Wednesday, February 04, 2009
9 More Things About Me
I have already filled out a list of "XVI Things About Me" on Facebook, but have since been tagged by others at least twice for "25 Things About Me". So I will append my previous list with 9 more items to satisfy that requirement....and I'll tag 9 more people on Facebook.
RULES: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
17. I have a chronically runny nose, every day of the year. Maybe I am allergic to something totally basic that I am around every day, but I have never seen an allergist. Instead I keep rolls of toilet paper in my car, office, and in every room of the house (I installed a toilet paper holder in the kitchen next to the paper towel holder). I also keep wads of toilet paper in almost every jacket pocket and purse/handbag/backpack. I will inevitably forget one of them when something goes through the laundry and find little bits of it in the dryer lint screen. (I use toilet paper to blow my nose because I find it more absorbent and cheaper, and the size of a toilet paper square is exactly the right size for a little sniffle, so I'm not wasting the extra real estate of an entire Kleenex. And when you blow your nose as often as I do, the cost savings add up quickly.)
18. When I need something, my order of locating an item is usually this: Freecycle (because you can't beat *free*), CraigsList, EBay, Goodwill, Garage/Estate Sales, retail store. I rarely pay retail for anything. I shop this way for clothing, furniture (I got my dining room set on EBay and had it shipped from Kansas), linens, toys, music, electronics, razor blades (for my head and leg-shaving husband) and vacuum cleaner bags. I do not shop at Wal-Mart.
19. I love to cook and find most of my recipes on the Epicurious website. Very rarely do I ever make the same recipe twice, however.
20. I believe kids need to be exposed to a food over and over again before they can really make a true determination whether they like it or not. I always make my daughter take "taster bites" of everything on her plate for that reason. I think that's why she was begging me to make brussels sprouts the other day.
21. All of my major childhood injuries resulted from jumping on a bed or riding a bicycle.
22. I have the last 5 years of my daughter's artwork plastered all over my office walls at work.
23. I was on yearbook staff in elementary school and high school. I reflect on that experience when I am scrapbooking today.
24. The tips of my fingers go numb and turn white at temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. My nose feels cold below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. My comfort zone is 75-90 degrees Fahrenheit.
25. My job involves Quality Assurance at an ISO 9001 certified company. I sometimes find myself evaluating my life in terms of continuous improvement, corrective actions, and supplier quality.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Best Meals of 2008
We enjoyed a particularly culinary year in 2008, mainly contributed to by our trip to Europe in June/July. This is a summary of the more memorable ones:
1. Homemade pizza, 2/10/08: P made the whole wheat pizza dough before he left for Salem and V and I made the pizza that evening. Pesto based with cheese, mushrooms and olives.
2. Thanksgiving in Spring, 5/9/08: Our 9th Annual TIS (or Ix for the Dune fans). Somehow we overestimated the number of guests attending and had a tad too much food (we made 2 turkeys and a ham), but a wonderful celebration with delicious dishes provided by everyone. Particular standouts were Lois' cheesy potato torte and Dave's Rhubarb Raspberry pie.
3. Every meal on our travels in Germany, Switzerland and Italy: We have many great pictures of the food, and only 3 of our family together.
V was pouty about (name anything - she had some attitude issues in the early part of the trip) and somehow still managed to be disapppointed when this pear and ice cream sundae arrived during our dinner in Messkirch, Germany. She warmed up to it after tasting it.
At this restaurant in Barolo, the waiter didn't bring us a menu when we asked for one, but instead started bringing out various small plates of food. We ended up with about 10 different dishes, some great wine, and a memorable meal.
We arrived in the small town of Collodi, Italy, the evening before we planned to visit Pinocchio Park and Gardoni Garden (Carlo Collodi is the author of Pinocchio). For dinner we walked from our mini-RV overnight camping location in the Pinocchio Park parking lot to a restaurant on the Piazza della Vittoria to hang with locals watching the EuroCup final between Spain and Germany. V drew on the placemat and we ordered an appetizer sampler, meat plate, cheese pizza and bruchetta. The owner gave us a bottle of Chianti to take on our travels. (see next photo)
The next day, we parked the RV at our campground in Fiesole (in the hills outside Florence). After a dip in the pool, I strolled to a small market in "downtown" Fiesole to buy meat, cheese and bread to accompany the Chianti. We ate in the RV and drank wine out of coffee cups.
The next day in Florence, we had another great meal at Trattoria La Casalinga. A carafe of the house red, spectacular pesto that V couldn't get enough of, ravioli and tomato salad.
Fortunately V took a picture of the restaurant sign when we let her loose with the camera to keep her from complaining about being bored at the table. We met P's friend Aldo for a terrific Florentine meal with lots of wine, good conversation and a bottle of limoncello and cigars provided by the restaurant owner (or just a hook-up by Aldo - my mind started to get fuzzy around that point).
In Parma, Italy we had a nice meal at Croce Di Malta, down a side-street outside an old church. We just ordered randomly from the menu and got adventurous. The dish behind the wine bottle was Vitello Tonnato (cold sliced veal with tuna sauce). Everything was wonderful.
Early in the morning in Parma, we took a free tour of a parmesano-reggiano factory. The tour was fantastic, starting with the arrival of the morning milk and walking us through every step of the process while it was taking place. Plus free cheese and a bag of goodies at the conclusion, and a spin through their onsite store. This was one of my personal goals and highlights of the trip.
We arrived at our guesthouse in Afens, Italy just having missed the dinner service. They recommended we walk down the narrow two-lane road to the next Gasthaus to see about a meal. We arrived in a darkened front entrance, but soon the kitchen was fired up and serving P's favorite beer and the best schnitzel I had.
In Bad Tolz, Germany I told P I wanted a sausage of some sort for dinner at this brewery. Due to a temporary lapse in menu translation, I ended up with this super-tasty slab of roasted pork.
In Munich on the last day of our trip, I finally got my sausage. This weiss wurst in an outdoor biergarten is the stuff of my dreams. Unfortunately after I got back home I realized that I not only ate it at the wrong time of day (this wurst is generally eaten in the morning and we were there just after noon), but I didn't peel it in the traditional fashion. Anyway, it was delicious. The next morning in the Luftahnsa terminal we received a voucher for food since our flight was delayed. My euros went for more weiss wurst, and I was at least eating it at the correct time (approx 7 am!).
2. Thanksgiving in Spring, 5/9/08: Our 9th Annual TIS (or Ix for the Dune fans). Somehow we overestimated the number of guests attending and had a tad too much food (we made 2 turkeys and a ham), but a wonderful celebration with delicious dishes provided by everyone. Particular standouts were Lois' cheesy potato torte and Dave's Rhubarb Raspberry pie.
3. Every meal on our travels in Germany, Switzerland and Italy: We have many great pictures of the food, and only 3 of our family together.
V was pouty about (name anything - she had some attitude issues in the early part of the trip) and somehow still managed to be disapppointed when this pear and ice cream sundae arrived during our dinner in Messkirch, Germany. She warmed up to it after tasting it.
At this restaurant in Barolo, the waiter didn't bring us a menu when we asked for one, but instead started bringing out various small plates of food. We ended up with about 10 different dishes, some great wine, and a memorable meal.
After our menu-less adventure in Barolo, I handled the ordering at this small side-street restaurant in La Morra the next day for lunch. We had a lovely chilled Moscato with meaty and cheese sandwiches and a buffalo mozzarella tomato salad. V enjoyed a white-chocolate and coffee popcicle for dessert. No pouting there.
We arrived in the small town of Collodi, Italy, the evening before we planned to visit Pinocchio Park and Gardoni Garden (Carlo Collodi is the author of Pinocchio). For dinner we walked from our mini-RV overnight camping location in the Pinocchio Park parking lot to a restaurant on the Piazza della Vittoria to hang with locals watching the EuroCup final between Spain and Germany. V drew on the placemat and we ordered an appetizer sampler, meat plate, cheese pizza and bruchetta. The owner gave us a bottle of Chianti to take on our travels. (see next photo)
The next day, we parked the RV at our campground in Fiesole (in the hills outside Florence). After a dip in the pool, I strolled to a small market in "downtown" Fiesole to buy meat, cheese and bread to accompany the Chianti. We ate in the RV and drank wine out of coffee cups.
The next day in Florence, we had another great meal at Trattoria La Casalinga. A carafe of the house red, spectacular pesto that V couldn't get enough of, ravioli and tomato salad.
Fortunately V took a picture of the restaurant sign when we let her loose with the camera to keep her from complaining about being bored at the table. We met P's friend Aldo for a terrific Florentine meal with lots of wine, good conversation and a bottle of limoncello and cigars provided by the restaurant owner (or just a hook-up by Aldo - my mind started to get fuzzy around that point).
In Parma, Italy we had a nice meal at Croce Di Malta, down a side-street outside an old church. We just ordered randomly from the menu and got adventurous. The dish behind the wine bottle was Vitello Tonnato (cold sliced veal with tuna sauce). Everything was wonderful.
Everywhere we went, every day (sometimes twice a day) we treated ourselves to gelato. You could hardly avoid it, especially with a 6-year old travelling with you. We were constantly being reminded of the availability of it, and of any promises that had been made regarding its purchase.
Early in the morning in Parma, we took a free tour of a parmesano-reggiano factory. The tour was fantastic, starting with the arrival of the morning milk and walking us through every step of the process while it was taking place. Plus free cheese and a bag of goodies at the conclusion, and a spin through their onsite store. This was one of my personal goals and highlights of the trip.
We arrived at our guesthouse in Afens, Italy just having missed the dinner service. They recommended we walk down the narrow two-lane road to the next Gasthaus to see about a meal. We arrived in a darkened front entrance, but soon the kitchen was fired up and serving P's favorite beer and the best schnitzel I had.
In Bad Tolz, Germany I told P I wanted a sausage of some sort for dinner at this brewery. Due to a temporary lapse in menu translation, I ended up with this super-tasty slab of roasted pork.
In Munich on the last day of our trip, I finally got my sausage. This weiss wurst in an outdoor biergarten is the stuff of my dreams. Unfortunately after I got back home I realized that I not only ate it at the wrong time of day (this wurst is generally eaten in the morning and we were there just after noon), but I didn't peel it in the traditional fashion. Anyway, it was delicious. The next morning in the Luftahnsa terminal we received a voucher for food since our flight was delayed. My euros went for more weiss wurst, and I was at least eating it at the correct time (approx 7 am!).
4. Duck breast salad, 7/15/08: This salad turned out so attractive and delicious, I'm glad we took a picture of it. Duck breast wrapped in prosciutto on a bed of baby greens with sliced red bell pepper, an orange vinaigrette and fried wonton strips.
5. Birthday breakfast at Chow, Bend, Oregon; 7/26/08: Banana stuffed french toast and eggs benedict.
6. Job's Daughter's Corn Dogs at Nevada County Fair, Grass Valley, California; August 2008: These corn dogs are an annual tradition, just like the NC Fair, in our family. Crispy on the outside and a thick layer of cornmeal with a hot juicy dog in the center. I can't eat a corn dog anywhere else.
7. Hydration at the Nevada County Fair, August 2008: This barely passes as a meal, except that it is vital to my husband's existence, just like my cooking. First picture is Bitney Springs near Rough and Ready, California. This spring has been flowing as long as I can remember (30+ years since my family first moved there) and was bequeathed by the Bitney family to the local residents. It's a "drink at your own risk" type of place but has always treated us well. We fill up all the water bottles on the way to Grass Valley. Second photo is the method used to enjoy a beer (root or otherwise) at the Nevada County Fair without breaking the bank. Park near the entrance under the shade of the pines, stock an ice chest in the trunk of your car and exit/re-enter the fair as desired.
8. Christmas morning breakfast, 12/25/08: Another family Christmas tradition of fruit, crackers, lunchmeat, fig cake, and gourmet cheese from Newport Market. Also a late harvest Gewurtzaminer from Hauer of the Dauen.
5. Birthday breakfast at Chow, Bend, Oregon; 7/26/08: Banana stuffed french toast and eggs benedict.
6. Job's Daughter's Corn Dogs at Nevada County Fair, Grass Valley, California; August 2008: These corn dogs are an annual tradition, just like the NC Fair, in our family. Crispy on the outside and a thick layer of cornmeal with a hot juicy dog in the center. I can't eat a corn dog anywhere else.
7. Hydration at the Nevada County Fair, August 2008: This barely passes as a meal, except that it is vital to my husband's existence, just like my cooking. First picture is Bitney Springs near Rough and Ready, California. This spring has been flowing as long as I can remember (30+ years since my family first moved there) and was bequeathed by the Bitney family to the local residents. It's a "drink at your own risk" type of place but has always treated us well. We fill up all the water bottles on the way to Grass Valley. Second photo is the method used to enjoy a beer (root or otherwise) at the Nevada County Fair without breaking the bank. Park near the entrance under the shade of the pines, stock an ice chest in the trunk of your car and exit/re-enter the fair as desired.
8. Christmas morning breakfast, 12/25/08: Another family Christmas tradition of fruit, crackers, lunchmeat, fig cake, and gourmet cheese from Newport Market. Also a late harvest Gewurtzaminer from Hauer of the Dauen.
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