Goal #21: Do 30 pushups every day for a month

DONE!

30 pushups (man style) every day for 30 days. 900 pushups....whew.

I couldn't tell much of a difference in my muscle tone because my arms are so small and I tote around a 26 pound toddler all day anyway.

This comic sounds like a conversation Jimmy and I would have.

Goal #53: Cook 3 Things from Every Cookbook I Own (39-40/45)

Chicken and Dumplings
Allison Family Cookbook (By Grandma Ruby)

1 large chicken, cut up
canned chicken broth to cover chicken in Dutch oven or large pot (about 2 quarts)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. coarse black pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 cups self rising flour
1 large egg, beaten

Simmer chicken in broth with salt and pepper until tender. Remove chicken from broth. Let cool, then remove skin, bone and gristle. Chicken should be in fairly large pieces. Leave broth in Dutch oven. Remove about 1 cup of broth and set aside for dumplings. Add chicken soup and check for seasonings. Add more salt and pepper, if desired.

Make dumplings by pouring flour in a large, making a well in the center and adding the beaten egg, plus enough reserved broth to make a soft dough. Do not overmix.

On a very clean surface, scatter extra flour, sprinkle flour on dough and rolling pin and roll dough to 1/8" thin or less. Dough should be as thin as you can make it and still get the dumplings off the floured surface. Cut dough into strips and let sit for 10-15 minutes to dry a little while broth heats on medium high.

When the broth is simmering, drop in the dumplings, one at a time, moving them around so they do not clump together. Be careful not to break them. They should rise a little. Let simmer for 5 minutes or until done. When dumplings are coked, add the chicken to the pot, heat gently and serve.

A whole chicken works best because of the flavor that comes from the backbone and ribs.

Melinda's Angel Biscuits
Allison Family Cookbook (By Melinda)

5 cups self rising flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
2 pkgs. dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups buttermilk

Combine flour with baking soda and sugar. cut in shortening. Dissolve yeast in warm water and add to buttermilk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour. Do not over combine; just until all ingredients are moist.

Bake at 450 degrees until golden brown. Cooked biscuits can be placed in a plastic bag and refrigerated or frozen.

(The recipe did not specify whether to roll out the biscuits and cut with a biscuit cutter or to drop them onto the baking sheet. I kind of rolled them as best as I could in my hand a little to shape them.) Mine didn't turn out as good as I remember Melinda's but they were still tasty with some homemade strawberry preserves from my mom.

Goal #53: Cook 3 Things from Every Cookbook I Own (36-38/45)

Fettuccine Alfredo
New Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (2002)

1/2 cup half and half, light cream, or whipping cream
1 T. butter
6 oz. dried fettuccine or spinach fettuccine (use the homemade recipe!)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used fresh)
cracked black pepper

Allow half and half and butter to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile cook pasta. Drain. Return pasta to saucepan; add half and half, butter, and parmesan cheese. Stir gently until fettuccine is well coated. Transfer to warm serving dish and sprinkle with pepper. 

I put cooked chicken and steamed broccoli on top too. 

Strawberry Lime Daiquiris (make these TODAY!!)
New Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (2002)

1/2 of a 6 oz can frozen limeade concentrate (1/3 cup)
2/3 cup rum
2 1/2 to 3 cups ice
10 oz. package frozen sliced strawberries (or fresh)
1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar (I didn't use that much)

Pour limeade, rum and strawberries in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth. With blender running, add ice cubes, 1 at a time, through lid opening until slushy.

Prize Winning Barbecue Rub (Ribs)
2008 Christmas with Southern Living

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup paprika
2 1/2 T. coarse sea salt
1 1/2 T. ground black pepper
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper (I omitted this for the kids)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Sprinkle rub evenly over meat, poultry or fish. Rub in seasonings with fingers. Grill as desired. Yield: 2 cups.

Grilled Ribs:
Rub 3/4 cup Prize-Winning Barbecue Rub evenly onto 4 pounds pork spareribs in a shallow roasting pan; cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate overnight. Bake ribs, covered, at 300 degrees for 3 hours. Drain excess liquid. Brush ribs with 1 1/2 cups of your favorite barbeque sauce blended with 1 T. Prize-Winning Barbecue Rub. Grill ribs, covered, over medium heat (300-350) for 15-20 minutes basting heavily with the rest of the sauce. 

Goal #31: Get to where I can drink 1 gallon of water/day

I guess I didn't realize how much water I drink a day. That is mostly all I ever drink. I have an occasional cup of coffee on the weekend or a glass of wine or cocktail but water really is my beverage of choice. I couldn't tell you the last time I had soda.

I was able to drink a whole gallon without a problem yesterday. I felt great! Hydrated. Very hydrated. And I wasn't running to the restroom every 5 minutes.

I recently read a book regarding the water cure that basically says asthma and allergies (and some other ailments) can be cured or reduced with water and sea salt. What it talks about really makes sense but half the book is letters to the Dr. Telling their story of how the water cure worked for them. Boring.. The book does not say to drink a gallon of water a day but there is a formula based on weight. The book is called ABC of Asthma, Allergies & Lupus by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

The body is made of roughly 70% water. The Earth is about 70% water as well. Coincidence? I think not.

Drink up folks! And leave those other nasty, empty calorie, sodium and sugar laden drinks on the shelf!!

Cheers!

Goal #69: Make homemade pasta

When was the last time you had homemade pasta? For most of us the answer is probably...Never. 

I love making new things, as you can tell by the numerous new recipes I try every week. I like getting the satisfaction of eating something that took longer than 20 minutes to make. A lot of recipes are geared towards Quick and Easy. I guess I'm old fashioned but I like to take my time (kids prevent this usually). Most of the time my priorities are in other areas - Kids, cleaning, etc., and I don't get the chance too often to take all day to make something. 

Yesterday, however, I lucked out. Ryan was in a good mood, Lucas (and Jimmy) were napping. I decided we were going to make PASTA!

My sous chef, Ryan was raring to go on this recipe. He left Cars 2 to help. He's been watching that movie over and over for a week. I'm sick of it. 

So here you go. This is an easy recipe but is pretty labor intensive. It took me about 2 hours to get it all hanged to dry.

Put flour, salt, and basil (I used Italian Seasoning) into a large bowl.

Combine egg, water and oil in a separate bowl and pour into a well made in flour bowl.

Stir until combined and then pour onto a (CLEAN) floured surface. Sprinkle the remaining flour around the dough ball and knead it for 8-10 minutes working the in flour.

Let your toddler knead the dough. This keeps them very busy. We took turns every once in a while so I could make sure the flour was getting worked in. 

After 10 minutes your dough should look like this!

Wrap loosely and let rest for 10 minutes. Ryan didn't understand this part so I had to tell him the dough was taking a nap and I set a timer.

Cut dough into 4 equal parts and roll each piece out to a 12x12 and 1/16" thick square (ideally...I didn't quite get each piece square or 12x12). I found that lightly flouring the granite counter made it easy to roll out. The dough grabbed on to the counter and I thought it was going to stick but it didn't. If you use a pastry cloth it probably would stick. When I turned the dough over it was really hard to roll out because it was able to slide around from the flour. So just let it stick!

Roll up loosely and slice into 1/8" pieces.

.

Unroll each piece gently.

And there you have it. Homemade (herbed) pasta!

You can hang it to dry or place on a wire rack. 

This recipe makes about a pound. We used about 1/2 for dinner last night. Homemade alfredo sauce recipe coming soon!

Homemade Pasta
New Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (2002)

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. dried basil, marjoram, or sage, crushed (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. cooking oil or olive oil

In a large bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour, the basil, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. In a small bowl combine eggs, water, and oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine.

Sprinkle a clean kneading surface with the remaining 1/3 cup flour. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. 

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. On lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into a 12" square, 1/16" thick. Let stand, uncovered for 20 minutes. Cut as desired (1/4" for fettuccine or 1/8" for linguine, 2 1/2" wide for lasagna, or use a pasta machine)

To serve immediately, cook pasta according to chart below.

To store cut pasta,  hang it from a pasta-drying rack or clothes hanger, or spread it on a wire cooling rack. Let pasta dry overnight or until completely dry. Place in an airtight container and chill for up to three days. Or dry the pasta for at least 1 hour; place it in a freezer pack and freeze for up to 8 months. 

Cooking Guidelines

Use 3 quarts of water for ever 4-8 ounces of pasta. Boil water to a vigorous boil. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 T. olive oil (if desired). Add pasta a little at a time so water does not stop boiling. Reduce heat slightly and boil uncovered, stirring occasionally for the specified time. Test often for doneness near the end of the cooking time. Drain in a colander.

Bow Ties, large or tiny    2-3 minutes
Fettuccine                     1 1/2- 2 minutes
Lasagna                          2-3 minutes
Linguine                         1 1/2 - 2 minutes
Ravioli                           7-9 minutes
Tortellini                        7-9 minutes

*If homemade pasta is dried or frozen, allow 1-2 minutes more.

Goal #53: Cook 3 Things from Every Cookbook I Own

Pork Chops Calvados
America's Best Recipes: A 1994 Hometown Collection

6 (1" thick) pork loin chops, trimmed (I used 4)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups finely shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese (I used less than 2 cups)
3 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup whipping cream, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 T. Calvados or other apple flavored brandy (I used plain brandy)
2 T. chopped fresh parsley

Brown pork chops in melted butter in a large ovenproof skillet (cast iron) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork chops evenly with salt and pepper; cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes (I baked them for 20- the author must like dry chops). Combine cheese, mustard, and 3 tablespoons whipping cream; spread mixture evenly over pork chips. Broil 5 1/2" from heat about 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Remove pork chops from skillet to a serving platter, reserving drippings in skillet. Keep warm. 

Add brandy to drippings; cook over high heat, deglazing skillet by scraping particles that cling to bottom . Reduce head to medium-low. Add remaining 1/4 cup plus 1 T whipping cream; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour sauce over pork chops; sprinkle with parsley. 

Sesame Broccoli
America's Best Recipes: A 1994 Hometown Collection

1 lb. fresh broccoli
1 T. toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp. sugar
1 T. white vinegar (I used rice wine vinegar)
1 T. soy sauce (low sodium)
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. water

Trim off leaves and tough ends of the broccoli stalks. Wash broccoli thoroughly and cut into spears. Cook in a small amount of boiling water 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Place in a serving dish; set aside, and keep warm.

Combine sesame seeds and remaining ingredients to a small saucepan; stir well. Bring to a boil; pour over broccoli. Serve immediately. Serves 8.

Mushroom Stuffed Yellow Squash
America's Best Recipes: A 1994 Hometown Collection

4 medium sized yellow squash
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms finely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Garnish: sliced radishes

Cook squash in boiling water to cover 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool slightly. Trim off stems. Cut each squash in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving 1/4" thick shell. Set squash pulp and shells aside. Keep warm.

Saute mushrooms, onion, garlic in butter in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until tender. remove from heat; stir in reserved squash pulp, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture evenly into squash shells. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes. Garnish. Yield: 4 servings

(I halved this recipe)

Cream Cheese Strawberries
Eat, Bitch & Wine Just Appetizers

1-8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
2 T. sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
16 large strawberries, trimmed and cored
Slivered almonds and fresh min leaves for garnish (I used crushed graham crackers)

Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Beat well. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe into strawberries. Garnish. 

These were a hit at the cook out.

Foccacia Bread
Eat, Bitch & Wine Just Appetizers
(Also goes towards Goal# 68. Make bread from scratch 4 times (1/4)  - this recipe was not good. I'm not even going to waste time putting it on here.

Beer Cheese Fondue 
Eat, Bitch & Wine Just Appetizers
1 clove garlic, peeled
1-12 oz. can flat beer
3 T. flour
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 dash Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground mustard seed
1 lb. Cheddar cheese, grated
1 loaf French bread, cubed

Rub the garlic clove over the inside of the surface of a fondue pot. Mince garlic and set aside. In a saucepan, stir  the beer and flour and form a paste. Add the remaining ingredients, except cheese. Heat over medium heat. Slowly add the cheese, stirring until cheese has melted. Pour into the fondue pot. Serve with bread cubes.

We also served with steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, brussel sprouts, and smoked sausage. Very good!!

Skewered Chicken and Plums
America's Best Recipes A 1993 Hometown Collection

4 large chicken breast halves, skinned and boned
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 T. sugar
1 T. peeled, grated gingerroot
2 tsp. cornstarch
4 wooden skewers
6 fresh plums, pitted and halved

Cut chicken into 1/2" strips; place in a large shallow dish. Set aside. Combine water and next 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Let cool. Pour marinade over chicken; cover and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour. 

Soak wooden skewers in water at least 30 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade. Alternate chicken and plum halves on skewers. Grill, uncovered, over medium hot coals (350-400 degrees) 8-10 minutes or until chicken is done, turning once, and basting frequently with reserved marinade. Yield: 4 servings

Breakfast Burritos
America's Best Recipes A 1993 Hometown Collection

8 (8") flour tortillas
8 oz. bulk pork sausage
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and shredded (I used frozen hash browns)
1 medium-size green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 large eggs, beaten
2 T butter or margarine, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Taco sauce

Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil; place on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until heated. 

Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring until it crumbles; drain and set aside. Add potato, green pepper, and onion to skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add eggs, butter, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until eggs are firm, but still moist. Remove from heat; stir in reserved sausage. Work with 1 tortilla at a time, keeping remaining tortillas covered and warm. Place about 3/4 cup egg mixture onto each tortilla. Roll up tightly, and place, seam side down, in a lightly greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with taco sauce. Yield: 8 servings.

Wild Rice Amandine
River Road Recipes published by The Junior League of Baton Rouge, Inc.

2 cups wild rice or 1 cup wild rice and 1 cup long grain white rice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T chopped onions
2 T chopped chives
1 T chopped shallots
3 T chopped green pepper
4 1/2 cups hot chicken broth, or bouillon
3/4 cup almonds, slivered
Salt and Pepper to taste

Wash and drain rice. Saute vegetables in olive oil. When tender, stir in rice until golden color. Stir in chicken broth. Salt and pepper to taste. Add almonds and turn mixture into casserole. Bake covered in 250 degree oven for 1 1/4 hours or until done. Serves 12.

Fudge Pie
River Road Recipes published by The Junior League of Baton Rouge, Inc.

2 squares bitter chocolate (I substituted 6 T of semisweet chocolate chips)
1 stick butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sifted flour

Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler (I used microwave). Mix flour and sugar. Beat eggs and combine with flour and sugar. Add chocolate and butter. Put in well greased 9" pie plate and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Will cut into segments like a pie.

Goal #42: Donate Blood

Yesterday there was supposed to be a blood drive at Panera Bread. I drove all the way up there and didn't see anything going on. The manager told me that it was cancelled but I could still have my cookie. Score. The blood bank was just a mile up the road so I went hoping they were open and taking walk-ins. That makes it sound like Great Clips...

I was able to give blood! Little did I know the excitement was about to unfold. 

About 2 minutes after they were finished I started feeling light headed. They flipped my chair back and told me to keep my eyes open. I've passed out a few times in my life so I knew I was about there. I told them "I'm going, I'm passing out." All the while they kept talking to me, calling my name, trying to wake me. I felt like I was dreaming. My eyes were closed and was waking up.


The room was spinning and I couldn't keep my eyes on a fixed point. 


I could hear one of the workers on the phone talking about me. She had called 911. About a minute later there were 6 or 7 paramedics, EMT's, firemen...I don't know who all it was, standing around me. Taking information. Pricking my finger. Taking my blood pressure. I was embarrassed. 


Apparently I was out for over 30 seconds and my body got really stiff. 


The paramedic asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital. Uh, no! He told me if they had to come back they would take me to the hospital. No do overs.


I was starting to feel ok. Just really tired and queasy. About 30 minutes later another wave of nausea and lightheadedness hit me. Hard. Revert to legs back in the air. Fan blowing on high, cold compresses, the works. I managed to pull through without passing out. Thank you Lord.


My neighbor was nice enough to come get me so I didn't have to wait around forever to see if I could drive. 


What a day.


I'm sorry to all the people out there who need my O- blood. I just can't do it. If one of my kids needs blood or a family member I will do it again in a heartbeat but other than that I'm staying out of the blood banks.

Goal #70: Repurpose 5 items (5/5)

Let's see if I can remember the 5 things I repurposed in the past year and a half. I don't know if I actually blogged about each one or if I just marked it off when I did it. Either way, I've repurposed a few things lately.

Shopping bag storage: I made one of these to store grocery bags neatly in the car for trash, dirty diapers, dirty/wet clothes, etc.

Fabric Flowers: Made out of a tshirt. Used them on a picture above our bed and I'm going to make some barrettes for a few girls.

Pillowcase Dress: Yes, a pillowcase! I've always thought these were cute and I just got around to making one.

Baby Food Jars: As vases or votive holders.

I can't find the first thing  I repurposed but I know I have made yarn out of tshirts. Oh, I made gift packaging for Jimmy out of an oatmeal container and I taped scrapbook paper around it. It was really cute.

Goal #61: Make a pillowcase dress for my niece

I finally got around to doing this one. I found a VERY cute pillowcase from Savers (thrift store)  for $2 and I had some yellow fabric I thought would look adorable with it.


I used the directions off of THIS blog.


I made the bias tape that I used around the armholes. Totally not worth the time and then I ended up not needing very much... I used the same homemade bias tape to make the "ribbon" (spaghetti tubing ironed flat).   I spent all that time making the bias tape and I didn't want to spend even more time cutting another strip that would just get folded in half and sewn. I just unfolded the bias tape and ironed it in half. 

I think it turned out pretty darn cute. I'm debating on adding any more of the yellow. Maybe a wide strip across the bottom? 

I wanted to get this made before she came to visit a few weeks ago so I could get her picture. Yeah, that didn't happen...

P.S. I only used 1 yard of ribbon (bias tape made into ribbon).