Monthly Archives: May 2009

I probably could’ve paid more attention while this plant was blooming but everything just happened so fast.

4-18-09 – This stalk started sprouting last year, maybe early Autumn?

4-28-09 – 10 days later, a flower.

5-25-09 – Then I forgot about it and a month later, all this happened.

I don’t know what these are called but the blooms are very fragrant.  This little bunch has been sitting in our study for a week and the whole room smells so nice.

• Losing mah hair. If I never cleaned it off the bathroom floor, I would’ve had a plush carpet by now.
• Grinding the teeth. I hope they last.
• Feeling skinnyfat.  Two flights of stairs leaves me out of breath.
• Sitting on the beltway during rush hour. It’s a mental obstacle course in patience.
• Downing way more caffeinated beverages than my body knows how to handle.
• Sitting through such a long boring meeting that I find myself gulping Starbucks and nodding off at the same time.
• Realizing I made a mistake in leaving my prior job(s).

The Star Trek movie was awesome by the way.  Go see it in the theater.

I have been trying to quit my coffee habit (again) this week and have failed miserably. When you just know you’re not going to last through a 3.5-hour class, light roast = more caffeine. When you are too dim to function late in the evening, hazelnut. When you’re resolved not to have another drop of coffee, 4 pints of Lipton, milk, and sugar.

I’ve been craving lasagna for weeks, maybe even months! The problem: only I seem to be craving it and you can’t make a lasagna for one person. The solution: I have no problem eating leftovers over and over and over…

Knowing that I’m not very good at following simple directions, I went online to read a half dozen lasagna recipes. Anything that had fancy stuff like prosciutto was out. I can barely handle a dish that involves more than 5 ingredients so lasagna is already a stretch.

So I have no idea what the quantity for each is, but here’s my list of ingredients:

• Ground meat
• Pork sausage
• Ricotta (1 tub of the large size)
• Mozzarella (a lot)
• Tomato paste (1 little can)
• Diced tomato (1 large can)
• Tomato sauce (1 smallish medium can)
• 2 eggs
• Lasagna Pasta (the no boil kind)
• Salt/Pepper
• Flat leafed parsley (I got it and forgot to put it in my lasagna.  Oops!)
• Cinnamon (who knew!?)
• Basil & Oregano
• Yellow Onion (1 big one, diced)
• Garlic
• Olive oil

1. Saute the onion & garlic in oil.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Set aside.
2. Brown the meats together.  Basil, oregano, salt, pepper to taste.  Drain.
3. Add all the tomato products, sauteed onion and meats together with some cinnamon.  I would’ve probably added some flat leafed parsley here.  Set aside.
4. Beat 2 eggs and stir it into the ricotta.  Add more basil and oregano.  I hope I didn’t overdo that basil-oregano.
5. Grease a dish.  Or 2, if you’re like me and invariably wind up cooking for 10 people instead of a few.
6. Pasta, ricotta, mozzarella, meat.  Repeat.  Remember to reserve some mozzarella for the very top.
7. Cover with foil and bake in 350 F oven for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes.

So I’m not very good at estimating quantity and wound up with WAY too much of everything and ended up making 2 lasagnas.  1 big one, one small one.  After you pull it out of the oven and taste it, pat yourself on the back.  Then go and change into stretchy pants and an oversized t-shirt.