Day 7- Two burnt fingers and the black hole pantry

Oh wow. Was that a little tinge of happiness I just felt. I mean seriously. I disliked cooking with an intense passion before this journey. Tonight though, I said to Russ," I am really enjoying this!" and I truly meant it. With that being said, the night wasn't without it's flaws. And so we begin:

I pulled out my trusty recipe cards and got ready. It was time to make Kansas City Steak Strips. I've never been to Kansas City, well other than in passing it on the interstate, so I'm wondering if it either is some sort of something they have there or after 1200 recipes the company was running out of names for cooked meat. Either way, it was interesting and fairly easy to make. It really wasted some ingredients and the cheapo in me got irritated, but I forged on.

So I thought I was the smartest person on Earth last week when I thought to cut up the flank steak and measure out the amount I needed before freezing it. I love that I did that. Myself tonight thanked myself from last week. It was so nice to pull something out of the fridge and have it ready to throw in the pan with out any chopping or measuring involved! I got the ingredients out and was measuring them out before I started and whoopsy...missing the beef broth. I'm so not a fan of my soup stash anymore. In fact, I'm quite angry with it. I believe my pantry has a black hole that sucks in the labels it sees the most. Cream of Chicken..gone. Beef Broth...gone. Why isn't it taking the tomato and the chicken noodle?!? I just don't understand how a non-cooking woman is running out of stuff that she hasn't used....Anyway, I walked into the living room and had this conversation with my husband who was relaxing after a crazy day at school and then coming home and calming down a screaming infant:
Me: Russ...I love you.
Russ: (looks at me with a concerned grin) I love you too. What do you want?
Me: Um, I don't have any beef broth. Can you run to the store for me?
Russ: (Makes a pouty sound like someone just took a toy away) Do I have to? Why didn't you check first?
Me: I did. Well, no not really. I needed a total of one cup this week for recipes so I only bought one can not thinking. I guess I should have saved half of the can I used the other night.
Russ: Uh yeah...but fine.
He huffs and puffs around the house for a few minutes grumbling and whatnot. Then I realize I'm a little low on egg noodles. I ask if he can pick some of those up too. He looks at me like I just told him I was having quadruplets and leaves. Seriously, I've gotta get better at this recipe stuff.

So, after the beef broth fiasco was averted, Andrea and I got started cooking. She snapped the green beans while I chopped up the onion. She's so funny. I go through my entire "blind from onions" routine and she thinks I'm crying. She pats me on the arm and says, "Aww mommy. It's okay. You're a good cook." hahaha This makes me wonder, did she think I was crying because I'm horrible at this? I sure hope not. She keeps telling me I cook good whenever she sees me in the kitchen. I'm starting to think Russ is paying her to say this so after the 30 days is over, I will keep cooking. Nonetheless, it's nice to know that she's paying attention.This is a good place to add that I found out today that I'm not that different from other women. While in ballet class, two other moms said they ate out a lot. I honestly thought all these other women were out there, cooking nightly for their family and I was in some way failing. I'm normal. Well, not normal, that's quite a leap, but I'm like other moms in terms of cooking. :) I have to hand it to my mom though, she cooked every night growing up. She cooked most mornings too. She's awesome.

About the time I start the recipe I decide I want to have an unusual side dish. Not crazy, just something a little different. Publix had a sale on carrots and I picked up a few extra bags and just figured I would find a recipe with carrots and use them. I pulled down my favorite cookbook, and found Brown Sugar- Glazed carrots. I had two recipes going at once. YES TWO! And guess what, I didn't get them mixed up! YAY!  Meanwhile, Andrea was given the job of crescent roll preparation so that she was away from the stove. We ate the most interestingly shaped crescent rolls and she was so proud of herself. She tried to put them in the oven, but I ended up having to push them in because she's a little too short to reach in without the door burning her. She kept going to the oven door and looking at them though. I hate that I've missed so much time in the kitchen with her. She helps measure everything out, laughs at my screw ups and then always gets excited when she sees the finished product of the meal. :)

Okay, I need to wrap this up. I ended up burning my hand when I was draining the noodles and the pot slid out of my hand. My thumb has been on fire all night. Andrea was so excited about the crescent rolls she reached up to touch the pan before I could stop her. She burned one of her fingers too. We finally got supper on the table and I had to feed Jake, but Russ and Andrea ate it hot. I have texture issues, so I wasn't crazy about the barely cooked green beans. They were just too crunchy for me. Andrea liked the noodles the best, but Russ and I agreed we would use different noodles next time. The egg noodles have this odd taste... The carrots were amazing. They were sweet, but not too sweet. I'll post both recipes below. This one isn't quite "Family Approved", but we aren't ruling it out just yet. That's the beauty of trying these. We get to tweak them, and try again. :)

Kansas City Steak Strips- Healthy Meals Made Easy
Serves 4
1 T. Veggie Oil
12 oz. beef top round stk, trimmed and cut into thin strips
1 large yellow onion, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 can (8 oz) low-sodium tomato sauce
1/2 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
1 T. chili sauce
1/4 t. black pepper
8 oz egg noodles
8 oz fresh green beans, cooked or 1 package (10 oz) frozen cut green beans, thawed (SERIOUSLY? I HONESTLY JUST SAW WHERE IT SAID COOKED. NO WONDER THE GREEN BEANS WEREN'T THAT GOOD....UGH. I'M ILLITERATE.)

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over mdm-high heat. Add stk; cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer steak to a plate.
2. Add onion to juices in skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, broth, chili sauce and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes.
3. While onion is cooking, cook noodles according to package directions, but do not add salt.
4. Return beef to skillet. Add green beans; cook until hot and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Drain noodles in a colander; place on serving plates. Top with beef mixture and serve.
**My finished product on Andrea's plate.**

Per Serving:
Calories- 421 (19% from fat)
Carbs- 55 g
Protein- 30 g
Sodium- 209 mg
Fat- 9 g
Cholesterol- 102 mg

Brown Sugar- Glazed Carrots- By: Better Homes and Garden's Cookbook
Serves 4
1 lb. peeled baby carrots (or mdm carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-in pieces)
1 T. butter or margarine
1 T. packed brown sugar
dash salt
black pepper

1. In a mdm saucepan cook carrots, covered, in a mall amount of boiling salted water for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; remove carrots from pan.
2. In the same sauce pan, combing butter, brown sugar, and salt. Cook and stir over mdm heat until combined. Add carrots. Cook and stir about 2 minutes or until glazed. Season to taste with pepper.

Nutritional info reflects a 3/4 cup serving:
83 cal., 3 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 111 mg sodium, 14 g. carbs., 2 g fiber, 1 g protein