Super Sunny Saturday

Last night, I was thinking, 'What a difference a week makes.'  On Wednesday night (really Thursday, because it was 2 a.m.) I began to be sick.  At 4 a.m. I was REALLY sick.  So all day Thursday, I did not eat anything and I basically napped all day.  There may have been a low grade fever and other stuff thrown in, but at least I was not actively sick.

Yesterday,  it took me until 12:30 p.m. to get up the courage to eat something.  I think it was a scrambled egg. Anyway, I'm fine now, but weak. So that's why it's Saturday night and I haven't been out of the house since Wednesday.

I'm waiting for some vegan chili to finish cooking.

This is my recipe, so feel free to use it:

Veggie Chili

Half a roll of Gimme Lean ground beef style
3 to 4 cubano peppers, chopped (no seeds!)
one large sweet red pepper, chopped
one large onion, diced
diced garlic -- about a tablespoon unless you want more (I buy it in a jar)
chili powder, to taste -- start with one tablespoon and taste
1 Cup spaghetti sauce (or more, it's to taste)
1 can black beans (or any color you want, pink, white, etc.)
frozen corn niblets (optional)
olive oil

Put about 2 Tbs. olive into a heated pot; add the onions and peppers.  Add the garlic.  Divide the Gimme Lean into thick strips so you can cut off pieces about a half inch big. The stuff is sticky, so make the hunks as big as you need to.  Throw that in.  Add the chili.  Add the tomato sauce (you may have to add water). Add the beans and corn last to heat.  Rinse the beans (I used low sodium).  Serve over rice.  This is plenty for 4 or more if you're serving really skinny people.

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Wow, it has been a really long time since I watched NFL hockey! Who knew that Tampa Bay of all things is giving the Chicago Blackhawks a run for their money in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? I had forgotten how much I like watching the guys wheel around like crazed seagulls after a fishing boat.  I also still hate the fights -- this one was an obligatory show of testosterone after the end of the second period. Ten minutes was enough and I even got to see a goal scored!

[Sunday update: I just watched a video of the Chicago Art Institute lion's getting Blackhawks' helmets.  Interesting! No, the Blackhawks didn't win.] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%


Another Netflix hit in my opinion: Taxi Brooklyn.  A white female detective (Cat) in NYC keeps crashing cruisers and frustrating her captain, so he leaves her without a vehicle.  She meets Leo a black taxi driver from France who has a documents problem. He ends up being her driver.  To be honest, I find him to be a much more engaging character, partly because he keeps speaking French (they use subtitles) and he often insults her without her knowing it. Of course, he's sexy and a gentleman ... well, you know the formula.

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I saw Hallie Ephron's recipe for shrimps and grits which sounded good, but I don't really like the idea of adding cream cheese. I'm going to have to look up some recipes because now that she mentioned it (on Jungle Red online newsletter), I really want it!

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I missed it.  Today was Hadley's asparagus festival.  Apparently, our sister city of Kanegasaki, Japan, is nuts about asparagus.  And they have a little boy and girl asparagus.  One is named aspara and the other is gus. (I imagine it's different in Japanese.) By the way, the Japanese do not have broccoli.  Who knew?
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I figured out tonight that it's not a good idea to watch Hoarders while eating supper.  The rodent and bug infestation got to me ...

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My neighbors, the McCabes, heard that I was sick and brought me flowers from their garden and a pecan pie (my all time favorite!).  I thanked them heartily, but had to freeze the pie. I need to save it for when I can share it and when I'm feeling better.  :)

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All Sunday updates are in blue.

I want to borrow a cup of elbow grease, please.  Phew! Who was it that let my stove drip pans get so baked on, icky?  Anyway, I have a question: does that soap in SOS pads really do anything? Or is it just the abrasive stainless steel pad that does all of the work? Because I hate it when that blue soap gets under my nails and I still have hours of scrubbing left.

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I went out to the garden.

Chives anyone? We have lots! 

It's hard to see the iris on the left because they are almost done blooming.

The lupines are showy little devils, aren't they?

Don't think you can see the buds, but these are actually flowers, as opposed to weeds.

I lost some blue bells, but oh well.  I really need to put a lot of time in there weeding and mulching, but don't know if I'm up to it.  Maybe I can enlist Miguel again -- to cut bushes.  It's beginning to look like Sleeping Beauty's castle.  The lawn looks good because luckily my lawn mower guy has been coming by.

Oh, I was happy to see the raspberries have resurrected themselves. While it is convenient, I wasn't too thrilled that they reappeared through the deck floor.