Author: Elaine

Lightning

I have been unable to explain to Lightning that Schnauzers can get on beds and Shelties can’t because Schnauzers don’t shed and Shelties do.

Make It Fast, Cook It Slow

My sister sent me Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking for Christmas.  This is a cookbook written by Stephanie O’Dea, who challenged herself to use the slow cooker every day in 2008, and documented the results at her web log, A Year of Slow Cooking.  I handed the book and a notepad to Jack asking him to write down the page numbers of a few recipes he would like me to try making.  He filled the sheet of paper with page numbers.

So far we have had Beans and Rice, Tortilla Soup, Bread Pudding and Fish Chowder.  All the recipes have been good, and the Fish Chowder is outstanding. (I used cod as the white fish.)  I have increased some of the seasonings from what was recommended in the book, but have otherwise followed the recipes pretty closely.  I like cooking, but tend to like doing it early in the day, so using a slow cooker is ideal for me.  Not only do I recommend this cookbook, I plan to buy the sequel.

10 Tips for Your New eBook Reader

At Dear Author, Jane gives 10 Tips for Your New eBook Reader . When Jack had a Kindle delivered two and a half years ago, I thought he was crazy.  Now I only regret that the original Kindle is so limited compared to the more recent versions.  I still use it a lot, far more than Jack, and it is looking very grubby these days.  It is especially nice when traveling since it replaces the ten to fifteen pounds of books that I HAD to have as entertainment.

Pikes Peak from Cottonwood Creek Park

I had a little time before an early morning appointment yesterday and was near Cottonwood Creek Park.  I took this from the best vantage point accessible without risking steep icy paths.  (It would have been so embarrassing being featured in the newspaper as “Stupid Woman Rescued from Cottonwood Creek While Taking Photographs.”) It is very odd to see Pikes Peak so bare in January.  Trivia:  Pikes Peak was originally Pike’s Peak, but the apostrophe was removed because Official Names can’t have apostrophes.