Brrrrr!

[stoney321]

Things Of Awesomeness:

• my Under Armor shirt for exercise (I bailed out at 16 miles because when I left [in shorts, long-sleeved under armor shirt, and a ball-cap] it was 46 degrees and I figured it would warm up as it usually does. Because, hey, I'm in Texas. Guess what? It didn't warm up, just got windier. Reports of 40 mph winds. My ears are a little chapped and chilled. So. Bailed out at 16 miles because HOLY CRAP I AM COLD.)
• coming back home, chilled and stiff, and the Mr. has made buckwheat pancakes and bacon for me. <3
• a lovely random friendsfriends reader that made a $25 donation to my 3-Day efforts! I mean, how awesome is that?
• the big steamy pot of tomato-basil soup that we will feast on today (the kids have no school) and the grilled cheese sammiches for dipping into said soup, made from homemade bread. (Today is bread day!)
• today is BREAD DAY. Who doesn't love the smell of fresh baked bread??
• I may need to make sugar cookies, too - another thing of \o/
• being almost finished with everyone's Halloween costumes. Wrapping up Plankton today. Hee.
• The kick butt human shape the Mr. made out of chicken wire, waiting to be wrapped in spider webs and embedded in the webbing on the front porch
• the absolute joy I now get from watching the utter train wreck that is True Blood. I mean, honestly. I spend more time shrieking NO NO NO!! and covering my face than anything else. It's moving into fantastically bad!fic territory, and you should know by now how much I love craptastic fic.
• I also love GOOD fic, like the Entourage fic ethrosdemon wrote. A thing of man-child slashy beauty.

And lastly, the CRAZY SWEDISH SINGING on this video of a kitty snorgling her pony. I laugh so hard every time... When the singing gets frantic and loud? AHAHAHAHA. I love it. People can be awesome.

I have officially abused the word awesome in this post. *pins gold star on shirt*

[ETA] I forgot to mention the fabulous wine I had this weekend! It's a Rothschild bordeaux, but they've leased out rows in their vineyards to upstarts, so it's a fraction of the cost, even though it's the same wine. Chateau Paradis Casseuil, Lafite, 2006 Bordeaux. YUM. Definitely benefits from being uncorked and allowed to breathe for a half hour - my second glass was better than the first, in other words.

My sister and I shared a bottle of Australian shiraz (I'm just meh on them, she looooves them.) We split a bottle of Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet, and it was quite good. I wasn't expecting to like it, so that was a bonus. V v drinkable, and well under 10 bucks, so that's nice!

Comments

[drusplace.livejournal.com]

I am jumping on a plane and will hopefully make it to your place for lunch. Tomato-Basil soup is one of my favs and grilled cheese on homemade bread is FTW! I assume that when I get to Texas from Toronto it will a) have warmed up there for me and b) I'll just be able to ask the first Texan I find where "Stoney's House" is and said Texan will be able to direct me to the Tomato-Basil soup.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Hahaha! Yes, you should be able to find my house just by asking. *G* Man, I love good tomato-basil soup. I've got tomatoes like gangbusters all over the last of my plants and I've got to get the basil in before it dies. That's what we call a win/win.

[drusplace.livejournal.com]

I love it when you use your Gilbert icon!!!!

After our brief snow and frost, sadly my basil is deader than dead. Good thing I'd eaten 99.9 percent of it already!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I love Gilbert, so it works out for the both of us! :D

Oh, good! Nothing sadder to me than un-eaten goodies...

[drusplace.livejournal.com]

Gilbert, I believe, was my second literary-crush (Almanzo Wilder being my first).

It's still sad looking at my dead basil plant, but he was much loved while he was alive.

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmmm tomato-basil soup sounds deeee-vine. Alas, the hubby is allergic to tomatoes so I usually have to do with canned soup. *pout* Eat some for me.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

ALLERGIC TO TOMATOES??? NOOOOOOOO! Oh, that's almost as sad as someone being allergic to chocolate or LOVE.

I will gladly eat a bowl on your behalf!

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

I know!

Technically he's allergic to the acid in them, so if they're cooked he's okay. But he generally tends to avoid all tomato based products (except salsa) just in case.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

...only if they're cooked? But, um, salsa isn't cooked? (Is he like my friend marenfic's husband that claims allergy because he just doesn't like eating them? *G*)

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

No, he eats salsa and spaghetti sauce, but other than that tends to avoid tomato based products. In the ten years we've been married, I've seen him have one allergic reaction when he accidentally got an uncooked tomato. Luckily it was fairly mild, but I'm glad he's as cautious as he is because I wouldn't want to see a severe reaction.

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

Every day this chilly should be Bread Day! I'm thinking of making a moussaka just to heat the kitchen up, maybe I'll put together a loaf of bread to bake at the same time...

That Swedish singing was insane. Insane!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, how I love fresh baked goods! Do you have a recipe that you like for moussaka? If you're able to share, I'd love to see it - I certainly understand if it's not easy to type up, if you don't have it from an online source.

Wasn't that crazy?? And yet, that's exactly the voice that SHOULD accompany such a video! :D

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

The moussaka went by the wayside as I don't have lamb in the freezer like I thought. I decided to make this instead:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/eggplant-and-lentil-stew-with-pomegranate-molasses

I've made it before, baking it rather than cooking it on top of the stove, so I can still have the oven doing double duty. I cut the olive oil in half with no ill effect.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! I'm happy to get that recipe, that's for sure. YUM! Oh, and thanks for the tip on olive oil - I always like hearing about little tweaks to recipes that turn out.

I just made a pot of Chai and my hands are so toasty warm... I just really got a chill this morning!

[tricksterquinn.livejournal.com]

Your food breeds envy in my soul.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Muah ah ah! mine is an evil laugh!!

[tricksterquinn.livejournal.com]

You know, somehow I had sensed this about you.

[slasheuse.livejournal.com]

Are you a red or white person, as far as wine goes?

ALSO STONEY. My Texan next-door-neighbour is starving to death because of the lack of Texan food. I want to make him a basket of stuff he'd like to eat, because he is awesome and, well. Okay, he's 27 and had never left the States before except for Mexico like ONCE until last month, and reading-between-the-lines of his big huntin' shootin', you-are-a-little-lady-and-i-am-a-big-strong-man exterior, he is completely scared that he's not clever enough to be at Oxford (he went to a really small school somewhere i had never heard of, which would probably make Ox scary at first, except that he's totally a genius) and get this, he had a brain tumour like four months ago (SERIOUSLY, they operated in LATE JUNE) and is probably not as big and strong as he thinks he is. Also I suspect he's never lived in a city before, and we are living in a (for Oxford) rough bit of town which is very very multi-cultural and a lot of people don't speak English (including the food shops and places where he might buy food).

What should i get him?? He is lusting after 'ground beef' which both my mum and I (he adores my parents) insist IS MINCED BEEF, but he insists it is NOT THE SAME, so. What the hell is ground beef? Also what else should I get him? He is seriously losing weight and I suspect working much too hard. In that he's awake whenever I am, but I am a filthy night owl.

[slasheuse.livejournal.com]

I should add that i am in no way judging him for not adjusting desperately well to east oxford, because 1) if you've lived in Texas all your life, it probably seems small and grubby 2) there is no point pretending there's no difference between living in a mostly-white/hispanic place and a place where whites are the minority and most people are Eastern European if white and Asian or Afro-Caribbean if not. We have two mosques on our road. Old men with beards in white pyjamas. I know it must be a huge culture shock, and, honestly, the level of noise, homelessness and insane people at night is a shock for me, and this is my fourth year living in Oxford.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

RED!! love love LOVE Bordeaux. Really complex flavors make me happy. I do like Pinot Grigios, but that's about it for whites.

As far as I know minced and ground are the same thing. As long as it is coarsley ground meat, then there you have it. There are no seasonings, etc. added. HOWEVER! Because Texas is cattle country, perhaps he had an inferior grade of meat once while there and now is turning his nose up? (Just don't tell him you're using minced beef, and he'll never know as they are the SAME THING.)

Now. Things of deliciousness you could attempt to make him, and keep in mind that it's the seasonings that make Mexican food so good. (Um, Spanish food is not the same. At all.) You could make him ground beef seasoned with Chili Powder (US chili powder) and Cumin. Cumin is the key ingredient in a lot of Mexican food.

Serve that on tortillas with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, lots of cheese and salsa, if you can find it there? That's a chalupa if it's flat (and also if there are refried beans, but I'm thinking you can't find those there) or a taco if it's wrapped in half and eaten. Simple and nummy?

Also, I have a fantastic recipe for tortilla-chicken soup under my recipe tag. I don't know if you can find adobo/chipotles there? Maybe I need to send a care package, or something. Poor thing - talk about a culture shock!!

[slasheuse.livejournal.com]

Am thinking I'd go investigate the nicer supermarket in town as they have better quality meat.

Refried beans... actually, we have a lot of Jamaican/Caribbean ingredients in the shops, stuff like ackee and rice and beans in tins, do you think refried beans might come under that heading (if you get refried bins in tins)? Salsa we have, easy.

I bet we can if you ask. Also - shit, what am I thinking, my friend Patrick is Texan. I should just email him and say PATRICK, JASON IS DYING OF MALNUTRITION, YOU LIKE FOOD, WHERE DO YOU BUY STUFF. Patrick is awesome. He's very Texan, wears cowboy boots with his black tie (which look fucking awesome) and sits on High Table. I suspect m'neighbour might even be having trouble making himself understood in shops/supermarkets; he has a really strong accent and, like I said, a lot of supermarket staff are ESL speakers.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha, Mr. S also wears his boots with suits on occasion, and I always roll my eyes and accuse him of playing dress up. :D

Refried beans DEF. come in tins, they need to be heated super hot and a dash of cheese on top, and you dig in. (I scoop them onto tortilla chips and spoon a little salsa on that, and YUM YUM YUM.)

Oh, excellent idea! I hope Patrick has good gastronomical decisions and can steer you to a place that has good things to eat. NOM NOM NOM!

[slasheuse.livejournal.com]

Also yes, culture shock! The cold must be getting to him, as well.

[windstar.livejournal.com]

I am not a big shiraz fan, but that Shiraz Cabernet is pretty good actually.

And YAY for BREAD DAY! I am hoping that the loaf I put in when I left this morning is all done when I get home (also YAY for bread machines that turn off on their own!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty meh on shiraz, too. Most of the ones I've sampled are very sweet and fruity, and I prefer a a bit darker, complex spicy finish. (Now I sound like one of those tools that slurps the wine through pursed lips.)

Oh, man, bread machines! That makes it so much easier. (I do like making it by hand, though. It's very satisfying to me. Translation: I don't have a bread maker. *G*)

[windstar.livejournal.com]

We bought a Zojirushi machine. Love it, it is very programmable, but I do miss having the dough in my hands.

[solipsiae.livejournal.com]

That video describes to a T my mood right now: desperately wanting happy lovey snuggy time but with that palpable edge of ABOUT TO LOSE IT

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

That's totally what it is, too!

Aww, poor thing. I have some hot chai I will share with you? *lovings*

[anelith.livejournal.com]

Sounds like an awesome day indeed (except for the cold wind)! I have bread baking in my bread machine right now so my house is filled with a yummy smell. We finished the boys' costumes yesterday and carved pumpkins so we are pretty much ready. But we are sorely lacking in the creative house-decorating department so have no spider-wrapped remains displayed, alas. You folks are truly in the Halloween spirit!

I'm saving the vid of the kitty and pony to show the boys when they get home from school because it's too great not to share. The soundtrack absolutely *makes* it.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

You guys and your bread machines! I feel like I'm back in the stone age... (But it makes my hands happy to knead dough, so...) Mmmm I bet your house is going to smell DELICIOUS.

Pumpkin carving! We have to usually wait until the week before because they'll rot from the heat, but I think we'll avoid that this year.

(Ahahaha, I know, right?? Emily has watched it three times today, laughing fit to bursting.)

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

*cough* You could get a translation for that swedish song if you want. X-D *cough* It is.... a very silly lyric to... Trust me. ;-D

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

It's from a childrens show, right? All I know is that the song and the singing makes me SO HAPPY because of the silliness. I'll have to go back to the home page to see the lyrics. :D

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

It is actually a goof on the swedish childrens cartoon (and comic) Bamse - The Worlds Strongest Bear (Bamse - Världens starkaste björn) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamse)

[cappy.livejournal.com]

OMG. Is it YOUR FAULT I STOPPED ON TRUE BLOOD THE OTHER NIGHT?!

I didn't know who to blame it on; thanks for stepping up.

That is the most god-awful, hideous, poorly written, badly acted, horrifically scripted piece of shit I have ever seen on HBO. I mean, GAWD AWFUL. The accents. The characters. The horrible, horrible acting! Jesus WEPT man.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

DUDE. I think that show is utter crap, but it's merged into HOLY CRAP I LOVE THIS TRAINWRECK! territory, so there you go. :D

Aren't those accents AWFUL??? Where the hell are those people from? Let's see, we've got an Arkansas, a Georgian, a South Carolinian, and the one accurate Creole (Rene) who is the only one that took dialect coaching.

HOECAKES! With SYRUP! What the hell, man? And what, because they're black that's what is typical for breakfast? Good fucking hell, that show is like a slap in the face to all Southerners!

[cappy.livejournal.com]

My daughter, who is obsessed with the Twilight books & (sqeeeeeeeeeeee!) can't wait for the movie came in while I was watching that tripe the other night & even SHE said, "Oh my GOD. This is AWFUL. What IS this?!"

But, like you, I got sucked in & I watched it in horrified fascination. The accents~~!! It was worse than Kyra Sedgewick on the Closer! & that's going some.

And the WRITING. My God... the writing.

And somebody needs to stake that one vamp just for his sideburns & that hideous, horrible Elvis drawl. Period.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

That is the most patient horse in the world!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, I think the pony likes it! He's all warm from cat lovings. Hahahaha.

[elizaria.livejournal.com]

LMAO

I seem to be lurking in your LJ since your True Blood post earlier, pardon the lurking bit. But I just gotta say lmao thanks for that vid link. That cat was so so cute - and I also got the chance to tell everyone in the thread what they were actually listening. They probably only worksafe Onkel Kånkel song ever. They otherwise have titles like Shit on the pitt (pitt equals cock in Swedish - which is why we laugh at Brad Pitt's name), Leperous Leffe and Kalle Anka Suger Pung (= Donald Duck sucks balls). It's an old goof punk band which isn't politically correct whatsoever and the guy singing always wears mask so no one knows who he is.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Lurk away, pop up, I never mind!

Wasn't that so cute and funny? Ahahaha, I had no idea that pitt = cock, that's HILARIOUS.

That's so freaking cool to know all of that, btw. I love that kind of stuff. Believe me: there are NO WORDS OUT THERE that can offend me. No, really. *G*

[elizaria.livejournal.com]

It was - that cat definitely was right where he wanted. High up and comfortable :D

Which is good since you know, I sometimes don't realise until oh oh I've TMI'd someone or you know, foot in mouth syndrome *cough* ;)