Skinny belt, check!!

Yo, yo, yo, bloggie.  I have been holed up in my house the last four days with horrible allergies.  Everyone who lives in Austin gets allergies sometimes, and this was my time for sure.  Typically I have some reaction to cedar, but nothing like this– hopefully The Great Boogerfest 2010 was just a fluke and not an omen of things to come.

Today I actually had some nostril functionality, so I spent a record 9 hours out of bed!  I did a little shopping at Barton Creek Mall, which now has a ginormous Forever 21.  (I guess that’s the last nail in Highland Mall’s coffin; will anyone even notice when that place closes for good?)  I also stopped by Anthropologie where they didn’t have any cute clothing.  I did find some awesome plates, however, and I have finally started my wall-of-plates with four cuties I bought at Anthro plus the birthday plate Rami bought me last year.  I have been mildly obsessed with the idea of a plate wall for about a year now, so getting some traction on that project is a major milestone.

Speaking of milestones, I completed one item from my 30×30 list today: I can now wear a belt OVER my clothes!  The Limited had a fantastic sale on at the mall: 40% off already reduced merchandise.  The sale inventory is pretty much down to the dregs, but I did find three cute shirts, plus a skinny black belt.  The belt is awesome because it is adjustable, so I can make it small and wear it OVER voluminous tops, or I can slide it larger and wear it like a typical belt at my pants waist.  I realize that I’m about three years behind the curve on this trend, but whatever, haters, at least I have dreams.

Plate wall pictures coming soon, whenever I clean off my dining room table.

Haiku

Walked dog in the rain.
Tired. Hungry. Cold. Cook?? No way!!
Therefore, Cinnabon.

Zippy Fish Fillets

Rami came over for dinner last night.  I made Zippy Fish Fillets and steamed green beans with lemon butter.  The food was a big hit, and Barclay laid calmly in the living room with Chloe in sight for about 45 minutes! Yeah!!

Last night my version of “Zippy Fish Fillets” was decidedly zipless.  Rami guessed that maybe it’s called Zippy because it is so quick to make, not because of its Zippy flavor profile.  I will probably make Zippy Fish Fillets again, but next time I would add some Tabasco to the liquid or seasoning to the bread crumbs to give it a little more kick.

Zippy fish, besides being completely devoid of spices, is actually a pretty timeless recipe that works well in modern kitchens.  It is healthy, quick, and cheap.  Betty Draper would approve, but I can’t imagine her touching raw fish.

Here’s the recipe, serves 2:

2 fish fillets, like tilapia
1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce
1.5 tsp. lemon juice
bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 500 and grease a small, shallow pan. (I used a pie tin.) Mix Worcestershire and lemon juice in another small pan, and pour about a 1/2 inch deep layer of breadcrumbs in another small pan. Dip each side of the fish fillet in the Worcesterlemon, season with salt and pepper, then dip in the breadcrumbs.  Don’t go too crazy with the breadcrumbs– whatever sticks on the first dip of each side will be enough.  Put the breaded fish fillets in your greased pan, and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Drink suggestions: cheap white wine, whiskey and ginger.

Brunch Eggs Ranchero

Okay, so my dog Barclay jumped off my second story balcony while I was making dinner tonight.  He is okay, but the fall definitely upstaged the excitement of making Brunch Eggs Ranchero from my 1960s cookbook.  I did manage to take some pictures, which I will upload later when I feel less lazy.  Thus begins my first night of Mad-Men-inspired-retro-cookery.

All in all this was a good meal, and very cheap.  I had eggs and bacon on hand (bacon freezes well) and the can of Rotel tomatoes was only $1 at the store.  Betty Draper would disapprove of the convenience of canned tomatoes, but as a working woman I have to cut corners where I can.  I am sure Peggy Olson could relate.

Here’s the recipe, serves one:

3 slices bacon, cut into fourths
10 oz. can diced tomatoes with chiles & mexican spices
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 325.  Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Drain fat and blot cooked bacon on a paper towel.  Drain the can of tomatoes, then pour tomatoes  into the skillet to heat through.  Add bacon to tomatoes. Once everything’s hot, spoon the mixture into individual-sized casserole dishes or oven-proof bowls.  Gently slip one egg on top of each dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then bake for 15-20 minutes.  I like my eggs runny, and 2o minutes was too long.  Serve immediately with toast or tortillas.

Drink suggestion: bloody mary, screwdriver, greyhound.

Cooking for Two

This week I’m channeling my inner Betty Draper and planning my menu from the 1968 edition of Better Homes and Gardens Cooking for Two.

Sure, some recipes call for MSG (only 1/4 tsp.), but on the whole this is a pretty good cookbook.  My mom used it when she and my father were first married!  Here’s the menu for the week:

Monday: Brunch Eggs Ranchero (p.51)
Tuesday: Zippy Fish Fillets (p.52)
Wednesday: Chilies Rellenos Bake (p. 76)
Thursday: Hot buttered apricots with pancakes (p. 24)
Friday: Chuy’s (not in the cookbook)

I am going to try my best to update with progress from each meal.  Until then, I’ll leave you with this excerpt from the beginning of the cookbook:

“Whether you’re celebrating your husband’s promotion, planing a birthday dinner for your roommate, or entertaining a special friend for brunch, you’ll find the perfect meal for the occasion.”

And this one from page 32, under the heading “Oven Meal Strategy”:

“With a little advance planning, an over meal can be a real boon to a busy homemaker… Read oven manual carefully–be sure you know how automatic timer works. Then you can go off shopping while dinner cooks!”

Meowy Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

In which Barclay escapes with his soul intact

Sorry it’s been a while since I blogged.  A few things have happened since my last post:

1. I got a dog named Barclay.

2. Not much else.

I have had Barclay for about six weeks.  He came from the Austin Humane Society, where he was originally named “Ringo.”  I chose him based on his laid back and friendly personality, ability to sit on command, and potty training skillz.  Since coming home with me he has really come out of his shell.  He is now an excellent kisser, he can sit and lay down on command, and he can walk really well in heel position on a leash.  He also loves it when I leave for work in the morning because that means it’s Kong time.  Barclay’s favorite Kong fillings are peanut butter, Fancy Feast, banana, and Bill Jac senior formula dog food.

I think perhaps his last family was Amish, because he is very frightened of my hairdryer, public transportation, and cameras.  It took about 16,387 shots to get the two moderately in-focus glamour shots you see above.  Here are some of the bloopers:

It has taken me about six weeks of working with Barclay to get him to pose for a photo. Lots of treats, no flash, and more treats are the secrets so far. That, and an 8 GB memory card.

La Boheme

I am going to the opera with my friend Amy tonight, Austin Lyric Opera’s production of La Boheme.  Should be fun!

In other news, I think I might adopt a dog from the Austin Humane Society tomorrow. He’s a seven year-old Husky/Lab mix named Ringo. (That name’s gotta change if I end up adopting him.) He seems really laid back and calm, and he walks well on a leash. Spirit is going to meet him tomorrow afternoon, so please keep your fingers crossed that the two doggies hit it off!

 

Shitters

I had a wretched day today. I don’t really want to talk about it, particularly here, so I’m using this picture to illustrate how I feel now that I’m finally home. I am Chloe in this visual metaphor:

Hobby Lobby, Baby!

Tonight after work I went to Hobby Lobby and got some swanky (and cheap!) new stuff to decorate my apartment.  I will post pictures later, when I actually have everything up on my walls, but here’s a rundown of what I bought.

- 5, 16×18 black picture frames
- 5 ready-cut black 16×18 picture mattes
- 6 black and white plates in various sizes, pattern “damask”
- 2 small green square plates
- 2, 4×6 white wooden picture frames
- 1, 8×10 white wooden picture frame
- plate hangers
- 36 in. x 24 in. black wooden picture frame

Grand total? Only $75, people!!  I am so stoked to work on my apartment tomorrow night and Thursday so that I can take pictures and share my decorating skillz with the internet.

P.S. Today I helped to coordinate an outreach program for some retirees at my job. The student musicians gave an outstanding performance, free of charge, from the goodness of their hearts.  It was so wondeful.  As soon as they finished playing, a member of the audience walked up to me and started whining about how the kids said “like” and “um” too much when they were explaining the music, and it ruined the concert.  He told me that he had been a voice coach for 40 years and that I needed to do a better job preparing the students next time, otherwise we shouldn’t bother to come out.  It took all the power in my being to smile and nod and walk away without smacking him.  What an awful life– to be surrounded for over an hour by beautiful music and to only remember the “likes” and “ums” that color the student’s speech.  If I turn into an ungrateful wretch like him when I am older, I hope someone I love will stand up to me and put me in my place.  Or put me out of my misery.  Ugh.