Allergies

Monday, May 24, 2010 Posted in 2010, Paisley & Zhor

The last two weeks have been insane. I have billed more hours in the last 2 weeks, than I probably ever have during a 2 week period, and Jesse has been just as busy with work, school, weddings, shoots, etc. Last week, however, we had a major scare when Jesse got home from work and Paisley’s face was swelled up like a balloon. Jesse rushed her to the vet as soon as he saw her where they gave her a steroid and benadryl injection. Luckily, this seemed to do the trick and it went down while she was under observation at the vet, and then as the night went on and morning came, she was starting to look normal again. Jesse gets all the credit, as I was at a recruiting dinner and did not hear my phone ringing when he was calling me freaking out. I had my moment of freak out though and Paisley slept right next to me all night so I could make sure she was still breathing. We still don’t know what she is allergic too, as we never found any bites on her and she is our little billy goat and tries to eat everything that is in her path. This past Sunday, however, she started panting excessively, and that is not normal for her. We took her temperature and heart rate, and then realized that she had hives all over her chest. She had been outside while Jesse and I were working in the garden, so other than playing in the grass, she didn’t get in to anything else. Benadryl, again, worked amazingly well and fast. We are starting to think that she is either allergic to grass, or maybe the pollen or some allergen that presents itself in the grass. What a mess! We are watching her very carefully and have plenty of benadryl on hand, but the vet said there isn’t much they can do, and even a vet dermatologist, who will perform allergy tests, may be able to give us a list of things that she “might” be allergic to, but they won’t be able to know for sure. So, we are hoping it is just a seasonal allergy, and that these episodes will go away soon. They sure are scaring us, as her parents!

On a side note, we miss our little puppy. At sixty pounds, she can’t sleep in my lap like she used to, but she still does try. This picture is with Paisley, in the front, and a puppy we named Tiger Lily, in the back. I tried to convince Jesse to let us get two puppies, but unfortunately, he said no.

And we can’t leave out Zhor, our first pride and joy. He is handsome, hysterical, loves his mommy, and the best dog one could ever ask for.

by rach

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Six Degrees of Supperation and Pie

Tuesday, May 11, 2010 Posted in 2010, Amigos & Familia, Recipes

Some girlfriends and I started a cooking blog, Six Degrees of Supperation, it has been really fun to try out new recipes, some of which have gone straight in the trash (wheat apple bread = brick = trash), but some have been a success. Jesse and I always have a laugh and the kitchen always gets dirty, but it is a fun adventure trying out new things. We have gotten some great recipes and good ideas from my fellow friends/bloggers as well. So go check it out, and make some meringue, while you’re at it.

P.S. after making this pie on Thursday, I made a chocolate meringue pie last night, but cheated and used instant chocolate pudding instead of making homemade chocolate pudding b/c I only had about 30 minutes to throw together a dessert. My husband was a fan, and Lane got it all over his shirt, so I think it was a success, even though I tried to rush it by putting it into the fridge much too fast after it was done baking.

Jesse and I joined an organic fruit and vegetable co-op a couple of months ago. We have gotten some really wonderful lemons with our last several pick-ups. They smell heavenly, and we have been using them with everything we can think of. I love the tartness of lemons, and have been craving lemon curd. It’s random, I know. My mom loves tart things too, so for Mother’s day, to satisfy my own craving, and the one my mom didn’t know she had, I made a Lemon Meringue Pie. It was yummy, my husband even really enjoyed it and he isn’t a big lemon pie fan.

Lemon Curd – Filling

1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
1 cup sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (~ 8 smallish lemons)
zest of 3 lemons
10 egg yolks (reserve 5 egg whites for meringue)

1. Add 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup of sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a wide saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

2. In your stand mixer (a hand mixer would be fine as well) combine the 10 egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Slowly temper the boiling lemon juice mixture into the egg yolk mixture by having the mixer whisking on medium speed and dropping in the hot liquid one small ladle at a time. It’s important not to rush this process – you don’t want to end up with scrambled eggs (which I personally can not stand), therefore I probably went a little slower than necessary.

3. When fully combined, return the mixture to the wide saucepan and continue to cook and whisk as the mixture thickens. When the whisk leaves a trail in the mixture remove from the heat.

4. Optional: Using a cheesecloth (or other gadget) strain the curd. I did not strain my curd, the lemon zest, after it cooked did not bother me and I am fairly picky about texture. The lemon curd was just the right amount of tartness right after I cooked it, we were literally eating it out of the bowl, however, as the pie sat in the fridge, it got more and more tart. It still tasted wonderful when combined with the meringue, but I think the extreme tartness was the result of leaving the lemon zest in the curd, therefore next time, I will probably strain the curd.

You could also use the curd for parfaits, scone toppings, or for a number of other desserts.

Meringue

5 egg whites
6 tablespoons sugar
2 pinches cream of tarter

1. Put your egg whites in your mixer bowl with the whisk attachment and turn mixer on high. While mixing, add in sugar and cream of tarter. Leave the mixer on high until stiff peaks form.

Lemon Meringue Pie – Putting it all together

Pie Crust – I used Graham Cracker
Lemon Curd – Cooled
Meringue

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Fill the pie crust ¾ full with lemon curd. I reserved some of the lemon curd for future use, but you could use all of it in the pie. Cover lemon curd with a generous amount of meringue. In my opinion, the more the better. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until top of pie is browned.

Cool pie on countertop for 15 – 20 minutes, and then refrigerate until chilled.

Difficulty: Medium (I recruited help in squeezing the lemons, if you have a stand mixer, the pie seemed fairly easy to make, especially since this was my first try at both the lemon curd and meringue, it might be a little more cumbersome with a hand mixer, but shouldn’t be any harder.)

Make Again: Definitely

Next Time: I will probably strain my lemon curd so it isn’t quite as tart.

Time: 30 minutes, then time to cool and chill.

by rach

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Throwback

Monday, May 3, 2010 Posted in 2010

Jesse rode the MS150 from Houston to Austin in mid April (blog post to come), and although he is not much of a soda drinker (he does like a good Rootbeer every now and then), he drank a bottled Pepsi Throwback and told me how good it was when he finished the ride. So, we set out to find some Throwback in Dallas, which is really hard to do, since they apparently only made them for a limited time. Luckily, we found some at Fiesta, although I started dry heaving in the store b/c it smelled like gross fish and Jesse got quite a laugh out of that, I do admit that Fiesta has some good products, including the Throwback Pepsi and Mountain Dew.

Anyway, if you love sugar (like me), or think soda in Europe, Argentina, or other countries that don’t use high fructrose corn syrup in their sodas are wonderful, then you have to try the Throwback. It is so yummy, plus it has about 1/3 of the ingredients that normal pepsi does and I can read all of them without needing Webster’s dictionary for translation. I am still trying to stick to only drinking 1 (maybe 2) sodas a week, but these are really yummy, and definitely a new favorite in the Leos household. They are best ice cold!

by rach

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10 Things We Are Thankful For: April Edition

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 Posted in 2010, Jesse & Rach

I love to read blogs. My google reader is overloaded with blogs that I follow, everything from recipes, to design, to friends, to friends of friends, to photography, etc. You get the picture. Whenever I have some downtime at work, I love to see what my favorite bloggers are up to. Yesterday, I learned that our friend and neighbor, Tessa, has a blog. It is super cute, and she is a great cook so there are lots of fun recipes, news on her family, and overall greatness. She has posted the 10 things she is grateful for at various times since she has started her blog. I think this is a great idea so I am going to try it out, so here is the first 10 Things Jesse & Rachel are Thankful For: April Edition.

Rachel’s List:

1. Jesse, I couldn’t have married a better man, he is amazing!

2. Paisley & Zhor- they make me laugh every day.

3. Family

4. 9 by Design – Bravo has found greatness with the Novogratz family.

5. Cool Thursdays at the Arboretum, totally relaxing and fun, a great time spent with family and friends.

6. My garden & the picket fence around it – we used basil from the garden this week to make a delicious Strawberry Basil Lemonade and Jesse did an amazing job with the fence.

7. Garage Sales & Thrift Stores – I am searching for a “beautiful” (or one that I can turn into beautiful) chandelier and some chairs for our office.

8. Our home – I love that it feels like a safe place, a place where you can just be yourself and relax.

9. New Recipes – I love cooking and trying out new recipes – though last week I did throw away an apple cake I attempted, it was truly terrible – it did make for a good laugh though.

10. Coffee

Jesse’s List:

10. Two spaces after a period

9. Good set of padded bike shorts

8. The delete button on my dvr remote (so I can delete rachel’s shows without her knowing)

7. Chips and queso

6. Uncle julios

5. BB guns

4. Homemade meals

3. Sitting on the couch with (see #1) as much as we can

2. The most awesome roof over our heads

1. The raddest family in the whole entire world. My sexy wife, our crazy puppy, and our old man withers

I encourage you to think of the things that you are thankful for, especially when you have had a long week at work, had some bumps in the road, etc. It definitely adds a new, and refreshing perspective towards your day.

by rach

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New York Times Reviews Tegui

Monday, April 26, 2010 Posted in 2010, Honeymoon

Tegui: Hands down, Tegui was the best restaurant we ate at in Buenos Aires. It also ranks in my top 3 of best restaurants I have ever eaten at. Jesse and I had no idea what to expect when we entered this restaurant, in fact, we were a little bit scared due to the fact that you have to ring a bell, and wait for someone to let you in, it was pitch black in a town we weren’t familiar with and since all the outer walls were covered with graffiti, we did not know what we were getting ourselves into. However, when the beautiful, perfectly dressed, brunette hostess opened the door and led us beyond the velvet curtain, we were treated to an amazing dining experience. This restaurant definitely was a highlight during our two weeks spent in Argentina. Here is our earlier post. If you ever have the chance to go there, do not hesitate, it will be worth it.

Without further ado, here is the Review from the New York Times -

Restaurant Review: Tegui in Buenos Aires

By: Michael T. Luongo, Published: April 25, 2010

Usually, restaurants vie for attention in Buenos Aires’s Palermo Viejo neighborhood. Tegui, which the star chef Germán Martitegui opened in January 2009, tries a different approach. With its graffiti-covered facade and tiny lettering on an ugly security door, it’s easy to miss. But that would be a shame, given what awaits inside.

The narrow space seats only 45 and is a change from Mr. Martitegui’s other ventures in the city, including the glamorous Casa Cruz, which serves Mediterranean cuisine and feels like a nightclub, and Olsen, a split-level Scandinavian seafood restaurant with a 1960s Brady Bunch-style décor.

Mr. Martitegui wanted Tegui to be under the radar. “Casa Cruz is a place to be seen,” he said. “I think people need to be hidden. That was the idea with this place.” He added that he had not advertised, relying solely on word of mouth.

Like the interior, the menu is minimalist: it offers only five choices for both starters and entrees, which change weekly, repeating over time, but each selection emphasizes Mr. Martitegui’s skills with Mediterranean-style seafood. Starters like seared red tuna in almond gazpacho garnished with raspberries and arugula sprouts, or oysters topped with trout roe and green apples, display a complex mix of flavors — savory, sweet and tart — and textures.

Some entrees take Argentine comfort food up a notch, like veal tenderloin served with potatoes and chimichurri, layered with an egg and Brazilian manioc flour. That savory-sweet mix was also present in the shrimp ravioli, covered with a tangy scallop-based foam and playful chunks of mango.

Desserts include a sophisticated banana split with coconut ice cream, gingerbread flakes and cream infused with Cognac, for example.

Tegui’s open kitchen, a brilliantly lit steel and glass block space at the end of the ebony and cream dining area, lends a theatrical tone. Patrons watch with anticipation as meals are prepared, and members of the staff can catch diners’ expressions as their work makes its way to tables. The only outdoor space is a tiny interior patio, where smokers puff amid banana trees.

Tegui, Costa Rica 5852, Buenos Aires; (54-11) 5291-3333; tegui.com.ar. Three courses, without beverages or tip, are 180 Argentine pesos, or about $48 at 3.80 pesos to the dollar. Reservations recommended.

by rach

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Part Deux

Monday, April 12, 2010 Posted in 2010, Amigos & Familia

Jesse and I have been slowly cleaning out closets, bookshelves, the garage (well I am kinda waiting for my mom to come help with that – it is overwhelming), drawers, etc. so that we can have a big garage sale, hopefully within the next couple of weeks. In cleaning out our bookshelves, I found all of my old seasons of Sex in the City. In college, my best friend/roommate Kat and I used to watch these together and I think I watched the second half of season six on the way home back to Texas right after I graduated from Maryland. I saw the first movie with my best girlfriends in Dallas. As a result, these shows bring back a lot of memories of good times with great friends. I think I even convinced Jesse to watch the first movie on DVD, and if I remember correctly, he thought it was pretty funny! Jesse convinced me to sell all of my old seasons of Sex in the City and the OC in the garage sale, but I may have to watch a few episodes before then, if not, I always have Gossip Girl, and what looks like is going to be a super fun and cute new movie to fall back on. I thought this preview was great, plus, I always was a fan of Aiden!

I will definitely be renting the first movie to re-cap before going to see the second. This weekend, I am spending Friday night with Kat in Houston to celebrate her birthday, maybe I can convince her to wake up early on Saturday, drink some coffee, and watch it with me! (Meanwhile, Jesse will be riding from Houston to La Grange on the first part of the MS150, does that make me lazy?)

by rach

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Bring on the 80’s … or not

Monday, April 12, 2010 Posted in 2010

Are jean jackets back in style? It seems that Gap, Nordstrom, Banana Republic, J. Crew, and even Urban Outfitters are offering several styles of Denim Jackets for the consumer to consider. David Beckham is pulling off his Denim rather nicely while chatting with Gordon Ramsey at a recent Laker’s Game, but I don’t know if I can buy in to this ’80’s fashion statement. Give me fluorescent, a side pony, some leggings or maybe even some leg warmers, but I don’t think I am ready for this “retro” denim trend.

by rach

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Food Revolution

Wednesday, April 7, 2010 Posted in 2010, Jesse & Rach, Recipes

“Every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food.”

Have you watched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution? If not, you can ou can watch the full episodes on ABC’s website. If you do, you will be shocked at what the guidelines are for school meals and what children across the country are eating for breakfast and lunch every day.

A “revolution” is never easy, but I didn’t expect Jaime to receive so much resistance. If you watch the show, you will realize the bureaucratic hurdles, lack of funding, lack of support, lack of desire to try something “new”, and other problems that Jaime runs into by trying to better the lunches for the school children in just one town. It is crazy! Make sure you watch out for Alice too, she is a doozy!

The thing that struck me the most, was that the USDA guidelines are making it hard for Jaime and for school administrators alike. For example, I believe one of the regulations is that there must be 1.5 cups of fruit and veggies in the school lunches, this sounds ok, right? Well, that 1.5 cups can be met by french fries and an “optional” salad, which no kid chose to take, but cannot be met by having over 7 types of vegetables in a homemade stir fry.

It definitely also makes me really thankful for my mom packing my lunch every day when I was in school. So thanks mom, for not making me eat that crap!

Thanks Mom!

Jesse and I are becoming addicted to this show. It is eye-opening and convincing me more than ever about the benefits of choosing to live a life-style that is led by more organic food choices, attempting to eliminate processed food (Velveeta will be a major issue, that one might take a while) and making better choices about what we put in our bodies. Plus I have been researching what they do to cows and what they are given to produce regular milk, quite disturbing. We aren’t going over the top, and it will likely be a slow process to “clean out” our pantry and replace canned items with homemade/organic items. I will still drink coffee, I will go to the State Fair in October and indulge in a corny dog, but overall I want to live healthier, and feel good about what I am eating. I mean seriously, the chicken nuggets that schools (and probably most fast food restaurants) are serving to kids, gross! (I do believe, however, that Chick-fil-a serves real chicken, so unless I find out differently, I will still be a customer, though hopefully less often). We have started by joining a co-op, and growing our own vegetables, so our produce is organic, we make our own yogurt and will start consistently buying organic milk and slowly start making other changes. This month, we have started planning out our meals a week at a time, in order to make the most out of our co-op, spend wisely at the grocery store, eat at home more, and incorporate more fish and vegetables into our dinners. We are also planning on signing up for the Muddy Buddy in Austin in May and Jesse is riding the MS-150 from Houston to Austin this month, so those are motivating us to get outside and workout more!

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to encourage you to sign Jaime’s petition. Here is Jaime’s message, asking for our support!

The American Food Revolution needs to start now! If you care about your country and the health of its children please help us make a difference. We need your support to get people back in touch with food and keep cooking skills alive before it’s too late. We want to make sure every kid gets good, fresh food at school. It’s proven that real food promotes more effective learning. If you want better health for your kids the junk food must go. I need to be able to show The President and industry how many of you out there really care about this issue so please don’t wait, sign up today. It will only take 30 seconds.”

So go VOTE!

by rach

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Happy Place

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 Posted in 2010, Amigos & Familia, Jesse & Rach

This picture brings me to a happy place, I needed that today. So, instead of being frustrated with how my day is going, I am taking a 5 minute break to reflect on this picture. We had an amazing time on this trip, my husband’s smile always lights up the room and my heart, (some of you probably want to barf now) and I feel so safe and comforted when he holds me. We spent the week with great “new” friends and I can’t wait to continue to build those friendships, I felt the most comfortable I have ever been on my snowboard, I love my new hat, my sweet mom took care of our “kids” so we didn’t have to worry, Colorado is beautiful and I had a blast sledding with Cary & Emily, the hot tub was wonderful after a day on the mountain, cooking meals with a whole group turned out great, the condo was amazing, Ryan taught me how to Indian dance (please ask me for a demonstration), no one judged me or made me feel ugly even though I had a crazy allergic rash that made my eye swollen shut, Hayden was a great driver and I was thankful for not ever having to navigate (I can’t read maps), Adam celebrated his 30th birthday, Chelsea taught us new cool yoga moves, my hubby is cute and a great snowboard teacher…i could go on, but my 5 minutes are up … feeling thankful for great family & friends, and Ryan’s amazing pic – now back to work!

by rach

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Homeade Yogurt – Yum!!!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 Posted in 2010, Recipes

I love yogurt and I have been eating a lot more plain or vanilla yogurt mixed with granola. Recently I tried greek yogurt and loved it. My favorite is the Stonyfield Farms brand but I hate paying their prices. The blueberry on the bottom Oikos (Greek Yogurt), also made by Stonyfield Farms is also delicous. So, when I saw a blog post on homemade yogurt on Two Peas and Their Pod the other week, I got really excited about the thought of making my own yogurt.

I started with the recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod, but it wasn’t sweet enough for me. Although it was healthy and good with a fruit topping or honey, I needed a little more sweetness to be able to just grab it and go. This is what I came up with, it is delicious!

42 ounces fresh milk, we use 1%
6 0z. vanilla Brown Cow yogurt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract paste (it has the vanilla beans in it)

1. Pour milk into a high-sided saucepan. Place a thermometer (I used the thermometer from our espresso maker) on the side of the pan. Heat the milk until it boils-180 degrees.

2. Remove pan from heat and allow the milk to cool to lukewarm-110 degrees. To speed up the process I placed the pan in cold water, sometimes I leave it sitting out too, it just depends on what is going on in our house at that time.

3. Next, put the Brown Cow Vanilla yogurt into a separate bowl and stir in about a cup of the warm milk. Whisk well. Make sure the yogurt is dissolved. Add the rest of the milk and whisk until smooth.

4. Pour the mixture into the jars of the yogurt maker. Follow the yogurt maker’s instructions. I set the machine for 10 hours.

5. When the yogurt is done , chill it in the fridge with the lids on the jars. The yogurt will stay good for 10 days.

There seem to be a lot of benefits to making my own yogurt. My initial thoughts on it are that I didn’t add any ingredients that I didn’t know what they were, or extra chemicals or preservatives, so I know it is probably better for me and since I have had some allergy problems lately (eye swollen shut, strange rashes, maybe I’m allergic to my husband?), I am really trying to really watch what products I use and what I am eating to see if I can pinpoint where the allergy is coming from.

Second, I had fun making a blueberry compote and cutting up fresh strawberries to eat with the yogurt.

Third, Paisley and Zhor love yogurt and will be happy about more of it in the house.

Fourth, I have read that it is very economical. I am not sure about the cost savings yet, but it seems reasonable that after the initial cost of the machine, it will be cheaper in the long run to make my own yogurt.

Mainly, I just came up with some good reasons to try to convince myself that getting a yogurt maker was worth it and lucky for me, I was able to use a gift card from the wedding to get the machine at Williams Sonoma.

Seriously, the yogurt is delicious, I can’t get enough. Zhor was on antibiotics last week, so to get him to eat when the time came for his pills, we added yogurt to his food, he was in heaven (and Paisley too since she got some also), and he isn’t seeming to want to eat regular food anymore….oh well, at least I always have yogurt on hand.

by admin

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