Mystery Box

Remember when I threw down the gauntlet at all you foodies with our own version of virtual Chopped?

Well you big chickens - no one dared take me on. I see you there hiding behind your avatars, knees shaking and teeth chattering, fearful of my culinary prowess. Sad, so so sad.

Well I have discovered another blogger who likes to take on challenges and experiment in the kitchen without fear of shame and ridicule... or salmonella.

C.G. - a self-proclaimed wino and foodie - started Mystery Ingredients Challenge a few months back...and she even gives prizes. This month's ingredients are tomatoes, milk, and blue cheese.

So I'm taking my knives and going to her house to play...at least virtually.

Beaches

While we are dog sitting for Tuesday this week, her new family is off to Florida. I suppose if I had three young boys Orlando vacations would entice me a little more than they do.

However, the idea of running through a theme park with the crowds, heat and ungodly expensive prices is not a pleasant one. I would much rather be on the beach…anywhere, even Florida.

New Oscar

We are doing a temporary foster for another foster while she is out of town this weekend. I think this may confuse our dogs though. This dog's name is Oscar, just like the first foster we had.



Isn't he a handsome boy? He looks like Tramp from My Three Sons - okay, I just dated myself.

The only difference, and you can't see this in the photo, is he only has 3 legs. He was found as a stray and surviving fine. Dogs are so amazing. What would traumatize us humans is a walk in the park (literally) for them.

We will have Oscar until Monday. However Tuesday comes back for a week-long visit on Saturday (confused yet?).

Our doggie door is a revolving one.

Finally

I have finally discovered the best diet pills….Mucinex D.

Though I am sure Claritin and Nyquil all serve the same purpose.

It isn’t that they take away your hunger, they take away your taste capability. And if you can’t taste – why bother to eat? Everything tastes like cardboard.

Wonder how long you can take those safely?

Don’t panic, I am just joking.

CSA: Version Deux

Last year, we did the produce CSA thing with moderate success. We learned to like new veggies; reaffirmed many we knew we already liked, and disliked; and was motivated to plant some veggies of our own this year.

The CSA basket proved to be too many vegetables for us and sadly many went to waste.

But I was pleased when a local organization - Grasshoppers - approached us at work to see if we would like to be a CSA pick-up which in turn promotes the local food and healthy eating that many of our own programs already promote. Win Win.

But the best part? They have CSA baskets other than produce. We have subscribed to local artisan cheeses, free-range poultry and grass-fed beef. And the first delivery is this week.

I'll share our experiences soon.