TrendWatcher: "Sense"-ational Sunday...

Our senses tell a story. I've committed to recording my 5 senses for the past week to explore my sensory world. I challenge you to do the same. If you choose to do so, just blog your 5 senses every Sunday & let me know, I'd love to read them.

I SEE: Blood

I went to pick up my uncle {Amy & Meg's dad} from his dialysis session on Saturday morning. His car died & my aunt and Meg were on the other side of town. I was fascinated by the machine. I mean, I knew what it did in theory - but I never expected to see so much blood out of him when I got there. He started on dialysis back in July. He's had pretty aggressive diabetes for over 22 years now. So now he's on the kidney & pancreas transplant list - which is surprisingly shorter than the kidney list. So, for now we're waiting, and praying, and learning a lot about his new dietary restrictions and what's in store next.

I HEAR: Fireworks?
Someone in my neighborhood is breaking the law. I can hear them outside right now, but we can never quite figure out exactly where they're coming from. The police can never get to the neighborhood fast enough {yes, someone does this every year} to figure it out either. I'm just thankful they haven't set us all on fire yet.

I TASTE: My Stuffed Bell Peppers
I cooked one of my favorites this week...

4 green or red bell peppers
5 TBS etra virgin olive oil
yellow onion, diced
roasted garlic
1 lb ground beef
3/4 c raw instant rice
1 can Italian style tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
slices of pepper jack cheese

1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c water
1/2 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
Dash of Tabasco sauce

1 Boil water & blanch peppers. Keep peppers completely submerged, until brilliant green & their flesh slightly softened {3-5 minutes}. Drain.

2 Preheat oven to 350. Heat 4 TBS of the oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic - cook, til translucent. Brown meat. Remove from heat and add rice, tomatoes, and oregano, and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well.

3 Drizzle remaining oil in peppers, arrange cut side up in a casserole dish. Stuff peppers with filling. Combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and water in a small bowl. Pour sauce over filling. Cover each one with pepper jack cheese. Add 1/4 cup of water to the baking dish. Place in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes.

I TOUCH: Specialty Paper

Saturday I ran down to Paper Arts {formerly Paper Routes} to look for a rice paper Meg wanted & to look around for myself. I forgot how totally cool the people are who run that place. I love their amazing handmade and imported papers.

I SMELL: Roasting Garlic