Are you curious what you would look like if you were an M & M? I was, after I saw Niel (he found out how through Pop Candy) and LJCFY become one. You too can make yourself into an M & M at this site. I guess it sort of like when it was popular to make yourself look like a Southpark character. I don't know why there isn't a darker shade of brown for the hair.

I was happy to find my local supermarket now carries Irish breakfast meats (black pudding, white pudding, Irish bacon). I had previously found them at a convenience store which caters to the Irish immigrants my neighborhood is receiving. Don't know why it took so long for my large supermarket to carry Irish breakfast meats because they do carry other Irish products. Next to the breakfast meats I saw Bangers(Irish sausages) and let out a quiet yelp as I showed Niel what I had found. On a side note the supermarket finally also started to carry ground lamb which luckily for me means I don't have to ground my own when I make kebabs. They also started to carry burgers stuffed with cheese, bacon and jalapeno. But those are more easy to make. Anyway back to Bangers. I've cooked with Irish meats before. After Niel and I enjoyed them at a diner a few blocks from our place. I figure if I can't get to Ireland or the any other part of the UK anytime soon I mine as well try experiencing the culture by cooking their foods in my own home. I found a recipe for Bangers with Mash (mashed potatoes) on All Recipes and that is what Niel and I enjoyed for our Sunday dinner. Bangers with Mash reminds me of Shephards pie but the only veg is the onions and the meat is not shredded though it can be. A good stick to your ribs winter meal.

NYC city got a bit of snow yesterday and we're in the 30's. Niel said snow doesn't come when its any colder and he was right. The weekend was nice and relaxing. Did a little bit of cleaning and Niel did laundry. We basically just vegged out and watched lots of tv saved on the DVR. In particular Battlestar Galactica. Which we are all caught up with. We also found the beer cheese at Trader Joe's. It is quite strong. I looked through the freezer and cupbards to see what quick stuff I could make for our meals during the weekend. We enjoyed wings, shrimp dumplings and scallion pizza pie. Saturday evening we went out to dinner with Niel's mom at the Hispanic diner in her neighborhood.
I've only seen one of the movies nominated for any of the awards and I never thought Little Miss Sunshine would. Steve Carell was amazing in the film. I find him very good in serious roles as well. The last new episode of The Office, I think a couple of weeks ago when he was sad about Dwight being fired I thought was some of his best work. So I hope Little Miss Sunshine wins and Judy Dench. Although I think Helen Mirren will. Niel purchased some handsoap that I want to recommend. It is Soft Soap's Morning Mist. It smells so delicious I wish there was a perfume with that sent. I forgot to mention Fabio was doing some promotion piece out side my office building. I took his picture on my cell phone.

The weather has been yucky lately so any outdoor activities is limited and our cupbard and fridge needs a good clean out. How to solve both problems at once? Have a picnic at home. We enjoyed a light meal of pita chips, thin wheats(our supermarket's verion of Wheat Thins heh heh), grapes, cherries, various cheeses and dips.

From my friend Isabel. Play along if you like.

The 80’s:

Q: Did you own a Light Brite? Hmmm I want to say yes but can't rememember. I know I liked them.

Q: Played with Strawberry Short Cake dolls? She was awesome and smelled nice.

Q: Played with GI-Joe toys? Perhaps with my brother.

Q: Have a He-Man or She-Ra toy? Yes again with my brother.

Q: Own a slinky? yes. Color and metallic.

Q: Had a Jem doll? nope but I wanted to.

Q: What about a Cabbage Patch Kid? See above.

Q: Own a big wheel? Don't think so.

Q: Trade Garbage Pail Kids? owned but never traded

Q: Had a Popple? no idea what this is

Q: Had a Pound Puppy? My brother did. Heh heh.


Cartoons of the 80's: Did you watch the following cartoons?

Q: Thundercats? Heck yeah!!

Q: Jem? i loved it.

Q: G.I. Joe? Yep!

Q: Rainbow Brite? I love her!

Q: Care Bears? yes!

Q: He-man or She-Ra? Both!

Q: Fraggle Rock? Yep!

Q: Shirt Tales? What Tales?

Q. Jabber Jaws? Huh?

Q: Smurfs? yes! loved them.

Q: Transformers? Yes

Q: Mighty Mouse? Not a fan.

Q: Thundarr the Barbarian? No.

Q: Gummi bears? I did not know there was a cartoon, but I sure love to eat them :)

Q: My Little Pony? Yep!

Q: Hercules? Yes

Q: Spider-Man? yes

Q: Rocket Robin Hood? What?

Q: Tom and Jerry? Didn't like them.

Q: Looney Toons? Not a fan.

Q: Ewoks? Loved them.

Q: Star Wars Droids? Probably.

Q: Dungeons & Dragons? No.

Q: Hulk Hogan's Rock 'N Wrestling? Yes!

Q: Snorks? Loved them!

Shows of the 80's: Did you watch...?

Q. The A-Team? YEAH!

Q: Charles in Charge? Yes!

Q: Dukes of Hazzard? Yep.

Q: Cosby Show? Loved that show but Mr. Cosby is such a fake.

Q: Hee Haw? No.

Q: Miami Vice? Yes!

Q: Knight Rider? yes! Kit was the best.

Q: Punky Brewster? yes :)

Q: Pee-Wee's Play House? Not a fan.

Q: Saved By The Bell? Uh yeah.

Q: Silver Spoons? Yes!

Q: Just The Ten Of Us? Yes!

Q: Growing Pains? Yep!

Q: Cheers? Didn't like it.

Q: Dallas? Meh.

Q: Love Boat? Take it or leave it.

Q: Incredible Hulk? YES

Q: The Hilarious House of Frightenstein? what?

Q: V- The Series? LOVED IT!

Q: Threes Company? Yes.

Q:The Muppet Show? Heck yeah. My brother and I would park ourselves infront of that TV and be in a trance.


Styles of 80's

Q: Did you have big bangs? Hahahah no.

Q: Have a mullet? Nope.

Q: Liked Michael Jackson’s music? yes, still do but not him.

Q: Know the Golden Girls theme song? Yes(turning red)

Q: Wear Kangaroo sneakers? No.

Q: Own a pair of Guess Jeans? No. What am I rich!

Q: Like Ocean Pacific clothes? Whaaaa?

Q: Wear Jordache jeans? Yes.

Q: Own anything LA Gear? No.

Q: Watch MTV a lot? HELL YEAH!

Q: Have a pair of High tops? No.

Q: Have a Trapper Keeper? had a few

Q: Own a Swatch watch? No.

Q: Did you love the 80's? I think the above says safely YES!

As I mentioned in a previous post about my love of Asian cuisine. Since Asia is a big continent this post is specifically about Indian food, a particular one. It can get pricey eating out at times so I try to replicate or come up with my own creations using Indian spices. But I never tried cooking with Ghee. It is clarified butter and has a high heat tolerance. I found a container. of it at Whole Foods. I later found out the cost wasn't much different than purchasing it at an Indian grocery. I used some when I was making a cauliflower, and pea stir fry recipe I found over at Once Upon A Feast. I put in about half a tablespoon of it in and it wasn't heavy at all. Ghee can be used in non Indian dishes as well. Not Martha provides a link to making your own Ghee.

I realized Niel's beer quest last year rubbed off on me. I know I have used alcohol in cooking before but not so much beer. I realized two dishes I made had beer in them. Rarebit and beer bread. We had also tried Cheddar beer kettle chips which were good. And now I wish I could find Cabot's beer flavored cheddar cheese. I had trouble finding it in stores. I think I may have to order it. But you don't have to twist my arm for me to try cheese.

Hey everyone. Hope you all had a good weekend. NYC finally got a smattering of snow and mighty winds. Both were only for a day. Supposedly we will have more of both though. Brrr. Niel and I did our usual errand running and cleaning. Had my parents over for dinner. We went international. For the appetizer started off in Italy with Giada De Laurentiis' Red Pepper Cheese Cake(savory with a hint of sweet). The main course was a French dish by Ina Garten, beef Bourguignonne and side was also by Ina Garten and also French, zucchini Gratin and dessert ended in Greece with a raspberry Cloufouti. The dessert was deceiving. You would think a dessert with fruit, and custard would be tasty but was a real disappointment. But it did look pretty. My favorite dish and the most surprising was the Red Pepper Cheese Cake. I wasn't sure about this particular sweet and savory combo, but it was good. Next time I will try red pepper jelly for the topping instead of apricot jelly.

We also caught up on our new favorite show Battle Star Galactica. Never thought that would happen. Liking the show and catching up. LOL. Psych also came back to TV woo hoo! Whoever watches Ugly Betty did you have a what the hell moment during the last scene? I like being kept on my toes though. I get bored when I can figure out a show. I seriously thought it was going to go another way. Heroes and Studio 60 is back on tonight! Woo hoo!! I know I am late but did anyone watch the Golden Globes? What the hell is wrong with Angelina Jolie and Maria Menounus? Otherwise I like the show in general. Lots of drunk celebrities dressed up not caring if they are appear drunk. Looking forward to the Academy Awards and Grammy's.

We also did some minor furniture rearranging by moving the loveseat away from the radiator near our living room windows to ensure maximum heat for the room. We like the loveseat in front of the windows but we figure for the winter warmth wins over style. Plus Niel boarded up the windows and the air conditioner in the bedroom also for warmth. It helped. Plus Niel found a Chinese take out place that sells better Lo Mein than our usual place.

My shop is also finally up! Thanks to Niel for all the help!

I enjoy all types of Asian cuisine. From dumplings to Pad Thai to Sushi. When I find something I have not tried before I will want to eat it over and over again. I had mentioned Singapore Chow Mein previously when Niel and I helped paint my brother's new place a bit ago. They had told me about this neat dish their local Chinese take out served. Thin noodles with various meat and seafood seasoned with curry. We ordered it for lunch. It was fantastic. Our local takeout unfortunately does not serve it, however we found that one of the takeout places in Niel's old neighborhood does. Since its not too far away, whenever I have a hankering for it I can eat it at any time.

I need to find Jimmy Dean's pancakes and sausage on a stick. That's right you read correctly. It's a breakfast item. Except I hope to find them without the chocolate chips. Cause you know with the chocolate chips it would be just gross. The combo reminds me of McDonald's pancake sausage breakfast sandwiches. Which I love. It also reminds me of corn dogs. Which I also love. So I have to find it. No I need to find it.




I heard about it on Not Martha. I love her site. She has such good info.

I have eclectic taste or scent(if you will) in perfume. I'm not exclusive to any brand. I'll wear the knock offs that are sold in the drug store, a chain stores signature scent, the pricey ones(if I can get them on sale) and even the ones that celebrities add their names too. For the longest time I wore Gap Blue or Dream. Currently I am enjoying Stella McCartney's Stella, JLo's Glow, Britney Spear's Curious, and even Mary Kate and Ashley's Coast To Coast La Beach Honeysuckle. Oh the shame. As long as it smells nice to me I don't care who creates it.

Got this from Shannon O! Play along if you wish.

1. Where is your cell phone? My bag.
2. Your spouse? Funny.
3. Your hair? Silky.
4. Your mother? Good cook.
5. Your father? Good BBQ'er.
6. Your favorite thing? Hugs from Niel.
7. Your dream last night? I can't recall.
8. Your favorite drink? Water.
9. Your dream car? hybrid.
10. The room you are in? Niel's "Man Room"
11. Your ex? blah.
12. Your fear? Something bad happening to people I care for.
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Just always happy.
14. Who did you hang out with last night? Husband
15. What you’re not? Many things.
16. Muffins? blueberry.
17. One of your wish list items? Loads.
18. Your dinner tonight? Brats and waffle fries with salad and water.
19. The last thing you ate? Egg and cheese on a roll with cranberry juice.
20. What are you wearing? Purple sweater and black dress pants.
21. Your tv? Off.
22. Your pet? None, I have Asthma:(
23. Your computer? loved.
24. Your life? good.
25. Your mood? Could always be better.
26. Your holidays? Good until the actual day.
27. What are you thinking about right now? To get over this cold.
28. Your car? Honda.
29. Your work? There.
30. Summer? Warm I hope.
31. Your relationship status? Happily married.
32. Your dream vacation? UK.
33. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday at something Niel was doing or saying.
34. Last time you cried? Recently.
35. School? Met the hubby.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Ours was good as good can be. My stomach virus has turned into a hacking chest cold. Sounds much worse then it actually is. Visited with friends and family. Niel and I were invited to a post holiday party at our friends Craig and Isabel's new place. We got the invite a few weeks ago and it was nice to get out of the house. Finding the new place was fine just a lot of little roads. Getting back was easier because Niel got a different set of directions from Craig to get on a highway. As usual Craig and Isabel were great hosts and served yummy food. They're new place is really nice. They're other friends had traveled from Albany, Massachusetts, D.C., and Southern Connecticut to see them. Which I thought was nice and that they stayed in touch even after college. Before heading over to Craig and Isabel's, Niel and I went to the new mall and took a look at the mini skating rink they had set up. Despite the drizzle there were some kids having fun skating. Niel thinks once all the stores open they will have better luck. The mall is still new and is struggling a bit. But they always seem to manage to come up with ways to try to get visitors. They're Amish market finally opened and it is amazing. Prices in comparison are reasonable. They had such variety in everything but especially flour, pasta, cheese, olive oil. Great for wine and cheese or olive oil tastings. We even found some squid pasta. Heh heh. Sunday we visited with my parents and caught up with them. It was a nice visit. A funny story about what happened on one of our errands. We went to the bank. This particular chain has a drive through. I think most banks have this option though. But you do need a car to use the drive through, right? Well there was this man with his dog just standing there waiting to be served. The teller yelled at him for being on the drive through line on foot. He held up his little dog to show her why he was outside. She said that they allowed dogs and to go inside. People have lost their minds.

Umm why didn't I know of Burger King's cheesy tots sooner?? Apparently they were introduced Spring of 2006, but I only discovered them last Saturday? And they are a limited time offer. How limited? I don't know. All I do know is I will try to consume as many as I can before getting sick. Or before they discontinue them. Whichever comes first.

What you ask are cheesy tots? If you haven't figured out from the name yet, they are tater tots with cheese in them! They are fantastic!! So hope you find some and enjoy them as much as I have.

Oh and it's delurking week so if you haven't commented before you can. Whatever if you don't. I know you're reading. You know who you are.

I sure do love good moose munch. Niel, remembered this so when he saw Harry and David's moose munch bars at our local supermarket, he brought some. I had no idea they came in bar form also. We found them a bit too sweet.

A movie I strongly suggest you all see is An Inconvenient Truth. It is a documentary by former vice president Al Gore about global warming. I know I've heard about the dangers of it ever since I can remember. But for some reason I never though anything terrible could really happen. Call it being naive or optimistic. I think many people have this outlook. The film shows what is happening now and the worst that could happen as quickly as fifty years from now if we don't do something to reverse the affects of global warming. I think something we all can agree on is we need earth to survive and we can all do something to save it. The movie shows simple things we can do everyday like not leaving on all the lights in the house, or let the water run, recycling. However we need help from people with more power. I suggest writing to our local representatives and even higher(over and over if necessary) to urge them to do something to save our planet for future generations.

I was glad to see NYC has a program for discarding Christmas trees. It's called Mulchfest! You bring your tree to a local park and their is a machine there to make good mulch out of it. I liked that it was so environmentally friendly and solved two problems at the same time.

Thanks for the well wishes! Hope your weekends were better. The post will be a little long and a little gross. Warning!

Friday was a miserable day. I caught whatever nasty bug poor Niel, my brother, his girlfriend, and a few of our coworkers had. I went to meet a client in the morning and felt fine. I got to the office around 1. I wasn't hungry but since I hadn't eaten since 7 I thought I should have something. So I got a fried Tofu Udon(Japanese soup). I told my friend Stephanie I was feeling funny. She suggested I should have toast instead. I so should have listened. The soup was my last meal for the rest of the day. And the thought of food the rest of the day was vile. I kept running to go to the bathroom. I had a bad case of.... well you know. Then nausea started to set in a bit after. Niel knows really well that intense nausea for me is the worst. I can't cope with it. I hate the feeling. I couldn't get comfortable in my chair. Then I get up to walk to the kitchen for some water. I didn't make it. I ended going into production and using one of their trash bins to throw up in. They were all very nice about it. Felt bad for whomever had to clean it up. Cause I sure forgot to. One of the designers ran to get me a trash can cause first he thought I had passed out, then he heard the barfing sounds and didn't know if I had a trash bin. Another designer ran to get me water. A sales person went to get me wet towels. One of my bosses got me a soda. Everyone was very nice. I threw up one more time. And then lay on the floor a mumbling Our office manager gave me plastic bags for the cab ride home. I immediately threw up in there too. Thanks goodness for those bags. I continued to either throw up or use the bathroom till 11 that night. After each upchuck I became very thirsty. Water and Ginger Ale never tasted so good.

Friday I stayed home and caught up on sleep. I couldn't sleep well the night before. Niel worked from home. He was a little sore from his own ordeal. I was a little sore Friday myself, but I wasn't up much. I need the rest. The few hours I was awake I drank water, had a tiny bit of rice and a toad in the hole and sat on the couch catching up on TV. Thank you DVR. Honestly I really didn't eat much the entire weekend. My eating and sleeping habits were out of wack. I didn't go to the bathroom normally till Saturday.

Saturday was a unnaturally beautiful day in NY and I believe most of the East Coast. I was feeling a little better so we went to the beach. Man it was unsurprisingly packed. But we walked around, Niel dipped his feet in the water and we met a two dogs. A two month old puppy named Bombay and his older "brother" Joey. I believe their owner said they were a mix of black Lab and New Zealand Maremmas. Man was that puppy ADORABLE!!! He just loved Niel. Nipping at his ankles. I think it was the salt water. LOL. Bombay the puppy came bounding towards us and then his much larger full grown brother wanted some attention and bounded toward us too. It was funny! I wish I didn't have allergies. I love animals.

Sunday there was light errand running, cleaning and laundry to be done. Now back to work.

Ani is not feeling so hot today ... She'll be back up and running soon ... and when I say up and running I am by no stretch of the imagination implying that she is a cylon.


-Niel

To commemorate Niel's, 100th beer I made him some cheesy beer bread. The recipe was ridiculously easy to make and turned out well. I also found a beer glass shaped cake pan, with foam and everything. Whatever wasn't eaten I froze. I figure it would be good for sandwiches.

I had been looking for peppermint candy shot glasses since I heard about them last year. I heard Target had them in their 99 cent bin. I didn't find them. I heard Urban Outfitters had them. Too pricey. Oriental Trading has candy shot glasses. But they were in other flavors and I specifically wanted peppermint. I finally found them at Duane Reade, a New York city chain drug store. I saw they had been reduced to $5.00 for a pack of four. You bet I brought some. The container the glasses came in had three recipes on the back. I was told by Niel, Dave and Holly the third recipe which was tried first was enjoyed the best.

It was also the same night Niel drank his 100th different beer. He was glad he accomplished his goal and that it is over.

Niel(along with his brother) likes to begin his new year by jumping into the waters of Coney Island. Before he jumps in he thinks its nutty but always afterwards he finds it invigorating. This was the first year there was a bit of drizzle in the air. But Niel is prepared with his Neoprene boots and cap. There are a ton of other people on the beach. Some come to watch the Polar Bear club, others like Niel and his bro join them. The air is filled with excitement that makes any hint of cold go away.

Happy 2007! Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend and are still having one. Whether it is nursing hang overs, eat overs or just jumping into some cold waters. That's what Niel is planning to do this afternoon and I am taking pics. More on that tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to watching two new shows on Wednesday evenings on ABC, starting at 9. The Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency.

I'm starting 2007 by taking part in the Weekend Cookbook Challenge 12: Stews. The founder of the Weekend Cookbook Challenge is Sara from I Like To Cook and the host for this month's challenge is Shaun from Winter Skies, Kitchen Aglow.

I made Donna Hays' Red Thai Beef Curry. But I added a bit more liquid to make the recipe stewier. I hope to participate in more Weekend Cookbook Challenges.

The dish is quite easy to make, flavorful and the winter squash and coconut pair well with the curry. I was worried it may be too sweet with the coconut, squash and pork, but it wasn't. The meats and squash came out tender. The best part was I only had to use one pot for cooking. Heh! I will definitely make this dish again. It really is a perfect anytime meal and not just for rainy winter days.

Red Thai Beef Curry-Donna Hay(Classics, Book 1)


2 teaspoons peanut oil
1/4 cup red curry paste(I used Aroy-D)
20 oz. blade or round stake cubed. (I also added some precooked pork bits.)
1 cup coconut cream
3/4 cup beef stock
14 ounces butternut pumpkin/squash, peeled and cubed. (Adding more is fine.)
2 kaffir lime leaves shredded. (I couldn't find but the dish was fine without.)
2 tablespoons small basil leaves. (I didn't add but the recipe was not lacking.)

Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the peanut oil and curry paste and cook for one minute or until fragrant. Add the meat and cook until browned. Add the coconut cream and stock and simmer, covered, over low heat for 30 minutes. Add the pumpkin and lime leaves and cook for 15-20 minutes or until meat and pumpkin are tender. Stir through the basil leaves and serve in bowls with steamed rice. Serves 4.