Happy Pumpkin

This cat probably ate more Turkey on our day of Thanksgiving than I did.

 

 

 

 

He probably would have kept going if the plate didn't run out.

 

Digesting under the Christmas tree.

 

Tough life he leads...

 

We were expecting to find turkey barf that evening or the next morning, but he kept it all in! Edited:  Bret found some this morning, 4 days later...not sure if that still counts.

Amazing Race 11/25

• Good episode overall. I like that the teams are splitting off more and are not always on the same flight. 
• The Double U-Turn strategy by the Twins and Texans was awesome!  It obviously paid off, and I couldn't be happier.  It is nice to see smart racers every now and then.
• Abby made me feel a little bad for her out there dancing and organning in the rain, but Ryan squashed that sympathy pretty quick.
• After the first leg, I said it's a game and you always have to do what you can to win.  At that time, it was Abby and Ryan doing the winning when they passed the double amputee, and now the tides have turned.  Boo Hoo, no $2 Million for you two...
• Lastly, who in their right mind would want to race with another team when you know you are at the back of the pack?  Two episodes in a row for that matter!?!  Thankfully, the Doctor Beekman was able to talk some sense into his buddy.  Phil even tempted him with an option to lose!

 

Butternut Squash Soup

Two weeks ago, there was a pretty bad homemade soup flop in this house.  Sorry Honey!  I had the best of intentions with homemade chicken broth, noodles and frozen vegetables.  Well, the issues started with weak broth, and then to make matters worse, I took out all of the floating fat (it looked like a good idea at the time...) but just didn't work. There was no flavor and all of the salt and pepper in the house could not save it.   As of yet, I am obviously not soup chef extraordinaire, but maybe someday?

Bret was nice enough (or hungry enough) to eat it all, but I know I need some practice.  Remember when I linked to a couple soup recipes last week?  Well, I a couple!  The butternut squash soup seemed the most straight forward and afforded me the opportunity to use my immersion blender!  Sorry, the new appliance will lose it's novelty at some point, but I'm still looking more ways to use it :)

Butternut Squash Soup

See the recipe here that was originally inspired here.

1. Chop the Squash!  This was the hardest part, but once I figured out to use my "Rock n' Chop" Miracle Blade it went fairly smoothly.

2.  Slice onions and saute in stockpot with rosemary and a little oil till softened.

3.  Add butternut squash cubes, broth, milk**.  Bring to boil and simmer till the squash is tender.

4. Sip a little red wine while you wait :)

4. Immersion blend the soup!!! Then add cream cheese and S & P to taste.

In action!!!

5.  Enjoy!

* I used soy milk in place of regular milk and cream because I didn't have either available.  As the soup simmered, the soy milk separated somewhat and looked grainy (causing more failure nervousness!).  Luckily, the immersion blender did its thing and the soup turned out super smooth and rich.

I had that fairly large bowl for dinner with some crackers and was way overly full.  I didn't expect the soup to be so filling, so be warned!  This recipe is a keeper, and this could even be a weeknight supper (especially if the squash was cut the day before).

Do you have a go-to yummy and easy soup recipe?

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Swirl Pancakes

This Saturday I felt like making a new breakfast.  My first thought was pumpkin french toast.  There are a number of recipes floating around where you add pumpkin to the egg part.  It looks good, and always seems to please the eaters.  Well, we had three eggs, but they were already a few weeks past expiration :(  Not deterred, I thought of Angela's pancakes that have been intriguing me for a while.  She is vegan, and first introduced me to the idea of a flax egg as a replacement for a real egg. Hmmmm....  Well, there was no better time to try it out than when my chicken eggs were bad, so I forged ahead into unknown territory.

The base pancake recipe is practically the same as Angela's, but the swirl turned it into a pumpkin-wonderful breakfast.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Swirl Pancakes

Baby Kitties

Before they came home to us...

Baby Pi

Baby Pumpkin

Wisconsin Girl in Houston

Source

Lots of changes happened in the first half of 2012.  So many, that sometimes it is hard to believe...

1. new job
2. new state
3. engaged
4. bought a house

The year prior was a pretty stagnant period of my life.  I was living in Madison, WI while my fiance was in Houston, TX.  We were able to spend many weekends together, but life and the future was kind of in limbo...when will Amy find a job in Houston?  Will she even find a job?  Where will it be?  Will we be able to afford a house?  Stressful times I tell ya!  

It was all worth it though.  My work experiences in Madison during our time apart definitely helped me get my new job here.  The new job is great with a ton of new opportunities to learn and people to meet.  Every time I take a moment to really think about the way life has sorted itself out, I feel so extremely fortunate.  

There will always be bumps along the road, but the more I live and grow, the more I feel confident that I can handle it.  Support and encouragement from my other half has helped a lot too.  Teams are great! :)

Now I must get back to the Badge game.  Let's hope for a W for UW!