dh and i had a lovely weekend. after a bit of arguing on friday evening (i think i was just overtired and cranky after my first week back at work), dh and i went to a friend's movie theater and saw julie and julia, despite the fact that my husband says that seeing movies with meryl streep in them is in direct violation of man code. when we left the theater though he said he liked it but told me not to tell anyone (but i think that this is ok to say here since it's semi-anonymous). i really enjoyed it, but kept thinking throughout the entire movie, "who the hell really lives in queens? ick." i just like movies about food i guess, and julia child seems like a pisser. i never thought that she was like that i guess, though foodies are always a little "off." after that we hit a few bars and got some wings and beers and whatnot. it was nice because you could still smoke in one of the bars (which is something that i was never of legal age to do in nj before they changed the law, and it's lovely), and it had a wii so i did some fencing and bowling and everything, despite the fact that i am not so good at wii sports. the next day ted worked, i visited my mom and grandma, and we both stayed inside for the remainder of the evening to avoid the heat. on sunday we saw district 9, which was a good overall scifi choice but i have to admit i felt a little nauseous and uneasy after the movie was over, and i couldn't (and still can't) pinpoint just why. anyway, i'd have to say that neither of them made great date movies, but that didn't spoil our time at all. julia and julia is the kind of movie you go to with girlfriends or moms, and district 9 maybe with your scifi geek buddies. i am waiting for a few other movies to come out, namely
inglorious basterds, the final destination, and the new halloween movie (i'm kind of hoping to catch the final destination and halloween at a drivein double feature, but we'll see)...i'd have liked to see 500 days of summer, but i guess now i'll wait for a few months until they play it on one of the HBOs like a thousand times.
here's the recipe i've been promising to post for a while now:
spicy zucchini muffins
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup white sugar (use less if you'd like)
1 egg (or egg replacement)
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce, preferably with no sugar added
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons apple pie spice (or other spice blend)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a bowl, beat together the zucchini, sugar, egg, and oil. In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; stir in the remainder of ingredients. Stir the flour mixture into the zucchini mixture just until blended. Pour the cupcake liners in muffin tins, until about 2/3 full. Bake 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven (watch these carefully).
Monday, August 17, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
lonely office
it's pretty quiet around the office...no one has come back yet but me, so the entire upper floor of the library is like a ghost town. until about an hour ago, the library wasn't even open, and i think i may have been the only one in the building. it was kinda creepy, since they don't even turn the lights on for me anymore. it's been eerily noiseless and incredibly strange to be the only one here. the students won't be back for another 2 weeks or so, and until then i'll be able to count the cars in the normally-slam-packed parking lot on two hands. i miss all the noise.
the zucchini muffins turned out pretty well, so i'll post the recipe when i come home tonight, before date night. dh wants to take me out to his friend's movie theater tonight, even though i go up to see a movie there every once in a while anyway (he doesn't usually come with me, because he's always so busy). there's the movie i want to see, but dh says that seeing it would "violate man code" because it stars meryl streep, so we'll probably see the other movie that my sis says is terrible and that i have no urge to see. i'd like to go see district 9 because i like bad sci-fi, but it is not playing at the theater where we will be going.
yesterday was lovely. my sis and i played wii sports for a bit, then came home and baked onion bread for dinner and double chocolate chunk cookies for the boys to take with them on (what should hopefully have been) their last night at the studio. then we looked at apartments and things for her, as she's now at that age...you know, i really don't know where time has gone, because i still picture her as a child, not someone who has a car and a job and is about to start college and move out. i also can't imagine moving out on my own like she would like to do. when i moved out, it was with a roommate and the understanding that my husband would be moving in shortly, just as soon as he became my husband (about 3 months after i moved from the dorm into my house). i simply don't see her as ready for that leap, like how could she possibly know what she's in for? who ever does when they move out so young? she rarely does the dishes, lives off of foods that can be nuked, and i don't know if she even does her own laundry! it's just strange to think about what i knew when i moved out, and that even though i was not fully prepared to live on my own, i had somewhat more preparation than she has. strange, coming from the same house, the same parents, and having such different experiences when it comes to something like that.
i bought my sister a hope chest for her 18th birthday, and filled it with dishes and towels and cooking utensils and things, just in case she did decide to go away to school so she would have a few things. i started a hope chest for myself as a young teenager, and ended up with too much by the time i moved out! i hope the same thing happens for her, that she'll continue to acquire the things that she needs so that she won't have to shell out too much cash when she moves into an empty apartment and figures out that she needs to start from scratch.
ooh, good news! my blueberry cake (actually taken from a recipe from dh's grandmother, when she used to live down the street from a blueberry farm in PA, and altered slightly) won honorable mention at the nj state blueberry contest at the nj fair! i was hoping for 1st place, obviously, but hon. mention is like 4th place and that's not bad at all. my scones did not fare as well in the competiton (they didn't even place), but were well-received in dh's office.
the zucchini muffins turned out pretty well, so i'll post the recipe when i come home tonight, before date night. dh wants to take me out to his friend's movie theater tonight, even though i go up to see a movie there every once in a while anyway (he doesn't usually come with me, because he's always so busy). there's the movie i want to see, but dh says that seeing it would "violate man code" because it stars meryl streep, so we'll probably see the other movie that my sis says is terrible and that i have no urge to see. i'd like to go see district 9 because i like bad sci-fi, but it is not playing at the theater where we will be going.
yesterday was lovely. my sis and i played wii sports for a bit, then came home and baked onion bread for dinner and double chocolate chunk cookies for the boys to take with them on (what should hopefully have been) their last night at the studio. then we looked at apartments and things for her, as she's now at that age...you know, i really don't know where time has gone, because i still picture her as a child, not someone who has a car and a job and is about to start college and move out. i also can't imagine moving out on my own like she would like to do. when i moved out, it was with a roommate and the understanding that my husband would be moving in shortly, just as soon as he became my husband (about 3 months after i moved from the dorm into my house). i simply don't see her as ready for that leap, like how could she possibly know what she's in for? who ever does when they move out so young? she rarely does the dishes, lives off of foods that can be nuked, and i don't know if she even does her own laundry! it's just strange to think about what i knew when i moved out, and that even though i was not fully prepared to live on my own, i had somewhat more preparation than she has. strange, coming from the same house, the same parents, and having such different experiences when it comes to something like that.
i bought my sister a hope chest for her 18th birthday, and filled it with dishes and towels and cooking utensils and things, just in case she did decide to go away to school so she would have a few things. i started a hope chest for myself as a young teenager, and ended up with too much by the time i moved out! i hope the same thing happens for her, that she'll continue to acquire the things that she needs so that she won't have to shell out too much cash when she moves into an empty apartment and figures out that she needs to start from scratch.
ooh, good news! my blueberry cake (actually taken from a recipe from dh's grandmother, when she used to live down the street from a blueberry farm in PA, and altered slightly) won honorable mention at the nj state blueberry contest at the nj fair! i was hoping for 1st place, obviously, but hon. mention is like 4th place and that's not bad at all. my scones did not fare as well in the competiton (they didn't even place), but were well-received in dh's office.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
back from vacation, back to work...
the whole family (not the whole family, but enough of us...dh & i, sis and her bf, ma, aunt and her hubby and kids, and a few friends-plus whoever happened to stop down for the day) went on vacation to the beach house a few weeks ago...it was lovely and relaxing, for the most part. i love swimming in the ocean, and the availability of fresh seafood right by the bay. i got some reading and tanning in, and dh & i also purchased two bikes specifically for the occasion, and had a blast riding them up and down the boardwalk, and around the (completely flat!) town. there was a CRAZY storm when sis and BF, two friends, and dh & i were in the middle of a tooftop mini golf game, and it was so intense we had to huddle under awnings and dash to the nearest available shelter (a trashy boardwalk bar...hey, we were on vacation!)...when it stopped we all walked home on the beach, and were truly a sight for sore eyes!
last weekend was the annual family reunion, though several faces and family units were noticeably absent. the theme was "south of the border," and we enjoyed fun with pinatas and a sangria contest and mountains of mexican food (my aunt from florida makes the best enchiladas).
now we are back home, and as of yesterday i am back to work to prepare for the fall semester. oh how the time flies! this year my baby sister will be attending the college where i work, so i'll have a semi-permanent lunch date.
i'm off to check on my banana bread and spicy zucchini-carrot muffins...if they're good, i'll post the recipe later!
last weekend was the annual family reunion, though several faces and family units were noticeably absent. the theme was "south of the border," and we enjoyed fun with pinatas and a sangria contest and mountains of mexican food (my aunt from florida makes the best enchiladas).
now we are back home, and as of yesterday i am back to work to prepare for the fall semester. oh how the time flies! this year my baby sister will be attending the college where i work, so i'll have a semi-permanent lunch date.
i'm off to check on my banana bread and spicy zucchini-carrot muffins...if they're good, i'll post the recipe later!
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