Kitchen notes -

The deer came by the other evening and nibbled on my roses - took all the lovely

 buds forming on the Peace rose (which made me so mad) in front of the porch,

 and many of the red Knockout rosebush buds by the front steps. They come right

 up to the house apparently! These are also Knockouts but off a large bush now

 blooming near the birdhouse which they must not have discovered yet. . . . . . or

 perhaps don't like the flavor of pink!

Speaking of flavor and munching. . . . . . . . . 

Many years ago I said "no more kitchen gadgets, I have no space to keep them."

A few weeks ago, while in our nearby 'Sur La Table' shop, I broke down

and allowed the manager to talk me into this one, she said she loved hers.

 I was actually looking at the spiralizer attachment for my KitchenAid mixer, 

but refused to pay over $100 for that, especially as I would not use it daily.

Want to make more veggies like my zucchini above - think healthy alternative

 to real pasta as we're really trying to cut carbs!

Recently I purchased a small container of pre-made 'zoodles' at the grocery

 store. They were not good, watery, doubtless had some

 type of preservative added, and grossly overpriced.

This OXO Good Grips version (they do make great items), with

 three different blades, was so much cheaper (under $40) and so easy to

use and clean - I'm enjoying it. Now if I can just find a place to store it!!!

Here's OXO's great video showing how much fun this gadget can be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQxopG92bpE

Snippets of life as we await Spring. . . . . . .

Hope your day is full of happy moments.

Eggs, pasta ------------- and bacon perhaps!

Happy Boxing Day to all my British, Canadian,

Australian, New Zealand, African readers - any and all around the world who 

celebrate this fun day.

 I rarely eat a 'cooked breakfast' preferring a bowl of oatmeal with fresh berries, 

yogurt (my current favorite being Noosa brand's strawberry rhubarb), or just a 

slice of toast (must be really crunchy bread, dislike soft toast) with English thick cut, 

slightly bitter orange marmalade. . . . . and coffee, lots of strong black coffee.

Bob enjoys making his own breakfast most mornings - cereal with berries 

and banana, yogurt, a toasted English muffin and orange juice.

On Christmas morning I decided to surprise him with this breakfast

dish simply called Bacon and Egg Linguine. It kicked off a relaxing morning 
with something unsweetened to tide us over until dinner in the early evening. 

Recipe is simple and would be easy to make for a small brunch crowd.

 Cook linguine until al dente.  Meanwhile dry-fry pancetta or thin sliced bacon 

until crisp, drain on a paper towel and keep warm

Drain pasta, add a little olive oil, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, finely 

chopped parsley and good grinding of black pepper. Serve in warmed bowls, 

topping pasta with the bacon and a fried or poached egg cooked your favorite way.

My own version is without the bacon of course. I enjoyed it and think this would 

make a good Boxing Day brunch, lunch---------or a light supper dish with a green salad alongside.