I made this a couple of days ago. It was good.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3/4 pound turkey sausage, casings removed, crumbled
- 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cup canned diced peeled tomatoes with juices
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced seeded jalapeño chili
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 3 15- to 16-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chick-peas), undrained
- 2 cups canned chicken broth or beef broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 avocado, peeled, sliced
Going to try to make some fancy drinks for tomorrow's meal at our house. Got the recipe off Design Sponge.
Fall Sangria
Sangria is usually thought of as a summer drink, but I added
autumnal notes with seasonal fruit and Calvados, apple brandy. This is
a strong drink, but you can cut it by adding ice cubes, a splash of
club soda, or sparkling apple cider.
(Serves about 4-6 people)
1 apple, sliced into thin ½-inch long pieces
½ cup pomegranate seeds (*see note below on how to release them without a mess)
1 pear, sliced into thin 1/2-inch long pieces
¼ cup Calvados Turns out that this is just Apple Brandy!
1 chilled bottle inexpensive white wine
Optional: Club soda or sparkling apple cider
Place your sliced fruit in a small bowl and pour the Calvados over it. Give the fruit a stir, to make sure it’s evenly covered. Set aside in the refrigerator and let the fruit marinate for 15 to 30 minutes. When done, pour your wine into a large pitcher, then add in the Calvados-soaked fruit and any liquor left in the bowl. Stir until combined. Pour into glasses, topping each one off with club soda or sparkling apple cider, and adding ice if you’d like.
*To easily remove the seeds from a pomegranate without staining your clothes, cut the fruit into quarters, then submerge it in a bowl of room-temperature water. While keeping the fruit under water, use your fingers to pry the seeds loose. The seeds will burst in the water, not all over your shirt.
For my 35th birthday back in August, my Dad gave me a gift certificate to use at the Wynn Spa. I finally got around to using it yesterday. I had a 50 minute massage and then actually tried to use the amenities of the spa. I went in the eucalyptus steam room; couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I imagined that I was losing weight as I sat in there. I also partook of the Deluge shower, which feels like a firehose raining down on you. It was pretty amazing. And, a really, really beautifully designed space. Ridiculous really. Just gorgeous.
Very decadent. I tried to really drink it in.
I think that my sweetheart Liz in New Orleans should come out for a visit and we should spend a day at the spa together. She's just the right friend for that. I miss her.
We've got a F&E in the neighborhood now. The rest of the valley has had them for over a year. Ours opened mid-October. We're loving it. It's really close. And the way those people give out $5 coupons it's just crazy not to drive the mile to the store and use them up.
I had a little panic that there wasn't much food in the house. This might not have been empirically true, but it felt like it.
I hit F&E.
Went a little nuts.
Got 6 items that were today's special (which means they were half off).
Used 3 coupons and took $17 off my total bill.
So instead of paying 98, I paid 81.
God, that feels good.
Good enough to write a lame-ass blog post about it.
Going to give Moonpie some pureed black beans in his cereal tonight. Baby doesn't poop enough. Once every 3 or 4 days. Yuck.
My friend and colleague, Christie, told me about Flat Stanley last year when her nephew sent her a Flat Stanley invitation. She did a great job taking pictures of Stanley around Las Vegas. She actually put a lot of effort into it to make it neat-o for her nephew.
Turns out that Obama also received a Flat Stanley invite and he actually did it.
How cool is that?! I am so impressed! And how cute are those kids? They look so, so, so happy! I love it!
