Easy Rice Instructions for Miss Sally

I imagine I'm too late for these instructions to be meaningful, but first rinse the rice, changing water 2-3 times until water is fairly clear. Then add 2x the amount of water as the amount of rice. I don't know metric, but 1 cup rice and 2 cups water usually works nicely. Add a little salt and bring to a boil. Allow to boil until the water evaporates just below the level of the swelled rice, then lower the heat, cover with a lid that fits tightly and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Unless you want gummy rice, do NOT stir. Careful not to allow to cook past 20 minutes without checking first. As a matter of fact, if your low setting is not very, very low, begin checking after only 15 minutes. Watch carefully, because soon after it is cooked completely, it has a tendency to scorch and the pan is difficult to clean. You want the rice to be dry and firm but NOT scorched. Enjoy! =)
For a change of pace, you might try browning non-rinsed rice in a non-stick skillet with 1 T. butter until slightly browned, then add 2 cups of chicken stock. Cover and simmer on low heat until liquid is absorbed. Using this method, I often add dried fruit (apricots, golden raisins, cumin, curry powder, cinnamon) leftover turkey or chicken is great in this dish, as well. Very easy, very fast and tasty, too, Have fun!

Aunt Melissa's Wheat Free Cookies

I LOVE cookies! My new friend Skyller loves them, too. The only problem is, she’s allergic to wheat. So, these cookies are for Skyller:

AUNT MELISSA’S WHEAT-FREE COOKIES
½ cup butter
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. white sugar
1 cup rice flour
¼ cup corn flour
½ t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. fresh minced ginger
1 egg
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup sliced dried fruit (today I used dates and apricots)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream softened butter and sugars with an electric mixer. Add egg, then flours, soda, baking powder and ginger and vanilla (mixing after each addition. Next, on low speed, add oatmeal, followed by coconut, almonds and dried fruit, incorporating well after each addition (but don’t over mix).
Drop by spoonfuls (I like to use a spring action scoop for melon balls for this). Bake for 8-12 minutes in preheated oven until golden.

Enjoy!

Aunt Melissa

Natasha's Blini

My dear friend's Mom, Natasha, taught me how to make the following Armenian-style crepes. I remember at the time she smiled and told me that the recipe wasn't exact and not to worry too much about it. Of course I did, at the time, and in spite of my nerves made a passable version. Today, as I rummaged through the 'fridge and found yeast "best used by" Oct. 2008, I thought, "Why not make Blini?" I didn't want to take a chance on a loaf of bread if the yeast was past it's prime. As it turns out, the yeast was fine and Blini were perfect in spite of the liberties I took with Natasha's recipe.

Natasha's Blini

Yeast Starter:
1/2 cake yeast
flour
sugar
water

First, she places a small amount of sugar, flour and lukewarm water in a small custard cup with the yeast. Stir and let stand for a while until the yeast is activated. (I used 1 full packet of powdered yeast and it worked just great.)

In a mixing bowl combine:

2 eggs
2 T. sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 pint of milk

Whisk together and add 2-3 cups of flour to make a thick batter.

Add approx. 4 T. oil (Natasha uses 2 borsch spoons)
Add the yeast starter and
1 pint of milk

(I have to admit that I didn't measure anything... dumped in the flour, poured in a little sugar, substituted powdered buttermilk and enough water to make a thin batter... and it worked just fine.)

Let the batter rest for a short time and allow the yeast to permeate.
Heat a crepe pan (non-stick skillet) over medium heat until a drop of water dances on the surface.

Melt approx. 1 T. butter and brush the pan between crepes.

Pour approx 1/4 cup of batter into the heated pan and quickly swirl to cover the bottom. Bubbles will form throughout the batter. When the edges begin to brown and crisp, flip and gently brown the other side.

Serve with your favorite filling, but it's hard to beat a spoonful or two of sweetened condensed milk. Roll a few filled Blini and serve with a nice cup of hot tea for the full experience.

=)

Thank you, Natalie, for teaching me to make Blini! It's been maybe 16 years and I still remember the warmth and love from your kitchen. I also think of you every time I make "kartoshka". (Latkes or Potato pancakes).

Bon Apetit!

Aunt Melissa

Aunt Melissa's Super Refreshing Iced Tea

Why pay $ for flavored iced tea when you can make a simple refreshing beverage at home for pennies a glass? Through trial and error, I've developed an iced tea concoction that is very easy to make and we love it. As a matter of fact we drank pitchers of this particular concoction over the sweltering hot July 4th weekend.





Aunt Melissa's Super Refreshing Iced Tea

4 tea bags (I use Lipton's decaffeinated)
4 fresh crushed fresh mint leaves (any variety...)
Juice of 1 Orange
Juice of 1 Lime
4 packets of Stevia sweetener (Trader Darwins Stevia Packets 100% Natural no calorie sweetener)
filtered water

Place approx. 2 cups of water on to boil. Place tea bags, mint leaves and sweetener into 1/2 gallon size pitcher. Cut and juice orange and lime (removing seeds) and add to pitcher. Pour boiling water into pitcher and allow to steep for 3-5 minutes prior to filling pitcher with filtered water to make 1/2 gallon. If your family is squeamish about leaves floating around in their drink (mine's not) , by all means.... pour through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth prior to serving. Chill or serve over ice.

Cheers!


Aunt Melissa

Purple Cake

The following recipe isn't quite perfected, but the taste is phenomenal. Everyone who has tried it so far raves about it. The imperfection is in appearance, not taste, so those of you requesting an advance copy of the imperfect recipe, please enjoy.... Once the appearance issues are solved, I will post a correction, of course. =)





Aunt Melissa' Purple Cake

3/4 cup soft margarine
1 cup sugar
2-1/4 cups self-rising flour
(or 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour +1-1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t. soda and 2-1/4 t. baking powder)
2 t. baking powder
4 large eggs
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 cups Trader Joe's frozen organic blueberries (thawed)
1 heaping Tablespoon of frozen orange juice concentrate (do not add water!)
1 heaping teaspoon fresh grated ginger or ginger paste (do not substitute dried ginger, it doesn't even come close)

Grease and flour two layer cake pans and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer, cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet mixture. Add lemon juice, orange juice concentrate, ginger and blueberries. Mix until batter is uniformly purple, but do not overmix.

Divide equally into prepared cake pans and bake approximately 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out dry, with no crumbs sticking to the wood, and the edges should shrink from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool completely prior to frosting.

Frosting:

Approx. 1 lb of confectioner's sugar
1 T. softened butter
1 T. frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup thawed Trader Joe's organic wild blueberries
1 t. fresh grated ginger (I use ginger paste)

Measurements for the icing is very approximate. I began with 2 cups confectioner's sugar and kept adding until sugar until proper spreading consistency was attained. 1 lb is an approximation. At the time it seemed I was making an incredible amount of frosting, but it covered exactly two layers, so everything worked out right.

NOW, about the "appearance" issues. These cakes are VERY moist and dense. The centers have a slight indentation. If this doesn't bother you, enjoy. On my next attempt, I intend to try using butter instead of the soft margarine and possibly using more flour. I haven't tried using fewer blueberries or OJ concentrate, because the brightness of the flavor is what makes this cake good.


Happy July and Enjoy your cake!

Aunt Melissa




p.s. a preview of recipes to come... homemade dog biscuits

.......................................chocolate almond biscotti

t

Aunt Melissa's Cajun Shrimp Polenta

I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant where I first tasted the dish that inspired today's original creation....a dish that has evoked fond memories for years .... The restaurant was a lovely surprise that I stumbled upon somewhere in South Carolina.

At the time I was working as a Systems Analyst and found myself trekking cross- country on a huge equipment replacement project that included 6-8 cities over a 10 day period beginning in California, followed by Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois and back home again. Obviously, there wasn't a lot of time for sight-seeing, but I will always remember the great food I encountered in South Carolina. I can't even remember what city I was in, but driving down an unfamiliar street, I noticed this small blue wooden house with a restaurant sign out front. Inside, I found an incredible menu I can only characterize as a fusion of old-fashioned southern and eclectic gourmet. The main dish, in particular, I remember as being out of this world. Unfortunately, time has erased the fabulous details, but I recall crawfish tails in a concoction that was too heavenly to be named cheese grits. There was much more to it. Somehow I remember fresh herbs and an incredible sauce, as well.... but time, unfortunately hasn't been kind to details. I would never say that the following concoction even approaches the sublime nature of that long-forgotten entree, but I will say that I'm moderately pleased with the results of this first attempt. It probably goes without saying that I don't have ready access to fresh crawfish tails in LA, but here's my humble attempt at a similar dish:

Aunt Melissa's Cajun Shrimp Polenta

1 can (1-3/4 c) Chicken Broth
2-3/4 c. water
2 cups yellow corn meal
2 cups frozen pre-cooked shrimp
1 med. onion
1 med. green pepper
2 cups packaged broccoli slaw mix (rinsed and drained)
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar& mozzarella cheese blend
Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 heaping Tablespoon Tex-Joy Old-Style Cajun Seasoning


In a favorite skillet (mine's cast iron) heat a nice drizzle of olive oil. Chop the onion and add to pan. Wash and chunk green pepper into 1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks and add to onions. Mince garlic and add to pan, topping with the 2 cups of broccoli slaw. Saute all vegetables together, stirring occasionally until translucent but still slightly crisp. Measure broth (approx 1-3/4 cups), combining with enough water to measure 4-1/2 cups. Bring liquid to boil in a large saucepan. Once boiling, add cornmeal, pouring in a steady stream and stirring constantly. Lower heat and cook on low until polenta begins to pull from the sides of the pan. Stir in the cheese until melted and add the saute'd vegetables. Finally, add the precooked shrimp and fold in to distribute throughout. Add a small amount of olive oil to the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish and spread mixture evenly. Sprinkle top with two Tablespoons shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until peaks gently brown and serve. (This dish is the perfect size for my Toaster Oven, so I didn't have to heat the kitchen or waste energy unnecessarily in the large oven.)

Enjoy and have a wonderful long weekend!

Aunt Melissa

Broccoli Slaw

Aunt Melissa's FAST and EASY Broccoli Slaw

Juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/3 cup Trader Joe's Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
10 dried apricots
4 cups packaged "Broccoli Slaw"

Whisk or blend the first 4 ingredients to make dressing. (I use the small containerwith the Magic Bullet blender). Wash and drain broccoli Slaw. Slice apricots into small pieces. Toss and enjoy.

Fresh Orange slices or mandarin slices would make a nice addition to this salad. I served with a handful of almonds for a very light lunch. Perhaps next time, I'll just toss a few sliced almonds or walnuts in, as well.

You might consider doubling this recipe. The husband ate 2 bowls and I'm wishing I had another bowl, too.

It's been a couple of hours now... perhaps it's smoothie time.

=)

Happy Thursday!

Aunt Melissa

Bob takes a break

Bob and I take a long walk for about an hour every morning except Sundays, when Steve thankfully steps in and walks Bob while I get ready for church. Lately those morning walks have been happening around 10am and the weather is getting a little hot here in the valley, so we get very creative and find paths along shady lanes. One of our favorite walks around Warner Center is very cool and shady except for the last 1/2 block before we get home.... After walking about 50 feet in the sunshine, Bob consistently runs to the shady side of the price sign at our corner 76 station and rests in shade below diesel fuel prices. =) Isn't he the cutest!?!?

After these long walks, we often want a yummy cool smoothie. This week's favorite recipe follows... (we're on a Tropical theme).


Aunt Melissa's Tropical Smoothies
3 chunks frozen Mango
3 chunks frozen Papaya
1/2 banana
2 T. shredded coconut
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1/2 scoop Trader Joe's Spicy Chai Latte
crushed ice and water to fill remainder of single serving container

Place all in Magic Bullet, blend and enjoy!

Savory Muffins

Is anyone else out there guilty of collecting interesting seasoning blends, but never really using them? I was alphabetizing the herbs and spices today (yeah, I do that once a year and they stay that way for two hot minutes) and found all of these really interesting spice blends that I never think about and rarely use.... Thus was born the idea for Aunt Melissa's Savory muffins. Now, I don't expect for you to run out and buy any of these strange and exotic blends, but what I hope is that you might take inspiration and come up with your own interesting dish.

After all, everyone's cutting back and most of us are somewhat surprised to find that tucked away in the back of the shelf are really fun ingredients full of possibility. Why not shop at home for something exciting and new? I would love it if you post your new idea in the comments section when you're done.


Aunt Melissa's Savory Muffins


1 Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (I think any brand would do.)
1/2 c. Corn Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 egg
1/4 c. Goat Cheese seasoned with 4 peppers
1/2 c. grated cheddar/Monterrey Jack cheese blend
1/2 can cream style corn
1 t. Watkins Grapeseed Oil Liquid Spice Ginger-Garlic
1 t. Key West Style Spice Blend (Lemon, Basil, Thyme)
1-1/2 t. Caribbean Jerk Seasoning
~1/4 cup milk
1 T. Butter (reserved for muffin tins)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients in the order listed, with the exception of the butter. Slice the butter into 12 tiny cubes and place one in the bottom of each muffin tin. Place the muffin tin in the oven for butter to melt while mixing the batter. Once butter is melted, divide batter evenly between muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. You might prefer to use parchment muffin cups, but I prefer the brown crustiness of baking right in the tin. The butter prevents sticking and there was no mess cleaning up.

My husband was wild about these muffins. I don't expect you will have the exact same ingredients at home, but why not come up with your own brand of savory muffins and enjoy.

Have a happy weekend!

Aunt Melissa

Aunt Melissa's Strawberry, Banana, Chai Smoothie

3/4 cup crushed ice
1/2 ripe banana
3 fresh strawberries
1/4 c. Trader Joe's Organic Plain Nonfat Yogurt
1 scoop Trader Joe's Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
1 scoop Trader Joe's Spicy Chai Latte Mix
Splash of Water


Blend and Enjoy. Approx. 245 calories, 3g. Fat 13 g. Protein, unsure about fiber... approx 1g or less.

Happy Wednesday!

Aunt Melissa

Chocolate Banana Almond Smoothie

This particular recipe might not actually be blog-worthy, but I was experimenting with the addition of organic almond butter. You already know my FAVORITE smoothie, but I don't need the small amount of caffeine from the Chai at this time of night. The addition of almond butter to a plain chocolate banana smoothie gave the drink a nice sweet quality, without tasting sugary. If you don't like your smoothies/shakes to be too sweet, you might give it a try.


Aunt Melissa's Easy Chocolate Almond Smoothie:

Ice
2 scoops Trader Darwin's Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
1/2 ripe banana
1 Tablespoon Trader Joe's Organic Almond Butter
approx. 1 cup organic milk

Blend.

This turned out only mildly sweet, yet satisfying. Next time, I think I'll substitute Pacific Food's organic Almond non-dairy beverage in place of the milk in order to kick up the nuttiness factor.

Back to the Books!

Aunt Melissa

Bob the Decorator

Soon after arrival in his new home, we noticed that Bob has definite designer/decorator tendencies. He LOVES to curl up next to me on the sofa and watch HGTV, but that wasn't our first clue... Nope.

Bob likes to rearrange the area rugs. He drags them all around the house, placing and arranging them in interesting ways. Sometimes he collects all of his toys and arranges them on the rugs. Upon noticing this tendency, I thought perhaps he deserved a little more beauty in his life and placed my original Peter Max signed lithograph next to his bowl for his enjoyment. Soon after that, Bob began tearing up his original bed, stuffing tuft by stuffing tuft, which the husband and I dutifully picked up every day and stashed away in plastic bags. Tonight, I finally re-purposed a nice piece of stretch corduroy from my sewing stash originally slated for a possible new skirt.

I don't know if tearing up the old bed was a message that its design didn't compliment this fine work of art, but perhaps this nice solid green will make a better companion for "Tut's Nanny" and our discriminating little decorator can leave it in one piece.

We'll see.

New bed was officially placed into service at 9:50 pm P.S.T.

The countdown begins!


Happy Decorating!
Aunt Melissa

Popcorn & Falafel Chips

Did you get that Blockbuster coupon in your in-box for Dale and Thomas popcorn? $10 off. It arrived last week while I was having a weak moment and I immediately went to the website and cashed in my coupon. Yes, the popcorn is way expensive.... but@ $10 off, the flavorings were just too tempting to pass up. Why not try one tiny slice of decadence today, I thought? I've recently been trying to add flavorings of my own to popcorn and justified the spend as "research". (Ha!) =)

Well, I arrived home from class around 11pm last night and the box was waiting by the door. WHAT A TREAT!! The Holiday Sampler arrived and the first opened was Cinnamon Cream DrizzleCorn. Oh my goodness, is this ever incredibly good!!!!!

I found another great food item this week. One of my classmates introduced me to this snack. Her husband, a doctor concerned about nutrition, along with his partner started a line of organic Falafel Chips and they taste GREAT! After trying the first bag I made a special trip to Whole Foods Market. I had to ask for them, because they weren't out on the shelf, but I tried all three varieties and especially like the Spicy ones. My friend recommends Hummus as an accompaniment, but I made a light cucumber, dill and mint dip that was pretty tasty, too.

Did I tell you I got a call-back and audition for a VoiceOver job? I think it will be fun! Doing the voice for SchoolMax was a lot of fun, I think books should be great, too.

Oh yes, it's Tax Day, so as usual, I'm filling out the forms at the very last possible moment. I always pay my fair share, but somehow, I don't think it's necessary to send it before its absolutely due. =) Some years are easier to file than others. This is a very easy year to fill in the blanks. And obviously I'm not too stressed about it, because I've taken a few moments here to post these random thoughts and talk about snack foods...

hmm... After the taxes are filed, I think I'll open that bag of Peanut Butter White DrizzleCorn and think about what to read for my audition.


Happy Taxes and Snack Food!

Aunt Melissa

Woman on a Mission

There is a 75% off shoe sale at Riviera Euro-Comfort in Beverly Hills. Woman at left is on a mission to get there, find a great new pair of shoes for Spring/Summer and get home within a couple of hours. (Yeah, right... this is LA, after all). Piece of cake, you might say.... the drive is 19 miles. Mapquest predicts 26 minutes from door to door.

Four (yes 4) hours later she is back in the 'hood shopping Barnes & Noble for an appropriate children's book to accompany a handmade baby gift for a baby shower. No worries. Who wanted to read about Network architectures and software (well, I did, actually, but never mind.)

TWO (yes, 2) pair of excellent shoes were purchased at the advertised price of 75% off. Now don't get me wrong... Aunt Melissa has shoes from Walmart in her closet, but she likes the $130 pair marked down to 75% off much better. Same price, better quality. Yes, we like this very much.

I settled on one of my favorite children's books "Time for Bed" by Mem Fox and wrapped it up with diapers and a pair of booties I somehow crocheted without a pattern. (The first one was easy. The trick was getting the second one to match. Ha!)

What? No knitted item, you might ask? I know! I picked up the knitting needles yesterday and they just weren't speaking to me. I had to answer the baby gift call with my crochet hook instead. It's okay. The basket-weave baby sweater will be completed some day. (Katy, maybe for you?) =)

Have a most excellent rest of the weekend. Aunt Melissa's kitchen is closed.


Aunt Melissa

Chai Orange Banana Smoothie

Aunt Melissa's Smoothie of the Day - Chai Orange Banana

1 scoop Trader Joe's Chai Latte mix
1 cup Orange Juice
1 ripe banana
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (optional)
Ice to top off mug

Blend. Enjoy. =)

Have a Smoothie Day and a Happy Weekend!

Aunt Melissa

Whoo Hooooo Smoothies!!!!

Yummm.... I just tried a new smoothie combination that ROCKS! Unfortunately, I'm all out of protein powder, but threw together this little number that has quite a zing! I use the Magic Bullet blender and blend directly in the mug, but use any blender you like. Enjoy:


Aunt Melissa's Whooo Hooo Smoothie:

1 scoop Trader Joe's Spicy Chai Latte
1/4 cup frozen berry blend
1/2 banana
3/4 cup orange juice

Top off the mug with ice and blend.
I'm betting Vanilla protein powder would be an excellent addition.


Enjoy!

Aunt Melissa

Long Lost Friends

Aunt Melissa's kitchen has been strangely quiet this week. Oh, the normal and mundane is served daily and tonight I fried some tasty fish and hush puppies to go along with black-eyed peas, cabbage, various and sundry leftovers. This hardly seems blog-worthy, though, does it? I'm even posting a random photo of fish found on my hard drive which, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must add was neither prepared by me nor in my kitchen.

Between studying, job hunting, family matters, housework, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo there's not been much blogging of late, and frankly nothing interesting to talk about unless you are particularly fascinated with:

1. Formal procurement processes,
   
2. writing of RFP's,
   
3. drafting standard agreements,
   
4. learning about internet protocol,
   
5. network architecture….
   

Right! I didn't think so. You come to Aunt Melissa's kitchen because it's a kitchen. Hmm… well I suppose other things have been occurring at the kitchen table this week: homework and talk about the economy. Is it just me or are you feeling a little better about things, too? I'm noticing a little less gloom and doom on TV, the stock market has made a few gains. My student loans arrived. (Oh right, well maybe that's something to do with the lightened mood.) But really, I'd love to know if you are feeling a little more positive about things, too.

There's more school work to do tonight and tomorrow, but on Friday I plan to knit for a while in hopes of completing a basket-weave patterned sweater in time for a baby shower on Saturday. Once complete, I'll post a photo, of course.

In regard to the social networks, are you as thrilled with them as I? I'm hearing from friends I haven't seen or spoken to since childhood. Just last night I made contact again with the crazy friend who performed our wedding ceremony and his hilarious and wonderful best friend… I've been smiling for hours. About the social networks, though, I will say that of 3 of the better known, I've personally decided that Facebook is my current favorite, followed by MySpace and then Bebo. You ask me why I mention this? I don't know, really, but I spent considerable time looking at those particular three for a group term project associated with my Master's program last session. The consensus of the group was that for our particular theoretical advertising scenario MySpace gets the most exposure, but Facebook is closing in with regard to traffic. Perhaps because of my particular demographic, more friends, family and acquaintances appear to be using Facebook.

I would love to hear your preferences and opinions on the matter, so please feel free to comment. I would also like to hear if you feel the economy is making a slight improvement, as well.

Be well, be happy, be healthy, and connect with an old friend. I highly recommend it!

Aunt Melissa

Experiment Results + Keep a lookout for $1000 day email.

FYI : Clip Arts and Graphics don't post from Word 2007.

The Experimental blog below contained a cute little clip art of someone sitting at a computer. Also lost was an encouraging little circle graphic with catchy motivational phrases. Poof, gone.

So now ya' know. Blogging with Word 2007 isn't that much better than the using Blogger "Edit Html" tab. Once the to-do list is knocked out, perhaps I will experiment with fonts and colors.

Have a great Weekend! And if you know me, look for an email coming soon. I'm holding a $1000/day on my Mary Kay website. Place an order tomorrow and the moment I hit my $1000 goal, one lucky person gets their order for FREE. Up to $200 retail value for FREE once I sell $1000 in one day. That's tomorrow.

Have an incredibly blessed day!

Aunt Melissa

Experiment with Word 2007

While looking for templates today, I stumbled across this blog template in Word 2007. I've no idea how it will work, so here's the beginning of a simple test post.

To do list:

1. Finalize new resume in functional format.
   
2. Upload to Dice.com.
   
3. Check for new openings and apply, apply, apply.
   
4. Trade DVD for Beverly Hills Chihuahua (before school's out and the remaining copies fly off the shelf).
   
5. Take Bob on a shopping adventure to Trader Joe's for dog food and Buddy Biscuits.
   
6. Stop by Smart & Final for mega-tray of eggs and Folger's decaf (on sale!)
   
7. Pick up Thank You notes, to finish mailing to my incredibly generous friends.
   
8. Type up Veggie Lasagna recipe and email to Mom.
   
9. Post comments in response to Networking Fundamentals assignment.
   
10. Study the PMBOK and begin work on RFP for Contracts & Procurement term project.
    
11. Study up on Application Layer, Physical Layer and Data Link layer of Internet Networking.
    
12. Clean the Bathrooms
    
13. Enjoy Beverly Hills Chihuahua, you earned it!
    

That's all. Let's see if it works.    

Thanks, today, Mom for the cute email reminder:

************************

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...

It's about learning to dance in the rain.

What's New with You?

Hi there!

I'm just stopping by for a quick hello and to share the lovely still life at left, compliments of my amazing friends ... the flowers held up an amazingly long time.





Below are two examples of Bob "helping" me study... Happily, first session's grades are in, and we managed a 4.0 in both classes. The new session began last night, so we'll see if Bob continues his interest in this Master's program. =)

Photo 1 - Bob learns the differences, advantages/disadvantages of 2-tier, 3-tier and n-tier client-server networks....
Photo 2 - Bob contemplates the overlap in skill sets between Contracts Managers and Project Managers...



We enjoyed some pretty amazing Vegetable Lasagna this week.

If you'd like the recipe, just make a comment or send me an email and I'll write it up. My sister gave me the recipe (totally decadent and awesome) and then I made it a second time this week using only the ingredients I had on hand and it was just as great or better. The original recipe called for bottled Alfredo sauce, cream cheese and no-boil lasagna noodles. The second time I made it with homemade Alfredo sauce (which is almost easier than opening a jar). I used traditional noodles and I happened to be out of cream cheese but it was just as awesome. The husband was LOVING it! It also makes a huge quantity, which I especially appreciate, needing to be job-hunting and studying, not whiling the hours away in the kitchen.

I baked a pretty decent chocolate pie this week, too, but it's so long gone. I didn't have a chance to take a photo.

The other culinary adventure this week was the substitution of SPAM lite in both my southern black-eyed peas AND in a huge crock pot of Cajun Red Beans and Rice. They were both GREAT, and I'm not laughing at SPAM again. It was good!

Have a great week and remember, lean times offer increased opportunities for creativity.

Keep cooking, and let me know what's new with you!

Aunt Melissa

Hi, Remember me?

There are so many fun things to report this last week.

Last week, I had a really fun birthday party (photos to follow someday) which included a Mama Mia sing-along, a cake in the shape of a sweater with candy knitting needles and yarn ball atop. A few extra-special girlfriends squeezed into our small place. Husband built a roaring fire in the fireplace and took the dog to go play for a few hours and let the ladies giggle and sing loudly to a quintessential chick flick. I know I mentioned the singing and there was laughing, too. I wish you could have been here. Lovely gifts arrived (totally unexpected but HIGHLY appreciated!) There were at least 15 more friends I would have loved to invite, but alas not enough chairs or space to put them.... =/

I'm happy to report grad school is going very well. If I had known it would be this much fun, I would have started years ago. My goodness, 8 week sessions fly by! The amazing part are the grades to date.... 99.09% Is that normal?!? Imagine! Ah yes, but there are finals next week. We'll see if my luck holds.

Well, must run. Another paper is due AND I received an interesting career inquiry which I definitely want to follow up on first thing tomorrow.

Aunt Melissa

p.s. I TOTALLY forgot to tell you about the coconut cream pie! I must ask for permission, first, but my Mom's friend in Texas sent me her recipe and it is so simple and TO DIE FOR delicious! The second pie is almost gone and I'm thinking of making more for gifts this week.

Housework and Mid-Terms

Has anyone besides me noticed the inexplicable link between looming academic deadlines and the urge to undertake massive housekeeping projects? I noticed this strange phenomenon more than 20 years ago as an undergrad. It's very hard to explain, actually, given my usual aversion to the vacuum cleaner, duster (which makes me sneeze) and scrubbing granules. Cooking, I love! Sewing, knitting, you'd think I'm a domestic goddess.... Cleaning, however, is NOT my favorite pastime. Strange, though, how a looming important exam or term project bubbles interesting bookshelf dusting and reorganizing projects to the surface of a cram packed schedule. Even MORE curious is that the urges have absolutely no correlation to my interest level in the subject matter. I LOVE my classes. My term projects are actually quite fun! So why did I spend one entire afternoon dusting books and spreading lemony fresh Pledge on all Living Room surfaces?

Beats me?!?!

Aunt Melissa

Things My Dog Ate this Week

Items Bob has eaten this week (so far):

1) America the Beautiful Cookbook (Spine completely removed).



2) A lovely coffee table book featuring stunning views of our National Parks (Only nibbled around the edges, but it's really ugly now and no longer suitable for display).






3) A wrist-warmer. One from a pair lovingly hand-knit as my first project on double-pointed needles. (and EXTREMELY useful when the temperatures drop. I wore them often to type when my hands were cold.)



4) A Luggage strap designed to connect my over-night bag to the larger wheeled carrier making the two very easy to transport (no more).


5) He's ripped the stuffing out of his nice doggy bed and left it as a nice gift upon the stairwell.





Lucky, he's cute and we love him.


All my best to you for a lovely weekend,

Aunt Melissa