Heather Drive: July 2008

Slow-Cooked Mexican Chicken

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

For dinner tonight, we went with one of our favorite standby recipes, a slow-cooked Mexican chicken dish. It's so simple, but does require a little bit of planning ahead--simply because it is a crockpot recipe and needs to cook for 5-6 hours.

I found this recipe a couple of months ago over on Dinner with the Bickfords. I'm loving on them this week, aren't I? It just so happened that when I went to her blog to remind myself of the ingredients for this meal (before we went grocery shopping on Sunday), I saw the bread recipe that I posted yesterday. So two Bickford recipes this week. :) I've modified her recipe a little bit, basically just to make more food. We enjoy having leftovers.

Anyway, once we tried this, we started making it once every couple of weeks leading up to the wedding. We love pretty much anything served over rice, and this is no exception. It has a lot of flavor, and the chicken ends up very tender. Combine all of that with how easy it is to put together, and you have a winner, for sure.

Slow-Cooked Mexican Chicken

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
- 1 jar (16 oz.) salsa (We use medium because we like a little spice, but you can use whatever you like. Sometimes, I end up throwing a little extra in there to get all of the ingredients really well coated, if we have another jar in the fridge.)
- 1 can corn
- 1/2 large onion, sliced or chopped
- 1 red pepper, sliced (I slice them really thin because it's how I like them.)
- 2 tbsp. taco seasoning
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Green onions, sliced
- Brown rice (We make several cups in our rice maker.)

Directions:

In your crockpot, combine all ingredients through the taco seasoning. Cook for approximately 5-6 hours on low heat (or 2-3 hours on high).

Prepare your rice accordingly.

Turn off slow cooker and uncover. If the sauce is thin, add flour (a tablespoon at a time) to thicken it up.

Serve chicken mixture over rice, and top with the shredded cheese and green onions.

Best Breadmaker Sandwich Bread

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

We got a breadmaker as a wedding gift. A few weeks ago now, we busted it out of the box and gave it a whirl. The first loaf I attempted was a disaster (it rose so much that it was pushing out the top of the breadmaker!), and I had to stop it in the middle of the cycle and trash it.

The second loaf was OK, but it wasn't the best bread.

And then I found this recipe from Dinner with the Bickfords. I decided to give it a try, and I'm really glad I did. It is really good bread!

When I made it on Sunday, we used it to make really good turkey sandwiches for dinner (turkey with honey mustard, cheddar cheese, and thin slices of granny smith apple). It is perfect for sandwiches. Michael has been making his PB&J lunch sandwiches on it all week. Now it's gone... I have to make another loaf tomorrow!

Breadmaker Wheat Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
1/3 cup olive oil (do not substitute with vegetable oil--use olive oil!)
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (if you wish to make white bread, substitute this for bread flour)
2 1/2 cups bread flour
'2 tbsp. and 2 tsp. white sugar
3 tsp. yeast (I used one of the packets)

Directions:

In the breadmaker pan, combine water, oil, and salt.

Add the flour on top of the liquids. Pour sugar into one corner of the breadmaker pan. Make a well (a dent) in the center of the flour and pour the yeast into it.

Set the breadmaker for a "basic" loaf (and I used the "light" crust setting), and press start. Walk away... in three hours, you'll have delicious fresh bread!

Mike & Jess

Monday, July 28, 2008

On Saturday, we went to the wedding of one of our good friends from college. Well, actually, Michael has been friends with him through most of his childhood, too. They were roommates when we met, and I have many fond memories of Mike!

He met his (now) wife through a job he had after college. They planned their wedding on the beach (a lake), with an outdoor reception. The weather on Saturday was touch and go to begin with. The day couldn't decide whether it wanted to be rainy, sunny, humid, cool, etc.

We walked up to the ceremony site right at 4:00 p.m. (when the ceremony was supposed to start). We waited around for about 10 minutes, and we could hear the thunder rolling in the distance. It was clear we were going to be getting rained on at some point. Everyone just hoped it would hold out at least through the ceremony.

Saying their vows. During this part, this is when it started to rain. The drops kept getting bigger and bigger, and then more frequent.

Someone ran out a big table umbrella to put over them for the rings ceremony. At this point, we were still standing uncovered. Shortly after, however, we all had to make a run for the tent when it started to downpour.

Sadly, we couldn't see or hear the rest of the ceremony because we were all in a huddle, and the rain was too loud. But we got a clue that they were married when people in the front started to cheer, and we saw Mike and Jess fly up the aisle to go take cover in the house.

After that, it downpoured for a few minutes. Then it got a bit better and Michael and I actually walked back to our car to get an umbrella. By the time we got back? Absolutely pouring again. I'd say the bad weather lasted an hour or so. We were all pretty contained under the tent (we made the occasional outing to go to the "bar" and get another drink).

At one point, the weather got so bad that we thought we were in the middle of a monsoon or something. The walls of the tent were blowing, it started hailing golf-ball sized hail, and the wind and rain were whipping through, sand was blowing... it was a mess. But then, in the middle of all that, we could see sun. And next? A beautiful rainbow appeared. It was pretty amazing.

And after that? It turned into a beautiful evening. The rain took the humidity away, and we had sunshine. Sounds a lot like our wedding day, actually (minus the outdoor ceremony and reception, haha).

Michael and Mike

Buffalo Bills Training Camp Kickoff

Friday, July 25, 2008

One thing that people should definitely know about us: We are big football fans. And our team is the Buffalo Bills.

It's OK. You don't have to feel sorry for us. We're really used to the losing by now. ;)

Tonight we went to the kickoff party for the Buffalo Bills Training Camp. We got to enjoy good food, and a meet and greet time with the players. We took my sister-in-law, who is 17 years old and a huge fan, with us. Here are a few of the photos we got tonight.

Cristina and me

Michael and me

Michael and Cristina with Coach Jauron

Michael and me with Paul Posluzny

With Donte Whitner. He was a cool guy and seemed very down to earth.

Cristina with Lee Evans, a wide receiver for the team.

Us with Lee Evans.

Terrence McGee!

Josh Reed, another wide receiver.

Brian Moorman, our pro bowl punter. Unfortunately, he's out on the field way too much. We hope to see less of him this season.

Trent Edwards. The line was too long to wait in for him. We hope you're it for this team, buddy. We need the playoffs. We need them badly.

Moving on... up?

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

I have to move to a new office tomorrow. I am not very excited about it.

The problem is that we are currently experiencing a shortage of space in my division. We are scheduled to move to new digs next spring/summer (we're still not completely sure where that will be), but for right now, we're stuck where we are. Right now, there are just enough offices to fit everyone. Sounds OK, right?

Well, it was OK. Until we hired an additional person.

My division is pretty big. My department? Small. We only have three people (including myself). Soon to be four people.

Back when we offered the new person her position, we knew we would have to cross the "where are we going to put her?" stage eventually. When I returned from the honeymoon, we sat down as a department and discussed the available options for offices for the new person. The thing that sucks is that none of them are within our department's office space. She basically would have an office in a different department in our division... not close to us at all. Way down the hall on the other side of the building, or upstairs on a different floor.

At the time, we agreed on an office space for her, and that was that.

Until earlier this week.

One of the vice presidents, the one who is the head of our division, told my boss that he felt very strongly that I should move, and that the new person should take my office. Why? Well, because the new person is going to have a lot to learn. The person who is going to be her direct supervisor? Right now, her office is directly across from mine. My office would be the perfect space for the new person, because she'll be close to her supervisor and colleague who she will work with most often. She is going to have a lot of questions, a lot of meetings, etc. and the vice president felt like having her close to her supervisor would help their productivity.

The fact of the matter is... he's probably right. I'd be lying if I said that the idea of ME moving hadn't crossed my mind. It had. But I didn't have any desire to give up my office space and move out of my department. However, once the vice president suggested it, I couldn't really say no. I'm being a pretty good sport about it, I think. But I have to be honest... it is a little bit depressing.

I know that the reason I'm being bumped out of my office is because I have been with the company for two years. I know what I'm doing, and don't really need to be supervised. So it's actually just a vote of confidence in me.

It doesn't change the fact that I'm going to be so out of the loop with all of my coworkers now. Just on a comraderie level. Where I am now, my coworkers walk by my office all the time just because I'm kind of in the center of everything. They stop in and chat, about work, about politics, about life. It's nice. Where I'm going? I won't have any unscheduled visitors, I can tell you that. It's much more secluded.

The offices themselves are pretty similar, so it's not really a step up or step down. I still won't have a window. :( But I WILL be able to SEE a window from my desk (when the door is open), so that is kind of nice. (Just trying to look at the positive.)

It's just all about location, location, location.

Big bummer.

So off I go to work tomorrow to pack up my office and move upstairs. The new person starts Monday. Fun times.

Strawberry Cupcakes

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

This recipe originally came from Katie over at Good Things Catered. However, I followed Annie's adaptation for the frosting, since I didn't have strawberry liquor.

I had to make a birthday treat to bring into work for Monday (we sign up for a month and it was my turn). I saw this recipe reviewed and decided to give it a try. Strawberries are the best in the summer... how can you go wrong with strawberry cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting?

Michael and I "tested" a couple of them on Sunday night. Delicious! If you like strawberries, definitely give these a try. They were also a big hit with my coworkers. Only one left at the end of the day.

The frosting consistency, in my opinion, should have been thicker. When I was piping it onto the cupcakes, I thought it was going to melt right off the tops. I had to get them back into the refrigerator quickly. At work yesterday, it was a delicate balance--in and out of the refrigerator and/or freezer. I need the frosting to stay cool enough to stay firm, but I didn't want the cupcakes themselves to be hard.

Next time, I will use either less strawberry puree or more powdered sugar to thicken it up a bit. It held up, but it would have been nice to be able to let them sit out at room temperature for a little while before serving.

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
For cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups chopped strawberries

For frosting:
1/2 cup strawberries
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Sift flour, salt, and baking soda into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold (don't use the mixer!) in chopped strawberries.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the frosting, puree strawberries in a food processor. Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add lemon juice, vanilla, and strawberry puree.

Adjust the amount of strawberry puree or powdered sugar to achieve desired frosting consistency.

Frost cupcakes when completely cool.

One Month!

Monday, July 21, 2008

We have been married for one month.

On one hand, it's hard to believe that time has passed so quickly. On the other, the wedding seems like it was ages ago already. It's weird.

I've been getting a lot of the "So how's married life?" question. It's funny, because I'm never quite sure how to answer that one, aside from saying, "It's good! Very good." I try to come up with a more unique answer, but seriously... what do you say?

The truth is that married life--at least for us--is not much different than unmarried life. We already lived together for three years before we got married. With the wedding and the marriage, all we did was make it official.

The biggest change has just been my name. I'm still getting used to it. I honestly haven't had to use it that much yet, so in a way, it hasn't even hit me that I'm not Heather Oldlastname anymore. I always knew I'd change my name when I got married. I didn't think it was a big deal. But I'll admit to being a little bit sad on the day I was at Social Security and the DMV, "handing over" my old name for the new one. It is just an odd thing--I've spent almost 26 years of my life as Heather Oldlastname, and now I am not "her" anymore. I don't regret changing it, though. I know I'll adjust.

And I love saying "my husband" now. That's a change, too.

We are still waiting (impatiently) for our pro pictures and our video. I thought for sure we would have both by Friday of last week, but apparently everyone is running a bit behind. Hurry it up already, I want to relive my wedding!

You hear people talking about "wedding withdrawal." After spending so much time and effort planning the wedding, there are the people who are really sad when it's over and don't know what to do with themselves.

Yeah, umm... that's not me. I have not really experienced any of that. There are times when I think I'd like to go back and relive the day over again. But that's only because 1) It went by so fast, and 2) I had SO much fun.

On Friday night, we were at my mom's house for a party. At one point, I did sneak away to go "visit" my dress. It's still hanging on the back of the closet door in one of her spare bedrooms. I hadn't seen it since the day after the wedding, so it was kind of funny. It is still completely filthy. I had a lot of second thoughts about my dress between the time I bought it and the wedding day, but now, I can't imagine having worn anything else. On the wedding day, as soon as I put it on with everything else--made-up hair, professional makeup, my jewelry, the bouquet--it all really came together for me and I knew I had made the right decision.

We aren't really "celebrating" tonight. I'm just going to make dinner at home.

So here I am, on the other side. And I gotta tell you... life is good.

Mia's 1st Birthday

Sunday, July 20, 2008

My little cousin (second cousin, actually), Mia, turned 1 year old on July 17. Yesterday, my cousin Carly (her mother) and her husband threw a BBQ to celebrate.

It was a good time. It was nice to see some of my family again, now that the wedding is over. And Mia was adorable, of course. (You know how I love babies!) I guess she just started walking last week. She is already a pro at it. It's amazing to watch how much they develop in such a short time.

I was bad about taking pictures at the party... until Mia had her birthday cupcake, of course. This little one is the spitting image of her father. It is too funny.