Rosemary Chicken Stew

A winner with everyone!

I sort of made this up as I went along, so bear with this loosey goosey recipe...

Rinse, drain and sort about a cup of dried beans (I used some kind of white bean called Alubia). Cover with water, put lid on pot and simmer while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Put 500mL of chicken stock into crockpot.

Chop 2 potatoes into chunks and 2 carrots into medallions. Add to crockpot.

Roughly chop about 1.5-2 tbsp fresh rosemary.

Chop about 6 cloves of garlic, one large onion, half an orange pepper, 8 or to white mushrooms, and three ribs of celery. Sautee with some of the rosemary in olive oil until onion is transparent. Puree in blender or food processor with the rest of the rosemary (this is to hide these "yucky ingredients" from the children). Add to crockpot.

Cube up some ham (oven cook type, not deli slices) and add to crockpot. Some cooked bacon instead would also be yummy.

Salt and pepper to taste (maybe 1.5-2 tbsp salt?)

Add a couple cups of water- depends how much broth you want in the finished product.

Cook on low 6-8 hours, until potatoes are tender.

Mix some cooled broth with some corn starch (2-4 tbsp?), set crockpot to high and stir in until thickened to your liking.

It turns out a bit of an unappetizing colour which both kids pronounced "yucky", but once they tried it they were sold.

Easy Awesome Creamy Homemade Salad Dressing

My good friend Jen has a real gift for whipping together delicious homemade salad dressings. I have been trying but the only one that really comes together for me is a greek style dressing (splash of olive oil, splash of balsamic vinegar, dash of salt & pepper, sprinkle of dried sweet basil).

Today Andrew asked for a creamy basil dressing for the salad he had made. I went to Google and tried a recipe that came up. It was perfect! Here's what I used:

1/4 c mayo
1/2 c plain unsweetened yogurt
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp dried sweet basil

And that's it! The recipe actually called for a cup of loosely chopped fresh basil but my plant didn't have nearly enough. That version needs to be run through the blender. My version just needed a shake in a jar.

Yummy Healthy Pancakes

I love serving these pancakes because they are wholesome and tasty. It makes quite a big batch, which feeds the kids and I and leaves lots of leftovers. Micah and I like to eat the leftover pancakes cold or toasted. I base my recipe on this one I found at allrecipes.com.

1 1/2 c oats
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c buttermilk (add 1 tbsp vinegar to regular milk to make buttermilk)
1 c milk
1/4 c plain yogurt (which I use instead of oil)
1 egg
1/3 c sugar or honey (if I use honey I use a little less milk)

often I use a little less flour so I can sneak some bran in too

Grind the oats in blender or food processor until they are fine. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In another bowl or mixer combine all the wet ingredients.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry with a few swift strokes. Lumps are ok.

We enjoy eating our pancakes with pure maple syrup, raw honey, or jam.

Chicken Souvlaki Success

Andrew asked for chicken souvlaki, so I gave it a go today. He scored it 9 out of 10! Whoohoo!!

I served the chicken and tzatziki sauce with non-pocket pitas, shredded romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes, red onion and green pepper.

Souvlaki (I doubled this recipe)

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (approx two lemons)
3 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

The recipe said to marinate for 30 minutes, but I saw other recipes that said to marinate for 24 hours, so I prepared it in the mid-morning to eat at the end of the day.

Thread chicken onto skewers and grill or broil until chicken is cooked through (~7-10 mins). We would have BBQ'd but we were out of propane so we used the Foreman Grill.

Tzatziki Sauce (from this web site)

3 cups Greek Yogurt (or regular plain yogurt, strained as described below)
juice of one lemon (about 3 T)
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
about 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers
1 T finely chopped fresh dill (can substitute mint leaves for a slightly different version) I had to use the little bit of mint I'm attempting to cultivate that hasn't gotten fried by the sun in our back yard. Dill is not a common herb here in Mexico!
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

If you don't have Greek yogurt, strain plain yogurt as described below. Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.) Dice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.

In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)

This will keep for a few days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.

If you can't find Greek yogurt, you can make something similar by straining regular plain yogurt for several hours to remove the liquid and thicken the yogurt. Georgette recommends using two coffee filters inside a colander, which is placed inside a bowl to catch the liquid, or there are inexpensive mesh yogurt strainers you can buy. Let the yogurt drain on the counter for 2 hours, or until it reaches the thickness you want.

A New Winning Dish

Today I made Moroccan: Chicken and Carrot Tajine. I got the recipe from my Reader's Digest. Click here to see the original. I also included it below, with comments about changes I made out of necessity.

Bonnie [from Reader's Digest] says: A “tajine” refers to a Moroccan earthenware pot or to the stew that is cooked in it. In North America, tajine is usually cooked in a Dutch oven or casserole. Serve it with rice or couscous.

Ingredients

1 tsp (5 mL) salt
½ tsp (2 mL) each ground ginger, cinnamon, cumin and black pepper
6 large chicken thighs (or 12 small ones), bone in, skin off [I cut boneless skinless chicken breast into large chunks]
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil [I used olive oil]
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh gingerroot
1 cup (250 mL) water or chicken stock , if preferred
1 tbsp (15 mL) honey
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) pepper
½ cup (125 mL) dried apricots [No luck finding apricots here. I used raisins. They probably didn't add the same flavour apricots would have, but they worked]
2 lbs (1 kg) carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal (about 1/2-in./1-cm thick)
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh parsley or cilantro [these last two things REALLY added to the dish!]


1. Combine salt with ginger, cinnamon, cumin and pepper. Rub into chicken. [I doubled the spices to account for the extra surface area and rolled my chicken chunks in it before browning]. Heat oil in a large deep skillet. Brown chicken well. Remove chicken from pan and reserve.
2. Add onions, garlic and gingerroot to pan. Cook until browned—about 5 to 10 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil, stirring up any solidified juices on the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, until liquid is reduced to around half. Add honey, salt, pepper, apricots and carrots. Bring to a boil. Place chicken on top in a single layer. Cover and cook in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. [It's too hot to have the oven going so I put them in the crock pot on high for about two hours instead]
3. Drizzle with lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro. [Don't skip this step! Mmmm.]

Makes 6 servings.

I would probably use fewer carrots, and maybe add some peas next time.

Another Yummy Recipe

Andrew LOVED this. He said it "screams more". The kids were already in bed so I don't know if they will like it. But it'll make it again soon so they'll get a chance to give it a try.

I had to use spinach because Andrew couldn't find bok choy at the store. I wonder if it will be even better with all the right ingredients?!

Nutty Bok Choy Salad

dressing-
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp peanut butter

salad
5-6 cups thinly sliced bok choy
1 thinly spiced red pepper
2 thinly sliced green onion
1 pkg ichiban noodles- (roasted 8-10 min 350)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Surprise Winner!

I was very surprised to find that everyone enjoyed this recipe! It is very flavourful. I am so excited to have another dish to add to the rotation:

Chicken in Mango Sauce

Sufficient chicken for two people, deboned and skinned if necessary
1 large ripe mango
1 tsp ground coriander- I used chopped fresh cilantro. Who knew that coriander and cilantro are one and the same?
1 clove garlic (chopped finely), or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Worcester sauce
Water if necessary
1 carton natural yoghurt or your favoured alternative - I didn't use this

Method
Fry all the spices except half of the garlic in a small amount of oil. Puree the mango (or at least squash it about a bit). I just diced about half of it and chunked the other half. Add mango to the spices, add soy & Worcester sauce, cook gently for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, chop the chicken into bite-size chunks and fry until opaque, along with the remainder of the garlic. Drain off any excess oil. Add the mango sauce and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, adding water if needed; make sure the sauce does not stick to the pan. Serve with the starch-based accompaniment of your choice (probably a bit runny for noodles; rice works okay, and so does couscous), along with the natural yoghurt. I served it with jasmin rice.

Lentil Soup

I decided to try making lentil soup for supper today. I often have good success with allrecipes.com and today was no exception. Here is the recipe I used:

INGREDIENTS
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped (I had none but it still tastes good!)
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 4 big cloves)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I used 210g tomato sauce and one finely chopped fresh organic tomato)
2 cups dry lentils (I also added some chopped potatoes and fresh green beans)
8 cups water (I used 2 cups chicken broth + 6 cups water)
1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced (I had none)
2 tablespoons vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar)
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil and fresh tomatoes; cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes and potatoes and green beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.

Cosmic Cookies

The kids and I made these cookies today. I got the recipe from the Delicious Nutritious Frugalicious blog.

I made one batch using the recommended 1/3 cup but the cookies were so ginormous I downsized to tablespoonfuls and I liked that better. I might even make them smaller next time, because they are so hearty Eva didn't even finish one of the smaller ones. FYI they don't spread so you can space them closely on the cookie sheet.

I am really stuffed up right now so I can't comment too much on taste, but I love them based on the ingredients alone. They are practically guilt free! They make an excellent quick snack or road trip food.

I substituted plain unsweetened yogurt for the oil and slivered almonds for the pumpkin seeds.

2 1/4 cups oats
2 cups flour
1 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 3/4 cups dark chocolate chips or carob chips
1 1/4 cups raisins
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup oil (I used olive)
1 cup milk (use whatever kind you like... skim, soy, almond, etc)

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix all wet ingredients together in a small bowl. Mix wet into dry and stir until mixed - don't over mix.

Drop 1/3 cup of the batter at a time and form into cookies. Bake at 350 for 24 minutes or until lightly browned.

Wacky Rye Bread

I made rye bread today in the bread machine. It turned out totally weird- it didn't form into a loaf- came out in two lumpy pieces. Tasted ok but certainly not outstanding.

Anybody have a good rye bread recipe for the breadmaker?

The gingerbread cookies were yummy though!

A Most Delicious Midweek Meal

We had an OUTSTANDING meal tonight! Andrew grilled filet mignon to perfection. I made a greek salad and baked stuffed brocolli cheddar potatoes (I was thinking of you, Dad, as I made them). Andrew pronounced it "one of the best meals we've had in this house".

Micah ate as much steak as I did. Eva had her standard small meat portion. She is my daughter alright. She eats meat just as I did when I was little- reluctantly. The only animal protein she truly enjoys (so far) is grilled salmon.

Banana Bran Muffins

The dozen muffins I made last night were gone by morning, so I feel confident to say this is a yummy recipe! I wish it didn't have refined sugar, but at least it wasn't excessive. Some muffin recipes I found had a whole cup of sugar in them! I may reduce it to 1/4 cup because apparently you can reduce sugar in baking by 1/3 without affecting results.

Here it is:

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup natural bran
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup unsweetened plain yogurt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed banana (2-3 bananas)
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk (sour milk by adding 1tbsp vinegar to 1/2 cup milk)
2 tbsp molasses
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup (or so, I didn't measure) frozen blueberries note: put them in a dish to thaw while you're mixing up the batter. Otherwise you'll have to cook the muffins longer.

Mix yogurt, brown sugar and egg together. Stir in mashed banana, buttermilk and molasses. Add dry ingredients, raisins and blueberries and stir just until moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full of batter. Bake 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

Portabella Herb Stuffing

This dressing got rave reviews today. I got the recipe from my parents, who got it at http://www.foodmanitoba.ca/.

Portabella Herb Stuffing

1/3 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 Portabella mushrooms, gills removed, chopped
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 tsp each savory, thyme, poultry seasoning
9 cups fresh whole wheat bread cubes
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a large frying pan. Cook onion, garlic, celery, and mushrooms until soft. Stir in wine, herbs and poultry seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and turn into a large bowl. Add bread cubes and parsley. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff turkey just before roasting.

OR (and this is the option we chose)

Stuffing can be baked in a lightly greased 2.5L casserole. Stir 1/2 cup chicken broth into the mixture. Cover and bake at 325F for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 10-15 minutes.

A New Level of Soup

I made a new soup today! And it was good!

A couple of days ago I made chicken stock. Today I put 900mL of it toward this recipe:

Coarse Carrot and Ginger Soup

2 cups coarsely chopped carrot
3/4 cup each, coarsely chopped onion and potato
1 tbsp butter
900 mL chicken broth
1-1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1. Cook and stir carrots, onion and potato in butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until vegetables are tender-crisp - about 5 minutes

2. Stir in broth, ginger and black pepper. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook at a gentle boil for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.

3. Blend mixture in saucepan to desired smoothness with pulse action of hand blender. Return soup to heat, stir in cilantro and heat mixture through.


I served the kids the plain stock with noodles and leftover chicken, and Andrew and I had the new soup. Worked out well, though I wish we could have all eaten the same meal.

Recipes?

I need to add some more life to my cooking! Looking for recipes.

Who of you faithful readers (I have heard rumours that there are faithful readers, but the volume of comments doesn't show it! ahem) has a good recipe for:

- Beans. From dried, not canned. And not kidney beans because they are not available here, if you can believe it! Something yummy using pinto beans, black beans and/or lentils. Legumes are largely absent from our diet and I want to get them in there.

- Yummy soup. I make a mean chicken soup, but we like it so much we never have any left to use for stock. And all the premade stocks I find here are chock full of msg. So I would like to either make a beef stock- maybe I can get some bones from the butcher? Or is it possible to make good soup without a meat stock base?

- A really tasty complete meal composed mainly if not entirely of whole foods. Not too complicated at cooking time but I'm not adverse to some prep early in the day.

- Tasty easy salad. My current standby is greek- a few veggies, some cubes of feta, a splash of EVOO and balsamic vinegar, dash of salt, pepper and basil.... voila. But I would like to mix it up a little and not sure where to go next.

Back on my Game!

Yesterday I made my "best pizza ever"! Good enough to make up for Thursday's beef. It was so good I want to share my recipe.

adapted from ULTIMATE PIZZA SAUCE

Melt 2 tbsp olive oil with 1 tbsp butter.
Add 1/4 cup finely chopped onions, 1/4 cup finely chopped celery, 1 clove garlic. Saute until transparent.
Add 8 oz (1 small tetra pack or can) tomato sauce and 8 oz (1 can regular or 1/2 tube of concentrated) tomato paste and stir until smooth.
Add 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar (or honey/piloncillo/maple syrup), 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 small bay leaf, and my secret ingredient 1 sprig of fresh thyme.
Simmer for 30-60 minutes or for as long as you have time.
Remove bay leaf and thyme before spreading on pizza crust.

adapted from CALIFORNIA-STYLE PIZZA DOUGH

Pour 1 cup warm water (110-115 F; 43-46 C) into a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 packet or 1/4 oz) active dry yeast over the water; stir to dissolve and set aside. It's mportant that the water is not too hot!

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups whole wheat flour with 1 tsp salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, then pour in the yeast mixture, a 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 tsp honey. Using a wooden spoon, vigorously stir the flour mixture into the well, beginning in the centre and working toward the sides of the bowl, until the flour mixture is incorporated and the soft dough just begins to hold together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands with flour and knead the dough gently, pressing down on the dough with the heels of your hands and pushing it away from you, then partially folding it back over itself. Shift it a quarter turn and repeat the procedure. While kneading, very gradually add just enough of a remaining 1/4 cup of flour until the dough is no longer too sticky; this should take about 5 minutes. As you work, use a dough scraper to pry up any bits of dough that stick to the work surface. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic, and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes longer [note: whole wheat dough will not become as smooth as dough made with refined white flour]. Knead the dough only until it feels smooth and springy but still slightly moist. Too much kneading overdevelops the gluten in the flour and results in a tough crust.

After mixing and kneading the dough, using a pastry brush generously grease a large bowl with oil. Shape the dough into a smooth ball by stretching the outer surface smooth and tucking the sides of the dough underneath the bottom of the ball. Place the ball, smooth top down, in the bowl, turn to coat the ball all over with oil, and rest it seam-side down in the bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss and set aside in a draft-free warm place for the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour and 10 minutes if using quick-rising yeast or about 1-1/2 hours if using regular yeast.

Roll dough into one large thick crust pizza, or two large thin crust pizzas. Add sauce and toppings, and bake about 12 minutes at maximum oven temperature. I use a Pampered Chef baking stone for one pizza and a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet for another.

Click here or follow the link in the recipe title to learn how to mix the dough in a food processor, heavy duty mixer or bread machine. There are also instructions for making the dough ahead and freezing or refrigerating it.

Though this is kind of time consuming, it is also fairly straightforward. I like to involve the kids in the rolling and topping stage. They each prepare their own little pizza while I put together the family sized pies. I froze an uncooked topped pizza yesterday- we'll see how that works out!

Yummy Pancake Recipe

I've tried this pancake recipe a couple of times and I can confirm that they are indeed fluffy and yummy! Gets my thumbs up and I want to share. Follow the link to check out the original recipe, which the writer called "quite possibly the best pancakes I have ever tasted". Below is the recipe with my modifications (some because I wanted to and some because I didn't have ingredients on hand):

Lemon Lovers' Ricotta Pancakes
.
1 Cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp honey or piloncillo (click here if you don't know what this is and want to find out)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1 large Egg
2 large Egg Whites
1/2 Cup fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
the zest of one Lemon (our lemon output has been very poor lately so unfortunately I haven't been able to experience this recipe with lemon zest yet)
1 Tbsp butter + butter for the pan
.
Preheat a skillet or electric griddle to medium heat or about 325*f. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar (piloncillo) if you choose to use it. In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey (if not using granulated sugar/piloncillo), ricotta, eggs, lemon juice, zest and canola oil. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry. The batter will be super thick. Using a lunch lady scoop (the ones with an ejector handle) or a spoon. Gently spread the batter out-it will be thick. Let it cook until golden on the bottom, then flip them. You wont see bubbles coming through to the top like you would making regular pancakes. Cook on the second side until golden brown. They will be super fluffy and light.

Happy cooking!

A Winner

Today I made shrimp stir fry for supper. Yummy, easy, and enjoyed by all! Which earns it a spot on the regular rotation. I pull a lot of recipes off the net by googling some key ingredients along with the word "recipe". Today I made my own variation of this Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry recipe. This is more or less the way I did it for those of you who are interested:

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a wok or deep frying pan. Hot but careful cuz olive oil spits if it gets too hot.
Sautee a tsp or two of minced garlic (I'm very liberal with garlic), a handful of roughly chopped onions (so the kids can easily pick them out), and handful of chopped celery for a minute or two.
Add a handful of broccoli florettes, handful of quartered zuccinni slices, handful of roughly chopped green pepper, and a cup or two of frozen cocktail shrimp. Stir over med-high heat for a couple of minutes.
Add 1/4-1/2 cup of chicken broth (I found some pre-made chicken broth in a cardboard tetra-type package, with no msg, whoohoo!) and a couple of tsp of minced fresh ginger. Stir until the veggies are done to perfection. For me this means nice bright green broccoli. I like my veggies tender but to still have some crunch. We're talking maximum 5 minutes cooking.
Stir in 1/4 cup soy sauce which has been mixed together with a tbsp of corn starch. Stir for a minute or two until sauce is thickened.
Serve over rice.

The beauty of the stir fry apart from its relative speediness, in my opinion, is that you can just go with your tastes and your gut. Throw in whatever veggies and proteins you have at hand. What really excited me about today's meal was the sauce. Best one yet, and I've been experimenting with 'from scratch' stir fry sauces for some time.

Chicken Finger Fiend

Today at supper Micah ate more chicken fingers than Andrew! I fear what his teen years have in store...

Shopping Heaven

It's looking up in the produce and fish departments, folks.

Turns out there is a produce truck that does the rounds of my neighborhood three times a week! And he has pretty good stuff. He'll come right to my door. Now that we have a routine, I know that I'll usually be here when he comes around. This saves me probably 5 or 6 shopping trips a month! I usually go twice a week because produce doesn't last me a whole week. Also I want to eat fish twice a week and it's so not-fresh already that I want us to eat it the same day I buy it. Today I also found a very nice nearby store that sells fresh frozen seafood. Hopefully it tastes as good as it looks. I had a very good purchase experience today so I am optomistic!

I did my produce shopping, seafood shopping, got gas and purified water (in #7 plastic containers, gah. Must find and install a purifier for the tap water asap) all in the space of about 45 minutes. By myself. What a treat!

Claudia is back this week so I jumped out to do my errands while Micah was sleeping, Eva was watching a movie, and Claudia was doing housework. Excellent arrangement, if you ask me. I feel so blessed!

Claudia's baby is only 5 weeks old. Can you imagine having to leave such a wee baby to go back to work? I guess there are a lot of women who do. Maybe some of you, dear readers. I didn't give Claudia any deadline for returning to work but her family needs her income so she/they decided it was time. Her mom is taking care of the baby.