31 December 2007

cheers!



because old married ladies like the bubbly.

i hope you and yours have a happy and healthy 2008.

feliz año nuevo!

19 December 2007

chili con carne, sin frijoles

i never put beans in my chili. chocolate and cinnamon, yes. beans, never. and i cook it in the oven. weird, i know. but my chili is the shiznit, and a lot of the reason why is how i cook it. i'm not going to post the recipe, but if you want it, shoot me an email at joolz.sexson@gmail.com.

still having computer problems. device driver issues, bios issues... i wish wen'l knew a lick about windows. well, he does... but not enough to figure out what the hell is going on with this damn thing.


just about done getting ready for xmas. bought a hoity-toity ham off the internet yesterday. a whole ham. for three people. the sammiches are gonna rock though.

i'm beginning to get burned out on cookies. shocking, i know. i think next year i'll be doing something else for wen'ls co-workers.

got a call from *restricted* yesterday. was in the middle of getting dinner ready, so it went to voicemail. didn't find out i had a voicemail till like 10pm. it was my dad. he didn't say anything but to give him a call, and i knew he wanted something. he never calls me unless there's a "favor" i can do for him.

wanted to be able to tell him to go f hisself, but unfortunately, i didn't win the mega millions last night. *sigh*

"I'm well on my way
I'm almost everything
And this is my day
You make me want to say
I'm freeee! Look at me!
Behold everything I'm allowed to see"

- cee-lo green

18 December 2007

war, children... it's just a shot away

you look a whole lot older than your years, but happy birthday keef.

17 December 2007

suckage

k i haven't been real good the last couple days. i have an excuse of sorts, in that my computer has been a snarky bitch the last few days.

now that the problem has been rectified i will be better about posting... in fact, i might be inclined to post a couple times a day to catch up.

it's sposed to rain tomorrow. this is like the 3rd time in a month it's rained here. i'm thinking we're going to be paid a visit by el niño. as long as the hillsides that just burned manage to stay intact, i hope it keeps it up. we could sure use it.

anyhoo, i have to get my fat ass to bed. the cookie baking commences in the morning! i'll take pics n everything :).

13 December 2007

inaugural thursday thirteen - the fromage edition

or would formaggio sound better?

1. parmigiano-reggiano. i refuse to use any other "parmesan". i have been on a stravecchio kick lately though. that means "extra old" in italian btw, and my stravecchio was aged 36 months. makes the world's best carbonara.
2. manchego. sheep's milk cheese from spain. they typically eat it with a quince paste called membrillo, but it's a bit difficult to find, and i prefer it with apples anyway.
3. cheddar. it should not be *mild* and it should certainly not be orange. i've had killer cheddar from all over though. vermont, quebec, even a raw-milk version from australia, and i love em all.
4. teleme. y'all can have your brie. this is my absolute favorite of the runny varieties.
5. gruyere. a bowl of french onion soup wouldn't be right without it, but i like eating it out of hand as well.
6. gorgonzola. did you know there are actually two different types of gorgonzola? there's gorgonzola dolce and the mountain variety as well. i like this best of all the blue cheeses because it is usually a lot creamier than, say, stilton.
7. gouda. another i love eating out of hand, and smoked gouda is great on a chicken breast sandwich.
8. chevre. this can mean any cheese made with goat's milk, but what i'm referring to is the young, soft cheese found normally in a log shape. the combination of this type of chevre paired with beets is divine, esp. when paired with walnuts (which i am unfortunately allergic to).
9. paneer. cheese you don't have to bread to fry!
10. burrata. it's a fresh italian cheese, made from mozzarella (di bufala) and cream (also di bufala). the outer shell is mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it a unique soft texture. if you can find it when tomatoes are at their peak, make an insalata caprese with it. you might find it hard to go back.
11. cotija. it's a dry, grainy cheese from michoacán. i'd rather have this on my frijoles refritos than that icky orange stuff one normally gets at a "mexican"restaurant. mmm @ the salty goodness.
12. mascarpone. italian super-creamy cream cheese. it's not as tangy as american cream cheese, and one of my all-time favorite desserts is built on it. april strawberries, mascarpone, and brown sugar *swoon* it got its name from "mas que bueno", spanish for "better than good".
13. feta. i prefer the sheep's milk version.

12 December 2007

40 cloves..

ayup kids, it's time for another recipe!

3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
3 lbs chicken thighs salt and pepper
1 T unsalted butter
2 T good olive oil
3 T Cognac
1½ c dry white wine
1 T fresh thyme leaves
2 T all-purpose flour
2 T heavy cream

separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. drain the garlic and peel. set aside.

dry the chicken with paper towels. season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. heat the butter and oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. in batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. if the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. when a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. add cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. in a small bowl, whisk together ½ c of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. raise the heat, add the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. add salt and pepper, to taste. pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

we're having this with couscous and a spinach, dried cranberry, candied pecan and blue cheese salad with raspberry vinaigrette. it's a packaged salad from trader joe's... pick it up if you've got one near!

11 December 2007

finding another way to work *suck* into one's title, well.. it sucks

k, yesterday's post sucked, AND i never came back.

started feeling a bit illish, and hit the sack early. my brother decided to share wotever icky intestinal thing he picked up, and i'm tired of counting the tiles on my bathroom floor. i think the anti-trots pills are finally kicking in though. *praisin jeebus*

i've had enough of being sick this autumn. first, i had that nasty cold from hell. you know, the one that killed like 10 people? well, it didn't kill me, but there were a few occasions when i was thinking the end was nigh. have you ever coughed so much your ribcage ached? well, that was me the week before thanksgiving. the aching ribs, the throbbing head, the green snot and i had the bad taste to pass it along to my husband.

i've had cases of the flu that kicked my ass less than that cold. took me three fucking weeks to get over it!


the bizza left me a comment on one of my previous posts, about how there's a 360, a PS3 AND a Wii (suck it, bitches!!) in my house and he wondered how i'd ever get anything done? i don't play them. i watch other people play them sometimes, but that's about it. more important to me is that the PS3 and 360 will play the hi-def dvd's. i think i might give the Wii a try though. i read something yesterday about how old folks' rec centers have em, and how they duke it out over who gets to bowl next.. i figure if the peeps at a "retirement community" can play it, i should be able to.

i've probably overshared today, but wtf.

one tip for ya: if you have the trots and no immodium, try poppin a tums or 2. it'll firm things right up.

10 December 2007

movin' to montana soon...

gonna be a dental floss tycoon

*snaps to konagod*

i know this doesn't count, but i'll be back later!

09 December 2007

sucking lessons, part deux

k, i forgot to thank the bizza for inviting me to his xmas potluck. his url is in my sidebar over there... look for *trite cliches and inevitable truisms* and check that shit out!

anyhoo... we did our usual sunday morning trip to tha LBC. breakfast @ grounds, a trip to trader joe's, and usually one additional market. sometimes bristol farms, sometimes stater bros. today it was the latter, and we picked up tonite's chow. we're having a super-slow roasted standing rib roast. also, some roasted potatoes and asparagus. should be a lovely meal.

tonite's our first colts game in lovely 1080p. wen'l tells me the lions are ahead of the cowgirls, and have the ball w/ under 6 mins remaining. also, the raiders are goin down like paris hilton on grainy video to green bay. i didn't used to give a fuck about football, but being married to a die-hard colts fan will do that to a person. mind you, i was always into sports. even played me a little ball back in the day, mostly 3 or 4, altho the coach did let me play some 1 in garbage time. that was always my favorite position. (and damn ain't YOU a perv!)

as i was sayin, i always liked sports. basketball and baseball for as long as i can remember. i think it was because there was no way in hell i'd ever play it (even if coach walsh had been the kinda dude to let a girl play). now i'm married to a perfect specimen for a quarterback... big brain, 6'4", 230, big in the shoulders and ass, and enormous hands... but the worst feet that ever lived.

he can ride the shit out of a bicycle though. not too long ago, he was doing 36 mi a DAY, back and forth to work. not lately though. my fucktard dad cleaned out the garage, including tools n wotnot that didn't belong to him. namely, the charger for wen'ls headlights. besides, he works a lot further away now, and he's taking metrolink and amtrak to get around.

bleh. i need to figure out how to cook this roast and prolly be thinking about getting it in the oven. but i'm gonna make a hot crab dip first! i'll bbl to tell you all about it!

08 December 2007

i could give lessons in how to suck

and before we go any further, get your mind out of the gutter!

konagod just left a comment on my blog and reminded me (HA!) that i haven't blogged in awhile. i haven't quit, i just haven't been inspired. plus, i've been busy helping my brother move in. yes, we're no longer alone (!), but this isn't as bad as i was afraid it might be.

anyhow, he came with a whole bunch of shit that had to be moved. most importantly, several knives we were lacking, a baby ball python that apparently likes me, and a GINORMOUS tv. we're talking 60" of hi-def goodness.

all of its various components are being hooked up today, at long last. the 360, the PS3, the surround sound, and the Wii (suck it bitches!). i'm listening to (1.)"suite: judy blue eyes" and smoking a bowl. i been doing housework for several hrs now and i decided i was entitled to a break.

it was then i spotted the email saying i had a comment from konagod (you know the drill... his url is in my sidebar). i've just now decided i'm going to join another blog buddy and observe the (now) 17 days for christmas. this means i'm going to post every (fucking) day till then. i don't think i've ever posted everyday. hell, i haven't posted 2 days in a row since i first got this thing i don't think.

now we're on to (2.)"take five" by the dave brubeck quartet. i think i'll hang around to do a random 10 today. who knows what i'll say in the meantime.

am i wrong for wanting to wring mike huckabee's scrawny neck? back in 1992, while campaigning for the US House of Representatives, he said that AIDS patients should be isolated. k, i'm just a housewife (with a decent education), but i knew in the 80's that you had to do a whole lot more than just be around someone who had the hiv to get AIDS.

are these whackjob handitards in the republican party going to give me no fucking choice but to move to europe? well, europe or melbourne, australia. which is only now an option (mad props to the ozzies for kicking john howard to teh curb, btw).

3. "september" by earth, wind & fire. "our hearts are ringing.. in the key that our souls are singing"
o the memories tied up with this song... hanging out in the summer before the 4th grade at the el dorado park rec center, getting taught how to dance. i have beefs galore with my parents, but one thing i'll forever be grateful to them for is allowing me to grow up where i did. it was way multi-culti and diverse even back then.

say do you remember
dancing in september
never was a cloudy day

4. "intro", by lupe fiasco

i've posted about that kid before. do yourself and go buy a copy of "food and liquor".

5. "spirits in the material world", the police. i know sting did practically all the writing for this band, but it's sooooooooo stewart copeland's band. *taking another rip* i wish i could do one thing as well as that man plays the drums. any one thing, i don't care what really.

6. "too many puppies", primus. another musical genius. the bastard child of frank zappa and dr. seuss. being a youngin and watching a 1000 young men overdose on testosterone simultaneously. their moshpit was performance art all by itself though. one thing you might not have known about me was i was at one time willing to be in a moshpit, and wore dr. martens everyday.

7. "gimme shelter", the rolling stones. i was the stones freak in a family of beatles fans. i was about 8 months old when it was first released.

8. "bury me", smashing pumpkins. o, "gish", how i loved thee. i'm gonna go fold some clothes... brb!
9. "rubber ring", the smiths... still folding!
10. "like suicide" (acoustic), soundgarden... putting away!

k... i think that's enough for the day. i'll bb tomorrow though. same bat time, same bat channel.