Potato, Patato

It works.

My Mom sent this link to my other married sister and I (apparently my unmarried sister has no need for a quick way of peeling potatoes) and of course I wanted to try it.

Along the line of 'it worked!' were a few exceptions. I did not use Idaho Potatoes. I used potatoes in the bag from Wally World. Therefore, I was unsure of how long the potato needed to spend in boiling and ice water. Therefore the skins didn't peel off as easily and as wholly as they did in the video.

Anyhoo...I didn't take pictures. I should have.

So it kinda worked. One half of the potato skin came off very easy. The other half had to be assisted. Meaning, pried with my fingers.

Overall it surprisingly worked. People are going to bitch it didn't work for them like it did for Mary Ann. My response: shootz bra, diet programs don't work for me like they do for the Hollywood starlets advertising them.

It saved my fingers; b/c I always end up connecting the blade with a finger.

It saved potato: my Aunt once told me that when peeling potatoes for dinner at my Great Granny's house, GG was always looking over her young shoulder to make sure the non-skin/edible part of the potato was not be wasted with frivolous peelings.

It makes me feel cool. Though I do waste water with the boiling pot and the cooling pot, I use those to water plants; if the Captain doesn't discard them sooner. :)

Cheers!

Only Tuesday?

Today is a down day. This regularly occurs when I focus on job searching and after spending the morning sitting on my buttocks, in front of the computer, sending out resumes and cover letters each adjusted to the possible position while the clock ticks quickly by. It occurs when I am faced with the future of not knowing what I am going to do, of not getting a call back or even an acknowledgement that my resume was received. I also know that so many other people are faced with the same situation right now and many are without a spouse whose salary is sufficient and who very seldom complains about my lack of a job or anything I do around the house. We are extremely blessed to be able to live the way we do on 1 income and I give God all the glory.

It is once again a bitter day outside. Callie and I went to the dog park for a bit this morning to stretch her legs, run around, and *hopefully* retrieve the ball without getting too distracted.  The wind was so chilly but she enjoyed it tremendously and is currently sleeping at my feet. It was then off to the library where I picked some books, among those one which I hope will occupy the next few hours.

Cheers!

Alfredo Pesto Lasagna Roll Ups

Last night I made a dish combining recipes I had read before adjusting to my preferences and what was in stock in this kitchen. It was surprisingly delicious.

4 Lasagna Noodles - Cooked in boiling water for about 10-12 minutes

While cooking I mixed the following together:
1 can cooked chicken
3 Tbsp Pesto
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

After the noodles had cooked, I rinsed them in cool water and let them drain for a bit. I then lay each one out taking a scope of the above mixture spreading it on the length of the noodle. It doesn't need to be too thick. I then rolled each noodle up, enclosing the chicken pesto mixture into the obvious, roll up. :)

I used a loaf pan and spread  Alfredo sauce over the bottom creating a nice layer, then placed each lasagna roll up on top. After all 4 were completed and placed in the pan, I poured over the rest of the Alfredo sauce. To top it off, I added some freshly shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake it at 375 for about 30 minutes, until all the cheese has melted and the Alfredo sauce is bubbling.

Again, terribly tasty with so much flavor. Substitute the Alfredo for tomato sauce and used ground beef or a spicy sausage. How about  spinach? Yummy!

Cheers!

Clean Air

Today it was nearly 50 degrees outside. It was heavenly. Callie and I thoroughly enjoyed the warmer weather as we spent more time outside than we have all year. It's funny to say 'all year' and know it's really not even 2 months.

I had some plant clippings who had been working on their growth in jars of water throughout the house for way too long and today I surrounded all their roots with dirt.  The Captain thinks I have too much plants. He won't actually say so but wives know those things.  One thing about plants and our home is that Paige likes to dig through the dirt and chew on the leaves. Therefore, I can't have an obsessive amounts of plants around our home without protection. We also don't have a lot of tables and shelves for the plants to sit on to prevent cat infestation so I work around things like shut doors or foil.

Compromise.

Cheers.

A Little Spring on the Counter

For the latest installment of "Things I want" I would like to introduce you to this delightful set of measuring petals. I'm pretty gosh darn sure these would look adorable sitting on anyone's counter adding not only a conversation topic but a bit of color and charm, not to mention spring during this February. The stem and leaves keep all the petals together lessening the chance of losing one of these charming measuring devices.
I have a feeling that not only would these make any cooking experience that much brighter but the chance that I might break out in song and dance would drastically increase.

Cheers!

Squint Much?

We have a snow covered yard again! Our area of the country doesn't usually, or so 'they' say, get a lot of winter weather. Being in the Mid-South and near the Mississippi, we tend to just have cold days and wind not the ice or snow that we have had this year. Let me correct myself, in the past 2 weeks.

So again this morning, we surprisingly awoke to 5 inches of snow on the ground with giant flakes continuing to fall.

It is beautiful.


The Captain had to go provide a calming presence at the airport but not before he joined us in a quick walk and  took a photo of our happy time.

Cheers!

Contribution to the deficit

Tonight we have an appointment with our local H&R Block to meet with a specialist and file our taxes for 2009. Just in time too, as it seems Obama has already spent all the money I hope we don't owe the government. I used to do our taxes, but that was before we lived in multiple states or had the Amtrak exception to take care of. When you start adding multiple states it gets terribly confusing.  2007 taxes were only for Hawaii but being non-Hawaiian and the white man who stole their land meant we had to pay some weird tax, fill out another form with incomprehensible instructions, or something similar. For the past 2 years we have had 3 states plus federal to worry about. But don't fret! We haven't lived in either one of the states for an entire year so that puts us in a part-year residency. But wait! What about if you work in another state, or your hubby's job is flying people around the friendly skies, with more than 75% of his work done outside of the state where his company is based? Lost yet? I joined that group many moons ago.

So this morning has been spent pulling out my hair, biting my nails, and spending too much time on the world wide web, ensuring we have all the information needed to make this evening's appointment as hassle free as possible. Unfortunately, I don't think that our move across country last summer is tax deductable because the Captain stayed with the same company but perhaps my being unemployed will put us in another income bracket and be somewhat beneficial. Fingers crossed.

For now, C-Pizzle and I are due for some time outside. I still haven't gotten over the cold I received last week but didn't ask for and my marathon training isn't going as I had hoped. But at least the snow and ice have melted and it isn't raining for we need some sunshine to perk up this attitude!

Cheers!

Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off

Even though Phil wouldn't have seen his shadow at my house today, I have a feeling that winter isn't quite over yet, hence my desire to share this gem with you. 

A delightfully chic hot chocolate maker by Bialetti. 

Hot chocolate just makes the world better with it's creamy, rich goodness. And this maker comes with a well-established history that doesn't make me question whether it's going to not operate correctly for many years to come. But don't limit it's skills to only one beverage for it can apparently make coffee, cappuccino, lattes, and a host of cold teas and cocktails. Sounds like every kitchen should have one of these sparkling on the counter!