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Weekly Menu for the Week of Feb 6th

February 6, 2017 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

I don't know how you spent your Sunday (oh, maybe watching the Super Bowl?) but I was feeling under the weather so I was in bed pretty much all day binge-watching The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network.

If you think about it, that's not too bad of a way to spend the day, except it got better! Josh and the kids made dinner (thank you, family) and then finished The Fellowship of the Ring and started The Two Towers. I don't think I've mentioned in any previous posts, but we've been slowly rewatching our way through the extended editions of The Hobbit trilogy and LOTR. Either we're the most boring, nerdiest family ever...or quite possibly the coolest.

However, I'm pretty sure once we finish this series, the kids will insist we start watching ALL of the Marvel movies again. All the Iron Mans (men?). All the Captain Americas. All of the other ones. I just can't even. I feel like Marvel is all we watch sometimes - but I guess that's life in the rainy Oregon winter with a tween, a pre-teen and a very pro-super hero little man! [Read more...]

Grilled Bacon Bleu Cheese & Fig Sandwiches

February 4, 2017 By Joshua Rief 2 Comments

Ready to elevate classic grilled cheese to dizzying new heights? Enter these grilled bacon bleu cheese & fig sandwiches. Mouthwatering is an understatement.

Let's talk about sandwiches. Sandwiches are a blank slate - a canvas. The canvas is two pieces of bread (or one piece cut in half, but, come on, semantics...). The canvas itself, as when painting or drawing, is important. Size matters, as does texture. Flavor matters, which is admittedly where the canvas analogy falls apart (even van Gogh, while having enough issues going to cut off his own ear, did not stoop to gnawing on his works of art...as far as we know). So, if bread is your canvas, choosing the right bread is important.

Nothing, though, is as important as the ingredients.

The ingredients are the work of art itself, the colors on the palette, the image, if you will. The canvas is key, but a perfect canvas does not itself a work of art make. So, how to turn the sandwich canvas into culinary perfection?

Use ingredients that are themselves perfection, of course. Élémentaire.

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Homemade Herb Chicken Gravy

February 3, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 7 Comments

This recipe for homemade herb chicken gravy is easy and it is quick and it is yummy and it is foolproof and I bet you will love it!

I grew up on gravy out of one of those little packets from the grocery store, which is actually pretty good. I like it better than the stuff out of the jar, which always seemed rather salty to me. But when I got older and my mom made hot turkey sandwiches or mashed potatoes, she would oftentimes put me in charge of whisking the gravy together, which was so simple.

I love simple.

We really don't make a lot of gravy in this house. It's usually only on the table when it's Thanksgiving or when I make a roast. (Note to self: add a roast to the weekly menu). [Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of Jan 30th

January 29, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 2 Comments

I went through almost all of Saturday believing it was Friday. And I have no idea why! But, Saturday evening I was laying in bed talking to Josh and I just couldn't even remember what day it was. Did Saturday feel like a weekday to any of you?

I've been trying a new tactic lately with my menu planning. I'm trying to plan my menus a few weeks in advance. Usually, after two weeks this sort of planning works against me and I begin to fall into a meal rut. But the last few weeks, I've gotten in the habit of whenever a dinner idea comes to me, I write it down immediately! So far, it's been working great! I've already got next week's menu halfway planned out!

Boom! [Read more...]

Roasted Chicken with Fresh Herbs

January 27, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 2 Comments

If you're looking for a simple, elegant meal for Valentine's Day, or any holiday, make this roasted chicken with fresh herbs recipe. It doesn't disappoint!

The first time I ever attempted to make a roasted chicken, I needed to have my mommy by my side, helping me out. Kind of like the first time I had a locker in middle school and couldn't figure out how to even open my lock to get inside my locker. My mom showed up the very next day to help me out. Then there was the time I got my job at Blockbuster Video in high school and my week long training was clear on the other side of town, where I had never yet ventured. My mom and I hopped in my car one day and she had me drive while she navigated our way over there so I could figure it out when the time came...

But...back to the chicken. The first time I worked on a roasted chicken, my parents drove down to my apartment, and while my dad hung out with my kids, my mom walked me through the steps of cleaning the chicken and preparing a basic recipe of seasonings, giving me instructions for how long to cook it, knowing when it was done, etc. [Read more...]

One Pot Chickpea Curry

January 24, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 3 Comments

Quick and tasty while healthy and full of flavor, this one pot chickpea curry is definitely a recipe you and your family should try!

I think I go through stages where I definitely want to spend more time in the kitchen and work through the different processes of a meal slowly. I like that. I think that under the right circumstances, it can be very calming and fun.

Which is a lot like working out! No, seriously! I'm actually "one of those people" that likes to workout. Again, it can be fun if you find the right workout, but also quite therapeutic.

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Weekly Menu for the Week of Jan 23rd

January 23, 2017 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Happy Monday to all of you! How was your weekend? I can attest that mine went by waayy too fast. But isn't that always the case when you have a good weekend?

Our weekend was relaxing, but full of projects. Now that the flooring is done, we've begun painting the foyer, which is something I've been wanting to do since we moved in. But let me tell you, finding the perfect "light" shade of gray is hard! So many shades and hues that belong to too many color families. Josh rented a scaffold from Home Depot and also replaced the chandelier, which gave him the chance to dust that second story window...it was duuuusty!!!

On Sunday, Josh and I had to opportunity to go see Hidden Figures, which I think I mentioned looked really good on a Tuesday's Tidings awhile back. It was excellent! Such an incredible movie. Well acted. Super clean. Pretty darn inspiring too. We can't wait for our kids to see it. I think Gracie will really like it. [Read more...]

Copycat McMenamins Cajun Tots

January 17, 2017 By Joshua Rief 3 Comments

Crunchy on the outside, soft and hot on the inside, with just the right amount of zesty kick, these Copycat McMenamins Cajun Tots are where it's at.

Remember how back in October I posted my new favorite recipe for beer batter fish...and chips...without the chips? But I promised that the chips were coming? Well, these were the "chips" I had in mind. There are a lot of seriously good recipes for fries out there (including one we've been making but never posting for years...need to fix that!), but when we were working on the beer batter fish, we just felt like we wanted something different. Something with a little kick to it.

Something we crave all summer long.

If you don't live in the Northwest the name may not be familiar, but out here there's a chain, if you can call it that, of closely-held, family owned restaurants, inns, and concert venues called McMenamins. Each one is unique, crafted from some old, sometimes mildly historic, but always charming building. No two McMenamins are alike in appearance, but they all serve excellent local pub fare. Our local one has an outdoor deck overlooking the Willamette River, and Chels and I often find ourselves craving one of their simple, delicious burgers, which inevitably come with a side of not fries, but tots. [Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of Jan 16th

January 16, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 1 Comment

It was snow and ice last week. This week, we're talking about rain and flooding. Oh, and more ice. All of that snow and ice has got to go somewhere, right? Combine that with the rain the forecasters are predicting, well...it's going to be rather wet for awhile.

I suppose the rain will be a nice break from the freezing temps. It's too bad it's been so cold out, because it has been super beautiful outside. But...too cold for a walk. No happy mediums.

We finally got all of the flooring in! All we have left to do is reinstall the baseboards and do some painting. Actually, a lot of painting - because most of what needs it is an 18 foot foyer that hasn't been painted since the house was built. I saw this color "Silver Strand" at last year's Street of Dreams and fell in love with it. If we don't like it in the foyer, I promise, it's going somewhere else in the house! [Read more...]

Chicken Rigatoni

January 15, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 1 Comment

Make this recipe when it's cold outside and you're hungry inside! Chicken Rigatoni is easy, quick, flexible to what you have on hand, and yummy!

You guys, it is so darn cold outside!!! I cannot stop shivering! Currently, it's 27 °F and I think that is just way way too cold! I typically enjoy the winter season, too, but it's hard to enjoy when you turn into a popsicle every time you go outside. Of course, I'm hearing that it's close to zero in central Oregon and where my sister-in-love lives near the Canadian border...can you imagine?!

Also, I'm finding that because it's freezing outside that I have zero motivation to get dressed in the morning. I basically only want to live in two options: 1) pajamas because it's comfortable and convenient, meaning that I don't really have to change at all. Or option 2) sweatpants. Which is the option I've been opting for. Sweatpants with socks, slippers, and long sleeve shirts. Of course, this is all until it is actually time to go outside, at which point there are really more appropriate options for bundling up, thank goodness!

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