Archive for April 11th, 2009
Top 5 Billy Bob Thornton Weirdnesses I actually tolerated and attributed to common, typical celebrity weirdness…
5. A fear of antique furniture, mostly French (wonder if that includes French-Canadian dining room tables with spots of mashed potatoes?)
4. Fear of flatware (I hate washing forks, but I’m certainly not scared of a steak knife…)
3. Five marriages. Really, after about #3, I’d take a serious look at myself. When does marriage/divorce become a hobby and not a meaningful activity?
2. The whole blood-around-the-neck thing. I know you claimed they weren’t vials but instead “lockets with a drop of blood”. Is there a difference? Blood around the neck is blood around the neck. Majorly creepy.
1. Suggest that mashed potatoes should be eaten WITHOUT gravy.
This one is the topper. I just can’t imagine why a man in his right mind (loosely speaking) would ever disrespect one fan (you know, those crazy people who make you popular by buying your music and watching your movies), let alone an entire nation of them. Luckily, I’m an American country music fan and can eat potatoes in whatever way I chose without being labeled, but I still feel he’s unfair to my Canadian friends.
The worst part of his digression suggests that mashed potatoes should be (or physically CAN be) eaten without a topping. Most times, I’d rather eat a spoonful of gravy without potatoes. It’s like eating bread without real butter, or peanut butter without chocolate…or donuts without sprinkles. Mashed potatoes without gravy…it’s just unAmerican.
And obviously unCanadian as well. Long live gravy, the Maple Leafs, Canadians with their cute accents & country music all around the world.
I’m off to Vegas for the week tomorrow morning, bright and early at 6am. (Not so early considering I get up around 4:30 most days to write, but early to be functioning in public.) My attempt yesterday to get things together to pack fell short when I decided to conserve energy by watching soaps. In order to prioritize my time, I created a to-do list in prep for my pending jaunt. Here are my top 5 to-dos before Vegas:
5. Find passport and confirmation number
4. Find cords for netbook, camera, cellphone, iPod and camera-to-netbook
3. Pack clothes & stuff
2. Run vaccuum & dust to be sure we still have white carpet
1. Make stock
Now, lest ye be thinking I’m joking, I’m not. Rummaging through the fridge last night, I realized I had a wealth of veggies that will be no good upon my return (since I know the boys use my being away from the kitchen as an excuse to stuff themselves with all things fast food and fried). I’ve saved a turkey and chicken carcass in the freezer (thanks to my kitchen hero Alton Brown’s suggestion) and have no remaining tubs of frozen stock-sicles in the basement upright.
Homemade stock is really one of the most simple things in the universe to create (besided microwaved peeps). After the first time I made my own, I resolved to only buy stock when in dire straits (Money for Nothin’ and Chicks for free…or was it checks?). There’s such an amazing depth of flavor with your own stock that can’t be replicated, even from the cool septic flip-top stock boxes.
Feeling adventurous, I wanted to shake up the stock-making process. After surfing through a number of sites, I found my idea: roasting the veggies before simmering. (Thanks to the WellFed blog for this idea). I tossed all my fridge findings into the largest pan I (currently) own (because I’ve ordered a huge sheet pan from one of my students at school…finally a fundraiser I can get into…Pampered Chef!): carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes (never tried those before but love them roasted), half a can of baby peas I didn’t finish this week & garlic. Tossed on my favorite herbs including rosemary, sage, thyme, fresh cilantro (again, a new addition…it will go to waste with me gone this week since the boys chop nothing in my absence) pepper mix and a little salt to draw out the moisture from the tomatoes, then gave the whole lot a thorough virgination with olive oil.
Here’s a group shot in their Sunday best:
They’re in the oven now, roasting and toasting their way to carmelized goodness. It’s just starting to smell homey (as the boys would say, “smells like Thanksgiving”. I don’t think so, but it is a lovely aroma), which will give me about an hour to get myself cracking on the other 4 items on my to-do list.