I never had Brussels sprouts growing up. I had them for the first time early this year...and they were awesome. Mmmmmm... Drizzled with olive oil, baked with potatoes, carrots, onions, herbs, and some lemon wedges. YUMS!!! And this morning I found this:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. brussels sprouts
• salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup cream or milk (I used milk, and the sauce was still creamy)
• 1 egg yolk
• a touch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Clean and trim the brussels sprouts, making a shallow incision in the shape of a cross on the stem end. Place the sprouts in a skillet, add cold water to cover, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain.
3. Melt 2 tablespoon butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir with a whisk until smooth. Add the milk or cream, stirring vigorously until thickened and smooth. Season with salt and nutmeg. Remove from the heat, and stir in the egg yolk.
4. Select a casserole dish large enough to accommodate the brussels sprouts in a single layer. Melt the remaining butter in the casserole, then add the sprouts. Carefully spoon the sauce over the sprouts, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Run the dish under the broiler for a few minutes to ensure a crispy, brown finish.

Source

Mmmmmm... beer cheese.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups large macaroni
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons Tillamook® Butter
• 1 tablespoon light flavor olive oil
• 1 large shallot, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 8 ounces Tillamook® Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup dark beer
• 6 slices precooked bacon, sliced into 1" pieces
• 2 teaspoons full strength, prepared stone ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large pot, over medium-high heat, bring two quarts water and 1 teaspoon salt to a full rolling boil. Gradually add macaroni and boil approximately 15 minutes or until pasta reaches desired tenderness. Drain.
3. Melt butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté shallots in butter and olive oil for approximately 2 minutes or until they begin to turn transparent. Add flour to the pan, stirring constantly until a smooth paste forms. Stirring constantly, gradually add milk and continue cooking until mixture is thick and bubbly (mixture should coat the back of a spoon). Add 6 ounces of the cheese and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and add beer, bacon, mustard, garlic powder, pepper and remaining salt. Stir well.
4. Spray a 9” x 9" square glass pan with non-stick cooking spray. In the large pot, combine macaroni and cheese sauce and stir. Pour into 9” x 9" baking dish, cover with foil and place into preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove foil and sprinkle the remaining 2 ounces of the shredded cheese and continue cooking, uncovered for another 15 minutes.
5. Remove macaroni and cheese from the oven. Allow to cool for approximately 5 minutes before serving.

Source... Thanks Sarah!!!

Damn this looks good. I love beans and rice...and with avocado, cilantro, and salsa!? YUMS!!!

Update: Ranchero beans cooked with sauteed onions and garlic, our usual spiced chicken, chunks of avocado, cilantro, cheese, and some salsa over rice. Mmmm... Very very good.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 peppers (red, green, yellow or orange all work), chopped
• 3-4 thick rashers of bacon (pork or turkey), chopped
• 1 pound pinto or cranberry beans, rinsed and picked over for any stones
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and peppers. While they're cooking add the chopped bacon and cook until everything is nicely browned.
2. Add the beans to the pot and pour in enough water so that it rises at least two inches above the beans. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the temperature to low (you want the beans to simmer gently) and put a lid on the pot.
3. Let the beans cook for two to three hours, until they've softened and the water has turned into a tasty broth (aka pot liquor).
4. Serve over rice with grated cheese, cubed avocado, chopped cilantro, salsa and minced raw onion. Or add bacon and sauteed onion.

Source

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."
-- Henry David Thoreau

"Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence."
-- Henry David Thoreau

When I was a wee little girl, I wanted to be a cheerleader, a teacher, a veterinarian. When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a marine biologist and a couple other things I've since forgot. I think I've always wanted to be a forest ranger. I wanted to live in the woods. I wanted to live where it snowed. I wanted a house to work on. I want to live some place where the moon and stars light up the night. I want to hear the breeze in the pines, smell the earth, hear and see the wildlife, feel the warmth of the sun and the cool of the shade. I want to get lost in the beauty of nature. I want to give back. I want to make a difference, regardless of how small it may seem. ...and I want others to do the same.

(Oh, so I forgot to actually submit this last night...werd.)

Navarro is having a Middle-Class Bailout!!! Oh man... one cent shipping on a case of wine. Too bad I don't want to buy 12 bottles at once. Or do I??? Hmmmmm...

"Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?" Totally...me... How absurd is that!?

The David Lee Roth Runnin' with the Devil Soundboard is impossible to not play with. A little random "I live my life like there's no tomorrow..." get's an "OH GOD" "HHAAAAYAAAAAAAHHAAH" "NOOOO" "YEEEEEAH" in response. Pause... pause... pause... "UHHHHHGH" "OOOHHHH YEESSSS" "UHHHHGH" "OOOHHHH YEESSSS" "AHHH HAAAA"

How about a Speak & Spell? Yes please. "AHHHYAAAAAHH" "YEEESS I AAAAAAAAM" "NOOOO"

Dinner with Joel and Jaz tonight...yay! I had an absolute blast. Glad we had the opportunity to cook together. A little spinach artichoke dip and french bread for starters and an amazing vodka rustica. I skipped the shrimp as I never think to include ocean things. I should have taken a picture as it was beautiful as it came out of the oven.

Ingredients:
(Gratinata Sauce)

• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons marsala wine
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon chicken bullion
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 lb penne rigate cooked
• 12 medium shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup Prosciutto about 2 ounces thick-sliced, chopped

(Topping)

• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 4 sprigs rosemary (garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat bbq grill to high.
2. Prepare gratinata sauce by melting 3 tbls of butter over medium/low heat. Add garlic and sweat it for about 5 minutes. Be sure the garlic doesn't brown. Add the marsala wine and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients for the sauce and whisk until smooth. Bring mixture to a simmer and keep it there for 10 minutes or until it's thick. Cover sauce and remove from heat.
3. Cook past following directions on the package (7-9 minutes in boiling water). You want the pasta tender, but not mush (al dente). Strain pasta and set it aside when it's done.
4. Pound the thick end of your chicken breast a bit with a kitchen mallet to make them a uniform thickness. Rub chicken with olive oil, then sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper. Spear the shrimp on skewers (6 per skewer should work fine), then rub them with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.Grill chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side. Grill shrimp for 2 minutes per side. When chicken is done, slice each breast into strips.
5. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Build each dish in a large shallow baking dish. Or you can use a 9 inch glass or ceramic pie plate. Load 3 cups of pasta into each baking dish. Add one quarter of the chicken, 3 shrimp, and 2 tbls of prosciutto onto each serving. Spoon 3/4 of a cup of gratinata sauce on each serving and toss to coat. Combine 3 tbls of grated Parmesan cheese with 1 1/2 tsp paprika, then sprinkle about 1 tbls of this mixture over the top of each serving. Bake the dishes for 10-12 minutes, or until tops begin to brown. Arrange 3 pimentos on the top of each serving, then jab a sprig of rosemary into the center an serve.

...or Sachsenhäuser Bäckerkartoffeln. This looks really tasty.

Ingredients:

• 8 potatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• fat for greasing the baking dish
• salt & pepper
• 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• scant cup (200 ml) cream

Directions:

1. Peel the potatoes, wash, and cut into thin slices. Peel and chop the onions.
2. Heat the clarified butter, add the onions and saute until golden yellow.
3. Grease an ovenproof baking dish and arrange the potatoes and onions in layers. Season well with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
4. Whisk the eggs with the cream and pour over the potatoes. Cook in a preheated oven at 390F/200C for approximately 50 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Source: Culinaria Germany

Almost took a nap in the hammock this afternoon. The sun was warm. The breeze was soft and cool. The occasional cawing crows, cars, and squirrels rustling the tree branches kept me awake. Played around with Photomatix again.

Looking at dumb stuff on the internet gave me this: Jon Dyer's working on all types of facial hair. Those are pretty sweet. Yeah. And here's something new to try: Sausage-stuffed potatoes. Mmmm...

Cooked for Will's mom, brother, and nephew: Potatoes/onions/garlic with olive oil, lemon wedges, fresh rosemary from the garden, and some oregano (used dried as mine froze outside) (350F for 45). Spinach and feta stuffed chicken breasts. Mmmmmmmm... And an after dinner mint of Beavis and Butthead's Christmas special with the family.

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp olive oil
• juice of 1 small lemon
• 6 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp dried oregano (or italian seasoning)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup spinach, destemmed and torn
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, tenderized until 1/2" thick

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix together. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour oil mixture over chicken.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, feta cheese and onion and mix thoroughly.
4. Spoon spinach mix onto each chicken breast. Secure open sides with toothpicks.
5. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

HAHAHA!!! I love these.

How DO you illustrate a whistle?

Self-cutting linoleum... HAHAHA!!! It never gets old.

The Chuck Norris meme...now in print. The Truth About Chuck Norris

I should have started blogging my recipes a long time ago. Looking for the spinach and feta stuffed chicken I made sometime in the last couple of years. I know I made it since we bought the house...because I remember tenderizing and assembling the chicken on my counter. Hmmmm... Time to dig into the old box of printed recipes. What else have I missed!? Ohh Noes!!!

Emma Hack's painted bodies are beautiful. They remind me of Kim Joon's work. There's something about the painted designs that makes warm skin look rigid and sculpted...hard plastic I guess. Look at that detail!

How did I forget to post this!? I don't know. Regardless, here it is.

One quick update... Decided to try something a little different with this batch. Used 1/3 semi-sweet Ghirardelli chips, 1/3 60% cacao bittersweet Ghirardelli chips, and 1/3 bulk dark chocolate chips from Whole Foods...holy good chocolate overload batman! After the first chocolate dip, I stuck them back in the freezer to quickly harden. Ground up some raw pecans in the food processor until it was almost pecan-meal. Threw a bowl of the pecans in the freezer to chill for a couple minutes. Dip #2. Bury in pecans and sit long enough to let the chocolate solidify in the cold pecans. Back in the freezer to finish chilling. One dozen done...two more to go.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I'm going dark this time)
• 2 tablespoons veggie shortening

Directions:

1. Combine peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and confectioners' sugar in a bowl or a food processor until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Roll teaspoonfuls of peanut butter mixture into balls. Refrigerate until ready to dip in melted chocolate.
3. Melt chocolate chips and shortening together in the top of a double boiler until very liquid. Using a fork or a skewer, dip each ball into chocolate leaving just the very top of the ball exposed. Set on a greased cookie sheet, setting each ball on the peanut butter end. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm.

Source

Boston.com's 2008 year in pictures part 1, part 2, and part 3. A good portion of these pictures are incomprehensible to me. I don't understand the hardships people go through as day-to-day life and I don't think I ever truly will. To be as disconnected as I am from world events is entirely too easy. I know that I consciously and unconsciously choose ignorance by not reading or listening to current news or reading about history as much as I should. I have the desire to learn...I just don't seem to take advantage of it very often in some areas.

Friday night? I don't really remember. Oh yeah! We found out Toys R Us is open until midnight. Sweet.

Saturday: Toys for Tots cruise and drop-off in Grapevine, a little bit of the Highlands, a holiday party, and Step-Brothers.

Thuper Thleep-In Thunday: My Thule is on!!! Took the Golf for a quick drive to pick up some ice. Hat on, windows down, and sunroof open...very nice. It was warm today... and then around 9:30 this evening, the cold blew in. And damn it was cold. We had a bunch of people over throughout the day working on Mike's GLI in the garage until about 11:00. Had a great time as always. Now I'm warming with a glass of Root:1 Sauvignon Blanc that I picked up yesterday based solely on looks. The bottle caught my eye and I knew I was going to take it home regardless of what was in it. Tee hee hee. 13.something% is warming me up quite nicely.

I love these. They're so simple and sweet.

It's a beautiful day. We slept in, watched an excellent Everton v Aston Villa game, the windows and doors are open, we cooked some yummy breakfast for lunch, and later today we'll be picking up some toys for tots. I want more days like today.

The more pulp, the better... I <3 orange juice.

"Going to the woods is going home, for I suppose we came from the woods originally." -- John Muir
(read it)

"In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in the streets or villages. ... In the woods, we return to reason and faith." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
(read it)

"I would not have every man, nor every part of a man, cultivated any more than I would have every acre of earth cultivated." -- Henry David Thoreau
(read it)

"Our lives need the relief of such a background, where the pine flourishes and the jay still screams." -- Henry David Thoreau
(read it)

It's Sunday #3 for our weekend. Time to work on Goal #1. After reading the HDR Photography Explained article, I started paging through my camera manual to see if I could follow the step by step instructions. I had no idea I had the auto bracketing function on the Lumix! Shows me how much more I need to learn about my camera. The auto bracketing feature allows you to take three photos in series with different exposures. You can set increments of ±1/3EV, ±2/3EV, or ±1EV.

I read that Photoshop CS4 has an HDR automator built in. I also installed a trial version of Photomatix Pro. I tried the HDR processing in both Photoshop and Photomatix for comparison. Even though I don't understand all of the concepts and vocabulary associated with tonal mapping, etc, I think Photomatix has a much better interface for HDR processing than Photoshop. Photoshop's "Merge to HDR" script prompts you to open a set of HDR candidates to merge and it does its magic. You can do a little post processing (choosing 8/16/32 bits/channel, change the white point, and upload a different response curve) but you don't have any say with how it initially aligns the content of source images in response to movement. Photomatix essentially does the same thing, but it gives you a big set of processing options to choose from for source matching, noise reduction, artifact ghosting, etc. Once it's done processing the initial output, you can work with the tonal mapping if it needs any additional tweaks.

The first set of photos I took were of the begonias and the Japanese maple. It's windy today. I waited for breaks in the breeze, but it really didn't make much of a difference. Aligning all the image components didn't work very well. You can see a ton of movement in attempt #1 and #3 below. I also had the EV setting at -1 to start out with so after the auto bracketing, the EV range was shifted. Will gave me a great idea to try the light in my drawing room and I think it worked very well. The Photoshop merges are under-saturated and the contrast is off in my opinion. For my first try without any kind of manual post-processing, I think Photomatix wins. Now I need to learn what it all means and how to do it myself.

Attempt #4: Drawing Room Light
Aperture priority
f/4.0
ISO 400
Macro

-1EV -- +1EV Photoshop Photomatix Pro

Attempt #1: Begonias

-2EV -1EV -- Photoshop Photomatix Pro

Attempt #2: Japanese Maple

-2EV -1EV -- Photoshop Photomatix Pro

Attempt #3: Japanese Maple

-4/3EV -2/3EV -- Photoshop Photomatix Pro