The One about ME. Julie.

See what I made? Poppyseed bread! And unlike my failed attempts at zucchini bread, these two beauties actually ROSE. On top is a little sprinkle of coconut because, let's face it; everything is better with coconut. Regarding that zucchini bread, I think I'm going to have to make a phone call to my friends, Dr. and Mrs. Zucchini Master themselves (D & T!). Seriously, those two crank out the zucchini bread like the experts that they are.
Anyway, I've been trying to cook some new recipes lately and wanted to share a little of what I've been making - or trying to. :)
-chicken tandoori
-curried rice pilaf
-frittata with peppers, onion, mushrooms, and leftover chicken
-sesame brown rice salad with shredded chicken and peanuts
-spicy chicken with poblano peppers and cheese
-zucchini bread (emphasis on the "trying" on this one)
-homemade whole wheat pizza crust
-buffalo/bbq chicken pizza
-peanut butter french toast "waffles" with mixed berry sauce
-bowtie pasta with corn, bacon and ricotta cheese
-homemade almond coffee syrup
-Mom's Marvelous Marinade
-blueberry sour cream muffins
-buttermilk pancakes (why have I not done that one YEARS ago??)

Some of the recipes turn out better than others, but only one recipe has totally surprised me. The one with poblano peppers! Wow, those things are spicy! My eyes were watering and I was coughing and sputtering just slicing them and getting them ready for the broiler. Yikes. Later, like a half hour later, I touched my eye and it BURNED. And that was after I washed my hands at least 3 times with soap. But, as it turns out, the broiling really makes the flavor more mild, and the recipe was a hit! I would definitely make that one again - and I'm going to be wiser next time and wear rubber gloves when prepping the poblanos.

The peanut butter french toast waffles made my waffle maker into a huge mess. After making them, I looked back at the waffle maker and told Matt, "Let's just throw it out!" Seriously, I spent probably 45 minutes trying to clean that sucker. Note to self: don't use waffle maker next time. It would have turned out just as yummy if I had grilled them like french toast. I'm writing all of these things down, so in the future, I'll save myself some headache.

I think I'm going to make guacamole for supper tonight, and as much as I'm sure we would love to just eat the guac, I'll probably make some kind of pizza to go with it. I think Fridays are going to be pizza day in our house. Also, once the temps start to fall, Sundays will probably be stew/soup day. I love a good stew/soup.

My list of things to try is long (bruschetta, cuban sandwiches, something with lamb...), but I have an eager audience and a little guy who happily bounces in his "jungle hopper" while I cook. I'd like to try making baby food, too, but I scored a bunch on a super great clearance sale. In that instance, I'm confident that it would have cost me more to make my own baby food. I'm sure I'll get to it eventually.

I'm pretty excited about my success thusfar and it definitely keeps things interesting around here. My spice rack has never been more full! I'm trying to keep things healthy with lots of fruits and veggies, staying away from the millions of baked goods that jump out of magazines and cookbooks. The one exception: FUNNEL CAKE. Remember my state fair post? Well, I found a recipe to re-create the yumminess.

Which leads me to my next confession: I'm in an exercise rut. I just cannot do it. I'm not sure what it is, but I just can't bring myself to exercise - other than walks. And boy, could I use it. Charlie is 6 months old now and I still look 6 months pregnant. Which I'm not. I'm stuck in my comfy clothes (Why dress up when I'm just staying at home? Jeans? Nah. Sweats? YES.) and feel more frumpy because of it. What makes matters worse is the fact that Matt has been doing so awesome at faithfully getting up at 5:30 every morning to work out. Sometimes I'm jealous that he's fit and healthy. Sometimes I secretly want to sabotage his success (by baking yummy things!!). See? The truth comes out. But behind it all, I just want that for myself. The bad part is that I can have that for myself if I JUST DO IT ALREADY. Get off my extra-large rump and move. I need help.

Ok, more confessions later. I have food to prepare. :)