Wanting to learn to cook

I'll admit, I'm a timid cook. I like to mostly play it safe, and am always looking to *maybe* branch out and try new things. Here are some things I'd love to learn

1. How to properly use cutting knives, and learn what the different knives are and what they're uses are.

2. To decorate a cake (a la Wilton).

3. How to create my own recipe.

4. How to host a good dinner party (for future Christmases, Thanksgivings, etc.)

5. How to properly use different kitchen tools, and possibly know when to weed out old ones that I won't use.

Anyone up for the challenge?

Kitty Love!

I've noticed I haven't posted pictures of our furbabies in a while. I've been so caught up in the baby race, I'm shamefully neglecting (not literally) my current babies.

"Do you mind! We're cuddling here!" (Neebs and MJ)

"Yes, I made a mess...and now I'm sunbathing in your laundry basket. Deal." (Chloe)

"I'm keeping the towels warm for you" (MJ)

"Almost...asleep" (Chloe)

"Take me with you! Take me with you!" (Neebs)

"When is Dad coming home?"

Blood Glucose Woes

Last weekend, the weekend Jake and I went to an A's game with Dan and Trish, I went to Kaiser to have blood drawn (yup...my FAVORITE thing in the entire world). It was to check liver function, thyroid function, and most of all, my blood glucose levels. And guess what? No change! That's right...the Metformin (on 500 mg a day) made no difference whatsoever in my blood sugar levels. Bummer. I got a call from my PCP telling me to up my dosage to 1000mg a day and take blood again in 2-4 weeks. Yay for me.

Being a diabetic (or in my case, pre-diabetic)sucks!

Weekly video 7/24/09

Happy Friday everyone!

Again, we'll have a taste of So You Think You Can Dance this week. I can't help myself.

Last night marked the show's 100th episode. There were some dances from previous seasons, including this one. When I saw it, I got chills up my back. It totally reminds me of Sweeney Todd. It's a Marie Antoinette/zombie-ish piece to a song that fits it to a tee. It's a little twisted. They are joined by the choreographer Wade Robson (the guy in the billowy white shirt and vest on the right of the group of boys).

ETA: YouTube removed the original video I posted, so here's another. Ironically, this one is clearer.

Enjoy!

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

From a wonderful blog I follow, "Sarah's Test Kitchen", I decided to try a recipe from this fabulous lady :). (Hi Sarah!). I made a few minor changes that would've helped Jake and I eat these tacos without the tortillas crumbling to pieces. I also modified our recipe a little bit since we didn't have a BBQ readily available. I might have missed something, but here it is.

Enjoy!

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

from Sarah's Test Kitchen

Makes 4-5 small tacos

--1lb medium-sized raw shrimp (31/40) - deveined, shells removed (I also recommend removing the tails now, since I tried to after the shrimp were cooked and burned my fingers)

--1 tbsp olive oil

--2 tbsp chipotle sauce (I used a marinade/sauce since I couldn't find it in a can)

--1 tsp salt

--White corn tortillas (I would suggest lightly pan frying for 2 seconds on each side for more pliable tortillas)

--Any other taco fixings you'd like (We used black beans, fresh homemade pico de gallo, and cheese)

1. Toss shrimp, olive oil, chipotle sauce, and salt and mix together. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. Saute shrimp in a non-stick pan until thoroughly cooked.

3. Once cooked, give shrimp a rough chop, assemble your tacos...Enjoy!

Thanks again Sarah! :)

Fresh Pico de Gallo (LoLo's recipe)

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 or 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp lime juice

Mix all ingredients well, refridgerate.

Makes 2-3 servings

What to Expect Before You're Expecting

This past weekend, Jake and I went to an Oakland A's game with Dan and Trish, whom I haven't seen since our wedding over 2 years ago. Dan is a big A's fan, so Jake thought with us having 4 seats, Dan and Trish would enjoy the outing. It was hot, but we made do. We were in prime foul ball territory, so Jake brought his catching glove from softball to the park.

After the game, we went to Texas Road House in Union City. It was a lot of fun, and I highly recommend it. After dinner, Jake and I decided to visit the Borders Bookstore across the parking lot from the restaurant. There, I wanted to look for a book about possibly helping me to deal with the disappointment of not getting pregnant yet. Instead, I stumbled upon another book which Jake and I are currently reading. "What to Expect Before You're Expecting".

I have read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" which is an awesome book as well. This book tells you exactly what you need to do, how to take an accurate BBT (which I'm guessing is my downfall here), eating right to support a healthy pregnancy, and answers about chronic conditions and medications and how they'll affect a pregnancy. There are also sections for the Dad-to-be on doctor visits, tests, and how to handle the emotional stuff with your wife. I highly recommend this book. Jake and I read a few pages every night together and has answered a lot of his questions.

Weekly video 7/17/09

So, I know I missed last Friday's weekly video. My apologies. I was in the process of posting one, but when I tried to find one to post, I couldn't find it. Boo. So I'm posting two videos today.

This week is yet another So You Think You Can Dance bit. It's to show my cousin Megan her "son" in 10 years. The male dancer's name is Jason (which is pretty close to Jalen in my opinion). He's a beautiful dancer, and the minute we saw him, Jake and I both said "he looks exactly like Jalen in 5-10 years!" This is him and Caitling in the top 12 doing a Fox Trot.

Enjoy!



This second video is my personal favorite from this past week's top 10 solos. Her name is Jeanette, she's from Miami (pay attention to the song), and a Salsa dancer. Watching her dance like makes me wish I had stayed in dance. Her solo is the first half of the video.

Enjoy!