A Blogging Tip - Who Are You?

I've been meeting a lot of new bloggers lately (hello to you!) so I just wanted to give you a quick tip that will be very helpful.

Some of you may not have all your Blogger.com settings updated so when you comment on blogs, your comment will come from the generic address we know as noreply-comment@blogger.com. When this happens, the person who received the comment can't reply and respond back.

There is an EASY fix! I posted the secret awhile ago and I want to pass it on again. Go here to follow the instructions and fix it.

Happy Friday!

Delicious Spinach & Artichoke Pasta

We LOVE anything spinach & artichoke so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it!

Adapted from GetHealthyCheap.com

Ingredients:
• 12 oz. whole wheat egg noodles
• 2 - 6 oz. jars of artichoke hearts (drain but save 2 tablespoons of the oil)
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 cup white wine
• 10 oz. package of frozen spinach, thawed & drained
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 oz. ricotta
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, chop sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke into smaller pieces.

In a large pan, cook artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes and the leftover oil from the artichoke jar. Stir occasionally and cook for about 3 minutes.

Add garlic and salt & pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add white wine and cook until evaporated.

Add spinach and drained pasta once it's cooked. Spinach should be cooked until wilted or about 3-4 minutes.

Pour mixture in a large bowl and toss with ricotta and parmesan cheese.

SO good! Enjoy!

National Infertility Awareness Week

I don't usually get too serious on here, but this is a topic that is now very important to me. Some of you have followed my experiences of infertility, miscarriage, and now pregnancy. I'm just trying to get the word out so I'm participating in the Infertility Myth Blog Challenge.
MYTH: Just relax and you'll get pregnant.

BUSTED!: Really? That's all it takes? Thanks for the advice! Argghh, this one is the worst! It's not hard to figure out that most women with a fertility issue have some kind of medical problem...whether it's been diagnosed or not. In my case, it was that I wasn't having a period or ovulating. We never figured out the cause of this, but that's an obvious reason why I wouldn't be able to conceive. Infertility might cause a little stress in your life, but it sure isn't the reason you're not able to get pregnant.

MYTH: You're too skinny.

BUSTED!: I'm not a doctor, but I'm going to try to bust this one...or at least give my take on it since I got this one a lot. Don't health care providers tell all adults that they need to get an hour of exercise 5 times a week or something similar? So if I was doing that regularly, doesn't that make me healthier? I was born with a thin body and I worked hard to keep up my flat abs and tiny muscles in my arms. I also regularly ate 3 meals a day plus 2-3 snacks, so it's not like I'm starving myself. Just because I might look skinny doesn't mean I'm unhealthy. Making a judgement like this is the same thing as assuming I have an eating disorder because I'm thin. While the weight thing might be the case for a small percentage of women, don't assume I'm part of that.
After going struggling with this process for over a year, I have learned a lot about myself and others. The stress, sadness, and pressure is something no one will understand except for another woman who experienced the same thing. People around you will tell you things that are rude, inconsiderate, and false as I mentioned above. Though it might be hard, you can't let it bother you. You need to be proactive for yourself and get treatment with a doctor you love. (And if you're in the Chicago area, I can recommend one that I love.) If you feel alone in this process, get some help from others who have been through the same thing at a support group, or try individual therapy. My support group was one of the things that really helped me during my worst times.

I never, ever thought I was going to be one of those girls that needed fertility treatment, never thought I would have a miscarriage, and then never thought it would take THAT long to get pregnant. But it happens to a lot more females than you would think. Once you get people talking, it's a lot more common than I ever thought. This topic should NOT be taboo and needs to be more publicized. Get the word out there and bust those myths!

Go here to learn more about infertility and here to read more about National Infertility Awareness Week.

If you'd like to participate, submit up your blog post here.

P.S. If anyone wants to vent privately or ask questions, I'd be happy to chat. Send me an email at kermiefrg@aol.com

Hall Light Makeover

I've mentioned before that our house is still stuck in the 70's in the rooms we haven't renovated yet. There's also all those little details like door knobs, light switches, sconces, etc that have to be updated. We had enough of our nasty brass hall lights and one of them even cracked when we tried to change a bulb. Seriously, aren't these things nasty?

So we bought 6 new lights for our front hallway, second floor hallways, and master closet. It took me a long time to find something that I really liked. For once, this project went pretty smoothly and we were done in just a couple hours! I'm so happy to have these updated!

Go here to see where I'm linking up today

Fluffy Broccoli Souffle

Anyone in your family hate vegetables? I know the feeling...

This souffle is packed with broccoli, but it doesn't taste like it! Perfect for any picky veggie eater!

Adapted from here

Ingredients:
• 2.5 cups fresh chopped broccoli
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Steam broccoli in boiling water using a steamer or in a pot.

In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth.

Slowly add milk and continue cooking until sauce is thick.

In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks lightly. Pour yolks into pan and blend well.

Add lemon juice, nutmeg, and cooked broccoli.

In another bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Mix egg whites into sauce mixture.

Pour into a baking dish. Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes until soufflé is puffed and golden brown.

Delicious!

Join the link party fun! Here's where I go to party!

Happy Birthday to me!

I'm 29 today!

It's kind of a bad week to have a birthday because there's so much crap going on right now at work. I hope I'll still be able to enjoy it and not have to work too much overtime. I'm also excited for some fun birthday festivities with family this weekend. It's my rule that I always take off a day of work to celebrate my birthday and do something fun. Because it's on a Thursday, I took off tomorrow for a day of shopping, a massage, mani/pedi, and some relaxation!

I love surprises so I make it very clear to my family that I don't like to know what gifts I'm getting. To me, if I know, it ruins the surprise and it's not as exciting. I usually make a list just so they have some ideas, but I never want to know any more than that!

Here's a few things I'm hoping to get...
Anne Klein Bambam flats
I have these in black and love them! It's so hard to find comfy flats that don't cut up my feet. I usually never spend this much, but my mom begged me to buy some shoes with real support. I figured I could use the brown ones too...hey, it's for the baby, right?
Liz Lange Trench Coat
My fleece is the only light coat I have that even zips so I'd love to have another one that's a little nicer. This looked perfect for spring and fall.
Long Sleeve Maternity Hoodie
I started to realize that my cardigans and hoodies don't zip anymore and I needed something comfy for when it's cold. I love this because it doesn't look maternity and I can wear it later too.

A scanner
I have so many old photos that I want to be able to save and look at later on. I'd really love to have a scanner so I can start archiving them.

It's been a year of growth, changes, heartbreak, and happiness. I guess I'm starting to feel more like an adult now. Though I still get carded, I feel less and less like I'm still a carefree 20-something and more like a real adult with responsibilities and soon will have another life to make a priority. This is my last year in my 20's and I'm hoping for it to be the best one I've had in a long time. I'm so excited for my 29th year to be happy, enjoyable, and filled with smiles!

Delicious Chicken Gyros Sandwiches

I've had this recipe sitting in my "To Make" pile for awhile. I'm SO glad we decided to make it because it was the best dinner we've had in a long time!

Adapted from here

Ingredients:
Tzatziki sauce
•10 oz. plain yogurt
• 1 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• salt & pepper
• fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Chicken
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• salt & pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts

To make sandwiches
• pita bread
• sliced tomato
• sliced red onion

Mix diced cucumber, yogurt, garlic, white wine, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil in a medium bowl. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

Dice chicken into bite-size pieces.

Mix garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, salt and pepper in another bowl.

Add chicken pieces and coat with mixture. Let chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Once chicken is marinated, heat in a pan until meat is fully cooked.

Heat pitas in microwave or bake for a few minutes in the oven.

To make sandwiches, wrap a pita around chicken pieces, onion and tomato and then top with tzatziki sauce.

I could eat these every single day! SO good!

Pretty Spring Banner

This was a year-long project. It all started last spring when I found these cute little stuffed bunnies and carrots for 90% off. I knew I could do something with them, so I bought them and came up with the idea of a spring banner. No point in making a spring banner during summer, so I saved them until this year.

So when I pulled everything out this year, I also picked up some wooden letters, scrapbook paper in pretty colors, and jute string in two different sizes.
I painted the on both sides letters using some acrylic paint.
Then I traced the letters onto scrapbook paper that I planned to use to cover the front side.
Using Mod Podge, I glued the paper onto the wooden letter.

Now comes the handy hubby part. I had him help me drill holes in the top of the letters so I could hang them. Of course, us girls can use drills on our own, but I'd rather not have him make fun of me when I mess up!

I used the thinner jute to tie bows onto the letters...

and then I tied them onto the thicker piece. I tied all the letters, cute little bunnies, and carrots to the thick piece of jute and made sure to have some extras on the end to hang it.Very hard to get a good picture of this because it's so wide.




Happy Spring!