Color Me Undefined

A Birthday Dinner

2007-12-13T11:12:00.000-08:00

Another new recipe success! My birthday was this past Saturday and I decided to try this alfredo recipe. It's been staring at me for a while, but the butter content has been keeping me from making it. That, and the boyfriend said he wasn't a big fan of alfredo. I am, so it was a treat to myself. It was SO creamy, and SO easy! Oh, and the boyfriend ended up liking it too! I servied it with baked/seasoned chicken breasts and whole wheat italian bread with a store-bought tomato spread.
The only modification I may make for next time is to try it with that liquid I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray instead of real butter. That would cut the calories at least in half!

Fettuccini Alfredo
(Adapted from Two Picky Eaters and Elizabeth's Cooking Experiments)

18 oz fettuccini pasta
4 cups heavy cream
2T lemon juice
4-5T minced garlic
2 sticks unsalted butter
4-5 cups grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in a large pot per package instructions and drain. Leaving pasta in the strainer, stir together the heavy cream, lemon juice, minced garlic and butter in the pot. Cook over medium/high heat until the butter is melted and the garlic loses its bitterness. Reduce to low heat, add the pasta back to the pot and toss. Add the grated parmesan, salt and pepper and toss pasta until sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

Pesto and 4-Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

2007-12-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

First of all - I'd like to apologize for my photography. In the first place I'm not looking to have any fancy photography, but I'd sure like the lighting to be better than it has been. It must be something about the compact fluorescent lights I have that makes everything glow orange and hardly allow for a non-blurred pic. Anyhoo - on to the mushrooms. These were good, though I'm not sure they were the best choice to go along with BBQ and Risotto (and I'm sure some folks would scoff at the thought of BBQ and risotto together...). Something about pesto thrown in that flavor set just didn't bode well with me. I'll have to think of another meal these could go with.

Pesto and 4 Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
(Adapted from Taste of Home bulletin board)

2 pkg large fresh mushrooms
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
6T jarred basil pesto
Olive oil for coating

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash mushrooms and remove stems. Using a Tablespoon or Teaspoon measurer (depending on size of mushroom) hollow out the inside of the mushroom by twisting the measuring spoon back and forth, discarding debris. Brush inside and out with olive oil.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine cheeses and pesto reserving 1/4 cup parmesan cheese for later. Stuff the cheese-pesto mixture into the mushroom caps. Arrange the caps on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the remaining parmesan cheese.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.

The side dish...

2007-12-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

Risotto!
Prior to last fall, I'd never had nor heard of risotto (hangs Italian head in shame). The boyfriend and I went to a local bed and breakfast where we were served a multi-course dinner that included risotto. Yum! Unfortunately, arborio rice is not sold nearby (nor is saffron) - so it took me a while to acquire some. Then well, time flies, recipes go on the figurative back burner and I never did make it. That, and I was under the impression that it was a difficult dish to make. Ha! It so is not. All it involves is just a bunch of stirring. That's it. So if you've never made risotto out of fear of difficulty--fear no more and try it! I've made it twice now and I am an impatient, low-talent cook! If you're the type that needs more photos, check out this site--it shows step-by-step photos (although you'll see I skip at least one step and I do not use wine).

Risotto Alla Milanese (Double Batch)

10 cups (80 oz or 2 1/2 boxes) chicken broth
1/2 tsp saffron powder
6T butter + 2T
2 pkg (4 cups) arborio rice
6-9 oz. (1 wedge) parmigiano reggiano cheese, freshly grated
Black or white pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan or pot, melt the butter on medium heat until butter becomes foaming. Add the rice and stir for about 3 minutes, until rice is well coated.

Add 1 cup of broth to the rice, constantly stirring to prevent the rice from sticking. When the rice begins absorbing the liquid, add more broth. Hint: Keep the burner's heat on medium, not high. High heat will cause the broth to evaporate more quickly and not be soaked into the rice. Repeat this step of adding broth and stirring, keeping the rice at the consistency of a dense paste (~2 minutes per cup). About midway through the amount of broth, add the saffron and pepper with one of the broth additions. Continue the process until all of the broth is gone. Add the 2T butter and the freshly shredded cheese and stir to combine fully. Serve immediately.

Another Great Meal

2007-12-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Last week it pained me to try and pick a meal to make. So many recipes, so little time (and tummy space!). I finally whittled the Saturday night dinner down to Barbecued Chicken, Risotto, and Pesto and 4-Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms. All three recipes were keepers. I'll split them up between 3 posts.

So first we have the Barbecued Chicken. I've never made my own BBQ sauce before (unless you count the olde standby of ketchup/mustard/brown sugar) and had seen a recipe out there that was balsamic vinegar based. I had doubts, as I was worried it would taste like vinegar since that is the main ingredient. Turns out that vinegar taste boils off with cooking. The original recipe called for medium heat, but at that rate it was never going to boil/reduce. So I just used high heat for the duration. I kept checking on it to stir but that was really unnecessary--it didn't need any attention until it began reducing. Anyhoo - definitely a keeper! Although next time I'll spring for the boneless/skinless thighs instead of bone-in/skin-on, only for the sake of packaging the recipe. (Imagine trying to eat a barbecued chicken thigh with bone in a cubicle with dress clothes on--not too convenient!)

Barbecued Chicken

(Adapted from Mommy Cooks and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme)

4 cups balsamic vinegar
3 cups ketchup
1-1/3 cup brown sugar (or Splenda mix)
8T minced garlic (in a jar)
4T Worcestershire sauce
4T dijon mustard
Black pepper, to taste (if desired)

Combine all ingredients in a medium to large saucepan and stir to incorporate all. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil mixture at medium to high heat until it reduces by about 1/3, or reduces to desired thickness--about 20-25 minutes.*

*I had this at a full rolling boil on high heat for at least 20 minutes. It did not seem like it was going to reduce, then all of a sudden it took off. It required very little stirring.

Note: This was a rather large batch. It will cover 2 large packages of chicken thighs or drummettes which breaks down to ~3-3lb bags of frozen chicken breasts (thawed!). So it caqn easily be halved.

Cover 4 standard cookie sheets with foil. Using tongs or a fork, dip each piece of chicken into the pan of sauce, then arrange on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-40 minutes (drummettes ~20, thighs 20-30, breasts 30-40).

Honey Orange Spice Muffins

2007-11-28T07:38:00.000-08:00

I made these muffins this past Sunday morning as fuel for our annual Christmas-tree-cutting expedition. They're very good, very moist, and the orange peel is just enough without being overpowering. If you strongly dislike the flavor of orange marmalade, then I would omit the orange peel. I always seem to say this, but next time I make these I may add dried cranberries or chopped walnuts.

Honey Orange Spice Muffins
(Adapted from Taste of Home Magazine cake recipe)

1 1/2 cups honey
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
4 eggs
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Cinnamon, nutmeg to taste
Grated peel of one fresh orange

In a mixing bowl beat honey, vegetable oil and orange juice. Beat in eggs. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and grated orange peel. Gradually add to honey mixture and mix well.
Drop batter into muffin cups, filling them 2/3-3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until muffins test as done. (I leave mine a little squishy on the top so they don't set dry.)
This made 12 jumbo and 4 regular muffins.

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

2007-11-27T09:50:00.000-08:00

This is so easy to make! Until recently, I'd shunned cheesecake making. Special pan? Water bath? Worrying about cracks on the top? Too much stress and work, I'd always thought.
Not so! Not so at all. I've always had a springform pan but never used it. The water bath is nothing...I just bought one of those aluminum foil disposable roaster pans to fill with water and set to spring form in. And I've not had any cheesecakes come out with cracks on the top, either--even after baking them more than required.
So if you've been reluctant to try your hand at cheesecake in the past, I swear it is not as hard as it sounds. And if you don't have a spring form pan, they are cheap enough. I picked up a set of 3 for like $9 at WalMart (my old one got bent up because I didn't store it properly).
This pumpkin cheesecake is wonderful! It isn't overpowering on the "canned pumpkin" flavor, as a regular old pumpkin pie can be. I've made it 3 times in the last month or so, and brought it as my dish to pass for Thanksgiving. My relatives were topping it with Cool Whip, which I'd never considered. I tried it that way myself and it was even better than plain!

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
(Slightly modified from the Barmy Baker)

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I buy the pre-packaged kind)
2 T sugar
3/4 stick (6T) butter, melted

Prepare a 9 or 10" spring form pan by spraying the bottom and sides with baking spray. In a small bowl, mix together crust ingredients. Press crust mixture into the bottom of spring form pan and bake for ~5 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Filling:
2 lbs. room temperature cream cheese
1 1/2cups sugar
4 T flour
1 t salt
6 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, to taste

In the bowl of a large food processor (or I am sure this can be done in a large bowl with a hand mixer), combine the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt and process until smooth--scraping down the sides as needed. (If you didn't let your cream cheese come to room temp, you'll definitely need to scrape--I am guilty of that!) Add the eggs, one at a time (I got away with 2 at a time), processing well after each addition. Add the vanilla, pumpkin and spices and process until well blended and smooth. Pour the mixture over the crust in the spring form pan.
Place the spring form pan into a very large baking dish that is deep enough to hold water that will come about 2 inches up the sides of the spring form pan.
Bake for ~1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the cheesecake is slightly pulling away from the sides and jiggles a little in the middle. It will continue to set as it cools. (The last 2 times I've baked this cheesecake for 1 hour, 40 minutes until it didn't jiggle and it turned out fine. I was too paranoid it wouldn't set.)
Turn off oven and allow the cheesecake to cool inside with the door propped open until it is "safe" to remove from the water bath. Remove and cool at room temperature for ~ 45 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.

Mexican Lasagna

2007-11-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

This was another kitchen experiment gone good. The boyfriend went back for seconds, and drooled thinking about leftovers. I wasn't as impressed at first--I thought it much better the 2nd day. (And even better being reheated from frozen--I divvy up the leftovers from each week's meals into plastic freezer containers to eat throughout the week.) Either way, this dish has been added to my dinner recipes rotation. There are a couple of modifications I may make next time, though:
I may omit the ricotta cheese--it added a different texture to the beans but I may be able to go without
I'll probably add another bag of shredded cheese--there didn't seem to be enough to have that ooey-gooey effect I love so much

Other than that, I think I'll keep it the same!

Mexican Lasagna
(Inspired by Our Sweet Life)

3.25 lbs ground beef
2 pkg (1.25 oz ea) Taco Bell taco meat seasoning
31 oz can refried beans
16 oz ricotta cheese
1- 15 oz can black beans, rinsed/drained
2- 26 oz jars mild chunky salsa
2- 8oz bags Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 small pkg corn tortillas
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
Sour cream, chopped green onions (optional, garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground beef and drain. Add taco meat seasoning and stir to combine uniformly.
Heat/stir together refried beans and ricotta cheese (in microwave-safe bowl or on stove top).
Pour a light layer of salsa over the bottom of a large baking dish. Layer 6 corn tortillas, slightly overlapping. Spread 1/2 of the refried beans/ricotta mixture over the tortillas (this wasn't as hard as it sounds).

Crumble 1/2 of the taco meat over this, then sprinkle 1/2 of the black beans over the meat.

Pour the remaining open jar of salsa over this then cover with ~1 bag of shredded cheese. Repeat the tortilla/beans/meat/black beans/salsa/cheese layer, reserving about 1 cup of salsa and shredded cheese. Top with 6 more corn tortillas, the remaining salsa and cheese, and the can of sliced black olives. Be sure to coat the top layer of tortillas with salsa so they do not harden with baking.

Bake 30-45 minutes. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Garnish with sour cream and chopped green onions, if desired.

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

2007-11-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

Aha! Something that isn't so terrible for the waistline!
I whipped these up last Sunday morning and brought them over to the boyfriend's place. We devoured them all over coffee, and just hung out and watched TV. Just the right muffins to counter inactivity, haha. I'm thinking these could be modified next time--not that there's anything wrong with them--I just have visions of perhaps dried berries, nuts, or flax seeds added in. Mmm!

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins
(Slightly modified from Sugar & Spice via SparkRecipes)

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup applesauce
2 large eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Splenda brown sugar mix
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Few dashes salt
1T cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix

In a medium sized bowl, soak the oats in the milk for ~ 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray, or line with muffin liners.
Combine the oat mixture with applesauce and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until done. (I left my tops a little "squishy".)

Carrot Layer Cake

2007-11-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

I'm on a roll!
This cake was wonderful. Delicious. And of course, not very good for you at all. Never had I made a carrot cake, or a layer cake so I've knocked two new things out at once. I love carrot cake! Every once in a while I'll get a craving for it and buy one of those packaged versions by Dolly Madison at a convenience store and yeauck! Rigid frosting, dry cake, augh! There's just nothing like home made.

Carrot Layer Cake
(Modified a teeny bit from Carrie's Cooking Adventures/Tish Boyle's the Cake Book)

2 cups all purpose flour
2tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2T ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1T vanilla extract
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat to 350F. Butter and flour two 9-inch pans.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugars together on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. At low speed, add the oil, melted butter, milk, and vanilla and mix until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing until just blended. Add the carrots and walnuts and mix until blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly.

Bake cakes for 25-30 minutes until they are dark golden brown. Invert cakes onto racks and cool completely. Frost with your choice of frosting, I (just like Carrie) used the cream cheese recipe below.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Milk, to desired consistency

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl; beat well until smooth. Makes enough cream cheese frosting for a 2-layer cake.

Chicken Enchiladas

2007-11-13T10:23:00.000-08:00

Oh my heavens...this is my favorite meal--hands down. I've made it twice now in the last month or so (I'd never made these before). And of course, it's sooooo not the healthiest of meals! I served it with Mexican rice (courtesy of Rice a Roni) and refried beans (a can of Old El Paso with green chiles stirred in). Oh great...thinking about it has made me hungry again!
The recipe was "inspired" by a few different posters in the food Blogosphere, and their recipes can be found here: Two Picky Eaters, What Did You Eat, and two versions from The Cookbook Junkie (scroll to recipes--I couldn't figure out how to get individual posts there). So thanks for the ideas!

Chicken Enchiladas
(Inspired by multiple food blogs)

1 pkg 10" flour tortillas (Qty 10)
3lb bag frozen chicken breasts
2 cans (10.5 oz ea)cream of chicken soup
16-24oz. sour cream (depending on how gooey you want the filling!)
3 bags (8 oz each) shredded colby/jack cheese
3-4 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chiles
1 can (28 oz) red enchilada sauce
1 can (10 oz) green enchilada sauce
Garlic powder, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake or grill chicken breasts, seasoning heavily with garlic powder. Let chicken breasts cool, then shred them into desired size pieces.
In a large mixing bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, sour cream, 2 bags of shredded cheese, and green chiles. At this point I recommend tasting the mixture--seriously--too little garlic powder and it will only taste like cream of chicken soup. Boring and Ew. Add extra garlic powder if desired.

Line 2 baking sheets with tin foil and pour 1/2 can red enchilada sauce over each, turning the to coat the bottoms. Lay a tortilla flat on a plate and fill it with 3/4c-1c mixture. Roll or fold tortilla (everyone has their desired method--I tuck the sides in as I roll) and place on foiled pan, seam side down. Repeat until you run out of filling.

Pour can of green enchilada sauce over enchiladas, dividing of course between the two pans. Sprinkle enchiladas with remaining bag of cheese. Cover pans loosely with foil and bake for 25-40 minutes--until topping cheese is melted and the enchilada filling seems melted (it's a judgment thing, really).

Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake

2007-11-07T11:58:00.000-08:00

Scratch another thing off my list--baking something with apples. I've been baking since I was a kid, and only once have I baked with apples--an apple pie out of apples a local farmer had given me, and it didn't turn out very well. (I didn't know to really fill up the crust, so the apples sank while the top crust stayed high up. When you tried to cut into it there was just a big collapse--but at least it didn't taste bad!)
This cake, on the contrary, held together perfectly and tasted wonderful. I've made it twice already--once with Saturday dinner (and the boyfriend and I polished it off after a round of golf Sunday), and again Monday night to bring to work Tuesday. The original recipe does not have the applesauce in it. The first time I made it, I had to add a little water to get everything moistened, so the 2nd time, I used applesauce. Perfect! Moist! Yummy!

Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake
Adapted slightly from Finding My Inner Cook

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 T cinnamon (or to own taste, I use a LOT)
1 1/2 cups sugar or Splenda baking mix
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 large apples, peeled/cored and chopped (I used Jonagold)
1 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if you are using a black pan).

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the first 5 ingredients. In another bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients (no need for a mixer, just a wooden spoon for all). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just moistened.

Spoon batter into a greased (I like Crisco with Flour spray) bundt pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until the top has set to the touch (does not sink if you touch it quickly). Remove from pan and cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Honey Spice Doughnuts (Or Quick Bread)

2007-11-06T10:07:00.001-08:00

Doughnuts!
These are one thing I do absolutely love to make for others. Made by using quick bread recipes, these donuts are a sure-hit novelty. Everyone always seems like they're amazed--as if these were difficult to put together. Most recently, I brought the pictured batch to the golf course I belong to on a chilly fall morning, along with a gallon of milk. Success! The secret is in the baking pan!
Earlier this year I thought it would be funny to make "healthy" donuts for two police officer friends of mine who were dieting together, and ended up getting this pan. It worked so well that I now own 3 or 4 of them (for big batches). Totally worth every penny of the $13.99 each.
So. You can use seemingly any quick bread, bundt cake or muffin recipe you have and adapt it to donut form. So far I've tried 4 different recipes and they've all worked--2 were quick breads, 2 were bundt cakes. What's great about homemade donuts is that you control what goes in them. Whole wheat flour, applesauce, Splenda for Baking--you get to decide what goes into your snack!

(3 doughnut varieties pictured)

Honey Spice Doughnuts
Adapted from Taste of Home Magazine's Honey Spice Bread

2/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c milk
2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
2 eggs
1/2 c honey
1/3 c vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a small saucepan over low heat, cook and stir the brown sugar and milk for 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat.
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine the eggs, honey, oil and brown sugar mixture; mix well. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
Fill doughnut pan cups ~3/4 full. Bake until doughnuts begin to pull away from the pan sides, or until the tops spring back when touched. Flip doughnut pan onto waxed paper or tin foil and allow doughnuts to cool. Store in airtight container. Makes ~dozen doughnuts.

11/6/07

2007-11-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

I'm such a terrible blogger. While reading the 30+ food blogs I have bookmarked almost daily, I seemed to have neglected my own. Again.
It's not that I haven't been cooking...on the contrary I've been cooking and baking up a storm! I just can't seem to remember to take photos of what I've prepared. Photos, for me, are pretty much a "must" in order to choose a recipe, so I wouldn't post any without them.
Off the top of my head there's been chili, white cheese chicken lasagna, chicken parmesan (twice! Forgot photos so I made it again...and forgot again!), peanut butter cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake, rolled-stuffed chicken breasts, risotto, spinach-cheese squares, apple-cinnamon cake and chicken enchiladas (also made twice--the 2nd time got pics).
I've been on a mission to try out all the recipes I've been hoarding over the years, and that's a daunting--yet fun--task. I've got 10X13 Tyvek envelopes stuffed with clipped and downloaded recipes! So, as I go along I will TRY HARDER to remember photos so I can post the recipes and results here.

A Basic Meal

2007-09-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

I made the following on Labor Day. Actually, I browned the beef Sunday night and refrigerated it, then on Monday morning I assembled and baked it--out of the oven by 8am! The accompanying bread was made at mealtime (mmm! super-fresh!). I wasn't sure what plans the boyfriend and I had for the day (I ended up going for a bike ride, then we played golf in the afternoon) so I figured getting a jump on things would be a good idea. Besides, dishes like this sometimes taste better as "leftovers".

Boy, I do miss the days of having homemade spaghetti sauce! (Someday I'll get a yard again with a giant garden...for now my garden is a small plot at the boyfriend's house.)

Basic Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles
2lbs. ground beef
1lb. ground sausage (mild, medium, or spicy)
2 large jars spaghetti sauce of your choosing
1 large container ricotta cheese
2 regular-size bags grated of mozzarella or white cheese blend
1 small bag finely grated parmesan cheese
Any combo of the following: dried basil, oregano, red pepper flakes,
pepper, parsley and/or thyme to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown/drain ground beef and sausage in a large skillet. Meanwhile, cook/drain noodles according to package directions. In a deep-dish 13X9 baking or foil pan, pour a thin layer of spaghetti sauce. Layer 4 noodles across the pan. Spread 1/2 container of ricotta cheese over the noodles, then sprinkle with herbs of choice, 1/2 the meat, the rest of the 1st jar of sauce, and 1 bag of mozzarella/white cheese. Add another layer of 4 noodles, the rest of the ricotta, some more herbs, the remaining meat, all but about ~1cup of the 2nd jar of sauce, the 2nd bag of mozzarella/white cheese, then the remaining 4 noodles. Pour the reserved ~ 1cup sauce over the noodles and sprinkle with the entire bag of parmesan cheese. Cover pan with foil and bake for 30-50 minutes, until bubbly.

**I microwave my ricotta in it's container for about 1 minute, then using a rubber spatula mix it up really good. It makes it much easier to spread.

Farmgirl's Beyond Easy Beer Bread
(as seen at Farmgirl Fare, link above)

Basic Bread Mix:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
12 ounces beer
Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

**If batter is SUPER-thick, add some water to it. It should not be like a dry "dough", it should hold together and be moist. I've had to add water each time I've made this. (Well, I didn't once and it was hard as a rock!)

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Flavor Variations:

Garlic & Herb: Add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 2 minced garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic flakes) to the basic mix. For fresh herbs, use 1 chopped Tablespoon of each.

Dill & Chive: Add 2 Tablespoons fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried dill) and 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives to the basic mix.

Italian: Add 1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano (or 1 Tablespoon each chopped fresh basil and oregano), 2 minced cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan or romano cheese to the basic mix.

Other Additions: Any dried or fresh herbs; 1/2 cup freshly grated asiago (or other hard cheese); 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped scallions; 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or 1/2 cup oats in place of 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour. Or practically anything else you can think of--use your imagination.

**I used minced garlic, dried thyme, and about a cup of shredded 5-cheese (white) blend this time.

8/31/07

2007-08-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here's to a relaxing Labor Day weekend!

Totally Excessive...and Delicious!

2007-08-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

So I ran across a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Lasagna a while back when I was cruising the many food blogs I have bookmarked. I thought, "Hmmm...that sounds interesting." However I have a loooong list of "recipes to try"--like I needed another one! So I made a list of dinner choices for the boyfriend and he immediately handed it back, choosing this lasagna.

Now when I make normal lasagna I go all out. Double the amount of cheese, double the amount of meat--I buy one of those XL foil disposable pans to contain it all. In keeping with the tradition of excess, I totally butchered the original recipe. Here's what I ended up with (this recipe will be modified next go-round, you'll understand as you read--see story below!):

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

(adapted from Laney's Goodies)

12 whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked
3 lb. skinless chicken Breast, cooked & shredded (I used my food processor)
2 cans Hunt's Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce
3 jars Hooter's Mild Wing Sauce (yes, you read that correctly!)
1 large container ricotta cheese
1 bag finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small bag finely shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles according to package directions and strain. In a large bowl using a whisk (or in a food processor), mix together the wing sauce and spaghetti sauce until smooth. Reserve 1 cup of sauce. Spread a thin layer of combined sauce on the bottom of a deep dish 9X13 pan. Arrange 4 noodles over the sauce. Stir ricotta in container until smooth. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta over the noodles. Layer 1/2 of the shredded chicken over the ricotta, then top with 1/2 of the sauce and half of the mozzerella. Arrange 4 more noodles, the remaining ricotta, chicken and sauce. Layer 4 more noodles, then top with the reserved 1 cup of sauce and the parmesan cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake 50-70 minutes, or until dish is bubbly.

To accompany the lasagna, I made some of Farmgirl's Beyond Easy homemade bread, found here. It really is beyond easy! I've never made a "real" bread before in my life. I fear using yeast and punching/kneading dough. With this recipe you don't have to do any of that--the "yeast" is a can of beer! (I felt really weird buying beer.) I added dried basil, oregano and some parmesan cheese--and then didn't photograph it, but Farmgirl has a gorgeous picture of this great tasting bread on her link. Mine wasn't as pretty as hers anyway!

HOLY HEART-ATTACK IN A PAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I cut and removed the first piece, the empty space filled up with quite a bit of "grease", much to my horror. The boyfriend (who is an ultra-lean bodybuilding-type who eats 99.9% healthy) is all for me cooking something "unhealthy" once a week, but this was horribly way out of line. Heehee! We just dabbed the grease with some paper towels. Anyway, about that "grease". Now when I opened the jars of wing sauce, I was suprised to see the "sauce" was solid and I had to heat it a little to pour it. I didn't recall it being like that when I'd bought some years and years ago, but I went on my merry way cooking. It was only after we cut the first piece when the boyfriend asked, "Well how much fat was in that wing sauce?" I stopped, thought about it and replied, "Um, I bet it was all fat." Retrieving a jar from the trash can, this is what the nutrition stats were. And may I remind you that I used 3 jars of this in there! That homemade bread came in handy as a grease-dabber for the stuff the paper towels didn't get!

Oh boy, sometimes you just gotta laugh. (and then go get your cholesterol checked!) Anyhoo, that's funny the "fat" thing didn't occur to me when I saw how congealed the wing sauce was while in the jar. Soooo...for next time I'll be looking for a reasonable wing sauce to use!

All said and done though, this was delicious. Glad I didn't make a dessert!

A Very Good Supper!

2007-08-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

Seafood Tortilla Lasagna

(Adapted from Taste of Home Magazine)

1 (20-24 oz.) jar picante sauce

1 lb. uncooked small/medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, (thawed & drained)

4-6 cloves garlic, minced (I used jarred)

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste, I used homegrown red pepper flakes)

1 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

18 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 1/2 lbs imitation crabmeat, flaked

1 regular sized bag shredded Colby/Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375°.
In a skillet, cook shrimp, garlic, and cayenne in oil until shrimp turn pink, about 3 minutes. (I cut my shrimp into thirds because I don't like "chunks" in my lasagna.) Remove shrimp and liquid* and set aside in another dish. In the same skillet, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Stir in heavy cream and picante sauce; heat through.

Spread a thin layer of sauce in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. (I did not grease mine and nothing stuck.) Layer with 6 tortillas, 1/2 of the shrimp, crab and sauce, and ~ half of the cheese. Layer 6 more tortillas, the remaining shrimp, crab, and sauce, reserving ~ 1/2c cheese. Layer 6 more tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake, covered for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting (it makes a world of difference if you let it settle/cool).

*Even though I thawed/drained my shrimp, a lot of water came out of them when cooked. So when adding the shrimp layers, I just used a slotted spoon to scoop the shrimp.

This dish was wonderful! It has been on my lengthy list of "recipes to try" for a long time, but I've been afraid to go ahead and try it. Seafood, corn tortillas, and picante sauce sounds like sort of an odd combination. But is isn't--I swear!

8/16/07

2007-08-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I've neglected this blog for so long!
Over the holidays I got that horrible stomach flu.
After the holidays is our busy season (at both jobs).
I haven't cooked or baked very much at all.
Time has just flown by.

But now I hope to be back!

Photo of the Day 12/8/06

2006-12-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

The rarely seen Mekoh, resting on the boyfriend's boot.

Photo of the Day 12/7/06

2006-12-11T11:14:00.000-08:00

My entries for the local paper's "Best Baker in the County" contest--Peanut Butter Cupcakes, Tousled Turtles, and Peanut Butter Pie. When I dropped off my entries (15-min before deadline as I was told to drop off late since the pie is quite perishable), there were a lot of blue-haired ladies in Buicks dropping off their tried-and-true favorite desserts. Gulp. Guess I had a lot of competition (and obviously didn't win or I would have heard). Ah well, something to cross of the list of things I've always wanted to do and hadn't yet--enter a baking contest!

Photo of the Day 12/6/06

2006-12-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

A fresh pan of "Chocolate Pecan Caramels". They don't look so appetizing in the pan, but once cut they were gorgeous. And delicious, to say the least. The recipe called for boiling the ingredients up to 248 degrees, the firm ball stage, but the temp on my batch kept hovering around 238. That is a fine temperature for fudge. Every time I'd turn the heat up, the mixture would start to scorch, so I just gave up and poured the caramel into the pan. I'm glad I did. It came out velvety soft - just firm enough to not be runny, but soft enough to need not chew. Perfection! I brought a few plates of this to work today as my birthday treat.

Tomorrow the local paper is holding a "Best Baker in the County" contest. I've never entered any type of baking contest before. I am taking 1/2 day vacation and entering:

Peanut Butter Pie,

Peanut Butter Cupcakes, and

The Caramels above.

However, I want to think of a catchier name than "Chocolate Pecan Caramels". It seems most people see the word "caramel" and back away claiming some sort of dental work issue. I don't want that to happen, because these really aren't like caramels. They're actually slightly softer than fudge. So I was thinking something like "Tousled Turtles" or just plain "Better Than Turtles". Guess I'd better decide soon!

Photo of the Day 12/5/06

2006-12-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

Colossal peanut butter cupcakes.

The local newspaper is having a baking contest later this week. I was only going to enter one category - pies- but decided to try a couple of new recipes to see if they'd be worthy. Well this one most certainly IS. The batter has peanut butter and a little bit of cinnamon. The frosting has peanut butter, powdered suger, honey, and milk. I decided they needed a little touch of chocolate, so I added splotches of milk chocolate frosting. Mmmmm...I brought these to work today.

Photo of the Day 12/4/06

2006-12-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

(sniffle)

You're going to work? Can't we have another snow day?

Another Photo of the Day 12/1/06

2006-12-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

A snow day? I'm all for that!

Now come back to bed, Mommy!

Photos of the Day 12/1/06

2006-12-05T09:46:00.000-08:00

Just after 4am.

I got lucky, and the drifts weren't too bad next to the car. I thank the shed for blocking the snow.

Daylight! Shoveled out and cleaned off.
Driving through town on Sunday. The local trucks have to plow toward the center with this much snow.

We got 19 inches, the most snowfall from the storm. The photos just don't do it justice. It was just wild. Most everything closed for the day (I think WalMart and the grocery store were open). Six of our 8 county snow plows were stuck and stranded by 8am. That's how much snow, and how windy it was. The interstate and the county highways were closed, too. The banks opened later in the day--which is good for those who get a live paycheck and have items clearing (not me I have direct deposit), but it was unwise in that it put people out on the road to get there--getting in the way of the plows.

I vaguely remember the blizzard of '79 and somewhere there are polaroids of me @ 4 years old bundled up like an eskimo out playing in it. Anyway, I am very thankful that all we had was the snow. A LOT of people lost power due to the snow starting out as serious ice in their neck of the woods. Heck, days later some people still don't have power, and it's been in the single digits overnight. I can't imagine having to somehow uproot my 3 cats and find some place to stay that has heat. So all in all, we were very lucky!

Photo of the Day 11/30/06

2006-12-05T01:14:00.000-08:00

A terrible photo of a beautiful rose. My hunny said I was sounding blue and needed a rose. I really like the little Chritmas greens that are with it. Although it appears, after seeing this photo, that I've arranged them poorly.

Photo of the Day 11/29/06

2006-12-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

There's a new duck in town. Or at least I've never seen it. A white duck has appeared in the "flock". (Is that what you call a group of ducks?) This is the lake on the outskirts of the town I work in. It is always full of ducks. Spoiled rotten ducks. Everyone feeds them (although the food probably isn't the best for them), and they know the drill. As soon as cars pull up, they go to the driver's side window, and they want you to take their orders.

And a swan! I've never seen a swan among the geese. There are typically geese at the lake, but usually only a dozen or so. At this point there seems to be hundreds here on a break from flying south. They'd better get a move-on, a storm is supposed to be coming!

Photo of the Day 11/28/06

2006-12-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

"Mommy, all this wrapping is making me sleeeeeeepy."

Yes, I've already wrapped presents a put them under the tree. This year I started shopping for the boyfriend early. It's much easier on the budget--had I waited until November's end, there wouldn't be enough "spare" cash. I went ahead and wrapped everything, one-to get something under the tree, it looked bare, and two-because my place is so small, it seemed like at every turn he was a foot away from finding one of his gifts.

Photo of the Day 11/27/06

2006-12-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

Meet Bruiser.

I was just falling off to sleep for a Saturday evening nap (because my Saturdays are all eventful like that) when there was a knock on my door. My neighbor was standing on the stairs holding this adorable little puppy, asking me to watch it for a bit while he went to the store. Within 1 minute of waking up, I was standing in my doorway, holding a puppy and wondering what I'd just agreed to. Me? and a dog? The two just don't really mix. I puppysat for about an hour and a half. He wouldn't let me out of his sight, but I did not want him on my carpeting. So I sat on the floor with him until he fell asleep, then I crept away to do chores and take this pic. He was an adorable little dude--a long haired chihuaha (did I just butcher that spelling?), but I still don't want a dog.

Photo of the Day 11/24/06

2006-12-04T13:12:00.000-08:00

It's the day after Thanksiving! I'm ready to wrap and decorate!

Photo of the Day 11/22/06

2006-12-04T12:58:00.001-08:00

This is why they tell you on the instructions for pre-made pizza crusts, to place the adorned pizza on the MIDDLE rack of the oven (not the bottom, where I placed this one). I did, as you can see, cut out a small piece to see if the pizza was remotely palatable...it wasn't. Determined not to waste the money spent on the toppings, I scraped them off into a bowl and at pizza topping for a few days!

Photo of the Day 11/16/06

2006-11-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

"Mommy, I'm cold."

Though you can't tell from the picture, the furnace is running, blowing out hot air from the register. I've never seen a cat do this before, but little Sammie just loves when the heat comes on. She's just like me!

Photo of the Day 11/15/06

2006-11-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

A small old grain elevator along the Hennepin Canal, between Tiskilwa and Bureau.

This was taken on one of our last rides of the year in September. This day was dark, cloudy, and cold. It also turned very windy, and we rode into the wind all the way back. Finally, about 2 miles out, the sun came out. Just looking at this photo makes me shiver...I think the temperature was somewhere in the 50's, and neither one of us was bundled up nearly enough!

Photos of the Day 11/14/06

2006-11-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

File this under things that make me very sad.

This is an abandoned farmstead on the highway near where I work. Once a beautiful farmhouse and sturdy outbuildings situated on 5 or 6 acres, it's been left to rot and become unuseable. I see this quite a bit, and it makes me both sad and angry. Someone has wasted a perfectly good home and buildings. I don't understand why anyone would do this.

If they didn't want the upkeep, why didn't they sell it? Were they holding out for a developer to come along and offer big bucks? Was there a family disagreement over its sale, so it just sits? Are they just being lazy and figure they'll get around to doing something with that property eventually?

Dude! Give it to me...I'll gladly inherit it!

Anyway...I never have quite understood things like this. My former country residence, which I rented, had become uninhabitable due to the landlord's unwillingness to keep the place up. It was a nice little turn of the century farmhouse. Now, the dilapidated house sits empty, along with a couple of outbuildings. The guy could have sold the place to me. Or sold it to someone else. Or had the local fire department burn it down, and turn the land into more corn field. But it still just sits. No family disagreement over what to do, no waiting for a delveloper, just laziness on the landlords part. He doesn't need the money, and it's not really costing him much (well, property taxes, but when you have a lot of money I guess it's not that big a deal) to have it just sit there. To me, that's sad.

Rant over!

Photo of the Day 11/13/06

2006-11-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

Corn, beans, corn.

That is, from left to right, what each of these farm implements gathers up in the field. For those who are "farming-challenged", one of these things would be hooked to the front of a giant tractor called a combine. The combine, in a nutshell and oversimplified, drives through the fields at harvest time and these special fronts (headers) help direct the crops to the right place so they can get sucked into the combine, instead of just being run over. The combine then separates the plants from the grains growing on them. The combine is essentially a giant plant-eating filter. These were parked in a row by a creative (organized?) farmer or perhaps farmhand on the highway outside of town.

The company I work for makes every header for beans (called reels, the center one) that goes on every combine in North America, and for some in other countries around the world.

Photo of the Day 11/10/06

2006-11-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

Corn. Literally tons of it. Sitting across the street from the office.

This temporary storage "bin" will soon be covered with a large tarp. I'm not sure how many feet the base is, or how many bushels this particular "bin" is holding, but it's huge.

Photos of the Day 11/9/06 Part 2 of 2

2006-11-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

The Illinois River, as seen from a few high places @ Starved Rock State Park.

I think this marks the last of the hiking photos, I won't torture anymore...

Photos of the Day 11/9/06 Part 1 of 2

2006-11-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

The Illinois River dam at Starved Rock.

Photos of the Day 11/8/06, Part 3

2006-11-09T05:25:00.000-08:00

Some more pretty views from my hike. Pictures just can't do the scenery justice.

Photos of the Day 11/8/06, Part 2 of 3

2006-11-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

I believe this is the French Canyon. You sort of leave the trail and start walking on the slick rocks (photo#1) to get here. I just stepped very wide to climb around the water on photo #1 (thought I was going to fall for sure). When you get over that little hump, you see photo #2. In the summertime there are usually folks climbing the rock ledges to get underneath the waterfall.

Photos of the Day 11/8/06, Part 1 of 3

2006-11-08T08:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming! These photos (along with the rest for today) were taken on my short hike at Starved Rock State Park. (How can you starve a rock? Follow the link to be briefed on the park's name/history...2nd to last paragraph under "History".) I've got the top photo (original size) as my desktop...it looks pretty neat.

Photos of the Day 11/7

2006-11-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

Some fall color paths from Starved Rock State Park. I took a short hike there the 2nd Friday of October to check out the colors. When I got there, it was not the forecasted sunny and 55 degrees it was supposed to be. Everyone milling around the parking lot was wearing winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves. I sat in my car for a while, debating of my underarmour, henley, fleece headband and gloves would be enough. I'm glad I went, because the sun finally did come out, raising the templerature. After about 1/2 mile I ditched the gloves.

(Still catching up on my photos of the day)

Photo of the Day 11/6/06

2006-11-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

(As usual, click for larger version)

One of many spectactular views from Highway 20 near Galena, Illinois. The photograph (as well as the few others I took) do not in any way do this justice. Highway 20 (and Galena itself I think) is quite elevated above everything around it. Along several of the local routes, you get this refreshing feeling as if driving through the middle of an Americana portrait. It feels like you are just hovering above this surreal bit of scenery of rolling hills, floating along like a cloud. Barns, tractors, cattle, and sheep dot the landscape along the winding gravel and dirt roads. I love it.

On to why we were there and how the weekend went...

This was the boyfriend's birthday weekend. I'd been planning for a while to take him out to a fancy dinner on Saturdayat a local B&B that serves an elegant ethnic 4-course meal to a maximum of 8 per night. It was wonderful. We were both "all gussied up" (I'd shopped for the perfect attire, jewelry, shoes, sported a new hairstyle...you name it!) and ended up being the only two the innkeepers were serving that night.

Authentic Italian was the order of the night, starting with fresh thick-cut white bread with the traditional oil-balsamic-parmesan fixins. Quickly came the first course, minestrone. I questioned this choice when I'd gotten the menu for the night, but I must say we were both impressed. The boyfriend commented he didn't want to waste any of the juice, hungrily dipping his bread in it. The 2nd course was risotto. Neither of us had ever had it, and we both agreed it was absolutely superb. For those who've not this, it is basically a creamy rice dish...x1000, and made with a different rice than the long grain, brown, or minute rice we all grew up with. During the somewhat tedious process of making risotto, the starch cooks out of the fat, fluffy rice to create a thick creamy "sauce". Anyway, topped with italian parsley and parmesan, we wanted to sneak the whole bowl home with us! I do wish I knew what else she seasoned it with, but was afraid to ask for a culinary's secrets. The main course was chicken parmesan and italian green beans (green beans with seasoned tomatoes). I'd actually never had chicken parmesan before, but it's the boyfriend's favorite. He gave it two thumbs up. Dessert was ricotta cheesecake with cherry reduction. Neither one of us had that before either. Wow, I'll never go back to regular cheesecake again! (guess I'd better get craking on how to make this...) My first impression of ricotta cheesecake was to say that it tasted like "the ultimate Twinkie" but that was wrong. Twinkies are much sweeter and dry complared this. My final opinion is to say it's a cross between meringue and Sara Lee pound cake. Not near as light as meringue, but not near as heavy and dense as a pound cake. The boyfriend ate every last bit of the dessert, which is amazing. He usually doesn't do dessert, and I honestly only expected to see him take a couple of bites.

It was all truly fabulous. I was so relieved that the boyfriend enjoyed it, as after all this was his birthday gift. Yay! I done good!

The boyfriend got a dog-sitter for Sat/Sun, so that made for a peaceful evening/morning at his place. It was nice, for both of us I think, to actually be able to wake up next to each other (the dog prevents any sort of romantic interlude from happening). We sat around and chatted for a bit over coffee until I had to run off and get ready for the day. We were meeting a group for an Italian lunch in the historic (quaint!) little town of Galena, about a 2.5hour drive from here.

The rides up, back, and the lunch get-together were great. I just love the restaurant we went to: http://www.vinnyvanucchis.com/. While I don't believe it to be 100% authentic, they do a much better (closer) job than chains like the Olive Garden, bar none. I could just go and eat their salad & garlic bread and be content. Actually, one of the ladies in our group does that and takes her entree home. After a few bites of mine, I decided to do the same. Best o both worlds. On the way home we decided to stop by Long Hollow Tower, a high staircase lookout that from what I gather gives you a view of 3 states at once (IL, IA, WI). We've passed the tower a million times, but neither of us have ever been up there. The staircase was for some reason closed off, so I took the above photo from the parking lot. Ah well, maybe next time (if it's warm out!).

By the time we got back it was time to eat again so I dug into the leftovers. Mmm...heavy seafood fettucine alfredo and garlic bread at night after a long day. In less than an hour I was sound asleep. Zzzzzz...

So that was the weekend. The boyfriend really enjoyed it. Now I hope I can pull something off equally as good next year!

Another Photo of the Day from 11/3

2006-11-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

The boyfriend's birthday greeting on a local marquee. His b-day is actually Saturday, November 4th, but that day was "taken" on the sign schedule so this was up on Friday. They charge $5 to put up birthday announcements and then at the end of the year donate the cash to charity. I thought that was kind of a neat idea. In this small town, almost everyone sees this sign, so I'm sure weeks from now people he doesn't see on a regular basis will say, "Hey didn't I see you had a birthday..." Hehe.

Photo of the Day 11/3

2006-11-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

Mekoh says TGIF.
It's a hard life being a cat yknow, time to finally relax.

Photo of the Day 11/2

2006-11-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

One of the very last mini roses of the season from the boyfriend's rose bushes. Actually, this was taken a couple of weeks ago (I have a lot of photo catching up to do). Since then, we've had snow and many hard frosts. Yeah, I said a little snow in October!

Photo of the Day 11/1

2006-11-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

Some current decor in my cubicle. The cute card is from the boyfriend, given to me as a sweet "Thank You" for having him come along for the big 44-mile bicycle ride. (I never would have made it that far without him!) Yes, we made the ride some time in September. It was hard...we really should have had time to further build up to it. The leg pain was nearly unbearable the last 6 miles or so. I was delirious for a good few hours after we got back!

Photo of the Day 10/31

2006-11-01T12:59:00.000-08:00

Halloween cookies, baked and decorated by the boyfriend and I this past Sunday.
We threw in a few Christmas trees for laughs.

All told, I think we had 5 or 6 dozen cookies to divvy up between coworkers, neighbors, friends, and our own bellies. I won't say how many I ended up eating!

From Me

2006-09-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

So...I am quite behind on my "photos of the day". To be quite honest, I have not taken many photographs as of late. I haven't been taking time to smell the roses lately. Work and life has been a little overwhelming lately, but I plan to try and recharge this weekend and start fresh (perspective and photos) on Monday.

Photo of the Day 9/14/06

2006-09-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

Mom, I am so not feeling like posing right now.

Photo of the Day 9/13/06

2006-09-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

A creepy spider has invaded my back stairs/fall decor.
(Shudder)

I hate spiders.
And this guy has brought his friends along as well. There are about a half dozen large brown spiders with webs surrounding my front door. I get the heebie-jeebies every time I go in and out. I need some sort of massive spray that kills spiders from a great distance away.

(Shudder)

Photo of the Day 9/12/06

2006-09-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

Oh crap!

This is what I get for trying to eat cottage cheese whilst driving. I had set the bowl on the passenger seat until I got out onto the highway (too much constant shifting in town). But before I got to the highway, I had to slam on the brakes causing my cottage cheese bowl to go airborne. Eeeeew!

Photo of the Day 9/11/06

2006-09-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Sammie practices her "death stare" a little bit more. She despises my other two cats ("boys are icky, mom!") and they often get her attempted evil eye.

Extra Photos

2006-09-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

"Wedding Belles"

I have no idea what these flowers are really called--that's just the name I've given them (although they do look a lot like petunias). They grow in a row on a vine, and I picture them adorning a garden arch in a wedding. On the canalway, they grow from the ditches onto the roadway.

Photo of the Day 9/8/06

2006-09-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

These are what I've dubbed "Fall Warning Flowers" as they were the first subtle little touch of fall color to show up in our area (along the canalway on a weekday morning ride). A lot has already changed in the week since I've taken this photo! The crops are turning colors and leaves are starting to change. The heat seems to have subsided, with overnight temperatures in the 50's and daytime highs in the 70's. Fall is defintely here, and I love it!

Photo of the Day 9/7/06

2006-09-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm, I love this bar!
You are looking at a relatively lightweight (9lb) "miniature barbell" used for exercise. A regular barbell weighs 45lbs, and our gym has one that is 35lbs, but for some things that can be too heavy. So I went out and bought my own. (I guess our gym already has the set of these in differing weights locked in a closet somewhere...glad they showed me around and let me know that!) Anyway, I love this bar--it just came via UPS and I can't wait to try it out.

Photo of the Day 9/6/06

2006-09-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

Sunrise on my way to work today. Fall always seems to bring with it the colorful sunrises. This one isn't all that spectactular, but I know the oranges, purples, and reds are soon to come.

Photo of the Day 9/5/06

2006-09-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

More super-fresh flowers from the boyfriend's place.

Re-Do Photo of the Day 9/1/06

2006-09-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

A re-do of the before & after that was here.
Yay! Color! Warmth!

Photo of the Day 9/4/06

2006-09-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

Huey thinks his bed is reversible...

Photo of the Day 9/1/06

2006-09-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

Before and after photo of the view from the living room couch (here) down the hall toward the bath (here) and bedroom (yet to come). The "before" photo was taken while the previous renter lived there. Dang that's a dark photo...I will update with a "Re-do Photo of the Day" when I get a brighter photo taken. With more color/light, I think the difference between the two will be extra dramatic.

Photo of the Day 8/31/09

2006-09-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

Oh great, you caught me...

But if I can't see you, you can't see me!

Now I know how my baskets keep getting out of place! I figured it was Sammie's doing, but didn't realize she was actually sleeping in them. Guess she's jealous of Huey's new bed. Dollar Store, here I come again...

Photo of the Day 8/29/06

2006-08-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

Huey seems to like his new bed. I kept finding him lying on my gym bag, and he kept leaving behind hair and cat litter crumbs (ew!). So it was time for a bed. $6 at the dollar store! Shoot, at Walmart, the cheapest one is $12-something.

Photo of the Day 8/28/06

2006-08-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

Game "souvenirs" from the county fair. This is from the game where you shoot bb's at the target, trying to eliminate all of a red star. I think the ones on the bottom are mine (the worse ones) and the top are the boyfriend's. I don't have enough patience with this game. I figure out which way the "gun" is off, and then proceed to go fully postal, firing all the bb's like I'm under siege in a ganster movie. I can't help it. Patience isn't something I have. The boyfriend, on the other hand, can just carefully shoot a few bb's at a time, carefully planning his next shot.

So yeah, we did the "fair thing". It was okay...though I feel a little sorry for the fair organizers. We had rain on and off Friday morning, most of the day Saturday (torrential!), and then rain loomed all day Sunday until about 6 o'clock (the same time we were headed home). It was very warm on Friday, so I closed all the windows and turned on the a/c...completely drowing out the country music concert that was going on. So I didn't sulk. We did however pass a booth that was selling BOTH the deep fried Twinkies and deep fried Snickers I'd raved about, but since we had just eaten Subway and I'd downed a sugary large iced tea, I passed on the opportunity. I know, I said I couldn't pass that up, but well...I need the scale #s to go down, not up, and I'd had my quota of "junk" for the weekend. Next year, I will plan ahead partake!

Photo of the Day 8/25/06

2006-08-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

"MySpace"
This is the place I call home for a good 40+ hours a week. So cluttered, you would think I am too swamped to clean it. The truth is, too lazy. I find it puzzling how one can sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, yet not have the energy to sort a few papers, get up and file them away/go make copies. My coworkers completely relate, though. It gets to the point where you plan the trips you make away from your desk with an "errands list" - as heaven forbid you have to get up and walk around too many times per day. There must be some sort of "office fatigue" that sets in. Or boredom.

Photo of the Day 8/24/06

2006-08-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

The view approaching and outside of the county fairgrounds on Thursday night. I live a block from here (on the approaching photo side). The fair opened on Wednesday, and the sweet aroma of fair food has been wafting it's way in through my windows at night. Mmmm...funnel cakes! And corn dogs. And elephant ears. And philly steak sandwiches. And uber-greasy curly fries that leave your hands smothered in ketchup. And...I'd better stop there.
Actually, I'm not sure if I am going to the fair. I don't go on the rides. I don't have tickets to any of the events *(see below), and I don't want to be tempted with all the food. Although, there are a couple delicacies I would actually GO to the fair just to eat if our fair actuallt served them. One being the the deep fried Twinkie that was all the rage in the fair circuit last year and the other being a deep fried Snickers on a stick, featured in this article. I've never had either of these, but I'd be willing to sacrifice a week's worth of fat loss to try them! (Sigh) It's a good thing our fair is pretty primitive.

*A country band whose namesake is a partial pseudonym for the state of Texas will be in town tonight, and sadly I don't have tickets. At the time they went on sale, I had a $20 bill and $3 in my checking account (I was in the middle of an unplanned residence change). I've seen this band here before. I don't particularly care for them as much these days, but I'd still like to see them. So, I'll open up my windows this evening to hear the residuals and sulk while I clean house. Bummer.

Photo of the Day 8/23/06

2006-08-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

The county fair is a-happenin' this week. This gas station is right next door to the fairgrounds. Am I really going to use that much gas driving around looking for a parking spot that I have to stop there twice? Haha. I just thought it was an odd thing to put on the sign, regardless of what meaning you take it as (stop in the day before it starts/when it's all over, directly before/directly after a one-night trip...). And looky that gas price! I was literally startled when the gas pump shut off shy of $40.

Photo of the Day 8/22/06

2006-08-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

I never did finish my series of home redecoration photos. The previous photos can be found here, here, and here. There!
This is another living room view, before (when previous person--the boyfriend--lived there) and after my feminine touch.

The throw pillows have since been moved to the closet, as they aren't used anyway and just collect dirt and dust. The couch is loveseat is covered until I can give it a good cleaning (cat hair!).

Photo of the Day 8/21/06

2006-08-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

Me and my food oddities again.
Cottage cheese, basil pesto (store bought again, shame on me), and grape tomaotes.

Photo of the Day 8/17/06

2006-08-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

A squirrel, burying a nut down in a pothole in the parkng lot at work.
I guess he likes crushed nuts.

This is one reason to always just grab the camera when I go somewhere -- you never know what you're going to see. I took this whilst sitting in my truck, doing some leisurely lunch time reading.

Photo of the Day 8/16/06

2006-08-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I am still on a "views from the Hennepin Canal" kick.
This is the same farm/barns from the post here. Now the wheat has been cut and baled. I could have sworn I posted a "2nd phase" photo, where the wheat rows were cut and drying, but evidently not.

Photo of the Day 8/15/06

2006-08-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

Geese ahead on the bike path.
Run little goosies!

Run little goosies! Or fly! Whatever! Just git!

Scraaaaam!

I had the camera hanging around my neck on the return trip, as you never know what you're going to see. A lot of things tend to disappear before I can dig out the camera (deer, blue heron, wild turkeys, etc). The geese ended up all belly-flopping in the water (water's on the left --they hadn't mowed in a while) at the last second. Usually they are long into the water by the time you get near them --although on occasion a "mother goose" will have a nest nearby and try to stand guard. Being hissed at by an angry goose is kind of scary, even if you are on a bicycle!

Photo of the Day 8/14/06

2006-08-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

Soaking up some rays on a Sunday afternoon. Very rarely does this cat actually get the center window seat. My big orange guy, Huey, is usually the window hog. No wonder he looks to be enjoying his nap so much.

Photo of the Day 8/11/06

2006-08-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

Aha! A little bit better photo of a concrete canalway telephone pole along the Hennepin Canal. This is the original one I had posted. After doing a little digging, I've found that these poles that line the canalway were used to carry only telephone wires (not electricity as I had wondered) . They used the phones to communicate between the different locktender's houses that used to be along the locks - warning of barges on the way downstream or relaying general problems and status. Only a few of those houses still stand (one is along my usual route, as a matter of fact). The poles evidently weigh 75lbs each. What I wonder is...were the poles molded first, the buried in the ground? Or were concrete forms driven into the ground and the height of the pole, then the forms removed for the above-ground portion? I have no understanding these sorts of things at all!

Photo of the Day 8/10/06

2006-08-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

Another mystery structure on the local canalway (Hennepin Canal).
I don't know why I am so curious and interested in these things. But I want to know what this building was. Was it a locktender's shop? What kind of roof did it have? What did the windows look like? Why was everything built of concrete? And why didn't it get preserved at all?

Photo of the Day 8/9/06

2006-08-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

More from the Hennepin Canal.
I can't help it -- I love this place. It combines history with exercise and the outdoors...
some of my favorite things. This particular photo is of a small area I call "Stonehenge" because of the lineup of concrete mini-walls. I am guessing that back in "the day", these little lineups were used to separate boat-docking drives. But I could be wrong. Hopefully later this week I can get over to the visitor center and ask a bunch of historical questions I have about sites on the canalway. If I could figure out how the get to the other side where this is, I think I could find the answer myself. I believe there are little information stands across there that may tell just what the heck that used to be. For now, it's a boat-docking station to me.

Photo of the Day 8/8/06

2006-08-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

Awwww.
Little Sammie Grace and that tongue of hers. She does this quite often,
as she doesn't have teeth to hold her tongue back.
She looks at me like, "What? What'd I do? Why are you laughing at me?"

Photo of the Day 8/7/06

2006-08-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Another yellow flower (but different from the previous).
It kind of reminds me of those butter cookies that you can fit around your pinkie.
These kind:

Okay, so they only very very slightly (edges) resemble each other...I must be terribly hungry. Anyhoo...this was one of few colorful things found on a long hike at the semi-local state park. This time of year it's mostly just boring green foliage, unless the waterfalls are runnning (which they were not). Though we did get extremely close to a little fawn, just munching away on some plants. We stopped and watched until some other hikers (families with small kids) thundered down the trail and scared it off. Oh -- and we saw some GIANT carp and other fish off a bridge at one of the remote river inlets. The boyfriend and I just stood there in the peace and quiet, watching in amazement these giant (probably severely polluted) fish, just lumbering along in the backwaters. It was definitely one rare time in summer that we were pretty much completely alone on the trails. We started out around 7:30am that day, and ran into maybe 4 or 5 people until we were on our way out. The very odd thing was this: We got caught in the rain. It had been thundering off in the distance for some time, but we really weren't too concerned about getting wet. I just didn't want to get caught in the woods in a storm. At any rate, as we were getting closer to the main entrance/parking lot, we started passing swarms of people -- all going IN to the woods! I mean, by the time we were very near the main trail's end (beginning), it was nearly pouring rain -- and here are several families headed out on hikes...no rain coats, gear, or anything. We were more than puzzled at that!

Photo of the Day 8/4/06

2006-08-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

Ouch.

Granted, this is less than a lot of big cities.
One of the local gas stations had to start selling gas by the half-gallon.
Why? Because their pumps don't go over $2.99 a gallon!
They are of the old rotary-dial type, evidently that were designed
20 years ago when the concept of $3.00 gas was absurd.
The front page of the local paper had a shot of one station's sign,
however I didn't download the picture in time. (They take things down quickly)

Either way...for a gal that drives ~60 miles/day for work and gets ~15mpg.
60/15=4 gallons
$4 x $3.04= $12.16 per day for gasoline!!

Thankfully, my boyfriend has been letting me use his car.
But really...how long can that go on? Grrr.....

Photo of the Day 8/3/06

2006-08-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hmm...another canalway scene not done justice by photography.
This was such a cool scene in real life. A turn of the century farm house,
a red barn, and grazing cattle. It was beautiful.
More of the "Americana" that I love so much.

OK, that's the last canalway photo for now!

Photo of the Day 8/2/06

2006-08-02T12:40:00.000-07:00

An "old time" telephone pole. I guess it is hard to tell that from this
photograph. The entire "pole" is made of cement, and it is considerably
shorter than the ones we have these days. The wires ran along the top
just the same, and were only protected by glass insulators (a much
sought-after antique item) - though some of the harder to get to poles still have them attached.
This pole is situated along the local canalway. It just interests me.
Riding along, seeing pole after ancient pole, I start to imagine what it was
like "back then" and how far (to some detriment) we have come.
The power lines used to run alongside the canal, and train tracks in
use still do. Oh how I would love to just go back for a day, sit, and observe.

Photo of the Day 8/1/06

2006-08-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

A happy yellow flower decorating the canalway landscape.

More Photos of the Day 7/31/06

2006-07-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

Current conditions courtesy of weather.com

Hot.

Hotter.

Photo of the Day 7/31/06

2006-07-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

The end is near!

No, I'm not referring to the rapture - this is the end of the
local canalway. Or the beginning, however you want to look at it.
The canalway runs from the IL to MS rivers. This is the outlet
that runs to the IL river, somewhere beyond those trees.
Why is it important?
I've reached my goal of making the ride from our usual
starting point, to the "end" and back -- 28.4 miles!
Sunday morning, I didn't start out with the intention of riding this far,
it just sort of happened. But the boyfriend and I made it. I'm glad
he "stuck it out", as he's not as used to riding as I am.
YAY!

Next big goal: 40 miles
(end to visitor center and back)

Photo of the Day 7/28/06

2006-07-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

Little miss Sammie Grace, asleep in her
"safety spot" atop the kitchen counter.

Photo of the Day 7/27/06

2006-07-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

Sign out front at a business in the town where I work.
They post weekly phrases of inspiration or just general observation.

To this one I say:
Ain't that the truth!

Photo of the Day 7/26/06 Part 4 of 4

2006-07-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

An entire field of sweet corn.
It is officially "sweet corn season" here in the Midwest!

Photo of the Day 7/25/06

2006-07-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

A few rows of sweet corn, growing in front of field corn.
See the huge difference?

(It was a hazy day when this was taken.)

I can't count the # of times I've been asked what the difference
between field corn and sweet corn is, and ow you tell the difference!

Photos of the Day 7/24/06 Part 2 of 4

2006-07-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

Sweet Corn.
(far and near views)

Definition: A hybridized variety of corn, specifically bred to increase
the sugar content. Used in commercial canning of vegetables & soups,
commonly eaten while on the cob. Responsible for spikes in butter sales July-August, lol.

Short, weaker, sparse plants
in relation to "field corn".

Photos of the Day 7/21/06 Part 1 of 4

2006-07-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

Field Corn.
(far and near views)

Definition: corn grown primarily for animal feed or market grain.
Market grain meaning starch, corn sugar, syrup, corn oil, corn-oil meal,
gluten feed and meal, whiskey, alcohol, and for direct human food
in the form of corn flakes, corn meal, hominy and grits.

Tall stalks, strong upright leaves, full plants.

(Yes, I am going somewhere with this.
Stay tuned for the next 3 editions/days.)

Photos of the Day 7/20/06

2006-07-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

From the boyfriend. Fresh cut flowers from one of his mini rose bushes
greeted me when I came home from work yesterday.
He makes it very difficult for me to be upset with him, haha.

Life is too short to be upset anyway!

Photo of the Day 7/19/06

2006-07-19T08:00:00.001-07:00

The bermuda triangle in my kitchen.
Under/behind the pine shelf seems to be the land of misfit cat toys.
Six little furry fake mice greeted me whilst cleaning.

Photos of the Day 7/18/06

2006-07-18T23:48:00.000-07:00

Lavender flowers? Weeds? They have been blooming in every ditch.

They seem to grow in sparse little groups.

In context, road is on the right.

Flowers or weeds --whichever-- they make the countryside scenery more beautiful.

Photo of the Day 7/17/06

2006-07-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

Mom, do you have to go to work today?

This is Mekoh, the rarely seen cat. He has always been afraid of people other than me.
He's taken very well to the boyfriend. Actually, I think he's happier to see him sometimes
than to see me, lol.

Photo of the Day 7/14/06

2006-07-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

A large bowl of homemade chicken salad. The boyfriend was dj-ing an outdoor event, and I didn't want to bring him something hot to eat. 'Twas goooood! This bowl looks the same size as the last one--this is just a larger one in the same set.

1 bag frozen chicken breasts

garlic powder

mayonaisse (light or fat free)

dill pickle relish

fresh parsley

fresh green onions (or scallions if you want to sound fancy)

black pepper

Bake chicken breasts spinkled with garlic powder, then cut into very small pieces. Cool in large bowl in refrigerator. Add mayonaisse to desired consistency. Mince parsley and onions (separately, and a small kitchen chopper/processor works great for this). Add parsley, onions, relish and pepper to taste, mixing together. Serve on whole wheat sub or large croissant with tomato slices and provolone cheese.

Photo of the Day 7/13/06

2006-07-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

Awww, a sweet-smelling rose from my hunny.

Photo of the Day 7/12/06

2006-07-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Another one of my concoctions as of late:
Whole wheat bread torn into bite size pieces

lowfat cottage cheese

fresh blueberries

sugar-free maple syrup

Tastes like a cross between breakfast cereal and french toast!

Photo of the Day 7/11/06

2006-07-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, if you're a duck.
Overcast, rainy, humid, hazy...bleh.
Sorry, I didn't bring any grub today guys!

Photo of the Day 7/10/06

2006-07-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, as a matter of fact I do rule the roost.

Photo of the Day 7/7/06

2006-07-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

Huey enjoys the life of Riley. When I lived in the country, he had a giant bay window to sun himself in. That's been a long time ago. This window/ledge isn't near as big, but it'll do!