It looks like YOU'LL like it

I am home from work today sick and tomorrow is Adam's surgery, then Monday is a day off work to observe Martin Luther King day. Woohoo! I love long weekends...unfortunately I am not feeling great to enjoy it to the fullest but oh well. I am not terribly sick, just some sinus congestion and runny nose but it was impossible to sleep last night. I finally fell asleep sometime after 4:30 after Adam got me some Benadryl to knock me out. Then I woke up at 9 unable to fall back asleep. I was so uncomfortable propped up but it was the only way my head felt like it wouldn't explode. I hope a nap is in my future today. I do know we will be eating out tonight to celebrate Adam's b-day so I have to be up for that.

Well, today I have more food to share with you. Adam came home from a robotics meeting (he's an honorary member of the high school robotics team) and I was just pulling my dinner out of the toaster oven. I call it pepper nachos. I don't like tortilla chips so I used chunks of red bell pepper in their place. It also has cilantro, tomatoes, corn, black beans, cheese and avacados. I asked Adam what he thought. He looked and smelled it. He said, "Looks like YOU'LL like it. What's for dinner for me?" We've talked about how our kids won't be food picky. we're certain of this...yet we're both picky and in completely different ways so I don't think there's any hope. I already end up cooking two meals most nights...but there is an occassional meal we can agree on, like those stuffed mushrooms.

Pepper nachos

Homemade bean and grain burgers. Adam will actually eat these too, surprisingly. I put yellow mustard, yogurt cheese (the drained yogurt I make) and lacto-fermented ketchup on the bun and sprinkled that with flax meal and added lettuce, tomato and pickles. Yum!!

This was lunch a couple times this week. A baked sweet potato with butter and pepper and a bunch of frozen veggies with a TBSP or so of garden herb cream cheese. I forgot how good that cream cheese, I hadn't bought it in years.

And since I had time at home to make something different than my usual 2 scrambled eggs, I made stuffed french toast. The filling is yogurt cheese (for those probiotics) mixed with cooked down blueberries. And the rest of the blueberries put on top. Then I sprinkled the whole thing with flax meal. It needs more blueberries next time but it was good. Also, I forgot the cinnamon which I really like.

Saturday's bicycle ride

AFter working all week on getting enough sleep...and extra even, I am starting to feel more human again. I am getting some of my energy back. Finally, after a couple months of not being able to go for a ride, I got to go on one on Saturday. The weather was so nice! It was in the mid 60's! It rained on me in the beginning but I kept biking and it eventually stopped. I didn't really know where I was going...just exploring really. I made my way to one of the local bike trails. It's got nice scenery and no vehicles, of course.

I though they had extended the bike trail but I rode to the wrong end to ride the new extension and they had it closed off in the middle so I couldn't get through to check it out. I wasn't ready to head back home so I went to explore some more.

At the end of the gravel road were a couple horses and a community garden. That's a place where you "own" a plot and you can plant veggies. I spent way too much time there because I was amazed by it.

They even had a chicken coop but the sign said they were on vacation.

After my visit at the garden, I decided it was time to head home. Adam's cousin was in town so we were meeting for dinner and I wanted to be able to walk the dogs before that so they could enjoy the nice weather too.

Great ride! Now I need to keep on track with my sleep so I can have energy for riding.

Stuffed portabello caps and other food

Often my lunches are weird. I grab whatever is in the fridge and figure out something to do with them when lunch time comes around. And in my never ending quest to eat better, I am trying to find a suitable replacement for mayo. So one day I had 1/2 butternut squash and I decided to see if it went ok in a sandwich as the mayo. I put a good amount on both slices with rotisserie chicken, tomatoes and fresh cilantro in between. It was so good!! If only butternut squash could keep in the fridge. I can't cook one every time I want a sandwich.



I tried a new recipe last night...well, I saw a recipe and it inspired this one but isn't the same at all. Adam told me it was really good. And it was! I would do one thing differently though, next time. I will bake the unstuffed mushrooms for a bit first because they didn't cook down enough.


It's just big portabello mushroom caps, rotisserie chicken, diced, 1 diced tomato, 1/2 red bell pepper and a minced clove of garlic. I sauteed it all until the tomatoes were soft. I cleaned the mushrooms and took out the stem. I put in a very thin layer of cottage cheese then topped it with the veggie/meat mixture. Then topped that with grated parmesan. I baked it at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. After I pulled it out, I added fresh basil and parsley.

Ohh...and the side is spicy carrot fries. So good! I just brushed olive oil over them and sprinkled with chili powder and threw those in the oven before I started working on the mushroom stuff so they baked a while. I pushed them all together and added the mushrooms to the same cookie sheet so they came out together. I also made some yellow rice for Adam and they would have finished at the same time but I forgot to turn the rice cooker on. Whoops. So we waited on the rice to cook before we ate. Give me carrots any day...he can have his nasty rice. ;o)

Unleashed fun

Shhhh...don't tell Adam that I took Tucker out without a leash again. He hates it when I do that. But Tucker listens to me and wouldn't wonder off so I do. Sometimes I can't wak the dogs and Tucker really needs to get at least a little bit of energy out so I take him to the front yard to play fetch. He won't play in the back yard for some reason and the hall isn't long enough.

Here's a pic I got of him while playing fetch in the spring.

And one of Bear last year during our snow storm (one year ago to the day).


I just love watching him and Bear jump. They do some really cool acrobatics. It brings a smile to my face every time.

Dinner and a sneak peek

On Tuesday, we had wild mushroom ravioli and I made alfredo sauce to go on them. Homemade alfredo sauce is so easy and yummy! Once you have it, you will never settle for canned alfredo sauce again . I havent bought any since first making this several years ago. I actually made 1 1/2 batches so I would have enough leftover for the next meal, a soup that calls for canned alfredo sauce.


Here's the recipe in case you're wanting to give it a try:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup cream
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (doesn't taste nearly as good when made with Kraft parmesan)
salt and pepper to taste (and I usually use dried parsley as well)

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the cream and cheese. Stir occassionally while the cheese melts. Add spices and salt and stir. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes to thicken.

See, super simple.

The soup I made is one we've had a few times and I love it...Adam likes it too but not as much as I do. Adsam got his broccolli on the side while I mixed mine in my soup...and cornbread on the side.


Hot bean soup

1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cans (16 oz. each) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked fresh cauliflower florets
1 jar (17 oz.) alfredo sauce
2 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp chopped basil
grated pamesan cheese

In a saucepan, lightly saute garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil. Remove from heat. Coarsley puree beans and cauliflower in a food proccessor or blender. Add puree, alfredo sauce and chicken stock to garlic. Cook over low heat, stirring occassionally until heated through. Add fresh parsley and basil before serving. Serve with parmesan cheese.

I tried a different cornbread recipe. Adam complains about me using wheat flour in the cornbread and this one doesn't use any flour or sugar at all. Adam said he couldn't taste the corn...but that is the majority of what's in there. I could definitely taste it. I liked it. So now I know 2 cornbread recipes by heart.


2 cups cornmeal
1 tsp baking soda, baking powder and salt
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients together. Make well. Add beaten egg and 1/4 oil. Add enough buttermilk to make cake batter consistency. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes.

In my bakes goods, I replace the oil with homemade apple sauce. You can't taste the apple. It cuts out fat and also make things fluffier. Weird, I know. But we decided we didn't like it in brownies because we likely them thick and fudgy and applesauce makes it cakelike, more airy.

Another thing I finally got around to making is my lacto-fermented ketchup. I haven't had any for a couple months and just haven't gotten around to making more. I finally did and got to enjoy some on my eggs this morning. :o)


Makes 1 quart

3 cups canned tomato paste, preferably organic (comes out to be about 4-5 cans)
1/4 cup whey (the liquid drained off of yogurt)
1 Tbsp sea salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/8-1/4 cup fish sauce (found in Asian markets)

Mix all ingredients until well blended. place in a quart-sized jar. The top of the ketchup should be at least one inch below the top of the jar. Leave at room temperature for about 2 days before transferring to fridge.

So, now that dinner is over, here's your sneak peek into our next major project. I am kind of dreading it. I think I would be more ok with it if the last major one was finished (the kitchen). I believe it's next month that this one is supposed to happen. Pretty details.

I heart my doggies

My little pack may be ful of misfits people didn't want for one reason or another but they are very much wanted and loved at my house...even though some of them have behavioral problems I can't fix.



Tucker is always good for a laugh with his goofy ways and clumsy antics. And he loves me more than anything/anyone in the world (including Adam)...so that always lifts my spirits.


Jasmine is a sweetheart. She is the most like me of all my dogs. She loves to be outside and not the center of attention.


Jack is the sun worshipper. He loves laying in the sunlight...well, laying anywhere really. His other love is to sniff EVERYTHING on our daily walks.

Bear is our grumpy old man. He's only 10 but he's starting to show his age. He doesn't want to be outside during the day while we're at work anymore. He'd much rather be warm and in bed. (He's getting in a nice, big yawn here.)

Some days I wonder why in the world I have 4 dogs. They are a handful. I don't feel like I am good enough for them. They need someone who can give them the training they need to oversome their fears and aggressions. They need someone who will walk them 7 days a week, no matter what. They need someone who will sit down and play with them more. But then again, most of all, they need someone who loves tham and is committed to them...and that is definitely me. Sometimes having 4 dogs can be stressful but I wouln't trade in any of them.

warmer weather

As much as I love snow, I don't enjoy being cold. I can handle it if I'm active but sitting on my couch in the cold doesn't appeal to me. At times like these, I dream of the warmer weather of Miami where I spent a whole summer at the beach as a kid...and collected lots of shells and coral. I am making a couple shadowboxes to put them in.