Weak Blogger Organizes Thanksgiving

I just realized that I haven't posted since August 30th.  I mean, I knew it had been awhile...but almost 3 months?  Wow!  I suppose our life here in NY has been quite busy. 

I have been working on prepping for Thanksgiving for about a month now.  By "prepping" I mean creating and modifying a menu, cleaning and decorating our house, and the most recent activity has been buying the groceries.  I am proud to say that I was able to get it all done in two trips!  I am only cooking for three, but you would think my whole family is coming.  My kitchen counters are now perfectly organized with each dish/pan that I will be using.  I lined all of them up according to the time that I will be using them and put the recipe with each one.  If the recipe includes non-perishable ingredients, those are also with the dish/pan (a trick I learned from my mama).

An example...

My mother-in-love will be here tomorrow...let the Southern Thanksgiving begin!

Speaking of Southern Thanksgiving, my NY friends think it's weird that we cook vegetables in bacon drippings.  I think they might feel differently if they tried my Southern Fried Corn...

~Angela

Book Review: Eat & Run

For a long while now, I have been looking for a good book about runner nutrition.  Nutrition is very important to me, and it is also a very difficult road to navigate.  I stumbled upon this book by the famous Scott Jurek last week.  While it didn't really teach me anything I didn't already know about nutrition, it did inspire me as a runner on a different level than any other running book I've read in the past. 

Scott Jurek runs distances that I don't even dream of running.  I can't imagine running more than the 26.2 miles I ran at the beginning of this year, but Scott Jurek races in ultramarathons (any race of more than 26.2 miles).  In the book, he details his experiences training for these outrageous distances (some 135 miles) as well as racing (and many times winning) these ultramarathons.  He doesn't only write about running.  This book is largely about life.

If you're looking for an inspiring book and have a love of running, this book is for you!

 

What's Happening in the Gibson Kitchen This Week

First off, sorry this post is so late.  Andrew and I were at the cabin until Sunday afternoon and I spent all day yesterday getting ready for the arrival of my other in-laws from Texas (Andrew's mom and step-dad).  Our house is full of boxes and basically looks like a storage unit so I spent yesterday trying to organize the boxes and make things less claustrophobic-feeling (is that even a word?)

Meal #1: Rotisserie Chicken
We picked up a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket on the way home from the cabin on Sunday.  I paired it with some simple sides (mac and cheese and steamed veggies) and that was all she wrote!

Meal #2: Pan Sauteed Porkchops
Another easy-peasy one, two, threesy recipe.  All I did was sprinkle both sides of a porkchop with salt and pepper.  I melted a few tablespoons of butter in with some olive oil in a large skillet.  I also threw in a few whole cloves of garlic for some extra flavor.  Place the porkchops in the skillet and allow to cook for a few minutes on each side (time will vary depending on the thickness of the chop).  I served it up with some smashed potatoes and whole okra.

Meal #3: Pita Pizzas
Have you discovered this yet?  I used to make them religiously once per week.  I hadn't made them in awhile and then we had them at the cabin this weekend.  I was quickly reminded how quick, yummy, easy, and inexpensive they were so I decided to make them on Tuesday.  We topped ours with turkey pepperoni, basil from the garden, and a leftover orange bell pepper from one of those 3-packs.  If you've never tried these here are the steps:

1. Brush pita with a little bit of olive oil

2. Bake at 375 for about 5 minutes (until pita is flat)

3. Top with sauce and toppings

4. Put back in oven and bake for another 10 minutes or so (until cheese is melted)

Meal #4: Tacos! (no explanation needed although about a year ago I quit buying the seasoning packet and started using my own blend in an effort to cut MSG out of our diet--my stomach can't handle it)

Meal #5: Pasta (ya know, boil the noodles and mix with any sauce ya like)

Meal #6: Pioneer Woman's Lasagna

Ree is my fall back gal.  I.love.her.  Have I ever told you that?  The in-laws are arriving on Friday afternoon and I will be making this for dinner.  

Meal #7: Family cookout

On Saturday we will be spending the day poolside and then grilling some hamburgers.  I plan on serving them with my mom's spaghetti salad (it's like a light, summery, pasta salad), baked beans, and some grilled corn on the cob.  

Happy Cooking!

~Angela

What's Happening In The Gibson Kitchen This Week

Last week's recipes were fabulous!  Pioneer Woman, as always, delivered on the Spicy Pulled Pork!

I also made some great chocolate chip cookies and a blackberry cobbler.

This is a short week for us because we are headed to our most favorite place on the planet for our anniversary.  Nevertheless, I'll be cooking with Ree again this week.  I'm making Pioneer Woman's Vegetable Lasagna.

Photo Courtesy Ree Drummond

Have a great week in the kitchen!

~Angela

What's Happening in the Gibson Kitchen This Week

The kitchen is truly the heart of our home.  I love everything about cooking.  The pots and pans, the kitchen gadgets, the specialty foods, the smells, the sizzles, the response you get from the people who eat your food, everything.

In the summer, the number of days I cook at home varies, but during the school year I'm typically cooking 7 nights per week.

I thought it'd be fun to share what I'm making this week...maybe it will even give you a few ideas for your own kitchen!

1. Italian Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

There are several variations of this recipe out there. I like this one from Food & Wine Magazine

Italian Sausage Heroes With Peppers and Onions

 2. I love love love Ree Drummond, AKA Pioneer Woman.  I'm making her chicken parmigiana this week.

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Parmigiana

 

3. In the summer, two nights are always taken up by Taco Night and Pasta Night.  Just in case you missed it last week, here is the pasta I make once a week in the summer.  It's the perfect recipe to use with the tomatoes and basil from our garden. 

Ina Garten Summer Garden Pasta 

I actually "invented" this recipe a few years ago on my own and then I saw Ina Garten make it on her show recently...I must've sent her my recipe card ;)

4.  I'll also be making the Laurita family meatballs.  I made a huge batch of these a few weeks ago and have enough left in the freezer for us this week!  

Laurita's Family Meatball Recipe

I serve these as meatball subs with melted mozzarella on top...one of Andrew's favorites!

Have fun cooking this week! 

Oh, and as a teacher, get your kids into the kitchen with you!  There is so much a child can learn from cooking!

~Angela