focus on the positive 2

[seryn]

There's a new day today. I closed the door and had the big lamps on last night.

I came up with a very quick and dirty cowl. Hank of pencil roving, doubled. It looks a bit stupid but required zero work and is extremely warm.

I almost bought a hooded fleece-lined sweater vest from LLBean yesterday. What stopped me was the sizing chart and the fact that it doesn't come in plus sizes. It was going to be 2 inches too tight across the bust and it claimed to be a tunic-length but didn't come in petites. It came in purple. So I'd have looked like I had been trying for a Daphne from Scooby Doo costume. Or, worse yet, Velma wearing Daphne's clothes.

I was able to fix my computer last night. I believe I had a poisoned tab. I suspect it was the fanfic entry on my DW page. But after 3 hard crashes I was pretty angry and frustrated and just went off to read the new book that had arrived.

We had squash ravioli for supper. Everything I ate yesterday was vegetarian. I'm eating less and less meat lately. Not out of a desire for vegetarianism. I just don't seem to think of it. I should probably do something about that since a low protein diet exacerbates depressive symptoms and no one needs help with that when it's already gloomy and wintry.

Simon wanted me to look for a new immersion blender after we saw the Cook's Country episode where America's Test Kitchen reviewed them. But the Amazon reviews of that model were atrocious. I'm leaning toward the Cuisinart one that was advertised in the Sur La Table holiday ad. Because it comes in purple. Obviously. Also our current one still works but there is an issue with the plastic housing not being a single piece (not talking about top and bottom, the bottom half is glued so the blade insertion was easier during the build process), because there is something dark in the seam. So I am sort of looking for one that's not plastic. Cuisinart ones have stainless steel sticks.

I'm reading Eileen Wilks' latest Lupi book. It wasn't supposed to arrive for another month (I pre-ordered a bunch of stuff and it said it would all ship when the last one came out.)

I'm thinking about showering now. It's kind of sad that this is the highlight of my day. But at least I can do it more than once. And those towels are actually dry because of the extra drying between washes.

Comments

[thistleingrey]

Do you eat any kind of bean? I sometimes toss a handful of lentils or peeled mung beans into something cooking (I forget or "forget" to buy meat because cooking it before it spoils requires focus).

The Cuisinart you refer to may well be cheaper than this, but I have this Kitchenaid one and like it. I don't do smooth soups and have no idea how well it functions for that, but the stick makes better toddler food than my five-cup food processor was managing--an index useless to you. Steel stick, plastic handle/motor housing.

[sciarra]

I can't see your Kitchenaid linky, and I'm in the market too...

[seryn]

http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/product/KHB2351OB

[thistleingrey]

I forgot the http://.

[sciarra]

Yes, but seryn just BOUGHT me a NEW blender. How cool and crazy is that???

[thistleingrey]

:))

[seryn]

I patched the link for Thera.
And I think I put a Kitchenaid one in my Amazon cart last night as the best option they sold, but I don't think it's the same one.

I imagine an immersion blender would be better for baby food if just because it's easier to scrape the stem of the immersion blender than to use a spatula on the blender jar. I was happy with the ancient and plasticky one until I found the dark ring that my finger nail could enter and pull crud out of... that goes into the food each time we use it... Needs replacing ASAP.

[thistleingrey]

*nods* I end up scraping the stem and applying a spatula to the sides of the jar. :) Everything is better than spatula-scraping the larger container of the food processor.... Fortunately, those days are limited.

[seryn]

And I forgot the bean thing. Yes. But we're trying to avoid lentils since they're high in gouty stuff. It's not like cottage cheese is horrendously unproteined.

But I know I do better on a meat-rich diet, so when I'm already struggling isn't the time to have a lettuce + cottage cheese + sunflower seeds-- salad for two meals on the same day. Even if it's not too salty and is extremely crunchy. Or if I'm going to do that, my third meal shouldn't be hashbrowns.

But we have pureed unsalted black beans and salsa on tortillas some mornings for breakfast sometimes with cheese and/or egg. And hummus is pretty beany. But I don't feel okay and I generally feel better if I eat meat daily. So I should do that.

[sciarra]

I love your cowl idea. I bet it looks cool.

I'm looking at getting my first immersion blender for making soups. Excited!

[seryn]

It doesn't look cool, but it presages what might be a really excellent super quick project. I was thinking I could knit it on 20 something needles and make one of those cowl-hood things.

My ancient and plasticky one does an excellent job, so there probably aren't any truly horrible choices.

I used mine more for making smoothies though. You'd probably enjoy those too, but I have to microwave the frozen fruit chunks for a minute to soften them. So I've been looking to get a higher power one.

Did you want a gift?

[sciarra]

OMG YES! Will send you my snail mail address. Whenever you decide to replace yours. No rush.