chicken soup for the soul

are you wondering how i'm doing with my 2008 goals, seeing that we are in week 3 of the new year?

well, i've certainly been working on item number 1! i have to admit - some of my culinary attempts have been less successful that others, but i'm working at it and learning along the way:)

and in an effort to keep myself accountable, i've joined this group of ladies in creating a new blog - menusbythemonth.blogspot.com - a place where we can swap menus, store them for future reference, and share them with others who might be interested in suggestions.

hope you enjoy it!

that being said, here's the the first recipe that i tried out in the new year. in fact, i made it twice in one day, and liked the repeat version share here better that the first, thanks to some wonderful suggestions from my husband.


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audrey's cilantro-lime chicken noodle soup

(adapted from ina garten's, barefoot contessa family style)

1 whole (2 split) boneless, skinless chicken breast

olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 quarts chicken stock (homemade is best, but wolfgang puck's was a fine substitute)

1 cup onion, sliced

1 cup medium-diced celery

1 cup medium-diced carrots

2 cups wide egg noodles

juice from 3 limes

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

place chicken breast on a sheet pan and rub with olive oil. sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. roast for 35 to 50 minutes, until cooked through. when cool enough to handle, shred the chicken meat.

bring chicken stock to a simmer in a large pot and add the onion, celery, carrots, noodles and lime juice. simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the noodles are cooked. add chicken and cilantro to heat through.

quality friday: just being here

earlier this week, i was pretty sure that my quality friday post was going to be about how i've finally (after years of saying i intended to do so) starting to pay closer attention to politics and the upcoming presidential elections. i've watched recent debates, followed the results of the first caucus and primary, and have found myself stopping to listen to cnn updates and polls regularly. i'm learning a lot.

but then thursday night happened, and with it my perspective for the week changed, too.

i was in the middle of making dinner, when i got a phone call from mark at work. he was calling from his cell phone rather, which in unusual, and the first words out of his mouth were "honey, i've had a little accident."

in an effort to not be overly descriptive (which is also why this post has no photos), let's just say that i learned that he had just cut his finger while cleaning a deli meat slicer. it was bleeding badly and had been doing so for about 10 minutes, during which constant pressure had been applied but was doing very little to stop it.

within a few moments, i was in my car, talking to our healthcare provider's nurse hotline as i hurried to get to him. thankfully, but the time i got there 20 minutes later, the wound had started to clot. and although my stomach turned when i saw it, we both realized that it could have been much worse. MUCH worse. thank God he didn't loose his finger.

although mark was able to drive himself home thursday night and chose not go to the emergency room, i was still thankful to be able to be there. SO thankful. what if i had been traveling, as i so often am on a thursday night? what if i was hearing the story from a city far away? i would have felt awful and completely helpless.

instead, i was able to clean and dress the wound at home, give mark pain medicine when the shock started to wear off, and on friday, was here to go with him to the doctor and hold his hand as they gave him a tetanus shot and applied a chemical cautery to the area. mark was tough and kept it together through the whole experience (although the look on his face told me it was much worse than he had expected), thoroughly impressing me with his tolerance for pain. afterwards, the doctor said that he had never cauterized a finger without local anesthesia. i take back everything i've ever said about my husband not being able to handle being hurt.

truth is, i'm sure mark could have taken care of himself and done it all without me being there.

but i'm glad that he didn't have to. thankful that i was nearby. grateful that God was watching over him, and making sure i was home so i could be there for him, too.

pretty in pink

this is another fun project that i took on while listing to christmas music, a gift for the best hostess i know.

the materials and colors, mark helped me to choose, and i can't thank the fabric store sales assistant enough for her helpful suggestions and tips!

here's what she taught me:

• pre-washing the fabric helps to prevent uneven shrinking
• before beginning, use fabric finish on the freshly washed material to give it light body and a crisp (but not stiff) ironed look. this also makes it easier to sew. note: always allow the fabric spray to dry before ironing - this prevents spots and flaking.
• sewing a double layer of material, with the "right-sides" facing, is easier than having to roll edges. simply sew the pieces together leaving enough room to turn them right side out, and then topstitch around the edges again for a clean finish. this tidbit gave me the added piece of information for the gift:

hostess apron...

...fully reversible.

there was a byob wine bag made primarily out of the smaller-print fabric, too!

i'm really starting to get the hang of this sewing thing....

freshly lined

a few weeks ago, i had mentioned that some crafty projects were in the works, and that i intended to spend my week of vacation completing and sharing them with you.

as it turned out, i was sick at the beginning of that week and we had guests over the thanksgiving weekend, so my high hopes quickly went out the window.

our living room curtains were purchased rather that made, as i had originally intended. and while i'm happy with how they look (and that buying them allowed us to also find matching throw pillows), i was a little disappointment with myself.

i have, however, since then been able to complete the other project that i mentioned. our wicker laundry basket - a bridal shower gift from my mom - now has a fresh, neat, new lining! and our clothes are very happy to be snag-free.

i must say, i'm pretty happy with the results of my sewing efforts. it really is an enjoyable hobby, and i hope to keep my sewing machine busy this year!

and with this photo i'll share a funny story.

the first time i visited brandon's new condo, it was still in a partially-furnished state. as he took my mom and i on a tour of the rooms, we paused in the guest bath, and he proudly reached into the cabinet under the sink to retrieve the shower curtain that had been picked out for the room.

yep - it was the same shower curtain that you see here, and that we had hanging in our bathroom in chicago! i find it funny that in the many times that he visited us there, he never noticed it, and had no idea that he was picking out the same one:)

quailty friday: there's no place like home for the holidays

a song couldn't be more right. it was such a treat for mark and i to be back in chicago - together - and to celebrate the week between christmas eve until new years eve with family and friends.

christmas eve
despite beginning the day 2000 miles away, we were able to keep with tradition, and celebrate christmas eve with mark's dad and sister at norman's home in hyde park. it was the first year we have ever had pizza for christmas eve dinner, but low key and easy also equals stress free and fun!

we continued the evening by heading to our dearly missed church for a beautiful candlelight service. the scriptures and music celebrated Jesus and the true meaning of christmas. and walking through the doors felt like coming home, and the warm and tender greetings from our dear friends touched us deeply.

and it didn't end there. we then joined melissa and steven's at their home for late night catching up with melissa's mom, lillie.

christmas day
we have always spent christmas day with my family, and since we stayed with them all week, this year it was fun to be able to sleep in. we spent an enjoyable morning and early afternoon preparing the meal together. in fact, the day was so laid back that we didn't even get to opening gifts until the sun had already gone down!

that's how you can tell we're all grown up. no one's begging to open presents on christmas morning:)

the cute couples. and yes, that's a mojito glass in shruti's hands. who would have ever thought in a million years that there would be drinks served?

brandon, shruti, daniel, casandra and jonathan

i think this is such a cute picture of casandra and jonathan. and have you noticed the cute haircuts on shruti and casandra? both recently donated their hair. i'd like to think i inspired them:)

gift time!

the highlight of the night was definitely enjoying dessert after all the presents were opened. the conversations and anecdotes got so funny that i tried to capture them on video, and would share them with you, but they just don't do the night justice. all i can say is that brandon attempting to put cooling eye drops into mark's eyes had me laughing so hard that i literally fell out of my seat and was rolling on the floor crying.

love those times.

the rest of the week

we tried to pack in as much as possible during the days that followed.

we played board games a few times (and yes, the boys did beat us twice at cranium). my mom and leslie and i spent an afternoon downtown in the snow. i laughed till i cried at the movies. mark reconnected with a close high school friend. we saw many loved ones. the list goes on and on.

and from trips to friends homes, to poker and xbox games, to brunches and lunches and dinners with any and everyone that would come out to play with us, we had a great time.

lunch group at fogo de chao. talk about over-indulgence.

dinner crowd at carson's. (l-r: norman, leslie, stacie, reggie, burton, kim, audrey, wylene, mark)

the week flew by, and by the time we left we were tired (exhausted, really) and extremely content.

we headed back to california on new year's eve (sadly, missing out on the fun at "4133"), and got home just in time pop open a bottle of champagne, turn the tv on, and countdown to the new year. and then collapse into our extremely-wonderful-and-very-missed bed!

resolutions

its that time of the year, isn't it?

to be honest, i never seem to remember the resolutions i make each last year, which is why i'm writing them down this time. i'm hoping that having something to look back at will help me to remind myself of the things i'd like to accomplish/continue to work at. and maybe some of you out there will help to keep me accountable, too!

so here's my list:

1) cook more frequently. i'm tired of making excuses! i have the perfect job (well, when i'm not traveling, that is) for making dinner at night. and with mark working late in the evenings, its really not fair to rely on him to make meals at 11pm. so my goal is 3 nights a week, when i'm at home.

2) eat in moderation. if last week at home in chicago taught us anything, it was that over-indulgence is a terrible (and painful) thing. we had large quantities of rich, heavy, delicious foods every day, and by the end of the week our stomachs were NOT happy with us. i'd like to learn to say "no" when i'm not hungry, enjoy sweets and treats in smaller quantities (as in, not finishing the entire bag of chips, or half the box of cookies in one sitting:), and try to think about the nutritional value of the foods i choose before i indulge in them.

3) exercise consistently. this is a big one for me. i have a tendency to be an all-or-nothing kind of girl when it comes to exercise. the perfect example? i poured my heart into training for a marathon, and since then, have done none at all on a regular basis. and i'm not happy with where its taken me.

4) learn a language. or refresh myself on one that i already (partially) know. mark and i are tackling this one together, using a christmas gift from last year. estamos comenzando con español.

5) be intentional in my relationships. say "i love you" to the people i love. pick up the phone and call to see how friends and family are doing. show that i care. i really do.

and now its YOUR turn.

what are your resolutions for 2008? post a comment, if you'd like to share.

or better yet, this would be a fun game of tag! the rules? list 5 resolutions (or however many you've made), and then tag 5 friends to do the same.

melissa
ann-marie
kjersten
stacy
vlada

you're all now "IT"!

good-bye 2007, hello 2008!

who would have guessed we'd be where we are, if you'd asked us a year ago?

2007 has been a memorable year for the malone family....

a new job for me resulted in a move across country. which in turn lead to a new school and new jobs for mark! we've worked to adjust to leaving chicago, to our new busy schedules and are continually working to explore all that the san francisco bay area has to offer. we were blessed to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary, and have shared in the joy of the marriages of dear family and friends. and i ran a marathon!

yes, this year has been a journey in many ways.

so what will 2008 bring? where will we find ourselves a year from now?

only time will tell, but here's what i'm hoping:

happy. healthy. full of love. discovering. enjoying. living life to its fullest.

and i'm praying for the same for you. wishing you a wonderful 2008!