I wanted to catch you up on the haps in the AGirl abode. TSM and I are a little more than half way through our EMT class. We are both enjoying it tremendously. In fact TSM made a comment the other day stating if he had it to do all over again he would go into the medical field. This is ironic because I have been telling hm that he should do just that for 20 some years and he has always said, “I would never enjoy medicine.” Course that is what I said about shooting, so… I am sure there is a lesson in there somewhere.

The weather in Virginia has been down right hot. Yesterday I wore jeans, a long sleeved shirt and a light jacket anticipating the chill that normal comes with December. After about 5 minutes in Jayne(she is my truck if you don’t know:), the coat came off and the windows went down. I normally start to get excited around September for the cooler weather. For one it is much easier to conceal carry in the winter and I love the iconic-ness  of snow and Christmas, but this year I am thankful for the current temps. To borrow a phase from my friend Brigid, I am pretty much a “bag of antlers” and the cold rips right through me. All that snow is dandy if I am inside my house bundled by the fire, but not so much if I am standing on the side of the road at a motor vehicle accident.

Speaking of Brigid, her friend EJ wrote a fascinating post on rifles. You must go read.

Lets see what else…oh there is a new link. I received an email from Ron asking if I would like to put a link to his site When The Balloon Goes Up. He started an online store. Naturally, I said yes(I don’t always)! Well, actually I said I would love to, but have no clue how, so as per usual, I contacted Barron and asked him to assist me. He did and voila. For full disclosure if you click on the link and purchase something I think there is some kind of compensation to me. Doesn’t matter though, the link is there to support Ron. He has done a great job and I encourage you to check out what he has to offer.

I have been doing a lot of cooking lately. I made my world famous peanut/pine nut brittle.

This batch was for Tam’s gift basket that Erin was putting together, so I used the finest ingredients, but often times I make it with vanilla extract and regular butter. It’s a big hit as a holiday gift. I did not hear if she liked it or not, but lets just assume she did:) If you would like the recipe email me.

I also made this…

My soon to be World Famous Chicken Coconut Curry Soup. By World Famous, I mean my family liked it. This one is easy, easy. I sauteed boneless skinless chicken breast and chicken thighs in a large pan until golden brown, added sliced mushrooms and red bell peppers(red are my favorite, but any color will do). I tossed in a good dose of garlic and ginger powders along with freshly ground pepper. Added coconut milk(I used the light and toned it down with 1% milk. It still has the coconut flavor and mouth feel, but a bit healthier for the heart) and curry powder(I used a pre-made version. There are lots of crappy ones out and with a variety of heat you may need to experiment to find one you like) Simmered until my sexy man came home(Your version will not have this element. You will need to insert your own sexy man, woman, cat, dog …). I spooned it over jasmine rice and topped with fresh cilantro. Normally I would also add scallions at the end, but I didn’t have any on hand.

Other than EMT and cooking we have been watching a lot of Christmas movies and reading a ton of stories about elves and reindeer. Nothing on the shooting front. Other than a bit of dry fire practice and regular carrying that is. Today I will be study for an exam, exchanging my EMT pants, working my ab routine and hopefully some pleasure reading.