Drunkards Path, Kitchen, Mini Cooper day

This is a strip of Drunkards Path blocks set into a sampler quilt.

Kitchen progress.  Yaay - running water!!

More kitchen progress.  A working cooktop!!

Thursday was my fun day out with a free Mini Cooper, and Jean & Teresa.  This was a promotion by Budds BMW for Virgin Mobile customers - a 24 hour test drive.  We went out to see Jean's farm then headed over to Angels Diner for lunch.  It was a gorgeous fall day.

If I weren't so darned lazy I would have stopped the car and gotten OUT to take this pic of the farm's laneway.

Here's how I celebrated the new cooktop.  Yummy, and great for Meatless Monday.  This would make a dandy side dish but I ate it for supper with spiced beets on the side.

Rice and Chickpea Casserole with Tomatoes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1.5 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
• 1.5 cups brown or white rice
• 3 fresh, ripe tomatoes, cubed (substitute canned if you like)
• 1 can drained chickpeas, or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon Tamari or soy sauce (for gluten-free)
• 3 cups vegetable broth or water

Instructions:

1. Heat oil and saute onions in a large saucepan for about 5 minutes.
2. You can saute the garlic with the onion, or add it after the rice.
3. Add rice and continue to brown, another 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
5. Bring to a boil, stir, and cover.
6. Lower the heat and cook for 18 minutes for white rice, 30 for brown.

Here is my little rant for today.  I may have to start setting limits, because I'm tired of hearing "I have to go to work today, so could you... (insert some chore that interrupts MY work)?"  There is an assumption that working at home gives me all kinds of time to spend taking care of things that should not be my responsibility.  Helloo... I am not retired, I work every day.   I need to earn a living, just like you, and I don't want to work all night because I took three hours off to take care of your problems.  OK?  Thanks.