Wine Tasting!

I was invited to a wine tasting this Saturday for the Iowa's Wine Cellar Grand Opening! Why exactly did I get invited? Because my friend Jennie & her husband are the owners! I think it'll be fun!

More Time in the Kitchen

I made a couple different recipes this weekend...and did some easy baking, too. Yesterday I made creamed chicken over homemade biscuits. I'll be putting the recipes on my other blog, so go there to check them out. Sorry that I didn't take any pictures. :(

Today I tried to use up some odds & ends in the fridge. For breakfast was biscuits, an omelet, and some leftover bacon. Lunch was leftover creamed chicken and biscuits. For supper I wanted to use up some peppers before they go bad, so I looked through the fridge and found some veggies, some leftover chicken, and toasted sesame Asian salad dressing. Stir-fry! It was tasty! That's what I'll have tomorrow. Looks like leftovers for a couple more days!

Another Recipe!

Check out my kitchen for pictures and a link to Pumpkin Scones! Very yummy...and simple to make!

A Fall Walk

Since it was still nice out when I got home from work, I decided to take Bea for a walk. I grabbed my camera in case there were some photo ops.

Here's Bea looking back to make sure I'm coming.

It's a little difficult to see, but if you look closely at Bea's hind, right above her tail, you'll see a heart. Whenever we go outside, the hair on her back stands up, and the heart actually stands out!

Here's Bea playing in the grass.

I was trying to get Bea to look at me with the colorful tree in the background. She kept running back and forth, so this is the best I could get.

Here's the tree that is in the background above.

I thought this tree was just beautiful with all the different colors.

What the ?????

Bea & I were just sitting here when all of a sudden there was a noise at the front door. Bea started barking and I looked up from the computer to see a squirrel clinging onto the screen! I see all sorts of strange things! :)

More Gift Ideas (for Me and Bea!)

Bea:

18" x 24" pet mattress for her bed (the one that came with it is so flimsy that her feet want to go right through the grate, so she would like a thicker, more sturdy one) (I found one and bought it for her already!)

Toys

Treats

Ros:

KitchenAid BeaterBlade+ (for a tilt mixer) at Cooks Emporium for $24.95 (Go to this site to see what it looks like)

Pastry Board with cover (available at Cooks Emporium)

Rolling Pin Sleeve

Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer (like Dad's)

Freezer is FULL!!!!

Last night I decided to make the squash quiche from last weekend's cooking demo at Cook's Emporium. I had that for supper, and then again for breakfast today. I got a piece ready for tomorrow's breakfast, and then wrapped the rest up in individual pieces and froze them for later. I was craving homemade pizza, so I made "Jim's Pizza Dough" and threw together a sausage, onion and mushroom deep dish pizza (made in my Pampered Chef deep dish stoneware...first time I used it). I had a piece of that, got a piece ready for lunch tomorrow, put a couple pieces in the fridge for this week, and froze the rest of them, too. So in addition to all that, I still have the chicken/broccoli casserole and chili in the freezer to eat up. I shouldn't need to make anything for awhile!

Cooking

It's a little tough cooking for one! This past weekend I made some chili from a new recipe. I ended up freezing half of it for later. I had just the chili for one meal, then a chili dog for another meal, last night was chili over macaroni, and I'll have the same for lunch today. Yeah, I think it's good that I froze the rest!

This weekend I also made a chicken & broccoli casserole. I ate that for two meals, and then froze the other half. I've actually been cooking more...and not just frozen pizza, frozen egg rolls, etc. like I used to when I was with the ex. I think I was just so tired of not feeling appreciated that I just took the easy way out! I want to feel better about myself, so I think that by making things that aren't just "open the box, heat, and serve", I can plan for healthier dinner options. And that along with taking Bea for our daily walk(s) will hopefully help me get on track.

Speaking of walks, last night Bea & I went out for a walk when I got home (before the rain came). She is doing so well with not pulling as much on her leash, and pottying outside (although if she does inside, she goes on her puppy pad). Anyway, she was just about to do #2, when she heard a kid yell. Of course she was distracted and that ended that. Luckily she finally went about a block from home...right on the sidewalk! I picked it up...yes, I'm one of the responsible pet owners that just doesn't leave it for others to step in...and disposed of it back at home. If only she would do that all the time! :) I know...eventually she will. Tonight she'll be in heaven...we get to go to Ayden & Ayv's football games. Bea loves going so she can run around!

Another Idea (that I had forgotten about)

I've always thought it would be nice to have one of these at home...then I could get rid of the espresso maker and the coffee maker and just have 1 machine. Notice it's cheaper now, too!

http://www.target.com/Tassimo-TASSIMO-Hot-Beverage-System/dp/B001E6I42U/qid=1223302419/ref=br_1_5/601-7172032-1496900?ie=UTF8&node=13385421&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=13385421&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=2

Power Plant

I just saw this at Cooks Emporium and thought it was pretty neat. Another gift idea! :)

For more information, see:

http://www.prepara.com/power_plant.php