new place

We just put down a deposit on a house to rent. It's the front of a house and is two bedrooms. I will have a front porch to sit on and read books. I've been obsessing about curtains because there are these great windows in the house. Now I have some boxes to pack before we move in the middle of July. We went camping this last weekend. It was a blast. I'll post some pictures once I get them off the camera. We did an 8 mile hike on Saturday and a 4 mile hike on Sunday. I was a little whiny, but persevered! Sadie was great and has been sleepy all day.

rhubarb and dabling

I made these yummy muffins for our small group last night. They didn't turn out as planned (mostly crumbs), but were still a hit. If I were to make them again, I would lessen the sugar and probably use half and half instead of whipping cream. I had to use up the rhubarb from last week's delivery. We got all new veggies yesterday from Grant Farms. Lots more kale and spinach, but also some yummy strawberries and basil. I'm thinking there is some lasagna coming next week. We talked last night about James 4. It was tough, but really good. We shared a little bit about how we are trying to be different than the world. It was really encouraging to hear how my friends were being noticed at work and other places for being different. In the Message version, one of the verses said "quit dabbling in sin." It really convicted me and made me wonder where I have allowed sin to creep in and I don't think it's sin because it's not one of the "big ones." Definitely some things to think about. STRAWBERRY RHUBARB MUFFINS 1 cup strawberries, chopped 1 cup rhubarb, chopped 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup whipping cream 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, melted Sugar-cinnamon mix Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine strawberries, rhubarb and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cream, eggs and vanilla until well-blended. Add strawberry mixture to flour, baking powder and salt mixture. Add butter and stir just until mixed. Spoon into 16 greased muffin cups. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mix. Bake 14 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins. (Really makes way more muffins)

spinach

What to do with spinach. My hubby suggested a wonderful pasta that we've had before. I first made it for my friends Carey and Andrea while we were grading papers. It doesn't look like there will be enough sauce, but there will. Trust me. We're looking for a new house to rent. I have an ideal house in my mind, but know that we won't find something like that in downtown. Trying to figure out what I can live with and what I can't. Today I learned that it was scary bathtubs. Here's the recipe. Ziti with Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes, and Gorgonzola Sauce Total time: 40 minutes. 4 ounces uncooked ziti 2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 garlic clove, minced 6 tablespoons half-and-half 3 tablespoons Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled 1 cup fresh spinach 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. 2. Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add cherry tomatoes, salt, crushed red pepper, and minced garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in half-and-half and Gorgonzola cheese; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Stir in spinach and pasta; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, tossing occasionally. Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)CALORIES 335 (28% from fat); FAT 10.4g (sat 5.9g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.4g); IRON 2.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 26mg; CALCIUM 129mg; CARBOHYDRATE 49.9g; SODIUM 485mg; PROTEIN 12.3g; FIBER 3.6g Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2008

veggies

We joined a CSA (community supported aggriculture) for the summer and fall. One problem. I hate vegetables. There aren't really any that I actually like. So this could be quite a challenge to fnd things I actually like. Thank goodness I have Mike, who loves veggies. This week, we got a ton of greens as well as some rhubarb and herbs. So far, I have enjoyed what we've made. We had salads yesterday with very yummy lettuce. Mike made a wonderful dinner. We had lemon and dill chicken and spicy parmesan green beans and kale. Now, it was not something that I would ever crave, but it was surprisingly good. Here's the recipe. Spicy Parmesan Green Beans and Kale Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis Serves: 6 to 8 servings Ingredients 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, sliced 1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered (about 14 mushrooms) 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and slice into 1-inch pieces 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup white wine 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 bunch kale (1/2 pound), rinsed, stemmed, and roughly chopped 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon) 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan Directions Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, green beans, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and continue cooking until the green beans are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and the kale and continue cooking until the kale has wilted, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and the Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat and serve immediately.

caved

Oh no. I have caved to the blogging world. We'll see what happens.