Rebecca Homecca

Some of you had asked to see the Cabbage I posted about earlier. So I got my resident IT guy to show me how to do pictures. Here’s the infamous cabbage, all packaged and ready to sell at my show. There are pictures of some of my other artwork on my flickr page. It’s not everything that will be at the show, but it will give you a sampling.

I’m a little late posting this week’s menu. That’s because hubs & I had activities all week and Thursday is the first day I have to actually make dinner. I may have forgotten how.

Since I have a freezer full of pork products I am planning on pork chops for tomorrow. I have no plan so far as to how I am going to make them or what I am going to serve them with. Details, details…

Keep an eye out for my Chicken Enchilada recipe later in the week. It is really tasty. It is also a good recipe to have for company, because it seems fancy, but is easy. Also, it has a mild flavor so it will suit everyone.

Friday we are having Panini sandwiches. I make them on my George Forman grill. I like to use sourdough bread, ham, (sometimes salami too), swiss or provolone cheese, Italian dressing and a little Mrs. Dash. It is a nice quick dinner.

Sunday we are going to a Super Bowl party. Oh, that’s right, you’re not allowed to call it that anymore. We are going to a mediocre bowl party. I have an easy go to “snack to pass” I will share with you later in the week also.

Tonight is all about laundry, and it just buzzed. Which means the cat is in having a snack, and I need to get folding!

Long story short, My art class was canceled and it would have been really helpful had I not waited until I pulled in the parking lot, noticed the instructor’s van was not there yet, and then checked my voicemail.

DOH!

I often go grocery shopping after class and that was plan tonight. So I went grocery shopping instead of going to class. Since I had already gotten dinner I called hubs and told him he was still on his own, and I was going shopping.

So essentially, I drove 1/2 an hour to go grocery shopping and eat at Taco Bell. I had intended to eat at the slightly healthier Jimmy Johns, but the fact of the matter is, it was raining really hard and they don’t have a drive thru. And before you judge, it was raining so hard I considered not going to class because I was concerned about having to drive in that after dark and the weather people have been predicting doom and gloom all day. If only I had listened to my better judgment and gone home.

So anyhoo, at the grocery store I made a few interesting observations.

#1 – Why is it so hot up by the cashiers? Every once in a while I am standing in line and get so hot I feel sick and am afraid I may pass out. Which makes me anxious and probably makes the situation worse. But seriously, are they pumping heat up there to warm the cashiers or what? And if so, it was like 50 degrees today! You can take it down a notch.

#2- This particular store has TV’s playing while you stand in line. They play commercials (of course) for products and tv shows. If you are going to bombard me with these advertisements, I don’t think it is too much to ask that you get me through the line before the loop starts over. Because after 4 repeats, that According to Jim clip is getting a little old. And quite frankly, it was not funny the first time.

As a little side story-

While standing in line there was a lady with a little girl in the cart behind me. As I was walking away and they were moving up towards the cashier and I hear the little girl ask

“Are you a Grandma?”

Thank goodness, she was.

It was down pouring when I left, which meant I had to load my car in rain. That was a bummer. But not as much as this poor woman who apparently could not find her car and was running back and forth through the parking lot.

Rumor has it New Kids on the Block are reuniting. They have had 5 Top 5 singles. Since they are not really new or kids anymore, I thought I would help them out with a new top five list.

1. Step by Step with a walker

2. Loose skin Hangin’ Tough

3. I’ll Be Loving You Forever and by forever I mean five minutes because my mind is going and I may not remember who you are…

4. You Got It (The Right Stuff), like a good 401k

5. Please Don’t Go to Florida for the winter Girl

PS Jordan is still my favorite

We went to pick hub’s Nova from his parents yesterday. Here is how my day went.

Driving – to Hub’s parents
Waiting – at in laws place while Hubs gets tires on and car put on trailer

Driving – to the garage (aka rehab) where his baby will live for a while

Waiting - at the garage while the guys move the car into place, and then stand around being giddy

Driving - to my parents house to return the truck and then back home.

I did not really do much, other than drive and wait, but when I was done I was exhausted!

In the morning when the alarm goes off, I usually lay there for about 10 minutes before I actually get up. I realize this is very dangerous, but I like to ease into my day. I am not a morning person and jumping up at the sound of some crazy buzzer puts me on edge.

So this morning-

Alarm goes off

Hubs “Your alarm went off”

Me “ok”

One hour later…

Me (smack hubs on the arm) “It Seven O’Clock!”

Hubs “Oh Crap!”

So no shower for me, but still managed to make it to work on time. Luckily no unexpected snow storms came our way!!

Southwest Soup (aka Bean Dip Soup)

I call this bean dip soup, but it actually isn’t like bean dip at all. The first time I made I was worried that the use of refried beans would make it thick, like bean dip. I was discussing it with my friend Em, (who also tried it and loves it) and the name stuck. It is one of my favorite things to eat for lunch. I make a big batch, then put it in single serve containers, and freeze it. Then in the mornings I can just grab one and by lunchtime it’s thawed out enough to warm up in the microwave. I like to have it with a little veggie tray (cukes, carrots, celery) because the cool veggies are a nice contract to the spicy soup. This is one of those things I no longer need the recipe for and I use whatever varieties of beans and tomatoes that I have on hand.

Difficulty: Easy

Healthy: Very

Hubsand: Does not like

Ingredients List:

1 Can of Refried Beans (I like fat free or vegetarian for extra healthy)

2 Cans of tomatoes (I use one spicy and one regular. You can use both regular, but try the spicy-it’s good)

1 Can of Low Salt Chicken Broth (or veggie broth if you are vegetarian)

Onions & Garlic chopped -About 1/2 and onion and 1 clove

Cilantro or Flat Leaf Parsley chopped ( I like it best w/ cilantro, but I know not everyone digs that flavor. You could leave it out all together, but it adds a nice “fresh” taste to all the canned ingredients.)

Chips or tortilla strips (optional)

1. Saute Onions and Garlic in a little olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot. You can skip this step if you are in a hurry. It does add a nice background flavor though.

2. Add Beans and Chicken Broth. Stir until the beans are mixed in.

3. Add the tomatoes. Let it simmer for a while so the flavors can meld together.

4. Add the Cilantro. If you are freezing it- either leave the cilantro out and add when you eat it or chop it really small. I put my in the food processor. It can get a little weird in the freezer.

5. Serve with the strips or chips on top. I like to mix them in a few at a time so they hold some crunch. If you want to make your own tortilla strips just slice up a tortilla and bake at 350 until crisp. Otherwise you can just use tortilla chips that are a little smashed up. The more stale the better on the chips. It’s a great way to use up the bottom of a bag. You can leave the chips out if you are concerned about the calories. I like them, and I figure I use about 2-3 whole chips for one bowl, so I figure it is worth it. Especially considering how low cal the soup is. Just don’t eat a handful on the side. Not that I have ever done that!

6. Enjoy! And mix it up. I have added a handful of frozen corn, which gives it a little sweet note. You could add some cooked chicken, rice or barley, whatever you like. Keep in mind adding ingredients also add calories! I think it would be awesome with a little cheese and a dollop of sour cream, but I don’t go down that road.

Also a Tip about freezing soups: They should be cooled in the fridge first and then put in the freezer. It will cut down on frost and freezer burn.

Not much happening today. Hubs is in class, so me and Marvin are just hanging out on the couch, watching Girl Interrupted for the hundredth time. I don’t know how I let myself get sucked into that movie every time. I think it’s Wynona’s cute pixie haircut. But it always makes me think I am going crazy. Also, it plays the song “Downtown” which I can not stand. I am also somewhat disturbed by Angelina Jolie’s ginormous lips. They are a little distracting.

While that was going I was doing laundry and looking on the internet looking at random things and at houses for sale. No new prospects on the house front, but some interesting internet stuff.

I just watched a video on Yahoo about a stage production called Mortified Live. It has people read from there teenage journals, and is quite funny. I did not really keep a journal, but I can imagine. Although, Since I am trying to block out years 13-17, not sure if I would want to go there anyway.

Dear Diary,

I got some new acid washed jeans with holes in the knees today. I look so rad with them tucked into my black suede boots. It’s raining so I had to double up on the Aquanet to keep my bangs up. There’s only one girl with taller bangs than me, and I would like to keep it that way.

At least that’s how I remember it. And those boots were awesome, by the way.

——–
Also, I mailed my invitations for my art show reception. I’m freaking out a little. Parties make me anxious. I am always afraid no one will come (I have a history of that). I know of a few people that will be there for sure, so I should not be so worried! But I can’t help it! If you got one, don’t feel obligated to come, despite my previous comment. I don’t want to cause any unwarranted guilt on anyone! I just thought they were so pretty I wanted everyone to get a little springtime in their mailbox.

Dear Diary,

Only 1 person came to my birthday party sleep over, other than my cousin. I heard that people were going to a party at W’s house instead. We had fun anyway. We watched a movie, ate popcorn, and stayed up and laughed almost all night.

That totally happened. And W was the girl with the taller bangs than me. I did not realize how much competition we were in until just now. See it is not good to go back to high school!

I’ve had the crud for about a week and half. So my co-workers thought I needed to call the doctor. I kind of thought I could just wait it out, but Em said I should call the nurse and see what she thinks.

Well, she thinks I have bronchitis and wants to make sure I don’t have pneumonia (No snickering from the MIL!), so I should come in today. Alrighty then.

I just left the doctor and I do not have bronchitis or pneumonia. However, there are two strains of crud going around, and I managed to catch them both.

I was telling him that I was feeling better over the weekend, and then Monday and Tuesday I started having a relapse. I had chills and my nose got more stuffed up, etc. Those were all the symptoms of strain #2.

So, just as I was getting over #1, I got #2. The good news is, that while #1 lasts 2 weeks, #2 only lasts 3-4 days.

I am hoping the Three (count them three) different meds he has me on will shorten it even more, or at least make me cough less and sleep more.

Oh, and I wanted to let AJ know that they took my blood pressure, and I am totally normal. So the high reading we got during the at home test at Christmas must have been from all the food I ate.

Em wants to know – How do you keep from crying when cutting an onion?

I have heard lots of reasons for crying when cutting an onion. I also think there are some onions that a just so juicy that no tip will help. But what I hear is that if you knife is too dull, you will cry more. A sharp knife will make a quick, neat slice keeping tears at bay.

However, I find the best way is to use a hand chopper similar to this.

Do you have any tips?