A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing, to everything turn, turn, turn
A whole bunch of randomness in my life right now.
Oh my, I've been having lots of good luck with cooking lately - or maybe it's less luck, more practicum.
Monday night's dinner smelled SOOOO good (and tasted good, too). I was going to make a Weight Watchers variation on paella, but it requires my crockpot for 5 hours and I didn't get started on this until after 7pm. So I used the same ingredients and simmered it on the stove for a couple of hours. Chicken, canned tomatoes (Italian-style with garlic, oregano and basil), sauteed onions, three gloves of garlic, a bit of chicken broth, and some herbs and seasonings. Threw in some rice, frozen peas and shrimp at the very end. Served with spinach salad supplemented by my winter-greens garden bucket, and red wine.
I might also have made peach milkshakes with Haggen-Daaz Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream for dessert for us, too.
Then last night I made a very hearty Italian soup for Girl's Grey's Night. You know what smell might be defined as "stomach-rumbling?" Sauteed onions, green peppers, kielbasa and Italian sausage. A little tomato paste, a large can of diced tomatoes, some red wine, chicken broth and seasonings and a wee bit of pasta completed the soup, with garlic bread and red wine on the side. A+++, would make again! I have enough left over to throw 2 containers in the freezer for a cold, busy night later this winter, and some for my lunch today.
Okay, I'm done gloating. My mouth is watering SO HARD right now!!!
If you read my cooking blog, you might remember a little restaurant review I wrote up regarding some West Seattle places. One of them, Beàto, is sadly closing its doors. I think I'm going to see if Shawn would like to go there on Saturday night, since they are selling bottles of wine at a discount.
Hungry Girl, a blogger for Weight Watchers, recently did an article about tasty pumpkin-y things. I think the ones toward the bottom of the page look pretty good, and I think I might experiment with some of those. I think pumpkin is too often pigeon-holed into pie, and very little else.
Gretchen and I are planning a double-date, a travelling meal through Ballard! It's going to have a Risqué theme.
We are thinking drinks and appetizers at Coppergate (where we went for Mary's bachelorette party), since there are naked womens on the walls (and fish), and there is a Vagina Door. "Copper gate" is a euphemism for a natural red-head!
More food and drinks at Tin Hat, based on a recommendation I read in notlostonme's LJ. The decor looks like a Rudy's salon, but with more breasts, and there are framed Hustler mags in the ladies' room!
Dessert is going to be the big finale, at Madame K's Pizza Bistro. It's an old whorehouse, and apparently all the waitresses are dressed up in the fashion. They are famous for their dessert, "The Orgasm" - a gigantic half-baked chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream!
At October's SAI meeting, one of the girls brought in white roses made from Agar agar. It was really good, and apparently it's pretty healthy because it's made almost entirely from seaweed. Have any of my unique chef friends ever tried cooking with this? I'm lookin' at you, wesa and scearley.
Ever wanted to know what was in season and when? Here is a good site for those of us in the PNW - Harvest Schedule.
Last week was a big Wellness Week thing there at the office, so along with getting a pink hair extension I also got some updated body stats.
A while back, I wrote an entry detailing the problems with my body stats - basically, they all said that I was landing squarely in the "Obese" category. Needed to lose 45 lbs, whine whine whine. Woe is me. So, where am I now?
I have lost, as of Wednesday's weigh-in, 16.5 lbs! For reference, that's the equivalent of 3 bags of sugar and a box and a half of butter. Or an average 8-month-old infant. Or a bag of dog food. Or a 12-pack box of pop. That's also a lot less ass to haul over a trapeze bar!
Since I had last had my cholesterol checked, about a year ago, I have dropped SIXTY points, from 218 to 159 (okay, fine, I rounded up one point. Consider it fuzzy math). I attribute this to Honey Nut Cheerios, like it says in the commercials :) But that's still amazing!
My BMI has gone from 33.8 to 27.5, which puts me about halfway to my goal - and anything below 25 will be considered healthy for my height/weight.
My blood pressure is 113/74. It is beyond "optimal." My blood sugar is in the perfect healthy range (a concern for me, because my dad is diabetic).
I've also dropped at least one dress size. Even Shawn has noticed, wondering why I'm sporting a "baggy pants" trend. Because my jeans are too big for my ass, honey! It's a good thing.
And finally, a collection of hodge-podge. Livejournal tchotckes, if you will.
I think I seriously need to get this shirt. It is SO ME! Teehee.
For fans of Anne Bishop's new book, there is an excerpt from Shadow Queen. There are few of her books I need to catch up on, specifically Tangled Webs and buy (not just borrow) Dreams Made Flesh.
This is incredibly funny, if you haven't already read it (I don't care who actually wrote it, it's British and it's mocking, therefore I approve): Revocation of American Independence. This would have been more relevant BEFORE this election, especially since it's from '04. Ah well.
This will drive you nuts. The site instructions are in Japanese, so read below!
yoinked from eriksdb
1. Touch 'start'
2. Wait for 3, 2, 1.
3. Memorize the number's position on the screen, and then click the circle from
the smallest number to the biggest number.
4. At the end of game, the computer will tell you the age of your brain.
5. Forward the message and type your calculated age in the subject line.
http://flashfabrica.com/f_learning/brain/brain.html
I scored 39 the first time, which was a fluke because I got 26 and 27 the next two times.
Tonight Shawn and I are going to see Zach and Miri Make a Porno! Tomorrow I have a meeting, and Sunday I have aerial class. Other than that, I am fairly free, and I won't know what to do with myself!!!
Oh yeah, clean the apartment :P And get started on The Mysteries of Udolpho, since it's FINALLY come into the library under my name, and book club got pushed back
Later this month is Twilight, Thanksgiving (I give thanks for Edward Cullen...), a trip to Wenatchee, and the start of Holiday music!
Thus the year begins to age gracefully away, like a older woman who tosses back her graying hair and looks at what she has accomplished with shining eyes and a spark that suggests more still to come!
Oh my, I've been having lots of good luck with cooking lately - or maybe it's less luck, more practicum.
Monday night's dinner smelled SOOOO good (and tasted good, too). I was going to make a Weight Watchers variation on paella, but it requires my crockpot for 5 hours and I didn't get started on this until after 7pm. So I used the same ingredients and simmered it on the stove for a couple of hours. Chicken, canned tomatoes (Italian-style with garlic, oregano and basil), sauteed onions, three gloves of garlic, a bit of chicken broth, and some herbs and seasonings. Threw in some rice, frozen peas and shrimp at the very end. Served with spinach salad supplemented by my winter-greens garden bucket, and red wine.
I might also have made peach milkshakes with Haggen-Daaz Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream for dessert for us, too.
Then last night I made a very hearty Italian soup for Girl's Grey's Night. You know what smell might be defined as "stomach-rumbling?" Sauteed onions, green peppers, kielbasa and Italian sausage. A little tomato paste, a large can of diced tomatoes, some red wine, chicken broth and seasonings and a wee bit of pasta completed the soup, with garlic bread and red wine on the side. A+++, would make again! I have enough left over to throw 2 containers in the freezer for a cold, busy night later this winter, and some for my lunch today.
Okay, I'm done gloating. My mouth is watering SO HARD right now!!!
If you read my cooking blog, you might remember a little restaurant review I wrote up regarding some West Seattle places. One of them, Beàto, is sadly closing its doors. I think I'm going to see if Shawn would like to go there on Saturday night, since they are selling bottles of wine at a discount.
Hungry Girl, a blogger for Weight Watchers, recently did an article about tasty pumpkin-y things. I think the ones toward the bottom of the page look pretty good, and I think I might experiment with some of those. I think pumpkin is too often pigeon-holed into pie, and very little else.
Gretchen and I are planning a double-date, a travelling meal through Ballard! It's going to have a Risqué theme.
We are thinking drinks and appetizers at Coppergate (where we went for Mary's bachelorette party), since there are naked womens on the walls (and fish), and there is a Vagina Door. "Copper gate" is a euphemism for a natural red-head!
More food and drinks at Tin Hat, based on a recommendation I read in notlostonme's LJ. The decor looks like a Rudy's salon, but with more breasts, and there are framed Hustler mags in the ladies' room!
Dessert is going to be the big finale, at Madame K's Pizza Bistro. It's an old whorehouse, and apparently all the waitresses are dressed up in the fashion. They are famous for their dessert, "The Orgasm" - a gigantic half-baked chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream!
At October's SAI meeting, one of the girls brought in white roses made from Agar agar. It was really good, and apparently it's pretty healthy because it's made almost entirely from seaweed. Have any of my unique chef friends ever tried cooking with this? I'm lookin' at you, wesa and scearley.
Ever wanted to know what was in season and when? Here is a good site for those of us in the PNW - Harvest Schedule.
Last week was a big Wellness Week thing there at the office, so along with getting a pink hair extension I also got some updated body stats.
A while back, I wrote an entry detailing the problems with my body stats - basically, they all said that I was landing squarely in the "Obese" category. Needed to lose 45 lbs, whine whine whine. Woe is me. So, where am I now?
I have lost, as of Wednesday's weigh-in, 16.5 lbs! For reference, that's the equivalent of 3 bags of sugar and a box and a half of butter. Or an average 8-month-old infant. Or a bag of dog food. Or a 12-pack box of pop. That's also a lot less ass to haul over a trapeze bar!
Since I had last had my cholesterol checked, about a year ago, I have dropped SIXTY points, from 218 to 159 (okay, fine, I rounded up one point. Consider it fuzzy math). I attribute this to Honey Nut Cheerios, like it says in the commercials :) But that's still amazing!
My BMI has gone from 33.8 to 27.5, which puts me about halfway to my goal - and anything below 25 will be considered healthy for my height/weight.
My blood pressure is 113/74. It is beyond "optimal." My blood sugar is in the perfect healthy range (a concern for me, because my dad is diabetic).
I've also dropped at least one dress size. Even Shawn has noticed, wondering why I'm sporting a "baggy pants" trend. Because my jeans are too big for my ass, honey! It's a good thing.
And finally, a collection of hodge-podge. Livejournal tchotckes, if you will.
I think I seriously need to get this shirt. It is SO ME! Teehee.
For fans of Anne Bishop's new book, there is an excerpt from Shadow Queen. There are few of her books I need to catch up on, specifically Tangled Webs and buy (not just borrow) Dreams Made Flesh.
This is incredibly funny, if you haven't already read it (I don't care who actually wrote it, it's British and it's mocking, therefore I approve): Revocation of American Independence. This would have been more relevant BEFORE this election, especially since it's from '04. Ah well.
This will drive you nuts. The site instructions are in Japanese, so read below!
yoinked from eriksdb
1. Touch 'start'
2. Wait for 3, 2, 1.
3. Memorize the number's position on the screen, and then click the circle from
the smallest number to the biggest number.
4. At the end of game, the computer will tell you the age of your brain.
5. Forward the message and type your calculated age in the subject line.
http://flashfabrica.com/f_learning/brain/brain.html
I scored 39 the first time, which was a fluke because I got 26 and 27 the next two times.
Tonight Shawn and I are going to see Zach and Miri Make a Porno! Tomorrow I have a meeting, and Sunday I have aerial class. Other than that, I am fairly free, and I won't know what to do with myself!!!
Oh yeah, clean the apartment :P And get started on The Mysteries of Udolpho, since it's FINALLY come into the library under my name, and book club got pushed back
Later this month is Twilight, Thanksgiving (I give thanks for Edward Cullen...), a trip to Wenatchee, and the start of Holiday music!
Thus the year begins to age gracefully away, like a older woman who tosses back her graying hair and looks at what she has accomplished with shining eyes and a spark that suggests more still to come!