Garden Update/Macarons:

It was over 70 degrees this weekend, so the hubby and I felt motivated to ready the gardens over the past two days. We picked up sticks (we's got lots o sticks out here in the sticks-- 10 + loads full!), raked out and cleaned the perennial garden debris (5 loads full), tilled the kitchen gardens and the large garden patches.. I planted onions, garlic, shallots, beans, peas, spinach, and mesculin/spicy salad mix. I'm sore, sunburned, and feel 100% better, btw.
On a completely unrelated side note:
I made some macarons, and had very little difficulty (unless you count the dog eating a whole tray of them,.. damn!). The cookies turned out perfectly, and they were fabulous with a lightly almond/vanilla infused Italian buttercream (they were overstuffed since I had 1/3 less cookies to frost-- double stuffed macarons.....mmmmmmm). I'm going to try and make espresso macarons tonight, with a little bit of coconut flour in place of some of the almond (since I've conquered the mighty macaron, of course it's time to mess with the 200 year old recipe, wiseass that I am...) Husband says I need a new hobby vs making the most fussy recipes I can find, and I suspect he's right. I told him we needed a POOL, and that could be my new hobby vs the ass fattening one I currently have. I think he secretly wished my new hobby would include being a domestic goddess in other realms (cleaning the house daily, making gourmet dinners each and every night, martini and maribou slippers when he gets home from work each day...), but sorry dude, no such luck. I'll take a pool, and then the endless batches of cupcakes and French pastries will end. At least in the summer.

Espresso Macarons :
120 gr. egg whites, divided (this ends up being 4 egg whites total)
35 gr. sugar
150 gr. almond meal
150 gr. powdered sugar
2 tsp. espresso powder
For the syrup:150 gr. sugar and 50 gr. water

Prepare 3 sheet pans by lining them with parchment paper.Have a piping bag with a 1/2" round tip ready to go.
Sift together the almond meal, powdered sugar and espresso powder. Mix together with 60 grams of egg whites (2 egg whites) until well blended and set aside.
In a stand mixer, whip the remaining 60 grams of egg whites with the 35 grams of sugar to medium-soft peaks, turn the mixer to low speed to keep the whites moving while you prepare your sugar syrup.
-In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring the 150 grams of sugar and 50 grams of water to about 230f.
-Turn your mixer back up to medium speed and slowly pour in the hot syrup (carefully) not worrying about any that sticks to the sides of the bowl. Whip the egg white and syrup mixture until the whites are cooled and you have a very pretty shiny meringue.
-Gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture.-Pipe the mixture into 1" circles onto the prepared sheet pans leaving at least 1" of space between each.
Let the pans sit out for about half hour to an hour to allow a "skin" to form on top (basically when you touch your finger to the surface, no batter will come off).
-Preheat oven to 320f (I found 320f to be too hot for mine, they exploded at this temperature...but then my oven runs hot).
Bake the meringues, one sheet at a time (double sheet panned for insulation on the bottom) for about 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool before filling.

Ganache filling:
6 1/2 ounces good quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into about 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp corn syrup
1 Tbsp butter
-Heat cream, corn syrup and butter in a saucepan until it boils. Pour over the chocolate, making sure the chocolate is covered in the cream mixture. Let sit about 5 minutes and then whisk until the mixture is smooth and a pudding-like consistency.
-Pipe on bottoms of macarons, and top with another macaron.
-Let cookies sit until chocolate filling has set up.

Basic Macaron Recipe:

Ingredients
225 grams icing sugar
125 grams ground almonds
110 grams egg whites (about 4), aged overnight at room temperature
30 grams granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
Procedure
1. On three pieces of parchment, use a pencil to draw 1-inch (2.5 cm) circles about 2 inches apart. Flip each sheet over and place each sheet on a baking sheet. [Note: You only have to draw circles on the parchment paper if you want absolutely even-sized macarons. If you're skilled with piping and don't mind eyeballing the amount of batter per cookie, skip this step.]
2. Push almond flour through a tamis or sieve, and sift icing sugar. Mix the almonds and icing sugar in a bowl and set aside. If the mixture is not dry, spread on a baking sheet, and heat in oven at the lowest setting until dry. Sift almonds at least TWICE.
3. In a large clean, dry bowl whip egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar. Continue to whip to stiff peaks—the whites should be firm and shiny.
4. With a flexible spatula, gently fold in icing sugar mixture into egg whites until completely incorporated. The mixture should be shiny and 'flow like magma.' When small peaks dissolve to a flat surface, stop mixing.
4. Fit a piping bag with a 3/8-inch (1 cm) round tip. Pipe the batter onto the baking sheets, in the previously drawn circles. Tap the underside of the baking sheet to remove air bubbles. Let dry at room temperature for 1 or 2 hours to allow skins to form.
5. Bake, in a 160C/325F oven for 10 to 11 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door slightly ajar, and rotate the baking sheet after 5 minutes for even baking.
6. Remove macarons from oven and transfer parchment to a cooling rack. When cool, slide a metal offset spatula or pairing knife underneath the macaron to remove from parchment.
7. Pair macarons of similar size, and pipe about 1/2 tsp of the filling onto one of the macarons. Sandwich macarons, and refrigerate to allow flavors to blend together. Bring back to room temperature before serving.

Italian Buttercream:

-2 egg whites (60 mL)
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 oz (½ cup) unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into slices
- 1 tsp vanilla
-1/2 tsp almond extract

In an electric mixer bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and heat the mixture, whisking often, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it feels warm and sugar has dissolved.Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer and whip warm egg mixture on high speed using the whisk attachment until stiff and shiny, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the butter, one slice at a time, and continue to mix until all the butter is thoroughly incorporated. Add any flavourings and refrigerate for 1 hour or until it becomes firm. The buttercream can be kept, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week. (I just heated the sugar with 1 tb water until it registered 230 degrees on the candy thermometer, and poured the hot syrup into the eggs that were beaten until soft peaks with a dash o cream of tartar; whip about 5 minutes and add vanilla/almond and then the butter) If the frosting looks curdled, just keep whipping it until it becomes smooth, btw...

UPDATE:
I made the espresso macarons using the recipe above, and I had problems with it. Some of the cookies cracked, while others didn't, some developed "feet", others didn't, and for some reason, a whole pan refused to bake all the way and were still gooey inside, even after baking 5+ more minutes than the others... odd. It was pretty darn random, totally didn't make sense...
I had much better success with the basic recipe, not 100% sure why-- maybe it was the 2 tb of coconut I substituted for a little bit of almond meal, which I would NOT do again, I just couldn't get the coconut fine enough and it was a little mealy, even tho it was tasty. The coffee flavor was good, but I could easily have added more espresso powder.
I added a tb of espresso powder to the ganache, which turned out perfectly-- great recipe! I let it sit out at room temp for about an hour to get it to piping consistency, and it was excellent.
Overall, not a bad cookie, just not as "macaron" like as the basic one.
I pledged off baking until I could lose a wee bit o the winter weight I gained, but I slipped and made a quick batch today (didn't age the egg whites, only ground/sifted the almonds once-- hope they turn out!), I'm such an addict!

Books I'm Reading:

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb-- totally encompasses my freaky world view of randomness and the benefit of "not knowing", yet knowing... (ya know?)
Ageless by Suzanne Somers (suprisingly not lame)
Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez
Farm Sanctuary by Gene Baur
The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman (second time thru)
Project Renewment by Bernice Bratter and Helen Dennis
How Starbucks Changed My Life by Michael Gates Gill-- very inspirational, quite a bit like my work philosophy
It's Not About the Coffee by Howard Behar (these two books make me crave coffee in the WORST way, wonder if it's all part of the great corporate scheme to make us all addicts...)
Prescription for Nutritional Health by Phyllis Balch
Being here by Ariel Kane (totally non New-Agey, very nice book)
Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee: why does the quest for self involve so much angst? I can totally relate, sadly. This book made me long for all things French and introduced me to a new cooking challenge: Macarons http://www.laduree.fr/ Sadly, I can only live vicariously thru the pages of this book, but it at least got me dreaming again...

Movies:
Juno: loved it! Reminded me of a young me, in all my snarky verbiosity. I only wish I was as selfless...
Last King of Scotland-- fascinating, not at all unexpected: another affirmation of the great good and incredible evil we are all capable of, given the circumstances. The question: who will *I* be when the shit goes down? As Bob as my Witless, I will die a good person, even if it is from a single gunshot to the head.
Stardust, dorky favorite of all new movies..

p.s. I scored an opportunity for DD to shadow with the local coroner for a day.. am I the very best mother in the world, or what? Of course, I'm going to go, too-- yippee! Score one for pushy moms with no shame...

Goofy

I guess if I had to use one word to describe myself, it would be "goofy":

1. I sign up for stuff in a flurry of excitement, convince myself that I really want to go inspite of much evidence to the contrary, and then at the last minute I don't want to go.


2. I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to please strangers but then blow off my family.


3. I shun real life relationships in favor of back-and-forth single paragraph blog-friendships.


4. I spend a ton of $$ to pursue things I really don't want (see #1, i.e gyms, classes, etc).


5. I volunteer for things and then don't show up (the guilt is a killer, but obviously less than the effort it takes to just show up and get involved).


6. I join groups that I know I won't fit in to to hang out with people I have nothing in common with, who I know will ultimately reject me (makes sense, no?).


7. I go to church when it bores me to tears, hate singing (in public, for all the world to see-- worse than standing there in my underwear), and am fearful of the nice people..


8. I somehow end up taking New Age classes and am then completely weirded out by how creepy and lost the people are-- and offended at their disdain for my beliefs. Why is it that sooooo many of them have completely absent/vacuous eyes, as if they have no soul?


9. I complain about having nothing to do but then sit on my ASS when I have plenty of time to get out and whip up an adventure (usually on the computer).

Etc and etc... I could go on forever.

I also realized when speaking with someone the other day that *nothing* in my life fits together:
I'm a:

• fairly conservative Christian (+/-) who loves yoga, swears like a sailor, and adores most everything else no one in my church likes (art, dirty movies on HBO... and martinis!)


• nurse who believes in alternative medicine, accupuncture, supports not vaccinating, etc


• conservative politically with a longstanding interest in protecting the environment, organic farming, alternative energy, etc and etc.
  Boo.
  
  And if all this weren't goofy enough, apparently someone I've recently gotten to know has me pegged as a baby stalker/snatcher:
  I chatted back and forth with this gal via e-mail for weeks; I offered support and assistance with my background as a nursery nurse for her concerns regarding nursing, etc --even met twice for lunch and chatted in person for several *hours*. We seemed to have quite a bit in common.
  But now that the baby's come, she tells me that her husband doesn't want me talking with her any longer; she's not interested in pursuing a friendship and doesn't want me to come and see the baby or e-mail her anymore...
  
  As if!
  
  I used to get *paid* to visit moms and babies at home, and never once had a hankering to steal, pinch, or otherwise cast an evil eye at a single one (knowing what troublesome little critters they are, and what they rapidly become has been a good deterrent). That, and it's fairly well known that I am not exactly a "baby person"; I've come to see them after so many years as a nursery nurse as, well, WORK. I'm not going to trip over myself and beg anyone to hold their baby... they all kindof look the same to me and are fairly unpredictable, wiley little creatures whose moms can do all the cooing and holding, TYVM, at least until the're about 3 and start running and jumping and talking and capable of more fun times than just crying and pooping.
  Goofy.
  I even made a super cute hand-sewed bacon n eggs bib and had the blogging ladies sign a card, but I guess I can file those away until I can find another pregnant woman to stalk and harass with my offers of trained support, friendship, and handmade gifts. Egads!
  I always thought the polite thing to do when trying to dissuade a friendship that isn't going anywhere was to not answer e-mails, phone calls, etc-- not send a creepy "Dear John my husband doesn't want me talking to you in case you're a serial killer cleverly disguised as a nurse who also happened to attend the same church I do". WHAT-everrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
  An average of 1-2 e-mails a week does not a stalker make, but it just feels strange to have someone react to you in this manner, as if you committed some huge faux pas instead of trying to be nice and make a new friend. I guess that's the risk you take when you start meeting people on the scary in-tra-net.
  But in this instance, I think she's the goofy one-- n'est pas?
  Really tho, I didn't need another nice, Christian gal to bluntly refuse to associate with me-- and another Grace (church) lady at that!
  Those women must truly be able to see me for what I REALLY am: a fairly normal person who refuses to pretend or perpetute the illusion that I'm perfect (a serious crime, I know, but one I've paid the price for in every MOPS group I've joined, Bible study, retreat, mother-daughter campout, and small group I've participated in since becoming a deeply flawed Christian. Anyhoodle).
  I suppose I should move on, before I give you the impression that my feelings are hurt... (Totally not appropriate, I know...)

On a side note, I've learned so much about myself in the last two years, it isn't even funny:
Some tidbits, mostly work related--

• I don't like office nursing. I don't like catering to all the return patients, the endless phone calls, med refills, etc and etc. I love the variety and fast pace of hospital nursing, where you see new faces quickly, over and over again.



• I don't like working all sorts of different places. I want to establish a routine with set hours, days, work duties. I'm sick of having 3 different things to learn and do, with different shifts to adjust to.



• My kids need more responsibilities
  



• I am sooo spoiled with my pool wage that I'll face any permanent position with trepidation, as it would mean a significant pay cut.
  



• I would only like to work THREE days per week at best. I function so much better and have greater home/work balance when I follow this.



• I *hate* sit down jobs where I have open ended responsibilities-- I am not good at self direction and tend to flounder about in aimlessness all day.



• I NEED TO WORK. Being home every now and again is very helpful to get stuff done about the house, but it tends to make me melancholy--neurotic, even. I was feeling pretty blue this am, but after being at work for an hour or so and forced to be perky and friendly, I completely forgot about being bummed and felt 100 times better... cheaper than therapy, and pays better, too. I noticed quite a few staff were cranky this morning, too. Must be the weather... I dread going to work in theory, but in practice it's usually better than being home all by my lonesome, surrounded by things I probably should be doing (but probably won't, tee hee).



• I really don't like doing things by myself, except shopping-- that I prefer to do alone.



• I don't want any more things in my life I have to take care of. That includes gardens, animals/pets, plants, and, of course, children (see "baby snatcher" post above).



• I have too damn many hobbies; I am strangely talented at a great many things, but not exceedingly good at ANYTHING. Some people have a passion for cooking, sewing, knitting... I'm pretty darn good at all those things and more, but have no great passion or talent for any one thing in particular. Jack of all trades, master of none (in my private life as well as at work, go figure...) . Is it a gift-- or a curse?



• I adore my husband, the super handsome guy I'm fortunate to be able to sleep with whenever I am (or HE's) awake enough to.



• I am not so worried about my kids as I let on; I think they're actually pretty smart, level headed people and will end up just FINE. I'm the one that's overreacting most of the time, while they behave like normal children.

Women Were Not Meant to Work This Hard:

This week has been hellacious, to say the least. I don't know what's going on in the world, but people were having emergency GI procedures all week, gumming up an already crazy schedule. I was schitzo woman at work, of course, being fully unprepared to work so hard after being off an entire week. But then I was the walking dead the moment I got home and had a few moments to unwind from the chaos of the day, fully able to sit and pee and eat something (but not all at once, well, maybe)...
The kids were off all week for spring break, and were bored to tears since I took the internet away whilst I was gone at work (do you remember being a kid and being bored? I would get lost in the woods and build a fort, catch frogs, or pull out the cookbooks and whip up something tasty and messy-- we lived in booneyland as kids and had no cable, no VCR, no neighbors, and I was rarely BORED). But of course the moment I got home, everyone was expecting to be fed, entertained, transported... laundry had to be done, meals prepared, library books returned...
It really bites that women these days are expected to be the breadwinners *and* still perform each and every womanly function about the household, as if she had been there all day and *not* cleaning up vomit and poop, dragging beds and patients around and starting IV's for eight hours before coming home. My husband make dinner one night that I refused to (I was deaddog tired, and ready to kill someone after finding all the items of MINE that the dog destroyed while the kids were mired in boredom, so I took a little nap), so instead of making a proper meal, he makes PIZZA. I made homemade enchiladas, stuffed peppers, etc this week, and dude slips by with PIZZA (hey, at least it's not WENDY'S, another guy favorite) and the kids revel in his manly awesomeness while Mom just looks like a slacker. Anyhoo.
Women really got the shaft in this day and age, and I've bought into it hook like and sinker... bummer.

Triumph over Geekdom:

Having lived and travelled with the Renaissance Faire, I have a special fondness for snarkiness towards people who have voluntarily chosen to live in an alternate reality (not to be confused with those whose delusions are only controllable with medication).

This clip makes me laugh soooo hard, with much snorting, cackling, and shouts from my kids to be quiet. My head even hurts a little...

=
Triumph The Insult Comic Dog - Star Wars
by ZaraV

Lazy Day:

I was off all week again, running around like a crazy person (running in circles, primarily)... but today I dragged my butt out of bed at 6am to head off to work at 7.
In the meantime, the sky opened up for no good reason and has been steadily dumping scads of snow upon our beloved spring, such that it is no longer recognizable-- boo.
Yesterday I was hanging out in a t-shirt, contemplating a motorcycle ride, today my feet are blocks of ice after stepping into an impressive snowbank with my work clogs on. Brrrrrrrr!
As such, I'm hanging out in bed with the heater turned WAAAAAAY up in hopes of thawing out the tootsies. I'm wide awake (loves me those new vitamins, good good stuff!), not a nap in sight, but it's refreshing to be chilling out doing not so much vs the frantic rush of "finding something to do", over and over again. In fact, as a testament to my laziness, I have discovered a new training activity for the dog, one I'll bet you'd never find it the training manuals: Maggie has forgotten how to play fetch over the winter, so I'm lounging in bed tossing bits of cheezy pops (the organic kind, as if it matters...) out into the hallway, using the "back" command. How very industrious, to use my slacker time to train the dog. See, if there was ever a way to be lazy *and* productive, I knew I'd find it;-)

Things That are a Gigantic Waste of $$:

1) Joining gyms/health clubs. It's fun for a while, but then the GUILT is a killer, esp when you only go once a week.
2) Getting $30 hair rinses.
3) Expensive hobbies, such as $80++ maple syrup equipment that leads to a $12 quart of syrup.
4) Private school for your resident non -scholar (this one is debatable)
5) Conferences like BOW, etc. I am so not the joiner/participator.
6) Blockbuster movies. Hellllooooo, movies from the li-ba-rar-y are FREE.
7) Endless blogging on the JT site (not exactly a waste of $, but energy; time better spent living life instead of reflecting on it to a faceless audience)

I'm sure there's more... I'll have to add to it as life hands me more examples:-)

Books:

I've decided to chronicle the books I'm reading, if only to amuse myself at a later date as to the direction of my folly; I'm guessing it'll follow the same paths it has for many a moon: health, food, humor, death.
Par example:
Fast Track One day Detox Diet, Ann Louise Gittleman
Ageless, Suzanne Somers
Passionate Vegetarian, Crescent Dragonwagon
Prescription for Dietary Wellness, Phyllis A. Balch
101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body, Brenda Lane Richardson and Elane Rehr
The Sweet Potato Queens Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit, Jill Conner Browne
The Bone Woman, Clea Koff

Movies I'm watching:
Mr and Mrs Smith
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (a repeat, I loved this movie)
August Rush
Gone Baby Gone

March 15, cont.

I had a luv-er-lee day, spending 5 *freaking* hours at the Vicci salon with ms. gracy pants getting her $80 'do. Sheesh! I got a $30 color rinse that I could have paid a whole $8 from the Walgreens for, but I guess it was nice to have a hand and scalp massage, probably made it worth the cost:-) I loves me some pampering! I also had the great fun of picking up a super cool piece of Redwing pottery, a very odd looking vase from the 50's. It's slightly broken, but still the coolest $1.99 vase I've seen in a long time. Besides, it saves me and mine the trouble of breaking it, a highly likely inevitability.
I'm in the midst of wathing a really nice movie, "August Rush"; it's a sweet tale about hope in the midst of brokenness. Life should always have happy endings.
The snow is almost gone (no love lost there), so I *finally* spread the 5 gallon bucket of prairie seeds I harvested in the fall back into the prairie in hopes that it will snow at least once more to press them down into the soil. It's funny, tho-- since the snow is gone, I can see the seed heads I broadcast *before* the snow fell (and we had a LOT), and they look as if they were never buried at all for months under the tremedous weight of the winter. I just hope that the seeds don't get croaked in the cold, frosty weather that's sure to come at least a few more times, but I just can't imagine that it would happen... the other seeds live under the snow and do great. Maybe I should mow them in to break up the seedheads and get them closer to the soil? Who knows...I'm surely no botanist...
Hey!
I broke down and bought some maple tapping supplies the other day-- as if I can't get myself more deeply in debt:-( Jacob expressed an interest in tapping the 20 some trees on our property, and who am I to squelch a fleeting childhood curiosity? Lord knows I'm still full of them myself, as much as I try to pretend I'm old and cynical... Jake was none too thrilled, as I'm sure he saw this as one more strange thing I'll wrangle him into against his will (poor guy;-) But it'll be fun. And even tho we only have silver maples, I know our syrup will be tasty.
And ours.
Which is the coolest thing of all...
I also finally got around to mucking out the chicken coop, poor stinky girls. I don't have any idea *why* the coop would be soooooo caked with wet bedding, but it is. And it was HARD to scrape out of there... I love cleaning the coop, I love being outside, especially in weather like today's: Jacob rode his bike, jumped on the trampoline, went for a walk with ms. maggie-- me, I picked up slimy mountains of dog poop that were once buried by the snow and shoveled chicken nasties, but I couldn't have been more thrilled to be doing it.
I LOVE SPRING!
(I'd love living in Austin better, but I'll take whatever bonuses of living in the north that I can in an effort to keep from losing my mind in the interim until I become a resident of the south again as God intended...)
I'm off all of next week, unless I get called in. Here's to hoping I can get the Austin account down in my time off, here's to more fantastic vegetarian cooking. I made some (natural) chicken stir fry with a coconut-peanut sauce tonight with asian veggies and bean thread noodles. I thought I had soba noodles left in the cupboard, but they magically disappeared, boo. The bean noodles were interesting, almost looked like something that would crawl out somebody's butt (sorry! I really am...), but once you blocked that unpleasant thought from your mind, they weren't too bad. Probably have NO nutritional value, but didn't make you gag otherwise;-O
ttfn, Lillith Lunch tomorrow with the blogging gals-- here's to hoping none are axe murderers (which would suck).

March 15

The weather's been quite nice these past few days, upper 40's, low 50's... the massive piles of snow have been melting quickly, turning the yard into these odd, floating, glacier type structures (the water is flowing underneath the ice, never seen that before).
The gardens were finally exposed, and a bit of ground heave must have happened-- some of the bulbs are completely out of the ground, and quite a few are already sending up shoots. It looks like the daffodills were already blooming at the end of this month, but no obvious signs of the daffs coming up just yet.
We lost a chicken a couple weeks ago during our Austin trip; too bad she couldn't hang on for the warmer weather. She was one of the older girls, I'm surprised we haven't lost more of them this year.
Steak and BJ day was a huge success! We went to the meat market out in Elkhorn yesterday at the LAST minute to pick up some localy raised steaks. They were *by far* the best steaks we have ever eaten, bar none! Jake barely grilled them, so they were quite rare, and they cut like butter and tasted divine. I also bought a large bag of meat, burger and etc, I'm looking forward to some juicy burgers, my long time arch nemesis of vegetarianism. I'll have to stop back up in a few weeks and pick up some more; hopefully I can convince Jake to make the leap and get 1/4 cow for the freezer. Otherwise, nooooo more meat for this girl, I'm moving towards a more vegetarian diet anyway... I just can't support such a toxic industry for a product I barely like, anyway.

2 Variations on a Theme/Enchiladas:

I am *desperate* to get my account of our trip to Austin on the blog; here's to hoping that I get around to it before I FORGET some of the finer details.... (of course, I could always make stuff up, but I'm getting tired of that:-)

Anyhoodle:
I created two different enchilada-type recipes, having been inspired by our culinary journey to parts south into the land of waaaaay better food.
Here's the first, made last week (non-veggie version)
Chorizo and Buffalo stuffed poblanos (and enchiladas)
Mix 1 pound (raw) ground buffalo (or any other ground meat) in a mixing bowl with 1.5 tubes (raw) beef chorizo, 3/4 of a large onion (chopped), 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp pan toasted cumin seed, the chopped tops of the poblanos (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup), 1/2 cup hominy (add after meat/veggies have been fairly well mixed so it doesn't get too squashed)
Stuff mix into 6 good sized poblanos that have had the tops removed and have been slit down the front. Place in a 9x13 inch pan (which has a wee bit o enchilada sauce, your recipe or prepared, in the bottom..), cover the peppers a bit with more enchilada sauce, and put a few random clumps of roasted veggie salsa on top (see recipe below). Cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes at 375.
Serve, sprinkled with cheese and sauce from pan, with addl. veggie salsa.

There was a good amount of the meat mixture left, so I threw together a batch of enchiladas, using up the leftover enchilada sauce as well. I warmed 6 corn tortillas in the microwave (until soft), put some sauce in the baking pan, rolled each tortilla up with 1/8 cup (pan fried) meat mix and a sprinkle of cheese. I then warmed up the 6 remaining tortillas and filled up another small pan, covered them all up with enchilada sauce, sprinkled on some cheese, and then put them in the freezer. Now I can be a lazy-booty some other day when I have no motivation to cook (which has been far too often lately)!

Tonight's recipe (vegetarian):
cut one package of tempeh into 1 inch cubes and boil in water for 5 minutes, cool and chop. Saute 1/4 cup choppped onion, 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1/2 finely cubed zucchini, 1/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms and 1 clove chopped garlic in saute pan, about 5 mintes until softened. Add 1 tb (+/- to taste) chili powder, 1/2 tube vegetarian chorizo, 1/2 cup of the tempeh cooking water, 1/2 cup roasted veggie salsa (recip below), and 1/2 cup hominy. Heat until bubbly. Add 1/2 cup plain yogurt, stir to incorporate, and then add chopped tempeh.
Fill 8 whole wheat tortillas each with 1/2 cup filling, and place in a pan (again, put enchilada sauce on bottom). Top enchiladas with sauce and a sprinkling of cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350-375 for 30 minutes, (if desired, remove foil and bake for an addl 5 minutes).

Tas-tee, and only the pickiest and stinkiest eaters will know that something is amiss with these enchiladas-- even my hubby complimented them (and nooooo, he didn't say they were "interesting"). Serve with a big ole veggie salad, topped with Newman's Own Lime Vinaigrette...

PAMELA JONES' ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE ROASTED VEGETABLE SALSA (ADAPTED) From "The Passionate Vegetarian" by Crescent Dragonwagon
MAKES ABOUT TWO CUPS


2 Roma or plum tomatoes, halved
4 tomatillos, husked and halved
1/2 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, with skins on
1-2 serrano chili peppers, whole
1 ancho or poblano chili, whole
2 whole hot Hungarian wax pepper,
2 whole jalapeño chili,
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
1-3 tablespoons cilantro, stemmed
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, garlic, chilies, and peppers in a container with a fitted cover. Toss with oil and spread on non-stick baking sheets (probably 2).


Bake at 400 until peppers are blistered (about 40 minutes).


When cool enough to handle, peel, stem and seed the peppers (use gloves to protect skin). Place peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos and onions in a food processor.


Squeeze garlic out of their skins and buzz until smooth. Add cilantro, salt, and cumin seed to taste. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week.

I've Been Looking for This All Afternoon:

It's pretty amazing that I found it, considering I had *no* idea where I first saw this video, and no idea what the artist's name was.
But I remember seeing it a few weeks ago, and thinking: if you could see inside my brain at any given moment, this is what it would look like.

Cool AND scary, no?

My Majorly Messed Up Week:

Jake was away the *entire* week at a class up in Minneapolis, leaving me and the kids to fend for ourselves...
Does he NOT realize that we are completely helpless in his absence, and depend solely on his mercy for our miserable existences?

Well, not exactly. But here's a recap of our misfourtunes, in chronological order:
1) I really prided myself on taking the kids to go skating 2 towns over at the Ice Plex; I don't usually venture out too far when the hubby's gone, since who the heck is going to rescue us in the likely event that I will do something foolish and strand myself somewhere?
We got down there ok, just as the snow started to fall.... and then 2 hours later as the skating session ended, found ourselves in the throes of a snowstorm with near zero visibility. Whilst driving 25 miles on the interstate, trying not to slide into the ditch, ever helpful Jacob was repeating "we're never going to make it" over and over again, which really calmed the whole group tremendously.
2 hours later, we arrived at home, only to see that the massive snow storm ceased less than one mile from our house. Doomed, we are. Doooooooooomed!

2) Since I am never 100% sure what my husband's up to, I wisely chose this week to pile on the hours at work so I can get the full "single parent" experience I've narrowly skirted all these years. After getting home so late the night before and taking time to de-stress before sleeping a good 5-6 hours, I slogged myself to work. Exhausted, I slogged home afterwards, looking forward to a little nappy-poo to freshen myself up before the kids got home. After numberous phone and puppy interruptions, I finally drifted off, only to hear Maggie CHOMP CHOMP CHOMPING on a bone-ish sounding object. Now, our house is pretty puppy proof these days, so I didn't give it a second thought, until I realized in my growing lucidity that the sound wasn't *really* all that bone-like, and just then Maggie came up and proudly showed me what she had been chewing on: a BRAND NEW bottle of ibuprofen.
YaaaaAAAAAaaa!
Quick! Look up how to induce vomiting in a dog.
Quick! Look up dosage! Find syringe, find hydrogen peroxide... find that hydrogen peroxide is 99% gone-- just enough!
Chain dog up, squirt stuff in her mouth, drag her outside and wait for it to work... and WAIT, and WAIT, and WAIT.....
FINALLY! She barfed. I didn't see any tablets in her vomit, but since she chewed the tabs pretty good, she still probably got at least a little in her belly...
Call the vet, rush her off to the vet, hope she doesn't barf in my car.
Vet wants to keep her for 2 days of IV therapy, I convince him that something less drastic is probably in order (since I didn't see any tablets in the urp), so he sub-q's her with fluids and sends her home with me looking like a lopsided camel.
Barf barf barf, all night long; green, nasty stuff that doesn't want to come out of the carpet.
The next night, she started waking up every 2 hours, soaked in urine, needing to go out and pee ginormous volumes of dilute urine. She also started drinking obsessively, yet her behavior continued otherwise to be 100% normal. Go figure... not exactly the picture of renal failure I thought I'd see..
So I leave work early on Wed to take her back to the vet AGAIN, to check labwork. BUN slightly elevated, creatinine WNL, blood sugar slightly elevated... nothing. Doc is stumped. In the meantime, Maggie is drinking and peeing more than ever, about every 15 minutes or so.

The Koehler household has now become a body fluid cesspool, pee and vomit, filthy wet towels dripping everywhere. I construct an elaborate fence to keep the girl out of the living room, since the day before she hopped over the living room fence and proceeded to dump out all of Jake's plants for the 43rd time, rolled the dirt all over the floor, and then peed and vomited all over the whole mess. Egads! Like something out of a horror flick...
It took at least 2.5 hours to clean up, and I'm happy to report that Jake's plants now live on the porch. In 23 degree weather. Wonder if they'll make it...
For the next 2 nights she was up every 2 hours needing to pee and have a complete change of bedding in her kennel, and activity which lended itself poorly to sleep and was a nasty chore at 12, 2, and 4 am.
Finally, last night I had an epiphany: doggie diapers! It's a wonder what an old stash of pull ups and a roll of duct tape can accomplish... a full night's sleep for the dog and I are only one of them.
I took some urine in today for an eval (to rule out a bladder infection #1, and maybe diabetes #2). Dr thinks it may be Addison's disease if nothing else pops up, but her urine showed rare WBC's, and since the sample was so dilute, decided to put her on an antibiotic.
Wish my girl a bit o luck-- kidney failure sucks major heinie.
3) On Monday, the basement flooded. Bad.
4) On Wednesday, I discovered that a pipe had burst, which was why the basement was flooded. Ohwell, better late than never... at least I figured *that* much out.
5) On Tuesday, we got the biggest snow storm in YEARS, and no, I have no clue how to work the snowblower (or the plow, which was broken anyway). For those of you who know us, our driveway is at least the length of a football field, so hand shoveling was SO not happening, esp since the snow was soooo wet, heavy, and almost didn't stop for 3 days.
In a moment of desperation I called a friend's hubby who is in the 'biz (the snow removal biz), who told me he'd rustle me up a guy to "take care of me".
Now, I didn't like the sound of that either, so when the dude called, all eager to come over and "check it out", I got a little creeped out... and shore 'nuff, when I told the guy I wasn't going to be home and to call me with an estimate, he sounded a little disappointed and a little less eager.
Go figure.
So wonder of all wonders I never heard back from him, and thus can't help but ponder if he was looking for a little sumpin' sumpin' for his plow job, perhaps not realizing that I'd rather chew my arm off.
But my most excellent husband saved the day by calling the neighbors from his hotel in Minnesota, who graciously came and plowed the driveway, sans sexual favors.
Hallelujah! There IS a God.
6) Tuesday was also a crazy day at work, where I forgot in my frenzy that Jacob had to be picked up at 3:30. So of course, when I realized this at 3:23, I had to tell the charge nurse "I have to GOOOOOOoooooooo. Right NOW!", while simultaenously barking instructions at Gracy on my cell phone to "meet me at the car, NOW"! She must have detected the urgency in my voice, as she did not utter one word of protest at having to ambulate a distance greater than from the couch to her bed to the computer desk. Jacob was the lone kid, left at school with no ride, so I'm sure it was evident to the staff that his loser mom finally rousted from her cracked out haze to come and get her kid. I dropped him off at his enrichment class just as the heaviest snow of the storm started to fall.... and was another 10 minutes late picking him *up* from class, as well;-)
7) Friday I called home on a whim to see if the kids had gotten off to school ok, to discover that Jacob's bus hadn't arrived yet, 30 minutes past his pickup time. Grrrrrrrrrrr! The poor boy has to stand on a fairly busy county highway that was especially slippery that day and surely addled with pedophiles, and thus I was none too happy that he was standing out there all alone for all that time. If the kid is 30 seconds late for the bus, he's completely out of luck... but if the middle aged weiners at the bus company are 30 MINUTES late, it's too bad, so sad. Another no win situation for kids everywhere. Boo.
I called the bus company to inquire about the delay, to hear the message "This is Julie's phone, leave a message". Huh???
What sort of business that deals with parents is that cluless about phone etiquette?
One that wants to make me crazy, that's what.
When I reached the Julie in question, I was short with her, telling her that if the bus passed him by while he ran to tell me it never came, she was going to pick him up HER self. Raaaarrrrrrrrrr! Pissed off momma, hear me roar!
And of course, completely terrified at my rare display of backbone, she told me "no I'm not".
Whatever, beyotch.
Work was soooo flippin crazy that day, too, that I wasn't able to call until a few hours later to see if the boy got the bus; but I really didn't want to know, anyway, since I knew I'd have to find the chutzpah to make good on my threat to Ms. Julie, and I really wasn't up to it anymore. Garrrr!
8) Finally, Jake arrived home, yesterday--a 1/2 hour before expected-- yaaaaaaay!
We went out for a lovely dinner at a local, upscale spot. Our dinners were nice, we had a good time... only to notice Jake had a DEAD FLY on his plate where his food once lay.
Soooooooo, I guess it's *not* just me with the loser luck... and somehow, that makes me feel just a little better.
p.s. I had a nice glass of gevurztraminer with my meal last night, and got downright giddy, even after a few sips. And wouldn't ya know it, I felt like DEATH warmed over for most of this morning.
I drank tons of water and green tea, and finally felt more like myself with 100% more energy towards noon, hurrah!
I miss my wine, but it's not worth it! Clearly, I'm on to something...

Liver Update

For the life-challenged among you who are waiting with bated breath for updates concerning the welfare of my liver, your agony is over:

1. I've not drank a drop of alcohol for 3 weeks now. I feel like 850,000% better, btw-- and I only drank 1-2 glasses of wine/day (no, I was not a boozer, just consistently sodden each night).
2. I finally got my order from Vita Cost--woo hoo! I am now taking more herbs/supplements than foods, and could probably pile them in a cereal bowl each morning, pour milk on top (if I was drinking any..) and take them like that. I also tossed out each beauty item that contained parabens and replaced it with a non paraben item. (parabens= estrogen) So far, the Burt's Bees grapefruit shampoo an conditioner is fabulous (and you can't beat the price!). I got samples of the Emerita facial products, which I really love, but Vita Cost doesn't carry them yet and they're too $$ everywhere else.
3. I've been exercising about every other day for an hour and tanning for 8 minutes (helloooooo vitamin D! I think this is what's really giving me all the energy...)
4. No more caffeine, less crap in my diet. My digestion has been really really slow, but I'm hoping the chewable licorice I got today will help. Tonight I had pizza, and had not a single problem-- which is pretty dang amazing considering *water* was giving me the urps at the beginning of the week.
   
5. I d/c'ed the black cohosh, raspberry leaf, and evening primrose oil (all=estrogen). I've also d/c'ed the flax oil (a la "Genotype Diet", which recommended that I avoid lignans) and replaced it with fish oil. Apparently this is also supposed to help me with my mood, so yippie freaking yahooey for that!
6. Here's a list of the supplements I'm taking, if only to impress you with the depths my supplement obsession:

• Natrol Calcium D-Glucarate -- 60 Tablets
  NSI Alpha Lipoic Acid -- 100 mg - 120 Capsules
  Planetary Formulas Full Spectrum Ashwagandha -- 570 mg - 120 Tablets
  Nature's Answer Valerian Root -- 180 Capsules
  Nature's Herbs Chasteberry Power -- 60 Capsules
  NSI Schizandra -- 1160 mg - 120 cp
  Enzymatic Therapy DGL (Fructose-Free) -- 100 Chews
  NSI Herbal Liver Support -- 950 mg - 120 Capsules
  Source Naturals Theanine Serene -- 120 Tablets NSI CoQ10 -- 100 mg - 120 capsules Emerita Pro-Gest -- 4 oz

We went ice skating this afternoon for a couple hours, and had an absolute blast! I could do that over and over... now if only I could get the sensation back in my legs.

With all the exercise I've been getting lately, you'd think I'd be losing weight like crazy, but I'm not :-( It *does* seem like my cycle is going to be fairly normal this month, tho, which makes all the craziness worth while. But really, something has to change when you do 100 crunches a few times a week, right? Let's hope that there's justice in the world and I have a flat, muscular tummy before swimsuit season hits;-)

Go Maggie Go!

This is how you walk the dog when it's 10 below zero:

(and yes, she really likes it!)

Welcome to My Life:

Whew!

I'm getting tired just thinking about it~

Wheeeeeeee!

Lots and lots of scthuff going on in the dreary days if January in these parts. I'm not certain if it's 'cause that's just the way life flows or 'cause I'm bored and trying to drum up some excitement after the holiday anesthesia has worn off.

Let's see if I can recount all the fabulous details with the glory it's due:

(should I go chronologically, or in a random fashion? hmmmm...)

It's dang cold in this house, and thus have taken to my bed with the heater cranked waaaaay up. With the new Wi Fi (installed, courtesy of yours truly-- mom and resident computer savant. I don't know what the hey I'm doing, but as long as I have instructions printed in my native language, I'm guarantee to bungle it up only 2-3 times before finally getting it to work. And my family worships me like the Techno Goddess I've instructed them to call me before I'll respond to their cries for assistance). I was just tempted to bring the laptop into the bathroom with me in celebration of my freedom to do just that, but figured there had to be some boundaries-- and that was it. For now.

On a side note, completely unrelated to my month: I have had recurring dreams for years about a certain individual and his family, a family I was very close to in my younger days. Last night, the dream was much like the others-- me looking for someone, spinning wheels trying to find them, make a connection. It's interesting how your dreams speak in allegories, telling you about something you've repressed for one reason or another, but I'm such a literal girl-- why can't my dreams just be about someone telling me something I need to know, like "hey! Your teenage boyfriend and his family were nice people and I bet your're wondering how they're doing" and skip all the drama of running around like a maniac in my head for 8 hours... I would really prefer a cool flying dream or riding on an elephant on a jungle safari-- something whimsical and light that leaves me refreshed in the morning instead of frazzled. I used to have dreams about chasing my ex husband around, too, tring to find him in the throes of creepy dreamland-- but the underlying theme wasn't so much about loss as it was that once I was able to catch him, I was going to beat his sorry ass to a bloody pulp. I must have resolved that existential angst, as I haven't dreamed about him in years.

Ok, major distractions averted:

I finally joined another gym after letting my membership at the Wellness Center lapse for 2 months. I signed my hubby and daughter up as well, but since they are lazy slugs and haven't gone yet I think I'll save myself $20 and take them off my membership. I also signed up for the unlimited tanning, but when you inadvertently stay in the bed for 15 minutes instead of 5 (it feels soooooo good to be warm!), and your nether parts are burnt and crispy, I haven't been able to make use of the limitless world of tanning. And my booty still hurts, boo.

I also picked up a couple interesting books from the library: Dr Laurie Steelsmith's "Natural Choices for Women's Health" and Peter D'Adamo's "The Genotype Diet". I really liked Dr Laurie's book and her suggestions for PMS, liver health, etc-- it's fascinating how she (Chinese medicine, really), can take one body system, such as those that regulate PMS, and tie it to a single organ such as the liver, kidneys, spleen, whatever. I know I've been drinking a wee bit too much and taking scads of Tylenol and the like, and if what Doc Laurie says is true, my liver is stressed (or, to be more specific, my liver chi is stagnant)-- causing problems with my cycle and other body systems.

Innnnteresting.... Dr D' Adamo says very much the same thing, but in diferent terms: based on my genetic makeup, I am an Explorer:

"This GenoType is named Explorer because of the unique and often unconventional ability of its members to search and discover who they are in the world. Explorers often enjoy greater longevity than the other GenoTypes. Many of the genes we typically find in Explorers, such as the Rh-negative blood type, are common in areas of the world where people seem to live forever — such as the Basque provinces of Spain, and the Caucasus Mountains of Asia. Explorers can benefit greatly from the GenoType Diet and should expect to lead long and healthy lives if they follow the recommendations in this program. However, Explorers are very often medical enigmas. They can be challenging to diagnose, since nothing apparent or obvious presents itself as a problem. Physically, they may appear to be in good health, but they will complain of a sudden loss of energy or a sudden inability to tolerate a certain food, supplement, or drug. Explorer women often suffer from chronic yeast infections or heavy periods. Blood tests often reveal anemia or other blood disorders. Explorers sometimes have problems with the liver or gallbladder. This can sometimes become manifest as intolerance to fats or sudden breakouts on the skin. Migraines are not uncommon in Explorers. Caffeine sensitivity is a hallmark of Explorers because they are almost always what geneticists call slow acetylators — a fancy way of saying that drugs spend a long time in their livers, going round and round, when they should just be processed and eliminated. Like a man who shakes his fist at the bicycle that just missed hitting him and totally ignores the bus heading his way, the liver of the Explorer often overreacts to small levels of toxins, to the point that it lets larger amounts of toxins pass by without doing anything about them. The unique metabolic profile of Explorers is manifested in very distinct physical characteristics. They are typically mesomorphs, possessing a low to medium body fat percentage, a high metabolism, and a large amount of muscle mass and muscle size. They can be rather large-boned, and the men tend to have asymmetrical, chiseled, craggy faces. Their trunk length is usually longer than their total leg length, and their upper legs are usually longer than their lower. Explorers tend toward asymmetry and often have different fingerprint patterns on their left and right index fingers, one often being the rather uncommon radial loop pattern. Another asymmetry often found in Explorers is that their finger lengths tend to be backward for their gender — men often having a longer index finger on one or both hands, and women have a shorter index finger on one or both hands. A lot of left-handers are Explorers, as are people with Rh-negative blood type, and although almost any ABO blood type can be an Explorer, "non-secretors" are more common. The Explorer's Immune System ProfileExplorers often have sluggish bone marrow function and struggle to keep up their white blood cell counts. This GenoType is prone to many types of anemia, such as those that result from inadequate levels of folic acid, B12, and iron, as well as those that result from bone marrow suppression or low levels of an enzyme called G6PD. G6PD is critical to the body because it enables the production of a critical antioxidant called glutathione. In addition to exerting powerful detoxification effects in the liver, glutathione protects red blood cells against damage caused by certain drugs and foods. Explorers often have trouble clearing foreign or man-made chemicals from their blood. This clearing process is called acetylation. Efficient acetylation helps drugs become more effective and detoxifies cancer-causing substances. Explorers have problems detoxifying drugs, carcinogens, and various artificial compounds that have been introduced into the environment, such as pesticides, fertilizers, and hydrocarbons. Because of these considerations, Explorers can be quite chemically sensitive, and they often react negatively to "typical doses" of drugs, antibiotics, and even vitamins and minerals. When using these medicines, they should always start with the lowest possible doses and gradually work their way up."

Anyhoo, long story short, I am going to start taking better care of my friend the Liver, and hope that it does the trick.

http://www.nataliedee.com/

In homage to Dr Laurie and her recommendations, I also went and got my first acupuncture treatment yesterday. Being the cheap ass girlie that I am, instead of researching the best clinic in the area for my safety and well being, I threw caution to the wind and made an appointment with the student acupuncture clinic in Racine. Wheeeeeeeeee!

My student was older, very nervous, and had pupils that were so constricted that it creeped me out. What on earth could this woman be taking that would make her eyes look like that? And they were playing some sort of "tribute to the rock gods" music that was none too relaxing while they were poking me. Funny, tho-- she told me I needed to feel the needles go in, which was some sort of indication that my Chi was "moving" (wtf that is-- could they have explained it? they really couldn't), but I pretty much didn't feel *anything*. I think it freaked her out (even more than she already was, apparently), and she started putting the needles in deeper and wiggling a few of them around until I half heartedly told her I felt something, if only to make her feel better-- gar! The only ones I felt were the one in my left toe and the flab in my belly... maybe my Chi only needed to be "moved" there, who knows (as in, "I need to trust my GUT and HOOF it on out of there")? But really, I felt sorry for all these New Age people who were sooooo nervous and clueless, who seemed so anxious that they could barely answer the phones correctly (when I called all they said was an uncertain "hello?", and I wasn't sure if I dialed the wrong number...) No one knew if I had papers to fill out, if I had to sign something or another, how to take my blood pressure, or even my pulse--yet it was entertaining if not a little sad to see them sweating over every last detail (one gal said she was taking my "Chinese pulse", which she explained was supposedly like an EKG-- riiiiiiiiight.)

The best character of all tho was the office director, who seemed to be the only person devoid of any New Age hoop de do, who was trying in vain to get the students to exhibit some professionalism ("state who you are when you answer the phone", "explain what you're doing when you work with the clients"). I would have appreciated her more if she wasn't at the polar opposite end of the woo woo spectrum of not making eye contact, talking to me so fast and with her back to me that I had no clue what she was talking about, and just generally being brusque, but hey! It takes all kinds, and she was such a contrast to the students who I thought were going to break into chanting at any moment.

Really, with the strange crew working on me and the bad feeling I had about the whole experience it's a wonder I didn't just walk out of there and save myself $17 and 2.5 hours of my life, but I was just so curious and fascinated by the process that I stayed to see what odd thing would happen next. I *did* stare longingly at the shelves stocked to overflowing with pills and herbs, which I was told I wasn't ready for yet-- damn! Being a medical person and a compulsive one at that, I sure do loves me a handfull of pills to choke down at least 4 times a day, but I'm trying to work on that. I have an order out now that I'm tring to whittle down somehow to less than $89/month. I'm afraid now that I've stopped being a booze hound I'm becoming a pill popper, but really, it's a horse apiece. I'm sure I spent more than $80 on wine per month (ooh it sounds so dirty when you spell it out like that....), so now I'll spend it on supplements to fix my liver instead of trash it. I have no illusions about weight loss, but if it'll stop the PMS psychosis, I'll be a happy happy girlie.

So really, the gist of this whole month was to try and stop being such an evil beyotch 2 weeks out of the month (yes, it's THAT bad, and with 21 day cycles, it's 2x/month. Sucks to be me, sometimes...). Oh, and I got another Wii. If I had any idea just how hard those buggers were to get, I would have kept the one I got just before christmas. I guess if I had any backbone at all, I could have sold it at tidy profit and financed all the other gifts we ended up giving, but I had no clue about such things. I also didn't realize that the kids wanted one, so there you have it. I shopped around, and got another one a few days after I started looking-- 'cause I'm either the luckiest shopper around, or just really persistent, who knows. But now I am broker than broke, and need to get the lead out of my ass and start paying off the debt I've been accumulating in my winter doldrum shop a thons. Hopefully it'll be here by the end of the week (Sam's Club, with $10 shipping, not too bad...) and we can play in the newly CLEANED basment, a project I started on Sunday and choked my way through until Monday night. It was filthy and disgusting and I haven't been able to breathe out of my nose now for 3 days, but there's a HUGE space cleared out in the basement, the cobwebs are 95% gone, and we can all chill out and recreate and make a mess that no one has to see. Yay me!

Congrats if you've kept up with me thru all the updates... I love this time of year, it's almost a time of rebirth of creativity as we head towards spring and longer days. Now if only I could muster up the ambition to get out of this bed and figure out something else to do...

Boo.

I've come to realize that the only genuine, namable ambition my husband has is to have the home loan paid off.
This disappoints me greatly.
I can't disagree that his goal is noble and prudent, to say the least... but none too exciting, as I sit here watching my youth slip thru my fingers.
I'd really like to travel; to England, to Ireland, to France.... but it seems so unlikely right now. I don't earn enough money, I don't have anyone to go with me, to be strong and excited when I get nervous and want to back out.
Sadly, two cheap, unadventurous people don't take exotic trips together.
A movie just started that I remember seeing when I was travelling thru the country, living in my VW van. Seeing a movie at that time was such a novelty, allowing yourself to be pulled back into the world of normalcy for a couple hours, if only you had the cash to participate. I think we were staying in Arkansas at the time, mining crystals or some such thing... I vaguely remember scraping together enough cash to pay for a campground shower at the end of the day and then counting spare change to sit in the real world for a couple hours. Odd... to have so little yet still have the ability to feel for a a bief while like a member of the middle class.
Anyhoo: watching this movie makes me yearn to travel to the south, not only because I'm ready to jump out of my skin with cabin fever (which really hasn't been that bad, truth be told. It's actually been gorgeous and not too cold. 55 degrees today, felt like spring), but I *really* miss the pace of southern life.

Blue:

I'm feeling a little bit blue, as I find myself at an impasse, a rare place I've been before:
I have nothing to do, nothing I want to do, nothing I even want to peruse, read, or anywhere I want to go... there's not even a single thing in the entire world I want to buy! Sigh!
To be young, and yet so old-- where's the fun?

Yawn!

There just aren't enough hours in the day... I always start each day at an absolute zombie like crawl, and then speed up frenetically as the day progresses if my caffeine doses kick in as planned... and here I find myself at 10:26 pm involved in 6 projects with no end in sight.
Yawn!
I ended up having the entire week off, but somehow didn't manage to get a whole lot done until this afternoon, when I tried to squeeze in every last opportunity to get the weekday stuff done. Yet in spite of all the millions of things I really hoped to accomplish and the inevitable lethargy, I think I've done fairly well:
I got my laptop back last night after a crazy trip to Waukesha, and after giving up in a drunken fiasco finally managed to get it hooked up this morning to the the wireless network I set up a few weeks ago (I forgot to push the "wireless" button last night, and thus couldn't figure out why it wasn't connecting to the system. Der!)
Words cannot express how fantastically cool it is to have my laptop on the counter where I can look up recipes, etc, while I'm cooking.
Tonight, I found out at the last minute that I had to prepare a dish for a brunch tomorrow am, so I frantically started perusing the recipe sites. I located a really decadent looking bread pudding (my favorite!) and started pulling ingredients out, whipping it together while using the laptop as a reference... fabulous! And can I mention for a moment that I loooooove how my kitchen is so well stocked these days that I can look up almost ANY recipe and have each and every ingredient (even if you have to use really good hot dog buns for your bread pudding--oops!), from the coconut milk I used in my curried butternut squash to the 6 cups of heavy cream and 2 cups of pecans for my bread pudding (and almost a dozen eggs-- thanks girls!).
It's been an adventuresome week for cooking, in my week of idle unemployment. We made a pilgrimage to the Whole Paycheck on New Year's Eve, where I bought $250 of "almost nothing to show for it". At the spur of the moment I pulled together an impromptu menu of things I've wanted to make for a long time, staggering their presentation throughout the evening:

I started with pan seared garlic infused scallops, followed by curried butternut squash soup (please o please do NOT use more than 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes), and then ended the night's meal with a *perfect* medium rare rib roast, potatoes topped with mushrooms sauteed with a sherry reduction, and seasoned brussels sprouts. After we shot off some fireworks at midnight, I served up Ghiardelli fudge brownies with vanilla bean ice cream, and then waddled off to bed, fat and happy.
Since becoming a new subscriber to Cooks Illustrated, I have really become even more intrigued with the science of cooking and have been waiting to try out a few of their recipes.
To get started with the recipes I chose, I needed to pick up an enameled cast iron Dutch Oven (a la Le Creuset, a $250 pot I've fantasized about but never knew could be found SO MUCH cheaper). Since I was a little slow on the uptake, almost every dutch oven in 50 miles was already sold out, and after about a half dozen phone calls, daily visits to the Wal Mart website, and a pilgrimage to a store far, far away (thank you, Garmin! you make scary adventures for a wimpy girl like me possible...) I finally got my hands on the 6.5 qt Tramontina Dutch Oven they recommended. Whew!
I then eagerly whipped up their "Best French Onion Soup" and served it with the Swiss gruyere they recommended....

But... nobody liked the soup, and we had a ton left over:-(

Even though the soup wasn't a winner, Jacob and I were still able to marvel at the process of reduction, the development of the "fond", and how deglazing built up the body of the soup. I think Jacob was a little sad that our first genuine attempt at "French" cooking wasn't so tasty, but I'm pretty sure he's still holding fast to the notion that French food somehow is his favorite (and why? was it the Alton Brown Coq au Vin episode?).

Since the prep was a wee bit of a pain in the arse, and the ingredients somewhat costly, I strained out the mass of pulpy onions this morning, fed them to the worms, and froze the broth for future use as soup base.... maybe it'll enjoy a second life as a tasty beef barley soup.

I made their "French Chicken in a Pot" tonight, with (separately, in the 3.5 qt dutch oven I got) oven roasted new potatoes, carrots, sweet potato, and onions, roasted with the strained and de-fatted jus from the chicken. The chicken was *beyond fabulous*-- tender, juicy, and flavorful, and well worth the scary Wal Mart trip.
Many of the recipes in this month's issue seem to be pretty time intensive, so I resolved to get a jump on tomorrow's dinner of roast beef and no knead bread this afternoon so it would be all ready to go when I got home from my party. Oh! If I could always be this organized... makes staying home to be the family domestician seem somewhat less mind numbingly dull when my meals have an 18 to 24 hour prep time.
To be honest, I know that I'm just trying to keep myself entertained during these (hellish) cold months. Being off work doesn't help in these 8 degree days either, even tho it really *was* nice to get a break after the chaos of the holidays, surgery, camp, and root canals (and then another flippin holiday!-- couldn't they space these out a bit and give a girl a break?)...

On a completely unrelated note:
I had a job interview yesterday, which I'm sure may come as a shock to some of my readers (please don't get mired in the heavy sarcasm).
In painful retrospect, which keeps playing over and over again in my head since it ended, it seems soooooooo odd to me that a 10 year, decorated veteran of serial interviewing would commit such a slew of interview faux pas....
Tell me honestly:
Is it really so bad to tell a prospective employer that you take criticism well because you make so many mistakes at your current job?
Really? You think that's bad?

I've gotten sooo many jobs lately without interviewing, maybe I'm getting a little rusty...

I think the flubs happened because, in spite of the later shift hours and low pay (and farther location), I *reallyreally* want this job and thus had to jinx myself, adding more angst to an already angst riddled experience. I have job interview #2 next week for a job I completely *don't* want. I'm guessing it'll go off brilliantly, without a single foible or stupid slip o the tongue, making me look like the perfect candidate for the wrong job. Shit.
Completely irrational, I know. But if you're expecting anything in my life to make sense, you really haven't been paying attention.

An oldie but a goodie. And me in a nutshell (no pun intended...)

Merry Kick-Me-in-the-Head-Mas!

Bwaaaa Haaaa Haaaaaaaaaa!
This holiday's almost over, and I've experienced almost NO stress--
Wahooooooooooooooo!

www.nataliedee.com

Bleah, #2:

Sleeeeeeeeeeeepy! I'm sleeeeepy, and I really need to be focusing more on what I need to do to get the hell out of Dodge, twice. It's fairly obvious that I function best when I'm under pressure, so I think I'll just put the packing off until the very last minute, which'll probably work for trip #1, but considering I have to celebrate GOL-DARN CHRISTMAS with the family only moments after we get back from said trip #1 (leaving zero time to do laundry), *and* having a wee bit o surgery the next day (with a lovely sea weed wrap beforehand...so don't pity me), and then leaving for 4 days of (work) camp the following day... when O when will I get time to pack for trip #2? If it weren't for this stinkin holiday that I feel obligated to "celebrate" (as if eating fattening foods and seeing family members in an identical fashion to every holiday or birthday that comes around constitutes "celebration"... how about setting something on fire, a 'la "Burning Man", or blowing something up for a change? What about setting off fireworks, or for the love of mike just singing drunken showtunes... *anything* has to be better than standing around paying homage to the Season 'o the Flabby Ass we're *really* celebrating....) I'd have plenty of time for household unpleasantries.
Anyhoo, I'm sickly and crabby and need another nap.
In the meantime, enjoy this public service announcement:

Ain't that the truth...

Bleah!

3 Ways My Life Might Just Suck More Than Yours Right Now:

1) We're going to an $$ waterpark for Christmas this weekend, and my period is scheduled to arrive any day now. And I have a cold. Boo.
2) I just found out today that not only am I going to have surgery next week (the day before I head to camp), but a root canal the following week (and have a cavity that needs filling), and am likely due for an MRI and arthroscopic knee procedure. The last 2, of course, could only be scheduled after the first of the year, AFTER I already paid my premiums for 2007. Argh!

3) Both the cat AND the puppy have tapeworms (uh, because the puppy likes to eat "kitty snacks"). I found this out after finding the nasty evidence all over my BED. Ack!

http://www.nataliedee.com/

Ok... pity me if you must.

The Koehler Family Christmas Card:

Santa done brought us them new stairs for the trailer this year. Ain't they nice? An' lookit how big Daisy is gettin! Gracy weren't in the picture 'cause she's workin' a double at the WalMart an' Jacob's doin another run in juvie, but his p.o. sez if he stops settin them fires he'll be out real soon. We're as proud as can be! Marry Christmas, ya'll!

Things I'd Like To Peruse, Once I Have the Time....

All from Rod Dreher, al la Crunchy Con:

Schools

Time

College

Best Political Ad EVER:

Now, I am by no means a political person; I gave that a whirl waaaaay back in my pre-voting days, and I failed miserably (I even had the misfortune of campaigning for an appalling dink of a candidate whoshallremainnameless...).
But this political ad shows chutzpah, huevos if you will. And it made me laugh, which is just the opposite of the "I'd rather stab myself in the eye than watch more of this crap" sort of sensation I usually feel when I make the mistake of turning on the telly in an election year:



Don't get me wrong, tho. I can't imagine this is enough to convince me to actually VOTE for the guy.... but still, *anybody* but Hillary. That woman frightens me.

I <3 <3 Goodwill!

Look at what $9.99 can buy you at your local Goodwill store:

I am the luckiest girl with the sparkle-tacularist tree in the

WHOLE, WIDE WORLD!

p.s. this is what the animals do when they think no one's looking:

Praline Sweet Potatoes

Ask, and you shall receive (all things in life should be so gratifying!)

4 cups mashed sweet potatoes (if using a canned variety with syrup, make sure to drain them and use less sugar. I use fresh, bake them until squashy, and mash them in the mixer)
1/4 cup white sugar (+ or minus to taste)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 tsp finely chopped ginger (or 1/2 tsp powdered)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg(all spices to taste)
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream (or the milk of your choice)
Topping:1/2 stick (real) butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS
Butter one 2 quart casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs and cream. Blend well, and spread evenly in casserole dish. Prepare the topping by using a pastry cutter or 2 knives to mix the butter, brown sugar and flour into a crumble. Mix in pecans, and sprinkle over sweet potato mixture. Bake for 30 minutes to an hour in the preheated oven (depending on the size of your dish-- mine was small and packed full, so it took longer).

Sweet Potato Muffins

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs packed light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup mashed sweet potato (one small)
3 tbs melted butter
1/4 cup milk
2 tbs finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 tbs chopped pecans

Grease 9 muffin tins of a 12 cup tin. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In large bowl, combine dry ingredients, stir well.
In another bowl, blend egg, sweet potato, butter, and milk. Blend well.
Stir dry ingredients into wet, mixing gently. Stir in ginger and pecans.
Spoon batter into muffin cups. Fill the 3 empty cups half full with water.
Bake muffins 18 minutes or until golden.
Cool muffins in tin on rack 5 minutes. Remove, and cool completely.

I Like My Wine Cheap and My Burgers Overpriced:

I'm starting to scare myself.... yesterday, I engaged in a frenzied spate of organization to beat all frenzies (is that a word?):
In the short span of my afternoon, I moved the computer desk and 2 bookshelves, vacuumed, shampooed the carpet, organized the bookshelves, the closet, the shoe rack, the music CD's, photo and computer discs into their own books, sent 5 bags to the Goodwill, moved furniture and random crap into the basement (which is a nightmare for another day...), cleaned up and moved our personal files/records, and set up a greeting card file (I have a monster greeting card collection, mainly 'cause I buy them and never give them to anyone. Garrrrrr). Oh, and I dusted. Man! Is there a lot of thick, creepy dust in my personal space...
We then concluded the evening by checking out a veritable carnivale of dining at the Red Robin-- an incredibly overpriced and overstimulating hamburger joint jam packed with kids (tip: relish on a burger is not so good, I don't care *how* hungry you are. It brings a hot-doggy sort of flavor to a place where none makes sense). I was shocked to discover that those sliders and fries were a whopping $8+ dollars apiece! The burgers were pretty good, just more $$ than I had imagined a simple burger could be....and the fries were those ginormous steak fries, which are not my favorite. I must be getting old, when going out is almost too expensive for my cheapness.
Anyhoo. We also saw "Mr Magorium's Emporium" which was ok as well, I just guess I'm not the type than can blow almost $100 to eat burgers and see a flick and be ok with mediocrity. The story line was wimpy at best and I didn't much care for the characters, except for the litle boy who was a bit quirky and reminded me of Jacob. However, if *my* little guy brings home a grown man who wants to "play" in his bedroom, I'm a-gettin' my shotgun, no questions asked.
I'd have to say that the best part of the film was when they played one of my favorite Cat Stevens tunes, which got me hopeful that the movie was going someplace cool, but it really didn't. Boo.
Truly, the best part of the evening was getting to play with my new GPS unit, which will look up restaurants, attractions, etc for you, making neurotic planning obsolete-- I can hop in my car, punch in a few coordinates, and let my GPS decide where we're going, which pleases my spontaneous nature to no end. It wasn't 100% up to date (why?), but it impressed me by easily locating every *other* Red Robin in the country (other than the one we were headed towards), and every *other* theater in a 50 mile radius (again, except the one we wanted). But, despite it's shortcomings, I still love it and find it very comforting. Never shall I be lost again!

$2.99 Wine is Mighty Fine!

I have absolutely, like, ZERO readers for my blog, as if I needed yet another validation of my shameless lack of popularity....
But anyhoo, I am flat-out INTOXICATED at 9:14 in the pm on a fine Sunday evening. MY husband is gone until tomorrow in a primal pursuit of sustenance for our family; and altho I know it is baaaaad mojo to be incapacitated in his absence-- a drunken slob I am, and a giddy one at that. I am incredibly fucking happy to be on my very own right now, and I'm trying to ascertain whether it is due to the fact that I just like being alone, or if it is that I am enjoying the rare opportunity to do whatever I want, however I want to (i.e. waking at 6, hanging out until 8 or so reading and fucking around, and then sleeping until 10. THAT is a cool way to spend a Sunday morning, and who'd a thunk? And *how guilty* I'd feel if I had my peppy life partner home, who springs up at 6 am and completes whole lists of tasks while I slumber...)
In all honesty, I'd like a month or so to myself to rediscover who I am when I have no safety net to fall back on (and, no-- I don't mean forever. I'm mad crazy about my husband, contrary to my bitching... and I don't want to jinx it!). I want to see if I have the huevos to run to Hales Corners all by my lonesome in desperation for the fabled "Best Chinese Food Around" (a la "Fortune"), or if I'd go to the vast reaches of the art district in Milwaukee in search of Friday night entertainment (or if the rumors that I'm a hopeless homebody are, in fact, true). Would I run off to Austin for a weekend of narcissistic memories, as I used to do? Would I make the drive to see odd films at a historic theatre in Downtown Chicago? Or would I use "expensive gas" as the excuse for my evening date with the Blockbuster movie club? Who the hell knows.
I could kick myself today, as I was a mere block from Brady street on a pretty fine walking sort of afternoon. I guess driving in my car is preferrable to making the leap to hanging out in coolness in a nifty area.... but I have to give myself credit, as it hasn't been that long ago that I was too inhibited to venture to such places by myself... any excuse to hang out up there in any capacity is a step forward.
I've been lucky all these years that I've had a convenient excuse for not venturing too far beyond my comfort zone while the kids were young. I think it's time to start expanding THEIR horizons, tho-- especially since we've chosen to incubate their young minds in a rural setting. A fabulous trip to Austin might just do the trick... I'd like them to see that the world is SO much bigger than the limited one we are able to present to them. I'm not sure if it's the limitations of my perceptions, my fears about security, etc... but there's only so much I'm able to show my kids, so much less than I thought I'd be able to. Mainly because they don't travel well, because it's expensive, because by the time I get past the irritations of travelling with 3 other people I have no energy left to push myself past my own comfort zone and explore and share the world... whatever.
I thought I'd be in a much more secure place than I am now; financially, emotionally..... but it would have required so much more of a commitment than I have been willing to make, more costly sacrifices to my choices-- so the trade off has been worth it. I am poor, but I am sane. I am grounded, and so still have marginal relationships with my offspring, my husband. Seems like a fair trade off to me.

Skydiving

I'm bored and I'm tired and a wee bit sick 'o everything...it's 8:30, and I'm still waiting for the coffee to kick in (as I usually am). I was granted a reprieve this morning on the hell schedule, as I was cancelled from my new job that requires me to be present and functional in the workplace at 6:30 am (egads!)... it went well last Friday on my first day, but working 12 hours *and* having to be there sooooooo early is far from ideal.
I worked yesterday at one of my old standby positions, one that I love and was hoping to call my permanent home-- but since I'm not part of the union and not eligible to post for jobs until the union ladies cast it off as undesirable, I never had a chance.
At this point, I envision myself wandering aimlessly thru the hospital halls, in eternal search of a job to call my very own. But realistically, I should look at my homelessness as a gift-- one that frees me from bullshit politics and the inevitable cattiness of the woman dominated workplace.

Right now, all I have to do is go to work: I drift in as an outsider, do my thing, stay out of trouble, and then I go home. Where else can you enjoy this type of wage and this kind of freedom? Nowhere.

But part of me longs for the misery of attachment, lamenting my fate of having to beg and barter for days off, showing up for and participating in awful unit meetings, negotiating the personalities I've heard about but never had to seriously deal with... sigh!

I'm a self destructive idiot.

I think part of the problem is the threat of living hand to mouth, never having any guarantee of set hours per week, where I'll be working, etc. But truth be told, I've never had a problem finding hours, and since I'm trained to work almost 10 different departments (with more training to come), I can't imagine having more than a few dry days-- and not being completely grateful for the days off I *do* get, as I am now (slacker that I am...).

Funny, tho-- for all the places I *do* work, I had my annual competency check-offs last night, and I was really horrified at how little I knew about the meat and potatoes of my profession: I had no clue about the creepy hoyer lifts and restraints... I felt bad about that until I realized that so few of the other staff knew how to use them either (even the instructor). I my mind, tho, I was doing a happy little dance that I didn't have to use those things. Somehow, I got wrangled into getting strapped into one that sits you up so you can get your feeble ass onto the toilet. The CNA who strapped me in said jokingly: "when you're done, call me so I can wipe your butt", and I had the awful premonition of what it must be like to be old and sickly. EEEEEEKKKKK!!!!!

Just another plug for taking up skydiving, smoking, and illicit sex and drug use in my 80's. That George Bush (Sr) really has the right idea jumping out of airplanes-- Rock On, old dude!

Ziti with Sausage Onions and Fennel

Ingredients: FOR THE SAUCE
1 pound sweet Italian sausage (without fennel seeds)
1 large fennel bulb with stem and fronds (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups half-moon onion slices (about 2 medium onions)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes
1/2 cup tomato paste
Boiling water from the pasta cooking pot
FOR THE PASTA AND FINISHING
1 tablespoon kosher salt (for the pasta cooking water)
1 pound ziti
1/3 cup finely chopped fennel fronds
1 cup freshly grated pecorino (or Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano)

Directions: Heat 6 quarts of water with the tablespoon kosher salt to boiling in the pasta cooking pot.
Remove the sausage from its casing and break the meat up a bit with your fingers.
Trim the fennel bulb. Slice the bulb in half lengthwise, then slice each half in 1/4-inch thick lengthwise slices. Separate the slivers of fennel if they are attached at the bottom; cut the long slivers in half so you have about 3 cups of 2-inch long matchsticks of fennel.
Have the remaining sauce ingredients ready and nearby.
MAKING THE SAUCE AND COOKING THE PASTA SIMULTANEOUSLY,
Pour the olive oil into the skillet and set it over medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat and cook, stirring and breaking it up more with a wooden spoon, until it is sizzling and beginning to brown, about 1-1/2 minutes.
Push the sausage a bit aside and drop the onion slices into a clear part of the pan; sauté, stirring, they're sizzling and wilting, another 2 minutes or so, then stir them in with the meat.
Clear a space and drop in the fennel; let it heat up and wilt for 1 minute or more, then stir it around with the sausage and onions.
Sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon salt; drop the peperoncino in a hot spot and toast the flakes for 1/2 minute, then stir them in.
Clear a good-sized hot spot in the center of the pan, plop in the tomato paste and cook, stirring it in the spot for a good minute or more, until it is sizzling and caramelizing; then stir it in with everything else.
Ladle 3 cups of boiling pasta water from the pot into the skillet, stir well and bring the liquid to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain an active simmer all over the pan.
Drop the ziti in the boiling water in the pasta pot. Stir and bring back to the boil.
Cook about 8 minutes (a minute less than what is recommended on the package)
until the ziti are not quite al dente.
Continue to simmer the sauce until the flavors have developed and the fennel is
soft but not mushy, 6 minutes or more. The sauce should not get too thick: stir in
another cup or 2 of boiling pasta water, if it reduces rapidly. When the sauce is
done, taste it and add more salt if you want. If the pasta is not ready, turn down
the heat to keep the sauce at a very low simmer until the ziti are on their way—
then turn the heat up.
As soon as the ziti are ready by your timing, lift them out of the pot with a spider. Let excess water drip off only for an instant and drop the wet cylinders into the simmering sauce.
Start tossing pasta and sauce together; ladle in more water if the sauce seems too thick.
Sprinkle over the chopped fennel fronds and continue to cook and toss the ziti in the skillet for 2 minutes or until they are perfectly al dente and coated with sauce. If the pasta appears dry, ladle in more hot pasta water; if it is soupy, cook rapidly to thicken the sauce.
FINISHING THE PASTA
Remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle the grated cheese over the ziti and toss it in. Serve the hot pasta right from the skillet into warm pasta bowls.

Meatball Chili Stew

This is an old favorite, gleaned from a Pace Picante sauce flyer that was sent to my husband (and addressed to an old girlfriend of his, which oughtta tell you how old the flyer is). I thought it was about time I got this one recorded for posterity, since there's no telling just how long the flyer will be with us (it's a miracle that it's stuck around this long...)

For meatballs, mix together:
1/2 cup salsa
1 # ground meat (I prefer lean turkey)
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 egg
1/4 tsp garlic powder

form into 1 inch meatballs and bake on a rimmed, foil lined baking sheet at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes

In a large soup pot, mix together and heat to a simmer:
1 can 28 oz whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp chili powder (to taste)
1 cup + salsa
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2-1 cup frozen corn, or 1/2 can hominy, rinsed and drained
1 tsp beef bouillon

add meatballs and heat, covered, an additional 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings to taste and serve with chopped cilantro, shredded cheese (or plain yogurt-- my favorite!)

Mr Hankey Comes One Month Early (Must've been all that fiber...)

Ahhh! Could WalMart put up their Christmas displays any earlier? In honor of this year's obvious attempt to make the Christmas season even *more* irritating and irrelevant, here's my new favorite holiday tribute:



I could watch this over and over and over again.....

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I *STOLE* this recipe from another blogsite and hope to make it this evening for my hubby's return from the forest. He's been kind enough to spend the weekend hunting and gathering to try and fill our newly empty freezer. In his honor, I think I'm going to make a buffalo roast with potatoes, carrots, and the remaining delicata squash from our garden (man! I'm going to miss those!). This afternoon, I'm going with my friend Tracey to my new favorite place in the midwest: Whole Foods. I know it's very sad that I'm surrounded by scads of natural beauty with the fall colors, Great Lakes and all, but dammit! I love natural food shopping... I feel as if I have finally stumbled upon my people, where the cream puff eating, smoking, cheap beer swillers fear to tread. It's a bee-yoooooou-ti-ful day for a roadtrip!

Pumpkin Bread PuddingAdapted from Gourmet Magazine, October 2007
I made a few of my own adaptations to this, using only milk and no cream (to me, it makes no difference in dishes like this, so I figure I’ll save the calories), and doubling almost all of the spices. Oh, and I added bourbon, but you probably anticipated that.
1½ cups whole milk (Or 1 cup heavy cream plus ½ cup whole milk)¾ cup canned solid-pack pumpkin½ cup sugar2 large eggs plus 1 yolk½ teaspoon salt1 teaspoon ground cinnamon½ teaspoon ground ginger1/8 teaspoon ground allspicePinch of ground cloves2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)5 cups cubed (1-inch) day-old baguette or crusty bread¾ stick unsalted butter, melted* (can skip this step if using the second set of instructions)
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Gourmet’s Instructions: Whisk together pumpkin, cream, milk, sugar, eggs, yolk, salt, spices and bourbon, if using, in a bowl.
Toss bread cubes with butter in another bowl, then add pumpkin mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish and bake until custard is set, 25 to 30 minutes.
Alternate, Come On, Be Lazy With Me, instructions: While preheating oven to 350°F with rack in middle, melt butter in bottom of a 8-inch square baking dish. Once it is melted, take it out of the oven and toss bread cubes with butter, coating thoroughly. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the remaining ingredients. Pour them over buttered bread cubes in baking dish, stirring to make sure all pieces are evenly coated. Bake until custard is set, 25 to 30 minutes.