R: One of the hardest things in the world is surprising Michelle. I was absolutely dumbfounded that I was able to sneak my marriage proposal past her notice in the weeks before the event. Any time that I can surprise her, it's a huge moral victory for me. So when I bought Michelle a Christmas "tree" (complete with ornaments) last weekend without her finding out, I think I actually did a little dance. It's not really a tree, of course: we don't have room for some towering fir in our apartment, nor would a five dollar set of ornaments suffice to cover its surface. Instead of an evergreen, we have a potted rosemary plant, surely a more utilitarian solution in the long run, and just the right size:
(yes, we already had the green table.)
M: Wow, look at those presents under the tree! And it's only December 4! (If your name isn't Peyton, Joshua, Lyla or Walt then you better hope that we've thought of something to get you for Christmas. :) Just kidding.)
I walked into the apartment, exclaimed "oh, a Christmas tree!!!" then Rob said, "and we can cook with it!" At first it seemed a little masochistic (Rob spelled that - I like to give props where due), but I guess it's not much worse than watching it slowly rot in the backyard for a few months and then dragging it to the curb. And it's fun to see how one object can delight people in 2 different ways.
Speaking of my chef husband, Rob made a fabulous dinner tonight of sweet potato gnocchi (that's homemade pasta for you at home) and steak (on a huge sale at Kroger). Here he is in his element -
If it looks like pasta-making and steak preparing uses every dish in the kitchen that's because it definitely does. But it was well, well worth it, right dear?
R: Thanks to some Advil and the rejuvenatory effects of red meat, my back no longer hurts like it did, so I concur that it was worth it. Making pasta from scratch (even a potato-based one, which is kinda cheating) was a little terrifying, and things were so busy in our tiny kitchen that I didn't have time to sample the merchandise before I put it on the table. In my mind, there was a very distinct possibility that I had made mutant dumplings unfit for human consumption and served them to my unwitting and otherwise encouraging spouse.
Fortunately, they were rather good.
In related cooking/family news, Michelle was sidelined for part of this week with a debilitating head cold. Giving the plunging temperatures outside, it was unquestionably soup weather. Here, I'll share the recipe (adapted from an Emeril one on FoodNetwork.com based on the ingredients we had available):
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup chopped onions
* 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
* 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
* 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 6 cups chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 pound cooked chicken, shredded
* 1 can black beans, drained
* 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
* 6 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
* Vegetable oil, for frying
* 1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, peppers, salt, cumin, and coriander for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken and black beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the lime juice, and stir well. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the tortilla strips in batches and fry until golden and crisp, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Serve soup with tortilla strips, cheese, and avocado.
M: Yum! All my co-workers were jealous when I took leftovers for lunch on Wednesday.
So today, it snowed in Houston!! Not just a few sprinkles but an actual heavy downfall in downtown/Heights from about 11am to 3pm. It made me miss Bloomington dreadfully, but I got out of work at 12:30 and Rob got home about 3:00 so that was a nice start to our weekend! As a jaded "I-lived-in-snow-last-winter" person, I was surprised that companies and schools were shutting down early. But we don't have the number of street salters that old Bloomy does, so it's understandable.
One of our neighbors built a snowman near the entrance to our apartment complex:
And that was with the snow BEFORE 12:30. There was lots more later.
Well, now I'm reflecting on Rob's title of this blog post: home. It's funny because it's my impression that if you put food in the fridge, hang one picture, and buy a throw pillow, boys think it's quite "homey" and decorated. :) Rob has great taste though, and what always surprises me is how encouraging he is to me in my first attempts at homemaking and how must delight and pride he takes in our first home together. The apartment is a beautiful representation of two lives coming together - and I often remind myself that in 20 years, this won't be the case. Everything we'll have in 20 years will probably be stuff WE received at our wedding or furniture we bought as a couple. But how fun to look around now and physically see our messy, separate, eclectic lives combining to make a home; it's a cool picture of what's happening in our marriage, too, I think.
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