Heather's Eden

RECIPE: Mushroom Pepper Tacos

2011-11-18T22:52:00.000-05:00

I was looking for a simple and healthful vegetarian dish to make during the work week, and I recalled having seen one for some vegetarian tacos, and I had saved the recipe for use later on. So I dug through my list, and found this recipe, originally found on Upstate Ramblings.

Ingredients:

    2 T. olive oil
    1 poblano chile, chopped
    1 green pepper, chopped
    1 red pepper, chopped
    1/2 onion, sliced
    2 portabella mushrooms, chopped
    1 t. ground cumin
    1/2 t. salt
    taco shells
    shredded cheese
    cilantro

Directions:

Heat the oil in skillet and add the chile, onions, peppers and mushrooms. Saute mixture about 5 minutes. Mix in cumin and salt.
Serve in taco shells topped with cheese and cilantro.

Mmmmmmm...good! Just serve some Mexican Rice on the side, and you've got a fast and easy vegetarian meal for a busy weekday. This one is definitely a keeper!

Raw Marinara Sauce

2011-10-29T18:52:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that I haven't posted this recipe on here before, but 'twould seem so. This is a delicious recipe for raw marinara that can be quickly pureed in a food processor and served over pasta, spaghetti squash or shredded zucchini.

Raw Marinara Sauce
Serves 2 (1 cup)

1 ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked or oil-packed (I rinse off the oil-packed and pat dry)
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbs minced fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed garlic (1 clove)
1/4 tsp salt
Dash black pepper
Dash cayenne

Place all ingredients in food processor, and process until smooth. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Stored in sealed container in frig, it will keep 3 days.

I usually serve this over spaghetti squash, but this time served it with whole grain pasta. It's one of those dishes that tastes even better after a couple of days in the frig to allow the flavors mingle.

Tuscan Doorway and other artwork

2011-09-23T10:01:00.000-04:00

I finally got my Scanlan Tuscan photo framed and hung.

It's a really beautiful little photo that I've become quite fond of. I brewed over it for a year before buying it, after seeing it at the art festival in 2010 and waiting until the same festival in 2011 to finally buy it.

Pretty girl!

I also don't know whether or not I ever posted on this blog a picture of my other Tuscan art. I got this painting at an art auction, although my picture doesn't really do it justice.

And I finally got my Clara Bow hung, after having bought her years ago at an auction and then losing her in the garage after the move.

I love Clara! I hung her in my bedroom on one of my buttercream walls to help tie in the blue accent wall on the opposite side of the room. However in this image it looks as if it is hanging on a blue wall, as I had to take the pic in a dark room to avoid the glare of the light in the glass.

So I've had some nice art additions recently. I love my little pieces of art!

Getting Inked: Part Two

2011-09-04T09:14:00.002-04:00

Last night was the day-- the day to finish up the tat! This time it was just me and Woodrow, and we didn't have the long wait. The appointment was at 5 PM, and I was on the table and getting inked by 5:20 PM.

Stevie started by doing some "clean up" work on the outlining. As I stated in Part One, I wiggled a lot, and this resulted in some lines being "wiggly", and some perforation, causing some "skipped" spots in a couple of lines. So the first 30 minutes or so was clean up work on that. Most of that went much better than last time. First of all, I knew what to expect. Secondly, most of the line work wasn't long, extended lines. If all tattooing was that easy, I would likely do it again some day.

After that we started on the shading. That was really hit and miss. Occasionally he would hit a spot that I barely even felt. But a lot of the time (around my side) it was quite uncomfortable! I found the closer to my side, the more painful. Some spots closer in to my back didn't even hurt. I got to know by the way he was positioning whether the work he was about to do was going to really hurt.

Stevie agreed that I did much better this time around, not wiggling too much at all. And he said that, thanks to the clean up work he did, I no longer need to disclaim to everyone that I wiggled a lot and it affected the quality of the work. After cleaning up the lines, the piece is now something of which Stevie can be proud!

The tat is large and partially covered by my pants most of the time. And, being a bit of a tomboy, I love that my tat is rocking tough and not some frilly little feminine rose or butterfly. I'm curious to see how it turns out when all is said and done. Stevie said it is much darker right now than it will be. He said it will fade by 30-40% over the next few weeks, so much of it will actually be more of a silvery-gray that is sort of transparent. Right now, it is a pretty deep black across much of it. Note to family (read: MOM!): The tattoo is in a spot that is generally hidden. So most people will never even know that it's there! It shouldn't affect my future job possibilities, and I won't be a 70-year-old with a fading sleeve or anything. It's okay! Really it is! There is no need for panic or distress! (Mom really hates tattoos!)

So today I have that sunburned feeling, and I don't want my shirt to even touch me, but past experience tells me that tomorrow I'll just be a little sore, and after that my biggest issue over the next couple of weeks will be the itching! Oh, the itching! That is enough to drive you mad!

I'm happy with how it turned out, but I look forward to the fading, as what I had in mind was a silvery-shaded and reflective tat. So I'm excited to see the changes that occur in it over the next few weeks!

Looking for a tat in the Fort Myers area? Check out Howl Gallery/Tattoo! I'm sure that all of the guys there are great, but I can't recommend Stevie Bananas enough! Patient, professional, laid-back and good-natured, and a great artist to boot! Additionally they have an awesome art gallery, and a great show by Derek Hess going on right now. If I had a spare $500 to throw around, I'd definitely pick up one of his pieces!

Rock on!

Getting Inked, Part 1

2011-08-07T23:13:00.002-04:00

I used to hate tattoos in my youth, but as I've grown older, I've begun to appreciate the art and expression in tattoos. I even attempted to get one in my late twenties, but after doing research to find a good artist that had won national awards, I arrived there to find the shop had moved to an unknown location (unknown to me). So I figured at the time that it "wasn't meant to be".

Lately I've been feeling the desire once again, and then recently I finally realized what I wanted inked on me: an Ouroboros...

So I did some research to find the best tattoo artist in this area, and turned up Howl Gallery/Tattoo. Great tattoo art and an art gallery! That's exactly what I needed. After looking over the artwork and reading reviews regarding his professionalism, I decided to go with Steve "Bananas" Greenwood.

I setup a consultation to show Steve what I had in mind, and found we were instantly on the same page. I brought about a dozen examples of Ouroboros with me, and found that he loved the one above, which was the same one that I preferred. The one drawback was, as I had feared, that the tat would have to be bigger than I had hoped for-- quite a bit bigger. I had been hoping for a little larger than the one above-- perhaps two inches in length. In reality I wound up having to get one probably about 4 1/2 - 5 inches in length! (And if I'm slouching, it stretches out to more like 6 inches!)

So I arrived last Sunday for my tattoo, which was expected to take about two hours, feeling a little apprehensive. I mean, we've all heard about the pain, and to top it off I have a needle phobia. Just getting my blood drawn is enough to make me almost pass out!

My appointment was at 7:00 PM, but we arrived to find Stevie wasn't quite ready. He wanted to finish up the sketch, and once that was done he wanted to re-sketch it again. So I think it was about 7:45-8:00 PM before we made it into the tattoo room and got the stencil in place, and after getting the inks ready and everything else we finally began the tattoo probably about 8:00-8:15 PM.

Stevie coached me on what to expect, and how to try to relax. I laid on a table on my side, my knees drawn up to round out my back a little. Woodrow (and our friend Allen) came with me to hold my hand, but Stevie advised us not to do that, as he said that people tend to "clench" hands, causing all of the muscles in their bodies to tense.

Of course, Steve waited until after he had already started the tattoo to let me know that I had chosen one of the most painful spots on the human body to do my first tattoo! When I griped about him not having told me that sooner, he told me if he told everyone that, he'd never get to tattoo! I knew that the ribs were one of the worst areas to tattoo, but I had intended for the tattoo to be a small two inch tat on my meaty back hip (above the butt, on my right side). However since we decided to enlarge the tat to 2-3 times that size, it was now up near my ribs and near my spine. Needlesstosay... it hurt! It felt like someone was slicing me with a razor blade!

Now Stevie wanted it to be made clear that I wiggled around a lot. He was concerned with the "wiggliness" of some of the lines in my tattoo, and since it reflects on him and speaks to the quality of his work, he wanted me to be sure to let everyone know that I wiggled around a lot! I got better, but the first 15-30 minutes of the tat was the worst! After that, I got better at holding still. However I also got a bit vocal!

This was a shot taken during, after the top had been done.

This is a video taken of the tattooing being done...

We decided to split the tattoo into two shifts, and only do the outlining during the first session. We will do the shading in about a month, after I heal. So far, so good!

I'm hoping the shading goes better, since most people say that the outlining is the worst. I figure it should be better, if only for the reason that I would expect the shading to be done in short bursts. Shade, wipe, shade, wipe, shade, wipe. Whereas with the outlining, there were times when there were long lines, and then we'd go right into another, and I would have a hard time even catching my breath in between (before I started really concentrating on my breathing).

So once again, I want to stress that I wiggled around a bit (Steve said I was the "wiggliest" person he'd tattooed in awhile). Of course, he also said that he's had people pass out on him and puke on his shoes, and I didn't do any of that! So I guess I'm not tooooo bad!

So any "wiggliness" in the lines is my fault, and does not reflect on the artistic talents of Steve! Plus my wiggling made the tat take longer, so instead of doing the entire tattoo in 2 hours, it took about 1 1/2 hours to do the outlining only. Hence my need for a second visit to complete the tat.

I'll be back to post about the tat again after I get it completed in September. Wish me luck!

The closing of Nita's Sweet Bean Cafe

2011-05-01T22:20:00.001-04:00

I have written over the years of the great local music to be found at Nita's Sweet Bean Cafe. Well, I'm sad to say that last night Nita's closed its doors and will be sorely missed. I got a few of the highlights on video before my camera batteries got weak.

First there is this strings player. I don't know his name, but he is quite good and I believe he is a music student. This was his solo...

Then Nita's husband Dan took a moment to express his heartfelt thanks (which had tears streaming down my face)...

Then a group of the regulars gathered around Tommy Powell for one last time at Nita's of "Let the Circle Be Unbroken"...

...and then the same group sang Tommy's song "Nita's Sweet Bean Cafe", a coffee bar favorite, one last time.

While we are sad to see it end, we are hopeful that we will get some measure of the same experience with Nita's Music Connection, Nita's new endeavor to give local musicians of varying degrees of talent a platform on which to share their love of music at venues like The French Connection and The 3 Fishermen. See their calendar for dates.

So, Nita and Dan: We love you and we'll miss the Sweet Bean, and we are so grateful to you for your love and passion for local musicians. You've brought joy and music to the life of an audio-based southern girl, and I'll never forget you for it!

Why I like brown widows...

2011-04-05T20:16:00.001-04:00

Here's an example of why I kind of like brown widows, and will usually leave them alone when I spot them outside my place...

$35 CSN Gift Code

2011-03-04T21:49:00.000-05:00

Looking for some great stuff at a great price and from a place with great service? I'm giving away a $35 gift code for CSN Stores over on Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World. The giveaway ends March 13th, so hurry over to enter!

A Day on the Estero River

2011-02-27T13:52:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we decided to do a little kayaking, and see how Zook would do in a kayak. Before we headed out, I bought Zook a lifejacket-- just to be on the safe side. I liked that it had a handle on top to make it easy to retrieve him from the water.

We decided to head down to Estero River Outfitters and rent us a couple of kayaks. The Estero River is a beautiful place to kayak...

I let Woodrow get quite a bit ahead, because I was dealing with a crying and wiggling puppy trying to stay as high in my lap and as close to my chest as possible.

Dealing with a wriggling pup meant I sometimes missed some shots, like the one above. Sitting on a branch/root coming out from the shore in that shot is a turtle (a "cooter" would be my guess), but you can't see it here, as I was too far away by the time I got the dog settled and got my camera out.

The only other wildlife seen was a beautiful heron, and a water moccasin that came swimming towards my kayak. I spotted the moccasin and came to a stop. Zook spotted the moccasin and jumped up like he might go after it. So I yelled at Zook and slapped my paddle in the water to make noise. This frightened the moccasin and made him zip back to shore. Being a lover of snakes, at first I was happy to see a snake. Then I realized that this was a water moccasin- a venomous water moccasin known for being a bit grumpy of temperament- and being a water snake it was probably a good climber and would have no trouble getting into my kayak! That's when I decided that I had frighten it away somehow, or evade it by some means.

It was a quiet and calm day on the water after that...

...well, aside from the whining puppy in my lap. We finally figured out that Zook would travel pretty well if Woodrow had him and got ahead of me so Zook couldn't see me. So we did that for awhile and enjoyed the day.

Unfortunately at one point Woodrow was passing under log, and he tried to slow himself down by grabbing the log as he passed under it. And just then the kayak began to turn, and it resulted in him and Zook flipping into the water. Poor Zook hit, and before I could even tell Woodrow to watch out for Zook and grab him, Zook made a beeline for my kayak in a full out doggy paddle! He came right up to my kayak, and I used that nifty handle on his lifejacket to lift him out of the river and into the boat without any trouble. It was great! We wound up having a good laugh out of it. So we continued on the rest of the way with Zook back in my kayak again.

At a point not far from the highway 41 overpass, there is this cool foot bridge that crosses over the river...

I have to find out where this foot bridge is on land. Is it a public hiking trail? Or is it private? I want to walk that bridge!

So we had a good day, got some exercise and fresh air, and Zook got to experience the water and kayaking for the first time.

Now that's a good puppy!

Benny and Zook

2011-02-24T22:03:00.000-05:00

Another day at the dog park, and it was exhausting for both of us! Zook arrived to find a little dog (looking a bit like a pekingese) barking and snarling ferociously at any dog that got near her. We learned she was a rescue that had belonged to an elderly woman, and it was presumed that the dog never got out and was never socialized. So Roxie (the pekingese) feared all of these dogs may harm her, and therefore acted aggressively offensive.

A gentleman arrived with his English Staffordshire Terrier (I think I have that right) by the name of Benny. Roxie went nuts over this larger dog, and the owner of Benny told Roxie's owner to let Roxie go: "Don't worry. She can't hurt my dog!" So she let Roxie go, and Roxie tore after poor Benny, and Benny ran around with Roxie nipping at his rear. And almost as quickly as it began, it was over. Once Roxie realized that these dogs were no threat to her, she settled down with just the occasional snarl or nip, and the other dogs all realized Roxie was no threat to them. So it was time for the dogs to get down to some serious playing...

For some reason, most dogs are really taken with Zook, just as people are. And this big, muscle-bound terrier Benny became especially enamored with Zook. He wouldn't leave Zook's side.

Eventually Benny was simply pinning Zook to the ground, the two of them running around and around my feet, between my legs, Zook pinned down again, on and on and on...

The two of them were so funny together! At one point, I tried to give Zook a break by putting him in the chair next to me, but right after I did Benny jumped up in the chair with him, laid down, and Zook climbed on top of him! You couldn't keep these two apart!

So everyone had a good time, and after an hour of play we made a trip to the pet store (Zook's third favorite place, the dog park being #1 and Mom's being #2) before heading home.

Who's the best puppy in the whole wide world?

You are!

Surprise Encounter

2011-02-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I went to take Zook out for the first time of the day. I opened the french doors to the porch, and I found Zook was hesitant to go out. I finally coaxed him to the screen door, but after sticking his head out the door, he backed up and decided he didn't want to go out. So I had to toss his butt out, and order him to "go to the bathroom!"

He quickly did his business and ran back to the door to be let in. I let him in and we were walking back through the french doors when I heard rustling in the leaves next to the porch. My first thought was "snake", and I glanced over to see what might be in the corner beside the porch, only to discover a small opossum on its back with my large opossum (that lives under my shed) on top of it. There was no other sound- no hissing or anything. I ran to get my camera, and turned it on just as the small opossum tried to get away from Big Boy, and Big Boy decided to go around and pursue her

Then the little girl decided she really wanted to get away from Big Boy, and tried climbing the trellis to get away.

When that failed, she gave up and just scampered off under the bench on my deck.

I left to go get ready for work, and went back awhile later to check the backyard and found Big Boy running around on the deck in front of the shed. Then he disappeared under the deck where I have seen him go before.

Then he reappeared seconds later, only to run around the back of the shed (where he or some other critter has torn off the lattice work across the bottom), and presumably disappeared back under the shed again.

I just never know what I will encounter around here-- and I live in "suburbia"!

Spider Season 2011

2011-02-23T19:39:00.000-05:00

Other places have deer hunting season, tulip season, school season, the holiday season or hummingbird season. What do we have at my house? We have "spider season".

Spider season runs about February through September, with the height of the season seeming to be around July.

So this morning I was about to open the front door when I thought to myself, "I better pound on the door to warn any spiders that I'm coming through, in hopes that they'll run away." I've done this a few times before, and once there was indeed a spider on the other side when I opened the door.

So today I pounded twice at the top of the door and once at the bottom. Then I opened the door, and found this...

Yeah...that's what I need as I'm trying to go out the door for work. Big boy, and instead of going out he started coming further in. So, I wound up having to spray him and then swept him out. Just to give you a little more perspective, here's his body (legs curled up) in comparison to my size 7 foot.

I really hate killing them. I don't want them dead. I just want them away from me and not in my home!

So that is two spiders of that size and one half their size in the last month. Yay. It's spider season-- my favorite time of the year.

Dog Park

2011-02-16T21:27:00.001-05:00

Zook loves to play! He cries if he knows he's going to the dog park (now referred to as "D.P.", because we've reached the point where we must spell things out in front of him to keep him from getting too excited), or if he is going to visit Mom's dog Katy.

I generally try to get Zook to the dog park once or twice a week, and also over to Mom's to play. This was Zook playing the other day with an adorable dog by the name of Garcon (French for "boy" or "fellow"), and the Min Pin Fraulein made an appearance or two, but mostly she kept to herself...

And today Zook got ganged up on by Elvis and dachshund Tex.

There were times when they seemed to be getting something of a "train" going on, as they each tried to "hump dominate" one another.

Zook has also been attending obedience class for a few weeks. We are working on sit, down, stay, come here, leave it/take it, drop it, as well as walking on a leash properly. He is doing quite well with all commands, but hasn't mastered them yet. He's really a fast learner, but he is so excitable that he has trouble controlling himself sometimes. But he is the "star pupil" in our small class of 3 dogs, as he is the only one that can be used to demonstrate the commands. One of the other dogs is a "scaredy cat", and the other is a bully that wants to go after the other dogs.

And even as I write this post, this is what I have in my lap...

...all twisted up and sleeping in this position. Cute as can be! And one of these days I'll get video of Zook playing with his girlfriend Shotsie (my youngest cat). They are becoming best buds, and when Zook comes home after work each day, Shotsie is there to greet him. The two of them put one another in headlocks and wrestle and chase one another. They love each other! Zook is an absolute joy to have around!

2011 Matlacha Art Show

2011-02-13T21:55:00.000-05:00

Today we headed over to the annual Matlacha art show, and I saw some beautiful works, as I do every year. You may recall that last year I bought the winner of the Pastel category...

This piece called "Why Me?" was done by Deanna Berko, and I almost bought another piece by her this year, too. However I have noticed something of an inconsistency with this artist. I can see a piece as stunning as the one above that I bought, and then another that just can't compare by any means. Another thing I've noticed is that she is great with eyes (which are one of the hardest things to get), making them seem almost alive, but she has a problem with noses.

I've become a fan of a number of the artists, finding that I am consistently drawn to their works. Jack Lovell has become one of my favorite artists over my years attending the Matlacha show, and I am determined to own one of his pieces one of these days, even if it is one of the minis! I also discovered a new artist this year that I love by the name of Brian Christensen or Christenson. Beautiful!

One of the Pine Island Art Association members, Cyndi Egan, is a neighbor to my mother. You can see her gallery here.

There were so many beautiful pieces, it was hard to choose! One of my favorites was a piece comprised of two separate paintings of leaves. The colors were spectacular! I absolutely loved the piece and would have bought it in a second if it had been under $200, and may have gone as high as $250 on it. But, alas, it was $500- double what I would be willing to pay for it.

So in the end I went with a piece that I admired last year, but then decided to forego in lieu of the St. Bernard I purchased. So this year I went for it. I present to you "Here Kitty" by Pat Oberg...

(Sorry, I can't avoid the glare in the glass.) I fell in love with this little...ocelot?...last year, with its almost comical face and big eyes. And I love the colors.

So after making my purchase, we headed over to Great Licks for some ice cream, and to browse the gallery. Last time I was here, I walked away with a hand-blown glass spider and a turtle box. This time Woodrow was kind enough to buy me a very cool figurine, an awesome bracelet and a neat little box for them to go home in...

Check out that very cool stingray! I was torn between it and a spiffy octopus, but I decided that the stingray was more unique and something I was less likely to come across again.

Thanks, Woodrow! Now I just need to get a nice little curio cabinet in which to put all these cool little knick knacks. That'll be next on my list.

So all in all it was a nice day in Matlacha. But then again, every day in Matlacha is a nice day!

Home Construction and Improvement Giveaway

2011-02-12T12:45:00.001-05:00

Home Construction and Improvement is a great site for picking up tips on doing your own DIY home improvement projects around the house. I wish I would have known of this site last year when I painted my bedroom! When I bought my house, the bedroom was one of the rooms most in need of a little TLC. It was a horrible beige-ish color, with paint all over the ceiling and white patchmarks all over the walls...

My friend and I decided to tackle this over the Christmas/New Year break in 2009/2010, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into! It seemed that everyday I had to head back to the store to buy more supplies, and the costs really added up for just a single room!

But with lots of hard work and determination, it paid off with a lovely light buttercream room and beautiful velvet sky blue accent wall. (Please excuse the wrinkled curtains and bedspread. Everything was just unpacked and hadn't "settled" yet.)...

I was so happy with the way it turned out!

Now my next painting project is my guest bath, which is currently what we affectionately call a "baby poop" brown...

Ugh! So you can imagine how happy I am that Home Construction Improvement is having a giveaway for a $200 Home Depot gift card! The kind folk at Home Depot are offering the card for one lucky winner to redo their bathroom as part of a renew and redo event. Fabulous!

Just head on over to HCI for your chance to win!

Exploring ArtFest 2011

2011-02-06T12:22:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year once again, and yesterday we headed to the annual ArtFest Fort Myers. This year I took Zook with me, interested to see how he would handle the large crowd. He normally turns all "wiggly butt" with every person he sees, and I wondered what he would do when he sees thousands of people! So this artfest was a little different for me. I didn't get to lose myself in the art as I usually do, as I was constantly managing Zook and keeping him from getting under feet.

The show I would guess was probably at least as big as it usually is, maybe even bigger. I think there were about 200 artists present. And thousands of patrons walking the sidewalks!

Some of my usual favorites were there, like Albin Arts and others. But I discovered some new favorites as well.

One of my favorites yesterday was Jennifer Fraser of Endless Places Photography. She has a special technique whereby she layers photos in a way that it gives a "painted" quality.

These don't even give you a real feel for the finished work, as she then takes these photos and mounts them on a painted frame that really ties into the photo and the color scheme. Take a look at her flash site to see some mounted works. I was really taken with her work.

I also liked Todd Shaak Photography. There was something honest and refreshing and...brash and abrasive about his work. Sort of like the "Southern Rock" of the photographic world.

And then there was Paul Marcellini Fine Art Photography.

I almost bought this one. I liked the colors and simplicity of it...

And we loved the acrylic works of the Michael George Gallery.

And I absolutely loved, loved, loved the work of Nathalie Torres!

I love the way that the hammock extends out from the painting...

...and the 3D aspect. It feels as if those are real feet sticking out from that hammock!

Look at the pregnant lady, and the little babe nestled in the hammock. That's the artist to the left...

Love it! So clever and so beautiful! I only wish I had the money and the wall space for a piece of her work.

At the end of the show, they had some high school students and the like creating sidewalk chalk drawings.

I gather the above one would be kids representing the Cape Coral Seahawks.

So every year I try to buy a little "sumpin sumpin" at the art show. What to do this year? I wound up going with one of last year's favorites, Scanlan, and I chose to go with this one...

Isn't it gorgeous? The simplicity. I told Woodrow that I love the "flatness" of it. It almost appears that the trees are painted on the building. I love the colors, soft and muted, and almost drab appearance. You wonder if someone is about to walk out that door. And what does that door enter into? Is it a house? A convent or monastery? A winery? Absolutely stunning! Now I just need to get it framed and pick a place to hang it.

So it was a good day at the art show, and afterward I headed to Mom's to see Tommy's new toy...

Isn't she pretty? And, of course, Zook and Katy had some fun time together, and we just couldn't get them to stop. Even after going inside, they kept at it.

So it was a good day, but an exhausting one. Next weekend is the Matlacha art show, where I bought my St. Bernard pastel last year.

Zook did very well. He loved seeing all of the people, but was very good on the leash. And people are soooo drawn to him. There is just something about him and his face that grabs you. They really ought to try to duplicate him and make it a new breed! However I do now understand the merits of having one of those little doggie strollers. It would have been so much easier to just push around a stroller with my bags and water and everything secured on it, than to manage a wiggling and excited puppy amid a crowd of thousands, and a camera and a purse and flyers and maps, etc. Oh, and ice cream. Don't forget the ice cream! Yum!

So we have another year to wait until the next ArtFest. *sigh* I'll be okay. Really I will...

One World One Heart 2011

2011-01-31T06:00:00.010-05:00

Welcome to the 5th and final One World One Heart blog hop! The point of this blog hop is to hopefully discover some great new blogs and introduce your own blog to others. This blog hop will run January 30th - February 17th. Learn more about the blog hop on our host's blog The Whimsical Bohemian.

This is my third year participating in OWOH. Last year I was very lucky and won several times. I posted two of my winnings back on this post as a thank you (a third winning I never received), but the last winning I never posted, as I just received it a few months ago. So I wanted to take a moment here to post a little thank you and show everyone what I received.

Organic Odysseys promised me a piece of artwork, but wanted time to "get to know me" and do something specific to me. What I wound up with was this...

I thought this was so great, as it showed that she really did spend time getting to know me. She learned that my motto is "To thine ownself be true" and made me this bracelet depicting that motto. Absolutely awesome! So I wanted to take this opportunity to say "Thank You" to Kate for her very thoughtful gift and show everyone what she made me!

A quick introduction before the giveaway. My name is Heather, and this is just one of my many blogs (many of which are being neglected). If you like books, be sure to check out my other blog Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World.

I'm a divorced woman with no kids but a whole slew of animals. You can meet most of the ZooCrew here, and you can meet the latest addition Zucchini in my latest post about him. I enjoy a quiet life of family, animals, nature, music, TV, books and cooking (I am now a vegetarian/pescatarian, but I still have some great meat recipes listed on the blog. Check out my recipe for slow-cooked Short Ribs!). I blog here about all of these things except the books. That area of my life is usually covered over there at Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World, plus over at Snoop Dogg Adventures I cover any of my small adventures in life (camping trips, festivals and the like).

For my OWOH giveaway, I'm doing something a little different. I am a big fan of Kiva, which allows average people like you and me to make micro-loans to entrepreneurs around the world to give them a shot at bettering their own lives. You put up as little as $25 and allow an individual that you select to use that money (along with money loaned by others like you) to expand their businesses or begin a new business. Learn more here. I am currently loaning money to a woman selling cosmetics in Bolivia, a Bolivian man trying to fix up his home, a woman who sells in the food market in South Sudan and an electrician in Ecuador. I've also had three other loans successfully paid back. So you loan money out, they pay it back, and you loan it back out to someone else. The same money can help countless people. Kiva has even been listed by Oprah as one of her favorite things.

So what I'm proposing is this: I will buy the winner of my OWOH giveaway a $25 virtual gift card to Kiva for the winner to loan out to help someone else. We all need to count our blessings and try to help those in this world who are less fortunate. And I'd like to introduce someone else to this outstanding group!

So just complete the form below for your chance to become a Kiva lender! A winner will be drawn using Random.org on 2/18/11.

NOTE: If you aren't sure how to navigate through the form, just use your Tab key on your keyboard to go from field to field. For some reason the scroll bar disappeared.

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Thanks for stopping by! I hope to "see" you again sometime, and I will be visiting as many blogs as possible myself. Have a great trip around blogland!

RECIPE: Tortellini Soup

2011-01-26T23:44:00.002-05:00

The other day I had a craving for some simple soup. Something like minestrone. I decided to go with a tortellini soup. This was adapted from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com.

Tortellini Soup
Serves 4-6

1 tbs olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
1/2-1 tsp minced garlic
6 cups vegetable broth
a splash of red wine (maybe 1/8-1/4 cup)
1 can of diced tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes with onions)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
small can tomato sauce
About 3 cups of frozen Italian vegetables (zucchini, carrot, green bean)
9 oz fresh tortellini (I used garlic and cheese stuffed)
1 green pepper, seeded and cubed
salt to taste
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add broth, wine, tomatoes, seasoning, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered 15 minutes.

Add frozen vegetables, and bump heat up to medium-low. Cook about another 15 mins.

Add tortellini and green pepper. Simmer uncovered for about another 25 minutes. Salt to taste.

Serve in individual bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

This was very tasty. I've been eating it for days now. The red wine and tomato sauce both really helped add a lot of body and depth to the broth. The soup was even better the second day. This is a definite keeper!

Zucchini: 7 week Progress Report

2011-01-11T19:44:00.003-05:00

So Zook has been with me for over 7 weeks now, and he's still the greatest puppy ever! He needs a little training, as he becomes deaf when he's excited and totally tunes you out. But he's sweet and good-natured and the happiest dang puppy I've ever seen! He loves EVERYONE and EVERYTHING, excitedly greeting all people, dogs and cats.

We still head to the dog park once or twice a week. He usually goes in the "Large Dogs" park to play with the Jack Russells and such, but sometimes when there is a good turnout at the "Small Dogs" park, we'll head over there. There are a pair of funny beagles that come there (one of them is named Lily, I forget the name of the other).

This is what happens when someone walks/runs by the pen when the beagles are there...

Crazy, huh?

And here is him playing with Izzy the Jack Russell in the Large Dog park...

There was a bit of squabble at the dog park the other day between a pit bull and a black mouth cur. I'm thinking that maybe Bella (the black mouth cur) just got a little too rambunctious with the smaller pit, and the next thing we knew the two had eachother by the throat and were snarling horribly, their owners unsuccessfully struggling to pull them apart. Finally a third-party ran over with a stick and hit at them and used the stick to get between them. When they were pulled apart, they seemed no worse for the wear. It sounded like a horrible dog fight, and I was really worried about those pit bull jaws, but the two came away unbloodied and even interacted a little later on.

I've had Zook on a special diet since a pet nutritionist suggested his itching was caused by his diet. The main contributors are corn, wheat, beef or chicken. So he is currently on a special Lamb and Rice diet that has no corn or wheat in it. It seems to have helped, and he doesn't scratch as much as he used to, and he doesn't chew his feet as badly as he used to...

And here's my ghost cat Momma. I don't see her too often, but she has begun to visit me when I'm on the sofa. Of course, if I were to go to get up, she'd be gone in a flash!

The other day I had Zook at work for me, and for some reason he was in a very clingy mood. He wanted to be right in my lap all of the time, which makes it difficult to type. So I moved his bed onto my desk next to me...

I also bought him a smaller crate for work.

He took right to it.

We also make regular trips over to Mom's, so that Zook and Katy may play together.

That's Mom's new stray Rusty at the end of the video. He's great with dogs. Very sweet cat. Wish we could get a nice indoor home for him.

And if you ever wondered what the inside of an acorn looked like, here is one that Zook cracked open...

At one point during our last visit Mom wanted to see Zook in the old tree stump hole that her cat Blackie used to lay in. Well, that was a mistake! The second I put him in it, he began to dig...and dig...and dig. He wouldn't have stopped if I didn't finally make him stop. He dug about a foot down, and would have kept on going!

Here's Zook just being cute...

And this is how Zook sits all of the time...

I bought him this new bone, and it absolutely LOVES it! He plays with it all of the time when he's on the bed.

He still loves his carrots!

Zook had his first vet appointment around mid-December. At that time Zook was about 11 pounds, I think, and the vet said he might get around 14 pounds.

Right now Zook is about 12.2 pounds and about 6 1/2 months old. He doesn't have very big feet, so I don't expect him to get too much bigger, but maybe another pound or two.

Zook's personality seems to be rat terrier through and through.

Rat Terrier

Traits of a rat terrier:

While they have a definite terrier personality, they also have an "off switch" and love lounging on the sofa in a lap as much as tearing about the yard.
They are normally cheerful dogs, and tend to be calm and sensitive to their environment, owner's moods, or unexpected noises, people and activities. This sensitivity makes them very trainable and easier to live with for the average pet owner, but also means they need extensive socialization from an early age. (It is recommended they meet 40-100 people by the time of 4-5 months old.)
Many love agility and obedience training and excel at it, as they are eager to please their owners and are very quick.
Infusions of both sight-hound (Italian Greyhound/Whippet) and scent-hound/Beagle has provided them with an even and outgoing temperament that sets them apart from many of the other traditional terrier breeds. (I've often thought that Zook looks like an Italian Greyhound in the face, and especially reminds me of them as he tears around the yard as if it were a racetrack! And he has amazing sight and scent and hearing senses, becoming fascinated by vultures flying in the sky, following the scent of something that visited my yard- probably my resident opossum- and constantly zoning in on sounds coming from the TV. So it makes sense that a rat terrier has Italian Greyhound and Beagle in it!)
Perfectly content to be near their owners and make great housedogs.
Generally not yappers or barkers, but can be very demanding, using their paws and are somewhat vocal. They're naturally "real talkers", with plenty of grumbling and mumbling. (Zook rarely barks, aside from letting out a single yap or two when playing or when spotting the opossum in the backyard. But he uses his paws on me all of the time to get my attention or plead with me, and he is becoming more and more vocal all of the time, yodeling, whining and grumbling to voice his concerns and desires!)
Very good with other dogs. However any small, quick moving animal is fair game and the chase is on. I can attest to this, after Zook took after one of the resident stray cats at work the other day.
They don't like wet grass, and will avoid it at all costs. They will even go to the bathroom on the sidewalk in order to avoid putting their paws on wet grass. (Yep. Been there, done that. Luckily I have a spot under the awning in the front bed that can stay pretty dry even when it is raining, so he'll slip in there and go real quick.)
I read somewhere that they like to stay warm and to burrow under the covers. He loves warmth, and would live in the hot sun or in front of a heater if I let him, and loves to get under the covers and then push up against me to stay warm at night.

He may have some chihuahua in him, or even something else like dachshund- I don't know. But I have little doubt that he's got rat terrier in him. He's a great little dog!

House Update

2011-01-04T22:36:00.000-05:00

Whew! Am I exhausted. I've been working on small projects around the house, and it's tough when you've worked all day already. First, last week I painted a mailbox that I intended to hang inside by the front door. It started out as a plain ole black mailbox, and I painted it a satin color, and then decorated it with flowers and such to make something of a hippie mailbox.

It gives me a place to stick bills and such when I walk in the door with the mail.

I also hung up a coat rack.

And I finally have a place for all of my mugs. This spot under the cabinet came with a cheap paper towel holder screwed in under it when I bought the house. The thing never worked, as it was hung upside down, so the paper towels were always falling off. So I removed the paper towel dispenser and put up some mug hooks, and viola!

Yay! I also put a bracket up in the laundry room for holding my step ladder. Nice to have THAT out of the way!

Tonight I hung up a couple of signs that I got for Christmas...

Tonight I also assembled one of my bookcases. First I had to clear a corner of the "library" (at least it will be my library/office when I finish with it.)

During the installation, I found that one of the steps required a lot more room than I had in the room I was in. Shoot! So I had to try and prop up an edge of the bookcase to allow me to have the extra room up to the ceiling to maneuver the piece into place, and in the process broke one of the safety locks. So one corner of the top of the bookcase doesn't fit properly.

Oh well. At least it's the corner of the bookcase that fits into the corner of the room, so you can't even see the problem. And now that I know about the issue, I can plan ahead for next bookcase still waiting to be assembled.

And in my bedroom I hung up an invisible bookshelf that I bought myself for Christmas.

Cool, huh? This is my stack of books to read next, and it is now located next to me in bed.

I may have to buy more of those things! Very cool!

I also organized my DVD collection. Whew!

And I got an over-the-door rack for hanging my robe and purse and such...

So those are the little improvements that I've made around the house in the last few days. Hmmm. Now maybe I should take a few minutes to set my alarm clock, as it has been blinking for a week or two now.

Foods Dangerous to Dogs

2011-01-02T23:31:00.005-05:00

Being a new owner of a young pup, I just wanted to take a moment to remind people about all of the foods that are dangerous to dogs. Most people are familiar with chocolate, but there are so many other things from which you need to protect your family dog.

Here is a list provided by peteducation.com. However, in addition to this list are a few things that I don't see listed on it. Pantry items such as baking powder and baking soda are toxic. Also spices like nutmeg. And I have also seen mentioned that they shouldn't eat raw potatoes or potato plants, and when feeding them fruits as a treat, be sure to remove seeds, stems and leaves and such.

NOTE: A friend mentioned itching caused by food, and I thought that I would mention that as well. If your dog has a problem with itching not caused by fleas, look at his diet. The number one cause is corn. Go with a high-end dog food that doesn't contain corn, and see whether that resolves the issue. If the itching continues, try eliminating wheat, and then the last two contributors are chicken and beef. My dog is on a lamb and rice food that contains no corn or wheat to help alleviate his itching (FYI: The food he is on is Nutra's Lamb and Rice for puppies.)

Items to avoid	Reasons to avoid
Alcoholic beverages	Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.
Avocado	The leaves, seeds, fruit, and bark contain persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources	Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.
Cat food	Generally too high in protein and fats.
Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine	Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea and be toxic to the heart and nervous systems.
Citrus oil extracts	Can cause vomiting.
Fat trimmings	Can cause pancreatitis.
Fish (raw, canned or cooked)	If fed exclusively or in high amounts can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death.
Grapes, raisins and currants	Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys. There have been no problems associated with grape seed extract.
Hops	Unknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death.
Human vitamin supplements containing iron	Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver and kidneys.
Macadamia nuts	Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.
Marijuana	Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate.
Milk and other dairy products	Some adult dogs and cats may develop diarrhea if given large amounts of dairy products.
Moldy or spoiled food, garbage	Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs.
Mushrooms	Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death.
Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder)	Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions.
Persimmons	Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.
Pits from peaches and plums	Can cause obstruction of the digestive tract.
Raw eggs	Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.
Raw meat	May contain bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Rhubarb leaves	Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems.
Salt	If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances.
String	Can become trapped in the digestive system; called a "string foreign body."
Sugary foods	Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus.
Table scraps (in large amounts)	Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed.
Tobacco	Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.
Yeast dough	Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.
Xylitol (artificial sweetener)	Can cause very low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can result in vomiting, weakness and collapse. In high doses can cause liver failure.

Christmas 2010 Rewind (RECIPES: "World's Best" Mac and Cheese, Roasted Autumn Vegetables, Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms, and Two-Apple Crisp with Caramel Sauce)

2010-12-26T11:25:00.003-05:00

I hope that a wonderful Christmas was had by all! Mine was quite enjoyable! Here is my Christmas in a nutshell:

I got the tree put up a few weeks ago. (The tree never goes up before Thanksgiving!)

This year I squeezed it into my small dining room.

My Christmas cards were ordered from Pear Tree Greetings, and due to a shipping glitch on their end, didn't arrive until December 23rd. So my cards didn't get mailed out until that day. I sent a card to my cousin's husband, who is serving in the Middle East. I included a few extra cards for him to hand out to anyone else in his outfit that may need a little "pick me up".

Zook spent much of his time in front of the heater. If he hears you turn the heater on, he will come running from anywhere in the room to get within inches of it.

I had stored up my winnings and Secret Santa gifts that have come in over the last month...

...to open up on Christmas Eve.

Of course most of the packages contained books...

Some, like Mockingjay, I had bought. Most, like Sandman Slim, I had won. Some were Secret Santa gifts.

One Secret Santa got me Clockwork Angel, which was on my Wish List!

And another Secret Santa sent me The Passage, The Handmaid's Tale and Dracula-- all from my Wish List! (She also included a cool magnet!)

What an awesome job done by my Secret Santa's! One of the books turned out to be an unsolicited review copy of Sins of the Flesh sent by the author Caridad Piniero.

I also opened up my gift given me by my boss. There was a very heavy card which contained 4 Troy Ounce silver bars!

We had talked a couple of months ago about how I wanted to get some silver as an investment. I'll be putting this away in a safe place-- perhaps in a safety deposit box! He also got me a calendar.

Included in my Christmas Eve gifts were some things purchased with coupon codes that I had won. For example, with my $100 CSN gift code I got this pressure canner for canning vegetables...

...and this Rachael Ray saute pan...

This was me on Christmas Eve with all of my loot!

(Is that "Hang Ten" that I'm doing? I know not what I do...)

I also spent part of Christmas Eve cooking for the next day. This year was a vegetarian Christmas, and nearly all of my recipes came out of this Pure Flavor cookbook. I believe that I won this cookbook a year or two ago. These recipes all come out of a restaurant in Seattle...

The first recipe was for roasted vegetables...

Roasted Autumn Vegetables
Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp Italian herb blend
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 lbs), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I couldn't find celery root, so I just used celery instead)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While that was heating, I prepped the veggies.

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, herbs, salt and pepper. Add the squash, bell pepper, onion and celery. Toss until the vegetables are evenly coated in the dressing.

Pour the vegetables onto two baking sheets in a single layer.

Roast without stirring for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue roasting for another 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are brown and easily pierced with a fork. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(I put the roasted vegetables in the frig, and then heated them the next day for dinner in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.)

I also roasted the portabello mushrooms for my Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms, which would be playing the role of main course the next day...

They were coated in an herbed oil mixture. The recipe will follow in a moment.

And I also made "World's Best" Mac and Cheese.

"World's Best" Mac and Cheese
Serves 4

Ingredients

6 ounces penne (I only had about 4 ounces, so threw in some corkscrew pasta to make up the difference)
2 cps Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce (recipe follows)
1 ounce Cheddar, grated (1/4 cup)
1 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil an 8-inch baking dish.

Cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions. (It will finish cooking in the oven.) Rinse the pasta in cold water and set aside.

Combine the cooked pasta and the sauce in a medium bowl, and mix carefully but thoroughly. Scrape the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the cheeses and then the chili powder.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let the mac and cheese sit for 5 minutes before serving.

(I made up the mac and cheese, and then stuck it in the frig without cooking. On Christmas Day, I popped it into a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.)

Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce
Makes about 4 cups
(Use leftover sauce in all sorts of ways. For example, spoon over poached eggs or steamed broccoli.)

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
14 oz semihard cheese, grated (about 3 1/2 cups)- I used cheddar
2 oz semisoft cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)- I used a Colby and Monterey Jack mix
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Preparation

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes.

Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.

Add the cheeses, salt, chili powder and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms
Serves 6

Ingredients

1/3 cup plus 3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 large mushrooms, such as portabellos, stems and gills removed, caps wiped clean
3 medium zucchini, diced (I used 2 fairly large)
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 oz (6 tbs) cream cheese
3 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 green onion (white and green parts), thinly sliced
1 oz Parmesan or other hard cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
2 tbs sliced drained sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 tbs chopped fresh basil
1 tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbs fresh bread crumbs
3 plum tomatoes, cut into 6 slices each (I used about 1 1/2 plum tomates, as I had small portabello)
4 oz semisoft cheese, grated (1 cup)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To cook the mushrooms, combine 1/3 cup of the olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and half the garlic in a large bowl. Using a pastry brush, coat the surface of the mushrooms, inside and out, with the oil mixture. Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet, domed side down. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the centers of the mushrooms are tender. Drain the mushrooms on paper towels and set aside to cool. Keep the oven on. (I did this the night before, and then put the mushrooms in the frig to finish on Christmas Day.)

To make the filling, in a large skillet, heat 2 tbs of the olive oil over high heat. When the oil is nearly smoking, add enough of the zucchini to make a single layer in the pan. Cook the zucchini without stirring until browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Stir the zucchini and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until lightly browned on all sides. Remove to a medium bowl and repeat the remaining zucchini.

Add the bell pepper, onion, and remaining tbs of oil to the skillet, and cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes, or until browned. Stir the mixture and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper mixture to the zucchini.

Season the vegetable mixture with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Let it cool in the frig while preparing the rest of the filling.

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Fold in the green onions, Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, remaining garlic, bread crumbs, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.

Mix the cheese mixture into the vegetable mixture, combining thoroughly but gently.

Place the mushrooms, domed side down, on a baking sheet. Divide the filling evenly among the mushroom caps, mounding it slightly. Push the filling to the edges to fill the entire cap.

Top each with 3 slices of tomato (I could only fit 2 slices), and sprinkle with the semisoft cheese (I used a Colby/Monterey mix), mounding it high. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are heated through and the cheese is melted and is beginning to brown.

And viola! Dinner is served!

The mac and cheese was quite good. I probably could have used a little more chipotle for an extra boost. Good mac and cheese!

The stuffed portabellos were quite good! Very nice flavor! Tommy and Woodrow both deemed this their favorite of the dinner.

The roasted veggies were also awesome! I could eat this all by itself! Woodrow described them as tasting sort of like stuffing. I'm guessing that was probably due to the Italian seasoning along with the celery.

I also made some green beans with shallots.

Finish it off with some crescent rolls, and you're talking good eating! Also, might I note that you can't tell in this picture, but that tree is actually leaning in the corner in order to remain standing.

I pulled out the dining room table yesterday, and then got down on the floor and began moving the tree over to the corner by pulling the base of it, when it suddenly fell over on top of me! We couldn't get it to stand on its own after that. I don't know that the stand actually broke. I think it may have just come apart. I hope so. This tree is so much nicer than most of the ones that I see for sale today that cost upwards of $200, so I don't want to have to dispose of it. If the stand is broken, I'll have to search for a replacement stand.

Later on I made Apple Crisp for dessert. This recipe also came from my Pure Flavor cookbook! However I decided last minute to skip the caramel sauce, as I was tired and it was getting late and Mom and Tommy needed to get home to their animals. So we just did the apple crisp with ice cream.

Two-Apple Crisps with Caramel Sauce
Serves 8

Intended to be baked in individual servings (as this recipe comes out of a restaurant), I did it in a 13x9 inch baking dish.

Ingredients

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp table salt, plus a pinch for the apples
8 tbs (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 lbs Golden Delicious apples (about 3 large apples), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 1/2 lbs Granny Smith apples (about 3 large apples), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of nutmeg (I used pumpkin pie spice)
Caramel sauce (I omitted it, but I'll include the recipe below)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the topping, combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium bowl. Using a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside until ready to use. (I used gloved hands to mix it instead of a fork. It worked great!)

In a large bowl, toss the apples with the granulated sugar, lemon juice, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Divide the apples among 8 ramekins, mounding them. (Or just put in a buttered 13x9 inch baking dish instead.) Cover the apples with the oat topping, pressing the mixture lightly onto the apples. Make sure the apples are completely covered by the topping.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Let the crisps cool for 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle each one with caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce
Makes about 1 1/4 cups

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 2 tbs granulated or turbinado sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp table salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

Pour 6 tbs water into a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan. Add the sugar and heat over medium-high, occasionally swirling the water gently, until the sugar melts, about 3 minutes.

While the sugar is cooking, bring the cream and salt to a simmer in a separate small, covered saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. As soon as the mixture starts to simmer, remove it from the heat.

Once the sugar is completely melted, raise the heat to high and boil it for 6 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture turns the color of straw. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for 2 mintues, or until the syrup is a deep amber color. (Pay close attention during these last 2 minutes of cooking so the syrup does not burn.)

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour about one-third of the hot cream into the caramel. The mixture will bubble vigorously. Let the bubbling subside and add the remaining hot cream and the vanilla, whisking until smooth. Serve warm.

Even without the caramel sauce, this is delicious! But...aha!...while typing up the recipe I realize that I used 4 apples instead of 6. That explains why it was so skimpy! Still good though...

Woodrow and Tommy went back for seconds.

And here is a glimpse at just a few of my gifts...

A super comfy sweater...

Lots of kitchen gadgets, which I always love!

A birdhouse to add to my growing collection...

And a sign perfect for me. I can think of a few people whose homes I would like to hang this over the front door...

And Mom made up a bath basket for me, which includes a beautiful bottle of cucumber melon bath salts.

So today is a day for recuperation. Zuchi is resting his injured leg...

I don't know whether he is nursing an injury from jumping off the bed or from tearing around the yard as if it is a race course, or if he is dealing with a birth defect of the knee, which chihuahuas are prone to. However I could swear that it was his right leg that initially bothered him on Thursday, but now it is the left. So I am wondering whether he could have both. He may have a knee defect that was triggered on Thursday after he ran around the yard, but then he was favoring that leg when he jumped off of the bed and landed on his left leg. So now it is his left leg that is bothering him. I'm giving him a few days to see whether it improves. If not, he'll be heading to the vet this week.

After Mom and Tommy left last night, I was so exhausted that I promptly fell asleep on the couch at 9:30 and didn't get up until nearly 1 AM and go to bed. This morning everyone is recuperating.

Momma and Zuchi are curled up on the couch with me...

Delilah is sleeping on the new condo I got the cats for Christmas...

Fancy is sleeping up on the kitchen cabinets...

Shotsie is sleeping on some of my Christmas gifts...

And Simon is on the floor by my feet, hidden under the blanket covering my lap. Even Odie was silent this morning until I started thinking about him a moment ago. Now he is chirping and screaming up a storm. I swear he has a psychic connection to me and knows when I am just thinking about him, as he often seems to respond to my thoughts.

So today will be a quiet day of lounging and then some clean up. Thankfully I am off this coming week, so I don't have to get everything done today!

Merry Christmas everyone!

RECIPE: Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

2010-12-18T01:43:00.000-05:00

This was another Thanksgiving recipe, and I didn't get pictures of the cooking process. Only the finished product with gravy.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter
Adapted from MyRecipes.com

Finish the asparagus just before serving dinner. Cooking the butter until it browns slightly gives the dish a nutty flavor; watch carefully, though, since it can burn easily.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 5 spears)

Ingredients

    * 40 asparagus spears, trimmed (about 2 pounds)
    * Cooking spray
    * 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    * 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
    * 2 tablespoons butter
    * 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
    * 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until tender.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce and vinegar. Drizzle over the asparagus, tossing well to coat. Serve immediately.

Not bad. Not anything really outstanding about it, but not bad for another asparagus recipe.

RECIPE: Vegetarian Stovetop Stuffing

2010-12-18T01:37:00.003-05:00

Here is some yummy stuffing. I didn't get any pictures of the cooking process, but here's the recipe...

Vegetarian Stovetop Stuffing
Adapted from Organicgrocerydeals.com

serves 4

Ingredients:

2 C small-cubes or 3 C large-cubes stale bread
1/4 C butter
1&1/4 C vegetable stock
1/2 C finely minced yellow/sweet onions**
1 t dried parsley
1/2 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t dried sage
1/4 t ground pepper
1/4 t celery seed

In a medium saucepan over low heat, sweat the onions in the butter for 2-3 minutes until butter is melted. Add seasonings and stir. Add vegetable stock and stir until combined. Bring to a simmer- about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and add bread crumbs, giving a quick stir to coat. Place lid over pan and let sit 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Yeah, baby! That is some good stuffing! The only thing was that it was a little too wet and mushy. So next time I might ease up on the liquid a bit- substantially ease up on it. Since I added a few extra handfuls of breading after seeing the liquid flooding the dish, and still wound up with mushy stuffing, I would probably start with about 3/4 cup of liquid and add more until it seemed about right. But very good flavor!

RECIPE: Braised Fall Vegetables with Shallots and Red Wine Sauce and Mushroom Gravy

2010-12-18T01:30:00.003-05:00

Well, I forgot to post the recipes from my Thanksgiving Day menu. So we'll start with the Braised Vegetables and Mushroom Gravy...

Braised Fall Vegetables with Shallots and Red Wine Sauce
Adapted from MyRecipes.com

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
20 large shallots, peeled and separated (about 2 pounds)
6 carrots, cut into 2-inch-thick pieces (about 3/4 pound)
2 1/2 cups quartered mushrooms (about 1/3 pound)
4 large parsnips, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
Red Wine Sauce, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation

Heat butter and oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallots and carrots; sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add mushrooms and parsnips; sauté 10 minutes. Now the red wine sauce recipe they had was too much work for me, given everything else I had to do that day. So I don't remember exactly what I did in its place, but I think that I just poured in some red wine and maybe some broth and butter, rosemary, and next 4 ingredients (rosemary through thyme); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Combine parsley and garlic in a small bowl; sprinkle over each serving.

Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy
Adapted from NPR recipe for Vegetarian Gravy

The gravy thickens up quite a bit, so keep some warm water or vegetable broth on hand to thin it out before serving, and for leftovers. Makes 2 cups.

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion or shallots
5 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz package of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic and mushrooms until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and soy sauce to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the broth.

Season with sage, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

The braised veggies weren't bad, but I discovered that I do NOT like parsnips! So next time I will skip them! Also the size of the chopped veggies as they suggested were too big to cook thoroughly. So next time I would also cut the veggies smaller.

The gravy (as seen here on the stuffing) was AWESOME! I absolutely loved it! I plan to make this plenty in the future. However it really does thicken up, so I would suggest doing as they say and keeping some broth on hand to thin it out when reheating for leftovers and such.

Braised veggies-- Not bad. Would probably be quite good if carrots and mushrooms and maybe potatoes minus the parsnips, and smaller pieces that cook well. Also could easily use onion instead of shallots. Much simpler.

Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy-- Absolutely delicious! This is a definite keeper!

Zucchini: 3+ week Progress Report

2010-12-14T23:34:00.002-05:00

Well, Zook has now been with me for over 3 weeks, and things are going great. He's still the greatest pup I could have asked for.

The weather has gotten chilly here, and tonight we are expected to hit freezing for the second night in a row. Very unusual for South Florida! Little Zucchi doesn't like the cold too much. So I have him wear warm clothes to kep him warm and prevent him from shivering...

Zook loves a heater! If there is one running, that is where you will find Zook...

Speaking of heater, the other day I found him sitting in front of the heater in my office. Then the heater shut off, and he sat and just stared at the temp knob that I use to get the heat to come back on. I finally reached down and turned it back on for him.

He and my cat Shotsie are forging something of a friendship. Shotsie doesn't like any of the other cats, but she seems to kinda like Zook. She was raised with a small dog and no cats for the first two years of her life, so it's what she's comfortable with.

I'm curious how close they may get. What really surprises me is Momma. She is even coming to be comfortable with the pup, and will get close to him. However she is my most timid cat and afraid of everything.

The other day I got some pictures of Zucchi dressed up for Christmas, and used some of the images for my Christmas card.

(He looks snarling and mean here, but really he was just eating a carrot.)

Totally off subject, but the other day I took him out at work, and I found that the rain had stirred up some frogs. I just thought that this guy looked pretty cool...

Back to the subject at hand...

Zook is funny and adorable and he makes me laugh every day.

He is also very sweet, and loves to be close by if you'll let him be.

This weekend we took him to the dog park, and he had a blast playing in the large dog pen! (There wasn't anything going on in the small dog pen, so we decided to live dangerously and take him into the big dog pen.)

This bassett hound was great. His name was Jughead. I loved him!

Then a guy showed up with his two great danes, Finnegan and Fiona. Finnegan was 183 pounds!

Just a little perspective of their size!

Yet both he and Fiona were gentle giants. They loved Zucchi, and all of the other dogs!

All of the dogs sort of gravitated to the Great Danes. Zook was fascinated by them, but also wary of them.

We had a good day, and Zook was tuckered out for the rest of the night.

I did make a trip to the pet store recently, and they had a nutritionist there who spotted Zook's pink feet and asked whether he chews his feet a lot. I confirmed that he does, and she said that this is caused by corn, wheat, chicken and beef. She suggested he go on Nutra's Lamb and Rice puppy food. I agreed to give it a try, and that's what he's been eating. Right now it is mixed with his regular food, so he is still getting the things he's not supposed to be eating, but getting less of it. Eventually we'll try him on the straight Lamb and Rice dinner, and we'll see how he does.

This week I've been mixing grated zucchini into his dinner along with a little canned lamb and rice and his dry lamb and rice. He loves zucchini!

He also loves carrots and raw green beans! Here is him eating a carrot coin...

Last night he got a bath. He didn't care for it, but he did pretty well.

Afterward we setup his bed in front of the heater, which I've stated before that he loves.

He really does try to be a good boy and do whatever it is that will make you happy. Here is a video of him after his bath...

Cute, huh? He's also putting on weight. If my scale is right. He was 9 pounds a couple of weeks ago, and is now about 10.5 pounds. He has his first vet appointment this weekend. So we'll find out for sure then.

RECIPE: Vegetarian Mulligatawny Soup

2010-12-14T00:52:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to try Mulligatawny Soup, and thought to go ahead with it today after seeing a recipe posted by Pioneer Woman. This is my vegetarian version of her Mulligatawny Soup.

Vegetarian Mulligatawny Soup
Adapted from Pioneer Woman's Easy Mulligatawny

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)
Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion
3 cloves Garlic, Minced Finely
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
32 ounces, fluid Vegetable Broth
2 cups Half-and-half
1 whole Granny Smith Apple, Peeled And Diced
1 Tablespoon Sugar (white Or Brown) More Or Less To Taste
2 teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Cayenne Pepper (optional, For Spice)

Preparation Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add chickpeas and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Remove to a plate. Set aside. (Note: I toasted pine nuts with the chickpeas, but next time will try without them. The flavor was a little too much, although perhaps fewer pine nuts would be okay.)

In the same pot, add butter and reduce heat to medium. Add diced onion and garlic and stir to cook. Onions should be starting to brown. (Note: Next time I will probably saute the onion and garlic with the chickpeas.)

Sprinkle flour over onions. Stir to combine, then stir in curry powder. Cook mixture over medium heat for one minute, stirring constantly.

Pour in chicken broth. Stir to combine, then cook for five minutes.

Add half and half, salt, pepper, and sugar, then cook for another five minutes.

Add diced apple and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off and allow to stand 5 or 10 minutes before serving. Taste for seasonings before serving.

This was pretty good. The pine nuts were just a little too strong. So I'll make the aforementioned changes next time. But otherwise this is a keeper.

Soup for you! (Seinfeld anyone?)

RECIPE: Shrimp with Pasta and Lemon-Butter Sauce

2010-12-06T08:26:00.000-05:00

Last night I decided to try a different twist on a pasta dish I've made in the past.

Shrimp and Pasta in Lemon-Butter Sauce

1 lb of spaghetti (Smart Taste enriched with vitamins and fiber)
4 tbs butter
1 tbs garlic (I used roasted garlic this time)
1/2 cup white wine
2 lemons
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper
Dried rubbed sage
Crushed red pepper flakes
Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Set a pot of water to boiling. Add spaghetti and remove from heat just before al dente. (If you work quickly enough, you may be able to simply spoon the pasta directly from the water after a few minutes, but I wound up using tongs to remove it to a colander to drain excess water first.)

Melt 1 tbs of butter in skillet over medium-high heat and add roasted garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Add white wine. Cook until reduced by half. Then add juice from one lemon, and cook until reduced by half.

Add remaining 3 tbs of butter, 1 tbs at a time, until melted and well-mixed. Add about 1/2-1 tbs of rubbed sage, salt and pepper. Add shrimp and cook about 2-3 minutes on one side and then flip and cook on other side for another couple of minutes.

Add pasta to frying pan and toss to coat. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the top and toss some more.
Serve on plates with bread. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Yummy! The only drawback is that there was too much pasta for the sauce, if you like the pasta really coated. So you could make more sauce or use less pasta, or leave it as-is if you are looking for a lighter meal (more sauce would make for a greasier meal, due to all of the butter).

Now the big "oops": This was supposed to have my homemade roasted tomatoes in it, but I totally forgot! So they are still sitting in the frig, and I need to find another use for them! Grrrrrr...

RECIPE: Sauteed veggies over steamed rice and chili beans

2010-12-06T07:59:00.000-05:00

We made a trip to the Green Market this weekend, where I have been picking up my weekly local produce (for the most part. Not all is locally grown, but most of it is). So Saturday night I threw together a quick and easy meal.

First I had Woodrow throw together one of his favorites that he makes for himself quite often- steamed rice and chili beans.

Then I sauteed up some cubanello (frying peppers), and onion, and corn from a few ears. I sauteed it all up in olive oil, and seasoned it with a little cumin and Lawry's seasoned pepper and salt. Then served it over the rice and chili beans.

Nice, easy and flavorful dinner! I've done a similar thing with other sauteed veggies in the past. Quick and easy!

RECIPE: Homemade Hot Chocolate

2010-12-06T07:45:00.001-05:00

The colder weather down here in Florida has gotten me craving hot chocolate. And it got me thinking about what real hot chocolate is, and how I've never made "real" hot chocolate before. So, after receiving my new Emeril saucepan in the mail (which was purchased using a gift code that I won in a giveaway)...

...I decided to break it in by making my first batch of hot chocolate.

During a trip to the grocery store today, I bought some semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips and milk. After coming home, I did a little research on how homemade hot chocolate is made, and only one recipe I found had actual chocolate! Most had powdered cocoa. The one with chocolate included a beaten egg (uh...isn't that "egg nog"?) So I had to come up with my own recipe. So this is what I did:

Homemade Hot Chocolate

1 pint of reduced-fat milk
1/3-1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tbs sugar
Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
Whipped Cream

Directions:

Pour milk into saucepan and add chocolate. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, as chocolate slowly melts while milk heats.

After chocolate seems to be melted and milk thoroughly heated, add a sprinkle of cayenne and mix well.
Pour into two mugs, and top with whipped cream. You could drizzle the whipped cream with chocolate syrup or a sprinkle of cocoa.

Mmmmmmm good! This is a keeper as a treat for cold winter nights!

Also today: I had a knob break off of drawer, and we went today to look for a replacement. I thought I might get all new hardware, but didn't want to get too costly. I found a couple of pulls that were affordable and which I thought might go nicely with my white cabinets, and decided to try them out and see how I liked them.

This is what I have now...

...and these are the new pulls...

I'm thinking that I like them! The color goes nicely with the tile in the kitchen. So I'll be buying more for the rest of the kitchen today.

Now go make hot chocolate! Do it quick! Do it now!

Zucchini: Day Thirteen Progress Report

2010-12-03T20:56:00.000-05:00

I got to work this morning and took Zuchi out right away, and we spotted this...

She was sunning herself, occasionally flapping her wings. When we went out later, she was gone.

After work we ran to PetsMart to get a couple of warm sweaters/coats for Zuchi to wear when it's cold out. Poor puppy. This is the nice "suede" coat. You can't see it too well, because he wiggles so much it's hard for me to get a good shot.

Then I tried on his hoodie...

He was so freakin' cute in this thing, that I laughed until I cried! The back of the sweatshirt says "Property of KONG"...

So freakin' adorable! Whenever I take him to the pet store, everyone goes crazy over him, and he goes crazy over all of them. He loves everyone, two-legged and four-legged alike!

I got a little video of him today while he played at work. And right at the end he looked up and realized that he had my attention. He perked up and his tail started wagging, and he jumped up to come see me...

Isn't he the cutest?

Zucchini: Day Eleven Progress Report

2010-12-02T08:23:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a pretty good day with Zuchi. Well, every day is a good day with Zuchi! After all, he is the smartest, sweetest and cutest puppy ever!

With the dropping temps last night, I decided it was a good time to try out his Christmas shirt that I got for Christmas pics.

That says "Dear Santa, Define Naughty". Poor puppy. I'm a cruel, cruel owner and thinking of buying a warmer sweater for him. They say that chihuahuas get cold easily.

Afterward he burrowed into his bed for additional warmth...

See? Cutest puppy ever!

Today Zuchi learned to scratch at the door to let me know that he needs to go out. We worked on it throughout the afternoon, and by 5:00 he was doing it on his own. Good puppy!

I kept trying to upload a video I call "A.D.D. Puppy", showing Zuchi playing with one toy and then running to another and then distracted by another, on and on and on for over a minute, but it keeps erroring on upload. So instead here is a video of him being really cute. He does this to Woodrow every night, sometimes much more exuberantly. He's pretty calm in this one.

And how is this for a peaceful work environment?

Yes, that is my bird that you see/hear in the videos. I was talking to one of our remote techs on the phone today, and during the conversation the presence of Zuchi was mentioned. "We have an office of pinball machines and puppies.", I told him. Later he overheard my bird Odie in the background and asked, "Is that a bird?" I told him, "Yep. I have one of those here, too." He just laughed. So far my boss hasn't complained about all of my animals at work. It's good for my morale, and his job is easier if my morale is high. It means that I will happily handle all of the emergencies that come up and not balk and complain too much when he wants to take off to go somewhere.

All last night, Zuchi stayed curled up tight against me for warmth. We had the window open, so it got really chilly in the bedroom. Brrrrrrrrrr!

So we will get ready for another day and assume that it is as good as the last!

Mushroom and Caramelized-Shallot Strudel and Green Beans with Shallots

2010-12-01T21:22:00.001-05:00

I was supposed to make this strudel as my main entree for Thanksgiving. However I simply didn't have time to do it, nor the energy. So I saved it for dinner that weekend.

Green Beans with Shallots

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the cooking water
1 pound fresh green beans
1 large shallot
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring a medium pot of cold water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Trim the stem end off the green beans. Peel and finely chop the shallot.

Drop the green beans into the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander set in the sink and rinse with very cold water until cool.

Drain well and pat dry with paper towels. (The vegetables can be prepared up to this point, up to 4 hours ahead.)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is just golden, about 2 minutes.

Add the green beans, increase the heat to high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are heated through, about 4 minutes. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper and serve immediately.

Mushroom and Caramelized-Shallot Strudel

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups sliced shallots (about 8 ounces)
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon water
4 (8-ounce) packages presliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons dry Marsala or Madeira
2/3 cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Cooking spray
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs, divided
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

First I put the butter on the stove to melt from the heat of the oven while I cooked.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sugar; cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with water; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until shallots are soft. Add mushrooms; cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat 20 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. Add Marsala; cook 1 minute.

Remove from heat, and cool. Stir in sour cream, parsley, salt, thyme, and pepper.

Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover remaining dough to keep from drying), and lightly coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons breadcrumbs. Repeat the layers with 3 phyllo sheets, cooking spray, and breadcrumbs, ending with the phyllo.

Spoon 1 3/4 cups mushroom mixture along 1 long edge of phyllo, leaving a 1-inch border.

Starting at the long edge with the 1-inch border, roll up jelly roll fashion. Place strudel, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Tuck ends under. Repeat the procedure with the remaining phyllo sheets, cooking spray, breadcrumbs, and mushroom mixture. Brush strudels with butter.

Bake strudels at 400° for 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut each strudel into 4 slices.

Nice. Sort of like stroganoff served with flaky biscuits. A little tang with the sour cream, sweet from the caramelized shallots, the crisp flavor of parsley.

I haven't decided whether or not I would do this one again. The strudel was a fair bit of work. Hmmmm. Woodrow really liked it. Maybe...maybe...

The green beans weren't quite as good this time. The other day I made them as outlined in the recipe, and Woodrow said it tasted like he was eating steak. However this time I didn't have enough shallots, so I just minced up onion instead. So it seemed to lack just a little something this time, but was still good.

Not a bad little dinner.

Zucchini: Day Eight Progress Report

2010-11-28T22:18:00.000-05:00

Well, given that Zucchini Joseph von Pickle Bottom is the greatest puppy ever, everything is going great with him. And given his "unusual" name and my recent good humor, I am considering having a shirt made for him...

Zuchi is doing great. We're still working on the housebreaking, but he's doing pretty well with it. He is surprisingly obedient and well-behaved for such a young guy. I finally heard him bark once the other day. I think he was barking at a toy.

Yesterday he discovered the cats toy box, and promptly began emptying it. He would get a toy out of it, carry it to the dining rug, play with it for a minute, then head back to the toy box and get another toy, carry it to the dining rug, play with it for a minute, and this continued on and on ad nauseum.

Strangely enough instead of the dog upsetting the household of five cats, it almost seems to have improved things. Firstly the toys laying around (particularly the tennis balls) has the cats playing more than before. Secondly I think that maybe it has given the cats something else to focus on other than poor Shotsie. So things are better for Shotsie. And Shotsie grew up with a dog, so she is doing pretty well with the pup.

Here are a few random shots showing how cute my boy is...

And here is the cutest boy in the world in bed at night. This is after his initial outburst, in which he deliriously jumps all over Woodrow, licking his face and ears.

Eat your heart out world. He's all mine!

Zucchini: Day Five Progress Report (and Thanksgiving summary)

2010-11-25T21:08:00.003-05:00

"Huh?" you might ask yourself. "Who or what the heck is Zucchini?" Ummmm...I think that's the puppy's new name. I've gone around and around, and my poor puppy probably suffers Multiple Personality Disorder at this point, but it takes awhile to get to know a puppy's personality. He came with the name JoJo, and I changed that to Joey (which really suits his personality). However my father requested that I change his name, as my nephew and my sister's new boyfriend are both named Joey.

Then the puppy seemed to like the name Smeagol. There is something about the sound of the name that is music to his ears! And I still may use that as a nickname for him. But it doesn't do his "cuteness" justice.

Then today happened. Standing in the kitchen cutting vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner, I kept giving the pup a taste of stuff. Last night he went crazy over raw green beans (and we discussed naming him "Green Bean"). Today he went crazy over zucchini and carrots (but was not fond of parsnip. I can't say I blame him. I found that I don't like it either.) And I thought that Zucchini was a fitting name for him. Unfortunately throughout the day it has grown, and has now become Zucchini von Pickle Bottom. (This is probably because Woodrow and our friend came up with a goofy nickname for our friend's dog, and it infiltrated my subconscious.) So today his name is Zucchini, or Zuchi or Zuch. Who knows whether he'll have a different name tomorrow.

So Zucchini LOVES raw apples, green beans, zucchini and carrots. So it's looking good for turning him into a vegetarian dog eventually!

He's been sleeping through the night, and sleeps on the bed in whatever place I put him, and when I get up in the morning, he's in the same spot. He learned to use his dog bed and the cat door that leads out to the porch within the first 30 minutes in my home. And after 5 days, we've still never heard him bark. A couple of times we heard a little "humpf", but that's it.

Yesterday we went out for a few hours, and we left Zuchi crated while we were gone. I meant to only be gone for two hours, but we were gone for three. When we got home, Zuch was ecstatic! He cried like I've never heard him. This video was made about 5-10 minutes after I'd gotten home, and he was still pretty excited.

Things went great today at Mom's with her dog Katy. She and Zuchi became good friends, and I got video of them playing together...

Then he came in all tuckered out from the excitement, and climbed in his bed for nappy time.

This was my first vegetarian Thanksgiving. I made Braised Carrots, Parsnips, Mushrooms and Shallots in a red wine sauce, Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter, Zucchini Cakes, Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy and vegetarian homemade stuffing. I may post some of the recipes later, but here was our table...

This was my plate. Mom made deviled eggs, roast chicken, au gratin potatoes and sweet potatoes.

That was some good stuff! Well, except for the parsnips. I found that I do not care for parsnips. The vegetarian gravy was AWESOME in flavor. It was a little too thick, but very good flavor. The stuffing was a little too wet and mushy, but again the flavor was good. Yummy asparagus. Mom's deviled eggs were good, and au gratin potatoes are always good, but I didn't have room for the sweet potatoes. Those came home with me to eat later.

Dinner was followed by coffee and pumpkin pie. I brought a little sweet potato pie home with me for later, too.

So overall we all had a really nice day, and we are all exhausted and well fed. I hope that everyone else had as good a Thanksgiving. I and Zucchini von Pickle Bottom wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Smeagol: Day Four Progress Report

2010-11-23T20:52:00.002-05:00

Things have been going wonderfully with Smeagol/Joey (we are calling him both. I've said that his name is Joey, but his nickname is Smeagol.) He is settling right in and learning lots every day. I'm on vacation this week, so it has worked out really well that I found him just as my vacation began.

Day One I mostly let him settle in. On Day Two we had our first real training sessions, and he learned "sit" and "show me your belly" in under 60 seconds, and has gotten pretty good with "come here" and "lay down". He also knows "Wanna go outside?"

The other day something happened that scared him. I think maybe Simon knocked him in the head for getting too familiar. Smeagol proceeded to run and hide between Woodrow's legs while he washed dishes.

I couldn't get him to come out from behind his legs for quite awhile. Poor little guy. Otherwise things are going pretty good between him and the cats.

Today we had a big adventure. We took him to the Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve for his first outing in nature. I wasn't sure how he would do. Well he did great! He seemed to really enjoy it.

We stopped and spent a little time on a bench by the river.

Isn't he a cutie? We just sat and looked out at the view...

The view is so pretty here. You wouldn't know from this shot that we are right next to the interstate...

As peaceful as it looks, unfortunately you hear all of the traffic on I-75.

As we left today, we saw some bulls by the pasture fence. We decided to stop and see how Smeagol would respond. I've been trying to introduce him to all sorts of situations to keep him well-adjusted and socialized.

He walked right up to this big bull with no hesitation at all. The bull was nervous about Woodrow and I, but he immediately came up and licked Smeagol on the nose!

I had Woodrow go get the camera, and we worked to get Smeagol and the bull together for a shot.

We finally got the two of them together again, but we still couldn't get a shot of the bull licking Smeagol on the nose again (although the bull did do it a few times).

The bull finally let me pet his nose, too. He was really skittish of Woodrow. I told Woodrow that he probably hasn't had good run-ins with men, what with branding/tagging, castrating, immunizations, and such. But since I had Smeagol, and he liked Smeagol, he seemed to trust me a little more.

So Joey (Smeagol) and I have begun training, and he is super smart and learning fast. Here are our current goals and progress. Those things he seems to have mastered have been crossed off the list:

~~Learn name (he's learned both Smeagol and Joey pretty well)~~
~~Learn command "sit"~~
Learn command "lay down" (WORKING ON IT)
Learn command "show me your belly" (WORKING ON IT. He's very good at this command once he's laying down.)
Learn command "sit pretty" (to get him to sit up and "beg") (WORKING ON IT. We did this once tonight.)
Learn command "roll over"
Learn command "come here" (WORKING ON IT. He's getting pretty at this.)
Learn command "stay"
~~Learn command "get in your bed"~~
Learn what "Wanna go outside" means (WORKING ON IT. He's pretty good at this.)
Learn what "Wanna go for a ride" means
Learn what "eat" means
Learn to walk properly on a lead (WORKING ON IT. He's doing pretty well on a leash, when he isn't afraid of the cars driving by.)
Learn to ask to go outside (WORKING ON IT. He's getting good at this.)
~~Learn to fetch~~
Become "crate trained" (WORKING ON IT. I got him to willingly eat his dinner in it tonight, to keep the cats away from his food while he ate.)
Learn the meaning of "toy" or "baby"
Try different foods. Get him to eat rice and veggies and such. (WORKING ON IT. He at apple today and loved it. I tried to feed him rice tonight mixed in with his food, but he ate around it. My goal is to eventually be able to get him on a healthy vegetarian diet with the protein that he needs.)
Become good friends with Katy (Mom's dog) so that maybe the two of them can even play together.

Now the next big goal will be Thanksgiving at Mom's with her dog Katy. We'll see how that goes.

He is the greatest little pup I could have ever hoped for!

Introducing Smeagol

2010-11-21T09:48:00.004-05:00

We've got a new addition to the ZooCrew. Smeagol joined our family yesterday quite unexpectedly. We just fell in love with him when we saw him at the pet store yesterday. A local rescue shows their animals there.

For those unfamiliar with "Smeagol", he is a character from the Lord of the Rings trilogy (seen above).

Okay, so he doesn't really look like Smeagol. He's actually quite cute...

He was listed as a chihuahua, but I think he is more likely a rat terrier/chihuahua mix. I never expected to get a dog like this.

First of all, I wanted a medium-sized dog of 40-60 pounds. Secondly I wanted an older dog of over the age of 4. And I was planning on a female. But when we went to the store yesterday, he stole my heart the second that I saw him. He has a pretty calm temperament, simply wanting to be next to you and make you happy. I think he will be very trainable, but right now we are struggling with the whole housetraining-thing. That's always fun!

If you are confused over the difference between the two Smeagols, here is some video to help you tell them apart. This is our Smeagol*...

And this is Smeagol from Lord of the Rings...

Got it?

*"Smeagol's" name was JoJo when he came to us. So in the video I am calling him Joey. However as my nephew's name is Joey, we thought it best to change his name. So now he is Smeagol. Isn't he lucky?

The End of an Era...well, a moment at least

2010-11-17T21:46:00.001-05:00

No more Katy. Tonight she is home with Mom. We had a nice final day together though.

You know, Katy would have been a great service dog, if she had been given a different start in life. Her early abuse and neglect has created a dog full of anxieties, so she would not now be suitable for the position. But she is so obedient and smart and eager to please.

Whenever we go somewhere, it is her job to carry her toy. That is the one thing that I expect of her, while I am lugging everything else inside! This is how it goes...

She's such a good girl! And today she got to meet a local news reporter and cameraman! We've been having some trouble at work with recyclable pickup (or lack thereof). I got sick of hearing the boss and office girl sounding like helpless victims, so I took it upon myself to email a few local news stations and the local news paper. I told them of our issue and asked whether or not they were interested. You can even see in the video above that I have bottles all over my office floor. This is due to me having no where to put them, since Waste Pro won't pick up our recyclables as they are contracted to do!

Well, today we had a call from the local Fox 4 news reporter asking to do an interview with me. I told her that the boss would be the better person to speak with. They came over, and we are now due to see the boss on the news in about an hour.

Yesterday I wrote the date all over a bottle, and stuck it in the recycle bin. Today I put a dated paper by it and took a picture. I was going to do this everyday until the recyclables were picked up, before we received the call from the reporter.

They interviewed the boss...

...and got a shot of the bottles stacking up in my office, since I have no place to put them. Mom periodically hauls some off, or I take some home to recycle.

They say that they will pick up the recyclables on Thursday, but they have been saying that every time that we call. We'll see if being on the news makes a difference.

So Katy is gone now. I enjoy having her around. She's a good girl. However I'm glad to leave the feeding responsibilities of all of the other animals back to Mom and Tommy. It was about 2 hours per day being spent on traveling to three other places and feed 8 extra animals. Whew! I'm due to start my vacation in two days, and I can use it!

Katy-Kate: Part Deux, Day Two

2010-11-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

So it's day two with Katy, and things are going well. The cats are adjusting to having her around. In fact, Delilah has decided that she loves Katy's bed, and this morning she even came over and laid down on the edge to share the bed with her.

But tonight she is taking the bed all for herself, and has even confiscated Katy's baby (see the orange toy that she is laying on?)

So where is Katy? Well after a quick bath to "freshen" her up, she has taken to the couch...

See, having Katy over is sort of like being the grandparent who gets the grandkids for the day-- you get to let them do all of the things that they normally aren't permitted to do, like climb all over the furniture. Just don't tell Mom. When she is surprised by Katy jumping up on the couch at her house, we can all just play dumb. Right?

Katy-Time

2010-11-14T16:16:00.000-05:00

Mom and Tommy have had to go out of town a little lately, which has left me to care for their 9 animals on top of my 7. Their animals are spread across three different locations, and each morning and evening I have to care for them. The dog, Katy, is staying with me though and heading to work with me each day.

Katy sleeps by my bed at night...

...and greets me in the morning as if she hasn't seen me in weeks.Then I take her to work, and she sleeps near my desk.

Mom had told me not to leave the water out at night for the stray cat, as the raccoons will wash their paws in it and leave the bowl filthy. Well the water was left out the first night, and in the morning I found a dirty bowl of water and this...

Raccoon footprints heading under Mom's car. Sometimes Mom really knows what she's talking about!

Then I went to Tommy's to feed his two cats, and as I walked in I noticed a box on the floor for the cat to play in, and I spotted this in it...

That purple and green shirt caught my eye, because my ex-husband had the same shirt during our marriage. I remembered that my mom bought the shirts for both Tommy and my ex. It made me smile. I'd forgotten about that shirt!

Today I have Katy back again, as Mom and Tommy head out again. We set up Katy's bed in the livingroom, but Delilah promptly took it over.

Four of my five cats have now gotten pretty used to Katy. Momma still disappears when Katy is around, but even she will sometimes come into the room now when Katy is around. Today we are going to try to get a little work done in the yard, and will be giving Katy-Kate a bath. Enjoy your weekend!

A Day on the Island

2010-10-31T11:07:00.000-04:00

We wanted to get out for a bit Saturday, and decided to make a trip to one of my favorite places on earth: Matlacha and Pine Island.

First we parked at Matlacha Community Park so that we could walk around freely.

And we made our first stop Great Licks Ice Cream Shop. This place was rated well, but I actually had never been there before (despite the many times I've visited Matlacha).

I got myself a Raspberry Chip (chocolate chip) ice cream sundae with waffle cone pieces, raspberry sauce and whipped cream. Yum! (The Raspberry Chip is their best seller, and I see why!) Their ice cream is locally made by Queenie. This was my lunch!

The ice cream shop is connected to an art gallery...

The owners are Steve and Lisa Timcak. Lisa showed me some of the steampunk jewelry that Steve makes. Really beautiful stuff! Some of it was nice enough to wear to a cocktail party. But I'm sure that jewelry was all out of my price range.

But while looking at the steampunk, this caught my eye...

She's pretty, huh? And she opens up to reveal that she is actually a storage box...

She's almost seems to be smiling...

And then this beauty caught my eye...

This spider is made from hand blown glass.

I initially was considering getting the black widow for my mother, as she keeps running into black widows at her place. But in the end, I got this one for me instead, which reminds me of the brown widows that I have outside my place.

It even has eyes and fangs!

A view from underneath...

She is such a delicate beauty, and I haven't decided yet what place would be secure enough for her. So for now she is remaining wrapped up and tucked away in a safe spot.

We left Island Visions, and stopped next door by the Lovegrove gallery. I always love her vibrant colors and whimsical creations. One of my favorite things is the backyard to her shop, but unfortunately it was closed off for remodeling.

When we left, I saw this display outside her place and had to get a pic for my mother-- a stalwart republican!

And then grabbed this shot of our shadows...

Then we swung by the back of the Wild Child Gallery. I loved the big spider over the front entrance. They always have some nice things out behind the gallery. I love the "fence" they have created between their backyard and that of the Lovegrove gallery. They just put up a clothesline and pinned up colorful clothes and sheets. That's their fence. It looks great!

The osprey were out in full force. Pairs of them were all over the place, and they were chattering up a storm to one another.

There was one in this tree, and what I presume to be its mate flying around, as the two chattered to one another.

And while behind the Wild Child gallery I could hear another chattering. It was the one in the park.

It's mate was flying around, and again these two kept chattering to one another.

After hitting a few galleries, we decided to walk around on the pier and by the water.

While down there on the pier, we spotted a couple of sting rays. I got one of them on video. He was a big boy! I would guess 16-18 inches across at least, probably closer to 2 feet.

And then we spotted this crab in the water...

After that, we decided to go sit down on the other side of the park, on a bench and under a tree as the sun began to set. We were sitting there, enjoying ourselves and relaxing, when I looked over and saw a large heron standing nearby watching us.

It seemed evident that he has become accustomed to the fishermen giving him scraps, as he stayed nearby watching us expectantly.

He finally gave up and moved along. At one point we went down to the water's edge and moved some rocks around and kept uncovering dozens of these creatures that looked sort of like silverfish.

Man they were fast! And Woodrow did eventually come across a tiny little crab under a rock.

When we got back to our bench, we found our heron (we'll call him Harold) had settled down to warm himself in the sun.

Soon after I discovered the bench was swarming with these ants (I call them "oak ants", because you often find them in and around oaks), which I am allergic to...

If I get bitten by one of these things, it feels like a bee sting. Then it proceeds to swell up to a bite about 1 1/2-2 inches in diameter with a purple-black bullseye in the center. I avoid these guys at all cost!

So I just stood and took pictures and enjoyed the moment.

These people who live here have got the life. This guy sat out in his own tiki hut, enjoying the day.

And these people have a great location. The back of their home is right on the canal.

Here's a little video to show the peace and tranquility of Matlacha...

And a quick video of a pelican. Wouldn't you know I couldn't get the camera ready in time to get footage of the bald eagle that flew by.

This tree is one of my favorite trees. I love it.

And an egret showed up as well.

After we left Matlacha, we decided to head out to Pine Island to enjoy the rest of the sunset. We got to Bokeelia just in time.

There was another heron waiting for us. Harold? Is that you?

The water around here is so shallow. You can see a guy off to the right of this image, way out in the water fishing, and the water is only up to his chest.

And we spotted more stingrays. In this video, I first show the small stingray, then pan up to the large one, and then back to the small one again...

After sunset we headed in to Captain Cons for a little dinner. I was good and just had a garden salad with broiled fish. So dinner was just "eh". But it was still a good day all around.

If you ever get down to this area, you'll have to be sure to stop by Matlacha/Pine Island/Bokeelia. One of my favorite spots on earth!

Tales from the Corn Portal

2010-10-28T21:41:00.000-04:00

Are you fascinated by all of the weird and wonderful things to be found out on the internet and around the world? Then you may like my new blog Tales from the Corn Portal. This blog will host all of the weird stuff that I come across in my day-to-day ventures around the internet. Check it out, but be forewarned-- some of this stuff can get downright creepy, and other bits are nauseatingly cute and adorable! Check it out!

Ants and their wiggling captive...

2010-10-03T22:42:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I was leaving for work, when I spotted something wiggling around on the walk to my car. I saw a bunch of ants holding onto what looked like a worm or something, and they appeared to be carrying it left and then right and then left again. Back and forth. I thought, "What the heck?" So I put my stuff in my car and came back with my camera to get a better look, and this is what I found.

That would appear to be the lost tail of a baby lizard. It is still moving, and the lizards are hanging on for dear life, trying to figure out what to do with it, I guess. Pretty cool. A few days later, Woodrow spotted a very small lizard with no tail. So it seems the trick of dropping it's tail succeeded in saving its life. (For those who don't live around lizards, that is a little trick they have. When caught by a predator, they will drop their tail, and it's wiggling on the ground will sometimes distract the predator so the lizard can get away. The lizards then grow new tails.)

Sunday Morning Breakfast of Oven Baked French Toast

2010-09-28T22:20:00.000-04:00

Sunday morning we decided to make breakfast for a change, and I made a deal with Woodrow: I would make the french toast, and he would make the scrambled eggs. This was really a totally selfish tactic, as I wanted good scrambled eggs and knew that Woodrow makes better scrambled eggs than me! But before he started on the eggs, I got going on the french toast:

Oven Baked French Toast

3 tbs melted butter
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tbs honey
3 eggs
Cinnamon
Vanilla
8 slices of french bread, sliced 1 inch thick

Directions:

First drizzle the melted butter across the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan.

Slice french baguette into 1 inch slices.

In a medium-large bowl, add 1/3 cup of OJ, 2 tablespoons of honey, 3 eggs, a dash of cinnamon and a bit of vanilla (maybe 1/2 tsp)...

Beat mixture well with a hand beater until the mixture becomes a bit frothy.

Dip the bread into the egg mixture and thoroughly cover it with the mixture. Place each slice in the pan with the melted butter.

Allow the bread slices to set for up to 12 hours in the frig. I would let them set for at least 30 minutes.
Bake in 450 degree oven until golden brown. I think it takes about 6-8 minutes on one side, then flip and cook the other side.

And there you go! Yummy french toast that is crispy on the outside and soft in the center, with a hint of citrus flavor.

And look at those perfectly cooked scrambled eggs! I get impatient with mine and cook them too high, resulting in browning.

Nice breakfast! Next time we'll try making regular french toast using the same egg mixture and see how that turns out.

The Daring Kitchen: Roasted Tomatoes for the Freezer

2010-09-14T23:27:00.004-04:00

This month's cooking challenge dealt with food preservation. You had your option of doing a canning method or a freezing method. Given that I got rid of my canning equipment years ago when I lived in my small condo, I went with the freezing method. So I chose to do roasted tomatoes for the freezer.

First I took 13 fresh tomatoes and washed them with vegetable cleaner, and put them on a paper towel to dry.

Then I removed their cores...
Slice 4 basil leaves into thin strips...

Mix the basil in a small bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic.

Slice the tomatoes into halves and lay them cut side down on cookie sheets lined with aluminum foil. Distribute the garlic-basil mixture evenly over the tomatoes.

Sprinkle with sea salt and a pinch or two of ground cloves.

Place cookie sheets in 325 degree oven. Roast them for 1-2 hours, until they are beginning to get golden brown.
Their skins will get really papery. I needed to roast mine closer to 2 hours. Small plum tomatoes may have taken closer to an hour.

I found I was able to peel off the skins pretty easily. Then when I would use a spatula to lift up the tomato, I could easily remove the seeds and pulp, and was left with a lovely medallion of roasted tomato.

The tomatoes layered nicely in a small tupperware dish. 13 tomatoes amounted to about 1 1/2-2 cups of roasted tomatoes.

I haven't had a chance to use the tomatoes yet, but I am sure that they will be delicious! I hope to try them out this week or weekend, perhaps with a little pasta and garlic bread. Thanks for the challenge!

Fancy and her man...

2010-09-05T07:33:00.003-04:00

Fancy just loves being able to get close to her man, and she'll do whatever it takes to make that happen...

Isn't love beautiful?

Wolf vs Widow

2010-08-26T08:28:00.004-04:00

The other day, I was being tormented by a seven-legged wolf spider in my front entrance. It had been there for a couple of days. I don't like killing things unnecessarily, so I had been leaving it alone, in hopes that it would MOVE ALONG! Unfortunately it did NOT move along.

So when I went to leave for work on Monday, I just knew I was going to have to face the wolf spider once more when I walked out my front door. So I went through my regular routine: broom in hand, slowly open front door, tapping it with the broom so that the vibration will go through the door and warn any spiders on the other side that I am coming through, creak the door open slowly, look to the right around the door frame and assure myself that no spiders are there, look through the crack of the door hinge area to assure myself that no spiders are in that area, step into the front screened area and look around the outside of the door to assure myself that no spiders are on the front of the door or anywhere in the room, and open the front screened door to make sure that none are hiding on the other side of it (we have opened the screen door on a number of occasions to find a wolf spider sitting on the other side). I have to go through this routine EVERY day!

So on Monday I began my routine, but just after opening the door I spotted this...

This was across from the front door, next to the screened door. I recognized the crumpled form of a dead wolf spider hanging in some webbing. I got my camera and got in closer for a pic. Then I noticed something. Take a closer look at that picture above. Down below, don't you notice what appear to be two thinner legs sticking out from the dead wolf spider? I recognized these legs. These are the thin striped legs of a brown widow.

So, the wolf spider had gotten caught in the webbing of the brown widow, and the widow had taken care of the wolf spider for me!

When I went to leave the house, I opened the screen door, and the vibration caused the widow to dart into her little webbed hideaway...

When I came home yesterday, I got a shot of her hiding in there. You can see the red of the hourglass on her belly...

I knew there was a reason that I keep brown widows around! They will eat wolf spiders! (You may remember that I've had a number of run ins with brown widows like on my trash cans - TWICE - and I even got video of one with a caterpillar.) I may have to let this girl stay here for awhile. I just won't be able to let the cats out onto this front porch while she's around!

Raw Foods with Chef Brooke

2010-08-24T21:46:00.003-04:00

Tonight I had another class at Chef Brooke's Natural Cafe. Tonight it wasn't exactly a "cooking" class, as tonight's theme was "raw food"! Brooke's has such a great selection of food every week. On her boards, she lists the regular daily choices, which include raw specials and juice drinks.
She will also show daily specials on her chalk board. Tonight it was filled with items that you could order to take home after class...

I ordered the Black Beans and Basmati Rice, Garbanzo Gypsy Stew (both of which I've had before and loved), and Sweet Potato Chowder with Dumplings. That will be lunch/dinner over the next couple of days. Yum!

The class wound up being around 18 people again, which was the same size as the last class I attended.

Brooke showed us several techniques for raw preparation, discussed dehydration and sprouting, "live" foods, different flavors, herbs, spices and vinegars. What we wound up with was this...

We had raw tabbouleh, which was very flavorful. It was made with raw soaked quinoa instead of cooked. I liked this better than the tabbouleh I've bought in the store made with cooked wheat bulgur.

The cucumbers were amazingly good, and oh so simple. Just sliced cucumbers, vinegar and dill. And maybe a little Agave nectar. That's it. Really good, and I'm not a big fan of cucumbers!

This was a raw alfredo sauce over spiral cut butternut squash. Tasty!

Dessert were these little berry patties, made of strawberries, balsamic vinegar, coconut, and nuts. Very nice and refreshing!
This mushroom pate was good and very simple, and included umeboshi plums and seaweed.

The mushroom pate was served on this onion "bread", which was made in a dehydrator rather than an oven, and was like a thin crisp cracker. This was my favorite! Oh so good! Now I need to buy a dehydrator!
Everything was so good! This was even better than the first class, the food even tastier and more inspiring. Brooke shared with us her mother's experience with eating raw for the last 5 months (going from a size 16 to a size 8, and eliminating health issues like clogged arteries). This is some good stuff, and I'm feeling inspired! Thanks so much, Brooke!