Another Extension and Brussels Sprouts

Just wanted to let everyone know that while we don't have any long term news, Tracy's contract was extended again until mid-March.  So that, at least, keeps us going another month.

On the cooking front, last week I made roasted brussels sprouts.  We received them in our Bountiful Basket and one time on one of my research trips I'd had roasted ones that were really good so I roasted them in the oven.  They were pretty good.  Not something I'd go out of my way to buy, but nice that I was able to make a vegetable that's often spoken about with dread in an edible fashion.

Multiple Personalities

So I've always joked that I kind of have multiple personalities. To be clear I'm not claiming or mocking actual dissociative identity disorder, but I do think that I have a tendency to have personality shifts as I do different things in life.

Well, now I have some additional proof of that theory.  Apparently I can also write like multiple personalities.  There's this site called "I Write Like" (iwl.me) where you paste in a sample of your writing and it tells you what semi-famous author you write like.  Well I used a chunk of my first novel and it told me I wrote like Margaret Mitchell (as in Gone With the Wind)  and when I used a chunk from my second novel and from my blog it told me I wrote like edgy YA novelist Cory Doctorow. 

I did hope that the two novels were very different in tone, so not only is this funny, it's actually a good thing.

Chicken Pot Pie Meets Biscuits and Gravy

I'm trying to gently and frugally expand my recipe set and cooking skills, so yesterday when looking at a magazine I saw a post-Thanksgiving sandwich idea that suggested making a sandwich with turkey and veggies in gravy put on a biscuit to taste like chicken pot pie. 

Riffing on that idea and knowing we had a pretty good stash of canned chicken and biscuit mix I took the idea and made it into biscuits and gravy.  I sauteed onions and carrots in butter with some rosemary and sage.  Then I made some turkey gravy (started homemade but I threw in a packet to stretch it) and put the veggies and a can of chicken in it.  It tasted a little heavy so I sprinkled in some lemon juice and at the very end added some frozen peas.  Then we spooned the stuff over the biscuits.  Now I doubt it would win any cooking competitions, but it is yummy and fast and cheap.  Hurray!

Ray of Hope

I thought everybody would be happy to know that Verizon extended Tracy's contract until February 4th and apparently they are still trying to hire him full-time.  If nothing else it gives him a little more time to find a job. 

Nice to have some good news to share!