Hi I’m Lisa! What’s your name?

I’ve been told that my name was chosen because my parents wanted a short first name to go with my long last name ( maiden name Kwasniewski). What a sentimental gesture.

How many Lisa’s have you met? Probably many, as Lisa is a very common American name. I’ve always gone to school with and have worked with other Lisa’s. Usually we were differentiated by our last initial. At one job there was another Lisa K. She was referred to as “little Lisa” and I was “big Lisa”. Fortunately, it was because of our height not weight. Currently I work with three other Lisa’s and we go by last initial. Except that one’s last initial is D and I’m G which gets confusing if we are paged. I’m now called Lisa Ann to tell the difference . Surprisingly the others middle names are not Ann.
Who would’ve thought having such a simple name would become so complicated? Yes I’ve heard of more complicated issues. Just small talk here…get to know ya kind of talk.

If you can change your name what would it be?

I’ve always liked the name Sara (no H) which is also name of my oldest and dearest friend. I never met a Sara I didn’t like…come to think of it…I never met a Lisa I didn’t like. 😉

Quote to live by:

“Falling down is a part of life. Getting back up is living.”

Sunday pasta dinner

One of my favorite traditions is a Sunday pasta dinner. Maybe because it’s a comfort food, or maybe because I know it will be a hit with whoever is sharing it with me. My husband would eat pasta every day if he could. It’s the only meal that my toddler is guaranteed to eat without a fight. This week I made a chicken dish to go with….. Chicken with prosciutto and sage. Another recipe checked off the list from Martha’s Great Food Fast cookbook. Short on ingredients, High on flavor! Just lay a few sage leaves on chicken cutlets….wrap a piece of prosciutto around. Coat in flour, salt and pepper and saute. Add chicken broth, butter and more sage…reduce and then drizzle. This version of Chicken Saltimbocca, a classic Roman dish, is destined to be loved by all.

Me and Martha……

……Made Butternut Squash soup. Another successful recipe from Great Food Fast an Everyday Food cookbook “From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living”. The only cookbook that I know of that categorizes the chapters by season. I’ve made the most recipes from the summer section…the only section that I’ve made desserts from. There are 250 recipes in this cookbook! I started working my way through the recipes about 4 years ago but became side tracked by work, owning a home and then a baby. Finally getting back to cooking….really enjoying cooking as I once knew it pre-Jake. 

Some of these recipes have become my go-to recipes or rather go-back-to. My meatballs always come from this cookbook as well as a glaze for salmon, a vinaigrette base and for dessert summer snowballs. The most surprising recipe so far is Fennel,Orange, and Parsley Salad. It is an interesting combination and absolutely delicious. I even kept the olives in the recipe (one of the very few foods I hate) and actually enjoyed them with the other ingredients. My husband even liked it despite his long list of foods he will not eat.

The butternut squash soup recipe was quite tasty for such  a simple recipe. I was reluctant to make it when I read it called for ginger. Not an ingredient I’m fond of and do not keep in the house and wouldn’t even know where to find it in the grocery store. I decided to let Peapod take care of that….just search and click instead of wandering around the store looking for it with a tired,whiney toddler attached to my leg. The ginger and orange juice really brightened the flavors! My husband liked this one as well. I tried it on my toddler but he exclaimed “Ew!” at the very sight.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll have time for another one if we have a snow day………..

Where do you have your alone time?

 

I’m finally sitting in peace and quiet….ahhh. There was good energy all day, physically and mentally. You would think an internal exam in the middle of the day would ruin a good mood (now i have your attention huh?). I think I’ve become that patient( i know the type well since I work in an outpatient radiology office) who enjoys going to the doctor…. Some of the patients I have contact with clearly enjoy the attention and pampering they get. Who wouldn’t when you’re a mom and a wife and MRI tech whose constant focus is everyone else. Finally, once a year, a couple of hours to myself and someone else to take care of me.  So what if it’s in a doctor’s office sitting naked under a paper gown. So what if it calls for an embarrassing exam? Us girls are shredded of our dignity year after year and once you given birth it’s completely gone. Although I haven’t become that patient who undresses in the hallway.

The last two years have been the best of times and the most challenging of times. We created a healthy, beautiful boy named Jake. We also created a lot of bills, sleepless nights and frustrations. Jake’s mom is broke, tired and mad…. Sometimes mad-crazy…sometimes mad-angry. How long can I say that I’m adjusting? It’s a new year… i need to start it off with a new attitude! Let’s start with some time for myself to refresh….and not in a doctor’s office.