annzeepark914

I have a Braun immersion blender and used that (I let the soup cool a bit so I wouldn't risk getting burned by splashes). But I bet the restaurant has a much finer blender because the soup wasn't as smooth as CPK's but it was as tasty so I think the recipe is a keeper. Thank goodness this blizzard is almost over. We have over 2 feet of snow and the drifts are higher.

Well, I made the California Pizza Kitchen's Sedona Tortilla soup and it was good. I even deep fried skinny strips of corn tortilla as a garnish. The flavor was pretty close to the restaurant's version but the texture wasn't as smooth. Maybe I needed a more powerful device to puree the soup?? But it's nice to know I have this recipe in between trips to CPK (I love that soup!). Snow continues to fall in metro DC...gulp!

Well, if you live in the metro DC area, you already have been inundated with news about the approaching big storm and the amount of snow it will dump keeps increasing. Now we're up to 30". So, by Monday I think I'm going to be full of pet peeves!

Hamburgers and Michigan brats on toasted rolls along with a tossed salad and something new: slaw with Craisins & sunflower seeds which I bought at Harris Teeter and added some mango, dried red pepper flakes, mayonnaise and sour cream to their packet of dressing (which we found too vinegary). I've got some of that dressing left so tomorrow I'm going to try this slaw with mango-mayo dressing and shrimp. Will let you know if it works or not.

Yum! Sounds good. I plan to roast Brussels sprouts tonight using Wegman's basting oil (got their recipe on the countertop). I've never been a fan of sprouts but roasting them makes them more palatable (sp?) to me. I like the sound of Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Soup too--love curries!

I've been watching on Thursdays and then recently on Wednesdays. Whatever! I like the show because she's mostly renovating/rehabbing very old houses and it's nice to see old woodwork, unique built-in cabinetry, etc., restored/saved. Have to admit I'm not a fan of those teeny tiny white/black tiles in old bathrooms. Thank goodness we didn't have them in our old Victorian growing up. Something about their teeniness irritates me. I agree with the folks who thought she should've gotten rid of that half-destroyed mantel. Why would you want a reminder of the house's near destruction once you've got everything cleaned up and prettified? Looking forward to her new show when she rehabs the home she grew up in. Should be interesting.

I'm afraid to ask.

I always think of that look (pull over sweater over collared shirt and slacks) as the Brian Orser Look...very casual. As if he'd just walked in off the street and decided to put on some skates and give it a whirl. But that was during his pro years, not competitive. I greatly miss Dick Button. I know he irritated lots of people but he was articulate and got after skaters for sloppy habits (remember how he hated the leg sticking out in a spin?).

When we painted the interior of our house, we did the whole thing in a cream color (we have lots of white wood trim, paneling). Everyone who comes into the house says how light and airy it is. I say go neutral all over the house and save your sanity. You can always do something different, in various rooms, later on once you don't have so many distractions & decisions to make :>) (That's just my two cents)

That'll be the day. Here's hoping Tanith and Ryan Bradley are being groomed for future commentating positions. I'm tired of the silliness of those two. Figure skating has a tough enough time getting any respect.

Mr. P914 and I have been sick with this Thing That's Going Around since we got back from Minneapolis and so NYE and NY Day were not exactly prime for holiday meals :>( But, we have rallied and tonight we did Chinese delivery and my fortune cookie said, "You will be fortunate in everything." So I dragged myself to Harris Teeter and bought 5 Powerball tickets. Wish me luck, kids. Aw, phooey! I just checked the numbers and I only got one and it wasn't a powerball number. Why can't I win this thing? Color me blue!

Heh heh. potatoradio, thanks for the chuckles. I needed that! And yes, I think that stuff about Minnesotans being so nice is a cover-up for some passive-aggressive personalities. Not all, though. There are lots of truly nice folks in MN. Good luck on your flight. I hope Sigrid & her family aren't on your plane but if they are, go get 'em with your lightening bolt! Ellipses? Yes, I use them all the time...gives me time to pause and think of what I want to say next. But in this forum, I won't use them any more (or at least I'll give it the old college try!) It's gotten to be a bad (and stupid) habit ;>( Why are grownups coloring in coloring books? I love the word "stabby". Learned it here. And lastly, I agree with the need to stop using baby words: onesies, passy, melty, tummy-time, etc. When my daughter had her baby, I thought I'd scream from hearing all these oogly woogly words. OK...I'm done!

Speaking of Joan Didion, I must say that The Year of Magical Thinking was truly laborious for me to read. She was still grieving when she wrote this and it needed some editing (where are the editors today?). I think she should have waited a few years. Good Lord, the woman lost her husband and then her daughter. But it's widely admired. People rave about it.

A few months ago I read Wild Tales: A Rock and Roll Life by Graham Nash. It was very interesting (altho' the constant sexual activities of David Crosby were getting sickening to read...wish he'd left them out). I didn't realize he wrote Marrakesh Express, Carousel, and other songs while with the Hollies.

A great dessert that I had at someone's home several years ago was a popover, with a scoop of peppermint ice cream inside, fudge-y sauce and whipped cream. I loved it so much I made it for company two weeks later (but I couldn't find peppermint ice cream so I mixed some smashed up candy canes in slightly softened vanilla ice cream and refroze it).

Nope...I'm originally from NYS but I lived in Raleigh for 22 years and loved that saying from the day I first heard it. I think it was invented because folks didn't want to say, "I swear" (that wouldn't be polite or proper or somethin').

I swannee, just reading that example is like fingernails on a blackboard (and that saying is going to need to be replaced pretty soon as more & more folks don't know what a blackboard is).

I guess if people don't want to eat a bowl of warm blackeyed peas, they can make a blackeyed pea salad with a vinaigrette dressing, maybe add some corn and bits of red bell pepper. That's delicious. Happy New Year everyone and may 2016 be healthy, happy & fun!!

Actually, this sounds a lot like that morose comedian, Steven Wright. Haven't seen him in a long time (but then, I no longer watch the late night shows so I don't know if he even appears on them any more). I just re-read them and number 9 is also calling my name. What the heck would I do?

Ooooo--Quof, wish I'd thought to say Bite me, Sanctimommy! I'm going to remember that because this chick deserved to have that said to her. Thanks Pet Peeve friends for your comments...I feel better now. I understand that travel (esp air travel) is tough as hell on little kids and try to ignore the noise. The father was a jerk too because the flight attendant had to talk to him (for at least a minute) about turning off his computer as we were preparing to land. He kept saying he needed to finish something. What a family!

Well, I just got back from MN for Xmas. On the way to Minneapolis, we were flying in first class (got upgraded--what a thrill, initially). Unfortunately, before the plane left the gate, a 2 year old two seats behind & across the aisle started screaming when it was time to be buckled in. The screams were nonstop & piercing. The flight attendants told mom that we couldn't take off until the kid was buckled. I turned around (the screams were really that bad) & she caught me looking at her and said, "Do you have children?" and the way she said it seemed ok so I said "no". That's when she ripped me apart for looking at them & accused me of rolling my eyes (I swear I didn't), & if I'd had children I'd understand. Then she decided to take on the flight attendants. When they returned, saying the child was too old to sit on her lap, she said, in a very condescending voice, "Well, age really has nothing to do with it...it's size that matters". They called some place to get advice & suddenly she got the kid buckled (cause that plane wasn't moving from the gate--wish they had booted the whole family off at that point). I can't imagine smart mouthing flight attendants. The rest of the trip we all had to hear lessons in phonics in a very loud voice as she taught/read Sigrid her stories. Then, while in a Super Target in Savage, I experienced Minnesota Not-Nice. I had 3 items and was behind a customer having a nice chat with the cashier as her items were rung up slowly. I noticed the cashier beside us looking bored. So I began to collect my stuff & was going to her when my original cashier said in a snotty way, "Oh, we're almost done here; you don't have to leave". The bored cashier got a customer before I could get to her so I came back and it was my turn. The cashier sarcastically said, "See, that wasn't so painful, was it?". Man! In the land of Minnesota Nice, I couldn't believe it. Other than that, Christmas was fun and it snowed and we went sledding and drank hot cider. I'm glad to be home!

Yeah...don't run it by the riff raff. I never knew what Yorkshire pudding meant for many years other than it sounded horrible for some reason. And to think, it's popovers + the wonderful gravy from the meat. I have found the less said the better. Just go ahead, make the recipe and let people discover on their own a new, wonderful food. I've made a recipe for Laura Bush's anchovy green beans. I never mention that there are anchovies in it and people love it. Go figure!

We had ham steak, baked pilaf, and green beans...just the two of us doing a Christmas Eve supper cause we're leaving tomorrow for our daughter's family celebration in Minneapolis (and they better have snow on the ground...70 degrees is just too warm for Xmas!) Merry Christmas (a belated Happy Hannukkah) & Happy New Year to all.

Well...whatever! I'm wishing all BC fans a lovely Christmas and a belated Happy Hannakkah. May 2016 be a wonderful, healthy and happy year for all of us.

I made a Kitchen Bible out of Recipe Keeper which I first bought at Borders & now purchase online. Only our favorites go into this Recipe Keeper (had to make my own tabs so I can find the different sections fast). Now I'm making one for my stepdaughter, putting one of my own recipes in each section. The rest of the pages are for her favorites. This Keeper has saved my sanity when I'm in a rush...so many times!