Archive for November, 2009

November books read

Monday, November 30th, 2009
  • At Home in Stone Creek by Linda Lael Miller (fiction, contemporary romance, bought new)
  • Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (fiction, poem, free ebook)
  • Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie (fiction, contemporary romance, bought used, reread)
  • A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore (fiction, humor, bought used)
  • You Suck by Christopher Moore (fiction, humor, received as gift)
  • Showdown at Yellow Butte by Louis L’Amour (fiction, western, bought new)
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald (fiction, short story, free ebook)

October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

food processor

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

I got a food processor recently and have been making all kinds of delicious things with it. Here are some recipes of what I’ve made so far:

Pesto Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups (2 oz) firmly packed fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons walnuts
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup (4 oz) grated Parmesan-Romano cheese
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temp)
- pinch of salt

In a food processor, combine the basil, nuts, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Process until very finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil in a steady stream and process until smooth. Turn off, add the cheese and butter, and pulse a few times until the ingredients are blended.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
- 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro or parsley leaves
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
- salt and ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and process until smooth.

Butternut Squash Soup
- 6 tablespoons chopped onion
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
- 3 cups water
- 4 cubes chicken bouillon
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

Cut squash in half and roast in oven before peeling and cubing it. In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender. Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram and black pepper. Bring to boil; cook 10 minutes, or until squash is tender. Puree mixture and cream cheese in a food processor in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil.

Grandma Delma’s Fresh Cranberry Relish
- 1 bag cranberries
- 2 red apples – cored and sliced but not peeled
- 2 oranges – peeled and with seeds taken out
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Grind all ingredients together in a food processor. Chill until served.

Pioneers! O Pioneers!

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

By Walt Whitman
Vocals By Will Greer

Just had to share this great reading!

Too soon?

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

I decided to get a fake tree this year so why wait? I’ve always had a real tree before but they need to get watered every day and I’m traveling too much right now to ask a friend to come do it that often. I actually was still going to wait a little longer to decorate but Target had some deals going on and I couldn’t buy one and not put it up. I’m going to have to find a candle or something to give me the real tree smell though.