Catz in the Kitchen

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Tuesday's Tidings for December 4, 2012

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1. Kate Middleton is preggers!!! How exciting! A royal baby!!!

2. I had my dr. appointment yesterday. I've been instructed to rest and try and stay off my feet. Which is hard to do as a food blogger. I can't exactly cook from the couch, lol!

3. 17 more days left!!!! Well, more or less.

4. Doing nothing and sitting on the couch looks real good to me, I have to admit!

5. Is or is not Jessica Simpson pregnant again? I say if she is, way to go! Babies rock! And her daughter Maxwell, is such a cutie!

6. My husband makes the best brownies from a box ever! He says the only trick to making a good brownie is knowing which brownie mix to buy, lol!

7. I burned the crescent rolls tonight. Once again, I proved that I cannot for the life of me fix convenience food, lol!

8. I think it's funny now that I'm so close to my due date. If I can't reach my husband on his personal work number and I call his cell, he answers right away and asks if I'm in labor, lol! I love it!

9. I'm wondering if I can continue to let my hubs clean the cats liter box even after the baby is born...hmmm?

10. Speaking of brownies, I'm going to eat one now!

Weekly Menu 12/3-12/9

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I hope you all had such a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and had fun Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping! After a very busy holiday weekend for us, I was just so drained, that I could barely drag myself to the computer, and Josh has been home on vacation since Monday (11/26), fighting off a cold that I just felt it was important to take a break.

But now, I am back. Our house is decorated for Christmas. Well, as much as I could muster this year. Normally, every Christmas goodie I own is out and displayed, but this year, I toned it back a little bit and mainly just decorated the fireplace, our tree, and our house and front door. I even gave Josh a get out of free card this year for the the garland that I always make him hang around our front door. I think, for this year, since I'll be giving birth right around Christmas, simplicity is key, since we're going to have to put it all away too...and the less I put out, the less stressed I'll be about putting it away.

However, just because I'm scaling back on our Christmas decorations does not mean that I'm scaling back on Holiday yummies! I plan to stay cooking in the kitchen as much as my tired little feet will let you, so that I can help feed you and your family and friends with yummy treats.

Since our son will be born soon, I've had to come to the realization that some things will have to be benched for a little bit as we adjust to having a newborn in the house. Our Weekly Menu and possibly Tuesday's Tidings will be taking a rest for a bit. But our plan is to continue to keep the recipe posts circulating while we're taking care of our son. Between Josh and I, we have a very nice selection of posts that we think you will all enjoy. So please, be patient with us as we try and wade through this and please know, that each and everyone of you who drops by to read our posts and comment, you guys mean the world to us and we have so much fun writing for you.

Monday
Slow-Cooker Rosemary Orange Chicken 
with rice pilaf and acorn squash
Tuesday
We'll be having dinner with Josh's bank for a holiday party
Wednesday
Thursdays
(Awana Night)
Bean Soup with crusty bread for dunking
Friday
Chicken Stew with herbed biscuits
Saturday
Sunday

Happy Thanksgiving

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Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I hope you are all nestled in with your families, thinking back to what you are thankful for this year.

I am so thankful to all of you, my readers! It is wonderful for me to receive your emails, comments, questions, and just the knowledge of knowing I may be touching some of you with food that brings you together as a family.

I'll be back next Monday with my Weekly Menu, but for the remainder of this week, I'm taking it off to spend time with my family and next week, Josh will be home all week for some vacation, so we'll be decorating for Christmas and getting more baby stuff in order as well as making some delicious food!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Everybody!!!!

Love,
Chels & Josh

Tuesday's Tidings for November 20, 2012

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1. Thanksgiving is two days away!!!! I'm excited to spend time with family that I haven't seen in awhile and take part of our morning Thanksgiving traditions.

2. Grace said the cutest thing today. I was explaining to her why I was out of breath when all I had done was walk upstairs to put my yoga maternity pants on, and she said," Well, it's a fair exchange. You are uncomfortable because you are so far along and you don't have much more room to expand, and he's probably uncomfortable too because he is squished up inside you." LOL, I love my kid's perspective on things.

3. So, within the last week and a half, two of my fellow food bloggers have given birth. Deborah, at Taste and Tell, had her adorable son Camden. And Kristan at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen gave birth like two days ago to her beautiful new daughter, Lucy. I think I'm next in line out of the food bloggers that I follow. If you get a second, you should stop by and wish them congrats!

4. It's been raining here for days! And it's flooding. And even in some areas of our town, there is no electricity! I WOULD DIE WITHOUT THE USE OF MY FLAT IRON!  Just kidding, I would just go move into my mom's house until the power came back on. ;)

5. Maybe I'm the only one asking this...but why is Channing Tatum the sexiest man alive? And is it really fair that the sexiest man alive changes annually. And why hasn't my husband been recognized yet as the sexiest man of the universe??? These are all very important questions that I need to know the answer too!

6. Thank Goodness the Twilight movie rampage is over! Seriously, after so many movies being made, I'm kind of tired of it.

7. I am avoiding the Black Friday crowds. I'm actually pretty irritated with Black Friday this year. I don't have a problem with people standing in line at Midnight, to score what they think is a good deal. I even took part in it last year. But, this year, with so many stores opening at 8pm, I think it's just greedy. Ya know, some of these people wish they could be with their families. So dumb!

8. Josh ordered me the maternity/nursing gown I've been wanting. Seriously, it is so comfy, I wish I could wear it everywhere! But I can't, because then people would give me weird stares and I'm not sure how I would explain myself.

9. I found The My Little Pony that Eden has been asking for this Christmas. I had to track it down through ebay and I'm thrilled. It came yesterday and she is going to be thrilled. I win!

10. Today, I will take a nap! I am so tired!!!!

No Weekly Menu this Week

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It's Thanksgiving week! I can't believe the holiday week is finally upon us! Since, we have family coming into town and we plan to spend a lot of time with them, we only planned for a few dinners here at home, thus not really having a full weeks worth of dinners. I mean, I could come up with dinners for the week if I needed too, but we're playing everything by ear so nothing is really planned out.

But I'm positive, my Weekly Menu will be up the following week instead! So I'll be back next Monday with a weeks worth of yummy meals and extra added bonus for me, Josh will be home on vacation all week, so we'll be doing all of our Christmas decorating and a lot of Christmas baking that week too!

Have a great Thanksgiving Week everyone! I'll be back tomorrow with Tuesday's Tidings!

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

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There's a meme going about - I'm pretty sure Chels has already posted it elsewhere - that shows a picture of Sean Bean from (I'm assuming) Game of Thrones. He's leaning heavily on his sword, full beard, eyes weary, with a massive fur coat draped across his shoulders. My understanding (I don't have HBO) is that the first episode of Game of Thrones is titled "Winter is Coming." Appropriately enough, then, the meme's upper title reads "Brace Yourselves" - the lower title says "Pumpkin Flavored Everything Is Coming."

It's quite true. This time of year, it seems as though pumpkin is the magical ingredient that can be added to virtually any recipe with spectacular, homy, sentimental, savory results. Pumpkin lobster? Pumpkin tuna? Pumpkin scrambled eggs? Knock yourself out. Okay, don't do that. Even pumpkin has its limits.


It does turn out to be true, however, that those limits are considerably less constrictive than the vast majority of ingredients. Realistically, pumpkin coffee drinks, shakes, pies, cakes, mac and cheeses, and pancakes are all looking pretty tasty. Chels came across a recipe quite some time ago that she stocked away to try some quiet evening, and tonight turned out to be that evening. Pumpkin Pie French Toast? Yes, please. This recipe is very simple, uses primarily ingredients you're sure to have in your spice drawer, and is simply decadent.

A couple of tips, now that I've made this and adapted it. First, use fresh French bread. Most supermarkets bake their own French bread these days, and you shouldn't have any trouble finding a loaf that was just baked a few hours ago. Use a loaf, not a baguette. Secondly, don't cut the bread thin. Shoot for about an inch in thickness. On your average size loaf of French bread, this should yield around ten usable slices. I've adapted the recipe Chels found up by about fifty percent to accommodate ten inch-thick pieces of French Toast. If you end up with extra, throw it in a plastic bag and put it in the fridge - breakfast tomorrow, anyone? In addition, finishing the plate off with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon is simply the proverbial icing on the proverbial cake. It's a must. Just do it.

The high notes in this dish are subtle, indulgent ones. While the vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon are pretty standard fare for any good French Toast recipe, the ginger, brown sugar, and cloves took me by surprise. The flavor after cooking is simply delightful, led by the vanilla and cinnamon, but with distinct undertones of pumpkin and spice. Try it - you'll like it.

PUMPKIN PIE FRENCH TOAST
(Adapted slightly from Closet Cooking)
3 eggs
⅜ cup milk (6 tablespoon or 3 oz)

⅜ cup of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
⅜ teaspoon ginger
Heaping ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
Heaping ⅛ teaspoon cloves
3 tablespoon brown sugar
1 loaf fresh French bread
3 tablespoon butter
Cut French bread into one inch thick slices. Add all ingredients except bread and butter into shallow, wide bowl and beat until combined. Heat skillet to medium heat and add one tablespoon butter. Dip each side of a piece of bread in the bowl, ensuring the bread is well covered. Add to pan and cook about 2 minutes per side, or until browned. Repeat with remaining slices, and keep warm in 170 degree oven until ready to serve. Serving suggestion: top lightly with butter and syrup, and finish with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.

Tuesday's Tidings for November 13, 2012

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1. I saw my dr. yesterday and the baby is doing wonderfully. Eden got to push the button on the doppler, which she thought was super cool and then we got some pics of the girls finding the baby's heartbeat together and video! My OB was in a super good mood yesterday, lol!

2. I'm really trying to figure out if I want to go see Part 2 of Breaking Dawn in theaters when it comes out. I would love to be able to go, because I've seen all of the others in theater except for Twilight, but I have two things holding me back. The first is, I don't think I want to sit in a theater for that long when it's so hard for me to get comfortable and the second is, do I really care about going that much?? Maybe if it's like a $5 Tuesday I would go, but I don't know. I just don't really care too much about the movies coming out...which might have something to do with being nearly 35 weeks pregnant don't ya think, lol?

3. I have yet to have a holiday Starbucks in the red cup yet. There is something wrong with that!


4. Josh was so sweet to finally bring the bassinet upstairs for me and get the car seat out of the garage this weekend. I need to wash the car seat stuff, but things are getting there. We still have nothing on the walls of the nursery...but there is still time...right?

5. Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? It blows my mind!

6. As I speak, the little man is kicking my right side and it hurts, lol! But I love putting my hands over the spot where he is abusing me because I love feeling his little body.

7. I don't seem to be experiencing the problem that a lot of pregnant woman tend to do this far along in their pregnancy. Instead of my fingers swelling up and having to remove rings and stuff, I'm convinced my wedding ring is looser now than it was when I got pregnant. I've never really had a problem with my body swelling though, so I'm going to try and wear my ring up until the day I give birth and then stick it on a necklace around my neck.

8. If you could get one thing for Christmas this year, what would it be? I can't choose! There are a few things I've been wanting for awhile. For practical purposes, a dutch oven or cast iron skillet are pretty high up on my list, but for the more girly side of me, I've been wanting a pearl necklace FOREVER!

9. I think I'm leaning toward online Black Friday shopping. Long lines and crowds make me light headed and claustrophobic. Do you do any Black Friday Shopping and if you do, where is your favorite place to shop? I'm pretty much just a Target person.

10. I'm kind of loving how short our school week is here at home. 3 days of school and next week is the same thing! Love love love! It's nice to have a break :)

Weekly Menu 11/12-11/18

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I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and if you were lucky enough to have today (Monday) off, I hope you did something fun. I had my 34 week dr. appointment today and everything is going perfect. Our baby is head down with a perfect sounding heartbeat!

Our weather here has been really really cold lately, but I think it's supposed to warm back up to the low 50's this week which makes me very happy, however some beautiful snow would be nice.

Our menu this week is looking pretty similar from last weeks menu. But that's okay. We just ended up doing some really simple dinners last week and last night, Josh made a crab and artichoke cheese dip thing, and it was good, despite the fact that Josh put a little to much salt in it. Oh well, live and learn right?

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Glazed Turkey Breast with Acorn Squash and Potatoes
Thursday
(Awana Night)
Spaghetti Carbonara with Garlic Bread
Friday
Hot Turkey Sandwiches with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Saturday
Sunday
Garlic Chicken Pizza
Are you all getting geared up for Thanksgiving? I'm slowly trying to prepare myself for it. I can't believe it's NEXT WEEK! How many of you are hosting and what foods are you in charge of?

Weekly Menu 11/5-11/11

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I cannot believe how busy I've been yesterday and today. If I told you what it was I had done, I could exactly tell you because it is all such a blur. I'm just thrilled that I managed to get the grocery shopping done today and survived to tell about it. There were quite a few baking sales today and I took full advantage of stocking up on some of those items I knew I was bound to need.

I'm just going to jump right into the menu because it's already about 2 days late and I'm tired. So here goes!

Monday
Josh made breakfast sandwiches
Tuesday
We picked up a pizza after grocery shopping
Wednesday
Thursday
(Awana Night)
Tuna Casserole with a fruit salad
Friday
Glazed Turkey Breast with Acorn Squash and Baked Potatoes
Saturday
Spaghetti Carbonara with garlic bread and salad
Sunday
Breakfast night- It's a surprise!
So Grace requested the carbonara and Eden requested pizza. LOL, both of the girls are thrilled that they are getting what they want! Do you ask your kids or spouse what they would like to see on the dinner menu at all?

A Very Late, Tuesday's Tidings for November 7, 2012

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1. It's 9:41pm and I am so glad the election is over! Tomorrow is a new day and so far my Monday and Tuesday have been long. I'm ready to move forward.

2. I got to hang out with my mom this morning. We went to a Christmas craft bazaar and I got some cute little stocking stuffers for the girls.

3. I've had a sore throat since the weekend. It's not too horrible, but the fact that it's there is annoying and it makes me tired.

4. I finally got the grocery shopping done! I had a hard time getting motivated to do it this week. But today, I hit Albertsons' with my doublers and took my final total down from $8.08 to $1.99...I'm very happy with that!

5. I'm kind of craving ice cream right now. I always seem to crave ice cream at bedtime.

6. Soooo....we have this one neighbor who lives down the street from us and they have officially put up their outside Christmas decorations. Yes, people, Christmas is already here in my neighborhood. Do any of you have any early decorators living on your street too?

7. Since Josh and I have cancelled our satellite service, and begun streaming over the world wide web, I've started living in the past of my old tv show haunts. That's right, I'm on season 3 of Dawson's Creek, lol! This is what I call, Living it up!

8. On Saturday, Josh's bank staff threw us a super sweet baby shower. The nursery is coming together and so is all the things we need. I'm super excited!

9. I think this was the second year of my marriage to Josh that we didn't carve pumpkins, lol! The girls did, but Josh and I didn't. And strangely enough, I've become very okay with it.

10.  I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm tired, lol!