I am still alive and 2 down, 51 to go!

Why, hello there! Yes, I am still alive. I have been suffering from bloggers' block. I thought about blogging, occasionally started to log in but couldn't think of a darn thing to say. Nada inspiration. Zilch. Zero.

However, with the new year just around the corner, I have decided to make a renewed commitment to blogging and.... drum roll please.... I have come up with a new idea. Yessir, the bloggers' block is in remission.

I mentioned that last year my New Year's resolutions was to use my crock pot at least once a week. It was a very successful resolution. Not only did I use it almost every week, on many weeks I used a crock pot (slow cooker), two or three times a week. Confession time. I have never been much of a cook. Don't get me wrong, I have never given anyone food poisoning but we tend to eat easy to prepare meals. Even planning ahead to use my crock pot on a regular basis was something that just didn't happen. My son's favorite food as a young child was chicken nuggets and that was just fine with me. I know, I know, that was why I never got the Mother of the Year Award. Anyway, my commitment to the slow cooker resulted in a new interest in cooking because I started planning my meals for the week. It also helped to know that Friday night was a guaranteed no cooking night! We started going to the local farmers market and buying fresh vegetables. I also discovered tempeh as a meat substitute for Boy-o. That was a big turning point as I started making him "from scratch" meals. Not only did he not complain, he thanked me on a regular basis! In October, one of my facebook friends mentioned her new Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer and what fun she was having with it. With my newfound confidence, I decided that a buttercup yellow stand mixer would be a great addition to my kitchen. I started using that every week to whip up pizza dough, dip for holiday gatherings, meatloaf and cookies. On Thanksgiving, I tried many new recipes and the vast majority were resounding successes. I can't say I am a great cook but my cooking abilities are much more developed than they were in 2009.

Inspired by my recent cooking success and by a newspaper article about trying new recipes (written by one of my oh-so-talented cousins), I have decided that I am going to commit to trying 53 new recipes between now and 2012. I will blog about my adventures - and misadventures - in the kitchen on a regular basis. I will also blog about my adventures - and misadventures - in life. I hope you will come along for the ride.

Since today was a "snow day" for me due to the bad traveling conditions, I was able to try two new recipes today.

The first recipe was for Boy-o. It was ravioli stuffed with fake pepperoni and fake cheese. I searched online for a ravioli recipe and found one that sounded interesting on www.cook.com. My husband/sous chef and I combined all of the ingredients in the trust stand mixer and plopped the dough onto my new silicon mat. Hmmm. Question. It says to add more water if too dry and add more flour if too wet but it doesn't say what the dough is supposed to look like. I grabbed a handful of dough and squished it together. It looked just like the dough Bobby Flay used in the last "Throwdown" I watched. Never mind that he was making a Mexican dish and this was an Italian dish, if it is good enough for Bobby, it is good enough for me! After waiting 20 minutes for the dough to rest (why is it tired when I did all of the work?), we attempted to roll it out using a brand spanking new pasta roller. Hmmmm. Perhaps buying the cheap $20 model really wasn't that great of an idea. Oh no, the directions for the pasta make say no salt and my recipe had salt in it. Many false starts and a pause to watch a couple of Youtube videos on how it is done (they make it look very easy. I am considering a complaint to the FCC for false adverising - just sayin'), we finally got our first sheet rolled out. Out came the brand spanking new ravioli press (where did those darn directions end up?) and voila, we had raviolis! These steps were repeated until all of the ravioli stuffing mix was gone. We made the remaining dough into angel hair pasta. For lunch, Boy-o tried the ravioli (served with homemade sauce made in my crockpot earlier this weekend and homemade grilled french bread). He gave the pasta a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. Not bad. The extra raviolis were frozen flat on a cookie sheet and are now stored in a ziploc bag for future meals. The angel hair pasta is in the frig for hubby and me to try. One down, 52 recipes to go.

Before I started the pasta dough this snowy morn, I started 2 cups of red kidney beans soaking to make one of Boy-o's favorite dishes, red beans and rice. We have always used a mix to make it but I decided to try to make it from scratch. When buying a special pasta flour someone recommended, I noticed a bag of TVP and picked that up. What is TVP you ask? It is a textured vegetable protein that one of my facebook friends recommended. On the back of this package, there was a recipe for red beans and rice and I decided to give it a whirl. After soaking the beans all day, I went to the next step. Hmmmm. What is it with recipes today? Another somewhat confusing direction. It said to cook the beans with a large onion, 6 cloves of garlic and 2 quarts of boiling water. I decided to boil the water in the pan and then add the other ingredients. Oh no. I just realized that after we remodeled our kitchen a few years ago and put in the smooth top stove, we never replaced our dutch oven pan. I use the largest pan we have in the cupboard and add in all of the ingredients. It is full to the brim. It says to cook for 45 minutes (boil? simmer?). It also says later in the directions that the beans and TVP (which is added later) will soak up most of the liquid. I have my fingers crossed as my pan wouldn't take one more item. I let it cook for 20 minutes and decide that it simply isn't going to soak up enough water to add the remaining ingredients. Time for plan B. We don't have a dutch oven but we do have a lobster pot*. I transfer the contents into that. A few spills but all in all, a successful transfer. After the 45 minutes, I add 2 cups of the dried TVP, 3 tablespoons of chili powder and 1 tablespoon of cumin. I cooked it for another 40 minutes and - lo and behold - most of the liquid really is gone! In the meantime, I started rice in Boy-o's new rice cooker. Everything will be ready for him when he gets home from work.I have my fingers crossed that he will like this one too.

So that is it for today. I am off to read a cookbook or two to pick out some new recipes. I also welcome your favorite recipes. Check back in and I will let you know how many stars the red beans and rice got! Happy New Year!

*Even though we are both Maine natives, my husband and I do not like lobster. Our lobster pot has actually never been used for lobster but that was the name on it when we bought it. We use it for chili and for hot chocolate for parties, etc.

Twofer Tuesday

Twofer Tuesday is where I do a quick post on two different subjects.

Since I am into numbers this Tuesday, let me just say "Four more days!". (insert happy dance here). Four more days until my evil co-worker is gone, gone, gone! Can you tell that I am happy?!?!? Beyond happy is more like it! Truth be told, most of the office is looking forward to it. Evil co-worker is a very negative person who complains all of the time. We are all thrilled that we don't have to face another holiday season filled with sighs, complaints about the music and overall negativity. Yeah. They are reorganizing my department and I will now have an assistant all-to-myself!! My assistant is the current receptionist and someone who is not negative and someone who is excited to be there. The big difference between the two women is attitude. One has an attitude of "woe is me" and "I have such bad luck" whereas the other one is full of positive energy. Ironically enough, if you compared "luck" side by side, the one with the positive attitude has faced a lot more adversity (cancer, the death of two children, a failed business) but she faces each day with a smile on her face. Definitely an inspiration to be around.

I have turned into a cooking fool lately. This weekend, I took a chicken enchilada recipe and modified it to meet my son's dietary wishes. Out went the cheese and in came soy cheese because of his dairy allergy. Out went the chicken and in came the black beans and corn because of his vegetarian lifestyle. I tried a small portion of it and it was yummy. Last weekend, I made his a huge batch of faux chicken noodle soup. He loved it. The vegan corn chowder, one the other hand, was not a huge hit. My husband and I made Shrimp Po'Boys for supper last night with a food network recipe. Definitely on my "make again" list. We watched "The Next Food Network Star" this summer and this was one of the winner's creation. This is the second recipe from Aarti that we have tried. My resolution to use my crockpot at least once per week has changed me in many many ways!

Here's to Tuesdays! What's on your mind today?

Where have I been.....

I can't believe that it has been 1 1/2 months since my last post! I wish I could say that I have been off on a grand adventure but, alas, that would be a big fat lie. What I have been doing, however, is living life. In the past six weeks:

1)I have gone away for a Girl's Weekend with Mary Ellen and Judy. Judy has a wonderful lake house and she graciously invited Mary Ellen and me to visit. We talked, we laughed, we relaxed and we enjoyed each other's company. I am so lucky to have them as part of my life. I have also enjoyed a dinner out with them.

2) I have found a new doctor and started to feel a little better. I still have hip pain but between the new doctor and the new physical therapist, it seems to be going away.

3) I have started a Zumba class.

4) I have been a vocal advocate for our local high school. A few (very few) loud individuals want to close our high school and send them to the next town over. The majority of the residents don't support this idea but it just won't go away. I have been organizing people, ordering t-shirts and speaking at town meetings.

5) I got a wonderful birthday present when my evil co-worker gave her notice. Yup, right on my birthday! I literally danced out of the president's office when he told me. He was quite relieved by the resignation as well. The resignation was yesterday. I am wondering if she is going to even show up today.

6) I was sad - but also somewhat relieved - when the other high maintenance co-worker was let go a couple of weeks ago. Now, both Negative Nellies are gone (or will be gone shortly). The office morale is going to skyrocket now that we don't have to hear complaints from morning until night.

7) I have turned into a cooking fool. I have been going to a farmer's market on Saturday morning and buying fresh veggies. On Sunday morning, I have been getting up and cooking up a storm. Right now, I am on a corn chowder kick. Yummy!

8) I have been letting go a little bit and giving Boy-o a bit more freedom to go here and there. Him having a driver's license has been a bittersweet experience for me. On one hand, it is great that he can now get himself to his new library job or to the school for a meeting but on the other hand, I miss the time in the car.

That is what my past six weeks has been. What have YOU been up to?

Twofer Tuesday

Twofer Tuesday is a quick post where I focus on two subjects.

Usually by this point in the summer, I am ready for it all to be over and for fall. This year, however, the weather here in Maine has been so glorious all summer that I want it to go on and on and on and on. I can't believe that in a few short weeks, school starts and we will be back in the thick of meetings, concerts, conferences, open houses, etc. Maybe the fact that Boy-o will be a junior this year is part of my hesitation for the school year. If we delay junior year, that means that senior year and graduation are delayed as well. Yup, if truth be told, that might be why I am feeling this way. Where has the time gone?

I have been playing Family Feud on facebook. It is very similar to the television show except you play as a team of one except for the bonus round. Because of typographical errors and regional differences in language, they have a program set up to recognize answers that might not match exactly. For example, in this part of the country, we call carbonated beverages "soda" whereas in other parts of the country it is called "pop" or something else. If I answer soda, it recognizes that my answer is correct and gives me credit for it. Sometimes, however, the computer "recognizes" answers that do not make sense. For example, last night I typed in "machine operator". It matched me to "surgeon". One time I put in "wool pants" and it matched me to "sweater" and another time I put in "family" and it matched me to "love life" but then told me I had already used the answer when I typed "health". On the other hand, I didn't get a match when I put "Fourth of July" and the answer was "Independence Day" and I didn't get a match when I put "No One Laughs" and the answer was "No Laughter". I haven't decided if I think that the answer choices are done by someone in another country who doesn't know our language, etc. or if it is a bunch of computer geeks entertaining themselves by knowing that they are driving people crazy!

That's all that I have for this warm Tuesday. I hope things are great in your part of the world.

Here's to short posts!

What are YOU thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday is where I ask everyone to stop and think about the good things that are happening. Even during those weeks that stretch out more than the truth in a political campaign, there are always things that we can appreciate. This week, I am thankful for (in no particular order):

1) I am thankful for Tempeh. This soy bean creation is turning out to be a great meat substitute for Boy-o. I discovered it on Saturday at a farmer's market and have used it in an omelet, lasagna and sloppy joes.

2) I am thankful for the beautiful weather in Maine. After our summer of rain last year, I am really enjoying the sunny weather.

3) I am thankful that my husband and I have a loving and stable relationship. Watching the drama with some of the people at work is unbelieveable.

4) I am thankful for fellow employees who were happy that I decided to stay in my current job. I am also thankful for a boss who was even happier!

5) I am thankful for good friends and girls' night outs. I have had two of those in the past two weeks! (For those of you wondering, yes, I saw the one, the only, the incredible Mary Ellen. She is doing well. )

6) I am thankful for a son who asked to go get a haircut and who can drive himself there!

7) I am thankful for the pulled pork that is cooking in my crockpot right now. My husband and I will have an easy but yummy supper after karate tonight.

8) I am thankful for farmers' markets.

9) I am thankful that it is Thursday and this long long week is drawing to an end. As a bonus, my boss is out today and all next week!

10)I am thankful for the bloggers who read my blog and take the time to comment.

Here's to appreciation!

Katy, the wonder dog

Like most dogs, Katy makes it pretty clear what she wants. She has can let me know if she is hungry, if she needs to go out or if she thinks it is time to go to bed. Last night, however, she was very out of sorts after we went to bed and we couldn’t figure out what was wrong. She was pacing and the clickety click of her nails on the laminate floor was quite loud. All I could hear was click, click, whine, whine. There was no “I need to go outside” bark. We were mystified. Every so often, either my husband or I would tell her to settle down and she would relax for a few minutes. However, she would quickly jump up and start clicking and whining and whining and clicking. There wasn’t a lot of sleeping going on. At about 2:45 am, I decided to see if she wanted to go outside. I didn’t think that she did but I figured if she went out, it might settle her down. I opened the bedroom door and she streaked down the hallway towards Boy-o’s room. His door was partially closed and before I could even take a step she picked up her paw and whapped it against the door to open it all the way. She started racing back and forth in his room. Since Boy-o was still asleep, I turned on the hall light to peer in. I quickly realized that Katy was chasing a bat. Since I hate, hate, hate bats, I did the only thing I could think of. I ran back down the hallway and called for my husband to come. He told me to stay in our bedroom with the door closed and he and Katy rounded up two bats and got them outside. Apparently, Katy has a herding instinct because she rounded up one bat and chased it out of Evan’s bedroom and into the hallway where my husband was able to capture it. Boy-o finally woke up when all 85 pounds of canine landed on top of him when Katy was attempting to catch one of the bats. After my husband and Katy successfully removed both bats from the house, my husband returned to bed. Katy wandered the house for a few moments checking to make sure that her job was done. She collapsed at the top of the stairs in the hallway so she could make sure that no one else tried to invade HER house and promptly fell asleep. Being a wonder dog is hard work, you know.

Friday Fragments

TGIFF! Thank Goodness It's Friday Fragments! Today is the day where we take all of the bits and pieces of randomness and mash them up, mix them up and throw in a few spices and create one clutter-clearing post. Think of it a mental hash! Please join me in thanking Mrs. 4444 for being the head chef of this randomness.

Lots of stuff going on in our small part of Maine lately. First of all, the big news! Boy-o is now a licensed driver! Yup. He passed his test the first try. You would be proud of me. He drove me from the testing site to our local hospital and dropped me off. No, contrary to what people might think, I wasn't having a heart attack at the thought of a teen age driver. I simply needed to have some x-rays. I sent him on an errand so he dropped me off and drove off ALL-BY-HIMSELF. I cheerfully waved and didn't even hesitate or shed a tear. I can hardly believe it myself.

I came closer to shedding a tear when I got the quote for the car insurance, however. The good news is that his kind grandparents gave him a car. The bad news is that his grandparents gave him a car and gave us a big insurance bill. Oy. Someone (cough, cough) told her son years ago that if he "was on the honor roll, I would pay for his insurance". Boy-o is on the honor roll AND apparently has a very good memory for some things. Luckily, I work in an insurance agency and got my agent to quote a different company and we got the premium down by several hundred dollars. Still costs a small fortune, however.

Things have been going better at work lately. I asked to be moved away from my co-worker who complains all the time and I have never ever been so caught up. It is a great feeling! Of course, with things going better, what should happen but a new job opportunity. I did interview for a new position and entertained an offer. When it came down to it, however, there just wasn't enough of a reason to make a change. Sometimes the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence. It is nice to be wanted, however. I did discuss the offer with my current boss and it is nice to know that he was thrilled when I told him that I had decided to stay.

I have five weeks vacation at my job now and I have been taking a few random days off since my husband only gets 2 weeks. Today was one of those days. I came up with the brilliant idea of taking my son to get his photo taken for his permanent license. What should happen but we get into a car accident. Yup. He has had his license for 9 days and now has an accident under his belt! For a bad thing, however, it really couldn't have been much better. No one was hurt, it wasn't his fault, the man who hit us was an off duty police officer and couldn't have been nicer and I had a call from his insurance company on my answering machine by the time I got home. My son's car is a 2006 and was in perfect shape EXCEPT for a small scratch on the rear bumper. Since we were rearended, he is going to get a new rear bumper and the scratch will be gone! Can you tell I try to look at things on the positive side?

Last night, I had a Girls' Night Out with a friend. We have season tickets for our local repertory theater. We usually go to the same restaurant before the show to catch up. Last night, we decided to try a new place. Oh my. What a wonderful place! Great atomosphere and amazing food. Sorry old restaurant. You have been replaced in our affections for the new place in town. We have been going to shows on and off for 16 years. The production we saw last night of "All Shook Up" was definitely one of the top two shows we have ever seen. It was such a wonderful evening.

I have been reading up a storm lately. I am facebook friends with my high school English teacher and read a book she recommended "Sarah's Key". It is about France's round-up of Jews during World War II. Very enjoyable book. I am currently reading "Eat, Pray, Love" because of a friend's recommendation. I am thru the first part of her journey and am enjoying that book as well.

That is all I have for today. Have a great weekend and don't forget to check out everyone else who is participating in Friday Fragments!

Here's to summer!