it pays to clean house

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i had a paperbag sitting on the floor, mostly filled with empty boxes from christmas. in the midst of housecleaning today, i decided the paperbag had been sitting on the floor long enough. it had a couple of christmas cards in the bag, including one with m-o-n-e-y!


the day started out somewhat wintery, with a few flakes and sleet, but then the clouds broke and it turned out to be a very pretty day.

what's cooking?

in celebration of the nearest thing to wintery weather this weekend, i decided to make some chicken chili. i've made this three times now, and it didn't take me as long this time because 1) i used less chicken, and 2) because i used less chicken, i could saute it in one batch and pretty much follow the recipe as written.

here's the recipe ....

chicken chili

2 lbs bonelss chicken, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 tbls oil
2 c. chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 can (4.5 oz.) chopped green chilis
1 can each of pintos and black beans
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne peepper
2/3 c. chopped cilantro (fresh)
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
2 tbls chili powder
1 tbls ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 c. chopped sundried tomatoes
1 c. grated cheddar cheese

in a large dutch oven saute chicken in oil for 5 minutes. add onion and garlic, and continue to cook until lightly browned. add remaining ingredients in the order given, except the cheese, and bring to a boil. reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes. top with grated cheese.

the picture shows all the chili powder i dumped into it. that's a lot of chili powder, and ummmmm ummmm good!

oh, and i added a jalapeno, sliced, seeds and all. i like heat.

it must be prom time ....

i clipped the ad from yesterday's newpaper. it reminded me that i have this amazing book on tiaras. i don't remember which came first. did i see the book first, or had i read about the exhibit first? either way, the exhibit was in boston, and i found the book in chicago in september of 2001. some people go "wow" over all the jewels and precious metals. i go WOW over the semi-precious stones and all metal tiaras. i just love the rivets on the leaves of the haircomb in the left corner. if you click on the photo, you can see them better.

i could had made all my pictures line up like a pyramid, but, that would take too much effort. so, here's the run down .... starting in the top left corner and working your way down as if reading a paragraph .... acetylene tank. yes, i have an acetylene tank, and i finally moved it from my sewing room to near the workbench. maybe i'll get it fired up sometime soon too! outside plants. today's high was in the 60's, and tomorrow will be in the 70's. i think it's good for my desert plants to suck up some sunshine w/o a piece of glass between them and the source. outside bug. yes. that's where the bugs belong. chicken, that's what's for dinner. breaded and baked, with some kind of salad i've not fixed yet. i would like to do roasted carrots, but, who really wants to wait another 50 minutes? sink. i cleaned the sink. but, it's full of tonight's dinner happenings now. the ammonia. i checked my fishes ammonia levels, and, they're fine. i quickly scrubbed the algea off the walls of their aquarium, it was getting kinda filmy and i like to see them clearly. bicho ... say no more.

not much to say, just took some snapshots around home today, so mom doesn't get bored with looking at the same pictures all the time.



i'm still reading that book! it's very slow reading, or i'm just not very into it. sometimes it's interesting, and i turn page after page, sometimes, barely a paragraph. now, i just want to finish it so i can start something new. i may be able to knit on multiple projects, but i can only read one book at a time.

notice all the patterns, books, and magazines under the top read? well, sometimes i don't even read _the blind assassin_, but look at all my knitting stuff instead!

pss. and i don't like how the nameless man treats the nameless woman in the book. that story unto itself is intriguing. why does she keep going to him if she doesn't like how he acts towards her sometimes?! read between the lines ....

i made a list the other day. i wrote down a few things that i believe in.

aprons
shower caps
hot water bottles

it makes me feel rather domestic, but the items listed above are so useful! it also makes me feel a bit oldladyish, but maybe those old ladies know something i don't?
what's the favorite thing on my list? the hot water bottle. man, you fill that baby with super hot water about an hour before bedtime, pop it into the bed between the sheets, down near the feet, and it preheats your bed for you. there's something about having your feet warm that warms your entire body. the bottle stays hot to warm all night long too. hikers do this too with boiling water in their nalgene bottles in the foot of their sleeping bags.

about the photo. it's this recipe from the whole foods website. it was tasty and easy.

homefront

this was yesterday, as the front was passing, letting in some late afternoon sunshine .....

this was today, as i was making another batch of veggie lasagna. i like to play rack em stack em in the kitchen sink!

swish go the fish

i cleaned their tank today, and moved their rock and plant to a new position. i meant to take pictures of the new setup, but, was captured by their swimming and movement instead. i often just sit infront of the aquarium, watching the fish swim to and fro. though, sometimes they hold still, and i grab my camera, and they take off! they know ....

this is the kind of day that i would be walking with haste, constantly checking over my shoulder, searching out the sky, checking my watch for the barometric pressure .... today is blustery, warm, balmy, rainy, windy, and the temp is suppose to drop tonight.
my buddies, KTR and SOLACE, are heading out again, from springer mountain, this march. they're coming to visit me first, on the way down to georgia. i guess, between now and then, i need to think about what i want to do.
do i go out again, for a few days, a week, or longer?
mom, why did you give me that appalachian trail calendar?!!!!

the haphazard cook

it looks more like a CSI crimescene, vs. the kitchen of an inexperienced cook. it especially looked so after dropping the saucy wooden spoon on the floor, and spraying a ton of tomato splatter across the floor and trash can. thank god for black pants! (i'll scrape the crusties off later!)(giggle giggle)

this is the scene of making spinach and roasted red pepper lasagna from this gem. (ps. the photography in this book could certainly lure a vegetarian to omnivore). little did i realize it was an almost from scratch recipe, thus requiring hours of attention. i'm sure it will be worth it though. i also learned that my 9" x 13" pyrex is a bit on the shallow side, as i had leftover sauce (not to mention it did not meet the measurements of the required baking dish dictated in the recipe. oops). after this masterpiece comes out of the oven, i will be off to target for some appropriate containers for freezing yummy portions.

nothing to say

but something to look at ....