Our Happy Home

Matt and I got an early start this morning tearing through our chores. If you really want to clean the house invite people over that have never seen your home before. There is no better motivation for me to make everything look spic and span. The front bedroom of the house had become the room where "everything else" goes and it's been that way since a few months before the wedding. Today we gained a second bedroom. For the first time since we've been married we actually have a two bedroom house - amazing! We hung pictures and shelves and artwork. We staged the end table in the "guest room" as well as the second bathroom with all sorts of goodies for company. Things are actually in their place! Granted, for many things, their "place" is the attic, but that is not the same as stuffing them in a closet or cramming them under the bed until we come up with a better spot for them.

When the cleaning and organize was over Matt left for guys night which included pizza, beer, and nintendo. Hard to beat that. I stayed back and had some girls over for dinner (this is the company that inspired the transformation of the Meitl house). Since getting married, it's been very difficult to squeeze in girl time, and I find that I am a much more happy and loving wife if I allow myself these times to indulge in being female with others who can relate first hand.

Since getting married I have been involved in several conversations regarding the divide between "marrieds" and "singles." I won't get into all of my thougths on that right now, but I will say that it was just nice to have a house full of girls. Some single, some married; some parents, some not; some students, some working, and some both, but all female and all dealing with life and relationships and family and responsibilities and purpose. It was nice to spend a night together focusing on all the things we can relate to in one another just because we're women.

Roasted Pork Tenderoin

1.5 lbs pork tenderloin
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
steak seasoning (like mrs dash or mccormick)

Prehead oven to 500. Rub balsamic vinegar over the pork tenderloin. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil and rub over it as well. Sprinkle liberally with steak seasoning and pat into the pork. Roast for 25 minutes. This recipe serves 4-5 people.

Cheese Tortellini with Spinach and Walnut Pesto
1 18 oz package of cheese tortellini
1/2 cup chicken broth
5-6 oz baby spinach
3 oz walnuts
1 clove of garlic
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Toast walnuts on a cookie sheet at 350 for a few minutes - don't let them burn. Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Heat chicken stock or broth to a simmer, keep on low. Using a food processor, working in batches, grind spinach leaves with nuts, chicken stock, and garlic. Stir in cheese, nutmeg, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Coat cooked tortellini with pesto and serve in a pretty bowl. I had 10 girls over so I doubled this recipe and ended up with a lot leftover.

Roasted Rataouille
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut lengthwise into 1 in strips
4 roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise and seeded
1 medium eggplant, sliced stacked and quartered
1 medium zucchini, sliced stacked and halved
1 medium onion sliced into 1/2 in rings
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 sprig of rosemary coarsly chopped
coarse salt and black pepper
olive oil to coat

Preheat oven to 500. Put all of the veggies in a rectangle pyrex. Sprinkle with garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Drizzle generously with olive oil and toss to coat. Roast for 15-20 minutes.