Happy birthday to me!

Hurray! And ta-da! It's snowing! In the nineteen years I've lived in Lawrence (let's not dwell on that for now), it has not snowed or had significant snow on the ground exactly once. More proof that the universe has the ultimate sense of dark humor.

First off, I'd like to share where I'm spending some of my birthday money: bestill's photo gallery. She is an amazing photographer and makes lovely prints of her stuff. I ordered a few for xmas presents this year, and I'm going to order several more with my b-day cash--for me and friends. Check them out. Quite gorgeous, and a wide variety of subjects and styles. The flickr account isn't set up for sales, but if you tell her the print and size you want, she will be happy to send you a quote. She may be contacted via her website, Bonkers Fiber. I also hope to, later this year, hire her to do a journaling workshop (making a journal, not necessarily writing in it). Please let me know if you'd be interested in doing this as a group thing. She teaches all sorts of workshops on a national level and as you can see from her own journals, she is very talented.

Next, the universe's birthday present to me (besides the weather): 149 pounds this morning! This is the first time I've been under 150 since post-faire 2005. I'm aiming to get back to 140 before I go to Italy this summer. I figure that'll give me five pounds to gain while I'm there and still fit in the clothes I brought.

This morning I drove a kid to campus. He was trudging along the sidewalk as I was warming up the car and I offered him a ride. It didn't make me feel like less of a wimp for driving, but it eased the guilt factor a bit. A wind chill of negative three is just too damn cold for me to walk 20 minutes to campus. Turned out he's a grad student in American Studies. Cool.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!

Venison Pasta Soup

Venison Pasta Soup

1/2 lb venison tenderloin, cut into 1/2" pieces
flour for dredging
2 medium or small onions
enough fat/oil for frying above (I used bacon drippings!)
6-8 cups water
3 beef bullion cubes
1 t worchestershire sauce
1 t garlic powder
1 c estrella pasta
ground pepper to taste

Brown onions until they are golden and just starting to caramelize. Remove from pan. Dredge venison pieces in flour and brown (in batches if necessary). Add more fat if needed. Return onions to pan and pour in the water and bullion cubes. Add garlic powder and worchestershire sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add pasta and cook until done (about 5 minutes). Season to taste.

This was a "what do I have" recipe because I didn't want to go to the store and the pantry is getting pretty spare. I imagine it would be better with real garlic and probably some vegetables, but oh well.