Quinoa and Black Beans

- 1 tablespoon butter

- 1 onion, diced  

- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced  

- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa  

- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth  

- 1 teaspoon ground cumin  

- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper  

- salt and pepper to taste  

- 1 cup frozen corn kernels  

- 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. 

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans.  Serve warm.  I topped mine with a little bit of cheese.

Dinner Concoction

The initial inspiration for last night's dinner was my desire to use up the abundance of citrus fruit I had in my fridge.  It's kinda odd for me to have a stockpile of citrus fruit - in this case clementines and key limes - given that while I like the flavor, I despise the pithy crap that comes with them.

So, I started off by juicing the clementines and key limes to make some sauce to go with some chicken.  Here is what I put together in the sauce:

- 1.25 cups citrus juice
- 0.25 cup maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 0.50 cup red onion, minced
- 0.25 cup fresh ginger root, minced
- salt
- corn starch
- cold water

I combined the juice, syrup, onion, garlic and ginger in a sauce pan, along with a pinch of fresh ground sea salt.  I brought everything to a boil over medium heat.  Once the garlic, onion and ginger were tender, I thickened the sauce using some corn starch mixed with cold water.

I combined a bundle of soba noodles and udon noodles and cooked both according to the package directions.  After draining them, I added a couple of tablespoons of butter to the still hot noodles, and then added in carrot and celery slivers (from two peeled carrots, and two celery stalks, created using a citrus zester).  When I make this again, I want to substitute some bean sprouts for the celery.  I also added some toasted sesame seeds to the pasta and veggie mix.

I had cooked about a pound diced of chicken breast in a skillet, using some butter in the pan instead of oil and adding some salt and pepper for taste.  Once cooked through, I added the chicken to the sauce, and then served the chicken over the pasta and veggies, with some additional sesame seeds for garnish.

So, this started out as using up some stuff from the fridge, but was good enough that I totally want to make it again sometime!  :)

Super Storm 2011

A little belated, but here are some pics that I took last Friday before heading to work:

Plus, once the clouds cleared in the afternoon, there was a pretty awesome sunset:

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Since Texas has been in the grips of a lovely winter storm - I think they called it Super Storm 2011 on the radio this morning - I was looking to make a nice hearty soup for dinner last night.  This is what I made up:

3 + 2 15-oz cans organic black beans drained and rinsed, separated
2 cartons Pacific organic vegetable broth
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
2 red onions, diced
1 celery heart, diced
4 carrots, diced (I left the skin on)
6 garlic cloves, diced
2 12-oz bags frozen corn
lime juice
salt
pepper
chili powder
cumin
cayenne pepper
cheddar cheese
chives

Add the diced pepper, onion, celery, carrots and garlic to a large stock pot, along with 3 of the cans of black beans.  Add in the vegetable broth.  Make sure that all of the veggies are sufficiently covered and free to move in the broth, adding water if necessary.

Season to taste using the salt, pepper, lime juice, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper.

Once the veggies are tender, puree everything in the pot using a hand blender.  Add in the frozen corn and remain 2 cans of black beans.  Simmer until warm.

Serve, with some cheddar cheese and chives for garnish.

Still Cold

I thought that one of the advantages of living in Texas was it being warmer here than up in Michigan?

Winter Storm

Above is the sight that greeted me when I opened my garage door this morning.  It was by no means an unexpected sight given the rain during the night and the dropping temperatures.  Not to mention the weather forecasts from the past few days.

While there was a little bit of snow there, it is really just a sheet of ice.  And a sheet of ice is what covered all roads I drove on.  Kinda hoping that I won't have any problems getting back in the garage tonight too since there is a bit of an incline to the driveway...

I'm also kinda enjoying the fact that the weather here is a lot like the weather up in good ol' C-town:

Every local news source was saying to stay home unless you ABSOULUTLY have to go out, but I've never been good at following recommendations like that.  Plus, I was on a mission this morning.

Tomorrow will be four months since I adopted Jas, Ozzie and Ty.  Ozzie was neutered pretty much immediately after I got him, but Jas was a little too small for the vet's liking and Ty was still way to young.  Unfortunately, shortly after Ozzie's surgery, it was determined that Ty had ringworm and had been kind enough to share it with not only Jas and Ozzie, but myself as well.

This meant that for the next two months they were sequestered in my bathroom since there are easy to clean surfaces in there and the bedding, food bowls, all surfaces, etc. had to be cleaned at least once a week to help prevent reinfection. But with growing kitties who will at some point have all of the necessary parts to make more kitties, there has kinda been a race to get them cleared or their ringworm. 

Visually they all look great.  Ty has hair and whiskers again.  But the latest fungal culture was positive.

Unfortunately, Ty has been getting to close to getting frisky with Jas for my comfort in the past few days.  After consulting with the vet yesterday, he felt that while not ideal to put a cat through a stressful situation while trying to get them over ringworm, that getting Ty neutered would be minimally invasive and not very stressful - especially when compared to spaying Jas.

Since everything does to shut down here with significantly less snow and ice that we received today, I made sure to check my phone for any calls from the vet before heading out.

The cops were out in force keeping an eye on things this morning and thankfully most people are much better at following directions than me, so there was very little traffic.

Ty and I finally got to the vet - him protesting the entire way there, even after burying himself in the towel in the crate - only to find the vet in the drive salting everything and saying that they are closed today since most of his staff did not make it in.  He did offer to keep Ty though and try and get to his surgery today and if not today, then tomorrow. 

So I began the next leg of my trek, and it wasn't too long after I got to work, that I got a call saying that Ty's surgery went great and that the vet was heading home, but that he was taking Ty with him and that I could pick him up from his house.  All if this being just a small portion of why I think this vet practice is amazing!

Of course, now I am still in kind of a limbo area.  It's all well and good that both boys are neutered now but all three have been lose in the house and unsupervised during the day, and that while Jas has done a fabulous job of fending off Ty's advances in my presence, that that doesn't necessarily mean much.  As far as I can tell, she hasn't gone into heat since I've had her.  I did look up what the pregnancy signs in cats are just so I know what I'm looking out for, but there is no way to make a good determination prior to three weeks. 

In doing this research, I came across this rather graphic page that discusses the moral and ethical implications of spaying a pregrant female cat.  Really hoping that I don't have to fully process that possibilty.

Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

I had some zucchini and yellow squash that I wanted to use up and felt like baking.  I also wanted to do something a little different than standard zucchini bread.  My search lead to the recipe below, which might just become a go-to recipe when I want some nice moist chocolate cake.  Also, I think that the cake tasted even better after sitting for a day, as opposed to fresh out of the oven.

Adapted from Fabulous Foods

3 cups shredded zucchini (DO NOT pat dry!)

* I used a combination of zucchini and yellow squash

¾ cup cocoa

1-²/₃ cup flour

2 cups organic cane sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350^oF.  Coat a 9-inch bundt pan with cooking spray and dust lightly with 2-tablespoons of the cocoa powder.  Shred zucchini and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cocoa, flour, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder and soda and salt.

In a small bow, combine eggs oil and vanilla.

Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and beat vigorously by hand until well blended (mixture will be very stiff and dry).

Stir in shredded zucchini until well blended, pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 – 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool completely.

Day 30

Thanks to the discovery of a jar of tomato sauce in the pantry, I officially had all of the necessary ingredients for some Cincinatti Chili.  :)  I used rice as an accompaniment instead of the those listed here.  Also, I used some of the stock that I made from my Thanksgiving Turkey, as well as some diced up Thanksgiving turkey instead of the ground beef.

My go-to recipe for Cincinnati Chili is courtesy of America's Test Kitchen:

Chili

·       2 teaspoons table salt (or more to taste)
·       1-1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
·       2 tablespoons vegetable oil
·       2 medium onions, chopped fine
·       2 medium cloves garlic
·       2 tablespoons chili powder
·       2 teaspoons dried oregano
·       2 teaspoons cocoa
·       1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
·       1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
·       1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
·       1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
·       2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
·       2 cups water
·       2 tablespoons cider vinegar
·       2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
·       2 cups tomato sauce
·       hot pepper sauce

Accompaniments

·       1 pound spaghetti; cooked, drained, and tossed with 2 tablespoons of butter
·       12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
·       1 15-ounce can red kidney beans; drained, rinsed and warmed
·       1 medium white onion, chopped fine
 

Bring 2 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon of the salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the ground chuck, stirring vigorously to separate the meat into individual strands. As soon as the foam from the meat rises to the top (this takes about 30 seconds) and before the water returns to a boil, drain the meat into a strainer and set is aside.

Rinse and dry the empty saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is warm, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and browned around the edges, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chili powder, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, allspice, black pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring constantly until the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, water, vinegar, sugar, and tomato sauce, scraping the pan bottom to remove any browned bits.

 

Add the blanched ground beef and increase the heat to high. As soon as the liquid boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chili is deep red and has thickened slightly, about 1 hour. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt and hot pepper sauce to taste. (The chili can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to a simmer over medium–low heat before serving.)

To serve, divide the buttered spaghetti among individual bowls. Spoon the chili over the spaghetti and top with cheese, beans and onion. Serve immediately.

Tracking of used up items:

- All-purpose flour (11.25)

- Soy milk (11.30)

- Carnation Instant Breakfast packets (12.01)

- Silk Egg Nog

- Milk

- Yogurt (12.23)

- Clemantines

- Celery

- Popcorn (12.22)

- Graham Crackers (12.18)

- Sliced cheese

- Feta cheese

- Tomato sauce

- Cake mix (12.18)

- Frosting (12.18)

- Banana Nut Bread mix

- Eggs

- Fresh garlic

Day 18

Long time no update on my little adventure...

My turkey pie did turn out very nicely:

For over a year, my standard breakfast has been Carnation Instant Breakfast with soymilk. I'm not much of a breakfast person, so that works for me.  I have had to come up with a new "regular" breakfast.  It took me a few days, but I settled on oatmeal with a touch of cinnamon and maple syrup, some dried tart cherries and some slivered almonds:

I also made some potato soup last week.  I boiled some diced up potatoes in some of the broth from the boiled down Thanksgiving turkey.  Once they were tender, I added in some chopped up onion, celery and garlic.  Once those were all tender, I used my hand blender to puree everything and make a nice smooth soup.



Tracking of used up items:

- All-purpose flour (11.25)

- Soy milk (11.30)

- Carnation Instant Breakfast packets (12.01)

- Silk Egg Nog

- Milk

Day 8

In my attempt to work my way through all of my Thanksgiving leftovers I decided that I am quite blessed to have a full fridge, freezer and pantry.  So, given that this time of year is full of excesses, I am going to work my way through what food I do have in the house.  And to make it more interesting, I am not allowing myself one last, go hog wild and stock up on anything and everything trip to the store.  I find it a little sad that I find it sad that a weekly trip to the grocery store is not going to be on my to-do list for a while here.

Due to a recent sale, I am well stocked up on other "essentials" - i.e, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry supplies, dishwasher detergent, etc.

My goal is to not go to the grocery store for the rest of the year.  Right now, the last time I went to the grocery store was Wednesday, November 24th putting me at Day 8 by my calculations. 

I have pretty much made it through all of the Thanksgiving leftovers that didn't end up in the freezer, so I do plan to cook tonight. I'm thinking pot pie given all of the leftover turkey goodness, plus, I have some milk that needs to be used up.  And since I much prefer baking with milk than having to drink it...


Betty Crocker's Classic Turkey Pot Pie

Crust:

- 2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour

** I will be substituting whole wheat flour since I used up my all-purpose flour during my Thanksgiving baking

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening

- 4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Filling

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 3/4 cup turkey broth - from my boiled down Thanksgiving turkey :)

1/2 cup milk

2 1/2 cups shredded turkey

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

 

Heat oven to 425°F.  Combine flour and salt in a large bowl; cut in shortening with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Mix in enough cold water with fork until flour is moistened.  Divide dough in half.  Shape each half into a ball; flatten slightly.  Wrap 1 ball in plastic food wrap; refrigerate.

Roll out remaining ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 11-inch circle.  Fold into quarters.  Place dough into ungreased 9-inch pie plate; unfold dough, pressing firmly against bottom and sides.  Trim crust to 1/2-inch from edge or pan; set aside.

In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.  Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended.  Gradually stir in milk and broth, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.  Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables.  Remove from heat.  Spoon into crust-lined pie plate.

Roll out refrigerated ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 11-inch circle.  Gently fold dough into quarters.  Place dough over filling; unfold.  Trim, seal and crimp or flute edges.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover edge of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Tracking of used up items:

- All-purpose flour (11.25)

- Soy milk (11.30)

- Carnation Instant Breakfast packets (12.01)

Latest on Dad

I apologize for lack of updates.

Last Wednesday (9/8), Dad was taken back to St. Joe's and admitted to the ICU because of a hematoma.  He was moved out of the ICU into a regular room last Friday (9/10).

One of dad's doctors is feeling that the sarcoidosis diagnoses two years ago was less than definitive, especially in light of the developments over the past few months, and she is looking to have him transferred to the University of Michigan Hospital, possibly today.

Since the school year started on September 7th, Mom has taken a medical leave from work for the time being to be with Dad.

As always, they both appreciate your thought and prayers.  If you have any questions or would like more details, please contact me instead of Mom right now though.

Update on Dad

I apologize that it's been a while since I posted an update, but things were more than a little busy.

Dad is doing better.

As of late last week, a chest x-ray shows no signs of pneumonia which led to him being transferred from the respiratory hall to the rehab hall yesterday - something that he is quite happy about.

His is continuing to get stronger and make progress in physical therapy.

Daily Dad Update

Mom, Dad and Allison met with the hospital’s cardiologist this morning.  Right now he is wanting to get some of Dad’s records from Dad’s cardiologist so that they have a clear idea of where he has been compared to where his is now.

They are also trying to determine if the heart attack is a result of his sarcoidosis, or if it a separate occurrence.  He’s going to have a PET scan tomorrow to help in their determination.

He had another x-ray today to check on the status of his pneumonia.

Maple Banana Cornbread Muffins

Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 small bananas, mashed
1/2 cup maple syrup (I ran out of maple syrup and ended up with 1/4 cup maple syrup + 1/4 cup honey)
1 egg
1/2 cup soymilk


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a muffin pan with liners.

In a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.  Mix in the bananas, maple syrup, egg and soymilk until just blended.

Measure out into the 12 muffin liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake about 15 - 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean or the tops of the muffins are springy.

Update on Dad

Dad has kept all of his food down for the past 24+ hours which we are all more than a little excited about!

His doctors determined that he did indeed have a heart attack, probably sometime early Sunday morning, so once they get his strength built up some he will undergoing the catheterization.

He is also back on steroids for the sarcoidosis and has some physical therapy to look forward to.

Also, Allison made it into town yesterday which is comforting and helpful to both Mom and Dad.

Dad

For those who haven’t heard, Dad was taken to the hospital via ambulance Sunday morning, and was put in the ICU after being diagnosed with pneumonia.

As of this afternoon, Dad has been moved out of ICU and into a private room.

He is on several antibiotics for the pneumonia.  His doctors are also looking to address some of his sarcoidosis related issues while he is in the hospital. 

The big development so far today, outside of being moved from the ICU, is that one of his enzymes apparently shows that his heart is either stressed or he had a small heart attack, so he may be having a catheterization as a precaution.

Lessons Learned in Cayman

General

1. What happens in Cayman stays in Cayman

2. Do what you want, when you want

3. We want what we want when we want it

4. Talking is good

5. The two bedroom accommodates a maximum of three people

6. Left is right and right is wrong

7. Never underestimate the need for an exit strategy

8. Up at sunrise

9. Even numbers are better

10. Mi casa es su casa

11. Teamwork

12. I'm along for the ride

13. OH SHIT! applies to all drivers

14. Everything changes color in Cayman go home with a glow

Sunday

15. Words with Friends can be played with the person next to you

16. Apparently there is a reason why it is good to be the lead horse, sled dog, etc...

17. The vegetable choices are white rice or rice with beans

Monday

18. Put the car in park

19. Sharks are not good navigation devices

20. New friends are good

21. Seven Fathoms

22. Try not to have an identity crisis

23. Remember where I put my clothes

24. Pack emergency supplies

25. Who said only kids do scavenger hunts? Search parties do happen.

26. Thank goodness for good Samaritans!

27. Watch where you point the flashlight

Tuesday

28. Stingrays suck hard

29. Some musical keys have better notes than others

30. Is it the world that rocks you or you that rocks the world?

31. There is a purpose for the dinner table

32. Crew members live vicariously through their divers

33. There is such a thing as a bad massage

34. Capture the flag is apparently an adult game as well

Hump Day

35. Lotion is good when applied by others

36. Mosquito bites where?

37. If two heads are better than one, what are three?

38. Every woman wants her man to be a turtle

39. Oww! My foot!

40. 0.750 is a pretty good batting average

Thursday

41. Don't sit on the iguanas

42. The best season to visit Cayman is mating season

43. Too little, too late

44. Frogger: Cayman style

Friday

45. Even in paradise, it rains on occasion.

46. Fridays night is ladies night.

47. If you don't want the answer, don't ask the question - ear muffs!

48. The Fidel Castro look is not a look to strive for

49. Who wants their feet on the floor?

Saturday

50. Will you hold my pole?

51. How does one player getting two home runs change the batting average of the team?

52. Don't hit the chickens

53. Who lives in your house?

54. I sensed you coming

55. It works better if you take it out first

56. Watch where you hold your camera

Sunday

57. PWC

58. The week has definitely had many ups and downs

59. SSSS

60. Two for the price of one

61. I only need a swallow!

62. We need human touch

63. Don't lock me up!

64. Chivalry is not dead.  It shouldn't be.

65. Pay it forward

Millie

After being vehicle-less for a little over two months (THANK YOU to everyone who either gave me rides to places and/or let me borrow their vehicles), as of Friday, I officially have my own wheels again!!

I have more pictures posted here.

Last German Sunset

Last night in Augsburg