No Mojo and a few other things...

There is just no creative mojo flowing these days...neither in writing nor in paper crafting. (I did, however, manage to put together a Valentine for my one and only, but that took 2 days and it was pretty simple!) I just have too much swimming around in this brain to settle down and concentrate for very long.

Sigh...this, too, shall pass...
always does.

However, as I was chopping up veggies for a yummy salad last night, I realized that I totally forgot to mention the sweet little salad spinner in my list of favorite necessary unnecessary things. If you have one you already know why this is a must have...if you don't, well you seriously don't know what you're missing. I picked one up at the "Mart" for a whopping $3 last spring after being told for years that I needed one. My initial thought was, "Yeah, yeah...sure, sure". This thing eliminates the soggy dish towel or paper towels spread out on the counter, plus it is great fun to use! (Just don't let go of the lid until it stops spinning!) It works for any just-washed fruit or veggie or any other food item you need to de-soggify. (Don't you love my made-up words?). It's also really handy for removing the excess water from thawed shrimp before tossing them in the saute pan.

The other handy kitchen wizard item I need to mention was a Christmas gift from my mom...the FastaPasta cooker. Cooks perfect al dente pasta in the microwave. Forget boiling the water, dumping in the pasta, bringing back to a boil, stirring, testing, etc., etc., etc. Just add the pasta, water, lid, microwave for the specified time, and "fo-git 'bout it!" (spoken in that bad Italian accent I like to use). PLUS you won't need a colander to drain the water off the pasta, because there is a built in strainer in the lid. I also used it boil some baby Yukon Gold potatoes to perfect done-ness, and you can steam rice and veggies in this thingy, too! (A note to my sisters who also received one...GET IT OUT AND USE IT, ALREADY!)

Finally,
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
I love ya madly!
May there be chocolate in your future!