Meet Harley

As you know, we lost our cat of 19 years back at the end of April.  At that time, I knew I would want another cat but I just wasn't sure when.  Darryl and I talked about it and decided what kind of cat we wanted and we would just wait until the right one came along. 

At the beginning of June, a former co-worker posted that she needed to find a new home for her cat because her dog was using it as a play toy.  When I said I was possibly interested, he was already "taken".  Then, she contacted me about a week later and said that Harley was still in need of a good home if I was still interested.  Now, Darryl and I had decided on a few musts for a new cat - we wanted a male because they are much more laid back and tend to love hanging with kids a lot more, he needed to be neutered, and declawed.  Well, Harley is a male, about 4 years old who loves kids and he is neutered and declawed.  Not to mention that he is the dark grey/dark brown tiger stripe we both like.  Add to that, he was free.  Yes. free.  Part of what was keeping us back from finding a kitten was the cost and God took care of that part too . I asked a lot of questions and set a date for Harley to come to our home. 

Harley has quickly become a great part of our family.  It took him about a week to a week an a half before he would come upstairs due to China.  Finally, one day, I just hauled him upstairs and sat with him on the couch.  Now that he saw what he was missing, he started to make his way upstairs a lot more.  Harley is a people cat - he loves to be around people and rubs all over anyone that comes close to him.  He is a beast weighing in at about 14 pounds (Compared to Misty who was barely 6 pounds - Harley is a beast!).  One thing we are trying to change is the simple fact that Harley is nocturnal HA!  He sleeps all day and keeps us awake stays awake all night. We really have already fallen in love with this cat - he is so much fun.  He loves to play and be petted.  He and China are still trying to figure out who is boss but we have seen huge improvements over the past few weeks so I have no doubt that in a few more weeks, Harley will be ruling the house HA! 

Welcome Harley!!

Food Friday - Slow Cooker Honey Ginger Chicken

Slow Cooker Honey Ginger Chicken 
adapted from Mommy Hates Cooking

So, this is an awesome recipe but I have a few things I changed.  One, I used pork instead of chicken, two, I did not put ginger in the recipe (we are not ginger fans) and three, I did not have any cornstarch on hand so the sauce was thin.  BUT the flavor, wow, it is good.  I put a pork loin in the crock and then after about 6 hours, I pulled it out and cut it into "chops", laying the chops down in the sauce - perfection!  The pork was fork tender and the sauce was the right combination of salty and sweet.  I can't wait to make it again! 

Ingredients:

• 2-4 Medium Size Chicken Breast (Use your preference on boneless or bone-in/skinless or with skin)
• 1/2 Cup Honey
• 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce or Gluten Free Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Ketchup
• 1 Clove Crushed Garlic
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger
• 1 8oz Can of Pineapple Chunks, Reserve Juice
• 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
• Cooked Rice (optional)

Directions:

1. Spray a 5 quart slow cooker with non stick cooking spray.
2. Place chicken in the slow cooker. Then add in the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, ginger, and pineapple juice. Save the chunks to garnish the dish at the end.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.
4. Once done, remove the chicken and place on a plate. Then, stir the juice in the slow cooker (sauce) with cornstarch to thicken it just a bit.
5. Serve the chicken over a bed of rice, garnish with pineapple chunks and drizzle with sauce.

 

Weekly Menu

I figured a good place to get back into posting would be the weekly menu post because, well, it's easy.

Do you have a favorite snack?  I've been searching for "the" snack that would meet the sweet and little salty craving I get.  I've tried peanuts, the new salted-caramel peanuts, cheetos, cookies, animal crackers . . .and nothing really met that craving.  Then, I opened a box of Vanilla Wafers I bought weeks ago and guess what?  They fit the bill!  It's the perfect snack - count out 8 crackers/cookies and it meets whatever craving I have!!

I did not take any food prep photos this week and I should have!   I cut up a whole watermelon, boiled eggs, cooked up bacon (for lunch with leftovers for salad), chopped lettuce and seperated out a huge package of chicken thighs.  One night for dinner last week I put out a salad "bar" for Darryl and I that included chopped bacon, chopped ham, eggs, pickled beets, and croutons.  It was awesome. 

Anyway, here's our menu plan for the coming week:

Friday - A friend of mine asked what she could do for us right now so, she is bringing us dinner.  She is one of the best cooks I know so I know it will be good!

Saturday - My brother, sister-in-law, and niece are tentatively coming for the evening and, if it all works outs, they are buying pizza.  If it doesn't, well, we will order in anyway :-)

Sunday - I kinda have no idea right now . . .  .better decide before I go to the store on Saturday! 

Monday - Our church is graciously bringing us meals a few times a week and tonight is one of those nights.  We are looking forward to a wonderful meal cooked by someone else!

Tuesday - This is leftover night.  Generally when people supply meals, there is extra food.  I do have simple things in the freezer as back up such as ham slices to go with eggs, waffles or pancakes for a quick meal if needed.

Wednesday - Sour Cream Bake - a friend brought us a meal before surgery and it was this recipe.  I loved it and wanted to make it again.  I'll add some rolls, green beans and salad and everyone should be happy!

Thursday - We are looking forward to another home cooked meal cooked by someone else!

Reality

You know that moment when you have everything planned perfectly and then . . .you realize you got the date wrong?  Yep.  Been there, did that, this week.  When we left the hospital a week ago Sunday the nurse told us that Darryl had a post-op appointment on MONDAY July 8th.  I set everything up - my parents bringing the boys home on Monday by 10:00 so that my mom could watch the kids I babysit and we could head into town for the appointment.  Well, on Sunday evening I glanced at the calender and realized that the 8th is . . .Tuesday.  Uuuuggg!!  Oh well, the boys are still coming home on Monday and I had to send a text to my friends to let them know that, after three weeks off, I needed Tuesday off too.  oops! 

Reality starts today.  Back into having our friends here every day to play.  Back to having my kids home (yeah!).  Back to keeping up with a schedule and not sleeping in (or taking naps mid afternoon since we didn't always sleep well at night). 

I really don't mind reality - we have fun during the day and now Darryl will be home for a month or so with us too.  Along with reality comes the simple fact that I will remember to write blog posts and actually take time in the evenings to write them!  I even have some planned :-) 

For today though, I will enjoy having my kids home, getting to hear their stories, listen to their laughter, and here them say, "Mom?  Mom?  I have something to tell you.  Mom? Mom? Listen . . .I love you mom!"  :-)

I'm still Here and Happy Fourth of July!

Whew!  What a week.  Darryl's surgery last Wednesday when as expected but his recovery was slower than anticipated and, instead of getting out of the hospital on Friday as hoped, "we" were there until Sunday afternoon.  It took me until Thursday to fully recover from a much longer day on Wednesday ( we had to wait 4 hours for a room to open up after surgery!!) then anticipated, an early morning drive home, and extra nights at the hospital we were both exhausted.  Add to that Darryl not being able to sleep well which means we were both up . . ..he and I have done a lot of nothing with a few naps thrown in!!! 

We've eaten simple this week but I did cook my first steaks on the charcoal grill ever . .. and it would have been a huge success had I bought steaks that were not as tough as shoe leather even after marinating all day long! 

The boys are still at my parents house and we miss them tons but, with that said, Darryl and I both needed this week to recover with a quiet, non-demanding, nap when we want life.  We are looking forward to them coming home next week though! 

I didn't post a weekly menu but it is pretty simple
Friday - I'm going to attempt to grill hamburgs on the grill (with the grill master aka Darryl overseeing every flip of the burgers HA) and then we'll just have some french fries.

And that is as far as I've planned HA!  (Told you it was simple.)  I have plenty of meat in the freezer of all varieties, so I'll just add a few side dishes and we'll be good.  Things like Tacos, Chick-Fil-Lay Nuggets, Fried Pork Chops, and Brats all sound like good choices to me! 

So, that's my update. 


Oh, and HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! 

Food Friday - Chocolate Eclair Cake

Chocolate Eclair Cake
adapted from Mommy's Kitchen

I tried this cake many times but had never made it.  In the summer I love anything that is no bake and cold!  This is perfect.  It's so easy and can really be as light as you want it since you could use fat free options for many of the ingredients.  

Easy No Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake:

2 - (3.5 ounce) packages instant french vanilla pudding mix (can use sugar free)
1 - (8 ounce) container frozen light or fat free whipped topping (cool whip), thawed
3 - cups 2% or skim milk
1 - (16 ounce) package graham crackers
1 - (16 ounce) tub prepared chocolate frosting or homemade (recipe below)

Pour the dry pudding mix into a medium size bowl and measure out 3 Cups of milk. Pour into the bowl and whisk the pudding until blended and begins to thicken. 

If you don't have a whisk a spoon works just as good. add the thawed cool whip and gently fold into the pudding mixture. 

Arrange a single layer of graham cracker squares in the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers.

Top with another layer of graham crackers, then the remaining pudding mixture. Top with a final layer of graham crackers. 

Now it is time for the frosting. I put my chocolate frosting in the microwave for just a bit on defrost!! don't choose cook or you will have a clumpy mess.

Microwave it for about 20 -30 seconds just to get it nice, smooth and pourable. Pour the frosting over the whole cake and spread it all around up to the edges of the pan.

Chill cake for at least 6 hours before serving. You want it to be soft just like a true eclair.

 

Weekly Menu - the one without any planning

So, this coming week we spend days in the hospital and then come home to just the two of us.  No, we won't be eating out since Darryl won't be up to going anywhere but I'm not really planning much.  We'll take it more day by day. 

Friday - I'm assuming we will still be in the hospital today so I'll be eating there. 

Saturday- This is an "up in an air" day.  There is a chance Darryl will still be in the hospital today.  If so, my nephew's graduation open house is today and I will probably drive over there for a bit and eat there.  If he goes home today, I will probably order a pizza or something simple after he gets settled.

Sunday - Last week I cooked up some hamburger so I will probably make some tacos or sloppy joes. 

Monday - Thursday  - This is the "no planning" comes in.  I have meat in the freezer to use if I feel like cooking, plus we have simple stuff like soup, Tuna Fish, and Mac and Cheese to use for simple meals.  I'm guessing we'll end up with Subway for dinner one night and maybe KFC at some point but I'm really not sure. 

That's it - no real planning !!