Me... a cooking mistake?

We received an ice cream/sherbet maker for our wedding. I had yet to use it, but a few days ago I finally found a recipe that I wanted to try. Many recipes require egg whites, which I wasn't interested in using. Many ice cream recipes have lots and lots of sugar and fat, and I try to have us eat healthier than that. The recipe I found called for fresh strawberries, fat-free sweetened condensed milk, low-fat vanilla yogurt, and milk. Not bad!

I bought the ingredients and the next day I made up the recipe. And then I went to the box with the ice cream maker, pulled it out and read the directions.  Uhoh.... I totally did not even think to put the container in the freezer. I don't know what I was thinking... how else would this machine work? I guess I didn't think this one through all the way. So the mixture went into the fridge, the canister went into the freezer, and my enjoyment of ice cream was delayed for a day.

Though my patience was tested, it turned out delicious. It only took around 30 minutes of mixing per batch, and then went back into the freezer. Yummy, delicious, and semi-healthy. Not bad.... now next time, the trick is to have the canister already frozen... haha... we'll see.

Sophie is home

Kelby picked up Sophie from the vet this afternoon. When I arrived home after work, she was in a cage, and was standing, wagging her tail. I would definitely say that she is on the road to recovery. Her right hind leg and hip is shaved, and there is a row of stitches along her knee, heading upwards. She has a cone around her head to prevent her from scratching or biting at her leg. There is no bandage or cast on her leg, so we will have to be extremely careful.

Skipper has been very careful. He went up to her and sniffed for a minute, and went back to his spot on the couch to sleep. Sophie ate a little food, and tried to walk around. She hobbled on three legs. When she tried to turn to the right, she fell over as she is not yet putting weight on that leg. She is on 2 pain medications, and sleeping often.

The vet was pleased with the surgery. It will take her a few weeks to a few months to fully recovery. But so far, so good! :)

Thank you all for your prayers and phone calls.

Our sweet Sophie

Sophie is scheduled for surgery this Tuesday. We drop her off at the vet in the morning, and not sure if we can pick her up the same day, or wait until the next day. Her right hind leg, the knee keeps popping out of joint.  The first time, we couldn't get it back in place, so off we rushed to the emergency vet (expensive bill!). That night, even without much activity, it popped out a few more times. The next day Kelby dropped her at our vet, and they did lots of tests, bloodwork, and x-rays (expensive bill #2). Sophie is now taking a pain/anti-inflamation pill, and Kelby would like to wrap our apartment in bubblewrap to try and keep Sophie safe. It's been hard trying to keep her from running and jumping. She is wanting to be close to us, more so than in the past.

We will keep you updated. Prayers are appreciated.

What I ate for dinner tonight

I was on the unmotivated side of the spectrum tonight, and didn't feel like going to the grocery store to buy ingredients and then come home and cook. So to our freezer and pantry I went. I started with a frozen pound of ground beef. I also found half an onion, a red pepper, and a slightly squishy green pepper in the fridge. And there was rice in the pantry. I cooked the rice according to directions.

Next step, I placed my frozen meat in a pan, and cooked until done. Partway through, I added a few shakes of Lantana (one of Kelby's favorite seasonings). While the meat finished cooking, I chopped into large pieces the peppers and onion. The meat came out of the pan, and I left the fat drippings in the pan. The peppers and onions were added, along with a few more shakes of Lantanas. Sautee until semi-soft, and added the meat back in. All done!

And it was delicious. And easy. And yummy... especially for an unplanned meal.

I haven't been as good taking pictures, a it is more effort to get the pictures on the blog since I have started using my Asus Tablet.... so tonight I finally made the connection that I can take low quality pictures with my tablet. cool! 

Favorite Italian recipe

My mom is 100% Italian, so from her side of the family many delicious recipes have been passed down. My favorite one is homemade (of course) tomato sauce with meatballs and spaghetti. When Grandma makes this, she uses three types of meat. I need to be money conscious, so usually only make meatballs. But if company is around, we would add pork and hot/sweet Italian sausage. yummmmmm. I have yet to make homemade pasta, but want to try soon. I have watched this being made, and have made it numerous times myself, that I don't use a recipe. I guess it comes naturally. Hopefully I remembered enough to write it down somewhat accurately.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Meatballs
- equal parts ground pork and beef (around 3 pounds total)
- eggs (maybe 2)
- shredded Parmesan cheese (maybe 1/2 cup)
- spices: basil, parsley, oregano
- bread crumbs (4-5 slices of bread, soaked in water, then squeezed and broken into little pieces)
Place all into a large bowl, and mix together - yes use your hands, much more effective! Roll into balls, however large you want. Preheat oven to 375. Place meatballs on cookie sheets, bake until fully cooked (20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size)

Sauce
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2-3 Tablespoons minced garlic
- spices: salt, ground pepper, parsley, oregano, basil (more than you think)
- canned tomato sauce, pureed tomatoes, whole tomatoes (cut by you)

Place a little oil in a large saucepan and heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute until soft but NOT browned. Add in all tomato sauces, spices, and a little water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 4 hours. Periodically stir to prevent burning. The longer it cooks, the more flavorful the sauce becomes. Add in the cooked meatballs at any point in time.

Serve over cooked spaghetti, with Parmesan cheese grated on top. Wonderfulness all on a plate.