Mi Piace

The following reconstructed conversation occurred after Adam had methodically perused the menu at Mi Piace last night.

Adam: It's down to two items. Would you be able to give me a recommendation?
Server: Sure, what are you thinking about?
Adam: Vegetarian Lasa...
Server: Get the Vegetarian Lasagna!
Adam: ...sagna and the Vegetarian Calzone.
Server: [emphatically] Get the Lasagna. My lack of hesitation should tell you something.
Adam: Alright, I'll get the Lasagna.

Later that evening

Adam: Thanks for that recommendation, the Lasagna was really good.
Server: My wife still asks me to bring it home for her after 15 years.

We enjoyed a delicious platter of thin cut fries to start, I had the sesame chicken, plasticmom stuck with one of her two favorites, the fra' diavolo with calamari and shrimp and Adam, of course, had the vegetarian lasagna. The prices are very reasonable and the food is consistently delicious. No wonder the place was completely packed by 6:15pm.

Old Pasadena

Adam, plasticmom and I took the train to Old Pasadena to check things out. We spotted the grandstands and porta-potties that were set up for the Rose Parade and the souvenir stands selling Rose Bowl t-shirts, hats and bumper stickers. We admired the tea service at Chado, a new teahouse and we discovered the movie theater had been demolished and replaced by a spanking new Tiffany's. The Goldstein's Bagel Bakery across the street has also been replaced which is a shame since it would have been nice to have "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

"La La Land"

After a week with Adam's family celebrating Christmas and all the surrounding holidays, we're heading down to see plasticmom for a few days. We hung out with Zess and Baby Zames daily and I think we're now buddies. Baby Zames is into crying, eating, burping and sleeping. Zess is a super verbal two year old. Here are some highlights:

1. "Angel says, 'don't eat baby Jesus."
2. "Boots [Dora the Explorer's Monkey Friend] gets a time out."
3. "Thumbs up."

One more to go!

One more exam tomorrow and we'll be off to California...dreamin' I am of the tasty foods already. Things I'm looking forward to:

1. Bloomin' Onion: Since we live in Cambridge without a car, we've never had access to an Outback Steakhouse. I've always wanted to try the Bloomin' Onion, it always looks so tasty on TV. We're staying right near an Outback in LA while we're visiting plasticmom so we're gonna just walk over to Outback one day for a Bloomin' Onion. Gosh, I love the strip malls and chains restaurants.

2. In & Out: "That's what a hamburger's all about."

3. Massage Lazy Boy Recliner: I'll be parking myself in front of the TV for hours in plasticmom's chair...it's the best seat in the house.

4. Family: I've gotta throw that in there so no one's offended and thinks I love hamburgers more than I love them.

Some Thoughts on...Sugar Cookies

I'm not really a fan of the sugar cookie, especially the drop cookie variety. In fact, I have strong opinions. The pale sugar cookie is like the sugar donut, it's just not sweet enough and not very tasty. As Adam might put it, "not my favorite," Give me that concentrated sugary goodness that gets into every nook and cranny of a lovely glazed donut. (I digress.) That said, I do like these rolled sugar cookies from Martha Stewart. For me, what elevates this cookie dough from blah to golden buttery deliciousness is the baking time. Martha suggests 8-10 minutes which yields an icky pale cookie, but I like to kick that baking time up to 18 minutes for lightly browned crisp cookie. The sugar caramelizes a bit and the cookies taste WAY better. I just made a batch for Adam's work party. Alton's got a pretty good method, but he's got nothing on me when it comes to efficiently rolling out cookie dough.

Kids these days...

Adam's dad reported on Little Zess' latest trip to the local library. They were wandering through the library after story hour when Zess climbed up in front of a computer. Zara says, "come on Zess, it's time to go." To which Zess replied, "I have to check my e-mail." I wonder if she checks out my blog and whether she's figured out that I call her "Zess."

Kielbasa Polenta

I had a light lunch today so I started pestering Adam about dinner at 4pm. We debated whether to order chicken fingers or wings or a pasta dinner from our neighborhood pizza join across the street, but we ended up scrounging up some kielbasa so we made polenta topped with Kiebasa simmered in a tomato sauce. We've made the soft Polenta from FOOD magazine at least five times in the last few months and it's always tasty. Last week, we made if for Laurel who was in town, very briefly, for a conference. We ate the polenta with Bulgogi and that was good. Laurel reports that her polenta is not quite as good. I'm not sure if she's being overly modest or if she just didn't measure. It's possible she went light on the butter or cheese. She's a renowned baker, but she's not known for her measuring of ingredients.

Blizzard

I took the bus home to avoid the blizzarding conditions, which was nice. Unfortunately, I had to wait at least half an hour for the bus to come and then the trip from Harvard Square to my apartment took another hour with traffic creeping along unplowed roads at around 1 mile an hour, it usually takes about 10-15 minutes. It would have been faster to just walk, but then again it was really miserable out.

7. All about "YOU"

Send a signal to the entire family that you expect a bounty of gifts this year by hanging a half dozen of these babies on your fireplace. Remember to personalize all of these with your name: plasticann 1, plasticann 2...etc.

"LOVE"

Excerpted from an e-mail from Zara.

A few days ago, I put a wedding picture of you two in Zess's album
and said "This is Uncle Adam & Aunt plasticann". She said (and I quote) "I
love them!" !

How can we possibly feed hyperactivity inducing finger JELLO to Little Zess who loves us. I'm racked with guilt.

Totally NOT Loaded

The following is a reconstructed conversation between plasticann, Zhor and a classmate [Mr.Z] about one of our other classmates, let's call him Mr.Loaded, at BIT.

Mr.Z: Oh yeah, Mr.Loaded is totally loaded.
plasticann: ...How do you know?
Mr.Z: His clothes, the kind if car he drives....
plasticann: He has a car? I don't have a car. Do you have a car?
Zhor: Yeah, you have a T-pass.
plasticann: Gosh and I thought I was living the life by upgrading to a Combo pass. Now I can ride the bus, not just the subway.

6. Uglydoll



I think they're endearing, but Adam's not a fan of the uglydoll...he likes prettydolls.

Shaping up to be a bad influence

Mama and Papa Z were in town for Thanksgiving from sunny NoCal. We enjoyed lots of desserts [lemon cake, apple cake, cheesecake, Beard Papas], food [all the fixin's], games [Bohnanza] and even a movie [RENT]. We heard lots of cute stories about precocious "Little Zess," who is no longer "Baby Zess" now that she's been supplanted by "Baby Zames." Granted she's two, Zess, apparently, does not know about "candy." She had a ball trick-or-treating this year, but was none the wiser when her loot mysteriously disappeared. There's also something fishy going on about TV, but our main takaway was no gifts of candy for Zess this Christmas. We don't think there's a party line on "JELLO," but before I forget, booze or cigarettes are also offlimits, child endangerment or something.

5. Time Tags



Maker of some of my favorite cool finds, Vessel has created a wearable speck of a digital clock called the Time Tag. Reviewers on Amazon do warn users to remember to remove the time tag before laundry time. This reminds me of a recent "discussion" Adam and I had about our household laundry protocol. I was unaware that pockets of clothes in the basket should be checked before washing, I've always assumed pockets have already been emptied prior to clothes landing in the basket. This miscommunication about laundry procedures meant I found a squishy lump in a pocket post washing and was afraid the lump would be something gross like a banana peel [not that Adam leaves bananas in his pockets]. It was a close call, but the suspicious squishy lump turned out to be a packet of Kleenex. Whew!

Way Meta

Steve & Co. went to Magnolia's for Zang's b-day. The following is a reconstructed conversation by way of Steve at Magnolia's

George: You know that plasticann blogged about Magnolia's
Steve: Really, what did they order?
George: They ordered three dishes for four people.

I'm impressed with George's memory of inane details and honored that he does read this blog afterall. Happy Birthday Zang!

Beard Papa Take 2

I was feeling footloose and fancy free on Wednesday so I went down to Government Center and snagged a box of Cream Puffs for Adam's office, 9 vanilla and 3 Belgian chocolate. The cream puffs went pretty fast, but not fast enough in my opinion. I tried the chocolate and I think the vanilla is still the best. The following is a reconstructed conversation/situation about a married couple, Andrew and Val:

Location: The office where the cream puffs are.
Adam: Hey Andrew, did you get one of these cream puffs?
Andrew: No, I'm glad I stopped in again before I left.
[few minutes later...Andrew comes dashing back into the office]
Andrew: I have to get another one of these for Val.
Adam: Oh, is this one for her?
Andrew: No, it's for me, she's eating my cream puff.

On the flip side, the following is a conversation recontructed using details from Andrew and Val.

Location: Andrew and Val are in their car pulling out of the parking lot heading home.
Andrew: Val, this cream puff is really good, you wan't a bite?
Val: [polishing off the cream puff] this is really good.
Andrew: [pulling out of the parking lot] I'm going to get another one.
Val: But, we're on our way home.
Andrew: Let's pull around the corner and I'll run in the front door.

Andrew drives around the corner and sprints in for yet another cream puff. See first conversation for details. The End!

The Zakuns Take Manhattan

Adam and I stayed with MGDub this weekend and we had a blast. I'm already missing MGDub, but it sounds like she's learning lots of cool stuff in film school. MGDub was a lovely host generously feeding us tea and english muffins, but Adam and I learned early on in our visit that some items were "off limits." These food items, mini cartons of orange juice, were "imported" from Allentown and supposed "unavailable" in NYC so they had to be "rationed." The following is a reconstructed conversation about MGDub's mini OJs.

plasticann: Have you checked if D'agostino's has the mini OJs? We've walked by two of them in the last few minutes.
MGDub: No! The mini OJs are no where to be found. They don't even have the plastic jugs of OJ, they only have cartons.
plasticann: Well, you've only been to two stores in your neighborhood, surely somewhere someone has mini OJs and OJ jugs. Hey, there's a D'agostino's across the street.
MGDub: Should we go in and check?
Adam: Yeah! Let's do it.
...wandering around inside the stores...
MGDub: See, no OJ anywhere.
Adam: Maybe over here. Look, they have jugs of OJ and mini OJs.
MGDub: I can't believe it.
plasticann: [laughing]
Adam: Let's see what else they have here, maybe we can get MGDub those breakfast bars she claims don't exist in NYC.
...in the breakfast bar aisle...
MGDub: See, they only have the Apple Cinnamon and I don't like those.
Adam: Well, this label says they carry strawberry, they just ran out so you should check back.
MGDub: It's too far from my apartment, it has to be 3 blocks away for me to check back.
...later in the evening...
MGDub: I still can't believe they actually sell mini OJs.

Note: Because I blogged about the mini OJs, I've been warned ahead of time that MGDub will be telling an embarrassing story about me.

Igloos

A reconstructed of an incredibly insightful class discussion debunking cultural misperceptions. The innocent are somewhat protected.

Zhor: Well, a cultural myth about Alaska is that we live in igloos. No one lives in an igloo.
Zheng: Don't penguins in cartoons live in igloos?
Zielo: Penguins can't build igloos, that's silly.
Zhor: No, penguins do not live in igloos. No one lives in igloos, it's just not true.
Zheng: Penguins don't live in igloos???

Thanks to Zhor, I'm aware of the cultural taboos of Alaska and I know never to mention igloos and penguins to an Alaskan.

4. What Zess won't be getting for X-mas



Since we already got her one of these cute retro tricycles for her birthday, I can put this tricycle on my list. Zara reports that Zess is a bit too small for her tricycle, her feet don't touch the pedals, but she enjoys sitting on the tricycle. Grandpop Zakun plans on modifying her tricycle with some blocks so she can pedal around the house.

3. Where is Coco Going?



Unlike Bitter With Baggage Seeks Same [BWBSS], this one's actually appropriate for kids. For the sassy adults, stick with BWBSS, it's a classic.

2. Going For The Bronze



The Sequel to BWBSS...enough said.

That time of the year will quickly be upon us...

...holiday gift giving. I was all out of ideas last year because two years ago, I counted down 100 gift ideas on this blog. This year, I'm aiming low by counting up so we'll start with idea number 1 and see how far this goes. Now that I'm a MBA student "busy concocting ways to further contribute to society's ills and bolstering capitalism," I do not promise that gifts will make the list only after this year's recipients have received that particular gift. Simply put, I have purchased zero gifts and I don't have a solid plan of action this year. Gift cards to the grocery store may be a distinct possibility. I'm sure Little Zess and Baby Zames would love the a gift card to their local grocery store. Afterall, babies need to drink milk and organic is pretty pricey. On the upside, I'll post photos of gift ideas thanks to the technological improvements. [drumroll please]

1. The Cubes



Kinda like a "dollhouse," introduce your child to reality with their own cubicle.

Random Musings About Social Behavior

I was sitting on a bench at school yesterday when I spotted a plastic folding table across the way. I dragged it over to the bench and two of us used it as a desk. Soon, a third joined our official looking laptop row. As we tapped away at our respective computers, countless classmates started to stop by and ask, "Are you signing people up for an activity?" It reminded me of a chilly winter night when MGDub and I got locked out of her car in Harvard Square after seeing The Hours. We had to huddle in one of the parking lot attendant booths to avoid the frigid weather as we waited for the locksmith to come. Sure enough, people started stopping buy to pay us for their parking. Years ago, plasticmom and I were in Japan waiting in line for a afternoon tea buffet. We were early so we just stood around outside the entrance. Twenty minutes later, we noticed a neat line had formed right behind us, upt the stairs, around the corner and down the hall. The orderly behavior was very impressive.

Pumpkin Muffins

The following is a reconstructed conversation on Halloween.

Alarm Clock: [Brrrring!]
plasticann: Adam? You know what I want to make? Pumpkin Muffins!
Adam: Have you made pumpkin muffins before?
plasticann: Years ago. We have a can of pumpkin filling.
Adam: Okay!
plasticann: YEAH!!!! [leaps out of bed and runs to the kitchen]

Thus, chocolate chip pumpkin muffins in honor of Halloween. One of my teammates ate two in a row...now that's an endorsement. Then again, he might have been super hungry.

Odd Todd Strikes Again

Watching the Odd Todd segment from America's Test Kitchen reminded me of how MGDub and I often enjoyed affecting Odd Todd's peculiar speech by gratuitously referring to "fudge striped cook-ays" and "coff-ay." For a man who's "unemployed," Odd Todd has really built quite the empire. When he published his Odd Todd book a few years ago, I questioned just how unemployed Odd Todd really was. Now that he has a gig talking about food science in flash animation on America's Test Kitchen, I'm really beginning to doubt the authenticity of his job situation. He seems rather entrepreneurial and driven for a guy who walks around in a bathrobe eating "cook-ays" and drinking "coff-ay."

Making Do

When it comes to certain things, Adam and I fall in the "make do" category of people. For example, we kicked around the box containing our new lamp for two months before we got around to installing it. The box was too big for our closets so for months, we would move this lightweight, but cumbersome box from our bedroom to the living room and back again, several times a week. Next up, the lovely king sized comforter plasticmom graciously sent us. It's been sitting in the corner of our room for months. The problem was, we didn't have a comforter cover and we were paralyzed with indecision about what to buy. Motivated by the drop in temperature, I finally ordered something on Garnet Hill without consulting Adam. I felt my executive decision was justifiable since it was 70% off and wicked cheap. Adam may feel otherwise. Now that we finally have a lovely lamp in our living room and a nice flannel comforter, we'll be ready for winter.

Pastel Yellow Terry Cloth Tracksuits

Having been back in school for over six weeks, I've noticed that many of the professors love using chalk, but they all wear dark colors so they end up with chalk dust all over their clothes by the end of the lecture. If I were a professor, I'd wear pastel yellow terry cloth tracksuits to work so the yellow chalk dust would be camouflaged. On the other hand, I might end up vibing a horrid version of hip hop fashion that would be utterly inappropriate for academia. Worse yet...I'd look like a big piece of yellow chalk.

Caramel Apple Ice Cream

It's that time of the year again...Caramel Apple Ice Cream at J.P. Licks. I stopped by the Davis Square location on my way home last night to buy Adam a treat and to check out their latest offerings. I immediately upgraded from a small to an entire pint when I saw the elusive Caramel Apple on the board. Blink and you might miss the Caramel Apple because it comes only in the fall and only for one weekend. Adam was so excited about the ice cream, he immediately called Dave to alert him about Caramel Apple time at J.P. Licks.

Midterms...not that funny

Well, I've been away for a while because of midterms. I've tried to think of something funny or interesting to blog about during midterms and I've discovered that midterms just aren't all that funny. The situation has been dire, here are some stats:

Days since I last blogged: 7
Days since I last baked anything: 9
Days since last grocery run: 9
Days without milk: 4
Days since my last shower: [fortunately] 0

The good news is...I'm living it up this weekend. I'm finally going to make that lemon cake...if only we had some milk.

Ye Olde 27

We went out for a fun birthday dinner courtesy of plasticmom last Sunday. Oleana's with Kristen, Dave, Adam and Wheezy made for a good time. The desserts were amazing. I hoarded most of my Baked Alaska treat, but I did share with Dave. I tried all the other desserts we ordered for the table, but I ultimately returned to methodically consuming my Baked Alaska. A chewy coconut macaroon disk topped by a dense mound of coconut ice cream topped with a delicious meringue...what more could a girl want. The food really good too, everything from the pre-appetizers to the entrees. However, the winner of our gourmet outing was Wheezy who ordered the vegetarian tasting menu. All of us meat eaters were salivating over Wheezy's dinner peppering her with questions like, "does it taste good" "what's in it" and of course, "can I try some?" Wheezy was basking in the well deserved culinary limelight. It almost makes up for the other 90% of the time when her vegetarian option consists of piles of veggies or a large salad.

Calorie Commando

The following is a reconstructed monologue:

Adam: I Tivoed a breakfast episode of "Calorie Commando" on Food Network. I thought they would show me how to make really fatty and caloric corned beef hash, but then I realized the show was about cutting calories, not adding more calories.

Happy Birthday Plasticann

In honor of my birthday, plasticmom celebrated by eating a cake 3000 miles away from me. The following is a reconstructed e-mail from plasticmom.

plasticann,

We ate the birthday cake. The pictures will prove it.

plasticmom

BEFORE


AFTER

New Additions

Last week, Zara gave birth to baby number two making Zryce a proud papa twice and Zess a big sis. Zames Zarry Zakun Zakin looks pretty cute, but the verdict is out [in my book] whether he dethrones Zess in overall cuteness.

Creamy Polenta with Sauteed Mushrooms

I baked up some Sour Cream Coffeecake from Everyday Food this weekend when I noticed a recipe for polenta in same issue so I cooked up som Creamy Polenta with Sauteed Mushrooms to boot. I've always been a bit wary of "polenta" because the name reminded me of gross and nasty things, but I gave the recipe a whirl and the results were pretty darned tasty. Serves three, meal sized portions.

Polenta:
4 cups water
1.5 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of chopped basil

1. Bring to boil the water + salt + pepper. med high heat.
2. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal in a constant stream. Whisk continuously.
3. Lower heat to med low to thicken, stirring occasionally. 10-15 minutes
4. Remove from heat, stir in cheese, butter and basil.

Sauteed Mushrooms:
1 carton 10oz mushrooms sliced
2 small tomatoes chopped
1/4 cup chopped basil

1. Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil
2. Saute mushrooms for 5 minutes or until tender and yummy looking
3. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes and basil.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Top Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms.

Getting out of Boston

Here is a third person reconstructed conversation between Steve and his MIT career counselor.

plasticann's reconstruction of Steve's reconstructed conversation.

Steve: Yeah, I've been in Boston my whole life. I could get excited about getting out of Boston.
CC: That's great. What do you think about LA, Disney's in LA.
Steve: They've got earthquakes
CC: You know, Home Depot is in Atlanta.
Steve: Yeah...I don't want to be in Atlanta.
CC: How about Florida?
Steve: It's too hot and there are too many old people.
CC:...You're funny!

"You're funny" is for when they don't know what to make of you and when you're "funny."

plasticann's analysis of Steve's reconstruction of his conversation.


plasticann: Well, you do want to get out of Boston, as long as its, NYC, Chicago or the Bay Area.
Steve: How'd you know?

Minty S'mores

Caution: Very Messy

Spread some marshmallow fluff on two graham cracker squares. Break two Andes Mints in half and place on cracker. Make a little sandwich and microwave for 10 seconds. Arm yourself with a napkin before proceeding to eat.

Baby D*&%$#

The following reconstructed conversation happened on the way to the Phantom Gourmet Food Festival.

plasticann: I was joking around with Wheezy last weekend. I was telling her how I was going to need a break after grad school so I was going to put my MBA to work by becoming a "hausfrau." Wheezy said I should start my own business as a "hausfrau." I told her I could start "Baby Doofas" like "Baby Einstein." Wheezy says she'd put her baby in a "Baby Doofas" shirt.
Adam: [long pause] I guess that's mildly funny.
plasticann: Mildly funny! Harumph! Wheezy even came up with a logo. [plasticann makes a face with her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth.]
Adam: [silence]
plasticann: I guess you wouldn't put our kids in "Baby Doofas" shirts.
Adam: Nope.

I suppose Adam is right afterall. Dressing your helpless baby in a mocking shirt is probably not the best way to start out in life since it would only doom the baby to become a writer for The Onion, but I can't help it, I still think it's hilarious. Good thing I've got Wheezy to hang out with because Adam would never go to Urban Outfitters just to mock the merchandise.

Candle Cake

I brought some homemade lemon pound cake to my team meeting yesterday.

Zamir: [Sniffing] Is someone burning candles in here?
plasticann: Um...[glancing around the small conference room]...no. Do you think it's the lemon cake you're smelling?
Zamir: That's it. My wife loves candles she's been home in Houston while I've been here and I was thinking it's been a while since I smelled candles.
plasticann: I did not put candles in the cake.
Zamir: No, it smells like good candles.

A Bi-Annual Tradition

After lunch yesterday, I dragged Nina to the Tannery in Harvard Square to look at clogs. I was considering the black ones since I've worn out two reddish pairs over the last four years, but I needed Wheezy's opinion. The following is a reconstructed conversation about clogs.

plasticann: [wearing the black clogs] I just don't know. I don't want to get the reddish colored ones again, I've already gone through two pairs of the same color. I think I need a change, but I just don't know.
Wheezy: I don't know...the black ones look nice, but something's not quite right.
plasticann: I know, the black ones look nice on other people, but they seem weird on my feet.
Wheezy: When I think of plasticann, I think of the reddish clogs.
plasticann: Didn't I drag you down to the clog store two years ago for this exact issue and we ended up going with reddish over black?
Wheezy: Yeah and I still feel the same way. Maybe you should try the reddish ones.
...A few minutes later...
Wheezy: [watching plasticann open up the pair of reddish clogs] I have a good feeling about this already.
plasticann: [wearing the reddish clogs] Yeah, you're right. These are it. I'll probably drag you clog shopping in another two years and we'll have to go through this whole process again.

Therefore, I walked out with my third pair of reddish Dansko clogs. The lesson learned is don't mess with your signature shoe.

Pizza Burrito

I experienced some of Adam's creative culinary resourcefulness a few weeks ago when he made lunch out of a slice of pizza, a piece of calzone, cheese and some tortillas. "Pizza Burrito" was born. Past excursions into "burrito-land" have included stir fry. The following is a reconstructed conversation.

Adam: [looking at a portion of leftover tortellini] There isn't much of this pasta left for lunch.
plasticann: I didn't eat any, I ate the chicken.
Adam: I know, but do you know what this means?
plasticann: [with hesitation]...Umm..."Pizza Burrito?"
Adam: That's right...pasta burrito! It's going to be GOOD.

Upper Crust

Now that I'm a student [again], schoolwork is omnipresent. I suppose, now is not the time to be obsessed with enjoying certain foods that are inconveniently located. Unfortunately, I succumbed to my irrational craving for a slice of Upper Crust pepperoni pizza last night. Granted the pizza was sublime, but this little culinary excursion cost me a precious 30 minutes. That's about 10 pages of reading in my Accounting textbook. Ironically, I was motivated to trek across the river and down Charles Street was because I was famished. My low blood sugar levels messed with my analytical abilities and I was convinced that the only food I could eat was a slice of Upper Crust pizza. I wanted to propel myself over the Fanueil Hall for a Beard Papa Cream Puff to top off the pizza, but at after I'd eaten, my mental faculties had returned.

The I-zone

Excerpts from last week's marketing class.

Prof: Who here has seen one of these [holds up an I-zone] camera?
Class: [many hands go up.]
Prof: Good good...it's a camera that takes small poloroid pictures. Now, how many of you have one of these cameras?
plasticann: [starts raising her hand and notices a marked decrease in hand raising from the audience.]
Prof: [not having seen plasticann's half raised hand] Nobody, that's good because they're marketed for 12 year old girls. You shouldn't have one.
plasticann: [sadly and to no one in particular] But, they're wicked cool.

Baker's Joy...

and boy oh boy what a joy it is for the baker. The Original No-Stick Baking Spray with Flour is simply wonderful. My intricate bundt cakes come out beautifully intact and my loaf cakes are loving the special flour grease formula. I was initially wary of the Baker's Joy, but I'm now a convert. The sprayed on flour grease can look a little dubious since it looks like you've coated white foam on your baking pans and I think it smells not bad, but a little "funny. However, trust me, there is no aftertaste and no visible residue. Couple that Baker's Joy with some parchment paper and you'll be a happy baker too.

Awesome---sia

Shaw's new gourmet private label brand, Essensia, is simply Awesome---sia. Everything we've purchased has been great: chocolate chips, balsamic vinegar dressing, Parmesan cheese, crackers and today I even bought some frozen cheddar broccoli baked potatoes because I had a coupon for a dollar off. I'm a die hard fan and I'll try anything with that lovely gray metallic label. Now, the coupon brings all my meandering to my second point, I've become like Adam. I purchased the superfluous potatoes mostly so I could use the coupon. However, the dollar off coupons are great. Shaw's has stacks of coupons for Essensia products near the circulars and the coupons are for $1 any Essensia product. I grabbed a bunch and I plan on stocking up on chocolate chips using these coupons over the next month.

My Fed Ex Guy

I was chillin' outside waiting to meet up with my team when I saw my Fed Ex guy burst out of one of the Sloan buildings. He's a memorable fellow with a handlebar mustache, but when you've worked in the same vicinity for five years, the Fed Ex guy is part of your routine. I wanted to stop him and say, "Hi...it's so good to see you. I didn't know you delivered to this building. How are you doing? Have a great day." However, I restrained myself since he doesn't actually know me and plus, in the five years I've signed for packages from him, I've never actually caught his name. However, I laughed and smiled to myself as I watched him dash from the building and scurry into his parked truck. Some things never change.

Who Knew!

Adam and I hopped on the bus last weekend for a jaunt out to the suburbs. We took the 77 all the way to Arlington Heights where we found a Panera, an awesome cookie bakery...Lakota, a Brigham's Ice Cream Store and not to mention, a fabulous spice store just outside of Arlington Heights. We chowed our way down Mass Ave all the way home splitting a Asiago Cheese Bagel with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Cheese at Panera, picking up a baker's dozen of cookies at Lakota before we bought a bagful of spices at Penzeys. We worked our way down Mass Ave from Arlington Heights toward Arlington Center stopping by a party favor store where Adam marveled at the bulk institutional food available and I enthusiastically checked out the various cardboard cake rounds they stocked. We finally got to Blue Ribbon BBQ where we split a sandwich with cole slaw and the basil garlic smashed potatoes. We were planning on splitting a burger at Not Your Average Joe's if we were still hungry, but alas, our appetites failed us and we ran out of time. The following reconstructed conversation occurred several times on our modest day trip.

plasticann: [marveling] Who knew the 77 had so much to offer!
Adam: You just like saying that.
plasticann: It is not true?
Adam: It is true!
plasticann: See, the 77 does have a lot to offer.

The Depository

As our good friends MGDub and Laurel have moved away from Beantown on to bigger and better things, Adam and I have become the depository for their stash of leftover food. We're still working through the various frozen food items from MGDub, but we did polish off the delicious Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches she left behind. Laurel dropped off boxes upon boxes of food and pantry items last Saturday before she left town on Sunday. As much as I enjoyed the loot from MGDub, Laurel's stash was the motherload. We had a blast going through the edible remnants of Laurel's life here in Boston. Not much of a surprise, but Laurel's pantry was that of a master baker and a foodie. I inherited her entire pantry of baking supplies which included pounds of chocolate, bags of powdered sugar, a variety of nuts and even food coloring. I haven't even finished cataloging the lot of goods, but last weekend, Adam and I enjoyed wrapping up all of our random leftovers in her Vietnamese spring roll wrappers and I made a huge vat of curry. This morning, I used her collection of nuts to make brittle. For a decadent touch, I melted her dark chocolate to top off the already buttery brittle. I'm already missing MGDub and Laurel, but they're still very close to my heart and tummy as I work on methodically consume their food.

Brittle...in honor of Laurel's pantry

1.5 cups of assorted nuts
6 Tbs of salted butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda

1. Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish. Line the bottom of of the dish with parchment paper or a silpat. [I had to chisel my brittle out with a knife and hammer because I didn't line the dish.]
2. Scatter nuts in dish
3. Combine butter, sugar and water in a 2 quart pot. Dissolve sugar on medium heat.
4. Once sugar has dissolved, cover pot for 2 minutes.
5. Uncover pot and turn heat up to high and let the mixture cook [without stirring] until the mixture starts to turn golden brown.
6. Immediately remove pot from heat and stir in the baking soda and the vanilla.
7. Quickly pour the mixture over the nuts in the baking dish and spread the mixture over the nuts using a wooden spoon or spatula. Note: The mixture is viscous and may not spread across the entire dish. Just pack in any loose nuts on top of ths mixture if it doesn't spread.
8. Let the brittle cool to room temperature and then break the brittle into small bitesized pieces.
9. [Optional] Melt some chocolate in the microwave and quickly pour on top of brittle. Spread the chocolate over the brittle with a spatula and let cool.

Bio Break

a term they were using at Sloan to describe a potty break. It probably stands for "biological" break...how BIT.

Elvis Presley's Favorite Pound Cake

I was excited to bake Elvis Presley's Favorite Pound Cake from the latest issue of Gourmet as an opportunity to use up my stash of cake flour so I acquired the extra eggs and the heavy cream that the recipe called for. As I started to mix my ingredients, I noticed the one ingredient notation that would have deterred me from starting down the path of baking this pound cake. The recipe called for "sifted" cake flour and the directions required this already "sifted" cake flour to be "sifted" another two times. In total, the precious cake flour needed not one, or two, but THREE siftings. Since Gourmet claimed "This is the best pound cake we have ever tasted," I didn't want to miss out on the experience so I decided to go against my personal vow to ignore flour sifting.

As I started to methodically sift the first cup of flour, an overwhelming feeling of resentment began to build. I started thinking, "it's just like that Elvis to demand his flour be sifted thrice...that's so typical of rock stars...does he really need sifted flour...I'll bet he never had to sift his own flour." In light of these negative emotions, I decided to skip the sifting and just give the flour a bit of a "stir." Pound cake was pretty darned tasty...if only I had my own personal flour sifter at my beck and call, the pound cake would be even more sublime. Afterall, we're talking about the King here and he deserved only the best.

A Reconstructed Conversation with plasticmom

I was reminded at dinner tonight of a conversation I had with plasticmom about our washer/dryer.

plasticann: ...and we bought a washer/dryer unit from our neighbors upstairs. Adam did the math and he figures we'll pay off the cost of the unit if we do six loads of laundry every month for two years.
plasticmom: If you do twelve loads a month, you'll pay it off in one year. You should change your clothes twice a day and do lots of laundry.
plasticann: Boah ha ha! We should try to get dirty to save more money.

Social Crutch

The context of this reconstructed conversation. Steve and I have been trying to go to school social events. I've been forcing myself to go despite my natural inclination to stay home after dark. Fortunately, getting a ride from Steve has been a motivating incentive to actually go out.

Steve: George says I should stop using you as a social crutch.
plasticann: What? You can tell George that you may not need me as a social crutch, but darn it...I actually need a social crutch.

Goofy Instructors

As you may know, Steve and I are at BIT for pre-term this week. Some of the instructors are inadvertently, but endearingly goofy. Here are some moments.

1. During our first microeconomics class, the instructor started drawing a graph on the projector. As he's finishing his supply/demand graph, he exclaims, "Oops, I think I was supposed to use this transparency [waving a blank transparency], I hope this ink is erasable." He forgot to use his Sloan issued blank transparencies and ended up drawing all over the glass. Incidentally, he also forgot to clean the graph off the glass.

2. Steve and I had discussed, briefly, whether our accounting instructor was "with child." This morning, she said, "I know your question came up last semester, but I'm not sure what the answer is. I'll have to look that up and get back to you because babies get smarter by making mommies less smart."

$28/lb

To properly commemorate my matriculation into BIT, I'm paying homage to my alma mater’s daily rag with some textbook inspired "Diamonds and Coals."

Coals: If BIT ever took a page from its "alternative" neighbor, the Garment District, my books would have cost $28 a pound.

Diamonds: Fortunately, I only had to buy four books for my first semester at BIT so I only had to make one trip to the Coop. I remember having to pick up eight separate books for just one of my classes in college, at times taking several trips to the bookstore to complete my back to school shopping.

Speaking of college, MGDub and I once took a Faulkner and Fitzgerald class with two other friends. Due to the frenetic pace of the reading list [two books a week], and the lack of incentive since we were required to take the class pass/fail, I didn't actually do all that much of the reading, in particular, I didn't read hardly any Faulkner because I simply couldn't get through more than a chapter at a time. Once our professor, in an effort to encourage us, suggested we read Faulkner several times with different colors of highlighters to code the various “voices” and points of view. After that, I completely gave up any hope of ever doing the reading. The only Faulkner I actually read was a little known super short novella titled "The Pilot," but I'll have you know, I owned all of the required reading at that point in time. After all, I'm not textbook buying slacker/cheapskate. The following two reconstructed conversations/situations demonstrate how rampant this issue was for our entire class.

Section:

One of my friends [Zim] had already graduated, but was interested in joining my section review on Absalom Absalom, a book he could never finish. He thought joining us "unofficially" for section would motivate him to finish the book. Zim shows up for section and settles in. At one point in section, it is obvious that most of us have not actually read the book.

TA: How many of you have actually read this book? Please raise you hands because we can't have a productive discussion if no one has read the book.
[two hands go up]
TA: Ok, how many of you have read half of the book?
[a couple of more hands go up]
TA: How about a third?
[a lot more hands go up, including plasticann and Zim]

Later, after section:

Zim: Gosh, that was really stressful. I'm not even in the class and I felt so guilty that I hadn't finished the reading.

Zim thought reading a third of the book warrented guilt, there were folks in my section who hadn't even cracked open the book. I suppose slacking off is all relative.

Final Exam:

Since I had only read one Faulkner book and it wasn't really even a book, I was in a tight spot come finals time. Granted, I only had to pass the class and we did get the questions beforehand to prepare, but I had no idea what the books were about. Fortunately, lots of folks including my friends and MGDub were in the same boat so a spirit of cooperation flourished. The following is a reconstructed conversation while cramming for the final.

Friend 1: So, what about question four, has anyone read "As I Lay Dying?"
MGDub: Oh, I didn’t do all the reading, but I read that one. It's about someone who's dying... yada yada yada.
plasticann: I read "The Pilot." It's about a pilot flying a plane. That’s the only one I read.
Friend 2: Are there any questions "The Pilot" applies too?
Friend 1: Maybe question 5, but it's a stretch.
plasticann: Remember, we get to choose which four out of the five essay questions to answer so therefore, we only have to prepare for 9 out of the 10 possible questions.
MGDub: What's Absalom Absalom about?
Friend 1: Oh, that's the only one I read, It's about Absalom and this house and blah blah blah.

In conclusion, between the four of us, we could cover about 80% of the required reading. Sadly, there wasn’t much overlap so I guess we each averaged 20% of the reading. I would say, my contribution was below average so if I were truly honest, I’d have to bump that 20% down just a tad. We all survived the exam and we all graduated, but I felt awful about the whole experience. For years, I kept my Faulkner books in hopes that I would finally complete that required reading as my act of penance since I felt like such a sham, but I finally had to let it go. I dropped them off at Goodwill and thought, "Good Riddance, go haunt someone else" and freed up some much needed mental space.

Brrrrrring!

Well, I'm here at "BIT" for pre-term and I'm re-learning my math and learning for the first time the basics of accounting. Steve and I met up this morning to go to school together so at least I have one friend. During the first lecture, the lecture room code of conduct was communicated from the front.

BIT Lady: If you haven't already, please turn off all our cell phones in class.
Audience: [sounds of cell phones shutting down]
BIT Lady: and there will be
Audience: [sounds of more cell phones shutting down]
BIT Lady: no laptops in lecture
Audience: [more phones turned off]
BIT Lady: unless otherwise specified by the professor.
Audience: [finally the sounds of the last phone shutting off...bring ga bring ga bring ga bring]
Steve: Maybe I should shut my phone off again.

I could eat it everyday...

Adam and I took Laurel out to dinner at Radius [not Diameter] to celebrate her ascendancy to Dr. Laurel-dom. The food was delicious, but some dishes were more tastier than others. The way I gauge a dish's popularity is what I like to call the "sling-o-meter," or the number of times a dish is passed around a table, especially at a high end place where slinging of plates across the table is most likely frowned upon. We were enjoying the potato gnocchi appetizer that had been slung around at least 5 times, when Adam started in on one of his all time favorite pasta dishes, the Beef Short Rib Agnolotti at Upstairs on the Square. The following reconstructed conversation does not do the situation justice, but I will try my very best. It's really my fault, I was the one who brought it up.

plasticann: Adam really likes this pasta at Upstairs on the Square.
Laurel: Really, what is it?
Adam: It's pasta with beef short ribs in a broth and it's just so delicious. We would have had it at our wedding, but they couldn't make it in large quantities.
Laurel: That sounds good.
Adam: [wistfully] I hope they'll have it again this winter.
plasticann: Would you like to take a moment to reminisce?
Adam: [not missing a beat, waxing poetically while plasticann and Laurel laught it up] It's this Agnolotti pasta that's pillowy and soft and the ribs are so tender and they're wrapped in the pasta and it's all in this delicious broth. It's so good. They also have this Pistachio Pound Cake and Olive Oil Gelato.
Laurel: You can get Olive Oil ice cream at Christina's
Adam: It's not the same with out the pound cake, the combination is just so good. I could eat the pasta and the pound cake everyday.
plasticann: We could go to Upstairs every week just to eat dessert and pasta.
Adam: Why don't we?
plasticann: We could make it a weekly priority. We'll eat pizza at Crazy Dough's and splurge on dessert at Upstairs.
Adam: We should do it.

Note: Adam would like to point out [and I concur] that the preceding reconstructed conversation is possibly riddled with inaccuracies, but I believe the spirit of the conversation has been faithfully conveyed. Adam enjoys beef rib pasta and pound cake and he could eat it everyday.

Food By Mail

Today was my last day at the Phantom Gourmet and as I was sitting in the trailer proofreading some restaurant reviews, I couldn't help, but overhear a tape about Mike's Pastry being edited. You can get Mike's cannolis shipped anywhere in the world. They send you a box of cookie tubs and a frozen bag of filling and you pipe it yourself and finish them with nuts or chips. I thought it was a pretty cute gag, until I found out that the kit cost 25 bucks, but the shipping cost a cool 45 dollars.

White Bread



Growing up, we were a two bread kinda household. There was the "Home Pride Split Top Wheat Bread" and of course Japanese/Asian white bread also known as "Shokupan." Now, we're a "Arnold's Brannola 12 Grain" household, but I couldn't resist picking up some delicious Japanese bread from the Japonaise Bakery in Porter Exchange. This little bakery stand offers two kinds of sliced bread: regular or cream. I once [daftly] asked what was the difference between the two...one has cream in it. What exactly is Japanese white bread? It's a perfectly rectangular loaf of white bread. It's so rectangular, in fact, I can't tell which end is up. It's a mystery, to me, how they manage to bake rectangular bread when the rest of the west bakes poufy topped loaves. I digress! Japanese bread is white, squishy, soft and oh so tasty. In fact, it's like gourmet Wonder Bread, but infinitely better. You can buy it in sandwich slices or thicker toast slices. I used to eat mine twice toasted. Toast it dry the first time, top with butter and toast again to melt the butter into all the nooks and crannies. For a decadent tread, I'd eat my toast with condensed milk. This morning I was inspired to make a fluffernutter with my Japanese bread. I figured there's no better carbo vehicle than Japanese bread to deliver a delicious combo of Skippy's and gourmet Tiny Trapeze Marshmallow Creme. The End!

Dr. Laurel

Well, today was Laurel's PhD defense at a place I like to call BIT. I was determined to go listen to her presentation, but I was a few minutes late and boy do they start promptly. Since I haven't taken any science classes since hiaaaah school, thanks to Zrown's [not so] New Curriculum, I didn't understand much of her research. She did a good job though, that even I could tell. I didn't really comprehend any ideas, concepts or even phrases. However, I did catch a few words such as "bovine" aka cows, "wells," "stiff" and "hello."

Refreshing Somen

I think plasticmom is still concerned about my cooking abilities since she sent me a link to Dream Dinners. On the other hand, I may be reading too much into it. Perhaps this is not commentary on my abilities, but more an expression of her enthusiasm for a nifty concept. It is a pretty cool idea and the menus do look tasty.

But, back to plasticmom. While I was trying to convince her of my culinary abilities a few weeks ago, we reminisced about a fun summer meal plasticmom would make when I was a kid. I haven't had somen, or cold Japanese dipping noodles for years, but I made it last week and now Adam is a fan. It's simple, refreshing and actually healthy.

You can buy bundles of thin somen noodles at the Asian market along with the soup noodle base needed to make the dipping sauce. Don't bother with the specialized sauces in the tiny bottles, get the general use soup base that comes in a jug and you can use the same soup base to make soup for noodles, dipping sauce for noodles and even tempura sauce, you just dilute the soup base with a different amount of water for the various uses.

A cautionary note, I was skeptical about the "serving size" indicated on the noodle package. It said one bundle yielded two cups of cooked noodles. I guess I was feeling hungry because I ended up cooking five servings for two people figuring we'd each eat two servings and have some left over. Unfortunately, the five bundles of noodles were enough to feed Adam and me for dinner on Thursday, lunch on Friday, and dinner for Adam, Dave and Aaron last night. In other words, it was seven servings.

Somen Noodles

1. Cook Somen noodles according to the instructions. Rinse cooked noodles with cold water and let the noodles chill in a water bath in the fridge.

2. Make the dipping sauce according to the instructions.

3. Additional Ingredients: Thinly sliced cucumbers, chopped scallions, cubed firm tofu, chunks of avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, strips of ham, thin strips of scrambled eggs [see #4], and pretty much anything you want to dip in sauce...even cantaloupe or watermelon.

4. To make thin strips of egg, heat a nonstick frying pan, beat up two eggs in a bowl. Pour the egg into the pan and quickly swirl the egg in the pan to spread it out thinly. Use a spatula to flip the egg pancake over until the egg is cooked through. Cut the egg pancake into thin strips.

Instructions for eating:

1. Set out the noodles and all the other accompaniments.

2. Fill each bowl with 1/2 to 1/3 cup of dipping sauce.

3. Dip the noodles and other ingredients into the sauce and enjoy.

Very Logical

The following reconstructed conversation occurred right after lunch.

plasticann: [sniffing] Are you eating curry chicken salad?
Adam: Yes!
plasticann: But, we just ate lunch, are you still hungry?
Adam: No, but I went to the fridge to get something to drink and there was no water.
plasticann: So you ate some curry chicken salad instead.
Adam: Precisely, I'm glad you see the logic.

Orange Flesh Honeydew Granita



There's a first time for everything and now that we have newfangled gadgets like a "blender," I was inspired to make Cantaloupe Granita from the latest issue of Gourmet. We didn't have Cantaloupe, but we did have Orange Flesh Honeydew so I figured it was close enough. I diced up the fruit, added some lemon juice, sugar and ice cubes and pulverized the mix in the blender MGDub gave us. Then I stuck it in the freezer and watched an hour Rachel Ray before coming back to scrape the slush up with a fork. I was so excited about my granita, I wanted to pulverize everything in our fridge and make more. Judging from the contents of our fridge, I could have easily made "grape/cucumber/coke/peach granita", but I decided to show restraint and look for actual recipes before I created an unusual combination in my overly enthusiastic state. I did some research on granita recipes and I'm excited to try the root beer float granita on epicurious. Looks wicked easy, but I need to find an occasion.

Blue Ribbon BBQ

Thanks to my newfound fascination with the bus that stops right in front of our apartment, Adam and I finally made it to Blue Ribbon BBQ after years of hearing only rave reviews. We shared the half slab rib platter with cheezy potatoes and cole slaw. Adam was excited about the various sauces available at the self serve condiment bar, but was decidedly less excited when he, full of bravado, dipped his cornbread in one of the hottest sauces. Unfortunately, I was not able to buy Adam a glass of milk cool his palate. I patiently stood in line while I watched Adam hacking across the restaurant. As for the food, fantabulous. Succulent ribs fell off the bone and the price was very nice. Multiple friends have claimed, "you'll never go back to Redbones." We concur, especially now that we've figured out how to get to Blue Ribbon BBQ by way of public transit. On a related note, I ran into a friend from high school at Blue Ribbon BBQ. Let's call him, "Zuge." A enthusiastic and extroverted fellow blessed with a high metabolism, Zuge raved vociferously about the ribs and the beef brisket. Next time, I'm hoping to try the key lime pie.

beard papa's fresh'n natural cream puffs: part II

I picked up the beard papa's cream puff frequent buyer card I got yesterday and noticed the following. "Cream puffs are perfect for all occasions: Birthdays [Naturally], Weddings [Creative], Holidays [who likes fruit cake anyhoo]," yada yada yada and of course, "BREAKFAST." Woohoo...you got your diary, your carbs...add some bacon grease and a sprig of parsley and your're all set.

Papa Beard's Cream Puffs

Adam saw an article in the Dig about a Japanese Cream Puff store opening up in Quincy Market so I insisted we check it out pronto. I've never had a Papa Beard Cream Puff, but I have many fond memories of the Japanese custard filled cream puffs of my youth. So ingrained are these custard filled puffs that I avoid any traditional whipped cream filled pastry. We trekked down to Fanueil Hall yesterday afternoon to check out Papa Beard's Cream Puff. Adam demonstrated a high level of patience and enthusiasm for this journey downtown especially since he can't really eat cream puffs.

The verdict, Papa Beard's Cream Puffs are truly delicious...even better than the ones I grew up with because they're freshly filled when you order them. The golden brown puff remains crisp and crunchy and it's the prefect complement to the custard filling flecked with vanilla bean. It's kinda like a freshly filled Modern Pastry cannoli, it's way better than a pre-filled Mike's cannoli.

Papa Beard's is serious about their cream puffs, they only offer three menu items and a handful of beverage choices. Get ready for this, the menu items are: vanilla filled cream puff, chocolate filled cream puff and if you're feeling really wild and crazy, an "éclair" cream puff that's the vanilla custard puff dipped in chocolate. And because they were running a special, I got a free iced coffee to boot with my cream puff purchase. $1.65 for a freshly filled cream puff and an iced coffee...not too shabby.

plasticmom has heard about the freshly filled puffs that are ubiquitous in Japan, but has never tried one. Next time she's in town, we'll have to trek down to Fanueil Hall or if they're already open, to Harvard Square. Blasphemous, but I think these cream puffs may supplant my devotion to the other Kremes, that is Krispy Kremes.

Zakun's Zerry Zerry Zreakfast

In a not so secret attempt to use all of our frozen berries, we had a couple of folks over for a "Berry Berry Breakfast. I think it was a success, at least everyone left having consumed their caloric intake for the day. We've gotta figure out how to better time the food so we're not rushing around in the kitchen at the last moment.

Menu:

Coffee [Godiva Creme Brulee courtesy of MGDub]
Tea [Kushmi Prince Vladamir]
Orange Juice [Tropicana Grove Stand with Calcium]
Berry Smoothies

Berry Sour Cream Muffins [from the Barefoot Contessa]
Maple Smoked Bacon [Hormel]
Scrambled Eggs with Avocado [from Food 911]
Berry Pancakes with Brown Sugar Syrup

Along with Adam...

...came a pantry full of canned goods and frozen veggies. Now, I'm determined to use the food we have. Tomorrow, we'll be hosting the "Zakun Zerry Zerry Zreakfast" to use up the bag of frozen berries Adam got from Costco. There will be Zerry Smoothies, Zerry Muffins and Zerry Pancakes. Last night I made pork parm and I souped up a jar of spicy eggplant marinara with a can of artichoke hearts. This morning, I decided tried to make corn chowder with a can of Campbell's condensed cream of chicken soup. I added diced potatoes, green beans, fresh corn and bacon which added a lot of flavor, but even all those add-ins could not mask the fact that the soup base was Campbell's condensed cream of chicken soup. Next up, the boxes and boxes of rice/pasta roni.

The Favors



Up next, the favors for our guests. Reynolds wax sandwich bags filled with pink jordan almonds and two molasses clove cookies. We got personalized labels to boot. The jordan almonds place is awesome, they had multiple shades of almonds for every color. Plus, they can mix your own shade to your specifications, but you do have to buy an obcene amount, 150 pounds. Team bridesmaid, my roommates and Corinna spent an afternoon cranking through multiple projects, including these favor bags.

The Cake



Now that I've got my cable internet up and running, here are some photos from our wedding. First up, the much mentioned cumbersome cake. It looked really awesome and was super delicious. Kudos to Upstairs and to our florist for decorating with lovely peonies.

Elusive Sheets

Well folks, we finally got our bed [a fabulous sleep number bed] thanks to the mama and the papa. I can mix things up with the softest setting one night and the firmest the next. The options are endless...almost. On to the next tricky issue...sheets. We got a "California King" which is slightly longer and slightly narrower than a regular king also known as the "Eastern King." Being from La La Land, I was unaware that the "California" in "California King" was an actual geographic designation, not just another standard size. We called up a bunch of area stores looking for sheets and we were told that we wouldn't be able to find "California King" sheets anywhere in the Northeast and we would have to order them on the web. Heck, I know lots of people with California King bed. Unfortunately, they're all in California. I was lamenting about my sheet issue with Wheezy over the phone this afternoon. Ever confident in my abilities to cope, Wheezy assured me that I'd be able to find a solution. Well sports fans...I did. I simply took two twin sheets and clothespined them to our freakishly sized bed. We've got vintage Raggedy Ann & Andy on [of course] my side and Laura Ashley on Adam's side. That should tide us over for a while...if not weeks. Problem...SOLVED!

Diamonds and Coals Edition of...Wedding Cakes

Diamonds: Our wedding cake [courtesy of Upstairs on the Square] was delicious. Moist vanilla cake with raspberry fruit filling and buttercream frosting.

Coals: The "top" layer that we're supposed to save for our first anniversary is enormous. This is no token wee little cake, it's an eight inch round. Who can devote that kind of freezer space to a cake for one year. It's some sort of classist elitist conspiracy.

Fortunately for us, a friend generously offered us freezer real estate in her chest freezer. I still don't get why we have to eat frozen old cake...the germaphobe in me can't get on board with this nonsense.

"Are You Starving?"

...asked plasticmom during our weekly phone chat. "No," I responded, "I've been doing all the cooking and I'm a pretty good cook." Unconvinced, plasticmom probed further, "What are you making?" I countered, "I made chicken salad, potato salad, coffee, pork chops and other things." plasticmom contemplates, "Hmmm, isn't there a dumpling place near your house?" I wondered where this was going as I replied, "Yes, there are lots of restaurants on our street since we live on a major street." "Good," plasticmom concluded with relief, "you must not be starving.

Harumph, plasticmom holds two contradictory beliefs about my cooking...simultaneously.

1. I can't cook because I rarely do.
2. I could be a great cook because I love to eat and I know what food should taste like.

I can't tell is she has boundless faith in my cooking or the opposite. Heck, I even put Adam on the phone for his endorsement of my culinary abilities. He said, in general, that my food was tasty and that I "cut up fruit" for fruit salad. plasticmom seemed sufficiently mollified by Adam's endorsement, but I think she may still be a bit concerned since she offered, "I'm really glad you guys live in a city, there are places to eat close by so you won't starve." It's all very comical. That plasticmom...she's a real chuckle...she makes me laugh.

Sour-Cream Coffee Cake...DOUBLED

As requested by my lovely sister-in-law, Zara, here's the coffee cake recipe. It's from the March 2005 issue of MS FOOD with a few tweaks...I've doubled the original recipe.

plasticann's coconut/pecan sour-cream coffee cake the double portion

4 sticks of unsalted butter
6 cups flour
2 Tbs baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 cups sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
4 tsp vanilla extract
Coconut/Pecan topping [3/4 cup chopped pecans + 3/4 coconut flakes + 1.5 cup sugar + 4 tsp ground cinnamon]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two bundt/tube pans with Baker's Joy baking with flour spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and baking soda

2. With an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla on high speed until light and fuffy, about 5 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three additions alternating with sour-cream mixture in two, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until moistened.

3. Spread a sixth of the batter in each pan, sprinkle with a sixth of the topping. Repeat twice, ending with topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. 60-75 minutes.

4. Cool in pan 30 minutes. Turn out of pan and cool, top side up on a rack.

5. Enjoy!

The Coffeecake Incident

MGDub was kind enough to give me a ride home on Monday when she, unfortunately, got sucked into the coffeecake incident. I'd baked two delicious sour cream coffeecakes that very morning. I had used my new Baker's Joy baking spray with flour and I'd swirled a delicious coconut/pecan topping into the cake batter. The coffeecakes released from their bundt pans beautifully and I was feeling pretty darned good. I even stopped by Adam's work to drop off some warm coffeecake. When MGDub and I walked into the apartment Monday evening, we found a very perturbed Adam assessing the coffeecake situation. Simply, he was overwhelmed by the amount of coffeecake in our apartment [1.5 cakes]. The following is a reconstructed conversation where MGDub gets sucked into a battle of wills over the coffeecake.

Adam: We have too much coffeecake.
plasticann: I'm going to freeze it so we can have coffeecake anytime.
Adam: There's no room in the freezer and if we have coffeecake readily available, I'll eat it all.
plasticann: But, it's...so good.
Adam: It is really good, that's why we should give it away. MGDub, would you like to take a whole coffeecake to share with your neighbors?
plasticann: A whole coffeecake...there won't be any left to freeze.
Adam: Wouldn't you enjoy baking more coffeecake?
plasticann: Well, I like the idea of stockpiling coffeecake and other treats in the freezer, but our freezer is filled with frozen veggies so there's no room.
MGDub: I don't really want to be responsible for passing out coffeecake.
Adam: Is there anyone you'll see in the next day that would enjoy coffeecake?
MGDub: I'm just packing and I don't really want to be passing out coffeecake.
Adam: Would your landlord like coffeecake.
MGDub: I guess I could take a few slices for them.
plasticann: Would like like a slice for tomorrow?
MGDub: Alright, I guess I'll have a small slice for tomorrow.

We have one small sliver of coffeecake left in our house...we disposed the rest appropriately, namely not in our own tummies. The lesson here, I've got to stop baking for 20 because it's just the two of us and we should get a chest freezer to keep my baked goods.

Blueberry Festival

A bunch of us went down to Verrill Farms in Concord on Saturday for their Blueberry Festival for pancakes in the "country." The blueberries were fresh, the pancakes were piping hot, the bacon was ultra crisp and the maple syrup was real. There was even a blueberry pie eating contest to boot, basically kids/adults cramming their faces into pies with the goal of polishing off the entire pie first. We stopped by their little store where Adam found a banana split cake in their bakery. We admired the produce, but didn't end up buying anything. Our next event, the Taste of Cambridge this Wednesday in Kendall Square. $30 presale tickets at Whole Foods. Come early and eat more than your share of samples. Afterall, it's for charity.

Gourmet Greatness

I started my internship this week at the Phantom Gourmet where I'll be rewarded with an enriching experience and with food. Steve hooked me up with this internship through his vast network of camp connections and his friend "Zan," one of the guys who run the operation. I also knew Steve had [un]helpfully passed along my blog to Zan, but I chose to ignore that tidbit of information. Turns out Zan did read my blog because he asked me if I was going to blog about today's taping. Unfortunately, that's a loaded question since Zan swore the entire set to secrecy about today's episode so no, I will not blog about it...my lips are sealed. On another related note, I made dinner tonight and in honor of my newest endeavor, I asked Adam to create a plasticann scorecard for our meal. We fudged with the categories and took the liberty of introducing "bonus points" to the accounting.

The Menu
Homemade Bagel Chips topped with Jarlsberg Cheese
Tomato, Basil, Avocado & Mozerella Salad with a Balsamic Vinagerette
Artichoke Mashed Potatoes
Cookie/Rice Krispie Dolci

Atmosphere: 6 [stacked empty boxes and scattered kitchen items detracted from hominess]
Menu: 8 [menu was preset by plasticann, no need to make choices]
Appetizers: 4 [bagel chips were badly charred and "tough"]
Entrees: 8 ["Fresh and Tasty" and the lime water was refreshing]
Dessert: 8 [pillaged by plasticann from Phantom Gourmet]
Portions: 7 [Adam ate plasticann's leftovers]
Service: 6 [dinner was promptly served, but Adam had to do his own dishes]
Cleanliness: 6 [Adam noticed pepper on the table, but plasticann insisted that the table had been "wiped down"]
Value: 8 ["gratuity and tax paid in kind"]
Location: 10 [Home Sweet Home]
Subtotal: 71
Presentation: 10 [Adam says, "Bonus Points"]
Grand Total: 81 [Gourmet Greatness...Zakun style]

Boring

Steve called me on Wednesday because "unemployment is boring." He'd been unemployed all of two days, but he was finding it to be "boring" since all his other friends were still working. Since I'm temporarily a "housewife," Steve jogged over to our apartment and sat on our brand new couch. I was happy to make him a cup of coffee in our Chemex and chat about this and that while I putzed around the kitchen baking. I always appreciate an excuse to avoid errands/chores so Steve can stop by for a cup of joe anytime...almost anytime.

I [heart] Acapella

I admit it! I love acapella. Love the percussing, love the outfits, love the chipper attitude, love it all. My good friend Kellie is also a fan and I always knew I had someone to hit all the concerts with in college. We never actually made it to a Rockapella concert, but let me tell ya...we discussed the possibility. Adam and I were out to dinner with Aaron and Wheezy on Saturday when I discovered Wheezy's extreme hatred of all things acapella. I had called Wheezy earlier in the day to let her know that the ERS musical show was on the radio since she loves musicals. Later at dinner, I brought up an acapella song I'd heard on ERS. Wheezy gave me a horrified look and asked pointedly, "Is the musical show all acapella?" I quickly assured her that the musical radio show had nothing to do with acapella, but an acapella show followed the musical show. That's when Wheezy declared, "Oh good because I hate acapella...makes me want to murder people." At first I thought Wheezy was exaggerating her position to be "funny." After we discussed the finer points of why Wheezy hated acapella [goofy faces and pun based names], I finally realized she really does hate acapella. Fortunately, Wheezy does not seem to dislike acapella lovers. That's what I like about her, she's friends with meat eating acapella lovers even though she's a vegetarian acapella despiser. To better demonstrate Wheezy's point, I've used the actual name of my alma mater in the following reconstructed conversation rather than referring to it as a "college in Providence," or "Zrown."

plasticann: Why do you hate acapella so much?
Wheezy: I don't like the goofy faces they make during performances and I hate the pun based names.
plasticann: What, like the "Brown Derbies" or "Harmonic Motion" or "Brown'sTones?"
Wheezy: Exactly!
plasticann: But but the "Brown Derbies," they even wear brown derbie hats.
Aaron: [ringing in] The "Brown Derbies" are from Brown?
plasticann: Yeah! Have you heard of them?
Aaron: Yeah, my roommate had their CDs. I didn't know they were a college group. I guess I never made the connection.
plasticann: I think Rockapella was started by a bunch of Brown alums.
Wheezy: Ughh! Sounds awful.

Things Wheezy is also not fond of: Kevin Costner and rapping grannies.

An Odd Habit

I've discovered an odd habit of mine. When I'm panicked, I start speaking in Taiwanese. It's happened a couple of times, but last night, Adam jumped up early in the morning because he had a leg cramp and I asked, "Are you OK?" in Taiwanese before I realized. Must be some sort of reflex. Sort of reminds me of Steve who has been known to respond to "Happy Birthday" with "you too." DOH!

End of an era

Today is Steve's last day at work. It's the end of an era, but a start of something better. Steve, Leah, Amy and I went to McCormick & Schmicks by Fanuil Hall last night to catch up and enjoy their $1.95 happy hour menu. We each got a burger and we shared some mussels, artichoke dip and tasty buffalo wings. Not bad! The only downside, they wouldn't allow me to pack up my leftovers since it's a special.

Tonkatsu--Pork Cutlets

My apathy for packing and moving inspired me to cook dinner. I made Tonkatsu [Japanese pork cutlets] and Croquettes [Breaded potato patties] for dinner. plasticmom used to make Tonkatsu once a week and I would get to help her bread the pork and shrimp, but we've never made Croquettes before. I could tell my first solo Tonkatsu flight was a success because Adam cleaned his plate, but I think he was also famished.

Potato Croquettes
Note: You can pretty much use any souped up mashed potato to make the croquettes

Corn kernels from one corn approx 1/2 cup
5 small/med potatoes
butter
milk
salt & pepper

1. Make mashed potatoes
2. Use ice cream scoop to make little balls of mashed potatoes
3. Chill mashed potato balls
4. Flatten balls slightly to form a patty

Frying the Tonkatsu or Croquettes
Note: Use think pork cutlets, 1/4 or 1/2 inch thick

1. Heat 1 inch of oil in a pan. Higher rims are better to prevent splattering.
2. Find three shallow dishes with some depth such as a pie dish.
3. Start with 1 cup flour in the first dish, 3 beaten eggs in the second dish, 2 cups of Panko [Japanese bread crumbs] in the third. Add more of each ingredient as needed.
4. Dip and coat each pork cutlet/potato patty in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs
5. Fry in hot oil and turn over when each side is golden brown.

Serve with rice, veggies, Tonkatsu sauce [similar to A1 steak sauce], ketchup. The cutlets are also tasty inside a sandwich...yum!

The cereal aisle

We stopped by the market on Tuesday night for our first official joint grocery run since MGDub was kind enough to give us a ride. The cereal aisle was our first testing ground. I really wanted a box of lucky charms. This potentially boring reconstructed conversation preceded another in depth conversation in the bread aisle, but that's for next time.

plasticann: [watching Adam briefly duck away from the cereal aisle] MGDub, I really want these Lucky Charms. I had some at the Ramada Inn for breakfast after Kellie's wedding and they were so delicious. I hadn't had them since college.
MGDub: You know, Lucky Charms are the greatest marketing scheme..."for a limited time...purple horseshoes."
[enter Adam]
Adam: [holding a box of "Kashi Go Lean"] What do you have there?
plasticann: I really want a box of Lucky Charms.
Adam: They're pure sugar. Don't you like the Kashi Go Lean? It's really "good."
plasticann: They're alright. They taste like Honey Smacks without the honey, which is the best part. I do like the Raisin Bran Crunch, maybe I'll get that.
Adam: Doesn't Raisin Bran have a lot of sugar?
MGDub: It's probably still better than Lucky Charms.
plasticann: [looking at the nutrition panels] Actually, Raisin Bran Crunch has more sugar than Lucky Charms.
Adam: But, look at the serving size. Raisin Bran is 50 grams a serving versus 30 grams for the Lucky Charms.
plasticann: I guess puffed sugar cereal and freeze dried marshmallows don't weigh much. I'll get the Raisin Bran Crunch, but MDGub, you can buy me some Lucky Charms for my next birthday.
MGDub: You got it!
plasticann: [scanning the shelves] They don't have the granola I like.
Adam: Don't you like the Kashi Go Lean, it's really good.
plasticann: [restating her position more strongly] Ughhh. Tastes like Honey Smacks without the honey.
MGDub: You know what's the best granola ever? The Quaker Oatmeal granola.
Adam: [pointing to the box next to MGDub's favorite granola] Hey, they've even got a low fat version with raisins. Have you had that?
MGDub: No! You know me, if it's low fat, I think it'll taste bad.
plasticann: I'm only eating it as a topping for my yogurt.
Adam: But, it's got raisins.
plasticann: I guess I'll give it a whirl.

I think Adam secretly doesn't want Lucky Charms and fatty granola around the house because he doesn't want to end up eating my deliciously unhealthy cereals. He also didn't want me to buy the Hood ice cream that was on sale. Maybe I'll start labeling ice cream, lucky charms and granola with my name. I'm sure Adam will really appreciate that.

"It's what the 'people' want..."

Adam and I got back from our honeymoon on Monday and hung out with MGDub last night. We ended up at Cambridge Common for our tasty tasting menu style meal. We shared the cheeseburger sliders [mini hamburgers], hawaiian pizza and meatloaf. My favorite, the sliders. What's not to love about mini food, which is probably why I love hors d'oeuvres so much. Speaking of hor d'oeuvres, Adam and I decided to take Steve's advice via blog commenting seriously: we got married. Our awesome wedding reception was at Upstairs on the Square complete with hor d'oeuvres, dinner, dessert and even tasty cocktails. I'm happy to report that the wedding weekend extravaganza went smoothly and Adam and I even got to eat [alot] at our reception. More to come about our wedding, but for now, the following is a reconstructed conversation about blogs and weddings.

plasticann: I've been really bad about blogging with everything going on.
MGDub: Yeah, I know. I checked in periodically to see if you blogged from Canada.
plasticann: Now I have to pack and move so it might be a while before I'm blogging regularly.
MGDub: You should blog about the wedding with pictures of the programs and other projects.
plasticann: I can't find my digital camera cord so I'm not sure when I'll have pictures of the wedding craft projects up and running.
MGDub: How about wedding photos of you and Adam?
plasticann: I'm not really into that....having photos of actual people.
MGDub: Why not? LJC has lots of photos up...it's what "the people" want.
plasticann:...ummm...who are these "people?"
MGDub: Well, people like my mom [GJDubya].
plasticann: [secretly flattered, but simultaneously conflicted] Sorry, but I won't pander to "the people."

Diamonds & Coals

Coals: The Hyatt in Cambridge no longer serves ginormous ice cream sundaes in their lobby.
Diamonds: The Legal Seafood in Kendall Square has brought back their fried soft shelled crab sandwich for a limited time...it's on the lunch menu and it's fantabulous.

Not quite separate...not quite together...

Adam and I stopped by the supermarket tonight to pick up some groceries. As Adam diligently browsed the Rice-a-Roni/Pasta-Roni aisle with his coupon in hand, I realized that these boxes of Pasta-Roni Adam was purchasing would become my Pasta-Roni in just two weeks and I wasn't sure whether I even liked Pasta-Roni. Twenty minutes later, as we were checking out, I noticed that Adam had placed a conveyor belt divider seperating our purchases. The following is a reconstructed conversation:

plasticann: Why don't we just pay together?
Adam: Well, if we keep our groceries separate, we won't have to divide them later so it'll be easier....plus, I like seeing how much I've saved...the percent at the bottom of the receipt.
plasticann: So, you're concerned my purchases will drag down your "percentage saved" number?
Adam: Well yeah...none of your items are on sale and I even used coupons.
plasticann: [pointing to the grapes, yogurt and mix] This, this and that are on sale.
Adam: [reluctantly] I guess.
***a few minutes later as Adam kindly swipes his credit card through and pays for plasticann's groceries
Adam: [admiringly] Wow...those grapes are a lot off!
plasticann: [examining her receipt] Yeah, only 79 cents a pound. Where's the percentage saved?
Adam: [pointing] Here...you saved 33%.
plasticann: Not bad, how much did you save?
Adam: 32%
plasticann: Booyah! Ha Ha!

Note: I didn't even have to clip coupons. Thanks to my steeply discounted grapes, I still beat Adam despite my full priced butter and Coffeemate.

Green Pants Girl

I've noticed my recent tendency to unintentionally dress in outfits themed after my wedding colors...pink and green. I look like invitations, bridesmaids dresses, flowers and favors all rolled into one.

We are every true to Zrown...

Notable events from my 5th year reunion.

1. Steve was kind enough to give me a ride to [and from] our reunion. On our way across campus to pick up his dorm room key, we passed through the mail center where Steve demonstrated his Bourne like muscle memory. He successfully opened the combination lock on his old student mailbox. He's not sure how he does it, but I did witness the amazing feat. I should also note that Steve did not tamper with the mail. On the otherhand, the mailbox was empty so there was nothing to tamper with.

2. Corinna and I shared a Spike's Texas Ranger hotdog before heading over to Kellie's bridal shower...it was delicious.

3. Here's a shout out to my buddy Kellie who's getting married in two weeks. Turns out she still reads this blog every so often so "ahoy there matey."

4. I stopped by the coed fraternity I was a part of in college on Saturday night. Why was this ever a cool place to hang out? It's a basement with rooms and it smells funky. Maybe I have matured or maybe I've become high maintenance.

5. Providence now has it's own Cold Stone Creamery...Thayer Street is much improved.

6. Saturday night was "Ragin' at the Ratty." The Ratty [our cafeteria] has new tables and chairs and the juice machine look new too. Unfortunately the "rager" wasn't much of a culinary feast, university food services did not provide chicken fingers, frost your own cupcakes and all of our old favorites.

Feeding Schedule

With the weather being miserable, I have no incentive to leave my house. In fact, I made it my goal today not to leave my house. I was so dedicated to my goal, I didn't even get my morning paper. When I did finally venture out my front door, it was just to the inner alcove for the pizza I ordered for "linner." That's the main problem I'm up against with my unemployed state, my eating schedule is way off. There's no Steve stopping by around noon to ask whether I need to get lunch so I end up eating pizza at 3pm and skipping dinner because I'm not hungry and waking up in the middle of the night...hungry. Not to worry, I have lunch plans with Wheezy tomorrow so I'll be up, showered and dressed like a normal person.

Unemployed Woman Attacked by Pestilent Styrofoam Packing Peanuts

On my first day of de facto unemployment, I spent two hours unpacking dishes from our Macy's registry. Styrofoam packing peanuts are the bane of my bridal existance and frankly, I find them enraging. What I despise more than packing peanuts are the lower quality packing peanuts Macy's uses, the ones that chip and splinter into infinately smaller styrofoam pieces. Possessing a strong will and empowered by static cling, these peanuts not only squirrel their way into all crevices, but they refuse to budge from any surface. Unable to efficiently contain the styrofoam peanut hades my living room had become, I had to methodically pick up each styrofoam chip from 2mm in size on up and forcefully fling it into my trash bag. I also had to periodically de-static my hands using a dusting cloth so the chips would not cling to my person. I'm thinking about writing a "Dear Macy's" missive detailing all my issues with their styrofoam packing peanuts. Other than that...love the dishes!

Don't use Hot Water

I was hanging out with plasticfamily the other night when I started to wash egg residue off some dishes. plasticmom hollers, "don't use hot water because it'll cook the egg right onto the dishes." plasticaunt breaks out in hysterics and says, "like the time plasticmom put egg in her hair..."

plasticaunt: plasticmom was a freshman in college and she washed her hair with an egg. Unfortunately, she used hot water and it cooked the egg right into her hair.
plasticmom: I don't remember this?
plasticaunt: I remember, it took a really long time to get all the cooked egg out of your hair.
plasticann: How old were you? If plasticmom was in college, you must have been 14 or so. I bet you thought it was soooo hilarious. Did you just point and laugh and laugh and laugh?
plasticaunt: Of course...I still laugh whenever I think about it.
plasticmom: I really don't remember this.