Just Under The Wire

When I signed up to do Jenna's food challenge, I thought it would be a walk in the park. I even thought I would complete the challenge that weekend. Ha! Salads were not on my mind this month. So, I made this today, at Tai's request:
My version of the Pagliacco Salad from Pagliacci's.
Here's the ingredients list (use enough to serve your group):
lettuce (I used romaine but you could use any kind)
green onion (red or white would work too)
bell pepper (yellow cause it was on sale)
garbanzo beans
artichoke hearts (you could use marinated hearts but I didn't have any)
dry salami (you could sub turkey or something lower in fat if you want)
mozzarella
provolone

Chop up everything into tiny pieces (about bite size). Toss together serve with Italian dressing.
This makes a great potluck meal or something you can make ahead of time.

The Sherpas Have Arrived

No not really, Meg. UPS finally brought my package from Target. Sigh. Thank goodness because it's time for my 400th post and my first giveaway. Yup that's right a giveaway.
Here's Linda random box of goodies! There's a collapsible colander, a set of magnetic clips, Goody's hair bands, 2 packages of Lipton tea (Green Tea with Mandarin Orange and White Tea with Mango), and a pizza cutter. All these were chosen because these are things I like and I want to share with you.

Rules
1. Leave a comment on this post. Say hi, tell me what spring time activity you are looking forward to and an email address so I can tell you if you won.
2. Sorry, I can only ship to US addresses only.
3. One entry per person.
4. I'll choose a winner via random.org on April 3rd noon PST.

Just In Time For The Wrong Jewish Holiday

What else was I going to do with 5lbs of potatoes and 5lbs of apples but make potato pancakes and applesauce. I know it's more appropriate for Hanukkah than upcoming Passover but I love me some potato pancakes. The pancake recipe is pretty basic. Your bubbie might have a better one. The applesauce recipe was quick. I pureed the apples in my Magic Bullet for a few seconds and it came out yummy.

Soy Chicken Patties

I found these chicken patties on Soy and Pepper (I save so many of her recipes).
The patties were yummy. The flavor was good, but I wish I would have been able to make a sauce to go with it. I might try to make these again.
Any ideas on a sauce I would try?

One

I stole this from Jenna.

One photo
from here
One poem

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
Would not take the garbage out!
She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans,
Candy the yams and spice the hams,
And though her daddy would scream and shout,
She simply would not take the garbage out.
And so it piled up to the ceilings:
Coffee grounds, potato peelings,
Brown bananas, rotten peas,
Chunks of sour cottage cheese.
It filled the can, it covered the floor,
It cracked the window and blocked the door
With bacon rinds and chicken bones,
Drippy ends of ice cream cones,
Prune pits, peach pits, orange peel,
Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal,
Pizza crusts and withered greens,
Soggy beans and tangerines,
Crusts of black burned buttered toast,
Gristly bits of beefy roasts. . .
The garbage rolled on down the hall,
It raised the roof, it broke the wall. . .
Greasy napkins, cookie crumbs,
Globs of gooey bubble gum,
Cellophane from green baloney,
Rubbery blubbery macaroni,
Peanut butter, caked and dry,
Curdled milk and crusts of pie,
Moldy melons, dried-up mustard,
Eggshells mixed with lemon custard,
Cold french fried and rancid meat,
Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat.
At last the garbage reached so high
That it finally touched the sky.
And all the neighbors moved away,
And none of her friends would come to play.
And finally Sarah Cynthia Stout said,
"OK, I'll take the garbage out!"
But then, of course, it was too late. . .
The garbage reached across the state,
From New York to the Golden Gate.
And there, in the garbage she did hate,
Poor Sarah met an awful fate,
That I cannot now relate
Because the hour is much too late.
But children, remember Sarah Stout
And always take the garbage out! Shel Silverstein, 1974

One song


One quote

Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before. -Mae West

One item of clothing
From Nordstroms. I see a very stylish gal every morning on my way to work. I'm jealous. I want one.

One Placefrom here. I rafted the New Rive Gorge once. It was the most exhilarating experience of my life.
One Disney Princess
I, like Jenna, love Belle. I think she's princess I'm most like.

A Wish Granted

Tai's been asking me to make sukiyaki for some time now. I decided his birthday was the perfect reason to give it a try. I headed to Uwajimaya and found this recipe. I bought all the ingredients and headed home to try it out. I've never had it but Tai says I hit this one out of the park. It was delicious. A little time consuming, all the chopping but pretty easy to make. I followed the recipe pretty closely although I added beer (light beer) about 3/4 cup to the sauce. Tai mentioned that a friend of his did that and it sounded like a good add.
Have you ever had sukiyaki? Ever made? Any tips for me?

The 40 Questions About Me Meme

In the extended entry, a meme survey that's going around. Find out more useless facts about me!

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
Nope, not to my knowledge.

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?
I hate roller coasters. I haven't ridden one since I was about 13. I close my eyes and scream. That's just when I get in line!

3. When's the last time you've been sledding?
I think I went once when I was little about 3 or so.

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
I prefer sleeping with Tai. It makes me feel good knowing he's there. I sleep better.

5. Do you believe in ghosts?
Yup.

6. Do you consider yourself creative?
Sometimes.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
Yes, I do.

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?
Jennifer. Although I don't know if I would want her to be with Brad now. I think he's better with Angelina.

9. Do you stay friends with your ex's?
Nope, those relationships didn't work for a reason.

10. Do you know how to play poker?
Yup, but I suck at it.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
Nope. I can last about 20 hours with no sleep before I get cranky.

12. What's your favorite commercial?
I like old commercials like "I want to buy the world a coke" and "Plop, plop fizz fizz what a relief it is!". Actually I like the jingles.

13. What are you allergic to?
Penicillin.

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around do you run red lights?
Nope.

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
I don't think so. Perhaps I kept it from myself.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?
Sox. I don't like the Yankees.

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating?
Once.

18. How often do you remember your dreams?
Sometimes.

19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
Hmm, I can't think of it.

20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles?
Yes.

21. What's the one thing on your mind now?
Money.

22. Do you know who Ghetto-ass barbie is?
Uh, no. But I think it would be a big seller.

23. Do you always wear your seat belt?
Yes.

24. What cell service do you use?
AT&T

25. Do you like Sushi?
Yummy, yes.

26. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident?
Hm, no I don't think so.

27. What do you wear to bed?
Either nothing or sweatpants and tshirt.

28. Been caught stealing?
Nope, never been caught.

29. what shoe size do you have?
I have big feet-11.

30. Do you truly hate anyone?
Nope. I dislike a few people, but no hate.

31. Classic Rock or Rap?
I'll take classic rock for $200.

32. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be?
Hm, I don't know who I'd pick if I just got one.

33. Favorite Song?
Toughie. I have a ton of favorites. I'll go with Landslide by Fleetwood Mac for now. It's in the top 10.

34. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror?
Hell yeah. That was my Saturday night in high school.

35. What food do you find disgusting?
Tuna Casserole. Some marinated mushrooms.

36. Do you sing in the shower?
Not usually.

37. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours"?
I don't think so.

38. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
Uh, can I not answer that? I'm a terrible person.

39. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew?
Sadly, no.

40. Have you ever been punched in the face?
Perhaps. Maybe when I was drunk.

WTF?

So I ordered some stuff from Target on Sunday. I checked today to see when I might receive it. Yeah:
Anywhere from April 23 to May 11th? Is UPS walking my packages to me? If you see a someone carrying my boxes please hurry him along. Although I might get my turtleneck sooner. Maybe Friday if they decided to ship and not load down the dude walking my other package.

Weekly Geek #7

Is there a particular era that you love reading about? Tell us about it--give us a book list, if you'd like. Include pictures or some fun facts from that time period, maybe link to a website that focuses on that time. Educate us.

Do you have a favorite book that really pulled you back in time, or perhaps gave you a special interest in that period? Include a link to a review of it on another book blog if you can find one (doesn't have to be a Weekly Geek participant).

Historical romance is one of my guilty pleasures. I tend to shy away from romance especially Harlequin romance novels. But I confessed my guilty pleasure a few weeks ago, so here's the whole confession.
When I was a teen I found Sunfire Romance novels. I think I read Jacquelyn first which I don't seem to have anymore. I was entraced with the time (the Depression) and her struggles to afford things that she had before the depression. It seemed so romantic. I made an effort to find more. I wound up collecting 10 of the 32 books.I liked the different time periods. I don't really have a favorite time period although I tend to gravitate toward medieval and Civil War era. Odd combo huh?
Any other closet historical romance readers out there?

Library Loot #5

With our trip to Vegas last week we didn't get to the library. I dropped a bunch off which is making our pile more manageable but I still manage to find new books to add. Like this one I've wanted to read since early last year.
Yes, I added this to my list because of the movie. But I still want to read it. For the record I haven't seen the movie. It's in my queue but I have so much to watch I think it will be a while. Hopefully I'll get to read it before it goes back.
What are you reading this week?

39

Happy Birthday to my wonderful hubby! Here are just 39 reasons I love him so!

1. His smile. He has a 100 different smiles. His happy to see me smile. His happy to see his friends smile. His satisfied smile. His silly smile. His I'm being naughty smile.
2. His hands. He's got such soft strong hands!
3. His honesty. Sometimes I don't like hearing the truth but I appreciate knowing that I can get the truth.
4. His support. He unfailing supports me in every decision.
5. His love of games. Growing up I never had anyone to play games with. He loves board games as well as video games! We have a lot of fun playing games.
6. His love of books. We don't always read the same books but he reads just as much as I do.
7. His love of movies. He adores movies and loves to talk about movies.
8. He's a great friend. He adores his friends. He'll do anything for them!
9. He's practical. He's got that right brain thinking going for him. I tend to be a little loosey goosey but he's all business. Sometimes.
10. He can be so silly. I love his sense of humor and his sense of playfulness.
11. He calms me down. Just. Like. That.
12. He has his own interests. Sometimes he wishes I would like to do some of the same things like role playing but he's happy with the group he plays with and understands that's his thing.
13.He loves food just as much as I do. He's exposed me to so many delightful foods. And it's ok if I don't like something. He'll eat it :)
14.He's generous. Whatever I want (within reason) I can have. Even if it's his food! He's like that his friends too.
15. Animals adore him. Cats, dogs all flock to him. He's like the animal whisperer!
16. He loves to sing. It's so cute. He sings to me all the time!
17. He cares about people.
18. He makes friends easily.
19. He's sexy!
20. He's constantly helping me improve myself.
21. His big strong arms.
22. He's a good listener.
23. He loves to dance!
24. He can make me laugh. Sometimes he does things just to make me laugh.
25. That he trusts me completely.
26. He does little things just to make me happy.
27. He empties the dishwasher, the trash and the recycling for me.
28. He finds Youtube vidoes he thinks I'll like.
29. He watches my favorite shows with me even he doesn't think he'll like them.
30. He monitors what I post on facebook and comments on them.
31. He won't answer the phone if we are talking or doing something important.
32. He makes me feel special. And not short bus special. Sparkly girlie special.
33. He's a geek just like I am.
34. The cute little noises he makes when he sleeps!
35. His mind reading abilities.
36. He'll cook if I ask really nicely.
37. His vast knowledge of movie quotes.
38. The little dances he does just to make me laugh.
39. That's he's all mine!

Picture found here.

Another Blog Award

Thank you to Becky for this award!

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

So I award this to:

Meg with her blogs Meg In the Kitchen and Meg on the Bus.

S from No Tea For You

K of Blog Goggles

Linda of Little Miss Planner

Erin of Erin-Go-Blog! (Feel better lady!)

Emily from Life As I Know It From Memphis

Ryn from On We Go...

Veronica of A Babe In the Making

Thanks ladies for posting and giving me something to read instead of work! Thanks again, Becky!

Currently....

drinking
Jen introduced me to this tea. It's delicious in iced tea. Three bags of this and 3 bags of Lipton make a great blend. It's like a spiced orange drink. Yum.

reading
I read this for book club. Janet recommended this. I was able to pick it up cheap. I wasn't sure I was going to like but I really did. I wanted to read it before the movie came out. It was a very poignant love story.

using
My coworkers have been badgering me to stop buying bottled water. I've bought water bottles before but I never liked them or used them too long. But this one seems like a winner. I've been using it for a while now. No more bottled water!

watching
We caught the first episode of this show. So funny. I was laughing out! I have high hopes for this show.

Kris' Wedding!

Kris was sweet enough to let me share some of the details of her day with you all. First Kris was married at the Grove in Las Vegas. It was about 20 miles off the strip. Kris arranged for shuttle buses to take us to and from the strip. A lovely touch. It was a gorgeous day, sunny but not too warm. The wedding was outside and the ceremony was indoors.
I'm mostly going to talk about some of the details of her wedding. I don't have all the specifics, but let me know if you have a question and I'll find out.
First are her gorgeous centerpieces. I know she and the bridesmaids assembled them. I believe they bought the topiary as is though. The tiny little birdies were up for grabs at the end of the night. Her color scheme was black, red, and cream.There was a bird theme too. All the tables were named after birds. There were 2 more tables but people were looking at me funny while I was running around taking pictures of the tables.We were at the Flamingo table. The Dove table was their sweetheart table. I believe she got the table names, the seating cards and the menus from an etsy seller (if you need to know let me know).
Next up is her adorable cake topper. She had this made. If you want to know I can find out. The girl bird is wearing the same dress as the bride. Such a great little touch.And here's the cake topper on top of the cake.
Throughout the ceremony, there was a woman painting the ceremony. Here's the real deal.The painter was there early and got most of the background done before the bride walked down the aisle.
Here's her gorgeous bouquet. I just loved it. The photographer had been taking pictures of her rings in the bouquet and was nice enough to let me try to take some too. I tried to get some close ups but they turned out all blurry. And here's one the bride and groom. It's a really good one of the front of her dress. isn't it gorgeous!
Congratulations Kris and Tony!

Best Food Ever!

Vegas is like a movie. It can be all about sex or partying or gambling or shopping. For me Vegas is about food. I love food and for me Vegas is the one of the best places to go.
I do love the buffets. We hit buffets at the Paris, MGM Grand, and the Circus Circus. I love the food at the Paris. Although the wait was so long (Sunday bunch) the wait staff and the food made up for it. We hit the MGM Grand twice, once for dinner and once for breakfast. Breakfast wasn't all that. Dinner was so much better with the crab legs. The Circus Circus was ok. We got there at the tail end of breakfast and the beginning of lunch. The food was alright. Nothing super yummy. But the price was right. At $10.50 each, it was the cheapest buffet we tried.
But there was one special meal we had planned. I had read about Pampas Churrascaria a few months ago. I was intrigued. I'd never been to a churrascaria, but it sounded up my alley. I found a $25 gift certificate on restaurants.com. It was a wonderful experience. We went with the surf and turf option.
First was the salad/grilled veggie bar. Here's my plate:
Here's Tai's plate:
They bring out the plate of seafood:
Then here's 5 of the 11 types of meat:Tai wanted to get all 11 before I took the picture but I felt bad for making him wait. So they walk around carving meat off the spit when you ask. The meat was so fresh and delicious. The seafood was delicious. I loved the salmon. Tai thought it was a little salty. The shrimp was so yummy especially dipped in the melted butter.
It was an expensive meal. The most expensive meal we had on our trip but so worth it.

Travelling Purse

I take the same purse when I travel. I've been using this purse for the past 4 years. I think it's time to retire it, but I need something that looks similar.It's a Franco Sarto purse. I bought it at Macy's. It's big enough to put all this crap in it.That's my wallet, my ipod, my sunglasses, 2 pens, my cell phone, Tai's sunglasses, our room key, 4 packs of gum (!), 2 tubes of chapstick, one nailfile, one lipstick, one lip gloss, and one hair tie. I also had my camera in there. And at some point in the trip, I had Tai's cell phone and his smokes. When I got off the plane I shoved our books in there too. It's huge but never feels too big.

Random Vegas Bits

It's too much for me to recap the entire trip by day so I'll just touch on the highlights.

*I really liked the MGM Grand. It was a great choice. It was centrally located to everything we wanted.
*Cabs are expensive. We bought a 3 day monorail pass which was wonderful. We zoomed up and down the strip! It was also fun since the monorail goes behind the hotels. It was like seeing the movie sets in Hollywood.
*16 different kinds of soda is hard to drink in one sitting.

We tried the around the world sampler at the Coke store. I think the Red Flash was my favorite. Tai loved the Lift Apple. We both hated Beverly from Italy. But it was fun. Tai really wanted to try the float sampler but I knew that much dairy would leave him dying!
*Tigers are pretty.
I really enjoyed getting to see them everyday. Such beautiful majestic creatures.
*Sadly we didn't get to see any shows. We would have liked that.
*We ate some amazing food which I'll recap in a different post.
*The wedding was wonderful. I'll post pics of that later in the week!

Weekly Geek-Book Quotes #7

"Good children's literature appeals not only to the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child." Anonymous

I adored reading as a child. I loved Shel Silverstein. Ever go back and read a beloved children's book as an adult? It's well worth it. I read Where The Sidewalk Ends a few years ago and it was just as good as I remembered. Sometimes I also read Where The Wild Things Are and Harold and The Purple Crayon. Both make me laugh and feel like a kid.
What about you? Read any children's books lately?

Weekly Geek-Book Quotes #6

"Writers should be read, but neither seen nor heard."Daphne Du Maurier

Have you ever gone to see an author? I've seen a couple. I saw Candace Bushnell a few years ago when she was promoting Lipstick Jungle. She was just like I thought she'd be. I remember her showing off her Prada shoes! I also saw Rick Bragg when he was promoting All Over But the Shouting. He was an excellent author to see. He was funny and interesting. Just like his books.
I'd love to see JK Rowling or Jodi Picoult. I enjoy both of them so I think they would be interesting to hear.
What about you? Have you seen any authors or what authors would want to see?

Vegas Bound!

Tai and I are on our way to Vegas for Kris and Tony's wedding. We'll be gone for a few days so posting with be light until next week. I convinced Tai to leave his laptop at home so I will be cut off from the internet! So I'll recap our trip next week.
Have a great weekend everyone!

Weekly Geek-Book Quotes #5

"I guess if I wrote a book one day, it would be about hair." Julia Louis-Dreyfus

If I wrote a book, what it be about? I have hundreds of books rattling around in my head. When I'm bored I start writing them, but not on paper. When I start writing them I get stuck. I can start a book but never end it. Mostly I write about people. Ever see someone on the street and create a story about them? I do.
I'd also like to write about my mom and her mother. I think they had interesting lives. I might just write that for myself.
What would you write about?

Library Loot #4

Here's my haul this week. I was pretty excited to hear Jodi Picoult had a new book. I was even more excited to see it on the library shelf! I also picked up Arabian Nights for the 1001 book challenge. And Anubis Gate is for Tai. Our library pile is getting pretty big. We need to start reading more!
What about you? Get anything good this week?

Weekly Geek-Book Quotes #4

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." Cicero

I have always grown up around books. My parents had a healthy library. My mom had a closet full of cookbooks and health books. Dad had tons of engineering and car repair books. You've seen all the books Tai and I have.
When I go to someone's house the first time I always look to see if they have any books. I prefer people that have them in plain sight but I envy people who have a library in their home. Looking at other people's books helps stimulate conversation. Talk about books you haven't read, books you have or books you've never heard of. To me it's a great way to get know people.

It Has Arrived!

My painting from Sabrina arrived! Here it is all packaged up:Once I released it from it's packaging, it needed to breathe and catch its breath.
So I got its new home ready. And once it caught it's breath, I helped it move into its new home.
Above our couch. The colors go perfectly with the rest of the room. I'm so happy to finally have something to hang there!
Thank you Sabrina for taking my special request. If you are in the market for a new painting check out her new etsy store!

Weekly Geek-Book Quotes #3

"The reason a writer writes a book is to forget a book and the reason a reader reads one to remember it." Thomas Wolfe

I remember a lot of books fondly. Some I read over and over again. Some I just like to remember. Like the Harry Potter series. I adore the books. But I rarely read them over and over again. I doubt I'll read Twilight again but I do think about it sometimes. I loved East of Eden but I haven't read it since the first time.
What books stick with you after reading?

Sticky Honey Garlic Wings

We had a little miscommunication here at chez SLM. I asked Tai to take some chicken out of the freezer for dinner. Sadly I didn't specify which chicken-there were breasts and wings. I had planned to make curry so I needed the breasts. When I got home, I found the wings defrosting. So I had to find something quick. Enter Krista's Sticky Honey Garlic Wings.Oh, yeah. I'm making this again. Tai thought these were better than hot wings. This recipe is a great quick dinner. It took about an hour from fridge to table. I made some rice to go with it which Tai liked. Soaked up a little of the sauce.
BTW, I ran out of brown sugar so I used Tiffany's trick. I used a little too much molasses but it came out all right.

Weekly Geek-Book Quotes #2

"A classic is something that everyone wants to have read and nobody wants to read." Mark Twain

I love Mark Twain quotes. He's so witty and real. Here's a man that wrote some classics. I read a few of his books in high school. But I wish I read more of his books since so many of them are classics. But I haven't put a single on my to be read pile.
One reason I decided to attempt the 1001 book list was to read more of those classics. Books people say you should read. Those books are rarely on the top 10 and rarely easy reads. Some of them feel like work! That's why we read so many of them in high school and college!
I'm all about expanding my horizons, so what's your favorite classic? What book should I have read?

Weekly Geek-Book Quotes #1

This week on Weekly Geeks it's all about quote. Everyday I'll be posting a new quote. My theme is books!

"Some books leave us free and some books make us free." Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have to admit I've never read anything by Emerson. But I usually like his quotes. And I really like this quote. I've read books that I as just glad to finish. Certainly some of the books on the 1001 books list. I was pretty glad when I was done with the Golden Ass!
But some books free us from old ideas and preconceived notions. I haven't read a book like this in awhile, but I certainly keep on the look out for books that challenge me rather than repeat theories I already agree with. Anyone read a good challenging book lately?

Currently....

readingI read about this book somewhere (I really should remember these things). It's a collection of short stories about women doing things out of the ordinary for them. Some of them are outrageous, some are so heart breaking. I highly recommend this book.


eating
I bought some Girl Scouts from 2 adorable little brownies at the grocery store. It's definitely my favorite time of year.

watching
I was pretty stoked when I heard Watchmen was being made into a movie. I was not disappointed.

Vintage Volvos

I love vintage cars especially vintage Volvos. My first car was a Volvo station wagon like this one:Image found here. I drove it til I wrecked it. It was a sad day. I have many a happy memory riding around with my folks in that car.
My best friend in high school had a Volvo similar to this one:Image here. Again more happy memories driving around with her in her car. I loved that there was a cup holder in the glove compartment. Along with a mirror. Came in handy.
I just loved looking at these old cars. They don't make cars like this anymore. I wish they did. I used to love the way the Volvo slammed shut. It was so heavy. Also they creaked. My doors just don't make the same sounds. I wish I could afford one. The maintenance can get so expensive. If I had unlimited resources I would buy one and maintain it myself.