Thoughts Archives - Page 10 of 61 - De Ma CuisineDe Ma Cuisine

Tuesday

14

October 2014

Once upon a time, there was a Canadian girl, and an American boy. They met at a wedding (her cousin, his friend) and shortly thereafter fell in love. A year and a half later, it was a week before their wedding. Family and friends had come from all over the world to celebrate…

Can you tell by my expression how nervous but mostly excited I am? I couldn’t wait to marry Tim. Also, my dad is the cutest. And, those flowers were so heavy! I didn’t think about that when I asked for such a big bouquet of roses. I still have them. They’re dried and a bunch have fallen off, but it’s still my wedding bouquet. (Photo credit Shinn Photography.)

My good friend Kelly flew in from Texas to officiate the ceremony. Before he started speaking, he pulled out his cell phone to take a photo of us. (Photo credit Shinn Photography.)

Married.

I love this photo. It’s one of my favorites from the day. (Photo credit Shinn Photography.)

We celebrated our first anniversary back at the central coast (where we’d spent part of our honeymoon). We’re going back again this year. It’s one of my favorite places.

Same thing the second year. We’re not necessarily beach people, but this little town has a special place in our hearts. I grew up coming here with my family, so it’s extra special to get to come back with my husband.

Year three has a photo, but the resolution is so bad that you wouldn’t be able to see our faces. Sad.

Our fourth anniversary was celebrated quietly, with a little country getaway. A week after that, Tim got a new job in L.A., so we couldn’t make it back to the coast.

This wasn’t technically on our anniversary, but it’s as close as we’ve got (it was Thanksgiving, so about 5 weeks later). That year was our first full year in L.A. and I cooked us a nice dinner, but didn’t go out anywhere to celebrate. (Photo credit Shannon Oberg.)

For our sixth, we went to The Melting Pot. Oh boy was that yummy. And, we didn’t have to cook or do the dishes!

And then, my favorite of all the anniversaries… Paris. Last year. The best trip ever. I wish I could transport us back there again, to our little flat, with fresh baguettes and pain au chocolate every day… I’ve been thinking about Paris a lot lately. I’m missing it more than I miss most things.

I can’t believe it’s been almost a year.

This picture brings tears to my eyes just about every time I see it. I love the way he’s looking at me. It makes me feel so loved.

This was taken over the summer at our family reunion. But, it’s close enough.

Eight years. They’ve gone by in the blink of an eye… yet it feels like a lot has happened. It’s been wonderful, amazing, difficult, a lot of work, the best thing ever. You don’t have to be married to be blessed. You don’t have to be wealthy or wise or beautiful. But, since I am married, I feel that I’ve been richly blessed to be married to Tim. And there’s seriously no one person that I like better, no human that I’d rather be around, nobody that I’d rather spend my days with than him.

Thursday

28

August 2014

3

COMMENTS

Squash and Scrambled Egg Wraps

Written by Rachel, Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Cheese, Dinner, Eggs, Fruit, Kid-Friendly, Low Carb, Lunch, Main Dishes, Quick and Easy, Thoughts, Vegetables, Vegetarian

My family lives entirely too far away from me. Or I live too far away from them. Today has been one of those days where I’m missing them especially a lot.

Sniff. I’ll be ok. It’s always too long in between in person visits, but I’m always thankful for the technology like Skype, so we can talk and see each others faces every week. Usually at some point someone sounds like a robot, there’s a delay and we all talk over each other, or it sounds like there’s a train rushing by at someone’s house. But, we’re hearing each other’s voices, seeing each other’s faces, from so far away.

If Anja (who is almost 2 years old) is on, we’re just dying at the cuteness, as she says our names and chats about the puzzle she just got.

Oh I love technology…

These wraps seem like the kind of thing that we would enjoy together when we’re all gathered around the table for a meal. In person. All of us at the same table.

We all enjoy food. In fact, all three of us kids are involved in the food industry in some way. My mom and dad have a banquet hall and have passed on their love for eating, cooking, and gardening to us. I have fond memories of plucking still warm raspberries and cherry tomatoes from the garden that we had in our backyard growing up. There are so many things about those years that I find myself trying to duplicate now as an adult with my own home.

I don’t know if I was crazy about squash as a kid. Mom would hide it in “Zoo Bread” (made with zucchini), which we loved. But, I love squash now and can’t get enough of it this summer especially.

One of my favorite easy lunches is Squash’n Eggs. This is almost the same thing, just topped with cheese and salsa, and all wrapped up.

If possible, I always have eggs on hand. They’re the perfect meal saver. From pasta topped with a fried egg, to Pasta Carbonara, to Roasted Broccoli and Fried Egg Sandwiches, it’s eggs to the rescue.

I whisked the eggs with a little bit of milk, some salt, and pepper. Keeping it simple.

Once the eggs start to set, they get scraped off the bottom of the pan a bit. Low heat is key with scrambled eggs. Cook them gently.

Once they’re just set, they’re ready.

Half of the mixture is scooped out on to each tortilla. Whole wheat for me, white for Tim. It’s what we both prefer.

I like to add a little bit of monterey jack or cheddar cheese to them. Tastes so good.

A plomp of salsa, then they get rolled up. My whole wheat tortillas aren’t as flexible as Tim’s white ones. But, even cracked, they taste good.

We have tons of fresh tomatoes right now and they’ve got the most incredible flavor, so we’re eating them on everything! I hope you are too. And, I especially hope that you’re enjoying these wraps with your family. Even if it’s just via Skype.

Happy Eating!

Squash and Scrambled Egg Wraps

Recipe Type: Main, Dinner, Lunch, Breakfast, Brunch, Quick and Easy, Eggs, Vegetarian

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 12 mins

Total time: 17 mins

Serves: 2

One of the quickest, easiest lunches for those super busy days. Squash and scrambled eggs are topped with cheese and salsa, and all wrapped up.

Ingredients

1 T olive oil
1 medium summer squash, chopped
to taste salt
to taste pepper
1/2 C corn
4 eggs
2 T milk or water
to taste salt
to taste pepper
2 tortillas
1/4 to 1/2 C monterey jack (or cheddar) cheese, grated
salsa
1 tomato, chopped, for topping

Instructions

Heat skillet, add oil, when oil is hot add squash, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Add corn and cook for about 2 minutes more.
Turn heat to low. Whisk together eggs, milk or water, salt, and pepper. Add to squash skillet. Gently scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or heat-safe spatula to scrape up the eggs as some bits begin to set. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until eggs are just set, scraping occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Scoop egg mixture into the tortillas. Top with cheese and salsa. Fold ends in and then sides.
Serve topped with tomato.

Wednesday

20

August 2014

0

COMMENTS

Family Reunion Road Trip

Written by Rachel, Posted in Thoughts, Travel

Montana, I see what all the fuss is about.

What a beautiful state.

Wyoming too.

Gorgeous.

We drove through them both on our family reunion road trip.

We drove through a few other states too: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Some were much lovelier than others, but it was really fun to be in some places that I’ve never been.

We took the long way there and stopped in Albuquerque and Boulder.

Albuquerque is where Breaking Bad was filmed. Tim found lots of locations and we did our own little tour.

It. Was. Awesome.

We also stopped in at Tim’s Place for lunch. If you’re ever in ABQ, definitely go there. Great food and such a friendly place (as advertised). We even got to meet the Mayor!

Boulder is home to Austin and Gen, some good friends of ours. We had a great dinner, stayed up way too late talking, and crashed on their couch. They fed us a delicious breakfast the next morning before we were off to our final destination: The Graves Family Reunion in Montana.

Lots of long days of driving were made so worth it when we pulled up and saw the 90+ family members there.

They do this every other year, this being the 65th anniversary. It all started with Tim’s great grandma and her siblings and has grown to five generations.

Amazing!

We were at a little camp in the hills of the Custer National Forest. They had all sorts of activities for us to do. Basically it was a week of camp for grownups (and the kids too). Rappelling, shooting, zip line, horseback riding… you know, camp stuff.

In the midst of the fun, I found out that I’m married to a cowboy. I didn’t know that Tim even knew how to ride a horse. The thing he misses most about the trip may be his horse, Cowboy. 😉

You know what I really miss (besides having a week off from cooking, the family, and the telepictionary games)? I miss not being able to use my phone.

We weren’t really expecting to be without cell service or wifi. But, it ended up being a nice break. I’ve realized since being back how much time I spend on Facebook and Instagram. Some of it is excusable – work stuff, sharing things that are beautiful, keeping in touch with family and friends… ok, that’s fine. Important even. I wouldn’t discredit the value in any of that. But, really, would my life be that much worse without it all if it meant I had to pick up the phone, mail a photo, or write a handwritten letter?

I feel caught in a net of perceived necessity. I have to stay or I will miss out… But, maybe I’ve missed out on more by staying.

Our time in Montana has left me longing for the days of old. Obviously I know we’ve got so many modern advances that have made life much better. We have water from a tap, medicines, and cars. We don’t worry about daily shootouts at the saloon, can shower every day, and can communicate with family at the touch of a button. I don’t actually want to live in the Pioneer days. But, then I think about how much we depend on pre-made packaged junk that is called food. I see how we are so addicted to Facebook and Instagram that we hardly speak to each other in person. I’m surrounded by more stuff than we could ever use. And it makes me desperate to throw my iPhone as far away as I can and drive a DeLorean 88MPH with the dial set way way back.

I long for a time of homemade bread, living off the land, and talking face to face rather than texting. I know I can’t get away from it completely (how else would I post these thoughts?!), but I want some distance.

I want to spend less time worrying about likes, comments, and comparing my life’s photos to yours. I want to leave my phone in another room and not feel like I’m missing out on something. Time is the most valuable thing we have and we can’t get it back (something that Tim said as we drove through Wyoming that has stuck with me). I don’t want to “follow” someone because they could connect me to someone else or get me somewhere better. That’s not why I do what I do here at De Ma Cuisine. Maybe that makes me a failure in your eyes. I’m ok with that. Because my friend David told me the other day that my post about enchiladas helped him to feel like he could make them too. A dish he’d always wanted to try, but never felt he could make. That is why I do what I do.

So I’ll be around the interwebs still, blogging, as usual, but hopefully Facebook and Instagram stalking a bit less. I plan to write more letters, tend to my garden, converse with my husband without my phone in my hand, and to bake bread. Because homemade bread is something that is worth the time it takes. I don’t know if my Facebook posts are…

Food for thought. A little bit of my heart. Take it or leave as you wish.

If you don’t like it, there will be more recipes coming up soon.

Monday

30

June 2014

4

COMMENTS

Half Birthday Fun – Beef Chili

Written by Rachel, Posted in Beef, Cheese, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, Kid-Friendly, Lunch, Main Dishes, Meat, Potlucks, Sides, Soups, Thoughts, Vegetables

Tim’s birthday is on Christmas Eve. We always try to make it special. But, the day is usually a mixture of birthday and Christmas Eve celebrations.

He is always a good sport about it.

But, this year, I thought that a half birthday celebration would be nice. An entire day devoted to celebrating him.

The day was filled with things that he loves.

We started with doughnuts. We’ve discovered a place that’s close enough to walk to. Often on Saturday mornings we will take the dog for a walk and get ourselves a treat.

TimHalfBirthday-1

Then he went to a movie with a couple friends while I set up for later.

We invited a few friends to continue the celebration of things that Tim loves.

Things like candy, caramel corn, and Blue Moon.

Dinner was more of his favorites: hot dogs, beef chili, store bought potato salad, fruit salad, and chips.

He loves the things that I cook. He’s fine with our healthy lifestyle. So it’s fun to surprise him with things that aren’t so healthy once in a while (although I used organic hot dogs and organic grass fed beef for the chili, so I still felt good about eating it).

It was a fun treat. (I maaaay have felt a little bit sick afterwards, but it was worth it. ;))

There was laughter. Lots of laughter.

Another favorite is ice cream. It’s pretty much an entire food group for Tim.

A serving size for him is a third of a carton.

We’ve discovered a little ice cream shop called Quenelle (pronounced kuh-nell). They make all of their ice cream. It’s insanely good. An ice cream cake from Quenelle seemed like the perfect way to end our little dinner.

It was.

I don’t know that I’ve heard as many exclamations about how good a dessert was as I did that night.

The cake was a layer of nutella, a layer of cookies and crème fraiche, with a devil’s food cake layer at the bottom.

That expression “we all scream for ice cream” – yeah, we did.

I accidentally put trick candles on the cake. I didn’t know that we had them. It was a trick on everyone.

As the light faded, we lit candles and sat for hours around the table.

The evening was one of those times when, as I went inside to get something and looked out the window, I just kinda stopped, and almost got a little bit choked up, looking at some of our dear friends gathered around our table. We’re so thankful for the little community of loved ones we have here in L.A.

I figured I should feed people chili. It’s easy and most people like it. It’s perfect in a bowl, or to top hot dogs. I made it the day before, then re-heated it the day of and kept it hot in the crock pot. Finding as many things to do beforehand made half birthday day so much more relaxed. I don’t think I stressed out at all. We had fun the whole day long.

Tim loves chili with beans. He’s happy eating it when I add tons of veggies. But, since it was his day, I though I’d try something new, and just do it with beef.

It’s pretty simple. The beef is cooked for a little bit with some seasonings. Onions are added partway through.

Since bell peppers are one of his favorite veggies I added two. Plus one hot pepper for just a bit of heat.

I have a hard time cooking without loads of garlic. Whatev.

And then piles of canned diced tomatoes are added in to make it saucy. I cooked it for two hours the first day, then probably a good 4-5 on half birthday day. It doesn’t need the extra day of cooking, but it sure didn’t hurt.

What a fun way to celebrate. It was a good day.

Happy 31 and a Halfth Birthday, Tim!

Beef Chili

Recipe Type: Main, Side, Beef, Meat, Dinner, Soup, Chili, Bell Peppers, Easy, Potlucks

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 120 mins

Total time: 2 hours 10 mins

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

2 lb. ground beef
2 white onions, chopped
1 T chili powder
1/2 T sweet paprika
1 T smoked paprika
pinch cumin
pepper
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 hot pepper, leave seeds and ribs (optional), chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 T balsamic vinegar
2-28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 T lemon juice
1 t sriracha hot sauce
2-3 t salt
cheese, grated, for topping
onions, chopped, for topping

Instructions

Heat a large soup pot. When hot, add beef and seasonings through pepper. Break apart (or mash using a potato masher) and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add peppers and cook for about 5 minutes more.
Add garlic and cook for about 3 minutes.
Add balsamic vinegar through salt. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours, stirring every once in a while.
Served topped with cheese and onions.

Wednesday

18

June 2014

0

COMMENTS

The Husband Attacks the Blog!

Written by Tim Oberg, Posted in Discussions, Thoughts, Uncategorized

This is Tim. I don’t cook. I also don’t usually post, but the blog was broken and I’ve utilized my early-90s movie knowledge (and help from a pal David Q) to hack the mainframe using a dot matrix printer and some tin foil crammed into a floppy disk drive. i'm balding early It’s fixed, Honey.

Can we resume eating now?

Newer Entries →

← Older Entries

Thoughts Archive

14

0

Eight Years

28

3

Squash and Scrambled Egg Wraps

Happy Eating!

20

0

Family Reunion Road Trip

30

4

Half Birthday Fun – Beef Chili

Happy 31 and a Halfth Birthday, Tim!

18

0

The Husband Attacks the Blog!

Looking for Something?

Support My Cookbook!

Favorites

Instagram

Recent Posts