Thursday, May 28, 2009

The Best Part Of My Day

After the day I had... Let's just say in involved a lot of interaction with many branches of government and my boss, and leave it at that because I didn't come on here just to complain about my little old life, even though it's very tempting. I will say one thing though, this morning I woke up, sat straight up in bed, and the first words out of my mouth were recited from "So I Married an Axe Murderer," "Jane get me off this crazy thing! ...called life."

Anyonthevergeofcrazies, the important thing is that my day ended with a special gift from a special friend, and no that isn't a horribly cliched metaphor for a period. (Aren't you glad? I know I am.) Tamara, one of my oldest and dearest friends, likes to use her fancy Google phone to shoot and send me little videos of her day. Well, she was on her way out of Dean & DeLuca with a delicious cupcake, and on her way back to work. She decides to film what wouldn't normally be that much of an adventure, but after what actually transpires, I think you can say it qualifies. Thank you Tamara for making me almost lizz. (Sound is definitely required for watching this one.)

Monday, May 18, 2009

WTF of the Day: Bear Seasoning

I like a lazy Sunday. This Sunday was indeed very lazy and suited me just fine. I had apple time to slowly wander the isles of my gigantic employee owned grocery store, Woodmans. They just added tons more organic and natural and gluten-free products, and I was super happy to even find Organicville Ketchup, that uses agave nectar instead of sugar!

It turned out though, that the spice isle was hiding the truly rare find of the day. (No, I did not buy it!)

Ahhh... Chef Peterson's Bear Seasoning! A family favorite! I am wondering if there is a part of the country where, much like out beloved Old Bay in Maryland, you must not be caught dead without Chef Peterson's Bear Seasoning in your pantry. Maybe somewhere in Canada? I admit that while I kinda know that yes, people out there do hunt bears, I also figured it was something to be shrouded in shadow. Apparently though...


"...serious hunters hunt bear." It also mentions something there about "The full enjoyment of bear meat...," specifically Black Bear. I personally enjoy my bear meat when it is running, looking after it's kids, hunting salmon, and not dead. But that's just me. Clearly I haven't tried it with Chef Peterson's Bear Seasoning. I wonder if Stephen Colbert is a fan...

Just the Funny Bits: Will Ferrel on SNL

Will Ferrel was the perfect host to end a season of SNL that made me far less angry than many recent seasons. Last week's Justin Timberlake appearance was hard to top, but with a slew of guess stars, Ferrel episode gave old Sexxyback a a run for his money. 

My favorite sketch had to be the revival of celebrity Jeopardy. I was just happy to see Norm McDonald working again, even if it was only a cameo.


Kristen Wiig's freaky character with doll hands, and a creature-like face made a come back this week. The first time around I didn't really like this sketch, and it's really only Will Ferrel's reactions that make this one work, but you might get a laugh out of it.


Other highlights were an enormous musical number about Vietnam that NBC hasn't posted online, and Amy Poehler's return to the news desk! I miss that lady. I watch her on Parks and Recreation but it's not quite the same. That show definitely showcases her cuteness well, but it also zaps some of the pop of her personality. 

Well that was SNL for the season. Next year maybe we will have some more new cast members to look forward to? I'll keep you posted.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Feeling Lost: Required Reading


Man I love Lost. I really love Lost. Nothing like a good mind-fuck to get me hooked for life. I even stuck around through the fourth season of going-nowhere craziness, all to be rewarded with a fantastic season 5 that has me clamoring for all the info I can get. 

I don't want to give away any spoilers here, but if you did watch the finale already and are looking for some great recaps or discussions about theories, have I got some links for you.

Television Without Pity and Jezebel usually have the best recaps, adding a lot of there own wonderful insight, but they're not posted yet. As of right now, you can only get a general Television Without Pity recap. Worth checking out if you feel like you missed something.

Salon always has a great wrap-up of most season finales, and the "Lost" wrap-up was no exception. It's leaves you feeling like you are very smart for enjoying this show, always a plus.

For a lot of crazy talk about what everyone reallllly thinks is going on in the Losties universe, you have to check out the Lostpedia theory page for the finale. So fun, I killed about 2 hours looking up Egyptian gods and researching the book that Jacob was reading... Oh no I've said too much! Check out the links if you want more! 


Monday, May 11, 2009

Clutch Envy

Never let any one tell you that I don't have varied tastes. Here we see the Nina moving from speaking of Spinal Tap to speaking of the most magical clutch style purse ever, that I didn't buy. I took pictures though so I can always remember how pretty it is, and that I didn't really actually need it, I just wanted it, and that things generally need to fill a function for me to spend forty dollars on them. Aesthetically pleasing is excellent and usually a criteria for anything I buy, but this purse didn't have the practicality to make it home with me. That doesn't mean I can't gush over it's beautiousity though!

I love pocket watches, and this purse looks like it has one of it's very own!


But it's actually a little mini change purse!


So amazingly cute! If it had really been a tiny pocket watch in there I would have had to buy it. Even though I guess cell phones sort of made the need for all watches obsolete, let alone pocket watches.... I know! It should have had it's own monocle. Now that's practical.

Friday, May 8, 2009

New Spinal Tap: Back From The Dead!!

Spinal Tap is back from the dead with a new song proclaiming just that! "Back from the Dead" is actually a pretty kick-ass song. It rocks where it should, and brings back some old school 70's mysticism. It's certainly not missing any of the flair of their early work. Just ask bassist Derek Smalls. "When people hear this, they'll think, 'This sounds like a band that probably found it's way to the stage most of the time,' unlike the illusion that's created by that film," Smalls said. "You'll say, 'Hold on, this doesn't sound like a band that lost its way every night. So it's worth it, just for that."

So there you have it - don't miss brand new TAP! They sound like they can make it to the stage now. What more could you ask?

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Dirty Times!

Does it really surprise me that in Germany they have a commercial where Abe Lincoln does the British Queen doggy style to demonstrate money multiplying? [Via Jezebel] Not really. But the excellent quality of the animation kinda does! Crazy old Germans...



Wow. Money is kinda slutty. Oh wait, I already knew that. 

Meanwhile over in America, we're selling vibrators at our local drug stores, but of course that's not what we call them. (Picture from my local Walgreens!)

Ahhh yes, shaped perfect to fit the contour of your... neck.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

IT'S SPRING


I just feel so emotionally connected to the season and the weather lately. The sun and the birds and the green bushy flowering things are just making me all giddy on the inside whilst frolicking on the outside. The words "Tra-La-La" spring easily to mind this time of year I am afraid.

Spring is a rebirth, it feels like not just an opportunity, but almost a command to rejuvenate everything about ourselves. The animals and plants are goading us into it with all their chirping and blooming and sparkling in the dewy morning sunlight that they do so well. 

I am heeding the call of nature by trying to be healthy and good to my body, and trying to really soak in and appreciate everything around me, because I know it's fleeting. Hence, the picture posted above! I feel like if I turn around, I will miss everything.

I am really trying to hold on to this connectedness to the world around me. No matter how wired I am to the rest of the world, I am trying not to forget that there's probably unmatched beauty right outside my door. Oh and also that sometimes cliches are cliches because they're true.

Primal Cheatza Pizza (A Recipe in Pictures)

Pizza cravings -Who among us is immune to the siren song of cheese, sauce, and crust? (Well, probably lots of us, but just follow me here.) It's an American staple that is unbelievably hard to avoid, and if you've given up eating grains, and therefore crust, it may be something you're missing very very much.

I think I may have mentioned before that I enjoy cheese. And while I am a huge fan, I'm not sure if I enjoy it quite enough to make my fake pizza, or cheatza as I like to call it, on a regular basis. The crust is made, following this recipe, from about 50% cheese. Don't get me wrong, it's yummy, if you're trying to avoid carbs, gluten, or grains, it's a great way to banish the pizza cravings. It's just a lot of cheese.

Also part of the whole primal eating blueprint is not eating dairy, or just eating raw, grass fed cheese or yogurt once in a while. I admit I have definitely added cheese back into the mix, and I'm trying to stick to those harder to find good kinds. For my cheatza though, the highest quality mozzarella I could find was Kraft made with no hormones or antibiotics. While that's better Velveeta I suppose, it definitely helps put the CHEAT in this cheatza.

First I assembled the crust ingredients: Shredded Cauliflower, Eggs, Mozzarella, and Oregano.
 

Then I (incorrectly) mixed my ingredients. (I guess you were supposed to steam the shredded cauliflower before you mixed it all into a crust dough-like-thing. It still turned out well, but I think this may have contributed to the burnt edges you will see in the pictures.) I then patted the mix down into a pizza shape on a pizza pan.

This is what the crust looked like after about 14 minutes in the oven. So pretty!

Without letting the crust cool, which I figure would help melt the cheese, I piled on my MORE cheese and toppings. I used my old family classic: black olives, green peppers, and onions(these are red).

After about 6 minutes in a hot boiler the cheatza looks just like pizza, although maybe a little more rough around the edges.

Like I said before, there is a lot of cheese on this baby. I really did enjoy it though, I just felt ultra heavy and overly cheeseified after a few pieces. All in all though, well worth the effort. The left overs made for perfect lunches paired with a big salad. 

Mmmmm... Cheatza