Thought and Action

Easy Food Processor Buttermilk Biscuits

2011-12-06T07:30:00.002-06:00

All I wanted was an easy recipe to whip up in the food processor for Buttermilk Biscuits. I know that they are super easy to make by hand, but I have to justify to myself the cost of the new food processor I got for myself. I took a basic recipe I found online and made some changes and it worked out pretty good.

Easy Food Processor Buttermilk Biscuits

3 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 tablespoon sugar
1.5 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 - 1 1/4 cup buttermilk, give or take
1 - 2 tablespoons butter melted

Preheat oven to 400°.

In food processor, combine dry ingredients - pulse 2-3 times. Place butter in bowl and pulse another 2-3 times or until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You should see some larger than pea-sized bits of butter but thats ok- its better not to over-process at this point. Turn processor on and stream in buttermilk. Stream slowly and watch until a sticky dough forms and starts to pull away from the bowl. You don't want to overmix and totally incorporate the butter- you should still have little tiny chunks floating around in there. I think I had the processor on at this point for maybe 6-8 seconds.

Turn dough out onto well-floured surface. Gently fold the dough over itself 3 or 5 times to create layers. Roll dough out to 3/4-inch thick. Cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Transfer dough rounds to a sheet pan. Gather scraps and repeat. You can make a dimple in the center to help the top rise evenly. Brush with melted butter. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven until golden brown. Makes 10-12 or so depending on how big you cut them.

Note: I don't use a cutter. I simply roll out to a square shape and cut into squares. Thats just how lazy I am.

Frog Eye Salad

2011-11-21T10:46:00.002-06:00

When I used to spend Christmas Day feasting with my husband Steve's family, one of the extended family members always made Frog Eye Salad. Its fruity, sweet, fluffy, and just like dessert. Kids generally love it too. I've been making it the last few years for pot-lucks, etc, and finally decided to get the recipe up here as I'm making it for the family Thanksgiving get-together.

FROG EYE SALAD

1 (4-serving size) pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 of a 16 oz box acini de pepe
1 cup thawed Cool Whip
1 (15 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained
1 (16 oz) can fruit cocktail, drained
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 jar Maraschino cherries without stems, drained

Mix pudding with 1 3/4 cups milk. Set aside.
Cook acini de pepe. Drain and cool.
Mix pudding and 1 cup Cool Whip together.
Mix in the fruit and cherries, then the acini de pepe.
Refrigerate; serve chilled. Refrigerate leftovers, if there are any.

NOTE: This makes a good sized bowl.

Buttermilk Zucchini Pineapple Bread

2011-09-12T09:32:00.000-05:00

Had some left over buttermilk and a zucchini that I needed to use up soon, so what to do? Search for a recipe that uses them both. I didn't find exactly what I wanted so I took the best parts of other recipes and made my own Franken-zucchini bread. Actually came out very good and everyone I gave a piece to said it was moist and tasty- but maybe they were lying to protect my delicate feelings?

This recipe only makes one loaf (unlike most zucchini bread recipes), which is ideal for us.

Buttermilk Zucchini Pineapple Bread

Preheat oven to 350°. GENEROUSLY grease 9x5 loaf pan.

1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup coarsely grated zucchini
1 8.25oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2+ cup walnuts
1/2+ cup raisins

In large bowl beat butter and sugars together until combined. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each egg. With spoon mix in zucchini, pineapple, buttermilk, and vanilla until combined.

Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to batter, stirring until just combined, then stir in nuts and raisins.

Pour batter in prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes or until done.

My notes:

Really fills the loaf pan up, but doesn't rise too much so it stayed in the pan.
I put a plus sign next to the walnuts and raisins as I didn't really measure- just dumped them in until I felt like there was enough.
Even though I thought I had greased the pan thoroughly, it still stuck in the middle a little. Maybe I didn't grease it up enough there, or maybe I waited too long to remove it from the pan. I'll pay more attention next time.

Peach Tart

2011-06-25T08:55:00.015-05:00

This is so easy. Cutting the peaches turned out to be the hardest part, and even THAT was easy. I had picked up a box of peaches from Trader Joe's and let them sit out until they were perfectly ripe. There are only two of us, so we ate as many as we could so I had to find a way to use them. Cobblers and Crisps came to mind, but everybody makes those. And I had a frozen sheet of Dufour Puff Pastry in the freezer I had been wanting to use, so the right answer turned out to be a Peach Tart!

RUSTIC PEACH TART

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

7 to 8 ripe peaches

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon corn starch

3 tablespoons brown sugar

dash of cinnamon (optional)

2 tablespoons apricot preserves

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 15x10 pan with non-stick spray.

Sprinkle rolling surface with some flour. Unfold puff pastry and lightly sprinkle top with flour. Roll out to approximate size of pan then place in pan. Using a sharp knife, cut off about 1/2 inch on all sides making straight sides. Fold cut-off pieces back over edges making them double height. Score halfway through bottom layer inside of this second layer being sure to NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. This helps make an edge to keep the peach stuff in.

Slice peaches into about 8 pieces and place in bowl. Toss with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar.

Combine the flour, corn starch and brown sugar (and cinnamon, if desired.) Sprinkle over the bottom of the crust (this will thicken and sweeten the fruit and its juices). Arrange the peaches on top using a slotted spoon into a slightly heaped but even single layer but DO NOT pour any of the juices from the bowl on the tart. Trust me, it will be juicy enough. DO NOT heap the peaches up in the center or the tart won't cook correctly.

Heat preserves and honey (either on the stove or a microwave) enough to melt. Brush over the peaches. (I also brush some on the crust around the edge, too.)

Bake 350° for about 40 minutes on a low oven rack, until fruit looks cooked and the crust is golden brown. If desired, sprinkle a teaspoon-ish of sugar over the tart for the last 10-15 minutes. It will give the tart added sparkle. This is completely optional.

DO NOT cut immediately! It needs to sit a bit and let the juices thicken up. If you cut it right away, all that delicious juice will run out before they can thicken as they cool. Trust me, it is worth the wait.

My notes:

I have used Stevia for the sugar and a Splenda/brown sugar blend for the sweeteners. It worked fine.
As usual, I added cinnamon- I add it to everything, it seems.
I used raw honey for the honey but regular will work.
I like the "rustic" look, so I didn't bother lining all the peach slices up like some folks do. Tastes the same either way.
I used a packet of raw turbinado sugar for the "sparkle".
I was uncomfortable with what looked like a lot of extra liquid but it thickened up upon cooling.
Depending on the size of the peaches, you may need more or less. When I thought I needed more, I would cut up another one and stir it into the left-over juices in the bowl, then use the slotted spoon and apply them to the tart. Repeat as necessary.
Forgot to make the glaze last time I made it, and it was still delicious!

ATK Banana Bread

2011-06-18T11:58:00.003-05:00

I must say, I was intrigued by a recipe for banana bread that called for pre-cooking the bananas and then cooking the resulting liquids even more. Turns out, it was a fairly tasty banana bread. Although, once I get done tarting it up, I'm not sure the mess and extra time make it THAT much better than the old Joy of Cooking base recipe I used to use. But I'm too lazy to do a side-by-side test and the extra steps give me something to boast about.

Banana Bread from America's Test Kitchen (transcribed from tv episode)

Put 5 bananas in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap and microwaved for 5 minutes. Put bananas in mesh sieve over bowl and allow to drain until needed after next step. You will need both the bananas and the liquid.

1 3/4 cp flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Whisk together in large bowl. Set aside.

Put banana liquid in saucepan and cook over medium high until only 1/4 cup left. About 5 minutes (mine took a little longer.) Mash into bananas. Add in:

1 stick melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Whisk together. Add in:

3/4 cup brown sugar, mixing until dissolved.

Stir wet into dry ingredients until just mixed.

Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts if desired. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour batter in. Decorate with 2 rows sliced banana (from one banana) if desired, then sprinkle with 2 tsp sugar evenly to make crust.

Bake at 350 for about an hour, turning once while cooking. Cool for 15 minutes then remove from pan.

My notes:

Use REALLY ripe bananas for that sweet banana flavor. I take really ripe bananas and peel them, then throw in a bag in the freezer till I need them. I usually end up using some frozen, some not- just add a little more time to the initial microwaving.
I added cinnamon (I add a dash of cinnamon to most things it seems.)
I added about 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped dried apricots
I didn't bother with the banana decoration, but I did sprinkle the top with raw, turbinado sugar
I also discovered that if your brown sugar was as hard as mine, you can just microwave it until it becomes soft enough to use. I don't remember how long that takes, however.
Be careful not to overcook. I think I did and it was drier than I like. Since I never make the same thing the same way twice, even with a recipe, there could have been other factors at work here.

Emeril's Nutty Granola Bars

2011-02-19T11:24:00.004-06:00

This recipe comes from the March 2011 Everyday Food magazine. I love the show and I love the magazine. The recipes I've tried are both super easy, and usually super-delicious! Unfortunately, they failed to have this recipe on their website, so I am forced to transcribe it by hand to the blog. Oh! The tedium!! But its a great recipe- easy to make, infinitely configurable, and DELICIOUS. Warning: this recipe contains nuts. This is the printed recipe and naturally, I altered it slightly. I'll add my changes at the end. They worked hard on this recipe and I owe it to them to show their work, un-adulterated. Or they stole it. Who knows. Now that Martha OWNS Emeril, anything is possible!

Emeril's Nutty Granola Bars
Serves 16. Active time: 10 min. Total Time: 40 min + cooling

¾ cup honey, divided
2 tbl unsalted butter
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1⅓ cups (6oz) slivered almonds
pinch of coarse salt
1 cup raisins or other dried fruit
⅓ cup creamy almond butter or other nut butter
¼ light-brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325°. In a small saucepan, heat ¼ cup honey and butter over low. Cook, stirring, until butter melts, about 2 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, and pinch of salt. Drizzle honey mixture over oat mixture and stir to combine; wipe saucepan clean. Spread mixture evenly on large baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool completely on sheet, about 10 minutes. Return to large bowl and add raisins; stir to combine.
Spray 8-inch square baking dish. In saucepan, combine ½ cup honey, almond butter, and brown sugar over medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil and sugar dissolves, about 10 minutes. Drizzle over oat mixture and stir until combined; transfer to baking dish. With a spatula, press firmly into dish. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, then cut into 16 bars or squares. (Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 5 days.)

per bar: 258 cal; 11 g fat (2 g sat fat); 6 g protein; 38 g carb; 3 g fiber

My Notes:

I used the butter I had on hand, which has salt
I used almost a cup of raisins, and I also added about a cup of chopped dried apricots
I had some organic, chunky peanut butter, so I used that for the "nut butter"
I put a generous dash of cinnamon in the second saucepan mixture of honey, nut butter, and brown sugar. I think it gave the bars a little more depth.
I found that the spatula wasn't pressing hard enough into the pan, and I was afraid that they'd just fall apart when I ate them, so I put a sandwich bag on my hand and pressed down pretty hard on the bars in the pan before cooling. I think I made the right decision.
These are pretty generously sized bars. Next time, I will cut them into smaller bars. You can always eat as many as you like.

Wood

2010-03-11T14:40:00.005-06:00

Wood is the name we gave a bulgur wheat dish we like. We eat it hot for breakfast and I always make extra so we can have some later. Sometimes cold (and sometimes with a little greek yogurt.) Other times warmed up with a little frozen yogurt, or *gasp*, ice cream on top. I fool myself into thinking it is healthy because I don't have to add any sugar to make it taste good. I suppose that the juice and fruits add plenty of sugars, but it just seems so much healthier.

Wood

2 cups apple juice (I use the nice thick looking natural stuff)
1 cup bulgur wheat
1 crisp apple, (peeled or unpeeled) cored and chopped in chunks
about a .5 - 1 cup of raisins (your call)
.5 cup slivered almonds
1-2 tsp cinnamon

Bring juice, apple, raisins to boiling. Stir in bulgur and cinnamon and bring back to a boil. Stir in almonds, cover, and take off heat. Let sit for about 20-30 minutes. Taste and season with more cinnamon if necessary. (I'm kind of a cinnamon junkie so I always feel I need more.)

If you like you can experiment with adding other spices (nutmeg, ginger, etc) or using other fruit or nuts. The recipe is also easily doubled or more.

Super Easy Lazy Man's Tiramisu

2010-02-19T13:08:00.008-06:00

I was having trouble finding an easy recipe for a quick Tiramisu-like (No Bake!!) desert to bring to work, so I cannibalized one recipe and made up the rest based on other recipes I had seen to make this. I used cream cheese instead of the traditional marscapone because I don't have that much experience with marscapone and was worried about it being less thick in texture than cream cheese. You could potentially do your own experimentation and let me know.

Lazy Man's Tiramisu

2 10oz frozen pound cakes, defrosted (I used Sara Lee)
2 8oz blocks of cream cheese, room temperature
.5 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 16oz tub regular Cool Whip, thawed but chilled
4 oz strong coffee or espresso, room temperature
4 oz Kahlua
4 oz bar bittersweet chocolate (I used 60% cacao Ghirardelli bittersweet) chopped finely
1 cup chocolate syrup (or so- not sure as I just squirted from the bottle of Hershey's Double Chocolate Sundae Syrup)

NOTE: IF you prefer, you can skip the Kahlua and use all espresso, but I think the Kahlua adds a little more sweetness and keeps the coffee section from being too bitter.

Cut off the ends of each loaf and slice the remainder of each pound cake into 9 slices and place them lying down in a 13x9 pan. You may have to cut some pieces to fit around the edges. (I did not need the butt ends of the cake- score for me!) Mix the expresso with the kahlua and brush, drizzle, or pour the mixture over the poundcake. Drizzle about half the chocolate sauce over cake.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla. When creamy, fold in Cool Whip and crushed/chopped chocolate. Spread over cake. Drizzle with more chocolate syrup. Mmmmmm... chocolate syrup....

Chill overnight and enjoy.

Breakfast Pizza

2009-11-23T14:45:00.006-06:00

Another easy recipe. Very good as a brunch casserole with fruit and muffins, etc. I lost my original recipe, but after some searching online, this one "seems" as close as any of them.

Breakfast Pizza

1 tube crescent rolls (8 oz?)
1 lb. sausage, cooked and drained
2 c. cheese (shredded) (I like a mix of Cheddar and Mozzarella)
3 c. frozen shredded hashbrowns
5 eggs, blended with 1/2 c. milk
3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Press crescents into greased 9 x 13 pan. Evenly top with sausage, cheese, hashbrowns, egg mixture and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes.

Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Arugula

2009-11-23T13:48:00.012-06:00

This recipe is so easy and ends up tasting so great. The amounts are easy to fudge- if you like more potatoes, add them! Serving more than two? Double the recipe. This is a satisfying winter recipe. Many thanks to Everyday Cooking for the inspiration and original recipe.

Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Arugula

Serves 2

1/2 tsp of lemon zest and about 1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp oregano (or italian seasoning, or whatever is your favorite- experiment!)
2-3 tbl butter, room temperature
1-2 tbl vegetable or olive oil
8 red potatoes (approximately) scrubbed then halved or quartered
2 chicken breast halves, bone-in, skin-on
salt and pepper
a couple handfuls of arugula (maybe 8-12 oz? it shrinks down)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix butter, lemon zest, and oregano in small bowl. Set aside. Put potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet (you need the rims to keep the juices from running off!) Drizzle some oil on potatoes and sprinkle with some salt/pepper. Toss and make sure potatoes get oiled.

Make a space in center of potatoes for chicken breasts and place chicken on pan. Using hands, smear butter mixture on chicken breasts trying to make sure to get some under skin as well. Any remaining butter can be dotted over potatoes. Salt and pepper chicken breasts,

Bake 25-30 minutes until thermometer in thickest part of chicken reads 165 degrees. Toss potatoes once during baking to help them brown on all sides.

Remove from oven when done and transfer chicken to plates. Using tongs, toss arugula with hot potatoes. Season with lemon juice and more salt pepper as necessary. Arugula will wilt from contact with hot pan and potatoes, so you can add more arugula if desired. Serve with chicken.

NOTES: I have made this many, many times since originally posting this. I have made it for 2 and for 6 by using 2 pans and the convection oven option on the oven, turning the pans and changing shelves halfway through. When making a lot, I make sure to use a thermometer. I have also experimented with using carrots, brussel sprouts, pearl onions, garlic cloves, and sweet potatoes. They are ALL delicious when roasted, but watch the brussell spouts as the cook faster than the root vegetables.

I have also tried using bacon salt and Mrs. Dash (I have Lemon Pepper and the Garlic Herb varieties on hand) along with the salt and pepper. Also, sprinkling the chicken breasts with a nice large-grain salt before cooking couldn't possibly hurt, could it?

Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

2009-11-15T13:02:00.013-06:00

Here is the original recipe that I got from our good friend Oscar, from back in the days when cranberries came in one pound bags, not the 12oz bags they come in now. I've done some recalculations and show those recipes afterwards. Plus, what could be better than leftover turkey sandwiches with homemade cranberry sauce in them?

Cranberries also freeze very well, and I usually make mine from frozen berries, so I have to add additional time to the cooking. Basically, you want all the cranberries to be exploded and breaking down and the sugar all melted and mixing with the cranberry juices, but the level of personal preference for "chunkiness" can be determined by you!

I also use less than the amount specified for the bourbon, especially if I am making it for people who have never had it or may not like the strong flavor the bourbon imparts. On average, about 1/4 cup per pound of berries. Again, your call.

Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

1 pound (about 4 cups) cranberries
2 cups sugar
Dash of cinnamon, optional
1/4 cup bourbon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 hour.

Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)

Makes about 3 cups

..................................

12 oz bag: Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

1 12oz bag of cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
Dash of cinnamon, optional
Less than 1/4 cup bourbon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 hour or less. Check often.

Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)

But 12oz of cranberries doesn't seem to make very much. But if you doubled it to 24oz of cranberries, you could make 1.5 times the 1lb recipe. I hope you can do the math.

..................................

3 lb bag: Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
(Costco sells cranberries in 3lb bags! Whoohoo!)

3 lb bag cranberries (split in half- about 6 cups each)
6 cups sugar (split in half- 3 cups each
Dash of cinnamon, optional (dash on both pans, if split)
3/4 cup bourbon (half for each pan if split)

If you have access to very large pans and restaurant sized ovens, you can make this all in one pan. (Note: I made this unsplit all in one roasting pan and it worked fine.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in two 9x13-inch baking pans. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)

..................................

Delicious AND easy, my favorites.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

2009-11-07T10:46:00.006-06:00

Easy to make and feeds a crowd. I haven't actually made this yet, but a friend served it so I asked for the recipe. Honestly, who has an 11x7 or 11x14 pan? I'm going to have to experiment with this one.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

2lbs frozen shredded hash browns (thawed)
1/2 cup chopped onion (or more)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
8 oz melted Velveeta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Thaw hash browns in bowl, Make sure they are room temp. Add onion, salt, pepper and butter. Mix soup, sour cream and cheese well, pour over potatoes and stir. Place in 11x7 pan and bake at 350 for at least an hour. Can be frozen before baking. Serves 10-ish. Double this and bake in a 11x14 casserole to serve 20.

Jiffy Corn Casserole

2009-11-07T10:35:00.010-06:00

This is always an easy and welcome casserole to bring to pot-luck Thanksgiving dinners. It is so easy to make and everyone seems to enjoy it. I want to experiment with adding some green chilis and/or crumbled bacon in the future.

Jiffy Corn Casserole

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained*
1 can creamed corn
2 eggs, beaten
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 c. sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (opt.)
1 cup approx. Shredded cheddar cheese (split)**

Pre-heat oven to 375°. Mix all ingredients except cheese**. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, if desired. Bake in casserole dish or 9"x13" baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray for 30 to 45 minutes or until fully cooked in center and light golden brown (I prefer using the 9x13 so that I get more brown bits cuz I like that part best.)

*NOTE: The original recipe only called for one can of whole kernel corn, but I accidentally opened two cans and decided to use them both. I like it MUCH better this way.
**NOTE: I used grated cheddar on the top, and I also stirred about 1/2 cup into the casserole. Delish!

Buttermilk Scones

2008-05-13T07:46:00.003-05:00

I was reading The Black Oven, which led me to The Breadmaster Strikes which had a recipe for scones that is very similar to mine. Being ever so lazy, I throw all the dry powders (flour, soda, powder, etc) into a food processor with the butter and pulse a couple times to incorporate till crumbly. This recipe makes a slightly sweeter than normal scone, but being a sugar junkie, I don't seem to mind. I'm going to try their recipe anyways as variety is always welcome.

Buttermilk Scones

2 cups flour
.5 cups sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
6 Tbl butter
.5 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1.5 tsp vanilla
raisins (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix first four dry ingredients. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in wet ingredients (all remaining). Turn out onto lightly floured board or counter and knead 5 or 6 times. Pat out to circle of .75 inch thickness or so. Cut into desirable scone-like shapes (as if cutting a pie.) Place on ungreased baking sheet (I always tinfoil first for easy clean-up) and bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Spud and Skeeter

2008-03-12T15:01:00.001-05:00

Spud and Skeeter
Originally uploaded by jduche

Thought I better get a picture of Spud up here so he doesn't get jealous. Spud (l) and Skeeter (r) are our two boys. We are very proud of them. I'm not sure but I think Skeeter is trying to hypnotize me into making their dinner. Oh well, I'll think about that after I feed them....

Skeeter, the man

2008-03-12T14:52:00.001-05:00

Skeeter Up Close
Originally uploaded by jduche

Skeeter is going on nine years old soon, and he's starting to look a little grey around the edges. But he has the cutest little face, especially when he is trying to look pensive, like now.

Lunch at La Buvette

2008-03-10T14:41:00.001-05:00

Lunch at La Buvette
Originally uploaded by jduche

Seems like its been a while since we made it down there, what with our schedules conflicting and all, but Steve and I went to La Buvette in the Old Market for lunch Saturday. Had a nice bottle of organic Bonterra Chardonnay and watched the folks stroll by. If the weather had been nicer, sitting outside would have been great. Instead we sat inside and had whole wheat pasta with andouille sausage and arugula. I'm not so fond of tomato chunks, so I left them behind, but the meal was delicious.

Spud Warms His Butt

2008-02-08T11:04:00.001-06:00

Spud Warms His Butt
Originally uploaded by jduche

Spud loves the fireplace. He rotates his body to get it all toasty warm. Just thought I'd share....

Moving on...

2008-01-21T10:20:00.000-06:00

I've decided to start putting travel posts into the Coach Class Monkey blog. I may repost these pages there or just put up some new ones. I'll use this area for mindless ramblings.

Bodnath Stupa by full moon

2008-01-21T09:58:00.001-06:00

Bodnath Stupa by full moon
Originally uploaded by jduche

January, 2003. Monks light butter candles around Bodnath Stupa in Kathmandu for the full moon festival. Momos, full moon, and the scent of butter candles burning.... heaven!

Amber Fort, Jaipur India

2008-01-21T09:51:00.001-06:00

Amber Fort, Jaipur India
Originally uploaded by jduche

We spent some time taking photos of the Amber Fort. This is just a sample.