Drunken Herbed Chicken

This was one of the first dishes that I learned how to make after getting married and it was an instant success. I found it on the Whole Foods website. Back then, I was using basic, store-bought chicken stock and the dish was really fantastic. Recently, I started making my own chicken stock and it took meals to a whole new level. I'm sure the increased fat content in homemade stock has a lot to do with it. :) Everything in moderation, no?

**This dish is gluten-free, but if you are using store-bought chicken broth you will want to double check to make sure the brand you are purchasing was prepared without gluten.

Ingredients:
8 skinless chicken thighs (approx. 4.5 pounds)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion
8 garlic cloves
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch diagonal
1 cup Chardonnay or dry white wine
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 cups cooked brown rice

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in heavy 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in hot Dutch oven and sear each side until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add the onion to the Dutch oven and saute until soft and golden, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and saute 2 minutes more. Add the wine, chicken stock, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. Stir to blend. Add the thighs and their juices back to the Dutch oven. Spoon carrot mixture on top. Cover and place the pot in the preheated oven and bake until the chicken is tender, about 1 hour.

Serve with brown rice and sprinkle with parsley.

A little soap to get the season started

So the kiddos have been in pre-school for two weeks now, which means that those lovely germs we come to know and love this time of year have all but set up camp in our house. Unfortunately, our immune systems are still hanging out at the beach. It hit me this weekend, but today was the worst (naturally, since it's Monday and my husband had to return to work). Lucky for me, my mom was happy to take my two-year-old for the day so my daughter and I could make butternut squash and apple soup while vegging out on popcorn, tea, Cinderella, and soupy goodness.

Sicky germs aside, I was anxious to make soap this weekend, if only because I was trying a new technique and a new additive (pumpkin!). I love the cold process method of soap making because it produces a harder and longer-lasting bar of soap than other methods. The downside to that is the curing time that is required - at least 4-6 weeks - means that the pressure is now on to make those fall and winter seasonal blends that I have been so excited about making, especially if I want to give myself time to make mistakes.

Fortunately, the soap that I made this weekend appears to be in good shape with only a few - let's call them artistic - irregularities.

This is my Pumpkin Spice soap, and as you can see, I am having some difficulty cutting a straight bar of soap.

And I still haven't mastered the art of the mica swirl. I envisioned something like this...

Credit: The Distracted Housewife

...but ended up with this.

No biggie. I cleaned up the sides and edges and I am very happy with the outcome. I made it with olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil and castor oil. Plus, pureed pumpkin. In the soap. Hello.

For my next batch, I used my favorite recipe with mango butter and white kaolin clay. There is something very special about this soap. I don't know if it is the soothing clay, the creaminess of the coconut and castor oils, or the cooling of the peppermint essential oil, but it epitomizes the benefits of handmade soap to me and will be awesome for dry winter skin.

Peppermint > Lavender

Admittedly, there is a rather large disconnect of the senses with this soap. I used olive oil infused with alkanet root to color the soap and topped it off with lavender buds.  My intention was for the scent to be a true blend of lavender and mint; this soap looks like lavender and smells like peppermint. I am still learning about the behavior of essential oils, and this weekend's lesson was that peppermint trumps lavender. 

Having said that, I have high hopes for this soap. AND I cut straighter bars this time. Hooray for improvement!

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Today, I had a cold and really wanted something to help me feel better, but nobody was around to make it for me. This soup has LOADS of fresh ingredients and layered flavors, but it didn't really require much "thinking" time. Prep time was medium - it takes a minute to peel and scrape out the core of the butternut squash.

I took inspiration from two recipes: Ina Garten (a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa) and Martha Stewart both had recipes that incorporated the flavors that I was looking for - earthy, sweet, savory and spicy. I added a few of my own touches. The cayenne pepper added a lot of heat, so I added more cream and the cinnamon to tame it. My kids still found it too spicy (more for me!), but it was just what I was craving to soothe my sore throat and congested sinuses.

I like to make soup in large batches to save and freeze. Cut this recipe in half if this is too much for you.

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash (mine was about 4 lbs, peeled, pitted and chopped)

2 sweet apples (I used Braeburn, but really just stay away from tart apples)

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

3 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped

3 large carrots, coarsely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped

2 TBSP olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cinnamon (or more to taste)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

5 cups homemade chicken or vegetable stock

Approximately 4 additional cups of water

Approximately 1/2 cup heavy cream

In a large soup pot, heat the oil and saute onions, celery, carrots and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the butternut squash and apples and allow to saute with the other vegetables for a few more minutes. Add seasoning and stir. Pour in the stock and water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. If you have a stick blender, buzz the soup until smooth. If you don't have one, use a blender - you will need to do this in batches. Once soup is smooth, add cream and stir to mix (do not bring soup to boil after cream is added).

Turkish Mocha Soap (Warning: Do Not Eat)

On Thursday, I made a new batch of soap using my favorite recipe. It has olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, castor oil and mango butter and kaolin clay. I used goat milk instead of water. I have always loved goat milk soap and I was interested in using it in this recipe for the rich color it would add to the soap. When I combined sodium hydroxide (lye) and goat milk, the mixture turned a bright, golden hue. This color will carry over during the process of saponification (the chemical process wherein the oils and the lye react together to make soap) and curing.

I scented the soap with Turkish Mocha fragrance oil from Brambleberry and added about a teaspoon of finely ground coffee beans for exfoliation. So far, I am loving the smells that are coming from my curing shelves. I'm getting vanilla, chocolate, and caramel - yes please!

In addition to receiving color from the goat milk, vanilla from the fragrance oil is adding a richness that I am really loving!

Happy birthday to my little man!

This post comes more than a month after our little guy turned 2. Whatever. This kid brings so much joy and laughter to our lives that I would happily celebrate his 2nd birthday once a month for the next year, and then his 3rd every month after.

We marked the day with a party at Nini's house. My mom, who doesn't give herself enough nearly enough credit, is one of the most hospitable people I know. She worked for weeks trying to get her house and yard "in shape" for the party. (I put quotes around that because I have never seen her house not in tip-top shape. We are all our own worst critics, are we not?) 

Corrie Ruppel, owner of Something Yummy in Round Rock makes all my kids' birthday cakes. Because my little monkey loves bananas, Corrie made a chocolate cake with banana buttercream filling. Danny and all his fellow monkeys, both grown and miniature, went bananas! (Sorry).

Stay tuned for a separate post all about Something Yummy. (Teaser: She doesn't just do cakes...close your eyes and say "macaron.")

Two-tiered chocolate cake with banana buttercream filling, vanilla buttercream icing, and fondant accents by Something Yummy.

I also made little soapy favors for the kids who attended the party - yellow and blue glycerin soaps with little monkey and banana erasers embedded in them. 

I found the monkey and banana erasers at Terra Toys in Austin.

I found the toy erasers at my favorite toy store, Terra Toys. This is one of those privately-owned, independent retailers that make Austin such a cool place to live. They have everything that you won't find on any generic toy aisle at (enter name of box store here). This awesome store was started by a couple of artists who set out to make their own wooden toys and sell them to retailers. Pretty soon, they decided to open up their own store. Now Terra Toys carries a million different types and brands of toys, but they also have a workshop in the back where they make their own as well. Check them out around Christmas time for a line of toys made on site by a pirate hat-wearing Terra Toy employee named Dave and one of the owners.

And he's off!

Hula hoops! Humiliation to me, but I know a few kids who can dominate this.

Magic crystals!

Mommy's best friend - a bubble blowing bear situated at the check-out counter so that I can take care of my business without losing my child.

Reflections of a Summer Gone By (Too Quickly)

It has been a slow summer for Lucy Kat and a very busy summer for Kelly. We started off the summer attending a fabulously hipster wedding in our very favorite city (shout out to Brooklyn, USA!). Mike and I lived in Brooklyn for a couple of years and got engaged in Prospect Park. We love NYC and hope to go back often now that the kids are getting a little older. Though being at the wedding was wonderful for so many reasons - first and foremost, the bride and groom are a really snazzy couple who loves life almost as much as they love each other - it was really cool for us to be back on our old stomping ground.

Pre-wedding selfie! Ready to celebrate with Mr. and Mrs. Slaton!

The original gang together again. (And look at my handsome hubby in the middle!)

Next up was Columbus, Ohio where my hubs spent a primitive week camping with some friends while I got to hang back with the kids and visit with the Ohio family. 

Unfortunately, half of the campers got sick while camping and my husband came back looking like death warmed over. Fortunately, cell phone coverage in the mountains was non-existent so I didn't know (and therefore didn't worry) about the guys all being sick in the middle of nowhere, so we all had a pretty good time. (Could have used a little heads up about the phenomenon wherein girl cousins long dramatically for each other from afar but end up screaming and clawing at each others' throats for nearly the entire week - more wine, please!)

The world needs more of this little darling.

Brave rock climbers at Center of Science and Industry (COSI)

The next generation...

Cousins and friends through laughter and tears (OH. MY. GOD. The tears!)

We wrapped up our summer travels with a week long trip to South Padre Island...

Too cool for school...

Beach love

...followed by a trip to Massachusetts for another wedding. We were fortunate enough to be with this amazing couple when they got engaged AND tied the knot! We love you, Justin and Chelsie!

Also? LOVE New England in the summer. I'm from Texas, y'all. August is supposed to be miserable. But off the coast of Boston, it was downright pleasant, even a little chilly at times. Being one that hates extremes, this was a truly wonderful place for me to be. I will have a summer home here someday. I will have a summer home here someday. I will I will I will...

There really isn't anything sweeter than this. Oh, Mike is hiding a beer behind his back. Don't tell him I told you so.

Oh, wait. This is the sweetest thing ever.

Shoot! Okay, this moment may rival the other two for sweetness.

Swagger, y'all. 

Ni-night, glow stick princess. 

Thanks for the memories, Summer 2014.