ReallyTopDrawer

Food Resolution

2012-02-02T18:16:00.004-07:00

I'm not usually big on New Year's Resolutions, but I am making a resolution for this semester: I am going to make at least one nice meal for myself each week. And to hold myself accountable, I'm going to post these meals here!

Last semester was so crazy busy that I found myself eating crap food all the time. At one point I realized that a good 6 weeks had gone by without my really cooking a good meal for myself. That was depressing. And a good reflection of how crazy my life felt. I like cooking, I like food! When I don't get to cook and eat good food, I am not in a good way.

So, this semester I am going to make myself a delicious dinner at least one night a week. And I am hoping to take advantage of this opportunity to try a bunch of the recipes out of America's Test Kitchen's Cooking for Two books. I'm not going to promise that will happen every week.

Anyway, here are the first two meals I made:

Pan Roasted Pork Loin with Sweet Potatoes and Maple Butter:

And Gingerbread Cake!

And just last night, a Yummy Cheese Souffle:

Today's public service announcement

2011-05-28T17:27:00.001-07:00

Perhaps it is premature for me to be all evangelical about my new love Pinterest, but I can't help myself.

I love this site! Basically, you can create web collages of all of your favorite stuff. I signed up after reading about it on one my favorite home design/diy blog but didn't really 'get' it until I realized it was the perfect place to log all of the random things I've been starring in Google Reader for the last five years.

My problem with google reader (or bookmarks in general) is that it is easy for the stuff you liked/ wanted to make/ thought you should buy to get buried and never be thought of again. With pinterest, you can look and see pics of all of the recipes you wanted to make, or pillows you wanted to sew. You can create as many different boards as you want, so its a great way to visually organize links for different projects.

Honestly, I probably won't make cinnamon-and-sugar almonds or a fat quarter tote now that I have pinterest. But at least now I can remind myself that I one day wanted to...

Misadventures in Cooking

2011-03-19T20:54:00.003-07:00

Cooking by following a recipe after not doing so for a long time feels a lot like when I started my translation work. I think I know what all the words mean until I really get into it. I start doubting my understanding of the language and probably way over-think it.

Do I really know the difference between chop and dice and mince? I guess it's a given that I'd peel the potato before chopping it? If you simmer onion in broth do you need to bring it to a boil first?

I managed to stumble through the first recipe, which was for a Harira, and it turned out pretty well) and ran smack dab against the second recipes, which was for Greek spinach rice balls.

It called for scallions, and since I was flustered I read that as shallots, especially because they called for browning it. I've put scallions in the oil first but I never really think of that as browning. I only think of browning onions or garlic or meat or shallots (hence my confusion). Next I discovered that I didn't have bread crumbs even though I remember seeing the container in the drawer, so now I had to use panko crumbs instead.

At this point I thought about turning back, but in Chinese there is a saying (a real saying, not like the "may you live in interesting times saying" for which I still haven't found a Chinese version), "When you're wrong, be wrong to the end." I think it can mean to stick with something and see it through to the end to see what happens, or can be talking about someone who stubbornly clings to misguided views. It really depends on the context, or your perception of the situation. Plus I subscribed to the Joey Tribbiani school of eating, if the components taste good the final product can't be that bad, right?

Anyway, back to the regularly scheduled programming. Then the recipe calls for steaming the spinach. I don't really have a steamer so I settled for sort of cooking it all in a little bit of water, so it was kind of like blanching and steaming it at the same time (or so I hoped) and then I spent some time squeezing all the water out. It also called for brown rice but we have this healthy rice mix and the rice was still a little damp after I cooked it twice. Finally I was ready to roll up the mixture into balls and dip it into the panko crumb and then put it in the oven.

It came out ok. The ball of rice was still on the loose side, probably because the rice and the spinach were probably still too damp. It was also a little odd to taste dill in rice. Ah well, maybe I'll put it in the Harira and see what happens.

Plays

2011-03-17T12:21:00.004-07:00

Maybe it's just me, but the plays I have seen seem to be overwhelmingly about misery and suffering and bitterness. I just saw Homecoming by Harold Pinter at the A.C.T. and my reaction can be summed up in a word, "Huh?"

Maybe plays reflect who we are, our real selves. After all, life can't be as glamorous as a musical, even if we walk around with our personal soundtrack thanks to our iPods. Maybe when we feel trapped we do lash out and say mean and hurtful things to each other. I'm not denying that, I know I do it, but it feels that plays are often used to express regret and sadness about life and relationships. Sometimes they do so in a humorous way, but at the end of the day, still sad.

The first plays I ever read were the Glass Menagerie and Death of a Salesman in English class. Without looking at them again, the things that come to mind when I think of them are the longing for a gentleman caller and fragility, and well, death, and the volatile relationship between parent and child. Real. But not very happy or uplifting.

Perhaps if I watched more plays and studied the text I may be able to tease out some bigger themes. For example, the program talked about how memory is used in the play and there is a point made about living in the present and not the past, but if I didn't read that, I don't know if I would have caught it. So it's not really an organic observation. I walk away from the play thinking about how cruel we are to those closest us to us, in blood and in proximity, and the power dynamics between a woman and a group of men, and how odd plays are and would I see another one.

The next play at the A.C.T. is No Exit by John Paul Sartre. The description reads: "A mysterious valet ushers three people into a shabby hotel room, and they soon discover that hell isn't fire and brimstone at all—it's other people." Sounds like a rollicking good time.

From the Chicken Ranch to the Diamond Cabaret

2011-03-09T11:55:00.009-07:00

A few weeks ago, my BF emailed me a Living Social deal (like a Groupon with a different name) for CY Steaks, wondering if I'd be interested in going for a date night. I'd never heard of it, so I did a quick Google and found that "CY" stands for Cliff Young. Hooray!, I thought.

Cliff Young was basically the Frank Bonanno of the late 80s/early 90s. His restaurant at that time, called Cliff Young's, was the pinnacle of fine dining in Denver. White linen table clothes, delicious (and expensive foods), definitely a special occasion kind of place. I ate there with my family a couple of times when I was young, and remember it fondly. So when I saw that CY Steak was Cliff's latest venture in Denver, I bought the deal without further ado.

When doing my cursory research, I'd noticed something about CY Steak being near or next to or in the neighborhood of the Diamond Cabaret strip club, but didn't think much of it. Then a couple weeks later I had jury duty - the new Denver court house is right across the street from the Diamond Cabaret. As I was walking to get lunch, I noticed that CY Steak appeared to be IN the Diamond Cabaret. As in, it is the restaurant OF the Diamond Cabaret. As in, I was about to take my BF to dinner at a strip club. Awesome.

We were not to be deterred from enjoying Cliff Young's food (and making use of our rather expensive groupon), so I went ahead and made a reservation. The big night arrived and we were both excited to see what this dining adventure had in store for us.

Excited to try diner at the strip club...

We drove across on Colfax, and sure enough found the Diamond Cabaret in all its glory. Fortunately, the restaurant has a separate entrance so we didn't have to walk through the club part of the establishment.

Nancy outside the Diamond Cabaret entrance.

Very classy sign for the restaurant entrance.

Pondering the adventures that await us inside...

The restaurant itself is quite lovely. It's all dark wood and stone, black table cloths and red accents around the room. You'd never know it was part of a strip club if it weren't for the windows in one wall that provide a view into the club, or the platform in the middle of the restaurant with poles (for the entertainment later in the evening). Or the thumping bass music that bleeds through the wall from the club. But besides that...

The lighting was bad for picture taking, but this gives you some idea of the
ambiance. Note the poles. Those are attached to a raised platform
in the middle of the restaurant.

The moment we walked in, we were greeted by Cliff Young himself. He was very gracious and showed us to a cozy booth that, conveniently, was up against the wall with the windows, so we were not gazing into the strip club all night. Classy touch, Cliff.

The food was AMAZING. Cliff did not let us down on that front. Truly some of the best food I've ever had in Denver, and probably the best service as well. Here's what we ate:

The amuse bouche: Foie Gras Creme Brulee. Heavenly.

My dinner: 8 oz. Filet Mignon with Caramelized Onion Red Wine dipping sauce and

Roasted Herbed Veal Bone Marrow. Plus a side of Potatoes and Onions Sauteed in Duck Fat.
Rich, ridiculous, seriously delicious.

His meal: Curried Lamb Chops with Israeli Couscous and Cauliflower.

Similarly rich, ridiculous and delicious.

Dessert: House-made ice cream sandwich with vanilla ice cream,

Colorado cherries and chocolate wafer cookies.

Compared to all the animal fat-covered foods in our entrées, this was rather light. Very delicious.

At about 8:30, a couple of the cabaret girls came into the restaurant, climbed up onto the pole-bedecked platform and began to "entertain" the dinner guests. Yep, stripping, strutting and gyrating right there in the middle of the fine dining establishment. This was a little awkward for a date night, but we ended up having an interesting conversation about strip clubs, feminist principles, and the new trend of strip-club-steak-house combos.

When all was said and done, we were happily full of delicious rich food:

After dinner, we headed to Larimer Square for drinks at our new favorite bar, the Green Russell. I got a drink called European Royalty (Port based, delicious), and he got one I can't remember the name of (whiskey based, also delicious to me, but not to his taste so he ended up trading it for something else that I did not get a photo of). They were both beautiful, and Green Russell was once again a great experience. We will be returning often.

While going to a strip club for dinner obviously isn't for everyone, the food really was amazing. So if you can handle the scantily clad women and don't need to worry about someone blackmailing you with photos of you entering a strip club, by all means give Cliff Young's cuisine a chance. I'm not sure I'll be going back any time soon (partly because I can't afford to), but I'm glad I had the experience.

Black Swan = English Patient

2011-02-12T21:00:00.003-07:00

I've decided to save my Natalie Portman rant for the Best Actress write up. For my thoughts on the movie as a whole, I give you old school Seinfeld.

Seinfeld generally annoys the crap out of me , but I thought this episode was spot on (I mean, seriously. Elaine's not wrong. That movie was too damn long). And, if you substitute Black Swan for The English Patient and "edgy and dramatic" for "epic and romantic", totally fits today...

Oscar Quest 2011... thanks a lot Julia Roberts

2011-01-25T20:07:00.006-07:00

It's that time again... Oscar Quest 2011! Usually marked by a frenzied attempt to see way too many movies in way too short a time. The first year, I think Suzaaku and I finished watching Sense and Sensibility about 45 minutes before the Red Carpet started. Ah, memories.

I decided that the Quest would be different this year. Rather than wait until the nominations were announced and then set off a mad dash to see all of the nominated movies in a month (16 this year, if you see all of the major categories-- picture, acting, director, original and adapted screenplay), I decided to make a spreadsheet based on the Golden Globe nominations and work my way through the most likely overlaps. Full disclosure: I made the spreadsheet, but it is only because of my movie buddy (let's call her Ebert) that we've made any progress.

The noms came out today. We've seen 7 films so far (stay tuned for my upcoming blog: Black Swan, the English Patient of 2011) and successfully avoided watching any nutty GG nominees (read: Burlesque, The Tourist) that didn't have a chance in hell of crossing over to OscarVille. On the flip side, there were only 4 films that scored major nominations despite being snubbed by the Golden Globes (Biutiful, True Grit, Toy Story 3, Another Year).

And that's how we get to Julia Roberts and how her interfering put another film on my list. Julia was afraid that people weren't seeing Biutiful and Javier Bardem wouldn't get recognized (bleak with subtitles? her concern was well placed), so she threw a screening party. And the rest is history.

Never doubt the power of the Pretty Woman.

The Gal Pal Golden Rule

2010-12-21T15:59:00.001-07:00

I’ve noticed in that past couple of years that I sometimes let myself get away with ridiculous behavior, when I would totally call my gal pals out on the same behavior if they were doing it. And I know I’m not alone in this – everyone does it at some point. We know when something is a bad idea, or when we’re likely to get hurt, or when we’re doing stupid things. And yet we can’t seem to stop ourselves. We make excuses. We rationalize. And we get hurt.

A couple of examples:

I went through a rough break up a couple years ago. I was pretty head-over-heels for the guy I’d been dating, and when he ended things I was heartbroken. Normally I tend to be a comfort eater and will indulge in all kinds of comfort food when I’m sad. But this time, for whatever reason, I just stopped eating. For days. I didn’t even fully realize what I was doing until I sat down to dinner at a work function and realized it was the first meal I’d had in more than a week. When I got home later, I thought to myself, “If any of my girlfriends was doing this, I would be really worried about them. Clearly this is some sort of bizzarro cry for help that no one is hearing. I’d better start taking care of myself.”

But I knew it would be easy to just keep on with the self-destructive stuff, so I called in reinforcements. At work the next day, I told a good friend and colleague that I hadn’t been eating much lately, and asked her to check in with me and make sure I ate lunch that day. I can’t express how hard this was for me to do. I fancy myself a strong, self-sufficient modern woman. Not the type who stops eating when she gets her heart broken, and certainly not the type who needs someone to make sure she gets fed. Frankly, I was embarrassed to have to say those words out loud. But I’m so glad I swallowed my pride and asked for that help. Naturally, being the fabulous gal pal that she is, my friend did just what I asked. And she continued to check in with me every day for a couple weeks after, often even taking me home with her for lunch just to make sure.

More recently, I’d had a crush on a guy for weeks and finally worked up the courage to ask him out. He told me right away that he had a serious, long-distance girlfriend, but that they had agreed it was OK to see other people as long as it didn’t get “serious.” Now I know what you all are thinking: this is the point at which I should have run in the other direction and had nothing more to do with the guy. And you’d be right. But of course I wouldn’t be writing about it if it were that simple. Instead, after he told me all of this about his girlfriend, he proceeded to flirt with me relentlessly. Sending me dozens of texts a day, full of compliments and sweet things I’m pretty sure his girlfriend wouldn’t have been too happy about. And, being human, I was flattered and flirted right back. I justified it as harmless fun – hey, sometimes a girl just needs a good flirtation, right? We all need to feel attractive and charming and special sometimes.

And that was just dandy until one day I was walking to the bus and thought to myself: “If any of my girlfriends were in this situation, I would tell her to stop with the flirty texts and not get involved with a guy who has a girlfriend! There is no way this will end well.” So again, I called in reinforcements. I talked to one of my best gal pals and she agreed – no good could come of that situation. And in perfect gal-pal fashion, she both totally understood how and why I had indulged such behavior, and also held me accountable for better behavior in the future.

All of this brings me to what I think would be a solution to much of our heartache and self-destructiveness: The Gal Pal Golden Rule. Treat yourself the way you would want your best friend to treat herself. Imagine if your best friend were in your situation and came to your for advice. Think about what you would tell her, what you would want for her. And then follow your own advice.

It is not easy. It requires a kind of self-awareness that isn’t always comfortable. It requires us to be able to take ourselves out of a situation and stop rationalizing and justifying things. It requires us to hold ourselves to as high a standard as we hold our friends. To value ourselves and protect ourselves the same way we value and protect our closest friends.

And sometimes (really, often times) it requires some back-up. Because it is just so easy to get back into our own heads, listen to our own excuses, and continue down a destructive road. So it helps to have a couple of friends who understand and love you, and who will gently hold you accountable and help you face reality. Friends like that are priceless.

I know both of my examples above involved relationship drama, but it doesn’t only apply to that kind of situation. Would you want your best friend to stay in a job that made her miserable? Would you want her to beat herself up over mistakes she’s made, or would you want her to be kind to herself? Would you want her to risk driving home after a couple of drinks, or would you want her to call a cab? Would you want her to hold a grudge with a family member, or extend a peace offering? You get what I mean, right?

Again, it’s not always easy to follow the Gal Pal Golden Rule, but I do think it would save us some heartache if we could manage to do it from time to time. It would leave us so much more time and emotional energy to pursue the relationships and activities that make us happiest, and things that make the world a better place. And isn’t that what life should be about?

Sweet Sweet Vegas

2010-06-11T14:57:00.007-07:00

Since I was in Vegas with my dad, the usual debauchery was out of the question. But I ended up finding some wonderful sweets. This is the canoli at the Tintoretto Bakery by the Grand Canal under the Venetian. I bought some Italian cookies but this canoli was AMAZING. They even had bits of licorice in the ricotta filling. I was a little uncertain about it in the beginning but it helped cut through the overwhelming sweetness of the filling. I did have some pastries at Paris but they didn't feel very special. This was awesome.

I also had the Frrrrrrrrozen Hot Chocolate from Serendipity 3. At about 9 bucks it felt an awful lot like highway robbery. But sitting under the shade and writing and sipping on this felt great after a long day of walking around. It also put the price of the $16 mix you can buy at William Sonoma in context. I feel much better about that purchase now.

I also ate at Diego in MGM Grand and the Fontana Lounge in the Bellagio. Diego had great margaritas and served spicy popcorn under appetizers like the empanadas and quesadillas. I didn't have the entrees there but they looked good and were reasonably priced for vegas.

The Fontana Lounge is cool because you can walk to the balcony on the side and see the Bellagio Fountain show from there. It's cool to see the fountain with the lights from the Paris as a backdrop and you can see how high it goes (higher than the "Eiffel Tower"). I'll have to post the videos on FB. Again, the drinks and apps were reasonably priced for Vegas and starting at 9 there's a band, too.

One non-Vegas food adventure was at the local IHOP. In the ultimate suburban meal I ordered watermelon lemonade (way too syrupy) and the artery clogging cheesecake-between-pancakes thing they're advertising. No I did NOT eat the entire pancake thing. After a few bites I mostly nibbled around the sides. I could feel my artery clogging as I ingested it. And I know this will shock you but the pancakes didn't come out like the tower of sweetness it looks like on the commercials. The cheesecake is essentially flattened between the pancakes.

B-Cycle Exploration Day!

2010-05-09T19:38:00.006-07:00

Today, I enlisted my dear friends Kevin and Tenly to help me explore Denver by bicycle so that I'll feel more comfortable on my future B-Cycle rides. They were excellent tour guides!

The ride was pretty epic. I am frankly astonished that my out-of-shape self made it! You never really realize how many hills there are around town until you have to climb them on a bike. Capitol Hill, for example, is very aptly named.

The route: I met Tenly and Kevin in Cheesman Park, and from there we rode south to Cherry Creek. We then continued south on Steele, then west on Louisiana past Wash Park to the Louisiana and Pearl B-Cycle/Light Rail station. We stopped for a break and a treat from Duffy Roll. YUM.

From there, we rode up Logan and dropped Tenly off at home so she could go to yoga, and Kevin and I continued north to Speer, where we hopped on the Cherry Creek Trail. We emerged at 14th and Larimer, and then jogged over to Wynkoop and up through LoDo to Coors Field. Stopped for a photo op at Union Station, natch.

From there, we went across 22nd past the Mercury Cafe and into Uptown, then east on 16th to Franklin, which we took back into Cheesman Park. Then in was just a short ways back to the Botanic Gardens B-Cycle station where I'd started! Total miles: +/- 14. Whew!

I made a My Map on Google Maps so you can see the WHOLE EPIC RIDE, complete with more photos!

View B-Cycle Exploration Day! in a larger map

Just like riding a bike...

2010-05-03T10:52:00.005-07:00

Last week, on a beautiful sunny day, I tried out Denver's new B-Cycle program.

Here's why I think I'm pretty much the target audience for B-Cycle: I do not own a bike, but have been thinking about getting one. However, I haven't really ridden a bike since I was a kid, so I am hesitant to invest in a bike of my own until I know how useful it will really be, and/or whether I will enjoy riding it. I live in central Denver and there are plenty of places within easy biking distance that I would be happy not to drive my car to. I'm an erstwhile environmental activist who still likes to do nice things for the planet from time to time.

My goals for my B-Cycle experiment were three-fold:
1. Don't die (did I mention I hadn't ridden a bike in YEARS?)
2. Remember how to ride a bike.
3. Have fun.

Turns out, the system really is as easy to use as the web site says. I walked about two blocks to my nearest B-Cycle station, used the handy kiosk to pay for my 24-hour membership and check out a bike, and I was off!

I have to say, I love the bikes themselves. Love the shiny red color, love the low center bar ('cause this gal fully intends to bike in a cute skirt this summer!), love the built-in basket, love the chain guard (I have no real interest in spandex or rolled-up pants), love the comfy seat. Though I didn't use it on this trip, there's also a handy built-in lock.

This is the one I checked out. I called her Stella.

I quickly discovered that starting and stopping are the trickiest parts, but after a wobbly beginning I had a lovely ride around Cheesman park and on out 12th Ave. a ways. I did get laughed at by a cute guy walking a cute dog (I had to stop at a stop sign, more wobbling ensued), but that was OK because I was laughing at myself too.

Did I mention that I hadn't ridden a bike since I was about 15 years old? I also had NEVER ridden a bike on busy central Denver streets - only in safe suburban neighborhoods and bike paths. So I didn't get very far down 12th Ave. before I started getting nervous about traffic and whether I could remember the proper hand signals for turning and such...so I turned back and made another loop around the park and then headed home.

For my next ride, I hope to bring a friend along who can show be the best routes around town and give me some advice on negotiating traffic.

BUT! I did accomplish my three goals! I did not die, I discovered that riding a bike really is just like riding a bike (you don't ever forget the basics of how to balance), and I had a fun little jaunt. Several people stopped me to ask about the B-Cycle program and how the bikes handle and such. So clearly there is a buzz around town about this. Very exciting!

Stay tuned for more adventures on the shiny red bikes!

I also discovered that it is hard to take a self-portrait with a bicycle.

Vending Machine? Salon?

2010-04-19T18:16:00.002-07:00

I was walking around National Taiwan University and came across this:

http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/kelly-777913/article?mid=2206&prev=2218&next=2190

Click on the link to scroll down and look at the pictures. For $3 you can get a haircut in 10 minutes. You buy a ticket from the machine and go in when your number is called. They have single-use towels and combs and use infra-red or something to kill the germs. Meanwhile, doesn't it look like the salons is a vending machine that will unlock when you put your ticket in?

Gleetinis

2010-04-18T20:03:00.002-07:00

After a long hiatus, GLEE came back to the airwaves (are they still airwaves now that they're digital?) last week, and in celebration I had a few friends over to watch. On the menu: Gleetinis!

Basically, it's a home made slushie with optional alcohol. Delicious!

The recipe:

1 packet Kool-Aid
3/4 cup sugar (I know, I know...just don't think about it)
2 cups water
4 cups ice
Vodka

Mix Kool-Aid, sugar and water until powder and sugar are dissolved. You can keep this mixture in the fridge until you're ready to serve. When it's drinkin' time, put the Kool-Aid in a blender with the ice and blend until ice is crushed to slushie consistency. Add Vodka to taste/tolerance and serve! (Or, add vodka a glass at a time if you have a mixed group of drinkers/nondrinkers.)

Garnish with a Red Vine, or if you think of a better garnish let me know. :)

A Top Drawer Wager

2010-04-16T11:23:00.004-07:00

Many of you probably know by now that Suzaaku and I are big hockey fans. As fate would have it, our respective favorite teams (for Nancy, the awesome COLORADO AVALANCHE!!, for Suzaaku, the adequate San Jose Fish...er, Sharks) are locked in battle in the first round of the NHL playoffs!

In the spirit of fun and friendly competition, we've settled on a wager over the outcome of the series: When the Avs win, Suzaaku will send me a loaf of delicious sourdough bread from Boudin Bakery in San Francisco. If hell freezes over - uh, sorry, I mean - if the Sharks miraculously win, I will send Suzaaku a tasty treat from Denver's D Bar.

So far, it's looking good for the good guys - the Avs are up 1-0 in the series! But we still have a long way to go.

GO AVS!

A Girl's Gotta Eat!

2010-01-05T17:48:00.004-07:00

I've been doing quite a bit of cooking and baking lately, and I thought I'd share some photos of my adventures. Some of it was holiday inspired, some just for eatin'. All quite delicious.

For holiday treats I did little almond-flavored tea cookies and Almond Roca. The cookies were a particular favorite of my grandmother's and we would often have them for her birthday. I'd been thinking about them recently so decided to make them myself for the first time. Turns out the are easy and just as delicious as I remembered.

The Almond Roca is a true family holiday classic. Here's how you make it. Put a pound of butter and a pound of sugar in a large skillet over high heat and cook it till it turns toffee colored. Then pour it into a sheet pan or rimmed baking sheet and spread it around. After it has set but while it is still pretty warm, place 6 Hershey bars on top of it. When the chocolate melts, spread that around and then sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Wait for it all to cool and set, then break apart with a knife. I advise using an old pan, or one you don't care too much about, because it will end up pretty dented after all the breaking.

For a New Year's Eve dinner soiree, I was charged with bringing salad and dessert, so I did a yummmmmy Roasted Pear Salad with Watercress, Pecans and Parmesan and rich and decadent Tiramisu. Both were tasty and pretty simple.

I also recently tried new recipes for chocolate and caramel sauce. Holy smokes. I am a chocolate lover, and the chocolate sauce is good, but this caramel sauce is TO DIE FOR. It's not overly sweet and had a nice tang to it and for serious it is just delicious. I plan to make it many times in the future to top ice cream, bread pudding and just about anything else I can think of!
Thanks, America's Test Kitchen!

For Christmas, I got a copy of America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two. Being a single gal, it's hard to find good recipes that don't make a ton of food. This is a lovely solution. My first attempt from this book was Chicken with Israeli Couscous, Spinach and Feta. It was quite tasty. The chicken is super simple, and the couscous (or in my case, Orzo, because I couldn't find Israeli Couscous at Queen Soopers) really does most of the work, flavor-wise. But there's also a little lemony-garlicky sauce that you drizzle over the chicken which adds some punch.

I am not ambitious enough to attempt a project on the scale of Julie and Julia, but I do plan to try lots of recipes out of this book, so I will post about them and let you know how they turn out!

Aunt vs. Ants

2010-01-05T17:35:00.005-07:00

So the other day I noticed a few little ants scurrying around my bathroom. Yep, that's right. My bathroom. Why on earth they chose that room I will never know. I do not keep food in my bathroom, and they did not seem to have found anything to eat. They were just wandering around.

After a couple of days, I got tired of having to squish a few ants every time I went in to my bathroom, so I bought ant traps to get rid of them. However, the package did not warn me that the bait inside the traps is sooooo tantalizing to ants that they would first bring SWARMS more ants into my house. Imagine my horror when I went to check the traps and found dozens and dozens of ants swarming around them! YUCK!

Fortunately, I'd read online that ants hate black pepper. So I decided to employ some in hopes of containing the ant swarms. Of course, being the pretentious foodie that I am, I do not keep pre-ground black pepper in my house. Nooooo, I buy whole black pepper and then grind it fresh in my pretty stainless steel pepper mill.

So I had to grind a whole bunch of black pepper for the ants.

That done, I made little walls of freshly-ground black pepper around each of the traps so that the ants would not wander too far. It worked surprisingly well! Occasionally one ant would get adventurous and try to climb up the wall and around the pepper barrier, but for the most part, they stayed far away from the pepper, and contented themselves with whatever delicious bait was in the traps.

Here's what it looked like:

And here's my silly pepper grinder temporarily in residence in my bathroom:

The trap-and-pepper setup was completed last night and I hesitantly went to bed, imagining thousands of ants taking over my bathroom in search of more traps... But when I woke up this morning, there were only a couple of ants in sight! Most of them seemed to have crawled back to their nests to die (and hopefully share their poison with their brothers and sisters). By now they have almost completely disappeared. Hooray!

Turns out the Auntie triumphed over the icky anties...at least for now!

Soiree Spread

2009-10-26T20:48:00.004-07:00

I had a lovely little soiree this weekend - my first shin-dig in the new digs. I once again learned the lesson of not trying new recipes when you'll be serving them to other people (though they all turned out fine in the end, it was stressful and, as always, took more time than I expected), but over all it was a great party. Reconnected with some old friends, and had an excuse to make lots of tasty food for people I love.

On the menu:
Brie en Croute with Raspberry Jam, Cahill Porter, and Goat Cheese with Garlic and Herbs
Dates a la D-Bar
Fresh Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Assorted Mini-Quiches, Spanikopita, etc
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon Shortbread Tarts
Ginger Snap Cookies
Beer
Wine
Cranberry Punch

Here's a photo of the spread:

And the beverages (note how easily a desk can be transformed into a bar!):

And a close-up of the yummy punch, complete with frozen cranberries to keep it cold (I know, how very Martha Stewart, right?):

My apartment worked quite well for entertaining, so I expect to host more soirees in the near future... perhaps a potluck before my favorite holiday tradition of seeing Santaland Diaries?? :)

Nancy Drew's Essential Rules for Fabulous Single-Gal Living

2009-10-18T20:36:00.002-07:00

I recently moved into a new place and am once again enjoying living alone. Honestly, I love living alone so much I may have to keep a place of my own for the rest of my life, even if I get married and have kids some day. I feel a little sad for all the women out there who have never had the experience of being independent and on your own.

That said, it isn't always easy being a fabulous single woman. I've found a few simple rules that help, and I thought I would share them with our faithful readers.

1. Live somewhere you feel comfortable coming, going and sleeping at night. The qualities of such a place will vary for each single gal, but elements may include neighborhood location, building security, location of the apartment within the building, parking, etc.

2. That said, no matter how safe you may feel in your particular neighborhood, always keep your wits about you when you are out alone...especially at night.

3. Get comfortable going places alone. It may be hard at first, but it is perfectly fine to go to parties, concerts, movies, dances, etc. by yourself. It amazes me how many times I've had this conversation.

Person: So, Nancy, what did you do this weekend?
Nancy: I went dancing!
Person: Really, who did you go with?
Nancy: Well, I saw a bunch of friends there, but I didn't go with anyone in particular.
Person: Really?? Wow. That's so great for you to do that.

...As though it were some great feat. It's not brave or strange to go places alone. It's fun! If I didn't go places alone, I would sit at home waaaay too much. Sure, there will be the occasional wedding or party or whatever where it will seem that everyone else is coupled-up and you'll feel a bit left out. But by and large you will have more fun and meet more interesting people if you just go places, date or no date!

4. Most places that we single gals frequent are pretty safe, and when we have our wits about us danger will rarely befall us. That said, if you find yourself someplace you feel a bit uncomfortable, don't be embarrassed to ask some reliable soul to walk you to your car. It's not wimpy, it's smart.

5. Be independent as much as possible. Much like going places alone, doing things for yourself can be empowering. Learn to drive a nail, deal with bugs, carry heavy things (safely), change a tire...you get the idea.

6. That said, be sure to ask for help when you need it! If, for example, you happen to buy something that is too heavy to carry up the four flights of stairs to your apartment by yourself, go ahead and call your hunky guy friend and ask to borrow his muscles. Or if you need to buy a piece of furniture that is too big for your vehicle, ask your brother or gal-pal to help. What goes around comes around - you'll surely have an opportunity to return the favor one day.

7. Embrace eating alone. This is probably the hardest one for me to follow myself. Sometimes it's just depressing to eat alone. But now and then, it is wonderful to cook a delicious meal and enjoy it with a glass of wine just for yourself. Or to make tasty french toast on a random Saturday morning and drench it with syrup, curl up on the couch and devour it alone.

Those are the tips that came to mind as I was walking through my new neighborhood today. What would you add? Or change? Or delete?

Ich Bin Ein Berlinerin

2009-07-13T15:38:00.007-07:00

Here are some things to love about Berlin:

For all its history, Berlin feels like a very modern city. Lots of modern art and architecture, and just a very vibrant energy to it. The Reichstag (German parliament building) is a good example of this - the facade of it is the original old stone structure, but inside that shell is a totally modern building. I love this juxtaposition of old and new.

East and West: Though the city has united in many ways over the past 20 years, there's still a very present awareness of the city's divided history. There's a line of bricks that runs through the streets to show where the wall once stood. There's been so much construction in the area where the wall stood that you can't really see the division there anymore, but you can tell a difference when you're farther into the east side, or into the west side. One of my favorite remnants of East Berlin is the walk/don't walk signs on that side of the city. I just find them totally charming.

The Holocaust Memorial is incredibly powerful. It's not literal, but it's very moving. It reminds me of the Vietnam Memorial a little bit, in the way it just kind of rises out of the ground somewhat inconspicuously, and then just renders this amazing emotional blow. Walking through the stone pillars gets really disorienting, and you can hear echos of voices and catch glimpses of people walking through, but then they disappear. And the lines and angles and shadows change as you move through. It's an experience not to be missed if you're in Berlin.

The Germans definitely know their way around a pastry kitchen. Dang I had some tasty treats in Berlin! Really, all the food I ate there was excellent, from the Doener Kebap to the legendary Currywurst, but the desserts inspired us to learn the word for "delicious" in German: Lecker!
An excellent public transit system makes Berlin super easy to get around. The S-Bahn (above-ground train), U-Bahn (subway), buses and trolleys are clean, punctual and make it totally unnecessary to drive pretty much anywhere in the city. Love. It.

Don't miss the Checkpoint Charlie Museum! It's not super scholarly, nor particularly linear, but it is a labor of love and really tells some amazing stories of the divided city. Plus it's filled with powerful imagery and artwork - some by well-known artists, some by Berlin school children. It really packs and emotional punch, which I wasn't expecting.
I can't wait to go back and explore more of this city!

Tosca in the Park

2009-06-09T20:56:00.005-07:00

Last Friday the San Francisco Opera teamed up with the SF Giants for a free simulcast of Tosca at AT&T Park. I've been intrigued by Tosca since it showed up in both Quantum of Solace and Milk. I read the wikipedia entry and borrowed the cd but I had a hard time getting through all the songs. It's much more fun and much easier to sit through when you can watch it in a ballpark while eating and whispering snarky comments to your friends. The opera also feels different when the crowd can cheer and boo at the appropriate moments. In the second act when Tosca stabbed Scarpia the stadium roared in approval. During the intermission the newscasters asked the company director if the crowd at the War Memorial Opera House, and he said no. Also, where and when else would you ever hear people singing "Take me out to the Opera?"

According to SF Opera, one of the selling points for watching Opera at the ballpark was the ability to drink beer and eat garlic french fries and other ballpark fare. However the lines were so long that I didn't get either. Maybe next time I'll get there early enough to score some garlic fries.

Compared to the last opera I saw, Das Rheingold at the Met, this was more opulently staged. It had fancier costumes and more sets and more background players. It's also more enjoyable when I'm not trying to peek through the tiny area of the stage I can see between the couple standing in front of me and the floor of the seats above me. I could fully enjoy the singing and the drama, and the way a flock of birds flew dramatically toward us during the climax of the aria in the second act.

I also enjoyed the bows. The singers came out with Giants jerseys and other paraphrenalia. The priest even held up a giant foam finger after he took his bow. When they took their company bows the guys had Giant t-shirts over their costumes. They were all good sports about it.

Lyrics to "Take me out to the Opera"

"Take me out to the Opera
Take me out with the crowd
Find me a seat at the Opera House
I don't care if it's Mozart or Strauss

For it's root, root, root, for the divas,
Bring a friend or a spouse
For it's one, two, three cheers for you
at the Opera House!"

Birthday Goodies

2009-04-22T12:35:00.005-07:00

To console myself after my macaroon failure, I thought I'd post a couple of recent culinary triumphs! I made two delicious creations for my birthday this year...

For the family party, I made a yummy New York Style Cheesecake. I think this was the first America's Test Kitchen recipe I ever made. This was my fourth time making it and it is totally reliable and 100% delicious!

For the party with pals, I made a Vanilla Cake with Grand Marnier Syrup, Raspberries and Vanilla Frosting. The cake and frosting were from ATK. I brushed the syrup into the cake before assembling and nestled a few strawberries between the layers. This cake is inspired by a fabulous D-Bar creation. My version didn't match exactly, but was tasty nonetheless.

The Culinary Apocalypse

2009-04-21T10:35:00.003-07:00

I consider America's Test Kitchen to be basically infallible when it comes to cooking and baking. That's why I was shocked - SHOCKED - when an ATK recipe failed me this weekend! I tried to make macaroons and this was the result:

What the heck?! The goo binding all that coconut together just separated out, pooled and burned. So sad! I just don't know how to make sense of a world where America's Test Kitchen fails me. It's a very simple recipe and I followed it precisely. Perhaps it's an altitude thing?? I just don't know!!!

Random food encounters this weekend

2009-04-19T14:56:00.003-07:00

1. Why would a fast food restaurant ever make a soft drink container that doesn't fit into cup holders? I just came back from Burger King with a medium and a small drink for my parents. While the drink carrier they gave me is perfectly fine for carrying the drink out of the restaurant, it doesn't realize stabilize the drinks once I got them onto my car. I tried putting both drinks into the cupholder, but the medium drink didn't fit at all (aren't those 7 Eleven super gulps constructed so they can still fit into the cupholder?). It seems like Burger King bought unused movie theater drink cups and just printed their own logo on it.

I did try putting them on the floor on the passenger side, but they flipped over after the second or third turn in the parking lot. Grrr.

2. Clam pancakes.

My mom and I went to the Original Pancake House for breakfast yesterday. I had a baked pancake (the Dutch Baby) that was pretty good, but it tasted more eggy than your typical pancake.

My mom opted for the clam pancakes. I was really skeptical but they actually tasted good. The clams were cooked enough that they didn't taste too clam-y (didn't taste salty and sea-like). The pancakes were thin, their texture and taste were more like crepes than the fluffy pancakes we make at home, and the clams were layered between the thin layers of pancake.

Maybe I'll try the bacon waffles next time (yes, with the bacon mixed into the batter).

Birthday cake for my dad

2009-04-16T00:06:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Nancy for the extremely yummy buttercream frosting recipe. It's amazing what three sticks of butter and that much powdered sugar can accomplish. The Christmas plate was the only large round plate I had that I could use to try to emulate Nancy's "spin and frost" moves that I remembered from Mame's wedding.

The three layers, from top to bottom, are yellow cake, fudgy brownie, and red bean cake. I was a little nervous about all the diffrent flavors and textures (spongy, solid, springy/bouncy/gooey) but it turned out well.

If you stop by tomorrow I'd be happy to serve you a piece :)

Cup o' Cake

2009-04-08T08:41:00.004-07:00

Yesterday, I stumbled across this recipe for cake-in-a-mug. So I tried it last night!

Who hasn't found herself craving some chocolate cake, but with none on hand and no time to bake?! Here's the solution: an individual chocolate cake that you can bake in less than 5 minutes, start to finish (Take that Rachael Ray!).

The recipe:
4 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
3 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp veg oil
3 Tbsp chocolate chips (or other candy of choice)
splash of vanilla

Combine dry ingredients in a coffee mug. Add the egg and mix (the mixture will be pasty and seem all wrong, but just hang in there). Then add milk and oil and stir. Mix in chocolate chips and vanilla. Microwave on high for 3 min. in a 1000 Watt microwave, or 4 min. in a 700 Watt microwave. Enjoy!

Here's what mine looked like when it was finished (forgive the crappy photo quality, my camera is on the fritz so I was reduced to my phone camera):

I decided it needed some ice cream to go along with it:

The cake itself is pretty dense and a little bit tough. We're not exactly going to be putting the D-Bar out of business with this one. But for a last-minute chocolate craving fix, it does a decent job. I might try fiddling with the recipe a bit to see if I can get a better result. Will post updates if I have any success!

Other random Amtrak thoughts from the Emeryville-Denver leg

2009-03-30T10:16:00.005-07:00

I didn't have to check my big bag because the size and weight fit within the limits of a "carryon." This definitely isn't like traveling by plane. It's also interesting that no one asked for an ID when they collected my ticket, even though the ticket says you need to show a picture ID (or maybe you just need to be ready to do so). And the bag went on these luggage rack on the first level so it was pretty convenient to do that as opposed to checking my bag.

We went through a town called Raceville. They had a restaurant called Cattlemens, written in script letter. And all I could think of is if this was the equivalent of a Gentlemen’s club for Cattlemen. (It’s actually a nice steak house http://www.beststeakinthewest.com/ and yes I’m very much a city girl)

From a distance I saw someone train a horse in a round fence a la George of the Jungle. He stood in the middle and was making the horse run around him

Foundations of houses fascinate me because they remind me of the floor plans we drew in Drafting class in high school when you look down on them.

It was really cool to ride this section of the railroad because a huge part of Chinese American history out west is tied to building the transcontinental railroad. I’ve read so much about it since high school and now I’m actually riding it. Also, Leland Stanford made a lot of money by being one of the 4 barons of the Central Pacific Railroad, so that’s also another historical tie.

I felt so bad for the guy running the lounge car. He just sounded sad when he made his announcements inviting people to go see him on the first floor of the lounge car. He also sounded beleaguered when he made an announcement telling people he can’t give them ice for their coolers because they carry a limited amount of ice on the train and there’s no ice machine. Therefore he can only give out a small cup of ice because he needs the rest for people who are ordering beverages. At another point in the trip, when the electricity went out while they were attaching another car to our train, he had to announce that since there’s no electricity, he cannot power the microwaves to make food for people. I guess enough people took the opportunity to stop by that it was an issue. There was nothing wrong with the content of the announcements, he just sounded tired.

It was nice that there were plugs next to the seats. I wasn’t counting on it but it’s nice to have since it’s such a long trip.

I finally went to sit in the lounge car after the weird guy got off at Grand Junction. Most people were sitting with other people. There were some old ladies with their knitting and bags of books. Behind was a dad and his daughter and he was telling her about the mountains. At one point this woman would exclaim over some sight and the rest of us would look up and try to snap pictures. It felt like everyone had a digital camera.

During one segment of the trip, we were parallel to the highway we would typically take to get to Aspen so it’s fun to see the roads from the other side.

If you ever ride the train from CA to Denver, I recommend sitting on the right side in the beginning, but switching to the left side once you pass Glenwood Springs or Winter Park. There were some majestic valleys on that side of the train and I couldn’t get great shots because I was sitting on the right. The train also got crowded around Winter Park/Glenwood Springs because of all the skiers. A huge family got on and one of them sat next to me. They were going to Mt. Pleasant. I thought it was pretty close until I took the Denver to Chicago train and discovered it is in Iowa. That’s a long way to go skiing.

Apparently the train will leave without you if you don't come back in time from the longer stops. As we were pulling into Denver the conductors told people to be back on the train by quarter after and pay attention to the announcements otherwise they'll be left behind like "a couple of guys in Grand Junction." Since this train ran once a day, they'll somehow have to fend for themselves/try to catch that train to continue on their trip. How much would that suck?

Stories from the Amtrak guide

2009-03-30T10:15:00.001-07:00

There was a guide from the California State Railroad Museum who got on the PA to give us facts and stories as we passed from California into Nevada. Some of his stories are below:

When they decided to rename the town of Junction, they decided to call it Roseville after the girl who won the prettiest girl contest in town. Isn’t it sort of cliché that the prettiest girl would be named Rose?

Rail barons convinced Congress that the Sierra Nevadas started 8 miles away from Sacramento, where the elevation was only 20 feet. They did that to get more bond money from Congress because they paid more for laying down tracks in the mountains than they did for the flatlands.

According to the guide, the Chinese were great workers because they were efficient and patient and peaceful. They also grew their own food and ate a balanced diet so they were healthier than the workers who ate company food. It’s interesting that the company wasn’t invested in feeding their workers good food to get more work out of them.

I would prefer it if he didn’t talk about avalanches as we drove through the snow alleys. It’s the same reason I don’t like watching disaster movies when I’m on an airplane. The snow sheds are interesting; they’re like covered bridges for train tracks.

He also told the story about the Donner Party, but he left out the part where they ate each other.

Drug Smuggling on the Amtrak

2009-03-30T10:13:00.001-07:00

After we crossed into Nevada, two undercover cops busted somebody at Sparks, NV with 4 pounds of pot. (I wrote cocaine in my journal but I don’t think you can smell cocaine through the bag, you’ll see what I mean later).

I saw the two guys in the lounge car- they were just these big guys who looked like they used to play football. And then I got back to my seat I heard them asking the guy behind me his name and where he was going. Apparently the guy behind me was friends with some other cops who probably knew this cop, and they chatted about how cops are spending more time to catch people trafficking drugs via train now. He had a little badge attached to a chain on his belt.

Moments later everyone on the other side looked out the window to see some guy being busted. Somehow the passengers could tell it was 4 pounds by looking, and apparently for that much you’ll get 20 years in the federal pen if you are trafficking it across state lines. Someone else also made the comment that if you don’t pack it in an airtight bag, you’ll definitely smell it. They were also surprised that the cops didn’t bring a dog onto the train. The theory is that they got a tip so they were looking for someone specific. This episode generated about a good 20 minutes of conversation in the train car and I was amazed at how much people knew about this topic. Shows you how unworldly I am.

Strange encounter on the Amtrak

2009-03-30T10:06:00.004-07:00

I would say there is a good mix of people on the Amtrak in terms of age and gender and singles/couples/families. I'm guessing I typically don't see the older passenger outside the lounge cars because they've booked the sleepers. But this guy creeped me out. If I was more generous, and sometimes I am, I would say he is socially awkward. All in all, it was an uncomfortable position for a single woman traveling by herself.

He came on the train and sat in the seats across the aisle from me. He sat diagonally, facing me and my window. He had sunglasses on so I couldn’t really tell if he was looking at me or out the window, either way, it felt very uncomfortable. I tried looking up from my book and over couple of times but couldn’t tell. Then he introduced himself to me and told me he was going to Grand Junction. He asked me my name and where I was going. I told him Denver and he said he wished he had enough money to get to Denver.

Side note: When my friends in Denver asked what he looked like, I said “Old, like maybe mid-to-late thirties.” and promptly offended all my friends close to and in that age category. For that, I profoundly apologize, again, for my insensitivity.

I went back to my book, because I was uncomfortable. Then he asked me why I was going to Denver. Rather than engaging in a long conversation about how I quit my job and am now going back to visit my friends, I just said I’m going there to work. Then I went back to my book.

A few minutes later, he told me that the train might get crowded, so if it does, he’ll move to sit next to me. I just nodded and said we’ll see, and hoped that the train wouldn’t actually get that crowded. I wondered if there was any sort of etiquette issues with just getting up and moving and if he would follow me. If that happened then I was going to talk to the conductor about moving somewhere else. At this piong I texted Elena about this guy named Vic, so at least somebody knew just in case anything happened.

A few minutes after that, he told me he thought it would be easier if he just moved next to me now. I looked back and thankfully there was another empty set of seats behind me and I said, “There are still some empty seats right now, so I’ll just move back.” He became very apologetic and said I didn’t have to me. I said, no, it’s ok, I’m just going to move back a row. Even though it wasn’t far as I wanted to go, at least there was a guy behind me (even though he was sleeping) and an old guy across the aisle from him, so I didn’t feel as isolated as I was in the previous seat.

A few minutes after the seat shuffle, he came back to ask me where the lounge car was and headed off once I told him. I took a deep breath and finally relaxed for the first time in a while. Couple of hours later he brought me a bag of cookies when he came back from the lounge car. I thanked him but never at it. It was in a sealed plastic bag, but I just felt so weird about the whole thing that I didn’t want to engage in any way. (I eventually threw them out in Chicago after I took a picture)

At night, around lights out, he came back and told me he moved seats and is sitting up a few rows. He always said it was nice to meet me, and not to worry, he wasn’t getting off yet, and he just wanted to say “see you in Colorado.” And as he is saying this he just kept shaking my hand. I thought to myself, I can’t wait until we get to Grand Junction.

I hoped that was the end of the story, but in the middle of the night, he woke me up twice: once to ask me where we were, and another time to ask me to help him with his coat. When he asked me for help with his coat, I told him he should go ask the conductor because I’m trying to sleep. He didn’t bother me after that. Thankfully, he didn’t come say goodbye when we got to the Grand Junction stop.

My cross countries train trip

2009-03-30T09:54:00.004-07:00

I've started to upload pictures and write up thoughts before I lose them, so coming up will be a series of thoughts/stories, hopefully organized in a somewhat coherent fashion.

I've been wanting to take some sort of trip since I got home. My benchmark was based on the trip I passed up (about 10 days sailing around the Virgin Islands). It was a lot of money for one trip and it was very last minute so I opted not to do it. As a result I've weighed subsequent trips against that (both in price and coolness factor).

I was inspired to take the train because of a New York Times article talking about traveling on Amtrak and on the Canadian Rail. Plus the train had major stops in cities where I had friends and wanted to revisit. So in the US I stopped in Denver and Chicago, and now I'm in New York. From here I'll fly up to Toronoto and then take the train from Toronto and Vancouver to hang out with my cousins for a week before heading home in time for my dad's birthday. I left on 3/18 and I'll get home on 4/14. And the entire trip will very likely cost less than the 10 day trip in the Virgin Islands (which I still hope to do some day).

So enjoy the stories and I'll try to post gradually after this rather than in a flood, but no promises. I'm putting all the pictures on picasa but will try to select a few for a best of album on Facebook.

The No. 1 Ladies' Political Organizer Agency

2009-03-29T08:08:00.001-07:00

My favorite TV critic reminded me this morning why I heart her so much:

Over the past few decades, if you wanted to create a TV character who's striving to make the world a better place, you made that character a cop. Cops on TV have always been stand-ins for anyone who's striving to right some wrong or wrestle with the enormous injustices of the universe.

Because, unfortunately, shows about tireless employees of nonprofit organizations just don't have the same flair as murder mysteries. We don't necessarily care whether Joe finishes his grant proposal or files his expenses under the appropriate federal code. Likewise, schoolteachers, city councilmen, volunteers, drug counselors, public policy reform advocates, social workers and grass-roots organizers fail to capture our imaginations the way a gritty detective with a bad attitude and a drinking problem does.

Dine-o-rama

2009-03-01T09:31:00.002-07:00

It is a weekend of fine dining.

RTD joined a friend of the Drawer for her birthday dinner at SHAZZ (spirit fingers required) on Friday. My meal:
* Roasted beet salad with ewephoria cheese (cheese/beet combo was lovely, but the beets were oversauced).
* Seared ahi on a bed of white bean puree, with olives and anchovies (olives and anchovies good addition, turn this from blah to acceptable).
* Honey coconut cheescake (cheese on a macaroon --fantastic!)

Mr. Mame and I joined friends for a dinner party last night. The meal:
* Mustard-roasted chicken with vegetables (chicken perfectly cooked and the mustard and fennel combine really really well)
* Corn casserole (this recipe is a classic that just can't go wrong. Great complement to the mustard).
* Spinach and orange salad with a nice homemade dressing w a hint of mustard.
* A beautiful English trifle, made by the English host. I love trifle - especially if made by a real Englishman. I had two servings mmmmmm.

Sunday Supper Menu

2009-02-24T08:45:00.002-07:00

It's Nancy's birthday and we are having a nice low key meal this Sunday. Here is the menu:

Boule and Cheese (neighborhood inspired)
Bacon wrapped dates (d bar inspired)
Butternut Squash Lasagna (Giada inspired)
Green Salad (kinda uninspired, but hey, we need our greens)
Cake (Nancy's making it so it will be amazing!)
Mayan Coffee (Cancun vacation inspired)

Now I must plan the shopping expedition.

WaMu no more!

2009-02-21T12:09:00.002-07:00

I closed my WaMu account. Woohoo!

This despite the fact that there is no telephone option to close your account. You have to randomly pick something else in order to talk to a live person. Their menu doesn't even have the option of pressing 0 to talk to a live person. After the woman took down my info, I asked for a confirmation. There is no way for them to schedule confirmation letters, you have to call back (horror upon horrors) after it's been processed. Then she said at the end I can do probably view it online, but I'll believe that when I see it.

I'm so glad to wash my hands of them.

Da Vinci

2009-01-23T21:09:00.009-07:00

The San Jose tech museum is currently hosting a traveling Da Vinci exhibit. Because it's mostly about his work relating to machines and the anatomy, it's being hosted at the Tech Museum rather than the art museum. In fact, the two painting that they did have on display, and made a HUGE deal out of having (it's own special room! 24 hour security! Never let out of the Uffizi Gallery!) are not even painted by Leonardo. They're copies.

Cool things I learned:
-he was one of the first to draw a batman (see left) :p
-the notebooks we have right now is roughly 1/5th of DaVinci's work. Apparently he left all his notebooks to one apprentice (to the other apprentice he left the Mona Lisa), who left it to his son, who didn't treaure it so much of it is lost or destroyed. Given all the amazing stuff we know about Leonardo's work based on his notebooks, I can only imagine what's in the other 4/5ths.
-he was a bastard so he couldn't go to college
-he studied the human anatomy much like he studied machines. He looked at human joints and how they moved and tried to relate it to machines. Based on his studies, he might've built the first robot. (Maybe he was a cylon...)
-Apparently he did NOT rob graves to study anatomy. There were enough dead bodies around with all the wars going on that he could have just walked off with them.
-he didn't want anyone to steal his ideas. So he would often leave things out of his drawings or draw them from just one perspective.
-he wasn't appreciated until the last 100 years (who knew?)
-if you turn your head to the right when you look at the picture to the right, you can see his study of the bones and muscles that hold up and operate our heads. The drawing reminded me of a lot of a boat.
-he was really bad about finishing his work, almost as if he had ADHD (per the docent). Often one noble would write the other about getting DaVinci back to finish some project.
-when he painted he wanted to capture the motion of his subjects. There was a computer animation of the Last Supper that posited how each desciple would react to the news and hence arrive at their "poses" in the painting.
-he compared the nervous system to root systems for trees and the system of rivers and their tributaries and saw many connections between the way our bodies are arranged and the way things in nature appear.
-below is something i thought was kinda cool. On the left is his sketch of human arms, on the right is a picture of the Three Shades by Rodin, which I saw last week at the Stanford Art Museum. When I saw DaVinci's notebook I immediately flashed back to those statues.

Why WaMu is stupid...

2009-01-22T14:33:00.003-07:00

in addition to their crappy stupid lending practices, that is.

So I'm running out of checks, and it seems like a good time to order them.

I tried ordering them through the web site, the link takes me to Deluxe Checks web site, only to be told that I can't place an order with them because this is the first time I'm trying to order from them. So I have to place my first order through my bank. Which is odd because technically I did try to place it through my bank.

Whatever.

So I do the old school thing and call. I navigate my way through the voice menu, only to be transferred to Deluxe once again, and told that I cannot order my first checks through them.

Then I email WaMu. The nice rep who emails me back apologizes and told me that I should just send them my address (which they should have on file), the codes for the checks I wanted, and how many. I wrote back and asked for the codes, which ended up corresponding to codes on the Deluxe check web site. I pick my checks and email that to the bank. And it was cool because apparently certain types of checks would be free for people with the free checking account, so I ordered the free checks.

This morning I got an email back saying that the checks aren't really free and they can't order it for me.

Whaaa...?

I know I can probably just walk into the bank and order it (that's how I started this process, I walked in, found out they were $20, thought I could get them cheaper through the sunday ads-type checks, but ended up just opting to try to get them from the bank). But this whole thing is so stupid I'm just going to change banks. And this is all for a checking account that doesn't even offer interest!

Choices Choices

2009-01-21T15:24:00.002-07:00

In life there are many opportunities to make choices. From the big choices like where you live, where you work to smaller choices like what to eat, what to drink, what check design to use. And each decision you make reflects on you in one way or another (or at least you feel like it does).

Take the choice of check images for example. Who knew there were so many ways to express who you are through your chec stock? Do you express your inner child through Mickey or Bugs Bunny? Do you express your gravitas through simple designs? Do you express your love of nature through the beach or the forest themes? Do you express your support of causes by ordering Arbor Day (yes, Arbor Day) or Breast Cancer checks?

Do you judge other people by their checks?

The Rule of Top Drawer Max Fabulocity

2008-12-23T10:51:00.003-07:00

As you may have heard, our dear friend Suzaaku has left the Rocky Mountain West and returned to the Left Coast. Though we are sad to see her go, of course we wish her all the best in her new adventures.

This has led me to ponder what I believe to be a new rule of physics: The city of Denver can only support the fabulousness of three Top Drawer gals at any given time. You may recall that shortly after we launched this blog, I moved to Virginia. Mere months after my return, Suzaaku has gone! Coincidence? Or the laws of nature restoring balance to the fabulousness of major cities? Are we just TOO top drawer for us all to be located in one place?!

Smart Girls Have More Fun

2008-10-17T10:18:00.002-07:00

I heard about a nifty-sounding new web series today, Smart Girls at the Party and decided it was perfect for RTD gals. Can't wait to watch it when I have time for watching such things...around November 5th. Check out the trailer in the link. Cool to see a celebrity putting her money where her mouth is and doing something good for young women.

Mayan Coffee Redux

2008-08-24T20:20:00.010-07:00

A few weeks ago, we Really Top Drawer gals went to Cancun. It was fabulous. Sparkling water, sandy beaches, swim-up bar, tropical drinks, and the best pals a gal could ask for. One of our great discoveries was Mayan Coffee at a wonderful restaurant called La Habichuela. If you're even in Cancun, you simply must go there.

(Nancy enjoys Mayan Coffee at La Habichuela)

When I returned, I decided to make it my mission to recreate the Mayan Coffee we fell in love with. Here is a photo-essay of my first (rather successful, if I do say so myself) attempt.

First, the ingredients: good coffee and good liqueur:

Next, flambe the liqueur. It's much more dramatic at La Habichuela, but this being my first attempt I prioritized A. not burning down the house and B. not burning my hands.

Then I poured the liqueur into a mug and added coffee:

A few dollops of ice cream on top:

And I was pretty much back in Cancun. Without the swim-up bar.

I intend to host a Mayan Coffee party in the near future. It's fun to make and extremely tasty. I even bought appropriate glassware today!

Fun with charts!

2008-06-13T13:02:00.003-07:00

Here's a fun way to kill some time online: GraphJam!

There are many fun ones up there. Here's one of my faves:

Funny McCain Sites

2008-05-19T09:10:00.002-07:00

Two really funny sites about John McCain that I've found recently:

Things Younger Than John McCain
For example, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, 49 of our 50 governors, and Nylon.

And for those of you who loved Obama is Your New Bicycle, I give you:
John McCain Is Your Jalopy

In Praise of My Gal Pals

2008-05-01T07:10:00.002-07:00

I've had occasion this past week to appreciate just how terrific my gal pals are. I learned the awesome power of the Gal Pal APB and have felt surrounded by love and support, even across many miles. So thanks for the long-distance and in-person hugs, late-night phone calls, much needed laughs and reminders of why life is so rich -- the blessings of friendship.

I'll get by with a little help from my friends.

Brainy Knitting

2008-04-01T10:45:00.003-07:00

I just stumbled across a site about Neurologically Correct Brain Art.

I particularly like the knitted brain. It's quite impressive! Ramona, perhaps a new project for you?

I know I'm not an economist but...

2008-03-11T08:18:00.003-07:00

The headline for this article in the NYTimes is "Fed to Lend $200 Billion More to Ease Market Strain ":

Scrambling to ease the strain on the credit market, the Federal Reserve announced a $200 billion program on Tuesday that would allow financial institutions, including the nation’s major investment banks, to borrow ultra-safe Treasury money by using some of their riskiest investments as collateral.

I have to admit that while I think I have a better grasp on the subprime loan crisis than most people, I don't fully understand it enough to teach a class on it. But doesn't this seem bad?

Funnily enough, the responses to the emails we sent out on mortgage lending reform were all about how we shouldn't bail out people who aren't smart enough to make good decisions. People don't realize that even if they have good credit, they're going to be affected by this. The interest rate on their savings is going down, their 401(k) is dwindling, the value of their homes will go down as well. I'm not sure how else to make the issue more personal. Meanwhile, in the latest in a long series of bailouts, the government is bailing out these big companies (ostensibly to shore up the stock market and help the economy- here's where my understanding gets fuzzy), and no one is screaming that they should fend for themselves.

The new seven deadly sins

2008-03-10T15:26:00.002-07:00

The NY Times article on the new seven deadly sins:

Lust, gluttony, greed and the rest of the seven deadly sins gathered in the 6th century will have to get used to a modern companion. A Vatican official has articulated seven new categories of sin “due to the phenomenon of globalization.”

“While sin used to concern mostly the individual, today it has mainly a social resonance,” Monsignor Gianfranco Girotti told L’Osservatore Romano, Vatican City’s local paper. Bloomberg News parsed his remarks into a clip-n-savable list:

1. “Bioethical” violations such as birth control

2. “Morally dubious” experiments such as stem cell research

3. Drug abuse

4. Polluting the environment

5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor

6. Excessive wealth

7. Creating poverty

The message, according to a leading scholar on Catholic thought talking to BBC News, was meant as a reality check to priests “not sufficiently attuned to some of the real evils in our world.” There is more to life than following the Ten Commandments, it would seem.

The seven deadly sins served another purpose, too: inspiring artists from Bosch to Balanchine. Can anyone picture a similar renaissance fueled by this new list. Or has it already happened?

---
What would you add? or take off the list? It also seems harder to do a Top Chef challenge based on these sins...

Eyesore or work of art?

2008-03-10T10:29:00.003-07:00

Nancy and Ned said it was kind of scary and weird. The Denver Post says otherwise...

"It took 16 years of legal squabbles, skepticism and extraordinary sacrifice, but the tortured creative journey of Luis Jimenez's "Mustang" finally came to a close in February with its installation at Denver International Airport.

The wait was worth it. The gleaming, 32-foot-tall sculpture of a rearing horse is nothing short of a masterpiece, a monumental public work in which Denver, and indeed the entire region, can justifiably take enormous pride.

As one of the first artworks many visitors will see upon arriving in the city, it makes a strong statement that Denver aspires to cultural sophistication at the same time that it takes pride in the distinctive art and history of the West."

Read the rest of the article here...

Maybe you have to see it in person to decide.

"Congress United Against Clemens"

2008-02-28T16:08:00.005-07:00

It's good to know that Democrats and Republicans can unite behind the important things

Sports Illustrated Article here...

Jon Stewart also had a great time making fun of the hearing. It's a bit long and drawn out, but the title of the segment was great "It's the Best Damn Sports Hearing." and then he commented on the -at the time- partisan sniping at/protection of Clemens and said that Clemens is an "overgrown, baseball-obsessed, Texas man-child who cannot take any responsibility for his actions...oh my God! They think he's the president! That's why the Republicans are on his side."

Colbert's clip is shorter. "I got to hand it to the Congressional Democrats...they may not be able to do anything about the war, or torture, or domestic spying, but they can tear into a baseball player like a piranha stripping a cow."

Speaking of the President and baseball, he just honored the Red Sox at the White House and had a great quote. "We welcome Daisuke [pitcher originally from Japan] here to the South Lawn. His press corps is bigger than mine, and we both have trouble answering questions in English."

Weird music that get stuck in your heard...

2008-02-27T22:29:00.002-07:00

I was standing in line for a cookie at the Tattered Cover today and was humming to myself "On the bed, on the floor, on a towel by the door, in the tub, in the car, up against the mini-bar..."

If you haven't watched the Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon Video, here it is.

And then there is the Jimmy Kimmel and Ben Affleck response. I loved all the cameos and the most hilarious one has to be Josh Groban cutting into the pseudo-"We are the World" chorus with the piano, the spotlight, and his pop-operatic voice.

Maybe if Mike Garcia put his proposition into song, he would have been an youtube sensation instead...

"Children" of Sex & the City

2008-02-13T23:13:00.003-07:00

EW had an interesting article about finding the "next Sex and the City." I've tried watching both Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle online. And maybe it's because I was doing things while it was playing in the background, but I'm not fond of either. Cashmere Mafia bored me. I was somewhat enjoying Lipstick Jungle until they had a scene where the three of them were trying perfume that was just way too direct a knockoff of Sex and the City that I had to turn it off.

It's funny because it took me a while to warm up to Sex and the City. It took getting the dvd on netflix and watching many episodes in one breath. Especially because I wasn't really into clothes or had really close girlfriends or that into brunch. My how things have changed...

I can't wait to see the movie, but sometimes slightly loose ends are more satisfying than something that's too neat and pat.

The EW article also posed an interesting question. They said '[Sex] gave voice to a group of people — single women in their 30s. The question is, Who is the next group who hasn't had a voice yet?"

Foods of My People

2008-01-31T06:59:00.001-07:00

The college where I work is doing a series of "regional lunches" to give everyone a taste of home. This week is the Southwest Lunch, which includes Colorado (!), Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. I got a preview of the menu yesterday:

Buffalo Burgers

Churros

Chili Con Carne

Calamari

Pecan Pralines

Whole Kernel Corn

Now, my first question is: from what southwestern ocean do they plan to import the calamari? Secondly, how have I missed all of the Pecan trees that are apparently growing in the Southwest?! Hilarious.

On the plus side, I'll happily eat a buffalo burger (I'm assured that these are made with buffalo meat, not just Buffalo-style with a side of blue cheese) and a few churros for dessert. Although I'm certain that they won't be as good as the puff pastry churros we made for New Year's Eve! I will make a follow-up report after I sample the Southwestern fare tomorrow.

West Virginia, Mountain Mama

2008-01-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Ned and I hit the slopes in West Virginia for a fun ski weekend with friends. Though the mountains aren't as tall and rugged as my beloved Rockies, they are certainly beautiful in their own right. I gained a new appreciation for the greatness of Colorado skiing as well. The snow in WV wasn't too bad, but it definitely wasn't the fabulous champagne powder we'd experienced in Winter Park just a few weeks ago. Icy patches gave us an extra challenge. But it sure was pretty up there! And we had fun getting to know some new people and just being out of town for a couple days. Hooray!

Ned and Nancy looking sporty at the top of the mountain!

There's no tree line on these mountains, but there is a line where the frost starts - pretty!

These trees made me realize why people sell those weird frost-covered Christmas trees around the holidays. I still think the artificial versions are ugly, but these trees were spectacular. The wind blows the snow around and it sticks to all the branches, making the trees look like coral.

Just a pretty shot from the lift.

Disturbing conversation

2008-01-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Overheard at Barnes and Noble last night:

19-year-old-looking Customer: Do you have any books by an author named...um...Emily Bronte? I'm not sure how to spell it. Maybe B-R-O-N-T-E?

19-yar-old-looking Employee: Looks confused, consults computer to see if they have the book. "Yeah, it looks like we have some over here." Then leads Customer to the "classics" section, where Bronte books are prominently displayed.

Nancy Drew: Sighs.

Recipe Update: Chorizo Magic

2008-01-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

Some of you may recall a tasty recipe I posted here a few months ago for Chile Rellenos stuffed with goat cheese. Last night I made them for Ned and decided to add some chorizo to the goat cheese filling. Let me tell you, it was fan-damn-tastic. Also, somewhere along the way, I realized that the rellenos benefit from a little drizzle of olive oil before you put them in the oven. The melty cheesy goodness with the extra kick of spice was just the treat we needed on a very cold evening.

So, my friends, go forth and make delicious Chile Rellenos a la Nancy and Ned. You won't be sorry!

(And special thanks again to the ever-fabulous Diana for the recipe inspiration in the first place!)

Holiday Highlights

2008-01-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

I just returned from my holiday trip to CO, and what a trip it was! Family, friends, snow, and lots of fun. A few of the highlights:

ASPEN! As always, it was fun to catch up with so many friends and former colleagues in Aspen. And we RTD gals learned an important lesson about windshield wiper fluid.

PLAYING TOUR GUIDE! One of my Lynchburg pals came to visit for a few days - it was his first trip to the Rocky Mountain West, and I think he's pretty smitten with the big sky country. We had fun skiing/boarding in Winter Park, exploring the REI flagship store, learning about Dough for Dummies, and much more. I love showing off my home town to my friends!

SANTALAND DIARIES! Once again, Gary Culig was hilarious as David Sedaris's elfin self. Plus, a fabulous potluck dinner before the show, and drinks afterward with so many of my favorite people.

ADORABLE NEPHEWS! My family is so great. Mom and I had fun shopping together, and the whole family got to spend quite a bit of quality time together. My two nephews are funny and sweet as ever. We went to Build-A-Bear together, which I highly recommend for family fun. I also got to enjoy Zoo Lights with my fabulous sister-in-law and my older nephew. It was DANG COLD out, but we had lots of fun. Hooray for hot chocolate on cold Denver nights!

NEW BRUNCH SPOT! Have you been to Steuben's? It's a super-hip retro diner at 17th and Pearl. Very funky place, full of hipster 20- and 30-somethings. I had a terrific brunch there (don't miss the French Toast!!), and the rest of the menu looks great as well. I'll definitely be frequenting this joint whenever I'm in Denver.

PUFF PASTRY GALORE! Diana and I rang in a Very Puff Pastry New Year with our menu on the 31st. Beef en Croute, Vegetable Napoleons, and Gringo Churros - I think we brought the cuisine of Neige sur le Plage to new heights. Photos to come.

I Miss My Top Drawer Gal Pals!

2007-12-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

That's all. Hope you're all having safe, fun and happy travels.

XOXO

Road Trip!!

2007-12-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

The dog and I are getting ready to make our annual pilgrimage to Arizona. Nothing like a 14 hour drive to get in the holiday spirit.

Thank goodness for LibriVox. This website is devoted to recording books that are in the public domain (this means very old books). People volunteer to read chapters, so the end result is a lovely mish-mash of accents and performances. Its not the same as the books on tape recorded by Oscar winners, but its free, and in many ways, more fun.

Little Women, here I come.

Sappy Holidays Redux

2007-12-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend, a lovely snowstorm provided me the opportunity to not only catch up on my Waltons viewing, but conduct additional research in the field of sappy holiday movies.

Since Nancy Drew first addressed the topic, there have been a few additions to the genre.

1. Single career chick learns the true meaning of Christmas, and ultimately, life. I watched a movie where Ally Walker finds true love after her child self, played by a rather young Hayden Panettiere, emerges to show her how to have fun and live life to the fullest. In case anyone is wondering how to live life to the fullest, it means not yelling at your assistant, wearing Christmas tree boxers, and dating the guy you work with.

2. Thieves learn that it is not nice to steal. This may not seem like a major holiday movie theme, but I kid you not, there were at least 3 movies about pickpockets/ bank robbers/ burglars on yesterday. To be fair, I gave up on watching the pickpocket movie about 20 minutes in, but I suspect Mary Stuart Masterson decides not to steal anymore. And I bet that Tony Danza decides not to rob the bank. I'm not as confident that Shannen Doherty decides not to rob houses, but given the genre, I suspect she does the right thing.

As I write, I am watching a movie that combines the best of both genres. Holiday in Handcuffs features Melissa Joan Hart as a single (non-career) chick who steals Mario Lopez for Christmas. (Yes, I know it is hard to imagine anyone wanting to kidnap A.C. Slater, but I guess Mark-Paul Gosselaar wasn't available.) Its not over yet, but I bet they fall in love and she learns that kidnapping is wrong.

'Tis the season.

Merry Stitchmas!

2007-12-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

I've been a sew-a-holic this fall/winter.

I wanted to show off the little jacket I made for nephew #1 (I even entered it in an online contest . . . . .)

Gingerbread Bread Pudding

2007-12-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

I made gingerbread last week for my Shrek the Halls gathering, and the recipe made a big 13x9 inch pan of the stuff. While it was delicious in its own right, it was getting a little dry after a couple days, and I wanted to find something fun to do with the extra gingerbread. Inspiration hit in the form of bread pudding!

I just cut up the gingerbread into squares and made a simple custard (I didn't bring the custard recipe with me today, but I'll add it in the comments tomorrow!), baked and viola! Fabulous Gingerbread Bread Pudding! It is quite delicious. Next time, I might add some chopped up walnuts in it, and it definitely benefits from a little ice cream (see below) or whipped cream. Oooh, I bet it would be extra extra good with maybe some pumpkin ice cream or maple walnut or something. Hmmmm, things to contemplate for the future.

All in all, a very successful experiment for a Saturday morning.

Shrek the Halls!

2007-11-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

Last night, ABC premiered a new holiday special, Shrek the Halls, starring all of the original cast members of Shrek. I had a couple of gal pals over to watch and eat gingerbread and we loved it! It's cute and funny and sweet - just what you'd expect a Shrek special to be. I think my favorite part was when the Gingerbread Man sneezed a chocolate kiss. Funny! Also, who knew ogre babies were so darn cute?

For you crafty types, may I recommend taking a cue from Shrek and hanging a toilet seat wreath on your door for a festive touch?

I also recommend Emeril's Gingerbread recipe from the Food Network web site. Very tasty, very easy, and particularly excellent under a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!

My Favorite Things

2007-11-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

After weeks of cranky pants comments, I've decided to redeem myself with a nice cheery list.

I was all set to channel my inner Julie Andrews. Sadly, it turns out Oprah beat me to the punch and released her list of Favorite Things last week. Perhaps even more sadly, I didn't get any free stuff to inspire my list (Oprah is so lucky), and you aren't getting any free stuff for hearing about it. Alas.

Ramona Quimby's Favorite Things, 2007 edition:

CRAFT magazine blog-- if you like to make stuff, or contemplate making stuff, this is the best blog ever.

not martha. This blog is like having an uber crafty creative friend who always has her finger on the pulse of the next hip thing to make or covet.

Carolyn Hax & Tell Me About It. You know how sometimes you wish you could say what people need to hear, rather than what they want to hear? That's Carolyn Hax. Columns are great; weekly chats are even better.

the Bug Theatre's Santaland Diaries. 'Tis the season for the exploits of David Sedaris as a Macy's elf. Thanks to Nancy Drew, this is one of my new favorite Christmas traditions.

The Waltons. Some people will tell you that this classic '70s show is schmaltzy. They are wrong. This is a great family drama set against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains during the Depression and World War II. Yes, the family cares about each other. Yes, their problems are neatly wrapped up in an hour, with enough time for everyone to say goodnight. Yes, the brass in the soundtrack often blares too loudly during dramatic scenes. I don't care, its still lovely television.

Dirty Sexy Money. Imagine John-Boy with a transvestite girlfriend and Olivia having a torrid affair with Mr. Godsey. This is the modern anti-Waltons.

Tim Gunn. Yes, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style is a bit... tedious. But after seasons of watching his saintly calm and restraint on Project Runway (a favorite thing in its own right), its lovely to see him let loose a bit. Those scenes where he giggles with Veronica Webb... priceless. Or, if you just can't handle the show, stick to his blog.

The Long Winter. One of the best books ever. Now that winter has descended upon Denver, its the perfect time to curl up and read about the Ingalls' plight to survive.

Finally, the Turkey Newton at mise en place. Seriously. If you work in LoDo, you should really stop by and get one this week. I'm over turkey, but this sandwich is sublime.

Thanksgiving in Thailand?

2007-11-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

2 sweet potatoes, baked for 30-40 minutes in 400 degree oven; then cubed
1 lb green beans, washed, snapped in half.
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 can coconut milk
1/2 C chicken stock
1-2 T curry paste (green or red)
Brown sugar, lime juice, ginger, garlic cilantro, salt to taste
Cooked rice

Quick saute pieces of chicken in hot skillet with plenty of oil. Set aside.
Quick saute green beans in same manner, set aside.
Drain oil from pan, leave the nice bits of browned stuff in the bottom, add the chicken stock to deglaze. Add the coconut milk, curry paste, brown sugar, lime juice, ginger, garlic to taste. Reduce the sauce for 5-10 minutes. Add more sugar/lime juice to balance flavors. Remember the potatoes are a bit sweet and will also thicken the sauce a little bit.
Add sweet potatoes, chicken, green beans to the sauce, simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Add cilantro if desired.

Serve over the hot rice.

best.parody.ever.

2007-11-15T23:55:00.000-07:00

Click here to find out what happens if they had try to film 24 in 1994.

It's hard to imagine life without all the amenities we have today. Cell phone, digital camera, laptop, wireless. All of which have both connected us beyond belief but also isolated us in some ways.

cheap ass landlord

2007-11-15T23:23:00.001-07:00

So I got my deposit back today. Not only is it past the 30 day mark (both in terms of moving out and the end of last month), he also deducted $77 for cleaning and cleaning supplies. Let's note that the manager who did the walk through (to be fair, who isn't actually the landlord) said the place looked fine. Also, when I moved in, the place definitely wasn't thoroughly cleaned. There was semi-solid liquid in the fridge drawer. I scrubbed and cleaned a lot in my first days in the apt and I definitely left it cleaner than when I got it. And over time they've been so slow to fix stuff (a/c, fridge) that I can't believe he had the gall to deduct my deposit.

I just did a quick google of colorado renter's rights, which i know there aren't many. So I have rights if they haven't returned my deposit at all and if they didn't itemize the deductions.

Good riddance i say. I guess you really do get what you pay for. And don't rent from Frank K at 970 Penn and whatever other properties he owns. It might look nice but it's rotten underneath.

Lars and the Real Girl

2007-11-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

Run, don't walk, to a theater near you to see Lars and the Real Girl! I saw it on Saturday and it is FANTASTIC. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to move to Wisconsin.

I don't want to tell you too much of the plot - I didn't know much about it going in, and I think the surprise of it was part of the fun. But it's sweet and funny and creative, and I think it speaks volumes about love and family and community. Plus it's hilarious!

Yech

2007-11-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ramona and I went to the Holiday Food & Gift Festival today. It was inspired by our trip to Gordman's yesterday and walking through aisles of "who buys this stuff? and if no one buys them, where do they go?" The amount of useless crap sold in our society amazes me. It's not even a matter of asking yourself if you really need it (e.g., do i really need wineglasses if i have cute mugs). I can't imagine anyone "needing" $30 ceramic frogs. But maybe we all have different needs.

Anyhow, we ended up at the festival figuring we'd either find something good or we'd end up blogging about it. First issue was parking. Parking downtown at meters on Sunday is a myth. An expose from Ramona is forthcoming... It doesn't matter if it's free, you have to find it first. And why are there so many cars/trucks towing trailers parked at the meters anyway?

Then we tried to navigate the poor signage to find the festival. You would think a big festival like this would have better signage than our meetings. But no.

There were lots of fascinating things, even though we were definitely the wrong audience for those knickknacks. Mostly it was the same stuff as any of the festivals in Civic Center throughout the summer ("People's" Fair, Taste of Colorado, etc) but more holiday-themed. It was easier to try the food though. There were some interesting things like soup mixes you boil in a bag, cookie/brownie mixes, dried meats, flavored oils, dips, jams, and so on. By the end I couldn't eat another thing flavored with jalapeno or habanero. I know we live in the southwest, but it's a bit much. In fact, I don't think I can eat anything for a while...

When Urine Love

2007-11-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

Holiday Gift Suggestion #1

Ramona Comic

2007-11-07T19:57:00.001-07:00

So check out this comic blog -- you'll have to scroll down a little bit.

There's a snippet of a funny little comic called "Repressed Memory Theater" in which the narrator remembers Ramona and Beezus.

Apple Cider Braised Pork Roast

2007-11-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Sear pork blade roast in skillet.

Place seared roast in oven safe roasting pan. Slice 3-4 tart appples; 2-3 onions into the pan. Pour on 2-3 cups spiced apple cider. Sprinkle with sage, salt and pepper.

Roast at 350 degrees for 3 hours. Add more spiced cider to the pan as needed.

Serve with mashed taters and green beans.

Ramona -- did you like this for dinner?

Do you feel fulfilled?

2007-11-01T23:01:00.000-07:00

Today the Washington Post published an article titled Fulfillment Elusive for Young Altruists in the Crowded Field of Public Interest.

I found this part the most interesting.

"They say the high competition for comparatively low-paying jobs saps their sense of adulthood, forcing them to spend their 20s or early 30s moving from college to work to graduate school and back to work that might or might not be temporary.

These wannabe world-changers, ubiquitous in Washington, New York and San Francisco, appear to be part of a larger demographic trend in which this age group is pushing off marriage and kids. The do-gooders' wanderings often clash with the expectations of parents who want them to stay longer in jobs and settle down."

I guess if a car, house, marriage, and kids an adult make, then I am not. (Now, do these things qualify Britney as someone who has a sense of adulthood? I know I'm oversimplifying, but still.)

I feel like if anything, it's made me face adulthood much sooner than a cushy job or more schooling would have. I've learned to plan, I've learned to push forward in some situations (or through people, as the case may be), I've seen and experienced more of the world. Given that I had a sheltered upbringing and went to school in a place we lovingly called a bubble, this was how I grew up.

I guess I could be making tons of money as an IP lawyer in China. But then I wouldn't have you guys...

What to expect when you watch a perfomance by a non-equity tour

2007-10-30T20:19:00.001-07:00

So Ramona and I went to watch Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in Denver. Apparently the Denver Post gave it one and a half stars and said it felt like a con. The Rocky Mountain News also called it a con job and explained that the quality was less than expected because the equity tour ended before they got to Denver and so we had the non-equity tour. Apparently the new director changed things around, too. Why would you screw with a Tony-nominated show? I don't care if you directed "The Boy From Oz"; you know everyone went to that show because of Hugh Jackman (love Hugh Jackman). The show was also choreographed by the man who choreographed "Grease: You're the One That I Want" and conducted by someone who was the Resident Music Director at the Orange County Shigh School of the Arts. Even High School Musical felt less like a high school musical.

We did not walk out during intermission but we did go for some booze, with the theory it might be funnier if we drank a little. It did help a little bit, but not too much. It couldn't make the singing louder and more powerful and the show, well, more delightful.

On a brighter note, we did find another song to add to Ramona's wedding soundtrack: Love My Legs. This song will join romantic classics such as "Genie in the Bottle."

Adventures at the WUC

2007-10-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

I don't have any coherent narratives written, so here are some random thoughts

Fun signs we drove by:
A restaurant with the sign "ciao down"
Signs by the highway asking you to "stay IN your lane" (the caps are actually on the sign)
Taco John's

Great Places:
Ian's Pizza- it is almost like Antonio's with all the crazy types of pizzas. We need something like that in Denver.
The Great Dane Pub-
Big Buck Hunter- the 2007 and not the 2006 version (the bucks in the 2006 version run too fast). Who knew we had a bunch of hunters in our group?
The sampler of all their beers also came on a wooden platter in the shape of a giant bone with the names of the beers engraved in the appropriate grooves.
Essen Haus- apparently it's "the" place to go to. People go for the authentic German food. Just kidding. They go for the giant boots of beer and the tailgating before and after games (apparently they have a $1 shuttle that will take you to the stadium). They ran out of boots while we were there so we ended up with a giant 3 liter "glass" of beer.

Memorable moments:
The flight attendant asking someone in rows 3-5 to move to one of the back rows so we can "balance the load" of the plane, and we're not taking off until someone moved.
Do we have a flat or is the highway really that bad? Yup, the highway is that bad. It was like a giant stretch of those things they put on the side of the highway so when you drove over it you knew you were drifting and needed to wake up.
Starting to refer to the humid-y motel 6 room as our "apartment." We just might pitch it as a reality TV show for Elena-vision. Who will get voted out first, the snorers? or the person rushing everyone else to get ready every morning?
Sitting on the pier by Lake Mendota. I miss the water
Trying to understand someone explain code you don't understand in a dutch accent you don't understand
Joking that the airport had one guy who was the ticket agent, the gate agent, the baggage handler, and the runway guide...and then watching the same guy do all those jobs.

Carl Kasell is My Friend!!

2007-10-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

I'm friends with Carl Kasell - on Facebook! Thanks to a tip from our favorite Colorado Public Radio host, I befriended Mr. Kasell this morning. Woohoo! One step closer to getting his voice on my answering machine, I'm sure. Thanks, Dan!

Check out this NYT story on grown-ups (including Mr. Kasell) signing up for Facebook.

Sadly, it does not appear that Nina Totenberg has followed Carl's lead, so I'll have to find another venue to let her know about my 2003 Halloween costume.

Butternut Squash Soup

2007-10-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

My pal Bobbi and I made some dee-lish soup Friday night! We were very excited about it. Recipe is below, courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa. My apartment smelled like curry all day yesterday, but that was pleasant enough. The soup really was fantastic, and quite simple to make.

Dan, perhaps we'll have to hold a Squash Soup Throwdown in December?

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large)
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2 pounds sweet apples, such as McIntosh (4 apples)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups good apple cider or juice

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill fitted with a large blade, or puree it coarsely in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.

Our fabulous spread: Soup, bread, rum and ginger ale, Lost Season 2

Nancy, very excited to taste my soup!

A Really Top Drawer Quote

2007-10-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

My day planner has quotes on the top of each day page. Yesterday's thought made me think of my Top Drawer pals...

"I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly. Tunafish casserole is at least as real as corporate stock."
--Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

I'm hoping to try a recipe for Butternut Squash Soup this weekend. Or possibly Pumpkin Soup, if such a thing exists. If I am successful, I'll post it here!

Happy Birthday to Suzaaku!

2007-10-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

Whoo Hooo!

Do you love it? Or do you LOVE IT LOVE IT?

2007-10-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Here's my take on the Cold Stone Creamery ads, with an Aspen twist.

Aspen: Do you love it? Or do you love it love it?

It's my first attempt at such sophisticated video editing. Let me know what you think!

Stop the Van Halen Tour

2007-10-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

Funniest story I've heard on NPR in a LOOOONG time.

I mean, really, who says "This tour is just a gateway to Sucktown!" on public radio?! John Moe, apparently. If you don't have Real Player, you can download the Podcast. The Van Halen story is around 45 min. into the second hour.

Busted Tees = Funny

2007-09-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

In the same vein as the snarky ecards are these very funny t-shirts.

I LOVED playing Oregon Trail on the Apple II E at Mark Twain Elementary:

And who could forget that heartbreaking lesson Jessie learned about the perils of caffeine pills on Saved by the Bell...

And even during my days working at Joshua's Christian Store, I always believed that the LAST thing Jesus would do is to sell bracelets asking "What would I do?" This seems like a much better question:

Movin' on Up II

2007-09-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

Good news, Public Radio fans! Beloved on-air personality and occasional Really Top Drawer reader/commenter Dan Drayer is making a triumphant return to Colorado Public Radio as the new host of KCFR Showcase.

Thanks to the Colorado Public Radio Blog for sharing the good news.

Seems like a win-win-win: we lucky listeners get more local content, Mr. Drayer gets an exciting new job, and CPR gets top-notch talent back. Do I hear a woohoo?

I must confess, I haven't ever heard KCFR Showcase (or KCFR Presents, as it was called until recently), but I will have to start tuning in. Denver-based bloggers, have you heard it?

Snarky E-cards

2007-09-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

I think this site will make you laugh.

For example:

"And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children."

2007-09-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

I just learned that Madeleine L'Engle died on Friday. What sad news.

A Wrinkle in Time is one of the first books I remember just totally falling in love with. I read it again last summer as part of my "classic books of my childhood" reading campaign, and it still thrilled me. She wrote with such imagination and complexity and heart. I think her work is summed up nicely with the quote I used for this post's title. She said, "You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children." Beautiful.

There's a terrific article about her on Salon.com.

Perhaps it's time for a L'Engle reading marathon.

PSA: Renters Insurance

2007-09-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

Imagine:

You're 24 years old, you're busting your butt trying to save the world. One busy night you shove all your clothing into 5 washing machines at the sketch laundromat and head back to the office (you know, you know, you should not leave the wash unattended . . . . ). Upon your return, every single stitch of your clothing has been stolen, including those nasty socks with holes in the toes that you should have thrown away, like a year ago.

You're 23 years old. You are a code poet with a killer laptop computer that goes with you everywhere. One morning you are too distracted thinking about the awesome breakfast burrito you're going to get for just $2 and you leave your backpack (computer inside) on the city bus. After hurriedly issuing the bulletin to the transportation district and searching every bus on that route for the next 2 hours, your computer is gone gone gone gone gone.

It sometimes seems like the $100/year for renters insurance isn't worth it, given that our stuff really is meager and mostly crap. But when all your clothing disappears or that computer you saved up all your summer job wages to buy is gone gone gone, you really wish you'd shelled out 9 lousy bucks a month for a little peace of mind.

Type Casting?

2007-08-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time once again for the fall musical at our little community theater here in town. Last year, as you may recall, I was a Kit Kat Girl in Cabaret. Much fun was had by me with the pole dancing and corset wearing. This year, the show is The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas and I am cast as Beatrice...that's right, a whore again.

I'm starting to get a complex! I mean, sure, it's fun to dress up in skimpy clothes once in a while, but am I destined only to play women of loose morals?

For serious, though, I am very excited about the show! I've had a few months off from life upon the wicked stage, and it will be fun to dive back in. I'll keep you posted with stories and photos from my new adventures as a woman of questionable virtue.

P.S. What other fun euphemisms for whore can we think of? Woman of the night? Practicer of the world's oldest profession?

Beauty, Brains . . . .

2007-08-29T09:27:00.001-07:00

Did she get flustered under the pressure? I mean, we have all said really stupid things before in a presentation setting? Is she really just not that sharp? Both? Neither?

Iced Tea Classic Cocktail

2007-08-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

This cocktail (from Salon's summer cocktail contest) sounds fantastic. I think we need to make this for sippin on Labor Day weekend.

Iced Tea Classic

Submitted by: Emily Whetstone, New York

Emily writes: "The inspiration for this cocktail is traditional iced tea with lemon. The prep is a bit complicated, but so worth it:

1 to 2 parts Earl Grey-infused vodka
2 parts lemon soda (Editor's note: We used Limonata)
a sprig of mint
a thinly sliced lemon
a splash of simple syrup (optional)

To make Earl Grey-infused vodka: For a 750 ml bottle, steep 4 tea bags for four to five hours (or until it's brewed-tea color; don't let it sit too long, or it will get bitter and tannic).

To construct cocktail: Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour one to two parts vodka (depending on how strong you like it [Editor's note: Uh ... we used two]) over ice. Add two parts lemon soda as a mixer. (Folks who like their iced tea sweet may want to add a splash of simple syrup [Editor's note: We didn't]). Add a sprig of crushed mint and one or two thinly sliced rounds of lemon as a garnish. It looks lovely.

How many is too many? Well, how many shots of vodka can you handle? These taste like real iced tea and go down easy, so watch out."

Salon taster comments: "Unbelievable," "almost too much of a good thing," "nice spice to it," "cool and lemony and tangy," "great for everyday sipping" and "the best."

2007-08-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Salon.com's Broadsheet had a piece the other day on baby-naming -- actually it was called "Baby Branding"

This paragraph caught my eye:
My inexpert opinion is that the current preoccupation with baby naming mirrors our cultural obsession with personal expression in a time when our individual sense of political power is on the wane. In an ideal world, having a baby expresses faith in the future -- a faith many parents so conscious of food additives and melting ice caps may not have. In naming a baby you get to engage in a massive act of pure parental projection -- perhaps for the last time.

I think it grabbed me because in my organizing work I think a lot about the cultural obsession with personal expression trumping political/collective action. If we could channel that obsession into action, think what we could do. But what would we name our babies if we did that instead? Perhaps that's why my activist friends pick nice good old fashioned names like Michael, Emma, Max, Charlie? Although from what I understand nice good old fashioned names are all the rage nowdays too.

Thoughts?

Going after the craft-y vote

2007-08-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

Slate has a great article, complete with pictures of RepubliCrafts and DemoCrafts. The gun cozy and the Righteous Recycler's Bin are my favorites. I wish they did actually include the patterns/instructions for some of these fun projects. Can you think of other fun items to add to this list?

The Drew Family

2007-08-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

What can I say, I'm addicted.

The Mames

2007-08-09T21:35:00.001-07:00

Yum-o One Year Later

2007-08-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a big hurray to Nancy, oh Nancy the amazing baketrix. See how delicious this cake looks (and how pretty)! Well, she baked that cake a year ago, one of the layers for the grand wedding extravaganza of Mame Darling and Mame's Darling. And you know what? The cake was so delicious - so moist and lovely, even one year later (it was in the freezer of course). What a lovely little gift to have for our anniversary.

Ramona and Suzaaku can attest to the delicious-ness of the cake.

Simpson-izing

2007-08-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get mine to match as well as yours. There are my two best tries. A casual and a dressy version. Too bad ponytail wasn't one of the hair options. I just realized how interesting it is that yellow is the norm in the Simpson's world and the Asian characters have whiter skin.

Simpsonize Me!

2007-08-02T11:13:00.001-07:00

Simpsonize yourself...

Trevor: The Mentos Intern

2007-07-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

Have you hear about Trevor the Mentos Intern?

You can watch him at work all day on his webcam. You can assign him tasks to complete. You can chat with other Trevor-watchers on the little live IM tool. I am totally fascinated. I may never do work again. What a brilliant marketing idea.

Waiting for HaPot...

2007-07-24T23:17:00.000-07:00

Due to popular (well, Nancy Drew's) demand. Here are pictures from the Denver celebration. The Tattered Cover was crowded but not as crowded as we feared. Mame braved the lines and brought back some much needed caffeine and we caught up on our celebrity gossip while we waited. There were some great costumes- especially the Umbridge ones. There were also some schoolgirl costumes (the ones at Hogwarts probably aren't that short) and a pair of girls with Mrs. Fred Weasley and Mrs. George Weasley t-shirts. The line moved really quickly and we probably got our books less than 5 minutes after midnight. We were lucky and stood in the voucher line so no one had to stop and pay. It reminds me a little bit of that Visa commercial where everything runs very smoothly and quickly until someone tries to pay cash.

I also enjoyed the book. It was much tighter than the earlier books and I wonder how they are going to adapt it for the movie. I wonder if there will ever be another phenomenon like this again. Before this, who could imagine that we would be lining up at midnight for BOOKS! In full disclosure, I did go to the midnight showing of Star Wars I. Some friends slept out for tickets so I sat in line around 7 or 8pm with a few other people and then ran in to save a block of seats. The book was worth it. The movie was not.

HP and the Deathly Hallows: Reviews and Party Updates

2007-07-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

Well, the Harry Potter party I went to here in the 'Burg was a little crazy - many screaming adolescents crammed into our little college bookshop. But it was fun. The kids were dressed up and in high spirits. Sadly, none of my pals here are big Potter fans, so I went to buy the book alone. Everyone thought it was quite funny that I left our carousing at a downtown bar to go buy Harry Potter. They just don't understand.

Sounds like the shindig in Denver was great fun, but I'll let Mame, Ramona and Suzaaku report on that.

I enjoyed the book even more than I expected. I thought Rowling did a great job of wrapping up the many loose plot lines that had been developed over the years. It was a pretty intense read - really not many slow points and my heart was racing many times. I'll try to avoid blatant spoilers here, but I will say that I liked how Harry really seemed to grow up in this book. He seemed more confident and in-charge. You could definitely feel him becoming an adult.

I really want to go back and read the series from the beginning now. There were so many characters who popped up, and so many references to objects/adventures/lessons from other books, I sometimes found myself having to think hard to remember what they all meant.

Hooray for a thoroughly satisfying end to a delightful series!

Today is the Day (well tomorrow is)

2007-07-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Really Top Drawer is hereby admitting to be totally and completely excited about picking up Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at midnight tonight!

Suzaaku has organized an extravaganza tonight involving food, drinks and a midnight party at the Tattered Cover on Colfax. Ramona and I will be there or be square (or be AND square).

Nancy reports that she heard some spoilers but she is refusing to believe that they are real spoilers - for it would be sad to have everything spoiled. Nancy's got a busy (and dark) night planned - she'll attend an adaptation of The Tell-Tale Heart . . . . and then on to the midnight party in the 'burg.

None of us are planning to wear costumes.

This is what a Nina Totenberg costume looks like

2007-07-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

And this is also what a Bill Gates costume looks like - Jeremiah and I were into the nametag-based costumes that year. It was a last-minute idea, but it went over pretty well at the party. I still have the "press pass" on my bulletin board at home.

Halloween Pressure!!

2007-07-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

I've never been one to get super into Halloween, but one of my friends here throws a big Halloween bash every other year, and I'm already feeling the pressure to come up with a fun costume for the occasion. Despite a lack of planning, I've managed to come up with some pretty good costumes in the past few years. Last year, I went as my future self winning an Oscar (based on a desire to wear a pretty dress for the evening). The year beofre that I was Sydney Bristow in the pilot episode of Alias. And of course, there was the classic Nina Totenberg costume of '03.

This year I am totally stumped. I need inspiration! Any thoughts or suggestions, friends? Favorite costumes you've seen/worn in years past?