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Tuesday's Tidings for February 2

February 2, 2016 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

1. I have to admit, after seeing the trailer for Pride +Prejudice and Zombies, it looks kind of fun. I should probably finish reading the Jane Austen version first though.

2. Have any of you tried NuMe's hairstyling wands? I need a bigger one now that my hair isn't short anymore and I see them advertising all the time. Do they work well?

3. Valentine's Day can be a hard holiday to buy for when it comes to the man in your life. You should definitely check out this list of manly gift ideas from Club31Women! [Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of Feb 1st

January 31, 2016 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Happy February 1st! It's going to be a lovey-dovey romantic next two weeks around here!

...just kidding. I wouldn't do that to you. But...we do have some yummy "Valentine's Day" meals headed your way, though.

For those of you who are not on the east coast, maybe you have noticed there is a little "spring" in the air? The frogs are out at night, ribbit-ing away...which is always a great sign that warmer weather is on the way. We had two glorious sun filled warm (Northwest warm, i.e., 50-ish) days last week of which I took advantage and got outside and cleaned up my flower beds...and it was wonderful. Have you had a chance to get outside and do anything fun?

Again, we've got a few repeat dinners this week that never got made last week, but we are trying a couple new ones and of course some old ones that we love.

Make sure to check out some of our past menus to help get you inspired and in the cooking mood. Have a great week everyone! [Read more...]

Skinny Sweet & Sour Chicken

January 28, 2016 By Chelsia Rief 5 Comments

This easy recipe for skinny sweet & sour chicken is healthy, full of flavor, and ready in under 30 minutes! Try some "takeout" at home!

When we moved out to the country this past year, we were thrilled to discover several Chinese restaurants! Where we were living before, despite being in the city, there was only one Chinese restaurant, and I didn't care for it very much, so I pretty much went without my Chinese fix a lot.

We did, however, find this really cute Chinese restaurant nearby, and their food is delicious! Not only that, but I love that they are more authentic than, say, Panda Express. For one thing, they write the orders down in Chinese, which is completely unreadable to me, of course, but I love it. Not only that, but the family that owns the restaurant (points for family owned!) is always super nice and the son always opens the door for me when I leave with an arm full of take-out. [Read more...]

Monte Cristo Club

January 26, 2016 By Joshua Rief Leave a Comment

Well, it appears we're on a bit of a sandwich kick! Last week, the Philly Cheesesteak Panini, and this week, the Monte Cristo Club! It's fine with me. I love a good sandwich, in virtually any variety. However, I am perhaps overly partial to hot sandwiches, for whatever reason. Maybe it's the gooey, melted cheese, the crisped, warm bread, or the way the tomatoes burst with moisture when heated.

Whatever it is...I'm a fan. [Read more...]

Tuesday's Tidings for January 26

January 26, 2016 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

I'm sure I'm one of the last people to watch Fixer Upper, but I decided to give it a try this afternoon while I folded laundry. I usually watch something on Netflix in my room on laundry days to help pass the time, and I had just finished Gilmore Girls for the third time since Netflix brought it back. Needless to say, I can see why Fixer Upper is so popular. Only one episode in and I'm hooked. Joanna (or Jojo) and Chip are adorable! I love watching HGTV shows, but since I don't have satellite and only stream things on Hulu, Amazon, or Netflix, I usually miss out on current shows. I think this will be a fun show to get ideas from since I'm a homeowner now, too!
Over the weekend we watched San Andreas and it was just a fun, mindless action movie. It got awful, terrible reviews, I guess, but I thought for what the movie was and all the actors in it that it was really entertaining.
I spruced up the flower beds yesterday to get ready for spring (I'm a little eager this year), and I was curious to know...what is your favorite spring/summer plant to grow? Do you like annuals or perennials? When do you typically start your planting?

Weekly Menu For The Week Of Jan 25th

January 24, 2016 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Happy last week of January...and here's some good news...

...only 55 days until spring!

Are you ready, because I know I am! Which is kind of funny, because I LOVE winter. But for us, we've had a wet winter since the beginning of December and it has been gray and damp and cold and I'm just done! Of course, I realize the people on the East Coast are probably way more ready for winter to be over than I am...

So, yesterday, we got out of Dodge (what does that saying even mean?) and drove two hours to the beach. (Editor's note: I'll explain to her what "get out of Dodge" means...) Which is funny, because, notoriously, the Oregon Coast is even wetter than the area we live in, but...it was beautiful! We had a bit of drizzle in the morning, but then some of the clouds burned off, and the sun peeked out, and it was really beautiful. Plus, we got to see our sister who is going to school at the beach right now, so it was a pretty perfect day!

This week, we're trying out a few new recipes, a couple of meals that never got made, and a few we're still tweaking for you guys! As always, feel free to check out our Pinterest board or weekly menu archives for past menus. Have a great week everyone!

Here are the recipes:

[Read more...]

Philly Cheesesteak Panini

January 19, 2016 By Joshua Rief 7 Comments

This recipe for a Philly cheesesteak-inspired panini couldn't be simpler...or tastier. It's a favorite of our family - you're going to love it!

This post originally appeared on Catz in February of 2012. While the text of the post remains the same, the recipe and photos have been updated. And I've made a few notes...

I work across the street from a deli. I sometimes forget my lunch. I sometimes forget my lunch by accident. I sometimes forget my lunch on purpose. I sometimes forget my lunch and find myself at the deli at lunchtime. I sometimes think of the deli (wistfully) at times that are not lunchtime. The deli always (not sometimes) serves delicious grilled Philly cheesesteaks. [Read more...]

Tuesday's Tidings for January 19, 2016

January 18, 2016 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

1. Yesterday afternoon, we took the girls to go see the new Star Wars movie.

SPOILER ALERT...SKIP THIS SECTION IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED...

It was a great movie! I was really impressed. It felt authentic to the 4th, 5th, and 6th movies. The characters were great. The girl who portrays Rey is awesome. But, how could they kill off Han Solo??? I'm sorry, I'm super ticked about that one. He's a fan favorite and my favorite character. I mean, I get it. I'm sure it will make the movie better, but I didn't see it coming and I'm really bummed out about it.

2. I finished reading In the Garden of Beasts this week. It's such a well written book and I learned a lot about Hitler's rise to power in Germany. It moves a little slow, but the insight is so so good. I do recommend it, even though it is a bit sleepy. You can read my Goodreads review here if your interested.

3. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of winter already. The rain is bringing me down and I am so ready for spring. I want to wear sandals and t-shirts. I've told you about ThredUp before, but right now is a good time to start looking at spring clothes from this online consignment store because they are getting new springy items in daily and it's not picked over. I've seen so many beautiful maxi dresses and swimwear for super cheap! Here's $20 to get your shopping started. While I'm suggesting this site to you because it is one I frequent and really enjoy and think you do too, if you make a purchase, I too, get $20 to go shopping. It's a win/win for everyone. Make sure you refer your friends so they can get a leg up on their spring shopping! [Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of Jan 18th

January 17, 2016 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day! I hope you are lucky enough to have the day off so you can sleep in a bit longer than you usually do. I don't know if it was just me, but I felt like last week was never-ending. I was so tired by Friday that all I wanted to do was sleep through the weekend. I'm hoping that because we have today off, the week will fly by a little faster.

Today, we're taking our girls to see the new Star Wars movie! We promised we would take them and today is a perfect day to fulfill that promise and spend some time with our girls. What are you up to today?

I had a few requests from the kiddos this week for dinner and a few repeats from last week that never got made, so those dinners just traveled on over to this week's menu. As always, you can find past menus in our recipe archive or Pinterest board.

Have a great week everyone!

Here are the recipes: [Read more...]

Chicken Divan

January 14, 2016 By Joshua Rief 2 Comments

Just to be clear, I've never made this recipe.

I've always been spoiled enough to have someone make it for me. Over the last few years, Chels has been indulgent enough to make it on a regular basis, making small tweaks here and there that make it even better, and before that, my wonderful mother made it for me growing up (in fairness, she made it for all of us...but I kind of felt like she made it mostly for me...). It was always one of my favorite dishes as a boy - the variety of flavors and textures, the exotic flavor of the curry powder to my young American palate, the way it retains its heat long after being scooped out onto your plate. However, I didn't realize until very recently that it was actually my great-grandmother who first made and served it to our family, when I was very young and visiting her at her incredible old tudor-style home in San Jose. I remember her roast beef, her green beans, and even her oatmeal, but somehow I had forgotten her Chicken Divan! [Read more...]