Sleepover at Tupelo's

Whenever we go out of town and can't bring Floyd, we are lucky to have Kristin, Kyle and their furry child, Tupelo, also Floyd's girlfriend, to watch him. I don't think he even notices we're gone. This weekend we are headed for the Jersey Shore with John's family. Here's Floyd all packed for his weekend sleepover.

Carrots

John came home the other day from a Costco run with 3lbs of carrots. I usually like it when he brings home a huge bag of something not on our regular list of things. I typically like the challenge. The problem, is that I'm not a huge fan of carrots. Dipped in something they are good, but I feel like I use them only as a utensil rather that a vegetable. Luckily, I adapted several different recipes in to this recipe using the classic flavor of carrot and ginger:

Orange Glazed Ginger Carrots

1 lbs of carrots, sliced, or whole baby carrots
1/3 cup of orange juice not from concentrate
1 cup water
2 TB honey
1 TB fresh ginger, grated
2 TB unsalted butter
1 TB chopped chives (optional - for garnish)
2 TB chopped pecans (optional - for garnish)

Melt butter in a deep saucepan (I used my cast iron skillet). Add carrots and saute for 5 minutes, coating all the carrots in butter. Add water, orange juice, ginger and honey and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to a glaze. Top with chives and pecans.

It was beautiful and delicious!!! Try it.

Miss Piggies

Thesedays, I am not sure if we have chickens or pigs in our yard. Those girls have been devouring food, not only their feed but all of our scraps, bugs and worms. Can you say spoiled?

This is a photo of Sookie, Hedwig, Bellatrix and unnamed red chicken waiting for a mealworm.

You Say Tomato, I Say Love Apple

I read somewhere that when the French were first introduced to the tomato by the Italians, they referred to it as the pomme d'amour, which literally translates to "love apple". I wonder, did they think it had aphrodesiacal powers? Anyhoo, here is a photo of my "love apple" garden. They'll be red, green, yellow, and purple any day now.

Inside All of Us is a Wild Thing

If you are looking for a reason to get stupidly giddy, I have it. Yes, a movie version of one of the best books ever written, Where the Wild Things Are. Check out the preview here. The trailer alone brought chills to my spine and tears to my eyes. I like everyone involved with this, especially the screenwriter, Dave Eggers, and the triumphant song in the preview, Wake Up, by one of my favorite bands, Arcade Fire. October 16 can't come soon enough!

Farmers Market Heaven

It that wonderous time of year where the summer harvest is reaching its peak. At the farmer's market today I managed to get my hands on these beautiful fruits and veggies (and meat!).Yes, those are red carrots, purple green beans, yellow zucchini, and although you can't see it, those beets are a red and white swirl in the middle. I know they will be as delicious as they are gorgeous!

Rant The Sequel

I've found myself on a ranting roll. Another thing that really bothers me is summer in Utah. This is the time of year where I wonder why I moved here. It is so hot here during the day that all I can do is hide in the house with the air at full blast. Poor Floyd, whose whole being involves spending at least 2 hours per days running around chasing a ball or a frisbee, gets so overheated after a few minutes outside that he plops down in the shade and doesn't move. I ask myself, why is it necessary to live in a place where 2-3 months out of the year are 90+ degrees? I miss the days when heat waves were not only so few and far between, but bearable (85 degrees tops) that we actually appreciated and savored them. In San Francisco, when the sun clears the fog and it reaches 75 out, everyone comes out of their cubby holes and soaks up the sun at the nearest park or beach. Restaurants put tables outside and people really do relish in dining outdoors on those few days that they can. There is an unbelievable energy throughout the city. This is a scene from Dolores Park in the Mission/Castro District where I lived before moving. Mark Twain famously said "The coldest winter I ever spent was summer in San Francisco." Sounds wonderful!!!

Rant

I haven't posted in a while, due to a busy, yet uneventful couple weeks. Well, I'm back, and I think a there is no better way to come back than with a hate filled negative rant. What has been getting my beef lately, you ask?


As many of you know, John has been out of town for a while for work and play. Whenever he's gone, I usually turn to my replacement boyfriend, Anderson Cooper, the cute silver-haired reporter on CNN, to keep me from getting too lonely. A small dose of Anderson each day usually washes away the loneliness blues. Unfortunately, thesedays when I tune in, 2 people keep popping up whose only impacts on the world were to make it a more loathesome place: Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin. It's like living with your boyfriend and his 2 loser best friends. And it's not poor Anderson's fault, it's his job to report the news. So please Sarah and Dick, go back to the holes you crawled out of (and stay there for the next 50 years while you're at it). Anderson and I would like an evening alone!