Holiday Weekend

Snowbird and I dancing. Not one of my better fashion moments, but Snowbird didn't mind.

It's been a nice long weekend here. Friday night, we went to another anesthesia party. Scott is lucky that his fellow CA2 residents are all so nice. The party was held at the condo of one of the girls which was by the law school and had a fabulous view of the river and the University. All the girls were dressed so elegantly and I felt rather drab in my t-shirt and shorts. This spurred me on to improve my wardrobe a bit - try to look more feminine and stylish. This desire to be better dressed occurs to me every so often, but usually my inner tight-wad cools it off quickly. I bought two new shirts this weekend, but didn't want to buy much more since it will soon be too cold to wear all the stylish summer clothes.

Saturday we went to the state fair. It's always so much fun. I enjoy looking at all the exhibits and animals, but I'm not much of a ride-person. Mostly, the state fair is about eating. We tried many tasty and unhealthy snacks. A once-a-year opportunity to stuff yourself with fried foods on a stick. I was impressed with the deep fried snickers bar. And the Twisted Sisters make fabulous sausage on a stick. But, of course, Sweet Martha's cookies are always the best for me.

Sunday was church. My Sunbeams class was assigned to give a presentation during primary. Essentially, I did the presentation, with some help from the kids. It was on baptism. I bought some cheap foam letters spelling baptism at Joann's and had each kid hold up the letter - that was their participation. The rest of the presentation was pretty boring. I think all the kids were looking forward to it ending (as was I)...but it was certainly better than it could have been. I would like to spend more time planning more activities for my Sunbeams, but the time never seems to be there (or, I never seem to make the time).

Today, Monday, was a shopping day. I went to Ikea in the morning and bought Scott a bedside table. After more than a year of marriage, I finally decided that a cardboard bedside table wasn't good enough. Then I went to the Mall of America. I thought it would be packed due to the holiday and the Republican Convention. But it really wasn't busy at all. It did occur to me that the last time I was at the MOA was the day after Thanksgiving - I seem to pick holidays to go to the big mall. It's so big though that it's able to handle crowds well. After the mall, I went to the gym then came home and mowed the lawn. Scott was hard at work today finishing the deck. He also finished reading October Sky by Homer Hickam, one of my favorite books. I've been trying to get him to read it for months and I'm so glad that he loved it as much as I did.

Here are some recent meals:

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Pasta, recipe by Lynn Rosetto Kasper
1 clove garlic, split
3 pounds richly flavored tomatoes (if possible, one-third cherry type, one-third mellow-tasting, and one-third low-acid), unpeeled, unseeded, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 generous pinches hot red pepper flakes
1/3 cup good tasting extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 pound spaghetti, or linguine - I used rigatoni
6 quarts boiling salted water
1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper, or to taste
3 tight-packed tablespoons fresh basil leaves, torn
1 cup fresh-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)

1. Vigorously rub a pasta serving bowl with the garlic and discard the clove. Add the tomatoes, red pepper, oil, and the salt. Gently combine. Let stand at room temperature from 30 minutes to 3 hours.
2. When ready to eat, cook the pasta in fiercely boiling salted water, stirring often, until tender yet firm to the bite. Drain in a colander and turn it into the pasta bowl. Quickly add the black pepper and basil, and toss everything together. Taste the pasta for seasoning and serve. If you like, pass cheese at the table.

Eggplant with Hot Garlic Sauce from http://www.recipezaar.com/

4-6 Chinese eggplants or Japanese eggplants (these are long and slender-Chinese groceries will have them)
5 tablespoons peanut oil or corn oil (I used a lot less)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic (I use 4-6 cloves)
1 tablespoon hot bean paste (available from Chinese groceries)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
1 chopped scallion (I omitted)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for-garnish

Cut eggplant 1/2-inch wide by 2-inch long strips.
Saute 1/2 the eggplant in 1/2 the oil in a non-stick pan/wok, until soft.
When browned and soft, remove from pan about 5 minutes.
Then repeat with rest of eggplant or sautee in 2 pans.
On low heat, cook garlic, ginger, and hot bean paste for a minute, then add sugar, soy sauce and stock/water.
Return eggplant to the pan and cook for about five minutes until garlic is soft and a sauce forms. If sauce is too thin, thicken with 1t corn starch mixed with 2t water.
Fold sesame oil.
Top with green onions and sesame seeds.
Serve hot or cold with white rice

Leftovers - I added a 1/2 pound of ground chicken to the leftover eggplant to create an extra meal. It was delicious - even better than the original.


Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito from Moosewood Low-Fat Cookbook

5 cups peeled cubed sweet potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons canola oil or other vegetable oil or broth
3 1/2 cups diced onions
4 garlic cloves, minced (or pressed)
1 tablespoon minced fresh green chili pepper
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ground coriander
4 1/2 cups cooked black beans (three 15-ounce cans, drained)
2/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
8 (10 inch) flour tortillas (I used whole wheat)
fresh salsa

Preheat the oven to 350*.
Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with the salt and water to cover.
Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.
Drain and set aside.
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, warm the oil in a medium skillet or saucepan and add the onions, garlic, and chile.
Cover and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 7 minutes.
Add the cumin and coriander and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the black beans, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and cooked sweet potatoes and puree until smooth (or mash the ingredients in a large bowl by hand).
Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a large mixing bowl and mix in the cooked onions and spices.
Lightly oil a large baking dish.
Spoon about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of the filling in the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until piping hot.
Serve topped with salsa.

Blueberry Crisp from Betty Crocker cookbook

5 cups blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
3 T flour
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coconut

Mix blueberries, sugar, and flour and put in 2 qt baking dish
Mix flour, brown sugar, and oats. Cut in butter. Stir in coconut. Crumble over blueberries.
Bake 30-35 minutes at 375*.