Conditions Like These

So at some point, everyone who has a blog eventually says something about where they work. But what if where you work isn't really work? What if you go to this place for 8 hours a day and you feel like you should be paying them? It just so happens that both Abby and I work for such a place. It's called Compassion International. Disclaimer time: this blog contains our views and only our views and the do not necessarily depict the views of our employer. That should hold HR over...At any rate, you're probably intrigued and wondering if there are any openings at this "so-called" place to work. As a matter of fact, there is. In the meantime, what is Compassion? Glad you asked. I'll tell you.

Compassion International is a child development organization. Releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name. That's what we really do. I invite you to visit the Compassion blog, linked over there on the right of the screen for more blogs. Through sponsorship, children are provided with the skills they need so they may have a quality, sustainable life. They learn to follow Jesus in faith and deed and learn to support themselves and maintain their own physical wellness. Today more than one million children are in our programs over the span of twenty-five countries. It just so happens we recently decided to call one of these children our own.

Living in one of the newest additions to Compassion's list of countries, our little girl hails from Togo, Africa. Her name is Ayoko Edeme Amakoue. She is eight years old and her schoolwork is considered above average. She loves her dolls, jumping rope, hide and seek, and playing with friends. Thankfully, she still has both parents and they live in the same home.

While sponsorship may not be for everyone, Compassion does accept one time donations for numerous funds found here. There are so many funds you could choose from. The highly vulnerable children fund is one we like. Children who have lost one or both parents often live in deeper poverty. Food and homes are less prevalent in these conditions.

This fund places these children in Compassion cottages which are head up by Christian caregivers. They are provided with their nutritional supplements, psychosocial support, clothing, and much more.

At any rate, we both welcome any questions you have and in the meantime, come visit Compassion's website!

Got chicken tonight?

Tonight's menu....Chicken Ragu Penne with a side of kale! I made this recipe my own but took some ideas from the "Williams-Sonoma One Pot"cookbook. Great meal for a cold evening dinner. Very filling and easy to make. Here's what you do:

Ingredients:

4 Boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts

1/2 c Heavy whipping cream

4 Tbs. flour

4 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

2 shallots

1/2 c Sherry wine

1 c Chicken stock

1 lb Penne pasta

1 14.5 oz Petite diced tomatoes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Italian 5 cheese to sprinkle on top

Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

*Optional: kale for side dish

Process:

Braise chicken breasts:
*Pour heavy whipping cream into bowl

*Scatter flour on plate and add freshly ground pepper and salt - mix

*In a large skillet melt butter on medium high head - don't burn the butter
*Take chicken breasts and thoroughly cover in heavy whipping cream and flour mixture

*Place covered chicken breasts in skillet and cook completely

*Once chicken is cooked set aside to cool

*optional - place kale in skillet and let wilt in butter and chicken drippings

Ragu Sauce

*Heat 2 Tbs. oil olive in skillet over medium high heat

*Place shallots in skillet and saute until soft

*Add Sherry wine and let alcohol cook out

*Add Chicken stock

*Add can of diced tomatoes

*Cut up chicken into bite sized pieces and add to sauce

*Reduce Heat to medium and let cook for 10 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken

Penne Pasta

*In a large pot heat water to a boil

*Once water is boiling add salt

*Add Penne pasta and cook according to box recipe
*Drain

*Add pasta back to pot and cover with Chicken Ragu sauce

*Mix until pasta is covered

*Add Italian 5 cheese and mix

*Sprinkle Parmesan cheese to taste

Enjoy!

-AKL

Happy Birthday

We had a birthday celebration for Chandler tonight. He got his very own plate of yummy beef and noodles with a milk biscuit on the side. I think it was a dream come true for him! Chandler is now 4 years old. It seems like yesterday we picked up this little, fluffy, white puppy and now he's a handsome grown up little man. He is full of life, energy and lots of love. He is 100% a momma's boy and I wouldn't have it any other way! So here's to our little Chan man, may you have many more birthday's to come! We love you!
-AKL

What's For Dinner

So I've decided I REALLY need to start taking photos while I'm cooking dinner. Lets face it, leftovers don't look nearly as wonderful as the original meal! This picture has peas in the dish, the recipe below does not contain peas.

Last night I decided to make Farfalle With Salsa Cruda from my "Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Weeknight" cookbook. This is a wonderfully fresh, easy, and lite meal. Jared and I decided it's more of a "girl" meal if you go by the recipe. I'll make it again, but I will add grilled chicken next time to make it more manly. As a side we made bread with a garlic butter on top. Yum!

Farfalle With Salsa Cruda

Makes 4 servings

1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped (side note, I used petite canned tomatoes and they were just as delicious)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup basil, fresh, slivered
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 pound smoked or regular mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (side note, I didn't use pine nuts and it was still great)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound farfalle, penne or other medium-sized pasta
2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced and chopped (I used smoked bacon, added a crunch to the dish)
Prepare the salsa:
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil, oil, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Stir well and let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Stir in the mozzarella and let stand for about 10 minutes longer.
Toast the pine nuts:
Meanwhile, in a small, dry frying pan over medium-high heat, toast the pine nuts, sirring often, until fragrant and pale gold, about 1-2 minute. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Cook the pasta:
At the same time, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain well and add the pasta to the sauce, along with the prosciutto and pine nuts. Toss to combine and slightly soften the cheese. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Presentation:
Serve the pasta warm or at room temperature.

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

Tonight's meal...creamy mustard covered pork chops with green beans. I'll try and remember to take pictures!

Enjoy!
-AKL

A new laptop and a day away

Well, Jared finally bought me my very own laptop. Currently as I write this blog I'm sitting in the basement watching The Office with Jared and the dogs. Here's the kicker, Jared has his laptop out as well and we are both typing away. Yes, we're pathetic.

We decided to take the morning and head to Aurora and spend some time at the Southlands mall. We had an awesome lunch at Tokyo Joe's. If you are ever in the area you should try it out. The best part of our day....I found the perfume I wore on our wedding day! It brings back so many memories. Still hard to believe we've been married for over 6 years. I wonder what this next year will bring....

I went through my cookbooks this evening and found 3 new recipes I'm going to tackle this week. Looking at steak with herb butter, mustard pork chops, and corn chowder. I'll let you know how the meals turn out.

Quick Starbucks update....It's currently day 16 and I'm still going strong! Maybe after awhile I won't even crave it. I must admit that today that I almost cracked and went for a chai, but I didn't!!

All in all it was a wonderful day!

-AKL

Give Haiti Your Profile Pic

Avatars can be found at http://bit.ly/8QkG3b.

As you read this blog, thousands of Haitians continue to dig out of rubble. Abby and I have the privledge of working for the relief organization Compassion International. These last two days have been very heart wrentching for all of us.

Compassion International serves more than 67,000 children and their families in Haiti.

The damage is catastrophic and we are doing everything we can to provide relief to one of the poorest countries in the world.

Please visit http://www.compassion.com/ or text "DISASTER" to 90999 to donate to Compassion.

JJL

Hungarian Beef Stew

A long time ago I tried using a spice I'd never used in my entire life, smoked paprika. I was making a side dish of green beans and thought I'd try the smoked paprika....big mistake! It was HORRIBLE! I mean, spit it out into your napkin horrible. Ever since then I've been hesitant to use that particular spice in any of my cooking, that is, until tonight. Tonight's menu, Hungarian Beef Stew with a side of kale. I told you, I'm hooked on kale after the other night. Anyway, the Hungarian beef stew called for smoked sweet paprika, which I didn't have, so I had to add sugar to the dish.

The stew was so easy to make...here is what you do:
*Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven over high heat
*Chop up 2 large yellow onions (or less if you aren't a huge onion fan
*Once your olive oil is hot, add 2lbs of cubed beef and your onions
*Let beef brown and onions begin to caramelize
*Then add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 2 table spoons of smoked sweet paprika
*Add 4 cups of chicken stock (next time I will try beef stock)
*Turn heat to low, cover and let meat braise for 1 hour
*After an hour, add 3lbs of boiling potatoes and 2 carrots chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces
*Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are soft

While eating I thought it would have been perfect to have some warm french bread with butter. On a funny note, when I was trying to tell Jared about my idea I kept saying, "mmm...it'd be so good with some breaded butter...don't you think breaded butter would be great with this?" Needless to say, he just laughed at me until I figured out what I was saying.

All in all it was a successful meal. How do I know it was successful? Chandler (our dog) sat right next to the table staring and growling at us until Jared finally gave him a piece of meat. Most people might think, big deal....all dogs beg, no, not Chandler. If something doesn't smell good to him or he's not interested he will sit in the living room by himself and not even approach the kitchen table. The second way I know it was successful, Jared took seconds and didn't add salt or pepper to his dish. If Jared doesn't like something he always tries to cover it with salt and pepper and he wouldn't dream of getting seconds. Half the time he won't even finish what's on his plate.

So if you're in the mood for something different try making Hungarian beef stew and let me know how it turns out!

Enjoy!!
-AKL

Kale

Have you had kale? If you have not, you seriously need to give it a try.

Kale is a form of cabbage and it is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties. It's also considered to be anti-inflammatory.

Kale contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties.

I personally had never had kale until last night. We had a friend over and I decided to try a recipe out of my Williams Sonoma One Pot Cookbook, Baked Chicken Parmesan. This particular recipe calls for the baked chicken to be placed on a bed of kale. I had seen Rachael Ray de-stem kale many times, so I figured why not give it a try.

To begin, coat the bottom of your skillet with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. At the same time pre-heat your oven to 400*F.

Gently place your chicken breasts in the olive oil and let brown. About 7-10 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. Only turn the chicken once!

After your chicken is partially cooked remove from oil and set aside.

Take your de-stemmed kale and place directly into your hot skillet – let the kale begin to wilt, this takes only a couple of minutes. As your kale begins to wilt you will notice it changes in color from faded green to a gorgeous hunter green. At this time it should begin to smell a little like brussels sprouts. Take a taste test....trust me!

Once the kale has wilted, place the kale on the bottom of an oven safe roasting pan.

Place browned chicken breasts on top of kale.

Top chicken breasts with homemade marinara OR pre-made marinara sauce from the grocery store.

Take 2 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and place on top of chicken. Then sprinkle evenly with parmesan cheese.

Place in oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out! I'm excited to find more recipes with kale as an ingredient. In fact I'm planning on cooking more kale tonight just as a side dish.

Enjoy!!
-AKL

No Starbucks

I was sitting at work this morning drinking my cup of home brewed coffee when I had a thought..."Could I go an entire year without drinking Starbucks?" The answer....I don't know but I'm going to give it a try. I have nothing against Starbucks. I love their chai, mochas, lattes, teas and almost anything else they brew up. However, I am fully capable of making my own chai, mocha, latte, tea and coffee at home. So why not take a year off and save some money and calories?!? I'm going to start my year of no Starbucks back on Janurary 1, 2010 even though the thought crossed my mind this morning. I'll be honest with you....I haven't had a drink from Starbucks once this year! Ask Jared...I haven't. So it's day 7 and I'm going strong. Wish me luck on this new endevor, I'll keep you updated as I go along.

-AKL

Esprit d'Escalier

A noun. A noun about a staircase. A special staircase. A noun about being clever. About having wits. One that could be a defining point in your life. A fascinating phrase, no doubt. About making a remark – but coming up with it a little too late. You’ve done this esprit d’Escalier before. Yes you have. It is a French term –The Spirit of the Staircase or even being wise after the event. So what does this all mean?

So you’re in a room with lots of people, perhaps it’s a party. Some friends are there. Maybe some family. Making things interesting, there’s even a few strangers in the room. Out of nowhere, someone in the room downright insults you. You could hear a pin drop. The hush over the room; the silence is deadening. Now, there’s dozens of eyes directed right at you – you’re under intense pressure. What do you say? What do you do? One thing is for sure, what you say next will be a lasting impression to all those in attendance. But wait. You say nothing. You freeze. Then, without thought, the night’s biggest blunder appears. “Well at least I don’t still live with my mom!”

Okay, so probably not the best comeback and certainly not very clever – even if they do still live with their mom. You storm out of the party. As you walk down the stairs out the door, it hits you. Ahhhh….the perfect comeback. It’s witty. Clever. Intriguing even. It’s too late though. If you go back, you’ll be even more humiliated than the initial insult. What do you do? Do you save it for next time you see this person? Forget about it. The moment has passed and even if it was a good and clever comeback, it’s too late.

Esprit d’Escalier. Has it happened to you? Do you want to share it with us? With the holidays here, we’ll all be in rooms with people we only get to experience once a year. Yes, that’s what I said. Emotions and turmoil will prevail. How you handle that will define you. The spirit of the staircase. Share with us your experiences with this French Phenomenon. You story could influence us all.

Scraggly Boys and Prissy Girls

I thought today I'd introduce you to my two dogs. While they will not remain the central theme of the Leffler Household blog, from time to time they may do something that annoys or entertains me and I will want to pass that along to you. I'll spare you the details and keep it simple.

Shayenne is the girl of the house - The Queen Bee. She's a cutie and loves to snuggle. She remains as clean and fresh as the day we bring her home from the groomers. Chandler, the scraggly little boy, always manages to roll around in God knows what, only moments from returning from the groomers. He only continues to grow more and more gross and scraggly as minutes click past on the clock above the stove. We love our dogs like they're our children. They get to go on car rides and eat Subway with us at the neighborhood park.

Each of them has their own unique personalities. It's funny to even write about it because most of it you'll have to see for yourself to believe it. In the meantime, allow me to paint a simple picture for you. Shy is really like a retired professional working girl who is very much set in her ways and won't change for anything. She still relys on Daddy's credit cards but also likes you to be the one to make the effort in the relationship. Chandler, is still a kid at heart, with no job, no income, and lives in his parent's basement, not to mention he's in his mid twenties.

In reality, never having had kids, we imagine owning two dogs is much the same, except for one thing. When we go to the movies, we can leave our kids in a small crate with no food or water, in the basement, in the dark, with a radio on. With human kids you can't do that. You can't even leave a kid in the car with a window cracked part way (in most states anyway) no matter how long you plan on being gone. As I write this last line, Shy is looking up at me almost to say "please turn the television down, I'm trying to sleep."

-JJL

Road Trip Games in the 2000's

So I am a little late in posting this blog entry on this site, but it has been on my Facebook since Thanksgiving...so please enjoy!

Ten years ago, the games were different. Count VW Beetles; count license plates from different states; or sing campfire songs... As I write this note, we are driving 78 mph through New Mexico. It's 61 degrees outside and the hybrid is averaging 27 mpg. I have my corporate laptop in tow and my blackberry set up as a WAP. It's been quite entertaining. We ask the most random questions, and then google them to see if the answers exist somewhere. Sure beats campfire songs.


What kinds of questions do we ask? Purely random ones....

Does Michael Jackson have a prosthetic nose? No. He's dead now. Whether or not he did when he was still alive, well, we don't really know.

Why does Steven Tyler not sing with Journey anymore? Could be the issues with him in rehab and disagreements with other band members.

Will there be a reunion concert? As of two years ago, NO.

Who is the lead guitarist from Trans-siberian orchestra? Al Pitreli.

Who is Al Pitrelli married to? Jane Mangini.

Isn't Al the really short one on stage all the time? I guess. He's 5'9", 180lbs.

There's lava all over the median....when did that show up? About 10,000 years ago.

We are in To'hajiilee. What the heck is that? It's "The Place Near Water, New Mexico"
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So far I'm winning because I'm the one with the laptop, but it sure makes the time fly by!

I still have opportunities to peek up at the road from time to time. About five miles back, a highway paint truck went off the road and hit a deer. He also spilled his payload. Not making it up. There's skid marks, a carcass, and paint everywhere. Looks like a murder scene.

-JJL