Gravity You Bitch!

It is Random Thoughts Tuesday. Sure I could have phoned this one in but nooooo! I fortified myself with a couple of glasses of wine in order to give you the best of my randomness. Okay, so I would have fortified myself anyway but you benefit.

Maybe.

Could be I'm just blowing smoke up your skirts.

Don't wear skirts?

Matt, buddy.....think about it. Truly, you have the legs for it.



Gravity totally sucks. Sure, it keeps your feet on the ground and all but damn if you try to defy it in anyway it pays you back in spades. Need an example? Try putting that one last piece of china on the glass shelf of your china cabinet. What happens? That shelf falls down breaking 20 pieces of antique Spode china.

A cup and saucer will cost me $32 to replace. Luncheon plate another $32. That is a single luncheon plate. Replacing 12 is going to cost me....uh....shit math again. Let's just say a lot. I cried like a baby. The boy was completely stymied. He kept hugging me. My back has bruises from the patting.



It is just me or are there some really sick individuals out there? Sure, I half expected some weird search stats after my blog post entitled Dildo Dogs but dang! Take a look at numbers 2 and 8. Six people out there were looking for dildos for their dogs. Now those are some committed dog owners or dog owners that should be committed.

Huevos rancheros once again it the jackpot. As it's been doing for the last 8 to 10 weeks. Yay, huevos rancheros! You go uh.....eggs!

1. huevos rancheros recipe (21 times)
2. dog dildo (5 times)
3. love story with greek (2 times)
4. are portabella mushrooms ok for dogs? (2 times)
5. michele dog's life (2 times)
6. asparagus gazacho recipe (1 time)
7. witor's noir chocolates (1 time)
8. dildos for dogs (1 time)
9. "portabella mushrooms" (1 time)
10. type of dog mostly love by the greek (1 time)
11. pumpkin and dogs (1 time)
12. vacation at the rest area lol (1 time)
13. white cheese sauce with ricotta cheese (1 time)
14. huevos ranchero recipes (1 time)
15. wordless wednesday (1 time)
16. am i too old for a dog (1 time)
17. what to make with pumpkin ravioli (1 time)
18. label (1 time)
19. sauce for pumpkin ravioli (1 time)
20. i am in love story with greek (1 time)
21. gil elvgren librarian pin up (1 time)
22. 5177 (1 time)
23. please 4: it's a dog's life porn (1 time)
24. what spices to have in your kitchen (1 time)
25. pumpkin dogs (1 time)

WTF, is up with #23? Is there dog porn? If so, I DO.NOT.WANT.TO.KNOW.ABOUT.IT!!!



This is so cool. The Huffington Post has featured the Meatless Monday folks. Come to find out the Huffington Post is going to post Meatless Monday recipes starting next Monday. Now, if I'd get off my lazy arse and send some recipes in I'd hit the big time. Or as big of time I'll ever hit. It might be better than being under Paul McCartney....visually not literally.

Can you think of any recipe I should send in? Which did you like the best?

That does it for me. You all should really head over to Keely's place, The UnMom, to find some of the best randomness to be had. That's right folks! We would never short change you on randonmess.

Love,
M

Mediterranean Diet

I’ve been reading a whole lot about the Mediterranean Diet. Not as a diet to lose weight (though I would not be averse to dropping a few pounds) but because of the health benefits. Since, becoming a vegetarian for health reasons I have taken a keen interest in whatever could augment my diet. Augment it easily, very very easily.

As any good Superhero librarian does when confronted with a reference question I promptly went to my vast secret sources to find articles to support or refute the things I’d been reading in the news sources or on the internet. (You do know that not everything you on the internet are true, right? I thought so. Just testing you.)

After checking on WebMD, the Mayo Clinic (and if you haven’t looked at their site head over there), PubMed, and a few others I came up with a massive amount of research about the topic.

Now, I could bore you into unconsciousness with the approximately 439, 378 reports, research papers, study reports, evidential analyses, and patient surveys. I could rattle on a long-winded explanation of the findings, results and conclusions but I’m pretty sure you people have things to do today.

In the studies I’ve read, (okay, I’ll fess up. I only read the abstracts. Come on people! Have you read these things? They are about as boring as the day is long. They could make a hyper-active, over kinetic, hyped up on caffeine cocaine addict pass out. ) this type of diet offers terrific benefits for cardiac, cancer, longevity health along with a host of others.

So let me sum up.

It seems that a Mediterranean style diet is a pretty good idea.

What is the Mediterranean Diet?

Glad you asked. (you didn’t ask? You meant to)

It’s a diet that favors lots of veggies, nuts, grains, and legumes and very little meat.

So I’ve decided that I’m brutally forcing gently encouraging my family to adopt a more Mediterranean diet. Not that we already aren’t eating this way but I’m going to step it up a notch. With that in mind I went out to the lovely Half Priced Book store in my neighborhood to find a topic specific cookbook.

Look what I found:

Vegetarian Times Cooks Mediterranean

It called to me in a gently reassuring voice; “Michele – you want me. You know you do. Add me to your already burgeoning cookbook shelves. I’m pretty and shiny. I have pictures. I’m fairly cheap”. Really, How could I resist?

Now, my pretties I will be bludgeoning bashing offering up the recipes I try from this cookbook on the Friday Foodie.

But today is Monday and we all know what that means. Go meatless!

Love,

M

PS. As a librarian I couldn’t just leave you without a bibliography now could I? Are you into boring reading material? Are you having trouble sleeping at night? If so check out these links. Notice the colon in the titles? That means they were probably written by academic types. Making them exceedingly boring.

Mediterranean Diet May Boost Longevity

Mediterranean diet: Choose this heart-healthy diet option

The Mediterranean diet revisited: evidence of its effectiveness grows.
Sofi F.

Friday Foodie - Your Mission

Your mission if you chose to accept it is to take 3 vegetables out of your refrigerator and make a meatless meal out of it. Extra points if the items are leftover from another meal.

Ready, get set, go!

Here are my three:




2 baked potatoes - leftover (extra points for me)
2 ears of corn - yeah baby these are leftover also
1 onion - we don't subtract points for fresh or frozen. Now, if you chose a meat. Your point counter goes into negative territory.

Baked Potato and Grilled Corn Chowder
2 medium potatoes, baked
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ears of corn or 1 can kernel corn
2 cups not-fat milk
2 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoon chili powder

Spray corn with that cooking spray stuff. You know, the one in the yellow can. Or in my case the store brand. Way cheaper! Now, rub chili powder on it. ***cough, cough John cough cough** Place on hot grill or under the broiler. Watch it though, you don't want to burn it (is it just me that the broiler hates?) When it has those nice char marks take it off the grill to cool a little.

Bake the potatoes. If you are not using leftovers poke them a few time and stick them in the microwave until almost done. You know the drill. Peel and chop the potatoes. Set off to the side.

Chop the onions.


Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Toss in the onions. Cook into soft.

Add 2 tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Let this cook into it is a light gold color. Sorry, be sure to stir it a lot. Burning is bad.



Add milk. Let it come to a boil. This will thicken it. Turn down to medium again. Add potatoes and corn. Heat through. Salt and pepper and rest of the chili powder to taste.

Serve with crusty whole grain bread and salad.

I used non-fat milk to make this just a little lighter for my dieting friends. We afre all dieting aren't we? You're not? Oh, go ahead....use cream....make me cry. If you want it a little creamery add a little non-fat sour cream.

Mission Accomplished!

Now, what about you? If you need a recipe with your three ingredients please email me. I'll come up with something. Or, Head over to the Meatless Monday recipe site here Or the Epicurious meatless recipes here or Cindy's place at Vegetarian Mamma here


This would make a terrific Meatless Monday meal. It is cheap, easy, and fast (no, I wasn't describing myself. Though I understand how you could be mistaken).

Love,
M

Dear So and So

Kat at 3 Bedroom Bungalow to Let in Crazytown has created this really interesting letter posting thing that I just had to get in on. Why? I have no idea. It is probably because I'm totally fickle and have some minor ADD issues. But, we're not going to talk about that.


Dear Nessa,
I realize that you have a serious OCD ball fetching problem but I am really tired of throwing that damn thing. The marks the ball leaves on the wall when it bounces off are a bitch of get off (thank God for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers). And, dumping your ball into the fountain, puddles and your water dish does not make it anymore fun for me to throw. I refuse to take you to a doggie psychologist, even if there is such a thing. If I can't go, you can't go. So take your ball somewhere else.

Thank you,
Your people mommy



Dear Texas Department of Public Safety,
If making us go through tremendous effort to even get to apply for your damn license then making us wait 4 weeks for said license it to show up isn't bad enough. Expecting us to be happy when You screw up JR's license is a little too much to ask. We are finding it hard to get all warm and fuzzy because you are NOT going to charge us for a new license that you are going to make him come in again to apply for. It is bad enough the he has to take off a half of day of work for you to fix Your mistake. Are you going to be happy that we are not going to charge you for that? Yeah, I thought not.

And, oh, his free pass to the front of the line is no real bonus. He has flown out of Houston every Monday and flown back in every Friday for the last 4 weeks. Do you realize how many times he has been searched by TSA because of your screw up?

Searching him should be my job,
One of your New Texas residents



Dear Tripper,
Will you stop your damn barking? Every time I leave the house you don't have to freak out. Sometimes I'm only taking the garbage out. BTW, you bark is ear piercing. My ears bleed every damn time. So please, please, please knock it off!

Love,
Your people mommy



Dear Idiot Cat,
Bringing a live bird into the house will never endear you to me. The feathers I'm still vacuuming up are gross. Your insistence on looking for said injured bird is disgusting. You are daddy's cat. He is presently out of town. Do the math! With every nasty creature you bring in your chances of ever coming into the house again goes down exponentially.

Sincerely,
The woman with the keys to the house.

Dear People at the Meatless Monday Campaign,
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for adding me to your Who's going Meatless page. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would see my blog on the same page with Paul McCartney. If you could move me up to directly beneath him that would so work for me in more ways than one, if you get my meaning. I kid! Please don't send Nancy after me, she scares me.

Oh, thanks also for letting me add to your logo. Because it is just "One damn day!"

Thanks again. Your faithful advocate,
Michele - It's a Dogs Life.


Well, that was cathartic. Do you all feel better? No? I do. I may actually do this again. Probably not cuz you know....that fickle thing.

Love,
M

Picture Of Yukon Gold Mining

I realize that this is wordless Wednesday but really these photos require a bit of an explanation. So today is Wordy Wednesday for me. Yeah, I know everyday is wordy for me but I digress.

Back to the story here.

My husband's Irish grandfather braved the Chilkoot trail back in 1897. He was one of the first miners to head up to Dawson City in the Yukon Territory. The trail is 33 miles of walking. Uphill both ways. With a ton of supplies. The story goes that you carried some of your supplies up about 5 or so miles dropped them off, came back, picked up some more, dropped those off with the first, then went back for more and so on until you had all your stuffed piled. End of that day. At this rate it took a long time to walk up the trail.

Why didn't they just use pack animals? Good question. Unfortunately, it seems that the conditions were so harsh that the animals just couldn't make it.

Now, I'm no historian (oh wait, I am. Just not on this subject. Ask me about colonial or Revolutionary America and I'm all over that) and I'm way to lazy to do the research right now but there is a whole lot more to this trail then I've scribbled down.

Long story even longer. JR's grandaddy made his way and his fortune up in the Yukon Territory between 1897 to 1909. Him and some other men (we don't know who) established the Eldorado mine.



They are standing in it. Doesn't look like much does it? It seems that you dug a big pit to get the gold out.

In the winter they would stack wood in the pit, set fire to it and let it burn all night. This would melt the permafrost so they could dig out the gold the next day. That is what the logs stacked in the background are for. I'm pretty sure that is why some of the photos I have show the area surrounding the city with no trees. Not very good stewards of the environment, those gold miners but clever.

Grandaddy is the guy on the left above the cook. He's the one with the outrageous mustache. He was quite the character according to my mother-in-law and quite the disciplinarian according to my father-in-law. Interesting how two people remember the same person depending on family ties.

He left the Yukon with $15,000 in gold. More than Nordstrom did. Of course, granddaddy didn't start a shoe store in Seattle either. He went back to Ireland. Found a wife. Brought her over to Seattle to get married. Bought 2500 acres in Eastern Montana to farm. Then lived to the ripe old age of 83. End of story.

Or maybe not. Granddaddy was a wiley old cuss. We are still collecting oil revenues from his farm. Not much, mind you but some. We're not oil barons by any stretch (don't I wish).

Wondering why there are two of the same picture? I couldn't decide this morning if I liked the fixed one or the original. The sepia toned one is the original or at least what it looks like now. Back when this was taken it would have looked like the top one. I have 11 photos from the Yukon that granddaddy and his partners had taken. I'm slowly restoring them. Want to see more photos from the Yukon? The University of Washington has a wonderful digital collection.

Enough history for today. Class dismissed. You all have a great day.

Love,
M

PS: For those of you interested the man who took the photo was Frank E. Wolfe. Frank E. Wolfe owned and operated Wolfe Photo studio in Yukon Territory, Dawson from the late 1890s to around 1920. Wolfe Photo studio was one of the major photographers of the Yukon area gold rush.

RTT - Yeah, it's Brain Droppings Time!

Good Morning Everyone!

I'm hoping for a good day in my neighborhood.

Chances are poor so let's have a bit of a chuckle before the day goes in the crapper.

First, on the hit parade is from the wonderfulness herself, Miss Julie.
We couldn't find a better image of this so I spent a little time
interpreting it for you.

From the top down...
Red: I will never have a job that pays taxes
Blue: I actually cost taxes. You know, with the prison and all....
Green: Socially acceptable rebellion tattoo zone.
Teal: 67% chance of dragons, wings, or equivalent taggy lameness
Purple: Yes, buying me a drink will totally work
Orange: It is only when drunk that I discovered my friends are assholes.
Yellow and black stripes: DANGER. Tattoos here will become humiliating 500% faster than normal.
Greenish yellow: People always want to show their tattoos off. Draw your own conclusions and make an appointment with your local clinic
Pink: Cute Little Princess. Now with Real Tattoo Accessory!

Uhhhhh....I might have wanted to consult this informative chart before I chose my tattoo location.

On South Congress street in Austin, Texas is this terrific barbershop. It comes complete with all the old timey chairs and sinks. Get a look at that Coke machine at the back.

Blue Bell Creamery has become my favorite stopping off point on the way home from Austin. It is about the half way point in the drive. Everyone needs a break about then. Yeah, so I am justifying my latest addiction. What's it to ya?
Blackberry Pie ice cream on Friday. Yummy!

This is my dream car.
Yeah, you know you want it.
Casey? Does it look familiar?

Recent text message between my friend Lisa and I.

Me: OMG Nordstroms has $39 panties. i don't think my ass is worth that much.
Lisa: They must be some mighty fancy panties

Yeah, she's the master of understatement. That's why I love her.



Father's day this weekend.
I gave JR his gift. It's pretty much the same gift he gets every year: Me
Original huh? He likes it and I don't have to shop for it. Win! Win!

That is it for me. I'm just about to fall asleep on my laptop. This would not normally be a problem but the drool would be hard to explain to the repair guys.

You will want to hustle over to Keely's place to check out all the others joining the fun that she likes to call Random Thoughts Tuesday.

Love,
M

How We are Remembered

Sometimes it is not what we remember but how we are remembered that is important. Gravestones quietly weathering time illustrates this point better than any words I could string together. The symbolism in carvings. The words etched in marble. And the placement within family bonds that even death can not fully break.


These symbols of our devotion and sorrow tell a story of a person, a family, a place, and a time. With a little knowledge of the regional history one can imagine a more personal view of the life and events that might have shaped them. I like to imagine. I like to try to connect historical events to the dates on the gravestones.

William E. Parker
Born
Sept 5, 1855
Died
May 13, 1884
He dwelleth in heaven,
yet deep in our hearts
His image is graven
and never departs;
And while we yet linger,
we watch and we wait
Till death, who has parted,
again shall unite
Gone but not forgotten

This stone is elaborate and thoughtful. What must this man have been like? What did he do in his short 29 years of life that warranted the love and devotion that this stone reveals? Did his wife of 6 years remarry. Did he have any children? Was he kind? The urn and cloth at the top of his gravestone is represented on other gravestones within the cemetery. Does it have meaning? If so what?

Sacred to the Memory
George W. Glasscock
Born in Kentucky April 11, 1810
Emigrated to Texas in the
Spring of 1831
Died in Texas February 28the, 1868
He was a soldier in the Ic.......the independence of Texas

A hundred and forty one years have passed. The craving has started to wear. Lichen has slowly taken hold. What an adventurer he was. I wonder why he chose to leave his home at 21 to make his way to wilderness that has Texas. Was he following his brother Joe or did they venture to Texas on their own? Six years later he married Cynthia Knight. He later became a very prominent Texan.

Sacred to the Memory
Cynthia Glasscock
Born
in Tennesse, July 30th, 1815
Emigrated to Texas 1835
Died
November 7th, 1866
Blessed are they who die in the land.

How did she find her way to Texas? Did she follow family? Texas in 1835 was a violent place. Mexico and Texas were waging war with each other. How did this touch her life? She married 2 years after moving to Texas. She gave birth to 6 children. It would be five years before her first child was born. Did she suffer through miscarriages or the monthly pain of not conceiving. Was her life harder then it could have been? George and Cynthia are placed together, with family all around. Their head stones are connected by a lovely pediment as they were in life. Did their children place their stones this way because of the example that George and Cynthia set?

This is not a headstone. The Travis county Historic Commission provided a marker. Sometimes those that need to most be remembered finally are.

This post should have been written for Memorial Day but I think we spend a lot of our year not remembering those that made the history of our lives. We are here because of men and women who were brave or not, stalwart or not, and devoted or not. r maybe I'm just a major history nerd.

Love,
M

The power of Three

I'm at yet again another conference in weird and wacky Austin, Texas. The number 3 keeps cropping up. Let me give some examples of this mysterious phenomena.

3 hour is how long it took to drive up here.

3 meals are served at this conference. I've never gone to a conference that served food. I guess for the 80 bigillion dollars this conference cost they thought they had better serve food. Breakfast = continental = carbs overdose. Lunch = salad for me, BBQ for everyone else. Dinner = reception food = oh yeah, I pigged out.

3 times a day snacks are served; which means I must eat. I would hate to offend anyone by shunning their tasty bite size brownies or chocolate cookies. Who am I to turn that down?

3 the number of days this conference lasts.

3 the number of days I'll never get back.

3 glasses of wine at the reception was probably a bad idea. Maybe not, I can't remember.

23 foreign countries are represented here. When they advertised this as an international conference they weren't kidding.

3 times the energy wasprobably expended to get here by the 1 person who came all the way from Iran than all the other conference goers put together.

3 the number of people I actually know here.

3 is how many times I want to slap the guy 3 seats down from me that won't stop shaking his damn foot and there by shaking the whole row of seats.

3, 333, 333 times I yawned when someone put some crazy algebraic equation in the text heavy powerpoint slide there by making me want to poke their eyes out with a 3 prong fork.

3 the number of times that the speaker used the word pedagogical guidance. Why do I want to call child protective services?


So there is a wrap up of my conference in the power of 3. Sorry about all the text and no pictures. I've had about all the text heavy material I can handle for awhile.

Love,
M

ps: it was so late last night I forgot to title this post. That sounds so much better than I am so lame. We really know which one it is.

Dildo Dogs

Love,
M

Visit the others that post on Wordless Wednesday.

Boring Random Thoughts Tuesday.

Welcome fellow citizens of the blogging world. I give you my random thoughts for Tuesday. Or as I like to call them "the crazy ass things that run through my head". I just have to share. It's a compulsion. Sort of like Nessa's ball fetching OCD.

• What were these people thinking? Have they been channeling my thoughts?
  

• Half of my top ten searches are food related. Pretty exciting stuff, huh.

1. huevos rancheros recipe (9 times)
2. portabella mushrooms (6 times)
3. goofy poems (3 times)
4. michele dogs life (3 times)
5. prom 1978 (2 times)
6. pioneer cooking (2 times)
7. pioneer cooking recipes (1 time)
8. portabella mushrooms stuffed grilled winner (1 time)
9. pictures of gunne sack dresses (1 time)
10. greek portabella mushrooms (1 time)

That huevos rancheros recipe has been the number one result for the last 8 weeks (obviously you all need to go search for it right now , maybe not right now, don't leave quite yet, because 9 times is the lowest it's been in a month. You'll find it on page two of a Google search. Please click on it. Then maybe it will retain it's number one status and I might make the first page of the search. Page 2 is like the homecoming dance princess not the queen. Not quite pretty or popular enough. Which really is the story of my life. **whining pitifully**).

I can only concluded one thing from this; I am boring. Boring and I eat too much. My scale tells me I eat too much I don't need affirmation from my weekly stats. So, I like to eat....sue me!
I guess I need to start swearing more or posting adult content. Tripper's balls were just not good enough. Well, I'll show them. Stay tuned for my Wordless Wednesday post. Oh Yeah!

• New restaurant find for us in Houston. Chuy's. Oh Yeah!!!!

Good food and funky atmosphere. What more could one ask for from a restaurant?
Those are the coolest painted wooden fish hanging from the ceiling. I'm so going to get me some of those for my office. Zoom in on the art piece on the wall. It is made of flattened beer cans and labels. Mixed media; my favorite! (Funny thing is; if you take the picture with the camera on your cell phone there is no zooming in. POS thing only has one size. Drats!)

• I was living in this house for a month before JR showed up. In that whole time not once did I need a toilet plunger. First day he gets here and we have to run to the store for one. It seems that every Sunday he's plunging out the toilet. Damn, he's only here on the weekends. Does he like save it up? How special should I feel that he waits to plug up our toilet?

• Nessa went into the groomers yesterday a matted, dirty, and fluffy dog.

She came out looking like this:

Her teeth were brushed and rinsed with eucalyptus mouthwash .
She was washed, conditioned, and perfumed.
She had a mani/pedi.
Her ears were cleaned.
She had the whole spa treatment.
She has a new lease on life.
A new summer 'do will do that to you.
I'm so jealous.

• Off to another conference in Austin this week. I'm pretty excited about this one. It is an international conference on digital libraries. Yeah, your jealous, I know. There is nothing like a whole bunch of geeky librarians in a town known for being weird. The juxtaposition has not escaped me.

That's enough out of me. You absolutely must head over to see Keely and her motley crew of Random Tuesday Thoughts contributors. I'm pretty sure their search results don't sound like an advertisement for a Mexican cookbook or as my small town Texas friend says "crazy as a peach orchard sow".

Love,
M

PS: this is my 300th post. Aren't you all lucky that I decided not to do a 300 things you absolutely don't need to know about me. You can thank me later.

You can't beat this meat......Meatless Mondays that is.

This job entails a lot of eating out. Lunches with co-workers. Dinners and receptions with contemporaries from my university and from other academic institutions. I try to be cool about this whole thing. I slyly check out whether there is meat in each dish. I don't take it on faith that if I'm having Mexican food there won't be any lard in the beans or chicken stock in the rice, I ask quietly so as not to make a fuss. I pretty much try not to draw attention to the fact that I'm pushing the food around on my plate in order to make it look like I'm eating the chicken salad that was just set in front of me. Wouldn't want to send it back. That might just piss off the catering company. Yeah, I am a freak.

Invariably someone will ask me why I became a vegetarian. This is an easy one. I like the easy questions. Just ask any of the hundreds of teachers I've had over the years. I became a vegetarian for health reasons.

About 15 years ago I had read an article that said that some women who have sever migraines do not process meat protein correctly. At that time I was suffering from no less than 1 migraine per week. You read that right; "1 per week" and those lasted for three days. I figured that if I could cut this number in half I'd be a very very happy woman.

I decided to give up meat of all kinds for 3 months as a trial. In that 3 month period I only had 2 migraines. I then decided that 3 months wasn't a long enough trial. So, I added another 3 months. Lo and behold I didn't have any migraines. I'm now down to 1 migraine or less per year.

Over the years I would occasionally have some fish but all in all I shunned meat. Now, I don't even eat fish, I do eat eggs and I also eat/drink dairy products (I'd go soy for all this but damn have you tasted that stuff?). I've actually become pretty militant about the whole thing lately, no leather shoes, belts or purses. Try finding a decent pair of pumps made of man-made materials and then who's to say that material isn't an oil product. It all becomes pretty confusing.

The first question that anyone asks me after they find out I'm a vegetarian is, "how do you get your protein?" I don't mind when friends or even strangers ask me because I figure it is an opportunity to tell them how easy it is to get protein in your diet without meat but when doctors ask me I get a bit pissed. Do your homework guys. I've even had doctors demand that I have blood tests to confirm that I'm getting enough protein and iron. I pass their tests with flying color every single time.

I'll answer this question for you because you are my friends. I get most of my protein from beans and tofu and all those meatless products.

I don't expect that everyone will want to go totally meatless. JR and the Boy haven't. I do have to say that they only eat meat a couple of times a week (unless they sneak it while I'm not around) and I have stopped cooking it for them. I understand that others really like meat and don't want to give it up. That is why I've been encouraging the Meatless Monday thing for quite awhile now.

Turns out that not only is giving up meat at least one day a week good for you but it is good for the environment. Want more information about all this go to Meatless Mondays

One of the reasons that I like the whole Meatless Monday deal is because it does not demand that one give up meat everyday. It does not bully or try to guilt one into giving up meat. It asks that each person give it up for one day. One day is doable for most people.

There are other groups out there that bully or use guilt to get people to stop eating meat (you know who I'm talking about). I can't really get behind that kind of thing. Everyone needs to come to this in their own way.

Well, there is my soap box for today.

Love,

M

PS. Meatless Monday people I hope you don't mind that I totally stole your logo.

Friday Foodie - Pumpkin Ravioli in Herbed Cheese Sauce

Back in February I picked up about 25 new cookbooks. They weren't really new but they were new to me. One of these cookbooks was the Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook. When we moved into the new house I quickly unpacked the cookbooks. Furniture? Not needed. Clothes? replaceable. Cookbooks? Priceless.

So I'm offering up another scrumptious recipe that makes Meatless Monday painless.

A couple of days ago I picked out this recipe. I modified it just a little in order to take advantage of that great sale I got on cheese. I noted the changes that I made.



Pumpkin Filled Ravioli in Herbed Cream Sauce
Ravioli

1 cup canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato*
Pinch nutmeg*
Dash salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste*
72 wonton wrappers*

* For the mashed sweet potato I used a boxed mix that I got awhile ago on a great sale. I didn't use the nutmeg because the mix had it in there already. I also just used plain black pepper. Really, who has white pepper? That's just way too fancy for me.

* Dang! I used half this many wonton wrappers for the three of us. I still had enough left overs for lunch. I figured on 3 to 4 raviolis per person.

Sauce

one 4 ounce package light cream cheese, at room temperature*
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt*
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon unbleached white flour*
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/4 teaspoon salt
White pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

* I used some soft herb cheese that I had gotten on sale. Another substitutions I made was to use Greek yogurt and regular white flour.



Ravioli: In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the wonton wrappers. Place about 6 wonton wrappers on your lightly floured work surface. mound 1 tablespoon filling in the center, and wet the edges of the wrapper with a little water. Place a second wrapper over the first, pressing down around the filling to expel any air. Seal the edges and trim the excess dough around the filling with a sharp knife or a decorative cookie cutter. Transfer the ravioli to a dry towel. Repeat the process with the remaining wontons. Turnover the ravioli occasionally to let them dry slightly. Yeah, this all sounds like a pain in the butt. It really is not. Doing a half dozen at a time makes it easier.


Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Cook the ravioli in batches of 8 to 12 until they rise to the surface and are tender, about 2 minutes. Do not let the water boil vigorously. Transfer the cooked ravioli to a dishcloth. cover and keep warm.

Sauce: Mash together the softened cheese, yogurt and milk in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Stir over low heat until very smooth. Do not let the sauce boil. Stir in the herbs, salt and pepper (skip this part if you are using herb cheese). Remove from the heat.

To serve: divide the ravioli among 6 individual plates and top with the sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Per serving: 394 cal. 18g protein. 6 g fat. 65g carb. 18mg cholestrol. 299mg Sodium. 13g fiber.

This was a fantastic recipe that everyone in the family loved. The left overs got gobbled up for lunch. For something that seems sort of fancy dancy it wasn't all that hard. I was able to put it together in about 30 minutes. That is my upper time limit for dinner these days. The whole work thing gets in the way.


I used the left over pumpkin mixture to make pumpkin coffee cake. Yumm.

If you like pumpkin give this one a try. You don't have to wait until Thanksgiving for pumpkin anything. It's like eating your desert first. You're all grown up (at least chronologically) so you can get your desert first. Eat your pumpkin out of season! Be a rebel! A rebel without a squash.

Shout out your favorite ravioli ingredients. Got something weird? Like goat's liver? Anthrax ripple?

Love,
M