InstaFriday

It's been a crazy but enjoyable week. With Hurricane Isaac, class was cancelled Tuesday to Thursday. Tuesday was calm, we spent time at home relaxing, watching Grey's Anatomy on Netflix, getting ahead on school work, and watching the storm. We had power until 1:30pm Wednesday and only lost it for 21 hours. I think the worst was when we lost power and the Grey's Anatomy was over and the storm was not very exciting to watch. I expected stronger winds and harder rain but I guess other areas got hit much harder so we must have been lucky.

Here's my recap in photos:

1. We brought the rosemary bush inside. It sat next to be at the table and made me hungry for lamb. Yes, I associate rosemary with eating lamb. 2. Before we lost power, I enjoyed some time reading research articles and a glass of red wine. Some lamb would have been good here too. 3. Here is the pile of yard waste B picked up after the storm. He worked hard and got 6 bags and a pile of sticks. 4. After the storm we went on a date to the local coffee shop for a treat and a cool beverage. It was packed because not many places in town were open yet. We do not go here often enough but enjoy it every time we go. We must use this as a date location more often!

You will notice a lack of photos during the storm... I shut off my phone for most of it to conserve power. During the storm, I had a strong desire to bake something... but since we had no power, no ingredients, and no running water, this was not possible. Our waistlines are probably better off. I also need to remember to put some movies on our iPad for the next tropical storm or hurricane for something to do. Also, we did not need to eat any canned food... I now have spaghetti o's for sale.

Some interesting quotes from our 21 hours without power:

"What are in the ranch beans you bought? Black beans and ranch dressing?"

"Can we name our first child Isaac to commemorate this event?" "No, this storm was boring and I do not want a boring child."

"If we painted, what color would you paint the bedroom walls?" "Salmon." "Red or pink? I prefer red salmon from a can. What about the ceiling?" "Not the current puke green color it is."

Can you figure out who said what? You can tell we do not spend much time talking in the dark. Sometimes that might be better for us too.

Have a great long weekend! We will be doing more yard work, homework, lesson planning, eating yummy hot food, going on a date, and most likely grocery shopping. You do not want to see my fridge... it is very sad.

Roasted tomato & caramelized onion pizza

I think my house has turned into a pizza factory. We make pizza every week but we love it, know how to make healthy versions, and sometimes we just need something easy. I made this during the week, from scratch, and we ate by 6:30, success!

2c cherry tomatoes, halved

salt, pepper & oregano

1 yellow onion, halved then sliced

evoo

1c whole wheat flour

1c white flour + extra for rolling out dough

1/2t salt

1 packet quick rise yeast

1/4c chia seeds

1c hot water (120C)

1T evoo

2c grated old cheddar

Preheat over to 500. Mix together tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano in a small baking dish. Roast in oven for 20 minutes. Combine a glug of evoo and onion in a frying pan, cook slowly until onions are caramelized. Turn oven down to 350 once tomatoes are cooked.

Combine flours, salt, yeast, and chia seeds in a bowl. Heat water in microwave, add in 1T evoo. Mix into dry ingredients until it does not stick to the walls of the bowl. Knead a few times on a floured counter, set aside in a warm place covered by a towel. Once risen, knew a few more times, roll out to desired size. Transfer to pizza stone. Top with a drizzle of evoo, caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes, and grated cheddar. Bake in 350 oven for 20 minutes (until crust is cooked and cheese is browned). 

Let rest for 2 minutes, slice, and enjoy!

A great vegetarian option, because you don't need meat at every meal for your protein choice. We had our pizza with sliced veggies and hummus. We loved the basic ingredient combo and it was very budget friendly as well!

Missing Joe Fresh

A fellow Canadian friend, who also lives south of the border, mentioned on Facebook that she was excited to go to Joe Fresh on her trip home. This prompted me to check out the website and saw they had their fall fashions posted! There is so much I wish I could go buy. For my non-Canadian readers, did you know Joe Fresh is sold at the grocery store? There are now a few stand alone stores in Canada and NYC but how amazing is it to go for groceries and end up with some new clothes in your cart! One of the many things I miss about Canada...

marled sweater dress - tucked crewneck sweater - statement necklace - puffa vest - thin belt - corduroy jeans - bangle

I have cord jeans from last year, they are amazing. I highly recommend these, especially for the price.
Why do I want a puffa vest? I live in Louisiana where is might frost once per year?!?

Canadian family and friends... take note! What a great Christmas gift... something I no longer have access to. While I mention it, I also really like the houndstooth dress and coloured denim!

Teach me something

Today's tid bit of info about my research is brought to you be Hurricane Issac.  Since the university is closed today and tomorrow, lets not talk about school related topics for a moment. Instead, lets talk about hurricane prep.

Here is my view on Monday afternoon. The calm before the storm. It was a beautiful day in Baton Rouge, maybe even one of the nicest days this summer. To get ready for the storm, we brought everything in from outside, filled the car up with gas, bought 12 gallons of water, 4 bags of ice, and some canned food. But here's the best part, we did all of this on Sunday so we found everything we were looking for and it was not chaotic at all. The car is now parked in a different spot so it is not under any trees, we have lots of reading at home to do, and we just have to wait.

I was hoping to make it at least one year in the south without having to deal with a hurricane. See you on the other side of the storm, I imagine we will be losing power later this evening but I do have some blog posts waiting for you... blog posts this week do not mean we have power or internet service... or that we can even get out of our house!

Meal planning

This week's meal planning is going to be a little different than last week. In case you live under a rock... I hope you don't... there is a hurricane headed right for us. That means we need to be able to adjust our plans accordingly but still be prepared as I do not want to be running to the grocery store in a hurricane to get canned goods. Hence:

Yes, I caved and let B get spaghetti o's. You will also see some wonderful things like canned red salmon, tuna in water, and low sodium soup. The low sodium soup selection in this country is pathetic, I refuse to eat all the salt (even during a hurricane) so my choices were limited. You will also see some things for B (beans) and things I secretly love to eat out of a can like baby corn and sliced mushrooms. I guess the secret is out. Desperate times call for desperate measures.... and I will still eat my vegetables. We may also be getting a third mouth to feed if our cousin who lives in New Orleans has to evacuate. Flexibility is key this week!

With all that being said, here is the plan this week if we continue to have power and running water. If not, spaghetti o's!

Sunday - grown-up mac n cheese (we have been making this since the recipe was posted in the NY Times website in 2008; we always make extra tomato sauce so we have have this)

Monday - leftovers at the university

Tuesday - mexicalli pie

Wednesday - trout sandwiches with mustard potatoes (did not eat this last week and need to use up ingredients)

Thursday - dinner out (weather pending)

Friday - dinner out (weather pending)

Saturday - we want to BBQ... lets see if it is still raining first