Split Pea Soup

Okay, I know it's about 109 degrees outside here in Las Vegas. Not exactly soup weather. However, I awoke this morning with a strong craving for split pea soup after watching a program on the Travel Channel yesterday which featured Pea Soup Andersen's in Buellton, California. I wanted to make it in my pressure cooker, just like they do at Andersen's, however, they don't use any meat in the making of their soup and I just love a good smoky ham hock.

Unfortunately, after taking quite a few snapshots, I found it difficult to make a bowl of split pea soup look appealing. You'll just have to take my word for it. It's much more tasty than it looks!

Here's my recipe:

6 cups water
3 ham hocks
1 carrot, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves

Place above ingredients in pressure cooker and cook at pressure for 45 minutes. After letting pressure release naturally, remove ham hocks and set aside to cool.

Add to pot:

6 tsp chicken bouillon
pepper to taste
dash cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp thyme
16 oz dried split peas, rinsed and picked over for debris
1 large stalk celery, diced

Cover and return to pressure. Cook an additional 15 minutes. Let pressure release naturally. Ham hocks should be cool enough by now to remove meat. Discard skin and bones, add meat to the pot. If necessary, add additional water if soup is too thick. Add 1/2 tsp liquid smoke if desired and season with additional salt if needed.
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After the soup was finished, I really wanted to eat it with fresh rolls, so I'm waiting right now for them to rise. Not very patiently waiting, I might add.

Tawashi

Tawashi in Japan are scrubbers. They're usually stiff bristled brushes but recently they have taken the knit and crochet communities by storm as little scrubbies in the form of fruit, flowers, animals, etc. There is even a group on Ravelry called Tawashi Town. They're addicting, but then again, I say that about everything I do. I guess that's because it makes me feel like it's okay that I didn't make lunch for the family (for 2 days in a row)...I have a new addiction. Mommy needs intervention! Luckily, they're easy to share, everyone washes dishes, right? In Japan they're made of an antibacterial acrylic yarn, for which I can't find an American counterpart. There is a vendor on Etsy that sells this yarn and it's not expensive at all, but she is in Matsusaka, Japan so you'll have to wait a week for shipping. Still not bad.

This pattern is very easy and very popular amongst the Tawashi makers and I have seen some for sale on Etsy as well. I have also adapted my little crocheted coaster pattern for Tawashi. I carry along strips of tulle or nylon netting in the center portion to increase their scrubbing power. They're fast and take very little yarn. Great stash busters! I have experimented with Red Heart acrylic yarn for lack of the Japanese antibacterial stuff and they clean quite well.

Go out and make some Tawashi!

Journey - OMG! They're so back!

So wonderful to see the guys back doing what they do best. I've been a fan since the early '80s when my high school boyfriend introduced me to their music. We even saw them in concert when they played at the Neil Blaisdell Center in Honolulu in 1983 and 1984. I was heartbroken when Steve Perry left the group and couldn't quite resign myself to Steve Augeri as their new frontman. I think the years have mellowed my views and I am now able to embrace fellow Filipino, Arnel Pineda, as lead vocalist. Thanks to the original band members Neal Schon and Ross Valory plus longtime members Jonathan Cain and Deen Castronovo, the sound is genuine Journey.

I first saw Arnel Pineda on YouTube and was completely blown away. Apparently, this is how Neal Schon found out about him, too.


If you're a Journey fan or want to be one, you can find this 3-CD set at Wal-Mart for $11.88. I just bought it today and had to rip the celophane off in the parking lot. I think my son has only seen me do this to candy wrappers! Money well spent.
Now to get all of this good stuff on my iPod so I can take the guys with me.

Aloha!

Summer Cloth Pads

These are some of the pads I've made for the summer. I fell in love with the watermelon print fabric but even after several washings, it isn't as soft as the others. Check out what people have to say about DIY Cloth Pads over at Craftster.org.

I'll be adding more pads to my Etsy shop really soon. I just bought more fabric this morning that I think will make some cool ones.

Blogging slump

I don't know why, but I can't seem to find anything interesting to blog about. On the home front, I'm taking my little one back home to Hawaii in July to help care for my mom after she has surgery. I'm praying that it is uncomplicated and she has a speedy recovery.

What am I watching? You Are What You Eat on BBC America. OMG! This show is addicting. Gillian is fabulous in her pit bull, drill sargeant, tactless way. Who would have thought a show where they inspect people's poo would make for good TV? I went to Amazon last night and purchased two of her books. So far from watching her show, I've concluded that I might have a zinc deficiency based on the dots on my tongue. I'll read up more on the subject when I get the books. I had a chat with my husband last night about changing our family diet to include more vegetarian meals and he sounded a bit supportive. He just said not to make anything with peas, cooked carrots and asparagus. He has been surprising me a lot lately. I mentioned my interest in colon cleansing to him recently and he goes and buys us each a 3-month cleansing program called Colonix. That was a shock. Nornally when I talk to him about things like this, he rolls his eyes at me. I think he went to the site and read up on the program for himself. He started two weeks ago. I started the same day he did but got really sick the next day with tonsillitis, so I decided to wait until I was well again before starting. I restarted the program today. The fiber tastes horrible! Metamucil tastes better.

What am I reading? I'm reading my second Laura Childs book, The Jasmine Moon Murder from her Tea Shop Mystery series. I'm also reading Brenda Watson's The Fiber 35 Diet. All this interest in fiber and colon cleansing! Hmmm.

More reusable cloth pads

I've been experimenting again! I wanted to see why some people love their envelope style/multi-layer pads with the separate soaker inserts. The reason these seem popular is that depending upon your needs you can use the soakers one at a time or doubled/tripled if you need more absorbency. They're supposed to be easier to launder because when you break the pads down, the individual layers dry faster than an AIO, all-in-one, pad, though I've not had this problem with my AIOs. I had to draft a pattern to give me something more angular because, honestly, I'm kinda sick of sewing all those curves! On the up-side, I'm not afraid of curves any more.

Here are four of the pads and soakers that I started sewing last night. I've been reading the posts from the DIY PADS group on Live Journal regarding reusing materials for the soakers and my interest was sparked. I began my experiments with assorted discarded clothes that I have in a bin under my laundry folding table (aka pool table). Since my husband and boys wear all cotton socks and the sock fairy has created many orphans, I started there. Also in my bin were a few T-shirts that I could play around with. I also have some old towels, though still usable, are not very attractive. I have read that old towels are the best kinds of terry cloth, because it seems that the terry cloth you can buy in the fabric stores is on the thin side.

Here is the breakdown of the soakers:

#1:
2 layers flannel
1 sock
1 layer microfleece
This was very bulky, but for a heavy flow, this would feel oddly re-assuring, I think.

#2:
2 layers flannel
2 layers T-shirt
1 layer microfleece
This is nice and thin. Perfect for everyday or a light flow.

#3:
2 layers flannel
4 layers T-shirt
1 layer microfleece
Great as back-up to soaker #2 for a medium to heavy flow.

#4:
1 layer polarfleece
1 layer microfleece
1 layer PUL
Nice and thin for everyday or light days.

#5 & #6
2 layers flannel
1 layer polarfleece
1 layer microfleece
Also thin for everyday or light days.

In all, I've made five of this type of pad and 8 soakers. I think I've got the different levels of absorbency covered. I might still like to try putting a lightly absorbent layer in the main pad as shown in this tutorial.

If these work well for me, I might offer them in my Etsy shop. These cloth pads are just so fun to make but come on, I can only use so many! In fact, I brought five of my AIO pads, both long and short, to knit nite on Monday to share with the ladies. All I want is their feedback.

Tea Drop...or, Okay, so I'm lazy!

The other day while perusing the coffee/tea aisle in my local supermarket, I spied a Sunbeam Tea Drop Hot Tea Maker on sale for $16.49. I know I needed another kitchen appliance like a hole in the head but I swear it just jumped into my cart. I've been a traditionalist up til now. I figured I'd buy it just to prove it was no good. This thing couldn't really make a good pot of tea, could it? Well, yes actually, it does! I've read numerous reviews of it and people either love it (mostly) or hate it (a few). The ones who hate it usually do so because they say the tea isn't strong enough. Well, I've got a hint for them. They can put the tea (leaves or bags) directly into the pot while brewing, then remove them after the tea has steeped the desired length of time. I've tested this with my medium sized Finum infuser, which sits right at the spout of the carafe where the hot water is dispensed. I set my timer for 7 minutes, which resulted in a nice strong pot of tea, just the way I like it. In the second picture, I added a chopstick for a little stability, whether it needed it or not. I'm sure you could get the same results with a coffee maker, dedicated to making tea, of course. The verdict? I love, love, love my Tea Drop!

Tea Party Anyone?

Last week Saturday it was my turn to host our new 'round-robin' tea party. There were 6 of us ladies for tea. My close friends know that I am not comfortable entertaining in my home, so having 5 people over is near anxiety-attack producing. As you can see, I survived. I think it was a fun party. I know I stressed way more than necessary and I can't wait to do it again. I even ran across a site that advocates having three friends over for tea and invite one extra person who is a practical stranger to you, so that you can get to know her better and introduce her to your friends. That's nice. I'd also like to have some people from my knitting group over for a relaxing evening of tea and knitting. That would be so lovely!

In case you're wondering, here was my tea party menu:

Tea Sandwiches:
1) Cucumber with Italian cream cheese on white bread
2) Roast beef with Gorgonzola cheese spread and spring greens on multi-grain bread
3) Chicken salad with cranberry mayonnaise on Hawaiian sweet bread

Scones:
1) Cream scones
2) Blueberry
3) Orange Cranberry

Served with sweetened thick whipped cream, lemon curd, and ginger preserves

Sweets:
1) Lemon Loaf
2) Chocolate raspberry brownies
3) Fresh strawberries and seedless red grapes
I think there was one more, but I can't remember now.

Teas:
1) Assam
2) Jasmine Green tea

I must have checked out about 12 books on tea and tea parties from my local library in preparation for this party. It was fun reading all those books but I didn't use a single recipe from any of them. I wound up getting the recipe for the Italian cream cheese online, but I modified it to my taste. It involved mixing a portion (to taste) of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix into a 12 oz. tub of whipped cream cheese, then adding one peeled, grated and thoroughly drained cucumber. I let this mixture sit in the refrigerator overnight. For my Gorgonzola cheese spread, I took 4 oz. of crumbled Gorgonzola and mixed in 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream, minced dried onion, dried parsley flakes and pepper, to taste. I also let this sit in the refrigerator overnight to let the flavors develop. This sandwich also tastes amazing with thin slices of fresh pear. For the chicken salad, I cooked the chicken breasts in my pressure cooker with some onion, carrot, and seasonings. When cool, I diced them and mixed in some mayo (not too much) and celery, then seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. I mixed canned whole berry cranberry sauce with mayonnaise for the spread.

I learned that day old scones can be refreshed in the toaster oven for 3 minutes and taste like they just came out of the oven! My kids prefer the maple scones I've been making (see picture below, recipe in previous post) and that's the only reason I had any left after the party. That's okay...more for me!

Did you know that you can make tea concentrate if you're planning to serve tea to a bunch of people? It's so easy and tastes great! Here's how:

Add 1/2 cup (dry measuring cup) of loose tea leaves or 12 tea bags to one qt. water (4 cups) at the correct temp. (boiling for blacks & herbals, gently steaming for green tea-170 degrees). Steep black tea and herbals for 4-6 minutes, green tea for 2–2.5 minutes. Strain or remove the leaves. Don't squeeze the bags or leaves as this will produce a bitter brew. Use 2 tablespoons of tea concentrate to make each cup of hot tea, using hot water, not boiling and 3 tablespoons per glass for iced tea. Makes approximately 25 cups. Keep in a covered container in the refrigerator. Don't worry if your brew appears cloudy. This will go away when you add hot water.

Come on and dust off those beautiful tea cups you've got languishing on a shelf and invite some friends over for tea! Even if you just make a cuppa for yourself, it will uplift your spirits and relax you. You're worth it.

Reusable cloth panty liners

After a brief discussion of reusable cloth feminine hygiene pads at our last knit nite, I have been thinking about this concept. I had thought briefly about it years ago but being that I don't like to use pads, I gave up on it without further investigation. I do, however, use panty liners daily, and while their cost is still very inexpensive, I have been trying to re-use and repurpose more around the house, when I can. After some Googling, I came across this site, complete with pattern. Very easy and they're cute as Hell. There are several people on Etsy who are selling some from this very pattern as well as some variations of it. I actually bought one from someone on Etsy before I found Adahy's pattern. I still can't wait to get it. I sat down at my machine today after dreaming of them all night and whipped out seven of them. I have been wearing one all day and I must say they're very comfortable. Here are five of the ones I made today. In case you're wondering, I made the panty liner of the sunflower one out of an old, very soft sheet and the wing portion is 100% cotton. The fire truck print and pink animal print are both cotton flannel. The liner has two layers of fabric, one layer of cotton batting, and one waterproof vinyl layer. The ones I've seen for sale online and on Etsy use PUL (polyurethane laminate) as their water-resistant liner, but since I didn't have any of that, I had to improvise. Oh, and no, I can't feel that button! I figured that I can get 8 of these panty liners out of one yard of fabric. I'll have to look for some PUL here in town. I still won't switch to pads but these panty liners are pretty cool and I'll try using them for awhile.





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Here are some further links for you to check out:
http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~obsidian/clothpads/padindex.html
http://mypads.wordpress.com/
http://www.goddesspads.com/
http://www.vajpads.com/aboutcloth.php

Update 4/6/08: I was able to find the PUL on eBay and there has been no looking back! I've been experimenting with new styles and methods every day. They're addicting! I must have made about 30 different pads since I started. Mostly great but there have been a couple of lemons. I have found that since I'm on the "fluffy" side, that I prefer an 11" pad rather than the usual 8" liner, which I have adapted for every day use.

I've come across some strong opposition to the whole idea. Basically, 9 out of 10 people are grossed out or repulsed by the idea. See what our society has done to us women? I don't know about them, but I want something soft and breathable next to my coochie. According to many posts I've read, cloth pads cut down on the "eau de poisson" (fishy smell to the non-initiated) and that alone is a great reason to use them. I wish more women knew they walk around smelling like a poissonerie and get with the program. A clean kitty is a happy kitty.

It's been a long time

Have you ever been busy but didn't have much to show for it? That's what's going on in my life. I feel like I've been spinning my wheels for awhile. I've been selling a few things on my Etsy shop. I just added some pens my husband made. I want him to start selling the signs and plaques that he makes but I've first asked him to make a sample one for the shop with our name on it, regardless of whether we sell any or not, we'll have a new sign for the outside of our house. Here are a couple of signs he made for the DIL of some friends who is starting her own scrapbooking business:





Aren't they awesome? I know...I'm biased! I really love the second one and want my sign to look like that. I think he should also make one with our younger son's name on it: C H R I S for his room. He'll like that.

I've also been testing out different ways to make scones. I have been using one easily adaptable recipe, just using different add-ins. So far, everyone loves the maple with maple icing and the lemon with lemon icing. Every time I make a batch, I send a scone to school with the young son for his teacher. She called me one morning to tell me she just finished devouring the white chocolate and cranberry one and thought it was delicious. I told her that I hope she didn't think I was trying to bribe a good grade out of her, haha. I found a basic recipe on AllRecipes.com but you know I can't leave well enough alone. So here's my scone recipe:

Simple Scone Recipe

INGREDIENTS
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup butter, very cold
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup half & half (plus a small splash more if dough is too dry)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Cut butter into ½ inch pieces. In food processor combine 1 cup flour and ¼ cup butter. Process to cut in. Repeat 2 more times with remaining flour and butter OR cut in by hand.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and butter mixture, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Mix the egg, cream and vanilla in a small bowl, and stir into flour mixture until moistened.
3. Once dough comes together to form a ball, pat dough out into a 1/2 inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedges, and place on the prepared baking sheet. What I do is gently press enough dough to fill either a 1/3 or 1/4 cup measuring cup, remove dough, place on baking sheet, and pat down to 1/2 inch thick. I've even used a small ice cream scoop, which makes 3-bite sized scones. You'll need to adjust baking time for these little ones, though.

**Be careful not to overwork dough or scones will be tough; handle as little as possible. You want them light and delicate, not hard like hockey pucks.**

4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Test center with a toothpick for doneness. Should come out clean.

Variation #1: Add ½ cup white chocolate chips and ½ cup dried cranberries. Soak cranberries in hot water for 5 minutes to soften and drain before adding to scone mix.

Variation #2: Add ½ cup maple syrup & ½ tsp maple flavoring to the mix OR 1 tsp maple flavoring instead of vanilla extract

Maple icing: 1 cup powdered sugar
5 teaspoons half-and-half (you may need a drop more)
1 teaspoon maple flavoring

Mix in a quart sized freezer bag. Cut small tip of a corner off and drizzle on fully cooled scones.

Variation #3: Add the zest of one lemon to the dough and for the icing, use the juice of that lemon and enough powdered sugar (start with one cup) until you get your desired consistency.

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I know I'm a little bit late but I've wanted to post all day. I didn't have a camera to take pictures with. Had to borrow Chris'. Somehow all of my rechargeable batteries have grown legs and walked away!

I sewed four more grocery bags today. I have one already cut and just waiting to be sewn together, but I'll have to do that tomorrow. Here are just 2 of the ones I made today. I can't wait to use them.

Super Bowl Sunday! Woo hoo!

I still can't believe I set my alarm clock to wake me up early on a Sunday morning to go grocery shopping! I was afraid if I didn't get there early enough I'd be trapped by the hoardes of people shopping at the last minute (as I usually am). Chris and I set off with our grocery bags to see if they'll do as well as we thought they would. I actually had every intention of hitting the self-checkout lane but I had more stuff in my cart than I wanted to scan myself so I jumped into the nearest lane. I whipped out my bags on the unsuspecting checker-guy and he just looked at me funny for a second (I'm sure it was the bags and not ME!) and a checker-gal came by to help him bag. She asked me if I made the bags myself, to which I replied that I had, and that was that. I was surprised at how much stuff they held and how comfortable they were to carry. I did, however, feel a pang of guilt when I bought a rump roast and had to place it in a plastic bag, 'cause it was bleeding all over the place and I didn't want to nasty up my new bags! Is there another way to get around this? I am pleased to mention that they had a couple of bins of resuable bags for sale by the check-out lanes. Are they new or had I just not noticed them before?

I've got the rump roast in the crock pot for dinner and I'm going to be making hot wings and nachos to nosh on during the big game. Can't wait. In fact, pregame just started. Got to go now! Go Giants!

Re-use and repurpose!

Is your plastic grocery bag bin overflowing? Yes? Mine was and it bothered me. I do re-use them in many ways but I just found myself overrun with them nevertheless. I came across this blog called Wisdom of the Moon where she made some re-usable grocery bags from old sheets. I thought I'd give it a try. Her pattern was so easy to follow and I managed to get 9 bags from an old coverlet that I'd never, in a million years, use. (See pics below) Now all I have to do is put them to the test. Gotta get some munchies for our Super Bowl feast tomorrow. Go Giants!

Another good site to check out is Morsbags.com.



And a bag in which to put all of them.

Mug mat & tea wallet

Wouldn't these mug mats make a cute addition to your table when your friends come over for a cuppa? They're quick and use very little fabric. You know, since they're insulated with batting they're great to cover your mug or cup while your tea is steeping to keep the heat inside, if you don't have one of those cool lidded cups, that is.

For each mat you'll need:

3 - 6.5" squares of fabric
1 - 6.5" square of cotton batting

Press one square on the diagonal. Lay cotton batting on table followed by one square face up, diagonally folded square set in one corner and topped by final square wrong side facing you. Sew on all four sides with a 5/8" seam, leaving at least 3" for turning. Turn right sides out. Press, making sure opening is turned in and pressed flat. Topstitch 1/8" from edge around all four sides. Using photo as your guide, sew pocket for spoon 2" from right edge.

Had to make another tea wallet. I didn't really like the ribbon closure on the last one so I used an elastic loop and button instead. Much better!

Feeling guilty

Okay, so after my post last night I started feeling guilty for not blogging and not sewing more so I just had to whip something up before going to bed at midnight. I made this blue tea wallet complete with a re-usable muslin tea bag I made last week. The coffee print wallet is one I made awhile ago and keep in my purse. I think I'll give the blue one away...I have someone in mind who I think will appreciate it. I'm going to change the closure on the next one. The ribbon is pretty but after awhile can get ratty, especially if you keep it in your purse. The coffee one has a snap closure but I don't know how some of you use those! I ruined a whole pack just to get one to work!

Wow, it's been a long time

Twelve days since I last blogged. I have been busy, honest! I did a little sewing. I made some stethoscope covers for my sister and her friends. I didn't really want to make the skull & roses into a stethoscope cover. I don't think it's appropriate for a hospital but she assured me it would be perfect for this particular friend. Oh well. Another friend wants one in a soft pink breast cancer awareness fabric so I guess I'll have to do a little fabric shopping. Gina will love the coffee fabric.

We're a family of big coffee drinkers. I, however, have been on a tea kick lately. I've always loved iced tea but have rediscovered hot tea. I'm totally not a tea snob. I'll drink pretty much anything that I think tastes good. Yesterday after Pat and I had lunch at Loco Sushi, I headed on over to Cost Plus to check out their tea selection. I really couldn't decide so I settled on guaranteed winners, Twinings Darjeeling and a black tea variety pack. Before we went to lunch we stopped at Ross where I found this Bodum 34 oz. tea press pot for $12.00. Today I stopped by Fresh & Easy, which just opened not to far from my house and picked up these other two teas. I'm having a cup of the chocolate tea now and I'm undecided about the taste.

I think Sophie approves of my choice in a quilt pattern. It's called Scrappy Mountain Majesties from Quiltville.com and is so easy that I think I can do it. I'm giving myself a month to finish it and I want to make it very scrappy.

Gotta run to wrestling practice!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding Recipe

After seeing that pumpkin bread pudding recipe I wrote about a couple of posts ago, I have been wanting some but wanted to make one close to my old standby recipe, just pumpkin-y. This is what I came up with, and it was yummy, especially when served warm with vanilla bean ice cream on top and a hot cup of coffee.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

1 package stale hamburger buns - 8 count or approximately 5 cups when torn into 1 inch pieces
2 cups half & half (or 1 c. milk and 1 c. heavy cream)
3 eggs
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice blend
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can pure pumpkin (15 oz.)
1/4 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 13 X 9 inch baking pan. Spread bread pieces evenly in pan. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a separate bowl until well incorporated. Pour evenly over bread pieces, stir slightly, and let sit for a few minutes to give bread a chance to soak up the wet mixture. Bake 45 - 60 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let sit for a few minutes before serving to let it set up further.

Georgia Rules...I'm sick!

Georgia just beat Hawaii 41-10 in the Sugar Bowl. We looked like fish out of water and now we've given the naysayers all the ammunition they need. They've been saying we didn't belong in a BCS bowl game, and now I'm afraid everyone will believe it. 'Nuff said.

Teapots and Bread Pudding

I made this teapot cozy for my 6 cup (48 oz) teapot. I also made a set of matching coasters. I will be keeping this set and not putting it in my Etsy shop. I do, however, have enough of this lilac print for a 2 cup cozy. I guess if anyone wanted a bigger one I could do that. I just love this print and made a tote out of it in purple as well. Ooooooh...I feel another cozy coming on! Ha!

I have a set of pillowcases to make for my niece, Devan. I had to run to the store today for more fabric (aw shucks!) because I only had enough to make one. Walked out of there with enough for her other pillowcase, a pair for Bernie and me, and the teacozy fabric, plus ribbon and batting. I can't wait to make my pillowcases. I love the paisley print I chose. You'll have to wait until I'm done to see it. I can, however, show you the pillowcases I made her for Christmas. She is 15 and Goth, so I'm hoping she'll appreciate them, although my sister thinks not. The new pair will be a pink/orange combo, much more to my sister's liking.


I came across a very interesting pumpkin bread pudding at SmittenKitchen.com and I want to try it tomorrow. Go check out her site. It's awesome!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou! Happy New Year!

Have you all been enjoying the Bowl Games? We're biding our time watching OSU vs Indiana in the Insight Bowl. We're just waiting somewhat impatiently for tomorrow when the University of Hawaii plays Georgia in the Sugar Bowl (3:30 p.m. Hawaii time) at 5:30 p.m. here in Vegas. I'll wager that many of my Hawaii ex-pats will be hitting the sportsbooks in the casinos to place their bets on the underdog Warriors. If I were a betting person, I'd be doing the same. Since I'm not a basketball or baseball fan, I will go into mourning after the Super Bowl. But, as one Mountain West official said, "Football ends in January and starts in February." So I won't have to grieve for very long. At least we have wrestling to keep us busy for awhile.

It's New Year's Eve and as usual in our household, we're holing ourselves up for the night at home. We're all happy my husband isn't on duty tonight and will be home safe with us. I just don't feel comfortable out on the streets with all the party-goers and merry-makers tonight. We do enjoy watching the fireworks from our front door!

I used to think we were in the minority, the ones who stay home, but I've found there are many, many like us. Please, if you're brave enough to go out tonight, have a designated driver and drive attentively because there are way too many who do not. I don't want to lose any of my 7 faithful readers! LOL!

Don't forget to have your black-eyed peas and collard greens tomorrow!