Yummy zucchini pasta!

We eat a lot of pasta in Casa Nadalet. It is our go-to meal because it is so incredibly simple!  You boil water, add dry pasta, heat up sauce and combine!  While that is enough for me, my love wants a more filling meal.  So I usually brown some ground beef and add that to pasta sauce.  But it gets really expensive to eat meat for every meal.  I tried browning zucchini and onion together, instead of ground beef, to make this dish more filling.  Matthew actually liked it.

Zucchini Pasta

• First, boil some water and cook a package (1 pound) of pasta.  If this is a meal for 2, it ensures leftovers for work the next day.
• While that is cooking, chop up half of a zucchini and half of an onion. Pour a little olive oil (or EVOO as Rachel Ray says) into a deep skillet and get that warmed up.  Brown the zucchini and onion.  Decide if you need more veggies.  You could add bell peppers or broccoli or more zucchini — it is up to you.
  
• Once brown, add a little red wine and reduce.  Then add milk (between 1/2 and 1 cup) stirring constantly so as not to burn it. Add cheese and whatever spices your little heart desires.  I bet you thought I added Cajon Seasoning, right?  Nope!  I made up my own spice blend (minor alterations to that blend) that Matt loves even more than Cajon Seasoning.  Keep adding things until it tastes right.
  
• If it seems too thin, try adding a bit of flour.  Strain your pasta and top with sauce and more cheese.

This was pretty tasty, but I would make a few adjustments next time.  I would remove the zucchini and onion after browning, add flour to thicken, and then the red wine and eventually milk.   I would put the zucchini and onion back in after that.  This would make for a thicker sauce.

Money is also a powerful tool: known to create a void in relationships, even those with families and close friends. So, how do two adults manage money in a marriage?

Into our engagement, we started the process of combing our finances. First, we started making financial decisions together. We decided to contribute to our individual savings accounts that would eventually be used for a down payment on a house. There were also decisions on wedding spending — do we spend money on wedding things, or put it towards the honeymoon or a house down payment?

Matt and I with the key to our first home we bought together -- after years of saving!

It wasn’t until our honeymoon that the concept of “our money” officially hit me. A poolside lava flow cocktail was $12. Do I ask my new husband if that was okay? Suddenly my determination of an object’s value seemed different: $12 was fairly reasonable from a resort bar, but I couldn’t help but think what he would be sacrificing in order for me to enjoy a pricey, icy tropical beverage.

Two years later, I still struggle with this. I don’t have a problem with him spending “my money” or vice versa — which can be an issue for some — it’s the problem of deciding how to spend it. Will I always have to ask permission before buying or do I risk feeling guilty for selfishly spending?

Some handle the “our money” issue by eliminating the idea completely. Each person will manage money with separate accounts and split expenses so each is paying “their fair share.” I must admit, I’m not too familiar with this idea, as I don’t know many people who adhere to it. If you do, I’d love to hear more about it.

However, Matt and I do a little bit of this separation, because we each had established credit cards before we were engaged. We combined what was easy enough — for example, our Costco accounts — but we still pretty much use our own credit cards. Yet, our incomes are deposited into a joint account where we pay for our credit cards and other expenses. It takes a certain amount of trust for this plan to work. It’s not ideal, but it works for the time being.

Do you have a set strategy in how to deal with combined finances? What has helped you in combining finances?

–Emily

Austin was born early this morning to my brother Mike and his beautiful wife Sarah. You may remember that I recently hosted a baby shower for her. I’ll be sure to write more about it. Until then I’m off to brag to some more friends and strangers!

Baby Austin with mommy Sarah!

One of the things I wish I had known more about was what to buy and register for when it came to filling our home. So Megan and I thought it might be helpful to compile a list of things that we use fairly frequently. You may have noticed this list in the sidebar:

We've added to our sidebar!

We’ll be adding to the list as we go, so be sure to check it out often. And by the way, no one is paying us to endorse these things, we just recommend them out of our experience.

Do you have any kitchen utensils, housewares, etc. that you can’t live without? Do share!

My newest kitchen scrubby

First up is a kitchen scrubby, which I made with a pattern that my friend sent me.  And this is where we get into our intense NW discussion:  Do you use reusable dishrags? I have friends who use crocheted cotton dishcloths (like my crocheted cotton scrubby) to clean dishes and counters, and others who swear it is a breeding ground for all sorts of bacteria.  It seems like some will use reusable rags (like a cut up T-shirt), but never a crocheted dishcloth or scrubby.

Look at those cute little hearts, perfect for a baby girl!

I also made a blanket for our good friend’s second baby.  She did not have a shower or anything, but I brought the blanket to the hospital.  Which brings me to my second question.  How often should you visit a friend and their new baby in the hospital? This couple had a C-Section, so she was in for 3 or 4 days.  I was able to visit twice.  I felt very privileged to spend that time with them and their new one.  I was also happy to hold the baby for awhile so that they could get some rest.  If this couple was just an acquaintance, I probably would not have gone twice, in fact I may have waited until they got home to stop by.  However, because we are so close to them, I was comfortable going twice.

See how big this blanket is? It gives the baby room to grow onto it

What do you think?  Do you use crocheted kitchen clothes?  And how often do you visit a new mom at the hospital? How the two are related, I’m not sure. But go ahead and answer whichever question you want in the comments.

Zucchini Patties
adapted from this recipe on allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 Cups grated Zucchini & Squash (I had a higher ratio of Zucchini to Squash, about 4:1)
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 1/4 Cup chopped Onion
• 1/2 All Purpose Flour (I usually use about 1/2 whole wheat, to try and be healthy)
• 1 Cup grated Cheese (we use whatever is in the fridge, usually a Cheddar and Jack combo, maybe a bit of Parmesean thrown in)
• A Palmful of Cajon Seasoning (approx 1 – 2 T)
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil (for frying)

Stir together everything except for the vegetable oil, make sure everything is evenly mixed.  You can use either a wooden spoon for this.

Heat the skillet to medium heat.  If you heat it too high, the outside will burn and the insides will not be cooked.  Trust me on this one (or you can just see the burnt sides of the patties in the picture!).  Drop about a tablespoon or 2 of the mixture into the pan and fry on both sides until golden brown & cooked through.

Serve with Marinara sauce or Sour Cream.  Enjoy!

While flipping through my August edition of Real Simple I found an article called “10 Ways to Make Your Marriage Divorceproof.” It was written by two “happily wed comedians” Samantha Bee and Jason Jones, who are both correspondents for “The Daily Show.” While they are jokesters, there was a lot of interesting and good information.

Some tips include agreeing on how to clean a room (hmm, we still need to work on that):

“If you can compromise on the red hot-button subject of cleanliness, your marriage is unlikely to be thrown off course by comparatively less volatile topics, like politics, religion and money.”

Procrastinate:

“Yes, we know things need to be done, but seriously. … Have dessert in lieu of dinner. Watch old John Hughes movies. Hold hands. There, aren’t they smoother than how you remembered them?”

I was surprised to hear that they suggest imagining your spouse to be a small child when he/she irritates you — going for the adorable, angelic factor, I suppose, instead of the whiny, temper-tantrum throwing kind.

The most important one, I thought, was not fighting in public. In telling a story about a multi-couple picnic, one couple loudly fought in front of everyone.

“Cut to everyone else with their heads down, forensically examining their egg-salad sandwiches as though they contained the secrets of the human genome. You do not want to be That Couple Who Ruined the Otherwise Delightful Picnic.”

This last point reminds me of a tip I heard from a friend: try to build up your spouse when talking with others. Do this in earshot of your spouse. I’m not saying to brag endlessly, but it’s so easy to complain about a mistake your spouse made and that’s only going to hurt them and your relationship. It’s not a good habit to get into.

Overall, this 10 year strong couple gave some good points in a fun-to-read article. The tips were honest and practical, and seem to point out characteristics of a strong relationship.

I hope you’ll check the article out. If you had to give a “divorceproof” or “break-up proof” tip for keeping relationships strong, what advice would you give?

The reversible animal print / rubber ducky bunting

Well, the time frame is closer to an hour, but it is still a quick project.  I created one triangle as a guide, and then cut out 9 triangles in each of 4 fabrics.  Then I cut 3-inch strips of a solid color to create my hem tape / binding.  Once you have everything cut out, stack the triangles with wrong sides together and sew along the 2 long edges, making sure to leave enough room to cut with your pinking shears.

Sewing along the homemade hem tape

Then I spaced the triangles along the hem tape and sewed it together.  I folded the end in so that that it was clean and sharp looking.  I really hope this project made sense.  It is late at night and I just got back from a long trip (trust me, another post is coming about that), so it may not make sense.

A onesie with a tiny bunting to match

I made the bunting reversible with rubber ducky fabric on one side, because the shower was rubber ducky themed, and with jungle fabric on the other side.  I was able to make things for the rest of the nursery with the jungle themed fabric, seeing as their nursery theme is jungle.

A quilt with the 2 jungles fabrics and a few others to match

A little A (for their last name) on a fleece blanket from the jungle fabric.

The whole gift

I loved making the bunting for Sarah — and creating a bunch of other things to match!  Sarah loved the gift, and that is what matters.  You can make the fleece blanket in the same way as the initial onesie.  What do you think?  Do you have any showers to attend soon?  Have you ever made a bunting?

Tomatoes, grown in my very own garden.

This recipe is so good that your husband who does not like tomatoes will eat many of them. (He’s actually allergic to tomatoes, but only if they’re uncooked.)

Looks amazing, right? Okay, maybe not -- but they are fantastic!

This recipe can be found in the Barefoot Contessa’s cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients, but basically you:

1. Top tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic and then roast for awhile.

2. Once they are all blackened and roasted, top with freshly cut basil.

Now is that simple, or what? It’s very delicious and it was so nice to use tomatoes from my garden and an actual cookbook for a recipe, versus searching for something online.  How often do you use cookbooks?