What's in a niche?

So here we are. It has been a whole week and Im just now sitting back down to this. I knew it would be tough. Life is crazy these days. Not just for me, I know. It is crazy for everyone. I often talk to my mom about how much more hurried and rushed we feel today compared to when I was a kid. I mean, I think that is the case. I do remember that she was overwhelmed and wild and we drove her completely nuts so maybe it wasn't so different.

Looking back and thinking of my mom during those years is part of why I want to write this blog. She was so busy working and being a mom and cleaning and cooking and managing the household budget and driving us all over town. I watched her and it was hard for her. All she ever really wanted to do was be at home with us. She was a Home Economics major and that was (and still is) her passion. She worked because it was necessary for us to do all the extras that we wanted to do. So even when working she was doing it for us.

Thankfully, I have this opportunity to be at home. To run the daily operations of the Summy household and not have to juggle with it another job outside these walls. I have mad respect for all those moms who do what my mom did. That's a lot of hats and I personally couldn't wear them all.

So back to what this has to do with my writing. I've had this desire to write for a while. Really since being at home. I have a lot of words in my head and I want to get them out. My kids don't really want to hear them. And neither does my husband. Why not put them out there for the internet to read? But here's the problem... and I am just being honest... I don't read blogs. I rarely read at all, but I really never read a blog. So how does one write something she would never read herself? Seems a little hypocritical. Right? I don't read long blogs because I don't really have time to sit and read. I see posts that look interesting and think "Oh. I need to come back to that one. maybe next time I'm alone in bathroom." Seriously, that's what I think (Full disclosure). However, I never actually come back to those because there are 1000 other interesting posts that come across my newsfeed before I get a chance. At least my intentions are good.

So that got me thinking. What would I write that would not be the same Mom stuff that is already out there. Someone else has written every single thing from every different perspective about being a Mom. And they have done it better than I could. Im not an authority on anything. Fashion? Uh no. Cooking? Nope. Healthy Lifestyle? absolutely not. Example of the perfect Godly wife and mum? Please don't make me laugh! The internet is full of really smart people writing about things that they know and encouraging other people to listen as they drop some knowledge on the subject. That is what I was missing. The topic. The niche. That thing that reigns in all of these random thoughts and turns them into something special. Without it I was writing without a purpose. And I need a purpose for everything. It's a sickness. Without purpose things hardly seem necessary or worth while.

I promise I have a point.... I will try to get to it now. I haven't ironed out all the details, but I think my purpose is my kids. Like my mom, I seem to have found/stumbled upon the joy of motherhood. It didn't happen immediately for me and it didn't happen all at once. I dug my heels in for years trying to do something "more important" and "more profitable" and just "more" than being a mom. But now I get it. I've spent the last 2 years reading the Bible cover to cover and I have noticed how my perspective/world view has changed. God has shown me This IS it. THIS is what Im made for. My one job. Love these kids and do it well. They see me screw this up every single day... sometimes as early as 9am. But every day I learn something from them. Something from God. Something from the world. And that is why I will write. I want to tell them all these things. I want them to have a front row seat to the craziness in their mom's head and hopefully learn a little something too.

So to Amelia, Walt, and Louisa. Enjoy. I will drop all my mom knowledge on you. And I will most definitely embarrass you (and myself) in the process.

A new beginning

A new beginning. A new start. This could be fun.

I've been thinking for a while now that I want to revive my blog. I spend a lot of time posting on facebook and from what I hear, I am skilled in the way of status updates. I don't like to brag. It's not really something I ever do, but Im not even really sure if that is something one can actual brag about. It is such a random thing to be good at, and (as my husband says) it just about the least marketable skill a person could possess. So what does that have to do with a blog? Well, my facebook statuses seem to be getting longer and longer and more frequent. Apparently I have a lot of useless thoughts that I feel must be publicized immediately (well after carefully edited, of course). So in an attempt to stop clogging up my friends' news feeds and shorten my updates to something more "statusy" like "Does if have to be raining again? #wherestheark", I have decided to unload some of my extra words and random thoughts on this blog. Some of these thoughts will be super intelligent and some of them will be like "When will Jimmy Fallon realize that he and I really could be best friends if he would give me a chance? And also if he could bring his friend JT along with him that would be great."

I'm making no promises that I will be able to keep this up. And really, who cares? Without a scrolling news feed platform I don't expect to have many readers. That's perfectly fine. Im just rambling anyway.

So here's to new beginnings. Hope you guys still love me after you read the unabbreviated version of my thoughts. Because, it can get a little crazy up in here.

The Anti-Pioneer Woman...

I love the Pioneer Woman. She is truly awesome, her blog is awesome, and she makes some really awesome dishes. So when I say I am an anti pioneer women, I don't mean anti THE pioneer woman. I was just thinking the other day that you can find a recipe online to make anything you could dream of. That really makes us amateur cooks look like we have serious skills. When really the pre-blog, pre-pinterest chefs are the real Pioneer Women. Those are the people who had to come up with all the amazing recipes. They have to try and try and fail and try again to get all of the measurements right so that the rest of us can just google "peanut butter icing" and voila we have the perfect recipe for the perfect cupcake. I was making the afore mentioned peanut butter chocolate cupcakes a few weeks ago and it hit me that if I didn't have the internet I would have no idea how to make this icing. If I didn't have an amazing passed down recipe from my grandmother or a recipe given to me by a good friend I would just be out of luck. Hmm. I don't really think I have a point, just realizing the massive effects of the world wide web on every part of my life.

So last time I wrote, I spoke of my plan to change my outlook on food. I have been successful at this somedays and failed miserably on others but it is always in the back of my mind. I want very much to look at food as a means for survival but also look at it as a wonderful gift from God. These millions of recipes that I have access to by just the click of a mouse are examples of how we can take God's gifts and create something beautiful with them. A good friend who commented on my last post had it right when she said that we should "take our time with food because it and the experiences that surround it are a gift from God." That is a very delicious thought!!

And on that note, I would like to show off the beautiful Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cupcakes that I made for my niece Elzy's baby dedication. What a great way to thank God for beautiful babies and Christian families. Oh and I am also thankful for eggs, sugar, peanuts, cocoa and of course, butter!

I also made strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese icing which were even more delicious but I don't even have a picture of them because they were eaten almost immediately!

I should really round out this post with a few of the healthy options that I have recently made thanks to Pinterest. Does any one else have a irrational fear that one day Pinterest will disappear and with it all of the amazing things I have pinned? No? Yeah, me neither.

Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese

I didn't like asparagus growing up. Perhaps because my mom didn't know it could be cooked like this. Poor mom, how did she survive with out Pinterest? To my surprise my kids are HUGE fans of asparagus. Couldn't get enough. Yum!

Oh and here is a nice light pasta salad that I found and love. Perfect for Summer. I am going to call it Pasta Primavera because it is very close to my favorite pasta salad by the same name at Whole Foods. Double yum.

Just between me and me.... and the world wide web

So I am feeling the need to journal about things right now. And since I don't have a physical journal I am just going to use this blog as my outlet. I am thinking no one really reads this anymore anyway since I have been MIA for almost a year. And if you do decide to read it, I apologize in advance....

I had a long discussion with the husband last night Discussion is a relative term here. I did a lot of talking that was directed at him. He kept up with it for a while (bless his heart) but pretty soon I started to see his face go blank and I could tell that I was sounding like the teacher from Charlie Brown to him. That didn't stop me from finishing my conversation. He was a sport for staying in the room and staying awake until I was done. Good man.

Anyway... the discussion was about my obsession with food. I love food. I think about it all the time. I mean that is why I started this blog a couple of years ago to brag about all of the food I was making. The problem with my love for food is that I think I may be letting it become an idol. WHAT?!? Watch out... Im about to go all religious....

So I just started reading a book in my Wednesday night Bible study called No Other Gods by Kelly Minter. I am loving it and it is really hitting me where it hurts. In my stomach. She talks about the problem particularly with Christians worshiping God at the same time as serving all of these other gods. As a Christian I have always felt I had a handle on the God is the one and only God. Thinking of idols as statues from the old testament that are not a part of my reality. I have also done many a study talking about worshiping other idols like money, children, hobbies... instead of God. I dont feel like I have that problem either. But this is the first time I thought about worshiping God while at the same time serving other idols. THIS I have problem with. Where am I going with this? So I started thinking about what I put my trust and time and thoughts in. The answer usually comes back to food. Not directly but kind of....

I struggle, like most women, with body image. I am a yo-yo dieter. I constantly wish I looked a different way and so I am on this rollercoaster of diet, exercise, binge, guilt, repeat. So what can I do about it? When I diet, I obsess about food. What will I eat, what I can't eat, how many calories, how much I have to run to be able to eat "blank" later. It is exhausting. So I stop dieting... And then it really falls apart. I still think about food all of the time. So I eat ALL of the time and then I feel guilty ALL of the time. So then I eat some more. UGH. Just writing it down makes my stomach hurt a little. So I need to figure out a plan.... First step is recognizing that food does not deserve so much of my thoughts and time. That time belongs to God. I need to find a way to rely on God instead of food. And if I have to eat nothing but Manna to survive. So be it... Well that may be a little extreme, but there is something there. God told the Israelites that HE was all they needed. That He would provide food for them so that they would not die in the wilderness. He did not say He would supply cupcakes and pizza for them. He gave them Manna. I imagine manna was like a bran muffin. Not horrible tasting. Extremely good for you. But just not what you want day in and day out. I think God was making a point that food should not be something that we obsess over. Worry about. Food is for health and energy and nutrients. That is how we should look at it. It is not for sitting on the couch late at night eating tons of Thin Mints just because they are delicious. (I have heard of people that do that... But I would never...)

I have done quite a bit of rambling but I am not sure where I want to go with this. I think I am starting a journey to change the way I think of food. I still love to cook and will continue to do so. But I need to first think about my spiritual health, physical health, and the health of my family and THEN plan my meals/diet accordingly. Will this work? We will see....

Don't forget to stop and smell the pumpkin spice latte...

Confession: I have been a bit of a grump for the past day or two. I don't know what the reason is. Maybe I am tired. Maybe too busy. Maybe I am not spending the necessary time alone with God. Maybe it is sick children or the fact that I just smashed up my car...again. I just don't know. Probably a combination of it all. But as I drank my usual tall, non-fat, light whip, peppermint mocha and looked out the window at the beautiful day I decided to let it go. It is officially Fall Y'all and if I am not careful my favorite season will be gone before I can order another coffee.

So bloggy friends I am using you guys as my own little form of therapy. I feel certain that if I purge myself of gloomy thoughts and in the same breath discuss the new week's plans for delicious cooking and autumn activities I will be cured! I am starting to feel better already!

One of the side effects of gloominess is the lack of cooking that has been going on here. I have the ingredients for some amazing pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that I have been dying to try and I just need to get in there and make. What better way to bring a smile to everyone's face?!?

So other than the plan to make some delicious cookies I don't have any new recipes to share. Instead I will recap what has been going on in our little corner of Suburbia in the last couple of weeks.

Let's see...

I became an official school mom and "helped" Amelia with her first school project. Ocean in a Box. I am pretty sure that I am more proud of it than she is. Probably because she was mainly there to supervise my work.

We have also been moving forward with the cosmetic renovations of our new home. We hit a minor snag when we found a little mold behind some wallpaper in our kitchen. Yikes. So we had to stop and have a contractor come out and remove the mold and put up new sheetrock. This is what I came home to one afternoon. It was a little un-nerving. But we have eradicated said mold and are moving forward with project "make our house pretty".

I found these at Target the other day. Anyone tried them yet? Im very interested and they seem like a perfect way to celebrate the start of a beautiful fall day. Dont you think?

Now on to the good stuff! So our big wedding anniversary was last week. October 6th was our 10 year anniversary!! I know people say it all of the time but I really can't believe we have been together that long. So much has happened in our lives in the last ten years. I feel so very lucky!

So here we are 10 years ago for those of you who didn't know us back then...

Pretty cute huh? We were such babies. So the hubs and I had a fun time celebrating. That day we had lunch and my favorite place in town. Houstons. I can't help it. I am someone who finds comfort in consistancy and that is what Houstons is for me. I know what I am going to order every time I go. Thai steak and noodle salad. It is the most perfect meal. So many amazing flavors that I will never be able to recreate at home! Perfection on a plate.

I also have to do a little braggin on my husband. What anniversary would be complete with out gorgeous flowers? These smelled as good as they look. He really out did himself.

The big celebration came the next night when we went to Viking for a cooking class. SO much fun. If you haven't done this and you live near one, you should try it out. A chance to cook an amazing dinner in a super fancy kitchen and then eat sit down and eat your creation is a perfect evening for me! Thank you Steve for an amazing anniversary!

So after reading all of this I can't figure out why I have been in a grumpy mood. What do I have to be grumpy about? The answer is nothing! Thanks bloggy therapist. What do I owe you?

New exciting ways to waste time!

So who else out there has gotten sucked into the world of Pinterest? At first all of the fun ideas for food and crafts made me so excited, but then as the pins started piling up I just got very tired. When will I do all of these adorable crafts? Do need to stay up at night and work on "fun stuff"? Should I learn to sew? Ugh, now I feel bad because there are now new things that I can't seem to fit into my schedule and I kind of wish they were never brought to my attention. Out of sight, out of mind...always been my motto. Okay enough negativity... Seriously Pinterest is cool and I hope to try at least a couple of the cute ideas I keep pinning like crazy!

Another thing I noticed while spending countless night owl hours looking at these Pinned links is that there are A LOT of blogs out there. Everyone is blogging these days. And most people have some very interesting things to show to the internet world. I am kind of feeling a little silly with my piddly little "all about me and my cooking attempts" posts. It's seems like trying to make a You Tube video of me singing karaoke in my garage compete with Beyonce's latest music video on MTV. Im no Beyonce (btw B is a major guilty pleasure of mine! :) and I know it, but I will keep posting musings from my newly suburban life until my 3 followers get too sucked into kid's crafts on Pinterest to read these posts anymore! :)

Last week I made a very fun meal for the fam. AND bonus I was able to sneak in some Zucchini, a vegetable Amelia swears she will never eat. Skinny Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting from Skinnytaste.com. Gina is a Genius! These were so delicious and cute as can be! You have to try it!

The beautiful babies before they go into the oven.

Who doesn't love mashed potato frosting?

Voila!

Skinny Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting

Ingredients:

For the Meatloaf Cupcakes:
1.3 lb 93% lean ground turkey

1 cup grated zucchini, all moisture squeezed dry with paper towel

2 tbsp onion, minced

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup ketchup

1 egg1 tsp kosher salt

For the Skinny Mashed Potato "Frosting":
1 lb (about 2 medium) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved

2 tbsp fat free sour cream

2 tbsp fat free chicken broth

1 tbsp skim milk

1/2 tbsp light butter

kosher salt to taste

dash of fresh ground pepper

2 tbsp fresh thyme

Put the potatoes and garlic in a large pot with salt and enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.Drain and return potatoes and garlic to pan. Add sour cream and remaining ingredients. Using a masher or blender, mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. Line a muffin tin with foil liners.

In a large bowl, mix the turkey, zucchini, onion, breadcrumbs, ketchup, egg, and salt.Place meatloaf mixture into muffin tins filling them to the top, making sure they are flat at the top.

Bake uncovered for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from tins and place onto a baking dish.

Pipe the "frosting" onto the meatloaf cupcakes and serve.

So the "cupcakes" were the star for the week but I also threw together another simple recipe from Real Simple. You know how much I love these recipes. Easy peasy meals with ingredients I usually have on hand. The October issue of Real Simple challenged me to think beyond the taco and burrito and use the tortilla in some new ways. 10 new ways to be exact. I chose the Bean and Cheese Taquitos. Super easy and yum. The kids ate it too!

Bean and Cheese Taquitos

1 cup black beans (rinsed)

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese

8 warmed corn tortillas

olive oil

fresh salsa and sour cream

In a medium bowl, gently mash 1 cup black beans with grated cheddar. Dividing evenly, roll up the mixture in 8 corn tortillas. In batches, fry the rolls, seam-side down, in 1/2 inch olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. About 2 to 3 min per side. Serve with Fresh salsa and sour cream. You may notice from the picture that I used flour tortillas because that is what was in my pantry. They were still yummy but probably a little heavier and less crunchy than the corn tortillas would be. But really bloggy friends, it is a cheesy fried taquito. Whether you use corn or flour you know it is going to delicious! Muchas Gracias Real Simple!

Dieting and Cheating.... they go hand in hand

I have a confession to make. I am the world's worst dieter. I start a diet every morning and somewhere between 9am and the Starbucks drive thru I have already blown it...big time. I am in my thirties now (that is so weird to say) and I have been this type of "on again, off again" dieter since college. I truly believe that old habits die hard. So I have decided that I need to do my best to at least whip up one healthy meal a day for my family and hopefully that will point me in the right direction. No matter how many Frappuccinos or cookies I eat during the day, I have a healthy dinner to cancel it all out in the end. That's how it works, right?!? Man, I hope so!

So last week I felt like I FINALLY got my cooking mojo back. It has really been missing since the move. I don't know if it is the peeling old lady wallpaper or the slightly tilting electric stove top that have been making my kitchen a less than desirable work space. I have burned several of my old stand-bys trying to get used to this place. (Did you hear me say ELECTRIC stove top? For shame! I'm a gas cooking girl all the way!) But I am back and feeling pretty good about it. I served up some pretty dang good cuizine two nights in a row last week and the crowd was very pleased.

First up was Spaghetti with ricotta and tomatoes from Real Simple Family. You guys know my love for this magazine. I especially love their "10 Things to do with..." feature every month. This month the featured ingredient was Spaghetti. Brilliant. I ALWAYS have spaghetti on hand. It is a staple in the Summy house. Anyway this recipe is great and will be back again and again. Sorry there are no pictures. I have gotten out of the habit of photographing our meals. I will do better from now on. I promise.

Spaghetti with ricotta and tomatoes

2 pints grape tomatoes

4 smashed garlic cloves

olive oil

12 oz spaghetti

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup chopped italian parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Toss grape tomatoes and smashed garlic with olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast at 450º until the tomatoes burst, about 8 to 10 min. Meanwhile cook the spaghetti and drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water. Toss Spaghetti with ricotta cheese, chopped parsley, and reserved pasta water. Season with Salt and pepper. Top with the tomatoes. See how easy that was?

The next night I took some help from my friend Rachel Ray and her magazine Everyday with Rachel Ray. She has started including these Weeknight Meal Planners in each issue. I LOVE this idea because she helps you get the most from the fresh ingredients you buy at the store. I always hate to buy stuff like Parsely or cilantro if I am only using 1 tbsp but if you have several recipes that use that ingredient it totally makes it worth the cost! Okay so I know I say this alot, but this meal was so great that I really will be making it over and over. It was super easy and delicious and, get this, healthy too (well at least the chicken and onions part)! I believe that is called a trifecta. Oh wait, and it is beautiful too. Is that a Quadfecta?

Chicken with Balsamic Onions and Parmesan Potatoes (YUM)

2 lbs red potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes

3 tbsp butter

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

salt and pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (5oz each)

2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 cups (about half a package) baby spinach loosely packed

Preheat oven to 400º. In a large pot, combine potatoes and salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil and cook until fork-tender, 6 to 8 min. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Toss with 2 tbsp butter, the parmesan cheese, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp EVOO over med high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper (and garlic powder if you have it) and cook, turning once, until golden brown (about 5 min). Transfer to a baking dish; roast until cooked through (about 10 min).

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp EVOO over medium heat. Stir in the onions and vinegar and season with salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized (about 15 min). At the end, stir in 1/4 cup water and scrape up any browned bits.

Serve the chicken on a bed of spinach and top with onions. Serve potatoes on the side.