I may actually buy something off iTunes

 

My love for Jason Schwartzman is no secret, but apparently my fangirl status is slipping, because I just learned that his debut album is available on iTunes. Phantom Planet is one of my favorite bands, but they just haven't been the same since he left. They did invite me to go bar-hopping with them that one time I saw them perform in Athens, though, so I can't completely turn my back on them.

Recipe Tuesday: Reuben Sandwiches and Pesto Potato Salad

Today's recipe, Reuben Sandwiches and Pesto Potato Salad, was kind of a joke. Who doesn't know how to make a Reuben? Take some rye bread, add some corned beef and swiss with a dash of sauerkraut (+ thousand island, apparently), grill for a few minutes, and presto! Instant use for the St. Patty's Day leftovers.

That's why I was so jazzed about the potato salad. It's really easy - mix one 32oz container of Deli potato salad with 2 tablespoons of diced pimentos and 1/4 cup pesto - and it's so freakin' yummy. I think more people complimented me on the potato salad than on the sandwich.

It's that time of the year

Clearly, the PA guys and I have the weaknesses.

Recipe Tuesday: Garlic Steak with Mushrooms

Today's recipe is heavy on the garlic:

Ingredients
8 cloves fresh garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds top sirloin steak
1/3 cup butter
1 (8-ounce) container whole baby portabella mushrooms (rinsed)

1. Crush garlic, using garlic press, into medium bowl. Use knife to remove garlic from bottom of press. Stir in olive oil, steak seasoning, and salt. Cut steak into four portions; add to garlic mixture. Press mixture into steaks and turn to coat completely (wash hands). Let stand 10 minutes.
2. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place steaks and garlic mixture in pan (wash hands); cook 5 minutes (do not turn). Reduce heat to medium; turn steaks and cook 6–8 more minutes or until internal temperature is 145°F (medium-rare). Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness. Adjust time as needed.
3. Add butter and turn steaks to coat. Remove steaks and cover to keep warm. Add mushrooms to pan; cover and cook 5–7 minutes until tender. Serve with steaks.

I'm not going to post the recipe for the accompanying "Wedge Salad" because it was just dumb. And it was almost impossible to serve, sample-wise, so I ended up just cutting everything up into bite-size pieces and tossing it. So it could've just been called "Tossed Salad" and made a lot more sense.

RIP, Brad Delp

I looked out this morning and the sun was gone
Turned on some music to start my day
I lost myself in a familiar song
I closed my eyes and I slipped away

Its more than a feeling, when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
till I see Marianne walk away
I see my Marianne walkin' away

So many people have come and gone
Their faces fade as the years go by
Yet I still recall as I wander on
As clear as the sun in the summer sky

Its more than a feeling, when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
till I see Marianne walk away
I see my Marianne walkin' away

When I'm tired and thinking cold
I hide in my music, forget the day
And dream of a girl I used to know
I closed my eyes and she slipped away
She slipped awa y. she slipped away.

Its more than a feeling, when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
till I see marianne walk away
I see my marianne walkin away

A sad day for AI wannabes

This is one of the saddest funniest most annoying things I've ever read. The local government in Lilburn is outlawing karaoke.

Because it brings in crime.

Apparently, the criminals in Lilburn are mainly of the Jets!/Sharks! ilk. Although, how awesome would it be to see bunch of yuppie white guys running around, challenging each other to dance-offs?

Return of The Rage Diary!

I hatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehate my job. And I'm really not a hateful person. Normally, I dislike the word and prefer not to use it, but in this case it's actually a bit of an understatement.

I realized a while ago that I was much too smart to be wasting my time slicing meat and making sandwiches for spoiled rich assholes. However, the job market isn't exactly booming for English majors with poor-to-moderate computer skills, so I'm pretty much stuck here until I can find something better. Or until I finish up my MAT (if I'm not royally screwed over again, admission-wise) and get a job in the school system.

Why the sudden vehemence? Well, it's not entirely sudden. More like a seething rage that's been bubbling and building for several long months. It started out small, with the crappy mid- or closing shifts that no one particularly cared for but that I seemed to get stuck with with alarming regularity. It wasn't so bad when I could spend my nights playing video games and my mornings sleeping in, but when I started back to school it got a lot harder to schedule in study time. Especially when the library was only open while I was an hour away, catering to morons. The fact that my complaints and pleadings seemed to fall on deaf managerial ears only compounded my frustration.

The proverbial straw, however, was tonight's little incident. See, our deli has three sections: fried chicken, subs, and traditional/sliced meat. I was working in traditional, and I asked the next person in line what I could get for him. He mumbled something about a sub, so I pointed out the sub line and moved down to help. There were already two people waiting, but they were being taken care of so I asked the man to repeat his order. He mumbled some more, and I had to ask a few times before I finally ascertained that he wanted a Philly (the bane of any "sandwich artist"'s existence). I turned to get his bread, and when I came back, he had disappeared. The other customers in line were as confused as I, so I just moved on to the next patron. After about 5 minutes, the man (I'll call him "Phil") still hadn't returned. It turned out that he had gone up to the front to complain about me to the manager. About what, I still haven't a clue. But it was bad enough to almost earn me a write-up. I say "almost" because one of the other customers who had been waiting in the sub line was checking out at the same time, saw Phil complaining about me, waited until he left, then went to the manager and told him that he had been there the whole time and saw that I had done nothing wrong. He then came over and told me the same thing. The store manager never came to ask my side of the story, just called the assistant deli manager and told her to write me up. After she heard about the second man backing me up, she went to the manager herself and told him that she didn't want to write me up because she had received two conflicting accounts and didn't know what had actually happened. She was actually told to make Phil's sandwich and give it to him for free because of the incident, and when she took it up to him he apologized profusely, saying that he "hadn't wanted to go to the manager." First of all, then why did you? And second of all, if I'm the one at fault, why are you apologizing? Guilty conscience, maybe?

Whatever. I'm just glad that second guy was nice enough to come to my defense, because he saved me from a blemish on my otherwise spotless customer-service record. Not that I care all that much. I begged the deli manager to suspend me for a week (which is, believe it or not, typical punishment for such an infraction) - it would give me more time to study, see my boyfriend, and look for another job. She just laughed and told me not to worry about it.

Recipe Tuesday: Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef, 7% fat
1 cup frozen diced onions
1/4 cup frozen diced bell peppers
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
8 ounces spaghetti
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend, divided
1 (26-ounce) jar tomato and basil pasta sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Fill large saucepan 1/2 full of water. Cover and bring to a boil on high for pasta.
2. Meanwhile, mix beef, onions, peppers, 1 egg, garlic powder, oregano, and seasoned salt in large bowl. Mix by hand (or in food processor) until thoroughly blended. Spread mixture evenly in 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Wash hands.
3. Stir pasta into boiling water. Boil 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
4. Drain pasta thoroughly (do not rinse). Whisk remaining 2 eggs, in medium bowl, until well blended; stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese. Add pasta and toss to coat until eggs and cheese are well blended into pasta. Spread pasta evenly over meat mixture.
5. Spoon pasta sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake 30–35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F and meat is fully cooked. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. (Makes 8 servings.)

I was a little worried about how today's recipe would turn out. Mainly because I managed to mess it up before I even started cooking. See, one of the directives for this particular one was to go ahead and mix up enough batches of the meat layer for all the presentations I had to do (three), place them in individual Zip-loc baggies, and store them in the fridge until needed. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, apparently I read the directions wrong because I put THREE eggs in each mixture, rather than ONE. And I didn't even realize my mistake until I had finished with the final batch and prepared to actually start cooking.

Lucky for me, no one seemed to noticed. I was worried that the base would be too "eggy" or something, but I guess not. And that's one of the important things to remember when you're cooking: it's ok if you screw up, because people probably won't even notice. And if they do, chances are they'll be willing to overlook little mistakes. Of course, it's also important to read directions carefully. Just so you know.

Recipe Tuesday: Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
large zip-top bag
cooking spray
2 teaspoons roasted garlic
1 pound steak-topper vegetables (fresh pre-sliced mushrooms, onions, bell peppers)
1/4 cup red wine
1 (26-ounce) jar pasta sauce
8 ounces bowtie pasta

1. Cut chicken lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips (wash hands). Fill large saucepan half full of water. Cover and bring to a boil on high for pasta.
2. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place flour, seasoned salt, and Italian seasoning in zip-top bag; shake to mix. Add chicken (wash hands) and shake to coat.
3. Remove pan from heat and coat with cooking spray; add garlic and chicken. Coat top of chicken with cooking spray; cover and cook 2 minutes.
4. Turn chicken and add steak-topper vegetables; cover and cook 3 minutes.
5. Stir wine and pasta sauce into chicken until blended; cover and cook 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until sauce boils and begins to thicken.
6. Meanwhile, stir pasta into boiling water. Boil 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tender. Drain pasta. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

I didn't try it (being a vegetarian and all), but a lot of the customers liked it. It makes a TON of food, though, so I still had to toss a bunch at the end of each demonstration. I'm going to try it with veggie chicken strips and see how it turns out.

Well, that didn't last long...

Overheard at the on-campus coffee shop this morning:
"Oh my God! I totally gave up talking about people behind their backs for Lent, and I'm already doing it!"

I wonder if she's studying PR?