Even tho most of the sitting water was gone from our lawn, you can see how much water is still standing out in the fields!
What a wet spring we've had.
It was warmer yesterday. Since Karma likes to sit under the TV tray...
...I decided to put her new bed under there.
She only came in to visit a little, beg for "treats", and use the catbox--hehe!
Here she was at almost 2am before I went to bed. (I woke her up.)
I know it was the newness appeal (she's sitting with me on my chair right this moment) but, if I move the new bed around the apartment like I do the stroller, I imagine she will have that newness thrill over and over again--ROFL!
****
A couple nights ago I made a new veggie recipe:
Vegetarian Penne |
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Submitted By: Gail Cawsey
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"'My husband and I love pasta and vegetables,' relates Gail Cawsey of Fawnskin, California. 'I created this dish several years ago. It serves as dinner for the two of us or as an impressive side dish when we're entertaining.'"
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups uncooked penne or medium tube pasta 1/3 cup finely chopped onion 1 small yellow summer squash, sliced 1 small zucchini, sliced 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 1 teaspoon minced garlic | 3 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream |
DIRECTIONS:
| 1. | Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the onion, summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms and garlic in butter until tender. |
| 2. | In a bowl, whisk the flour, seasonings and cream until smooth; add to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Drain pasta and add to vegetable mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. **** I didn't have penne or heavy cream, so I had to use spaghetti noodles and half and half cream--and I made twice as much sauce to coat the spaghetti noodles--but I was surprised that I really liked it. I guess it was close enough to a Midwestern hotdish, eh? My first time eating yellow summer squash--and zucchini outside of zucchini bread--hehe! When I say garlic is exotic to me, I am not kidding--ROFL! **** To be honest, I've been living on the cans of veggie soups, grilled cheeses, omelets, toast, and the cheese pizzas. Not much to eat around here anymore without actually cooking or baking--hehe! So I've been eating no healthier--except for the veggie soups. So, I thought it was time to jolt my taste buds a little. :) **** In June...it's Miss Karma's turn! Dum-da-dum-dum! :) **** I've been online looking for healthier food for her, too. Organic, indoor cat, natural...hummm? We do have a Natural Foods Pet Store in Fargo and I plan to make a trip with Leah to check it out. Her food would be more expensive then, too--but better for her. I had no idea Paul Newman also made healthy cat food! Interesting. I'll have to see what they have here. **** My plan is to give her no other choice--only have healthier foods for her to pick from, too. We should both be in this together, right--hehe! I do want to do right by her. She'll still have variety, of course--heaven forbid! ;) It is difficult to have vegetarian food for a cat...but there are better, healthier options out there at least. :) **** |
15 comments:
make sure you are still getting your protein. Try the vegetarian chili recipe I sent you, it's really good and uses canned pumpkin as a thickener and also has chopped zucchini in it.. A casserole I make with succhini is to grease a deep casserole, then layer in zucchini, tomatoes and onions and cheese. Kepp going until you finish with the cheese., Bake at 350 until it looks done and bubbly. It's even better the next day. Also, there's eggplant parmesan, which is one of my favorites and the salads made with tabouleh are really quick and delicious, so are not a lot of work.
I've had to take extra naps from doing the census, but it'll be worth it to pay bills with the money. It's only for about a month, so I have to do as much as I can while it lasts.
just realized I meant to say cous cous instead of tabouleh - tabouleh is the finished salad. I "cook" the cous cous, then throw in all kinds of fresh or frozen vegetables, dried cranberries, the oil and lemon juice or raspberry vinagrette for a dressing, sometime pine nuts or something. I love it and can eat it for several days, which I do sometimes, or it's great to take to a potluck.
I'm glad it's drying up. We've had a whole crazy mix of weather with the tornadoes,wind, rain and now it's quite chilly out. I'm enjoying this cooler weather because it means no AC. :)
I'm glad Karma likes her new bed...even if it is a dog bed. She doesn't need to know that now does she?
I think I'll be making that recipe. I'd add a few more things to it... maybe some cooked fresh carrots,broccoli and peas. Make it a pasta veggie salad. I think it's a good idea using the half and half. Probably better for you. I rarely make a recipe where I don't improvise in some way.
As for having to cook now, maybe you can make things that will last a couple of days. That's what I do. I'm thinking I want to make some potato leek soup (never tried leeks before) if I can find some good leeks. They did not look good at Walmart. But then again, maybe I don't know how they are supposed to look.
:)
Hope the rest of your day is a good one.
Sue--I don't remember a veggie chili recipe. I'll have to go back and look thru your emails. I'm glad you're only doing the census for a month! :)
I will have to look up cous cous and tabouleh. I don't even know what they are. Rookie, eh?
Barb--I think the recipe could use something extra--for color, too. I was thinking about some red peppers, but peas also sound good. I think heavy cream would be too much for me, actually. You could probably use milk instead of half and half even. I adjust recipes all the time, too--hehe! :)
Oh--and I have been eating this ever since--hehe! I make up something ad then it is nuke-nuke-nuke till it's gone--ROFL!
Funny! I plan to make some potato leek soup. I bought leeks and have potatoes. I have bought cans of it--but have never made it. I just need to find a recipe. :)
Paul Newman makes Cat food too? Cool! I never knew that - That recipe sounds really good - I enjoy pasta about anyway it comes (I'm not very picky LOL)
So, its a new bed every time you move it huh... LMAO... so silly!
Thanks for the yummy recipe, Rita!
Beans, grains, nuts, seeds and soy all contain protein and recent studies have found out that the human body does not need as much protein as was once thought. In fact, I read somewhere that certain studies have linked too much protein in the diet to being a possible link in the cause of osteoporosis. Here is a link from the Vegetarian Society website that will give heaps of info on protein - http://www.vegsoc.org/info/protein.html
I hope the rain stays away long enough for the ground to dry up.
Hi Iggy--I was quite surprised to see Newman's cat food online! I'm really curious to see if they sell it at the natural pet food store in town.
I love pasta and rice--just about anything will do if it includes pasta or rice--hehe! So I know what you mean. :)
Yup! Move things around and Karma is like a toddler playing peek a boo! She gets excited--like, OOOOH! I forgot all about this! Wow! What a surprise! Where has this been? How cool! Let's lay on (in) it right now! Silly girl!! ;)
Hi Serena!
I hope it dries up a bit, too. We need several more days of sunshine like these last two gorgeous days!
I will check out the website. I wonder about some of these dietary things, too. My grandma lived to be 104 and I don't think she ever took any kind of vitamins or supplements. The foods when she was growing up weren't filled with chemicals, tho. There weren't such things as grocery stores even. Straight from the local farms. I want to go to the farmer's markets this year. Got to find out where the one in West Fargo is and when. They'll probably start in June, I would imagine. Buy some local organic produce and eggs!! Yes!! That's another part of my plan for the summer. :)
Seems like it's been rather wet all over the country. I'm glad to hear it's beginning to dry up out there.
Looks like Karma loves her new bed. :) I hope she likes her new cat food (when you get it) just as well.
The sun is shining here again today and the wind has finally let up a bit. I'm gonna work out in the yard again later today. Have yourself a great Sunday.
Hi AliceKay!
I have a feeling Miss Karma may not be as thrilled with her healthy food as she is with the bed--hehe! I tried some healthier food once--but she had a choice--and she refused to eat it. Mixed it in with the other--and she ate around it--ROFL! Life is going to get hard for Karma, I think! :):)
Hope you're having a good Sunday, too. Good weather and lots of yard work done. :)
The scientists are finally admitting it - they have been saying over and over lately that if you cook your food from scratch and stop eating so much processed food, like frozen dinners, which I am guilty of when I'm tired and in a hurry, that you'll be much better off. Also, eat butter instead of margarine, which I have been saying for years.
I cleaned out my refrigerator last year and I had some margarine that a friend had given me that had gotten pushed to the back, that was like 2 years old by then. It had dried up a little bit, but that was all - never breaks down, or molds or anything, so I'm sure it's not good for you.
Sue--I went back to butter many years ago before "they" changed their minds about margarine. Just was too dang waxy or something for me. And--you're right--it doesn't change over time. Kind of like a twinkie--hehe! :)
Thankfully, here in Australia, our food industry legislation is much more strict than in the States. American margarines and vegetable oils are very high in trans fats while Australian margarines and vegetable oils are very low in trans fats, if they contain any at all. Here in Australia, our margarines are indeed the healthier option over butter which can raise bad cholesterol levels that can eventually lead to heart disease.
Studies saying that butter is the healthier option over margarine have all been American studies and this is true because American margarines contain very high levels of trans fats.
Personally, I use very little margarine and often replace it on sandwiches with mashed avocado or peanut butter. I never eat butter regardless of any studies as I try to limit my intake of animal by-products where I can for ethical reasons....purely my own personal choice.
Serena,
Maybe they will get stricter here, too, eventually? The food industry has a lot of clout, tho--and sadly, as with everything else around here, money talks. Seems like that has finally been changing lately, tho. Maybe--just maybe--the powers that be might finally realize that money isn't everything. ;)
I know you are mostly vegan, right? After I get adjusted to being vegetarian (a huge adjustment)--then I hope to work on removing more dairy. For now, when I do buy I am buying organic at least. :):)
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