Babyproofing

The time has come to get this place babyproofed. We are starting with the traditional cabinet door latches. This is a real family house now!

California American Water

As you may be aware, we have a private water company here at Panske House. We are with in the county limits, and less than a mile from the City, but some how this places us under a private company. This also means that we get well water instead of the excellent river water that most of the City gets. Well water that may or may not have exciting exotic chemicals in it. (thanks AreoJet!)

Our water company, California American Water, wants to raise rates a little bit for next year... a mere 40.3%. This is on top of last year's increase of 24.3%. (next year projected at 22.8%). If I am calculating this right, that means something like a bill of 210% of the bill the year we bought the house. Fortunately, local area customers, and the PUC's independent Division of Ratepayers Advocates, disagree with this increase.

Anyway, hopefully the rate hike is mitigated somewhat, since our new car, and young Master House are somewhat crimping on the budget. Further, it seems that utility costs should not increase in a time when raises and inflation are correspondingly non-existent.

Coming soon: a rant about water meter installation, what happens when your house has 60 year old utility maps, and what happens when your water main is in the backyard.

CrockPot Pasta Fagioli Recipe

Next week's crockpot meal:

CrockPot Pasta Fagioli Recipe

No more "pickup"

As some may know, we used our 1996 Voyager as our pickup truck, carrying everything from cement, to trees, to Christmas trees.

Alas, no more. So, looking for a replacement, which will also eat into project funds. I hear that Foresters are popular... (no one was injured in the production of the photo)

In other news, we took advantage of the unseasonable weather, and did some yard work. Also need to apply some copper to the nectarine, although if the squirrels carry off all the fruit again, I will be pretty mad.

On a cold day in January

This time of year always makes we want to stay home under a blanket with a warm fire and a hot cup of soup. One recent favorite that we have been making is a sweet potato black bean stew. Mr. House found the recipe in my Readymade magazine and we decided to try it out. It was delicious! We've made it a couple times since then, and it is quickly becoming a staple in our kitchen. We liked it best when we used one purpley oriental yam and one regular yam in the mix. Serve with warm cornbread to mellow out the spice. Also be sure to take out the seeds from the peppers, it can be very spicy if you don't.

Materials
1 T canola oil
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
1 onion, peeled and roughly diced
1 red pepper, seeds removed and chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 jalapeño, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t cayenne pepper
3 c vegetable broth
14.5-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with juices
1 c frozen corn
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 c freshly squeezed lime juice
Shredded cheddar cheese to serve

Directions

Heat canola oil in a large, heavy-bottom stock pot over medium high heat. Add sweet potatoes, onion, red pepper, jalapeño, and garlic, stirring to coat. Sauté until onion and peppers are soft, about 4 minutes.

Add chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper and stir well. Reduce heat to medium, cover pot, and allow sweet potatoes to soften, about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After sweet potatoes are fork tender, add vegetable broth, black beans, and tomatoes. Bring stew to a boil, stirring well and scraping the bottom of pot to incorporate all of the spices. Add frozen corn, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Before serving, stir in cilantro and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve stew with cheddar cheese and additional cilantro, if desired.