Domestic Geek

We were in Target this evening after work because I needed more NyQuil. Marcus had a craving for canned peas, so we went to the canned veggie aisle to see what was available in organics. We always check the labels of anything labeled organic and do not purchase the ones identified as being from China. I saw the company's address being on Sleepytime Drive in Boulder said to Marcus, "Hey, Sleepytime Drive...we've been there. That's where Celestial Seasonings is." Well, turns out the same company that makes Celestial Seasonings teas also sells organic canned peas. Who knew?

Despite being sick, I managed to get quite a bit done this weekend.

On the crafty front, I finally got around to sewing the watch band for the iPod Nano that Dad and I got for Marcus last Christmas. I swore I'd get off my duff and get it made before this Christmas and I did it with a more than a month to spare.



I've been getting into making amigurumi lately. The first one I ever made was a Yoda for my desk at work. My most recent one is this cute little pumpkin pie:



I also finished knitting a dish cloth that was a test knit for a friend of mine. No picture yet as she has not yet released the pattern.

I made a really yummy dinner on Sunday night. Beer can chicken (free range) with sage, thyme & rosemary stuffed inside, baby red potatoes & broccoli with oregano, olive oil & sea salt and corn muffins. All organic, of course.



We had to board up the skirting where a raccoon tore into it to get under the house. I hate raccoons.

I got all the bedding washed, got the dishes caught up, bathed the rabbit and cleaned her cage, made a sketch for this week's Team Housewares golf poster...whew. Too bad the work week started again and is cutting into my productivity.

I have been wanting chili and cornbread for a few weeks now, but every time I had planned to make it, something came up. Well, today I finally had the time and the universe didn't throw any monkey wrenches in my plans. Except for having to pick up some more whole milk, I already had all the supplies (like I said, I've been trying to do this for a while):



Except for the chili powder and the bay leaves, everything I used tonight was organic, which made Marcus extremely happy. Who knew you can't find organic chili powder? Weird, huh? Even used grass-finished bison for the meat. YUM! Marcus is feeling a little under the weather and since I can't get him to drink my cough remedy with the vinegar and cayenne pepper, I upped the garlic, cayenne pepper and chili powder a bit.

The corn muffins turned out to be the best ones I've ever made. I used a recipe that I found on the Food Network web site: Honey Cornbread Muffins. These things were so moist. It must be the whole milk. Will definitely be making these again soon.



I'm so glad its Fall, I love being able to make stuff like this for dinner!

I'm sitting here enjoying a strawberry banana smoothie that Marcus made in our new blender. He's been looking for ways to get more fruit into his diet and he found a smoothie recipe he liked on cooks.com. After he procured the ingredients, he asked me if we had a blender. We did, but sadly, it's the one I bought back in college (sometime between 1984-1986). The poor thing didn't have much power when it was new and smoothie making was definitely a strain for it. The final straw was the sparking it made. Every time Marcus used it, I crossed my fingers that it wouldn't start the kitchen on fire.

Sunday, we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond armed with my 20% Off coupon that I got in the mail. He had already done his research before we went and he wanted a Cuisinart Blender/Food Processor combo (he hates my old food processor and wants to toss it). We picked the BFP-10CH PowerBlend Duet™ model because it had an additional $20 mail-in rebate. $60 after coupon and rebate isn't too shabby a deal!

Tonight was the first chance we had to try it out. Worked like a dream! Can't wait until summer when I can make watermelon smoothies. Yum!

That's right. Jason's Deli announced today that it is the first U.S. restaurant chain to eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) from it's food offerings. They're also running a poll on their web site asking customers to vote to have the fountain drinks that contain it removed and replaced with cane sugar choices, offer cane sugar choices in addition to those containing HFCS or leave things as they are. I've personally never eaten at that particular chain, but maybe I'll give them a try.

I've been trying to reduce the amount of HFCS that I consume since I learned about how it was made and its possible side effects in early 2005. It still amazes me when I'm reading ingredient labels what I find it in. A fellow knitter and blogger, La Petite Tricoteuse, is challenging her readers to give up HFCS for the entire month of November. I wonder how many of them will be able to do it and also how many of them will be shocked to find where that crap lurks. I've been trying for almost three years and still haven't been 100% successful.