Look What $60 Can Buy!

Carmina and I went to 3 Savers Value Village thrift store locations in the Twin Cities today for their 50% off sales. I am looking for clothes that would be appropriate for an office job. I spent $60 and bought 5 pairs of pants, 5 shirts, 3 dresses, one skirt, 2 games, and 5 spice jars. Here is a picture of one funky dress that I bought.

Cook More Meat

This week I made Chinese Barbecued Pork. I had to cook a big hunk of meat to offset the vegetarian lasagna I made earlier in the week. The nice thing about this one is that you can stick the meat in the marinade the night before and then just slap it on the grill for dinner the next night.

Chinese Barbecued Pork

1 lb boneless pork tenderloin
2 TBSP honey
2 TBSP hoisin sauce
2 TBSP rice vinegar or dry white wine
2 tsp oyster sauce
2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp dark sesame oil

Prick the tenderloin all over with a fork. Combine honey, hoisin sacue, rice vinegar or white wine, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil in a ziplock bag with the pork. Refridgerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Cook on the grill (approx. 450 degrees) for about 25 minutes.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore, But It's Tornado Season Here Too

Oooooh, we had our first real tornado warning where we had to seek shelter in the basement hallway! The kids were a little scared and Ember wanted to know if the house would start shaking. I managed to lighten things up by suggesting that we "play storm." It used to be their favorite game so they thought it was great fun and they nearly forgot that we were in the middle of a real storm. It brought back memories of taking shelter in the dorms in college, rushing out while the tornado sirens were going off to pick up a friend who was walking home from Alco, and lifting up the floorboards at the Old Settlers Inn in Moundridge, KS to hide under there with the rest of the customers as the sirens wailed. People around here don't seem to take the warnings too seriously, but I do.

Determination

My niece, Cheyanne, has been so determined to learn how to do the monkey bars that she has blisters on her hands from her effort. She traveled with me to Chicago on the train over the weekend and then to Camp Friedenswald where she practiced at the park.




She did take some time out to dangle her feet in the cold water of Shavehead Lake with her Grandpa.

I Wasn't Happy With My Knitting Project

So you may remember the purple shell I was knitting. I finally admitted that it wasn't bringing me much joy. I dutifully worked on it every Sunday at my knitting group but almost never picked it up during the week. I have now packed it away and started on some hiking socks that I am really excited about. They are colorful and fun and very soft!

I also started testing out the little loom that I bought at the wool fest over the weekend. It's pretty cool and I can see that I would like to find a bigger loom and take a class sometime to learn how to make cool patterns. I just hope I can figure out how to take this weaving off the loom when I'm through or I'll just have to hang the whole loom on the wall and call it art.

Playing the Violin

Cheyanne had her first violin recital today. She was adamant that she wouldn't play for it but my brother bribed her with McDonald's so she agreed to perform. CLICK HERE to hear her play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

More Uses For My Yarn

I went to the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival in Lake Elmo, MN today with 2 knitter friends. We looked at all of the wonderful yarn, spinning wheels, and weaving looms in the first barn we came to and loved it all! 2 of us even bought our first looms. Mine is a very simple Ashford Weaving Frame.

I also bought some Woolch. It is a blend of wool fibers and wood toothpick shavings that is used as a pesticide-free mulch and can later be tilled under to add nitrogen to the soil. Pretty cool!

After looking at everything we realized there were 2 more barns full of vendors. It was spectacular and I didn't even buy more yarn to add to my stash.

Just Try It! You'll Like It!

C'mon everyone. Try one of my recipes and leave me a comment so I know what you thought of it. I'll even take suggestions on how to improve the dish. Here is what I made last night. The kids didn't try the bright yellow chicken, but the grown-ups asked for more.

Chicken and Cashew Nut Curry

2 TBSP peanut oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
salt
3/4-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic
2 small green chillies, seeded and finely chopped (or 2 tsp green chilli paste)
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
2-lb 3-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup cashew nuts
1/4 cup sour cream

Heat the peanut oil in a wide saucepan and fry the onions with a bit of salt to prevent burning. Add ginger, garlic, chillies, tumeric, cumin and coriander and cook for another minute or so. Stir in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Add chicken. Bring everything to a boil and then simmer gently for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. In the meantime, toast the cashew nuts in a dry frying pan until just a bit brown. When chicken is cooked, add toasted cashews and sour cream.

From the Windy City to Life on the Mississippi

Here are photos of the building where I had to go for my job interview today. I drove 7 hours to Chicago for a job interview and then drove home again. Fortunately I took a day and a half. I'm beat. I sure hope I don't have to do that too many more times. Driving back home I realized how much I love living where there is so much green and so few buildings. After I move, I will have to spend some weekends in the country to make up for my week in the city.

Trying Not to Be Nervous

I'm going to Chicago tomorrow for a job interview on Tuesday. My interview is on the 13th floor of a big skyscraper. I already feel out of place just thinking about it, but the experience will challenge me and I guess there's nothing wrong with that. Heck, I used to go downtown Chicago every weekend when I graduated from high school. What's the big deal? They still have trees and grass there, right? So what if it is surrounded by sidewalk. Besides, I really think I'd like the job. I'll fill you in when I return!

Turn on the Grill

It's the season for grilling again! Here is a recipe for the Teriyaki Chicken that I made last night. YUMMMMM!!

Teriyaki Chicken
1/4 Cup ketchup
1/4 Cup hoisin sauce
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP rice vinegar
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp dark sesame oil
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Put all ingredients in a ziplock bag and marinate overnight or all day. Cook them on the grill and then eat!

Ember is Three

Ember turned 3 today! She was pretty excited about it. She was also proud that she "didn't make a puddle" today. She finally decided to work on potty training and that makes ME happy.

On the weekend we went to a horse show. The girls loved riding the horses and ponies.