Happy Birthday to Miss N!

Happy Birthday Miss N!  Since I'm not the creative poet you are, I wanted to show you a snapshot of favorite words to describe you:

I feel so lucky to have you as a true partner in crime!  The last 25 years have been so fun with crazy adventures, I look forward to many more fun times....as long as there's cake and cheese and bubbles :) 

Sunday Funday Dinners

Gravy Train has mentioned the idea of Sunday dinners to me for quite some time.  The conversation usually ends with "why don't we live closer, so we could do these all the time!?"  That is something that usually ends our Sunday dinner conversations.

Recently, me and G$ have decided to use Sunday dinners as our opportunity to test new recipes that we can then use when friends come over (and since Gravy Train and Xtian are my only friends that like to eat and are willing to rough it to my 'hood, they can be our guinea pigs).

So in the past few weeks, I want to share what's been on the menu for Sunday Funday dinners:


French Onion Soup with Grilled Cheese

Paired with a 2007 Savannah Chanelle Cab Sauv

Wild Mushroom Rissoto with Seared Scallops and Pancetta

Paired with a 2007 Ledson Sauv Blanc (DELISH, and only $14 / bottle)

Spicy Crab with French Bread Crostinis

Paired with a 2007 Ledson Cab Franc

(G$'s treat to me since it was my bday weekend)

Fresh Sashimi (Octopus, Yellowtail, Salmon, Tuna, Ebi)

Spicy Seaweed Salad

Miso Soup (not pictured)

Paired with a Nigori Sake

The Sunday dinners have been a fun way to end the week, and plan for our next get together at our house.  I'll keep you posted on any other fun ones.  No Sunday dinner this week since I'll be partying it up with Miss N for her big birthday!  Maybe we'll post a joint dinner :)

Mmm....Dirt

Is there any better use for processed snack foods than to make a big pot of cookies 'n cream? There are tons of recipes for dirt cake, but the one my mom (or whoever she got it from) uses is the best IMO. Plus it tastes just as good if you use all fat free/low fat/sugar free ingredients.

Ingredients

1 pack Oreo cookies

1 box Jello vanilla instant pudding

1 (either 8 oz or 12 oz) container Cool Whip

1 brick cream cheese, softened

Preparation

Crush Oreos into fine crumbs using a hammer, rolling pin, or food processor.* Follow package instructions to prepare pudding (usually just mix with milk and let thicken). Mix pudding, Cool Whip, and cream cheese in a large bowl until relatively smooth. Spread a layer of cookie crumbs on the bottom of a flower pot, serving dish, or whatever contributes to the look you're going for. Spread a layer of pudding mixture on top and repeat until all the ingredients are used up, finishing with cookie crumbs on top. Decorate with gummy worms or fake flowers.

*If using regular Oreos, you can refrigerate them beforehand to make them more brittle. I wouldn't recommend it for reduced fat Oreos because the filling gets a bit hard.

Happy Birthday R!

Today we toast R as she turns twenty-nine

But still looks eighteen from head to toes.

It’s a golden birthday that’s like her, divine

She’s also an expert at striking a pose.

So break out the cake and your finest champagne

And wave your arms to dance like silly R.

You can be like Lisa and Screech and do “The Sprain”

Just wish R a fab day, no matter near or far!

Dinner for Three

Because I heart food, I don't hate cooking. However, I don't have a ton of experience with it. I also get obsessive over what to cook for people, how to make things pseudo-healthy, and how do make do if I don't have the correct fancy gadgets. Ms. M and Ms. K were brave enough to be guinea pigs the first time I made a 3-course meal from scratch last week.

Drink

prosecco with muddled fresh pineapple

Appetizers

whole grain bread (store-bought) with herbed dipping sauce

zucchini bites, minus the cheese and sun-dried tomatoes and plus kalamata olives

Entree

spinach ricotta gnocchi with sun-dried tomatoes and basil pesto

Desserts (yes, plural)

individual pumpkin tiramisu with sponge cake instead of ladyfingers

apple blueberry cardamom bread pudding with fresh whipped cream

The zucchini bites were probably my fave since they were basically like bruschetta but in little zucchini bowls. And using a melon baller is fun! The gnocchi was tricky and ended up looking more like little dumplings than the traditional pasta. I had to trash the first sponge cake I made for the tiramisu because it wasn't to my liking, but the second was nice and fluffy. I will totally make the bread pudding again because it was not too rich, customizable, and can be relatively healthy.

Random Laughs

Woman leaving CVS, with a Southern accent: "Bye Mr. Patel!"

Fellow Customer: "Haha, she called you Mr. Potato, like Mr. Potato Head."

Little, bald, brown-skinned Indian cashier man: "No, she said Mr. Patel. I certainly look nothing like a potato, so there's no reason why she would say that."

Fellow Customer: "Ooops. Sorry."

Ah, denial. It's a wonderful thing.

Hair Stuff

Some recently discovered hair products that are now my staples:

Redken Outshine 01 Anti-Frizz Polishing Milk: for touchups or easy hair days

Rusk Wired: for use before heat treating or in frizz-inducing weather

Redken Wool Shake: for curly/wavy hair days to get texture without stickiness