I somehow started getting a free subscription to Elle Decor - the magazine is so not me, but it's entertaining to flip through and has some gorgeous stuff. One regular column that always cracks me up is when they ask some designer or celeb to list the 12 things they can't live without. Golden unintentional humor. Undoubtedly, the list always features utterly useless, sometimes beautiful, often delightfully tacky, totally overpriced items. Like a $1200 Hermes iPhone case. I love fashion and design, but c'mon, if you're carrying a $1200 iPhone case, you've got issues.
But, I thought it would be fun to make my own list of 12 Things I Love but Could Totally Live Without. If you're reading this and feel so inclined, consider yourself tagged! It is Friday, after all.
- Elbow-length black leather gloves. I feel so Audrey Hepburn in them. It seems like something every girl should have.
- My Karim Rashid-designed "Orange" acme pen. It makes office life a little more 'me'.
- The vintage LP record collection I stole from my parents. These things deserve to be played. Party guests love 'em.
- Yves Saint Laurent faux cils black mascara. It gives you Snuffleupagus lashes.
- Our tiki mug collection. This doesn't really require an explanation.
- My pool cues. I have some good memories with those babies.
- Gelato, coffee and prosciutto. But you already knew that.
- My Canon Rebel digital camera. Canon cameras take beautiful photographs, and they're amateur-friendly.
- Good stationery. I like sending little notes randomly.
- Moleskin notebooks. They're just right.
- The Bamix immersion blender. It's heavy-duty commercial quality and I use it constantly.
- Drumroll please.... my final item in my ode to Elle Decor's "screw you, peasants!" mid-recession attitude is... my fake teeth. Boy, I really don't like to go outside without them. (For those of you jumping in recently, I'm about halfway through an 18-month long dental implants/bone grafting series of procedures. The down side is I have to wear these removable fake teeth. Pretty!)
How will you use technology or the Internet to help you plan and prepare this year’s Thanksgiving feast?
Sponsored by LifeScoop: Bringing You Tips for a Connected Lifestyle.Ooh, good question, Vox. I have been thinking much about the feast this year, because it's the first time that I'll host my family. I'm quite excited to cook for them, and to not have to travel on Thanksgiving weekend. Yay!
I'm keeping the menu traditional. I mean, it's hard to improve upon things you know everyone likes. And we don't eat cranberry sauce and turkey much year-round, so I don't think it's a bad thing having the same menu every year.
As far as technology, there's not a ton I do to pull it in for Thanksgiving. I don't even have a digital thermometer. ;-) However, I do use Cook's Illustrated online quite a bit (thanks to Aquanetta). The team at Cook's Illustrated doesn't necessarily use a lot of technology, but they are very scientific.
If you want a guaranteed-to-please recipe, Cook's Illustrated is the place to go. The idea behind it is that they take a recipe, try it 100 or so different ways with slight variations, each time testing with a tasting panel, and they tell you the exact best way to cook it. And to top it off, the editor is a chemist, so he explains why these methods work best. It is, by far, the most reliable source of recipes -- and I've read a lot of cookbooks and cooking magazines.
Here's my Thanksgiving menu. All the recipes are from Cook's Illustrated except where noted otherwise.
Roast turkey (brined, stuffed with an herb paste)
Gravey
Mashed potatoes
Cranberry sauce
Roasted brussels sprouts with bartlett pears (Body+Soul magazine)
Green beans with toasted walnuts and roquefort cheese (Body+Soul magazine)
Creamed spinach
Pumpkin pie (Libby's recipe)
Pecan pie (from a Thanksgiving cookbook I have, forgot the name, but it's great. My pecan pie secret is to include chopped pecans in the filling, as well as a layer of halved pecans on the top for looks)The fam is bringing rolls, candied yams, stuffing and butternut squash soup. Yum!
Btw, Cook's Illustrated also tests cooking equipment - someone put together their list on Amazon as a shared list if you want to find any equipment. Geez, I sound like a commercial!
Not a whole lot to remark upon lately, but last night I made a new dinner. I "fanned" Sunset magazine on Facebook, and now and again they'll cull useful ideas from their readers. A few days ago, they asked "what do you do with leftover rotisserie chicken?" I got a couple good ideas. Rotisserie chickens are great for when you don't have the time or energy to cook but want a homecooked, healthy meal. Idea #1 was to shred the chicken, pour barbecue sauce on it, and put it in a sandwich. Oh so simple but sounds tasty, no?
Idea #2 was last night's dinner -- chicken and biscuits. Cut the chicken (I wouldn't shred it with forks, but using spoons gets just the right size pieces). If you have time to sautee an onion, put that on top of the chicken. Pour a can of cream of mushroom soup (Amy's Organic is the best) on top, followed by a package of frozen peas and carrots. Then top with biscuit dough, and bake according to the directions for the biscuit dough. I used Bisquick, so the whole thing was super easy. It turned out great, and I think was reasonably healthy, too.
This morning, I actually hauled my butt out of bed early and went to the gym! For me, this is a major accomplishment. I haven't been active for the last few months. My workout felt great. Woo hoo!
I don't like admitting it (who does?) but I'm not feelin' the NaNoWriMo this year. I know, I know. I'm supposed to "just keep writing anyway". It's the exercise in making yourself write, not necessarily the story that comes out of it. I know this and yet, I've just decided not to do it this year.
I will, however, fiddle around with this story idea a bit more, here and there. I think there's something to it (and hey, I DO have an ending for it!) and maybe it's more that I think it deserves more time/effort than a violent 30-day writing gorge can give it. Or, that's a hoity-toity excuse.
I do feel shame, and I do feel guilt. I read the cheering-on emails I get from Chris Baty and others and for a moment or two I think, hey, I'm only a week behind. Maybe....?
And then I think, don't be silly.
And then I think... well.... ..... maybe?
This is a crosspost from ...was i there?
The internet was getting wonky. Wifi was spotty. Load times were increasing. The whole "at home internet experience" was deteriorating.
Then, last night, KABOOM! In one dialog box the entire internet was lost to me.
First I panicked. Then I called my ISP. Then I called them again. THEN, after a few hours, I got reconnected, but wifi was gone. I marched my Time Capsule in to the Apple Store. They said it was fine. It wasn't yet. In the meantime, internet had slowed to a crawl again. I called my ISP again. They decided it was time to send a dude, the next day in fact. Today. I almost missed the dude, since they ALWAYS take your number down wrong and so I never got the 30 minute warning. I caught him as he was leaving. Whatever. Another hour and a new modem later we were back online. Time Capsule, however, was not. What are the chances of both going to shit at the same time?? Only me.... So my afternoon (6 hours in fact) were spent trouble-shooting the Time Capsule thing.
Long story short: I ALWAYS buy the Apple Care. Have never, in two iMacs 3 iPhones countless iPods and shuffles, have I ever used it. This Time Capsule is the only purchase I have made and NOT bought Apple Care. So of course I needed it. I would have been covered. I would have not spent all this TIME.
Ai dios mio!!!
SO anyhoo, I eventually wiped the whole thing clean and reset as if it were new. And now it works.
Saturday - Productive, mainly got all my errands done. Stopped at the Carlsbad outlet malls -- thought I'd tackle a little early Christmas shopping -- but apparently I wasn't the only one with that idea. The place was packed. Scary packed. I thought I might die under a heap of customers clawing at the 50% off bags at Coach. Narrowly escaped.
Sunday - Went for breakfast and took Bucky. When another jumpy/sniffy/nosy dog got near Bucky, we again found out that Bucky's still not dog-friendly. :-( His next training is Saturday.
Went bowling with some friends, and now my legs are sore. Geez, gotta get back in the gym.
I also tackled my first cheesecake, and it turned out pretty good. I stuck to a simple recipe -- just cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon rind. A lot easier than I thought it'd be.
Had some friends over for dinner last night; that's one of my favorite things to do. Sigh, I already miss the weekend....
What are your favorite web or mobile apps? Which ones do you use everyday?
I'd be lost without my Tweetie.
I was worried yesterday because both the honey and I had to go to work, leaving our diarrhea dog in the house alone. I got home around 5:45, and miracle of miracles, no messes! YAY! Boy, now I know a little bit of how new parents feel. Except babies have diapers.
Bucky seems to be quickly improving, maybe because of the antibiotic he's on.
