Halloween in a house of adults is pretty quiet. We hand out candy, we usually go to bed early especially after a week like this week that is so busy.
I did finish Concilium so I added my new 2025 Journal for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. After I finish it I still need to finish the 2024 one.
*Home Fries with scrambled eggs and bacon were our supper on Sunday. Most Cook's Illustrated home fry recipes use the oven, and I would prefer that method, but this one used a skillet. They were very good...maybe a little too brown? I still loved them.
*Best Shortbread was our Christmas cookie for the week. I made a double batch so that we had enough to eat and enough to freeze. It takes a little bit longer than the recipe says to fully cook through the middle, but once that's done it's a pretty delicious cookie. I've never made the variation with dipping in chocolate.
* Butternut squash and mushroom noodle bowls is a Better Homes and Gardens recipe. I used bucatini since I couldn't find udon noodles and green beans for mushrooms because the Son doesn't like mushrooms. I wasn't thrilled with the end result; I tried using frozen squash to save time, and it got a little mushy. The sauce was still good.
*The Son made Citrus Chicken last night with Rice a roni while I was gone getting ready and performing at a concert. He did a great job--it was my leftover lunch today.
*Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup will hopefully be our supper tonight assuming I don't crash out from last night's concert. I'm using chicken thighs and some preground spices so it's not as intense as pho but will hopefully turn out well.
*Sophisto Joes is always our dish for Halloween for almost 20 years. I really enjoy that it's both easy but also fancy. It makes plenty for leftovers, and I like to eat it over potatoes or chips.
*Well, today was concert day so that's about 10 pieces that I won't be playing any more! The students did really really well, and I'm proud of their hard work.
The same friend who took me to Leila's also invited me to pick flowers from a farm to make our own bouquets. We bought a big bucket full and had enough to make 3 or 4 bouquets each. They were pretty long lasting too; I kept some of the blooms on our prayer table at work for almost a month!
*Tuesday is the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, two apostles. They were both martyred in Persia, Simon after preaching in Persia and Babylonia and Egypt, Jude in Palestine and Mesapotamia. Jude is probably most famous today as the patron of hopeless causes.
I'm about halfway through The Bohemian Girl, a collection of short stories by Willa Cather. I'm actually surprised at how depressing the stories are and how anti-small town they seem so far. I'm hopeful they improve in tone. The writing is great, just the themes right now are a little down.
I realize looking over this week that I made a lot of America's Test Kitchen recipes, which means I gave myself a lot of work. To be fair, I did have two days off of work so I felt like I could fit in these recipes that had been in my "to make" pile for a while.
*Sunday we went out to eat at the Snack Shack in downtown Mission for burgers and fries and delicious cherry limeades. Then the Husband headed out of town and the Son got ready for work and I had an evening by myself. It was glorious. With the Son moving back home my time by myself is pretty rare, and I try to appreciate it thoroughly.
*Monday I made chicken salad. We had two sets of leftover chicken and then other assorted leftovers. It was pretty easy to make before I went to pit orchestra practice
*Tuesday the Son made Sweet Potato Biscuits and then warmed up butternut bisque from a jar from Aldi's and some taquitos from the freezer. The biscuits were almost dessert-ish with the added spices and vanilla. I'm enjoying them toasted with ice cream. They are also great for breakfast.
*Wednesday I made Light Eggplant Parmesan. I was really happy with how it turned out BUT I'm a little afraid of the leftovers, I'm going to try toasting them to recapture some crispiness so they're not completely soggy.
*Thursday, today, I'm making Arroz con Pollo with a variation that uses bacon and roasted red peppers and skips the capers and olives (because the husband detests olives passionately). I have made a different version from Cook's Illustrated with Sazon; I'm hoping I can get this done efficiently since I have a meeting in the evening.
*Friday, unless I've run out of energy, we having Austrian Potato Salad. It's cooked, has some pickles in it, and it really nice and meatless.
Pictured: biscuits and eggplant Parmesan
*We have one week from today to our Fall Concert, so as of yesterday I try to play all the concert pieces every day in order. I'm up to 6 musical pieces a day as of today, so that is also an increase towards stamina needed for the musical--which is less than a month from today.
My friend Jill took me to Leila's Hair Museum in Independence before it closed permanently after the death of Leila. Was it a little weird? Yes. Was it hot because someone had stolen the wiring out of the air conditioner? Also yes. Was it delightful and amazing? One hundred times yes. The first hair decoration is made out of Leila's own hair; the second and third incorporate many family member's hair and are open at the top to keep luck in for the families and to be added to.
St. Paul of the Cross lived in Italy from 1694 to 1775 and founded the Passionists, who take a fourth vow to spread the memory of Christ's passion among the faithful. He was known for great preaching skill and his devotion to acts of mercy.
First is a stuffed acorn squash. It was really really good. The second is shells with cauliflower and nuts and cheese and parsley. The cauliflower is roasted on a sheet pan and adds really nice flavor.
