Skiing

I took the youth group skiing last weekend.

The church ladies

I don't know how long this link will work. These are my church ladies. Aren't they awesome?

http://www.argus-press.com/articles/2007/01/16/news/news1.txt

Kelsey decorates Maggie's cake

St. Michael the Archangel

Mmmm...spicy

Well, here's the soup I mentioned yesterday. I got the title wrong; it's Thai Coconut Chicken Soup. You serve it with cilantro on the top, so imagine little green floaties. And I used oyster mushrooms; I don't love mushrooms, and I thought that regular buttons would be too dense. I think I made the right choice there. It turned out to be pretty good. It definitely has the flavors of my fave place back in La La Land. I don't think I'd make it again, but I'm glad I did because I learned two things: for me, less is more with the fresh ginger, and I like red curry paste. A lot.

America's Test Kitchen

I love this show. So much so that I bought one of their cookbooks. One of my goals is to cut back on eating out. I have other cookbooks, but the thing I like about this one is that it explains all kinds of things about cooking and it has great recommendations for products and equipment just like the show! It's like Alton Brown's show but without the theatrics. Right now my plan is to try one recipe per week. Tomorrow I'm making Thai Chicken Soup. I couldn't find the right mushrooms, so I'm a bit concerned. And since I don't usually like mushrooms, well, this is a stretch for me anyway. But I have high hopes because I love Thai chicken soup and it is full of ingredients that I love.

I do too have friends

Here's a shot of our Christmas cards and my birthday cards all lined up on the bookshelf. I got more photo cards this year. I usually get a photo card from my friend Melissa, but this year I also got photo cards from my cousin and one of my youth group kids.

My filthy kitchen