mu shu madness

Ok. I'll admit it. I subscribe to the Rachael Ray magazine. It's got great recipes in it! Yes, most of them have ridiculous names like "Mean Green Chicken Tortilla Stoup." But they're still good. Until this latest issue. The Holiday Issue. It has recipes labeled "Guilty" and "Not Guilty." My sister made one of the "guilty" ones on Monday night. It was meat loaves with smashed potatoes. It was delicious. Then last night, she made one of the "not guilty" ones. Mu Shu Chicken Patties with Seared Napa Cabbage. They looked really good in the picture and had lots of good things in them. Then we started frying them in the hot oil and the smoke permeated our kitchen and the rest of the house. We seared the cabbage and we were ready to eat!! After the first bite - the "Not Guilty" recipes were deemed "Not Good." The patties were way too salty and the cabbage was disgusting. And now we still have four patties left. And our house still smells like mu shu chicken patties. Gross.

Tomorrow is Friday and that means two things. One, I get to sleep in on Saturday. Two, it means I have a boatload of homework to finish before Monday. Wahoo!

Quote o' the day:

"You can only be young once. But you can always be immature." - Dave Barry

my list...

things that I am happy about today in no order:

cats
warm blankets and comfortable beds
good food
chocolate and coffee
shiny happy people
a job that I love - because not everyone has this experience
working with amazing people that make work so much more than just a job (you know who you are!)
seeing people that I miss
cookie presses
fleecy things and jeans
music - Christmas, classical or otherwise
hugs

And that's my list. I dare you all to think of ten or fifteen things that are on your list. Make it a good one.

Quote o' the day:

"There is nothing better or more necessary than love." - John of the Cross

am I the ONLY person on the planet...

that still makes spritz?

I went out tonight, in search of a cookie press. I had done my homework and knew that both Linen's N Things and Macy's were supposed to have one. Target said they only carried them online and not in the stores.

I could have borrowed my mother's, but alas, I need the spritz for tomorrow and didn't want to spend half of my evening driving up to CR. So I decided, what with the fact that I've made spritz the last three years in a row, that maybe I should have my own cookie press. (For the non-Norwegians out there, spritz are a butter cookie (three sticks of butter, to be exact) and are shaped usually like a three petal flower.)

Hence the search.

I looked at Target, I was there anyway - no cookie press. But I was expecting that, so it was somehow ok. Drove over to Linen's N Things. Asked a nice enough looking saleslady who asked at least five people named Matt - NO COOKIE PRESS. They had a snowman shaped cakepan and chocolate fountains and TONS of ridiculous holiday bakeware, but nothing as practical as a cookie press. Which, might I remind you - they were supposed to have. A Wilton Cookie Pro Ultra II - to be exact.

Next stop - Macy's. Also in the mall - which I hope to avoid what with all of the Christmas craziness and Santa's and kids. The saleslady in Macy's - when asked for the now elusive cookie press - said, "Oh, like one of those cookie guns?" Complete with a hand motion. She went to ask - and yet again, came back empty handed. "Sorry - we don't have one of those."

I trek out into the hordes, by now, hungry and annoyed that I've already been to Target, Office Max, Rainbow, AND Linen's N Things. My feet are hurting monstrously by this point, as I'm wearing three inch heeled boots - but no matter. I continue my brisk pace to the JC Penney. I don't even bother asking. No visible cookie press.

Finally - I get to Herberger's (which is also by the Santa picture taking debaucle) and make it to Housewares. More ridiculous chocolate fountains and Santa shaped bundt cake pans. And then - I spotted it - a table that appeared to be only for cookie baking items. And then - you might as well have had a spot light and the Hallelujah chorus - because there it was. The Wilton Cookie Pro Ultra II Cookie press.

So when the clerk asked me if I'd found what I was looking for - I could only exclaim, " YES! And about time, too." I was exceedingly glad that I did not have to trek to the Williams and Sonoma, which is now in the 'hip' outdoor part of the mall.

And that, my friends, is what happens when you decide, the night before, that you need to make spritz. If anyone needs a cookie press - I have one. Complete with recipes!

Quote o' the day:

"Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets." - Arthur Miller

remember when we used to get snowed in?

For the past week or so, I get up and immediately peek through my blinds, hoping to see white on the trees and the deck.

So far, there hasn't been any.

When we were younger, there were Thanksgiving's when we'd get snowed in up in Fargo. All of the cousins would line up in rows in the basement and watch movies while the adults made popcorn and drank wine. It was fun.

Don't get me wrong - it was nice to have perfectly clear roads and 50 degree weather in Fargo for Thanksgiving. But what with all the global warming (on a side note - if you haven't seen "An Inconvenient Truth" - rent it now!) there is a definite lack of snow. It doesn't bug me too much now - but once it gets closer to Christmas, I will become exceedingly more Grinchy if there is no cold white stuff.

I have also ingested WAY too much chocolate today. Note to self, do NOT buy candy for the candy dish. Your office is out of the way of anyone that might eat candy and you end up eating it all by yourself.

Also - a question for any cat owners out there. Do your cats/cat chew on electrical cords and if so - how did you get them to stop? Tula was pawing and chewing at 5 a.m., and when I reprimanded her as loudly and sternly as I could muster out of a deep sleep, she only jumped up and stole my pillow. Help!! My quality of sleep is dependent on any answers I might get.

Class sessions left: 3
Papers left to write: 4

Quote o' the day:

"There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it." - Mary Wilson Little

crushes

I had a realization tonight after talking to my sister. It's been a really long time since I've had a crush. A good, old fashioned crush. Where your heart starts pounding when you see or talk to that person...and sometimes, even when you talk about or hear someone else talk about that person. The kind of crush where you can't resist being just a little bit of a stalker. A crush where even if that person is a good friend of yours and you know it might screw up your friendship you still allow yourself to fall anyway. A crush where you just can't stand it. And that person is the person you want to spend all of your time with and tell all of your secrets to. But you're too afraid to do it.

Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?

I miss that.

minnesota nice

Minnesota nice...disappears once drivers are behind the wheel. Once I get behind the wheel, I rage, yell and shake my fist. My mouth spews out words that I don't normally say, and I become a person who yells at others. I do not play well with others on the road.

Get out of my lane, you f-er
Turn of the f-ing phone and drive
Excuse me, I'm driving here
Learn how to drive you idiot, and stay out of my way

I guess I feel like I can yell at them from the sanctity of my car. Contrary to popular belief, I do not have road rage, I would never even dream of following someone home or getting out of my car. I simply find that this is a way to rid myself of all of my other frustrations of the day without getting into too much trouble. Is that too much to ask?