Project of Chaos & Dinner

About a week ago I ordered 4 shelves for our dining area wall, I say dining area because we don't really have a dining room but a wall that I think the builder intended for the homeowner to put a dining table against. Anyway, Shane picked up 2 more shelves this week. Where did we get our lovely beautiful shelves, you might ask, Pottery Barn. We bought the Holman Entertaining Shelves.



They are absolutely gorgeous. However, not so easy to install. We started with the bottom shelf, which we will use for bar glasses and beer glasses. We decided to hang the 2' shelves side by side with a 4" gap, got the markings on the wall and these two hung. Second, we did the 2 wine bottle shelves. Made a mistake with the math, but got it right before any holes were made in the wall. After our retry, we got those 2 hung as well. Last we had to do a bit more math because our last two shelves were the wine glass shelves, so they were a few inches thicker and needed a bit more room for the glasses to hang down. Got it, so we got the brackets on the wall and Shane told me to put up the shelf. As I was walking over to put up this shelf, I saw in my head it falling along with the 2 shelves below. So I climb our step stool and raise this thing over my head and try to get it on the bracket, all while Shane is standing about 10' away on the other side of the kitchen island watching me. I think it catches the bracket and I'm trying to pull it down tighter when the stinkin' shelf falls, taking down the other 2 shelves below it. Needless to say Shane and I yelled at each other over who was to blame. Then I looked at the wall and where we had the anchors the sheetrock was puckered out. Not good. So Shane was carrying on about having to repair the wall and this was gonna take another 2 weeks. I was thinking how are we going to get 3 new shelves from PB because ours were damaged. I gave up and went to take a shower. I managed to resolve one issue while I was in there thinking and couldn't quite solve the second issue. So I got dressed and went back downstairs to tell Shane that we should move the shelves to either end of the wall and hang a large mirror in the middle (to hide the jacked up wall). However, he had already fixed the bracket mounts - seems they hadn't been tightened all the way. We kissed and made up and finished this now 3 hour project. We moved all our barware to the shelves and took out our old piece of furniture we were using as a bar. The shelves look beautiful and we love them. Now we are just waiting for them to come crashing down. Seriously. I'll post pics once I upload them from my camera.

So we had a date planned last night and I really thought it was canceled after our argument, but no, it was still on after we made up. Shane took me to this YUMMY Italian restaurant for dinner. It's called Taverna and is located off Knox and Cole. Oh My Gosh this was some fantastic food. We sat at the bar and waited for our table, I had a glass of red wine and Shane had a Moretti Beer. I tried his beer, it was good too. Once we finally got to our table we ordered the Caprese salad to share, it was super delish! I ordered for dinner the Gnocchi di Zucca, which is butternut squash gnocchi with Asiago cream sauce & crsipy sage. Can I just say this was the absolute best food I have ever put in my mouth (ok, not ever, but recently), holy crap the gnocchi melted in my mouth and the sauce was creamy but light and accentuated the gnocchi perfectly. The crispy (seemed fried) sage was a hit too, fantastic. I seriously wanted to cry out on my first bite it was uh-may-zing!!!!! Shane ordered Garganelli al Pomodoro e Basilico which is Garganelli pasta tossed with Bolognese Sauce (they had another sauce as an option, but Shane chose this one). I had a taste of this and helped him finish his up after I was done with mine (yes I'm a pig and I hate seeing food go to waste), this was the best Bolognese Sauce I've ever had. I think when we go again I will order this. It was so good. Only his portion of food seemed doubled compared to mine. So for dessert I ordered Creme Brulee (my favorite) and it was awesome, you could even see the specs of vanilla bean in the custard, so good. Shane ordered a chocolate sponge cake with a chocolate frosting and raspberry sauce, it wasn't that great, but good, because it's chocolate. The cake was loaded down with what I guess was a raspberry liquor and kinda too liquid-y. He finished tho, so it could not have been too bad. Needless to say, our bellies were beyond stuffed, but it was so worth the tummy ache until it started digesting. We decided we are going to go there for Saturday night dinners a heck of a lot more often. So stinkin' good.

I'll just mention that as I'm writing this blog this morning, I'm watching the 1-2 inches of SNOW melt. What the crap?!? It's March 21, yesterday and all of last night it snowed. In Texas. Climate change - indeed.

Cold and Rainy...er, make that SNOWY

It's yucky outside. Cold, rainy, and snowy. It has been absolutely beautiful the last few weeks, but today, not so much. We have to work on painting our hallway upstairs, and finish staining our coatrack and re-hang it, but right now I'm gonna knit on my latest project, Syd the Giraffe. I'll post pics soon. He is from the Itty Bitty Toys book by Susan B Anderson (my favorite designer) and he is adorable.





I've been working on him for a few days and still on his bum area, but it's been a pretty quick start so far. I'm super excited to use my new Pom Tree for his crown and horns. This will be a present for my brother's newest offspring, and since they are expecting a boy, I thought this would be perfect. I think I will make another Giraffe for a couple we are friends with that are expecting as well, only they don't plan on finding out the gender which makes it a bit more difficult. I'll have to come up with a new name for their Giraffe, tho. So I'm off to go knit. Enjoy this miserable day as best you can and bring on SPRING!!!! My absolute most favorite time of year!!!

(this was from Saturday, March 20)

(Zoey sniffin' for trouble)

(what Zoey does best - try to destroy my work!)

(this is from tonight, Sunday, March 21)

List of Stuff

So I'm gonna go thru a list of stuff that I've been needing to blog about but have been, well, to be honest, too lazy!

1. 3.10.2010 - Shane & I have painted our entryway a color by Glidden called Spanish Olive. I really love it but he thinks it looks too limey or pea soup green. Anyway, while we were getting things painted, Zoey decided to lap up paint out of my cup I was using. Had I not been terrified she was going to die I would have taken pics of her green chin and tongue. Instead I carried her to the kitchen sink and worked on getting her mouth rinsed out - she is doing just fine.

2. 3.11.2010 - So we were putting half the furniture back in the entryway when I looked up at the top of the stairs to see Zoey (none other) with some lovely green yarn draped over her - just like the yarn I was knitting a hat with. I ran to the top of the stairs to see the hat on the ground in front of our bedroom door with the needles a good way out - in other words - ruined. Not only had she drug it from the office (which is in the back of the house, our bedroom is in the front), she had managed to loose enough stitches that I gave up. Again, had I not been in completely annoyed I would have taken pics of this too. I was a bit relieved because I was having issues with the hat and already contemplated frogging it and doing something else.

3. 3.12.2010 - Picked up my Flip Mino HD from my office!!! Now I just need to catch Zoey on film at random, cute, crazy moments. I did get most of the parade, but they need to be edited before posting.

4. 3.13.2010 - St. Patrick's Day Parade on Greenville Ave - We got up at 6:30 (late shoulda been 6:00) to get ready to find us a spot on Greenville to cook breakfast, drink some Irish Cream laced coffee and enjoy the parade. Everyone met at our house and I was late (for once, my pet peeve is people who are late), and it was Saturday and I love sleeping in on Saturday, so I was a bit cranky (or crooked as Shane likes to say). We could not for the love of Pete find a parking place and had to deal with some jerk who thought he was all powerful and barely gave us time to unload the truck. He wanted me moving before they had the back end closed and there was stuff in my way that I was not backing over. I really wanted to get out and rip into this guy but decided against. Our friend Wendy rode with me to Mockinbird Station (uh, the closest parking I could find to Lovers & Greenville) and we went to see some of her friends in Trinity Hall. I was gonna get a car bomb, but got a coke instead. We jumped on the train and met up with the rest of our crew and enjoyed a fantastic breakfast. Then the parade began and I guess I was more sober this year but it seemed really short and has random floats. Anyway, when it was over we waited and waited for Greenville to open back up - no luck. So I thought I could at least get onto Lovers to get into CVS' parking lot. Wendy and I crammed ourselves on the train to retrieve the Tahoe. Oh, I pulled up behind a taxi on a side road and a guy was out puking! Wendy almost puked watching but I pulled around the taxi and jumped on the service road before she could start heaving. We couldn't get on Lovers since it was still blocked so I parked on the greenbelt behind a shopping strip across from where our crew was. We got everything hauled to the Tahoe in one trip. I made a u-turn and crossed a shallow median and we were on our way home via Omaha (not really but close). Shane and I took a nap and then went next door to our neighbors party. I finally called it a night at midnight, I was exhausted. This could have/should have been a post all on it's own since I left out some details - like the magnificent port-o-johns...

5. 3.14.2010 - Some time during the previous week I had mentioned to my mom that the Cowgirl Museum in FW had and exhibit on Georgia O'keeffe (one of my all time favorite artists) and she somehow talked me into agreeing to go with her the Sunday after the parade. I managed to get up and get ready (I was more tired then anything since I hadn't really drank much) by 12:30, I picked her up and we made it to FW by 2:00. First, the Cowgirl Museum is amazing and cool. When you go up the stairs you have to make a complete loop of the second floor looking into the wall of tiles going around the opening looking down to the first floor. The tiles are holograms (I guess that's the right term) and the images move as you walk - it's so stinkin' cool!!! So the GO'k exhibit focused mainly on her time camping and painting at the Black Place and just a little on the White Place and Ghost Ranch, all of this being in New Mexico (where I want to move to). I really want to Ghost Ranch and explore these places this fascinating woman saw and interpreted in such an amazing way. The exhibit showed all her camping gear which is pretty stinking basic compared to how we camp. My favorite part was this short video they had on a loop, she was just so to the point. I loved watching it and could have sat for hours just studying her. The interviewer asked if she ever walked around the Black Place and GO'k's response was, "Well yes, wouldn't you?", my mom said she sounded just like my great-grandmother, I thought that was neat. I have to say Georgia O'keeffe is one of my "Who I can't wait to meet in Heaven" people. The exhibit is there until September, go see it, for real. We ate dinner at Bolsa in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas (I know, but closer to home). Fantastic wonderful great food!!! I highly recommend trying this place and sit outside. Lovely atmosphere and terrific food!!!

6. 3.15.2010 - 3.17.2010 - Stomach Flu and all that entails. No need for me to go into specifics.

7. 3.18.2010 - 3.19.2010 - We were told a couple of months ago our office would be moving (well our floor). I'm no longer in the ivory tower with the logo in downtown Dallas. Now I'm across the street in a building older then dirt. Seriously it's Art Deco which was around the '40's or '50's. We have granite bathroom stalls. It's old. The "cube"s are not set up to our standards, we can't even get to the windows to open the blinds, only we would just be looking directly at another building with windows - no view and no Pegasus. I've had a window seat looking at Pegasus for 6 out of my 10 years at the ivory tower. I've had a pretty great view and now nada. Bleh. I've got a pic on my phone I'll post of my window view.

Not a bad number to end on. I'll do better - I promise!

Blah

So I really feel my blog is very boring, hence, no readers! I need some drama or something to make it more interesting...

I'm really starting to feel and see my age...

I'm multi-tasking (go figure), on a call for Six Sigma training, writing a blog entry, and answering email. When I get done with this call I'm going to do more training...

Oh, did I mention I have not done one single course on Six Sigma since the kick-off in February and am completely guessing on the answers to the question...

Oh and I am bored with this call too...

That's Shallota Flavor Spaghetti - Rachael Ray - Big Orange Book

Shallots look like large garlic, but are more like onions (this is my theory). However, they do not taste like onions or garlic. They are yummy and when caramelized become sweeter. I used 4 gloves of garlic, but could have used more since I didn't really get too much garlic flavor - I LOVE garlic and so I think it needed more garlic, but that is because I love garlic so much. The whole wheat pasta tastes like regular pasta, I didn't get much nutty-ness from it. This is a super simple quick dish that is perfect for a night when you either don't feel like cooking or don't have a lot of time. The longest part was cutting up 10 shallots. I didn't have fresh parsley, so that could have added more flavor that I missed, and I could have used more pepper since I didn't get a lot of that either. I could have used more cheese but didn't want a whole lot because I try to watch how my dairy since it doesn't agree with me. I'll upload pics later, I took two and forgot to take more since my camera was upstairs.

Cacciatore Stoup with Turkey Sausage Meatballs - Rachael Ray - Big Orange Book

It was pretty simple to make - yet again. I have had some and it's super yummy - a little spicy (red pepper flakes) but good. I could not find the San Marzano tomatoes so I just used some canned tomatoes that I think were stewed or already cut up (not diced). I used a white bread that I think was a sourdough bread and not plain white bread so the meatballs became swollen as they cooked. I just didn't want to buy a whole loaf of white bread when I know we won't eat it. Well, I won't because I don't like white bread - only whole grain wheat or potato bread for me.

This one was a bit more involved then some of the others due to the making of meatballs, which means squashing meat and other ingredients with your hands and then forming meatballs (ick).

Shane liked this too, it does have portabella mushroom caps diced up in the stoup. I have not told him that since he abhors mushrooms ("they're fungus"), but he did say I could cook with mushrooms as long as he is never told or aware they are in the dish. This definitely freezes well, because I had it after it was frozen.

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.