I know I said I wasn’t blogging–writing 14 hours a day doesn’t leave a lot of time for the fun stuff–but I came across this article from the Daily Mail (UK) this morning while waiting for the caffeine to hit my bloodstream, and wanted to share it with you.
This woman has ovarian cancer, a bucket list and a fabulous attitude. Truthfully, I’ve never liked the term “bucket list” all that much, but that’s another blog post for another time.
Enjoy.
I won’t be blogging for a week or so, due to finishing book 3 in the trilogy! Heading to Texas next week and then will have lots of photos of musicians, food and all things that Keep Austin Weird. There is a fried avocado taco with my name on it. And a 3 year old’s birthday party. And a 36 year old’s birthday party. And a Texas quilt museum. And fiddlers. Maybe some boots. Oh, and RIBS.
Banjo Man is staying in Rhode Island to monitor the stock market and all things financial, so this Grandma is going to finish her book and party with the Handsome Grandson.
See you in Texas….
Love,
More Pie, who hates hates hates book deadlines and can’t wait to get a good night’s sleep and not set the alarm for five o’clock and make coffee in the dark.
My sister-in-law in North Platte made this casserole last week while we were visiting. She is such a good cook! And she shares recipes, too, which is why I can share it with you. I didn’t take a picture because I was too hungry (I’d worked up an appetite shopping for cowboy boots, you see)! But here she is making our breakfast the next morning, even though we told her not to make our breakfast.
NORTH PLATTE OCTOBER CASSEROLE:
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash (approx. 2), peeled and cut into 2″ chunks
1 TBS olive oil
6 sprigs of fresh thyme (I’ll use dried thyme when I make this, because I don’t have sprigs of anything growing in the vicinity)
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, either in a lump or removed from its casings
1 tsp fennel seeds (I love fennel!!)
1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped (I can’t eat kale so my SIL used fresh spinach instead–wasn’t that nice?)
6 garlic cloves, chopped up
8 0z uncooked rigatoni or similar pasta
2 cups of half-and-half
1 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 13 x 9 casserole dish. Start boiling the water for pasta.
Toss together: squash, olive oil, thyme, 1/4 tsp salt and a shake or two of black pepper on a large baking sheet. Bake 20-25 min until squash is cooked but not mushy. Toss out the thyme sprigs.
Put sausage and fennel seeds in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat. Stir frequently to break up sausage, until meat is cooked and no longer pink. Remove sausage and drain most of the oil. Return pan to stove, turn heat to medium and add kale/spinach and garlic. Saute until spinach wilts, about 4 min. Add 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Turn off heat and put sausage back in the pan.
Cook pasta in boiling water, but cook it for 2 minutes less than the directions on the package. Drain well, toss with sausage mixture. Add half-and-half, chicken broth and 1/2 the cheese and toss. Transfer to baking pan, top with breadcrumbs and remaining cheese. Bake 25 minutes. Serves 8.
****If you’re making this ahead of time, don’t add the liquids (cream, broth and cheese) until you are ready to bake.
I bought a really gorgeous scarf in Sandpoint, Idaho. The shop was lovely and, amidst the clothes and scarves and hats and belts and jewelry, was a display of soaps and lotions.
Or something smelly.
I’m allergic to a lot of perfumes. They make my nose run, they make me sneeze, they give me migraines. There are few floral scents that I can tolerate. My world is filled with products labeled “Unscented”.
I should have sniffed the scarf before I bought it. I wore it once and realized hours later that the sudden constant need for Kleenex was due to the scarf smelling of perfume or perfumed soap or perfumed lotion…
I aired it out. For days.
I should have returned it, but I thought it just needed a little air. Wrong.
I put it inside a ziplock bag filled with baking soda. For weeks.
It is now outside again. It was expensive. And my favorite faded green color. The lace is lovely. I don’t know what it’s made of.
And I can’t wear it. Not yet. Maybe never.
Suggestions, anyone??????
A Man And His Television
A Man and His Flying Cornhusker Hat
Banjo Man has read an article about the benefits of tart cherries. Since he has been consuming cans and cans and cans of tart cherries, he swears the arthritis pain in his knee has disappeared.
Go figure.
Banjo Man reads a lot of articles about health-improving foods. He likes to follow me around the house and tell me all about them.
Which is really fun and interesting, of course.
If you want to read about tart cherries, click HERE.
We started out of Clarion, PA at 8 AM and it looked like this:
We traveled with a big storm, torrents of rain, and tornado warnings all morning.
Here’s New York, when we finally got ahead of the storm.
And Connecticut.
And finally…home. Where Banjo Man stretches his tired legs!
We will be unpacking bags for days.
Banjo Man has now gone to town to get groceries. I offered to stop with him before we arrived home, but he said no. And then I promised I would behave myself, that I would not whine or twitch or hang over the shopping cart and moan about how much time it took to pick out vegetables. But he said he couldn’t take the chance. He said he didn’t believe I could be nice in the grocery store.
I would have, I really would have.
Nine days on the road have made me a more patient person. Or maybe I’m just numb.
It will be so nice to go to the bathroom any time I want, without having to wait for an exit and then get out of the car.
Today I had to wait in line behind 8 Japanese tourists at a gas station/truck stop in Pennsylvania. That was a first.
Another first: tornado warnings.
Another first: wrapping up in a blanket while napping as Banjo Man drove I-84
Another first: the GPS system deciding to go insane and not believe we were on a main road and telling us it would take 6 hours to drive 180 miles.
I think the GPS was as tired as we were after 2991 miles!!!!!!
Four states, eleven hours, 565 miles and a one-hour traffic jam.
Morning in Illinois.
Indiana
Ohio rest stop on the toll road.
Pennsylvania I-80 traffic jam
Fourth of July
Glen the Banjo Man
LIVE at the Dump
is there any more pie? 