Sunday

I had a great Sunday. We went to Church (which is always a great start to a Sunday). After Church we came home and I did some work while my wonderful husband tidied up the house. Around 4:30 my brother and nephew came over for dinner. They hung out while I made dinner, we all watched part of Wall-E after dinner. My nephew is so utterly adorable. I just want to squeeze him the whole time he is here and not let him get up and play like a normal 3-year-old. lol!

Then, I went out to run a couple of errands, and later that evening M. and her family came over. She had said they would come by and bring "something to snack on and a bottle of wine" so we could visit when they came by to pick up a couple of things from us. They showed up with 1) All the fixings for lovely wonderful home made pizzas (dough included!), 2) 2 bottles of yummy La Frenz wine and 3) Coconut cupcakes (so tasty). M. proceded to cook away making the yummiest pizza ever while we all visited. We visited well into the evening, and the kids were so great sitting and watching a movie while we visited.

I like days like that. I am so thankful I have a house that I like having people come to now, where there's space and it's easy to clean and fit people in. And, as a side note, where I can clean up after each visit in time for the next because there is a DISHWASHER. Haven't quite gotten over the novelty of that yet. We're still not nearly unpacked yet, but it's getting there inch by inch.

Just saying

The other night I went on a bit of a rampage and unpacked a LOT Of boxes and got most of our books and livingroom things sorted out. So the house feels somewhat more in order. Still so much to do though!

Today and tomorrow are really REALLY long work days. I'm out of the house from about 7:30 am to 7;30pm each day, and as much as there's nothing "stressful" about them, I still just want them to be done with! The long out of the house, driving from client-to-client days are tiring, and make me anxious that I'll be late arriving or will forget something essential and not have time to go home to get it!

Thankfully this weekend is clear. We have nothing scheduled. Which means, unfortunately that I can get my taxes ready to send to my accountant (I get till June to file as self-employed), and hopefully can get caught up on thesis and work stuff. I need to get totally caught up, as I leave Friday of next week (at 7am blech) to go to Phoenix for a conference, then arrive home the following Tuesday night at 7pm, and have to be at work in Courtenay (on the island) by 9am the next day! Not totally sure how that is going to work out yet. Either I'll need to take a late ferry, or will have to fly over this time, first thing in the morning. Flying will only occur if they can arrange it though.

Anyhoo...not a whole lot to say aside from sorting out my schedule in blog-form to make me feel a bit less anxious about it :)

I am excited about Phoenix, and LOVE that it's 100 degrees (F) there right now (SUMMER!!!). The downside is that I DO NOT have my summer bathing suit body yet, and my nearly daily gym visits helped too much. We'll see. I won't complain about great weather though, and WILL lay on the pool deck regardless. I'll just get some big sunglasses : )

Two Yummy Things

I didn't take any pictures, because I hadn't planned to blog about these things, but they are SO good I have to share. The frist recipe is from the Simply in Season cook book. The second is from (surprise surprise) the Moosewood Cooks at Home restaurant cookbook. More and more, most of the recipes I make come from these two books. And they never miss!

First: Veggie Burrito Bake

1 large clove garlic (minced
1 medium onion
3/4 cup uncooked rice
3/4 tsp ground tumeric
Saute in a saucepan in 1 tbsp oil until onon is tender. Stir often.

1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
Ad and mix well. Simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed, about 15 min for white rice, 40 min for brown rice. Remove from heat, let stand 5 min and fluff with fork.

16 cups/ 4 L fresh spinach (loosely pakced)
1 1/2 tsp garlic (minced)
salt and pepper to taste
While rice cooks, heat 1 tablespoon oil in frypan on high heat. Add garlic and spinach, one handful at a time as it wilts, adding water as needed to prevent sticking. Spinach should be moist, with loose leaves, not clumped together.

2 Cups cooked black beans
1 TBSP chili powder
Mix in a bowl. Layer ingredients as follows in a 2-quart/2-Litre cassorole: Half of spinach, all of the rice, all of the beans, remaining spinach.

1 Cup monteray jack cheese (shredded)
Sprinkle on top. Cover and bake at 375 F until sizzling, 45 minutes. Or heat in microwave about 10 minutes then let stand 5 minutes. Serve by spooning into warm flour tortillas. Optional garnishes: Salsa, avacados, guacamole, sour cream, tabasco pepper sauce, chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges.

I cooked it 10 min in the microwave and 20 min in the oven. We used cilantro, liime wedges, sour cream and hot sauce to garnish. This was SO SO good. We both loved it. It would be a great thing to make to take to an event, or to prep earlier in the day for dinner, as you can put it into the fridge once it's assembled and bake when you're ready to eat it.

The other thing we had is much simpler.

Moosewood Fudge Brownies. They are officially my favorite brownies. Ever.

Melt 3 squares of unsweetened chocolate and 1/2 cup butter together
Add 1 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Add 2 large eggs (whisk them before adding them)
Add 1/2 cup flour
Put in an 8 or 9-inch square pan and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.

So So So So So GOOD.