Cooking with TMC: we measure nothing around here

Earlier this week we had a pitch-in at work. Some folks call it a potluck. Depends on where you're from. Here in the midwest folks seem to call it a pitch-in. Back in the west where I'm from, we say potluck. Doesn't matter. Just bring something, I say. I'm the coordinator of these types of things at work (I don't trust anyone else to do it well) and generally the one that brings homemade items. This week we were having soup and sandwiches and I was the maker/bringer of the soup. My boss requested tomato soup. I'm not a big fan of tomato soup but if that's what she wanted, that's what I'd bring. It turned out DELICIOUS (and remember, I don't care for tomato soup usually.) Here goes a recipe of sorts. I rarely measure things so you'll just have to jump right in.

crushed tomatoes (I used 1/2 a gigantic Sam's Club size can)
veggie "beef" stock powder & water to make a broth (you could use some other kind of broth or stock)
salt
pepper
onion
celery
roasted garlic
2 tbsp mild oil
flour & butter for a roux
soy sauce
heavy whipping cream (seriously, don't skimp on this. regular milk won't do)

Grate the onion, celery (& carrots if you've got them) on the tiniest holes on your box grater. Saute in the oil til translucent. Add butter and melt, then add in flour and blend. Cook for a bit to get the flour taste out.

In a big stock pot add your can(s) of crushed tomatoes and broth/stock/water. Bring up to a quick simmer. Add a bit of broth/stock/water to your skillet of veggies and mix til pourable. Pour skillet mixture into the stock pot and stir til blended. Turn up heat and bring soup to a boil. Turn down heat and season to taste with salt, pepper, herbage, soy sauce (just a dash!), chili flakes, whathaveyou. Add water to make the soup the consistency you'd like. Just before serving, pour in 1/2 - 1 c. heavy whipping cream (til soup turns a dull orange/red colour) and warm through.

EAT!

Pro tip: If you'd like to make this soup to freeze for later, leave out the cream. Cream soups don't freeze well. You can add cream when you reheat the frozen soup and serve.

Sing-along Thursday: NO CONTROL

If you don't know this album, you should.
David Bowie's Outside is a masterpiece, IMHO.
The track is called No Control.
This clip is all audio.

I didn't forget. I rarely forget. What was I saying?

I didn't forget that I neglected to do my New Year's/Samhain's resolution list blog post.
Thing is, I haven't written the list yet.
October didn't quite go as I'd planned... as usual I planned too much and ignored the fact that I need more down-time than most. Filling every evening and weekend with activities, things-to-do, events, etc. just isn't going to work for me. Anyway, the resolutions list has been on on my mind. I went back to 43 Things are started a sort-of resolutions list there. (It's in the sidebar, yo.) I've been trying to break down my potential resolutions into do-able parts to assure that the resolution as a whole is do-able.

One of the things on the list is to get tattooed... I've been pierced, burned, scarred, & cut in the name of art and self-expression but I'm just about to get my first real piece of art work tattooed. I waited and waited because I felt it needed to be a reward of sorts. Something to mark a positive change or event. Some of the changes may be external, some internal. At any rate, I'm excited to have a consultation with a fabulous artist named Dina at Voluta Tattoo this afternoon. We've been communicating and she seems as happy as I am to collaborate on something meaningful. I really wanted to find one artist that I could work with on a long-term basis since I want there to be some consistency in style with my pieces. I have a series of designs in mind that are quite detailed and whose locations may require a couple of sittings for each one. Having needles dragged across your skin repeatedly isn't necessarily a walk in the park. Here's hoping Dina's got a soft hand or at least that I'm the tough old bird I like to think I am.

And of course there's the money thing. Tattoos are an expensive hobby. I'm absolutely willing to pay for top quality but things like having food to eat and keeping the house warm take priority. A holiday bonus will help this time but after December it'll have to be a conscious saving-effort to keep things progressing. We'll see how it goes. This project might be a good opportunity to start using Smarty Pig. Better money management is another one of my 43 Things.

What are you challenging yourself to do lately?

Wanted: One wife

Some friends and I were discussing this just the other day. We're all career girls... full time jobs with households that really could use our full time attention. And in my case, I'd really prefer to be a stay at home housewife anyway but it's just not in my cards at this point. And NO. None of us have children.* That doesn't negate the busyness of our lives sans children, ok? While I would prefer to have a husband whose salary supports our household entirely, my second best option is to keep working and just find myself a wife. I've written an advertisement:

"Wanted: One wife. Must be available for assisting with the day to day running of an alternative pagan household. Responsibilities include maintaining the household's social calendar, pet care (1 dog, 3 house rabbits, 2 guinea pigs), carpooling, gardening, and chores (particularly dishes & vacuuming). Errands include going to the post office, to the pet store, and to the market to curb spontaneous juice or candy cravings. Must be kind, modest and matronly, interested in providing good service, but skilled in knowing how to mind your own business. Sense of humour REQUIRED. Some home renovation and maintenance experience a plus. Reliable transportation mandatory. Most weekends off. Salary nonexistent negotiable."

What do you think? What have a left out? What could you use a wife's help in doing?



*One doesn't need rugrats to legitimate a desire to be a full time keeper of the home.

Because we are compelled to confess our embarrassments

So yesterday me and Fancypance and non-blogger friend SAC headed to Squirrel Chatter's house for a cupcake party.*

Cupcakes were had, tea was sipped and shared. Due to a gross mismanagement of time I a.) managed to produce the sorriest looking cupcakes you've ever seen, b.) had run out of a particular medicine, without which I was beginning to experience the wah-wah-wah withdrawls (my Rx peeps will be familiar with this particular brand of unpleasantness), and c.) went about my daily business to 2 different markets PLUS this party full of mostly kind strangers completely oblivious to the fact that I had three very obvious and very purple hickeys on my throat.

*DIES INSIDE. For the nth time.*

No one told me. Not a stranger. Not my sister friends. Nobody mentioned it. I probably would have more MORE embarrassed had someone said something, but still. And since I'm not a primper who looks in the mirror during the day, I hadn't noticed these most unfortunate Husband-caused horrors until about 9:00 p.m. YESTERDAY NIGHT.

Needless to say I'm wearing concealer AND a scarf today. I'm 34 years old. My husband is 45. He thinks this type of thing is hilarious while I think it is shameful and ridiculous.

At one point yesterday I stood in the middle of the main thoroughfare of a big box retailer, hair standing straight up, apparel in disarray, tearing at a prescription bottle of pills to get it open, with these marks on me. I can hardly imagine a more disgraceful and unladylike sight. It could've only been more perfect had I been wearing flip flops and had a corndog stick hanging out of my mouth.

Sigh.




*Do we really speak this way? Yes, we do. 

wth?

Where did the weekend go?
I'm pretty sure that I didn't get my weekly R & R quota of no less than 17 hours of Law & Order and/or Bones reruns.

I don't even recognize myself anymore.

Oh well!
I'll be back tomorrow!

Six Word Saturday: Check-up edition

lowered cholesterol AND blood pressure: huzzah!