Flowers and Food

June 25th, 2009

Why hello there, world!

I apologize for my hermit-ness and non-postage. It's been a while. So, basically, I'm working my little buttski off this summer, living in the Suds and working at two jobs... one full-time, and one part-time! It's a lot of running around, and I'm beginning to feel it. My free evening are precious! And this is one of them! Don't you feel special?

I love summer! LOVE IT. The sunsets over the last few days have been glorious - it's upward of 30 degrees here, and for some reason, the sky is like yeeeeah, paaaarty! It's so nice to go for strolls in the cool of the evening around the neighbourhood... makes me think of how AWESOME it must have been (and will be, in Heaven!) to stroll around with God in the garden of Eden. Wow!

I've been reading a lot of good books - you lady-types out there might like this series I'm reading, called the Yada-Yada Prayer Group:

It's really great. It's so real - you feel like you actually know the characters as dear friends. I love it! I'm finished the second book, and need to go pick up the third at the library soon!

Also, I have some food-related stories for you! Firstly, have any of you seen these before?!?!

They're called "golden raspberries". I was grocery shopping the other day, and they shocked me with their weirdness -- so of course, I had to buy them. Not really that exciting, they taste just like normal raspberries, just in a yellow format. So they were kind of cool for a change, but I couldn't help but thinking that they looked strangely rotten or something.

Secondly, you need to run to your kitchen and make this right now:

It's called curry-glazed chicken, and it's wonderful. Yes. I made that. It made my tumtum happy. Here's the recipe (I always say "ree-sipe" in my head. like, always.)

Curry-Glazed Chicken

1/2 tbsp butter

1/8 cup honey

1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp curry powder

2 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While oven is preheating, measure the butter into a 9x13 inch baking dish, and put it into the oven to melt. When the butter is melted, remove and stir in the honey, mustard, and curry powder. Add the chicken breasts to the pan, turning them over to coat them with the mixture on all sides. Bake for 45 mins, turning the chicken over after 20 mins. Makes 3-4 servings.

The original recipe called for 1/2 tsp of salt, but I forgot to add it and it tasted wonderful anyway. I guess you could add it into the pan with the other stuff, if you're like, really desperate for salt or something. But it's delish. That lovely white-ish fluffy stuff underneath the chicken is couscous, which I had never tried before, but now am best friends with. It's great! Easy as minute rice to make, and a good soaker-upper of sauces. Yum!

Lastly, and not food-related-ly, the other day I came home after a long day at work (haha, lame) and there was a big pickle jar with flowers on it on my porch. Hmm, I thought. I guess the landlord is trying to beautify the place so he can sell the apartment below mine -- you know, make the place a bit more attractive. And THEN, I saw that there was an envelope nestled in the bouquet... and lo and behold, it was from Mark! Who is at camp, making the situation much more romantic and special :) He sent them in with the director, who was running to the city to do some shopping.. and it made my day. Here are the flowers, which are pink peonies, my absolute favourite flower -- and they just so happen to grow at camp :D