Dinner Last Night

Smokey Corn Chowder
Hands-on time: 25 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Serves 6

Ingredients:
8 oz sliced bacon, cut in half
1 lg sweet onion, chopped (I just used a yellow onion)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp smoked or regular paprika
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 10oz pkgs frozen corn (I just used one)
3 c low sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I used chicken)
1 c half and half
Salt and black pepper
2-4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 baguette, sliced and toasted (optional)

Directions:
Cook bacon in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat until crispy, 6-8 mins. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
Spoon off and discard all but 2 Tbsp grease and return pan to medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 5-7 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, paprika and red pepper and cook, stirring about 2 minutes.
Stir in the corn, broth and cream; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 mins. Transfer half of soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to pot and stir in 1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper.
Divide among soup bowls and top with scallions and bacon. Serve with bread if using.

*I used a light rye bread from the bakery for the bread and did not toast it so the juices could be soaked up.
I also pureed once, poured it back in, took out some more and did it again for a second time before re-joining it all back in the pan. Andrew doesn't like corn so I figured this would make it easier to eat the slightly smaller kernels. 

Hello 2014!

Gosh, can you believe it? 2014! Already? So much has happened this year in our lives - exploring all around Alaska as the last few months flew by around us, packing up our house and saying goodbye to close friends we have made in the last three years, traveling by car through Canada and parts of the US we have never been to, making new memories, settling into Colorado Springs, surprising family for Thanksgiving and enjoying the holidays in our new apartment!

I don't really like the idea of  'resolutions' for the upcoming year - mostly because I tend to break them. I attended my first heated yoga class at Cambio Studios yesterday morning, and the instructor started off the class with a little 'farewell to 2013, hello to 2014' quip and one of the things she said - she is going to be pursuing intentions rather than resolutions. Intentions. I like that. Making a resolution for the new year is setting you up to fail - after all, isn't the word itself sound so final? Intentions is more flexible; if I don't succeed, then there is room to grow and change and make the goal more suited to how life changes.

A few posts ago, I wrote that I want to live a fuller life. What does this look like? To me, this means living more simply, more compassionate, more servant-like. I am not going to be perfect and that is okay with me.

Some of the ways I have brainstormed to help make this overall intention succeed:
Read/listen to one book a month (List coming soon)
Volunteer in the Church's nursery
Experiment more with new recipes; find a couple of new favorites and make a rotating schedule
Sponsor a family for the 2014 Holiday Season
Spark my creativity - see tab under '52 in 52'
Attempt to stick to an allowance for myself every month (not that I spend a lot of money on myself anyway) - The point here is to use CASH for coffees, snacks, little purchases, stamps etc. When it is gone, it is gone. The Question becomes: What is really important to me? Do I really want to give up those $4 for a fancy espresso drink? P.S. The answer is almost always YES!
Attempt to only purchase/acquire clothes etc for the house from second-hand/consignment stores like Plato's Closet, The Salvation Army, Airman's Attic, Warrior Warehouse etc.
         *Exception to the intention (because there are always exceptions): Underthings, workout clothes, gifts given to me. If I have a gift card, intend to only shop the clearance/super-marked-down racks. Sneakers and shoes (special condition of the feet needing good support). The ONLY other non-second hand exception comes from super-discounted sales (like the one Old Navy is having right now to get rid of all their winter stock - Hello l/s shirts for less than $3!!)
Save for something of quality; rather than having lots of quantity. If I can save up for something and use cash to purchase it - it is authentically mine and I am more apt to take better care of it.

There are, of course, financial intentions for the upcoming year as well; some I may talk about on here while others I may not. Mostly because financial information within my immediate family is none of anyone's business except between Andrew and I, but I may share some of the frustrations that come from not reaching those goals or lessons I am learning along the way.

There are many other ideas and thoughts floating around in my mind on what it will mean, what it currently means, and what I have imagined it to mean, living a fuller life. Intentions will (and should) change as the year progresses but as for now, I am excited to see what this new year will bring!

Dinner Last night

I've been trying out new recipes via my Pinterest Dinner board. There are so many yummy dishes all around, sometimes it is hard to choose just one! I wanted us to shy away from having chicken all the time, so decided to try a shrimp dish. It was Delish! Simple ingredients and simple process. Even Andrew liked it (he doesn't always like the new dishes) and said we should make it again.

Orzo with Feta, Basil and Shrimp

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. sweet Spanish paprika

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. sea salt, plus more, to taste

3 cups orzo

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, snipped into small pieces, plus 4 to 6 whole leaves

1/4 lb. feta cheese, crumbled

In a bowl, stir together the shrimp, the 1/4 cup olive oil, the paprika, red pepper flakes and the 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. *I only let it sit for about 20 minutes and it still tasted great!

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo, stir well and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, in a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the 2 Tbs. olive oil. Drain the shrimp, discarding the marinade, and add the shrimp to the pan. Cook, turning once or twice, until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp and any pan juices to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Drain the orzo and transfer to a warmed serving bowl. Add the shrimp and their juices and stir several times. Add the snipped basil and cheese and gently stir again once or twice. Garnish with the whole basil leaves and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

*For the Feta Cheese, the variety I used was tomato and basil. I only put in what I thought looked good, rather than a 1/4 lb. 

*For the basil, buying fresh is really expensive here, so I put in 1/2 tsp instead.

Parmesan Baked Potato Halves

I got this recipe from Pinterest! It was delicious!

Ingredients

• 6 small potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
• 1/4 cup butter
• grated parmesan cheese
• garlic powder
• other seasonings (to personal preference) - I used bacon bits.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a 9x13 inch pan and spread evenly across the bottom. Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese and lightly sprinkle other seasonings all over the butter. Place potato halves face down on the butter and seasonings. Place in preheated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve on a plate with a side of sour cream for dipping.

Greek Lamb Chops

Tonight I made the most delicious, juicy, tender lamb steak I have ever eaten. I bought the steak on my most recent grocery trip and it was a reduced-price bin find. I made it and was intent on saving half for lunch tomorrow but it was so delicious that I ate it all up. Not until I was practically scraping my plate did I think that this would taste even better with a glass of that sweet red wine I have in the fridge.

All I had was the steak and wine. And I am satisfied.

Here is the recipe (taken from the Betty Crocker Cookbook p. 304):
Ingredients:
4 lamb shoulder, arm or loin chops about 6 oz each
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp salt and pepper each
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup sliced pitted Kalamata or ripe olives
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese.

***Please note that I didn't follow the recommended measurements because I was only cooking for one.***

1. Sprinkle both sides of lamb with oregano, salt and pepper. Press garlic into lamb.
2. In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook in oil 4-6 minutes, turning once until brown.
3. Add broth to skillet, reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes (I did about 6 minutes), turning once, until lamb is tender. Remove lamb from skillet & keep warm.
4. Heat broth in skillets to boiling. Boil 1-2 minutes or until slightly reduced. Stir in lemon juice and butter. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Stir in olives & parsley. Spoon sauce over lamb. Top with cheese.