Do you ever get the feeling….

That you’re the last remaining technologically challenged person on the planet?

Welcome to my world.

I finally purchased Photoshop Elements yesterday. No, not the big Photoshop. You need a PhD to comprehend that program. Well, a PhD and a big wad of cash. I have neither. So Elements it is. Okay, so I got home and started the photo editing process. I got to about the 2nd step and had it. So not only am I an idiot, I have no patience. Not a good combo when you’re learning something new. Let’s just put it this way, I’d be better off learning Latin. Dead language or not, it makes a helluva lot more sense.

And has more real world functionality.

I’m just sayin’. (Okay so maybe my dad taught Latin for 15 years. Whatever, I’d have a better chance at conjugating a dead verb than I would at “dodging” a photo.)

Fingers crossed I don’t launch my computer across the room. Oh, did I mention I have a temper too? Good thing Ashley is out of the house for the night and I can have my mini-meltdown in private.

Should be exciting.

A New Adventure

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to photograph another house for the online component of the MLS listing. It was a bust. No really, it was awful. If it wasn’t the shutter speed, it was the lighting. And as easy as it was to photograph my own home, going into someone else’s was not. When I had the chance to go through each and every shot, I was devastated. I sucked. And the photos sucked.

So I asked the owners if I could redo the shots. Luckily, they obliged.

So the do-over shots still aren’t perfect, but they’re better than the first effort.

Our real estate agent (yes, we have the same one) really hooked me up here. Not sure if this will ever amount to much, but these little adventures are proving to be quite the training sessions. Let’s see if all of this learning will actually sink in.

And if anyone is interested in buying a lovely townhome a few hundred feet from mine, here’s the link.
And no, right now, those aren’t my pictures on the website…Stay tuned.

Oh and if you didn’t notice, this bathroom is a-mazing.
Thanks to Jake and Holly for being so kind as to let me into their home, take photos of it, and then post them here.
They are incredibly lovely people.

moving on up…

To the ‘burbs that is.  Unofficially of course.  Even though we haven’t bought a house yet, the move is imminent.  And it’s gotten me thinking.   A lot.  Not about a new life in a much bigger house or the extended commute. No, I’m thinking about the local restaurants we’re going to lose.  And one hurts me more than all the others. 

Taqueria Del Sol

And although I’ve always taken great issue with the fact that people travel a little too far and wide to stand in line for 45 minutes for soft tacos, my annoyance for said line is disappating quickly with the knowledge that this little taqueria won’t be a 2 minute drive from my house.

Neither will this margarita

Nor this queso dip

And this view from the restaurant…

Oh lord I’m going to miss you.

So while I’m counting down the days until we move out of our first home together, I’ll be counting how many times I can make it to Taqueria before we move up to suburbia.

I’m thinking three times a week over the next 4 weeks should do the trick.

white trash wednesday – cadbury creme eggs benedict

Oh boy – this one makes my sweet tooth melt.
Cakespy, the most glorious of sweets bloggers, posted this little number over on Serious Eats just this week.

It’s Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict and after looking at it, I think I’ve died and gone to candyland heaven.

I mean come on…not to offend, but this has got to be a little bit white trashy. 

Right?

Ingredients

2 Cadbury creme eggs
1 plain cake doughnut
1 brownie, the fudgier the better
2 to 4 tablespoons’ worth of buttercream frosting, to taste
1 large slice pound cake, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoons butter
Red sugar sprinkles, to garnish

Procedure

1. Prepare the “side potatoes” by melting 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan. Add your cubed pound cake slices and fry on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Flip the pieces and fry for 2 more minutes. Once they are lightly crispy on the edges, they’re ready; put them on the side of your serving plate, leaving half of it clear for the Benedict stacks.

2. Prepare your plate. Slice your doughnut in half; place the halves, cut side up, side by side on your plate.

3. Cut your brownie in half, the way that you would slice a bagel (so that you have two fully sized but thin brownie pieces). Either cut or shape each piece into a circle so that it is slightly smaller in circumference than the doughnut halves. Place the circles on top of the doughnut halves.

Note: While I realize that brownies might not have an accurate hue to represent the layer of ham, I chose them for their sturdy texture and for their deliciousness quotient. A pink cookie or layer of colored marzipan could be substituted if you really wanted a hammy look, though.

4. Prepare the Creme Eggs. The idea here is to get them lightly melty, but not so much that the yolk oozes out. I found that the best way to do this was to either put them on a sheet of aluminum foil atop a baking sheet and put them in either a toaster oven on high or a preheated moderate oven for about a minute. As soon as the tops of the chocolate eggs starts to get a bit shiny, remove them from heat, and very carefully (so as to not puncture the chocolate and let the yolk ooze out) transfer each egg to the top of your two prepared brownie and doughnut stacks.

5. Put your buttercream frosting in a small, microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high for about 10 seconds, with additional increments of 5 seconds each if needed, until the frosting is soft enough that it drips lightly when spooned (you don’t want it to be pourable though). Spoon as much as you’d like onto each prepared “egg” stack.

6. Sprinkle each finished stack with red sugar sprinkles; serve immediately.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Cakespy / Serious Eats.

those were the days

It’s no secret that I work in a cubicle. I’ve mentioned it here. And here. And here. And apparently, I’ve mentioned it about 22 other times as well.  I’m thinking I obsess over it a little too much. Then again, that’s kind of what I do. 

Yesterday it hit me that I REALLY miss my office, but not for the obvious reasons. Not for the four full walls, the door, or the windows.  I miss it for the privacy.  Because now I can’t use my ruler as my microphone. Because now I have to sing under my breath.  And kids, that sucks.

Because when I’m lucky enough to have songs like this come on the radio

I have to hum to myself…or at best, whistle. Trust me kids, that just ain’t the same.

My only saving grace is that my cubemates love this song…

and when it comes on, we have a full on concert.

I mean it will never be the same as when co-worker Bob and I had our own semi-rock concerts in our old offices.

He’d play the drums (fake of course) and we’d sing some great tune like the theme song to the Facts of Life or maybe a good Brandi Carlile number.

But no..I live in cubeworld now. Where singing into my ruler is frowned upon. And singing at an audible level is grounds for total ridicule.

Thank God for my car.

be vewy, vewy quiet

Whatever you do…do not disturb the Rustice.

Oops, my bad.
Too late.
You’re on your own kids.
It was nice knowing you.

sweet potato and andouille soup

Again, thanks to Elisabeth for making this soup the other night. She was kind enough to share the recipe with me and now I’m sharing it with you.

Here’s what you’ll need:
3 tbsp peanut oil
1 1/4 lbs sweet potatoes
1/2 lb bulk andouille sausage, crumbled
1 cup julienned onions
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or less depending on your taste)
1 qt chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

To make:
preheat oven to 400 degrees
coat the sweet potatoes with 1 tbsp of the oil and place in a small baking dish. Roast the potatoes for 50 minute to an hour, or until the potatoes are fully roasted and fork tender. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skins. Reserve the skins until ready to use.

Heat a 1 gallon stockpot over medium high heat and add the remaining two tbsp of oil. Add the sausage to the pot and saute until most of the fat as rendered and meat is well caramelized, stirring constantly for 5-6 minutes, Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage and drain on a paper lined plate. Set aside until ready to use. Add the onions and saute until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds. Add the cayenne pepper and chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the roasted sweet potatoes to the soup and stir to blend. Simmer for 10 minutes, then blend with either an immersion blender or in a regular good old bar blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir in heavy cream. Season with salt.

Garnish with cooked andouille, the chopped chives.

(Recipe courtesy of Emeril.)

another dinner with friends

I’ve been very fortunate to meet and become friends with Elisabeth, the proprietor of The Hand that Rocks the Ladle. To me she is a true foodie. I know that word gets thrown around a lot, but I’ve never met anyone who loves discovering recipes and testing them out (no matter the ingredients) as much as she does.

Last night she made sweet potato and andouille soup, sauteed chicken breast with artichokes and peppers, and risotto.
Not a bad night.

And because this is me, I took too many pictures. Because food like this needs to be photographed.
And eaten.

if i were an artist

You better believe there would be a comic book called The Superhero Adventures of Liberty and Justice.

the libster

This week has kicked me in the shins, spit in my face, and stuck gum in my hair.
It’s Wednesday.
It’s time to write this week off.

The only thing that can make this week better is for me to torture someone else. I think I’ll just stick my camera in my dog’s face.

Yeap, that’ll do.

That’ll do just fine.