More Adventures in Cooking

When Blair left the house this morning, I was told--and I quote--"I'll be home before 7 and I expect to have my dinner waiting for me, woman!" 

Isn't he cute? We'll give him a pass (just this once). I did declare this weekend that I was ready to dig back into some cooking. And so it was with high hopes that I approached my old nemesis, Mr. Stove, this evening. 

Things did not start off well. I had a recipe for a meatless meatloaf I'd been wanting to try. I love meatloaf and have tried several veggie variations, but none have had that "oomph" factor. Today's recipe called for 14 oz. soy burger crumbles, mixed with egg and ketchup to start. Crumbles, egg, ketchup--check. Except I forgot to brown the crumbles and so just dumped frozen soy clumps in a bowl, poured some beaten egg over that, added rolled oats and spices and wondered why it didn't all stick together.

Amazingly, it was still good. Crumbly, but good. So good that Blair declared he'd be happy to eat it again. Of course, he was jamming on the homemade mashed potatoes I cranked out. Throw in some canned green beans and it was your typical American (vegetarian) meatloaf meal. Very tasty and I'm excited to try the recipe again--this time with browned meat that will form and hold a loaf shape. 

Later this week we've got a pumpkin quiche planned. I am nothing if not adventerous. And Blair, poor Blair, is dragged along for the ride. 

Cheers.

Treachery on the Running Trail

Regarding the individual(s) who saw fit to steal our cooler, water, Gatorade, and cups this morning:

Dear Loser,

Thank you for making a challenging 13.1 mile run that much more challenging by stealing what would have been our group's water stop and nutrition at miles 6 and 9. I too am a fan of taking what is NOT MINE, regardless of dollar value or how the theft may impact others. You may rest assured your mother holds her head high when she hears your name spoke, knowing you to be such a fine, upstanding individual. I'm sure you bring joy to all those around you and this earth is a better place for having you on it.

Meanwhile, I hope you choke on the Gatorade.

Sincerely,

Dena Harris

The Headless Horseman Rides Again

The Headless HorsemanIt was a smaller crowd than usual, but we still had a great Halloween. The bridge didn't quite work out as planned. The 6 foot walls Blair had built were just too heavy and unstable and we had visions of them crashing down on small children, so we modified and Blair quickly built a mini-bridge that we struck with lights for the kids to cross over.

Our costumes looked great, but the theme was a bit of a bust as apparently today's kids are completely unfamiliar with the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane, and the Headless Horseman. Since Johnny Depp had done a movie some years back, we thought there might be some recognition, but no. ONE young boy said, "I read that book!" Frankly, I think the parents were more clueless than the kids.

Enjoy the pictures!

Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane

Harris Halloween is a GO!

We weren't sure we'd have the time to pull it off, but Blair has pulled another rabbit out of a hat and this Halloween is shaping up to be one of our most impressive, ever. We're doing The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Blair has built a covered bridge that kids will walk through, surrounded by fog and the clip-clop of hoofbeats. Ill be at the end, in a Headless Horseman outfit. Blair has rigged chickenwire shoulders that I'll wear balanced on top of my head (yes, seriously) and we'll pull a big black cape over that. I look like a 7 foot tall headless horseman. I'll carry a glowing, evil-looking pumpkin head. Meanwhile, Blair is Ichabod Crane and will pass out the candy.

There's one big "if" in all of this, and that is we're not certain we can get the bridge to stand up. Blair built some WALLS to this thing and we're a little worried about it standing on it's own. I'm sure we'll figure something out.

I'll post photos this weekend. Happy Halloween!