Pumpkin Soup

Yes, I'm having a blast cooking for my baby!  I love to create new and fun foods while we are experiencing this "flavor explosion"!  So far, my little McCoy has not tasted anything he didn't like.  He likes it all.  As long as it starts with "f" and ends with "d" and has too "o"'s in the middle-- he is all for it!  And he just can't get enough!

Here is a fun recipe that incorporates pumpkin.

Pumpkin Soup
one 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup cooked white or brown rice (I used brown rice)
1/4 tsp pepper.


1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the pumpkin, 4 cups water, rice, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low.  Simmer until the rice is very soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Let cool slightly, then puree in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Check the temperature before serving.
3. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or spoon into ice-cube trays or other freezer containers and freeze for up to 6 months.


Yummy!  McCoy loves to eat.  And I love to cook.  I'm telling you, we are a perfect pair.

Kansas

I swear, Kansas is bipolar. This morning, was a beautiful sunny day. The weather was not too hot. There was a nice little breeze. We enjoyed our drive to the doctor's (yes, I took McCoy to the doctor for his little cough), and took a quick trip to Target to get a few items. The weather was getting hotter, but not unbearable. It was beautiful. About 1:30, Me-Ma, Colette, Sara, Robin, Elizabeth and Rachel came over to go swimming. The weather was nice. About an hour after that, the wind started to pick up and it got a bit chilly being in the water. Some of the clouds were covering up the sun and it became a little cold. So, when the moment was perfect and the sun was out, we decided to pack up and leave the poolside. It was about 4:30. Everyone left for the evening and not one hour later, the sky became dark. It started to rain a little bit. Then the rain got harder and then the lightening started, followed by roars of thunder. It was very loud and very dark (but lovely weather for a nap!).

In a little less than two hours, my day turned from sunny and hot, to chilly and breezy, to rainy and thunderstormy. Kansas, my dear state, you are bipolar.

The Projects

It seems that I always try and do something while on summer holiday.  I love the fact that I can devote 8 weeks to something for me.  Of course, I realize how much harder it is with a baby, but nonetheless, I have chosen a project to devote my summer to.  My devotion: cleaning my house.  Yes, that's right... cleaning my house.  I'm not just talking about the occasional pick up the toys, papers and trash... I mean, clean.  To do this, I sought the advice of the FlyLady, which I've blogged about previously.

Her program is very simple, although it is very confusing at the beginning.  I have taken things from her program and adapted them to my own lifestyle.  For example, I have more staminia then just 15 minutes a day, so I decided to tackle two rooms at 15 minutes a day.  Sounds like nothing, right?  But each day, it adds up... quickly.  And I don't feel like I have wasted my whole day cleaning.

My favorite love/hate room is the kitchen.  It just seems like crap collects and NEVER leaves this room.  When I started the program, we were in Zone 2: the Kitchen.  When I read this, I was relieved.  Perfect.  I can tackle my monster right away.  But of course, it still needs work.  Just because each week is spent focusing on a different zone, you still have to keep it up!  Here is the plan-- de-clutter (aka clean) for 15 minutes, then do Kelly's mission of the day.  Last week in the kitchen was: Monday-- wipe the tops of the cabinets, and clean the top of the fridge (YUCK!!), Tuesday-- wipe all the fronts of the cabinet doors,  Wednesday-- clean out the fridge and throw away expired and leftover foods (ahem, yucky!), Thursday-- SCRUB the countertops (including what's underneath them, aka the toaster, the breadbox, etc), and Friday-- sweep and mop the kitchen floor.  My kitchen looks IMMACULATE!  (well, I didn't do the snack bar, but hey, 15 minutes a day can't get you everywhere!!!)

I feel a sense of pride having stuck with her plan for the week.  I did it!  And even Whit noticed, which is saying a lot.  This week we are in Zone 3-- Bathrooms and One Extra Bedroom (I'm doing McCoy's room and dun, dun, dun.... the Craft Room).  I'm hoping that Whit will notice and be uber excited for me!

I'm also using Cozi to help me CROSS it off!  My life is all about cleaning right now... so you better put that plate in the dishwasher folks!!!

June: Be a Better Gardener

Junes is dedicated to gardening! This has become one of my many passions in the last couple of years. When "being green" was starting to become a popular idea, I got into growing my own veggies. I think that's where it all started. My parents have always grown tomatoes and various spices. It's made me want to garden as well.

Last year, Whit built me a garden on the side of our fence. It's nothing big and spectacular; it's just right (for now!). Our first year, we planted several zucchini squash plants, plump tomatoes, grape tomatoes, several cucumber plants, green beans, and carrots. I learned a lot from that first year. I learned that even though pesticides are not healthy for you, bugs will ruin your food! So, maybe a little bit is okay? I also learned that one zucchini plant should do it. The carrots really should be left alone for the 70 days or so... picking them too early gives you little fetus carrots that are not good for anything!

This year, I've learned a lot already. For example, DON'T plant too early. Otherwise they will die. And that's what happened to our loot of veggies. The only thing that has still survived so far is our peas. So, this year, we are starting over. This is what we are growing:

• Zucchini squash (1)
• Green beans (a lot!!)
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Peas
• Jalapeño peppers
• Green bell peppers
• Cilantro
• Basil
• Oregano
• Lavender

In case you are wondering, we are planning to make our own salsa! (Not for canning or freezing or anything crazy like that... just for our occasion summer dinners).

So, I better get to it. Here it is, June 8 and the only thing that is surviving out there is my peas. Here's to Tuesday's To Do list: Plant seeds!!!