The House that Bob "RE-built"

Where does the time go?  It was just January and Bob was starting on the new kitchen!
Now it is May.......the cabinets took forever to be delivered and when they were, many
of the doors and drawer fronts were defective.  The representative from Medallion and
our kitchen designer from Just Cabinets came over and took photos and assured us that
replacements would be ordered and delivered soon.
Well, that took two months!  The replacements arrived, finally, and as Bob and I unwrapped
each one ~ they were all defective in one way or another, from a nick to a gouge to some
kind of green on the white cabinets!
Now, in the meantime, Bob was in the basement and noticed there was water around the
hot water heater.
We called the home warranty insurance company the former owner had taken a policy with
and they sent a man over.  He agreed we needed a new heater and the insurance would
cover the cost of that.  We, however, had to pay a deductible, the cost of the hook up and
the cost of removing the old water heater.
Two weeks later Bob noticed the furnace would turn off right after being turned on!  We again
called this insurance company and they sent a man over.  Yep, we need a new furnace!  We
are just now waiting to hear what they are going to do about this and what it will cost us.
I ordered a lovely antique brass headboard for a king bed ~now that we have a large bedroom
we can finally get a king bed!  Fed Ex delivered it.  The box was bent in an arc.  (The headboard
inside was also bent in an arc!) The company I had ordered it from, Wayfair, was lovely.  They
immediately sent us a new one and told us to donate the mangled one.
That brings us up to date so far.......a definite work in progress!
Bets are on for when we can finally move in......July 4th is a popular date.....I am having Thanksgiving
Dinner so we had best be in by November!  More to follow, along with photos!

Cannellini Beans and Fresh Spinach Cakes

This is another bean cake I devised for daughter Barbara (and her Sean!).  It has become a
Kelly family favorite.


2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (use 1 can whole, process 2nd can smooth)
4 cups fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, grated on box grater
1/2 c. fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper
1 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. salsa (medium)
1/4 red pepper, finely diced
1/4 c. shredded asiago-fontina
1 egg
1/4 - 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Mix well.  Form into patties.  Heat saute pan.  Drizzle bottom of pan with olive oil.  Saute
patties 4 minutes over medium heat. Turn over.  Saute 4 additional minutes.  Should be crusty
and browned.

Black Bean Cakes, Best Ever!

I devised these for daughter Barbara who is about 90% vegetarian these days.  They are so tasty, even
Sean loves them!  They are quite easy, just time consuming.  You can make the mixture the day or night
before and then cook them up for dinner, freezing what you want to save for another meal.

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (use one can whole and process smooth the second can)
1 cup cooked quinoa (I have started using the Earthly Choice 3 continent mixture of quinoa, brown rice,
       wild rice, amaranth and red quinoa)
1 t. cumin
1 carrot, grated on box grater
1/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1 medium zucchini, grated on box grater (salted, weighted and then squeezed of liquid)
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. salsa (medium)
1/2 c. parsely, chopped fine (I sometimes use cilantro)
1 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. romano, grated
2 eggs
1/2 - 1 cup bread crumbs (start with 1/2 cup and then add more as needed)
kosher salt

Heat saute pan.  Drizzle bottom of pan with olive oil.  Make patties out of mixture and gently lay in
pan.  Cook 4 minutes medium heat.  Flip over.  Should be crusty and brown.  Cook 4 more minutes.
Serve with paprika cream.

Paprika Cream:   1/2 Mayonnaise, 1 T. paprika, 1 T. lemon juice....stir to mix.