Going Away Post

I'm going to Florida for 4 days tomorrow so I'll be away from my blog. I hope that you all return to enter the contest (or to update the questions you missed) and then come back on the 5th for some fun stories...

Randomivity Bullets:

• It's nice to work in a place where men help women carry heavy boxes instead of watching them cart them to the back OR leaving the boxes until the women move them.
• It's nice to be call "sunshine" and to be told that you are a nice person who brightens everyone's day.
• It's nice to be told you are good at what you do, especially if it's from someone you respect.
• Guiness is gross.
• People (and the people I talk of here are actually pretty cool) say "Cool Cat" (I'm sure it's supposed to be with a "K" or something even more lame) to each other. Like, "That cool cat..." or "Hey cool cat". Nuts! (Or stupid)
• Meeting and hanging out with "upperclassmen" at a bar after school is way fun. Especially when: 1. They are cute 2. They are funny 3. They are extrememly drunk 4. They make fun of funny things 5. They are full of themselves...
• Migraines suck, mostly because they suck the life out of you.
• Dreams sometimes suck too. Especially it you wake up and they seem real, and you can't figure it out for a while. Potential for making a fool of yourself is a little TOO great!!
• Did I mention I'm going to Florida? Well, I am!!!!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend everyone!! I'll be back on the 5th!

Mags

CONTEST!!!

Because I'm a little bit-a-bored, a lot tired and a little curious, I'm having a contest. And because it's my blog, the contest is about me, and how much you know about me.

There will be a prize, but I don't know what it is yet. But it won't be lame. Maybe it'll be lame, but it'll be fun. Really. You should play. (I think it'll be a gift card to I-Tunes or something like that)

Rules: There are none*. Just play. Post your answers in the comment section, or email me. Either way, I want you to play!! The winner will be announced on the 5th.

If you don't answer, I'll assume you either hate me, or know nothing about me.

And remember, you can't win, if you don't play! Answer as many as you can-you never know-you may just know more than anyone else!

1. What hand do I write with?
2. What do I want to do after I graduate from culinary school?
3. One of my following senses is super sensitive, which one? (a) Hearing (B) Sight (C) Smell (D) Touch
4. What state was I born in? Extra credit if you know the town.
5. When is my birthday. Partial credit if you only know the month.
6. I don't like swimming for a long time. Why?
7. How tall am I?
8. What color eyes do I have?
9. There's a major problem with my house and it constantly gives me problems. What is it?
10. Who is my favorite person in the whole wide world?
11. Last summer I made a dress. Why?
12. What do I do for a living?
13. What is the one thing I want to do before I die?
14. What's the most adventerous thing I've ever done?
15. When did I start this blog?
16. What is my most favorite Walt Disney World memory?
17. What characteristic am I most known for by the people who hang out with me?
18. What is my favorite thing to bake?
19. Do I crave salty or sweet snacks?
20. Name the food I hate the most.
21. What is my most favorite alcoholic beverage?
22. Am I a morning person or a night owl?
23. Where is the farthest I've ever traveled?
24. Would I rather go to a dance club or a comedy club?
25. When I travel on an airplane, what do I keep in my pocket?
26. 10 bonus points to the person who comes up with the most obscure little known fact about me. NO TELLING SECRETS THOUGH!

Remember-there will be a prize!!!

*In the event of a tie, I there will be a sudden death round in which each player must prove their worth. Just kidding-I'll pick a number or something.

Toosdae ?'s

1. Would you rather have regular encounter with aliens and not have proof or have your best friend be invisible?

2. Do you have a living role model in your current life? They can be famous or not, but it has to be someone that inspires you.

3. Have you ever gotten caught doing the nasty in a parked car? (You know, in the woods, at the beach etc...)

1. I could make the joke that my best friend IS invisible, but it just a joke, and only a few people would get it. It's just a joke wingnut, don't get sad. But it would be my choice. Aliens are borderline ghost-like, which I hate-and not being able to prove I see them would be annoying. Plus, to prove my best friend existed, she could just pinch you. ;) (Which she'd totally do if I asked her)

2. Yes. I think I do. My living role model is currently my friend Megan. She is an incredible mother, friend, worker and wife, and if I am ever blessed with a family like hers, I will strive to be as wonderful as she is. She's also smart as a whip (what does that mean anyway?) and f-u-n-n-y. Oh yeah, and have I ever told you she just "makes" pants before work? Yeah. She can be your role model too if you want.

3. Yes. And it wasn't nasty.

(In high school we used to "park" in the apple orchard behind the school...they caught on. And also the lake. And also...just kidding. Maybe. ;)

Untitled: 2

I feel that I need to preface this story, mainly because of the man my father has become, but also because my 2 younger sisters read this blog. Luckily, they were not affected as much as I was, because it was those years in which they were growing that he began trying to get sober. Mostly, he failed, but it should be known that he ultimately succeeded, and has been sober for approximately 6 years. My father, though I do not agree with many of his parenting decisions, is a good man and a hard worker, who always made sure we had food on our table, clothes on our backs, and a place to live. This story, however, is mine, and no matter how far he's come, my journey, in a way, is just beginning...

I don't remember the exact moment I realized that my dad wasn't like the other dads. In adulthood, I see flashes of things I recognize as bad now, but back when I was very small, my life was good.

We lived in a two story house, a block away from my grandparents. One of my mom's sisters lived under us. My other 2 aunts and 2 uncles, still in high school or early college, lived with my Nana and Papa.

And I was the center of their world.

I suppose the fact that I can't remember much about my father when we lived in New York means he must not have been around much. Because I surely remember being with my mother and her siblings, and watching them sit around in fits of laughter drinking red wine out of a bottle like you see in old Italian movies.

Then again, I suppose I am probably the only girl who's parents didn't own a restaurant or a bar who was considered a regular, who played on the monstrous computer slot machines and yes, who washed dirty glasses behind the bar.

I was in nursery school.

I liked to wash the glasses. The little brushes looked like Christmas trees and they spun around furiously inside the glasses, taking with them the whisky, or rum, or whatever life sucking liquid formally filled them.

To this day, whenever I walk into an empty bar, the smell takes me back to those days. The verdict is still out as to whether or not that is good.

No, my life in New York wasn't bad. I was surrounded by people who adored me-who taught me how to play hopscotch and Marco Polo, and that a junky old rock from the front yard could make my Papa's eyes light up.

But then we moved.

And the people who were donning their love on me like protective gear were 2 hours away, and we didn't have a sidewalk to play hopscotch on. I couldn't climb down the stairs to see my Aunt Carol, or to "steal" a perfectly placed pineapple juice from her bar.

It was, then, when we moved to the place I will always call "home" that I realized that my daddy might destroy it.

Pie!!

As promised, here is a successfully tested recipe. Enjoy!

Flaky Pie Dough: This pie dough is ideal for a custard based pie...

Pastry Flour 10oz.
Shortening 7oz.
Cold Water 3oz.
Salt 1t.
Sugar .5oz

Sift flour, add shortening in small bits. Cut the fat until it resembles small peas.

Dissolve salt & sugar in cold water

Add water to flour and mix just until blended. DO NOT OVER MIX.

Form into a small, flat disc and wrap to chill-about 4 hours.

Dough should be COLD when you are ready to bake it

Coconut Cream Pie Filling

Eggs 8oz.
Sugar 4oz.
Salt 1/4t.
Vanilla extract 1 1/2t.
Milk 1.25pints (20oz)
Toasted coconut 2.5oz

*For a creamier pie filling, use 1/2 whole milk and 1/2 cream.

Combine eggs, sugar, salt & vanilla. Blend-DO NOT WHIP.

Sitr in Milk.

Line pie dough with toasted coconut.

To fill, walk unfilled pie crust with coconut over to the oven and pour or ladle filling while on the rack.

Bake on the LOWER rack at 425 for 15 minutes, then drop temp to 325 and cook til done-about 20-30 minutes depending on your oven.

Cool completely and serve.

Scale: To Make Accurate

Shameless? Absolutely. Necessary? Maybe.
But I want one.
Remember me on my ultra big 3-0 this year. ;)

People always ask, "What do you want for your birthday?"

Well, this year, if anyone asks, I'm going to have answers. One of these funky scales is at the top of the list.

Many of you may think this is odd, to have a list. But my family is all about birthday/Christmas lists. We exchange them and cross things off as they are bought, secretly stashing them so the list owner can't see what's left. I thought about making one of those shameless "buy me stuff" lists, you know, to make everyone's life easier, but they didn't have "House in Tuscany" on the list to choose from, so what's the point?

Unless of course my family is planning a huge blowout celebration of the year style surprise party, in which case I'll have to post said list. ;)