Kitchen Escapades

This weekend I ...

canned spaghetti sauce and salsa

and made tomato basil soup

made beef stew is our cool orange dutch oven

made tapioca pudding

made energy balls (aka my first attempt to make a quick, cheap protein bar alternative)

but our apartment smells like laundry because I also burnt the bottom of the pot while i was making the spaghetti sauce and i used laundry detergent to get it out, which mostly worked.

It is no secret that my hubby does a majority of the cooking/meal planning for us but whether it is the fall-like weather or I am embracing my "wife of a PhD student" role with the beginning of the semester, i have enjoyed my kitchen adventures the last few days and have our meals planned for this week. The timing of this is good too as my hubby is a little under the weather. :(

Gratitude List #1817 - 
(I wrote my gratitude list old-style on paper the last few weeks) 
- perfecting my chai tea (not too much chai and lots of honey)
- cool fall bike rides with Loki
- a nice date night with the hubby, using a Living Social deal
- sharp knives on wood cutting boards
- Loki's stumpy tail wagging
- wearing the new skirt my mother-in-law gave me (after she remembered that my husband commented that my old one wore out)
- holding my husband's hand in church
- local beef and veggies in a yummy stew
- friends. specifically pie-making friends who have us over to eat said pies
- talking at length about my job with a friend who asks really good questions
- finding encouragement to memorize scriptures 
- helping my good friend knit =) 
- our centerpiece

Happy fall, friends!