See Ya, Sandy!

Over prepared.  We were over prepared.  The only storm supplies we purchased that we actually used? The sweets.  Never lost power.  Well, let me clarify.  We lost power for an insignificant amount of time while we were sleeping, which I only knew about because I had to reset the clocks this morning.  All trees remained intact.  BearFace and I took a drive to Vineland (about 30 mins away) today to see a movie...not one power line down, and maybe two trees down.  HALLELUJAH!  The storm that seemed dead set on hitting Salem County, and pretty much all of New Jersey for a sustained time decided to turn elsewhere and spare us.  Must have been deflected by my clean house!  Unfortunately the coast of New Jersey was not that lucky, as well as NYC from what I hear from brother Joe.  I feel very fortunate that we made it through the storm with no damage, and I hope all my friends and family in other states were as lucky as we were.

Resuming normal activities tomorrow, thankfully!  Spending three days locked in a house with a stir-crazy boxer=rather trying.  Day 1 and 2 were ok, but today was definitely a challenge.  It went something like this (Family Guy, anyone?):

Murphy: Hey Mom.
Michelle: Hey Murphy.
Murphy: Mom.  I love you.
Michelle: Thanks, Murph.  Love you too.
Murphy: Mom.  Hey Mom.  Um, Mom?  Excuse me.  Mom.  Mommy.  Mommy.  Mom.  Ma.  Mom.  
                MOM. HELLO.
Michelle: WHAT?!?!?! 
Murphy: HIIII.  Heehehee!

Murphy took to playing dress-up in an attempt to entertain himself,

then realized he couldn't unzip himself, panicked, and tried

to eat his way out of it.  

You could say that I am looking forward to heading back to work and getting the crazy back on his regular exercise schedule.

I'm also looking forward to getting back on a normal eating schedule!  Apparently Hurricane Sandy gave me permission to eat junk for the past 3 days.  This included: PopTarts, Fudge Stripe cookies, more PopTarts, and a massive amount of soda and popcorn at the movies today, all of which I normally avoid.  I also consumed more pasta in the last three days than I've eaten in probably three months.  I guess I thought this might really be the apocalypse...

Anyway, back to a bit healthier eating with this Tuesday Night Post-Hurricane Dinner:

Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Quinoa

I have been wanting to make this for a while, and finally got around to it tonight.  It seemed like the perfect meal for a cold and rainy day (I made a few alterations, of course).  First and foremost, I had to add some meat to it!

1/2 pound turkey sausage, sliced

For the sausage (cook sausage first, then continue with recipe):

1. Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add sausage slices and cook until just browned.
3. Remove sausage from pan and set aside (meat will finish cooking in soup later on.)
4. Add sausage to soup in Step 8 along with chickpeas.

This meal had great flavors and the sausage went well with it, but I do have some suggestions for improvement.  The quinoa kind of overtook the dish and absorbed a lot of the liquid, so I recommend A) using 1/2 cup quinoa instead of a full cup, and B) adding more chicken stock.  I would suggest 6 cups.  That is the amount I usually use in soups, and the 2-3 cups this recipe calls for just doesn't do it.  Also, serve with crusty dipping bread for extra deliciousness.  YUM. 

Not super soupy, but very tasty!

Hanging in There!

While Hurricane Sandy rages outside with the worst of it still to come, Drew, Murphy and I are hunkering down and getting ready for power loss!  Kayaks are in the garage in case of flooding, and Murphy's raincoat has been taken out of storage (What can I say, the dog hates rain).  Neither of us had to go into work today, and it has already been canceled for tomorrow.  We did venture out this morning to top off the gas in my car and stock up on sweets (who knows when we'll be able to buy them next!)  A lot of the fields we passed were already flooding as of 10:30 this morning.

Our landlord, Tracy, stopped by around noon to show us how to work the generator and pellet stove so we will have some power and heat.  Having never weathered a storm around here before, Drew and I don't really know what to expect.  Tracy reminded us that our area is barely above sea level, and rather close to the Delaware River.  I don't think our house will be in danger, but a lot of the roads around here will probably be flooded out.  Getting to work later this week may be a challenge.

Good news though...RD is prepared with a gallon of water, granola bars, and some mayo.  He's also quite knowledgeable about the storm...he informed us earlier that this is the "highest low pressure the state has ever seen!"  (I'm sorry, what?  Is that an oxymoron, or are you just a moron?)  Let's be honest, if it weren't for me and Drew, I don't think he would have filled the grill or figured out the generator. 

But oh well, nothing we can do about it now!  Time to shut off the Weather Channel, cook up something tasty for dinner, and put on a movie.  Murphy is in his glory.  He's never had this much snuggling in his life.

Can't. Take. All. The. Snuggling.

Sunday Night Hurricane Dinner:

Dad's Baked Chicken, Mom's Egg Noodles, and Roasted Broccoli (I was feeling something warm and comforting last night!)

For the chicken:

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin or sliced in half
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drizzle about 1 tbsp of olive oil in 9x9 baking pan.
3. Set up a "chicken breading station".  Spread breadcrumbs and flour on 2 plates, and beat egg in a bowl.
4. Dredge chicken in flour, then dip in egg wash, and finally coat with breadcrumbs.
5. Place chicken in baking pan and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Flip chicken in pan, and continue baking for another 10 minutes. 

For the egg noodles:

1 package egg noodles (I used no-yolk noodles for a little healthier version)

~2 tbsp butter

~1 tbsp olive oil

Garlic salt

Parsley

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and return to pot.
2. Add butter and olive oil and toss to coat (You can do just butter, or just olive oil if you want.)
3. Add garlic salt and parsley to taste.

For the broccoli:

Fresh or frozen (defrosted) broccoli 

Grated Romano cheese

Olive oil

Garlic salt and pepper

1. Spread broccoli on baking sheet.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt, pepper, and cheese.
3. Roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until broccoli is slightly toasty.

A taste of Cheshire.  Yum.

Monday Night Hurricane Dinner:

Quick Hurricane Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Drew decided that he wanted to cook tonight, so I had to step back and let him take the reins.  I actually had to leave the kitchen so I didn't push him out of the way and take over.  I am that much of a cooking control freak!

1 pound ground turkey 

1 box whole wheat thin spaghetti

1-2 cloves minced garlic

1 jar marinara sauce (Usually I make my own sauce, but didn't have the time/ingredients on hand tonight!)

Grated Romano cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
3. Brown turkey meat and garlic in pan.
4. Add sauce to pan and bring to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until meat is cooked through and sauce is hot.
6. Add meat sauce to pasta, and top with Romano cheese.

Another warm and comforting meal!

Time to squeeze in one more shower before our power goes out and we lose the water :(  Not looking forward to going outside to pee!  I hope everyone is safe and dry!