New Foods

So we've tried a couple new things recently. Here's my review.

Recipe: Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes

I've been curious about Jerusalem Artichokes/sunchokes for a while. They're not actually chokes, more like the tuber of a certain species of sunflower plants. So when they showed up in my Bountiful Basket co-op share, I figured it was time. They roasted nicely and were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The flavor is mild and sweet, much like sunflower seeds. But something about them made me gag a little. They tasted fine, so it was a mental block. I had a good helping the first day, but I couldn't finish the leftovers.

Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

This wasn't the first time I'd eaten brussels sprouts, but it was my first success cooking them. These were really fresh and beautiful, and they cooked up fantastically. If it weren't for the resulting gas, I could eat these every day. And I don't think I used a full three slices of bacon even. My bacon was frozen, so I just chopped some off the end. I didn't use the olive oil called for in the recipe, just bacon grease.

I kept thinking of my sister Lara the whole time I was enjoying them. She used to request curried meatballs and brussels sprouts for her birthday every year, two dishes I hated. I could almost stomach the meatballs, but brussels sprouts? She couldn't really LIKE them; it had to be a scheme to gross the rest of us out. I still don't think I'll be buying frozen ones anytime soon, but I'm converted otherwise.

Fresh Garbanzo Beans. Image source.

I saw these at Harmons and had to try them. I'd never seen them fresh before, and they're really tasty. Smaller than the dried ones, and they taste like peas. There's usually only one bean per pod, so it's kind of fiddly to eat them. I don't see these becoming a regular in my diet, but they were a tasty novelty.

So there you have my food adventures. More to come, I hope.

HEY! I know him!

Source

Yeah, yeah, J-Lo looks great. But check out that handsome man in sunglasses behind her! That is none other than Thaddeus Welch, my brother's fantastic fiance. Way to go Thaddeus!

Recent Activities

Here are a few pictures of some of the fun things Atticus has been doing.

The "Ugly Bug Ball" at school. He's a caterpillar, and his buddy Caleb is a spider. Caleb's mom is a fly. Don't you love her bug eyes? They're mirrors on a headband. I don't really know Zeke, the blonde kid on the end, but he wanted to be in the picture. Atticus refused to wear his costume except for pictures.

Driving a tractor at Wheeler Farm

Caleb, Henry, and Atticus with the Cat in the Hat for Dr. Seuss's birthday.

Going whole hog

Or really just half a hog. The FFA students at James's school raised a fancy breed of pig for slaughter, and they raffled off half the meat as a fund raiser. James spent $15 on raffle tickets, and yep, we won! He won NINETY POUNDS of pork, which will come in the form of ham, bacon, sausage (Italian and breakfast), and chops. And hopefully a couple roasts and ribs.

One of his coworkers offered to give us an old upright freezer to store it all in. We also plan to share. Needless to say, I'm up for hosting Easter this year, or at least donating the ham.

Any requests?

I think I'm late to this party...

...but I'm really digging Florence + the Machine. It's the perfect music to crank up while cleaning the house on a rainy day. Preferably alone. Just sayin'.

My little singer

So Atticus is in Primary now, and he's learning the songs. He loves to sing. His favorite is "Choose the Right Way," but he likes to spice it up a bit. One night we were singing it, and it went like this:

There's a right way to live and be happy,

It is choosing the right every day.

You betcha!

Complete with plucky hand gesture.

Then the other night he changed the ending to "Choose the wrong way, and be saaaaaad." Today he's been sick, so he ended up on my bed with me after his nap. He was dressed in jammies, fuzzy orange slippers, and his hooded green and yellow striped sweater, pacifier in mouth. His hood was over his face, and his breathing was all raspy, so I couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep. Then I hear a quiet little "... I must always choose the wrong!"

Goodness, I love this goofy kid of ours.

So, um...

I'm not going to try to catch up on the details of the last four months. In case you were worried, we're doing fine. No major developments. Halloween was fun, Christmas was great, I've made goals for the new year, etc. Oh, and we got a new car.

[One detail: the Subaru Outback is the #1 selling car in Salt Lake County. Driving around town I will pass at least 10 other Subarus per outing--no joke, I counted once and got to 10 within 5 blocks of my house. But cross into Utah County, and they're practically nonexistent. We actually drove around the University Mall parking lot looking for them, and we found ONE. Take from that what you will....]

Anywho, I've decided to start updating more regularly. Try to contain your excitement.