SOCIAL MEDIA

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Inspired: Have You Met the Devil?

Have you met the Devil?




I have.

5 Day Work Weeks
Hangnails
An Overdraw
Poor Communication
Depression
Overpopulation

Please. Add to this list.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

He's Crafty, Too! And All Mine! Caution: Bad Language.

My husband is one of these fellas that works very hard but somehow he makes everything look effortless. This quality is something I both admire and envy. I always feel very lucky that he picked me to walk with him through this crazy human adventure.

He recently built a new fence outside the house. It's gorgeous. Redwood paneling, dog ear fence slats, steel pipes for sturdiness and excellent craftsmanship (he never half asses an engineering project)!

The fence was up for about two day when some little shit came in the wee hours of the night and made some 'art' on his beautiful fence.

When we returned from the Pancake Circus after a delightful greasy spoon breakfast, we were met with a cartoon hand "flipping the bird" at us; spray painted right on the fence. I FREAKED!

My husband in a way that only he can, calmed me down and said it would be easily removed. I relaxed and went on my day while my husband set on his course to fixing the fence.

He would not stop at fixing the fence. He knew instinctively that the same thing would happen again unless measures were taken. So, he (from scratch) made a street light all our own. He is truly a craftsman. And no punk will brave the 100 watt metal halide lamp we have out there as a new security system!

Before: Our super surprise! I was livid. But my sweet husband calm as a cucumber and ready to take this project on.

After:   Bulent went to work with first with pain remover. It did not work as the wood was too porous and absorbed the rattle can artwork like a sponge. So he got out the drill and used a wire brush attachment. That's the final result. As close to pre paint perfection as possible. 










Tuesday, September 17, 2013

60 is the New Sexy

On New Beauty, they talk about 60 being the new sexy. It's a great post and couldn't be truer. In this day and age, women of all shapes and sizes are represented but true beauty doesn't always come at any age. I myself am an undisclosed age though younger than 60. At 60 a woman has raised her children, contended with difficult men, divorced the difficult man, had a career and likely seen things we younger counter parts haven't. At the end of summer, it seems apropos to post about women in the richness of the new prime.

Below is a photo of Helen Mirren. She is a true beauty at 60. I recently met a lady at Magpie (while getting their sumptuous ice cream sandwich). She was sitting at the counter and I simply had to comment. Her hair was a natural silver, her eyes clear as a sunny day and her skin, flawless. She was "Sexy at 60!" Meet Joy! Her spirit was as youthful as anyone my age - younger even and her warmth unmatched. She was not arrogant or standoffish. She whole heartedly encumbered the elegance, beauty and charm of not only a woman of a certain maturity but of a woman who was delightedly proud and happy to be who she is. I sort of envied her ease, her "joie de vivre," if you will.

I've included the piccie of Ms. Mirren because as a woman of the New Sexy, I hold her in high regard for her accomplishments in her craft and her elegance. I do not, however, know her. I was lucky enough to spend a short stint with Joy. She was, simply put, beautiful!

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Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Inspired - Dead Time

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Dead Time

Time moves so slowly it seems
I long to be long like history
The gloom of doom and the scare of fright
Even an average day can seem like a horror
I have a lot of words behind my tongue
I want to scream in this tomb
The office
Thursday, July 25, 2013

Keep Calm and Carry On

Thought for the Day



Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Buttermilk Ice Cream



I love the taste of Buttermilk. It's probably because of my Grand-dad. He drinks a glass every morning and by my estimation that has kept him going (He's 92)! I like buttermilk so much that sometimes I find myself conjuring up ways that I can use it more often. It's super rich in protein and low in fat, plus it's light, bright sour flavor is refreshing!


My friend Amy who is a trained chef and knows just about everything about the chemistry of food, sent me a recipe for Buttermilk Ice Cream from Smitten Kitchen after I told her about my Buttermilk fantasies. The recipe is great but after working so hard losing 135 pounds I'd like to maintain that so I asked Amy if there was a way I could cut down on calories (She's a real smart ass and told me to get a smaller scoop) she suggested that I use low fat milk and I came up with making a custard base with less eggs. I used 6 eggs instead of 12 that the original recipe called for and I substituted 1 cup of cream for 1 cup of 1% milk instead thereby cutting half the calories! The results were still super creamy and rich and the flavor intense and exciting! I served it with roasted strawberries and sugared Basil flowers. Check this out!





Buttermilk Ice Cream (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)



Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Cream
  • 1 Cup Milk (any kind - I used 1%)
  • 2 Cups Buttermilk
  • 1 1/4 Cups sugar
  • 6 large egg yolks (reserve the whites for a super healthy frittata)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • pinch salt
Instructions
  1. In a large sauce pan combine the cream, milk and 1 cup sugar sugar, stirring over medium heat until it simmers.
  2. Meanwhile whisk together the remaining sugar and egg yolks.
  3. Once the cream/milk simmers remove from heat and drizzle a small amount into the eggs while whisking the eggs. The aim here is to bring the eggs up to an adequate temperature so you don't get scrambled eggs.
  4. Once the eggs have warmed, pour them back into the cream mixture and whisk constantly while turning the heat back on.
  5. Cook on low until the mixture thickens. A good guide for this is if it sticks to the utensil you are using to mix it with, then it's ready...
  6. Add vanilla, buttermilk and salt and continue to whisk.
  7. Remove from heat and cool completely about 1-2 hours in the fridge.
  8. Get out the ice cream maker, add your mixture and in about 35 minutes you will be having a delicious treat!


Monday, July 15, 2013

Cow Girl Creamery at the Ferry Building

Charlene and I went to san Francisco recently. Because of the BART strike we thought it would be better to park in Vallejo and take the ferry over. It turned out to be a great idea!!! It was $50 bucks for both of us round trip and it was painless, hassle free comfortable travel and it dropped us off exactly where we wanted to be!!!

Our first stop was Cowgirl Creamery...Cheese is a macro nutrient right? It is when you spend $25 on it!

The first cheese we tasted was Casatica Di Bufala - soft and ripe but citrusy. Totally oozy and gooey and completely palatable all on its own or on a toasty piece of crusty bread and a sliced fig. Easy eating and delicious rind too! Its Buffalo cheese from Lombardia, Italy made from water buffalo milk - a super richly creamed milk which contains twice the cream of cows milk...needless to say this cheese is velvety rich and little goes  along way.

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The next and perhaps my favorite is the easy eating goat milk Detroit St. Brick from Michigan.. It's spicy but not chili pepper spicy. It's black pepper spicy and it imparts a truly unforgettable flavor. My mother cooks with pepper. She has always been a supremely sensational chef and her dishes are never lacking in flavor. She hails the black pepper and touts it often as her "secret ingredient." Though it's no secret for me, I can't seem to get enough of the stuff! I bought a sliver of this cheese and savored it every day. I ate it on flat bread I made here myself and coupled it with a hardy (and local) Crispin cider. The black pepper paired with the spiky cider was unmatched! I reccommend trying it. This pair is more my speed. It reminds me of a summer evening bike ride to fireworks or a crispy spring morning when you can smell the dew drops or a breeze coming through your window on a hot night bellowing the curtains in the breeze...you get the picture. I have romanticized this Michigan cheese with this California cider. It's a superb match!

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This whirlwind of cheeses brought us to a yummy smear of Harbison. A creamy, ripe cheese that tastes of the country side and mustard flowers. It's wrapped in bark and Hails from Vermont. And when I say mustard flowers I mean it! I saved this creamy cheese and made a pork roast. I served the pork roast on home made sweet rolls that I smeared with the Harbison and grilled onions. Talk about a hit! There were people at the party who asked why I would waste a fine cheese on a sandwich...let me assure you, this was not any sandwich and certainly not just any cheese and they paired delightfully well and don't try to tell me that your mouth is not watering right now!!!

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Challerhocker was the only hard cheese we tasted. It was delish! A swiss cheese that is creamy and dense with some tooth to it. A bright, intense flavor, great all on its own or paired with a buttery chardonnay. It's a washed rind cheese. By the way...this was a lovely cheese but not my favorite on this list.

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