January 14, 2010

Jeff was off for two days, and when we have the day off, we wreak spending havoc. He spent $6 on a DVD from Blockbuster and a fridge item. I was a little concerned, since we did not need the video...but we love the show, Big Love. We also had two DVDs from the library we still had to watch(Remember the "finds" I brought home on Saturday?). Even with that expense, we are still within budget. Additionally, I discovered a Visa gift card in my wallet, which has $6.17 left on it. So, it's a wash. Phew!

The pantry is starting to have some empty shelves, but we are looking good on the fridge and freezer front.

With some vegetables wilting, it was time to take action before the compost pile got more sustenance than we. My grandmother used to saute and boil up some unused veggies, maybe some rice or pastina, boil it up with chicken stock and call it "Jambaut," or Italian Jambalaya.

I started with the Italian trinity: garlic, oil, and basil. After warming that through, I threw in what was left of the celery, a coarsely chopped carrot, half an onion, and more herbs including oregano from the garden and coriander seeds. Once the mixture began to soften I salted and peppered to my taste and added the chicken stock. With some more items in the fridge, I started to get creative... or arrogant. A bunch of boc choy just had to be used up, so that went in. One green onion would compliment the choy as well. While the soup was getting a little dense, I thought a more stew like system could work and fill us up for three dinners. It tasted pretty good, but then I made the mistake of adding a handful of red cabbage. At first, the soup just started to get a little red, and I thought we'd be okay. After letting the soup rest, I waited for Jeff to come home from work, ready to feed him this home made concoction.

As gentle and and generous as Jeff is, he can get a little sardonic. I was ready for a "What the hell is that?" or "Do you expectr me to eat that?" However, upon his return to the nest, I presented a bowl of what was now blue soup, and without blinking, he ate it and gave the chef his props. "So it's blue? It tastes good" was his response.

Yay January for bringing out the best in others.