Keeping it Simple

Summer here in Nashville has been pretty incredible this year.  Although there have been some very hot days (89 and 90 degrees is very hot for us!) overall, we have had mostly days of light rain, 75-80 degrees, and even days that felt a little chilly!   Everything is green and gorgeous and you would never think in a million years that it is the end of July.  It truly has felt like Spring most of the summer.   For the 4th of July we were actually in light sweaters and hoodies watching the fireworks.  I think that is the first time that has ever happened in my life!

Summer has been more laid back for our family this year.   Our third baby arrives in a little over a week and things have been kept very easy and slow for me this summer.  The weather, as I said before, has been on my side, thank the Lord.  However, for the last couple of months, I have definitely felt, "Is this pregnancy going to ever ever end!?!?!?!"   Keeping up with two other children while pregnant with a third has been quite interesting.  Or should I say, quite exhausting.  In all of it, we are so grateful for our sweet family and so very excited for our third babe to arrive.  There is not a day that passes that I do not wonder, "How in the world do women have 10 children?  Or even 6 or 7 for that matter?"   My hat is off to them, I don't have it in me.  I am not a trooper when it comes to pregnancy.  My husband is a huge help and gets the "best husband of the world" award.

Luke has had minimal travel with music, which has been really nice, and today I actually found time to sit at the piano and just play.  I think I mentioned before, I have been playing piano since I was 5 years old.  I am a classically trained pianist.   However, in these days of motherhood, I rarely get to just sit at the piano and enjoy creating.  I am fully aware that that season of my life will return, however, it is just not first place right now.  My kiddos are, and I am completely at peace with that.  Nine out of 10 times that I sit down to attempt to play through some music, I have a little girl and a little boy on each side of me, cramming themselves as close as possible to me in order for all three of us to fit on the piano bench.   I am not joking, I begin to play, and it takes them about 30 seconds to run from wherever they are in the house and join me as if I was begging them to come and duet or trio with me.   But, for the moments like today, where I got to be a solo pianist, I am so grateful!  Music gives me life, playing the piano gives me a breath of fresh air.  So, today was pretty dreamy!

As I mentioned before, we have kept this summer very peaceful, very calm, and as restful as possible.  By the end of the day, I am dying to get off my feet, so to be totally honest, I have not had a ton of master chef cooking moments.  My goal has been to keep things simple, tasty, and healthy.  Luke is a fabulous griller, and like most of you out there, we do a lot of grilling in the summer.  So, he has prepared a lot of our main dishes which has been great and so helpful to me.

For you moms who need ideas for keeping it simple:  there are days, you just can't pull off a huge dinner.  Your brain is zapped, your body hurts, and you are just waiting to crawl into bed at 8pm (or whenever the last kiddo goes to bed.)  It is ok to have a very simple meal.  That doesn't make  you a bad mom, a crummy wife, or a failure.  What it does make is a easy night on you!  Here is an example of a super easy, but unbelievably delicious meal we had the other night.

Fresh garden tomatoes covered in cottage cheese and basil from my herb garden.   Sliced avocado with lemon pepper, salt, and drizzled with olive oil.  It was so wonderful!!!!  If I were not pregnant, I would have accompanied it with a fresh mojito, but that will come soon enough.   Dinner took me less than 10 minutes to prepare.  There were veggies and protein,  and the meal was bursting with flavor.
Don't avoid going simple.  We all need much more simplicity in our crazy lives.  The Europeans do it all the time.  Cheese and bread, a bowl of olives, meat and cheese plates,  pasta with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon?   If they can, then so can we!

Enjoy!

Falling in Love with Cooking -Tip #7

No children or pets in the kitchen while cooking.

 Cooking is MY time. That is probably why I enjoy it so much! My husband takes the kids to another room, and it is his time to play and entertain them while I prepare dinner.  It keeps the atmosphere peaceful.  Otherwise, my 4 yr. olds little fingers are continuously reaching on the countertop trying to snag whatever it is that I am cutting.  And my 21 month old is hanging on my legs or pushing the kitchen chairs over to the island so that she can "help" me cook.  She isn't helpful, but she is cute. Again, being a music city mom, I have had to prepare and cook ahead on the days that Luke is out of town.   I quickly learned that cooking while two kids are running around the kitchen is not a beautiful experience.  Furthermore, if that is the scene, then I always sit down for dinner with knots in my shoulders.

 What if your husband wants/likes dinner ready right at 5:30pm when he walks through the door so you have to cook with the kids hanging on your legs and crying?  Well than no wonder you hate cooking if that is your situation.  It's stressful.  Here is my suggestion.  Try saying this in a very pleasant tone, “Sweetheart, that is a great idea. If you want dinner at 5:30pm, than be home by 4:30pm to cook it yourself and have it prepared by 5:30pm,  I would love to eat at that time,  sounds perfect to me.” Otherwise, he gets home, takes the kids, gives you your first time to breathe all day, and allows you to pleasantly prepare the dinner for your family.   Being a mom is wonderful, but it is hard work, and we are just as tired at the end of a long day.   It is ok to be a wife and a mom AND to NOT feel like you are slaving away night and day.  We want to cook and prepare dinner for our family to enjoy.....we just need peace and quiet to do so!  Then we can truly say, “This was prepared with love!”   If hubby does get home by 6pm and it is too late to start trying to cook at that time I totally understand.  On the days that Luke is in the studio he is not home until 5:45 or 6, so it is too late for me to begin preparing dinner at 6pm.  This is where I cut myself a break, and turn on a nice educational show for the kids to watch while I peacefully prepare dinner.  They get there time to calm down before dinner and I get my time to calm down as well.  I do understand that this issue with "space" will change as my children get older. As I said before, my 21 month old daughter and many times my son as well, really do want to help me in the kitchen.  Bethany, is just not helpful at this time.  She reaches, grabs, and shoves things into her mouth that I am trying to prepare.  Jonah can be helpful at times and really loves to spend that time with me, so I do allow him at times to help me.  It's fun for him and it gives us something to bond over. However, again, it is ok, to say, "Tonight, I need some space, and mommy is just going to prepare dinner by herself."

 My second rule:  No pets in the kitchen.  My little yorkie, Sully, knows exactly what “out of the kitchen!” means.   He literally stands in one of the adjoining rooms to the kitchen and watches me.  I hate cooking with him under my feet.  At my parents, they have not trained their dogs to stay out of the kitchen, and you have to cook with a large German Shorthaired pointer's nose right at the counter, waiting for one drop of food.  While on the other side of your leg is a small yorkie shaking and waiting as well, and you continuously step on or trip over him.  Stressful!  These are those atmospheres/times that I would suggest that tequila shot I mentioned earlier before you start cooking!

Clear out the kitchen, clear out your head, enjoy the space, pour a glass of wine, and cook a lovely dinner.

Immersion Family Band with a Side of Street Tacos.

Some of our dearest friends here in Nashville are our Immersion Family Band (as we call ourselves).  They are those type of friends that you feel you have known your entire life.  You can tell them anything, say anything, sing anything, create anything, play anything, and it is just a safe and fun environment.  We laugh, cry, dream, write music, record music, share our hearts, talk very honestly, and then laugh a lot more altogether!

The band and the music was created by our great friend Anthony Skinner.  Anthony is one of the most talented songwriters I have ever met, and then to just tip it off, he sings, and has one of the most intriguing, unique, and phenomenal voices I have ever heard.

  
We meet on a regular basis, share a meal altogether, and spend the evening circled up, playing, singing, and worshipping together.  It is an amazing night of community and music and I leave with a full heart every single time.  

With the band, there are no practices, no rehearsals, they just come together and the music is perfect.  It is a very unique situation.  Each member of the band is a full-time professional musician here in Nashville, so of course, the quality that each player brings is top notch.  However, when these guys get together, magic just seems to happen and those around who are able to be at Immersion that evening,  get to reap the blessings of the music.  We have truly become like family.  They are some of our very closest friends here in Music City.  We spend holidays together, cookouts, breakfasts, birthdays, and much more.  These are those people that have us over for dinner just as much as we have them over!  Our homes are continuously open to one another.  It is a beautiful relationship and we love them all!
Make sure you check out the videos below.  All the songs are downloadable on iTunes under Anthony Skinner.

Immersion sometimes will occur twice a month on a Tuesday or a Friday night.  It usually turns into a very busy day for our family.  Most of time we share a meal together with the band, but on the nights we do not, I have to plan ahead, because there is no time for preparing dinner for my family that evening.   If it falls on a Tuesday,  that day becomes a non stop, extremely busy day for us.  The morning starts with a weekly meeting that my husband has with our church (he is the band leader).  It goes from 9-12pm, he then comes home, and I leave to go teach piano lessons for the afternoon.  I walk  back through the door, and he loads his guitars and leaves for Immersion about 30 minutes after I get home.  I eat a quick dinner with our sweet kids, and then leave for Immersion as well.  

It is a crazy day and there is no time for cooking.  So, I pull out one of my crock pot meals for days just like this one!!

Street Tacos

This recipe was given to me by my sister, Jessica.  It is probably one of the most simple things I cook, and yet, it is one of the tastiest.  Don't you just love recipes like that?!?  Even better, it is healthy!   It is also one of my go-to's when Luke leaves town, because it will feed me and the kids for a couple of days.  It is difficult to cook when Luke is gone because I generally will have my 4 year old riding around our kitchen island on his fire truck with his fire hat  and fire coat on making very loud siren noises, while my 1 1/2 yr. old baby girl stands up and hangs on my legs and says, "hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me."  Can any mom relate?  Total chaos.  Not fun, not fun at all.  These are not the beautiful nights of cooking that I describe with a quiet, clean kitchen, glass of wine, and French music.  That is why I plan ahead. 

So, the Street Tacos are perfect for a busy day when you don't have time to cook that evening.  I serve the chicken tacos with corn tortillas, fresh cilantro, salsa, a dab of sour cream and a squeeze of fresh lime.  They are amazing!  If you are a busy mom and you don't have a lot of time for cooking, this is the recipe for you.  It is a game changer.

I have posted some Immersion Family Band videos as well as the Street Tacos recipe below.  I have no doubt that you will enjoy the food an the music!!!!!

Street Tacos:

3 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts  (add more or less depending on how many you are cooking for)

1 package of taco seasoning

1 can of Rotel 

1 can of black beans-drained and rinsed  

1 package of Corn tortillas

1 lime cut into wedges

1 bunch of cilantro diced up
1 avocado, sliced

sour cream and hot sauce  (any other fixins you like on your tacos)

Turn the crockpot on Hi  (if you want it to cook slower and longer, than turn it on Low)

place chicken, taco seasoning,  and the can of Rotel with all the juices, in the crockpot. 

Cook for about 3 hours.  When the chicken is cooked through and falls apart, it is done. 

When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the crock pot and tear it apart-it literally will just shred into pieces.

So Easy!  Place it back into the crock pot mixture and stir in the can of black beans (don't forget to drain the beans first!).

Use 1-2  warm corn tortillas  for each taco.  I like to double them, because that is how I have always been served authentic street tacos. (I usually heat mine in the microwave or oven to get them soft).  Fill each tortillas with chicken mixture.   Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, avocado and salsa and then for the finishing touch, squeeze the wedge of lime on top!   It is divine!  Thanks Jess!

Enjoy!

Falling in Love with Cooking- Tip # 6

-A Salt Bowl-
 I know, this is not a must, and probably even sounds ridiculous- but I love my salt bowl in my kitchen!   I am not even a huge salt fan, and I try to keep things low sodium,  however, something about having a salt dish next to your stove just makes you feel fancier and flashier as a cook!  Plus, you constantly need to season whatever you are cooking with salt and pepper (if you don’t do this, than this is why your food is bland and probably kind of gross) so it is handy to just have a salt dish next to your stove.  I would have a pepper dish as well, however, I do prefer the pepper to be freshly cracked, and I have a wonderful pepper mill that my mother brought me from Cortona, Italy.   So, I have to use that!

 Back to the salt dish, you just pinch and dab as you go along testing and tasting.  It just makes the experience fancier and more enjoyable!  Use a pretty, decorative, or fun salt bowl.  For 8 years, I used a wide flower bud vase that my husband and I bought at a wonderful old mansion in Ireland, where we stayed on our honeymoon.  I never used it for flowers, so finally I began using it as my salt dish, and I loved it, because it had meaning.  Luke broke it last year while cleaning the kitchen one night.    I was so sad! He was sad, and he swore he could glue it back together.....I now have a cute bowl from Anthropologie.

Falling in Love with Cooking- Tip #5

-A Great Cutting Board-

 A large bamboo or wood cutting board is a must in my opinion.  It will allow you to do all your prep and cutting without making every countertop in your kitchen messy.  My sister keeps those flimsy plastic cutting boards around.  She is a fabulous cook, but has the worst cutting boards!  I hate them! They bend, they slide, and they make the entire experience dangerous and stressful!   And they are tiny! You have no room, so if you try to prepare a salad for your meal, 1/2 of the ingredients end up off the board and on the counter.  Then you have a mess, rather than it all being neatly contained on your one big, amazing, wood cutting board.  My sister and I love to cook together, and thankfully, after complaining for years about her cutting boards (I can’t even call them that....cutting flimsy plastic place mats) she finally got a huge wood cutting board!   I love it!  I think she still uses her flimsy, dangerous, ridiculous, cutting mats.  But when I am in town, I pull out her huge, wonderful, practical,and useful wood cutting board.

I know you will find most wood boards to be expensive.  Who wants to spend $75 on a cutting board? I don’t.  I found my bamboo board for $12 at TJ MAXX.  And I love it.  Literally the best decision I have ever made in my life.  Ok, not literally the best decision,  I have made more important decisions than my cutting board.

  Helpful tip: Do not use your board to prepare or cut any raw meat. Try to clean it with hot water, and not much soap as to preserve it.  My dear friend Katie taught me to frequently rub olive oil on your board to keep it from drying out.  This will also preserve it, and keep it in great condition for years to come.

Falling in Love with Cooking- Tip #4

-A Glass of Wine-
Well, I am back from the holidays.  It truly takes weeks to recover from Christmas and New Year.  And if you have children, you will understand that it takes 2 extra weeks from the initial 2 weeks of recovery!  So, I am finally feeling normal again, and trying to get back to my normal schedule of teaching, cooking, mothering, writing music, and blogging.  I want to continue down the path of hopefully inspiring some of you out there to begin a new journey this year of Enjoying/Learning to cook.   It is 2014, maybe it can be one of your goals?

My 4th tip for helping you learn to enjoy the process of creating in your own kitchen is this:  A Glass of Wine.....or two.

I don’t have a glass of wine every night when cooking, but I do enjoy one a few times a week while cooking.  It tastes lovely, pairs great with French music, and is truly calming.  Most of the time it is a nice red wine.  In the summer, it is a glass of Prosecco, chilled, Italian Sparkling wine, my favorite summer drink over the last few years.  I enjoy the Prosecco from Trader Joe’s. It is great tasting, and very affordable.  Sorry, music city moms, the TJ here doesn’t sell wine....yet.  I stock up when I go to Kansas City where the TJ’s does sell wine. If it has been a really long day and I am exhausted, I will make a French Press and have a strong, hot, great cup of coffee while I prepare dinner. This is also really enjoyable, and has the added benefit of keeping my eyes open past 9:15pm so that I can actually have a conversation with my honey.  If you don’t like coffee than I suggest wine.   If you are not comfortable with drinking wine, than find a drink that you enjoy, and pour it into a pretty glass so that it feels special.  Remember, you are setting the atmosphere!  If you love beer, than serve yourself a nice cold beer in a large frosted glass and enjoy it while you cook!  To each his own!  If it has been the ultimately difficult “mom” day, and you want to kill everything and possibly everyone around you, than I suggest a shot of tequila and a sprinkle of salt with a fresh squeeze of lime!  Just not too much before you pick up the cooking knife!  :)

As a mom, cooking with a nice glass of wine or a wonderful cup of coffee just feels like the finish line to me.  My husband is home, French music is playing, my kids will go to bed soon, (I adore them, but by 5pm, let’s be honest, we all start watching the clock), and I will have a few quiet hours in the evening before the next day begins.  I can sip my wine, prepare my dinner for my wonderful family, and then sit down and enjoy the beautiful food.

So, my suggestion to you today:  Plan your menu, turn on your music, clear out the kitchen of chaos, and pour a glass of wine.

Enjoy!