dragon doona dinosaur

My two boys love to sing, especially in the car. Once the seat belts are clicked and the car seats secured, one of them will ask almost immediately for "Dinoco" or "Mack" - their words for the Cars movie soundtrack. And we'll drive down the road and sing, over and over, to "Life Would Be A Dream" and "Route 66" and "Real Gone", songs I suspect every parent of every boy under the age of 5 can sing from memory. Well, I do, at least.

Inevitably, I get sick of listening to Cars, over and over, and I'll turn on something else, maybe a Pandora station or my own mix of songs from my phone. (This they call "Mommy's music" and it's usually met with a lot of protest.) Sometimes, we'll sing one of the handful of songs they've learned from preschool or daycare: A-B-C, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Days Of The Week (sung charmingly to The Addams Family theme), Jesus Loves Me.

Aidan, for those of you who haven't met him, is my little rule follower, type A, everything-has-its-place boy. He is the older of the two, and it shows in his behavior. He is responsible, even for a spirited 4 year old boy. When I turn around and ask if he wants to sing A-B-Cs, he will. Or he'll say he doesn't want to sing A-B-Cs, and then lets everyone know what other familiar song he will sing instead, in preparation. Usually, he has to sing it solo. (Gee, I can't figure out where he gets that trait.) But for the most part, he is predictable. Singing songs will only have one of a limited few outcomes: sing the requested song solo, sing another known song solo. Sometimes he'll sing with me. Sometimes. Not often.

(A side note for all you parents convinced you must have horrid voices based on your kids' reactions to your singing: I actually have a degree in voice. I even made it to grad school, so I'm pretty sure I can at least hold a tune. I don't break out in operatic voice or anything - I just sing straight. And both boys vehemently protest my singing pretty much EVERY TIME. "No Mommy! Don't sing!" So don't take it personally.)

Brendan - Bubba - on the other hand, is my free spirit. When it comes to singing, and life in general, you don't know what's going to come out of his mouth. He is my younger son, the child who, in the same 60 seconds, will have you dying from just how adorable he is and pulling your remaining hair out in frustration at his antics. He is the kid who goes from one calamity to another without interruption, the child who needs protective gear just living his life. He is predictably unpredictable, and that definitely applies to his choice of singing. If you ask him to sing A-B-Cs with you, he might. Or he might launch into something completely made up.

Enter "Dragon Doona Dinosaur".

I have no idea where he picked this up, this crazy, jumbly, made-up song. My best guess is that a) he loves singing, b) he loves being silly, c) he loves dinosaur and went through a phase recently where ALL he wanted to watch was Dinosaur Train, and d) he had not heard any songs about dinosaurs. So he made up one on his own. It even rhymed. It is to the tune of the A-B-C song (or Twinkle Twinkle, if you prefer). It can take many variations, but the consistent opening of late is "Dragon Doona Dinosaur! Abo-rani-abo-more!" There might be some other syllables in the middle verses. He might just sing "Dragon Dragon Dinosaur!" for every line. The song changes nearly every time, making it almost impossible to sing along. He, too, wants to have his solo, likely for the attention of a solo versus Aidan's need for order and routine in getting to sing a solo. (Again, no idea where they get this from! Sheesh. STOP LOOKING AT ME.)

Dragon Doona Dinosaur, for all its creative charm, usually lands one or both of my kids in tears: it becomes this round robin of competitive one-upping-ness, the other trying to gain control of a song spinning wildly out of control. And the lucky adults in the car are left scrambling to distract them to another sing or activity, or at least find that bottle of ibuprofen. I groan inwardly every time I hear one of the boys launch into it, because I know what's coming. The tears, the hitting, the screams, the protests. I just want a nice, quiet ride with no drama. Dragon Doona Dinosaur pretty much guarantees chaos. I DON'T LIKE THAT SONG.

It's not what I had planned when I set off on that drive. It never is.

I get short, testy. I will inevitably utter some stern warning to the backseat that either gets them even more upset or indignant. I get frustrated, they whimper. And this is all before we get to our destination, where I can only hope they will behave in whatever public area. Eventually, they move on, but I'm left feeling anxious, muttering, exhausted.

"Can you please sing a real song?" I will often ask them.

I wanted to squash all the creativity out of them in order to have my order.

Tonight, on an after-dinner drive through the neighborhood, Bubba started the familiar refrain: "Dragon doona dinosaur!". I started to cringe and was about to ask him to sing a "real song" when I heard him singing "Dragon, dragon, dragondinosaur!", cramming that last word in to one note. He did this for every verse. It was HILARIOUS. We all laughed, Aidan included. And we might have missed that if I had given in to my first impulse to get him to "behave" and sing something else.

I know I can draw a thousand parallels to my life here: our circumstances lately feel like made-up lyrics, unexpected, unplanned songs to a slightly familiar tune. Things just aren't going the way we expected, and yet, the sun rises and sets, the tune of life still mostly familiar in its undercurrent. I don't like change. I don't want to have to give up control and let someone else take the reins, musically or otherwise. I often end up in frustration and tears. I just want life to behave.

But when I stop and go with the flow, let God lead us where he's guiding us, I laugh. I smile. Things are so much EASIER. There's not so much conflict, internal or otherwise. There's contentedness. When I stop to celebrate the joy of the moment, even amidst tears and protests (including my own), I find the joy and see less of the crud. I start protesting my situation less and laughing much more. When I learn not to cringe in anticipation of what I think is coming, whittle down my joy with all of my anxious, useless worrying, I open the door to all of these sweet, unexpected surprises... many of them coming from chubby, sticky hands and sugar-smeared cheeks.

I don't want to miss out on the surprise blessings God sends through a made-up song, an impromptu moment, my children's creativity, all because I need to have control.

In Genesis, Abraham obeyed God's command to go and yet only knew a few steps of the journey at a time, never knew the end destination until he actually got there. I can imagine that wandering in foreign lands, encountering all sorts of new and unexpected places and events, likely felt like the familiar song of his days getting a whole new set of verses... and he wasn't the one in control of them. He could have protested, found a spot along the way, and tried to get a regular rhythm back into his life. He didn't. Instead, he went with the flow, followed God's direction, building altars and celebrating each step of the way with faithfulness, even though he had NO idea where he was going to end up. He was human, so I know he probably longed for the familiarity and regularity of his home life. He left comfort for the unknown. He trusted and let go of control.

The next time we head out for a drive, I think I'll be the one to lead the rousing chorus of "Dragon Doona Dinosaur", and even if we have some tears and protesting, I know we'll all see what unexpected joy lies around the corner.

100 things about me, the 2013 edition

Oh, it was high time to update this list.  Here we go:

1. I'm an RN by trade and an incorrigible introvert at heart.
2. I hate cooked peas and carrots. Also lima beans.
3. I was born on Cinco de Mayo.
4. That song you have stuck in your head? DON'T SING IT FOR ME. PLEASE. Because it will get caught in my head, too.  And then we'll both be sad. 
5. Cilantro tastes like soap to me.
6. When I was twenty, I tried to make myself smoke a pack of cigarettes. Hated it so much I only made it through the first two and threw the rest out.
7. I miss having a cat.
8. I used to have 2 other cats (Opus, Missy), three goldfish (Nutsy, Trigger, and Peter O'Toole), a hamster (Scooter), and briefly, two kittens (Ben and Jocey).
9. I have perfect pitch.
10. I do not judge you if you do not have perfect pitch.
11. I play piano, violin, and sing.
12. I tried to play trumpet once, during college. I was told to never play any brass instrument ever again.
13. I grew up Catholic.  It was rad.
14. I love being at church. 
15. My number-one destination of places I have not yet been is Ireland.
16. Jason is two years younger than I am.
17. No one believes me when I tell them how old I am.
18. I'd love to learn the cello. I played it for two years in middle school, a borrowed cello from school, but never officially took lessons.
19. I love being pregnant.
20. I cannot stand horror movies.
21. I love Manhattan and New York in general.
22. I have sung in Lincoln Center, at Avery Fisher Hall, with a choir.  It was rad.
23. I thrive in cold weather, in snow. 
24. I love my husband more than anyone else in the world.
25. My favorite color is pink.
26. Within two weeks of meeting my husband, I knew he would be my husband.
27. I was proposed to on Christmas Eve, in front of the entire congregation at my church.
28. I waitressed for one summer in college.
29. I never went to prom.
30. I live in blue jeans.
31. I'm addicted to Coke Zero. I drink way too much of it, I'm afraid.
32. I never got into tea.
33. I LOVE Anne of Green Gables. I have watched it (and Anne of Avonlea) at least a hundred times.
34. I have a "bosom friend" named Diana. She calls me "Anne-girl".
35. I really don't care for the third movie in the Anne of Green Gables set.  Meh.
36. I am wonderfully happy being around mountain scenery.
37. I am right-handed.
38. I do not like pickles or avocados. Pickled avocados would probably horrify me if they exist.
39. I attended four different colleges within an 8 year time span.
40. I nearly flunked college chemistry the first time.
41. I aced it 6 years later.
42. I was in a sorority whose signature colors were pink and white. Shocking, I know.
43. I dropped out of that sorority. "Deactivated" is the official term, actually.
44. Some of my verbal pet peeves are "vice-a versa", "axed (asked)", "irregardless", and "expresso".
45. My favorite movie of all time is Amadeus. It is rad.
46. When I run, I feel better almost instantly. Even if I'm cursing under my breath.
47. I break out into hives when I hear metal scraping metal, like a metal spoon scraping a metal bowl.
48. I love baking even more than eating what I bake. 
49. I love playing with makeup.  I'm learning to wear it more.
50. I don't mind getting my blood drawn.
51. Funny embarrassing Disney anecdote: outside of Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Jason and I saw a very short person walk by.  Jason: "I think that was Warwick Davis.  You know, Willow." Me, scolding: "J, every short person is NOT Warwick Davis." I read later that day in the paper that it was, in fact, Warwick Davis.  
52. Some of my other favorite movies are Finding Nemo, Dirty Dancing, Pretty in Pink, Cars, Howard's End, The Goonies, Office Space, Brave, and the Princess Bride.
53. I know it's unreasonable and irrational, but I still secretly want everyone to like me.
54. I am learning to love Florida weather a little more than I used to.  But we're still not on good terms.
55. I dearly love the people I know in Florida, which makes it extremely hard to leave.
56. I never tan anymore. Too risky.
57. I don't like it when I get told I look tired.  Even though it's usually true.
58. I tend to listen to one song, over and over, until I am sick of it and refuse to listen to it ever again.
59. I am not good with large groups of children.
60. I didn't learn to drive until I was 23 years old. I learned on a stick shift.
61. I have two of the cutest kids in Christendom. They are rad.
62. I cannot drink from a water fountain if someone is behind me.
63. I love roller coasters.
64. I prefer cold weather to warm, winter to spring, sweaters to bathing suits.
65. I love music and my iTunes is just all over the place, which I love.
66. I cut my hair short for the first time in October 2011. It is rad. 
67. I sleep on my stomach almost exclusively.
68. I have a thing for those IceDream cones from Chick-fil-A. 
69. In second grade, I accidentally gave my best friend a bloody nose trying to teach her the proper way to throw a Frisbee.
70. I took four years of French in high school. I remember none of it.
71. When I was 12, I tried to climb over a chain link fence at my school and got my underwear caught at the top. I couldn't get free and asked my mom and/or cousin (who successfully climbed over) to free me, except they were laughing too hard and I nearly impaled some sensitive areas waiting for them to calm down.
72. I chew my cuticles when I am stressed out.
73. I grew up on Apple computers.
74. I cannot ski, even on perfectly horizontal, flat snow. I always fall.
75. My favorite book of all time is Jane Eyre.
76. Other books I love: The Red Tent, Bridget Jones' Diary, all the Harry Potter books, the Little House on the Prairie books, and Redeeming Love.
77. I have no intention of ever delivering a baby without serious legal narcotics at my disposal. (Thankfully, I have never had to).
78. I lost 50 pounds through Medifast.   Kept it off, too.
79. I have some really, really terrific friends. They are rad.
80. I think I want more kids.
81. I love me some Disney.  One of the best dates Jason and I have ever had was a date at EPCOT watching the Candlelight Processional. 
82. I hit the snooze button repeatedly. I never get up on the first buzz.
83. I can only eat slightly underripe bananas. Anything riper makes me gag.
84. My favorite scents are baking bread, the top of my kids' heads after a bath, firewood burning, and that orange-y scent at some of the Disney rides.  
85. I need to be alone when I am having a hard time.
86. I don't like it when I am interrupted during a story, or when I see others being interrupted, though I know I'm mad guilty of interrupting others.
87. Sometimes I remember every crappy thing I've ever done all at once, for no real reason.
88. I'm learning how to be gentle with myself for #87. 
89. I want to celebrate 60 years of marriage with Jason, with both of us alive and present.
90. I cannot stand vampire movies or TV shows and think they are completely ridiculous.
91. I was born in Birmingham, Alabama.
92. I used to dislike big dogs.  Now I'm kinda wanting one.  A gentle one.
93. I have a hard time shopping at Ross, TJ Maxx, and thrift stores. I do not have the patience to sift through the disorganization to find the bargains.
94. I prefer milk chocolate to dark.
95. I am always up for a good nap.
96. I've never broken a bone.
97. I've watched a person being born, and I've watched someone take their very last breath. Both times were incredible privileges.
98. On our honeymoon, Jason and I went to a no-longer-maintained park in the middle of nowhere in the Canadian Rockies, off a very remote stretch of road, and actually went looking for grizzly bears.
99. I am pretty sure the chocolate chip cookies at Chick-fil-A are made with crack.
100. Carbs are my downfall.

Whew!

friday five: five of my goals for 2013

1. Write more. I've been stalking other peoples' blogs for quite some time now without doing any writing of my own. And I've had so many nights where I'm composing blog posts in my head as I'm falling asleep, things I want to share, things I want to process out as typed words instead of fleeting thoughts. I get inspired by blogs like this and this and this. I love these women who share their faith and families, inspiring and encouraging so many with their words. I'd love to return the favor, so here I am. I've often found myself struggling to add to my blog because I get tired of how it looks, but for now, I'll write and let the format change as I can.

2. Worry less. Yeah. This is going to be a big goal for me. Worry is the number one roadblock in my way of living the way God wants me to live. (There are other roadblocks, but this one is the behemoth.) When I lay my head down at night and stop the crazy whirlwind of crazy business that is my life, I worry. It's a bad, bad habit. Worrying does nothing to affect the outcomes, except that it makes me lose precious sleep, fogs my brain, and distracts me from all of the many positive things in my life. So since it is serving no useful purpose, I'd like to be rid of all that worry, or less of it at the very least.

3. Move more. My thoughts and emotions are constantly on the move, while my body is usually mostly stationary. When I move my body more, the inverse is true of my brain: I calm. It's after I've been on a run that I feel God's voice clearest in my heart, recognize the constancy of His promises. It's when I've shrugged off the couch in favor of helping the boys ride tricycles that I stop to enjoy their little moments and not spend them buried in my iPhone. My body also feels so much better and operates much more smoothly when I've treated it well and worked off some of those calories.

4. Spend less. I think this one is pretty self-explanatory: live within our means. 2012 was rough on our finances in a lot of ways, notably with the unsteadiness of Jason's income and unexpected medical expenses, and while we couldn't control some of the ways we had to spend money, a lot more choices were our own to make.

5. Enjoy more... of where I am right now. I'm a planner. I love to have the next 5 years of my life in clear view. I like to know what's coming next. (Stop laughing.) 2012 was all about learning that not only are my plans never set in stone, going with the flow and seeing the real plan God has for me is way richer, way better. It does mean giving up my tight little fist of control. I'm not so good with that yet. As this new year begins, so much of our lives is in flux: jobs, locations, schooling, finances. My nature is to be even more future-oriented, trying to plan out the next step so that everything will be okay. But my plans are so... HUMAN. And LIMITED. And in retrospect, I see the rather amazing journey God has taken me on, the paths He made for me vs. the paths I would have chosen myself, had it all been up to me, and I'm like, WHEW. And in the meantime, there are all these wonderful things to celebrate and enjoy and experience RIGHT. NOW. Like my two kids. And my husband. And a million other awesome things about where I am RIGHT. NOW. The future can take care of itself.

What are your goals for 2013? I'd love to hear them.

as good a reason as any to start blogging again...

I just realized my last post was in September. Of 2010. Where did the time go? So, to kick it off again, here's a New Year's meme, a few days late. YOU'RE WELCOME.

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? Turned 35, threw my awesome husband a surprise party (thanks, Kelley!), started working as a case manager, started working from home, kept off the 50 pounds I lost in 2011, became the mom of a fantastic FOUR year old and TWO year old, moved away from Orlando and to Tampa, sold a house. Not bad.  

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Hmmm. I don't make resolutions, as that's pretty much a guaranteed way I will BREAK them. But as far as goals... I want to spend more time with the people who matter most to me (my husband, my boys, my God), find more ways to be a blessing to others instead of being selfish, write a little more (hey! I'm already starting strong!), lost those stubborn last 15 pounds, and run my second half marathon! Also, cut myself a ton of grace for the goals I don't quite achieve.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Why yes, yes they did! And several more cutie patooties due to come in 2013!

4. Did anyone close to you die? My sweet Nanna passed away. And I didn't actually know any of the dear angels in CT, but that hit me pretty hard.  

5. What countries did you visit? Stayed in the good ol' United States. 'MERICA.  

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you didn’t have in 2012? To live amongst snow and/or mountains. To save more than I spend. (Those two needn't be mutually exclusive, now.) To expand our family, by fur or by flesh. (NO I AM NOT PREGNANT.)  

7. What dates from 2012 will be etched upon your memory, and why? March 3 - moving to Tampa. August 25 - Jason's rockin' surprise party. December 25 - because I just freaking LOVE Christmas. And it was awesome.  

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? Maintaining a 50 pound weight loss, pushing for a better job and getting it, and potty-training Aidan.

9. What was your biggest failure? Believing all those lies in my head, the ones that kept me from dreaming, achieving, spending time with the people I loved, not worrying. Also, not winning the Powerball, despite the ONE ticket I bought.  

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? A couple of running-induced strains, and a nasty bout with walking pneumonia around Halloween.  

11. What was the best thing you bought? My dad's Miata, for $1. (Yes, ONE DOLLAR). Also Aidan's potty-training intensive weekend.  

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? It's hard to narrow this down, but probably mostly from two dear friends, Shannon and Brianna, who continually buoyed me up, challenged me, made me laugh, and kept me sane. I really don't know what I would do without them. Jason should get some praise, too, for putting up with all of my swiftly changing moods.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? People who turned on each other around election time just because they didn't vote for the same person; most of the drivers on I-4; Honey Boo-Boo and most of reality TV.

14. Where did most of your money go? I'm still trying to figure this out.  

15. What did you get really excited about? I threw Jason his first surprise birthday party in August - first he'd ever had, and the first one I'd ever thrown. It could not have come together any more perfectly, and it was such a fun evening with dear friends. I always get mega-excited about Christmas and my birthday (in May), too. Pretty much anyone's birthday.  

16. What song will always remind you of 2012? Forever by Chris Brown. Yeah, I know. But I rediscovered it after watching a rerun of The Office (where Jim & Pam get married) and it has been on my playlist ever since.  

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? Probably about as happy, just about the same weight, and definitely monetarily poorer.  

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Writing. Spending time with my family. Being in prayer.  
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Laying in bed at night reading my iPhone. Farting around on my computer. Worrying.  

20. How did you spend Christmas? We had everyone over to our house, first to open gifts, then for Christmas dinner. This was the first Christmas I feel like both boys really GOT Christmas, and it was so much fun to watch them open up all their many (inexpensive) gifts. The wonderful thing about the under-5 set is that you can get them a ton of very inexpensive little toys, wrap them all up individually, and it looks like Toys R' Us exploded all over your living room when in fact you hardly spent much of anything on it. (It's the small handful of "big kid" gifts that hit your wallet hardest!)

21. Did you fall in love in 2012? I stayed wonderfully in love. Seriously. I have the best husband in the world.  

22. What was your favorite TV program? In case you couldn't guess, The Office. Also Parks and Recreation. Downton Abbey - although can I just say... THAT CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. WHAT.

23. What was the best book you read? I got to reread all of the Little House on the Prairie series AND Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea series. I loved it all over again.  

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? The new worship CD from Elevation. Seriously amazing stuff.

25. What did you want and get? A change of scenery, the opportunity to work from home AND a fantastic boss, healing for some long-standing hurts in my heart, a sweet pair of pj's, a chance to go to Disney and see the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT, new friends, a copy of Brave.

26. What did you want and not get? Nothing of any consequence. I'd love to have a good ice cream maker, but it's probably a blessing I didn't get that.  

27. What was your favorite film of 2012? I think 2013's will be Les Mis, but since I haven't gotten to see it yet, I'd definitely have to say Brave. Even better that I got it for Christmas to watch at home! Thanks Santa.  

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 35 this year - what - and spent the evening with the love of my life eating steak and drinking coffee.  

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? There are several distant relatives and friends that I wish weren't so distant.  

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2012? *sniff sniff* "Okay, it's clean."  

31. What kept you sane? My dear friends, my awesome husband, the times I remembered to pray, and - not gonna lie - Netflix.

32. What political issue stirred you the most? The election did, mostly for peoples' reactions to each other. Can't we all just get along? I hate conflict.  

33. Who did you miss? In no particular order: my cousin Jen in CA, all my family in DC area, my friend Brianna also in CA, and an entire throng of people all part of one particular church in Orlando.  

34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012. It's just a bad day... not a bad life.

35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. 'Cause it's been fear that ties me down to everything But it's been love, Your love, that cuts the strings So long status quo, I think I just let go You make me wanna be brave  

36. Bonus Question: What else will always remind you of 2012? Taking the boys to Chick-fil-A, Bubba saying "nuffing" and "Winnie the Pewp", trying out new recipes from Pinterest, driving down the country roads of Plant City to Orlando, tons of text messages back and forth to Brianna, Jason sitting at the dinner table at his computer... and a lot of smiles and giggles from my boys.

 

friday five: things I'm way stoked about

My new job. Yeah, I got a new job! Whee! I'm getting paid more, get to wear regular clothes instead of pajamas, and my commute has been shrunk down to just five minutes. Oh, and since it's not in a hospital, my chances of wiping poopy butts are just about nil. Well, unless my kids come to visit me.

My almost-crawler. Brendan is SO CLOSE, people. SO CLOSE. He's figured out how to get on his hands and knees and do the rock. Oh, and he's massively cute, as well has his brother, but that's nothing new.

My fun weekend. Starting tonight with Girls' Night with my double-trouble twin friends and assorted cronies, continuing tomorrow with lunch with my long-lost bosom friend Diana (from whom I get the name of this blog), a cookout with my best girls and their families, and ending with a spectacular Vision Sunday at church - if you are in the Orlando area, you do NOT want to miss a second of Sunday morning! Come join me!

My new toy. Yeah, I got an iPhone. And I'm just way too attached to my technology to put it down, even for a second. I can't believe I waited this long to get it.

My long-sleeved shirt collection. Because fall's coming! (I would say sweater collection, but I own, like, ONE.)

kitchen domesticity: chicken parmigiana

I think I've mentioned in my last two recipe posts how my husband's and my tastes diverge. I should take this opportunity to mention that there is one cuisine we consistently, emphatically agree upon: ITALIAN.

I've been wanting to find a good recipe for chicken parmigiana, especially because I wanted to make my beloved chicken parmigiana sub sandwich. There are days - non-pregnant ones, no less - where I sepnd my day CRAVING this sandwich. When it's good, it's heavenly. When it's bad, it's still kinda better than a lot of stuff out there. I'm not sure why I haven't tried to make it sooner - I don't always have the best of luck cooking chicken breasts, but it turns out that chicken cutlets fry up soooo much better. So when I came across this recipe (which uses chicken cutlets), I knew I had to take the plunge and give it a try. I didn't put it on bread only because my local grocery store was all out of sub rolls (freshly made ones, anyway) but lemme tell you, this is quite good. I'm also glad to have a new chicken recipe in our weekly dinner arsenal.

Now, if only someone would part with $80 and buy me this sweet little recipe box, I could write it out all nice and pretty-like...

Chicken Parmigiana (many thanks, Martha. It's a good thing.)

* 3/4 cup Italian-seasoned panko breadcrumbs (Progresso makes them)
* 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 8 chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds total), or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 2 cups jarred tomato sauce (or your own homemade, whatever)
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, preferably fresh, cut into eight 1/4-inch-thick slices

Heat broiler. Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a shallow bowl. Season both sides of chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dip chicken in the beaten egg, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat both sides.  I found it was easiest to coat/dredge all pieces at once and then transfer them to a plate, ready to cook.

Spread tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 10-by-15-inch baking dish. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 4 chicken cutlets in skillet; cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes on each side.  Repeat with the last 4 cutlets (yeah, you'll need to add some more oil - the remaining two tablespoons).

Using a spatula, transfer browned cutlets to baking dish, placing them on top of sauce. Repeat with remaining oil and cutlets.

Top each cutlet with a slice of mozzarella. As you can see, I was a bit, well, CREATIVE when I was slicing the mozzarella.  I don't know if I didn't have the right knife or the right technique, but it all came out well in the end.  So if your slices look as lopsided as mine, no worries.

Broil about 4 inches from heat source until sauce is hot and cheese is melted and lightly browned in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Okay, this smelled SO good that by the time I remembered to take a final picture, this is what was left (also, the light was bad):

Yes, it was every bit as delicious as I'd hoped it would be.  I can't WAIT to put this on a sub!

friday five: my life in verbs

(stolen shamelessly and gratefully from Janet)

baking: lots of chocolate cookie dough cupcakes, mostly because of two birthdays in August (Aidan, Jason) and my upcoming departure from my current job. The five extra pounds one gains by eating just one of them is my personal gift to you. YOU'RE WELCOME.

shopping: turns out that I'm starting a new job in less than two weeks, one that requires me not to be swathed in pajama-like scrubs all day long. Currently, I don't own any pants that are not jeans or scrubs. Wardrobe FAIL.

writing: a lot more lately. You wouldn't tell by just watching this blog, really, but I'm starting to flex my pen and liking it. Huge thanks to this lovely gal for spurring me on.

pondering: getting up off the couch and doing yet another verb - running. Because the number on the size tag of the pants I'm buying is entirely too large, and also because I'm still signed up for this and don't want to pansy out of it.

wishing: for cooler weather already!

kitchen domesticity: beef with broccoli

Chinese food is my one of my absolute favorite foods, right up there with chocolate, ice cream, Coke, and macaroni & cheese. I've yet to meet a Chinese dish I do not like. Sadly, this is another one of those areas where my husband's taste and mine diverge: he's much more of a Tex-Mex kind of guy and does not care for most Chinese dishes, save the occasional Sesame Chicken dish. I would like Tex-Mex more, I think, given that it has a lot of my favorite food elements in it (cheese, tortillas, marinated meat), but more often than not, I have a perfectly decent meal ruined by even the tiniest little sprig of cilantro. Food of the devil, I tell you. EVIL.

Okay, so I'm not about to make this post all about the Herb That Must Not Be Named. Back to the Chinese food...

I love it. But neither my waistline nor my wallet can afford to eat out every time I want takeout, so I've been on the hunt for some good Chinese food recipes. I've tried several so far, and while they've been acceptable in taste and texture, every single one has proved to taste wildly inauthentic, nothing like the takeout I really wanted.

(Yes, I'm quite aware that Chinese takeout is about as authentically Chinese as a Little Caesar's pizza is authentically Italian.)

Who knew the missing link was... fish sauce?

Yep, fish sauce. Some of you might have known this already, but for an inexperienced Chinese takeout replicator-cook like myself, this totally blew my mind. FISH sauce? All I could picture was stinky, slimy water with fish bones floating in it. I know, I know, overactive imagination here. But that image kept me from trying this recipe for several months, and oh, am I ever sad I let those months go by. Because, people, this stuff is the BOMB. Seriously. It's completely delicious, easy to make, and there's no fish bones involved. I also love that it calls for a head of fresh (not frozen) broccoli. There's something really redeeming about chopping all that green when many of your meals come from a hospital cafeteria line.

Buying said fish sauce was interesting: the recipe called for "good fish sauce". I went to the store, looked in the "ethnic" food aisle, and there was only one bottle of anything with the word "fish" on it. So I bought it. No idea if it's good fish sauce or garbage, but the end result was mighty tasty, so I'm thinking I did okay. If any of you know of a superior fish sauce, bring me into the light!

Oh, and be forewarned: this dish be FRAGRANT, peeps. I don't know if it's the fish sauce, the sesame oil, or a combination of both, but the entire kitchen smelled like this dish for about 24 hours. It's a totally fantastic smell, don't get me wrong, but it meant I woke up at 4 am, ravenous, because I could still smell the fantastic aroma.

Also, I tried to take some pictures, but it was dark outside, and the light in my kitchen isn't fantastic, so the pictures came out all wonky. So, with much gratitude, I am using the pictures I found on the original website with this recipe. Thank you, Jaime!

Enough of my rambling. Here it is, takeout fabulosity abounding.

Beef with Broccoli (adapted from this recipe)

1/2 - 3/4 pound thinly sliced beef, such as sirloin, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon good fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 clove garlic finely minced or grated with a microplane
2 tablespoons olive oil
florets from 1 large bunch of fresh broccoli
red pepper flakes

Deglazing liquid:

1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 clove garlic, finely minced or grated

1. In a plastic zipper bag or small glass dish, marinate the beef in soy sauce, baking soda, fish sauce, vinegar, garlic, and olive oil. Let marinate in fridge for 20 minutes.

2. In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, and working in small batches, sear beef on both sides. Remove to a plate, and set aside.

3. Make up deglazing liquid by combining all ingredients, making sure cornstarch is well mixed with no lumps. Set aside. (Note: if you like a lot of sauce for both your main dish and the rice to accompany it, I would double the amounts for the deglazing liquid.)

4. Add broccoli florets to the pan, pour over deglazing liquid, and cover. Let steam for 2-3 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green. Add the beef back in, heat through (another minute or so), and sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Serve with steamed rice (my preference is jasmine rice - so fragrant and perfect for this dish).

Enjoy!

two years old

Today, my sweet, silly firstborn turned two years old. How did time fly by so fast, Aidan? Can't I stop time to keep you cute and little and adorably cuddly forever?

We had a great birthday party for our big boy at Fort Mellon Park in Sanford. They have a HUGE splash pad and playground, both of which our birthday boy was only mildly interested in that day. But lucky for us, it started to really rain... and that's when Aidan got excited! He's a big fan of rain and splashing in puddles, and he did both happily for most of his party.

Shannon came over the day before the party and helped me put together a lot of the crafty stuff, including these adorable little "2" and "A" circles for the cupcakes and jelly bean favors. Aren't they adorable? They're all her creation.

By the way, these cupcakes are my number one favorite kind to make: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cupcakes. The cupcake is brown sugar with chocolate chips, the frosting is (surprise!) a FLOUR based brown sugar frosting, and inside is a surprise dollop of (eggless) cookie dough. Each element by itself is fairly okay to eat, but combined all together in a bite... holy sweet heaven.

We all had a great time! One of our cuter partygoers got pretty tuckered out...

By the way, that will be the LAST time I ever use Evite to invite people to a party. I had so many people who didn't RSVP because - I highly suspect - the invite went straight into their junk mail folder, as do most all of the invites I ever get from Evite. Big Evite FAIL. Next time, I won't be such a cheapskate and will actually mail out a card or something. However, the hard-core party animals who were there were some of our most favorite people, and we were so very glad to celebrate with them in the rain.

Overall, the day was a great success. After a couple of hours splashing about in the rain, we took our two tuckered-out boys home for a nice long nap, followed by present opening and a birthday dinner at Steak N' Shake. Aidan loved all his presents! A huge thank-you to everyone for being so very generous.

Happy Birthday, Aidan! Your Dada and I love you more than we could ever express. Keep growing wonderful, my sweet boy.

kitchen domesticity: summer corn chowder

You may not have known this about me, but I live in a divided household, and it's a divide that runs pretty deep: the Vermeulens are pretty polarized when it comes to how they like to eat corn. I go nuts over corn on the cob, particularly grilled just right so that some of the kernels are ever-so-slightly browned. It was one of my favorite foods growing up, and it still reigns supreme among my cherished comfort foods. Jason, however, prefers his kernels loose: when in charge of dinner, corn will inevitable come from the can (in his defense, it's usually organic), boiled on the stove, and the loose little kernels, while tasty, make me yearn for the cob version. When we do eat from the cob, Jason will actually cut his kernels off of the cob, and I just cringe. He cannot understand why any sane human being would prefer to eat their corn still tethered to a stalk - that's just asking for a long night with a toothpick and floss. (Which, ironically, is EXACTLY what happens to me when I eat popcorn, something he loves to inhale by the fistful. Go figure.)

Thankfully, we do come together in harmony for one style of corn: summer corn chowder.

I came across this recipe a while ago, after we discovered a local restaurant's savory, delicious corn chowder that was, sadly, the only worthwhile option on an otherwise ho-hum menu selection. It is hearty, creamy without being too heavy, easy to make, full of delicious corn and potatoes, and is a perfect solution to my search for an easy, no-fuss take-to-work lunch option. We make it often in our house, no matter what the season, and even the fussy toddler likes it. So, without further adieu and to kick off what is I hope the first of many more blog posts, the recipe:

Summer Corn Chowder (adapted most gratefully from here)
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons onion, chopped
3/4 cups celery, large dice
2-1/2 cups hot water
2 cups raw potato (I like red), cut in 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups frozen corn, thawed (or fresh corn, if you have it)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 pinch white pepper
1 quart half & half
3 tablespoons flour

Over medium heat, melt butter in a medium stockpot or Dutch oven, add chopped onion and celery, and simmer for 5 minutes or until soft (but not browned). Add water, potato, corn, and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are just barely tender.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour into one cup of the half & half until well-incorporated, then stir into the soup. Add the remaining 3 cups of half & half.

Simmer for about 15 minutes on medium low, uncovered, stirring frequently, until the soup has thickened into a creamy consistency (when cooled, it will slightly thicken even more). Correct the seasoning to your liking with additional salt and pepper, as desired. Correct the consistency, if desired: to make the soup thinner, add a little milk. To make the soup thicker, simmer another 5-10 minutes.

Note: I have made this soup in a ton of different, sometimes unintentional variations. I have used dried onion flakes instead of real chopped onion - still good (though nothing beats a fresh vegetable). I've accidentally omitted the celery when I forgot to get it from the store - less roughage, but still tasty. I've accidentally added the half & half at the beginning of the recipe (along with the water) instead of at the end - still tasty. I've never used fat-free half & half, but I'd be willing to bet that if you used a combination of half fat-free and half regular (heh - half half & half, in other words), it would still be mighty tasty and with less fat. I've never done fresh corn off the cob, but I can imagine it would taste amazing with the extra effort. The one thing I highly recommend you NOT omit or change is the incorporation of the flour into a small portion of the half & half: I've forgotten this step before and thought I could just throw in the flour into the pot, and what I end up with is a soup that has the consistency of milk, with some strange, unappetizing lumps of flour thrown in, even if I whisk the heck out of it (doesn't work).

Finally, ENJOY.  You can pretty much make this recipe to taste however you prefer: more salt, less pepper, thicker consistency, less potatoes, more corn, whatever.  It makes for a great vegetarian meal on its own, or as a nice side dish.