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Butternut Squash Pasta

from:

Ingredients
green beans
butter
dill (fresh or dried)
salt & pepper

Directions
Cook your green beans until done. I like to steam them in skillet with just a little water if fresh, or nuke them if they're frozen, of course. While still hot, add the butter and mix it in so it melts. You do not need much butter. A tablespoon gives an entire pound of green beans a very nice flavor. Then season with dill and salt and pepper.

from: adapted from Dinner a Love Story

Ingredients
1 package egg noodles (we like no yolk)
1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced in 1/2″ or 2 packages prepped frozen winter squash
1 large onion
rosemary leaves
2 T butter
salt and pepper
parmesan

Directions
Heat oven to 425. Peel onion and cut into large dice. On a rimmed baking sheet, place squash and onion in one layer, distributing evenly. Season with salt and pepper and rosemary leaves. Bake for 20-30 minutes until squash and onions are nicely roasted.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook egg noodles according to package directions. Once noodles are done, drain and return to pot. Add butter and then combine with roasted squash and onions. Season with more S&P if necessary.

Serve topped with grated Parmesan.

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Oh Riiiight … I have a Blog

I've been kinda busy. Not really noticeably busier than normal, but somehow the blog got lost in the shuffle. Some things you might find interesting:

• it's really really cold here … like -10 according to my car.
• I worked from home yesterday which was great. My house is much warmer than my office.
• I made cheese this past weekend.
• Also yogurt. Neither were hard.
• I accidentally overslept this AM and missed my workout. Boo.
• My kids are super cute. Ben keeps trying to go play in the snow, despite the frostbite risk. Tabby just wants to watch Animaniacs.
• I have made excellent dinners all week. Cinnamon Lamb Stew, Butternut Squash Pasta, Salmon with Lemon Relish. My kids especially loved the butternut squash pasta. Tabby went back for fourths. No joke.
• I am supposed to be headed out of town this weekend for a girls' ski trip. I am very excited for it.
• I also hear there's some big football game this weekend. I think we have a party to go to.
• The ROUS saw his shadow. Or he didn't. Whichever one means we have an early spring. Yay!

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I'm So Ready For

• Spring! At least in the city – I still want snow in the mountains to ski on for a month or two more – but in the city I want warm weather I can take the kids for walks in!
• A nice date night with Matt … all the time we've spent alone lately has been spent doing home improvement. It's it's own kind of fun, but I'm ready for an evening where I don't have to end it by cleaning my hands with mineral spirits.
• Bunco! I get to go see some of my favorite girls tonight. Yay!
• Sleeping in … tomorrow I don't have to get up 'til 7! That may sound early, but I usually get up before 5 so it's bliss for me.
• My bedroom to NOT be a mess. But I would have to get off my arse and do something about this. Soon … probably.
• The Weekend!

I'm So NOT ready for:
• Ben to be in a Big Boy Bed … he is so agile, so mobile, I fear a crawl-out any day. I have been thinking about crib tents but I just don't know if I like the idea. Of course I might like it better than a baby roaming the house
• Tabby turning 4 … it's getting too close for comfort! Hardly a month away! She's so big, so capable, so little-kid like. No baby left there. At least I like her lots and I'm very proud of her.
• The two half marathons I committed to running before June. Better get on that!

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The Goings On in the Kitchen

Slowly but surely we’re getting it all done. I got things done for my client last night. And we even cleaned out the garage (our makeshift storage unit during the hardwood floor saga) and I was able to park my car in it last night. It makes for much nicer mornings when I don’t have to scrape the ice off. Someday, and I think it might even be soon, I’ll put away all of the laundry and once again be able to see the various surfaces of our master bedroom suite.

All this week we’ve been making the “Grocery Bag” menu from the latest Everyday Food. They provide a list, you pick up the ingredients and make the food. It all kind of works together so that you use some of what you cook on Monday for something on Thursday or you get a whole bag of greens but use them in two different recipes. It sort of forces you to try out a few recipes you might other wise forgo and we’ve come up with some perennial favorites by trying these out. This month’s of course, features light recipes. Two of the three we’ve tried so far (a fish with roasted beets and broccoli and the steak and potato salad we had last night) have been very good. We also tried out the now famous one-ingredient ice cream which was really tasty! Matt also made a carrot cake after seeing one for $17 (?!!?!) at Target. It was wonderful and the leftovers were universally loved by my coworkers.

This weekend I want to spend a little time making some more time consuming food, namely: onion foccacia, lamb stew and maybe some cheese. What?? Don’t look at me like that. I’ve been reading Animal Vegetable Miracle again and I’m all inspired. Seed catalogs coming next week.

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Slacker Weekend

 

weekend
Monday was OK, but I’m glad it’s over. Tabby was (still is?) under the weather. Her eye was itchy and Matt ended up taking her to the doctor. The doctor doesn’t think it’s pinkeye or an infection AROUND the eye, so they suspect allergies. Tabby was mopey and whiny and rather pathetic, poor kid. She went to bed around 7 … I probably should have too. But I did get some stuff done. Hopefully I’ll get more done tonight.

 

Anyway, back to the weekend. It was a really really nice weekend. We went to visit my grandma on Friday night. I made up a double batch of broccoli-cheese soup that was a hit as well as a batch of chocolate chip cookies. It was a very low key evening and it was very nice to see my grandma. The kids were particularly sweet with her.

Saturday we wound up going to the zoo and then out to lunch with some friends. It was chilly and the zoo wasn’t too busy, but we saw some really cool stuff. We saw FOUR tiger cubs (half grown) hanging out with their mom. They were really really cute. We also saw a lioness up close and personal (through thick glass, thankfully). She was incredible! Then we got to have a low-key Saturday evening that is very rare for us.

Sunday I went for a run with the girls and then met up with Matt and the kids for brunch and then a short trip to the gym. After that we went back home and hosted our siblings to watch the final playoff games. It was a long nice day of food and football. I did a ton of laundry … most of which still needs to be put away.

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Today

• is Monday
• my stairwell and my bathroom are getting painted
• I left the house a complete mess
• I could not get out of bed to work out
• I owe a client a completed revision of his pages (and no idea when I'll get to this)
• we are having Parmesan chicken fingers for dinner
• I am missing my kiddos and my husband
• I need to handle about 101 little annoying things
• I will consume at least three cups of green tea
• is the day I'm paying for yesterday
• is a rare Monday when I'm already looking forward to Friday!

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Dilly Green Beans

I think of my paternal grandparents when I make this. Even though it’s not something they actually served, the combination of dill and green beans is very much THEM. My dad’s parents had a huge garden with loads of vegetables and my grandma was an amazing cook in the southern tradition. My grandpa proudly tended his garden and loved the smell of dill. My maternal grandma still loves to talk about him bringing her a bouquet of dill. A truly lovely thought.

The kids … mine and our good friends’ are crazy about this recipe. They scarf down the dilly green beans right along side mac ‘n’ cheese and hot dogs and that’s pretty high praise. Fresh dill is lovely, but dried works well too.

Ingredients
green beans
butter
dill (fresh or dried)
salt & pepper

Directions
Cook your green beans until done. I like to steam them in skillet with just a little water if fresh, or nuke them if they’re frozen, of course. While still hot, add the butter and mix it in so it melts. You do not need much butter. A tablespoon gives an entire pound of green beans a very nice flavor. Then season with dill and salt and pepper.

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No Bake Granola Bars

from: Yum Food & Fun For Kids Dec 2010

Ingredients
2.5 C granola
1.5 C rice cereal
1/2 C quick oats
.5 C dried cranberries or blueberries
.5 C chopped dried apricots
.5 C honey
.5 C brown sugar
.5 C peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Grease a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray or butter. Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl. Combine brown sugar and honey in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar is melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour peanut butter mixture over the cereal and fruit and mix thoroughly. Press mixture into 9×13 pan and allow to firm up for an hour or so. Cut into squares and ENJOY!

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Dis and Dat

No rest for the weary/wicked. Here’s what I’ve got going on this week.

• Matt stood in line for almost two hours seeing if we can get Tabby into an all-day preschool for next year. We’re not even POSITIVE we want to go that route, just wanted the option. She’s #4 on the waitlist … the line apparently started at 4 AM. Oh the insanity/humanity!!

• I am doing a 30 miles in 30 days challenge on MapMyRun … I need a kick in the arse … I’ve been a real slacker lately.

• Our old carpet is being hauled away tomorrow to the tune of $104 … it seems ridiculous to PAY SOMEONE to haul away our junk, but its getting recycled at least. No eco guilt. And the places that would just take it to the dump wanted about 50% more. Crazy!

• We have done awesome with cooking this week. I made Baked Ziti on Sunday, Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches on Monday, Berry French Toast Tuesday and tonight was Turkey Bean Chili. Tomorrow we’re having easy burritos since its gymnastics night.

• I don’t want to do ANYTHING this weekend except spend time with my family and play a little bit of Roads of Rome II, my newest quickplay game obsession. I will likely, however, have to (at bare minimum) do some laundry and grocery shopping. The family is in favor, apparently, of clean clothes and a well-stocked kitchen.

• Car needs new tires. I apparently have a very unusual tires size (thanks, TOYOTA!) and there are like 4 different tires available for my car and none of them in town (keep in mind, this is DENVER, not the middle of nowhere). So Matt had to buy them off the internet. They’re coming UPS, for real.