Wisconsite at last. Tuesday, August 31, 2010
So here it is, three months and nary a peep from me. I've become the most craptastic blogger in all the land.One would think that an entire summer of fun would provide me with endless opportunities to post about whatever fun thing I was doing but instead I failed to write at all. Photos, yes- there are tons and tons of evidence of me having fun. Riding rollercoasters, driving a boat (look at me overcoming that fear of boats and water), running a 5 mile race, visiting my sister in law in alabama/georgia, a fun visit back to Athens and on and on.
I have to admit I've started to feel sketchy about posting my photos here because of my intended future profession. I'm considering purging my old ones, just in case any of my students stumble across these posts and suddenly are like "Oh holy crap, look at this post Mrs. Skeezix* wrote about being totally freaking drunk 4 years ago! WHOA!" and then poof! I'm an unemployed teacher.
That is the crap thing, I love the photos (uh, clearly I'm a photographer). They convey the fun in a way that words sometimes can't. I'm also epically lazy and photos are an easy way to bulk up a lame or boring entry. I have some time to get make a decision.
But that means that I've actually started grad school! Hurrah! It's a week and half into classes and I'm enjoying being back in the swing of things. Class is really interesting and possibly a little overwhelming at times when I think about all the stuff I'll actually have to do once I get into a classroom.
Oh Milwaukee though, I'm loving it so. There is an excellent little tiki bar around the corner from my apartment (and I mean around the corner), I've ended up there almost every weekend since I moved into town. It's cute and hip and the drinks are crazy strong.
I've hit a couple of the breweries in town and sampled some delicious Wisconsin beer plus had my very first cheese curds (oh love). There are still plenty of breweries to hit up and I can't wait to get rolling. I've had a couple of visitors already, a friend who moved to Wisconsin came for a visit and then a friend from Athens who was in town on business. Really! It felt like a little piece of Athens-home here in my new place.
Keep your fingers crossed for me though, I need to find a job and it's been slow going. Which of course is stressing me out more than a touch, I'm paranoid because I've been having to spend money on school supplies and feel like I'm burning through my reserves faster than I planned.
*I realized after I posted this I made myself a "Mrs." I promise I did not have some quickie wedding in all the fun things I did this summer. I'm not sure why I bloody wrote that but it's funny and thus I'm leaving it.
Labels: Awesomeness, beer, drinking, Milwaukee, photos, school
Ireland Tuesday, October 13, 2009
I came thisclose to never leaving Ireland. I can't explain it, I felt at home there. Perhaps it was the pint after pint of beer befuddling my brain or the general misty haze that comes with vacation but it's the truth, I love Ireland. WE ARE IN LOVE.And really, my hair looked fucking fantastic the entire time I was there. That alone is reason enough for me to move there.
Tom, Sara and I had wandered around Kinsale all morning and by early afternoon they were ready for a nap. Me, I wanted to wander some more so I did. First I went up the hill towards a nunnery and then I turned left. Somehow I ended up sort of out in the countryside next to an old Irish guy walking his dog, he turned to me and said something. What he said is entirely a mystery because it's possible was speaking Gaelic, because even after I ask him to repeat himself I still couldn't understand him. So I said "Yeah, that was quite a steep hill" and then booked it because he very well may have been saying something about the weather and wondering why this strange American girl is babbling about a hill.
Eventually I headed back into town, partially because I was pissed that some stupid McMansion sort of development had put up giant 12 foot fences and it was blocking my view of the Irish countryside. WTF?
One night after dinner Tom and I headed into a pub (seriously, the drinking that went on was ridiculous). Sara was too tired to come with so she went back to the B&B while Tom and I went to listen to some Irish music. It was the fantastically little cozy place with locals and tourists alike, we grabbed a couple of pints and sat down to listen. The guy singing and playing guitar was fantastic, he sang a couple of songs and then invited us to all sing along to Mary Mack. We were only a quarter of the way into our pints and the guy was singing a pretty (but slightly cheesy) love song when Tom leaned over to me and said "I think I need to leave now." Confused I asked why and he said "Things are rumbling in a way that isn't good". Both of us grabbed our pints and tried to down as much of them as we could- because the damn things were 4+ Euros a piece.
As we were hightailing it across the town square Tom's gut let out this unearthly growl. It was so loud and sort of echoed off the buildings around us, which only caused me to bust into laughter. Poor Tom ended up spending a good portion of the night in the bathroom.
The following morning he seemed quite recovered and we all headed off to the ancient fort outside of town, taking the low road. Completely forgetting that poor Sara had foot surgery in July and thus by the time we got to the fort her poor feet were tuckered out. Tom and I ran around the inside of the fort, which was massive, and then we boarded the little road train thing to take us back into town. Once in town we drank some more (shocking), ate some lunch and then DRANK SOME MORE. In our defense it was Arthur's Day- the 250th founding of Guinness so drinking in Ireland was an absolute.
I took a seriously insane amount of photos- a few are here, the rest can be found on my flickr page- since I don't want to endlessly bore you with 30 different shots of Kinsale harbor.
Celtic Cross in a super old church:
Kinsale Harbor:
Labels: drinking, drunken shenanagans, Ireland, photos, UK Trip, vacation
Trippy Cake Tuesday, March 24, 2009
I have to admit I'm very proud of this cake, if only for it's eye popping decorating job(even though it's not as perfect as I wanted it to be). My coworker had a major birthday today and he absolutely loves M&Ms, has a bag of them every afternoon. He's also a big fan of southern cooking so I made the cake red velvet with cream cheese frosting.
I followed Smitten Kitchen's Red Velvet recipe with a couple of modifications...I only used two pans instead of the three she recommends. Also, I definitely doubled the frosting recipe (omitting one cup of sugar- so 5 cups instead of 6).
The decorating took about a bag and half of M&Ms (the medium size bag). Be forewarned though, those bastards at Mars didn't put in equal amounts of each color. My bags where disproportionately heavy on the orange and blue M&Ms, and light on the rest of the colors which made the decorating a bit more tricky.
On the whole it was a resounding success, everyone was super in love with it and tons of compliments and such. Unfortunately my stomach wasn't playing nice and was being a cranky bastard so I didn't have any. Then again, I'm not much of a sweets person even though I have a raging baking addiction.
Labels: Awesomeness, food, photos
Chip Chop Chip Monday, February 16, 2009
I was supposed to start training today for the half-marathon I signed up for months ago but somehow I find myself at home and cleaning instead (but I am dancing around to music while I do it- sort of like cardio, right?). I will get up tomorrow and go to the gym in the morning before work and run, probably huff through a couple of minutes and then want to die. I'll admit I've not been running since the beginning of January right before the cold/sinus congestion from hell set in. That lovely little bastard knocked me on my ass for over a month, which is why my stomach currently looks like it's a soft pillow.Lets not even talk about swimming, ha. My suit suddenly became entirely see-through especially in the backside and I was flashing people at pool. Lovely, right? So now I need to purchase a new suit but I keep forgetting the stupid gift card for Dicks when I'm near one. Bah.
I'm finally going to purchase a new goddamn bike. It might mean that I'm not going to pay off that credit card like I planned which isn't very responsible is it? Bah. Sleek little road bike, come to me. I love you.
Labels: bike, gym, lazy, photos, running, triathlon
Insomnia. Monday, February 09, 2009
For a couple of years now I've been experiencing what is called alcohol induced insomnia. Which basically means that my body freaks the fuck out if I drink. It started off just as waking up obscenely early after a night of excessive drinking but it seems to be getting worse. Two drinks spaced out evenly throughout the night and I'll sleep for 3 hours before waking and being unable to fall back asleep.Which totally sucks. Today I was the walking dead since I had two cocktails last night after seeing He's Just Not That Into You (don't go- it sucks. There are no words for it's suckitude. It's not even campy-hilarious-Showgirls bad, it's just painful). Three hours of sleep are just not enough for me to function on and those three hours were quite fitful to start with, by the end of the work day I was near tears.
So I think I'm going to have to take a hiatus from drinking. Which pains me, I love alcohol and it loves me like Ike loved Tina. Sometimes all I want is a cold frosty Oberon Ale or a belly warming snifter of bourbon. I will probably be a bit cranky and annoyed while this self imposed exile from adult beverage land is taking place. Be forewarned.
I've still been cooking up a storm. This weekend alone I made orangettes, london broil and my mom's cheese zucchini. Which doesn't sound like too much food, but it was.
Some of these lovely orangettes will be dipped into chocolate, the rest left plain. I plan on making some candied lemon peal soon and tossing them in sugar and citric acid to make a very grown up version of sour patch kids.
Labels: drinking, food, photos
Pie Weekend Sunday, September 28, 2008
Yes, I'm talking about food again. I should be writing a post about Kate's birthday and how we enjoyed copious amounts of alcohol on Tuesday night plus watched some of them do karaoke, but I'll save that because there is video- which I've not uploaded yet. On to the pie...Something about my family never allows us to do things in a small, normal way in regards to cooking. Perhaps the Irish genes embedded deep inside of us remind us of the famine and thusly cause us to make more food than is possible to consume. I have memories growing up of my mom making enough cookies to keep a family of 6 fed for months, pies were not made by the single or even double rather 5 to 6 pies at a time. Granted we do like to eat, but mostly things ended up in the freezer for later. Nothing like having a randomly shitty Wednesday and your mom being able to pull one of her amazing homemade pies from the freezer. An hour or so later things didn't look so awful because really, pie makes everything better.
Of course I am the exact same way, just a few months ago I was making cooking for my nephew. Why double a recipe when you can quadruple it? Yeah, 7+lbs of cookies is overkill but I didn't hear any complaining.
This week my mom sent me a box of crack apples from a Sage's farm in my hometown. There are no apples that can compare to these, they are spicy and tart and perfect. There is a different apple farm in the area, do not be fooled by them. Their apples suck, their pies aren't homemade (they tell the people in the bakery to lie to you- trust me I worked there), and they pay poor teenagers crap wages. So anyways, heroine apples- my mom didn't take her usual precautions with packaging and they arrived slightly bruised and battered needing to be consumed quickly. I can totally put away 4 or more apples a day, but there were way more than I could eat before spoilage set in.
That's right, it is apple pie time. Oh, and because I've been craving french silk pie I decided to make that too. What? Too much pie for a single person. Yes. Who cares. If you are already in the pie making mode, make a lot. Ahem, which is why I ended up with 3 batches of 2 crust pie doughs. Hell yeah.
First up, Saturday's apple pie. Spicy and good, although a little soft about the middle considering the apples weren't as firm as Mom recommends.
Then on Sunday I made the French Silk pie, my brother's favorite. I've briefly considered sending him a photo via email, but that seems a bit torturous considering he's in Afghanistan and won't be getting pie like this for a loooong time. I'm not cruel. I used a stabilized whipped cream frosting on top because nothing spoils a pie like a weepy whipped cream frosting ruining all that delicious crust.
Tomorrow I suspect my office mates will be quite happy, I plan on taking the leftovers in. Because I've had several slices of each at this point and am about to enter a pie coma.
*I am massively annoyed that I can only do one photo in the middle at a time, sorry for it looking a little long and janky.
Labels: Awesomeness, food, photos
Forget your self control and Rock and Roll!* Sunday, September 14, 2008
This last week I was shooting on location in a warehouse and to add some levity to the image they wanted someone in the background rocking out on a guitar. In an unusual twist, because I'm always behind the camera, I got to stand in while we were testing lights. Now, this is a blurry blowup (since they wanted the dude to be out of focus) but I rocked it none the lesS.Today, before the evil winds of hell starting ripping crap apart in backyard (also known as the remnants of Hurricane Ike) I took a solo drive in Bernard. It was hot and sunny and perfect, that perfection was added to by the lunch of pulled pork, cole slaw and sweet potato fries (passable by my high Texas BBQ standards).
*This was the saying this evening on the underside of the bottle cap of my Magic Hat #9, which- if you've not had you need to go out and find. NOW. Awesome with popcorn and a football game (Go Browns! Kick Pittsburg ass!). Equally awesome any other time.
Labels: Awesomeness, beer, cleveland, midget, photos
Greater Cleveland Triathlon Saturday, August 16, 2008
Race Report #2: Awesome. (Ok, I promise I'll try not to use that word so damn much)Saturday afternoon my mom and I went out to the race site to pick up my packet, I'd already checked the bike course and knew what to expect there (a couple good sized hills) and the run course was nice a flat- the water, now there was the variable. Seriously, I nearly fell over dead when I saw the water and course markers. Nothing like waves and swimming against a current that seemed to be moving horizontally to the shore. A couple of the other racers were in the water giving a try and seemed to be doing ok -then again these were like the super swimmers. The top notch of the notches. Me, I'm in the upper 1/2 of the notches but not top, honestly.
That night I eagerly watched the weather and nothing calms a triathlete's racing heart and head like the words "Small craft advisory". Crap. Dreams involving drowning and sucking in great lung fulls of water followed by a tragic picture in the paper featuring myself in a wetsuit which makes me resemble a lame seal.
But the morning of the race they called off the swim portion, because the water looked like this:
Holy hell, the water was rough and choppy and the sky looked crazy.
It was unseasonably cool as well, mid-50's in the morning and maybe warming up to be in the upper 50's low 60's by the time the race was over. Because the swim was out, they added in a 1.2 mile run to start the race- so the tri because a dual-athon. Which is minorly disappointing since triathlete and triathlon sounds so much more impressive, no?
Anyways, the bike was good, sections of it were pretty windy though but I felt relaxed and just enjoyed myself. I was pretty stoked when one of the international distance guys came up behind me and said "Kudos to you for hauling on that bike!" This made me so freaking giddy I peddled just a bit harder after that. (I ride a big clunky hybrid while everyone else in the race, except two other riders, were on sleek road bikes).
The run was decent, I did have a few rough spots where the water I consumed on the bike sloshed about so much that I felt a little sick. So I walked when I felt that it, and ran the rest.
I LOVED the people on course, both the volunteers, the crowds and the racers. HUGELY different than the group last week, lots of encouragement which really means a lot to me. Besides the 'kudos' comment, a lot of people exchanged "good job!" with each other, from the announcer as I came back in from the ride portion "Look at her riding that huge bike!", I also got a "Keep it up Athens!" and a "I LOVE your jersey!"
Plus, kick ass goody bags with SWEET shirts, hair ties, carb gels, lotion, Triathlete magazine, several Gatorade products, Cliff Shot Bloks (salty goodness), and a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting. As you came across the finish you got a medal, which is my first medal ever. I LOVE it. I didn't place but I want to wear that medal around my neck for a long while. I may be wearing it right now. Shhh.
And even though it's not a one to one ratio race wise I did it in 1 hour 53 minutes which about 11 minutes faster than my race time last year for a sort of equal distance (although this course was harder).
Starting the 5k:
And DONE!
I think this will be my last race of the season. I'm really fighting with myself since I'd like to do another one but I'd also like to enjoy the rest of the summer and not have to keep training so hard. Plus I can put the race fees towards a road bike so that I can knock some time off my cycling portion. But part of me is sad that this is it for the year, but it's good to end on a high note- right?
Labels: cleveland, photos, running, triathlon
Cleveland Triathlon Race Report Wednesday, August 06, 2008
So the truth of the matter is that I am probably entirely too hard on myself. In my head I fixate on the way I think I should be performing during triathlons and then when I realize I just can't do what I imagined I get down. Way down. Crying-in-the-corner, clutching-a-bottle-of-gin-muttering "dumb, slow-wanker" over-and-over-again down.It doesn't help matters that I got fucking schooled by an 8 year old. Yeah, that's right- an 8 year old finished before I did. WTF? EIGHT. MOTHER-FUCKING-EIGHT.
It's a tiny bit hard not to beat oneself up when someone who is 20 years your junior totally kicks your ass and that person hasn't even hit puberty yet. Although in the end I win, because I'm an adult and can eat ice cream for breakfast and a candy bar for lunch while jumping up and down on my bed legally swilling gin and he can't. So suck on that Mr. 8 year old.*
Today someone told me that some races are for learning and not for rocking. I guess that is the way I can sum up Sunday's race, it was all about learning. Swimming in the Lake Erie harbor was actually pretty cool- the fear of water where I can't see the bottom is getting better. The course was surrounded by the cool Science Center and the Rock Hall and the William G. Mather, so there was plenty of interesting things to look at. And they closed down the innerbelt of the shoreway for the race- which if you are familiar at all with Cleveland is one of the main arties out of the city. I wish I had enjoyed the view more but I was battling hellish wind off the lake and some wicked hills. And depending on which distance you were doing you got to hit them a repeatedly. So maybe they weren't such a big deal to the pros but for me those long, slow climbs were a tiny challenge. But I did it and I didn't stop- I just kept peddling.
The swim though, the part I usually feel like I rock, was hard for me this go. I got kicked hard in the stomach twice, which caused me to inhale the lovely water of Lake Erie. In turn causing me choke and then have a hard time catching my breath. After I exited the water I was still coughing up some of the water and spent about 45 seconds bent over at the waist trying to catch my breath. For someone who prides herself on being a strong swimmer I was hella disappointed in my performance. 7:04 for a 300 meter swim.
Sometimes I get pissy with myself because I feel like I'm using the fact that I got kicked twice as a crutch for being so winded and craptastic in the swim portion. And then part of me is really glad I came out of that water and wanted to quit so badly but I sucked it up and got on that damn bike and went, dare I say I'm proud of myself? Conflicting emotions, it's awesome.
Swim: 7:08 (300m)
T1: 4:45
Bike: 44:40 (8 miles)
T2: :57
Run: 21:41 (1.5 miles)
Total: 1hr 19 min.
So this weekend, at race #2 (a longer and harder race) I'm just going to have some fun. I don't care how long it takes me, or how many times I get passed, I'm just going to do it. Fuck yeah.
My number:
In Lake Erie (Science Center in the background):
*Ok, I'm not really trying to knock the 8 year old triathlete around. I think it is quite awesome that he did but that doesn't mean I'm above a little shit talking in order to sooth my wounded ego. I never said I wasn't a minorly petty person under particular circumstances.
Labels: bike, cleveland, photos, running, triathlon
Mini-break Wednesday, July 02, 2008
What does one pack for a trip when the destination is only slightly cooler than the surface of the sun? Personally I have no idea, only that I'll probably melt into a puddle the minute I step outside of the air conditioned bliss of the Austin airport. Why would anyone in their right mind take a slightly extended mini-break to Texas in the middle of July? Only for the love of a family member- my brother is leaving for Afghanistan next week and my sister, parents and his fiance are all converging on that hottest of locals for 5 days of family fun.Not that Kileen is the happiest place on earth, but rather where his base is so in this situation we come to him. And really, from what Glenn has told me Kileen is in the exact middle of nowhere. I really expect the first thing I'll need to do after de-boarding is pick up some sunscreen since the TSA is so unkind about the amounts of 'liquids and gels' one can bring with themselves aboard a plane. 3 ounces of sunscreen is nothing and I'm very, very white. I glow, people. Last year I had more free time (thanks second job) and so had spent more time outside building up some natural color (while wearing the 'screen). And I'm going to try to avoid like freaking hell to check bags since I would be charged an addition $15 each way. Shelling out ridiculous amounts of money already on ticket wasn't enough, now they want to bleed me dry to check a bag.
Ok, so $15 won't break me but it's still ridiculous.
Right now I'm focusing on the positives, Melissa will be free from all her adorable little goblins since they will be staying at home. Straight up sister time! We've not had that since we took a trip to Vegas a couple of years ago; the last family outing which involved a hospital visit, an intervention, and gambling- the perfect Vegas trip no? Oh, Melissa and I also hid out in the bathroom every morning in our hotel room, drinking coffee and eating fresh donuts and trying not to wake the other sister who was still sleeping. I don't know why but that is one of my favorite memories of us, our backs pressed up against the tub laughing and downing coffee and donuts.
So anyways, Melissa and I are hoping to spend some time pool side, slathered in copious amounts of sunscreen drinking some Shiner Bock. We've also got a very strict goal of eating as much as we possibly can, all our childhood favorites to be specific (we all lived in Texas for 10 years in the 80's). On the list are mexican food, snow cones (no one does snow cones like Texas), BBQ and Ranch Beans. I'm sure there are more things but really I'm trying to appear not entirely gluttonous right now. I know I'm not the only member of the family that is obsessed with the good food from Texas, my Dad is planning on stopping at his favorite chocolate place and loading up. I fully expect that by the time they reach Ohio he'll be deep into a Fudge Love coma.
In preparation for the trip I also bought a new camera, shocking behavior for a photographer- I know. My old point and shoot was complete shit, it was a lemon from the day I got it and I sent it back for repairs at least 4 times before I just gave up on it entirely. Its been half operational for a year and half, and really it was time to upgrade. I ended up with a little Canon Elf, and thus far I'm completely in love with it. It is exactly what I've been looking for in a little point and shoot- the color is good, it works well without needing the flash (providing there is appropriate light available) and is small. Now I will barrage you all with photos.
It's a good thing I'm leaving soon because these pickles I made the other night are taunting me from the refridgerator. 10 days feels entirely too long to wait before I'm allowed to open the jar. Patience is clearly a virtue I lack:
Random salad I made for dinner. Roast beets, bacon and pine nuts in a basil chili feta dressing:
Bernard (the MG Midget) and I went for a drive, stopping at these old, sort of creepy brick kilns:
Here I am being a chicken shit about going inside:
Phallic smoke stack!
Labels: family, midget, photos
Barely functional Monday, June 09, 2008
Ok, so clearly I bored everyone with my post about running. So in retaliation I'll make you read a boring bit about my weekend. Bear with me I'm not my usual witty self... I'm so freaking tired right now I can barely sit upright. I've spent the last 4 days moving in 90+ degree heat. Moving oneself by oneself can be a long, laborious undertaking. My friends helped move the large bits but the rest has been up to me.Tonight I spent longer than I care to discuss cleaning my old apartment. I want that fucking deposit back. I still need to finish cleaning the oven, wash the floors and baseboards and then I'm DONE. Oh and move 4 boxes out of the damn garage. Then I'll be really done.
Lets not even touch on the fact that I've been so tired that all my stuff is piled around me in the new apartment none of it put away.
Shall I mention that my parents are coming for a visit this weekend? Because just a bit of added pressure to heap onto the pile to get things put away. Yeah, if it doesn't happen my parents can just suck it up and deal.
The best part about moving, I drove the big ass Uhaul truck. It was wickedly fun. Oh, and moving all the major furniture only took 1 hour and 20 minutes. Which meant my lovely friends and I enjoyed a celebratory beer at 11:20am on Saturday. Oh, and my new neighbor saw us drinking and decided to come down and introduce himself (and his wife) and join us in the beer consuming. Awesome.
See, I loved driving the truck (not bad looking for not wearing a lick of makeup, having been sweating for a couple of hours, no?):
And my awesome friends enjoying a frosty cold one post move, although Dan (the dude in the middle) is looking not entirely happy:
Labels: apartment, photos, triathlon
So very sore+Day in photos Friday, April 18, 2008
I am totally walking funny today because I asked my trainer to kick my ass. I've totally slacked off on working on for the last month, I just couldn't find the motivation because I was being sad and lame. Whatever. Really I couldn't stand feeling like such shit anymore so I resolved to working out every day again. Also I had a bit of great motivation, that being that my pants are starting to not fit correctly. Which sucks since my pant wardrobe is seriously limited to start with.As soon as I started back this week I felt better. I got in several good cardio workouts before I asked my trainer to essentially come up with a plan to make my thighs explode. Oh, and he did. Circuits. Lots of squats, lunge-like steps, kicking exercises (which I happen to LOVE. Here let me work out some aggression by kicking the shit out of your (padded) hands.WHEEEE !!!!). Best part was that we ripped through an hour workout in 30 minutes because I could complete each circuit in 11 minutes, I was hauling ass people. He did cut one set of circuits because he didn't want me to be totally fucking paralyzed for the following 2 days.
Yesterday I just did cardio, but there were a couple cute new guys at the gym. And I think one of them might have been checking me out, although it is quite possible he was staring at my extremely red face in horror. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned how I turn the color of tomato whileexercising but here is the other thing about when I'm having a really good workout... I smile. A LOT. Because it feels good. Also because I'm usually listening to some super cheesy pop mix. Yesterday the biggest smiles came from Wind it Up (GwenStefani), Switch (Will Smith), and Faith (George Michael).
With any luck I'll feel more comfortable in my pants in a month, barring any more brownie breakfasts (oops, just one this morning). But I also like to think that eating it early in the day might be marginally better since I've got all day to burn it off. Just let me live on in my delusion,ok?
Lets show some photos, shall we? Tuesday happened to be a particularly fun day, since it didn't involve my usually boring routine of sitting on the couch watching endlessCSI repeats on Spike (CSI is the new Law and Order), I felt the compelling need to document it.
Labels: apartment, drinking, photos
Hot Dirty Bird Monday, October 29, 2007
This weekend Bernard slapped me around a bit, well, more like mother nature slapped me around and then Bernard had to go get all cankterious on my ass. Friday's weather sucked it, the constant drizzling rain turn heavy once I hit Akron and I had to pull over because I couldn't see. Why couldn't I see? Oh, because Bernard's windshield wipers don't work. Most likely due to the short in the dash. And it was supposed to rain all weekend and this was the only weekend I had free to bring it to the mechanic (who is in Cleveland).It didn't help that my dad was being a bit of an ass about the whole thing. But eventually the weather cleared and I was able to get back on the road. Only to be stuck in THREE traffic jams. THREE. WTF? Never in my life have I been stuck in so much traffic on the east side of Cleveland. It turned what should have been a 4.5 hour drive into a 6 hour odyssey.
The best part of the drive was the car full of awesome dudes who pulled up next to me on the freeway and rode along side of me giving me the thumbs up and admiring my car. They did that for about 2 miles which really cracked me up, clearly they love Bernard. I love him too, even when he's mean to me. Is that the definition of an abusive relationship?
After dinner with my dad I managed to upend the entire box of takeaway wings onto the passenger side of the midget. And since it was dark and there is no interior light I had to feel around in the dark for sticky little wings. Just a perfect sort of topper to a craptastic day. Poor Bernard probably still has wing sauce smeared all over his seats (which are thankfully black leather).
Saturday we headed out to downtown Cleveland to Hot Sauce Williams, which lived up to it's previous reviews and it was awesome. Unfortunately I must now hate myself because they didn't have any banana pudding. I was pretty damn sad about that, but I consoled myself with the pork shoulder sandwich and fried okra. I think fried okra can pretty much right any wrong and make any day better.
Since we were downtown we headed over to Gallucci's for some fun ethnic shopping. Hello prosciutto stuffed olives, you are delicious in my belly.
Then the West Side Market, were we bought some ridiculously cheap produce and I stared at one of the cute butchers wishing like hell I had a cooler for the drive back so I would have a reason to talk to him.
Saturday night was all about Lolita. Yumi and I along with Carrie and Bill headed down to Tremont for dinner. If you live in Cleveland you must go, and go now. Make reservations. And take me with you.
First off the decor and stuff was great, the light was low but not too dim. You could see everything clearly but it was just a nice warm cozy feel. It was small and the waitstaff was awesome. Our waitress was a really cute pixish girl that awesomely could tell you about everything on the menu. She even knew where the chickens came from, which to me is one of the marks of knowledgeable waitstaff.
Yumi started off with a Loupe Loupe which was Champagne, Chambord, vodka and cherry juice. It was sweet and delicious. I had a Hot Dirty Bird which was a dirty martini that had Grey Goose, olive juice and Tabasco in it. I would actually like to have a t-shirt that said "Hot Dirty Bird", I am also going to attempt to re-create this drink at home. I suspect lots of drunkeness will follow while I attempt to get the recipe right. The presentation of the drinks was great, they brought the shakers to the table and poured them right there. Same with the wine my friend Carrie ordered.
For starters we had tomatoes with balsamic and oil, which were just ok in my book. I thought the tomato was a bit under ripe and out of season. But that was honestly my only complaint about the whole meal. We also ordered the crispy chicken livers which were soft and velvety. They weren't overly minerally or anything to me, and I ate nearly the whole serving myself since the others were huge fans of liver.
Carrie and Yumi ordered the braised pork cheeks with roasted onions and chilies. It was in some sort of reduction that had balsamic vinegar and they were very tender from the braising. Bill ordered their Soprassata pizza that was spicy sauce, fresh mozzarella and their own cured sopressata. It was very good, the crust had a great crunch and chew to it. And the sopressata melted in your mouth, it was amazing.
I had their roasted chicken on the recommendation of the waitress and she did not steer me wrong. It was entirely de-boned and so unbelievably crispy I can't even imagine how they got it that way. Not only that but the chicken was moist and not the least bit dry, plus you could really taste the under notes of lemon and rosemary. It had a small sprinkling of white beans on top with a few micro greens. I ate the whole damn thing. Half a chicken!
For sides, Yumi and I both got the escarole with lemon and salt. It was perfectly bitter but the lemon brightened the whole thing up. Carrie got their roasted cauliflower and said it was excellent.
Carrie and Bill got the chocolate pot du creme for dessert (chocolate, sea salt, candied pecans, Carmel and Chantilly creme), and it was very good. Bill wolfed it down, it was comical how fast he ate it. If someone could have injected it right into his veins he probably would have taken them up on it. Yumi and I had no room for dessert.
I am so going back there again because I just have to have the chicken livers again. Plus I want to try all the other things on their menu.
I've heard their Big Board for Two, which is their own cured meats and cheeses is amazing. You have to love a restaurant that cures their own meats.
We were supposed to head over to The Velvet Tango Lounge afterwards but we were completely full and tired (I had half a chicken in my stomach) so we headed home.
If you can possibly believe it my mother made us a huge Sunday breakfast, sweet rolls, swiss scramble, homemade corned beef hash, etc. And I ate a little bit of everything.
And in a fit of bravery I went traipsing off to the salon with Holly's photo in hand and had them lop off my hair. I'm hoping the change in hair with change my chi or mojo or whatever you want to call it and bring me all sorts of new, fantastic things. New love, new job, new home. Anything, I just feel the need for change and my hair seemed like a good place to start.
Labels: Awesomeness, cleveland, food, midget, photos
October burning Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Much of the last week+ has been spent thusly: me sitting on the couch knitting while yelling obscenities at the TV.The most exciting thing I did was take a great fall drive this last weekend in Bernard. It was unseasonably warm and lovely with all the leaves just turning in to flame colored reds and golds. This one photo does the best to capture the feeling of one part of the drive- it was like going through pure gold:
The Ohio River:
And this beautiful vista, I felt like I could almost see clear across the state:
Halfway through the trip my sunglasses broke but it was unbearably hard to drive without them so I ended up looking a wanker on the way back home:
And yet, even though it's the end of October, I got a sunburn. Damn it. This was entirely my fault because I assumed that the weak sun wouldn't burn me, so on Sunday afternoon when I got home poured myself a glass of wine and took a shower. Then I promptly passed out into an hour long nap. I struggled to wake up, but knew I had to if I had any hope of getting back to sleep later in the evening. Plus the game was going to be starting and I needed to see that.
So I was up until the very end, cursing and knitting. Shaking my fist at tv and feeling bummed because I knew where it was heading. I don't know if I'll be watching the World Series, I may but then again I've been neglecting so many things because I've been totally wrapped up the series between Cleveland and Boston. Things like my laundry, which has reached a critical level and I'm about to run out of fresh undergarments. Also, I put my bed linen to soak on Sunday afternoon and then completely forgot about it. Not awesome. I must start tonight if I hope to get things done before I leave for the weekend on Friday.
Labels: Awesomeness, midget, photos
Cars and Cajun food: two wholly unrelated topics Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Last week the weather finally broke and the heat went rushing out. In it's place came perfectly cooler temps, stews, changing leaves and sweatshirts. I finally got to bust out my favorite sweatshirt, my gray MG sweatshirt that I've had since I was 16. It's only appropriate the when the weather finally changes enough that it makes driving a convertible a little less fun that you have something else to look forward to.Next week I'll be driving the Midget to my parents house to store it for the winter and have my mechanic take a look and see he can find that damn short the keeps the blowing the fuse for the control panel. I'm sadder than I thought I would be about storing him up for the winter as it has been an exceptional season of fun. My freckles are starting to fade and I'll miss those too, I fully believe that all that time spent going on drives brought them back full force since I've been pretty freckle free since the last time I owned a Midget.
But Bernard will be back in the spring once the snow melts and the weather turns warm again.
Bernard?
Yes, I finally came up with a fitting name for the Midget. It was a long and decidedly hard thing to do since one wants to choose a name for a car the really encompasses it's spirit. Bernard is a bit crotchety and persnickety but still lovable and fun. And it's pronounced in the British way, not the odd way I've heard my family pronounce it.
This last weekend was cooking club (sorry, for the abrupt transition I can't think of a gentle way to make it flow together today). It was a Cajun feast, Yumi started us off with a amazing spiced crawfish pie.
Summer hosted, and went all out and prepared rabbit. A first for all of us, and it was tender, delicate and moist. And not gamey (which seems to have been every single person's question about it).
For sides Summer made a brussel sprouts with shallot and butter and I contributed a corn souffle. The corn souffle was enough to cause me several hours of worry since it called for canned creamed corn and canned corn. Never ever in my life have I bought canned corn, I buy fresh or frozen (same as my mother). So the canned corned worried me, would it have a slightly metal taste? Be minorly mushy? Luckily it turned out just dandy and everyone loved it. Whew!
Nancy made bourbon balls, they were so alcohol infused that I actually left the room to go stand outside in the cold because I got hot. Bourbon is so warming to me, and the cool of the night air was the only thing that helped. She also brought more of her fantastic apple and thyme martinis, woo! And just like that we were all off the the races.
But her amazing Cranberry Orange Tart is what stole my heart (goddamn that rhymes). I'm quite possibly completely addicted to cranberries, and Nancy is much the same. So when she saw the bags of little red berries in the store for the first time this season she knew she had to make the tart. Thank the infant Jesus she did.
It was so good that the slice I took home didn't make it past coffee on Sunday morning.
And I'm sorry for the blurriness of the photos, I just stopped caring after I downed that first apple and thyme martini.
Crawfish Pie Recipe
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced green and red peppers
1 cup diced celery
8 ounce bag of precooked crawfish tails
1 and 1/4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 generous shot sherry (I bet brandy or cognac will work as well)
1/2 chopped green onion
1 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons Creole spice
2 ready-made roll out pie crusts
Water or chicken stock
1 egg, for egg wash
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a skillet melt butter, add flour and whisk into a paste. Cook roux while stirring for 5 minutes or until it begins to turn lightly golden. Add onions, pepper and celery. Cook, stirring, 4 minutes, until vegetables are tender. The mixture will be thick. Splash in sherry to deglaze the pan and mix in the tomato paste. Once that is incorporated, add crawfish, green onions, parsley and seasoning. Then add either water or chicken stock until it reaches the desired texture, a smooth, slightly thick wet mix. Cook just until heated through, about 1 minute more. Let cool slightly.
Roll out pie dough and either split into individual containers or one regular 9 inch pie pan. Pour filling into pie shell and top with remaining dough. Crimp edges well and poke holes in top. Brush the top with the egg wash (this will give a golden color to the top). Bake for 40 minutes, until crust is golden and filling is bubbling hot.
Creole Seasoning:
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Makes 2/3 of a cup
Corn Souffle
1 can cream style corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 c. milk
4 eggs, separated
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 c. shredded cheese (optional)
Mix everything in bowl except egg whites. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into corn mixture. Pour into greased souffle pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Mine actually took a full hour to cook but since I've not made this recipe repeatedly you might want to check after 30 minutes to make sure yours isn't done and mine was just a fluke.
Cranberry Orange Tart
CRUST:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup ice water
Cooking spray
FILLING:
1/3 cup orange juice
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
Preheat oven to 425°.
To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Sprinkle surface with ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time; toss with a fork until moist and crumbly (do not form a ball). Gently press mixture into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
Slightly overlap 2 lengths of plastic wrap on slightly damp surface. Unwrap and place chilled dough on plastic wrap. Cover dough with 2 additional lengths of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into a 14-inch circle. Place dough in freezer 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.
Remove plastic wrap; fit dough into a 10-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under or flute decoratively.
To prepare filling, combine juice and cornstarch in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add remaining ingredients; stir well. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove tart from oven); bake an additional 35 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Labels: cooking club, food, midget, photos, recipes
September Cooking Club Monday, October 08, 2007
I'll admit, I've been sitting on this post for weeks. I've got absolutely no idea why, it's been typed up and done but apparently I felt the need to regale you all with my talk of crushes and Enrique Iglesas instead. Ptttthhh.When Yumi said she was going to make a butternut squash and prawn pasta dish for cooking club all I could think was "Wha?"
For the life of me I couldn't imagine those two items pairing together seamlessly. But, oh holy jesus, I was wrong. It was delicious, it was creamy, there were perfectly cooked shrimp waiting to be devoured atop the pasta. Sigh. I made this dish at home last weekend and it was still as delicious the second time around as it was the first (see end of post for more photos of it).
I made a starter of cheddar crisps, Yumi's husband Dan declared them "very fancy cheese nips". Which I hope was a compliment, but regardless, I loved them. This was the first of the experiement of attempting to use mostly local ingredients. Local cheddar, local eggs, etc. I'll admit I had to resort to King Arthur Flour because we don't have a mill around here, and my budget can only take so much stretching when it comes to expensive food items. But the local cheddar, which is delicious was resonably priced in my opinion and more delicious than cheddar I might find in Kroger.
Nancy made a lovely veg salad deal, part side dish/part salad. It was so fantastic that I went out and bought all the ingredients the following day and sat down to a big bowl of it for dinner. It was light and simple and not in the least bit heavy, which is a good thing since the weather has turned warm again. (Damnit).
Nancy also brought the lovely Apple and Thyme Martini. Which was perfect, and the beverage of choice for the whole evening. We didn't even bust open the other bottles of wine or lambic.
And then Summer had to go blow us all out of the water with her fantastic chocolate cake. It was layer upon layer of chocolate mouse, chocolate ganche, raspberry sauce and chocolate cake. A chocolate lovers dream really.
Cheese Crisps
Orangette
Adapted from Gourmet, November 2006
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ lb sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment)
1 large egg yolk
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp dried mustard
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, coarsely cracked in a mortar and pestle
1 tsp caraway seeds
Combine the butter, cheese, and yolk in the bowl of a food processor, and blend until smooth. The mixture may seem very thick and lumpy and cement-like at first, but persevere, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides as needed; it will eventually come together into a smooth, thick paste. When it does, add the flour, dried mustard, and salt, and pulse until just combined. Transfer the dough to a sheet of wax paper, and divide it into three portions. [Do not clean the food processor yet.]
Return one portion to the food processor, add the pepper, and pulse until combined well. Or just sprinkle the pepper on top as I did (hi, I'm lazy) Transfer the dough to another sheet of parchment paper. Using the paper as an aid, shape the dough into a log roughly 7 inches in length and 1 ½ inches thick. Roll up the log in the paper, and twist the ends to seal it closed. Clean the processor and dry it well. Make another log on a separate sheet of wax paper in the same manner, using caraway seeds instead of pepper. Place the final, unseasoned portion of dough on another sheet of wax paper, and make it into a log as well. Chill the logs until firm, about 2 hours.
When you're ready to bake the crisps, put an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or silpat).
Unwrap one log and, using a knife (or a cheese cutter), cut enough thin slices – about 1/8 inch thick – from it to cover the baking sheet, arranging the slices about 1 inch apart. Bake the crisps until their edges are golden, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer them on the parchment to a rack, and cool them slightly, about 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Serve crackers warm or at room temperature.
Note: The dough can be chilled, wrapped in foil or a plastic bag, for a week or frozen for up to two months. The crackers can be baked a few days ahead and cooled completely, then stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you like, you can reheat them on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes.
Yield: about 100 crackers
Apple and Thyme Martini
Giada DeLaurentiis
Ice
10 ounces vodka
6 ounces apple juice
1/4 cup thyme syrup, recipe follows
1 large apple, peeled
4 fresh thyme sprigs
Special equipment: melon baller
Chill the martini glasses.
Fill the shaker with ice. Combine the vodka, apple juice, and thyme syrup in a martini shaker. Shake for about 10 seconds. Divide between the 4 chilled martini glasses.
Use the melon baller to scoop out small balls of apple. Place 3 balls of apple and 1 sprig of thyme in each glass for garnish. Serve immediately.
Thyme Simple Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 large sprigs fresh thyme
In a saucepan combine sugar, water, and thyme over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Asparagus and Zucchini Crudi
Giada DeLaurentiis
2 zucchini, trimmed
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce shaved Pecorino Romano, for garnish
Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zucchini into long thin strips. Thinly slice the asparagus on a diagonal. Toss the slices together and place the salad in a serving bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and drizzle over the vegetables. Toss to coat. Garnish with the pecorino shavings. Serve.
Rigatoni with Squash and Prawns
Giada DeLaurentiis
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1 cup vegetable stock
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound prawns, peeled and deveined
3/4 to 1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is very soft, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the squash mixture to a blender or food processor and puree.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
Meanwhile, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the prawns with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Add the prawns to the pan and cook until just pink, about 3 minutes.
In a large pot over low heat combine the cooked pasta, pureed squash mixture, and 3/4 cup milk. Stir to combine. Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk if the sauce needs to be moistened. Add the cooked prawns, basil, and cheese. Stir until warm and serve.
And of course the recipe for Summer's Triple Chocolate Cake is entirely too long, so I'm only going to provide a link to it.
Triple Chocolate Cake
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/105184
And because I took more photos of the butternut squash when I cooked it myself last weekend:
Labels: cooking club, photos, recipes
Bailamos, let the rhythm take you over Friday, October 05, 2007
In honor of the fact that I was resembling Enrique Iglesias earlier this week when I had an unfortunate blemish- I am rocking out to his album Escape. Yes, I actually own Enrique Iglesias albums. Two of them. Don't you judge me.I can't help it, I want to get up and dance around the office when I listen to his music. Especially since it is Friday afternoon and I'm leaving at 3:30 to meet Trainer Mike to work out. And then meeting everyone out for Happy Hour Euchre. Yumi and I were discussing earlier that we are feeling a bit rowdy so it could be a long night. Luckily, I've got zero plans for the rest of the weekend so if I need to spend it recovering I can.
And just in case you don't believe me about resembling Enrique:
Ok, so I don't have the face stubble and haven't quite perfected that 'smoldering' look he's giving the camera but I come close with the under-eye bags and facial mark.
Now I must get back to quietly singing Enrique's songs under my breath and hope that my coworkers don't hear me (luckily they are all wearing headphones at the moment).
Labels: Awesomeness, embarassing, photos
