Busy Weekend and a sick day?

DD fought with a cold all weekend (it's just allergies, Mom!) and I'm waiting to see how she's feeling this morning. Typically she'll have one really bad day -- all stuffed up and feeling miserable. I'm hoping that was yesterday. I gave her night time cold meds last night at 7:30 so she could sleep (yes, she wanted to go to bed that early), heard her snuffling around 1 a.m. and gave her one more dose. Hopefully a good night's sleep helped kick the bug.

I don't want her to miss school (not to mention I have NO idea how to handle a sick day for her) but I don't want to send her sick (because THAT is why she's sick ... someone else sent their sick kidlet to school... last week she told me about the girl she was partnered with being sick and DD hoped she wouldn't catch it). Yet another thing that was easier when I was homeschooling...

Maria Zannini asked me "what about the time you used to spend teaching DD?" ... the fact is, there wasn't much. She was on a DVD curriculum where there was an actual classroom and teachers TAUGHT. She'd sit down, watch the class, do the work, etc. My job was to correct papers, make sure she stayed on schedule and answer questions or help when she was confused (much of which, except the correcting papers part, I'm still doing).

Here's the thing -- I KNOW this is a wonderful place for DD to be. She's thriving (aside from the germs!) and completely enjoying school. She's happy and challenged and I wouldn't change that. But homeschooling, as it turns out, was much easier on me. Who'da thunk it?

I spent this weekend being Suzy Homemaker. Our grocery store is selling local apples (from the farm where we would have picked anyway) for only $0.69/lb -- they're smaller ones, but otherwise perfect (and I was making sauce, so didn't care about the size). I bought about 15 - 20 of apples and spent much of Saturday cutting and coring apples. I ended up with eight quarts (seemed like an awful lot of work for only eight quarts ... but there you go) of unsweetened applesauce.

Sunday I baked bread. Lots of bread. It was a challenge since my house was opened up to air out the smell of polyurethane (from the hardwood stairs DH put in all weekend ... another story) and it was VERY cool inside. I had the oven on "warm" and used that to raise the bread, but I think it didn't raise as much as it should have as most of my loaves were a bit doughy and heavy. Will try again when I have more flour (I ran out .... went through about 20 cups) and it's warmer in the house.

DH spent the weekend tearing out the carpet from our stairs, pulling off the treads and then putting down hardwood treads. Thankfully, we have a second way upstairs (through the garage ... so while it's good we could get upstairs, it was a massive ordeal). Yesterday was spent covering them in the poly ... and we still can't use them this morning. We're supposed to wait 72 hours ... but I don't know if I can hold out that long -- never mind how confused the dog is about it all. Yesterday I had to lug two baskets of clothes from the basement where the laundry room is, out the door to the garage, hold them OVER MY HEAD to get behind the car and the truck and past the mower through the door (which barely opens wide enough because the generator and snow blower are in the way) and up those stairs to the bedrooms.

I am glad for the stairs -- our carpet was old and worn (clear through in one spot), but next time DH has to do something like that, I'm getting a motel room for a week.

It also meant that I got none of the deep-cleaning done that I'd planned for upstairs and will need to squeeze it in this week instead.

Next weekend, I'm going to try mega-cooking again to save me having to cook from scratch during the week, and see if that helps me with time.

How was your weekend?

======================

You Are a Green Apple

You're a pretty traditional person. You believe that if something has lasted, then it's probably good. You think that living the good life is pretty simple. If you behave responsibly and ethically, good things will come to you. You are a loner and prefer to keep to yourself. You love solitude. You are super productive. People are amazed by how much you are able to get done.

What Color Apple Are You?

Um.. yeah, that's pretty much right on!

==================

A Fish .... er, Shrimp Tale

“You will never get out of pot or pan anything fundamentally better than what went into it. Cooking is not alchemy; there is no magic in the pot.” - 'Dishes & Beverages Of The Old South', Martha McCulloch-Williams (1913)

I've done a lot of things in my life that made me feel all "pioneer woman-ish" -- growing up with livestock and "living off the land" will do that to you. So, I've plucked chickens and canned food and grown and harvested gardens. I've milked goats and butchered a deer.

Still, yesterday was all about new things for me. You see, I got shrimp. Fresh off the boat shrimp from my local "New Hampshire" store (that's not its actual name, but it's what DD and I call it). They have all local stuff, and the fish lady had mentioned last week that she'd have shrimp, caught on Thursday and picked up by her Thursday night from the docks at Rye Beach.

Doesn't get much fresher than that. I was excited. And then I got my shrimp... I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't shrimp that looked like, well, SHRIMP:



NOW what do I do?

Yep, I've only ever bought shrimp with its head cut off and no feelers, etc. Sometimes I've had "peel and eat" shrimp but never shrimp with this much stuff still there.

I turned to the internet, which I have to say wasn't a lot of help, and then one of my friends (whose parents were off the boat from Portugal and did this type of thing all the time) helped me out.

I had to twist off their heads (or cut, but honestly twisting was faster and easier, once I got over the "ick" factor) and peel off the shells. DD was right in there helping, though she kept taking bits to look at under her microscope AND dissected one head just to see what it was like underneath. Heck, there's never a bad time for a teaching moment when you homeschool ...

So, after nearly an hour (the first half was learning, after that it went FAST) we had shrimp that looked like what I always pictured shrimp as:



I was also told NOT to toss out the shells and the heads, but instead to boil them for broth and use it to make bisque ... so I did:



I've never had bisque before. I have to go to the store today to get some cream... and give it a try.

Anyway, for dinner, I sauteed those shrimp with some minced garlic and butter and tossed in a few portabella mushrooms that I had. And let me tell you: I've NEVER in my life had shrimp so tender, so tasty, so truly amazing. Fresh matters. And, while it was kind of a pain to process them, I may never buy any other kind of shrimp again.

Next week, I think I'll try some fish...

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You Are Almond Shampoo

You are chic and sophisticated. You always look polished... and effortlessly so. You are extremely subtle. You abhor anything or anyone who is too over the top. You are known for your good taste. You always seem to know what will work. Friends usually follow what you do, but by that time you've moved on to something else.

What Scent Shampoo Are You?

HAHAHAHAHA.. no.

======================

The Temps Are Dropping

When the bold branches
Bid farewell to rainbow leaves -
Welcome wool sweaters.
~B. Cybrill

I said something yesterday that, in retrospect, made me shiver. What was it?

"It's going to be warming up into high the 40s next week."

Yes, it's true... it's COLD here. Blech. Today I am thankful for my wood stove. Yesterday our house got so warm, we opened the windows. LOVE having a wood stove.

DD watched a bunch of cooking shows yesterday. I now have a pile of recipes she wrote down that she wants me to try (including Chickpea meatless Meatballs) and last night she sauteed herself a bunch of different veggies based on color ... because everything they made on the shows looked so pretty and she wanted her plate to look pretty, too.

I told her she could take over cooking dinner any time she'd like. She declined.

Nothing planned for today here. Anyone out there doing anything exciting?

=================

You Should Go on a Disney Cruise

You are family oriented, fun loving, and truly a kid at heart. For you, a cruse is less about the destination and more about the total experience. You love the idea of a cruise with a little nostalgia and lots of activities for everyone. A Disney cruise will wow you, entertain you, and give you memories to last a lifetime.

What Type of Cruise Should You Go On?

I'm good with that... when do I leave?

=====================

Cooking Commences

"You will never get out of pot or pan anything fundamentally better than what went into it. Cooking is not alchemy; there is no magic in the pot." - Martha McCulloch-Williams, Dishes & Beverages Of The Old South

We have a family gathering today -- and we have to leave shortly for the first part (a baptism at 8 a.m.!! YIKES!) so this will be quick.

I saw a monarch yesterday. First one I've seen in more than a month. I waved.

I did a lot of cooking this weekend. I was VERY frustrated while trying to find recipes. When I googled "cooking tomato sauce from scratch" the first recipe I found started with a can of crushed tomatoes. Really? :::shakes head:::

I made lazy man's tomato sauce yesterday from the last tomatoes from our garden. I cored them and then cut them up and pureed them, seeds, skins and all! Then simmered with plenty of garlic and fresh herbs (marjoram, thyme and oregano) from the garden for several hours. As long as you don't mind seeds in your sauce (and I don't), it worked out fine -- with none of the blanching and peeling involved.

I made corn chowder from corn on the cob we bought, too. I've never grated corn before, but the recipe called for half the corn to be grated to make a juicy, pulpy addition to the soup (you'll find most not-from-scratch recipes call for cans of creamed corn, which is rather the same thing). It was fabulous soup -- best I've had. NOTHING beats fresh sweet corn. We bought from a local grower so it was really, really fresh.

And, yes, I completely forgot to take pix to post all this on the H&H blog. I'm bad.

======================

You Are Passionate

You feel very intensely, and you are definitely driven by your emotions. When confronted with something new, you tend to love it or hate it right away. There is no in between for you! You always know how you feel, and you have no problem letting everyone else know too. You are honest - probably to a fault. It's impossible for you to hold back.

The Mascot Test

That's pretty dang close to correct!!

=======================

Summer, She is Coming to an End

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ~Henry James

Signs that summer is nearly over:

It was DARK when I got up this morning...

Yesterday I peeled, chopped, steamed, smashed and froze five butternut squash. My SIL said I should just store them like the pioneers did, whole and down in my basement, but I HATE processing them so just want to get it over with.

I cut back most of my perennials because they're done blooming and look ugly now. Plus, some of them have a tendency to reproduce like CRAZY if I don't dead head them immediately (the coneflower, black-eyed susans, columbine and bachelor buttons are the worst, but they're all pretty bad).

My tomatoes are beginning to ripen. It's mostly the cherry tomatoes right now, but a few of my larger ones are beginning to blush (either that or they're embarrassed).

Back to school sales (office supplies, how I love you).

The nights are getting cool and crisp (except for last night, which stayed quite warm).

We only have four more monarch pillars, and they are all pupae (so far, the one I glued to the roof is still green, leading me to believe he's still alive -- but only when he hatches and is NOT deformed will I truly breath a sigh of relief).

*sigh*

The summer flew by. It's just not right considering how slowly the winter drags.

=====================

You Have a Melancholic Temperament

Introspective and reflective, you think about everything and anything. You are a soft-hearted daydreamer. You long for your ideal life. You love silence and solitude. Everyday life is usually too chaotic for you. Given enough time alone, it's easy for you to find inner peace. You tend to be spiritual, having found your own meaning of life. Wise and patient, you can help people through difficult times. At your worst, you brood and sulk. Your negative thoughts can trap you. You are reserved and withdrawn. This makes it hard to connect to others. You tend to over think small things, making decisions difficult.

What Temperament Are You?

This is only about 25% correct.

==============================

========================

L-O-O-O-O-N-G Day

I'm still tired from yesterday... so tired, I can't even think of what the quote should be about, so today we're quoteless...

DH was home and a bit grouchy (and when he's grouchy, he doesn't like me on the computer, so I got no work or blog-hopping done). DD was needy and the Dd was antsy (but it was about 25 degrees outside and windy... brrr).

I also needed to make dog food, and since I wasn't on the computer, I made a lot of stuff. Went to the store and bought four chickens and the makings for dog food, came home and put two chickens in a pot with the giblets for the dog and two in the crockpot with seasonings for us. Last week, I made meals for the family all week with one crock pot chicken. I'm thinking I can do that again :-)

DD also complained that she had no pants to wear, so it became laundry day as well. And I'd run out of granola so, what the heck, I'll make that, too.

So, two weeks of dog food made, five loads of laundry, 12 cups of granola and two crock pot chickens (and a partridge in a pear tree -- actually, it was a veggie lasagna for lunch cuz we needed to eat, right?).

I was on my feet for a solid 4 - 5 hours (maybe more?) and then at around 2:30, when I was mostly done (except the crock pot chicken, which would wait) I decided the dog HAD to be taken on a walk, so I bundled up and went.

DD begged for a board game when we got back. I talked her into a puzzle instead... and she chose a 1000 piece one, which is about half done and spread out on my dining table.

I was ready for bed by dinner time. I am clearly VERY out of shape...

============================

You Are a Thoroughbred Horse

You are hyper, energetic, and even a little high strung. You love to compete, and you're always up for a friendly race. You love to be on the go, and you never stick around for long. People accuse you of always running away. You tend to get bored easily, and you do best when you wear yourself out. You like to work hard. You have a lot of courage, drive, and ambition. You like to be a winner.

What Breed of Horse Are You?

Hmmmm... yeah.... that's about right except the running away part -- I'm not that easy to get rid of.

==================

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times...

I haven't lost my mind; I have a tape back-up somewhere. ~Author Unknown

Weird, weird day yesterday all around. It snowed for half the day a dumped at least 4 - 5" on us, but then... the pouring (POURING) rain came, and melted it all. Had that been snow? We would have easily gotten a foot or two.

For today and tomorrow, they're predicting winds strong enough to break power poles (yet another reason I wish there would ONLY be underground utilities), and we're out of wood to burn, so if we lose power we freeze ... or move to a pet-friendly motel (I vote for the motel).

I whacked my head on my car hatchback and still have the "third eye" to prove it (which bothers me far more than the pain).

DD tried to set the house on fire (she was cooking stew on her own ... she's cooked it with me watching about a dozen times. Clearly it should have been at least 13 -- though I doubt she'll forget how this time). She put a small amount of oil in a pot, turned it on HIGH (this still amazes me) for a few minutes, and then added a liberal amount of cold water to it. All of sudden all I hear is crackling and spattering ... oil is spitting EVERYWHERE including on the red hot burner which is smoking and DD doesn't know what to do. I grabbed a lid and smacked in on the pot then tossed it into the sink, turned off the burner, on the fan ... and then spent the next 20 minutes cleaning pretty much every flat surface in the kitchen. Amazing how far hot oil can spit when given the opportunity.

But in the "good news" category, I became a great aunt one more time. Interestingly, it only just this morning occurred to me that my great-nephew was born on the birthday of one of my other nephews (who has two of my great-nephews -- confused? I come from a large family). DD was struggling to understand how she can have so many cousins old enough to be having families of their own (in fact, one of my great nephews is DD's age -- and THAT nephew got married before I did). My oldest brothers are quite a lot older than I am, and got married young. I'm the baby, and I got married late. It all works out...

So, Mom... that's your eighth great-grandbaby (and one more in the oven!).

And last night during agility, our new baby came with his mama (and auntie) -- One of the ladies who attends had a baby six weeks ago. We assured her that he'd be safe, dumb and happy at class with her so YAY! He was there last night. So cute!! So tiny. So good (didn't really fuss at all, even with being held by half a dozen different people and sniffed by dogs -- some REALLY big). He looked like a baby doll with his smooth skin and full head of dark hair. Just adorable. There is one other lady due in a month or so ... so hopefully, we'll have another baby to hold soon!

In any case, I'm hoping today is far, far quieter than yesterday.

=================

You Have Your Friends to Smile About

You are truly blessed to have good people in your life. Your friends get you through the good times and the bad times. You can't help but smile whenever you're around your friends. Even thinking about them brings a grin to your face. You feel like everything will be okay in your life, as long as you have a support network. And you get a lot of happiness from supporting your friends in return. You believe that people truly do need each other.

What Do You Have To Smile About?

Hmmm.... not that I don't love the friends I have, but I've never been a tremendously social person.

=====================

Baby Steps

Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you. ~John De Paola

Yesterday was obscenely busy. Just plain crazy. We started a new promo in LASR/WC for Easter, and I got slammed with emails (which is good... but not, yanno?), we were all running out of socks and undies, so laundry was a must-do (six loads... yeah, it had been a while), the dog needed her food made (chop, chop, cook, cook, grind, grind), we had books due at the library, I had no cheese for what I had planned for dinner (drive, drive).

I ran flat out all day long.

Dinner, though, should be getting easier soon for two reasons. First, I'm doubling everything and making one pan for the freezer on anything I can (last night I made enchiladas -- one for us, one for the freezer), so I'll have things I can just pull out on nights that are crazy (like my agility nights where I lose a good four hours). Second, I'm having DD work with me every time I cook now in the hope that she'll eventually be able to take over cooking at least a couple nights a week (she can already do the simpler stuff like stew and spaghetti). She may not like that idea so much (yesterday ... after I washed and she dried/put away three sets of dishes, and then I told her she was helping me cook, she said, "Do I get paid for this?" and I replied, "Yeah: room and board."), but it's all part of growing up, IMHO.

During the time I was sending out about 100 email responses for the promo yesterday, my brain was working on my story. I just let it drift and kept a pad of paper beside the computer to scribble ideas. I had a few that will be so much fun to write... my favorite thing about writing romance that's a little nuts is that I can do just about anything and it's okay (like my character in "One Love for Liv" who is trying to break a Guinness World Record).

I still have obscene amounts of work to do, but that's okay. I took advice from Kris Kringle yesterday (couldn't find the original clip, but this works):



So, I'm off to put one foot in front of the other...

===================

You Are Sleepy

You are an easy-going, relaxed person. You don't have a care in the world, and you find it easy to nod off anytime. People enjoy being around you. You are a complete natural, and you always act however you feel. Despite what people may think, you don't have a lazy bone in your body. You are a very hard worker. When work needs to be done, you'll work your hardest. That's why you're so sleepy at the end of the day!

Which of the Seven Dwarfs Are You?

Uh... that first part? SO not right...

=====================

A Winter Wonderland

Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.
~Bill Morgan, Jr.

We got quite a bit of snow yesterday -- I have upwards of 4 - 5" piled on my deck. It's too dark out to take decent pictures (the flash only throws so far), but it's pretty. I like to look at snow. I don't like to walk in it, drive in it or play in it... but it's pretty to look at. I told DH if anything ever happened to me, I'd move south so fast, people's head would spin.

I didn't have use of my computer for a good part of the day -- DH needed it for something -- and with the snow flying, I felt like cooking. So, I did.

I made potato/cheese soup (mmmmmmmm... one of my favorite comfort foods) and Cornmeal Yeast Rolls from Suzanne McMinn's recipe. They turned out okay -- a little heavy and moist but very yummy.

I then proceeded to eat myself stupid all day. I was so stuffed when I went to bed, I thought I might hibernate the winter away. Ugh. I'm still not hungry this morning. Is there such a thing as too much potato soup and homemade cornmeal rolls?

====================

I finally got my computer back in the afternoon and proceeded to upload 14 new pairs of earrings to DistinctivelyDD. These are my faves - cute, fancy little snowmen (you can click on the picture to go to the store if you want):



I'm stealing them if they don't sell! I also like these two a lot:




I've had DD make me four pairs of earrings so far, and she's getting really, really good at the work, making awesome loops with the metal at the top of each earring (it's harder than it looks).

It's kinda like having my own jewelry store right in the house. I mentioned I needed blue earrings the other day, and 30 minutes later... I HAD SOME. Very cool.

Now... I just need to decide what orders I need to place with her for Christmas gifts. *G*

========================

Speaking of DD, she has some serious sledding planned for today. And DH will probably ride his snowmobile around the house and maybe into the woods a bit. We actually have a real snowmobile trail about a mile out back of us, and DH fashioned his own trail from our house to meet up with it. This is good and bad -- good cuz he doesn't have to drive anywhere to go, once it snows enough. Bad cuz we frequently end up with lost snowmobilers in our yard! It happened a couple of times last year well after midnight and those suckers are LOUD.

Oh well.

Winter has begun in earnest. I'm praying for snow and not ice on Wednesday. Feel free to join me.

==========================

Taken from Charity's blog:

You Are Inventive

You are funky, outdoorsy, and down to earth. While you may not be a total hippie... You're definitely one of the most free spirited people around. You are very impulsive - every day is a new adventure. However, you do put some thought behind all your actions. Still, you do tend to shock and offend people from time to time!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

Hmmm... outdoorsy and down to earth, yes. Impulsive and free-spirited? No. :::shrugs:::

===========================

In the Kitchen

When women are depressed, they eat or go shopping. Man invade another country. It's a whole different way of thinking. - Elayne Boosler

I feel as though I'm going to spend this entire week cooking! Saturday, we processed the deer so I was in the kitchen all day. Sunday, I started dog food, so cooked two whole chickens and chopped a million gallons of veggies (okay, maybe it was only half a million). Yesterday I took all the chicken off the bones and ran all the veggies through my blender, mixed and put into containers for the dog. Today? I'm making dog biscuits for my agility class as a Thanksgiving gift. And Wednesday, I need to brine the turkey for Thursday. Thursday goes without saying.

Oy.

I'm tired of my kitchen.

DD and I spent a great deal of time reorganizing her beading supplies yesterday as well. We had been putting new beads and findings in the next available spot in her organizers, but it made no sense when trying to find something. So we got a few new ones yesterday and started putting things away in some logical order. All the metal spacers in one, all the findings in one, all the pink beads in one, etc. What a pain, and even now we aren't done.

I saw a bracelet someone else had done using eyepins and dangling the beads like charms instead of stringing the beads directly on to the wire, elastic or hemp and I like the idea, so that's next on the list of learning how to do for DD. She's also going to start adding charms to her book thongs, so that's cool. And we got a custom order for book thongs, so she's working on those today. My friend with the Etsy store does most of her business via custom orders IRL, so I wonder if that's how DD will end up.

Now I just need to get Distinctively DD out there more -- find some places to advertise, and I will probably start a blog and a Facebook fan page. Oy. I wish I could let her run amok online and take care of this stuff herself, but, uh ... no. And DD is disappointed at the way things are moving so slowly -- a few orders here and there, but I think she was imagining piles of orders coming in. I'm trying to learn the ins and outs of Artfire, but GAH, there aren't enough hours in the day.

These are my current fave earrings -- I love how dainty they are:



I swiped a pair very similar to these for myself, lol.

And, it's time to go wake up the house, so I'll stop gabbing. Have a great day!

=====================

Saturday's Story on Sunday

As the days grow short, some faces grow long. But not mine. Every autumn, when the wind turns cold and darkness comes early, I am suddenly happy. It's time to start making soup again. ~Leslie Newman

Yesterday was a long day. I woke up and started cooking -- I made eggnog muffins for breakfast (our eggnog had expired, and at $4.99/half gallon, I wasn't throwing any away! LOL), then got to work on lunch because I knew we'd be working on the deer all day. So, cornbread went in the oven as soon as the muffins came out (I tried something new with the cornbread -- added some sour cream to it, and it was yummy. Next time, I'm going to throw in some creamed corn) and I started a crock pot full of chili (again, tried something new -- added about 1/2 cup of ranch dressing ... it was GOOD).

So, we worked all day until about 4:00, but the deer is butchered and in my freezer. We did have one problem come up: my vacuum sealer stopped sealing. So, I have about 25 lbs of meat unsealed this a.m. I'm hoping it just got tired, so I let it rest overnight. Fingers crossed that it works this morning. I really don't want to buy a new one.

Today is supposed to be a pretty nice day (sunny and 50 degrees), so I'm hoping to get out a little. I've discovered that if I don't get in a good walk every day, I ache in my hips at night. I could barely sleep last night for hurting. So, if the weather is decent today, I'm taking as long a walk as I can. It'll be good for me, for the dog and for Dd as we were all cooped up yesterday.

DH is ready to start snowmobiling, but the weather has been too nice! However, they're calling for snow north of us in a week or so, so he's getting set to go. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint him.

I got the shock of my life yesterday... my FIL (and you need to understand that my MIL/FIL are NOT animal people) came in and patted Dakota and then said, "She's really turned out to be a nice dog. If I had a dog, I'd want one like her." -- could have knocked me over with a feather. Seriously. So, KUDOS to Dakota for being a successful dog ambassador.

If you have a minute today, don't forget to Vote for Suzanne!

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Bloghopping and Being Frugal

In the old days a man who saved money was a miser; nowadays he's a wonder. ~Author Unknown

So... a few days ago, I asked my blog readers for some suggestions, and I got several.

Anne-Katherine said: "Most of the blogs I follow are dog/pet related lol Not sure if that is something you would be interested in."

LOL, you should know by now that my interests are wide and varied. After all, I write about dog food, poop and training on this blog, don't I? Not to mention cat behavior, vomit and kidney problems. Clearly I have an interest in pets. Bring them on! *G*

I won't have the time to go through them all today, but let me touch on a few. Incidentally, I'm thinking I might start a blog spotlight day on this blog to share new blogs I've found and talk about why I like them. Stay tuned! It probably won't start until after the first of the year (which is closer than you think... holy smokes).

For now, due to time constraints, I'm going to choose one blog from each person... I'll do more this weekend, because bloghopping is so much fun!!

Mary suggested Jill Shalvis' blog, which I HAD to go look at because I enjoy her books so much. I almost didn't get any further than Jill's blog because it was so much fun to read! She's random, which I love, and talked about... well... anything that tickled her fancy. There was a YouTube video, some pictures from a walk she took (by the Truckee River -- so pretty), an excerpt from one of her books, talk about writing and more. So, yep, added to my Google Reader.

Melissa sent me Yes I read It. It's Stupid -- which is a chapter by chapter blog on the Twilight Series by a blogger who didn't see the charm in the series. Now, I read "Twilight" and enjoyed the first book a lot, but never could get in to the rest of the series... and so didn't read it. I figure I'll watch the movies on DVD when they are out. OTOH, I know there are thousands (millions?) of rabid fangirls who adored the series (one of my LASR reviewers can be numbered amongst them), so it's amazing the spectrum of readers for it. The blog author is a hoot, and I completely enjoyed reading the blog -- BUT -- the last post is September 14 so I have to wonder if she's going to keep it up. It's a "maybe" for now. I'll add it to my Google Reader, cuz it doesn't cost anything to do so, but I don't hold on to blogs that don't update regularly.

Dru sent me Mystery Lover's Kitchen which tickled me pink. Some of my fave cozy authors write food-based books, and I like to cook (and eat!) so I was all over this link. And, I spent WAY too much time reading posts and clicking through on the recipes. This one is a MUST READ for me. So, thanks, Dru!!

Maria sent me to Genreality -- what a fantastic writing blog!! It has a diverse group of writers so you get input from every angle. We have Candace Havens, Lynn Viehl, Sasha White, Jospeh Nassise and Carrie Vaughn talking to us about writing. Another blog I could have spent hours on and one I'll plan on reading regularly (I can't say "daily" because I don't have time to read daily). They've even got timely tips on NaNoWriMo, so I know this is a place I'll check out during November's insanity. Awesome!

So... those were my first forays into your suggestions. There are more, so keep an eye open for my comments on them. AND... if you have more suggestions, send them my way! Please! Don't assume I wouldn't be interested because I'm a reader and a writer which means pretty much anything is interesting to me. I've got enough curiosity for fifty cats.

==================

In other news, Dakota has decided she doesn't like sleeping on the couch any more which is a bit of a problem. See, about halfway through the night, my bones start to get achy, so I get up. I stretch and walk around a little until they feel better, but I'm a light sleeper, so can't get BACK to sleep in my bed cuz DH is usually sawing Z's, so I wander downstairs to the couch (which is so amazingly comfy... ahhhh). The dog comes with me, and has always just curled up on the cushion at my feet. The last week or so, though, there is something about the couch that freaks her out. She'll only get up on it under duress and then only sits, tense and worried until I tell her she can get down. As a result, my sleep hasn't been all that great and I'm trying to figure out what the problem is.

Today, I'm shampooing the couch and washing the cushion covers ... maybe there's a smell I can't smell that she doesn't like. Cuz, yanno, I needed a few more chores to add to my list.

BTW, a few weeks ago, I'd talked about making refried beans. I did so, and they turned out great -- though they weren't actually "refried". All I did was cook the beans until they were really, really soft (softer than I cook them just for eating) and then mashed them with my potato masher. I used a bit of the broth I'd cooked them in to get the consistency right, and they are AWESOME. I froze them in 1 cup containers and I've since run out, so today, I'm cooking up another batch of beans to smash up and freeze again. I plan on doing a massive batch at some point, and canning them, but they'll need to be pressure canned and I'm too lazy to dig out my pressure cooker right now, lol.

So--two bags of dried beans cost me about $1 each. Count in the electricity from cooking (which wasn't that long, since I soak the beans in hot water for 2-3 hours first) and the fact that, even after DD and I raided the beans for a couple bowls apiece (so yummy with a little salsa... mmm....) I still had nine 1-cup containers in my freezer. If we hadn't raided them, I probably would have had closer to 14 cups ... for a total cost of about $4- $5 or the equivalent of $0.35 a can. Yay me.

Today, I'm dehydrating sweet potatoes to use as treats for the dog (yes, really -- they LOVE them). If I bought dried sweet potatoes, it costs about $15 a pound. I bought three HUGE sweet potatoes yesterday for $0.79/lb -- So, even adding in the cost of dehydrating (slicing and putting them in the oven at 200 degrees for a few hours) I'm still so far ahead of the game it's not funny.

I'm also making homemade crunchy dog treats. I'll make those first, and then the sweet potatoes, because after I bake the treats at 350 for 20 mins, they have to sit in the warm oven for a few hours to get crunchy, so I get two for one on the cost of the heat! *G*

====================

Rainy Days

Talkin' to myself and feelin' old
Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down. - The Carpenters

What is it about rainy days that just makes a person want to go back to bed?

Instead, I'm about to make squash pancakes (along the lines of squash bread -- before you think I'm grating squash and cooking it). It's easy to do and yummy and relatively healthy.

Just make pancake mix like you normally do. Then add cinnamon and some grated squash. You can also use grated apples or dices peaches.

I seldom make anything just plain.

In any case, today is a day for comfort food. Pancakes for breakfast, and I think I'm going to make chili for dinner, or something else that can simmer in the Crock Pot all day.

What do you do on rainy days?

========================

You Are Most at Home in the Bedroom

You're the type of person who finds sanctuary in your home. Your home is your private space. While you may be a social person outside the home, it's very rare that you invite people into your home. There's nothing like spending time alone in your bedroom - relaxing and reflecting about your day. You truly treasure your time by yourself. You need to be able to recharge every so often in order to thrive.

What Room Are You Most At Home In?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

Yeah... mostly right.

====================

Friday Food Thoughts

If we're not willing to settle for junk living, we certainly shouldn't settle for junk food. ~Sally Edwards

If junk food is the devil, then a sweet orange is as scripture. ~Audrey Foris

Yesterday on Facebook I mentioned that I'd just made food for Dakota. I had a couple folks ask if they could have some, and I commented that DD had eaten some before I pureed it. Now I wonder if there are horrified people thinking I feed my daughter dog food! LOL...

Nope.

Here's what my Dd is eating lately (keep in mind this is for nearly 2 weeks of food):

SPOT'S STEW

17 lbs chicken (or other meat)
1 3/4 c fresh, chopped garlic
7 c peas
7 c carrots
3 1/2 c pumpkin or sweet potatoes
3 1/2 c squash
3 1/2 c green beans
3 1/2 c celery
7 T rosemary
water to cover

I actually cook the meat separately and don't puree it. Sounds pretty good, huh? Smells good, too, which is why DD usually can't keep from eating a little. In the book "The Whole Pet Diet", the author actually suggests that the animal and human have dinner together. Honestly, if I ate Spot's Stew every day, I'm certain I'd be a healthier person.

As a side note: I do add supplements to the finished product -- bone meal, an oil mixture and a canine multi-vitamin/multi-mineral I get from Halo Pets.

==========================

I bought some "ice cream" last week -- a name brand that is a fave in our house. When I got it home, and actually paid attention to the label, I discovered it was not "ice cream"... nope... it was "frozen dairy dessert".

Blech.

No more milk, sugar and flavoring for them... no way, no how. Now we have all kinds of odd things in there and, to be honest, it really put me off. DH is now eating the chocolate brownie frozen dairy dessert because I can't stand the idea of putting it in my mouth.

From now on, I'm sticking to Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream. Notice how it's actually called ICE CREAM?

Do you think my behavior is weird?

It reminds me a little of "cheese food".

It's frightening when you take the time to really pay attention to the labels, isn't it?

::shivers::

=========================

Your Ice Cream Personality:

You like to think of yourself as a fairly modest person. And it's true that you don't talk yourself up... but you're also pretty happy with who you are. You are incredibly cautious. You rather miss out on something than make a mistake. No one would ever call you wild... but they would call you responsible. You are a fairly open minded person with a wide range of tastes. You are quite accepting of unusual ideas and people. You are a natural multitasker. You feel alive when you're doing more than one thing at a time. You can be a big dramatic and over the top sometimes. You are bold in every way

The Ice Cream Personality Test

Some of it yes... some of it no...

===========================

Making Dog Food

Food is an important part of a balanced diet. ~Fran Lebowitz

I'm sure this will get easier as time goes by, and that I won't end up spending the better part of a day on cooking Dakota's food. Today, though, I did.

It started with shopping. I went three places: Vitamin Shoppe, Petco and Sam's Club. And I came home with this:





As it turns out, I overbought by quite a bit. Hopefully the carrots and potatoes will keep until next weekend, when I'll do this all over again.

Next, we chopped and cooked.:





And cooked. And cooked. It took two hours for everything to be done. And then it had to cool. I put it in our winter refrigerator:



Finally, after another hour or two, it was time to puree and assemble.






And Dakota got a taste. She liked it... she really liked it. She followed us around for an hour afterward, hoping. She kept going back and licking her bowl. I think it was a hit.

Sadly, all that only made five days worth of food. I'm going for seven days next time. All I need to buy is meat, though. I have more than plenty of everything else.

====================

In other news, I figured out the sequel to "Kitchen Matches". I know, I know, I'm spread out all over the place in my writing, but this story suddenly hit me today while I was outside scooping poop (again). And, no, there is no poop involved. I even got the first line. And I know the heroine. And the hero -- it's Cori's eldest brother, Zack. And, it's going to be fun. And -- since I already know it's short (I'll shoot for about the same length as KM), it shouldn't take me long to write it.

We'll see.

Happy weekend!

=======================

Tightwad Tidbit: When Cheap isn't Less Expensive

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. Harriet Van Horne

I made Chili con Carne this weekend. I really love some spicy food and happily cooked up the beans and meat, chopped peppers and onions, added tomatoes ... and then the all important chili powder.

That particular chili powder was a life-changing spice for me. You see, being a tightwad, I tend to look for things that are least expensive... so, you'll find me shopping at places like The Christmas Tree Shop for my spices. At least, you would have until the chili powder event.

Here's what happened: My MIL took a cruise down to the Caribbean somewhere and when she came home, she brought me a gift -- a cute little basket with tiny baggies of various spices. I received ginger, cumin, three kinds of cinnamon, a whole nutmeg (with a tiny little grater), and chili powder. I thanked her and set it aside for an unbelievably long time, until one day I needed chili powder and didn't have any! I remembered the gift, opened the baggie and put in the amount called for in the recipe.

When I sat down to eat, the stuff was so spicy it was all but inedible. How can this be? I followed the directions! It's an old family recipe (tamale pie... yum) that I've made dozens of times.

And then, it occurred to me: I used really good, top quality, fresh chili powder. And because of that I needed to use less--far, far less-- than the recipe called for.

As a result, it's actually cheaper for me to buy good spices than to buy the cheap, old, flavorless ones at The Dollar Store.

So, folks: splurge! There are several places online to buy decent spices, or go to your gourmet shops in person. But, be warned, once you've used good spices, you'll never want to go back. They taste better, smell better and ARE better. So, though you may cringe at the initial cost (I know I did), it's worth every penny (and IMHO, cheaper in the long run).

Just remember... you're going to have to get used to using less. AND, you're going to need a crash course in spices because not all cinnamon (or pepper, or chili powder) is created equal. Who knew?

Where's your favorite place to get spices?

============================

You Are Cumin

You are warm, unique, and pretty dominant. It's also pretty likely that you smoke or like fire. You are energetic and intense. You definitely stimulate people.

What Spice Are You?

Hmmm... I don't smoke and have a dread fear of dying in a fire, so that part isn't right. Maybe the rest, though. Hmmm...

============================

Preparing For NaNo

The sooner I fall behind, the more time I have to catch up. ~Author Unknown

Okay... I've been making up a battleplan today on how to keep up with the things I must keep up with during November and still have time to write 1662 words a day.

Y'all will forgive me if I don't visit daily during November, right? I'll probably read your blogs on my Google reader, but actually visiting make take a back seat.

I'm going to do memes on Thursday (Thursday 13) and build them ahead of time.

I may reserve the weekends simply for word count / NaNo updates. It will, most likely, be consuming my every thought so I dont' know how much else I'll have to talk about.

I'm megacooking. Yay. One day each weekend, I'll menu plan and cook ahead as much as possible (I love my freezer).

I plan on brainstorming scenes at night as I'm getting ready to sleep (oddly, this is the best time for me to think abstract thoughts -- do you suppose it has something to do with being so tired I can't think logically?) in order to know what I'll write the following day. I already have my notepad in hand and have been jotting down extremely random thoughts about the plot. And names. An old boyfriend married a woman name Theanae. I may have to use it, or something like it, for one of my beauty queens. I have a cat and kittens (but I know their names), I may have a bull-pei pup, but I'm not certain. My neighbor owns an English bulldog who is adorable, but very high maintenance because he can't clean himself anywhere and he has lots of wrinkles that stay moist and hold dirt. Adding the "pei" to the "bull" would only make him more wrinkly.

I've practiced this week on building ALL my pages for the LASR site ahead of time, so it only takes about 20 minutes to upload each morning. So, as long as Judy gets me the info in a timely fashion, I should be good to go.

Facebook will suffer. Don't bother sending me challenges, plants, animals, hugs, pokes, flair, food, drinks, invitations or anything else. I'm going to ingnore them all.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but I'm doing my best to be ready... I even bookmarked this amazing post of Paperback Writer's about NaNo because I loved the suggestions!

Two days to go.

Dear Heavens.




==============================

Why do you suppose my DD took these pictures?




Speaking of DD, she's finally feeling human again. Thank heavens.

===============================

And the Winnah is....

"There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't and that's a wife who can't cook and will." - Robert Frost

First prize of a free PDF copy of "Kitchen Matches" is: NUMBER TWO - Anita!

GRAND PRIZE of a free PDF copy of "Kitchen Matches" & a $5 Amazon.com gift certificate is: NUMBER SEVEN - Dru!

Email me (authormariannearkins AT gmail DOT com) from the email address you'd like to receive your prizes at, and I'll get them out to you.

Funny thing was, nearly every vote said something like -- I've done things like that... so, why didn't you SEND THEM IN?? You could be reading my story right now.

Remember, though, if you didn't win, "Kitchen Matches" is on sale tomorrow from Samhain Publishing.

YAY!

===============================


1. What is the last thing you attempted to quit? How did you do it and were you successful?

I tried to quit being a lazy slug and overeating... I failed miserably. I'm still working on it...

2. Are you a roller coaster sort of person (impulsive, takes chances, likes to live in the fast lane), or a merry-go-round sort of person (slow, steady, predictable, peaceful)? This is an excellent excuse to do a little self-analysis!

Okay... this one is tough. I am NOT impulsive, I do NOT like to take chances (much)... but... I don't think I'm predictable and peaceful either. So, maybe I'm the Tilt-o-Whirl? Or the Scrambler?

3. Have you ever worn your slippers, or pajamas, in public? If so, when and why? If not, would you ever consider leaving your house looking less than your best? What do you think of people who do so? (Be honest, we all judge on some level).

When I was in high school, all of us drama students would meet at Dennys restaurant every few weeks, at night, and share cheese fries and coffee (because that was back before there were free refills on soda -- blame Dennys for my coffee habit). We always wore pajamas. In fact, when we went to Anaheim for the thespian festival, there was a Dennys next door to our hotel, and we all went in our jammies -- except the teacher (party pooper, lol).

And, I absolutely leave the house looking less than my best. OTOH, I try not to look like too much of a slob (except once, I was gardening, and I needed something -- and I didn't want to shower and change, go get it, come back and get filthy again... so I went to Agway looking a mess). I do think that today's society has gotten a little lackadaisical in their public appearance. Pajamas aren't a joke, they're regular daywear. Ironing? Never... who cares if your clothes look like they were wadded up wet and shoved in a corner.

It's a shame that folks don't seem to care AT ALL how they look anymore.

4. If you could go back and tell your 13-year-old self one thing about the future, what would you say?

Don't be stupid and move out of state. Stay in California. Forever.

Okay, there are other things I'd say, but if you think I'm confessing all on my public blog, you're nuts. Sorry.

==================================

In Pillar Place 2008:

We hatched two butterflies yesterday, but one of them was NOT right. He was behaving in very odd ways and eventually just flopped to the ground and stuck his behind up in the air and laid there. Guess who ended up in the freezer? Again. DD was distraught.

Today, weather permitting, we will have another butterfly funeral. Our milkweed garden is going to look like Flanders Field at this rate.

Still, we did have one healthy one and will release him today -- it rained all yesterday afternoon, so he had to stay in the box. He was NOT a happy butterfly, but he would have been less happy going out in the pouring rain.

Only four or five more to go.

==================================

Time To Vote!

Cooking Rule: If at first you don't succeed... order pizza. - Anonymous

Okay... I have to admit that I had hopes for more entries. However, I think you'll find plenty to smile about with these. They are posted exactly as they came to me (with names omitted, if they were included). Send your votes (using the # at the beginning of each story) to: authormariannearkins (AT) gmail (DOT) com.

The person with the highest number of votes gets a copy of "Kitchen Matches" one day before it releases AND a $5 gift certificate. The person with the second highest number of votes gets a copy of "Kitchen Matches" one day before it releases. What a deal.

Now... don't you wish YOU had entered?

And... they're off!

==========================

NUMBER ONE

I’m a terrible cook. Seriously, there have been so many accidents, it’s hard to pick just one. But, recently, I was preheating the oven and I noticed that the oven needed cleaning. So I grabbed the Windex and some paper towels. As soon as I wiped the inside of the oven, the paper towel caught on fire. Thank God for all those years of softball. I tossed the the fire ball into the sink before I dropped it.

===========================

NUMBER TWO

Twas a lovely , but chilly early Maine spring day that found (mom) with a hankering for chicken pie. Step one: Skin a whole chicken and put it in a pot of water to simmer until tender. (mom) placed a carefully prepared plump bird in the pot and switched the burner on. She was washing her hands when (dad) came bouncing into the room.

"You got some time? There's a car for sale in the parking lot of the antique store in Skowhegan. It's a Camry wagon and it sounds perfect!"

Their beloved VW Jetta had just been recently totalled by a rear-end collision and they were in dire need of a suitable replacement.

"Just let me grab my sweater!" (mom) headed for the garage and (dad) told the kids, B. (aged 11) and M. (aged 9) that they'd be out for a bit. The kids were reasonably responsible and trustworthy. Surely they'd be fine for the hour or so this errand would take.

Fast-forward about an hour and a half.

In the midst of a long, leisurely test drive, (mom) suddenly developed a vague uneasy feeling. Had she forgotten something?

"Honey," she said anxiously. "I'm not sure, but I think I started some chicken cooking before we left. Yes, yes, I'm sure of it. Oh my word! That was almost an hour and a half ago!"

"Oh, it'll be alright. B. knows how to cook a bit. She would know to turn off the stove if the pot gets to boiling too vigorously."

Surely she would...but they hurried home anyway.

They pulled into the driveway to see BILLOWS of acrid white smoke pouring out of the open windows. (Dad) and (mom) looked swiftly at the field across the street where the family was supposed to meet if there was a house fire; no kids! They must be inside! PANIC!!!!!

They ripped the kitchen door open with no regard for their own personal safety. The enamel pot on the stove was glowing red and had flames shooting up 3 to 4 feet toward the ceiling. Thank God it was 100 year old house with 10 foot ceilings! (Dad) grabbed a wad of pot holders, seized the flaming metalware and threw it outside into an unmelted snow bank.

In the meantime, (mom) raced into the living room to find B. and M. squatting down low on the floor, coughing fitfully as they played Sorry.

"THE WHOLE HOUSE IS (cough) FILLED WITH SMOKE AND WAS ABOUT TO (cough, cough) BURN DOWN!!! WE'VE BEEN HAVING FIRE (cough) DRILLS FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS!!! WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING (cough, gag) IN HERE PLAYING SORRY? SORRY, OF ALL THINGS! (cough, cough) YOU'RE GONNA BE SORRY WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU!!! WHAT WERE YOU (cough, hack) THINKING????????????"

M.'s watery eyes went wide and B. looked up sheepishly, "We thought it was steam...so we opened the windows to let it out."

"IDIOTS! MY CHILDREN ARE IDIOTS!!! GET OUT! OUT! OUT! BEFORE YOU SUFFOCATE!"

The house was saved, the kids were safe (albeit a bit "burned" by their mother's wrath and fear), but dinner was Pizza Hut.

===============================

NUMBER THREE

I have two cooking disasters:

1. My first meal as a bride. (Mind you, I was only 18.) I wanted my husband's
beer to remain cold, so I put it over ice. Unfortunately, this ruins the beer.
Also, we were young & broke & only had the 1.

2. I decided to try out a new recipe for a burgundy stew in my crock pot, which
calls for 1/2 bottle of good red wine. Unfortunately, a crockpot does not heat
up enough to cook the alcohol out of the wine, so we ended up with wine stew.
We both tried very hard to eat it, my husband is such a doll & didn't want to
hurt my feelings. Finally, we gave up, tossed it out & ordered pizza.

==================================

NUMBER FOUR

Mine is actually my sisters.

She was about 11 years old and she and her friend decided to make candles from scratch. However she forgot to have the water below. She burned half the kitchen. She had been told before this that she was suppose to do this with supervision. My Mom was out of town and for once my Dad actually came over to help with this disaster.

===================================

NUMBER FIVE

My worst cooking disaster was back in 1983, when I got my first microwave. I didn't really know much about them then. I was going to poach some eggs in it, but didn't know that you were suppose to puncture the yolks first. So my eggs exploded and blew open the microwave door. I spent the rest of the day not only cleaning egg out of the microwave, but off the floor, walls and ceiling. I've never made that mistake again, but I also lost my taste for poached eggs and haven't ate any since. Of course my husband will not let me forget it, and he keeps reminding me over and over though the years. But the most embarrassing thing is he has to tell the story to everyone he knows.

=====================================

NUMBER SIX

Here's my worst cooking disaster and hope you enjoy it:

I made a M & M cookie cake for my daughter’s birthday and unfortunately, I put too much cookie dough into one round pizza pan, forgetting it would expand. Also I think it was a smaller pan than I had usually used for this recipe. The dough oozed over the pan edges onto the bottom of the oven and caught on fire. I had to put out the fire and remove the burnt dough and try to get the smell out of the kitchen.

But you know what, that was the best tasting cookie cake ever! My kids said I should always have a fire underneath to bake future cookie cakes.

=======================================

NUMBER SEVEN

The scenario is I was preparing a family meal with all the works. The last thing I had to do was wash, season and then roast the chicken.

After I finished washing, seasoning, I put it on the oven and since I was so tired that I took a nap and when I woke up, I realized that I never turned the oven on and I had less than 90 minutes to get everything done.

So in my sleepiness, I reasoned that if it takes roughly 90 minutes to roast a chicken at 350 degrees, then it should take less time if I roast it at 500 degrees. Yes, that's exactly what I did.

In the meantime, I set the table - made it all pretty. Put all the dishes on the table for easy removal to their plates. I kept checking on the chicken and it was getting browned and it smelled great. Never once did I check the chicken with a fork or a food thermometer.

The time arrived when my family came and we chatted and it was time to eat our meal. Everyone commented on the delicious aroma of the chicken. How it looked good and they couldn't wait to eat it. I carried the roasted chicken to the center of the table where it was admired. My uncle had the privilege of cutting into the chicken.

Can you guess what happened? The knife wouldn't go all the way through. The. chicken. was. not. done. It. still. had. the. filmy. thing. It wasn't fair, everything looked good. Except that darn chicken.

This was the first and last time I prepared any big meal for my family and myself.

===================================

NUMBER EIGHT

Failing to follow instruction might be the classic path to a kitchen disaster, but my worst kitchen disaster by far happened one cold late autumn evening when, intending to comfort a small group of friends with a spicy gumbo made with shrimp, andouille sausage, and chicken, I did exactly as my recipe indicated and added two TABLESPOONS of fresh cayenne to my simmering stew. The effect of that much red pepper hitting the steamy liquid -- like misting the room with pepper spray -- was immediate. We coughed, wheezed, and sneezed, choked and gasped. Our eyes watered. Our fingers sweat. We opened the windows, opened the doors, started all the exhaust fans. The neighbors complained. We heard people cough just coming up the stairs.

We ate the gumbo, tears streaming from our eyes. It was that good.
---------
So that was my worst kitchen disaster. Unless it was the time I was making a roast chicken dinner for my boyfriend's boss & his wife, and the chicken caught fire in the oven. Who knew it was so important to keep the oven clean?
-------
Or the time I invited friends over for an Indian meal after work. Just a little something, a spicy curry, a sweet curry, a lentil dish, a couple of chutneys, and homemade flatbreads. I started working on it at 5:30 and I think I finished chopping all the vegetables by 9:00. The gin was gone by 9:30. Someone went out for more & returned with both gin and some chips. People played music. Talked. Wandered into the kitchen, asked how dinner was coming. Went out into the living room and ate more chips. We finally ate around 11:00. I don't know if it was really a great meal, or if everyone was just in a great mood because of all the gin, but everyone seemed happy. The next time the urge struck for a complicated ethnic meal, though, I made sure to order out.

================================

OKAY FOLKS... VOTE, VOTE, VOTE...

:-)

Cookies

“A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand." -- Author Unknown

What better thing to do when you're trapped inside from MORE RAIN, and already bumming because the critters are eating your plants?

BAKE COOKIES!!

DD and I couldn't decide what kind sounded better and DH can't make decisions (no, really, I'm NOT JOKING), so we made...

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies
(yummies for the indecisive person)

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the peanut butter, water and vanilla. Combine the flour and baking soda, stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an unprepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cookies are lightly toasted on the edges. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on wire racks.

***Now...***

Because I never, never ever make a recipe exactly as written, here are the changes I made:

1. I doubled the peanut butter (and if you use chunky peanut butter, it's even better).

2. I omitted the water.

3. I used multi-grain flour (I finally ground the grain I have, so I used flour from brown rice, oat groats and quinoa -- it LOOKS white, so my DH will eat what I bake. He won't eat stuff from whole wheat, so I fool him. Muh-ha-ha...)

4. I cut the sugar in half.

5. And, because I doubled the peanut butter, I cut back on the butter and used 1/2 cup.

6. I also cooked them for 14 minutes.

They are YUMMY!!! Even DH ate four with a glass of milk... and yes, you will need something to drink, these are not light, fluffy cookies. They have substance.

Enjoy!

============================

Pillar Place 2008 update:

ALL of the dill pillars are now pupa's -- one of them, clearly not so bright, made its pupa on the dill stem. I don't think that stem is going to last 10 - 14 days, so I'm considering what to do. Stupid pillar...

All but the two tiny parsley pillars we have are pupa or on walkabout. One of those pillars made its pupa on a parsley stem -- BUT, unlike the dill, the parsley stem just gets brown and woody when it gets old (the parsley had bolted, so the stems are a good half inch or more in diameter). Still, clearly I don't have the brightest pillars in the world.

Our first pupa, Bubba, should be hatching into a butterfly this week. I sure hope the rain stops!!!

==========================

You Are 76% Tortured Genius

You are smart. Brilliant in fact. And while it's a blessing, it's also a curse. Your head is filled with everything - grand ideas, insufferable worries, and a good deal of angst.

Are You a Tortured Genius?

Ya see... Ahm brilliant! *G*