Home Sweet Home February 25, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Breakfast, Dinner, Food, Lunch.Tags: Asparagus, Bean Taco, Family, Home Cooking, Pork, Turkey
2 comments
The best part about being at my parents house? Apart from the obvious, that I get to see them… my mom’s cooking.
She always is concerned with color, texture and balance. Definitely a welcome, delicious change from the conference food!
Really, how can you go wrong with an amazing cook who is making sure that every meal is healthy and scrumptious? Pretty much impossible.
Mexican bean taco pizza, roast turkey with a variety of veggies, asparagus and mushrooms on toast, pork roast tomorrow. I mean come on, Mum makes it really hard to leave!
AmeriCorps Conference ’11 February 21, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Breakfast, Dinner, Food, Lunch, Weight Watchers.Tags: AmeriCorps, Breakfast, conference, Dinner, Lunch
add a comment
Over the last few days, I’ve been partaking in a giant conference for the Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps, of which I am a member. Decidedly good fun, 300+ volunteers from across the United States get together in the middle of their service year to hear about what is happening at different sites.
Of course, Boulder is the best, but other sites that are well represented are Apopka, FL, New Orleans, San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington DC, Seattle, Phoenix, Wilmington, DE and a bunch of others. It is great to hear about the different people we serve, the stories people have to share and the workshops that help with training for our sites. It is definitely a great experience, and makes for a nice break in the middle of the year.
This year, I’ve found that the key-note speakers are interesting. They have an overarching theme to their speeches and have engaging topics. Meeting people from a variety of sites has led to several though provoking conversations. We are a group of passionate, involved and engaged people with incredible talents and so much to offer.
My favorite part has definitely been the story telling sessions from each site. For our group, we Boulderites did a telenovella/glee style skit full of tacky accents, overacting and rocking dance routine. Not to toot our group’s horn, but we did get a standing ovation. So well worth all the practice!
Since this is a food blog, I suppose I should try to comment on… the food. Sadly, there is not much to report. The hotel is very nice, and everything is much nicer than last year, but when it comes to the food there is always a little something that’s lacking. For breakfast the offer a buffet. We have had egg and cheese on croissant/biscuit, but I am here to tell you that three containers with the same food does not a buffet make. For lunch we had a salad, but it wasn’t quite big enough and didn’t have enough variety to be satisfying. The dinner was lasagna, but it needed a little something more to make it a good meal. Perhaps a few more veggies, a little bread, and something a little chocolatey for dessert. I appreciate that they cook vegetables properly, but I am constantly unsatisfied with the food throughout the day. Weight Watchers would disapprove! Really, it just means that I am all the more excited to have good, home cooked meals from my mom on Wednesday!
Dances with Soup February 17, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Dinner, Food.Tags: Butternut Squash, Corn, Cornmeal Dumplings, Green Beans, Kidney Beans, Lima Beans, Soup, Vegetable Broth
add a comment
Tonight was a dinner and a movie night with my good friend, Lindsay, who is also in AmeriCorps in Boulder this year. In her incredible brilliance, she decided to go for a themed night… Dances with Wolves and Three Sisters Soup. Yay for Native American nights!
We started off my chopping a lot of veggies. Peppers, onions, garlic. Measured out cups of kidney beans, lima beans and kernels of corn. A dash of thyme, a pinch of cumin, some salt and pepper, two bay leaves and six cups of vegetable broth later our soup was bubbling away.
Onwards to the dumplings: corn meal, whole wheat flour, eggs, milk, canola oil, salt and pepper. Making a rounded tablespoon apparently is not my forte. I am more prone to making a quadruple scoop rather than simply rounded. All that was left was to drop them in the broth, and then let them simmer for a bit.
In AmeriCorps, we may not be wealthy, we may not have a lot of free time, but when we make soup… it. is. EPIC.
Our dinner for two could have fed a small, nay, medium army.
Our soup was ment to look like this:
As seen from the Vegetarian Kitchen. Doesn’t it look scrumptious???
The Lindsay/Heather attempt wasn’t as pretty. The dumplings had melded together in a raft on the surface of the soup. The soup itself burbled and bubbled like a mudpot in Yellowstone. Impressive sounds coming from a stock pot, to be sure.
It might not have looked pretty, but it sure tasted it!
A quick addition of swiss chard and cilantro gave our soup a healthy, green glow. It certainly went with our movie choice well. The soup left me dancing… even when I had to leave Lindsay’s at intermission. The second half will have to be viewed at a later date!
Make Like an Egg… February 16, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Breakfast, Food, Weight Watchers.Tags: Breakfast, Cheese, Eggs, Sausage, Spinach
add a comment
… and make a scramble!
I’ve been trying to use up the rest of my baby spinach before it goes bad and before I leave for DC on Friday. One tiny handful is all that is left, so I decided to use it in an egg scramble.
Being in a brunchy mood helped this morning. I used up part of an Italian sausage, one egg, a bit of cheese, and that last handful of spinach. Definitely some morning goodness!
This was made all the better since it was only 6 points!
Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! February 16, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Appetizer, Dinner, Food.Tags: Basmati Rice, Dinner, Naan, Poppadoms, Valentine's Day, Vegetable Korma
add a comment
Last night, the hubby and I made a reservation at the Taj Restaurant for Valentine’s Day.
It. Was. Perfect.
The staff are all incredibly nice. We were greeted enthusiastically upon arrival. Had the choice of several tables that were reserved… I chose one in a corner surrounded by plants and a beautiful screen. The waitress was sweet and attentive, but was not popping up at the table all the time.
As soon as we sat down, an appetizer was brought to our table. Four delicious sauces to compliment spicy poppadoms.
The selection of foods was expansive, but not overwhelming. A buffet that looked comprehensive was offered, but Chris and I both decided to order off the menu. Chris chose a Chicken Curry, and I had Vegetable Korma.
Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms and peas, oh my goodness. Just to add to the wonderful meal, we also had naan and basmati rice that were both to die for.
It might not seem like everyone’s go to romantic meal, but it made for a classy and delightful evening for us!
Also, just a bit of career advice for those of you who might be thinking about working with kiddos… definitely go do it! I’m not a Valentine’s Day hater by any means, but I cannot explain how loved I felt yesterday when several of my third graders came up and gave me valentines. They were so excited to bring something to me, and even if only one out of the 15 spelled my name right (I got lots of hether, and one hedder) it just made my day… probably my month. So, if you need a job that uplifts you almost every day, go work with elementary school children. Tons of fun and lots of hugs!
Healthy Heath 