The glutenous thing I made today!

Happy New Year!!

This morning I am off to a crafternoon brunch hosted by TrinKnitty. I am really looking forward to it.

For the event I decided to make some bread from this bread baking book I really enjoy to read and use when I can. I made the Light Whole Wheat Loaf.

Let's look at the results together:

Oh look!
There is the baking book on the right and friend Dave's new book on the left.
Both books are by local authors and published by St. Martin's Press.

These would never get on the shelves at Rustica.
(Which has moved to Calhoun Village, by the way!)

I think they will taste better than they look and baking them was as fun(ny) as they look!

The MeMe-iest thing I did today

A blogger friend of mine did this 5 question interview meme and I decided to take her up on it. I was very curious about what she would ask; her questions and my responses are below.

Here are the rules if you want to participate in 5 Questions.

1. Say ”Hey! Interview Me!” in the comments
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You can then answer the questions on your blog.
4. You should also post these rules along with an offer to interview anyone else who emails you wanting to be interviewed.
5. Anyone who asks to be interviewed should be sent 5 questions to answer on their blog. It would be nice if the questions were individualized for each blogger.

1. Is your house usually messy or tidy?

Messy! I am great at creating piles, and then piling up upon those piles. I am also fantastic at procrastinating about things like washing dishes, "Life is so short, let's go for a walk instead of washing dishes!".

I wish I could blame it all on my cluttered partner, but I am just as bad as him.

2. When was the last time you shaved your legs?

In September, for a friend's wedding. It is cold here! I need all the insulation I can get! Ha! Actually, here are my real excuses:

1. I have very sensitive skin and it hurts to shave it.
2. I am married.
3. I have super light blonde hair, no one can see it except my sister, she can always spot it and harass me about it.

3. If you could be queen of the world for 1 hour what would you do?

First I would see if there was any loophole to extend my hour of power to at least an afternoon.

Second, I would call Oprah and give her flack about not using her money to pay people to keep her fit and/or tell she should just share her some of her fitness/diet staff to work with less fortunate people with obesity/diabetes/etc problems. Sigh, Oprah. Seriously though, it is hard to struggle with weight. See my blog about trying to go to the gym...trying.

Third, I would somehow rule that banks had to forgive a certain percentage of peoples' debts, across the board. Not all of their debts, just some, like 30%. I believe we all have to be accountable for our choices, but it is pretty obvious that the world economy needs a boost, or some sort of new beginning or a sense of hope that there is a way to get out of the debt darkness. I am not sure what I would do with people who do not have any debt...but they deserve many kudos. I suppose this action would require a lot of planning and thinking, so I hope I get notice before I am given my power.

Fourth, I would start the ball rolling on requiring everyone to work in food service for at least 1 day of their lives. I think this could have a ripple effect to remind us all that service employees A. Are human too. B. Deserve respect and gratitude. C. Perform sometimes demeaning and/or messy jobs and that they are working hard for little.

Lastly, I would give all undocumented and legal immigrants the afternoon off- hopefully this would fall on a busy business day and other citizens would notice the absence of the immigrant population. This would be a reminder that they are hardworking and a vital part of all of our lives, and also that even though they may not speak English the best or have the most important of jobs, they are valuable and deserve respect and gratitude.

On a selfish note, I would try to work in a really nice meal with friends and maybe a pedicure or a shoe shine. And I would tip BIG with my own pre-power money.

4. When you have to make a dinner to impress someone what favorite dish do you prepare?

People always seem pleased with this salsa that I "make" (or mix) that consists of a can of corn, a jar of salsa, and a can of black beans. So, I would make that as an appetizer with blue corn chips. I would make some deviled eggs too, some with red pepper "horns". Ok, maybe something fancier. Who am I impressing here?

I would probably serve broiled pork chops as the main dish with steamed vegetables. I might season the chops with some Old Bay or this salt-free Spike that I have. I love to eat sauce, but I usually prepare foods myself as simple as possible- perhaps to make up for all the sauces I eat elsewhere? I would steam some broccoli and pea pods on the side and order the anti-pasta salad from Jakeeno's, because they make a fine salad and I would be busy cleaning, conversing or running behind. I would either back some rolls or serve some olive bread and multigrain bread from Rustica.

I would have some beautiful fruit too, maybe berries (a valued item in the north). The fruit and berries would be from Byerly's or Lund's, local upscale grocery stores where the fruits are so perfect that one barely needs to look at them before buying them. (Do they have upscale grocery chains by you? With carpeted floors, neatly stocked shelves ready to be photographed at anytime, plentiful samples and drive-up car loading? with baggers who know the fine art of bagging groceries? Note that in the Twin Cities bagging is not a customary grocery service and when places like Target bag your groceries, they do a crap job. I actually prefer to bag my own groceries.)

For dessert I would make this pudding/cake thing that I am not sure I am at liberty to share the recipe to,
but it is great with vanilla ice cream.

5. Who is the most obnoxious person you know?

Oh man. What if they read this blog?? What if it is me?? I talk A LOT! And I am not always entertaining to listen to!

I guess I would say it is a person, or people, who lack empathy, thoughtfulness, and generosity. They complain a lot over things that no one can fix: like the past and the weather. They complain and do not offer suggestions or take action to make change. They are more self-centered and selfish. They do things like nickle and dime things like splitting the bill between 7 people even though we all spent roughly the same amount, the difference between tabs is mere cents, and it would be SO much easier just to split it evenly. They also are poor tippers and like to tell me that I am tipping too much in a smug way, as if I am some sort of tipping chump being taken for a ride by a greedy server.

The sing-a-long-iest thing I saw today.

Saturday night, and friend and I were visiting a burrito place in Dinkytown. Dinkytown is adjacent to my employer and alma mater; as well as the alleged haunt of Bob Dylan and myself when we went there (years apart).

Like any college neighborhood, the place was packed with and staffed by twenty somethings.

While my meal was prepared, a beloved Weezer song came on, and we all started singing along.

That's me in the maroon shoes.

It was fantastic! Everyone kept about their business and we all carried the tune at the same time.

Aw yeah. "That'll be $6.75" All right. "Did you need extra sauce?" Feels good, "No thanks", inside.

If we started a choreographed dance number it would have been just like a sketch on the muppet show!

Oh here is a little about me today!

I was tagged by Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein to write 7 things about myself. see my list below.

I am suppose to tag 7 others to do the same, so if they are game, I would like to hear from:

Up Popped A Fox

Truth Surfer

Random Acts of Motherhood

Citizen of Flinn

Escape From The Scooby Doo Mansion

Black Coffee

Urban Pedestrian

And awaaaaaaaay we go:

1. I do not bring it up often, but I love Garth Brooks and some other late ‘90s country music. I have all of his albums, even that weird alter ego Chris Gaines album- which is not as bad as one might think.



2. If I had the power (or WHEN I have the power) I would ensure that everyone had a paid holiday from work on their birthday. We all deserve at least that day to take time for ourselves guilt and worry free.



3. One of my favorite things to do used to be filing my CD collection in alphabetical order by artist, then in chronological order by artist. When I moved more often, I would save this unpacking task until I could be alone and savor the job. Now that I use digital media for listening to my music most of the time, I get sad when I file away CDs that I have been using. I know that I am less linked to my music collection now and I miss the excitement of an album being released or searching for a used treasure at Cheapo.



4. I was a waitress in college, so I was almost always busy on Friday and Saturday nights. When I had one of those nights off, I cherished it and always did something fun with the time. After I stopped waiting tables, it took me years to allow myself to just relax on Friday and Saturday nights. I had this urge to fill them all with excitement because they were so special in my mind. I am over that now. I spent last Saturday night sewing and watching movies alone- and it was grand.



5. I recently took a weekend job as a counter server at a wonderful artisan bread shop. While the idea of getting to work by 6:30am does not thrill me, the job has actually been fabulous. The shop is always busy, the time flies, the customers are nearly all regulars who love to shop there, there are fun people who work with me and the owners are so dedicated. Surprisingly, I am actually a little bummed when I do not work there on the weekends.
(actual footage)


6. I have a very hard time waking up in the morning. This has been a historical problem. For years I have had multiple alarm clocks and even now my Mom actually calls me every work day to make sure I get up. However, if my bedroom door is closed and you open it I will bolt upright in bed. I guess my subconscious is ready to respond to an intruder.



7. I love when we get a thick snow cover overnight. I love when the trees limbs are heavy with white flakes and the yard is pristine- no foot prints or snow angels or anything. I really wish that everyone could stay home on these mornings to just snuggle up, look out the window, and enjoy the simplicity and calm of the new snow. The ugly truth is that life must move onward and that the new snow causes problems with traffic and tends to make people crabby.
   
   
   
   

The Darling-est thing I saw today.

Over the weekend my husband and I made a stop at Happy's Drive-In Burgers in Onamia, Minnesota.

Amid the bustle of families taking in a bite to eat on their way back to "the cities", we saw a cute elderly lady who must love Happy's. Why else would she have shown up in her nightgown, robe, and house slippers?



She was there with her family and she had pretty pjs! She was really enjoying watching all the kids run around on the playground.

The classiest thing I saw today.

For Father’s Day, my Dad chose to go to OCB because his grandkids love it there. I witnessed many amazing acts of humanity there, but the one that took the cake follows.

A young gentleman looking of the 1980’s metal band persuasion was sitting with his pals. He was enjoying some fine OCB steak. I think he might be a germaphobe or in need of attention, because he was cutting his steak with a hunting knife:

Woooo! Metal!

"That's not a knife...this is a knife"

Crocodile Dundee