tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492001039401486432024-02-20T14:58:45.165-05:00House in Hidden HollowJosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-281576273087214012014-09-19T06:14:00.001-04:002014-09-20T08:32:20.315-04:00Kale Yeah!So, I planted my lovely little garden back in May on Memorial Day. Hopeful and satisfied, I eagerly looked forward to juicy tomatoes, fresh zucchini and summer squash, spicy hot peppers, tender Japanese eggplant, and this year: three different kinds of kale. <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHl0NpwowXi0tZ8DWxXcgQs-7wDnD9ObaEgB7u9d0W4kBEzvL7VUpD8TVmKFcYBjrkqH_ehnKgnA0eX3pkirh0we2mE6b1Zic_Mjot22aC8_w6OrJ-P8XEE9vr5sJi8YGYwrLbUBtyH_fp/s640/blogger-image-1637629467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHl0NpwowXi0tZ8DWxXcgQs-7wDnD9ObaEgB7u9d0W4kBEzvL7VUpD8TVmKFcYBjrkqH_ehnKgnA0eX3pkirh0we2mE6b1Zic_Mjot22aC8_w6OrJ-P8XEE9vr5sJi8YGYwrLbUBtyH_fp/s640/blogger-image-1637629467.jpg"></a></div><br><div><br></div><div>And then the weather stayed cool. And things got weird. </div></div><div><br></div><div>My veggies just did not develop like usual. The nights were cool and my peppers, squash, and tomatoes just didn't produce much fruit. And what was on the vine, just didn't ripen. It would have felt like a total bust, if it hadn't been for one surprising star of the garden...</div><div><br></div><div>KALE YEAH!</div><div><br></div><div>Apparently, kale adores cool, wet weather. And apparently, we all LOVE kale. We had kale salad almost every night (and for lunch for me). If kale is really a super food, then we are in great shape. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggU3Vx5Kz6p_xVpgJ-6GHhAjMtCiUtdKzsMqJh7Fasc6HKGCc9Ygh1NyT95XABq6NgjwtELnS1XtVBjxg6kaIWo70yAgyH-PT1QMmi1MbCCnDzI9BxYrSt_j-JlIVCNOSOBehiFHsOw93I/s640/blogger-image-1186125323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggU3Vx5Kz6p_xVpgJ-6GHhAjMtCiUtdKzsMqJh7Fasc6HKGCc9Ygh1NyT95XABq6NgjwtELnS1XtVBjxg6kaIWo70yAgyH-PT1QMmi1MbCCnDzI9BxYrSt_j-JlIVCNOSOBehiFHsOw93I/s640/blogger-image-1186125323.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>With all that kale growin' and eatin' I learned a few things. First of all, fresh kale from the garden is far superior to kale from the grocery store. If you can't grow kale in your garden, try to get it from a Farmer's Market. Second, you MUST massage the kale. This is critical! Your kale must be relaxed... Haha. But seriously, massaging the kale breaks down some of its tough fibers and makes it tender and delicious. Tear the kale away from the tough stem. Tear into bite sized pieces and wash & dry. Put it in a large bowl and drizzle with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. (Not too much!) Then, using both hands, gently massage the kale for one to two minutes. The kale will change color and the leaves will get softer. Once you are finished, you can store the kale in a zip top bag in the fridge to use later, or you can make a kale salad or some yummy kale chips! Huzzah! We love kale! </div><div><br></div><div>Here is my favorite kale salad recipe:</div><div><br></div><div>Kale Salad with Miso Dressing</div><div><br></div><div>1 bunch kale (prepared as describes above)</div><div><br></div><div>Dressing:</div><div>1/3 cup olive oil</div><div>3 T. fresh lemon juice</div><div>4 tsp. miso (yellow or white)</div><div>1 clove minced garlic</div><div><br></div><div>Whisk dressing ingredients together and toss with kale. You can top with croutons and shredded Parmesan. I can't have dairy, so I like mine with some toasted pine nuts. Sometimes I just shred a little carrot on top. Yum! </div><div><br></div>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-3655796579717066722014-03-16T12:37:00.001-04:002014-03-16T12:37:49.040-04:00It May Be Winter Forever...<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you remember the story of the lonely giant and how in his garden it was always winter? That is what it is like here... always winter! I am starting to wonder of the snow will ever melt and if spring will ever come again. I actually like snow and winter. A lot. But it has been a little too much of a good thing. Come mid-March I am ready to move on. So, c'mon Old Man Winter! Give it a rest. Go back to bed. Spring is ready to wake up and get the show on the road.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have been spending most of my time working (always!), knitting, and cooking. I haven't done as much reading as I would normally like to because my knitting obsession has been high. I have already completed three knit cowls and a baby sweater since January 1, and I have another cowl on the needles and another baby sweater about 1/3 done. Work has been really stressful, and knitting definitely helps me relax and unwind. There is something incredibly soothing about the repetitive and tactile nature of knitting or crocheting. I highly recommend it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here is a recipe that I have made twice now and it is sooooo good. I had some ground turkey in the freezer and was looking for something yummy to do with it. I came across this website which has really good recipes and great photos. I decided to make Turkey Meatballs with Light Tomato Sauce. (You can check out the site <a href="http://www.inspiredtaste.net/20529/turkey-meatballs-recipe-with-light-tomato-sauce/">here</a>.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryyzN-dpLPvYCIfZiXttPAzRjEsSouPnQJX_RXPtW_UXfO4_AjvhvA4Z3AA3yg9eHjrjk7g3eGz1UhFav0uyswFlPRD5kl8T5mBYCz4rovZMW16DEGA190mMVp6HkRiXx1EHxNvOwt9sj/s1600/481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryyzN-dpLPvYCIfZiXttPAzRjEsSouPnQJX_RXPtW_UXfO4_AjvhvA4Z3AA3yg9eHjrjk7g3eGz1UhFav0uyswFlPRD5kl8T5mBYCz4rovZMW16DEGA190mMVp6HkRiXx1EHxNvOwt9sj/s1600/481.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The meatballs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The sauce.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjda4UHk-p18bmcAuLEwRsngUPjR144VqM96sdtbbO-CimZgQsthNP3hXZkzMIxiXKDA4rJT4pQ_WK_UUZ8WgiHReKIC_8IBOZGCPpYjbj85WOsrBlbcCfSfDNV7WMRqmNosx1gH-75D4IR/s1600/322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjda4UHk-p18bmcAuLEwRsngUPjR144VqM96sdtbbO-CimZgQsthNP3hXZkzMIxiXKDA4rJT4pQ_WK_UUZ8WgiHReKIC_8IBOZGCPpYjbj85WOsrBlbcCfSfDNV7WMRqmNosx1gH-75D4IR/s1600/322.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The finished product (brace yourself - it does spatter a bit while cooking.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I like to eat this just as is, my husband likes to sop up the sauce with lots of bread, or you could serve it over noodles. It is so good!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The recipe:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Turkey Meatballs with Light Tomato Sauce</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Prep time: 15 minutes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cook time: 30 minutes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sauce:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 T olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 garlic cloves, minced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 - 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 T tomato paste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 large basil sprig (with lots of leaves) plus more for garnish</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meatballs:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup Panko</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup milk (I use rice milk)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 egg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup grated parmesan (I use Go Veggie)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 T chopped parsley (I use more than this b/c I love parsley)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp dried oregano</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 lb ground turkey</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a large skillet with sides, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes then cook 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste then bring to a simmer. Season with salt, and then add basil spring. Allow sauce to simmer gently while preparing meatballs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To make meatballs, combine panko breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl, and then let sit 5 minutes. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, parsley, oregano and salt to bowl. Stir until combined. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Next, add turkey then use a fork or fingers to mix everything together until barely combined. For tender meatballs, try not to over mix.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wet your hands and form mixture into 1-inch meatballs. This should make about 24 meatballs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gently drop meatballs into tomato sauce. (It’s okay if some are not completely covered by the sauce). Cover skillet with a lid and cook 20 minutes then gently shimmy or shake the skillet to move the meatballs around a little. Cook another 5 to 10 minutes or until turkey is cooked through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before serving, scatter about 2 tablespoons of torn basil leaves over meatballs and sauce.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is really yummy! I use the rice milk and Go Veggie parm substitute because I am lactose-intolerant. My family loves them! The leftovers make great meatball subs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy!</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-35090781743646610822014-01-03T08:22:00.001-05:002014-01-03T08:22:20.181-05:00Get it togetherSeriously, people. This place is a wreck. There's stuff everywhere, and a hundred different things going on. I have half the Christmas decorations put away, I have a million essays to grade, and what I really wish I were doing is sitting and knitting and watching Downton Abbey. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9r7vpEyDPqW6ql_RyRMU-oDqkm2dhn8tnCLuuu10K3GHAgBop4xV4Y9WuWj43lqnhsK0vXC4hhbj_GV0Cg8ySaR6bMUCqFWXdvESeSgnUg2rV7oztM6Bnel3LRyR1ps41H_q6fNAXZA0/s640/blogger-image-790584309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9r7vpEyDPqW6ql_RyRMU-oDqkm2dhn8tnCLuuu10K3GHAgBop4xV4Y9WuWj43lqnhsK0vXC4hhbj_GV0Cg8ySaR6bMUCqFWXdvESeSgnUg2rV7oztM6Bnel3LRyR1ps41H_q6fNAXZA0/s640/blogger-image-790584309.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I also have home decorating ADD. I want to change something... I just can't decide what! And Pinterest is only adding to the problem. Haha. I need to make a list. </div>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-87220588116644680252013-12-11T22:46:00.001-05:002013-12-12T06:04:05.849-05:00Christmas CountdownSo, I finally did it. I threw in the towel on the real Christmas tree. I just couldn't take the sneezing and itching and hives another year. We ordered a 7' Frasier fir from Ballard Designs, and we are very happy with it. Honestly, except for the skinny trunk that shows a teensy weensy bit at the bottom above the tree skirt, you can't tell it is a fake. <div><br><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDJT-d2EOaYORqXzB0fDd0G6pA4sq9kGvhTCEMoKRSRBno7Nc55jmwDJXnJ485CbR2Hll-4gevNn6GgKrNtmG6-yu_VKRP0doHQJFDb1DUxidVuLKJ-CSV4bp4j3Ysgdohp5RUQO8xOUm/s640/blogger-image-977741358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDJT-d2EOaYORqXzB0fDd0G6pA4sq9kGvhTCEMoKRSRBno7Nc55jmwDJXnJ485CbR2Hll-4gevNn6GgKrNtmG6-yu_VKRP0doHQJFDb1DUxidVuLKJ-CSV4bp4j3Ysgdohp5RUQO8xOUm/s640/blogger-image-977741358.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div>The Darling Husband set it up for me on Sunday evening of Thanksgiving weekend and then I decorated it on the following weekend. I have to admit it was kinda nice to not have to worry about watering it!</div><div><br></div><div>I set up the Santa tree the dining room on Saturday. It is also artificial and is quite old (10+ years) and it still looks great!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqnrOxlFF-PoJ9LpybCIOj5oVxqTo1akVH1BzEbVkF-dUZSErV7gvo4cfICxPQUCqdvMFU9ZL1oxwrIXhQsMc70oPLGFl9ahg5saiTNsKKHW9PjDoJzZbu7Y0IAX1Rxzq3L3uBIFQR5tZ/s640/blogger-image--1357243629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqnrOxlFF-PoJ9LpybCIOj5oVxqTo1akVH1BzEbVkF-dUZSErV7gvo4cfICxPQUCqdvMFU9ZL1oxwrIXhQsMc70oPLGFl9ahg5saiTNsKKHW9PjDoJzZbu7Y0IAX1Rxzq3L3uBIFQR5tZ/s640/blogger-image--1357243629.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The rest of the house got finished up on Sunday. More pics later. I love Christmas decorations! Except when I have to do it By. My. Self. </div><div><br></div><div><br><div><br></div><div><br><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></div></div>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0Americas (null)42.767643 -86.180852tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-73721687087245835242013-05-09T17:16:00.000-04:002013-05-09T17:31:30.657-04:00A little depressed, a little jealous, a little inspired...<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Okay, I know. Super weird title to this blog post. I am losing it a little bit this time of year. Too much work. Lots of meetings and sporting events. Very little sleep. I have had to put the blog on hold due to being a wife, mother, and teacher. Which has got me a little depressed. Because I haven't had much time to be creative. In fact, I have had precious little time to be creative. I think I have knit one washcloth, knit 1/2 a cowl, knit 1/2 of a chunky cable hat (that is gonna be cute!), and ordered yarn to knit some completely cool fingerless mittens from the Purl Bee. Oh, and I knit two pair of baby booties that I need to put little buttons on. They are adorbs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here is the cowl I am knitting:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img alt="" height="200" src="http://www.purlbee.com/storage/suri_merino_cowl_120.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1352134309758" width="160" /></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And here is a picture of the fingerless mittens I am going to make:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I have been doing some good cooking. But not enough, because I am NEVER home. I have made several good things from Pinterest lately, including this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <img alt="pinner says... Oven Tacos (love these. My husband's "favorite taco ever". Made them exactly as written, and will do so many times over in the future.)" class="PinImageImg" data-componenttype="MODAL_PIN" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/192x/f9/2e/bf/f92ebff75422302b6615ae2236ecbf5d.jpg" style="height: 204px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have read some good books. Including <i>The Dinner </i>(super fast read, read in one sitting on a plane from Chicago to Denver), <i>Broken Harbor</i> (you know I am obsessed with Tana French!), and <i>Gods of Gotham</i> (Loved! Can't wait for her next book to come out).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">At last count, I had graded more than 900 essays. And that was in March. I am sure I am well over 1,000 now. Between my senior writing classes, my AP English classes, and my junior World Lit class, that's a lot of writing. Most of the essays average 3 pages. So that's a hell of a lot of reading and commenting. My writing callous is ridiculous. I am the super hero of writing callouses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am a little depressed because of some of the above, but I am also proud and happy because I am a happy wife, a happy mom, and a happy teacher. I am trying to do good in the world every day. So there's something.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am also a little jealous and a little inspired because I was on Pinterest (avoiding work...) and I saw a delicious recipe, which led me to a really great blog, which I started reading, and then I just read that the author of the blog is going to write a book, which she describes as a "family/food memoir with recipes," which is EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO DO. In fact, she says that she was "discovered"on her blog. WHICH IS WHY I STARTED BLOGGING. But, she actually did it with some regularity. And I did not. Which is why I am only a little jealous. Because I am also a realist. And I am pretty sure that she has not graded over 1,000 essays this year, because I think that blogging is her full-time occupation (along with being a mom and a wife). Sooooooo, I can't be too jealous. So instead, I am going to be a little inspired...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I can't wait for summer!</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-25097861033012751282013-01-04T10:41:00.001-05:002013-01-04T10:44:01.153-05:00A Little Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have not been very crafty this Christmas Break. I have done a lot of cooking, quite a bit of cleaning, a little organizing, and a lot of grading. Sadly, I have only knit a tiny bit. I have also read a little, but nothing too good. (If you have a good book recommendation, I am all ears! Hint, hint.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My laptop died in late November (may she rest in peace) and so that also put a damper on any potential blogging. Combine that with teaching two AP Lit classes, two senior writing courses, and one junior English class = big loser with no life. Anyway, I got a great new computer for Christmas from the Darling Husband and I am back in business. Thankfully, he backs up all of my files on my computer for me at least once a month, so I didn't lose anything. (When I say my computer died, it really died. Like, as in a computer repair shop said no hope for revival.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This morning I was sitting at the kitchen table (my home office... just call me Harriet Beecher Stowe), dinking around on my computer (trying to avoid starting to grade - I am super good at it) and I found some pics of a project I did last summer that I never posted. So hooray! I have something to blog about, other than my lame life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was inspired by a fellow blogger, Nicole Davis, of<a href="http://meohmymama.blogspot.com/"> MeOhMy!</a> blog fame. She hasn't been posting much lately, since she had a second baby and had to move in with her parents while her husband is finishing grad school. It makes me feel better when these "professional" bloggers fall off the blog wagon so to speak. It makes me feel less pathetic. Anyway...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I always loved Nicole's chevron painting in her living room and decided to make one for myself. Here is the inspiration:</span><br />
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrd0d__1aD2rjPjv28XnH72la9r5SuvsgYaR4Tdlz_nagRZNzMqVVQ6qsOOeHqygd5x_-bN_TmyQZ6zQtTyCPaqowwdxyLob-ZOCvxZMym2pQeJcjB7B_fBLZi5vATAT_EY6_4MOboGAg/s640/IMG_9033.JPG" width="425" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Jádore Nicole's old house. She has a great sense of formal + casual, and is super stylish. Here is another shot:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrAlTWwzbFrL-4Ps3TczRIOHfXjMdJmNTXV2UFa7y9yIy7uvj9xDhk-bxAMI_Y7_jq8dn00spOE7MS_uQiZ06cy5yyQSx_0YWtZ56a2nqTchLiZ0GZRCapFDOj9yvzwqo7TlhOndadJ4/s640/IMG_9037.JPG" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And still another at Christmas:</span><br />
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSKH68UrMxfCJmrAk8-pyanc5cYwq9fdmQmWkdbCrgEsqlCsRoza3S3nVgr6wTK8LZCUWkWhxKysgJsjCwnvJmnA7gsm98m4-sTpVbzONzTbMsjn-fbwwzMrQf2pcxFC3CdDo9V9HQe8A/s640/_MG_7098.jpg" width="426" /><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yeah, I know. Super cute.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So, my house doesn't exactly look like this yet, but I am trying. I decided to start with the chevron painting. (I am eyeing that reindeer painting for next year...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">First, I went to Michael's and bought a canvas, acrylic paint, and a brush.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjioGu_xk6M65c5TASy9WXoyMFFY-EvjlH3kmBGAF_koxz5An60SRMROyyo6zoptrBChcS-7J1pTdVindHtQZBC3xH2ciHDvaG7XpYQAmWbN62rqWfJDUMWR8CzjExdyYYx6a4VqrFABRi/s1600/IMG_3795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjioGu_xk6M65c5TASy9WXoyMFFY-EvjlH3kmBGAF_koxz5An60SRMROyyo6zoptrBChcS-7J1pTdVindHtQZBC3xH2ciHDvaG7XpYQAmWbN62rqWfJDUMWR8CzjExdyYYx6a4VqrFABRi/s640/IMG_3795.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then, I sketched out the design on graph paper.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCJZpQsVGOTYSg-mAxir3b4-OToNerRvFvPFnRVE2o-QyEEeOnQrosdAJdSNn8BzRZl49ifI2oSBLIL6qyVTLagBCdFnNsPGFURnuJ6676nrgXRTcuO7m0qskbGr8zrQn9MCYllj82-Wj/s1600/IMG_3796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCJZpQsVGOTYSg-mAxir3b4-OToNerRvFvPFnRVE2o-QyEEeOnQrosdAJdSNn8BzRZl49ifI2oSBLIL6qyVTLagBCdFnNsPGFURnuJ6676nrgXRTcuO7m0qskbGr8zrQn9MCYllj82-Wj/s640/IMG_3796.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then, I measured and drew the lines on the canvas.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3citPUEghyphenhyphenF4TNqL7Uh7L0snZBqUzw0043uwCIOYn1W8jarv-VdKwHjhKzHJGwxiDwiN-y-rY1-Iajy-VhIrs5v3aw2SNdMtaJB81X2iFgYevFcoWSO1p8bW8E6FD48kvuY_nCW2QYIF8/s1600/IMG_3797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3citPUEghyphenhyphenF4TNqL7Uh7L0snZBqUzw0043uwCIOYn1W8jarv-VdKwHjhKzHJGwxiDwiN-y-rY1-Iajy-VhIrs5v3aw2SNdMtaJB81X2iFgYevFcoWSO1p8bW8E6FD48kvuY_nCW2QYIF8/s640/IMG_3797.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This part was kind of tedious and boring. I wanted to get to the painting!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I painted the white stripes first, then the grey.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3xwvkfCJHHbNFBMeF260uHKD_sfblMq4u3J99QesDcolpo7DNnPR3RPASlARFc0qeET02OIeWFbO8-qtuAfU7rP68mDjtvBH8C8AEyYB98FVw_Mn-J4om-KzULIkxKbImfkjNMSDR931/s1600/IMG_3803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3xwvkfCJHHbNFBMeF260uHKD_sfblMq4u3J99QesDcolpo7DNnPR3RPASlARFc0qeET02OIeWFbO8-qtuAfU7rP68mDjtvBH8C8AEyYB98FVw_Mn-J4om-KzULIkxKbImfkjNMSDR931/s640/IMG_3803.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here it is, almost done!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlri2Ivlq3YrEVIfyRc7dQXpopdnFOucLB0hWTG7WYZEMM6tLgzTBpdYyPQTm28IOQ8gAYw-z3DR-9PygTJ2_OKj35stLPVOgrYjNQq9IdRR0wuTGferyUZlUP53UPyFpsCdgZqTAXa8zW/s1600/IMG_3805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlri2Ivlq3YrEVIfyRc7dQXpopdnFOucLB0hWTG7WYZEMM6tLgzTBpdYyPQTm28IOQ8gAYw-z3DR-9PygTJ2_OKj35stLPVOgrYjNQq9IdRR0wuTGferyUZlUP53UPyFpsCdgZqTAXa8zW/s640/IMG_3805.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And here it is, in my very plain looking dining room last summer:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyuREa0XXUxGQ9lxxz2hyphenhyphenRlpUDZnP2_PGLS0fnu38fUORtfk9uawpv6ry_3Asl7XsixtTpZn5Ag4_toFsf5hjvI0jnn6N77TfhU_QAy4MZ-MgxE7Ehxp6iWPJMQoy9vExke3qaX_7kmu1/s1600/IMG_3996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyuREa0XXUxGQ9lxxz2hyphenhyphenRlpUDZnP2_PGLS0fnu38fUORtfk9uawpv6ry_3Asl7XsixtTpZn5Ag4_toFsf5hjvI0jnn6N77TfhU_QAy4MZ-MgxE7Ehxp6iWPJMQoy9vExke3qaX_7kmu1/s640/IMG_3996.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am working on this room. I started painting the chairs last summer, but didn't get very far. I worked on them a little this break, but still have only one done, and one 2/3 done. I can't decide what I am going to do to the table. (But a new one???) But, I am working on it...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here is the room at Christmas:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">(add pic)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here is what I am thinking about doing with the chairs, once they are all painted shiny black. I also wish my dining room had wood floors like the rest of the kitchen/hallway and not this super-generic khaki carpet. Sigh.</span><br />
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7a3LA2eTJR3kEmMl1Drz1Y_4Kh0XvLnbsHlYgsj6PXYHpwVlqptAVEwc-XyNapcrfx-7n3mqpMMhU2K6Z-CJ_DdX8bAB0yEicLynQ79DIu4hv69l31icoA-nAoNleyPBZ8xsuNJVMPc/s640/_MG_6750.JPG" width="426" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'll keep you posted.</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-79316116915993961012012-11-23T14:36:00.001-05:002013-01-04T10:44:16.987-05:00Long Time No Blog<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy Black Friday, all! (Ha ha - I am sitting at home, about to get dressed to take my doggie to the vet for some shots, nowhere near any Black Friday shopping.) Anyway, are you a Black Friday shopper? Tiny Dancer, who is still tiny, but now a sophomore in high school with friends who can drive, headed off to Macy's at midnight with three other girls. She arrived back at her friend's house at 3:15 am. (I know this because I asked her to text me when she was home safely.) I have no idea if they found any deals or not, but I just saw on the morning news that the police had to use pepper spray on people in the mall where she was... yikes! No thank you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What is new with all of you? I continued to do lots of canning at the end of the summer, did some reading, and got ready for school to start. Since school has started, I haven't done much of anything else. I am teaching two sections of AP Literature, two sections of an advanced senior writing class, and one section of 11th grade world literature. The grading of all of the essays is kicking my butt. I calculated that if I graded 28 essays each day of break (Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat), with 29 on Sunday, I would be caught up. NO WAY! It is Friday morning of break and the essay grading count is at 0. I think I will try to tackle one set of 28 today. Maybe. Later. Or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, I have been trying to finish things around here. I just finished a pretty good book. </span><br />
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<img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21U4TL0FeML._AA160_.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is a mystery/crime novel, the first in a series, by Norwegian crime writer, Kjell Eriksson. I thought it was decent. I am also listening to the first in the Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbo, who is hailed as Norway's best crime novelist. It seems pretty good so far.</span><br />
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<img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MBleICX%2BL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp,TopRight,12,-18_SH30_OU01_AA160_.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Apparently, I am not alone in my love of European crime novels since reading the Milleneum trilogy (<i>The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo</i>, etc.) There is even a book published about it called <i>The Dragon Tattoo and its Long Tail: The New Wave of European Crime Fiction in America</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I just started reading a book by a newer author, Harry Dolan. I LOVED his first book, <i>Bad Things Happen</i>, and his second (also a series crime novel) just came out in paperback, <i>Very Bad Men</i>. I am so excited to read it. He is from Ann Arbor, and his books are set in Ann Arbor, so it is fun to read about streets, places, and landmarks I am familiar with. There was a scene in his first novel that still makes me nervous when we park in the parking structure in downtown Ann Arbor near Main Street! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am almost finished with a project that I am embarrassed to say I started LAST WINTER and was supposed to be a "quick" project. Haha. It will be done today and I will post a picture. So excited to wear it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hope you are all enjoying this lovely, wintry, blustery, day after Thanksgiving. I think I need to go nibble some more leftover creamed spinach. Yum.</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-29826039390061419132012-08-15T10:15:00.002-04:002012-08-15T10:15:40.812-04:00Things to do with basil...<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It has been a weird year for growing. My vegetable garden is completely wacko. The tomato plants are gargantuan, yet the tomatoes are not ripening very quickly. The Sweet 100s are awesome, the Juliets are doing well, but the larger tomatoes - the Rutgers, Better Boys, and Cherokee Purples are slow going. The peppers are doing well, the summer squash is delicious, but no zucchini. Someone at my yoga class who also has a veggie garden is having the same trouble. This makes me feel better, as I am feeling a bit like a failure in the veggie growing arena this season. She also suggested that I throw some bee balm around the garden to pollinate my zucchini. I nodded. Bee balm, yes. Later, I thought where do I get that? Does anyone know? I will have to ask her next time I see her at class. When she said it, I was still sort of in the yoga-relaxed zone and it did not occur to me that although I have heard of bee balm before, I have absolutely no idea what form it comes in and where to obtain said product. Argh!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The basil, on the other hand, is prolific as heck. It must like this weather we have had. (Africa hot) I am planning on making and freezing pesto, of course, but I also want to use this basil when it is oh-so-fresh-and-deliciously-basily-good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here are two recipes I have tried using fresh basil that are AH-MAH-ZING!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">First, a recipe that my mom turned me on to that completely deserves its name:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The Best Steak Marinade in Existence</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">(yes, that is really the name of the recipe. and it is.) I tried another braggishly-titled recipe this summer called The Best Chicken in the World, and it was NOT. It wasn't even so-so. I threw the recipe away. Seriously. But I promise this one lives up to its name.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">First, start with some soy sauce, some olive oil, some lemon juice, some Worcestershire sauce. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Hy47NkOWJZYw71HTbsOmR0MZHfH-NEJRZ11p7WhU9jSin44ZJeatcooQG0eFciIpO16_02V5uxztBksDhrXvYgaZ1wRqoUMMMonLIbemm7R5o5qWpMhKY7ruNT86WK0FRhto4j5p8qRM/s1600/photo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Hy47NkOWJZYw71HTbsOmR0MZHfH-NEJRZ11p7WhU9jSin44ZJeatcooQG0eFciIpO16_02V5uxztBksDhrXvYgaZ1wRqoUMMMonLIbemm7R5o5qWpMhKY7ruNT86WK0FRhto4j5p8qRM/s640/photo1.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Then add some garlic powder, white pepper, hot pepper sauce, chopped parsley, chopped garlic, and chopped basil.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu4GdLK2Zb8AHAwkOeuNwUo-XBJ9KHFkbvzsQmK5IWk9i1-WpzP5CSUg6nDRi1-ZRTGbkF11i1T8XUHdmIVIgZu5BF6z5QfIM-lkpxhU5Xc1FIv0kaOvaeZgfE1bqzhquTAih6tpj2_lF/s1600/photo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu4GdLK2Zb8AHAwkOeuNwUo-XBJ9KHFkbvzsQmK5IWk9i1-WpzP5CSUg6nDRi1-ZRTGbkF11i1T8XUHdmIVIgZu5BF6z5QfIM-lkpxhU5Xc1FIv0kaOvaeZgfE1bqzhquTAih6tpj2_lF/s640/photo2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The recipe calls for dried parsley, dried basil, and dried minced garlic, and I have made it that way. (Probs not the dried garlic, as I always have fresh, but the dried herbs, yes.) However, in season, fresh is always best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Whisk it up and marinate your steak for up to 8 hours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Darling Hub has been into charcoal grilling, an endeavor I completely endorse. This spring we invested in this chimney charcoal starter thing (a small investment - I think it cost less than $20, and it has completely revolutionalized our charcoal grilling). This contraption is awesome. The coals are ready so quickly, and it is foolproof. Charcoal makes grilled food taste so much better!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here is the link to the orignal recipe from allrecipes.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-steak-marinade-in-existence/">The Best Steak Marinade in Existence</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Next, I tried a chicken salad with basil. It was quite good, but a little too garlicky. I did not take any photos... it has been that kind of a summer. Sigh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A few days ago, I tried another basil recipe. Winner-winner-chicken-dinner! It is called Thai Chicken with Basil Stir Fry and it is dee-lish (if you are into Thai food, which we are).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Start by heating water to make some yummy jasmine rice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then, stir fry up some onions, ginger, and garlic. Add some cut up chicken breasts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This smells super good, btw. The garlic and ginger. Swoon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then mix up some sauce with coconut milk, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, and red pepper flakes. One word of advice: the recipe calls for 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. I would rate this as pretty spicy. It made my lips burn a little. It was a tad hot for me, quite hot for Tiny Dancer, and perfect for the Darling Husband. I think I would notch it back to 1/2 teaspoon for general consumption and 1/4 teaspoon if you want mild.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Pour the sauce over the chicken, etc. in the pan and simmer. (Yeah, I forgot to take a picture of this part.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then, add some sliced shitake mushrooms.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Shitake mushrooms are fun for two reasons. One, they are fun to slice. Two, you can yell "Oh Shitake!" while you are cooking with them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Last, throw in 1 and 1/2 cups of sliced fresh basil. (The recipe also calls for sliced green onions, but the Darling Hub no like so I left out. It was still delicious!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That's alotta basil, and I love it! Stir it up a bit until the mushrooms and basil are wilted and warm and then serve over rice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Okay - I have no idea why this picture is coming up sideways on my blog. I saved it rightwise in my folder. Weird. But you get the idea. It was SOOOOO good! I can't wait to make it again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is the link to the recipe, also from allrecipes.com </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/thai-chicken-with-basil-stir-fry/">Thai Chicken with Basil Stir Fry</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">YUMMA! (This is the new saying in my family. It comes from a hilarious YouTube video. If you would like to laugh your head off at something totally G-rated that you can show your kids, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqEeP1acj4Y">check this out</a>. It will make anyone laugh, from two to seventy-two. I know, because we have tested it.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Happy eating and laughing today!</span><br />
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Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-33459633933126853362012-07-13T14:00:00.001-04:002013-01-04T10:44:34.869-05:00Airstream Dream<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have a dream. My dream is to someday own an Airstream trailer and to travel around the country for nine months when the Darling Husband and I retire. I want to start in the fall and head east and south. I for sure want to stop in Charleston, then a few other spots in the south before heading west. Perhaps the Grand Canyon and then up to Utah to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park in the later fall. Then I want to stay in the west through ski season, going to all the big spots and skiing all over. I would like to get up to the Pacific Northwest in the spring, and then head for home by May to enjoy Lake Michigan at her finest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I just found these pics online today and I am 100% smitten. Seriously in love. Here she is: my Airstream Dream!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Isn't she amazing?</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-50152802123463655002012-06-15T09:15:00.002-04:002012-06-15T09:15:14.629-04:00Dog Tired<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Honestly, I don't know what is wrong. My mojo is seriously off or something. I feel like nothing is going right. At all. Ever. I haven't had a minute to blog since April. May and June (so far) have really kicked my BUTT. Now, I am trying to update my blog and I can't get a picture to load onto my post. I have seriously done this hundreds of times but for some reason it won't work right now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have a picture of my dog - sleeping. Hence the title. Dog Tired. Because that is what I am, only she looks prettier than I do right now. She is white and fluffy. I, on the other hand, have black circles under my eyes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I will try to load the picture one more time, and then it is on to something else. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Okay, finally. Since you are looking at the picture right now, you can't really imagine the number of times I tried to load it and it didn't work. And then it did. And I didn't DO ANYTHING differently. It just finally worked. That is the thing that I sometimes hate about computers. Something behind the scenes must be interfering, because from what I can see everything is EXACTLY THE SAME. It worked. Then it didn't work. And then it worked again. AHHHHHH...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I don't have anything creative to post today. I don't think you will get too excited over pictures of me cleaning and polishing my wood floors on my hands and knees. (They look awesome - I did it after the picture above, so they are beautiful and shiny. Not smudgy and grimy.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I did get my garden planted two weeks ago, and the darling husband has added two more sprinklers. It is looking great. I will try to get out and get some photos of that later today. Or maybe I will just take a nap.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Because I am dog tired.</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-62300824372587172732012-04-21T10:31:00.000-04:002012-04-21T10:31:38.541-04:00Seriously Bad Blogger<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is the first Saturday morning that I have been home with a bit of time to myself in I don't know how long... wow. Life is going really, really fast lately. I can't believe it is already April and we are just two short months away from the end of another school year. May is the busiest month of the year for me - all three kids play spring sports and I have tons of end of year stuff going on at school. The two boys are playing lacrosse, the Tiny Dancer is on the JV tennis team and wrapping up her competitive dance season, the Darling Husband is coaching the Youngest Boy's lacrosse team, and I am running around trying to watch everyone do everything while grading MOUNTAINS of essays. Sigh. I love it and I hate it. Last week, I was in Grand Haven watching Oldest Boy play lacrosse on Tuesday night, in North Muskegon watching Tiny Dancer play tennis on Wednesday afternoon/evening, and at our home stadium watching Oldest Boy play lacrosse again on Thursday night. Darling Husband was with Youngest Boy at his lacrosse games and practices all week, and we never ate dinner together (or really dinner at all, for that matter - on Tuesday night my dinner consisted of Gatorade and Combos. Seriously.) I really should be getting in the shower right now because in about an hour I have to leave to drive down to Portage to watch Oldest Boy play lacrosse. I am feeling like time is going so fast. He is a junior in high school, we are busy looking at colleges, and pretty soon this will all be over and I will be wondering what happenend. And so it goes...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I want to share a great recipe with you that I got from my good friend and fellow teacher, Michelle. The recipe is called "Sassy Tailgate Sandwiches" and they are tasty little morsels that can be made ahead and enjoyed for just about anything. Because I don't have access to an oven when I tailgate (this must be an SEC recipe - they are really serious about their tailgating in the south), I call them "Make Ahead Sammies." I think I will make a pan of them this week to have for our dinners on the run. Much better than Combos for dinner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Start with Hawaiian rolls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Cut them in half and place them in a pan. (The recipe calls for 12, but I made a 1/2 recipe this time.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then, top with thinly shaved Black Forest Ham. (It has to be Black Forest, which is a little sweeter than just any old lunch meat ham. Have the deli person shave it thinly for you.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On top of that, place thin slices of Gruyere cheese. (One of my favs. I might have eaten a few slices while on this step...)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjea3eVjngqj8MLSuenxv-SBQIwSVVZvADpSpjhil58C10a5S5Mo7o_8uqAN5fNYdYgVYt2ecb7o2mcIW8RZOeEE6tjHDQ7JKv7bVNfMTGaE0dTW9TUd_YBjkt8Vqf9Y6LdnT_FTs7NMmdx/s1600/IMG_3789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjea3eVjngqj8MLSuenxv-SBQIwSVVZvADpSpjhil58C10a5S5Mo7o_8uqAN5fNYdYgVYt2ecb7o2mcIW8RZOeEE6tjHDQ7JKv7bVNfMTGaE0dTW9TUd_YBjkt8Vqf9Y6LdnT_FTs7NMmdx/s640/IMG_3789.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Spread some Philly brand Chive & Onion cream cheese spread on the tops of the rolls. The first time I made them I really went heavy on the cream cheese. As my friend from high school used to say, "Cream cheese is like Meg Ryan. What's not to like?" (Okay, I just dated myself as really 1980s, but oh well...) I think I went a little too heavy. It kind of overpowered the sandwiches, so this time I backed off a bit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Marry the tops with the bottoms.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now, for the kicker.</span><br />
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<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For the sauce, mix together melted butter, minced onions, and some Worcestershire sauce (yum!) and Parmesan cheese. (I forgot to put this in the picture.) Pour over the sandwiches in the pan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cover the pan with foil and let sit for at least 30 minutes. You can also make these the night before and let sit in the fridge overnight. Bake, covered, and then eat! They also reheat really well in the microwave for those of you who do not have anyone home for dinner at the same time like I do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Make Ahead Sammies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 pkg. (12) Hawaiian bread rolls</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 lb. shaved Black Forest ham (you will probably have extrra)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">12 slices Gruyere cheese</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 tub (8 ounces) Philadelphia brand Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1/2 cup butter, melted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1/2 Tb. dried minced onion</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Cut rolls in half. Place in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Layer on shaved ham and sliced cheese. Spread cream cheese on top half of rolls. Place tops on the bottoms in the pan. Mix together melted butter, minced onion, Worcestershire, and Parmesan cheese. Pour over sandwiches in pan. Cover with foil and let sit for 30 mins or up to overnight in the fridge. Bake in a 350 degree oven, covered, for about 20 mins or until sandwiches are warmed through. Eat while warm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I hope you all have a great week!</span><br />Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-20480262452597163052012-02-24T09:13:00.002-05:002013-01-04T10:44:54.902-05:00Please believe me - this is the BEST!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I don't know what made me remember this recipe. It was the week after Christmas and I was still on break. Maybe that is the explanation... my head was relatively clear and not bad-addled with one million thoughts of students, essays, and lessons. The Darling Husband loves a little early evening snack/appetizer of Bar Cheese and crackers (usually Triscuits). We were out of Bar Cheese, and I suddenly remembered this recipe. It is an old recipe of my mom's. I got the ingredients and whipped it up. It is so easy and so delicious. It makes four nice sized tubs of cheese and keeps for a long time in the fridge. EVERYONE loves this stuff. We are out, but luckily I picked up the ingredients to make it at the grocery store yesterday. Good thing, because we are in the middle of a big old snow storm and no one is going anywhere today (including school - the kids and I all have the day off. Yee-haw! I seriously needed this.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It is kind of embarassing to show you the ingredients. But, I promise it is so good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is what you will need:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Velveeta (don't judge...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Horseradish</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Beer (you only need 5 ounces, so you get to drink the rest!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mayonnaise (Duke's, of course!)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGDGM2Rnui4-I-TMSBnwqrY7xufVB7epvKGsW4CQ4LwCM5xQuXTHCag6QZo3aq8QCUa7lwKUoQwRZci-I_LAtwvZhz4GP_oDUJ3HwmE6CJWuSG_ZU48l8Ztp9CD8t1gGbT-AchI7hZRUH/s1600/IMG_3718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGDGM2Rnui4-I-TMSBnwqrY7xufVB7epvKGsW4CQ4LwCM5xQuXTHCag6QZo3aq8QCUa7lwKUoQwRZci-I_LAtwvZhz4GP_oDUJ3HwmE6CJWuSG_ZU48l8Ztp9CD8t1gGbT-AchI7hZRUH/s640/IMG_3718.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And a little Tabasco</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbUEq3Twb0_QASHofFyhtyvN3vywfFA1eEJJPq4eL0l4SpTsfOfbb_6OlIfCHNzldTt4G-RLVFlZ73g2o2nfDOrirOkEOCzRKXOOicYmz3I_0Kjl_PGbUpNL6aJh4H7Fa0SnZKEushBUO/s1600/IMG_3720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbUEq3Twb0_QASHofFyhtyvN3vywfFA1eEJJPq4eL0l4SpTsfOfbb_6OlIfCHNzldTt4G-RLVFlZ73g2o2nfDOrirOkEOCzRKXOOicYmz3I_0Kjl_PGbUpNL6aJh4H7Fa0SnZKEushBUO/s640/IMG_3720.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cube the cheese and put it in a saucepan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Melt the cheese and add all the other ingredients. Stir until smooth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Pour into four or five small containers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Try not to eat it all while it is still warm. Seriously not kidding. You <i>can</i> eat it while warm, or you can let it cool and put it in the fridge before eating. Store in the fridge. It will get firm like store bought Bar Cheese. Once you eat this, you will ne</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">ver be able to go back to the store bought variety.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Delicious Cheese Spread</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 lbs. Velveeta (one box)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">8 ounces horseradish (one jar)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 generous cup of mayonnaise (preferably Duke's, which you can order online <a href="http://www.dukesmayo.com/">here</a>!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">10 drops Tabasco</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">5 ounces beer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Cube cheese. Melt over med/low heat, stiring while melting. Stir in horseradish, mayonnaise, Tabasco, and beer. Stir until smooth. Pour into containers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Makes 5 cups.</span></div>
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Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-51095372402290999912012-02-12T10:15:00.000-05:002012-02-12T16:11:38.880-05:00F.O.s (Finished Objects)<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have been a bad blogger! January really kicked my butt. We went back to school on January 3, and it was the end of the semester and final exams. Because I teach English, and my courses focus on literature and composition, all of my students had end of unit essays they were working on and turning in, plus all of my final exams have an essay component as well. That meant over the course of three weekends and two work weeks I had to grade 300 essays, plus teach, plus enter grades and get report cards completed by the end of January. Whew! It was all I did and I was plenty sick of it when I got to the end of the month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have been taking pictures when I can, and I have few things to show you. Over Christmas break I started a new project: fingerless mittens. When I drive I listen to audiobooks on my iPod, and because iPods and iPhones have touch screens you have to take off your mittens or gloves to get them to work. I got sick of taking off my gloves every time I wanted to play or pause my audiobook, so I decided to knit some fingerless mitts. I found some gorgeous yarn from one of my favorite yarn brands, Manos del Uruguay, which means Hands of Uruguay in Spanish. Manos del Uruguay "is a non profit organization which assembles over 400 artisans in cooperatives scattered throughout the countryside of Uruguay. The aim of the organization is to bring economic and social opportunities to rural women." I first used Manos yarn on <a href="http://houseinhiddenhollow.blogspot.com/2011/08/finally-fo.html">Tiny Dancer's legwarmers</a> and loved the feel and the way it knit. That yarn was a cotton blend. For this project I chose a beautiful multi-colored Merino wool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">You can see the first mitten, in progress, perched atop one of my favorite Christmas gifts. My mom gave me this handmade pottery knitting bowl (I guess that's what you would call it...) It is so awesome - you put the yarn you are working with in the bowl and then feed it out through the opening. You set the bowl next to you and then it just smoothly feeds out through the opening as you knit, instead of rolling off the couch. Plus, it is a nice was to contain a small project and looks fairly decorative sitting on the table next to my couch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here are some close up shots of the yarn and the bowl. I just love the way this looks together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And here is a picture of one of the finished mittens, my first F.O. of the new year!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The fingerless mittens are my January Finished Object. Then, in February, in knit a matching hat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This hat is called the <a href="http://www.purlbee.com/jens-sweetie-pie-hat/">Sweetie Pie Hat </a>and I got the pattern from my favorite knitting, crocheting & sewing blog, <a href="http://www.purlbee.com/">The Purl Bee</a>. The hat was so easy to knit and I loved making the baby cable. I liked the pattern so much and I love my new fingerless mittens so much, I am thinking of combining the two and making a pair of fingerless mitts with the baby cable pattern. Stay tuned!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is a pic of one of my other cute knitting-related Christmas gifts from my mom. It is a tape measure. Isn't it cute?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here is my new yarn for my next project. I am hoping to have another F.O. in February.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This is a yummy angora/wool blend yarn called Lush by Classic Elite Yarns. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I can't wait to get started. I have a pretty busy Sunday. I have to take Tiny Dancer to the mall to go jeans shopping with her competition tap team (They are wearing sparkly corset-style tops and matching jeans for their costumes.) and I have to go in to work to make lesson plans for tomorrow. Our entire English department is going to an all-day writing conference. I hope that it is good & we learn some new ideas. I hate being gone from my students, but it is worth it if I come back with some new teaching ideas. Perhaps tonight, after a bit of grading, I will be able to get started.</span><br />
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<br /></div>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-67383653415455141352012-01-07T07:40:00.003-05:002012-01-07T08:09:58.225-05:00Life Gets in the Way<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So much for posting the recipes and results of our New Year's Eve dinner the next day! I really have no excuse - I was up early with the puppy (per usual) and had a pretty good day. I spent some of my morning grading (what's new?), then we went to our friends' house for a New Year's Day lunch, and then I think we just relaxed at home after that. Between Christmas day and going back to school I spent 15 hours grading essays and I only got about half of my work done. I tried not to let that depress me. But it did. I picked away at my grading this week, but did not make much of a dent. Now it is Saturday morning, I have been up since 5:30 am with the puppy (her normal wake up time - ugh.) and I have not yet started the grading. She, of course, is sleeping again, but I am awake. I hope I can take a nap later today. I also need to go to the grocery store, and I just realized we are OUT of toilet paper. Seriously? I buy that stuff in bulk. How did we use it all up?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">New Year's Eve was great. Our friends came over around 7:00. Kathy brought a delicious homemade smoked whitefish dip (I have to get the recipe!), which is one of my favorites. When the Darling Husband was the Darling Boyfriend, he lived near a restaurant in Grand Rapids called the Bluewater Grille. It was one of our favorite spots. It is a beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright style building overlooking a small inland lake. It has an incredible stone patio with a bar and outdoor fireplaces to sit at in warmer months and a beautiful view of the lake with fireplaces indoors for the colder months. One of the things we always ordered there was the smoked whitefish dip, and I often crave it because we no longer go there as it is pretty far away from where we live now. Kathy's dip was every bit as good as the Bluewater Grille's and it scratched my itch for that delicious concoction. I was looking for a fun drink recipe to try and the Darling Husband found the perfect recipe in a back issue of Redbook magazine. (Don't ask - I keep them in the bathroom and he is always finding little tips and articles of interest in them...) They are called Black and Blue Mojitos and they are delicious! I will try to get a picture to put here with the recipe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Our New Year's Eve menu consisted of:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Beef Tenderloin Chaucer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Twice Baked Potatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Fresh Green Beans</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Rolls</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Salad of Romaine with Oranges and Grapefruit</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Kathy brought the salad and it was the perfect cold, crisp complement to the rich meat. The tenderloin was perfect, and is really the ideal recipe to make for guests. You need to start early the morning of your dinner or you can do it the night before (my preferred method).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Have your butcher cut a 2" thick beef tenderloin steak for each person.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I got the steaks from Meijer, and they were delicious. While I was there I realized that I do not have four matching champagne flutes, so I grabbed some inexpensive ones there as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then, lay the steaks on a plate and admire their beauty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Season them with salt & pepper and rub them with fresh garlic. (This is where Darling Husband and I were playing with my new flash he gave me for Christmas. We don't have it figured out yet.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sorry, not the best picture I have ever taken, but you get the idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have to apologize for the rest of my pictures. It was dark. It was getting late. I was tired. I had been up since 5:30 am and was ready to go to bed. I didn't take pictures of every step...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Next, sear the steaks on all sides in a cast iron skillet on very high heat. (Imagine this part.) It only takes about 10 seconds per side. I also use tongs and sear the sides quickly. Place the seared steaks in a baking dish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Next, make the sauce. (Again, you will have to imagine the steps. I only took a picture of the finished sauce.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The sauce has red wine, beef broth, chicken broth, Worcestershire (my favorite!), and currant jelly. It smells SOOOOO good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then, saute some mushrooms in your cast iron skillet with a little butter. Mmmmmm....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Stir the mushrooms into the sauce and cool completely. You are going to pour the mushroom sauce over the steaks and you don't want the hot sauce to start cooking the steaks. It took awhile for the sauce to cool. I got really tired. I poured the cooled sauce over the steaks in the pan. I forgot to take a picture. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and slide in the fridge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A couple of hours before you are ready to eat, take the pan out of the fridge and let the steaks warm up a bit. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take the foil off the pan and slide it in the oven. Bake for about 21 - 22 minutes for medium rare, a little longer for medium. Don't cook too long as the steaks will keep cooking after you take the pan out of the oven.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Serve one steak to each person, topped with some of the mushroom sauce. Your guests will rave!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You can see one of the steaks on the plate to the right, along with the delicious salad and the twice baked potatoes. Yum!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">What a lovely night!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Happy New Year to all!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Beef Tenderloin Chaucer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">(This recipe is for 8. I cut it in half for our New Year's celebration.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">8 - 2 inch thick beef tenderloin steaks</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">salt, pepper, and crushed garlic to taste</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 Tbs brandy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">4 Tbs butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3 Tbs flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 Tbs tomato paste</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3/4 cup red wine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 cup chicken broth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 cup beef broth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">salt & pepper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 Tbs currant jelly</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1/2 - 1 lb. sliced, sauteed mushrooms</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Rub steaks on both sides with garlic and season with salt and pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Sear on all sides in a hot iron skillet, 10 seconds per side. Place steaks in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle steaks with 2 Tbs. brandy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">To make the sauce:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Saute the mushrooms in a little butter in the cast iron skillet you used for the steaks. Set aside. Then, m</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">elt 4 Tbs butter in a saucepan and whisk in 3 Tbs flour. Stir in 2 Tbs tomato paste. Add red wine, chicken broth, and beef broth, whisking well after each addition. Whisk over med heat until sauce thickens. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and currant jelly. Stir in sauteed mushrooms. Allow sauce to cool completely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Pour cooled sauce over steaks in pan and cover with aluminum foil. Slide into fridge for several hours or overnight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">To cook steaks:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A couple of hours before cooking, remove steaks from refridgerator and bring to room temperature. Place in 400 degree oven. Cook approximately 21 - 22 minutes for medium rare, a little longer for medium. Steaks continue to cook when you remove them from the oven so do not overcook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Serve with the sauce.</span></div>
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</div>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-88212657329524941972011-12-30T18:01:00.001-05:002011-12-30T18:07:01.731-05:00New Year's Eve Preparations<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" id="twttrHubFrame" name="twttrHubFrame" scrolling="no" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/hub.1324331373.html" style="height: 10px; position: absolute; top: -9999em; width: 10px;" tabindex="0"></iframe><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We are not big into New Year's Eve-ery here at the Hollow. Not that we don't celebrate... we just don't much like going out. I don't think we are alone in this. I have been spending some time on and off the last few days reading some of my favorite blogs and it looks like lots of folks like to spend their evening at home, with friends, making delicious food and enjoying delicious drinks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We are having another couple over and I couldn't be happier. I am making one of my favorite holiday dishes, Tenderloin Chaucer. It starts with a two-inch think beef tenderloin medalion for each person. Yum! (If you have priced beef tenderloin lately you know why this is a special holiday treat only!) I am preparing the tenderloin tonight, and then it sits in the fridge overnight until it is ready to bake tomorrow night. This makes it a perfect dish for New Year's Eve, when you want to be drinking and reminiscing, not slaving in the kitchen. I will take pics of the prep tonight and post the whole menu and recipes tomorrow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In addition to our wine and champagne, I am looking for a fun New Year's Eve festive cocktail. How does this one look? I found it on one of my all time favorite blogs, <a href="http://www.designsponge.com/">Design Sponge</a>, which has a regular feature called <em><a href="http://www.designsponge.com/category/behind-the-bar">Behind the Bar</a></em>. </span><br />
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<a class="external" href="http://www.designsponge.com/2011/12/behind-the-bar-with-spoon-fork-bacons-honey-rum-fizz.html/drink" rel="attachment wp-att-124993" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124993" height="750" src="http://assets5.designsponge.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/drink.jpg" title="drink" width="500" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here's the recipe:</span><br />
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<strong>Honey-Rum Fizz</strong><br />
Makes 2<br />
<strong>Ingredients</strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li>½ bunch mint leaves</li>
<li>½ lime cut into wedges</li>
<li>6 ounces gold rum</li>
<li>3 ounces honey</li>
<li>1 ½ limes zested and juiced</li>
<li>2 egg whites, lightly beaten</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups of tonic water</li>
</ul>
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<strong>Methodology</strong><br />
Divide and muddle mint leaves into each glass, with a lime wedge or two, and set aside. Place rum, honey, lime zest and juice into a shaker with ice and shake together. Add the egg whites and continue to shake until the mixture becomes frothy. Pour mixture into the prepared glasses. Add the tonic. Then top each glass off with any remaining froth and serve.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'll keep you posted...</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-32107087925798396022011-12-27T11:46:00.002-05:002011-12-27T11:46:36.551-05:00Comin' Down<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Our tree was really beautiful this year. Perfect size, perfect shape. The branches were really sturdy and did not droop with heavy ornaments. I admire the people who have coordinating ornaments on their trees; I, however, am not one of those people. I have every ornament my kids have ever made (noodles and cheerios glued to cardboard cut out stars included), plus every ornament I have ever received as a gift. It is a beautiful hodge podge of memories, and I love getting my ornaments out every year and taking that trip down memory lane.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Usually, I leave my tree up until New Year's Day. This year, though, I think she is coming down early. Like today. My allergies can't take it. My nose won't stop running, I have a persistent cough, and my eyes are terribly itchy. Some of this is because it has been above freezing and I am allergic to all of the molds outside, but I have a feeling a big culprit is the lovely tree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So goodbye tree... how lovely are your branches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also coming down are the mantle decorations, as they are made of live boughs as well. Good bye Christmas in the family room. I will leave the rest of the house decorations up through New Year's.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have been obsessed with mantle decorating lately. I look and look for ideas and change my mind all of the time. Here is my latest obsession...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSKH68UrMxfCJmrAk8-pyanc5cYwq9fdmQmWkdbCrgEsqlCsRoza3S3nVgr6wTK8LZCUWkWhxKysgJsjCwnvJmnA7gsm98m4-sTpVbzONzTbMsjn-fbwwzMrQf2pcxFC3CdDo9V9HQe8A/s1600/_MG_7098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_85semw="24" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSKH68UrMxfCJmrAk8-pyanc5cYwq9fdmQmWkdbCrgEsqlCsRoza3S3nVgr6wTK8LZCUWkWhxKysgJsjCwnvJmnA7gsm98m4-sTpVbzONzTbMsjn-fbwwzMrQf2pcxFC3CdDo9V9HQe8A/s640/_MG_7098.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is the living room and mantle of one of my favorite bloggers, Nicole, from <a href="http://meohmymama.blogspot.com/">Me Oh My!</a> She is so creative and has an incredible sense of style, mixing graphic with traditional. I think I am going to paint a large chevron striped painting for my mantle. I am also looking for just the right antler accent. Perhaps a couple of these from <a href="http://www.ballarddesigns.com/">Ballard Designs</a>...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><img __eventbits="133398655" __gwtlastunhandledevent="" alt="Suzanne Kasler Atelier Antler" class="gwt-pdp-main-image" src="http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/9086/10h/origin-d1.scene7.com/is/image/ballarddesigns/T_WithZoom?$w400$&$src=WP756_main" title="Suzanne Kasler Atelier Antler" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I am also obsessing about round mirrors like this one (also on <a href="http://meohmymama.blogspot.com/">Me Oh My!</a> )...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGnFOObVqDG_fl_nmBUoSM_U5Rme4ou3WavKeFCaGE0jYqEjHQRYvnW6DHQOYijmIrt2i2O-HzyPWXtZeVQdL9GdFzQlf9-6wUfjFUl-MwJ4Yza2DEVs3S2e8tyB83BkSsWdGgEJpr2Q/s1600/babyford34.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_85semw="12" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGnFOObVqDG_fl_nmBUoSM_U5Rme4ou3WavKeFCaGE0jYqEjHQRYvnW6DHQOYijmIrt2i2O-HzyPWXtZeVQdL9GdFzQlf9-6wUfjFUl-MwJ4Yza2DEVs3S2e8tyB83BkSsWdGgEJpr2Q/s640/babyford34.JPG" width="640" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Or this one from Ballard Designs...</span><br />
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<img __eventbits="133398655" __gwtlastunhandledevent="" alt="Oversized Sunburst Mirror" class="gwt-pdp-main-image" src="http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/9086/10h/origin-d1.scene7.com/is/image/ballarddesigns/T_WithZoom?$w400$&$src=WM793_main" title="Oversized Sunburst Mirror" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The quickly approaching new year brings thoughts of new decorating! </span></div>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-20110653891653146762011-12-22T08:56:00.000-05:002011-12-22T08:58:01.205-05:00Creativity<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This morning the Cute Puppy woke up at 6:00 am. This is much better than the 3:15 am wakeup the other morning, and her usual 5:00ish on all of the other days of break. She is used to waking up with me on work days between 5:15 and 5:30 am. She can't help it. She is growing so fast and is hungry all the time! I took her outside to go potty, fed her breakfast, and then we went back upstairs. She went right in her house and I got right back in bed and slept until 7:00. Ahhh... much better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Since 7:00 am, I have been lost in blogland. I decided to go through my list of "Creative" blogs, read them all, and decide if there were any to delete. So far, I am about 2/3 of the way through, I have deleted one, and added two more. I am also feeling extremely lame and not creative after checking in with some of my most inspiring, favorite creative blog ladies. While I read, Cute Puppy played happily with her toys. She makes up lots of games, her favorite being "I am going to hold a big toy in my mouth while I try to pick up my other toys but it's really hard and I can't do it so I try and try." After about an hour of this game she got bored, so I helped her out. I put two big dog biscuits inside her Puppy Kong, and for the last 20 minutes she has been trying to chew them out. Here she is, happily working on her job.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I am currently working on a little knitting project for Christmas. I can't show it to you yet because it is for someone who reads this blog. I will take a couple of pictures of it in progress and finished, and share after Christmas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">While I was happily browsing in blogland, I came across the most cutest little knitting project ever. I am going to for sure knit a whole flock of these little guys to decorate my house and to give as gifts. I have always had an obsession with tiny little creatures like this... fairies, elves, and gnomes. (Remember the gnome craze of the late 70's/early 80's? Yup, I had that book!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I am a huge fan of painter, Rien Poortvliet, and I was obsessed over this book for years. I wonder what happened to it? Hopefully, it is still on the bookshelf at my mom and dad's house. I am going there later today to drop off some gifts, so I will definitely have to check for it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is my next craft. I can't wait to get started!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">You can find the free pattern <a href="http://www.saartjeknits.nl/patterns/Korknisse.html">here</a>. Hopefully, I will be able to show you a picture of my little elves soon!</span></div>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-64526265888103211622011-12-22T08:33:00.000-05:002013-01-04T10:47:50.855-05:00Resolutions, Plans, and Schemes...<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have already started on my resolutions for 2012. This happens to me when I have a bit of time off from work, when I spend more time in my house and realize all of the things I let go when I am so consumed with teaching. I am going to keep it simple again for this year - better chance of success. Last year my big resolution was to start this blog. I did not set any posting expectations on the resolution, which took some of the pressure off. I wish I had posted more, but looking back I think that I did okay. I am motivated to continue, and so resolution #1 is to post more frequently on my blog. I don't want to set any quotas (once a week, etc.), my only blog goal for 2012 will be to post more than I did in 2011.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I also had a resolution to read more books. I love to read. It is one of the reasons I became an English teacher. The big irony is, high school English teachers are so busy reading (grading) student work that we have no time to read anything else. I joined <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/">Shelfari </a>two years ago, and I set my goal to read more books in 2011 than I did in 2010. I think I have beaten my 2010 total by one or two books. I am hoping to knock one or two more off before the New Year. Resolution #2 is to again read more books in 2012 than I did in 2011.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A third resolution I had was to exercise more. I am a generally fit person, blessed with good genes and a racing metabolism; however, I know that this won't last forever. Also, I know that regular exercise is good for my heart and good for my stress level. I started walking regularly last summer and listening to audiobooks while I walked. I joined Audible, and have continued with the audiobooks. I have listened to seven books on audiobook since last spring. I have not walked as much now that school started (so sad!), but I am doing better over break. Cute puppy is big enough now to go for longer walks and she loves my fast pace. She prances along next to me like a show dog. I have also continued to listed to audiobooks in the car on the way to work in the morning. I also take two dance classes during the school year, a tap class and a ballet/jazz combo class (one week ballet, one week jazz). I love my dance classes and they are good for excercise and for flexibility. I am hoping to add another class to my weekly routine to up the exercise factor for 2012. I am thinking yoga.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So, my resolutions for 2012 are:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">#1 - Continue blogging - more posts in 2012 than in 2011</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">#2 - Continue reading - more books in 2012 than in 2011</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">#3 - Continue exercising - add one more class to my weekly routine and keep up the walks</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I am also going to add one more resolution for 2012. Tackle the paper piles. Sigh. This is definitely a HUGE weakness of mine. I am a horizontal filer. I set papers in piles EVERYWHERE and it drives me crazy. There is an awesome article in the January issue of <a href="http://www.bhg.com/">Better Homes and Gardens</a> magazine that has inspired me. I am going to set up a paper command center in my laundry room. I have an awesome countertop in there that will be perfect for this. You should see it right now. I am trying to work up the nerve to actually take a picture of it in all of its glory (chaos) and confess openly to my problem. Thinking about it...</span><br />
<br />Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-22872708660596807412011-12-03T06:47:00.001-05:002011-12-30T18:05:22.804-05:00Christmas Shopping<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">gets me in trouble! I love Christmas shopping from catalogs. I am up before dawn with this terribly cute but terribly early-rising puppy, and the only thing to do is shop! (Well, okay, I could be grading...) I have been looking through catalogs and browsing online and I have found quite a few gift ideas for people on my list. I have also found quite a few gift ideas for myself...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I am addicted to a new website/clothing line that I would like to share with you. It's called <a href="http://www.shabbyapple.com/">Shabby Apple</a>, and I learned about it on another blog I read called <a href="http://www.sewinginnomansland.com/">Sewing in No Man's Land</a>. I just ordered a skirt from the Tinsel Town collection and I hope it gets here before next Saturday because the Darling Husband and I have a Christmas party to go to.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.shabbyapple.com/p-1298-the-industry-skirt.aspx"><img alt="A larger-than-life organza peony graces the hemline of the inky black matte satin of the 'Industry' skirt. Top it with your favorite shell and blazer at the office, then pile on the rhinestones and bangles for a night on the town." border="0" height="400" id="ProductPic1298" name="ProductPic1298" src="http://www.shabbyapple.com/images/Product/icon/1298.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The site has mainly women's clothing and accessories. It also has some kids and preteens stuff and some very, very cute maternity dresses that my friend Janelle would look adorable in!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Happy shopping!</span><br />
<br />Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-23997269201653729742011-11-29T17:37:00.001-05:002011-11-29T17:38:49.993-05:00Shameless...<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I admit it. I shamelessly allowed Shutterfly to embed a link on my blog so that I would get $10.00 off my next order. Now if you look at my blog you will get a sneak peek at our Christmas card, which kind of takes the fun out of it. But, I don't have that many blog readers so not too many people will be affected. Ha ha. Anyway, I do LOVE Shutterfly, and I just yelled to the Darling Husband about how much I love ordering my Christmas cards from Shutterfly and what a wonderfully easy website it is to use and how I was so happy because they also sent me a $10.00 off coupon which I was able to use on my card order and how I just think that it is about the easiest part of Christmas, so I guess they deserved the plug.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you want to order your cards from Shutterfly, let me know. I have two more $10.00 off coupons that I can give to a friend. First come, first served. Let me know!</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-5284478772937402092011-11-29T17:32:00.001-05:002013-01-04T10:45:58.979-05:00Photo Card<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="height: 494px; width: 425px;">
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Merry Bright Greeting Holiday</div>
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Create custom <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/new-years-cards" style="color: #6666cc;">new year's invitations</a> at Shutterfly.com.</div>
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View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</div>
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Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-50342749979496479572011-11-19T09:17:00.002-05:002013-01-04T10:48:23.921-05:00Wow<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I honestly was starting to think that I would never find the time to post again. What happened? Well, school started, for one. I love being a teacher, but holy cow - it gets more challenging every year. This year, all of my classes are FULL. And when I say full, I mean 29, 30, and 31 kids per class. I teach 11th and 12th grade English, including AP Literature and Compostition and a senior writing class called Advanced Expository Writing. That means I pretty much spend every waking minute grading essays. Plus, I have more students than I have ever had in my 10 years as a teacher. 150. With that many kids per class, it takes a long time to grade essays. It's a love/hate thing. I get so sick of it, but I can't imagine not doing it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here's one thing I have taken pictures of since I last posted. (Not much, I admit.) It's a deliciously awesome fall recipe I made a couple weeks ago. It is getting hard for me to take pictures of my cooking because it gets dark so darn early now. By the time I am cooking dinner on a weeknight it is dark out and the food pictures look depressing, not appetizing. I can only get good pics if I am cooking on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. My life has been so busy, I haven't stopped cooking, but I have started forgetting to get out the camera! Argh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Start with some russet potatoes. (Don't you love this scale? It belonged to my great aunt Florence (we called her Floozie, her nickname from WWII). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You also need some onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, and tomato paste. Notice how I am not using my homemade canned tomatoes? Well, I just did. Why did I buy tomatoes? What was I thinking? Obviously, I wasn't. Which is the story of my life this fall. Anyway...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Peel and slice the potatoes. Not too thin, not too thick. I just got this mandoline to make homemade potato chips. I love it! (I got it at Bed, Bath & Beyond. It was not one of the expensive kinds, but it works just fine.) How did I live without it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Slice up the onions. (Notice the santoku knife I got last Christmas. My favorite thing to slice with that knife is onions. Weird. Also wondering how I lived without that knife!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Peel and chop a bunch of garlic. So good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pour the tomatoes in a bowl with their juice and cut them into small pieces with a scissors. (You can also do this while they are still in the can and then dump them into the bowl.) Then drain off the juice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mix together the potatoes, the onions, the garlic, and the tomatoes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Whisk 1/2 cup olive oil with some tomato paste. (Notice my leopard nails? Tiny Dancer painted those for me - freehand. She is quite the artist!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Add some oregano, water, salt, and pepper. Pour the tomato and oil mixture over the potato mixture and mix well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Place in a large casserole pan and bake. It takes quite awhile to bake. It will be too dark to take a picture of when it comes out of the oven because it is November now, after all. Sigh. Trust me - it is gorgeous and tastes delicious. The onions are all carmelized and the tomato/potato mixture has a nice crust on top. I made a pot roast in the crock pot to go with this. I was an amazing meal. Yum!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here's the recipe:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">6 medium (about 2 lbs.) potatoes, peeled, halved, and very thinly sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3 large onions, halved vertically and thinly sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">4 garlic cloves, minced (I think I used more garlic.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes, chopped and drained</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1/4 cup tomato paste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1/2 cup olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3 Tbsp. water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 tsp. dried oregano</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">salt to taste (a lot for my taste)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">freshly ground black pepper to taste (ditto)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Preheat oven to 400 degrees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. In a small bowl, whisk together tomato paste, olive oil, water, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour liquid over potato mixture and toss to coat well. Spread this mixture in a large baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 45 - 60 minutes until potatoes are tender. (I find that it takes closer to 60 minutes.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Note: you can substitute Yukon Gold potatoes for russet potatoes. This is very good as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is the other reason I have not posted in such a long time:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We got a puppy! Her name is Maya, and she is a Samoyed. This is me with Tiny Dancer, picking her up from the breeder's home in Traverse City on October 22. She was 9 weeks old then.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">She is super cute, amazingly affectionate, and we love her a ton. But man, are puppies a TON of work. I haven't slept more than 5 hours a night since we got her - and most nights those are not 5 hours in a row. It is like having a newborn, but no maternity leave.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The Darling Husband has been an ultra good sport about this. It was really Tiny Dancer and me who wanted the dog. Youngest Boy is also pretty psyched, as you can see. Darling Husband works out of a home office, so the majority of the potty training is falling on him. She is doing pretty well, but we are not all the way trained yet. Soon, I hope. I also hope she starts sleeping through the night. She does it every few nights. She is only 13 weeks old. A baby still, really. She is so good, though. She plays with her toys, gives lots of kisses, and loves to go for walks. I have never seen a dog that likes people more than she does.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Right now she is sleeping next to the back door. I think she likes the cool door - she is very furry and I am sure the house feels hot to a Siberean bred dog. She also likes to sleep on the tile in front of the fireplace.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Could she be any cuter? Seriously.</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-31439225997994714762011-09-10T08:45:00.000-04:002013-01-04T10:45:47.514-05:00Salsa!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Look at what I made with tomatoes and peppers from my own garden!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">First you have to core, seed, and chop a ton of tomatoes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Then you have to core, seed, and chop up a bunch of peppers. I used Hungarian Yellow Peppers, Jalepeno Peppers, and some red and orange bell peppers. Wear gloves if you are chopping hot peppers. And don't shove all the cores and seeds down the drain at the same time and then turn on the disposal because you will be overcome with hot pepper fumes and won't be able to stop coughing. Oops!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Then chop up a bunch of onions. (I forgot to take a picture of this step, but you have seen it before so you can just imagine it.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Throw it all in a big pot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Throw in some chopped garlic and add some vinegar. Then stir it up, bring to a boil, and simmer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Doesn't that look so good?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cook and stir until it is the desired consistency. I also add some tomato paste into the mixture to make the salsa a little thicker and less drippy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">When it is ready, ladle into hot, sterilized jars. Seal and process and put away until winter!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is the actual recipe. It is a combination of a recipe from my Gram and my own concoction. I call it:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Josie's Garden Salsa</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">8 cups cored, seeded, chopped tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 - 3 cups cored, seeded, chopped hot peppers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 - 3 cups cored, seeded, chopped sweet peppers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 cups chopped onion</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">5 - 6 cloves chopped garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 1/2 cups cider vinegar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 - 6 ounce cans tomato paste</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Combine all ingredients except tomato paste in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree with a hand blender if you desire a smoother consistency. Add tomato paste and simmer until desired thickness. Pack into hot, sterilized jars. Seal and process in a hot water bath for 30 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you have never canned before, make sure you consult a friend who has or go online for more specific directions. It is not hard. Have fun! :)</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-29149872369349971402011-09-05T09:50:00.000-04:002011-09-05T09:50:20.815-04:00What Should I Read Next?<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I just finished reading Barbara Kingsolver's amazing novel, <em>The Poisonwood Bible</em>. It has been on my shelf to read for years, and I am so glad I finally read it! Last year, several of my students read it as part of their Independent Reading projects for my AP Literature class and suggested that I add it to the choices for summer AP reading. I took their advice (they are really smart kids, after all!) and then because I added it to the summer reading list, I needed to read it too. The novel is the story of the Price family and their mission trip to the Congo in the 1960s. Nathan Price is a Baptist minister on a mission to bring Christianity to the Congo. He and his wife and four daughters move to Africa for a one year mission trip. But, as Brother Fowles once said, "there are Christians, and there are Christians" (435). The story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Orleanna Price (the mother) and the four Price daughters: Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May, and follows the family for more than thirty years. The novel provides a poignant and intelligent look at the complicated effects of colonialism and imperial rule on modern day Africa. Ironically, Rachel, the most shallow of the characters sums it up best when she says, "You can't just sashay into the jungle aiming to change it all over to the Christian style, without expecting the jungle to change you right back" (515).</span><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" class="cmuImage" height="500" id="cmuMainImage" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/1a/cb/3667e03ae7a09329bd24f110.L.jpg" width="331" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This is only the second book I have read about Africa. The other, <em>Things Fall Apart</em>, by Chinua Achebe, is a book that I have taught for years to 10th and 11th grade students, and is one of my favorites. Barbara Kingsolver said that she used Achebe's book as a source for writing <em>The Poisonwood Bible</em>. I would like to read more books about Africa. Any suggestions?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Now that I have finished a kind of "heavy" book, I need to jump back into my favorite genre: mystery! I have three books sitting next to me, and I can't decide which one to start. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The first choice is <em>Faithful Place</em>, by Tana French. I posted about Tana French's first two books back in June. I love her books! The back cover of this one says it is her best book yet. The teaser on the back of the book says: "Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was a nineteen-year-old kid with a dream of escaping his family's cramped flat on Faithful Place and running away to London with his girl, Rosie Daly. But on the night they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn't show... Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie's suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank, now a detective in the Dublin Undercover squad, is going home whether he likes it or not."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0143119494/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link"><img alt="Faithful Place: A Novel" border="0" height="300" id="prodImage" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51stR1gaxXL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" width="300" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The second choice is a book called <em>Still Life</em>, by Louise Penny, and is the "First Chief Inspector Gamache Novel." I LOVE series mysteries, so this one holds expectation and promise. The description on the back of this book says: "Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team of investigators are called to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal and yet a world away. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, has been found dead in the woods on Thanksgiving morning. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul this holiday season..."</span><br />
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<img height="229" src="http://www.louisepenny.com/graphics/american-book-cover4.gif" width="150" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wow, I just went to Louise Penny's website to get a picture of the book (mine has a different cover, and I could not find a picture of it!) and man is she popular. Her books all get amazing reviews. There are six books in the Chief Inspector Gamache series. The latest just came out in paperback, <em>Bury Your Dead</em>, and is getting rave reviews. Very tempting!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The third book is another mystery called The September Society, by Charles Finch. The Library Journal said: "Even the most astute reader will be guessing to the end. Another triumph." This book's description reads: "In the small hours of the morning one fall day in 1866, a frantic widow visits detective Charles Lenox. Lady Annabelle's problem is simple: her beloved son, George, has vanished from his room at Oxford. When Lenox visits his alma mater to investigate he discovers a series of bizarre clues, including a murdered cat and a card cryptically referring to "The September Society." Then, just as Lenox realizes that the case may be deeper than it appears, a student dies, the victim of foul play..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0312359780/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link"><img alt="The September Society (Charles Lenox Mysteries)" border="0" height="300" id="prodImage" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dH5YkmYjL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" width="300" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Okay, I just may have eliminated <em>The September Society</em>, which is kind of too bad because I was leaning toward it as it is now September and so it sounded seasonal. When I was looking for a picture of the cover, I realized that this is the second book in the Charles Lenox detective series. The first is called <em>A Beautiful Blue Death</em>, and it was nominated for an Agatha Award. For those of you who read detective mystery series, you know that you don't have to read them in order, but that the character development is better if you start at the beginning. So, I will have to get a copy of <em>A Beautiful Blue Death</em> and start there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">After writing about all three, I have decided to read <em>Faithful Place</em>. I think I will leave the Chief Inspector Gamache one for closer to Thanksgiving, since it takes place at that time, and I will hold off on the Charles Lenox one until I read the first in the series.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">What books are you reading right now? Anything good?</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449200103940148643.post-77550604368698420412011-08-26T11:56:00.000-04:002013-01-04T10:46:33.257-05:00Update on The Garden<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So, the garden is going great guns! As you may recall, I overplanted the first 4 x 6 foot box the Darling Husband built for me. So, he built me another. I am so lucky to have him! Then he had underground sprinkling run out to it, so I wouldn't have to drag the hose out there anymore. Seriously. How did I get so lucky to find him!? The garden has grown and grown and now the tomatoes are comin' in like gangbusters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is last weekend's harvest:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have four different kinds of tomatoes in my garden: Better Boys, Early Girls, Sweet 100's, and grape tomatoes. The Sweet 100's are my favorite. They are the little round ones on the left and they are like eating CANDY! Most of the time they don't make it into the house because I eat them while I am picking other things. The grape tomatoes are really good too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We had one hilarous garden mishap as well. When I went out to check the zucchini, there was one that was hiding underneath the huge zucchini plant leaves. It got a little large. Here is Tiny Dancer posing with Youngest Boy and her zucchini "baby."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I think that zucchini could be used to ward off intruders! It is sooo heavy. Instead, I am going to grate it and freeze it to use for zucchini bread in the winter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I finally had enough tomatoes to make tomato sauce. I used a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, <i>The Country Gourmet Cookbook</i>, by Sherrill & Gil Roth. I was worried that it might be out of print, but I checked and found it is still available. Here it is on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Country-Gourmet-Cookbook-Sherrill-Roth/dp/0894801880">Amazon</a>, both new and used and also in paperback.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This is their recipe for Tomato Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">6 pounds ripe tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1/4 cup olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 medium onion, coarsely chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 tablespoons minced, fresh basil leaves</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This is my version of the instructions:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wash, core, and seed the tomatoes. Cut into chunks. Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan. (I use the trusty Dutch Oven - man, do I love that thing!) Saute onion and garlic until onion is soft and just turning golden. Do not burn! Put the onions, garlic, and some of the tomatoes into the bowl of a food processor and puree. Return to pan on stove. Puree the rest of the tomatoes and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, uncovered, until sauce is think, about 1 to 1/12 hours. Near the end add the minced, fresh basil. I think I added more than 2 tablespoons 'cause I love basil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I served the sauce over fresh spinach ravioli with grated parm and a green salad. The Darling Husband and I were actually home ALONE for dinner. The food was delicious and the company was excellent. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Happy eating!</span>Josiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659883633740311366noreply@blogger.com0