a cozy vday in

Posted on February 17, 2014 by tandem in love

this year for valentine’s day, we had a cozy night in. in our pj’s that is…it was that cozy! we truly had a wonderful valentine’s day together. it was the best one yet!

my, what a difference a year makes! last year, we spent valentine’s day at one of our favorite restaurants, roy’s. you can read about it here. i wasn’t even pregnant with little olive yet either! now look where we are at! blessed with the cutest little cupid ever!

[cutie patutie]

this year, we had dinner at home and i couldn’t have asked for more! we waited for hc to come home that evening; he arrived at the door with a bouquet of beautiful flowers and a sweet, sweet card for me! we relaxed for a bit before hc started his cooking magic. he fancied out the dining room table, opened up a delicious bottle of wine {thank you to terry for the gift}, and started to whip up some amaze appetizers {oh em gee!}. i am a lucky gal!

[the cute card from hc // a few fun, valentine’s from us and others!]

[gorgeous flowers from cattails]

it was a three course meal totally at our pace and comfort, which i was absolutely loving. the three of us sat down to nibble on the savory appetizers hc had made. stuffed artichoke hearts. they were to die for. so stinkin’ good. dangerously delectable. i wanted to eat the entire dish as my entree but i knew some more yummy goodness was on it’s way!

[the fancied up table // the amaze stuffed artichokes]

after noshing on some starters, we continued to sip wine, enjoy each other’s company, and chill in our warm abode. all the food was prepped, so once i started to feed the babes, hc started to cook up our entrees. we then sat down for our main course. words cannot describe how piquant the dish was! i was in love with every bite! i couldn’t thank hc enough for the best meal ever!

[the prepping of the soon to be devoured entree]

after our main course, we then devoured our decadent dessert from alliance bakery! hc had purchased a red velvet heart shaped cake from one of our favorite bakeries, down the street. we sliced it in half and savored every morsel of this rich, moist, sweet, yummy cake.

[olive’s first photo bomb // the wonderful, sweet red velvet cake]

[family selfie! doesn’t olive look amused?!]

it was the best valentine’s day yet. i have had so much fun celebrating it the past several weeks and it ended with a wonderful family night celebration this past february 14 ♥!

much love mes amies!

so now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 corinthians 13:13

xoxo

best of both worlds

Posted on March 4, 2013 by tandem in love

as you probably have read in my previous post, about my mom + her cooking and her mom duties of making sure her children are fed, we had frozen some food she had us bring home the other week {a copious amount!}. we were waiting for our schedules to align [a time where we are both home + an open dinner slot] and of course, not having this land on a friday [no meat lent friday!].

so that time was now. i was very excited to break out the bánh bao {to die for!}. it’s a favorite of mine, amongst a huge variety of other things my mom makes {honestly, everything is my ‘favorite’}. hubby charming then created his own recipe for fried rice. adding his own pizazz as he stir fried the white rice to perfection! voila, a delicious meal created by my love, hubby charming, and my loving mother dearest! it can’t get any better than that {right?}!! it was the best of both worlds, combining their skills, and a damn good meal as a final result…yum, yum, yum.

here’s a recipe for some yummy fried rice. not exactly the one hc used {he improvised} but very close! enjoy!

2 cups enriched white rice
4 cups water
2/3 cup chopped baby carrots
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
soy sauce to taste
sesame oil, to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

*In a saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. {hc says to use old rice, or let the rice sit for a day for best results!}
*In a small saucepan, boil carrots in water about 3 to 5 minutes. Drop peas into boiling water, and drain.
*Heat wok over high heat. Pour in oil, then stir in carrots and peas; cook about 30 seconds. Crack in eggs, stirring quickly to scramble eggs with vegetables. Stir in cooked rice. Shake in soy sauce, and toss rice to coat. Drizzle with sesame oil, and toss again.

why did the chicken cross the road?

Posted on February 22, 2013 by tandem in love

tonight’s meal: chicken pot pie! oh em geeeeeee, it was so good!! seriously, freakin’ delish! i love hubby charming for his culinary skills. at least his desire to do so, ’cause me, not so much in that department. i like cooking {just the basics for me} but would rather have someone else do it. am i right or am i right? although, i’m a great cleaner upper…spic and span is my best friend 😉

chicken pot pie

1-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced fresh carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup frozen peas
1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimientos, drained
1 teaspoon salt

biscuit topping

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
2/3 cup milk

[via tasteofhome.com]

Directions

*In a large saucepan, saute the mushrooms, carrots and onion in butter until tender; sprinkle with flour. Gradually stir in broth and milk until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, pimientos and salt ; heat through. Pour into a greased shallow 2-1/2-qt. baking dish; set aside.

*In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cream of tartar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in milk just until moistened. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times. Pat or roll out to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter.

*Place biscuits over chicken mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown

oven roasted asparagus

1 bunch thin asparagus spears, trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

*Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

*Place the asparagus into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange the asparagus onto a baking sheet in a single layer

*Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness.

*Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving.

[via allrecipes.com]

i hope your evening was just as good + full of love, laughter, and silliness.

bon appétit!

meatloaf monday

Posted on February 19, 2013 by tandem in love

boy, i was wiped out. i’m a night owl. i am just programmed that way. i have tried, in the past, to go to bed before midnight [ha!] – nope, never, ever happens. so, regardless of what time i have to wake up in the morning; i will, guaranteed, go to bed between midnight and two o’clock in the morning. over the week’s time frame, i will aggregate in the regulated amount of sleep that is recommended but on an everyday basis, it might be 3 hours to 12 {for reals…i really can sleep 12 hours straight! // no kiddies to wake me up!}.

anyhoo, i woke up with an agenda on the brain. but as my day started out really, really late, i didn’t hop to it right away. hubby charming called and said he was on his way home from work {yeah, you can only guess what time that might have been, although his schedule is erratic} and i was excited because that meant we could do errands together!

that’s not my name, that’s not my name…

in the above photo, that’s my starbuck’s name. yes, with a unique name like mine, i must have an alias! peeps around me find it comical, i find it pragmatic.

after our escapades around the city, we settled back into our abode to start a cookin’ {well, hubby charming did the cooking + i did a lot cleaning}. on the menu – meatloaf!

the delish meal

setting the table

yum

some of his favorite sauces

meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 egg
1 dash ground black pepper
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup steak sauce, (e.g. Heinz 57)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

Directions

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.
*In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, salt, egg, black pepper and bread crumbs. Pour in the milk, 3 tablespoons of the steak sauce, onion and green bell pepper.
*Place the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and shape into a loaf. Brush the top with the remaining steak sauce.
*Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until done. Allow to stand 5 minutes before slicing.

[via allrecipes.com]

brown sugar glazed carrots

16 ounces baby carrots
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup water
dash salt
pepper, to taste

directions

In a medium saucepan, combine the baby carrots with remaining ingredients. Stir to blend ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling (uncovered) for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until carrots are tender and the liquid has evaporated.

[southernfood.about.com]

rice pilaf

1 1/2 cups white rice ( I use jasmine, but any white rice will work)
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 small onions, diced
2 teaspoons margarine or 2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves