We all know I'm a crap cook. But I made something in the crock pot last night that was actually DELICIOUS! It's from Crockpot365- but you could easily adapt it to the oven as well, in a glass baking dish.
Tamale Pie
topping
3/4 cup cornmeal
1-1/4 cup flour (or GF baking mix)
1 cup milk (I used water)
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon baking powder (unless you're using gluten-free mix, then omit)
filling
1 can drained/rinsed black beans
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can drained corn
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup cheese
Spray Crockpot w/ cooking spray. Dump in filling, stir. Mix cornbread in separate bowl, pour evenly over top.
Cook on Low 4-7 hours, High 2-4 hours (Mine was done at about 2.5 hours on high).
Of course, I mixed things up: I left out the onions (yuck!), substituted tomato paste b/c I had that on hand, doubled the spices, and added more cheese. (of course!) I also made this gluten-free by using Pamela's baking mix and skiping the baking powder. I also thought there was WAY too much cornbread vs. filling in this- it might be the GF mix I used- so I added a sweet potato after the fact. That's from a recipe on Karina's GF Kitchen, where she makes sweet potato enchiladas. You could easily add the sweet potato before hand- just peel and cube mix in w/ the filling. That's also a great way to get kids to eat their veggies, and they are super cheap right now going into Thanksgiving.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
note- not a cat
Last night I let Bristow outside to go potty before bed. It's like 11pm and it's pouring rain. I see him lunge for the fence- there's a slight dip at the bottom so I thought he was trying to get under. I pounded on the door and he stopped. Then he proceeded to stand under the tree (to stay dry) for like five minutes. I went out, b/c I thought, oh no! Maybe he's puking! That's where he stands to do it, you see.
I say, "let's go inside!" AND HE PICKS UP A MOUSE. THAT HE CAUGHT. May I remind you all, kind readers, that he is a DOG? Not a cat. Not even a small-animal catching dog, like say, oh, a rat terrier. No. He is a large large shepherd mix. He can barely retrieve. But he can catch a mouse and make a break for the back door which I left open.
He did a victory lap around the living room, meanwhile I'm screaming my head off "NO NON NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOO!", which the neighbors found highly amusing, I'm sure. He goes into his crate and drops the mouse. It's dead, and little, but here's the dilemma: NOW WHAT? Do I get some paper towels and pick up the mouse and throw it in the trash- in which there is no trash bag b/c I am the epitome of laziness??? Or do I throw it back outside, where I know he'll just pick it up tomorrow? Bristow is, by the way, just staring at me like I am a raving lunatic, which I am, as I'm screaming at him trying to figure this out. I'm also yelling, "Let's go outside! OUTside!" with emphatic hand gestures to make the point.
I somehow convinced him (yes, I'm sure "convinced my dog" is the right verbiage here) to take the mouse outside, at which point, I grab the water spray bottle and some peanut butter and chase him outside, taking care to shut the door behind me this time. I run up to him and start spraying him with the bottle to get him to drop the mouse- please keep in mind that it is not only raining out but I have also inadvertently left the bottle on "mist" from earlier when I was getting wrinkles out of my sweater. So, let's recap. It's 11pm, pouring, and I'm misting my dog. Ooh, he's scared.
So I switch to the peanut butter and LO! it lures him away from the mouse long enough for us to make it inside and for me to triumphantly slam and lock the door! Hoorah! No mouse in my house!!!
And that's how I spent last night.
I say, "let's go inside!" AND HE PICKS UP A MOUSE. THAT HE CAUGHT. May I remind you all, kind readers, that he is a DOG? Not a cat. Not even a small-animal catching dog, like say, oh, a rat terrier. No. He is a large large shepherd mix. He can barely retrieve. But he can catch a mouse and make a break for the back door which I left open.
He did a victory lap around the living room, meanwhile I'm screaming my head off "NO NON NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOO!", which the neighbors found highly amusing, I'm sure. He goes into his crate and drops the mouse. It's dead, and little, but here's the dilemma: NOW WHAT? Do I get some paper towels and pick up the mouse and throw it in the trash- in which there is no trash bag b/c I am the epitome of laziness??? Or do I throw it back outside, where I know he'll just pick it up tomorrow? Bristow is, by the way, just staring at me like I am a raving lunatic, which I am, as I'm screaming at him trying to figure this out. I'm also yelling, "Let's go outside! OUTside!" with emphatic hand gestures to make the point.
I somehow convinced him (yes, I'm sure "convinced my dog" is the right verbiage here) to take the mouse outside, at which point, I grab the water spray bottle and some peanut butter and chase him outside, taking care to shut the door behind me this time. I run up to him and start spraying him with the bottle to get him to drop the mouse- please keep in mind that it is not only raining out but I have also inadvertently left the bottle on "mist" from earlier when I was getting wrinkles out of my sweater. So, let's recap. It's 11pm, pouring, and I'm misting my dog. Ooh, he's scared.
So I switch to the peanut butter and LO! it lures him away from the mouse long enough for us to make it inside and for me to triumphantly slam and lock the door! Hoorah! No mouse in my house!!!
And that's how I spent last night.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
new blog love
I've taken several days off from blogging daily since I finished my 101 Things goal to post daily for the month of October. It was a great exercise, but difficult to come up with something useful every single day, especially as my day job was busy, I was training for my marathon, and was trying to get those baby blankets finished (result: still only ONE done). I'll try to post more often, instead of once every quarter like I was!!
Blogging daily has also forced me to find new and different blogs in an effort to find inspiration and new craft projects. I've realized that a lot of crafty projects by crafty people are created out of necessity- a need for a themed baby blanket, a need for a certain knit hat, a need for a child's costume. I don't have children (Bristow would eat anything I made anyway!), so it's hard for me to craft original projects because there are very few things I need around the house that I can make. Except clothes, but the baby blanket project taught me I'm a crap seamstress (I wrote "crap sewer" first, but thing it looks like soo-er, not so-er. ha!).
I've stumbled upon a few different blogs lately:
One Pearl Button- I think I found her through CraftZine but now I can't find the link
-Sweater Cloche and Gloves- she remakes the cutest things with old sweaters. I want to start knitting and sewing more now!
Zakka Life- I've found this previously a few times, but am loving some of her older projects (or, okay, ALL of her projects). I'm sad we don't have cute Japanese stuff in my town.
-Christmas Star Wreath
-Christmas Card Luminaries, which would be great for using up the hundreds of leftover xmas cards I have from last year's projects
-Vase made out of recycled bottles
Crockpot 365- I've been reading a lot of coupon clipping sites lately, and one of them linked to her. She's gluten-free AND is making a new slow cook recipe every day. Insane! But she has some delicious ones I want to try!!
-Like this Autumn Sausage Rice Casserole. Must have. NOW.
Blogging daily has also forced me to find new and different blogs in an effort to find inspiration and new craft projects. I've realized that a lot of crafty projects by crafty people are created out of necessity- a need for a themed baby blanket, a need for a certain knit hat, a need for a child's costume. I don't have children (Bristow would eat anything I made anyway!), so it's hard for me to craft original projects because there are very few things I need around the house that I can make. Except clothes, but the baby blanket project taught me I'm a crap seamstress (I wrote "crap sewer" first, but thing it looks like soo-er, not so-er. ha!).
I've stumbled upon a few different blogs lately:
One Pearl Button- I think I found her through CraftZine but now I can't find the link
-Sweater Cloche and Gloves- she remakes the cutest things with old sweaters. I want to start knitting and sewing more now!
Zakka Life- I've found this previously a few times, but am loving some of her older projects (or, okay, ALL of her projects). I'm sad we don't have cute Japanese stuff in my town.
-Christmas Star Wreath
-Christmas Card Luminaries, which would be great for using up the hundreds of leftover xmas cards I have from last year's projects
-Vase made out of recycled bottles
Crockpot 365- I've been reading a lot of coupon clipping sites lately, and one of them linked to her. She's gluten-free AND is making a new slow cook recipe every day. Insane! But she has some delicious ones I want to try!!
-Like this Autumn Sausage Rice Casserole. Must have. NOW.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
i say goodbye, you say hello
Say goodbye to this little guy! I found him running in traffic last week, but found him a new and loving forever home this weekend.
Bristow was both a huge fan and not a fan of the little guy (whom I referred to as "Lil Dude" or "New Puppy" so as to not get too attached)- he went straight for Bristow's favorites toys and bed when he came inside. On the other hand, they played tug of war for hours!
I'm also marking "get a dog" off my 101 Things list. I seriously considered keeping the little guy, since he just wants to love and cuddle with you- things Bristow is rarely a fan of. But Bristow kept tripping over him every step of the way, and it's not fair to him to have to constantly jump around to avoid stepping on another dog. There was also the issue of not being housebroken, although I'm told that he has no problems with that in his new house. But in the end, I realized that I am not fully ready for another crazy pants dog, especially not a young puppy. And if I do get one, he/she needs to be closer to Bristow's size for more equitable roughhousing!
Bristow was both a huge fan and not a fan of the little guy (whom I referred to as "Lil Dude" or "New Puppy" so as to not get too attached)- he went straight for Bristow's favorites toys and bed when he came inside. On the other hand, they played tug of war for hours!
I'm also marking "get a dog" off my 101 Things list. I seriously considered keeping the little guy, since he just wants to love and cuddle with you- things Bristow is rarely a fan of. But Bristow kept tripping over him every step of the way, and it's not fair to him to have to constantly jump around to avoid stepping on another dog. There was also the issue of not being housebroken, although I'm told that he has no problems with that in his new house. But in the end, I realized that I am not fully ready for another crazy pants dog, especially not a young puppy. And if I do get one, he/she needs to be closer to Bristow's size for more equitable roughhousing!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
now i'm a marathoner
Yesterday, I finished my first (and probably only) marathon. It was far and away the hardest thing I've ever done. It was wildly painful and not at all fun. But, I finished and I'm so proud of myself. I definitely wanted to quit before mile 5- that's when I knew it would be a loooong morning. Two weeks ago I had a PR at the Indy Half Marathon, but yesterday was nowhere near record pace. I was feeling it before mile 5, my calves and hips started to hurt before mile 9, and by mile 15 I had blisters in some painful places.
My spirits were buoyed by my family and friends who came out to support me: my sister came home a day early to surprise me; a former running buddy flew home from California to surprise our running group; my co-workers made a sign and cheered me on in Broad Ripple; another running buddy who jogged with us at different points in the race; a friend, her husband and new baby on Meridian Street; another co-worker and his son near Crown Hill; and my mom, dad, and sister at 38th Street.
Now I can mark another item off my 101 Things List. It was my original goal to run a marathon by the time I was 25, but three years ago I had some back injuries and a big weight gain to overcome. Thanks to a lot of miles, several massages, no small amount of anti-inflammatories, ice packs, an AWESOME running group, and two cortisone shots later, I achieved my goal. I certainly was not the fastest out there. I was actually among the slowest, but I finished with a respectable average of a 12-minute-mile.
Now I can mark another item off my 101 Things List. It was my original goal to run a marathon by the time I was 25, but three years ago I had some back injuries and a big weight gain to overcome. Thanks to a lot of miles, several massages, no small amount of anti-inflammatories, ice packs, an AWESOME running group, and two cortisone shots later, I achieved my goal. I certainly was not the fastest out there. I was actually among the slowest, but I finished with a respectable average of a 12-minute-mile.
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