THE LOVELY CRAZY
Yawn, stretch, throw on some pants and back to it.
But it’s taking a whole lot of will power to get up and go. It’s just too perfect out to do much of anything. Is it weird that I love this cold and rainy weather? These are the days that I can spend all day in a ball of blankets on the couch next to a window looking out with hot beverages and good books.. I will get there soon, but not today. We started tiling the bathroom wall yesterday and need to finish it, along with he rest of the house.
This week flew by fast. It included a very quick foliage drive(stopped by a river so the mr could fly fish), Barbara turning 17 while watching her field hockey game, a tiny little baby that fell in love with me and wants me to be it’s new mommy, and the scraping and painting of so much everything. I think the highlight was when the 17 year old Barb stopped by the house to bring us coffee, hung out with us, and lent me her sweater that I love but probably won’t ever get a chance to wear cause all I wear are grubby, paint stained clothes. But none the less, it was great and maybe I’ll just wear the sweater to bed. And the colors. Every time I walk out of the house and see all the trees, all the colors…it just blows my mind. So good.
Other then that, not much else. I am giving myself a political detox for a few days before i barf, eating lots of roasted celeriac and missing my kitchen. I can’t freaking wait to spend all day cooking in baking in my kitchen. I can’t freakin wait!
And now I got to find those pants.
Internet for the looking.
–Everyone Should Make Time for Daydreaming. I do me a lot of it.
-The Difference Between Pepitas and the Seeds from Your Halloween Pumpkin
–6 Things You Need To Know About Cycling On The Sidewalk. I sometimes bike the sidewalk, but only when I have to and very slowly.
– Maybe this is the reason I hate wearing shoes. ABSORB EARTH’S FREE FLOWING ELECTRONS THROUGH THE SOLES OF YOUR FEET(EARTHING)
-Read this book this week. One of my new favorite books. It changed the way I look at the world, especially trees.
-Forget Tomayto/Tomahto: The Real Debate Is, Should It Be Refrigerated? II never do unless it’s 100% necessary
-feel like this is a close representation of my knitting basket. A Mass of Tangled Red Yarn Unravels from a Loom to Overtake a Brazilian Chapel
-What Tree Is that has been a frequent question. Trees With Leaves – A Deciduous Tree Leaf Key
-Speaking of trees, I would live in this tree house.The tree alone is pretty amazing.
– A little preemptive in looking, but I told myself I that I get to buy knew sheets and duvet cover when we move into the house (I am a linens slut) This bed set is looking good, although can’t go wrong with these either.
And pictures.
As a reward to ourselves for finishing the floor laying week (what a freaking week, I will share some pictures soon) I stayed home for a little while yesterday morning and made some donuts for the mr ( I got to bake and do a little knitting and he got donuts.) Initially I was gonna make a cake, had it on my agenda for a cake at some point this week, but last minutes I felt the need to use my unused donut pan. I think it was a good call. Donuts don’t require as much pumpkin puree. I roasted a pumpkin a few days ago for the purpose of baking a cake with it but have slowly eaten most of it (on accident) so that there was just enough left to make the donuts. I have no willpower when it comes to roasted squash, I can’t stop eating it.
Anyway, I had me a mighty fine morning of trashing the kitchen, using my pretty mixing bowls, basking in the glory of the residual heat coming from the oven, and making the house smell all nice and fall spicy. And now there are donuts in the house with lots of sprinkles and only the mr to eat them. He really really likes them, like a lot. (me “don’t eat all those f*ing donuts dude, save some for later!”)
Another reason donuts were a good call, they are easy to share. Maybe I should go drop off a few to a friend. Any takers?
The donut stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt are in that bowl. Then we have pumpkin puree(homemade or canned) soy milk(or any milk), brown sugar, cinnamon, oil, and apple cider vinegar
All the wet stuff gets mixed together and the dry stuff plus the cinnamon gets whisked together too.
Wet into dry and mixed until combined.
Scoop batter into well greased donut pan and don’t do what I did and overfill (I always forget not to overfill). My fist batch came out a little bit bigger the expected with holes. No biggie.
Once pan is filled, pan goes into preheated oven. Bake until golden perfection (about 15-18 minutes or until a tester comes out clean)
Slightly overflown donuts cooked to all the goodness and popped out of the pan to cool on a cooling rack.
Glaze stuff. Powdered sugar, cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla, and a bit of soy milk….Mix it all together and that’s that.
Completely cooled donuts (very important to be completely cooled) go heads down into the bowl of glaze.
All glazed and looking good but I think somethings missing…..
Pumpkin, chocolate, sprinkles. BOOM!!!
Happy Friday!!!!
makes 10 donuts
For donuts
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup soy milk (any milk works)
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil like canola
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
For the glaze
- 7 heaping tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons soy milk
- splash vanilla
- pinch of salt
- sprinkles!!!!…optional
Preheat oven to 350
In a big bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, salt, and the cinnamon. In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin puree, sugar, soy milk, oil and the apple cider vinegar. Dump the wet mixture into the dry and mix until combined.
Ready the donut pan by really making sure it is well grease. Fill each donut mold about a 3/4 way full. I use a spoon but you could transfer that batter to a piping bag if you want. Place pan into oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until the donuts are golden brown and a fork stabbed into one comes out clean. Pop donuts out of mold and let cool completely on a cooling rack.
Note. I have one pan that does 6 at a time. I had to wash, dry and re-grease the panto bake all the donuts.
Once donuts are cooled, gather the glaze ingredients. In a shallow bowl whisk together the sugar, cocoa, and salt. Add in a splash of vanilla and then the soy. Mix together until a glossy not to thick but not to thin consistency . If its too thick, add in another splash of milk, to think, more powdered sugar.
To glaze, take each donut and place face down in glaze and give it a little twirl. Remove and place back on cooling rack (glaze size up) and cover with sprinkles. (optional)
Then eat the donuts
Any uneaten can be placed in airtight container for 2-3 days or can be stuck into freezer.
New baby, lots and lots of littles, and laying the flooring. Never a dull moment over here.
Erin finally popped and pushed out a humongous adorable little human (Emersion Reed Scott… I call him murder) so while she has been doing that and hanging out in the hospital, her littles have been my littles. Needless to say, my house got trashed, my fridge is empty, and all the printer paper is gone. We ate all the beans and apples in the house. Spent after schooldays drawing and making weird shaped out of scrap wood and nails while the mr and I worked. Not to take away from my sister pushing out a gigantic human from her body, but hell, my body/mind are fried. Taking the littles is easy (feed them, let them loose on Nick, homework, watch Malcom in the middle, brush teeth, bed) but laying floor is hard. Lots and lots of tiny pieces of floor that need to be hammered and bent and fanagled. So many nails, nailing for hours and having all the pressure of not nailing into the radiant heat tubing. My body has contoured into a semi permanent bent shape and red tubes are floating over my closed eyelids. The mr on his hands and knees for hours with so many slivers… It’s fucking painful. But we love it (the floor) and the bit of pain is worth it. As for the littles, the are so awesome. They can stay with us forever. Oh yeah, and my Dad has made his way back tot he state where he left all of his children for a visit so we have been doing all that family stuff too. If only I could figure out how to get paid for being with my family.(we could do a reality tv show but I don’t think America could handle that)
I am cooking food, I just haven’t had a lot of time to like clean dishes, make things pretty, and catch good enough light to take pictures but I am hoping to get a little time to make an epic cake this coming week. I want to bake plus I want to start a project and see it finished within a few hours. I miss posting recipes and and I think everyone around me needs some cake. So look for that (thinking some kind of pumpkin chocolate situation)
And as for today, the littles are back home with their mother so the mr and I are going to floor some more until our bodies give out then drive into the mountains for a well earned visual spectacular of color. And coffee. So much coffee.
Just for a laugh… Judah says to us the first time we went up to the hospital to see his mom and new baby bro .”holy haha. Look guys look. He is eating moms nipples.” He couldn’t stop laughing. That kid, oh boy is he awesome. He also said that the baby makes sounds like a big fart. I agree.
Internet stuff I found during my late night browsing sessions.
-Dude, I might just have to move to Japan. Japan Wants to Reward You for Safe Driving—with Coffee
–HOW VANILLA BECAME THE WORLD’S FAVORITE FLAVOR..is it yours?
-Into all of these hammocks. 5 Hammock Hybrids for Extreme Relaxation
-To the insurance company that doesn’t want to renew our house insurance policy because of our garden looks like we lack “pride of ownership” (for real what they said) Eight Reasons NOT to Clean Up in the Garden
-Ah, love this house.
–Do You Wish Time Would Slow Down? Yes, yes I do
-We are keeping the downstairs all white and light and bright. Inspirations
– “Extreme bees, extreme people.” Six Scientists, 1,000 Miles, One Prize: The Arctic Bumblebee
-This is fantastic. To bad I didn’t know this hack in art school. Ingenious Hack for Sketching with Two Point Perspective Using an Elastic String
-I have blown up a few carrots in the microwave in my day. Snap, Crackle, Kale: The Science Of Why Veggies Spark In The Microwave
And a few pics.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
-C
That’s right, it’s October. Another month, another season. Jeeze time, slow the f down!
The week was another jammed packed crazy fest. We picked up 800sqft of flooring(that sucked moving) and bought more paint (pure freaking white). We finished laying all the tubing for the radiant floor heating, the radiators are painted, in place, and plumbed. The plumbers are coming tomorrow to give us a new boilers o we can use all these new heating devices. There were two birthday parties,(happy birthday Miley Lu and Alex) a day at the pumpkin patch and drawing flowers, and the constant running back a forth between hardware stores. I had the birthday boy over for breakfast and asked him what he wanted me to make him. Anything, and he chose eggs bacon and toast. I made the eggs and toast but was not willing to cook the bacon. Bad aunt maybe, but I wasn’t about to stink up my house with that. Just no. So I gave him chocolate chips and sprinkles instead. He was happy. Oh and my little (by giant) brother came home for the first time for the weekend from the military college dressed in military garb and looking all beefy and smart. Crazy what a month away from home will do to a person. I think he is much cooler now.(but don’t tell him that)
Maybe one of the best parts of the week…..Found my vintage yellow fridge! Oh how I love the craigslist. The mr and I went and picked it up yesterday. Had to load the heavy as hell fridge on top of the Volvo and drive 20 miles. It was terrifying . I thought the fridge was going to go barreling off onto the hood of the car or tip over and roll away. But we made it and now we are proud owners of a vintage yellow frigidaire fridge. It’s all sorts of fantastic.
So yeah, I am really tired today and feeling a little lousy this morning. I think I need to take it easy today, I can feel this turning into full on sick if I don’t catch it now. The mr and I need to clean up at the house and get ready for the plumbers, but other then that. Me and the couch are going to be friends today. Coffee, book, sleep. Sounds like a plan.
My internet finds from the week.
-Something I think about way too much. Now — And The Physics Of Time
–HOW A PERUVIAN FARMER IS GROWING 180 KINDS OF POTATOES
–The FDA Is Finally Going to Update the Term ‘Healthy...Finally
-WE should all know this because we should The top 7 ways a trip to Mars could kill you, illustrated
–The Sweet Emotional Life of Bees.This is true of most people too.
-I reek of garlic All. The. Time. Finally, Here’s Some Good News About Garlic Breath
-Ever wonder about take out containers? Chinese Food Delivery Containers, Explained
–Our Robot Overlords Are Now Delivering Pizza, And Cooking It On The Go. Or just make your own at home, but this is still kinda cool.
-The 11 Varieties of Winter Squash You Need to Know Cause its squash season
-The night comes sooner now so I can get outside to see the stars before my bedtime. A Meteor Shower and 8 More Can’t-Miss Sky Events in October
And the weeks pictures.
Winter squash season is in full swing. I have already started to hoard them in all the nooks and crannies around the house. There are sugar pumpkins on the stairs, buttercups on the floor and delicatas all over the counter. Ever meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner needs to have some squash. House rule.
This hear spaghetti squash has been sitting on a stool for about a week, looming in it’s size and just waiting for me to bake it off. The spaghetti squash at farm share have been bigger then a small child so I have been a little hesitant to bake it until the mr was down with eating it with me too.
What I love about this dish is that it is really simple and easy to make.We have been working later these past few days so when we get home, we really just want to eat and go to bed (not really….kinda really) The initial baking of the squash takes a little time, but its zero hands on and can be done ahead of time. And the rest, take like 8 minutes tops. Also a lot of time people forget that you can eat a spaghetti squash with things other then tomato sauce. (although that’s good too) But really, the sky is the limit. Squash goes with everything.
So dinner. I had the squash and went with what I had in the fridge. Beans are great, fresh pico is amazing, all atop a big pile of some warm spaghetti squash. Well that is just what we call a winner. A winner dinner!!!
The stuff. A spaghetti squash (maybe go for a smaller sized one if you don’t want a lot of left overs) precooked or canned black beans, a red pepper, and some red onion. Also need garlic, cumin (crushed or seeds) salt and pepper, olive oil, and fresh cilantro. And lastly some home made or store bought pico de gallo or any of your favorite salsa.
You don’t see it here, but the squash went into the oven about an hour ago to cook. I did nothing to it besides stab it once andjust stuck the entire thing right on in and cranked up the heat. Simple, easy.
Ok, so when the squash has been baking for a while, start getting the rest of thestuff ready. Small dice up the red pepper and the onion and toss it into a lightly oiled hot skillet to sweat down a bit.
Once the pepper and onion are nice and soft, toss in the cumin and minced garlic. Cook a little longer until the seeds and garlic are fragrant and cooked.
Add in the beans and mix it all around. Taste, add a little salt and pepper if it needs it, and set aside.
Spaghetti-ing the squash. I took it out of the oven when it was fork tender, sliced it in half on a baking sheet and let it cool off for just a minute. Scooped the seed out then scraped the cooked squash with a fork. Fun times, just watch you your hands, the squash is hot.
And your ready for food. Squash in a bowl, topped with some black bean mixture and a hearty amount of fresh pico. Serve it with lots (or none if you don’t like it) cilantro and a wedge of lemon(or lime)
This is some good stuff friends, some really good stuff.
Alright, now I have to get ready. We are taking a handful of the little pumpkin picking….A few more pumpkins to add to the stash.
-C
Serves 2-3
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 2-3 cups cooked black beans (or a can)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or crushed cumin)
- a red pepper
- a small red onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- olive oil
- 1 cup fresh Pico de gallo or any of your fav salsa.
- salt and pepper
- a lemon or lime
- fresh cilantro (optional)
To cook the squash. Preheat oven to 400. Grab squash a stab a small hole in it so when its baking it does bot explode (this has happened to me a few times) then stick the whole squash into the oven. Let bake for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on size) It is done when it is soft and fork tender. Once done, pull squash from oven, cut in half and let cool for a minutes. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the seeds then start scraping the flesh with a fork to create spaghetti like strands.
For the beans. Small chop up the red pepper ans onion and toss into a hot skillet with a little splash of olive oil. Sweat the pepper and onion on medium heat and when they are close to done, mince up the garlic and toss that in along with the cumin seeds and a pinch of salt ans pepper (if needed) Keep cooking until the garlic is cooked and the cumin if fragrant.
To assemble. Grab a bowl and fill with a good amount of the cooked squash, top it with a big scoop of the black bean mixture and you desired amount of fresh pico or salsa. Add lots of extra cilantro and serve with a lemon or lime wedge to squeeze on top.
Now eat it.
Note….Any left overs make a fantastic cold salad or wrapped in a tortilla.
Sweet, sweet Vermont. Things around these parts he been oh so nice. Warm days (not hot) and cool nights. The colors are starting to show on the trees. People are starting to wear clothes again and eating apple things and drinking those darn pumpkin spice lattes. I still haven’t gone apple picking yet (I’ve been waiting for at least a good week of cool temps so the apples get nice and sweet) but I did eat a pumpkin this week. And the sky, the sky has been nothing but pretty. I have been loving it all.
Straight up a crazy, full week. Lots of family dinners, bunk bed building, and mathematical problems solving in order to lay the tubes for heat in the floor. We went to a wedding (congrats Alex and Allison!) were we saw an eagle and I ate all the fresh figs from the cheese platter.(sorry, not sorry) Over at the house the mr and I made the decision to rip out all the old flooring on the first floor down to the sub floor so the radiant heat can go under the new floor instead of coming up from the basement. I know, I know, we need to stop ripping shit out and just finish putting it all back together. We are getting there. Lucky me I didn’t have to do to much of the floor ripping, more just the pulling of all the stupid nails left. Not the funniest job, but I have gotten pretty good at de-nailig floors. I could market my new de-nailing skills and make millions. Yeah, sounds about right.
On a sad note, I killed another freaking immersion blender so now I have to pull out the big blender every time I want some smooth soup. Me being me, I almost burned my face off when I went to blend some boiling hot soupand the lid was not on tight and hot soup splashed my face. (I am fine, minor burn left on my ear) Lesson learned. Now I wait for soup to not be so hot and check the mother f-ing lid. Oh, and my bike tire finally fell off completely which really sent my life through a loop. I know I have been saying all summer that I was going to get a new tire but the duck tape was working oh so well (no, not really) And because I waited until the tire fell off and I wanted to save 20 bucks by ordering a new tire online, I had to ride around town all week on the mr’s bike which really sucked a big one. Thank UPS man for delivering me my new tire. All is well now(besides needing a new brake pad and handle bar tape, but that will happen in time) and I can go back to my own bike. I have missed it so much.
Today the mr and I are going to plug away some more with tube laying on the floor. He is starting to worry about getting a source of heat in the house soon. I say as long as we have some type heat by November, we are all set. And if the weather is decent and not pouring rain later, I am going to break in my new bike tire with a heavy trip to the library. My stack of returns is getting pretty ridiculous. (8 books high)
What I saw on the internet this week.
– Tricky tricky sons of bitches.. 50 Years Ago, Sugar Industry Quietly Paid Scientists To Point Blame At Fat
-These are some crazy photos. Winners of the 2016 British Wildlife Photography Awards
-Sad truths. Three Foods That Might Not Survive Modern Diseases
-I don’t know if I would do this but it’s pretty cool. Body Marbling Is A New Festival Trend That Turns Your Skin Into Art
-This is not a joke (I thought it was) Self-Driving Shopping Carts May Be the Way of the Future. I don’t think I like this, not one bit.
-We have our cat Only. We do nit snuggle him cause he is evil and likes to dig his claws in, so I am ok with this. Doctors Rudely Warn Public Not to Snuggle Kittens
-It has happened to me and it freaked me the f out. Ever wake up to a numb, dead arm? Here’s what’s happening.
-As a seltzer water drinker myself, this was all the right. A Millennial’s Guide to Seltzer
-Researching siding for the addition. Think we are going with the Shou Sugi Ban method. We get to set stuff on fire!!!
–5 Ways to Tell If Your Knife Needs Sharpening. I try to keep mine sharpened not only because cutting food withsharp knife make sense but the danger is for real. The duller the knife, the more likely I am to cut my dang finger off.
Some pictures of the happenings.
I know that sometime some of the foods that I eat might seem a little strange to people. But think about it. Isn’t there something that you eat that other people think is kinda weird or that you know might be a little on the strange side and yet you love it.
So apple lentils. I know some people think it’s weird, but trust me, it’s not, it’s actually pretty freaking magical. Lentils, especially red lentils, have a mild, nutty flavor that make them perfect to use in any type of dish, sweet or savory. And so nutritional value, with protein up the wazoo, these little guys are mega fantastic and yeah. SO don’t knock it till you try it.
Now first off, YAY for apple season!!! Aren’t we just so happy for fresh delicious apples? I am, so much so that I have made up a super cool apple jig where my head bobs up and down and my legs shift and convulse all over the place. ( could be mistaken for a seizure) It’s a sight to see for sure. And a second YAY for warm food again. The past week or two I have been waking up to temps in the 50’s giving the world just enough chill for a cozy morning sweater, a throw blanket and a nice hot bowl of breakfast porridge. (It also taste fantastic made ahead then eaten cold if the world decides to get warm again) My morning have been great, all cuddled on the couch with a book. my coffee, ad a bowl of apple lentil porridge. Best way to start the day.
The stuff. An apple, some red lentils, water, and some cinnamon. You can also add some maple or brown sugar to the mix if you want more sweetness.
Firstly, water ans lentils go into a pot and placed on the stove until the the water is boiling.
While that is happening, chop up you apple. Big pieces, little pieces, or both. I like both because the smaller pieces kinda of dissolve in the lentils and the bigger chunks will keep shape.
So once your lentils have started to boil, dump inmost (save a little bit to toss on after the lentils are cooked) of the chopped up apple and a good pinch or two of cinnamon. Mix it all around and place back on heat on low so simmer and cook.
Soft and all cooked to perfection. Gorgeous.
Dump the porridge into a bowl, add on the left over chunks of apples and give it another good sprinkle of cinnamon.
Breakfast of champions right here.
And because it’s what I eat every day…I am a champion.
You can be one too! (just eat some lentils)
-C
Makes one serving but can easily be double
- 1/2 cup dried red lentils
- 1 cup water
- an apple ( mac, honey crisp, paula red are good varieties)
- 1 teaspoon or so of cinnamon
Optional… Add a little sweetener like maple or brown sugar if you want
Stick water and lentils go into a pot and bring to a boil. Chop apple into pieces, some big, some small or all the same size. Once the lentils are boiling, dump in most of the chopped apple (save about 1/4 of it for later) into the pot and sprinkle with cinnamon. Stir around, reduce heat to a low and cook until the lentils are soft (about 10 minutes) Once they are cooked, taste and decide if you need sweetener. If you do, add a teaspoon or two of whatever in now and mix around then,transfer the lentil goodness into a bowl, toss on remaining apple chunks, sprinkle with cinnamon, and go to town.
Spoon to mouth. Happiness.
My morning walks as of lately have had me doing a bit of raspberry, cherry tomato, and husk cherry picking. Can it gt any better then that? (I sometimes pick flowers too). And yesterday I got my first pie pumpkin of the season. It is so cute and pumpkiny that I kind of want to keep it sitting on my counter for a while, but no.. My plan is to roast that shit for dinner tonight and eat it all to my face. There will be plenty of pumpkins to decorate with soon. This one is meant for my belly.
But before pumpkin, the mr and I ARE GOING to figure out the paint situation. I have never in my life had such a hard time picking colors for any apartment or house we have painted (and we have painted a lot) We nailed the wall color(on the second try) and both love it. I spent a good part of the week repainting the entire upstairs, but now we need to figure out the trim. I picked out a lovely grey that I looked fantastic for about a minute, but now I kind of hate it. I blame it on all the light and angles of the space. No two walls look the same color so I might just have to go with white trim and call it a day. Either way we go, I need to get the paint at least picked out today, its driving me fucking crazy.
I really should stop bitching, we have had such a productive week. We ended up picking up a new set of cast iron radiators, which I will tell you was no easy feat (the first or second time we did it, each of those things weight like a 800 lbs a piece) The old ones we got were not big enough to heat the space efficiently but the new ones, they are perfect and pretty and work. Score on that one. (thanks Mark the plumber) And while I was painting away upstairs, the mr was downstairs doing all sorts of stuff like moving all the tools and trash out, figuring out the radiant flooring for the first floor and sanding and painting the ceilings. The house looks so good that I am almost tempted to just move on in now, but then I think back to all the places we have lived during construction and the temptation goes away. Far far away. I can wait, at least for a bathroom with a sink that is not a hose and bucket.
Yup, another busy crray cray week. After we get paint, I think I am going to crash for a while, let my body and brain have a little time to shut off. We really should try to go apple picking or something, but honestly, I think we are both just really tired and could use a bit of time not doing anything. I say this but I know the mr will keep on working until his arms fall off, me, I will just fall asleep on the floor.
One thing I really need to do at some point today is to bust out all of my cozy sweaters. I am so very excited because sweaters are my jam and I have me aplenty of them. My wardrobe triples once the sweaters come out and I don’t look like such a bum wearing all my big baggy paint covered t shirts. A sweater classes me up bit.
Yes, I can be classy (kinda)
Internet findings from the week.
-What a bad ass lady. Urban Beekeeper Delivers Pollinators by Bike to Community Gardens Across Chicago
–A Dictionary Is Telling Everyone to Calm Down About Using ‘Literally’ Wrong
-So jealous. I would have loved to have taken a coffee class in college. STEM To Steam: How Coffee Is Perking Up Engineering Education
-Thinking we might go with black doors. (maybe, what do you think?)
-Always thought these windows were a bit strange.The Bizarre Story Behind This Common Home Amenity In Vermont
-I am serial lane switcher. To Pick the Fastest Line, Follow People With the Most Items
–The Power Vegetables Pantry. The 12 ingredients that will supercharge your vegetable cooking.
-This dude spent a lot of time and energy figuring out how to best drink a coke. (coca-cola, not coke like the drug) The 24-Year-Old Coca-Cola Virgin
-This place has got to be amazing. WHERE DOES LOST AIRLINE LUGGAGE GO? TO AMERICA’S GREATEST THRIFT STORE.
-I have a mini dance party to this song every day. Also love it cause it reminds me of Alana and Abby from Broad City (when is season 4 coming???? I NEED it)
Now for a few pictures
I figured now is a good time to get this recipe out there before we get to far into spring and summer recipes because there is going to be a lot of banana ice cream filled recipe coming and I figured its a good idea to have the basic banana ice cream recipe ready for people to refer too. And because I made so much fantastic naner ice cream, I also made a cookies and cream naner ice cream for my sisters and the mister.
The stuff you need for this ice cream…. Nice and ripe bananas, peeled and then frozen* That’s it.
After all blended and smooth, either eat right away or scoop ice cream into a freezer safe container and stick in freezer. That’s the banana ice cream… And it is amazing and so so so so so addictive. I make a batch, think I am only going to eat a scoop, then find myself eating half of what I have made, but it’s ok cause it’s only bananas. 
One batch of banana ice cream, either freshly made, still in food processor or made ahead and placed in a food processor and given a good pulse to smooth it up.
Now you have cookies and cream naner ice cream…. and everybody is happy.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
March 19, 2017 by maximios • Blog
Well that blizzard happened. And so did a bunch of other crazy shit.
We got slammed here in the northwest parts of Vermont. 30 inches or so all in a days time. It was lovely and exciting and a little daunting. I shoveled and shoveled and shoveled some more. My boots got filled with snow, my mittens soaked, and my arms a bit sore, but all in all I came out unscathed and actually quite happy for the massive amount of the white stuff. If it’s gonna snow, might as well make it a massive snowstorm. And now thanks to all the snow drifting and city workers blowing the sidewalk snow into the front yard, I now have my very own snow tunnel system. Miley and Judah being the architects and the mr and I the labor. Nothing beats a warm sunny day playing in the snow.
And then there was the furnace that shit the bed. The mr has been dealing with this heater at one of our buildings for a few weeks now and finally during the storm, after a few visits with the plumbers, the old hunk of metal decided it was time. On it’s last leg, barely lasting the week, the mr has been obsessively running back and forth to relight the thing just to milk as much heat as possible from it until the plumbers come Monday morning with a all new heating system. (There goes our vacation to the Bahamas. Ok, there was never a vacation planned, but now there won’t be one)
To top off a strange week, one nephew (Jackson) broken an ankle and another (Alex) is in the hospital after his appendix almost exploded. Then we attended an elementary school play where Miley played a bum and a knight and Judah dance like a rat. A day with Sophia throwing snow at the mr and leaving a trail of glitter all over house and car…..What a week. What a week indeed.
I feel like today is kind of a make up day for all the shit that I didn’t get a chance to do the past few days. A little paperwork, a bit of cleaning, grocery shopping. But if I am good and get it all done early enough I hope to escape to the trees and spend part of the day outside being calm and quite. I think I can make it happen. I need to make it happen.
Things on the internet that I found on the internet.
-This is 100% accurate to my life. Everything Always Takes Longer Than You Think
–California Deserts In ‘Super Bloom’ Thanks To A Wet Winter. Wish I could get out there and see it.
– I don’t want to be soft. I want to be human that can handle physical labor. How Does A Nepalese Porter Carry So Much Weight?
–This LEGO Tape Lets You Turn Anything Into Lego-Compatible Surface. The things I would lego tape.
-I am not one for commercials but this one was really sweet. This French Grocery Store Commercial Will Make You Cry
–Honey Nut Cheerios Pulled Its Bee Mascot Because Bees Are Disappearing. #Savethebees.
-I find that when the littles see me eating a vegetable, they want to then eat that vegetable too, sometimes even stealing the food right off my plate. It’s ok, I can share. Save Hide And Seek For The Playground: Why Kids Should See Their Veggies
–Boaty McBoatface Prepares For First Antarctic Mission. Boaty McBoatface. Hahahaha
-Not going to lie, but I don’t play Monopoly. I am more or a hungry hungry hippos or Sorry kind of girl. But I bet some people will be excited. Or pissed. Meet the New Monopoly Tokens: A Rubber Ducky, a T-rex and a Penguin
–How Candy Stretches Around the World. I have the hook, now I have to get stretching my own.
Pictures from the past week.
I am getting excited about this snow storm we are suppose to have tonight and am hoping we get dumped on. It had been too long sense we have had a good snow. I really want to build a snow fort in the backyard because that’s why we have a yard.
Earlier this week I had myself a little dance party (what usually happens when I am home alone) and while dancing around, I tweaked my neck. Happens right? Well this really screwed me up. I spent almost an entire day laying on the couch with ice and a hot water bottle thinking I must have broken my neck. Not the best way to spend a day but at least I was able to binge watch a bit of Parks ans Rec (Leslie Knope is my hero) So all week I have taking it kinda easy and doing more paperwork and tax crap (aahhhh!!) than anything else. I am still sore and a little weary about moving my head, but feeling a lot better. Already back to dance parties.
So I guess today I am being dragged to a far off town to pick up a washer and dryer for one of the apartments. Not really what I want to do and I am a little worried about the weather, but it will be ok, we are leaving early. Plus I have trained myself to read in the car without barfing and there is always big cups of coffee on road trips so I will be distracted. And when I get home, I can go back to Parks and Recs, bread making, spoon carving, and watching the snow fall. Good stuff.
Stuff on the internet.
-This is just so good. Harvesting Carrots
-Pretty sweet way to get in a workout. Raise Your (He)art Rate With A Workout At The Met.
-I have heard a lot about this burger and I am still not sure how I feel about it. I don’t think I want to eat something that tastes like meat. Would you? Saving The Planet, One Burger At A Time: This Juicy Patty Is Meat-Free
–NPR’S ARI SHAPIRO ON WHAT A REPORTER LEARNS EATING ON THE ROAD. Always listening to Ari.
-Do you temper chocolate? I usually just stick it in the microwave. Thinking I might give it a go.
A BASIC GUIDE TO TEMPERING CHOCOLATE
– How Much Do You Hate the Sound of People Chewing? Sometime I could care less, but sometimes a lot.
–These photos are amazing.
-Melissa McCarthy As Sean Spicer Is The Best Thing On SNL In Years. i have watched it like 3 times….So fucking funny.
-Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll. Music Tickles the Same Brain System As Sex and Drugs. For real.
Some pictures.
February…FEBRUARY! Jeez the past month just flew on by. I am making it my mission in this hear month to make it last as long as I can. How I am doing that, well still haven’t figured it quite out yet and we are already 5 days in. If you got any ideas, let me know.
Past week was same old same old, blah blah blah. I did get a phone call from my local plant lady (yes I have a plant lady) about a sweet ass rubber plant that came into the store. I ran there in a quick hurry and bought myself that plant as my belated birthday plant. It is big and green and all sorts of pretty. And the pantry, it is now100% done, or until I decide I want more shelves again. I give you a tour once I restock and clean it up a bit. Big exciting things. Ha
So are you watching the Super Bowl today? I are not. Not that I have a problem with people who do, heck, I think it’s awesome that people can get so jazzed about a game, but for me, I just don’t care. Never like sports on tv. Don’t care for commercials, and I don’t eat buffalo wings. What I am going to do is grab a book, a soft blanket, and a bowl of popcorn covered in peanut butter and snuggle on the couch. That sounds super to me.
Internet I looked at this week.
–Weird and Fascinating Ways Animals Use Poop.
-This is amazing. If you know me, I have a weird thing about stickers of any kind )and candy wrappers). The make me gag. Stickers are gross. Sticky, Gooey Produce Stickers Are on Their Way Out
-Kids Say They Like Their Pets More Than They Like Their Siblings. Makes sense.
-I get enough sleep but still want to go camping. Any takers? Not Getting Enough Sleep? Camping In February Might Help
–“Painting” A Portrait With 20,000 Seeds. Whoa.
-I hate talking on the phone, I always have (even before texting), and avoid it at all costs.It seems weird not talking to a person face to face (I text now, but not very much). Psychologists Explain Your Phone Anxiety (and How to Get Over It)
–TIPS FOR CONTACTING YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS because they need to hear from us.
-I made a big jug of this Hot sauce this week. We have been eating it on everything.
A few pictures from the week
If a big ass pile of balloon animals (and balloon swords and flowers) doesn’t make you crack a smile, well then, that just sucks for you.
A couple of littles slept over this week and took over the house with balloons. Not only did the kids bring their own balloon kits, but the mr has a crap load of balloons himself that he inherited from my late brother-in- law Richard (he would be so happy to know that the mr uses these balloons to drive me crazy….thanks dude) And to top it off, we stopped over at the loft with the kids to grab a few things and there was as large bag of blown up party balloons that must have blown into our yard. Those also ended up in the car ans back at the house. Seriously, the house was flooded with balloons. It was kinda amazing.
This week has gone by like a blur. The mr finally got his wish and got himself a couple of fish. One is a gold fish which he named Lefty, and the other might be a goldfish that I named Dead -in- Two- Weeks (yes, I am an asshole). I am not exactly thrilled to have fish for a few reasons, mainly that I have been fish traumatized. Back in college the mr went through a fish faze. He would get a beta fish, name it, feed it, love it, then a week later the thing would jump form it’s fish bowl and commit fish suicide. It happened 3 times. So yeah, fish don’t do it for me, but the mr is happy so I deal. Plus these fish are goldfish and the tank has a cool lid that grows plants. We shall see.
There was some other stuff, like apartment stuff that happened this week, but mainly it was a quite week. We did finally tackle the kitchen pantry which I painted pink,and started putting up the shelves. Now i just need to pick a color tile for the floor and just get it finished already because once that happens the kitchen will basically be all done. And I will be so happy and I will take lots of picture to show you.
And it’s Sunday. You got any plans? Doing anything spectacular? I am still not feeling 100% which I blame on the weather. Super cold and crazy warm… the ups and downs really screw with me. (but those warm days were really so nice) Winter just needs to dump some snow and let me be cozy for a bit. (not happening this week) But what can you do? For me, I hope to keep it slow today, maybe do some napping, reading, drinking of too much coffee. Just as long as I order the flooring, I should be all set.
Some of the internet browsing I did this week.
-It’s 6 am, I am running at the gym, and I get a text from the mr. It’s a link to this, Dyson 360 Eye. Why he was looking at vacuums at 6am, i could not tell you but what I can tell you is no cleaning robots. NO.
-The world after a snow storm always makes me so happy and peaceful. There’s actually a scientific reason why the world gets quieter after it snows.
–The More You Swear, the More Honest You Are. Fuck yeah.
-I think I might try this for the mr this week. Roast Pasta Before Cooking it.
-I love mustard and am very interested in trying some on this list. THE MODERN PANTRY GUIDE TO THE WORLD’S BEST MUSTARDS
-Saving my pennies for a someday purchase of this Staub Round Cocotte. But this one by Martha is really good too and sooooo much cheaper.
-Muffins are basically cupcakes that people eat fro breakfast, don’t be fooled. Why Muffins Are a Trap.
–Walking In America Remains Dangerous. I would be lying if I said I was never afraid of getting hit.
–Bees Have Just Made the Endangered-Species List. It sucks that it has come to this, but it’s good that there is awareness and protection now.
-This dude is pretty badass. Sweater Selfies: Man Knits His Way Around The World
Happy New Year! Hope you are all waking up to sunshine in your strut, happiness in you mouth, and kindness in your soul.
So much has happened in the past few weeks. Holidays full of family, friends, birthdays (Happy to Cam, Anthony, and Judah) and all around craziness. My phone got run over by a car(still works!!!),we finally changed the summer tires to snows (thanks Justin!) and Only has now officially moved in behind the couch and is enjoying the life of an indoor cat. We are getting so close with house, so so close. I know a few weeks ago I told you we about the counter top and how excited I was to un-mold it. Well what I don’t think I told you was that we un-molded it and it was fantastic. Then, trying to remove the sink mold from the middle with a hammer, I cracked it! AAAGGGHHHH. That was suck a bitch if a day. But we took it it stride and just made another one. And that one, that one is even better and amazing and is all nice and perfectly perfect. Once we did that we threw up a tile wall, hood vent, light fixtures and all sorts of little things that I can’t remember. Last night we slid the stove into place and fired it up for the first time! It was really stinky and great and I made the mr a pizza for all of his excellent work bringing me fire. It was so freaking satisfying to use an oven and feel slightly normal again. Now all we need to do is finish the cabinets, find a faucet that doesn’t suck, hook up the sink, and a bunch of other stuff and we will be all set. But the oven works so the coming weeks are going to be full of so much oven food so watch out! (i can’t wait to start posting more recipes!!!!)
On top of all the life stuff, I have been sicko all week, and so has the mr. Actually, he has been sick for two weeks and then lovingly gave me his ick. And it sucks. I am tired and snotty and sore and cranks. I have been eating large quantities of raw garlic, swiging apple cider vinegar, and drinking turmeric tea all day. (so I don’t smell the greatest) I bought elderberries to make some syrup a little while back but left them at the loft and we let my dad stay there this week so I didn’t want to go ransack the place looking for them. He is gone now so I’ll go find them and make us a wellness potion. We will be tops soon!
So 2017. You got any resolutions or plans? Me, no resolutions, just to keep on living with intention, kindness and love and to continue to pursue my goals. We have plans for some travels (cross country awesomeness part 2), plans for some life stuff, so we got things. But basically I am just looking forward to making this year good, and to be better with where I place my camera. (I can never seem to find it when I want to take pictures)
Sunday. With today, I am going to relax and recoup. Drink my fluids (tea and coffee) take my naps, and wash the sheets (everyone should start a new year with clean sheets!)
Internet links to click if you like.
-Happiness vs meaning…How about some of both. In 2017, Pursue Meaning Instead of Happiness.
–15 of Carrie Fisher’s Best, Most Honest Feminist Quotes.
-I already charge my cellphone on the machines at the gym, but it it floated , well that would be swell. Floating Gym In Paris Uses Human Energy To Sail Down The Seine River
–A Short Catalog of Foods Discontinued in 2016
-Life is bigger then all of us. As A Rough Year Ends, We Turn To The Cosmos For Some Perspective
–Cross stitching awesomeness
– Maybe 2017 will be the year that I wear pretty things. I really like this dress.
–The Best Things We Read and Ate This Year
-I really want to go back to Iceland.(maybe we will this summer?!) 15+ Iceland Photos You Won’t Believe Are From This Planet
-There is sugar in everything. How Much Sugar Can You Avoid Today?
Pictures of some of the crazy.
Today is the day, the moment of truth. The concrete counter tops that we poured a few days ago are getting un-molded, flipped, and set into place. I am so super excited and very much scared. Finally we will have a counter and we will be that much closer to a finished kitchen. But what if? What if something happens between removing the mold and placing the counter, like what if it doesn’t fit right or maybe it breaks? I shouldn’t be even thinking about that. It will be great and awesome and the best freaking counter ever. (and Ikea is only a few hours away and sell emergency counter tops)
The house. Oh have we got ourselves a little gem. All week we have been staying here, doing all our living here (minus showers, we take those at the loft) and still managing to get a bit of work done here. Working in the place you live is such a bitch. Plus it’s the holidays which makes everything not covered in tinsel and lights seem unimportant, but we are getting there. A few more weeks and I tell you, we will most likely have ourselves a pretty nearly done 98% livable house.
Even though the house might not be perfect, we still had a the littles over for a school night sleep over where we finished decorating the tree, watched the Santa Clause, made claims on table settings and ate black beans for breakfast. That was a tough morning with -20 cold and no desire to leave the house. We might have been a few minutes late for school, but hey, I never drive in the mornings and didn’t realize 20 minutes wasn’t enough time to compete with the crazy ass traffic. And they might not have been late, so yeah. (I didn’t ask) What else….Well have been on the hunt for doors and glass for doors and all the odds and ends that we need. Every day it seems we end up at the hardware store, the junk store, or the salvage yard looking of that one thing that may or may not exist. It is driving me nuts. The mr, he is really good at the back and forth. Me, not so much. I really wish there was a store made for just me that sold (or gave me for free) everything that I could possible need. Doors, carrots, socks. That would be great. Oh and my crock pot. It has turned into the center of our living because it’s not our main source of hot food. It has been entirely new territory for me (never used a crock pot before last week) and there were a few soups that might not have so great, but I think I have got the hang of it and we have been eating hot food from the crock like champs. I’ll have to share some of my soups and tips with you guys soon. (once the kitchen is done there will be sooooo many new recipes and food fun coming your way!)
So besides the counter tops today, I think I have some serious cleaning to do. The loft is a mess, the house is getting a little on the dusty side, and the pile of dirty clothes has gotten out of hand. I might drag the hamper to the loft, be domestic for the afternoon and do some chores. A little Christmas music, lots of coffee, and amazon prime last minute gift shopping. It should be an interesting afternoon to say the least.
Links brought to you by the internet.
-I want this, it would bring me so much joy. This Infinity Galaxy Puzzle Has No Beginning or End
–5 of Humanity’s Best Ideas of What Dreams Actually Are
-Lapland is on my travel bucket list. 10+ Reasons Why Lapland Is The Most Magical Place To Celebrate Christmas
–Meet The Spleen, The Strange Little Organ That Can Multiply
-Gift idea for your stinky loved ones. Shreddies flatulence filtering garments
-The mr and I are starting to plan our next cross country trip. National Parks all the way (free days are great but if you are planning on going to a lot of parks, get the pass) WHEN TO VISIT ANY US NATIONAL PARK FOR FREE IN 2017
-An Eleven-Story-Tall Tree Hugger Sprouts on the Side of a Building in Chile. Imagine painting that…..
-Food is always a good present.10 Last-Minute Recipes to Make for Homemade Food Gifts
The week in pictures.
Yes that is a giant tree monster about to eat a Christmas tree. So good.
Have a great day!
It’s officially kinda official. WE MOVED IN!!!! And yeah sure, we might not have a kitchen or a 100% functional shower, but hey, who needs that when you got a real freakin bed to sleep in. (we are showering and preparing food at the loft) Going form sleeping on a futon on wooden slates in a crawl space to our real bed, with a real frame, all in a giant room with windows….. It’s hella crazy.
Other then the move in, the week has been pretty jammed packed. Still spending every minute plugging away at the house all while making sure all of our tenants are keeping warm with working heaters. (we have spent way to much time at the plumbing supply store this week) Barb, the mr and I ditched a day of work and school to travel to the north and hit up the land of Canadian Ikea. The mission was simple. Get a kitchen sink and maybe a cool rug or a shelving unit, and for barb and the mr, to eat as many hot dogs as they could. Success was had. We go the sink, I got a jar and a rug, towels were bought and an obscene amount of hot dogs were eaten (I think they each ate somewhere between3.5 and 5, plus a fro-yo. Me I was happy with my carrots) We we home before dark and spent the remainder of the day hanging up the Christmas lights. It was a grand day indeed.
As for the mr, well he went and turned himself one year older. And what did we do? We went and had a happy birthday party with family and friends at the newly unfinished house. It was all sorts of fantastic. We frantically ran around to pick up all the construction mess, tossed some plywood on the cabinet frames, ran all over to make paper lanterns for the light bulbs hanging from the ceiling and cleaned the toilet. I made huge vats of soup and kept the warm in slow cookers (I am now a new owner of a vintage 70’s crock pot so I guess I need to learn how to use it) and we borrowed an electric griddle, cut up some veggies and fruit and had a soup and grilled cheese party. (shout out to barb for helping me cut all the everything, oh and having the first official dance party with me) A classic homemade vanilla cake with some Duncan Hines frosting and ice cream topped off the night. I must also mention that even with a house full of people, including a bunch of littles, there was barely any food wasted. My brother even asked where he could find my compost bin to toss the orange peels. That might have been the highlight of the night. After the evening my ass was tired so off to bed we went. Then I woke up. Nothing beats waking up at 5am the day after a party to a plywood covered pile of soup crusted dirty dishes. 2 hours later, a rag, some peppermint Dr. Bronners and the bathroom sink made things look good again. And now the house is full of every chair we have ever owned, every piece of mismatched bowl, plate, cup,jar, and spoon we could find, and a freezer full of wheat bread and lots of carrot sticks.
Yup, things are moving along. Pretty soon I’ll be cooking up a storm in new kitchen and will be bring you all some food posts to boot. The appliances are set to arrive tomorrow and all we have left to do is build the cabinets, run a few water lines, pour a concrete counter………
Today the mr have to remove the 500 plates, cups, bowls and spoons out and the rest of the birthday cake out of the kitchen area and get back to work to makingt he real kitchen thing happen. But the coffee pot and all the coffee has found it’s permanent home. I’ll have coffee all day long. Whoa hoo!
Things I saw and read on the internet that you can now see and read too.
-Not really a “gingerbread house” but what ev, it pretty fantastical. How To Build An Indestructible Gingerbread House. Gummy bear epoxy seems so right.
-Speaking of gingerbread houses. Holiday gingerbread cookies have a dark and violent past
–Cute Animation Imagines How Day Turns into Night
-A hairy tail has be found. First Dinosaur Tail Found Preserved in Amber
-This is a good guide with lots of good recipes. The Search is Over: This Map Will Find Your Sugar Cookie Soulmate
–I want this.
-Now I know where I have seen you before. Scientists Think Your Face Evolved to Look Like an Ape’s Butt
–Why Nutrition News Contradicts Itself All the Time. One day my diet is super healthy and the next, I am probably going to die cause of it. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. (nah, I think I am good)
–A Brighter Outlook Could Translate To A Longer Life. Doing it
-I get excited every year when this list comes out (I know, I a dork). NPR’s Book Concierge Our Guide To 2016’s Great Reads
Picture fun time.
I made him throw this sock away….. It was time.
Have a fantasticday.