yoga, books, movies, tv & too many crime procedurals – not necesarily in that order
1. East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Started in 2009 but finished New Year’s Day. Despite the Farrah-pariah, I loved it. I’m a bit sad that Farrah kept me off Steinbeck for this long. The family dynamics, debate over nature vs. nurture and economic climate make it shockingly relevant to today’s society. Lots to read and read into, great for discussion.
2. Dead and Gone, Charlaine Harris
Read it all on my New Year’s shift. Just as good as all the rest of the Sookie books and my treat for the last month’s 60 hour work weeks. Good resolution to some plot lines and plenty of great character interaction. I hope True Blood delivers half as well.
Today we drove down to Home Depot and picked up some blow-in insulation for our house. While the house is built solidly (no drafts, etc.) I don’t think the insulation had been updated since the house was built. We’d saved some money for the project, having been told that it would be our best bang-for-the-buck heating home improvement.
We got the insulation (the blower was free!) and started the process this afternoon and wrapped it up at about 8. Yeah.
For me this meant climbing around the rafters while spraying insulation, all the while trying to not step off of a 2×6 in the center of the roof. Husband was willing to do it but he doesn’t fit as well on a 2×6 and was going to have to kneel and crawl the whole time.
At the last house, a similar project meant climbing a floor and a half on a ladder and squeezing through a tiny opening. Unfortunately it was also 80 degrees that day and I ROASTED. Not only that, but I was the one who ended up kneeling and crouching so I was in rough shape the next day. I don’t think the bruises on my legs faded for 2 weeks.
This house thankfully required zero kneeling. Not only that but we pretty much doubled the amount of insulation that was in the roof with no major injuries. The job required a fair amount of crouching, leaning, dangling off rafters, and lots of unnatural curvature of the spine. There were a couple of near-miss craniotomies thanks to roof nails and that one time where I got a chunk of insulation the size of a fingernail in my eye, but other than that we got the whole project wrapped up and cleaned before the pizza arrived. I’m going to be wicked sore tomorrow and I’m EXHAUSTED now.
Also weighed the replacement laptop options and have made a decision, so hopefully by this time next week I’ve got my VERY OWN computer. Husband will be relieved to get his own back.
I never used to like cranberries, so apparently my tastebuds have evolved. After the great plum sauce I made earlier this summer, I wanted to try a homemade cranberry sauce (The jellied kind skeeves me- I loathe jello) for use at Thanksgiving and maybe throughout the year.
Coincidentally, in order to make room for a large turkey in my freezer I had to thaw several pieces of meat (steak, pork chops) and figured pork chops love applesauce- why wouldn’t they love cranberry sauce!? Golden opportunity. As a last minute addition, I used some refrigerated breadsticks and Steamfresh Roast Potatoes and Green Beans in Rosemary Butter Sauce. I can’t say enough nice things about the Steamfresh vegetables. They don’t overcook the veggies, which is a HUGE deal for me. What can I say- I’ve got texture issues.
So. Pork Chops and Cranberry Sauce.
Pork Chops, Cranberry Sauce, breadsticks, roast potatoes and green beans.
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
1 bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries, washed/drained
3/4 c sugar (I used white)
1/2 cup plus a dash Tawny Port
1/2 cup orange juice
1tsp (ish) grated ginger (I used the store-bought-in-a-jar kind)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
Place cranberries, sugar, port, OJ, ginger in a pot on med-high heat. You want the berries to boil for about 10 minutes, so once they got to the boiling stage I turned down the heat and stirred constantly. In fact, I didn’t realize until I was already started that I didn’t have OJ so I actually put the other ingredients in the pot, turned the heat on low, and made a quick grocery run. No harm, no foul. When I got back, I added the OJ and ginger. Basically I used the ‘cook until they pop’ theory – waiting until the berries got so hot they began to burst their skins.
I very nearly forgot the lemon juice- important because WITHOUT it the sauce was almost too sweet. After the sauce is done, transfer to a fridge-safe dish. Add lemon juice on top of sauce DON’T STIR. Refrigerate. Most recipes say to cool at room temp before placing in fridge. I didn’t do that, it worked out fine. Then, stir sauce just before serving. It was a perfect balance of sweet and tart. Two thumbs up.
Baked Pork Chops
Heat oven to 350. I sprayed a pan with nonstick spray and placed the chops in the pan. I dusted with salt, garlic powder, and pepper just by eyeballing it. Then I flipped the chops and dusted the other side with poultry seasoning, paprika, and then added breadcrumbs. I baked them for about an hour (high altitude- for those below 10,000 feet it would probably be closer to 40-50 minutes). They turned out JUST right.
I also took pics of yesterday’s cheesy bread appetizers.
Martha Stewart Savory (non-pumpkin) Puffs
The recipe is here, just in case. The background looks a little weird because I cooked them on parchment paper.
Sunday:
Dexter was great last night! The Trinity twists just keep coming. Also, WTF with his wife!? That cannot end well.
Californication. OMG. Rick Springfield. I can’t even COUNT the number of times I laughed out loud watching this episode. Not only that, I laughed JUST as hard tonight when Husband watched the recording. That’s a damn funny show. Not sure what the point is supposed to be but it’s damn funny.
Monday:
Castle continues to be an excellent blend of funny, mystery, crime procedural. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is key, and I frequently laugh out loud at some point during the show. Good clean fun. Two words tonight: DeNiro impression.
House was a little convoluted tonight, what with him jerry-rigging his staff. Cameron was always kind of preachy and they decided to re-emphasize that. Yay for appearances of the former team!
Lie to Me- I’ve been watching this hit and miss. Tonight’s ep was good but I don’t feel compelled to record it. It joins Cold Case in my ‘by the wayside’ list.
Tuesday:
NCIS is consistent! I’m always surprised to find out it’s the “number one show” on TV because it seems like I don’t know anyone who watches it. It’s been good and (of late) heavier on the procedural/lighter on the relationships. The Tim-centric ep last week was great. Unfortunately they’re planning an Abby crossover with a Steampunk bar in L.A. the week of Thanksgiving, so I guess I’ll have to watch at least one more NCIS:LA episode.
Sons of Anarchy! Last week, like WHOA. I actually got all teared up at the end of the episode and they SO win the TV prize for best use of a Patty Griffin song (Mary, if you care). That show is my biggest surprise this season, in terms of just HOW GOOD it is.
V. Jury’s still out.
Wednesday:
Mercy, Glee, Criminal Minds. All excellent, all the time. CM was especially creepy last week. *shudder*
Thursday:
Dear Networks,
Could you please not schedule EVERY GOOD SHOW on Thursday? What about Mondays! Or Tuesdays? ANYTHING?
Grey’s Anatomy, having been on my Bubble List since the premiere, took a turn for the good last week. If Izzy got hit by a bus, I wouldn’t be upset. Other than that, it was all good IntenseChristinaDoctorStuff. Moar, pleeze and IT’S ABOUT TIME.
Supernatural. I’m not even sure what TV show could make fun of their fan base this much and get MORE love because of it. So. Funny. The guys imitating Sam and Dean voice was HYSTERICAL. I’m not sure how they kept doing it with a straight face. It was a nice break-it-up on the intensity front, but also a really nice check-yourself moment for the boys at the end. P.S. I loved the outtakes w/end credits. Go Kripke!
The Mentalist was FANTASTIC. Love the way they finally brought the group together and HOW CUTE IS GRACE. I also love the creepy/demanding side of the normally joking and (carefully) carefree Jane. That duality is what keeps me watching.
FlashForward is interesting but I’m not sure if I miss an episode that I care. For example, missed an ep 2 weeks ago, watched last week, no marked difference in my interest level.
Bones. Okay, it’s NEVER going to happen but I want Booth/Brennan NOW. Booth was so awesome and I loved the return of his old shrink! This is one of those shows that does a great job of making the story equal parts crime procedural and relationships.
Friday:
White Collar has become my new fave crime procedural (behind Castle but tied with The Mentalist). It has the added bonus of holding Husband’s interest, unlike the two aforementioned shows. Great cast chemistry, fun ‘caper’ feel to every episode.
Medium had a seriously weird episode last week and, per usual, the actors who play the kids were incredible. The fact that everyone in the cast is so fantastic is why I keep watching this show. Incidentally, the guy who plays Joe is SO UNDERRATED. His performances are consistently believable and understated and pretty much prop up the rest of the show. Love him.
Right. So looking at this list, I spend almost as much time watching TV during the week as I do working my bar shifts. Clearly I need to start teaching yoga classes again STAT.
Tomorrow’s agenda also includes making my very first homemade cranberry sauce, which I’m pretty excited about.
So I totally know better than to update anything on my website without backing up first. I really do. And yet I did not do it. I am a moron. Sadly, among the things lost are the silly amount of TV updates, my blogroll, my reading list for this year – I was over 50 but it was so nice to have a record!- and the attempted Couch to 5K at Altitude effort. Also missing, my home improvement posts. This is less of a tragedy because I was planning on doing a new post/slideshow for them but STILL. I am a moron.
Now that I’ve gotten the site back to something functional (ish) I think I’m getting ready for bed. Making a trip down the mountain tomorrow, so if I can snake some free wi-fi there will be more improvements/additions.
