Tremendulent!

So, yesterday I woke up at the usual time, had a cup of tea and slice of toast, then sat down watched two minutes of Murder She Wrote (with a very young Linda Hamilton!), then opened my laptop and COULD NOT READ ANYTHING due to this weird crescent shaped wavy line that got bigger and bigger across my field of vision in my right eye. I couldn't read any text at all.

I took off my glasses, my head started to hurt and I closed my eyes. It got better. I got up to make some whipped cream and it started all over again, this time in my left eye. I made what I needed to make, then sat down in a dark room, with my eyes closed and my glasses off. It eventually went away, but I STILL have a dull ache in my head.

The internet says this was an optical migraine? I've only ever had one migraine before (after watching John Carter in 3D, not pleasant), so this was new and painful and not fun. I'm off to the eye doctor tomorrow to have things checked out vision-wise, simply because glaucoma and cataracts run in the family. My mother also had a macular hole, so I'm being cautious.

So...not a fun day. Although, I made an awesome Key Lime Pie using this recipe. SO good.

How is everyone?

30 Day Meme

Day 21 (what happened day 20?): A recipe

We're mostly vegetarian these days and since I miss Mexican food like burning, I often like to cook with Mexican spices (ie, lots of cumin and cayenne). This recipe is chock full of flavors and it's great any time of the year. The sweet potato evens out a lot of the hot spices and adds a nice layer of sweetness without overloading you. The limes are a must.

Black Bean - Sweet Potato Chili

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sea salt (I actually don't put any in and it's still fine)
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 28-can diced tomatoes
4 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 6 cups freshly cooked) (Or just once can if there are only one or two of you, there's still quite a lot leftover)
1 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves, washed and dried

1. Warm the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion, red pepper, garlic, and salt. Saute until soft, about 4 minutes.

2. Add the sweet potato and lime zest, and cook 10 to 15 minutes more, continuing to stir occasionally.

3. Add the tomatoes, black beans, jalapeno, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cocoa, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Serve over brown rice, if desired, with lime wedges and cilantro, or with corn bread, biscuits, or taco chips alongside

This is a super easy recipe and you can honestly throw anything you want to into it. You don't have to use black beans, red beans, black eyed peas, borlotti, etc all work well.

In other news, who's got two thumbs, had today off and cleaned house like a mad woman, ruthlessly throwing stuff out?

This Girl! :D

Happy Friday everyone!

DOCTOR WHO TOMORROW!!!!!! EEEEEEE!!!!

Sharing is Caring

Day one: a song
Day two: a picture
Day three: a book/ebook/fanfic
Day four: a site
Day five: a youtube clip
Day six: a quote
Day seven: whatever tickles your fancy

I'm sure most of you have seen this, but in case you haven't, here's the trailer for The Price of Milk with Karl Urban. I've kind of watched it repeatedly for when he says "Coows!" It just kills me. And makes me want to move to New Zealand, because, dear Lord is it beautiful over there. (The scenery, not just Karl!)



I made some awesome Guinness Stew last night, so here is the recipe to try it for yourself. I actually made it without the beef and added more potatoes, carrots, mushrooms (thickly sliced) and red peppers. It works really well as a veggie dish. You can use a substitute for the beef bouillon as well!

On a completely different note, there is a gentleman outside my (rented) cottage painting the exterior wall. I don't really mind this, because it really needed to be re-painted. However, he just appeared earlier this week and started hacking and sanding away at the plaster before he started painting. Our landlords told us nothing about this. My husband, who works from home, all of a sudden had some guy outside the window banging away and there are paint chips in my flower pots.

Am I being unreasonable to think that maybe this deserved advance warning? My landlords are rather elderly and probably don't think of this as being my house as it is their property and therefore they can do whatever they want. But, a note through the door would have been nice.