I'll be playing catch-up for awhile.

While I was in New Orleans I didn't do any blogging and I didn't really visit many blogs. There just wasn't time. Now, that I am home I still am not going to be able to catch back up. 

This is moving weekend. Can I say that this is a truly painful process. So sure, we are moving into a really big place with lots of closets and bedrooms and bathrooms it will still stink. I, also, would like to go on record as saying that it is not so much the actual moving day that is so bad (we are not fools. we hire people to do the heavy stuff) it is the setting up the utilities (I hate you Direct TV, you loathsome money grubbing a$&holes). 

When one calls to change service from one place to another there is always a service change charge. I find it interesting that there is a charge even when a technical person doesn't have to show up at the door. Conversations seem to go something like this:

Sales rep: Thank you for your continued business. We have all the information that we will need. The fee for transferring your account from one location to another will be ??? (name outrageous sum here). 

Me: But, I thought you said that you didn't need to send anyone out to the location. That all you had to do was update the address in your computer.

Sales rep: That's correct. It is all done here. Saving you time and money.


Me: How is it saving me money if you are charging me?


Sales rep: We don't have to send a technical service rep out to the site.


Me: but I'm paying for someone not to come out to the site?


Sales rep: Well, technically yes but it would have cost you more if we had to send someone. Think of the cost savings.


Me: So, how much am I saving by not having you do a damn thing?


Sales rep: (...)


Me: Yeah, I thought so. You don't know because this is the same charge whether you send someone or not. I'd like the technical rep to visit me tomorrow.


Sales rep: But, Mrs. R, we don't have to send someone because I already changed it on the computer. It's all done on computers these days.


Me: I understand that but I'm paying the same fee to have someone come out as I am to have you do it in your office, so I want someone to come out. 


Sales rep: It doesn't work that way. Is there anything else I can do for you?


Me: Are you just asking because you are supposed to or because you really are interested? Because there is something you can do for me. You can send a tech services person out so I feel that I am getting my service fees money's worth. 


Sales rep: I was just supposed to ask.


Me: I thought as much. 


Love,
M

Michele's not here, man!

Hi everyone,
I know I've been playing least in sight these days. Unless, you've been following my wacky adventures in the land of Hurricane's (it's a drink for those of you who've never been New Orleans), beignet's (another delicacy) and copious amounts of seafood. But, I scrounged together a few words and sent them over to Gretchen,

She's in the middle of the wilds of Southern California, camping of all things. While I've been hotel camping right on Bourbon Street.

So head over to Gretchen's place to find out what Bourbon Street is like a 7:30 am. 

Love,
M

Hey Buddy, ya got an extra 100 for souvenirs?

Have I confessed my love of buying souvenirs? 

No? 

Uh Yeah, well, I have one. 

Every trip I go on I bring home a little something for my family and my staff.

Let's see, when I was at the Library of Congress I brought home T-shirts for the boys, ink pens for my FTE staff and pencils for the student workers.

The Raleigh trip I brought home T-shirts for the boys and little tiny baseball bat keyrings for my staff. 

The list goes on.

Here is some of the loot that I brought home from Ottawa. 

I brought home lots of maple syrup. The little 3 pack I gave to my staff. The big maple leaf shaped one is for the family. Maybe pancakes for dinner tonight? JR and Candace are big sweet eaters so the maple candy is just for them. JR is a big salmon fan. So the pate is for him. 

I added some things to our various collections. Remember the artist I flirted with chatted it up with? The two big pieces are his. The skaters on the canal is an original watercolour, the other is a limited print. Good thing the new place has a lot of wall space.

I collect postcards. I justify my postcard collection by saying that it takes up very little space and I'm honoring a tradition that JR's grandparents started in the early 1900s. That's my story anyway. 

The blue native looking thing is a ceramic tile. JR and I collect these together. We have tiles from all over the United States so it is fun to pick up something from outside of the U.S. I think this makes about 15 or so.

The pin and the earrings are for me. I have what some would call an unhealthy attraction to earrings. I'm not even sure how many pairs I have. 

Not shown is the beaver dressed like a Mounty. I could resist. Sher said I had to get at least one beaver dressed like a Mounty and I did. 


I'm leaving for New Orleans tomorrow morning. Who knows what I'll pick up there.


Love,
M

Ottawa

So the presentation went well. I think. People told me it did. I'm not sure I believe them. Okay, I'll take their word for it. I'm pretty happy it's over. One more presentation on Saturday then I don't have another one for quite sometime. So all my insecurities can be lulled into a sense of well-being only to be dashed against the shores in September.

Here are a few of the photos that I took while in Ottawa. Can I just say that I love my phone. I didn't take my camera. All these photos were taken with my phone. It did a pretty darn good job.

 This is the canal. In the winter it freezes over and then people skate on it. I don't understand why. Ice skating sounds cold. I'm not real fond of the cold. It has a very pretty park that runs along both sides. It was in this park (right side of this picture) that my eyes and sensibilities were assaulted by the sight of a very large old white man in a Speedo. I'm not sure I'll ever be the same.

 This street artist and I sent quite awhile talking about art. I bought one of his originals and one of his prints. I can't wait to hang them in the new place. Isn't he cute as a button?

 They (the compassionate Canadians) pick up stray cats. They get well taken care of in these nice little houses. These cat houses (teehee) sit right next to the parliament building. I think its ironic that they put a cat house (teehee) next to the country's capital building.

 Isn't this pretty? It's the Gadadafsifenf river. Sorry, I can't remember the name. It starts with a "G" and it empties into the St. Lawrence River. Have any of you seen the St. Lawrence? I drove across the St. Lawrence on my way to Montreal once. It is beautiful. It was in the Thousand Islands area. There wasn't any pickles or ketchup in sight.

 I found this gift shop on Sparks street. All the merchandise was made by local artists. I'm pretty proud of the fact that I did my part in supporting the local economy. I increased my earring collection. It (the earring collection) has become rather profane. 

 I thought this was a church at first. Turns out it is one of the parliament buildings. I didn't get a really good picture of the actual parliament building because they were erecting this big stage in front of the building. They were preparing for a party on June 30th and Will & Kate were coming to visit. Everyone was all atwitter.  

 This was the side of the agriculture building. I just had to take a picture. What do these look like to you? Sometimes, my 12 year old boy gets the better of me.

There was a quick trip through Ottawa. I'll share some photos of the goodies I brought back. Then it is off to New Orleans to party with a zillion librarians. 

Love,

M

Cashew Crusted Goat Cheese over Zucchini Noodles

We love goat cheese and use it in a multiple of ways. We love its tart and creamy yummy goodness. This recipe makes the most of the tartness of goat cheese, the salty crunchiness of the cashews and the sweetness of a balsamic vinegar reduction. 

This recipe makes a perfect meatless Monday dish though we had it on Saturday and the leftovers with eggs for Sunday breakfast. JR loves balsamic vinegar reduction. I'm pretty sure he'd eat it on a flip flop if I'd serve it that way. But, of course, as everyone knows flip flops are best served with guacamole. 

This recipe has the longest title but the shortest cooking time ever. Go figure.

Crappiest photo. Tastiest dinner

Cashew Crusted Goat Cheese over Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients:
2 medium sized zucchini (somewhere less than 10 inches long)
1 cup balsamic vinegar (best quality you can get)
6 ounces Chevre goat cheese
2 tablespoons milk or cream or liquid of your choice
1 cup salted cashews, chopped
Olive oil to coat baking sheet

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan bring balsamic vinegar to a boil, stirring constantly. When it begins to boil turn down to medium low. Simmer until liquid reduces by half, stirring frequently. You do not want this to burn. Burnt vinegar smells and tastes nasty. When done set on very low until ready to drizzle. 


While vinegar is doing its thing.

Chop cashews in food processor. Don't do this too finely. So I guess I should say roughly chop. Four or five pulses of the food processor ought to do it. Spread chopped nuts on a small plate. 


Mix goat cheese and milk together until it is a soft paste. If your goat cheese is already soft then you may not have to do this. What you are looking for is something that can be molded into a rounded patty. Divide into four sections. As you make  each patty, press into chopped nuts, coating both sides. Place on greased baking sheet. Continue until you've done all four. Place in pre-heated oven. Bake until golden brown. About 20 minutes.


Using a potato peeler, peel ribbons of zucchini. Working all the way around the zucchini until you get to the seeds. Stop there. Not one to throw anything away save the seeded part for some other purpose. Heat a large pot of salted water to just under a boil. Put zucchini ribbons into the water for about 2 or 3 minutes. You don't want to really cook them, just warm them up. So do this just before you are about to take the goat cheese out of the oven.


To plate: fish out zucchini from the water and place on plates. Top with a cheese patty. Drizzle with balsamic reduction. Serve while cheese is still warm. 

Serves 4

Approximate per Serving Stats:

calories: 354

Carbs:   21

Fat: 27

Protein: 14

This recipe presents fancier than it is. Which makes it prefect for parties. Make smaller patties, plate the whole thing up on salad size plates and keep warm in a very slow oven. 

Just some things rattling around in my head. I just wish they would keep the noise down.

After watching Sunday Morning on CBS I've decided that my blog is schizophrenic and not one of the powerful. Why I thought it might be (powerful that is; not schizophrenic. I understand that part) is beyond me this morning but after you read the rest of this post you'll understand also. Back to Sunday Morning, they had a short piece on blogs and the impact they make on everything from politics to entertainers to average individuals. Makes me feel powerful. Okay, maybe not so much me but me by association with all the other famous and/or infamous bloggers. Why yes, I do like to delude myself. Why do you ask?

I'm leaving for Ottawa on Wednesday. Any suggestions of what I should do and what I should bring home as souvenirs? Here are the latest suggestions:
1. The Boy wanted maple syrup.
2. JR wanted 222s.  (codeine laced aspirin. He has a touch of arthritis and they seem to help. Or he's addicted to them. I don't rag on him about it. Why? Uh.......wine! See where I'm going?)  
3. Sher suggested a beaver dressed in a Royal Canadian Mounty costume. Do you think there was a joke in there that I just didn't get?

My stuffed Portabella mushroom recipe was featured on the Meatless Monday site. I'm giddy. It's been awhile since I was featured. Then again it's been awhile since I've posted a recipe. 

We move in two weeks. JR has started to pack. I've been busy writing a presentation for the Ottawa conference. I'd try to help after that but I've got to write another one for my trip to New Orleans the week after. I think I forgot to tell you that I'll be in New Orleans the last week of the month. Me and 40,000 librarians. The bars and liquor purveyors will never be the same. I think I'll bring back voodoo dolls for my staff. Just not ones that look like me.


Everyday I make JR a hearty breakfast. Ya'll know that the key to a good day is a good breakfast.  This usually consists of a couple of eggs, some veggies of some sort and maybe a veggie sausage though he's not real big on them. And, every morning I make coffee by; grinding up whole bean coffee for our French press and starting the water to boil. I'm doing all this at 5am. (OMG! I sound like either a saint or a 50s housewife. Please don't image me in pearls. I'm more of a ratty pajama pants and tank top kind of gal.)

Unfortunately, this is how this morning went;
1. grind coffee and put into French press
2. top off water in kettle and set on burner
3. stare blankly into the refridgerator
4. keep staring until I get an inspiration for what to serve JR
5. decide that 2 eggs poached in last nights caramelized onion soup topped with soft herbed cheese sounds right.
6. initiate plans for hearty breakfast.
7. wonder why water hasn't boiled yet.
8. shake kettle. Don't ask me why. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
9. deal with finishing actual breakfast.
10. glance at kettle.
11. glance at temperature control knob.
12. turn on burner


I've hit a plateau on my weight loss. I've been the same weight for a week. I blame JR, the weekend, and my own lack of willpower but mostly JR. Let's address each of these issues in order.

1. Blaming JR. This is a given. The man has the metabolism of 6 spider monkeys. He can eat whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and however much he wants. Then he has the nerve to happily announce to me after he's weighed himself for the first time in a month; "honey, I've lost 5 pounds. That's the lowest I've been since high school. That can't be good for me." Yeah well, shut up. Just.shut.the.hell.up. (that is what I say. In my head that is. Mostly, the response he gets is me flipping him the bird)

2. The weekend. It seems that if I'm not at work I'm eating. Oh sure, all of it is low carb vegetarian good for me stuff but it is still twice as much as I normally eat in any given work day. Obviously, this excuse reason bleeds over into number 3...

3. My sad lack of willpower. Enuf said.


I'm not sure how this post turned into a ranting whining post full of lists but there you go. It is totally indicative of how my day has started and progressed for the last hour. If I didn't have a new employee starting today (Yay! Yay! Double Yay!) I'd call this a day poorly spent and go back to bed.

Wish me luck on my presentation on Thursday. It was very hard to write. How the heck do you talk for 20 minutes about "Designing Preservation Policies and Rules within a Multi-Member Organization" without sounding like a idiot? Or a pompous jerk. Or both?

Here's hoping ya'll have a better day

Love,
M

How-to: canvas photo prints

Earlier this week I mentioned that I was planning a post about how to make your own canvas prints. So I've put it all together. 

Supplies 

Canvas printer paper

stretcher bars or unfinished frames

Staple gun

Staples

Image sized for printing

Image: This is one of my favorite photos of JR. We had gone hiking in Tuscon, Arizona in early spring. I think it was February or March. We had had a large snowfall in the mountains that year and the run off was high. Usually, this river (yes, I know it looks like a creek but it is a river) is dry. It is only during the run off season that it has water.

Resize: You will want to print the image to fit the whole paper size. I had 8.5 X 11 canvas paper. 

 

Paper: You can buy several sizes of paper. I found mine at Michael's but when I went to there the other day they didn't have it. After a quick check online I found that this paper can be picked up at Amazon. Not only does Amazon carry it in a larger size but they have it in rolls. So if you have access to a roll/plotter printer you can do much larger sizes.

Print your image: This probably doesn't need an explanation. You know how to use your own printer but here's what mine looked like printed out. I'm not sure you can see it but is has that canvas grain texture going.

 
Unfinished frames or stretcher bars: I couldn't find stretcher bars small enough at my Michaels craft store and I didn't want to drive to the art supply store. What I did find was these small unfinished frames. With some careful measuring I figured out that the 8.5 x 11 paper was going to wrap around them just perfectly. Best of all they only cost $1 each. 

Stapler: You will want to use a heavy duty stapler but it doesn't have to be a construction one. Let's say more than your desk stapler but less than a pneumatic nailer. In my case the stapler was easy to find. It was the staples that were hard. You would think that they would be found with the stapler but I guess in our house you would be wrong. Thank heavens the stapler had some staples in it already.

 

Now, to put it together: Place on the printed canvas. Making sure that the focus of the image is positioned the way you want it. 

Fold up the middle of the canvas on one end; staple. Fold up the middle of the canvas on the opposite side; pull as tight as you can; staple. Continue until all four sides are pulled tight and stapled.

Now, tackle the corners. Pull and fold until you get as even a fold as possible. Don't freak if it's not perfect. Really, no one will see it.

Finish folding and stapling all four corners before you pull and staple the rest of the canvas. 

Turn the photo up one it's sides the press against a hard surface. You are trying to crease the canvas over the frame. 

Then you are done.

See? That wasn't so hard. I plan to make three more of my family including the dogs to hang in my new office. 

Love,
M

Decorating and Decor - A Spin

This decorating and decor Spin is brought to you by the fine people at Sprite's Keeper. Bringing you fine posts for over three years. Go to http://www.spriteskeeper.com/my_weblog/ for more details.


I had originally planned to do my decorating spin as a how-to for printing your photos out on canvas photo paper and then stapling them to a canvas frame but that required me to actually go to the art supply store, 
buy the frame then 
print a picture then 
do the project then
take photos of the process
then write a blog post
then collapse in a heap. 

Instead I'll tell you about the decorating that we will be doing in our new offices. Did I tell you we got new offices? No? Well, we did. They are in the basement. Not ideal for my mental frame of mind but great for our digitization lab. Anyway...

This has been a long drawn out complicated sometimes frustrating process but it looks like we are over the hump and heading towards the fun part. Decorating. 

Here is our plan. 

We are each going to pick our favorite WPA posters.

Print them on our plotter printer.

Frame them in poster frames.

Then hang them on our now blank beige walls. Won't that be fun?

I love WPA posters. The colors are terrific. The styles are that cool art deco thing. And some of them are just downright hilarious. 

Want to learn more and see more WPA posters? Look up the American Memory website put out by the talented people at the Library of Congress. 

Have you seen these before? Do you work in a building that has WPA art in it? I did in Arizona. Beautiful Stuff!
 

Love,

M

Curried vegetable stuffed portabella mushrooms

So I promised a couple of readers/friends that I would give them some knock out recipes that were vegetarian and lowish carb. This is the first of them. 

If you like to eat something that is low fuss but high in the running nose spicy side like we do than this is the dish for you. While it is a complete meal in and of itself serving it with a salad with a very light dressing would not come amiss. 

You can mix this recipe up. Like it fiery? Add more curry powder. Don't have the exact vegetables called for? Use whatever you have. No tofu? Hard boiled eggs will work. Don't have raisins? pfft. Use craisins. The only thing that stays constant is the Portabella mushrooms and the apples.

Sure it looks like it's got lots of ingredients and an ugly bit of instructions but really it is just a bunch of chopping and 2 pans.

as you can tell I'm no food photographer

Curried Vegetable Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

1/4 cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons olive oil - to saute vegetables in
1/2 cup onion, chopped 
1/2 cup yellow squash, cubed
1/2 cup zucchini, cubed
1/4 cup bell pepper, any color, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/3 pound extra firm tofu, chopped, squeezed of water and crumbled
1/2 Granny Smith or any ole green apple, 1/2" cubes
5 medium Portabella mushrooms
1 - 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with chilies and the liquid
or
1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes w/liquid
2 green chile peppers such as jalapenos or poblanos, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder


Instructions
1. Soak raisins in water to cover for about 30 minutes. While you are waiting for them.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If you have a cast iron or oven safe fry pan place it in the oven to heat up. Otherwise, coat a casserole dish with a generous amount of olive oil. If you are using a cast iron pan add 4 tablespoons or so to the pan 5 minutes before the stuffing mixture is ready. You want to heat up the oil but don't want to burn it.
3. Chop all the veggies. Saute over medium heat in a deep fry pan coated in olive oil for 5 or 10 minutes. This is a chop and toss process. Chop up the veg; toss in the fry pan.
4. Chop tofu in 1/2" cubes. Over the sink, take a handful of tofu and squeeze out as much of the water that you can. Crumble and toss in the pan with the veggies. 
5. Add can of tomatoes w/chilies (or the diced tomatoes and chopped chile peppers), apples, and the curry powder to the fry pan. Stir until well blended. Cover and cook over low heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Add raisins.
6. Remove stems and scrap gills from mushrooms. I find a spoon is the best utensil for this job. Place in heated up cast iron pan or casserole stem side up, if it still had the stem that is. It will make a sweet little bowl.
7. Stuff the veggie mixture in each of the mushrooms. I should really say heap this mixture into each of the mushrooms. The mixture might be a little watery so I suggest using a slotted spoon. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.
Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Serves 5


You can make these ahead and store in the refrigerator until you want to bake them. Just put them in the casserole pan and cover with cling wrap. I like to let them come up to almost room temperature before I put them in the oven. Maybe it's me but I get a little freaked about putting a cold pan in the pre-heated oven. 





I'd love to give you all the stats on this but to tell you the truth I haven't got a clue what they are. What I can tell you is that is hasn't got any grains or potatoes and the sugar from the raisins and apple is natural so that has got to count for lowish carbs.




Please enjoy.
Love,
M

Low-carb vegetarian diet does not mean "no-food" diet

As most of you know I was forced encouraged by my doctor to give up cut back on the number of carbohydrates that I eat per day. As a vegetarian this seemed like a daunting task. What was I supposed to eat? How would I get enough protein at every meal to ensure that I wasn't starving when my only high protein choices are soy and eggs?

After a couple of weeks of whining my creative cooking juices began to flow. Here are a few meals that I have prepared without grains, sugar, potatoes or any of those other bad white stuff. 

Fried green tomatoes on a bed of zucchini and yellow squash noodles drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction. It was yummy. JR loved the reduction so much that he wants it on everything. I think I'll try a port or Pinot Noir reduction next. I used almond flour to bread the tomatoes though soy flour would have worked well enough. I find I don't like to use soy flour all that often so almond flour works well.

Veggie eggs Benedict on a bed of veggie bacon sauteed spinach and grape tomatoes. This was a Saturday morning brunch thing. Very good. Really! How can you go wrong with homemade hollandaise sauce?

Portabella mushrooms stuffed pizza style. I was craving pizza one night. This satisfied. 

Cream of wild mushroom soup. Arrowroot my friends. Learn to embrace it. 

Cheese souffle stuffed mushroom caps. We had these on Wednesday night. They were awesome! I'm going to work on this recipe a bit before I share it. The taste was perfect but the presentation was a little wonky. I also want to work on the mushroom to souffle ratio.

All in all we've had some very wonderful food lately without all the carbs. Though the 'proof will be in the pudding' when I go into the doctor's to have my glucose levels checked again. I will tell you that I have lost 15 of those 20 ugly pounds that I gained since moving to Texas. That made me very happy. I also don't feel deprived of food. I'm getting more than enough protein and haven't succumbed to lethargy.

I think the one thing that I proved was that lowering your carbs will let you lose weight and that vegetarians can safely go on a low-carb diet. It may take a bit more ingenuity but it can be done. 

Love,
M

Waitin' on a Spin

It seems that I spend a lot of time waitin' 

Just this morning I woke up 30 minutes before the alarm went off. I waited until it did to get up.

Just this morning I waited for the coffee to brew or would that be steep in my house since we drink french press coffee every morning. And, a lot of it. And it was worth waitin' for.

I finished a paintin' last night. I'm waitin' for it to dry before sending it out. I'd show it to you but I promised I wait. 

 

I'm waitin' until my Nessa dog learns to pick up her babies (toys). I'm pretty sure I'll be waitin' a long time. At the present time there are baby arms, legs, and guts strewn around the house. We now have a paraplegic monkey. The new babies were bought on Tuesday as a reward for being good at the vet and groomers. I use the term "being good" loosely. I'm a sucker; she would have got them anyway. 

I'm waitin' for my trip to Ottawa. I've never been before. I also get to use that nice shiny new passport. 

I'm waitin', rather impatiently it seems, to go to Florida this October. (Jen and Casey, we'll be rolling into Orlando on Sunday night.) We are makin' plans, weighin' our travel options and saving our money. 

I'm waitin' to move. We found a large townhouse with a small fenced yard in town. My studio will almost double in size. While the kitchen is small, I'll get over it since the living space is big. Like, 700 square feet bigger big. I'll get 3 walk-in closets. Okay, JR will get 1. Still, leavin' me with 2. You know, he doesn't really need a whole walk-in closet. I think I'll put my shoes in his.

I'm waitin' until we move in to paint pictures for the covered porch. The light is kind of dim so I'm wantin' to brighten it up with something like this but since I want to take up most of one wall I'll need to wait to see how big the canvases need to be.

 That's all the waitin' I've got to do. People at work are waitin' for me to get there. I really wish I could find that job that didn't actually require my attendance. Now, click on the Spin Cycle button at top to visit other Spinners.

Love,
M

PS: sure I could and should credit the pictures above that I stole off the internet but since I didn't keep track of them we'll just let them speak for themselves.