Under Construction! [Slow Cooker Zupa Toscana Soup!]

Blog closed until further notice.
Hopefully a few weeks.
But, while it's under construction here's a recipe.

 

I haven't used my crock pot in awhile and when I don't I always come back to it newly amazed by it's handiness.  It's not really soup weather here anymore, not that it ever really is but I had two bunches of kale from the Farmer's Market.  I put the Dino Kale in my Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes and the curly kale I used to make this soup. 

Easy, kinda healthy?  Not really but it's still nice to say....

Soup's on!


Slow Cooker Zupa Toscana Soup

1 medium Yellow Onion, chopped
8 oz. Pancetta, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
3 medium Russet Potatoes
1 carton vegetable or chicken stock
1 lb. Italian Chicken Sausage, mild
1 bunch Curly Kale
1 cup heavy cream
Olive OIl
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan [Optional]

1.  Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, cook pancetta until crispy. 
When it's done pour the pancetta and drippings into your crock pot.

2.  In same pan cook sausage, crumbling with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
Drain excess fat and add sausage to crock pot

3.  Cook onion in the same pan over medium heat until translucent, add garlic, salt and pepper and cook another minute.  Pour all of this into your crock pot.

3.  Cut your potatoes in half and then 1/4 inch slices. Add to crock pot.

4. Add stock and water.  Season with salt and pepper.

5.  Cook on low 6-7 hours, about 20 minutes before it's done chop one bunch of kale, removing stems, and add to crock pot.

6. Add heavy cream, stir, taste.  Add salt and pepper if needed.

7.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan!

[Sunset at Hickam Dog Beach.]
3.4.13

Awkward. [Slow Cooker Honey Parmesan Pork Recipe]

I have always been a person that can't take a compliment.  I just don't know how to handle it.

Maybe it's my self-deprecating nature that I haven't quite gotten rid of, but I can never just nod and say "Oh, yes thank you!"  I always feel like I need to justify why that compliment doesn't really apply to me how someone else could have/did do it better, how it's not really what you think, how I'm really just not enough. 

Compliment:  "You're looking great after the baby!"

Me: " Well not really.....I'm still above my pre-pregnancy weight, years of being a fat girl have helped me learn how to dress and mask the tummy flab."

Compliment:  "You always do so much with your kids!"

Me: "Eh, well I mean, Andy helps a lot and I'm usually screaming at them so I don't know if it counts."

Compliment: "That's cool you play drums for your church."

"You take good pictures!"

"You're always cooking such yummy stuff!"

Me: "I'm not that good tho, I just do it cause Andy does."

"I just have a good camera."

"I'm ok but it's really just a way to save money, the chicken I made the other night was too salty.  Boo."

As I write these things I know they are real responses to things people have said to me.  And it's not to say, oh look how awesome that I am just complimented constantly!  No.  It's more of a wake-up call to myself to accept them.  To be happy and take some credit for the work I put in everyday to raise my kids, take care of my family, further my education, be a healthier happier person.  Why is it so hard for me to be kind to others, to give compliments and really mean them but when it's the other way around I am so convinced that the person is just "being nice?"

How do I expect my children to be proud of themselves if I can never be proud of myself?

I hope my kids grow-up to know they are beautiful. strong. smart. kind. handsome. funny.

When someone tells me anything slightly complimentary I always have the urge to shrug it off, look the other way, the one exception to this rule is Andy.  He can tell me I'm pretty all day and I'll just blush cause I'm really just a sucker for my husband. 

So maybe I need to change that.  It's ok to be proud of myself.

To be proud of my homebirth, of my strength as a woman.

To be proud of myself for going back to school after 9 years while 8 months pregnant.

To be proud of myself for getting through the hardest year of my life and grown from it,

proud of myself for the strength God has given me.  

It has taken me years to finally like myself, the person I have become, and maybe now I can accept that other people just might like me too. :) 

Time for food!  Made this pork in the slow cooker the other day and the combo was unexpected but super tasty!  Haven't used the slow cooker in awhile and it reminded me why I like it so much!

Slow Cooker Parmesan Pork

1 [3-5] Pork Roast or [3-4] Thick Cut Boneless Pork Chops

3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup honey

3 tbs. Soy Sauce

2 tbs. dried Basil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs. Olive Oil

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbs.  Cornstarch

1/4 cup water

[1] Place pork in the bottom of Crock Pot.

[2] In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients.

[3] Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 5 hours.

Chow down! 

Happy Father's Day! [Sunday Slow Cooker Stew Recipe]

Had a great time celebrating Andy's 5th Father's Day this year!

At least I thought it was great, I hope he agrees.  

5 years & 3, soon to be 4 kids later he still amazes me with what a great Father he is.  

How much he loves his kids, the time he is willing to invest him in and how much he continues to grow  as a Dad.  Without his support, open mind and love I could not be the Mother I am.

The kids and I caved in and gave him all his Father's Day presents on Saturday night cause none of us are very good at surprises and Sunday mornings are usually a blur of papers, dresses & coffee in an attempt to get ready for church on time each week.

Besides a card the kids picked out we put together a deck of cards Reasons We Love You project that we found on Pinterest.  This one was hard for me because as much as I like cooking & birthing babies anything requiring precision on the computer only ends up in me being pissed off.  So I did my best, trying to remember the whole time that Andy would not want me to be stressing out over something for him.

We spent his actual Father's Day at church & then at the last day of our marriage retreat in Kalihi.

Came home to stew just finishing up in the slow cooker, I baked him an Apple Bundt cake & after the kids were in bed we snuggled up and watched The Grey.  

I could never do enough to show this man how much I love and appreciate everything he does for our family, so I just hope it is enough to tell him every chance we get. 

His surprise!  I was so excited to get these for him cause he never spends money on himself and Death Cab is one of his favorite bands.  So exciting that they are playing a new small venue here in Hawaii too, it will probably be our last big date night before Miss Tulip arrives! <3

[Father's Day 2012 Kalihi Valley.  Dad w/his homemade leis on. :]

Despite the looks on their faces they really do love their Dad!  

Or as Jonas would say "I like you really, really much!"

[I love this man.]

Papa Andy's Sunday Stew

1 lb. rump or chuck roast

5-10 red potatoes

4 carrots

1 yellow onion

1 can stewed Italian tomatoes

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup water

Salt & Pepper to Taste

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tbs. corn starch

[1] Halve or Quarter red potatoes depending on their size, place on bottom of crock pot.

[2] Peel & cut carrots into fourths, add to potatoes.

[3] Peel & cut onion into thick slices, place on top of potatoes and carrots.

[4] Sprinkle seasoning on top of veggies, everything except corn starch.

[5] Add can of tomatoes & red wine.

[6] Place meat on top of everything, this is how to get a little crust on the meat which I like.

[7] Pour water on top.

[8] Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8.

[9] When stew is done cooking mix cornstarch with 2 tbs. of water, then add to stew pot to thicken juices.

[10] If you're doing this true Papa Andy style serve with white rice & soy sauce!  Yummy!

....So brown eyes I hold you near
Cause you’re the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere.....

5 in 5. Edition: 2

Again, I will tell you just how much I love an easy project! 

I don't mind elaborate ones as well but it usually helps me if I have most things on hand and I can do them in under 30 minutes, cause that's about as much time as a child under 2 will probably ever give you.

So here's another set!  

1.  Slow Cooker Dulce De Leche

[1] Slow Cooker [2] Mason Jar [3] Water [4] Sweetened Condensed Milk

So easy & tasty!  I used this to top mango cupcakes and stirred it into my iced coffee but it would also be good in brownies or pretty much anything!  Just open up the can of milk, place into a clean mason jar and close tightly, you can also do this directly in the can but it creeped me out a little and you're probably going to want to put it in something else so you might as well do it to begin with.  Put the mason jar in your slow cooker and make sure it is completely covered with water!  Put it on high for 6 hours or low for 8.  The advantage of doing it in the jar as well is that you can see through it and see how dark your Leche is getting.  Yummy! 

2.  Tooth Fairy Money

[1] Dollar Bill [2] Hair Spray [3] Glitter

Our oldest, Lily, just lost her 1st tooth last week!  This made me want to cry and also have slight flash forwards of a teenage daughter and how much I hope God does not show me what I deserve from my teenage years.  We were so excited to do tooth fairy things & make it magical, etc.  Then she told us that her Aunt had already told her that I'M the tooth fairy.  Buzz kill man.  But we went ahead and made it fun, for us, and hoping she might still believe a little bit.  When she woke up the next morning to glittery money and her tooth missing she was pretty amazed. :)  5 year olds are so easy to fool.  Really. 

The money is a lot glittery than it looks in this picture and super simple!  Just spray the bill with the hairspray and shake on the glitter!  It dries really quickly too!

3. Cousin Jaz's Mexican Squash Casserole

[1] 1 Zucchini [2] I can of corn [3] 1 small can of tomato sauce [4] Shredded Cheddar Cheese 

First off, I will say I consider oil, salt & pepper to be freebies.  You will need all of those here!

I can't remember exactly when I learned how to make this but one of my favorite in-laws taught me how to make it!  I know it was a long time ago, maybe when we lived in Guadalupe and Jaz worked at the awesome Hot Dog on a Stick in Santa Maria.  Either way, good memories come with this recipe & I wish I got to see this beautiful woman more often than I do. 

Slice a zucchini in half & then into half moon pieces.  Not super thin, this will cook in a pan and then bake so you don't want it mushy.  Heat oil in a pan and sauté zucchini with a little salt & pepper.  About 5 minutes, add 1 can drained corn or fresh if you have it, even better!  I like a little char on my corn then I add the can of tomato sauce.  Mix well and pour into a baking dish, it's a pretty wet mixture.  Top with as much cheese as you like, I LOVE cheese as you can see.  Bake at 400 degree F just until cheese is melted and it's done!  Andy loves this with rice and pork chops.  It's the Mexi/Filipino in him.

4.  Spring Clean your mattress!

[1] Baking Soda [2] Lavender Oil [3] Mason Jar [4] Sieve [5] Vacuum

I have an obsession with cleaning and I have a really sensitive nose.  Two random facts about me that happen to match up.  I can't stand bad smelling things or just random funk.  We got a mattress from a friend when we moved back here, for which I am very thankful!  I figured a good cleaning never did any mattress bad and the lavender helps promote good sleep.  After we did this our mattress smelled so fresh, ahhh.  Fill a mason jar, with baking soda and about 4-5 drops of Lavender oil.  Shake well.  This recipe made enough to clean my mattress twice, you could do carpets with it as well, etc. And since nothing in here is toxic and even edible I don't mind the kids playing in it while it "soaks."  Use the sieve to sprinkle the mixture over your mattress and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.  I let mine sit for a few hours cause really it can't hurt.  Then vacuum!  If you have a hose attachment that would be awesome, we don't so I just lift the whole vacuum up. 

5.  Make a Happy Birthday balloon number!

[1] Balloons [2] Tape

This one is pretty obvious but still I had never thought of it until I discovered Pinterest, uh-oh.  For Jonas' 4th birthday this year we didn't have a big party like we have had every year before so I wanted to make sure we had different ways to show him how special he is to us & how excited we were for his birthday!  We did this on our living room wall after he went to sleep so when he woke up he was pretty excited.  

Blow up your balloons, how many you need depends on your number, how big you want it, etc.  One multi colored bag from Target was more than enough for us.  Don't blow them up too big otherwise they'll be a pain to stick to the wall.  I taped the base of each balloon and once I had them all in place I used rolls of tape to stick all the balloons to one another, it really helped.

Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
Ecclesiastes 11:5-7