A testament to my houskeeping abilities...

The biggest, baddest ass BORIS you could ever imagine finding in a house. Hmmm, do you think I need to clean up around here? What the hell kind of spider is this??? I was on my way out the door and Steven (in the kitchen!!!) says "Uhh, babe, I need a cup or something...quick." and I didn't understand. I picked out a small one and tried to hand it to him but he insisted he needed a BIGGER one. I still didn't understand...til I saw it. *shivers* Isn't it horrid? I'm guessing he might have come in through the garage because of the colder temperatures. Gotta love living with wildlife.

I'm sitting here with brand new socks on my feet today. I finished up my Felici "Coney Island" two-at-a-time toe-up socks last night. Cute! And comfy. One small problem with the cast-off...it's a bit tight and I have to struggle to get the socks over my heels...so I have another lesson to learn before starting the next pair. All in all, very comfy and I love them. I'm very pleased with my first pair of socks!




I spent today hanging with Ashley and knitting, frogging, re-knitting, and finally after ANOTHER frogging, had to face the fact that my Moonlight Mohair yarn will not work for the next project. Ash and I are already planning a trip out to Knit Wits for next week. Besides, I need to get the Cascade 220 to finish my Truly Tasha Shawl. (Sorry I cannot go into details about this new project...it is a gift for a friend who happens to read this blog on a regular basis) I also cooked some mushroom soup while Ash was here and it was *very* yummy. Recipe and photo below.



Hungarian Mushroom Soup (Mollie Katzen - from the Moosewood Cookbook)
Recipe #135215 on RecipeZaar.com

12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 cups onions, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons dill weed
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika (I used regular paprika)
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups stock (I used canned beef stock in place of vegetable stock)
2 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh (I used RealLemon - the little lemon shaped bottled lemon)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Saute onions in 2 Tbsp stock, salt lightly
2. A few minutes later, add mushrooms, 1 tsp dill, 1/2 cup stock or water, soy sauce, and paprika
3. Cover and simmer 15 minutes
4. Melt Butter in large saucepan
5. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, a few minutes
6. Add milk and cook, stirring frequently, over low heat about 10 minutes - until thick.
7. Stir in mushroom mixture and remaining stock.
8. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.
9. Just before serving, add salt, pepper, lemon juice, sour cream, and, if desired, extra dill (1 tsp)
10. Garnish with parsley.

Last night's dinner was great, too so I'm posting that recipe for you. The recipe came from a site called Eversave. www.eversave.com Auntie Lori sent it to me but hadn't tried it. Glad I did! This will definitely go into regular rotation. Sorry, there's no photo for this one.

Chicken and Stuffing, Crock-Pot Style
by Katie Shuler

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 8oz package of herb stuffing
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/4 cups hot water

Place chicken breasts in crockpot. Pour and spread cream of chicken soup over the chicken. In a separate bowl, mix melted butter with the water and add the stuffing. Pour this over the chicken and soup. Cover and bake on low for 4 hours.

Serve with a salad or vegetable as a side.