Rainy Saturday

It feels like its been winter for about a year around here.  This winter has been so cold and dreary.  The summer seems like so long ago.  I have always been a non-winter lover anyway, but this year seems worse then usual.  I crave the long daylight hours and the feel of the warm sun on my skin.  The sun, to me, is a natural antidepressant.  I planted about two hundred bulbs in the fall and am checking daily to see if there are any signs of green popping through the dark frozen earth yet.  Yes, I know its only early February, but one of the joys of living in Virginia is that at the end of February one can rejoice to the daffodils in all their glory and know that the warm, long spring and summer days are not far behind.  To satisfy my green thumb though in this non-growing, dormant time of year I have been enjoying the growth of my Amaryllis bulb that I received as a  Christmas present.  It seems like it grows almost an inch a day and looks strangely....well, strangely phallic.Check it out!

It will soon burst into a big, bright red bloom.

The best recipe of last week was Stuffed Peppers. I took the peppers and cut them in half and parboiled them. Then I added cooked orzo mixed with garbanzo beans, sauteed shallots with a bit of minced garlic, dried cranberries, and marinara sauce. I topped them with just a little bit of chopped hazel nuts and half of them were topped with feta cheese and the other half with asiago (the boys don't like feta) Bake for 25 minutes at 350 and serve with crusty bread.  There was not a single leftover.

My oldest boy Max just asked me how to mop the floor, should I be suspicious?  As I look up from typing this blog I see giant sized muddy paw prints from one end of the house to the other.  Jeter (120 pounds of golden retriever love) decided to play in the mud while the boys were outside playing extreme rain basketball. Max really wants me to take him to Kroger to stock up on snacks for the super bowl tomorrow, so I'm guessing that might have something to do with his generosity.
 Tomorrow for Super Bowl, (even though I work 12 tomorrow, I will be home for most of it) the dinner plan is chili dogs.  Fantastic Brand makes excellent Vegetarian Chili Mix (I add two cans of beans and a can of diced tomatoes) Real Hebrew National Hot Dogs for the meat eaters and Smart Dogs for the non-meat eaters. Usually I am asleep by half time :)