Ramone Peddles Jewelry

My boyfriend and I recently adopted two cats. They are 5 month old brothers, the grey one is Pedro and the orange one is Ramone. We didn't name them but we liked the uniqueness of their names. Apparently, whoever named them was on a Mexican kick. A friend of mine has been making up stories about them based on them being Mexican. They have a taco stand on the beach, peddle jewelry and various other things.

Ramone has made it clear that he does have a thing for jewelry. He has knocked over my earrings on my vanity several times. This weekend I decided I needed to come up with a new way to store my earrings so that Ramone can't get at them. I can't really put them in my jewelry box as I have a lot of chandelier earring or dangling earrings and they will just become a tangled mess. I had a picture in my head of a series of small wires running horizontal on my wall that the earrings could hook over. But then the more I thought about that it seemed impractical and like it would put a lot of holes in my wall! Then I thought about getting some nice pictures frames and putting mesh or a fine chicken wire in them. I looked in a few stores for frames I like but the ones I liked were really expensive. I ended up at store on 4th called Kitchen Corner, this store is a bit scary as stuff is piled high and you can barely fit down the isles. But you occasionally come a way with a great find so it is worth the hazard. This time was one of those times! I found some decorative embroidery hoops with a hook for hanging on top. I decided instead of buying chicken wire to use the leftover screen mesh we had from making screens for our windows.

I think it worked out pretty well! I am just waiting for Ramone to figure out how to climb the wall now!

Tip #1- soup tips

If you like to make soups I have a couple of tips for you. If you are going through your veggie crisper and you find some limp celery, wilted carrots or slightly soft tomatoes, don't throw them out. Put them in the freezer to use for soup. I keep a zip lock bag in the freezer that I put these kind of things in. I recently made baked stuffed tomatoes and I put the centre of the scooped out tomatoes into this bag as well.

After you steam your veggies for a meal, don't dump out the water, freeze it. You can put it in an ice cube tray, zip lock or jar you keep in the freezer. The water from your veggies is full of nutrients and flavour. This is great to addd to your soup broth or even just instead of water to a sauce.

Thai Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

This is a great soup and definitely not your traditional squash soup. I made it this Thanksgiving as the first course. I like to add a non traditional dish or new twist on a classic dish for traditional meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This soup does take awhile to make, so I like to make a large amount and freeze it to make it worth while. It also is great if you have a helper!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegtable oil
1 leek sliced
2 onions chopped
8 cloves garlic cruched (or more if you are like me!)
1/4 cup coarse chopped ginger
2-3 chilis finely chopped (I have used dried chili flakes instead)
1/2 cup dried coconut
1 kg seeded chopped butternut squash
3 lemons (finely shred off some of the rind before juicing the lemons)
1/4 cup brown sugar
50 gms shrimp paste
1 cup chopped coriander or cilantro
1 litre chicken or veggie stock

For garnish:
toasted shredded coconut
sliced green onion

Heat the oil in a sauce pan (large wok works well too). Cook the leek, onion, garlic, ginger and chilis over medium heat until they soften. Cover for 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, the let simmer for 25 minutes. (or squash is tender, you can shorten this time by cooking the squash in the oven ahead of time but that adds another step)Blend this mixture in small batches, blend until smooth. At this point you can taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. If it is really thick you might want to add more broth, too bland add more garlic and chilis. If you feel the need to add salt, use sea salt.

Serve in individual bowls with toasted coconut and green onions as the garnish.

(this recipe serves 8-10 people)

Oatmeal Cookies

One of my favorite things to make is oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. This recipe was my Great-Grandmothers. It took a while for my Granny to properly re-create these cookies because the recipe wasn't exactly accurate. 1 cup did not mean a metric cup, it meant whatever chipped tea cup she used for baking and the temperature of the oven was measured by feeling the heat on your bare arm int he wood burning stove. But eventually my Granny figured it out and it is now a family favorite.

1 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips or nuts or raisins (or whatever your preference is, I have used Skor bits also)

Using a mixer blend the butter until smooth, add the sugar, once that is mixed add the eggs. Pre mix the flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of this at a time to the butter mixture. Once all the flour is added add the oatmeal and chocolate chips.

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes in a 375F oven (190 c).

Halloween

This Halloween I thought it would be fun to do a group costume. I remembered that I had a lion costume from a few years ago and I had already thought about recycling it. Perhaps the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe... or the Wizard of Oz. I suggested this to a group of friends and they thought the Wizard of Oz would be fun. My boyfriend agreed to be the Scarecrow, his friend wanted to be the Tin Man. So then Dorothy and the Lion were left to either myself or Tin Man's girlfriend. Tin Man decided to save himself time and order a costume on line. I have a hard time wearing a bought costume though, I have always made my costume in the past. The only problem was I decided to make both the Dorothy costume and the Scarecrow costume all in 5 days. But it worked out. I sewed both the Dorothy costume and the Scarecrow, plus I made a bag for Scarecrow to carry around. He said he needed it for his "candy". Just as our counterparts were on their way over I decided that the lion needed a badge of courage, definitely helped make that costume more authentic.

Our costumes were well received. On the way to the first party we had people stop us on the street to take out photo! Even at the party we had people asking where we got our costumes! I already have people requesting my to borrow my Dorothy costume, I think I have it booked for the next two years.

I love shoes

What can I say, I love shoes. I have quite a few pairs, I think it was the mid 50s at last count. Some people think this is a lot, but really I could handle a few more pairs.

I remember hearing from a guy friend that you can tell how high maintenance a girl is by how many pairs of shoes she owns. 1-15= low maintenance, 15-30=manageable, 30+ high maintenance (basically stay away)! Then what does that make me? Ridiculously high maintenance? I don't think so! I have been told that I am quite low maintenance, I don't take a lot of time to get ready, I am not super demanding and I pay my own way. I really don't think this method of measuring works. And anyhow boys, do you really want a girl with only a couple pairs of shoes? Crunchy granola Birkenstocks, runners, a couple pairs of flip flops and one pair of heels? I don't think so! As much as my boyfriends complains about how my shoes take up the entire apartment he likes me to wear nice heels! What guy doesn't like seeing a girl in some high heels that make her bum look great? We can't always look as hot as you want us to if you don't let us have a good selection of shoes. So, as much as guys say they want a low maintenance girlfriend, they enjoy the benefits of it.

My only problem with all of these pairs of shoes is how to store them? I tried keep them in the boxes and labelling each one. This was a pretty good method because they stacked easily and kept the shoes in good shape, my problem with it was that I forgot about the pairs on the bottom of the stack. I've tried open shoe boxes where you put a few pairs in standing up, this way you can see them all but it kind of squishes them. I tried stacked bins behind the door, with each cubby full of one type of shoe. Ballet flats, sandals, closed toe heels, flip flops, pumps... This kind of worked but then I moved and there isn't that great space behind the door. Shoe racks are great but I would have to fill a whole room with shoe racks to hold my collection.

I think celebrities have it right, convert one of your 6 spare rooms into a shoe closet! Ah, if only. I guess I better win the lottery or marry rich.

This is Mariah Carey's closet, as crazy as she is, isn't it beautiful?!!!

What's so bad about being a trophy wife?

Is being a trophy wife really so bad? I suppose it depends on what your definition of a trophy wife is.

To some, the term “trophy wife” connotes an enviable achievement, while to others it's an idiomatic synonym for “idiot.” The contradictory connotations that riddle the following definition probably please both sides: Trophy wife: The (rarely first) wife of an affluent (often older) man who is (often younger and) exceptionally (more) attractive (than he is). Prevailing synonyms include: gold digger, socialite, shopaholic, secret envy of countless women, and object of feminist scorn.However interpreted, the customary concept of marriage based strictly on romantic love is both young and narrow. Historically, people have gotten married for a wide variety of reasons -- social, economical, political, professional -- so the trophy wife has plenty of precedence. (http://www.askmen.com/fine_living/how_to/7_how_to.html)

I made a deal with my boyfriend that if he could support the two of us I would stay home. His reward would be me at the door, when he comes home, in lingerie and heels with a drink in one hand and dinner on the table. What would be so bad about that? I would have more time, less stress and no boss to answer to. I could do all of those things I never have time for and have always wanted to do. But would I be bored? Are housewives bored? The sure look like they are having a good time on Desperate Housewives.

Hmm... something to think about.

The Purpose

The purpose of this blog is... well, I'm not really sure yet. I guess the purpose is to figure things out, kind of a rough draft. That wouldn't fly at work. I'd be asked "well, what's your point of view?". I am getting really tired of that question. Sometimes you just don't know.

A girl I work with thinks that I am destined for better things. She thinks I could have my own show, kind of an Urban Martha Stewart, but cooler and with out jail time. Or a cook book, or magazine or something. So, that is what I am doing here, trying to figure out what that greater thing is.

My co-worker often drools over my lunches, they are just left overs from last nights dinner. But she always says they look so good, and she wants me to teach her how to cook. I love cooking. I learned from my Mom. No packages or cans get opened, well, except things like stewed tomatoes. Everything is fresh, even the spices (I have several pots on the patio- basil, thyme, cilantro, rosemary...). I cook different things every night and am not afraid of trying new things. And no, I am not an old spinster who has nothing better to do. I am 28, I have a social life, I work a pretty busy job and live with my boyfriend. I just like to cook. She doesn't really like to cook, I think her husband would like it if she did! I know my boyfriend likes it. He says he has gained 20lbs since dating me!

So, back to my co-worker. She was enjoying my lunches too last week, as my boyfriend was out of town and I don't really know how to cook for one. So my first post is going to be about the soup she loved. Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup:

Ingredients

olive oil
6 red bell peppers- cut in halves
1 large red or white onion
8 cloves - whole head of garlic (you can never have too much garlic)
1 large can crushed tomatoes (you can do it with out tomatoes but then you need a lot more peppers!)
a bunch of fresh oregano (I've used rosemary or other spices too)
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock (I prefer the organic tetra packs- you know that most broths have MSG except for organic or low-sodium)
2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper
3 tbsp whipping cream (if you don't have it milk is fine)
small container of sour cream

-lightly oil a baking sheet and place the peppers (so the cut side is flat on the sheet), garlic and wedges of onion on the baking sheet. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until the peppers skin goes a bit black and starts to bubble. You will need to let the peppers cook until you can handle them and then peel the skin off, the more it has bubbled the easier it will be to peel off. Or I've hear that running them under cold water helps if the skin is sticking.

-put all of the stock, tomatoes and herbs in a large pot. Bring it to a boli and then reduce the heat until it is simmering. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

-then you can add the peppers (you should chop them a bit before adding, random sizes is fine, you will blend it later), onions and garlic. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.

-blend the mixture until it is smooth

-put it back in the pot, add the basil, sugar, salt and pepper. At this point I would taste it and add more of something if you feel anything is missing. Let it cook for a couple more minutes.

-turn the heat off and add the cream (or milk)

-when you are serving it to your guests put a few dollops of sour cream on the top and a pinch of fresh basil (or whatever herb you have left over). The cool sour cream with the slightly tart soup is a great mix. Also the contrast of the colours makes the soup look beautiful! Your guests will be really impressed!

(makes about 6-8 bowls)

Enjoy!