Fear the wrath of our pool

I have learned so much during my time in Florida. Coming from the northeast, I had no idea that there is such a wide variety of wildlife out there. And it all lives in my yard. People in Florida don't believe in signalling a turn, nor do they believe in posted speed laws. But I digress.

One of my latest lessons has been around our pool. We had a pool guy for a time and it was great. He took care of the chemicals and somehow the pool was always spotless, despite him only working on the pool once a week. It was brilliant. Once the economy turned sour, however, we decided that we needed to cut our expenses back a bit. One of the things we chopped was the pool guy. When I was a kid, I took care of the pool at our condo complex. I thought I did a pretty good job and the town of Mashpee only closed it down once or twice. Oops.

Our pool in Florida (and any newer pools, I'd imagine), are very different than the 1980s-model pool we had in Mashpee. We have all kinds of fancy equipment on the side of our house, complete with a device that blinks green AND red. It can't seem to make up its mind what color it wants to be. I took some time and figured out the workings of the pool. I thought we were in good shape. The only thing I failed to remember is that I can be lazy. And in Florida you can't be lazy and have a pool.

I had the process down pretty well. On the weekend I would get the supplies from the pool store, clean the pool, and do all the little things you need to do to keep the thing running. That worked out well. But then the lazy kicked in. I would skip a week here and there. In the summer you really have to be anal about your pool, otherwise it will turn green. Recently, I pushed the envelope a little too far. I let it go for two weeks. Oops.

During the second week of neglect, I noticed that the pool was starting to take on a cloudy look and wasn't the normal blue color. As the week went on, I saw the pool turn completely green and totally unappealing.

That weekend I knew I was going to have to spend some time getting this pool back in order if we were ever going to swim in it again. I got into the pool and literally scrubbed the sides and bottom with a brush, all the while ingesting some things that probably aren't so good for my body. Once I was done with that, I had to do the chemicals and then make sure that the water color and clarity started to head in the right direction. It did, and we can once again swim in the pool, but I don't even want to count the hours I spent fixing my mistake. I fought the pool and the pool won.

I am so lazy sometimes...

Wow, it has been too long since I last posted. I wish I could say it was because I was so busy with other things that I had nary a moment to sit down. But that's the not the case. It's simply being lazy. I just haven't felt like writing lately. Sometimes I have a million ideas coming to me and I can hardly get them down. Other times its like the Sahara - hot, dry, and no ideas for miles. Hopefully I am coming out of the funk. I would like to get back to posting more regularly. It's a personal goal for me. This blog is where I keep my collection of thoughts.

On another note, I have been watching John Stewart on The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report. My friend Beth is a big fan of these guys and she frequently posts blurbs from them on her Facebook page. For some reason, I hadn't really paid much attention to them, and recently I decided to watch an episode of John Stewart's show online. I loved it! I positively ate it up. I watched all the online episodes I could find. When I ran out, I turned to Stephen Colbert (I pronounce his name "COL-BERT", just because). To me he is almost FUNNIER than John Stewart, but I don't want to rank them. Their shows are the kind of liberal news that I can really get into. Oh, and the way they both make fun of Glen Beck just tickles me.

Pastitsio - Greek Lasagna

From here. I am not a huge cinnamon fan, so I went very light on that. You can add as much as you like. Be warned, though, there are different types of cinnamon, so you might want to also go easy the first time you make this and adjust the next time.

PASTITSIO (Adapted from Ina Garten's Greek Lasagna recipe shown on the Food Network)


Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup red wine
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1-1/2 teaspoon strong ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 can crushed tomatoes in their juice (28 ounces)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan, divided in half
2/3 cup Greek-style yogurt
2 eggs
3/4 pound pasta (macaroni-style, not spaghetti-style)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat; add onion and saute for 5 minutes; reduce heat to medium, add meat, and cook for 10 minutes; add wine, cook for 2 minutes; add garlic, cinnamon, oregano, and thyme, cooking for another 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper; bring just to simmer; cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes; set aside.

2. Heat milk and cream over medium-low heat until just simmering.

3. In separate pan, melt butter, then whisk in flour; cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly; add hot milk and cream; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until smooth and thick; remove from heat and add nutmeg, salt, pepper, half the Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of meat sauce; let cool for 5-10 minutes, then whisk in yogurt and eggs

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions

5. Combine drained pasta with meat sauce, add to large casserole dish; pour cheese sauce evenly over top; sprinkle with remaining half of Parmesan.

6. Bake for 1 hour, then let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Pastitsio, Ina Garten, Food Network, 2009

Poopie Doll - Please vote for my LOL at Cheezburger Network!

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Jet Blue Flight Attendant - Gimme a beer!

I heard a rumor on the radio that the person who bopped the Jet Blue flight attendant, Steven Slater on the head, is a Congresswoman from Texas. I don't know if there is any truth to this, but holy cow if is. What a PR nightmare for her.

I am still battling if I think this guy is a hero or not. I understand that everyone has a bad day (cue Daniel Powter song), and this guy was also taking care of his ailing mother, but does that warrant his actions? More specifically, that plane was out of commission for the rest of the day after he activated the emergency slide. He affected a large number of passengers, who were then going to have to wait for another plane to take them to their destination.

On the other hand, I really do think that flight attendants are not given their due. Their job isn't to get me a drink on the plane, it is to ensure the safety of the passengers. And if the alleged Congresswoman (or whomever it was) didn't listen to his warnings and then did not apologize to him for what happened, then shame on them.

I think I am going to go to the side of hero. You go, Steve Slater!

Sears - WTF?

Last weekend we went to our local Sears to buy a new grill. In the past we have always bought the same grill. It lasts about a year and then falls apart, so we get rid of it and buy the same one over again. This method worked for years, but this last time we decided that we were going to kick it up a notch and spend a little more money on a better grill. Both of us picked out the same grill from the Sears catalog, so we thought it was fate that we buy it.

We went to Sears and usually we are barraged by people trying to help us. But not this time. The woman who was selected to help us out (this was going to be the easiest sale of her day - we knew exactly what we wanted and we didn't want it put together for us) had zero personality. And I mean ZERO. We pointed out the grill we wanted to buy and she didn't say anything, just walked away towards the register. We followed, the faithful capitalists that we are. She went around to a register and we came up towards the front of the checkout desk. She then changed her mind and went to another register, never saying a word to us that we weren't going to be checking out from where we were standing. And then it happened again! We were like little puppies following this woman around. And she never said a word. Finally, she settled on a register that she liked and rang us up. Nothing was spoken. Steven asked her a question (something about where to sign the receipt). She just grunted. The only thing she did say to us was that we had to pick up our grill at Merchandise Pickup. OK, no problem.

When we got to Merchandise Pickup, we scanned our receipt into their system and waited for the grill to come out from deep within the bowels of Sears. As we were waiting, a guy came in, wearing an outfit that could only be described as club gear. And he had a giant chain around his neck. We assumed he was a customer also picking up his purchase, but he stood there and just looked at us. After a few uncomfortable seconds of us looking at each other, he finally asked us if we were being helped. We told him that we were (wondering why this guy was asking) and he said to us to let him know if "they" were treating us badly. At this point we started to think he must work at Sears, but he never introduced himself. Minutes passed and then someone came out of the back with our grill. He was friendly and we signed his paper and took our grill. The creepy Sears guy was still standing there wen we left. I hope he actually did work there and wasn't a crazy person. You never really know in Florida.

Interview Tips and Tricks

A friend of mine who recently moved is interviewing for jobs in his new town. He asked me for some tips on interviewing. I thought these are actually useful for anyone who is interviewing for a new job. What other tips would be helpful for a job-seeker?

* Look up the address online so you know where you're going. If you're not sure, take a ride over there the day before so you don't run into any surprises on the day of the interview. You don't want to be late.

* Arrive early (15 minutes early is good). This works for 2 reasons: first, it shows them that you are punctual, and also give you a few minutes and cool off if it is hot outside.

* For the shirt, it should be a button down nice shirt (if you have an iron, run it over the shirt a bit before). I only wear white or dark shirts. You don't want to have sweaty pits that show. A light blue shirt is the worst for this. I've learned the hard way. Any tie is fine.

* If they ask you if you would like something to drink, say yes. A glass of water helps.

* Bring several copies of your resume. 5 is good. Find a manila folder and put them in there. If your hands are sweaty the resumes will be wrinkled. No good, hence, the folder.

* Bring a pen. 2 is even better. You can put them in your shirt pocket if you don't want to hold them.

* Bring blank paper to take notes on, or use the back of one of the resume copies.

* If you don't know the answer to a technical question, be honest. Let them know that you don't know the answer, but you will find out and get back to them. This shows initiative. Write down the question on your paper and find out the answer when you get home.

* Smile. It goes a long way. Be yourself.

* Try not to be nervous. I know this is hard to do. Just think of this as a conversation between you and the other person (or people). We're all human.

* Ask them questions. At the end of the interview they will probably ask you if you have any questions. You always want to have a question or two. If they haven't covered it already, ask about the shift hours or what a typical day is like in the office.

* Have fun! Interviews shouldn't be a nervous experience. It's your chance to let them know a little bit about you and to find out more about the job.

* If they ask about money, be honest and tell them what you were making in your last job. You could also follow up with telling them that you are flexible. Who knows what this job pays and you don't want to scare them off if they're paying $8.50 an hour and you want to make $15 an hour. You can work on this later, if they like you.

* After the interview, send a thank you email to whoever interviews you. Tell them how nice it was to meet them and that you look forward to continuing your conversation about the position. Send that immediately when you get home from the interview.

J Alexanders Macaroni and Cheese

One of my favorite restaurant treats is the macaroni and cheese at J Alexanders. Recently we were talking about how much fun it would be to make it at home. It is such a cheesy, delicious treat. Why should we have to go out to have this delicious dish? Let's make it at home. I figured the recipe was a guarded secret, but a few minutes on Google turned up some surprisingly close matches. The one we think is the closest is below. This isn't a quick Mac and Cheese. If you're looking for that, check out Ina Garten's quick Mac & Cheese recipe.

J Alexanders Macaroni and Cheese (from Tanya)

6 cups chicken stock
2 cubes chicken base
2 cups (8 ounces) Cavatappi (also called cellentani or double elbows, is macaroni formed in a spiral tube shape with ridges)
3 tablespoons Pomace Olive Oil
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
3 tablespoons butter -- divided plus extra for greasing pan
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half and half
3 slices of thick cut bacon, cooked pressed and sliced in small bite size pieces (reserve the fat)
1/2 onion -- minced and sauteed in bacon fat
2 cloves of garlic pressed and sauteed with onion
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon Cholula
2 1/4 cups grated Gruyere cheese divided
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2c Panko

Bring 6 cups chicken stock and 1 1/1 cubes chicken base to rolling boil in medium saucepan. Add macaroni and cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and put in large bowl, toss with Pomace Olive Oil and lemon. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in cream. Stir in onion, bay leaf, sugar and Tabasco. Simmer gently, stirring often, 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in bacon and 1 1/2 cups cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf. Stir in macaroni. Pour half of mixture into greased, deep 1 1/2-quart baking dish (or 3-4 ramekins) and sprinkle with half of remaining cheese. Top with remaining macaroni and remaining cheese. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 cube chicken base in small skillet over medium heat. Add panko and toss to coat. Sprinkle buttered panko and Reggiano Cheese over top of macaroni. Bake at 350: F. until panko is lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Tracy Chapman - can you release a new album, pretty please?

One of my favorite singers is Tracy Chapman. Her voice is so soulful. Her two albums are among my favorites. Steven and I were talking the other day about her. I wondered if she had any recent albums. When I checked, her last album was a long time ago. We couldn't figure out why she hasn't released an album in so long?

Tracy, if you read this (yeah right!), can you go into the studio and record some new stuff? We're jonesin' for some new tunes!

My iPhone

I bought my iPhone about a year ago. We were starting to support them at work and no one had one. It made technical support a real challenge. My boss was strictly a Blackberry guy, so I finally gave in and got one myself. Overall, I am very happy with the iPhone. It is certainly a fun device, albeit, in my advice, more a toy than a business tool. But, I digress. You could argue this either way.

Not wanting to spend a lot of money since this was not fully endorsed by my boss at the time, I opted for a refurbished iPhone from AT&T. The price was right at the time - only $99. Although I quickly learned that old saying does apply: you get what you pay for.

When my phone first arrived I had no problems. It was a blast! Soon after we went on vacation up north and I brought the phone with me. I noticed almost immediately when we arrived in Boston that my phone had no service. I thought that was a little odd, but maybe the phone needed to adjust to a new network or something (cue the old days when you had to manually connect to a new network). No luck. I didn't worry about it since we were busy with our friends. A few days later we went to the Cape to see my parents. I still had no signal. I knew something was wrong. I called AT&T, but they gave me the runaround, saying that my parents lived in an area with limited service (they don't). I explained how this had also happened in Boston, but my complaints fell on deaf ears. Irritated, I gave up.

It wasn't until we had returned to Fort Lauderdale that, on a whim, I turned off the 3G service. Immediately my phone sprang to life with a full signal. Ah ha! My phone would not work on the 3G network. At that point I really didn't care because I just needed a phone that would work. Fast data speeds be damned!

Now, a year later, the pain of having a slow phone is mounting. Recently I upgraded to the new IOS 4 to get the new features touted by Apple. Bad move. My phone has slowed to a crawl. It is hardly usable. Even the more-recent 4.01 update hasn't worked. My phone is dying a slow death. The sad part is that I still have around a year on my contract. I am going to deal with it for as long as I can. I am really banking on Verizon getting an iPhone deal. I would switch in a minute. I have never loved AT&T service and this experience has cemented my love for Verizon.

Dreams are so strange.

Last night I had the most vivid dream. I was staying in a hotel room next to Bill and Hillary Clinton (and one of their mothers). The room I was staying in was very nice, but when I walked in there were a few things leftover from the previous guest (keys, watch, sunglasses, wallet). At this point I was suspicious. Checking the closet, it turned out that the previous guest had not checked out, and was missing. From here the dream got even stranger, with me hiding around the hotel from a guy was out to get me (not sure of me, or something to do with the previous guest). Occasionally I dream about elevators and going up and down, being very afraid that the elevator is going to crash into the first floor. This dream was no different. I saw the Clintons once during the dream (and their mom), but the dream wasn't really about them. I wonder where all this comes from?

We call him Duke - Part III

Based on some of the feedback I have received, I am going to start out by saying, no, we ultimately did not end up keeping Duke. But before you flame me, please read about how we came to this difficult decision. Part of me regrets even writing about this for other people to see, but I think it is an important lesson, not only for us, but for anyone who finds themselves in this situation...

I came home from lunch the other day and found Duke outside, fast asleep. Near him were the remnants of an extension cord that connects to our little outdoor beer fridge. I had no idea how he chewed that cord without getting shocked. He must have been shocked a little because the outlet had been tripped. I didn't blame him, since he is a dog and dogs like to chew things. Our dog, Millie, isn't interested in chewing anything that isn't food, so we didn't really have much in the way of chew toys. He ate his plastic food bowl, and I was fine with that. I felt bad that we didn't have more for him to play with, but saw this as a foreshadow of things to come. We would have a big problem if he started chewing the furniture, or as one friend told us, chewed a hole in the wall. This wasn't good.

Our hope was that someone would adopt the little guy. He is a wonderful dog and will make a great companion for someone who has the time to spend with a puppy. Steven and I split up a list of pit bull rescues and started calling. None had room for new dogs, but several recommended that we bring him to Animal Rescue and from there he would have visibility to the rescues and hopefully he would be picked up or adopted outright. The Humane Society of Broward County is a no-kill shelter (unless the dog is sick or a danger to other dogs and humans). We have both been to the location and felt that it was OK.

The next day I left work early and put Duke in the car to bring him to the HSBC. He rides in the car so well, unlike our Millie who is a basket case the entire ride. He just hung out and looked out of the window. I tried not to think about what was going to happen as we drove there. NPR had a very interesting story about books on during the ride, so that helped, but I kept looking back at him in the rear view mirror and couldn't help but feel sad. When we arrived at the HSBC, he jumped out of the car and we walked inside. Immediately I noticed a big sign that said they do not take stray animals. All stray animals needed to go to the county Animal Control. Ugh, that's just what we didn't want. The county Animal Control is so overwhelmed with dogs, that many good dogs are put down because they aren't adopted in time. Now I was torn.

The Broward County Animal Control office in Fort Lauderdale is literally at the airport. When you pull into their parking lot there are giant jets just feet away, getting ready to taxi for takeoff. It's cool and totally weird at the same time.  From the outside it looks like a run down building, but once you get inside, it is really nice. I walked Duke into the reception area and was immediately greeted by a woman who took my information. She came around from behind the counter and scanned Duke for a micro chip. He didn't have one, of course. Next, she pulled out a camera and took some shots of him. I told her about what we had done to treat him so far, and she took hold of the leash. At that point I turned and walked away. I knew I couldn't look back or I would have walked out the door with him. I heard her say to Duke "It's OK", but I didn't want to see his little face. I hope that we had him for a short enough time that he hadn't become attached to us, like we had to him. I focused on the jets as I drove away from the shelter and continued to listen to NPR.

That was several days ago. We wonder about him and hope he is doing OK. I don't know if we could ever foster a dog again. We're just not cut out for it.

We call him Duke - Part II

On Tuesday I had to go back to working in the office, so we were going to test out leaving Duke in the backyard. We hadn't had any problems so far. He did fall in the pool once, but so did Millie. We think it must be some sort of doggie right of passage they need to go through. We walked the dogs and put Millie in her crate and Duke out back. It is completely covered out there and he has a towel and water, so we weren't too worried. We have spent the day back there and if you're out of the sun, it's really not bad. But when I closed the door and walked away, he barked! We had never heard this dog utter a peep. I literally turned around and did a double take. This little dog could bark? I don't know why I was so stunned, but, for some reason, I just assumed he was a silent dog. Boy, was I wrong! This dog was fine if you were with him, but as soon as you walked away, he was barking. We knew it was because he wanted to play and was a puppy, but we have a dog that rarely barks. And, with him outside, we couldn't having him barking all day. The neighbors would kill us. Steven accurately pointed out that he was feeling better and getting his courage back, hence the barking. And he was starting to chew, too. First a garden watering jug. Next, an electrical cord. Uh, oh. We were in trouble...

Next, the final update on 'We call him Duke'...

We call him Duke

For as long as I've been an adult, I have wanted to foster needy dogs. Steven and I already have a dog, Millie, who is amazing and awesome in so many ways. But I thought that we could not only have a fantastic dog to keep, but also help other pups out in the process.

For a lot of reasons, we had yet to foster a dog. Both of us weren't on the same page about the whole "second dog" idea and our busy schedules got in the way of seriously talking about the idea and making any sort of plans. That is, until this past Sunday...

We were out and about running errands. As we walked up to the car, we saw a small dog run by. It was funny because not only were we in a very industrial area where one wouldn't necessarily see a dog running by, but this dog turned his head and looked at us as he trotted past us. It was very funny and cute, but you probably had to be there to get it. We called him over, but he kept on going and went around the corner of a nearby building. We shrugged and got into our car. As I was starting the car, I looked out of the window and there was the dog, standing at our car. So we got out of the car to say hello to this little guy. We immediately noticed that he wasn't in good shape. He was loaded with ticks and way too thin. But he was very cute and wagged his tail and let us inspect him. We decided we needed to take him with us. He wasn't wearing a collar and looked too sick to be someones recently lost pet. He let us pick him up and put him in the back of our wagon.

He rode very nicely in our car for the short trip home. He seemed happy, despite the many, many ticks on him. We didn't want him to interact with Millie at this point, since we didn't know his deal. We put him out back and immediately focused on giving him a flea and tick bath. He wasn't very eager for a bath, but let us do what we needed to do. He was a good little bather and let us pick at his ticks and prod him as we cleaned him up. This happened two more times as the night progressed. We don't know how many ticks we found, but we guess easily in the hundreds. There were everywhere. We gave him a heart worm pill  and some dinner and he passed out cold for the night.

On Monday I worked from home. My goal was to find out what we needed to do with the dog, whom Steven had started calling "Duke". I assumed that I would be able to bring him to the vet and have him checked out after I reported him missing to the local shelters. I also posted an ad for him on Craig's List, since a lot of dog owners post lost and found dogs on there. I spoke with our vet's office and told them what we had done so far. They suggested that we contact a place in Boca Raton that specializes in medical services for stray animals. We had no idea how much it was going to cost to have this little guy all fixed up with the puppy shots, spay, heart worm prevention, etc. We do all that for Millie, but we never calculated the cost to do all of that at once. It was a lot and it wasn't in our budget. So we decided to focus on getting all the ticks off of him and used a small dose of flea prevention medicine that we use on Millie, so at least he would be comfortable. When he first arrived, he was scratching and biting himself like crazy. That all stopped once we got rid of the fleas and ticks.

Duke slept pretty much the entire time for a day and a half. He would wake up if we came out back and play with us, but then he would go right back to sleep. He must have been exhausted from being on the streets, and was simply too tired to do anything else. We took him for walks (he walked great on a leash) and fed him and played with him, but we didn't let he and Millie meet. Millie could see him from inside the house, but we banned her from the backyard while Duke was back there. She is a healthy dog and we didn't want to risk her catching anything from him until we knew his health status.

While all of this was going on, we were trying to decide what to do with Duke. No one had called to claim him. One person whom I spoke with told me that she would be surprised if someone claimed him. She said there are so many stray dogs out there and people who can no longer afford their dogs oftentimes turn the dog loose. The problem with this is that then the dogs breed and more and more dogs are running around loose. A better alternative is for people who cannot afford to care for a pet to bring the animal to a local shelter. More on this later, but when the woman told me this, I was worried. At that point we weren't sure if we were going to keep Duke or not. We just wanted to get him off the streets and back to good health.

Next, part II of 'We call him Duke'...

Brownstone Front Cake - sometimes you win, sometimes you lose

Recently a friend told me about Brownstone Front Cake. It is a southern cake that his family made from time to time and it was a favorite. It sounded really good, with chocolate cake and a caramel icing, so I decided to make it. I had no idea what I was in for.

The cake itself isn't hard to make. In fact, the actual cake is delicious and very light and fluffy. But when it was time to make the icing, I knew I was in trouble. Unlike traditional frosting, caramel icing is poured over a cake. Also, this icing takes 45 minutes to cook on the stove, and you need to be near it to stir frequently, so it doesn't burn. There are few things grosser than burned caramel. Below is the recipe and some pictures of the fallout front he cake. As they say: if at first you don't succeed, try, try, again!

MAKE SURE THE CAKE AND ICING ARE COOL BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO ICE THE CAKE. SEE PICTURES BELOW FOR EVIDENCE OF THIS! You will be sorry otherwise!

**note - I found this recipe at BlairPeter, but there are many variations of this recipe.

Brownstone Front Cake

3/4 cup warm water 1 tsp. vanilla

3 Tbsp. cocoa 1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups sugar 1 cup buttermilk

1/2 lb. of unsalted butter, softened 3 cups all-purpose flour

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cocoa in warm water and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well with each addition. Add vanilla to cocoa and water and add to mixture. (At this point, my cake batter looked curdled, but don't dismay, it will change.) Add soda to buttermilk. Alternate adding flour and buttermilk mixture to bowl, mixing only to combine with each addition. I ended with buttermilk, made sure all was mixed. At that point I has gorgeously smooth batter a beautiful golden brown color. Pour equal amounts into 3 buttered and floured cake pans. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before icing it.

Icing

3 1/2 cups sugar (I know!) 12 oz. Carnation evaporated milk

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (!!) 1 1/4 tsp. vanilla

Cook sugar, butter, and evaporated milk in a heavy bottomed pot on stove top. Bring to a bubbling boil, then lower the heat to a bubbly simmer, stirring often and adjusting heat as necessary. Cook 35 to 40 minutes. Add vanilla, beat mixture in bowl of electric mixture until creamy.*This icing needs to cool down quite a bit before spreading it on the cake, so you could start it while the cake is baking. Spread a generous amount of icing between each of the layers, then spread the remainder of the of the icing over the cake. If icing still seems to be running, put everything in the refrigerator to cool down.

Hot dogs steamed in beer

We went to a little July 4th party yesterday afternoon (spontaneous, since the weather was lousy). I tried a hot dog steamed in Sam Adams beer. I think there should be a rule that all hot dogs must be cooked in beer. It was so delicious. You didn't even have to put anything on it (I put a little mustard, but wouldn't next time). The beer flavor comes out of the dog and it is so delicious and tender. I mean, this is a hot dog, but cooked in beer, it was a dog taken to the next level. I'd recommend a heavier beer (such as Sam Adams). Our friend cooked them in a crock pot, but I imagine you could just as easily boil them on the stove in beer. Muy delicioso!

Welcome Steven! stevencooks.com

Welcome to the blogosphere, Steven! Take a moment to check out Steven's new cooking/foodie blog at http://www.stevencooks.com/!

South Beach - Lincoln Road Mall

Our friend Kelly was in town this past week and we took a ride down to Miami to check out South Beach (it's about a thirty minute ride from Fort Lauderdale). We had been there once before, but we really hadn't much time to explore the Lincoln Road area and wanted Kelly to see it. It is definitely the place to see and be seen. The people watching is amazing. Everyone is dressed up, many women were wearing super high heels and even the guys were sporting Armani and all the expensive wear. One could just sit in a chair and watch everyone for hours, which is what we saw a lot of. I wasn't expecting this, and found myself literally staring at people as they walked by (so was everyone else). There are lots of shops and restaurants. It's easy and fun to make a day trip and at the beach is located at one end of Lincoln Road, so you can even catch some rays. Parking is a bit of a challenge, though. There are lots behind the mall area, but you might have to fight with other drivers to get a good spot. We went over our time on the meter and got a ticket, but it wasn't too much, so we didn't pout about it.

If you're in the area, check out Lincoln Road Mall. You won't be disappointed.

Don't say ain't - remember this one?

Don't say 'ain't'.
Your mother will faint.
Your father will fall
In a bucket of paint.
Your sister will cry.
Your brother will die.
Your dog will call the FBI.

Media Card Reader for Gateway NX860S Laptop

We have a Gateway NX860S laptop. It shipped with Windows Vista and a few months ago I loaded Windows 7 on it. The install went smoothly and all the devices were recognized by Win7 with the exception of the media card reader. It wasn't a big deal because my Canon PowerShot SD450 can also upload photos to the computer using a USB cable. Recently, however, the camera hasn't been working with the cable on either of our two computers. I searched around for a Windows 7 driver for the reader, but was unable to find one. Since Vista and Windows 7 are very similar OSs under the hood, I took a gamble and installed that driver on the Windows 7 laptop. It worked! Now I can just slip the card into the slot and upload my photos. Yahoo!

The driver I used is available from gateway here:
http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/getFile.asp?id=21836&uid=273435317

Easy Lasagna

One thing I've learned in my few short years of cooking is that it is very hard to screw up a lasagna. You may run out of an ingredient while assembling your lasagna, but who cares? Or you may not have an ingredient, no big deal. The only way I've seen a messed up lasagna is when the noodles dry out, and that can usually be avoided by keeping the dish covered tightly with aluminum foil.

Another thing I love about this meal is that you can make it ahead of time and then stick it in the fridge to be cooked when you are ready. It's a perfect meal to make if you're having guests and you don't want to spend the entire time in the kitchen. Pair it with a salad and garlic bread and you'll have a meal that is always a winner.

To make, you'll need:

One box of lasagna noodles (I prefer the plain noodles, not the no-bake ones, but you can use those if you must)

2 pounds of meat (this is fun because you can use hamburger, sausage, chicken, or even no meat and substitute with broccoli) - in this meal I used boneless chicken breasts

2 small containers of Ricotta cheese (I like part-skim, low fat)

1 large bag of mixed cheeses (I like Parmesan blend)

1 large package of mushrooms (any kind)

White Sauce (makes about 4 cups)
1/2 cup minced onions
6 Tb butter
1/2 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boiling the Lasagna
Drop lasagna noodles into boiling water. Add salt, EVOO.
Boil slowly, uncovered for 13-15 minutes until "al dente"
Drain immediately.
Rinse rapidly in cold water.
Hang piece by piece over edge of colander to dry. (keeps them from sticking to each other)

White Sauce
Blend onions with butter over moderate heat.
When butter is bubbling, add chicken stock and blend in flour, stirring with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes, without browning the sauce.
Remove from heat and whisk.
Sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon fairly heavily.
Boil for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste.
(if not using immediately, keep at a simmer, stirring to keep from burning)

I boiled the chicken. It's the easiest way, in my opinion, and you don't have to keep an eye on it.


In a large cooking pan I spooned out enough white sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the dish. Next, I laid out 4 lasagna noodles to cover the bottom of the pan. Then I sprinkled chicken, more white sauce, ricotta, and cheese blend. Lastly, I put freshly ground pepper and salt on top. repeated this 3 more times until the noodles and mixture were at the top of the dish.


Since we weren't ready to eat yet, I covered it in Saran Wrap and put it in the freezer. Steven made some delicious ciabatta bread to go with this. Viola! It's an easy, inexpensive meal that is always a hit. And you'll definitely have leftovers in there's just two of you!

Assembled and ready for the oven (or the fridge)

Assembling the lasagna

White Sauce

Hanging the noodles


Here's what you'll need

The French Chef

If you haven't had a chance yet, take some time and check out Julia Child's The French Chef reruns on The Cooking Channel. It really is a treat to see Julia work her magic on all kinds of things from a Cake with a Halo, to Lasagna a la Francaise, to a very interesting hamburger concoction (I can't find this recipe online - it was very interesting, consisting of oysters for the first course, hamburger and rice with onions and crepes). Of course, with the food, another joy is Julia herself. Each episode was filmed start to finish in one take, so sometimes she makes mistakes. It's nothing like today's over-edited shows, this one is just as it is - problems or not. It's a refreshing experience!

Sandra Lee - Tortellini Soup

YUMMY! Just be sure to add extra liquid to this. Mine was a little lacking in this area...

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (14.5-ounce) can less sodium beef broth
3 cups water
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen Italian vegetable blend
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen cheese tortellini

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Saute for 2 minutes, then add the beef broth and 3 cups of water. Add all of the remaining ingredients, except the tortellini. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tortellini and simmer until the tortellini are cooked, another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle into serving bowls and serve with Herb Focaccia, if desired.

My Exit Strategy

I love this cute love story. Always a sucker, I guess!

Excerpt from The Boston Globe:

If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from my dating career – aside from
the fact that everyone apparently loves hiking – it’s that being 41 and single
is not what the ladies would technically classify as sexy. That was my status
last year, and if we’re being honest, it was starting to wear on my confidence.
I clung to the idea that I was still a decent catch, but I knew the unavoidable
reality was that I was a little past fresh. Continue
Reading...

QR Code

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code

Jamie Oliver - Ground Beef Wellington

Recently I made Ground Beef Wellington from Jamie Oliver's latest book. It was quite delicious and not very hard. I let the meat marinate overnight to really let all the goodness sink in.

1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
4 sprigs fresh rosemary removed from the stem and chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic
large handful of frozen peas
1 lb of ground beef
1 lg egg, beaten
2 sheets of puff pastry
2 portabella mushrooms
Salt and pepper

Dice the celery, onions, carrots and mushrooms into small (1/4 inch) cubes and sauté together for approximately for 8 minutes until softened, adding garlic and rosemary a couple minutes in. Place in a bowl and mix in frozen peas. While that cools, mix a good pinch of salt and pepper, half the beaten egg, and ground beef in another bowl. With Clean hands, mix together with cooled veggies. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.

On a well floured surface, place the two sheets of puff pastry out. If using pre-rolled make sure its about 12"x16" roughly, and if using unrolled make sure to use plenty of flour to roll to those dimensions as it can be sticky or tear. Centre the beef mixture and brush edges with some of remaining egg. Roll around beef and seal the edges, then brush with remainder of egg. Place on a floured cookie sheet (use one with a lip because it will drip a bit), and cook for 1 hour or until golden brown.

Serve with mash potatoes and gravy and you have a great comfort meal. Enjoy!

Humane Society of the United States

From here:

Answer me these three true or false questions with respect to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS):

True or false: The Humane Society of the United States is an umbrella group that represents thousands of local humane societies all across America.

True or false: My local humane society or pet shelter is affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States.

True or false: The Humane Society of the United States contributes most of its money to local organizations that care for dogs and cats.

If you answered TRUE to any of the above, you chose wrong. Here's why: HSUS does not represent, nor is it affiliated with any shelter. Not a single one. And less than half of one percent of its collected monies is donated to the care of shelter animals. Surprised? So were plenty of respondents to a recent poll undertaken by Humane Watch, an organization with a penchant for proving that, "most Americans don't understand what the Humane Society of the United States is really all about, that the organization's money isn't going where the public thinks it's going, and that a lot more transparency will be required if the organization is going to earn a legitimate place in our national discussion about animals."Ouch!In case you're searching for some solid truths in all this confusion, here's where there's little doubt: The HSUS is an organization outwardly dedicated to changing how America treats its animals (pets and non-pets alike). Its goals, however, have been increasingly questioned by a wide variety of animal welfare-based organizations especially with respect to its increasingly radical-leaning politics. Indeed, it's alleged that HSUS recruits donations on the basis of donors ill-informed association with underfunded shelter care, only to spend it on a bloated bureaucracy devoted to developing a political machinery more akin to a PETA in sheep's clothing than anything else. The sheep's clothing thing? Here's what I mean (again, according to the Humane Watch poll):

79 percent of Americans say they are "very" or "somewhat" familiar with HSUS
77 percent say they have a "very" or "somewhat" favorable view of HSUS
63 percent believe that if they had $100 to donate to charity, HSUS "would be a worthy recipient of that money"

And out of these 1,008 polled persons, 71 percent, 63 percent, and 59 percent answered "true" to the above true or false questions, respectively. So does that adequately display a disparity between perception and reality? I think so. And not just because the numbers reflect statistical significance, but also because it rings so true. After all, less than five years ago I would have answered "true" to at least two of the true or false questions. If you read back to my past posts (2006 or thereabouts), you’ll see proof of my previous ignorance. Which is why I wouldn't blame you if you're still skeptical of this post's factual offerings.But ultimately, this isn't about the HSUS. It's about where YOU allocate your pet-dedicated dollars. And you might still choose HSUS. But do so with an understanding of where your money goes, OK?

Dr. Patty Khuly

http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2010/june/humane_society_donations

The Situation releases a "rap song"

A friend of mine recently told me that The Situation, of Jersey Shore fame, is releasing a rap song. The singer, known for flashing his abs, is moving into the music realm and releasing a rap song, appropriately titled "The Situation". Oh, and it is definitely a situation. And not a good one.

A clip has been released to tease the public, or rather, taunt the public. I can see this song being played in clubs for laughs, but since the Jersey Shore crew doesn't have the best reputation, I doubt this is going to be a club anthem. Plus, it is so heavily auto-tuned, it might as well be me rapping in the song. My favorite line is where he is going to 'get some ass and drink some gas'.

Stay classy, Situation.

Check out a clip of the song here.

Cancun Mexican Grille, North Andrews Avenue Fort Lauderdale

Recently we went to a new Mexican restaurant that took over the old Steak & Ale building near our house. I was sad to see S & A close. I really liked their salad bar, and they had great burgers. For lunch you could get a coke and a burger for $5. You couldn't beat it. But then hard times hit and Steak & Ale (as well as Bennigan's, apparently owned by the same company) closed down. All of them. And the building sat empty for almost two years. Even the nearby Bennigan's building stood empty until TD Bank bought it, knocked it down, and is in the process of building a bank branch in its spot.

I was delighted to see a sign on the old Steak & Ale building advertising a new, Mexican restaurant was opening soon. We have no shortage of Mexican places near us, and most are very good, so I was excited to see a new one on the block. I could eat Mexican every day, so it's nice to spread the love among a handful of good places to eat.

When we arrived at the restaurant (for lunch), we remarked how much it still looked like Steak & Ale inside. They kept all the furniture, the things on the wall, I bet the salad bar is still in there somewhere. I actually liked it, because of my fondness for S & A. Our fun ended there, though. The chips they brought us were tri-colored, and while fun to look at, they left a funny taste in my mouth, I think due to the dye in the chips. And many Mexican places have both hot and mild salsas. We both always eat the hot and leave the mild. They only have one salsa here, and that is fine. The salsa wasn't bad, but for hot salsa lovers like we are, it was a little disappointing. And with the strange tasting chips, it was a let down. I ordered a cheese quesadilla and Steven ordered soft tacos. Both of these items were on the lunch menu, and every Mexican restaurant down here always gives you rice and beans with the meal. My entree didn't come with anything, which was a bummer because I really love the rice. Steven said his meal was OK, but neither of us were particularly blown away. They should include the beans and rice with all Mexican entrees, especially since the other places do.

All in all, it was just OK. We didn't hate it, but we probably won't go back. They are in a great location and the building is huge, so they will probably be fine, but if anyone has been to a Mexican restaurant in south Florida and then goes here, they might be a little let down.

Cancun Mexican Grille, North Andrews Avenue Fort Lauderdale

Chalk Eating, Extreme Tanning, and Hoarders

We watched a very interesting show last night on Discovery Health. It was about people who have abnormal cravings for things. One girl was addicted to eating chalk, another couldn't stop tanning, and one was a shopaholic. The shopaholic was interesting, but, in my opinion, run of the mill. The chalk eater and the chronic tanner were the ones I was most interested in.

The girl who eats chalk was interesting to me because you wouldn't know it if you met her. She is very sly with her chalk eating. When she told one of her good friends about her secret, he was amazed to learn this fact about her. The only thing he mentioned was that he recognized the sound of her chomping on the chalk, but never questioned that it was anything but a breath mint or something. She also admitted that she enjoyed taking a swig of detergent when she does her laundry. From what her doctor told her, there really isn't much harm to her body by eating chalk, however the detergent wasn't a good thing. I felt physically ill watching this girl munch on chalk, but I couldn't stop watching. It was fascinating to me.

The girl who was addicted to tanning was really sad, in my opinion. She looked completely ridiculous and was bright orange. She would tan every day, sometimes multiple times, and never wore any sunscreen. She felt that she didn't look good if she wasn't tan. The sad part was that her sister, who looked much like her, was not a serial tanner and looked really cute. The tanner girl looked like Anna Nicole Smith, and not in a good way. I felt bad for her, because it was completely obvious that she has major self-esteem issues that go deeper than the tanning. At one point the show took her to a dermatologist to discuss the effects of tanning. She got very upset and stormed out of the office and wouldn't let the show tape her after that.

After this show another gem came on, this time about hoarders. It was late and we should have gone to bed, but we stayed up and watched the hoarders. This was another sad situation, because the hoarders just can't help themselves. Of the 3 people they featured, only one was able to be somewhat successful. The successful guy lived in New York and really let the person who was helping him get rid of things. The other 2 featured really didn't want to be helped. One woman was being helped by her son, and all they did was fight about it. It was sad. Another couple tried to get rid of some of their things, but they are both hoarders, although the husband won't admit it.

We all have our issues, and I am in no way poking fun at anyone. It is interesting to me how we all work as humans and it is fun to learn more about how we are similar, and how we are very different.

Selling on eBay

It has been a while since I have sold something on eBay. I used to do it every now and again, but I can't remember the last time now. Recently we have been cleaning out our house and I found a few things that we didn't need, but would be good candidates to sell on eBay.

I posted the stuff on eBay's site and let it go for the duration of the auction. Once the auction was over I received the PayPal payments from the winning bidders, now is time to ship! But, wait. There is a hold on my PayPal account for 21 days until the bidders leave me feedback. WTF? I have been an eBay member for 10 years, they should now me by now. Anyway, I can deal with that.

I decided to let the local UPS Store pack and ship the items. To me it seemed worth it to let them pack everything up and take care of the shipping. But, boy, this comes at a price. For one of the items I sold, the shipping was over $80, and another one was $50. Yikes! What I don't understand is that the shipping is so expensive, but I couldn't charge those kinds of prices for my auction item shipping. Even if I sent this through the US Postal Service it still would have been a lot to ship, plus I would have to find my own boxes and packing gear.

My question is this - with all the "eBayers" out there, what is the best way to maximize your return, but not spend all day packing up and shipping the gear you sold?

Steak 954 at the W Hotel Fort Lauderdale

A few years ago we had steak tartare at our friends' wedding. It was a perfect appetizer and they served it on little spoons. I thought it was really clever, and totally delicious. It was the first time I had had tartare, and I knew I liked it.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Somehow I got it into me that I needed to sample some tartare soon. A friend suggested we check out Steak 954 at the W hotel on Fort Lauderdale beach. We're always up for a trip to the beach, so we piled into the car and headed over to the W Hotel.

The hotel is very cool and all modern inside. We gave our car to the valet and headed in to Steak 954. We sat outside, with a great view of the beach and ordered a delicious bottle of Presecco and the steak tartare appetizer. I was not disappointed. The tartare was just as I remembered it, and was served with toast points.

The recipe below is what I imagine our tartare was made of. Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse and The Food Network:

Ingredients
Assorted fresh greens
12 ounces beef tenderloin or sirloin
Worcestershire sauce
Hot pepper sauce
Salt
Black Pepper
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup minced red onion
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
2 eggs
4 slices of white bread, crusts removed, brushed with olive oil and lightly toasted
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Garnish 2 plates with the fresh greens.Place the beef on a cutting board and finely chop with a very sharp knife. Season to taste with Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, salt and black pepper. Shape the meat into 2 patties of equal size and center each on a plate of fresh greens.

Around each meat patty arrange half of the capers, Dijon mustard, red onion and parsley. Carefully break the 2 eggs, reserving the yolk and half of each shell. Place the yolks in their eggshell cups, then sit an egg cup in the center of each patty. Serve the steak tartare with toast points, olive oil, and hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauces on the side.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/steak-tartare-recipe/index.html

http://www.steak954.com/

Easiest Tuna Salad

1 can of WHITE ALBACORE tuna (don't skimp on this; cheap tuna tastes cheap)
1/2 small onion
2 or 3 stalks celery
Duke's Mayonnaise (or Helman's)
Chopped jalapeno peppers (from a jar)
salt
pepper
lettuce

Finely chop the onion. Cut the celery stalks in half lengthwise, and chop into 1/4 inch cubes. Add both to a medium bowl. Drain the tuna and add to the bowl. Add a little mayonnaise to the mixture (here is where you can blow it - add about a tablespoon of mayonnaise and stir everything up). If needed, add a little bit more mayo to the mixture, but be very careful not to add too much. There's no going back at this point! Once you are happy with the consistency, add salt and pepper to taste, as well as the jalapeno peppers.

Toast a couple of hoagie rolls, add a lot of lettuce and add tuna to the bread. Enjoy!

I don't know what happened to us, but ever since we moved to Florida, we have been able to grow orchids like nobody's business. It all started with a single orchid that we received from a friend. The orchid was in good shape when we got it, and it just continued to grow. And grow. It bloomed for almost 2 months and then didn't bloom for a while, and then bloomed again! I know this sounds silly, but this damn orchid was going crazy. The leaves were huge and it just kept getting bigger. Since then we have added 5 more orchids, all of whom are doing great. Our most recent addition is an orphaned one from a family member who wasn't able to properly care for the flower. I hope it does as well as the others! I will post pics soon.

This past January we ditched Comcast and moved over to AT&T U-Verse. We had lots of problems with Comcast and were thrilled with our new service. For months things were great. Until very recently...

Recently we noticed that the AT&T U-Verse Scientific Atlanta cable box would not turn on. We would have to hold the power button down for 5 seconds to perform a soft reboot. After that we wouldn't have any more problems that day. But the next day we would most likely have to perform anther soft reboot.

This went on for a week or so and then one day our OnDemand content wouldn't start, or if it did, it would freeze up. This was right in the middle of us trying to catch up on True Blood. Grrrr. But we made it through somehow.

Looking online, I found that there are others with the same problem as us (no surpruise there). This link http://utalk.att.com/t5/Equipment/Am-I-another-victim-of-the-U-Verse-HDMI-problem/m-p/63157, among others, shows that the problem is sometimes related to the HDMI cable between the box and the TV. That would have never occured to me. I was under the impression that the problem was related to the gateway device, and not with the actual Scientific Atlanta device. Who knew? As a test, I removed the HDMI cable from the equation and am using the good old coaxial cable. So far, so good. Sometimes technology is just effed up.

True Blood - the missing season?

Recently we realized that we had missed an entire season of True Blood. We watched the first season last year (reruns) and loved it. Then it ended. And we moved on to another show. Last week we heard that season 3 was getting ready to premiere. We were super excited and one night while talking to a friend, we realized that we had missed an entire season. An ENTIRE season. WTF? Yeah, we're losers.

So, we spent a lot of time this weekend catching up on the missed season. Boy, we loved it! The last couple of episodes were a little cheesy, but it ended on a great note and definitely will keep us anxious for more! It's kind of like Mad Men, which we are dying to see when it starts up again this summer.

New offering from the farm?

I believe they are pronounced "TOMA-OTAYS".