Best to schedule all future eye doctor appointments at the end of the day. Going to work unable to focus on the computer screen and looking drugged out from dialated pupils is just no good all around.
v. 2.0
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Yes, It’s Been A While
I know, I know. I haven't been posting. I've been busy. And preoccupied. Mea culpa. Will you ever forgive me? I'll do my best to update you on my latest adventures, including some new additions to the apartment, some rearranging, and a trip to sunny Florida this past weekend. Well . . . some of that may have to wait, but at the very least for now, a big congratulations to Kirsten & Jason. The rest of the pictures from the weekend are here.
P.S. – had some delicious stone crab claws while I was down there! -
Good Lord
It's been way too long since I've posted. Don't have much of an excuse, I suppose. The weekend recap consisted of a 1/2 day Friday to have lunch at Ko (AMAZING — recap later), digesting the rest of the evening, many episodes of Season 4 of The Wire, brunch in Brooklyn, a pajama party (complete with s'mores) out on Long Beach, power-shopping at Ikea and re-arranging furniture. Back to work today for a client event and then the "unconference tomorow." Slight breather after that, then back to the reporting, round 2. Okay, so maybe I've been a little busy . . .
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Slow Cooker Love
Both the NY Post and the Daily News have articles on slow-cookers (a.k.a. Crock-Pots) today. Does that make me a "budget minded hipster"? Regardless, I am still eating my bounty from two of the three dishes I've made in mine so far — a curry lentil soup, and a pork chili verde — having frozen portions at the time I made them. Next up may be some sort of pot roast, brisket, or beef stew, and I also want to try an Indian chicken or lamb curry. Or maybe this — sounds tasty!
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Mac and Cheese? Please!
For whatever reason, everyone seems to be talking about macaroni and cheese these days. First, the New York Times, which mentions Martha's recipe. Then Andrea over at the Strong Buzz publishes her mother-in-law's recipe. I really like Emeril's recipe, which I've adapted slightly each time I've made it. Macaroni and cheese was one of the first meals I ever learned to make. I vaguely remember learning how to make it in Girl Scouts — making a bechamel, adding cheese, and adding it to cooked pasta before baking it, but the first recipe I ever followed for mac and cheese was from the Kraft cookbook, which a family friend had given to us as a gift. I still generally follow it, although I've tweaked it just a tad.
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
2 cups warm milk
8 oz grated cheese (I like a mix of sharp cheddar, gruyere, and parmesan, but really you can experiment here)
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 t powdered mustard
1/4 t white pepper
salt
approx 2 T breadcrumbs or panko
8 oz pasta, cooked (elbows, rotini, penne, small shells — something that'll hold the sauce)
Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter over medium heat; add flour and whisk together. Gradually add the warm milk, stirring constantly, until all of the milk is incorporated and the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and add all but 1/4 cup of the grated cheese. When cheese has melted, add cayenne, mustard, white pepper, and a dash of salt. Taste and correct as you see fit.
Place 1/2 of the pasta in a 9" square pyrex baking dish; top with 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Follow with remaining pasta, topped by remaining sauce. Top with the reserved cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until top is golden. Enjoy!
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My Exciting Life
To you, this is an ordinary toilet. To me, this is a shining moment in my life as a homeowner. I bought and installed a BRAND NEW TOILET SEAT!!! Look how perfectly it fits! It doesn't wiggle! And, last but not least, it is made of eco-friendly wood and the chrome fasteners match the chrome elsewhere in my bathroom. Seriously — I couldn't be more excited.
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Random Weekend Thoughts
- My abs hurt so much from Friday's training session that it hurts to twist to either side. Also hurts to sneeze.
- Being around a dozen children is exhausting.
- I'm still pretty convinced that I don't want to live in the suburbs.
- When a child laughs at something you do, it makes you laugh too.
- I'd like to make meusli to take to work for breakfast.
- I wish my apartment had more light. Since I can't install windows, will just have to buy lots of lamps.
- Sleeping is a good thing.
- My forks have seemed to slowly disappear over the years. Where are they?
- I am now officially in love with my slow cooker thanks to this short rib recipe. Thanks, Bill!
- I need to start buying smoked mozzarella from Alleva every now and then. It's sooo good.
That is all.
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A New Beginning
I already have goosebumps . . . can't wait to hear the speech, not to mention to have Obama running the country. There's hope and change in the air, and I'm proud to be an American today!
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Radio Silence
Sorry about the radio silence, gang. Somehow between little blips on Facebook and Twitter I think I've been posting here less. Let's see, what's new with me? If you've been following me at either one of those places, you may know that my brother bought me a slow cooker for Chanukah/Bday and I've been seriously debating the pros/cons vs. a traditional Dutch oven. I've decided to take the plunge and keep it. Certainly on a day like today, it would be amazing to come home to some slow-cooked short ribs that have been cooked to maximum tenderness and are ready when I walk in the door. [Note: it would be also be nice to come home to a meal that someone else has cooked for me; until that day, the slow cooker will be playing stand-in]. Other than that, have gotten some estimates for re-doing two of my closets (another lovely Chanukah/Bday gift, this time from Mom & Stephen) and am planning the dinner portion of a bachelorette shindig for this Saturday night. And finally, am eagerly counting down the days until we have a sane person in the White House again!!