If you want to see a few fall and winter pics, I just updated my flickr photostream. (I figure posting winter pics on June 21st would just be too pathetic, even for me!)
Uh, Happy Summer!
21 June, 2009
in honor of the first day of summer...
I'm finally going to post some spring pics. What can I say, timeliness is not one of my virtues. The top one is my favorite b/c I didn't think Mr. Bee would come out as anything but a blur. When I uploaded the pic to the computer, I was thrilled!
If you want to see a few fall and winter pics, I just updated my flickr photostream. (I figure posting winter pics on June 21st would just be too pathetic, even for me!)
Uh, Happy Summer!
If you want to see a few fall and winter pics, I just updated my flickr photostream. (I figure posting winter pics on June 21st would just be too pathetic, even for me!)
Uh, Happy Summer!
19 April, 2009
M-O-O-N spells moon
I have always had trouble taking any worthwhile pictures of our beloved satellite, but with a few tips I picked up, I had some (very) moderate success.
I like the spookiness of the B&W.
But I also like the true color here, and the branch is a nice touch.
With the aid of my trusty photoshop, I was able to create a more artistic rendering.
And again. This one is my favorite, evocative and moody.
I know I'm not around much these days. Work and, of course, life-in-general, haven't left me much time or energy for my hobbies lately. Hopefully I will post more regularly soon, I'm just not sure yet when "soon" will be. If you're still checking in on me, I thank you!
I like the spookiness of the B&W.
But I also like the true color here, and the branch is a nice touch.
With the aid of my trusty photoshop, I was able to create a more artistic rendering.
And again. This one is my favorite, evocative and moody.
I know I'm not around much these days. Work and, of course, life-in-general, haven't left me much time or energy for my hobbies lately. Hopefully I will post more regularly soon, I'm just not sure yet when "soon" will be. If you're still checking in on me, I thank you!
29 March, 2009
hell hath no fury like... uh, hail
Here are some cool pics from the major hailstorm we had last week.
B took these as it was happening:
And these just after it stopped:
I took these when I got home from work (almost 2 hours later!!):
And these the next morning:
17 March, 2009
Ní hé lá na gaoithe lá na scolb.
That's an Irish proverb, meaning "A windy day is not the day to be fixing your thatch (roof)." (If google is to be trusted, that is.) Sounds like good advice to me. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I'm putting up the following recipe, but just a warning/apology: I sent this exact thing out by email last year, so if you got it then, you've already seen it. But not everyone will have gotten it then (and I didn't make anything this year) so I'm posting it. Plus, it's totally repeat-worthy!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
While chocolate cake may not spring to mind as a particularly Irish dish, this one has Guinness in it, which is Irish enough for me! It is truly delectable - moist, rich, not too sweet.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
While chocolate cake may not spring to mind as a particularly Irish dish, this one has Guinness in it, which is Irish enough for me! It is truly delectable - moist, rich, not too sweet.
CHOCOLATE STOUT CAKE
Bon Appétit September 2002
Servings: Makes 12 servings.
My notes are in green (but of course).
(** I halved the entire recipe and used two 9-inch cake pans. What's below is the original recipe, though, so adjust accordingly depending on how much cake you want. **)
Ingredients
Cake:
2 cups stout (such as Guinness) (which is what I used)
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (The recipe actually says Dutch-process cocoa is best, but I used my regular Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder and it was fine.)
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream
Icing:
2 cups whipping cream
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghiradelli bittersweet chips)
Preparation
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. (I just coated my pans with baking spray, nothing else, and they were fine.) Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.
For icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours. Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake. (** I put raspberry preserves in between the layers instead, then spread the ganache over the top and sides. **)
15 March, 2009
13 February, 2009
04 February, 2009
short and sweet sour HUTAS* rant
If you are going 50 mph in a 65 mph zone for no discernable reason, I am going to tailgate your ass, and I don't care if you're in the right lane. Pull your head out, hang up your phone, or get off the highway!
This post brought to you by the letters P, M and S.
* HUTAS = Head Up The Ass Syndrome. I made it up, but so did a bunch of other people. pfft
This post brought to you by the letters P, M and S.
* HUTAS = Head Up The Ass Syndrome. I made it up, but so did a bunch of other people. pfft
26 January, 2009
25 random things about moi
(I did this on Facebook too, but figured it was appropriate fodder for the blog since some people who read this aren't on FB. For the rest of you, sorry for the repeat!)
Consider this a general tag to all of my bloggy friends - put up a list of your own, I would love to read it! (Let me know in the comments if you're doing it and I'll check it out.)
1. In order, I've lived in: Corsicana TX, El Paso TX, a very brief stint somewhere in CA that I barely remember, St. Louis MO, Corona CA, San Antonio TX, Frankfort IN, Carrollton TX, Overland Park KS, Highland Village TX, Austin TX. I've lived in Austin for almost 20 years now, but before that, I had never lived anywhere longer than 4 years, and in a few cases, less than one year.
2. My siblings are almost 8 (sister) and 10 (brother) years younger than me, and they have had a totally different experience growing up since my family stopped moving about the time they were starting school, and a couple years before I moved out.
3. I love to read, but the only books I've read more than once (as an adult) are the Harry Potter series, Hobbit/LOTR, and Wuthering Heights. And I fully plan to read them all again. EDIT: I can't believe I forgot Gone With the Wind! Duh. Though I don't necessarily plan to reread; 4 times is probably enough.
4. Even though I don't reread most books, I still buy 95% of the books I read. Silly and wasteful, perhaps, but I love the feel and smell of books, and the sight of overflowing bookshelves.
5. I didn't know my hair was curly like this until late high school. Always had short frizzy layers before then - stupid supercut hairstylists!
6. My "secret boyfriends" are Viggo Mortensen, Nathan Fillion, and Tony Bourdain. Oh, and Jim Halpert. So what if he's fictional, like it matters? In which case, I can't leave out Sawyer, Sayid and Desmond! (And my secret girlfriend is Kate Winslet.) Is that too many?
7. I think Calvin & Hobbes is the best comic ever.
8. As of this writing, my email inbox has 1156 messages in it. None are unread, I just like to keep all of my significant correspondence. (I still delete dozens, if not hundreds, every week.) I also have almost all of the letters, birthday cards and Christmas cards I've received over the past 20-25 years. Email's been a big space saver. :o)
9. In 10th grade I broke my ankle, and now I can't remember which one it was. (Left, I think... no right. Left?)
10. Outside of the US, I've been to Mexico (a few times), Germany, the Cayman Islands, France and Italy. (Tons of ground left to cover!)
11. Even though I only spent about 3 days there, I have a serious crush on Paris. I could simply walk around there for weeks. I tend to love any movie that's set there. And forget mustard and mayo, I put butter on my sandwiches now. :o)
12. B and I had our first kiss in the middle of Bourbon Street, NOLA, on Nov. 3rd, 1995. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this past September.
13. We met because I (briefly) dated his best friend. That guy ended up being our best man and we're still all good friends.
14. My first "real" job (after years and years of babysitting) was working the concession stand at a movie theater one summer. Free popcorn, cokes, and best of all, movies! It was pretty fun, actually.
15. I can touch my nose with my tongue, and my fingers are double-jointed.
16. I don't know if I want a kid or a dog, but I already have names picked out for either.
17. I have a moderate case of OCD. Amongst other things, I have to unplug the coffee maker and toaster, touch all the light switches, and say goodbye to all my cats (even the dead ones), before I can leave the house for the day.
18. I've had chronic insomnia for many years. I can fall asleep easily (too easily), but can't sleep through the night. I'm usually up sometime between 2 and 4, for various lengths of time, before going back to sleep. Pretty much every night.
19. I've managed to overcome my other true phobias, but I still have a very hard time with the cucarachas. And I can't crunch them or have their corpses in the house, either. I have to trap them under a cup with a rock on top of it, then slide paper or something under the cup, then take them out to the gutter to dispose of them. *shudder*
20. I am extraordinarily curious and ask a ton of questions. When I get interested in something, I kind of obsess for a while and learn everything I can about it. On the flip side, I get bored with things pretty easily, once the initial obsession wears off.
21. My favorite movies of all time are the Lord of the Rings movies.
22. I am an open-minded skeptic about the paranormal, but I'm still fascinated by it.
23. I've been in love 4 times. 1 was unrequited (probably a good thing in retrospect).
24. My favorite accent is Scottish.
25. I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Something involving travel, photography, cooking & baking, watching movies, reading books, engaging conversation, writing, and surfing the internet would be perfect. Oh, and I'm kinda lazy and procrastinate like mad. Suggestions?
Consider this a general tag to all of my bloggy friends - put up a list of your own, I would love to read it! (Let me know in the comments if you're doing it and I'll check it out.)
1. In order, I've lived in: Corsicana TX, El Paso TX, a very brief stint somewhere in CA that I barely remember, St. Louis MO, Corona CA, San Antonio TX, Frankfort IN, Carrollton TX, Overland Park KS, Highland Village TX, Austin TX. I've lived in Austin for almost 20 years now, but before that, I had never lived anywhere longer than 4 years, and in a few cases, less than one year.
2. My siblings are almost 8 (sister) and 10 (brother) years younger than me, and they have had a totally different experience growing up since my family stopped moving about the time they were starting school, and a couple years before I moved out.
3. I love to read, but the only books I've read more than once (as an adult) are the Harry Potter series, Hobbit/LOTR, and Wuthering Heights. And I fully plan to read them all again. EDIT: I can't believe I forgot Gone With the Wind! Duh. Though I don't necessarily plan to reread; 4 times is probably enough.
4. Even though I don't reread most books, I still buy 95% of the books I read. Silly and wasteful, perhaps, but I love the feel and smell of books, and the sight of overflowing bookshelves.
5. I didn't know my hair was curly like this until late high school. Always had short frizzy layers before then - stupid supercut hairstylists!
6. My "secret boyfriends" are Viggo Mortensen, Nathan Fillion, and Tony Bourdain. Oh, and Jim Halpert. So what if he's fictional, like it matters? In which case, I can't leave out Sawyer, Sayid and Desmond! (And my secret girlfriend is Kate Winslet.) Is that too many?
7. I think Calvin & Hobbes is the best comic ever.
8. As of this writing, my email inbox has 1156 messages in it. None are unread, I just like to keep all of my significant correspondence. (I still delete dozens, if not hundreds, every week.) I also have almost all of the letters, birthday cards and Christmas cards I've received over the past 20-25 years. Email's been a big space saver. :o)
9. In 10th grade I broke my ankle, and now I can't remember which one it was. (Left, I think... no right. Left?)
10. Outside of the US, I've been to Mexico (a few times), Germany, the Cayman Islands, France and Italy. (Tons of ground left to cover!)
11. Even though I only spent about 3 days there, I have a serious crush on Paris. I could simply walk around there for weeks. I tend to love any movie that's set there. And forget mustard and mayo, I put butter on my sandwiches now. :o)
12. B and I had our first kiss in the middle of Bourbon Street, NOLA, on Nov. 3rd, 1995. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this past September.
13. We met because I (briefly) dated his best friend. That guy ended up being our best man and we're still all good friends.
14. My first "real" job (after years and years of babysitting) was working the concession stand at a movie theater one summer. Free popcorn, cokes, and best of all, movies! It was pretty fun, actually.
15. I can touch my nose with my tongue, and my fingers are double-jointed.
16. I don't know if I want a kid or a dog, but I already have names picked out for either.
17. I have a moderate case of OCD. Amongst other things, I have to unplug the coffee maker and toaster, touch all the light switches, and say goodbye to all my cats (even the dead ones), before I can leave the house for the day.
18. I've had chronic insomnia for many years. I can fall asleep easily (too easily), but can't sleep through the night. I'm usually up sometime between 2 and 4, for various lengths of time, before going back to sleep. Pretty much every night.
19. I've managed to overcome my other true phobias, but I still have a very hard time with the cucarachas. And I can't crunch them or have their corpses in the house, either. I have to trap them under a cup with a rock on top of it, then slide paper or something under the cup, then take them out to the gutter to dispose of them. *shudder*
20. I am extraordinarily curious and ask a ton of questions. When I get interested in something, I kind of obsess for a while and learn everything I can about it. On the flip side, I get bored with things pretty easily, once the initial obsession wears off.
21. My favorite movies of all time are the Lord of the Rings movies.
22. I am an open-minded skeptic about the paranormal, but I'm still fascinated by it.
23. I've been in love 4 times. 1 was unrequited (probably a good thing in retrospect).
24. My favorite accent is Scottish.
25. I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Something involving travel, photography, cooking & baking, watching movies, reading books, engaging conversation, writing, and surfing the internet would be perfect. Oh, and I'm kinda lazy and procrastinate like mad. Suggestions?
19 January, 2009
15 January, 2009
the honeymoon's over
Oh, no, not with Facebook. We're still completely enamored with each other, aren't we, mon petit chou? (Although as I was logging in here, after logging in there, and logging into myspace, and logging into my paystub site, and logging into my bank site, I started to wonder just how many passwords one brain can hold...)
No, it's my car! Last March, I bought a lovely new Hyundai Sonata. It's the nicest car I've ever owned, and I've been nothing but happy with it.
Until now.
The damn CD player will no longer eject my CDs! Arrgh!! Sure, there are worse fates than listening to U2, Sinead O'Connor and the Xanadu soundtrack (yes I'm serious, it's really good, I SWAAAARE!) for all eternity - at least I removed all the Christmas music before it went on the fritz.
So now I have 3 slots left, and I have to think very carefully about what to put in. This is like one of those party game questions... if you could only have 3 CDs with you on a desert island, which ones would it be? Whichever ones I pick, will be the CDs I listen to forever!! I hate making decisions like that! I can't even play those party games, best I can usually do is come up with a top 20 or so.
I guess I'm going to have to do something that I really really despise. I'm going to have to take my car in for repair. This shouldn't be happening in our honeymoon year! I guess it's better to find out sooner rather than later that Mr. Sonata isn't perfect, though. *sigh*
No, it's my car! Last March, I bought a lovely new Hyundai Sonata. It's the nicest car I've ever owned, and I've been nothing but happy with it.
Until now.
The damn CD player will no longer eject my CDs! Arrgh!! Sure, there are worse fates than listening to U2, Sinead O'Connor and the Xanadu soundtrack (yes I'm serious, it's really good, I SWAAAARE!) for all eternity - at least I removed all the Christmas music before it went on the fritz.
So now I have 3 slots left, and I have to think very carefully about what to put in. This is like one of those party game questions... if you could only have 3 CDs with you on a desert island, which ones would it be? Whichever ones I pick, will be the CDs I listen to forever!! I hate making decisions like that! I can't even play those party games, best I can usually do is come up with a top 20 or so.
I guess I'm going to have to do something that I really really despise. I'm going to have to take my car in for repair. This shouldn't be happening in our honeymoon year! I guess it's better to find out sooner rather than later that Mr. Sonata isn't perfect, though. *sigh*
14 January, 2009
can't blog, facebooking
Is that a word, facebooking? Good gravy, I have resisted this for a LOOONG time. Several of my friends have good-naturedly harassed me about joining, and I've managed to put them off for ages, but no longer.
Facebook = Borg: resistance is futile.
It's fun, so far, but very bad for productivity. Very very bad. (So what the hell, I've already wasted this much time, may as well pop over and write a quick blog post, right? heh heh)
That's it for now, I have plenty of stuff to write about, but I can't because I just got 18763 more emails from FB...
Facebook = Borg: resistance is futile.
It's fun, so far, but very bad for productivity. Very very bad. (So what the hell, I've already wasted this much time, may as well pop over and write a quick blog post, right? heh heh)
That's it for now, I have plenty of stuff to write about, but I can't because I just got 18763 more emails from FB...
11 January, 2009
our annual New Year's Day (ish) meal
It's January 11th you say? Well, we didn't even eat this until Jan. 5th, so... that's just how I roll. But we eat this a few other times during the year, no need to wait till next January before trying it for yourself!
First, make a pot of black eyed pea soup. Then bake up some cornbread, and at the very end saute some baby spinach. Yuh-hu-hummy!
Black Eyed Pea Soup:
The soup is based on a recipe a co-worker gave me, and I changed it up a little bit. (I'm going to write it conversational style because I don't have an actual recipe.)
Chop an onion and about the same amount of celery and a couple cloves of garlic. In a soup pot, saute all that in some olive oil for a few minutes. Also, add a few twists of freshly ground black pepper and a couple shakes of red pepper flakes. After the veggies have softened a bit, add in one sliced link of kielbasa type sausage (the pre-cooked kind). Saute that for a few minutes. Then add in:
2 cans of drained & rinsed black eyed peas
And any more seasoning that you want, like I usually add more black & red pepper and some salt and some garlic powder. Stir and bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 25 minutes or so, till thick and creamy. (Like most soups, don't judge this one till it's done, the whole is way more than the sum of its parts.) Taste, and tweak seasonings if necessary.
Now, while that's cooking, make your cornbread. I admit here in front of god and everybody that I use Jiffy cornbread mix and I love it! So sue me. I do make a double batch in one pan to make it thicker and fluffier. I use a bit more milk than called for and start checking for doneness way before the recommended time. (Do not overbake! Otherwise it will get dry and icky.) Of course you should put a big ol' pat of butter on it before you eat it. I also like to take some and put it right in my soup.
This is easy-(black eyed) peasy, delicious and hopefully will bring all who eat it good luck and prosperity in the new year. If nothing else, it will bring them a few minutes of culinary pleasure, Southern style. Happy New Year!
First, make a pot of black eyed pea soup. Then bake up some cornbread, and at the very end saute some baby spinach. Yuh-hu-hummy!
Black Eyed Pea Soup:
The soup is based on a recipe a co-worker gave me, and I changed it up a little bit. (I'm going to write it conversational style because I don't have an actual recipe.)
Chop an onion and about the same amount of celery and a couple cloves of garlic. In a soup pot, saute all that in some olive oil for a few minutes. Also, add a few twists of freshly ground black pepper and a couple shakes of red pepper flakes. After the veggies have softened a bit, add in one sliced link of kielbasa type sausage (the pre-cooked kind). Saute that for a few minutes. Then add in:
2 cans of drained & rinsed black eyed peas
1 can of drained black eyed peas with jalapenos (I don't rinse those to better keep the heat & jalapeno flavor)
3 cups water
1 cube chicken bullion
1 package of grape tomatoes, each sliced in half
And any more seasoning that you want, like I usually add more black & red pepper and some salt and some garlic powder. Stir and bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 25 minutes or so, till thick and creamy. (Like most soups, don't judge this one till it's done, the whole is way more than the sum of its parts.) Taste, and tweak seasonings if necessary.
Now, while that's cooking, make your cornbread. I admit here in front of god and everybody that I use Jiffy cornbread mix and I love it! So sue me. I do make a double batch in one pan to make it thicker and fluffier. I use a bit more milk than called for and start checking for doneness way before the recommended time. (Do not overbake! Otherwise it will get dry and icky.) Of course you should put a big ol' pat of butter on it before you eat it. I also like to take some and put it right in my soup.
For the spinach, saute a small clove of chopped garlic (or half of a large clove, don't overdo it trust me) and some red pepper flakes in some olive oil. Stir continuously and cook on medium for just a minute or two, till the garlic is softened and fragrant but before anything burns. Then turn the heat down to medium low and throw in a bag of baby spinach. Gently stir and work in all the spinach so it gets coated with the oil and wilts a bit. This won't take long at all, so watch it or you'll have a big pan of spinach mush. (I'd still eat it though, yum.) Remove from heat and transfer to plates. Sprinkle with coarse salt. I used some grey Fleur de Sel that I bought on impulse and haven't known what to do with. Crunchy!
The soup and cornbread are great leftover, but make the spinach fresh if you have this for a second night.07 January, 2009
I Ate'nt Dead
I've just been out borrowing. **
New post coming soon.
** If you don't get this reference, I urge you to familiarize yourself with a little planet called the Discworld. I love this series, it's my third favorite ever! (After Harry Potter and LOTR of course.) For A LOT more info, start here.
New post coming soon.
** If you don't get this reference, I urge you to familiarize yourself with a little planet called the Discworld. I love this series, it's my third favorite ever! (After Harry Potter and LOTR of course.) For A LOT more info, start here.
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