In addition to watching more TV in one day than I normally do in an entire week, I also attempted something new in the kitchen and cooked up a batch of chicken & dumplings as it seemed like the perfect meal for a chilly, rainy November day. A friend from work had mentioned chicken & dumplings on her Facebook status a few weeks ago and I had been wanting to try making it ever since. I more or less wingd it sans recipe and I'm happy to say it turned out quite well along with the mashed potatoes that are invisible in this picture. Amanda declared it to be very good even though she wasn't too keen on the corn. I know that most people use peas along with the carrots but she hates peas even worse than corn so I sort of compromised and went with corn though I guess I could have used green beans as she tolerates those the best.Quite unfortunately it doesn't appear like we are going to be able to get Rufus to come into the house and make himself at home. As I mentioned the other day, we were trying to take in one of the neighborhood strays who is a very handsome cat and quite friendly but every time he comes in the house, he simply sits at the back door and howls to go back out. It's a shame as I really like Rufus, which coming from me as a non-cat person is quite the compliment. Amanda would still like to have a cat, though, so we are keeping our eyes open for other possibilities pending approval from my landlady to have one. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind but I do believe a deposit may be required.
Remember our trip down to Baltimore for Edgar Allan Poe's funeral back in October? Well, Amanda's favorite illustrator who was one of the speakers at the funeral put up a video on YouTube yesterday and much to her delight it contains a picture of her and Darci at the previous day's book-singing. The video also highlights the best parts of Gris Grimly's eulogy and Amanda totally loved hearing it again. I was rather flattered that several of my pictures from the day were used in the making of the video which you can watch by clicking here if you'd like. I believe it gives me a few extra 'cool points' amongst Amanda and her cronies.A blogging friend (hi Gracie!) sent me an email yesterday asking me about doing a calendar with some of my photos on Red Bubble saying that if I did, she'd dearly love one. Hmm ... truth be told, I haven't done anything with my account on Red Bubble in a long time but perhaps I will put together a calendar just to see what it looks like. The tricky part would be picking just the right picture for each month but it could be kind of fun, too. Gracie, I will let you know! Any suggestions for photo choices?
Finally, a big thank you to my mom who decided to give me my Christmas present quite early this year in the form of a Comfort Furnace infrared heater. My mom knew that I was majorly concerned about what the cost of electric heat was going to be like this year so she did some research and bought me a unit that claims it will heat 1,000 square feet. I don't know if that's accurate or not but we set it up in the living room last night and it did a great job there as well as into the dining room and the kitchen. Havng a brick house it's been pretty chilly in here lately but for the past two days it's been quite comfy cozy without the added stress of the electric bill. My mom is truly the best and in this case, I don't mind Christmas coming early at all!
Wishing everyone the best Sunday!
A day just relaxing in your jimjams with great comfort food and John Barrowman sounds just the ticket!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great early Christmas present your mom gave you! :)
Lots of good stuff reported here that I am quite happy to hear about. I'd love a sample of that chicken 'n dumplings...one of my faves!
ReplyDeleteStay (cheaply)warm (thanks to your smart/sweet Mom!). Our heat has been on far too much already this crazy, cool fall.
Big hugs, honey. Enjoy your day...
We had to strays hanging around, my roommate's mother finally caught the one and she's staying at her house for the time being.
ReplyDeleteShe's not sure if she will keep the stray or not as it'll cost a lot of money to get her all fixed up but I have a feeling she'll stay.
all very interesting stuff my friend. as to the c&d? it looks delicious but nothing like mine. i don't put in any veggies, just chicken, broth, and dumplings which thicken it as it cooks. sarge's favorite meal!
ReplyDeletesmiles, bee
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Well, maybe Rufus can be your outdoor kitty?
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm with Amanda...peas are GACK!
Chicken & dumplings = one of our favorites. Maybe tomorrow for us. Tonight = meatloaf, baked tates, and green beans :o)
ReplyDeleteummm, you put veggies in chicken and dumplings??? eh?
ReplyDeletemust be a yankee thing.
Will watch the video. You definitely get cool mom points. Doctor Who December 19 Waters of Mars (only three to go with Tennant)
ReplyDeleteRampant Scotland has their free calendar for people to print with four pictures possible for each month. You might want to give it a look see for the calendar portion
Calendar
I'd go for a weekly calendar! Just kidding, but I still will purchase one. I bet the folks at work would buy one!
ReplyDeleteYour chicken and dumps looks great! Isn't it funny how we all think of different variations on a theme? I don't think it matters whether or not you add veggies or which ones.
Have a great, WARM, week (thanks, mom....)!
~~~Blessings~~~
p.s. My cuz lives in the mountains right out of Redlands/Mentone. She uses propane, but mainly for her D/W and dryer. She uses a room heater and her fireplace. Her last bill had a "surcharge" because she wasn't using ENOUGH propane, and it was higher than if she had used the amount of propane they are advocating. Believe me, she's spent a lot of time on the phone and writing letters. Talk about STUPID!!! We're sure seeing a lot of that recently.
Your chicken and dumplings look pretty darned inviting!
ReplyDeleteAnd, if you are in the market for a cat -I just happen to have four beautiful kittens here to choose from! You can make a selection and Mandy and I will meet you half-way between Connecticut and central PA -to deliver him/her! One calico (female) -a puffball of grey/white patches, really pretty. The other three -all males -are orange cats. The largest of the litter is really a handsome dude though -a fluffball with white face and chest and orange coat otherwise. The remaining two are smaller and solid orange tigers. All four are playful and friendly too -even around dogs as they have made friends with Sammy, the dog, although Nina, the Mama cat, hasn't gone that far as yet! Ever the hisser and protector of her progeny, ya know.
Saturday was a wash out. I ended up sitting on the couch and catching up on my reading ;)
ReplyDeleteI've always said, we do not choose the cat. The cat chooses you. Each one I've had through the years has just shown up at our house and decided to stay.
Have fun putting together a calendar. I truly enjoy your photography. You have a great eye!
That looks yummy, but I am a southern gal so my chicken and dumpling is completly different from this. I boil the chicken then remove from the pot leaving the broth. Add milk (about 2 cups) and bring to a boil. to this add "dumplings" which can be bought frozen or homemade. I make a simple biscuit dough recipe. You cut or tear the dumplings into strips and drop them into the broth/milk while it is boiling. Gently stir while cooking. They will puff up and tender so it takes up the both into the dumpling. You can cut up bits of chicken if you want to add to the broth but do not thicken with the chicken. It should be mostly dumplings.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy
ohmygosh that looks yummy and comforting and warm.
ReplyDeleteI'm SO hungry right at this moment...
Man, the chicken and dumplings look good!
ReplyDelete