52 Things: more than half way there

This juicy little fowl marks the 32nd new recipe that I've cooked so far this year. Not bad, 20 to go to hit my 52 target that I set at the beginning of the year. I think with the sheer number of soups, stews, crock pot dishes, and baked treats that I plan to make this fall and winter, I'll have no trouble hitting the 52 goal. Its been a lot of fun and significantly less challenging than I thought it would be to cook this many new recipes.

The recipe above is Roast Chicken with Mustard Butter and it was divine. Divine. The butter is mixed with finely chopped red onion, garlic, fresh herbs, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. I willingly cleaned that slippery, naked little bird and stuck my finger in between the skin and the breasts and thighs to loosen it up and then, my hands slattered in butter, I went to work sliding the butter in between the skin and the meat, tied up those legs after sticking some lemons and onions inside and time to cook. Roasting in its pan alongside potato wedges, that chicken filled our house with luscious meaty smells. Along with some fresh green beans, I rounded out dinner with those potato wedges roasted in the little bits of chicken juice and butter until they were crispy and tender. This has to be the best Monday night dinner I've had in months. And not that time consuming, absolutely worth it. I had some leftovers for lunch and we still have lots of chicken left for the week.

So while the cooking has been going wonderfully, the 52 creative somethings have been a bit more challenging. I've made a few jewelry pieces, a couple of necklaces back in the spring, and then these two baubles last month. I'm on some kind of blue/green kick evidently.

I'm still working on knitting my first scarf, I'm about half way done, and that scrapbook, remember that 10 years of photography and life and travels that I managed to scrapbook back in January? Yeah, not quite finished yet. I've gotten about 99% of the pages completed but I still need to go through and write all my little comments, descriptions and anecdotes. Nothing fancy, I just want to capture those things, and Joe wants to too, before we forget all the good dirt and stories. I got started on it again last weekend. At this rate I should be done by next January! I think that scrapbook counts for at least 20 of my creative somethings doesn't it? 10 years, man.

I am trying to take more every day photographs though. When we were in San Francisco I had a fantastic time using Instagram on my iPhone. It's easy to stop and take photos on vacation, and is there a more photogenic city than San Francisco? I'm trying to bring that feeling back home and find those brief moments of vacation type beauty when I'm going about my daily life. Driving to a meeting north of the river this morning I got stuck in traffic right before driving across the new Kit Bond Bridge. Camera time!

 
Now this bridge is no Golden Gate, but on a bright blue early fall morning, those cables glistening, it was awfully pretty. We'll see what else I find in the next few weeks. But it helps me look at the beauty of Kansas City, instead of just taking it for granted during the stress and chaos of my daily life. And with 7 Days starting on Saturday, I'll try to grab some good shots around town, maybe the City Market, maybe the Plaza, who knows?

Ok, that's my 52 update. Good night, I've got some knitting to do. I'm determined to actually wear this damn scarf by November.

Oh, I forgot this guy. For dinner tonight we had Ellie Krieger's Panzanella salad paired with some chicken sausage from Costco. Tasty. The salad is all tomatoes, day old baguette, cucumbers, red onion, olive oil, basil and balsamic vinegar. Light, tangy and nice with the chicken gouda sausage on the grill. Ok, seriously, good night now.