Two New Additions to the Family and....A Challenge!

Big News!

I have pets!

After almost a full year of living sans-cats, and after much unsuccessful persuading of the roommate to get either a kitten or puppy, I have finally taken matters into my own hands and brought two new friends to live with me!

It was between them and a hamster but - as awful as I feel admitting to this - I couldn't give up hope that one day I will get a cat/dog so I just couldn't commit to the 2-3 year lifespan of a hamster.

So -

A big welcome to my first independently purchased pets

Voldemort (the algae eater) and Kingsley Shacklebolt (the chocolate-chip mollie) !!!

Is it obvious that I'm a Harry Potter fan?

There they are, my little wizard fish.

In other news I've just been issued a challenge by my cousin's wife. First a little background: this pretty lady and I are more alike than my sister and I are. The similarities are sometimes shocking. But back to the story...

For the labour day weekend we are heading up to the family cottage for a fun filled weekend. As my aunt is a wonderful hostess I was warned that she will likely be purchasing and planning all of the meals for all of us. My cousin decided that the best way to keep her from over-buying would be to tell her that we're having a challenge/contest.

What kind of contest, you ask?

THE BEST KIND.

The Martha Cottage Challenge, 2009. Two nights. Two dinners. Four cooks.

One night M&A take over the kitchen and prepare dinner, and the other night the roommate and I take culinary control. Menus will stay moderately secret but we will decide upon a main meat to avoid doing a dish twice.

The ideas! The research! The ingredient possibilities! My mind is literally running at about 100 miles a minute. And I've got the Food Network on to inspire me. Ohhhhhh this is going to be good!

I have just under two weeks to make a final menu plan so I will be posting some ideas for you all to praise or veto.
Anyway, I'll leave you with that for today. I want to post about my weekend trip to Stratford for the festival, the play I saw, and the antiquing I got to do ...but I will save that for tomorrow.

I'm off to make dinner for my roomie slash get my creative culinary juices flowing. The lucky bum is getting a meal in honour of my new fish friends. On the menu: spaghetti in a rose sauce with shrimp and bacon wrapped scallops.

Enjoy :)

J, Martha-In-Training