Food, Inc.

I love food. I really do. And the more I learn to prepare food and experiment with new and ingredients the more I love food. I was a little concerned about watching this movie. I have enough dietary restrictions, plus some general hang ups about food and ingredients and thought this might just gross me out completely and turn me anorexic. It didn't and I would recommend watching it if you already haven't.

FYI. You can sign up for Netflix (the 1st month is free) and connect it thru your Wii and movies, TV programs, etc.

Partly due to our profession and our educational background, Jim and I are already pretty health conscientious, but I will tightening up on a few areas that we've gotten lazy with (i.e. organic yogurt and grass fed). There are a few gross-ish parts but a lot of that stuff I already knew about. For the most part I just found it more sickening to my soul. A bit disheartening.

This guy was my favorite..

In my future days I want to live his life...

A Story About Doors

Way back in May.

When the sun was shining.

And Jim and I were energetic.

The front doors looked liked this.

Then the hot humid days of summer came.

And several weekends were dedicated.

New screen doors were installed.

And the front doors looked like this.

As the dead of summer set in.

Jim and I lost are minds.

And started this mess.

And for many months.

The front doors look like this.

And as winter started to creep in.

Bringing along a bitter cold draft.

We were left with no choice.

But to endure the weekend War of the Doors.

And and many days following.

Until.

Finally.

Are front doors look like this!!

Holiday Home Update

What a productive weekend!! We finally got our Christmas tree up and loaded up the house with festive, sparkling decorations. Better late than never I suppose. Jim even let me listen to Christmas music ALL day yesterday. I also finished the wreaths for the front doors and made a little swag and pretty bow for under the front porch light.

I forced Jim into a little photo shoot in front of the house using the tripod and my new camera. I had all the best of intentions of using one of the pictures for our Christmas card and including our new address.

It was nice idea that just didn't work out. First of all, I'm not really in love with any of the pictures. There are obvious issues with the glass screen doors, which I expected, plus some additional problems because of where the sun was by the time we were able to get outside. I did pick out a few that were acceptable (see above and below) but the dimensions didn't work with any of the online photo card sites. I got too frustrated and just gave up. At least we have a few nice pics of us as happy new home owners.

Presents also got wrapped and only stocking stuffers and one hostess gift left on my list. The only holiday related task still left is baking some cookies. I had intended to get around to baking yesterday, but it just didn't happen...probably for the best.

With all the holiday parties and snacks at work, I've been getting a little lazy with my gluten free diet. I thought I felt better with limited gluten in my diet. But, last week I totally paid the price after splurging with garlic rolls, eggplant parm, and a huge pile of pasta at the neighborhood get-together last week, so I'm trying to get back on track. I am planning to make some holiday treats this week, but have included some gluten free items in the mix to keep my belly happy.

Ladies night

I went to the 14th annual Penncrest neighborhood ladies Christmas party last night. It was really the sweetest thing. All the ladies in the neighborhood have been getting together for over a decade. It makes me love our house that much more.

There are lots of older ladies and it made me remanisent of gatherings with my mom's family at this time of year. She was the youngest of six and a bit of an accident. I grew up with aunts old enough to be grandmothers, cousins old enough to be aunts, and second cousins as playmates. Every Christmas the sister would have a little gathering at my aunt Mary Ann's house. They were a funny bunch of ladies. Because of the age difference, my mother was the only one left with young kids so we were typically the only kids surrounding my a swarm of giggles and laughter in the kitchen from the women and man chatter about work, gardening, and hobbies in the living room from all the husbands. I suppose at the time I probably resisting going, but I look back on those little afternoon gatherings with fondness. And sitting amongst the sparkling Christmas brooches, embroidered poinsetta sweaters, and fresh pin curled hair dos last night just made me love those days even more.

Monday...

"Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits."

~ Thomas Edison

Wednesday is the new Friday...

...at least for me it is. I'm heading off to Ohio tomorrow for a long weekend and boy do I need it! This has been the longest short week ever. I'm still recovering from the weekend war of the doors that not only had us up in the middle of the night to apply a 2nd & 3rd coat of paint, but rolled right into my Monday night forcing me up way past my bedtime.

No sleep=grumpy Rachelle.
No one likes grumpy Rachelle.
Except for maybe the Folgers.
Because I've consumed about 10 gallons of coffee at work this week.
And you know I'm tired if I'm drinking Folgers anyways.

I even missed my morning workout yesterday. gast! Next thing you know I'm heading down the slipery slope from Thanksgiving right through New Year's and starting 2011 with an extra holiday 15lb gut.

Does it seem like I skipped right over Thanksgiving? Well, that's because Thanksgiving pretty much just skipped right over me. The day started with a little baking & green bean casserole preparation, followed by leaf raking until we basically got snowed out, then we hopped over the bridge to in-laws for dinner, aunts for dessert, then back home to get ready for work on Friday. You heard me, work on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Truly sinful.

Guess I should have just titled this post Wednesday is for whiners.

Monday...

"I want you to be everything that's you, deep at the center of your being."

~Confucius

blah. It's Monday

I'm so, so tired.

Our weekend was the exact opposite of a long, relaxing holiday weekend.

Involving endless hours of scrapping, sanding, & painting.

And those god damn front doors still aren't done.

Jim and I considered calling up our old landlord to see if we our old little, tidy, not under construction apartment is still available.

Seriously. I surrender.

On a brighter note, I love the color choices we settled on & we've already had a compliment from a neighbor. And I've mentally moved past actually finishing the doors and starting visualizing all the pretty wreaths I can hang.

via


via

above and below via

Tacos

Since I was a total slacker in the anniversary gift department, I told Jim I would make him a special dinner of his choosing last night.

kitchen sneak peak with our romantic kitchen island set for two

Tacos was first on his list (he's just so easy to please!). I decided to spruce it up a little bit by making fish tacos and boy oh boy were they delicious!

I started making these after having them at my friend Sarah's and realizing how simple they are. Just season up a few fillets of tilipia with garlic, salt, and a squeeze of lime (I think Sarah used a special Goya fish seasoning too) and cook in a skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Tilipia will start to flake apart once it's cooked, so just kinda chopped it until it's small enough to pile on a taco shell.

Last night I used small corn tortillas (gluten free!) and warmed them in a separate skillet with a wee little bit of olive oil to make them kinda crunchy (but you can always heat them in the microwave for a few seconds). In the past I've used the larger burritto size wraps but I actually think I now prefer the smaller crunchy corn tortillas.

Top with shredded cheese and gaucomole. heavenly!

For our side dish, nachos of course! Spread a layer of tortilla chips (I prefer blue) and layer with black beans, sliced jalopenos, and lots of shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted. Serve with remaining gaucomole and salsa. It was a feast.

more sneak peaks of our brand new countertops!

After 17 long days and nights with no countertops, sink, or working plumbing in our kitchen, our lovely new Silestone countertops in urban cream were installed last weekend. I love them. It's nice to see my vision starting to come together and the kitchen is down the tile backsplash and a handful of smaller projects. But, the way things tend to go in home renovations, one of those 'small' projects could turn into 3 weekends worth of work. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a new kitchen for Christmas!

ps. I'm a big fan of fresh homemade gaucomole, but the last couple batches of avacodos I bought were just no good, so this is a good option for the winter months.

Monday...

Two

Is it really Thanksgiving week?

....And our TWO year wedding anniversary?

Jim bought me a really lovely orchid.

I bought him nothing.

We agreed on no anniversary gifts. We had planned on a Sunday brunch at the Valley Green Inn where we were married. But, you guessed it...we become completely consumed with plumbing, paint scrapping, and a long list of random things that will ultimate result in a sparkling new-to-us house.

I still can't believe it was two years ago today.

I'm one lucky lady....

Monday...

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

~Seneca

Snack time.

I happen to catch the end of the Colbert report the other day. Martha Stewart was his guest and he teaches her how to prepare some of special snacks from his childhood...including mixing mayo with mustard and spreading it on saltines.


The Stidd family saltine spread of choice was margarine. The 'good' kind in the tubs (preferably Country Crock). Nothing else. Just a thick spread of clogged artery.

I made Jim try it once.
We were at a diner and they served saltines with my soup, but I didn't eat them. As we lingered at the end of our meal, I shared with Jim this little delight from my childhood. He thought my story was ridiculous, even though I insisted that it was not so bad. This of course led to me asking the waitress for butter even though we had completed our meal at this point. Jim was practically crawling under the table. He really does find me quite embarassing.

Radio

Preset stations in my car

WXPN-public radio station from University of Pennsylvania
WHYY- NPR station
WRTI-classical & jazz station
A classic rock station & 2 other rock/pop stations

Reason I switch stations

Music that makes me sleepy and/or drowsy
Commericals or advertisements
Radio quizzes, contests, or call-ins
Any mention of Sarah Palin

Houzz

My head is always swimming with decorating ideas for the house. A entire house and I get to start from basically scratch?! Should be a dream come true, but it's been hard to keep a steady vision over the past six months. We're getting really close to actually putting furniture in the living room and kitchen. HOORAY!!!! This means I have to start making some actual decision on furniture, curtains, and decor.

This could be a nightmare. Just ask Jim how long it took me to pick out paint colors! I'm always seaching the web for ideas & inspiration and have bookmarked a few pages or put links to a few of them on the good ole blog to help me remember them later. My biggest problem is that I like too many things, as well as a variety of styles.

I recently discovered a cool website where you can browse through TONS of photos and ideas by room, decor, or metro area then store the one you like in custom created ideabooks. It's like a giant internet collage. I can't believe I didn't know about this sooner!

Even if you not undertaken an entire home remodeling project the site is efinitely worth checking out.

www.houzz.com

Nicky Sienks, you rock!

During the summer of 2005, Jim and I were living in Levittown, NY (god how I hate Long Island!) completing our clinicals for chiropractic school. Jim and a group of his (our) guy friends decided to go to the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee. To make a long story short...the girls (me) were banned from going. It was some crap about one last hoopla for the boys (even though there were going to be other girls there meeting up with them). Confused? I was. I even had to endure being quizzed about whether or not I could name 5 bands that would be playing that year, like some kind of entry exam! In the end I really didn't care that much nor did I want or have the money to spend on such shenanigins. It was more about the point...it's a huge festival and last time I checked it's a free country and I'll go if I want. And really did you boys think that you'd be shackin' up with a group of dirty hippie chics?

After returning from their little excursion Jim said that I should have been glad that I didn't go. It was really hot & humid, plus it rained making everything really muddy, and the camping was really squeezing your tent up between cars in a big open field. Jim was basically miserable (and probably not prepared with adequate supplies) and thought that I would have been equally, if not more, miserable. Our buddy Nicky Sienks disagreed. His reason, I'm adaptable.

Damn right Nicky Sienks!! Adaptable should be my freakin' middle name. You always were a smart man.

Currently the microwave is on the floor serving as a table for the coffee pot and toaster.

Half of my baking dishes are covered in dust and yuck and I am washing dishing in bath tub (on the 2nd floor) because we have no countertops and no sink or plumbing in our kitchen

Over the last six months I've endured, quiet gracefully I made add, the filth and inconvience of this home renovation. And at the same time I've managed to drag myself to work everyday, looking pressed & put together, keep up with the laundry and normal cleaning (sorta), and continue cooking healthy meals.

In exchange for a mild case of alcoholism. I'd call that adaptable.

Dog Days

Yesterday was Sofee dog's birthday.

(brand new puppy Sofee with her brand new puppy toy)

Five years ago she was born at the Philadelphia SPCA, after her mom was dropped off on the doorstep preggo. She was the last one to go home in the litter (lucky for us!) The day we found her she was sitting there shaking in her boots off with her last brother dog. He went home that day with his new owner, a seriously huge black man with a bum leg. They both looked so happy. Brother dog was mostly brown with black markings and seemed like a stuffed animal next to the man. We often wonder how they're doing now (considering Sofee is a complete spasm if she doesn't get at least 3 walks in one day, I'm not sure that Brother is doing so well having an owner with a bum leg...maybe brother is just not the spastic runt).

When Jim went back to pick up Sofee for her homecoming (she had to be spayed first--SPCA rules) he took the shirt right off his back and nestle puppy Sofee up on the floorboard of his big Bronco. She was the cutest lil thing with her floppy ears and soft puppy fur. She whined, whimpered, and cried until her cuteness got the best of him and he picked her up and let her snuggle up in his lap for the ride home....

She has been whiny, whimpering, crying and pushing her way onto our laps ever since...and we wouldn't have it any other way!!!

You are certainly our bestest pal.

Let me count the ways:

10) Your little Sofee body is the perfect size for squeezes and snuggles.

9) You keep me nice and warm at night curled up behind my knees.

8) I love the way you look so happy and content stretch out in a patch of sunshine. Every good dogs likes to sunbath.

7) You are still energetic and playful even at the ripe old age of five

6) and make us take you to the park for hikes even when it's cold and snowy.

5) Jim and I would probably be fat slobs without you.

4) You are a master stick jumper and give the best high fives.

3) You have the funniest expression of any dog I've ever met. I can always tell when you're nervous or sad just by your little doggie face.

2) That gosh darn cute lil' puppy face that makes everybody single person we meet on the streets or at the park love you instantly.

1) You even have your own song

Monday...

"Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort."

~Paul J. Meyer

This old house

Joel Baba was a gymnast in the 1952 Olympics.

He also happens to be the original and only previous owner of our house. We actually bought it from his children a few years after he passed away. He was apparently a pretty popular guy in these parts. He was a teacher at the local high school and had a gymnastist school in the area. A lot of people actually asked us if we him and are always sharing little tidbits and stories about Mr. Baba. Jim came across this video when he was stalking the internet for further information about his olympic history.

The cute little family photo with this three daughters sitting on the stairs is absolutely the house. The picture is probably about 30 years old. I imagine the carpet to be soft and plush (which was not so much the case when we ripped it up. 30 years is hard on carpet. yuck!) The picture in a driveway in front of a white car is also obviously the house. There are also a few others with the kitchen in the background, but they're harder to pick out unless you really know what the kitchen use to look like.

So, thanks for a great house Joel Baba. I'm sure we will enjoy our years in it as much as you did. I really could've gone for a little updated after 1970, but I can see that you were a very busy man, so I guess I'll let it slide.

..in B&W

Monday...

"Happiness can exist only in acceptance."

~Dennis De Rougamont

Birthday.

As expected, my birthday was fabulous.

I rocked out in a B&W polka dot sweater and plum dress (both from Target!!) at work paired with dark gray tights and black knee high boots. There's just something about polka dots that seem youthful to me. Jim thought I looked like the Joker.

I received a mum from my receptionist, a strawberry filled cake from the whole staff, and a bouquet of flowers from one of my Mexican patients. They are roses. I'm not sure that he understood that is kind of a romantic guesture. He actually came in from treatment, left, and came back with the flowers and a box of chocolates stating, "I forgot to remember your birthday." He's such a nice guy and his son is the cutest. Thanks Martin!

Fridays are a half day for Jim and I, so after work we met at the South Philly Tap Room for a late lunch and early drinks. They have a fantastic variety of draft beers. I also recommend the chips & dip, which among other tasty chips and dips, comes with plantain chips and guacamole

Before heading back home we stopped for coffee at the Ultimo Coffee Bar. Each cup is individually brewed. Inside you'll also find a selection of variety of take-out bottle speciality beers. Jim's favorite in Milk Stout made by Lancaster Brewing Company.

Next on the agenda was pumpkin picking, which would lead to pumpkin carving.

If you look closely you'll notice that I have something stuck in my teeth. Apparently it was there all afternoon and Jim failed to mention it.

We ended up with the pumpkin patch all to ourselves. Seriously. Not another soul in site. It was a beautiful, crisp fall evening and we truly enjoyed just wandering around and soaking in the peace and quiet. The farmer came back to pick us up on the hayride. Jim and I go pumpkin picking every year and we're always the only people on the hayride without kids. This year we were the only people on the hayride, period. It made me gitty.

At my request, Jim dug out the record player and some of my favorite vinyls for the evening. We carved pumpkins, drank merrily, opened presents (including a new camera which I'm totally pysched about!!) and stuffed ourselves with sugar loaded treats and candy corn cake. I would say it was a perfect day to be 30.

An arranged marriage

I received a birthday card at work yesterday (which is really odd because I don't know why anyone would have that address). Enclosed was this...

This is prime example of how wrong I was about life at 30. Obviously if I wasn't married by the terribly old age of 30, I would have to resort to an arranged marriage. And my requirement...make a lot of money and be a caring husband. Seems reasonable?!

In case you're having trouble with the math, I was 16 in 1996. Doug Marsh was a good friend. He was actually my first date. My mother made an exception and let me go on my first date when I was 15, even though the rule was no dating until I was 16. Doug's mom worked at the post office and he was from a good family. But, I decided that I didn't like him "like that" and we remained friends for a lot of years after that. We lost touched in college and I haven't spoken to him in a really long time. I still am somewhat puzzled with how he managed to find me? He was a always a resourceful fellow.

In other birthday happenings...

Jim and I are heading to the South Philly Tap Room after work for drinks and a late lunch. I've requested pumpkin carving, wine, and vinyl records for the evenings festivities. I'm rockin' a polka dot sweater today. Polka dots seem youthful.

Turning 30

It's only hours until my twenties just float away.

I'm can't say that I'm really sad to say good-bye to being 'twenty-something.' I think my thirties are going to be freakin' awesome. The fact that I still say things like "freakin' awesome" goes to show that I had no idea what life would really be like at this age. Who does, I suppose? I'm not sure what I thought, but this isn't it.... First of all, why am not living on some exotic island drinking fancy mango martinis!?


Aside from this working everyday thing, which I think is just called reality, the deep, real part of my life has become so much more than I could have ever imagined a decade ago. Ten years ago, I was working 3 jobs, totally more than 40 hours a week, and a full-time college student with some kind of crazy course load including anatomy & physiology, microbiology, organic chemistry, and calculus II.

I spent my 20th birthday in the emergency room with my mom. She refused to leave the house until I after I had opened my gifts and we all had cake, cake decorated with candy corn because that was my birthday tradition.



My mother was stubborn. And mostly she hated to let our lives controlled by cancer. I don't even remember what was wrong with her that day, maybe bronchitis or some sort of cold. Cancer patients have no immunity, so anything is something. She never really recovered after that and died less than six months later.

(Boy, this is really turning out to be a cheery post)

Point being, twenty seems scarred with tragedy and pain and catapulted me into a world I didn't really want to be a part of, even if I knew it was likely to come.

I spent most of my early twenties trying to endure life financially, mentally, and physically but at the same time attempting to untangle the riddles and rhymes of what life had become for me. Life without my mother. Life as a woman. Life with obligations. Life with avoidance. Life with acceptance. Life with bad hair. Life with love. Life alone. Life with opportunity. Life with ambition. Life with sadness. What life had meant to me and where and I wanted it it to ber. In the process I walked away from a lot of people. I quietly closed a lot of doors on others.and let myself slip into a world of self-absorption. Not so much literally slamming doors and locking people out, but a definite mental shut down. It was a time of self-discovery


As my early twenties slipped into my mid-twenties, my discernment turned into acceptance and appreciation for who I am and how I want this life, my existence, to be. Those years of affliction have brought me so much peace and happiness now. And truthfully, amongst all the grief and turmoil there was a lot of happiness then too, it was just harder to recognize or maybe just hard for me to allow myself to truly enjoy it.

On the eve of turning thirty I feel content with what I have accomplished, grateful for my health, zest for what the next decade has in store, and so thankful that I have achieved such blissful happiness and fulfilment.


Rock On thirties!

me & Kim Tilly, Baldwin-Wallace College 2000

a little Halloween fun in the chem lab

(It is easy to recognize pictures of my early 20s because I have absolutely terrible, crazy hair)

An American Tail

Probably about a month ago, Jim informed me that we had a new friend. A new friend of the rodent type, seen jetting behind the fish tank stand in the basement. I honestly wasn't surprised. We had found 2 dead mice in the pool filter basket over the summer, so I had always assumed there were a few more around. I guess the cold temperatures finally brought them in. And to think, just a week before Jim and I were camped out in our temporary basement sleeping corridors while our hardwood floor were being refinished. It would've been an ugly scence if Mr. Mouse had appeared any earlier!!

But, for whatever reason, I was feeling really guilty about killing the little guy(s). I had seen absolutely no signs of mice upstairs in the kitchen or other living areas, we were no longer living in the basement, and I have to admit there is something kinda cute about mice. I surveyed some coworkers about types of traps and what my options were, but was really taking my good 'ole time putting any kind of plan into action. I decided on the old fashion traps (poison=dead, rotting mice in unknown places; sticky traps=trying to chew off legs and a slow paiful death) and pick up a batch at Home Depot but they remained in the bags for probably 2 weeks until....

Fast forward to October aka candy corn season. It is tradition (in my world at least) to consume mass quanties of candy corn + peanuts (seriously though if you aren't eating this stuff, you're not living life). So, two weekends ago I mixed up a fresh batch on Saturday to enjoy throughout the day while we working all day.

Sunday morning I made my way to the coffee pot in a sleepy daze, half noticing that Jim had picked out most of the peanuts from the remaining mix in the candy dish. That's wierd...why would he pick out the peanuts? The candy corn is obviously the better choice if you're going to pick through the mixture. And what's this? A few random candy corn on the opposite side of the kitchen. Boy, that husband of mine is a slob!

Many apologizes for my bad thoughts Jim. It wasn't you at all.

It was Mr. Mouse or perhaps Mr & Mrs. Mouse and all there neighborhood mice friends (there was seriously a large amount of peanuts missing!) Somehow I didn't know that peanuts (or peanut butter) are the preferred food of those damn rodents. Not only did they ruin my batch of candy corn, but they left a filthy trail of mouse poop all over my kitchen; resulting in rewashing the dishes that had been drying on the counter overnight,an wiping down EVERYTHING in the kitchen, twice. Naturally, I lost any sense of guilt about abolishing the bastards and set Jim on a mission to set up the traps and masacare anything that even resemebled a mouse.

The very next day, we successfully capture and killed (a fast, instant death I assure you) one. And the remaining traps have been untouched. Beware...

Nothing *edited version*

Postseason baseball is sadly over here in Philadelphia. It's a sore subject, so I recommend not bringing it up. At least we'll be getting to bed at a decent hour.

Jim & I at our last Phillies game for the 2010 season

I really need to do something about those bags under my eyes. eek! I'm going to place some blame on the camera angle and the shadow of my hat...but that's becauase I don't want to discuss the fact that I'm turning 30 in a matter of days!

The wine/liquor store is open on Election Day. I mean in case you were worried. Really? why the heck would a liquor store close on a Tuesday because of elections?! I'm so over politics.

Following Jim's recommendation, I'm in the process of adding Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" to my iPod.

I'm also in the trying to catch up on Project Runway. Jim anti-recommends the show. In fact he completely hates it and has banned it from being broadcasted while he's home. DO NOT tell me who makes it to fashion week. Although I can probably guess and in my opinion Mondo is the only one who can really make anything worth a crap this season, I don't need you ruin the drama of it all.

On Saturday night I ate an entire head of cauliflower for dinner (I guess Jim helped with a few bites). The rest of my caloric intake for the day consisted of a yogurt, 2 string cheese, one apple, multigrain GF crackers & hummus, and about a dozen RedVines. So, I think the dinner menu balanced it out. Right?

We decided that Jim's DJ name should be DJ Jammin' Jim i. v. Maybe it was Jazzy. Maybe there wasn't another J word. The point being "I. V." (like ivy) making a play on Jim being the James G. Robinson IV. It's essential to have a catchy, unique DJ name. It even says so on eHow. The creation of Jim's DJ name is actually old news, but I just thought of it again. And it's really irrelevant because I don't imagine that he has any immediate plans to abandon his current profession. But, he's prepared just in case.

The couch is back in the living room. The recliner is on it's way to the basement. The refrigerator is in the middle of the dining room. And the island is in the foyer. Sounds like progress to me.

Tomorrow is Friday, right?

*sorry I hit publish instead of save*

Monday...

"Happiness depends upon ourselves."

~Aristotle

Squash Feast

Sunday afternoon before heading out to the grocery store, I inquired with Jim about what he wanted for dinner. "Squash, squash, squash!" he replied. So I set to work coming up with some new and exciting fall recipes.

Every year when it starts to get chilly I vow to make a different soup every weekend. We're BIG fans of soup and I just love the smell of it simmer on the stove all day. Plus, it heats up easily for lunch or a side dish for dinner during the week. Every year I end up making about 3-4 soups. And trust me, cold weather last way longer than 3-4 weeks. Jim's squash request seemed like the perfect opportunity to try a new soup and keep my soup vow going for week 2 (week one here).

Thai Pumpkin Soup

1 cup carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 leek, chopped (use the white part and peel away the first layer. I used 2)
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
curry powder or paste (I used powder)
ginger
1 smallish pumpkin, peeled, seeded, & cubed
2-3 medium sweet potoatoes, peeled & cubed
2 qts vegetable broth
2 cans coconut milk

Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in soup pot, medium heat. Add carrots, onion, leek, and garlic, season with curry poweder & ginger. Cook until start to everything starts to soften and the onions start to sweat. Add pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover, and let simmer. When the chunks of pumpkin and sweet potato are soft enough to smash with a fork, blend with immersion blender. Stir in cocunut milk. Season to taste with curry, ginger, salt, and pepper. Simmer away (stir frequently). I think the longer it cooked the more the flavors started to come through. It such a beautiful bright orange and super delicious!!

---Side notes ---
*I ended up added a can of pumpkin after I added the coconut milk and let it simmer for awhile. After I slaughtered the little pumpkin trying to peel it, I don't think it was enough to get the full flavor.
*I modifed this recipe from one I saw online and decided to add the carrots (mostly because I needed to use them). I think it made the consistency a little less creamy after blending it, which we didn't mind.
*Remember. I'm more of of an eyeball cook and don't really measure things (baking is a different story!), so you might need to modify for taste.

Next on the menu:
Butternut squash pizzas

butternut squash
onion
asapargus (optional)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
rosemary, salt, & pepper
premade pizza crust
cornmeal
shredded cheese (I used monteray jack and mozerella)
parmasean cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat 1 medium butternut squash in microwave for ~3minutes. This will help soften the skin and make it easier to peel. Let cool. Cut, remove seeds, and peel (kind of like a cantelope). Thinly slice. Peel and thinly slice onion. Cut asparagus into ~1 inch chunks. Mix in medium bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Add rosemary (1-2 tsp). Drizzle with olive oil and balsmatic (~2-3 Tbsp, you don't drench them in olive oil though). Bake in roasting pan for 20-30 minutes. Squash should be tender and onions will start to brown.

While the squash and onions are roasting away, deal with your pizza dough. I bought frozen cornmeal pizza crust from WholeFoods, so there wasn't much to do aside from remove from package and place on a baking sheet. I decided to drizzle the edges with olive oil and sprinkle with parmasean cheese, which turned out to be a good idea. The recipe I modified suggested rolling out the pizza dough on a floured surface into ~ 8 inch rounds, and sprinkling the top with cornmeal (1Tbsp). The cornmeal crust turned out to be freakin' delicious, so recommend just going with that.

Back to the squash. After it's soft and brown and looking delicious, spoon onto prepared pizza dough. Sprinkle with shredded cheese of your choice. Bake at 425/450 (following directions on the pizza dough) for ~10 minutes or until crust is warm and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and give sprinkle with parmasean.


This is seriously the most gourmet looking thing I've ever made! And it was so good!!! I think the cornmeal crust really put it over the top. We cut up the second one and package it for lunches for Monday...if it's possible it may have been better the second time around. I also had extra squash/onion mix because I didn't want to overload the pizzas, which was yummy warmed up as an extra side dish.

Try it. You'll like it

i heart fall.

Last weekend was such perfect weather! We had a great weekend complete with 2 popcorn nights (we make the best popcorn if I do say so myself!), a squash feast on Sunday, a cool crisp hike with Sofee dog, and plenty of home renovations. I'm happy to report that at a glance, in one room, from one angle it looks like a normal house! Next weekend....cross your fingers...new kitchen floors!!!!

Our weekends are so jammed packed and the sun seems to be disappearing pretty early these days, so we decided to head out to the park early and bring along a breakfast picnic. Out of convenience we stopped at Einstein Bros Bagels. We had never had breakfast there, but I had experienced a turkey sandwich on a bagel with veggie cream cheese there in the past, which was quite yummy. We have vowed to never go there for breakfast again!!

They basically microwave their breakfast sandwiches and didn't even toast the bagel! It was all soggy and mushy. I could've just went to Dunkin Donuts and paid half the price. Plus, it was a complete madhouse. Next time we'll opt for Manhatten Bagel were they make the eggs & sausage on a griddle and make an excellent breakfast sandwich (I prefer the wrap myself...neither of which are gluten free)

Tyler State Park. 10.17.10

Sofee.

The best dog ever.

At least it's clever grafitti

Go Phillies!!

Stay tuned for delicious Squash Feast recipes....