Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Great birthday party option for your little fashionista!


I recently did a piece for TWIN CITIES LIVE on a place called "eecee bb" in Linden Hills. It's a cute little studio, run by Beth Bogle, and she actually teaches kids how to make and design their own clothing! The pieces she makes, and has the kids make, are absolutely adorable. You can watch the piece here!

If you want more information about eecee bb, click here.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

My new favorite place in MN


Every kind of candy you can possibly imagine, locally-raised meats, hundreds of old-fashioned soda, freshly made pies, and BACON... need I say more???

I have driven by "the big yellow barn" hundreds of times while visiting family in Mankato and Worthington, but not once have I stopped to check it out. But that all changed this weekend! My husband and I were driving to Mankato to celebrate Thanksgiving with his mom and dad, and our job was to bring a pie. I thought that this would be the perfect time to check out the HUGE yellow barn that has caught my eye for years! Let me introduce you to "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store"...

The first thing that made me fall in love with this place, the word BACON painted in big letters on the outside of the barn! But once I stepped inside, I wanted to move in. I found candy that I haven't seen since my childhood: Big League Chew, Candy Cigarettes (I'm not condoning these), Smartie Suckers, etc. They literally have everything... even these little gummy candies that look like over-easy eggs (so cute)! They also have the biggest assortment of old-fashion soda. AJ found Jolt, which brought him back to his caffeinated teenage days, and I found a Milwaukee-brewed gingerale made with real ginger. Although I felt so cool drinking it, I'll be honest and tell you it didn't taste very good... I'll stick to the fake stuff:)

Besides that candy and the soda, this place has a great assortment of MN-raised meats. We didn't buy any up because we were in a rush, but next year I will be stocking up! They also have a variety of colorful pastas, dip and soup mixes, and other foods that would make terrific party servings. You also can't miss the freshly made caramel apples and nut rolls.

But the thing that makes this place "take the cake"... the freshly made pies! Oh my goodness, I can't begin to tell you how amazing this place smells. You literally want to eat the air! We picked out a freshly-made peach pie. It was hot, perfect, and absolutely delicious! AND it was only $9.99.

They're only open until Dec. 5th this year, so if you have any time this week or next weekend, take a day-trip to Jordan, MN and check out "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store". If you see a brown-haired girl who has set up a sleeping area... that's me. I am seriously considering moving in;)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

The Bedroom Project













(Bedroom before)












(Bedroom after)

Over the last few weeks, AJ and I have been working hard trying to get our bedroom just the way we want it. Everything from the paint to the furniture had to be redone. This room used to be yellow, which wasn't bad, but we wanted it to be gray:) For this project, we decided to go the thrifty route! We made the headboard for our bed ourselves, moved furniture from other rooms into the bedroom, purchased furniture off of Craigslist, and painted the room ourselves! Our favorite part of the bedroom project: Our headboard. We made it for $100!

My husband came up with the idea to put 6 square boards together and cover them with a fabric. AJ had boards cut into squares (cost around $24), and then the two of us went to Hancock Fabrics to pick out fabric. The fabric we chose is a black suede-type material. It was on sale for about $10/yard. We bought about 2 1/2 yards (we should have bought more because it was a tight squeeze wrapping the material around the boards). We also bought 2 1/2 yards of the "fluff", or padding, that goes between the wood and the fabric. To "spice" things up a bit, we bought black and silver buttons to sew on each square. My Dad let us use his heavy duty stapler.

After the boards were cut, we cut the padding and fabric about an inch bigger than the boards. Then, we wrapped the padding and fabric around the back and stapled them to the back of the boards. That's where AJ's injury happened:( So learn from his mistakes and BE CAREFUL! Once all 6 boards were wrapped, AJ went and bought 4 long boards, and screwed them of the back of the 6 boards to hold them together (cost about $8). Then, I glued (tried sewing and it didn't work) the buttons on each square. We were going to have the headboard be two squares high, but went with one instead. I think AJ is planning on screwing the headboard to the wall eventually... we'll see:) For now, the headboard is resting against the wall.

I'm so proud of our new bedroom because AJ and I planned and "designed" everything together. It was a lot of hard work, but it's a project that we completed ourselves. Go Team Saigh! Which room should we tackle next???

Sunday, November 21, 2010

The "Original" Mrs. Saigh's Potato Soup

Even when my husband and I were dating, I would try making his family recipes. AJ is Lebanese, so I've tried making things like Kibbeh, but today I attempted one of his mom's recipes for potato soup! Mmmmmmmmm. I tried making this recipe once before and AJ said I didn't let it simmer long enough, so it didn't taste the way his mom and grandma make it. This time we let it simmer the whole day and it turned out really well! I made enough for an entire week of lunches, and even had enough to freeze. If you're looking for a delicious winter soup, try this one:

Potato Soup

1 1/2 c chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 tsp dried dill weed

Melt butter and stir in flour and salt and pepper (will be pasty looking). Whisk in milk and stir until it starts to thicken over medium heat. Add chicken broth, celery, onion, dill weed and diced potatoes. Cook until celery, onion and potatoes are tender. Don't bring to a boil, as the milk can separate. Make 4 recipes to fill a big soup pot.

Thanks Pammy Saigh!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

This is a bold statement.

I know this is a bold statement, but Colette at the Sofitel is my new favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities! I, like many people, enjoy trying new restaurants and there have been many that I've fallen in love with... many, not so much. But after spending this past Friday night out to dinner with my hubby, I can honestly say Colette has the most amazingly delicious food!

Even though I grew up in the Twin Cities, I have never been to or eaten at the Sofitel. I was assigned to a TC Signatures shoot for TWIN CITIES LIVE last week at "Colette Bistro & Bar" in the Sofitel, so my photographer and I went to meet with the staff to see how the food is made. Executive Chef Serge Devesa took us into the kitchen to show us how he prepares the Sea Scallops. One bite and I was hooked!

After the shoot, I decided to make dinner reservations for AJ and me at Colette. AJ was running late, so I sat at the bar and ordered a $5 cosmopolitan (happy hour from 4-6pm). My bartender did not "scimp" on the alcohol. A couple sips and I was happy as a clam:) It was very tasty and that one drink held me through dinner (I had to drive).

Although I've never been to France, I imagine this restaurant to be an authentic french experience, right here in the Twin Cities. AJ ordered the scallops (per my recommendation) and I ordered the lamb. But first, we started with the crab cakes. OH... MY... GOSH! From my past experiences, it's very tough to find a good, REAL crab cake in the Twin Cities, but let me tell you... the crab cake at Colette is HEAVENLY! Thinking about it right now makes my mouth water. It has large chunks of crab, so light yet rich at the same time, and the corn salsa accompanying it is sweet and crunchy. I can only describe it as perfection (and it came out HOT too)!

Then came our meal. WOW! First of all, the presentation was impeccable. Every dish we ordered looked like a piece of art. Nothing was served warm... everything tasted like it JUST came off the grill or out of a pan (HOT HOT HOT)! My entree came with 3 large Colorado lamb chops and mashed potatoes. Each chop was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and the meat literally melted in my mouth. AMAZING!

Moving on to the star of the show... the sea scallops! When AJ took his first bite, I may have seen a tear fall from his eye, and he almost didn't share with me. The scallops are pan seared in butter and the three are served on top of truffle yukon mashed potatoes. These are by FAR the best scallops we have ever eaten! The scallops are prepared perfectly... seared on the outside and exquisitely soft and heavenly in the center. The potatoes are unlike anything I've ever eaten before... creamy, buttery, with the wonderful truffle flavor. I wanted to bathe in this dish! Thank you AJ for sharing with me:)

I don't know what it is about Colette, but I can't stop talking about it! Maybe is was the service, maybe it was the atmosphere, or maybe is was the food. You can watch my TC Signatures piece on TCL, Wed, Nov. 3rd between 3-4pm on KSTP (channel 5). I'll tell you how to get a $50 gift card for just $25! Or, if you don't think you can wait and you want to make a reservation today, visit their website: www.sofitelmplsdining.com

Happy dining!

Monday, October 18, 2010

My Beautiful, Fake Lashes

Since my wedding, a few people have asked about my long, luscious lashes. First of all, thank you. Second, they're fake:)

I decided to get semi-permanent lashes for my October 2nd wedding, and I'm happy and very surprised to see that they have stuck around! I had my lashes done the Wednesday before my wedding by Amy Presson at Jett Makeup. She has an amazing studio in Edina, where they do makeup and eyelash extensions. Amy has you lay on a very comfortable bed while she applies the lashes one by one, in a process that takes about two hours (one hour for a fill). I fell asleep during my treatment... it's hard not to because you're so relaxed:) Amy says people fall asleep all the time, and often snore (I hope I wasn't one of those people)!

Once your lashes are applied using a medical grade adhesive bonding agent, Amy goes over some rules to make sure your lashes stay in place. The best part is, you don't need mascara! In fact, mascara is a eyelash extension "no-no". In the last 3 weeks, my lashes have been in the ocean, sun, pool, and they have stayed in place (minus a few that have shed naturally). Amy says the lash extensions will shed naturally with your own eyelashes. If you ask me, they can stick around for as long as they'd like. Amy has made a fan out of this lady:)

The lashes run about $200 for the first application, and then about $100 for a fill. To read more about Jett Makeup's eyelash extensions or to book an appointment, contact Amy at 651-373-1702, or click here: http://www.jettmakeup.com/. Tell her Melissa sent you:)

Xoxo,

Melissa Saigh

Monday, October 11, 2010

It's Mrs. SAIGH to you...

I'm MARRIED! Finally, all the wedding talk is over (kind of), and I am no longer Melissa Specken... it's now Melissa Saigh (pronounced "sigh", rhymes with "thigh"). My husband (hehe) AJ and I were married at St. John's Catholic Church on October 2nd, and our reception was held at Interlachen Country Club in Edina. Everything was amazing!

We did the traditional wedding weekend... rehearsal and dinner on Friday night, wedding on Saturday, gift opening Sunday morning, and we left for our honeymoon Monday morning. I'm going to need a month to catch up on sleep, but it was all worth it. Our 236 guests flew in from all over the country and it was so great to have everyone we love in one room! As a bride, the most difficult thing about your wedding day, is getting around to each and every table to say hello and thank people for coming. In our case, AJ did most of the chatting and I did most of the dancing:)

My girls (6 bridesmaids and 4 personal attendants) and I started our wedding weekend with pedicures, manicures and custom spray tans with Extrados Salon in Wayzata. I am so unbelievably grateful to Miss Amy and her spray tanning talents, and for making myself and my girls bronze goddesses for the wedding! Extrados in Linden Hills was our "home base" on Saturday and I can not thank Leah and her staff enough for making my entire wedding party look like we came out of a bridal magazine. From 8am until noon, the moms, myself and my girls, all hung out at Extrados having our hair and makeup done. Leah was a phenomenal host, and she (and her staff) got all 13 of us ready to go and out the door for photos on time! I absolutely LOVED getting ready with all of my girls in the "bridal suite" at Extrados, and can't wait to see the photos taken by our photographer Brandis Alves.

It's so hard for me to remember details for the actual wedding day. I can honestly say I wasn't stressed (I was actually on Facebook and Twitter all morning) and almost everything went the way I had planned it. The weather was perfect, the fall leaves were starting to change color, and we STAYED ON TIME!!! The one moment I will never forget, is walking down the aisle with my Dad, seeing so many familiar faces... and then... the face of my future husband:) I also remember my cousins, Cavan and Ian Krekelberg, singing "Ave Maria" during our ceremony (I hope to post video or photos of this soon). Their voices were so beautiful and they made our family so proud!

Since my Dad is the fire chief of Hopkins, he had one of the trucks brought to the church for photos. It was something I was happy to do to make our wedding unique. Imagine a wedding party of 24, all dressed up in front of a big red truck! I can't wait to see those photos. After the ceremony and pictures, came the fun of the reception. And man oh man was our reception fun! Instead of having people "clink" glasses to get AJ and I to kiss, we asked people to sing a song with the word "love" in it. Our wedding basically turned into a Broadway production of singing guests. It made dinner interesting:) I also had my uncle Mark Boyle, who is the announcer for the Indiana Pacers, announce our wedding party as we entered the reception! All of the speeches (from my dad, to AJ's best man, to my maids of honor) were so funny, thoughtful, heart-warming and meaningful. To top it all off we showed our guests a 9 minute slide-show (produced by Sarah Sundahl), that did a fantastic job of telling our story in a short period of time. Again, I hope to post this video soon:)

Even our 1 week-long honeymoon in the Dominican (Punta Cana) was wonderful! It was great to just lay by the pool and on the beach with my husband, and not have to think or stress about anything. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort called "The Excellence". Minus the slight musty smell of our honeymoon suite, and the lack of air-flow and air conditioning at the Punta Cana airport, the honeymoon was a blast! We met so many great couples on our honeymoon from all over the world that we hope to stay in touch with:)

As fun as it was to be in wedding "la la land" for almost 2 weeks, it's so great to be back to reality in my safe haven of Minnesota! Lots of love to the Saigh and Specken family for making this whole thing possible:)

Xoxo,

Mrs. Saigh

Sunday, September 26, 2010

The Ultrasonic Facial

Last week, I may have met the new love of my life. I was introduced to the Ultrasonic Facial at the Thomas Charles Salon in St. Louis Park following a segment we did a on TWIN CITIES LIVE about ways to clean out your pores. My friend and host of our show, Elizabeth Ries, had this facial done and RAVED about it in the office and on-air. So I of course had to go try it out for myself:)

This treatment is performed by Susan Garmany and it incorporates water with low frequency sound waves. It looks like a little spatula and it actually scrapes off all of your dead skin cells and gets deep into the cells to help stimulate your skin's natural repair mechanisms. This facial is really one-of-a-kind and unlike any facial I've ever gotten.

Susan starts by cleansing your skin and uses all sorts of serums, specific to your skin's needs. The ultrasonic frequency opens pathways to allow all the nutrients from these serums to reach deeper into your skin for longer-lasting results! This facial lasts about an hour and a half, and one of the best parts is the hand, arm and foot massage Susan gives you while a mask penetrates into your skin. I was so relaxed during my treatment, I almost fell asleep.

One of my biggest skin imperfections are the blackheads on my nose. After my facial, I seriously couldn't see any on my nose. They were gone! I also noticed my skin was plump, hydrated, and I had such a glow! This facial is so much better and different than a regular microdermabrasion, because it's not as rough and gritty.

If I were to rate this facial on a scale from 1-10, I would give it a 9! The only reason I wouldn't give it a 10, is because of the price ($125). But let me tell you, this facial is worth every penny! Remember, you're not just getting a 90 minute facial, you're getting a hand, arm, and foot massage too! If you're looking to spend less money, you can so the Express Treatment (45 minutes) for $75, but I would highly recommend getting the 90 minute treatment. Ladies, we all deserve to treat ourselves every now and then, and why not start with our face?! It is the first thing everyone sees!

To book your appointment, call the Thomas Charles Salon at (952) 925-4277. Let me know what you think!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Pre-Cana Classes... Woof!

Tomorrow, we will be 12 days away from our wedding day, and MAN has time flown! I know this sounds so cliche, but it really seems like yesterday that AJ was down on one knee, asking me to marry him. I can not wait to have all of our family and friends in one room, supporting us as we become husband and wife!

This past weekend, AJ and I completed our pre-cana classes on the St. Thomas Campus in St. Paul. Since we're getting married in a catholic church, this is one of the many requirements. I will admit that I was NOT excited at all about attending these classes, but now that they're done I'll admit that it wasn't TOO bad. It was nice spending time with AJ, talking about some of the things you don't necessarily get around to talking about as a couple. Both of us are so busy, and while I'm wrapped up in all the wedding-planning extravaganza, we haven't had time to just sit down and talk for a long period of time. This weekend gave us that opportunity. However, we didn't really connect with any of the couples who spoke or gave presentations during the pre-cana classes. For example, one of the couples who spoke this weekend, doesn't believe in using sarcasm in their home. And, if sarcasm is used, their rule is to apologize to their significant other. Hmmmm...

If AJ and I didn't have sarcasm in our relationship, I don't know if we'd survive;) We are both very silly and immature people, and we really don't take ourselves too seriously. This works for US, but might not work for other couples or families. I completely respect the way other families live, but I found it very difficult to connect to many of the speeches during our pre-cana classes. All in all, I am happy we went. I'm always open to trying new things:)

As for the actual wedding planning, everything is pretty much done! I worked so hard this past year, making sure everything was done SOONER rather than later. Now, I can just sit back, relax and wait for the fun to start!!!

PS, any wedding advice is greatly appreciated:)

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Day 1 of Blue Print Cleanse: COMPLETE

Well, I made it through day 1 of the Blue Print Cleanse, and I must say... I want a big juicy steak;) In all seriousness, this cleanse isn't all that bad. I had a few rough patches where I almost drove myself through the drive-through at McDonalds, but I refrained!

Right now, I'm finishing juice #6 (Cashew Milk), and while it's not vanilla ice cream, it is DELICIOUS and is completely satisfying my desire for something sweet! Throughout the day, I will admit I had to choke down the two Green Juices (juice #1 and #3) and the Beet Juice wasn't my favorite either. BUT, I LOVED the P.A.M Juice (juice #2 - pineapple, mint, etc.) and of course the one I'm drinking right now. Even when I'm finished with this cleanse, I will attempt to make the P.A.M juice in my juicer! And I will be on a mission to find something similar to the Cashew Milk drink. SO GOOD!

I'm not going to lie, there were times today that I wanted to give up and dive into a bowl of cereal or a big cheeseburger, but I'm sticking with it! And if I can do it, YOU can do it!

www.blueprintcleanse.com

Day #1 of the Blue Print Cleanse


28 Days until our wedding, so today I start day #1 of 3, of the Blue Print Cleanse! The BPC was named "Best Juice Cleanse" by New York Magazine. My 3 day cleanse allows me 6 bottles of juice per day, which are a combination on fruit, veggie, herb juices and nut milk. Sounds delicious huh?! Well after finishing bottle number 1, it's not bad! Very refreshing actually.

The reason I like this cleanse (so far) is that they bottle, number and ship all the bottles to you at once. There's literally NO WORK for me to do, except going 3 days without solid food... and yes, this will be a lot of work for me:) My menu today is:

Juice #1: Green Juice (romaine, celery, cucumber, green apple, spinach, kale, parsley, lemon)
Juice #2: P.A.M (filtered water, pineapple, apple, mint)
Juice #3: Green Juice
Juice #4: Spicy Lemonade (filtered water, lemon agave nectar, cayenne)
Juice #5: C.A.B (apple, carrot, beet, lemon, ginger)
Juice #6: Cashew Milk (filtered water, raw cashews, agave nectar, vanilla bean, cinnamon)

The other 2 days are pretty much the same too. If you want to do your own research on the BPC, I recommend going through the FAQ page found HERE. Keep checking back, and I will keep you posted with my progress!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The Proposal Video


Last weekend, AJ not only celebrated his 26th birthday, but the two of us also celebrated the one-year anniversary of our engagement! It amazes me that a year has already gone by and that we will be married in one month. Not only do I love talking to anyone and everyone about my wedding plans, but I also love looking back on the video from the night that we got engaged (thanks Joe)...

Click HERE to watch "The Proposal Video"


I always enjoy hearing stories about friends getting engaged, and I feel so lucky that we have AJ's proposal on video to look back on. For those of you who don't know the story, here's the short version (just ask me for the long version next time you see me and I won't hesitate to tell you the whole story). Me and AJ's parents hadn't met yet, so my parents decided to invite them over for AJ's birthday dinner on August 29th, 2009. I spent the entire day cooking, cleaning and stressing about the "event". Never in a million years did I expect a proposal. In fact, I thought the complete opposite, as I had been fighting with AJ months prior about the fact that I thought we would "never get married" (I was not shy about sharing my feelings on the topic). Little did I know that AJ had already bought a ring, asked my Dad for permission to marry me, and both sets of our parents knew what this night had in store! AJ's roomate Joe, his girlfriend Gabby and my brother and sister were also there, and Joe was the man with the camera:) AJ gave a toast, and gave me a present for putting together the night's "festivities". Three glasses of wine into the night and my Borat voice ever-so-present, I opened the gift to find a box made of chocolate, with little chocolate beans inside, and THE RING!

Now, one year later, we're wrapping up all of our wedding planning, getting ready to become husband and wife, and throw a killer party! 32 days and counting!!!

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Wedding Invitations

Since we sent our wedding invitations out a few weeks ago, we have received so many compliments and even some questions as to where we got them done. Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful words, and I'm happy to say that we chose to save money on our invitations, by doing them ourselves (and when I say "our"-selves I mean "my"-self)! Thanks to a dear friend, Stacy Anderson, we were able to save hundreds of dollars on our wedding invitations.

Stacy is one of my personal attendants in our wedding and a very talented lady when it comes to event planning! I gave her an invitation that I had fallen in love with... an invitation that would have cost over $1,000 to have done professionally. She worked her magic and came up with a design I just LOVED! She turned the design and invitation info into a PDF file that I needed to have printed, helped me pick out the paper, envelopes, and showed me how I would put them together. With some work, the do-it-yourself invitations might just look like the expensive invites!

It took me three nights of sitting at home, cutting, pasting, sealing, etc., but my wedding invitations turned out just the way I wanted them to! The backing is a thick piece of dark brown paper, and pasted on top is an ivory paper with hot pink and brown wording and design. The RSVP card that we included in the invitation was on a matching ivory paper, with the same brown and hot pink lettering and design (dark chocolate brown and hot pink are our wedding colors).

Sealing, addressing and stamping the wedding invitations was a whole new ball game (lots of time and work), but when all was said and done, we ended up spending about $250 TOTAL on everything (stamps included) for our invitations. If you want some advice from this bride-to-be... get your invitations done early, use a little elbow grease (not really grease because you don't want anything greasy near your invitations), the help of family and friends, and SAVE money on your wedding invitations! Make something that you love and that you're proud of, because let's be honest... who really keeps the invitations besides the bride and MAYBE some close family:) Good luck!

Friday, July 23, 2010

It's Almost Tomato Time!


That's right Minnesotans, it's almost tomato time! And many of you may be celebrating Minnesota's tomato season already (I'm very jealous). Earlier this summer, I decided to start my very first garden, and I'm starting to see the fruits of my labor (no pun intended)! If you've read my blog before, you know I planted seeds in little pots, in hopes of them turning into big, veggie-bearing plants. Part of my garden decided to cooperate, and other little plants weren't so fortunate.

Of the herbs, veggies and fruits I planted... the pumpkins, basil, chives, carrots, cilantro, mint, parsley, and TOMATOES, have survived! There's a few other plants that survived, but I can't tell if they are weeds, or possibly beans or cucumber plants (I can't remember everything I planted). I guess time will tell:) I've already used a lot of the herbs that have grown, but I am so excited to see that there are now actual little green tomatoes, growing on the tomato plants! I can honestly say, I never thought this would happen. My lettuce I planted also decided to sprout, but I guess I didn't get the invite to the bunny party in the garden, the day they decided to eat all the lettuce (and the bunny/lettuce relationship continues). I'm still waiting to pick the carrots, and I can't wait to see the pumpkins that will grow this fall (fingers crossed).

Now, the question is... what to do with the tomatoes when they turn ripe and red???

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Embracing The Lebanese I'm Marrying Into

In three months, I will be marrying Mr. AJ Saigh... my Lebanese man:) So today, I decided to embrace the Lebanese I'm marrying into, by making one of AJ's favorite Lebanese dishes... KIBBEH!

The first time I had any type of Lebanese food, was at AJ's dad's side of the family, over Christmas two years ago. If you haven't had Kibbeh, you do not know true happiness! The first time I met AJ's family (Christmas two years ago), AJ's aunt Jan made Kibbeh, Syrian bread and stuffed grape leaves. Honestly, this was the day I not only fell in love with the food, but AJ's family too (a family can win a girl over with food)! I'm not a huge fan of stuffed grape leaves (they are AJ's favorite), but I think I could eat Kibbeh every day for the rest of my life.

Kibbeah is a whole lot of meat, but it wasn't too tough to make. The photos don't look all that appetizing, but AJ gave it two thumbs up! Thanks to Jen Unser for the recipe. Try it out and let me know what you think!


Jen Unser's Kibbeh Recipe

1 lb. lean lamb (ground twice) - I used hamburger
1/2 cup fine wheat (bulgur)
1 medium onion (grated)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Rinse wheat in cold water and set aside to absorb moisture. Knead meat, salt and onion together, and gradually add wheat, squeezing out any excess moisture before adding to meat. Wet hands with water to ensure smooth texture. Refrigerate.

Stuffing

1 lb. ground lamb
1 large onion (chopped)
1 Tablespoon pine nuts (I used a lot more because they are so yummy)
Salt and allspice to taste
Cinnamon (Jen's recipe doesn't call for cinnamon, but I think Kibbeh needs cinnamon)

In small sauce pan, sauté lamb, onion, pine nuts and spices until brown. Cool. In greased 2 quart baking tray, pat down firmly one part of the raw meat mixture to cover entire tray. Spread meat stuffing over raw meat. Pat remainder of raw meat over stuffing - cover entire baking tray, making sure stuffing is covered. Be sure to rinse your hands in cold water to smooth top layer of meat. Cut into diamond shapes, and run knife around pan.

Dot with Crisco or butter, and bake in preheated 350 degree oven. Serve hot with yogurt or salad.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

We have a mouse

That's right, we have a mouse. And when I went to pick up traps at the hardware store yesterday, the cashier said, "when there's ONE, there's SOME." Eeeek!

The other night, I was sitting on the couch watching TV and I looked down to see, what I thought was a mouse running across our hardwood floor! Really?! A mouse in MY house?! I jumped onto our ottoman, and scooted myself around the floor to see if I was just REALLY tired and hallucinating, or if it was REALLY a mouse. I didn't find anything, and brushed it off as a terrifying sighting by a very tired girl.

The next night, AJ woke up around 2am to go to the bathroom, and he said he heard the pitter-patter of, what he thought was a mouse running across our floor. That was enough for me, and I was off to the hardware store to find something to get this mouse (or mice) out of our house. Thank goodness, nothing in our house has been chewed on, destroyed or damaged by the suspected mice or mouse... and we'll do anything to keep this from happening!

The presence of mice isn't anything new to me. My family has a summer cabin in Hawick, MN that we close during the winter months. Every time we open the cabin on Memorial Day weekend, we have to do a major cleaning because of the mice that got in over the winter. I know it's gross, but hey, when you have a cabin on a lake in the middle of the woods, the mice are going to find a way in! But our house is BRAND NEW, and the last thing I ever thought we'd have to deal with is MICE! But we do live very close to a ravine and we're in a heavily wooded area, so the chance of having some kind of critter in our house was probably pretty good. We also have a compost pile and a garden in our backyard, so we frequently have deer visiting. And our most recent guest is a huge groundhog or something, who lives under our shed. He's so cute, but we will never be friends because he ate all my mint and basil from the garden!

Since AJ and I are new homeowners, we decided to buy the original mouse traps that you put peanut butter on as bait. We put them out last night. No mice caught yet. Thanks to everyone for the other mice-ridding tips, such as the sonic thingy and the idea of getting a cat. If you know AJ, that cat idea will NOT be happening:) I have, however, asked my parents if we could barrow Lewford (family cat) for a few days. AJ would die if I brought him onto our house:) If anyone has any tips about getting rid of these pesky critters, please feel free to let us know!