Cupcake Tokens and Lima Beans

I had Lima Beans with my dinner tonight. Have I ever told you how much I loooove Lima Beans? I do.

Also, today one of my volunteers who has also become a friend brought by a cupcake for me to make up for the fact she's stood me up on scheduled volunteer time several times now. Score! So I had a german chocolate cupcake this evening after dinner.

Thirdly, I am watching Newsies, a triumphant chronicling of the News Boys strike of 1900 something.... With singing and dancing, of course. Note the star, Christian Bale, in the center in the blue shirt. Such a good flick. I highly recommend it.

Good Food with My Old Boss :)

Today my fun thing was having dinner with my old boss at Chinook's. She was surprised to hear that I had never been there. I have not. I had a lovely salmon burger for dinner, with fries. There was also bread. I love me some bread. I am quite full now.

I'm contemplating baking myself some cookies tonight. But that involves all sorts of effort. Like getting up, and finding the cookie sheet, and preheating the oven. Hmmm... Or I could just eat a frozen cookie dough chunk. That also sounds nice.  

Drama with Mama

My fun thing for today is that I watched part of Wives and Daughters with my mama and we ate hot cherry pie. Mmmmmm.

I Love Cookies. And Costco

Today my fun thing was I went to Costco. Seriously. It's fun. The only time Costco isn't fun is when people get in my way or the lines are too long when I am hungry. I'm not a big fan of the crowds so I don't generally enjoy Costco on a Saturday.

In honor of my new oven, I got me some Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough. It is now installed safely in my freezer. I am sooooo excited. There is also a large bag of shredded cheese which will get frozen in smaller bags so that my poor, lactose-intolerant tummy can take it in small doses and it won't mold before I get to use most of it. Mmmmm. I see quesadillas in my future. I consider it a successful trip to Costco.  

When I Grow Up...

I want to be a foodie. I don't think I qualify as one right now, because I feel like a foodie should know things, like that there are different kinds of scallops. There are sea scallops and bay scallops? Who knew? But I do really love food. I love trying different kinds of food, and there are very few things I won't at least try. Like tonight, I was watching the Top Chef from this season where they did Dim Sum, and I would not even be opposed to trying the chicken feet. Although, it sounds like she botched them, and I'd rather try some that are properly cooked to get the full effect. But, still. I like to try different things. I also love finding good restaurants.

I consulted the source of all knowledge, Wikipedia, and it was confirmed. Foodies are food (and wine--but that parts never gonna happen) aficionados. I clearly don't know enough about food to be called a foodie. Wikipedia told me so. But I aspire to know more.

Also, when I grow up, I wanna be famous.

Someday My Food Will Cook.

So, you know that thing about cooking more in my new place? Yeah. Turns out that you have to put stuff away before that becomes possible. Unfortunately, I have been so tired/sick (he he, sick and tired) that I have not quite gotten to wiping down the rest of the shelves in my kitchen, lining them with shelf liner, and deciding where to keep things. And then there's now, where I can mostly breathe again, at least for the moment, but I still don't feel like peeling my butt off the couch and working towards finishing unpacking.

On the flip side, aiding me in my procrastination efforts has been Mockingjay, which is part of the Hunger Games series, which I totally recommend, btw. So I've been reading more. Yay me! Of course, it's a library book, so all those other books I have had in stacks forever are still... well, not in stacks, but on my new special Read Me shelf, because I could fill a whole shelf with just SOME of the books I own that I have not read. I should get on that.

Also, I have decorated my place with my own stuff. Currently it looks more like my place puked pottery, because I haven't really distributed things, they're all just kind of huddled on certain shelves, but we're getting there.

I technically know two neighbors now. Yay. And check.

And I have walked... nowhere. Because it is dark. And the weather sucks. And I was dying from a cold all weekend. So... there's always next weekend?

Would you make fun of me if I told you I reeeeally want to make these? And eat them?

Thank You, Dr. Oprah!

I just heard Dr. Oprah say the smartest thing. She was talking to obese children and their parents who weren't sure how they got that way. I kind of stumbled in on it, so she might have been quoting someone, but I'll just attribute it to her. She suggested that eating healthy is a shift of thinking. You think that fruits and vegies are too expensive, compared to crappy processed food? How about buying less video games for your kid who sits in front of the tv all the time (better yet, craigslist the tv, etc, you got for their room and gain money) and devoting that money to your grocery budget in order to make it more healthy. Also, I've done some of my cheapest grocery shopping of all time during My Time of Unemployment, and I managed to spend LESS than normal. How? First I bought the fruits and vegies that were in season (which affects their price) and on SALE. Also, I didn't overbuy as much, because I can't leave fruit and vegies on the shelf and come back in six months to revisit the thought of eating them, like the four boxes of crackers I have shoved in the back of my cupboard. Now excuse me while I go look for my chocolate.

Reasons I Love Dizzle #1

I love Dizzle because she showed me this site. It is a site full of what one of my favorite bloggers would call Food Porn. The best and only kind I find acceptable.



Now I am hungry. I need to bake something. And eat it.

Things To Do When You Don't Have a Job

1. Put up those shelves you've been meaning to put up for the last 6 months.

2. Cook things. Like fancy omelets. This one is an egg, goat cheese, mushroom and avocado omelet with salt and pepper. It was quite good, but it was missing something. What was it missing, smarty pants cooking people?

Stupid Pita heads.

A certain extremist organization for animals, or Pita, as I like to call them, has just become more stupid in my eyes. I would have thought their use of pornography in their ads to draw attention to their feelings about animal issues would have been the dumbest they could get. Nope. They can get dumber.

If you know Seattle at all, you have heard of Pike Place Market. You know, the farmer's market down near the waterfront in downtown Seattle. The most familiar image associated with this attraction would be the Public Market sign mounted near the south side of the main market area. If you watch Grey's, you might recognize this as the place they sometimes pretend is located right next to the hospital, along with the Space Needle. I like to laugh at those episodes. Just ask JennaL, only crazy people walk from one landmark to the other unless they have really good walking shoes on and are prepared to walk uphill for what might seem like a very long time. She knows because she walked there with me. That was at least 5 or 6 years ago. She might possibly forgive me soon. Maybe? Right, Jenna? But I digress.

One of the most famous attractions at Pike Place Market, besides the booths with local artists and craftsmen, and fresh produce and flowers, is the fresh fish market, where fish are thrown from man to man (not being sexist here, just have never seen a woman working there, not that it might not happen) when someone places an order for fish. Tourists (and okay, we'll admit it, locals sometimes) can be seen gathering around this area, waiting to see the fish thrown. It's really fun to watch 50 people or so gather, and the guy at the counter reminding them that someone needs to buy something before anything will get tossed. Great marketing ploy, if you ask me. Considering how slippery and heavy a fish can be, it's amazing to me that I've never seen one dropped. It's quite a fun way to entertain yourself for free (assuming someone else pays to buy the fish so they will toss it). I also think it's cool that they have it set up so tourists can have fish packed and shipped to them, or packed to take on the plane. Fancy.

So now, party pooper Pita is complaining because the fish are dead. Okay, fine, they would complain if live ones were tossed too. I personally would not want to see that either. But fish are tasty and meant to be eaten, especially fresh.* (And I have my own personal fisherman, who brings me fresh Salmon occasionally, which is THE BEST, so I know.) A bunch of Veterinarians are getting together for a conference, and they wanted to have a demo from the Pike Place fish fellas. Poopy Pita caught wind, and they sent a letter complaining about dead fish being treated "as toys." Um, no. Not toys. Flying food. And who doesn't dream about their food flying from time to time. And apparently the Vets backed out and are no longer having the demo. But you can bet if the conference is in Seattle, they'll all be going to the market to see them fly on their own time anyways. So neener, neener Pita.

* Don't get me wrong, I don't think animals should be mistreated or abused. They should be treated with respect, down to the way they are killed and used afterwards. But I believe in eating meat. It is good for you, and it's here for us. I read that on the Internet. Just kidding. I read it in the Bible. I am not saying that we should kill and eat it all, or that it should be all that we eat, either. Balanced diets are good. And part of a balanced diet includes a little bit o' meat from time to time, at least in my world. My vegetarian friends find ways around that, and that's cool. But I will never love tofu or beans or the like that much.

It's Nacho Chili, It's MY Chili

Ingredients:
"Food Should Taste Good" Multigrain Tortilla chips Made with Flax, Sunflower, Sesame Seeds, etc.
Black Beans
Turkey Chili with Beans (Eating Right Brand)
Grated Medium Cheddar Cheese
Mild Salsa because I am a wuss.
Light Sour Cream so we can pretend this is low-fat (no you don't need to explain the error)
Olives

In a casserole dish, place a good layer of yummy, yummy chips in the bottom. Next, spread black beans and Turkey chili over the chips. Then grate cheese on top. Bake at 325 degrees farenheit for an eternity. Spread salsa, sour cream, and olives on top. Try to devour them all before your roommate gets around to getting out a plate. Repeat.

Pay it Forward- My Fattening Food is Your Fattening Food

I got this from my friend Carrie's blog and thought it was a neat-o idea. Pay it Forward. The first three people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, some homemade goodies from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then sit back and anticipate the arrival of your goodies! Please submit in an e-mail your address, if I don't have it already. Remember that only the first three comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick! Have fun!

Holiday Memories

This year I volunteered to make the pies and the homemade rolls for our family Thanksgiving Feast. Very homemakery of me, right? You are probably all kinds of impressed. You should be impressed. Just in case that alone does not impress you, let me walk you through last year.

The night before Thanksgiving I baked three lovely pies. I believe that there was a trip to the grocery store at some point, after realizing that not only did I not have a pastry blender to make the crust, but I didn't have a rolling pin. After getting the kitchen supplies under control, I commenced pie baking. My philosophy with baking is generally more is more, so I made sure to heap on the apples in my apple pies. I was making two apple pies, one for me, and one to share with my family. (I highly recommend this to anyone baking something yummy to be taken to a large gathering. After all that work, I want more than a piece or two, darnit.) What happened next I blame entirely on K. Somehow it was her fault. She distracted me. I'm sure of it.


As my lovely pies baked, I would peak in on them occassionaly to ensure that they reached the perfect state of golden brown. As they neared the end of their time in the oven, I took a final peak. Cracking open the oven door, I encountered what some might define as a large billow of smoke. I prefer to call it a small cloud of steam. The smoke alarm in the kitchen, I will assure you, works. Said alarm sounded. K found it incredibly amusing that I took the batteries out to resolve the noise issue.


My pies were not burnt. They looked great. Possibly a little lopsided, but they tasted fine. The steam was rising from the bottom of the oven, where some of the many juices from my delectable pies had dripped. Turns out when your pies are too juicy, sugary juices will pool at the bottom of the oven, brown to a lovely molasses color, and then the sugar will crystalize. Also, steam will rise. Oh, and it might not smell as good as the pie. For some reason K still thinks of this every time I bake. Small incident, I say. In fact, I don't think incident is the right word. Moment. It was a small moment in the Holiday Tapestry of 2007.


So I went to bed, possibly fairly late in the evening, having left the task of baking the rolls to complete the following morning. What could be better than to bake the rolls fresh, and take them, still warm from the oven, over to the house where Thanksgiving was being held. The next morning I began the process of mixing the homemade rolls, combining sugar, water, and yeast to disolve together. Next I was supposed to put in a few other ingredients, like shortening, eggs, and salt. I was doing great until the eggs. You know how in Home Ec. they always said you should crack your eggs into a seperate bowl in case there was egg shell to be fished out, or a strangely defective egg? I am here to recommend that you do that every time you bake. I cracked egg number one into the yeasty mix, and discovered what a rotten egg smells like. I only had two eggs, which was the amount I needed, and I'm sure egg number two was rotten as well. I also had no more yeast, having cracked a rotten egg into the yeast/water/sugar mixture. Immediate action had to be taken.



I ran out to my car and pulled out of my parking space, determined to run to the store and back in ten minutes and remedy my roll situation. As I took a left out of my parking lot, I noticed there was a strange dragging sensation as I accelerated. Pulling my car over, I got out and assessed the situation. The tire was indeed flat.

Fortunately my dad required me to learn how to change a tire years ago when I started driving, and I have changes many tires since then for different reasons. I walked my unshowered self in my flour-covered sweats and t-shirt with my greasey unshowered hair around to my trunk and dug out my little spare donut and my car jack. I commenced the tire changing process, as neighbors drove by and man-truck after man-truck passed me. FINALLY someone stopped to help. It was a woman, probably in her 40's who obviously understands The True Meaning of Thansgiving. I was a little crabby by this point, and a little panicked that I would not even make it to Thanksgiving dinner on time. She took pity on my aggravated state and just about changed my tire for me.

When my car was once again in working order, I got in , drove to the store, bought the first bag of rolls that I saw, and went home to shower, change, load up the pies, and go to my parents' house for dinner. I do believe I pretty much got there in time for dinner. And I am fairly certain not one person ate a roll.

But I Didn't Go Toward the Light

I almost died today. I started this story with this sentence when I told K and she laughed at me. Go ahead. Laugh. You think I am joking. I am not joking. And I will tell you this story even though you laughed at me. Jerk.

I was on my way back to the office after running a work errand that took up my normal lunch hour. I stopped by Quizno's and bought my favorite sandwich, since it was almost 1:30 and I was STARVING. I decided instead of being patient, and eating my sandwich at my desk while I checked my own blog to see if I had possibly posted yet, I would eat it as I traveled back to the office. I was one block away from my office and almost done with my sandwich when I came to a stoplight. I took (I think) what was the last bite of the sandwich, which was possibly larger than other bites because it was the last bit and I needed both hands, and then I took a deep breath for some reason. And the whole abnormally large bite which had not really been chewed got sucked down my wind pipe. I tried to cough and it was this tiny little thing that sounded more like a throat clearing, since I was only able to take enough air to allow a smurf to function normally. I did this possibly five more times, and I looked in my rearview mirror to see my pretty purple face, and then little white lights swimming by. They were pretty lights, like little lightening bugs, or like those sparklers you wave around on the 4th of July. I then had thoughts like "I'm all alone," and "I'm in a car with no brake set except the one my foot is on," and "if I pass out, how do I make sure I don't die." I'm not sure if I got to the point where I would have put my emergency brake on, or whether I would have thought to lay on my horn, but fortunately even though I was having a hard time forming rational thoughts, I did have the sense to make one more valiant effort to cough (actually it was more like 4 or 5) and summoned all my efforts and muscle support to overcome the the obstacle of the Chicken sandwich and cough as hard as I could. Finally it came out. I still had to cough several times to convince my air passageway that it should, in fact, accept air.

One thing I did learn: when you have almost suffocated, for some reason you (or maybe it's just me) suffer from pins and needles, or more like nails and screws, in your upper back every time you cough or sneeze. Any other near suffocation victims out there who can tell me if I'm a freak of nature, and if not how long this lasts for? I feel a little Google spree coming on.




In honor of my newfound appreciation for my lungs, and also in honor of the Grey's Anatomy premiere I will be missing tomorrow night because I have no cable.

The moral of the story is either:
A. Do not eat Quizno's alone in your car.
B. Fast food will kill you.
C. We must all sit down and lay out a plan for future car choking incidents. Do you honk on the horn or ram a tree to get help? That is the material question.

One Week Til Nashville

Wahoo. I get to go to Nashville in one week for a work conference. It's gonna be a good time. I'm not really sure what Nashville has to offer besides the Grand Old Opry, so I decided to google it. Let's learn together.

1. indoor gardens. Yippee skippy. Why would you put that first on a list of things to do? Maybe they're working up to the grand finale?
2. Full-scale replica of the Parthenon. I vote we take a trip to the real Parthenon instead.
3. Laser Quest. This does not bode well. We have one of those in beautiful, exotic, downtown Federal Way.
4. Country Music Hall of Fame. Of course.
5. Wave Country. It's a water park. I'm thinking no.
6. Nash Trash. A quality tour lead by the Jugg Sisters.
7. Christmas Village. Unfortunately in November. Which is too bad because I would totally go.
8. Athena Statue. Because who doesn't need to experience a 42 foot tall statue of a woman in a gold dress.
9. General Jackson Showboat. Oooh. A paddle wheeler. I want to go on that. It sounds very Mark Twain er something.

The list goes on to 40. But there's really not anything exciting. Surpringly Grand Old Opry is number 15. Would have thought they would have listed it at least before Nash Trash.

More importantly, I've googled food and Nashville, to see what the fine dining choices are, in case I happen to scale the wall and temporarily escape the conference. I've found several that sound fun. Elliston Place Soda Shop sounds like good times. Anything that is being described using Happy Days as a reference has got potential. I wonder if they'd let me do The Fonz in there? I'm also sold on Bobby's Dairy Dip. They're known for their fries. Also there is icecream. Hopefully that includes shake. I miss a good shake. Provo had lots of shake places. Seattle does not seem to be overflowing with places that do Real Shakes.

Now I want a shake. I think we own a blender. Shoot. We don't have icecream. Except the really old peppermint stuff that I should not have bought because it is off brand and totally unsatisfying.

My sister recommended San Antonio Taco Company. Fortunately according to the web search she did, it's right across the street from where I'll be. So I might actually get to try it out. Stay tuned for reviews here.

I've added a bookstore to the must-see which I probably won't see list. It's called Elders, and they have a sign posted that says , “Noisy children will be pressed between the pages of large, heavy books.” Books and snarky signs. Can't beat that combo. Unless you were to add chocolate. Or shakes. Or chocolate shakes, even.