dissonance

Knitting has competition

Ahhh, polenta, what a beautiful adventure we've been on.  You were delicious and reliable all the way to the end.

I think this is my most favorite slapped together dish yet.

Polenta details:
I cut up the leftover ready made polenta and then heated it up with milk.  A masher helped make it creamy.  I added black pepper for seasoning, but the secret ingredient?  Finely grated romano cheese, which I mixed in using a whisk, right before spooning it onto the dish. Yum!

Topping details:
Sliced red onion, crimini onions and canned chicken all sauteed in olive oil, worcestire sauce and a dash of Italian seasoning.

The grape tomatoes are delish!  Get thee to the supermarket!  The basil was just for decoration, but actually the aroma was a perfect background while I ate this for dinner.

Bye Bye Bye was a hit

My recollection of last night's company party is quite... vibrant... but even I was unprepared for the unending comments as people saw me today.

"Wow you girls sure know how to sing!"
"You're so... entertaining!"
"I can't believe you got <project manager> and <project manager> to go up on stage with you."
"That was great, are you going to form a band or something? You should!" 

Imagine that last comment in a Finnish accent and it's especially funny.

After consulting with the potential band members, it seems that they all got similar comments thrown at them all day as well.  Oh dear, I don't think this is the best route up the corporate ladder is it?  I also think I used the word "phallic" in hearing distance from our regional VP.

Fancy shmancy in a tube

Hmmm those yellow things look like pineapples, but it's not. It's polenta!

While I was browsing the pasta aisle, I was intrigued by some ready-made polenta in a tube.  You read right: In A Tube! 

I've never had polenta but it just sounded so cool I had to get it when I saw it while grocery shopping.  And since it's ready made it's a no brainer to use.  They also had rectangle shaped ready made polenta but I got the one in a tube because dude, it's in a tube!

Ingredients:
- Polenta-inna-tube (I found mine at Ralph's in the pasta aisle by the "weird" pasta, i.e. wheat pasta)
- Marinara sauce
- Some sort of grated cheese
- Chicken breast
- Herbs that you like to use with chicken breast

Directions:
1) Grill a chicken breast smothered in herbs (I used thyme, dried basil, dried oregano and olive oil and grilled it on the Foreman)
2) While the chicken is going slice up some polenta and fry it on a pan in a little olive oil.
3) While the polenta is frying heat up some marinara sauce. 
4) Arrange polenta on a plate, pour marinara sauce over it.
3) Sprinkle some grated cheese (I used romano).
4) By now, the chicken is almost done.  When it's fully cooked, slice it up and arrange on plate.

The polenta was so yummy I cut up a few more slices for tomorrow's lunch:

I just made sandwich-like thingees with basil leaves and leftover grated cheese, then fried it for a bit back on the pan.

Polenta be awesome.  I'm excited to try more dishes with it.  It's like creamy and filling and has a mild taste so I think it would go with a lot of things.

Six eyes

So the good news is that I don't have a neurological disease.

The bad news is that my dork factor has just multiplied because it turns out I need computer glasses to wear in addition to my regular contacts when working on the computer.  I forget the medical condition the doctor gave me, but basically my eyes are getting a tendency to go cross-eyed (hawwwt) by looking at the computer for too long, too close, and without blinking.

The new glasses are turquoise.
They are neither rectangle nor round, but some weird polygonal shape that can only be described as "fobbish".
I can't even claim they're dorky in a cool way.
<*blink*>
This isn't an attempt to make you say "Oh they're not that bad" next time you see me in them.
Trust me, they are that bad.
They were the only cheap frames that fit my gigantic pumpkin sized head.
I hate having a gigantic pumpkin sized head.
Because it didn't come with a gigantic brain.
<*blink*>
And even if it did, all I do is fill it with gossip and shopping so it would be better to have a petite head that I filled with... better... things...
And with a smaller head, I could have more fun haircuts.
How cute is Natalie Portman?

<*blink*>

... I don't know what the hell I'm talking about anymore.  Maybe tomorrow I will blog about some food I cooked.

Oh and Thank You For Smoking is really good.  Go watch it.  And sit far away from the screen.  And blink.

Lazy cooking rules

The cooking obsession continues!

I refuse to make dishes that require a lot of work and thinking.  I'm too scatter brained, which is not a good thing in the kitchen (and is probably why you'll never see me baking anything).  So I try and take advantage of pre-made spices and ingredients.

This dish doesn't have a name.  I made it to use up the wilting greens in the fridge and to use up the remainder of this little find at Ralph's...

... which is about as exotic Ralph's gets.  I used half a pouch on some boneless pork chops, but I have to admit, I wasn't impressed.  But with the greens and shrimp it was yummers!

Ingredients:
Handful of de-frozen, pre-cooked, pre-tailed shrimp from Trader Joe's (can you tell how much I love this stuff?)
Handful of baby spinach
Two zucchinis cut up
Half a packet of Spicy Thai Peanut Bake
Cayenne pepper (I'm very focused on cayenne pepper these days)
Chopped garlic ("There are other flavors besides garlic, Monica.")
Olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat up a skillet with some olive oil.  Toss in some garlic and let that baby sizzle.
2. Add zucchini, flavor with cayenne pepper.  This is optional cause the Thai Peanut bake is also kinda spicy.  But I love spicy so thus the addition of the cayenne pepper.  I think I might have added some black pepper too.
3. While that's going, toss shrimp around with the Peanut bake thingee in a bowl.
4. When the zucchini is kinda browned up, add the shrimp.
5. Add the spinach.
6. Taste a zucchini.  If necessary, add more garlic, pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, or whatever is closest at hand.
7. Serve when the zucchini is cooked and the spinach is all wilty.

I think this would be really good on some rice.  I just ate it as is and felt very healthy. Until I ate half a pint of the Blueberry Cheescake Hagan Daaz or however you spell it.  NO REGRETS!

Blog's name found useful

So I'm sure I'm not the first to let you know that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had their baby, who the media gratingly insists on calling the "Tomkitten". Because you know, the couple was called Tomkat so their baby should naturally have the infant form of the... anyways...

But I am sure I am the first person to sheepishly admit that I kind of, sort of, begrudgingly, like the baby's real name, Suri.

It's very disconcerting to find that the dingbat couple named their kid something decent and really almost cute and Apple's momma, who I thought was less weird (except for her annoying habit of breaking into an English accent when she is nowhere near the set of Emma), well she goes and named her other one Moses.  MOSES.

Let me summarize:

Weird media hog couple names child Suri Cruise, practically poetic.
Under the radar couple names their kids Apple Martin and MOSES MARTIN.

Excuse me as I experience a moment of dissonance.

No actual monkeys were harmed in this post

I don't think I have an addictive/obsessive personality.  I admit, once an interesting idea grabs hold of me, I latch on for a bit while I figure out the how's, why's and where-to-for's of it.  But when my curiosity becomes satiated my efforts are quickly abandoned.

This is what I suspect of my recent focus on food.  So enjoy the food posts while they last. I'm sorry if my recipes are crap, I'm not a food blogger. Hopefully it's enough info to re-create them for your own palate.  I'm NOT a cook, so everything I show is easy enough for a monkey with one arm to make.  (Ok some chopping is involved so maybe a monkey with one leg)

Inspired by Toast-Point's Shrimp Toast, I made my own variation because I don't have fish or peanut sauce and I'm not sure I know what chutney is.

Ingredients:
Pre-cooked, pre-tailed frozen shrimp(I got mine from Trader Joe's)
Roma tomatos
Cilantro
Mint
Pre-minced garlic (I owe Cindy an entire bottle of this stuff)
Olive oil
Butter
Cayenne pepper
Pepper
French bread

Directions:

1. Heat up some olive oil and butter in a pan. When the butter foams, throw in some garlic.  When the garlic sizzles, pour the mess over some slices of french bread and pop it in the toaster oven.  Don't turn it on yet.
2. Pick out the least droopy bits of cilantro and mint (I had to do a lot of picking as this was the tail end of my supply) and chop them up together.  I like putting them in a cup and using scissors because I am lazy and have dull knives.
3. Chop up the tomatos and shrimp all crazy like.
4. Throw all these chopped up things back in the garlic/olive oil/butter pan.  Throw in some more garlic for good measure.  Sprinkle a healthy dose of Cayenne pepper and regular black pepper.
5. Shit! Turn on the toaster.
6. When the bread is toasted, pour the yummy mess in the pan over the bread.
7. Eat while watching The Two Towers.  AGAIN.

Notes:  I know, there are no measurements.  Whatever man, I'm not a cook.  Use as much or as little of everything as you like.  Also, I used a toaster oven. You may not own a toaster oven, in which case you can use the oven but I don't know what temperature.  You should really get a toaster oven, they are awesome.

She might have meant valium

I am turning 27 in 3 weeks and some odd days.

This is the last time I'm mentioning my birthday in the hopes that it passes me by unnoticed and I instead turn 26 all over again.  I wouldn't mind, last year was fun.

I'm not ready for 27! 

I'm still roaming restlessly, both mentally and physically. (did I mention that I'm moving again?) 

Petty thoughts have increased in frequency and intensity (If you are really happy with your life right now, I'm sorry but I kind of hate you like a lot).

I am not living life to the fullest and yet do nothing about it! (Why oh me, did I watch The Two Towers three times this weekend?  me=pwnd by TBS)

I use phrases like "pwnd"!

Is this what 27 is about?  Wandering, wandering, wandering... without even benefit of a journey, which implies some sort of self-discovery along the way.

Sigh.

For her birthday, this blogger requests a vicodin and a shot of Petron, muchos merci.

Not a food blog

In an effort to use up leftovers and a forgotten box of riso pasta, I present "Random Riso".

Ingredients:

Chopped up mint, cilantro, basil, and spinach, ratio according to taste
Chopped up roma tomatoes
Feta cheese
Box of riso pasta
Creme fraiche (optional but highly recommended)

Directions:
Cook riso according to directions.
Strain and set aside.
Quickly cook up the greens and tomatoes in some garlic and butter.
Mix in the riso and stir around.  Add feta, stir around.
Stir in a dollop of the creme fraiche to make it creamier.

Serving suggestion:

Goes great with red vines, guac, flamin hot cheetos (new flavor, Jalepeno chedder!) hot dogs, and hamburgers.

Suggested entertainment:
Scattergories!

Viva la dodgeball!

Mmm... empty calories

I'm feeling rather thoughtless these days.  Not thoughtless like "inconsiderate" but more like "less thoughtful".

I just want to skim through life by immersing myself in frivolous activities. 

So I've been subsisting on shopping sprees at "Naute Couture" stores, make-up experimentation with the supervision of Mabes (this, I love), recipe filing, and of course, The Knitting.  Always with the knitting.  Oh and our dodgeball team has a name now: Printer Friendly.

I wonder how long I can consume such empty calories before I crave something with more substance.