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September 12, 2007

:::two new furry friends:::

smile for the camera siena this is madison siena waits for her toy to be thrown he's got his eye on you

today at work I went to my coworker’s house to take pictures for her Real Estate brochure. The best part (besides getting away from work) was meeting her “kids.” The dog is Siena Cha-Cha and the cat is Madison. It’s the first Scottish Fold cat I’ve met. Their ears are silly.

i also fell in love with this flowery plant. It’s a Jewels of Opar plant.  Perhaps one day I’ll have one in my backyard….

prettie little things

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September 11, 2007

pet peave #678

When someone asks you to help them with something and their explanation of the action takes longer to explain than the action itself. This is not the best time management. They clearly could have finished the task already. This is especially annoying when the task is making a phone call.

example:

“Call this person, tell them this and this and this….ask them this and that and that…and if they ask this…say that….etc!!!” I sit there thinking “Do you want me to dial, and you can just say that to them?!!!???”

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September 9, 2007

this weekend:

walking to the neighbors paired a dress with a skirt today cheese & nectarines elephant bush is growing outside my front door olive oil & dipping herbs chocolate almond biscotti recipe two eggs required first cut, then bake again mmmmmm sf. fresh & new construction makes me want an orangey smoothie outstanding coming up over the hill sandy's bathroom chairs beauty kid's bathroom beemster & white nectarines outside the fabric store feta

weekend included:

  • a trip to SF to assistant photographing a wedding
  • dinner with the neighbors (twice)
  • playing with my new camera
  • having coffee with a new, delightful friend!
  • eating Indian food, Gyros, Falafel, Chinese food all from our favorite places in the Bay Area
  • organizing & straightening of the garage/laundry room
  • shopping for fabric for the couch & chairs
  • making chocolate/almond biscotti
  • enjoying the last few days of summer..but daydreaming about layering clothes
  • compiling all of my clothes to donate to goodwill
  • thinking about all of the soups that i’m going to make soon
  • playing “name that tune” with the neighbors on our back porch
  • packing (mentally) for our upcoming trip
  • Oh! and last thursday we saw Patton Oswalt & Brian Posehn at Cobb’s on Thursday (so funny my throat hurt from laughing!)
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September 5, 2007

hello, beautiful

People on the internet:

Say hello to my new camera. She doesn’t have a proper name yet. Once she does, you will be properly introduced. She needs a complicated/devilish name because it wasn’t easy getting her.

I ordered her (or should i say one of her relatives) through Amazon thinking she would come in a few days. I received an email from them saying it was due to ship in October. Blasted! This would not arrive in time for her to make her maiden voyage on our trip to Spain at the end of September. Can you imagine the stress this caused?? My wonderful husband tracked her down at a camera shop in San Francisco.

When I called Amazon to cancel the extended warranty, I made the mistake of telling them I was going to purchase it in person. I bought the camera at a local shop and returned home to cancel the camera order through Amazon. To my surprise, it shipped!!!! What is with that? Did they expedite my order because I threatened to buy it somewhere else? Now, I will have to deal with the returning process. Either way, I’m glad I have her. Stress no more! She will make her maiden voyage soon.

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September 3, 2007

labor day weekend

casey installed our new front porch light:

new light for front door

coffee was the fuel for the weekend:

mmmmm coffee

went out to breakfast:

casey's chorizo scramble

we had our monogrammed aisle-runner framed from our wedding. It now lives in our dining room:

monogram framed

a paint swatch was contemplated:

looking down the hall at our bedroom

caught up on my tv shows with yummy yogurt with almonds, raisins & honey:

yogurt with raisins, slivered almonds & honey

we finished painting the deck. here it is in progress:

painty paint

thought about the wonderful treats of Taste Catering at my parents house for the University of Tennesse Party on Thursday:

carrot appetizer

-we also ate burritos & saw Jay Mohr perform at Cobb’s Comedy Club in SF

-we bought a mirror that didn’t work out

-we spent time with friends & went to Malibu GP to race cars, play miniature golf and O.D. on skee-ball. Dinner at Safeway’s new Citrine restaurant.

-snuggled with kitties

-red sox rookie pitcher threw a no-hitter

-watched Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

-prepared lunches for the work week

**not in that particular order**

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September 3, 2007

Baked Zucchini with Goat Cheese

zucchini bake

i love the edges

Baked Zucchini:

-Sautee one chopped yellow onion in olive oil with garlic. Add about 5-6 sliced zucchinis to the mix and cook til they are semi-transparent. Transfer that to a casserole dish (like the one you see above) mix in a LARGE handful of crumbled goat cheese & stir thoroughly. Top with breadcrumbs, fresh ground pepper & Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

***I’ve tried using a mixture of zucchini & yellow squash once and it was fab!***


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August 29, 2007

My Go-to Summer meal

When it’s hot as hell outside and I have no motivation to clean a sink full of dishes I make the following dinner:

Sliced heirloom tomatoes with basil and fresh mozzarella:
I usually chop up a bunch basil leaves, mix in sea salt/ pepper and really good olive oil. Dab on the sliced tomato and top it with the mozzarella slice. Sprinkle some sea salt & fresh ground pepper and dig in. It’s really great paired with a toasty piece of french bread.

heirloom tomatoes with mozzarella & basil underneath

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes:
I slice up fingerling potatoes so they are thin. I put them on cookie sheet with lots of olive oil, salt & pepper and sometimes I’ll splash some garlic powder into the mix. That goes in the oven at 425 degrees. It usually takes about 20 minutes total-give or take. I flip them around half way so they don’t get burnt or stick to the pan. I usually save all the crispy ones and devour them, secretly in the kitchen.

We used to fight over the crispiest potato in my family. It’s a habit that I haven’t broke. Sometimes if my husband gets a really crispy one- he puts it on my plate. Now that’s love! To make the potatoes look extra fancy, top with some chopped parsley. I didn’t have any in this picture. Please forgive me.
roasted fingerling potatoes

Grilled Chicken with Lemon: To these two side dishes, I add some grilled chicken. I pound out a couple of chicken breasts, bathe them in olive oil & lemon juice- with a bit of salt & pepper. I occasionally add cayenne if I’m feeling extra spicy. After 15 minutes in the marinade, I grill them on our little b-b-q. Top it off with extra lemon juice & you’ll want seconds.

our typical summer dinner

I usually make a little green salad. This one above is a simple mixed greens with chopped green onions. I add some lemon juice & olive oil to taste. Salt & Pepper that baby up and you are good to go! You could add feta if you’d like. You won’t regret it.

Pair it all up with a Gin & Tonic or a Jack Daniels & Diet Coke with lime (in my case), and it’s a typical summer meal on my back porch.