This was my Vegas experience.
Everyone: Alicia! Alicia! Alicia!!!! Help! Alicia! Alicia can fix it! Alicia!!!
Me: Shut up monkeys.
Things I've learned in the last week
-8 days is too long in Las Vegas
-People really do gamble at 6am on Tuesdays
-It can be hard to tell the difference between professionals and sorority girls.
-It is possible to be in Las Vegas and not gamble.
-It's inappropriate to refer to my suit I got for my birthday as my birthday suit.
-The quietest bar in the strip is the bar at Pinot Brasserie in the Venetian. We had a staff dinner there and the food was great. Especially the croissant bread pudding.
-I don't care how tall you are, please don't consume 25 Crown Royals and start introducing yourself as my better half. I will deny it and throw you under the bus every time.
-I met Hugh Jackman as Wolverine's twin, and he was one of the nicest people I've ever met. And not just because he's Canadian. He's my new work boyfriend, but I haven't told him yet.
- I have more restraint than I thought. The manager at Canelletto asked me if I had kids yet. I told him no, and he took my face in his hands and told me that I needed to start right away because it would be the best thing I ever did. I did not knee him in the balls.
-A waiter asked me if I liked to party, and it didn't go the way I thought it would.
-The economy is causing everyone to wait for the last minute for everything, which is causing me heartburn.
I may finally have caught up on my sleep so it's back to work tomorrow.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Inside of My Head
As I sit here I have the following items bouncing around inside my head.
-I leave for Las Vegas in three days and I AM NOT READY!!!
-I am eleven days away from coming home from Las Vegas.
-Less than a month from now my kitchen will be a disaster area and I will have found a place to store everything from the coffee cups to the big bottle of tequila while they do it. I think the tequila will be stored in my tummy.
-Why is the registration company being nitwits and raising my blood pressure 1000%?
-Where is the line between smacking some sense into someone and assault?
-Where can I get horse tranquilizers? And maybe a midget...
-Quartz is sparkly.
-Do not tell me that avoiding chocolate will stop the pain I'm in, if you haven't established that I've eaten any chocolate. Because unless they're slipping mega doses of estrogen into the chocolate chips in granola bars that's not the answer.
-I used to like Australians. Now, not so much. Except for those living in Connecticut.
-I forgot to pack Liberace's wallet.
-Is Super Saver Shipping from Amazon really overnighting me a package that weighs 28 pounds?
-I cannot deal with anyone else named Bill, Richard, or Jim.
-Germans are also making my sh!t list.
-No, I do not own gold body paint.
-Deadlines are not for my amusement. They actually mean something.
-I need to know where the person in my office got the 90210 theme song ring tone.
Aren't you glad you don't live with me?
-I leave for Las Vegas in three days and I AM NOT READY!!!
-I am eleven days away from coming home from Las Vegas.
-Less than a month from now my kitchen will be a disaster area and I will have found a place to store everything from the coffee cups to the big bottle of tequila while they do it. I think the tequila will be stored in my tummy.
-Why is the registration company being nitwits and raising my blood pressure 1000%?
-Where is the line between smacking some sense into someone and assault?
-Where can I get horse tranquilizers? And maybe a midget...
-Quartz is sparkly.
-Do not tell me that avoiding chocolate will stop the pain I'm in, if you haven't established that I've eaten any chocolate. Because unless they're slipping mega doses of estrogen into the chocolate chips in granola bars that's not the answer.
-I used to like Australians. Now, not so much. Except for those living in Connecticut.
-I forgot to pack Liberace's wallet.
-Is Super Saver Shipping from Amazon really overnighting me a package that weighs 28 pounds?
-I cannot deal with anyone else named Bill, Richard, or Jim.
-Germans are also making my sh!t list.
-No, I do not own gold body paint.
-Deadlines are not for my amusement. They actually mean something.
-I need to know where the person in my office got the 90210 theme song ring tone.
Aren't you glad you don't live with me?
Monday, March 9, 2009
All Semblance Of Still Cooking Is Gone
Maybe it's that we picked out the cabinets (cherry) or that we picked out the granite slab (a level 5 granite that we're getting for level 3 pricing even though I still don't know what that means.) Maybe it's that I've rediscovered a neighborhood gem that does take out, but unfortunately not of their margaritas, and tonight will be the third time in a month I will have a Bean Burrito Arriba for dinner. Maybe it's that we finally went to a place that's been recommended a number of times and found the most awesome list of sandwiches ever. Also puppies! Maybe it's that I've cleaned out the pantry and don't want to buy any groceries because we're a little over a month away from having to put it all in storage containers while they blow up the kitchen. Whatever it is I cannot bring my self to make anything more than a peanut butter sandwich at home anymore. I do feel slightly better that Matt clearly is in the same frame of mind as proved by the email confirmations I get of pizza orders I get every time he's home alone.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Kitchen Remodel
Tomorrow morning Matt and I are going in to pick out kitchen cabinets. We've decided to redo our kitchen and we've picked a contractor and a designer. While it's very exciting, it's also overwhelming. Based on what we're doing it will take 5 weeks of work. Thankfully only 7-10 days of it are complete shut downs for the kitchen. I will start posting pictures as we get ready to pull apart the kitchen and replace almost everything. The only thing we're still a little unsure of is replacing the fridge. While we really like our fridge, it might make more sense to go with a counter depth fridge instead. If any one has any experience with them I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Potato Soup, Round One
As work commitments begin to mount and take over my evenings and weekends, along with any hint of a social life, my cooking opportunities have slid away rapidly in the last few weeks. Last night I tried to correct that and add a few meals to the freezer that I can grab out and heat with little or no thought after a long day. Enter Potato Soup.
After what started out as a quick stop at the grocery store I was ready for soup. (If you ever shop with me don't let me choose the line - I always choose the longest one. Last night it seemed like my streak was broken. They were just about to finish ringing up the person in front of me and he dropped a jar of pickled beets and they splattered everywhere. I was in line for 30 minutes. Ugh.)
I have made potato soup a couple of times and I always feel that something was lacking, so this time I tried a little more flavor before adding the mass of potatoes. While it was a little thin, I am happy with this version. I'd better be because I'm having it for dinner today and probably tomorrow as well. And yes I used celery, but only because I had a theory that if I added enough vegetables I wouldn't have to have salad. Only I lost some of the vegetables between the checkout line and my house. Somewhere a thing of baby leeks is running free.
Potato Soup
Serves 8
4 pieces of bacon, chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stalk of celery, finely diced,
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 c of white wine
5 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
6 c of chicken stock
1 c of half and half
Water as needed
Saute bacon in large soup pot until crispy. Remove and reserve for sprinkling on top later. Saute carrot, celery, and onion for 10 minutes until soft. Add garlic and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the wine and stir until almost evaporated. (Deglaze just means to dump the wine in, stir until all the brown bits are off the bottom of the pan, and then reduce the remaining wine till it's almost gone. It's generally done after browning pieces of meat to make a pan sauce, but I think it works here to get as much flavor as possible from the simple ingredients.) Add potatoes and stock. If potatoes are not covered add water till covered. Add at least 1 TB of salt, and boil till potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat and blend till desired consistency is reached. (I think a sticker blender works best for this, and if you think your stick blender may not be at the full power you'd want it to be, check the top for an adjustable speed control. I didn't notice mine until after I'd blended the soup and then bitched that I wished it had more power.) Add half and half, season with salt and pepper, and serve. Top with grated cheese and bacon bits if desired. I also added a little bit of smoked sea salt (I picked it up someplace and use it sparingly because it's awesome and I want to keep it forever) to give it a little more smoke. This also freezes well for up to three months.
Note: You may think you're adding way too much salt, but you're probably not. It's a little disturbing how much salt this soup can take. I probably ended up with close to 2 TB of salt in my final soup. Also, if your soup is too thin feel free to add instant mashed potatoes. I would have added some last night, but my instant potatoes were passed their expiration date.
After what started out as a quick stop at the grocery store I was ready for soup. (If you ever shop with me don't let me choose the line - I always choose the longest one. Last night it seemed like my streak was broken. They were just about to finish ringing up the person in front of me and he dropped a jar of pickled beets and they splattered everywhere. I was in line for 30 minutes. Ugh.)
I have made potato soup a couple of times and I always feel that something was lacking, so this time I tried a little more flavor before adding the mass of potatoes. While it was a little thin, I am happy with this version. I'd better be because I'm having it for dinner today and probably tomorrow as well. And yes I used celery, but only because I had a theory that if I added enough vegetables I wouldn't have to have salad. Only I lost some of the vegetables between the checkout line and my house. Somewhere a thing of baby leeks is running free.
Potato Soup
Serves 8
4 pieces of bacon, chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stalk of celery, finely diced,
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 c of white wine
5 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
6 c of chicken stock
1 c of half and half
Water as needed
Saute bacon in large soup pot until crispy. Remove and reserve for sprinkling on top later. Saute carrot, celery, and onion for 10 minutes until soft. Add garlic and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the wine and stir until almost evaporated. (Deglaze just means to dump the wine in, stir until all the brown bits are off the bottom of the pan, and then reduce the remaining wine till it's almost gone. It's generally done after browning pieces of meat to make a pan sauce, but I think it works here to get as much flavor as possible from the simple ingredients.) Add potatoes and stock. If potatoes are not covered add water till covered. Add at least 1 TB of salt, and boil till potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat and blend till desired consistency is reached. (I think a sticker blender works best for this, and if you think your stick blender may not be at the full power you'd want it to be, check the top for an adjustable speed control. I didn't notice mine until after I'd blended the soup and then bitched that I wished it had more power.) Add half and half, season with salt and pepper, and serve. Top with grated cheese and bacon bits if desired. I also added a little bit of smoked sea salt (I picked it up someplace and use it sparingly because it's awesome and I want to keep it forever) to give it a little more smoke. This also freezes well for up to three months.
Note: You may think you're adding way too much salt, but you're probably not. It's a little disturbing how much salt this soup can take. I probably ended up with close to 2 TB of salt in my final soup. Also, if your soup is too thin feel free to add instant mashed potatoes. I would have added some last night, but my instant potatoes were passed their expiration date.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Most Deliciously Disturbing Site Ever
http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/
And this is now a leading contender for the next tattoo. (via Mighty Girl)
And this is now a leading contender for the next tattoo. (via Mighty Girl)
Friday, January 23, 2009
Birthday Bonanza
Late January and February are birthday central in my family. I turned 30, Matt turned 31 and both of our mothers turned...one year older. We've celebrated at some of our favorite places, Sonoma for my birthday and Del Merei for Matt's. I even had dinner with an old friend at one of my new favorite places, Bangkok Joe's. It was seriously fantastic and had great Mai Tais.
Because of the celebrations, and then work exploding for both Matt and I, we haven't been cooking at home. I finally went to the grocery store yesterday and went home and made my first pot roast. I didn't grow up with pot roast, and have only eaten it a couple times, but there are certain people who have made it (Kev) that it began to make me feel like I should at least try. I broke out my copy of Julia Child and went to work. I'll post the final recipe after I make it again with a couple of tweaks. I will say that I took it out of the oven and Matt and I both said, "You know, I don't really like the smell of pot roast." In the end it worked out well, but needs some work.
Because of the celebrations, and then work exploding for both Matt and I, we haven't been cooking at home. I finally went to the grocery store yesterday and went home and made my first pot roast. I didn't grow up with pot roast, and have only eaten it a couple times, but there are certain people who have made it (Kev) that it began to make me feel like I should at least try. I broke out my copy of Julia Child and went to work. I'll post the final recipe after I make it again with a couple of tweaks. I will say that I took it out of the oven and Matt and I both said, "You know, I don't really like the smell of pot roast." In the end it worked out well, but needs some work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
