Categories: games
,dogs
November 07, 2005
HAND AND FOOT AND PAWS
Saturday night we met Kathryn and Amanda's new dog, Oscar. He's 2 years old, a short-haired Dachshund, and likes to bury himself under his blanket. He manages to grab a hunk of the blanket and then twist himself until he has completely disappeared underneath. Granted, he's talented but he can't play Hand and Foot which is what the rest of us did. Hand and Foot is a form of Canasta. Apparently, like many card games, the rules can vary. I'm not sure where Amanda obtained the rules we use but the Web site I've linked here has many variations. A simple search on the Internet and you will be awash in Hand and Foot rules. While playing cards we sipped (some of us more than others) a mighty tasty cocktail as created by Amanda. Equal parts Crown Royal, Sour Apple Pucker, and CranMango Juice. Damn that is a tasty drink. It's called the Washington Apple. Damn, I drank a few too many.
Categories: games
,dogs
Categories: games
,dogs
SMELL YA LATER
So Saturday morning we head to UW to take a class through Experimental College. The class was Travel In Turkey. As we are planning a trip to Turkey, this class seemed appropriate and we were excited. We were the first to arrive (surprise). The teacher dude, a learned and accomplished architectural historian and writer, had been in the room setting up for who knows how long. Much to the chagrin of our noses, the door had remained closed for the whole prep session. By the time we arrived and opened the door, the first thing we noticed was the obvious B.O. of the instructor. The dude looked like any older Britsh instructor, little gray beard and stache and that Shakespeare ring of hair, slacks, button-down shirt and v-neck sweater vest. Total academia but, fretfully, very bohemia in the personal hygiene department.
Well, we gave each other the look, of course. My fear, cuz it's usually about me, is that the very next people to arrive might think the smell came from either me or Julie. I mean, there was a good chance it could have been one of us with just three people in the room. It had to be someone. No lie, I dug out my "margaritaville" lip balm and thickly applied to both lips while Julie applied, ala Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs, a dab under her nose on the philtrum.
Then of course, the rest of the folks filtered in. Aren't there always a few weirdos when you take a class like this? The Pocahontas wannabe in he corner, shabby chicre with full length sweater coat (ala Rhoda), moccasin type boots, Laura Ingalls Wilder skirt, etc. The woman on the other side of the room with the whole Jackie O face was creepin' me out. Am I the only one who thinks Jackie O was NOT attractive? I suppose overall, as a persona, she was fabulous. But her eyes were crooked, too far apart (E.T.), her forehead filled the frame of every photo and her teeth were messed up. Now don't get all bent, I dug her. But she wasn't my poster girl.
My favorite class weirdo was the older woman who sat in front of Julie who audibly reacted to every other thing the instructor said with coos, ohs, ahs, head nods, head tilts, and what not. Drove me crazy. It was like she had some polite form of Tourettes. I wanted to stab her with my margaritaville lip balm stick.
I suppose the class wasn't a total wash but it wasn't worth $30. The instructor was scatter-brained. The bit of a stutter didn't help. About three times he lamented that he should have remembered to bring such and such a book. Yeah, you should have. The projector worked for only half the class and he admitted that he wasn't good at doing more than one thing at a time (too bad for his wife) so he wasn't sure he could talk AND try to fix the machine. We did get some useful info and some handy hand-outs and did get some of our questions answered even if we didn't ask them. There was lunch after the class at Istanbul Cafe and we were originally excited to go. We love to eat and we wanted some authentic Turkish food. But after the hair-brained experience we decided no. We knew there was no way that dude would be able to pack it all up and shlep his stanky butt to the restaurant in time. And neither of us wanted to get stuck next to the old lady with Tourettes or the Pocahontas wanna-be or the flamboyant Chinese dude in sweat pants and a Members Only jacket. I only say he is Chinese because he told us he was Chinese. Everyone else in the class who drove us nuts was white, for the record. After class we had lunch elsewhere and then hung out before dinner and cards.
Categories: travel
Well, we gave each other the look, of course. My fear, cuz it's usually about me, is that the very next people to arrive might think the smell came from either me or Julie. I mean, there was a good chance it could have been one of us with just three people in the room. It had to be someone. No lie, I dug out my "margaritaville" lip balm and thickly applied to both lips while Julie applied, ala Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs, a dab under her nose on the philtrum.
Then of course, the rest of the folks filtered in. Aren't there always a few weirdos when you take a class like this? The Pocahontas wannabe in he corner, shabby chicre with full length sweater coat (ala Rhoda), moccasin type boots, Laura Ingalls Wilder skirt, etc. The woman on the other side of the room with the whole Jackie O face was creepin' me out. Am I the only one who thinks Jackie O was NOT attractive? I suppose overall, as a persona, she was fabulous. But her eyes were crooked, too far apart (E.T.), her forehead filled the frame of every photo and her teeth were messed up. Now don't get all bent, I dug her. But she wasn't my poster girl.
My favorite class weirdo was the older woman who sat in front of Julie who audibly reacted to every other thing the instructor said with coos, ohs, ahs, head nods, head tilts, and what not. Drove me crazy. It was like she had some polite form of Tourettes. I wanted to stab her with my margaritaville lip balm stick.
I suppose the class wasn't a total wash but it wasn't worth $30. The instructor was scatter-brained. The bit of a stutter didn't help. About three times he lamented that he should have remembered to bring such and such a book. Yeah, you should have. The projector worked for only half the class and he admitted that he wasn't good at doing more than one thing at a time (too bad for his wife) so he wasn't sure he could talk AND try to fix the machine. We did get some useful info and some handy hand-outs and did get some of our questions answered even if we didn't ask them. There was lunch after the class at Istanbul Cafe and we were originally excited to go. We love to eat and we wanted some authentic Turkish food. But after the hair-brained experience we decided no. We knew there was no way that dude would be able to pack it all up and shlep his stanky butt to the restaurant in time. And neither of us wanted to get stuck next to the old lady with Tourettes or the Pocahontas wanna-be or the flamboyant Chinese dude in sweat pants and a Members Only jacket. I only say he is Chinese because he told us he was Chinese. Everyone else in the class who drove us nuts was white, for the record. After class we had lunch elsewhere and then hung out before dinner and cards.
Categories: travel
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (visiting after your meal)
Friday night went to see Good Night, And Good Luck with Sally at the The Uptown on lower Queen Anne. We all really liked it. Things haven't changed much since that era. It's just that the media moguls spin the crap differently these days. But dinner at Tup Tim Thai was very good, though they can get a little inpatient. They really want to turn over the tables. And they hover. Granted, the food is really good but perhaps next time we will go later in the evening.
November 02, 2005
GOURDGEOUS PUMPKINS
Sunday Stephanie joined us for pumpkin carving. I was amazed to learn that had never carved one so I insisted she learn. She even used her hands to remove pumpkin guts (to some degree). Her pumpkin is the one with the spiders. Very cool. Julie created a dragon and I carved a scary face.
Julie made homemade chicken and orzo soup (recipe available upon request) and Sally and Victoria Bozzacco came over to hang out, eat soup and knit while the carving took place.
Categories: halloween
Little Red Riding Good stays warm in front of the fire with a scientist whose lab blew up.
Categories: halloween
You know how hard I worked for that six-pack? But it appears to be slipping. Julie was Evil (duc)Kie-Devil. The outfit came courtesy of a claim she adjusted. That jacket is the real deal with metal elbows and padding.
Categories: halloween
Siri has her pimp husband in her clutches. Will he walk the plank or bitch slap her?
Categories: halloween
Siri, Julie, Stephanie, and me. It was cold but there was a propane heater we were all standing around. The Bat-cape was NOT worn for warmth, purely for fashion.
Categories: halloween
NEW KITTENS!!
Erin and Bruce have two new additions to their home. Eva (slightly bigger and with orange eyes) and Edie (green eyes and a different slope to the dark patch on her left eye). We visited on Saturday and spent our time on the floor coaxing them from under the bed with toys and catnip. Edie declares, "it's mine!"
Edie practices her crazy look.Edie strikes a pose.
Categories: cats
October 25, 2005
THE GREAT PUMPKIN
I found this tasty sounding and healthier alternative to holiday treats on Frugal Veggie Mama. Frugal Veggie Mama indicates it's from Secor Farms but I couldn't find it on their website. Perhaps she picked it up while visiting the place. No matter. I'm going to make these soon. I might replace some of the oil with unsweetened applesauce and some of the sugar with brown rice syrup. I will let you know what happens.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread or Muffins (this is from a local pumpkin farm, Secor Farms, again with some minor variations from the original)
Combine:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup soymilk
let stand for 5 minutes.
Beat in:
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree
2 Tbs flaxseed meal whisked with 4 Tbs water
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
In a seperate bowl combine:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice (ginger will work in a pinch)
Gradually add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture. Mix until well
blended.
Optional add ins:
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup rasins or dates
Turn batter into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or
until toothpick comes out clean. For muffins bake 20-25 minutes or
until toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.
Categories: recipes
Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread or Muffins (this is from a local pumpkin farm, Secor Farms, again with some minor variations from the original)
Combine:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup soymilk
let stand for 5 minutes.
Beat in:
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree
2 Tbs flaxseed meal whisked with 4 Tbs water
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
In a seperate bowl combine:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice (ginger will work in a pinch)
Gradually add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture. Mix until well
blended.
Optional add ins:
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup rasins or dates
Turn batter into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or
until toothpick comes out clean. For muffins bake 20-25 minutes or
until toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.
Categories: recipes
October 23, 2005
THAI SHRIMP BISQUE
Julie made this recipe tonight for dinner and it was superbly delicious. Had a flavorful fire and a creamy texture. To indulge but not over-indulge, we used only half a can of the lite coconut milk and then some plain soy milk and water to replace the other liquid. The result was great. Plenty of coconut flavor. It's not a macaroon for cryin' out loud, it's dinner. So here is the recipe and some pics of the action. It's not difficult to make and it will make left-overs that will have your co-workers drooling. Serves 4.
3 C cooked rice (we used Bhutanese red rice because that's what we had)
1 lb. uncooked shell-on medium shrimp
2 large plum tomatoes (or similar) seeded and diced
1/4 C sliced green onion
1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves pressed (or minced)
2 Tbsp corn starch (we use kudzu root)
1 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
1 can (14-14 1/2 oz.) chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (14 oz.) lite coconut milk
2 Tbsp snipped cilantro (more for garnish)
Categories: recipes
3 C cooked rice (we used Bhutanese red rice because that's what we had)
1 lb. uncooked shell-on medium shrimp
2 large plum tomatoes (or similar) seeded and diced
1/4 C sliced green onion
1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves pressed (or minced)
2 Tbsp corn starch (we use kudzu root)
1 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
1 can (14-14 1/2 oz.) chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (14 oz.) lite coconut milk
2 Tbsp snipped cilantro (more for garnish)
Categories: recipes
First peel and devein shrimp. Set aside. Heat oil in large pot (4 qrt.) over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, and onions. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in cornstarch, sugar, fish sauce, tomato paste and curry paste.
Categories: recipes
Gradually add broth and coconut milk, bring to boil. Add tomatoes and shrimp. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered 3-4 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat.
Categories: recipes
Categories: recipes
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