Tasty Tuesday

I've been slacking on trying new recipes since we've been so busy. So this week I thought I'd share one of our new favorites, a nice alternative to Meatloaf. I originally heard about Meatloaf Pillows on my blogger friend Leigh's weekly menu posting (she also has a great recipe blog!). Dave and I have never been fans of traditional meatloaf but we LOVE these easy,tasty little guys and they are actually way easier to make than tradiational meatloaf. Enjoy!

Meatloaf Pillows



12 oz. tube refrigerated biscuits
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 c. catsup
1 c. catsup, divided
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Divide and press biscuit dough across the bottom and up the sides of 10 greased muffin cups, set aside.

Combine ground beef, 1/2 c. catsup, onion, eggs and oats. Mix well and form into 10 meatballs; place one meatball in each biscuit lined muffin cup.

Spread remaining catsup on the top of each meatball. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

A New Church Home

Yesterday, Dave and I finally became members at our new church. I emphasize the finally because it feels like we've truly been searching for that perfect home church forever. Yesterday, in front of God, our parents, and the members of First Immanuel Lutheran Church we again committed ourselves to live a life reaching up to God, reaching out to others in service, and reaching in to each other to personally grow in our relationship with Christ. It was absolutely perfect.

If you've ever had to find a new church you can appreciate the challenges that go into the process and the happiness of finding that perfect one. While Dave and I live close to where I grew up we knew we didn't want to be members at the church that I grew up attending (the same church my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all still attend). My old church was small, with limited youth opportunities, little global outreach, and few young couples. Dave and I never quite felt at home there. When we started looking for a church, we knew we wanted something a little bigger, with great mission opportunities, challenging ministries, strong children's programs and youth groups, and other young couples and families. We certainly got all that and more when we started worshiping at First Immanuel. We even like that there are six different services to choose from during the week... including four on Sunday morning. We especially love the blended worship service that keeps that traditional liturgy we are familiar with but adds contemporary music we can relate to and get excited about singing. I've already jumped into some ministry work at the church and have taken on a new exciting leadership role within the Lutheran Women's Missionary League. I feel like God is opening so many doors for us through our new faith family and we are so thankful to finally feel at home again.

Tasty Tuesday (or Wednesday)

Clearly today is Wednesday and clearly I'm slacking in my postings but I have very valid excuses, I promise. Anyways, I tried another new recipe this past week that is definitely worth sharing! This recipe comes courtesy of the Favorite Family Recipes Blog.

Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki



Ingredients:
1 can pineapple chunks with juice (15oz)
1 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 Lb. beef sirloin, cut in 1 inch cubes

Mix together all ingredients excluding beef. Set aside about 1/2 cup of the sauce, cover, and refrigerate. Add beef to remaining sauce and marinate, covered and refrigerated, overnight.

The next day, thread beef onto skewers. Discard leftover marinade. Grill for 8-10 minutes, turning once, until beef is cooked.

Place beef in a large bowl, pour remaining sauce over the cooked beef and stir until well covered.

Serve with rice and fresh vegetables from the garden!

I actually let the meat marinade in the refrigerator all day since I had taken the meat out to thaw the night before. It was just as flavorful and incredibly easy to make! The perfect summer grilling recipe! Bon Apetit!

House-iversary

Yes, I did just make up a new word in honor of the anniversary of when we bought our first home. I quite like it actually.... house-iversary. Tomorrow, June 14, marks one year since we became homeowners. And if I've learned anything in the past year, it is that home ownership truly has its highs and lows.

Let's rewind a year. June 14, 2009. Dave and I had jumped through hoop after hoop to get the house we had fallen in love with more than 6 months earlier. After numerous counter-offers, filling out thousands (okay, so that may be an exaggeration) papers verifying our incomes and ability to pay for the house, and several old fashion breakdowns (by me, not Dave, in case you're wondering) we woke up on June 14 with boxes packed and hands ready to sign our lives away. If only it were that easy! We were told mid-morning our loan was not approved because of complications with my student loans (those things aren't good for anything!!). The sellers couldn't close on their new house (also scheduled for that day) until we closed on ours. The bank wouldn't cut our down payment check until we had proof of financing. I learned so much that day about finances and mortgages. Finally, by 5pm, after jumping through more hoops and running around town gathering signatures and checks, we finally had approval to close! Phew! Not so fast. We may in fact close that day, but no keys were to be given. The banks had closed and the check couldn't be deposited. So, while we became homeowners on June 14, we didn't get our keys until the next day. When you're both living with your parents and you're exhausted from the paper chase of purchasing your first home, one night seems like eternity. But we survived. And on June 15, Dave and I went to work and came home to our new house where all of our boxes were so neatly moved in and organized by room. Thank you mom and dad Anderson! We thought we were excited to move out.... my parents were so happy to have their house back and to have all my "junk" (as dad so fondly called it) out of their garage and dining room that they moved all our stuff without us even there. They even picked up the keys for us. Hey, I won't argue with free movers :)

So why do I tell you about our home buying process? Because if you've never bought a house, you ought to know that it's not always rainbows and butterflies. And if you are a recent first-time home buyer you can appreciate the effects today's economy played on our buying process. While we've certainly dived right into home ownership in the past year, we have a ways to go on making our first house feel even more like home. The honey-do list is still a mile long, afterall :)

Tasty Tuesday

Here you go - the first official "Tasty Tuesday" posting as promised! After reviewing my menu plan for last week I realized I had to share two new recipes I tried last week because they were both equally delicious.

The first is Beer-Glazed Ham. I have always wanted to learn to make my own ham. While ham is certainly a family favorite at holidays, I didn't see why it couldn't be an everyday meal as well. I used a turkey ham for this recipe and it was incredibly delicious! And it was incredibly easy to make as well and it left us with lots of leftovers which is a rare occasion in our house (thanks to my high-metabolism hubby).

BEER-GLAZED HAM


Ingredients
1 Boneless Fully Cooked Ham (3lbs)
1 Can (12 ounces) beer
2 Cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 Teaspoons ground mustard

Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham, making diamond shapes 1/2 inch deep. Set aside 2 tablespoons of beer. Pour remaining beer over the ham. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for one hour.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard and reserved beer. Spread over ham. Bake 40-45 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 140 degrees, basting occasionally.

I served the ham with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus

The second new recipe I tried was also from Taste of Home. When we were visiting Dave's grandma in Arizona she had lots of old recipe magazines lying around. She graciously let me tear them apart in search of new recipes to try. This second recipe is for Chicken Tortellini Alfredo. I served this main dish with salad and fresh Italian bread.

CHICKEN TORTELLINI ALFREDO


Ingredients
1 Package frozen cheese tortellini
2 Cups fresh broccoli florets
1 Cup fresh baby carrots
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 Large onion, cut into wedges
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
1 Jar (15oz) Alfredo sauce
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute broccoli and carrots in 2 Tbsp. oil for 5-6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in the onion and garlic. Saute vegetables 3-4 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. Remove vegetables and keep warm.

In the same skillet, cook chicken in remaining oil over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink. Return vegetables to skillet. Stir in Alfredo sauce and seasonings. Heat through. Drain tortellini, add to chicken, toss to coat.

Note: The original recipe called for mushrooms but we left that out. I also used chicken breast that we had pre-grilled.

Hope you enjoy trying these new recipes! I've got three new recipes on this week's menu that I'll share if we like them. Bon Apetit!

Weekend Festivities

We had another busy and fun weekend!

Friday we went for some late birthday drinks with the hubby's best friend. He took us to Blu on top of the Pfister Hotel (where we stayed on our wedding night)... what a beautiful little place with a spectacular view of the city and Lake Michigan! I wish I had my camera but unfortunately we came straight from work. There's never a dull moment when you put Dave and Cerjak together. I always enjoy hearing stories of the hubby's bachelor days :)

Saturday morning I went on a little hike with mom at a local nature park. I brought the camera to force myself to learn to use it on the manual setting. It's definitely harder than I thought. I did get a few good shots. Of course mom and I had to take a self-timer picture so excuse the poor quality! It was a nice hike on 88 acres of land with a marsh, some bridges and overlooks, and lots and lots of mosquitoes. It's officially summer here in Wisconsin, afterall!







Sunday was the future Mrs. Suwalski's bridal shower! I feel like we've been waiting for this for years (oh wait, we have :)). Katie is one of my very best college friends and a Pi Phi sister. I am so happy her and Lee are finally tying the knot and that I get to be a part of their special day! It was a beautiful shower complete with great food, catching up with old sisters, and lots of great presents (can I re-register for our one-year anniversary!?!). Can't wait for the wedding in August, Kate :)

Bridal Party


Pi Phi Sisters

Feelin' Like an Adult

Today is the hubby's 27th birthday. TWENTY-SEVEN!! Now to me, a young 24 year old, 27 seems awfully old. It is just three years from 30, afterall. I like to tease the hubby about the fact that he's almost three years older than me. No matter how old I get, he'll always be older. He says he's got the real deal with me around to always be his younger woman :)

Anyways, Dave's birthday got me thinking about the moments that remind me that I'm really an adult now. Yes, I know I've been an adult for six years now (oh goodness, now that realization makes me feel old) but with each birthday that passes, I realize more and more than my youthful days are truly over.

So what reminds me most that I am an adult now?

1. Paying bills. You name it, I pay it (okay, we pay it). Car insurance, health insurance, energy bills, cable, student loans. Something about writing a check for all these bills that really makes me feel like an adult. All those years of fawning those payments off on the parentals are certainly gone.
2. Owning a Home. Maintaining a home. Paying the mortgage each month. I'm not sure it gets any more adult than that.
3. Eating healthy. Yes, I've finally started to watch what I eat. Not only for the fact that my waist isn't the size zero it was in high school but also because I want to be healthy and lower my risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and all those other health conditions associated with poor eating habits. Plus, Ramen Noodles and Kraft Mac N' Cheese don't taste so good anymore.
4. Being asked where I saw myself in ten years during a job interview. Hmmmm. I have always hated this question. I still feel young enough to fend off this question with a nonsense answer but that's probably not what the interviewer was looking for. And he probably didn't want to hear the real truth - that in ten years I really just see myself with a house full of biological and adopted children. I really have no career ambition other than to be a mommy at this point.
5. Not having summer vacation. This is my second summer working full-time and I think it's finally sinking in that the days of summer vacation are gone for this girl. I should've been a teacher.
6. Refusing to buy beer for my little brother. I know, I'm so uncool. Obviously I don't want to be responsible for supplying the booze if the shenanigans he pulls end him in trouble. He thinks I'm a mean sister. To each their own.
7. Struggling to stay awake until the 10 o'clock news. Enough said.
8. Spending more time at Home Depot than the mall. Even more, spending all my money at Home Depot instead of the mall. Did I mention that owning a home is expensive?
9. Yelling at the teenagers driving past our house to slow down. Suddenly I feel like my father.
10. Finding out you're pregnant (and having a miscarriage). While girls certainly get pregnant at young ages these days, for me the real defining moment of adulthood in the past year was finding out I was going to be a mother and then losing the baby. I felt the instantaneous unconditional love and heartbreak that only a mother could.

What makes you feel like a real adult? Or are you still living in denial that you're really not ready to grow up yet? I've been there. We all have. But so many of those reasons that make me feel like an adult are absolutely wonderful things... owning a home, being married, starting a family. I suppose I could dwell on the fact that my summer breaks are over and that I'll always have bills to pay but instead I'll celebrate each birthday and embrace the fact that this woman ain't getting any younger!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!! Here's to growing old together :)

Tasty Tuesdays

One of my favorite things about being a wife is cooking. I never knew that I could cook, or that I even liked to cook, until we got married. I believe it's a wifely obligation to cook. I suppose some feminists would argue otherwise but for me, I get satisfaction out of whipping up a good old fashion home-cooked meal for the hubby. While the hubby and I certainly have our staple favorite meals, I'm really enjoying trying new recipes. And Dave has so graciously obliged to be my official taste-tester. Together, we put new recipes to the test each week. I have to admit, he gives just about every recipe a passing grade whereas I am a bit more critical. The man's just happy to have food to feed his insanely high metabolism I suppose :)

I've decided to post each Tuesday about a new recipe I've tried to week before. I've so fondly titled these as "Tasty Tuesday" posts. I promise to only share the recipes that we like. I cannot, promise, however that all recipes are entirely nutritious or easy to make. Sometimes I challenge myself to use ingredients I've never heard of (the spice rack has never been my best friend) or to add in some color (helloooo veggies) but other times, we like some yummy comfort food. I'll post the recipe on the blog or link to a website or another person's recipe blog so that you can try it yourself!

It's about time I add a little life into this blog. Plus, this will keep me on track with my cooking AND blogging! Look for the first recipe next Tuesday. In the meantime, bon appetit :)