Lazy Sunday

Crushing cumin for chili

I got left behind(on purpose) for church this morning because I didn't get another good night sleep and my throat hurt.  As a librarian I use my voice all day long during the week and by Friday night my voice is taxed.  This was one of those weeks.  As I made bread on Friday night I could feel the scratchiness, which was made worse by staying up late with my non-rising bread.  I feel better today thanks to my extra morning sleep, tea and Vick's.

I have chili on the stove cooking for a late dinner.   I googled vegetarian chili because I've made all the chili's from my cookbooks and I was looking for something new.  I picked the one with unsweetened cocoa because it sounded warming.  I made it as spicy as the recipe called for and hope my kids will try it.  I made a back-up small pot of chili without all the spices for Groovy Girl, just in case.  I altered the recipe by taking out the bulgar, using only two onions, and I didn't have any cilantro.

I never (okay, occasionally) cook seperate meals for my children but I wanted the chili to kick  and I don't think she'll be able to handle it.  She likes kidney and black beans and she likes tomato soup so I just basically put those items together for her own chili.  Just in case.  I'm only going to serve it to her if she complains about the spice.  I made cornbread  from the directions on Bob's Corn Meal package.  This is a one of my husband's favorite meals so let's call it a pre-Valentine treat, shall we.

Tomorrow night we are making homemade pizzas for our family Valentine dinner.  I already have the yeast proofing.  Love to watch it bubble.  Groovy Girl had a special dessert picked out from an American Girl calendar that arrived inside her first issue.  I'm more of a bake-from-scratch kinda woman but this little recipe called for a boxed cake mix and canned frosting.

In hindsight we should have done the frosting ourselves because she picked  a lemon cake mix and fluffy vanilla frosting for this sandwich cookie recipe.  Myself I would have leaned more toward a chocolate cake mix with peanut butter frosting but hey, it was her dessert.  We made it just as is but the dough was crumbly and dry so we added some water.  They are out of the oven, frosted and hidden so when Teenage Boy and Big Daddy arrive home they won't be the wiser. 

Because I was left home today I had an unprecedented several (!) hours alone to read my book club choice for February; Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger.  At one point I started getting a little creeped out so I had to put the book down and fold some mundane laundry.  I'm more than 3/4 done and bookclub is still a week away-wow, rare for me.  Usually I'm rushing to finish my book over my lunchbreak the day of our meeting. 

"A.G. "Sweetwiches"-our Valentine dessert)

How was your Sunday...
Are you ready for Monday?

I, sadly, had to purchase two plastic containers at the grocery store today.  I've been doing really well on my plastic free February.  I guess two isn't too bad for the first 13 days of the month.