Yesterday it was a beautiful 70 degrees out. Today, it's 50 and raining. Blech.
Clean-out-the-fridge curry, cucumbers with (homemade!) cheese, salad, tomato-filled cookies from the Asian market.
The curry wasn't my best, as I seemed to have run out of coconut milk. Must have forgot to put it on the grocery list when I used the last can of it. The curry's not awful or anything, just not as good as usual.
The cheese was a simple but good recipe from a book I got from the library. It will be better the next time I make it, since I will ignore the instructions and heat it up slowly while stiring so it doesn't scorch. It doesn't taste bad or anything, just not as good as it could. It's nice, though. Soft, spreadable, and slightly lemony.
I really should have cooked last night and had a really interesting and fun lunch today, but instead, I worked on those five stuffed elephants. We ordered pizza instead. We actually ate pizza for dinner Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - at least on Friday and Saturday it was homemade.
Lettuce with diced five-spice tofu, veggies for topping, and tomato-filled cookies from the Asian market.
We went to a new Asian market yesterday and that where I got the tofu. It's pretty good. A little bland, but that's what I wanted. I also got a whole bunch of other tofu and fake meat products from there. I'm sure you'll be seeing them here.
The tomato cookies are from our usual Asian market, CAM. They're very nice, slightly sweet. An impulse buy that I'm very happy with. The other impulse buy - roasted chestnuts? Not so much. One bite and I spit it out and threw away the entire bag (only $1.09, so not a huge loss). Man, that was gross!
Seriously. I probably won't make more unless it's a special order. Turns out I don't much enjoy making these en masse. I don't mind making them one-by-one, but in bulk ... not my favorite. These are just two, but there are five up for sale, and each is unique.
On the other hand, they're awfully cute, if I do say so myself. :)
I've also added some new onesies, including a couple 3-6 month sizes and a 9-12 month one. One of them is a wiccan one - or witch or pagan or whatever you choose to call it - because I've seen that there's a lack of coverage in that area. There'll be more coming, too.
Is there something you want to see on monkey sew, monkey do? Let me know and I'll see what I can do!
Considering that I woke up so icky-feeling that I wasn't sure I would even be able to eat this lunch, I am happy to report that it was just the perfect thing. I still don't feel so great, but the comfort food aspect of this has at least helped my mood a bit.
Whole wheat bread, tuno salad, spinach for the sandwich, and pepper strips for snacking.
I would have included potato chips if we'd had any, but no such luck (and in reality, it's rare that we have them in the house anyway), so healthy peppers.
In addition, like yesterday, this was another use-it-up lunch. Between mine and Jeff's lunches, we used up bread, celery, and spinach. It's nice to empty the fridge a bit before grocery shopping tomorrow.
We had lots of little leftovers in the fridge - the kind that will migrate to the back, never to appear again until you find you no longer have any room and clean out the fridge. So they're in today's lunch.
Spinach salad with tomatoes & pinenuts, steamed carrots with sallot pepper, roasted squash with cheese and salsa, and a potato croquette with sweet chili sauce.
I found the croquettes at the Asian market and they're wonderful!
You may notice (if you don't read this on a feed) that I've redesigned my website. Lemme know if you can't find something of if something's not working right.
Yeah, so I forgot to post my lunch yesterday. It's that time of year when work is crazy. I'm laying out portions of two books in addition to my regular work, so I'm pretty much going blind from staring at a computer screen. Fun!
But anyway.
Yesterday's lunch featured spinach salad! Yay! I found it! Also with homemade ginger butternut soup, sesame semolina bread, and some corn pudding stuff that mom brought down over the weekend.
Today's lunch was a clean-out-the-fridge lunch. Cucumbers that I had bought for spring rolls I never got around to making, carrots, a slice of spinach roll that tmom brought down, the rest of the corn pudding-y stuff, and spinach salad with cheese.
I am loving the return of spinach. I hated not having it. -------------
Homemade pumpkin ravioli with sage cream sauce, topping for salad, lettuce, and a dark chocolate covered marshmallow. I tried making ravioli a couple weekends ago, but it didn't really work out well. This version is much better! And the sauce is way tasty, too.
Unfortunately, the ravioli doesn't travel well. It all stuck together, but it still tasted good. I'm not complaining.
Oh, and monkey sew, monkey do is now officially open! It's not fully stocked yet, but I hope to get a few more items - including dog collars - up over the weekend.
A sparrow has been sheltering on our porch since it's been colder. The upside-down pot is there to, well, keep birds from sheltering on the porch because we don't like bird poop all over the porch. You can see how well that works ...
In other news, my thyroid biopsy came back fine. Yay! No cancer!
Wormie has some exciting news! But, just to be cruel, I'll make you wait for her to announce it. :)
We have a leak in our kitchen faucet. Guess what we're doing this weekend?
My boss' son is ill with Kawasaki Syndrome. Think good thoughts for him, OK?
And here's a preview of some of the stock for my etsy store. If you're interested in anything, email me.
This looked a lot tastier before I dropped it upside down, I swear.
Steamed carrots, a dark chocolate covered marshmallow, and rice with Yves BBQ faux-beef with red pepper sauce.
No, the Yves product isn't on the website, nor are a few of their other new ones - they don't seem to be so big on the updating. They're BBQ faux-beef skewers, and they weren't bad. They might be a nice change for something on the grill. They need to add a little packet of extra sauce, though.
I did a lot of cooking over the weekend, and two of the dishes today are leftovers from that. Yay leftovers!
Salad with pinenuts, refrigerator soup (whatever veggies happen to be in the fridge soup), steamed snow peas with soy sauce, and leftover pumkin ricotta ravioli filling.
You might be seeing the actual ravioli later this week if we don't have them for dinner sometime this week. They're so yummy with a sage cream sauce!
We pulled three pounds of green and slightly-red tomatoes from the plants before we pulled them up last week. I finally got around to doing something with them after they'd been sitting on the counter all week: end of season tomato chutney.
It's the same recipe as the ripe tomato chutney I made in the middle of summer, but with some changes to make it fit better with the tarter taste of the green tomatoes. It made about five pints, but I only had enough jars for nine and a half pints, so there's some in the freezer, too. Should go really nicely with cheese and crackers.
I've also been working on stock for my new etsy shop. More on that soon!
Lately, I've been having problems with the local public bus company, COTA. I've contacted them several times, and so has Jeff, but to no avail. Maybe some public shaming will get me the apology and/or explanation I would like.
The first contact was via their web form. The rest were to via an email address that I got when someone responded (non-helpfully) to me.
*****
From: kusine@***.com Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 8:51 AM To: **Requests Subject: Contact Type: complaint
Three times in the last week, I have missed my bus because it has shown up early or possibly never shown up at all.
Last Wednesday, Sept. 13, the #4 North bus that was supposed to arrive at Town and High streets at 4:26 p.m. was either more than five minutes early or simply never showed up. This also happened again yesterday, on Sept. 19.
This morning, the #4 South bus that was supposed to be at Indianola and Hudson at 7:18 drove past at 7:14 as my husband and I were walking to the bus stop. We were late to work, having to wait for the next bus.
With these problems, in addition to the endemic overcrowding on the #4 line, I am unsure if I will be able to continue riding COTA. My husband and I have voted for every tax increase to support you, but have gotten nothing but more cut hours and lousy service.
I have even adjusted my working hours to accommodate your inconvenient evening rush hour times. However, if you can't even keep to those times, I'm not sure it's worth supporting you with my votes and tax dollars.
I look forward to hearing your explanation for these events.
Thank you, Jessica Roberts
*****
From: "Hairston, Annette M." hairstonam@cota.com To: kusine@***.com Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 11:15:36 AM Subject: FW: Contact Type: complaint
Dear Jessica,
Thank you for bringing your recent concerns with COTA to our attention this helps us to identify aspects of our service that can be improved.
Your complaint is taken seriously and has been forwarded to the appropriate departments for investigation and/or corrective action.
Thank You For Your Continued Patronage!
*****
From: Jessica Roberts To: "Hairston, Annette M." hairstonam@cota.com Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 8:17:13 AM Subject: Re: Contact Type: complaint
Please also pass along then, that the #4 South bus that was supposed to be at Indianola and Hudson at 7:18 this morning (9/26/2006) never showed up. And the one after it was late getting downtown because it had to make so many extra stops to pick up the people who normally take the earlier bus.
I was late to work twice in two weeks because of COTA. I may no longer be able to keep my job and ride COTA, since you seem to be increasingly unreliable on this route.
I know that customer service people were on the bus last Friday morning, but I have yet to receive an explanation, let alone an apology. I would like both.
Thank you.
Jessica Roberts
*****
From: Jessica Roberts To: "Hairston, Annette M." hairstonam@cota.com Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 8:06:32 AM Subject: Re: Contact Type: complaint
Dear Ms. Hairston--
Please pass this along also to the appropriate department:
Since Sept. 20, I have been late to work four times due to COTA. The fourth time was this past Tuesday, when my bus was late - again. This morning, October 12, would have been the fifth time if I had not given up and driven to work.
The #4 South bus that was supposed to be at Indianola and Hudson at 7:18 a.m. passed me at 7:30 as I was waiting to pull out onto Indianola. Just a few minutes ago, from my office window I watched it arrive at my usual bus stop (Rich & High) around 7:50 - late. If I had not driven to work, I would have been late for the fifth time in four weeks, thanks to COTA.
My husband and I both purchase monthy bus passes through an employer pre-tax program. This means that our November passes have already been paid for. If that were not the case, we would not have purchaed them. If COTA cannot provide reliable service, we cannot continue to give it our support, including voting for your tax increases. We will decide by the beginning of November if your services can be of any use to us.
I undertand that sometimes things happen that might cause a bus to be late. However, the #4 line has always been a reliable line - until mid-September. I'm not asking for miracles from an underfunded bus service, but after three complaints, I still have yet to receive a single apology or explanation. I do not think that a simple communication of that nature would be too much to ask.
A very dissatisfied customer, Jessica Roberts 614/***-****(day) 614/***-****(evening)
*****
I really would prefer to take the bus, for many reasons. Hell, we bought our house because it's on the bus line. But I just can't keep being late. And I don't think that an explanation or an apology is too much to ask, do you?
Salad with semi-dried tomatoes and pinenuts; two varieties of sweet potato from our graden, roasted and topped with cheese; the last of the roasted veggie pies; and chocolate chip almond cookies.
The sweet potatoes were actually fairly disappointing. And that's about 1/3 of our garden's entire sweet potato yield. So we won't be planing them again. Maybe some ornamental ones, but not for food.
I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel here...
Pasta with a roasted red pepper sauce, celery, more of the canned tropical fruit that I can't remember what it is, and two homemade chocolate chip almond cookies.
Perhaps I should stop at the store on my way home from the post office this evening...
How can I have gone grocery shopping and not have any food? Or, more precisely, have no food that's quick and easy to make and pack for lunch and that I want to eat?
Broccoli with a scallion cream sauce, tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, roasted root veggie baby pies, and a canned tropical friut that I can't remember the name of.
This turned out to be a just fine lunch, but it doesn't feel terribly inspired or anything. The little pies were tasty, though! -------------
This is a little time-consuming, but worth it! If you don't have vermouth, try a dry white wine instead or just leave it out entirely. But the vermouth really makes it good!
Ingredients
2 small butternut squashes 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp butter 1/2 cup diced onion 2 Tbsp dry vermouth 3 cups vegetable broth 1 Tbsp jarred minced ginger 2 Tbsp minced fresh chives, plus more for garnish 1 cup half & half Salt & pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400ยบ. Cut squashes in half and remove seeds. Cut each half into quarters and put in large pan. Toss with olive oil, then roast until very soft, about an hour.
Allow squash to cool, then remove skins and process squash in food processor until smooth.
In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and cook onions until they begin to become clear. Add the vermouth and lower the temperature to low, then cook until all the vermouth is gone.
Add the butternut puree, vegetable broth and ginger and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 30 minutes, preferably several hours.
After at least 30 minutes, add chives and half & half and add more salt and pepper if needed. Cover and simmer for five minutes.
I went to the vet's office today for the first time since we were last there with Indy, and it was harder than I expected. But Cordy needed her tramadol since the weather's getting cold so I went. I made it quick and got to pet some kittens.
I also made soup while our fridge got fixed.
Ginger roasted butternut soup. Pretty good. I'll probably write up the recipe it was that good.
I also had a biopsy on my thyroid today, when I went in just expecting a check-up. No biggie, but the doctor just didn't feel comfortable handing me back to my regular doctor without checking it out completely.
It's the little tiny red bit that looks more like a zit than anything else. (If you click on the picture, then mouseover, I've put a box over it.) Five needle's-worth. You wouldn't think that something so small would hurt so damned much. And they stole blood, too. Just to be spiteful, I think.
But, it was a beautiful day. One of those crystal-clear fall days. The girls liked it, at least.
Cordy's mousing in the back, hiding from the mean ol' sun, while Kaylee's basking in it while she can.
I was too busy enjoying the storm last night to make my lunch today, so I just threw something together this morning.
Pasta with roasted red pepper "cream" sauce and faux meatballs; tomatoes with balsamic vinegar; steamed green beans; and applesauce.
The tomatoes were the ones I got at the farmer's market on Tuesday, and they were only so-so. Certainly not as good as the ones from our own garden. Oh well. It's the end of the season anyway.
It was over eighty degrees today, but a cold front hit us this evening. What does that mean other than a twenty degree drop in temperature?
Rain!
Tornadoes!
Hail!
Floods!
Actually, we only got three out of four. No tornado.
Golfball sized hail pretty much shredded the front and back gardens. It even smashed up one of our remaining pumpkin plants so much that we had to pluck the pumpkin prematurely. It's resting comfortably in the kitchen, recovering from its pummeling.
Poor plants. The tall things with the red seeds are castor bean plants (also known as ricin trees at our house) and they pretty much had all the leaf stems broken. We'll have to cut them down now. And they'd just hit about eight feet tall, too, dammit.
It's supposed to storm throughout the night, too. Hopefully it'll be a little less destructive.
I was supposed to go with a friend to lunch and then the farmer's market today, but plans got cancelled because, well, my friend - by her own admission - didn't know what day it was and had double-booked. :)
I went to the market anyway, though it was small - it's getting to be the end of the season here in Ohio. I also got a salad to eat on the statehouse grounds (between the market and my office), but no photo because the wind was blowing so freakin' hard that I was pretty sure I'd end up wearing my food if I took my hands off it for the few seconds it took to take the photo.
But maybe tomorrow I'll have something in my lunch with the heirloom tomatoes I did pick up at the market.
All of this is leftovers and all of it is pretty decadent for lunch. And filling. Probably too much food, but it was all so good!
Roasted ambercup squash with chili powder, whole wheat pasta with basil, phyllo-crusted veggie and cheese pie, and a dark chocolate covered marshmallow.
Sorry about the radio silence of the last few days. We were working hard around the house. I'll try to remember to get photos of the front yard soon!
Yesterday it was a beautiful 70 degrees out. Today, it's 50 and raining. Blech.
