Happy New Year's Eve! Chili Day Take 4

Look at these lovely cranberry beans soaking for tomorrow's chili! In a pink bowl!



I am not a huge fan of black eyed peas so we are making a new tradition. These beans are especially gorgeous bought fresh, which mine are not, but check them out in their spotty pods.

Jason suggested making a Tabasco cream sauce but IKEA scale says I am officially FAT so I will be eating mine simply, with some lemon and herbs, per the Eat to Live guide. I suppose it is not strictly chili, but it is beans and so we press on.

I think I did pretty well for December blogasm. I missed some days but did not beat myself up about it. In the spirit of success and new chances, here are a few modest resolutions:

-Eat better and move more. Now that I know I have a good 50 pounds to lose (the internet says I am officially "obese" which is something of a wake-up call) I'm resolved to cram myself full of beans and vegetables until I can at least qualify for "pudgy" again -- and maybe less.

-Reclaim my hobbies. I love to knit but it all has been stuffed in the closet for so long that it is hard to get started on anything. Likewise, I am a huge theater buff but I rarely go to shows anymore. It is desirable to spend money on things that will make me happy and more interesting.

-Do not sweat the small stuff. 'Cause, you know, it's all small stuff.

Happy new year to all!

Chili Week Day 2 - Dumplins

3 bean chili with corn dumplings, from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

This is so neat because it cooks all day (or, night, as the case may be) and then you drop the dumplings in during the last 45 minutes and they cook right in the pot.

Nom!

Chili Week! Day 1

Sunday: steamer broccoli; Hormel chili in a can

Questionable Gifts for Your Formerly Vegetarian Friends and their Omnivore Children

Hubert the Pudge might be considered hilarious or it might get you off the xmas list permanently.

Let's find out!

People who loved Hubert also loved:
Benji Bean Sprout Doesn't Eat Meat
Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon

Xmas Spirit

Well, howdy!

We made some format changes around here. Sorry about the flashy picture thing over there. It was the only option.

Pulled out the wrapping paper today to make some merry. I found the "nice kitty" cat stocking from Ryan J. last year. So, the cat has a stocking and none of the rest of us do. Typical for how things work around here.

Tonight: EGG NOG.

If I were in the vegan food business, I'd make a mock-nog called "Egg not." "Mock nog" is pretty good, too.

The new archive format highlights months in which I was particularly verbose. No surprise there: the beginning and end of the school year.

Hope you and yours are making merry, too.

But Mom Lets Me Do It...

All year, the rule has been "bed is for humans and cats" and the dog has never argued, save for the first few days home after staying with a more lenient dogsitter.

Today, though... man.



Every time I turned around that dog was all "whoooooo dog on the bed!"

And I was like no, NO, no dogs on the bed!

And she was like: Come ON. I have put up with you people and your ridiculous "loveseat" for like a YEAR and it is cold and I miss my couch. Let a dog on the bed.

And I was like NO. The cat is going to claw your eyes out.

And the cat was like: Nah, I'm cool.

And I was like FINE but you CANNOT tell Jason -- and then we all took a nap. One huge calico Christmas vacation 3pm nap.

It was soooo good.

Still Here

Nothing to report.

Oh, except, I have been trying to figure out how to eat my persimmon but I can't figure out what kind of persimmon it is, so it just keeps sitting there getting riper.

I am going to go slice it!

UPDATE:

Looks like salmon, tastes like spicy mango. MMM.

Dream Jobs

Lucky guy.

"Three months ago, Favreau lived in a group house with six friends in Chicago, where he rarely shaved, never cooked and sometimes stayed up to play video games until early morning. Now, he has transformed into what one friend called a "Washington political force" -- a minor celebrity with a down payment on a Dupont Circle condo, whose silly Facebook photos with a Hillary Rodham Clinton cutout created what passes for controversy in Obama's so far drama-free transition."

It's Beginning to Feel

a lot like Starbucks should never have replaced their Gingerbread Lattes. Seriously. Get those soggy ginger bits outa my coffee.

Christmas carols this morning on NPR were not annoying. NPR in general is annoying. Give us Diane Rehm! I want to hear about dogs and morality!

Jason's co-worker's bestest mixest mix is almost as good as Christmas carols.

I hand addressed 75 Christmas cards today. By the end, my cursive was indecipherable. I'm sorry: none of the cards were for you. Bizness only.

This daily blogging thing is a pain, and I missed a few days, but I am trying.

2 more days until Vacay...

So the new Secretary of Ed. plays basketball and is very tall.

Works for me.

VIPs

Earlier today, Jason--in a relentless attempt to make me function like a grown-up-- sorted a stack of Very Important Papers for me to go through and identify as 1) save; 2) shrederate; 3) WTF.

Category 3 is a pile I invented myself, for items that I don't know what I'm supposed to do with. Like -- address labels from the humane society with my address and kittens! Who throws that away? They probably spent a lot of money on the printing. I bet I could use these someday.

Anyway, the cat was like "SHREDERATE!" and I was like, hold on, I'm not done sorting yet.

In this holiday season of annual appeals (LOOK--I am sorry PBS, you are not getting any more money from me until someone answers my email about why the digital station won't work and NPR, you are not getting any money either: I want MORE talking and LESS classical and no I won't subscribe to your HD whatever) I think about people with lots of money and all the mail they must receive this time of year.

For them, I wish personal assistants to hang the holiday cards and pay the bills and give the money that needs to be given, and cats with sharp claws to turn the rest to confetti.

List of Animals and Descriptions Contained in 1 Packet Yam Yam - Choco Cream

Mole - In a Hole

Cat - Say Meow

Rabbit - Eat More Carrots

Mouse - Do Not Be Timid

Seal - Loves to Sun Tan

Whale - Biggesy Mammal

Zebra - Herbivore

Stag Beetle - Love It

Panda - Go For More

Driving to Austin in T Minus...

Just waiting for the pod to charge.

Doodle doodle dooo.

The apartment hunt is looking up, maybe.

Did I mention it snowed yesterday?

I've been so WOWed this week I am ready for things to get bland again.

Ok, here goes...

Hell Freezeth Over

Sorry ladies, I think you have to go to school tomorrow.

Film Review in Middle School

"I cannot believe how much that movie sucked."

Like, totally, kid.