Sometimes you just need comfort food!

As I mentioned earlier, we caught Stonewall! It took him quite a while to relax in the cage, but he is now curled up and sleeping in a bed that Kyle made for him (out of the Erdinger box you see in the photo). It's pretty cold out there right now, and very rainy. I worry about him being by himself, but we haven't seen Shadow around at all today. I'm not sure if that's because he's too cold and small - smaller than Stonewall, so he's sleeping the cold and rainy days away. Or, he could have been caught by some cat or crow. It's also possible that he got too cold overnight. Or maybe Stonewall is warning him away from our yard after having been caught. I wish I knew the answer to where he is. I keep hoping he'll show up and I'll put him in the cage with his brother (or sister... whichever the case may be). Tonight Stonewall will be spending the night in our garage in the cage. Apparently it's better to keep them somewhere that still feels the change in temperature so that they can get used to it. I worry about him, though.

On my dinner menu I had a Thai Salad from a Moosewood cookbook that I don't have (but found online). My friend Kim mentioned it recently and I just had to have it. She was right about the garlic in it! Very strong, but oh so good! I'm glad Kyle ate it along with me or I wouldn't be getting any kisses for the rest of the night. ;) Anyway, back to the menu. I was planning on making it with the tofu it called for and serving it with a side of leftover potato chips. Instead, I had an emotional weekend and was craving comfort food like you wouldn't believe! I wanted creamy and heavy and warm. I fought the urge to go out and eat... and was quite cranky about it. And then I remembered that I had a container of whipping cream that I bought to go with the fudge brownie, but ended up opting for ice cream instead. And what's my favourite thing to do with whipping cream? Fettucine Alfredo, of course! This is the same way we've been making it since we were living in Paris in 1998/99. It's so easy to make, and everyone in the family loves it.

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Thai Salad Dressing

6 tbsp natural peanut butter

1 cup boiling water

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp crushed red chilies

juice of 1/2 a lemon

Mix the peanut butter in the boiling water until it's dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

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Fettucini Alfredo

1 box fettucini noodles (we usually use spinach, but used cracked black pepper today since that's all we had)

6 tbsp butter

6-8 cloves garlic, minced (amount depending on size)

350 ml whipping cream

salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Once melted, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes being careful not to brown the garlic. Add the whipping cream and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature, add salt and pepper to taste and simmer until the pasta is finished, stirring often.

Once the pasta has been cooked and drained, return to the pot. Add the whipping cream mixture. Cover the pot with a lid and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it thickens a little bit.

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And now I'm off to watch the season finale of Survivor with the family!