I'm A Foodie, What Can I Say?

So, I've always loved to bake, but lately I've discovered how much I really enjoy cooking. I'm realizing that the reason I didn't always look forward to making dinner, was because I wasn't learning anything new or trying anything different. So, thanks to a gift subscription to Everyday Food (thanks Amber), my fun new Cristina's cookbook, and some searching on the internet, I've developed a new excitement for mealtime. I thought I might share a couple of my new favorites, just in case your looking for something new for dinner tonight. Don't be surprised if I start posting recipes fairly often, I thought this might be a good way to get my recipes ready for the Rose Family Cookbook this year (so Mom, see if you can just cut and paste these recipes into a Word document, if not, let me know and I'll get them to you in the right format!).

Chicken Cheesesteaks with Peppers

1 lb. chicken cutlets
2 Tbs. vegetable oil, such as safflower
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 bell peppers in different colors (red and orange are really pretty), thinly sliced
1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 ounces sliced provolone cheese
4 soft hoagie rolls, split lengthwise
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. On a rimmed baking sheed lined with aluminum foil, toss chicken with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil, without turning, until chicken is opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer toa cutting board (reserve baking sheet); let cool, and thinly slice. Set chicken aside.

On baking sheet, toss together peppers, onion, garlic, and remaining tablespoon oil. Broil, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender and slightly charred, 8-10 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken to broiled vegetables; toss, and spread in a single layer.

Top chicken and vegetables with cheese; broil until cheese is bubbling, 30 seconds to 1 minutes. Spread mayo on rolls; fill with chicken and veges. Serve immediately.


This is so yummy, and I love that my kids are eating peppers, garlic, and onion! I added fresh, sliced mushrooms when I made it because I had them on hand. They were a great addition. And very easy clean up.

As you can see I don't gravitate toward anything with weird ingredients or difficult or lengthy preparations -- just yummy, no-nonsense food.

Mmm..Mmm... Good

I had to devote an entire post to this subject because it was so, so good. (Yep, that good.) While in Sun Valley, we were taken to lunch while on a shopping tour. We went to a great little restaurant called 'Cristina's of Sun Valley'. The owner is an Italian woman named (you guessed it!) Cristina Ceccatelli Cook. She serves the most amazing food. Not your traditional Italian fare, but a more Mediterranean style food. We enjoyed an incredible meal, and were drooling over the amazing food in her cookbooks. We had determined that we would probably buy one, when to our great surprise, we won one in a drawing!! I am happy to report that I tried my first recipe from the book yesterday for Sunday dinner and it was a hit! It was for chicken pot pie. TO -- DIE -- FOR!!! We shared an extra one with a neighbor yesterday and he proclaimed it to be 'crazy good'. Then Brad called me from work to say that he had a hard time making it out of the lunchroom at work today because everyone was asking him about where he got such a luscious creation. I'm telling you, you have to try this recipe.

Cristina's Chicken Pot Pie

Pot Pie Tops:
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry
1 egg yolk
3 Tbsp. cream or milk
parchment paper

Line a 13"x18" baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place puff pastry on sheet and thaw. Cut into six equal squares, then brush each square with egg wash (the egg yolk mixed with the cream of milk). Cut a 1/2 inch thin strip from each square to use as decoration. Refrigerate flat on baking sheet, wrapped in plastic.

Pot Pie Filling:
1/2 pound butter (I know, I know, but wow it's yummy!!!)
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 bunch celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon flour (or cornstarch)
1/2 cup white wine (I just used chicken stock instead)
3 to 3 1/2 cups milk
6 to 7 small red potatoes, peeled, cooked, and cubed
1 1/2 lbs cooked shredded chicken meat (any kind)
1 cup peas
salt and pepper to taste
6 four inch crocks (I actually had enough for 8-9 crocks)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium-size pot, melt the butter, then add onion, mushrooms, celery, carrots, parsley, and thyme, and saute gently until onions are golden. Sprinkle flour or cornstarch over the top and stir, cooking slowly, for about 5 minutes. Gradually stire in wine and milk, and simmer 5 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken, stirring gently, just long enough to let the sauce thicken slightly. Stir in the peas, and adjust thyme and salt and pepper to your taste.

Spoon hot mixture into the crocks, top with chilled pastry, and bake until golden and puffy -- 20 to 25 minutes.


A completely yummy use for all your fresh garden produce. Just a note, I looked everywhere for little crocks, but they were all between $5-$10 each, then I looked at Wal-mart, where I found some for only 86 cents!!! They aren't quite as decorative, but the filling/pastry is so gorgeous on it's own, you really don't need the fancy ones.

Sun Valley, Idaho

Brad and I had the opportunity to get away ALONE for a few days to Sun Valley! He had a conference for work and I was able to attend on the company's dime with him. We had a phenomenal time -- it is absolutely gorgeous up there.

Okay, so the picture above is not from the trip - I forgot to take my camera, but just imagine it sans snow and you've got it.

While Brad was in meetings I shopped, ate, slept, read, sat by the fire, watched tv, and just generally vegged out! In the evenings we attended dinners hosted by the conference -- one of which was at the River Run Lodge. Wow, it was stunningly beautiful there. I had a great time shopping in Sun Valley and Ketchum. Let me add that I mainly window shopped because -- WOW -- it is expensive up there!!! I saw a beautiful jacket from across the room at a store near the Sun Valley Lodge, thought I'd look at it a little closer, turned over the price tag and saw $1595.00, turned around and practically ran out of the store for fear I'd accidentally trip and rip the jacket off the hanger and have to buy it. Can I ask what in the world would cause a jacket to be worth $1600.00?? I mean, really, that is ridiculous.

I did find some fun little items that didn't set me back two mortgage payments, and was completely happy with my spoils. Mostly it was just wonderful to have some time alone with Brad.

I also got a big kick out of the swans that live on the ground of the Sun Valley Resort. They are beautiful and dangerous. Apparently they are very territorial and will not hesitate to chase and/or bite anyone who gets in their way. I found them to be rather sweet, but several of the conference attendees were petrified of them!! It was hilarious to watch people hug the sides of buildings or make large and obvious detours just to avoid any potential contact with the swans. I know I'm deranged, but it really cracked me up!

The kids stayed with our awesome friends, Amber and Mike Tribe (they lovingly refer to Amber as their 'other mother'). They have kids that are similar in age, so each of the kids has a built in playmate. They had a fantastic time, didn't ask about us once, and were heartily disappointed when we showed up to pick them up on Friday night!! It was wonderful knowing that they were having a terrific time as well. I think we all enjoyed the break.

Now I'm just attempting to reenter the realm of real life. My schedule is calling ...

Online Teaching

Just a few words about my online teaching adventure ... I LOVE IT!!! I can't believe how well it is working out and how much I am enjoying teaching. I have the absolute best of both worlds in that I get stay home and not disrupt Jack's life, while earning a little extra money sitting at the computer for 3-4 hours a week (something I do anyway). I have a webcam and a digital notebook which I can capture and send to my students so they can see me and what I am writing in real time. I teach each student individually for about 20 minutes, then give them an assignment which their parent corrects, then they fix any mistakes they can and save any questions they may have until the next lesson. Each student is at a different level so the system works great, as the individual attention really helps them. It's more like having a private tutor. I especially like the part where I don't have to grade anything! I also love not having to worry about classroom management and behavior issues. The kids dial in from home and school both, but they always have a parent nearby that observes the lesson and is able to help from that end. From my perspective it's probably some of the most rewarding teaching I've ever done. The other thing I'm enjoying about it is the flexibility. I'm going to Sun Valley with Brad for a few days next week (work conference), so I won't be available to teach. Instead of having to find a substitute, we have just rescheduled extra days on a couple of Fridays, etc. Talk about a dream job. I feel very blessed.

Saturday Stuff

Inspired by a night spent cleaning the temple and a visit by Mom and Dad Rose, Saturday was needfully spent cleaning the house!! With the whole family pitching in, the job wasn't bad at all and the result was entirely worth it (at least for me!). I love the feel and smell of clean corners. I'm typically a neat person, but not always clean down to the floorboards -- so I'm feeling pretty great about the state of things at the moment. If only the clean stayed clean!!!

As mentioned, Mom and Dad drove over to spend the evening with us (no small task considering they spend Friday evening and Saturday with Julie and her kids, then dropped everything to run to our house after they left). They came to spend some time with us and hear the kids recite their parts for our Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation (which is today). They weren't able to stay for church since Dad has speaking assignments in two wards today. They spent the night and got up early this morning to drive home.

The kids absolutely love it when Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit. They pull out every trick in the book to impress and entertain and are always gratified by the oohs and aahs doled out in their behalves. Thanks for being wonderful parents and grandparents, Mom and Dad. We truly appreciate the sacrifice it was to drive over for such a short time. We loved having you!

Cleaning the Temple

Brad and I had a wonderful opportunity Friday night to go to the Twin Falls Temple for the first time as patrons. We performed initiatory work along with about 20 members of our ward, then, as per our assignment, we all stayed to help clean the temple until about 10:45pm. It was such a special, spiritual experience. I've never gotten to do that before and I LOVED it. It's an incredible feeling to get to do something so personal for the Lord. I enjoyed it more than I can say. I only wish I enjoyed cleaning my own house that much!

Having the temple so close is an absolute dream come true. Gone are the days of the all day temple excursion! Brad caught a ride to work with a neighbor who also works at Glanbia, then late in the afternoon I drove to Twin with the kids, we picked up Brad, went to dinner, then took the kids to Amber and Joe's house (Amber is our niece that was recently married) where they happily played for the next few hours while we were at the temple. It was a late night because of the cleaning assignment, but we were still home by around midnight. We are so blessed to have a temple in our midst.

Reading Rocks!

Okay -- right upfront -- I'm NOT trying to rub this in my little sisters' faces. In fact, I really debated as to whether I should even post this or not, but decided that they are both so sweet that they will be happy for me, and not the least bit ticked off (I hope!).

Since the kids have gone back to school I have been having a ball doing a little preschool with Jack for an hour or two in the mornings. After I'm finished with that, laundry, cleaning, making dinner, etc. I find that I actually usually have a couple of hours to myself. So I have been rereading some of my favorite books that take a little more brainpower than the average modern novel. Just thought I'd share a list of some of my favorites in case you find yourself in a similar situation (unless, of course, you're like my aunt Christie and do something USEFUL with your time like cleaning your closets - thanks a lot Chris, you really made me feel guilty!).

The first favorite I picked up was a really cool read I loved in college called Archimedes' Revenge: The Joys and Perils of Mathematics by Paul Hoffman. I really adore this book because it explores some pretty intense mathematical concepts in a really accessible way. It helps me remember what fascinated me about math in the first place without making me feel like a complete dope for forgetting so much of what I learned!

A few days ago I finished reading Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) for the umpteenth time. Can I just say that I am completely twitterpated with Jane Austen's writing. Maybe it's a girl thing, but, WOW, I love reading her stories. She has an incredible wit and wisdom. Truly a woman before her time. I am absolutely hungering for more (I just started Mansfield Park, and Emma is waiting in the wings)!

I mentioned that I started Mansfield Park, but I was feeling a little guilty and decided maybe I ought to tackle something with a little more substance, so I'm concurrently reading my all-time favorite C.S. Lewis work, The Screwtape Letters. What an incredible work of art and spirituality this book is. He writes with such a mastery of the subject matter, and preaches incredible sermons without even a 'thou shalt not'. I don't pretend to understand it all, but what I do literally pierces my soul. It's really interesting to look at things from the side of the adversary and see him for the underhanded and subversive being that he is. I'm completely enthralled. If you've never read this work, it consists of a series of contrived letters from an experienced minion of the devil named Screwtape to his less experienced nephew Wormwood. In the letters he gives advice about ways to lead Wormwood's human away from God. The cleverness with which he depicts the many ways that we allow ourselves to be led away from the spirit is a terrific reminder of just how easy it is to be led away by that infamous flaxen cord. As I am no great writer, I have done the explanation of this work a complete injustice, but if you have some time, this is a fabulous read. When I finish it, I'm planning to reread Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. Hooray for books!!!!