Sopa Da Pedra Rock Soup - Rachael Ray - Big Orange Book

Dutch Oven in the back and Soup Pot in the front.

Okay, tonight I made two recipes, but will just talk about one first. Again, super easy and quick - Love RR for that - and did my prep before cooking. I did use my soup pot and not my Dutch oven because I was doing two recipes. (OH - I took pics too) I also didn't cut my potatoes small enough, but that is okay, I let it simmer for a while why I cooked the second recipe. So they softened up. Shane tried this and really liked but I didn't get "This is the best thing you've made", so it will go on the okay list, not the super duper great list. I've got kinda of a headache too and what I made doesn't really sound like something I want right now. If you've never had a migraine then you are very fortunate, if you've had one, then maybe you know what I mean when I say nothing sounds good to eat so I just don't really eat.


Food prepped - yeeessshh - I'm one of those...

Prepped and ready to go

Even though I am having a very yummy beer - I know - doesn't make sense.



Unibroue - Ephemere - Flavored Ale on Lees

Oh, I didn't add all 6 cups of stock because my soup pot was a tad small and wouldn't hold all the liquid so the end result was a bit more chili consistency then soup consistency. I also used an entire pound of chorizo since that's what I bought and I didn't want to figure out what was half a pound and how to store what I didn't use. Also, if you do buy chorizo, try to get it without being in the casing, it was a bugger trying to get it out of the casing into a hot pot with hot olive oil, yes it splattered on my arms and hands as it plopped into the oil and as it sizzled while I tried to get the rest of the chorizo out of the casing.


Chorizo cooking

Veggies & Chickpeas added

Simmering

More simmering

Both dishes, this one (in the front) made about 4-5 servings in my GladWare (already in the freezer).

Right now I'm watching Women's Curling and hoping Canada wins Gold - GO CANADA!!!! I really can't comment on how this tasted since I haven't eaten any, but when I do I will add a comment. Shane said the chickpeas softened up and didn't really (Dang it - Canada gets Silver!) know they were in there until I said something. He kinda of is annoying me right now because he has gone into minute detail on things he's gotten at restaurants, but just says, "It was good" when I ask him to comment on the dish for my blog...boys :t So I will get on to my next review, a bit sad that Canada won Silver, but still happy they got a medal. Now on to Men's Hockey - tonight I will say GO CANADA!!! - Sunday it may just be USA vs Canada in which I will say - GO USA!!! I live with a Canadian so I support both until we meet head to head or stick to stick in this case.

Caffeine & Shoes

I was off this morning from work because I had a migraine, but didn't want to waste an entire day of vacation/personal time. So I got myself out of bed around eleven and at about 11:50 it hit me I had a call/training session at one, so I got in gear and got ready. Deciding to wear brown, I wore some cute shoes I bought a couple of weeks ago at Nine West (I'll post pics later). They do tend to hurt but fashion is pain, right?!. As I'm waiting to get on the elevator to go to my floor these two women and a man walk up and we end up assigned to the same elevator (long story). Just before the doors opened, I heard one woman say something about shoes and the height of the heel and looking painful. I pretended to be checking my emails/facebook on my phone so as not to give them the evil eye (I have my glasses on today and can do the one eyebrow lift and I look like a complete b**ch). I mean really, are you gonna sit there and talk about my shoes like I can't hear you? Who does that? My only other thought is there was someone in the cafeteria that they were being critical of, surely they are not talking about me while I'm standing 2 feet away from them. Who could possible be that rude, but these two old biddies.

Anyway, I get to my desk and wait (forever) for my computer to boot up (is that really still the term) so I can get the call in number for my call/training session. I start having a serious hankerin for a Cherry Coke. Seriously, because I have one every day with lunch. I knew my call would last an hour and that I would be SOL since the cafeteria closes at 1:30. But then I remembered the vending machine that I knew sold 20oz cokes (universal Texas term for sodas), but wasn't sure if it specifically had Cherry Coke, which I could settle for a regular Coke if need be. So I get my wallet and toodle (or tootle?) on down to the concourse level and find the vending machine I'm thinking about and there is no Cherry Coke, but there is regular Coke. So I start putting in my change (because I never have cash) and I get to the last 25 cents, well I decide to put in a few nickles to help relieve the bulge in my wallet. No go, they machine stops accepting them, okay, plan B, put in 1 quarter to get me to the $1.50 total to fix my craving. No go. The machine spits out my quarter as it did my nickles. Okay, re-group. I hit the button to get all my change back and decide to put in all quarters (cuz I had used some dimes in there too) since I'm thinking that the change-a-mabob collector is full and I can squeeze in fewer coins (quarters) then dimes and nickles. Nope. Nothing worked. I'm seriously 25 cents away from a caffeine fix and the f'ing machine will not take my money. I swear there is a troll that lives in those machines and tortures us when we are needing a fix, be it caffeine or chocolate. I've got another story about the candy machine and Kit-Kats. Anyway, I finally give up the fight and stroll a few machines down to see what else is available. No more Cokes, but there is my other favorite caffeine drink - Red Bull, oh how I love the tarty-ness of a Red Bull. I seriously will drink them for the flavor alone. I bought a large one once and devoured it in about 5 minutes. I LOVE Red Bull. I just stopped drinking them because the vending machine asks a whopping $2.25 for a tiny arse Red Bull. I would even buy the 4 pack at the store for a while, but then I started having a problem paying (I think) $9 for 4 tiny cans of Red Bull. So I was able to get that instead of my $1.50 regular Coke. I think that troll is laughing hysterically at me because it got an additional 75 cents outta my caffeine feenin' arse. I did make myself slowly drink the Red Bull, to a point, once they get a tad warm they aren't as good, so I could savor the tart-ness. Now I'm still wanting my Cherry Coke, but will have to get one tomorrow at lunch - oh wait - I won't be here tomorrow, but on the road. Awesome...

Upside Down Daisy

I'm a knitter and here is a super duper cute hat I knitted for my BFF's little girl, Leah, born February 10, 2010.





I'll respect my BFF & her husband's wishes to keep miss Leah off the world wide web, so no pics of it on her. I love this hat!

The designer is Susan B. Anderson and this is from her book, Itty-Bitty Hats, which has more super cute hats that I'm eventually going to knit, but I honest to Pete bought this book just for this hat!

Paper Towels...

I usually come home to a bit of a mess each day. I'm okay with picking up poo, cleaning up pee, and pee pads, because the pee pads are usually shredded pee pads. I swear the more we try to tape the pee pads to the floor the more Zoey sees it as a challenge to shred into a million and one pieces. So this week has been a complete and total surprise. I've come home two days in a row to find the pee pads used for their intended purpose with no shredding.

However...


So that doesn't seem so bad...




Oh, but what about this...



I wish I had the camera in the bedroom because I missed the shot of Zoey with the chewed up paper towel cardboard roll in her mouth sitting on the couch looking pleased as punch about her destruction...

It's all in a plan...Unless you forget...

I had to run home at lunch today. While driving I thought of several things I needed to do in addition to my 2 main purposes for having to go home in the first place. I reminded myself to pick up my grocery list so I could go directly from work to the store (because I tend to slack off once I'm home and refuse to leave the house - especially after I put on the sweats!), pull my hair back in a cute ponytail instead of a "sloppy trying to look cute" ponytail, that just looks like I wanted my hair out of my face, and...and... Yeah, I didn't write it down, so I forgot and now it is driving me CRAZY!!! (I know, most of you think I'm crazy anyway - but I forgive you) I also had something I needed to add to my grocery list and can not for the life of me think what it was. Oh, and the ponytail - not done, completely forgot to fix my hair so now it is driving me nuts and is now in an attempt to have a stylish ponytail instead of something my hair girl would kill me over. I even asked her to teach me how to do the fancy pony but never have time to fix it in the mornings.

I did grab my RR Big Orange Book to get more ingredients for dinners. I kinda skipped ahead to the pastas since I'm getting tired of the soups. I also skipped over the sammies, but will come back to those when it's closer to summer, they seemed summer-ish. So more recipe reviews to come..

I have to admit I've become addicted to another blog and the blogger and now feel like I am a complete and total bore as well as loser with absolutely nothing to say. I am good at ranting about annoyances during my day, but I need to be funnier, but all my funny stories revolve around real people and I tend to not like hurting peoples feelings or disclosing too much private stuff into public arenas. Hmmm...so I have to come up with a plan...

Should I change times...

So yesterday, I send out a meeting notice for next Friday at 1:00 pm. One of the required attendees sends an email today requesting it be moved to 9:00 am. I don't want to drive 45 minutes to an hour in traffic to get to this meeting, that was the whole reason for 1:00. He has already stopped my project (did I mention it has drug on for 3 years) and I'm really annoyed that now he is wanting the time changed, he didn't even ask nicely. Maybe I'll do it for 10:00 am, that way he doesn't win and I should miss most of the traffic, should being the key word...

Poker

So I'm chatting with the chef making my lunch today when out of no where some one pokes me in the arm. Not a gently poke. Not a tap on the shoulder. Not clearing your throat to get my attention or even an "excuse me". Nope, none of those, but an honest to goodness poke in the arm. Really?! When is that ever okay? Never. Plain and simple, you just don't go around poking people in the arm. What if I had just gotten a tattoo there and she poked me? I would have come un-glued. Or what if I had been in a car wreck or tragic accident and that wasn't even a real arm??? I guess she would still be standing there. I really wanted to be rude to the poking woman, but I'm just not that type of person. She wanted to know what was under the lids next to the veggies and cook tops. Not sure why she asked me unless she thought I worked in the kitchen. The woman was like 6' tall and had some serious blue or green eye shadow on, I think someone at MAC pulled a fast one on her. After I answered her question with, "I'm not sure", she wanted to be all buddy-buddy with me. I really hope I don't end up having to work with or for this woman at any point in my career, because I would hate to have to break her poking finger...