... even though I had prepped for over 2 days and all Christmas morning... The soup was done. The veggies were done. The desserts were done. DH had done the cleaning... I STILL had to rush to put dinner on the table b/c my M failed to mention that her SO had to work that evening! Um, excuse me? But shouldn't she have at least mentioned that?!
I "followed" Alton Brown's recipe for his standing rib roast (cooking until 118˚, taking the roast out and then upping the oven temp to 500˚, putting the roast back into the oven for 10 mins or so to make for a nice crust... well... let me tell you that I will NOT be doing that again! It KILLED my roast!!!! I was SOOOO bummed! Oh well. Only consolation is that the flavor was nice and at least the roast wasn't dried out.
I burned the glaze for the carrots so I just didn't serve it. (I will be making carrot soup this week.)
Instead of making the chocolate flourless cake, I made a Triple Berry Crumble, served warm with vanilla ice cream. As it turned out, D brought a nice blueberry pie... an ALL berry dessert evening! I should have made the chocolate cake... but I would have served it with raspberry coulis! haha!
Ginger opened her own gifts! We should put her on Letterman! Stupid Pet Tricks, anyone?! I'll post pictures later...
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Friday, December 15, 2006
Doggie Treats...
Don't taste half bad... Made some on behalf of Ginger to give to her cousins and friends... She LOVED them!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
In the midst of the holiday season... ARGH!!!!!!!!
So we're hosting Christmas dinner at our place... We will be attempting to make a standing rib roast. I'm beginning to stress about it - I really do NOT want to screw it up since it's such an expensive cut of meat!
Here's the menu so far:
First Course
Cauliflower Soup
Main Course & Sides
Prime Rib
Yorkshire Pudding
Honey Glazed Carrots & Parsnips
Sauteed Green Beans, Mushrooms, Red Pepper & Onion
Baked potatoes
and maybe Sticky Rice
Dessert
Strawberry trifle
Flourless Chocolate Cake w/ Raspberry Coulis
I hope I have time to make all of this. Will only have about 6 hours to prep the day before as we will be attending the XMas Eve party in Milpitas. I figure I will still be in good shape as long as I finish one (hopefully BOTH) dessert item and can clean and cut the veggies and prepare the meat. AND the house MUST be clean no later than Thursday or Friday at the ABSOLUTE LATEST. I'm tired just thinking about it...
And I still have to make:
Here's the menu so far:
First Course
Cauliflower Soup
Main Course & Sides
Prime Rib
Yorkshire Pudding
Honey Glazed Carrots & Parsnips
Sauteed Green Beans, Mushrooms, Red Pepper & Onion
Baked potatoes
and maybe Sticky Rice
Dessert
Strawberry trifle
Flourless Chocolate Cake w/ Raspberry Coulis
I hope I have time to make all of this. Will only have about 6 hours to prep the day before as we will be attending the XMas Eve party in Milpitas. I figure I will still be in good shape as long as I finish one (hopefully BOTH) dessert item and can clean and cut the veggies and prepare the meat. AND the house MUST be clean no later than Thursday or Friday at the ABSOLUTE LATEST. I'm tired just thinking about it...
And I still have to make:
- doggie treats (these go to the dogs!)
- cupcakes and cookies and possibly fudge (for coworkers)
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
My doggie is SO cute!!!!!!!!
The other day, after breakfast and on her way to get a little sip of water, she stretched... and then burped and then farted! hehe!
She's SO cute!!!!
She's SO cute!!!!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Hawaii Vacay Part 1
Where we ate in...
... Maui
... Maui
- Sansei - twice! Once for food food and the second time for sushi. Wow! Surprisingly, the salmon was my favorite over the maguro and hamachi sashimi
- Mama's Fish House - I ordered their house special of some fish (mahi mahi?) stuffed w/ crab and "breaded" with panko and mac nuts. Tasty!
- some pupu's place or other - forgettable. We should have gone to Tastings instead. My bad.
- some saimin place - I really enjoyed my saimin (soupy style) w/ veggies while DH only thought that his fried saimin (really it's just like chow mein) was ok but I thought it was really tasty (it had kalua pork).
- Home Made Cafe - for malasadas and loco moco. YUM! Exactly what I was looking for-a divey local greasy spoon place. Their malasadas were decent to boot!
- an "Ono" rated fast food place recommended by our travel book (Maui Undiscovered, I think it's called) - I ordered one over easy egg w/ rice and Portuguese sausage. The yolk was COMPLETELY cooked, which TOTALLY ruined the meal for me. Boo! :(
Monday, August 21, 2006
The Ginger Interviews...
Camp Four Paws
Clayton, CA (45 minutes away from Pleasanton)
She passed! We're going to leave Ginger there while we are in Hawaii. When she met Peaches, the camps dominant dog and main "interviewer", she "responded" in text book dog language! [Except for the unusually long staredown upon first meeting] She didn't pull on her leash, she didn't bark, growl or anything. She executed a perfect butt sniff (!) and then proceeded to play bow and ended up on her back in a very submissive role. Whew! :)
She's going to love it there. Bella Lai goes there when her parents go on extended vacations. They play outside for most of the day, which is a plus!
Puppy Playland,
San Ramon, CA (15 minutes away from Pleasanton)
She passed! Her interview was basically to release her to the hounds! There had to have been over 20 dogs. She was let into the room and she basically backed herself into a corner when all of the dogs crowded around her to check her (and us) out. My poor doggie! She looked so confused and scared when I looked back at her. But once she broke away from the pack and started running around and playing, she was fine. She also managed to meet her perfect play match! Aaawwww! She's so cute!
Clayton, CA (45 minutes away from Pleasanton)
She passed! We're going to leave Ginger there while we are in Hawaii. When she met Peaches, the camps dominant dog and main "interviewer", she "responded" in text book dog language! [Except for the unusually long staredown upon first meeting] She didn't pull on her leash, she didn't bark, growl or anything. She executed a perfect butt sniff (!) and then proceeded to play bow and ended up on her back in a very submissive role. Whew! :)
She's going to love it there. Bella Lai goes there when her parents go on extended vacations. They play outside for most of the day, which is a plus!
Puppy Playland,
San Ramon, CA (15 minutes away from Pleasanton)
She passed! Her interview was basically to release her to the hounds! There had to have been over 20 dogs. She was let into the room and she basically backed herself into a corner when all of the dogs crowded around her to check her (and us) out. My poor doggie! She looked so confused and scared when I looked back at her. But once she broke away from the pack and started running around and playing, she was fine. She also managed to meet her perfect play match! Aaawwww! She's so cute!
1 #1's...
I woke up hideously late (6:53 AM) today and only had time to let Ginger "go" in the backyard. Hopefully DH was able to take her out on a walk for 30 mins at least... [Note to self: must go to bed earlier and/or stop snoozing]
Camping was great! We all had a great time. NO MOSQUITOS! That was probably the main thing. The company of course was wonderful, too! And the food...! YUM! I just couldn't stop eating. DH and I made breakfast on that Saturday morning. We were up and ready to go by 6:30 but were told not to start for another hour b/c people really didn't wake up that early. Hmmm... they should all have dogs and/or kids! haha! We made Joe's Special, sausage, coffee cake, fresh fruit (cantelope, strawberries & blueberries). It turned out well. I think next time (hopefully there will be a next time!) I will make some sort of scramble and then a plain scramble egg dish. Oh well. Live and learn, eh? Jeff S. doesn't like mushrooms and didn't really think about likes/dislikes, etc. Oh well. :(
Ginger REALLY enjoyed herself as well! And she can swim! (and hump other dogs while swimming; DH thinks that she's just "after the ball..." yeah, right.) Sleeping in the tent was fun. Novel. LOVED having Ginger sleep with us. :)
Am looking forward to going camping again!
I woke up hideously late (6:53 AM) today and only had time to let Ginger "go" in the backyard. Hopefully DH was able to take her out on a walk for 30 mins at least... [Note to self: must go to bed earlier and/or stop snoozing]
Camping was great! We all had a great time. NO MOSQUITOS! That was probably the main thing. The company of course was wonderful, too! And the food...! YUM! I just couldn't stop eating. DH and I made breakfast on that Saturday morning. We were up and ready to go by 6:30 but were told not to start for another hour b/c people really didn't wake up that early. Hmmm... they should all have dogs and/or kids! haha! We made Joe's Special, sausage, coffee cake, fresh fruit (cantelope, strawberries & blueberries). It turned out well. I think next time (hopefully there will be a next time!) I will make some sort of scramble and then a plain scramble egg dish. Oh well. Live and learn, eh? Jeff S. doesn't like mushrooms and didn't really think about likes/dislikes, etc. Oh well. :(
Ginger REALLY enjoyed herself as well! And she can swim! (and hump other dogs while swimming; DH thinks that she's just "after the ball..." yeah, right.) Sleeping in the tent was fun. Novel. LOVED having Ginger sleep with us. :)
Am looking forward to going camping again!
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
The usual updates...
2 #1's; 0 #2's
We're going camping next weekend. Yipee!!!!! Very much looking forward to it. The food part, especially. We will be prepping the ever boring breakfast, though... oh well. At least we can "relax" for dinner! On the menu: an egg scramble (possibly Joe's Special) and some sausage. I did, however, have a thought about making longanisa for the sausage... YUM! Garlic fried rice and eggs... ohhhhhh!
We're going camping next weekend. Yipee!!!!! Very much looking forward to it. The food part, especially. We will be prepping the ever boring breakfast, though... oh well. At least we can "relax" for dinner! On the menu: an egg scramble (possibly Joe's Special) and some sausage. I did, however, have a thought about making longanisa for the sausage... YUM! Garlic fried rice and eggs... ohhhhhh!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Winterland is closing...
Boo! So bummed! But then again, I guess I shouldn't really be surprised. The location is not ideal. The neighborhood itself is quite nice but it's just a place for such an innovative restaurant.
We went there for Auntie Lonnie's birthday back in March. It was FABULOUS! Food and service was top notch. The only low point was that the place never got more than 5 tables of service the whole evening (I think it was a Wednesday or Thursday night). That was a sign, no?
We went there for Auntie Lonnie's birthday back in March. It was FABULOUS! Food and service was top notch. The only low point was that the place never got more than 5 tables of service the whole evening (I think it was a Wednesday or Thursday night). That was a sign, no?
Bitch Slapped!
2 #1's; 1 #2; 1 bitch slap
Started out as a nice enough morning.
Ginger was very good on our walk this morning. Too bad it was a short walk b/c I woke up later than I should have and I really had to be "on time" for work today.
While "working" for her breakfast, she refused to do the "bow" I had nicely asked her to do. Instead she gave me attitude and jumped on me! That bitch! (well, this really isn't name calling since she really is a bitch!) Too bad I wasn't fast enough to grab her so I had to chase her down. Man, she's fast! I was PISSED! I finally grabbed her by the rear leg, which immediately made her go in the "down" position. I gave her a little smack (don't worry, it probably didn't hurt her as I pat her on her back/side much heartier and she loves it) and when I got hold of her collar I made her lie on her side to "submit" to me. I actually had to take a seat on the stairs while I calmed myself down b/c I was SO mad (and probably tired after chasing her down). Once we both calmed down, I made her do a couple of easy tricks (probably a wave and a shake), we made up and then I let her eat her breaky. Aaahhh! Life with an adolescent dog!
Started out as a nice enough morning.
Ginger was very good on our walk this morning. Too bad it was a short walk b/c I woke up later than I should have and I really had to be "on time" for work today.
While "working" for her breakfast, she refused to do the "bow" I had nicely asked her to do. Instead she gave me attitude and jumped on me! That bitch! (well, this really isn't name calling since she really is a bitch!) Too bad I wasn't fast enough to grab her so I had to chase her down. Man, she's fast! I was PISSED! I finally grabbed her by the rear leg, which immediately made her go in the "down" position. I gave her a little smack (don't worry, it probably didn't hurt her as I pat her on her back/side much heartier and she loves it) and when I got hold of her collar I made her lie on her side to "submit" to me. I actually had to take a seat on the stairs while I calmed myself down b/c I was SO mad (and probably tired after chasing her down). Once we both calmed down, I made her do a couple of easy tricks (probably a wave and a shake), we made up and then I let her eat her breaky. Aaahhh! Life with an adolescent dog!
Friday, June 23, 2006
TGIF!
3 #1's, 0 #2's... :(
It's only S and me back here at work... K's out today; E was supposed to come in (she went home to the OC for a party) but didn't show. Why am I not surprised? I will NOT stay later than 5 today. Hell no! They can all just fuck themselves!
I think I will make brownies or something for Jane (Saturday) and Melissa (Sunday). I'll make 2 batches. Split w/ Jane's and a whole batch for Melissa, et. al. :P
It's only S and me back here at work... K's out today; E was supposed to come in (she went home to the OC for a party) but didn't show. Why am I not surprised? I will NOT stay later than 5 today. Hell no! They can all just fuck themselves!
I think I will make brownies or something for Jane (Saturday) and Melissa (Sunday). I'll make 2 batches. Split w/ Jane's and a whole batch for Melissa, et. al. :P
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Dog in a Convertible
I took Ginger on a walk after work today to the Sports Park. She was very good. Probably because it was so hot... she's kinda lathargic. She met a couple of dogs in the park, which I know she enjoys. I think she will always prefer dogs to humans. Oh wells.
After about 40 minutes of walking, Kevin met up with us at the park. He drove straight from work in the convertible. Since we were about 20+ mins away from home, which, yeah, would have been an even nicer walk, it was getting late and just wanted to get home. So, Ginger rode on my lap the whole way home. We were so cute! And she really enjoyed the cool breeze...
After about 40 minutes of walking, Kevin met up with us at the park. He drove straight from work in the convertible. Since we were about 20+ mins away from home, which, yeah, would have been an even nicer walk, it was getting late and just wanted to get home. So, Ginger rode on my lap the whole way home. We were so cute! And she really enjoyed the cool breeze...
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Oooohhh YUM!
I'm starting to have a thing for almond croissants... not a good thing... must hit the gym tomorrow for sure!
Today's Order of the Day...
3 #1's and 0#2's... what's up with that?
And what was up with the Glacier Court house at the end with the open shed that kept Ginger fixated??? Bad vibe, man. Bad vibe...
I made my Bart train this morning! Woo hoo! I was practically wheezing (OK, I WAS wheezing!) by the time I found a seat, though. Not a good thing... must bring gym clothes tomorrow to start lunchtime workouts...
And what was up with the Glacier Court house at the end with the open shed that kept Ginger fixated??? Bad vibe, man. Bad vibe...
I made my Bart train this morning! Woo hoo! I was practically wheezing (OK, I WAS wheezing!) by the time I found a seat, though. Not a good thing... must bring gym clothes tomorrow to start lunchtime workouts...
Belated Dining Report of TriValley Seafood, Matsusomo, Pazzia, Birley's...
We were: Julie, Daphne, Deborah, Kristen (she didn't eat, though), Ling, Keith's wife (sorry, can't remember her name), Keith, Olivia, Kevin and me...
We ate: shrimp & snow peas, chow fun (YUM! can we go back soon just for this?!), whole chicken w/ green onion & ginger, sauteed scallops, ma po tofu, spare ribs (the yummy red kind, can't remember the gringo name), and of course, white rice. Can't remember what else, but for some reason, I think I might be missing at least 2 entrees.
The wait staff were making fun of us - that we were so Americanized. Apparentely we weren't Chinese enough (we were ALL Chinese! haha!) because we didn't order soup nor fish. Oh wells... Everything was delish! I especially enjoyed the chow fun. I REALLY want to go back for that... ahhh...!
Matsumono... we cooked our own food. I cooked less than the last time. The bacon was goood!
Pazzia... my new favorite Italian restaurant. Went with Araceli for dinner last Monday. I had a spicy sausage pizza. Simple and just about perfect. We also shared a Cesar salad, also very good. For dessert, I had to try their specialty, the tiramisu. Not too sweet. I enjoyed it very much. I can't wait to return!
Birley's... I finally tried the much loved Cuban sandwich. OMG!!!!!!!!! Wow! So that's what I've been missing all this time. Man, am I stupid! I suppose the only good thing that has come out of NOT eating the Cuban is that I've saved myself some calories.
We ate: shrimp & snow peas, chow fun (YUM! can we go back soon just for this?!), whole chicken w/ green onion & ginger, sauteed scallops, ma po tofu, spare ribs (the yummy red kind, can't remember the gringo name), and of course, white rice. Can't remember what else, but for some reason, I think I might be missing at least 2 entrees.
The wait staff were making fun of us - that we were so Americanized. Apparentely we weren't Chinese enough (we were ALL Chinese! haha!) because we didn't order soup nor fish. Oh wells... Everything was delish! I especially enjoyed the chow fun. I REALLY want to go back for that... ahhh...!
Matsumono... we cooked our own food. I cooked less than the last time. The bacon was goood!
Pazzia... my new favorite Italian restaurant. Went with Araceli for dinner last Monday. I had a spicy sausage pizza. Simple and just about perfect. We also shared a Cesar salad, also very good. For dessert, I had to try their specialty, the tiramisu. Not too sweet. I enjoyed it very much. I can't wait to return!
Birley's... I finally tried the much loved Cuban sandwich. OMG!!!!!!!!! Wow! So that's what I've been missing all this time. Man, am I stupid! I suppose the only good thing that has come out of NOT eating the Cuban is that I've saved myself some calories.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Sunday "Playdate..."
We're bringing Ginger to the Lai's casa so she can have a playdate with Bella... and to try out a potential new toy (or training gizmo... whatever!). SHOCK COLLAR! Oh the poor girl doesn't know what's coming... Hopefully she will take the test run well and it'll help us/her in the training process. Ultimately, I just want her to obey our EVERY command... and with only asking once! I would love to see her off leash greating all of the neighborhood doggies like the social butterfly that she is!
The other reason for the meeting of the dogs is to make sure that they get along for our upcoming camping trip to Lake San Antonio this August! :)
The other reason for the meeting of the dogs is to make sure that they get along for our upcoming camping trip to Lake San Antonio this August! :)
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Restaurant Visit Wish List
Ame (ressies for 6/24...)
Boulevard (Revisit; it's been a while... 2000!)
The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton
Canteen
Cortez
Sketch
Bittersweet
Oliveto
Terra
Foreign Cinema
Tartine Bakery
Bakesale Betty's
Delfina (revisit; last visit back in early 2000???)
Anh Hong
... and many more that I can't think of, I'm sure! :)
Boulevard (Revisit; it's been a while... 2000!)
The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton
Canteen
Cortez
Sketch
Bittersweet
Oliveto
Terra
Foreign Cinema
Tartine Bakery
Bakesale Betty's
Delfina (revisit; last visit back in early 2000???)
Anh Hong
... and many more that I can't think of, I'm sure! :)
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