Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

Ah Friday…

I have loads of work to do, unfortunately I seemed to have lost it all… until Monday.

So, as I wait patiently for Monday to arrive, I will watch this…

repeatedly.

Somehow, this is WAY more exciting than work.

You should try it.

It’s good for you.

*Note to Self

I may also indulge in a latte.

This is an awesome appetizer for any of your up-coming parties – they are a little time consuming, but the recipe makes about 150 – depending on the size of your circles.

It also freezes really well, so make a big batch and use it all year.

PARMESAN ROUNDS

2 loaves of bread

2 8oz pkgs of cream cheese – softened

1/2 cup butter – softened

1 120 g can of crab

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs mayonnaise (like hellmans – not miracle whip)

6 green onions

Grated fresh parmesan cheese

Butter for toasting

Using a round cutter, cut (approximatly three) circles out of each slice of bread – no crusts. Or you can square the bread by cutting all the edges off and cut each slice into four squares.

Butter one side of the bread, arrange on a cookie sheet and broil in the oven.

Flip over all pieces of bread and broil the non-buttered side

Cool

Combine cream cheese, butter, crab, mayo and green onions in a bowl. Mix well.

You can either spoon the mixture onto each piece of toast  OR you can pour the mixture into a large ziploc bag, cut the corner off, and pipe it onto each slice. I prefer that method – its far less messy and time consuming. Use about a tsp of the mixture on each.

Dip each heaping bread slice into grated the parmesan cheese.

(If you were planning on freezing these, return the slices to the cookie sheet and freeze them on the sheet. Once firm transfer them to a container or freezer bag)

To serve – return each round to the cookie sheet and broil until bubbly and golden. You can broil them from frozen as well.

*Note to self

So much baking so little time…

I am in the process  of creating a chocolate mint biscotti recipe, sampling is a very difficult job.

Next week is my cookie swap recipe post – so if you have a cookie recipe you would like to contribute please email it to me!!!

a_morley@live.com

Wow…

Standing on a cold and frosty, Stanley Park sidewalk, waiting for someone to yell out ‘GO’, surrounded by a sea of people, with weeks of training behind me and all I could think about were of the tight bums in front me…

To be honest, it was hard to keep from pinching one…

And then someone yelled ‘GO”! – bastards!

5km later, I was a hero.

Ok fine, it wasn’t like I cured cancer, but its close.

Remember, i had to log weeks of hard work of not only actual running, but i had to coordinate a cute outfit, and create the perfect iTunes playlist – these were all factors in the culmination of a successful run.

There were moments along the way when i wondered, ‘am i there yet…?, “or “OMG i want to die, this has to be way longer than 5KM!”, but Benny Benassi kept pushing me…

There were other moments when i realized i was looking way too cute to quit – it would have been obvious. Perhaps if i was in green i could have more easily blended into the foliage.

So by creating the perfect running trifecta – training, clothing and playlist – there was no way i couldn’t do it.

Perhaps, i should try applying this to more menial things…like doing laundry?…

no.

A lot of runners talk about a runners high. That euphoric state that happens only after running which is what keeps them inspired to continue in these types of events.

I too experienced a high after the run, it was while sitting in Starbucks, with a hot venti non-fat hazelnut latte,

it was exhaustion…

But I am not finished yet!

I decided I wasn’t going to lay around the house (because that’s what you do with two kids, you just sit and lay about, somewhere in between the screaming and destroying…) after weeks of running for no reason, so I committed to two more events, the 5 km Resolution Run and the Historic Half Marathon in Fort Langley (of which I am doing the 5km)

Perhaps this summer I will attempt a 10km… but let’s not get a head of ourselves… yet.

Note to self
Because I can’t see my own bum, I expect its tight as well, I am a runner you know…

PS
You get a jacket when you sign up for the Resolution Run! That’s way nicer than a t-shirt!

PPS
The Santa Shuffle was actually 5.8KM… but whose counting?

I have a small obsession with Indian food.

And by obsession, i mean i crave it nightly. If I had money, i would immediately hire an Indian Chef… who would also bring me chai tea in bed with nan khatai’s…

I would also not hesitate to hire a driver, a housekeeper and a masseuse.

I digress…

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

1 cup yogurt

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1 clove of garlic minced

1/2 tsp salt

3 chicken breast cut up into bite sized pieces

SAUCE

1 Tbs butter

1 clove of garlic

2 Tsp ground cumin

2 Tsp paprika

1/2 Tsp salt

2 Tbs sugar (or to taste)

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large bowl combine, yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, ginger, garlic ande chicken. Marinate at least an hour.

Heat oven to 350

Place chicken pieces on a greased cookie sheet – discard the marinade – cook until done about 15 minutes

SAUCE

Melt butter in a large pot, saute garlic, cumin, paprika and salt about 3 minutes

Stir in tomato sauce, cream and sugar

Simmer on low until sauce thickens

Add chicken pieces simmer for 5 more minutes

Add cilantro

Serve over rice

*Note to Self

I would also buy Clive Owen…

As I was driving home yesterday with a steaming hot venti hazelnut non-fat latte, kids fast asleep in their car seats, I had the luxury of listening to MY music.  Sometimes I just don’t want to listen to Barbie movies playing behind me, brainwashing my kid, insisting that she needs a Barbie Mariposa doll – since when does a kid say she specifically needs Barbie Mariposa?  The word mariposa should only be part of a Spanish speaking kid’s vernacular… I digress… but just for the record those Barbie movies are pretty creepy all digital and weird. ..Why can’t they be more like Jem?  Jem WAS truly outrageous!

So… I was drinking coffee, listening to music on random which definitely has a plus/minus effect – every once in a while you get a great song, but 9 times out of ten you don’t feel like the song that randomly pops up so you have to skip to the next one, then the next one, then the next one, then the next one, until one like this comes along and your flooded with memories…

…and it then your brain starts thinking about songs and people and places. Being young and thin and free (in a good way) and old boyfriends and stupid stuff you did and said, and how I can’t listen to Adam Ant’s ‘Wonderful’ because it reminds me a sloppy kiss on a bus – don’t ask, or SoulDecision’s ‘Faded’ and five male strippers – ok ask about THAT one!

… I’m also wondering whether I have better taste in music than that… at least those are the tainted ones…

Then I started thinking about baby names – no not pregnant…yet – and how they, like music, get tainted.

The process usually begins with me shouting out names to the hubby, followed by a no, and a story recounting why it needs to be vetoed from the list. He would then suggest a name and I would veto it – because it was stupid.  But one time he shouted out a name (deleted for discretionary purposes), and instantly I was reminded of a girl who peed her pants in grade 1.

I can now appreciate the horror and embarrassment that poor girl must have felt – especially while dealing with my own kids toilet issues. But I still think of her. Her mother probably told her no one would remember, but here I am as a testament to that statement – twenty  – okay, twenty three years later. I still remember the day you peed in class…

Wow, speaking of memories – I totally just remembered having peed my own pants at Johanna Taddies birthday party. I was wearing a green felt one piece jumper (yes, i just used the words green AND felt in the same sentence and i was not talking about Christmas). It had a rope belt around the waist and my mother tied a double knot in it – who I specifically told not to tie a knot! Grosser still, I managed to hide the fact I peed for the remainder of the party – I didn’t want be the girl blogged about twenty three years later.

… What was this post about again?… right, music… long story short, this song is super, enjoy it with a venti hazelnut non-fat latte

Note to self

* mom brain is very scattery

PS. title of this blog post is a very funny book joke

Note to self #2

*yes, i know, i’m a dork