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That's My Bag, Baby


Well kids, I finally used my sewing machine for something that wasn't made of felt … and required construction and turning inside out and all that sewwy jazz. And that's it … that bag thing up there. And it ain't gonna win awards on design or quality or anything, I don't think it turned out half bad. Probably the hardest part was the straps … which I did by sewing tubes and turning them inside out. The sewing part was easy, but the turning out part was NUTS! On the first one I did it all by hand … well I think I shoved my scissors up in there to push fabric thru. But on the second one, I got a brain storm and put a safety pin thru one side of one end and put it in the tube and pulled it out the other end. Much less painful. I'd write y'all a nice tutorial, but I used this one and I really don't have anything new or of value to add to it. I definitely know some things I'd like to do differently next time, but, as was the point, I've got more confidence with the whole sewing process. Now if I just do it once in a while, maybe I'll even develop skill with it. Haha.

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Bits & Bobs

We tried out this Resolve High Traffic foam in our high-traffic living room where our luvly furry friend contributes his dirt daily. I'll reserve final judgement until I get home today (after the cleaning folks have vacuumed again) but doesn't look like it worked. Boo.

It's been so many years since I went thru an allergy season unmedicated, I forgot how truly crappy it can be. I'm about to invade Whole Foods and see if I can't find some hippy dippy herbal something that will keep my head clear … and not harm my belly buddy.

I made this receipe for dinner last night. It took forever, didn't turn out and now I still have the smell of garlic under my finger nails (and I've washed my hands countless times and showered since then!).

The weather is sort of annoying me … it's cold (like 40) in the morning and warm (like 80) in the afternoon. I just want it to pick a temp and stick to it. This 40 degree flux is annoying me.

Grey's and The Office are on tonite. Woohoo. Project Runway last night was sooooo good. Glad they didn't off Michael just cuz he did that hideous dress. Can't wait to see their collections. Is that next week? Or do we have some jerk-us-around clip show? Hmmm ….

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Almong Pear Cream Cheese Tart

from: Jesser Original

Ingredients
1 (10 or 12 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli, cooked according to package directions
1 can Campbell's (Healthy Request) cream of mushroom soup
2 cans (I use the big ones) chicken
1 c. grated mild cheese
1 tube low salt or low fat Ritz crackers, crushed
a splash of milk

Directions
Mix up broccoli, soup, milk and chicken (drain the cans of course). Top with the ritz crackers and then the cheese. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.

from: Martha

Ingredients
1 head plus 8 cloves garlic
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese for grating

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Wrap garlic head in foil, or place in garlic roaster; roast until soft and golden, about 1 hour. Let cool, trim tip of head; squeeze out cloves, using back of knife. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, and run under cold water to stop cooking.

Thinly slice five cloves of unroasted garlic. Finely chop remaining three cloves. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add sliced garlic; toast until golden and crisp. Remove garlic with slotted spoon; set aside. Add chopped garlic; sauté until translucent, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add roasted garlic and white wine; let simmer about 3 minutes. Add pasta, parsley, red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste; toss. Serve sprinkled with toasted garlic slivers. Grate Parmesan over each serving.

from: Kraft

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups sliced peeled pears (about 4 medium pears)
1/4 cup PLANTERS Sliced Almonds

Directions
PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Beat butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Spread firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup of the remaining sugar in same bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Spread evenly over crust. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Add to pears in large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange over cream cheese layer; sprinkle with almonds.

Bake 10 min. Reduce temperature to 375°F; continue baking 25 min. or until center is set. Cool on wire rack. Loosen torte from rim of pan. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours before serving. Store leftover torte in refrigerator.

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A Few Kitchen Tips

I've been doing better with cooking lately, but not great. At least the zombie-like sleep requirements seem to be gone. But just because I've been a bit of a dud in the kitchen doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about it … and the other day I ran across some cool kitchen tips. A few of them:

* If you want extra fudgy brownies, try adding 1/4 cup corn syrup!
* Placing a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar helps to soften it again.
* Wash hands in cold water and rub with salt to get rid of onion odor.
* Wrapping celery in aluminum foil when storing it in the refrigerator will help to keep it fresher for weeks.

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Three Garlic Pasta

from: Jesser Original

Ingredients
1 (10 or 12 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli, cooked according to package directions
1 can Campbell's (Healthy Request) cream of mushroom soup
2 cans (I use the big ones) chicken
1 c. grated mild cheese
1 tube low salt or low fat Ritz crackers, crushed
a splash of milk

Directions
Mix up broccoli, soup, milk and chicken (drain the cans of course). Top with the ritz crackers and then the cheese. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.

from: Martha

Ingredients
1 head plus 8 cloves garlic
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese for grating

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Wrap garlic head in foil, or place in garlic roaster; roast until soft and golden, about 1 hour. Let cool, trim tip of head; squeeze out cloves, using back of knife. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, and run under cold water to stop cooking.

Thinly slice five cloves of unroasted garlic. Finely chop remaining three cloves. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add sliced garlic; toast until golden and crisp. Remove garlic with slotted spoon; set aside. Add chopped garlic; sauté until translucent, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add roasted garlic and white wine; let simmer about 3 minutes. Add pasta, parsley, red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste; toss. Serve sprinkled with toasted garlic slivers. Grate Parmesan over each serving.

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Happy Fall!


With the first official days of fall under our belts, we spent most of the day Sunday on a Fall Foliage trip. We went back to Georgetown, where Matt and I (and Loki) had first taken our shiny new camera for its inaugural trip. This time we were accompanied by most excellent friend, Holly and her darling offspring, Liam. We had lunch and got sodas at the soda fountain and then drove up aways to see the color. Photos are plentiful and here. The color and the day we selected to see it on was gorgeous and the company superb. Continue reading “Happy Fall!”

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BPOH Final Week – Patios!

Welcome to the final week of Blogger Parade of Homes! This week features our outdoor spaces. Other than our balconies and front yard, which I've already shown, all that remains is our little back yard. It's mainly a patio with a side-yard, but that suits us well because neither of us likes to cut the grass or do much gardening. The back yard opens from our family room and runs back along the garage … our garage is in the back of the house at the alleyway, so that's the side of the garage you see there and the alley way behind. The furniture we got from Target and this photo was taken right after we got it, which is good because it hasn't held up well between “the elements” and our dear doggie. The umbrella and lights still look great though! On the right there's a little ledge … that is the fire pit (which I don't have a good photo of, sorry) which is gas, making it very convenient to warm up chilly fall nights. Continue reading “BPOH Final Week – Patios!”

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Pregnancy Casserole

OK, so we all know that weird things come along with pregnancy … and for me it's not been cravings so much as aversions. Strong aversions. The biggest one is to veggies. I used to have a spinach salad with lunch almost every day. The thought now repulses me. I used to be able to eat some nice steamed asparagus or broccoli or whatever with any meal. No more. Practically the only veggies I like still are baby carrots or zucchini (in small amounts). The only way I will really eat my veggies is if they're carefully hidden under carbs or cheese.

Of course, being pregnant, nutrition wise, I really need to eat my veggies, so what a crummy time to develop an aversion to them! So to those ends, I created the pregnancy casserole. It ain't gourmet. And it certainly won't win any nutritional awards (though all things considered, it could be a lot worse!), but it's quick, contains a relatively high ration of veggies to bad stuff and I find it to be yummy. Though I'm not certain that those without elevated hormones would agree. Whatever. Check it out anyhow.

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Premier Night #1


So tonight's TV lineup contains the first premiers that I really care about … namely The Office and Grey's Anatomy. Of course, in fine serial fashion, both of these great shows left us with white-knuckle cliff-hangers (though I've only had to endure The Office's since Sunday) and I'm very keen to pick up where we left off. I'm anticipating the excellent love pentagon between Mc. Dreamy, Mc. Steamy, Mc. Vet, Addison and our heroine this evening and of course seeing what kind of hot water Izzy's gotten herself into. And possibly even more tantalizing … what is to become of Jim and Pam? Some advice for you, Pam. Marry your best friend … not some jerk who left you at a hockey game.

So tonight I will crowd the couch with Mom and Kelly and watch the stories unfold. I can't wait!