Friday, November 20, 2009

A lot has been going on and I am finally getting the oppourtunity to catch up with this blog and my challenges.
Firstly, I have made a decision for my volunteering - I have choose to give my time to Hospice. Matt's father passed away on Nov 2 and this process with cancer has deeply touched us. He fought long and hard all the way to the end. Then my father survived colon and skin cancer only to later date from complications from a cancer they called a colangiocarcinoma - he had a cancer in his bile duct system that spread to his liver. Both him and my father in law were in the care of Hospice in their final days. This only feels like the best choice for me.

Also, we have to of my challenges in the works to finish out this year - we will be serving in a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving - something the girls seem egar to do. And we are doing the samatians purse gift charity for Christmas. Madelyn and Grace will each buy for a child thier age and we will send it off to be given for Christmas.

I am currently 20 days into 1 month with no pop - some days have been real hard with the lack of sleep and the fact that I do not drink coffee - pop was my caffine. I am about ready to crack this week and I have had little to no sleep in the last few days as the babies have been sick and up all night. Hopefully I can make it 10 more days!

I got my first Pedicure today - I have missed out on a lot - I will have to make sure that I afford myself this luxury more often.
Here a few of the recipes that I have used and the family really liked since I last posted recipes:

Fried Rice
2 cups enriched white rice
4 cups water
2/3 cup chopped baby carrots
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
soy sauce to taste
sesame oil, to taste (optional)
Directions:
In a saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
In a small saucepan, boil carrots in water about 3 to 5 minutes. Drop peas into boiling water, and drain.
Heat wok over high heat. Pour in oil, then stir in carrots and peas; cook about 30 seconds. Crack in eggs, stirring quickly to scramble eggs with vegetables. Stir in cooked rice. Shake in soy sauce, and toss rice to coat. Drizzle with sesame oil, and toss again.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs
Directions:
In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

Sage Pork Chops
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 center cut bone-in pork chops
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup water
2 cubes beef bouillon
Directions:
Combine the salt, sage and black pepper in a small bowl and rub on both sides of the chops. Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium high heat and saute the chops for 5 minutes per side, or until well browned.
Meanwhile, in a separate small saucepan over high heat, combine the water and the bouillon and stir until bouillon dissolves. Add this to the chops, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer chops for 45 minutes.