bumblepug

f.m.i.

am i the inventor of a new acronym- f.m.i.?  for my information rather than f.y.i. (for your information).

well, this is f.m.i. to reference for the next party:

vandy's killer cosmos

4 parts vodka

2 parts cranberry juice

2 parts triple sec

2 parts lime juice

shake, strain, pour into pretty glass, garnish with lime wedge and cherries (i added the cherries!), smile, and sip!

a christmas carol

we saw a christmas carol last night and had a massive homemade meal.  as usual, we were running late and i was lucky enough to get ralph, mom, and roo into the theatre 5 minutes prior to show time without a car accident.  my mom was worried about leaving me to find parking alone which makes me laugh.  has she not been witness to my city driving?!!  i had to find parking asap and the only one close to the geary theatre that had open spaces was $30!  despite having no money in my purse, i pulled in- they asked for $30 up front (how smart of them!) so i had to pass.  luckily, as i pulled out of their lot, 2 meter spots opened up and the meters were done for the day!  yippy!  it's a wonderful life when you can find free parking 2 blocks from your theatre.  i ran to the theatre in heels and velvet with my scarf waving every which way.  as i entered the theatre, the play hadn't started yet so i asked the ticket-taker if i had enough time to go to the restroom.  she replied "yes."  went to restroom, had achilles cramp (again) from running in heels, and then had a stomach problem.  i could hear the play beginning so i ran into the theatre and had to sit in the back for 7 minutes!  i wish the ticket-taker would've said "no."

oh, that night there was almost a fire in my place, too.  my mom was reading the menu of foods that i had prepared for dinner, and she dropped it over the candles.  up in flames the menu went, and they didn't go out for a while.  i was ready to use my fire extinguisher but i'm glad water alone was enough to kill the flame.  fire extinguisher mess would have taken forever to clean and i'm sure dog would love tasting it!

here's the recipe for one of the dishes i made for dinner, savory cresent chicken roll ups:

6 oz. cream cheese, soft

2 oz. butter, soft

2 tbs. milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

3 to 4 tbs. chopped pimentos

1/3 to 1/2 c. chopped onions (i like 1/2 c. for more flavor and i love onions!)

4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (boiled and cooled completely, and then cubed into very small pieces)

pillsbury crescent rolls (you'll need 16 in order to make 8 servings because each one use to traingles to create a rectangular surface for the chicken mixture)

toothpicks (8-16)

egg wash (whisk one egg and some water)

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  combine the first five ingredients (in a large mixing bowl) to make a smooth paste, then add the pimentos and onions- mix thoroughly.  add the chicken cubes and mix so chicken is completely coated.  roll out 2 crescent roll pieces to form one rectangular shape (this will make more sense when you unroll the dough), 2 become one (push the seems together with your hands and spread it out with your hands to increase its size but not to thin).  put a scoop of the chicken mixture in the center of the rectangle and fold all four edges up to the top/center.  stick a toothpick through the edges gathered at top to hold in place while baking.  repeat until all your crescent dough is used.  brush the cresecent rolls with your egg wash and then bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes.  they will be golden and tasty.  enjoy!

list-loving

highlights of the weekend:

banana split sundae at ghiradelli...then watching a 20-minute argument in an unrecognizable language, with lots of arm and hand motions.  pretended to take pictures of ralph when i was really taking pics of the fight in case they needed witnesses or another other type of proof.  trust me, we weren't the only ones standing around not calling the authorities.

completing my thanksgiving day grocery shopping by 9 am on saturday!  this may be a trivial thing to be happy about but i really dislike crowds and mayham so i was able to avoid the last minute rush.

going to the beach with dog and ralph...then losing my car key.  i was carrying my car key loose from the key chain and it must've fallen when i was running around with dog.  we're grateful for the geniuses that drew a large picture of a key in the sand and then put the key in the middle of their drawing.  that was the best ever!  i wrote a huge thank you note next to their drawing and drew me, ralph, and dog.

discovering that archer farms market (a target brand) has awesome spice chai tea mix.  it's sold in a small rectangular tin in their tea section.  seems to have a lot of caffeine.

the lowlights:

totally missing the kdfc party.  we arived just as it ended.  oh well, we still had a chance to see the beautiful lights and decorations in the hyatt. 

paying $2 for 12 oz. of water in the hotel gift shop because i was totally dehydrated from having taco bell and potato chips in the same night.  the cashier was weird but spoke excellent japanese- at least i think he did but who am i to say?  i can't speak japanese.  he left to a back room for a while and anybody could've walked out of that little store with just about anything.

paying $30 for dog shampoo and conditioner.  her skin better stop itching!  i thought our problems were solved...she needs to go in for some serious skin tests if the itching persists after use of the special fur products.  maybe her items will make my hair silky.

wondering if ralph was going to accidentally drive us off the cliff as he talked on his phone while driving us home from the beach.

sitting in subway for nearly 2 hours thinking of something to do and then getting to my car to amanda's phone message reminding me about the party at hanamaru, after i had totally stuffed myself on a footlong- on the one day i actually ate the whole thing. 

going to marshall's and realizing that i threw away $5 at subway because i stashed my change in the plastic subway bag!  i wanted to go to get it because $ is $ but ralph convinced me to take it as a loss.  i'm finding tiny ways to recover that $5.  hmmm...no more starbuck's for one week!

things to do:

dishes

hang clothes

clear table- ok, i know i keep listing this, but you should see my table- this is the most dreadful task (you'll see why when i post a photo!)

find pyrex thermometer at bed & bath for mom's turkey

buy ginger ale for tart cranberry dipping sauce and white wine for the gravy

remember:

mashed potatoes and some form of fatless butter so i can drowned them at dinner time.  if my potatoes fail, i can buy this mashed potato and butter flavored soda as an unexpected alternative!  heck, they can do the whole meal...

gravy

2 pumpkin pies

cranberry relish (this tastes a lot better than it sounds)

tart cranberry dipping sauce

utensils

dog and dog's toys

anything else?  i'm sure i'm forgetting something important.

holiday ballyhoo

shopping around the day after halloween, i noticed that retail was ready for christmas.  what happened to putting the xmas stuff up the day after thanksgiving?  i feel like i barely had time to digest halloween and then we suddenly skip thanksgiving and go right to xmas?  it's annoying because it makes me feel rushed and that it's time to start thinking of gifts for the holidays, which isn't the reality.  i'm glad i'm not a frequent mall shopper.  when it comes time to shop for xmas, i'll keep it to the city and online stores as a mall protest.  i'm sure they'll really miss my $300.

aside from the holiday ballyhoo, i'm doing great!  i've been taking airborne every 4 hours on the dot and what ever sickness thought it was going to make a home in my body must've found a new place to live.  airborne kicked the germs, i hope.  since we're traveling on thursday i've been paranoid about getting sick because there's nothing worse than being congested on a plane, aside from being the "sick person" in the tight space that everybody looks at with disgust and fear.

last night we watched the original texas chainsaw and it was very gruesome.  what can you expect i guess?  there was a character in a wheelchair and all the bad stuff was happening to him but at least he didn't get killed first.  i can't believe i've had this dvd for 8 days, backing up my netflix queue.  if you've seen the latest remake of tcm, i'd pass on the original because it's half as entertaining and twice as graphic.  overall a c-.  i haven't been impressed with netflix's shipping or receiving speed this time around.  they used to be a lot faster but now it takes nearly 4 days to receive a new one in the mail.

i had a burst of energy to cook last night.  i made chicken soft tacos with homemade tortillas.  i think i have curse of the tortilla...every time i make tortillas something goes drastically wrong that evening.  maybe the fresh dough hits the brain like a craze-inducing drug.  who knows?  if you'd like a crazy night of your own, here is the recipe for the tortillas i made.  maybe you'll have better luck! :)

aunt b's tortillas:

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt (min.)

1/4 vegetable oil (but lard if you want it the traditional way.  do not use caola or olive oil because both have a strong taste.)

1/2 c. warm water (maybe a splash more if it is too dry to work)

mix the dry ingredients thouroughly then add the oil and water.  knead the dough until it is a uniform consistencey.  let it rest in a bowl, covered,  for 15-30 minutes in a warm area.  if you don't have time to let the dough sit, that's fine- they just won't be as soft and fluffy.  once you have let them sit split the dough into even balls- make 8 (or less if you want a larger tort) or so.  roll out each ball with a rolling pin on a well-floured surface, or use parchment paper (this is what i do).  heat a cast iron pan on medium high and lightly grease if you think it'll stick (i used a stainless steel pan without grease and it did the trick but the key is to not let it stick or burn).  once your tortilla is rolled thin to a size of your liking, put it in the pan and cook on each side for about 1+ minutes.  you can gauge when it is ready by the texture, appearance, and smell (do not overcook because they will become stiff).  when they are done put them in a deep dish and wrap them with in a clean dish towel so they stay warm while you finish up the rest of the dough.  butter or fill generously and enjoy while they are warm (they reheat in the micro like a charm, give them 10 seconds)!

soft taco chicken filling:

boneless skinless chicken parts (i prefer breast)

dashes of garlic powder

dashes of salt and pepper

cumin to taste (but not too much because then it tastes like indian food)

chili powder to taste (you can be generous here.  use a good one, the better ones are typically sold in mexican markets)

1/8 c. beer (a few splashes)

1/8 c. olive oil (a few splashes)

cut the chicken into small pieces.  heat the pan with olive oil so it gets very hot, medium to medium high (i like using a nonstick pan so i don't have to use too much oil).  add the chicken and sprinkle the spices on top (it helps if all of the spices are mixed prior to adding to chicken so flavors can distribute equally).  pour a few splashes of beer into the pan and let it simmer for 10 minutes.  be sure to turn the pieces so they cook on both sides.  this recipe comes in handy for taco or burrito filling and as a salad topper.  chicken can also be subbed with ground turkey or ground beef.  enjoy!