There is supposed to be a wick in there someplace. A friend made the candle for me and I love it. Coffee scented goodness. But soon after lighting it the first time the wick decided it was tired and would really like a nap. So down it fell and has not made an appearance again.

I keep this candle on my mug warmer, you know the thing you put your mug of coffee on to keep it warm so that it constantly scalds your tongue as it burns the lips right off your face? I can't seem to keep track of my coffee mugs long enough to use it. And I'm rather partial to my lips and taste buds anyway. I use it, rather for wick-less candles that I can't bear to part with.

Okay as I sit here staring dumbly at my computer, I can feel my brain cells dying off one by one. And I find myself in dire need of chocolate. And none in the house.

New kind of Chili

Okay so this is another blog post about food, and yes the recipe came from my handy-dandy Joy of Cooking cookbook. This recipe though does not include pictures. What was I thinking letting my family eat before recording this for all the world to see? Shameless.

A friend of mine recently reminded me of chili pie. A simply scrumptious meal designed with a Frito crust, chili and cheese. I salivated over the mere thought. I had to have it. I looked up chili in my cookbook and found a new recipe. Or several new recipes actually. One kind of scared me. Not because it looked especially difficult, but because it would take forever to make and I usually forget about making anything for supper until..well until it is time to be eating it.

So I kept searching. And I was rewarded. I found a recipe with a lot less garlic, onions and jalapeno peppers. Not that I mind the spice of jalapenos, not at all. But I have two young girls who live here and they most decidedly do NOT like overly spicy food.

The recipe I found and read, I'm sure I read all of it, had no jalapenos at all. It did call for cayenne pepper which is normal to me. I mean you want a spicy chili, right? But it also called for 8 whole allspice, ground, and 8 whole cloves, ground.

I saved myself a small measure of headache and bought already ground allspice and cloves. I did however fail to realize I had no earthly idea how much allspice you got when you ground 8 whole allspice, or 8 whole cloves for that matter. So I guessed. And I think I guessed wrong.

It was a little heavy on the allspice and cloves. Sigh. Next time I'll try less. A lot less. I also need to use less cayenne pepper. Everyone else in the house thought it was a little on the spicy side. Remarks such as "I think my nose hairs are going to spontaneously combust!" were heard throughout the meal.

With a name like "Cincinnati Chili Cockaigne" I should have known better. I mean I'm not even really sure how you say the last word, much less what it is. Oh and I should have read further in the recipe. You see the recipe tells you to bring it to a boil, reduce and simmer for 2.5 hours. And then you are to refrigerate over night before reheating and eating. Uhm well sure, if your brain works that way.

I do have pictures, but not of the "spice"y chili. This is what my world looked like today. Don't you wish you were me?

I promise this is not a cooking blog!

It is true I saw Julie and Julia and LOVED it. I do not think we need to have it repeated.

Okay actually I would LOVE to repeat it but the cookbook I have is simply too big. After viewing the movie I found I had The Joy of Cooking Cookbook. I thought "What Julie Powell can do with Julia Child, I can do with Irma S. Rombauer." Then I realized the book has over 1100 pages and untold millions of recipes. It would not work at all for me to attempt to make every single recipe in the book in a year. Impossible. And besides some of the recipes just sound, how do I say this delicately?...gross. I mean, how appetizing does Oxtails Smothered in Onions sound to you?

One of my favorite dishes is pot roast. I just love it. But I can't cook it. Or I haven't been able to cook it until trying the recipes in this book. I can now make a fairly decent...errr exceptional roast, complete with potatoes. I am afraid these pictures do not do the roast or potatoes justice! You see my dear Man was fairly starving and ha to start cutting the roast as soon as I took it from the pan. Silly man!




But it was most delicious!! Even as leftovers on a rather nasty snowy day outside.

What a day!

Oh my. It has been a day already. I woke earlier than normal of late. Which is not a bad thing. I felt I had been sleeping the days away when I didn't wake up until 8. I know I know, so late.

I am in a Severe Winter Storm Warning from tonight through Thursday afternoon. Sigh. Figures. I have missed the last two Wednesday morning Bible Studies already. I hope we don't cancel it tomorrow.

It is only October, people. We've already had one blizzard this year I don't think we need more snow just yet.

It's funny when I was a kid I loved snow. I longed for snow. I would start praying for snow in July. Now, I want snow Christmas Eve, Christmas day and then it can be gone until the next Christmas.

I'm ready for spring.