Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Bugs

Growing up, my mom always told us that the word "hate" was a very strong word, and that it was better to say "strongly dislike." Well, I can honestly say that I hate bugs! Now, not all bugs are evil, but the ones that live in my house and attack my kitchen, bathroom, closet, bed, etc. most definitely are. I hope the following picture doesn't gross you out too much.


I couldn't resist putting the ruler down. This cockroach in our kitchen was 4 cm (1.5 in) long! Definitely the biggest one we've ever seen inside. I can't complain too much about cockroaches as we've only seen about 3 or 4 inside our house during the almost three years we've been living here; the ants on the other hand are a completely different story. No matter how clean I try to keep the house, they are everywhere! Seriously, within 30 minutes of cleaning the kitchen, they're back in action. I've already warned John that if he thinks I'm going to put our baby on the floor to play, then we'll have to start cleaning it at least every other day (instead of the current weekly cleaning). Neither one of us are looking forward to that chore.

The ants latest target? My running shoes. When I went to get dressed for church last Sunday, I noticed some stray ants on a few pairs of my shoes. After some investigation, I found a large ant trail leading to my running shoes. As I was trying to be on time to church, I couldn't do anything about it at the time. After church, the trail was still there, but I was too tired to deal with it. Knowing I would need to wear the shoes soon, I finally decided to tackle the problem after dinner. So I used some bug spray on the trail and then carefully carried the shoes into the laundry room sink. I knew that taking the shoes apart would disturb the nest. What I didn't expect was how gross it would be. After lifting out the insole, there were so many ants and eggs that it looked like someone had poured a good tablespoon full of salt and pepper in my shoe. I should have taken a picture, but I was too grossed out. Needless to say, I quickly put the shoes in the wash. Living in the tropics definitely has some benefits, but the bugs are not one of them.

Friday, August 21, 2009

The future Mr. and Mrs. Pearson






Yeah!!! I just found out that my sister Kelsey is engaged! I'm so excited for her and her fiance Brad. They will be getting married in the Oakland Temple on 20 March 2010. Congratulations to the happy couple!



Monday, August 17, 2009

31 Weeks!




I hope that all of our friends and family in the Northern Hemisphere aren't too jealous -- this is what winter looks like in Townsville! A big thanks to our friend Steph for taking some great pictures!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Meatballs

So I made meatballs last week and John paid me the ultimate compliment: "these are the best meatballs I have ever had!" Usually when I ask John what he thinks about dinner, he responds with a "it's good." I love to cook (mostly bake), but dinner is my least favourite meal to make, so I thought I would pass on the recipe, since I got such a good response.

Spaghetti & Meatballs
(serves 4)

500g pork mince (I used a pork/veal mix)
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1-4 cloves garlic, crushed (I like garlic, so I tend to use a lot)
1/2-1 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp Italian spices
1 egg
1 cup stale breadcrumbs
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
400g can crushed tomatoes
600-650ml tomato/pasta sauce
375g spaghetti
1/3 cup Romano cheese, finely grated

1. Combine pork, parsley, garlic, salt & pepper, Italian spices, egg, breadcrumbs and tomato paste in a large mixing bowl. Roll large tablespoons of pork mixture into balls.

2. Heat olive oil in large frying pan (or saucepan) on medium heat. Cook meatballs in pan until browned (be sure to rotate so that all sides cook evenly.)

3. Place undrained crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce in the pan with the meatballs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.

4. Cook pasta according to directions. Serve pasta topped with meatballs & sauce and sprinkled with cheese. Enjoy!