Thinking is so Fetch

I think this hill walking every day is getting to my head in the best possible way! I feel like I'm thinking of ways to try to fix some things, instead of doing nothing and being frustrated. A perfect example is my kitchen. It is basically a hallway that happens to have a stove, sink and refrigerator. And a dishwasher that is where I store my dishes I've washed by hand. Any time I cook something a little on the more complicated side, I get so irritated I vow never again. As much as I love cooking, sometimes it just doesn't seem worth it.
There is an area in one of the parking garages in my building where people put furniture and electronics they don't want. When I first moved in, I saw a little cabinet, mini dresser type thing, and I grabbed it for the side of my bed, as a little makeshift nightstand, and a place for my now ex to put clothes if he wanted to leave anything here. It's kind of ugly, and I don't really need it in my bedroom anymore. So, I had it sitting by my door to go back to the give up area, when the thought occurred to me to paint it with the leftover eggplant paint I have, and put it in the area next to my kitchen, and use it as storage, and extra counter space. Some of my cupboards are so high that I really can't use them, because stuck gets stuck in the back and I can't reach it. And the counter underneath the cabinet I'm talking about is too small to jump on. It's annoying. So, with these deep drawers, I can fit lots of spices and such.
I am by no means handy around the house. I do not know what many tools are, and my experience with painting things is VERY limited. So, this will be a fun experiment. But, I already have the paint, and the thing, so why not?

As you can see, my assistant Chunk is checking everything out for me. You see, everything is different, and could pose a threat when moved. Chunk takes his job very seriously! I think the eggplant purple surface will also make make a nice background for food photos.

I made lazy women burritos last night. I guess I could also call it Mexican lasagna. It's just flour tortillas with roasted corn, brown rice and refried beans as filling, and a delicious sauce made with raw cashews, half of a red pepper, and some salsa. Healthy comfort food.

I attempted to make the chocolate covered banana slices from Trader Joe's. It seemed easy enough, melt the chocolate chips, dip banana slices in chocolate, and freeze. I've melted chocolate tons of times, but always with something else in it, like making a ganache, or fudge. Something where you have some coconut oil, earth balance, or plant milk. I've never worked with just chocolate, and I know it can get testy if not handled correctly, and I didn't handle it correctly. I got about five sliced dipped before the chocolate started hardening up on me, and I couldn't get it back to the creamy, melted stage. The five slices I did make turned out great! I have half a bag of the chocolate chips left. Still not sure if I will try again. Does anyone have any tips for how to make the chocolate stay melted longer? I'm not sure why the chocolate cooled down, the bananas were not cold, so I just don't know. This is why I love to cook, but sweets are not always my specialty.
The hill is calling my name, so I will leave you with this picture of the world's biggest blanket hog, Dylan. That is a tough title to win, as blanket and bed hogging is a special talent of mine!

Happy Monday, and by the way can you even handle that it's November already???