Butternut Squash Risotto

I have always thought that making a risotto was too time-consuming, but with our family leaning more and more toward vegetarian meals, I decided I was going to have to just give it a try.  Turns out it's not that finicky and doesn't seem to take any longer than any other supper meal we eat.  I have added this recipe to my regular rotation.  Well I would add it if I had a regular rotation.

ABCs

Heather at Kiss My Broccoli and Jennifer at Peas and Crayons did a cute ABC post that I just had to copy try.  So here goes:

A.  Age -- 42.  Yikes, when did that happen?

B.  Bed size -- King.  There are two of us, two dogs and two cats so we need the extra room.

C.  Chore you hate -- Ironing.  Ironing.  Ironing.

D.  Dogs -- We have two old boys right now and enough hair each morning to start a third.

Pete.

Starting the Seedlings

 

Bulletin board re-vamp

Two years ago we moved into our new house and chose a warm neutral palette of gold and green (not the gaudy gold, but the fields of fall corn sort of gold).  We kept everything quite conservative but decided that we would go crazy in our offices, picking whatever colour we wanted.   

My husband picked the exact colour that is in our living room and foyer because once he likes something, he sticks with it.  I, on the other hand, decided to go with a vibrant green that I first noticed on a little Hyundai that was parked in the lot at work.  Yep, matched my office paint to a car.  Somebody else’s car.  Well the best colour to go with this green (called Somersault) is black so I thought I’d revamp an old bulletin board to go with the room.

How to Keep Your Cat Clean

I can never figure out what the appeal is.  Why do cats have to climb into everything new?  Boxes?  Bags?  Dishwashers?

Moe

Unbreakable?

I thought Corelle was supposed to be unbreakable?  Can you say shatter!!

Quick Potato Skillet

I am a huge fan of throwing a few things into a skillet, adding a piece of rustic bread or toast on the side, and calling it a meal.  I also really like baby potatoes.  For this last-minute supper, I combined the two.

Tasty Change of Plans

Though we didn't end up having our Venetian Chicken last night (still on for tonight), we still took a gastronomical visit to Italy last night.  We decided to go out to our nephew's restaurant for a little pasta.

If you're ever in Stoney Creek, Ontario you have to stop in for their gnocchi.  Best ever.  The restaurant is called The Express, named after a train that ran throughout Italy.

Jowl Workout 101

I never thought that I would have any problem getting older.  I’m not really bothered by crow’s feet around my eyes or laugh lines surrounding my mouth.  My hair is greying but L’Oreal makes that a non-issue.  I’m not terribly thrilled with my recent lack of waist but as long as I wear appropriate clothing, that too is not a huge deal.  What I did not anticipate was the ability of saggy jowls to add at least a decade to my appearance.  I find that if I sport a big cheery smile they disappear somewhat, but I’m not really a huge smile kind of person so that isn’t really a solution.

So what’s a gal to do?  I started by Googling jowl exercises and found a few.  Well, quite a few.  Apparently I’m not the only woman worried about her droopy facial muscles.  So that brings me to the next thing that I am going to try – Jowl Workout 101.  They are the most ridiculous-looking exercises of course, certainly nothing you could do with an audience.  So I am going to vow to do five repetitions of three exercises every time I pee.  And I pee a lot so this should work out fine.

All three exercises start with the head tilted backward, always a flattering posture.  The first exercise involves keeping my lips closed, and making a chewing motion.  The second exercise has me trying to bring my bottom lip up over my top lip.  I alternate this movement with sticking out my tongue and trying to touch my chin.  Oh yeah, super attractive.  So I do each of those five times which seems to coincide well with the amount of time it takes to pee.  A perfect match.

I actually started yesterday and after Day 1 those muscles are a little sore.  Does this mean good things for the future?  I certainly hope so.  So now all I have to do is pick a reasonable amount of time.  How about 4 weeks?  So I’ll check back in with you in 4 weeks to see how things are going. 

I know that a before and after picture is key for this type of project, but I honestly can’t bring myself to share the before picture.  Tell you what, I’ll take the before picture and if the after picture shows some kind of remarkable transformation, then I promise to share the before picture with you.  After all, at that point it won’t be my super jowls anymore, will it?

Lima Bean Stew

Heidi at 101 Cookbooks posted a gorgeous-looking Christmas Lima Bean Stew recipe in December that I just had to try.  We are trying to eat more beans and grains in our house and this seemed like a great place to start.  As most of the continent, we have been hit with unusually plentiful waves of snow this year and soup is one of the best ways to combat the chill.  A big glass of red wine is another but that needs no recipe.

 

Happy Valentine's Day

We don't tend to celebrate Valentine's Day in our house as a rule though I did notice that this guy was giving me the eye this morning.

Danny

Happy Valentine's Day.

Trying New Things

Hi.  This is the year that I have decided to try a bunch of things that I have had on my to do list, but haven't gotten around to yet.

I guess the first big thing is this blog which is infinitely scary and exciting. After that I am going to attempt homemade cheese, learning how to knit, making my own greeting cards, yogurt from scratch, fresh baked bread, starting seeds indoors for the garden, maybe a little canning, and wielding a spray paint can.  You might even see a random picture of one of the boys (the four-legged kind). 

It'll be a year of laughter discovery. Hope you'll join me (and him).

Owen