Monday, April 11, 2011

Saturday, April 9, 2011

The New iPad

The texts from my mom aren't as funny lately because she uses T9 now so doesn't spell out words using single letters and numbers anymore... but when T9 doesn't recognize a word, the combination of words my mom uses to represent it is awesome.  (For example when I was in Vancouver recently I received a text that said something like "you should walk up burr are duh" meaning Burrard Street.)

Mom:  Do think you should have the new i pad do you know anyone who has one

Me:  No I don't want an ipad I already have a laptop.  I know some people who have them but I wouldn't use one.  You wouldn't either.

Mom:  But I want one

Me:  Why do you want one, you already have a laptop.  It is pointless to have both.

Mom:  They just look cool ope raw has one

Thursday, April 7, 2011

OH. MY. GOATS.

Pre-Summer Gardening

Last summer I grew a bunch of different things in pots in my front yard, and I want to do it again this year and maybe even expand!  I am really anxious to have a house and a real garden to plant things in, but for now a potted garden will have to do.

I am trying to be ahead of the game this year because last year I don't think I got anything planted until mid-June so things that needed a longer time to grow, like peppers, didn't fully develop.  Also, I have a lot of sun and so I am excited to grow some tomatoes this year too!  Because what is better than a home-grown tomato?  Basically nothing.

I actually decided that with the tomatoes I was going to go big or go home right off the bat.  I ordered some heirloom tomato seeds online and planted them indoors in a sunny spot today.  If this experiment works, I will be able to transplant them outside in a month or so and have delicious tomatoes in shades of pink, purple, brown, green, and yellow by the end of the summer!  If this experiment fails, I will go buy some seedlings in a month or so and work with that.

Here is my tiny garden so far:


I should also mention that it is sitting in the window on a TV tray (one of those folding trays that always come out at large family gatherings).  I already had a bunch of plants on this tray so I wanted to buy another one, but seriously I went to six actual stores the other day in Saskatoon that should have had TV trays and none did, so I am just going to move those other plants outside (parsley and mint and an orchid that is dying so I might have to throw it out) since it is getting to be nice enough to not kill hardy herbs.

I hope when I'm away that people in my house remember to water these plants so they don't die.  Either way I am just really glad that the snow is melting and reminding me to think about fun summery things like growing plants!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Spaghetti Squash!

I read a lot of food blogs and books and magazines and watch a lot of food shows, so I have heard of spaghetti squash a lot but it always sounded gross to me.  If you have never heard of it, it is squash that comes apart in long, spaghetti-like strands.  I always pictured it as the stringy gross bits inside a pumpkin.  Barf!

However when I was working in Vancouver a couple weeks ago, the amazing caterers on our job site made spaghetti squash for lunch one day and I tried it.  AHH so good!  It was not stringy at all - more pasta-like actually.  I definitely get now how people would use it for a pasta substitute.  It's not mushy at all like other squashes get either; it's an al dente squash.  It's as if it was actually invented to mimic spaghetti.

I bought one for supper tonight and looked up how to cook it.  The easiest method on the internet said to poke some holes in it and microwave it for 12 minutes and then scoop out the seeds and squash.

YUM, like for serious, it is that easy to cook and so delicious.  I put some breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese on mine.  Also - a whole squash makes the equivalent of just under a regular sized box of spaghetti.

This is one of those life-changing food discoveries, like Greek yogurt!  An actual vegetable pasta substitute.  Hooray!


My spaghetti squash supper, served with KFC-style oven-fried chicken.  A supper to be jealous of.

UPDATE:  The seeds are just like pumpkin seeds and you can roast them like pumpkin seeds and they are awesome!!!!  Best food EVER.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Chunky

If you remember my All Bran Audit post, you remember that sometimes there are food mysteries that happen in my house.  Like, why are there 15 boxes of All Bran bars in my house?  Or, where did the cheese go?

The latest mystery is this labeled cream I found in my fridge:


Finding an expired dairy product in your fridge:

Normal person:  Throw it out.

My house:  Label it and leave it in the fridge forever.  Why?  It's a mystery.