Magazines from the Doctor's Office

I'm coming clean. I steal magazines from the doctor's office occasionally. Truthfully I fight this urge every time I'm in a doctor's office, but sometimes I'm just not strong enough to walk out without that Better Homes & Gardens containing recipes that must become mine, or the fashion mag with makeup tips I've been desperately needing to spice up my look, or that article in TIME that I didn't have time to read because the nurse called my name too soon. (Who are you kidding, Katherine? You don't read Time. Okay, People. People Magazine is my doctor's office guilty pleasure.)

Yesterday I noticed that four people had taken my quiz and marked "yes" it is wrong to take magazines from the doctor's office. Uh-oh. So I hurried and answered "no." On my own quiz! Well, tonight I noticed four more people marked "yes" but two people marked "no." I'm so glad that I'm not the only one! So, let me see if I've got this straight: 72% of the time it is wrong to take magazines from the doctor's office, but the other 28% of the time, it's all good. That works for me because it's about 28% of the time that I allow myself to succumb to temptation and walk out with the doctor's magazine.

The main reason I want to take magazines is the same reason I think the doctor's office doesn't mind my taking them. They are old! Sometimes several months, which means I can't find a copy on the magazine rack and it's time for the office manager to get rid of them. I figure I am 1.) saving the office manager/receptionist a trip to the trash can, and 2.) recycling. The environment? Come on, guys.

My other birthday present

I've been wanting a new digital camera for a long time and Bobby surprised me with one on my birthday! Our old camera had a delay that lasted about 5 minutes so we ended up with a lot of shots of Franny with her eyes closed and her mouth open. It was just a bad situation and I'm glad that the bad camera chapter of my life is closed. I also wanted a better camera for the purposes of this blog. I couldn't get a decent picture of my food. Those days are over! You're the best, Bobby!

Here's some pictures I've been taking with my camera:

I really lucked out with Bobby. His first rotation for medical school is the surgery rotation. During the week, if Bobby is lucky he gets to spend about 15 minutes with his girls before they have to go to bed. Some nights he doesn't see them at all! Sometimes they (surgeon, residents, and students) don't even stop to eat anything for lunch OR dinner. Even though Bobby is exhausted from working 14, 15, and 16 hour days with little or no nourishment through the day, he always comes home happy to see us and in a good mood. And on my birthday, he came home with flowers, stuff for rootbeer floats, and my birthday present. I love you Bobby, and I am so excited for the surgery rotation to be over so we can have you back again! Oh yeah, and thanks for not wanting to be a surgeon when you grow up.




This video cracks me up. I thought I was taking a picture of myself! I'm such a dork.

"Here comes the invalid." (Jessica, Julia and Chrissy: that's a quote for you three.) Poor Franny got sick over the weekend, so she's been taking it easy. I love this picture of her. Her eyelashes are so gorgeous. This morning she came in and said, "Good morning, Mommy." It was very sweet. I've really enjoyed having her home for a few days- she's been extra sweet and fun, even though she's not feeling great. Sophie seems to be much more entertained with her big sister around. There was a chocolate stain on the blanket and I used the healing tool in photoshop to erase it. You can't even tell! I love photoshop.







And Ashley and Abbey made the trip out to visit and it was so good to have them here!! We love you guys and miss having you close.

My new panini grill

For my birthday this year my Dad hooked me up with this sweet contraption. It's a panini grill/indoor grill/griddle and I'm pretty sure it's going to solve all of life's problems. It's raining outside, can't use the grill? You've got the Cuisinart grill pan! What? The skillet isn't big enough to cook all the pancakes, bacon, or eggs for breakfast? Good thing you got that griddle from Dad! Your George Foreman grills only one panini at a time? That won't do!

Ashley came to visit for the weekend because our husbands were both MIA due to hospital rotations. It was great to be able to spend some time together and have the kids play while we played Dr. Mario. On Friday night we tried out the panini grill. I had a bunch of different ingredients so Bobby and Ashley gave me their orders and I got to work. Ashley made her homemade fries which are a wicked indulgence, but oh so satisfying served with fry sauce. Here's what I put on my panini: prosciutto, basil leaves, roasted red peppers, tomato, mozzarella, and mayo. Ashley's panini: prosciutto, red peppers, tomato, mozzarella, and pesto. Bobby had pesto, mozzarella, and prosciutto on his. Delicious!

Lemon Drop Cookies

When Franny was only five weeks old, we flew out to visit my Mom for about eight days. My mom was in the mood to try some new recipes and just about every recipe tried has now become a part of my cooking repertoire. Once while visiting me in Utah, we stopped in Deseret Book at the mall and she bought this cookbook called "Best-Loved Recipes of Well-Known Latter-Day Saints" or something, because it had a recipe for these delicious cookies. (By the way, as far as I can remember, this is the only decent recipe in the whole book!) I LOVE these cookies. FYI- this recipe makes A LOT.

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 c butter/shortening (I used 1/2 c butter and 1 c shortening)
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
finely chopped zest of 1 lemon
6 oz. package crushed leomon drops
1 cup powdered sugar
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and shortening in your mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add eggs and flavoring and blend well. Sift dry ingredients and gradually add to wet mixture. Add lemon zest and crushed lemon dropps. Roll in balls, flatten with a fork. Bake on parchment paper for 10-12 minutes. Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a glaze. Cool 1-2 minutes, brush with glaze.

I'm sorry Jenna Fischer

I'm sorry because
I told everyone that
you're 41 years old,
when you're really only 32.

I am embarrassed at how much I've been looking forward to this week's return of my favorite television show. Since I only associate with people who like The Office, it's been coming up in conversation frequently because the season premiere is Thursday. Ever since my Dad told me that Jenna Fischer is going through a divorce (true) and that she is 41 (false), I've been sharing this information every time the show comes up, followed by a "can you believe that?! She looks so young!!" Well, last week Bobby told me he heard that Pam went to Truman State University and suggested we verify it on imdb.com, which is an excellent resource for all things related to movies and TV. Here I learned that she did in fact attend (and graduate) from Truman State, grew up in St. Louis, and is only 32 years old.

By the way, I was only joking about not associating with people who don't like the Office. My Uncle Wyane and Aunt Cindy don't get it, and I still love them.

Celebrating the "Mexicanity" of the Quesadilla

I got to spend some time with my Aunt Gayle a few days while I was in California and we had some good talks. I really enjoyed our time together. She took me out to lunch at this place called Salsa Brava. She suggested we order these shrimp quesadillas and I haven't been able to stop thinking about them since. This morning at 11 am after Sophie went down for her nap I set out to recreate this delicious twist on the classic Mexican dish. I was not disappointed.

I only changed a few things in this recipe. I added a bit of chili powder to the shrimp before I broiled them. I also added a squeeze of lime juice when I was tossing the shrimp with the oil. I made four quesadillas with the ingredients in this recipe, not 3 like the recipe suggests. I sliced up an avocado and served the slices on top of the quesadilla wedges. I also served them with sour cream. Mmmmm.... I know I won't stop thinking about these quesadillas anytime soon.

Shrimp and Tomatillo Quesadillas

2 red bell peppers

1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Vegetable oil
6 9- to 10-inch-diameter flour tortillas
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups (packed) grated Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeños (about 8 ounces)
1 cup (packed) grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
6 medium tomatillos , husked, thinly sliced

Char bell peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Remove from heat. Enclose peppers in paper bag. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and seed peppers. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Set aside.

Preheat broiler. Toss shrimp with 1 tablespoon oil. Place on baking sheet. Broil shrimp until just opaque in center, about 2 minutes. Cut shrimp lengthwise in half. Transfer to bowl.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil. Place 2 tortillas on 1 prepared baking sheet. Place 1 tortilla on second prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped cilantro over each tortilla, then 1/3 cup Monterey Jack cheese and 1/3 cup cheddar cheese. Arrange 8 tomatillo slices atop cheese on each tortilla, then bell pepper strips and shrimp, dividing equally. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese over shrimp on each tortilla, dividing equally. Top with remaining 3 tortillas, pressing lightly to adhere. Brush tops of tortillas with oil. Bake quesadillas until cheese melts and tortillas are crisp, about 10 minutes.

Cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges and serve.

Serves 6.

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce over Coconut Rice

I found this recipe on Simply Recipes. I was in the mood for some curry and I thought this one looked good. I've been wanting Massaman curry like they serve at Thai Chili Gardens in Provo and it wasn't even close, but it still tasted good. Anyone have a recipe that would satisfy my craving? Worth a shot.

While I was in California, a friend of mine and my mother's brought over this delicious meal. It was a peanut ginger chicken over coconut rice with a nectarine salsa. It was amazing. I've been craving this rice ever since. I could eat bowl after bowl of this stuff and never get sick of it. Here's the recipe. Thanks Suzy!

Coconut Rice

2 c. Coconut milk

1 ½ c. Basmati or Jasmine rice

1 c. water

4 t. sugar

½ t. kosher salt

Combine the coconut milk, rice, water, sugar, and salt for the rice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir once, then cover and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Fluff with a fork, cover, and keep warm. (You can also use a rice cooker.)