I feel like the Jimmy/Hugh/Anderson debate is really about brains, a bod, or a sense of humor.
Unfortunately for us, this isn't a true separation of talents, because Hugh is quite hilarious, and he sings and dances, too!
Jimmy is adorable on top of being hilarious, and let's be honest, to be funny, you also have to be smart.
Anderson, IMHO is well, very smart.
However, what I think the question is really asking (again), is brains, beauty, or laughs. And I choose laughs. Information gets outdated, bodies sag, but a sense of humor is forever.
For the record, I would much rather laugh with Wolverine than Anderson, who giggles like a young child. (Check it out starting at 2:45)
Also for the record, I have been blessed enough to marry a man with brains a bod, and who makes me laugh! Love you, HUBS!!
Showing posts with label J's Posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J's Posts. Show all posts
Conversations
So, one of the best things about being the Darwin Girls is that we are friends in spite of our differences. And we have lots of differences. We're going to start discussing them occasionally on here as we are inspired to do so... some topics will be silly (who's your favorite Golden Girl) and some will be serious (the Princess debate).
I'm kicking us off with the first topic today...
and I'm stealing the idea from A....
Anderson Cooper, Jimmy Fallon, or Hugh Jackman?
We'll each write our responses over the next week and post!
-J
The First Craft in prep for Baby's birthday
Baby Girl is a book worm! She loves books and will choose them from among a pile of toys to play with. So we decided to have a garden-themed party, perfect for a worm like her!
These little flowers will go in bitty flower pots for the favor. They're simple to make, but cute!
Supplies: Buttons, beads, wire, scissors (or wire-cutters), and floral tape
5. Wrap with floral tape! Floral tape is funny stuff-- it doesn't feel sticky till it's stretched and warmed by your fingers, but then it will stick gently and effectively.
Some hints: play around with colors and lengths till you get the desired effect. I found that narrowing my colors to reddish, whitish, and tealish gave the flowers a more unified feel.
Knowing what you're going to do with them will help you determine the ideal length for the stems.
These little flowers will go in bitty flower pots for the favor. They're simple to make, but cute!
Supplies: Buttons, beads, wire, scissors (or wire-cutters), and floral tape
1. Cut a length of wire and gently fold in half.
2. Add beads to the middle of the wire.
3. Add a button with the beads in the middle of two button holes.
4. Twist the wire together.
Here are some other examples...
6. I put my little button buds in bouquets by taping three of them together at different heights.
Some hints: play around with colors and lengths till you get the desired effect. I found that narrowing my colors to reddish, whitish, and tealish gave the flowers a more unified feel.
Knowing what you're going to do with them will help you determine the ideal length for the stems.
5 things I'm thankful for.
Five Things I've Been Thankful for Lately
1. Dramamine. We made a long road trip to Florida and back over the holidays. I sat with the baby in the backseat for much of the trip. I am glad for Dramamine.
2. Sprout TV and the Excersaucer. Sometimes this is the only way I am able to take a shower, especially since baby girl has gone mobile.
3. Zippers. One broke on my jacket the other day. I could pull it up but not down. I finally had to take it off over my head, and having pulled the zipper all the way up, it was a tight fit! I am grateful for functional zippers.
4. Instant cake mix. I made a kick-butt Red Velvet cake the other night for guests, and then I made yellow cake cookies with fudge icing the next night. From cake mix. Yum!
4. My Friends (yes, cheesey, but true). They are so fun and silly and they make me laugh at bunny rabbits and Betty white and Tim Tebow. They also have stuff going on in life and are tough broads.
1. Dramamine. We made a long road trip to Florida and back over the holidays. I sat with the baby in the backseat for much of the trip. I am glad for Dramamine.
2. Sprout TV and the Excersaucer. Sometimes this is the only way I am able to take a shower, especially since baby girl has gone mobile.
3. Zippers. One broke on my jacket the other day. I could pull it up but not down. I finally had to take it off over my head, and having pulled the zipper all the way up, it was a tight fit! I am grateful for functional zippers.
4. Instant cake mix. I made a kick-butt Red Velvet cake the other night for guests, and then I made yellow cake cookies with fudge icing the next night. From cake mix. Yum!
4. My Friends (yes, cheesey, but true). They are so fun and silly and they make me laugh at bunny rabbits and Betty white and Tim Tebow. They also have stuff going on in life and are tough broads.
Theme?
My baby girl is going to turn 1 in about 5 weeks.
I need a theme for her birthday party. I learned from A that parties need a theme. E is a pro at designing invitations that go with the themes.
Here's the thing. E's birthday is right before Valentine's Day. I don't want to do pink and red and hearts and lace and stuff. I don't want to do princesses, see T's post from a few weeks ago. And really, she won't remember the party, right? And it's not like SHE has friends, the friends are just mine and Rob's... and partly it's a celebration of Hubs and I surviving the last year, right?
I want to make pretty invitations. I want to cook fun things like these, and I want to decorate and make favors around a theme. I need something that will be fun and enjoyable for grown-ups and yet be sweet and nice and fun for her. I need something that our guy friends and our gal friends will find equally charming... A, E, T, readers, any ideas?
J
I need a theme for her birthday party. I learned from A that parties need a theme. E is a pro at designing invitations that go with the themes.
Here's the thing. E's birthday is right before Valentine's Day. I don't want to do pink and red and hearts and lace and stuff. I don't want to do princesses, see T's post from a few weeks ago. And really, she won't remember the party, right? And it's not like SHE has friends, the friends are just mine and Rob's... and partly it's a celebration of Hubs and I surviving the last year, right?
I want to make pretty invitations. I want to cook fun things like these, and I want to decorate and make favors around a theme. I need something that will be fun and enjoyable for grown-ups and yet be sweet and nice and fun for her. I need something that our guy friends and our gal friends will find equally charming... A, E, T, readers, any ideas?
J
Road Trip!
Husband, Baby, and I have made a road trip to FL from TN for the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. We have spent some days relaxing, but mostly we've been doing a lot of driving between the homes of Husband's parents, extended family members and a few friends, including T!
I've done a lot of road trips in my life. In college, I'd ride between FL and PA over holiday breaks and summer vacations. In grad school, I drove back and forth from Atlanta to both PA and FL to see family and friends, respectively. I don't do the crazy 18-hour trips any more... once I started making a reasonably steady paycheck, I gave myself an 8-hour limit. Still, after all those long ones in college, the 5-hr trek to or from Asheville seems like a breeze.
Road trips with a baby are a new experience, though. Babies don't know to wait till the gas tank gets close to empty before they cry because they are hungry. Babies don't know that there are 9 miles till the next exit, and that it's impossible to play peek-a-boo when they're in a rear-facing car seat. They can't help it when they poop in the confined space of the car--when they gotta go, they gotta go! Our baby is still too young to appreciate one of those car DVD players, as a movie is only entertaining for ten minutes or so, max. We read stories and pulled out a bunch of toys which were generally fun for a few minutes each. I sat in the back for most of the trip (thank you God, for Dramamine!) and entertained and/or soothed as needed. (This is also b/c the new car seat is so big that the passenger seat is practically up in the dashboard.)
So the drive that should have taken 9 hours took 11, which is still worth it to see Nana and Pappy, and to watch them experience her for the first time in six months.
Any advice on road trips with babies?
How 'bout teething babies?
T- good to see you, an hour wasn't enough!
I've done a lot of road trips in my life. In college, I'd ride between FL and PA over holiday breaks and summer vacations. In grad school, I drove back and forth from Atlanta to both PA and FL to see family and friends, respectively. I don't do the crazy 18-hour trips any more... once I started making a reasonably steady paycheck, I gave myself an 8-hour limit. Still, after all those long ones in college, the 5-hr trek to or from Asheville seems like a breeze.
Road trips with a baby are a new experience, though. Babies don't know to wait till the gas tank gets close to empty before they cry because they are hungry. Babies don't know that there are 9 miles till the next exit, and that it's impossible to play peek-a-boo when they're in a rear-facing car seat. They can't help it when they poop in the confined space of the car--when they gotta go, they gotta go! Our baby is still too young to appreciate one of those car DVD players, as a movie is only entertaining for ten minutes or so, max. We read stories and pulled out a bunch of toys which were generally fun for a few minutes each. I sat in the back for most of the trip (thank you God, for Dramamine!) and entertained and/or soothed as needed. (This is also b/c the new car seat is so big that the passenger seat is practically up in the dashboard.)
So the drive that should have taken 9 hours took 11, which is still worth it to see Nana and Pappy, and to watch them experience her for the first time in six months.
Any advice on road trips with babies?
How 'bout teething babies?
T- good to see you, an hour wasn't enough!
Infused herbs
In my garden I have rosemary and lavender. These are two of my favorite scents, and for a home-made goodie this year, I decided to try and do something with them. I searched the internet for instructions on making herb-infused oils and salts, but most of the instructions used essential oils that were purchased. I wanted instructions that started a step back from that since I had the actual herbs. I finally found what I was looking for here.
The Herb Gardener includes instructions for making lavender sugar and Martha Stewart has instructions for making rosemary salt.
I ended up making them both in a similar way. I picked branches from lavender and rosemary in my garden and cleaned them. Then I put the branches of rosemary in a big soup pot of sea salt, and baked it in the oven at the lowest temp my oven allows (170). I stirred every few minutes so that the oils would ooze out of the leaves onto the salts. I did the same thing with the lavender and sugar. I wanted to make the lavender sugar purple, though, so after I had the scent I wanted, I moved the soup pot to the stove. I mixed red and blue food coloring with the slightest bit of water and sprinkled it over the scented sugar, stirring immediately. The color slowly distributed as I stirred and eventually turned a pretty shade of, well, lavender!
I used old baby food jars to package them. The scented salts were labeled with a tag that said, "Turkey Rub: rosemary-infused salt, pepper," and I added a pretty piece of fabric over the lid. The salts can be used to prepare a roast turkey, but could also be yummy on a potato, in a stir-fry, or just about any other savory dish. The sugar's label said, "Lavender Sugar: add to herbal teas or lemonade or mix 1 tsp. with a Tbsp. of olive oil for a body scrub." It is really delicious in herbal tea. Tea alone is relaxing, but with the added scent of lavender, it is particularly nice.
I would add that rosemary is very easy to grow! It is a kind of evergreen, so after it is established, it stays around to use again and again. Lavender is harder, but read up a bit so you plant them in a good spot, buy fairly mature plants, and you'll be fine.
I gave the salt and sugar to friends and co-workers as little Thanksgiving and Christmas presents this year. It's a sweet (or salty!) something from my garden and my kitchen, but was inexpensive and easy to make.
The Herb Gardener includes instructions for making lavender sugar and Martha Stewart has instructions for making rosemary salt.
I ended up making them both in a similar way. I picked branches from lavender and rosemary in my garden and cleaned them. Then I put the branches of rosemary in a big soup pot of sea salt, and baked it in the oven at the lowest temp my oven allows (170). I stirred every few minutes so that the oils would ooze out of the leaves onto the salts. I did the same thing with the lavender and sugar. I wanted to make the lavender sugar purple, though, so after I had the scent I wanted, I moved the soup pot to the stove. I mixed red and blue food coloring with the slightest bit of water and sprinkled it over the scented sugar, stirring immediately. The color slowly distributed as I stirred and eventually turned a pretty shade of, well, lavender!
I used old baby food jars to package them. The scented salts were labeled with a tag that said, "Turkey Rub: rosemary-infused salt, pepper," and I added a pretty piece of fabric over the lid. The salts can be used to prepare a roast turkey, but could also be yummy on a potato, in a stir-fry, or just about any other savory dish. The sugar's label said, "Lavender Sugar: add to herbal teas or lemonade or mix 1 tsp. with a Tbsp. of olive oil for a body scrub." It is really delicious in herbal tea. Tea alone is relaxing, but with the added scent of lavender, it is particularly nice.
I would add that rosemary is very easy to grow! It is a kind of evergreen, so after it is established, it stays around to use again and again. Lavender is harder, but read up a bit so you plant them in a good spot, buy fairly mature plants, and you'll be fine.
I gave the salt and sugar to friends and co-workers as little Thanksgiving and Christmas presents this year. It's a sweet (or salty!) something from my garden and my kitchen, but was inexpensive and easy to make.
Yummy Autumn Soup
I found a recipe for pumpkin soup somewhere and I love it. It is so easy and even my not-so-much-a-fan-of-soup husband likes it!
Ingredients:
One can pumpkin
One can chicken soup broth (would prob work with veggie broth too)
One cup milk/cream (I used skim milk b/c it's what I had)
Ginger
Dump in a pot and stir!
That's it! I added chili powder b/c I wanted it a bit spicy, and ate it with a slice of toast covered in apple butter. Yum.
You could also modify or dress it up with:
- a dollop of sour cream on top (or plain Greek yogurt, the healthy version of sour cream)
- I think drained and rinsed black beans could add some yummy protein
- Sweeten it up with some pureed pears or apple sauce, and add nutmeg instead of chili powder for a more dessert-like soup
Ingredients:
One can pumpkin
One can chicken soup broth (would prob work with veggie broth too)
One cup milk/cream (I used skim milk b/c it's what I had)
Ginger
Dump in a pot and stir!
That's it! I added chili powder b/c I wanted it a bit spicy, and ate it with a slice of toast covered in apple butter. Yum.
You could also modify or dress it up with:
- a dollop of sour cream on top (or plain Greek yogurt, the healthy version of sour cream)
- I think drained and rinsed black beans could add some yummy protein
- Sweeten it up with some pureed pears or apple sauce, and add nutmeg instead of chili powder for a more dessert-like soup
Hospitality
Bless their hearts, but Tennesseans just can't seem to get their turn signals to work! I have seen people turn corners, change lanes at high speeds, exit the highway, and attempt to merge without so much as a blink from their blinkers. This is not an occasional incident, but daily and even mile-ly (as in, I see it once a mile), and I have seen a police car as the culprit.
As I understand it, hospitality is all about intentionally making someone feel welcome and comfortable. Unfortunately, it seems that Southern Hospitality doesn't extend to the highways-- I personally feel much more welcome and comfortable when the person who is pulling in front of me has at least warned me that he or she may be about to do so.
Why do Nashville drivers, bless their hearts, come to an almost-complete stop when they're turning right? I don't mean at a red light-- I mean into a driveway, a side street, any time. Of course, with no turn signal, the person behind these drivers have no idea what they're doing and just assume they're stopping in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. It can appear to be sudden, causing the person behind the right-turning driver to slam brakes, not to mention the person behind him/her. Then they turn. Slowly. It is not hospitable to the entire lane of traffic behind them to have held them up for a simple thing as a right turn.
Nashville drivers, bless their hearts, are also not good at merging. FYI, the on-ramp is for gaining speed so that you can be going about the same rate as the traffic that is already on the highway. On the other hand, if you're driving on the highway already, and an on-ramp is about to merge into the highway, it is very polite to move into the lane on the left of you to let that person merge without fear for his or her life. It is about making that person feel welcome traveling the same highway as you, comfortable blending into the speed and direction of traffic. It is about hospitality.
As I understand it, hospitality is all about intentionally making someone feel welcome and comfortable. Unfortunately, it seems that Southern Hospitality doesn't extend to the highways-- I personally feel much more welcome and comfortable when the person who is pulling in front of me has at least warned me that he or she may be about to do so.
Why do Nashville drivers, bless their hearts, come to an almost-complete stop when they're turning right? I don't mean at a red light-- I mean into a driveway, a side street, any time. Of course, with no turn signal, the person behind these drivers have no idea what they're doing and just assume they're stopping in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. It can appear to be sudden, causing the person behind the right-turning driver to slam brakes, not to mention the person behind him/her. Then they turn. Slowly. It is not hospitable to the entire lane of traffic behind them to have held them up for a simple thing as a right turn.
Nashville drivers, bless their hearts, are also not good at merging. FYI, the on-ramp is for gaining speed so that you can be going about the same rate as the traffic that is already on the highway. On the other hand, if you're driving on the highway already, and an on-ramp is about to merge into the highway, it is very polite to move into the lane on the left of you to let that person merge without fear for his or her life. It is about making that person feel welcome traveling the same highway as you, comfortable blending into the speed and direction of traffic. It is about hospitality.
Sewing Projects
My first projects, just to get the feel of the thing and learn to make button holes (!!!) were these gift bags. I made them from old jeans, remnants, ribbon I had on hand, and buttons I had in my grandmother's sewing basket. The theory is to stop wasting paper every year, make wrapping a little more stress-free, and maybe even save the planet a little bit. Hubs is modeling the big one (tee hee).
It's fleece, ribbon, and some buttons.
This one is the old jeans:
And this is Shiloh telling me what she thought of it all:
The Muppets
I saw The Muppets today with my daughter, mom, and husband. It was great!
I was a bit nervous-- any time they bring back an old classic, I'm skeptical. There's no way it could be as good as my old favorite! Would they keep the essence of humor and joy and friendship that made the Muppets great? Would they cheese it up too much? Not enough?
Jason Segel co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in this fun comedy, and I could sense that he grew up loving the Muppets as much as I did. He combined his contemporary sense of humor with the real essence of the Muppets of the 70s and 80s, complete with Kermit pep-talk on the value of together-ness.
I loved the creative scenarios as Kermit and friends rounded up the old gang to put on another show. The songs weren't amazing, but they were fun and funny. Amy Adams' character was tough as a science teacher/mechanic and made her relationship demands known, but was underdeveloped and kind of lame.
Over all, I highly recommend the movie-- grab a kid or two if you need the excuse and hit the theater!
-J
I was a bit nervous-- any time they bring back an old classic, I'm skeptical. There's no way it could be as good as my old favorite! Would they keep the essence of humor and joy and friendship that made the Muppets great? Would they cheese it up too much? Not enough?
Jason Segel co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in this fun comedy, and I could sense that he grew up loving the Muppets as much as I did. He combined his contemporary sense of humor with the real essence of the Muppets of the 70s and 80s, complete with Kermit pep-talk on the value of together-ness.
I loved the creative scenarios as Kermit and friends rounded up the old gang to put on another show. The songs weren't amazing, but they were fun and funny. Amy Adams' character was tough as a science teacher/mechanic and made her relationship demands known, but was underdeveloped and kind of lame.
Over all, I highly recommend the movie-- grab a kid or two if you need the excuse and hit the theater!
-J
Veggie Turkey
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
I'm in charge of appetizers for today...
This little guy is made of a bowl of dip and a bunch of sliced peppers, celery sticks, baby carrots and broccoli florets. His face is a third of a red bell pepper with a slice in the "face" for a bit of carrot and yellow pepper to be the beak and the... floppy hang-over-the-beak-thing that turkeys have.
This is the side view.
He'll have a partner made from bread. I'll put a bowl of spinach-artichoke dip in the middle of that plate, the same head/neck made from a pepper, and a tail of layered toasted baguette slices.
Eat plenty and be thankful!
-J
Ornament Gift Attempt
Hi folks!
So I had this brilliant idea for an ornament- make hand prints on felt with baby's hand and "frame" them with an embroidery hoop to give as gifts to hang on the tree.
Turns out execution was more difficult than imagined.
So I had this brilliant idea for an ornament- make hand prints on felt with baby's hand and "frame" them with an embroidery hoop to give as gifts to hang on the tree.
Turns out execution was more difficult than imagined.
First: cut squares big enough to hang outside the hoop.
Second: Paint baby's hand and press palm to felt. Get help!
This is why you need help.
When hand prints were too hard, we decided to try feet.
So cute.
We made 8.
I recommend a more opaque paint and maybe gentler pressure.
I pressed the felt into the embroidery hoop. It's not what I imagined, but with the nicer ones I can at least give a gift to the grandparents and keep one for us.
-J
1 comments
autumn, DIY, gifts, holidays/celebrations, home decor, J's Posts
November 10, 2011
Labels:autumn, DIY, gifts, holidays/celebrations, home decor, J's Posts
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...
... is Autumn!
Autumn includes cooling weather which means I get to wear scarves and sweaters and boots.
Autumn is when I was born! The trees are gorgeous in autumn. Halloween is in Autumn, and Halloween includes my favorite pastime, playing dress-up. (This year I made hats for me and baby so we could be Princess Leia and Yoda, respectively. We wore white robes. Hubby was Luke and wore goofy blonde wig and cargos. And Yoda in the Baby Bjorn.) And, last but not least, campfires!
My mom sent me these (from Papmered Chef) for my birthday so I can make s'mores without tromping through the woods to find the perfect stick.
Also in Autumn, I begin thinking about Christmas, which is of course the other Most Wonderful Time. I am thinking about crafts for gifts, decorations, everything! How much time I have to make all these things I'm seeing that look like so much fun... whole 'nother story.
Some ideas:
Garland made from paper circles, modified by using last year's Christmas cards.
Knit ornaments
Rosemary-infused salt. I'm using rosemary from my garden and calling it Turkey Rub.
Happy Autumn, everyone!
-J
Autumn includes cooling weather which means I get to wear scarves and sweaters and boots.
Autumn is when I was born! The trees are gorgeous in autumn. Halloween is in Autumn, and Halloween includes my favorite pastime, playing dress-up. (This year I made hats for me and baby so we could be Princess Leia and Yoda, respectively. We wore white robes. Hubby was Luke and wore goofy blonde wig and cargos. And Yoda in the Baby Bjorn.) And, last but not least, campfires!
My mom sent me these (from Papmered Chef) for my birthday so I can make s'mores without tromping through the woods to find the perfect stick.
Also in Autumn, I begin thinking about Christmas, which is of course the other Most Wonderful Time. I am thinking about crafts for gifts, decorations, everything! How much time I have to make all these things I'm seeing that look like so much fun... whole 'nother story.
Some ideas:
Garland made from paper circles, modified by using last year's Christmas cards.
Knit ornaments
Rosemary-infused salt. I'm using rosemary from my garden and calling it Turkey Rub.
Happy Autumn, everyone!
-J
Crazy Weekend!
Friday: Baby crawled for the first time! Funny little tummy-army crawl, but crawling nonetheless.
Saturday: Confirmation class camped out in my back yard.
Sunday: Attack of the horrible 24-hour stomach bug from heck!
Gradually made my way to sipping soup and feeling better...
What's you best sick-in-the-stomach remedy/recovery?
Saturday: Confirmation class camped out in my back yard.
Sunday: Attack of the horrible 24-hour stomach bug from heck!
Gradually made my way to sipping soup and feeling better...
What's you best sick-in-the-stomach remedy/recovery?
New fave blog
I keep up with a bunch of other blogs via Google Reader. One of my newer favorites is ThxThxThx: A Thank You Note A Day. It's a post-it note with a little thank you note, to a real person or an inanimate object, sometimes a bit sarcastic perhaps, but usually pretty genuine. It's a guaranteed smile a day, and Lord knows we can all use that.
-J
-J
1 comments
Labels:
autumn, cooking, J's Posts
autumn, cooking, J's Posts
Recipe Friday
For baby's baptism, I asked friends and family to stay for lunch. Since church was immediately before, and since I work during church (being the minister and all), I had to do something crock-pot-able and quick. Mexican is a good option-- throw the base and the toppings on the counter and suddenly it's a buffet! Here's how I made the base...
I have to warn you I'm an improv cooker, so I use measurements like "a splash" and "a few."
1. Pour a splash of olive oil in the bottom of the crock pot. Just enough to keep stuff from sticking. Turn it on high.
2. Add a few boneless/skinless chicken breasts. How many depends on the size of your crock pot and how many you'll be feeding. I have one of those big oval crocks, so I put four in there.
3. Dump a can of diced tomatoes over top. It keeps the chicken moist.
4. In an hour or so, pull out the breasts one by one and slice the chicken. If it's already cooked through, great! If not, it's going right back in, so no worries. Once they're sliced, throw them back in.
5. Saute a chopped onion. Or throw it in there raw. I think there's more flavor when it's cooked, but sometimes easy is more important than perfect.
6. Grab a can or two of black beans. Drain them, rinse fairly well but leave some of the black sooty stuff. It adds flavor. Add them to the pot.
7. My favorite ingredient for soups/stews: a bay leaf. Okay, four bay leaves. Yum.
8. Add chili powder. As much as you want, as much as you can handle (or if you're having guests, as much as they can handle). More spice options: garlic, onion salt, salt, pepper. Add to taste.
9. Cook it till it's bubbly. Stir whenever you want.
Options:
I have to warn you I'm an improv cooker, so I use measurements like "a splash" and "a few."
1. Pour a splash of olive oil in the bottom of the crock pot. Just enough to keep stuff from sticking. Turn it on high.
2. Add a few boneless/skinless chicken breasts. How many depends on the size of your crock pot and how many you'll be feeding. I have one of those big oval crocks, so I put four in there.
3. Dump a can of diced tomatoes over top. It keeps the chicken moist.
4. In an hour or so, pull out the breasts one by one and slice the chicken. If it's already cooked through, great! If not, it's going right back in, so no worries. Once they're sliced, throw them back in.
5. Saute a chopped onion. Or throw it in there raw. I think there's more flavor when it's cooked, but sometimes easy is more important than perfect.
6. Grab a can or two of black beans. Drain them, rinse fairly well but leave some of the black sooty stuff. It adds flavor. Add them to the pot.
7. My favorite ingredient for soups/stews: a bay leaf. Okay, four bay leaves. Yum.
8. Add chili powder. As much as you want, as much as you can handle (or if you're having guests, as much as they can handle). More spice options: garlic, onion salt, salt, pepper. Add to taste.
9. Cook it till it's bubbly. Stir whenever you want.
Options:
- Replace Chicken w/ ground beef. Obvi you'd have to cook it first, so you eliminate a lot of time. Cook the onion w/ it to infuse the flavor.
- Plop in a can of tomato paste. It makes a more saucy base.
- Add salsa.
- Add any other veggies you want. Red and green bell peppers come to mind. Ooh, and corn!
The Fart Song
When my daughter is feeling gassy, it can be painful! Bicycling her legs can help, and of course a song makes everything better! Here's the Fart Song, dedicated to my daughter.
-J
-J
1 comments
autumn, cooking, holidays/celebrations, home decor, J's Posts, photography
October 28, 2011
Labels:autumn, cooking, holidays/celebrations, home decor, J's Posts, photography
Jack-o-lanterns! and yummy pumpkin seeds
Turns out it's hard to take pics of lighted Jack-o-lanterns... they're either wobbly like this one or have too much flash to be spooky (see below).
The Carving
The hubby and I found pictures of ourselves and amped up the contrast until it was mostly black and white (no gray). The we printed out the pics and traced them onto the pumpkin. Unfortunately our carving skills and giant knives kept us from the picture-perfect execution we were hoping to achieve, but we think we got the gist across.
The hubby and I found pictures of ourselves and amped up the contrast until it was mostly black and white (no gray). The we printed out the pics and traced them onto the pumpkin. Unfortunately our carving skills and giant knives kept us from the picture-perfect execution we were hoping to achieve, but we think we got the gist across.
The Seeds
We scooped the seeds and rinsed them. Then I sprinkled them with olive oil, chili powder, salt and pepper. I tossed them with the spices and spread them on a cookie sheet, trying to keep one layer. I was baking something else, so the oven was already on 350. I let them bake for a bit, stirred them around a bit (un-sticking them from the pan, mostly), and let them bake some more. I don't remember how long it took, I just kept tasting them till they were crunchy enough for me!
-- J
We scooped the seeds and rinsed them. Then I sprinkled them with olive oil, chili powder, salt and pepper. I tossed them with the spices and spread them on a cookie sheet, trying to keep one layer. I was baking something else, so the oven was already on 350. I let them bake for a bit, stirred them around a bit (un-sticking them from the pan, mostly), and let them bake some more. I don't remember how long it took, I just kept tasting them till they were crunchy enough for me!
-- J
Newest neighbor
This lady visits and creates a giant web just outside our front door. (I know it's the female b/c I googled it. The male is smaller and hangs out nearby, but not in the web.) She is terrifyingly large, but not poisonous (also googled). Then I noticed one on the back porch. And one over the big rosebush at the corner of the house. And one in the garden.
I looked them up to keep myself from panic. But it turns out they will not crawl into my baby's room and eat her. They just eat bugs.
So now I feel some affection for her (and her friends). Perhaps I should come up with names for them? Any suggestions?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
