Wednesday, April 30, 2008

OMFG! iPhone!!!

I have the greatest job ever. Today we had an in-house staff meeting (which means I had to go in to the office, horror of horrors) and then a belated birthday lunch for the boss. After lunch, as I was packing up to go, the boss called me in. He asked me a quick question about a client and then said, "I got you something. I don't want you to make a big deal about it, but..." And DUDE!! It was a 16GB iPhone!

Yes, I "need" it for work because I sometimes need to check mobile websites to make sure they're displaying properly and my phone doesn't work for that, for some reason. But seriously??? A freakin' iPhone, y'all! FOR FREE.

I love my job.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Mushroom mushroom!

OK, I know I've been slacking, but I'll make up for it. A couple of weeks ago we had a barbecue here with friends. Mr Wonderful grilled up some incredible NY steaks while I made stuffed mushrooms and panzanella...and you get BOTH the recipes here! The mushrooms are a delicious twist on my usual recipe, and the panzanella is a quick & healthy side dish that's ideal for summer tomatoes. Both recipes will qualify for Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup - be sure and check out her site for other yummy recipes!

Stuffed Mushrooms
20 cremini or button mushrooms, cleaned
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 green onion, sliced thinly (green parts only)
4 Saltines or Ritz crackers, crushed to crumbs
1/2 pkg Boursin garlic-herb cheese
salt & pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop finely. Over medium heat, melt the butter and add the olive oil to a skillet. Add the mushroom stems and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic, parsley, green onion and some salt & pepper to taste. Add the cracker crumbs until you get a slightly moist, crumbly mixture (you may need to add a little more or less).

On a cookie sheet, lay out all the mushroom caps. Fill each mushroom cap with Boursin, smooshing it down with the back of a teaspoon. Top the cap with a little of the mushroom-garlic mixture and set it back on the cookie sheet. Fill all the caps, then top each cap with a little freshly grated Parmesan. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the mushrooms soften, start to give up their juices, and get a little brown on the bottoms. Serve immediately.


Panzanella
1 c chopped tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes, cut in half)
2 c rustic bread (pugliese, sourdough, whatever), cut into 1" dice
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 EVOO, plus 2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Scatter the bread on a cookie sheet, and toss with the 2 Tbsp olive oil and some salt & pepper. Pop it in the oven and let the croutons toast for ten minutes.

In the meantime, combine the tomatoes, shallot, parsley, 1/4 c olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt & pepper. As soon as the croutons are done toasting, toss them in with the tomato mixture and let the bread soak up the olive oil/balsamic vinegar/tomato juices. Serve immediately.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Big deal

I donated to Obama's campaign this morning. This is the first time I have ever donated to a presidential campaign. I have to say, Obama's really something special. I hope he kick's Hillary's ass tomorrow in Pennsylvania. :)

An Obama Minute

Goal: to raise $1 million for the Barack Obama campaign...in one minute. I am so glad I'm not this guy's sys ad.

Monday, April 7, 2008

My new favorite

Best. Article. Ever.

(Be sure to read the comments.)

Finito!

The two-tone ribbed shrug for Tomboy is finished! I can't believe how fast that knitted up -- I had it done in less than two weeks! I love the colors, and the cotton is gorgeous - soft and warm, with the yarn held double.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

One year

I am very proud to announce that it has been a full year since my last cigarette.

YAY, ME!