Recipe Numero Uno: Cream of Empty Cupboard

     Last night was one of those nights where I just threw together something random and told my poor husband, "If it tastes bad you don't have to eat it." That happens a little too often, but experimentation is how we learn, right? What I came up with is something we'll definitely have again. Especially during this memorably cold Alabama winter. (Seriously, I didn't wear a coat once last year. I've been freezing for weeks now!)

MUSHROOMS AND RICE WITH CHICKEN IS NICE

INGREDIENTS:

• Two medium/large boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
• Two bags boil-in-the-bag ready rice. 
• One can cream of mushroom soup.
• salted, sweet cream butter
• salt
• pepper
• minced garlic
• Tony Chachere's

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Assuming you're like me and just buy the biggest bag of frozen chicken you can, take some out to thaw. I used two decent sized breasts so that we'd each (theoretically) get a whole one.
2. Once the chicken is thawed, cut it into pieces about the size of your thumb. I'm paranoid about chicken being under cooked, so I cut it bite sized to be sure it cooks thoroughly. Put in a skillet with a tablespoon of butter and cook on medium high heat. 
3. Add salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. I buy the jar of minced garlic that you keep in the fridge, because I feel it has more flavor and less salt than garlic powder. Going out on a limb here and saying I used between 1/4 and 1/2 tsp of garlic.
4. Add the Tony C's to taste. I didn't measure, but I think I used around a teaspoon. Cook until chicken is done all the way through. I don't like mine to be tough, so I let it get nice and golden on each side and call it a day.
5. Prepare the rice according to the instructions on the package. As I've mentioned, I was super tired, so I just popped mine in the microwave. Make sure you're smarter than me and don't use a plastic bowl. I ruined my best mixing bowl in the microwave last night. And then I cried for half an hour. At least.
6. In a pot that's half again as big as what you'll think you'll need, heat the soup. I use the can of cream of mushroom, then a slightly less than a can of water. For a little extra flavor, add a tablespoon of butter. I find that a whisk is more useful than a spoon when preparing canned soup.
7. Once soup is well mixed and hot, add in the cooked chicken and rice. This is why your pot needs to be so big. Mix well. I added a dash or two more Tony C's as well.
8. Dinner is served! We ate this by itself, but I wouldn't have minded some crackers. It made enough for my husband and I each to have two good sized bowlfuls, and only took about 30 minutes to prepare.

     That's all, folks! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. The Buhr has been sickly lately, so this was a good "I don't feel well" dish. I'll try and remember to take pictures of any recipe I'm going to post from now on, but this was a spur of the moment thing. Let's just pretend it looked like this.

*Disclaimer* This is a random picture I found on Google. I do not own it.

 Stay warm!
     -Katherine

Day Three

     In today's news, I have officially started an exercise regimen. I hesitate to type "weight loss" regimen, but it's that too. More than anything I want to be healthy. Losing a substantial amount of weight is going to be a big part of that. In the last five years I have gained over ONE HUNDRED pounds! That's absurd! And really, really bad for me. Looking back at pictures from high school and the short time I spent at college, it breaks my heart thinking of how little self confidence I had. I was freakin' gorgeous! What I considered grossly overweight then is something I would kill for now! Actually, it's only about fifteen pounds shy of what I now consider my ideal weight.

     I started Monday morning with Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer. I actually bought this two years ago with the intention of using it to get in shape before our wedding, buuuuut that didn't happen. So now I'm starting it simply in a quest to be healthier. Hopefully since there's no date or event I'm striving towards I'll be able to stick to this. The name 10 Minute Trainer is pretty misleading. Yes, each routine is only ten minutes (if you don't count the warm up/cool down part). BUT for the program to work like they advertise, they recommend doing three routines a day and following a diet. It's still way less intense than Mr. Horton's other programs (P90X, anyone? Or would you rather live?), but it's definitely more involved than they insinuate. Which is fine, I'm just lazy.

     To begin with I had been getting up half an hour earlier to do one routine before getting ready for work, then doing the other one or two routines (depending on the day) when I got home in the evening. The last few days I have been so exhausted that I just haven't been able to haul myself out of bed in the mornings, so I've been doing all routines in the evening. Also, I'm not strong enough yet nor do I have enough stamina to do everything 100%. Case and point, push ups are a no go for me. Too, the program came with a resistance band that is necessary for several moves, especially in the Total Body and Lower Body routines. Yeah, well, I lost that sometime when we moved. So I need to get another one. Right now I'd say I'm able to do about 75 - 80% of what the program recommends.

     I haven't been dieting at all. Our anniversary is this weekend, so I know I wouldn't stick to any sort of diet. My plan is to go Monday or so and stock up on some "diet friendly" foods. By which I mean stuff that isn't frozen or canned and is made of less than 30% preservatives. The program recommends a "2 Day Jump Start" that involves Shakeology shakes and a lot of salad. I don't have $ 130 to drop on protein shake mix (not kidding, that's the cost of a one month supply) and despite my best efforts I cannot eat salad. It's just gross to me. So instead I'm going to go the Boondock Bootycamp route and hit up the Walmart for some Slim Fast powder and a few apples and cucumbers. Praise the Lord Jiff makes a delicious all natural peanut butter now, so I don't have to buy the nasty kind. I love food way too much to trust myself to adhere to any diet plan, so really I'm just trying to eat better things in moderation. I realize this means I won't have the results advertised on the program, but that's okay. I'd rather this take longer and be something I can reasonably and happily keep doing for years than go on a super strict diet that will get results but that makes life less enjoyable. The whole point of this is so I can enjoy life to the fullest extent possible. That, to me, does not say meticulously planning every single bite of food I put in my mouth and shunning cake for the rest of forever.

     I'm going to post my "Before" pictures now. Actually, I guess they're just pictures, because I still look like this. But it's only been five days. I'll try and post new pictures every week to show what (if any) progress I've made. THESE ARE NOT FLATTERING. You've been warned.

Pardon the picture quality, this is the best my phone will do. Many thanks to my husband, the Buhr, for his mad photography skills.

Day Two: Good Things For Those Of Us Who Have Been Waiting

MY HUSBAND STARTS HIS NEW JOB ON MONDAY!!!!!! 

     It's like a Happy First Anniversary present from the Great & Powerful! Not Oz, the other one. After more than two years of searching, and applying, and constant rejection and stress, my wonderful, talented, determined, and hard working husband will begin a stable, full time job, with set hours and pay. PRAISE THE LORD! Take that, Economy! I'm so grateful for the family and friends who have been there for us these last couple years. It has not been easy. Not at all. But once again, perseverance paid off! Now we're both fortunate enough to have stable jobs with set hours. I couldn't be happier. Eeeee! :-D

     Yesterday also marked our former anniversary, and four years that we've been "official". Oh, and it was the first birthday of our youngest and sweetest dog, Otter. All in all a fantastic day that I have absolutely no complaints about! Woohoo!


     -Katherine

Day One

     Well, this is awkward. Hi there. I'm Katherine. I left all the areas describing me blank because I never know what to write in them. Where do I even start? I love Jane Austen, C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, Supernatural, Ghost Hunters, and pretending to be a housewife. Yeah, the title of my blog is kind of misleading. Sorry about that. Hope we can still be friends! I actually work a fairly normal desk job. 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, Monday through Friday. Someday, though, I really think I'd love nothing more than to be a housewife. I know, I know, I'm setting us back a hundred years. Sue me. (Just kidding, please don't. I have nothing of value.)

     All I know is, right now, the idea of a quiet life in a little house in the country appeals to me. Then again, I wanted to be a gypsy pickpocket when I was six, an Elf (Tolkien, not Santa), a vet up until I was 16, an actress (who is forced to marry Gerard Butler when WW3 breaks out while I'm visiting the UK. We raise sheep and border collies in a tiny cottage in the Scottish countryside. I was a weird kid.) until I was 18, and an assistant stage manager for a while (because I was too chubby to make it as a performer). Once I wanted to be Cate Blanchett's personal assistant after watching Devil Wears Prada. Today I want to be a housewife.

     I'm way closer to becoming this than anything else I've ever wanted to be! Husband: check. Home: check. A million daily chores and people and animals to care for: check. The financial stability to stay home and focus on creating a domestic heaven: errrrr.... let me get back to you.

     "What are you even talking about? She's just rambling. Why am I reading this?" I don't know! I'm not writing this expecting to get followers or a fanbase or money. I guess this is just another attempt at keeping a journal of sorts. Will I blog everyday? Probably not. Will this be something other people care about and want to read? Hopefully! Will I chronicle my victories and misadventures as a young, inexperienced wife in this crazy world? That's the plan. And who knows, I may even post some recipes. Because I'm fancy like that.

     So stick around if you want! I can be pretty funny sometimes. ("Nagatha Christie. Hehe.... I'm funny in the wall.") In the meantime, I'm going to type. And work. And do laundry. And maybe find my purpose somewhere along the way. Until next time!

     - Katherine