It’s a good news/bad news kind of situation…

This entry was posted on November 16, 2009 and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 25 Comments

The Office, anyone? The title comes from one of my favorite episodes when Michael hits the rabies-infected-Meredith with his car. Anyway…on to the eats.

I started my day with some coffee out of my favorite mug. I also had 2 (really tiny…like the size of my fist) pumpkin pancakes and one slice of Ezekiel toast with…

Maria’s Homemade Microwave Pumpkin Butter

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon clove
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups (15 oz) canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling mix)
  1. Combine everything except pumpkin in microwave-safe bowl. Mix well, and microwave on high for three minutes.
  2. Remove from microwave (Carefully!) and stir really well.
  3. Stir in pumpkin well, and microwave on high 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from microwave (Even more carefully!), stir, and let cool.


The pumpkin butter totally made this breakfast. That and the Dr. Seuss mug.

I snacked on some Fig Newman’s at 10ish, and then…look how boring my lunch was:


Tuna with celery and a pita.

I did get a very nice gift from a mom…


I took this to not only show you my amazing free loot, but also to show my fantastically seasonal desktop.

Again, thank you Tona for perking up my less than exciting lunch!!

I also snacked on carrots and peanut butter while grading some math tests after school.



I had to make up for the mediocrity that was my food for the day – so I actually pulled out a cookbook for dinner! It’s been a while…


I heart this cookbook. So many of these recipes only require 5-6 ingredients, and they are healthy to boot. It’s produced by the Mennonite community – and I got it as a birthday gift from this girl last year. What a gal…

I also had some discount pasta that had been in the pantry for far too long.


A low-carb variety. It was really good when thrown into this mix…


I cooked ground beef, onions, and mushrooms – then added water and tomato paste. I cooked the noodles in the mess.

The result:


Topped with walnuts. The whole thing was a winner.

For “dessert” I had cheetahs!!


Eaten out the of the pasta bowl. They got all tomato-y and gooshy. I’m so satisfied.

***

As the title of this post suggests…there is some bad news. But also some good! I’ll get the bad out of the way.


My Dad called yesterday to tell me that my parents had to put my childhood dog to sleep yesterday. Hannah (aka. Hannie Bannie) was 15 years old – and was my first (and still BEST) running partner. She lived a very full life, and was such a happy and energetic dog. She loved me so much that when I was in Jr. High, she would jump the 6 foot fence in our yard, run to my school, and (somehow!) get inside, and find me in the hallways. I was always SO embarrassed to have to take my DOG to the office and call my mom to pick her up. This happened more than once.

In the summer, she would follow me to the pool, and jump in the deep end and swim around with me. What a loyal creature.

I thought I was finished crying when I went to school this morning, but then someone said something about dogs, and I burst into tears. The good thing about working with 8 year olds is that they are always sympathetic when tears appear, and they unquestioningly understand sadness over a pet.

You will be missed, Hannie Bannie.

***

And because I don’t want to end on that sad note, and I DID say I had good news…

I finally got my butt in gear and got my Foodbuzz papers faxed in! They had been sitting on my kitchen table for well over a month.

Yes, I am now a proud Foodbuzz Featured Publisher – it’s about time.

***

Edited to add: Join Chocolate Covered Katie’s giveaway! She is also doing some pretty awesome things with Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness. Aaaand she has a cool name.

25 thoughts on “It’s a good news/bad news kind of situation…”

  1. So sorry about your dog, Katie. It’s been the hardest thing in my life to lose pets – (I guess I should feel lucky). I’m enjoying your blog so much, but I don’t love veggies as much as you do. Desserts, though – yum!

    Reply

  3. Katie i’m so sorry to hear about your doggie. I can totally understand how hard that is. My best friend just lost her dog this summer and she was crushed. I’m here for you if you need anything!

    On a higher note, how exciting that you got more surprises from the mom’s at school! I’m so jealous everytime you get something. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, and if this is in the job description then sign me up!

    Hope you have a good night my love, and let me know if there is anything i can do! :) huggs!

    http://saladdiva.wordpress.com

    Reply

  4. It’s good to hear your fun memories. They made me cry again. When I would pick up Hannah at the school they always told me that she had better attendance than some of the students! Of all things, today one of the students at my school asked me if I had a dog…. more tears! Love you, Momma

    Reply

  8. We had a black lab named Fancy and she was wonderful. Now we have a silky terrier and a manx cat to love on. I understand your sorrow. Let me know what you think about the Pirates Booty caramel crunch…I love it with coffee or tea!

    Reply

  10. Well I was first going to comment on your lovely computer background. And THEN I was going to comment on your lovely painted fingernails. But THEN I got to the part about your doggie. Booo! How sad! I’m sorry! I’m sure he’s running around in doggie heaven right now. ;D

    Reply

  11. What a sad thing to have to say goodbye to such an old friend. I am so sorry for your loss and totally understand how you feel. Pets are just like people sometimes, actually sometimes they’re even more special. Hope your doing o.k. I bet that Pumpkin Butter really did a good job of cheering you up and the yummy looking dinner. Thanks for posting both on here.

    Reply

  12. Katie – we are so the same person! HAHA. I LOVE that epsiode of the Office. I actually have all the past seasons on DVD (shocker, I know)…

    Also – I LOVE YOUR THANKSGIVING BACKGROUND!!

    AND – My sister was just in CO this past weekend and she said she LOVED it and everyone was so cute and nice. I was like “Psh – I know! Katie lives there!” Haha

    Happy Tuesdaaaaay!

    Reply

  14. Oh, I’m so sorry to hear about your dog, I got the same news not too long ago. It’s sweet that your students were able to comfort your and were understanding.

    On a happier note, cheetahs are the BEST dessert! I always feel guilty eating them for a meal because they taste so sinful!

    Reply

  16. When Sydney heard, I thought she would cry, since she had been so great w/Hannah and liked to walk her, I mean be walked by her! But instead she went straight to thinking of Grammy and said, “We should draw Grammy a picture of us and Hannah!” They are so sweet.
    I’ll make your pumpkin butter this week!
    love you. Sorry for your puppy. :(

    Reply

  19. Pingback: Bitter Beer Face « Yes, I want cake.

  20. aw the childhood dog story, so sad and cute at the same time. :)

    and OMG, your office blurb had me giggling. it just keeps getting better and better. the latest koi pond episode still makes me laugh, 3 weeks later. i’ve probably watched it 4 times. but good ol michael hitting mer with his car= classic.

    a way to make your tuna+celery more exciting?
    honey mustard+mustard+dijon mustard with the tuna and celery. and sometimes i’ll add apple or almonds. the mustard makes it taste so good! sometimes i actually will crave it. but then again, pirate booty makes any day more bright.

    Reply

  22. Pingback: Vegan for a Day « Yes, I want cake.

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