Shepherd Peppers Pie

Less time cooking at work= More time cooking at home. Here's a favourite I haven't made since the cool weather rolled in last year. And really. The temperature, for late November in Ontario, ain't too cool yet. Anyhoo. Let's get cookin'.

Where's the Beef!

One each of a large yellow, orange and red shepherd pepper (you can use the regular garden variety if you like), seed em out and dice em up!
1.5lb extra lean ground beef (we're going to add back the fat with good for you fat, olive oil)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large spanish onion, diced
4 cloves raw, minced garlic
1/4 cup worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp louisiana hot sauce (for flavour....add more for kick!)
1 cup beef stock or broth
2 tbsp, sifted all purpose flour
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp each of mustard and onion powders
salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

method~ Heat oil and garlic in a skillet. Add diced onion and cook slightly. Crumble the raw beef into the pan and continue to break it up as it cooks using a spatula. Once browned, add the diced peppers. Let cook for a few minutes. Add sifted flour and seasonings. Then stir in liquids. Bring to a bubble, reduce and let simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into suitable baking dish.

Roasted Garlic Tater Topper

10 medium red potatoes, washed and skins left on
1/2 cup veggie stock or broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
6 cloves roasted, mashed garlic
salt and pepper to taste

method~ boil em. drain em. Add the stuff to em. Mash em. Spread em (not your legs, the mashed- over top of the beef mixture)

Toss in a preheated 375F oven for 15 minutes. Then broil, to brown the top, for a scant 5 minutes.

Cool em. Eat em. Eat em up.

Meme

Picked this up from Ms. McGee

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain ~does driving up Mt. Washington count?
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said I love you and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea ~from my grandparents' boat
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise ~one too many times...right Liz?
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game ~ Leafs, Jays and Ti-Cats...pretty pathetic bunch really.
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper ~ again. One too many times.
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower ~ but it was too cloudy this year :o(
23. Gotten drunk on champagne ~unfortunately
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster ~ As many as possible. I. love. rollercoasters!
35. Hit a home run ~ I was quite the baller back in the day...when I was 10.
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends ~ who've needed taking care of when they were drunk
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love :o(
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs ~shut. up.
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke ~not in forever
59. Lounged around in bed all day ~I can't believe I didn't do it more...while I had the chance.
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken ~so far so good ;o)
69. Toured ancient sites ~Stonehenge is the most ancient I've toured.
70. Taken a martial arts class ~Karate
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie ~ The Air Up There
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch ~Watch for my cookie exchange post this weekend!
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage ~and I miss it
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music ~Yup! And then I lost it dammit...and the only guy who has a copy moved to some place in the States. But I 'm not bitter.
87. Eaten shark ~yum!
88. Kissed on the first date ~double yum!
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children ~still a work in progress
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth ~several cats
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild ~does the magical variety count?
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes ~not after the cockroach
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating ~fish
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Legos vs. Dead Bodies

Apparently she had something very important to build. While this guy desperately needs a new hobby.

It's Not Just the Hormones

At 36 weeks, visits to the doctor change from bi-weekly to every week. Contrary to what it may seem, these more frequent appointments make the time go by slower. On Wednesday, I had one such appointment. I walked into the office and approached the reception desk. To my right I noticed a girl sitting in a waiting chair. She was nervously eyeing the kid and I, as if we were intimidating her. As we passed her by to do our weekly washroom thing, she finally looked away in shame, clutching her stomache. Must be really sick, I thought and I hoped it wasn't contagious. We returned from the washroom and sat down in our choice of any chair. The girl was no longer there but I could hear a young, female voice around the corner speaking to the lady in reception. The voice was small and wavery. From what I could gather she had been waiting without checking in first. The next bit was inaudible. Then, from around the same corner, came the girl being ushered past us by the receptionist and shown toward the washroom. The girl's head was still hanging. Within a brief moment she had returned and was waiting fist in palm, head down on the edge of one of the many chairs. I'd been reprocessing all that I'd seen and I was starting to realize what was going on. In another moment, the nurse returned. Her hand found the girl's shoulder and her voice was soft and quick as she reassured the girl that the technician had her sample and would call her just as soon as there was an answer. My heart sank. It was clear now why she had been here. I wanted so badly to grab her hand, to stop her as she rushed by. To look at her straight and tell her it would be ok. That even though it felt like a death sentence now, having a child would actually make her better. That it would make her stronger and love harder than she could have ever imagined. That it would give her a drive and an eye for the world that she otherwise may never have had. But she rushed by too quickly and then she was gone. All of my urgent intentions slammed shut with the office door as I realized she wouldn't have heard me. She'd only have thought I was crazy. Some hormone fostered vehicle, sputtering lovely nonsense as mothers do.

Last night I went to bed feeling tired and ready. But as soon as my head hit the pillow the urgency returned. No thought of the girl yet, but the feeling was the same. Suddenly I burst into tears. Sobbing uncontrollably. Where had this fit of emotion come from? It's not just the hormones, I thought. It's fear. I've done this before and still I'm terrified. Not of anything in particular, just a general fear of the unknown. The fear of not being in control and with that thought the girl shot to the forefront of my mind. She must be so afraid. I lay my arm across the newly committed soul next to me allowing myself to find comfort in his quiet warmth and hoped that the girl would allow herself to find the same.

Everybody's Doing It.

That time is swiftly approaching. Actually, it's more like time moving in reverse. For most folks christmas is here before you know it. For nine-months-pregnant-me, it'll never come. However, with my luck and some help from Murphy, I'm sure the holidays will come and go and I'll still be pregnant.



You know, there are some upsides to pregnancy. Nesting is certainly one. Here is an example of the fruits before my labour.

Jealous?

I know Annie will be. Someone's not going to be the baby anymore.

(Maybe Jane and Biscotti could console her)