The Case Of The Missing Butter!

Seeing as today was the first real day off of Spring Break, I had planned on something super simple to prepare and quick to clean up. Since we don't have a dishwasher, dishes are a huge pain. One day I will remodel my kitchen and you'd better be sure there will be a dishwasher. I've been without one for the last decade, so you'd think I would be used to it by now... but no. Still loathe dishes! It's Soup Mondays (hello, theme days!), so I chose a Taco Soup recipe that I got years ago from my good friend, Amy. My daughter Rhianna isn't a fan of tomatoes, so this really isn't her favourite meal, but at least I can get her to eat half of her dish. Eventually, I know she'll eat the whole bowl just like her brother Tiernan (who also dislikes tomato pieces). I serve this soup with some cheddar cheese grated on top, and a few tortillas to scoop it up.

Taco Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 litre of vegetable broth

1 can diced green chilies

2 large cans of diced tomatoes

1 pack taco seasoning

freshly ground pepper, to taste

Saute onion in vegetable oil in a large pot until soft. Add broth, tomatoes (with juice) and chilies. Add taco seasoning and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered for at least 20 minutes.

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You see that picture of butter? Yeah. I have a little story to tell about that butter. On Saturday I took it out of the fridge to soften for the mushroom turnovers while we headed out to take the kids to their bowling league. I left it at the back of the counter and when we came home, it was gone. No where to be found. We did find a small piece of the foil wrapper on the living room floor, and that seemed like a clear clue pointing at our dog, Tibbs. Boy, was I upset with him. He was put into my bad books for the next few days. No snacks or leftovers or special cuddles. I had to teach him that he just could not go around grabbing things off the counter. He's done it before - with pies! Do not, EVER, leave a pie unattended with Tibby nearby. He is a pie FREAK. Apple, Maple or Veggie - he's not picky. He's gone after all three. All his good dog habits go missing when pies are around.

The point to that ramble is that we blamed our dog. Who else would it be? It was gone! No one else is going to eat a pound of butter AND the foil wrapper. Only Tibbs would be goofy enough to do that. Except... this morning I had the kids clean under their beds and Avery found The Missing Butter! Now, if Tibbs had been the culprit, that butter would be long gone. There would be no hiding the butter for later; I can guarantee that! Our cats, on the other hand? That's a different story. Cats don't eat until the food is gone, they eat what they need. Also, our cat Mirri used to steal Robin's Eggs (similar to Timmies Timbits, or other doughnut holes) and hide them all around the basement for either her or I to find later. This had to be her doing! The only thing is... she could never jump on the counter because she's too... plump. :) So that makes me think it's Solange since she is very spry, and there's no way my old Scooter puss was jumping up there! Does this mean it was Solange AND Mirri? Oh, the mysterious answer to this question is enough to drive me mad. My husband's theory is that the dog took it down off the counter (because it appears that there are teeth marks from both canine and feline species!), and the cats stole it from him. I guess we'll never know! The only thing I know is that I gave Tibbs a dog biscuit out of guilt.

The weather today was downright Spring-like! Above zero, sun shining down all day, snow melting, green grass patches all around, and so many birds singing. It was such a welcome feeling. I officially have Spring Fever and have so many plans lined up to make my little nest an even happier place to live. I am finally coming out of hibernation!

The kids headed over to their friends' house this afternoon to play, so I had some time to myself. I'm not even sure what I did with myself other than walk the dog, do some laundry, chat on the phone and prepare for dinner (which really didn't have much preparing involved!). Either way, it was lovely. Tomorrow we're going to make the most of our beautiful Spring weather (+7C and sunny!) and head out to Kingston for the day. I wish every day was Spring Break.

And for good measure, this is the best picture I've been able to get of my Scootie Wootie Pumpkin Eater. She's my old girl at almost 15 years old and is constantly moving which makes clear photographs an impossibility! She just never sits still. Scooter is the most Zen cat you could ever meet. She's so patient and loving and sweet. I can't even express how beautiful her little soul is. She's beautiful.