I’m posting this and the previous from my classroom in Regis. I got here a few minutes early and decided to test the wi-fi. Success! I promise not to use the net once class starts 😉

Miranda has started a monthly dinner group for a bunch of girls. I’m so excited for it! We’re planning our first dinner for the middle of May. She started a website, which I added to my list of links to the right, or you can click to it here. There should be a lot of great recipes you can browse!

I got a couple great products at REI today. This anti-chafing stuff is supposed to prevent blisters. I put it on this afternoon, after going on a long hike this morning in thick boots. Oh my, my feet felt so good in my stiff red flats that I had changed into. I don’t know if they will truly prevent blisters, but it was very soothing. It’s also a sunblocker, great for my frequently burned footsies in the summer. It can be used anywhere on the body. I hate applying sunblock in the morning (so greasy!) so if I unexpectedly find myself outdoors for a while, I can whip this out of my purse and protect my nose.

Ben and I have been lusting over these stylish, cancer-free aluminum bottles. Especially since Nate got one. Since I’ll need to stay hydrated to power through 7 hours of classes each day, I can justify buying this cute bottle, right?

I freaking LOVE these shirts. They had another collection that I fawned over for quite some time before it eventually sold out. The sweet embroidery and feminine cuts coupled with irreverent words – it’s wonderful! They have posted a new collection. Many are reprints of the same design but with new sayings. Sadly, I’m not as fond of these new sayings because they overuse the F-word. High impact, I guess. But there are still a few I would conceivably wear. And some I wish I could wear. Were I to spend $90 on a shirt (Ha!).

link

I used my birthday money to buy a subscription to Everyday Food Magazine – the one from Martha, not Rachel Ray. You may recall that a long time ago I was a devotee to this publication. In fact, I started with issue number one and I think went through the 50s or 60s. (The first year of issues are apparently highly prized, going for quite a few bucks on ebay. I’ve heard tell of $50 for the first issue. Mine are far too splattered and beloved to sell.) But after a few years the recipes got repetitive and I got bored. When I noticed I was no longer cooking out the issues I canceled my subscription.

But now my cooking is stale and I needed inspiration again. I realized that it wasn’t the novelty of the recipes that was so great. It was the seasonal ideas, the pretty pictures, and the simple preparations that inspire me to get in the kitchen. My first issue arrived a couple weeks ago and it has served us well. The following recipes are all from the current issue.

Pulled pork shoulder barbecue sandwiches slathered in Big Hoss sauce. The honey glazed carrots are also from the magazine.

Simplified Paella. I omitted the shrimp and added saffron.

Lemon Poppyseed Cake. This was delicious and served at Movie Club. Unfortunately, it was so tasty that there were no leftovers for me to eat later!

A fresh salad made with a variety of ingredients. It had me hunting the aisles of Sunflower Market to get everything. In fact, I tried three stores for Israeli couscous, aka pearl couscous, aka Middle Eastern couscous -the name by which I finally found it at Whole Foods. It was sold in bulk and I’m happy I bought extra since we really enjoyed it’s texture! The salad also has steamed green beans, cucumber, golden raisins, pistachios, and feta cheese.

Yesterday afternoon I made their basic muffin recipe. I added dried sweetened cranberries (again, hooray for bulk foods at Sunflower!) and topped them with a crusty raw sugar coating. They are deliciously creamy and have just the right amount of sweetness.

I have a couple things left on the meal plan from this issue. We’re going to have their Thai chicken with noodles (substituting udon for glass noodles) and their two pea pasta – made with snap peas, frozen peas, and ricotta. I might also make the artichoke linguine. Yum yum yum.

Heck yeah.

Iron Man rocked. I may be reeling from the excitement of its freshness, but this may be the greatest superhero movie yet. Never dragged, great humor, rich characters (not stereotypes).

I’m ready for the sequel now!

The view outside my window this splendid May morn:

It was 75 degrees yesterday. Gotta love Colorado.

Oh noes, between taking the photos and posting them now, she has gotten bored and is once again in my lap. I love her company – but it’s hard to type with her in the way. Maybe she’s just waiting for more treats. Smart little bugger :-/

This is my last week of being home alone all day. I feel panicked and lazy at the same time. I still have lots of projects to do, but none of them have a deadline. A couple projects for the Retina Center, some sewing, some knitting, some cleaning and organizing, etc. But I just want to read my latest book, The Know-It-All. I feel very blah. Starting school will be a very good thing for me.

With my Everyday Food magazine I have a tasty menu planned, with fresh ingredients in my fridge from Sunflower Markets. We’re going to eat:

• BBQ pork giant baked sandwich (finished off leftovers from last week)
• Feta and Israeli couscous salad
• Two pea pasta
• Chicken paella
• Artichoke and parsley linguini
• Thai chicken with noodles.

Hmm. A lot of pasta in there. So much for cutting back on carbs this week.

We had a quiet weekend. We watched Grosse Point Blank on Friday after I had dance class. Saturday Ben went to a pinball expo while I knit and watched episodes of The Office on hulu.com. (I realized that the Office is MUCH funnier now that I don’t work IN an office. It was too close to home.) After lunch (grilled cheese and tomato soup, tuna for Ben) we went to Sur La Table to spend a gift card (I finally have a garlic peeler!). A quick jaunt though Whole Foods provided a nice snack what with all their free samples. For dinner we went to Virgilio’s with Brian. We finished off the evening watching Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who.

More of the same this week. I’m going to trivia tonight and dance class tomorrow. Wednesday is orientation day for school. I get to meet my classmates and teachers, tour the campus, buy some more supplies, and hopefully get all my lingering questions answered. I can’t wait to start!

After spending an hour trying to rearrange my living room I decided I truly hate the computer desk we bought when we moved here. The corner shape is an inefficient use of space and it limits placement to two spots in the room, the only other option being where the dining table currently resides. And I don’t want to move the table across the room.

Want. Darn Ikea.