Hello again! I know I’m a few months late, but I hope everyone had a nice Holiday season. And despite all of the crazy things happening around the world right now, I hope you all have been able to stay positive and stay healthy.
To give you a quick recap of the past few months, Evan and I stayed in Seattle over Thanksgiving and enjoyed a nice visit from Evan’s mom. We explored a lot of great restaurants in Ballard, ventured to Leavenworth for a day trip, watched a couple of great movies, and of course, enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving meal together.
Just before Christmas, the SE (structural engineering) exam results were released and I was so happy to find out I passed! This was an exam I had been dreading taking for years, pretty much since we moved to Washington and I realized I needed to take it. After almost a full year of studying, I was so happy and relieved to be done. Regaining my free time and reestablishing my normal routine was also a very welcomed change. I’ve been able to exercise regularly again and get back to my other hobbies, like planning meals and cooking! Evan and I still use Hello Fresh, which was a huge life saver while studying because Evan took over and made dinner three nights a week. But I’ve been enjoying trying new recipes and getting new ideas for meals.
For Christmas, we traveled to my sister’s place in Iowa and spent some time with my whole family. Evan played a lot of Fortnite with the boys, and I got to relax with my sister and enjoy my favorite time of year.
Just after Christmas, Evan and I got some very exciting news. We found out we were expecting our first child! It still feels weird to say that; I guess it hasn’t fully sunk in yet. As of today, I’m 15 weeks along and for the most part have been feeling pretty good. I was fortunate not to have terrible nausea in the first trimester, but all of those pregnancy books weren’t kidding when they said you’d be exhausted! We did some genetic testing at about 10 weeks and in addition to learning about possible genetic abnormalities, we also found out the gender. Baby girl Wondrasek will be joining us in September and we couldn’t be more excited!
Now, the thing that everyone is currently talking about. Yes, the coronavirus is definitely here in Washington. Evan and I are very fortunate to have jobs that allow us to work remotely; we’ve been working from home for a week now and it’s actually been going pretty well. He has a great set up in the office upstairs, and I took over our dining room table. Aside from having to be more deliberate about communicating with my team and clients, I’m still able to get work done remotely. In addition to changing our work habits, Evan and I have been focused on distancing ourselves from large groups of people and just staying home. Our big daily adventures include taking Toaster for walks and making dinner together, but hey, I’m not complaining. I like him and I like being at home. 😉
If you’re staying at home like we are, my advice is to try not to dwell on things you aren’t able to do. Instead try to be positive about all of the things you can do at home. Maybe you have a house project you’ve been wanting some extra time to tackle or maybe there’s a room or drawer in your house that needs organizing. Maybe you could start up a game night, binge watch that show you’ve been dying to see, or make a fancy dinner together for date night in. Or maybe you can just take advantage of the little extra time you have to spend with your loved ones. Regardless of what you do, the important thing to remember during all of this is don’t panic, just be proactive and smart.
Zucchini & Corn Flatbread
Now that Evan and I are both eating lunch at home everyday, I’ve been trying to come up with new lunch ideas. Usually I’ll pack us a salad or a new soup recipe I’m trying, but last week I made a lot of sandwiches, yogurt and granola bowls, and smoothies. This upcoming week I plan to make this zucchini and corn flatbread recipe that I started making for quick dinners while studying for the exam. I got the idea from the Half Baked Harvest cookbook, but have modified the recipe to better suit my tastes. I like this recipe because it’s easy to prepare, great for a busy weeknight (or quick lunch), but doesn’t sacrifice on flavor (and still has some veggies!).
To begin, preheat the broiler or the oven to 500 degrees. Dice one zucchini into half moons, about 1/2″ thick. In you’re using frozen corn, thaw about 1/2 cup, or cut the kernels off fresh cobs until you have about 1/2 cup.
In a medium skillet, heat a large drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini and corn, sauteing until soft and the zucchini is lightly browned., about 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat, but keep warm.
Meanwhile, in another medium sized skillet, heat a small drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat. Add tortilla and heat until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes per side. Repeat with other tortilla, then place both tortillas on a lightly greased baking sheet. Top with two slices of provolone cheese, divided into pieces and distributed evenly.
Top tortillas with cooked zucchini and corn, then add small dollops of goat cheese to each tortilla.
Bake or broil for about 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted. If you’re broiling, keep on eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Remove from the oven and drizzle honey on top and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
Cut into wedges using a pizza slicer and serve immediately. Enjoy!
- 1 zucchini, cut into half moons
- 1/2 c corn
- 2 soft shell tortillas
- 4 slices provolone cheese, divided
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- 1 tsp honey
- Red pepper flakes
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees or turn on broiler to high.
- Dice one zucchini into half moons, about 1/2" thick. Thaw corn if you're using frozen, or cut kernels off cob.
- In a medium skillet, heat a large drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini and corn, sauteing until soft and lightly browned, 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In another medium skillet, heat a small drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat. Add one tortilla and heat until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes per side. Repeat with second tortilla.
- Place both tortillas on a lightly greased baking sheet and top each with two slices provolone cheese, divided into pieces and distributed evenly. Top tortillas with cooked zucchini and corn. Add small dollops of goat cheese to each tortilla.
- Bake or broil about 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted and flatbreads are lightly browned.
- Remove from oven, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
- Cut into wedges and serve immediately.