JAMBALAYA....ever since I heard Miss Kay invite Uncle Si to the table to share Jambalaya, I said I had to make me some of that! Surfed the net found several recipes and settled on a bit from one and a bit from another. Turkey Sausage with Rice and White Beans (Navy Beans).  Well, first off couldn't find canned white beans to save my hide so I started with dry - soaked overnight in the fridge. Once I sauteed all the veggies, added the semi-cooked sausage, canned tomatoes (chopped and seeded), toasted the rice in the pan...added Chicken broth and tomato juice leftover from the canned tomatoes (couldn't see wasting it). WELL, the rice overcooked and the beans were for lack of a better word...crunchy! I didn't have cajun seasoning so I added Hot Chili spices (this is the seasoning in those little packets which you have no idea what is in there but you trust the spice company to do you good). Wasn't wrong, it was tasty! I will try this recipe again but I would like to go a little bit more southern with it...maybe add some shrimp.

Guess what, did a Wal-Mart run and low and behold...Canned white beans! As Phil Robertson would say HAPPY...HAPPY...HAPPY!

HANK TALKIN' ...  any fan of Corner Gas would know about this episode (Season 4 Episode 8). Hank is encouraged to write a blog. Canadian Humour at it's best in my opinion. But then again, I hope people will actually read my blog and post comments!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAYhlNh0xtY

A GOOD CUP OF TEA...an English Gentleman told me, several years ago now, the proper way to make a good cup of tea. Yes, it was right to heat up your tea pot. He says that most people wait for the electric kettle to switch off before pouring the water into the tea pot. Not so, says he, once your kettle comes to a rolling boil that is when you pour the water over your tea bags in the warmed tea pot! Once done, I generally cover my tea pot with a tea cosy (or if lacking a tea cosy, a tea towel does just fine). Proper length of time to steep your tea would be 5 minutes or better. Sit back and enjoy! Guess what, for you tea connoisseur's out there...it truly does make a difference. Who better to trust than an English Gentlemen, he knows what he's talking about.

FOG...no not the brain...the weather! Woke up to put Molly (miniature dachshund, long-haired) outside and couldn't see across the park. Our home backs onto the greenspace/park behind our neighbourhood elementary school. It was great when our boys were young because they could use the park path to go to school and not have to cross any roads...better yet they didn't have to be bused to school. Well, blogging is brand new to me so I was blogging in my sleep...doggone if I can remember what topics I wanted to talk about cause got waylaid by the fog.

I have dreamt of doing a blog after viewing the movie Julie & Julia. What a novel idea to challenge yourself and talk (blog) about your accomplishments and some failures (hopefully few and far between). I create, that is what I do at Work and at home. I will try any new craft idea just once out of curiousity and stick with it should I master it. Tatting is one of those that I will not allow to break me...I will prevail. Seriously now, my niche (as my sister calls it) is QUILLING and that is with an "LL" not "LT".  LL is with paper...LT is with fabric. Quilling the art of paper filigree! Who knew when I took that one afternoon course at the Recreation Centre that I would be Quilling today....some twenty-five years later! Oh, yeah...just dated myself. What a wonderful tool the Internet is...surf around the net see what other Quillers are doing WOW and WOW the talent out there is magnificent...thank you all for sharing! I have learned new and exciting ways to twirl paper. Yup, it is true...you can teach an old dog new tricks...ouch!