parenthood, snapshots Leave a comment

Lunch with Mom on his 100th Day of Kindergarten

I had to pick him up before lunch on his 100th day of school for a doctor’s appointment, which led to a trip to the lab, after which we stopped for lunch at a place that used to be a lot speedier for dine-in service than it is now. As a result, he missed both gym and music class… but he was excited to eat lunch with me, anyway.

Right after I snapped this “Hey, Connor” pic, he gave me a grin and a thumbs-up that I failed to capture. So it goes.

Yes, he is wearing a homemade 100 Pikachus iron-on t-shirt, fabricated by Yours Truly.

food Leave a comment

Cookbook of the Month: January

In 2017, I resolved to cook 50 new-to-me recipes. In the end, I tried a total of 55 from various sources: online, magazines, cookbooks, the recipe box.

This year, I decided that I’d delve into my collection of cookbooks. We inherited several old-school cookbooks and compilations from my husband’s family, plus I’ve gotten some as gifts over the years, bought some for cheap at garage sales, and gotten some freebies from Weight Watchers meetings.

I’m planning to devote each month to one cookbook, and cook at least one recipe per week from that cookbook. January’s cookbook was from Trinity United Methodist Church in Swanton, Ohio, published in 1990 — from the estate of my in-laws.

Trinity United Methodist Cookbook 1990

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food, gardening, snapshots Leave a comment

Homegrown Dulce Rojo Paprika!

The deer left me six dulce rojo paprika peppers by harvest time last fall. I’ve had them sitting in my kitchen, drying, for months now, and I finally decided that tonight was the night I’d put them through my spice grinder and turn them into a delicious spice.

I unintentionally made “pink paprika” by also including some seeds and ribs of the peppers — those inside bits can be hard to shake out of a dry pepper sometimes. Perhaps next time, I’ll slice them in half and remove the ribs and seeds before I dry them…?

At any rate, it definitely has a distinct smell and taste about it, and it’s just a little different from any store-bought paprika I’ve tried. I hadn’t been planning to buy any more seeds for this year’s garden, but I might have to try some different pepper varieties now.