What's New?

Cauliflower

This vegetable is not in heavy rotation at our house. Not for dislike, but rather because I don't know what to do with it. Other than serve it raw, or in a marinated salad (my contribution to our 2009 Thanksgiving dinner) I have always drawn a blank. Until I came across a little blurb in one of my magazines about mashed cauliflower. So I gave it a try last night - very tasty!
Far fewer carbs than mashed potatoes, and aside from a bit grainier texture, I'd say they are just as good.

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower (medium), cut into florets
1 sweet yellow onion (medium), cut into rings
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup buttermilk
salt & pepper

Steam or blanch the cauliflower until it's fork tender.
Saute the sweet onions.
Add all ingredients to a food processor and "process" until smooth.

The texture is a bit grainy, but also creamy, and the onions make it quite sweet! I imagine that you can add/subtract any number of items to suit specific taste preferences. Next time I'll add a bit of cumin...



Kindle Fire

Mike bought me a Kindle Fire for Christmas, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I haven't given up books, but having the Kindle has become incredibly handy, particularly since I've had to ride the bus for the last 6 weeks. The Fire is also awesome because it's a fully-functioning tablet, allowing me to access the internet, email, play games, watch movies, etc.  I've taken full advantage of the Amazon Prime lending library too (I just finished Sugarland, which I fully recommend).

Zumba

Old to many, but new to me. This is my second week of trying Zumba and I really like it. I think that I'll love it as soon as I learn all the moves and don't have to think so much. I get bored easily so every year I try to find a new exercise regimen. Since I love to dance, Zumba is a good fit. And an hour of exercise has never gone by so fast!

Mosaic

Mike and I signed up for a class through Portland Community College and we met for the first time last week. We spent the weekend picking up tools, sifting through bins of stained glass and searching the web for image inspiration. This Saturday is our big workshop day and I can't wait to see what we create by the end of it.