Book Update- Twilight

So I just started this book - im about 7ish chapters in - and I have very mixed feelings. I kept hearing about this book and how its going to be a movie and how people have been reading the saga for a while but its just starting to gain hype now. First...is this a "teen" book because it doesn't say anywhere on it that it is but so far...
Second...the writing is so mundane, so bland, so commonplace that its embarrassing. I would say this reading level would qualify at...4th grade?
Third...she spends almost no time developing the main character, and thus I have no feelings for her..in fact, I kinda dislike her.
But! Despite all this Im starting to get drawn into the story. Maybe its just because I like Vampires..I dont know. But, until I have finished this book and given you the low down - you may want to hold off on reading it.

On a similar vein. I'm interested in starting a book club - you know the kind - we all read the same book then talk about it and bring our individual readings of the book together. I don't have any more english classes to take (or room in my schedule) but I continue to read like a maniac, so I thought it might be a fun thing to do. If you are interested let me know. We could take turns picking the books. If not..I will continue to be your poison taster and give you recommendations based on my personal fancies.

I plead guilty...but its the bacon's fault really!

Hibou humored me with a photoshoot over breakfast

Its been a long weekend, and that means bad eating habits :( I worked two doubles and a hostess shift ( as a favor, which will not happen again) this weekend which means 5 meals at Kazu in 3 days. Don't get me wrong, their food is no doubt all that and a bag of chips (do you all remember saying that? no? just me?) but its rich food and its really messes up my normal eating schedule. And plus! The last few days I have been on a egg and bacon kick..once I open the bacon pack I just can't stop thinking about it! So today I went back to my basics with a simple breakfast of fresh raspberries, organic applesauce, a small brie sandwich (thanks jon) and OJ. I like to eat lots of fresh, raw, simple food when I'm not planning full scale meals for jon and myself. Next on my list is bread. I have been really negligent in my bread making... but to defend myself a little...where can you find cracked wheat! I have been wanting to make a bread with cracked wheat and just cannot find the stuff!



PS. yesterday was Riz (the sushi-man) Aaron (the manager) and Kazu (the owner) 's birthday...3 in one day in our tiny restaurant! So I made brownies this morning to celebrate. Kazu says I will make a good housewife one day...gee fanks

Movies update

okay, so as I said before I have been renting old classics to edify myself on our grand old cinema past. First I rented Casablanca, which is one of the "all time best" on IMDB. my reactions...I spent a lot of the movie thinking...really? that guy? that's Humphrey Bogart? What's all the fuss about? I really did enjoy the movie though - interesting plot if you dont know it. Its about this little town in Africa where Europeans were going to try to get exit visas to get passage to America to avoid WWII. There in this town is Rick Blaine (Bogart), a man with a reputation who owns a nightclub. His ex-lover shows up looking for an exit visa with another man...all kinda of drama, you know the deal. Good movie though.
Gone with the wind was way longer than I expected (almost 4 hours!) but was well worth it I think. This movie also kinda had me wondering...like..why are all these guys so dumb that the fall for Scarlet even though she's kinda a...uhm... ( this is un-ladylike but) bitch. She is pretty, dont get me wrong, but really? that pretty? Towards the end of the movie when she is in morning for Melanie she is wearing a stunning ( giant..like the size of my head) cameo. Also..whats the deal with Ashley...really? that guy? And I thought this movie was a romance! where is the romance!
Next on the list is Roman Holiday. Tess don't laugh..I have never seen a Hepburn movie.

Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon

Serves 4

4, 6 ounce pieces salmon fillet ( hey Pang...two lls in fillet...go figure, huh? straight from the magazine that spelling is)
salt and pepper
1 seedless cucumber, sliced into half moons
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced (or skip this because of the ecoli scare, we skipped it and it was still delish)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbs olive oil
1 cedar grilling plank, soaked in water for a least one hour ( we needed two planks)

Heat grill to medium. Season the salmon with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, arrange on the plank.

Place the plank on the grill and cook, covered, until the salmon is opaque and flakes easily, 12 tp 15 min.

In a bowl, combine the cucumber, jalapeno, lemon juice, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve with the salmon.


Its that simple folks. Although I will say a few things. 1: That cucumber side thing....really really yummy! I will be making this again to go with chicken or shrimp or just as a nice veggie side. 2: really soak the boards first and leave them soaking until just before grilling. Fill a small water bottle with water to spray the board as it dries out. We got excited and turned the grill up a little too high and took the boards out of the water too soon and now we have two less boards to use next time.

On a different subject, Jon and I (on my whim) have been watching old classics. So far we have watched Casablanca and Gone with the Wind. We just finished GWTW the other day, man is that movie long. Im ashamed to say, but neither Jon or I have seen like any of the "classics." I have a feeling Tess is going to give me a hard time for this one - do keep in mind that Uncle Glenny is not as culturally minded as Uncle Mike, and thus these staples in American film were never experienced in our household. Sad but true. So now I will see them! P.S. I had no idea that Scarlet O Hara is supposed to be such a spoiled, man-stealing, backstabbing, self-centered little twat. Great movie though.

So I spent the day in the ol' stomping ground - Lake Linganore, with my two younger sisters, Riley (10) and Sydney (13). It was sweet. Riley brought a friend so she played a lot, and Sydney and I swapped stories and talked never-ending family drama. Eventually Sydney and I got tired of sunbathing and got in the water with Riley and her friend. We dug in the sand under the water to find clay and Riley and her friend made a giant elephant dung pile which she insisted on taking home.

Afterwards we cooked out with Jon Gobiel, Erik Meehan, Trey and Mandi. We made Salmon on cedar planks, and we burned the planks to no return. Sad because the planks cost 5 bucks each. I will post the recipe tomorrow, and take my advice..make sure you soak the planks real good like...and then spray them more on the grill with water.
Then! We tossed the frisbee around to get some practice. I am real bad...no fib, real bad. I haven't decided it my right or left hand feels more natural. Im left handed, but I do so many things right handed (golf, throw a ball, ect) that its hard to know which hand to use sometimes. Anyhow here are some pictures of that and just a few night shots of Frederick.

New fern and possible lead poisoning on the horizon

So I tricked Jon into grocery shopping with me the other night (he really needed to so he didn't really fight it...i exaggerate) and we went a little crazy and spent way too much money. But, jon got a pretty little plant for his apartment. He said he needed some green in the house and oxygen, plants produce it....something like that :) anyhow here it is



and it came in this cool little pot



uhm... dont ask me what the name of this fern is...i dont know....does that make me a bad female? I should know this shouldn't I?!

On to things I do know about: Glasses!
Look at these pretty Persian glasses I picked up at the Antique Emporium in Frederick a few weeks back. I have a serious addiction to glasses and Jon just happened to be a little short on glasses at his place...so...i rescued them...they looked sad...they needed a home! I did a good deed :)



There are 7 glasses and each has all three of the figures on them. The girl on the middle glass is my favorite. I do worry about lead poisoning a little...does anyone know about that? How do you make an educated guess as to wether it is painted with lead or not? Eeeeppp! Now I is scared.

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Salsa, Lacey makes mexican food!

total time : 40 / serves 4

4 tbsp canola oil
2 small zucchini, diced
1 small red onion, chopped ( i never use onion but you can)
1 ear of corn, kernels cut off the cob (about 1/2 cup)
1 2 1/2 to 3 pound rotisserie chicken, meat shredded ( I love this because the long chicken cooking process is done for you!)
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack
Kosher salt and pepper
12 6 inch corn tortillas
as much sour cream as you can eat

Salsa
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
1 jalepeno, seeded
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Heat oven to 400. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, onion, and corn, stirring until the onion begins to soften (3 - 5 min). Transfer to large bowl

Add chicken, cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix to combine.

Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil over medium heat. One at a time, cook tortillas in the oil until softened (10 to 15 seconds per side). Transfer to paper towel lined plate.

Divide chicken mixture among tortillas, roll them up, and place them seam side down in a large baking dish. Bake until heated through (8-10 min)

In food processor, pulse the tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice and 1/2 tsp salt until finely chopped.


So Jon and I tried out the recipe today for dinner and mmm mmm was it yummy. I will say though, we did not make the salsa due to all the hype about jalapenos, so I cannot vouch for the salsa, but im sure its yummy too. I got this out of the REAL SIMPLE magazine - one of my new faves.

Catnip Oil

So a few new things I have learned. According to Body and Soul magazine, Catnip Oil is thought to be "10 times more effective against mosquitoes than DEET." I was thrilled to hear this because mosquitoes flock to me like Shepherdstown hippies to the river ( i tease i tease) so anything to get them no to choose me first as their prey I will try. But, DEET is pretty serious stuff - it has been linked to birth defects and degeneration of the nervous system and other scary stuff like that. Body and Soul suggests a mixture of 6 drops of Catnip Oil to 3 ounces of water sprayed liberally over exposed skin.
Here is my question. Will my cat maul me when I come home? What is it exactly about Catnip that cats get high off of, and is it the same thing in Catnip Oil. I assumed it was the smell but I couldn't say for sure. I went to Crafty Bastards in Silver Spring with Pang a few weeks ago and bought a little catnip filled mouse/elephant (you look at the picture and tell me what its supposed to be!) and the girl who made it confided to me that the catnip inside was the "chronic of catnip." When we first got the mouse/elephant it was a beautiful shade of green that has now degenerated into its current state. But....Hibou didn't writhe and spasm as I had hoped....did she sell me a mouse/elephant shaped pouch of grass clippings? I feel cheated....

Hello World!

So my friend Pang inspired me to start a blog with her cute little blog

   Pretty Little Fings
So Hibou (my cat and constant companion when she isn't brooding) and I will be documenting our lives here from this day onward.  Here are some pictures of us to get you acquainted.  This was back in December so we both look a little different now but you get an idea of our relationship I'm sure.

This was just shortly after I got my Mac so we were studiously learning the ins and outs of my power machine which was oh-so-necessary for my photographic endeavors.

Hibou was a tiny little kitten that my friend found on the side of the highway who is now my affectionately feral crack-baby. When I first got her she used to love to perch on my shoulder (she's way to big now for me to support this habit) and she has giant staring yellow eyes - both of which contributed to her name: Hibou, which is French for owl.

We have had our rough patches, like when I "abandoned" her for two weeks when I went to France and got the silent treatment for a week or so after coming back. By silent treatment I mean running away from me and constantly showing me her butthole instead of her face. But despite all this we are the a close-knit pair who always enjoy a good book - well actually Hibou enjoys kneading my gut, laying on my arms and purring in my face, and rearranging herself 5 millions times - while I read.