Saturday, December 6, 2008

A chance for some free stuff

And it's really cute!

OK, so I have several blogs that I read that give away stuff on a regular basis. Usually I don't even bother to enter because, let's face it, I never win anything. Well, that's not really true. I can think of exactly two times that I have ever won a random drawing/raffle of some sort in my entire 31 (and 1/2) years. But this stuff is too darn adorable to pass up, so I entered. And if I tell you all about the contest, I get another entry, so that's what I'm doing. They are giving away an absolutely beautiful little dress, a play tea set, and a fun cookie set. Man - that's Christmas for Danielle all in one shabang! Here's the link to kiddo.org so you can check out the goodies - go look, and enter - if you don't want them you can send them to me after you win:)
And even though you might think from your first glance that all Kiddio does is give stuff away (hey - it's free!), they also have really cool crafts, DIY stuff, etc... They even have a whole boycraft area.

OK, nothing else real exciting to update you on. I spent most of the day working on presents, but of course I can't show you anything yet, sorry. And I really should be working on a few last papers and projects I have due this week (finals - yah and yuck and the same time). So I guess I'll get to it. 'Night.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Pumpkin Ravioli Retold...at last

I heard that my dear Auntie has the gunk, so for her sake I figured I'd better write something for her to read, and I might as well get on with the pumpkin ravioli story. Though at this point, the stories you all have come up with sound a lot better than the real deal, and I'm not so sure that I want to relive it. I really wish these ravioli had been some deliciously lovely yumminess that involved cheesecake and graham cracker crumbs as suggested by my friend Liz. But alas, they were not. So here we go:

Whatever night it was.... Tuesday, so Monday I decide to do something I never do, try a new, exotic, yummy sounding recipe that I know no one else in the family would appreciate but me. I really thought it was a good idea. In my useless blog wanderings for the day, I had run across a recipe for pumpkin ravioli with brown butter sage sauce - doesn't that sound good to you? I thought it sounded divine. So I went about purchasing the needed items for the meal and talked it up all afternoon. (Though Cameron really thought I was joking when I told him.) I set about to make them, only to find that I had purchased pumpkin pie mix (you know, the pre-sweetened stuff), not plain pumpkin. So sad - though I did make that pumpkin pie mix in to absolutely fabulous pumpkin bread the other day:) Cameron thought he was in the in clear and would no longer have to force his happy face though dinner, but I was smarter than he - I managed to pick up a can of pumpkin while finishing up my Christmas shopping the very next day - haha! So Tuesday night the ravioli were unveiled.

Now I have to be fair here - the reciped did call for fresh pumpkin (which I just don't have the time for) and fresh sage (which my store was all out of), but I really don't think it would have made that much of a difference. And my first bite was WAY too hot, in my haste to get to hula class on time and to taste my divine dish, so I totally burned my tongue. But even after I got dressed for class and actually used a fork to try it, I was sorely disappointed. Pumpkin ravioli were just not meant to be. What cruel person persuaded me to give them a shot? I don't recall, but they liked them. I remember, even their child liked them. Not mine. Cameron either (but we all know that already). It was a bust. Oh well. And at the time of the original post I had a whole plate full in the fridge waiting for some hungry person to give in and try - but I threw them out today. I couldn't stand to look at them any longer, they were just sitting there, teasing me, shaming me, bringing to rememberance my sad experimental cooking. I'm not a cook - baking I can do, but I'm not a cook.

So anyho0 - there you have it. A good home is no longer needed, but if you really feel the urge to try pumpkin ravioli, I think I still have the recipe somewhere in the kitchen....