Thursday July 26

Frustrating day. I had a meeting at 9:30 and I got there 4 minutes late. I wasn't allowed in, tardiness is unacceptable. I have to go next week.

Today I finished the strap for marakesh. All knitted parts are complete, but I have to work on the lining. I need to find fabric I want to use but I haven't made it over to Mom's to raid her stash. Since we're going to Austin this weekend, I won't get there until next week. So marakesh is on hold. I need to take pictures.

We had some fun in the kitchen with the kids. Yesterday, we made rice krispy treats. It was the first time I have made rkt with the kids. A is over 7 and it took me that long. Today we made pudding. A's request since she can't easily chew the rkt.

I need to do laundry before we leave tomorrow.

Meatball Stoganoff Results

Women's Day March 2006

Recipe: make meatballs with ground chicken & saute, remove meatballs & saute mushrooms. Add can of beef gravy & sherry. Add meatballs back, cover & saute. Take off heat and add sour cream & dill. Serve over noodles.

Changes: I can't say that I actually made this dish. I didn't have ground chicken, I used ground beef. I didn't have beef gravy or sherry. I used beef broth & pinot grigio. I didn't have sour cream. I added a can of cream of mushroom soup.

Results: I overcooked the meatballs. I wasn't paying attention to the time when sauteing them. Oh well.

A hated every bit of the meal especially the mushrooms.

DH liked it but said since A didn't like it maybe we should stick to Hamburger Helper. The point for me was to not make Hamburger Helper.

J thought it was good and even ate some of the mushrooms.

B ate the meatballs and threw the rest, but he's only 19 months. He doesn't really count yet.

I kept the recipe but I don't know if/when I'll make it again. If I do, I won't make the meatballs, I'll just cook the mixture like ground beef. And I'll chop the mushrooms smaller. Then maybe it will look more like Hamburger Helper and A will be happier.

Pesto Crusted Chicken Results

From epicurious.com, Bon Appetit 2002

Recipe: Blend store bought pesto with walnuts, lemon juice & lemon zest. Coat chicken breasts with sauce and bake.

Results: This was a very simple recipe, very easy to make. I thought it was good but I have a recipe for walnut chicken that I like better.

Kids: They liked it but thought it needed ketchup. I don't know whether to take that as something bad or accept that they like to dip their chicken in ketchup no matter what.

DH: He said he liked it. But at the end of the meal he said he liked walnut chicken better. Great minds think alike. I don't think I'll keep this recipe.

recipes for the week

• chedder pretzel bread
• pesto chicken
• roast beef sandwiches with onion sauce
• meatball stoganoff

Things to do 7-21

1. Write resume
2. Find a job
3. Send recipes to Kristin
4. Finish marakesh
5. Find yarn for wrap
6. Target - return lake shoes
7. Walmart - return lake shoes

dried tomato cassrole

Torn from BH&G (I think), runners-up in the make-ahead dinner recipe contest

Ingredients: packaged ravioli, sun-dried tomatoes, cheddar, monterrey jack & parmesan cheese, eggs, milk.

Put the packaged ravioli in a buttered casserole. Sprinkle tomatoes then cheeses. Beat eggs with milk and pour over top. Refrigerate over night.

Changes: I didn't have sun-dried tomatoes, but I had fresh tomatoes from the garden. So I chopped up one of those, added a little oil, balsalmic, garlic & spices and let it sit for awhile. I also subbed mozzarella for the jack cheese.

Results: I thought it tasted like italian breakfast casserole and was a little bland. I used a cheese ravioli. Maybe it would be better if I used meat ravioli or if I added a little italian sausage. I thought it needed something more.

On the other hand DH & mom both liked it a lot and said they would have me make it again.

I kept the recipe.

recipe experiment

I've been tearing out recipes for years. I've stuck them in a file folder and rarely ever used them.

Since I'm out of work and I have the time for cooking, I've decided to start trying the recipes. I tried several so far but I've decided to start writing down the results. Here is what I remember so far.

Pork Tenderloin with Tabasco onions: excellent, better than excellent. I don't like pork and I can't wait to try it again.

Red Pepper Salmon Pasta: ho-hum, nothing special

Best ever chocolate cake: I rarely make cakes from scratch. But this one was good. The chocolate sour cream frosting was good.

Thursday

Nothing exciting to add. A few lines added to the back of marakesh. More laundry to do.

I have a fairly boring life.

Knitting to-do list

• dashing for Chris
• touring wrap for me
• fetching for me
• Katheryn Hepburn cardigan for Mims
• stripy sweater for J

Other to-do list

1. Write resume
2. Find a job
3. Send recipes to Kristin
4. Finish marakesh
5. Find yarn for wrap
6. Library - return books
7. Target - return lake shoes
8. Walmart - return lake shoes
9. Grocery store

other drivel

I just messed up and lost my whole post. I don't feel like writing it all. Here's the summary.

Hummingbirds feeding on turks cap but no camera.
Salmon with red pepper sauce just no-hum. Won't make it again.
Frogged the back of marakesh because it was too short widthwise. I started over.
Decided to give clapotis & fetching to Barb. I didn't give her anything for her 40th. I think she'll like both. Plus they match.

Knitting to-do list is growing

• dashing for Chris
• touring wrap for me
• fetching for me
• Katheryn Hepburn cardigan for Mims

Progress on marakesh & house

So there is the front of marakesh complete. I haven't cast on for the back yet. But it will come.

Here are pics of the no longer screened in porch. I need to go find pictures of the porch before it was undone. I have some from when we first bought the house. It is nice having more space for the backyard. We never used the screened in portion. It was just a pass through to the backyard. Now we can sit in the shade while the children play.

Things to do list

1. Write resume
2. Find a job
3. Send recipes to Kristin
4. Finish marakesh
5. Find yarn for wrap
6. Library - return books
7. Target - return lake shoes
8. Walmart - return lake shoes
9. Grocery store

Start of Marakesh

So I cast on my Marakesh bag and finished my first repeat last night. I'm not sure about the color Limeade but I do like the pattern. I think it will turn out nice. If I end up not liking the color, I can give it to my sister.

fetching

Okay. Here's my blog. I thought I would try it. Everybody else is doing it!