a little of this, a little of that

In an attempt to make up for my lack of blogging....

Andy's encountered some odd sexism lately. Nearly every time he leaves Wal-Mart with our cloth bags, he's asked to show his receipt. Only one time have I been asked, and I had a 'big ticket item' in the cart. Now that he's been shopping there a few months, it doesn't happen every time, but there is still one greeter (an older gentleman) that doesn't seem to be sure of a man using cloth bags without his hippie wife by his side.

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Organic king size sheet sets on clearance for $19.99. woohoo. That made my day yesterday. They are dreamy-soft. And, because it is the little things that make me so happy, the sheets came packaged in a fabric bag that can be added to my collection of cloth produce bags. :-)

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Spinach is my favorite food. Wilted down with onions and bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Or covered in the best dressing in the world*, and tossed with a handful of pecans for lunch. Mmm. I'm eating it every day these days.

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Aubrey's home sick today. The severity of her sickness is questionable, seeing as she's wanting to be all over the place, very chatty and non-sick-like. But, she began sobbing in the middle of the night with stomach pains. She doesn't remember, but I do, so even if she's feeling better now, to have been in that much pain not that long ago, she'll stay home today. thankyouverymuch. At the moment she is reading Garfield to Oscar. Very appropriate.

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I love, love, LOVE the Twilight books. Read them all about a month ago, then re-read Breaking Dawn, and am now starting over again at Twilight. Took me long enough to get to them, because I thought they sounded ridiculous. Really? A book about high schoolers AND vampires??? I'm almost 30. I'm too mature for that. Ha. Turns out I'm not too mature. Not too surprising, actually, seeing as I've been known to leave inappropriate comments on my friends' blogs (completely unrelated to vampires, but incredibly high school-ish!). ;-) And, anyway, they aren't nearly as immature as I imagined them to be.

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The deer thought that my soon-to-be-a-jack-o-lantern pumpkin would be better as a mid-October dinner. I have pictures of the before and after. But my camera cord has gone missing. Again. So picture this: A big, pretty, bright orange pumpkin standing tall and proud by my front step. Now picture a sad orange pumpkin laying on it's side, half eaten. Note to self: keep the pumpkins in the house until October 31st, unless your plan is to feed the deer all month long.

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Speaking of pumpkins, I think the stem is almost as important as the pumpkin. A crooked stem adds so much character.


And, Andy has a recipe for the tastiest pumpkin pie. The secret is that the pumpkin is not pre-baked at all. Just ground up raw (which is quite a job - pumpkins are tough, and not every blender or food processor is up for the job) and then mixed with the appropriate ingredients and THEN baked in the crust. Mmmm. I want pie.

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Lately we've been cooking bone-in chicken in the pressure cooker. It's ugly as can be, but fall-off-the-bone tender. And EASY.

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I'm trying to figure out what to do for my nieces (13 and 15) and nephew (13) for Christmas. I have no clue. Besided money. It'll probably just be money. Not creative enough for me, but oh well.

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I'm so enjoying the church we've found here. It's significantly smaller then our WI congregation, and is 'in transition' - we've got an interim pastor and there are lots of changes afoot. Changes that aren't apparent to me, as a newbie. But apparently big changes. Oh, and as far as big changes and the 'big' church go - the ELCA assembly opens ministry to partnered gay and lesbian lutherans. This makes me happy. Very happy. I think God's church should be welcoming to all. After all, we are all sinners and we all need saving. Rev. Lee M. Miller, II: "I am not saved because I'm a heterosexual. I am saved because of what God has done." Indeed.

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Since I can't seem to stop talking about food-related things, I'll add that Andy thinks our pantry smells liked chocolate cake. (Aubrey and I think it sometimes smells like dog food, but that's not the point of this story.) Andy gets mad every time he opens the door. Then I laugh at him. Then he cusses at me and demands I make a chocolate cake. "Make me a chocolate cake, Woman!" Then he closes the door and walks away. Then he gets me a snack while Sasha is nursing, and the entire cycle starts over again. I bought him a lava cake yesterday to satisfy his chocolate cake craving, because I am not going to make one (if I do, then he will enjoy a piece and go to work, leaving me with a pan full of cake just screaming at me to enjoy. I'm too much of a softie to ignore things that need me, and when a chocolate cake is begging to be eaten, how can I disregard it's wishes???).

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Sweet Garlic Vinegarette (aka the best dressing in the world)

3/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C maple syrup
1/3 C balsamic vinegar
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/8 t dried, crushed oregano

Put all ingredients together in cruet (old salsa jar, tupperware... anything with a lid that you will then store the dressing in). Shake well to mix. Store in fridge.

Variations: I've swapped honey for the maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar for the balsamic, while omitting the garlic. It makes it much milder, and is Andy's favorite version.