Chicken Stock

I can recall a time that I did not obsess over Ina Garten and her show, "Barefoot Contessa". It's shocking, but true. Her word is gospel to me now, and (much like Liz Lemon) I really want her life.

Anyway.

Whenever I started watching her show, she would make a point to say that using homemade chicken stock was ideal. I hated that. And I mean I really...hated that. I thought that making your own stock was time consuming and expensive-- more expensive than it was worth. I was wrong. I'm sorry, Ina.

This was my first attempt at homemade stock, and since I had two leftover chickens from my Halloween party, I ended up being able to make two batches.

It really is completely different (and better) than store bought stock. It's richer, more flavorful and definitely adds more to recipes (like risotto, for example) than canned broth or stock.

I added cut up celery (leaves included) and carrots, 3 cloves of garlic and threw in a bay leaf or two with my leftover chicken.

Put in enough water to cover it, and let it simmer for about 8 hours. Maybe more.

It's not something you need to worry about.

While it simmered, I did some chores. Cecilia helped.

I'm pretty sure she thought changing the sheets was some sort of game.

But she's so cute, I can't get mad.

The finished product.

The really finished product, (the solids strained and discarded) divided into containers.

Notice the separation? Leave it in the refrigerator overnight, so that all of the fat separates, and then skim it off.

Freeze what you won't use immediately.

It's amazing what you can do if you just listen to Ina Garten.

A Serious Post

Warning: Long and fairly personal post ahead.

In a previous post, I alluded to some health issues/hospital stay.  I had been under the impression that the worst was behind me and all I have left to do is recover and live normally, yadda yadda yadda.

Since I am bothering to go into detail about my mishap, I will let you know that my surgery was to take care of a cyst on my left ovary.  The cyst was approximately 12 x 8 x 5 cm, the size of a baby's head, stretched across my abdomen.  Surgeries are typically done for cysts that are 5 cm, so I had a big ol' boy in there.  My ovary had been twisted and turned around multiple times, and it was brought up that I may have had to lose my left ovary, but I didn't.

I should not have had a cyst in the first place, since I am on "the pill" and I am not supposed to ovulate. This was a concern that I brought up to both doctors I saw. Only one actually took it seriously.

On Monday, I went to my surgery follow-up with a doctor from the hospital where I had my surgery.  Not the actual surgeon or not even anyone who had actually seen me that night, but some effeminate man (no complaints, thems my people) who asked me a few simple questions and sent me on my way.  No looking at my incisions, no ultrasounds, nothing. The conversation boiled down to: "Do you hurt anymore?" "No." "You're fine."

This did not sit well with me, so I made an appointment for a second opinion with my regular gynecologist. He was concerned (as he should have been) that I had developed a cyst in the first place, so he sent me for an ultrasound.  It is still there. 8 cm of mass that may require me to have another, more intrusive, surgery.

I want to have children so badly someday. I burst into tears in the examination room when my doctor said that losing my ovary was definitely possible, if they couldn't reconstruct it.  I'm aware that there are two ovaries for a reason, but I don't want conception to be a struggle for me.

I have an appointment in 3 weeks to check the cyst again to see if it has changed.  If it goes like last time, I will actually know within a week if it is still interfering with my ovaries enough to cause the severe pain I had. My parents and I are fairly certain I will need surgery again.

With this last surgery, I was able to go back to class that Tuesday (I had the surgery on a Saturday night) and completely free of any discomfort by the next weekend.  If I am to have surgery again, it will be more invasive and not nearly as easy of a recovery.

Please send your best vibes, prayers, etc. out there for me, whether I need the surgery or not.  This has been a very stressful and frustrating process for me and my family.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I can't claim to have created this recipe, and neither can my mother (who I got this from), but neither of us know where it came from. It happens, okay? I'm sorry.

Anyway, for my festive fall meal that I prepared for the Mitchells, I wanted to do a squash soup.  I know a lot of people are wary of the squash, but it is so good. Very mild and when prepared like this, creamy and delicious.

I didn't even attempt to cut the squash myself. I made sure the boyfriend did that for me. 

Cleaning it out was so fun. Very similar to pumpkin carving. 

Also, thank God for garbage disposals. 

Beautiful, aren't they? But very intimidating.

Just like Karen Gillan. Yes, I went there.

I do love the color veggies get from roasting.

I think I might like roasted vegetables more than fried food.

...I know, okay? I know.

Here's the ingredient that got me excited for this recipe: apples. Apples and apple cider are both included. I think there's something in me that will not look over apples. I just love them so.

This is a huge measuring cup. I had to feature it. 

That's chicken broth. Vegetable broth would be easily substituted to make it vegetarian/vegan friendly.

This is what the soup looks like before you puree it.

Never make the mistake of blending too much warm liquid at a time. I did that once. 

It wasn't pretty. 

And after blending! Pretty, isn't it?

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

• Cut one large butternut squash in half and de-seed with a spoon. (You can either peel the squash now or after roasting, it's your call)
• Cut into 8 total pieces, then drizzle with olive oil, and roast at 350 for one hour.
• Heat one teaspoon oil in a pot, add one chopped onion and sauté.
• Add squash, four cloves of crushed garlic and one peeled, cored and chopped apple, 5 cups chicken broth, one cup apple cider and one teaspoon of salt.
• Simmer for 30 minutes, until apple is soft.
• Puree in blender (a little at a time, seriously!)
• Throw in any spices you see fit. (I used cumin, cinnamon, pepper and I can't even remember what else)
• Garnish with sour cream.

I used the soup as a first course, and then made this for the main course. It was super easy, and very good. Pork really absorbs flavors without marinating. I love that.

I'm certain Meredith will have pictures from the dinner itself posted soon. I may post a few here when she gets them up, but for the full feature, go to her blog soon.

No, go there now. It's a good read.

Themed Meals

Since this blog is named after my 80-something year old alter ego, you all should know that I think like an octegenarian.  I refer to people my age or younger as "young folks", consider my cat to be my child, and although I'm somehow a faster walker than most elderly people I know, I get winded too easily and would much rather travel in a Rascal Scooter than walk to the destination myself. 

And no...it doesn't have anything to do with my "unhealthy" recipes. I scoff at the notion that what I love so dearly is slowly killing me.

Anyway, I love theming meals or party snacks around get-togethers or events that I or my friends throw. I made shepherd's pie to have a marathon of a certain fantasy-themed television show that I may or may not be ashamed of obsessing over.

If there's an occasion for cupcakes, I will bake the hell (excuse my French) out of some and I will make sure it's a flavor that has some sort of purpose.  Like, for my annual Oscar party, I will decorate the cupcakes with as many of the nominee's names that will fit.

Once fall rolls around (um, hello...now?), I will make sure every batch I bake is fall-y. Pumpkin, spice, whatever. I will do it, and I will do it proudly.

This weekend, I will be cooking a fall-themed meal for the Mitchells. Roasted butternut squash soup, pork tenderloin...and possibly (most likely) a  few cupcakes. Fall is the favorite season of many, so I can't claim to be its #1 fan, but I do go all out for the season, and I'm very glad I have friends that feel similarly and indulge my obsessiveness.

Cecilia, again.

I don't know if any of you were aware of this, but...

I like my cat. A lot.

Enough to take pictures like this of her.

She really wants to be an outdoor cat. I don't have the willpower to let her out. I don't like it when we aren't in the same room together, let alone not knowing where she is at all. 

She has the cutest paws I've ever seen. So big, like catcher's mitts!

Not the most flattering picture of her ever, but dammit...

She's cute.

New design

Thanks to Meredith for my new background picture!

Unfortunately, I'm terrible at html/web design/whatever, so my blog is not looking exactly how I would like, still, especially on my phone. It's a disaster!

So if you or anyone you know is good at that sort of thing, this gal needs some help...fast.

I cooked, finally!

Today was one of firsts: the first meal (beside frozen pizza) I've cooked in my new place, and the first fall activity I've participated this season!

Meredith took pictures of our outing to the Fall Folk Arts festival in Kingsport, which will be posted soon. I got to stir apple butter, eat some kettle corn without paying the $3 for it (I am a sampling queen, apparently) and I got to pet an alpaca! I now want to take one home. I will probably make the alpaca picture my new facebook picture once she gets them up, but I really do like my cooking whilst drinking picture I have up now.

Anywho, after a short break for a much needed nap (we had gone to Target afterward and wore ourselves out over Halloween decor), I followed this recipe for turkey pumpkin chili for dinner.

I added corn (I add corn to anything I possibly can), cinnamon & nutmeg (to give more of an autumnal feel) and substituted chicken broth for the water, roasted red pepper for the green pepper and green chiles for jalapenos when I made it, and I think it turned out quite well.

Cupcake's Sauvignon Blanc (courtesy of my birthday wine extravaganza) is probably my new favorite white wine. Meredith & I had no trouble polishing it off.

The chili simmering. I realize now that chili will never translate well to picture. It was good, I swear.

The very happy hostess.

My favorite room

If you're reading this blog, there's a fairly good chance you're aware of my love of cooking. So, naturally, my favorite room to spend time in and decorate is the kitchen/dining area.

And it is the only room in my new place that is even close to being finished. I like to think my recent hospital stay & recovery time is why not much is getting done, but it's only partly to blame.  Luckily, my parents came by today and my mother went to town on my kitchen to get it ready for The Mitchells to come over tomorrow night for my first meal cooked in my new place!

My lovely kitchen. This picture does not give its size justice. It is absolutely HUGE. My mother comments every time she comes over about how large it is. I have so much counter space and room to spread out, unlike my old place.  The kitchen there was very cramped, but I did love it at the time.

I have a window! I finally have a place for these vases. (From UO)

Fancy pants closeup of the flowers. Autumnal colors, naturally. My whole kitchen is in the same scheme.

My boyfriend's mother got me a rosemary plant after mine met its demise in the moving process.

The rest of my flowers arranged in a bowl as a centerpiece.  You can see my pumpkin placemats in the background. My kitchen is an eat-in kitchen, and had more than adequate space for my dining room table. 

I just had to show these off. I already have a set of dry measuring cups (in my matryoshka theme, no less), but I absolutely could not pass getting these up. (From UO)

I love this scent. It's great for my kitchen-- not too overwhelming.

Since I hate having things like my beloved Crock Pot and the microwave take up too much counter space, we purchased these shelves from Target.  They're so easy to put together and I can keep my serving dishes, vases, decanter, etc. on there and it doesn't look too cluttered or out of place!

Those are some of the highlights of my favorite room.  I actually put a little wooden sign up that I had purchased in Asheville not too long ago up above the stove, but I forgot to take a picture.  That will come later.

There is a nook that I'm not quite sure what to do with yet.  I have Cecilia's food and water dishes there, as well as the cookbook bookcase (yes, bookcase) over there, but it seems incomplete.

Update

I haven't had much time or much to post about since my actual day of birth (or last post).  But I would like to update you all on some great gifts I received:

The Mitchells (Chris and Meredith) bought me this print from The Black Apple shop on Etsy.  This was in my favorited list, and suits me so well! They even put it in a really cute frame, so it's ready to be hung. They are wonderful friends, and you will read more about them once the fall festivities begin in a few weeks!

I ordered this for myself with some birthday money, to go in my "nerd" corner with my Tardis embroidery and whatever else I see fit.  I actually contacted the girl who made the embroidery to see about making another Doctor Who one for me...let's hope she can!

My good friend Ethan hand-crafted a Tardis for me for my birthday, as well! He's very handy, and he made it out of wood, and put a light inside of it. It is awesome.

I also received a matryoshka doll (another obsession of mine-- I have countless little things with them on it around the house & on some clothing) from my friend Allison, with cats on them! My friends really know how to combine my obsessions for some great birthday gifts.

One day I will take a picture of my candle collection, so I can prove how obsessed I really am.  I spent a lot more of my birthday money than I care to admit on some candles and home fragrance. I can't help it, it's a disease.

First big meal in my new kitchen

I have begun to look at recipes that I want to make for my first big meal here.  I've gone through so many different scenarios of themes, courses, etc. that I could possibly make for about 6 people. Here is a list of things that have interested me:

Lettuce wraps.  Fairly healthy, would probably serve them as an appetizer or for a "salad" course.

Greek lemon chicken soup.  A restaurant in Knoxville has this, and it is one of the most delicious soups I've ever had (and that is coming from a major soup lover). Very light, but very tasty.

This is a recipe from Ina Garten, and is one I've made a few times before.  It's called Company Pot Roast, and is served with a red wine sauce.  I made it for Mother's Day this year and my mom called it the best Mother's Day gift she had ever received.  I don't know if it was because it was delicious or because she didn't have to do a thing, but I love this recipe.

Another option for a main course is yet another recipe from Ina Garten (I do love her): Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic.  Yes, that does sound very intimidating and very garlic-y, but she assures that it is not as bold of a flavor as the name suggests. I would serve this with mashed potatoes, most likely. The sauce that is made with this recipe sounds perfect for them.

I have made myself sufficiently hungry, so I will stop with that.  I love to try new recipes, so I will be excited to show you how they turn out once I make them.

Cecilia

I am finally done moving out of my old place.  It may have been one of the more stressful times in my life, and I shed a lot of tears (like I said earlier, it doesn't take much, but still...), but I am relieved and excited to finally unpack and get settled here.

Since I have more of a yard now, with no traffic racing by my front door, I let Cecilia out for a bit and sat with her while she sniffed and slinked around.  I made sure to put her collar on and had a bag of treats with me in case she got a little too comfortable outside and bolted.  She didn't, but she did try to go around the side of the building, which was a little too adventurous for me.

If you don't know Cecilia's back story, last summer she appeared at my (now) boyfriend's patio at his old place.  She was thin, malnourished and appeared to be pregnant.  She was a tiny thing, we estimated that she was about 6 months old.  Once she had the kittens (we assume they did not make it, there was no sign of them anywhere and she never left the patio afterward), we took her to the vet to get her cleared to come home with me and the rest, as they say, is history.

This is the first picture that we have of her.  She was so little!

So, naturally, she is still a little more curious than a typical cat about going outside. At my last place, I lived on a very busy road that people drove much too fast on.  I was surprised at first that she never really tried to go out, but I suppose the noise of the cars was too scary for her and the lack of greenery didn't interest her.  She now has tried to get out many times at my new place, and succeeded at one point, but I am a very nervous cat mother.  Maybe I will extend our outings in the future, but for now, I'm much too worried about her getting away from me.

This is Cecilia now.  Bigger, happier, healthier.  And such a lady.

I'm moving!

I have terrible luck with apartment hunting.  A few people I know enjoy apartment hunting, which is bizarre to me.  I definitely look at craigslist apartment listings on a regular basis, but when it comes down to actually looking for places that I will need/have to live in in a short amount of time, I'm a wreck.

After getting my hopes up a few times (and finding the perfect apartment just to discover that they require de-clawed cats-- I would absolutely never do that!), I was almost ready to give up and stay at the apartment I currently live in, which is nice, but I desperately need the change.

On Thursday, when I went to the office for my appointment to look at my last-ditch apartment effort, I was prepared to settle. I hate that I was going to do that, but I am down to the wire and have instant gratification issues, so once the "new apartment" idea was in my head and after all of the disappointments, I was ready to get it over with.

Once I saw the outside, I was excited.  There's a planting area (with gorgeous Black Eyed Susans and other flowers), so I can finally plant my rosemary and other herbs! There is also a space for the grill, which was a concern. We have a large gas grill that doesn't simply "tuck" into any small outdoor space. There's a storm door, as well, so my darling cat can look outside, and more natural light can be let in.

Without describing every inch of the place, I will tell you that I am so happy and excited to move into this apartment. Once I am settled, I will post pictures as rooms are finished, but I am afraid it will be awhile before I can post too many.  

My boyfriend's mother has generously offered to make cushion covers for our couch to match these awesome wingback chairs (the fabric is exactly my taste--I can't wait for you to see!) that I got from my grandmother's house.  I am so thrilled that I will have furniture that not only matches, but is in a color/style that I can stand.

Since this post is pathetically long and dry, I will post a picture of an item I bought this weekend:

The colors are more subtle and autumn-y in person, but this is from Pier 1, and was much, much cheaper than I was anticipating. This will more than likely be a centerpiece on the dining room table.  I am already preparing for my housewarming and dinner parties!

Decorating Ideas

So I got a little antsy and decided to start blogging again quicker than I had anticipated.

I've been going Etsy crazy lately, and have started planning what kind of decor I want to have in my new apartment.

Fall is my favorite season, so I plan on having a lot of fall-ish items in my apartment year-round. I like the colors yellow, dark gray, maroon/burgundy and burnt orange, so most of what you will see will be in that scheme.

I'd love some ideas and suggestions from you.

I want a collage of some of my favorite geeky things in print/embroidery. This (from "The Princess Bride") and the following would be in a grouped style on a wall to be determined.

This is the eccentric Log Lady from one of my new (to me) favorite television shows, "Twin Peaks". The show ran from 1990-1991 and is one of the more interesting television series I've ever seen. It's on instant watch on Netflix, if you're into shows that are dark, mysterious and very, very clever.

The print and the embroidery are both great, but I can't decide which one I like more.

I have purchased this already from 79totterslane, an Etsy seller that I also follow on tumblr. She's a "Doctor Who" fan, where this embroidery is from, and makes adorable crafts!

Although expensive on Etsy, I want to make this and the items in the next picture myself. I love mason jar decorations and distressed paint work.

My boyfriend's mother can sew (and is about to start teaching me), so I will be able to make this for myself at some point, but this pillow is adorable.

These prints are from The Black Apple, and the artist has appeared on "Martha Stewart" for her doll-making. These prints are my favorite of hers (I'm a fan of bird prints, so these were a natural choice), but I would like at least 3 for another grouping. I have about 5 "favorited" on Etsy, and am trying to decide what else would go well with these. 

If anyone has been to my current apartment, they would know that I have a candle closet. Yes, a closet full of candles. I am obsessed with them, and a good portion of many paychecks that I receive go toward candles and candle holders.  This one is absolutely my taste.