Potstickers & Fried Rice

Monday, August 31, 2009

Before this last weekend, we seriously hadn't enjoyed a home cooked meal in more than two weeks! It was crazy. So when we had the weekend and approaching and virtually nothing going on, we decided we were going to make up for it with some delicious meals.

Friday, we had our homemade basil pesto. Yum.

Yesterday, we made chicken and summer vegetable tostadas. That was actually a big milestone, as it was the first time I had worked up the courage to make them since almost burning our house down.

Sandwiched in between those oldies but goodies, we decided to try something new. Last week, I was watching an episode of Good Eats on the Food Network. I watch often, but have never actually seen something on that show that I had to make. But for whatever reason, on this night, Alton Brown was making potstickers, and I thought to myself, I want to try those. And so the next day, I looked up the recipe and picked up the ingredients.

The rest is history.
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These potstickers are completely and totally (and I mean 100%) unauthentic, but they are SO GOOD that it doesn't matter. They are full of awesome flavor. Although time consuming, the recipe made more than enough for the two of us, so we had enough leftover to freeze for another meal.

Perfect Potstickers
(Source: Alton Brown of Good Eats, Food Network)

Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound ground pork (You can use pretty much any protein you want. We used ground beef, but I saw in the recipe reviews that people also had success with ground turkey and ground chicken)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 35 to 40 small wonton wrappers (Can't find them? Look in the produce section!)
- Water, for sealing wontons
- 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 1/3 cups chicken stock, divided

Directions:
1. Combine the first 11 ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl (pork through cayenne). Set aside.

2. To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush 2 of the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

4. Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 potstickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.

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We paired our potstickers with a simple vegetable fried rice. We used a recipe for shrimp fried rice from Cooking Light, but omitted the shrimp (I've omitted it from the recipe below. Click through to Cooking Light's web site if you want the original, unaltered recipe). This was really good as well. The sesame oil and rice vinegar give it some nice flavor, and it went well with the potstickers.

Fried Rice
(Source: Adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:
- 6 cups rice, cooked
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen green peas
- 1 cup sliced/chopped carrots
- Cooking spray
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Dash of crushed red pepper

Directions:
Remember to start by cooking your rice according to package directions!

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add eggs to pan; cook 1 minute or until set. Remove eggs from pan; coarsely chop.

2. Return pan to heat; add canola oil to pan. Add onions and ginger to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add carrots and peas to pan. Cook until vegetables are tender.

3. Add cooked rice into the pan; stir well.

4. Combine vinegar and the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Drizzle vinegar mixture over rice mixture; stir well.

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Rockin' the Camera

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Yesterday, I did a photo shoot with my baby nephew. We have plans to do a "formal" session every three months in his first year. (Obviously, I take snapshots of him way more often than that!) Can you believe he's three months old already?

I was really excited (as were his parents!) to get him in front of my camera lens again. Things didn't go as well as I had hoped--the weather threw serious wrenches in my lighting situations, and made some of my set ups difficult. Also, being cute is hard work, so Hunter had to stop to eat and nap a couple of times. ;) But the little man was a trooper and did well with everything I put him through. In the end, I think we got a nice variety of photos, and many, many cute captures.

I feel like I'm really starting to get into a groove with this photography thing. It hasn't come easily, that's for certain. I can't even count the number of hours I've dedicated to this hobby. And I still have a long way to go. It can be daunting at times, but I'm chugging along.

OK, enough talk. It's time to go crazy over his chunky cheeks and his big blue eyes. Shall we?

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I love this next one so much, I have to show you both the color AND black & white versions:
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I'm already looking forward to his six month photos in November! :)

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Will no one retire?

Friday, August 28, 2009

There's someone else who needs to learn to let go: Jay Leno.

I have NBC on my TV right now, and I couldn't help but notice the permanent "Jay Leno, Monday Sept. 14th" advertising on the lower left side of my screen. And I found myself asking, Does anyone really care?

I used to watch Leno sometimes when he was the host of The Tonight Show. I didn't think he was the best thing since sliced bread, but I also didn't really have any problem with him. But when it came time for him to retire, I was ready for him to retire. Plus, I really like Conan and I was looking forward to him taking the earlier spot (you know, so I could maybe watch him every once in a while).

When it was announced that Jay Leno would not only be coming back to TV, but coming back EVERY.DAMN.NIGHT.OF.THE.WEEK, during primetime no less, I found myself giving that idea a big ol' W-T-F. Because seriously. No one wants to watch Jay Leno every freaking weeknight at 10 p.m. I normally avoid speaking for everyoneontheplanet, but in this case, I think it's appropriate.

Bottom line: I give it until November sweeps, tops. Leno's a goner.

P.S. What is it with these people and not wanting to retire? If I had their money, I'd have retired at least 10 years ago. Too bad I can't strike a deal with them--They work, I'll play. Everyone wins.

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Brendan is 2!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Our nephew, Brendan, officially turned 2 today. I can't believe how fast the past two years have gone by. It seems like just yesterday that he was born!

He is at such a fun stage right now. He talks so much, repeats everything anyone says, and his little personality is hilarious. He learns new things all of the time, and we love when we have the opportunity to see him and get him to perform his latest tricks.

Here are a few photos from his party on Sunday:

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Opening gifts with mommy

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He was really into the gift opening this year. It was cute.

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He seemed to get the biggest kick out of the hanger!

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Little brother Logan is getting so big, too.

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He really didn't know what to think when everyone was singing "Happy Birthday" to him.

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Mom had to help blow out the candle

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Mug shot with the birthday cake. :)

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He loved his cake! I served him a small piece to start, and as soon as he was done, he said "More?" Since it was his birthday, his mom and dad let him indulge. He's such a sweetheart.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Brendan!

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Sausage Dog

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

It occurred to me that it's been a while since I've posted any photos of Tessa. Or talked about her, for that matter.

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The Little Girl has always been a show-stopper. Whenever we're on walks, we get all kinds of action thanks to our dog. What can I say? There's just something about dachshunds. She's like a people magnet.

Children exclaim, "It's a hot dog!" or "It's a wiener dog!" and ask us if they can pet her. (We always let them, but believe it or not, Tessa's actually a bit hand shy. She will walk up to someone boldly, but the minute they try to put their hands on her? She cowers and wants us to pick her up. She's a sissy.)

Adults coo over her. We also get a lot of "Is she full grown?" questions. I think their first impressions are always that she's a puppy since she's so "small." In reality, she's just healthy. Most dachshunds are overweight, so people aren't used to seeing dachshunds of Tessa's size. You know, the size they're supposed to be.

Even when people drive past us in cars, you can always see their expressions change when they notice little Tess. We'll see them smile, or sometimes can even read their lips when they say, "Look at the hot dog."

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When she was a puppy, she was so sickeningly cute that all of this activity was increased tenfold. So we're used to it by now. We've basically heard it all when it comes to comments about Tessa.

But several weeks ago, we heard a new one.

We have a Blockbuster within walking distance of our house. On nice weekend evenings, we'll sometimes walk Tessa over there to rent a movie. (We always pick her up and take her inside with us--She's really good, just hangs out in my arms, and the Blockbuster people are really nice about it.)

Anyway, we walked over there and as we approached the door, an elderly man came walking out, took one look at us, and goes "Oh! A sausage dog!"

He then told us about how so-and-so's uncle's friend's mother had a dachshund when he was growing up. (This is a common occurrence, too. Everyone knows a dachshund somehow.)

After he left, Michael and I laughed. A sausage dog.

There's just no arguing with that.

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Question & PSA: Blog Photos

Monday, August 24, 2009

I've had a couple of comments about problems seeing the photos on my blog. For one person, I know the cause. For the other, I don't. Because of this, I wanted to pose the question to all of you... is anyone having trouble viewing the photos on my blog, particularly over the past month or so?

If the answer is yes, I have to ask: Are you checking my blog at work? If so, is Flickr a blocked website? Because if it is, that's your cause. Unfortunately (but soooo fortunate for me), I'm now hosting my photos on Flickr.

With that, I'll move on to the PSA portion of this post.

I've heard many people complain about Blogger and it's horrendous photo uploading process. First of all, no mass uploader. Secondly, once uploaded, photos all end up at the top of the post, regardless of what you do. Third, it displaces text and makes the post spacing all wonky. In other words, IT SUCKS. That's right, Google... something you do actually SUCKS. Shocking, I know.

Anyway, last month, it was brought to my attention that there is a new, totally easy way to insert photos into your browser. This not only applies to blogs, but also to message boards, e-mails, etc. Want to insert a photo? It's as easy as dragging and dropping. Quite frankly, this discovery rocks my world. It is so awesome that I feel the need to share it with all of you. I'm actually sorry I've held out on you for this long. That's how great this is.

So, let's get started, shall we?

First, you have to host all of your photos somewhere. I know a bunch of bloggers that use Flickr, so I chose to go with that. But it's my understanding that this will work using Photobucket, Picasa, and other services, as well.

Once your photos are uploaded to Flickr, open a new browser window (or tab), and go to your blog (or message board, or whatever). Start a new post.

The nice thing about this method is that you can start typing, and insert a photo whenever you want. No more worrying about it messing up your text formatting. So write as little or as much as you want to. Ready to post photos?

Click back over to your open Flickr window. Go through your photostream, and "open" the photo you want to include in your post. By "open," I mean make sure you go to the page that actually displays the photo. Don't use the thumbnail from your main photostream page, as that will show up really small on your blog.

Then, click on the photo and hold down the mouse button. Drag the photo to your blog window or tab. Here's the thing, though... don't let the button go yet. Hover over the blog window or tab until the browser window opens, then continue to drag your photo until you are actually IN the text editor box. Then, let go. And... your photo will appear!

It's as simple as that. Drag and drop, people. Drag and drop.

You're welcome.

*curtsy*

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Lightning McQueen Cake

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Our nephew, Brendan, turns two on Thursday. I can't even believe it--seems like just yesterday he was born! It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that not only has it been two years since he was born, but he also has a baby brother now. Life can change so much in so little time...

Anyway, his party was today. Last year, fresh out of my cake decorating classes, I made his 1st birthday cakes (Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, too!). A few weeks back, Melissa asked me if I'd be willing to make his 2nd birthday cake, too. Of course, I accepted the assignment with pleasure.

Melissa told me that she was planning a "Cars" (the movie) theme for Brendan's birthday party. She said that his favorite character from the movie is Lightning McQueen, the main character.

This is Brendan's finished cake:
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I was pretty happy with how it turned out, and Brendan seemed to love it (as much as a 2 year old is going to love something, ha!). I had a lot of fun making it on Friday afternoon. More pics from Brendan's birthday to come soon...

In the meantime, I want to share the recipe I used for the cake. All of the frosting and the filling was simple vanilla buttercream, but for the cake, I used Dorie's Perfect Party Cake recipe. It was the first time I had ever made it, and it was really tasty--it had a subtle lemon flavor that was nice. I'll definitely use it as a "go-to" cake recipe in the future.

I'll include the full recipe for the cake, including Dorie's buttercream and filling recipes, even though I didn't use them. Enjoy!

Perfect Party Cake
(Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan)

For the Cake:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream:
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing:
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves, stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-x-2-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make The Cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.

Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the tough – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up. (The cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.)

To Make the Buttercream: Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or other large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from the heat.

Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6 to 10 minutes. During this time, the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again. On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. You should have a shiny, smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake: Using a sharp, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Spread it with one third of the preserves. Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream. Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with the third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream left over). Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top. Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Serving: The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but it’s best to let it set for a couple of hours in a cool room. Serve it at room temperature with anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing:
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to 2 days.

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Kissin' Cousins

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Last night, my mom had a big family get-together at her house to celebrate the homecoming (however brief it may be!) of my cousin, Kelly. All our lives, we've only been able to see her every once in a while, because she grew up living with her mom in California. We'd only see her whenever she flew east to visit her dad.

Anyway, these days, Kelly lives in South Korea, teaching English as a Second Language. As you can imagine, now that she lives on the other side of the world, her visits are even less frequent. We haven't seen her in two years, so we were all excited for her to come to town for a visit. She's also dating someone she met in Korea--he's American--so we were excited to meet him, too.

When all of us cousins were growing up, there were several of us that were really close in age. Most of the time, this resulted in great times together, since we were automatic playmates. Sometimes, however, it meant a little bit of drama, as we did fight like brothers and sisters every once in a while. My grandma used to say, "Stop fighting and hug each other! You're supposed to be kissin' cousins!" :)

We had a great time together last night, enjoying food, drinks, and each other's company. Unfortunately, we were missing two cousins, but that didn't stop us from getting our photo (it's tradition):

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Now that we all have significant others, we decided to take a big group photo, too:
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It was so great to see everyone. We rarely have the opportunity to get everyone together, so it's always special when we do!

A handful of other photos from the evening (of the kids!):
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Look at how beautiful Hunter is! I am taking his official 3-month photos next weekend and I can't wait.

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My cousin Carly's daughter, Mia. She turned two last month. Isn't she gorgeous? I love her blonde curls, and she has absolutely amazing blue eyes. She kept us entertained in my mom's room for a while...

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She tucked herself into my mom's bed.

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And pretended to go to sleep like a little angel.

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She also took some time to "talk" on the phone next to my mom's bed. :)

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Chocolate Cake Cookie Sandwiches

Thursday, August 20, 2009

My cousin, Kelly, is in town this week. She currently lives in Seoul, South Korea, so it's rare that she gets over to visit us in our part of the world. The last time she visited was two years ago! It's crazy how much time lapses between visits. Anyway, my mom decided to invite everyone (all my cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) over to her house tomorrow night so that Kelly could see the whole family at one time.

We're all supposed to bring something to share, and of course, I decided to make something for dessert. I wasn't sure what to make, so I turned to my starred "to try" recipes in my Google Reader. When I came across this recipe again, I knew this was the one for such a fun occasion.

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These are awesome. First of all, they're fairly easy to put together (a cake mix! yessss). Secondly, they taste like a big, cakey Oreo. Um... hello, Heaven!

Because a cake mix only yields enough cookies to make about 9-10 sandwiches of this size, I had to double the recipe. I made two cake mixes worth of cookies, and kind of made up the frosting as I went along. I think I ended up making about 1 & 1/2 recipes worth of frosting.

To try to make cookies of the same size (so that the sandwich halves match up nicely), Annie used a cookie scoop. I don't have one, so I decided to whip out my kitchen scale and weigh my balls of dough to ensure they were all the same size. It worked wonderfully. All of my cookies matched up almost perfectly! Each of my dough balls was 35 grams. This made for very generous cookie sandwiches. I would maybe make them smaller next time so that you can get more cookies out of a batch. Don't get me wrong, I can easily eat a whole one of this size, but I probably shouldn't eat a whole one of this size, if you know what I mean.

Anyway... give these a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. The combination of the semi-sweet cookie with the frosting = a real winner.

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Chocolate Cake Cookie Sandwiches
(Source: The Crepes of Wrath, as seen on Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
1 package chocolate cake mix (or other flavor of your choice)
1 egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

For the frosting:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp. milk

For decorating:
multi-colored non-pareils, or other sprinkles or candy of your choice

Directions:
1. To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cake mix, egg and butter. Beat on low speed until just combined and all dry ingredients have been incorporated.

3. Roll the dough into 1- to 1 1/2-inch balls, place on the prepared baking sheets and press down to slightly flatten.

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the cookie sheets.

5. To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the powdered sugar, and beat until incorporated. Add vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and beat on medium-high speed until smooth. If the frosting too thick, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk and beat until incorporated.

6. To assemble, pair the cookies based on size on a work surface. Frost the flat side of one cookie from each pair. Place the other cookie of each pair on top of the frosting, flat side down. Lightly press down so that the frosting reaches the edges of the cookies.

7. To decorate, place sprinkles in a small bowl. Dip the sides of each cookie in the sprinkles, pressing down gently and rotating to cover the sides completely.

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Top Chef - Las Vegas

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

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Photo Source: BravoTV.com

Now I know the end of summer is really near. Why? Because Top Chef is back! As far as I'm concerned, there are only two things to look forward to about end of summer:
1) Football, and 2) The return of good TV.

And Top Chef is kicking it off in style, because they're in Vegas!

I'm not even sure why I love Top Chef. It's certainly not the food, as I'm a picky eater and there's no way I'd eat half the stuff they make. But for some reason, I still love watching them make it all, and of course, I enjoy all the drama that comes along with the competition.

The first episode is always interesting because all of the chefs are new and I don't have opinions about any of them yet. This is about to change, because I'm going to turn on the show and let them make their first impressions.

I apologize in advance to anyone who doesn't watch and therefore, doesn't care, but I'm going to blog as I watch the show (I've got nothing better to do tonight!). Let's see how this goes, shall we?

Oh, and just a warning... if you haven't watched but plan to, and don't want any spoilers, you should probably stop reading now, eh? Don't say I didn't warn you.

First of all, yayyyy Vegas!

OK, I'm about 10 minutes in now, and I still don't know anybody's names. But holy tattoos, Batman! Seems like there are a lot of inked people this season.

I love Tom Colicchio. That is all.

Showgirls? Seriously?

Time for a relay race! Eeeeek, blood already. OK, what's up with the woman who has no idea how to shuck clams? Why wouldn't you speak up instead of screwing your team over? So stupid.

Jesse's pierced face is distracting. I like listening to Mattin talk. I'm digging the brothers (are they twins? I can't tell them apart!).

Interesting quickfire, but let's get to the elimination challenge. Guest judge Wolfgang Puck. Awesome.

Whole Foods. The guy who is sticking his nose right into the fish, and opening and sifting through the salad greens, is freaking me out. Gross. Did that Puerto Rican dude just ask the employee if they carry cigars? At Whole Foods? HA.

I always like the frantic kitchen scenes. It's interesting to see them experience the time crunch for the first time. They always under/overcook everything, don't get it plated, etc. So many mistakes.

GAIL! Gail is back this season. Thank the lord. That replacement judge last season, the one with the absolutely horrible similies and metaphors? HE WAS KILLING ME. I *heart* Gail, though.

Wolfgang Puck just said he'd like to throw a guy into the fryer. Hehehe.

How is spending 27 days at sea traveling from Haiti to the U.S. a vice? I don't get it. Is this girl kidding me with her bacon doughnuts? Apparently the judges agree with me, as Wolfgang just launched a piece of doughnut at a cameraman. I love it. Oh, and that chile dish looks absolutely disgusting. That group bombed.

They called the winners for each group; I'm kind of surprised by them. This Jennifer woman is off to a strong start, after winning the quickfire and making the top four in the elimination challenge. Touchy-feely-with-the-food-in-Whole-Foods guy (who I now know is named Kevin) is the winner this week. Hmph.

Now for the bottom four... not surprised by any of the people who landed there. I think disgusting chile girl is going home. I love the pressure the judges put on all of the chefs, and how honest they are with their critiques. They aren't holding anything back, even at the beginning. Awesome. Is Jesse going to cry?? Please, woman. Hold it together.

Deliberation is done; time to get down to business. Who has to pack their knives and go? Annnnd... commercial. Of course.

And we're back. DISGUSTING CHILE JENN! I called it, although I think it was pretty obvious. Her dish didn't even look like it was real food.

And so wraps the first episode of Top Chef - Las Vegas.

At the beginning of every season, I find myself missing some of the personalities from the last. This time around, I'm missing Fabio and Carla. But as always, as the episodes go on, people eventually grow on me and make it an entertaining season. The first few episodes are always a little awkward because I can't remember names and don't have anybody to "root" for yet. I'm sure that'll be changing soon.

So, now that the premiere is over, tell me... Who's watching? What did you think? Who are your favorites (so far)?

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Retire. Return. Repeat.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

OH, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY.

I cannot believe I am talking about this guy. Again.

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Photo Source: ESPN

Oh wait, yes I can. Because I predicted it.

I'm feeling the need to point you to this post from last year. And this one, too.

I honestly believe that Brett Favre is trashing his own legacy. Instead of being remembered as a great football player, he will be remembered as the guy who just couldn't let it go.

I'm annoyed at what this could mean for the future of football. How many more times are we going to see this? How many players will now pull "a Brett Favre" to get whatever they want?

Let's say you're a football player. You're not happy with the team you're on. So you pretend you're retiring. Then, just as a team is entering a new season, you create a media frenzy and pick a new team. Any team. But no... not just any team. Pick your old team's biggest rival. Yes, that oughta do it. And don't forget to somehow convince this new team to pay you $12 million a year.

I actually feel really sorry for his new Vikings teammates, who've all been in training camp for three weeks, busting their asses. Now, Brett Favre plops himself in the middle of it all and takes the attention away from everything and everyone else. Lovely. I feel especially sorry for the guys trying out to make the team as quarterbacks. He just effectively stole the dreams of some young kid who was hoping to make it (just as a third stringer!). Guess what? There's no longer space for that guy on the team.

I am just SO SICK of hearing about Brett Favre. I didn't think it was possible, but with this latest "coming out of retirement," he has officially surpassed Tom Brady on my NFL Shit List.

Congratulations, Brett. You now annoy me more than any other NFL personality. You should be proud. And good luck when you play at Lambeau Field, you schmuck.

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Rich + Katie

Monday, August 17, 2009

On Saturday, we drove back to our old college stomping grounds to witness the marriage of one of my very good friends, Rich. We first met when he was a teacher's assistant for one of my classes, and since we shared a major, we ended up being in many subsequent classes together. A couple years after graduation, he met Katie, and now the two of them are married!

Before the ceremony, Michael and I took the time to drive through our college town and reminisce about all the old fun times. It's weird how things come flooding back to you when you visit places from the past... I suddenly remembered things I hadn't thought about it in a really long time! It was fun, but admittedly sort of sad.

We also went to campus and walked around a little bit. I walked around behind my freshman dorm and pointed out my dorm room window up on the third floor. Awww, memories! It's hard to believe that we've been out of college for more than five years already. It's even harder to believe that it's been nine years since I was a freshman. Holy crap.

But I digress.

We left campus and headed to the park where the wedding and reception were to take place. We walked up the hill to the ceremony location, and met up with some other old friends. The bartenders were set up in a gazebo up on the hill, serving beer and water for guests prior to the ceremony. I can't say I've ever enjoyed a beer during a wedding ceremony before! It was pretty laid back, and true to the spirit of Rich and Katie.

Soon, the ceremony started...

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They honestly could not have asked for better weather for an outdoor wedding in the middle of August. Don't get me wrong--It was hot, but not overly humid, and being right on the lake helped keep things relatively comfortable.

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In college, Rich was a member of an a cappella group, so he has many friends with musical talents. Two of them performed all of the ceremony music, which consisted of songs like "Blackbird" by The Beatles, and "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz.

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The officiant was another one of Rich's a cappella buddies. Their maid of honor did one of the readings, which was actually a passage from Dr. Seuss's "Oh The Places You'll Go." So unique! The entire wedding was personal to them, from start to finish--exactly as it should be!

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After some sweet vows and the exchange of rings, it was all sealed with the traditional kiss.

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Pronounced as Mr. & Mrs.!

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Time to get the party started!

After the ceremony ended, all of the guests walked back down the hill to the gigantic tent where the reception was to take place. While Rich, Katie, and their bridal party took photos throughout the park, the guests enjoyed light appetizers (cheese, crackers, vegetables, fruit), and drinks in the tent.

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Check out these place cards... too cute. Loved this touch of the beach, as the wedding was right on the lake.

After a buffet dinner and a few hours of catching up with old friends, we watched as Rich and Katie cut their cake...

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...and had their first dance...

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Afterwards, we grabbed Rich for a few photos.

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Here's one of Rich, Corrie, and me. The three of us were pretty inseparable, especially senior year when we had almost every class together. We also worked on our senior capstone project together (along with another friend, Aimee, who we all haven't seen in YEARS!), which required many, many hours of work outside of class. We spent so many hours sitting around tables on campus, or cramped in my room, working on that damn project! In the end, we aced it, so our hard work was well worth it. And we never failed to have a good time throughout it all.

Love these two friends of mine. I have some seriously good memories with them.

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And well, believe it or not... we love the woman responsible for that torturous capstone project. Here's us with Ann, our professor! We had her for several classes, and developed quite a bond with her. She attended Corrie's wedding with us in 2006, attended our wedding last year, and now, Rich's wedding as well.

Our project group name was "ARCH" (for Aimee, Rich, Corrie, and Heather), and Ann joked that 3/4 of her ARCH members are married off now. In fact, we were excited to learn at the wedding that Corrie is expecting the first ARCH baby in January!

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Michael and me in the park

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As we prepared to leave (long drive home!), we grabbed Rich and Katie for one last photo. Too bad the girls looked at one camera while the guys looked at another. Figures!

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The beautiful sunset as we were packing up to leave. All in all, it was a great day, but a long one. It felt really nice to pull into our driveway, that's for sure.

Congratulations, Rich and Katie!

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