Green Tomato Cake?

That's right! CAKE!

We were wondering what to do with all the green tomatoes that were left at the end of this year's harvest, and although I love green tomato pickles, I didn't have time to deal with all of that, so.....

Thanks to the internet, I found an alternate solution. The cake turned out yummy. We baked one to try and one to freeze. I wish you were here to try it!

I think I just entered middle age...

Pandora served up Regina Spektor, and, against my will, I gave the song a thumbs up.

Pathetic.

Next I'll be sipping hot tea and listening to Michael Buble.

Jon Stewart Lampoons CNN for Fact Checking SNL

I think CNN has redefined the definition of absurdist humor.

Note: The best stuff is from about 1:12 to about 2:42.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
CNN Leaves It There
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

Little things to be thankful for...

Fall is my favorite time of year. In addition to the many BIG things we have to be thankful for, I decided to start a list of the little things, that we often take for granted, that I am thankful for.

1. On a cold fall morning -- when you take a shower the water is warm and you know it will warm you up right away.

2. Extra blankets at the foot of the bed when it's cold.

3. Electricity - when you flip a switch, the light comes on

4. Library books

5. Gas stations in close proximity

6. Easy access to an airport

7. The curious thrill of advancing technology.

8. Advil / ibuprofen

9. Warm socks

10. Hot coffee on a saturday morning

11. Getting up extra early, and while driving to your destination, observing all the houses that are still dark with their residents still dreaming inside.

12. Clean clothes.

Anyone care to add to the list?

Leftover Soup

When it comes to soup, I tend to throw ingredients together and forget about a recipe. Here's one I did on Saturday that turned out well, so I am going to try to put the list of ingredients down before I forget. It is basically leftover soup...

Drizzle of olive oil.

Onion, chopped

Garlic chopped

3-4 cups defatted chicken broth

2-3 tomatoes chopped (or one can)

1-2 carrots sliced, or a handful of the mini carrots sliced

Celery, including leafy tops -- chopped (about 1 cup?)

1 jalopeno, seeded and chopped finely

Left over taco meat (about 3/4 cup?)

1 small can tomato sauce

a healthy dash of seasoned salt, cumin, and chili powder.

Cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Add broth and all the other ingredients and simmer until the carrots and celery are tender. Add the seasonings toward the end of cooking.

There's no science to this -- you could add other vegetables (corn, green beans, cabbage --whatever you have leftover).

This combo turned out nicely!

CNN Outdoes SNL

Is a parody of a parody a paradox? I don't know either, but when CNN fact checks Saturday Night Live -- really! -- I'm pretty sure I'm living in a parallel universe. I keep glancing nervously at my office door to see if evil Kirk and evil Spock are here to kidnap me (and, by their clothes, force me to perform in an evil intergalactic version of the Village People.)

For CNN, it's a move so desperate it reminds me of a girl from high school, Sally, whose nickname shall not be repeated in the family blog (let's just say it rhymes with nutty).

Right Track/Wrong Track/Laugh Track

(Ignore the Youtube user edits -- text on the screen)

Black Bean Soup...YUM!

Soup-ey Sunday is Soup-er Fun and here's one that's Soup-er Easy! Last week we made the South Beach Diet's version of Black Bean Soup. I was a little nervous because I had to admit to Joshua that yet again, this was going to be another "vegetarian" soup. I had made it before and he scoffed at it and wanted nothing to do with it. However, this time he was surprisingly optimistic about it, so I went with it. Good thing, too, because HE LOVED IT and SO DID I! It's a very filling, very healthy, very yummy chilly day kind of soup. It's a little spicy, but not bad at all...I'd go for more spice if my hubby's spicy food tolerance was a bit higher!

Anyway, here's the recipe! We tripled it and wished we had made more (we like to take it to lunch throughout the week). Also, I pureed the beans beforehand (the recipe says after you cook it for a while) and it worked fine...it just takes out an extra step towards the end.

Enjoy!

Serves 2
Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh tomato salsa (plus extra for garnish)

1 (15.5-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 can fat-free chicken broth2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream (optional)

2 teaspoons fresh cilantro

Instructions

Heat the salsa in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and broth, then heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Cool slightly, then spoon half the soup into a food processor or blender and puree. Be very careful pureeing hot liquids. Return the pureed soup to the saucepan and heat through. Serve with 1 tablespoon of sour cream per person, cilantro, and additional salsa.

Not to be outdone by this "soup" thing...

Here's a recipe for soup that I threw together this week-end and it actually turned out rather tasty.

4 cups brown beans, with juice (you can use canned if you don't have leftovers)

1 onion, diced

drizzle of olive oil

1 carrot, grated

2-3 cups beef broth, or about 4 beef bouillion cubes

chopped garlic

2 bay leaves

salt

black pepper -- lots

chili oil -- a drizzle, or maybe a teaspoon

Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of a large pan and add the diced onion. Begin to cook the onion in the olive oil while adding the garlic (to taste) and grated carrot. Cook on low until all vegetables are becoming tender. Add the beef broth, bay leaf and beans. Cook on low for about 30 minutes (or so). Add salt, pepper and chili oil at the end of the cooking period. Stir thoroughly.

It is supposed to be a little spicey, so if it tastes bland, get the black pepper and chili oil out again.

"Souper" Easy French Onion

I liked Josh and Rachel's idea of Souper Sunday, so I implemented it. I made French onion soup in the crockpot. It was crazy easy and really good. Here's the recipe:

4 lbs. sweet onions (like Vidalias or Walla Wallas)
4 1/2 c. beef broth
1/2 c. butter
splash of Worcestershire
provolone or provel cheese (for you lucky St. Louisans)
french bread

Melt the butter. Chop the onions however small you like the chunks in your soup and put in the crock pot. Pour the butter over them and toss to coat. Stir in the beef broth and Worcestershire. Cook on low for 14-18 hours or on high for 8-10. Pour into bowls, place a slice of french bread in soup, put a piece of cheese on top and pop in the oven until cheese melts.

Yum.

Chicago Olympics?

The vote is today and the city seems to be buzzing. We found out around noon, Central. My office is even turning on the TV in the conference room for the announcement. Not sure what to bill that to.

I hope we get it. If nothing else, it'll improve transit! It'll also bring lots of jobs, money, and new PR opportunities.