Wednesday, January 18, 2012

So I went to Pittsburgh...



And I ate this whole sandwich all by myself. We were at Primanti's, which you may have seen on various Food Network shows throughout the years.


I know what you're thinking: Holy moly. Are those french fries in that delicious looking sandwich? As I recall that ginormous meal also had pastrami, lettuce, tomato and an egg. Don't ask--the Pittsburgh people seem to like eggs on lots of things that normal people don't usually put eggs on. I've learned it's best just to accept that.

But I CAN explain the fries thing. Stolen directly from the Primanti's website

Back in the 1930's, Joe Primanti opened a cart in the Strip District selling sandwiches to truckers on the go. It was decided that he should expand to a small restaurant on 18th Street. The hours were 3am to 3pm to accommodate truckers and the like. His brothers, Dick and Stanley, joined him along with nephew John DePriter who was the cook.

According to John, "One winter, a fella drove in with a load of potatoes. He brought a few of 'em over to the restaurant to see if they were frozen. I fried the potatoes on our grill and they looked pretty good. A few of our customers asked for them, so I put the potatoes on their sandwiches." And the rest is history. The Primanti Sandwich: a true taste of Pittsburgh.

That's not all the deliciousness, though.

As you may know, or may not know because you live on the moon, my birthday is on Christmas. I spent the holiday and Christmas (heh heh. See what I did there?) with my family, in the traditional holiday/Christmas celebration: Helping my son pack a UHaul trailer so he could move to Missouri the next day.  Then there was food and presents with the whole clan. Delicious and fun.

The next morning I went to Logan Airport and got on a plane ALL BY MYSELF* with NO LUGGAGE** and a ONE-WAY*** ticket, which meant a first-class pass to a full body scan. Good times, people. Yeah, like I would risk blowing up my new Vera Wang purse or missing out on that sandwich above.

Anyway, back to food.

After apparently some serious shenanigans including The Great Search for a Round Pan and Is Your Lemon Curd Lemony Enough? on Christmas night, in anticipation of my arrival the next day, The Chef and his family stayed up all night while he created the best birthday cake ever, complete with homemade aforementioned lemon curd and delicious coconut, my all-time favorite cake flavors.

I will end this post by allowing you to bask in the glow of the lemon curd...and no, I will not stop saying lemon curd.****

I am a delicious cake and you should be jealous because you cannot eat me!


"Nom nom nom," said the little butterfly...


* I was only a little bit afraid.
** Because I had sent it along with The Chef when he drove out to see his family.
*** Because I would be driving back with The Chef and my luggage.
****Lemon curd, lemon curd, lemon curd...

Because this sums up my mental state at any given time...

Monday, January 9, 2012

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Son-o-Mine. Happy birthday to you. (Now where am I supposed to send the royalty check for getting you to sing that song in your head?)

XOXO

Friday, January 6, 2012

I had an Epiphany!

It's Holly's Birthday!

Remember when I DRAGGED you to Disney World? Remember? And we had to make a stop?
Happy birthday--and nothing in this post is related to anything else in the post. I just wanted to use that picture.

LOVE this!

THE OPTIMIST CREED
By Christian D. Larsen


Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.

Make all your friends feel there is something in them.

Look at the sunny side of everything.

Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

Give everyone a smile.

Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others.

Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.

Monday, January 2, 2012

What I read in 2011 (excluding the forever time that I forgot to write stuff down)

  • Santa Fe Edge by Stuart Woods (audio in car)
  • Can you believe I have been driving around listening to the radio because I couldn't get to the library for more audio books? Yeah, me neither. I almost DIED! Thank heavens for the Holly station on XM!
  • Full Scoop by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes (audiobook in car)
  • Reilly's Return by Tami Hoag (audiobook in car)
  • Grrrr. I forgot to keep track for five months. Dang it!
  • Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent (iPad)
  • Raspberry Crush by Jill Winters
  • The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds
  • Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
  • Call Me Irresistable by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
  • Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
  • Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts
  • A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
  • Strategic Moves by Stuart Woods (audio)
  • The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman (audio)
  • Cross Fire by James Patterson
  • Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen (audio book in car)
  • Union Atlantic by Adam Haslett (audio book in car)
  • Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts
  • Little Bitty Lies by Mary Kay Andrews (iPod)
  • I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
  • Taken by Storm by Tami Hoag
  • Every Last One by Anna Quindlen
  • House Rules by Jodi Picoult (audio book in car)
  • Fire and Ice by J.A. Jance
  • Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini (in car)
  • Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts
  • Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner (iPad)
  • Heart of Dixie by Tami Hoag
  • It All Began in Monte Carlo by Elizabeth Adler (audio book in car)
  • Rumor has It by Tami Hoeg (iPod/in car)
  • Vision in White by Nora Roberts
  • Hell Gate by Linda Fairstein (iPod)
  • Whiter than Snow by Sandra Dallas
  • The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne
  • Good Enough to Eat by Stacey Ballis
  • Star Island by Carl Hiaasen (audio in car)
  • Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
  • Sunday, January 1, 2012

    Happy New Year!

    Our traditional/annual Grainy New Year's Eve picture!

    
    (Why the pink hue? Who knows???)
    
    XOXO