Category Archives: Bandwagons

How writing keeps me sane

11/17/2010 Nichole

I wasn’t the most meticulous note-taker in college – that was Rockford – but I did make an effort to take notes. Before a test, I would transcribe all of my handwritten notes. Not so I could more easily refer to them again, but to help the ideas stick in my head. I don’t find myself needing to take notes on lectures very often anymore (although maybe I should take notes on the nightly news to help me stay abreast on current events. Or maybe I could just start watching the nightly news), but I do still write a lot.

Committing words to paper (or the internet) helps me to remember things more easily, whether they’re Funny Things the Kids Have Said or Things I’d Like to Own or Laundry: How to Do It.

OK, so I don’t really have a How to Do Laundry cheat sheet. I do, however, keep lists of:

Books I’ve Read.
I have a very nice reading journal just for this purpose. If I don’t keep a record of what I’ve read, I am 98 percent sure to forget. And I have been known to reread a book without realizing it until halfway through. Which isn’t a tragedy, of course, but it’s annoying.

Chores
Not just for kids! I have a list of things that need to be done in every room of the house. I try to tackle one room every day, and when I actually accomplish that I flip to the next day. I will readily admit that cleaning toilets aren’t the first thing on my mind every day. Having a list helps me stay on top of things that I know wouldn’t get done if I didn’t have it written down.

Meals We Like
What I said about having a remarkably bad memory? I usually make our meal plan and grocery list on Friday night or Saturday morning — it’s a wild, wild life – and there have been many, many times when I’ve been unable to think of any meal I’ve ever made. Sad but true. This is why I started doing Menu Plan Monday – so I’d have an ongoing record of things we’ve had.

What I’ve Eaten
I haven’t actually done this in awhile, but I need to start again. I first started a food journal when I did Weight Watchers several years ago. I’m certain it would help again in my ongoing (and, for the last few years, fruitless) effort to lose weight. The primary reason I need to start again, though, is so I can figure out what’s causing me to feel so rotten a good bit of the time.

So clearly that stuff isn’t writing in the Hemingway sense of the word. (And neither, if we’re being honest, is any of the other stuff I write.) But beyond making lists and keeping records, writing keeps me connected. I spend the majority of my time with the under-6 set. They have their charms, but it’s nice to have an adult conversation sometimes. And right now, the best place for me to do that on a daily basis is here and through various social media outlets. There are so many people with whom I would not be in contact were it not for the internet and, of course, writing therein. (Three cheers for you, internet!)

Writing helps keep my mind, my house and my body* in order. It doesn’t just work for me; I don’t think I could function without it.

*Well, it helps my body when I make an effort. Let’s go with that.

Flotsam / Jetsam, National Blog Posting Month

In search of a Christmas-shopping elf

11/16/2010 Nichole 9 Comments

It’s been years and years since I went to my dad’s family’s annual Christmas party. I think Rockford and I have been there once since we’ve been married. (And the time I’m remembering might have been before we were married.) My dad has three brothers, and when they and my cousins all show up it’s a big group of people. When I was a kid, it was noisy and chaotic, and there was always a lot of food. Noisy and chaotic has never been My Kind of Thing, even when I was a kid. Even so, it was maybe my favorite day of the year growing up, and I’m very much looking forward to being there this year.

"Presents" by Alice Harold — Alice Harold photo

What with it being a largish family, it would be tough to buy presents for everyone. They used to draw names for gift-giving, but a few years ago they decided to do a Yankee Swap sort of thing instead. Everyone brings a gift, then they draw numbers to determine who picks the first present from the pile. When the next person’s turn comes, they can “steal” the first person’s gift or pick something from the remaining wrapped presents.

The little kids don’t participate — they’ll have something specifically for them under the tree — so I need to come up with two gift ideas for the exchange. I have an idea for one present, but I’m having trouble coming up with a second. And what do I do when I’m having trouble deciding on a thing? I ask the internet. The first gift will be food-related, so I’d like to come up with something else that isn’t.

So, people of the internet, what’s a $25-or-less-present for which you’d gently shove your grandma? (Note: I don’t think it’ll come to that. But that’s just because Grandma won’t be there.)

menu plan Monday, National Blog Posting Month, recipes

Now we’re cooking with hummus

11/15/2010 Nichole

Last night we had a few people over for a hummus party sponsored by Sabra. It was the second event I’ve done with HouseParty, and it was fun. We didn’t really party like it was 1999 — no confetti or paranoia about Y2K — but we did have hummus-stuffed chicken. I’d never made any sort of stuffed chicken, and I’d never cooked with hummus before. It was surprisingly good.

Monday: Leftover hummus-stuffed chicken: I made a lot of chicken yesterday, and I’m pleased to have enough left for dinner tonight. I am not often pleased to have leftovers, because I don’t always like to eat them. And then they sit in the fridge making me feel guilty for days, until I ignore them long enough for them to turn into a science experiment and then Rockford throws them away. But this was a really tasty dish, and I’m looking forward to having it again tonight. Here’s the recipe:

Hummus-Stuffed Chicken
Recipe from Sabra
1/2 cup Sabra hummus — I used the “Luscious Lemon” variety, and it gave the chicken a great lemony flavor
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 5-6 ounces each, tenderloins removed
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, egg whites only
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil

Place trimmed chicken breast in a large zippered plastic bag. Pound with a meat pounder or a rolling pin until 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with all chicken breasts; each breast should be about 8 inches long and 6 inches wide.
Lay the chicken breasts smooth-side down on work surface and season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly about 2 tablespoons hummus on the chicken breasts leaving about 1/2-inch border all around. Roll each chicken breast and wrap each rolled breast in a sheet of aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Twist the ends like a candy wrapper and chill in the refrigerator about 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Using 3 pie plates or shallow dishes, pour the flour in one, lightly whisk the egg whites and water in the other and place the breadcrumbs in the other. Unwrap the chicken breasts roll in the flour (shake off excess), then submerge in the egg whites (let the excess drip off) and then place in the breadcrumbs, use your fingers to press the breadcrumbs so that they stick.

Heat 1/4-cup olive oil in a large non-stick skillet until shimmering, about 4 minutes. Place the rolled chicken breasts in the oil, seam side down. Cook until golden, about 2 minutes on all sides. Put the chicken breasts (seam side down) in a baking dish and cook about 25 minutes or until thermometer registers 175 degrees. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Using a sharp knife, slice on a bias into 4 or 5 pieces.
Tuesday: Chicken sausages and scalloped potatoes: I like the bangers & mash combo, but I didn’t want to make mashed potatoes this week. So Betty Crocker will be coming by to make some scallopeds for us.
Wednesday: Baked chicken & sweet potatoes: I haven’t had a baked sweet potato in a long time. Poppy ate them like crazy when she was a baby, but she rejected them the last time I served them. We’ll see what happens. (I’ll bet I can guess.)
Thursday: Grilled cheese sandwiches: I’d like to say I’m making some fancy gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, but that would be lying. It’ll be American cheese all the way.
Friday: Pizza: I’m thinking I’ll try a fajita-inspired pizza this week, maybe with grilled chicken, beans, onions and peppers. And of course we’ll have a plain cheese one, for the picky among us.