Hello, 2010

Doesn't that just look wrong? 2010. It looks and sounds futuristic, like the setting of some movie where robots work as grocery clerks and car mechanics; where we can plant ourselves in some cellular discombobulator and get beamed to our destination. Then we wouldn't need cars!

Speaking of cars, we were involved in a minor car accident on Christmas Eve. We grabbed lunch with my mom and dad at Burgerville and then headed to my sister's place to celebrate the holiday with good food, wine, and board games. Some A-hole backed into me while I was attempting to leave the parking lot and the rest is history. After retaining an attorney and going toe-to-toe with the other guy's insurance, we've finally managed to settle. Long story short -- the insurance company totalled our car, saying it would cost more to fix the car than it was worth. Joey went to u-pull and found an exact match to our driver's side door (where the majority of the damage was) for $200. After we get an adjustment to the alignment, which is on the agenda for tomorrow, the car will be close to pre-accident condition. Dumb insurance company could've saved themselves a few pretty pennies and everyone a whole lot of energy.

Joey and I are celebrating seven years together this month. It's been seven years of ups and downs, but we love each other and are thankful that we've stuck it out. We left our Pumpkin with my sister for one night and went to the Oregon Coast. We had a fantastic dinner, went bowling, drank some champagne, and walked on the beach. It was a much-needed treat.

Curly Mop was twirling and dancing last night with her friend from upstairs when she tripped and fell face-first into my elliptical. She bloodied her nose and she split open her eyelid, as well as her cheek. She has a goose egg the size of a golf ball on her forehead. She didn't want to go to school today because she didn't want her friends to see her "like that." But I let her pick out her own outfit and that distracted her long enough that she forgot about the bumps and bruises.

The quote of the month - perhaps even the quote of the YEAR - comes from my Aunt Sherry while she was recovering from major surgery. She was quite loopy and silly after doctors removed a cantaloupe-sized tumor from her chest, but Dad and I stopped in at the hospital to check on her anyway. She was sitting quietly in the dark. I asked her, "Aunt Sherry, would you like me to turn on the television?" She responded, "Well, no. I don't have my glasses so I wouldn't be able to see anything." Dad chimed in, "I bet you'd really like to watch some 'Price is Right,' wouldn't you." Sherry smiled a toothy grin. "Or maybe I'd like to watch 'Who wants to be a Fibroid!" Ha ha ha!! Classic.

Sorry I didn't post any holiday blogs. I hope the season found you warm, full, and surrounded by the people you love. Wouldn't it be amazing if 2010 could bring warmth and food and love to everyone around the world? To Haiti, Darfur, Iraq, Somalia.. the list goes on. I continue to believe that a time will come when PEACE is a global phenomenon. I love you all.

Ode to Autumn

Oh, Autumn.

You've brought us the reds
I admire your golds,
thank you for wood smoke
but not for the colds.

I love hot apple cider
carving pumpkins we grew,
you bring dinners with family
and the seasonal flu.

Oh Autumn.

School days and costumes
isn't all that we've got!
There's cocoa and snuggles
and phlegmy green snot.

The nights are chilly
and the days are short,
the stuff in my chest
makes me choke, gag and snort.

Oh Autumn.

I can see my breath
hang gently on the air,
with the rest of my family
my germs I do share.

I look forward to turkey
to presents and a new year,
and it leaves no question,
the flu season is here.
Amanda '09


Yes, it is true. I haven't posted in a long time. For this, I apologize. I have the feeling, though, that you are all getting along just fine without me.

Not only have I been sicker than sick for the past three weeks, hence the inspiration for my work of art above, but we managed to get the most vicious, indescribable virus on my laptop. And as a result, we went a little while with limited or no computer/Internet. BUT!!! We are back and better than ever.

I hope autumn is treating you better than it's treating my lungs and chest cavity. Curly Mop is officially a kindeeeeegartner so we're getting exposed to Lord Knows Everything. She loves school and is eager to go every morning. I am enjoying the time alone, especially when I am feeling like CRAP and can take a real nap.

I will be posting the inevitable Halloween costume pictures as soon as we are done asking strangers for candy. I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween with your kids, grand kids, friends, neighbors.



CURLY MOP SINGING WITH HER CLASS ON GRANDPARENTS' DAY
KINDERGARTEN

Red Pepper with Lime Soup

For the past six months, Tuesday nights have been dedicated to friends and good food. Every week (with the exception of a few, of course...) I hand pick a new and interesting soup to make for dinner and my friends bring appetizers and wine to pair. The night usually ends with an exciting game of Apples to Apples or Sporcle.

The recipe I am going to share came from The Soup Bible, which was a Christmas gift from my Mom and Dad a few years ago. I tweeked the recipe slightly from the book by changing and adding a few things. This is, to date, one of my favorite soups ever. It's easy to make and super healthy.

** Amanda's tips **
1.) I tried to make this for my folks at their house and used a food processor instead of a blender. It was chunky and settled to the bottom of the bowl. It really needs to be pureed in a blender. This might require you to do sections of the soup one at a time, but the little bit of extra work is really worth it. Whatever you do, don't leave the top on the blender. It needs to breathe, otherwise it'll explode hot soup all over you and your kitchen. Instead of using the lid, cover the top of the blender with a washcloth or a paper towel. Don't fill the blender too full otherwise you might have a mess on your hands. Literally.

2.) Pair this soup with a meat. We made a fresh salad and topped it with thinly cut, grilled steak; topped it off with a Vidalia onion dressing and it was very complimentary!!

3.) If you want your soup to have a bigger kick to it, you can add a second or third red chili to your soup.

You will need:

2 large onions
5 red peppers
2 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 red chili, sliced (aka red jalapeno)
3 tbsp tomato puree
4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you are going for vegetarian here)
1 lime
3 cups fresh smoked apple wood cheddar cheese (any kind of smoked cheddar will do)




Chop the onions and red peppers, cook in olive oil for about 5 minutes or until slightly tender. Add garlic, chili, tomato puree, and half the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.

While the stock simmers, grate the lime. Set aside the lime rind and then slice lime into segments.

Let it cool for a few minutes and then puree (by sections) in a blender. Return the puree to the pot and add the remaining stock, lime rind, salt and pepper to taste. Bring the soup back to a boil and then serve hot! Squeeze fresh lime(s) into individual servings. Top with smoked cheese, fresh ground pepper, lime rind. And enjoy!

Spinach Lasagna

My friend Carolyn keeps bugging me to post recipes on my blog. As of late, my Facebook updates have consisted of what we had for dinner and apparently she is hard up for dinner ideas. Accordingly, by request, I will be posting some of my favorite dishes on here. I will warn you... I've had no formal training and I've never claimed to be anything but hungry. :)


You will need:

Uncooked Lasagna noodles (how many will depend on how much you are cooking...)
1 bunch fresh baby spinach
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter
olive oil
1 large onion
5 garlic cloves
1 1/2 lbs shredded chicken
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
3 cups mozzarella cheese
3 cups heavy cream
dash of parsley, dried or fresh


** Amanda's Tips **
1.) Most recipes will call you to cook the lasagna noodles. If you are baking this in a round pan, you may have to boil them til they are al dente. For me, I've found that they're easier to handle if they are uncooked. As long as you have a rectangular dish And as long as you have plenty of sauce in there while it cooks, the noodles will actually cook and soften in the oven. It saves time and I think it helps to keep firm.

2.) Ricotta cheese can be substituted with cottage cheese. And if you want the cheese in the lasagna to be extra fluffy, whip an egg vigorously and add it to the mix.

3.) For a super lowfat alternative, use turkey!

Heat pan, add oil. Add chopped onion. When the onion is browned, add chicken. When the chicken is fully cooked, set it aside. After it cools, shred or chop chicken. You will add this chicken to your Alfredo sauce.

In a saucepan, heat butter until mostly melted. Add heavy cream and simmer for five minutes. Add garlic and Parmesan cheese and whisk quickly until sauce thickens. Add parsley, chicken, set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta, cottage and 2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. (Add whipped egg here if desired) Then begin layering your lasagna.

One layer noodles
One layer cheese mix
One layer Spinach (remember, Spinach cooks down a ton so you'll need a heaping handful of spinach....)
One layer of chicken Alfredo sauce. (use this sauce sparingly IN the lasagna, as most of it will go on top)
Repeat. Top layer should be the rest of the Alfredo sauce.

Cover with tin foil and cook at 350 for 40 minutes. Then remove foil and add remaining mozzarella cheese to the top of lasagna. Cook for additional 10 minutes. Let lasagna cool and serve with garlic bread and fresh salad.





Viola!

Phrodigy

Growing up, I was always the girl snapping pictures. I have several large boxes full of old pictures to prove it. (Thank goodness for digital, right? A good number of those pictures are blurry, off-centered, and unnescessary.) Photography was something I always wanted to study further; I still may.

My mother also has a knack for photography. She has a creative eye that allows her to capture the essence of a sunset, the delicacy of a flower, her love for her family.

Well, my little Curly Mop has followed in the footsteps of her matriarchy and picked up her handy camera. (Well, it's my camera but I let her use it. I'm a good mommy like that.) I'm fascinated when I spy her art; it's like looking at everything through her eyes.


Following photographs compliment of Miss Mop.


















Squirrel in Grandma's backyard.















I think it's time she gets her OWN camera. Whatdya think?

A Painful Goodbye.

In the wee hours of this morning, we received a dreaded phone call: Our friend D lost his fight against brain cancer.

After the initial shock wore off, we cried. Held each other and wept.

And again I am faced with the shocking and disheartening revelation that the more people you love, the more loss you face.

I find minimal comfort in knowing that he is no longer suffering. Minimal only because those of us left behind suffer now. I smile a little, knowing that he was surrounded by his family when his end came. But then I frown for I know the agony they endured having to say goodbye, one final time. I am super thankful that I had the pleasure of knowing such a wonderful, wonderful man. But I hate this finality.

May you rest in peace, my friend. I will remember your smile and laughter ALWAYS.

Birthday and The Falls

Two more years 'til the dirty thirty.

I just celebrated my 28th birthday. I don't feel 28. I remember when I thought 28 was old. Now here I am and I don't feel like I'm pushing thirty at all! (except when I wake up in the morning and my arches ache and I drag ass.....) I understand what my dad means now when he says his age doesn't reflect at all how he feels. He still feels like a young man.

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I'm awaiting a second round of test results. When they said it might take six weeks to get the results via snail mail, I thought they were exaggerating. It's been almost four weeks now and nothing. I hold me breath every time I open the mailbox. I'm hoping and praying that I was successful in at LEAST one of the three tests but I'm trying not to have expectations. It's when you have expectations that you are disappointed.

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Curly Mop is going to see Auntie Karmyn tomorrow. My friends all pitched in to help order the UFC fight for my birthday so we are going to have a potluck style BBQ with some good grub and then watch a good fight. I figure my 5 year old doesn't need to watch two guys beat the hell out of each other, but I do. So she is going to have a sleepover with her cousins instead. She can't stop talking about feeding worms to the chickens and playing Feed the Kitty, her favorite board game, with Jammin and Buttercup.

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The Mister's work cut back his hours so money is super tight right now. (Thanks a lot, economy.) So when he and Curly Mop asked me what I wanted to do, I told them I wanted to hike Multnomah Falls. Even though I've lived in Portland for 8+ years, the Columbia Gorge and the Falls never get old. "Hike" is a relative term with a 5 year old, keep in mind, so basically we checked out the Falls, walked a few paths, and had bagel sandwiches for lunch. It was the absolute perfect day for it; not too cold, not too hot. There weren't too many people there, so it turned out to be a very pleasant afternoon. We got some good pictures, too. I'll share them with ya - and you better enjoy them because Lord only KNOWS when I will be posting again.
Love you all.




Multnomah Falls.


















My two loves.


















She's getting so big!! She loved all the little nooks and caves she could crawl into.





































There were so many beautiful flowers, tons of birds, and we even saw an adorable little chipmunk. He was too damn fast for me to catch a picture.






















She was scared to death on the bridge. She was holding on for dear life.


















And in case you are wondering which bridge I am talking about, it's this one. When you stand on it, you get sprinkled with the mist coming off the water. On this particular day, there was enough of a breeze that our hair was soaked by the time we crossed it. But we laughed and giggled our way across. It was warm enough that the mist felt great. Multnomah Falls is one of my favorite places EVER.

Silly

Just some fun stuff to make you smile.
Hope you are having a great day!













(Then wouldn't you go vegetarian?)




(Because Sexting is all the rage these days.....)








(For us ladies....)

SIGH.

Sometimes it doesn't even seem worth it anymore.

Yup.

YUP, THAT IS MY DAUGHTER. ANY CHANCE FOR A PHOTO OP.





YUP, THAT IS MY DAUGHTER. LOOKS JUST LIKE HER DAD.






YUP, THAT'S MY DAUGHTER. PLAYING MOMMY. (I opted NOT to share the picture of her "nursing" her stuffed Super Mario doll.......)







YUP. THAT IS MY DAUGHTER. TRYING TO BE BRAVE AT THE DENTIST.






YUP. THIS IS MY DAUGHTER WITH HER PET MICE. (I wish I had a picture of Mommy kickin' daddy's ass for bringing these suckers home.) SHE NAMED THEM SNOWBALL AND CHOCOLATE.




THIS IS MY DAUGHTER WITH HER GREAT GRANDPA MAC, WHO PASSED AWAY EARLIER THIS WEEK. WE'LL MISS YOU GRANDPA MAC! And we love you.