Kid's are easy...cuz I got 3 pacifiers

If my baby get's cold, it's cool cuzI got a blanket



What a great role model...oops I mean playa.....LOL

Space Saving Design: The Silent Butler

I am completly addicted to space saving furniture. Anything that looks like what it is not and creates more floor space just seems like a good idea. I have plans in my head to create an elaborate wall unit in our dining room that will house 2 computers for gaming & a dining table, but neatly fold up to a flat wall. While this is an expensive project, I found a simpler one today on Apartment Therapy.



This design from a 1970's apartment design book that the author of the Apartment Therapy post found at a used book store.

I ran this by Frube & he doesn't hate it....success!

Glass Love: Kosta Boda

Ever since my glass working class in college, I have been a glass junkie. In order to design pieces like the one above you work in a searing hot room with molten glass at 2,000 degrees Celsius & spin, blow and shape at an incredible pace. These pieces are created at such a high temperature that when they are complete they have barely cooled below 1,000 degrees C.

Each factory has a special recipe for their glass and each artist has their own techniques. The complexity, artistry & secrecy makes glass working unique when compared to other hand crafts. Read more about the Kosta Boda factory in Sweden in Doug Lansky's article.

Blackout Stuffed Peppers

Monday night was another adventure with a new recipe mixed with the fun of a 3 hour blackout. Luckily, I had started cooking the brown rice 30 minutes before the blackout (we have and electric stove). With 95 degree/100% humidity outside, everyone was inside running their air conditioner, televisions, microwaves and such. It was only a matter of time until the we had our first major power outage of the year. I was just getting ready to start the onions, but I figured we would only be black for a few minutes. When honey called the power company and they said it could be out for 4 hours...it was time to improvise.

We have a side burner on our grill, I have never cooked with it and I haven't cooked with gas since my college days. So...outside with the onions & garlic to get them carmelized. Just by chance as the sun sets they are done so I go back inside to combine the rest of the ingredients and wait for the rice. After waiting another half hour...miracle of miracles...the rice is cooked perfectly. Everything goes into a bowl to get mixed together & then stuffed into the peppers. Now comes the question. How to bake the peppers....in a grill???

Hubby suggests indirect heat and...it works. Now...I experiment alot in my cooking, but I have never had this string of lucky chances. Especially with new kitchen equipment. So as I do the prep dishes in the sink, wouldn't you know it...we run out of propane. So now I hope I can duplicate the rice, maybe enough heat got in there to cook it. But after 20 minutes it is obvious that the peppers are not cooking and I am getting hungry. But wouldn't you know it...the power comes back on. I throw the peppers in for another 30 minutes and voila....Stuffed Peppers. They were good too...hubby ate 2 for dinner & 1 more for lunch the next day. So much for leftovers.

I got the recipe from Fat Free Vegan

Stuffed Green Peppers

3 large green peppers (I used red peppers)
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 large onion -- chopped
3 cups tomato -- chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil -- use more if fresh
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon agave nectar or other liquid sweetener (I didn't use)
1/2 cup of chipotle cheddar (adds a little more spice to the dish)

1. Cut peppers in half lengthwise & remove the seeds.

2. Steam peppers for 5 minutes then drain.

3. Fry the onions until translucent.

4. Reserve half the tomatoes. Mix the other half with the cooked rice,
onion, spices, and add salt & pepper to taste.

5. Stuff the pepper shells with this mixture and place them in a shallow
pan. You may want to use parchment paper or a spray of oil to prevent
sticking.

6. Puree the remaining tomatoes in a blender and add the sweetener. Pour
this over the tops of the stuffed peppers.

7. Bake at 375º for 30 to 40 minutes.

Serving Size : 3