Musings of a Louisville St. Louisan

It's that time of year again.  When pumpkins are carved, pies are made and butternut squash isn't so ridiculously expensive.  There is much rejoicing!!   I will share with you my secret to buying butternut squash as long as you try these muffins out.  Most stores sell butternut squash by the pound.  They are not on sale the entire fall season, so you have to keep checking the ads each week to find out where it is cheapest.  One time I ended up buying $9.00 of butternut squash because I did not realize how big the squash I was purchasing was.  Grocery stores do not tend to keep very many scales around so you can know how much your produce weighs anymore.  (When I was a kid and walked up a hill two miles in the snow to get to the grocery store there were two scales on every produce aisle.  Now you have to walk in circles trying to find one).  Stores like Aldi and Trader Joe's (who are owned by the same company) do not use scales for their produce, they sell their food o

There have been several blogs written recently about who does it better: the stay at home mom or the working mom.  Who is more important to society?  Is a mom being neglectful if they do this, this and this.  Is a mom babying a child if they do this.  Breastfeeding, formula feeding, jarred baby food, homemade baby food, co-sleep, Ferber method, and the list goes on and on and on and ON.  Veteran moms are overwhelmed and new moms are overwhelmed.  In the mommy world, it makes it very difficult to breathe. As a mom, from the minute we wake up to the minute we lay our heads on our pillow we are bombarded with messages on how we should raise our children.  From the Today Show  to Parenthood to Maury Povich, everyone has an opinion.  Even the Pampers and Toll House commercials think they know the best way we should raise our children. And then there are other moms.  You meet them at the play ground, at the mall, in the grocery store, at church and in the blasted social networks.  Fro

There are very few things in the world that are worse than dry corn bread.  In my quest to find a corn bread that does not crumble if you look at it funny, I have found all sorts of things that aren't that great for you.  Butter and a lot of sugar.  Both of these things aren't bad in moderation, but if you are like me you have a hard time with moderation when it comes to anything in the "bread" category.  Especially if it is of the sweet and corny kind.  Last week I had a few friends over for chicken chili and wanted to make a special corn bread that was different and more importantly moist without the added fat and calories.  On a whim I googled pumpkin corn bread and found this recipe. I changed quite a few things in the recipe and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.  The texture mimicked your traditional cornbread recipe.  The muffins were definitely not dry, thanks to the pumpkin, which added a bit of a fall kick.  Next time I make them I may try t

Mark 4:35  That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40  He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41  They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”  I have heard this story about a gazillion times (I have literally counted), but in a rare moment when I was up this morning before my daughter was I was reading it and saw it in a new light.  If you aren't familiar with the stor

It's a gloomy, stormy Saturday night and the first week of October, but the high today was in the 70s.  To say we have had a rather warm start to our fall is an understatement.  However, because of the rain the temperature is supposed to drop, leaving our Sunday with a slightly cooler, slightly more autumn vibe (which makes this boot lover very happy).  And you know what cool weather means?  No, I'm not talking about football or the return of all of your favorite TV shows, I am talking about crock pot soups and chili. Six years ago (when diagnosed with interstitial cystitis ) I had to give up all hopes of your traditional spicy, tomato filled chili.  I had to "settle" with the alternative.  I say "settle" in quotes, because aside from the fake chili in the chili cheese burritos at Taco Bell, I do not really miss red chili.  It's possible that my memory has failed me on the wonders of red chili as a coping mechanism.  Either way, I'm not going t

If you are like me, it becomes increasingly difficult for you to come up with a dinner plan this time of the year.  In Louisville, it is usually too warm to actually get into your soup/chili crock pot routine and you have already wore out your favorite summer time recipes.  If you are like me, you are craving something new and easy.   Two weeks ago I picked up a package of boneless, thin sliced pork chops from Wal-mart that was marked reduced price.  I'm not going to lie, I buy all meat, if I can, on reduced price or manager's special.  Before you turn your nose up at this, think about it.  The date on the package is usually for the next day or the day after.  If you don't use it by the date on the package, throw it in the freezer to be used at a later time.  When your husband is 6 foot 5 inches tall you have to be frugal about the meat you buy, because my man eats a lot of meat (although I'm not sure where he puts it)!  One of my favorite recipes to make out of