Life in the Fast Lane

SOPA, PIPA, and Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011

2012-01-22T20:18:00.002-05:00

Question: What are SOPA & PIPA and why does this affect the you?
Answer: Simple explanation here: http://vimeo.com/m/31100268
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Jan 18th was a historic, unprecendented display of protest which turned the tide in less than 24 hours. Many large websites (such as Wikipedia, Reddit, The Oatmeal, and others (including all of my personal websites) went dark in protest of SOPA/PIPA.
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Jan 20th, PIPA was postponed indefinitely - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46072630/ns/technology_and_science-security/
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The irony of this is that the lawmakers who authored the bill - were BREAKING their own LAW!http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/11747/sopa-author-lamar-smith-rtx-breaks-copyright-law-on-his-own-website
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AND they were PAID in advance to vote for the bill!
http://www.politicolnews.com/congressmen-who-received-money-for-sopa-vote/#ixzz1k5iXp8En
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However, the danger is far from over, as Lamar Smith has authored another bill, this time hiding it under the name “Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011.”
Read and learn: http://www.slashgear.com/sopa-sponsor-has-another-internet-bill-that-records-you-247-20210264/
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Stay vigilant! Protest the idiocracy!
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UNBELIEVABLE!
Sign Petition to investigate MPAA bribery after Chris Dodd publicly admited bribing politicians for SOPA:
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/investigate-chris-dodd-and-mpaa-bribery-after-he-publicly-admited-bribing-politicans-pass/DffX0YQv

Men Are Just Happier People

2011-11-29T12:58:00.001-05:00

Men Are Just Happier People -- What do you expect from such simple creatures?

Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be President.
You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another Petrol station lavatory because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress £2500.
Morning suit rental-£125.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is £4.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.
No wonder men are happier.

Boeuf Bourguignon - My Crock Pot Version

2011-11-23T09:55:00.002-05:00

***Boeuf Bourguignon - My Crock Pot Version***
Ingredients:
1 pkg of Hickory Smoked Bacon (the fattier the better)
2 tbsp olive oil (or cooking oil)
3 lb beef chuck roast (or other good stewing meat)
2 cup of baby carrots (or equivalent of sliced carrot, or frozen carrots chopped, etc)
1 sliced onion (can use 1/2 bag of frozen chopped onions also)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti (I just buy cheap red wine, it is being cooked anyway, so don't waste your $ on expensive stuff. Save the good stuff to DRINK with the meal!)
2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon (I use Better Than Bouillon)
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 large bay leaves
18 to 24 small white onions (Pearl onions are best!) , brown-braised in stock
1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms , sautéed in butter -
Tools needed:
1 Crock pot (large one)
1 large saucepan
1 bowl
Paper Towels
1 Mug
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Directions:
1) Defrost the beef first.
2) Cube the beef into 2 inch pieces - dry the pieces with a paper towel
3) Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces
4) Boil bacon in water for 10 minutes, drain and dry with paper towels, place in bowl.
5) Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove and place bacon pieces in the crock pot with a slotted spoon.
6) Reheat oil. Sauté the beef, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.
7) In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables (or frozen veggies will cook and brown also), use slotted spoon to move browned vegetables to the crock pot
8) Heat 1 cup water in coffee mug for 2 mins, stir in a very generous tablespoon of Beef "Better than Bouillon", once mixed pour into crock pot. Repeat until you have at least 2 cups in the crock pot.
9) Pour Red wine into crock pot.
10) Add Tomato Paste, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves to the crock pot.
11) Set Crock Pot on Medium or cook for at least 4 hours. If you like you can set it to cook more slowly for 8-10 hours. The point is that you want the beef to be fork-tender. You may stir the crock pot mixture occaisionally to ensure nothing is burning on the bottom. The mixture should be simmering, but not boiling.
12) Towards the end of the crock-pot timeframe... use the bacon fat oil mixture and brown the pearl onions and mushrooms.
13) Add the onions and mushrooms to the crock pot. Let it cook for another 30 mins if possible.
14) Serve hot in bowls. :)
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Variations:
Sometimes I get lazy, so I use the Mirepoix - pre-chopped, frozen veggies (it has celery, onion, carrot in it). Whatever works for you.
Also, for a thicker mushroom flavor, you can add a few spoonfuls of cream of mushroom soup to the crock pot.

Baklava - my way

2011-11-23T08:49:00.004-05:00

Baklava
1 package frozen Filo Dough (btw if you ever find Gluten-Free Filo -Phyllo, Fillo, etc- Dough CALL ME!)
4 sticks unsalted cream butter ( warning: do NOT use margarine you'll ruin this recipe!)
1 large bag of walnuts
1 jar of Ground Cinnamon (spice rack)
1 tbsp Honey (I like clover, but any honey is fine)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp Lemon Juice
Jar of Whole Cloves
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TOOLS NEEDED:
Small Saucepan
Basting Brush
Nut Chopper (or food processor if you have it)
Rectangular Pan (9x13 is best)
* For the pan, metal or glass, it works either way but Metal pans crisps the baklava better in my opinion. I use a 9x13 inch metal pan. Make sure it's a pan that you do not mind getting scratched a bit with a knife. It's just one of those things that is going to happen with this recipe so be prepared.
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Directions:
1) Defrost the Filo Dough in the fridge. it should be kept cool until you are ready to work with it. I usually put mine in the fridge the day before I do this recipe.
2) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
3) Pulverize the Walnuts so they are chopped very finely. I prefer to dump my walnuts into a food processor and let it do the work. I used to chop the nuts myself with a slap-chopper thing, but it takes a LOT of effort to get the pieces small enough that way and then you are tired before you even started this recipe. no thanks!
4) Melt the butter into a liquid. I start with 2 sticks of butter and melt it in my pyrex measuring cup in the microwave. Later on you may need 2 more sticks of butter, depends on the size of your pan.
5) Coat the bottom of the pan with a layer of liquid butter. Use a basting brush if that helps.
6) Put a double-layer of Filo Dough on top of the butter.
NOTES for handling Filo Dough:
Unroll the defrosted filo dough, and carefully peel off 2 layers (together). I find that the dough is easier to work with when it is 2 sheets thick - so when I say a "layer" I mean 2 sheets of filo dough makes 1 layer. A single sheet is too fragile and hard to work with.
ALSO: The dough will most likely be too large for your pan, so you have several options here. you can lay the dough flat on the bottom of the pan starting with a corner, and then fold-over the overlapping dough - then alternate which side of the pan gets the excess dough each layer. OR in my case, I found if I just cut the whole pile of dough in half, it fits the pan exactly. Whichever works for you.
NOTE: The dough is delicate, so be careful not to tear it. Also, it will start to dry out while you work, so if you get interrupted a lot, you need a way to keep the other layers of the dough humid (not wet, but humid). I recommend wetting a paper towel, then wringing the excess water from it (so it's damp but not wet) ,and then laying that on top of the dough pile. You can also use a damp kitchen towel (a clean one).
7) Baste some butter on top of the filo dough layer that is in the pan (so it is lightly coated)
8) Sprinkle approximately 1 tbsp walnuts on top of the butter. Just a nice sprinkled layer, do not worry about covering every inch, but an even layer of sprinkled nuts is what you are going for.
9) Sprinkle a layer of cinnamon on top of the nuts.
10) Top this with another layer of Filo Dough
11) Baste this layer with some butter, sprinkle on some walnuts, sprinkle on the cinnamon, add another layer of Filo dough,
12) repeat this layering method until you have roughly 4 sheets of Filo Dough left.
13) Butter a layer, then add filo dough again, but no nuts or cinnamon. Basically the top 2 layers should be just dough and butter.
14) using a small sharp knife, carefully score the dough into Diamond shapes (cut about 1/2-way down, but not to the bottom of the pan). You may have some triangle shapes on the corners and edges of the pan, and that's fine.
15) Pour any leftover butter mixture (should not be more than 1/4 cup ideally) over the top of the baklava and let is seep into the cracks of the cuts you made.
16) press a single clove, into the center of each piece of baklava
17) Put pan of baklava into the oven, and set the timer for 45 minutes.
18) Now we need to make the "syrup" for the baklava. In a small saucepan with medium heat, add water and brown sugar. Stir slowly until sugar dissolves into the water.
19) Add the lemon juice and honey to the saucepan, stir slowly. Simmer the syrup mixture on low heat while the baklava is cooking. Do not bring to a boil, just keep it warm. Stir occaisionally to make sure the bottom isn't burning.
20) After the timer goes off, check the baklava. Depending on your oven, it may take more time. Keep cooking until the baklava is lightly brown on the top, and is crispy to the touch (I just touch it with my finger to see if it's crispy enough)
20) Pull the baklava out of the oven, and let it cool at room temperature for 10-20 minutes.
21) Using the small knife, re-cut the baklava, but this time cut all the way down to the bottom of the pan.
22) Pour the syrup mixture on top of the baklava.
23) Let the baklava syrup cool in the pan for bit, then you can serve it!
24) If you are making this in advance, that's fine as Baklava will keep well at room temperature, however, do not cover it until the syrup has cooled, otherwise the baklava may get soggy from the humidity of the steamy syrup.
25) If your baklava gets a bit soggy and you want to re-crisp it, you can put it back in the oven at 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes, but be careful not to burn it. This will also dry it out a little bit, and sometimes you may want to add a little more syrup to it after this. No problem, it's a versatile dish, but just make sure to balance your re-heating and re-syrup-ing, so it's not overly sticky.
26) Pairs very well with Coffee, espresso, and/or a dry red wine.
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Variations:
Nuts: You may use Almonds or Pistachios, I suppose one could try Pecans, but they are a softer nut and I am not so sure it would taste right. Baklava should be crispy-ish.
Spices: You can use a mix of Cinnamon and Nutmeg if you like. I haven't tried any other spices, please let me know if you do and you have success with this.
Syrup: I've heard (but not tried this) some people use Cardamom and Rosewater for the syrup. I do not know the measurements, but I'm sure it is a possibility. Please let me know if you try this. I would be interested in tasting it.
Sweetener: You can also use white sugar or cane sugar or agave syrup instead of brown sugar, but I find the flavor of the brown sugar is one I like better.
Gluten-Free: I have tried making this with Rice Paper instead of Filo Dough, HOWEVER... rice paper has to be wet or damp in order for it to be flexible enough for this recipe. The problem with that, is after it comes out of the oven crispy... it does not keep for longer than 1 day. It WILL get soggy eventually, and once it got moldy - gross. So, just be aware, if you use the rice paper method, you need to EAT it the same day you make it. No leftovers. Ok?
Also Rice Paper is usually round, so I ended up using a pie/pan for the baklava as opposed to a rectangular one.
****** HAPPY BAKING! *****

New Twist to Spaghetti

2011-09-13T11:39:00.002-04:00

I admit it, we've been on a Chorizo kick lately.
so, my husband went to the local Farmer's Market last Saturday, and he bought some Chorizo from West Wind Farms (organic, pasture fed, pork).
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I love this Chorizo, because it is milder than some of the others I've tasted.
well, we cooked some up, and made the usual Egg Bake, etc.
but come Monday night, we had 2 more Chorizo sausages we needed to use up (or freeze), and we were not sure what to do.
so
I checked the label to see what spices were in this sausage. It was mostly garlic, paprika, onion, salt, nothing too crazy.
so
I had the random idea to cut the sausage meat out of the casing, brown it like it was hamburger, and then toss it into Spaghetti Sauce. we used the Muir Glen's Organic tomato Basil sauce.
paired with Trader Joe's Brown rice Penne Pasta.
It was DELICIOUS!
yum!
*note, sometimes rice pasta seems a little bland to me, so I salted the water as I boiled it, and added fresh chopped basil leaves. yum!

Vegetarian Mexican Chili

2011-08-25T15:39:00.003-04:00

Vegetarian Mexican Chili
1 pkg Soy Chorizo (Trader Joes), browned in skillet
2 cans Organic Black Beans
1/2 can Organic Garbanzo beans
1 can Organic diced roasted tomato
1 can organic tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 large can mushrooms
1/2 bag Frozen Roasted Corn
2 Poblano Peppers (chopped, de-seeded)
1 cup Red and Yellow bell peppers (chopped, de-seeded)
1/2 cup onions chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or 1/3 tube of cilantro paste)
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lime (to taste)

Directions:
Toss all ingredients into crock pot (do not bother draining the cans, just pour it all in there). Stir. Cook on medium heat for 6 hours (stirring every so often). Serve.

Optional Garnishes:
Avocado slices
Shredded cheese
Sour Cream (or plain Greek yogurt)

Variations:
For more spice, add New Mexico Green Chiles or chopped Jalapeno's.

Click on this link for the "Kick Some Booty Salsa" recipe.

La Ensalada Mexico

2011-08-21T12:34:00.002-04:00

2 heads Chopped Romaine
1/2 can drained garbanzo beans
1/2 container of Trader Joes fresh hot salsa, drained (but save the liquid for later)
Chill in fridge for 2 hrs
Brown 1/2 pkg of Trader Joes soy chorizo in skillet
Add chorizo to chilled salad
Very lightly splash with some of the remaining salsa liquid and a splash of olive oil
Toss
Serve

To drink:
In 12 oz glass, fill 1/2 full with ice cubes
Then 3 oz Rosangel Tequila
3 oz diet tonic
3 oz raspberry lemonade crystal light
Stir
Drink

-- Post From My iPhone

Vegetarian Mexican-dip

2011-08-02T18:48:00.002-04:00

Vegetarian Mexican-Dip
1 bag Santita's tortilla (white corn) chips
1 pkg Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo
1 can Trader Joe's Organic Black Beans
1 can (smaller can) mushrooms
1/2 bag of Trader Joe's Frozen roasted corn
1/4 a wheel of Brie cheese (chilled, not softened)
handful of chopped scallions
dash of cumin
dash of salt
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Directions:
Put frozen corn bag into the fridge, to defrost slightly.
Pour black beans, mushrooms (don't bother draining anything just toss it in), scallions, salt, and cumin into a small saucepan, simmer on low heat, stirring occaisionally.
Brown Soy Chorizo in skillet. While it's browning on low/med heat, start cutting the rind off of the brie. Once the rind is removed, cut the brie into cubes/balls, and mix into the Chorizo.
Add frozen corn to skillet. Then add Black bean mixture.
Turn off heat.
Stir everything all together.
Serve as dip for your tortilla chips OR as filler for Tacos (but for taco's you'll need some sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and tortilla shells most likely).
Viola!

Cherry Mistmas ?

2010-12-08T10:26:00.003-05:00

Good LORD it has been a rough year. I sincerely hope 2011 decides to be nicer to us - more Merry and less Bah Humbug!
Let me do a quick recap:
1)Sport was diagnosed with Cancer of the anal sac, in October. He went through 4 chemo sessions, and is now resting at home, until his recheck in February 2011.
2)Spice (who I adore but was allergic to, and she was pregnant and popped out a single puppy 2 weeks after she came to live with me), the puppy was adopted in October, and later Ms. Spice was finally adopted to a loving home just before Thanksgiving this year. We are very relieved to be down to only 2 dogs at that point, whew!
3) We also adopted another Basenji Mix, named Molly in August 2010. Molly is almost identical to Sport, but her colors are reversed, she is mostly white. She is doing well, and has recently learned to "shake" and what "belly rubbins" are. Sport adores her, and for some reason, every time we watch DEXTER (the serial killer series), she and Sport start playing like crazy. She is also learning to behave herself outside of her crate, so we are starting to leave her out of the crate from time to time. So far so good.
4) We replaced the ENTIRE roof (it started leaking in multiple places), replaced part of the driveway, cut down the massive tree that was tearing up our driveway (obviously not in this order), and repaired other minor things around the house. Can you say FINANCIAL DRAIN? yeah. exactly!
5) So everyone is getting Japanese Maple saplings from my front yard this year, instead of gifts. I tried selling them to a professional landscaper or nursery, but they said I had to have the trees "certified" somehow? and that was a huge pain in the you-know-what, so I said "screw it" and decided to just give them away.
6) I figured out how to make "Gluten Free Baklava" but you have to literally eat it, just after you remove it from the oven - maybe after letting it cool after 5 mins. It does NOT last well. If you leave it sitting out overnight, the rice paper (which I used instead of filo dough), it gets soft and is no longer crispy. It will also start to MOLD (yeah that's fun) if you cover the top of it, and leave it sitting out for more than 1 week. That is very different than normal Baklava. So just FYI be careful of those things. It does taste good, and in fact one person told me she liked it BETTER than regular Baklava. Interesting. I am proud of figuring this out, but disappointed in the shelf-life. I would not feel comfortable mailing this to my family for the holidays.
7) We upgraded to the new iPhone 4 hardware - works MUCH faster than the old iPhone 3G devices we had.
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Recipe Variations
So I made the Pumpkin Soup again last night, but I added some other ingredients:
Instead of meat stock/broth, I used veggie stock/broth.
I added chopped cabbage
I added minced fresh ginger
I used Green Curry paste instead of the other
I added Cayenne Pepper (just a little) instead of the White Pepper.
It was very good but needed LOTS more salt. Not sure why.
Anyhoo, enjoy!
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Happy Holidays everyone!

Thai Cabbage Rolls

2010-11-12T11:08:00.005-05:00

Like Beef Burgundy, Bragiole, etc, there are several variations of a common recipe found throughout various culinary cultures.
In today's example we are looking at Cabbage Rolls. Here is a recipe for simple Southern Cabbage Rolls - http://southernfood.about.com/od/cabbagemaindishrecipes/r/bl30620u.htm
however, I did not have ground beef or lamb on-hand, and I wanted to use chicken.
thus if you google Thai Cabbage Rolls, Indian Cabbage Rolls, Hebrew Cabbage Rolls, there are many many variations of meats and/spices you can use to make essentially the same dish (although the flavor will be very different). For the Grape Leaf rolls, you have Greek, Moroccan, Mediterranean, Bulgarian, Turkish, and Lebanese. but I digress.
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In this line of thinking I came up with the following recipe (my own) last night for dinner:
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Abbie's Thai Cabbage Rolls
1 large head of organic cabbage
2 small cans (or 1 large can) chopped chicken breast (do not drain)
1 can light coconut milk
2 tbsp key lime juice (or lime juice)
2 tbsp olive oil (or cooking oil)
2 tbsp Massaman Curry paste (or curry powder can be used)
1 tbsp dehydrated onions - or 1 cup of fresh white onion
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp Minced Garlic
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 egg
Fresh Basil Leaves
Ginger
1 cup cooked Basamati Rice (or just rice)

Directions:
1) Prepare rice as normal, while it is finishing cooking...
2 In saucepan, heat olive oil, add 1 tbsp massaman curry paste, onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, and chicken. Then add half of the lime juice, half of the basil leaves. Cook over low heat and mash chicken gently with wooden spoon until fine and curry paste is mixed in and not lumpy. cover and turn off heat.
3) In large pot, bring 6-8 cups salted water to a boil. While waiting for it to boil, rinse off your cabbage, and peel the leaves off the head gently (try not to tear them).
Drop cabbage leaves 1 at a time into boiling salted water, cook for about 1 min, then remove from water gently with tongs, and immerse into ice water (I used a big plastic dish of ice water in the sink). Then place the cabbage leaf to dry on papertowels (I used a regular kitchen towel, folded, then covered that with a layer of paper towels). You want the cabbage to be "wilted" but not cooked fully.
4) When Rice is finished, sprinkle liberally with the cumin powder, mix. Then add rice to the chicken curry saucepan, and mix together. Add 1 beaten egg, mix together. This is your filling for the cabbage rolls.
5) Spoon chicken filling onto cabbage leaves (one at a time), roll the cabbage leaf "burrito-style" around the mixture, and place cabbage roll into glass baking pan. For the extra extra LARGE cabbage leaves, I used kitchen shears to snip them in half longways from the stem to the leaf) Continue rolling cabbage/filling until pan is full of cabbage rolls. One head of cabbage leaves should fill a 9x13 glass baking pan. It is okay if your rolls are of different sizes, as the leaves are different sizes, and people have varying sizes of appetite when you serve them. That's what I do anyway.
6) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7) In same saucepan as the chicken mixture (which by now should be empty), add coconut milk, lime juice, and 1 tbsp massaman curry paste. cook on low heat, mixing the paste into the milk. Add remainder of lime juice and basil leaves (tear them up in to small pieces).
8) Pour coconut "sauce" over the cabbage rolls. Cover your baking pan, and cook at 350 degrees for approximately 30-35 mins. Watch that the coconut milk bubbles, but does not come to a full boil.
Serves 6.

Pumpkin Coconut Curry Soup

2010-11-08T11:19:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin Coconut Curry Soup
2 tblsp butter
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 pressed garlic cloves (or 1 tbsp minced garlic)
1 tbsp curry powder (or curry paste)
1/3 tsp ground white pepper
1 can plain pumpkin
1 can light coconut milk (or 1 can evaporated milk)
3 cups broth or stock (can use veggie, chicken, or pork broth/stock)

In saucepan, melt butter, sautee the onions and garlic. Add spices, cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add pumpkin, add milk, add broth, heat and stir for about 20 mins (or simmer for 25-30 mins). Add more spice to taste if you wish a spicier soup. Serves 6.

It's a Mexican Mojito kind if Day

2010-10-17T12:17:00.002-04:00

Mexican Mojito:
In wine glass
4 ice cubes
1/3 glass Pancho Villa Silver Tequila
1/2 glass Diet Coke
5 fresh torn basil leaves
1/2 lime, squeeze juice into glass, then drop it in and let it settle on bottom of glass
Take a sip and say "Ole!"

Fried Green Maters
4 green tomatoes from Gpa's tomato plant, chop loosely
Heat sunflower oil in skillet, add lemon pepper, then add green tomatoes, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, corn starch, bread crumbs, and more lemon pepper. Stir/fry until crispy.

Abbie's "In A Pinch" Remoulade Sauce
Mix to taste:
Organic Mayo
Horseradish deli mustard
Tabasco sauce
Cayenne Pepper

Recommend dipping Green Maters in the Remoulade Sauce.

-- Post From My iPhone

Miche & Mimosa AND Miche & Martini Parties

2010-10-01T12:36:00.003-04:00

I am madly in love with Miche Bag lately. My girlfriend Heather & her husband Sean are my Miche Bag folks. So I threw 2 back to back parties last weekend.
My fave is the big bag with the Allie, Laney, or Drew as my big bag shell.
Heather & Sean's Miche Bag Site.
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Here are some recipes from the parties:
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St. Germain Mimosa
1 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1 oz Pink or Red Grapefruit Juice
5 oz Champagne or Dry Sparkling Wine
*Serve chilled in champagne flute or wine glass

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Pineapple Mimosa
2 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Orange Juice
3 oz Champagne or Dry Sparkling Wine
*Serve chilled in champagne flute or wine glass, garnish with slice of strawberry or pineapple

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Virgin Mimosa
4oz Orange Juice (or any other blend of citrus juices, etc)
3oz Sparkling Cider
Serve chilled in champagne flute or wine glass (*can also substitute Sprite, Tonic Water, Seltzer Water, etc)

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Kick Some Booty Salsa
Ingredients:
1 can whole tomatoes, drained (cut through tomatoes a bit to drain juice) - get brand name cans, not generic (tastes better)
1 can diced tomates (rotelle with green chiles will also work) - drained
2 cans stewed tomatoes (drained)
5 jalapeno peppers, cored and seeds removed
1 bunch cilantro - stems and all (just cut the bunch into quarters when feeding into food processor)
4 hot peppers (you pick whatever hot peppers you like)
juice of 1 lime (some zest is nice too)
3-4 Tablespoons Cumin
A few dashes Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions:
Wear plastic gloves while coring and de-seeding the jalepenos and peppers. This will save you grief later. Be careful not to miss any, when you get rid of the seeds, they are the hottest part of the pepper. Do not touch eyes if you have touched the seeds or pepper juices with your bare hands. ouch.
Using food processor, finely chop the vegetable ingredients (may have to do it in batches depending on the size of your processor).
Then add lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper, to taste.
This freezes well. Caution: will get hotter while sitting in fridge so do not over-spice it.
*Abbie likes to save the juices drained from the cans and use for Ratatouille or Spaghetti sauce later on.
*If you save your fancy Tequila or liquor bottles (clean them first), then you can put the salsa in one of those and give as a gift to friend/neighbor.

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Easy Brunch Egg Bake
Ingredients:
12 Eggs
1 cup Milk (I prefer half n half or cream personally)
1/2 pound bacon, browned and crumbled
1/2 polish sausage chopped
1/4 cup tbsp chopped onion (or 1/2 small bag of frozen pearl onions is nice too)
1/2 cup chopped green and red bell peppers (roasted canned peppers will also work)
1 chopped poblano/pablano (however you spell it) pepper
1 cup cheese grated (any cheese you like)
a few leaves of fresh Basil or Spinach, torn up and sprinkled into mixture
1/2 tsp each of Salt and Pepper
Instructions:
In large mixing bowl, Beat eggs.
Add remaining ingredients and stir with spoon
Pour mixture into a greased 9x13inch pan. Chill overnight in fridge (optional) or just Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 mins, or until top is lightly brown.
*You may wish to wear plastic gloves while coring and de-seeding the pablano... also, my husband says he likes to eat this with some Tabasco sauce on top. Recipe may be halved if needed. Can also substitute other veggies or meats to whatever you prefer in your egg bake, should still work but recommend meats be cooked or cured prior to baking.

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Layered Athenian Cheese Spread
Ingredients:
2 pkgs (8 oz each) Cream Cheese softened
2 pkgs (4 oz each) crumbled Feta Cheese
1 garlic clove pressed
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 jar (7 oz) sweet roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry
1/3 cup cup whole natural almonds, chopped
Instructions:
In medium sized mixing bowl, combine cream cheese & feta. Press garlic over cheese mixture, mix well. Stir in spinach. Chop red peppers. Line a small mixing bowl with plastic wrap. Divide cheese mixture in half. Press half of cheese mixture into small bowl, top with red peppers. Spread remaining cheese mixture over red peppers. Cover. Refrigerate several hours to allow flavors to blend. To Serve: invert cheese mixture from small bowl onto serving plate. Remove plastic wrap. Chop Almonds and press them onto the top of the molded cheese. Serve with toasted French bread or assorted crackers.
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Cosmo-Not Martini (Virgin)
compliments of MartiniArt.com - click link above.
This one REALLY tastes like it has alcohol in it, but it is alcohol-free. DELISH!
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Gimlet Martini
4 oz Vodka
1 oz Key Lime Juice
Garnish with Lime wedge
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Gin Martini
4 oz Gin
2 oz Dirty Sue Olive Juice
Garnish with olives on a toothpick
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Chocolate Martini
4 oz ChocoVine Wine
1 oz half n half
1 dark chocolate pomegranate ball
In shaker, add about 2 inches of crushed ice. Pour in Chocovine and cream. Shake vigorously.
place chocolate ball into into bottom of martini glass. Pour chocolate mixture over it.
----------------------------------
Cosmopolitan Martini (from MartiniArt.com)
4 ounces of chilled/freezing vodka.
1 ounce of chilled Cointreau.
1 ounce of Absolut Citron vodka.
2 orange rind twists.
2 very, very thin orange slices.
1 lime cut in half.
3 ounces of cranberry juice.
1 ounce of pomegranate juice.
2 ounces of Naked orange juice.
4 drops of Amaretto.
MIXING: Fill a glass shaker 1/2 full with cracked ice. pour your vodkas and cranberry juice.
Give the shaker a good ten or fifteen shakes.
Add your Cointreau, pomegranate juice and orange juice. Squeeze in the juice of half a lime. Another twenty (thirty if you are up to it) shakes.
Strain your beautiful cocktail into two frozen cosmo or martini glasses. Each drink gets 2 drops of Amaretto. Gently float a slice of orange on top of each drink. On top of each orange, delicately lay a rind twist.

In loving memory

2010-08-06T13:54:00.006-04:00

My grandfather passed away July 31st after a long battle with Pulmonary Fibrosis (an incurable disease which scars the lungs). He died peacefully in his sleep in the afternoon. I will greatly miss him. However, I know that now he can breathe again without the assistance of oxygen machines. He has also been reunited with the love of his life - my Grandmother.

Grandpa taught me a lot about cooking, baking, and wine. I owe my culinary obsessions in part to his wonderful tutelage. Thank you Grandpa!

New addition to our family

2010-08-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

Introducing Spice! Sunday July 18th, a coworker's wife went to church (near Mall of GA area), and she found Spice (who had apparently been abandoned, had no collar or microchip) in the church playground. She brought Spice home, but then her hubby wasn't really excited about having a dog, so they kept her until they could find another home for her. Hung posters up, went to the shelters and all that to hang signs, etc. Nobody ever claimed her.
-
I saw her photo in an email and I thought she looked a little bit like Sport, and he gets lonely when we are at work, so I decided to see if we could adopt her. Matt and I had her over the July 23rd weekend to see how the dogs got along. And we fell in love with her. So we kept her.
then the following Monday July 26th I took her to the vet for routing checkup and shots, and found out she was pregnant. Since she seems to only have one puppy in utero, it wasn't obvious that she was pregnant to the naked eye - at that point.
-
The vet said they could take care of it and spay her anyway if I wanted, but I would not feel right about that, so I decided to let nature take its course and potentially keep the puppy. The doctor says she may have 2 puppies, but we could only see 1 on the ultrasound, and she is too small of a dog to have a large litter. 2 max. So, we will see. At this point they told me she was due end of August.
but
then THIS Wednesday the Vet emailed me that upon going over the tests/xrays, etc they decided she was due August 16th. ha ha! so here we go!
-
I am just totally besotted with this little dog and her puppy to be, and I know I'm in for an adventure…

De Lux Potatoes

2010-07-20T15:24:00.002-04:00

De Lux Potatoes
Courtesy of my friend Erica (who got it from her Grandmother) in Ohio.

2 lb. Pkg. Frozen hashbrown potatoes (Ore Ida)
Let thaw 40-60 mins. or until they are broken apart.

In large bowl, combine:
potatoes
1 onion diced thin
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese
1 pt. sour cream
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
salt and pepper

Mix ingredients well. Spoon into buttered 9x13 glass dish. Bake in preheated oven at 350* for 60-90 minutes. Last 10 minutes of baking time, place crushed potato chips (Lay's) on top.

Grandpa's favorite Beef Rib Recipe

2010-07-05T08:58:00.004-04:00

Downhome Barbecue Beef Short Ribs (courtesy of Food Network)
Prep Time: 10 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 1 hr 10 min Level:
-- Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
8 pounds beef short ribs, cut across the bone
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 cup brown mustard
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon molasses
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Add the ribs, garlic cloves and bay leaf. Parboil the ribs, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until fork tender.

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Pour 1 cup of the rib water into the mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for approximately 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and is heated through. Add the ribs to the pot, turning with tongs to coat well. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the ribs to a hot outdoor grill, meat side down first, and cook 8 to 10 minutes on each side, taking care not to burn them. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.
NOTE: Let rib water cool, then freeze it for use as Beef Stock in future recipes.

Beef Stew - a la Grandpa's orders

2010-07-04T12:18:00.003-04:00

Well, I am "winging it" with a gourmet beef stew. Grandpa is dictating the process to me, but has yet to give me any actual measurements (just the ingredients), so I'm sort of making this up as I go. So far it tastes and smells delicious, so I guess this collaboration is working well.
-
BEEF STEW
4-4.5 pounds boneless shoulder roast
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Vidalia Onions - coursely chopped
3 Green Bell Peppers - coursely chopped
2 Jalepeno peppers (de-seeded, and cores removed) - chopped
1 small bag baby carrots
2 celery stalks - coursely chopped
1 small container of chopped mushrooms (fresh)
1 cup red wine
4 cups beef stock (or broth)
4 Idaho potatoes (coursely chopped) - no need to peel unless you prefer them that way.
1/4 cup flour
1 big bay leaf (or 2 small ones)

Instructions:
Set Roast out to thaw (unless fresh)
Cut into 1 inch cubes
Put olive oil into a large pot, heat to medium low, and brown the cubes of beef, then remove the cubes and set aside.
Add coursely chopped onions, simmer in remaining olive oil/liquid, until translucent
Add celery and peppers, simmer until soft
Add flour and red wine, make a roux - careful not to burn, keep stirring
Then add carrots and potatoes, bay leaf, all of the cubed/seared beef, and beef stock/broth, bring to gentle boil
Add mushrooms.
Turn down heat to simmer. keep simmering, uncovered, stirring occaisionally for 1-2 hours (until beef cubes are tender)- basically you are reducing the broth down to the good stuff. mmm...
-
Serve in bowls. Side of toasted slices of french bread (or sliced/toasted baguette).

My Wonderful Weekend of Cooking

2010-06-29T12:22:00.013-04:00

I joined a CSA. For those unfamiliar, this is a Community Share Association. Basically you sign up with a local farmer, and you buy a "share" or (half-share in my case), and you get fresh picked veggies off the farm each week.
This week, my half-share included several cucumbers, squashes, and and hot peppers.
My tastebuds were zinging with the possibilities, and the poor neglected state of my 12 cup foodprocessor, and thus I began to cook some SCRUMPTIOUS items. All of them can be made gluten-free assuming you use gluten-free pasta and gluten-free crackers for the various side items.

1) Salsa
2) Cucumber Soup
3) Ratatouille

1) Beth's Salsa
Ingredients:
1 can whole tomatoes, drained (cut through tomatoes a bit to drain juice)
1 can diced tomates (rotelle with green chiles will also work) - drained
2 cans stewed tomatoes (drained)
5 jalepeno peppers, cored and seeds removed
1 bunch cilantro - stems and all (just cut the bunch into quarters when feeding into food processor)
4 hot peppers (you pick whatever hot peppers you like)
juice of 1 lime (some zest is nice too)
3-4 Tablespoons Cumin
salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions:
Wear plastic gloves while coring and de-seeding the jalepenos and peppers. This will save you grief later. Be careful not to miss any, when you get rid of the seeds, they are the hottest part of the pepper. Do not touch eyes if you have touched the seeds or pepper juices with your bare hands. ouch.
Using food processor, finely chop the vegetable ingredients (may have to do it in batches depending on the size of your processor).
Then add lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper, to taste.
This freezes well.
Caution: will get hotter while sitting in fridge so do not over-spice it.
-----------------------------------------
2) Chilled Cucumber Soup - as published in Elle Decor Magazine, Daniel Boulud's recipe (we love him, we ate at his "Bar Boulud" restaurant in NYC on Thanksgiving Day last year - scrum-diddly-umptious!!!)
Ingredients:

4 large English Cucumbers (or I used 5 regular ones but removed some of the seeds)
2 cup Spinach leaves packed
2 Tblsp Olive Oil
1/2 large Red Onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 pound Idaho Potatoes, peeled and chopped (aka 2 large potatoes)
1 cup plain Greek Yogurt (I used "Fage")
1/4 cup heavy cream
Juice of 1 lemon
salt,pepper,Tabasco sauce to taste

Garnishes/Sides:

1 bunch dill leaves, picked
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 pound smoked salmon sliced
1/2 large red onion minced
1 box of Gluten-Free Crackers (I like Mary's Gone Crackers)

Instructions:

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil; set bowl of ice water on the side.
Peel cucumbers, reserve the skins, and roughly chop the flesh
Boil cucumber peels and spinach until tender (about 4 mins)
Then chill in ice water, and squeeze dry. set aside.
In large sauce pot, warm olive oil on med. heat, add onion, celery, potatoes, and sprinkle salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring, until onions are tender but not browned (about 5 mins)
Add half of cucumber flesh, and just enough water to cover the mixture, then simmer for 20 mins (or until potatoes are tender).
Remove from heat and chill (I just stuck mine in the freezer for 10 mins)
In a blender (or large food processer), combine chilled mixture with the cooked cucumber peels, spinach, and remaining cucumber flesh, yogurt, and cream. You may need to do this in batches.
Puree until very smooth, then pass through a fine mess sieve.
Chill the soup.
When ready to serve, adjust seasoning with lemon juice, Tabasco, salt, pepper, to taste.
I garnished mine with spoonful of greek yogurt mixed with the dill.
Serve salmon/crackers on the side.

------------------------------------------
3) Ratatouille - took pieces of 2 recipes (one I found in MORE magazine at the gym, but did not have the foresight to take home so I'd remember how to make it), and another I found online someplace.
Ingredients:
2 yellow squash
1 zucchini squash
3 sliced tomatoes in wedges
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 red onion diced
1 celery stalk
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 Tblsp Olive Oil
1/2 box of Quinoa shells pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
oregano, basil to taste
Garnish:
Fresh basil leaves
Fresh Tomato wedges
Instructions:

Slice squash/zucchini into strips, toss or brush with olive oil and oregano, grill until soft.
In skillet, add the olive oil, chopped onions and chopped celery, garlic, and fresh basil leaves, and sautee for a few minutes until soft but not carmelized
add grilled veggies and then cover with tomato juice. Add a few tomato wedges also.
let simmer for 15-20 minutes, and then turn off heat.
Next, set pot of water to boil for the quinoa shells, follow directions on box. While shells are boiling...
take skillet veggie mixture, and pour into blender, and lightly blend (chunky not too smooth - but this is all to your preference). then pour contents back into skillet.
turn skillet on low heat, then add heavy cream, stirring, until skillet is warm again.
Drain quinoa shells.
Serve veggie mixture over shells, garnish with tomato wedges and fresh basil leaves.

Vidalia Onion Recipe & Mr. Rogers Quotes

2010-06-21T14:56:00.002-04:00

Vidalia Onion Recipe
---preheat oven to 350 degrees---
2 large Vidalia Onions chopped finely
2 8oz pkgs Cream Cheese softened
3 heaping tblsp's of Mayo (use real Mayo not low fat)
---cream the above ingredients well---
1.5 cups shredded cheese (any of these or a mix of them will be fine: Asiago, Parm, Swiss, Ementhaler, sharp aged cheddar, etc).
---Mix in with the other ingredients ---
Grease a 9x13 baking pan (I used glass pyrex pan)
Press mixture evenly into the pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes
Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Serve with Tortilla chips or pita Chips, voila!
---VARIATIONS: Instead of 2 Vidalia onions, use 1 onion and 16 oz of Crab meat, sprinkle the final cooked dip with Old Bay ---

Mr. Rogers Quotes
"Grandparents are both our past and our future. In some ways they are what has gone before, and in others they are what we will become."

"The greatest gift you can ever give is your honest self."

"When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is:
the lovely with the unlovely,
the strong along with the fearful,
the true mixed in with the facade,
and of course, the only way we can do it
is by accepting ourselves that way."

Frances Mayes Quote:
"The more you know, the more you love, and by loving more, the more you enjoy"

Whew it's been a long time

2010-06-17T13:20:00.003-04:00

Yes I know, I've been a terrible slacker/blogger. Well it's been a very busy year and I'm already exhausted. However, there have been a lot of good things going on, so it wasn't all working (Thank God!).

In a very quick nutshell, here's what I've been up to:

Visiting Grandpa - a lot. mostly monthly. lots of mileage.
Celebrating my girlfriend Lisa's 40th Birthday - Bahamas Cruise.
Eating as Gluten-Free as possible.
Recruiting new Wine Club members (please let me know if you are interested? All of our ladies keep getting "knocked up" and can't attend for 9-12 months at a time, and it's dwindling our attendance).
Travelling for work - a TON.
Doing the Modern Atlanta Home Tour (it ROCKED btw)
Going to Zane Lamprey's "Drinking Made Easy" Comedy Tour
Got a nasty Ear Infection, got better, then hurt my back, realize it was my mattress, switched mattresses, finally getting the back better
Working out more
Hosted Mother's Day Brunch for 3 moms
Hosted brunch with the White Russian
Went to the Princess Diana exhibit
Went to the Public Forum for the Nutrition and Health Conference to meet Dr. Andrew Weil and see Sanjay Gupta.
Finally attended "Wednesday Night Dinner" (missed 2 of the 3 though)
Cooked Paul Prudhomme's Shrimp Creole 3 times (over 2 months)
Dined on "The Queen's Paella" - and other Spanish yummies
Discovered Hi-Life
Gearing up to cut off my cable - for good. Hello Mac Mini!
Got a Yoga Ball Chair (they are awesome!)
And last but not least - planning a trip to visit my peeps in Ohio finally.

Well that's all the news with me. I probably missed something in that list, but that's okay. Anyhoo, hope you are all well, and thank you for bearing with my slacker-ness in the blog department.

Hope you are having a GREAT summer!

Dinner in 15?

2010-04-24T11:10:00.001-04:00

1bag of Trader Joes frozen Balsalmic Veggies
2 frozen Omaha Sirloin Steaks
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

Put the steaks (still wrapped) in a plastic dish and fill with hot water until almost defrosted, but keep the middle of the steak still slightly frozen.

Unwrap the steaks, dump the water (or water a plant, etc) put steaks back into dish with the Worcestershire Sauce-massage into steaks to tenderize

Heat up the George Foreman grill

Put frozen veggies in microwave steamer dish - microwave 6 mins (as directed on pkg).

Put steaks on the hot grill, checking them every min or so and basting with the sauce.

When steaks are seared on both sides, use fork and steak knife to cut deep into center to pierce the frozen center. Pour sauce into the cut, close grill and let sear for another minute. Repeat this cut/sauce/sear method until outside of steak is nearly blackened but inside of steak is a perfect medium rare. Should not take more than 7-8 mins.

Serve steak with veggies (which should be done), pouring veggie butter sauce (which will have accumulated inthe steamer dish) liberally over the food. I do this because Matt loves to "sop it up".

Suggested wine pairing, Cabernet Sauvignon.

-- Post From My iPhone

Modern Home Tour Atlanta 2010

2010-04-23T12:37:00.001-04:00

It's that time again!

Modern Home Tour Atlanta 2010 is June 5th and 6th.
Link for Tickets.

Diet & Health musings

2010-04-19T13:31:00.004-04:00

Matthew and I had a lovely private vacation for our 4-year wedding anniversary. However, seeing myself in a bikini for the first time in a year, was fairly disturbing. I have definitely put on some weight. And I want to LOSE some before my cruise at the end of the May!
but how?
Yes the lo-carb method does seem to work for me.
Going Gluten free is great for my digestion, but I still get too many carbs from the rice-noodles etc.
And going lo-carb, gluten-free, and dairy free (helps alleviate congestion), is REALLY too strict for me. I'm not living in a bubble people!!! I am social, and I do need to eat once in a while. sheesh!
so
my thoughts are turning to other methods/lifestyle choices.
I already work-out 3-5 times week. I eat healthy foods (most of the time), and so Matt and I decided to reduce our alcohol intake (whenever possible). So, unless it's wine club night, or a weekend out with friends, we are sticking to water and herbal teas (of course I get my one cup of coffee each AM).
-
Also in regards to how wonderfully the lemon water helped stave off the cold I was getting last month, I did some more research on alkaline/acidic foods. These links are very helpful (although not entirely in context, they are written to help people who have had a colonic treatment, and how to elongate the healthy effects, etc). Considering I get major issues down-there after having too much gluten, I felt this was appropriate. NOTE - it's not telling you that you cannot ever eat meat or cheese, but just advising that it is better to eat more of the Alkalizing foods than the Acidic foods. Most of us (unless we are strict vegans) will not be able to stick to an only alkaline diet. Anyway, I was happy to see this online as I had often wondered about the differences in certain foods and how they affected me - this is a good list to have around.
--
Links
What to do/eat after a colonic
Alkalizing versus Acidic food lists
--
The Dogwood Festival was just wonderful. We walked around quite a bit (my workout for the day), and then lay out in the grass in the sunshine listening to the live music. (exhaling happily). It was just a beautiful weekend.
--
Chinese Grand Prix was entertaining also.
--
In other news... MAY MAYHEM of activities on the radar...
**Zane Lamprey is coming to Atlanta on May 22nd - show is at Center Stage.
**ISAW Foundation Drink Well Do Good Tour ATLANTA is also that night.
lucky me I'm going to both - why oh why do they put these things on the same weekend? lol.
**Alive Expo is coming to Atlanta May 15-16th weekend. Natural Products and Green Living Event. although I'll be most likely visiting my Grandfather that weekend, so I will miss it. Enjoy and let me know how it is, if you go?
**33rd Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival is May 29th & 30th
and I'm spent!

My new obsession - Bragiole

2010-03-31T10:50:00.004-04:00

Last night, I tried "Bragiole" - pronounced like Bra-Joel (ha ha!). To me, it was like Italian version of Beef Brisket. The meat was just absolutely tender and melted in my mouth. The handmade gnocchi on the side was just as delicious (yeah I cheated on my gluten-free diet). One more reason to love my favorite Philadelphia Restaurant - Penns View Hotel's Ristorante Panorama, not only do they have the Il Bar wine selection, but the food... Mama Mia!

So, as usual, after I find a good dish, I want to know how to make it. Here are some recipes I found online. PLEASE let me know if you hear of any other ones worth using.

Bragiole from Nassin Family Cookbook
Bragiole Al Sugo from Blogger

In other news, I am starting to realize that there are other similar recipes from other countries:
France - Boeuf Bourguignon (which we made for dinner Friday night)
Malaysia/Thailand - Beef Rendang (which I just sampled at Aqua for lunch today)

The common theme is beef flank or stew meat, then whatever sauce you want on it, boiled/simmered/etc until the meat is as tender as butter. mmm...

April's Manicotti Recipe

2010-03-29T10:57:00.003-04:00

I sort of "borrowed" this from my College Buddy April. She used to make it for us and it is now one of my "go-to" meals to impress the company.

April's Manicotti Recipe
(not gluten free unless you can find gluten-free manicotti noodles)
Ingredients:
2 16oz containers of Ricotta Cheese
8 oz Shredded Mozzerella Cheese (I use closer to 16 oz though)
2 tsp sugar
1 egg
1 pound browned hamburger (ground sirloin if you want it fancy).
2 pkgs of manicotti (tubes are easiest, but you can use shells if you like)
2 regular sized jars of Spaghetti Sauce (I prefer Ragu - any variety or mix them)
Dry spices added per your taste preference:
salt & pepper
basil
oregano
Supplies:
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Saucepan or kettle for boiling water
1 baking pan 9x13 (can be glass or metal, but if using metal please treat with non-stick spray before adding any food).

Directions:
1-In large mixing bowl, add the Ricotta Cheese, sugar, 1/2 of the Mozzerella cheese, egg, and spices. Mix well.
2 -In large saucepan/kettle Partially boil the manicotti noodles for 2 minutes. Do not let the noodles cook fully, you just want to soften them a little bit, remove them from the water quickly before they finish cooking.
3 - Hand-stuff the Ricotta Cheese mixture into the shells. Be careful not to crack/split/or break open the shells, but fill them up as much as you can with the Cheese mixture. Some people like to use a baggie with a hole cut out of the corner to squeese it into the shells, or use a spoon, but I find it is more effective (and fun) to just use your hands. For neatness and easy storage, place the stuffed manicotti back into the plastic trays (most manicotti noodles are prepacked in plastic trays when you pull them out of the pasta box - it is easy to keep the noodles off the messy counter if you put them back into the trays temporarily. You may have some leftover to freeze for another meal and this is an excellent carrying/storage tray for them also).
4 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees
5 - Brown the hamburger, drain off and discard the grease.
6 - Mix 1 jar of sauce in the hamburger.
7 - Pour some of the sauce/hamburger into the pan (perhaps 1/4 thick), then place several stuffed manicotti noodles into the pan side by side - as many as you can fit into the pan, make sure they are not touching and if needed pour some sauce in between the manicotti to keep them separted a little bit - then cover with sauce until tops of the manicotti are hidden. Sprinkle the remainder of the mozzerella cheese on top the sauce. (if you have leftover manicotti noodles or sauce, you can make another pan's worth or freeze them for a later time).
8 - Bake in the oven (until cheese is lightly browned and sauce is bubbly) - approximately 45-60 mins (depending on your oven).
9 - Remove from oven, let cool for 10 mins before serving.
Serving suggestions: pair with salad of greens, slice olives, parmesean cheese, in oil/vinegar dressing. Recommend any Italian red wine for pairing (Chianti, Montepulciano, Nero D'avola, Sangiovese, etc) or a Cabernet Sauvignon.

My Grandpa

2010-03-04T14:33:00.003-05:00

Haven't been writing as much as usual, sorry folks.
My grandfather has been ailing (he has a terminal condition - Pulmonary Fibrosis). Basically, over time, his lungs are filled with scarring, and eventually he won't be able to breathe. Currently, he is on oxygen 24/7, and is at the point where walking a mere 5 feet from living room chair to dining room chair puts him out of breath and puffing for more air.
-
Time is running out.
We have known this was coming eventually, but it doesn't make it any easier.
I've been driving to see him about once a month or so, and this month is no exception.
On the upside, I have been able to see family that I hadn't seen in years, as many people are coming to visit him. Also, we make every visit a good one (good food, wine, movies, talking, art, etc).
Each visit is as good as it can be, because you never know when it will be the last one.
-
May all of you be so lucky to have time with your families to celebrate one another. This is what I wish for you in March.
-
Happy early St. Patrick's Day!

Drink Well, DO GOOD!

2010-02-15T20:18:00.003-05:00

Where else can you get some AWESOME wine
and
do some good for charity?

Check it out!

Valentines Day Pork Chops

2010-02-14T19:26:00.002-05:00

In a baking pan(w lid) put 4 defrosted pork chops
Chop up 4 Macintosh Apples in slices and surround the porkchops.
Cut up a stock of butter in 4 chunks and put in the 4 corners of the pan.
Pour "Bone Sucking Barbeque Sauce" over the chops liberally.
Bake covered at 400 degrees for 30 mins. Voilà! Yummmmmmmmmy!

-- Post From My iPhone

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T10:47:00.001-05:00

I know I've been a terrible slacker.
But
I have a good excuse (or set of excuses).
I was in Philly all last week - yes in that 20 inches of snow-blizzard-mayhem of the sky situation. AND I still made a trip to my fave wine bar. Even when those pansy-*ss cab drivers refused to come get me to take me back to my hotel. I gave them the proverbial finger and walked myself the 12 blocks (in snowdrifts) back to my room. Independant woman snubs nose at pansy Cab drivers in blizzard. yes!
The Tennessee/Grandpa trip was just Bootcamp for the real thing, let me tell you. Thank God I didn't have to Drive though.
--
Good book I read on the plane:
"Are you there vodka? It's me Chelsea" by Chelsea Handler
I literally cackled and chuckled my way through the 3 hour flight delay, and the 2 hr flight to ATL from PHL. Yes it's THAT good. READ IT!
--
ok so I know ya'll miss my recipes and junk
but
I haven't been cooking much in the last 2 weeks (too busy)
so
in lieu of a recipe.
CHECK OUT THIS HILARIOUS BLOG!
My Effing Cookbook
Enjoy!
--

Grandpa's Chocolate Zebra Cluster Recipe

2010-01-30T15:53:00.004-05:00

Well I'm at Grandpa's house again. Sport and I thought we'd meet up with Aunt Julie and hang out at Grandpas. Little did we know, we were going to be driving through a blizzard. We did slide off the road into a ditch, for a short detour, but some very helpful gentlemens (get this, an Amish guy, 2 African Americans, and 1 Camo-wearing Redneck) helped tow us out. They were so friendly!

anyway, as you know, Grandpa is all about Food. he LOVES to eat. And so, here is one of the recipes from this trip;

Chocolate Zebra Clusters (from tasteofhome.com/healthycooking)
Ingredients:
2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
12 oz white candy coating divided(or white chocolate)
1 1/4 cups salted peanuts
1 1/4 cups crisp rice cereal
2 1/4 cups mini-marshmellows
1 tsp shortening

Directions:
1) Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper; set aside. In a microwave, melt chips and 7oz of the white candy coating (or white chocolate) at 70% power; stir until smooth.
2) Stir in peanuts and cereal. Cool slightly; fold in marshmellows. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.
3) In microwave, melt shortening and remaining candy coating (or white chocolate); stir until smooth. Transfer to a pastry or plastic bag; cut small hole in corner of bag. Drizzle over clusters (aka the Zebra stripes). Refrigerate for 5 mins or until set. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 166 calories, 10g fat (5g saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 40 mg sodium, 20g carbs, 1g fiber, 2g protein

Abbie's notes: yeah I might not say this was "healthy cooking" but it sure as hell tastes pretty damn good.

Did you write a book?

2010-01-22T12:28:00.002-05:00

Do you blog alot?
Do people read it and enjoy it?
Well, now you can print your blog as a book.
go figure.

http://blogspot.sharedbook.com/blog2print/googleblogger/index.html

Cold Asian Salad

2010-01-22T09:27:00.005-05:00

Abbie's Cold Asian Salad
(measurements approximate, as I typically just season everything to taste. I tried to be as accurate as possible though). THIS CAN BE a GLUTEN FREE recipe.

Ingredients:
1/2 bag of Kroger's premade Asian Slaw (basically it's julienned carrots, red cabbage, and broccoli in a bag fresh)
1 box of gluten-free elbow noodles
2 chicken breasts
1/2 bottle of Asian Peanut Sauce (you can buy this premade, or make it yourself)
** I made my own with this recipe: **
2 large scoops of crunchy organic Peanut Butter
2 tbsp Tabasco Sauce or hot sauce (to taste, more if you like it spicier)
1/3 bottle of Trader Joe's Soyaki sauce (or see substitutions)
1 tbsp Ginger (spice powder)

Directions:
1) cook the noodles, drain, run them under cold water, drain (repeat if necessary, you want the noodles to be cool). Put noodles in big salad bowl.
2) boil the chicken, then chop, add chicken to the salad bowl.
3) Add the slaw mix to the salad bowl.
4) IF making your own sauce: In small saucepan, heat the Asian Peanut Sauce Ingredients until mixed and PB is not clumpy. the peanuts in the crunchy PB will float on top, that is okay. Put the Sauce mixture into a bottle or bowl and refridgerate to get it cold. Shake well before putting on the salad.
IF NOT making your own sauce, just be sure the sauce is refridgerated first.
5) Finally, pour Asian Peanut Sauce over the salad, mix well to coat all the ingredients.
Chill (if needed) and Serve. Serves 6 (or big portions for 4).

Substitutions:
1) Alternative to Trader Joe's Soyaki Sauce: You can substitute gluten-free soy sauce, water, garlic powder, and some sugar or sweetener to make your own gluten-free soyaki sauce)
2) Can use 2 cans of Canned Chicken (drain the excess water) instead of having to cook/chop the chicken breasts. It's faster.
3) Can use any noodle you want. I happened to have the elbow noodles in my cupboard at the time.
4) For the Asian Peanut Sauce - Can use grated ginger root instead of the spice powder, if you prefer.
5) Can add more peanuts if you prefer.
6) I think chopped water chestnut would also be tasty in this salad.
7) You can use canned Tuna instead of Chicken if you desire.
8) If you're trying to low-carb, then you can use spaghetti squash as the noodles instead of pasta.

Frugal Girlie

2010-01-10T07:56:00.001-05:00

Check out my friend Cathy's blog:
Http://frugalgirlie.blogspot.com

-- Post From My iPhone

It's the Little Things...

2010-01-05T11:58:00.003-05:00

Recently, I've become starkly aware of how much I take for granted. I'm re-learning that it's the little things that really count.

Therefore, here are some of the little things I really love:
1) My husband - his ability to put up with me, listen to me, sit with me on the sofa watching Dexter as I grip his hand or leg in suspense, cuddle me in bed when I'm cold (even though I apparently have an icy-cold arse), eat whatever I cook for him, and still give me his honest advice and opinions.

2) My dog - he is so quiet and obedient. I often forget he is there, or ignore him more than I should. Since the seizure episode, I've been really listening, watching, and learning his queues. He DOES communicate with me. And mostly, it's all love. My dog truly loves us, and he shows it every day. We hang out a lot more now than we used to. We play more, and when he wants some companionship, I listen more. I want to continue this in 2010 and not take it for granted. Not all dog-owners are as lucky as we are.

3) Avocado/Spinach salad with Toasted Sesame Oil dressing. Try it. It's so simple, and oh so good.

4) Hot Water. Yes, I'm weird. I'm remembering my love of hot water and hot tea. This is also good, as it is warm, and keeps me off the vino. Not saying Vino's bad, but I really spent a lot on alcohol last year. Was it really worth all that? Let's get healthy in 2010.

4)Sweaters, t-shirts, and tops - oh my! I have tons of clothes, but in the past year (and hopefully this year) I'm gradually going through my things, and giving away the items I don't need, or have too much of. Giving to friends, family, or Goodwill. Reduce the clutter. The love it, saves us all money (me for storage, them from having to buy new clothes), and we all benefit.

5) The Wii. I had all but forgotten how much fun it can be. Fun because it lets you be active, laugh with your loved ones, and boy can it spark up a party. Try if it you don't believe me.

6) Reading a good book. I haven't done this in nearly a year. Been so busy. Only read magazines, blogs, and TV stuff last year. This year will be different. I hope.

7) to be continued...

Christmas Recap

2009-12-28T13:36:00.002-05:00

This Christmas was my favorite one so far, I think. It was more about spending time with people and visiting than gifts this year. But that is what counts! I am so thankful for all the people in my life! ;-D
-
Santa gave Sport a Canadian Goose-toy that honks. He loves it! He takes it everywhere with him, even in the car when we go for a drive. LOL.
Matt got a nice winter coat from me, and we bought ourselves a new printer/fax/scanner, this one is an HP and it really works (unlike that crappy one we had before). It also prints color so we can do fliers and photos. ;-D
Matt got me a beautiful fancy candle called Low Country New Orleans, and it smells DIVINE! Also the Hangover Movie, and Elf Movie.
-
We got to visit with all of our friends and local family over the week and weekend.
Chris and Mina came over for dinner one night to try some of the Mollydooker Wine we fell in love with (from NYC) - we had greek steaks and yogurt sauce.
and then the next night Ben & Erika came over for dinner (Scallops in basil pesto linguini). and we did our gift exchanges.
Christmas Eve we went to a Bulgarian party at Chris & Mina's with their family and did gifts there. The meal was all vegan, they don't do any animal related food until Christmas Day, some tradition? healthy! Anyway it was super tasty stuff.
-
Christmas Day, we went to Matt's Mom's house and did the ham/meal there, gift exchange, etc. Then we drove to Vanya's house (Mina's aunt) to celebrate Hristo's & Chris's "name day" which is always the same day as Christmas - tradition, and we had gumbo, and lots of other food and wine.
-
I got to play with Ian (Chris & Mina's son who is 2 now), a lot. He is talking up a storm and says my name now! He likes to play cars, and dance. He's bilingual, so sometimes I have to figure out if he's talking to me in English or Bulgarian. Too funny.
Matt and I came home and watched ELF together. I love that movie, I was getting all sentimental so I cried. lol.
-
Saturday we had leftovers (ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, veggies, salad, etc) and Matt decided he wanted Wii Resort and Mario Kart, so we used our Target gift card,and bought those, and I watched the movie I had been asking for "Kiss Me Kate" - and then we found out our friend James (the White Russian) was in town visiting from Vegas, so we went to pick him up and he slept over, and it was an impromptu party at our house. Mostly we played Wii with everyone and snacked on the ham. Everybody had a blast!
-
Sunday we had a nice big breakfast (turkey bacon, eggs over easy on pumpernickel toast, and garnished with green chiles) and then out of the blue…
Sport had 2 seizure-like episodes yesterday afternoon (he was sleeping in the sun, then woke up suddenly, freaked out, and was trembling, stiff, and eyes dilated). At first we thought he had a bad dream, but I noticed he was drooling. He does not drool. So I stayed next to him and petted him and talked softly, and he seemed to be calming down, and then it happened again, so we rushed him to the vet, but he seemed okay by the time we got to a doctor. My arm was wet from Sport drooling while I held him, but I didn't care, I was so worried about him. They did a full neurology exam on him, and he seems fine. They said to watch him closely so that is why I am working from home. It may just have been a food reaction, not sure, lots of holiday food around the house, he may have gotten into something. But just in case, I want to keep a watch on him and make sure he is okay.
I had already made Chile in the crock pot before Sport's emergency, so we snacked on that, and the ham again, during the day, and friends came over, and we watched The Hangover - Unrated Edition. Just before the movie, Ian came over with Mina & Chris (they were visiting James), and I had my nephew's toys here for him to play with. He had ball and didn't want to leave. too funny!
Sport has been super tired since his emergency yesterday, he sleeps and sleeps. He is very sweet though. He even licked Ian's face. LOL. Ian mostly ignores him, which is good because then Sport will like him more. My nephew used to pull on Sport's tail and fur, and Sport got frustrated with him. However Ian is better with animals, probably since he has 2 cats at his house.
-
Today I'm just working at home and watching Sport to see that he doesn't have any more issues. We have been super careful with making sure no food falls on the floor. He is only stuck eating his dogfood (no fun for him, he is begging us for some ham, but I am not giving in).
-
My co-worker told me that a long time ago his dog had a seizure from eating some chocolate. So maybe somehow Sport got some chocolate? I am not sure. there is no evidence that he did, but I do not know.
-
That ham is still here, I'm getting sick of ham. Matt loves it though. I just cut up the rest of it and we are having butternut-squash ham soup and then THAT's the end of the ham. LOL. no more (thank God!).

Kick-ss Fckin Chile

2009-12-27T16:14:00.001-05:00

2 cans Trader Joes organic vegetarian chile
1 can Trader Joes organic diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 big can plum tomatoes
1 small can green chiles
1/2 andouille sausage diced
4 strips turkey bacon crumbled
1/2 cup water

Pour ingredients into crockpot, stir and heat.
Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped ripe avocado, and crackers.

-- Post From My iPhone

Christmas Traditions

2009-12-22T09:13:00.005-05:00

I'm feeling particularly "Christmasy" today, so I wanted to document my Christmas Traditions. Everyone had different traditions, here are some of mine:

1) Hanging the mistletoe around the house. We have 3 sprigs of it now, so I like to surprise my hubby with kisses in various doorways and hallways.

2) Jingle Dog - we have a red velvet collar with white fur and jingle bells on it, for Sport. At first he hates it, but since we leave it on him all month, he gets used to it. I call him my Jingle Dog!

3) Decorating the tree on Black Friday. Maybe it's weird, but I like to be respectful of Thanksgiving and not decorate until after. But the moment it's over, I start putting up my tree and decorations. Christmas is my fave holiday! I've got it down to a science, and usually all the decorations are done within 2 hours or so.

4) The Christmas Music Collection - I have been gradually collecting Christmas music for years now. I keep them in a case, that I pull out once a year. Then we rotate through all the CDs. New to the collection this year (compliments of Aunt Julie) are "Christmas with the Rat Pack" and "Diana Krall Christmas Songs." So far the Rat Pack is my fave, but I love them both.

5)Starbucks Christmas Blend Coffee - I treat myself a few mornings before Christmas, and sometimes even buy a bag of the coffee beans to grind & brew at home, although somehow the store's brew always seems to taste better. If you haven't tried it, you MUST drink some at least once. Delicious!

6) The Ham. Matt insists that either Thanksgiving or Christmas (one of the 2) HAS to have a Honeybaked Ham. He goes CRAZY for it (almost as crazy as the dog). I like Turkey on Thanksgiving, so usually Christmas is the HAM. No exception this year either. I picked it up yesterday.

7) Wearin' O the Red & Green - Over the years people give me funky socks (Santa Socks, Grinch Socks, etc). So I try to use them in the month of December. I even have a pair of Red Shoes I don, with my Christmasy outfits. No, I do NOT do the ugly sweater thing, unless it's for an Ugly Sweater party. I'm more about solid colors, some patterns, and I have a Nutcracker pin I like to put on my jacket. Winter Scarves are definitely in - so long a they are real scarves, not the fru-fru old-lady-kind. Still gotta be the Sexy Mrs. Lane ya know!

8) Santa Hats - once in a while we'll put on the Santa Hats. Not for long though. Most of the time the are hanging around my house on various lamps, curtain rods, or on my stuffed Grinch (he who guards my Poang Chair in the den...). good party accessory!

9) The Annual Christmas Card - I start planning mine in October. no seriously. Being married to a photographer has its perks, but we like to choreograph the perfect card. We start brainstorming early. Also, considering the time it takes to order the cards, have them printed, delivered to us, address them all, stamp them, mail them, etc, it takes a few weeks. I usually have them in the mail the day after Thanksgiving, if I can. Not that it's a competition, but I like being the FIRST card people see (I know that is super silly) but it's my "planning-ahead-ness" and I can't help it. Then I spend the rest of November/December, enjoying getting cards in the mail all month long. We hang them on a snowflake/shaped iron thingie that I hang in the dining room so I can see them all the time.

10) Eggnog - Matt loves Eggnog. I like it too, but I like it to have a kick. I used to get Silk Soynog (which is still tasty), but it is not so good for mixing with other things. Now-a-days I like the "Evan Williams Eggnog" - it comes pre-spiked with whiskey/bourbon, vanilla, caramel, flavors. oooh yes! No mixing required, and since it's alcoholic, we tend to drink it in smaller portions, and I only end up buying the one bottle. Previously, we'd have 2 bottles of eggnog (non-alcoholic) in the fridge, and that's like twice the calories, ug. Let's just do it Evan Williams way!

11) Year-round Christmas Shopping - now this may sound silly to you, but I love it. Throughout the year, I buy or collect gifts that I may use for Christmas Presents. I like this for several reasons: my gifts tend to be more unique or special to the recipient, the cost is spread across 12 months, not just all in 1 month, I beat the holiday rush of INSANE-SHOPPERS, and I can have my gifts wrapped as soon as I want to instead of all at the end of the year. Also, once the tree is up, I can just put these gifts under the tree right away!

12) Calendars, Day Planners, and Schedules - oh my! Being a plan-ahead-kind-of-gal, I really love Christmas time, because I get to give myself a NEW calendar/day planner/etc. It helps keep me organized for the coming year. It's also a great time to have everyone send you their latest current address/phone so you can update your contact list. This year I am getting more digital and less dependant on paper planners/calendars. My contacts and calendar are both on my gmail account, which is backed up and synched with my iPhone. I also have backup copies of the contacts in my Outlook at work, and my Yahoo account. So check it out, never will I worry about losing the info! It's also a great time to look ahead at the next year and figure out when I tentatively may want to book vacations or parties. Gmail even has a feature in the calendar, where you can add an appointment or event, AND invite more people! Kind of like a mini-Evite. It's great for "Save the date" type actions. and the best part is, it's FREE!

13) Reuse & Recycle - Call me Thrifty, but if you gift me a gift bag and tissue paper... I typically will save it and reuse it next year. Yes indeed. Why not use that Gift Bag more than once? Straighten and refold that pretty tissue paper, let's reuse it! Heck it's GREEN friendly too! Of course I don't reuse the ripped or torn things, but that is rare these days. And yes, I'll admit it. I also re-gift sometimes. Not a lot, but once in a while. Sometimes a well-meaning person will give me a fabulous gift, but it just isn't my thing. So, I will find it a better home. Of course usually the giver will have no idea at all that this ever happened. I don't want to hurt their feelings. I used to feel a teeny bit guilty about re-gifting until I caught my Mom doing it. It must be genetic. Anyway, it's totally another way to recycle things!

14) Gift Cards - Every year, I ask for Gift Cards for Christmas. I don't necessarily need a gift, I just want the gift cards. Why? Because I like to shop. AND as you know, EVERYTHING goes on sale After Christmas and through the beginning of the New Year! So, Gift cards let me SHOP and SAVE, what's not to like? It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Supplement-IT Launch Party at Solstice Cafe

2009-12-15T20:56:00.004-05:00

Our friends from SMAZEN Enterprises LLC and the E.K. Morrell Group are hosting a Holiday Happy Hour to celebrate the launching of Supplement-IT, and giveaway prizes and coupons for Erika's Massage Services.
Did I mention there will be drink specials, prize drawings, and a special appearance by "The Supplement-IT Girls" ? no? well check it out ya'll! THIS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18th at 7pm, SOLSTICE CAFE in Grant Park.

Supplement-IT is the FIRST dietary vitamin supplement, made for IT Professionals by IT Professionals. Check out their website for more information. http://www.supplement-it.com

E.K. Morrell Group's Site. http://www.erikamorrell.net

Promo Video for the Party from Bob Dylan.

FaceBook Invite for the Party.

New Year's Eve at Solstice Cafe

2009-12-14T09:38:00.005-05:00

So far we have 19 people. I went ahead and put in a reservation for us. It's in my name and on my credit card, so if you need to back out, please let me know in advance. 38 hr cancellation notice is required or I have to pay (don't make me come find you, lol).

The Prix-Fixe Menu (scroll to bottom of this post) includes the Champagne Toast at midnight, and is $45 + 18% gratuity (due to the large party. aka $54.

So bring cash for your meal ($54/person). Other drinks are extra (recommend running a separate tab for that at the bar, keeps it more organized for the server.
Again you can bring your own bottle of something, but there's a $10 corking fee per bottle. Let's bring a few Magnum sized bottles of wine to share, right? ha!

New Years Eve 4-Course Dinner $45 at Solstice Cafe
Vegetarian option available (V)
Includes Champagne Toast
Please add 18% gratuity for large parties.
1st Course – Choice Of:
Carrot Soup
Braised Short Rib & Horseradish Cream
Chipolini Onion Brodo
With Mitake Mushrooms (V)

2nd Course – Choice Of:
Chopped House SaladGrilled Red Onion, Chic Peas, Kalamata Olives, Feta Cheese, Tomato, Cucumber, Age Sherry Vinaigrette (V)
Solstice SaladStrawberries, Apples, Walnuts, Gorgonzola and Balsamic Vinaigrette (V)

3rd Course – Choice Of:
Pastrami Smoked Salmon
Horseradish Bilinis, Capers and Red Onion Marmalade
Potato Gnocchi
Chestnuts, House Made Fennel Sausage and Parmesan-Olive oil Emulsion (V)
Beef CarpaccioWhole Grain Mustard Aioli, Fried Capers, Parmesan, Smoked Sea Salt

4th Course – Choice Of:
Lamb Shanks
Confit Yukon Gold Potatoes and San Marzano Tomato Ragu
Tuna “Wellington”
Porcini Mushrooms, Spinach, Foie Gras and Red Wine Sauce
Filet Mignon
Rosemary Fries, Haricot Verts and Black Truffle Hollandaise
Butternut Squash Raviolis
Toasted Hazelnuts, Sage Whipped Mascarpone and Brown Butter (V)

Solstice Cafe | 562 Boulevard SE | Atlanta, GA 30312 | 404-622-1976 |

New York New York Pictures & Movie Links

2009-12-06T15:05:00.000-05:00

NYC Movies: http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk303/vslane/NewYork2009/
Abbie has multiple NYC Photo Albums on her FaceBook Site. Look under her albums for the following:
1. New York Dining, Dogs, and Death by Culinary Ecstasy
2. Last Day in NY
3. Winters Eve 2009 Highlights
4. MoMA - Museum of Modern Art
5. Bar Boulud
6. NY Celebrity Sighting
7. Macys Thanksgiving Parade
8. Balloon Inflation
Matt's Photos: http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/10588422_tmaeF#735859682_KSikL
Abbie was a guest blogger for MyUpperWest, check it out: http://myupperwest.com/upper-west-side/winters-eve-recap/
Winters Eve Movies: : http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk303/vslane/Winters Eve 2009 Lincoln Square/

New York New York Last Day

2009-12-01T15:19:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, December 1st -
Central Park morning
Lansky's Deli for another PLT
Flight Cancelled, but not
Last walk with Frank
Cab Ride home

New York New York Day 8

2009-11-30T15:17:00.000-05:00

Monday, November 30th -
Emerald Inn - Chicken Pot Pie
Regis Sighting!
ISAW Photos in Central Park
Time Warner Center
Touristy-Shopping & Tasti-D-Lite
Much Needed Reflexology Session
Picking up the Laundry
Winter's Eve Festival!

New York New York Day 7

2009-11-29T15:13:00.000-05:00

Sunday November 29th -
Leftovers
Home Brewed Starbucks Christmas Blend Coffee in the Krups!
Battery Park
Hot Dogs from a Vendor
Site of the World Trade Center Towers
Century 21 Shopping Wonderland - Matt's coat, my new purse
Santa Fe - Rosangel
67 Wine - Santa Julia Malbec, Mollydooker Two Left Feet

New York New York Day 6

2009-11-28T15:10:00.000-05:00

Saturday, November 28th -
Starbucks Christmas Blend
Brunch with Gulru & Turkish Delight at the Central Park Boathouse
5th Avenue stroll to Tiffany's
EAST VILLAGE
Prune - Bone Marrow, Apple Pie A La Mode,
Cellar 58 - Bulgarian Wine?
The Continental - 5 shots of anything for $10. yeah, CRAZY!
Learning my ABC's-
Blue and Gold Bar
Porch
Duke's
Sunflower Deli with Kymry
Blessed Sleep and WHAT no Hangover? AWESOME!

New York New York Day 5

2009-11-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

Friday, November 27th -
Levain Bakery - a 6 ounce dark chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips, and amazing Coffee!
National History Musuem - apparently where all the Black Friday KIDS go. It was MAYHEM!
Gray's Papaya
Shop a Little
La Traviata Pizza
Morrell Wine Bar - Mollydooker The Boxer

New York New York Thanksgiving Day

2009-11-26T14:06:00.001-05:00

Thursday, November 26th - Thanksgiving Day!
Lauren & Torrey left at the crack of dawn to catch an early flight.
We slept in some, but I dragged myself out of bed at 7am. Frank was trying to wake me up, I could tell. And I wanted to get him a walk before they put up the barricades for the Macy's Parade. I threw on some clothes, and my puffer vest, and off we went. Thankfully, even though Central Park West was barricaded, the crosswalk was still open. So we passed several families (setting up their spot on the corners), and ran over to Central Park. Frank did his business, and it was quick. He seemed to know something big was about to happen. He was also on his best behavior. He stayed with me, and weaved in and out of crowds of people, as we made our way back to the crosswalk. OH CRAP, now the crosswalks were barricaded! How would we get back to the apartment? I wasn't about to walk miles north to W 79th street to get around the parade. Heck no! Frank and I stood helplessly at the crosswalk, wondering what to do. Suddenly, I noticed a family ducking under the barricades and crossing the street to my side. OOH it WAS possible? I squeezed myself through a barricade, but then had to worry about Frank and his leash. I let him walk under one, but then I had to get his leash untangled. Bless his heart. He just put his paws on top the barricade and waited for me to get the leash figured out. Meanwhile, the crowd just LOVED him. Everyone was petting him, and oohing and saying "what a good dog!" and "my he is SOFT", and Frank was just eating up the attention. We crossed the street, and thankfully, the policeman was there, and I politely explained that we had to get through to our apartment. He was very kind, and physically moved one of the barricades to let us into our sidewalk. I thanked him. Another family we passed on the curb, had a little toddler. The cherub couldn't have been more than 1 yr old, just barely walking. The father asked if he could pet Frank. Of course I said. I also let them know that I was just dogsitting, so I kept a firm grip on Frank's collar while the toddler pet him. It was just the perfect moment. They thanked me, and then Frank and I weaved past the other clumps of people squatting along the street, and back to the apartment. Matt was still asleep. :-D
-
We opted to run out to Breadsoul Cafe again for a quick breakfast, and then back to view the parade. By the time we finished eating it was 8am. People were passing us with portable chairs, ladders, blankets, kids in tow, strollers, and all heading towards Central Park. Unbelievably, everyone was in high spirits, and very friendly. Matt and I decided the crowd at the end of our street was too packed for us, so we split up (he with his camera) and I with mine. Matt would take a few shots, and then go back to the apartment to watch the parade on TV and football. I was determined to watch the ENTIRE parade. Gradually I inched my way through the throng of people up towards the front corner of the street and Central Park West. When the first Balloon came into sight, I actually had tears in my eyes. There is NOTHING like watching the Macy's Parade LIVE and in person. The TV just can't convey the electric enthusiasm of the crowd and performers. It was exhilirating!
It was hard to believe I stood there, snapping away photos, waving back at the parade float celebrities, and singing along with the marching bands, for TWO hours in the cold. But it was so worth it!
-
Afterwards, I went back to the apartment and had Matt rewind the DVR so I could watch the parade again. Then it was time to shower and get ready for lunch.
-
We had 1:30pm Reservations at Bar Boulud for Thanksgiving Lunch. They had a Prix-Fixe Menu, and it was DIVINE!
I love how close everything is in NYC. We almost literally crossed the street and rounded the corner and BOOM we were there.
We splurged on 2 glasses each of one of the best wines I've ever had! It was a 2005 Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel Magnum.
My menu choices were:
Soupe De Potiron - roasted butternut squash soup, candied pumpkin seeds, pomegranate molassas
Roasted Heritage Turkey - Corn Bread Stuffing (with giblets),haricorts verts, classic cranberry sauce, turkey gravy
Gratin De Pommes - Local granny smith apple butter, rouign amann cake, apple cider sorbet
Matthew had:
Coquilles Saint-Jacques - seared Maine diver sea scallops, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, almonds
Roasted Heritage Turkey - Corn Bread Stuffing (with giblets),haricorts verts, classic cranberry sauce, turkey gravy
Tarte Au Chocolat - bittersweet chocolate tart
and
Although we ordered only 2, we ended up tasting all 3 desserts (they gave us a free one)
Coupe De Potiron Confit - Pumpkin and Cranberry confit, toffee pudding cake, orange-caramel ice cream
It was just delicious!!!
-
Then we "waddled" back home, to watch football and relax. After all, the Cowboys were playing, that's Matt's Team!
In our new tradition (since I learned about it from Wine Club), we had some Beaujolais Nouveau to celebrate Thanksgiving.
-
Took Frank on his nightly walk, and fed him. We played fetch with his ball some too. He really loves to play!
-
We planned to go to Sushi at Haru or Amber, but Amber was closed, as we walked up the street, and we ran into a place called Sushi Gari, quite by accident. It was delicious, but the night was cold, everything was closed, and NYC felt empty for once.
We went home to enjoy some more wine and watch TV before bedtime.

New York, New York Day 3

2009-11-25T12:08:00.002-05:00

Wednesday, November 25th
BreadSoul Cafe - where we dined for breafast (delicious and inexpensive)!
MoMA - had to do the Art thing. We saw Van Gogh's Starry Night, and the Claude Monet exhibit as the highlights of the day.
Rosie O'Grady's - where we went to lunch. We shared the Maryland Crabcakes, fries, and I had wine while Matt had Stella. Gorgeous Irish Pub!
67 Wine - where we bought wine for Thanksgiving Day. YES they had the Beaujolais Noveau Georges Duboeuf.
Dinner @ Alachi Masala with Kymry. After Lauren came home, we hitched a cab over to an Indian restaurant, where we met Kymry. We hadn't seen our dear friend in almost a year, so it was nice to get to visit with her again. This restaurant doesn't serve alcohol, but they will let you bring your own. So I brought some with us.
Macys Balloon Inflation Ceremony - Lauren took us to this event.
Then we walked back towards the apartment, stopping at a deli for desserts & a quick stop at the wine store. Back to the apartment (hiked up the 5 flights of stairs), and then much drinking and visiting with our pals.

New York, New York Day 2

2009-11-24T11:54:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, November 24th - Lauren and Torrey had to work. We slept in late, then walked up the street to Lansky's Deli. Torrey recommended we try it. Matt had the PLT (aka Pastrami, Lettuce, Tomato) sandwich with fries. I had a burger with cheese. I was so hungry! Everything came with coleslaw and pickles. Matt was in heaven over the pickles. I was in heaven over my Burger and Fries. Everything was delicious! Hit the spot! Of course we could only eat 1/2 of our food, so we packed it up to take back with us.
We made a mental note that Lansky's will make you a Central Park Lunch Basket for 2, and I thought perhaps we'd do that later on during our stay.
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We stopped at a wine store along the way. I wanted something for dinner that night. Lauren had offered to cook up some cucumber/Thai dish, so we picked some wine to go with that. We grabbed a Sauvignon Blanc and a Malbec (I think? it has been a while so I forget). Lauren also had a bigger bottle that they hadn't finished yet. Matt insisted on a nap that afternoon (and since it was just Tuesday, I said OK).
Torrey was in and out most of the day, and we also learned Frank's routine so we'd be able to care for him while they were on vacation.
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We had a glass of vino ready for Lauren when she got home. Then we all ended up hanging out, talking and listening to music, while she made dinner. Since the kitchen was right next to the living room, Lauren could hang with us while she was chopping up the food. We had a lovely time chatting over the wine, and into the wee hours of the evening, and finally we had to get to sleep around midnight.
Whew!

New York, New York Day 1

2009-11-23T09:38:00.002-05:00

This year, we had the wonderful opportunity to help out a friend AND have a fabulous vacation in the Big Apple. Our dear friend's Lauren & Torrey wanted to spend Thanksgiving with their family in Colorado, but they needed a sitter for their beloved dog Frank. Besides the obvious perk of caring for a smart, polite, and very well-trained dog - we had free lodging in Manhattan for 8 days. Their lovely apartment is situated 1/2 block from Central Park West (for walking Frank every morning), and very close to Lincoln Square. OF COURSE we offered to dog-sit. Why NOT?
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My dear friend Marybeth, sent me "Mike Colameco's Food Lover's Guide to NYC" about 2 weeks before the trip. I've almost read it cover-to-cover, bookmarked it, dog-eared the pages, carted it all over Manhattan, and it has been the BEST gift EVER. We couldn't have had the culinary ecstasy of a vacation without this book. THANK YOU MARYBETH!!!
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Monday Nov 23rd, we flew in. I was just starting to come down with a cold, but was lucky to only have Monday feeling ill, but recovering nicely on Tuesday. We arrived late that night, and Frank was super excited to see us. Lauren & Torrey were glad also, but it was super late (delays with the trains/subways and our Manhattan navigation abilities). Matt has decided that he does not CARE anymore if it's a $90 cab ride, he's paying for us to ride stress-lessly in one vehicle to our destination from the airport. No more hopping onto NJ Transit, then Subway, then Walking, then up 5-flights of stairs - all the while carting around each of our 40pound suitcases. We got a WORK OUT! Anyway, I enjoy the bustle, it's totally my thing.

Varasano's, Vino, and Va-Nuptials?

2009-11-17T15:01:00.004-05:00

Didn't realize how long it has been since I've updated this blog. Whew!
Saturday the 7th
Whilst the men enjoyed a bachelor party, I went on to my dear friend Mina's birthday bash at Varasano's. I thought I'd had everything, but you seriously have GOT to try Varasano's Pizza. It is truly amazing! Very delicious! Great Wine options, and My favorite pizza so far is the Nucci pizza on their menu. They also have a clam pizza among other daring adventures, but the Nucci was spectacular!
The owner is a math-fun guy, so the V in his logo is a square root. Also he's a Rubik's cube champ, so the dessert comes out with a raspberry coulis written cube-root around the chocolate demise pie. Yes that was a pun in baking.
As if the pizza weren't tasty enough, the desserts are just, well, I found myself smudged in chocolate demise. mmm!
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Tuesday was Wine Club, we tasted Gamay (the varietal) also called Beaujolais. You can read more about that in the Wine Club Blog. I hosted and it was amazingly delicious! Love it!
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Saturday the 14th
Our dear friends Minsoo & Sarah, tied the knot! There was a ton of Korean food options, and at the end of the buffet line was the Americanized food. I had already piled up on the Korean stuff, so I barely had room for the beef tenderloin. However, it was super yummy! They had some spicy kimchee, wowza!
The bride's dress was just gorgeous. The music was fun, and we pretty much danced the night away.
At the end of the reception, they were giving away the alcohol, so we took a box home. Thanks Minsoo & Sarah! Great wedding all around!
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Sunday we did a photo shoot for the upcoming Voyeur Magazine issue (tentatively scheduled for release at the end of December). I'm not giving away any hints. It's faboo!
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Today is National Baklava Day, although for once in my life, I was too tired to make it this year. I've just been SO busy with work, and prepping for the trip, it would be too much. However, when I go visit Grandpa in a few weeks, I'll be making some at his house. Never fear. The Baklava will reappear! at some point.
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Saturday night we are looking forward to the Dixie Pin-up Party to celebrate their calendar release. And then Monday it's off to the BIG APPLE! woo hoo!

Sniffling through the Season

2009-11-04T18:13:00.002-05:00

Well it's been a bizarre week post-party-month.
My Auntie Julie told me about how she went Low-Carb and took Wheat Gluten out of her diet, and promptly lost 50 pounds (over the course of a year). She looks fabulous btw.
Not long after that, my parents did a detox and started slowly introducing foods back into their diet, and they discovered that they both had issues with Wheat Gluten and Dairy. My dad especially (Auntie Julie is his sister), has had terrible allergies and asthma his whole life. He would take his inhaler DAILY. Now he has figured out that he only needs his inhaler when he eats gluten or dairy or refined sugar. Go figure. It took the family a good 31 yrs of my life to figure this out. Anyway, good to know.
I was sorely ticked off at first, because I'd actually PAID a damn allergist to test me for issues with Wheat Gluten, Dairy, etc. And nothing showed up except Bananas and Shellfish. 1) I don't eat bananas anyway, I don't like them. 2) I rarely eat shellfish, and when I do, I have not had any issues. and 3) If my weight issues ARE gluten/dairy related, then why the hell didn't THAT show up on my test? My OB/GYN tells me that the allergy tests can only show true allergies, not "food sensitivities" blah blah blah.
Well well.
I guess once that inordinately large Birthday Cake, and gallon of Birthday Ice Cream is gone, then I can start doing the dairy/gluten free thing.
Oh that will suck, I LOVE, love, love cheese, and eggs (do eggs count?).
At least Wine is gluten and dairy free, right?
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To add insult to injury, I started having sniffles almost daily now, in the mornings. At first I thought I was getting sick, and thus I have been working at home this week, but now, I'm rather inclined to think it's allergies. I DO have half-n-half in my coffee every morning. And we've been slowly eating away at that cake. Hmmm...
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In other news, we are knee-deep in planning our Thanksgiving vacation. This year, we are going to The Big Apple to dog-sit. Yeah that sounds weird, but think about it. The most well-behaved dog (next to mine of course) in history ... Free room and board in an apartment 1/2 block from Central Park... RIGHT on the Macy's Parade route...romantic time alone with the hubby...7 gorgeous days to explore the city and wine and dine ourselves...ooh I cannot wait!
Not that we are avoiding family, but all our trips this year have been family or work related, and it is nice to finally be ALONE and get to do OUR thing.
Love to the fam, but we are "do-not-disturb" for Thanksgiving this year.

Party, Party, Party, and Party some more...

2009-11-02T10:58:00.004-05:00

I'm very relieved to discover I'm NOT too old for this. We have been partying our little tooshies off! Let me try to recap...
Saturday the 17th -
West Grant Park Neighborhood Block Party - this was a nice tame party with kids, parents, a bonfire, and live music. It was also the first FREEZING cold night of the year here, so everybody was bundled up to the gills. I made Fajita Chili, with green chile peppers in it. very good hit, but hard to keep warm, even in the crock pot, as everything was outdoors for this party. Thankfully, someone got me a power cable to run to my crockpot plug, but it took so long to warm up, it wasn't devoured before we had to leave. We did have some fun though. Chris and Mina and little Ian were there, it was fun. Then we skeddaddled on over to Alex's party that evening.
Alex's Divorce Party - the man is finally free, and we celebrated as he requested. With a night at his favorite debaucherized establishment. I wore my pole party shirt in honor of the event. (no pics allowed, we were at the PP, hee hee hee!).
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Friday the 23rd
Dinner at Serpas - We tried a new restaurant called Serpas. It's located in Studioplex lofts on Auburn. The moment we walked in the door, one of our songs started up - Lover's Lane Island Paradise. Oh yeah. Groovy music as they walk you to your table. The food was to DIE for (so good), and the wine was amazing also. Delicious! Then we walked down 2 doors to Matt Odom's Photography Show at Art Department - I bought one of his pieces called "Dirty Hands". We originally met Matt in Castleberry Hill at the Atlanta Photographer's Guild meet up at Elliott Street Pub. He and his girlfriend Ashley are just awesome/adorable/fun/creative people. We love hanging out with them.
Then we skipped on over to The Porter (a pub in Little 5 Points) with some friends, and finally back home.
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Saturday the 24th
The Double-A Birthday Basher Matt's Photos. As is the case every year, I have to compete with Halloween for my birthday. This year Alex and I did a joint party the weekend between our birthdays, and it ended up being a total blast! Much better turn out, since folks weren't having Halloween conflicts. Such an awesome party, even the neighbors drove by asking for our play-list. We didn't shut it down until 3:30am that night. There was dancing, shots, birthday cake, ice cream, bubblegum vodka, and someone DID stick it in the mashed potatoes. just kidding.
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Tuesday the 27th
Got my hair touched up by Ms. Debi, and as I was leaving, my GPS notified me that all roads north (aka back home) were RED. It was raining, it was getting dark, traffic was a mess. I had a No Mas coupon in my purse. So I went to No Mas. Called a few friends, and Holly, Ben, and later Erika met me there. Woo hoo! more early birthday fun. Drove home much later, after traffic died down.
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Thursday the 29th
Matt took me out for dinner at Season's 52. Later Erika came by with some Bitch Bubbly (that I didn't know existed, but I was pleased to discover), and we had some cocktails before bedtime.
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Friday we missed our friend Walter's party, but we were "plum-tuckered-out!"
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Saturday the 31st
Erika's 80s Themed Halloween Party: Ben's Photos Tom's Photos Matt's Photos

Californication-ary measures

2009-10-14T13:44:00.005-04:00

Ok please please don't tell my wine club I did this. It's truly a sacrilege.
The "oh-crap-we-are-out-of-vinegar" dressing
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup olive oil
handful of pitted/cured black olives
dash of soy sauce to taste
dash of lemon juice to taste
1 empty glass container with lid (or plastic equivalent with lid)
Directions: Using a coffee mug, heat the red wine in the microwave for 30 seconds. Immediately add 3-4 cubes of ice, stir until ice melts. Pour wine mixture into empty container. Add Olive Oil. add olives. muddle the olives. Add soy sauce and lemon juice. Put lid on container and close tightly. Shake mixture vigorously. Pour some of it over salad, toss salad. enjoy! Save the rest of the dressing for future emergencies? Also gives the wine time to ferment some more. ha!
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How did this emergency recipe come about?
We were getting ready for a nice dinner. The spaghetti squash "noodles" were hot, the chicken/spaghetti sauce simmering, and the fresh spinach leaf, red onion, cucumber, feta cheese salad was ready to be dressed. Then it hit me, CRAP I'm out of vinegar dressing!!!
So, I experimented and lucked out. The hubby says he likes my "new" dressing better than balsalmic vinegar or red wine vinegar from the store. well okay then!
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In other news, we've recently become addicted to the show "Californication" and are knee-deep in Season 2. At this rate, we'll have finished more TV episodes than bottles of wine so far this year. Dare I say that aloud? LOL.

The Mad Month of October

2009-10-06T13:22:00.005-04:00

As Autumn rushes in and takes us all by surprise (well it surprised me anyway), so enters in a mad rush of social activities, chaotic rescheduling, and the continual need to grab the white-out to fill in my calendar. Yes I have an online one, but figuratively speaking, it's still a PITA (pain in the *ss) when stuff gets moved the last minute. and literally I mean the last minute.
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The Midtown Fall Crawl was just wonderful. We tried food at many different restaurants, and discovered new places with great views. Among our favorite views: The Peachtree Club and Pacci's roof top deck. They actually have a screen porch around the bar. wow! We also had some amazing sushi at Silk and Steel respectively. Will have to return at a later date when we can fully indulge in their various glories!
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Le Flash was fun also. My favorite part was "pour" at the end. In the adjoining lot near Elliot Street Pub, they did an Iron Pour. Yes, several (appropriately clad) folks, melted down iron into a liquid hot magma, and very carefully poured it onto metalwork/molds/etc. in the name of Art! At the very end of the night, they poured the liquid fire onto an ice sculpture. It promptly exploded in a beautiful arc of fire and ice over our heads. Like the iron-pour-virgin I was, we were standing only 2nd row away from this wonderful madness, and the entire crowd started moving slowly backwards to get away from the hailing fire. Matt has a small burn on his shoulder (yes it burned a hole in his nice shirt), and he even fell backwards over another person (who crouched down from the flames, but accidentally tripped him). Bruised tailbone, slightly scraped elbow. Small prices to pay for experience, right? LOL. However, I was unharmed. It was an awe-inspiring event. I haven't been so exhilarated since going to the Cedar Point amusement park and riding the roller coasters. Matt was totally hyped also. We had a blast!
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In other news, Pardon me, but I really had a moment of p*ssed-off-ness and here goes:
Rant 1: October is an extremely busy month for me, let alone the rest of the world. The last 30 years have taught me that my Birthday Party will forever be competing with Halloween (damn it all to hell), and the last 4 years taught me that 4 Bulgarian friends have birthdays before and after mine, which causes even more scheduling pressure. There are several festivals and in-town events this month, and October is also one of the busiest wedding months of the year. Add all of that pot-of-trouble together, and you start learning ways to cope. With deference to my friends, I suggested to their matriach, that we perhaps host one huge birthday bash for all the birthday people. However, I did not hear back from her, and the time pressure was cooking. So, my roommate (being one of the birthday peeps) and I decided we wanted to party our way, and over 1 month in advance, we sent out our Evite. Not only would this give us dibs (I hope) on the schedules of our nearest and dearest, but also give them enough time to plan accordingly (aka: arrange for a sitter, or other conflict mitigation, as needed). Well, well, well, 2 people beeotched at me about it. Yes they are still coming to the party (good), but they had to beeotch at me (not good). One even gave me heck for being "too early" with my planning. *** Silly rabbit, there is no such thing as planning ahead too early. *** Haven't you heard? The early bird gets the worm. Prior planning prevents piss poor performance. And other such quotes. I know not everybody in my life plans ahead as well as I do. However, that doesn't mean you should rain on my parade. At the very least, give me credit for thinking ahead, and not doing the mad desperate scramble of schedule balancing at the very last minute. I want to actually relax on my birthday this year. Thank-you-very-much!
Sheesh, what is the point of having a calendar if you aren't going to use it?
Rant 2: I was all geared up for an event tomorrow night, and suddenly it's been rescheduled to next week. Well unfortunately, my Small Biz group meets next week, and I'd already committed to that one. and Small Biz gives you 1 months' notice. So crap, I can sort of do both, but I will be super late to said-event next week.
Let me just say: It's not such a bad thing if something gets rescheduled once in a blue moon. But it's damned annoying when things are rescheduled or cancelled about 3 times in the last 3 months, and it almost seems as if this monthly event will never get back on track. We meet monthly for heaven's sake. how hard is it to be free 1 day a month for the sake of FUN not even for Duty, for fun? ok rant off.

Vampires, Vino, and Vivaciousness

2009-10-01T13:15:00.006-04:00

Go figure, we traded our Weeds "addiction" for True Blood. We borrowed season 1 from a friend, and now we are knee deep in season 2.
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Also, we spent most of the weekend on the Castleberry Hill Loft Tour. Matt went to Petite Le Mans for Saturday, but then Sunday he came with me on the tour. There were some AMAZING lofts this time, as usual. I had a total inspirational blast!
At No Mas (for lunch both days) I tried the Cielo Blanco tequila, and also decided the best flavor I was in the mood for was cheese enchiladas smothered in Mole sauce. mmm!
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Tonight we're off to the Midtown Fall Crawl. Mmmm!
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Friday it's time for Le Flash! The kick off for Atlanta Celebrates Photography - ACP 11. There will be live dancers, performance art, light shows, etc. Pretty big deal. From what I was reading, "Le Flash" is one of the first events of this nature for the USA. Overseas similar shows are called "Nuit Blanche" and it's held in Paris, Toronto, Tokyo, and Berlin, etc. I'm super excited that not only is such an event here in our country, but also in our beloved Castleberry Hill neighborhood.
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Over the weekend we are possibly stopping by the Norcross Arts Fest and getting a temporary new leather couch! I say temporary, because we will sort of be house-sitting it for a while, it's not ours to keep, but it will probably be around for a year. Friend of ours currently has no room in her home for it, but won't have space for 1 yr or so, so we offered to borrow it. This is perfect timing as I have been wanting a new couch for some time now, and this is a way to try out a leather couch without the committment. Woo hoo!
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Next week is Wine Club for Barbera. Mmm! That's a new varietal for me! I can't wait to try it!
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October is just HAPPENIN'! TTYL!

In Limbo

2009-09-25T12:50:00.006-04:00

Well, we finished watching Weeds. BTW don't read the entire Wiki entry it HAS SPOILERS! but we watched it, ALL of it! Season 3 disks one and 2 came in the Netflix mail, so we plowed through that in 2 evenings. Then, yes, sadly, I ran to Blockbuster and got the rest of Season 3 and all of season 4 on Saturday afternoon. And by Tuesday (impatient me) we even finagled (?) the cable company to give us Showtime for free for 6 months so we could watch Season 5, which we tore through by Wednesday night. All I can say is "Croquet Mallet? SWEET!" Now, how will I wait until 2010 to see Season 6? it's pure torture!
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Shock of the day - Jenji Kohan is a woman. WOW, for some weird reason I assumed the show was written by an Asian dude. Whoops! We figured this out after watching the special features on one of the Weeds DVDs.
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So why do I love the show so much? WITTY DIALOGUE, FABULOUS acting, HILARIOUSness, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Watch some (if you have Netflix, you can watch Season 1 and 2 entirely on the instant play online). Not to mention all the little nuances and innuendos and double meanings. The town they lived in was called Agrestic. If you look it up, that word means "uncouth" - HA!
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The weekend was mostly indoors watching Weeds (due to the crappy weather we had been having), but on Saturday I managed to escape up to Bahama Breeze for lunch with my mother-and-sister-in-law. Fish Tacos - yum!
Found some cheeeeapy sunglasses to replace my stolen/missing/walked-off-on-their-own pairs from previous blog post. Charlotte Russe has them 2 for $10. You can't beat that! I got a plastic black pair, and a plastic Mauvey/Yellow pair. So far so good! They also have some awesome funky rings 2 for $8. I got some nice flowery ones. Spiffy!

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We ran out of Centenario Rosangel Tequila yesterday. I tried to find another bottle, but even the best package store in town didn't have it. DARN! I will have to keep looking. If you see one, buy it for me? I will gladly reimburse you!
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We signed up for a YMCA membership (well I renewed mine, but added Matt on there). We've gone about 5 times in 2 weeks, which is pretty darn good. I'd like to get to the point where I go EVERY morning (except not weekends assuming I'm doing something else active on weekends). My right leg was super sore last night though, so I took it easy today.
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New obsession (other than working out in the mornings) is True Blood. Matt is just totally in love with the oboe music that comes on anytime there's a scene with Bill the vampire. I just like the storyline, the lighting, etc. Very interesting! Perfect timing before Halloween too!
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In Limbo: waiting for Weeds Season 6, waiting for more Rosangel, waiting, waiting, waiting. I hate waiting. :-D
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The Office - Premiere's TONITE!

2009-09-17T15:20:00.004-04:00

Friday night, happy hour at Tijuana Joe's to celebrate Jeff's new job! Jeff's one of Matt's co-workers. They decided to do shots named after girls, so we did the "Dirty Girl Scout" and "Red-Headed Slut" shots. This while I'm trying to sip a cultured and fancy bit of tequila. Thank goodness we went home right afterwards!
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Saturday I took Sport to the Red Bandanna for a "Dog Wash for Charity" event. He basically "took one for the team" and had a bath there. He hates baths. And then the money we paid for the bath went towards the AHIMSA House charity. YAY Sport! you did a good deed today!
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Saturday night was girls' night out at TAP. Yummy! We were hanging out with Ruth's sister who just returned from Swaziland and the Peace Corps. She mentioned another Peace Corps buddy was coming, and guess what? It was a girl I hadn't seen in years! Maggie! So we all caught up and had a nice bite to eat. What a small world. I had no idea these girls all knew one another.
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Sunday we went to a friend's house to watch Formula 1 Monza (Italy), and dine on Italian food. Delish!
Sunday afternoon-evening, (after we got Alex hooked on it too), we continued watching Weeds. We got all the way through the last episode of Season 2, and then AHHH! IT was a CLIFFHANGER! We all voted to watch just the first episode of Season 3, so we could actually sleep (even though it was LATE for a Sunday night). But lo and behold, Netflix doesn't have Season 3 on instant play. ARG! So we had to put it at the top of our queue and wait a few days to get it in the mail. NOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
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Tuesday we had a surprise/impromptu dinner with an old friend (our dear Kymry) who is finally back from Boreway (aka Norway). We dined on scallops in basil pesto sauce and beef marinara sauce for the carnivores in the house, spinach salad, and lots of vino (of course).
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Wednesday, we had another impromptu opportunity to see her again before she left town, so I went over and we did girl's night at her friend's house. YAY for KY! I do hope she settles down into her new job soon, so we can plan visits and all that jazz.
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The OFFICE Premiere's tonight! I'm super excited about this.
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Weeds Season 3 has arrived, so it's ON like Donkey-Kong!

Remembering 09/11/2001 - Did you wear your Red,White,and Blue today?

2009-09-11T08:02:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit

...and in the face of humor...

2009-09-10T13:48:00.002-04:00

Mad Men character, Roger Sterling Quotes.

Flavio "Piquet" a tattletale driver?

2009-09-10T13:34:00.003-04:00

HOT DAMN!
Nelson Piquet's Statement.

BUT WAIT:

"It's believed that Symonds and Briatore aren't disputing the fact that they had a discussion about a deliberate accident to assist Alonso, but are adamant that it was Piquet Junior's own idea and they didn't ask him to do it.

Piquet's claim is understood to be that Symonds and Briatore asked him to crash to bring out the Safety Car. So there seems to be little dispute at all that it was a pre-arranged accident, the only area of contention is - did he jump or was he pushed"

EVASIVE?
Pat Symonds (Renault technical director) looks like he doesn't want to answer specific questions. Not looking good.....

The Case of the Missing Sunglasses

2009-09-10T08:40:00.009-04:00

Ok Nancy Drewz and Hardy Boyz - if you see my sunglasses, gimma a hollah! More on that later.
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WEEKEND UPDATES:
Thursday - we were invited to go see Inglourious Basterds with some friends. I'm a huge Quentin fan, and I enjoyed the movie, although I was confused about the ending. Up until then, I had no idea this was an "alternate history" and not "based on a true story" - hmmmm. If that had been real history, WOW! Matt said he was bored with it. I guess everyone had a different take on it. Oh well.
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Friday afternoon - Impromptu happy hour with coworkers at Con Sal. The bartender there was out of my dear Rosangel, but he is designing a new "Tequila Flights" menu for tastings, and he gave me small samples of Corazon Anejo, Chinaco Blanco, and then of course I had some Asombroso. The Chinaco Blanco was very unique. He described it (and I agreed) as having essence of Sandalwood, and then afterwards your tongue tingles. Sort of like a minty freshness but not a minty flavor. Love it!
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Friday night, we had the lovely pleasure of dining at Mina & Chris's house. We dined on shrimp cocktail, salad, butternut squash, marinated spicy beef yakitori, grilled asparagus, grilled peppers, and later tiramisu. Then of course we paired each part of dinner with different imbiberies, such as Sauvignon Blanc from Marlbourough, Red Wine, Rakia, and a small tasting of Centenario Rosangel. Pure Delishioushness!! There goes my diet again. darn it. but I'm not "really" complaining. ;-D
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Saturday, I slept in (sore back), while Matt biked on his new bicycle for 13 miles. Boy did I feel lazy, but it was worth it to get that rest. Then, Matt & I headed to Get Coffee for some light breakfast, then met up with our dear friends The Blairs and another friend Jeff for some Bone Garden fare. What-do-you-know? Bone Garden had Chinaco Blanco, so I introduced Matt to the minty freshness. Bone Garden is known for it's EXCELLENT and REAL Mexican food (corn masa, tamales, etc). Thankfully, the menu is mostly tapas style, so you can order little bits of everything and share. Very educational! The Blairs' daughter Ella was there (she's 10-12 months old (something like that)) and just CHERUBIC! We had a blast hanging out with her. She's such a good-natured, all-around pleasant baby! Then we hit Sam Flax (Matt has taken up sketching and needed supplies), and then we had a lovely nap at home.
Saturday evening, we took a bouquet of roses over to Baba Stefka's birthday party. Baba Stefka is our dear friend Stefka's grandmother, who lives with Stefka's parents here, and she turned 88. Wow! Much Bulgarian feasting and fun was had by all.
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Sunday, Matt was trying some new lighting techniques, and so I dressed up for a short photo shoot. He's going for cinamatic-style photos now. Photos that sort of tell a story or hint that more is going on outside the frame. He was inspired by a scene in Inglourious Basterds when Shosanna is in a red dress, looking out of the cinema and down onto the Nazi's below with a myriad of emotions in her expression. I did the shoot but channelling more of a "Ashley Judd in DeLovely" sort of mood.
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Sunday afternoon, we had an online meeting for the Staff of The Voyeur Magazine to discuss upcoming issues, articles, ideas, etc. Very fun!
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Sunday evening
We went to McPherson Beach for some End of Summer Party. Mina & Chris & baby were there, and Erika & Ben came along also. I got to play with the baby quite a bit to give the parents a break. :-D. If you have never heard of "MacBeach" as it is called, you have to see it. A wonderful, and quite eligible bachelor friend of ours has made a beach PARADISE in his back yard. Click on the link to see photos and the documented history of his imaginative and creative Oasis.
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Monday, Erika and Ben had slept over with Radley (Sport's girlfriend), and I made green chile breakfast burritos smothered in ranchero sauce and sour cream. New Mexico Pinon Coffee was the order of the morning also. Yum! Later, our friend/model Ruth and her sister stopped by for a visit. Ruth's sister is fresh out of the Peace Corps from Swaziland. Interesting to pick her brain about Swaziland and all of the drama over there.
Erika came back for a brief visit, and then we were off to Cafe Intermezzo to close out the evening.
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THE CASE OF THE MISSING SUNGLASSES:
I must be losing my mind, but I had 2 pairs of sunglasses in the glove box of my car. Both were in individual black drawstring bags. One pair of sunglasses was black/grey animal print style, and the other pair was a maroon/blush color. I know I wore the maroon pair on Saturday when I had lunch at Bone Garden, and I remember putting the sunglasses back into the glove box and into it's special bag - that evening on the way to Baba Stefka's party. Both pairs were in the glove box at that time. However, Tuesday morning, when I looked into the glove box, both pairs of sunglasses and black bags are missing. I totally do not remember bringing them into the house, or taking them to Dave's. I wore a different pair to Dave's. SO WEIRD that they are just GONE. Matt says perhaps I forgot to lock my car when we went to Cafe Intermezzo, and perhaps someone got into the car but just took the sunglasses. It's true that nothing else valuable was in my vehicle. I travel light I guess. C'est la vie. At least they were only 2 pairs of $10 glasses each, so I'm only down $20 I suppose. Darn it. I really really liked the maroon ones. Damn!

SPA, Art, and BBs Burgers

2009-09-03T12:25:00.005-04:00

Not to be outdone by the other busy weekends this month... Last weekend was no exception.
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Friday we celebrated 2 co-worker's birthdays with lunch at BB's Burgers. I had the Bison Burger with PepperJack Cheese, and a few onion rings/sweet potato fries.
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Later that evening Matt and I drove down to Castleberry Hill for the Art Stroll. We went early so we could visit one of our favorite galleries. Of the entire stroll, our favorite pieces could be seen at the Besharat Gallery Exhibition for Merab Gagiladze. Then we went over to No Mas for dinner with friends. As seems to be the recent case with every Tequila Bar I hit, they were out of the Centenario Roseangel, so we each had a sipping shotglass of the Centenario Anejo. Later I switched over to the Asombroso La Rosa Reposado (my 2nd fave tequila) and Matt decided he wanted the Cabo Wabo Anejo. We had a lovely dinner with friends, and then we went over to Elliott Street Pub to see what was going on. You may or may not know, the APG or Atlanta Photographer's Guild meets every other week at the Elliott St. Pub, and it is (in and of itself as well as nearby several) prime photography location(s). Although, we weren't there on an APG meet night, we were able to show our friends, the lovely view of the city from an old abandoned bridge. Trains still go under the bridge, and it appears to be in stable condition (for walking), not so sure if I'd ever drive on it. The moon was shining down on us all, and (although it may be a local secret), they do let you carry your drinks with you while you are near the pub (on the bridge, etc). I was at least somewhat smart enough to have switched to water by this hour of the evening, but it was still a lovely night to be outside. It is just now starting to cool off a little bit in ATL.
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Saturday was the Taste of Chamblee and the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival. Matthew surprised me this week by buying himself a bicycle, and has actually been riding it nearly every morning. Saturday morning, he even got up EARLY to meet a friend and go riding on a local biking trail. I was shocked albeit pleased to see him working out again. Not to be outdone, I walked the dog down to the lake and back. YAY for health! After he returned home, I made him some breakfast with Kona Coffee (thank you Erika and Ben!), and then we ran some errands, etc.
Saturday evening, we couldn't decide what to do, and very late in the dinner hour, I finally decided to whisk Matt off in the car to a new restaurant as a surprise. We went to Aomi in the Forum. Aomi is supposedly Japanese for Blue Ocean and YES you guessed it, they serve SUSHI! We had a lovely dinner, and then back home for movie night. We rented I Love You Man, and laughed our way to bedtime. In hindsight, yes we missed the festivals, but we also had a lovely day together.
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Sunday was the big day for Formula 1 SPA-Francorchamps (or as I like to say "Frank-uh-shauuuun"). Everyone was very surprised that the Force India guy (whose name I will not even attempt to spell) got Pole in Qualifying on Saturday, so it was a "drama" filled race. As I was hosting a Belgian themed party in honor of the race, we did Belgian "burgers" (yeah like I'm going to serve Belgian mussels when 14 people are coming over. hee hee), Belgian Fries (french cut, thus they claim they created the "French Fry"), Godiva Belgian Chocolates (thank you Perimeter Mall!), and a smattering of Belgian "heavyweight" beers to sample. We decided since the beers themselves were each unique and expensive, we'd set them out with tasting cups, and let people try a bit of each. And then of course we had some "Hoegaarden" on hand. Silly us, we forgot Stella is also a Belgian beer. DOH! Anyhoo it was fun. In all the comraderie, I jokingly suggested we get that sparkling jello stuff to make "Fizzy Jello" in the shape of a "pole" for the Force India guy, but thankfully that was just an idea. I seriously don't own a jello mold, not to mention a POLE shaped one. ha ha ha ha. Anyway I digress. Lots of jokes when you have funny-named drivers and Belgian food. I think the naughty joke of the day was "honey can you put your Francorchamps in my Belgian Mussell?" yeah yeah yeah.
I also made a side salad of mixed greens, strawberries, and balsalmic vinegar dressing. For the ladies who did not drink beer, I made the "St. Hillaire-ious" (aka: Prosecco with a few drops of St. Germain liqueur, garnished with a strawberry.)
As so many of our parties often do, an afternoon lunch party turned into an evening party, and by the time all the Prosecco was gone, we ended up ordering pizza, playing Apples-to-Apples, and then watching Duplicity just before bedtime. Cute movie, but it was sort of missing something. hmm. Francorchamps? hahahahaha!
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Monday it was back to the grindstone.
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Tuesday, my dear friend Lee told me where she FINALLY found a place that sells Centenario Roseangel. So I went out on my lunch break and got me some!
Also, Tuesday I woke up with that very tired, achy, blah feeling, and was worried I was coming down with something. Nothing a little Airborn fizziness, echinacea, and liquids cannot fix. I promptly nipped that little bug in the bud. By evening-time I was feeling right as rain.
Alex made us dinner (Gorkem says this is now the 2nd time he has ever cooked for her). He is actually a very good cook, he just says he doesn't enjoy cooking, thus he does it rarely. He made us ground turkey spaghetti. It was spicier than most Spaghetti's I've had, but SUPER yummy. And then we had some Ferrer Roche (those Italian chocolate thingies) for dessert.
And to end the perfect evening - we watched another movie (of course). Have to use up my NetFlix right? We watched Taken with Liam Neeson. I am usually tense when I watch these kind of movies, but with Alex and Matt joking about the plot and how "lucky" Liam Neeson's character always seems to be, it helped me enjoy the movie without getting too involved in it.
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I bet it was the spicy spaghetti, the small nip of tequila, and the wonderful Airborne/Echinacea that fixed my bug. I was feeling GREAT on Wednesday!

Grilled Beef Gyros and other flavors of life

2009-08-27T10:25:00.003-04:00

This Recipe is compliments of my own Auntie Julie.
GRILLED BEEF GYROS

Marinade
1 Medium Onion Chunked
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbs Sugar
1 Tsp Ground Mustard
2 Tsp Fresh Ginger Minced
1 ½ Tsp Ground Black Pepper
½ Tsp Cayenne Pepper
½ Cup Soy Sauce
¼ Cup Water
Blend until smooth in blender or food processor.

Meat
2 Lbs Cubed Lean Sirloin or Round Steak
Mix marinade & meat & marinate for 24 hours.

Cucumber (Tzaziki) Sauce
1 Medium Cucumber Peeled, Seeded & Cut Into Chunks
4 Garlic Cloves
½ Tsp Sale
1/3 Cup Cider Vinegar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
Blend until smooth in blender or food processor.

Instructions:
Drain meat & skewer on shish kabob skewers.
I add vegetables that will hold up on the grill. Tomatoes & potatoes are risky.
Cook on grill until done.

I use the Cucumber Sauce as a dip for the meat & veggies. You can also stuff pita halves with the meat & add tomatoes & onions & top with the Cucumber Sauce.
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Abbie's variation (because she did not have time to follow the recipe prep exactly):
Buy 1 container of Trader Joe's Tzaziki Sauce (similar to Aunt Julie's but chunkier).
Buy 2 4oz Omaha Sirloin Steaks.
Defrost the Sirloin in bowl of hot water. While it's defrosting, Preheat the George Foreman Grill AND get a small bowl and shake the following spices into the bowl - it's all to taste, no measuring.
-Dried Minced Onion
-Ground Ginger
-Ground Black Pepper
-Cayenne Pepper
-Garlic Powder
Then get the Mustard and Soy Sauce out of the fridge for the next part.
When steaks are mostly defrosted, but still cold to the touch - lay them on a plate or in a flat bowl. Squirt a small amount (maybe a nickel size) Mustard, then soy sauce (use about 2 tblsp) on top the steaks. Massage with your fingertips. Use pressure so that not only will the flavors rub in, but the meat is getting tenderized. Turn steaks over and do the same on the other side.
Sprinkle dried spice mixture (from above) on to the steaks. Massage in the spices. Turn steaks over, repeat.
Put Steaks on George Forman Grill, cook to desired level of done-ness. Unplug Grill.
Place cooked steaks on plate, spoon Tzaziki sauce on side or on top of steaks.
Serves 2.
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I did side salad of spinach leaves and strawberries in balsalmic vinagraitte dressing, and glass of Lodi Zinfandel Wine.
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Enjoy!

Hatch Green Chile and Revolutionary Road

2009-08-25T10:59:00.003-04:00

Photo Credit
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Soon after we discovered that Trader Joe's carries canned Hatch Green Chile, we started buying it and making all sorts of yummy foods. Target Super Center also carries Hatch Fire Roasted Ranchero Sauce and Green Chile Enchilada Sauce. We are in heaven! We started off Saturday with Huevos Rancheros. Then Saturday night I made my version of Matt's favorite recipe of Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas. It's similar to lasagna,baklava, or Trifle in that it is a layered dish. WARNING: This is not a meal for the calorie-shy.
Ingredients
1 bag of 4 inch round soft Corn Tortillas
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
2 16 oz bags of Shredded Mexican Cheeses
1.5 cans Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
2 cans of chunk chicken breast meat
Cumin (to taste)
1 small can of V8
Olive Oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In Medium sauce pan, mix cream of chicken soup, and Enchilada Sauce. Heat on med-low, stirring occasionally. Don't want to leave unattended, basically you are letting the flavors meld, and keeping it warm. I used only 1 can of sauce but I underestimated the cream of chicken muting the spicy flavor, so I would recommend using at least 1.5 cans of the enchilada sauce, or more (if you like it more spicy).
Meanwhile, In Skillet, pour in olive oil (enough for at least an 1/8 inch level in the skillet), heat to medium with lid partway on (cracked a little so it heats slowly). Once oil is hot enough, reduce heat to med-low. Using Tongs, soften the corn tortillas in oil. I just layed them in the pan, one at a time, turning once, letting it crackle a little and coating the tortillas, but not letting them get crispy. After done softening the tortillas, I put them in a bowl temporarily to cool off a bit. You may not actually get through the entire package of tortillas. I only used about 3/4's of the bag for my recipe - until the olive oil was mostly gone.
In the same skillet (the olive oil is mostly gone, so it's okay to keep the leftovers in there) reduce heat to low, pour in 1/2 can of V8, and add the canned chicken, sprinkle with ground cumin. Gently sautee the Chicken, letting the flavors meld. Seperate chunks into smaller pieces with spoon. Let simmer on low heat while you get to the next step.
Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick spray. Coat the bottom of the pan with a bit of the enchilada sauce mixture. Tear the softened tortillas into strips, and add layer of tortillas to the baking pan. Scatter a layer of chicken pieces over the tortillas. Sprinkle shredded cheese layer over the chicken. Pour thin layer of enchilada sauce over the cheese. Repeat layers again - Tortillas, Chicken, Cheese, Sauce, and so on, until you are out of sauce. The top layer should be tortillas (to seal in the layers), and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the top tortilla layer.
Put pan in the oven - at 350 - for 25-30 minutes. Mixture should be bubbly and edges on the top layer of tortillas & cheese should be getting crisp. Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Serve in squares, garnish with sour cream and Ranchero or enchilada sauce (if desired). I did not realize how MUCH food this was going to be. There's at least 10 servings in one pan (it's now day 4 and we still haven't eaten it all!!!)
Recommended side dish would be Refried beans. I used large can of Kroger brand refried beans, but I heated it while adding salt and half n half cream - for better flavor.
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We watched Revolutionary Road this weekend. It reminds me a LOT of Mad Men, except perhaps that they fight a lot more. In Mad Men everybody disagrees, but they argue more with glares, glances, and their eyes. Revolutionary Road is a bit more verbose in its arguing. Phenomenal performances by both Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. What a year for Kate! She was in The Reader AND this movie. It takes a special kind of person to pull off that emotional drama in one year without going slightly bonkers. Good for her! I know I couldn't have pulled it off.
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Sunday we watched Formula 1 Valencia, and next weekend is Formula 1 SPA! Belgium!
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Well this week is off to a good start. It's beginning to get cooler in the mornings and evenings, but the daytime hours are still blazing hot. I am looking forward to fall.

De-Lovely

2009-08-21T11:34:00.005-04:00

I finally had the pleasure of watching De-Lovely. Words cannot express what an absolute joy it was to see a movie of such quality and talent. It was superbly edited, and the story flowed well with the music. I was quite impressed and highly HIGHLY recommend this movie about Cole Porter's music, life, and love. I was surprised to learn that I knew so much of his music already, and that he did Kiss Me Kate (one of my FAVE musicals) - can't you just hear them singing "So In Love" ?
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I must have been one of those red lipped brunettes in a former life... considering I'm such a fan of musicals and Mad Men...
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Also, just for fun and a quick pick-me-up (hey, work has been stressful), I also watched Confessions of a Shopaholic and He's Just Not That Into You.
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We are also dog-sitting for Sport's girlfriend, Radley. She is a sweet puppy, and is mostly obedient, although she is very insistent when she wants to be petted. I do see a streak of selfishness in Sport though. He growls at her if she gets too close to his toys or if she beats him to the ball I threw for fetching. I'm trying to nip that behavior in the bud. I don't like having a possessive doggie. He isn't like that with humans though, thank goodness.
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Matthew (the best husband in the whole world), took me out for dinner last night to this new place in Brookhaven called Valenza. It was absolutely delicious! Fabulous wine list too! We had a bottle of the Chianti Castiglioni Frescobaldi. I had swordfish over polenta with heirloom tomatoes, and Matthew had the seafood risotto nero. Dessert was Ricotta Zeppole. mmm heavenly!

Mad Men returns

2009-08-18T13:22:00.004-04:00

Last week was busy, I suppose busy as usual.
We had Wine Club - Viognier on Wednesday the 12th. It's a bit sweeter than I usually like my white wines (I prefer dry), but it was still a tasty varietal!
I'd also like to announce the Debut of the Twits Wine Club Blog. Enjoy!
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Friday I took a day off to drive myself (and the doggie) up to visit Grandpa. We had a nice visit with him. Even Auntie Julie and Cousin Amy were there. Grandpa said he was feeling the best he had in a long time, so I am very glad of that.
Click for Photos of the trip.
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Sunday I returned home just in time for a nice dinner (we had Filet Mignon steaks rubbed with Emeril's spices, fresh snap beans, broccoli, and cheesy potato balls), with a nice Bordeaux of course. And then, the big finale of the evening - MAD MEN season 3 premiere! It was every bit as good as expected, and then some!
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Which Mad Men Character are you? I took the quiz and I'm
Jane Siegel - Secretary, Sterling Cooper
"You're new in the office. When it comes to clothes, you favor the low cut look. When dealing with others, you play your hand well. You love poetry, but that doesn't mean you're good at it. You have trouble with the truth, and this gets you in trouble. Luckily, you're sexy and wily enough to attract powerful allies to rescue you. Where this will get you in the long run, however, remains to be seen."
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Later this week, we are dog-sitting one of Sport's girlfriends (as her owner is in Hawaii right now), and I plan to visit the Hair Lounge for a touch-up and trim this weekend. Other than that I am hoping to just clean the house (it needs a good vacuuming right now, and the toilets need new hang-on thingies in the bowl), and relaxing!
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Although, in hindsight (yes this is a pun, you'll get it in a moment), maybe I don't want to vacuum with TWO dogs in the house all weekend. hmm. dogs playing, and fur everwhere. maybe I should wait to vacuum? (now you get the pun, right?)

The City of Brotherly Love

2009-08-11T09:37:00.005-04:00

August came in with a "gust" of activity again.
Saturday the 1st, we dropped Matt's car off at the Mazda dealer to finally get his Aux port made available. LONG story and it's totally Mazda's fault, but in the end he is now able to play an MP3 player or iPhone/iPod through his speakers in the car. Yay!
I did a quick brunch with Ruth at Cafe Intermezzo, a brief visit from Erika, and then later in the evening we went to CosmoLava to celebrate Janssen's birthday! He surprised us by having a nice VIP area reserved. Woo hoo! It was fun, and I also got to rock my new one shoulder dress from Victoria's Secret Catalog! As usual, Matt and I ended the night with the dirtay nachos from Taco Cabana!
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Sunday was a bit more relaxed, and Erika slept over, so we had coffee and eggs on the screen porch and chatted about the previous night's activities. Later, we did a photoshoot at Erika's Spa Waverly. And last we ended the evening with a better-than-expected-comedy Get Smart.
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Monday was a hectic, as I finalized my packing, went in for Allergy Shots and Nutritionist appointment, grabbed a quick lunch at Wendy's, and finally Matt gave me a ride to MARTA so I could ride to the airport and catch a plane to Philadelphia for work.
The flight was fine, and then I got on the Shuttle to the hotel. I swear, this guy drove his 12 passenger capacity van as if it was a SPORT BIKE in NYC traffic. SCARY! Talk about bad driving, cutting people off, and hard braking. Anyhoo, I did get a nice little tour of the city from the backseat. AHH!
The hotel was perfect, and I had a restaurant recommendation for RAW Lounge, which was within walking distance. The OhToro was delish, and so was the Matsu. I recommend trying it! During Happy Hour they have $5 drinks also. Unbelievably, Philly was JUST AS HOT as Atlanta, and humid too. Yech!
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Tuesday I met my boss for breakfast, and then he showed me how to get to the office (since its kind of hidden). We did a nice lunch at Paganos Market, and then after work we checked out the Liberty Bell and Maggiano's.
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Wednesday was work work work and I ended up staying in and ordering room service (so tired!), but they DO have an excellent Crab Cake entre!
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Thursday was more work work work, but I did get off work at a decent time and then hopped a bus to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I went up the steps and was thinking of paying to see the place, but turns out I would have only had 45 mins before closing time, and they were still charging full price (bastards!), so maybe next time. However, this was the ONE of the nice cool days in Philly. It was a breezy 75 and sunny, so I took a nice long walk down the parkway from the top of the museum, and all the way to the City Square, then down Market Street to the waterfront. I passed by the Rodin Museum, Ben Franklin Institute, and many other lovely buildings. I finally came to a stop at the PennsView Hotel's Il Bar to have a flight of wine. They have a special system called a "cruvinet" - and can offer over 120 wines by the glass.
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Friday I worked from the hotel room, then hopped a cab to the airport, and whisked back to Atlanta again. Photos of the City of Brotherly Love.
Marybeth was visiting us this weekend, and so she was kind to meet me at MARTA, then we walked to her car to get home. She brought her daughter Catherine with her this time, so we had a nice evening at Season's 52 for dinner, and then later Matthew & I went to Gulru's Housewarming Party near Peachtree Battle.
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Saturday, we went to Goldberg's for breakfast, and then Matt went home to mow the lawn, but the ladies and I went off to the Atlanta Zoo. Why we did this in such ungodly heat? well, opportunity struck, so off we went. I'm ashamed to say I hadn't seen our zoo yet, so why not do it now? Armed with a cooler of water bottles, and carrying some more in hand, as well, we bravely sweated our way through the Panda's, Lions, Tigers, and Monkeys. LOL. Later, we met up with David and Matt for dinner at Chow Baby. Finally, we headed back home to view our photos of the day, and then finally fall asleep.
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Sunday, our guests departed (for the Aquarium and then the airport). Matt and I took it easy and went to Get Coffee for breakfast, stopped at Target to get Matt some nice new dressier/casual shirts, and then drove up to "Alph-Alaska" to see a friend who had just had hip surgery. She loves Prosecco, so I brought some for her (along with some St. Germain and strawberries for a different option). Awesome! Finally, we went back home to do laundry and relax. I made Spaghetti for dinner, and we ended the night with the movie Watchmen. I decided my two favorite characters were Silk Spectre and Rorschach. Both were played by amazing actors! Loved the writing too! Some scenes were a bit violent for my taste, so I hid my eyes and had Matt tell me when it was over, but for the most part it was pretty good. BTW it's a 3 hr movie!!!
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Finally back to normal (?) this week? We'll see.

The Week of Insanity

2009-07-27T10:03:00.005-04:00

Last week was nutso.
Absolutely nutso.
I am seriously wondering what's in the water these days! LOL.
I was oncall last week (aka getting paged at all hours of the day or night). Every workday last week I worked through lunch and stayed over 1-2 hours to help keep the work caught up before the next day. Sheesh!
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However, the weekend was more relaxed thank goodness.
Friday, we stayed home and had an impromptu screenporchparty with friends. Saturday, Matt and I went to Get Coffee for breakfast (my fave), and we watched Multiplicity with Alex & Gorkem (one of Alex's fave movies). Saturday night, Matt took me out on a "date" and we went to WASABi for some excellent Sushi, and then later an impromptu dessert over at Apres Diem. The Espresso Martini is just delicious.
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Later on, I couldn't sleep due to upset tummy (later found to be result of the St Germain), so we stayed up until 4am watching Groundhog Day (one of my favorite movies), and then slept in very late on Sunday. Sunday, we relaxed, played some Wii Sports (I beat Matt at Tennis again!), had a nap, and then watched Thomas Crown Affair 1999- one of my favorite movies. Gorkem hadn't seen it yet, but she enjoyed it. YAY! I also have the 1968 original movie, but have not watched it yet.
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Matt's off to a VIP suite to see the Tool Concert tonight. I was the backup person if they couldn't get all the spots filled. VIP suite includes the concert, food, and drinks. Hmm. Should be fun. At the last minute another guy wanted to go, so I am off the hook. Not that I don't want to go, but it's a "school night" and my boss is in town this week (which means I usually have to work later hours), and it sounds like they won't get home until 1-2am (which means less than 5 hrs of sleep for me) and I prefer not to have the hassle. Anyhoo, I hope the gentlemen have a GREAT time! :-D
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Finally tracked down a bottle of St. Germain Elderflower Vodka (well I thought it was vodka, but actually it's more like a liquer), and some champagne to make myself a St. Hillaire beverage. It's very tasty and summery. Garnish with strawberry. mmm. However, I soon learned that for some odd reason, this St. Germain stuff totally wipes me out. I feel like I'm having a total sugar crash right after I have any of the stuff. So, I am guessing that means it will be something we go through very slowly.
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This week is going to be hectic, and next week I'm off to Philly for work, so I may not be updating the blog for a while.
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Have a great rest of July & start of August!

Ponderings

2009-07-21T15:20:00.003-04:00

Three Sheets Premiere was awesome! We recorded it on our DVR, but I was still there to watch it live anyway. LOL.
I definitely will have to DVR it in the future though. It's really rough for me to be awake after 10pm and still get to work on time in the morning.
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Thoughts. I've got a lot of scattered thoughts right now. Lately both my work and home lives seem absolutely insane. It's like everybody's taking Crazy pills. Of course that usually means it's me that is out of whack right? or is it?
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I think I need another vacation and some time to think.

Three Sheets Premiere - TONIGHT

2009-07-20T18:24:00.005-04:00

Raise your glass
give a toast
check your channels
I have to boast
Three Sheets is BACK
and tonight's the night
Fine Living Network's where it's at!
10 Eastern, monkey in hand
Zane Lamprey's rockin'
Three Sheets New Zealand!
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In other news, although I'm still hacking up a lung and fighting a cough, the house is finally rid of this awful cold/sinus/whatever the hell bug we all had.
Matt had a photo shoot Sunday afternoon and both the model AND the Makeup Artist showed up! YAY!
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Our dear White Russian turned 30 yrs old, and we hosted a small gathering at the casa. As it was an unusually cool weekend for Atlanta in July, we had it outside on the deck, with tiki torches lit. I guess it wasn't too cool for mosquitos (nasty little buggers!). James had homemade blueberry cake from the Bulgarians, and Matt and I gave him a bottle of Johnny Walker Black. We had light snacks of strawberries, bing cherries, blueberries, cheese wedges, chips, and salsa (homemade with those weird purple hull peas from the CSA farmer's thingie). Delish!
BTW check out James' website: www.viterashn.com.
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Cousin Tara and her family met us for brunch at Atkins Park on Sunday also. In spite of the unlucky battery situation in their vehicle. No worries, it was the kind of day where nothing could make you upset, and we just dealt with and moved on. Sweet! It was a lovely weekend. Sunny, breezy, cooler than normal, oh yes and I got my hair done (it always feels SO good to have freshly colored/styled hair!).
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Lastly, my monthly visit to the liquor store, didn't turn up any St. Germaine Elderberry Vodka, or Gran Centenario Rosangel Tequila, but I did find the Asombroso Rose Reposado, and that was good enough for me.
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Have a great night with Three Sheets everyone! and may your week be prosperous also!
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SALE FOR THE LADIES:
Victoria's Secret's 70s Jean (IMHO the BEST jeans ever)
are on sale for $19.99 a pair in 3 styles and 5-6 denim shades/hues.
Item numbers: Z7-228-947, Z7-244-031, and Z7-233-330.
even if they are long on you, get them hemmed, and I swear you will love them forever! I have 3 pairs, and I am still thinking of getting 1 more. I love these jeans!

Happenings this weekend

2009-07-17T10:44:00.002-04:00

Luxe is having a Summer BOGO party on Saturday 07/18/2009 12n-7p.
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Solstice Cafe is having a Burlesque show on Saturday night.
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BTW I forgot to mention, I won a free iPod Shuffle at work this week. YAY! It's a spiffy bright Green color. Now what to put on it?
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Visiting Grandpa, Refi, Sickness, White Russians, Sad Movies, and all that jazz

2009-07-17T07:49:00.007-04:00

Whew it has been a while, sorry about that. We've been very busy.
July 4th weekend, I drove up to visit with Grandpa, Aunt Julie, and Uncle John & Lynette.
Grandpa is now on oxygen 24/7. He does have a portable tank for when he has to go to the store, church, or run errands. However, the pulmonary fibrosis is definitely doing its thing. It's not curable.
I hope to go back and see him soon in August sometime.
On the upside, we had a good time visiting, and saw the local fireworks from the safety of the backyard.
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An old highschool friend looked me up on Facebook, and she and her new husband were in town over the July 4th weekend. When I returned from visiting Grandpa, we went out for a nice Indian Food dinner at our fave place - Himalayas. Turns out they have a grocery store in the same shopping plaza, so we checked that out as well. Great place to get some mango!
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Matthew and I refinanced the house (signed all the paperwork on the 6th). We got locked in while the rates were still in the 4%'s, so that is really nice (of course now it's back up in the fives and sixes, blah). Paid off a few bills in the process. Not trying to say the worst is coming, but now we will be in a safer position financially if (God Forbid) Matt or I get laid off at work. One of us should be able to handle the bills alone on our salary if something happens now. I certainly hope that doesn't happen, but it is always smart to be prepared. We had the BEST broker for the situation, I couldn't have been happier with him. If you need a recommendation, let me know and I'll send you his way.
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We even got around to painting the master bathroom finally. Well it's still not 100%, but at least it's not the textured sandy alligator green anymore. We used the same surrey-beige color that is in the hall bath and in the roommates' room. It went on very nice over the textured paint. Now we just need someone to do the trimwork and ceiling. I don't mind doing it myself, it's just that the idiots who lived here before us, use OIL paint for the trim (pale pink, ewww), and then someone painted LATEX on top of it afterwards, and now the paint is peeling. So someone will need to literally STRIP the door/window frames, and totally redo them. I am not in the mood for this right now. I seriously want to pay someone. Also the ceiling paint is cracking and old, it may need some drywall mud to flatten it out. I am also not in the mood for this. Anybody know a cheap but effective painter who can do this for us?
Although, the new color looks VERY nice in spite of the trim/ceiling issues. I am very happy with it!
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As if we weren't busy enough (last week at work was a NIGHTMARE) - the roommate caught a cold, then somehow Matt caught it, and then I caught it. And then my cold turned into a Sinus Infection (I guess, because I thought Sinus infections were NOT contagious?). I spent 2 days "working from home" and sleeping on and off between meetings. Thank Goodness for conference calls, so nobody had to see my horrible self those days.
I finally went to the doctor on the 3rd day (since my snot was turning yellow, that's when you know it's an infection, when it changes color), and he put me on a new antibiotic that I hadn't tried before. It's the first time he's given me one that has a GENERIC - so instead of the brand name drug that cost me $150 even after discounts last time, this one was only $2.90! talk about a good deal! I just hope it works. Last time he gave me a Z-pak, but it didn't cure me, and then I had to go back and pay for the expensive one (Avelox). I sincerely hope this generic thing can kick the sinus infection's *ss, because I really don't like being on an antibiotic if I can help it.
I'm able to be at work now, but I'm still coughing up a storm. I hope it won't go into my chest.
Why do we get colds in the summertime? that just seems odd to me!
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On the upside from being sick, I caught up on all the sad movies I have been wanting to see. I watched "Seven Pounds" and "Nights in Rodanthe." I'm a huge Richard Gere and Diane Lane fan (separately not necessarily together). Although, I'm kinda pissed at Nicholas Sparks about the ending of that movie. Does he HAVE to make it so damned depressing? The Will Smith movie was VERY good though.
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I also realized that somewhere between switching from Comcast to AT&T Uverse, I missed the season finale of Desperate Housewives. I finally watched both Part 1 and 2 of the finale last night. AWESOME cliffhangers. I can't wait for next season.
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Three Sheets Premiere is Monday July 20th on Fine Living Network (if you get it). DVR that puppy!
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Mad Men Premiere is Sunday August 16th on AMC. Cannot wait!!!
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Our dear White Russian friend is celebrating his 30th Birthday this weekend, so Saturday night should be a bit of a party (although I'm still not sure WHERE it is happening). He lives in Vegas now, but came back to ATL for the birthday celebration. He put in his facebook status "The Desert Eagle Has landed" I love that stuff! YAY!
I will attempt to behave myself so I don't get any sicker though. Have been avoiding alcohol.
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Getting hair touched up on Saturday, and oil change. Very exciting stuff right? ha! But honestly after being sick all week, it's NICE to go get pretty again. I seriously have let my roots go too long. The last day I was home sick, after getting the work done, I treated myself to a mani/pedi/brow wax at the nail salon. It is nice to feel normal again.
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Well that's all for now. Hope everyone is having a great July!

Chateau Montelena Chardonnay & Bottle Shock Movie

2009-07-01T13:38:00.004-04:00

Photo Credit.
Last night, we had the utmost pleasure of watching Bottle Shock with some friends over a bottle of Chateau Montelena Chardonnay.
Granted, it was the 2007 vintage, not the 1973 featured in the movie, but close enough (potAYtoe, patAtoe). It was just delicious!
I highly recommend both the movie and the wine. Albeit the wine runs about $39.99-42.99 here in Atlanta.

Bent Tree, Harp, and ApplesToApples

2009-06-29T09:33:00.004-04:00

PHOTOS.
We packed up our gear and even brought the doggie. On to Bent Tree and Lake Tamarack. We stayed at a friend's cabin, and tried multiple activities such as canoeing, beach volleyball, swimming, rafting, and jumping into the frigid swimming hole. We totally wore the dog out! He slept like a log when he finally got back home.
We always see Deer when we are up there, but this time we had 3 sightings of Black Bear! The last sighting was a mother with 2 cubs. They were so cute. Of course I was very glad we were just driving by and not walking near the bears. Whew!
Another couple joined us at the cabin. We hadn't met them before. They brought their white German Sheperd named Loki. He was so adorable! Sport kept trying to "herd" the poor guy when we were playing fetch in the shallow stream. Eventually, the dogs worked out their heirarchy and calmed down though.
We dined on organic/fresh zucchini squash (3 different kinds), asparagus, and wilted chard - all flavored with olive oil, garlic, and spices. We grilled the squash and asparagus, along side the various meat options (Burgers, Brats, beef hot dogs, and tuna steaks). Delish!
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I was hoping for a Trivial Pursuit or Apples to Apples game with the 6 of us after dinner, but for some reason the other couples went off with the 2 canoes (in separate directions) for some alone time. Matt and I walked a bit and sat by the lake, and then cleaned up and went to bed. It was a very quiet weekend for the most part.
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Sunday, we met Matt's Family at Harp (an Irish Pub) for a nice brunch and birthday celebration for Bradley and Ms. Rachel. Rachel and her hubby are off to Ireland next week. How much fun? They will have a ball!
Matt had the fish and chips (they have the most amazing tarter sauce there. they make it themselves). I had the Corned Beef and Cabbage. some very very tender and juicy corned beef. Delicious!
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Later that night we finally got some game time playing ApplesToApples with Alex, Gorkem, and Gulru! For once I was winning, it was sweet!

Low-Carb Pad Thai and Low-Carb Mojito Recipes

2009-06-24T10:50:00.004-04:00

Low Carb Mojito
1 oz vodka
4 oz Fresca
1 Fresh Mint Sprig (crushed/ground gently into bottom of drink)
Ice Cubes (if needed)
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Low Carb-Pad Thai
I researched this on the internet before making it. However, this recipe is my own, not copied from someone else.
Ingredients needed:
1 Spaghetti Squash
Chopped up Celery
Chopped up Radish (small radish)
Satay Peanut Sauce (or any Thai Peanut Sauce) I get mine at Trader Joes.
Olive Oil
2-3 Fresh Basil Leaves (chopped or torn up) or add more to taste.
1/2 cup chopped Peanuts (unsalted)
1 Can of White Chicken Breast (chopped)
1 Egg
Lime juice
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How to prepare it:
Follow these instructions for How to Cook Spaghetti Squash.
While your Squash is in the oven, prepare the other ingredients.
Put the spaghetti squash strands into a bowl. We only need 1/2, but save the other 1/2 for another meal (unless doubling this recipe). Since the strands are already hot this helps to prepare the meal faster.
NOTE: This cooks FAST so have your ingredients ready to go before turning on the stove-top burner.
In a skillet (or flatpan) pour some olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan).
Heat oil on Medium heat while you are adding the ingredients. Add the Spaghetti squash, Celery, Radish, Peanut Sauce, Chicken (drained), chopped Peanuts, Basil Leaves, and egg.
Stir ingredients slowly until entire mixture is mixed/heated/and is sizzling slightly on the bottom (but do not burn it). Usually takes about 3-5 minutes to heat up as you stir.
Serve with lime wedge (or lime juice squirt on top) for flavor.
Makes 4 servings (or 2 large servings if you are super hungry).
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Substitutions:
You may use any other meat or meat substitute instead of chicken (ie: shrimp, tuna, tofu, etc).
You may use Bean Sprouts and chopped Green Onions instead of celery and radish. I just didn't have any on hand last night. I also felt that the Radish would give the dish an extra KICK, and so it worked out beautifully.
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Enjoy!

Musings on OPI, supplements, and dreaming of Bali

2009-06-18T14:05:00.007-04:00

Just got back from the nail salon for a quickie lunch-time pedicure and wax. I hate getting waxed, but I have to do it. Darn my 1/8th Lebanese heritage...
anyhoo, I went Chicago with my OPI nail polish choice at the nail salon. I'm now sporting "Lincoln Park After Dark" - a spiffy blackish-purply selection. I suppose it's not very "summery" but I like a smart bold color. Also it is sharp and makes my fat toes look skinnier. I don't know why, but it works for me. I typically do a dark brown, maroon, or red color when I get my toes polished.
Some of my fave OPI colors (some may be discontinued so don't get bent outta shape if you can't find them)
-Vampire State Building (Deep dark Maroon)
-I'm Not Really a Waitress (Best Red EVER)
-OctoberryFest (a lighter mauve/purple/grey color)
-Wyatt Earple Purple (a more pinky mauve color, almost silvery mauve, GREAT for wedding toes)
-International Date Line (plummy/maroon shade, with brown in it somehow. hard to explain but I love that one)
-Russian to a Party (dark maroon, garnet, blackish color)
-Got the Blues for Red (deep dark red color, perfect for Pin-up style clothes)
-Hey Vito, Is My Car Ready Yet? (bright red-orange - because it matches a dress and coat set I have.
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ok new topic. I've been working my rear-end off lately at work. So has everybody else here, I know. I don't mean to belittle that. Anyway, it's been NUTS around here, and people are working long hours quite a bit. It's very easy to get sick when you are stressed out, working too hard, stuck inside with no sun and no fresh air, etc. It's not healthy in the long run.
I take vitamins and supplements to try to stay healthy and not get sick. So far so good. I've only had 1 sinus infection in the last year in combination with a mild flu. Other than that I've been healthy as a horse. Typically, I have a horrible sinus infection 4-5 times a year. So that has to be saying something for the supplements, herbs, and healthy things I've been ingesting to ward off germs/sickness at work.
I know a pill can't cure everything, but I swear by my supplements. Here's what I take:
A Multi-vitamin (either Trader Joe's High-potency ones, or Centrum Silver). Why silver? The Silver version has Lycopene in it, and this is VERY good for warding off hangovers or hangover effects. Also, it is good for you. The regular Centrum doesn't have it. I also prefer a multi-vitamin that requires you to take 2 a day. You space it out of course, but that means you are getting more vitamins, and it's not just one big pill in the morning. aka - more effective in my opinion.
A Probiotic - keeps me regular and non-gassy. Maybe it's my genes, but my family has a history of gastro-intestinal issues (whether it's just chronically bad gas, IBS, etc) . I try to avoid having those problems, and I like to be able to eat whatever I feel like (within reason), and a good Probiotic helps. I get mine at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. The more "active cultures" on the label the better. This is one you may want to keep in the fridge. Not required, but it is live cultures and the point of a Probiotic is to help keep the good bacteria in your intestines, so if you keep it cold before taking it, it will last longer and supposedly work better. I have 2 friends who are scientists that swear by this also.
Allergy/Decongestant - why? because we live in this crazy allergy-ridden state! I like Zyrtec-D (or a generic equivalent). Rant - why can't I by Zyrtec-D at my Wholesale store? Idiots. It's because of the damn "Psuedo-ephedrine" ingredient. They actually CARD you at the store if you buy any medicine with that ingredient. I guess there's some issue where people can convert this drug into meth. I use it for the right purpose, and I'm not a meth person, but I really detest having to be carded for it, and you can't buy more than 20 days supply at once either. It's not like I'm buying booze. sheesh! BTW you CAN buy a ton of wine and beer at the wholesale store... just saying...
Potassium - why? because I hate (and am mildly-allergic to) Bananas. Also Potassium helps with muscle soreness, and it's good for your heart. Yay! Take 1 in the AM with a full glass of water. sweet.
Now if only they had a pill for surviving work? ha ha ha!
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In other news, I'm addicted to the show "Househunters International" and last night we watched an episode where this single American-looking-guy (who has to be frickin' loaded), who lives in Tokyo, is looking for a vacation home in Bali. Bali - ohmmmm, yes I have always wanted to go there. Every "villa" they show this guy on the show, is just SO amazing. SO Zen, and GORGEOUS!
I totally want to go to Bali on my next international vacation. YES!
If you've read that book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert, then you KNOW about Bali.
If you haven't read it, go get it. this book ROCKS! Supposedly she has a sequel coming out soon, but I haven't seen it yet . Let me know if you see it ok?
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Bottle Shock Movie - I saw the preview when I went to see Star Trek at the theaters, but I thought it wasn't out yet, but lo and behold, I was able to add that movie to my Netflix list. so maybe it DID come out already. I don't care, I love Alan Rickman.

Busy Bees

2009-06-17T07:51:00.004-04:00

This month has been nuts with activities. I thought May was challenging, but I didn't know what June would bring.
We've joined a Community Share thing in our neighborhood. Local Farms do a "Farmer's Market" near the post office every week. You pay ahead (depending if you want to pick up your bag of fresh produce once a week or every other week). We did the every-other-week option. This last bag of groceries might actually go bad before I have a chance to cook it all.
We had 3 bags of different salad greens, a huge bunch of rosemary, 2 different types of collards or chard (I can never tell the difference, but whatever they cook the same the way I do it), some turnips, radishes, and farm fresh eggs. I love having the options to cook the different greens. Sometimes I even put the radish leaves mixed in with a salad. Radish leaves have a kick to them. Just warning you, it's a different taste. I like to use a poppyseed or Dorothy Lynch dressing or Red Pepper Vinaigrette on them - tastes better. Usually I like oil and red wine vinegar on my salads with some parmesan, but the radish leaves may not go as well with those flavors.
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I had made up a bowl of salad greens the other night, but we hadn't had a chance to eat them yet, and the greens were definitely getting wilted. So, I dumped them into a skillet with some olive oil/garlic powder/salt/pepper, and wilted them further. Warmed up some leftover rice, and cut up a block of tofu. Lightly fried the tofu in fresh rosemary and parmesan cheese. Dinner was Rice, with wilted greens, and rosemary/parm tofu. Matt liked it. Sweet! I also had a bottle of Balsalmic Vinaigrette in case the mixture needed more flavor. Either way - it was light/healthy/and tasty - AND LOW CARB for me (I didn't have the rice)! yeah!
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My new easy low carb way of cooking, is to make whatever meat sauce/protein thing, and greens/veggies, and then whatever the carb is (typically noodles or rice or bread), I just forgo that, but I still cook some for Matt (since he's not low-carbing). AKA - make spaghetti, but only he gets noodles. At first it's hard not to have a noodle or two, but I don't even miss it now.
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Tonight is Sea Scallops/shrimp/calamari mix in Basil Pesto/Olive Oil (and perhaps some alfredo sauce, haven't decided yet) with Spinach linguine noodles. Only I won't get the noodles of course.
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Busy with photo shoots this week. Deadline for the next Voyeur Mag Issue approaches.

Yoga Trance Dance Class

2009-06-12T09:43:00.003-04:00

Last night I went to Yoga Samahdi for the Yoga Trance Dance Class.
WOW.
You've got to try it! It was just beautiful!
The instructor is absolutely gorgeous. Exactly what you'd expect a yoga teacher to be. She was also quite flexible (I'm so jealous), and to top it off she had a very welcoming, kind demeanor. I was touched by her open attitude and friendliness. Not every teacher is like that. She was something special.
You start with some basic yoga stretches, but then as the class continues, you turn those stretches into different wavy/windy movements and later into dance. It's totally up to your own interrpretation, and nobody's dancing is "wrong" it's just whatever feels good to you. Go with the music and dance. It was a good 1.5 hr class, and after the 4-5th "dance song" I was getting VERY sweaty and tired. The studio was a nice big size and there were 4 ceiling fans. I kept hoping the instructor would turn them on to cool us off. Sheesh! I know I just really detest sweating so much. I mean I was DRIPPING. But everyone else was sweaty too, it did not matter so much to them.
Towards the end of the class there is a cool down (dancing more slowly then coming back to the earth), meditation, chant, and then viola you are done. I definitely felt very relaxed and a little sleepy when I left that night - which is the whole point of doing it.
It works!
I want to go back next week and do it all over again. Maybe I can work up my "stamina" gradually? I used to be able to dance all night long when we'd go to a club. Although I admit I typically would have had a red bull and vodka at some point in the evening.
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Oh yes, I also met a gentlemen who told me about the DAIR Project. They do Trapeze and Silk aerial classes, as well as Capoeira. I had been wanting to do Capoeira for a long time, but it is very difficult to find classes near my house, or scheduled anytime that I can possibly attend. DAIR Project just started Capoeira classes and the next one is tonight at 6 or 6:30pm. I'm seriously thinking of going. I can't tonight, but I will have to hit the next class.
Awesome!
Capoeira is also demonstrated by Monica Bellucci's husband, Vincent Cassel, in the movie Ocean's 12.

Happy Birthday Janelle!

2009-06-09T10:22:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my sister
Happy Birthday to you!

2 Jokes and other madness

2009-06-08T14:50:00.003-04:00

What does Snoop Dogg use in his laundry?
Bleee-ach.
Where does Snoop Dogg go on vacation?
The Beee-ach.
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I know, I know, that's terrible. It's all in the pronounciation! Humor me!
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We've been gloriously on vacation for the past week.
We started off 2 Friday night's ago with Happy Hour at Tijuana Joe's, and later met Matt's Friend Jeff's girly girl Bianca. All I have to say is that Bianca is a Minx. She's barely 18, but she's definitely an "old soul" if you will. To sum it all up = Memorable.
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The next day (Saturday) we had an impromptu visit from our dear friend Erika. I thought she was just stopping by to drop some stuff off, but in the wonderful way that those glorious weekends work out, she ended up staying all day, all night, and all the next day. We were sad to see her go on Sunday, but very glad to get to hang out with our lady all weekend long!
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We hit "TAP" for Gorkem's Birthday celebration, and later a quick visit to "Opera" for some dancing. TAP's slogan is "A Convivial Place to have a Pint" - so of course I asked what the word "Convivial" meant (as a test of course). I finally found 1 server who knew. Anyway I love the sophisticated verbiage and the food was divine!
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Sunday (even though Matt had TWO cancellations with models - darn them), E and I went suntanning in the park with Mr. SportyPants, and then later Ruth came over and we all had a photo shoot to cheer Matt up. It ended up being a good thing, since the new issue of the Voyeur is coming up, and the submission deadline is June 19th! ACK! We better hurry!
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Monday, Matt and I ran errands and packed for our beach trip, and ended the night at "DrinkShop" for a swell evening of Pin-ups and Cocktails hosted by the Dixie Pin Ups! Check out our photos here and here. DrinkShop is run just like an old fashioned lounge used to be run in the 1950s and 60s. The staff actually dresses like folks did in that era. There are no ice machines or soda guns, the juice is fresh-squeezed, you name it. It's like AMC's Mad Men come to life! The perfect location to, what else? Host a pin-up event! The Dixie Pin Ups are make-up artists and hair-stylists who get you pin-up ready for your fabulous close-up. Our dear friend Matt Odom was the photographer of the evening, and everyone just had a blast! I tried my best to come pre-pin-up ready, but I still let the Dixie Pin Up gals give me some fake eyelashes, eyeliner, a flower in my hair, and some "rolls" to top off my look. Where else can you go to a party where they make you even PRETTIER? I was like DAMN next time I'll just come with my hair washed and let them do everything else! Just kidding. Love love loved it!
My fave drink of the evening was called the "Hillaire" made of St. Germain Elderflower Vodka and Champagne. Pin-up-a-lishious!!!
Then I ruined my diet (as if), with some nachos from Taco Cabana on the way home. What the hell? I'm on vacation!
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Tuesday was the big drive to the beach (aka Beee-ach!). We checked into our condo, and promptly walked up the beach (with toes in the water) to Crabby Bill's for a CrabTrap drink and some Alaskan King Crab - oooh yes!
It was a week of relaxation, lots of sun (Matt got sunburned on accident, even though he was under the umbrella the whole time), games, friends, food, drinks, and fun!
I got to visit with my sister and nephew for a little bit on Thursday, and then Jamie came alone for some adult girl-time on Saturday evening.
We played Apples-to-Apples, Trivial Pursuit, and Scrabble. I played Scrabble with Gorkem almost nightly on the beach until the sun went down. We had a blast!
Girls versus Guys and Matt was on his own team for Trivial Pursuit (since he's such a smarty-pants). The girls won the first round, but day 2 Matt finally saw victory.
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Some hilarious quotes that went on during the game:
1) Q) Who was the father of Cleopatra's twin sons?
A) Marc Anthony
Comment made by the loser - "I thought he was the singer married to J Lo?"
2) You know what continents are don't you?
3) It's either a Mary or an Elizabeth. No, lets go with King Henry the 8th. (wrong it was Mary I)
4) Is Singapore an Island?
5) (after reading an arts and literature question)- is this an Art question?
6) Oh dammit I got George Clinton and George Michael mixed up. WHAM!
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All in all, it was an awesome vacation - and I'm spent.

2009-05-26T14:52:00.003-04:00

I know, I know. I've been BAD. I've been slacking on updating my blog.
Sorry, life has been super hectic lately. Hectic in a good way, but still insanely busy!
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So, May 15th weekend, my Aunt Julie came to visit me. We did the town right! We hit the King Tut exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center, toured Ikea's Store (quick run through), dined at Six Feet Under with a breathtaking view of the city, and then dashed off to a friend's Birthday party.
Saturday, I woke up slightly hungover (thanks to the late night party) but Aunt Julie (who has a liver of steel thanks to her gin and tonic nightly regimen) gave me a quick hangover cure, and off we went to the MA Home Tour. WOW! Although I was a modern home virgin last year (which makes your first year the best ever and none can top it), this year was still amazing! We saw 2 homes designed by my favorite architects - TaC Studios. If I ever get some serious money going on, I'm going to hire THEM to design a new one (or fix my existing house)! On their website click East, Ashley, or Kendall. The Kendall one is their own home, and it's lovely (was featured in Metropolitan Home Magazine this year also!) The reason I love TaC Studios SO much, is that they design AMAZING homes, but they are "realistic" and "livable" not the fluffy millionaire stuff that is so completely out of reach for the middle-income family. Sure I love walking around someone's 5000 sq foot, fine-art decorated, plush, home, but would I ever really enjoy LIVING there? Seriously. Who cleans it? I would go nuts. I like the smaller sized, realistic homes for myself. But for eye-candy, yes yes yes - go on the MA Tour!
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Other architects were Dencity Designs, BLDGS, Tamara Bickley Design (her own white house was on the tour, and hot damn that was a lovely pad. I would never leave it - there's no need, everything is there!), Lightroom Studios, Carlson & Mosley, and Inman Green Condos.
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Saturday Night we stayed home, and grilled some steaks and fish - chillin' on the porch. Sunday I had to drive Auntie Julie to the airport, and then Matt and I checked out the last 2 homes on the tour that we missed the day before. Amazing. I could just look at those homes all day long.
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Then it was back to the grindstone at work. My boss came in for a visit and he kept us very busy. Although, it was stressful too (As we were making a lot of cut-throat decisions and dealing with some idiotic issues), so I coped with 3 happy hours last week. Sheesh. I'm getting a steel liver now ...
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BTW was happy to see my fave Tequila was featured in the June 2009 issue of Metropolitan Home Magazine: Gran Centenario Rosangel Tequila (Reposado) infused with Hibiscus. I sip this during Happy Hour, it's lovely.
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Matt of Zazen Photo, was at "Get Coffee" on Saturday afternoon, for a "Meet the Artist" during the live musical performance of "Ruff Sacks" - a local band. Very fun.
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Sunday we watched the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, and sipped some celebratory Champagne. Then it was off to the mountains to visit the folks. We had a nice dinner with our folks and some of their new neighbors. It was lovely.
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Monday we finally got to take Sport out to the side stream by the lake. He doesn't "swim" in the deep water, but he will run along the rapids, and rocks as long as he has a place to tough the bottom. It was hilarious watching him run around after a ball in the little rapids (rapids to him, but just a current to us). so funny! We wore him out, let me tell you!
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This morning, after catching up on some sleep, I finally bathed that dirty dog. Poor Sport. He wakes up and it's oops - into the tub. At least now he has all day to sleep and relax while we are at work.
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That's all for now, talk to you all later!

Ode to the Scale

2009-05-14T13:59:00.004-04:00

Photo Credit.

Ode to the Scale

Scale?

I am not afraid anymore.

I've got your number old friend.

You've waved your needle

back and forth

up and up some more

But not today.

The buck stops here.

You're going down.

Down slow and gradual

tick those numbers backwards.

Take your pal Cellulite with you,

I'm onto your game.

Count those ticks.

I'm down 6.6 !

UrbanCouture and other extremes

2009-05-09T23:40:00.001-04:00

WOW! May I just say, those are some amazingly talented students at Grady High!!!
Albeit this was my first time attending a Fashion Show, but this show outdid every TV version of one that I have ever seen! The music, the lighting, the designs, the models, simply spectacular!
Matt said if we have children they HAVE to go to this school!
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Whirly-ball- well I may now be infertile. I have a bruise the size of a Cadbury Egg on my pelvis where my left ovary is. Ouch!
It was fun though!
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Happy Mother's Day!

-- Post From My iPhone

UrbanCouture Fashion Show

2009-05-09T11:52:00.001-04:00

Tonite 8 pm!
Www.seatyourself.biz/gradyhighschool/

-- Post From My iPhone

Laptop

2009-05-07T20:19:00.002-04:00

OMG I just bought a laptop. What was I thinking?
The crap they preload on these things is just inconceivable!
oh well.
it runs well, types well, I like it so far. We'll see.
on to Part 2.

UrbanCouture Fashion Show - May 9th at 8pm

2009-05-05T16:41:00.002-04:00

Get your Tickets now. Click here

May the Fourth Be With You & Cinco De Mayo

2009-05-05T14:44:00.003-04:00

Wow, how did I miss THIS holiday?
I should have been decked out in a white dress and cinnamon-bun-hair.
Happy belated Star Wars Day!
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Also, Happy Cinco De Mayo!
May you all be blessed to enjoy fabulous Margaritas. I myself will be unable to have one, due to the sugar content, but don't worry I have plans for celebrating in other ways! OLE!
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Last night we finished setting up the Zazen Photo exhibit at Get Coffee. Stop by sometime for a peek?
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Zane Lamprey of Three Sheets will be BACK ON THE AIR with new episodes starting Friday May 29th, 11pm ET, on the Fine Living Network. Those of you who still have Comcast will be able to see it on Channel 255 or if you have AT&T U-Verse, it's Channel 456 (if you have the U450, U300, or U200 plan).
FLN is part of HGTV, check your local listings. For those of you unfamiliar with Three Sheets, it's a travel/drinking show about a guy who gets to go to various countries/cities and explore their local watering-holes, bars, pubs, and local liquors. It's actually quite educational in spite of it's hilarity. It used to air on MOJO/HD but then it was cancelled/stopped due to that channel ceasing to exist. Anyhoo, they have found a NEW HOME thanks to all the fans, and off we go again.
BTW - Zane supposedly says his FAVE episode is the one he did in New Zealand, and New Zealand is the one airing on May 29th.
NOTE: Those of you who can't get FLN, never fear Hulu.com to the rescue! Hulu should have it available for viewers 1 day later.
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Grandma is OK! Thank you!

2009-05-04T17:16:00.004-04:00

Photo Credit goes to ME - took this with my iPhone.
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Grandma is home from the hospital and resting. So far so good. One of my relatives will be staying with her for a few weeks also.
Thank you all for your prayers!
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Update for Zazen Photo exhibit at Get Coffee:
The May Exhibit was delayed due to reasons outside of our control.
BUT on Cinco De Mayo, you should be able to view the exhibit at Get Coffee!
We are going there tonight to set everything up. We couldn't put Matt Lane's work up until the April Artist's stuff was moved/taken down.
Thank you to everyone to inquired, and my apologies to those who went this weekend and were disappointed not to see the exhibit yet.
NEW DATES of the exhibit are now May 5th - June 5th!

PLEASE PRAY FOR MY GRANDMOTHER!

2009-05-01T14:35:00.002-04:00

My Grandmother (My mom's mom) is currently in the hospital. Please pray for steady hands during the surgery(s) and a speedy recovery!

Thank you all in advance!

Shih-Tzu's, Weddings, and White Wine

2009-05-01T13:18:00.005-04:00

Every morning as I'm driving into the office, I see a little old lady walking with her dog. The difference is she isnt' "walking the dog" she's either pushing it in a stroller, like it's a baby. Or she's carrying it as she walks. I think it's a Shih-Tzu, but not the teeny version, it's almost the size of a small Westy. Anyway, I started to notice because it was somewhat strange seeing a dog being "walked" but whose feet do not touch the ground. My best guess is that the dog is either old or ailing and she is taking it outside for some air? You can see the very obvious love that the woman and the dog feel for one another. They are affectionate.
-
Weddings on the brain again? A girlfriend is getting married in July. She and I hung out last night, and I got all the wedding planning gossip.
and
Also a guy-friend is getting married TODAY - who knew? I didn't know the date until he was already out of town, but that's cool. I'm excited for him. I can't wait until he gets back from his 2 week honeymoon. He's slightly younger than me, but supposedly he's still a virgin. We were at happy-hour last night and lightly joking about how different he will be when he gets back. I bet he comes in with a very glazed look on his face, like he's very well rested. He'll have his shirt slightly unbuttoned, and a bit of some sexy stubble on his face, and when he speaks, his voice will have dropped 2 octaves to a Barry White kind of sound. That's my guess anyway. "How YOU doin?" It's definitely going to be a subtle personality change. Sex does that to you! Love it!!!
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Today my girlfriend from Connecticut arrives. She's visiting for the weekend. She loves the White Wine, and I actually do like White Wine for summertime, but haven't figured out my fave yet (I've been a Red Wine fan for so long). So, I went to Trader Joe's and got about 9 different kinds and varietals. The one I haven't ever tried before is "Bear's Lair Voignier" so we'll see what a "Voigner" tastes like. I prefer the drier white wines, but sometimes they are too sweet for me. We'll see.
Wikipedia says Voignier pairs well with Thai Cuisine and sushi/sashimi. Boy I know how to pick them don't I? AWESOME!
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UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Matt Lane of Zazen Photo is the featured MAY artist at Get Coffee. So stop on by for a sip and peak!
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Zazen Photo's website has been revamped. Check it out!
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UrbanCouture Fashion show is NEXT Saturday May 9th at Grady High School. Get your TICKETS now!
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Still confused about what UrbanCouture is? Check out the article published in The Voyeur of Fashion, Art, and Politics E-zine.
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This weekend is the Kentucky Derby. My Connecticut friend likes to have us all pick a horse and then we root for it to win. I don't know that any actual bets will be made, but it is fun. I picked the horse named "I Want Revenge" for this year. 3 guesses why? ha!
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And last but not least... The Modern Atlanta Home Tour is coming up on May 15-17. My beloved Auntie Julie is flying down to visit us and go on the tour. I CAN'T WAIT!!! If this year was anything like last year, it will ROCK! Tickets are $35 for the whole weekend, and a tour ticket gets you into the Launch Party on Friday night for FREE. Schmooze with the architects and designers, or just get some free munchies and wine, whatever. I'm SO there!

Three Sheets

2009-04-29T15:09:00.002-04:00

Follow Zane on Twitter so he can WIN!
http://twitter.com/zanelamprey

This message was approved by ME.

:-D

Invented a new drink

2009-04-26T15:22:00.001-04:00

The Cowardly Russian
In a blender put in
3 cups ice
1 cup creme de banana
1 cup kahlua
Half cup half-n-half
Blend
Pour
Drink
Repeat as often as needed.

Recommend drinking while suntanning and listening to Reggae

-- Post From My iPhone

A Photographer's Wife

2009-04-14T21:10:00.002-04:00

Being a Photographer's Wife - there are some perks:
1) Free Photography
2) Frequent Modeling opportunities
3) Meeting some unique and amazing people along the way
4) Getting to play the verbal "Editor/Consultant" to everything (newsletter, photos, web design, lighting, etc)
5) Filling in as the "voice activated light-stand" every so often.
6) Suddenly knowing WAY more than you ever really wanted to know about Photography, but appreciating the art anyway.
7) Inadvertantly becoming the Business Manager, Search Engine Optimizing Advisor, Accountant, Office Manager, Sounding board, Assistant, Marketing Director, and Cheerleading Squad for the business.
8) Watching hubby's skill sharpen and "develop" (yes that was a pun) over time.
9) Learning to always "be in makeup" since you never know when he'll need to do a test shot. How often do I hear "Honey, can I borrow you for 5 minutes?"
10) Social/Business Networking everywhere (come on, everybody needs a photographer, and I have the perfect business card right here in my purse).
11) Getting to frame, mat, and bag the finished product(s).
12) Being a part of an amazing team.
13) Living in the presence of Genius.

What to do, what to do?

2009-04-14T17:07:00.002-04:00

What do you do when the slacker gets their way?
What do you do when what is wrong is rewarded?
What do you do when what is right continues to be argued against?
What do you do when everything that is ethical and logical is turned upside down?
What do you do when the bad one never has to pay for their sins? And the good ones always have to clean up the mess?
What do you do when it takes 1.5 yrs for one right thing to be finally put into place? And then it's done half-*ssed instead of correctly?
What do you do when there should be more than enough evidence of what is wrong, and it should be fixed, but nobody f'n does anything about it?
Just because someone preens for the masses, hogs the limelight, and sweet-talks you with lies, doesn't mean they are the one you should listen to. Yet everybody seems to like it.
Can't they see who is working the hardest and who is finding every way not to work at all?
Can't they see through the smoke and mirrors?
Can't they see what it is costing the rest of us?
Can't they see how fed up we are?
Can't they see how this is poisening us?
I wish I could walk away.
I wish I didn't care so much.
I wish I was not even IN this situation.
but
I have absolutely HAD it.
I'm fed up.
I'm done.
This is the last straw.

Easter Weekend and Recipe for Teriyaki Sauce

2009-04-13T14:38:00.003-04:00

Saturday Night was a nice reunion with our dear White Russian, who had returned from Vegas for a brief break. We dined on Fried Rice and Teriyaki Chicken. This brings me to my recipe for the day.
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How to make Teriyaki Sauce with what's in the kitchen:
Ingredients needed: Soy Sauce, Ground Ginger (from the spice rack), Syrup or Sugar or whatever sweetener you usually cook with if you are low-carb dieting, Sesame Oil or Sesame Seeds.
In Skillet, pour some soy sauce (I used about 2 cups), squeeze in 1/3 cup of Syrup (I used Aunt Jemima's Lite), shake a good tablespoon of ground ginger over this mixture, and a dash of Sesame Oil. Heat to a light simmer, stirring frequently to get the ginger to mix in all the way. Voila! You can add more of a specific ingredient to taste (say if you like it more salty then add more soy, etc).
CAUTION: Soy Sauce has wheat gluten in it, so if you are trying to eat gluten free, then you need to buy specifically labled "gluten-free soy sauce" - I know they don't tell you that up front.
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After dinner, we hung out talking and drinking and just having a good ole time. Matt lit a fire in the fireplace, and it was just a relaxing evening. My sinuses had been acting up that morning, but by the evening time, I was feeling just perfect. I even had a cuban seed cigar. oh yes I would pay for it later, I thought.
But no.
Just before bedtime, I took my generic Zyrtec-D, and drank an "Urban Detox" which is specially formulated to benefit sinus and lung functions.
And guess what?
Function: Urban Detox Drink really works, or the Zyrtec helps it work better, whatever. Anyway I'm sold!
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Easter Sunday was just gorgeous! Sunny with a light breeze, and highs in the 70s. We did a Goldberg's Bagel run, and hung out on the porch/deck almost all day long. Matt and I had the leftover chinese food for lunch, and then for dinner we grilled out. Burgers/Spicy Sausage and sides of broccoli, corn, and potato-au-gratin puffs.
We wound down the evening with a movie "YES man" - Jim Carey. Hysterical! I highly recommend it. We were laughing so hard, I even woke up laughing about it. Great movie!
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Monday's weather is a bit odd. It's raining sideways, it's cold (50s), branches/leaves/debris all over the road, some of the traffic lights are out, but I came to work anyway.

Recipe for Tomato Soup

2009-04-11T13:03:00.005-04:00

I'm into this new thing where I literally just throw shit from my cupboards into a dish, and make something.
so today is Tomato Soup.

Ingredients:
Dried Nori
Worcestershire Sauce
2 small cans of V8
2 small packets of Veggie Broth Mix
1 canned chicken thing from Trader Joes
Some frozen Mixed Veggies (Kroger brand)
the last bit of Organic Ketchup in the bottle.
basil - from my spice shelf.

Pour V8 into saucepan, add Veggie Broth Packets, squirt out last remains of the ketchup bottle. Add water to the ketchup bottle (1/3 full), put lid back on, shake hard, then empty that into the saucepan too. This does 2 things, lets you get out more ketchup, and cleans out the ketchup bottle so I can recycle it. ha!
Add couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
sprinkle a generous bit of basil on top
Add canned chicken (don't bother draining it, we need the liquid and that liquid in the can is already chicken flavored).
Cut up the Nori into small strips/bits, and sprinkle on top. I only used 1 full sheet from the pack I have in the cupboard.
Add some frozen mixed veggies - no more than 1 cup.
bring to boil.
after it boils for a bit (lets the flavors meld together).
turn off heat and let sit in pan covered, until it cools enough to taste.

I'm debating about adding some cream to this soup for better flavor, but so far I like it as is.

Matt's going to make some panini-cheese sammiches on our George Foreman grill to go with the soup.

Voila! Easy!

*Add the cream, it totally makes the soup PERFECT.

Just another Saturday

2009-04-11T11:05:00.002-04:00

Here we are at "Get Coffee", taking in the day over paninis and coffee. I am super excited to see that Durenda is now carrying Bionade, a new organic drink that I discovered at Studio 1 five 0's opening. Matt's trying the Elderberry flavor. Mmmm.

I also found another beverage at Whole Foods called Urban Detox, which supposedly helps u clean your body of toxins and helps your sinuses! Check it out www.functiondrinks.com

My sinuses are going crazy this spring so I will take all the help I can get!

Ttyl!

-- Post From My iPhone

Thank God It's Easter!

2009-04-10T14:31:00.003-04:00

Seriously, if it weren't for the lovely admin in our building, who keeps the candy dish full of Dove Dark Chocolate Eggs, I think I would go batty.
-
Quote for the day:
"People think it must be fun to be a super genius , but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world" - Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes.
-
On a lighter note ...
Matt took me to "Trois" for our 3 year anniversary. Wow it is super nice and classy. We arrived early, so we went to the bar for a glass of Malbec and Tempranillo respectively. Guess who had the Malbec? Yes, that was me.
Then we went upstairs for dinner.
We dined on lump crab fritter, olive bread, small complimentary appetizer of beets/goat cheese/vinagraitte (spl?), and then for the main entre I had the Scottish Salmon (how could I not with a name like that?), with bacon wrapped white asparagus, and Matt had the seared Scallops with Vichy Carrots, and a side of whipped potatoes that were to die for. Dessert was some sort of complimentary chocolate brownie thing with "white chocolate foam". They even wrote "Happy Anniversary" in chocolate syrup on the plate. Too funny!
With dessert, we drank some French Press gourmet coffee called "Brazillian Cerrado" - also AMAZING, and then they brought out some complimentary Rose wine and a small flat piece of chocolae. I was just in HEAVEN.
The olive bread was unique to me, I was very very happy with that. Too bad I'm trying to give up wheat gluten now, but I had some anyway. DELISH!
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So here is the dilemma. On our 1 yr anniversary he took me to "ONE Midtown Kitchen" and then on our 2 yr anniversary he took me to "TWO Urban Licks".
You just read about "TROIS" for the 3 yr. So what will we do for year 4?
Please post your ideas under the comments section if you have any. THANK YOU!

Happy 3 yr Anniversary!

2009-04-08T15:43:00.002-04:00

Happy
3 yr
Anniversary!

Life in the Fast Lane

SOPA, PIPA, and Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011

Men Are Just Happier People

Boeuf Bourguignon - My Crock Pot Version

Baklava - my way

New Twist to Spaghetti

Vegetarian Mexican Chili

La Ensalada Mexico

Vegetarian Mexican-dip

Cherry Mistmas ?

Thai Cabbage Rolls

Pumpkin Coconut Curry Soup

It's a Mexican Mojito kind if Day

Miche & Mimosa AND Miche & Martini Parties

In loving memory

New addition to our family

De Lux Potatoes

Grandpa's favorite Beef Rib Recipe

Beef Stew - a la Grandpa's orders

My Wonderful Weekend of Cooking

Vidalia Onion Recipe & Mr. Rogers Quotes

Whew it's been a long time

Dinner in 15?

Modern Home Tour Atlanta 2010

Diet & Health musings

My new obsession - Bragiole

April's Manicotti Recipe

My Grandpa

Drink Well, DO GOOD!

Valentines Day Pork Chops

Happy Valentine's Day!

Grandpa's Chocolate Zebra Cluster Recipe

Did you write a book?

Cold Asian Salad

Frugal Girlie

It's the Little Things...

Christmas Recap

Kick-*ss F*ckin Chile

Christmas Traditions

Supplement-IT Launch Party at Solstice Cafe

New Year's Eve at Solstice Cafe

New York New York Pictures & Movie Links

New York New York Last Day

New York New York Day 8

New York New York Day 7

New York New York Day 6

New York New York Day 5

New York New York Thanksgiving Day

New York, New York Day 3

New York, New York Day 2

New York, New York Day 1

Varasano's, Vino, and Va-Nuptials?

Sniffling through the Season

Party, Party, Party, and Party some more...

Californication-ary measures

The Mad Month of October

Vampires, Vino, and Vivaciousness

In Limbo

The Office - Premiere's TONITE!

Remembering 09/11/2001 - Did you wear your Red,White,and Blue today?

...and in the face of humor...

Flavio "Piquet" a tattletale driver?

The Case of the Missing Sunglasses

SPA, Art, and BBs Burgers

Grilled Beef Gyros and other flavors of life

Hatch Green Chile and Revolutionary Road

De-Lovely

Mad Men returns

The City of Brotherly Love

The Week of Insanity

Ponderings

Three Sheets Premiere - TONIGHT

Happenings this weekend

Visiting Grandpa, Refi, Sickness, White Russians, Sad Movies, and all that jazz

Chateau Montelena Chardonnay & Bottle Shock Movie

Bent Tree, Harp, and ApplesToApples

Low-Carb Pad Thai and Low-Carb Mojito Recipes

Musings on OPI, supplements, and dreaming of Bali

Busy Bees

Yoga Trance Dance Class

Kick-ss Fckin Chile