linguini and clams.

On the menu the other night was one of my favorite meals, linguini and clams.  Luckily Jon likes it a lot too so we make it pretty often.  I usually add garlic bread but we didn't have any and its still delicious without it.  This recipe makes 4 "jon and Kristen-sized" portions. enjoy!

• 4 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, with juice
• 1 stick butter
•  3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• juice of half a lemon 
• 1/2 onion, diced 
  
• 2 tablespoon dried parsley
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 (16 ounce) package linguini pasta

Ingredients, minus the butter which Jon was picking up at the store :)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. 
   
2. Meanwhile, saute the onions in a little bit of oil for a few minutes  
3. Finally, prepare the sauce. Combine clams with juice, butter or margarine, vegetable oil, minced garlic, parsley, basil, and pepper in a large saucepan. Place over medium heat until boiling. Serve warm over pasta. 

nothing clever, just a long overdue update!

i've been really putting off this update simply because it has been so long and i feel like there is just too much to write about to catch the world up.  lol, i act like you people are all just sitting on the edges of your seats anxiously awaiting updates and info on my family.  i'm not dumb, i know that's not the case.  i really have missed jotting down life's newest joys and challenges. 

i can honestly say that i have FINALLY reached a point where i can thoroughly enjoy every single second of makena.  that doesn't mean that she is a perfect baby, but i think i've really figured out this whole mom thing.  bluntly put, february-july was the hardest few months of my life.  between the reflux and colic and homesickness, it was a lot.  my sweet girl has done a complete 180 and is the happiest baby in the world!  her "cry" is more like a ma-ma-ma-ma whine....a much welcome change from the screaming i once knew.  my absolute favorite moments are walking into her room and the morning and seeing her beaming smile the second she spot jon and/or i.  my heart never fails to melt and they are moments i will have engrained in my memory forever.

its absolutely insane to me that she is almost 6 months old.  i swear that every day she is learning something new.  she can now almost sit up straight on her own.  she still sort-of does the gorilla sit but shes very close! i am also proud to say that she is now formula-fed.  if you know anything about my struggles that came with breastfeeding, you'll know how much of a relief it is for me to be done.  i really struggled with the decision to wean but i realized i needed to do it for my own sanity.  she has mommy milk for 5.5 months, which i know was a great start.  between the dairy allergy, lipase overproduction, lazy baby, bi-weekly clogged ducts and other challenges....it was time.  luckily it has been a very smooth transition.  even more so for makena than me! she is on a soy-based formula but couldn't care less that it tasted different. phew! sadly, i'm probably gonna gain a good 10 lbs back now that i have re-introduced dairy.  i can say that i am definitely still lactose intolerant but that doesn't stop me! cheeeeeeeeese yuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!!!!

chunky legs. :)

 in less than two weeks jon, makena and i will be leaving for an amazing vacation!  we will be spending a week in the outer banks with the gideon/litwin family at a gorgeous beach 3 story beach house, right on the water (with an elevator!).  we then get to explore charleston for a couple days and then we head to south carolina for another week of beaches with the smith/daniels family.  i'm 10% stressed and 90% excited.  makena isn't a huge fan of the car and hasn't been on a drive more than 1.5 hours so our 10+ hour car rides could be interesting.  i cannot wait to make so many wonderful memories with ALL of our family.  so blessed to get this opportunity.

sadly, my brother justin and his family won't make it to the beach because they just welcomed the birth of their precious twin babies!  i am so proud to say that i now have SIX nephews and my FIRST niece! Adelyn Patricia and Owen Francesco were born July 16 (2 days after my bday!) and both are home, happy and healthy.  it was a very long road for laura, spending an entire month in the hospital before they arrived but she is such a trooper and they are so adorable! i cannot wait to meet them hopefully soon. 

perfect babies.  adelyn and owen!

 as my life has finally "calmed down" when it comes to baby, and now that dairy is once again a part of my life :), i have an itch to get my creative juices flowing again.  i have been wanting to start some projects around the house, and i decided to start with a photo wall in our foyer.  pictures to follow once its done.  also on my list are a menu chalkboard for the kitchen and jon and i want to team up and build/finish/decorate a homemade hutch that we will use as a liquor cabinet.  we want to incorporate an old window as the counter and install wine glass holders and cabinets for glasses.  that probably won't happen for a while but its on our list! i also would really like to start a scrapbook for makena.  i know if i don't start soon i'll get so behind that i will never start it.  i've been bad about documenting all of her milestones, which is another reason i wanted to update my blog so i can refer back.  i will also be adding new recipes and meals here as well. 

as far as san diego goes, my heart will always be there.  i still want to get back there, as soon as possible.  it doesn't look like the chances of that happening anytime soon are very great but i've been learning lately to appreciate what i have.  i've really been connecting with some of the girls here, i live in a great house and i'm a stay at home mom! what could i really complain about? yes, i miss family and friends (and san diego food) terribly, but i'm trying to enjoy this time here because i know it won't be forever. 

 i think i'll leave it at that for now.  its good to be back :)

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!