'Tis a sad day.
Out newest Tivo started acting up last week. Lots of reboots, just not working right.
Yesterday, it froze up totally while I was watching TV.
Since then, I've been attempting to reboot to run diagnostics on it every 15-30 minutes with very little luck. I did get one diagnostic to run twice and it didn't solve anything, and I was going to move to another diagnostic, but I haven't been able to get the bleepin' thing to work since this morning to the point I can even run the diagnostic.
Windows has the dreaded "Blue Screen of Death". Apparently, for the Tivo, it's the "Gray Screen of Death".
Summary... the hard drive is hosed. I've seen enough hard drive failures to know what the problem is.
Why does this shit always happen when someone is out of work? Stuff never breaks when you're ripe with cash. It's just not fair.
But we can't live without Tivo. Like, to the point we'll happily eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a month to justify the expense of a new Tivo. It is seriously a drug... once you get used to it, you cannot live without.
Oh, and Tivo's "warranty" service sucks. This one does still happen to be under some warranty, but it'll cost $100 to have this fixed/replaced.
And for half that price, I can buy a new hard drive, void their crappy warranty on the unit, and stick a new hard drive in myself. Wanna guess which option we're choosing??
Seriously bad warranty service. When it's totally worth voiding the warranty for what is a very simple computer repair (I've built up my own PC from scratch.... twice....) and there are also many geeks out there like me that have always wanted to have a good reason to crack open the sacred Tivo (I tried to get the hubby to let me do it with our original, he said NO!!!), you can count on people doing repairs themselves.
Guess I have a new project on the horizon.
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Back to (sort of) real life
Christmas is over... no New Years Eve parties (but there will be NYE and NYD cooking)... into the home stretch of 2008. Still work-less this week, but today was a Sunday as usual and back to getting the grocery shopping done and making dinner.
I actually bought the stuff yesterday to make some scampi for dinner, but then I got Pressed Almond Duck on the brain and we ordered Chinese food. Note to self for next year... if you're going to get the taste for Chinese food the week of Christmas again, be smart and get it on Christmas Day and not two days after, when the good chef is likely enjoying his time off and a lesser chef is manning the kitchen. Not the best take-out we've gotten from that one place (the only place around here that has Pressed Almond Duck).
But, tonight... on to the scampi!!
The mis....
Some nice bread and langostines (size of a shrimp, more like the taste/texture of lobster) I got at Trader Joe's, butter, garlic confit and the garlic oil you get while making garlic confit, and pasta. Oh, and shrimp stock.
Hello... what is this??
Chicken breats in the crock pot. My mom is doing a "post-holiday Holiday Gathering" with my dad's side of the family next Saturday. She's doing some pulled beef, I'm bringing some pulled chicken, all for sandwiches. I'll also br bringing the mountain of crackers and the remains of the Reuben dip that I have stashed in the freezer right now.
Back to the scampi......
Confit garlic in some melted butter. Time to smoosh!!
I usually just go at it with a fork. Works for me.
Half the garic/butter mixture was smeared on the bread.....
And the bread gets wrapped in foil and goes into a 350 degree oven for ten minutes all packaged up, then ten minutes unpackaged/unfolded. You can broil it after that if you want the extra crispy top. I usually don't bother.
Woo hoo.... equipment porn... the new Le Creuset in action!!!
The pasta was either really broken when I poured it outta the bag or I totally overboiled it... it was just falling apart. This was not my best scampi.
Cooked the pasta, drained the pasta, then did the sauce in the same pot... the shrimp stock, some pasta water, the rest of the garlic butter, a big pinch of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Boil it down to the desired consistancy, add the pasta back in, and......
Looks pretty, but all in all, not my best scampi. I think it needed a LOT more salt. The langostines were already cooked, but they were actually kinda mushy and not very good. Oh well. Life goes on. At least we had an excuse to polish off some of the leftover tiramisu. Funny how life works sometimes.
I did want to get a start on some veal stock today... but frankly... I was just too lazy. And persistance paid off... after getting yet ANOTHER disk from Netflix of Footballer's Wives, Season 3 that didn't work in the main DVD player, my computer DVD drive, or the computer room DVD player, I finally tried it in the bedroom DVD player and it works just fine. Luckily that is also the most portable of the DVD players, so I was able to hook it up downstairs and I am currently enjoying the first part of season 3 in all it's trashy glory.
I actually bought the stuff yesterday to make some scampi for dinner, but then I got Pressed Almond Duck on the brain and we ordered Chinese food. Note to self for next year... if you're going to get the taste for Chinese food the week of Christmas again, be smart and get it on Christmas Day and not two days after, when the good chef is likely enjoying his time off and a lesser chef is manning the kitchen. Not the best take-out we've gotten from that one place (the only place around here that has Pressed Almond Duck).
But, tonight... on to the scampi!!
The mis....
Some nice bread and langostines (size of a shrimp, more like the taste/texture of lobster) I got at Trader Joe's, butter, garlic confit and the garlic oil you get while making garlic confit, and pasta. Oh, and shrimp stock.
Hello... what is this??
Chicken breats in the crock pot. My mom is doing a "post-holiday Holiday Gathering" with my dad's side of the family next Saturday. She's doing some pulled beef, I'm bringing some pulled chicken, all for sandwiches. I'll also br bringing the mountain of crackers and the remains of the Reuben dip that I have stashed in the freezer right now.
Back to the scampi......
Confit garlic in some melted butter. Time to smoosh!!
I usually just go at it with a fork. Works for me.
Half the garic/butter mixture was smeared on the bread.....
And the bread gets wrapped in foil and goes into a 350 degree oven for ten minutes all packaged up, then ten minutes unpackaged/unfolded. You can broil it after that if you want the extra crispy top. I usually don't bother.
Woo hoo.... equipment porn... the new Le Creuset in action!!!
The pasta was either really broken when I poured it outta the bag or I totally overboiled it... it was just falling apart. This was not my best scampi.
Cooked the pasta, drained the pasta, then did the sauce in the same pot... the shrimp stock, some pasta water, the rest of the garlic butter, a big pinch of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Boil it down to the desired consistancy, add the pasta back in, and......
Looks pretty, but all in all, not my best scampi. I think it needed a LOT more salt. The langostines were already cooked, but they were actually kinda mushy and not very good. Oh well. Life goes on. At least we had an excuse to polish off some of the leftover tiramisu. Funny how life works sometimes.
I did want to get a start on some veal stock today... but frankly... I was just too lazy. And persistance paid off... after getting yet ANOTHER disk from Netflix of Footballer's Wives, Season 3 that didn't work in the main DVD player, my computer DVD drive, or the computer room DVD player, I finally tried it in the bedroom DVD player and it works just fine. Luckily that is also the most portable of the DVD players, so I was able to hook it up downstairs and I am currently enjoying the first part of season 3 in all it's trashy glory.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Dinner: Impossible
I love Michael Symon.
But man... watching tonight's episode of Dinner: Impossible (much like watching the "block party" episode of Top Chef last season) I was getting distracted by the whole "invade the neighborhood kitchens" thing.
Please, hold one for my block!!
You want shrimp? I got shrimp. I know enough not to let you take my nasty frozen scallops. got crawfish. I have fresh lemons, leeks, mushrooms (2 kinds) asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes (I did stop at the Farmer's market), prosciutto.
Pantry basics? How about some tomato confit and homemade veal, chicken and shrimp stock. I also have a bag of frozen lobster shells I need to deal with.
Dry pantry? About as many types of pasta as you can imagine, extra bottles of olive oil, extra bottles of balsamic vinegar. I also have just about every type of vinegar you can imagine. Don't get me started on counting all the various mustards I have.
It'd be a dream for me to have someone else come in and take all this stuff and make something beautiful and fantastic for a crowd with it, without me having to do it (or clean things up, as I am particularly cursed today and dropped an egg on my kitchen rug and then broke one of our old Vegas shotglasses).
Sigh.
Stoopid TV.
But man... watching tonight's episode of Dinner: Impossible (much like watching the "block party" episode of Top Chef last season) I was getting distracted by the whole "invade the neighborhood kitchens" thing.
Please, hold one for my block!!
You want shrimp? I got shrimp. I know enough not to let you take my nasty frozen scallops. got crawfish. I have fresh lemons, leeks, mushrooms (2 kinds) asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes (I did stop at the Farmer's market), prosciutto.
Pantry basics? How about some tomato confit and homemade veal, chicken and shrimp stock. I also have a bag of frozen lobster shells I need to deal with.
Dry pantry? About as many types of pasta as you can imagine, extra bottles of olive oil, extra bottles of balsamic vinegar. I also have just about every type of vinegar you can imagine. Don't get me started on counting all the various mustards I have.
It'd be a dream for me to have someone else come in and take all this stuff and make something beautiful and fantastic for a crowd with it, without me having to do it (or clean things up, as I am particularly cursed today and dropped an egg on my kitchen rug and then broke one of our old Vegas shotglasses).
Sigh.
Stoopid TV.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
The Cult of Tivo
I admit, I am of the Cult of Tivo.
I've always been a television person... it was something that was always on growing up. We were some of the youngest kids I knew to get our own TVs in our own rooms (sad that a 12-inch, black & white television was once something that made you the envy of your peers!). We did still watch TV together as a family, but there was the option to go to your room and watch in peace and quiet if you wanted to (and I think my parents were quite happy to never ever have to watch a episode of Full House ever again.....)
When we got our first Tivo, it was just awesome. When we moved into our townhome, we were excited to add a newer, second generation Tivo to the family.
While I am a proud member of the Cult of Tivo, I think the hubby is going for High Priest status. He decided we needed yet ANOTHER Tivo (for you math people out there... that is three Tivos for two people - and we have 6 televisions in this house). So, today, we went to the bank and the post office (see kids... this is what happens when you're like 16 and cannot WAIT to become a grown-up so you can do all the great & fun things grown-ups get to do) and then we headed to Circuit City. A new Tivo was purchased, and a wireless adapter for Tivo 2 (just easier than running a network cable to it). We also felt we needed to add something else media-centric to the cart and I plunked in a $40 DVD player that I can easily move between the bedroom and the basement.
Got home, hubby installed Newest Tivo in the living room, Tivo Number 2 moved to the computer room and got the wireless hookup, and Tivo 3 is now in the bedroom. The really nice thing is that we can transfer programs between the Newest Tivo and Tivo Number 2 now, which is nice for a lot of the wrestling-related programming that hubby takes that I could care less about.
Newest Tivo is also pretty damned neat on its own... it can (with a big ole asterisk) record two programs on two different channels at once. I gotta hand it to the Tivo people... I'm guessing they found a way to smoosh their older technology with their newer technology together. It can record two channels at once, as long as one is a basic, non-digital signal feed that you can get on a regular TV. This will be especially exciting come the regular TV season where we tend to have some overlap on what we want to watch. For now, this means I can tape MonsterQuest and other good stuff that I usually have to try and catch on a re-run.
Wooo! I watch too much television.
I've always been a television person... it was something that was always on growing up. We were some of the youngest kids I knew to get our own TVs in our own rooms (sad that a 12-inch, black & white television was once something that made you the envy of your peers!). We did still watch TV together as a family, but there was the option to go to your room and watch in peace and quiet if you wanted to (and I think my parents were quite happy to never ever have to watch a episode of Full House ever again.....)
When we got our first Tivo, it was just awesome. When we moved into our townhome, we were excited to add a newer, second generation Tivo to the family.
While I am a proud member of the Cult of Tivo, I think the hubby is going for High Priest status. He decided we needed yet ANOTHER Tivo (for you math people out there... that is three Tivos for two people - and we have 6 televisions in this house). So, today, we went to the bank and the post office (see kids... this is what happens when you're like 16 and cannot WAIT to become a grown-up so you can do all the great & fun things grown-ups get to do) and then we headed to Circuit City. A new Tivo was purchased, and a wireless adapter for Tivo 2 (just easier than running a network cable to it). We also felt we needed to add something else media-centric to the cart and I plunked in a $40 DVD player that I can easily move between the bedroom and the basement.
Got home, hubby installed Newest Tivo in the living room, Tivo Number 2 moved to the computer room and got the wireless hookup, and Tivo 3 is now in the bedroom. The really nice thing is that we can transfer programs between the Newest Tivo and Tivo Number 2 now, which is nice for a lot of the wrestling-related programming that hubby takes that I could care less about.
Newest Tivo is also pretty damned neat on its own... it can (with a big ole asterisk) record two programs on two different channels at once. I gotta hand it to the Tivo people... I'm guessing they found a way to smoosh their older technology with their newer technology together. It can record two channels at once, as long as one is a basic, non-digital signal feed that you can get on a regular TV. This will be especially exciting come the regular TV season where we tend to have some overlap on what we want to watch. For now, this means I can tape MonsterQuest and other good stuff that I usually have to try and catch on a re-run.
Wooo! I watch too much television.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Mexican Cheetos
(I promise, the tale of the avocados will appear tomorrow... I don't have the energy to be creative right now...)
Mexican Cheetos.
And I do know how to set times on electronic devices, it really was noon when I snapped these shots. I was just so excited when I got home from the grocery store.
If you watch the TV Show "30 Rock" you'll understand why I nearly entered a fit of uncontrollable laughter when I saw these at the local produce/ethnic mart.
If you don't watch the show... a running gag in the past season was the main character's addiction to some Mexican, off-brand Cheetos and it led to a false positive pregnancy test in the finale, due to the use of some male bull byproduct being used in the Mexican Cheetos.
I, myself, suffer from a Cheetos addiction problem. In a time of stress at work, I can usually be found in front of the vending machine, plunking in some coins for my sticks of neon orange happiness. I was overjoyed/worried to find out at the new workplace, the vending machine sometimes has jalapeno flavored actual Cheetos. Those are GOOD.
I love it when the grocery store gives me a giggle. Even when it means I gotta spend two bucks on a product I'm really afraid to eat. Thanks, Tina Fey.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Pork challenged
Well...
That Word Guy will be very happy to know I finally did manage to catch it on super-sale while placing an Amazon order, and I am now a proud owner of the pan. Put that one on your watch lists, folks... when it's $20, it's a steal. Yes, I finally did listen after the many, many times you told me to get that pan. And it does indeed rock. And if any of the people I buy gifts for in my life cooked, I'd get this pan for them.
Too bad the first meal in it didn't turn out so well.
Was trying a new recipe that is basically pork chops and then a pan sauce with peaces. Sauce was ok, pork chops looked the same raw in their package, but cooked up to one about an inch thick and one about a half inch thick. I got the thick chop. I'm usually not squeamish about pink pork, but my chop was a bit too pink even for me.
Yeah. Dinner ended up being Kraft Mac & Cheese and then a slice of swiss cheese. It coulda been worse.
I am also absolutely in love with the show Top Gear on BBC America. It's like "car show" meets Monty Python. Just awesomeness.
That Word Guy will be very happy to know I finally did manage to catch it on super-sale while placing an Amazon order, and I am now a proud owner of the pan. Put that one on your watch lists, folks... when it's $20, it's a steal. Yes, I finally did listen after the many, many times you told me to get that pan. And it does indeed rock. And if any of the people I buy gifts for in my life cooked, I'd get this pan for them.
Too bad the first meal in it didn't turn out so well.
Was trying a new recipe that is basically pork chops and then a pan sauce with peaces. Sauce was ok, pork chops looked the same raw in their package, but cooked up to one about an inch thick and one about a half inch thick. I got the thick chop. I'm usually not squeamish about pink pork, but my chop was a bit too pink even for me.
Yeah. Dinner ended up being Kraft Mac & Cheese and then a slice of swiss cheese. It coulda been worse.
I am also absolutely in love with the show Top Gear on BBC America. It's like "car show" meets Monty Python. Just awesomeness.
Monday, October 8, 2007
The many uses of chili......
Use # 406. Chili Dogs.
We're still in unseasonable warm weather in Chicago.... as I hear much of the country is... so dinner tonight was the good ole, "won't heat up the house" standby of chili dogs. Grab some chili from the chili stash in the freezer, plop some hotdogs in "just came to a boil and turned off the heat" water ('tis the Chicago way) for five minutes, heat up the chili, chop a little onion, and an easy meal. Not the most nutritionally sound meal, but it works.
Random thought warning... watching the Daily Show, and they just mentioned the government's use of loud rock music to deprive prisioners of sleep as a torture tactic. Um, yeah. That wouldn't work too good on me. For some reason, when I can't sleep, if I turn on some Slayer tunes, I'm out in about two minutes. Yep, I'm twisted.
Anyway.... had hoped to be a more productive hausfrau after work today, but it didn't happen. I did get all the makings of chicken stock in the crockpot, but I did hope to make some more tomato confit tonight, since I wanted to use up what I had in my bastardized recipe of the Bouchon tuna sammiches, but the tomato confit did not happen out of my laziness, and I need some of it for the mussels from the Bouchon cookbook for dinner tomorrow. Ah well. I can do the confit tomorrow night, and have tuna sammiches later in the week. Pulled out a Southwestern Turkey Burger from the freezer for lunch tomorrow, and mixed up some of the ketchup to go along with it. That'll do!
But maybe I'm not soo bad.... got laundry load numero tres in the washer right now.
Sometime at work this week will be moving all the crap from my cubicle to another one a couple rows down. I have to wait until someone else has cleaned out the cube (it's one of the many, many overflow junk cubes around the office) before I can do it. I'd like to do it right now, because the person in closest proximity to me (one row over) moved today, so I now have 2 empty rows on each side of me. Yeah, I feel isolated. But at least no one was close enough to be offended by the mutter paneer I had for lunch today.
Darn crock pot. The stock is not progressing as I wanted... might have to switch it to low and let it go overnight. Grumble. Now I gotta deal with that in the morning.
We're still in unseasonable warm weather in Chicago.... as I hear much of the country is... so dinner tonight was the good ole, "won't heat up the house" standby of chili dogs. Grab some chili from the chili stash in the freezer, plop some hotdogs in "just came to a boil and turned off the heat" water ('tis the Chicago way) for five minutes, heat up the chili, chop a little onion, and an easy meal. Not the most nutritionally sound meal, but it works.
Random thought warning... watching the Daily Show, and they just mentioned the government's use of loud rock music to deprive prisioners of sleep as a torture tactic. Um, yeah. That wouldn't work too good on me. For some reason, when I can't sleep, if I turn on some Slayer tunes, I'm out in about two minutes. Yep, I'm twisted.
Anyway.... had hoped to be a more productive hausfrau after work today, but it didn't happen. I did get all the makings of chicken stock in the crockpot, but I did hope to make some more tomato confit tonight, since I wanted to use up what I had in my bastardized recipe of the Bouchon tuna sammiches, but the tomato confit did not happen out of my laziness, and I need some of it for the mussels from the Bouchon cookbook for dinner tomorrow. Ah well. I can do the confit tomorrow night, and have tuna sammiches later in the week. Pulled out a Southwestern Turkey Burger from the freezer for lunch tomorrow, and mixed up some of the ketchup to go along with it. That'll do!
But maybe I'm not soo bad.... got laundry load numero tres in the washer right now.
Sometime at work this week will be moving all the crap from my cubicle to another one a couple rows down. I have to wait until someone else has cleaned out the cube (it's one of the many, many overflow junk cubes around the office) before I can do it. I'd like to do it right now, because the person in closest proximity to me (one row over) moved today, so I now have 2 empty rows on each side of me. Yeah, I feel isolated. But at least no one was close enough to be offended by the mutter paneer I had for lunch today.
Darn crock pot. The stock is not progressing as I wanted... might have to switch it to low and let it go overnight. Grumble. Now I gotta deal with that in the morning.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
What the hell did I make for dinner last night??
Oh yeah. BLTs. Last of the good summer tomatoes, and it was hot and humid yesterday, and sandwiches just sounded good for dinner.
Tonight was pork chops... man, I need to find a good pork brine that doesn't just make everything too damned salty. I put the pork tenderloin in brine last night and when I made it in to chops tonight, it was just too salty for even my tastes. Oh well.
Also tried a Hash Brown Casserole AKA "funeral potatoes" to a lot of the world, from last month's Cooking Light. Not too bad, the onions could have been sauteed before adding to the casserole, they were too crunchy for my tastes. I might try them again anyway, since I have a good chunk of the block of Velveeta to use up still.
Also planning on prepping a Layered Enchilada Bake recipe for tomorrow. I know tomorrow is gonna be busy for me at work, and the hubby's got to pick up his comics and then he's going for a haircut after work, so he'll probably be home late and I figure that will stay warm for a bit.
Yeah. Craptacular cooking for me this week. It happens, people. As much as I love my kitchen, I do have a life outside my kitchen.
And speaking of, time to go do the "garbage day eve" fridge purge.....
P.S. - watching the very end of Reaper on the CW (that's the right channel, right??) and it's a pretty damned entertaining show.
Tonight was pork chops... man, I need to find a good pork brine that doesn't just make everything too damned salty. I put the pork tenderloin in brine last night and when I made it in to chops tonight, it was just too salty for even my tastes. Oh well.
Also tried a Hash Brown Casserole AKA "funeral potatoes" to a lot of the world, from last month's Cooking Light. Not too bad, the onions could have been sauteed before adding to the casserole, they were too crunchy for my tastes. I might try them again anyway, since I have a good chunk of the block of Velveeta to use up still.
Also planning on prepping a Layered Enchilada Bake recipe for tomorrow. I know tomorrow is gonna be busy for me at work, and the hubby's got to pick up his comics and then he's going for a haircut after work, so he'll probably be home late and I figure that will stay warm for a bit.
Yeah. Craptacular cooking for me this week. It happens, people. As much as I love my kitchen, I do have a life outside my kitchen.
And speaking of, time to go do the "garbage day eve" fridge purge.....
P.S. - watching the very end of Reaper on the CW (that's the right channel, right??) and it's a pretty damned entertaining show.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Pepper & Egg
Not too much happening around here.
I happily spent Sunday in the kitchen.... made meatballs for dinner, and whipped up the trotters recipe from the Bouchon recipe that I plan to finally serve tomorrow (no pictures... I suck at the foodie "food porn" stuff. And my stove was a mess). No cooking on Monday since I was sick as a dog, and tonight was pepper & egg sandwiches.
For those not from the Chicago area... a pepper and egg sandwich is a very wonderful thing.
In this highly-catholic area, all the hot dog/beef stands need an alternative to serve to the Catholics on Fridays during lent. Enter, the pepper and egg sandwich.
Some quick research says the recipe might be sicilian in origin. Who cares. You take some nice, sliced green peppers, and cook them to your liking. For me, that means cooking on medium heat with the lid on until they are very, very soft and slightly brown. Then... add your favorite scrambled egg-type mixture (I always add a splash of milk, partly since I always seem to be trying to get rid of milk). Cook until done. Throw that on a french roll or some french bread. I like some mozz and a smear of red sauce on mine. Eat and enjoy. Yum.
I usually grow peppers, and we end up eating them a lot during the summer. Not this year, for some reason (probably because I didn't grow peppers - duh). Since we're currently stuck in odd 90 degree Septembe heat, they were very tasty today, and good since it doesn't heat up the whole house.
Oh yeah... watched K-Ville last night... not too bad. Yeah, it's all the explosions and car chases you can expect from a Fox show, but it was not an hour of TV viewing that left me wanting that hour back. We'll see. They've got me for a few episodes.....
I happily spent Sunday in the kitchen.... made meatballs for dinner, and whipped up the trotters recipe from the Bouchon recipe that I plan to finally serve tomorrow (no pictures... I suck at the foodie "food porn" stuff. And my stove was a mess). No cooking on Monday since I was sick as a dog, and tonight was pepper & egg sandwiches.
For those not from the Chicago area... a pepper and egg sandwich is a very wonderful thing.
In this highly-catholic area, all the hot dog/beef stands need an alternative to serve to the Catholics on Fridays during lent. Enter, the pepper and egg sandwich.
Some quick research says the recipe might be sicilian in origin. Who cares. You take some nice, sliced green peppers, and cook them to your liking. For me, that means cooking on medium heat with the lid on until they are very, very soft and slightly brown. Then... add your favorite scrambled egg-type mixture (I always add a splash of milk, partly since I always seem to be trying to get rid of milk). Cook until done. Throw that on a french roll or some french bread. I like some mozz and a smear of red sauce on mine. Eat and enjoy. Yum.
I usually grow peppers, and we end up eating them a lot during the summer. Not this year, for some reason (probably because I didn't grow peppers - duh). Since we're currently stuck in odd 90 degree Septembe heat, they were very tasty today, and good since it doesn't heat up the whole house.
Oh yeah... watched K-Ville last night... not too bad. Yeah, it's all the explosions and car chases you can expect from a Fox show, but it was not an hour of TV viewing that left me wanting that hour back. We'll see. They've got me for a few episodes.....
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Hausfrau reason to not to clean #432......
... when you neglect the cobwebs on the ceiling during summer time, you then discover the benefit when a bumper crop of mosquitos comes around, and while stalking you, the mosquitos get caught in the cobwebs.
I'd rather have mosquito-filled cobwebs than mosquito bites.
Oh... and man... I heart heart heart heart heart Dale on Top Chef. If I still lived in the city, I'd be stalking him to make him my new Gay Chef Boyfriend (the title of Gay Actor Boyfriend is currently taken by John Barrowman.... season one of Torchwood starts on BBC America this weekend.... watch it!!). That's the sad thing about living in the 'burbs and working in a small company..... no gay men in my life. I miss that.
I'd rather have mosquito-filled cobwebs than mosquito bites.
Oh... and man... I heart heart heart heart heart Dale on Top Chef. If I still lived in the city, I'd be stalking him to make him my new Gay Chef Boyfriend (the title of Gay Actor Boyfriend is currently taken by John Barrowman.... season one of Torchwood starts on BBC America this weekend.... watch it!!). That's the sad thing about living in the 'burbs and working in a small company..... no gay men in my life. I miss that.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Damn you, blossom end rot!
We had a lot of rain last week. Couldn't quite control the watering the container tomato plants were getting.
Today, went out to the plants and found that there was a lot of blossom end rot happening. SEVEN tomatoes. I am not a happy woman right now.
Let's see... what else is going on?? Thursday night I did my mexican chicken... via the Roast Chicken Chimichangas, only modification being the beans on the outside. Much better that way. I've made these a dozen times and they are always tasty.
Friday was a fun day... got to work in the morning and the one co-worker who owns a Thai restaraunt declaired it "Thia Friday" and asked for all our orders. Oh hell yeah. Panang Chicken for me, which was fantastic. We also had pot stickers and an "off the menu" beef broth soup that was wonderful (normally not a fan of beef broth, but this stuff was great). Got pizza for dinner. Always good. And a particularly good "garbage pizza"... the standard pizza with everything.
No cooking Saturday... my brother announced late that he was stopping by to pick up the painting dropclothes they left here ages ago, and we also did The Great Luggage Hunt for awhile. For grown adults, we had some pretty sad luggage. One of those $20 rolling carry ons, and a big huge ass green rolling duffel bag. And the last couple times we went to Vegas, the green bag was AT, not just under, but AT 50 pounds when we checked the luggage. Time to upgrade.
Since I am a girl and I do tend to overpack (because you know... even in Vegas where there are stores on every corner, I *need* to pack 7 pairs of underwear for a 3-4 day trip....) the hubby was eyeing the new luggage that has a digital scale built in. We hit Kohl's first.... all they had was the stuff in brown. We are so vain that we'd pass up luggage just because it's brown. It's a color we really, really don't like.
So we went to TJ Maxx next, and found the 25 inch one we were looking for. In an attempt to find another 25 inch or the 28 inch, we went to Marshalls next with no luck.
I headed out today to a further off TJ Maxx and found the 28 inch suitcase. Oh hell yeah. I'm packing shoes a plenty!!!
Dinner tonight was Shrimp Scampi. Always tasty. Why do people buy peeled shrimp?? Seriously? They cost more, and you loose so much!! When I do scampi, I always do a shrimp broth with the shells, then reduce that, and then a shrimp butter with the cooked shells. And it is just SO much better than dumping already peeled shrimp in to a pan with garlic and tossing it with pasta. And I have more shrimp butter to use up. Oh HELLS yeah.
Not sure what is for dinner tomorrow. Crab was on sale today at the grocery store, so I bought some to make crab cakes this week. Also got a pork roast to do a crockpot pulled pork, and pulled out the corned beef that's been in the freezer for awhile to also do that in the crockpot this week. Also plan to try a new Cooking Light turkey burger recipe sometime this week, but I fear the turkey I pulled outta the freezer might be a bit freezer-burned. It's supposed to be a hot week, and I know work-wise it's gonna be a crazy week. Partly because I totally have Vegas on the brain right now.
Oh, and damn you, BBC. I've been watching the reruns of season 1 of the new Dr. Who on our local PBS station, and after each episode they do what I guess is one of the DVD extras, a little "behind the scenes" kinda think. Tonight's episode was one of the ones with John Barrowman, AKA my New Gay Boyfriend. And in this episode, he does appear half nekkid, but the original plan was to show his bum. But the BBC nixed it. Damn you, BBC!!! And even though I have already seen the first season of Torchwood, I cannot wait for it on BBC American later this year. Sigh. Yummy Gay Boyfriend.
Damnit. Dryer calls. Why don't I start laundry earlier in the day???
Today, went out to the plants and found that there was a lot of blossom end rot happening. SEVEN tomatoes. I am not a happy woman right now.
Let's see... what else is going on?? Thursday night I did my mexican chicken... via the Roast Chicken Chimichangas, only modification being the beans on the outside. Much better that way. I've made these a dozen times and they are always tasty.
Friday was a fun day... got to work in the morning and the one co-worker who owns a Thai restaraunt declaired it "Thia Friday" and asked for all our orders. Oh hell yeah. Panang Chicken for me, which was fantastic. We also had pot stickers and an "off the menu" beef broth soup that was wonderful (normally not a fan of beef broth, but this stuff was great). Got pizza for dinner. Always good. And a particularly good "garbage pizza"... the standard pizza with everything.
No cooking Saturday... my brother announced late that he was stopping by to pick up the painting dropclothes they left here ages ago, and we also did The Great Luggage Hunt for awhile. For grown adults, we had some pretty sad luggage. One of those $20 rolling carry ons, and a big huge ass green rolling duffel bag. And the last couple times we went to Vegas, the green bag was AT, not just under, but AT 50 pounds when we checked the luggage. Time to upgrade.
Since I am a girl and I do tend to overpack (because you know... even in Vegas where there are stores on every corner, I *need* to pack 7 pairs of underwear for a 3-4 day trip....) the hubby was eyeing the new luggage that has a digital scale built in. We hit Kohl's first.... all they had was the stuff in brown. We are so vain that we'd pass up luggage just because it's brown. It's a color we really, really don't like.
So we went to TJ Maxx next, and found the 25 inch one we were looking for. In an attempt to find another 25 inch or the 28 inch, we went to Marshalls next with no luck.
I headed out today to a further off TJ Maxx and found the 28 inch suitcase. Oh hell yeah. I'm packing shoes a plenty!!!
Dinner tonight was Shrimp Scampi. Always tasty. Why do people buy peeled shrimp?? Seriously? They cost more, and you loose so much!! When I do scampi, I always do a shrimp broth with the shells, then reduce that, and then a shrimp butter with the cooked shells. And it is just SO much better than dumping already peeled shrimp in to a pan with garlic and tossing it with pasta. And I have more shrimp butter to use up. Oh HELLS yeah.
Not sure what is for dinner tomorrow. Crab was on sale today at the grocery store, so I bought some to make crab cakes this week. Also got a pork roast to do a crockpot pulled pork, and pulled out the corned beef that's been in the freezer for awhile to also do that in the crockpot this week. Also plan to try a new Cooking Light turkey burger recipe sometime this week, but I fear the turkey I pulled outta the freezer might be a bit freezer-burned. It's supposed to be a hot week, and I know work-wise it's gonna be a crazy week. Partly because I totally have Vegas on the brain right now.
Oh, and damn you, BBC. I've been watching the reruns of season 1 of the new Dr. Who on our local PBS station, and after each episode they do what I guess is one of the DVD extras, a little "behind the scenes" kinda think. Tonight's episode was one of the ones with John Barrowman, AKA my New Gay Boyfriend. And in this episode, he does appear half nekkid, but the original plan was to show his bum. But the BBC nixed it. Damn you, BBC!!! And even though I have already seen the first season of Torchwood, I cannot wait for it on BBC American later this year. Sigh. Yummy Gay Boyfriend.
Damnit. Dryer calls. Why don't I start laundry earlier in the day???
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
MMmmmm... Po Boys.
So, at about 11:20 this morning, got a call at work from the hubby. I knew what his question was before I even picked up the phone.
"It's okay to have Taco Bell, I'll make something else for dinner tonight."
He then starts to explain how he'll go to Wendy's for a chicken sandwich if it's mexican, or eat Taco Bell if it's chicken.
Le Fuck. I paused. He replied... "It's mexican chicken, isn't it???"
I said I'd make something else for dinner. I didn't have much of a plan, and even for mexican chicken I'd have to stop at the store. Not much bother to get fixin's for something else.
Finally decided on shrimp po boys. I love me a po boy sandwich. And I really, really miss working two blocks from the original Heaven on Seven downtown. The best Oyster Po Boy.
So, the Heaven on Seven recipe just has you marinate the cleaned shrimp in hot sauce, and then coat it in their Seasoned Corn Flour mix. 1 1/4 cups corn flour (or Masa Harina, which I usually have on hand) plus 3 tablespoons corn starch, seasoned with various cajun-type seasonings. No eggs, no other coating, just throw the shrimp in the flour, coat, and fry (I did about 3/4 of an inch of oil in the trusty ole cast iron). Serve on a roll with lettuce, tomato, and Honey-Jalepeno Dressing (full recipe is for the Oyseter Po Boy, but it has the dressing also). I have much love for the Honey-Jalepeno dressing. And you can even make it with low-fat mayo and 2% milk for the cream with fan-flippin-tastic results.
Oh yeah. Good dinner.
Not too much else going on. Did have the first grape tomatoes from the garden yesterday... I think I was a little to egar, they could have had at least another day, maybe two, on the vine. Still tasty though. And I've got two more that should be good to go for a salad on Saturday. I just need the BIG tomatoes to start turning. I have bacon in the fridge just waiting to become a "first tomato of the summer BLT"......
Work is really manic... I'm either trying to do ten things RIGHT NOW! or just left without anything to do. Sadly, can I ask for just manic? At least I'm not bored.
Ok. Must sign off. On Real Stories of the Highway Patrol they're about to show a "Vegas reinactment." Tell me I'm not the only person, besides the hubby, on the planet that remembers this show?? We used to watch it every night... to the point we'd leave the bar and head to a controlable TV so we could flip on this horrible Cops rip-off, and laugh our asses off. Boy was I actually happy there is now a Fox Reality channel that needs program so badly, it's re-running the episodes. Guilty pleasures people, guilty pleasures. Gotta embrace them, love them, and hold them dear.
"It's okay to have Taco Bell, I'll make something else for dinner tonight."
He then starts to explain how he'll go to Wendy's for a chicken sandwich if it's mexican, or eat Taco Bell if it's chicken.
Le Fuck. I paused. He replied... "It's mexican chicken, isn't it???"
I said I'd make something else for dinner. I didn't have much of a plan, and even for mexican chicken I'd have to stop at the store. Not much bother to get fixin's for something else.
Finally decided on shrimp po boys. I love me a po boy sandwich. And I really, really miss working two blocks from the original Heaven on Seven downtown. The best Oyster Po Boy.
So, the Heaven on Seven recipe just has you marinate the cleaned shrimp in hot sauce, and then coat it in their Seasoned Corn Flour mix. 1 1/4 cups corn flour (or Masa Harina, which I usually have on hand) plus 3 tablespoons corn starch, seasoned with various cajun-type seasonings. No eggs, no other coating, just throw the shrimp in the flour, coat, and fry (I did about 3/4 of an inch of oil in the trusty ole cast iron). Serve on a roll with lettuce, tomato, and Honey-Jalepeno Dressing (full recipe is for the Oyseter Po Boy, but it has the dressing also). I have much love for the Honey-Jalepeno dressing. And you can even make it with low-fat mayo and 2% milk for the cream with fan-flippin-tastic results.
Oh yeah. Good dinner.
Not too much else going on. Did have the first grape tomatoes from the garden yesterday... I think I was a little to egar, they could have had at least another day, maybe two, on the vine. Still tasty though. And I've got two more that should be good to go for a salad on Saturday. I just need the BIG tomatoes to start turning. I have bacon in the fridge just waiting to become a "first tomato of the summer BLT"......
Work is really manic... I'm either trying to do ten things RIGHT NOW! or just left without anything to do. Sadly, can I ask for just manic? At least I'm not bored.
Ok. Must sign off. On Real Stories of the Highway Patrol they're about to show a "Vegas reinactment." Tell me I'm not the only person, besides the hubby, on the planet that remembers this show?? We used to watch it every night... to the point we'd leave the bar and head to a controlable TV so we could flip on this horrible Cops rip-off, and laugh our asses off. Boy was I actually happy there is now a Fox Reality channel that needs program so badly, it's re-running the episodes. Guilty pleasures people, guilty pleasures. Gotta embrace them, love them, and hold them dear.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Why does the first day back at work after a 3-day weekend...
... always suck so bad? It was one of those days where nothing went as planned. And then the server went down for two hours. Which left me with nothing to do since I couldn't access the files I needed to. Ugh.
Anyway......
Yesterday at the grocery store, they had lobster tails on sale. By no means cheap, but at least affordable. So I figured I'd do the High and Dry Clambake recipe I've done before, with great success. And it's a good way to stretch expensive lobster! But I forgot to buy clams. Ooops. So I just did a whole split lobster tail per packet. Still worked very well, and nicely cooked lobster.
Tonight was much more low-key... biscuits and gravy. And I had every intention of trying some cream biscuits, but by the time I finally got out of work I was not going ot head to the grocery store to get cream. And I had whack-a-biscuits in the fridge already. And between working out, Hell's Kitchen and some other stuff I wanted to watch and get off the Tivo... laziness won. I suck that way sometimes.
Biscuits and gravy isn't a recipe... it's a method learned from dad. Buy Bob Evans sausage. Cut per package recipe. Flatten slices a little bit for faster cooking, and a more biscuit-sized piece of sausage. Cook according to package directions. Drain sausage on paper towels, but leave the grease in the pan. Add chopped onion. Take a few pieces of sausage and break them up, add the to the onion. When the onion is golden, sprinkle with a couple spoonfuls of flour, cook for a minute or two. Add a shitload of milk and simmer until thick. Serve over biscuits. Listen to happy eating noises of people at the dinner table (which, in our case, is the coffee table in front of the Tivo. I suck that way, too).
Was thinking about - you guessed it - whipping up the Bouchon Tuna Tartine for lunch tomorrow... but again, lazy is the word of the day. I've got leftovers from tonight, that'll work for lunch.
Hell's Kitchen tonight... with Julia gone, count me in the masses that don't want to see any of these people win. Bonnie, who suggests serving rabbit when she doesn't know how to cook it, Jen, who trash-dives for food, and Rock, who talks about himself in the third person. Ugh. And really.... I wonder about these people ooooh-ing and ahhhhh-ing about getting a place at GVR in Vegas.... yes, Vegas is a bit of a food mecca these days, do any of them KNOW the place is waaaay off strip, a locals joint, and not the same as the major Strip resorts that seem to be courting the big food names?? I just don't think they do.
Anyway.... not that much else going on. Today's technical difficulties aside, hopefully the week shouldn't be too bad. I think tomorrow the three grape tomatoes on my one plant should be good & ripe, so I'm planning steaks, a nice salad with the tomatoes, and maybe creamed spinach as a side. No so sure what will be happening for Wednesday. I do have some chicken breasts I might cook up and do something "shredded" with.
Anyway......
Yesterday at the grocery store, they had lobster tails on sale. By no means cheap, but at least affordable. So I figured I'd do the High and Dry Clambake recipe I've done before, with great success. And it's a good way to stretch expensive lobster! But I forgot to buy clams. Ooops. So I just did a whole split lobster tail per packet. Still worked very well, and nicely cooked lobster.
Tonight was much more low-key... biscuits and gravy. And I had every intention of trying some cream biscuits, but by the time I finally got out of work I was not going ot head to the grocery store to get cream. And I had whack-a-biscuits in the fridge already. And between working out, Hell's Kitchen and some other stuff I wanted to watch and get off the Tivo... laziness won. I suck that way sometimes.
Biscuits and gravy isn't a recipe... it's a method learned from dad. Buy Bob Evans sausage. Cut per package recipe. Flatten slices a little bit for faster cooking, and a more biscuit-sized piece of sausage. Cook according to package directions. Drain sausage on paper towels, but leave the grease in the pan. Add chopped onion. Take a few pieces of sausage and break them up, add the to the onion. When the onion is golden, sprinkle with a couple spoonfuls of flour, cook for a minute or two. Add a shitload of milk and simmer until thick. Serve over biscuits. Listen to happy eating noises of people at the dinner table (which, in our case, is the coffee table in front of the Tivo. I suck that way, too).
Was thinking about - you guessed it - whipping up the Bouchon Tuna Tartine for lunch tomorrow... but again, lazy is the word of the day. I've got leftovers from tonight, that'll work for lunch.
Hell's Kitchen tonight... with Julia gone, count me in the masses that don't want to see any of these people win. Bonnie, who suggests serving rabbit when she doesn't know how to cook it, Jen, who trash-dives for food, and Rock, who talks about himself in the third person. Ugh. And really.... I wonder about these people ooooh-ing and ahhhhh-ing about getting a place at GVR in Vegas.... yes, Vegas is a bit of a food mecca these days, do any of them KNOW the place is waaaay off strip, a locals joint, and not the same as the major Strip resorts that seem to be courting the big food names?? I just don't think they do.
Anyway.... not that much else going on. Today's technical difficulties aside, hopefully the week shouldn't be too bad. I think tomorrow the three grape tomatoes on my one plant should be good & ripe, so I'm planning steaks, a nice salad with the tomatoes, and maybe creamed spinach as a side. No so sure what will be happening for Wednesday. I do have some chicken breasts I might cook up and do something "shredded" with.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Ahhhh weddings.
I lack a lot of usual "chick" qualities. The "oooh" and "ahhhh" over weddings is a big one.
Not even in my youth did I dream of the big, white, church wedding. No appeal at all.
The hubby and I were married in Vegas (not planned... but not unexpected). Six months after we came back, we had a receptions with lots of booze and lots of food at a pretty nice hall (simply because I didn't have the time to do all the planning to make it a backyard party or something). If the families hadn't really all hinted they wanted the party, we would have not had it.
So little in to my own wedding... I'm not one of those chicks who gets all goofy-loofy when it's time to attend a wedding. It means it's going to cost me money. It means it's going to dig in to my weekend time. It means I have to sit around in a room of people oooohing and aaaaahhhing for a few hours. It means some embarassing pictures of me will be taken. It means I have to endure relatives I'd rather not see. It means crappy hall food. It means having to run outside in the freezing cold or horrid humidity ever time I want a smoke.
For this wedding, it means taking a day off work, which I have actually been looking forward to for about two months, but a crimp is in the plans now since one my co-worker spent some time in the hospital this week, so no one will be there to hold down the fort tomorrow. Which *always* means something is going to blow up. It means I have to try to get at least two more applications of fake tan on to even out the damned sunburn I got on the 4th of July. This wedding also means dropping the money on a hotel room, since it's in the metro area, but not really close to here. For this wedding, it means dealing with the many petty fueds that are going on in the family
Yes, it's nice to see the happy couple. And in this case, my cousin and his fiancee are a great couple and I'm very happy for them.
But it's just such a pain in the ass.....
On the housewifey front... been a bad wife the past couple days. I had an appointment last night after work so I picked up Italian grinders on the way home. Tonight was doctored up frozen pizza... and old standby.... take fair quality frozen pizza, add some sliced onions, mushrooms, peppers, some fresh basil, a little parm and romano.... always good. And kept the kitchen a minimal disaster area. Also managed to clean out some junk from the fridge that was about to god bad. Bonus!!
Obviously... no cooking tomorrow. I want to on Saturday... we'll see how the day goes and what I can come up with if I don't get to the grocery store. I still have that pound of domestic crawfish tails in the freezer... but I'd like to do something better with those.
Loving the World Series of Pop Culture this week... that series of "songs of 2006" questions was just hilarious. I had no clue either. Tonights Simpsons questions?? LAME. They could have at least asked who voices Fat Tony, gone to Lenny & Karl, Duff beer, Krusty's supurflous nipple, Ned.... the possibilities they missed!!!!
Sigh. Is it time for the trip to Vegas yet??? I really cannot wait to be on vacation.
Not even in my youth did I dream of the big, white, church wedding. No appeal at all.
The hubby and I were married in Vegas (not planned... but not unexpected). Six months after we came back, we had a receptions with lots of booze and lots of food at a pretty nice hall (simply because I didn't have the time to do all the planning to make it a backyard party or something). If the families hadn't really all hinted they wanted the party, we would have not had it.
So little in to my own wedding... I'm not one of those chicks who gets all goofy-loofy when it's time to attend a wedding. It means it's going to cost me money. It means it's going to dig in to my weekend time. It means I have to sit around in a room of people oooohing and aaaaahhhing for a few hours. It means some embarassing pictures of me will be taken. It means I have to endure relatives I'd rather not see. It means crappy hall food. It means having to run outside in the freezing cold or horrid humidity ever time I want a smoke.
For this wedding, it means taking a day off work, which I have actually been looking forward to for about two months, but a crimp is in the plans now since one my co-worker spent some time in the hospital this week, so no one will be there to hold down the fort tomorrow. Which *always* means something is going to blow up. It means I have to try to get at least two more applications of fake tan on to even out the damned sunburn I got on the 4th of July. This wedding also means dropping the money on a hotel room, since it's in the metro area, but not really close to here. For this wedding, it means dealing with the many petty fueds that are going on in the family
Yes, it's nice to see the happy couple. And in this case, my cousin and his fiancee are a great couple and I'm very happy for them.
But it's just such a pain in the ass.....
On the housewifey front... been a bad wife the past couple days. I had an appointment last night after work so I picked up Italian grinders on the way home. Tonight was doctored up frozen pizza... and old standby.... take fair quality frozen pizza, add some sliced onions, mushrooms, peppers, some fresh basil, a little parm and romano.... always good. And kept the kitchen a minimal disaster area. Also managed to clean out some junk from the fridge that was about to god bad. Bonus!!
Obviously... no cooking tomorrow. I want to on Saturday... we'll see how the day goes and what I can come up with if I don't get to the grocery store. I still have that pound of domestic crawfish tails in the freezer... but I'd like to do something better with those.
Loving the World Series of Pop Culture this week... that series of "songs of 2006" questions was just hilarious. I had no clue either. Tonights Simpsons questions?? LAME. They could have at least asked who voices Fat Tony, gone to Lenny & Karl, Duff beer, Krusty's supurflous nipple, Ned.... the possibilities they missed!!!!
Sigh. Is it time for the trip to Vegas yet??? I really cannot wait to be on vacation.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
I am addicted to the Nicoise Tuna Tartine
Had it again for lunch today. Forgot my herbs at home, and it was even still good.
The home cooking was unexciting... pork tacos. But with some fresh guac and a nice lime cream, still tasty. A pot roast, a crock pot and some salsa can be a very good thing sometimes. After the non-stop day at work (reload operating system.... try installation of new product... doesn't work... try another way... still doesn't work... try a third way... still doesn't work.... rinse and repeat for the 6 other operating systems to test....)
And the Hausfrau duties are not yet done for the night. I did get to relax for a few minutes before dinner, but after dinner was a workout watching the World Series of Pop Culture (easy questions tonight. And how could you miss Ed Wood?!?!?) Some watering of the tomato plants (one needed it, badly). Cleaning off the door mat out front that some mysterious creature keeps taking a shit on during the night. Application of a general anti-critter spray to the area so hopefull tomorrow morning I'm not stepping over shit as soon as I walk out of the house (I like to wait until I'm at work to deal with the shit.... RIMSHOT! Thanks folks, I'm here all week. Don't forget to tip the wait staff). Got a load of laundry done, and some general cleaning. Watched some stuff on the Tivo. Still have to clean the kitchen and clean out the fridge as the pre-garbage day ritual.
Not sure what will be for lunch tomorrow. I was going ot use up the last of the tomato confit with some pasta and leftover chicken from Sunday... but now I've got a couple tablespoons of guac still in the fridge, calling my name (this time... covered with the leftover lime creama to keep it from going brown - usually I'll just top it with salsa to keep it from heading south). Might be some tostadas for lunch tomorrow. And I believe dinner will be a glorious dinner from the world-famous Steak and Shake... got a doctor's appointment after 6pm, and it's on my way home.
Sometime this week, I have to go on a rant about how much I hate weddings. Not even just other people's weddings.... if we hadn't gotten big feedback from the families after we returned from Vegas married to put together some type of big bash I'd have never done it, I do not have the weddig gene. Not at all. I wish I'd gotten married in my favorite leopard print PVC dress rather than the Cheongsam I did get married in. I hated being the center of attention for it all. Just eat some food, have some drinks and dance, people! My cousin is getting married on Friday, and I'm not even involved in standing up (thank you GOD) but it's still putting a crimp in my usual routine. Is it over yet???
The home cooking was unexciting... pork tacos. But with some fresh guac and a nice lime cream, still tasty. A pot roast, a crock pot and some salsa can be a very good thing sometimes. After the non-stop day at work (reload operating system.... try installation of new product... doesn't work... try another way... still doesn't work... try a third way... still doesn't work.... rinse and repeat for the 6 other operating systems to test....)
And the Hausfrau duties are not yet done for the night. I did get to relax for a few minutes before dinner, but after dinner was a workout watching the World Series of Pop Culture (easy questions tonight. And how could you miss Ed Wood?!?!?) Some watering of the tomato plants (one needed it, badly). Cleaning off the door mat out front that some mysterious creature keeps taking a shit on during the night. Application of a general anti-critter spray to the area so hopefull tomorrow morning I'm not stepping over shit as soon as I walk out of the house (I like to wait until I'm at work to deal with the shit.... RIMSHOT! Thanks folks, I'm here all week. Don't forget to tip the wait staff). Got a load of laundry done, and some general cleaning. Watched some stuff on the Tivo. Still have to clean the kitchen and clean out the fridge as the pre-garbage day ritual.
Not sure what will be for lunch tomorrow. I was going ot use up the last of the tomato confit with some pasta and leftover chicken from Sunday... but now I've got a couple tablespoons of guac still in the fridge, calling my name (this time... covered with the leftover lime creama to keep it from going brown - usually I'll just top it with salsa to keep it from heading south). Might be some tostadas for lunch tomorrow. And I believe dinner will be a glorious dinner from the world-famous Steak and Shake... got a doctor's appointment after 6pm, and it's on my way home.
Sometime this week, I have to go on a rant about how much I hate weddings. Not even just other people's weddings.... if we hadn't gotten big feedback from the families after we returned from Vegas married to put together some type of big bash I'd have never done it, I do not have the weddig gene. Not at all. I wish I'd gotten married in my favorite leopard print PVC dress rather than the Cheongsam I did get married in. I hated being the center of attention for it all. Just eat some food, have some drinks and dance, people! My cousin is getting married on Friday, and I'm not even involved in standing up (thank you GOD) but it's still putting a crimp in my usual routine. Is it over yet???
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Where do the weekends go??
Remember back to high school or college, when you waited for the weekend and just had a blast all weekend?
Why does that have to stop with adulthood?? I'm starting to understand why the cousin who is a year older started law school last year.... screw this whole adulthood thing! I wanna be a student again!
Not happy with the new Food Network schedule, with all the shows I like to watch on very early on Sundays. But, maybe it will force me to get off my ass and do something productive.
Last week was mostly uneventful. Did make an awesome recipe on Wednesday.... (you have to register to view the recipe on the site, but it's easy and well worth the effort, lots o' good stuff) Family-Sized Cheese Omelet (I also added some ham) that I saw on America's Test Kitchen last weekend. Usually I do "individual omeletes" when I make them for dinner, but I was tired and just decided screw it... one big one sounded good to me.
YUM. Came together in a snap and very very tasty. It comes out the way my hubby loves omeletes... nice and browned on the outside but still nice and tender inside.
Looks like dinner tonight will be roast chicken ala the Bouchon cookbook, which I've made many times and is ALWAYS tasty. Might try the glazed veggie recipe also. Or I might end up making an old favorite, Marinated Carrot Salad that I've had a taste for. Or I might do both and just pull the carrot salad out later this week.
For the week, I'm planning on doing pulled pork tacos one night, and crapola, just realized I was also thinking pulled pork sandwiches one night. Hmm. Not that I have a problem with that much pork in my diet, but I only have one pork roast. And now I'm so distracted I can't remember what else I was planning. D'oh! I really do need to pull out a couple frozen pizzas, my basil plant is going haywire and I've hardly used any of it so far this year.
In any case... will be an easy week. We've got my cousin's wedding on Friday, and even though it's in the 'burbs, it's not close so we're staying overnight. And I think my family has a big breakfast/brunch thing planned since this is the big send-off before my aunt sells everything she owns and heads off to find her fortunes in Vegas with her husband.
And speaking of Vegas.... wow, the trip is getting close. A month away! Can't wait.
Garden report... lost a couple tomatoes to blossom end rot. It happens every year and I hate it. But it happens to every gardener, right? Right???
Ok. Off to spend some quality time with the Tivo and catch up on the past two episodes of Hex.
Why does that have to stop with adulthood?? I'm starting to understand why the cousin who is a year older started law school last year.... screw this whole adulthood thing! I wanna be a student again!
Not happy with the new Food Network schedule, with all the shows I like to watch on very early on Sundays. But, maybe it will force me to get off my ass and do something productive.
Last week was mostly uneventful. Did make an awesome recipe on Wednesday.... (you have to register to view the recipe on the site, but it's easy and well worth the effort, lots o' good stuff) Family-Sized Cheese Omelet (I also added some ham) that I saw on America's Test Kitchen last weekend. Usually I do "individual omeletes" when I make them for dinner, but I was tired and just decided screw it... one big one sounded good to me.
YUM. Came together in a snap and very very tasty. It comes out the way my hubby loves omeletes... nice and browned on the outside but still nice and tender inside.
Looks like dinner tonight will be roast chicken ala the Bouchon cookbook, which I've made many times and is ALWAYS tasty. Might try the glazed veggie recipe also. Or I might end up making an old favorite, Marinated Carrot Salad that I've had a taste for. Or I might do both and just pull the carrot salad out later this week.
For the week, I'm planning on doing pulled pork tacos one night, and crapola, just realized I was also thinking pulled pork sandwiches one night. Hmm. Not that I have a problem with that much pork in my diet, but I only have one pork roast. And now I'm so distracted I can't remember what else I was planning. D'oh! I really do need to pull out a couple frozen pizzas, my basil plant is going haywire and I've hardly used any of it so far this year.
In any case... will be an easy week. We've got my cousin's wedding on Friday, and even though it's in the 'burbs, it's not close so we're staying overnight. And I think my family has a big breakfast/brunch thing planned since this is the big send-off before my aunt sells everything she owns and heads off to find her fortunes in Vegas with her husband.
And speaking of Vegas.... wow, the trip is getting close. A month away! Can't wait.
Garden report... lost a couple tomatoes to blossom end rot. It happens every year and I hate it. But it happens to every gardener, right? Right???
Ok. Off to spend some quality time with the Tivo and catch up on the past two episodes of Hex.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
When Thomas Keller sez to cook something for 3-5 minutes, by God, cook it for only 3-5 minutes!
So, tonight was an attempt at the Frogs' Legs Provencal from the Bouchon cookbook.
Actually a pretty easy recipe, flavors were awesome.
But yeah, I over cooked them. I was trying to get the rest of the meal done and didn't pay attention to the time when I threw them in the oven, and my guess at "3 to 5 minutes" was WAY off.
Busy day at work today, not surprised. Just way too many freakin' things going on at one time.
We've had storms the past couple afternoons.... today the storms hit my old neighborhood, I was watching some on the 9pm news shows and went "Holy Crap! That's right outside White Castle!"
Nothing too bad here, just some needed rain to get me off plant watering duties for a couple days.
Not sure what I'm doing for dinner tomorrow, but I'm certainly stopping at the store. We've got nothing in the house. Even out of the basic elements of food (you ate all the tarragon and drank all the soy sauce!!). I've been out of eggs since last Wednesday. Only meat I have available right now is some polish sausage.
I did get some stuff yesterday to deal with the bug invasion in the garden. Looks like they did get another tomato, but hopefully the rest will be safe. I did use some spray stuff yesterday after I thought the rain was thru, and went out there again tonight after the rain. Hopefully it should be dry tomorrow, have some powder stuff to use also (the stuff I know my dad used to use EVERY year).
Got three loads of laundry done tonight, and I managed to work out. Woo hoo.
Cannot WAIT to watch the Eureka that is waiting on the DVR. That's one program we really like to buzz thru the commercials for.
Ok. Time to go chop herbs... doing tuna salad ala the Bouchon tuna tartine recipe. Without the eggs, obviously, and on regular store-bought loaf bread. At least its better than a Lean Cuisine.
Actually a pretty easy recipe, flavors were awesome.
But yeah, I over cooked them. I was trying to get the rest of the meal done and didn't pay attention to the time when I threw them in the oven, and my guess at "3 to 5 minutes" was WAY off.
Busy day at work today, not surprised. Just way too many freakin' things going on at one time.
We've had storms the past couple afternoons.... today the storms hit my old neighborhood, I was watching some on the 9pm news shows and went "Holy Crap! That's right outside White Castle!"
Nothing too bad here, just some needed rain to get me off plant watering duties for a couple days.
Not sure what I'm doing for dinner tomorrow, but I'm certainly stopping at the store. We've got nothing in the house. Even out of the basic elements of food (you ate all the tarragon and drank all the soy sauce!!). I've been out of eggs since last Wednesday. Only meat I have available right now is some polish sausage.
I did get some stuff yesterday to deal with the bug invasion in the garden. Looks like they did get another tomato, but hopefully the rest will be safe. I did use some spray stuff yesterday after I thought the rain was thru, and went out there again tonight after the rain. Hopefully it should be dry tomorrow, have some powder stuff to use also (the stuff I know my dad used to use EVERY year).
Got three loads of laundry done tonight, and I managed to work out. Woo hoo.
Cannot WAIT to watch the Eureka that is waiting on the DVR. That's one program we really like to buzz thru the commercials for.
Ok. Time to go chop herbs... doing tuna salad ala the Bouchon tuna tartine recipe. Without the eggs, obviously, and on regular store-bought loaf bread. At least its better than a Lean Cuisine.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Stoopid hummus!!!
So, yesterday I was using Mark Bittman's hummus recipe from his Best Recipes book (don't have the book, but found it online and it seemed to have good reviews).
I thought it had too much tahini in it for my taste, but I'm trying to learn to trust other foodies and believe that they might know better than me.
Not in this case.
After soaking my beans overnight and then cooking them, I started the hummus. I even added less tahini than was in the recipe. When I tasted it, all I could taste was tahini. I'm not a huge tahini fan to begin with, and I was not happy with the results.
Chucked a couple more cloves of garlic confit in there and some more oil, and it didn't seem to make a lick of difference. DAMNIT.
I did buy some canned chickpeas today, might still attempt to thin it out some more, or maybe it's gotten better in the fridge. I guess I'll see either tomorrow or Wednesday.
So, I've got more garlic confit going, since I wanted to make aioli for the 4th party, I might throw more in the hummus, and I really want to make the Frogs Legs from the Bouchon cookbook on Thursday. Which also means I have to get to the market and hope they still have frogs legs, since I think I'll need another 4 pairs.
Busy day at work, my mother frustraited me to all get-out (when I ask how many people will be at the party after you've asked me to bring the "main" dish... please give me the correct number!!! Grrr!!). Worked out a little, made an un-impressive szechuan shrimp stir fry for dinner, then prepped the "fillings" for the egg dishes I'm bringing to the brunch (cut the herbs, chop the cheese). Oh, and watered the plants. And sadly, on inspection, had to toss two still green tomatoes that were spotted. Last year was a bad bad bad tomato year for me, and I'm hoping this is not the first sign that I'm going to have a repeat bad year.
Hell's Kitchen tonight???? Get. Melissa. Off. My. TV. NOW.
I thought it had too much tahini in it for my taste, but I'm trying to learn to trust other foodies and believe that they might know better than me.
Not in this case.
After soaking my beans overnight and then cooking them, I started the hummus. I even added less tahini than was in the recipe. When I tasted it, all I could taste was tahini. I'm not a huge tahini fan to begin with, and I was not happy with the results.
Chucked a couple more cloves of garlic confit in there and some more oil, and it didn't seem to make a lick of difference. DAMNIT.
I did buy some canned chickpeas today, might still attempt to thin it out some more, or maybe it's gotten better in the fridge. I guess I'll see either tomorrow or Wednesday.
So, I've got more garlic confit going, since I wanted to make aioli for the 4th party, I might throw more in the hummus, and I really want to make the Frogs Legs from the Bouchon cookbook on Thursday. Which also means I have to get to the market and hope they still have frogs legs, since I think I'll need another 4 pairs.
Busy day at work, my mother frustraited me to all get-out (when I ask how many people will be at the party after you've asked me to bring the "main" dish... please give me the correct number!!! Grrr!!). Worked out a little, made an un-impressive szechuan shrimp stir fry for dinner, then prepped the "fillings" for the egg dishes I'm bringing to the brunch (cut the herbs, chop the cheese). Oh, and watered the plants. And sadly, on inspection, had to toss two still green tomatoes that were spotted. Last year was a bad bad bad tomato year for me, and I'm hoping this is not the first sign that I'm going to have a repeat bad year.
Hell's Kitchen tonight???? Get. Melissa. Off. My. TV. NOW.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
And another day that blends in to the next.....
Very unexciting day.
At work, Wednesday is "meeting day". Usually at least two, sometimes up to four, hours of the day is spent in meetings. Not as bad as some companies I've worked at where about 10 hours a week were spent in utterly pointless meetings, but still puts a crimp in the day where you don't end up getting much done by the end of the day.
Which, of course, meant today I had to get a set of documents & help files out to review, and get something finalized and sent over to our translation company (that is based in Sheffield UK, so now running at like half power with the recent flood conerns).
A highlight of my day was lunch.... had the last of the Tuna Tartine I mixed up on Sunday. No worthy bread in the house, and I knew I wouldn't be able to run out at lunch time to get anything, so I just diced the egg and radish and mixed it with the tuna. Gotta say... even three days after the fact and sans the bread, it was still darned good (and for me to like something WITHOUT the bread... that's big!!)
Come home late... just mentally drained (it happens a lot on this job, we have to think about a lot more things than most tech writers need to). I knew I pulled chili out of the freezer last night, and I knew I also had tortillas and cheese, so some totally unimaginative chili quesadillas formed in my mind.
Got home, got the mail, brought in the trash cans (garbage day), cleaned up a little in the garage, went to check my plants out back (we had hail today) and I've got about 12 real tomatoes growing, and too many grape tomatoes for me to remember the number. And the first strawberry has started to turn red. Weeee!!
Came back inside, changed the clothes, pulled out the fixin's for dinner. The hubby walked in, looking beat as hell (it's been busy at his work too.... like us, understaffed!) but then saw the chili and his face lit up.... he asked if we were having chili cheese dogs. I took a quick look at some buns I had, they appeared OK, so I promised chili cheese dogs. Hey. I am a HausFrau after all. I like to make my man happy with dinner (well, sometimes, lol).
Relax for a few, started dinnner. After I plopped the dogs in the water (I'm a Chicago gal.... we reheat them in water!) I went to get the bus to steam them a little... and of course, all the parts covered by the printing on the package had turned south. Damnit.
So, a little thinking... and we ended up with chili cheese dog quesadillas for dinner. Very Semi-Half-Assed (tm) but in the end, it worked, it was tasty, and the hubby was in a better mood after dinner. All is well.
I did work out tonight, but have otherwise been a sloth with all the good Wednesday television... Ghost Hunters, Footballers Wives, Rescue Me (that one hurt..... Chief!!!). Still have to watch the last couple minutes of Footballers Wives but I know the nutter Amber goes all "Kali" on Bruno and ends up in the looney bin, and the return of Tanya!!!! Wooooooo!!!!!!!
At work, Wednesday is "meeting day". Usually at least two, sometimes up to four, hours of the day is spent in meetings. Not as bad as some companies I've worked at where about 10 hours a week were spent in utterly pointless meetings, but still puts a crimp in the day where you don't end up getting much done by the end of the day.
Which, of course, meant today I had to get a set of documents & help files out to review, and get something finalized and sent over to our translation company (that is based in Sheffield UK, so now running at like half power with the recent flood conerns).
A highlight of my day was lunch.... had the last of the Tuna Tartine I mixed up on Sunday. No worthy bread in the house, and I knew I wouldn't be able to run out at lunch time to get anything, so I just diced the egg and radish and mixed it with the tuna. Gotta say... even three days after the fact and sans the bread, it was still darned good (and for me to like something WITHOUT the bread... that's big!!)
Come home late... just mentally drained (it happens a lot on this job, we have to think about a lot more things than most tech writers need to). I knew I pulled chili out of the freezer last night, and I knew I also had tortillas and cheese, so some totally unimaginative chili quesadillas formed in my mind.
Got home, got the mail, brought in the trash cans (garbage day), cleaned up a little in the garage, went to check my plants out back (we had hail today) and I've got about 12 real tomatoes growing, and too many grape tomatoes for me to remember the number. And the first strawberry has started to turn red. Weeee!!
Came back inside, changed the clothes, pulled out the fixin's for dinner. The hubby walked in, looking beat as hell (it's been busy at his work too.... like us, understaffed!) but then saw the chili and his face lit up.... he asked if we were having chili cheese dogs. I took a quick look at some buns I had, they appeared OK, so I promised chili cheese dogs. Hey. I am a HausFrau after all. I like to make my man happy with dinner (well, sometimes, lol).
Relax for a few, started dinnner. After I plopped the dogs in the water (I'm a Chicago gal.... we reheat them in water!) I went to get the bus to steam them a little... and of course, all the parts covered by the printing on the package had turned south. Damnit.
So, a little thinking... and we ended up with chili cheese dog quesadillas for dinner. Very Semi-Half-Assed (tm) but in the end, it worked, it was tasty, and the hubby was in a better mood after dinner. All is well.
I did work out tonight, but have otherwise been a sloth with all the good Wednesday television... Ghost Hunters, Footballers Wives, Rescue Me (that one hurt..... Chief!!!). Still have to watch the last couple minutes of Footballers Wives but I know the nutter Amber goes all "Kali" on Bruno and ends up in the looney bin, and the return of Tanya!!!! Wooooooo!!!!!!!
Monday, June 25, 2007
I think the Men of Hell's Kitchen offically became Hell's Bitches
... c'mon.... grossed out at eating pigs fit, herring and tripe??? PLEASE!!!!!
What a bunch of mutha-fucking pansy ass pussies. And I meant every word of that.
Seriously.... eating some tounge, some liver, some stomach lining, a couple of preparations of herring that I have been seriously craving lately.... and it's time to hurl chunks??? Get over your chicken-breast loving asses and be a fuckin' man about it!! Jeebus.
Not an interesting night in Casa de la Hausfrau. (It's Hausfrau... which is feminine.... la is still right, right? Ugh. Too much timing editing foriegn languages today at work) I thought today was going to be a busy dat at work, so this morning I plunked the fixins' for a pot roast in the crockpot before I left for work this morning. I was happy I was awake enough to be chopping onions this morning, I've had episodes of When Kitchens Attack trying to do that before.
Lunch was my tuna tartine ala the Bouchon cookbook. My presentation was not as fancy, I mixed my olives with the tuna, and kinda wished I'd also just mixed in the egg and some diced radishes. For my tastes, it'd be better as a true tuna salad and not having to spend 5 minutes assembling my lunch in my cubicle, lol. But it was still DAMNED tasty and the best tuna I have ever had. WOW.
I did have to run out and buy bread.... damned you humid weather, the toasts I made last night were soggy and gross by lunch time. All was good though.
What a bunch of mutha-fucking pansy ass pussies. And I meant every word of that.
Seriously.... eating some tounge, some liver, some stomach lining, a couple of preparations of herring that I have been seriously craving lately.... and it's time to hurl chunks??? Get over your chicken-breast loving asses and be a fuckin' man about it!! Jeebus.
Not an interesting night in Casa de la Hausfrau. (It's Hausfrau... which is feminine.... la is still right, right? Ugh. Too much timing editing foriegn languages today at work) I thought today was going to be a busy dat at work, so this morning I plunked the fixins' for a pot roast in the crockpot before I left for work this morning. I was happy I was awake enough to be chopping onions this morning, I've had episodes of When Kitchens Attack trying to do that before.
Lunch was my tuna tartine ala the Bouchon cookbook. My presentation was not as fancy, I mixed my olives with the tuna, and kinda wished I'd also just mixed in the egg and some diced radishes. For my tastes, it'd be better as a true tuna salad and not having to spend 5 minutes assembling my lunch in my cubicle, lol. But it was still DAMNED tasty and the best tuna I have ever had. WOW.
I did have to run out and buy bread.... damned you humid weather, the toasts I made last night were soggy and gross by lunch time. All was good though.
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