Comfort Food- Goulash!

Ok- so it might be something about the word goulash because some people hear it and think- GROSS! But- this is a dish that I crave on occasion and thought I'd share it with you. Goulash is another meal that my mom used to make when I was growing up. Later, when I asked how to make it- I got "a little bit of this and little bit of that!" She just makes things up and they are always great but then there's no recipe! I always try and get exact measurements but once you start making it- you might think you want more spices or less- just make it however you want! Use my recipe as a guide- this is a perfect weeknight meal when you just need something quick yet satisfying. I made this last night- and I got the vote of approval from Gavin, "MMMM..."

Grubbin' Goulash

1 pound lean hamburger

1 yellow onion- diced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 can tomato soup

1/2 lb elbow macaroni

1 can dark red kidney beans

1 can stewed tomatoes

1/2 stick of butter

• Boil water for macaroni- adding a little salt for taste- pour in macaroni and boil until tender
  
• Brown hamburger with the diced onion - once browned- add seasonings and stir to coat.
  
• Add tomato soup, rinsed kidney beans, stewed tomatoes
  
• Drain macaroni and then stir into the hamburger mixture
  
• Add butter and stir until melted
  
• Once heated through- serve!
  

This is seriously good! In fact- for my less culinary inclined readers- you can easily pull this off and score some points with family. It beats take out! Try it out on a cold night!

First Snowfall- sump pumps, basement water, and music that makes you love life!

Well, here we are- October 28th- first official snowfall.  It has been raining non-stop for the past 24 hours and just turned to snow.  Albany is such an old town that the infrastructure, i.e. drainage system, is lacking severely.  When it rains hard- we, without question, wind up with water in our basement.  It's really not a big deal as we have a sump pump and a lot of old towels!  I really don't know what the sump pump does- I guess it pumps the water out should we get a lot of it (here's hoping)  Our basement is pretty much terrifying.  It is old and damp (i.e. stinky)- we need a new dehumidifier.  It's just one of the perks of owning a colonial, aka OLD, home!

Even with the stinky basement and water issue- there is just always something magical about the first snowfall.  It's cozy and quiet.  I just recently found a c.d. that I LOVE- Adele 19.  I'm sure some of you have already found this album- but it is excellent and has been my album of choice during these quiet months at home.  Every now and then you discover music that you love and it just flips your day!  So cheers- to the first snowfall and music that you love!

Crunchy fall leaves and squirrels that continue to mock me!

It's a beautiful day today, although chilly - just 29 degrees when we woke up. I just dropped off the boys- Adam at the hospital and Gavin at school. I was walking into the house when I looked at my yard- just covered with leaves. I couldn't help myself- I had to run through them! I have always enjoyed the feeling of stomping on crunchy leaves. Even when I go on walks I cannot resist the urge to go out of my way to stomp on them! The crunchy sound reminds me of being seven years old and makes me laugh. I highly recommend you try it- it's oddly therapeutic. As I was giggling about running through the leaves by myself and thinking that my neighbors could possibly think I am crazy- out pop those damn squirrels! It's sort of funny that this family of squirrels have decided to take up residence in our maple trees. The beagles continue to chase them and bark at them yet they show no fear nor any signs of leaving. However, this poses an interesting question- where do squirrels go in the winter? Do they hang out in below zero temperatures? I guess we'll find out in a few months! In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of my yard covered in crunchy leaves and the squirrels that I will learn to tolerate.

The story of the controversial toy trucks and consumerism...

Ok, so I have to rant about an experience I had at Starbucks last week. Gavin really loves to play with the trucks at daycare and because we didn't have any at home- I took him down to a shopping plaza to find him some. Afterwards, I decided to go to Starbucks and get myself a latte. While waiting in line a lady tells me what a cute little boy I have and asks him how his day is going. I responded that he's having a great day because we just found him some fun trucks to go home and play with. I assumed at this point our conversation was over but then she says, "Wow, see this is the problem with our economy- advocating consumerism at such a young age!" At first I was shocked and offended but thankfully I have been blessed with the sarcastic gene. I simply responded "Wow, that's an interesting commentary from someone who is buying coffee at STARBUCKS! Oh- and nice COACH bag!" I understand there are plenty of conversations we can have in regard to consumerism in America- and yes, it has gotten out of control BUT I hardly think that my buying my son a couple of $10 plastic trucks is advocating consumerism! (P.S. They were made in Sweden and not China- I think that is worth mentioning) I just find it so funny that she gave me a little lesson on consumerism while at Starbucks- I mean isn't Starbucks sort of a symbol of consumerism??? I debated going further with the conversation to see if she knew anything about mortgage backed securities and some of the real reason we are in this financial crisis (other than of course, me buying my son toys) but I decided to let it go. Now that I've completed my rant- check out Gav playing with his AWESOME new trucks :)

More Fall Foliage: Stratton, VT

After telling some friends about my last trip to Vermont, they wanted to check out the foliage and this drive I raved about! They found a ski resort that offers gondola rides for the ultimate viewing pleasure. We headed to Stratton Mountain which is about two hours away. The drive is truly magnificent... although this time Gavin added his own "soundtrack" as we realized half way that he is cutting two large back teeth. Imagine crazy, loud screaming... I can bet that our friends suggest that we meet them there next time rather than riding along with us :)
Nonetheless, we made it to Stratton and Little G cheered up. We had a nice lunch and walked through the resort. It's not Whistler Village but still has that same ski resort vibe that you can't help but enjoy! After lunch, we took a gondola up the mountain and walked some of the trails, taking in the beauty of a fabulous 70 degree day! Here are some pictures of our fun afternoon- enjoy!

Just a post to check in...

I've been thinking about this blog for over a week now, wondering what to post next but have found myself without much to discuss. I just started a pot of soup - Rainy Day Beef & Barley- and while I was chopping, I realized that the original point of this blog was to just stay in contact and let you know what's going on in our lives- no matter how dull it might seem to me. So I'll write this post as if I was writing you a letter.

Dear Friend,

What's new with you? We're all doing great. It seems crazy that we are already a week into October- which means we've lived here for nearly four months. Adam is a quarter through his internship- each month brings a new service. This month he is working in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. He is working a ton of hours! He is on call every four days on top of his normal work hours. Call means showing up to the hospital at 6a.m. and leaving the next day at around 10:00a.m. On some services that allows you to get some sleep while you're there- assuming it's slow. Working in the MICU, there's not much time for sleep. I sometimes forget that he's a doctor- it catches me off guard when I talk to him and he seems stressed about keeping people alive! Being an intern you are pretty much thrown into the fire and have to start making decisions. Makes me feel a little silly when I watch Grey's Anatomy and I begin to understand why he hates that show! All in all- he seems to be coping well and I might add that he looks pretty hot in that white coat :) I think the greatest frustration to Adam right now is not being able to watch any PAC 10 Games and that Monday night football starts after 8pm! We finally got to watch a Seahawks game this week and wouldn't you know that the Giants slaughtered them. Freakin' NY!

As for Gavin, he is just all boy. The other day he crawled up to me and bit my toe! He thought that was just hilarious- I think I'll start wearing socks! He has a great time playing with the kids at daycare. He's going to daycare three days a week while I try to maintain my mortgage business. There's not much to talk about there - pretty much the only thing that comes to mind is BUZZ KILL! If you watch the news, it's needless to say that mortgage lending isn't the most fun job right now! Anyhow, I'm glad that Gav gets a chance to socialize.

I'm starting to get nervous about the weather turning cold. The other day someone asked me if I had bought an automatic car starter yet! Can you believe that?!? She also told me that she has to put plastic in her windows because the wind gets roaring so badly when the blizzards come through- where the heck did we move?!? She says to me, "I'm not going to sugar coat it - Albany winters suck!" Isn't that fantastic?!? I turned the heat on for the first time since moving into our house- the whole radiator thing is sort of different. Strange to have hot water pipes in all the rooms- they actually aren't too hot- I was worried about that with Gavin but they just feel warm to the touch.

Well, that's about all!

Love,

Jenny