roll em up kids......

so this next one came from years of eating chicken pillows, chicken roll ups and other variations. mostly influenced from my mom's recipe, this is one i came up with and we all heart it.

my kids love, love, love to help roll them up, dip them and most importantly, EAT THEM!

preheat oven to 350

3 chicken breasts cut into small pieces and sauteed. you could use a rotisserie chicken, frozen breasts or leftover chicken from a grill night.

1 tub of vegetable cream cheese

opt. cashews - my kids won't do nuts but if they don't mind, this gives an ultimate crunch and flavor

mix these 2 together. it might help if your chicken is warm or your cream cheese has been out at room temp for a few minutes.

2 packages of tube crescent rolls

1 cube of butter melted

2 cups of bread crumbs - season to your liking. i use salt, pepper, parm cheese, basil, parsley and oregano

take a spoonful of mixture and place in the center of the crescent roll. roll up sealing the sides. dip in the butter and then the bread crumbs.
this makes 16 and it usually works out perfect. bake for 20-25 minutes on 350. you can serve this with gravy or plain. i serve them with mashed potatoes (a fav at our house) and KoolAid on family night!

she loves brown gravy, you can use your favorite, traditionally it is served with chicken gravy. ENJOY!

Saturday/Sunday Brunch - Buttermilk and Lemon Scented Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

These are so delicious! The lemon zest really gives them a nice light flavor and the blueberry syrup is so easy to make and delicious!



1 cup all-purpose flour

2 T sugar

1 t baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

2 T butter, melted

2 T fresh lemon zest, finely chopped

1 pint of fresh or frozen blueberries (or any other berry would be just fine)

sugar to taste



Sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl.

In another bowl whisk the buttermilk, egg, and butter until fully incorporated.

Add the sifted ingredients to the milk mixture and whisk until slightly smooth but still has some lumps.

Fold in the lemon zest and allow the batter to sit for a couple of minutes. Lightly grease a griddle over med heat.

Cooking in batches, pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the batter bubbles and is golden brown.

Place a pat of butter onto each pancake. Drizzle with confectioners sugar and syrup.



For the syrup:

combine blueberries and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and with a potato masher, mash the berries. Keep warm.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

I love this recipe, because it is soooooooooo easy.

1 jar of thick and chunky red salsa (mild-hot, any brand your choice)

10 oz can of enchilada sauce (mild-hot, any brand your choice)

2-3 breasts of chicken (if you add more chicken add another jar of salsa, don't add more enchilada sauce). You can start with frozen chicken.

Throw all the above ingredients into a crock pot and cook on high 4-6 hours until chicken falls apart easily. About 30 minutes before you eat fry up some corn tortillas in medium high heat. We like the white corn ones. Just put some veggie oil in a pan fry one side, fold in half with crispy side in, then fry two outer sides. Let them cool on paper towel. These tortillas are much better than buying the ready made hard ones and they don't take long to do.

White corn tortillas

Veggie oil (or your preferred oil)

Shred chicken with fork and leave in sauce. Fill tacos with Chicken, and any of the following.

Torn or shredded lettuce (I find if I tear lettuce it does not go brown as quickly, or you can shred with a plastic or wooden knife. Metal will turn the lettuce brown).

1-2 chopped tomatoes

Sour cream

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

These are healthy and delicious, and you will have leftovers that can be frozen. Some times I make this a little fancier for guests and add more options for sides or fillers.

(optional sides or fillers)

Black beans- ( 1 can of black beans, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 TBS. salsa, lime juice, about 1/4 tsp cumin) Warm in sauce pan.

Saffron Rice-follow directions on package. We buy Mahatma.

Party Food - Buzzard Eggs

Last year our family had the opportunity to live in La Crosse, Wisconsin during my husband's intern year of residency. We have so many wonderful memories of this beautiful town and would consider going back to live there someday. In the top 10 of our favorite things about La Crosse would be Buzzard Billy's! Some good friends of our told us about the Buzzard Eggs and we decided to try them out. Wow. We were sold from the first bite. If you are ever in the Midwest and happen to go near one of their 4 locations, you should go and get some of these. You won't regret it. If we were lesser controlled people, we would have indulged in these tasty balls of goodness probably a couple times a week. But being the incredibly strong-willed people that we are, we held out with only getting them every other week or so (wink). It's an Ebbert famly favorite.

Knowing that we were going to be moving from La Crosse, we decided that we needed to figure out how to make them ourselves so that we could indulge every so often in Buzzard Egg goodness. Here is our version (but know that it pales in comparison to getting the real thing...)

Buzzard Eggs:

you only need a handful of ingredients for these - bacon, chicken, jalapeno peppers, and pepper jack cheese (and oil for frying).
I like to use chicken tenders, but you could also use chicken breasts and cut it into smaller pieces. Each buzzard eggs uses 1/2-1 chicken tender, 2 pieces of bacon, a couple slices of jalapeno, and a small chunk of pepper jack cheese.

The chicken needs to be thin enough to wrap around the chunk of cheese and jalapenos. So you wrap the chicken arond them first and then grab your bacon and start to roll it around the chicken.
The biggest key for these is to make sure that you bacon wraps everything up securely, or else you'll end up with melted cheese leaking out of the ball, and that just ruins all the fun. As a side note - don't try to use toothpicks to hold them together! We tried this and it just creates a conduit for the cheese to run out of. Just wrap the bacon tightly around it and you'll be ok. We wrap one piece around in one direction, then wrap the other piece around in the opposite direction to close everything up nicely.
Here's what they look like when they're all rolled up.

I should also note that we're still experimenting with this a bit. On this night we used thick cut bacon and it tasted great, but it made it harder to get the cheese melted on the inside. But another time when we used thin bacon, it has too many holes in it and the cheese melted out. So...look for bacon that isn't cut so thin that is tears apart, but you don't necessarily have to use thick cut. Helpful, aren't I?

Throw these babies in the deep fat fryer or in a pan with hot oil. It is supposed to be 400 degrees for about 11 minutes (the ones we made were a bit bigger, so we had to cook them for a few minutes longer).

You eat the buzzard eggs by cutting them open and dipping them in ranch dressing. I haven't figured out how to make Buzzard Billy's awesome homemade ranch yet, so for the time being we are using this copy cat version of Outback Steakhouse's Ranch Salad Dressing:

1 tsp. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (buttermilk recipe)

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; mix well. Cover bowl and chill dressing for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tada! There you go - tasty Buzzard Eggs. Oh yeah, and don't be intimidated by these babies just because they have jalapenos in them. I don't like things that hot, so I just take the jalapenos out after it is cooked and it leaves a nice kick of residual flavor in it for me, while Todd glories in the full pepper. My kids absolutely LOVE these as well. They instantly start salivating when we ever say the name. Serve with a nice salad (to alleviate some of the guilt). Happy eating!

Shrimp and Corn Salad Tortillas

Thursday Healthy Meal

2 c. fresh corn kernels or 10-oz. of frozen, thawed

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 small jicama, cut into thin strips (optional)

1 pound peeled and deveined large cooked shrimp

1/2 c shelled roasted pumpkin seeds

6 scallions (white and light green parts) thinly sliced

1/4 c. fresh orange juice

2 T. fresh lime juice

2 tsp. honey

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 T. olive oil

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

In a large bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes, jicama (if using), shrimp, pumpkin seeds, and scallions. In a separate bowl, whisk together the orange and lime juices, honey, cumin, oil, salt, and pepper. Toss with the shrimp mixture. Serve over salad or in a tortilla.

So we tried these tonight and they were tasty! The picture doesn't do them justice but they were very, very fresh and the taste of cumin! Oh, I love that spice. Anyway, as you can see in the picture I omitted the tomatoes because I forgot to buy them (my bad) but I am sure they add a wonderful flavor. As far as the pumpkin seeds go, you can find them at any Trader Joes or Whole Foods place.

I served these with a side salad that had pomogranites on it (one of my favorite Fall/Winter fruit) and sliced grapefruit (not shown). We enjoyed these tortillas and we hope you do to! :)

Quick and Easy- Chicken Rolls

This is such an easy and yummy recipe to make and is perfect for a middle of the week meal. I love the flavor that the pecans add.

CHICKEN ROLLS:
Combine and set aside 1/2 Cup herb seasoned bread crumbs and 1/4 cup crushed pecans.

3 oz. Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp. Lemon Juice
1 Cup Cooked and Shredded Chicken or Turkey
Diced Celery
Salt and Pepper

Mix the cream cheese and lemon juice until smooth. Add the diced chicken, celery, salt and pepper and mix. Then separate 1 package of Crescent rolls. Place a large spoonful of mixture in the center of each piece and roll up, seal edges.
Dip in melted butter and then in crumb mixture. Rolls can be frozen at this point and used for later (an even quicker meal for another night!) or place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Serve with thinned cream of chicken soup as a gravy.

Tuesday: The countdown has begun....

You and I both know it's coming! You know what I mean...when the heaters start clinking, and the skies turn gray, and we all start digging around for hats and scarves, we all know it is getting to be that magical time again when we celebrate! I think the beginning of November is my favorite time of year, because I love the anticipation of Christmas and things haven't gotten busy yet. I can plan and plan and plan. Oh yes, this year, I'll be making dozens of cookies and homemade stockings and write an incredibly witty newsletter (unlike last year); and in early November I actually DO think that I will be able to get it all done! I love it! Because I love the idea of the upcoming holidays so much, I usually start playing with Thanksgiving dishes well in advance. I have so many recipes to try and I'd rather try out a new dish on my husband Shane than try it out at the Thanksgiving table, when it just wouldn't be cool to mess up the mashed potatoes, gravy, yams, or heaven forbid, turkey!

So, last weekend, after watching the rain fall for long enough, I decided this was the perfect kind of day to fill the house with the wonderful aromas of fall celebrations...

First off, dessert. We're going backwards here. Pumpkin pie is something I think everyone should know how to make. One of those essentials. Here's my favorite recipe:

As Cortney so kindly mentioned (I'm still blushing from her kind post), I have had a quest of becoming a pie master (this pie is #99) and there are a few things I've learned on this journey. May I now take this opportunity to talk about the art of the pie crust. Whenever I tell people that I like to make pies, I always get questions about the crust, so here we go...
I used to try different pie crust recipes and in all the lessons I've learned after making 99 pies, the biggest lesson of all is to never stray from my trusty recipe. I get it from my cooking bible, pictured here:


I love this cookbook so much. Besides my son Peter and my wedding album, it's what I would grab if there was a fire in the apartment. Ok, and I'd grab my laptop too, I suppose. And Shaner. But, hopefully, he could just get himself out of there. Anyway, I bought this book right when I graduated from college with some happy graduation money, and I've never regretted it. I'm just a bit sad that the binding is becoming a bit tattered.

So, enough of that. Here's my crust (it's on page 862, Deluxe Butter Flaky Pastry Dough....how could this not be good, right?!):

The key element of pie crust is the temperature. I cut up 2 sticks of UNSALTED butter and stick it in the freezer. Martha says to also put the flour in the freezer, which I guess could be helpful on really humid days, but seems to be just a tad much. You know how Martha can be sometimes...


I then get 1/3 cup ice water ready to go.

Next, I put 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon white sugar, 1 teaspoon salt in the food processor and pulse until mixed.


Then I put the butter and 1/4 cup of Crisco in the food processor, and pulse it just a few times until the butter is in pea-sized clumps.


I add the water next. This is the most tricky part of the whole process and can make or break your crust--too much water, and it's totally soggy, too little, and it's like eating flour. I remove the ice from the water, turn on the processor and stream the water in through the top until I hear what I call the crust rumble. It really is a rumbling sound that is the sound of the crust binding together. Here's what it looks like:


I take the dough out of the processor bowl and put it in 2 saran-wrapped disks. I stick it in the fridge overnight.


The next day, I roll out the first crust, put it in the pie dish, and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes. There's kind of a tricky way I transfer the crust so it doesn't fall apart on me during the move--I roll it around the rolling pin and unroll it into the dish.


In the meantime, I made the filling. Here is another pie lesson I've learned: no matter how cute the sugar pumpkins look at the market, and how homemade you would feel by seeding, peeling, roasting, and mashing the pumpkin pulp yourself for your 100% homemade pumpkin pie, I have some news for you--it really doesn't taste very good. Seriously, I've tried it, and guess who was REALLY disappointed while forcing herself to eat yucky pie that took way too long? Yep, I have been there, my friends.

Might I recommend instead, using Libby's good ol' prepared pumpkin in the can? And maybe you can make those homemade stockings with all that extra time on your hands:)

Ok, sorry, enough digressing. Here is the filling recipe:
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425. In a small bown, combine sugar, salt, and spices. Beat eggs in mixer. Stir in pumpkin and evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shell.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes; reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 45-50 minutes or until firm.

And, wow, did my house smell like autumn all day!


Next up, I tried a new green bean dish. My family never did the green bean casserole for Thanksgiving, but since I've had it here, I'm really not a fan. I don't really like food that makes a squishing, slurping sound when I dish it on a plate. Instead, I found a lighter green bean dish in my favorite food magazine, Everyday Food:

1. Bring one inch of water to a boil in a large pot fitted with a steamer basket.
2. Place 2 pounds green beans, stem ends trimmed, in basket. Cover; steam until crisp-tender, 5-8 minutes. Rinse under cold water. When cool, drain; pat dry with parper towels. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl or jar, whisk 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 taqblespoon white-wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon course salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper until thickened and combined. Pour over beans; toss to coat.

And, lastly, this isn't a Thanksgiving dish, but it was a lovely autumn dinner to eat on a chilly Sunday afternoon, so I thought I'd throw in my favorite pot roast recipe:

3 pound piece beef for pot roast
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces (or cheat like me and use baby carrots)
4 medium new potatoes, cut into quarters
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 dried bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 can Campbell's Tomato Soup (secret ingredient...I never expected this to be good!)

1. Season beef with salt and pepper. Place carrots, potatoes, and onion in a Crock-Pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add bay leaf and thyme.

2. Place meat on top of vegetables. Add soup. Cover, and cook on low heat for 8 hours (high for 6 hours)
3. Remove meath to a cutting board. Transfer vegetables to a platter. Slice meat, and add to platter. Pour sauce into measuring cup and skim fat. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables, and serve. Or skip this step, like I did, and just plunk the crock pot on the dinner table:)

Happy fall, everyone!

The Lovely Becca Lloyd

When I think of my dear friend Becca, the word lovely comes to mind. She reallly is a lovely person. There are so many wonderful things about Becca so it will be hard to try and tell you about her in words, but I will do my best.

First, and I think most importantly, Becca is such a good friend. My very first memory of her was when she approached me one Sunday in church and handed me a card. I was very new to New Haven, and I had just met her the previous week. She had found out from my husband that I was struggling in trying to find a job. Anyway, she wrote me the nicest note of encouragement that really helped me through that hard time. She didn't even know me, and she took the time to write a very sincere note. I still have the note, and I will never forget that small act of kindness from Becca. We have been good friends ever since. She is so incredibly thoughtful.

Second, Becca is so passionate about life. I love this about her. She loves gothic art, and she is soooo knowledgeable on this subject - it amazes me. She loves to travel. She loves being crafty, but she is never cheesy -always classy. She loves her family -she, Shane, and Peter are always doing the funnest things together. She is always so happy and you can tell that she loves being alive.

Third, Becca is hilarious. She always makes me laugh. She has a joke about everything, and I love being around her because of this. She just is so dang funny.

And lastly, Becca is fabulous and ultra creative in the kitchen. I guess the best way to put it is that Becca has great taste (no pun intended) in the kitchen. She has an eye for what foods would go well together. She appreciates the finer foods and isn't afraid to use those finer foods in her creations. Becca loves good food. She prefers sea and kosher salt, fancy Euro cheeses, prosciutto, fresh fruits and veggies, and anything French. She truly is cultured when it comes to food. Did I mention that Becca is the "Pie Master"? I don't know if it's official yet, but Becca had a goal of making 100 pies and then she would become the "Pie Master". Becca, has it happened yet? Her pies are perfection, and she has probably made every pie in the book.

I just can't do her justice - you'll have to meet her if you haven't already. She really is one of the best I know and it's hard to describe someone like that in words (unless you're a writer, which I am not). So, here's to you, Becca, and your loveliness.

family night anyone?

these 2 recipes were great at our house for a family night for 2 reasons, the first recipe is a great dumper. tons of stuff to dump into the bowl, enough that 2 young kids felt busy and helpful. older kids would be a great help chopping. the second recipe brings the best spirit of love into your home - period.

my onion trick-
Aunt Susan's Minestrone Soup

1 lb. sausage browned
2 onions chopped - the above picture is something a good friend, Mindy Georgi, told me to do when chopping onions, the bread absorbs the pain. opt. - i am obsessed with dried onions right now, i love that they sop up the flavor of everything you are cooking with, use 4-5 TB. if you go this route
3 carrots chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
3 c. chopped cabbage - i use the bagged coleslaw to save time
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
simmer above in 5 cups of water until tender

add:
1 small can of beans, rinsed and drained (great northern or red kidney - or both)
1 can corn
1 can green beans

add:46 oz. tomato juice - on this you can see that i split this to half regular V8 and half V8 hot and spicy, you could just use tomato juice but this gives tons more flavor.

2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

4 t. salt

4 TBSP. parsley

bring to a boil and simmer about 30 minutes

last 15 minutes, add a handful of cooked pasta. elbow or seashell work.
serve with Parmesan cheese.

side note- my aunt susan makes this soup every year on a fun fall picnic we do in the mountains a few minutes from our house. my aunties come with my grandma and we have an afternoon of hiking, eating and laughing. there is a long standing tradition of good everyday food on this side, it is where my passion to make ordinary everyday food the best it can be. we can have a family party of all salads and have a different salad from everyone with simple ingredients that tastes so good. so here's to the christensen women in my life!

this next recipe is great for family night because i truly think that when you make homemade bread there is a tangible spirit of love left in its wake. it is a time consuming process and is always appreciated by all who partake. this is from my friend Cara.

preheat oven to 150 or warm

5 1/2 cups warm water

2 TBSP yeast

2 TBSP salt - kosher or sea

2 TBSP dough enhancer - you can find this at a specialty store, it helps lighten the bread, i try to use less flour to keep it light. it is optional

2/3 c. olive oil, if you measure this first, the honey slides right out

2/3 c. creamy honey

12 c. flour - i use about 8-9 cups white and 3-4 cups wheat. i try to use the best flour, unbleached, not enriched, stone ground wheat. i love this wheat mountain from montana, they say it is better than organic

dissolve yeast in the water and add the rest of the ingredients to your kitchen aid, bosch or bowl and mix for 5-10 minutes or until a nice ball forms.

dough will be sticky, that helps to have lighter bread. i use 4 large bread pans, make sure you spray them.

also, to work with the dough, i spray the counter top with nonstick spray and divide dough into 4 parts with a knife.

turn oven off and put pans in oven for 20-40 minutes.

while pans are still in oven, preheat oven to 350 and cook for 30-35 minutes.

tip-remove your bread promptly from pans or they will sweat and turn the bottom soggy and wet.

this, is what you will get with homemade bread - a daughter that loves it and asks when you are making it again. she sees how much work and how good a hot slice from the oven is.....payment enough.

sidenote - i did bread just to say i did it a couple months back and i now make all of our bread. i want to become a bread master and i am on loaf 31. (becca is working on pie master, almost 100) i love that i am in control of the ingredients and the quality. there is so much goodness in this tradition. can i just say that i think of deanna every time i make this. she grinds her own wheat and i have fond memories of seeing my ebbert friends with toast or slices of her fresh homemade bread with fabulous toppings.

Seat Number 6: Cortney

(intro by Addie)

There are lots of things I admire about Cortney. She is the person who seems to have everything together. She is organized, kind, thoughtful, and always looks perfect. The first time I had dinner at her house she served a four coarse meal, her house was spotless, and she and Rob were the most gracious hosts. I always felt like my daughter was the Tasmanian devil in her home, set to destroy the perfection. Cortney is the type of person who will set out to learn something new, like knitting, or bread making and she will not give up until she gets it right. Full of patience, her perfection does not give her a boastful air. She treats everyone with compassion, and truly cares to brighten or help their day. That is what I am sure makes her a wonderful counselor in her profession. She will be a great contributor to this blog, because I know she has a great collection of cookbooks and is one who has tried the recipes over again until she has them perfected.

Seat number 5: Addie LaDuke

(intro by Annie)

The first time I met Addie was at an enrichment activity our church had for emergency preparedness. When I saw Addie from a distance she immediately caught my eye. She has this beautiful long, black hair and the prettiest blue eyes. (I think she resembles Cortney Cox)! At that same time she was holding her darling little girl Callie who looked like the same age as my daughter Lily. I went up to her and introduced myself and we got to talking and when we found out that our girls were the same age, we decided we should get together for a play date. Once we got together we immediately clicked (so did Callie and Lily) and we have been great friends ever since! During our time in New Haven, we hung out quite often from going to the Yale gym in the mornings, to near by parks, and of course our weekly trips to Target! We always needed something to do because our husbands were always gone to school and so busy studying that we needed some sort of outlet!
Addie is one of my greatest and truest friends. She has always been concerned about me and always been there for me. I miss you tremendously Addie! :)

Addie is a wonderful cook. Graham and I loved it when she and Cameron would have us over for dinner. I have always admired that she can just take a few ingredients from her pantry and whip up something delicious! Some of my favorite recipes have come from her-especially her pork tenderloin! I love that her recipes aren't the generic kinds you get from everyone else-and they are healthy!

Not only is Addie a great cook, she is also very talented at making invitations and cards for all types of occasions and she makes the cutest scrapbook things ever! The day Graham and I and Lily moved from New Haven, she gave me the cutest thank you cards with my name on them and I have had so many compliments on them from so many people.

Addie, I am so bummed out that Cameron didn't get into BYU's law program because I know both Lily and I could use and Addie and Callie fix! We really need to take a trip down to Arizona!Thanks for your great friendship!

Seat Number 4: Heidi McKay

(intro by Deanna)

I'm so excited to be able to introduce the one, the only, amazing Heidi McKay! She is the brain child behind this fun new blog that we're all going to have a fun time with. For me (and probably most people who know her), when I even think the name Heidi - my mind instantly starts conjuring up images of really good, tasty, gourmet food. Not because she only cooks gourmet foods, but because the most everyday foods become so much more in her hands. Heidi has the ability to make any food, no matter what it is, to look and taste gourmet. Seriously, the woman could probably serve you hagus or liverwurst and you would think it was the most beautiful, tasty food you'd ever tasted. Her hands just work magic in the kitchen.

And one of the things that I absolutely love the most about Heidi is her PASSION of food. Many people like and enjoy good food. Many people are good cooks, etc. But, there are precious few out there that can even come close to being anywhere near this level of passionate, when it comes to food. My husband and I had always thought of ourselves as passionate about good food. Going to a good restaurant or eating some new amazing food was a total experience, to be savored and fully enjoyed. Well, after meeting Heidi, I found out that we had been playing in the minor leagues! It was a whole new level of experience for us to go out on double dates with Heidi and Scott. Those are definitely memories that I treasure! If Todd and I could choose any two people in the world to go out to eat with, it would most likely be Heidi and Scott. We've got a great food bond that will forever tie us all together. I can't tell you how many times since we left CT that Todd and I will be trying a new restaurant or eating something new, and we'll turn and say to each other "Man, you know who would really like this? Heidi and Scott." "Wow, I sure wish Heid could try this, she'd love it." "Maybe we should try to pack this on ice and send it to the McKays..." Seriously. It is probably absurb how much we think of them.

I should probably further explain more about her passion. You see, it's a full sensory experience with Heidi because you not only get the great food and taste how wonderful it is, but you also get to see and hear Heidi. If you haven't ever heard Heidi talk about good food, you've really missed out on a great thing. When you get to see her eyes, watch her hands, and hear her voice talk about it and hear her describe things . . . it's otherworldly. I can't tell you how much I have missed just hearing and seeing Heidi over the last 1 1/2 years!!! I might have to see if I can convince her to post a few food videos so you can see it in action. She's the best!

OK, so besides food (hey, I can't help it that such a great majority of our time together was spent eating or talking about food!), there are so many levels that Heidi and I can relate to. First, our husbands. They're both in the Radiology field. During our time in New Haven, my husband was finishing medical school and knew he was going to do his residency in Radiology. Heidi's husband was in PA school and knew he was going to go back and work for a Radiology group. So our boys are totally on the same page with their insaneness (i.e. they get giddy at the experience of sticking needles all over in people and doing all kinds of invasive procedures, and high image scans of the body are their lifelines).

Then there is the kid factor. In New Haven, Heidi and I both had 2 kids that were super close in age. Both of us had girls first and then crazy boys. Talk about a bond. You know you've got a good friendship when you can come home from a date night and just laugh about which one of your sons bit off the face of the other boy or left claw marks in the other one. I love being around Heidi because I spend all that time smiling and laughing! She is so funny and I love her ability to be able to laugh about even hard things in life. I have so many wonderful memories with the amazing Heidi Mckay, and look forward to many, many more over the years. You rock, Heidi!

Seat Number 3: Kristy Walker

(Intro by Becca)
This blog is quite fitting for Kristy Walker, for in my mind, the words “Kristy” and “table” are inextricably linked. I think of us sitting around the table cutting fabric, sewing buttons on homemade Christmas cards, playing games late into the night, eating (of course!), and all the while, we have shared great conversations. At the table, we’ve been keeled over in laughter, shared our plans and dreams, and built a beautiful friendship. I hope to sit across the table from Kristy as two wrinkly women, eating really, really good food.

Kristy is so many things—brilliant event planner and manager in the hotel industry, fearless adventurer, spending last year with her husband in Peru, among other backpacking/rock climbing/camping outings, faithful, dedicated member of the LDS Church, and I could go on…but to me, Kristy’s most admirable quality is her loving service. She really puts love into everything, and nothing says love like her food. For instance, her rolls! The rolls! Warm and doughy and buttery and….LOVE! So many times since I’ve met Kristy, I have met her at my door, and she’s holding a huge bowl of homemade soup. Mmmmm…there is absolutely nothing better than opening the door to find a great friend who has made me some great food. I simply cannot wait to incorperate some of her lovely recipes that she posts into my own repertoire.

When thinking about Kristy’s prowess in the kitchen, I always marvel at her innate baking abilities. It’s like she’s a baking psychic and just absolutely *knows* the very second that the dough is mixed enough or those cookies or cake or bread needs to come out. This is a skill so totally foreign to me that if I happen to be in the kitchen with Kristy, I try to observe her closely and figure out how she does it. To no avail! All I know is that she has “the gift”, so I will just continue to eat her food and benefit that way. And, how appropriate is it that Kristy the baker has her own bun in the oven! We can’t wait to meet baby boy Walker at the end of December, but until then, Kristy has to be one of the most darling prego ladies I know.

There is one last thing I’d like to share about Kristy: she is a master baker, as mentioned, but she also is a force to be reckoned with at the grill. In the summers here in New Haven, our friends get together to barbecue on Sunday nights, and as we flip our meager burgers and dogs, Kristy whips out her perfectly-seasoned 2-pound fillet of Wild King Salmon that her dad caught in Alaska and shipped to her on ice. She has so many great grilling ideas, and I can’t wait to read her upcoming posts this summer!

I am very happy to introduce this wonderful, wonderful women to you. We are the last two grad school wives of the bunch to still live in New Haven and will still share time at the table for the next little while until Kristy, her husband Paul, and babe Walker head off to a new, exciting place, while Paul does a medical residency in ear/nose/throat. However, I feel fortunate to share this table for 7 with Kristy for much longer! Cheers to you, Kristy Walker!

how did you name the blog?

well. it is simple. on our best days and on our worst, we would all like to be sitting around a table, full of food that we made- eating to enjoy, not to get full. talking, laughing and decompressing, and the table - well, it would be for 7.

Seat Number 2, intro

Deanna- intro by Kristy

Let me introduce you to Deanna, or "D" as she is affectionately called by family and friends. The first time I met Deana was over a delicious lunch that she and another friend prepared. my husband and I had come to New Haven to scope things out prior to moving to Yale for Medical School. They graciously invited us to dine with them. I remember exactly what was served around that lunch table 4.5 years ago. Chicken salad wraps (grilled chicken, plain yogurt, fresh dill, lemon juice...it was delish!) and fresh cut pineapple.

When I think of pineapple, I often think of D. Did you know that a pineapple is the symbol for hospitality and welcome? The symbol of a pineapple and all that it entails very accurately describes D. You will always feel comfortable in her presence, and this girl knows how to host! Did you know that she and her husband, Todd, are graciously hosting my husband for a whole month while he completes a clinical rotation in the town where they now live? A whole month!!!

Deanna is the queen of homemade. She knows how to make everything from bread to salsa and jam to peanut butter. If you want to know how to make something like this from scratch, D is your go-to diva. She has also made some of the most adorable birthday cakes you have ever seen for her two kiddos, Alia (5) and Lawson (3).

Deanna is not only a fantastic cook, but a great friend. She loves to play games, and while she is sometimes pessimistic about her position in the middle of the game, she often pulls out with a win! She knows how to organize (and loves to do it!) better than anyone I know. And, you will never find a stray hair anywhere in her home due to a loathing she developed while having to clean a barber shop every morning as an undergraduate student.

I have always been able to count on D for anything. Her recipes and ideas are no exception. If I’m looking for something that is sure to be a hit, the recipes I have gathered from her, along with her ideas are one of the first places I turn to! I’m sure glad she’s part of this table for 7.