This is what it's like to live in Wisconsin.

The Packers are headed to the Super Bowl next weekend, and everyone is getting in on the action... even the local grocery store. I was there yesterday and saw this, made of soda cases:

Pressure Cooker Pasta Fazool

I am so in love with our pressure cooker. I used it twice yesterday: once to cook garbanzo beans, and once to make a delicious Pasta Fazool for dinner.

Get out your pressure cookers... this one is definitely worth a try!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups dried white cannellini beans (I used Great Northern Beans)
3 T olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 oz. pancetta or prosciutto, finely chopped (I used prosciutto but I really think you could use any kind of ham, or leave the meat out altogether)
1 t chopped garlic
1 T chopped rosemary (I used 1 t dried)
1 t dried basil
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 can of chopped plum tomatoes (or regular diced tomatoes)
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups dry short pasta (penne, rotini, etc.)
Parmesan for garnish

• Soak the beans overnight.
• In your pressure cooker, heat the oil and saute the celery, onion, garlic, prosciutto, carrot until the onion starts to brown. Stir in the beans, herbs/spices, tomatoes, and stock.
• Lock the lid and cook under low pressure for 16 minutes. Allow the pressure to drop naturally.
• Remove the lid and use the "brown" setting to bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the pasta and simmer 5 to 7 minutes or until pasta is tender.
• Serve with parmesan on a cold winter night!

My Husband is the Best

Earlier this week, I hosted a knitting potluck. Karl was gone at class and work, but he was so sweet to leave this on the kitchen counter:




It made me smile. A lot. Here's a closer look at the note:



What a sweet guy! He knew we'd want to have a fire in the fireplace, so he got it all ready for us. The logs were even in place. It's been a tough semester so far with schedules, but he's so thoughtful. I just love finding things like this. Plus he loves the Muppets as much as I do!



Speaking of Muppets, head over to Kate's blog to check out her newest knitting creation!

And another thing...

The shirt I'm wearing today (and also wore yesterday) has a hole in it, I just found out. A kind of noticable one, in the back. Nice.

I went to yoga at 6 this morning, and the teacher, David, was someone I hadn't met before. Everything was all fine and normal and then it was time for Savasana (how ever you spell that), where you lay on the floor and it's really quiet. Well, it was really quiet for about 15 seconds, until David's voice rang out clear and loud, singing: "I went down to the river to pray, studyin' about that good old way..." I darted my eyes around, trying to see if anyone else looked like they thought it was kind of hilarious. Nope. Everyone was just laying there looking peaceful. And then David got to the chorus and did a little word swapping: "Oh, yogis, let's go down, come on down, don't you wanna come down. Come on, yogis, let's go down, down to the river to pray." It was too much. I had to leave or risk laughing out loud.

False Start

I just realized (at 11:42 a.m.) that I'm wearing the same shirt I wore yesterday. And also I was ready for lunch at 9:30 this morning. Can I have a do-over for the morning, please?

Muppetational Field Trip

On Thursday, my friends Kate and Anna and I, plus kiddos, and drove down to Chicago to vist the Museum of Science and Industry.


We packed up early and hit the road in the minivan! As you can see, William was all set with his sunglasses. And Henry rocked the PowerPuff Girls hat. Baby Kieran was in the back seat, being antisocial in his rear-facing car seat. Kate knit an entire hat during the car ride.


Thankfully, we had a big box of goodies to keep us occupied on the road. Anna said she packed these toys for the kids, but I know they were really for me. I get antsy.



At the museum, we spent a long time looking at the humongous pinball-type machine from Switzerland. So cool.

But the hit of the day was...

The Jim Henson exhibit! As a lifelong fan of the Muppets, I was thrilled beyond words to see this. It included original sketches and early work by Jim Henson, along with some tried and true favorites. Bert and Ernie were there and I just wanted to hug them. I wish I could move to Sesame Street. Many thanks to Anna, Kate, William, Henry, and Kieran for a superful field trip!

Homeroom Angel

In high school, I took a ceramics class, and the teacher always played the radio while we worked. One day, Centerfold by the J. Geils Band came on. A girl in my class, Kari, immediately ran to the door, closed it, ran to the radio, turned it up full blast, shimmied, and screamed, "Now this is what you call GOOD MUSIC!"





Last night, I went to the first meeting of a community ed. ceramics class. After the introduction and instructions, we went to the wheels and the teacher turned on the radio... and the first song to come on was Centerfold. Seriously, after years of telling the story about Kari, what are the chances? I will be tracking down her phone number so next time I hear that song, I can call her and say, "Kari? This is Amanda from your high school art class. And this is what you call GOOD MUSIC!" I bet she'll shimmy on the other end of the phone line.