Steamed Artichokes lead to burnt pan.

I had this inspiration. Inspiration to steam an artichoke. See, I have been following a blog of a gal that I met at church. She and her family have since moved to California and are serving God in a wonderful way. Her blog, diJESStibles, is a fantastic place to visit....often!  Anyhoo I have been trying to get pumped to kick up the family meals a few notches during the week.  I get home about 5:45pm so I want to be able to love all over my family and eat a good dinner and be able to wind down all before 9:00pm.  So, I am planning on doing her Mac & Cheese but I need to hit the grocery store first. Tonight, I felt a bit inspired. See, I purchased a lovely artichoke at Trader Joes on Friday and it really needed to be cooked, so...I decided to steam it.

The instructions were simple. Cut the stem off and remove the hard outside leaves. Check. Strategically place pats of butter and garlic in the leaves. Check.

Boil water, just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and place the steamer in the pan. Check.



Allow to steam, cover and cook for 25 minutes....here's where we had a problem.

See, I followed the instructions perfectly, except for one thing. I allowed the burner to stay on medium-high (note the red circle there underneath the pan). 

We made it to 12 minutes and then the steam became burnt. Seriously burnt. The fire alarm went off. 

I would have taken a picture of the after mess but I was so discouraged that I just cleaned up the mess and threw away my artichoke.  Then I bagged up the trash and promptly removed it from the house, opened all of the windows, sprayed Febreeze on everything and turned all four Scentsy's on!

I will try again another time.

Eleven things.

Everyone has lists of 10. I thought I would shake things up a little bit, upset the balance of the earth on it's axis, get a little crazy. Eleven things.  So, my first list of eleven will be about...me.
1. I am a natural born ginger head.  At 40 years old I must now pay for my ginger. It's all good.
2. I am a reader. I will read the same book five plus times.  Especially Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga. I learned to read at age three according to my mom.  She was pregnant with my sister and when she needed a bit of rest she would turn on Sesame Street. My teacher had yellow feathers. My great-grandmother "Little Grandma" told me at age 5 that when I could spell the word 'encyclopedia' and tell her the definition that she would buy me a set of them. I did, she did, they were white with gold lettering on the cover. What I wouldn't give to have them still.
3. I really like coffee. A whole lot. Seriously.
4. I have been on about 37 diets. None of them worked. I like to think it was because I refused to give up the creamer in my coffee. See number 3 for more details.
5. I love music about this much more than I love coffee.  My first love:  Bay City Rollers.  My second love: Journey. My third and final true love: Duran Duran.  My third and final true love blossomed me into multiple affairs littered with musical notes...none as deep and gratifying as D2...but some serious romps none-the-less.
6.  I could get lost in parent-teacher stores. The 200 colors of Sharpie, cutie patootie post-it notes and stationery with cheesy sayings and quotes, index cards and highlighters and board games and puzzles and bulletin board stuffies...oh my! Did the room just get about 20 degrees hotter all of a sudden?
7.  I have a dream of serving women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. I have this passion sweltering in my soul. I haven't gotten the nerve to put a plan into action. But...I want to. I am working on this.
8.  I am a nappper. I am a professional. I will put everything I have into it. The atmosphere is always just right from the temperature (cool) to the lighting (non-existent) to the ambiance (spa like music) and the texture (cool sheet, fluffy blanket, heavy blanket), leverage (two pillows, one firm and one soft). 
9.  Massage Therapy will cure almost anything....at least for 30, 55 or 90 minutes.
10. Tea is good for the tongue and the soul. My current flavor is Earl Gray.  When I hit SB I go for the London Fog. Yum.  I also enjoy peppermint, oolong, and kava.
11. I love Jesus. There, I said it. I am a Jesus follower. I love Him, really, I do.  He is my Papa, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Healer, my God, my Sanctuary, my Deliverer, my Provider, my Friend, my King. I could go on and on and on and on.