Is my mail mating?

Ravings: What is it about the dining room table? I think anything that gets near its surface multiplies in the middle of the night. I swear the paper doubles while I’m sleeping. It also seems to occur while I’m at work. I think there is some sort of magical spell that happens when I am not watching. I could blame Shadow for the massing of papers while I’m at work because he is capable of jumping from the floor onto the dining room table. Or at least he used to be. I’m not sure he could manage it now without hurting himself! But he sleeps in the bed with us…..under the covers…..with the door closed. Unless he has figured out how to open the bedroom door, I think he’s innocent of this one. And, yes Shadow sleeps in the bed! He is a 13 lb dog during the day, but turns into a 6 foot tall, 200 lb mass once he hits the bed. I am certain he has magical powers and is able to do unimaginable things when I’m not looking. But I don’t think stacking crap on the dining room table is one of these powers.


When I left for work this morning I took a mental snapshot of the contents of my table. If there is more there when I get home, I am so getting a nanny cam to spy on Shadow!

Cravings: I have actually been looking forward to making last night’s menu! I told you I love the aromas of fall and this is one that just radiates through the house and makes your mouth water! The roasted onion recipe was from Cooking Light. It’s so simple, I’m not sure you could do much adaptation, other than cooking style, which I’ve already decided to do next time. I served the cheesy onion over rice with mushrooms and beet greens. Seriously what could be a better sell than roasting onion and sautéing mushroom! They should make that into a candle!

Slow Roasted Onion (Cooking Light, Nov. 2011)

3 sweet onions (or however many you need for one whole onion per person)
3 Tbsp Olive oil
Cheese (any yummy, melty cheese. I used Jarslberg)

Cut the top and bottom of the onion and peel the out layer. Then cut a cross-hatch into the onion just toward the bottom. You don’t want to go all the way through. Here’s where I will alter the cooking technique. Set each onion on a piece of aluminum foil big enough to wrap it up completely in. Drizzle each onion with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Use really good olive oil. Wrap the onions up, put them on a sheet pan and cook at 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour, just until the onion is soft. Then open the top of the foil and sprinkle the onion with cheese. I used about 1/4 -1/2 cup per onion. You can spread the “petals” of the onion out a bit to get the cheese down in but be careful, since the onion is soft at this point. Then put it back in the oven until the cheese melts.

Rice with mushrooms and beet greens

1 cup rice
2 cups water (you can also use beef, chicken, or veggie stock here)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 container portabella mushrooms, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
Tops of 3-4 beets, chopped (you could also substitute any green here)
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp smoked hot paprika
½ cup veggie stock (or use what you used for the rice)

Boil rice in water or stock. In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter, and add the mushrooms. Cook until they start to turn darker brown and smell heavenly. Then add the greens and garlic, sautéing for a couple minutes, until the greens get soft. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, cover and turn the heat down to let it cook down a bit more. When everything is all soft and coated in brown, and the rice is done. Add the veggie mixture to the rice and stir. Serve the onion on top of the rice mixture and sprinkle a bit more cheese over the top. That is a plate of awesome!