smell the coffee?

I never seem to have the time to make coffee in the morning. If I do, I either can't find my travel mug or end up leaving it filled sitting on the kitchen table. I've decided to give up brewing at home and stop most every day for coffee even though it makes me late to work at...

Civilization in Tremont- Love the ladies (and cute guy) that work there. Love the raspberry cheese croissant. Do not love that their large isn't the gigantic American "LARGE" coffee that I think I need to get through the first 4 hours of a work day. Love that if I can find my travel mug, they'll fill it for only a buck.

or

Cafe Ah-Roma, across from CSU on Euclid - Everyone there is soooo happy - to the point where it is borderline annoying. "Good Morning! How are you today? Can I get you some coffee? How about some breakfast?". Wow dudes, it's a bit early for me but I love the cute CSU guys that kinda look like Jack White and are super cheery. I wonder if they go through a lot of employee training--- Smile. Make eye contact. Smile some more! Love the BIG coffees and the Ah-Roma bagel sandwich with swiss cheese and ham. They also have really great sandwiches and salads for lunch - try the chicken salad.



If I'm really late I go to the "coffee cart" at work (after I make an appearance at my desk). Barista Bernard infuriates me with his constant banter plus his lack of consistency and speediness. After each visit I swear I will NEVER go back!

I went this morning. And waited 10 minutes for a cup of coffee out of a thermos.

Double-Zero

I happened to stuble upon Banana Republic this morning and noticed that their dresses are "Now Available in Size Double-Zero." What? Is that a real size? I was hoping that was a typo or something and what they really meant was "Now Available in Size Double-D".

Birthday Booty!

My birthday was last Sunday (1/22) and my dear family and friends graciously gave me some pretty cool stuff:

An Amazon gift certificate (already spent on The Art of Eating, Superfoods HealthStyle, David Lebovitz's Room for Dessert & The Soup Peddler's Slow & Difficult Soups) - I should have lots of new recipes to try out!

Some very relaxing Lush and Aveda products.

A gift certificate to get my hair done at Salon Sedona.

One pair of pretty blue glass earrings from Prosperity Studio, located on E. 40th St. in exotic Cleveland, OH.

From my Secret Pal a skein of white wool yarn with kool aid so that I can dye it and a new scarf pattern! Plus truffles! Yum :)

And from my dear husband (insert drum roll here)...
A DIGITAL CAMERA!!!

Why am I not posting millions of digital photographs right now? Well, he didn't know which camera I wanted so he just picked one off the shelf, so I had something to open. His intention being that I can return it and get the one I want. Isn't that sweet? He's a smart guy.

Thanks to everyone for the lovely gifts!

Chicken Tostadas

I made a version of this Martha Stewart recipe for Tostadas Salsa Verde last night. More like I followed the concept of the recipe and used what I had in the cupboard. No cilantro, substituted cheddar cheese for pepper jack and I added some avacado on top. I really missed the salsa verde - that's what peaked my tastebuds in the first place!



Hi Secret Pal 7!!! She sent me a picture postcard from Philadelphia - she took the picture from her friend's rooftop deck. I think it looks quite serene.

Meet the Bloggers Fundraiser

from Brewed Fresh Daily:

"In an effort to raise money to pay for interview transcripts, Northeast Ohio bloggers have organized a fundraiser for Meet The Bloggers, to take place Thursday night, January 26, 2006, from 5.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. at the Pearl of the Orient restaurant, located in Beachcliff Market Square, 19300 Detroit Road, Rocky River, OH.

Please distribute this information widely. We’ve got 4 or 5 outstanding transcripts and at least that many interviews scheduled already.

A tremendous thanks to Scott Bakalar for donating his time and arranging this opportunity for us. "

More sausage

Gloria Ferris posts about The Sausage Shoppe where you can get nitrate, msg, and preservative free, you guessed it, sausage!

I finally went shopping

Yesterday I went shopping and bought tons of groceries, toiletries and household supplies. I feel like a real person again - minus a substantial amount of money. I've also started going to Jazzercize classes. It's not very cool, but at least I am doing something physical.

Last night I cooked! Nothing too extravagant - Tuna Noodle Casserole. I used:

1 bag No Yolk noodles
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 8oz package of fresh mushrooms - sliced and sauted
1 can of peas
2 cans of tuna
sprinkling of cheddar cheese and bread crumbs on the top

What kind of interesting stuff do you put in your tuna casserole???

News...

Food: Not yet fully unpacked or ready to start cooking again. Tonight we had Barilla, for like the 12th time since we moved. bleh.

Music: The Black Keys are playing at the Agora (presented by the Beachland Ballroom) on Feb. 25th. I bought my tickets yesterday and hope you get yours soon. They are truly awesome.

Movies: Went to see Brokeback Mountain (wow!) and The Family Stone (crap).

Knitting: Currently working on the Windy City Scarf from Stitch 'N Bitch.


Swaps: I've received 2 swap packages recently. A snack swap package filled with popcorn, cookies and candy from the crafty Mary of San Diego and a thrift store package from Abby in Irving, TX. A Conway Twitty record bowl, belt buckle, necklace and cowgirl purse. Thanks for swapping!

The official Secret Pal 7 Questionnaire

I signed up for Secret Pal 7...here are my questionnaire answers for my Secret Pal.
Hi there - whoever you are!

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? I would like to be a yarn snob!

2. Do you spin? Crochet? Neither

3. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Been meaning to make a case but right now they're in a tall glass vase.

4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? About 1 year - beginner.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Amazon

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) Nothing too flowery or sweet.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Verrrry sweet. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, licorice, mint, not into hard candies that much.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Paper crafts, printing, cooking, sewing

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like all kinds of music and LOVE my ipod!

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? I am a blue, gray, black (darks) kind of person when it comes to clothing but like to get a little more interesting with my accessories.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I am married and have 4 shubunkin goldfish

12. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I wear scarves but oddly enought don't have any gloves, mittens, hats or ponchos - and I live in OHIO!!!

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? I really don't have a favorite yet. I have mostly used all natural fibers though.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I don't like those very furry "fun" yarns.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? Scarves, scarves and scarves. That's the only thing I've ever made!

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Well, scarves I guess!

17. What are you knitting right now? The Stitch 'N Bitch Windy City Scarf

18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes!!!

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? I like both

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? bamboo

21. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? no

22. How did you learn to knit? Reading Stitch 'N Bitch and other books

23. How old is your oldest UFO? I've pretty much finished every knitting project I've started - so far!

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

25. What is your favorite holiday? My birthday, St. Patrick's Day and Halloween. And any holiday that gets me out of work!

26. Is there anything that you collect? cookbooks, earrings

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? none

28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? not that i can think of

29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I'd like to learn how to knit socks

30. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Not sure but I wear a 9 1/2 size shoe.

31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) 1/22

Hello 2006!

These past few weeks seem to have flown by and I feel so out of the blog loop. Work is starting back up this week (I'm doing a presentation on Monday about blogs!) and we are getting our cable hooked up on Saturday....I will finally be online again.

We moved December 23rd and we're still unpacking. Over winter break I was able to spend a lot of time with my family - some visiting from Colorado. It's been lots of fun. The apartment and cleaning can wait. Lots of eating and shopping and knitting. Not so much cooking. I really can't make much more than cereal in my kitchen right now.

A recent food highlight was New Year's Eve dinner at Parker's. Unfortunately, my husband had the flu but insisted that we still go. The poor guy wasn't able to finish any course and left with a full beer and glass of wine sitting infront of him. He was REALLY ill :(

Merry Christmas and Happy Moving!

I'm packing right now. The movers are coming on Friday. Saturday is Christmas Eve...Sunday Christmas. I am REALLY busy and overwhelmed. I went to the grocery store last night and bought tater tots, a frozen pizza and sandwich stuff l so I won't have to cook anything or leave the house at all this week. Now, I ran out of packing tape and have to do the exact thing I tried to avoid at all costs---mingle with the Christmas shoppers for something non-Christmas! Tape, not the kind to wrap presents but the kind to close moving boxes. Ugh.

It's quite depressing. No baking cookies or Christmas tree or decorations. Lucky me, I get to look at every single thing we own and put it in a box, again, and have my hands get covered in newspaper ink. But the weekend should be nice spending time with my family and pretending that the move wasn't that big of a deal. No, really we don't need any help. We can take care of it ourselves.

I did make a batch of Swedish toffee in the microwave last night. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in a few more batches tonight or tomorrow to give out over the weekend.

Cabbage & Noodles

The Atomic Librarian's recipe for cabbage & noodles.
I love Mueller's Hearty Extra Wide Egg Noodles!

Holiday Eating Tips

from Just My Cup of Tea...

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention.

Reread tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Sushi Rock

Wednesday is 1/2 price sushi at the downtown Sushi Rock on W. 6th St.

My husband, a friend and I went last night. If you're thinking about going on a Wednesday, you MUST make a reservation. We didn't the first time we went, but luckily were able to squeeze ourselves in at the sushi bar. It's very busy, hip, loud and crowded. The ambiance isn't my favorite, but I managed to get through it.

Our waiter explained a few things to us:
1. You have a 2 hour time limit on your table
2. You can only order once
3. You can not order sushi to-go
4. It takes a while for the sushi to come out so be patient

Feel the pressure?

I insisted we order the calamari appetizer because I was starving and knew it would be a while before our sushi came out. It was breaded and fried, then tossed with a sweet & spicy sauce. The sauce was good but made the breading soggy. Next time I would pass on the appetizer and just be more patient. We ordered big bottles of Sapporo and they tasted great while we waited!

Our reservation was at 6pm and the slab-of-sushi came out at about 7pm. I have to say that people were not shy with their ordering. I didn't think the wait was too bad. We ordered a ton and totally stuffed ourselves. It was real good, lets see if I can remember everything we got...

nigiri - salmon, yellow tail, eel, mackerel, tamago & scallop
rolls - spicy tuna, spicy california, alaska, shrimp california

After gorging ourselves (quickly - we only had 1 hour left to eat) the waiter came with our checks. Yes, you actually get 2. My husband asked why and the waiter explained that the 1st check was the regular amount and the 2nd was the real check that included the 1/2 price specials. He said "that's so people from Parma can figure out how much to tip. Ha, ha."

What?

This guy was pretty attentive and mildly funny throughout the night but the more I think about this situation today, the more I am annoyed. My husband said to him: "Really? I'm from Parma." Even though he's not. Waiter: "Oh really? I'm from there too!" and added something about hanging out at Parmatown when he was a kid. Way to cover yourself dude. And are 2 checks the best way to handle the specials? Couldn't you have one check that deducts the discount at the bottom?

Well, the evening was great fun and the sushi was delicious. Does it taste even better because it's 1/2 price? Probably...I'm sure I will be back again.

Kielbasa 2005

Grind pork and veal together. Add spices and knead together for 25 minutes. Gradually add water to mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Stuff sausage in rinsed casings the next day.

Roast sausage, covered with foil, in a 350 degree oven for about 30 - 40 minutes, removing foil during last 10 minutes.

2005 batches:

"Traditional"
20 lbs pork butt
4 lbs cubed veal
5 Tbs. salt
3 Tbs. pepper
6 cloves garlic
2 coffee mugs of water

"Red"
10 lbs pork
1 lb. veal
2 1/5 Tbs salt
3 Tbs pepper
5 cloves garlic
2 Tbs. marjoram
2 Tbs. savory
1 tsp. allspice
4 Tbs. paprika
1 coffee mug of water

"Dill"
10 lbs pork
1 lb. veal
2 1/5 Tbs salt
3 Tbs pepper
5 cloves garlic
1 Tbs marjoram
1 Tbs dill
1 1/2 tsp caraway seed (crushed)
1 coffee mug of water

grinding meat

It's that time of year again...time to make the kielbasa!

Last night my husband and I went to his parents' house where he ground 4o lbs of pork and 6 lbs of veal - with a hand crank meat grinder. Then we kneaded each batch of meat for 25 minutes on the kitchen counter.

The packet of kielbasa recipes has grown a lot. We write down what we use each year, but never seem to be able to repeat a recipe. Always tweaking or changing things. Every year we go through these same questions, like a million times:

How much salt did we use last year?
Did mom's recipe really only call for 3 tsp. of pepper?
Do you think it needs more garlic?
Did you think it was too salty last year?
Do we have any more garlic?
Do you think it needs more salt?
Do you think it needs more pepper?
How much salt did I add?

We're stuffing the sausage tonight. I'll post the 2005 recipes tomorrow.

to be french

I'm embarrassed. Tonight I'm heading over to the Strongsville branch of Cuyahoga Public Library to hear Mireille Guiliano talk about her book "French Women Don't Get Fat". After hearing her a bunch of times on radio and t.v. talk shows, I broke down and bought the book. I was won over by marketing and the thought of being thin and drinking champagne every day. I am a fool! Sales must be dropping for her to be doing a public library tour. Do you think she has some books to unload?

Anyways, here's the thing....the book is a load of fad diet crap (like eating bowls and bowls and cups of leek broth for days!) and I kinda feel like I'm supporting this sort of fad diet crap by going to the author reading. I don't want to fall for fad diet crap, but I obviously did because I paid money for the book. I'm sure it won't be the last time either. My friend, who borrowed my book, actually made the broth and ate it. She is WAY worse than me!

What I am saying is that I enjoy author readings and I really want to have the French Lady sign my book. And I really do love the idea of being thin and drinking champagne every day. Ok? So, I am going to Strongsville with my friend who just might bring thermoses full of leek broth for us to "snack" on! I am so from the Midwest sometimes.

Cleveland rocks

Here's a great letter from a proud Clevelander posted at CoolCleveland.com

La Tortilla Feliz

Saturday night my husband and I went to La Tortilla Feliz in Treamont for the first time. I can't really say why we haven't been there before. In the summer, everyone sitting outside at the little tables look like they're enjoying themselves. It's very inviting. I've heard good reviews from friends, but I've also heard it was really hit or miss.

For a Saturday night, the place was empty. We got there around 8:30pm and there were only 2 other tables of guests in the non-smoking side. When we left at 10pm we were the only ones left! They seated at a nice table against the front window - plants lined the window sill. There were little fake birds nestled between the leaves. A wine bottle with a drip candle was placed on each table. The whole restaurant had a nice, warm ambiance to it.

After ordering the beer special and picking up the menus we quickly realized that we were at one of those places where we have no clue what anything on the menu is. I love it when this happens! They do have nice descriptions of each dish and list all the ingredients, but still it was NEW to us!

On to the food...

We ordered the "you pick 3" appetizer plate. We picked:
1. Arepa de Reina Peplada (Venezuelan tortillas with an avocado & potato filling) I liked this filling a lot, it was really creamy and rich.
2. Chuchito de Pollo (corn flour dumplings, filled with chicken & special spices; steamed in cornhusks) OK
3. Ceviche de Tilapia (fresh tomato, onions, cilantro & tilapia in a lime juice marinade; with chips) *favorite*

My dinner:
Cochinita Costal (chunks of tender pork from the coastal Comals of Central America, bordered by a blue mound of singular cocoa milk rice with black bean accents, accompanied
by slabs of plantain) Pork was very tender and moist. They came in a fresh, chunky fresh tomato sauce. Rice sounded very exotic and was presented in an interesting cone shape on the plate, but was not very blue or cocoa-ish?. Pretty bland. The plantains were good.

His dinner:
Bife Borracho (pan seared beef in a drunken sauce of South American beer, tomatoes and onions. Served with saffron rice and broccoli.) He said that the sauce was really rich and liked it but thought I wouldn't because of all the onions. After eating the beef, my husband mixed the rest of the plate all together, coating the rice with the sauce and devoured every last grain.

Dessert:
A tiny chocolate cake with whipped cream on top. The waitress was a doll (and most likely bored at this point of the evening) and tried to make a smiley face on the little thing. This cake was about the size in circumference of a cupcake, but only a weee inch or so high. It was real dense and dark and moist. Not sweet, here's where my cocoa was hiding! But next time we each need to get our own cake.

Secret Cookbook Santa

Much more fun than my work gift exchange!

Sign up directions can be found at the Amateur Gormet - hosting is the famous Gourmet Survivor winner Jason Sholar. Happy Holidays!