Leah's Favorite Things

Cooks Illustrated.
Why did no one tell me about this magazine before?
I thought we were friends!

I came across it a couple weekends ago while at Tasha’s parents house.
Her mom had the newest issue on the coffee table.
And to be honest…at first it didn't look too promising.
It doesn’t have colored photos (except on back page) and overall just looks dull.
But then you open it up and actually start to read the content…
and then get blow away by all the great information.
They do taste tests…I now know what kind of feta cheese and chicken broth to buy.
And let me tell you…its very helpful while at the grocery store…faced with fifteen different brands of one product…to know which one tastes the best and why.
And then there are the recipes.

It was this chicken pot pie recipe that did me in.
I don’t know why.
I like chicken pot pie but haven’t had much success when making it myself.
I like my mom’s biscuit top pot pie.
Husb lives for pie crust.
Like if he was stranded on a desert island he might only need milk and pie crust.
But this recipe has a crumble top.
A decent compromise for the two of us.
I think I most appreciated the science that went into this recipe.
They used soy sauce…not for the taste…the taste cooks out and you don’t even know its in there.
They used it for its glutamate-rich content.
I think this appealed to me because I’ve always thought that cooking was somewhat of a science.
And that if I could catch onto the science part of it I could one day make my own recipes.
I could be full of it…time shall tell

Anyhow, after that weekend I picked up a copy of Cooks Illustrated (Costco is a great place to get it…its 30% cheaper there) and made that chicken pot pie.
And it was a success!

It even passed the husband test…
he requested seconds.
And said that he liked it more than a traditional chicken pot pie.
It satisfied my need for a biscuit top and was just down right good.
I had it for lunch and dinner yesterday
It took a little over an hour to make…but wasn’t a difficult process.
The magazine does a good job of breaking up the directions in an easy to follow order.
So even tho I’ve only made one recipe out of this issue…I feel like I’ve gotten my moneys worth because of all the taste tests and products reviews.

Do you have a favorite cooking magazine?
Any recommendations?

Today I got a free day.
I had an early morning ministry meeting…but then I got to do whatever I wanted.
Husb and Meg are both working late…oh the freedom that comes with knowing you don’t have to make dinner tonight.
What did I do?
Well, I went to the gym…
ok…
I didn’t want to to go to the gym.
But I wasn’t interested in the conversation I would have had to have with my behind if I ixnayed the gym. 
Then I took a bubble bath.
And then walked to the book store around the corner and browsed.
They didn’t have a single thing I was looking for….thankfully.
Thankfully, because I then came home, ate four a chocolate cookie and then took advantage of a 15% discount/free shipping/free returns coupon I had for Boden.
I’m really hoping the items I ordered fit and are made well.
I’m a little discouraged after receiving my order from Ruche

Now I’m going to watch Daniel Deronda.
I’ve been somewhat obsessed with my British period romance movies lately.
I blame it on friends that share the obsession, waiting on Deanne Gist to write another novel, and the fact that I have yet to read Francine Rivers new novel.
Oh yeah…and Jane Austen.
I blame her.
And all the perfectly romantic movies that are based on her novels.
I watched Northanger Abby the other day…and wasn’t expecting much from it as multiple friends find it their least favorite.
Although…you guys…I really liked it.
I think its one of my favorites even.
This is the version I watched.

And JJ Feild was the perfect Henry Tilney.
If you haven’t already you should check out the Masterpiece version of Persuasion…its a good one.
Oh Masterpiece Theatre Classics…I love you.

And while we are on the topic of movies…
is anyone watching The Pillars of the Earth mini series?
Thoughts?
I’m not sure about it.
They do a good job of leaving you hanging each week.
But what’s with the lame men in that show?
They’re definitely lacking the moral character and backbone of my Masterpiece Theatre men!
And I could do without the sex scenes.
You get to the uncomfortable and about to skip the scene point and then it ends.
I could do without that in all movies.

Man…I am talkative today.
I’m attributing it to lack of sleep combined with a sugar high and leftover energy from the gym.
I’ll stop gabbin…but I’ll be back soon to tell you about my new favorite magazine and some yummy recipes!
Love ya!

The girl who used to blog here?
No?
Come on…you don’t remember your witty blog friend with amazing photography skills?
Oh yeah…now you remember

Well…a quick update on husb.
Incase you thought his surgery had gone terribly wrong and I was too sad of a widow to blog any longer.
He is alive and well.
There was more damage done to his knee than we thought…but it all got taken care of during surgery.
He was immobile for almost two weeks and did have some pain.
However, don’t feel too bad for him.
I’ve been waiting on him hand and foot.
And cooking a lot.
And Kim and I made a 14 layer cake which he got to enjoy.

I guess you can feel sorry for him a little tho.
I did make him watch the whole series of Anne of Green Gables with me.
But I think he secretly liked it.

Here is the link to the 14 layer cake incase you are interested.
It was much simpler than it sounds and it was very tasty.
Husb said that it got better with age…which is a testament to a good cake because he doesn’t do leftovers of any sort.

And finally…the big question.
Are you guys as excited for the Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion show as I am?
I know…its so bad.
Bravo knew what they were doing when they hired Teresa…that girl is crazy funny.

An iPhone! I know this isn’t exciting for anyone other than me..but I’m writing this post on my phone so bear with me as I test out the typepad app.

A couple weeks ago we went geocaching for the first time.
And guys…it was really fun! Husb used his new phone to locate the GPS coordinates.
And I wore flip flops and a dress.
I felt like such a girl

It started off as a nice trail.

And then we had to dive into the jungle.

And then…
I found it!
It was hiding under a log.
There was just a bunch of random crap inside.
The rule is that if you take something you have to leave something.
We weren’t really interested in any of the items…the fun is in the hunt.
So we signed the register inside and put it back into its hiding place.
Sorry the pictures are so hazy.
It was a spur of the moment adventure and I just had my little point and shoot.

Geocaching…such a funny activity.
I’m not sure I’d be into any of the hardcore hunts…but it was a fun date night thing to do.

And a quick update on Husb.
There was more damage than they had thought so surgery went long…however, the Dr said the reconstruction went great and he should heal nicely.
Poor guy had a hard night last night dealing with all the meds they had him on but he is doing much better today.
Thanks for the prayers!

We haven’t had as bountiful of a crop as last year.
More rain, less sun and sour cherry eating birds
We’ve had our fair share of weeds though. 

And no…unfortunately we couldn’t take the tractor to them all.
There was plenty of knee, hands in the dirt, weeding action.

However, we have had a great cucumber and green bean crop…both which were a little on the lame side last year.
So lots of pickles and green beans come Christmas supper!
We are also starting to enjoy the potatoes and carrots.

And I’m so thankful for them.
There’s nothing like shopping your garden.
And I just checked out Jaime’s Food Revolution cookbook which has a lot of carrot and potato recipes.
Anyone tried any of his recipes?
We had Flyn and Esther over for dinner last night (you can read about how that all went down here) and I made his beef stew with potatoes on top.
And how mad was I wen Esther asked “did you take a picture?”.
Of course I didnt.
I guess that means I will have to make it again.
It was good and pretty…the perfect combination!
Esther…I forgot to tell you that all the veggies were from the garden…so I hope you are feeling extra healthy today

And quick…Husb is having knee surgery today so we would appreciate your prayers.
It isn’t a very long or invasive surgery and it will help him continue to be active in the years to come.
But still…its surgery so we are praying for a speedy recovery and minimal discomfort.
Thanks friends!