I have a goal!

Because all goals should be attainable, I'll start with something doable. I'm going to post something every day for the next month. It may not be profound or witty or consciousness raising, but it will keep me writing!

A friend from church is posting a picture of himself every day for the next year. I'm not into that kind of self-disclosure by a long shot. If my soul is to be bared, it shall be via the written word.

Here's what I've been up to:
Scheduling the next year's classes for PREP. Talking to teachers, both current and potential, and admiring the Herculean effort that goes into putting which class where, at what time, and without conflict with the other classes it needs to feed into.

Praying for not one, but TWO pregnant mommies-to-be. Katie is due in May and Jaimee in September. It's a double-grammy-whammy!

Keeping my shoes away from Radley. He doesn't chew, he carries. My current solution - put them up higher - is not as effective as just putting them away. And that's why our bookshelves are full of random shoes.

Follow me on Twitter. It's lots of fun!

Blessings,
Renee

The Omnivore's 100

Here's a fun exercise for the devoted foodie.

Here’s what you do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

The Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle Tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% alcohol
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe Beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole Poblano
96. Bagel and Lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Help! I'm making heart shaped paperclips and I can't stop

http://tinyurl.com/brlhfp

They are cute. They are precious. They are addicting.
They are also calorie free!
(Is that a Valentine's treat or what? Don't worry. Chocolate recipe to follow soon.)

He was talking about coffee!

On of my husband's co-workers promised to send us some honest-to-goodness South American homegrown coffee!

We do like coffee just a little bit at our house. Next to the big-boy espresso maker you can see our collection of syrups (cinnamon, Kahlua, caramel, and gingerbread), to-go cups (not to be confused with Togo cups, from an African country of the same name), sweeteners (splenda, sweet-n-low, sugar), sprinkles (cinnamon and sugar), ground coffee from Italy, and Starbucks Verona beans. The French Press coffee maker is in the sink and the teeny tiny stovetop espresso maker is under the counter. In the background you can see the coffee grinder (needed for the French press) and 2 little espresso cups. I registered for those when I got married over 26 years ago. These days Barista-boy uses them to serve shots in. We store these everyday essentials in the Southern Living at Home Jamestown tray. It's lovely when you can actually see it.

Update: Mom is resting comfortably after her emergency appendectomy last night. She's due home tomorrow or Monday. We are thankful for all your prayers and good wishes. I plan on delivering them in person when I go visit her next weekend.

Context is Everything

Strangest quote overheard in my kitchen this week: "He's shipping me a pound of Colombian on Monday."

Easiest Crock Pot Recipe ...Ever!

(Note - since when did I fall into the habit of saying "ever" after every superlative comparison. Have you succumbed?)

Salsa Chicken & Black Bean Soup
(adapted from a recipe over at Crockpot365.blogspot.com)

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 box chicken broth
1 jar 16-24oz. salsa
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 T. cumin
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
Toppings: chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, queso fresco (Mexican white crumbly cheese. I'm not quite sure that is the exact translation :-) )
Optional - 1 c. corn. We have a "corn hater" in our house and because his vote counts more than those of the mushroom-haters, well...you can see who won out.

Directions: Open cans, jar, and box. Empty into crockpot. Add mushrooms, cumin, and chicken breasts. I didn't even chop these up until they were through cooking. Cook all day on low. (If your chicken breasts are frozen, start on "high" for a few hours.) The most effort I went to was peeling and slicing the avocado and cilantro. It doesn't get any easier than this folks!

Katie tried this one out first. I agree with her that it seems a bit strange to put mushrooms into something "southwestern", but hey...why shouldn't tex-mex get some mushroom love?

I feel smarter already!

NYT Article