Sun dried tomato and asiago cheese bread

Yesterday I made a few loaves of sun dried tomato and asiago cheese bread. Some to sell, and some to eat.

I love it, the kids love it and my husband loves it. In fact, everyone I meet loves it. Even if they don't like sun dried tomatoes. Really though, who doesn't love tomatoes and cheese and bread? To put them all together is like paradise and I never want to return. All the wonderful things it does to my taste buds......it's almost better than, well, anything.

 I should retract that.

Almost everything, NOT as much as chocolate truffles. THAT is liking dying and going to heaven. Everything else just fades away when I eat them. Oooooohhhhh so good.

So, let me tell you a little bit about my wonderful bread. It's chocked full of asiago cheese, an entire cup-thank you very much! It also has Italian seasonings and garlic and black pepper and lots, and lots of sun dried tomatoes. When it's cooking it smells like a pizzeria in my house. The entire house fills up with the smell of the dough and the cheese and the tomatoes. It's almost to much to handle. All day long I want to do nothing more than rip open the oven, pull out the bread and devour every last crumb. I did restrain myself though.

I had a little bit of an issue getting it to rise. It took a lot longer than normal. I don't really know why, I just know that it did. For the most part all my breads take an hour for the first rise and 45 minutes to an hour for the second rise. Well, this time it took 2 hours for the first rise and a little over an hour for the  second rise.

Maybe it's the humidity? Maybe it's the yeast? Maybe, just maybe since I was selling 2 loaves of it they just decided to be difficult? I think it's the latter of the three myself.

It's not the first time something didn't go as planned when I was trying to sell something, go figure. I did get the loaves to their owners on time and they loved every single bit of it. In fact, one person ate 3 slices before we left. Now that's what I call a love for this bread!

As for our loaf here at home? I had a bite, my husband had a bite and the girls each had about 4 slices. See, my husband and I are on a diet. Which is another reason I went to see the devil trainer on Monday. By the way, yes, I am still sore.....my poor aching thighs!

Personal Trainers and Mexican Soup

Yesterday I went to the gym. It has very quickly become one of my favorite places to release some frustrations and to actually make myself feel better. I don't at all feel guilty for taking some mommy time. The kids are all at school and really, it's only an hour or so.

I went and signed up for some personal training on Saturday. The lady I talked to made it seem like I was going to have a GREAT time with this specific trainer. She was a runner and just loved to help other runners, especially new ones. That would be perfect for me. I am pretty new and I feel as if I could use some help.

So, we set it up. Monday at 10 am. Perfect!

I get there on Monday, all dressed in my workout gear and ready to go. She introduces herself and she was like an angel. She was so sweet and soft spoken. She was going to be perfect for me. No way was she going to be one of these trainers that make you want to curl up in the fetal position crying for your momma or an ambulance half way though.

I was wrong!

We started going and the very first exercise I thought to myself, how in the world am I going to get into THAT position. I did. It wasn't easy. She went through some exercises that I thought were more like something she found in a medieval torture book than actual exercises. I did them and sweat so much that I thought I was going to shrivel up into nothing. By the time it was over, we hadn't ran any. I really wanted to run. Instead, my legs were like jell-o. I was fine with the jell-o legs. I have had that before. I actually like jell-o legs. What I didn't like was the fact that my legs felt like they were going to give out on me. They were telling me that they were done. There was no way that they were going to carry me any further than they did. They were rebelling against me more than my 13 year old daughter. They were screaming at me and telling me that they weren't going to do it...no way, no how. I contemplated taking the elevator, but decided that I wasn't going to be a baby and instead I took the stairs. All 2 flights of them. What in the world was the gym thinking by putting the workout area of the gym on the second floor? I hobbled down both flights, holding onto the rail. I am sure I was a pitiful sight. That sweet angelic trainer? I have now decided that she is the devil! A sweet, soft spoken devil! A devil that I am suppose to see again, and soon.

I walked around all day like I did a day or two after my hip surgery in March. I wasn't sore per say, my legs were just weak. I went all day just dreading the next day. If I was weak today, what was I going to be like tomorrow?

The kids and I had a great, light dinner. Mexican chicken soup. Everyone ate it all up. It was fantastic and super easy for me to make. Which was awesome since I didn't want to do anything but lay down and sleep. What a day for my husband to have to be at a retirement party.

Mexican Chicken Soup

1lb. chicken tenders, in bite size pieces

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 c. onions, chopped

1 medium frozen bag of corn

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

4 c. chicken stock

1 c. salsa

Tortilla chips-optional and to taste

Sour cream-optional and to taste

Shredded cheese-optional to taste

Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and chicken to the pot. Cook until chicken is almost cooked. Add cumin and chili powder. Add chicken stock and raise heat to high. Add salsa and corn. Cover the pot until the soup is steaming and almost boiling.

Garnish with tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheese. We also use fresh jalapenos, more salsa whatever we have on hand or craving.