Mounds Brownie

Add chocolate chips and coconut to brownie batter. Bake!

AmazingMail

I've recently discovered amazingmail through ljc's blog. I sent a postcard to Adam to test it out and I also sent a real postcard to GJDubya with a picture of MGDub. The best part, there's no minimum order per card so you can create different postcards with personalized messages for all your friends. Lastly...it can be yours for around a buck and it includes postage.

Culture of Collaboration

My coworker Zeah just left for vacation and the office is pitching in while she's away. Amy is in charge of checking in on Zeah's cats and I'm in charge of watering Zeah's bamboo plant. Steve is in charge of reminding me to water the bamboo plant and Mark is in charge of reminding Steve to remind me to water the bamboo plant. So far, our system is working with the exception of one small spoken mishap.

Steve: Don't forget to water the plant.
plasticann: Oh yeah, thanks. Amy's in charge of the cats.
Steve: Amy, don't forget to water the cats.

Orange Cornmeal Cake

I gave this Orange Cornmeal Cake receipe from FOOD a whirl this week because I needed to find something to bake so I could procrastinate earlier. Steve's friend, George, is holding me to standards and some level of honesty so I'm going to double check all the ingredients this weekend. That said, don't bake this cake until I fact check the recipe.

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
zest from half an orange

Dry ingredients:
1 and 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Grease a 9 inch cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper
3. Whisk together wet ingredients
4. Whisk in dry ingredients until just combined
5. Pour batter into pan
6. Sprinkle a generous layer of sugar on top
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Test cake by inserting a toothpick into the center. Clean toothpick means it's done.

#3 Ice Cream Ball: I can't decide if it's really nifty or "useless crap."

This one's for Steve

plasticann: Steve, you've got to stop walking by my office with a newspaper on your way to the bathroom.
Steve: You mean I can still walk by with a newspaper, but I shouldn't stop and point it out to you.
plasticann: Yes...it's way too much information.
Steve: I'm just waiting for you to blog about it.
Note: To put an end to it, I've officially blogged about it. Steve stands outside my office on the way to the restroom pointing at his newspaper. You all do the math.

On to other topics...here's yet another reconstructed conversation with Steve.

plasticann: I think we've set a date for the wedding.
Steve: This summer? I hope it's not fourth of July weekend.
plasticann: Nope, it'll be in June, but it's going to be pretty small. Right now, it's just family and wedding party to start.
Steve: Ohhhhh....I See How It Is!
plasticann: Hey, you could have been the ring bearer.

#2. Secret Life of Chickens: Not recommended for kids. Corinna and I stood in a bookstore on Martha's Vineyard and laughed at all the photos of plastic chickens struggling with the angst that comes with living in an urban jungle. More appropriate for kids is Where is Coco going?

plasticann [restrained] 2004 holiday gift guide



Last year plasticann went for broke with her "Top 100 Gift Ideas." Since she's completely blogged out of good ideas, this year's gift guide will show some restraint.

#1. Vintage Luggage Tags--fun stocking stuffer.

Ebay Dress



My "backup" ebay dress is not really an option so it's now available for public consumption. Still...it will probably make an appearance at some point.

Fake Trees and Box Wine



Artificial Christmas tree get about the same level of respect as boxed wine. However, I've always had a soft spot for artificial trees since I had one growing up. Laurel and I have had countless discussions about the virtues of real v. fake trees and I expect that Adam and I will also have similar discussions. However, I remain unmoved by pro-fresh tree arguments citing the fresh pine scent especially since you have to water a real tree to keep it from going up in flames. Don't even get me started on the needles and the clean up. I've always wanted an artificial tree and now that Martha Stewart sells tinsel trees, I'd like to think fake trees are no longer déclassé. Maybe it's just "ironic" or "retro" as long as the tree is obviously fake and a throwback to the atomic age. As for box wine, I say if it's the same high quality wine in a different package that keeps it fresh longer and is cheaper, what's the big to do? Just think, Martha could revolutionize the box wine industry if she would only feature box wines in Living or design a decorative box wine cover.

Note: I'm taking a straw poll. Pink or Green Tinsel Tree?

Card Carousel



plasticmom and plasticann are very excited about using the card carousel year round for bills, notes, checks and cards.

Apple Pies Galore



Precocious Baby Zess requested apple pie for her first birthday last month and Adam's dad, Zess's grandpa, created a buffet of homemade pies for her party. Check out Zess' little pie. Zess' newest hobbies include tearing open wrapping paper.

Cafe Kiraz aka Cafe Podima

The grilled chicken/bacon/avocado on foccacia bread sandwich is delicious. The portions are huge, I wish I'd also gotton a frozen yogurt.

Readers

Steve: Where's your wedding dress?
plasticann: ........have you been reading my blog?
Steve:[awkward silence]..........ummmm.
plasticann: Have you been reading my blog?
Steve: [awkward slience].....Yes!
plasticann: Don't know when I'll get it.

Backup Dress

I bid and won the auction on a backup wedding dress on Ebay. Granted, the dress is not a "real" wedding dress and is more like a bridesmaid/cocktail dress, but hey it's ivory so it's a backup. My bid sat at $12.50 for days and it was still at $12.50 this morning before I left for work. I got into work and checked it and sure enough, someone had bid two bucks above my maximum with one minute left on the dress. I logged on and placed another bid and it's now mine for $22.50. It's a crapshoot since I'm not sure how it will look once I get it, but I won't feel too bad if it doesn't work out since I could cut it up and do something creative with it. The following is a reconstructed conversation between my roommate Carin and her friend Jen about the dress. I was not present for this conversation.

Carin: plasticann bid on a dress on Ebay.
Jen: That's exciting, how much?
Carin: Twelve fifty.
Jen: Twelve hundred fifty?
Carin: No...twelve dollars and fifty cents.

Clippings from plasticmom

Every so often plasticmom will send me random clippings in the mail, often with no written explanation. Earlier this week, she sent me catalog clippings for the following. A crank radio for emergancies and a cool card carousel tree. I'm thinking about getting one for everyday use...I could clip my rent check and other important documents on it.

Frozen Sandwiches Take 2

Adam was giving me a hard time about my frozen sandwiches the other day. My offer to make him frozen sandwiches as my contribution to our household was met with derision. However, a subsequent conversation with plasticmom revealed that my genius idea to freeze sandwiches is genetic. plasticmom freezes her Dr. Snyder (Seven Grain with Walnuts, Raisins & Honey) bread from Lovebird's in baggies of two slices. She then toasts the delicious bread in the morning for breakfast.

plasticann: I've been freezing sandwiches and eating them for lunch. I defrost one in the fridge at night and lightly toast it at lunch. Adam makes fun of me.
plasticmom: Ha ha ha...plasticaunt does the same thing.
plasticann: Really?
plasticmom: I went to Lovebird's with her one time. She bought 20 roast beef sandwiches and I wondered how she was going to eat them all. She keeps them in the freezer and takes one out in the morning and it's defrosted by lunchtime.
plasticann: Does she have vegetables in it or condiments?
plasticmom: No lettace or tomatoes, but she does get mustard and mayonnaise. I think french rolls work better than slices of bread, that's what she gets.
plasticann: No way. I haven't been using french rolls, but I use crusty bread.

Bridal Horrors

I read the Bridal Bargains book my worker lent me last weekend. Basically the book is about how not to get screwed by the bridal industry. It was very informative and very depressing at the same time. The wedding dress stories are especially horrific. Anyone know how to sew out there?

I [heart] Brown Betty

I'm loving my eight cup teapot Adam got me for my birthday. I also got a cool set of teacups/saucers. The teapot was perfect for my tea party this weekend since I could brew a huge pot for everyone. The winner was the Creme Brulee tea I got from Tealuxe thanks to Wheezy's suggestion. I also made some madeleines for the first time. I learned to copiously spray the pan with PAM after my first batch got stuck due to only "normal" amounts of spray. Here's a tip...quickly pry the cookies out of the pan before they cool. On another note, another reason I'm excited about getting married...dishes. Bring on the consumerism. I've sometimes touted anti-consumeristic rhetoric with my, "I don't want matching plates"--it's so dull, "I don't want a couch"--it's too heavy and "maybe we shouldn't register." However I will miss the random conversations about our hodge podge collection of dishes when I can still pretend I'm poor.

Scene: plasticann passes around saucers to tea party guests to use as small plates. CAD Cowboy promptly places his mug on the saucer.

Laurel: [quietly] I think the plate is for your food.
CAD Cowboy: But plate has a circle in it and the mug fits on top.
plasticann: We don't actually have any small plates, but we have a lot of saucers.
CAD Cowboy: What happened to the teacups that go with the saucers?
plasticann: Don't know. Don't have them. Maybe we left them behind when we moved because we never used the cups, but we use the saucers.