MGDub Especial - MGDub's Special Day
As she's in NYC, Adam and I were not able to celebrate MGDub's birthday with her yesterday. We did send her some cheerful flowers and I baked up a new and improved "MGDub's Special" cookie. Last summer, when we bid farewell to MGDub, I brough some oatmeal scotchies, a cookie MGDub enjoys, to her going away BBQ. Since Adam had a cookie named after him, "Adam's Favorite," MGDub expressed her desire to also be immortalized in a cookie. Adam suggested "In memory of MGDub," but MGDub wisely rejected that idea. Instead, she declared the oatmeal scotchies to be "MGDub's Special" cookie. While I did not account for MGDub's love of shrimp, I did incorporate her love of coconut into the new and improved "MGDub's Special," a coconut Butterscotch cookie right out of the Williams-Sonoma cookie cookbook. Early reviews from MGDub herself suggest that this one may be "MGDub's Favorite."
Friday, January 27, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
The Mystery of the Lemon Bread...SOLVED!
Last summer when Adam and I were helping MGDub pack up her apartment to move down to NYC, we discovered many curiosities including packets of old gravy mix and random boxes of opened pasta. While MGDub graciously offered us her perishable foods [which we appreciated], she was bent on packing up all of her nonperishables which included all of the aforementioned items. She even had two opened canisters of corn meal, but she couldn't remember why she had them or if she'd ever used corn meal. Even though she admitted that GJDubya had given her some of the pantry items in 1999, she argued that she might one day decide to make gravy on a whim and it would be great to have the gravy mix. I digress!
One nugget I discovered was this recipe binder MGDub had. I think her friend Caitlin was trying to encourage her to take up the culinary arts. As to be expected, MGDub had not tried any of the recipes, but the lemon bread recipe caught my attention because the recipe notes said the bread was really more like a cake so I promptly e-mailed it to myself. I've made this lemon bread or lemon pound cake recipe multiple times and everyone loves it, but the true origins of the recipe have always been a mystery until today. I was browsing through my new Williams-Sonoma Baking Cookbook from my Aunt Pat when I came across the exact same lemon bread recipe. I offer you the "e-mailed" version of this recipe.
Lemon Bread
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c milk
1/2 c finely chopped nuts (optional)
grated lemon peel
topping: 1/4 cup sugar + lemon juice [1 lemon]
1. Cream butter & sugar, add eggs
2. Mix flour, baking powder & salt together
3. Alternately add some flour mix, then some milk to the butter/eggs batter.
4. Stir in nuts & peel
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour in a loaf pan
6. Mix 1/4 c sugar and juice of 1 lemon and pour this over the bread when it comes out of the oven.
Last summer when Adam and I were helping MGDub pack up her apartment to move down to NYC, we discovered many curiosities including packets of old gravy mix and random boxes of opened pasta. While MGDub graciously offered us her perishable foods [which we appreciated], she was bent on packing up all of her nonperishables which included all of the aforementioned items. She even had two opened canisters of corn meal, but she couldn't remember why she had them or if she'd ever used corn meal. Even though she admitted that GJDubya had given her some of the pantry items in 1999, she argued that she might one day decide to make gravy on a whim and it would be great to have the gravy mix. I digress!
One nugget I discovered was this recipe binder MGDub had. I think her friend Caitlin was trying to encourage her to take up the culinary arts. As to be expected, MGDub had not tried any of the recipes, but the lemon bread recipe caught my attention because the recipe notes said the bread was really more like a cake so I promptly e-mailed it to myself. I've made this lemon bread or lemon pound cake recipe multiple times and everyone loves it, but the true origins of the recipe have always been a mystery until today. I was browsing through my new Williams-Sonoma Baking Cookbook from my Aunt Pat when I came across the exact same lemon bread recipe. I offer you the "e-mailed" version of this recipe.
Lemon Bread
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c milk
1/2 c finely chopped nuts (optional)
grated lemon peel
topping: 1/4 cup sugar + lemon juice [1 lemon]
1. Cream butter & sugar, add eggs
2. Mix flour, baking powder & salt together
3. Alternately add some flour mix, then some milk to the butter/eggs batter.
4. Stir in nuts & peel
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour in a loaf pan
6. Mix 1/4 c sugar and juice of 1 lemon and pour this over the bread when it comes out of the oven.
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Yah!
I was helping Adam stuff envelopes at church last night when Esther walked in carrying Tiny Tim. I refer to him as Tiny Tim because his name is Tim [sort of] and Tiny because he's a little baby.
Esther: Tiny Tim, do you like kisses from Auntie Esther?
Tiny Tim: ......Yah!
plasticann: [under her breath] Are you a communist?
Esther: ...Tiny Tim, are you a communist?
Tiny Tim: .........Yah!
Tiny Tim's DaDee: What did he say? Did he say yes?
Esther: Yes.
I guess Tiny Tim likes to say "DaDee" and "Yah!" One day, maybe he'll progress to the very confusing "No...Yah!" like Zess. Fortunately for me, Tiny Tim's DaDee was good humored about the whole thing, but I really shouldn't go around corrupting babies and mocking Communism.
I was helping Adam stuff envelopes at church last night when Esther walked in carrying Tiny Tim. I refer to him as Tiny Tim because his name is Tim [sort of] and Tiny because he's a little baby.
Esther: Tiny Tim, do you like kisses from Auntie Esther?
Tiny Tim: ......Yah!
plasticann: [under her breath] Are you a communist?
Esther: ...Tiny Tim, are you a communist?
Tiny Tim: .........Yah!
Tiny Tim's DaDee: What did he say? Did he say yes?
Esther: Yes.
I guess Tiny Tim likes to say "DaDee" and "Yah!" One day, maybe he'll progress to the very confusing "No...Yah!" like Zess. Fortunately for me, Tiny Tim's DaDee was good humored about the whole thing, but I really shouldn't go around corrupting babies and mocking Communism.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Shoe Ejumacation
The following reconstructed conversation relates to a previous post regarding my new maryjanes.
Wayne: Are thoes your mary janes?
plasticann: Yeah! Were you here last week when I talked about my new shoes?
Wayne: Yes I was, but I didn't get a good look at them. They're very nice.
plasticann: Thank you....um...Wayne...do you know what are mary janes?
Wayne: Yeah, you're wearing them.
plasticann: Yes, but do you know what makes a shoe a mary jane?
Wayne: Um, no!
plasticann: ...because I don't want you to walk away thinking brown leather shoes with flowers are mary janes. It's the strap, it's the cutout in the front, it's a style of shoe, kinda like a little kid's shoe.
Wayne: Hmm, I did not know that.
When I relayed this story to Adam later that night, I discovered that Adam didn't know what a mary jane was either.
The following reconstructed conversation relates to a previous post regarding my new maryjanes.
Wayne: Are thoes your mary janes?
plasticann: Yeah! Were you here last week when I talked about my new shoes?
Wayne: Yes I was, but I didn't get a good look at them. They're very nice.
plasticann: Thank you....um...Wayne...do you know what are mary janes?
Wayne: Yeah, you're wearing them.
plasticann: Yes, but do you know what makes a shoe a mary jane?
Wayne: Um, no!
plasticann: ...because I don't want you to walk away thinking brown leather shoes with flowers are mary janes. It's the strap, it's the cutout in the front, it's a style of shoe, kinda like a little kid's shoe.
Wayne: Hmm, I did not know that.
When I relayed this story to Adam later that night, I discovered that Adam didn't know what a mary jane was either.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Reeking Of Cookie
You'd think this would be nirvana for someone like me, but the verdict is still out. I started working on a project at Dancing Deer Baking Company this week. No, I'm not baking cookies, I'm working on a strategy and data project, but I do get to work in a building where the intoxicating scents of freshly baked goodies waft up to the office. The pattern for the last two days have been chocolate in the morn' and lemon in the afternoon. I was commuting home last night and I kept smelling cookies when I, unfortunately, realized that my person was emitting lemon cookie scents stored up from a day spent at the cookie factory. After my initial enchantment with smelling like cookie, I'm now entering a phase where the smell is slightly maddening. Hopefully, I'll soon enter a new phase where I get used to the smell. On the brighter side, cookie smell is vastly superior to smoke.
You'd think this would be nirvana for someone like me, but the verdict is still out. I started working on a project at Dancing Deer Baking Company this week. No, I'm not baking cookies, I'm working on a strategy and data project, but I do get to work in a building where the intoxicating scents of freshly baked goodies waft up to the office. The pattern for the last two days have been chocolate in the morn' and lemon in the afternoon. I was commuting home last night and I kept smelling cookies when I, unfortunately, realized that my person was emitting lemon cookie scents stored up from a day spent at the cookie factory. After my initial enchantment with smelling like cookie, I'm now entering a phase where the smell is slightly maddening. Hopefully, I'll soon enter a new phase where I get used to the smell. On the brighter side, cookie smell is vastly superior to smoke.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Monk-ish
Adam and I got hooked on Monk while we were on vacation and decided to make it one of our shows. We've been watching TIVOed episodes of the Monk marathon and we've even taken the Monk quiz. Apparently, I'm utterly un-Monk-ish and I could learn a think or two from Monk and Adam is just little bit Monk-ish and Monk just might be envious of him. Harumph!
Adam and I got hooked on Monk while we were on vacation and decided to make it one of our shows. We've been watching TIVOed episodes of the Monk marathon and we've even taken the Monk quiz. Apparently, I'm utterly un-Monk-ish and I could learn a think or two from Monk and Adam is just little bit Monk-ish and Monk just might be envious of him. Harumph!
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Shrimp + Coconut
The following is a reconstructed conversation about a conversation MGDub had with someone else.
MGDub: Shrimp just might be my favorite food.
Someone Else: Really!
MGDub: That and I also really like coconut.
Someone Else: So, you must enjoy coconut shrimp.
MGDub: ...I do...I do like coconut shrimp.
When I relayed details of MGDub's "shrimp/coconut" conversation to Adam's mom (AM) and dad (AD), the following conversation ensured.
AD: Wait, MGDub should make her next film on shrimp and coconut.
plasticann: Huh!
AD: Picture this, animated coconut meets animated shrimp, coconut falls from the tree in the ocean where shrimp is swimming. They meet and there you have it, coconut shrimp.
Adam: Interesting.
[conversation turns to a different topic for a few minutes]
AD: ....[picks up again with his directorial vision] and then, the animated sequence can dissolve and there's MGDub eating coconut shrimp and it was all a dream.
plasticann: I'll have to pass that along to MGDub, she is looking for a new film topic.
AD: Yeah, you do that.
The following is a reconstructed conversation about a conversation MGDub had with someone else.
MGDub: Shrimp just might be my favorite food.
Someone Else: Really!
MGDub: That and I also really like coconut.
Someone Else: So, you must enjoy coconut shrimp.
MGDub: ...I do...I do like coconut shrimp.
When I relayed details of MGDub's "shrimp/coconut" conversation to Adam's mom (AM) and dad (AD), the following conversation ensured.
AD: Wait, MGDub should make her next film on shrimp and coconut.
plasticann: Huh!
AD: Picture this, animated coconut meets animated shrimp, coconut falls from the tree in the ocean where shrimp is swimming. They meet and there you have it, coconut shrimp.
Adam: Interesting.
[conversation turns to a different topic for a few minutes]
AD: ....[picks up again with his directorial vision] and then, the animated sequence can dissolve and there's MGDub eating coconut shrimp and it was all a dream.
plasticann: I'll have to pass that along to MGDub, she is looking for a new film topic.
AD: Yeah, you do that.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Charmin
We got back last night and this morning, the boxes plasticmom UPSed to us arrived safely as well. I've been hoarding dishes in my closet back in LA over the years and now that Adam and I have set up house, I decided to ship my precious belongings to Boston. When plasticmom shipped some X-mas gifts to us, I suggested she use rolls of toilet paper as padding in the box. Just like last time, the boxes and the toilet paper came just as we were running out. plasticmom really came through this time, Adam unpacked not one, but four rolls of Charmin.
We got back last night and this morning, the boxes plasticmom UPSed to us arrived safely as well. I've been hoarding dishes in my closet back in LA over the years and now that Adam and I have set up house, I decided to ship my precious belongings to Boston. When plasticmom shipped some X-mas gifts to us, I suggested she use rolls of toilet paper as padding in the box. Just like last time, the boxes and the toilet paper came just as we were running out. plasticmom really came through this time, Adam unpacked not one, but four rolls of Charmin.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Style Cues
While I was in San Francisco on Wednesday, I went out to lunch with Zreg for lunch at this tasty Vietnamese restaurant. The menus featured pictures of all the various meats so the menu was very helpful visually, but I'm not sure whether I want to see a photo of the raw beef that's going into my pho. After lunch, I walked around a bit and ended up purchasing a cute pair of brown maryjanes with flowers from Camper. Later that afternoon, I was wearing my new shoes over at Zara and Zryce's house when Zess woke up from her nap. I ran over to her and said, "Do you like my shoes Zess?" Without a word, Zess, unusually sweaty and still groggy from her nap, silently pulled out a basket from under a bench, rummaged through a pile of Stride Rite shoes and fished out a wee little pair of brown maryjanes with flowers. It dawned on me that I was taking style cues from a two year old. A very fashionable and cute two year old, but a two year old nonetheless. I guess the situation could be worse. I'll take dressing like Zess anyday over dressing like Paris Hilton or Britney.
While I was in San Francisco on Wednesday, I went out to lunch with Zreg for lunch at this tasty Vietnamese restaurant. The menus featured pictures of all the various meats so the menu was very helpful visually, but I'm not sure whether I want to see a photo of the raw beef that's going into my pho. After lunch, I walked around a bit and ended up purchasing a cute pair of brown maryjanes with flowers from Camper. Later that afternoon, I was wearing my new shoes over at Zara and Zryce's house when Zess woke up from her nap. I ran over to her and said, "Do you like my shoes Zess?" Without a word, Zess, unusually sweaty and still groggy from her nap, silently pulled out a basket from under a bench, rummaged through a pile of Stride Rite shoes and fished out a wee little pair of brown maryjanes with flowers. It dawned on me that I was taking style cues from a two year old. A very fashionable and cute two year old, but a two year old nonetheless. I guess the situation could be worse. I'll take dressing like Zess anyday over dressing like Paris Hilton or Britney.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Outback Is Out Of This World
You might recall my obsession with trying the Bloomin' Onion at Outback, primarily set off by countless TV commercials and Phantom Gourmet's recommendations. Well, plasticfamily, which now includes Adam, finally made it to Outback Steakhouse last night.
A few bites into their steaks, the elder members of plasticfamily were already plotting their next trip back to Outback. Now that's a sign of a good meal. They quietly discussed their strategy, "Maybe we should come at 4pm so we don't have to wait" and "You know what, let's come on Sunday, I think they open early at 2pm." They analyzed the quality of their meat, "It's so tender," "My prime-rib is grilled" and "Oi-shi" or "Delicious" in Japanese. Even our server exceeded our expectations and was super helpful. Adam noticed that he wore more pieces of "flair" on his uniform than other servers. plasticmom, much impressed by our server, tried to convince us that our server had earned his "flair" for selling lots of Bloomin' Onions and Steaks. She argued, "maybe he got a pin for his uniform when he sold 100 Onions."
Even as we ate dinner, Outback was quickly becoming our gold standard for food service as we started comparing all aspects of our meal to other restaurants. As of today, steaks, in fact all forms of beef, are now critiqued in comparison to Outback. Even the croutons deserve such attention. Adam had read that the croutons at Outback take two hours to prepare. Since Adam didn't have any croutons in his salad, the following is a reconstructed conversation.
Adam: How were your croutons [plasticgranny]?
plasticgranny: [blank look]
Adam: The menu says the croutons take two hours to make.
plasticgranny: I ate them.
plasticann: Were they good?
plasticgranny: I don't usually eat croutons at Souplantation.
plasticann: But, you ate the Outback croutons.
Adam: Are the Outback croutons better than Souplantation?
plasticgranny: [gravely nods her head]
Now a rundown of our menu with commentary on the lackluster misses and the major hits:
Bloomin' Onion: Tasty, the substantial pieces of breaded/fried onion were easy to eat and the dipping sauce had a nice kick. A clear step up from any other fried onion concoction I've experienced, but I could probably pass on the onion on my next visit.
Blue Cheese Chopped Salad: Pecans, blue cheese, cranberries, etc. You'd think it would taste good, but it just tasted weird. Not only could I pass on this next time, I pretty much passed on it after two bites. I decided to save my calories and spend them on my entree. A wise decision indeed.
Caesar Salad: plasticgranny enjoyed the croutons...enough said. I'm ordering it next time.
French Onion Soup: No details on this one, but plasticmom seemed to enjoy her soup. It did come with a giant cheese encrusted crouton.
Prime Rib: plasticmom's steak came lightly grilled. A departure from the usual prime rib, but the steak was incredibly moist and tender and downright delicious.
New York Strip Steak: plasticgranny commented many times on how much she enjoyed her steak. She enjoyed some leftovers today and plans to finish enjoying the rest tomorrow.
Sirloin Steak: Adam and I ordered ours Medium Rare and boy was it Medium Rare and have I mentioned, delicious. We had a "jacket potato" with all the fixin's which is pretty much a baked potato.
Coconut Shrimp: Imagine a coconut macaroon cookie fried around a giant shrimp served with an orange marmalade. Let me put it this way, Adam savored the last shrimp as a dessert.
Ideal Menu for next time: Sirloin Steak, Coconut Shrimp and the Caesar Salad with extra croutons.
You might recall my obsession with trying the Bloomin' Onion at Outback, primarily set off by countless TV commercials and Phantom Gourmet's recommendations. Well, plasticfamily, which now includes Adam, finally made it to Outback Steakhouse last night.
A few bites into their steaks, the elder members of plasticfamily were already plotting their next trip back to Outback. Now that's a sign of a good meal. They quietly discussed their strategy, "Maybe we should come at 4pm so we don't have to wait" and "You know what, let's come on Sunday, I think they open early at 2pm." They analyzed the quality of their meat, "It's so tender," "My prime-rib is grilled" and "Oi-shi" or "Delicious" in Japanese. Even our server exceeded our expectations and was super helpful. Adam noticed that he wore more pieces of "flair" on his uniform than other servers. plasticmom, much impressed by our server, tried to convince us that our server had earned his "flair" for selling lots of Bloomin' Onions and Steaks. She argued, "maybe he got a pin for his uniform when he sold 100 Onions."
Even as we ate dinner, Outback was quickly becoming our gold standard for food service as we started comparing all aspects of our meal to other restaurants. As of today, steaks, in fact all forms of beef, are now critiqued in comparison to Outback. Even the croutons deserve such attention. Adam had read that the croutons at Outback take two hours to prepare. Since Adam didn't have any croutons in his salad, the following is a reconstructed conversation.
Adam: How were your croutons [plasticgranny]?
plasticgranny: [blank look]
Adam: The menu says the croutons take two hours to make.
plasticgranny: I ate them.
plasticann: Were they good?
plasticgranny: I don't usually eat croutons at Souplantation.
plasticann: But, you ate the Outback croutons.
Adam: Are the Outback croutons better than Souplantation?
plasticgranny: [gravely nods her head]
Now a rundown of our menu with commentary on the lackluster misses and the major hits:
Bloomin' Onion: Tasty, the substantial pieces of breaded/fried onion were easy to eat and the dipping sauce had a nice kick. A clear step up from any other fried onion concoction I've experienced, but I could probably pass on the onion on my next visit.
Blue Cheese Chopped Salad: Pecans, blue cheese, cranberries, etc. You'd think it would taste good, but it just tasted weird. Not only could I pass on this next time, I pretty much passed on it after two bites. I decided to save my calories and spend them on my entree. A wise decision indeed.
Caesar Salad: plasticgranny enjoyed the croutons...enough said. I'm ordering it next time.
French Onion Soup: No details on this one, but plasticmom seemed to enjoy her soup. It did come with a giant cheese encrusted crouton.
Prime Rib: plasticmom's steak came lightly grilled. A departure from the usual prime rib, but the steak was incredibly moist and tender and downright delicious.
New York Strip Steak: plasticgranny commented many times on how much she enjoyed her steak. She enjoyed some leftovers today and plans to finish enjoying the rest tomorrow.
Sirloin Steak: Adam and I ordered ours Medium Rare and boy was it Medium Rare and have I mentioned, delicious. We had a "jacket potato" with all the fixin's which is pretty much a baked potato.
Coconut Shrimp: Imagine a coconut macaroon cookie fried around a giant shrimp served with an orange marmalade. Let me put it this way, Adam savored the last shrimp as a dessert.
Ideal Menu for next time: Sirloin Steak, Coconut Shrimp and the Caesar Salad with extra croutons.
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