Wednesday, January 27, 2010
I Want To Trust Him
But time and time again, he makes me look like a fool. He was having such a good year so far. I even tried to lessen the temptation by putting the bag of recyclables up off the floor. Evidently, it needed to be higher. Back to the bathroom he goes....
Stinky Man
I came to Starbucks for free Wifi, some coffee and a relaxing environment in which to work on some computer business. Too bad I have to leave now because the man that just sat down next to me reeks of urine...strong enough to overpower the aroma of espresso.
Working Hard?
I wish.
Hardly working is more like it.
I wish that I could say that the reason I haven't been writing is because I've been too busy, but it aint so.
I am actually most productive (in blogging and in all other areas of life) when I have a lot of activity going on. I've been working since I was 13 or 14 (babysitting) and have had a job (or 2, or 5) ever since. At present, I have zero. Wait- I'm lying...in 2 weeks I'm making $60 for dressing up as a cereal brand mascot (I'm hoping for the bumblebee costume). I missed out on some stand-in work last week because the casting people had an old photo on file. They needed me to have hair. Grrrrr. I'm going a little stir crazy here. When I went away for the holidays, I had work secured for the new year. It was promo work, but it it pays the bills. Unfortunately, one of the many pitfalls of freelancing is that nobody really has your back- so I got pulled from the program at the last minute and consequently, I will also be uninsured at the end of the month. Waah, waah, waah....so enough about that.
It's off to an idle start, but I'm still feeling optimistic about 2010!!! On a positive note, I've gone to the gym every single day and we haven't eaten out since we got back to the city after the holidays. I've been doing a lot of healthy and economic cooking. I've also started to read The Clear Skin Diet. Contrary to what most dermatologists will tell you, I believe that there is a definite correlation between what you put in your body and how your skin looks and behaves. It seems like a no brainer, but the American Academy of Dermatology seems to perpetuate the myth that it's unrelated. I recently started seeing a dermatologist because my skin was freaking out, and it's such a racket. It costs something like thirty dollars a minute for someone to look at your face, jot down a couple of prescriptions and tell you to come back in a month. One of the prescriptions was for a little tube of cream that retailed for over $200. I would pay triple that amount if it managed to clear up my face, but guess what? It didn't (based on the samples I was given). I did not fill that prescription. Anyhow, since I've modified my diet, I have noticed some improvement in my skin. Coincidence? I have a feeling that it's not.
Here is another positive note:
D's year is off to a great start!
He's been busy teaching and designing, and he's in the midst of workshopping a very exciting theatrical project. We are crossing our fingers that it is successful. I don't want to divulge too much information, but it's potentially a great opportunity for him to have creatively satisfying employment.
On Monday night, we had the opportunity to attend the nightlife awards Nightlife Awards We also stopped by the after party. Free pasta and cosmos! That's my idea of a good time!
Hardly working is more like it.
I wish that I could say that the reason I haven't been writing is because I've been too busy, but it aint so.
I am actually most productive (in blogging and in all other areas of life) when I have a lot of activity going on. I've been working since I was 13 or 14 (babysitting) and have had a job (or 2, or 5) ever since. At present, I have zero. Wait- I'm lying...in 2 weeks I'm making $60 for dressing up as a cereal brand mascot (I'm hoping for the bumblebee costume). I missed out on some stand-in work last week because the casting people had an old photo on file. They needed me to have hair. Grrrrr. I'm going a little stir crazy here. When I went away for the holidays, I had work secured for the new year. It was promo work, but it it pays the bills. Unfortunately, one of the many pitfalls of freelancing is that nobody really has your back- so I got pulled from the program at the last minute and consequently, I will also be uninsured at the end of the month. Waah, waah, waah....so enough about that.
It's off to an idle start, but I'm still feeling optimistic about 2010!!! On a positive note, I've gone to the gym every single day and we haven't eaten out since we got back to the city after the holidays. I've been doing a lot of healthy and economic cooking. I've also started to read The Clear Skin Diet. Contrary to what most dermatologists will tell you, I believe that there is a definite correlation between what you put in your body and how your skin looks and behaves. It seems like a no brainer, but the American Academy of Dermatology seems to perpetuate the myth that it's unrelated. I recently started seeing a dermatologist because my skin was freaking out, and it's such a racket. It costs something like thirty dollars a minute for someone to look at your face, jot down a couple of prescriptions and tell you to come back in a month. One of the prescriptions was for a little tube of cream that retailed for over $200. I would pay triple that amount if it managed to clear up my face, but guess what? It didn't (based on the samples I was given). I did not fill that prescription. Anyhow, since I've modified my diet, I have noticed some improvement in my skin. Coincidence? I have a feeling that it's not.
Here is another positive note:
D's year is off to a great start!
He's been busy teaching and designing, and he's in the midst of workshopping a very exciting theatrical project. We are crossing our fingers that it is successful. I don't want to divulge too much information, but it's potentially a great opportunity for him to have creatively satisfying employment.
On Monday night, we had the opportunity to attend the nightlife awards Nightlife Awards We also stopped by the after party. Free pasta and cosmos! That's my idea of a good time!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Score!
Look what I found at Trader Joes!
(French Macarons)
I can't say that they're as amazing as the real thing, but they hit the spot. And since they normally go for over $2 a cookie, they're a steal at 4.99 for a box of 12.
Looove Trader Joes...
(French Macarons)
I can't say that they're as amazing as the real thing, but they hit the spot. And since they normally go for over $2 a cookie, they're a steal at 4.99 for a box of 12.
Looove Trader Joes...
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Happy Birthday Larry
Our little guy is 2 years old today. It wasn't too long ago that we wondered if he would ever stop peeing on the floor. These are the photos that made us fall in love:
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Monday, January 11, 2010
Some Comfort Food
This frigid weather means it's soup making time. Here are some of my favorite recipes:
The first is a a creamy vegetable soup that I've been making since college. The second is a newly discovered chili recipe. Both are relatively quick, easy, plentiful and inexpensive. AND HEALTHY! Yay!
Margaret Soup (makes 8-10) servings)
I don't know who Margaret is, but the recipe is from a friend of a friend of a friend and as I said, I've been making this soup for years. I make it so often that Daryl has requested breaks from it in the past. I made it at my parents' house over the holidays with the wrong cheese...and it was still tasty but it wasn't right, so be warned. Anyhow, this is how you make it:
Ingredients
1 cup of carrots
1 cup celery
3 cups potatoes
1 small diced onion
1 can (15 0z) chicken broth
1 large can (32 oz?) crushed tomatoes (I usually get the kind with some herbs already added)
1-2 cups milk (depending on how thick/creamy you want it to be)
1 15 oz can creamed corn
2 jars of Old English cheese spread (this is the bizarro secret ingredient!)
salt and pepper to taste
basil (optional) to taste
Directions
1. Chop veggies to desired sizes and cook them in the broth until tender.
2. Mix in cheese until melted, then add canned ingredients and heat everything through.
3. Finally, stir in desired amount of milk
So easy!
To make it even easier, I use baby carrots and new potatoes so that I don't even have to peel anything. I also bag up and freeze one cup portions of celery so that I don't have to buy a stalk of celery every time I make this soup. Old English is kind of expensive, but I found this product called Pub Cheese that is half the price and tastes exactly the same. I use a half (a 8oz) tub of it and it substitutes perfectly. If you can't find either of these products, any sort of pasteurized sharp cheddar spread should do (about a half a cup). Velveeta won't do, though! It should be sharp, otherwise it will be bland (however, I do sort of have a thing against mild, processed cheese in general). I tweak it around sometimes (adding more veggies, more broth, more/less milk, etc) but it's never disappointed.
Next, we have my new favorite chili recipe. I am going to be really lazy and just post the link for it:
It's called Confetti Chili by Ellie Krieger. Our friend, Joe introduced us to the recipes at parties. I've made it several times and it hasn't failed me. It is ridiculously easy to prepare, and once you have all of the spices on hand, it's really simple to throw together at the last minute. You can cut down on the cooking time by using fake meat. I like the pre-crumbled ground beef style version that you can find in the vegan section of your grocery store. In this recipe, it tastes exactly like the real thing. I swear. In addition to saving a ton of time, it's also cheaper (here, anyway) than a pound of super lean beef.
The secret to this recipe is the can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce. You can find this product in the ethnic food aisle. I pick it up at Whole Foods but I even found it at HEB in a tiny Texas town. Only use 1 pepper and not the whole can, or you will burn your tongue off. Since you only use a small portion of the can, you can seed the remaining peppers and puree them with the sauce for future use. Here is a quickie recipe that I made the other day with some of the leftover mixture. It was amazing:
Slice 3 medium sweet potatoes and layer into an 8x8 baking dish.
Mix 2 cups of cream (I used light cream) with 1 T chipotle puree, pour mixture over potatoes and bake for 1 hour.
Mash potatoes with an immersion blender.
Sooo good! I created this recipe in an attempt to salvage a curdled mess.
In theory, the original recipe sounded fantastic, but it just turned out to be too weird and gloppy looking. I did substitute light cream for the 2 cups of heavy cream, but I could not justify that amount of gluttony. My post-mashing concoction was creamy, spicy, awesomeness.
I love winter foods but I'm ready for Spring now.
Happy Cooking!
The first is a a creamy vegetable soup that I've been making since college. The second is a newly discovered chili recipe. Both are relatively quick, easy, plentiful and inexpensive. AND HEALTHY! Yay!
Margaret Soup (makes 8-10) servings)
I don't know who Margaret is, but the recipe is from a friend of a friend of a friend and as I said, I've been making this soup for years. I make it so often that Daryl has requested breaks from it in the past. I made it at my parents' house over the holidays with the wrong cheese...and it was still tasty but it wasn't right, so be warned. Anyhow, this is how you make it:
Ingredients
1 cup of carrots
1 cup celery
3 cups potatoes
1 small diced onion
1 can (15 0z) chicken broth
1 large can (32 oz?) crushed tomatoes (I usually get the kind with some herbs already added)
1-2 cups milk (depending on how thick/creamy you want it to be)
1 15 oz can creamed corn
2 jars of Old English cheese spread (this is the bizarro secret ingredient!)
salt and pepper to taste
basil (optional) to taste
Directions
1. Chop veggies to desired sizes and cook them in the broth until tender.
2. Mix in cheese until melted, then add canned ingredients and heat everything through.
3. Finally, stir in desired amount of milk
So easy!
To make it even easier, I use baby carrots and new potatoes so that I don't even have to peel anything. I also bag up and freeze one cup portions of celery so that I don't have to buy a stalk of celery every time I make this soup. Old English is kind of expensive, but I found this product called Pub Cheese that is half the price and tastes exactly the same. I use a half (a 8oz) tub of it and it substitutes perfectly. If you can't find either of these products, any sort of pasteurized sharp cheddar spread should do (about a half a cup). Velveeta won't do, though! It should be sharp, otherwise it will be bland (however, I do sort of have a thing against mild, processed cheese in general). I tweak it around sometimes (adding more veggies, more broth, more/less milk, etc) but it's never disappointed.
Next, we have my new favorite chili recipe. I am going to be really lazy and just post the link for it:
It's called Confetti Chili by Ellie Krieger. Our friend, Joe introduced us to the recipes at parties. I've made it several times and it hasn't failed me. It is ridiculously easy to prepare, and once you have all of the spices on hand, it's really simple to throw together at the last minute. You can cut down on the cooking time by using fake meat. I like the pre-crumbled ground beef style version that you can find in the vegan section of your grocery store. In this recipe, it tastes exactly like the real thing. I swear. In addition to saving a ton of time, it's also cheaper (here, anyway) than a pound of super lean beef.
The secret to this recipe is the can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce. You can find this product in the ethnic food aisle. I pick it up at Whole Foods but I even found it at HEB in a tiny Texas town. Only use 1 pepper and not the whole can, or you will burn your tongue off. Since you only use a small portion of the can, you can seed the remaining peppers and puree them with the sauce for future use. Here is a quickie recipe that I made the other day with some of the leftover mixture. It was amazing:
Slice 3 medium sweet potatoes and layer into an 8x8 baking dish.
Mix 2 cups of cream (I used light cream) with 1 T chipotle puree, pour mixture over potatoes and bake for 1 hour.
Mash potatoes with an immersion blender.
Sooo good! I created this recipe in an attempt to salvage a curdled mess.
In theory, the original recipe sounded fantastic, but it just turned out to be too weird and gloppy looking. I did substitute light cream for the 2 cups of heavy cream, but I could not justify that amount of gluttony. My post-mashing concoction was creamy, spicy, awesomeness.
I love winter foods but I'm ready for Spring now.
Happy Cooking!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Happy New Year!
We had a great trip home for the holidays. It was a little difficult coming back to NYC and getting back in the groove this time. I've been away from the blog for a few weeks so it's time for an update:
Our holiday was literally off to a shaky start with a bumpy and delayed plane ride to Texas on Christmas Eve. I lived in Texas for over a dozen years and we never had a white Christmas. I didn't appreciate it this year, because we were supposed to make a roadtrip to my parents' house after we landed. Because of icy roads and blizzard conditions further north, this did not happen. We ended up eating Taco Bueno for Christmas Eve dinner. Since we had Larry with us, Daryl ate inside and I ate in the car. Here is Larry, waiting for his dad outside of Taco Bueno on Christmas Eve:
We ended up having to stay in the DFW area on Christmas Day because it was just too unsafe to travel. I was really bummed but It ended up being a good situation. We got to spend some time with Daryl's grandma and also with my sister, who was stuck in Dallas for the holidays because of her work schedule.
Nothing is open on Christmas Day. I have never needed anything to be open on Christmas Day because I've always been surrounded by my family and tons of food. Luckily, IHOP apparently never closes:
We had an indulgent brunch. It was unexpectedly tasty.
Larry got this sweater as a gift from Daryl's grandma. He likes it a lot:
For dinner, we went to TGI Fridays with my sister. Again, we had very few options, and again, it was surprisingly satisfying.
We finally made it to Kansas on the evening of the 26th, where we spent several days hanging out with my family and eating good food. I fell in love with Wii Fitness on the last day and regret that I did not discover its awesomeness sooner.
For the next leg of the trip, we drove down to Hill Country and spent several days with Daryl's family in a vacation home. Aside from a plumbing adventure on one of the first nights, it was a great time. We played a lot of games (I was proud to be the Monopoly champion) and ate more delicious food. I had fun cooking a few meals in a spacious kitchen. I'll know that we've made it when we can have a real kitchen (and a washing machine) in Manhattan.
Here is a scene from Christmas #3:
Daryl had the opportunity to see a Cowboys game at the new stadium. He paid for a nosebleed seat but was able to watch half of the game in a luxury box through a friend of a friend. He wore this homemade jersey (a fabulous gift to him from my cousin):
The Boys won, and the homemade jersey is now his official game-watching uniform.
There aren't any pictures of me because I barely got dressed during our trip and I'm vain like that. In addition, our camera was lost (under the car seat) for the first week and a half and so I took most of these pictures on my phone.
Here is Larry under the seat on the plane ride home:
He was just as depressed to come home as we were.
We've been back in the city for a few days now. It's cold here!
I'm looking forward to 2010. I'm striving for some major productivity this year. I didn't make any formal resolutions, but I'd like to work on my organization skills (I'm trying, mom, I'm trying!!) and I'd like concentrate on healthy living, as well. While it was fun eating candy for breakfast these past few weeks, I am making a conscious effort to eat more wholesome and energizing foods. I'm also going to stop biting my nails.
I will also blog more frequently.
Note: Many of you may not believe me...but here's the thing. You see, for the past year, we've had two bum computers in this household. I am now writing from our fancy new Mac, a Christmas gift :) It is fast, and it's much easier to use than our previous equipment (which tended to randomly turn off and took forever to download pics, etc.)
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