Today's Think Kit topic is: Draw a self portrait. Get as abstract or as real as you like!
Uhhh, no. I have NO art ability at all so I went to the lifelines and the topic is: Did you eat an amazing meal this year? What did you eat? Who was with you?
Well, this year I did have a few amazing meals! I was able to go to Florida so I was in seafood heaven and I also had an amazing meal at a Brazilian Steak House in Indianapolis, downtown. It was so yummy!
Brazilian Steak House: There's a large salad bar with more than just salad: all sorts of seafood and veggies. All so yummy. I loved the variety of cheese and breads/ crackers. Everything was also presented beautifully.
I'd never been to one before so I was tickled at the fact it was all the meat I wanted to have. Delicious. While I think I could go through life as a vegetarian this place is what makes me still be a carnivore. Lamb, all sorts of steaks, chops.... oh so yummy! The side dishes weren't the best but between the all I could eat meat options and the stunning salad bar, I was so food happy. It was so nice to have my boyfriends take me here!
My BFF Photographer and I spent a week in Florida and all food was amazing. Fresh seafood every day. Need I say more?!? I could eat my weight in shrimp and crab and I really tried! There isn't one place we went that stands out as the best but it was all good!
Yay FOOD!
Maggie
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Letter to pizza joint's new owners
Dear new owners of my formerly favorite locally owned pizza place who needs to learn about customer service:
Since you opened your pizzeria- Sally Sicklemeyer's- in my town, I've been a dedicated customer. For the first few months you opened I was there weekly, if not more. My sis-in-law and I loved to bring her babies there, and your former lunch buffet was, by far, the best in town in taste, quality, quantity, and cost. Your food was to die for and your hired help was always great and friendly.
Now you suck.
And you are the new owners so none of this is directed to the people who owned you before because you started sucking when you took over.
One thing I loved was your $4.99 buffet which I was told is now gone. Fine.
You raised you pizza prices. Your food is good but not that good.
But my biggest complaint is a combination of your now crappy customer service and your now new crappier delivery policy.
Here's a little story for you: I work at Alcatraz which is 6 miles out of the city limits. We order from you all the time- well, from your previous owners. We were outside of the regular delivery sphere but because the previous owners were supporters of Alcatraz, they decided to allow their drivers to deliver to us. We house around 110 kids in 10 dorms. We also house about 89 staff and their families in various homes and apartments on our campus. We also have on call staff 27/7 so at any given time we have around 200 people on campus. Staff can, and does, order pizza for our kids. Now I'm sure you know how many pizzas it takes to fee 2 adults and 14 boys between ages 14-17. A LOT, which was around $100, give or take. My point is that while the previous owners allowed delivery outside of the usual delivery area, it was PROFITABLE for the company AND the drivers.
Remember the above.
Imagine my surprise when I called to order for a few of us and the following happened:
1. I was told by a snotty woman- Alecia- that they "no longer delivered to Alcatraz". I said okay and then she put me on hold and came back on to tell me, in her still snotty way, that the new manager said they could deliver this one last time but for a $3 fee. I said okay and ordered our food.
2. I told her I had a coupon for a free order of bread sticks and she put me on hold and came back and said, snottily, that the new managers would go ahead and "honor" the coupon, for now.
3. when I was done with the order she told me I had to get more food because it didn't total $25. I said I didn't know it had to; she said that was the only way they would deliver "that far" and that I better be "ready for lots of new changes coming from the new manager." She also said that the drivers hated to come there. I then raised my voice and told her she was crazy because people who live and work here understand and appreciate the company being willing to accommodate us, and we tip well. I told her I work as the receptionist and money is usually left with me and it's rare that a tip is LESS than $5. I told her to ask the drivers.
She finally gave me a total and then said it would be 80-90 minutes until it would be there, and hung up on me.
I fumed, discussed this situation with my colleagues and we called to cancel our order. And then ordered from the only other locally owned pizza joint- Godmothers- and they said after what happened and to thank us for our business, they would glad breach their delivery area from now on, and bring us food.
I will never be eating at Sally's again. I understand if you no long want to deliver here but the rude and snotty attitude from Alecia was inexcusable, especially her hanging up on me. It was unnecessary to keep changing the order rules: coupon, delivery fee, minimum order. As the new manager, you need to be ready for a change from me: I won't be there any more and I will tell everyone I know about this and maybe your business won't be there anymore either. And remember, I can tell all 200 people who live in work at Alcatraz what happened with a click of one email button. And they'll tell people and so on...
And I will make sure every single person knows that Godmother's saved the day.
I'm not impressed with you, the new owners of Sally. And that's too bad because not only have you lost my dedication, you have lost my business.
Respectfully,
Maggie Mae O'Sullivan
Since you opened your pizzeria- Sally Sicklemeyer's- in my town, I've been a dedicated customer. For the first few months you opened I was there weekly, if not more. My sis-in-law and I loved to bring her babies there, and your former lunch buffet was, by far, the best in town in taste, quality, quantity, and cost. Your food was to die for and your hired help was always great and friendly.
Now you suck.
And you are the new owners so none of this is directed to the people who owned you before because you started sucking when you took over.
One thing I loved was your $4.99 buffet which I was told is now gone. Fine.
You raised you pizza prices. Your food is good but not that good.
But my biggest complaint is a combination of your now crappy customer service and your now new crappier delivery policy.
Here's a little story for you: I work at Alcatraz which is 6 miles out of the city limits. We order from you all the time- well, from your previous owners. We were outside of the regular delivery sphere but because the previous owners were supporters of Alcatraz, they decided to allow their drivers to deliver to us. We house around 110 kids in 10 dorms. We also house about 89 staff and their families in various homes and apartments on our campus. We also have on call staff 27/7 so at any given time we have around 200 people on campus. Staff can, and does, order pizza for our kids. Now I'm sure you know how many pizzas it takes to fee 2 adults and 14 boys between ages 14-17. A LOT, which was around $100, give or take. My point is that while the previous owners allowed delivery outside of the usual delivery area, it was PROFITABLE for the company AND the drivers.
Remember the above.
Imagine my surprise when I called to order for a few of us and the following happened:
1. I was told by a snotty woman- Alecia- that they "no longer delivered to Alcatraz". I said okay and then she put me on hold and came back on to tell me, in her still snotty way, that the new manager said they could deliver this one last time but for a $3 fee. I said okay and ordered our food.
2. I told her I had a coupon for a free order of bread sticks and she put me on hold and came back and said, snottily, that the new managers would go ahead and "honor" the coupon, for now.
3. when I was done with the order she told me I had to get more food because it didn't total $25. I said I didn't know it had to; she said that was the only way they would deliver "that far" and that I better be "ready for lots of new changes coming from the new manager." She also said that the drivers hated to come there. I then raised my voice and told her she was crazy because people who live and work here understand and appreciate the company being willing to accommodate us, and we tip well. I told her I work as the receptionist and money is usually left with me and it's rare that a tip is LESS than $5. I told her to ask the drivers.
She finally gave me a total and then said it would be 80-90 minutes until it would be there, and hung up on me.
I fumed, discussed this situation with my colleagues and we called to cancel our order. And then ordered from the only other locally owned pizza joint- Godmothers- and they said after what happened and to thank us for our business, they would glad breach their delivery area from now on, and bring us food.
I will never be eating at Sally's again. I understand if you no long want to deliver here but the rude and snotty attitude from Alecia was inexcusable, especially her hanging up on me. It was unnecessary to keep changing the order rules: coupon, delivery fee, minimum order. As the new manager, you need to be ready for a change from me: I won't be there any more and I will tell everyone I know about this and maybe your business won't be there anymore either. And remember, I can tell all 200 people who live in work at Alcatraz what happened with a click of one email button. And they'll tell people and so on...
And I will make sure every single person knows that Godmother's saved the day.
I'm not impressed with you, the new owners of Sally. And that's too bad because not only have you lost my dedication, you have lost my business.
Respectfully,
Maggie Mae O'Sullivan
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Free stuff
1. TheSam and I went out for dinner a few weeks ago. We were eating local, so not a chain place. It's a cool brewhouse with a HUGE food menu as well as brews. The manager was doing a walk around and checking on tables. We had great food and great service. The manager was just chatting, what were doing the rest of the evening, did we like the city, had we eaten there before, just general chatting. We talked about all the great eateries and how often we went out for food, that we were "new foodies" but we loved his place and would be back. He wanted to know if we were ordering dessert and we said no and we talked about how they are famous (and they are, locally) for their peanutbutter pie. We talked about how good it sounds and all of a sudden, he just offers us a free piece to share. Seriously. He leaves and comes back 5 minutes later with a "piece" of pie- a slice that was probably a quarter of the whole pie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TheSam and I shared it and it was the best peanut butter pie I've ever had in my entire life. And it was free, just because. I thought that was the coolest thing ever! And so nice. We thanked the guy profusely. How generous!
2. About two weeks ago TheSam and I were eating out- again- this time at a BBQ place. This is a chain place- there are 22 joints. These are are here in the Midwest and I could drive to all of them, if I wanted, all about a 2 hour radius from here. Not entirely local but started out small and local and at least stayed centralized. We go here at least one time a month and we love it. We see some of the same people each time we go so we're becoming "regulars."
We talked to the manager, when he stopped at our table, again having had great food and service, and was just doing the chatting thing. He asked if we were going to have fresh peach cobbler and I said no because I was on a diet and we all laughed. TheSam said he wasn't on a diet but he wasn't because he was full and we all laughed. About 5 minutes later the manager comes back and hands TheSam a go sack with a piece of still warm cobbler in it (with homemade whipped cream, on the side). He said it was on the house and for later and he winked at me and said if I decided to cheat on my diet, I should make him share. They had some guy bonding moment and left. That was so nice, again we were so surprised and pleased, and thankful. And impressed.
3. A couple nights ago TheSam and I popped into McAlister's Deli for a cookie and iced tea. We sat in a booth just chilling out. We knew they closed in about 20 minutes and there were still other customers so we sat. The manager stopped at the table to see if we wanted tea refills and we said sure. I told him I had unsweetened tea since I was sweet enough and we all laughed. He brought our cups back- full_ and then returned about 2 minutes later with a GALLON of the unsweetened tea for ME!!!! Just for no reason. He said he was closing soon and would toss it, they had just made is not even an hour ago so it was fresh. I thanked him so much and again, just overwhelmed with these kindnesses. And guess what? Not 3 minutes later he comes back with another gallon of sweet tea for TheSam since "he needed sweetening up" and we laughed. Yes, he gave us not one but 2 gallons of free tea!!!!! Isn't that amazing? And awesome? And kind!?!
I like it when something good happens out of the blue. It's so rare these days, but so appreciated!
Mags
2. About two weeks ago TheSam and I were eating out- again- this time at a BBQ place. This is a chain place- there are 22 joints. These are are here in the Midwest and I could drive to all of them, if I wanted, all about a 2 hour radius from here. Not entirely local but started out small and local and at least stayed centralized. We go here at least one time a month and we love it. We see some of the same people each time we go so we're becoming "regulars."
We talked to the manager, when he stopped at our table, again having had great food and service, and was just doing the chatting thing. He asked if we were going to have fresh peach cobbler and I said no because I was on a diet and we all laughed. TheSam said he wasn't on a diet but he wasn't because he was full and we all laughed. About 5 minutes later the manager comes back and hands TheSam a go sack with a piece of still warm cobbler in it (with homemade whipped cream, on the side). He said it was on the house and for later and he winked at me and said if I decided to cheat on my diet, I should make him share. They had some guy bonding moment and left. That was so nice, again we were so surprised and pleased, and thankful. And impressed.
3. A couple nights ago TheSam and I popped into McAlister's Deli for a cookie and iced tea. We sat in a booth just chilling out. We knew they closed in about 20 minutes and there were still other customers so we sat. The manager stopped at the table to see if we wanted tea refills and we said sure. I told him I had unsweetened tea since I was sweet enough and we all laughed. He brought our cups back- full_ and then returned about 2 minutes later with a GALLON of the unsweetened tea for ME!!!! Just for no reason. He said he was closing soon and would toss it, they had just made is not even an hour ago so it was fresh. I thanked him so much and again, just overwhelmed with these kindnesses. And guess what? Not 3 minutes later he comes back with another gallon of sweet tea for TheSam since "he needed sweetening up" and we laughed. Yes, he gave us not one but 2 gallons of free tea!!!!! Isn't that amazing? And awesome? And kind!?!
I like it when something good happens out of the blue. It's so rare these days, but so appreciated!
Mags
Friday, July 13, 2012
What an awesome week!
I love this week. It was a completely fabulous experience. I know I was there for work but I had such a great time it was like vacation. I wish all work could be like that!
As I said before, I worked at a high school journalism camp as an intern. I worked with kids who are appointed section editors of their school papers. Kids came from all over the US and they were awesome, fun and smart. I loved how their brains processed information and I loved that they shared their creativity.
I learned quite a bit myself. I have some great ideas for a school publication if I ever have a chance to be a sponsor or journalism teacher. I'm going to take some of these ideas back to my current school and see if I can convince the principal to let me do a student publication. We shall see!
In addition to working with kids on story packaging, grading, student instruction, facilitating leadership activities, and news/ feature/ op-ed writing, I helped my friend Photographer, who got me this gig, prep for her fall semester. I developed 50 research writing topics on Native American Indians for her to use with her advanced juniors, and an additional 30 research topics on the 1920s/ Gatsby for her AP juniors.
I met some cool people and made a few contacts (which I don't think will really turn into anything for a teaching job BUT will be very helpful in the future if I want to teach for this program!). I also met neat kids, of course. And people in the community were wonderful.
Obviously I loved the food* and the culture. I wish with all my heart that I had gone to a huge school. It's such a cool town and the school offers so much that I love and couldn't experience except in that sort of setting. It's such a historic university, rich in so much. I felt so at home in that setting.
All in all it was wonderful and I so was NOT ready to come home. Especially since I had to come home and go straight to work at my part time weekend job!!! Ugh! (I really need to get rid of that! If only I could get a raise....)
Mags
*I did real Turkish food, after trying to decide after I wrote about all my good eats here. The food was plentiful and excellent. The staff was good, and really helpful since I had never eaten Turkish and had no idea what to order. And the price was right! I had wonderfully seasoned lamb kebabs on a bed of rice with a red lentil soup drizzle with a salad with a funky dressing, warm homemade bread, a white bean soup, and hot Turk Tea.I chose to eat a table with a chair rather than on the floor with huge cushions because I was alone and all I could have visions of was myself on the floor, with a full belly, and unable to stand up! Excellent meal and I want to go back!
As I said before, I worked at a high school journalism camp as an intern. I worked with kids who are appointed section editors of their school papers. Kids came from all over the US and they were awesome, fun and smart. I loved how their brains processed information and I loved that they shared their creativity.
I learned quite a bit myself. I have some great ideas for a school publication if I ever have a chance to be a sponsor or journalism teacher. I'm going to take some of these ideas back to my current school and see if I can convince the principal to let me do a student publication. We shall see!
In addition to working with kids on story packaging, grading, student instruction, facilitating leadership activities, and news/ feature/ op-ed writing, I helped my friend Photographer, who got me this gig, prep for her fall semester. I developed 50 research writing topics on Native American Indians for her to use with her advanced juniors, and an additional 30 research topics on the 1920s/ Gatsby for her AP juniors.
I met some cool people and made a few contacts (which I don't think will really turn into anything for a teaching job BUT will be very helpful in the future if I want to teach for this program!). I also met neat kids, of course. And people in the community were wonderful.
Obviously I loved the food* and the culture. I wish with all my heart that I had gone to a huge school. It's such a cool town and the school offers so much that I love and couldn't experience except in that sort of setting. It's such a historic university, rich in so much. I felt so at home in that setting.
All in all it was wonderful and I so was NOT ready to come home. Especially since I had to come home and go straight to work at my part time weekend job!!! Ugh! (I really need to get rid of that! If only I could get a raise....)
Mags
*I did real Turkish food, after trying to decide after I wrote about all my good eats here. The food was plentiful and excellent. The staff was good, and really helpful since I had never eaten Turkish and had no idea what to order. And the price was right! I had wonderfully seasoned lamb kebabs on a bed of rice with a red lentil soup drizzle with a salad with a funky dressing, warm homemade bread, a white bean soup, and hot Turk Tea.I chose to eat a table with a chair rather than on the floor with huge cushions because I was alone and all I could have visions of was myself on the floor, with a full belly, and unable to stand up! Excellent meal and I want to go back!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Food, glorious international food!
This is a diet free post!
I'm in love with food. It's probably great that I do NOT live here in the college town of the conference for I would weigh about 400 pounds. Food is everywhere and plentiful and it's completely ethnic and mostly authentic.
I've never left my home state and I've eaten around the world.
Monday night was a good old dish from the motherland, Ireland. (My motherland!) I found an Irish pub and had fish and chips and a hard cider. And a shot of Jameson whiskey. Good food, great atmosphere- very much like a Dublin pub- good service, fine company, and great music, albeit not live, but still good.
Tuesday took me to Greece. I don't think I've really had much Greek food before so I indulged in a Lamb Gyros. Yes, a pretty common item BUT this lamb is on a spit and is roasted for days (or something like that) and patrons can watch it be sliced off the rotating beast. I had a Greek salad, too. They make homemade and daily baked pita bread for the sandwiches and the hummus is also made fresh and served with homemade pita chips. Oh baby, yes!
Last night was Mexican. I know I can get that at home but when other people LOVE Mexican and I'm the only one who isn't really fan, I decided it was better to just go along and get a salad for something. Oh so NOT necessary! I love to get arroz con pollo (traditional chicken, cheese and rice) but at the Mexi place in my hometown they use so much black and white pepper it's overloaded and I just hate it. It's also never consistent there, either- something hot, sometimes mild and sometimes FLAMING hot. At home they also use a very spice cheese which adds to the burn. If the place I ate at last night was like at home, I would LOVE Mexican. The waiter heard me tell someone I was getting a salad because of the hot factor at home and he PROMISED if I got it, there would be flavors but not heat or pepper. So I got it and it was wonderful!
Tonight is dinner on my own. I was thinking French but the place is really expensive as is the Tibetan place. I have it narrowed down to Turkish (yay kebabs!), Thai or Indian. I found the menus online and the Indian place as non-hot curries so that's a plus. We shall see what happens and I'll update you tomorrow!
Loving my food,
Mags
I'm in love with food. It's probably great that I do NOT live here in the college town of the conference for I would weigh about 400 pounds. Food is everywhere and plentiful and it's completely ethnic and mostly authentic.
I've never left my home state and I've eaten around the world.
Monday night was a good old dish from the motherland, Ireland. (My motherland!) I found an Irish pub and had fish and chips and a hard cider. And a shot of Jameson whiskey. Good food, great atmosphere- very much like a Dublin pub- good service, fine company, and great music, albeit not live, but still good.
Tuesday took me to Greece. I don't think I've really had much Greek food before so I indulged in a Lamb Gyros. Yes, a pretty common item BUT this lamb is on a spit and is roasted for days (or something like that) and patrons can watch it be sliced off the rotating beast. I had a Greek salad, too. They make homemade and daily baked pita bread for the sandwiches and the hummus is also made fresh and served with homemade pita chips. Oh baby, yes!
Last night was Mexican. I know I can get that at home but when other people LOVE Mexican and I'm the only one who isn't really fan, I decided it was better to just go along and get a salad for something. Oh so NOT necessary! I love to get arroz con pollo (traditional chicken, cheese and rice) but at the Mexi place in my hometown they use so much black and white pepper it's overloaded and I just hate it. It's also never consistent there, either- something hot, sometimes mild and sometimes FLAMING hot. At home they also use a very spice cheese which adds to the burn. If the place I ate at last night was like at home, I would LOVE Mexican. The waiter heard me tell someone I was getting a salad because of the hot factor at home and he PROMISED if I got it, there would be flavors but not heat or pepper. So I got it and it was wonderful!
Tonight is dinner on my own. I was thinking French but the place is really expensive as is the Tibetan place. I have it narrowed down to Turkish (yay kebabs!), Thai or Indian. I found the menus online and the Indian place as non-hot curries so that's a plus. We shall see what happens and I'll update you tomorrow!
Loving my food,
Mags
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Random Stuff on a Tuesday
Got my hair trimmed because it's grown so quickly. My stylist was just chatting away with me and she ran the clippers over the back of my hair and suddenly stopped and realized we 'didn't do that last time' but it was a little late for that now. My hair is REALLY short now. Yikes! More Gennifer Goodwyn short than Katie Holmes short.
And speaking of Katie Homes, does anyone else think "it's about damn time" that she divorces Tom Cruise and gets away from his mind control whako-ness?
And speaking of clippers, my household is in an uproar looking for Daddy-O's hair clippers. Mac uses them to give himself a haircut last week and Daddy-O helped him. Mac said Daddy-O took the clippers back and Daddy-O thought he gave the clippers to Mac. We've turned the house upsidedown looking for those suckers in all the obvious places and some not.
Does anyone else just LOVE Subway?
Is anyone else going to watch the new show on CBS this fall called Sherlock?
Does anyone else just love hotel sex?
I'd love to learn how to use Pinterest. Still can't figure that sucker out.
I've been thinking it would be cool if I could operate a Mac Book laptop.
Daddy-O and I went to a Kroger Market Place which is a cool twist on the super store idea but BETTER. It has furniture and home stuff. We found a "painting" on canvas in the lobby and after I finally found a clerk and made her scan it, we found it was $30. This thing usually retails for $80, and it's about 4x5 feet and totally cool. I grabbed it and had them hold it at the cusstomer service desk; hey, with that discount it HAD to be bought!!!!
It seems the new trend in the area I live is to now NOT find out the gender of the baby. I know all these pregnant women, or women who've very recently had babies, and no one is finding out the boy or girl answer. And just a few years ago, everyone was finding out the gender as soon as it was possible. Interesting. I don't care either way, but I think trends are interesting.
I want to have a Bernese Mountain Dog instead of a baby. Naming it will be just as fun!
I don't care what anyone says; Charlie Sheen is just hot and still sexy.
Today was a super busy day at work. Since we have tomorrow until Monday off for the 4th holiday, and then I'm going to be at a conference from Monday thru Thursday and then we have our July Recess until the last day of July, I won't be back at school for a MONTH! Go me! however, this does mean I had about a million things to do today. I made a to-do list and crossed off every single item! And for the first time EVER, I have to say that every single library book was returned!!!!!!!! I didn't have to go to the kids' res halls or do locker searches. Kids brought them back. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This weather sucks and I hate it. The heat is killing me. And it's only early July; it's going to be a very long, hot, miserable summer.
My phone is telling me I have very little storage data left. I thought I'd delete stuff and there's all this Sprint shit I can't get rid of but I never use it like the football and NASCAR app. Nor do I Facebook and I can't delete it either. It's taking up valuable space and it just pisses me off that because it's part of the "phone company's promo" stuff, I can't remove them.
Mags
And speaking of Katie Homes, does anyone else think "it's about damn time" that she divorces Tom Cruise and gets away from his mind control whako-ness?
And speaking of clippers, my household is in an uproar looking for Daddy-O's hair clippers. Mac uses them to give himself a haircut last week and Daddy-O helped him. Mac said Daddy-O took the clippers back and Daddy-O thought he gave the clippers to Mac. We've turned the house upsidedown looking for those suckers in all the obvious places and some not.
Does anyone else just LOVE Subway?
Is anyone else going to watch the new show on CBS this fall called Sherlock?
Does anyone else just love hotel sex?
I'd love to learn how to use Pinterest. Still can't figure that sucker out.
I've been thinking it would be cool if I could operate a Mac Book laptop.
Daddy-O and I went to a Kroger Market Place which is a cool twist on the super store idea but BETTER. It has furniture and home stuff. We found a "painting" on canvas in the lobby and after I finally found a clerk and made her scan it, we found it was $30. This thing usually retails for $80, and it's about 4x5 feet and totally cool. I grabbed it and had them hold it at the cusstomer service desk; hey, with that discount it HAD to be bought!!!!
It seems the new trend in the area I live is to now NOT find out the gender of the baby. I know all these pregnant women, or women who've very recently had babies, and no one is finding out the boy or girl answer. And just a few years ago, everyone was finding out the gender as soon as it was possible. Interesting. I don't care either way, but I think trends are interesting.
I want to have a Bernese Mountain Dog instead of a baby. Naming it will be just as fun!
I don't care what anyone says; Charlie Sheen is just hot and still sexy.
Today was a super busy day at work. Since we have tomorrow until Monday off for the 4th holiday, and then I'm going to be at a conference from Monday thru Thursday and then we have our July Recess until the last day of July, I won't be back at school for a MONTH! Go me! however, this does mean I had about a million things to do today. I made a to-do list and crossed off every single item! And for the first time EVER, I have to say that every single library book was returned!!!!!!!! I didn't have to go to the kids' res halls or do locker searches. Kids brought them back. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This weather sucks and I hate it. The heat is killing me. And it's only early July; it's going to be a very long, hot, miserable summer.
My phone is telling me I have very little storage data left. I thought I'd delete stuff and there's all this Sprint shit I can't get rid of but I never use it like the football and NASCAR app. Nor do I Facebook and I can't delete it either. It's taking up valuable space and it just pisses me off that because it's part of the "phone company's promo" stuff, I can't remove them.
Mags
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas eats
We had our family Christmas a few days ago since my brother drew the short straw and work on Christmas day. This isn't really a big, ugly deal or anything and it was a wonderful day.
My niece and nephew just crack me up with their silly antics and they must've known about Santa's naughty and nice list because they were extra nice and so sweet. I got lots of hugs and kisses and cuddles and smiles and even some high 5's from Fab Finn (who isn't much for kisses for anyone but hi mommy!).
We opened awesome presents and then went out for dinner at a steak house. I loved that I didn't have to cook!
Though today I decided I would cook stuff for the next few days so I could keep on relaxing. I didn't want to spend all of tomorrow cooking even though we're only going to see a movie. I have to work my weekend receptionist job- which I am doing right now!- so my brain was in work mode already. So I got up this morning, and none too early mind you, and tackled cleaning the kitchen first so I could cook.
I boiled and deboned chicken for a chicken casserole, which I stirred up after said chicken was cooked and... de-boneable (I know that's not a word and it even sounds sorta dirty...). I also fired 2 pounds of bacon and made 2 breakfast casseroles. I fried up hamburger for tomorrows chili, then I made 2 dips/ spreads: cheese dip for crackers or veggies, and a dill dip which we put on small slices of pumpernickel bread. I didn't get the brownies baked or the sour cream coffee cake made so those are on tomorrow's agenda. And the corn muffins (those are better hot so they had to wait, in my personal opinion. But it's not that hard to open a box, add eggs and pour! Right?)
By the time I got to work (and I volunteered to work so no pity parties!) and I put up all the mail here and then I got things situated for the rest of the night, I was wiped out! Who knew that pre-working could take so much time?
And you know when you cook lots of stuff and you think you have everything? Well, I thought I was out of eggs but found a dozen had been shoved to the back of the fridge. I ran out of bread but Daddy-O had hid an extra loaf. I had just enough milk plus a glass. The only thing that was messed up with dill weed. We have a shelf in the pantry that has about 50 different types of spices on it. NO DILL WEED! I went through them several times and made Daddy-O look because I could be blind and there was no dill for the DILL DIP. I said screw it but Daddy-O ventured out to Wally World in search of said spice. And he found the LAST ONE in all of town (he called to see if dill seed would work. I had to call my friend with the recipe who said that would no be an acceptable substitution and had to text him back. He prevailed and found one anyway!) You know me and holiday food- it's almost the point for ANY holiday!
So, it's Christmas eve and almost all the food is prepared and stockings are hung and the children are gonna be snug in beds... and I don't have to cook on Christmas. Unless I want coffee cake. And brownies. And corn muffins...
Happy Christmas,
Maggie!
My niece and nephew just crack me up with their silly antics and they must've known about Santa's naughty and nice list because they were extra nice and so sweet. I got lots of hugs and kisses and cuddles and smiles and even some high 5's from Fab Finn (who isn't much for kisses for anyone but hi mommy!).
We opened awesome presents and then went out for dinner at a steak house. I loved that I didn't have to cook!
Though today I decided I would cook stuff for the next few days so I could keep on relaxing. I didn't want to spend all of tomorrow cooking even though we're only going to see a movie. I have to work my weekend receptionist job- which I am doing right now!- so my brain was in work mode already. So I got up this morning, and none too early mind you, and tackled cleaning the kitchen first so I could cook.
I boiled and deboned chicken for a chicken casserole, which I stirred up after said chicken was cooked and... de-boneable (I know that's not a word and it even sounds sorta dirty...). I also fired 2 pounds of bacon and made 2 breakfast casseroles. I fried up hamburger for tomorrows chili, then I made 2 dips/ spreads: cheese dip for crackers or veggies, and a dill dip which we put on small slices of pumpernickel bread. I didn't get the brownies baked or the sour cream coffee cake made so those are on tomorrow's agenda. And the corn muffins (those are better hot so they had to wait, in my personal opinion. But it's not that hard to open a box, add eggs and pour! Right?)
By the time I got to work (and I volunteered to work so no pity parties!) and I put up all the mail here and then I got things situated for the rest of the night, I was wiped out! Who knew that pre-working could take so much time?
And you know when you cook lots of stuff and you think you have everything? Well, I thought I was out of eggs but found a dozen had been shoved to the back of the fridge. I ran out of bread but Daddy-O had hid an extra loaf. I had just enough milk plus a glass. The only thing that was messed up with dill weed. We have a shelf in the pantry that has about 50 different types of spices on it. NO DILL WEED! I went through them several times and made Daddy-O look because I could be blind and there was no dill for the DILL DIP. I said screw it but Daddy-O ventured out to Wally World in search of said spice. And he found the LAST ONE in all of town (he called to see if dill seed would work. I had to call my friend with the recipe who said that would no be an acceptable substitution and had to text him back. He prevailed and found one anyway!) You know me and holiday food- it's almost the point for ANY holiday!
So, it's Christmas eve and almost all the food is prepared and stockings are hung and the children are gonna be snug in beds... and I don't have to cook on Christmas. Unless I want coffee cake. And brownies. And corn muffins...
Happy Christmas,
Maggie!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Ah, the sweetness!
I organized a cookie swap at work. I have no idea what got into me but 2 weeks ago I started pummeling our faculty with emails to see who wanted to be involved. By the deadline, there were 8 of us, which includes me.
The general concept is that each person in the swap would bake 1 sort of cookie. And they would bake 1 dozen of that type and give 1 dozen to each person... for those of you who don't know how a swap works. Then we all bring them together and we each get to leave with 1 dozen of seven types of cookies, in my case 7 since there were seven other people other than me.
So today was the big day for the cookie swap.
Well, I have to have that one secretary bowed out at the last minute, with good reason. Last night she went home to bake ans discovered her husband had dumped all her wheat flour and her white flour together in ONE CONTAINER. She lives in the country, about 20 minutes from a grocery store but her son lives in his own house on their farm property and her daughter lives 2 miles away down the road. So she called her daughter and borrowed the flour from her. Her next hurdle was that her husband also froze ALL their eggs. So she called her kids and managed to get enough eggs except for 2 and she had to use frozen ones. While she keeps running to her kids homes, she discovers her house is getting hotter and hotter.l Well, he husband was messing with their wood stove settings and by the time she could actually start baking it was 90 degrees in her house. And the butter she had in a bowl had completely melted. So the dough wouldn't hold together. She decided to just put the dough in the fridge overnight and got up at 4am this morning to bake. And when she did all cookies crumbled and couldn't rise- they were flat as pancakes. Then she decided screw it and she would buy cookies at the store. She had no cash on her except for a 100 dollar bill that her husband didn't have the bank teller break smaller. The grocery store she went to this morning at 7am didn't have change for a $100. So she said to hell with the cookie swap. And after all that we all felt sorry for her- wouldn't you????- and gave her cookies anyway!
Other than that mess and that one teacher made her grandmother's cookies and was up until 1 am (though she said baking is much more fun since she was drinking Blue Moon Winter ale) and that I ran out of butter in the middle and had to go to Wal-Mart in the middle of baking, at 8pm, in a deluge, all went smoothly. (Oh, I made Tea Cake Surprises- a dough cookie with a Hershey Kiss inside of it and then rolled in powdered sugar!)
So, we swapped cookies. I came home with a dozen of each of the following: Black Forest Cookies (cherry and chocolate cookies), cut out sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles, Peanut Butter Blossoms (peanut butter cookies with a Hershey Kiss on the top), haystacks (Chow Mein Noodles covered in dark chocolate), fudge, and Pretzel turtles (pretzels with a Rolo Candy melted on the top and then a pecan set on it as the Rolo melted).
If you read my Twitter feed then you know that none of us here at home liked the haystacks and Daddy-O actually took them out for the birds. Everything else is YUMMERS!!!!!!
Here's the loot:
Wonder if I could convince people to do a cookie swap once a quarter????
Settling in for a sugar high,
Maggie
The general concept is that each person in the swap would bake 1 sort of cookie. And they would bake 1 dozen of that type and give 1 dozen to each person... for those of you who don't know how a swap works. Then we all bring them together and we each get to leave with 1 dozen of seven types of cookies, in my case 7 since there were seven other people other than me.
So today was the big day for the cookie swap.
Well, I have to have that one secretary bowed out at the last minute, with good reason. Last night she went home to bake ans discovered her husband had dumped all her wheat flour and her white flour together in ONE CONTAINER. She lives in the country, about 20 minutes from a grocery store but her son lives in his own house on their farm property and her daughter lives 2 miles away down the road. So she called her daughter and borrowed the flour from her. Her next hurdle was that her husband also froze ALL their eggs. So she called her kids and managed to get enough eggs except for 2 and she had to use frozen ones. While she keeps running to her kids homes, she discovers her house is getting hotter and hotter.l Well, he husband was messing with their wood stove settings and by the time she could actually start baking it was 90 degrees in her house. And the butter she had in a bowl had completely melted. So the dough wouldn't hold together. She decided to just put the dough in the fridge overnight and got up at 4am this morning to bake. And when she did all cookies crumbled and couldn't rise- they were flat as pancakes. Then she decided screw it and she would buy cookies at the store. She had no cash on her except for a 100 dollar bill that her husband didn't have the bank teller break smaller. The grocery store she went to this morning at 7am didn't have change for a $100. So she said to hell with the cookie swap. And after all that we all felt sorry for her- wouldn't you????- and gave her cookies anyway!
Other than that mess and that one teacher made her grandmother's cookies and was up until 1 am (though she said baking is much more fun since she was drinking Blue Moon Winter ale) and that I ran out of butter in the middle and had to go to Wal-Mart in the middle of baking, at 8pm, in a deluge, all went smoothly. (Oh, I made Tea Cake Surprises- a dough cookie with a Hershey Kiss inside of it and then rolled in powdered sugar!)
So, we swapped cookies. I came home with a dozen of each of the following: Black Forest Cookies (cherry and chocolate cookies), cut out sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles, Peanut Butter Blossoms (peanut butter cookies with a Hershey Kiss on the top), haystacks (Chow Mein Noodles covered in dark chocolate), fudge, and Pretzel turtles (pretzels with a Rolo Candy melted on the top and then a pecan set on it as the Rolo melted).
If you read my Twitter feed then you know that none of us here at home liked the haystacks and Daddy-O actually took them out for the birds. Everything else is YUMMERS!!!!!!
Here's the loot:
Wonder if I could convince people to do a cookie swap once a quarter????
Settling in for a sugar high,
Maggie
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Food is the point, right?
Thanksgiving is all about food. Look yeah, we all know about Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock and Squanto and Maze and shit, but really, it's about food and family (and football). But mostly food.
I was fixin' dinner last might and Daddy-O and I were talking about food. Food and "dishes". I mean the glassware sort, not a synonym for meal.
We have a yellow dish with a pattern that looks like cross stitch on it which my Grandma F ALWAYS made corn casserole in. We have a ceramic plate shaped like an apple that my mom always made Waldorf Salad in. We have a crystal pedestal cake plate that the famous sour cream coffee cake is served upon. The food is associated with dishes.
There's a matching blue basket weave stoneware piece that my Grandma F always served applesauce with cinnamon on the top. I was thinking we needed to get out the solid white soup tureen because my same Grandma F served hot, spiced apple cider in it, topped with floating cinnamon sticks.
We have a pink Depression glass candy dish that always held butterscotches in it when my dad was a kid and HE went to HIS grandma's.
I commented that I wanted to make Grandma F's banana pudding and Daddy-O said she used a nut grinder and covered the top with freshly ground peanuts, and she didn't mess it up with Nilla wafers- just yummy from scratch pudding with pieces of banana- the trick was green bananas so they weren't brown or mushy when the pudding was stirred. Daddy-O said that was his Uncle's favorite dish that his mother made- and yes, we have a special bowl for the banana pudding.
Did I mention she also "made" a kick ass ham loaf? Yeah, she cheated and bought it pre-made from the butcher BUT she did make her own pineapple topping to pour of the top! Delish!
I realize these memories are connected with family on the F side of the family but they're the one's who left these pieces to Daddy-O or to me (I didn't get anything like that when the other grandmother died). So many of my memories are all tied up like that: with food and dishes and the moments. It seems silly but they are.
For example, if we get out the tureen for hot cider then I have to get pimento cheese spread and wheat crackers because Grandma F always had those together. It is what it is.
It think this was memory food week, actually. I made an escalloped chicken casserole that was my Great Aunt Zen's recipe and my Grandma F made it and I managed to NAIL it just like hers! Oh yeah! Then last night I made canned chicken and dumplings and grilled peanutbutter sandwiches. Now my Daddy-O made us that as a meal when we were kids and my mom had to work late. That didn't happen often but when it did, that was one of his famous staples.
Today is Thanksgiving and I give thanks for my family and friends and food. And today we're going somewhere new for Thanksgiving. We've not nailed down a new Turkey Day tradition since my mom died so I look forward to the annual adventure to see what happens- will I cook, will we go to relatives, will I have a man friend with whom I will celebrate, etc. And this year we're going to a cousin's house down in the Southern part of the state and there's gonna be about 30 people. I'm bringing pies. I don't know if there'll be any traditional foods or not. But there will be food and family.
For which I'm exceptionally thankful for both.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Maggie Mae
I was fixin' dinner last might and Daddy-O and I were talking about food. Food and "dishes". I mean the glassware sort, not a synonym for meal.
We have a yellow dish with a pattern that looks like cross stitch on it which my Grandma F ALWAYS made corn casserole in. We have a ceramic plate shaped like an apple that my mom always made Waldorf Salad in. We have a crystal pedestal cake plate that the famous sour cream coffee cake is served upon. The food is associated with dishes.
There's a matching blue basket weave stoneware piece that my Grandma F always served applesauce with cinnamon on the top. I was thinking we needed to get out the solid white soup tureen because my same Grandma F served hot, spiced apple cider in it, topped with floating cinnamon sticks.
We have a pink Depression glass candy dish that always held butterscotches in it when my dad was a kid and HE went to HIS grandma's.
I commented that I wanted to make Grandma F's banana pudding and Daddy-O said she used a nut grinder and covered the top with freshly ground peanuts, and she didn't mess it up with Nilla wafers- just yummy from scratch pudding with pieces of banana- the trick was green bananas so they weren't brown or mushy when the pudding was stirred. Daddy-O said that was his Uncle's favorite dish that his mother made- and yes, we have a special bowl for the banana pudding.
Did I mention she also "made" a kick ass ham loaf? Yeah, she cheated and bought it pre-made from the butcher BUT she did make her own pineapple topping to pour of the top! Delish!
I realize these memories are connected with family on the F side of the family but they're the one's who left these pieces to Daddy-O or to me (I didn't get anything like that when the other grandmother died). So many of my memories are all tied up like that: with food and dishes and the moments. It seems silly but they are.
For example, if we get out the tureen for hot cider then I have to get pimento cheese spread and wheat crackers because Grandma F always had those together. It is what it is.
It think this was memory food week, actually. I made an escalloped chicken casserole that was my Great Aunt Zen's recipe and my Grandma F made it and I managed to NAIL it just like hers! Oh yeah! Then last night I made canned chicken and dumplings and grilled peanutbutter sandwiches. Now my Daddy-O made us that as a meal when we were kids and my mom had to work late. That didn't happen often but when it did, that was one of his famous staples.
Today is Thanksgiving and I give thanks for my family and friends and food. And today we're going somewhere new for Thanksgiving. We've not nailed down a new Turkey Day tradition since my mom died so I look forward to the annual adventure to see what happens- will I cook, will we go to relatives, will I have a man friend with whom I will celebrate, etc. And this year we're going to a cousin's house down in the Southern part of the state and there's gonna be about 30 people. I'm bringing pies. I don't know if there'll be any traditional foods or not. But there will be food and family.
For which I'm exceptionally thankful for both.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Maggie Mae
Friday, September 2, 2011
Random Musings. For today.
If you want to drop by my house and choke or drop dead, that's okay. I'm officially re-certified, officially, in CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. I'm also certified in First Aid but let me tell you, that's not my strong point. I'd be good at keeping you calm and calling EMS. If you're bleeding or worse, I'm not really successful. Blood makes me faint. I'm more useful if I know my limits than if I become a victim, too. So, come on over!
TGIT- Thank God It's Thursday. Since we have a 4 day school week, this is my Friday. And I am so ready for it; it's been a really long week. Though, I wonder, psychologically about this. Since I know it was the end of the week, could I have persevered on to one more day or would today have been my limit and I would've had to take a mental health day tomorrow if we were a 5 day week? Who knows? Who cares? What matters here is that I get a FOUR day, paid weekend. Booyah!
Since I work at a primarily Christian institution, the idea of Thirsty Thursdays don't work with colleagues. Or at least not how I'm used to organizing it... damn.
I'm totally excited that season 4 of Mad Men is now on Netflix! Booyah!
I don't usually watch much television but I'm excited about the start of the new fall season: House, Mad Men, The Big Bang Theory, Criminal Minds, and Mike & Molly. None of these are new shows but I like them all the same. And from the few trailers I've seen of new shows... well, I'm not impressed nor excited about new stuff.
I'm totally excited about the NEW magazines I ordered for the school library. I tried to diversify and not take my own personal needs into account. We're getting Game Informer, Entertainment Weekly, Taste of Home, Wired, Teen Vogue, In Style, Newsweek, Popular Science, and Cicada! These are gonna be awesome. I guess the library has had the same old mags for about 4 years so I'm mixing it up a little bit!
Sometimes nothing beats a McDonald's Sweet Tea. However, I was thinking that orange juice, pineapple juice, frozen peaches, peach schnapps, and Malibu Rum, all blended together and poured into a cold glass with a sugared rim! That might beat a Sweet Tea!
Mac is coming home for the long holiday weekend. Only, he has classes on Monday so for him it's not long. But he's coming home anyway. And I'm glad. I think. Remind me I said that later, if necessary.
And finally, I don't have to work at all the next four days. Except laundry.
Booyah,
Maggie O
TGIT- Thank God It's Thursday. Since we have a 4 day school week, this is my Friday. And I am so ready for it; it's been a really long week. Though, I wonder, psychologically about this. Since I know it was the end of the week, could I have persevered on to one more day or would today have been my limit and I would've had to take a mental health day tomorrow if we were a 5 day week? Who knows? Who cares? What matters here is that I get a FOUR day, paid weekend. Booyah!
Since I work at a primarily Christian institution, the idea of Thirsty Thursdays don't work with colleagues. Or at least not how I'm used to organizing it... damn.
I'm totally excited that season 4 of Mad Men is now on Netflix! Booyah!
I don't usually watch much television but I'm excited about the start of the new fall season: House, Mad Men, The Big Bang Theory, Criminal Minds, and Mike & Molly. None of these are new shows but I like them all the same. And from the few trailers I've seen of new shows... well, I'm not impressed nor excited about new stuff.
I'm totally excited about the NEW magazines I ordered for the school library. I tried to diversify and not take my own personal needs into account. We're getting Game Informer, Entertainment Weekly, Taste of Home, Wired, Teen Vogue, In Style, Newsweek, Popular Science, and Cicada! These are gonna be awesome. I guess the library has had the same old mags for about 4 years so I'm mixing it up a little bit!
Sometimes nothing beats a McDonald's Sweet Tea. However, I was thinking that orange juice, pineapple juice, frozen peaches, peach schnapps, and Malibu Rum, all blended together and poured into a cold glass with a sugared rim! That might beat a Sweet Tea!
Mac is coming home for the long holiday weekend. Only, he has classes on Monday so for him it's not long. But he's coming home anyway. And I'm glad. I think. Remind me I said that later, if necessary.
And finally, I don't have to work at all the next four days. Except laundry.
Booyah,
Maggie O
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Random Saturday brain ramblings
I had a great idea to blog about when I was at the grocery store but I didn't write it down and now I can't remember what I want to say. You are now stuck with rambling.
Trying to pick a movie to watch with Mac on Netflix is a pain in the butt. Mostly he wants to watch documentaries, stand up or British television. I just want to watch a movie and laugh. He's such an ass about picking a movie, unless it's in a theater, then he'll see almost anything.
I love melted cheddar cheese on an apple. Bad on weight watchers but yummy on the palette.
I'm so tired I can barely see straight. I'm going to bed shortly, while it's still daylight, which is really lame for a Saturday night.
I have an awesome date story to tell you all.
I miss Curley. I'm just sayin'. She's not mad at me or anything but I haven't seen her in forever. We all know who's still mad at me.
Europe is calling my name. I wish is would also be giving me money at the same time, but she is calling. I want to go. I need to go.
My toes are swollen today. Gee, I love summer and humidity here in the Midwest.
Mags
Trying to pick a movie to watch with Mac on Netflix is a pain in the butt. Mostly he wants to watch documentaries, stand up or British television. I just want to watch a movie and laugh. He's such an ass about picking a movie, unless it's in a theater, then he'll see almost anything.
I love melted cheddar cheese on an apple. Bad on weight watchers but yummy on the palette.
I'm so tired I can barely see straight. I'm going to bed shortly, while it's still daylight, which is really lame for a Saturday night.
I have an awesome date story to tell you all.
I miss Curley. I'm just sayin'. She's not mad at me or anything but I haven't seen her in forever. We all know who's still mad at me.
Europe is calling my name. I wish is would also be giving me money at the same time, but she is calling. I want to go. I need to go.
My toes are swollen today. Gee, I love summer and humidity here in the Midwest.
Mags
Thursday, June 16, 2011
I fondled her purse, wanted to lick her salad, and then got my finger stuck in a hole
Lilith and I had a "girl's night out" on Wednesday. Lilith is to purses as I am to shoes. She had this BEAUTIFUL leather bag, buttery soft. It's a gorgeous brown color and the perfect size. It's a bag that I've looked for my entire life. And it was so soft! I kept touching her purse, almost petting it. She finally had to threaten to cut my fingers off if I didn't stop!
She and I are both doing Weight Watchers. She's been at this a lot longer and has the bugs figured out. She got croutons on her salad and I really wanted some; I got mine without because I indulged on a Starbucks coffee earlier in the day. Anyway, she said how good the croutons were. I wondered, aloud, if I licked the croutons how many points would I have to count for that?
Then as we were standing in the parking lot, chatting before we went home, I was spinning my keys around on my finger. The keyring has 2 holes in it and as I spun it on one finger, my pinkie got stuck in the other hole. I thought we were gonna have to cut my finger off to get it out!
Now, get your minds out of the gutter!
Maggie
She and I are both doing Weight Watchers. She's been at this a lot longer and has the bugs figured out. She got croutons on her salad and I really wanted some; I got mine without because I indulged on a Starbucks coffee earlier in the day. Anyway, she said how good the croutons were. I wondered, aloud, if I licked the croutons how many points would I have to count for that?
Then as we were standing in the parking lot, chatting before we went home, I was spinning my keys around on my finger. The keyring has 2 holes in it and as I spun it on one finger, my pinkie got stuck in the other hole. I thought we were gonna have to cut my finger off to get it out!
Now, get your minds out of the gutter!
Maggie
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Random Hump day thoughts
Mac gave his last band performance and he was awesome. I was so proud of him. He even had a sax solo during a Beatle's classic. Wow. Just wow. And as he said when it was over, "well, that was the last time I'll ever perform on stage during high school." *gulp*
ITSam and I planned to take Mac and Jack (Sam's son) to a Japanese steak house and to see Thor in IMAX/ 3-D this coming Saturday. It's a last birthday gift for Mac and an early birthday gift for Jack- sort of smack in the middle of the two boys' birthdays & Jack will be 12 in two weeks. It's not Sam's typical weekend with Jack so he asked his ex-wife if she cared and she said no because she owed him a weekend; he and Jack talked about it and Jack was really psyched. He spoke with her last Saturday. He made reservations for dinner, Mac made sure he didn't have plans, I turned down a transport job and was actually online to order tickets for the movie. Sam called his exbiotch to check times with her and she canceled on him. He was PISSED! So, he got Jack on the phone. Jack said he didn't want to go because his mom's boyfriend's youngest son was having a bowling birthday party and he wanted to go to that instead. Sam is furious. I have no idea how she convinced Jack to give up the steak house he loves and begs to go to each weekend and to pass up an IMAX movie he's been begging to see for a month to go bowling, but she managed it. She's moving Jack to Florida in a month so Sam was really looking forward to this extra time. Not pretty.
Every spring my feet kill me for a couple weeks. I go from wearing sturdy winter shoes to flip-flops and sandals. During the adjustment my feet feel like they could just fall off.
I made a "crouton salad" last night which was awesome. I loved it. Yes, I know I should've taken pictures. Take my word for it and it was delish. Let me know if anyone wants the recipe! Very garlic-y which I consider a plus.
I found a vintage dining room table and chairs. It's a metal topped table- that's white- and metal legs. The chairs are soda fountain style and the seats are pink with red cherries. It's adorable. I think parents should get a graduation gift when their kids make it this far and I want this! It's at a local antique store. I'll try and get some photos to share!
The other morning we were running a little late for school so Mac used Daddy-O's bathroom. (He lets us so we weren't invading his space!) Now Mac is in LOVE with the bathroom and wants to call it his "temporary man cave." I find it hilarious.
I love cereal. When Mac was little he would go with me to the store and want some adult cereals like Special K and Mini Wheats. I always wanted the junkie kid cereal like Fruity Pebbles, Peanutbutter Captn Crunch, trix and Count Chocula. I love me some cereal and want it for dinner.
ITSam and I planned to take Mac and Jack (Sam's son) to a Japanese steak house and to see Thor in IMAX/ 3-D this coming Saturday. It's a last birthday gift for Mac and an early birthday gift for Jack- sort of smack in the middle of the two boys' birthdays & Jack will be 12 in two weeks. It's not Sam's typical weekend with Jack so he asked his ex-wife if she cared and she said no because she owed him a weekend; he and Jack talked about it and Jack was really psyched. He spoke with her last Saturday. He made reservations for dinner, Mac made sure he didn't have plans, I turned down a transport job and was actually online to order tickets for the movie. Sam called his exbiotch to check times with her and she canceled on him. He was PISSED! So, he got Jack on the phone. Jack said he didn't want to go because his mom's boyfriend's youngest son was having a bowling birthday party and he wanted to go to that instead. Sam is furious. I have no idea how she convinced Jack to give up the steak house he loves and begs to go to each weekend and to pass up an IMAX movie he's been begging to see for a month to go bowling, but she managed it. She's moving Jack to Florida in a month so Sam was really looking forward to this extra time. Not pretty.
Every spring my feet kill me for a couple weeks. I go from wearing sturdy winter shoes to flip-flops and sandals. During the adjustment my feet feel like they could just fall off.
I made a "crouton salad" last night which was awesome. I loved it. Yes, I know I should've taken pictures. Take my word for it and it was delish. Let me know if anyone wants the recipe! Very garlic-y which I consider a plus.
I found a vintage dining room table and chairs. It's a metal topped table- that's white- and metal legs. The chairs are soda fountain style and the seats are pink with red cherries. It's adorable. I think parents should get a graduation gift when their kids make it this far and I want this! It's at a local antique store. I'll try and get some photos to share!
The other morning we were running a little late for school so Mac used Daddy-O's bathroom. (He lets us so we weren't invading his space!) Now Mac is in LOVE with the bathroom and wants to call it his "temporary man cave." I find it hilarious.
I love cereal. When Mac was little he would go with me to the store and want some adult cereals like Special K and Mini Wheats. I always wanted the junkie kid cereal like Fruity Pebbles, Peanutbutter Captn Crunch, trix and Count Chocula. I love me some cereal and want it for dinner.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Food glorious food!
I've been starving lately. I'm not pregnant, so for God's sake get that thought out of your collective heads. But lately I've been just extremely hungry all the time. I have no idea why. I can't even begin to speculate but I'm famished.
And it's not that I really want junk food, though I do. I really want food. I've been craving steak and mashed potatoes. Yesterday there was a port-a-pit chicken fund raiser and I wanted some so badly. We have a new local pizza place and I can't get enough of their pizza: green olives, meatballs, Italian (beef) sausage. I want breadsticks with cheese and Starbucks coffee. I've been so hungry for seafood salad or a HUGE lettuce salad with croutons and ranch dressing and shredded cheese. And stove top popcorn with butter.
Yup, I'm just hungry.
I've been cooking lots lately, too. We fired up the grill and have had steaks a few times. I learned how to grill so I made brats and I have big plans for chicken.
I went to the grocery store yesterday and bought food like it was going out of style. And not just junk; I got all sorts of meat to grill and all kinds of cheeses and potatoes. I found some wonderful organic salad greens, which I want to cover in green olives, croutons, cheese and ranch dressing. I'm so hungry for strawberries. And orange juice- not together, but separately.
Chocolate is another "food" I've been dying for. And pastries but not chocolate pastries, if that makes any sense. I've wanted to go to the local Mongolian bar for food (okay, SisIL, we should go there for lunch one day for your birthday. Or Curly! Or anyone!!!!).
Believe it or not, since I've given up eating pork, that seems to be the one thing I'm not craving. Go figure. I'm sure the time will come when I'm ready to kill for a slice of bacon or a big, fat, greasy pork chop, but so far, so good. Turkey bacon and turkey sausage have been satisfying the taste when the craving has hit.
Right this very second I want a turkey sandwich on white Wonder bread with a huge slice of tomato and a piece of Cheddar cheese. With chips on the side.
Mac and I went to the Cheesecake Factory for part of his late birthday celebration just to eat dessert. I swear I could've eaten about 5 pieces. I only had one- a slice of Lemon Creme Cake with strawberries. It. Was. To. Die. For.
Later today ITSam is coming over to grill. We're going burgers and dogs and brats. Jack is there this weekend and he's a picky eater so we're just doing the basics. I'm going to make baked beans and we have chips. Just picnic type of food, so it should all be good. And I love the smell of food cooking on the grill. YUM!
I realize this post had not conclusions drawn and no thought provoking process and was nothing but a list of food I've been craving lately. And that's okay. Because I can't think other than WANTING food!
Maggie
And it's not that I really want junk food, though I do. I really want food. I've been craving steak and mashed potatoes. Yesterday there was a port-a-pit chicken fund raiser and I wanted some so badly. We have a new local pizza place and I can't get enough of their pizza: green olives, meatballs, Italian (beef) sausage. I want breadsticks with cheese and Starbucks coffee. I've been so hungry for seafood salad or a HUGE lettuce salad with croutons and ranch dressing and shredded cheese. And stove top popcorn with butter.
Yup, I'm just hungry.
I've been cooking lots lately, too. We fired up the grill and have had steaks a few times. I learned how to grill so I made brats and I have big plans for chicken.
I went to the grocery store yesterday and bought food like it was going out of style. And not just junk; I got all sorts of meat to grill and all kinds of cheeses and potatoes. I found some wonderful organic salad greens, which I want to cover in green olives, croutons, cheese and ranch dressing. I'm so hungry for strawberries. And orange juice- not together, but separately.
Chocolate is another "food" I've been dying for. And pastries but not chocolate pastries, if that makes any sense. I've wanted to go to the local Mongolian bar for food (okay, SisIL, we should go there for lunch one day for your birthday. Or Curly! Or anyone!!!!).
Believe it or not, since I've given up eating pork, that seems to be the one thing I'm not craving. Go figure. I'm sure the time will come when I'm ready to kill for a slice of bacon or a big, fat, greasy pork chop, but so far, so good. Turkey bacon and turkey sausage have been satisfying the taste when the craving has hit.
Right this very second I want a turkey sandwich on white Wonder bread with a huge slice of tomato and a piece of Cheddar cheese. With chips on the side.
Mac and I went to the Cheesecake Factory for part of his late birthday celebration just to eat dessert. I swear I could've eaten about 5 pieces. I only had one- a slice of Lemon Creme Cake with strawberries. It. Was. To. Die. For.
Later today ITSam is coming over to grill. We're going burgers and dogs and brats. Jack is there this weekend and he's a picky eater so we're just doing the basics. I'm going to make baked beans and we have chips. Just picnic type of food, so it should all be good. And I love the smell of food cooking on the grill. YUM!
I realize this post had not conclusions drawn and no thought provoking process and was nothing but a list of food I've been craving lately. And that's okay. Because I can't think other than WANTING food!
Maggie
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Sweetness at the bottom of the cupcake
I've had a really, really bad week, month, year, whatever. Really bad, especially lately when it all feels like a ton of stuff is piled on me or wrong or just disastrous, out of control.
But once in a while a small act of kindness can restore a girl's faith in humanity.
Friday I went to Northern Civilization and there were 2 things I wanted: a cup of Starbucks with the free mini pastry, and then to stop at my favorite bakery and get a cupcake for later in the weekend. Starbucks went off without a hitch.
ITSam and I arrange at the bakery and there were no cupcakes. I adore, desire, crave, yearn for, dream of, have wild fantasies about, this bakery's vanilla and strawberry creme with white chocolate cupcakes and they were out. Nary a cupcake to be had. I sort of broke down.
I'm suddenly telling the guy behind the counter, a kid basically, named Jeff, about my terrible fate in life right now, that I drove an 1 for one of these cupcakes, they've never been out before and I just sort of faded to a stop, hunched my shoulders, muttered thanks and started to walk away.
Jeff said, "wait! Ya got about 15 minutes." I look at him from behind a curtain of hair and one tear slides down my face and drops off the tip of my nose, and I nod.
Jeff then proceeds to venture into the huge backroom freezer. He comes back and said they have the actual cake part of the cupcake, frozen and if I didn't want to eat it right away he would make me a vanilla strawberry creme with white chocolate chips cupcake. He said he would make me as many as I wanted.
This was not just a matter of grabbing some frosting and slapping it on. He had to get strawberries and make the strawberry part of the filling from scratch. Then he got out a tub of vanilla buttercreme frosting and assembled the cupcakes. He had to fill pastry bags with frosting. He didn't have any white chocolate chips on hand so he went into the store part of the bakery and got the missing ingredient.
I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. I couldn't believe that this guy went to all this trouble for me all because I was having a bad life at the moment. I got four cupcakes since he was going to all the work. Actually, ITSam ordered four for me because I couldn't speak. I was just shocked at his kindness, his effort.
I said thank you about a zillion times. I told his manager on the way out what he did. I wrote a comment to their web site.
It was more than a cupcake, you know. He just restored my faith in humanity, at least for a little while.
I'm thankful for Jeff, and people like him.
Maggie
But once in a while a small act of kindness can restore a girl's faith in humanity.
Friday I went to Northern Civilization and there were 2 things I wanted: a cup of Starbucks with the free mini pastry, and then to stop at my favorite bakery and get a cupcake for later in the weekend. Starbucks went off without a hitch.
ITSam and I arrange at the bakery and there were no cupcakes. I adore, desire, crave, yearn for, dream of, have wild fantasies about, this bakery's vanilla and strawberry creme with white chocolate cupcakes and they were out. Nary a cupcake to be had. I sort of broke down.
I'm suddenly telling the guy behind the counter, a kid basically, named Jeff, about my terrible fate in life right now, that I drove an 1 for one of these cupcakes, they've never been out before and I just sort of faded to a stop, hunched my shoulders, muttered thanks and started to walk away.
Jeff said, "wait! Ya got about 15 minutes." I look at him from behind a curtain of hair and one tear slides down my face and drops off the tip of my nose, and I nod.
Jeff then proceeds to venture into the huge backroom freezer. He comes back and said they have the actual cake part of the cupcake, frozen and if I didn't want to eat it right away he would make me a vanilla strawberry creme with white chocolate chips cupcake. He said he would make me as many as I wanted.
This was not just a matter of grabbing some frosting and slapping it on. He had to get strawberries and make the strawberry part of the filling from scratch. Then he got out a tub of vanilla buttercreme frosting and assembled the cupcakes. He had to fill pastry bags with frosting. He didn't have any white chocolate chips on hand so he went into the store part of the bakery and got the missing ingredient.I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. I couldn't believe that this guy went to all this trouble for me all because I was having a bad life at the moment. I got four cupcakes since he was going to all the work. Actually, ITSam ordered four for me because I couldn't speak. I was just shocked at his kindness, his effort.
I said thank you about a zillion times. I told his manager on the way out what he did. I wrote a comment to their web site.
It was more than a cupcake, you know. He just restored my faith in humanity, at least for a little while.
I'm thankful for Jeff, and people like him.
Maggie
Monday, February 14, 2011
9. Eat at a restaurant I've never been to before
On Saturday night, in honor of Valentine's Day, ITSam took me to a Japanese steak house to celebrate. I've never been to this place before but I had always heard good things about the food there. I had no idea what all it encompassed, either, so I was a little nervous but excited about it.Not only did we have a great meal and lots of fun, I also have a chance to cross something off my list- eat somewhere I've never been!
And I had a chance to learn how to use chopsticks... that should've been on that list, too!
Four couples (that we didn't know) were seated family style around a HUGE grill. A woman (in a kimono) took our drink and dinner orders. Drinks first. I just had soda because Sam was going to drink Saki and I was going to drive. Then he changed his mind so I was going to have a mai tai but Sam mentioned something about dessert and I decided I didn't want to "spoil" my dessert.
Meal choices were steak, chicken, shrimp or combos of this. All dinners came with a house soup, a house salad, and a shrimp appetizer. I decided to have the steak and chicken combo.
The waitress brought our soup. I wasn't a big fan; it was very gingery and peppery, neither flavors am I a fan of. The soup was lettuce with shredded carrots on the top and some sort of weird orange dressing. I wasn't a fan of that either. Sam was worried. I didn't complain or make a fuss and I tried everything.
Then we had a shrimp appetizer and I swear I could've eaten about 174 of those. They were grilled and spiced with... good spices. I LOVED the shrimp. Then the main dish was steak and chicken which was grilled to perfection and seasoned impeccably. I was in food heaven. This came with fried rice and seasoned, grilled veggies (mushrooms, onions, bean sprouts, zucchini). It was all marvelous! My mouth is still watering over it all and I really do want more- now! While I loved it all, I think next time I go I'm getting the steak and shrimp! Yummers!
What was extra cool was the fact that we had our own personal chef who performed our food preparation! It was so cool. He chopped, sliced, diced, and cut all the meat and veggies in front of us. He tossed the food around. He tossed his knives around. He threw shrimp tails in the air and caught them in his pocket. He tossed a lemon in the air and caught it behind his back on the prong of a fork. He was just fun and creative. He told funny jokes. It was just a neat "cutting" performance, food preparation as performance art.
Next on our food agenda, was dessert. After dinner at the Japanese steak house, we went to a local chocolatier. They had three collections of chocolates they're featuring this winter. It's all gourmet chocolates and just divine. I had never been here either! I looked at the dessert menu and they had tons of elegant desserts with chocolate of all kinds and sorts, along with their homemade vanilla gelato. It's an amazing dessert list. One thing that's on the list is sipping chocolate; this is only on the list during winter while all the others are year around, so I chose something a little different!
I've never had sipping chocolate. It's 3 ounces of liquid. It's 80% melted chocolate with a shot of steamed milk. It's like drinking a melted chocolate bar. It's completely decadent and RICH! I had to finally have a glass of water with it. It was scrumptious. And did I mention Sam bought a box of chocolates and let me pick out a pick out a pounds worth of whatever I wanted to fill it?It was a lovely, fun night filled with good food, fun entertainment, and a wonderful evening with a great guy!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Three down and 37 more to go,
Maggie
Sunday, January 30, 2011
What's up his sleeve?
I told ITSam he doesn't have to make a big deal out of Valentine's Day because he had been asking me for the last 3 weeks where I wanted to have dinner on Valentine's Day so he could make reservations, Finally, I told him we should just go out to dinner at one of our favorite places on the Friday or Saturday before and maybe see a movie. I told him a card would be nice and maybe a heart shaped box of candy but not necessary. I told him on the actual day, a Monday, we could just hang out and rent a DVD or Netflix.
He wanted to know and at our age, I appreciate him asking. I guess in his previous relationships, the expectations on V-Day were high. I told him he does so many nice things for me all the time he didn't have to cater to the trappings of Valentine's Day- other than a card.
However, he decided that since I love steak, we should go to a Japanese steak house in Northern Civilization. I guess the chefs "perform" while cooking your dinner, with the throwing and chopping and stuff like that. I've never been there before but it's one of Sam's favorite places so that's the plan. (He said he thinks I'll love it, and I can cross off something else on my 40 before 40 list- haha!)
He told me this last night and then said I should bring my camera. I said okay. Then he said I should dress warmly. Then he changed the subject.
Is it cold in a Japanese steak house or did he ignore my plea for just a causal dinner and up the ante that's going to involve something? The camera thing made sense because I thought if the chef performs then I could take pictures. I didn't get the dress warm part and he's not talking, so I'm not asking.
But I sure am curious.
Could be interesting, sweet, fun and grand. Or potentially hazardous.....
Maggie
He wanted to know and at our age, I appreciate him asking. I guess in his previous relationships, the expectations on V-Day were high. I told him he does so many nice things for me all the time he didn't have to cater to the trappings of Valentine's Day- other than a card.
However, he decided that since I love steak, we should go to a Japanese steak house in Northern Civilization. I guess the chefs "perform" while cooking your dinner, with the throwing and chopping and stuff like that. I've never been there before but it's one of Sam's favorite places so that's the plan. (He said he thinks I'll love it, and I can cross off something else on my 40 before 40 list- haha!)
He told me this last night and then said I should bring my camera. I said okay. Then he said I should dress warmly. Then he changed the subject.
Is it cold in a Japanese steak house or did he ignore my plea for just a causal dinner and up the ante that's going to involve something? The camera thing made sense because I thought if the chef performs then I could take pictures. I didn't get the dress warm part and he's not talking, so I'm not asking.
But I sure am curious.
Could be interesting, sweet, fun and grand. Or potentially hazardous.....
Maggie
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Cake or pie?
I feel with a blog post entitled "Cake or Pie" I should have pictures of both desserts to have at least a visual feast for the eyes since about the only thing the Internet hasn't allowed is "smellability" or a "tasting feature." But I have no photos. Just thoughts.
Which is better- cake or pie?
I realize there's a fount of wonderful desserts I'm abandoning by only arguing for cake or pie. I'm omitting the much beloved cookie, eclair, ice creams, cobblers, brownies, tarts, and many more lush sweet pastry goodness. But sometimes, in a small town such as mine, what it all boils down to is cake or pie for that end of meal sacchariferous treat.
Is a brownie a cake? Really. Is it?
What is cheesecake? Is it a category all its own or is it a cake? It's not all floury and such, like a regular cake so is it cake or more like a pie? Key Lime Pie is of the same consistency as cheesecake but it has pie in its moniker. Both often have a crust, which is a feature of a pie. USUALLY cheesecake is round, which is also a pie feature, albeit a cake can be round, too. Hmmmm, is it a pie or a cake? ITSam thinks it's the Platypus of the bakery world. It's really not cake, he thinks; he feels it's a pie, but overall it really fits into no category at all. Not flour so not a cake, no fruit so not a pie.
I love round cakes. I never make a round cake- I don't know why since I have about every size and shape of cake pan known to man, woman or beast- but I do so love a round cake. And with all the cooking shows on the Food Network not to mention special cake shows (Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss) everyone and their sister now knows tricks to making a perfect round cake.
When it comes to cake, I'm sort of picky on flavor. I love lemon cake. I also am a fan of vanilla cake. Sometimes I like chocolate. We must also not neglect the yellow cake, or the delightful bunt cake! There's the celestial offering we like to munch known as the Angel Food Cake- which can be topped with fruit or icing, or just plain. I do like carrot cake BUT only on two conditions: no nuts and it must have sweet cream cheese frosting. Speaking of frosting, all the cakes must have frosting. I don't like chocolate frosting on my vanilla cakes- it throws off the look as well as the taste for me. I often stand in the cake mix aisle at the grocery store and look at all the flavors and I generally to default to one of the aforementioned choices. Though I should admit that of late, I've become quite the fan of red velvet cake, with sweet creme cheese icing. Oh Divine! Da-Voon! De-Lish!
I love jell-o cake. LOVE LOVE LOVE it! And do I even need to mention the yummy goodness that is wedding cake? And my mom's Texas chocolate sheet cake that gets iced with warm frosting? Since it's my cake world and my blog, I say that strawberry short cake is cake. But it must have strawberries atop said cake or otherwise, it's just a sweet biscuit, not cake at all.
But regardless of the flavor and look, it has to be moist. Dry cake? Pshaw! I hate dry cake.
I must say, however, that the birthday cake I remember most in life was one my Aunt Rita made for me. (Yes, I know she's not really an aunt but actually a more of a distant cousin but I always have thought of her as Aunt) I was just a little bit of a thing and she made the most extraordinary cake ever. It was a round, two layer cake. The flavor was cherry chip. The frosting was white and I can't remember now if it was vanilla, butter creme, or creme cheese. Then she poured a can of cherry pie filling over the whole thing. Finally, the pièce de résistance were 3 models of carousal horses. It was the most glorious looking and tasting cake ever. I wonder if she would do another one since I'm going to be 40? About 37-35 years later... is that long enough to wait? I think it was the best cake I've had in my life.
When I go to a restaurant I'm so visual that if a server brings a dessert cart/ tray and there's a decadent looking cake, I'm a complete sucker for it. I really and truly am.
But what about pie? I do love pie. Before I started scribing I thought there were more pie flavors that fit my picky dessert palate than cake, but now I'm not so sure. I love sugar cream (OMG- Wick's!!!!), peach, cherry, apple, chocolate, strawberry, rhubarb, lemon, peanut butter, and banana creme. I do NOT like meringue. Ever or at all. I love the fact that pie can be served with a full top crust or none. And don't even get me started on my love of criss-cross, scalloped top crusts that are so pretty.
I don't believe in pie a'la mode- usually. Take the following as an example. Yes, I swiped this from a film (When Harry Met Sally, one of the top 3 movies ever made!!!), but prior to the movie's debut, I had this conversation with waitresses on dinner dates long before it hit the silver screen:
Sally: I'd like...the apple pie a la mode.
Waitress: ...apple a la mode.
Sally: But I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top I want it on the side and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it's real if it's out of a can then nothing.
Waitress: Not even the pie?
Sally: No, just the pie, but then not heated.
Waitress: Uh huh.
What else could I say about pie?
I like pie. I like cake. I love pastry and in the end, I would choose some glorious European style pastry over cake or pie anytime, but for the the sake of argument, would I rather have cake or pie? Well...
Both, please.
Who said I could have my cake and eat pie, too?
Maggie
Which is better- cake or pie?
I realize there's a fount of wonderful desserts I'm abandoning by only arguing for cake or pie. I'm omitting the much beloved cookie, eclair, ice creams, cobblers, brownies, tarts, and many more lush sweet pastry goodness. But sometimes, in a small town such as mine, what it all boils down to is cake or pie for that end of meal sacchariferous treat.
Is a brownie a cake? Really. Is it?
What is cheesecake? Is it a category all its own or is it a cake? It's not all floury and such, like a regular cake so is it cake or more like a pie? Key Lime Pie is of the same consistency as cheesecake but it has pie in its moniker. Both often have a crust, which is a feature of a pie. USUALLY cheesecake is round, which is also a pie feature, albeit a cake can be round, too. Hmmmm, is it a pie or a cake? ITSam thinks it's the Platypus of the bakery world. It's really not cake, he thinks; he feels it's a pie, but overall it really fits into no category at all. Not flour so not a cake, no fruit so not a pie.
I love round cakes. I never make a round cake- I don't know why since I have about every size and shape of cake pan known to man, woman or beast- but I do so love a round cake. And with all the cooking shows on the Food Network not to mention special cake shows (Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss) everyone and their sister now knows tricks to making a perfect round cake.
When it comes to cake, I'm sort of picky on flavor. I love lemon cake. I also am a fan of vanilla cake. Sometimes I like chocolate. We must also not neglect the yellow cake, or the delightful bunt cake! There's the celestial offering we like to munch known as the Angel Food Cake- which can be topped with fruit or icing, or just plain. I do like carrot cake BUT only on two conditions: no nuts and it must have sweet cream cheese frosting. Speaking of frosting, all the cakes must have frosting. I don't like chocolate frosting on my vanilla cakes- it throws off the look as well as the taste for me. I often stand in the cake mix aisle at the grocery store and look at all the flavors and I generally to default to one of the aforementioned choices. Though I should admit that of late, I've become quite the fan of red velvet cake, with sweet creme cheese icing. Oh Divine! Da-Voon! De-Lish!
I love jell-o cake. LOVE LOVE LOVE it! And do I even need to mention the yummy goodness that is wedding cake? And my mom's Texas chocolate sheet cake that gets iced with warm frosting? Since it's my cake world and my blog, I say that strawberry short cake is cake. But it must have strawberries atop said cake or otherwise, it's just a sweet biscuit, not cake at all.
But regardless of the flavor and look, it has to be moist. Dry cake? Pshaw! I hate dry cake.
I must say, however, that the birthday cake I remember most in life was one my Aunt Rita made for me. (Yes, I know she's not really an aunt but actually a more of a distant cousin but I always have thought of her as Aunt) I was just a little bit of a thing and she made the most extraordinary cake ever. It was a round, two layer cake. The flavor was cherry chip. The frosting was white and I can't remember now if it was vanilla, butter creme, or creme cheese. Then she poured a can of cherry pie filling over the whole thing. Finally, the pièce de résistance were 3 models of carousal horses. It was the most glorious looking and tasting cake ever. I wonder if she would do another one since I'm going to be 40? About 37-35 years later... is that long enough to wait? I think it was the best cake I've had in my life.
When I go to a restaurant I'm so visual that if a server brings a dessert cart/ tray and there's a decadent looking cake, I'm a complete sucker for it. I really and truly am.
But what about pie? I do love pie. Before I started scribing I thought there were more pie flavors that fit my picky dessert palate than cake, but now I'm not so sure. I love sugar cream (OMG- Wick's!!!!), peach, cherry, apple, chocolate, strawberry, rhubarb, lemon, peanut butter, and banana creme. I do NOT like meringue. Ever or at all. I love the fact that pie can be served with a full top crust or none. And don't even get me started on my love of criss-cross, scalloped top crusts that are so pretty.
I don't believe in pie a'la mode- usually. Take the following as an example. Yes, I swiped this from a film (When Harry Met Sally, one of the top 3 movies ever made!!!), but prior to the movie's debut, I had this conversation with waitresses on dinner dates long before it hit the silver screen:
Sally: I'd like...the apple pie a la mode.
Waitress: ...apple a la mode.
Sally: But I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top I want it on the side and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it's real if it's out of a can then nothing.
Waitress: Not even the pie?
Sally: No, just the pie, but then not heated.
Waitress: Uh huh.
What else could I say about pie?
I like pie. I like cake. I love pastry and in the end, I would choose some glorious European style pastry over cake or pie anytime, but for the the sake of argument, would I rather have cake or pie? Well...
Both, please.
Who said I could have my cake and eat pie, too?
Maggie
Friday, December 10, 2010
Christmas Food
I'm starved, hence a post about Christmas food. Okay, I'm always starved or hungry or eating which is why I am huge right now, or at least I feel huge right now! I'm also writing a list of all the yummies I want to fix over Christmas. Then I'm going on a diet.
Anyway, Christmas food. The best kind of food ever. I have so many memories associate with food and the holidays.
On Christmas morning we had a traditional brunch meal. Mom ALWAYS made the staples- bacon/ cheese casserole. My son eats almost a whole one all by himself. She also made a hash brown casserole, like the one they sell at Cracker Barrel- also some of the best food on the face of the earth. We had juice and coffee. We also had fruit salad, which can change continents yearly, but still a fruit salad of some sort. Once we even had fruit slush which we all loved, but I don't think that made the holiday menu again- it got deregulated to a lesser holiday, something like a Memorial Day picnic food. I might have to bring that back- okay, adding that to the aforementioned list! I will be recreating this meal on Christmas day, of course! And since I love you all, if you click right here it will take you to an old post I wrote that includes the recipe. I know, ya'll are probably tired of me praising this casserole but I can't help it. It. is. that. GOOD!
Then there's the sweet bread. This is the only reason to have breakfast/ brunch on Christmas morning in my family, in my opinion. This must occur before gifts are unceremoniously ripped open. This is the true meaning of Christmas...Okay, not really, but this is seriously the world's most perfect food. Without a doubt. This is most perfect coffee cake in all of history. Jesus could come to Earth and eat this cake and know it was better and more miraculous than walking on water. He would've fed this with the fish instead of loaves- the story would be "fish and coffee cake." Sour cream coffee cake. It's so good I could eat a whole one by myself. And if you think I'm kidding, well...I wish but no. I LOVE this stuff. I look forward to it all year. This is the most moist cake ever. It is the perfect blend of cinnamon and goodness and just...Heaven on a plate. I swear to God if I had to pick between a lifetime of going without chocolate or the coffee cake, I would put Hershey's out of business. It is a true toss up between coffee cake and sex as to which is better and I think coffee cake wins. Seriously, this is some fabulous baked goods. Momma made it in a special pan with a hole in it- not a mere bunt pan but some other special coffee cake baking dish. And it MUST be served on the cut glass crystal pedestal cake plate that is never used the rest of the year. This pan and this plate enhance the taste and enjoyability of the sour cream coffee cake as a whole. I dig this coffee cake. You know when you were a kid and said "if you love it so much why doncha marry it?" Well, show me where to sign... Bliss. True bliss. I love Mac more, but barely... And now I have this recipe and I can make it myself. I've done it and it turned out just like mom's! And since I love you all, and since I've written about this food before, you can click here to go back to an old post for the recipe!
We always had special foods like munchies and appetizers on the day when we would decorate the house. Why did those taste better when eaten with an associated activity like decorating trees? Once, I ate little hot dogs in sauce at a Super Bowl party and they just tasted wrong, like I violated the Christmas Food treaty or something.
My Grandma F (the good grandmother) always made a tureen of wassail to drink. It was sooooooo good. I think it was because it was in a tureen. How often do you ever really get any sort of food out of a container called a tureen? Doesn't that just class it up some how? And calling is wassail- rather than hot apple juice? Com'on ya gotta love it! A tureen of wassail- how cool is that? And served in special matching cups, to boot! She always had cheese and crackers too. There was an orange cheese spread that I loved. It was an unnatural shade of orange- almost a day-glo orange that isn't really in the color spectrum at all. I loved this cheese and again, we only had it at Christmas time. I remember a few years ago I went to the market with my mom (obviously when she was still alive) and we were reminiscing about the cheese at Grandma F's (yeah I loving reflected back on a past cheese experience- how weird is THAT?!). Since she passed away, there was no more orange cheese spread. I was laughing about how I always craved it around Christmas. And you know what? My mom, being the all knowing goddess about these types of things because she was just that sort of super prepared person, told me it was right there in the store. In a normal store- a mortal Kroger's!We just went right up to a display and there it was. It came in a JAR! Cheese in a jar is just unnatural, I realize, but this stuff was 1980's Frankie Says Orange so how natural could it be to start with? It is Kraft pimento Cheese spread. That's all it was. And for years I thought my Grandma F had the market cornered on some special Christmas Cheese from a special Christmas Cheese Store. Wonders never cease!
My mom also had an amazing cookie recipe for cut out holiday cookies. The kind you roll out and use cookie cutters and stuff? I love these as well. One year mom made a huge batch of these and they were on a pretty lil' holiday plate on the coffee table. The family adjourns to the dining room for brunch on Christmas morning (or as I like to call it "Sour Cream Coffee Cake TIME"!) . After the meal we return back to the living room and the entire plate of cookies is gone. Now this wasn't a cute little "Santa must've eaten the cookies" thing. This was a "where the Hell did all the cookies go" thing!?! Come to find out the dog liked the cookies too, to the tune of an entire plate full. The coffee table with the cookies in the middle of an empty room and just at her eye level proved to be too much temptation and she polished off the whole thing. Whilst Bro and I debated killing the animal, dad help her flee to the backyard for her safety. Mom, however, being the brilliant woman she is, pulled another bag of cookies from her hiding place and we again had cookies. Bro and I guarded them, almost smacking Daddy-O's hand as he tried to pilfer one-oops!
I must mention the pumpkin roll. About 15 years ago, I guess, mom found this at a bazaar or at a bake sale or something and we all thought we had died and gone to pumpkin heaven. It was cold bread or something like that with cream cheese frosting all in a roll, then chilled and sliced. This was some awesome stuff. We loved it so much that the next year mom called people in town until she got the recipe out of some woman. Bro and I were ready to kick some tail if this chick wouldn't have freed the recipe. So needless to say, we add pumpkin roll to the ever growing list of foods I forever associate with Christmas. (An aside: I love cream cheese frosting. The world is good when there's cream cheese frosting. There would be no wars if we covered all soldiers in the world in cream cheese frosting. Hand me cream cheese frosting and I promise to love you forever...or until the frosting runs out...! Life is better overall with cream cheese frosting!).
Yes, I realize this is mostly sweet yummys. Yes, I realize it's a lot of calories and junk, but it's Christmas. And I like it. I love it. I want some more of it. One side of my family is from the south and food goes with everything- funerals, celebration, surgeries, stopping by while on a Sunday drive, you name it, we eat regardless of the event- have gall bladder surgery and the family has a carry in (and ya'll get something covered in mushroom soup, in addition to a jello-mold with fruit in it!). So it goes to show that at Christmas time we are so gonna indulge and pig out. It's part of my heritage and cul-ture! And I love food. So hand me the sour cream coffee cake and nobody gets hurt!
Maggie
Anyway, Christmas food. The best kind of food ever. I have so many memories associate with food and the holidays.
On Christmas morning we had a traditional brunch meal. Mom ALWAYS made the staples- bacon/ cheese casserole. My son eats almost a whole one all by himself. She also made a hash brown casserole, like the one they sell at Cracker Barrel- also some of the best food on the face of the earth. We had juice and coffee. We also had fruit salad, which can change continents yearly, but still a fruit salad of some sort. Once we even had fruit slush which we all loved, but I don't think that made the holiday menu again- it got deregulated to a lesser holiday, something like a Memorial Day picnic food. I might have to bring that back- okay, adding that to the aforementioned list! I will be recreating this meal on Christmas day, of course! And since I love you all, if you click right here it will take you to an old post I wrote that includes the recipe. I know, ya'll are probably tired of me praising this casserole but I can't help it. It. is. that. GOOD!
Then there's the sweet bread. This is the only reason to have breakfast/ brunch on Christmas morning in my family, in my opinion. This must occur before gifts are unceremoniously ripped open. This is the true meaning of Christmas...Okay, not really, but this is seriously the world's most perfect food. Without a doubt. This is most perfect coffee cake in all of history. Jesus could come to Earth and eat this cake and know it was better and more miraculous than walking on water. He would've fed this with the fish instead of loaves- the story would be "fish and coffee cake." Sour cream coffee cake. It's so good I could eat a whole one by myself. And if you think I'm kidding, well...I wish but no. I LOVE this stuff. I look forward to it all year. This is the most moist cake ever. It is the perfect blend of cinnamon and goodness and just...Heaven on a plate. I swear to God if I had to pick between a lifetime of going without chocolate or the coffee cake, I would put Hershey's out of business. It is a true toss up between coffee cake and sex as to which is better and I think coffee cake wins. Seriously, this is some fabulous baked goods. Momma made it in a special pan with a hole in it- not a mere bunt pan but some other special coffee cake baking dish. And it MUST be served on the cut glass crystal pedestal cake plate that is never used the rest of the year. This pan and this plate enhance the taste and enjoyability of the sour cream coffee cake as a whole. I dig this coffee cake. You know when you were a kid and said "if you love it so much why doncha marry it?" Well, show me where to sign... Bliss. True bliss. I love Mac more, but barely... And now I have this recipe and I can make it myself. I've done it and it turned out just like mom's! And since I love you all, and since I've written about this food before, you can click here to go back to an old post for the recipe!
We always had special foods like munchies and appetizers on the day when we would decorate the house. Why did those taste better when eaten with an associated activity like decorating trees? Once, I ate little hot dogs in sauce at a Super Bowl party and they just tasted wrong, like I violated the Christmas Food treaty or something.
My Grandma F (the good grandmother) always made a tureen of wassail to drink. It was sooooooo good. I think it was because it was in a tureen. How often do you ever really get any sort of food out of a container called a tureen? Doesn't that just class it up some how? And calling is wassail- rather than hot apple juice? Com'on ya gotta love it! A tureen of wassail- how cool is that? And served in special matching cups, to boot! She always had cheese and crackers too. There was an orange cheese spread that I loved. It was an unnatural shade of orange- almost a day-glo orange that isn't really in the color spectrum at all. I loved this cheese and again, we only had it at Christmas time. I remember a few years ago I went to the market with my mom (obviously when she was still alive) and we were reminiscing about the cheese at Grandma F's (yeah I loving reflected back on a past cheese experience- how weird is THAT?!). Since she passed away, there was no more orange cheese spread. I was laughing about how I always craved it around Christmas. And you know what? My mom, being the all knowing goddess about these types of things because she was just that sort of super prepared person, told me it was right there in the store. In a normal store- a mortal Kroger's!We just went right up to a display and there it was. It came in a JAR! Cheese in a jar is just unnatural, I realize, but this stuff was 1980's Frankie Says Orange so how natural could it be to start with? It is Kraft pimento Cheese spread. That's all it was. And for years I thought my Grandma F had the market cornered on some special Christmas Cheese from a special Christmas Cheese Store. Wonders never cease!
My mom also had an amazing cookie recipe for cut out holiday cookies. The kind you roll out and use cookie cutters and stuff? I love these as well. One year mom made a huge batch of these and they were on a pretty lil' holiday plate on the coffee table. The family adjourns to the dining room for brunch on Christmas morning (or as I like to call it "Sour Cream Coffee Cake TIME"!) . After the meal we return back to the living room and the entire plate of cookies is gone. Now this wasn't a cute little "Santa must've eaten the cookies" thing. This was a "where the Hell did all the cookies go" thing!?! Come to find out the dog liked the cookies too, to the tune of an entire plate full. The coffee table with the cookies in the middle of an empty room and just at her eye level proved to be too much temptation and she polished off the whole thing. Whilst Bro and I debated killing the animal, dad help her flee to the backyard for her safety. Mom, however, being the brilliant woman she is, pulled another bag of cookies from her hiding place and we again had cookies. Bro and I guarded them, almost smacking Daddy-O's hand as he tried to pilfer one-oops!
I must mention the pumpkin roll. About 15 years ago, I guess, mom found this at a bazaar or at a bake sale or something and we all thought we had died and gone to pumpkin heaven. It was cold bread or something like that with cream cheese frosting all in a roll, then chilled and sliced. This was some awesome stuff. We loved it so much that the next year mom called people in town until she got the recipe out of some woman. Bro and I were ready to kick some tail if this chick wouldn't have freed the recipe. So needless to say, we add pumpkin roll to the ever growing list of foods I forever associate with Christmas. (An aside: I love cream cheese frosting. The world is good when there's cream cheese frosting. There would be no wars if we covered all soldiers in the world in cream cheese frosting. Hand me cream cheese frosting and I promise to love you forever...or until the frosting runs out...! Life is better overall with cream cheese frosting!).
Yes, I realize this is mostly sweet yummys. Yes, I realize it's a lot of calories and junk, but it's Christmas. And I like it. I love it. I want some more of it. One side of my family is from the south and food goes with everything- funerals, celebration, surgeries, stopping by while on a Sunday drive, you name it, we eat regardless of the event- have gall bladder surgery and the family has a carry in (and ya'll get something covered in mushroom soup, in addition to a jello-mold with fruit in it!). So it goes to show that at Christmas time we are so gonna indulge and pig out. It's part of my heritage and cul-ture! And I love food. So hand me the sour cream coffee cake and nobody gets hurt!
Maggie
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Big Weekend...
Big Mac:
Friday night was senior athlete night at Mac's school. All of the seniors, male or female, who participated in any sort of sporting event, were recognized. All parents of these kids were escorted onto the field with them, in front of the crowd. It was pretty cool and I was really proud of Mac. One more step of reality that he's a senior and will be graduating. *gulp*
Big Crafts:
Annually, a craft show is held here in town and XRay Girl, Curley, Curley's Sister, Daddy-O, Princess and I all went. It was lots of fun but there were HUGE amounts of people every where and tons and tons of things for your home, jewelry, clothes, candles... everything people make themselves. There were over 100 booths. If you like to decorate in "Country" or "Rustic American" is certainly a place for you. But there's other stuff, like soap even and art work and just something to appeal to everyone. It was a good time had by all. I think I bought a candle for me because the smell reminds me of the non evil Grandmother's bathroom- like a flower garden.
Big Chili:
Daddy-O and XRay Girl bailed on the chili- XRay Girl because she had to work- but the rest of us forged ahead and with about 10,000 other people, we tasted chili for charity. After about 5 types I was done. I don't like chili all that well to begin with but since it's for charity I didn't mind at all. The booths are decorated and people dress up so the name of the chili and the booths all have themes. One school had "No chili left behind" which had a yummy, non spicy, thick, white chili that was almost like a stew. It was my favorite. Part of the process is paying a fee to get into the event. After paying, you get 10 tickets and you can vote on your favorite chili, booth, theme, whatever. You walk around with a spoon and sample over 75 kinds, choosing what you want to eat or not.
As I said, I gave up after 5 kinds, but Princess was a champ and tasted about 3/4's of the kinds there. It was so crowded that the four of us split up and we met back at the end; great that is was crowded so there was more money raised for the 7 charities. People also have toppings for the chili and lots of places were giving candy, ice cream, Popsicles, etc. to help cool and cleanse the palette. There were also a couple of drink concessions stands, a place selling kettle korn and elephant ears, and a beer tent, of which I didn't partake.
Princess had never done this before and she thought it was awesome. She also discovered she hated white chili. We laughed and ate our way around. It was cool.
The weather was great, too. Cool with a little breeze. Just a perfect fall day, with the leaves changing. We were all in long sleeve t-shirts and jeans, which was comfortable. It was a very good day.
Big Dress:
So Alcatraz has a winter ball in November and Princess gets to go. Over the years, apparently, people in the community have donated dresses for the girls to wear. The dresses be ball gown length- yes, to the floor, which I think is a good idea so the girls can't have mini dress/ cocktail dresses. the problem: these donated dresses get stored in a big closet and used over and over each year. The dresses look like something I wore to prom. Or dresses from the 70s. Not good. Princess found one that wasn't too "hideous" and didn't look like as much like "curtains with glitter" as some of the others. BUT, I know someone who wore a pink princess, Cinderella style dress to her prom and they are the same height and almost the same size. And this girl is going to loan Princess her dress, which is her dream dress. I had one VERY happy kid on my hands, jumping around, going happy crazy!
Big Lazy:
After yesterday, I plan on being a big lazy slug today. I'm going to do laundry and laze around the house. I have a novel to finish reading. I'm just going to chill.
Mags
Friday night was senior athlete night at Mac's school. All of the seniors, male or female, who participated in any sort of sporting event, were recognized. All parents of these kids were escorted onto the field with them, in front of the crowd. It was pretty cool and I was really proud of Mac. One more step of reality that he's a senior and will be graduating. *gulp*
Big Crafts:
Annually, a craft show is held here in town and XRay Girl, Curley, Curley's Sister, Daddy-O, Princess and I all went. It was lots of fun but there were HUGE amounts of people every where and tons and tons of things for your home, jewelry, clothes, candles... everything people make themselves. There were over 100 booths. If you like to decorate in "Country" or "Rustic American" is certainly a place for you. But there's other stuff, like soap even and art work and just something to appeal to everyone. It was a good time had by all. I think I bought a candle for me because the smell reminds me of the non evil Grandmother's bathroom- like a flower garden.
Big Chili:
Daddy-O and XRay Girl bailed on the chili- XRay Girl because she had to work- but the rest of us forged ahead and with about 10,000 other people, we tasted chili for charity. After about 5 types I was done. I don't like chili all that well to begin with but since it's for charity I didn't mind at all. The booths are decorated and people dress up so the name of the chili and the booths all have themes. One school had "No chili left behind" which had a yummy, non spicy, thick, white chili that was almost like a stew. It was my favorite. Part of the process is paying a fee to get into the event. After paying, you get 10 tickets and you can vote on your favorite chili, booth, theme, whatever. You walk around with a spoon and sample over 75 kinds, choosing what you want to eat or not.
As I said, I gave up after 5 kinds, but Princess was a champ and tasted about 3/4's of the kinds there. It was so crowded that the four of us split up and we met back at the end; great that is was crowded so there was more money raised for the 7 charities. People also have toppings for the chili and lots of places were giving candy, ice cream, Popsicles, etc. to help cool and cleanse the palette. There were also a couple of drink concessions stands, a place selling kettle korn and elephant ears, and a beer tent, of which I didn't partake.
Princess had never done this before and she thought it was awesome. She also discovered she hated white chili. We laughed and ate our way around. It was cool.
The weather was great, too. Cool with a little breeze. Just a perfect fall day, with the leaves changing. We were all in long sleeve t-shirts and jeans, which was comfortable. It was a very good day.
Big Dress:
So Alcatraz has a winter ball in November and Princess gets to go. Over the years, apparently, people in the community have donated dresses for the girls to wear. The dresses be ball gown length- yes, to the floor, which I think is a good idea so the girls can't have mini dress/ cocktail dresses. the problem: these donated dresses get stored in a big closet and used over and over each year. The dresses look like something I wore to prom. Or dresses from the 70s. Not good. Princess found one that wasn't too "hideous" and didn't look like as much like "curtains with glitter" as some of the others. BUT, I know someone who wore a pink princess, Cinderella style dress to her prom and they are the same height and almost the same size. And this girl is going to loan Princess her dress, which is her dream dress. I had one VERY happy kid on my hands, jumping around, going happy crazy!
Big Lazy:
After yesterday, I plan on being a big lazy slug today. I'm going to do laundry and laze around the house. I have a novel to finish reading. I'm just going to chill.
Mags
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)