Ptomaine Wednesday- Baked eggs edition

This week, instead of looking through Rachael's cookbook to make my weekly grocery list, I flipped through a couple issues of Everyday Food, which I subscribe to but rarely use. I used the newest issue which focused on cheap eats and an issue from last fall which featured comfort foods.

I selected a Greek meal, pork slouvaki and Greek salad, which I made last night. It was good, everyone agreed. I thought we would need another side dish so I made Rachael's orzo with parsley and lemon zest. I chose orzo because it counds like ouzo, which is Greek. That meal turned out fine. I didn't take a picture, but here is a picture of the Greek lunch I had Saturday and the things that looked like buttholes.
As for tonight.
I chose a recipe that is really a departure from what I normally cook or my family really eats. It is: baked eggs and tortillas in creamy tomato sauce, which is a casserole. I chose this recipe because it calls for many things that I already have on hand, including half a bag of corn tortillas.
It's meatless, which automatically qualifies it as suspicious in my husband's and daughter's minds.

The dish is a layered casserole- the bottom layer is a creamy spicy tomato sauce, then a layer of corn tortilla strips, then tomato sauce, then you crack 8 eggs onto the top, sprinkle on some cheddar and bake. Sounds simple enough, right? Well leave it to me to complicate things.

I sliced my 8 corn tortillas into 1/2 inch strips as the resipe directed. The recipe called for the strips to be layered evenly on top of the first tomato sauce layer, but I read it as : lay the tortilla strips in a single layer over the tomato sauce. So I did, which only used about 1/3 of my strips.
I continued to assemble the casserole, and only broke 3 of the 8 egg yolks.

I got it in the oven, and as soon as I closed the oven door, I started fretting about the leftover ortilaa strips. I considered freesing them for tortilla soup.
Then, I got to thinking about what I had in the oven. It was basically a 9 x 13 pan with tomato soup and a few tortilla strips topped with eggs. I realized that a EVEN layer is not the same as a SINGLE layer, so, in order to give my casserole some substance, I removed the pan from the oven and considered my options.

In the end, I decided to delaminate my casserole. I scooped the eggs off the top and transferred them into a bowl, and although they were now mixed with the cheddar, I don't think I broke any more yolks. After that, I scraped off the second layer of tomato sauce and added the remaining tortilla strips in an even layer. I put Humpty together again and set it back to bake.

25 minutes later the moment of truth arrived. My creation was met with a resounding "Meh."
__________

And just for fun, here are some pictures of things I have mentioned this week.
Here is the fort that Madison commandeered last week.
And my crochet bag is nearly finished, I just need to trim thread and work in ends.

Fat Tuesday

I can't think of anything else to blog about today, so I guess it is confession time. I haven't burdened the wiiFit in a couple months. I also discovered Tillamook Wild Mountain Blackberry ice cream which isn't going to help matters.

I was reminded this past weekend that I committed to running a 10k in the fall, so that means that soon I will have to hit the pavement so as not to embarrass myself. But it is too cold and wet out there to do anything now.

Hiatus Off!

I took an unintentional blogging break. I spent the first part of my break at my parents' house, then we went camping in Newport for a few days, and then I just couldn't get back in the groove. Now that I am back to work- real life, I guess you could say- It doesn't seem like such a chore to sit down and put a thought together.

I've also been faced with an impending computer snafu. My trusty computer has (I think) a failing power supply unit- the fan runs a lot, it cycles on and off and gets pretty loud, and occasionally the computer just takes a little break, especially if it has been running programs with a lot of animation, like Webkinz.

Fortunately, my father gave me his computer, which is the very same model as mine, we bought them together. So now I have a computer to set up in my daughter's room. But which one? Since I use my computer (really) for work, it's critical that it work, all the time, so I should get the new one. (Did I mention that Dad's computer still has the fresh-from-the factory pop ups? It's practically mint-in-the box) So I am left with the tasks of transferring files and/or setting up a home network so that I can share files and frankly, and replacing the power supply in the old computer and the thought of all that exhausts me. So I have been avoiding the computer. I think I will do it Wednesday.

I also met my friends Heather and Erica at the Portland Saturday market for some girl time, which was nice, and much-needed. We found a lady that makes wrap skirts from old jeans and trousers, and I think I am going to try to copy her. You know, in my spare time. We had delicious Greek food at Alexis. Erica and I ordered the combination plate which was mighty tasty, even the dish that looked like buttholes. I have photos, but they might have to wait until Wednesday.

Ptomaine Wednesday- Milk Bone edition

Last week I roasted a chicken and I am kinda proud of how far I stretched that bird. We ate roast chicken one night and had chicken casserole the next. The next day I boiled the meat off the bones and those small pieces are in the freezer and I will use them to make chicken salad sandwiches. I got four jars of stock- two 8 ounce jars and two quart jars. With the fat that I skimmed off the stock, I made dog treats for Tina using this recipe, which I have used before. Previously, I have used bacon grease as called for, but this time I didn't have any so I used chicken fat instead. The treats turned out really well, Tina thinks they are better than usual. They smelled great as they were baking, and Madison even tried one and gave them her seal of approval.

8 things we saw at the circus

On Monday, we went to the circus. The Jordan Family Circus to be exact. The Jordan Family Circus is the type of small circus that gives away coupons for children's admission so that mom and dad can buy tickets for themselves and hopefully some cotton candy and other circus must-haves. Madison won her first radio contest, sort of, on Friday to get the tickets. The sixth caller was to be awarded a family pass. Even though Madison wasn't the sixth caller, the station gave her a pass because they had a few.
It was sort of ironic- Spencer and I were planning on suprising her with a trip to the circus, since she has never seen a circus (and it turns out that Spencer hadn't, either) but when Madison heard that she could win tickets, she got really excited about going and gave the pass to her dad for his birthday on Sunday.
Our pass was for two adults and three kids, so we borrowed half of my friend's four daughters and we were off to the fairgrounds.
The Jordan Family circus is small- all three rings fit into a small county fair horse arena. We arrived about 20 minutes before show time, and we immediately noticed that all the vendors- cotton candy, soda, toys- were heavily made-up and we wondered if they were performers.
20 minutes later we got our answer, as the vendors disappeared from the snack stands and reappeared, sequined and bejeweled, bearing hula hoops and juggling daggers.

*We saw an upside-down basketball spinner.
*We saw pink dancing poodles.
*We saw feats of balance
*and fire being juggled.*We saw a group of Lady GaGaesque aerialists with light sabers.* And intermediate hula-hoopers.*I saw some troubling structural reinforcement:But I guess it was working.And we saw tigers, which everyone agreed was the best part. They were the first act.

Things I learned this week- Supermodel edition

On Saturday, Madison and I went to Pioneer Park in Corvallis to meet Ray from Old Moon Photography. A week or so ago, I answered Ray's ad on Craigslist- she was willing to trade her time and photography skills in order to build her portfolio.
I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting much. The reasons I agreed to do it were because 1. I will sign up for anything, 2. There aren't many photos of my daughter and I together as I am the designated family photographer, and 3. Madison needs practice being in front of a camera.
When I told Madison that I had arranged the photo session with Ray, she was less than thrilled. "I ruin every picture I am in." she said, and challenged me to describe a good photo of her, which I did. While I object wholly to the notion that she ruins photographs, I do have concerns about the way in which she contorts her face when she is aware she is being photographed. Rather than call to mind an amusing thought which may bring upon a smile, Madison focuses on her facial muscles, contracting them so that the corners of her mouth turn up into a crescent. The result is a grimace, and it isn't attractive. This causes some frustration on my part which eventually leads to frustration on her part.
Which leads me to Saturday.
Ray was prompt, charming and unassuming. She walked us around the park and pointed to areas where we could stand, sit, jump, crouch. We chatted a bit- she is studying cancer biology and grew up in the UK, which really impressed my Anglophile daughter. She has been in the US for only 3 years, and her accent is almost undetectable. She did call something "brilliant" which impressed Madison. About halfway through the photo session which madison had been dreading, she whispered to me, "This is so fun!" And it was.
Ray posted some preview shots on her blog, and she is mailing me a DVD of edited images. It's okay with me if none of the ones turn out any better than the ones I have seen, because the best part of the whole thing was having a good morning with my kid.

So, here's what I learned this week:

I learned that there is a new consignment store coming to Albany, which pleases me. I took her some things.

I learned that 1% of things that we buy are still in use 6 months later. This comes from the video "The story of stuff" which has a great message buried in some propaganda... and it makes me wonder if that figure is true. I suppose it probably is if you count gasoline and groceries.

I learned that Madison and I will be going to the (radio announcer voice)National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland in June so that she can participate in a Turner Syndrome research study. We will have some evenings free, so we are excited about seeing some sights.

I learned that Starbuck's mocha powder is the key to a fantastic mocha.

Some folks make a good living drawing these kinds of pictures.

I love it when parents share the artwork that their kids produce. My friend April has shared some really inspirational drawings that her kids made. I thought I would share what my kid can do.
She has recently started drawing "Thumbthings", little characters that are thumbs. The thumbs have different personalities, which are expressed through their thumb clothes and thumb expressions. Here are some thumbthings.

Here, a banker, a robber, and a cowboy.

a woman with a beehive and a smartass guy.

At first, her father and I didn't point out the obvious. but the Thumbthings kept coming and coming, and eventually she was going to put one in a hardhat, so we had to tell her that her thumbthings, although very cute, look like wieners.

She was pretty embarrassed, but how was she supposed to know, right? She's never seen a wiener.

But, she has seen poo. Which is why we couldn't believe that THIS is what she turned in for a science project. The assignment was to make up an animal and give it a latin name based on its characteristics. Here is Madison's Lizardus Harja (hairy lizard)

Howdy-ho!

Thoughtful Thursday- bald kids edition

On Monday or Tuesday, one of my friends posted a link on his facebook page to a fundraising website for the St. Baldrick's foundation, a private foundation that funds research grants for childhood cancers. Since I have a neice who is currently alive thanks to clinical trials and research medications, my interest was piqued.

So today I donated twenty bucks to his kid's cause. He is trying to raise 1000 dollars for the foundation, and he will shave his head on the 17th as a show of solidarity with the kids who lose their hair during chemo.

St. Baldrick's

Ptomaine Wednesday- Lemon Curd

This evening, we had leftovers for dinner because, well, we had to eat them. Spencer had corned beef, Madison had salmon, and I had a little dish called Epic Casserole, which is chicken, rice, red peppers and cheese. And it's not epic.

The new recipe I tried to day was this one for lemon curd, a new-and-improved method for cooking the curd so that it doesn't... curdle? I guess I don't understand the problem, since this is my first ever attempt at lemon curd, but apparently if you make it the old fashioned way, little bits of egg white cook at a lower temperature than the sugar and your lemon curd gets little bit of cooked egg white in it which have to be spooned out.

I did not have that problem. I creamed the butter and sugar and eggs and (oops) lemon juice all at once, even though the recipe says to add the lemon juice last. I guess it doesn't matter. My mixture was by no means creamy, but it worked. This recipe is easy, I had no problems at all with it. It took 4 lemons to get 2/3 cup of juice... but I didn't squeeze very hard.

The lemon curd is fantastic, and it is delicious on girl scout trefoil cookies.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

I do have a lot to write about, but I haven't had the time nor energy to do it, my dad came to visit. I love my dad, don't get me wrong. He's generous and funny and smart and pleasant. He is high-maintenance, however... but I will get to that.

First, I need to admit to a couple problems I have. One is that I will pretty much sign up for anything, and the other is that when I am bored I browse Craigslist looking for good deals and interesting things. Last week, I got bored.

I signed up to be a soup taster for the Oregon State University sensory research lab. A soup taster is basically a consumer panelist. I can go in and tase soup (or other foods), give my opinion, and be compensated with gift certificates for local businesses. I got my first test notification, it is for ice cream and sorbet, but I can't do it because of work.

I read an announcement in the newspaper that a new agency had taken over management of the coffee service at Albany's I5 rest areas, and they were looking for organizations to serve coffee. I went to the meeting to get more information for the ESA ladies. I was saddened that there were about 4 people there who thought they could be hired as some sort of rest area barista, I guess, and another handful who came thinking that they could bring their own coffee trailer and sell coffee- they were looking at this as a business opportunity.

I answered another ad on Craiglsist. The US Census is hiring enumerators- the people who go door-to-door and get answers from people who don't return their census forms in the mail. They pay $15.25 per hour, plus mileage, for 5 to 10 weeks, 20 to 40 hours per week.
This could help pay for braces, so I signed up and took the test today. I think I did well on the test, but there were at least three veterans in the group of 10 test-takers, and they get preference, I think. So we will see.

I also bought a sectional, (found a deal on Craigslist!) (I didn't act completely on impulse, I have been in the market) which smells slightly of marijuana, and I don't find it all that unpleasant. I mean I do a lot of napping and eating Doritos on the couch already.

Oh, yeah, my dad.
He arrived on Saturday, and we headed to Costco to buy dinner. We stopped by the cell phone kiosk, and the salesgirl talked him into upgrading to a Samsung EnV, which is web enabled. He bought the phone, got it activated, and then started asking questions about how to use the mobile web. Since I knew that I was going to be his personal tech support, I put the brakes on that teeny, tiny phone with its miniature qwerty keyboard and miniature screen. I told him that if he wanted a web-enabled phone, he should get a smartphone. He agreed, and returned the EnV and bought an android phone, but not a Droid. I forget what the model name was, so we'll call it the droid. We got that phone home before he decided it wasn't quite right- too complicated. So the next day, back to Costco we go, he returned the droid and bought a run of the mill phone and a netbook, which he figures he can use for email and whatnot. He thinks he can save the monthly data plan charges by using the free wifi at Starbucks, which is true.
So we take the netbook to Starbucks... but. You can't just sit down at Starbucks and hook up to the wifi. You have to have a Starbucks card. Guess what? He has one! It has to be registered. Guess what? His is. Oh, and you need to know your password. Well, there's the stumper. No worries, we will call customer service. When they open on Monday.

Thoughtful Thursday: Sometimes it's what I don't do that is thoughful.

Every Thursday morning, I begin my day by thinking that I must try, really try to be thoughtful.
The best I could do today was this:

When I got to work, I exited my car and headed for the back door to the office. Another woman was in the covered parking area at the same time as me, walking to her office. She was a woman about my age. Maybe it was her first time wearing high heels, or perhaps she was wearing genuine clogs from Holland, I don't know, I couldn't see her feet. I do know that she sounded EXACTLY like a shod horse as she clippity-clopped along. And the thoughtful thing I did was to refrain from whinnying at her. It was a struggle.

Ptomaine Wednesday - punt edition

I knew as early as Monday that I was going to have a difficult time with Ptomaine Wednesday this week, because I haven't got the slightest desire to go to the grocery store.

Three o'clock this afternoon rolled around, and I had a pound of ground beef and no plan. My husband loves meatloaf, but meatloaf isn't quite in the spirit of trying new things, now is it?
I decided a fair compromise would be to make an experimental side dish. My first order of business was to get the meatloaf into the oven. Since I had bulgur wheat leftover from a tabuleh recipe I tried, I added about 1/4 cup, in an effort to give my meatloaf a healthy bit of goodness. I also had some spaghetti sauce leftover, so I mixed that in isntead of ketchup or worschestire sauce, both of which I can live without. I got the loaf in to bake and began thumbing through the index of Rachael's cookbook, looking for a side rich recipe for which I had all the ingredients.

The only one i found was lemon rice pilaf, which looked good. The recipe called for a cup and a half of rice, so I got that cooking right away. It came to a boil, I set the timer to 20 minutes and loaded the dishwasher for 10 minutes or so.
After another 5 minutes, I looked again at the recipe and realized that she wanted uncooked rice, so in order to make the pilaf, I would have to start all over and it would be at least another 30 minutes.... and the meatloaf was getting close to done. So I decided that we would just have white rice and meatloaf.
Except. My husband (did I mention he loves meatloaf?) couldn't choke down the meatloaf.
So. We went to Albany's newest restaurant, House of Noodle. I had chicken pad thai, my daughter ordered shrimp pad thai, and Spencer ordered pork fried rice. We all enjoyed our meals, and the service was really fantastic. I guess my daughter didn't look like she was enjoying her meal enough, because the waitress offered to exchange it for anything else for her. The truth was that Madison had picked out all the shrimp and was full.

The Bootstrap Initiative

I'd like to start a worldwide campaign to put an end to a crippling condition: helplessness.

I have had enough of hearing excuses for people's lack of production. I often hear, "I shouldn't drive, I don't know how to get there". Well in this day and age of Google maps and GPS, there is no excuse. You don't need to know how to take compass readings to navigate our freeways. Those green signs are pretty easy to read. But even if you can't read, pictographs are provided.

I hear, "My computer is acting funny, I'm just not into technology". Or, "I'm afraid I will get a virus" or any number of complaints about an uncooperative computer.
Here is the problem with your computer: Operator Error.
But don't despair, you can fix it. YOU CAN. You can copy and paste error codes into your google search bar and PRESTO! solutions will be revealed. If you fucked up your computer so bad that you can't use the internet, head on over to any bookstore or library and buy or borrow any applicable "For Dummies" book.
Yes, (mom,) I know that real computer problems, such as lack of memory do exist. That's not what I am talking about. I am fed up with people shirking responsibilites and blaming it on Bill Gates.

I hear "I'm not very good at ____". Well you aren't going to get any better unless you get off your ass and do it.

Which I guess brings me to my point. If you can read, you can learn anything. If you can learn it, you can do it. If I can do it, you can do it. I'm not interested in your excuses, however there are few acceptable excuses for temporary bouts of helplessness: major illness, language barriers, incarceration, early infancy, abject poverty. None of these can't be overcome- except incurable illness, I guess.

So how do I go about getting the helpless on the path to independence?

Things I learned this week- In like a lion edition

Oh, last week. You flew by so fast...

The last two weeks of February and the first tow weeks of March are always hectic at my house due to (trying to make this un-googleable) G1rl sc0ut c00k1es.

I know they are delicious, I love to eat them, but I have to admit I have a love/hate relationship with them. Here is why, and here is what the public needs to know about them: the snacks you see for sale outside the grocery store aren't on consignment from the baker or even the council- they are property of the troop, who is selling them at a 40 cent per box mark-up. Which means that a troop has to estimate how many boxes they can sell at a location on a given day. If they under-estimate, they run out of product. If they over-estimate and are left with product in March, the troop has effectively bought the leftovers with their 40 cents per box profit. So it takes nine sold boxes to buy one unsold box.
So please, buy lots of shirl spout snookies, and buy the weird varieties that no one likes.

Here's what I learned.

I learned that I enjoy watching hockey on TV. I already knew that I liked seeing it live...my husband likes to tell the story about how security had to ask me to stop pounding on the glass at a Winterhawks game.... The US vs Canada game was really great, lots of fighting, and ended perfectly.

I learned that wine comes in juice boxes, at Target or World Market. This is according to a facebook comment, I haven't actually seen the evidence. But I will.

I learned to stay the hell away from Trader Joe's the weekend after their grand opening. The shelves are bare and there are people everywhere who don't know where anything is.

I learned that the itchy, burny feeling on my hips (ohgodicantbelieveiamgoingtoadmitthis) and ass is the feeling of skin stretching. I can actually feel myself getting fatter. Time to put the fork down, I guess.

Eight people I would like to see on DWTS

Todasy I learned that Kate Gosselin, whose show I did not watch, is going to be on Dancing with the Stars, a show I watch occasionally, if nothing else is on. I couldn't care less if Kate Gosselin is going to be on, but I am delighted that she fixed her hair because it was sure hard to look at before. Here are 8 b-list celebrities I would tune in for.

8. Howard Stern. Like him or not, he's entertaining, and I can only imagine his comments about the women dancers would cause indignant uproars from folks who should probably just relax.

7. Manny Ramirez. I would love to see Manny being Manny on the dance floor.

6. Sharon Osbourne- Would she do it and risk doing better than her daughter Kelly, who placed third? I bet she would be fantastic, and funny to boot. And we all know she loves a reality show.

5. (This is just a prediction, I could care less) One of the Jacksons is going to be on this season, I can feel it. I bet it's LaToya. They were in the audience all last season for no good reason.

4. Bode Miller- He would be the best Olympian, because he doesn't seem to...umm... care like other Olympians. Plus, that crazy Italian judge should be impressed at his loose hips. (my prediction is: Lindsey Vonn, who clearly craves attention)

3. Ray Romano- He's probably too A-list, what with his "Men of a Certain Age" show, (have you seen it? You should. It's good.) but I think he could have a great time and give us a laugh. He's old enough now to be the "old guy"

2. One of Victoria Gotti's sons. Or even Victoria Gotti. They would make the pro dancers literally pale in comparison.

1. Betty White- It's too good to even think it.

Thoughtful Saturday

Once again, I failed to be thoughtful on Thursday- but I made up for it on Saturday.

For the past few years, I have been trying to practice mindful consumption, that is, sarefully considering the things that I buy and bring into my home and the impact every purchase I make has on my family, my local economy, other people and my planet. It is difficult to give every purchase the consideration it deserves, for instance I can't take the time to weight the pros and cons of organically grown, trucked-in fruit versus traditionally grown local fruit every time I go to the grocery store- and more often than not it isn't crystal clear which is the best purchase.
For instance, my husband needs to buy a lot of tools for his job. These are tools he will use for the rest of his working life, so quality is important. Craftsman tools are well-made, guarnateed for life and made in the USA, all good things, but sold by Sears who downsized my uncle just before he was fully vested in his retirement, bad thing. We hold our nose and buy Craftsman tools.
So the point of mindful consumption is not necessarily to make the correct choices, but to consider production practices, transportation, employment practices of manufacturers and distributors, etc, as well as how an item will be received in your home. It doesn't do any good to make a earth-friendly purchase if the item goes unused at home.

All of this brings me to a carefully-considered purchase I made on Saturday. The new cat, Gary, has transitioned beautifully to our family, so we decided to fully accessorize him.
When we bought litter and a scoop at Petco, we looked at cat trees and toys and I noticed some things. 1. The toys seemed really expensive, like $5 or $6 for the lame ones and over $10 for the cool ones that bounced or came attached to a rod, and 2. the cat trees were cheap, and looked it.
Not satisfied, I decided to look around at Target and the farm store to see if I could find something nicer. Maybe it's unusual to want a nice cat tree, since the cat is supposed to scratch it and get it all cat-hairy, but I just think if I were a cat I would want my furniture to have nice carpet, not the shitty indoor/outdoor carpet I had seen.
Target and the farm store had similar items, plus these Kitty City pop-up "houses" for cats made out of wire and canvas and I guess you can velcro them together... I dunno, the whole thing looks like failure waiting to happen.
So I went to Corvallis to the Cat's meow thrift shop (where I found the incredible orange lamp last year) because I remembered that they have a room with adoptable cats and also cat supplies.
It turns out that the cats have moved to another location, but the room still had a good selection of new and used pet supplies, and I found the perfect cat tree- one stry, small, covered with thick luxurious pile and thick, sturdy berber, for $30, $10 more than the ones I had seen at retail. Madison hauled it up to the counter, along with a couple toys that were a buck or two each. I talked to the cashier a little bit about how much nicer their trees were than the ones I had seen in stores and that it was obvious these were hand-made, and she said that they are hand-made in Corvallis and donated to the shelter, so every dime of my $30 goes to the shelter, instead of to some corporation. I feel great about putting a lot of thought into my purchase.

The cat, however, prefers the couch.