Indian spiced yellow squash fritters

Red bean side dish, I forgot what the recipe was called. Not that great, dal would have been better but I was short on time.

Oh, so good! 3/4 lb of Tillamook chedder went into this baked noodle and broccoli casserole. I ran out of white flour, and had to use whole wheat to make the roux. It worked just as well and gave the sauce a heartier texture and flavor.

Spicy pepper and tomato tortilla soup. Way too spicy for me, I could barely finish it.

A Lebanese dish from my Mediterranean cookbook. Chickpeas, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and eggplant are simmered with cumin, cinnamon, and coriander. Served on basmati rice with a cucumber salad.

Ice cream sandwiches. Ben is enjoying the traditional two cookie model, while Brian is topping little cookies baked in a muffin tin.

While on vacation, I painted my old bedroom and part of the foyer. Enjoy!



 

We bought a house!

We signed the contract on Monday, but this coincided with me getting some sort of stomach/intestinal sickness. Three days later, I’m feeling somewhat functional. Sorry for the delay. Anyway.

Yes, we bought a townhome in Lakewood, just a few blocks from my office. It’s been fixed and flipped so it has new carpet, wood panelling (trust me, it looks nice), new fixtures, and new appliances, but we still got a great deal compared to other units in the neighborhood and other homes in that price range elsewhere. It’s going to need just a little more work to get it perfect: add more storage in the kitchen, put up window coverings, get a washer/dryer (Yes! My own washer and dryer! I’ve dreamed of this day for 6 years), but minor things really.

We close in mid October, giving us a cushy two and a half weeks to clear out of our old apartment before that lease is up. Unfortunately, I’ll probably go crazy in anticipation waiting these two months.

I’m glad to see you all are still checking my site, despite irregular posting. As a reward, may I present to you

Fritz and Franz: Fight the Future SPECIAL EDITION
(with special death-to-John Waters opening)

The revival of Pirates of Penzance was a staple in my musical theater repertoire as a young girl. Not only a funny show and fun to pretend I could sing along with the soprano, but it had two handsome pirates in thigh-high leather boots with luscious perms.

Though Kevin Kline’s charisma has a certain pull, my girlish crush fell on Frederic, played by Rex Smith. Those earnest eyes, the tiny ponytail, the way he over-enunciated each and every word with those pouty lips. I had forgotten about his capacity to make me swoon until we saw the play in Park City, prompting me to re-watch Amanda’s copy of the Joseph Papp production.

But where is Rex now? I think I heard he was doing more shows on Broadway, maybe even a Tony nomination or two. Hmm, let’s wander over to his official website . . .

Is there anything sadder than this?

After a great night performance of the Pirates of Penzance at the Deer Valley outdoor theater, we had a half day in Park City.

Lovely day for a zip down the mountain! It was a close race. . .

I shouldn’t have breaked in anticipation of the red line, I could have won! But it’s true, Andy crossed the finish first.

Going up the mountain a second time. Dad, Andy, and I rode a zipline down.

Mom felt cheated because a squirrel was on her track while racing Dad.

Amanda’s neighborhood got pummelled with rain.

You gotta see the Baaabee. Addison sure is cute! It was great seeing an old friend (love you, Kris!).

I love Andy’s expression in this picture. (click to see in fully glory) More vacation pics coming soon . . .

Don’t think I’ve been neglecting my kitchen! I’m just slow to post. I returned to some favorite dishes from the my earlier years of marriage.

Chicken fingers! Breaded with crumbs and parmesan, with baked sweet potato and sauteed zucchini with dill.

Pesto chicken with sundried tomatoes, green beans, and rosemary garlic potatoes.

Refreshing blueberry smoothies!

I’ve eaten so much of this lately. Blended cream cheese, parmesan, sundried tomatoes and their oil make a sweet and savory spread. Served here on black pepper flax seed crackers.

Mmm, homemade semolina fettucini, extra thick, how Ben likes it.

Served with turkey meatballs, chunky marinara and parmesan.

Speaking of meatballs, this is turkey meatloaf, baked in a muffin tin. Instead of a burnt exterior, raw interior loaf, each serving is perfectly cooked and portioned. The medley of roasted vegetables includes carrot, eggplant, zucchini, red peppers, potatoes, and (don’t forget) garlic.

A heaping pot of marinara to last all week.

Italian white bean salad. Minced garlic and carrot sizzle in olive oil before adding cannellini beans. Let simmer for an hour, add salt, pepper, and plenty of fresh parsley.

I tried a recipe for lemon ginger muffins. Despite calling for a 1/2 cup of fresh ginger, the flavor wasn’t pronounced. In half the muffins I added small bits of crystallized ginger. That boosted the flavour and made the texture more interesting (they turned soft like gummies!), but still, this recipe was disappointing.

Finally, classic lasagne with a green salad. Not pictured, I also made sloppy joes this week.

In this article, YouTube founder says he is negotiating to get every music video ever created on youtube. It’s too good to be true. Does anyone else get the feeling this website is going to crash and burn?