Favorite Band Meme

Instructions:
Choose a band or artist and answer the questions using only titles of their songs.

Duh, I choose INXS!

Are you male or female? Beautiful Girl
Describe yourself: Devil Inside
How do some people feel about you: Like It Or Not
How do you feel about yourself: What You Need
Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend: Suicide Blonde
Describe your current significant other: Heaven Sent
Describe where you want to be: Devil’s Party
Describe how you live: Don’t Change
Describe how you love: Elegantly Wasted
What would you ask for if you had just one wish: Need you tonight
Share a few words of wisdom: Mystify
Now say goodbye: Good Times

I tag: Nookie, Seana and Swami

String Cheese!

I'm really hungry for some string cheese! Not that rubbery, individually packaged kind either. That good stuff you buy in big hunks & rip off a stick.

Ever been to Joey's Seafood? It's a chain & came into Madison last year. I haven't been yet, but I'm all about the seafood. We are going tomorrow with Chris's dad.

Will there be Canadian Chip Trucks in Niagara?

I'm very food themed this week.

Lighter mood today

Chevrelait today...it's a smoked goat's milk cheese.

I watching The Next Food Network Star this weekend & one of the shows focused on your "Culinary Point of View." As they put it, there is a big map of cooking, where are you on it? For example, Rachel Ray doesn't want to spend more than 30 minutes preparing a meal, Bobby Flay is all about bold flavors, Sandra Lee is all about spending less time and money creating foods by finding 70% prepackaged ingredients, Giada is all about bringing the Italian food she grew up with everyday into your kitchens, etc.

So what is your Culinary Point of View?

A short burst of tears can make you feel better

Have some port wine cheese spread with crackers.

This morning I got an email from a coworker that wasn't rude...it just was putting obstacles in my way to getting a simple little thing done and telling me I really need to give her more notice for these things (I had explained & apologized last week for leaving such little time..I don't need the lecture again). This sent a burst of tears...but it was short & now I feel better.

So on with the morning. I got through all the journal articles yesterday...just two reports to read this morning then throw a formal lit review together in the next 24 hours.

Ugh.

Sunday?

Have a grilled mozzarella sandwich. I did. As a snack. Now I feel gluttonous.

/rant
It's been a stressful weekend. MIL's visit didn't go well. I was being a quiet & glaring at Chris because he was roughousing with the big lab in the living room, knocked over a bunch of stuff and was right in front of the tv. MIL basically told Chris she felt they weren't welcome & left a few hours earlier than planned. Up until that point the visit was going fine. So everyone was in tears yesterday afternoon.

I have a pile of journal articles and reports to summarize by tomorrow at noon (about 50 articles and 4 reports). Just got them Friday, so this weekend is crunch time.

Our families are being needy and it's stressing me. I hope Chris is ok. Obviously after his mom's thing yesterday and his dad calling all day (they are divorced) to talk about issues with his vehicles, money, insurance & everything (I think he called 5 times), and given my sister's situation, I am on family overload. I'm tired of interruptions to everything I/we do.

*curls up into big stress ball* Wait, I can't do that...must read & summarize.
/end rant

Friday Cheese

Poofy Doodles! NOW have I made everyone happy?

My favorite wind-characteristic reminded me that I should really gloat about the best.summer.trip I'm making. I was busy mailing her a package this afternoon, so she should really cut me some slack.

So not only is Niagara going to be effing fantastic, but we get THE best side trip. Chris and I are making the big ferry trip over to visit Breezy on our way! Big question: will Breezy hold us captive, or will she let us go on to Niagara? Will we WANT to go to Niagara after meeting Breezy? Or might we be her permanent houseguests? *evil grin*

Thursday Bonus Post

Cheese doodles...I spent all my money on that darn calorie free brie this morning. Do you know how much I spent getting all the calories taken out?

I will be coming to San Francisco in November (as well as my TX trip). 4th-8th. I don't know my hotel yet. It's for yet another conference. *hop*

Nolay might be coming with.

Silicone

Ask and you shall receive! Brie & baguettess...calorie free.

No, this topic is not about oobies. This is about the fine new silicone products available for your kitchen. I bought a bunch of silicone utensils & love them. They are sturdy yet still flexible. And being dishwasher safe is a biggie for me.

My sister has a loaf pan & reportedly loved it. I therefore bought a mini-muffin pan. The other day I went searching for a regular muffin pan as a gift for my sister. The solid piece silicone pans were $15-20. Obviously they aren't particularly rigid, so you'd need to put it on a cookie sheet for baking. So one company made a metal frame for the pans. The frame & silicone pan set was $30. Then I discovered genius. Someone made a regular metal muffin pan frame, but with the metal cups gone & in their place are attached silicone cups. $15. Sold.

There are also now reusable silicone cupcake liners. That is weird to me.

Do you own silicone? Raves? Rants?

I feel a little better today.

Provolone Picante today. It's a more aged provolone.

I'm glad I vented about my sister's situation on OT yesterday. I needed to hear some other perspectives. I learned that I'm not a horrible person for feeling how I do, yet I might need to suck it up short term. I hope this respite thing works out. It would be a huge benefit for everyone involved.

On a lighter note, tonight is the night we meet a bunch of friends for Chris's birthday (his actual bday isn't til tomorrow). I think it will be fun. Before that I'm going to interview for a gift shop job at American Players Theatre. It's an awesome, well respected outdoor theatre about 1 mi. down the road from our house. Gift shop-how easy. It will eat up most of my weekends, but only totals about 14 hours/week. It will be a nice way to connect with the area community, which has been difficult so far for us.

INXS & dragonflies!

Have some pepperjack!

INXS is finally making a Milwaukee stop. This pleases me to no end. Know what else pleases me? I think dragonflies & I are going together! We'll be dragging the hubbies along, too.

Now, I'm in a good mood today.

Project DONE!

White cheddar today with some wine. I need a drink!

I just finished a grant that we whipped out in less than two weeks. Whew!

My boss called from NY where she's visiting her daughter at Cornell. Her daughter is in grad school for Chemistry & they toured her lab today. She saw those chambers with the gloves attached to reach inside, was telling me about it & I immediately thought of Bob. Boom!

Chris's birthday is this week, so his mom decided to visit this coming weekend. She's bringing her puppy. That doesn't excite me so much, but she said his behavoir has improved in the last month. It's also that I feel sorry for the cats. Ali, our oldest & chubbiest cat isn't so found of dogs.

I think it's going to be an early night to bed. *snoooooooze*

Friday Night Hmph.

Oh sure, I know it's St. Patrick's Day and some of you have a life...but for once, on a Friday night, I went to chat & nobody was there. Bummer.

I am playing "toss the grant proposal" back and forth with my boss all weekend. Just got done with a 2 hour stint, now I can wait til I get her comments/work back tomorrow. And Nolay just left to run to a neighbor's house (ok, it's 6 miles away) to bring tools & help disassemble some furniture. so here I am...done with work for the night and drinking some beer. Ready to chat with my friends. Hmph to you all for having a life.

I bet I can find some good trash on tv....

Oh, and I'm listening to Sirius Coffee House right now.
Great station.

Friday Mish Mash

Irish Dubliner cheese today in honor of St. Patty's Day!

If you haven't wished sonya Happy Birthday, go do so.

My massage was great. This woman is the best. I've realized that I love shoulder massages most when laying on my back. It really gets my knots out. And I love upper chest massages (not oobie massages you pervs).

I exploring different birth control options. I have an appt. in June and plan to come in with questions for my doc. By the way, why is so darn hard to get an appt with a gynocologist? I called around March 1st & can't get in until June. Tell your children to become gynos. Apparently there aren't enough.

Another person can't make the Niagara meet ...I guess I can leave my murderer t-shirts at home.

It's a snowy yucky day here, so let's have some cheesy broccoli soup to warm up. I'll even serve it in a bread bowl. Did I mention I've removed all the fat & calories?

I'm supposed to have a massage this afternoon (not sure if the snow storm will allow it). I've had a few massages before & am always unsure of how much to tip.

Here is how I usually tip for services:
Haircut at cheap chain-cut only-no shampoo or style: $2-5, depending on how happy I am with stylist/cut.
Pedicure: $5-6
Facial: $4-5
Newspaper lady: $5 every 3 months when I renew
Restaurant server: 15-25%
Bartender: $.50-1/drink, depending on where we are, what we order. Tap beers, average bartender, it's .50/drink. Mixed drinks, good bartender, it's easily $1 per drink, maybe more.

So am I cheap? I'd sometimes like to tip more, but we aren't exactly rolling in dough.

What should I tip for an hour massage? I usually only tip $5 for a half hour, $6 for an hour. Is that being cheap?

A bit of good news

Meunster today, one of my very favorites. Good meunster is hard to find, ya know. The salty, slightly sqeaky kind is best.

I'll be heading to Dallas in November (16-20th). Staying at the Adam's Mark for a conference. I've never been to Texas, so I'm quite excited. Sonya, aren't you near Dallas? Momma, where in Texas are you? Maybe I can come a day early & sneak in a peep meet! Any other ladies or gents in TX (I know PRE & Boner are)?

Update on life

Cream cheese & bagels this morning, bloggie peeps.

Ah, I love the justice system. So asshole BIL violated the restraining order & went back to jail. Within 12 hours, his dad came to bail him out (Dad didn't know ANYTHING about the past two months up to this point...that BIL has lost his job, been kicked out of the house, my sister had filed for divorce, he'd been violent and crazy...). So I spent Friday with her, as she was pretty freaked out. Luckily his dad didn't let him get his car and they drove straight to his parent's house. The house is about 40 miles outside of Madison and fairly secluded. He can't just call a cab or walk anywhere. His parents are keeping close tabs on their car keys, guns, spare checks, etc. My sister is now feeling a little more secure for now. More will develop as the week progresses...the permenant restraining order hearing is Wed. I'm on babysitting duty for it and Chris will go with her. She's so much more confident now...I think she's relieved so much of this is out in the open.

I'm mentally exhausted, but have a ton of work to do.

My sister

Here, enjoy some queso dip. I'm to angry to enjoy it.

My sister finally got up enough courage to get a restraining order against her soon-to-be ex. She filed it yesterday & got a temporary r.o. The police attempted to serve him yesterday, but he wasn't home. So they left a note on the door saying to contact them. Assmonkey found this note around 1 a.m. & proceded to call and go over to my sister's house, screaming at her from the door, trying to get. She called the police. They put him in jail for the night, but because he hadn't been served yet and thus didn't violate anything, he was out early this morning. Luckily they served him while IN jail, but now I fully expect him to flip his lid in the next 24 hours.

He's been threatening suicide for the last 17 years...increasingly so since she kicked him out a few months ago. Frankly, I'd be thrilled to hear he went home & did it. He's a lost cause that is ruining everyone else's life with his.

Sorry if that makes me a bad person.

Recipe Tag

I was tagged by sonya to give 4 recipes...check below to see if you are tagged by me!

Alton Brown's Cheesey Fondue
1 clove garlic, halved
1 (12-ounce) bottle hard apple cider
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon brandy P
inch kosher salt
5 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere, grated
5 ounces (2 cups) Smoked Gouda, rind removed, grated
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
Several grinds fresh ground black pepper

Rub inside of fondue pot or heavy small saucepan with garlic. Pour cider into pot. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, the brandy and salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and toss well with the cornstarch in a large bowl. When the cider just begins to simmer, gradually add the cheese a handful at a time, allowing each addition to melt completely before adding the next. Continue adding cheese and stirring until all cheese is incorporated, about 3 minutes. If mixture starts to bubble, reduce heat to low. The mixture is ready when creamy and easily coats the back of a spoon. Stir in curry powder and pepper. If cheese seems stringy, add some or all of the remaining lemon juice. Move fondue pot to alcohol warmer, and keep stirring during service. A variety of breads, from pumpernickel to rye to bagel chunks can be skewered and dipped as can cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms and potatoes. (Soften all vegetables by blanching briefly in boiling water then chilling.) Crisp fruits such as apples make great fondue fodder, as do cooked meats and sausages. Even soft pretzels make for good dipping. If any fondue is left over, cover with ice water and refrigerate, pour off water and reheat over low heat.

Low-Fat Asian Dressing
2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
3 tsp. dry fruit pectin
1 t. white vinegar
1 T. teriyaki sauce (soy can be substituted)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Slowly bring to a rolling boil, whisking often. Let boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat & cool. Serve over a nice salad of greens, cabbage, scallions, shredded carrots and grilled chicken.

Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms
1 large package fresh white button mushrooms
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 jar Oscar Mayer or Hormel Real Bacon Bits
1 c. breadcrumbs (fresh or store bought)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse mushrooms, remove stems. Chop stems into fine pices. Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped stems and onions. Saute for approximately 2 minutes. Add breadcrumbs. Stir until moist. Turn off heat, add bacon bits & cheese to mixture. Drop mixture into mushroom caps. Bake in preheated for approximately 20 minutes.

Sinful Ice Cream Dessert
30 Oreos, crushed
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 gallon ice cream (I like coffee or Heath or butter pecan best), softened
1 jar caramel sauce
6 oz. chocolate chips

Mix Oreos and butter in a 9x13 pan. Spread evenly on the bottom. Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Spread softened ice cream over Oreo layer. Freeze for at least 1 hour. When ice cream layer is frozen, in a saucepan mix caramel sauce and chocolate chips over low heat (microwave if you'd like) until chocolate melts. Spread over ice cream layer. Refreeze...remove from freezer about 20 minutes before you are ready to serve (unless of course it's 80 degrees in your house or outside...then 5 minutes should do!).

TAGGING (I'll let you off the hook & you can just do 2 if you want):
1. Bob
2. Lights
3. Boo
4. Momma

A tease

Squeaky fresh curd today!

I was tagged by Sonya to post 4 recipes...so I've chosen them, but need to get a few tonight at home. I'll whet your appetite in the meantime:

Cheese fondue (I HAD to post a cheesy recipe!)
Low Fat Asian Salad Dressing
Sinful Ice Cream Dessert
Stuffed Mushrooms

Minerals & Movies

*Flips a burger* What kind of cheese would you like on your burger? We grilled burgers this weekend & topped them with gorgonzola. I used a Rachel Ray recipe from my cookbook, only we grilled instead of pan fried. The recipe called for glazing the burgers with balsamic vinegar at the last minute. Yum!

My Aromaleigh mineral makeup samples came Friday. They work much better for me than BM because they don't have mica in them. Aromaleigh gives more of a matte finish, thus my big pores look better. They have a green correcting powder that I like. Great for covering blemishes or just general red sploches. There is a finishing powder that has mica for when I want some glow here or there. The samples came in baggies & that is a real pain. Other than that, I'm happy.

We watched Four Brothers on PPV last night. Good plot, not so great acting. Mark Wahlberg was pretty good but everyone else left me flat.

Why were there no good family movies on PPV on Saturday night. Friday night there were a ton & Sunday Bad News Bears was on. Sure, where was that on SATURDAY when we were babysitting?

Oh, and I have a new weekend tv obsession: Flip this House.

Hope you had a good weekend!

babysitting

Have some mac n' cheese and tell me what I'm supposed to do with these kids.

I'm watching my niece & nephew (10 & 11), which I'm usually better prepared for. I usually make plans, or they don't come until evening. But I just found out last night we'd be having them overnight & they came at 3:00 p.m.

They'd be content watching cartoons all afternoon & night. I figure I can pry them away to play a game. I wish we had more to do in town. Maybe we'll go bowling after dinner.

I'm going to have a glass of wine. That will help me think better.

Answer me, damn it!

Do you like gouda? Because today we are having gouda.

It's Saturday & you are hanging with friends. How late do you generally stay out?

You are coming to visit me & must pack a game. What are you bringing?

Are there any concerts you'd pay $75/ticket to attend?

You must have a personalized license plate. You get 7 characters. What's it gonna be?

I'm taking you to dinner! Do you want the steak kabobs, jerk chicken, or teriyaki grilled salmon?

Well, you'll need to order something to drink with that. What's your poison?

Weekday Drinking

Let's have some cheese foundue with bread cubes, cauliflower & broccoli. Mmmmmmmmm.

I drank too much last night. But I was the shuffleboard (or as I call it, "slidey game") champion of the bar. We hit the bar just before 4pm & were home by 7:30. I passed out during LOST. This morning? I'm not so hungry.

Oh, and ladies, never combine a Alpha Hydroxy peel off facial and astringent. Results: BEET red face. I think I scaled my skin. It's fine now, but yesterday afternoon I was looking pretty darn ridiculous for a few hours.

Gas!

*poot* No, not that kind, silly. Have some baby swiss and sharp cheddar and I'll tell you about why I'm home today & talking about gas.

About a month ago, Chris came home, telling me a new coworker moved into a house formerly occupied by a Chinese couple. Chinese coupled moved back to China & left a new Whirlpool washer & dryer in the basement. Washer was barely used, dryer was still in wrapper. Coworker conveyed they were front load models...and he was only asking $250. That excited me.

A week later, he brings in pictures to Chris. The washer is not a front load, but they are just high end standard Whirlpool. Given our finances, I didn't want to buy them, as we had a lower end, but working, set. I think
Chris already commited to it because he insisted we buy them.

A few weeks ago, we got them home. Took our old dryer to my dad, as his was partially broken. I did a load of laundry. Hm. It wouldn't dry. Ran the cycle again, changing a few settings (there are lots of knobs). Still not dry. hm....not even warm. Ran it again. Opened in the middle of the cycle....not warm. We find the manual online & troubleshoot. Nothing makes sense.

*light bulb!* It's a gas dryer. We are wired for electric. Fuck.

So Chris found a guy to do labor for lunch & beers. We bought the $115 worth of materials. So for approximately $400 we are about done. We are home today working on it. I helped install an "orifice" in the dryer this morning (we can now disassemble a dryer, including removing the drum, burner unit, etc). Now, they are working and I am playing.

Sigh.