First gas hike of the year: $3.04

Cousins

I was with my cousins over the holidays. One, I said goodbye to. One, I met.

The world is constantly changing, ever expanding our understanding and gratitude for those who have made an indelible mark on our lives, and those who will.

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Last fill up of the year

Happy New Year to everyone!! I hope that 2012 is fueled by more peace, love and comfort around the world!

Gas price $2.98 – 12-31-11

 

Penguin sighting – Kansas City

Thanks to Trader Joes, we have more penguins in Kansas City than we can eat…

Penguins in the bag

But not everyone likes eating penguins. Here are some other options:

Watch penguins

Watch more penguins

Read about penguins and send a penguin ecard

Use penguins as your wallpaper

Cheery winter centerpiece

Something good is happening on my dining room table…

Cheery winter centerpiece

Flowers are such a luxury when you have to buy them. I was having house guests a couple of weekends ago, so I splurged and decorated with daisies and hydrangeas and tea roses.

Most of the flowers went into traditional vases, but I paired these daisy-like flowers with Christmasy strands of silver sparkles and created a low-riding centerpiece.

Two locals I love

I was out and about today and ran across two locally produced items that I thought would be the perfect duo to start the “What I love locally” conversation.

1) Shatto milk

Shatto milk: Tasty and local

2) Tastebud magazine

I love the recipes, tips, restaurant reviews and sage advice…and basil advice…and : )

Tastebud magazine

What are some of your favorites? In Kansas City or where you live, if it’s not K.C.?

Gas price $3.15

Gas went down two cents from last week.

Gas $3.15, Nov. 5, 2011

Soup’s on: Okra stew

I’ve been in a soup-making mood for weeks…but there wasn’t enough time to really dig into it. And then there’s the decision to make – what kind of soup?

I’ve been missing my usual storehouse of gazpacho. The summer flew by with only one batch. *Sigh* However, with the leaves dressed to walk the autumn runway and a chillier breeze in the air, the comfort, warmth and deliciousness factor turned my attention to French onion soup.

THEN, this morning, a package of ground beef-like soy (Boca burger bits) caught my attention in the freezer looking neglected. So, I put veggie chili on this week’s menu and went to gather a few extra provisions…

But then I saw cans of okra.  So the first stew/soup of the season became (drum roll, please) Okra stew.

Here are the main ingredients I assembled:

Ingredients for okra stew

Almost everything made it in – the squash was saved for later, and I used only one can of okra. And I included some sea salt and a small glass of dry red wine:

Added some dry red wine

The stew simmered for about an hour.

Simmering stew

Then I couldn’t take it any longer…I had to have some! I added some chicken, but I think that was too much. I also added a few drops of green Tabasco Sauce. Other thoughts for variations: Add tofu; sprinkle mozzarella or Parmesan cheese on top. With the cheese, maybe I’m just trying to turn it into a French vegetable soup?

Bon appetite!

Gas price $3.17

What a difference a month…or two or three…makes! The gas price has dropped by 45 cents! I hope that this trend continues into the winter. Or, is that just encouraging us to use gas instead of being more conscious of oil consumption? What do you think?

Gas price Oct. 30, 2011

 

Neighborhood Block Party – 9/11/11

The weather was amazing. It might have seemed strange to hold our yearly block party on the 10th anniversary of the twin towers terrorist attacks, but actually it was appropriately joyous and life affirming.

The kids kicked off the evening with a “parade” down the street, waving flags and blowing party horns. It was good to gather and celebrate another year. And the weather was the best for a block party evening that anyone could remember.

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