I am on break from school until January 3rd... Seriously... I have so much time to myself it's not funny. So, I'm left wondering what to do with all my "free" time... Sure, I COULD work on those projects that I NEVER have time for (like organizing my spare room/office) but where's the fun in that?
I have something on my agenda for the next few days at least... I am going to attempt to make some apple/pear butter. Why? Because I have a crap ton of apples and pears, some of which I've been receiving in my weekly produce box, and some of which were given to me for Christmas. I know, it is sacreligious to even think about cooking a Harry & David pear, but I don't care... I'd rather puree it into pear butter than watch it go to waste on my counter because I can't eat them fast enough.
I'm not sure if I'm going to start this project tonight or tomorrow, but sometime soon. Maybe I'll clean out my kitchen tonight and make it tomorrow. I'll have to document the process, though... You know, for posterity :)
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Insomnia, my (unfortunately) constant friend...
When Aaron is home, I fall asleep early in the evening (usually between 10:00 and 11:00 PM). However, the last time he was home, he decided that he needed to wake me up because I was snoring (apparently, a lot). What he didn't know at the time is that it usually takes me a while to fall back to sleep, especially when I'm woken up in a way that is disorienting... He felt bad for disrupting my sleep pattern. I forgive him (now... I wanted to gouge his eyes out that last week he was home, but we'll just chalk that up to the sleep-deprived monster that lives in my skull and gets bitchy at times like this)...
When he is gone, I have insomnia... bad... I go HOURS and HOURS, tossing and turning in bed, trying to fall asleep. This is one aspect of life that I am looking forward to going away when he transfers back to Juneau for work in the spring (and will thus be home every night). I'm lucky if I get 5 straight hours of sleep at night...
Because of my disrupted sleep pattern at the end of his last shift home, my usual insomnia and the constant waking up at night several time pattern merged into one really bad night of sleep (over several nights, let's just be clear). I would fall asleep later, around midnight or 1:00 AM and then proceed to wake up again about every hour or two... sigh... I'm just now getting back into a pattern where I can sleep uninterrupted (and actually feel rested). Until yesterday...
I had a migraine brewing for most of yesterday and it got to a point where I had to close my eyes for the pain of it all. I ended up sleeping for about 4 hours straight, and when I woke up, I was EXTREMELY disoriented (thought it was 10:30 PM on Monday and that I missed work entirely, when it was actually 7:30 on Sunday), but my migraine had receded enough that Excedrin was able to chase the rest of it away. Relief... Until later that night when I couldn't sleep... Until about 4 AM... This morning... And I had to get up at 7:00 AM to go to work...
So, thanks to my insomnia, I HAD to go get a latte (and resist the urge to add multiple shots of espresso to the already spiked brew, in case it made me sick)... Pray that I make it through the day...
When he is gone, I have insomnia... bad... I go HOURS and HOURS, tossing and turning in bed, trying to fall asleep. This is one aspect of life that I am looking forward to going away when he transfers back to Juneau for work in the spring (and will thus be home every night). I'm lucky if I get 5 straight hours of sleep at night...
Because of my disrupted sleep pattern at the end of his last shift home, my usual insomnia and the constant waking up at night several time pattern merged into one really bad night of sleep (over several nights, let's just be clear). I would fall asleep later, around midnight or 1:00 AM and then proceed to wake up again about every hour or two... sigh... I'm just now getting back into a pattern where I can sleep uninterrupted (and actually feel rested). Until yesterday...
I had a migraine brewing for most of yesterday and it got to a point where I had to close my eyes for the pain of it all. I ended up sleeping for about 4 hours straight, and when I woke up, I was EXTREMELY disoriented (thought it was 10:30 PM on Monday and that I missed work entirely, when it was actually 7:30 on Sunday), but my migraine had receded enough that Excedrin was able to chase the rest of it away. Relief... Until later that night when I couldn't sleep... Until about 4 AM... This morning... And I had to get up at 7:00 AM to go to work...
So, thanks to my insomnia, I HAD to go get a latte (and resist the urge to add multiple shots of espresso to the already spiked brew, in case it made me sick)... Pray that I make it through the day...
Friday, December 9, 2011
Contacts... Round 2
A couple of year ago, I tried contacts for the first time... Within a month (or maybe 2), I had stopped wearing them every day and only wore them when I felt like it. Primarily, because my eye doctor insisted (at the time) that extended wear contacts were not available for people with astigmatism and that my best option were the daily wears... Ok... Well, I tried. I really did. When you aren't used to wearing contacts, your eyes protest for a while, but after a few hours (sometimes, all day), you eyes seem to get used to the invasion and you are at peace again... Usually this would happen about the same time that I had to take them out every night... It got to where it was a "chore" to put in and take out my contacts every day, so I saved them for special occasions (like when we would fly the Apache to Washington and I needed sunglasses, and my transistion-lenses on my glasses don't change when I'm inside the plane - or car for that matter). I was also extremely afraid of falling asleep in the dailies, because the doctor said I couldn't sleep in them... A "rule-follower" such as myself gets anxious when given those kinds of instructions - What could happen? Would it permanently fuse to my eyeball and I'd never get it off? (in hindsight, I guess I could have ASKED these questions to aleviate my anxiety, but it was easier for me just to not wear them)
So, it's been a while since I've been back in to see the eye doctor. This time, there is a new doctor in the clinic and I happened to get her. I told her about my issues with the daily wear contacts and asked if there is an extended wear option available. There is! And they had my prescription on hand in the extended wears (well, they had my right eye on-hand, my left eye prescription is close to the one they gave me but not spot on, so they have to special order that one for me). The doctor promptly put the lenses on my eyeballs and told me to leave them in for 1-2 weeks, at which time she will re-evaluate my progress with the lenses. Awesome :)
This, however, left me with a few minor issues. (1) I hadn't planned on actually WEARING contacts today, so I didn't have my case for my glasses with me. Luckily, they gave me one of their spare cases so I wouldn't mangle my glasses in my purse. (2) My re-wetting drops that I left in my desk drawer expired in 2009... Luckily, the convenience store I walked to for lunch had some. Not the brand I'm used to (but, let's face it, I'm not used to the one in my desk anymore either).
After the 10 days is up (when my next appointment is), I will decide if I will just get the contacts or if I'll stay with my glasses (my insurance will only cover one or the other)... In the mean time, does anyone have any good remedies for dark undereye circles? My glasses camoflage mine pretty well, but I lost that camoflage today...
So, it's been a while since I've been back in to see the eye doctor. This time, there is a new doctor in the clinic and I happened to get her. I told her about my issues with the daily wear contacts and asked if there is an extended wear option available. There is! And they had my prescription on hand in the extended wears (well, they had my right eye on-hand, my left eye prescription is close to the one they gave me but not spot on, so they have to special order that one for me). The doctor promptly put the lenses on my eyeballs and told me to leave them in for 1-2 weeks, at which time she will re-evaluate my progress with the lenses. Awesome :)
This, however, left me with a few minor issues. (1) I hadn't planned on actually WEARING contacts today, so I didn't have my case for my glasses with me. Luckily, they gave me one of their spare cases so I wouldn't mangle my glasses in my purse. (2) My re-wetting drops that I left in my desk drawer expired in 2009... Luckily, the convenience store I walked to for lunch had some. Not the brand I'm used to (but, let's face it, I'm not used to the one in my desk anymore either).
After the 10 days is up (when my next appointment is), I will decide if I will just get the contacts or if I'll stay with my glasses (my insurance will only cover one or the other)... In the mean time, does anyone have any good remedies for dark undereye circles? My glasses camoflage mine pretty well, but I lost that camoflage today...
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Amazing Pumple Pie Recipe
So, my mom's version of this pie is extremely easy... You take a deep dish pie pan and put a pie crust in it. Take a can of apple pie filling and layer it in the bottom. Top it off with pumpkin pie filling and bake like a pumpkin pie. Easy, right? I grew up on this recipe and it is quite good.
My version is a little more complicated, but the texture is much improved by making the filling from scratch. I say "make the filling from scratch" because I can't make pie crust to save my life, so I use Pillsbury's prepared pie crust, or Marie Calendar's pie crust (this one comes with the pie pan and is found in the freezer section). If you have a favorite pie crust recipe and have the talent for making it from scratch, feel free to do so. Another alteration I made to the recipe is to make it egg-free because of my egg allergy. I can eat some baked goods that include eggs (cakes, cookies, etc), but pretty much anything that is custard-based causes me to itch.
So, to make everything from scratch, it takes several hours (I won't lie to you). You must start with the pumpkin. I used The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Pumpkin Puree. The only deviation I made to it was to use my stick blender to puree the pumpkin after it was roasted (tried mashing it first, but the texture was too chunky). The good thing about this website is the exact step-by-step instructions that she gives (and the permission not to be thorough). It also comes with recipes for Roasted Pumpkins Seeds (Pepitas) and awesome Pumpkin Butter (another post for another time).
Once the pumpkin puree was prepared (and set aside to drain as it was rather moist), I started on the apples. The canned apples are rather slimy, but they are pre-cooked, which helps the texture of the pie. I found a recipe for a pre-cooked apple pie filling in my Joy of Cooking cookbook, but it needs some modifications before I can use it in the pie (primarily, a reduction in quantities). So, here's what I do for one pie:
To make the pie, layer apples (without a lot of the sauce from the apples) in the bottom of the pie pan. Top off the pie with the pumpkin pie filling. IMPORTANT - Put the pie pan on a baking sheet before baking - the apples will bubble up and it will make a mess of your oven if you skip this step. Bake the pie according to the pumpkin pie recipe. When done, let cool.
I make the pie the day before I want to eat it, but this is primarily because I don't have time to make it on the day I make a big feast. It doesn't need to be refrigerated (at least, my family has never refrigerated the pie, we just let it sit on the counter with a clean cloth over top.. I've never gotten sick, but if you worry about it, feel free to refrigerate it)
Serve with your favorite whipped topping :) In my experience, those that do not like apple pie (like myself) and those that do not like pumpkin pie (like Aaron) enjoy the combo in this pie. And it does make a difference to make it from scratch. You can make a very good pie by using canned pumpkin and canned apple, but the texture and flavor of ingredients from scratch make the pie PHENOMENAL! Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the pie, but I will when I make it again for Christmas :)
My version is a little more complicated, but the texture is much improved by making the filling from scratch. I say "make the filling from scratch" because I can't make pie crust to save my life, so I use Pillsbury's prepared pie crust, or Marie Calendar's pie crust (this one comes with the pie pan and is found in the freezer section). If you have a favorite pie crust recipe and have the talent for making it from scratch, feel free to do so. Another alteration I made to the recipe is to make it egg-free because of my egg allergy. I can eat some baked goods that include eggs (cakes, cookies, etc), but pretty much anything that is custard-based causes me to itch.
So, to make everything from scratch, it takes several hours (I won't lie to you). You must start with the pumpkin. I used The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Pumpkin Puree. The only deviation I made to it was to use my stick blender to puree the pumpkin after it was roasted (tried mashing it first, but the texture was too chunky). The good thing about this website is the exact step-by-step instructions that she gives (and the permission not to be thorough). It also comes with recipes for Roasted Pumpkins Seeds (Pepitas) and awesome Pumpkin Butter (another post for another time).
Once the pumpkin puree was prepared (and set aside to drain as it was rather moist), I started on the apples. The canned apples are rather slimy, but they are pre-cooked, which helps the texture of the pie. I found a recipe for a pre-cooked apple pie filling in my Joy of Cooking cookbook, but it needs some modifications before I can use it in the pie (primarily, a reduction in quantities). So, here's what I do for one pie:
- Peel, core, and chop 4 apples (Braeburn, Fuji, or a mix of the two)
- Saute the apples in 2 Tbsp. butter for about 4 minutes.
- Add about 1/4 cup of brown sugar and about 1/4 tsp. of Pumpkin Pie Spice, and a dash of salt.
- Continue cooking the apples until the sauce thickens, then remove from the heat and spread the apples in a thin layer on a baking sheet (or glass cake pan) to cool.
To make the pie, layer apples (without a lot of the sauce from the apples) in the bottom of the pie pan. Top off the pie with the pumpkin pie filling. IMPORTANT - Put the pie pan on a baking sheet before baking - the apples will bubble up and it will make a mess of your oven if you skip this step. Bake the pie according to the pumpkin pie recipe. When done, let cool.
I make the pie the day before I want to eat it, but this is primarily because I don't have time to make it on the day I make a big feast. It doesn't need to be refrigerated (at least, my family has never refrigerated the pie, we just let it sit on the counter with a clean cloth over top.. I've never gotten sick, but if you worry about it, feel free to refrigerate it)
Serve with your favorite whipped topping :) In my experience, those that do not like apple pie (like myself) and those that do not like pumpkin pie (like Aaron) enjoy the combo in this pie. And it does make a difference to make it from scratch. You can make a very good pie by using canned pumpkin and canned apple, but the texture and flavor of ingredients from scratch make the pie PHENOMENAL! Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the pie, but I will when I make it again for Christmas :)
Friday, December 2, 2011
Some success, some failure
So, I'm a little late in writing this blog post, but I'm in "whatever" mode at the moment... Not to be rude, just realistic (I'm tired, cranky, and overworked)...
Thanksgiving Dinner had some levels of success and some (epic) failures... I will post the recipes that were flat out AWESOME in a later post (read: I need to go home and find where I put the recipes), but I wanted to mention what went wrong...
The worst thing that everyone dreads while cooking any poultry happened - my turkey was still pretty raw (even after I double-checked the temperature with a thermometer... which shall be promptly replaced before I make another turkey). I put the turkey back in the oven. It took an additional 3 hours to cook... Not sure that my oven is working properly either... Hmmm... After it was (thoroughly) cooked, it was AWESOME because of the brining and seasonings, so I guess this one wasn't SO bad after all, we just didn't get to eat it FOR Thanksgiving Dinner...
I tried making homemade rolls... they sucked... I'm going to stick to Rhodes Freezer Rolls from now on... I know I can't mess those up...
Brussels sprouts weren't good either... I had one, Aaron "tasted" one (spit it out, so I'm not saying he "ate" it), and our guest abstained... Oh well, at least I used them in the meal...
Everything else came out good. The boys wouldn't stop talking about the stuffing/dressing. The pie was the best I have ever made - and that is saying something! I will definitely post the process at a later date (a combination of several recipes that is quite time consuming, but the results are SO WORTH IT).
Can't mess up potatoes and gravy... The gravy was good enough to make my rock-like dinner rolls somewhat edible (but I was the only one "brave" enough to try them).
I think I'm going to make Roast Beef for Christmas dinner... I KNOW I won't mess that up!
Thanksgiving Dinner had some levels of success and some (epic) failures... I will post the recipes that were flat out AWESOME in a later post (read: I need to go home and find where I put the recipes), but I wanted to mention what went wrong...
The worst thing that everyone dreads while cooking any poultry happened - my turkey was still pretty raw (even after I double-checked the temperature with a thermometer... which shall be promptly replaced before I make another turkey). I put the turkey back in the oven. It took an additional 3 hours to cook... Not sure that my oven is working properly either... Hmmm... After it was (thoroughly) cooked, it was AWESOME because of the brining and seasonings, so I guess this one wasn't SO bad after all, we just didn't get to eat it FOR Thanksgiving Dinner...
I tried making homemade rolls... they sucked... I'm going to stick to Rhodes Freezer Rolls from now on... I know I can't mess those up...
Brussels sprouts weren't good either... I had one, Aaron "tasted" one (spit it out, so I'm not saying he "ate" it), and our guest abstained... Oh well, at least I used them in the meal...
Everything else came out good. The boys wouldn't stop talking about the stuffing/dressing. The pie was the best I have ever made - and that is saying something! I will definitely post the process at a later date (a combination of several recipes that is quite time consuming, but the results are SO WORTH IT).
Can't mess up potatoes and gravy... The gravy was good enough to make my rock-like dinner rolls somewhat edible (but I was the only one "brave" enough to try them).
I think I'm going to make Roast Beef for Christmas dinner... I KNOW I won't mess that up!
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