Tuesday List: yay for gifts

(pictures to come later)

1) paula deen dutch oven
2) paula deen 12in frying pan (more for the hubs)
3) waffle iron
4) lots and lots of chocolate
5) gc to red lobster
6) recipe books
7) $$$$

woob!

Monday Random

So my sister says I should blog more. Granted, it has been one month since last blog. So here begins Monday Random.

1) my new sigg bottle. Turn your head sideways, cause I don't have the patience this morning to put the picture upright.

It came about after I left my other sigg (shiny purple with 'rise above plastic' written on it, RIP sigg) in The Land Of Evil (and some pretty houses), aka Jersey. If you really wanna know, ask.

2) My excellent new wardrobe choices. I'm wearing a very cool green shirt:
(picture to come later as apparently mozilla doesn't like monday either)
and my awesome red shoes (thanks mom) of which I cannot find a picture, so you're just going to have to use your imagination. But I'm pretty much all Christmas today.

3) I'm sending out my Christmas cards today. WOOB. I especially heart the david hasselhoff cards I found, TYVM Target. they're the bomb.

That is all for now.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies!

So everyone on WC keeps asking about Cmas cookies (already, I know) and since I have the Food Network's 12 Days of Cookies emails from about two-three years back, I figured I'd post the list to maybe give some ideas. If you wanna make it really fun, do it like one of those email forward thingies, and color the ones you've already made. Whee, cookie fun! Oh also, I have the recipes so if you want any of them let me know!

12 Days of Cookies: 2004

1) Ginger Spice Cookies
2) Maamoul: Stuffed Date-Orange Cookies
3) Citrus Shortbreads
4) Welsh Cookies (similar to a sweet scone with currants)
5) Ribbon or Swirl Cookies (a make-ahead freezer dough using chocolate and vanilla)
6) Mixed-Nut Honey Baklava
7) Czech Squares (with a walnut crust and cherry jam)
8) Cornmeal Wreath Cookies
9) Swedish Christmas Cookies
10) Hazelnut Mocha Macaroons
11) Triple Chocolate Cookies
12) White Chocolate Holiday Bark

12 Days of Cookies: 2005

1) Ginger Cookies
2) Hazelnut Crunch: Noci Croccante (hazelnut brittle)
3) Rosemary-Cheese Spritz Cookies
4) Toasted Coconut Marshmallows
5) S'more Rockin' Reindeer Ravioli
6) Christmas Citrus Squares
7) Mexican Wedding Cookies (simple pecan cookies dusted with powdered sugar)
8) Sherry Butter Nut Drops
9) Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread
10) Booze Balls
11) 3-in-1 Sugar Cookies
12) White Chocolate Holiday Bark (with a vengeance)
BONUS COOKIE: Chocolate Peppermint Pizzelle

12 Days of Cookies: 2006

1) Black and White Tie cookies
2) Almond Shortbreads
3) (uh-oh, I'm missing day three!!)
4) Peanut Butter and Chocolate Biscotti
5) Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars
6) Whoopee Pie
7) Golden Rugalach
8) Iced Citrus Crackle Cookies
9) Coconut-Cranberry Macaroon
10) Super Gooey Chocolate Drops
11) Ginger Pecan Oatmeal Crisps
12) Butter and Jam Thumbprints
BONUS COOKIE: Angel Wings (ver quick cookie using puff pastry)

12 Days of Cookies: 2007

1) Almond Lace Cookies (Florentines)
2) Moravian Spice Cookie Wafers
3) Double Chocolate Sable Cookies
4) Walnut Sugar Cookies (Kourabiedes)
5) Cinnamon Stars (Zimtsterne)
6) Crumb Cookies (Fregolata)
7) Sesame Rings
8) Chocolate Oat Cakes
9) Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bar (I have made these before, DELICIOUS!)
10) Spoon Cookies (Lusikkaleivat) (cookies with jam)
11) Fruit and Nut Bars (Mazurkas)
12) Pistacio Melbas
BONUS COOKIE: Coconut-Peanut Cookies (Galletas Maria)

2008 soon to come!

At the Movies

So, we were going to see a movie this weekend, but with all the cleaning I did and hubs being overly tired for some odd reason (he says as he lays on the couch, "I feel like I got hit by a ton of bricks, I don't know why" --my response-- "um, maybe you worked all week, had class all week, studied for a test, and had clinicals Saturday and Sunday 6am-3pm?") we did not go see a movie. But here were hubs' choices for a movie:
1) Madagascar 2 (heart heart heart the penguins and lemurs)
2) Zack and Miri (which he kept calling "Zack and Marie")

how odd are those choices?

So also, I was over at mom's yesterday coming off of a Pier 1 high and watching the Dr Doolittle marathon on ABC Family when lo and behold a Twilight promo comes on. My lovely sister goes NUTS. "omg he's so hot, omg omg omg" and all that. AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESN'T THINK HE'S HOT!?!?!?! Hence, a poll. Please vote. My reputation as an adult depends on it. El Oh El.

Dinner Divas: Grilled Chicken and Pesto Farfalle

I know I am totally late on this one!! For this month's Dinner Divas I wanted to try both the Rachel Ray Mexican Lasagna and the Grilled Chicken and Pesto Farfalle from Cooking Light. But, I only got to try one.

I decided to do the Chicken Pesto because I've never had pesto and I had extra chicken from the roast chicken I made a little while ago. So, it turned from Grilled Chicken and Pesto Farfalle to just Chicken and Pesto Farfalle. Also, it added to my Pasta Quest! Even though I've had farfalle before, I hadn't had the pesto.
Here's the recipe:


Grilled Chicken and Pesto Farfalle (courtesy Cooking Light)

Ingredients
* 1 3/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1 teaspoon salt, divided
* 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
* Cooking spray
* 20 ounces uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta)
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 (3.5-ounce) jar commercial pesto (about 1/3 cup)
* 3/4 cup half-and-half
* 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
* 4 cups halved grape tomatoes (about 2 pints)
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (I omitted the basil since I didn't feel like going to my mom's to steal some from her garden)

Preparation

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

2. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes or until done, turning after 6 minutes. Remove from grill; let stand 5 minutes. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch pieces; keep warm.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Place pasta in large bowl.

4. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Combine 1/2 cup milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in pesto. Gradually add remaining 1 cup milk and half-and-half, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 8 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 cup cheese; stir until cheese melts.

5. Add chicken and sauce to pasta, tossing well to coat. Add tomatoes and basil; toss gently. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Serve immediately.

Halloween!!! (Chili)

OK, I'm finally getting to it. For Hday this year we had a work party where we brought in dishes. We had contests for the tastiest and scariest food. Since we don't have a ton of cooks, I usually bring a main dish. This time, chili. I decided to use the recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker's blog. She makes it look so easy!

Being that my schedule was like this:
Tuesday: work, then work
Wednesday: recipe exchange dinner, prep pumpkin muffins, bake pumpkin muffins
Thursday: work, work, pumpkin muffins, frost pumpkin muffins, prep chili
Friday: (morning) brown meat for chili, throw stuff in crock pot, carry 30lbs of stuff to work, work, scurry home, carve my pumpkins, decorate house, hand out candy (and maybe eat some dinner)

I decided to assemble said chili the night before, cutting veg and opening can and dumping everything into a crock pot (which mom bought me the day before, I was complaining, and she got me a crock pot. I heart mom) which worked beautifully. I browned the meat the morning of, mixed, set on high, and it was great by noon. Hubs LOVED this. I didn't tell him it came from the crock pot. He wouldn't eat it.

Chili
(Adapted from Recipezaar) ~ via Brown Eyed Baker's blog

2 lbs ground beef
1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans (with liquid)
2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans (with liquid) Cat used black beans because the hubs likes.
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced Did not use, it's so uneconomical to buy a whole freaking thing of celery just for one stalk.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water

1. Brown ground beef in a large pot (or a pan, so that you can shove everything in a crock pot) over medium heat.

2. Drain off the fat.

3. Combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer over low heat.

4. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2 to 3 hours.


Yay for Chili!! Sadly, all was eaten before I could get a picture. Just pretend.

Recipe Exchange: 3 Cheese Broccoli Soup

I made my entry for the latest recipe exchange last Wednesday, when I was also busy prepping for Halloween goings on. It was sooooo good. I do have to admit I couldn't find all of the cheeses from Wisconsin, so I just picked up the cheeses from as close as I could get (one was from Ohio, it's still midwest!)

Without further adieu:

Taste of Wisconsin Three Cheese Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp. butter
1/3 C. flour
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground white pepper
dash ground thyme
1 - 13 3/4 ounce can chicken broth
1 C. milk
3 C. bite-size broccoli florets (I used fresh broccoli, took me fo-eva to cut the sucker up)
1 C. whipping cream
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1 C. (4 ounces) shredded Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese
1/2 C. (2 ounces) shredded Wisconsin-Style Havarti Cheese
1/2 C. (2 ounces) shredded Wisconsin Swiss Cheese

Preparation:
Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour and seasonings. Gradually add broth and milk; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in broccoli; simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cream, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce. Add cheeses; stir until melted. Makes 6 - 3/4 cup servings.

It turned out very well, even though I am the worst with melting cheese into any sort of roux with milk. I've determined I don't get the milk hot enough before adding. I am impatient. Natch.

Happy Halloween!

I've been a bad food blogger, for I have made bounteous meals (including Dinner Divas and my recipe exchange!) and have not blogged. There are photos, oh yes, but nary a blog entry. And now's not the time.

For I have punkins to eat! I don't have time right now to relay all the sordid details (Stella likes frosting), but I'll leave you with a picture. Alas, some of my punkins' frosting melted, but they still taste fan-freakin-tastic. And I have a dozen left over at home!

punkins:

Pear Cake

Yum! I made this for a meeting on Sunday (which I was late for, thanks cake) and it was still warm when we cut it almost two hours later. I also licked the bowl for the glaze. Good Stuff.

Fresh Pear Cake (from Weaver's website, my fave orchard)

Ingredients
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
11/2 c. vegetable oil
3 c. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
11/2 c. pears, peeled and finely chopped (2-3 pears)
1 tsp. vanilla
11/4 c. confectioners' sugar
2 Tbs. milk

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs on medium speed. Gradually add sugar and oil; beat thoroughly. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda; add to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in pears and vanilla. (The batter will be stiff.) Spoon into a greased and floured 10 in. tube pan.
Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until cake tests done. Let cool in pan for 10 min. before inverting onto a serving plate. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and milk; beat until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Cool completely. Yield: 14-16 servings.

Used by permission from Reiman Publications - Taste of Home

(hopefully TOH doesn't come after me for this...)

Pictures to follow, I was in such a rush I didn't take any beforehand.

Oh, forgot to add, since I was running late the hubs offered to help. New skills he has since acquired:
♥ greasing a pan
♥ flouring a pan
♥ learning NOT to ask me stupid questions when I'm baking

Cat Roasts a Chicken

Look Ma, I'm all domestic-like!

Not really though. I had my first experience with dead animal skin two Thanksgivings ago, when I (foolishly) agreed to brine the 20-lb turkey for my Mom's T-day supper. It was slimy. And disgusting. Do you know how hard it is to lower a 20-lb turkey slowly into a bucket of brine? My kitchen floor knows.

So, this time, I started small - 5lb little sucker. Got it at my fave orchard (yes, chickens too!) and it still had feathers on it when I got it out of the packaging. Gross. I also had to chop the neck off (after a call to Mom...we had a 'what would Julia do?' moment) Here's what it looked like:


So, I dealt with the sliminess and got through the cutting off of the neck (ew) and buttered the little sucker and stuck him in the oven.












Leroy is not impressed by my culinary skills.

And it turned out great in the end actually! I do have to work on my timing, because the potatoes were cold and I forgot all about the corn. Oh well. Yay for chicken!

Here's the recipe I used:

Roast Chicken, courtesy Julia Child via FoodNetwork.com
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken
1 small yellow onion, quartered
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery leaves (not a fan of celery, so didn't use this)
Salt and black pepper
Butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups chicken broth
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Wash the chicken in hot water and dry thoroughly. Season the cavity with salt and black pepper and stuff with the onion, lemon, and celery leaves. Rub the chicken lightly with softened butter and season all over with salt and pepper. Tie the drumsticks ends together and set the chicken, breast side up, in an oiled v-shaped rack or on an oiled roasting pan in the oven.

Roast for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees, baste the chicken, and roast for 15 minutes. Add the chopped onion and carrot to the pan, basting them and the chicken. Continue roasting the chicken until the juices run clear, for a total of 45 minutes plus an additional 7 minutes for each pound. (In other words, a 3 1/2 pound chicken would take a basic 45 minutes plus an additional 25 minutes, for a total 70 minutes or 1 hour and 10 minutes of cooking time.)

Remove the chicken and spoon the fat out of the roasting pan. Into the pan, stir in the herbs and blend in the broth and, stirring constantly, boil for several minutes on the stovetop to concentrate the flavor. Correct the seasoning and strain the sauce into a warm sauceboat. Carve the chicken and serve with the warm sauce.


oh yeah, here's the sauce and the giant mutant carrot that hubs got at the farmer's market this morning:

Listaciousness Volume Food

Inspired by a recent post on WC, I've made my own to-do list for this season.

♪Chili
♪Pear Cake
♪Baked Mac 'n' Cheese
♪Apple Caramel Upside-Down Cake
♪Roast Chicken (tomorrow, yay!)
♪Risotto
♪Christmas Cookies
♪Mini Pumpkins in my new Bundt pan
♪Sugar Cookies (frosted) with Candy Corns
♪Chicken Pesto Pasta (hopefully before the end of Oct!)
♪Mexican Lasagna (ditto!)
♪Chicken Salad
♪Homemade Tomato Soup
♪Corn Chowder

The Hubs' Buffalo Wing Dip

I just recommended this dip to someone on the Nest and then didn't tell them the recipe, GUILTY. So, here it is! This is some guy who works with Hubs' version of the infamous Buffalo Wing Dip (aka Crack Dip).

Buffalo Wing Dip

Ingredients:
2 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1 8oz bottle of ranch dressing (I used 10oz to make it a lil creamier)
1 package of shredded jack/mixed cheese
10oz of Hormel canned chicken (I believe I got two 9.75 oz cans and used about 15oz total to make mine a little more chicken-y)
1 5oz bottle of Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Directions:
Mix cream cheese, ranch dressing, chicken, and hot sauce until thoroughly combined. Put in baking dish and sprinkle cheese on top (I add half of the shredded cheese to the mixture and put half on top, this makes it less greasy). Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. *be careful as the cheese on top will make it a little greasy/slide-y!*

Pasta with Turkey Sausage

K came over last night for dinner and brought some excellent turkey sausage and multigrain bread, so we had a pasta night. Pretty simple really, but the combination of the sausage and sauce was great!

I used ziti, and K cut the casings off of the sausage and we fried it up with a lil olive oil (cause I'm paranoid about my pans, haha). It was different, I usually use regular sausage or ground beef with my sauces, but this was flavored excellently.

The sauce was great too, if you get the chance try it! Seeds of Change, Garden Vegetable Piemonte (which is a region of Italy acc to Wikipedia, because I am clueless about Large Words in Other Languages) - it is sooooo good! The combination of the sauce and the sausage was wonderful flavor.

So, that was my easy-peasy dinner. Maybe this week, I'll actually *gasp* make something! Wait for it...

Pasta Quest

So, another in a long line of 'list'-focused things for me. I have decided to embark on a season-long Pasta Quest. I will attempt to try every kind of pasta I can get my hands on, baked, cooked, whatever. There is a local Italian market that now stocks many a strange, new pasta type, and I am forever looking for new recipes in which to use said pastas.

Some may be older recipes, and things I have done before, and some may be new. But whatever they are, it's gonna be mighty tasty.

GOALS:
- to try one new pasta every two weeks (because, honestly, I would love mucho carbs every week, but my hips would not)
- to make these pastas using different recipes, not just 'spaghetti and meatballs'
- to blog about these dishes so that others may benefit from my pas-telligence.

Let me know if there are any odd pastas you have tried, or recipes you want me to try which aren't your everyday tomato sauce-type dishes!

Layered Mini Lasagne Casserole

Or, as I like to call it, mini lasagna.

This recipe comes from the back of the Mafalda box. Mafalda is a mini lasagna noodle basically. It's cut short though; at times I will see mini lasagna noodles in the store which are only 1-2 inches wide but still are extremely long; these are almost square.

This is the easiest lasagna I have ever made. Ok, it's the only lasagna I have ever made. I have actual lasagna noodles in my cupboard, but haven't used them. They may be used as part of my year-long pasta quest.
Anywho, these noodles only appear once in a blue moon on my grocery shelf, so I stock up like a mad Y2K shopper whenever they appear. I heart this lasagna so much. I am so disappointed that I didn't get a picture when I first made it, because Hubs then proceeded to eat the rest of it. So, picture next time!

Layered Mini Lasagne Casserole
(courtesy back of the San Giorgio box)

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion (I omit the on, not a fan)
3 cups (about 26-oz jar) spaghetti sauce (make sure you get ex sauce, a reg jar is only 24 oz, we usually end up adding ex sauce!)
1 package (12 oz) San Giorgio Mafalda, uncooked
3-3/4 cups (2 lb) ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 TBS dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (I used an Italian mix)
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 375ºF. In large skillet, cook meat and onion until meat browns; drain.
Stir in spaghetti sauce; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. In large bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, pepper, and salt (I usually add some of the cheese into this mixture, I'm all about cheese).

In 13x9x2-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup meat sauce; evenly layer one-half pasta over sauce. Spread ricotta mixture over pasta; sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers of meat sauce and pasta. Spread remaining meat sauce over pasta, covering pasta completely; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes of until hot and bubbly.

10 servings (1 cup each).

And, for your viewing pleasure, my copy of the recipe.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Mmm, muffins. We were finally home together last night and decided to go all out for dinner. We had grilled salmon fillets, fresh green beans from the orchard, and a rice mix that we found at our local grocery. I think it has wild, brown, and long-grain.

So, obviously, I had to make something for dessert. Hubs isn't fond of pumpkin, but since he ate my bananas I couldn't make banana bread for him, so I pulled out a recipe I'd been wanting to try, healthy pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I didn't know I had three cans of pumpkin in my cupboard so these will be made again, oh yes.

I was amazed at the amount of batter I had, but I'm not sure that my mini-muffin tin was actually 2 1/2 inches (looked more like 1 1/2) so I filled my 36-mini muffin tin and another regular tin of 12. Without further adieu, here's the recipe:

Healthy Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Muffins
(courtesy Very Best Baking by way of lovestoeat's blog)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels (I only had one cup so I used one cup of milk choc chips to compensate)

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease thirty-six 2 1/2-inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups.
COMBINE all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl. Add pumpkin and oil; mix well. Stir in flour mixture until moistened. Stir in morsels. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes; remove from pans.

Here is my plethora of muffins:


And here is my lovely oven, complete with periwinkle (yes my kitchen is periwinkle) wall, green teapot, red toaster, and myriad salt shakers. Notice the weiner dog salt shakers.

Pork-tastic! (and a dog story)

I feel a bit guilty because I didn't really 'make' the pork tenderloin we had last night, as in season it or such things, but it was still a damn good dinner.

I got one of those hatfield (I think) pork tenderloins in the meat section of my local grocery store, flavored with "peppercorn." So basically I could've done it myself, but oh well. It was great!! Roasted with foil on for 20 min, stuck some shaved carrots (whole) in for 10 min (seasoned with olive oil and S&P), took the foil off, roasted for another 10 min, took the pork out to 'sit' and did the carrots for another 5 min or so. Who knew it took so long for carrots to roast???

The carrots came out with a great flavor because of the pork remnants/liquids/essence. The carrots of course were organic, they come with their manes still attached, not sure what I should do with all that greenery so i just throw it out. If anyone has anything interesting to do with carrot stem please let me know!! I buy the organic carrots because I am a snob. Or because I bought them once and they tasted so freaking good I just can't eat any other carrots now.

The potatoes I made were from my favorite place for food-ness, Weaver's Orchard (see previous posts for website). They were great! Just plain ol' gold potatoes, took about 5/6 of them (the biggest ones, left the smaller ones to make roasted taters another day), boiled them, mashed them, stuck them in a - NO. nevermind that.
Left the skin on, because that's hubs' favorite part apparently. Why? potato innards = so yummy!
Some 1% milk, from local cows in Lancaster (I like having milk come from cows I can actually drive by and moo at), a little bit of butter (I'm estimating about 2-3 tbs, give or take a stick), and some sea salt and I was in heaven. No, they will never compare to my grandmother's potatoes, but nothing really will. Sigh.

All in all, great dinner! easy too because I had to do laundry in between prep & cook. OH. AND. I had to take my overpeeing dog out.

That cute dog, in the posts from a couple weeks ago? Yeah, he's the devil incarnate. He was perfect last week, and Monday started up again with the "I'm gonna pee on everything sucka" routine. So I threw his little gold self in the car and off to the vet we went. $800 later (I exaggerate, it's what I do), I left with antibiotics and a bill for urine and blood tests. I half hope it's nothing, I half hope it's something - treatable. I'm so sick of the smelliness! and feel so bad that he pees and doesn't really know it, hence sits in it all day. bathtime = dinnertime for Leroy lately.

We'll see how it goes next week. On the bright side, I didn't threaten to turn him into a rug this week. Yet. It's only Thursday.

*disclaimer: no dogs were nor will be harmed by writer of this blog. though I may wax poetic about threats, I carry no big stick.*


...aaaaand here's dinner as leftovers the next day, WHEEEE!!!

I Fought The Law (session #1)

SO... yours truly got a parking ticket back in, oh, March. It was for parking at a meter without paying (I think), and as I remember it, there was only about 20 minutes until the meters turned off. So I had a 20-minute window where I could get fined. And I was. GLORIOUS.

I promptly threw the ticket in the backseat and forgot about it. It got lost in the backseat (as things usually do) and I forgot about it until June, when I got a letter in the mail saying I hadn't paid, and this was the last warning. So I sucked it up and paid the fine.

Fast forward to today: I get a certified letter in the mail saying that I have a court date. Or, rather, will have a court date if I plead 'not guilty.' I sent the payment by check back in JUNE! Apparently the mail system played a cruel trick and ATE MY PAYMENT! So now, I either have to pay the fine plus an exorbitant amount of 'cost' and 'other' to the city, or show up in court. I will gladly cut another check for the cost of the original fine, but I want a darn good reason (and to know where my 'cost' and 'other' are going) before I pay the 'cost' and 'other' categories. SO...

I'm pleading not guilty and showing up in court.

WISH ME LUCK!!!

New Pictures Blog!

I decided to make a blog just for pictures. So if family comes here looking for an update on my life, they don't have to read all the recipes. Although they should, it's a show of support people.
So here it is! Tempest in a Blue Teapot presents PICTURES!

Take that, Martha.

this is my new b*tchin' wreath - that I made myself!
and here are the products I used to make it. Blackberry included.

Recipe Exchange - Shrimp and Pasta

For the most recent recipe exchange, Keepin' it Real, I was given Shrimp and Pasta. This recipe exchange was all about using staples, a fast-and-easy kind of thing. At first glance, it seems pretty simple, but I was a little confused by the instructions! Don't worry recipe-writer, it's the operator, not the machine!

Shrimp and Pasta
(total cook time, 20-30 minutes, most ingredients on hand)

Ingredients:
1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp (thawed)
olive oil
cooking spray (olive oil, preferably)
crushed red pepper flakes (at least 1 tsp, more if you like heat)
fresh ground black pepper
salt-free seasoning
6-7 garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped, divided
2 shallots, finely chopped, divided
wine (drinking or cooking) I used white wine
angel hair pasta

1. cook pasta according to package directions (I halved the recipe)
2. In a dish place about a tbsp of olive oil and crushed red pepper flakes. Pat shrimp dry and place in dish. "Salt" and pepper shrimp and toss to coat with olive oil and red pepper flakes.
3. spray a skillet liberally with cooking spray and add about a tbsp of olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Add just a small amount of garlic, onion, and shallot to pan and cook until just soft, less than 2 minutes. Add shrimp to pan and spray with more cooking spray.
3.cook shrimp, not stirring too often. When shrimp are about halfway done, add the rest of the first half of garlic, shallot, and shrimp (think they meant onion) (the other half will go in the pasta). Cook shrimp to desired doneness, trying to get a little bit of crisp on it (times wil vary). When shrimp is done, remove from pan, set aside and cover.
4. Add just enough wine to skillet to deglaze the pan. Once wine has almost evaporated, add about a tbsp of olive oil and the rest of the garlic, onion, and shallot. Saute until soft, about 2 minutes.
5. Add cooked and drained pasta to skillet and toss to coat.
6. Serve shrimp over the pasta.



Survey says:
HUBS LOVED IT. He loved it. I think it was cause I halved the recipe but OD'd on garlic and pepper. I was not as impressed, but I think since he loved it so much I'll add it to the repertoire! Thanks recipe exchange!!

**sidenote: I just want to let you all know... I peeled and deveined those babies! yes, got fresh shrimp right before dinner and did the dirty work myself. I told hubs afterward, and he was like, why didn't you just get frozen shrimp? BECAUSE... if I have the availability of shrimpies that are fresh I'll take those. for a regular weeknight dinner, I'd probably get the frozen ones. But I'd never done fresh shrimp before so now I can say I have!

This is what I do when I'm home sick and bored.

These are the doggies halloween costumes from last year:



here are the dogs trying to ignore me:


and here they are extreme close-up:

Dinner Divas - Mac & Cheddar Cheese w/ Chicken and Broccoli

So for my next Dinner Divas trick, I decided to do Rach's recipe. AS USUAL I didn't follow the recipe to a T, but made my own adjustments. They are listed below.

Rach's Mac & Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped (I used about a quarter onion because I don't like them)
1 pound macaroni elbows or cavatapi corkscrew shaped pasta twists (I used a fantastic noodle called Casarecce from the local Italian market because I couldn't find cavatapi)
2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in produce department
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I don't have this, oops)
1 teaspoon paprika (don't have this either, I suck at this)
3 cups whole milk (I didn't have whole milk either, and realized that I only had two cups of skim milk halfway through, so I used a cup of heavy cream to make up)
1 cup chicken stock
3 cups yellow sharp Cheddar (I got a block of cheddar, 8 oz was about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard

Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni.
Heat a medium pan over medium to medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and cook another 5 to 7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve.

To boiling pasta water, add pasta and salt to season the cooking water. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender.

While pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat a little to bring sauce to a quick boil. Simmer sauce to thicken about 5 minutes.

Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli.

Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, about a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings, transfer to a large serving platter and serve.

VERDICT: like one of the other commenters on this meal, I found the flavor a bit lacking, so ended up dumping sea salt like mad, something hubs isn't happy about (but he wasn't here when I was eating, so I got away with it, mua ha ha). It was nice and creamy though, and the broccoli with the cheddar was fab! So, three out of four stars from me. For hubs, this was his favorite so far (better than the mandarin chicken of Monday).

Here are two pictures I attempted to take, the lighting in my house is not the best so let me know which one you like better! he he.

Mmm...candy corn...

So I was at the market today getting the usual supplies (giant head of broccoli for $1.99, deli meats, one pear) when I spied from the corner of my eye some sugary colored goodness: CANDY CORN. Assorted kinds, assorted shapes. I got a bag of yellow corns, brown corns, and pumpkins. Ohhhh good stuff. I just ate ten of each and 5 pumpkins so I am in sugar happy land. And of course since apparently too much sugar can cause nightmares I will be attacked by giant candy corns tonight.

BRING IT ON, CORNS!

Dinner Divas - Orange Mandarin Chicken (a little late)

ok ok I'm late, I know. I just did Dinner Divas' August recipe today. But I really only have two nights of the week to cook!

It was the Orange Mandarin Chicken from Cooking Light. I picked Udon noodles to go with it, and had to ixnay the garlic because when I opened my jar, it smelled like...well, nothing good. Or edible. So I shook in some garlic powder.
I also omitted the green onion because they cost a lot and I wouldn't be able to use the rest of it before it went bad. A common theme in my two-full-time-jobs-two-part-time-activities-no-time-for-anything-else household.

All in all I give this recipe four stars. ****
Hubs was not that thrilled, given his disinterest in anything Asian-flavored, but he liked the noodles! hehe.

Oh, I would have taken a picture, but by the time I thought of it, hubs' was gone and mine was cut up into me-sized pieces. My bad.
Here's the recipe for those of you who don't feel like clicking the link:

Orange Mandarin Chicken
Ingredients
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges in light syrup, undrained
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Preparation
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned.

While chicken cooks, drain oranges in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons liquid. Add oranges, 2 tablespoons liquid, onions, jalapeño, and garlic to pan. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes. Combine broth, soy sauce, and cornstarch; add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened.

Nutritional Information
Calories:212 (16% from fat)
Fat:3.8g (sat 0.7g,mono 1.3g,poly 1.3g)
Protein:27.2g
Carbohydrate:15.2g
Fiber:0.7g
Cholesterol:66mg
Iron:1.9mg
Sodium:562mg
Calcium:27mg

Listaciousness!

I heart lists. As you all may (or may not) know. Whilst browsing my fellow WCers blogs, I came across this gem: The Omnivore's Hundred! So without further adieu, here goes:

(addition: the instructions for this are "1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.")

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut (I practically live in the sauerkraut capital)
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis (funny story: ask me about the time hubs confused this with hummus)
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas; Blackberry Cobbler

YUM. I actually got to make dinner last night. I'm still amazed at myself. Of course, I didn't do anything else... but at least I was productive! There are leftovers!

First up was Giada's recipe . I did modify it because I didn't have time to get all the ingredients, and wasn't sure about the mushrooms. I don't like them, but hubs is picky about them so next time I'll make it more spot-on.

Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas

4 cups chicken broth (found out i didn't have any chicken broth... sub #1 = water)
1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons butter, plus more to grease the baking dish
1 onion, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (none of these either!)
1 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces shredded fontina cheese (about 1 cup)
4 ounces diced fresh mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup) (i had an italian cheese blend, bag o' shred)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs (ran out of these too! i'm so bad at this.)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.

Bring the chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the orzo and cook until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Pour the orzo and the broth into a large bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until the mushrooms are beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 7 minutes. Add the Marsala. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and cook until the Marsala has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture to the orzo in the large bowl. Add the cream, fontina, mozzarella, peas, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and dried thyme. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of the pasta. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

Verdict: pretty darn good! I'll try it the 'real' way next time, but it worked just fine my screwy way so I'm predicting a surefire hit with the true ingredients.

Next: dessert! this was a recipe I gleaned from the website of my (kind-of) local orchard. It was pretty easy... I almost wondered if they left something out! But this is a great quick dessert for hectic nights.

Blackberry Cobbler

Note from the Editor:
A tasty, light dessert, this cobbler has long been a family favorite. It is a great Sunday evening supper or quick dish to prepare for unexpected visitors. The blackberries can be substituted by any other berry or sour cherries. (If using frozen or canned fruit, must drain well!) ENJOY!

Ingredients

1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. fresh fruit
4 Tbs. butter (melted)

Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a two quart baking dish. Stir in milk and vanilla to make a thin batter (do not over-mix). Place fruit over batter and drizzle melted butter over top. Do not stir. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes.

Fantastic! Loved it. So easy. Not as healthy as some, but it was fast, easy, and mmm mmm good. Hubs tried to tell me what I used were black raspberries...so that led into a 10-minute conversation about berries that really wasn't necessary. Oh well.

laugh on line

so this morning, i was out of laundry, so i put on the pants-that-are-a-little-bit-small-but-no-one-except-me-notices. except i think maybe people do, and they're just avoiding it...
Hubs: your pants make your butt look small.
Me: (just about to say "that's unpossible")...
Hubs: and toight, toight like a toiger!

I don't know whether to stop eating or flaunt my toiger-butt.

...isn't that vierd?

Do it again and I'll stab you in the face with a sautering iron...

I heart Christopher Walken.

Anywho... today's post is going to be a plethora of garbled and jumbled stuff. Since I leave for my loverly Disney Cruise on Sunday, packing and preparing have been my life. Well... not really, since work has had to top that recently. But I'll get there! I even have a list of stuff to pack! (Excel, of course)
So today is Shepherd's Pie day at the Dirty Caf (yes, it's dirty... no, that's not its real name). I will be splurging on this, oh yes. I heart me some potatoes & meat in one dish.

Only bad thing about going on this cruise is that I miss the Olympic Taekwondo day. Granted, they wouldn't show it on TV most likely, but I could watch it on my new toy, Mr. Laptop. I was bugging hubs the other night to come downstairs and spend some time with me... and he walks in and starts yelling "you're on the laptop! it's not quality time when you're online!" So, guilty.

But I'm hella excited for the cruise food. And for beachage. I haven't been to a beach since last year. Although one site said to watch out for the jellyfish... so that completely freaked me out. Great, so I won't fall overboard, I'll just die from jellyfish attacks. Oh well at least I have my other new toy, Mr. Camera, to capture these moments. It's one of those nice ones, so now I can be a good food-blogger and capture my baking/cooking mishaps with spectacular digital imagery! I won't do that when I'm out in public though, I'm too much of a wuss for that.

List of things I'm looking forward to on the cruise:
beach
food
giant exercise room
room service
the Pirate party


mmm... lunchtime... to be continued

Lame, party of one

So I'm all excited when I hear on the radio that Coldplay is coming back to the area, around November or some such date. Typical Radio Host Guy announces, "I'll take the 18th caller for tickets, 123-456-WROK!" or some such nonsense. So I get out my new Blackberry, all set to call in and win me some free Coldplayage, and I'm hitting the keys, and I go to type in the numbers for WROK... when I realize that... it's a QWERTY keyboard. I don't have those little letters on my numbers. And I can't remember which numbers correspond to the alphabet. So... I LOSE.

Baby Shrimp Scampi and Angel Hair Pasta

Dinner last night was an oldie but goodie, a RR recipe from a while ago. As usual, I tweaked the recipe to fit my tastes and what I have in the kitchen at the time. Hubs mentioned after sitting down to eat that we should have had garlic bread or something, to which I replied, you have enough starch on that plate!! Somehow angel hair pasta always seems to make more than one pound. One of life's great mysteries.

Recipe:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 large shallot, finely chopped (left this out, didn't have it)
1 lemon, zested (forgot a lemon at the store too)
1/3 pound baby shrimp, 300 count
1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine, eyeball it
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
1/3 pound angel hair pasta, cooked to al dente
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped or snipped fresh chives (I laugh in the face of garnish)

Get your pasta water going. Start the scampi sauce when you drop your pasta into boiling water to cook.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and melt the butter into it. Add shallots and cook a minute or 2, stirring constantly. Add lemon zest and shrimp and heat shrimp through, another minute or two. Add vermouth or wine and tomatoes. Toss another minute to heat the tomatoes through. Add cooked pasta to the pan and toss to coat evenly in sauce and to distribute the shrimp. Season liberally with salt and pepper and serve with chives to garnish.

I actually garnished with some Fontinella cheese, sooooo good on top of pastas. Now I'm gonna have to find something to use it for though as I have tons of it left!

Muffins: Accomplished

FINALLY made my blueberry muffins this weekend. Used below recipe from one of the Nestie's blogs, but I can't remember which one!!! It will be written down next time, oh yes. I skipped the topping though, plain muffins are good for me.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins (allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

(I cut these last four out)

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Didn't get to the muffins yet.

Spent my night going through my collection of mags, which is extensive, and was also a bad idea, because now I'm wishing it was fall! I heart October.
So, needless to say, dinner last night was not the best because I had no idea when hubs was getting home (which turned out to be around 7, when he promptly walked in and said, what's for dinner? oh no he DIH-ent...). It was deer sausage and Velveeta shells 'n' cheese, not entirely unpalatable, but not a fab dinner either... maybe tomorrow will be better! I work tonight so I think it'll be the new Kashi stuffed pocket thingy for me. boo work.

Mmm...muffins...

So this weekend was a busy one, even though we technically didn't go anywhere of interest. I spent a lot of time Sat morning cleaning up the house, organizing all the wedding gifts and kitchen stuff, and doing laundry. I am amazed to find that I am not completely minding doing laundry for two - I thought I'd hate it even more now that I have to fold 8million pairs of socks, boxers, jeans, etc., but not so much.
Made coffee Sunday morning and promptly forgot about it until I got back from church, so I made iced coffee and sat out on the porch reading one of my 8million Martha Stewart magazines (as an effort to clean up for the hubs I'm attempting to get rid of my magazine collection, so I'm tearing out pages I want and discarding the mags...sorry Mar!).
Had a hankering for blueberry muffins last week, so went to Zern's (local flea market/farmer's market and apparent teenager hangout) and got a pint of blueberries, asked the girls from the Nest for recipes, and got home to find that I don't have a muffin tin. That's right. NO muffin tin. So I made an emergency run to BB&B Sunday night for my tin - HOPEFULLY I can get to those muffins today!

Dinner last week: I usually only have time to make one dinner a week, so here was last week's.
Fettuccine Alfredo - my first attempt at the actual homemade version. The recipe was simple and called for parm and half&half - I wasn't completely satisfied with the results, wanted something creamier and more substantial - it seemed like there was too much pasta and not enough sauce. But I got to use my new Emerilware!!! I heart cooking pans that work.
Dinner this week: who knows. Wednesday looks like a good day for cooking!

IT'S OVER!!!... wait... it's over? what do I do now?

So the ol' wedding is finally done. It went off without a hitch (or so I can say now). A & K were nervous for me, which was pretty funny, because I wasn't nervous at all. I think the thing I remember most is walking up the church stairs to the strains of Andre Campra. Mmm, sweet sweet non-secular music.
The only things that went wrong (if you can say that) were - me forgetting the vendor meals (I'm sorry photogs!!!) and someone drawing on our engagement photo with the Sharpies we had put there for people to sign the photo's matting. We're not entirely sure, but we have some ideas who it was.
It was a great day, and only rained when we were indoors. Can't wait to see the pics!!!

So, now we officially live together. In inauguration of my new status as 'wife,' I have joined TheNest.com, changed my last name on all of my bills, and started wearing an apron. J/K on that last one, I'm too macho for aprons.
It's a bit odd, I still half expect him to go 'home' some nights. But we're getting to the point that we're more comfortable living with each other, and everyday I'm still amazed that we're married and I'm someone's wife. I'm sure everyone reading this feels the same. Also, it's pretty exciting to have someone to talk about the house with me. we're gonna do this, and this, and this... and maybe I'll make that dish you like for dinner...
so, wedded bliss? not exactly... wedded contentment? definitely.

Tuesday List

CBAG. Sounds like a hospital acronym, doesn't it... it's where I'm going for lunch today! Thanks to A, I have a fun new name for California Bar & Grill.
Ok, L, I'm back, happy now? I haven't written in a loooooong time because I've been so busy what with the two jobs and wedding planning. But I'm having a good day, everything's on time, so here I am!

Top Three

Yesterday, extraordinary happenings took place. You be the judge of which is best. Names have been changed to protect the innocent/stupid.

1) After almost being mugged in the big city, Gomer decided he needed to get a 'permit to carry.' It's not like a license to kill, although I'm sure there was some James Bond-style posing involved. So he was walking home the other night with said weapon in sweatshirt pocket...and it went off. When this story was being relayed to me, the person relaying was laughing hysterically, so I was sure no one was hurt. I asked, "did it hit anything or anyone?" Relayer replied that he had asked him the same question... "yeah, my leg."
2) College student Abe was sleeping at his parent's house while construction people were welding. When they accidentally set off the fire alarm with their tools, it started to beep, alerting the local fire company. With the way the alarm works at that house (ancient/screwed up), it didn't completely start to wail, so the emergency company called the house to see if it was an accidental activation. It was somewhere around midday. Abe kept sleeping. Hence: the fire company came to the house in full force.
3) Carrie is living with her boyfriend, and has been talking about future plans to wed lately. Plans, mind you, nothing definite, just ideas being thrown around. Carrie's mother decided to take her to every jewelry store in the local shopping plaza. There are only 6, it's not Mall America, but still... She insisted they talk to every clerk, telling them 'just looking.' When she asked her boyfriend, he said he had no idea, so she still doesn't know what caused the mall-a-palooza.

Ok, back to work...and putting the finishing touches on my address labels! 60 days!!

Argh Tuesday

So I'm trying not to be bitter, but I can't help it.
St. Patty's day is fun, right? Green beer, lots of college students at the bars at 11am, etc. Everyone goes out. Except me.
I had a committee meeting from 7-9pm. I didn't get to go to the pre-party because that was the only time I had this week to shop for food (food trumps beer). I didn't get to go to the after-party either.
Someone went out to the bar after class that night, but it wasn't me. I would have gone, but the bar that was picked (presumably for proximity to said someone's house) was about 5x5 and had no parking. Someone had to park 2 blocks away, which they told me on the phone when they asked if I wanted to stop by.
If I had the chutzpah, I would've gone to the bar 2 blocks from my meeting place, but I didn't want to go out alone with the crazies.
I tried to rationalize it this morning by saying, well, I had my college years, said someone didn't, so it's ok if they go out with friends from school and NOT me. That didn't work so much.
Special days should be saved for me! I'm the one who works 2 jobs and does 8 million things dammit! I deserve a freaking beer! And while I'm on the subject, I never get invited to go out with someone anymore after class/work. It used to be a usual Tuesday thing.

Ok, done.

Whatever happened to Tenderheart Bear?

I had my first session at the gym on Saturday morning. I was very surprised that the guy behind the desk and my trainer remembered me; the second I walked in, desk guy said, hey, welcome back! My ID card was (thankfully) missing, so they ordered me a new one. In the meantime, I have to flash a business-card-type thing when I walk in.

So I got the same trainer who "measured my a$$" when A and I first signed up in...hmm...2003? 2004? Whenever it was. He as well remembered me. It was kind of scary, and interesting at the same time. What exactly do those guys do all day? How much do they get paid? What kind of schooling did they have? Do they like wearing spandex?

But I digress. After my reintroduction to the machines, I spent about 20 minutes on the elliptical (two L's according to spellcheck), during which time I could peruse about 7 different tv stations from the tv's they have connected to the front wall. There was a plethora of viewing choices, including news, music, business, and Saturday morning cartoons.

Now... how many of you remember the classic 80's cartoons? G.I. Joe, Jem, Turtles, My Little Pony, etc. Well you know they've now brought them back, don't you? I had the pleasure of getting to see the "new and improved" version of the Care Bears.
WTF????? What is up with this? These are not the bears of yesteryear. These are not the gentle creatures we grew up with. Grizzle?! A "bad" care bear?!?! (see picture above) Where did this come from? Is the industry so jaded that they have to steal our precious cartoons and redo them, digital and twisted?

I mourn for the old cartoons. They've been pirated more and more. The Turtles, My Little Pony (now known as Earth Ponies), and finally the Bears. What is this world coming to? They even brought American Gladiator back (better looking gladiators but way awful uniforms). Is nothing sacred?

The Barometer's Rising and the Pressure is Low...

I know I'm not the only person in the world to get migraines. Correction - 'migraine-type headaches,' which is what I was told they were at the dr's office a couple years ago.

Sidenote - just called the dr to see how long I had been going there, and my stats - In 2001, I was only 7 pounds lighter. What a jip. On one hand, I'm comforted to know that my old size ## jeans are only so many pounds away; on the other hand, I'm just confused. Really??? Honestly??? I was expecting something, say, not of Kate Moss proportions, but maybe a little more towards ...(thinking of a celeb who hasn't yo-yoed and doesn't do drugs...coming up short)...oh well.

But I digress. These headaches drive me nuts. Not because they're painful, which at times they are until I break down and take medication, but because I never know when they'll come, or when they'll pull up a neurological chair and stay a while. I think today's may do just that. In the meantime, I need to stop at Target again (second trip this week, natch) to refill my med supply. It may be the weather, or the chocolate...I did scarf down those last 3 chocolate eggs this morning...but who knows. If it's the latter, I'll suffer for my vice. Mmm...chocolate...

Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Ham?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

Oscars, Veggie Pizza, and Yogalates - oh my!

I was logging my daily intake of yummy goodies this morning when I found that a new favorite, corn chowder, is not on the usual website. It's made by Amy's, but when I tried to find out more it's not there! Is this the case of the missing corn chowder? Who knows. Amazon sells it by the case, so if I do get an insatiable craving for it, at least I know where to find it. That and Crystal Pepsi (which, by the way, you can sign a petition to bring back if you feel so motivated.)

OSCARS - I had a massive headache so I only made it partially through these. I believe I was also distracted by "Mystery Diagnosis" (Discovery Health rocks my world) which can only be described as some good tv. I was impressed, however, that Tilda Swinton managed to use the words "buttocks," "nipples," and "George Clooney" in the same sentence. Hooray for you, Tilda. Even though you're not a former exotic dancer/stripper/whatever like Diablo Cody, you still manage to shake things up a bit.

Veggie Pizza - yum. We're getting pizza from Bruno's today at work, they have bangin pizza (stole that word from my brother circa 2006). Although I do pick most of the veggies off, because I am not a fan of mushrooms and onions. But hey, there's always the peppers and... what else comes on it? Broccoli maybe?

Yogalates - Attempted a pilates DVD given to me by K which is masquerading as a yoga DVD. There's an Australian woman who doesn't talk that much about spiritual relaxation etc so that was a good point. But I was annoyed by the double braids. I can't concentrate when I'm being told to twist my body in odd ways by someone who stepped out of "Little House in the Outback."

Flash Flood Warning - we will soon be inundated by a flood of Hollywood babies. Make sure you keep your homes safe from the barrage of highly-priced useless baby items and keep your kids up on their lessons, because they will need to know how to spell the new, unusual names that are sure to follow. If you see Angelina, hide your small children. She's a collector.

In the beginning...

...There was a blog.

Greetings! This is my first attempt at documenting my day-to-day doldrums and not-so-doldrums (pause to look up doldrums... ok got it right). As I've come to know more and more about this wonderful thing AG invented called Internet, I've come to find it gets more and more scary as people are able to connect in ways they never really expected.
For example, on a recent trip to a food/health website, where I was searching for the number of calories in the Kashi granola bar I just ate, I came upon someone I had gone to high school with. This doesn't sound scary, but if you consider that the day before, I had also come across his family's website while avoiding work, then it ups the 'whoa' factor. I'm not talkin Joey Lawrence 'whoa,' I'm talkin Keanu Reeves 'whoa.'
Sigh...back to non-Internet work.