neurosesgalore.com

Priming the Pump

2008-11-18T02:35:33Z

For holiday shopping that is. I know, we’re tightening belts around here too but still, the girl needs a few things under the tree right? The play kitchen I’ve had my eye on for months was discounted 30 dollars this past weekend so we picked that up. I think she’ll be very exited about that. I have dishes and pots and pans from Ikea stashed away here somewhere to go along with it. I broke down and ordered her a paperback copy of Baby Shoes and a used copy of Hi, Cat which I’ve been thinking about since last year.

Speaking of things I’ve been pining over for a year or more, I picked up some hairpins and Holiday Heap over the weekend. Whether or not I’ll ever wear them remains to be seen I just really, really wanted them. I’d post a picture but my camera is decommissioned because my battery charger suddenly and mysteriously conked out on me. I should have a new one of each by Thursday so I can figure out whether it’s actually the battery or the charger that’s causing the problem. Hopefully it’s not the camera.. but then again I could ask santa for my new lens and the new nikon DSLR that also takes video. Anyway, that’s how I ended up on Amazon ordering books. Shopping on Amazon is like going to Target nay, Walmart because they’re always slashing prices and showing you the deep, deep discounts coming at ya.

I cast on (an re-cast on and re-cast on) a new pair of mittens for Chase. I have about 20 knitting books but I always use Knitting for Baby because I (usually) find the instructions clear and easy to follow and because the projects are simple and cute. These are toddler mittens knit in the round on double pointed needles. The project is too small to knit on circular needles and let me tell you these double pointed jobbies are no joke. I had to go online looking for further explanation but only ultimately figured it out after doing it over and over again. What I learned was to not be dumb about knitting but in all seriousness, that simple point just wasn’t coming to me. I might write a little tutorial on the finer points of not being stupid when I get my new battery.

The reason that I’m knitting, I’m noticing a pattern here, is that my sewing machine is in the shop. It needs a tuneup to deal with what I can only imagine is some kind of timing issue. It’s a solid machine though so I’m pretty confident that it’s nothing disastrous. AND, most promisingly, I met someone who thinks they might be able to thread my ancient industrial Juki overlock. I’d love to get that baby up and running. You know, so I can use it late at night and cut a finger off instead of just sewing over it.

I’ve been doing a little but not nearly enough cooking. I was supposed to prep a casserole tonight for dinner tomorrow but haven’t and now it’s way late. I might push myself to get it done instead of paying for it tomorrow. Chase has had some kind of food epiphany. Completely unprovoked the child, who on one occasion last week ate only a single grain of rice and a bite of chicken for dinner, ate (almost) a whole scrambled egg, half a grilled cheese, carrot sticks and almost a whole flounder filet with rice AND salad. She didn’t eat that all at once, but the sheer variety of it all has my mind reeling. Even though I never really pressed the issue I thought she’d just eat crackers for the rest of her life. I’m glad that my approach didn’t come back to bite me, not yet anyway.

Lastly, because I’m feeling really proud of myself, I cleaned out the fridge today. It was much needed.

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On Local Eggs

2008-11-14T01:27:50Z

I bought my first dozen eggs from a coworker that lives out in Carroll County. I try to weigh every food decision I make in consideration of all the information that I’ve accumulated on the subject of food. There’s so much information out there that when it comes to figuring the mess out it’s hard to know whether you’re coming or going. Marion Nestle wrote a good book that provides a comprehensive analysis of what can be found inside your local supermarket, how to decipher the information given and what it all means for the consumer. She also has a blog that she updates regularly with useful information that you can find here.

I mention that because on some level I’d prefer it if the carton my coworker’s eggs came in was stamped with words like organic, natural and free range. The whole idea of it has just been drilled into my brain for so long which, of course, was the goal of ‘big organic’ that produced those eggs for the grocery store. All this is to say that I’ve concluded that I am happy to pay a buck fifty (I was wrong about 75 cents) for a carton of oddly shaped and randomly sized eggs even though they’re not certified by any government agency because I know that a) the chickens are her sons pets, b) she feeds the same eggs to her family and c) they are incredibly fresh.

Oh, and Chase’s first order of business? Crack and egg just like I showed her on Tuesday night, except unsupervised and on the dining room table. I saved the egg after the first tap and before it was completely decimated but as soon as I had the egg put somewhere safe Chase had moved on to carrying half a cake into the kitchen for me. Carrying it, I should add, by the plastic dome as opposed to the base. I saved that too and then I scooped her up and gave her a big hug.

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Quick Update :: A Short Week

2008-11-13T02:31:05Z

A day off is always nice but somehow leaves you short on time when there’s stuff that has to get done. I got my results and things just keep picking up steam at work. I guess passing lends something to my credibility. There’s stuff to be done at home too. I have an enormous bag of apples that I’ve been trying to get to for a while. I did manage to sort out all the last minute details about the book project and it’s all good to go. Hopefully with that off the table I’ll be able to get to the apples tomorrow. No matter though, the weekend is so close I can practically taste it.

My coworkers had a surprise cake for me today to celebrate my good news, isn’t that nice? Tomorrow I’m buying my first dozen eggs from a coworker too… for 75 cents. 75 cents a dozen! When was the last time you paid that for a dozen eggs? We were buying them from the same place we get our meats, but with 100lbs in the freezer there’s no need to make a special trip once a week for a dozen eggs.

The new season of top chef starts in 30, I think it’s time to put the kettle on.

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Quick Skillet Lasagne

2008-11-10T00:36:01Z

I made this for dinner tonight. It’s based on a recipe from a source you might recognize but that I won’t mention here. From what I hear they’ll come heavy if they hear you’ve made one of their recipes and, god forbid, told anybody about it.

We really enjoyed this and thought it was as satisfying as a traditionally baked lasagne but really quick and simple to throw together. The only tricky part is in the simmering. You must stir it occasionally and keep it over a low flame to prevent the noodles from sticking and scorching.

Here’s how it goes.

1lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes drained, plus enough water to make 2 1/2 cups.
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 lb lasagne noodles broken into 1″ pieces
1 1/2 c shredded fresh mozzarella
8 oz ricotta cheese

Brown the beef in a deep skillet, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste over high heat. You can season the meat any way you’d like, however you would season it for making spaghetti sauce etc. (I added a little garlic powder for good measure). Remove from pan and set aside. You’ll need about a tablespoon of drippings in the pan to cook the onions and garlic, if you have any more than that you can discard it.

Turn the heat down to medium high and add the onion, garlic and a pinch of salt. Stir, scraping up any loosened bits for 3-5 minutes until the onions soften slightly.

Add the tomatoes, reserving their juices in a measuring cup and adding enough water to make 2 1/2 cups and add that too. Add a hefty pinch of salt for the pasta, the oregano and stir in the broken noodles. Brink the pot to a simmer, cover and turn heat to low. Continue to simmer the mixture of 20 minutes or until noodles are cooked.

When the noodles are cooked through turn off the heat, adjust the seasoning, add the cooked beef and stir in the mozzarella cheese. Dollop the ricotta over top by heaping tablespoonful, cover and let sit for 3 minutes.

Serve and enjoy! We ate this with a salad of baby spinach on the side. I’ll be eating it for lunch tomorrow, I’m sure it will make good leftovers. It makes at least enough for 4, but maybe 6 smallish portions served with a good salad and bread.

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Mabel and Me

2008-11-09T18:39:22Z

The sheer cuteness of it is almost too much for me and I want you to share in my suffering : ) I met Emma almost two years ago at the children’s program at the public library. We were both regulars at Mother Goose on the Loose and it turned out we both sewed and lived in the same neighborhood too. Emma and her family have since relocated but in a recent email update she announced that she’s opened an Etsy shop to sell the adorable dresses she was making for her daughter Mabel so that every little girl can be as cute as her (but there’s plenty of other cute stuff too.)

I really admire her ambition and dedication in getting the shop up and running. I hope that one day I’ll figure out what I’m doing and pull things together as nicely as she has. It’s amazing to see the idea we discussed over lunch when we served jury duty together fully realized. I hope you support this wonderful person and her wonderful creativity and talent. You can find her shop at mabelandme.com I love this dress, I think it would be super cute layered with a long sleeve t and footless tights or leggings.

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Woo

2008-11-08T05:38:28Z

I count this as Friday’s post because I haven’t gone to bed yet. I found out that I passed the bar today! Many empty bottles at our house… good neighbors!

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I Don’t Like This Game Anymore

2008-11-07T03:13:03Z

When I decided to commit to posting everyday this month I didn’t factor in 10 and 11 hour days. For months it felt like I was just a warm body in the office and then all of a sudden my days are just stuffed full of work, flooded with papers and calls. That’s overstating the situation a little but not much. I was at work at 7 and didn’t call it quite until well after 5. The good news is I’m getting plenty of good experience. People say things to me like I know you learned this for the bar exam and I smile and nod and then become very, very anxious. Scores are coming you know.

I’ve also been told that I am free to bring Chase to work with me whenever. My boss seems to think that this is a good idea. I’d say that it’s because he’s never met her before but that’s not entirely true. He just hasn’t had the opportunity to see Chase in a room that’s just chock full of paper. What she doesn’t use to practice her letters will be “organized” re-sorted into new “piles” or less than gently moved to clear surfaces. Chase is still big into letters and did you know you can watch chicka chicka boom boom on youtube in case you need something to do away from home? She does a lot of practicing reading and writing and is starting to be able to identify and say a lot of letters, she really likes her letter magnets.

Here she is writing.

Sometimes she likes to write with her friends around. In this picture they’re lined up in order of preference. The camel, woof, the cow and… the rest of them. I think koala would be somewhere between the camel and the penguin. She’s very particular about these friends. The cow and the dog sleep in a miniature pumpkin bucket every night.

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The Anti Foodie Patty Melt

2008-11-06T02:35:36Z

Well I totally blew it already. I was so wrapped up in the election returns that I alternately remembered and forgot and then ultimately went to bed without posting. So much for everyday for the month of November. In any event, things are good around these parts. Ben was out of bed yesterday at 6am to make sure he was first in line to cast his vote. I didn’t get to the polls until 12 hours later but I did my part too. We were glued to our tv (and sadly the computer too) the whole night. So much excitement and now anticipation oh what’s to come.

I’ve just got word from a friend that used to live in the neighborhood that she’s opened a shop on etsy. I’ve checked it out and her stuff is super cute. I want to introduce you to her soon… like just in time for Christmas. I can’t do it now though because I’m stupid tired and have to be at work again tomorrow at the crack of dawn. I should really be in bed right now. Work is good too. I’m doing lots of stuff that sounds important, is new to me, but specially reserved for those of us waaaay at the bottom of the totem pole. When I get home I throw around words like oral exam, confessed judgment and stipulation. Ben likes it.

About those anti foodie patty melts. Another planless dinner. I had ground turkey in the fridge as well as some fresh mozzarella. I ran into Trader Joe’s and picked up some of the ricotta that Erin recommended (although I now realize that I forgot the frickin prosciutto.) I was thinking I would make a quick skillet lasagne from cook’s illustrated but remembered that we had pasta last night. Plan b? Burgers! But why oh why hadn’t I just thought of that in the first place and bought buns when I was at the market? Plan c, patty melts, because I have toast bread (that’s what we call sandwich bread at our house). I seasoned the meat simply and made large flatish patties. When the patties were cooked through I removed them from the pan. Then I buttered several slices of bread and put a slice of provolone on one half and a slice of cheddar on the other. Then, and this is the real anti foodie part, I put a squirt of ketchup on the provolone and put the patty back in the middle. Then I toasted the whole mess like a grilled cheese. I served it with steamed broccoli (sans tiny green worms thank you very much) and french fries from the freezer. Chase ate exactly one bite of turkey burger but the grown folks cleaned their plates.

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I Broke My Brain

2008-11-04T01:46:34Z

I realized with some horror today what happened. I bought a single package of curtains from Ikea that contained two individual panels some months ago. They sat in a cupboard in the dining room waiting for me to get up the nerve to mount the hardware for the rods. When I finally got ready to put the rods up I decided that I wanted to have two panels on each narrow window and that I’d have to make a trip back to pick them up. I made that trip back about a month ago. I remember now being in the store with two packages of curtains and thinking I’d better put one of back because I only needed to buy one extra package since I already had one at home. I did that, came home and put the new curtains up. One panel on each window. Hmm I thought, that’s not how I want it to look, I’d better get another panel for each window. Just today when I decided to make yet another trip back did I start to put the pieces together. I must have taken my package from home to match colors and then put back the additional package and paid for the one I already owned a second time. Curses! I remember my sister teasing me about mommy brain when I was pregnant with Chase but since I’m not pregnant now I would really like to know what’s causing my total mental breakdown. Maybe I need to eat more fish. I literally cannot keep any single thought straight in my mind for more than a minute, minute and a half tops. Luckily when it comes to work I can sort of push a lot of stuff aside and focus on the cases because otherwise… well I don’t even want to consider the repercussions there. I also threw out the box for the lamp I don’t like and want[ed] to return. Not my finest hour.

While I still have my faculties about me, thanks for all your great responses to my post about leftovers. I’m going to try to make better use of the freezer when it comes to leftovers. I always keep the freezer stocked with meat and frozen veg but once stuff comes out it very rarely goes back in once cooked. I think it might work for me to start putting some leftovers right in the freezer for another night (when I’ve forgotten to plan something). Erin: where do you find the pancetta at TJ’s? In the case with the cheese? Like between the cheese and the pizza dough? And, how do you make your stock in the crockpot? Janis: I haven’t been that happy with the crockpot cookbooks that I’ve had. The best was a small Williams Sonoma book that I borrowed from the library. It certainly didn’t have any recipes for preparation of small quantities. This book you have… a) do you like most of the recipes and b) will I have to break down and get the little crockpot?

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NaBloPoMo

2008-11-03T00:21:30Z

It’s the 2nd, I know. But I think I’m going to go for it again this year. I do believe last year was a success so why not? I already missed the 1st but I’m going to count my Halloween post for that day.

How was your weekend? We’ve just returned from Philly and are trying to unwind a little in front of the tv. Doing any kind of traveling always makes the weekend seem so short. I need at least another day to do the laundry that I didn’t get to today. But for now we’re just sitting around eating these chocolate fudge mint cookies. They’re like thin mints and we have about 6 pounds of them. We stopped at Costco for gas and then decided to run in for “just one thing.” You know how they say not to shop for groceries when you’re hungry? It’s doubly dangerous inside a warehouse club. Who’s going to eat all of these cookies? Ben says he’s willing to sacrifice his body but I don’t think it’s the best idea.

More tomorrow… and every other day this month.

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