manipulating different selections of cereals in various ways to create the most delicious breakfast possible
So apparently my rainbow cake was taken as a challenge; Mevin made a July 4th version. An admirable effort, to be sure, and it looks delicious:
Of course, they had no idea I was concocting 3 layers of Independence Day awesomeness myself. The icing on this particular cake (figuratively and literally) was my mom’s recipe for homemade 7-minute icing. Topped with red and blue sugar sprinkles, it was pretty much an edible masterpiece. Wonder if it’s time to quit my day job yet.
It sucked. And apparently nobody else who has reviewed it even read the book. Yes, the book upon which this movie was SUPPOSED to be based. I’ll admit it was reminiscent in some ways. Just leaving out the MIND-BLOWING PLOT TWIST THAT MADE THE BOOK INCREDIBLE.
First, literature:
Make Him Look Good by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
I’ve read two other books by this author–The Dirty Girls Social Club and Playing With Boys. All three are basic chic-lit with a Latino twist, but MHLG was by far the best. Set in Miami and featuring, among other things, a bikini-wearing dog, vivid descriptions of couture, a romantically and professionally aggressive (and hairy-moled) lesbian journalist, a less-than-well-endowed male whore of a pop icon, a cat who sees dead people, and corruption and redemption of innocent characters, it all wraps up nicely with a tidy feel-good conclusion.
And for cinema:
Stick It as featured on the ABC Family network
This looks like a made-for-TV movie, and I only saw a little snippet of it near the end. That small segment was enough to sell me on it. In short, a bunch of sassy gymnasts protest the judges’ harsh scoring of one of the competitors due to an errant bra strap flash. Highly entertaining. The movie begins with one of the girls’ hard knock life issues being solved by a court order to return gymnastics school as punishment for some sort of criminal act. I know because, as I write this, it happens to be coming on again and I will now be watching from the beginning. I can already tell I’ll probably want to own this one. Bonus: lots of sassy music too.
As requested:
I am so damn cold
With arms like a plucked chicken
[one syllable name]* stop moaning please
Oatmeal is healthy
With pumpkin or all-fruit spread
But is it tasty?
I’m scared to go pee
The bathroom is sub-zero
Like my cold black soul
Driving in the rain
For cat anti-depressants**
What a sad lunch hour
What is my role here?
Sit around and look pretty
Sure I can do that
I spy with my eye
Pictures of fish with antlers
And one with cat ears
Illegal downloads
Are frowned upon here, but still
I need more Queen tunez
*name removed for privacy’s sake
**they’re working, thank heavens
My cat Charlie recently developed the grandiose notion that the world is his litterbox. And by world, I mean my bedroom furniture. Have you ever come home in the wee hours of the morning after an evening’s festivities, only to find a soggy, reeking circle of cat pee smack in the center of your bed? I have. Twice. And I won’t even get started on the futon.
After ruling out any physical issues that could be causing this (which he has had in the past), we were left to attribute his charming new habit to “behavioral” issues. Nothing in his home environment has changed, so I truly have no idea what inspired this new way of thinking. But it needs to stop.
In addition to purchasing a new (3rd) litterbox, I also picked up a month’s supply of Amitryptiline (generic for the tricyclic antidepressant Elavil) for Mr. Charlie. The vet described it as “a mild version of Prozac” and said that if it didn’t work, actual Prozac is the next step. Apparently that would be about four times as expensive and I might have to go to an actual drug store to have the prescription filled. I’m guessing my health/prescription insurance does not cover cats as dependents, so I’m really hoping this medication works out for him. He started taking it yesterday.
To his credit, I really do think he now understands that peeing on the bed isn’t right and that he’s trying to do better. And I’ll do anything I can to support his efforts. Finally, I think it’s worth noting that one of the things he peed on is my annual Social Security statement. Maybe the cat is onto something after all.
UPDATE:
—–Original Message—–
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 10:54 AM
Subject: Question for DadHow important is it to keep annual Social Security statements? I just got this year’s, it was on my futon, and Charlie peed on it. Do I need to photocopy it or something? Yuck.
Love,
Me——————————–
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 10:59 AM
Subject: Re: Question for DadYou don’t need to keep it.
-Dad
Good to know.
This is hardly a recipe, but it’s so good that it deserves to be published. It’s an adaptation from Panera’s Granola Parfait, but cheaper and generally more convenient. There are only 3 ingredients, which you should combine however you prefer. Here’s how I do it:
Terms to include in verbal and written vocabularies. Will add to this list as necessary and appropriate.
Ever since my aunt gave me a Bundt pan and cake holder one Christmas, Bundt cakes have been my specialty. This one is possibly the most delicious thing I’ve ever made. Fresh blueberries are key.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly coat Bundt pan with Pam. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with fork or wisk. In another (large) bowl, combine butter and sugar; beat at medium speed until combined (and kind of fluffy, about 2 mins). Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one is added. Then beat in vanilla and sour cream. Add flour mixture and beat at medium speed until just combined (don’t overbeat, I guess). Gently stir (“fold”) in blueberries, and pour/spoon mixture into greased Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour—mine took a little longer, maybe 1:10. Cool 15 minutes in pan, then remove from pan to cool completely (on a wire rack, if you have one…I don’t). Mix powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons water and apply this glaze all over the cake with a pastry brush. I’m pretty sure this would be amazing served with vanilla ice cream.
Adapted from Lemon-Blueberry Bundt Cake, which I’m sure is also very good. I didn’t feel like buying, zesting, and squeezing a lemon at the time.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line baking pan or cookie sheet with foil (for easy cleanup). Wash asparagus and snap off woody ends. Toss asparagus with up to 2 tbsp. of olive oil and seasoning(s) of your choice. Suggested seasonings (apply sparingly):
Spread asparagus out into a single layer on foil-lined sheet or pan. Roast in oven for 10 minutes, tossing/turning halfway through.
Bonus: Zucchini squash can also be roasted exactly like this. I plan to combine the two sometime soon. Potatoes too, but they require an extra 15 minutes of roasting time.
Serving Suggestion: With your favorite rice.
