What's in my bag today...home improvements.

So Spring has sprung and it is the season for projects.  This is the time of year when my husband gets lost in various out door undertakings.  This year he's fixated on the grass.  When I look at it, I see a nice yard, when he looks at it he sees a vast wasteland.  He talked to some guy who told him that the dirt needs to be flush with the driveway or else the driveway will crumble.  Now I'm not saying that it's not true, I just don't think that the driveway will disintegrate if we don't get the dirt done this year.  So that's his justification for bringing in a truckload of dirt and re seeding the grass.  This is one battle that he's going to win, because I just can't talk about grass or dirt anymore.  There's so many other things I'd rather do than spend money on dirt and grass, but once it's done, it's done. Next year we'll do what I want.
On the stove top, I've tried a few new things with some success.  The first is a favorite of my friend Stacey.  It's Rachael Ray's Lemon Spaghetti: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=1534.  I liked it but it was really lemony and my husband wasn't that into it.  I think I over juiced the lemons.  I know when I've watched Rachael Ray do it, she just squeezes the lemon over the bowl.  I used a hand juicer so I think I got more juice out of the lemons than by just squeezing them by hand.  I also didn't use a whole pound of pasta, which may have made a small difference.  I didn't feel like going into the basement to get my big pasta pot, so I used maybe 2/3's of the box.  So if I make this again, I will use the juice from one lemon.  I served this dish with chicken tenders grilled on the George Foreman grill.  Last night I made Mini Cheeseburger Salad with Yellow Mustard Vinaigrette, also a Rachael Ray recipe: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=2207 .  This was good, and I served it with fries.  The dressing was good, but a little strong, maybe I will cut down on the vinegar or mustard next time.  I also made something that I sorta used a recipe for, but mostly improvised.  I had some pork (boneless chops) and I saw a recipe that made a sauce out of salsa.  So I cooked the pork in a skillet ( I cut the pork into bite sized pieces).  In a small pot I heated the salsa mixed with a couple of table spoons of bbq sauce.  When the pork was done, I added the sauce and a can of black beans. I rinsed the beans first (it cuts down the sodium and gets rid of the extra starch).  Meanwhile I steamed some corn in the microwave.  I mixed the corn in when it was done.  It was really good, kind of a Southwest type dish.  You can serve it with sour cream.  I didn't take pictures this week because I thought I had lost my camera.  Fortunately I found it, but it was too late for my dinners to get their close ups.  Feel free to post any recipes that you've tried or wanted to try, I'm always looking for ideas these days.  And good luck with your own home improvement projects, hopefully you and your significant others can agree on what projects to tackle next!

What's in my bag today...Spring time?

It is finally starting to feel like Spring here in the North East.  Last week I began walking in the mornings.  My minimum temperature is 38 degrees.  Although, I forgot to check before I left today and I was pretty cold, it turns out it was 34 degrees!  I don't wear a coat because it gets too hot, but my face and hands were like ice.  I also discovered that one butt cheek is bigger than the other.  I know this because I get a wedgie only on one side and I'm hesitant to pick it while walking because I'm not sure if any of my neighbors might see me!  It's pretty irritating.  I also joined a gym and have felt really good lately.  I am still working on those stubborn baby pounds and the heat is on now that it's warming up.  I am determined to fit into my old Summer clothes.  I have so many different sizes of clothing for all the seasons.  I have boxes in the basement with these labels:  Pre baby jeans, early preggo jeans, maternity winter, maternity summer, post baby jeans, post post baby jeans, skinniest I ever was jeans.  It's crazy the changes our bodies weather.  Still we have the kids and keep trying to be the best version of ourselves we can, making allowances for the irreversible changes along the way.  That's not to say I've always had the best attitude about it, I'm just trying not to make a big deal out of it.  I've come to realize that having a bad attitude poisons everything around you and these days with young kids are the days to cherish.  I also don't want to pass on body image issues to my girls.  So I'm trying.
On the stove top, I've tried a few new things with pretty good results:  The meatloaf with cranberries was good.  There was only 1/4 cup of cranberries and it was just enough.  It didn't hold together too well, but I'm not sure why.  I cannot find a link online so here is the recipe:
Turkey Meatloaf with Dried Cranberries a Cook Yourself Thin recipe.
1/2 c dried cranberries
1 slice whole wheat bread
1/3 c skim milk
1 lb ground turkey (I used ground venison)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (I used it from the tube mentioned below)
1 large egg white
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs Dijon mustard
1. Preheat oven to 400. 
2. Place 1/4 cup of cranberries in a bowl of hot water. Soak for about 10 min, until softened.
3. Grind bread in a food processor to fine crumbs and transfer to a large bowl.  Pour the milk over it and let soften for 1 minute.  Add the turkey, onion, carrot, parsley, egg white, salt, pepper, 1tbs oil and the remaining 1/4c cranberries. Mix with your hands until everything is combined. 
4. Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan or regular baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
5. Drain the softened cranberries and place in the food processor along with the mustard. Process until smooth and spread over the meatloaf. ( I did not do this.  Instead I put the mustard in the meatloaf.)
6. Bake for about an hour or until the meat is 170 degrees.

I also did a sweet potato gratin, which was good, but the flour that I sprinkled in between each layer kind of formed a weird white sauce that was a little funny looking but tasted fine.  I would make it again, but it did take over an hour to cook.  I also found a product that I wanted to share with you.  It is herbs in a tube by Gourmet Garden. I bought the parsley, but they also had basil, cilantro and a few others. They are concentrated so you only need a couple of TBS to equal half a cup fresh.  It's a great thing to have on hand because it lasts a lot longer than the fresh.  Tonight I made a stir fry and I made the sauce myself.  It was pretty easy and quick and I had all the ingredients,(there were no fancy Asian ingredients). http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/stir-fry-your-way-50400000110940  Tomorrow I am trying a lemon pasta dish. 

Well I hope you all are enjoying my adventures.  Let me know if you try any of the recipes.