Dahlias

There is really nothing too great about summer ending. Except this is the time of year when Dahlias are in full bloom! I think they are so beautiful and amazing!

Chun Mee!!!

Yesterday after work, Shannon, Cindy, Jaime and I met for dinner at Chun Mee in Delano. Chun Mee is this little Chinese restaurant that both Shannon & Jaime worked at in High School. (Cindy and I worked at local grocery stores)... As always we had a fun time reminiscing and laughing, and trying not to laugh during Helen's pyramid scheme presentation. Helen is the owner of Chun Mee, and when she sees Shannon she always says, You not Marwied, you have no baby! But Helen is great and she even gave us her secret fried rice recipe! Chun Mee will be closing in a few years when Helen retires, so it was fun to get back there and enjoy Helen's food. (sorry, but I forgot to take pictures last night)
I have to add something else about laughing. When I was in elementary\high school I would bust out laughing all the time, everything made me laugh. The worst is when you are sitting in class and your teacher is talking, and your friends are all around you and you get the giggles, or someone says something funny. And what makes it harder is that you know that you can't laugh or you will get into trouble! SO you do everything possible to not laugh, like thinking about something boring or sad. But if for one second you even glance at your friends, and they are about to bust out laughing too... well sooner or later someone is going to lose it, and then you just can't stop laughing! That is what happened to us last night at Chun Mee! I haven't been in that situation in a long time, maybe I just don't laugh the same way I used too, maybe life isn't as humorous as it used to be. But it's nice to know, that if only for a brief moment, you can still get the giggles and no matter how hard you try, you just can't stifle the laughter!!

A night to myself...

My day is going sooooo slooowwwlllyyy! I am really looking forward to a night at home. Last night I made yummy Sesame Chicken with Asian Slaw and I brought it over to my couch-ridden cousin Kelly. So if you want the recipe, she posted it on her blog: http://vlachmytastebudsoff.blogspot.com/
Tomorrow night through Monday (Labor Day) I have plans, so I need to have at least one night to relax, clean & bake some bread, but not necessarily in that order... I still want to attempt to make the Zucchini bread with Moroccan Spices... but we'll see. Boring days at work make me want to do be lazy at home. But a job change may be in the future... hopefully many good things will be just around the corner.
I was driving today and I saw a tree whose leaves were already changing. It just seemed like last week I noticed that the trees just started to bud. Now it's almost fall and the leaves will soon change, then fall off the trees. This year has just flown by, and with that has come many many changes in my life. I'm glad for the changes, but not every change has been happy one.
I'm thinking about planning a trip somewhere soon. I haven't been anywhere in a very long time... and I need a change of scenery.
Sorry this post is so random... I have nothing interesting to say at the moment.

Superfluous Explained

People keep asking me what 'superfluous' means and why it is the title of my blog.
Well first of all, Superfluous is my favorite word. And if I was ever on Inside the Actor's Studio, that would be my favorite word pick. Secondly, I used to not know how to pronounce superfluous, and I even looked like a total idiot trying to impress a guy with my expansive Russian Literature knowledge. (My favorite short story is called "First Love" by Ivan Turgenev, which can be found in the book, "Diary of a Superfuous Man").

Well of course I said Super-FlU-ous, when you should say: Su-Perfluous. Whatevs!
Here is the definition of Superfluous, which I guess if you read between the lines, you could say that is a definition of me. You tell me...

su·per·flu·ous –adjective
1.
being more than is sufficient or required; excessive.
2.
unnecessary or needless.
3.
Obsolete. possessing or spending more than enough or necessary; extravagant.

su·per·flu·ous·ly, adverb
su·per·flu·ous·ness, noun

Girls Night Out...Part Deux

O! U R HERE!!

Friday did finally come around. The girls from WMHS met up in Jordan, MN at Jaime's place. Shannon, Cindy, Jaime and I enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by Jaimes... We headed out to do what I call, The Carver County Pub Crawl! We enjoyed good times and drinks and laughs at the local bars, putting to good use Jaime's BOGO card. I saw a few people I hadn't seen since high school. Including a very creepy teacher who is still creepy!! YIKES! (and Puke!). Overall we had some good laughs and no one got into any fights, although we came a wee bit close at the T-Road Tavern, but that is a whole other story. At the last bar, we girls stayed to close the place down and headed back to Jaime's to crash. We had a great breakfast in the morning and I headed out to help my friend Ellen move into Sarah's place... now i must chill, and maybe there will be more fun to have later... but for now this party girl is sleepy!

Well it's a Girls Night Out...

The Judds sang it best...

Friday finally came around This girls ready to paint the town

Tonight aint nothin gonna slow me down

I did my time workin all week

Tonights all mine, tomorrow Ill sleep,I wanna hear a band with a country sound

Well, Ive been couped up all week long

Ive been workin my fingers to the bone!

Well, its a girls night out Honey, there aint no doubt

Im gonna dance every dance til the boys go home

Well, its my night to rock No watchin that ol clock

Oh, aint no doubt, lordy its a girls night out!

One more day of work and then I'm heading out with my H2OTown Posse. I will report more on this outing tomorrow.

(P.S. As much as I loathe country music, The Judds are a very guilty pleasure!! I love you Winona & Naomi!!!)

The crux of the matter...

I didn't blog yesterday, and I was about to let today pass me by without blogging as well. The weather is a good indicator of my mood today, a bit gray and a lot gloomy.
I've just been thinking about people, friends really, who were friends but now are not. I'm not talking about the friends that you gradually lose touch with over time, but more of the friends you purposefully lose touch with. I have a handful of ex-friends that I am not friends with any longer and not ending on good terms either. Some are boyfriends that have decided either they couldn't remain friends with me, or vise versa. I have had girlfriends where the friendship has been so wounded, no bandage could heal the wound. Looking back there are no fingers to point, I have no ill will towards any of them. And if I could get all these lost friends in a room I would tell them how special they were to me, and if I could have my way all would be made well. I am a firm believer in forgiveness, I love the thought of reconciliation. However, sometimes people come into your life, but for a brief moment. And sometimes there is just the memory that is left, even if it is a painful memory. I've hurt people, people have hurt me. Life moves forward and hearts do heal with time... much time. Grace.

"Forgiveness is giving up all hope of a better past!"

Blueberry Waffles & Chocolate Zucchini

My wonderful cousin Kelly has hooked me up with my all time favorite candle: Blueberry Waffles! For the longest time I have gone to her house and literally drooled over the smell of this candle. Now I have my own! Actually this has been a good "find" week. Blueberry Waffle Candles, Hebrew National Hot Dogs, and my favorite Ruffies garbage bags! (Thanks Shannon & Sarah!) Does life get any better?!

Tonight I made yet again one more Zucchini dish:

Recipe from Auntie Lori:

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

zest of 1 lime (that is my addition)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate until melted. Stir occasionally until chocolate is smooth.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and chocolate; beat well. Stir in the flour baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.

For dinner I made myself steamed corn on the cob and a Hebrew National Dog. I ate my dog with ketchup & dijon mustard but I also added some Habenaro lime Salsa! Fanfrickentastic!

Here is my corn recipe:

Corn on the Cob with cheese & lime

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS

4 ears corn

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp. salt

6 Tbsp. butter

1/2 cup finely grated queso blanco ( I used grated parm.)

1 lime, cut into quarters

In a large saucepan filled with salted boiling water, cook corn for 10 minutes in a basket steamer until corn is tender. (you can also grill the corn with husks on, use whatever method you prefer)

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine chili powder, paprika and salt.

Rub corn with butter and sprinkle with cheese and paprika mixture. Serve with lime wedges.

Saints

Tonight, Kyle, Kelly and I went to a St. Paul, Saint's game. I have not been to a Saint's game since 2 years ago, and funnily enough it was with Kyle & Kelly. We had a fun time eating dogs, cheese curds and smuggled in treats. Fun time had for all!

Oh and I am happy to report that i have finally found my Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Hot Dogs! I have been looking long and hard, and of all placed they were at a Super Target. Go figure! Dos gefelt mir!

Get your grub on...

Today I took a personal day off of work. I needed to start using up all that zucchini I have. I decided to make 2 pans of Zucchini & Basil Lasagna and Zucchini-Lemon Muffins. Tomorrow after work I am making Zucchini Bacon Quiche and Zucchini Chocolate Bread. And for the grand finale a Zucchini Moroccan-Spice Bread. Which will be interesting because i haven't made a yeast based bread in 10 years!! Yikes! However, I have always had extremely good luck with yeast and having it rise. (Rach, remember "pulling bread" when we had bad yeast!, good times!) I have to mention the 1 ingrediant I can not live without. Penzey's Very Hot Red Pepper Flakes, I put them on everything! And i mean everything! http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyscrushedredpepper.html



Zucchini and Basil Lasagna

Ingredients
2 cups fat-free cottage cheese
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 large egg
Cooking spray
4 cups chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups bottled spicy tomato pasta sauce
9 oven-ready lasagna noodles (such as Barilla)
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 3 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in sauce; remove from heat.
Spread 1/4 cup zucchini mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over zucchini mixture; top with one-third cottage cheese mixture, one-third zucchini mixture, and one-third mozzarella. Repeat procedure with the remaining noodles, cottage cheese mixture, zucchini mixture, and mozzarella.
Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until lasagna is thoroughly heated.
Yield 8 servings
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 227(24% from fat); FAT 6g (sat 3.1g,mono 0.8g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 17.8g; CHOLESTEROL 40mg; CALCIUM 251mg; SODIUM 537mg; FIBER 2.9g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.4g

Cooking Light, APRIL 2003

Zucchini-Lemon Muffins
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup coarsely shredded zucchini
3/4 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
Cooking spray
Preparation
Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl, and make a well in center of mixture. Combine zucchini, milk, oil, and egg; stir well. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans immediately, and let cool on a wire rack.
Yield: 1 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 147(26% from fat); FAT 4.3g (sat 0.8g,mono 1.2g,poly 1.9g); PROTEIN 3.1g; CHOLESTEROL 18mg; CALCIUM 69mg; SODIUM 62mg; FIBER 0.6g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 24.3g
Cooking Light, JUNE 1995

Kitchen Krazy!

Yesterday afternoon, Tabitha, Bonnie, Paula and I went to volunteer at a Family Center. I had found a place in Maplewood through Catholic Charities that serves as temporary housing for about 50 families. We went to help in the kitchen serving the dinner meal. Well we all arrived on time at 4:30 and went to the kitchen to wait for the regular volunteer cooks to show. Dinner was supposed to be served at 5:30 so we had an hour to get ready. So we sat and waited, and yet no cooks. At 5:00 I thought I had better go check at the front desk to see what was up. The lady at the front desk thought that we were the cooks for the night, and told me to just put together a meal! Wow! We immediately went to work figuring out what we were going to make. We decided on Spaghetti with meat, salad, watermelon, corn, dinner rolls and cookies. The four of us really pulled it off! Everything was ready to be served at 6:00pm. The families began to come in and we enjoyed meeting them and at the same time they were very helpful to us, especially if we forgot to put something out. Afterwards we cleaned up and were on our way. It was really a fun adventure for us all, and we agreed that we would definitely go back again! I especially loved it because it was very reminiscent of working in the kitchen in New Hampshire at His Mansion. I love the fast pace of thinking on your toes and having the challenge of making sure a large number of people get fed. I think this just really solidifies the fact that i love cooking for people and I really want to get back to working in a kitchen. In the Christian world, there is always talk of feeding people's souls, and I would agree, but at the same time, I believe wholeheartedly in feeding people's bodies.

Like our hair nets?!

Er dir oys es harts

I am on the hunt! I just ran out of my favorite garbage bags! I don't know if they make them anymore! Oh the horror! or as I like to say, Oh the Hora! (Even though it has nothing to do with a traditional Jewish wedding dance) Anyway, I had these garbage bags since around 2000. They come 100 to a bag and they are perfect for bathroom waste baskets. They are Ruffies Color Scents 8 gallon med. garbage bags. I had the Tranquil Vanilla scent, even though I thought they smelled like a Dreamsicle... very pleasant. So why am I writing about garbage bags? Who knows, it's a Saturday morning and I am lamenting over the fact that I can't find these bags anywhere!

I could go on and on, but if anyone finds a bag of Ruffies, I will be your new best friend!

Yesterday, I worked a half day and brought home my 4 beautifully bodacious zucchini's... I'm so excited to start cooking\baking with them! Yesterday I also got together with someone I hadn't seen in almost 5 months. It was great to get her caught up to speed with what has been happening in my life... and it was freeing to say, 5 months ago I was someone else, and now, I'm not who I was.

There is healing and growth with time... God is good.

So world, Er dir oys es harts! (Eat your heart out).

After that I made my way over to the east side of St. Paul to hang with my favorite home slices, Kyle & Kelly. Kelly out did herself once again with a fabulous dinner of Jalapeno Cheddar Brats, Stuffed Piquillo Peppers, and Fresh Corn Salad. See her blog about the details: http://vlachmytastebudsoff.blogspot.com/ It was all soooo good! For dessert Kyle got me my all time favorite cookie from Turtle Bread Bakery; a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk cookie! Yum Yum Yum! Very thoughtful of Kyle, I must say! After dinner we watched Harold & Kumar go to White Castle. Oh so very funny! As if that movie wasn't exciting enough, we decided to go out on the town... First we went to Candyland to get some sweets... and then we decided to go see the 35w bridge. WE ended up walking around the Stone Arch Bridge, and laughing and annoying Kyle with our MN history ignorance.

I couldn't see much of the bridge, so it was hard to say what I was feeling, although I just kept thinking about how often I used to use that bridge and now this. My heart still goes out to all those families dealing with their losses... Peace & Blessings.

Zowie Zucchini!!!

One of the nice ladies in the office gave some of her HUMONGOUS Zucchini!! I plan on making a whole plethora of Zucchini based foods! MEOWCCHINI!
(fyi, the cucumber in the pic is full size!)

ABBA is Amazing!

Hey George, you're cute!

Sarah and I went out for Calzones last night... John's Pizza has the best! So we split a delicious artichoke heart & portabella mushroom calzone. I love going to John's with Sarah... We have great conversation and the scenery isn't bad either, i.e., the group of police officers that are always there! Meow! Afterwards we took a nice walk around Lake Como.. now since I live near Lake Como, I knew that there were bad storms that ripped through the area, I mean duh! a huge tree fell on my building! But I didn't know how badly the storm damage was until I walked around the lake. It looked like a war zone! Massive trees, ripped up from the roots, branches lying everywhere, trees lopped in half, (Hey Tommy, can you get me my Loppahs so I can cut the Popplah), hey a shout out to my favorite home show, This Old House!
Anyway, it was a real disaster area at the lake, but as Kelly's says, "It's mother nature's way of pruning." A similar storm came through the area a few years back. I had the sheer pleasure of driving through it! It was amazing and scary all at once... and i loved every minute of it!

PUKE=MEOW!

Bad things=Puke
Good things=Meow

But when your friends start using "PUKE" in their lexicon that is a big phat MEOW!

Name Change

Yesterday I met up with Michelle (Tina) at Macy's Mpls, downtown store. We did some chattin' and shoe shoppin'... I found 2 pairs of shoes, but now I think I splurged too much and I think I might return them! Even though they were on clearance, I really am trying to be good with my money. Anyway, after shoe shopping, we went to Sawatdee in Uptown for our favorite meal, Jalapeno Wontons, Chicken Paid Thai and a bottle of wine. However, we noticed something slightly off about Sawatdee, it is no longer SAWATDEE!!! It now goes by Uptown Thai Chili. We tried not to freak out, so we asked a server and he said, that for some reason the owner of this Sawatdee is not affiliated with the other ones. But for years he kept the name until recently. The server assured us that everything was the same, same menu, food & chef. WHOOO WHEEE! I personally think that of all the Sawatdees in the Twin Cities, the Uptown one is the best. So I would've been sad if anything changed. I guess i can handle a name change.
Anyway, we enjoyed our meal and Michelle showed me pics of her recent trip to Israel\Palestine. Her boyfriend Ahmed, is Palestinian, so they went to visit his family in Jerusalem. Ahmed is a Jerusalem Palestinian, and the Palestinians in Jerusalem have a lot more rights and freedoms in Israel. Unlike the West Bank or Gaza Strip Palestinians, whom are pretty much stuck in their settlements. Michelle said it was very sad to see... I real eye-opener for her. She also showed me pics of her travels including a trip into Jordan's Petra (one of the new eight wonders of the world). Her pictures were amazing and beautiful! I hope to go travel there myself one day.

I have been aching to travel, it has been way too long since I've been on a big adventure! I really want to go to Uruguay. I read an article on it a couple of years ago and i fell in love with this country. Right now it is cheap to go there, because it is winter... who cares! Count me in!

And then there was light...

So after 3 days with no electricity, the power came back on! I can only live in darkness for so long. Yes, it does give me a chance to be away from tv and Internet. But after awhile the milk starts to spoil and I get sick of stumbling around in the dark trying to find my bed. The light is a welcome change to the darkness. And I guess that also goes for a lot of things in my life. Letting go of the dark and walking into the light.

"I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be. And by the grace of God, I am what I am." -- John Newton

I took the day off of work today. I wanted to just have a day to get stuff done and get some needed sleep this morning. I was over at the Vlachsters last night for some delicious Thai Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese sandwiches. Oh dear, I love good food, but I love the company more. It is the simple pleasures in life...

When I got home last night, the onset of what looked like a big storm was on its way. I stumbled around, lit some candles and did some reading. My dear friend Sarah called and we had such a nice conversation. What have I done to blessed with such a sweet friend! And not just Sarah, but ooodles and ooodles of amazing friends. Actually, looking at my day yesterday, I had some really encouraging messages and conversations. Rachel, Bonnie, Tabitha, Paula, Shannon, Jeanelle, Megan, Ellen, Sarah, Mom, Lori, Kelly, Kyle and a Partridge in a Pear Tree... how does a girl get so lucky!

Tonight I am off to meet up with Michelle, for a shopping extravaganza at Macy's and dinner w\ a half priced bottle of wine at our favorite place; Sawatdee... Thai it, you'll like it!

Michelle just got back from Israel\Palestine and I can't wait to hear all about her adventures!

On a side note, I had to use up some of my food that was surely going to go bad this weekend. One of the things i made was, Spicy Shrimp with Ginger Coconut Rice. Meowrific!!!

Rock out with your Vlach out!

Trees Falling on Buildings

I haven't been able to blog all weekend, so I will give a re-cap of this weekends events. Friday night at about 3:30am I awoke to hear a loud thud and saw a huge flash of light outside my window. Now of course, I am waking out of a dead sleep so I completely freaked out and disorientated. I have this funny thing about me that if I wake up from a dead sleep I pretty much lose all sense of logic, and cannot think strait for a few minutes until I get my bearings. It's kinda humorous, because I really think bizarre thoughts right at that moment of waking. So anyway, at the moment of waking to a loud thud and flash of fire\light outside my window, I didn't know what to think, maybe someone was breaking in, maybe there was a fire... but really i had no clue where I was. When I finally figured it out, I realized that a huge tree had fallen on my building and with it it brought down a power line and ripped the electrical wiring out from the buildings wall. So I still do not have electricity, therefore no blog updates. I'm just thankful that the tree fell where it did, because if it would've gone the other way it would've been on my car!
Saturday was brutally hot so I left in the afternoon to go to my parents trailer to sit in air conditioning and charge my cell phone. I later got together with Shannon. We had a great night of laughing and eating yummy waffle fries at Joe Sensers. We even played trivia and it was really fun and partly because we were so obnoxious! It was rather funny that right before we went out we were deciding what to do, so we got in Shannon's car and just started to drive. I said to Shan, that 13-14 years ago, this is exactly what we used to do. Get in the car, drive around and look for something to do. I always say that life has a way of coming full circle. Nonetheless we really had a fun time and it was good for both of us to have a laugh and get our minds off of dumb things in our lives.
Sunday I spent most of the day in quiet and solitude. With no television or Internet to distract me, I had a lot of time to think and read. It was not the best day in my life, there were many things on my mind, unresolved issues and lots of questions left unanswered... Why is it when there is a problem it is easier to focus on what someone else did wrong than to really exam where you went wrong? What causes the most problems in life? Someone else's crap or your own? Or is is a combination of both? If you can't control the situation why is it so easy to try to make sense of someone else's behavior than it is to question your own motives and behavior? But at the same time, people do hurt others. Sometimes there are just situations when nothing makes sense, and maybe there is someone to blame, but to live in bitterness and frustration is not good. I choose to be strong. I choose to let go and move on. Just as I have been given grace, i must learn to give it out too...
Last night I went to visit my friend Monika's church, Woodridge Church. On Sunday nights they have a service for the younger generation called The Exchange. http://www.maketheexchange.com/index.php
It was a great night, exactly what I needed. I'm glad I went. I met some really great people, and I am looking forward to going back.
Well hopefully, my power comes on today!

Tra la la

I am in a bit of a self-depreciating mode this morning, so I decided to list my top 7 favorite songs of all time. Why 7 you say? Seven is a good number, it is the number of completion. I'm sure those of you who know me may be a bit surprised at my choices. I have favorite bands, but that doesn't mean they have a favorite song that makes my list. These 7 songs are the songs that when they come on the radio I will stop and I will start singing...loudly. Yes, I like cheesy pop ballads, I admit it! I can't put my finger on why I love these songs so much, but I do and I will not be ashamed.

7. I Just Called to Say I Love You, Stevie Wonder

6.Tell Her This, Del Amitri

5. Tiny Dancer, Elton John

4. At This Moment (live), Billy Vera

3. One More Try, George Michael

2. You Go to My Head, Louis Armstrong, w\ Oscar Peterson

1. Into the Mystic, Van Morrison

Supermarket Sweep

Lately, every time I go to the grocery store, random people start talking to me. I'm not exactly sure why, maybe I seem like a friendly person, maybe I look like I know what is the best thing to buy? Who knows? Either way, it is completely random. I could say, oh well, maybe that guy asked me about avocados because he thought I was cute? But I have women ask me questions too, young & old at that. Typically it is in the produce isle when people ask me about a certain item. "Do you think those peppers are hot?" "How do you quickly ripen avocados?" "How do I know if the sweetcorn is sweet?"... so I smile and offer my best advice and wish them good luck. But this is the ironic part, I HATE grocery shopping! I find it to be one of the worst tasks I have to do in my life. It fits somewhere between filling my gas tank and answering the phone. I guess I just find that grocery shopping is a lonely task. Of course now I might start having a change of heart about going to the store, with all these new friends I'm making...

Does anyone remember that game show Supermarket Sweep? OMG I loved that show! Now if going to the grocery store was like playing Supermarket Sweep I would go everyday! Fo sho!

Here is the recipe for the meal I made last night for the dinner party at K&K's...

Summer Shrimp Salad

1 pound frozen, fully cooked medium shrimp, thawed

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

4 cups watermelon, roughly chopped

2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped

2 avocados, roughly chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon honey

3 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, onion, watermelon, jalapeños, and avocado.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, oil, salt, and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad; toss. Sprinkle with the cilantro. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Yield: Makes 6 servings

My go-to meal

This is the meal I make when I need to whip up something fast and delicious. The recipe calls for Shrimp & Scallops, but I have made it with just the Shrimp. I have also had this meal at
Pop! Restaurant, and they make it with Shrimp & Chorizo Sausage, and that tastes great too! Speaking of Pop! I once was there and ordered a bottle of wine, because the person I was with said they would have some too. Well they didn't have very much, I ended up drinking almost the whole bottle... I really don't remember too much after that, except we went to see I (heart) Huckabees and I do not remember one thing about that movie! But the funny thing is, is that I had to pretend that I wasn't completely trashed, because I didn't want the person who I was with to think I was a total spaz! Well we ended up dating for 2 years after that, so I must of hid my inebriation pretty well! Good memories... Ok, here's the recipe:

Shrimp and Scallop Stew with Israeli Couscous
Ingredients
Serves 4
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, washed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 teaspoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (carton tomatoes taste best, such as Pomi), with juice

2 cups Israeli couscous
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined, tail section left on
3/4 pound sea scallops or large bay scallops, muscle removed
3 tablespoons fresh coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

Directions
Slice leeks in half lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch dice.
In a stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic; sauté, stirring, until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add jalapenos, carrots, spices, and salt; lower heat to medium low, and cook until carrots are almost tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, couscous, wine, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, and lower heat to medium; until couscous is soft.
Stir in shrimp and scallops; cook until just opaque, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat, add cilantro.
Recipe by Martha Stewart, with adaptions by moi.

The Towering Ironic

My weekend, was very nice and relaxing. Going back to work and having to get up so early has made me tired, so I spent Friday night just chillin' on my couch, with some pizza and a margarita made with my Magic Bullet. Romeo + Juliet was on, the 1996 version with Leonardo DiCaprio & Claire Danes. I can't believe that movie came out over 10 years ago. I think I saw it in the theatre a few times too. It's funny to look back 10 years, and what was going on in my life, who I was dating and who my friends were, where I was living. And it's all changed. Watching that movie brought back a lot of memories, mostly really good ones of a far away time. Saturday I ventured out to my parent's makeshift trailer home for a visit. My mom has worked her decorating wonders and created a nice cozy home. We went out to dinner at our new favorite local diner, Sunni's Cafe in Howard Lake. For being a small town restaurant, they really make some very good food. I had the pecan crusted walleye...MMMM! Back at the casa we watched the 1974 classic, The Towering Inferno. I was surprised how many big named stars there were. Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Richard Chamberlain, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire and OJ Simpson! You would think that with all those stars it would've been a better film, but it was a bit too long and not enough fire. (Movie fact: The movie was based on the World Trades Centers that were being built around that time, with the writer thinking, "I wonder what would happen to a buildings this size if there was a big fire?" I guess now we know. Sad. Also, the filming wrapped up on September 11, 1974. Ironic.)

Sunday I was invited to a Twins game with Kyle & Kelly. It was a great game and a nail biter at the end! Whoo Whee! (The pics are of K&K's beautiful flowers!)

And last night I had a great conversation with an even greater friend. And I think that we are both able to say, "All will be well with time and grace..."

“May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.”

Humble Pie

It's a rather somber day here in Minnesota... well maybe for me it is. I watched the news for most of the night last night, after hearing about the collapse of the I-35W bridge. The situation merited text messages and phone calls and e-mails from many different loved ones. Me checking on them, them checking on me. My heart is heavy for so many reasons. First of all I feel the sadness of the those who have lost their lives, the families, the after-shock that comes with such tragedies. I think of all the kind people who helped each other out, Good Samaritans, if you will. I pray for the people that have still not been found. It is a sad time. My heart is also heavy because just that day I was having a mini-meltdown about the seemingly trivial crap in my life. Though I am not one to discredit individual pain, I do however, think in this situation, I can be such a baby sometimes! Crying out to God for relief of my own pain and hurts, yet all around me there are pains and losses and tragedies that are far bigger than my own. I don't know, if anything it is humbling.

On a lighter note, I made a Banana Creme Pie last night... I wasn't sure what to name it.
And on a not so light note I am reading a book called, "The Other Victims, first person stories of Non-Jews persecuted by the Nazis." by Ina R. Friedman.
I will talk more about it later, but lets just say it's not a light summer read.

Peace and blessings. Jehovah-Shammah.

Little Blessings

There is an article today in the Mpls Star Tribune, about Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a volunteer photographer group that takes pictures of babies that have short lives. The article features my friends Chris & Heather Lee and their beautiful daughter Lainey Rose. You can read more about Lainey at the link "LRL" under my VIP's links. If you have a chance read the article from the Strib and please remember to keep the Lee family in your prayers!

http://www.startribune.com/332/story/1332895.html

She's Back!

Here I am. Back at work. It wasn't so bad going back. Although it was hard going to bed so early and getting up at 6:00am! I've been spoiled with being able to go to bed at 1:30am and getting up around 9:30am... but I am a highly adaptable species. There are piles and piles of magazines that need to be bar coded, and once that is done, I can read them! I am trying to be optimistic and thankful for all that I have. Because when I look at my life, I am blessed. So even though this isn't one of my most favorite jobs, I am blessed with work...
Oh and the pie I made yesterday, turned out lovely and tasted wonderful. I brought over a few pieces to Kyle & Kelly's for one last hurrah with the cool kids. Kelly gave me a really nice cookbook, filled with recipes that I used to make when I worked in the Kitchen in NH! I'm so excited!
Tonight I am going to make a banana cream pie... and then I am going to watch Rescue Me. For all my faithful readers, you know where i live, drop by for pie, you are always welcome in my home.

"Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get."