4 c. water
Salt & Pepper

- Heat oil in pan, cook onion and carrot until softened and lightly browned. Add garlic and chili powder and cook for 1 minute. Add lentils, sugar, tomato puree, ketchup, water, and salt & pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 30-45 minutes or until lentils are soft.

Monday - Grilled Cheese (rating: 4/5)

We used leftover beer bread and grated raw milk sharp white cheddar. Spritz of olive oil on the bread and toasted on a George Foreman Grill (something we got second hand, and use exclusively for sandwiches). Served with sliced pears.

Tuesday - Bean Chalupas (rating: 5/5)

I love this blog. We discovered it several years ago, and when I'm really feeling stumped for a recipe I can usually find something there, and it always turns out beautifully. Ok, maybe not as beautiful as her pictures, but tasty anyway.

For these chalupas I used my own refried beans (see above) mixed with ricotta and 3/4 tsp. Trader Joe's taco seasoning. We also fried flour tortillas in butter instead of baking. Yum.

Meatless Menu, Week 1

I should probably be cleaning the kitchen instead of starting a blog but, well, here I go. My husband and I have decided to fast from meat for Lent this year. Several friends have asked me to share recipes, I want a way to track my menus for when I'm looking for tried-and-true meatless meal ideas, and a blog seemed the easiest way to do both.

Here is our dinner menu from our first meatless week:

(Ash) Wednesday - Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup (Rating: 5/5)

Full of flavor, hearty, relatively easy preparation, easy on the budget, and, as a bonus for me, the baby LOVED it. We used coconut milk instead of cream. This is going to be part of our regular meal rotation, even after Lent.

Thursday (Valentine's Day)  - Fried Spinach Cheese Ravioli (from scratch) and Trader Joe's Marina Sauce (Recipe from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook) (Rating: 4/5)

We made the ravioli by hand, boiled it for about 5 minutes, dried gently with a towel, and fried in coconut oil. They were delish, though I thought the spinach was too overpowering. The kids didn't eat it, and it was spendy, but my husband and I enjoyed (with some Two Buck Chuck) as an excellent Valentine treat.

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Baby Bok Choy with Cashews (Rating: 4/5)

I added some ginger paste with the garlic and served over brown rice. Simple and fast. Kids didn't eat it. Didn't leave us starving, but boy would it have tasted good with some chicken.

Sunday - ? I can't remember.

Monday - Aldi "Simply Nature" frozen cheese pizza (Rating: 3/5)

Not bad for cheap frozen pizza. Quick easy dinner after a day of outings.

Tuesday - Hawaiian Style Sweet and Sour Roasted Pineapple and Bell Peppers (Rating: 5/5)

Served with quinoa (cooked with broth) and toasted almonds. Flavorful, satisfying, easy. Kids ate it. Would be excellent as a side dish for ham, or with sweet-n-sour chicken, but was fine as an entree.

Wednesday - Ginger Broccoli Stir Fry (Rating: 5/5)

Excellent. Very quick and easy and satisfying, the kids ate it (mostly). Served with brown rice.

Recipe from a friend:

Ginger Broccoli Stir Fry

1 bunch Broccoli
1/4 cup Slivered almonds
2 tbsp. Oil
3 cloves Garlic - slivered
2 tbsp. Soy sauce
1 tbsp. Ginger paste OR 1/2 tsp. Ginger, 1 tbsp. Sugar, 1 tbsp. Water
1 tsp. Lemon juice

 Cut broccoli florets 1/4" thick. Heat oil in a large skillet. Saute almonds for one minute. Add broccoli and stir fry until crisp-tender. Add garlic and stir fry 1 minute. Add paste, juice, and soy sauce and stir until coated. Serve over rice.