Archive for January, 2010
Soup Saturday- Red Pepper and Buttermilk Soup
January 30th, 2010
I realized a little while ago that I didn’t even share a soup recipe last Saturday. Shame on me. Anyway- I visited my friend Bobbi this past Tuesday and she had made us some fabulous soup for lunch. She was kind enough to share the recipe, and I made the soup two days ago. I have to say, that I absolutely love the flavor of this soup, and have added it to one of my ‘go to’ soups when I need something flavorful and quick. Because Marcel likes meat, I did add two boneless skinless chicken breasts that I chopped into small pieces. It was good, but I do prefer it without the chicken.
Red Pepper and Buttermilk Soup
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2 Tablespoons olive oil
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3 red bell peppers roasted, peeled, seeded and coarsley chopped (I doubled the recipe)
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2 shallots, peeled and sliced
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2 cups vegetable stock
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1 cup buttermilk (it calls for organic, I used regular)
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Cayenne pepper to taste- I should have added more, because I like spice.
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Salt to taste (I didn’t add salt, because I felt that the stock had enough salt.
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Roast the peppers. You can rotate them over a gas burner until black- charred and then allow them to cool and rub off the skin. (Because I don’t have a gas stove, I roasted mine under the broiler in the oven) Plus if you don’t want to roast them, you don’t have to. You can just soften them by cooking them with the shallots, but the roasting gives it a deeper, richer flavor.
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Saute shallots in olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat until soft.
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Stir in peppers and stock with shallots.
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Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
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Puree in batches (I tried to do it all in one batch and it made a mess. Ooops) in the blender until smooth. Take caution with hot liquids in the blender that you don’t burn yourself.
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Return to pot and add buttermilk, cayenne and salt to taste.
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Serve in bowls and garnish with cilantro.
Trust- How Far Should it Go?
January 30th, 2010
A few days ago I was catching up on news and was reading various articles and came across one in relation to the Yaz problems. I don’t know if y’all have heard about it, but it is a birth control medication which has been proven to be the cause of death in more than 50 women who took this medication.
Personally, I can’t even imagine how the families of these women feel, knowing that they thought they were taking a medication that would simply protect themselves against becoming pregnant, and they ended up dead. In addition to the 50 women who passed away from this medication, there are countless more who have had strokes, gall bladder issues, and even some reported cases of deep vein thrombosis.
The thing that bothers me is the fact that if the FDA had done more tests to learn the potential dangers of this drug, that these deaths could have been avoided, along with those who are now struggling with other health related issues because of the same medication. We trust that when our doctors give us medications, that it’s safe to take, and of course, most medications do have side effects, but I can’t imagine too many people who would have chosen to take this drug rx if they had known that it could lead to their death. I know I wouldn’t have.
I definiitely believe that the FDA should do further studies and really KNOW what the possible problems are with medications before ever allowing them to be released to the public. It could save a life, and that life could be mine or yours.
What do you think?
Sicky Wicky
January 29th, 2010
I made some really great soup yesterday, and I will share the recipe and the pictures tomorrow on “Soup Saturday”. It has definitely made it to my list of favorite soups, and it’s not only healthy, but it’s simple to make (as long as you don’t count the roasting of the bell peppers in the process).
As I think I mentioned earlier in the week, my favorite guy is sick with the flu, and I’ve been avoiding him like the plague all week. Ok, it isn’t THAT bad, but I have only blown him kisses from across the room, made sure that I haven’t hugged him or drank anything after him, and was convinced that would keep me from getting sick.
What do you think happened today? I started feeling a little scratch in my throat and a little achy feeling in the ole’ body. I’m protesting.. and pray that I don’t end up with the flu or anything else. I’m not working this weekend and plan to do a whole lot of relaxing. Hopefully this will blow over like a bad storm.
Apple’s Big Announcement
January 28th, 2010
Since I bought my ‘eye’ almost a year ago, I’ve really fallen in love with Apple products. I can’t help it, I just love them. When I saw the new ‘eye’pad (iPad) that they released yesterday I found myself in techno geek heaven, wondering how I could get my hands on one of the first ones that come out. I thought about how cool and easy it would be to carry around with me, and when I shared my excitement with Marcel, he commented that it couldn’t be any better than some of the netbooks out there, including my very own laptop! He continued to tell me that I didn’t ‘need’ this iPad, and with that he does have a point. But Do I want one? You bet I do! Will I eventually own one? If I have anything to say about it; I certainly will!
I’d love to know what y’all think about the new ‘eye’Pad.
Staying Put- For Now
January 28th, 2010
For a while, Marcel and I have been discussing selling this place and moving to somewhere different. It’s a catch 22 kind of thing since the market to sell is not a good one, but the one to buy is excellent. We found a place that we both love that actually didn’t need anything to be done to it other than maybe adding a little Dolan lighting here and there, and maybe a spot of paint. We both want to take the plunge, but I can’t help but think that this isn’t the right time, so we decided to wait until we are completely certain. I just hope that time comes, because I hate that we’re missing out on this great home. It may be for the best though, because it’s a little more remote than where we are living now, which means if I really need something from the grocery store at the last minute, I can’t walk five mintues and find it. It sure is tempting though. We are going to wait a little while, and quite possibly work on remodeling the interior of our current home, which will include a new kitchen. Am I the only one who gets excited about these sort of projects in spite of the work that is involved?
I Get the Feeling I’ve Been Here Before
January 27th, 2010
I am sitting here in the waiting room at the doctors office with the idea that I’ve been here in recent weeks. Probably because it wasn’t that long ago when I was visiting for a cold that I had, and now it’s Marcel’s turn. He woke up on Monday not feeling his best, but thought he was feeling better yesterday only to wake up this morning to say he felt worse. He decided to make an appointment and here we sit.
I’ve been listening to these two women in their 50′s catch up on all the latest gossip on probably everyone they know. I find it to be slightly entertainig simply because they are talking about these people as though the waiting room was empty and not full if people that have the potential to know those they are discussing. I was tempted to say one of those they were discussing was my aunt just to see the expression on their faces. It would be hilarious, at least to me.
I guess you can call it waiting room entertainment at it’s finest.
Travel “Mis”Aventures
January 26th, 2010
On my way home from Bible Study today- things got a little crazy. I was supposed to visit my friend Bobbi, and I was going to walk to her place from the train station, but when I got one stop into the trip (which was on my way home from Bible Study) we were informed that there were problems at the station I was heading to, and all the trains had been grounded headed that way. So there I was- stranded. When I tried to access the website to get information, nothing was updating and showing that the trains were canceled, so I was basically a sitting duck.
Finally, I did figure out that a train was going to another nearby location, where I ended up traveling to and asked Marcel to pick me up. He then took me to Bobbi’s, and picked me up several hours later so that we could get groceries. I don’t know what I would have done without him. As we passed by the station on the way to Bobbi’s home, we noticed that trains were stopping at that station, so obviously their issue had been repaired.
In the meantime, I’m grateful that I don’t have to take the train again for a while.
What a Day!
January 26th, 2010
What a day today ended up being. As I wrote this morning, I almost missed my first train, and my connecting train ended up being canceled, which caused a half hour delay. It worked out just fine, other than the fact that it was 18 degrees this morning and that’s without the wind chill factor. It was COLD!!!
In other news, after I returned home this afternoon and finally turned on the computer for the first time today, I found that I had an email from a friend of mine who is doing some researching on web hosting. She knew that I have had my own site for a little more than a year now, and so she wanted to ask me some questions as far as how I was able to make a choice on the hosting company that I use when there seems to be so many promising everything but the kitchen sink. We were able to talk about and identify what she was planning on using the website for, which gave a better idea of what she actually needed.
I did tell her which hosting company I chose and why, which was based on many reviews that I read and much research. I personally thing I made a great decision with my hosting company and hopefully she will be just as satisfied with the one she chooses.
(On Location) Stranded at the Train Station
January 26th, 2010
Ok to say that I’m stranded at the train station could be a bit of a stretch, but my 9 a.m. train was canceled, which means a half hour wait for the next one.
It also meant me scrambling around to call my friend Andrea so she wouldn’t be waiting for me at the station only to see no train arrive and no Lori. Luckily I was able to reach her and she’s been gracious enough to offer to pick me up a half hour later.
So far I’ve observed a man spill his coffee everywhere and a lady who couldn’t get her public transportation card to work. Oh and did I mention that if my originating train hadn’t been two minutes late I would have missed it??
I wonder if today is really Monday simply disguised as Tuesday. At least the sun is shining, and that is definitely something to smile about
