That time I made lasagna

Y'all, I made lasagna from scratch!  Well, not the noodles, but everything else!  This was one of my "30 before 30" goals.  And really the only one I could remember, so on Sunday night, I made lasagna.  Nothing like getting it in under the wire. I followed a recipe from Rachel Ray aka my food guru. 

First, I made a beef sauce from scratch.  Onions, garlic, carrots, celery, pancetta, and beef sauteed.  Then added a large can of crushed tomatoes and let simmer for 35 minutes.

Next up I tackled my first ever bechemel sauce.  This was actually easier than I thought it would be, but still took lots of babying and stirring.  

Finally, I started stacking. 

Baked for an hour.  Finally, after another 30 minutes of resting, we got to eat!

Final verdict? 

It was fine.  It took 3 1/2 hours from start to eating.  If I make it again, I would probably sub out the bechemel sauce - I thought it was too rich for the dish.  Maybe just layers of cheese instead?  

All in all, I am glad I tried something new to me.  I enjoyed the whole process, just wished it was shorter!  

 

30

I spent my 30th birthday hanging out with my boys, playing board games and eating Chinese. 

We have received/purchased/given each other several new games since Christmas.  We are trying to watch less tv and hang out together. This one is called small world. Goal: domination. 

I will do a review once we play them all!

Atticus remains super-cute and super vocal. 

Back later with a story about that time I made lasagna from scratch. 

Jury Duty

Last night did not go at all as hoped.  Poor Irish.  What a horrible end to an amazing season. 

This morning I go up bright and early for day two of boot camp and busted out some cardio.  I then got gussied up for jury duty.  After three hours, I was released from service.  Not going to lie, I am kind of bummed I didn't get chosen.  I've never been on a jury before and think it would be helpful to know how the legal system works on that side for future jury trials. 

After running a quick errand I arrived home to find my father-in-law and grandfather-in-law had arrived early at our house.  Thankfully I finished cleaning the house before I left this morning! 

BCS Championship

Go IRISH!!!!!

Anxiously awaiting kick-off. 

I'm going...

I've thought about it a few times and always chickened out.  I wanted to start off the new year with a plan to follow for fitness - besides a random Jillian Michaels DVD (though I love them lots).  I have been slacking off recently (most of December) on getting up early to work out and hope this will be a kick in the pants.  So, I bucked up and am off to boot camp! 

Meet Atticus

Happy New Year!  One of my resolutions was to get back to blogging. 

Lots has happened since we last spoke.  The job is good, the hubs is great, and Colorado is finally getting some snow.  Most importantly, however, was the new addition to our family.

Meet Atticus

A four month old kitten who just wants to sit in your lap or chase string.  Super cute and super fun.  I will try not to bombard you with pictures, but no promises.  :)

Y'all, I made fried chicken!

     By the 'y'all' in the title, you might think I grew up enjoying homemade fried chicken.  As my dad like to (lovingly) say, the only two things my mom can't do in the kitchen is make gravy and fry chicken.  Well, after years of watching Rachael Ray, I have mastered the pan gravy.  And thank to another cooking guru, I have made my first batch of fried chicken.

     My dad loves watching Fabio (not the long-haired model) on Yahoo!  It's a 5 or 6 minute webisode called Chow Ciao that airs weekly.  He always forwards the episodes to me to watch , and they are always fun and informative.  A few months ago, Fabio made Italian Fried Chicken.  Dad and I both kept saying we wanted to try it.  I said I would make it for him when I was home in Atlanta over Memorial Day.  Memorial Day arrived and there I was, facing loads of raw chicken (marinated in buttermilk) and hot oil.  Having never fried a single thing in my life, I was intimidated. 

     The end result - amazing!  One of Fabio's secrets is to slice up lemons and fry them with the chicken, along with sage and rosemary.  Y'all, do not skip this step.  The oils in the lemons release and you can taste it in the chicken.  It was something I would never have thought of doing on my own.  You could even eat the fried lemon slices.  Seriously delicious.  The fried sage and rosemary were also winners.  There were six of us sitting around the table and moaning with happiness. 

     Oh, and when we poured the oil back in the bottles for easy disposal, we found that not a lot was missing.  Meaning less oil got absorbed into the chicken, meaning fewer of my arteries were clogged.


     I can now say I am a true Southern lady.