With the help of a few friends and family, I packed up our belongings and got a place for myself and the kids in one of my favorite places on earth. I lived in this town for years with my mom and I have always wanted to come back. The historic downtown area is so breathtakingly quaint and beautiful. The kind of town where you can walk through the streets and meander through shops and cafe’s for hours. I am so unbelievably happy here!

One of the biggest accomplishments for me throughout all this has been the decision to finally go back to school. I am currently in my second semester of the Interior Design program at Seminole State College and I can say without a doubt that this is the field I belong in. School has been exciting, stressful, extremely exhausting, but I love what I’m doing. And that feels amazing!

A huge step for me: I am seeing a wonderful man. He is kind, funny, thoughtful and smart! The ways in which he treats me are some of which I have never experienced in my life and I am very thankful for finding him. I am undoubtedly taking things slooooow, but I can say with all honesty that I am the happiest I have ever been.

I have completely redone my blog. I have changed the layout, deleted posts, and pictures. It no longer felt like my space to come to. It was a bit like walking into an old apartment that you know you’d never want to live in again. So, a little revamp was in order and I love the new look. I feel like even my design-creativeness has grown and changed and this blog better reflects that now.

I hope to write more often. I know that sometimes it will be impossible when homework demands my attention till sometimes early morning hours, but I always miss writing when it’s not part of my existence and it feels wonderful to write something!

So, here’s to taking a different path when the one you’re on isn’t working anymore. To accomplishing goals that have sat on the shelf for years. And to finding happiness, no matter where you are in the process.

I can only barely make out the mess of paperwork that’s cluttering my desk and begging to be put away, but I’m not too worried about that right now.  My mind is bogged down with other things. Things that are hard to clarify with words on a screen.  I can sum it up with words like “financial problems”, “marital problems”, “parenting challenges”, but it runs deeper than that. It always does.

I feel like I am at a crossroads right now. Like decisions need to be made on which direction I should take before I can go any further. I’m trying to figure out what’s best for myself and my family and what I need to do make our future feel more secure and happy and less like I’m trapped in by situational circumstances.

I am very much in the dark. And I need a light bulb.

I am the proud owner of a new (to me) washer and dryer set! We’ve been without one for quite a while and please don’t ask me how we cleaned our clothes in the meantime. (It involved a lot of elbow grease, and fifty million hangers…or bribing a family member or friend to let me use their machines. [If you think I'm taking TWO kids into a laundromat you musta fallen off yo rocker!] )

The first day I used them to do laundry, I heard angels sing the hallelujah chorus!  You mean I can just throw them in here and walk away? It’s like having little laundry fairies!  Such bliss.

I easily did over 9 loads of laundry that day. I’m not even sure where all those clothes and linens came from but at the end of the day it smelt Island Fresh in this apartment, thanks to my new best friends Washer and Dryer and their sidekick Mr. Gain.

Never again will I go without a washer and dryer. I refuse that notion in entirety. I would rather sacrifice  my stove (hello takeout) before I let these babys go. Nothing like technology to do your work for you!

Welcome to my home, dear Washer and  Dryer!

My heater is on right now. Let it be known that while I prefer warmer weather outside, I like to sleep comfortably cool, with the temperature at around 74 degrees WITH the fan in our bedroom ON. I can not sleep well with the fan off. And the problem with the heater in my household is that my dear husband likes to sleep warm and toasty. He cranks the heat up to around 78 degrees, tries to turn the fan off, and I end up feeling like a chicken roasting in the oven.

Winter has not been my friend this year. I sleep hot, I have limited clothing options, my knuckles and lips are dry and cracked, and I am turning a un-becomable shade of pasty white.

Clearly, I never know I have a good thing going till it’s gone.

 The kids and I were out in the windy weather today and when we got home I was wanting something a little warm, spice-wise. I’ve made this recipe lots of times, and it’s one that’s easy to mix up and use different vegetables in.

1 Tb red curry paste 
1 can coconut milk
1/3 cup veg-chic stock
3 Tb brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2-5 dried chilis chopped
1 red pepper chopped
2-3 cups broccoli florets
1 package tofu
1 stalk green onion
Fresh basil leaves
1 cup jasmine or basmati rice

I started by cutting the tofu into 1 inch squares and frying them in a bit of olive and sesame oil, then adding soy sauce a little later. (You could easily substitute chicken in place of the tofu, if you’re not a fan)

After I got some jasmine rice cooking on the stove I started on the sauce in a large pot. The stock went in first, then the coconut milk, chopped up chili’s (I only used 2 for the kids sake), curry paste, and the rest of the ingredients. I used red pepper and broccoli tonight, but I’ve also used zucchini before and it turned out great.

The sauce simmered for about 10-15 minutes while the rice finished, and I added the tofu in at the end. I spooned some jasmine rice in a bowl, poured the sauce over the top and it was ready!

It’s a delicious dish if you’re a fan of spicy ethnic food. I love it!

 It just dawned on me that this is the second recipe I’ve posted with mushrooms in it. What can I say? I love em’! I promise to venture out a little next time though, for those who do not share my love for them.

I found a few variations of this dish, but my favorite was this one. I didn’t have yellow tomatoes, so I just used all red, and I added onion, garlic and eggplant to the list. Also, I used regular bread crumbs, because I’m not even sure where to find the Japanese kind.

I started out by dicing 1/4 onion, 3 cloves of garlic and about a cup of eggplant and sauteing them in a small amount of butter, with some salt, pepper and oregano. While that was going on the stove, I diced the plum tomatoes, put them in a bowl and added the cheese, breadcrumbs and seasoning.

Then I worked on the mushrooms, taking the stems out and scraping out the brown gills. I layed them on a greased baking sheet and sprinkled some olive oil, salt and pepper on them and broiled them in the oven for 5 minutes.

By this time the onions, garlic and eggplant were done and I mixed them together with the tomatoes, cheese and bread crumbs mixture and spooned it into the broiled mushrooms. I topped them with a little oregano and basil and put it in the oven for another 5 minutes.

They turned out pretty good. When I do them again, I’ll probably try to season the mushrooms themselves a little more, but other than that, they were delicious. Meaty, earthy, cheesy; they hit the spot tonight!

 I attended an after-church luncheon last week where 94% of the guests were vegan. So of course, the hostess asked me to bring a non-dairy dessert. At first I was a little nervous. I’ve eaten plenty of vegan desserts, but I don’t think I’ve ever made one. From scratch. (Throwing a cake mix in a bowl with water and oil, adding egg replacer, and calling it a day DOES NOT COUNT)

I went online hunting for some ideas. Anything that did not include tofu, because for me personally, dessert + tofu = No thank you.

I decided on a banana pudding, and found this (tofu free) vegan vanilla pudding recipe. It was super easy to make and tasted deceivingly good! The only alteration I made was adding some whipped cream to make it a little lighter and creamier. Yum!

After the pudding was made I ground up some graham crackers, sliced up a few bananas and attempted to toast some slivered almonds.

I say attempted because my first go at it was an utter and epic FAIL. This was also my first attempt ever in the history of my cooking life, mind you, so while the directions said “toast @ 350 degrees in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown”, they SHOULD have said “toast @ 350 degrees in the oven 5 minutes or until the slightest change of color and get them out immediately because those Mo-Fo’s burn FAST!”

Needless to say, I had to make a late night run to the grocery store to get some more.

After succeeding to toast the second batch of almonds, it was just a matter of layering the pudding: graham cracker crumbs first, sliced bananas, then pudding, repeat, repeat, repeat.

Lastly, I spread the top with whipped cream and garnished with the slivered almonds. It was a snap to make and was a huge hit at the luncheon!

I started the meal out by seasoning two chicken breasts with a little salt, and then pan searing them in a little butter and olive oil for a few minutes on each side, just to brown them a little bit. I placed the breasts on a baking sheet, seasoned them a little more with salt, pepper and some savory herbs, then stuck them in the oven for 30 minutes.

While those were roasting nicely, I caramelized onions and mushrooms (button and portobello) in pan over medium-high heat. I was going to add some minced garlic, but I forgot. After about 15 minutes in the pan, I added some chicken stock and white cooking wine and let it cook until it reduced the liquid almost completely.

In the midst of the mushroom sauce reduction, I started another pan for the cream. (I could have waited and added all this to the mushroom reduction after it was finished, but it was getting late and I was hungry) I made a roux with flour and butter, added 1 cup of chicken stock, about half a cup of cream and 3 cups of milk, and half a cup of parmesan. Sprinkled in some pepper and salt to taste. When the mushrooms had reduced, I added them to the pan of cream sauce. At the very end, I added chopped baby spinach to the sauce for some fresh green color.

I made thin spaghetti noodles to go along with the mushroom sauce. When it was all done I sliced up the chicken breasts and laid them over the noodles and sauce, and WA-LA! Dinner was served!

This meal is quite filling. I only ate about a 1/4 of this portion. My favorite part of the dish is the mushrooms. They turned out so meaty and earthy and yummy. I could eat them all by themselves.

What did you have for dinner tonight?

So, I’m keeping it simple today. I’ve been having english muffins in different forms of breakfast meals lately. There’s not much of a “recipe” for this, just a combining of some good, fresh ingredients.

I was in the mood for eggs the other morning, but I was also wanting to keep it fresher and healthier. An omelet seemed too cooked, and any form of skillet fried eggs also seemed too heavy, so I tried poaching an egg. For the first time ever. I watched several cooking videos that made it seem like a snap, but the execution of my own poached egg didn’t turn out so well. It started falling apart in the boiling water and when it was done, it tasted like vinegar. I ended up throwing it away. Fried egg it was!

I toasted an english muffin, lightly buttered it, and topped it with the some baby spinach leaves, an egg over medium and a small amount of diced tomatoes.

It was quite tasty!

Yesterday morning I wanted something sweeter, but still nutritious (sick, remember?) so I toasted an english muffin,  spread it with some cream cheese and a layer of raspberry preserves, and topped it with some mixed berries. I wish I had a picture of it because it was so pretty. And delicious. Just the right amount of sweetness without a truckload of  high fructose corn syrup and guilt.

So that has been my breakfasts the last few mornings!

English muffins anyone?

I was in the bathroom this morning brushing my hair and getting ready for the day, when I noticed a glimmer coming from the top of my head. Upon further investigation, I realized it was a gray hair. Nay. A white hair. That was unsettling enough, but as I kept brushing I noticed another, and another, and then another, and…before long I was sitting on the bathroom counter tweezing my head.

I found nineteen (NINETEEN!) white hairs on my head.  Some were long and others were abnormally short, like they just sprung up as a result of some recent stressful situation or something. The more I looked, the more I found and eventually I gave up, because, who really wants to say they found over 20 white hairs on their head? Not me!

 I’m only months away from turning 26! It’s not like I’m in my late 30′s or early 40′s. Isn’t that when the signs of aging start to raise its ugly head of doom?  Aren’t these my PRIME years here?

Another thing  I noticed the other day? Wrinkles! On my forehead. AND around my eyes. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I don’t appreciate this display of middle-aged-ness.  Either I truly am prematurely going down hill, or I really need a vacation.

I vote for the latter.

Sadly, I think I may need to invest in some anti-aging cream and a bottle of hair color in the near future. And book a cruise for two.