Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

Life Update

Saturday, December 12th, 2009

Not much has been going on in the Kickert world.  We have been staying busy working, playing with our darling baby and just enjoying life.  Random thought – I can tell I am getting older because “life” ends for me between 9-10pm.  How sad is that?  Here are some quick updates on what has been going on:

  1. Cooking – Ben and I haven’t done a whole lot of experimental cooking lately, but have manage a few new meals and some tasty old ones.  Ben has actually taken to the kitchen quite a bit this last week, which has been nice to come home to!  I love to cook, but every once in awhile it is nice to let someone else do the cooking and just eat!  Noteworthy meals of the last week include homemade pita bread, spicy peanut soup (see recipe below), cheesy chicken broccoli casserole, and chili.  Ben pretty much cooked both of the soups all on his own and they were delicious!!  I have taught him well 😉
  2. Mikayla – While not crawling she sure is doing her fair share of moving around.  I am not sure how to describe her movements more than a glorified worm.  You know, the classic break dance move.  If you unfamiliar with what I am talking about check out this video.  She has also figured out that her voice has different levels and will scream happily for long periods.  She isn’t upset, just talking in her loud voice.  She is eating like crazy, and seems to love everything we have served her.
  3. Christmas – We are beginning to prepare ourselves for our Christmas tour.  We will make 6 stops in three different cities in less than a week.  Wish us luck!!  We have also been trying to do as little shopping as we can (we have done mostly online or handmade gifts this year).  I am not a fan of retail stores so I try to avoid them at all costs, especially at this time of the year!  I have done a little Christmas decorating, but not nearly as much in years past.  While I like to look at the decorations, I would much rather spend time with Mikayla while she is up and leave the rest of my evening for down time with Ben.  We just ordered our Christmas cards, and I think they are going to be super cute!  Keep your eyes open for one in the mailbox soon…hopefully we get them out before Christmas this year!
  4. School – It happens every year, but I must say my kiddos at school are crazy!!  I can’t wait for this next week to be over with so I can have a little break.  We all need it, kids included!  And speaking of kids, did I tell you about the kid who used the glue stick as chap stick?  Yep, I have that kid in class.  Or what about the one who chewed through a fat wooden pencil?  Yep, I have that kid too.  Let’s just say I need a break!

I think that is it for now.

Spicy Peanut Soup

Heat 2 TBS of OLIVE OIL in a large pot. Once it’s to temperature add 1 large ONION finely chopped along with 1 TBS of minced GARLIC. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add 2 teaspoons CHILI POWDER and cook for 1 minute more.

Add 2 RED BELL PEPPERS finely chopped along with 2 large CARROTS, 2 medium POTATOES and 4 CELERY stalks (all finely chopped. Cook for another 4 minutes stirring occasionally.See More

Add 3.5-4 cups VEGETABLE STOCK (depending on how thick you like your soup, 6 tablespoons (a little over 1/3 cup) CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER and 8 ounces of CORN. Stir thoroughly

Season with SALT, BLACK PEPPER, CURRY, and CHILIS.

Heat to a boil, then simmer 20 minutes until all vegetables are tender. Serve with chopped unsalted roasted PEANUTS as a garnish and RICE on the side.

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Why I Love My Husband

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

I love Ben for many reasons, but one of the things I love about my husband is he will do things with/for me that he hates.  On Thursday, Ben ASKED me if I wanted to decorate the Christmas tree.  I emphasize the word “asked” because if you know Ben at all you know that he is not a huge fan of the Christmas season (i.e. music, decorations, etc).  The fact that he brought up the tree showed me just how much he loves me.  It was a perfect evening encompassed with many things I love:

  • Spending time with my family.
  • Shrimp Scampi – Ben even cooked, it was as good if not better than Red Lobster.  We were only missing the garlic, cheese bread.  I will include the recipe at the end of this post.
  • Decorating the Christmas tree while listening to Christmas music – Ben only made a few negative comments!
  • Hot Chocolate and magazines – I am little behind on my magazine readings, so we made up some homemade cocoa for me (see this post for the recipe) and eggnog for Ben-JAM-in.
  • A bath – When I was pregnant with Mikayla I took a bath almost every night.  I love baths!  I haven’t taken that many since she has been born, so this was very relaxing!
    Here are a few pictures of us decorating the tree.

Shrimp Scampi Recipe for Two (courtesy of Ben Kickert)

Preheat oven to 450

Peel and Devein 1/2 pound shrimp, wash and place in single layer in small corningware.

In small sauce pan combine 1/3 cup butter, 1/4 cup white wine/sherry (I did half and half), 1 tablespoon of lime or lemon juice, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and/or ground grains of paradise, onion powder, oregano (listed in descending order of amount).

Heat mixture until butter is completely melted. Pour mixture over shrimp (cover so 95% of the shrimp is covered, but allow some edges to protrude).

Sprinkle Cajan Seasoning over shrimp and bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes or until shrimp is pinkish-white and opaque.

Place on top rack and broil for a few moments until mixture begins to boil.

Enjoy.

We serve with french bread, steamed broccoli and garlic/olive oil or parmesan pasta.  It makes a great meal!

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