I think I made up a new word to describe me and Robin...we are eager to eat healthier, to get more whole grains and vegetables and minimally processed foods into our families and our readers, BUT unwilling to give up the deliciousness that is all things carnivorous.
F#$% the pioneer woman,. Screw dooce I don't need no stinking apartment therapy.
I am now addicted to PROJECT RUNGAY a witty and snarky and spot-on blog about the best stuff on earth: gay+fashion+bravo
Tom and Lorenzo (so catty they must have whiskers) revealed at precisely 4:08 this afternoon that they have
tickets...
to the Project Runway Season 6 Finale...
at Bryant Park...
on February 20th at 9am...
who cares that we might never, ever, ever get to see the actual season.... I'd donate at least two of these boys to science for a chance to be in the same tent with my Tim.
And Top Fashion Designer Michael Kors. And Sweet Pea. And Nina Garcia. And Heidi.
****sigh****
Am wiring my jaws shut pronto, just on the off chance they pick me... I wouldn't fit into one of those tiny chairs in my current bloated condish.
24 years ago today I became a Mom, With that job came the reason to make lemonade out of lemons, to stretch the food budget, to make swimming lessons,soccer, dance, just the right jeans, college happen , rob Peter to pay Paul, time payments for everyone,to give till it hurts,to get a dollars worth out of 15 cents, to never give up no matter the odds, to push on, make it happen, get up everyday ready to show someone else the way, that it can be done.
At this time in our country in and in the lives of so many, we feel like giving up, giving in, we are tired, where is the hope. I will admit I am right there with you. But when I look over the last 24 years and realize that my pushing forward helped to make this beautiful person what she is today, hard working, frugal, caring good person and I see the hope all over her face.
Maybe from here on out 15 cents will have to go further, and the cars won't be traded in , college will be harder to attain, but I know we can do this for them, show 'em what we are made of, like Suzanne said in the last column this current crisis is not for sissies and I do not plan give in now..................I gave birth so it really is my birthday don't ya think, I did all the work....I suffered all the pain......I changed forever.....I gave up sleeping late..relaxing...carefree days....no worries.....Right.....
Yes.... all that is true and I must say it was the best day of my life... I gave up so much but what I gained is immeasurable....first smiles meant just for me....outstretched arms.....wet kisses....valentines and rainbows....dreams and magic....tears of sadness ...tears of joy......and all the drama in between...... and now I got a girl that is on her way to greatness... and I have gained courage to weather the storm, cause the job ain't over yet.............................Happy Birhtday To You and Me !!!!!!!!!
People here think there is a direct relationship: the more duct tape you need to hold your crappy old equipment together, the better skier you must be.
Especially at the hardcore mountains like Cannon and Wildcat. Shit, the lodge at Wildcat is a living breathing museum exhibit of 1960s ski architecture. And I've seen some geezers at Cannon who still have those bindings that look like muskrat traps and can come down Gary's at 90 miles an hour in total control.
Now, I, on the other hand am all about how I look while I flat out kill it on the snow.
After many years of being the mom to the infamous King of Potty mouth, I finally am able to pass the crown to the new winner, the mom of the Nasty Boy. ..
The King of Potty Mouth and Nasty Boy have grown up to be seniors in high school ,well spoken well dressed, young men with many friends, they are kind, considerate, good teammates and great son's with promising future's right, Long gone are the days of long rides to the ski slopes while in elementary school giggling and talking, about bum,poop, pee,and farts, that is a long ago memory we laugh and feel relived that they are on their way, or is it?
The other day while taking my short little pug out for a walk, what catches my eye, up there quite high in the snow bank leading to my front door, there seems to be something new in the snow..... upon closer inspection I realize a message was , left in the form of yellow initials, this could not be....... my pug is much to short ................and I do not think he knows his initials........... but the first initial is right..............and lucky for the pug the other two were not, but I know who's they are.......
this could only mean one thing, Potty Mouth and Nasty Boy from days gone by, are not long gone they still are alive and well living in their new man suits hiding, until the time is right, always looking for a way for one to out do the other and win the crown....... well mister X.X.X. you win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My Potty mouth has been over thrown by Nasty Boy.........and you may ask how do I know that Potty mouth was not pulling a fast one on Nasty Boy so he would be blamed....... I simply asked the Nasty Boy and he replied oh yeah!!!!!!!!!!! that was me, :)
perfectly happy to take two or three runs on nicely groomed, solidly blue corduroy and call it a (chardonn)day.
Here's what I know: Most women have given up skiing by the time they reach my advanced state of decrepitude. So, just by the fact that I am still willing to haul my fat ass onto a chairlift and point my luscious K2 Tru Luvs down the fall line makes me
Snow Queen.
And as Snow Queen, I hereby grant use of my title to any other women out there who are still shussing it up past 40.
Now go lie on your bed , suck it up and get those black, stretch, in-the-boot circa 1990 Obermeyers zipped and join me on Twister.
Here's a glimpse of the finished dish. It should serve about 6 with salad and bread.
Let's start with ingredient prep...
First, mince two cloves of garlic and set aside.
Take a handful of parsley...
Finely chop and set it aside.
Take a can of chicken broth and pour about a half a cup into a container with a tight cover. Add a teaspoon of cornstarch and shake to combine. Set aside.
Next grab a handful of kalamata or other black olives. Remove the pits by smahing the olives with the side of a heavy knife. The pits will pop right out.
Splash about a tablespoon of olive oil into a heavy skillet and warm over medium heat. Add the garlic and move around for about 30 seconds. Add the unadulterated chicken broth, the black olives and about a half a teaspoon of dried tarragon. Simmer for a minute, stirring to combine.
Grate the lemon rind into the skillet. Add the juice of one half of the lemon and stir.
Add the cornstarch mixture and stir to combine. Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Pour over 1 pound of hot cooked pasta.
Garnish with the chopped parsley and sliced lemons.
Basic Roast Chicken. Simple, Delicious and Frugal....
Preheat the oven to 435 degrees.... get yourself a couple 4-5 pound whole chickens.
Today I made three for the photo shoot recipes, and in this photo they look sort of like pets.
Pale, fleshy, headless pets. Rinse the chickens in cold water in the sink and pat dry.
Tuck them breast side up into a dish or shallow roasting pan just large enough to hold them. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
Roast for 1 hour and ten minutes. Chicken is done when legs move easily in their sockets when you wiggle them, and all juices are clear yellow without any traces of pink. If you tip a chicken up by shoving a wooden spoon up the open end, the juices will run out and you can check the color.
If the juices show traces of pink, put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Now that is what I am talking about, looks good to me, right size head ,a face America loves perky boobs, no wrinkles, if only this were true.... Thanks Rhoda,
Face or Butt well I think the later, would be better than the new and improved photo for our blog. Things have run amuck in this photo, I have eaten enough this winter so I most definitely have weight on my face, it does not help the wrinkles like you mention in the previous post,and the flash highlights all of it. Try Another one....... Suzanne notice how tiny and cute you look positioned behind your large wrinkled friend........
note: here is the photo that I posted that Robin is complaining about and that I had to take down...
Just some hapless shopper with smiley face panties visible through her lovely sheer yellow dress. Just another woman, who clearly needs a three way mirror, being harassed by one of the billions of cellphone cameras that are clutched in the hands of every American 12 and over.
Meryl Streep famously said that after 45 you need to choose your ass or your face. Meaning -- if you are too thin your face looks all wrinkly, but in order to keep your face smooth, you gotta put on some pounds.
Since September I have been sharing with all y'all the fact that when stressed, I EAT. I have now gained so much weight I am about 5 pounds shy of what I weighed when I delivered Gordon in 1991.
Yesterday the world changed forever, I feel so blessed to have witnessed this event, that brings so much hope for the future,
But until then we are living in times of hardship great uncertainty
Until Then I am holding on to my dreams while knowing that some of them might have to be let go.
Until Then, everyday I Will tell myself look for life's little gems, to listen to the kids as they giggle in their rooms. To Hug that miserable teenager because he really does want you to, even if he seems not to. Read the comics, Wait to worry, Smile at my husband, Thank my mom, Celebrate my Dad's birthday even if it falls on a Monday, Tell my friends I love them, Give... even if I don't want to......Sing when I feel sad and thank god for it all.......
I have already noticed that making aneffort to be grateful has increased my awareness of all things small, because the big things I can not control..
Silly things have taken on tremendous meaning..
I have only had the two small burners on my electric stove for the few months and let me tell you that makes cooking difficult at best, all my pans now have bumps in the middle from receiving all the heat, soups took an hour to heat up, hamburgers, forget It!
I could only two cook at a time, impossible. To make matter's worse I always forgot about this problem until dinner, and then I would curse my way through the preparations like the crazy nut I am. ( I should have used the stove )
Though it was not to so long ago that we would have replaced the stove even though it was still repairable, but this time around my wonderful husband found and replaced the broken elements and I can say every day when I use my stove I am soooooooooo incredibly thankful.... weird isn't it ?
So Until Then.... I will try to be thankful for the little things, if you add them all up they seem like a big thing..... right ? :)
This photo was taken on the balcony of the Ritz Carlton at the Massachusetts Finance Committee pre-ball cocktail party.
Still the nicest party I've ever attended.
We were standing there "in the belly of the democratic beast" as Peter termed it, and right next to us, without podium or mike or notes, Ted Kennedy launched into a speech that brought the house down.
"I remember another January night, when another young democratic president took the oath of office"....
I made that dress myself, and the imported French lace was $100 a yard.
Here are Ann's photos of the parade, taken right outside her window at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue.
She really is a Princess--here mere presence makes world leaders leap out of their bullet proof motorcades.
In 1985 she was at her office window (no doubt doing that wooden queen wave with the side of her hand) and Gorby jumped out in the middle of the intersection of Connecticut and L Streets giving Reagan and the entire Secret Service a cardiac heart attack.
Ah, the Connecticut Connection building.... the metro...the food court in the basement....popcorn! fresh lemonade! weird Chinese food!...and of course our handsome and suspiciously hetero hairdresser....and that seafood restaurant that always cooked the shit out of everything...I'm itching to find a power jacket with giant shoulder pads and a pair of giant pearl earrings....
I lived here for 17 years and have never felt such energy.
People outside our building are singing, chanting, trying to do the wave...it's black, white, Latino, Asian...you name it...all smiling and shoulder to shoulder.
Brings a tear to my moderate heart.Sadly, there are way too few security checkpoints so there are gazillions of people who can't reach either the mall or the parade route, but they're still out there trying.Catherine my step-daughter
gave up and took the Metro home.I've also never seen security like
this.We get wanded every time we go OUT of our building to hang out on
the street...never done that before.
I'm pretty sure you could do 110mph or better on I-81 today cuz the entire VA State Police force is outside 701 Penn Ave.
We came by car this a.m. from Ken & Peter's house in "Upper Caucasia" -- I guess we can't call it that anymore -- b/c Ken has a monthly parking pass and got himself on a Secret Service "list"
... lord knows how he pulled that off.It was a little convoluted reaching our designated checkpoint at 8th & E, with several U-turns involved and some poor woman fell off her bike and into our car (we weren't moving thankfully), but we got there.
The SS lowered the electronic barrier, sniffed the whole car w/ a canine, moved a bus out of our way (all of the DC sightseeing buses are being used to blockade the streets), we passed the DC City Council motorcade in our lowly Toyota (only Ken would have the balls to do that one), and we were on our way to 7th & D.Took all of 45 minutes.Peter commented that it was like riding with Moses watching the sea of humanity on the streets part for him.Too funny.The motorcade pic below is Bush 43 and Obama 44 en route this a.m. from the WH to the Capitol before he was sworn in.
The truck just in front of this one had the TV cameras on it.We chatted w/ Ann Curry on the sidewalk after she did her live feed.She's just lovely.
Patriotically yours from inauguration central, Ann, pictured above as the bride, circa 1990. In order you have Dana, Princess Ann, B.A.R.B. and me (Suzanne) nice bow.
Today's outfit, designed by Cuban born American designer Isabel Toledo, is a sunny and hopeful as our national mood...
And how cool that our first lady looks normal? No skinny mini for us.
Yay!
Cindy McCain is a lovely person, but seriously, how much more down to earth and real is Michelle?
This is how Cindy McCain summed up the experience of supporting her husband in his run for the presidency, in an interview with her daughter Meghan in The Daily Beast:
What was the hardest part about the experience, both physically and emotionally?
I couldn't respond the way I would want to on different things. When I wanted to respond to negative press, I would have to pretend it wasn't bothering me. When the article came out about your brother and where he was, that was very, very difficult. Extremely irresponsible. Not being able to respond is the hard part. Physically, the pace was grueling. When I am stressed I don't eat very much and I lost a lot of weight. People would talk about me being a skinny old woman and I resented people talking about me that way. The kind of lifestyle at the time, when all you eat is coffee, run around from place to place, and don't get much sleep, you're not going to gain weight.
Oh, Boo Fricking Hoo....what is she doing "eating coffee"? Also.
Ann Lakin Garver Bulcao Steadman, the aforementioned Princess, aka my college roommate, is headed to the inauguration, and I will be posting vicariously through her all day.
She and her darling husband Shad (it's a southern thing) will be viewing the parade from a choice location high atop Pennsylvania Avenue.
Unlike most of the American riff raff clogging the streets of our nation's capitol, Ann is in an Escalade or other Powerful American Car being driven to her destination, natch.
Today is the day we join together as Americans, to speak with one voice of our hopes and dreams for this great country. The challenges we face are real and may be enduring. but today I am filled with hope. I have many wishes for our new president and our country.
Here are my top five:
A new tone in politics in general and Washington in particular
A new commitment to public service and personal sacrifice
A new understanding of our place in the world
A new economic outlook and a better financial future for all Americans
On this beautiful day, I will be watching the inauguration with my family. We'll be watching in the bar at Pat's Peak because even on this momentous day, life still goes on......
Today is another Monday, but not just another day, Martin Luther King Jr. dared to push forward with what was right, stop the oppression, stop the segregation, stop the hate.
On this Martin Luther King day I feel proud to be apart of the new generation,that I had explain what is so important about this day to my seven year old,Is a wonderful thing, Harry can not imagine on any level that black people sat in the back of the bus, that water fountain's and restaurants were for white's only, that someone could hate you just because you were black. I know that prejudice's still exists, I am not saying things are all better, However Tuesday January 20, 2009, will make the history books and Martin Luther King day even more important as reminder to all people of what was,but more importantly where we have come from, the seven year old's today may not remember this event, it may be taken for granted, that anyone can become president..... The majority of Americans elected our new president based not on the color of his skin but by the content of his character, and Hope.............. We have come so far..
I know it is shallow and craven, but oh man would I love the outfit that Michelle Obama was sporting today at the concert at the Lincoln Memorial.
She looked abso-fucking-lutely perfect in camel and black. I think even my incredibly chic college roomie, The Princess, would approve.
I don't care what your politics are. How can every single American not be over the moon about this fabulously brainy, chic and all around wonderful family will be at the helm of our great nation in exactly 40 hours?
Even Wyatt, who is 9 going on 37 thought it was a good sign that Malia has an ugly doll mini on her backpack.
Maybe it's the Lindeman's 2008 Shiraz talking but I am teary eyed with excitement about Tuesday and might keep the littles home from school to watch this inaguration.
I clearly remember being woken to watch Neil Armstong take the first steps on the moon when I was 7, and this is AT LEAST as memorable.
If you still are not convinced that CHANGE HAS COME, note this:
We have CNN on here in the kitchen and after the concert was over, Michelle Obama was saying hello to Kal Pen and crusty old Wolfie was narrating:...."uh, that is not someone famous, but clearly that young Asian man is a close personal friend of Michelle's."
You know there has been a generational shift when the top guy at CNN doesn't recognize the star of Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.
I am thankful my pipes are not frozen however this is not a good thing :) I think this is going to be a long cold day
See how blurry this is how was I supposed to be able read this before my starbucks injection
As I stumbled around my house this morning, making the good ole Starbucks I did glance at the thermometer sitting on m window sill. 13 degrees not so bad I can handle it!
I went about my business in the fog, checking backpacks, lining up boots , making sure all the homework was done. Always the best time to do homework right!!!! Looking for the darn missing mitten's still...
My older son passed by me and announced -14 degrees out side, What!!!!! now I am freezing this is way to cold ....I better check to make sure and yes, I had read it wrong,
I ran out to start the car hoping beyond hope it would turn over , It did but I also found my secret diet coke in there ( the one I was going to sneak in later ) it was not a good site.... frozen solid.....................I am trying to avoid the drive-thru and it is not working .So much for the new year's resolutions,
I will go now flush all the toilets and turn on all the faucets just to make sure,all is working,
I was just wondering why are we here in New Hampshire ? Arizona sounds Nice !!!!!
Your faithful Fru-gals have decided to try something new -- taking photos as we cook up the recipes for the column. Which, baring any sort of technical glitch, we will post with commentary on the companion blog.
The problem for me is that Chez Ellinwood is usually a filthy disaster and I am afraid that the more photos I take in my kitchen, the more opportunities the board of health will have to gather evidence of the squalor on School Street....
Please let us know if you like the new step-by-step photos. It will make the justification to my husband of the new camera and the Nikon seminar much easier.
These are really delish. I know, I know veggies in the grilled cheese sandwiches have a little bit of an ick factor for the rug rats, but Robin and I both got most of our kids to choke a couple of these down. And the day of the photo shoot, we stood around and devoured them bit by bit, (because as we well know, cutting anything into little pieces destroys the calories) slathered with the red pepper herb mayo.
Note: The recipe in the paper calls for adding shredded cheese to the veggies. I didn't have any shredded cheese, and didn't feel like getting out the cuisinart and the special shredding disks, so I just sliced up some cheddar. It's all good.
Here are the steps to make a pan of panini:
First, lube the cookie sheet with some olive oil.
Add the toasted bread (and try not to notice my missing cabinet door).
Here's a look at the veggies, sauteed until fairly dry...
Load the cheese and the sauted veggies onto the bread.
Top each panini with some more cheese and another slice of toasted bread and drizzle with olive oil.
Place another cookie sheet on top of the sammies and place on the oven rack. Top with a really heavy pot or a couple of bricks. This pot is cast iron, weighs a ton and was a super score at TJ's for forty bucks on clearance last summer.
Posts
I think I made up a new word to describe me and Robin...we are eager to eat healthier, to get more whole grains and vegetables and minimally processed foods into our families and our readers, BUT unwilling to give up the deliciousness that is all things carnivorous.
