Cook-o-rama

So aside from the blinding headache I had for a good portion of yesterday, this has been a pretty darned nice weekend.

We started by picking up P's bike in Harrisburg. And I took pictures today, so when he sends them to me, you can see the real deal, but for the meantime, this is pretty much what his looks like- it's a 1999 Ducati Super Sport 750. His doesn't have that dorky black thing on the gas tank, though. And it's shiny. And it's red. And it's really, really pretty.

Saturday morning I snagged enough groceries to make tons of tasty food for the next few weeks, and then started cooking. Before I got sidelined I made:

Lentil Crunchies , some hummus (and learned that tahini is not something you want to taste just plain (ptui!), and yet another batch of roasted cauliflower.

Right now, there's a batch of Tofu You Didn't! shells on my counter, waiting for the oven to finish cleaning. I did modify these slightly, with some cooked peppers and onions sauteed with fresh spinach to go in the filling, but they smelled good. The real test will be seeing if my dad notices anything awry. (All I've told him is that they're "Veggie stuffed shells" and that he will eat them, and enjoy them.)

So really, this should just be an ancillary blog, or perhaps part of the 28 Cooks comments, because lately, that's all I've been cooking... heh. However, The fabulous ET has sent me some ass-kicking recipes, and they are likely to be kicked out by week's end.

So now that the cooking content is out of the way- I have to ask you guys- what the hell do you buy a 5 year old for her birthday? She is not lacking for toys, so I really don't feel the need to add to her stash, unless it's something unique. She's exceptionally bright and inquisitive, Books are my old stand-by, but I could use some suggestions. The theme is Disney Princesses, but frankly? I don't really "do" Disney. Any ideas?

And in the "Oh HELL yes!" department, I guess that being unemployed for a large portion of this past year was a blessing in disguise, as I am getting enough money back to do 1st month's and probably security on an apartment. Perfect timing, as this is about the time that the property management people are supposed to start calling. I just want a small 1BR, within walking distance of work, so we'll see what happens...

In the meantime, hope you and yours are swell. Steelers content to come...