Wednesday: Film

Recently watched and really enjoyed this film...

Tuesday: Cooking at Home with Team Waspi/Wiles

There are definitely perks to working in a school, the obvious one being: summer break!!! This, I have discovered, is especially a perk when several of your good friends and your boyfriend enjoy this same perk because they also work in schools. Now, as much as I don't mean to complain about having my summers off, I have also noticed, as summer is winding down, that there are a couple of downfalls to having your summer off with your friends. Namely, I spent waaaayyy too much money on food and drink because I have all this crazy free time and, due to said food and drink, I have also gained a bit of "fluff" (if you know what I mean) .

It is for these reasons that my boyfriend and I (aka Team Waspi/Wiles) have decided to spend a lot more time in the kitchen this year. In order to make this "fall resolution" stick, we have decided to create a bi-weekly menu, where we will map out what we will make for dinner for two week time periods and then we will do our grocery shopping based on this menu. We've decided to rotate every two weeks so that we each get a chance to pick out some dishes we'd like to try while also splitting the grocery costs.

Sounds like a good idea, right? Well, here goes nothin'...

I had the opportunity to plan the first couple of weeks which started yesterday. Bascially, here's the plan:

Week 1:
Monday: Spicy, Garlicky Cashew Chicken & Asparagus with Cashews and Bacon (Clark, 2010)
Tuesday: Lasagna and Garlic Bread
Wednesday: Left-Overs
Thursday: Date Night, Eat Out
Friday: Not-My-Grandma's Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Oregano (Clark, 2010)
Saturday: Flank Steak on the Grill with Lime Marinade & Grilled Corn on the Cob (Martha Stewart Living Magazine, 2007)
Sunday: Left-Overs and/or Homemade Pizza

Week 2:
Monday: Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce (Martha Stewart Living Magazine, 2007)
Tuesday: Brats on the Grill and Mixed Greens Salad
Wednesday: Left-Overs
Thursday: Date Night, Eat Out
Friday: Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes & Green Beans (Martha Stewart Living Magazine, 2007)
Saturday: Garlic Marinated Chicken Cutlets with Grilled Potatoes (Martha Stewart Living Magazine, 2007)
Sunday: Left-Overs or Homemade Pizza

Basically the idea is to cook at home as much as possible while still being realistic (aka, we probably wouldn't survive two weeks without eating sushi, hence Date Night). Also, with all this cooking we assume some nights are going to be left-over nights (as much as I truly detest left-overs). Creating the menu made grocery shopping much easier, as I knew exactly what I needed and therefore, I hopefully won't end up wasting a bunch of groceries like I normally would. All things considered, our ten meals at home (not including drinks) ended up costing about $10/meal, or $5/person (or less considering most nights we will probably be accompanied by a friend or two and of course one hungry dog named George whom I may, or may not, allow to lick my plate occasionally).

Here is a little glimpse into the inaugural meal:

Spicy, Garlicky Cashew Chicken (recipe adapted from Clark, 2010)

1 cup roasted salted cashew nuts
2 T chopped fresh cilantro, with some stems
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 T soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno pepper roughly chopped
2 T water
Salt & Pepper
8-10 chicken drumsticks

1. Blend nuts, cilantro, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, and jalapeno, and water in food processor till smooth.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and smear on the cashew mixture, just enough to coat the pieces. Set aside the remaining mixture. Let marinate while you prepare the grill (we ended up starting on the grill and ending with by roasting them in the oven at 450 because the grill was a little slow).
3. Grill and/or Roast the chicken turning frequently until crisp and golden on the outside and done on the inside, cut a piece to check if it is done. Because we used both the grill and the oven we ended up with the chicken on the grill for about 15-20 minutes and then we roasted them for another 20-30 or so.
4. Garnish chicken with lime wedges, extra chopped cilantro and use extra mixture for dipping.

Teammate Waspi also whipped up some asparagus with cashews and bacon (see below) while the chicken cooked (he is truly more the cook in the Waspi/Wiles team, which to be honest, I quite enjoy).


The final result!


Yum!


Of course we polished off a bottle of vino while we cooked and ate... cooking tends to take us awhile...


All in all, night one was a huge success. I wish I could waft the smell of the sauce through my computer to yours; it was fantastic. We are definitely still beginners when it comes to cooking, but we are having a blast, saving money and hopefully becoming a bit more healthy in the process.

References:

Clark, M. (2010). In the kitchen with a good appetite: 150 recipes and stories about the food you love. New York: HarperCollins.

Martha Stewart Living Magazine. (2007). Everyday food: Great food fast. New York: Clarkson Potter.

Wednesday: Mid-Week Inspiration

I recently read a book after my beautiful and amazing friend Suzie recommended it to me... A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by the ever-so-talented Donald Miller. I literally read the majority of the book over the course of two days (during which I was mostly stuck in my bed due to a not-so-fun bout with the chills/fever/sore throat/weakness/sore muscles/headache sort of the flu this past weekend).


This book.... whew... it's one of those "Oh my goodness... oh my goodness... this stuff is going to change my life" sort of reads. Incredible. The book focuses a lot on the idea of "story" and what makes a good story and what makes OUR lives good stories and why good stories are worth pursuing.

Anyways.... I may just be hosting a book club this summer (and maybe beyond that, who knows) and this book will no doubt be the first book we read (I'm the founder of the club, I get to make these sorts of decisions, you see).

Today I'll share just a few of my favorite passages from the book with you, my friends.

"I've said before, the main way we learn story is not through movies or books; it's through each other. Your become like the people you interact with. And if your friends are living boring stories, you probably will too. We teach our children good or bad stories, what is worth living for and what is worth dying for, what is worth pursuing, and the dignity with which a character engages his own narrative." p.160

"I've wondered, though, if one of the reasons we fail to acknowledge the brilliance of life is because we don't want the responsibility inherent in the acknowledgment. We don't want to be characters in a story because characters have to move and breathe and face conflict with courage. And if life isn't remarkable, then we don't have to do any of that; we can be unwilling victims rather than grateful participants." p. 59

"The ambitions we have will become the stories we live. If you want to know what a person's story is about, just ask them what they want. If we don't want anything, we are living boring stories, and if we want a Roomba vacuum cleaner, we are living stupid stories. If it won't work in a story, it won't work in life." p. 125

"... I realized how much of our lives are spent trying to avoid conflict. Half the commercials on television are selling us something that will make life easier. Part of me wonders if our stories aren't being stolen by the easy life." p.186

"People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain." p.100

Until next time...

Tuesday: Discovery of the Week

Yayayayay!!! Finally, I have gotten out and about and have something to share. This past week my good friend Alex and I headed out to the McEachran Homestead in Caledonia, IL. The Homestead is an up & coming farm/winery/event spot in the area. They grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables which they sell at local farmers' markets.

They also make their own wine using their own grapes from their very own vineyard! How cool is that? And it is suuuuuuper yummy. And finally, their grounds include a beautifully restored home and barn. As of recently, the barn and the grounds can now be rented for small get-togethers like showers, parties, etc. It is truly an amazing space that is unrivaled in the area.

Our trip out to the farm began with a tour of the grounds (on a super fancy Gator) driven by one of my best and oldest friends, Kaylee, who works in the summer at the farm with her mom. First, we drove through the vineyard where all sorts of grape varieties are grown and later used to create wine in-house. The farm even does wine tastings, but we will get to that later…

After the vineyard we went past the pumpkins and squash…

… on our way back to the woods where they keep their bees! The farm keeps bees which they use to make their own honey.

The woods are located back among some of the fields. It is a surprising and beautiful spot.

Here is a view of the farm from the woods.


More gardens as our tour continued!

They also have an orchard with apple, pear, and peach trees among others. This place is unbelievable, right?

We even got to stop and chat with Dr. Greenlee, the owner and proprietor of the farm, who was helping Kaylee’s mom, Sue, pick some sweet corn.

MORE gardens!! Filled with all sorts of berries and veggies like peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, Indian corn, etc. I could go on and on… literally!

Our tour ended up back at the barn where we got a tour of the barn and had a wine tasting.

Dr. Greenlee’s house is quite charming.

Inside the barn, top floor.

View of the vineyards from the barn.

The part of the tour we were REALLY waiting for… the wine tasting!!

Needless to say, the wine was fantastic and we could have easily walked away with more bottles than we did. Kaylee even took us in the wine cellar area. Actually, I’m not really sure if that is the correct name for it, but all I do know is that it was air-conditioned, which was basically amazing. We got to take a look at wines that would be ready in the future. Sweet!!

All in all, it was an amazing afternoon. Alex and I REALLY appreciated our tour. I highly recommend you stop by some afternoon. They are always available for wine tastings or call ahead to reserve the spot for a party or get-together. You will not be disappointed.

McEachran Homestead, 1917 Wyman School Road, Caledonia, Illinois 61101.

http://www.mceachranhomestead.com/