A summer cold

Last week Mr Wonderful came down with a nasty summer cold. I thought I'd escaped it, but apparently I wasn't so lucky...I started feeling it while I was driving home on Sunday, after dropping Rugrat off at summer camp. I just hope that he doesn't come down with it - what a disappointment it would be (not to mention a waste of money) if he had to come home early from camp!

As much as I hate being sick, at least I'm getting this cold thing out of the way while the kids are both gone (Tomboy's at her mom's this week) and before we head down for our vacation in Palm Springs next week. And I'm feeling much better today; yesterday was miserable but I got 10 hours of sleep the last two nights (thank you, NyQuil!) and have been drinking lots of liquids, so I'm feeling a bit better today. We'll see...it does tend to get worse as the day goes on, so I may be prematurely optimistic here, but I'm not as "out of it" today.

I know I've been lagging on posting here. That happens when I feel like I need to do a recap of something, and then I keep putting it off, and thinking that I can't blog about anything else until that is done. I'm talking about the camping trip we went on at the end of June, of course.

It was really very nice, and would have been ideal if it weren't for the damn mosquitoes. Rugrat got bitten so many times on his face that he looked like a boxer who'd just done ten rounds; his eye was swollen almost shut on the ride home. But other than the bugs, it was great. We spent a lot of time at the river nearby; I'd brought a huge inner tube (meant for pulling along behind a boat, so it was very sturdy) and we spent some lovely hours just floating in the water. Niece, of course, was absolutely ecstatic to be in the water - she's always been drawn to water, and would live her entire life in the water if she could. Mr Wonderful took Rugrat fishing for a little while, and I sat on the beach chatting with Sister and Brother-In-Law, knitting my cushy green v-neck sweater. You may think that wool and knitting needles are not appropriate for the beach, but hey, it's my vacation. I get to relax however I want. :)

And the food was glorious. I'd pre-made some Ribollita and some Mexican Chicken Chili before we left, and we also had hot dogs, eggs and bacon, biscuits, tacos, sandwich fixin's and snacks, plus lots of beer and soft drinks and water. Sister brought deviled eggs...mmmm....and they made us chicken-pineapple kabobs one night that were fantastic! Sister & BIL had gotten a really cool new camp stove; one side is a grill, the other is a regular burner, and it was very handy.

The best of the pictures of the camping trip are up on Flickr, if you're interested.

Oh, and let me leave you with this little snippet of conversation, overheard about 10 minutes after Sister & her family showed up:

Cousin: You suck!
Rugrat: No, you suck!
Cousin: We both suck!
Rugrat: Yeah, we both suck!

Lemony Chicken & Peas

This was a quick dinner I pulled together that had a light, lemony sauce and healthy brown rice. How did I manage a quick dinner with brown rice, you ask? Trader Joe's frozen organic brown rice -- it cooks in three minutes in the microwave!

Lemony Chicken & Peas
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
zest and juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1 - 1 1/2 c chicken stock (I used turkey because that's what I had on hand)
2 roasted chicken breasts, shredded into bite-size pieces (I roast several chicken breasts at once and use them for the next few days for quick & easy dinners)
1 1/2 c frozen peas
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
3-4 c cooked brown rice (I used two packages of Trader Joe's frozen organic brown rice)
salt & pepper

Melt the butter over medium heat in a saute pan. When the butter is totally melted, add the olive oil, rosemary, lemon zest and minced garlic. Season well with salt & pepper. After a minute or so, add the flour and stir. Cook the flour for a minute, and then add the stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add the lemon juice and then throw in the chicken, frozen peas and parsley. Once everything is heated through, it's ready to go. Serve over the brown rice.

Whole wheat goodness

Over the past few days I've made a couple of loaves of bread from scratch. The first loaf I tried was a white bread, no-knead recipe that I followed to the letter. The second time I decided to get a little creative. The bread turned out fairly dense, with a fine crumb and a fantastic crispy, crunchy crust. With the antioxidants in the flaxseed, this will be my submission to Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup this week.

Wheat & Flaxseed No-Knead Bread
1 1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour, plus a little more for working the dough later
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 heaping Tbsp honey (I used a nice local wildflower honey)
1 3/4 c water

Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl. Add the honey and the water, and mix just until the dough comes together in a big ball. Cover the bowl with a clean dishtowel and leave alone for 12 hours. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle with a little flour to keep it from sticking to your hands. Pull the blob of dough from one end into the center, turn and repeat. Do this until all four edges have been folded into the center. Turn it over so that the "seam" is on the bottom and pat the dough into a circle shape. Cover it again with the dishtowel and let it rise for another hour.

Preheat oven to 500 with a 5 1/2 qt round covered dutch oven inside the oven while it heats. When the oven is preheated and the dough disk has risen for another hour, put the dough in the dutch oven and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 10 minutes. Immediately remove the bread from the dutch oven and put it on a rack to cool. Leave it alone until it is completely cooled or you just can't stand it anymore and have to try it (it will cut much better when it's cooled).

Sorta off-topic

So I'm sitting here browsing my Tivo "suggestions" and decide to watch an episode of 30 Minute Meals. And OMG, I love love love Rachael Ray's new haircut! I am so distracted by the retro gorgeousness of her hair that I don't even care what she's cooking.

Must. Get. Haircut.

Spicy Spaghetti

I popped in to Kinder's (a local butcher) the other day for some chicken breasts and peppered bacon, and the sausages caught my eye. I asked for two mild links, thinking I'd make some spaghetti for an easy weeknight dinner. Turns out, the butcher gave me the wrong ones and our spaghetti turned out much spicier than I planned. It was way too much kick for Tomboy, but Mr Wonderful loved it and said it reminded him of when he lived in New Orleans.

Spicy Spaghetti
1/2 lb angel hair pasta (I used the Barilla Plus kind, which is a healthier multigrain pasta)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 hot Italian links (any spicy sausage would be good here), cut in half lengthwise and then into thin half-rounds
1 large can (28 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1/4 c fresh basil, torn or sliced into thin strips
salt & pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds or so. Throw in the sausage and cook for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes. Wait for the sauce to start bubbling a little, and then turn down the heat to low. You can simmer this for a loooong time; I did for about half an hour, waiting for Mr Wonderful to come home. The flavors just all mix together and get better and better. Just before serving, add the basil and adjust the seasoning (the sausage probably added plenty of heat and salt, but check just in case).

Best news ever!

I know I owe y'all a recap of the camping trip and I am slacking on it. In the meantime, you can enjoy the photos on Flickr.

But! Mr Wonderful and I got the Best! News! Ever! yesterday. He was offered a position at the local hospital and accepted it, and will be transferring out here next month. While a job offer may not sound like the best news in the whole wide world, in this case it is. It means 3+ hours per day not spent commuting anymore. It means about $400 in gas not being purchased. It means Mr Wonderful won't be so freakin' exhausted all the time anymore. It's a swing shift position (afternoon to late night) so we'll miss our evenings together, but it also means that he can start taking classes at the local community college in the mornings to fulfill the prerequisites he needs in order to take the Kaiser course to become an ultrasound tech.

And he'll be working only five minutes away!!!

Wait, let me say that again: Five. Minute. Commute.

Best news ever, folks!

Pork Chops and Roasted Fingerlings

I was watching Rachael Ray the other day and saw her make a meal with huge veal chops topped with a "raw sauce" (which was essentially just a salad). I wasn't impressed with the pompous name, but it sounded tasty (hot meat, cool salad) and I had all this organic produce from Trader Joe's, so dinner was born.

Pork Chops & Salad
2 thin cut boneless pork chops
2 tsp salt-free seasoning blend
2 c baby salad greens
1 c chopped heirloom tomatoes (cherry tomatoes will work fine instead)
1/2 small red onion, diced
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

In a large-ish bowl, combine the greens, tomatoes and onion. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and then about 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season well with salt & pepper. Toss to combine, then let this sit off to the side while you make your pork chops.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Put 2 Tbsp olive oil in the skillet. Prepare the chops by sprinkling liberally with the seasoning blend, and salt & pepper. When the oil is shimmering in the pan, you'll know it's hot enough - add your pork chops. Remember that these chops are really thin though, so don't overcook them! I cooked mine for about three minutes, TOTAL - about 1 1/2 minutes per side.

Serve the salad with a chop on top and the roasted fingerling potatoes on the side (see below).

Roasted Fingerlings
1 small bag fingerling potatoes from Trader Joe's, cut in half
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp salt-free seasoning blend
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

On a rimmed sheet pan, toss the potatoes with the olive oil so that all sides are coated. Sprinkle with the seasoning blend and salt and pepper. Turn all the potatoes so the cut side is facing down, then roast 'em for about 25-30 minutes, until they are shriveled a bit and beautifully browned on the bottom.

Cocina Medina

This is one of my favorite restaurants, and I’m lucky enough to live within walking distance. That’s a very good thing, because their margaritas are excellent. In fact, sometimes the boyfriend and I walk down there, get a pitcher of margaritas to share, and then stumble home afterwards, very satisfied and happily buzzed.

I’ve had their taquitos, camarones (both with the spicy “diablo” sauce and the milder garlic sauce), chimichangas, enchiladas, tamales and chile rellenos. Everything I’ve tried has been fantastic, with the possible exception of the tamale, which was a bit dry. Nothing beats their chile rellenos though…swimming in a smoky mole sauce and filled with molten jack cheese, it’s nothing short of incredible. The chiles always have lots of flavor and retain some “bite” rather than turning to a flavorless mush, like so many others I’ve tried.

If you’re in the area and hankering for a taste of authentic Mexican food served with a smile, give Cocina Medina a try.

Cocina Medina

This is one of my favorite restaurants, and I’m lucky enough to live within walking distance. That’s a very good thing, because their margaritas are excellent. In fact, sometimes the boyfriend and I walk down there, get a pitcher of margaritas to share, and then stumble home afterwards, very satisfied and happily buzzed.

I’ve had their taquitos, camarones (both with the spicy “diablo” sauce and the milder garlic sauce), chimichangas, enchiladas, tamales and chile rellenos. Everything I’ve tried has been fantastic, with the possible exception of the tamale, which was a bit dry. Nothing beats their chile rellenos though…swimming in a smoky mole sauce and filled with molten jack cheese, it’s nothing short of incredible. The chiles always have lots of flavor and retain some “bite” rather than turning to a flavorless mush, like so many others I’ve tried.

If you’re in the area and hankering for a taste of authentic Mexican food served with a smile, give Cocina Medina a try.

Human tetris

What a terrible loss

RIP George Carlin. You will be sorely missed by millions. :(

Corny

I posted this on my other blog, but I thought it would be appropriate here as well:

I got a book from the library the other day, called The Omnivore's Dilemma. It's all about what is really in our food, and how to make conscious choices about what you're eating. I'm not even a third into it yet and I am disgusted by the political-agricultural industry. Something like 75% of our food comes from corn - mainly from corn-fed animals and processed corn in processed foods (seems like just about every unpronouncable additive in processed foods comes from corn). I have been so horrified by the information in this book about cattle feedlots that I've made a decision to only buy meat and eggs from Kinder's, a local butcher shop that has only grass-grazed beef (no antibiotic shots either, according to the girl I talked to on the phone). I'll check to be sure, but I'm guessing that if they've got grass-fed beef they also have only free-range chicken and therefore free-range eggs as well. This decision is not only, or even mainly, about the mistreatment of the animals on the mass-produced meat farms, but about the quality of the meat. Corn-fed feedlot beef has more saturated fat and less Omega-3 fatty acids. And they wallow around in their own crap all day. Who wants to eat that?

Corny

I got a book from the library the other day, called The Omnivore's Dilemma. It's all about what is really in our food, and how to make conscious choices about what you're eating. I'm not even a third into it yet and I am disgusted by the political-agricultural industry. Something like 75% of our food comes from corn - mainly from corn-fed animals and processed corn in processed foods (seems like just about every unpronouncable additive in processed foods comes from corn). I have been so horrified by the information in this book about cattle feedlots that I've made a decision to only buy meat and eggs from Kinder's, a local butcher shop that has only grass-grazed beef (no antibiotic shots either, according to the girl I talked to on the phone). I'll check to be sure, but I'm guessing that if they've got grass-fed beef they also have only free-range chicken and therefore free-range eggs as well. This decision is not only, or even mainly, about the mistreatment of the animals on the mass-produced meat farms, but about the quality of the meat. Corn-fed feedlot beef has more saturated fat and less Omega-3 fatty acids. And they wallow around in their own crap all day. Who wants to eat that?

Swingtown

Anyone else watching this show? It's on CBS, Thursday nights at 10 PM here. Mr Wonderful and I are loving it. It could so easily have been overdone, but it's quite engaging. The acting seems really good and the sets & soundtrack and costumes and everything are totally awesome and retro.

And here I thought CBS was on its last legs. Who knew they had this up their sleeves?

Short-timing

I'm totally short-timing right now. You know, when something you've been looking forward to is coming up really soon, and you're just counting down the minutes until it happens, and you're totally not in that "work mode" at all? Yeah, that's me right now. I've been looking forward to this family camping trip for months, and next Wednesday morning we're outta here!

My sister & I have been obsessively planning (ok, maybe she's not obsessive about it, but I am) for weeks now. We've got our meals planned & coordinated. We're each cooking a "group dinner" one night, and our Mexican-themed dinners will also be on the same night (tacos for us, burritos for them). Unfortunately, my cousin & her son are not going to be able to join us, but in a way it turns out to be a blessing in disguise, because now we'll get to spread out a bit more. I was a little worried when I saw "small tent sites" on the notes for the campsites, and here we are with TWO tents to set up (one for Mr Wonderful & I, and one for the boys to share). So it might be a good thing that we've got an extra campsite available.

And the weather is going to be fantastic -- I've been checking, and it looks like the highs will be in the mid-80s all week, with lows in the mid- to upper-40s. Nice.

But in the meantime, I've got work to do and my mind is SO not on it. I'm short-timing, y'all.

Technobabble

Rugrat has been bugging me for a while now to teach him how to "build a website." I tried explaining that people study for years to learn how to build websites, and that it's not something he can just sit down and learn in an afternoon. But he just kept on bugging me.

So, today I built him a very, very simple website, while I talked him through the whole process. I showed him where to put text, how to add an image or a link, and how to build a table for layout. Since I'm a programmer, I showed him how to do all this by writing the code, not with some silly little point and click "web builder" software. We also created a simple background image to use on his site, and then created links to other pages. So it was a pretty thorough introduction to web developing.

And as if that's not enough, I set him up with a Gmail account and pointed him in the direction of Blogger. He figured that out all by himself (it really is foolproof), and set up a blog called Lizze's News (Lizze is his pet lizard's name). Take a look and be sure to leave a comment - I'm sure he'd be thrilled to find out people are visiting his blog!

Overenthusiastic

Apparently my skin is a leeetle bit overenthusiastic when it comes to healing. I went to the dermatologist this morning for what I hoped would be my final checkup, and she wasn't happy with my scar, because it's all puffy (Dad's comment yesterday: "I just thought it was a zit!" Nice.). So I'm going back next month for dermabrasion, to grind that puppy down. Ouch.

On the plus side, we had a lovely Father's Day yesterday. Babydaddy came over for dinner last night, as did my Dad. (Dad & Stepmom are up here visiting, because Stepmom's father just passed away. Very sad, but on the other hand, it was a nice surprise to be able to spend Father's Day with my dad.) Dad got to check out my scar firsthand and take pictures of Rugrat tearing around the court on his bicycle. I got to check on Dad's Thank-You Socks, to make sure they're turning out to be an appropriate size (so far, so good!). Then Mr Wonderful BBQed some steaks, and I sauteed some yummy local white corn (freshly cut off the cob!) and put together some tasty fruit & yogurt parfaits for dessert.

Oh yeah, and Dad & I tossed back a few glasses of scotch. Mmmm...Glenmorangie. There's just nothing quite as cool as (legally) drinking with your dad.

Summer fruit parfaits

The strawberries and blueberries were calling my name at the farmer's market this weekend, so I whipped up some tasty, healthy parfaits with fruit and yogurt for dessert on Father's Day. This will be my submission for Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day this week; be sure to check out her roundup on Tuesday night for more tasty recipes.

Summer Fruit Parfaits
2 c fresh strawberries, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 c fresh blueberries
1/4 c good balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar (or a little more, if your strawberries aren't very sweet)
4 c lowfat plain greek yogurt
1/4 c chopped roasted pistachios
2 Tbsp balsamic glaze (I got this at Williams Sonoma)

In a large bowl, mix the strawberries and blueberries together with the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Let stand at room temperature for at least an hour to let the berries macerate.

In six parfait glasses (or juice glasses), divide the berries and yogurt, layering first the yogurt, then the fruit, ending with fruit. Top each parfait with a sprinkling of chopped pistachio nuts and drizzle with a little of the balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.

Perfect roast beef sandwich

I've had such a craving lately for roast beef sandwiches. This is my idea of the perfect combination of flavors for a roast beef sandwich.

Perfect Roast Beef Sandwich
2 half-inch slices toasted sourdough pugliese bread
2 Tbsp dijon-horseradish sauce (see below)
3-4 slices thin, rare roast beef
1 thin slice sharp cheddar cheese
1 leaf butter lettuce

Spread the both slices of toasted bread with the mustard sauce, then top with the meat, cheese and lettuce. Enjoy!

Dijon-Horseradish Sauce
2 Tbsp lowfat sour cream
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp prepared horseradish
salt & pepper

Mix the first three ingredients together in a small bowl, and add salt & pepper to taste. Makes enough for 2-3 sandwiches.

Snapshots

Trying not to pee myself, I'm laughing so hard...

Great Olan Mills Photos

And also:

Typos of the Day

Growing up

Rugrat's last day of school is today. The end of third grade!

He's been really impressing me lately. First of all, he hasn't lost his housekey yet. He's been working hard on his goals - remembering to bring all his stuff home from school, taking care of his responsibilities at home (homework, cleaning his lizard's cage at Babydaddy's house, etc). He's walked to school several times by himself (Babydaddy followed him the first couple of times just to be sure). And....he finally learned how to ride his bike.

I've tried a few times to teach him to ride his bike, but he was very resistant to even trying. However, I made this a prerequisite to him being able to be a latchkey kid next school year; I'd rather have him be able to ride his bike to/from school than just walk. So a few weeks ago, Mr Wonderful took him out in our court and taught him how to ride. It took him less than 20 minutes before Rugrat was riding his bike completely solo (including starting off and stopping without falling over). I was absolutely flabbergasted. It helps that Mr Wonderful is a lot stronger than I am, and that learning to ride the bike felt more secure and less wobbly while he was holding the back of the seat. But I think Rugrat was finally just ready to learn. Now, of course, he LOVES riding his bike. He couldn't see what the big deal was before, but once he learned how to do it, he couldn't believe how fun it was. And I had nearly given up on him ever learning to ride a bike, so when I saw him take off for the first time, completely on his own, I almost started crying. My little munchkin is growing up!

This is such a golden age of childhood, and it makes me especially excited about our upcoming camping trip. I've taken Rugrat camping before, but only once, for a single night, and it was a few years ago. I think this is going to be one of those vacations that he remembers for the rest of his life. We'll have three adjoining campsites: my sister & her family, my cousin & her son, and Mr Wonderful, Rugrat and I (unfortunately, Tomboy is not able to join us this time). It'll be five days of getting dirty, hiking, swimming in a river, fishing, and playing with his two cousins that are just about the same age as him. I've gotten a separate tent just for the boys to sleep in, and I really think they're going to have a blast. S'mores around the campfire at night, hot cocoa with marshmallows in the mornings, and long summer days playing in the woods and the river with his favorite cousins. What could be better for a nine-year-old boy?

Light at the end of the tunnel

Mr Wonderful has been commuting to work 120 miles roundtrip (that's FOUR HOURS of driving during gridlock hours) ever since he moved in last fall. And now, finally, we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel: it looks like he may be transferring to the local hospital here in about six weeks.

The local hospital is so close that he'll be able to bike to work and still get there within fifteen minutes. No more getting up at 4 AM for a 6 AM shift. Never again will he be stuck in traffic for two hours on the way home. And our gasoline bill will be cut in half.

Unbelievable

The gas prices around here are soaring. One day, I left home at about 5 PM and the gas station on the corner near the freeway said 4.17/gal. I came home about four hours later and it said 4.27/gal. Ten cents! It jumped TEN CENTS in four hours. And the Shell station across the street was even worse! It was marked 4.15/gal when I left (although it was cordoned off at the time) and when I came home the pumps were open...for 4.29/gal. That's a jump of fourteen cents in four hours!

Un-freaking-believable.

Beautiful

Last night I watched, with tears in my eyes, as Barack Obama made his victory speech in St. Louis. I am so damn proud of my country right now. Finally, nearly 50 years after the civil rights movement, we have an African-American running for president with the backing of one of our two major political parties. It was a beautiful moment, and I am so happy to have witnessed it.

(I could easily rant here about Sen. Clinton's petulant little foot-stomping speech, but I will refrain. Because I'm just too darned happy to care what that delusional bitch thinks right now.)

I can't wait to see him kick McCain's ass in the general election.

Hummus with Mediterranean Salsa

I don't know what to call the veggie topping, so I called it a salsa. It makes absolutely no sense to call something with cheese in it a "salsa," so if you can think of a better word, I'd be supremely grateful. Anyway, this is super healthy and a great alternative to slaving over a hot stove on those sticky summer nights. I'll be submitting this easy recipe to Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup.

Hummus with Mediterranean Salsa
For the hummus:
2 cans chickpeas, drained & rinsed (1/2 c of canning liquid reserved)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c tahini (sesame paste - find it in the ethnic foods aisle near the kosher goods)
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
salt, pinch of cayenne pepper

For the "salsa":
1/2 seedless cucumber, diced
2 c diced ripe tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 c diced feta cheese
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c lemon juice (or red wine vinegar, which is what I used because I didn't have another lemon)
1/4 c EVOO
salt & pepper

Combine the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt & cayenne in a food processor. Add 1/4 c of the canning liquid from the chickpeas and puree. If the hummus is too thick, add a bit more canning liquid and give it another whirl.

In another bowl, combine the cucumber, tomato, onion, feta and parsley. Whisk together the lemon juice (or vinegar) and olive oil in a small bowl, then pour over the veggies. Season liberally with salt & pepper and mix well.

Serve with toasted pita chips (just broil chopped up pita pockets for a couple minutes on each side), topping the hummus with the veggies and a drizzle of olive oil. This makes for a light meal or a delicious appetizer at parties. Store any leftover hummus in a plastic container in the fridge, spreading it smooth and topping it with a light layer of olive oil.

Hummus with Mediterranean Salsa

I don't know what to call the veggie topping, so I called it a salsa. It makes absolutely no sense to call something with cheese in it a "salsa," so if you can think of a better word, I'd be supremely grateful. Anyway, this is super healthy and a great alternative to slaving over a hot stove on those sticky summer nights. I'll be submitting this easy recipe to Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup.

Hummus with Mediterranean Salsa
For the hummus:
2 cans chickpeas, drained & rinsed (1/2 c of canning liquid reserved)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c tahini (sesame paste - find it in the ethnic foods aisle near the kosher goods)
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
salt, pinch of cayenne pepper

For the "salsa":
1/2 seedless cucumber, diced
2 c diced ripe tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 c diced feta cheese
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c lemon juice (or red wine vinegar, which is what I used because I didn't have another lemon)
1/4 c EVOO
salt & pepper

Combine the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt & cayenne in a food processor. Add 1/4 c of the canning liquid from the chickpeas and puree. If the hummus is too thick, add a bit more canning liquid and give it another whirl.

In another bowl, combine the cucumber, tomato, onion, feta and parsley. Whisk together the lemon juice (or vinegar) and olive oil in a small bowl, then pour over the veggies. Season liberally with salt & pepper and mix well.

Serve with toasted pita chips (just broil chopped up pita pockets for a couple minutes on each side), topping the hummus with the veggies and a drizzle of olive oil. This makes for a light meal or a delicious appetizer at parties. Store any leftover hummus in a plastic container in the fridge, spreading it smooth and topping it with a light layer of olive oil.

Asian Chicken Salad

A light, tasty salad for hot summer evenings. Quick to put together, if you've got pre-cooked chicken on hand. I'll be submitting this easy weeknight dinner to Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup this week.

Asian Chicken Salad
1 roasted chicken breast, meat shredded
1 sweet bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
3 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
2 Tbsp sliced green onions
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 c Asian Dressing (see below)
1/4 c fried chow mein noodles

In a large bowl, toss the shredded chicken, bell pepper, coleslaw, green onions and cilantro with the dressing. Serve topped with the chow mein noodles.

Asian Dressing
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
juice of 1 lime or 1/4 c rice wine vinegar, whichever you've got on hand
1/4 c reduced-salt soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp shredded fresh ginger
2 tsp Sriracha sauce (or more, to taste)

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and use immediately.

Muuuuch better

I'm feeling much better these days. In fact, it only took a day or two for me to get out of my funk last week. About half of the scab fell off my nose, and I started seeing scar tissue, which was a big improvement. The rest of the scab just fell off today (I know, ewww!) and I'm finally starting to see what it will look like eventually. There's some lumpy spots still, around the edges (where the stitches were) but for the most part it's nice & smooth, and when the pink & lavender color fades, it will look very normal again, I think.

Memorial Day weekend was pretty mellow around here. Like most folks, we had a "staycation" instead of a "vacation." Gas is too darned expensive to go anywhere (over $60 to fill my tank this morning! OMG!). Plus, Mr Wonderful had to work -- hospitals don't close for holidays. So I filled my weekend with other fun things: watching the Indiana Jones movie, getting a pedicure, lunching with friends, and painting the last wall in Tomboy's room. Did I mention that she has three walls in her room painted ACID GREEN? Yeah, ugh. But that's what she chose - and it matches her bed linens perfectly. I painted the fourth wall chocolate brown yesterday, and I think it looks fantastic. It does a lot to offset the crazy green color. Now we just need to get some curtains, a rug, and some decorative stuff for the walls.

Oh yeah, and I bought a Playstation 3 yesterday. I know, I know. But it's got a blu-ray disc player built in, and I was planning on buying one of those anyway, so why not spend the extra $100 and get an upgraded video game player at the same time? It really is awesome; the graphics are incredible (especially hooked up to my HDTV with the HDMI cable!), and the new Guitar Hero III (which I also bought) is loads of fun for Mr Wonderful and the kids. We watched the pilot episode of LOST on the PS3 last night, just to see what it was like with a regular DVD, and the upgrade was amazing. You could see the forest reflected in Jack's eye in the opening shot.

Babydaddy and I are discussing the possibility of letting Rugrat be a "latchkey kid" next school year. It would be really nice to not have the daycare expense, but fourth grade still seems pretty young to me. In the meantime, he'll be out of daycare this summer, spending most of the time here with me, but I'm lining up some activities for him to do for a few of those weeks. He'll have sleep-away summer camp for a week in late July, and we've got our family camping trip in late June, but I'm also going to put him in some summer programs through the city. There will still be a lot of unscheduled time though, and one of the ways that he needs to show us that he's ready to be a latchkey kid is by entertaining himself for long periods of time without bugging me (since I'll be working). I'm not saying I need to have perfect silence and never hear from him, but I can't have him telling me he's bored every five minutes either. So this is one of our "tests."

Another thing we're working on is responsibility: he has a tendency to forget things at school sometimes (although he's been MUCH better this year than in previous years), so he needs to remember all of his stuff (backpack, lunchbox, homework, sweatshirt) every day through the end of the schoolyear. And even more importantly, I gave him a copy of the house key. He has to know where the key is at all times. I told him I will randomly check to see if he knows where the key is, and he has to always know, because if he loses his house key, he'd be locked out for hours.

And finally, there's the cell phone dilemma. Babydaddy doesn't have a landline, just a cell phone. And I would feel a lot better about Rugrat walking or riding his bike home alone if he had a cell phone with him, in case of emergencies. A landline would be fine once he's in the house, but if he got locked out (like if he lost his key) a cell phone would be preferable. And it wouldn't cost much to add him to my plan; I've got a family plan already. But nine and a half years old? That's awfully darn young to have a cell phone. And it's another huge responsibility. He might be ready for it, but I don't want to overload him with too many big responsibilities at once.

What do you think? Is fourth grade too young to spend a few hours home alone each day? It wouldn't be more than two or three hours a day, and he's a pretty level-headed kid. He seems to have outgrown a lot of his rambunctious impulsiveness in the past year or so. He's also very anxious to prove that he's ready and responsible enough to do this; it's something he really wants to do, not something we're pushing him into. How young were your kids when you first started leaving them home alone after school? And what about the cell phone issue? At what age and under what circumstances would you give your child a cell phone?

Moping

I try to put the best spin on things, especially for this blog, but sometimes I just get down, yanno?

Monday I went to the doctor to have my stitches removed. They pulled out the ones near my ear (and it was heavenly not to have that maddening itch there anymore!) and removed the "bolster" (stinky gross wad of gauze that had been stitched onto my nose to protect the graft) and stitches from my graft. My ear looks great; there's a tiny little red line between my face and my ear but it is no big deal. But my nose...my nose is disgusting. I mean, absolutely foul, y'all. The doctor was thrilled with it though - she said it's "beautiful!" and was amazed at how fast I heal (um, that's because I'm about 35 years younger than her average patient). But...it is gross. Bloody and oozy and lumpy and all different colors, from white to yellow to red to lavender...it's like roadkill on my face.

I know that it's healing and will look better and better as the days go by, but right now I feel like a freak. Add to that the fact that I'm about 5 pounds shy of the weight I was when I went in to give birth to Rugrat (NINE years ago), and you can see that maybe I'm not feeling all that sexy and beautiful these days. Mr Wonderful works in a hospital, and each day he looks at my nose and tells me it's looking great, but do I feel like I look great? No. No, I do not. Because I am not a medical professional and I don't see past the mess to what it will look like, eventually. I just see what's there now, and I've seen chopped liver that looked more appetizing, frankly. So for the first time I pushed Mr Wonderful away last night and told him that I am just not feeling it, sorry. Because I am big fat slob with a nose like uncooked hamburger and how could anyone possibly want to get close to that? I don't even want to be close to that.

I know I will have to get over this and get on with living but right now I think I'm entitled to a little pity party.

Smoky Corn & Peas

This simple side dish combines healthy fresh veggies with the most scrumptious ingredient ever invented: bacon. (Served here with a lovely grilled NY steak with garlic-herb butter.) This will be my submission to Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup this week; head on over to her site to find more delicious recipes for healthy foods.


Smoky Corn & Peas
2 slices bacon (I used peppered bacon), cut into 1/2" bits
2 Tbsp butter
1 lb fresh peas, shelled
2 fresh ears corn (shucked, of course)
salt & pepper

Put a small bowl upside down inside a large bowl. Stand the corn up on end on the smaller bowl and, using a sharp knife, cut down the length of the cob, removing the kernels from the ear. Rotate the ear slightly and repeat until all the kernels are cut off the corn, then run the back edge of the knife against the cob to release any remaining corn "juice."

In a large saute pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon & drain on paper towels, leaving the bacon grease in the pan. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt, then throw in the fresh peas and corn. Season with salt & pepper to taste, and cook just until the veggies are heated through, but the peas still retain their texture - about 3-4 minutes. Add the bacon bits back in and serve immediately.

Review: Qin's

Qin's Bistro & Bar opened yesterday in Antioch - mere blocks from our house - and we were among the first people to try it out.

This place is GORGEOUS. We felt very underdressed (he was in a t-shirt and shorts and flipflops, I was in a tank and capris and flipflops). This place has a very nice lounge-y vibe and I could easily see it drawing crowds of twenty- and thirty-something singles if it were located in Walnut Creek. The water wall is the first thing you notice, followed by the large, open bar immediately behind it. The light fixture over the bar is stunning. The restrooms are beautiful, and there's wood and tile everywhere. The place is very large, with (I believe) private banquet rooms in the back.

They had lots of staff there last night and the service was very attentive. I ordered a cosmopolitan with Grey Goose Orange vodka; Mr Wonderful got a Guinness. The drinks took a little while to arrive but when they did, my cosmo was perfect. Delicious, not overbearing but not weak either. Our waitress was sweet, but seemed inexperienced (not just because it was a new restaurant; I believe she hasn't had much experience as a waitress at all). We ordered Salt & Pepper Calamari and a Thai Steak Salad to start. The appetizers were amazing -- the calamari was perfectly cooked, with a little bit of spicy kick and no rubbery texture (which would indicate overcooking). The salad was excellent, with a tasty lime-based dressing and tender slices of steak.

The first indication that something might be not-quite-right was when our entrees came out. We were only about halfway through our starters when they arrived. This is likely due to the inexperience of the waitress (putting the order in to the kitchen all at once, rather than waiting a few minutes to submit the entree order after the appetizer order). But the entrees themselves were disappointing. I ordered the Thai Lemon Grass Shrimp with Coconut Rice. The rice was tasty, but the shrimp were woefully underseasoned and didn't taste like much of anything. In fact, I ended up dipping the shrimp in the chili sauce that came with my calamari in order to salvage it. And for $23, I think they could have given me much more than four (admittedly huge) shrimp. If I remember correctly, the dish mentioned green curry, which I was looking forward to, and I didn't taste any curry at all. I could be mistaken; I read a blog post about green curry earlier in the day and maybe I was just projecting, but I thought it mentioned curry. Anyway...disappointing. Mr Wonderful's Peking Duck was not much better. Again, the meat was underseasoned. It tasted fatty and bland. The duck came with three taco-shaped buns (I say buns, because they were obviously made of the same white, puffy dough as dim sum pork buns) and two sauces - a plum sauce and something else. He said it was "decent" when all the elements were combined, but it certainly wasn't spectacular.

After we finished our meal, we spoke to the manager and gave him our assessment. Generally I'd shy away from being so blunt about a restaurant's failings (I'd usually just not go back if it was bad) but we really want to see this place succeed. It's a HUGE step up for Antioch nightlife, and I'm thrilled that we're getting more high-end options out here in the far east bay. I hope that Qin's can overcome their difficulties in the kitchen and develop a good base of customers, because this place is definitely a step in the right direction. If Antioch's image is going to improve, we need more restaurants like Qin's. So please, if you're looking for a night out on the town, considering dressing up and heading for Qin's instead of going over the hill to the 'Creek.

Qin's Bistro & Bar

Qin's Bistro & Bar opened yesterday in Antioch - mere blocks from our house - and we were among the first people to try it out.

This place is GORGEOUS. We felt very underdressed (he was in a t-shirt and shorts and flipflops, I was in a tank and capris and flipflops). This place has a very nice lounge-y vibe and I could easily see it drawing crowds of twenty- and thirty-something singles if it were located in Walnut Creek. The water wall is the first thing you notice, followed by the large, open bar immediately behind it. The light fixture over the bar is stunning. The restrooms are beautiful, and there's wood and tile everywhere. The place is very large, with (I believe) private banquet rooms in the back.

They had lots of staff there last night and the service was very attentive. I ordered a cosmopolitan with Grey Goose Orange vodka; Mr Wonderful got a Guinness. The drinks took a little while to arrive but when they did, my cosmo was perfect. Delicious, not overbearing but not weak either. Our waitress was sweet, but seemed inexperienced (not just because it was a new restaurant; I believe she hasn't had much experience as a waitress at all). We ordered Salt & Pepper Calamari and a Thai Steak Salad to start. The appetizers were amazing -- the calamari was perfectly cooked, with a little bit of spicy kick and no rubbery texture (which would indicate overcooking). The salad was excellent, with a tasty lime-based dressing and tender slices of steak.

The first indication that something might be not-quite-right was when our entrees came out. We were only about halfway through our starters when they arrived. This is likely due to the inexperience of the waitress (putting the order in to the kitchen all at once, rather than waiting a few minutes to submit the entree order after the appetizer order). But the entrees themselves were disappointing. I ordered the Thai Lemon Grass Shrimp with Coconut Rice. The rice was tasty, but the shrimp were woefully underseasoned and didn't taste like much of anything. In fact, I ended up dipping the shrimp in the chili sauce that came with my calamari in order to salvage it. And for $23, I think they could have given me much more than four (admittedly huge) shrimp. If I remember correctly, the dish mentioned green curry, which I was looking forward to, and I didn't taste any curry at all. I could be mistaken; I read a blog post about green curry earlier in the day and maybe I was just projecting, but I thought it mentioned curry. Anyway...disappointing. Mr Wonderful's Peking Duck was not much better. Again, the meat was underseasoned. It tasted fatty and bland. The duck came with three taco-shaped buns (I say buns, because they were obviously made of the same white, puffy dough as dim sum pork buns) and two sauces - a plum sauce and something else. He said it was "decent" when all the elements were combined, but it certainly wasn't spectacular.

After we finished our meal, we spoke to the manager and gave him our assessment. Generally I'd shy away from being so blunt about a restaurant's failings (I'd usually just not go back if it was bad) but we really want to see this place succeed. It's a HUGE step up for Antioch nightlife, and I'm thrilled that we're getting more high-end options out here in the far east bay. I hope that Qin's can overcome their difficulties in the kitchen and develop a good base of customers, because this place is definitely a step in the right direction. If Antioch's image is going to improve, we need more restaurants like Qin's. So please, if you're looking for a night out on the town, considering dressing up and heading for Qin's instead of going over the hill to the 'Creek.

Summertime Pasta

Light, healthy, quick and delicious! The whole wheat pasta provides some protein to this easy vegetarian meal. This will be my submission to Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup this week.

Summertime Pasta
2 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 lb. whole wheat pasta (I used rotini)
2 zucchini, ends cut off and halved lengthwise
1 clove garlic, minced
2 seeded, chopped fresh tomatoes
2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
1/4 c crumbled feta
salt & pepper

Cook the pasta according to package directions, being sure to salt the water well.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the zucchini, cut side down, and cook for a minute or two, until the cut side is nicely browned. Remove zucchini from pan and shut off the heat. Slice the zucchini halves into 1" half-rounds and return them to the hot pan (remember, the heat should be off!). Add the garlic and salt & pepper to taste, and toss everything around, then set aside. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and add it to the pan with the zucchini and garlic, then throw in the tomatoes, basil and feta. Toss everything together and let the feta melt slightly. Top with freshly ground pepper, and serve immediately.

Summertime Pasta

Light, healthy, quick and delicious! The whole wheat pasta provides some protein to this easy vegetarian meal. This will be my submission to Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup this week.

Summertime Pasta
2 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 lb. whole wheat pasta (I used rotini)
2 zucchini, ends cut off and halved lengthwise
1 clove garlic, minced
2 seeded, chopped fresh tomatoes
2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
1/4 c crumbled feta
salt & pepper

Cook the pasta according to package directions, being sure to salt the water well.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the zucchini, cut side down, and cook for a minute or two, until the cut side is nicely browned. Remove zucchini from pan and shut off the heat. Slice the zucchini halves into 1" half-rounds and return them to the hot pan (remember, the heat should be off!). Add the garlic and salt & pepper to taste, and toss everything around, then set aside. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and add it to the pan with the zucchini and garlic, then throw in the tomatoes, basil and feta. Toss everything together and let the feta melt slightly. Top with freshly ground pepper, and serve immediately.

Mexican Chicken Chili

A hearty meal that comes together quickly (if you've got your chicken already roasted, that is*).

Mexican Chicken Chili
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 serrano pepper, seeded & minced
2 Tbsp chipotle paste (or one minced canned chipotle pepper with adobo sauce)
1 small can petite diced tomatoes (NOT drained)
1 can corn, drained
2 cans beans, drained (I used one can black beans and one can cannellini beans)
2 roasted chicken breasts, meat shredded
1-2 c chicken stock
salt & pepper

For serving:
Tortilla chips
Chopped green onions
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream
Shredded cheese

Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Saute the onions for about 4-5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, serrano pepper, chipotle paste (or chipotle pepper) and season with salt & pepper. Add the can of diced tomatoes (this is a regular-size can, not the big cans of tomatoes, although you could use one of those if you wanted it more tomato-y), the corn, beans, and the shredded cooked chicken. Pour in just enough stock to barely cover everything - it shouldn't take too much as you've also used the liquid from the can of tomatoes. Heat everything through, and then serve with whatever toppings you like. I put chips in the bottom of the bowl and ladled the chili on top, then topped it with cheese, sour cream, cilantro and green onions. Yum!

This is even better the next day, after the flavors get a chance to blend together even more.

*Note: I generally get chicken breasts bone-in and skin-on (on sale at Safeway this week!) and roast them with olive oil, salt & pepper at 400 for about 45 minutes -- until the thermometer beeps & tells me they're done. The chicken is much more juicy when you cook it this way than if you roast a skinless, boneless chicken breast. Then I remove the meat and put it in a plastic container & stick it in the fridge for quick meals during the week. It really simplifies weeknight cooking.

Oooh, Vicodin

I'm sitting here in a lovely Vicodin fog today, because yesterday was my Mohs surgery for the skin cancer.

It went well; they got the cancer out in the first pass, but I was there all day. My appt was at 9:45, they called me back shortly after ten, hooked me up with a grounding pad (so I wouldn't get an electrical shock when they cauterized my wound with their electric cattle prod thing), gave me several novocaine shots in the nose (OUCH!) and sliced a good 1/2" diameter hole out of the side of my nose. The doctor told me it would be about an hour before they called me back in (as the lab needed to determine if the margins were clear, meaning that they got all the cancer out). Two hours later, they called me back in, the doc said that she'd gotten all the cancer out already, but that they couldn't close up the wound until after lunch because the whole office shuts down at 12:30 for an hour. So off I went for a burrito, after getting another couple of novocaine shots.

At 2:00 pm, they called me back in again, hooked me back up, and gave me more novocaine shots. The doctor took a chunk of skin from right in front of my ear for a skin graft, closed that up, and then attached the graft to the nose and sewed that up. Then she sewed a dressing on top of the graft and gave me strict instructions not to get it wet or mess with it at all for a week, at which time I'll go back into the office and she'll remove the dressing and the stitches near my ear. She gave me a bag full of polysporin ointment packets and bandaids, and sent me off to the pharmacy to pick up Keflex (hardcore antibiotics) and Vicodin.

The worst part was the drive home, because I'd been in the pharmacy for oh, about half an hour, and the anesthetic was starting to wear off. By the time I got home I was in some pretty good pain and really ready for those vicodin.

I'm glad it's all done now, and all I have to do is figure out a way to shower and wash my hair without getting my nose wet at all.

Today's political giggle

The Empire Strikes Barack

Requiem for a Funyun

I am horribly disappointed in the Frito-Lay company. Of all the products they make, they had to discontinue the Wasabi Funyuns? WHYYYYYY??? The Wasabi Funyuns were the epitome of snackage. They were the perfect delivery system for wasabi powder -- no overwhelming flavor of anything else (I'm looking at you, crappy wasabi potato chips), just crunchy fried wasabi goodness.

I first discovered the Wasabi Funyuns last July. I was visiting my sister up in Portland with Mr Wonderful and attending the drunktastic Oregon Brewers Festival ("Drink it, bitch!"). Mr Wonderful and I took a drive one day, crossing the Columbia river into Washington state. We stopped at a 7-Eleven and Mr Wonderful spied the acid green bag and thought he'd give it a try. Well, we couldn't shovel them down our throats fast enough.

Try though we might, we very rarely came across them again. At every convenience store, we'd check for the little bags of joy. Every grocery store, every drugstore, every place that might conceivably have them. Nothing. No love. Until last November, when Mr Wonderful and I were again on vacation, this time in SoCal. Down the street from my Mom's house, the local 7-Eleven had them. I grabbed half a dozen bags and would have cleaned them out totally, but Mr Wonderful convinced me that now they'd be showing up all over the place.

Back home in the bay area, we still couldn't find them. I found a stray bag once on while a trip up to the mountains to visit Mr Wonderful's sister, but nothing where we lived. (Why could we only get them while on vacation??) In desperation, I checked the Frito-Lay website, thinking that maybe I could email them to ask when they'd be in mass circulation. Turns out, Frito-Lay has a "snack finder" that will tell you the closest retail outlet that sells your preferred FL snack. The website claimed that Wasabi Funyuns were available in several convenience stores near Mr Wonderful's job, but he visited each one and could never find a bag. There were no listings in our town or closely neighboring towns.

And now...well, they're nowhere to be found. A phone call to the company confirms that Frito-Lay has stopped producing Wasabi Funyuns. And all I have to say to that is: OMGWTF??? Seriously? Wasabi Funyuns were the greatest snack evah! Y'all are evil and I am boycotting your crappy company until you bring them back.

BRING BACK THE WASABI FUNYUUUUUUNNNNNSS!!

Neighborly

Mr Wonderful has made friends with the neighbors. You know, the ones who nearly drove me outta my skull with the Goddamned Rooster™ last spring? Well, Mr Wonderful and Neighbor Guy have shared a couple of beers, and we've loaned him our BBQ, and he's let the kids hold his bunnies (this is not a euphemism; the guy has a couple of long-eared floppy rabbits as housepets). So I guess we're sorta friends now. And recently Neighbor Guy brought home a newborn lamb whose mommy had died during or shortly after the birth. Awww! Lambikins! Anyway, this sparked a conversation between Mr Wonderful and Neighbor Guy, about all the animals they have at their house, and apparently, Neighbor Guy has a ranch. And the Goddamned Rooster™? Was a fighting rooster (hah! I thought so!!) worth $25,000. Totally illegal. But as long as it's not in their backyard anymore, driving me completely bonkers? Not. My. Problem.

I'm just happy not to have to hear the thing crow all friggin' day anymore.

DirecTV vs U-Verse

I'm a DirecTV user. Have been for about six years...ever since I ordered my DirecTivo from Amazon. It has served me faithfully but I think it's finally time to retire the old Tivo. It's kind of gut-wrenching; I've had it for so long now that it's like an old friend. It still has movies and shows on there that were recorded four or five years ago! But the other night, it failed to record American Idol for some reason. Just...didn't do it. And I can't have that, sorry. It was the performance night. I can miss the results show without minding too much (I'd just read it online at TWOP), but missing the performances sucked.

Also, I've got an HDTV now. I got it over a year ago, at Christmas, but am still watching standard-def TV because I don't have the high-def feed. And I don't have the high-def feed because the high-def receiver/Tivo combo that DirecTV has was pretty expensive. Now they're down to $200 -- still a good chunk of change, but I'm thinking I might do it once I get my tax rebate check.

And then I started hearing about this AT&T U-Verse. Apparently it's TV over IP -- basically your television is served via a fiber-optic cable that runs to a hub in your neighborhood, and from the hub to your house via copper wire. They also offer Internet service over this same delivery system. The price is comparable to what I'm paying now for DSL + DirecTV, plus the DirecTV HD add-on fee, and the convenience of having it all on one bill sounds nice. They don't even charge you for the receiver/DVR! Plus the potential for television/Internet integration in the future (interactive TV, YouTube through your television, etc) is amazing.

BUT.

I did my research online, and I've seen some reviews that are not very encouraging. I've read that the DVR they use is awful, especially if you're currently a Tivo user. I've also read that the U-Verse HD signal is not nearly as clear and sharp as DirecTV's HD signal. They currently allow only one HD signal in at a time, which means you can either record an HD program or watch a live HD program, but you can't record one and watch another at the same time. They're working on expanding that, so you can get two HD feeds at once, but the way they plan to do it is by improving their HD compression...which doesn't sound like it bodes well for picture quality, considering their current compression is not bringing through the ultra-sharp video you'd expect. And the "On-Demand" movies they offer...well, I've heard that the streaming video quality is so bad (artifacts, hanging, pixellation) that you might as well just not bother at all. On-Demand is one of the things that I was excited about, actually, so hearing that this was terrible is a real let-down.

So I'm interested in hearing from y'all -- if you've switched from DirecTV and/or Tivo to the new U-Verse service, what do you think?

OMFG! iPhone!!!

I have the greatest job ever. Today we had an in-house staff meeting (which means I had to go in to the office, horror of horrors) and then a belated birthday lunch for the boss. After lunch, as I was packing up to go, the boss called me in. He asked me a quick question about a client and then said, "I got you something. I don't want you to make a big deal about it, but..." And DUDE!! It was a 16GB iPhone!

Yes, I "need" it for work because I sometimes need to check mobile websites to make sure they're displaying properly and my phone doesn't work for that, for some reason. But seriously??? A freakin' iPhone, y'all! FOR FREE.

I love my job.

Busy month

Stupid hectic month. I just got an email from a friend wondering if I'd up & died because she hadn't heard from me in a while and I realized that this month has been a complete ball of crazy:

• Mr Wonderful's uncle died and we had to go to Red Bluff for the funeral a few weeks ago; one hour before the actual funeral we found out that his COUSIN just died and Mr Wonderful's mom and sister totally lost their shit - two deaths within a week.
  
  
• I went in for my consult with the surgeon last week; surgery for my skin cancer is scheduled for 2 weeks from now (May 12) and I am going to have a scar but hopefully it will look much better than it does now.
  
  
• Mr Wonderful went on his trip to Pahrump with friends for some gun class for five days and I was stuck here alone with the kids all weekend, which sucked. We painted 3/4 of Tomboy's bedroom that weekend (three walls LIME GREEN - ugh, but she loves it). I got a cold and was not only grumpy but sick as well.
  
  
• I found out my sister's pregnant again. Also, we're going camping up in Humboldt Redwoods State Park at the end of June: Mr Wonderful & I & the kids, plus my sister & her family, plus my cousin & HER son, plus Mr Wonderful's sister & HER family. 7 adults, 8 kids. Gonna be fun!
  
  
• My mom called when she found out about my sister being knocked up and tried to get me to tell her I'm getting married, and I told her she'd be the first to know, he hasn't asked me yet, GOD, Mom! Chillax! Once the ring is paid off, he'll propose, and THEN I will tell you I'm getting married. We all know I'm marrying this guy, it's not going to be a huge surprise or anything. But I'm not making any plans, setting any dates, or officially saying "I'm engaged" until I he actually pops the question, mmkay? Smooches!
  
  
• I had a couple of stupid PMS breakdowns and took off for a while by myself this past weekend. I was going to stay overnight somewhere but instead just ended up driving for 9 hours and making a big loop through the north bay area and then came home. I just needed to get my head back on straight because I felt like I was getting a little nutso, and a road trip was just the ticket. I ended up finding mecca: the Cowgirl Creamery in Pt Reyes, where they actually MAKE the cheese! It was awesome, and totally coincidental. I parked less than half a block from the place; I was just looking to get out of the car, stretch, maybe get some coffee or something & take a piss, and lo & behold -- the home of the best cheese ever!
  

I'm ready for May to be a nice calm relaxing month. Can we do that? Please?

Mushroom mushroom!

OK, I know I've been slacking, but I'll make up for it. A couple of weeks ago we had a barbecue here with friends. Mr Wonderful grilled up some incredible NY steaks while I made stuffed mushrooms and panzanella...and you get BOTH the recipes here! The mushrooms are a delicious twist on my usual recipe, and the panzanella is a quick & healthy side dish that's ideal for summer tomatoes. Both recipes will qualify for Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup - be sure and check out her site for other yummy recipes!

Stuffed Mushrooms
20 cremini or button mushrooms, cleaned
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 green onion, sliced thinly (green parts only)
4 Saltines or Ritz crackers, crushed to crumbs
1/2 pkg Boursin garlic-herb cheese
salt & pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop finely. Over medium heat, melt the butter and add the olive oil to a skillet. Add the mushroom stems and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic, parsley, green onion and some salt & pepper to taste. Add the cracker crumbs until you get a slightly moist, crumbly mixture (you may need to add a little more or less).

On a cookie sheet, lay out all the mushroom caps. Fill each mushroom cap with Boursin, smooshing it down with the back of a teaspoon. Top the cap with a little of the mushroom-garlic mixture and set it back on the cookie sheet. Fill all the caps, then top each cap with a little freshly grated Parmesan. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the mushrooms soften, start to give up their juices, and get a little brown on the bottoms. Serve immediately.


Panzanella
1 c chopped tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes, cut in half)
2 c rustic bread (pugliese, sourdough, whatever), cut into 1" dice
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 EVOO, plus 2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Scatter the bread on a cookie sheet, and toss with the 2 Tbsp olive oil and some salt & pepper. Pop it in the oven and let the croutons toast for ten minutes.

In the meantime, combine the tomatoes, shallot, parsley, 1/4 c olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt & pepper. As soon as the croutons are done toasting, toss them in with the tomato mixture and let the bread soak up the olive oil/balsamic vinegar/tomato juices. Serve immediately.

Big deal

I donated to Obama's campaign this morning. This is the first time I have ever donated to a presidential campaign. I have to say, Obama's really something special. I hope he kick's Hillary's ass tomorrow in Pennsylvania. :)

An Obama Minute

Goal: to raise $1 million for the Barack Obama campaign...in one minute. I am so glad I'm not this guy's sys ad.

Perfect song length

Apparently, it's two minutes, forty-two seconds.

Delusions of grandeur

(While laying in bed last night...)

Me: You farted on me!

Him: I did not. My ass was not pointing at you.

Me: It most certainly was. We're laying back to back, your ass was TOTALLY pointing at me.

Him: No it wasn't. It's tilted. The fart came out on a trajectory, it totally missed you.

Me: It did not miss me!

Him: It did! It's like fireworks, they go up and arc down.

Me: Your farts are not like fireworks.

Him: Well, if it was a laserbeam, it would've shot right over your hip, it was not pointing at you.

Me: Dude. Your farts are NOT laserbeams.

Him: That is the meanest thing you could possibly say to me right now.

My new favorite

Best. Article. Ever.

(Be sure to read the comments.)

Finito!

The two-tone ribbed shrug for Tomboy is finished! I can't believe how fast that knitted up -- I had it done in less than two weeks! I love the colors, and the cotton is gorgeous - soft and warm, with the yarn held double.

One year

I am very proud to announce that it has been a full year since my last cigarette.

YAY, ME!

New Project!

Two-Tone Shrug
Originally uploaded by snarkmeister.

I've started on Tomboy's shrug. I bought the yarn for this several months ago, but couldn't bring myself to start the project until I'd finally finished the Spider-Man Sweater. Now that the SMS is off my needles (yay!) I'm able to start some new projects.

I cast on for the Two-Tone Ribbed Shrug (from Fitted Knits) on Monday night, and quickly realized that I'd need to finish off my Dashings (the fingerless gloves) before I could get very far, because I needed my row counter and it was currently in use for the gloves-in-progress. So on Tuesday evening I finished off the Dashings, and last night I worked for a while on the shrug again. I must say, I've made excellent progress. :) I'm really loving the yarn too - it's a solar-dyed fingering weight organic cotton by Ceallach Dyes. I'm knitting with two strands held together to make it a heavier weight & so I can get gauge. This yarn is so soft and yummy - the colors range from bright apple green to a lovely faded denim color, so it's got some visual interest (the ribbing will be all blue; I have a different skein of yarn for that). And it's going to match very well with the track suit I got Tomboy for Christmas. It will be SO cute with the pants & a white t-shirt or tank top underneath, or with jeans. And it'll be a great summer-weight layer, to keep her warm in the evenings when it gets a little chilly.

Rainbow Pasta

This is a baked pasta dish that's absolutely stuffed with veggies, so it will be my contribution to Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup.

Rainbow Pasta
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 c sliced mushrooms (I used crimini and shiitake)
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 large jar tomato sauce (I used an organic roasted garlic/basil flavor sauce)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/2 lb (half a box) penne pasta, cooked until nearly al dente
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced or shredded
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and bell peppers, and season well with salt & pepper. When the veggies are all softened (another 4-5 minutes), add the tomato sauce and the red pepper flakes and heat through. Mix the sauce with the cooked pasta and pour into a casserole dish. Top with the mozzarella cheese and bake until the cheese is golden brown and the casserole is bubbly (about half an hour).

Serve immediately, garnishing with parsley for a little punch of color.

Sweater is DONE!

Finally. Finally, finally, finally, the damn sweater is off my needles.

Saturday I frantically knitted up the ribbing on the neckline, after completely screwing it up Friday night (beer + knitting apparently equals forgetting how to do knit-one-purl-one ribbing. *sigh*). We took the kids to a free church-sponsored Easter event in the next town over, and I have to say, that was the most AMAZING thing I'd ever seen. There were more than 20 bounce houses (I think they must have rented every single one in the area), a laser tag game, a rock climbing wall, easter egg hunt, hotdogs and drinks and people driving around in golf carts throwing out candy...and the whole thing was free. Every single bit of it. They must have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on this shindig. Anyway, while Rugrat was waiting in line for the laser tag, I knitted the neckline. Afterwards, we went to Tomboy's piano recital, where I finished the sweater by weaving in all the ends. And Saturday night I washed and blocked the sweater. Sunday morning it was dry and ready to go, and I achieved my goal (well, my latest goal) of finishing the sweater in time for Easter.

As you can see, the sweater is a *bit* big. The neckline in particular is huge, but the sleeves are also a little too long and the shoulders are definitely too wide. That's OK. Turns out I'm fine with that, because now he'll be able to wear it for a couple of years, probably. And he is incredibly proud and excited - he kept telling everybody we saw that his mom made the sweater just for him, and he's the only person in the world who has a sweater like that. He wore it all day on Easter and put it on over a t-shirt to wear to school today, as well. And you know what? That's just fine with me. :)

Sweater progress

Whither the Spider-man Sweater, you ask?

Well. After ripping out sleeve #2 about seven times and re-starting over and over and over, I am pleased to tell you that the second sleeve is finally, finally done. In fact I just finished it a few minutes ago (knitting on my very belated lunch break). I have started weaving in the ends, and am about 1/3 through that process. Tonight I plan to pick up & knit the ribbing on the collar, and then once those pesky ends are woven in and I block it, it will be DONE.

Done, I tell you.

So I'm hoping to get Rugrat wearing the sweater for Easter. I'll post pics when it's not only merely done, it's really quite sincerely done.

Chicken Panzanella

Panzanella is a delicious Italian tomato and crouton salad, and the addition of roasted chicken breast it makes a light, satisfying spring or summer meal.

Chicken Panzanella
1 large chicken breast, roasted and shredded or cut into bite-size chunks (I buy chicken breasts with the bone in and skin on and roast them at 400 with olive oil & salt & pepper - this keeps them moist and delicious; if you do the whole package at the beginning of the week you'll have pre-cooked chicken to make quick meals with for a few nights)
2 c diced tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes, cut in half)
2 c sourdough bread, cut into 1" dice
1 shallot, sliced thinly
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c olive oil, plus 2 Tbsp
1/4 c good balsamic vinegar
fine sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, shallots, parsley, 1/4 c olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and chicken. Season well with salt & pepper. Let this mixture stand for at least 15 minutes - half an hour or more would be better - to let the flavors meld and allow the tomatoes to give up some of their juice. Don't worry if it seems like there's too much liquid at the bottom of the bowl; the croutons will fix this.

Toss the bread cubes with the 2 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Lay them out on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. As soon as the croutons come out of the oven, add them to the rest of the ingredients and toss to combine. The croutons should soak up the yummy liquid, but retain a bit of "bite".

Irish Beef Stew

In honor of the holiday, I made a lovely beef stew with Guinness yesterday for Mr Wonderful to take to his potluck party at work today. The worst part about it is that I don't get to have any! This holiday-appropriate veggie-laden stew will be my contribution to Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup this week.

Irish Beef Stew
1/4 c EVOO
1 onion, diced fairly large
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, chopped into large chunks
2 huge russet potatoes, cut into 2" dice
1 1/4 lb beef stew meat, cut into about 2" dice
1/2 c flour, divided
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 bottle Guinness beer
4 c beef stock
1 bay leaf
4 Tbsp butter (half stick)
salt & pepper

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, and potatoes. Season well with salt & pepper. Saute for a few minutes to give the veggies color (they will be very, very undercooked), and then remove from the pot. Salt & pepper the beef and shake it in a ziploc bag filled with 1/4 c of the flour, until the meat is all coated. Saute the meat in batches, until it's lightly browned on all sides. When the meat is all browned, return everything to the pot (including veggies), and add the thyme and Guinness. Scrape the bottom of the pot to get all the browned bits up while the alcohol cooks out, then add in the beef stock and the bay leaf. Raise the heat, bringing the stew to a simmer, then reduce back to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are done. If the stew hasn't thickened enough, you can make a quick roux to thicken it (I needed to do this): melt the half-stick of butter in a pan, then add a 1/4 c of flour. Let the mixture cook for a minute or two, then add the roux, a spoonful at a time, to the stew and stir well to combine. Let the mixture bubble away for a few minutes before you add more of the roux - it takes a few minutes to thicken up. (I only needed to add about half of the roux mixture to get my stew to the right consistency.)

Serve with Irish soda bread or some other nice fresh, dense, crusty bread.

Snow trip!

We took the kids to the snow this weekend. I'd been promising Rugrat that we'd go up to the snow, and when our plans to visit Mr Wonderful's sister this past weekend fell through, we decided to head up for an impromptu Tahoe trip instead.

This trip was all about the kids. We drove up Saturday morning without any real plan (where to stay, what exactly to do) other than "play in the snow." We found a cheap hotel room right after we got into town, and then headed out immediately to find a good hill to slide down on the orange disk we'd brought. Instead, we ended up going to Hansen's Tube & Saucer park, where for $20, Mr Wonderful and the kids slid down a couple of exciting snow slides (much like waterslides) in innertubes. Afterwards, we went out for pizza at Lake Tahoe Pizza Co., which was right across the street from our hotel. The food was great - their combo pizza had a layer of sauteed mushrooms underneath the cheese that was really fantastic.

After dinner, we went to Harrah's and I got $20 in tokens and let the kids play in the arcade for about an hour and a half. Finally, we went back to the hotel and crashed out. I can't really recommend the hotel (Apex) as Mr Wonderful and I were freezing all night, having decided to sleep with our respective kids in order to keep the peace, but at least the kids slept well.

The next morning we went to the Red Hut Waffle House and OMG. BEST. BREAKFAST. EVER! Really, all four of us thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Even the coffee was good. If you ever stay the night in South Lake Tahoe, be sure to check it out. It's on the lake side of the main drag, an unassuming little hole in the wall, and there will probably be a wait (we waited about 20 mins) but the wait is WORTH IT. They specialize in waffles (which Rugrat & Mr Wonderful both had) but we also had fantastic biscuits & gravy, perfectly cooked eggs (and I'm darn picky about my eggs) and the best bacon I've ever had in a restaurant. It was cooked slowly until perfectly crisp, and they were nice thick slices.

After that "righteous gut-packing" (™ Mr Wonderful), we headed back home, stopping for an hour in Strawberry, where the kids got to make good use of the orange disk, as well as the pink disk and the tie-dye sled we bought at KMart in Tahoe. I even went down the hill once! Everyone had a blast here, even Rugrat (who didn't much like sliding down the big hills, but made a fabulous snowchicken; kind of like a snowman, except...it's a chicken). More pictures are up on Flickr, of course. On our way home we stopped at the Silverfork Cafe. We'd stopped there on our way up, to grab some lunch and hit the bathroom, and their food was fantastic. Mr Wonderful and I split a steak taco (very large, with "two" tacos in the order that actually stretched to more like FOUR) on the way to Tahoe, and on the way home we decided to try the shrimp version. It was heavenly, and that tiny little cafe will be our official pitstop every time we hit Tahoe now.

A little frustrated

OK, when I talked to the lady from the dermatologist's office yesterday, she said that someone from the Mohs clinic would call me to set up an appointment for the surgery.

But nobody called.

Instead, I logged on to the Kaiser website yesterday afternoon and found that they had indeed scheduled an appointment with me, without even checking to see if the date/time would be okay (what if I was going to be in London or something that week?), and that appointment is...SEVEN WEEKS in the future. April 23, to be exact. What the fuck? I mean, I'm not going in for a routine pimple extraction here, this is CANCER, y'all. Let's not fuck around with it, mmkay? I just want it over and done with so I can move on with my life.

So I called the Mohs clinic and was all, WTF? And the lady I talked to said, yeah, that's the earliest appointment. Not only that, but the appointment? Is NOT for surgery. It's for a CONSULT with the surgeon. Seriously? What's to consult about? It's not like I have much choice in the matter: I can either get the cancer cut out of my face or I can wait for it to rot my nose off and eat into my brain. THAT sounds like fun, I think I'll go for Option B. Not.

So I can only assume that it will be at least the middle of the summer before I get this damn thing taken care of.

Positive

No big surprise here. The dermatologist's office just called and the biopsy did come back positive for basal-cell cancer.

Next stop: Shadelands Mohs Surgery Center.

Anniversary

Saturday night, Mr Wonderful and I celebrated our one-year anniversary. One year ago, on March 1, he kissed me for the first time. It's been an amazing year - a year of upheaval and major changes, but also the best year of my life. And every night, when I fall asleep next to him, I realize how very, very lucky I am to have had this second chance. Nineteen years ago, when we first met, the timing was all wrong. And I'm so glad that we didn't date back then; I was screwed up, he was screwed up, and we were both way too young to find our "forever" love.

Even ten years ago, the last time we saw each other before spending a decade apart, it was the wrong time.

But a year ago, it was finally the right time. And I'm so glad that everything fell into place. Life isn't always easy, but having Mr Wonderful by my side makes it easier. I'm so blessed to have someone to share the problems of life with, as well as the joys. And I feel so lucky that I've found him now, when I am old enough and experienced enough to realize how lucky I am.

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

A delicious, spicy Thai curry soup, made with coconut milk and lots of fresh herbs and spices. Yummy mushrooms and carrots mean that this will qualify as my ARF/5-a-day submission to Sweetnicks' roundup this week!

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
3 Tbsp EVOO
1 onion, cut in half and then sliced into thin wedges to make strips about 2" long
2 c mushrooms, halved or quartered (depending on size)
1 carrot, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
3 chicken cutlets, sliced into 1" strips
1-2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1-2 tsp red Thai curry paste
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp fish sauce (available in Asian foods aisle of your grocery store)
1 can coconut milk
6 c chicken stock
1/2 pkg maifun (rice noodles, available in Asian foods aisle)
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1/4 c chopped basil
4-5 green onions, sliced lengthwise to make long strips (green parts only)
salt & pepper

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions and mushrooms until mushrooms begin to brown and onions are soft and translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Add the carrots and the chicken strips, then season with salt and pepper. Go a little easier on the salt than you normally would, as you'll be adding fish sauce later and that's pretty darn salty. When the chicken strips are almost opaque on all sides (it will NOT be cooked through), add the ginger, curry paste, brown sugar and fish sauce; stir to combine well. Then add the coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and then add the maifun (break it up a bit before adding it or you'll have unmanageably long noodles to deal with when serving/eating). Throw in the cilantro, basil and green onions and cook for another couple of minutes, until the noodles are tender.

This soup is extremely flavorful and pretty healthy (as long as you don't think too much about the sodium content). It's even better the next day, when the flavors have all been sitting together overnight.