First Father's Day. (3rd if you ask Kona.)

It was a great first Father's Day.  I know I already blew up the news feed posting pictures of Facebook, but I thought I'd re-post and add a few more so that I can have them on my blog.  Here's our day, in pictures.  And I'll finish it with a recipe for Ahi Poke.  If you've ever been to Hawaii and had this fresh, you'll know how amazing it is.  It actually became a nostalgic thing for Jon and I, and a great memory so I tried to re-create it.  I'm shocked at how well it turned out and how close to the actual thing it tasted like! A must try for sushi lovers. 

Breakfast and gifts are fun to wake up to

At Sope Creek letting Kona play in the lake (notice her in the background)

Lunch on the driveway since the weather was perfect and baby girl was napping

Mojitos for Dad

Pool Time! Kena was trying to decide how she felt about the cold water and floatie

Kisses for baby

Splashing in the water

Ahi Poke over a bed of Seaweed Salad.....heaven!!!

The best part of my day.  Watching him being super surprised and so excited for this treat!

And a nice juicy steak to follow.

I wish that I would have been able to spend the day with my Daddio as well.  I'm such a lucky girl to have him as such an active, loving and selfless role model in my life.  I am also lucky to have gained such a teddy bear, happy, smiley, always loving Father in law, Smitty!  Makena, Jon and I have amazing fathers and we are all so incredibly blessed!!!!


Ahi Poke Recipe

• 2 pounds fresh tuna steaks, cubed
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (I only used a dash, I didn't remember the real stuff being spicy)

1. In a medium size non-reactive bowl, combine Ahi, soy sauce, green onions, sesame oil, sesame seeds, crushed red pepper; mix well. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.  Best over seaweed salad

A Year Ago Today...

It amazes me how a year can both drag on and on but also fly by at the exact same time.  That's what this last year has been for me.  On June 14th, 2011 I was standing on a chair, holding up a pregnancy test against the light bulb and swearing my eyes were playing tricks on me.  Any "normal" person would have viewed the test as negative, but i was convinced i saw the faintest line.  I was right! Every day after that the line just got darker and darker and....

Here we are, a year later.  My 4 month old baby is fast asleep in her swing and I am constantly shocked at how quickly she is growing.  I can honestly say this has been the hardest year of my life.  Between living in a new place, feeling pretty lonely and isolated, learning how to adjust to Jon's new job, being (very) pregnant, figuring out how to deal with a difficult newborn/infant, coping with a lot of my own personal struggles and maintaining my sanity (somewhat), I can say its been quite a year. 

There's nothing that I want more than to be in San Diego, near my friends and family and have Jon continue working at Intuitive, but right now its just not in the cards.  I constantly find myself questioning God and wondering why we are here in Georgia, but I have complete faith that he has a plan for us.  I pray every single day that that plan includes us moving back home, and soon, but only He knows if that will happen. 

When it comes to being a mom, I also constantly question whether or not I'm doing a "good enough" job.  I know I'm doing the best I can, but holy cow this is the hardest job in the world.  I love my sweet baby in a way that I never imagined possible, and i just want whats best for her.  Watching her big gummy smile when she sees me and seeing her giggle at her Daddy makes everything worth it.  Every day it gets a LITTLE bit easier and I am truly blessed to have such a happy and healthy baby girl. 

Though this year has been a roller coaster, I wouldn't change it for anything.  If we weren't here, we wouldn't have gotten pregnant when we did.  And if we didn't get pregnant, Makena Rylie wouldn't be here.  My family is my world and she brings such joy to us.  Thank you Lord for bringing her to us.  I love you my sweet girl. 

Kristen's Kitchen: A Week of Recipes, Thursday

Yesterday I decided to go with a crock pot recipe, one of my favorite things to do.  It is so easy to just throw a bunch of stuff in, flip it on low and forget about it for hours.  My go-to is always shredded beef sandwiches so that's what I'm gonna post.  I chose a recipe that is slightly different than my usual but I liked it a LOT! It might become the new norm.  I simply put the meat on a kasier roll (fresh from Publix bakery, they are the BEST) and get a bowl of the au jus sauce its been soaking it to dip.  You can spice up the sandwich by adding whatever you want (melted swiss cheese, coleslaw, pickles, etc.) but I like mine simple.  Add some chips and a soda and you have yourself and easy and yummy summer time dinner. 

Italian Shredded Beef Sandwiches Recipe

Ingredients:
-3lb beef rump roast or bottom round roast
-2 cups water
-1 envelope zesty italian salad dressing mix
-1 envelope au jus gravy mix
-1 medium onion, thinly sliced
-Italian or kaiser rolls

Steps:
1.  Cut roast in half.  Place in a 4-qt. slow cooker.  Combine water, italian mix and au jus mix; pour over meat.  Top with onion.  Cover and cook on low for 9-11 hours (only took 6-7 hours for me).
2.  Remove meat.  Shred meat when cool enough to handle.  Skim fat from cooking juices.  Return meat to slow cooker; heat through.  Serve on italian rolls.  

what the meat looked like after it was fully cooked

easily shreds with a fork when its tender

adding a bowl of au jus sauce is a MUST!

Kristen's Kitchen: A Week of Recipes, Wednesday

Ok this post is a little bit of a lie.  I didn't really make this meal on Wednesday.  It's actually a recipe for how to use leftover flat iron steak and turn it into a whole new meal.  I bought the steak purposely for this though.  So what I did was marinated the steak in my own flavors (a combo of A1, Worcestershire, garlic salt, flavor booster, cayenne and chili powder) on Wednesday and then cooked it on a grill pan a few hours later.  I sliced it into thin pieces and threw them in a ziploc and made the rest of the meal today (Thursday). Anyway, here's the recipe. It's really good! It reminded me one of those lean cuisine type tv dinner meals, but much more delicious and fresh!

Orange Beef and Asparagus Stir-Fry Recipe

Ingredients:
-4 tsp cornstarch
-3/4 cup orange juice
-4 green onions, thinly sliced (i used 2)
-3 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
-3 Tbsp honey
-2 tsp grated fresh gingerroot
-1 garlic clove, minced
-2 cups cut fresh asparagus (1 inch pieces)
-1 medium sweet red pepper, sliced
-1 cup julienned carrots
-1 Tbsp canola oil
-3/4 lb. leftover grilled steaks, thinly sliced
-1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts
-hot cooked rice (i used brown rice. 1 cup rice, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 cup water)

Steps:
1.  Whisk cornstarch, orange juice, onions, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic in a small bowl until blended; set aside.
2. Stir-fry asparagus, pepper and carrots in oil in a large skillet or wok for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
3. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Add steak; heat through.  Sprinkle with peanuts.  Serve over rice.

And there you have it!

Kristen's Kitchen: A Week of Recipes, Tuesday

Last night's menu included Balsamic Broiled Asparagus and a Shrimp Piccata.  I decided to 1.5 times the recipe because we have some neighbors who just had a baby so I decided to make extra to bring a meal over to them.  The reason I didn't double it was because the bag of shrimp I had was 1.5 lbs and not 2 :)

Balsamic Broiled Asparagus Recipe

Ingredients:
-1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed
-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
-2 Tbsp olive oil
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper

Steps:
1.  Place asparagus i a 15-in. x 10. in x 1. in baking pan.  Combine the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.  Brush half of the mixture over asparagus.
2.  Broil 4 in. from the heat for 8-10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally (i didn't).  Brush with remaining sauce.

Shrimp Piccata Recipe

Ingredients:
-1/2 lb. uncooked angel hair pasta
-2 shallots, finely chopped (i used green onion)
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-2 Tbsp olive oil
-1 lb. uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1/8 tsp salt
-1 cup chicken broth
-1 cup white wine
-4 tsp cornstarch
-1/3 cup lemon juice
-1/4 cup capers, drained
-3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

Steps:
1.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Saute shallots and garlic in oil in a large skillet for 1 minute.  Add shrimp, oregano and salt; cook and stir until shrimp turn pink.   Combine broth, wine and cornstarch in a small bowl; gradually stir into pan.  Bring to a boil' cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat.
2.  Drain pasta. Stir pasta, lemon juice, capers and parsley into skillet.

I most likely won't be making a meal tonight or tomorrow cause Jon has class tonight and work ALL day tomorrow, but we will see.  I might get bored :)  More to come later!

Kristen's Kitchen: A Week of Recipes, Monday

I've found that the best way to be successful at following through with cooking meals on a daily(ish) basis is to sit down one day a week and come up with the menu for the rest of the week.  I've found about 5 or 6 recipes and will share them with you over the next few days with some pictures and feedback. 

Tonight I made Mushroom Pork Tenderloin and Bruschetta Fresca with a Blackberry Beer Cocktail.  Enjoy!

Mushroom Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Ingredients:
-2 pork tenderloins (about 2 lbs)
-1/4 cup mayonnaise
-1 (1 oz) packet onion soup mix
-2 teaspoons minced garlic
-8 oz pre-sliced baby portabellas
-1 tablespoon quick-mixing flour
-1/2 cup milk

PREP:
-Slice tenderloins diagonally into about twelve 1/2-inch-thick slices

STEPS:
1. Combine mayo, dry soup mix, and garlic in large bowl
2. Preheat large saute pan on medium-high heat 2-3 minutes.  Stir pork slices and mushrooms into soup mixture; plan in pan.  Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned.
3. Stir in flour; cook 1-2 more minutes.  Stir in milk and reduce heat to low; cook 4-6 minutes or until sauce thickens and pork is 160 degrees F (for medium).  Serve.

Super quick and easy.  If I were to do this again, I would serve the pork over a bed of angel hair pasta or rice.  I'd also maybe add a salad or corn or baked potato. 

Doesn't look too great but it was really tasty.

Bruschetta Fresca Recipe
Ingredients:
-1 bakery baguette
-8 oz fresh mozzarella (no cheese in above pictures because i can't have it)
-4-6 fresh basil leaves
-2 teaspoons minced garlic
-1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-1 1/2 cups pre-diced fresh tomatoes
-1 teaspoon seasoned salt
-1/4 teaspoon pepper

PREP:
-Place oven rack 6 inches from heat source; then preheat on broil.
-Slice bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on baking sheet.
-Cut cheese into small, bite-size pieces.
-Slice basil into thin strips.

STEPS:
1. Combine in medium bowl, garlic, vinegar, and olive oil.  Stir in cheese, tomatoes, seasoned salt, and pepper.
2. Broil bread 1 minute on each side until lightly toasted. (Watch closely to prevent over-browning.) Top with tomato mixture; sprinkle with basil and serve.


Blackberry Beer Cocktail (YUM)

Some may know this drink as a "Pink Panty Dropper" but it's a tad bit different.

Ingredients:
-4 bottles (12 oz each) beer, chilled (I used Coors Light)
-1 can (12 oz) frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate, thawed (store didn't have this, so we used pink lemonade)
-3/4 cup fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed
-1/2 cup vodka
-Ice cubes
-Lemon slices

STEPS:
-Combine beer, lemonade concentrate, blackberries and vodka in a large pitcher.  Serve over ice and garnish with lemon slices.

SOOOOO good and doesn't taste like beer or vodka at all.  Has the perfect carbonation and sweetness.  Perfect summer drink.

And there you have it. Monday's meal.  Just in time for me to prep and start dinner for tonight.  Back to update tomorrow!