So long, Argyle St. Kitchen!

Here it is. My long awaited LAST blog post from the Argyle St. Kitchen.
I can't wait to leave this ugly stove & cramped quarters. Next time you hear from me it will be from my beautiful sparkly new Eastwood Ave. kitchen. Oh, I just can't even wait!

Amidst the boxes and cleaning, I made time to make these blueberry muffins per request of my better half.
Most of the other kitchen supplies are boxed away but I left out the muffin tins and the measuring cups.
For my farewell to Argyle tribute, I share with you

Blueberry Muffins
with two topping options!

I have been o b s e s s e d with a little site called pinterest.com lately. Heard of it? It's to die for! Pages and pages of inspiration and a great place to keep track of the ones that catch your eye... or your stomach.

The recipe came from another blogger. She is blogging her way through the year making food for people she loves. Check it out acooksquest.blogspot.com/2011/04/102-blueberry-muffins.html.
Her instructions are great and easy to follow. And by that I mean, I'm not writing the instructions here :)

Here is what you need (I doubled this and made a full batch with each kind of topping):

Muffins:
2 cups blueberries

1 1/8 cups sugar, plus another teaspoon
1 T water
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 large eggs
4 T melted butter

1/4 c vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 t vanilla extract







Lemon Sugar Topping:
1/3 c sugar
1 1/2 t freshly grated lemon zest

Streusel Topping:
3 T white sugar
3 T brown sugar
1/3 c flour
5 T softened butter

 These were really delish!

Stay tuned for How to Move Like a Pro Part 2 & a lot more food!

How to Move Like a Pro (Part One)

When I move it is my goal to be really living in the new place asap. It is also my goal to be my movers' favorite job of the week. I live for them to say "you're our favorite! most organized move we've had in weeks!". Plus, this saves me money. They charge by the hour after all. Here are some tips and strategies that I've developed:

1. Make your bed. Seriously, every day keep making your bed. It will make you feel sane. This is really just a tip to say don't give up on keeping house just because you are moving. You will be much better off if you keep up with your every day chores.

Doesn't have to be perfect. Just do it.

2. Dedicate areas for boxes and for packing. A table or floor space for constructing boxes and packing is key.
3. Dedicate areas for NO moving related things.
A place that still feels like you live there.
A place where you do not have to see chaos.
For me, this is my bedroom. There will not be any boxes in there until moving day. At which time I will bring in wardrobe boxes for closet transfer. Otherwise the only things I pack from there come OUT of that room for packing and don't go back in.
4. Buy/collect supplies. You will need:

• More boxes than you think. Plan for 50-75 boxes per person in your house. This is a safe estimate. (I beg, borrow and steal boxes from work, my Starbucks, etc. EXCEPT for fragile items. Splurge on the dish barrel boxes at UHAUL. Oh, and wardrobe boxes. They are the best.) 
• Tape. More tape than you think. You don't want poorly constructed boxes. Probably 1 big roll per 20-25 boxes.
• Labels & Sharpies. Biggish labels are best, all colors of sharpies are needed.
• Packing Paper. Newsprint without print. It's your best friend.

5. Start early, pack often. Begin with little used items and do a little bit every day. This will make it much easier on moving day (and the all-nighter the night before will hopefully be eliminated). 

6. Label your boxes clearly with the room they are destined for. This will save you heartache in the new place.

7. Keep an inventory of what is in which box by number. This has many benefits, but most importantly it lets you know what might be lost or misplaced.

8. If you are using a moving company, make sure to have your name on the boxes. This is a great way to use up old return address labels. It doesn't tell someone where to send your box if it is lost, but it does at least identify which client the box belonged to. 

9. One week to 3 days before your move finish all the laundry you can. Put it away or pack it while it is clean. Then dedicate a hamper/box/laundry bag to dirty clothes. This should be one that can be closed up and transported as is. You are not doing any more laundry until the move is over. Trust me.

10. From day one of knowing to one week before, GET RID OF STUFF. Lots of it. You don't need it. And you certainly don't want to pay someone to carry your garbage to a new house. And if your friends are helping you they don't want to carry your garbage. I promise. They will love you if you get rid of stuff. You will love yourself if you save time and money. You will get to buy new stuff if you throw away the garbage. There is no reason NOT to get rid of stuff. 

11. Keep valuables in your move-free stuff zone. This means jewelry, important documents, really valuable and easy to steal electronics. Make an "I will move myself pile" and be sure to transport all these items yourself. 

12. Animals: TRY to keep their life the same. Don't move their things until you absolutely have to and then quickly re-establish their space at the new home. This is a stressful time for animals. Be nice to them. 

I like chips.
I like cheetos, salt & vinegar chips, the cheddar & sour cream ruffles, tortilla chips, nacho chips, doritos...
And before I fully digress into a Bubba Gump style list of ways I like to eat chips I will segue into the purpose of this post.
A good way to eat more chips and still not become a social outcast is to eat chips with varying dips and salsas.
For instance, if you are going to a party and you know you will probably eat more chips than anyone else bring a really great dip with you and then pretend it wasn't yours.
You can then say things like "I don't know who made this dip but it is out of this world. I just can't stop eating it!"
At this point you are complimenting a mystery chef and not just eating an extremely large quantity of chips. WIN! WIN!
I recently made pico de gallo twice in one weekend and although I did not deny making it or compliment any imaginary chefs I did eat a LOT of this pico and consequently a LOT of chips.

This recipe is quite similar to one I made a few months back but with some slight variations and I think it was pretty tasty.

 You need these vegetables, a lime for its juice, & salt.

Quarter the veggies and throw them in the chopper or actually dice them yourself. Batch one I left all jalapeno seeds in (hott schmott). Batch two I left 50% of the seeds in (perf!).

Add salt & lime to taste.

 Add cilantro.

 Game on. Where's the chips???

In loving memory of my fur-baby

I think this post is much more for me than for any of you.
I need to spend a little blog-space on my little one.

One month ago I said good-bye to Buddy. And I know lots of you loved him and didn't get the chance to say good-bye to him so I wanted to make a place to do that out here in cyber space.
To those of you that have expressed your sympathy to our family, thank you. It means so very much. For anyone who is not up to speed I'll catch you up.

One fall day several years back after carefully looking for months my mom found a stinky dog with a sweet face at Kay's Animal Shelter in Arlington Heights, IL. [Plug for this great no kill shelter!]
After some TLC he started smelling and looking a little better and the G family fell madly in love with Buddy. Well, most of the G family. He & dad always had their differences and I was skeptical at first. I was a too cool for school college kid that didn't feel connected to him since I wasn't living at home.
Fast forward to mom and dad's move to Georgia and you will catch a glimpse of a very worried Buddy in the front seat of the big moving truck headed out with dad for the long drive to the south.
A few weeks later we all rendezvoused at the new house in Guyton & Buddy was really starting to love his new digs. A big yard, some friendly neighbor dogs, a few cats to chase and warm weather. Drew sneaking him table scraps. Piano kids coming in and out every afternoon and naps under the piano bench while mom taught many children to play "Scarborough Fair." Life was good.
Now remember those differences between Buddy & dad? Well, the differences were growing or the tolerances were shrinking or maybe it was a little of both. It was decided that this was just not quite working out.
At the same time in the Windy City, I was living in a spacious but dungeon-y apartment with Ashley and talk of missing our family dogs was a regular topic. But we lived in a no dog type of dungeon-y apartment so we hadn't fallen victim to any Petsmart adoption days just yet.
But it would be nice to have one for cuddling with and to protect us from invaders. And hey, maybe I'd actually exercise.
[Insert light bulb idea here]
I'm pretty good at figuring out a way to get things I want. So, I asked our landlord and we came up with an agreement that would give me a chance at having a dog if I met certain conditions.
Everyone in the G family agreed that this was an ideal situation. Buddy would still be in the family, but dad would actually be able to watch Wheel of Fortune without getting barked at incessantly. This might just work out.
And work out it did. Just splendidly. Buddy was a HIT in the big city. He thrived at the park, being friendly to all he encountered on long walks and beach days. One of the conditions of the landlord agreement was that I couldn't leave him alone all day, either have a dog walker or do doggy day care or something. My then friend, now husband, Adam was a student with free time on his hands and needed some extra cash so Buddy & Adam & Jasmine got acquainted long before we became a blended family. Adam's favorite memories of these days are when Buddy would just sit down in the middle of the street on a walk and refuse to cross. Stubborn he was. Maybe that's why we got along so well.
Buddy even got accustomed to a soft-sided carrier and we started going everywhere together. He came to work with me every day for years. We flew all over the country escaping the pet travel fee and airline regulations with my sneakiness and his perfectly still and quiet traveling.
Buddy went home with me on Thanksgiving and spent his holidays at mom and dad's house until we would jet back to the city in time to ring in the New Year.
Eventually, I moved into a new apartment and Buddy was my only roomie. We decorated together (he laid in the middle of my projects), we did laundry together (he laid in the middle of my clean clothes), we  went to Starbucks together (he just wanted water), we watched lots of Seinfeld on DVD when we didn't have cable (he sometimes turned the tv off when he laid on the remote), we cooked together (he laid on my feet while I made dinner). You get the idea.
Inseparable.
He spent a long time at mom and dad's house over the wedding time and I'm so glad they got that time with him. When he came back to the city we had two new roommates and he shared his pad with Jasmine & gave up his side of the bed for Adam. Life changed a little, but it was so good.
Buddy was not without health problems at any time. He was HIGH maintenance. There were the expected things like ear infections and getting sick from eating garbage or sidewalk food (not like from a vendor, the kind that was dropped on the sidewalk days ago). And then there were the surprises, food allergies, the lip fold infection, the calcified disc in his neck, and the many unexplained. I jumped through many a hoop for his health and happiness. I cooked for him, bought prescription food, cleaned ears and lips and paws. We were regulars in the vets office. But he always sprung back to his care-free self until this last spell.
I really believe that God gave us dogs to keep us company, to give us physical comfort, and to bring us joy. Buddy did all that and more. I also believe that Buddy wanted to please me and he hid his pain and discomfort until he could stand it no longer. I think Buddy knew on some level that it was okay to leave me. I was safe and protected, I was comforted and cared for, and I was living in the joyful bliss of my new marriage.
You see, dogs aren't meant to be our lifelong companions. They only live a fraction of our lives. But that doesn't make it easy to let them go. It's a lesson is selflessness and compassion to let them go. It prepares you for other hard choices that will inevitably be down the road. It helps you love your real lifelong companion a little deeper. It made me wonder if I could ever love another animal the same way I loved Buddy, but my wonderful husband assures me that he doesn't think I have a love capacity and that I will love animals, and future babies, and strangers, and friends and family.
But mostly, I miss the sound of Buddy's bark when I watch Law & Order and they do the doink-doink, or the warmth of his face on my feet when I make a pie, and the way he scratched the side of the bed in the middle of the night until I scooted over enough for him to jump up. And sometimes how I would get somewhere and realize I had a little slobber on my sleeve. And so many more things about that sweet dog.
I could go on and on. And if you are a person I see regularly I probably will.
Thanks for loving Buddy and thanks for loving me. So many people have been so kind and understanding through this process and I am so grateful.

Although he hated the camera I managed to snap quite a few pics of his grouchy mug.
In loving memory of my Buddy.

When I grow up I want to be...

...Ree Drummond. The Pioneer Woman herself. She is pretty close to amazing. 


There are things we have in common, for sure. 


She loves food. I love food. 
She lets her dog take over her life. I let my dog take over my life. 
She is married to the Marlboro Man. I am married to the Camel Man. 


But I have a ways to go. 


She gets up at 5am. I get up at 9am. 
She has a lot of children and a ranch. I have one dog and an apartment. 
She has a published cookbook. I have a notebook where I scribble ideas of things to make. 


If you have not read her blog, do so immediately. 


The Pioneer Woman



And do you know what else she does? She takes all her own photos, even the action shots. 
So I am working on my action shots.


I will demonstrate said action shots with the following recipe. 


Creamy Peanut Butter Pie
this recipe came from another blogger and it has a very touching story if you want to take a minute to read it.

CRUST ingredients if you want to be fancy:

8 ounces chocolate cookies

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Otherwise, you can BUY A CRUST. 

PIE ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup creamy-style peanut butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Here we go.

First, whip the heavy cream. I used a hand mixer because I am not very patient. I suppose you could be a purist and do this by hand. Be my guest.

Next, smile. You are making something delicious after all. Creamy peanut butter & cream cheese at room temperature. 

Here's a fun fact: sometimes it can be a "sticky situation" to get PB out of a measuring cup. In a 2 cup glass measuring cup and fill to the 1/2 c. line with cold water. Then plop your PB in by spoon full until your water level rises to the desired line.
Example: need 1 cup of PB, fill until the water reaches 1 1/2 c. line .
I don't know who deserves credit for this. I learned it from my mom way back. Your peanut butter will come out of the water no worse for the wear and you won't lose half your peanut butter to the measuring cup.

Mix PB & CC. Look! I'm doing it... self action shot!

Add your powdered sugar. It looked so soft and fluffy. I wanted to sit in a giant pile of it. I refrained.

Add lemon juice. 

Add vanilla. This is good non-imitation Vanilla from Mexico. It was my honeymoon souvenir. I am so lame.

Add can-o-milk. I was impressed with myself for this picture. I feel it really captures the pouring action.

Mix all these things together. There I go again with the action. I might be getting the hang of this. 

Now fold in your whip cream. I did not fold. I mixed because it was pretty and I paid for it later. This pie was a little soupy. But the next day when I made this exact same pie AGAIN I folded.  And it was not soupy. Just fold. You'll be glad you did.

Pour your pie filling into your crust and freeze or refrigerate it, but I thought it was better frozen. It doesn't get hard so you can slice it with a butter knife even straight from the freezer... and you avoid potential soupy-ness? soupiness? That looks wrong.
Also, this makes a very large pie. It's really enough for two pies, especially if you are using one of those small store-bought crusts.

I have eaten WAY too much of this pie. I won't be making it again for a while, but I will remember it when I need a no-bake dessert or a make-ahead dessert.

Odds & Ends of This & That

Since I became a part of this smart phone culture, I've really lazied up on the blogging. After all, how easy is it to snap, click share, and then let you oooh and aahhh over my culinary creations via facebook? Easy, yes. Interesting? not so much.

So this post is a tribute to my smart phone laziness. Food that I only have a pic or two to prove I made. Definitely no action shots or step by step photo instructions.

For our family camping trip I contributed, most with a few modifications from their original source:

Honey Nut Ginger Chex Mix with dried cranberries

 

adapted from the Chex Mix box

the recipe calls for almonds, but I used walnuts and most recently some pecans and added raisins

Carrot Cake in honor of my parents' 50th birthdays

 borrowed from good ole' martha stewart

& frosting too! 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake for a quick breakfast

courtesy of the blogger responsible for "Gimme some Oven"

Black Bean Burgers

There is no picture of these burgers. I barely remembered them.
First, because I nearly lost my left thumb trying to hurriedly prepare them before we left for the first leg of our long journey to Deep Creek Campground, NC.
Second, because pretty much they didn't get eaten. In typical Harris-bloodline fashion, everyone brought WAY too much food. A thing that can be said about anyone flowing down from the genes of Melda Harris herself is that we do not want people to go hungry. We obsess about food. It's pretty close to an illness kind of obsession. We talk about what we are going to eat, when we're going to buy the ingredients, who's going to make what, followed by arguments of who's doing too much and trying to convince them to do less because they are already too busy of a person, and then secretly doing more to out-do this person. For instance, there was a series of emails between me, my mom, & Janna going 'round about who was bringing what.

"I've got sandwich stuff"
"I'll bring all the meats and fixins for the grill"
"I'll bring all paper goods etc"

This type of thing is normal, I think. Then I start reading some blogs about things I want to bring so I add a few more things to the list. Then my mom starts adding things to her list but not telling me and then she confesses at the campsite it was because she thought I was doing too much and she wasn't doing enough. Then Janna shows up with way more than she committed to including but not limited to these really delish PB&J bars and a loaf of to-die-for Banana Bread and snacks and drinks and way more that I cannot even remember. All the while I was just trying to bring more so that it would take the burden off of my mom who amazingly works triple time every week and Janna who was making a pit stop in the ATL so she should have just been able to have fun and not worry about the status of her cooler ice :)
Well, many who have gone before us have done this same thing and we vowed we would not over-pack the food next time, but I can pretty much guarantee we will have forgotten this debacle by then and do it again.


And probably some other things but I can't remember anymore and there is no photo evidence.

These are some chicken packets full of veggies and lemons and spices that were spot on.

These are some chicken wings that we did not even need, but we cooked them and then ate them cold on our hike the next day.

This is that carrot cake after 2 days in the car. It really was delicious though.

This is LG & JW filling their plates with boston butt sandwiches, greek salad & baked beans.

This is our food tent on the left. Tent #1 of our 5 tent complex that housed all of the too much food that we brought. Notice how my mom is in there hard at work and AY & MG are playing a game of ladder ball. This is camping.