Happy Birthday Nicole!

Today is my dear sister's birthday.

Dear by default...she's my only sister.

And it's her 20th. Hmm...what it's like to be young again...I can't really remember.

But I guess that comes with old age.

So although today was Nicole's birthday, I'm making her a cake tomorrow because we had dinner at the restaurant...more on that later. But, I was tasked with making red velvet cupcakes for my mom's coworkers. And so of course I used her Kitchen Aid stand mixer...seemed like such a good idea until...



It splattered.



Everywhere.

And red food coloring resists washing! Per Jenney's advice, I used lemon juice, which worked...but geees did it sting!! I think have a lemon juice burn on my chin. But at least it's not red any more.

So, when the recipe tells you to be careful as splashing may occur...they mean it. Turn off the mixer and start again on low. Unless you like splatter art on youself. In which case, just leave it running.



Yup...two bottles of red food coloring. At least a quarter of it on me.

We went to dinner at Mama's Fish House, which has some pretty amazing scenic views and pretty good food as well. Tonight I really wanted the moi, which is a small yummy fish that was once reserved only for Hawaiian royalty. But, sadly they ran out. Sobs. So instead I had the grilled ahi, which wasn't so fantastic, but the breadfruit mash was tasty. My dad said that his friend caught some moi and gave it to him, and it was just fantastic. Thanks Dad. Really, this ahi is awesome. I didn't really want the moi after all.



The pre-dinner view.



Grilled ahi (on a sugar cane skewer, my waiter was quick to note) with mushroom sauce and breadfruit mash.

But mediocre entree aside (everyone else adored their's), I was hopeful that I could have a heavenly dessert. Like a banana macadamia nut crisp with homemade Tahitian vanilla ice cream. Mmm...I luv macadamia nuts! But noooo....Nicole doesn't want macadamia nuts. And it's her birthday. Blah. Blah. Blah. So we ended up getting our usual dessert, which is a chocolate mousse bombe filled with lilikoi cream and...a chocolate mousse pie. Such redundancy. But hey, it's not my birthday. Doesn't being the older sister mean anything anymore? Hmph.



Chocolate mousse bombe with lilikoi.



Chocolate mousse pie. To its credit, the caramel layer was awesome. And the Oreo cookie crust was crumbly and delicious.



I thought this ginger arrangement was quite lovely.

Oh and what would a birthday without presents?

Specifically...



Fake designer purses!! Hahahahaha!!!

Nicole: "Where did you get these...you know, it's illegal to buy fake stuff".
Mommy: "Huh? Illegal? Why? It's not stolen".

Oh well. Better luck next year, Nicole. Happy Birthday!

No One Rides For Free

I was reminded of this reality as I window shopped around Paia this afternoon.



Hilarious. Gets me every time. Take your pick.

After a day at the beach and fitness magazine reading, Nicole decided that we were going to have salads for lunch at Lahaina Farms, which is like a Whole Food-ish market in the new Lahaina Gateway...which I'm not too happy about in general...but this Lahaina Farms place seems kinda cool as far as gentrification of your neighborhood goes. But I digress.

So we cruise in, ready to pick our salad and fixings when I see an overhead menu.

me: "Look Nicole, they have kalua pig flatbread...mmm..."
Nicole: "Should we just go to flatbread in Paia?"
me: "Yeah. I'm glad to see the fitness magazines were so impactful."

flatbread is this teeny, slightly overpriced pizza place in Paia with the most wonderful kalua pig pizza. And apparently, the tangiest lemonade Nicole has ever tasted. I enjoyed watching her drink it. Very much.



And after lunch we tried on a few dresses at another teeny store...because everything in Paia is small. Apparently the clothes, too, as Nicole soon found out.

So I'm wandering around the store, and Nicole calls me from the fitting room. I figure she wants my candid opinion. But when I get in there, it was a much different story.

Nicole: "I'm having severe difficulties getting out of this dress. Severe."
me: "Ohh..."
Nicole: "You're goona have to Winnie-the-Pooh me out of this thing".
me: (Picturing the Winnie the Pooh episode where Winnie is stuck in his door from eating too much hunny) "Ok..." (tugging at the dress) "Lift up your arms." (giggle, giggle, still tugging at dress) "Why are you so sweaty? What about the zipper?"
Nicole: "It's a fake zipper!! I've been trying to take off this dress for 10 mins! Severe difficulties!"
me: "Oh yeah...hahahaha. Cross your arms"

And off popped the dress.

Oh? You're not familiar with that Winnie the Pooh episode?

Alohaaa Christmas!

Byeee! See ya next year! Keep in touch!

As busy and silly as it can be, I'm always kinda sad to see Christmas go. I like the scarves, boots and umm...dazzling array of cookies. Ok mostly the cookies. Cookies for breakfast. Because someone's gotta eat all those cookies. But when it's not cookies, here's what's on the menu:



Our annual Christmas Eve dinner with the fam bam. The overdone prime rib is a specialty.

And what would Christmas be without a little disaster?



A should-have-been-could-have-been-would-have-been pumpkin roulade. But it cracked during it's roll session. Fail. Sighhh. It was later used as a pumpkin and banana napoleon with an orange cream.

But that was yesterday. Today was beach day!



It was just so perfectly sunny today that Nicole (sister) and I ventured out to Big Beach in Makena, which we only go to on super nice days such as today. And I'm so glad we did! Not because it was wonderfully warm and picturesque (because it was), but because of the entertaining life guard on duty.

He relayed a message to the 10am beach crowd, and it went something like this:

"Aloha, this is your friendly life guard with a message for you. If you are not an experienced swimmer or not from the area, I recommend you not go into the water at all today. If you are an experienced swimmer and think you can handle, and want to take in some floatation device with you, like a boogie board...don't. You're just setting yourself up for disaster. If you have little ones, keep them out the water, otherwise when the big ones come in, they going get suck under. If get questions, come talk to me, and I going answer em for you. Aloha."

Hilarious. Seriously. Maybe you had to have been there.

Oh and yes, there was shave ice.

Merry Christmas from the MVPuppets!!

3 Days Until Christmas...Really?

Seriously...really?

Despite the ridiculous amount of Christmas decorations everywhere, and the sales at the mall, I feel like this happens to me every year. It's like costumes, candy, turkey, pumpkin pie and then Christmas. But I really feel like it was just Thanksgiving. I mean it was though...wasn't it?

And now it's 3 days before Christmas, and tomorrow I'll be back home, and well, I just want my pumpkin pie back. I didn't have enough this year. But can you really have enough pumpkin pie?

Not that I'm complaining. I've never have much Christmas shopping to do. And I'll be home! Home! Away from work and school! And near the beach! And shaved ice! And my mom's pumpkin pie...which she better make...I hope she's reading this! And papayas! And the sun! I miss the sun.

Take that first day of winter!!

As you may have guessed (or already know), it's been a little cold and rainy here. Baking is a fabulous distraction. The oven keeps you warm and eating keeps you occupied.



Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars from Baked. A layer of candied Rice Krispies...a layer of melted milk chocolate and peanut butter...a layer of a lovely chocolate glaze! It's like a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup meets a Nestle Crunch Bar. I like mine frozen. And in extra big pieces. You will, too. Don't try to resist. You will only be cheating yourself.



No-Knead Cranberry Walnut Bread from Jim Lahey. It's true. Bread without kneading...and without much work either. He operates Sullivan Street Bakery in New York...where Baked Bakery is also located...why are they all in New York??



Fusili with Mushrooms, Marsala, Artichokes and Chicken Sausage from who else but Giada. Ok, I made this is in a moment of weakness. It's a cream sauce. With Parmesan cheese. But it has mushrooms...and artichokes...and it's really good. And I used half-and-half. So I guess that makes it a half-and-half sauce.

And now, my pan of lemon bars are cooling on the counter. Lemon bars...another thing I wish I liked. But I typically don't. They're always too much for me. Too gooey. Too sour. Too sweet. And it has a weird after taste. Makes my mouth feel funny. But with 4 Meyer lemons in the fridge and my annual migration to warmer climates tomorrow, I didn't really have a choice. Maybe lemon poppy seed something. But I zested 3 of 4 lemons for some pistachio and citrus biscotti. And the thought of tossing Meyer lemons was just more than I could bear. But for some reason...the thought of tossing out this lemon bars (if they turn out to be subpar), doesn't bother me as much. I feel like I at least tried to save them.

Too make them less lemon-y (I know...less lemony lemon bars...I'm ridiculous). I scaled back the lemon juice from 1 cup to 3/4 cup. I could only squeeze out that much juice anyway. And I spread a thin layer of raspberry jam on the shortbread. Because raspberry makes lemon infinitely more palatable.

So I'm hoping for the best.

Christmas Cookie Throwdown

I luv contests!!!

I try to keep myself in check, but I do have just a smear of a competitive streak. And by smear, I mean like huge, paint can splash.

But, who doesn't like winning?

And yeah, I'm a pretty salty loser, too. I've deserted countless checkers, card games, Guess Who and Monopoly games when loss was near for me. My sister's a pretty sore loser, too. She once cleared a checker board off the table when she was about to lose. I just move your game pieces around when you take a bathroom break.

...

Oh...you mean not everyone does that?

Well, I mean, is it really cheating if you don't notice that I moved your pieces?

My co-workers decided that instead of Christmas presents this year, we would have a cookie competition/exchange of sorts...and it's going to be this nice, friendly thing where we all bring cookies and then share recipes. And somehow, to my delight, this got turned into a contest with a judge and everything. Oh, and a fabulous prize for the winner.

Which I hope is me!

All week, I've been busy pondering just the perfect cookie to make. And really, I should have been studying...but there's no fabulous prizes in school. Just B's. So far, I've narrowed down the finalists to: Almond Roca cookies, white chocolate and hazelnut cookies, coconut thumbprint cookies or peppermint oreo cookies. In that order.

I've wanted to make the Almond Roca cookies for the longest time...something about the toffee, chopped almonds and milk chocolate drizzle. Mmm...and it seems kinda holiday-ish. Although I luv the complexity and uniqueness of the white chocolate hazelnut cookies (with orange zest and cranberries), I don't think it will be as crowd...or ahem...judge pleasing. But they are a great little cookie. The coconut thumbprints are from Ina Garten, and definitely look the most impressive with the toasty wisps of coconut and pretty jam centers. I luv anything with a jam center. I always eat away at the edges first and save the yummy jam center for last. And the peppermint oreos. The homemade oreos of a few months ago were definite crowd pleasers, and I think the addition of crushed candy canes in the cream is a nice touch. But, it's definitely not oreo we all know and luv.

There's only one way to settle this. And that's with a little cookie throwdown of my own. I doubt I'll manage to make all these anytime soon, but at least two for sampling.

My tummy's ready. But then again, it always is. That's part of (all of) the problem.



That's gonna be me in no time. Sigh. But look how happy he is.

UPDATE!

While cruising the thing called the Internet and ESPN, I stumbled upon this very interesting article about Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards. A preface: He's sort of a strange...ok totally out-there person of space-cadet proportions...but really, this is just about the lamest thing I've heard all day. And I hear a lot of things. Have you seen these ears?

Gilbert Arenas: Just Nuke It
by Patrick Hruby via Page 2 at espn.com

During an NBA preseason road trip, Washington Wizards center JaVale McGee Twittered that he and teammate Gilbert Arenas went to a Grand Rapids, Mich.-area Target so Arenas could purchase a microwave and a mini-fridge ... for a single day's use. Turns out that's only half the story. Following team practice yesterday, Arenas revealed the rest to a small group of reporters, including yours truly:

Arenas: You know how you order room service, and you get in the shower, or you'll be on the phone, and you get back and the food is cold?

Reporters: Yeah?

Arenas: Microwave!

Reporters: So you take it on the road?

Arenas: I send it with our [team] luggage ... it's only like 10 pounds.

Reporters: What about the fridge?

Arenas: We're not in cities long enough for a fridge.

Reporters: Aren't you staying in five-star hotels? Won't they make the food extra hot, or bring a microwave to your room?

Arenas: Most places don't have microwaves. You got to go to the kitchen and reheat it. By the time you get back up it's cold again ... some hotels, they have a late-night menu but they don't have hot food. Just cold sandwiches. I don't eat cold food.

Reporters: Why not?

Arenas: It tastes nasty. It's the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted. Everything I eat has to go in a microwave. Like, if you cook me dinner, I will take the dinner and put it in a microwave. Something about being in a microwave makes it good.

Reporters: It comforts you.

Arenas: It irritates the [expletive] out of people, though.

Microwave all the time? That can't be good for you. Or your sanity. Or your game. The Wizards lost to the Celtics tonight, 104-102. He had 25 points, too. But missed 5 of his 6 FT's. At home. 3rd straight home loss. That's gotta hurt. Microwave!

UPDATE 2!!

So following my initial update, I went back to ESPN to search for a Bill Simmons article. It's been a while since I've been entertained by his musings...and trust me, he is highly entertaining. And lucky me, it was mail bag day (my fav...mail bag is when Bill answers emails from his readers) for his Thanksgiving entry, and I saw this:

Q: If Mike Dunleavy showed up at one of your book signings, what would you write in his book?
-- Anthony Falco, Ontario

SG: I thought about this for 20 minutes and settled on this:

Dear Mike,

Thanks. For each of the past three summers, I nearly dumped my Clippers tickets solely because you were the coach and I didn't want to waste my money watching six months of 20-point blowouts, disjointed strategy, unhappy players and some of the most mind-blowing crunch-time brain farts in the history of this great sport. I kept renewing only because I didn't want to give up quality seats to see guys like LeBron, Kobe, Derrick Rose and Chris Paul, even if they frequently were being removed with 10 minutes to play because their team was leading by 30. So thanks for reminding me why I love basketball so much. If I will pay to see a Mike Dunleavy-coached NBA team, then clearly, I will pay for anything. I love this game.

Sincerely,
Bill Simmons
Clippers season-ticket holder since 2004

And yeah, he's a Kobe/Laker hater. But no one's perfect. Well...except you-know-who.

Boys Only

I think we've all seen such things.

Shampoos, lotions, body washes...all just for boys.

But why? Do boys really have special boy hair and special boy skin in need of special boy hand lotion?

I don't understand. Soap companies just add some boy-smelling goodies and then call it "Men's". And yet, people...ahem...boys buy these! Could it be the names? "Dual Charged", "Refreshing", "Active Sport", "Essence".

While at Target last weekend, I was perusing the Pantene shampoo samplings...moisture balance? Smooth vitality? Ice shine? Oh the possibilities. Ok, I suppose these aren't very different than boy-specific shampoos...but, at least these smell nice. And supposedly makes my hair luscious. Results still TBD.

And just when I thought that I'd just about had enough, I saw this:



3-in-1? Seriously? When you need that "fresh, clean, masculine scent". And you can't bear to own or open more than 1 bottle.

Efficient? Maybe. Ridiculous? Definitely.

But here's something completely awesome...the MVPuppets are baaaaack!!

Check it out!

Oh how I miss fuzzy Kobe and Lebron.

Two words, Lebron: "Black Mamba". And lions don't wear boots.

And he didn't even get to the snake poison.

Say Hello to My Little Friend...

Don't be shyyy...



Isn't he cute? My Little Griddler.

He slices, he dices...ok...Little Griddler does none of these things. But he does make a seriously legit panini. Super sandwiches is right. Little Griddler doesn't lie.

And I luv paninis. Grilled toasty sandwich goodness. I mean sure, you could use 2 cast iron skillets, heating the second one and then putting it on top of your sandwich, and then weighting it down with a can of tomatoes. But all that work and no grill marks? No way, buddy.

So far, Little Griddler's sandwich powers have only been used to make grilled cheese sandwiches. But seriously, amazingly good grilled cheese sandwiches. Since he's electric (it's electric! boogie, oogie, oggie), Little Griddler holds a constant and even temperature, which is perfect for melted cheese perfection and crispy bread.



Mmm...melty grilled cheese! I like mine with a smear of dijon mustard on the inside.

And before you say something like why would anyone buy something just to make paninis, I would like to point out that Little Griddler can also grill vegetables among other things. The possibilities are endless. I just haven't gotten past the panini stage yet. Or rather, the grilled cheese stage. Next stage is Cuban style steak sandwich like the one served at Porto's. That mojo-marinated steak. But where to find Cuban bread...hmm...

What's that? You haven't been to Porto's? Oh you must, must, must! It's the largest bakery I've ever seen. I swear the bakery/cafe is bigger than my house on Maui. For real. It's intense. All that square footage dedicated to everything baking. I can hardly contain myself. If/when you go, try the guava and cream cheese puff pastry. It's like an awesomely delicious guava danish. But I hesistate to call it a danish because it's just so much better than that. Or the cheese pastry. There were these little patties of fried deliciousness in the case. Potato croquettes, I believe. And the flan samples while in line. And the sandwiches. Little Griddler is just one step closer to tasty toasty sandwiches.

All this panini making (and polar bear cold weather) got me in the mood for soups. Last week, I made Giada's White Bean and Garlic soup...also with above pictured grilled cheese.

Such a show stealer.

Yesterday was lamb stew, and today was butternut squash soup.

I have a luv-hate affair with butternut squash. I want to like it...and I try to like it. I've eaten butternut squash ravioli (blech), maple roasted butternut squash (ehh...) and even topped my pizzas with it (so-so). But it seems that everyone luvs butternut squash. Why? It's semi-sweet nature confuses me. Why is it always paired with things like apples and brown sugar and maple syrup? It's a squash!

But I caved a few weeks ago, and bought one at Whole Foods. And it's sat on my tiered fruit tray. Watching apples and pomegranates come and go. So today...three...yes THREE weeks later, I decided to tackle it. These things have an amazing shelf life apparently.

So butternut squash soup it was and with absolutely no sugar or syrup or fruit. It's a squash! But ok...there was cinnamon. And ginger. And curry powder. Oh but it was good. So satisfying and perfect for dipping a toasty grilled cheese sandwich. I pureed it, and it gave the soup amazing color and body. Yes, soups can have amazing bodies. I liken this one's to Megan Fox. Seriously good body.



Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium onion, diced
2 small carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1 2-lb butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1-inch dice
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled (or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger)
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Place a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat bottom with olive oil, about 1 tablespoon.

2. Add onions. Saute until soft and transluscent, about 5 minutes.

3. Add carrots, celery, garlic, Herbes de Provence and bay leaf. Continue to cook over medium heat until softened.

4. Add butternut squash. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook until butternut squash is slightly softened, about 5 minutes more.

5. Add the chicken stock, curry powder, cinnamon and ginger.

6. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low to simmer. Taste for seasoning.

7. Cook until butternut squash is completely soft. About 20 minutes.

8. Remove bay leaf and ginger. Puree with immersion blender until smooth.

Sunday Studying

Ha. Are you kidding me?

You didn't actually believe me.

Two days of studying? Me? Not if I can help it.

Well, ok there was some studying...it is finals week.

But really, it was mostly baking. Oh how I've missed cookie making.

My day actually started off quite early with a morning turbo kick boxing class. But surprise! It was videotaping day for the new video or something like that. And I guess mostly everyone got the memo except yours truly. I wondered why everyone walked in with makeup one and coordinated outfits. And I was snooze walking every few seconds. Oh well. I'm pretty sure it kept me off camera.

Sooo of course after working out, the only logical thing to do is to bake cookies. Today, I made 2 kinds, but the chocolate raspberry sandwich cookies were the clear winner. The other cookie was a pinwheel rugelach. Which has always intrigued me...but was somewhat disappointing. It could be because I didn't use raisins. (Don't like raisins). And becuase I used my candied nut mix as opposed to walnuts. (Been trying to get those candied nuts out of my freezer forever). But actually, what I also chalk it up to was that it's more pie crust than cookie. Rugelachs are made with cream cheese and butter...and it's just not working for me.

But then again, it's pretty hard to compete with chocolate shortbread and raspberry jam sandwiches. Especially when you dip them in white chocolate and then dust them with chunky sparkling sanding sugar.

As much as I adore these little suckers, they were definitely an ordeal to make. And I didn't even make all of them.

Actually assembling the dough is pretty straightforward. It's just a shortbread recipe...but the rolling...sighh...those stupid logs.

And you know what the worst part is? Just imagine what chocolate shortbread looks like rolled into a log. Take a moment to picture it. I'll wait.

Yeah, right? Terrible.

And they kept breaking in half. Not at all like Play Doh. Those were the days.



Yup. That was my cookies. Rolled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Then you roll them in sugar.



And then you pancake them.



And then you turn them into sandwiches with some raspberry jam. And you might even want to dip them in white chocolate. Or any chocolate. But sparkly sanding sugar looks much nicer on white chocolate.



I'm always looking for a way to use sanding sugar.

And then you try really hard to just eat one. Just one. I wish I made them bigger.



Tasty and adorable.

Make them! You'll luv them! It's true. As I mentioned earlier, I did not make all the cookies. The rolling got me down. I was all set to have slice and bake cookies with the leftovers until I tasted these little bites, and yeah...more sandwiches on the way.


Typically these chocolate sandwich cookies are filled with a ganache and not raspberry jam. But I luv chocolate and raspberries, and the thought of them together in one cookie was too much excitement for me to pass up. And, I'm not the hugest fan of chocolate on chocolate things, but if you are, feel free to substitute the jam withe ganache.

Baci di Cioccolato (or Raspberry in my case)
adapted from Gina de Palma, Dolce Italiano

Cookies:

1/2 cup whole almonds
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Raspberry jam for filling
1/2 cup white chocolate, chopped

or

Ganache:

8-ounces chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup heavy cream

Combine ganache ingredients in heat safe bowl over a double boiler. Mix until melted. Remove from heat.

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Toast almonds 15 minutes. Process in food processor with 1 tablespoon sugar.

2. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

3. Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy and well incorporated. About 3 minutes.

4. Add vanilla. Mix.

5. Turn mixer on low, and carefully add dry ingredients. Then ground almonds.

6. Mix until dough forms, and you can form a ball with it.

7. Transfer to counter and form into a ball. Cover in plastic wrap, and flatten into a disk.

8. Chill 1 hr.

9. Preheat oven to 325-degrees F. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Chill unused pieces if dough starts to soften. I didn't chill mine...but it was a cold day today.

10. Roll dough into a log 3/4-inches in diameter. (Easier said than done).

11. Cut log into 1/2-inch lengths. Roll into balls and roll in granulated sugar.

12. Place on baking sheet, and lightly flatten with the palm of your hand.

13. Bake 12-15 minutes, being sure to rotate the pans half way through the baking.

14. Chocolate dipping optional!

Saturday Studying

It happens with school.

Especially when finals are next week.

I guess I can't complain too much as today is perhaps one of the most blustery and cold Saturdays in recent memory. In fact, I think this calls for my pink fuzzy socks.

Ahhh. Much better.

Now back to my study break. Now before you think that all I've been doing for the past three hours was looking at food blogs and thinking about all the things I could braise, stew and bake...(that lamb tagine is sounding really good right now...and chocolate chip cookies with coconut? Yummy.) I have successfully outlined 4 chapters for my entrepreneurial finance class. And you know, it's just amazing what you can learn about things when you read. I know I say this every quarter, but really it is.

But really, does anyone read for class anymore? My reading is limited to recipes and Yahoo! sports articles. Priorities. I actually could not locate my finance book until just recently. And it's pretty hard to read something that you can't find.

Or at least it's a convenient excuse.

Hmm...I should make the most of this break. Sports time.

Let's check on that USC game. Last I saw they were losing, then winning, then losing. It's probably over now. Let's see...lost. Geeees.

Well, at least the Lakers won last night over Miami. In part due to Kobe, of course. He an amazing performance last night, culminating with this game winning shot. Did you see it? Click it again. Once isn't enough.

Mike's eating another Slim Jim. I think that brings his mechanically-separated-chicken meatstick count to 6. Smells funny. Now he's complaining about Lamar. That guy clearly started it. But...it's tough reasoning with a Clipper fan that eats Scooby snacks. Delicious, he says. I'll take his word for it. Another bite of the Slim Jim. Yuck. He looks happy though.



Tell me you wouldn't eat that. No really, don't eat that.

You know...I really wish I had another one of those biscuits I made this morning. I froze some for later biscuit bliss. I luv biscuits. Always have. My mom used to make me these drop biscuits when I was little. But what I really luved was those biscuits from McDonalds...with strawberry jam and butter they gave you in those little containers. These don't really taste too much like them, but they are quite lucious and decadent...no doubt due to the nearly 2 cups of cream.

I suggest you make these and bake them as you need them. Which may be more often than you anticipate. I also made a small batch of strawberry butter. I think you should, too.

Biscuits
from James Beard

3 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups cream

Preheat the oven to 425-degree F.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Fold in 1 1/4 cups cream, adding more by the half tablespoon as needed to form a dough.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, and form into a ball.

Roll out dough to 3/4-inches thickness. Cut out biscuits.

Brush the biscuits you plan on eating right away with butter and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops are light brown.

Flash freeze remaining biscuits individually, and then store in freezer for later use. Add 1-2 minutes in baking time for these frozen ones.

And with that, I'm going to have another minty M&M and on to Chapter 13. Money Market Securities.

Someone get me a biscuit.

My Hero

As much as I luv sports, sometimes it gets me down.

And so was my weekend of sports.

Friday. Lakers lost. To the Nuggets!!! Birdman!! The humanity.

Saturday. USC lost. To Stanford! Trees!!! Trees!! 55-21. I don't even understand that.

Sunday. Lakers lost. To the Rockets! A Yao-less Rockets! At home. They lost at home! Sobs.

But alas, there was one bright and shiny spot to this weekend's lackluster sports performance from who else but Ron Artest.

Where would we be without Artest? Aka my hero of the week. Tell me he's your's, too. Oh? What's that? He's not? Well, the only possible explanation for this is that you have not yet seen this clip that I am about to share with you.

Enjoy!

Who else would take Ariza's shoe and then toss it into the stands? Such class. I would've done the same.

But now, you may thing that perhaps this is a behavioral anamoly...he doesn't do these types of things on the regular. Don't underestimate. Why limit yourself to shoes...when you could go for shorts?

Enjoy!

Pants-ing and a song.

But wait...why waste that voice on a mere half-hearted (hopefully totally insincere) apology to an undeserving Paul Pierce. I mean, wouldn't you be compelled to make a music video or something?

Oh wait...he did!

Hot chick? Check! Cheesy piano playing? Check! Overuse of sunglasses? Check!

But hey, he was wearing a Laker shirt. You gotta respect that.

I'm Not Scared of Needles

No, I'm not scared of needles.

I'm not scared of needles. I'm not scared of needles.

Oh who am I kidding? I'm terrified of them.

Like, I'd rather go to the dentist. Ok, almost rather go.

Today my company had its annual health and wellness expo, and each and every year I go to stock up on freebies: contact solution, hand sanitizer, pens, highlighters, toothpaste, toothbrushes...basically whatever I can get my hands on. And being me, I always avoid the testing booth...where they test your blood sugar level and cholesterol because pricking my finger and swiping my now bloody finger across a strip is just not my idea of a good time. Even if it is free.

Yes, a prick. It's not even like they draw blood, you know, like normal tests. Have I mentioned that I haven't had a physical in years...and by years I mean almost 10? My, how time flies. Everyone is absolutely horrified (and some slightly terrified) that I have allowed 10 years to elapse between these physicals. I plead ignorance. I had no idea people got these on a regular basis. Just like how I didn't know that I needed to smog check my car. The cop didn't buy my ignorance plea. Typical.

So today was the day. No more waiving my arm around away from the nurse so she couldn't pin me down to administer the shot. No more long conversations with the nurse about how I'm really scared...and did she promise it would just be like a pinch? No more telling the nurse that bee stings really do hurt, and they should really stop using that analogy. And yes, I thought rubberband snaps hurt as well. Same thing with pinches. And no more asking the nurse to please get me some ice cubes to numb my arm so I wouldn't feel the needle. Although, I was convinced this would work. The theory still needs to be tested.

They never listened to me anyway.

That was the old me.

This is the new me. Or so I hoped. I signed up and waited in line. Watching them prick and squeeze droplets of blood from fingers. Blahhhhh. Helpppp...

So finally it's my turn (sigh), and I sit and the nurse takes my hand and proceeds to tell me how cold it is and how cold hands don't bleed. Great. Just great. But she is nice enough to warm it, but while doing so, she notices that my hand was shaking. Which she proceeds to announce to all (yes ALL) the other nurses. To which they say, "Ohh, did she just finish her test?" To which my nurse says, "No! She didn't even start! Bahahahaha! Bahahahaha!"

Does she really think this is going to make me stop shaking? It just got worse. Poor hand.

The part that really gets me is the anticipation. I just think about it way too much. I watch people before me. I watch their reactions. I like to know what's going on, so this whole, don't look and it'll be a surprise doesn't work for me. The prick itself wasn't so bad, but...it did sting and it was throbbing. I asked if that was normal. I just got more "Bahahahaha!"

I giggled a bit too. Out of nervousness.

So what were the results? Well, apparently I have a normal blood sugar level of 96 (I had breakfast that morning). But nothing sweet...I wonder what it is after I bake a batch of cookies? And my cholesterol was just "low". She said the machine doesn't read anything less than 150.

And that was that. I left with an armful of hand sanitizers, toothbrush and contact solution...and a bandaged finger.

I knowwww. I'm a big baby. What would Yao say?

Who Used My Salad Dressing?

Seriously...who?

Apparently, I'm not the only one at my office that has a thing for Trader Joe's Low-Fat Italian Dressing. Especially from bottles labeled "Clarice" in Sharpie!

Ok, so I know that I assume a healthy amount of risk by leaving things in the communal office fridge. But, I feel that I take appropriate measures to guard against potential food thieves. I use the less visited (and less communal) fridge. And of course, I label.

Exhibit A



See that scribble right above "Italian Style"? That would be me claiming this dressing as my very own.

But I guess writing my name on it didn't have quite the effect I had hoped for. Like...the effect of deterring people from using it. As in almost all of it! I brought this dressing to work last Monday and used it about 5 times...1 tsp at a time. These are small salads. So you can imagine my surprise this past Monday circa 12:30PM when I saw that my dressing was almost gone!

So I took matters into my own hands.



I mean, just in case it wasn't clear the first time. I know it's not mean or intimidating...but that bright yellow post it note is by design. Eye-catching isn't it? It's from my Lakers post-it note collection. The purple post it note is up next if this yellow one doesn't do the trick.

And before you criticize me for being selfish and petty because it's "just salad dressing", I need to tell you that this is so much more than salad dressing. So. Much. More. Trader Joe's has actually discontinued this dressing. As in I can't buy more! This bottle is one of my last bottles that I searched for once I heard of this tragic discontinuation. Sighhh.

To add insult to injury, this is not the first time I have been food-jacked at work. The first time was a few months ago. I had a lunch meeting and was given a boxed lunch from Pacific Whey. My fav boxed lunch spot. Why? Not for the sandwiches or fruit salad, which are very nice by the way, but the cookies are fantastic. I luv a good cookie. And these are seriously good cookies. I like them so much, that I try to spread out the cookie over two days. Half today, half tomorrow. So I left half of my peanut butter (also my fav) cookie in my boxed lunch box. Along with half my sandwich and an apple.

At cookie time the next day, I dove into my boxed lunch only to find that my cookie was gone! Gone! And I very obvioulsy bit the cookie. Someone ate my half-eaten cookie! My apple and sandwich was still there. But no cookie. Awful afternoon. I was salty for the rest of the day.

First cookies...now salad dressing...I better keep an eye on my oatmeal.

Ladies Who Lunch (or Brunch)

Heehee. I've always wanted to say that!

But, I've always felt kinda silly about it. I mean...who researches (and seeks out) new restaurants and oohhs and ahhhs at things like pumpkin pancakes and apple french toast? Maryn, apparently...and thank goodness! I'm so thankful to have her as a brunch buddy.

About a month or so ago, Maryn, Marsha (new BFF via Maryn and Ashlyn) sampled the offerings at Osteria Mozza. Amazing! Our next dinner will be at Lucques for their Sunday Supper. But Marsha has recently become the proud owner of an adorable little puppy named Taro. Which I luv...for its poi dog reference. And as such, she is a little busy...so our little supper club will resume in December.

I can hardly wait!

Well, obviously. I mean, I just went to brunch today at another Suzanne Goin venture, Tavern. I think our brunch can be summarized into 3 categories: food, service and atmosphere.

First up, food. Which was totally satisfying and delicious. But how could you expect anything else from the same chef that operates AOC? I luved the crusty bread with pats of butter and...big flakes of sea salt! So you could salt your own butter! It was so simple, but so perfect for a pre-brunch snack. We had every intention of having brunch type food, but the Niman ranch beef burger just sounded sooo amazing (with fries, of course), so Maryn had that, and I had the french toast with caramelized apples and cider.

The Niman ranch beef burger was soooo juicyyy...like it dripped down my thumb. Always a good sign. And on toasted brioche! And yes please to the fries! Who knew a burger could taste soooo awesome at 10:30 in the morning?

As for my french toast, I knew it was with carmelized apples...but I didn't know there would be a caramel sauce! Such a good surprise. Someone must've told them my secret obsession with caramel sauce, or not so secret, I suppose.



Mmm...my french toast is taking a dip in caramel. At least there's some apples in there.

Another cool thing about Tavern is their assortment of pastries. So we of course had to order pecan sticky bun...with bacon. Mmm...



Ok seriously, who knew one little bun could garner so much attention. I swear at least 3 other tables were eyeing it...and some even ordered it! But come on, could you really say no to this? Take another look.

On to the service. But first a disclaimer. This place is located in Brentwood, so I guess maybe people here like a different level of service. Like...super attentive...and umm...hands on? Case in point. Maryn had a tree for a neighbor, and unbeknownst to us, one of its leaves found a resting place in her hair. But luckily...ahem..."luckily", our waiter spotted it, and proceeded to remove it from her hair! Hahaha! "Excuse me...I don't mean to play with your hair but..." I was trying really hard not to laugh. Unsuccessfully. Maryn tried really hard not to look freaked out. Semi successfully.

And finally the atmosphere. This place has such a cute little set up! When you walk in you can either go to the bar or to the bakery area. Once you walk through the bar, you go into the dining area, which is brightly lit thanks to the pretty skylights. And the chairs are so comfy and couch like. And there's cute little trees...so it's a nice inside/outside feel. I was sort of caught off guard by the people in suits and other seemingly fancy attire for a Sunday morning, but that's part of the fun.

And yeah, I might have gotten a couple little pastries to go. But they had chocolate croissants!

If You Can't Beat Em...

Especially if them are vampire/werewolf obsessed fans.

Emphasis on obsessed.

And oh, did I mention that I know at least 5 people who are beyond (yes, beyond) obsessed.

With what else, but Twilight.

Even Nordstrom has Twilight merchandise and such. Nordstrom! How could you? Anything for a buck. And Bath and Body Works? Woods scent? That is "inspired by a romantic walk in enchanted woods. Twilight Woods is a complex blend of apricot nectar, mimosa petals and Tuscan cypress", says the website. Apricot. Petals. Tuscany. Seriously? Well, I guess I can't say much...my fav scent is Nectarine & Honey Blossom. But come on...that's legit...right? Sort of? Ignore the price. The things I do to smell like a nectarine.

I sort of always dismissed this whole Twilight silliness because I make it a rule to avoid anything having to do with teenage luv stories...especially tortured teenage luv stories. And the whole vampire/werewolf thing was just more than I could handle. I know, I know. I sound like a cold, hearted...ahem...well you know the rest. But...I will admit to seeing the movie, which wasn't too terrible. Yeah, there were parts that really confused me until the end...like Edward's crinkly nose reaction to Bella when she first enters class. I thought she just smelled funky. But apparently, vampires are suckers (haha...suckers...) for human smell, or as I was educated today, strawberry shampoo. Right. Strawberry shampoo. That explains everything.

And, what is the deal with this Edward character? He's in serious need of a tan...or some color. The receptionist at my work describes it as "bringing out the crazy 14-year-old girl in you". Sounds great. And here's where it gets even weirder. Everyone obsessed with Edward is obsessed with the book Edward. The completely fictional character!

But even after the movie watching, I'm still kinda ehhh about it. The Twilighters I know tell me that I must must read the book. "I was just like you, Clarice...until...I read the book."

Intriguing.

So, I decided that I'd give this book a try and sampled an excerpt I found online. The strawberry shampoo incident.

I didn't look up as I set my book on the table and took my seat, but I saw his posture change from the corner of my eye. He was leaning away from me, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair and averting his face like he smelled something bad. Inconspicuously, I sniffed my hair. It smelled like strawberries, the scent of my favorite shampoo. It seemed an innocent enough odor. I let my hair fall over my right shoulder, making a dark curtain between us, and tried to pay attention to the teacher.

Hmm...I wonder what's on the Food Network.

But as a side note, I do enjoy the soundtrack. A lot.

Lunch with Mommy

It's not everyday that I see my mom.

Or every month...or every other month...but I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles when you live 3,000 and an ocean away.

So when I found out she had a short layover in LA on her way back to Maui, lunch sounded like a good idea. Even if it was at 3:00pm...and the last time I ate was at 10:30 in the morning. An orange, I think.

Considering her flight back home was at 5, I decided on In-N-Out...any excuse to eat there, really.

It's hardly ever a dull moment with my mother, and today was no different. As soon as she gets in the car, we proceeded to have the following conversation:

Mommy: I almost took this lady out.
me: Excuse me?
Mommy: Yeah, in customs. She accused me of cutting.
me: So what did she do?
Mommy: She just kept talking to me...saying "excuse me, you cut in front of me...excuse me". I just stared at her.
me: Umm...
Mommy: Then I started to discreetly kick her suitcase...hehehe.
me: Ok...
Mommy: Good thing the line started moving. If she kept talking, I don't know what I would've done. Security might have come.
me: Geees...I guess robbery changes a person.

And yes, my poor mom was robbed in Paris. Another victim of a pickpocket. She's never been quite the same. As you can see. There were a few other hiccups on the trip, and well, I'm not sure Europe will be quite the same as well.

She brought me back some very delicious looking macarons from Nice. I luv macarons! And a huge bag of herbes de Provence from Provence! I can hardly contain myself.

And my In-N-Out cheeseburger was soooo yummy and worth the very long wait.

.

Cupcake Muffins

I'm baking cupcakes. It's 5:40am on a Friday morning.

Did I mention they were pumpkin cupcakes? With cranberries?

What else is there to do this early in the morning? Sleep, maybe. But see, I had a cup of leftover pumpkin from my pumpkin pie...and remember those fresh cranberries I bought? Still got those, too. I feel so guilty seeing that unused pumpkin and basket of cranberries.

Something had to be done.

Hence, I woke up extra early to make pumpkin banana cupcakes with cranberries. Oh yeah, I also had this banana on its last few moments of peak ripeness. Had to use that, too.

Interestingly enough, I've never actually had a fresh cranberry. Lots of dried ones, which I luv in everything from cookies to granola to trail mix to salads. So I figured fresh = better? Ehh...not necessarily as I found out. I took a tiny bit of one...and it's like a tart apple. Have you ever had a mountain apple? Kinda reminds me of that...but not as good. Who knew cranberries were that tart? But they're just so darn cute and festive.



Who knew they were white inside?



Baking away...yawn...I'm so sleeppyyy...

Oh! The first batch of cupcakes are done! Be back!



Considering I made these pre-7:00 am, I think they turned out pretty good. I really enjoyed the banana and pumpkin combo. I'm taking these to work and calling them muffins. No one would eat a cupcake at 8 in the morning...well except me.

Couple of things...I cannot stand nutmeg or cloves, so I did not add them, and instead increased the cinnamon and ginger. But if you are more cosmopolitan, and like such things, please include them, and decrease the cinnamon and ginger. Also, the cranberries were tasty, but very tart little surprises. I think dried would work as well.

Pumpkin Muffins (well...cupcakes)
Adapted from David Leite via the Smitten Kitchen

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk + 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, halved
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Line 2 12-count cupcake pans.

2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 5 mins). Add the maple syrup.

3. Sift flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition.

5. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

6. Beat in the pumpkin and banana and mix until smooth.

7. Fold in the cranberries and chopped pecans.

8. Scoop into prepared cupcake pans, filling each cup about 3/4 full.

9. Bake 20-25 mins, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool.

When Basketball Isn't Really Basketball...

It's called Pre-Season.

And welcome to it.

As I write this blog, I am in the midst of watching my beloved Lakers play the Golden State Warriors in yet another painfully amateur pre-season game. I don't mean to sound ungrateful. After all, I was complaining and crying about the void in my life left when basketball went on summer vacation.

But this?? Seeing Blake Griffin posterize Mbenga? I know it's Blake Griffin...but this is the Clippers!! The Clippers!!! And all these unfamiliar faces that probably won't see the regular season before being cut. Gaffney? Who's that? I have no idea. But he just totally ate it. And why are his shoes different from the rest of the team? Oh there he goes. Limping away. And the announcers! "No one wins the battle with the floor. I don't care who you are. Mr. Floor wins." Geees Stu.

What. the. heck.

And yet I still watch. What can I say? I'm a fan. And each pre-season game means that I'm one game closer to the regular season. Yesssssssss.

The regular season is well underway with the NFL. And it's been awesome!! And in my opinion, good games are best watched with tasty treats. Last night was MNF showcasing the Broncos at the Chargers. 5-0 Broncos...and well, the non 5-0 Chargers. I like that Sproules dude. I could take a few running tips from him. And the Japanese part of me was in the mood for someting noodle-y. So I decided on these sesame noodles I saw one day while perusing the online food world. But...I didn't have any soba or udon noodles! Yikes! What kind of Japanese am I? All I had was capellini, penne and fusilli. But I did have shoyu. I feel slightly redeemed.



These noodles are a good balance of salty and sweet. They were a little sweet for my taste, so I did scale back on the sugar. And I'm kinda weird about chopped garlic floating around, so I crushed a clove with the side of knife and let it simmer in the sauce and removed it before serving. But if you don't have such strange issues, then feel free to chop yours. I also squeezed some lemon over the whole thing right before serving, and I think that makes it extra special. I had half an English cucumber, so I tossed that in, but I also think some mint would be rather nice.

Sesame Noodles
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1/2 cup shoyu (soy sauce) I like the Aloha Brand, but feel free to use your fav
2-3 Tbsp. sugar (depending on your preference. Start with 2 and taste)
1 large clove garlic, smashed with the side of your knife
4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. roasted sesame oil
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 tsp. chili sauce (I like sambal..chunky style, but use whatever you have handy)
16 ounces cooked noodles
green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
a handful of cilantro
sliced cucumbers, if you so desire
8 ounces steak, 1" thick (or shrimp)
reserved boiling noodle water (about a cup)
lemon wedges for serving

1. Cook the steak. Bring the steaks to room temperature. Heat a pan (cast iron if you have it) on high. It's very important that you have a very hot pan for your meat. And a good, strong vent. Unless you want to smoke out your kitchen. I've done that...and I don't recommend it. Season the steak liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat the steak in olive oil and rub the salt in. Place the oiled steaks in the hot pan and cook for 3 mins on one side (don't move it!!!) and flip and cook 2 mins on the other (don't move it!!!). Let the steak rest.

2. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Splash in some veggie oil to help the non-sticky-ness. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

3. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add the shoyu, sugar, vinegar, oil, sesame oil, garlic and chili sauce. Simmer on low.

4. Right before tossing with noodles, add the green onions to the sauce...to help take off that onion-y edge.

5. Toss sauce with noodles. You may need the dribble in the pasta water to thin it out. This is not a saucy noodle dish, so if you want more sauce, use less noodles.

6. Slice your well-rested steak.

7. Top noodles with steak, cilantro, bell pepper and any other veggies/herbs you'd like. Serve with lemon wedges.

Falling into Fall

And I don't even like fall all that much.

Well, maybe the pumpkins. Which means pumpkin pie. I guess the cool-but-not-too-cold weather is nice, too. Which means I can wear boots again. Oh, and I guess I can't forget about Thanksgiving. Who doesn't luv a national holiday all about eating. Oh yes it is. If you think Thanksgiving is about anything more than turkey, pumpkins and after-Thanksgiving sales, then you're in desperate need of getting a clue. I hear they're best served with pumpkin pie. I'm just saying.

Ok fine. As it turns out, fall...autumn...potato, potatoe isn't so bad after all. I just bought a butternut squash last week for no other reason except that they are quintessentially fall. And I picked up a pomegranate today...umm...for the same reason. And fresh cranberries! I've been waiting for months to make a cranberry and walnut tart!

Ahem. But until then, I also picked up a bag of dried cranberries for some granola I was craving. Something about this time of year, just makes me crazy for granola. I'm usually into oatmeal in the winter, english muffins and egg sandwiches in the spring, cold cereal and bananas in the summer...and granola in the fall. I know. It's weird. But true. I can't explain it. And normally, I buy my granola...and I've been totally fine with it. Until recently, when I bought the most amazing granola from the farmers market. The dried fruit was plump and the granola was perfectly roasty-toasty and not too sticky. Most importantly, it wasn't overly clumpy. I like my oats and things somewhat separated so I can mix it up with my yogurt.

And I haven't been able to go back to the box since. But I also haven't been back to that particular farmer's market either. Hence, my massive granola craving. But I finally caved and decided to research the finer points of my fav fall breakfast food. And...it's not as complicated as originally thought. It's actually pretty easy...and cheap! Perfect recession food. You just pile on the goodness, toss, toast in oven and stir. And in about 40 minutes, you have wonderful homemade crunchy granola. Just the way you like it!

**note: all measurements are approximate. I kinda sorta didn't measure...so this is from my somewhat forgetful memory. But go easy on the sweetners if you're not sure. You can always taste and add more. Also, feel free to include whatever other nuts/dried fruits you like. Not into hazelnuts? Especially toasting the darn buggers? No prob. Toss in some pepitas...or more almonds...maybe sunflower seeds or...cashews. I think some golden raisins would be quite tasty.**

Fall Granola
adapted from Alton Brown

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup roasted hazelnuts (skinned)
1/4 cup (scant) light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. your fav honey
1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
1/4 cup plain vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Pam the foil.

2. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, sliced almonds, hazelnuts, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, coconut, oil and salt. Mix well. Try to get that coconut goodness everywhere.

3. Taste it. Make sure it's sweet enough.

4. Evenly spread the granola on to your prepared cookie sheet. Make sure it's lined and Pam-ed!

5. Bake for 20 mins, and then give it a stir.

6. Bake for another 20 mins, give it another stir every 10 mins to prevent burning and to encourage even browning. Don't you like to be evenly tanned? So does granola.

7. Once it's roasty-toasty perfection (and that's up to you), remove from oven and toss in the dried cranberries. I mistakenly put mine in the beginning...and unless you want to eat little dried hockey pucks that once were dried cranberries, I highly recommend you add them in after the oven session.

8. Cool slightly and spoon over yogurt. I like to serve mine with sliced apples or pomegranate seeds!

If you're not a granola-luver, this just may be your tipping point. Eating this made me feel particularly healthy after eating this massive chunk of a cow earlier last week.



Oohhh...but it was so worth it. I don't think you ever need to apologize for/explain prime rib. This is from Houston's, and if you haven't been, I highly recommend you give it a try. Seeing as how prime rib is one of my top two fav cow delicacies, I've had it at a few steak places (even of the fancy variety), and I feel that Houston's variety is quite similar (but totally more generous), but more affordable. And it came with spaghetti squash. How fun!

Driving Thru the Drive Thru

But seriously, though.

Driving through...as in right past the gigantic menu and little "Order Here" stand at In-N-Out.

Sigh.

Tell me someone else has done this! Tell me that even if no one has done this, that it is highly possible for such an oversight to occur.

Did I mention that I was in a long line of cars? So it's not like I zoomed past the thing. The story just gets better/worse by the minute.

Once I realize that I drove past the little "Order Here" stand, which by the way, is quite little, I'm pondering if I should walk out of my car and order. But the line of cars in back of me cancels that idea. Then I sit in the car for an eternity (minutes in real time) until I pull up to the paying window. I see the cashier. He sees me. He's smiling like he knows something. Greattt...

I get there, and he's like..."Did you want to order?" Sigh. Yes, I'd like to order. Then, I'm like whew! No one else knows. Until I go to the window to pick my burgers. Burger boy is like..."oh did you order?" Sigh. Yes. Just give me ketchup packets and my belated burger order.

I almost want to blame it on my old age. But then...I read this story on Yahoo!

Guess I'm out of excuses.

Studying MNF

Oops. I mean "Studying and MNF". "And" being the operative word.

First up, MNF. Jets at Miami Dolphins. I just hoped it wouldn't be the Mark Sanchez show...again. Mark Sanchez this, Mark Sanchez that, blah blah blah. But ohh I was sooo wrong. This game was soooo awesome. Tons of lead changes in the 4th quarter. And lots and lots of good passing. And a controversial call that cost the Jets a TD, but you knew they scored anyway. And then they lost! Such a good game!!

And of course, an already good game can only get better with some gametime munchies. Umm...munchies help with studying, too. Anyway, I made some tzatziki sauce when I made my lamb-stuffed eggplants...which I forgot to eat with my eggplant! So I was of course determined to eat that tzaziki somehow. Like...with a batch of homemade pita chips. And no, the pitas are not homemade, but the chips are. And I don't think I can ever eat bagged pita chips again! And I don't think you should either. Pita chips like these don't come in a bag. Unless of course, if you bag them. Then they do.



Homemade Pita Chips with Tzatziki

I like to make my chips in small batches so I can eat them allll, and make fresh chips when needed.

Pita chips
2 pitas (whole wheat, white...you be the judge)
a drizzle of olive oil (I'd say 1-1.5 Tbsp)
1/2 tsp salt
7 grinds black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin

1. Preheat the oven to 425-degrees.
2. Cut the pitas into wedges. I like to get 8 wedges/pita.
3. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on the spices. And feel free to get creative with the spices! If you want a little spicy, go for some cayenne. Or some chili powder would go well with the cumin. Or maybe some powdered garlic and some parmesan cheese? Mmm...
4. Toss with your hands to evenly coat the pita wedges.
5. Bake for 10-12 mins. Checking after 7 for crispiness.

Sort of tzatziki

This is not a traditional tzatziki, but I like it. Lots. It's not too garlicky, but it is quite tart. Oh and there's some feta. So much for tradition.

7 ounces reduced fat Greek yogurt (I like Fage)
1/2 English cucumber
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. black pepper
12 mint leaves, julienne
2 Tbsp. feta crumbles (optional)

1. Grate the cucumber, and squeeze out all the water.
2. Combine the yogurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper.
3.. Paste the garlic: Crush the clove of garlic with the side of your knife. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tsp salt on the garlic and finely chop garlic. Now on to the pasting. Using the side of your knife again, lay it flat on the diced garlic and drag it over it, using the salt to abrade it into a paste. Return to chopping, knife dragging and abrading until the garlic is officially a salty paste. Add to the yogurt mixture.
4. Sprinkle the mint and feta crumbles. Fold.
5. Refrigerate until game time.

Oh. And I said there was studying. There was. It's just not blog worthy. Something something... net operating cash flow...something something... rate of return... compiled, audited, reviewed. MB>MC. Jk. Wrong class.

Oh and there was sports trash talk via Gmail chat. About what else...the Clippers?

mike: WOW

these ain't your parents Clippers

Clippers 2k

me: hahahah

thats hilarious

mike: Clippers Vista

me: vista sucks

mike: Clippers Snow Leopard

me: but...i guess that fits

mike: ok im gonna stop talking to u tonight

And he did! Ha. Sorry Mike.

All Better!

I'm cured!

All it took was a couple days off work, napping, nearly overdosing on Dayquil and Advil and some pizza.

I only enjoyed the pizza and staying home...oh and napping. But other than that, it sucked. For real. I honestly can't remember the last time I've been sooo blahhh. Apparently everyone else is sick. I don't take responsibility. Blame it on flu season. I just happened to be one of its victims. Excuse me. Survivors.

Anyway, now that I feel better I decided to...cook. Surprise, I know. But while sick, I saw the most interesting looking recipe for Lebanese stuffed eggplants. Lamb stuffed. I luv lamb. And how often do you get to hollow out an eggplant and turn it into a casing for lamb and rice sausage? Exactly. Only thing was...when I started making it, I felt like an eggplant murderer. Like the Hannibal Lecter of vegetables. I did things to those little eggplants that no vegetarian should see/hear/read about.

I hope none of you are vegetarians.

Sooo...seeing as how I never scooped out the insides of an eggplant, I wasn't sure what to expect. And I wasn't exactly sure how to approach it...except with a blunt butter knife and a sharp paring knife. The best of both worlds I like to think. First, I cut off the little butt end of the eggplant...I believe technically, this might be referred to as the "blossom end"...heehee. Anyway, then I took my little sharp paring knife and cut out a circle of the inside and scooped it out. Then I took my blunt butter knife...and well...finished the job. I basically rotated the butter knife in the puka made by my first attempt. Then I stuffed it full of ground lamb, pine nuts and rice, all seasoned with allspice.

Was the eggplant serial killings justified? I think so. Once simmered in a tomato sauce for 1 hr, they were quite tender and tasty. However, next time, I would definitely salt those little hollowed out eggplants prior to adding the filling. And I think I might add more spices besides allspice. Like sumac...or maybe even some ground pistachios. Jamie Oliver had a pretty good recipe for lamb kabobs that I think would work well as a filling. More on that when I find it again.

But there was so much more than just eggplant. There was also pumpkin pie. Mmm...pie. But before we get to my pie, a brief word about pumpkin pie in general. My mom (Mommy) makes the best pumpkin pie ever. I think it's even better than Costco's. And that's a big deal. It's nothing fancy or secretive. Just the Libby's pumpkin pie filling, which she spices up with a few more spices. The best part is of course the crust, and she somehow manages to make it so nicely pie and pie again. It's always so light and flaky and buttery brown. Even though she makes it with shortening.

Well, I have been on a pumpkin pie quest of my own, and it hasn't been nearly as great. Or even Costco worthy. Could it be it's because that I don't use that unnaturally white and stiff shortening? Maybe. But Paula Deen said that butter makes everything better. She wouldn't lie to me.

Would she?

So I attempted pumpkin pie again this weekend. This time from America's Test Kitchen. Umm...and did I mention I strained the filling? Yes, through a sieve. What would Mommy say? I can tell you. She'd laugh. That's what she'd say. But anyway, so as you may recall, I made an apple pie last week, and as yummy as that was, the crust sort of stuck to the pan. So this time, I thought I would be proactive and spray Pam on the pie pan. Well, the pie isn't stuck, but the crust did slide down the side. Sigh.



Even though the crust failed, the filling was quite tasty. Who knew candied yams worked so well with pumpkin? And yes, it was a good deal smoother due to the straining...but gees, I don't think chunky pumpkin filling ever hurt anyone.

Or if it did, they could just give their slice to me. I've never met a slice I didn't like.