The Lefflers

Monday, January 10, 2011

A Quick Update

It's been a random couple of months for us at the Leffler household. Here is a quick update:

November:
We were able to watch our nephew Jaxon one night for Jordan and Micaela while they both worked. He sure is a ham when the camera comes out!

Chandler makes a nice pillow

Look at those teeth

Shy sure has come a LONG way with kiddos

Isn't he cute

Also in November we celebrated my 29th birthday and had Thanksgiving with my brother Robb and sister-in-law Sheri. Of course I don't have photos of either of those events but they were a lot of fun.....at least Thanksgiving was! I wasn't too thrilled with celebrating my 29th birthday....I shouldn't be that old!

December:

We had my family up to our house for Christmas Eve dinner. I cooked Christmas Shepherd's pie which turned out really nice.

We had Jake open his gift from us to him since we wouldn't see them Christmas morning. Jake was pretty excited when he opened his "moe-key-choke" car from Uncle Jared and Aunt Abby.

His "moe-key-choke" car...love how he said remote control

He was more than happy to move my gifts so he could drive his car

Such concentration when learning how it worked

We went over to the Leffler's house Christmas morning and enjoyed a quiet day with Rick and Karen. A little after lunch we decided to head home and do Christmas with just the two of us. It was so nice to spend time with each other and start some new Christmas traditions!

Jared took a brief nap with Shy and Chan

January:

It's been pretty low key 2011 so far. We rang in the new year together and toasted to what's to come in 2011....whatever that may be.

We are staying busy with work and enjoying spending time with both families. Shy and Chan are doing well and enjoyed the week of vacation we took between Christmas and New Years.

I'm looking forward to cooking even more meals this year and trying different things out. Keep an eye out for some delicious, and healthy, recipes coming your way.

Enjoy!

-AKL

Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas Shepherd Pie

I'm cooking dinner for my family on Christmas Eve and I've been searching and searching for the perfect Christmas Eve dinner to prepare. I think I've gone to http://www.foodnetwork.com/ and http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/ about a million times over the past week or so! I finally came across Paula Deen's Christmas Shepherd Pie recipe and decided that was the golden ticket.

I tried the recipe out this weekend with my best friend Megan. Let me tell ya...it's so much fun cooking in the kitchen with a friend. I highly recommend you doing it at least once in your life if not more!

We got home from Christmas shopping and poor Jared was famished from not eating all day since he was looking forward to this meal.

This is a pretty quick meal to put together, however, keep in mind it does take a little over an hour to get everything ready.

You can find the recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/christmas-shepherds-pie-recipe/index.html

This isn't the greatest picture but it gives you an idea of what it looks like in a casserole dish.

I did make individual ramekins for Megan, Jared and myself and will do the same on Christmas Eve. This recipe makes a TON of food...I'll just throw that out there.

For Christmas Eve I will be making it with ground turkey instead of ground beef, I'm sure it'll be just as delicious.

If you want a good home cooked, southern feel, fills your stomach to the brim meal, then give this recipe a try.

Let me know what you think!

Enjoy!
-AKL

Monday, December 6, 2010

Zesty Spaghetti a la Puttanesca

This weekend I went out on a limb and tried Nadia G.'s (chef from Bitchin' Kitchen) recipe, Zesty Spaghetti a la Puttanesca. The reason I say I went out on a limb is because this recipe calls for anchovy fillets. I for one have never cooked with anchovies. Really...who likes fish that come in a can? Maybe I'm wrong, but it's been a turn off for me. I've watched plenty of cooking shows where they cook with anchovies, but I've stayed away from those recipes...until now!

I've been blessed with a husband that is willing to try all of my dinner creations. Well I guess I shouldn't say all because he will not try Edamame! He politely refers to Edamame as "Hairy Bean Pods". It's easy for me to read Jared when he tries something I make. It's all in his face...and when he doesn't like it he can't cover up the sour look that comes over him. I was apprehensive about this meal to be honest. When I watched Nadia cook the meal on her show it looked delicious and I wanted to give it a try, but like I said, I've never cooked with anchovies or capers. A very traditional Italian spaghetti meal but totally different than anything I've cooked before.

My guinea pigs for the night were Jared and one of my best friends, Megan. They both watched over my shoulder as I pulled the anchovy fillets out of the can and began to shred them with a fork. Not my favorite part of the meal, but it went without incident. I carefully followed Nadia's directions and all in all it was a an easy meal to throw together. It smelled amazing (no the anchovies don't make your house smell fishy) and looked delicious when it was all said and done. But wouldn't you know...I didn't take a photo! The photo above is courtesy of: Cooking Channel, Nadia G and Bitchin' Kitchen.

Now, when we sat down to eat I wouldn't let Jared or Megan try a bite before I did. Call me crazy, but I really didn't want to see either of them run to the bathroom because it didn't taste as good as it looked. I took the first bite and didn't really know how to describe it. It was a different taste to me since I'm used to your "all American drown your noodles in tomato and meat sauce and call it a day" taste. We had an interesting conversation of what flavors stuck out and the fact that you really don't taste the anchovies. It was a successful meal and one that I will certainly try again with some modifications, for Jared....i.e. chicken needs to be added to make it a "man" meal.

If you're interested in the recipe you can find it here: www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/zesty-spaghetti-a-la-puttanesca-recipe/index.html

Let me know if you try it and what you think of it!

Enjoy!
-AKL

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

New Cooking Show

I found a new cooking show to add to my addiction! Have you ever heard of Nadia G? I had never heard of her, but we recently switched to Dish and they offer the Cooking Channel. I love this channel. They play every thing from Julia Child to Rachael Ray. It's GREAT!!

Well the other day I was checking out different shows on the Cooking Channel and was intrigued when I saw a show called Bitchin' Kitchen. I had to set up a recording and see what this was all about. The show is VERY different, but so fun to watch. Nadia doesn't just stand up there and cook, she acts and makes it humorous for those watching. I don't know..maybe I'm an odd ball but I think she's funny.

Last night I tried one of her recipes (Sirloin Shepard's Pie) and it was wonderful! She has meals that take a lot of preparation and cook time as well as pretty quick meals that you can make last minute. I'm excited to watch some more shows and she what she has to offer.

Anyway, of course I didn't take photos of dinner last night, but if you're interested in checking her show out you can go to www.cookingchanneltv.com and look her up under Chefs & Hosts OR her website http://bitchinlifestyle.tv/

Enjoy!
-AKL

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Shayenne

This is Shyanne (aka...Shy) and I love her! We've had Shy for 6 1/2 years, however, it seems like she's been a part of our lives forever.

Shy actually came into our lives as a surprise. We originally were interested in another American Eskimo named Peanut. We got in contact with an Eskie rescue and make an appointment for a home visit with Peanut. When the lady arrived with Peanunt she asked if we'd be willing to see another dog named Shayenne. I'll be honest, I'd seen a photo of Shy on the internet and she looked like this little scraggly thing but the lady explained that she felt like Shy would be a perfect fit for our family of two.

She brought Shy into our apartment and it was love at first sight for both Shy and myselft. She wasn't fond of Jared in the beginning but I insisted we take a chance on this little girl. Before we knew it the lady took off for her next home visit and she told us to call her after a little bit with an update of how it was going.

After about an hour into our time with Shy one on one we called the lady from the Eskie rescue and said we wanted to keep Shy overnight for a trial run. We were given more information regarding Shy and her past. We found out that if we were to adopt her we'd be her fifth owner, she came from a drug home in California and had been bounced around from place to place because she didn't like anyone and they didn't like her! Shy needed A LOT of attention and love. She needed someone to be patient with her and let her come around on her own time.

We had a long road ahead of us with Shy. It was beyond difficult trying to get Shy to meet new people and not try to eat them. I kid you not, we couldn't even walk around the park without her trying to attack someone or something. We tried special training, we tried clicker training, we tried anything and everything we could think of and all she needed was time.

Sure she still barks at the door when someone rings the doorbell and yes, she screams like a little girl when she gets too excited, but we love her just the same. She has gone from an insecure little pup to a mature and wise older lady. We couldn't imagine our family without her and we wouldn't trade her for anything. She's our Shy Butt!!