doing some good.

one of my things for project 45 for 45 is to do regular journaling.  i found this blog which has helped trememdously with ideas and prompts.  the post about sending love letters caught my eye. something new for Christmas this year which i've already said is going to be very different for me.  i have my first letter written to a woman named emily who lost everything she owned in an apartment fire and her 2 kittens are also missing.  emily is described as a self-less individual who goes out of her way to brighten everyone elses day.  i'm hoping my few words of encouragement will help in some way during this time of tremendous loss and discouragement.

this'll be helpful

i got these in the mail last week, so i'm excited to have some new ideas for supper.  i'm doing pretty good with my 2 new recipes a month for my 45 for 45 list, but these are really going to come in handy, especially the fast food and wine cookbook.  i've only had a chance to thumb it, but it looks promising.  shrimp with watercress and cannellini beans, garlicky shrimp tacos, seafood stew with anchovy aioli, chicken and sun dried tomato meatballs. mmm now this is just making me hungry.

numbers.

I almost got 130 miles, actually I'm pretty sure I either walked or rode the extra 2/10 of a mile somewhere in between these rides, so lets go with the 130.  This is the most I've ridden in a 7 day time span,  but it was really only possible because I had 2 week days to get in the extra miles.  This certainly makes up for this week (18-25th) where I only had a chance to ride 7.1 miles, which is still better than 0!

when the weather outside in frightful.

homemade soup is in order.  while we're not dealing with the really bad effects of super storm sandy, it is very chilly and WINDY (15-20 mph winds). last night for supper i tried a new recipe-spinach and tomato soup with orzo, and it's perfect for today's lunch. i think i found this perusing pinterest, and  i made a couple changes-i sauteed ground turkey with onions and garlic to add a bit of protein, and i used elbow macaroni instead of orzo. i will definitely be making this again, and will substitute the turkey for cannelloni beans.  another great thing about soup is that there are always leftovers, so i have 2 servings in the freezer.  tonight's dinner will be another new recipe-garlic shrimp and white bean which i hope taste as good as it looks in the magazine. sending prayers to those in the states that are really getting slammed by this storm-this is one for the records books for sure.

meatless mondays and beans.

since steve has joined a monday night bowling league and andrew has a class that evening, i'm using mondays as a day to either go meatless or try out some egg dishes.  this week i tried this recipe.  i made a couple modifications-i roasted the tomatoes and garlic the day before, and on monday i heated up the beans (undrained) along with the tomatoes and garlic and let it reduce a bit so that the pasta had a little sauce.  also, i used rigatoni instead of penne.  i love beans, and this was a great way to incorporate a high fiber, low fat protein into a meal.  i'm definitely going to make this again, and it could be accompanied with italian sausage, or roasted chicken if you're trying to satisfy the meat eaters in your family.

on tuesday, i did a little change up with the tomato soup that we had.  once i'd cooked the soup, i added a can of cannelini beans, and pureed the whole thing in a blender, the beans added some protein and gave it a creamy texture without adding dairy.  as chance would have it, i had a rind of parmesan cheese handy and threw that in as well, ina would be so proud!

i would have my own kitchen show...

if these were as pretty as ina's!

i'm now 3/24 for new recipes.  the only changes i made was that i added peanuts and dried cherries, and i didn't have wheat germ, dried apricots or coconut.  i wanted to use what i had on hand.  i've been making granola the last few months, and i wanted to try these granola bars for a change.  these will be a tasty and healthy snack to have at work (and in the pantry).  i love that i could get this shot with my new camera that was set to the "food pose". it's going to be fun experimenting with the new camera, and i don't have to worry about wasting film!  hope everyone had a wonderful labor day.

what's your favorite snack right now?

recipes 1 of 24

tonight we had ina's herbed baked eggs with buttered toast-they were A-mazing! i really like eggs, and i had quite a few on hand from my co-worker who keeps chickens.  this recipe was super easy, VERY flavorful, and delicious. this will be on our table again at some point.  you really can't go wrong with ina's recipes and i have a feeling that most of my 24 recipes for my 45 for 45 quest will come from her cookbooks. one substitution i did make was to use dried parsley and tarragon instead of the rosemary and thyme only because i was too lazy to go outside to cut the herbs and i wasn't sure i'd like rosemary on eggs.

baby steps

on friday i did a gazillion errands before i met up with the ladies at cast on cottage for the closing ceremonies of the ravellenic games.  one of those stops was to costco to get my calcium supplements, and for the record costco was a complete zoo!

i also won a gift certificate, which didn't even make it out the door! now i just need to update the things i'm on track for with my 45 for 45-i'll do that tomorrow (maybe!)

start and finish

the falcon's pre-season record is off to a bad start, HOWEVER, my knitting is off to a great finish!  i finished my victorian cowl at the game, and only have a few rows on my sand and sea shawlette.  happy friday.

it begins tomorrow

AGAIN, taking inspiration from mary i thought it would be fun to come up with a list of 45 things to do before i turn 45. also a big thank you to mary for designing my "logo" above.  so here's my list, in no particular order of importance, i approaching this list as a way to see some things i'd really like to accomplish, some things i NEED to really do.  i'm sure there will be a few things that will get scratched, and there may be some changes throughout the year, and that's OKAY! so here ya' go.

1  1. Read all the books currently on my nightstand and piano bench

2  2. Establish a Thursday night knitting routine

3  3. Commit to at least 2 long rides each week (15+ miles each)

4  4. Try 12 new restaurants

5  5. Make 12 items  to give away (knitting, sewing or baking)

6  6. Get a bone density test

7  7. Ride the full length of the Silver Comet Trail

8  8. Lean how to repair a bike tire

9    9. Take a cycling accident avoidance class

1 10. Learn French well enough o write a letter or hold a simple conversation

1 11.   Join a cycling group

1 12.   Teach Sophie 2 new tricks

1 13.   Participate in a charity cycling event

1 14.   Find a volunteer opportunity that is “Me”

1 15.   Learn the rules of football

1 16.   Play a round of golf

1 17.   Take a fencing lesson

1 18.   Bake croissants

1 19.   Bake pretzels

2 20.   Visit 2 new cities

221.   Learn the long tail cast on

222.   Deplete stashed yarn (fingering and lace weight are exempt)

223.   Commit to only buying sweater yarn when I’m ready to cast on

224.   Get a role as an extra (movie or tv show)

225.   Get completely caught up on my photo projects

226.   Drink more herbal tea

227.   Commit to taking a daily calcium supplement

228.   Try 2 new fruits and 2 new vegetables

229.   Make ravioli

330.   Have a “real” vegetable and herb garden

331.   Maintain designated areas of the yard with seasonal plants

332.   Make caramels

333.   Drink coffee black for 1 week

334.   Do a blog post twice a week, even if it’s just a picture

335.   Clear out all drawers in my desk of “junk”-seriously de-clutter

336.   Try 2 new recipes per month

337.   Make a cheese souffle

338.   Read the local paper once a week

339.   Learn to journal

440.   Keep my plate clean and commitments minimal

441.   Visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens

442.   Visit a winery

443.   Establish a once a month “dinner date” with Steve

444.   Get involved in the Roswell Historical Society

445.   Teach someone else to knit