Who is coming with me?

WHAT: Mortified LA
WHEN: Thursday, June 19, 2008
TIME: 8:00 PM
VENUE: King King
ADDRESS: 6555 Hollywood Blvd., 90028

COST: $12 adv ; $15 door

What is it?

or watch some videos here.

dancing with herself.

This is a video of a girl dancing with a video of herself at age 4. I love it for some reason.

Uh oh.

I just found out seconds ago there is actually a book called

No One Cares What You Had For Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog.

Please ignore the post below this one. :)

I am so full. Veggielicious.

T and I just ate the most gigantic sandwiches.

We went to the Pasadena Sandwich Co. and got veggie sammies. They were HUGE... did I mention that already? Seriously, they were about 4 inches tall. It was pretty delicious but it was a bit plain. The wheat bread could have been better and I should have got pepperoncinis on it instead of on the side. I got swiss cheese on mine I should have done either cheese or avocado, not both. I also got mayo. Barf. I don't think cheese, avocado and mayo should ever be used more than one at a time on a veggie only sandwich.

Who knew I could have so much to say and so many regrets about a sandwich.

Waiting for pizza is torture.

Especially when waiting for T's wheat crust pizza with the most
delicious cheese blend ever...and pepperoni. I can't help it.

Oh boy, it is here. Mmm!

Rode Rage

I has it.

a child is born

Congratulations to the Kincaid family. I got word today that their little girl Jayden was born last night. We are so happy for them!!!

Spicy HUMMUS recipe from the devil

Okay, I know I am going to take much abuse for posting a Rachel Ray recipe. I know she does terrible, tacky things. She suggests making stuffing from muffins, among other things, and this infuriates people. I just happened to need a yummy simple hummus recipe and when I noticed who the recipe was by it was too late, I was interested. For the record I didn't find the recipe on the food network website it was some other place like vegweb.com or something and I noticed her name later in the small print somewhere.

Anyway... here is the hummus...




Spicy Hummus: Quick Chickpea Spread
1 (14.5 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
2 rounded tablespoons tahini sesame paste, found in both dairy and dry specialty foods sections
A drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed pepper flakes
1 teaspoon (1/3 palm full) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (1/3 palm full) ground coriander
1 clove garlic, crushed
Coarse salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
Pita breads, grilled and cut into wedges for dipping

Combine beans, tahini, oil, pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, garlic, salt, and lemon juice in food processor bowl and grind into a smooth paste. Transfer to a small dip dish and surround spread with warm pita wedges. This recipe makes a great appetizer, or anytime snack.

I know there are millions of yummy hummus recipes and I think I will start a project. one new hummus per week. The way I eat it up (so quick) I might need to experiment with two per week. It was good, but I think it has a bit too much garlic (if that is ever possible) and not enough olive oil. I should have used some of the juice from the organic garbanzo beans instead of more oil though. Mmm.

mmm. cheese enchiladas.

I made these the other night.




I will not post the exact recipe because it is so bad and trashy. I will say the tortillas are delicious whole wheat and the enchilada sauce is Trader Joe's. I also put a bunch of cut up green chili peppers all over it before I poured the sauce on and it made it extra delicious. There is chipotle cheese from Whole Foods and some sharp cheddar and then a bunch of pre-shredded cheese in a bag. I need one of those emoticons that looks embarrassed.

I have been hypnotized by marc jacobs.

In person it looks like a scoop of wet raspberry sorbet. It is The Most Beautiful Handbag I have ever seen.

There has only been one other time in my life that I have wanted a purse so bad. Or really, dare I say, desired one at all.

It was a $1600 Prada purse that I was obsessed with and I would go to Saks to spend time with it on a weekly basis.

The weirdest difference between then and now is that if I wanted to I could totally buy this $500 purse and not even think twice about it. I still would only drool over a $1600 bag because that is just a stupid amount of money no matter how much you have. I don't think I could ever justify that I need a handbag that bad. I would guilt myself over the money that could have gone to someone needy, even a friend in need, that I overspent on a stupid accessory.

If I bought it though, I think I would get the black version, because it is more practical.

I just might buy myself a Marc Jacobs bag in the next few weeks. I can't imagine the shock everyone will be in that I own an acceptable, adult, luxury pocketbook.

I will still cuddle my beloved dark green fake leather $12 H&M bag with the zipper half attached that I have been carrying for over a year. I love it and I don't give a shit that it is cheap.

Lost in trashlation.

T is the only person I know that does this. Every time he loses
something he searches the trash. This stumps me because I always think
"how in the hell would you have accidentally thrown something like that
in the trash?" He, more often than not, is successful and finds his lost
items. WTF?

This morning it was an orange funnel, just a plain kitchen funnel he
uses to get his weird protein powder mixes into a water bottle. He
couldn't find it anywhere, I helped him look in the oddest locations,
and then he suggested it might be in the garbage. Huh? How would you
throw out a bright orange plastic funnel in error?

Anyway, that is, of course, where it was. I asked him how he thought he
did this and he said he thinks there were a variety of things on the
counter that needed to be disposed of, so he just tossed out everything
that was there. What? I guess I should make sure that nothing of
importance to me is ever in the area of anything else that needs to be
disposed of.

eating a Beard Papa's fresh strawberry cream puff is like...

devouring a newborn baby angel with fresh fruit in it's belly.

I have not died and gone to heaven. I ate heaven.

hot

Why oh why did I not get the air conditioner from F before she left the country? I am so glad I have to work today so I can be in a cool place. Our house gets just as hot as our old place. We were hoping it wouldn't.

not vegan... Pasta Sauce With Tomatoes and Spicy Italian Sausage

I was watching that Take Home Chef show yesterday and this recipe looked so good. I will not lie to you, the actual recipe involves making your own tagliatelle but I am just going to use good ol' packaged wheat pasta. I am never going to make homemade pasta. No sir. My mom used to make it from scratch when I was little. It was fun but way too hard and too much clean up and prep work for The Girl Who Boiled Chicken.

It is obviously a really easy recipe, but it just looked simple and yummy, the asparagus made it look extra tasty.

Pasta Sauce With Tomatoes and Spicy Italian Sausage

2 tablespoons/30 ml olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup/100 ml dry white wine
6 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds/600 g), coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound/455 g spicy Italian sausages, casings removed, meat broken into bite size pieces
1 pound/455 g very thin asparagus, trimmed
¼ cup/5 g coarsely chopped fresh Italian parley

To prepare the pasta sauce:

Heat the oil in a heavy large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute or until tender. Add the white wine and simmer for about 3 minutes or until reduced by about half.

Stir in the tomatoes and sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer gently for about 45 minutes or until a chunky sauce forms, stirring occasionally and smashing tomatoes.

Add the sausage pieces and cook for 7 minutes. Add the asparagus spears and cook for about 5 minutes longer or until crisp-tender. Stir in the parsley. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.


here is the link to the actual website and original recipe
take home chef

I think T would pass out in shock if I actually made this.

stupee

I posted while we were on the way out to the desert but it looks like it didn't show up. It was all of this crap about how I only live 2 hours away from here but how it feels a world away. I also wrote about how beautiful it is here and how I took it for granted most of my life. We are still in the desert, but we are leaving tonight. We might have sort of lied to a bunch of people and told them we are leaving in the morning because we don't want to deal with having to try and meet up with people all day. We have lots of work to do. So far we...

met with the caterer
went to the location and met with the wedding coodinator chick
went to a french bakery to try the madelines as a possible favor
went to the potential cake store to check out cake info
went to the Parker to get info on rooms and possible catered rehearsal dinner
and I tried on 3 dresses with my mom and his mom

today we need to...
review menus online and then meet with the caterer again
check out "the cake lady" whoever she is
go to the rental place and look at chairs and other furniture
get the save the date cards (postcards)
and probably 15 other things I can't remember

I almost cried yesterday. Everyone talked about the wedding for 13 straight hours and I wanted to just hide under a large object so no one could find me. :) I am really excited but it is just overwhelming and I can't believe how much money and planning is going into this one day. Luckily it isn't my money so I don't have to stress out about that, too. It is all taken care of, it is just the details I have to work out. I will consider the wedding as my payment for all of this damn planning and coordinating I am doing.

enchiladas

He scrumptioused them up.

VEGAN CUPCAKES

Since I haven't posted any recipes yet, I am going to throw this one out there. Anyone that has had a vegan cupcake has probably had this one. They are scrumptious, I just had them a few weeks ago. Yum.

It is from the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World book which I am sure you all know about if you are even remotely interested in vegan food.

click for cupcake recipe

No worm

The early bird gets... to work too early because it was stupid and forgot that the store doesn't open until 11am on Sundays.

I could have had one more hour. I feel robbed. and tired.

concept of the day

SERIOUSLY?

Do people really think this movie Dreamgirls is amazing? I think it is
one of the worst things I have ever seen. It is truly horrific.

MMM

I love greek yogurt. Fage to be exact. It is better than ice cream. Seriously. I get SO excited when I see a flavor. I like the plain one or the honey one but when I see a fruit flavor such as peach or strawberry, oh boy. I can only find the fruit ones at certain Whole Foods. So fucking good. It is my every day after work treat.

AND ANOTHER ONE...

-do NOT watch any sort of video or listen to anything that MIGHT have sound because even at a very low volume it will be declared "too loud" and it doesn't matter that he listens to things as if he is a 90 year old man.

Oh no. I just realized he is possibly going to be a 90 year old man someday and I might be there and then CNN will be on even louder.

I THOUGHT OF ANOTHER ONE

-do NOT watch ANYTHING besides CNN while sleeping or it annoys him and he will wake up in the middle of the night and change the channel back to CNN.

Tony's Rules

-do NOT under any circumstances hold up a book or magazine to read it while sitting in the passenger seat, it may obstruct his view when he tries to change lanes at a moment's notice for no apparent reason.

-do NOT use any skincare/body product with any sort of fantastic moisturizing quality because he may slip on it drunk in the shower.

-do NOT put lotion on my dry feet at night because it may come off and stain the sheets when I get into bed.

-do NOT ever EVER ever leave a blanket laying on the couch for any length of time, it must be folded and in a cupboard where he can't see it.

-do NOT have feet, they gross him out.

-do NOT use any wonderful little free samples I may obtain of bath and body products because the container may be knocked (by him) into the drain and then I will have to pull it out of the drain using a butter knife and a band-aid while naked, wet and late for work, while he stands over me and watches until I scream at him like a nutjob to get the FUCK OUT OF THE BATHROOM AND QUIT WATCHING ME WHILE I AM NAKED AND SQUATTING IN THE TUB.

-do NOT drink a soda out of the can unless you drink the whole thing or else he gets very upset.

-do NOT talk on my cell phone (or look at it to text message or read emails) for more than 5 minutes ESPECIALLY if we are on the go. If we are at home, it is okay, but when we are going somewhere I have to be on full alert at all times in case he needs anything. If I do get on the phone he inevitably needs me to do something right away.

-do NOT watch reality shows, even if he isn't around because it annoys him that they exist and that people like them.

I will think of more. Don't worry.

anxiety.

I am having some serious anxiety about work.

I need to face it that I need to worry about the business first and not worry so much about hurting people's feelings.

Every time I think someone at work is unhappy I get sick to my stomach (major anxiety knots) for about 24 hours and I can't sleep and I can't enjoy being at home or doing anything.

I want everyone to be happy and like me and I need to accept that when you are a boss that doesn't always happen.

I sit here for hours, literally HOURS UPON HOURS, thinking of ways to make the unhappy people happy.

I really love working and I just want everyone else to love it, too.

Why don't I drink anymore?

I ask myself that question all of the time.

About two years ago I developed some odd intolerance to alcohol. I get a really severe migraine for about 24 hours when I have even just a tiny bit (a few gulps) and I also get bright red and my face feels like it is burning on fire. It is so miserable. I tried to ignore it and slam back the booze but it became not worth it anymore.

I definitely had a drinking problem, too, but I didn't quit for that reason. I felt like my body was trying to tell me that I was putting poison in it.

I feel much better now that I don't drink and it is easier and easier to refuse it. It was a lot harder a few months ago but now I am not tempted. I do not want to drink.

I also turn into a total nutjob when I drink. More on that another day. Maybe I will tell the story where I beat up T and ripped pizza up and threw it all over our house.

I think saying that I am "sober" helps me to realize that it is permanent. That I am sober. It just feels more official. Someone recently said, what is with saying you are sober? Well, I am sober, so why can't I at least say I am?

Avoiding sleep or experiencing insomnia?

I am trying to figure out which one is happening right now.

HUMMUS MONSTER

I am one.

first mobile post

Let me see if this works.

By the way, I just made THE MOST DELICIOUS HUMMUS ON EARTH. Mmm.

We are having a friend, maybe two, over for dinner and I have to quit
this obsessive blogging to get in the shower. Then I need to run and
check on C's kitties since she is still out of town.

typoglycemic

I make a lot of typos. I correct them right away, but it seems as though every fifth word has to be fixed.

This is known throughout my workplace and everyone likes to stand behind me while I type and read aloud the words exactly as misspelled. It creates fits of giggles.

The other day Vegangirl pauses behind me for a moment to watch for an error. As she walks away, smiling and satisfied with the slip ups she has witnessed, she says, "It's not surprising you make so many mistakes, look at how you type." As she was saying this she made fake typing hand movements with her fingers spread and wildly dancing.

It never occurred to me. The way I type is weird. It is like an exaggerated version of how my Mom types.

I have decided upon the term "spider mistake hands" and it suits the situation well.

Start Thinking About Starting

So T and I were on our way to go to Trader Joe's and we ended up at Gelson's, too. I can not believe Trader Joe's doesn't carry tahini paste. Annoying. Anyway, this is the conversation we had in the car...

Tony: (in a very mocking tone) So. Your "blog" says you are going to post recipes. What recipes are you talking about?

Author's sidenote: Okay. Maybe I should stop here and explain why he was using an incredibly mocking tone. I do not cook. I can not cook. I try really hard but I just suck at it and I get PISSED the whole time. Angry at the world. Some of my friend's (particularly R) are greatly entertained by my severe lack of domestic talents. I want to be good at it, I try, but it isn't something cooking classes can fix. I hate everything about it. I hate the shopping part, I hate the cooking part, I hate the clean up. But I forget that I hate it... so about 4 times a year I try to make something and I end up throwing things. Sometimes the things are food.


Melissa: (I turn my head away from him and say quietly) I want to start cooking.

T: (half laughing) What? Louder!

M: (even quieter this time) I want to start cooking.

T: Haha. What do you want to start cooking?

M: Things with cheese.

T: Things with cheese.

M: (annoyed) YES! (changes mind) Well, hmm, I want to start thinking about starting to cook.

T: You want to start thinking about starting to cook?

M: (beaming with pride at my carefully worded statement) Yes.

test post

This was originally a test post, I was trying to help T with his blog and we were having video difficulties. I came back to delete it but then just decided to leave it.

R thinks my blog should be called...

"I am sober because I super pressed it."
but she also suggested the following marketing stunts for my store:
set the place next door on fire
hire a skywriter
hmm.

Anyway, I am a bit tired today, was at work until 2am. Trying to get the energy up to go make myself food so I can take it to work. I need a bento box type thingy or something similar so it is easier to pack my lunch. I need to research the different plastics they use for those to make sure I buy one that is not a naughty plastic.

Speaking of plastics... this following info is from The Green Guide.

Plastics To Avoid

1. Steer Clear of PVC vinyl (#3), whose manufacture and incineration releases carcinogenic dioxins into the environnment and food chain. PVC often contains lead, and toxic plasticizers such as phthalates that can migrate into food, water, air and our mouths.

2. Avoid plastics that leach chemicals suspected of disrupting hormone functions: #3 (PVC), #6 (PS), #7 ("Other," often polycarbonate).
I found many articles on this subject of course, it is a hot topic right now. Here is another little informative article broken down. It is less wordy than the original article.

Shopper’s Guide to Plastics & Food

the full original article can be found here.