11.12.2009
Xbox360 for cheap? Just say no. For now...
Microsoft's fist of intolerance for piracy has locked thousands of Xbox fans from their online site Live. Not all of these fans are fair and good-hearted. Beware of offers selling cheap, used Xbox-es online right now. No one said they had to play fair, and they've obviously already figured that out.
Greetings. Friday the 13th.
So another one crosses our path. Interesting fact: Every month that begins on a Sunday blesses us with a Friday the 13th. Of course, anyone who can count to 13 could figure that out, but you never thought to do so did you? Confession: I cheated; Wikipedia told me. Give it a go, do some research. The day really isn't as unlucky as you may believe. History teaches great lessons. I was almost a history major. Perhaps a smart move to deviate. Doubt I would've ended up in health care with a history major.
11.10.2009
My kitchen & I
I've never been one of them: someone who claims the kitchen as their domain. Ironic since my parents have worked in the restaurant longer than I've been alive. They even own a restaurant; my father cooks there. They're big fans of the food. How come this apple fell so far from the tree? I'm not sure. Perhaps the cooking genes fell to my younger sister. She's pretty comfortable near the stove; though she has been known for quite a few boo-boos in the kitchen (ex. leaving the stove on). I haven't dabbled in the kitchen enough times to come close to creating a cooking faux-pas. Although I do vaguely remember a near grease-fire incident this past Valentine. Does that count? Enough of the past, I'm gearing up for a new era in my kitchen: a new dawn for my kitchen and I.
I'm comfortable enough in the success that was Sunday to count that as my debut into the foodie world as a cook. Don't get me wrong, I've been a big fan of food for a quite a while, but on the other end: I eat well.
The menu on Sunday focused on tackling the items in my fridge on their way to perishing. I figured it was a good idea to start cooking by a method I'll need to be utilizing: being able to cook with what you have, not what you can purchase. Due to my affinity for the glorious establishment known as Costco, I had already had copious (Costco) amounts of certain ingredients:
Wheat pasta (penne and rotini)
6 large bell peppers
Spinach
Rice
Grape tomatoes
1 white onion
Pasta sauce
My main concern was for the peppers; they had been sitting in my fridge for about a week. The pasta...is something to slowly work through. I've still got 7 boxes of that stuff. Gotta love Costco...I definitely won't starve this winter. Given all this, I knew I wanted to cook two meals (what ambition!). This way, my leftovers would then be left to sustain me through a portion of the week to come. The plan eventually came to a baked penne dish and stuffed peppers. Early Sunday morning, I headed to the local farmer's market and returned home with:
6 heads of garlic (for $1!)
2 bunches of cilantro
1 bag of rosemary
Scamorza cheese (similar to mozzarella)
Italian sausage
Above are the ingredients used in the cooking adventure. I also picked up a bottle of raspberry vinegar, a bag of fresh pita bread and a container of yummy olives. Altogether, I paid roughly $30. Not too shabby I think. Alright now onto the recipes:
Baked Penne
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 lb of italian sausage
Penne pasta
Spinach
1/2 white onion
Cilantro (however much you want)
Scamorza cheese (however much you want)
12 oz Tomato sauce
Skillet
Pot
Casserole dish
1. Boil the penne
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
3. Chop up garlic into thin slices
4. Slice onion into long strips
5. Toss garlic and onion onto skillet
6. Add italian sausage into skillet
7. When sausage is close to done, put in the cilantro and spinach
8. When sausage is done, add the tomato sauce and turn down the burner
9. Drain penne and add to casserole dish
10. Top penne with contents in skillet and mix
11. Top mixture with liberal helping of the scamorza
12. Stick casserole dish into the oven for 20 minutes
So it's harder to post a recipe than I had previously thought. I'll have to update again with the stuffed peppers (I have pictures!).
For being a tease, I'll leave you with another Lady GaGa masterpiece: Bad Romance
I'm comfortable enough in the success that was Sunday to count that as my debut into the foodie world as a cook. Don't get me wrong, I've been a big fan of food for a quite a while, but on the other end: I eat well.
The menu on Sunday focused on tackling the items in my fridge on their way to perishing. I figured it was a good idea to start cooking by a method I'll need to be utilizing: being able to cook with what you have, not what you can purchase. Due to my affinity for the glorious establishment known as Costco, I had already had copious (Costco) amounts of certain ingredients:
Wheat pasta (penne and rotini)
6 large bell peppers
Spinach
Rice
Grape tomatoes
1 white onion
Pasta sauce
My main concern was for the peppers; they had been sitting in my fridge for about a week. The pasta...is something to slowly work through. I've still got 7 boxes of that stuff. Gotta love Costco...I definitely won't starve this winter. Given all this, I knew I wanted to cook two meals (what ambition!). This way, my leftovers would then be left to sustain me through a portion of the week to come. The plan eventually came to a baked penne dish and stuffed peppers. Early Sunday morning, I headed to the local farmer's market and returned home with:
6 heads of garlic (for $1!)
2 bunches of cilantro
1 bag of rosemary
Scamorza cheese (similar to mozzarella)
Italian sausage
Above are the ingredients used in the cooking adventure. I also picked up a bottle of raspberry vinegar, a bag of fresh pita bread and a container of yummy olives. Altogether, I paid roughly $30. Not too shabby I think. Alright now onto the recipes:
Baked Penne
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 lb of italian sausage
Penne pasta
Spinach
1/2 white onion
Cilantro (however much you want)
Scamorza cheese (however much you want)
12 oz Tomato sauce
Skillet
Pot
Casserole dish
1. Boil the penne
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
3. Chop up garlic into thin slices
4. Slice onion into long strips
5. Toss garlic and onion onto skillet
6. Add italian sausage into skillet
7. When sausage is close to done, put in the cilantro and spinach
8. When sausage is done, add the tomato sauce and turn down the burner
9. Drain penne and add to casserole dish
10. Top penne with contents in skillet and mix
11. Top mixture with liberal helping of the scamorza
12. Stick casserole dish into the oven for 20 minutes
So it's harder to post a recipe than I had previously thought. I'll have to update again with the stuffed peppers (I have pictures!).
For being a tease, I'll leave you with another Lady GaGa masterpiece: Bad Romance
11.08.2009
Belated Boo
As promised, here is my First KC Halloween:
Pictured: the four queens of the cards (from left to right: Megan of Hearts, Lisa of Clubs, Donna of Diamonds and Anita of Spades).
Apparently, I'm one of the lucky ones. Explanation? Simply because I'm happy. One of my oldest friends said this to me the other day. I've found a place in life and in the world to call my own. I don't think I've quite made it my own yet, but the project's definitely on its way to success. The job is great; I'm lucky to have stumbled my way into healthcare. The city is dynamic; I find new gems every week to rave about. Most of all though, the people are phenomenal. I've found some amazing people to surround myself with, and they are the defining factor of my happiness I think. Old and new, friends are what makes the world go round.
Pictured: the four queens of the cards (from left to right: Megan of Hearts, Lisa of Clubs, Donna of Diamonds and Anita of Spades).
Apparently, I'm one of the lucky ones. Explanation? Simply because I'm happy. One of my oldest friends said this to me the other day. I've found a place in life and in the world to call my own. I don't think I've quite made it my own yet, but the project's definitely on its way to success. The job is great; I'm lucky to have stumbled my way into healthcare. The city is dynamic; I find new gems every week to rave about. Most of all though, the people are phenomenal. I've found some amazing people to surround myself with, and they are the defining factor of my happiness I think. Old and new, friends are what makes the world go round.
11.06.2009
The end of the Internet?
No. I haven't reached it. At least not yet.
However, I have once again established my familiar role of internet know-all at work. Hi UPO! You guys will be happy to know that I'm imparting my knowledge to others and inciting hilarity.
What I have finally reached, dear friends, is the end of Pandora's free monthly, 40hour session. This was last month's run of course. For those of you who count on music to pull you through your work days, you can sympathize. I had a mere week to go before the end of October was upon us and gone again, but time is petty and allows no free-bees. Alas, I used other resources of the great world-wide-web and braved my Pandora-less week. Rationally, paying an entire $0.99 to continue using the music genome project (linked provided on the Click-Worthys) is not completely unreasonable. So the rules are: once you've reached the end of your monthly 40 hours, you can either pay $0.99 for the rest of the month or abstain from Pandora until the next month rolls around. Thank goodness time never fails and that next month eventually always arrives. You may also pay $34 (I think) at the beginning of the month to receive unlimited Pandora usage for the whole month sans advertisements. Glorious? Only marginally so. I'd rather ride out the 40 hours and pay the $0.99 for the remainder. For this round, Pandora won, or so it seems...I saved myself that barely-a-dollar fee and relied on NOW! playlists on Youtube and Leekspin. I spun Leekspin for HOURS towards the end of the week, without pause.
And now, dear readers, I will leave on that note, and let that realization sink in.
However, I have once again established my familiar role of internet know-all at work. Hi UPO! You guys will be happy to know that I'm imparting my knowledge to others and inciting hilarity.
What I have finally reached, dear friends, is the end of Pandora's free monthly, 40hour session. This was last month's run of course. For those of you who count on music to pull you through your work days, you can sympathize. I had a mere week to go before the end of October was upon us and gone again, but time is petty and allows no free-bees. Alas, I used other resources of the great world-wide-web and braved my Pandora-less week. Rationally, paying an entire $0.99 to continue using the music genome project (linked provided on the Click-Worthys) is not completely unreasonable. So the rules are: once you've reached the end of your monthly 40 hours, you can either pay $0.99 for the rest of the month or abstain from Pandora until the next month rolls around. Thank goodness time never fails and that next month eventually always arrives. You may also pay $34 (I think) at the beginning of the month to receive unlimited Pandora usage for the whole month sans advertisements. Glorious? Only marginally so. I'd rather ride out the 40 hours and pay the $0.99 for the remainder. For this round, Pandora won, or so it seems...I saved myself that barely-a-dollar fee and relied on NOW! playlists on Youtube and Leekspin. I spun Leekspin for HOURS towards the end of the week, without pause.
And now, dear readers, I will leave on that note, and let that realization sink in.
11.03.2009
Life on Track
A title somewhat misleading. My life has no real track. However, it's a Tuesday night, and I'm sitting on my couch watching Supernatural (Shoutout to the Albers!) after an after-work yoga session plus dinner. Life's good. Work is going well. The learning curve is rather high. Higher than expected but I'm loving it.
The Midwest winter is slowly creeping up on this native Texan, but I think I'm acclimating quite well to the weather. I'm going to beat this thing. My rationale is that I sorta have to. I've got my gloves, my winter jacket (I think); now I just have to get myself a solid ice scrapper (so I've been told). I'll keep you guys updated on the weather front. So far so good.
The Midwest winter is slowly creeping up on this native Texan, but I think I'm acclimating quite well to the weather. I'm going to beat this thing. My rationale is that I sorta have to. I've got my gloves, my winter jacket (I think); now I just have to get myself a solid ice scrapper (so I've been told). I'll keep you guys updated on the weather front. So far so good.
10.31.2009
OMG I Costco-ed that
Those close and dear to me in KC are rapidly becoming familiar with my love for Costco; a love I must attribute to my friend Tiffany. It's a love/hate relationship; I know Costco is actually after my monies.
It's Halloween, and I'm ready to head to Costco to purchase candy that comes in a bag too large for one person to safely walk away with. Dentists have nightmares about candy in these volumes. Hopefully on this visit, I won't get sucked into their mystical world of over-sized pies and cakes. My fall for their $6 pumpkin pie was cleverly divided into fourths for friends to share. Completely worth it. This trip, I'm completely determined to actually get some sustainable foods. Rather than loads of carbs, pies, cheese and fruits. I really do need to up my grocery-shopping skills. I'm trying to be realistic and take this growing-up business slowly. First, I'll learn how to smartly shop for groceries; then I'll eventually work my way up to cooking some semi-basic meals. Perhaps I'll even document them for you guys.
After a decent but ultimately failed trip to Costco, I stopped by a Save-A-Lot after work the other day. This trip, in it's own rights, was likewise an abysmal failure: first it started off with the rain, so much rain; then the next sign of trouble came from passing on having a grocery cart (you have to pay for one); followed by the realization that 1. I didn't bring my grocery bag 2. you have to pay for store bags (which makes complete sense) and 3. I was left with buying whatever I could carry out of the store in my arms, I was once again not victorious.
Not surprisingly, I think my success lies upon acquiring some key ingrediants and foods,specifically key Asian food items. Now the challenge is finding a half-decent Asian market. The one next to the river market in town has serious sanitation issues. I would urge people to not get anything there that isn't pre-sealed and packaged. I've seen some questionable Asian markets in my days, but this one definitely needs caution notices.
A Happy Halloween to all! Perhaps the next post with come with some costume pictures.
It's Halloween, and I'm ready to head to Costco to purchase candy that comes in a bag too large for one person to safely walk away with. Dentists have nightmares about candy in these volumes. Hopefully on this visit, I won't get sucked into their mystical world of over-sized pies and cakes. My fall for their $6 pumpkin pie was cleverly divided into fourths for friends to share. Completely worth it. This trip, I'm completely determined to actually get some sustainable foods. Rather than loads of carbs, pies, cheese and fruits. I really do need to up my grocery-shopping skills. I'm trying to be realistic and take this growing-up business slowly. First, I'll learn how to smartly shop for groceries; then I'll eventually work my way up to cooking some semi-basic meals. Perhaps I'll even document them for you guys.
After a decent but ultimately failed trip to Costco, I stopped by a Save-A-Lot after work the other day. This trip, in it's own rights, was likewise an abysmal failure: first it started off with the rain, so much rain; then the next sign of trouble came from passing on having a grocery cart (you have to pay for one); followed by the realization that 1. I didn't bring my grocery bag 2. you have to pay for store bags (which makes complete sense) and 3. I was left with buying whatever I could carry out of the store in my arms, I was once again not victorious.
Not surprisingly, I think my success lies upon acquiring some key ingrediants and foods,specifically key Asian food items. Now the challenge is finding a half-decent Asian market. The one next to the river market in town has serious sanitation issues. I would urge people to not get anything there that isn't pre-sealed and packaged. I've seen some questionable Asian markets in my days, but this one definitely needs caution notices.
A Happy Halloween to all! Perhaps the next post with come with some costume pictures.
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