We're Back!

Actually, we've been back since late Friday, but we had a jam-packed weekend and colds. I'm still coughing up a storm.

Thanks for all of the shout-outs about our puppy. It's always nice to hear people are thinking of you when you're down. We're still in the stage of thinking about May as if she's still around and it sucks when she's not. We miss her lots.

New Orleans was vair fun. We had a great time and got to be with Dan, who we never see, cuz he's so busy becoming a lawyer and my lil' sis', Kelly. We did the Bourbon street thing and Kelly and I discovered that we like sidecars (1p brandy, 1p triple sec or cointreau, 1p lemon juice, rim cup with sugar, if you please), we spent way too much $$ at the French Market, and we paddled around the bayou in a canoe! Good times.

Pictures will be posted … oh hell… I dunno when. Soon, I hope. Continue reading “We're Back!”

Rest in Peace, Dear Friend


Well, this post is a bit late in coming, but there is a good reason it's late. On Monday, we lost our dear friend May. She hadn't been quite as spry since her first seizure. She no longer wanted to chase her toy and she stopped greeting us when we came home.

On Saturday, after we got home from hiking, we found May right after a seizure. Before we could get her to the emergency vet, she had 3 more. They had to give her beau coup meds before she would stop and when we finally picked her up on Sunday, she was a shell of her former happy self. She was barely lucid, twitchy, and snapping at everything. She chouldn't walk either. We had a nice last evening with her despite the crummy stuff, including giving her lots of attention and some garlic bread.

On Monday, Matt took her to see her regular vet, and we'd already decided. If she was going to continue along this path, it was time. I went to work on Monday but I got the call early and after crying in the restroom for about 10 minutes, I met Matt and Holly, who had gone with him, and we skipped the rest of the day to remember May.

Have some garlic bread and a roll in the snow and remember the greatest doggie ever. I just know she's making “May Angels” in the sky.

Haircut

So on the way home from work (well work by the way of the gym, dinner and Ben & Jerry's) Matt and I stopped into Fantastic Sam's to get trims before we left for New Orleans. My hair had been driving me nuts, cuz it was too long and getting rather unmanageable.

I sat down with my stylist and I we were talking about what to do with my hair. Somewhere in there, “Layers” were brought up. I thought we had decided to NOT do them, but lo-and-behold, I sort of … err… ended up with them.

I think, after careful consideration, that I like them. But I'm still not entirely sure. And I know it's going to bug me that I can't put up my hair without the aid of barrettes…

New Meal Monday

Well, our new meal for Monday was quite the flop. We tried spicing up some Salmon with some basic ingredients …. salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Then we broiled it. But it didn't turn out very well at all. It was a bit too crispy on the top and didn't have nice flavor, except on the top, where it was too crispy to really enjoy. A dissapointment. We did, however, make really good zucchini, a recipe I always enjoy.

Next Monday, we'll be on hiatus, since we'll be in the Big Easy, hanging with our good buddy, Dan.

New Meal Monday Delay

Well, due to completely unforseeable circumstances, making a new meal yesterday was not possible. I will reveal the source of this delay at a later time. But this is just a notice to say that we will be making and posting a new meal this evening. I'm thinking about this.

The DMV

Urgh. So I went to the DMV this morning. Back in 2001 when I got my driver's license renewed because I turned 21, it was a simple little process. You waited in one line, dealt with one person and had your shiny new license by the time you left.

Not anymore. Oh no. Now you stand in no less than 4 lines, deal with 4 people (possibly more) and have to wait for your license to come in the mail (10-15 days). A whole hour of my Friday wasted. And I don't even have my new licsese. Continue reading “The DMV”

Toiletries of the Goddesses

When I was at Anthropologie a couple of weekends ago, I bought some apple cider milk bath that was on clearance. I've used it twice now and all I've got to say is … YUM. This stuff smells sooooo good and it makes just the right amount of bubbles. And after your bath, you come out smelling slightly of apples. It's not overpowering or gross … just a bit appley. A perfect bath.

While at the afore-mentioned store I also picked up a small bottle of Sugar Cookie Perfume that was also on clearance. It's been very nice to spray a teensy bit of it on my wrists and neck every morning and then I smell nice alll day long.

What are your favorite indulgences?

Sole with Lemon Butter Sauce

from: Everyday Food Jan 2005

Ingredients
8 sole fillets, 3-4 oz each
16 very thin lemon slices
1/2 C dry white wine
juice of 1 lemon (3 T)
coarse salt
3 T cold butter, cut into pieces

Directions
Place wine in a large lidded skillet. Fold each sole fillet in thirds. Arrange in skillet; season with salt and pepper. Lay two overlapping lemon slices on each piece of fish. Bring wine to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer gently until fish is opaque throughout, 3-5 min. Add lemon jice; remove from heat. Whisk in butter until smooth. Season with slat; strain, if desired. Serve with fish; garnish with fresh herbs and pper, if desired.

Nutritional Info (1/4 recipe(
287 calories; 11 g fat; 38 g protein; 5.6 g carbs; 2 g fiber

Spicy Corn and Peppers

from: Good Eats

Ingredients
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.
Remember to save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese.

from: 127

Ingredients
3 slices bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons butter, divided
16 white mushrooms, medium in size, wiped with damp cloth to clean, thinly sliced
1 cup frozen pearl onions, defrosted and drained
Salt and pepper
2 pounds lean sirloin, 1-inch thick, trimmed and cubed into 1 inch pieces
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup burgundy wine
1 1/2 cups store bought beef stock
Bouquet of 3 or 4 sprigs each sage and fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string

Herb Egg Noodles:
12 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked to package directions
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, 2 handfuls
12 blades fresh chives, snipped or finely chopped

Directions
Heat a large deep skillet with a heavy bottom and a lid over medium high heat. Add bacon to the pan and brown. Remove crisp bacon bits with slotted spoon. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons butter to the pan and melt into bacon drippings. Add mushrooms to the pan and turn to coat evenly with butter and bacon drippings. Season the mushroom slices with salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms 2 to 3 minutes and add onions to the pan. Continue cooking onions and mushrooms 2 to 3 minutes longer, then transfer to a plate and return pan to the heat. Add remaining butter to the pan and melt it, then add meat to very hot pan and brown evenly on all sides, keeping the meat moving. Add flour to browned meat in the pan and cook the flour 2 minutes. Add wine to the pan slowly while stirring. When the wine comes up to a bubble and you have scraped up the pan drippings, add the stock and bouquet of fresh sage and thyme sprigs to the pot. Cover the pan. When the liquid boils, reduce heat to medium. Cook covered 5 minutes, remove lid and add mushrooms, onions and bacon back to the pot. Simmer with the cover off until sauce thickens a bit. Adjust seasoning and remove herb bouquet.

Toss hot egg noodles with butter and herbs. Place a bed of noodles in a shallow bowl and pour beef burgundy over the noodles and serve.

from: Everyday Food Jan 2005

Ingredients
2 T butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
1/8 to 1/4 t cayenne pepper
coarse salt
1 package (16 oz) frozen corn kernels
2 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped (1 C)
1/2 C milk

Directions
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, cayenne and 1 t salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add corn and tomatoes; cook, stirring often until corn is tender and tomatoes have softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in milk; remove from heat. serve immediately.

Nutritional Info (1/6 recipe(
127 calories; 5.2 g fat; 3.5 g protein; 19.9. g carbs; 2.7 g fiber