February is strawberry season?

Growing up strawberries were a fruit I associated with summer, because they didn't start popping their little red heads out until usually the end of June. We had strawberry plants the grew wild around the corners of our house, and it was always a mad dash to catch the sweet little fruits before they were discovered by the neighborhood birds and rabbits.

Now I've heard of this "global warming" threat, and how it's changing the seasons and weather and all that good junk, so that's the only reason I can find to explain why all of a sudden my supermarkets are TEAMING with strawberries. Just wait, I know I'll get one smarty pants trying to tell me that the strawberries are probably shipped in from Venezuela, or some equally tropic locale. But friends, if I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times - I live in the LAND of strawberries. No need to ship it in when they grow locally here. And these are all local strawberries I'm talking about.

I have a feeling that there's a high correlation between strawberry sales and a certain holiday marked by roses and red colored hearts which could also explain the sudden influx of sweet red berries. I'm no fool (debatable) so I scooped up 4lbs. (Yes, that's not a typo, I picked up a shitton of strawberries) this past week. And now I'm using them in just about everything. Stay tuned for the sweet treat Thatboy's and my coworkers enjoyed in honor of Valentine's Day.

I love strawberries for breakfast, and in drinks, but I especially love them for dessert. I could be ever so happy with a big bowl of sliced and rinsed strawberries. But when Thatboy asks "what's for dessert?" and I tell him "fruit" he gets this strange look of confusion across his face. (It's similar to the look he gets when I inform him his choices for dessert include nuts, raisins, or popcorn.) Because it's not enough to just have fruit. No dessert must have some form of extra sugar added in, otherwise it's (shudder) healthy.

And so we come to the fruit pizza. Not my idea, obviously. It's a trick moms across the world have used for centuries to get their little ones to eat more fruit. By placing the fruit on something that looks and sounds way worse for you than it is. I'm sure Napolean's mother enticed him to eat his fruit in the same way. "Please Napolean, eat your fruit, it will make you big and strong." (As a side note, this discussion is probably why the young Bonaparte might have had some feelings of resentment towards sa mere.)

Fruit Pizza

Your favorite sugar cookie dough (I'm partial to Martha Stewart's)

1 pkg cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

sliced fruit of your choosing - whatever you can get your hands on would work here

1. Preheat oven to 375. Roll out your sugar cookie dough until it fits nicely on your pizza pan.

2. Bake 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool.

3. Divide can of mandarin oranges in half. Roughly chop half of them.

4. Combine chopped mandarin oranges with cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Spread cream cheese mixture over your cooled cookie dough.

5. Arrange sliced fruit over surface of your pizza. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yahrzeit

Yahrzeit is the commemoration of a death of family member. Today is Thatdad's Yahrzeit. It's based on the Jewish (lunar) calendar, which is why it's a little earlier than the date of his death. Which means I get a little taste of how I'm going to feel next week.

Yahrzeit is commemorated by lighting a candle and reciting a prayer. The candle burns for 24 hours. Thatdog didn't quite understand what was going on, but he saw the candle, and heard us praying and figured it must be Channukah. He sat patiently beside us waiting for us to finish so he could get his treat.

I'm dreading next week. I've actually been dreading this entire month. Last month was really hard on Thatmom. She characterized it as feeling like she was losing him all over again, because starting in February she wouldn't be able to say "Last year at this time Thatdad and I were....." I didn't really get it. I didn't feel the same way. But this month I'm overcome with emotion. I'm crying at the drop of a hat. Simple things that wouldn't normally set me off send me into hysterics. Thatboy has threatened to call Kay Jewelers and ask them to stop showing commercials of little old men and women. In truth, I don't think he really knows what to do with me. Other than watch and worry.

I can only imagine it's going to get worse over the next week. Valentine's Day weekend was the last weekend Thatparents had together. Thatmom can give details of the day almost minute by minute, not realizing at the time it would be the last weekend they spent together. This weekend is going to be hard. Even though we're spending it together, I'm pretty sure it's going to be difficult for all of us.

Monkey-ing Around

This weekend's big plans were all rained out, so instead, we spent the weekend running errands, getting ready for Valentine's Day and watching loads of television and movies. We caught up on our DVRd shows - and can I just say how impressive the "East" regionals were on ABDC? I didn't want any of them to get cut! We also watched Surrogates. Watching it made me sad, it was definitely a movie Thatdad would have enjoyed. It had a very old school Blade Runner feel. But of course, hardly anything is as fantastic as Blade Runner. (Could Harrison Ford do anything wrong back then?) Thatboy spent some time out on our patio, enjoying sitting in the rain without getting wet.

We watched the Super Bowl and I got shushed for talking during the commercials. By Thatboy. Because apparently he only watches the Super Bowl for the commercials. I shouldn't be surprised. But it was a great game. And Thatboy works with one of the player's mothers (can I be any more vague?) so we cheered appropriately.

And we ate loads of junk food ALLLLL weekend. Burritos, Buffalo Wings, Pizza, Popcorn, Beer. I'm totally paying for it now, but it seemed like such a good idea on a rainy weekend. Especially since we spent so much of it in front of the television.


We started our weekend of junk food with breakfast. My friend Wan puts bacon in just about everything. One of the recipes she's made that has stuck with me was bacon cinnamon rolls. I love the idea of adding protein to cinnamon rolls since a cinnamon roll alone doesn't seem like a great breakfast. I mean, it sounds like a GREAT breakfast, but not something to keep you going all day. Even if all day just means sitting in front of the television. I decided to make apple cinnamon monkey bread, with breakfast sausage. Although, I do have to say, it would have been better with bacon. I followed Wan's lead and used pre-made cinnamon rolls. Could I have made them myself? Yes. But seriously, this weekend was not about me baking. It was about me doing as absolute little as possible.

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread with Sausage

2 refrigerated tubes of cinnamon rolls
1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/2 Tbsp flour

1 granny smith apple
6-8 links of chicken breakfast sausage

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease bundt cake pan. Roll cinnamon rolls into 24 even balls and set aside.
2. Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour in bowl.

3. Peel, core, and slice the apple and toss in the sugar/cinnamon mixture, coating well.
4. Remove casing from sausage and brown in a skillet. Stirring to break up sausage into crumbles.
4. Drain cooked sausage and mix with the apples.
5. Place half of the cinnamon roll balls in the bundt pan. Spoon the apple/sausage mixture over the balls. Top with remaining cinnamon roll balls.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Throw out the frosting that comes with the cinnamon rolls. I can't stand that stuff. Instead, frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting. If you do it when the bread is still warm, it'll get nice and runny.

Everyone is beautiful at the ballet

Earlier this week Prez emailed me asking if there was anyway I might be interested in going to see Swan Lake with her. Prez isn't a huge theater person, but she comes from a family of musicians, so ballets are right up her alley because she's so familiar with the music. Swan Lake was one of her favorites, but she'd never actually seen a production. Neither had I. So I agreed right away. "I'm assuming Thatboy isn't going to want to come with us?" she emailed me.

"You'd assume wrong. I'm pretty sure he'd LOVE to join us, but do we want to make this a girl's night, or have him come along?" Prez said to bring him since it had been ages since she'd seen him. I think there's a pretty good chance that Prez has actually known Thatboy longer than I have. You see, back before he ever laid eyes on me, Prez and I had a mutual friend who had a thing for Thatboy. I even asked her if she was okay with me pursuing the man who would be Thatboy. She gave me her blessing, wishing me good luck because Thatboy was completely oblivious to females interested in him. She stopped speaking to me when Thatboy and I began dating.

And so the three of us bundled up in the cold rainy weather and headed out to see Swan Lake last night. The production, performed by the Moscow Festival Ballet, was phenomenal. Beautiful jumps, twirls, and lifts. Sculptured legs, glutes, and arms that seem to go on forever. And of course, an insane amount of tulle and glitter. Prez didn't know the story at all, and I had a very vague recollections. So as an aid to all my non-ballet goer readers (both of you), I have decided to include a very brief plot break down so you can all talk about Swan Lake at the next gala you attend and wow them all.

We open on a party. At least I think it's a party because there's lots of people dancing around. But since it's a ballet, there's no talking. So it could just as well be a protest, or an audition for So You Think You Can Dance. See the lady with the drapes on her arms? Maybe she's Mary Martin?

See this guy? He's the Prince. You can tell because he jumps higher than any of the other dancers. That's how you know he's supposed to be good, kind, and gentle. Our hero.

The prince leaves his party and goes off all mopey in the forest. Seriously mopey. You've heard the music, right? He runs into a bunch of girls with feathers in their hair and white tutus. I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be the swans you've heard so much about. They dance together and the Prince falls in love with the skinniest, bendiest one with the longest arms and the crown.

Can you blame him for falling in love? Look how she bends!

And look how her friends dance!

But all is not happy in Swan Lakeland. In addition to the fact that the girl is actually a swan, she's also under the spell of an EVIL sorcerer. You know how I know he's evil? He's wearing all black. And a cape. And a shitton of glitter. Seriously, he is the most FAB-ulous villain ever.

Act 2 begins with a scene from the bachelor. Four princesses compete for the Prince's bouquet of flowers. But none of them are as skinny and bendy as the Swan girl. So no one gets the flowers. It's the saddest rose ceremony ever.

But then the evil sorcerer shows up with a girl who looks JUST LIKE the swan girl! Except she's dressed all in black. And the prince didn't read my earlier point about black costumes = evil character.

So the Prince dances with her and gives HER the bouquet of flowers. At which time sorcerer starts laughing like a mad man and running around the stage chest bumping the other characters. Evil black costume princess starts taunting the Prince and poking him in the forehead as she laughs at him. And the Prince? He starts crying. Me? I lose ALL respect for the crying bachelor.

The prince realizes this was a trick and runs off to get his real swan girl. And together they defeat the evil sorcerer. And even though the Prince couldn't tell the difference between her and the evil black costume princess, the swan girl takes him back. I surely hope she doesn't have any sisters, because if she does, she's in for a lifetime of heartache with this guy.

During intermission we talked about how fabulous the ballerina was that dance the part of the Swan Queen, Odetta. I mentioned that her arms were incredibly long. Prez mentioned how unbelievably unhealthy skinny she was. During the second half, Prez couldn't notice anything except for the woman's arms which might have brushed the ceiling. I kept thinking she was going to break something every time she landed since I couldn't stop looking at ALL her bones which were barely covered by her skin. It made me a little sad to realize that not much has changed in the world of ballet which has always had a reputation for enforcing unhealthy views of the female body. I wanted to feed this woman SO badly. I wanted to make her a big bowl of pasta and watched as she ate the entire thing. But I can't because I think it would be really weird to bring a bowl of pasta to the ballet. So instead, I offer you a fabulous pasta recipe that is our current favorite. As usual, it's loaded with a ton of veggies which help to fill you up so you don't need as much pasta. And spicy pasta always makes me happy.

Feed Your Inner Ballerina Pasta

3 links Italian sausage, cooked and sliced.

4 oz uncooked linguine

2 Tbsp oil (we use avocado, but olive works if you don't have avocado oil)

2 cippollini onions, cleaned and sliced in half

1 bunch of broccolini

1 clove garlic, diced

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

1) Prepare linguine. While linguine is cooking, heat oil over medium high heat. Saute onions for 2 minutes, or until tender.
2) Add broccolini and saute 2 minutes more.
3) Add in garlic, tomatoes, sausage, pasta, and chicken stock. Saute 5 minutes or until half the chicken stock is gone.

BONUS!

Today was a day of bonuses...

It started with a bonus trip to the doctor! Because once in a week isn't enough for Thatboy OR I.

Then came the week I've been waiting for since the beginning of the year - Clinique Bonus Time! I ran out of my facial cleanser and have been holding off on buying my fave - the rinse off foaming cleanser until bonus time rolled around.

I love how gentle this stuff is on my face. I love how foamy it gets, because we all know that foam = it's working. And I love how it doesn't smell. I just want something clean, not floral, not fruity. Not on my face.

And of course I had to pick up some moisturizer while I was there.....

Cause if it ain't broke..... This isn't my winter moisturizer, it's too light. But I got it anyway in the hopes the weather will warm up a bit and I won't need to coat my face in a thick protective layer of lotion.

And the bonus is totally amazing. I have to say, in general, I like the bonuses because they give me loads of travel goodies, which is good since I do tend to travel a lot, even if it's just up and down to Thatmom's house and back. The cosmetics bags they come in, however, usually go right under the bathroom sink because they're kinda tacky. Not this one! It's so cute!!!!!


And I'm equally as jazzed about the contents - there's a redness reducing mineral powder I'm just dying to try, and the mascara that makes Thatboy say "Woah...are you wearing mascara?" and an oversize tub of some new skin refining moisturizer with SPF 20.

Because I "preordered" my bonus items, I even got a bonus bonus! It's another cosmetics bag that's not nearly as cute (going right under the sink) a mini-mini bag which will just hold some powder, lip gloss, and mascara and fit in just about any of my purses, and two samples of their Fresh Bloom Allover Colour in Almond Blossom.

How flipping gorgeous is this powder? I am SUCH a sucker for embossed/designed powders. There's something so retro and elegant about them. And the almond blossom color is a gorgeous tawny bronze. I always forget to use bronzer, but my friend Teseract considers it the quintessential makeup item.


And of course a peek at what Thatboy and I are getting for dinner....mmmmmmm...



Except, without the yummy sandwich....and not THIS baked potato. Because THIS baked potato is coated in butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Our baked potato doesn't get any of the good stuff, just a little butter so we don't choke on it on its way down.


But, because I love y'all so much - here's another bonus. This one's for you! Another great Valentine's Day recipe. Well, another great anytime recipe that can be used for Valentine's Day. I'm not sure why, but I love the idea of steak for romantic dinners. There's a reason carnal derives from the Latin word for "meat" or "flesh."

Italian Crusted Roast Beef
1/2 Tbsp seasoned salt
1/2 Tbsp basil
1/2 Tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground pepper
3 Tbsp pinenuts, chopped
2 Tbsp parmesean cheese, grated
1 tenderloin roast (1-2 lbs)

1. Preheat oven to 425. Combine seasoned salt, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, pepper, pinenuts, and cheese in a small bowl.
2. Rub the pinenut mixture over the roast, and place roast in roasting pan. Roast 40 minutes, or until meat almost (but not quite) reaches your desired level of doneness. Pull it out when it looks just a little too pink for you.
3. Transfer roast to your cutting board and tent with aluminum foil. Let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Sharing is Caring

So "stay in bed Sunday" may not have been the best idea. Remember how I mentioned Thatboy wasn't feeling so hot? Well he went to see the doctor on Monday, and on the way I sent him a little love message:

TG: So, I'm thinking you may have been right about this being a virus. And I'm thinking you may have passed it along.

About an hour later, I got a reply.

TB: The doctor thinks its bacterial. He gave me an antibiotic and told me I'm contagious, so to be sure to wash my hands.
TG: Hey contagious - did you tell him you've already passed it along to your wife?
TB: Sorry, didn't get your text in time.

On the plus side, he did bring me home flowers......

So now we're both fighting some intestinal distress. My doc wasn't as quick to throw antibiotics at me, so after some testing, we should have a pretty good idea of what ails us. Until then we have a very exciting meal plan made of bananas for breakfast, rice and applesauce for lunch, and eggs and toast for dinner. Not terribly blogworthy. And our non-eating activities aren't exceptionally blogworthy either, so I'll head back to the archives for a treat, just in time for Valentine's Day.

I'm a huge fan of red velvet cupcakes year round, but they're especially fantastic for Valentine's Day, because they're...well, red! Thatboy shares my love, so you'll have noticed in any cupcake post, you'll usually spot a red velvet as one of our selections. We know where all the best are in San Diego, although we don't agree on a favorite. I prefer the oversized, perfectly coiffed cupcakes from Daily Scoop. Thatboy likes the super sweet minis from Elizabethan Desserts.

Because we love red velvet cupcakes so much, I thought it would be an important recipe to have in my arsenal. I mean, I've done the Sprinkles mix route, but I'm one of those snobs who thinks everything is better when it's not from a box. Or a tube. Bridget has done a fantastic job of comparing several red velvet cupcake recipes, this uses some of her notes on the different recipes to create what should be the world's best red velvet cupcake. Well, it may not be the best, but in my humble opinion it's pretty damn good. So share it with someone you love.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

2.5 sticks butter, softened

1 cup + 2 Tbsp sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 bottle red food coloring

4 tsps vanilla

8 oz cream cheese

16 oz confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat 2 sticks of butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Add eggs to butter/sugar mixture, one at a time, beating well between additions.

4. Mix in 1 cup sour cream, milk, food coloring and 2 tsps vanilla.

5. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into cupcan pan, filling each cup 2/3 full - I use my 1/4 cup measuring cup for this.

6. Bake 20 minutes or until done. Cool completely before frosting.

7. While cupcakes are cooling, beat cream cheese, remaining butter, sour cream and vanilla until light and fluffy. Slowly add in confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth. When cupcakes are cool frost!

Weekend Love

Things I love about the weekend:

1) My weekend runs. Since I don't have to get ready for work after, I can sleep in and actually do my run during the daylight! Which is so much nicer than running in the dark. And because it's light, I get to run through fields of diamonds. At least, it looks like diamonds as each blade of grass holds a drop of dew which reflects the sunlight in a rainbow of colors. I also love that my lack of time restraint means I can run longer than my 3 miles I do during the work week - although I'm going to try pushing that over the next couple of weeks.

2) Spending quality time with Thatboy. Sure, we spend almost every waking hour together during the week - between hitting up the gym after work, to eating dinner side by side on the couch as we watch our favorite shows, but on the weekends, we get to play. Literally. Friday night we spent playing Beatles Rockband - and let me tell you, after a margarita, it is VERY difficult to be in charge of both the vocals AND the guitar. But I think I held my own. And then on Saturday we went to see Avatar - which everyone raves about. My thoughts? Meh. First of all, I didn't realize it was live action, so after the first 20 minutes I turned to Thatboy and said "This is the longest promo ever." He thought I was kidding. I wasn't. I know everyone thinks it's groundbreaking, and maybe it is, but the entire storyline made no sense to me. And I do enjoy a good storyline. And we saw it in 3-d, which I told Thatboy seemed like a waste of 3-d technology. There was no reason to make this movie 3-d, I don't think it added to it at all. But it was his movie pick, wait till he sees what I have in store for him when it's my turn!

3) Spending time with friends. H and her husband moved into their brand new home late last year, and we've been dying to see it. But with all our traveling around, we couldn't match up schedules, so in December, H booked us for dinner this weekend. (Seriously, I book up way in advance. Just like a fancy restaurant. And I also require shoes and a jacket.) It was great to see their new home and spend time with H. As we stood in the kitchen trading stories back and forth, I thought about how lucky I am to have H in my life. When I first met her, I never would have guessed how important a role she would come to play in my life. On Saturday night we celebrated another year of health for H. I can still picture exactly where I was when H called 2 years ago to tell me she'd been diagnosed with cancer. Ironically, the place where I had to pull off the road because I was hysterically crying is a mere exit away from where we now live. And yet, here we are, 2 years (and 2 half marathons on H's part) later. Is it selfish to consider myself lucky that H is healthy?

4) Sofabed Saturday nights. Thatboy and I started a new tradition in December. See, we're still spending a majority of weekends with Thatmom, so our weekends at home have become almost like a vacation. When we're home on Saturday nights we pull out the sofa bed and watch tv before going to sleep. Then Sunday mornings we have breakfast in sofabed. This Sofabed Saturday night, rolled right into Sofabed Sunday since Thatboy is feeling a lot under the weather. So I hit up the gym without him, showered, and crawled back into bed beside him where we spent the day watching movies and our DVRd shows.

Since Thatboy wasn't feeling great he got put on the blech diet on Sunday (grilled chicken with brown rice - no oil, salt, or pepper...he wasn't thrilled). Which left me free to have something he wouldn't love at all. Fish sticks! Okay, that's a total lie. Thatboy loves fishsticks. I hate them. Mostly because they're made of fish. But tofu sticks - they look like fishsticks but taste a million times better. And even though Thatboy is more than happy to eat tofu I throw into dishes, eating them on their own isn't his favorite preparation. I love the crispiness and how they're perfect for dipping!

Not Fish Sticks

1 pkg extra firm tofu
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 cups panko
flour
canola oil

1. Slice tofu in half vertically, giving yourself two thin rectangles. Wrap these rectangles in paper towels and place under heavy plate for 30 minutes to drain of excess moisture.
2. Unwrap tofu and slice into sticks.
3. Take 3 shallow bowls, place egg in one, panko in one, and flour in one.
4. Coat tofu sticks in flour, then egg, then panko.
5. Heat canola oil over medium heat. Cook tofu on all sides until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.
   

Fighting off the winter ills

Ever since before Christmas I swear I have been right on the verge of getting sick. I haven't gotten sick yet, but I've got all the symptoms, fatigue, sore throat, headaches, and a cough that comes whenever I drink something cold. Thatboy even made me take my temp on Sunday night, but it was normal. I credit my borderline health status on being very hydrated, taking vitamins and loads of vitamin C, and of course, the age old Pennicillin - chicken noodle soup.

Do you know why chicken noodle soup is a tried and tested cure? Me neither, but I'll pretend to tell you why anyway. First, there's the chicken broth and chicken itself, loaded with protein and you know your body needs protein to fight off disease. Second of course is the veggies thrown in because veggies = healthy, and don't you want to be healthy? Finally come the noodles, which as any one can tell you are the ultimate comfort food. Whether in soup, stroganoff, macaroni and cheese, or even just spaghetti and meatballs, noodles make everyone feel good.

This is almost the easiest soup recipe in the world. Amber's chicken tortellini takes the #1 prize there, and I still contend that minestrone is a good throw together soup. But if you've got some stock in the freezer, this is quick and perfect. Even if you don't you can always use (shhhh I won't tell) store bought broth or stock. Try it once, and it will become a regular part of your meal rotation - even when you're not sick.

Chicken Noodle Soup
3 cups chicken stock (or broth)
1 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat egg noodles
1 breast of chicken, cooked and shredded
salt and pepper

1. Heat stock, carrots, and celery until boiling.
2. Add noodles and chicken. Reduce heat until stock is simmering, and cook for 10 minutes (or until noodles are cooked through).
3. Salt and pepper to taste.

Oh to be young again

Around the time I was booking us tickets to Parade, I noticed another Jason Robert Brown musical was coming to a theater near me, "13" JRB's latest.

Last time Thatboy and I were in NYC, 13 was playing on Broadway, but I dismissed it because really, I've had my fill of "High School Musical." And then, about a week after we came home, I was reading about JRB's new take on the hardest age. CRAP! 13 was a Jason Robert Brown piece? Well I guess my research was worthless. And then it was ushered offstage, like many of 2008's shows. So I was only too excited to see it playing by us. And I grabbed tickets immediately.

Last night, I bet Thatboy after work for dinner and a show. We decided to try O'Brother's because Thatboy has been wanting to hit it up for a while. And really, what's not to love about a totally organic experience?

The burgers and cheese are all local, the beef is even grass fed. And everything from the condiments to the drinks are organic. I was a little worried about Thatboy and the lack of Pepsi/Coke, but he made himself right at home with an organic beer - Fishtail Winter Fish Seasonal Ale.

He very much enjoyed it, but it wasn't my cup of tea. But I didn't want to be left out, so I got my own organic beer - Fish Tale's Amber Ale.



The place was almost empty when we arrived, giving us a great view and fabulous service.



There was only one other couple when we arrived. They were NOT friendly. They seated themselves RIGHT beside the door, and when it didn't automatically swing shut after we entered they honestly yelled at us to close it because they were cold. I'm sorry? You're cold? YOU'RE THE ONLY PEOPLE IN THE RESTAURANT. Maybe you could pick a seat that's NOT next to the door?


Hateful Hateful Hateful


Our burgers came with a side salad, but Thatboy and I decided to go all out and get a really unhealthy side to split/start out with. His pick.

Onion rings with organic ketchup and organic ranch. These weren't my favorite onion rings, but I did love the fact that they broke easily. Do you know what I mean? I can't eat an onion ring whole, so I have to tear it into quarters. A lot of times when you tear them into quarters, you end up with one long onion string and 3 quarters of fried batter with nothing inside. With these, I got 4 quarters of onion filled ring.



Thatboy ordered his favorite type of burger ever - one with bacon, cheese, onion rings, and bbq sauce. I knew he was going to get it the first time I saw the menu. He was very happy.


I felt really boring after I saw his. I just got a plain ole burger with some avocado added. I'm not huge on cheeseburgers, and this just hit the right spot. It was dripping in meat juice, fabulous if you like meat.

After dinner, we headed downstairs to the show. It was at the Lyceum and was our first experience with that theater.

The theater is actually really interesting. It has 2 stages and the "lobby" area is filled with art from a local artist, some of which was for sale. Local artist was actually there showing his friend some stuff. It was .....interesting. But if you like breasts, it was the place for you. Kind of a weird place to have such adult art given that the average age of the audience for our show was about 11. In fact, Thatboy and I decided we may have been the only people in the audience not related to our friends with the cast. I looked over the program and turned to Thatboy. "It makes me feel so jaded. I look at each bio where they plan on growing up and being an actor. They're so young and optomistic. You can tell they haven't been through their first year at UCLA yet."

As for the show itself.....during the opening number I thought "high energy is DEFINITELY the word for this show." A bunch of teenagers dancing and spazzing out on the stage. One girl kept tugging up her too big skirt, and another kept pushing her hair out of her face, and all of them were a little spastic. The main character, Evan was a little runt of a kid, and at first I didn't "feel" him for the part, but by the end I was completely won over. He did a great job and I actually felt his runtiness worked for the character perfectly. He did have braces or a retainer or something which gave him a very distinctive way of pronouncing his Ws.....something that reminded Thatboy and I of another young character in another show.




The show follows a 12 year, Evan, as he moves from NYC to Appleton, Indiana after his parent's divorce. He struggles to befriend the popular kids so that they'll come to his Bar Mitzvah - the pivotal part of every young Jewish child's life. It resonated with me since I grew up in a town very much like Appleton, Indiana where I was the only Bat Mitzvah in town. It has all the best parts of teenage life - love, betrayal, dating, and of course "the tongue."

Really though, the cast was fantastic. With a few VERY notable exceptions, they had great voices and high energy and were fun to watch. (Only one song had the two of us praying for relief and cheering when it was over because we had survived.) I do have to say I adore watching young kids sing, especially when they tuck their little chins into their little chests to sing the low notes. And the show was funny, and most of the time, the cast really understood the timing of the jokes (which can be awful with young kids.)

The songs were fun, but only two really stood out for me, which could be because the young actresses who sang them were really great. Thatboy felt that maybe we should give the whole album a shot, because the Broadway cast might be better. I'll leave you with one of our favorite songs done by the Broadway cast. It showcases how fabulous Jason Robert Brown is at writing songs, how great a young voice can be, and how EVIL teenage girls are.

The holidays are over

You know how I can tell? Because right about now I am ready for turkey again. Usually by the time the new year rolls around I'm pretty sick of turkey - between all the winter holidays, I get my fill. And yet, right about now, turkey dripping in gravy sounds oh so good.

And there's the rub people. Turkey dripping in gravy is a little time consuming and freezer filling for this early in the year. Especially when we've actually been using the weekends to catch up with friends. It's not like I'm going to roast a turkey for a weeknight dinner because that would mean leaving a bird roasting in our oven while I'm at work, and I love Thatdog too much to worry about him jumping through hoops of fire.

Which means when I want turkey, I'm reduced to making a breast, or tenderloins, or the stuff from my friendly neighborhood deli man (because he can slice it for me SO much thinner than I could ever hope to do myself). And making a breast, or tenderloins, or the stuff from the deli man means there aren't glorious turkey drippings for gravy. Can you hear me crying out there in blogland?

So I had to suck it up (a phrase I learned from my colorguard coach in high school - nice, right?) and make do with non-turkey gravy. BUT it's always helpful to know how to make gravy for topping beef, turkey, chicken, or even an openfaced sandwich on cheddar jalapeno bread*. So I thought I'd share with you this easy solution for gravy without the bird/beast. You can keep it in your freezer for the next time you get your turkey craving. Or just whip it up, like I did whenever the mood strikes you.

Instant Gravy (from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

2 Tbsp minced onion

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

1/4 cup dry red wine or vermouth (I use the red wine for beef and the vermouth for poultry)

1 1/2 cups beef or chicken broth (I use the beef broth for beef and.....forget it, you'll figure it out)

1) Saute onions in butter until translucent.

2) Stir in flour, cooking and stirring until light brown.

3) Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup wine/vermouth and 1/4 cup broth. Stir until smooth.

4) Return to heat and add remaining broth, stirring constantly.

5) Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring.

6) Add salt and pepper to taste.

*If you are going to use your gravy on an openfaced sandwich I highly recommend heating it up and warming your turkey/chicken/beef in the hot gravy before putting it on your cheddar jalapeno bread and pouring the gravy over top. It's better that way. Trust me.

Make New Friends, But Keep the Old

On Saturday morning I went for a run around Thatmom's house. Around .5 miles I almost stopped dead in my tracks. There's this grassy area by her house. It's not a park...just this weird grassy area with a couple of Adirondack chairs. Well the grassy area served as a frame for these gorgeous snow covered mountains that seemed to rise out of nowhere and touch the sky. I almost quit my run right then and there to get Thatboy and share the moment with him. But I didn't want to give up my run, so after I finished I called him and asked him to come meet me - and bring a camera. I wish you could have seen him running down the street in his pajamas, wondering what I was up to. He thought I must have seen an accident, requiring a camera. I wouldn't tell him what I wanted to show him until he came upon it himself. The pictures we took just didn't capture the magic, depth, height of the mountains, but let me just say - we do not get snow covered mountains in Southern California.

From the mountains, we headed to a feature we do see on a regular basis - the ocean. We were meeting The Actress and Armani in Laguna Beach. But on the way, we had to stop so Thatboy could watch the waves. Yup. That's how we role.

The Actress had requested meeting up at The Montage for lunch and sightseeing. I can't say I was surprised. The Actress is the one who introduced me to the phrase "chi chi la la" to describe many places in LA we used to frequent. Due to the events of last year, we haven't seen The Actress or Armani since their wedding - which is WAY too long. So we spent a lot of time catching up. In a very chi chi la la atmosphere. The Montage was gorgeous and even though our mouths dropped open at $15 chicken tenders, we very much enjoyed our lunch. Then we walked along the grounds. Alright everyone - FINALLY, all this text, you get a picture!

The waves were insane. They crashed right up on our little viewing platform, so we had to be on our game so we didn't get wet. But gorgeous, right? The Actress and Armani don't live as close to the water as Thatboy and I, and The Actress was entranced. It's definitely incentive for them to come back and visit us more.

On Sunday we took a little trip to meet some new friends. Earlier this month I got word that the internationally famous Psychgrad was going to be in my neck of the woods. Well, not quite my neck of the woods, but Palm Springs is a heck of a lot closer than Ottawa. So we hit the road to meet Psychgrad and her husband R.

When we were deciding on a good meeting place it was -15 degrees Celcius where Pyschgrad was. So she jumped at the idea of meeting someplace where we could eat outside. (Well I actually don't know if she jumped....we were communicating via email, but in my mind I picture her bouncing in her seat). She choose Matchbox Pizza.

Except we didn't realize that Matchbox wasn't open for lunch. Luckily, since it was a weekend, they were having a brunch - but strangely, there was no pizza on the menu. We made do.

Thatboy knew what he wanted in an instant. None of us were nearly as quick. But the idea of a short rib eggs benedict was irresistable to him. The only problem with the dish was that the egg was a little overcooked. It was pretty much hardboiled - which would have been perfect for me, but Thatboy actually likes his eggs runny.

Psychgrad had a Belgian waffle with fresh berries and cream. That's a lot of cream, huh?

I went back to my Southern upbringing. I seriously can't resist grits on a menu. Especially white cheddar grits. Throw biscuits and gravy in the mix and whooo doggies, we're in trouble. And those bacon strips - went right over to Thatboy's plate.

R was the lone voice of reason in our group. See, by the time we ate it was probably close to 12:30, and thinking we were going to eat lunch, we all ate breakfast. So everyone but R got a second breakfast. R, on the other hand, ordered a burger covered with a red wine gorgonzola butter, bacon, and cremini mushrooms.

It was fantastic eating with another blogger as we both whipped out our cameras when the food came - without thinking the other person was crazy. (I'm seriously not sure how Prez puts up with me) And getting to know Psychgrad and R was such a great experience - like meeting people you've known for a long time. And in a way, we kind of have known each other for a while, which makes this meeting a long time coming.

So in one weekend we had old friends, new friends, snow covered moutains, raging oceans, and even a desert. Pretty impressive, no?

Hot Date Night

Prez and I have had a standing dinner date during restaurant week every year. It's been going on since the very first restaurant week. We take turns picking restaurants, but obviously run it by other person - because that's what partners do. And Prez is definitely my partner in crime when it comes to restaurant week.

For some reason, our restaurant picks always bring us to very romantic places, waterfront views, steak and seafood....We joke about our romantic dates since neither of us brings our significant others to these places.

This time it was Prez's turn to pick a restaurant so she sent me a preliminary list for me to narrow down before she made the final selection. We ended up at Peohe's.

Dark lighting, waterfalls - it just puts you in the mood, no?

And though you can't see it here because it was dark and pouring, the restaurant looks out over the bay and directly across to the city lights of San Diego. As we drove home over the bridge we remarked at how the rain really makes San Diego glow.

And really, what Peohe has to offer is the ambiance. Neither of us were expecting too much in terms of the food, but what you're really paying for is the view.

Once again, like any partnership, Prez and I picked the two appetizers we'd both want so we could go halvsies.

The artichoke with lemon basil aioli and clarified butter. Although Prez and I noticed that the butter also had a nice lemony taste.

Coconut Crunchy Shrimp. We both thought the shrimp looked so good that we wanted to try it, and it was good, but a little oily, so it was nice to split it.

We threw the partnership under the bus for the main course since both of us wanted the prime rib. It's fairly typical that our dinners out involve a nice cut of steak. Probably one of the reasons why Prez is one of my favorite dates ever.

For dessert, Prez ordered the No Ka Oi - similar to the famous Hula Pie, but with a different name. It consists of an oreo cookie shell topped with macademia nut ice cream and chocolate sauce.

I went with the key lime pie, which came on a mango-strawberry sauce. Making it delicious, but oh so sweet! Just like my hot date.