butternut squash turnovers and how to keep the right plates spinning

“It’s not hard to decide what you want your life to be about. What’s hard…is figuring out what you’re willing to give up in order to do the things you really care about.”

I started reading Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist over my break and although I now have the time to zip through the whole book in one sitting, I find myself wanting to slow-march through it in order to allow some of the real gems of her thoughts to sink in. The phrase above has been especially poignant in my mind this week as I have been considering what it means to practice beliefs and live life out of properly ordered priorities. I have been still with Ben without my mind wandering to 1000 other places and tasks. I have dined well with people I love. I have spent time with God in a non-hurried manner. I have sat and laughed and shared good wine with family. I have been able to do all these things because I have time. So what will I continue to do when I no longer have the time? In this chapter of her book, she makes a list of things she does not do in order to save time for the things she does do (those she views to be most important and encompassing of her beliefs).  I picture a lady frantically keeping 10 plates spinning instead deciding to spin only 5, and spin them well (this lady seems far less frazzled in my head).

There is only so much time. What will we capitulate in order to really stand for the thing we want to stand for? What will we be most proud of accomplishing when we are willing to sacrifice those other petty accomplishments?  

Butternut squash and caramelized onion turnovers

(adapted from Food & Wine)

these would be a good appetizer...
they also served us well as a late night snack
after biking home from Little Matt's margaritas

One 3-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

Salt and freshly ground pepper, olive oil

1 medium sized sweet onion, roughly chopped

1 ½ cups grated Gruyère cheese

1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

All-purpose flour, for rolling out the pastry

2 package puff pastry

Egg wash (2 large egg yolks lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons whole milk)

Preheat the oven to 400°. Drizzle the squash with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 30 minutes or until tender. Allow it to cool, then scoop out the flesh and discard the peel.

Next, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add your onions and sprinkle over salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Stir occasionally until they loose their moisture and start to look caramelized and crispy. I had a moment in the kitchen during this part, as the onions-in-a-hot-skillet aroma is truly one of the most satisfying and good-memory-provoking smells for me. When your onions are done, add the roasted squash, thyme, and Gruyère and gently mash all these components together.

On a floured surface, roll out the thawed puff pastry to about a 2 mm thickness. Use the top of a wide rimmed glass (or a large cookie cutter) to cut circles out of the dough. Top each round with 1 tablespoon of your squash mixture and fold in half (like a moon). Press the edges together with a fork to seal. Refrigerate these as you make them until you are ready to bake.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush the turnovers with the egg wash and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm!

better than PB&J

I could get used to this vacation thing, although I will admit it is far more fun with other vacationers by your side. husBen slept through his alarm this morning, and I could not have been more delighted (sorry B). I made him a quick lunch to reward his, errrr, good behavior. It was at least one step above his usual PB&J anyway…

Steak and Asparagus croissants

1 bunch asparagus, olive oil, salt and pepper

Gruyere  cheese (9 thick strips)

 1 can croissants

1 steak (flat iron worked well), butter

Cut the tough ends off the asparagus. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Heat a skillet over high heat with butter then sear both sides of your steak. Slice into 9 pieces. In each croissant, place one strip of gruyere, a few pieces of asparagus and a strip of steak and wrap it up. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. 

vacay day 1

My mom and her friend Mrs. Janet spent the night with me on Sunday night, for a little girl time/slumber party (that we of course did not exclude Ben from). We tried out Cuchara, a new restaurant proffering inner-Mexico cuisine, then watched My Girl in our pajamas, all weeping together at the appropriate emotionally demanding parts.

After breakfast on Monday morning, I walked outside to pick up a trash pile in the backyard that I had been eyeing for a few days from my study spot at the dining room table. Still in my pajamas and slippers, I by no means was insinuating the kickoff of any major yard work, thinking I would just casually bag up this mess while Mom and Mrs. Janet finished up their coffee inside. About 3 minutes in, I turn around to find a gloved Mrs. Janet and clogged Myra walking towards me with Martha eyes scanning my back yard and practically saying in unison, “We wanted to clean this up for you as a surprise!” By 10 am, we had purchased a blower, raked and bagged the leaves in the front yard and back, replanted several old bulbs, and were in conversation about ways to start a compost pile behind the garage. You know, just your normal light morning activities on Day 1 of vacation.

Honestly though, I found myself reflective and content during this busy raking, blowing, bagging with these women. I have profound respect for their energy and selflessness and am blessed to have had that modeled to me as a child and now as a semi-adult. I started to remember parts of my rearing that I did not so much care for at the time but am able to see now how they shaped me. Seemingly inconsequential little tasks that imprint a lasting impact on the way I view work and satisfaction today. I remembered my brothers and I being commissioned to my mom’s front garden with woven baskets in hand, knowing only to return with them full of tomatoes.  I remember the prickly furry touch of the tomato plant’s stalk and the way the fallen ones would squish up beneath our barefoot feet. I remember how we would hop from stone to stone, trying not to squash the other little herbs and flowers she had growing in her garden as well. I do not remember at the time thinking that this task was so idyllic, but now with rake in hand and time for my mind to wander, I appreciate the value in those laboring little hands.

After my mom and Mrs. Janet drove away, still with dirt on their jeans, I had a friend and her two handsome children over for pancakes for lunch (brunch if you will, although her kids did not at first grasp the combo of that word). Once again, while we are sitting around the table, just casually brunching and effortlessly shifting between child-talk and semi-adult conversation, my mind swelled with gratitude at the quality of the situation. Are people just out there getting to have these moments all the time?! Everyday surprised by joy at the happenings in their normal day-to-day activities?! I think this vacation week could get very reflective…

Pancakes

I followed the recipe from http://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-pancakes-ever-134328 pretty exactly, only adding some food coloring at the end to make rainbow colored pancakes for the kids...

5 tablespoons of butter


1-1/4 cups flour


1 tablespoon sugar


1 teaspoon salt


1/2 teaspoon baking soda


1/2 teaspoon baking powder


1 egg, separated


1 cup buttermilk


1/4 cup milk


canola oil for frying

Melt the butter and set aside to cool for a little bit.

Meanwhile, put the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.

In another bowl, add the yolk from the egg and the buttermilk and the regular milk and whisk until well mixed. Add the butter and whisk.

Add the yolk and milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just barely combined. Add the egg white and keep stirring until a thick batter is formed. Do not over mix.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and film with a neutral oil like canola. When the pan is hot, lower the flame a little and drop the batter by spoonfuls. The batter will spread. When bubbles break on the surface, peek underneath a pancake. It should be golden brown. If so, flip with a spatula and cook the other side.

Remove from the skillet when the second side is done and continue on with the remaining batter.

im back. PTL.

Green Enchiladas from Haven.
The ones I made were not this pretty...but whose tasted better?

Hello hello free world! So pleased to finally reunite. 

I am done with my Internal Medicine board exam and can happily say that no one will find me hunched over a book at the dining room table for at least a little while now. Time to play! Time to spend some quality moments with people I love! Time to participate in the household chores again! Ben is so supportive of me during test week, to ensure that we do not both emerge at the end of it smelling like a college boy's dorm room with laundry piled to the ceiling and kitchen looking like it's ready for a dish soap commercial.  Yesterday he even comforted my apologies about being selfish with my time this week by saying "We have our whole lives to help each other." I just looked at him and smiled, full of that "who are you?" type gratitude. 

After the test today, we went to Haven for a hot date with all the other "ladies who lunch" and suave looking business men. I got the green enchiladas pictured above and Ben got shrimp and grits. It felt truly so nice to sit and be present, a task that is normally very difficult for me. I often struggle with compromising my time with others by letting my mind spin its wheels over all the things I think I have to do at that same moment. I am going to work on this Mary vs Martha mentality (which I realize is hardly fair during this week I have off, as I actually have nothing else I am committed to!) but more on that later. 

A few weeks ago, I made some very basic chicken enchiladas and I must say (or goad Ben to say for me) that they were better than the ones at Haven. Yes, that is bold. But make these yourself and be the judge.

Salsa Verde Enchiladas

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 cloves fresh garlic, diced

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

3-4 cups Mexican salsa verde, divided

1/2 cup cream cheese (or you can use greek yogurt)

2 cups roasted chicken, shredded (you can use a store bought rotisserie chicken if you don’t want to roast it yourself)

1 cup Monterey jack cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

8 six-inch flour tortillas

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and lime zest and sauté for 30 seconds. Add 2 cups of the salsa verde and heat through. Now turn off the heat and stir in the cream cheese (or greek yogurt), chicken and half of the cheese and cilantro.

Pour a thin layer of green sauce on the bottom of the baking dish you want to use. Pour the remainder in a shallow dish and bathe your tortillas in it until they are soft and coated. Take each tortilla (get your hands dirty!) and fill with 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture and roll it up. Place enchiladas side by side, seam side down in your baking dish. Pour the rest of the green sauce over the enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Bake about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle on the remaining cilantro and serve hot!

sometimes i forget

Sometimes I forget I have this blog, sitting here waiting for some attention like some forlorn middle child. I cannot believe we are in October. I still feel like it is summer (is it the weather?!) and that I am about to have a real break where I lay out and work out and get on top on the laundry for once in my married life. Oh, but now it is October. And people are decorating their yards with cobwebs and giant inflatable spiders. I'll come up to speed.

Ben had the Greater Houston City Amateur golf tournament this past weekend (a mere 72 holes in all) and has earned himself the spot of the 37th best golfer out of the 8 million or so people that live around these parts (or so I interpret his success). His parents came down for the weekend and indulged us in fine dining (might I endorse Coppa and Reef and of course Tiny Boxwoods) and quality time.

I have my Internal Medicine board exam next Friday so this blogging could go either of two ways: A) I could disappear until next Friday and then post excessively the following week about how much fun I am having and how much I am cooking during my week off (yes i have a whole week off after this rotation!! cheers!!!) or B) I could post excessively next week (which any and all of you should discourage) while I am going partially insane cramming for this exam. Of course there is always option C wherein I "accidentally" shop online and buy the perfect pair of shoes during my most stressful pre-test moment (which always turns out to be a good decision, thank you giant leather wedges preceding Step exam and leopard flats preceding Pediatrics). We shall see.