Off for a couple of days

I will be having an umbilical hernia repaired tomorrow so I will be away for a few days.  The surgery will be done by laparoscope so I won't have a big abdominal incision which is good.  It is day surgery so I will be home in the afternoon.  I've made Shrimp Jambalaya and a pot of Beef and Barley Soup so cooking is done for a while.  I've put this off and now it is time to just get it taken care of. I'll be back in a few days.  

December Meditation

“What right have you to take the word wealth, which originally meant ''well-being,'' and degrade and narrow it by confining it to certain sorts of material objects measured by money.”

~ John Ruskin

A Fun Meme

I usually don't do these but here goes:

Meme

1) Do you eat blue cheese?

      No, but I love feta. 

2)  Have you ever smoked?

          No, I can't stand the smell of it. 

    

3)  Do you own a gun?

          No, I'm so uncoordinated that there is no telling what I would shoot if I ever had one in my hands. 

4)  What flavor of Kool Aid is your favorite?

          I don't think I've ever drank KoolAid. 

5)  Do you get nervous before dental appointments?

          Not before routine dental cleaning but for anything that requires numbing, I'm a total wus. 

6)  What do you think of hot dogs?

           Movie hot dogs are a secret sin of mine. 

7)  What's your favorite Christmas movie?

          I don't watch them.  I do have a tradition of watching a marathon of The Godfather movies on New Years Day. 

 8) What do you prefer to drink in the morning?   

           Orange juice

9)  Can you do push-ups?

          Why on earth would I do that?

 

10)  What's your favorite piece of jewelry?

          I'm not much of a jewelry wearer but I bought a Monarch butterfly necklace at the Texas Butterfly Festival and I'm enjoying wearing it.  

11)  What's your favorite hobby?

           Quilting and Reading

12)  Do you have A.D.D.?

          No. I'm usually busy doing one thing or another but I generally focus easily on what I am doing. 

     

13)  Do you wear glasses or contacts?

          Glasses. I would never be able to stand putting something in my eyes. 

14)  What's your middle name?

          Ann

15)  What are your thoughts at this moment?

          It's been a nice day and I am pleasantly tired. Enjoying doing this meme. 

16)  Name 3 drinks you regularly consume.

          Water, milk, Orange juice, CocaCola

    

17)  What is a current worry of yours?

          Nothing really.  I wish people would be kinder and gentler with each other and with the earth. 

     

18)  What do you currently hate?

           Animal abuse. 

19)  Where is your favorite place to be?

          Home. 

20)  What do you plan on doing on New Year's Eve this year?

          Sleeping. 

21)  To where would you like to travel?

          Yellowstone National Park. 

22)  Name three people you think will do this questionnaire on their

        blog.

           No idea, let's hope someone does. 

23)  Do you own slippers?

          Yes. 

   

24)  What color shirt are you wearing?

          Blue tee shirt. 

25)  Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?

          I've never slept on satin sheets but I don't think I world like it. 

26)  Can you whistle?

          Not at all. 

   

27)  What is your favorite color? 

            Warm colors-- rust, peach, cream

28)  What songs do you sing in the shower?

          Oh what a beautiful morning,

          Oh what a beautiful day.....

29)  Would you be a pirate? 

          Heavens, No!!

30)  What's in your pocket right now?

          Empty. 

31)  What's the last thing that made you laugh?

          I watched a YouTube video of a woman talking about breastfeeding her babies and it was so funny that I laughed and laughed. 

32)  What vehicle do you drive?

          Honda Odyssey

33)  What's the worst injury you've ever had?

          I tripped and fell and tried to break my fall with my arms which resulted in dislocating one elbow and fracturing the other. 

34)  Do you love where you live?

          I love my home and 4 acres. 

35)  Would you change your first name if you could?

          No. I was named for my Grandmother who was named for Florence Nightingale. 

   

More butterflies from the Lower Rio Grande Valley

Texas Crescent

Red Admiral

Monarch

RedBordered Pixie

Pipevine Swallowtail

Around OakMeadows

The goldfinches have arrived.  I saw a single goldfinch last week so I knew the rest of the crowd would be arriving soon.  We got the thistle feeders filled and hung just in time.  We have a flock of about 20-25 of these beautiful little creatures.  They will be with us until March and we will keep them well fed with sunflower and thistle seed.  Love them so much.

I was at the dental office yesterday for a routine teeth cleaning.  When I asked my dentist about his children, he told me that his 4 year old daughter has a tumor on her optic nerve.  It is benign/noninvasive but is growing and damaging her optic nerve. Due to the location, it is inoperable 
and radiation is not advised so she is undergoing 80 weeks of chemotherapy. Yes, 80 weeks. She is now at week 30. So far she is tolerating the chemo. The tumor is not growing and has shrunk some but she is now legally blind in her right eye. It was all I could do not to cry while he was telling me about this.  

For my birthday last weekend we drove to the Kimbell Museum for an exhibit of the Impressionist Gustave Caillebotte.  The Houston Museum of Fine Art has one of his paintings that I have always loved so I was very pleased to learn that a whole exhibit of his work was coming to the Kimbell.  It was lovely. But I still love the painting at Houston MFA best of all. 

I have finally finished the quilting on the baby quilt.  Next I need to trim and bind the edges.  I have a goal of doing 3 quilts next year: 1 baby quilt, 1 scrap quilt, and 1 quilt for my DD & SIL. 

Chicken Cacciatore from PW's Dinnertime cookbook

Everything I have made so far from this cookbook has been scrumptious.  This was no exception -- excellent. 

8 skin-on chicken thighs (I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.)
½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper, more to taste 
½ cup all-purpose flour 
¼ cup olive oil 
2 tablespoons butter 
1 medium onion, halved and sliced 
2 red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced 
2 green bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced 
5 garlic cloves, minced 
12 ounces white button or cremini mushrooms, sliced (I used sliced Baby Bella mushrooms.)
½ teaspoon ground thyme 
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric 
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 
1 cup dry white wine or low-sodium chicken broth 
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes 
1 pound wide egg noodles 
Minced parsley, for sprinkling 
Grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

(I was convinced that 4 bell peppers and and onion were too many but it cooked down to just right.)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ° F.

2. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper to taste and dredge it in the flour. 

3. Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Working in 
batches, place the chicken skin side down in the pot. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 2 minutes total, and remove it to a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Pour off half the fat from the pot and discard.

4. Add the onion, bell peppers, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and salt and black pepper to taste. 

5. Stir and cook the mixture for a few minutes, until the veggies start to soften and turn golden. (The 
turmeric will also add some gorgeous golden color.) 

6. Pour in the wine (or broth) . . . 

7. Then stir and let the liquid bubble up and reduce for a couple of minutes. 

8. Pour in the tomatoes, juice and all . . . 

9. Then return the chicken to the pan skin side up, slightly submerging it in the liquid and spooning some of the veggies on top. Place the lid on the pot, put the pot in the oven, and braise the chicken for 45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles to al dente, then drain.

10. Remove the lid and increase the oven temperature to 375 ° F. Braise for 15 to 20 minutes more.

Serve over noodles.  

This makes great leftovers too.  

Goals for the Week December 3-10, 2015

Spiritual
     ABF/Church
     Daily Bible Reading
     Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Physical
     Healthy Breakfasts
     Chair Dancing DVD
     Water
     Dentist for routine cleaning

Quilting
     Finish baby quilt

Reading
     Deep South by Paul Theroux
     Wildwood: A Journey through Trees by Roger Deakin
     The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
     Nagasaki: Life after Nuclear War by Susan Southard

Cooking
     Mac and Cheese
     Tuna Salad
     Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
     Steak, GMP, GB

Home
     Order pillows

Personal
     Lunch with T&C
     Trip to Kimball Museum to see Caillebotte exhibit