Adventures In Cooking

So since I am poor I didn't join my friends on their July 4th camping trip down on the Cape. Instead I stayed home and worked at my pt job. I didn't have to work on July 5th though, so I used my spare time to try a recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook I got for Christmas a few years ago. It's the best cookbook, every recipe I have tried has turned out good. This time I tried the shrimp and peapod casserole (with a few changes, noted below). It turned out really good.

Betty Crocker's Shrimp and Peapod Casserole

3 cups uncooked penne pasta (I used whole wheat pasta)

1/2 cup butter or margarine (I only used a third of a cup)

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk (I used skim milk)

1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth (I used fat free broth)

3/4 cup shredded Fontina or Swiss cheese (I only used 1/2 cup)

1 pound cooked, peeled, deveined medium shrimp, thawed if frozen

2 cups frozen sugar snap pea pods, thawed and drained (I used fresh pea pods)

1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup sliced almonds (I omitted this)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray 13 by 9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile in 4 quart saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over low heat.

Cook mushrooms and garlic in butter, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender.

Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.

Gradually stir in milk and broth until smooth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.

Stir in Fontina or Swiss cheese until melted

Remove from heat. Stir pasta, shrimp and pea pods into mushroom mixture. Pour into baking dish.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and almonds.

Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Since I'm Unemployed, I May As Well Go Out Drinking!

Today, for your amusement, I bring to you a chronological recounting of the worst hangover I have ever had. Keep in mind, I graduated college a decade ago (and not once did I ever get physically ill from drinking--yes, I am a ROCK STAR). You'd think that this would have occurred quite some time ago. But clearly I am no longer a rock star. This is sad.

One Random Tuesday Night:
12 pm: call former coworker to see if she wants to meet up for a drink before toga party
4:45 pm: meet said coworker at regular haunt across the street from former employer.
commence drinking draft beers. also have red-headed slut shot as IT person
from former employer is also at bar and offers. or maybe it was patron?
night is all a blur. but why turn down a free shot?
7 pm: 3 beers and a shot later, go to Fajitas and Ritas for dinner. consume some sort of shrimp
dish with 2 STRONG frozen margaritas
8 pm: go to Max and Dylans for another beer. PBR on draft???? bring it on!
9:15 pm: meet other friend to go to toga party. free wine!!! and free elderberry drinks! also
buy several Bud Lights. because really? all that liquor is a FANTASTIC idea on a
Tuesday night. especially when have to work at 10 am in retail the next day.
11:30 pm: leave toga party. but wait! night is not over yet. hip-hop night at Rumor? why the
hell not! go to Rumor for hip-hop. $25 entrance fee is not so bad when clearly
intoxicated.
2 am: Rumor is closing. fun times! $40 bar tab later, go home.
9 am: wake up. not so fun anymore. so hungover i think i may die. cannot manage to get off
couch until afternoon. cannot eat food until 9 pm.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do...Or Is It???

So my ex-boyfriend and I are finally, completely done. I had been contemplating our relationship for so long that when it came time to officially end it, it didn't even make me sad. Huh. You know a relationship is over when breaking up doesn't even make you cry, no?

Oh well. So much to his dismay I am done. Apparently he doesn't want to lose me, he can't stop thinking about me, etc etc. Alas, maybe he should have thought about the consequences of his actions before he did all the shit he did. Ha.

In other news, I bought a Juicy Couture wallet to match my bag and I'm pretty psyched about it. One of the locations of my part time job carries Juicy Couture bags and wallets so I get a 25% discount, woo hoo! I can't find a picture of the exact one I have, but it's similar to this (except mine is pink and brown):

Today, We Talk About Food

My love affair with Wegmans is no secret. I am so excited that a store is supposedly coming to Westwood Station. That makes my whole life. I was at the DeWitt store in March (near Syracuse) and I stocked up on my favorites from there--pierogies, egg rolls, bulk candy, potato chips, random candy bars, etc etc. I also LOVE their stir fry sauce. My friend and I ate lunch at their version of a food court, and I have to say, the Asian Wokery selections are pretty damn good for a grocery store. I really like their spare ribs, beef and broccoli, and shrimp fried rice. Yay for Wegmans!

Not related to Wegmans, I have been trying to cook more now that I am unemployed. I like to cook, and generally speaking, it's cheaper to cook than to eat out. I have made a few things, but I really like a Rachel Ray recipe I found in her "30-Minute Meals" cookbook (the first one). The recipe is below. I modified it a bit, just using one regular can of tuna and one 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, since that's what I had. I also added a tablespoon of salt-packed capers, which I think really adds to the favor of the dish.

Linguine With Sicilian Tuna Marinara (Rachel Ray)

3 T. (three times around the pan) exgta-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

A couple of shakes of crushed red pepper flakes

1 can (12 oz) Albacore tuna, packed in water, drained, broken up with a fork

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

A palmful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 lb. linguine, cooked until al dente

In a deep skillet, heat olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper over medium heat until garlic speaks.

Add tuna meat and saute until tuna is completely flaked and warmed through.

When the bottom of the pan is covered with nice fishy mush, add crushed tomatoes and the chopped parsley.

Heat through and reduce heat to low until pasta is cooked and drained.

Toss liguine with tomato mixture, and serve

I Got Nothin'

I was planning on a post that was either food-related (Wegmans from my trip a few months ago and a recipe/accompanying picture I made the last week) or some Hawaii pics, but the computer I am using today SUCKS and therefore no such luck with the pics. Oh well.

I really really need a job, I am SO BORED lately. But c'est la vie, I suppose. At least I have a part time job. And I am looking into getting an accounting certificate, I figure the world will always need those! I am pretty sure the Mass Unemployment provides some sort of reimbursement for training that will provide skills you need for the job market. However, since I have a lot of education I don't know if it applies to me. I need to find out. Project!!!!

Happy early Fourth of July everyone!

Shalom, Bitches!

The title is a quote from one of Jen Lancaster's memoirs, I believe Such A Pretty Fat. She is freakin' hilarious. I want to live in Chicago so we can be friends :) In my days of being unemployed, I have read all four of her books, at least two times each: Bitter Is The New Black, Such A Pretty Fat, Bright Lights Big Ass, and her latest book, Pretty In Plaid. Her website, Jennsylvania, is so funny. You should all read her books and visit the site!

So I finally made it to Hawaii, but it was such a shit show getting there it was RIDICULOUS. I was supposed to leave May 13th, but unfortunately, my grandmother passed away the day before that. So obviously I postponed it (my family is close, and I was very close with my grandmother). When all is said and done, it was a blessing she is gone because she wasn't herself at all anymore, in pain, and just very unhappy. She was 92 so she lived a full life.

So I rescheduled to leave the day after her funeral. And the day before that, my friend (whom I was going to Hawaii with) had to take an emergency flight to Florida because her grandmother had a stroke and wasn't expected to make it. Luckily, she did, but once again we obviously had to reschedule.

Anyhoo, we finally made it on May 28th, and it was great. Hawaii is beautiful. Pics to come soon. My USB connection for my camera's memory card doesn't work and I have to buy a new one.

Bullet Points

• 6 more days til vacation!!!!

• I bought a fantastic bra at Wal-mart of all places. I am normallynot a fan of Wal-mart (or Target, for that matter) for clothes/undergarmets, but I wanted a convertible bra and I couldn't find any I liked. But Wal-mart had a Fruit of the Loom bra that was about $10 so I figured it would do for now. It fits really well, so it's perfect for vacation!
• I had to work the past 6 days at my part time job and I am EXHAUSTED. Retail is hard effin' work, yo.
• I have kept up with the gym/working out for the past three weeks. Good times. I am hoping to keep up even while on vacation, I'm just going to try to walk a lot, and do push-ups/sit ups. The fitness center at the Hilton Hawaiian Village is $15/day, which is completely ridiculous. I'm going to bring my tennis racket, and try to play volleyball too.
• Last Saturday night was my friend's birthday celebration in Davis Square and it was fun times. However, I had a liquid dinner, which was not my best idea ever, especially since I had to work for 6 hours the next day. Oh well. Shit happens. I need to practice for the mai tais, pina coladas, lava flows, and blue hawaiians I'll be drinking next week :)