LOST

if you know me well, you know that i love any excuse to dress up in a costume.  and could there be a better excuse to dress up than the LOST finale?  I don't think so.  I have loved this show as if i myself was a survivor of Oceanic flight 815. 

Our good friends hosted - what could only be - one of the best parties for like-minded t.v. geeks that has ever existed.  We ate island food, Mr. Cluck's chicken wings, Dharma crackers and drank Dharma wine.  I unfortunately was too excited about the trivia games, and forgot to take a picture of the awesome table.  All i have to show was some of our left over water bottles.

 I almost won the trivia contest, but got beat out by this lady:

she was the prison Kate.  and she was tough

i was the island Kate.  and i was dirty.

and Michael won the prize for Best Costume because he went as Boone.  

In case you have forgotten, here is a picture of the real Boone:

uncanny, isn't it?

I will not discuss, here, my thoughts on the ending.  you can call me to discuss if you wish.  maybe you can even help me finish clearing some things up.  

All I know, is that this show brought me closer to friends and family as we spent six years trying to unravel together just what the heck was going on.  and I know that those times have been well spent.  I love that there was a television program that involved beauty, faith, love, violence and redemption and required its viewers to actually "think" about what they were spending their time watching.  There seems to be a shortage of that in network programming these days.  

 

Now that my tribute is complete, i will move forward and gather my thoughts on the 24 series finale...and now that my two shows are over, i have officially canceled my cable as of Monday.  

dave rawlings

here is a link to a beautiful little music making session I stumbled upon. 

just wanted to share.

the week in review - short things written, but never shared throughout last week

blogging is currently being replaced by planning the days around eating, napping and getting to swimming lessons by 3:00.  i realize this may sound simple, but for me - it has been an intense two weeks. 

4:30pm.  both boys naked in the little pool outside, mama inside having some bourbon and diet dr. pepper. 

what the heck is wrong with all of the short producers of the world?  is there a good pair of shorts to be found?  all that i seem to find are shorts that are so short that only an 11 year old girl could look cute in, but shouldn't, because 11 year old girls should not be dressing like high school girls, who in turn should not be wearing such short shorts, and certainly 32 year old girls should not be wearing them either.  OR i find these ridiculously longish bermuda style shorts that are about an inch too long to be flattering.  if anyone has found a cute pair of shorts in the past 2 years, please share your source.  when michael gets home i will be making him cut off some of my jeans for me.  (he is better at that kind of project believe it or not)

counting down the days to the LOST season finale!!! it is so bittersweet.

further proof

Michael wanted to officially dispute my claim that he was a winner.  I quickly reminded him of how he usually catches the most fish - even though he rarely fishes.  and how he often wins at golf - despite rarely golfing.  and how he excells at pool, and how he cleaned up at the church kickball tournament.  He is humble, so he forgets these things. 

Then, our discussion progressed to how one should go about estimating the number of beans in a jar.  He challenged me to guess the number of Mike and Ike jellybeans that would fit in a jigger.  (i think he thought that i could win this one) I guessed 10, he guessed 15. 

the answer was 15. 

exercise when you can

I went to a class called "chiseled" today at the YMCA.
please someone enjoy with me the mental image of me trying to become "chiseled."
I was the palest, most un-athletic looking woman in the room.

it was great.  i will post a picture of my guns as soon as i can find them.

here's what you could do if you come to houston

before i had misplaced our camera behind the cushion of the chair, i took some photos of our family vacation in our own home.  Two saturdays ago, we wanted to do something fun as a family, but also wanted to sleep in.  So between the hours of 10 and 1 we packed the morning with some things we love to do and some things we have always wanted to do.

First stop: Catalina coffee.  This must be the best coffee shop in the entire city.  Not only is the coffee amazing, but that morning (and maybe it is daily - i am not sure) every person who worked there was dressed up.  All the girls had on cute skirts and shirts and the men had on vests and hats.  I so wish i had had my camera inside.  the pastries are beautiful and the coffee truly is handcrafted.  here is a link to their website.

Second stop: David Adicke's studio.  

frank is winking here.  George Washington is his favorite president.  Anyone know who the one behind him is?

Third stop:  the farmer's market on Airline.  it is always a treat.  I am forever wishing i spoke better Spanish when we travel to the back.  Frank wanted some peanuts so we asked for a scoop.

I got a cold Topo Chico and some mangoes as well.

Fourth Stop: Beer Can house. 

Unfortunately we arrived 15 minutes prior to it opening and the precious one in the back of the car was starting to fade, so i have still never been inside the fence of the beer can house.  But it was a sight to behold.

Fifth stop: Wabash feed store - again.  This time just to find out what to do about my ailing Norfolk pine.  Apparently all we can do is pray at this point.  Which i did.  because i love that tree.  It belonged to the elderly, crazy haired lady down the street before she died.  I love that it was hers and that it reminds me of her home and how she was a hoarder and how michael got to go inside.  I'd like to think that all the stupid stuff i hold dear will one day be a treasure to someone else when they have my estate sale.  Like my folder of unsent mail, it is always growing an maybe someone will be interested in my unsent thank you notes for people who's addresses that i couldn't find.  but anyway, i digress. 

next was home and some housework, but we all got cleaned up in time for watching the Kentucky Derby.  I just barely made it out of the shower in time so i threw on the first hat that i could find.  It is not proper attire, i apologize.  Have i mentioned that Michael makes the best mint julep known to man?  

i'd take him to contest if they had mint julep making contests.  he would win.  unlike my horse Noble's Promise, who did not win.  But frank's horse won - of course.  Have i mentioned ever how my son has a freakish ability at winning games and contests?  He beats me in marbles every single time we play.  I find it annoying.  Why can't i shoot a marble straight, anyway?  I have never won contests or games.  Why?  Is there a genetic component to these things?  Michael is a winner and overall good performer, too.  Congratulations to all of you who thrive during competition, and to all of you who can guess the number of jelly beans in the jar.  All i know is that if losing is character building, then i should be darn close to shakespearian by now. 

With that, i will go to bed and try to think of more fun activities to either make you thankful for or jealous of living in H-town in the summer.  It's hot.

so the dishwasher was open...

and i was checking my email, and all of a sudden, i was stabbed in the side with a sharp steak knife. 

Fortunately, my uber strong 17 month old was just trying to "hand" me the knife i believe, or i would have been in the Emergency Department instead of the podiatrist this morning.

p.s. michael found the camera.  the thieves cannot be blamed for this one i suppose.  BUT i am sure that they have borrowed those two netflix that we cannot find....

And by the way, completely altering the subject, have you ever tried to whisk your own mayonnaise?  what the ____?
I attempted this last weekend after the recipe from my glorious new cookbook made it sound so simple.  let me tell you something - it is not simple, Frank Stitt. 

adding one cup of oil "drop by drop" while whisking vigorously is far from simple in my opinion.  someday, if one of y'all can give me a tip, i will try this again so i can make some spicy coleslaw. 
But i did want to say thank you to my sister and my sister in law for their love of cookbooks that caused me to ask for this gorgeous cookbook on the left for mother's day.  If i can only master a few of these dishes, i will feel like a James Beard award winner myself.

Now the cookbook on the right is one that i had splurged on a while back. (and that is just how i felt when i got it, Jen - you read my mind)  So far, i am pretty in love with it.  Remember the homemade bread?  It was cinnamon swirl bread and it was amazing.


I don't often ask to have my picture taken with my food.  but i was pretty proud of this one. 

i am already ready to change my hair color again by the way.  

more excuses...and a recipe

i am grateful today to announce that we are officially 100% after our family's worst experience with a stomach flu.  that is all i need to say about that.
 
And i must announce that i have officially misplaced my camera, which is a tragedy of serious proportion as i just figured out how to work it, and it was my birthday present, and it is awesome, and it contained the pictures for the next 3 blog posts that i had planned in my mind.
i am quite certain that a burglar came into the house and didn't have time to get my fabulous jewels, so he took my fabulous camera.
This may actually not be the case, but the family room was the last place that i used the camera and i am certain that i did not take it anywhere after that, so there can be no other explanation in my mind.

So despite there being no photos to entice you, i must share a recipe that i think rocks my baking loving world.

I recently started a subscription to Cook's Illustrated, i have previously purchased one or two of these magazines and cooked everything i could out of them.  But when i got a recent email with a special offer, i just had to go ahead and subscribe, because it is such a GREAT magazine.  Seriously, i have never made anything bad from these people.  This week was teacher appreciation week at frank's preschool, so it was a perfect opportunity to try this month's recipe entitled:
"Cracking the Code to Chewy Brownies."  the two months the author spent researching this recipe shows.  They are really, really, really, really good.  So good, in fact that i will do something that I HATE to do... i will type up the instructions just for you.  I will do this for you because l like all 12 of you, and because i feel bad that i don't have my camera to post pictures, and because i want you to still like me, even though i have become the world's most inconsistent blog person.  (i hate the word blogger, by the way and will never answer to that term.  in fact i hate the word Blog - but what can you do when that is the name that it has been given?  i wish it was called anything but blog...and tweet, what kind of a word is that?  are all the good words gone?  Why can't the tech people come up with words that have more beauty or meaning to them?  why can't we reuse words that doesn't get used any more like, "Hither" or "Thoust" when we create new software and technology?  why do all new-tech words have to make us sound stupider when we say them?)

anyway. here is the best homemade brownie recipe that i have ever made:

1/3    cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso (optional)
1/2    cup plus 2 Tablespoons boiling water
2       ounces unsweetend chocolate, finely chopped
4       Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2    cup plus 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2       large eggs
2       egg yolks
2       teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4    teaspoons table salt
6       ounces bittersweet chocolate cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1.  Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Make foil sling:  cut 18 inch length of foil and fold lengthwise to 8 inch width.  fit foil into lenth of 13 X 9 inch baking pan, pusing it into corners and up side of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges.  Cut 14 inch length foil and fit into width of pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet (it may overhang edges also).  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2.  Whisk cocoa, espresso powder (if using) and boiling water together in large bowl until smooth.  Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted.  Whisk in melted butter and oil.  (mixture may look curdled.)  Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous.  Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated.  Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined.  Fold in bitersweet chocolate pieces.

3.  Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes.  Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1 1/2 hours.  (unless you are using a glass pan - then you cool for only 10 minutes before removing from pan - so they don't overbake)

4.  Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan.  Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.  Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.  (apparently allowing the brownies to thoroughly cool before cutting, allows them to have the chewiest texture.  i found that it was worth the wait.)