Good News...Bad News...Unrelated News

Good News: 

I got an awesome new set of knives on Woot.com for $10!!!! They are super sharp and have orange handles and slice through a whole pineapple like they were born to do it! You know, if knives were born. 

Bad News:

They are so sharp you can slice through two of your fingers and not even notice for like 15 whole minutes. 

Unrelated News:

While I probably shouldn't be allowed to have sharp things, I SHOULD be allowed to make biscuits and gravy again.

I made this on Sunday for my brother Chris and our friend Mike. I'm really into making things completely from scratch these days. Granted, I didn't make the sausage because I was fresh out of pigs to slaughter, but the biscuits and the gravy all came from Cucina Tracy! 

We kicked back, clogged our arteries, drank some mimosa and watched Mystery Science Theater. It was the best way to spend the Lord's Day. I'm sure its what Jesus would have wanted. 

Hope you all had an awesome weekend. 

Days Like These

Some days you wake up knowing EXACTLY what kind of day you're in for. You wake up on the right or wrong side of the bed and it sets the tone for everything. 

 Today has me baffled...

 6:45am-- 5 minutes before my alarm goes off, I  hear Roommate Jen get in the shower, which irritates me, because there is no way she can take a shower in 5 minutes and this will cause me to run late.

6:50am--Jen gets out of the shower. I am amazed and have no excuse for running late.

6:52am--I get in the shower and stand under the water for way longer than normal because it is 13 degrees outside and I am cold. It feels amazing.

7:05am--I get out of the shower. I am now officially running late. 

7:15am--They're interviewing Mel Brooks on NPR! He's singing!

7:28am--I was distracted by Mel Brooks and now I'm running REALLY late

7:35am--I realize I should go start my car so I don'd die in the cold when I leave for work.

7:36am--I put my foot in my boot and step on something hard, pointy and painful. Closer inspection reveals its...a bottle of Goo Gone. 

7:36am--This is hilarious to me for some reason. 

7:40am--Coffee.....

When you start your morning with a bottle of Goo Gone mysteriously appearing in your shoes, there's really no predicting how your day will go. 

Happy Wednesday, everyone. 

Never Mistake Solitude for Loneliness

The night was Tuesday, January 15th.

The dinner was beef stew with homemade biscuits.

The wine was Primal Roots.

The entertainment was Downton Abbey, Series Three, Episode Two.

The roommate was absent.

The roommate's cats were sleeping in the spare bedroom.

The atmosphere was calm. 

The pace was leisurely. 

The evening was perfect. 

New Year's Resolutions (and also fears involving yeast)

I was really excited for New Year's Eve this year, you guys. I usually have 0 plans and end up sitting home alone doing...not much. I don't really mind, but usually I assume that all my friends are out at fabulous, sparkly parties and I feel about 100 types of lame. 

But this year was going to be different! I had TWO parties to go to! They were low key affairs, but STILL! 

And then tragedy struck: well, less "tragedy" and more "illness brought on by my dumb brother Dain who was staying at my house for Christmas and doesn't understand how germs work and infected EVERYTHING with his nastinesss". 

I was SICK for NYE and couldn't go out. ARGH. Life is so unfair sometimes. 

Still, my excellent friend Ellie went out with me on Friday the 4th to drink some bubbly and ring in the new year...a few days late. 

I don't really do many New Years resolutions because I hate setting myself up for failure. So far the only things I really want to to do in 2013 are:

1. Re-read all 7 Harry Potter books. I read them all as they came out, but its been a few years and the details are fuzzy. I did a re-read of Lord of the Rings in 2012 and really really enjoyed it. Bring on the wizards! 

2. Make bread. I will freely admit that I'm scared of yeast. Its weird! And alive! And according to every recipe ever, it is temperamental and might die on you.  I am also afraid of kneading. This one I can't really explain.

I am pleased to say I am well on my way to having a successful 2013 since I started reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone this weekend and also baked bread (recipe here). Watch out world! Here I come. 

A Food Interlude: Part II

Its been to busy in my life (Hi, December!) to write, but not too busy to bake. Or maybe I've just been busy baking? Who knows. 

Here's what I've been baking lately:

1. SHORTBREAD!

I love me some shortbread. My grandma makes EXCELLENT shortbread and has always assured me that its easy to make. Which is probably why I was so mad I had to scrap my first batch of dough because it wouldn't come together at all. What a tragic waste of butter. 

HOWEVER, I was determined to get it right and I tried again. Apparently the second time's a charm! Its not the most beautiful shortbread in the world, and my chocolate drizzling skills obviously need work, but Roommate Jen ate all my "reject" pieces and declared it "delicious", which is enough for me.

The rest is currently in the freezer, awaiting the arrival of my family on Saturday.

Yeah, did I mention I'm hosting Christmas this year? Yikes. Adulthood is weird. 

2. MONKEY BREAD MUFFINS

Did you ever eat Monkey Bread as a kid? We always called it Monkey Brains. Usually you make it in a big bundt pan, but it absolutely works in muffin form. This is what I made to console myself after my initial shortbread failure. It tasted like childhood and victory!

3. WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES

These were less exciting since they were made for my boss whose father passed away this week. I happen to know they are his favorite cookie and also that no one in his family really cooks or bakes. I figured one plate of these could stay at home for cookie binge comfort and maybe the other plate could be used for refreshments at the visitation. 

When I went to the funeral, my boss' mother thanked me for the cookies and said she ate an entire plate herself.  It was nice to know they helped, even just a little. 

4. CAKE BITES

These suckers are labor intensive, but always a hit.  My preferred flavor are red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Because anything that is a vehicle for cream cheese frosting is a win in my book. 

I did have an orange and vanilla one the other day though and tasted just like a dreamsicle, which is never a bad thing. 

These are currently hiding in the freezer waiting for my mom's birthday part. I know I don't have near enough, but I just don't have another 3 hours to devote to these babies. 

5. VODKA MARTINI WITH BLEU CHEESE STUFFED OLIVES

Ok, truth is I didn't make this, but I've had a few recently and they always make me feel like a sophisticated adult, which I most assuredly am not.  

My parents arrive Saturday, my brother and his fiance arrive Thursday...I'm just strapping in for the crazy and hoping we can all enjoy this rare time together. 

Which I'm sure we will, since there will be cookies and martinis. 

Happy Christmas, everyone! 

Boulder, CO May 2012: An Altered State

This was my first trip to Boulder, but my second trip to Colorado. I visited Denver in July of 2010 to visit my friend Jenna, my frequent partner in Pittsburgh-related crime, who had relocated there after a few years in Tanzania with the Peace Corps. Denver was a cool place, but I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb. I was NOT an Denver person. I don't hike. I don't ski. I wasn't tan (even though it was July). I wasn't an activist for social justice, the environment or puppies. Plus the altitude and I did not get along. I had fun seeing Jenna, but I knew that I could never be a Denverite. 

So it was with an apprehensive heart that I went to visit Jenna in Boulder a mere two years later. Boulder is pretty geographically close to Denver. I flew into the Denver airport (a place that seriously creeps me out because you're greeted by an insane Bronco statue with GLOWING DEMON EYES) so technically I was in Denver for at least a little while...but then we were off to Boulder. 

Jenna must have known that she would have to really sell Boulder or I would never come to Colorado again so we started things off right: with margaritas. 

What followed was a weekend of lightly buzzed bliss. Boulder. Is. AWESOME. If I'm ever a millionaire (or marry one) I will go to Boulder for a month and eat my way through town. I come from a sub-suburban town where our restaurant options are Chilis or Applebees. You know what I never saw in Boulder? A Chilis or Applebees. I'm sure they are there somewhere, but I never had to resort to eating there, and that is what matters. 

We ate. We drank. We drank some more. We visited an awesome street fair that was happening downtown and I bought presents for people (I'm generous when I'm buzzed). We saw movies. We watched episodes of our favorite British sitcom The IT Crowd. 

HOWEVER, since you can't visit CO without going at least a LITTLE native...we hiked. It was glorious! We took so many pictures and, in the end, they all look more or less the same :) I felt so in touch with nature! I felt so athletic! I felt so sophisticated because I took pictures on a REAL CAMERA and not just one on my iPhone! 

We were so busy being proud of ourselves that we were almost late for our BEER TOUR! If you are in Boulder and love micro-brews, I highly suggest this. We had so much fun. 

Go to Boulder. See friends. Drink beer. Climb mountains. Eat at places that are not Applebees. You won't regret it. 

I didn't. 

My Thanksgivings: Part 1, Grand Ledge, MI

You guys, this is what Thanksgiving should be like:

And that is what Thanksgiving was like in Grand Ledge. It was 100% traditional.

It was at my Grandmothers house. 

There was a ton of family.

There was a hungover cousin.

There were children.

They were sticky (CHILDREN ARE ALWAYS STICKY!)

It was loud.

It was great. 

The best part was Friday evening (we celebrated the weekend BEFORE real T-day since there were many schedules to juggle) when I arrived at my Grandma's house for a little 1-on-1 time before the madness began on Saturday. 

She wrote a book you guys. My grandma wrote a book! She had a book signing! I was so proud. 

My grandma is a historian and genealogist and her collection of postcards from Clinton County was published and I have an autographed copy. Its like I was hanging with a celebrity. 

Enjoy your family on Thanksgiving (even if they're crazy, loud and sticky). 

That is all.