Bozo Picture of the Week...

A snowy day playdate with some of the best friends a girl & her bozo's could ask for...

Some Things I Just Love....

A slightly Valentine's Day inspired collection of stuff I love. Slightly, because not all of it is Valentine's Day inspired.

a. These are the Valentine's Day cards the Bozo's gave out this year. I saw them at a friend's house & ran out the second I left to buy them for my guys. They love anything having to do with space, so I had to have them. There are 4 designs with a special one for the teacher. I also love the envelopes with little white stars all over them. The website is sold out of the girl variety, but I did see those in person & they are equally adorable...for next year, folks.

b. Well, this has nothing to do with Valentine's, or does it? It's a place to store all your kids art supplies. The very art supplies they might use for their Valentines?
I know for me, that every afternoon when it's homework time, it's "Mom, where are the pencils?", or "scissors", or "glue sticks", or "crayons". This would be perfect for keeping all their stuff in one place. And, if you don't need a storage solution for art supplies, then plant a little herb garden in the clay pots...that would also be super cute.

c. I saw these oyster shell candleholders in the Wisteria catalog {I love that dang catalog} & thought they looked pretty. Then I saw them in person at Dovecote, in Westport, CT & was even more impressed. They are much bigger in person, than they look in the catalog. Oysters are aphrodisiacs, right?

d. I know that some women would be deeply offended by receiving anything having to do with homemaking as a romantic gift. But, not me! I want this white Le Creuset so freaking bad! I have a big, red one. But, I want a smaller one, for cooking smaller quantities {I hate lugging the huge one out every time I cook} & a more neutral color would be nice too.

e. I flipped through this cookbook the other day & I want it! Every single recipe in it looks absolutely delicious & has a beautiful glossy photo to accompany each one. The perfect place to look for a Valentine treat.

f. I love this couch! It looks like nothing special until you see it in person. It's super duper deep, which is perfect for snuggling side by side with your sweetie pie. When you sit on it, it's like sitting on a cloud.

Spiced Red Lentil Soup with Cashews

I had a soup similar to this at a great little store in Westport, CT, called "The Organic Market". They have the most amazing soups...always using unusual & natural ingredients.
I had never in my life had soup with cashews in it. I loved the flavor & crunch they added & have been trying to find something similar, without luck.
I saw this recipe for Spiced Red Lentil soup in a recent issue of Fine Cooking. I remembered the soup I loved having tomatoes & a curry like spice to it. So, when I saw this I thought it might be as close as I was going to get. The cashews are my little addition. So good!

Bozo Picture of the Week...

We spent 5 days last week, on a much needed getaway in Vermont. We had loads of fun. Spending quality time together...playing board games, cards & such. Our good friends & their kids joined us for part of the trip. It's something we do every February & I oh~so look forward to it.
The Bozos got a chance to sample a bunch of winter time activities...snowboarding, ice skating, tubing & BB gunning beer cans off hills of snow.
DH doesn't usually sport the redneck beard. But, since we were on vacation & it needed a trimming, he trimmed it in a day by day progression, that just got crazier as it went on. Today was back to school, work, reality & neatly trimmed whiskers.

Simple Beef & Kidney Bean Chili

I have been searching for a really simple & delicious crockpot chili recipe for a long time now. Not something exotic, or gourmet. Just super basic.
This is the recipe I was looking for. And, with Super Bowl Sunday around the corner, I figured now would be a good time to post it. You can play with the spices as much as you'd like. I kept them pretty low key, as I was serving this to the whole family & I wanted everyone to enjoy it.
If you don't have a slow-cooker, you can cook the chili in a stockpot over low heat for 2 hours. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days {it tastes even better after sitting a day, or more}. It can also be frozen for up to a month.