During my Christmas break, Felix and I went to Yard House with a couple of friends. We tried out their Asian Lettuce Wraps, and they were good. We both enjoyed it, so much so that I told Felix that I would try cooking it at home. So tonight, that’s what I did, and it was a hit. High five myself on this one!

1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil and saute beef until brown.

2. Stir in ginger, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and hoisin and cook for 1 minute.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanuts. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm wrapped in lettuce cups. Enjoy!

Source: Sunny Anderson

There has to be a special name for the time between Christmas and New Year’s, as this time seems like one of those rare moments in the year when everything is calmer, the streets are quieter, and everyone’s trying to catch their breaths as they brace themselves for the new year. Don’t you just love this particular time of the season? It’s like a denouement to a complex sequence of events, you know?

Man, I can’t believe 2011 is coming to an end! Looking back on the year that was, I’d say it was a great one. Now it wasn’t all smooth sailing, I doubt there’s even such a thing; however, on a scale of one to ten, with ten being awesome and zero being lame, I would say 2011 is an eight. Not bad, right? Are you as excited as I am for 2012? What kind of resolutions have you made for the new year? I have high hopes for everyone, whether you believe in resolutions or not. If you’re big on making annual goals or a list of some sort, good luck! I am actually making one for 2012.

Before I forget, I want to thank you all for being loyal readers, despite my intermittent blogging. I appreciate you for sticking it through with me. I hope to be able to up the ante around here for all of you.

So, perhaps now is the perfect moment for me to remember the highlights of my 2011, yeah?

January

We kicked off 2011 to a great start by welcoming the year with the masses in San Francisco. The mood was so festive, despite rain. What an experience it was!

February

I bravely took a new feat — knitting! I have always wanted to learn how to knit, but back then it didn’t make sense to knit woolens in a place where humidity levels were ridiculously high and the seasons were either hot or wet (or both). For my first knitting project, I made a cardigan in acrylic. Consequently, this was the beginning of my yarn addiction.

March and April

I remember baking and cooking up a storm in the kitchen during these months. I was so diligent with making monthly menus. If only I could be consistent with following through with the ones I made! Check out some of the recipes I tried that got the thumbs up from the mister and the son:

Red Velvet Cupcake, Jalapeño Poppers,
Baked Rigatoni with Italian Sausage,
and Halibut in Artichokes and Tomatoes

May

In May, we welcomed the cutest and fluffiest member of our family — Autumn. Fluffy kitty is fluffy. Need I say more?

June

June was one of my favorite months. Huzzah to completing an entire school year with the program I was assigned to! Another huzzah to being offered to teach in the same program for another year! (Because I seriously hate moving shelves and desks!) Further, I found out I was chosen to participate in a two-year mentoring program by the school district I work for. We’re talking direct staff support and training by the experts in special education here. How exciting, right?

July

This year’s summer school was a lot of fun! No finalizing IEPs, no typing reports — just four solid weeks of having fun in the classroom with my students. No pictures, though, due to privacy. You know how that one goes.

August

BEST. MONTH. EVER. Aside from celebrating my birthday with tons of shoes (Is there any other way?), I finally got my ovarian cyst removed, and later in the month found out that it was benign! What a relief!

September

We celebrated my son’s sixteenth birthday. Yup, it’s been sixteen years, and I still can’t get over it.

October

October was a crazy month! I held five frickin’ IEPs in one month, four of which were triennials. Who does that sort of thing?! Thank god it’s over, and I lived to tell about it!

November

November was a low point for my family and I. We mourned the tragic death of my uncle on my dad’s side. Read about it here.

December

Highlights of this month are: our 6th year anniversary, my driver’s license, finally! (Hah!) and spending Christmas with the most important and special people in my life! Oh, and let’s not forget the shoes! *grin*

Happy New Year! May your 2012 be just as wonderful, if not better, than 2011.

It is pretty much what I have been doing lately, while getting some knitting done when I can. I’m not fully satisfied with this, but this set up fits perfectly into what I’m capable of doing at the moment, in terms of time and money. I have these projects planned, but I cannot commit to them, yet. (By projects, I mean craft-related ones.) For instance, I’ve been wanting to purchase a sewing machine, something similar to what my mom had. And if everything goes as planned, I should be able to buy a nice and shiny sewing machine at the end of this month. Now don’t get too excited here, as I have NO plans of getting into dress-making. I’m thinking curtains and pillows, possibly even some aprons. Nothing major, alright?

Then there’s the usual trying out recipes.

Swedish Meatballs in Creamy Sauce

Baked Rigatoni with Italian Sausage

Linguine with Mushrooms

That’s all for now. Recipes to follow. Or not.

Now if this does not make you drool, then I don’t know what will.

I have been wanting to make chicken enchiladas, but always felt it was a lot of work. I’m glad I gave this recipe a try, because I was so wrong about this dude. It’s a must to have it with Spanish rice and Pico de Gallo, of course, and I have all three recipes below for you guys. I personally hate beans in any form (with a few exceptions), that’s why if you’ve noticed, no beans here.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat, until tender. Add green chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes and cumin powder. Saute for about five minutes.

3. Add shredded chicken to saute pan.

4. Microwave tortillas on high for about 20-30 seconds, to soften.

5. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 x 9 inch) pans with enchilada sauce. Make sure to reserve 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce for topping. Dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Drizzle some olive oil on top of cheese layer.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a until cheese melts. Serve with Spanish rice, Pico de Gallo, and sour cream.

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper for five minutes. Add rice, and continue sauteing until browned, and onions and bell pepper are tender.

2. Stir in water, tomatoes, and green chiles. Add chili powder and salt. Bring to a boil, and simmer covered for 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed. Fluff the rice with fork, and cover for another ten minutes before serving.

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Enjoy!

Oh, hai.

I know I committed to posting some recipes in one of my previous posts. I have not forgotten. What happened is I got distracted, that’s right.

Alright, so I have here this Chicken Pot Pie recipe from Ina Garten. I’m telling you, this recipe delivers.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

3. In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.

4. For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl. Add the shortening and butter, and mix with a pastry blender, until flour and butter are combined to the size of peas. Add the ice water; mix only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

6. Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. (I used one 9″ pie plate.) Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Source: Ina Garten

I have baked my fair share of cookies in the past, and without a doubt, this New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is the best one I’ve baked by far. What I really like about this recipe is that I don’t get this weird oily after taste, unlike some of the recipes I have tried in the past. You guys have to try it. It is important that you refrigerate the dough for at least 24 hours before baking. It’s well worth the wait, I promise.

Directions:

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin. And a glass of milk.

In case anyone was wondering what else was on my plate, well, I recently finished knitting Bethel Woods Cardigan. It came out a little smaller than expected, but nothing blocking couldn’t fix.

I still have buttons to sew, but it is pretty much done. I just wish I knew better when I started this project, you know?

My next project (not the sock project that is in progress) is going to be more awesome, I swear! In fact, I have already casted on, and this one is a pattern I designed using my son’s measurements. It’s a really simple ribbed v-neck cardigan. I’m using size 3 needles. Tiny stitches, yup. Don’t even ask. All I know is this will probably be my first and last attempt with knitting a cardigan using fingering yarn. We’ll see.