When all else fails, I cook.

I'm sure you know me enough by now to know that my biggest hobby is cooking. This is something creative that Lee and I share, and although we like being in our kitchen together, I definitely end up there more often. Especially if I'm stressed out or need some down time. Want to know what makes me feel better? Or, I guess you could say, want to know what I'm doing when I'm not feeling so great? I'm cooking. That always cheers me up. Not baking, by the way, although this week I did break down late one evening and make cupcakes. From a box, because that's the only way I bake. And there were fake confetti sprinkles in the frosting, with ingredients I co

uldn't pronounce. That's not my style, but frosting something sounded like a great thing to look forward to the next morning, and then I brought them to work and left a couple at home for Lee. I prefer the salty over the sweet, but I do like a good buttercream frosting once in a while.

So, I'm working on a couple of cookbooks. One of them is 'The Complete Book of Greek Orthodox Cooking: The Recipe Club of Saint Paul's Gre

ek Orthodox Cathedral'. Long name, I know. Last night I made Eggplant Tomato Sauce, or Saltsa me Melitzana. It was a recipe that reminded me of a dish I ate nearly every day when I lived in Montana and my friend worked at a Turkish restaurant. I also worked there and learned every recipe, so this one is really more turkish to me, but I absolutely love it in any case. And it turned out just as I remembered it. It's so richly tomato-ey and the eggplant has the silkiest texture. I put it over polenta, but I remember eating it with garlic yogurt in Montana. It real

ly was good. I'm impressed I could remember how I made it, but I did need this recipe for a base.

Tonight I made a recipe from 'Lidia's Italy' by Lidia Bastianich. I chose her version of polenta that uses evoo and chicken stock, which is different from my norm and I liked it better. Typically I use milk, but this was nice. I made Beans and Sausages with Polenta, or Polenta E Fasoi. Fabulous! It's sauce is rich with tomatoes, bacon, onions and cannellini beans, then the sweet italian sausages are braised in it for quite a while. I served it over the polenta with a side of broccoli rabe sauteed in shallots and lemon. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these books, they are very authentic and simple, plus I love Greek and Italian foods.

Winter Photo Update

Here are a few of the things we did this winter, since spring seems to be well on it's way.

We got married! November 14th, 2009. And we love each other more and more every day, really.

Lee played video games while Celia wore my snuggie and played her Gameboy and Cypress sucked her thumb, I just like this picture I guess. :)

Our friends and family volunteered at Christmastime to stuff stockings for children all over the Seattle area. It was started by Coast Guard wives and has become a huge help to families in need and a tradition for us.

Cypress and I made a leaning gingerbread house.

New Year's Eve was Chinese Food and yet another game night with friends.

Had to have one food picture! This is an app plate we made up just one evening. Apples, cheese, almonds, prosciutto, gruyere pinwheels and spanish flatbread.

Allow Myself to Introduce Myself....

So here's the new-ish blog. Now that Kelley and I are married, we no longer have to spend every waking moment planning the wedding and we find ourselves with a ton of free time, so we decided to start blogging together so that people would only have to go to one place to find out what we're up to. It'll be nice to write more frequently, it's something I fell out of the habit of doing and I've missed it. Seeing as how I'm the nerdy side of the equation expect all kinds of geeky musings in the months to come. Until then Belated Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Decade Everyone!

Just writing 'new decade' makes me feel old. I can be somewhat nostalgic about the '80's, since it's long enough gone to love the music and hate the fashion trends. And I can let go of the '90's, all full of the fear of having sex because of AIDS and douchebags and the Backstreet Boys-- we seem fairly far away from that decade. But to get past the fact that we are now past the 2000's (if that's what you call it), is very weird to me. I'm sure in another 10 years I'll figure out what that decade was about, but right now, I just feel old. Maybe because the 00's (I'm going to use my own word for this decade and call it the 'oh oh's'), were a full decade of me being an adult. There was no teenager or even young adult in the oh oh's for me, which means I've been getting old almost as long as I've been young and soon the tables will fully turn and I'll be just older all together. By the way, I don't REALLY feel old, I just don't like the idea of a new decade yet, so I'm adjusting. And the fact that my grandkids will think I'm ancient because I was born in the 1900's freaks me out a little. Or maybe they will think I'm wise. I'd like that better.

Here's a video of Lee and I. Not just dating, but married!