#slowvide and #loaflife

The Anova sous vide has been getting a LOT of action! 

First, we made chicken thighs with olive oil, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper. I was complaining a lot about how long we had to wait, and I was getting pretty hangry. However, when I took the first bite of those buttery thighs, I knew it was worth every minute. This first attempt got us really excited about trying different meats!

The next day, we made steak with olive oil, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic. The wait wasn't quite as long for the steak and the final product as perfectly and evenly cooked. However, I don't think it was worth the wait. The steak was delicious! But it wasn't significantly better than just cooking steak in the cast iron alone. The perfectly even cooking doesn't really justify waiting double the time when the satisfaction level is the same with both methods. 

The day after, we made sockeye salmon with dried dill and lemon slices. Yes, this one was as buttery as the chicken thighs! Worth the wait. 

Today, we made chicken breasts which were very moist for breasts but obviously not as tasty as the thighs. My favorites so far are the salmon and the chicken thighs! I'm excited to try pork and corned beef next. 

I also made a batch of banana bread with Whysk baking mix! More fiber and other goodies, and the bread tasted just as good as usual. I sprinkled cinnamon on the top of the batter, and the loaf came out with a beautiful cinnamonny crust. 

And I haven't given up on the artisan loaves! I made a sun-dried tomato and whole garlic clove loaf. It was a hit at the Seahawks game viewing party. 

Cooking spree

My first week of 2017 has been a cooking spree!

I've always loved banana bread, but I had never made it until now. The hardest part was waiting for the bananas to overripen. We ate slices for breakfast, which is relatively healthy because we normally don't eat breakfast. 

Making tomato bisque was easier than I thought, especially because the immersion blender did all of the work. We ate the bisque with quesadillas that Matt melted on his cast iron skillet. 

Someone mentioned tortilla soup at work, so I made a batch that night! I even made freshly baked tortilla chips. Again, the immersion blender was very helpful.

Matt requested chicken noodle soup because he's sick. If I had a bigger dutch oven, I wouldn't have had to use a stock pot! 

Carrot raisin bread smells like cinnamon rolls and tastes like carrot cake. I LOVE how moist this bread came out! I think we'll be alternating between this and banana bread for our weekday breakfasts. 

I'm going to need to get a recipe binder soon! This loaf pan is really coming in handy. 

Christmas & NYE 2016

I never understood what "baking season" was until now. With this winter being especially cold and snowy, the warmth from oven cooking is a welcome feeling. 

For our beer and cheese white elephant exchange, I made a parm and rosemary loaf with a garlic butter. It was a hit! I also think I got THE BEST gift at the exchange because my beer came with brie and salami (my faves). 

Most of us wore festive sweaters, and we had a great friendmas. I like being able to host these kinds of gatherings, even though I miss hosting at our last house. We had SO MUCH space there! 

Matt and I spent Christmas Eve at church with is family and then we all ate dinner at his sister's house. For the dinner, Matt cooked up a bunch of butcher steaks, and we brought sundried tomato basil bread with garlic butter. And Pokemon snickerdoodles! When I was making the royal frosting for the cookies, I was horrified at how much sugar the recipe called for. No more frosting in 2017! 

The dinner was delicious, and I've been having so much fun playing with Matt's niece. Matt's sister gave me a LC loaf pan for Christmas, and I am so excited to use it! Another one for the collection. Between the Keurig that Matt's sister gave him, the Anova sous vide that I gave to Matt, and the hand blender that Matt gave to me, I think this Christmas has successfully maxed out our kitchen space. 

On Christmas Day, Karen, Sam, and Melissa came over to hang out and watch basketball and movies. Melissa made dokkbokki and I made another rosemary loaf. After we finished eating, we watched The Secret Life of Pets. It was a very relaxing day after what felt like an exhausting weekend!

After Christmas, I made a roasted garlic and rosemary Le Poulet Rouge in my dutch oven. The skin was buttery and the chicken was perfectly sized for my 3.5 qt. pot. A few days later, we used the drippings to make fried rice, and I think it was the best fried rice I've ever had. 

For NYE, David, Matt, Charles, and I headed down to Portland to meet up with other Charles who was visiting his cousin. 

When we got to Portland, I caught up on email and saw a message from my mom about my uncle passing away. It was a really shocking moment, and I thought how sad my cousins must be this NYE. I can't imagine what they went through over the weekend, and what they are going through now. Growing up, we spent many holidays at my uncle's house and he was always kind and welcoming. Since moving away from home, I haven't seen my uncles much at all. It makes me sad that I've lost touch, and it also makes me feel guilty for not going home for the holidays. 

For the rest of the Portland trip, I stayed in touch with my mom via email to make sure she was okay. I couldn't do much else about the situation. Ringing in 2017 at the Midnite event was a huge hit. The venue was gorgeous, people were nice, and music was on point. Most importantly, I got to spend NYE with my closest friends and we all had a great time. My uncle's passing reminded me to live in the moment and enjoy all that is around me. It's easy to get caught up in life and forget that tomorrow is never promised. 

For 2017, I want to be more present in my day-to-day life and appreciate every moment. I'm going to be more thoughtful and more connected.