Hollywog's Pond

Weekly blah.

Last week was fairly uneventful. The high point was most definitely a mini dinner party on Wednesday evening. I cooked enough food for about twelve even though there were only four, including me. :) Better to have too much food than too little I guess. And that means plenty of leftovers for lunches and "I'm too tired to cook" dinners. Only problem was that I didn't fully realize the amount of prep time in my tiny kitchen with only one large mixing bowl that isn't so large. My fabulous guests jumped in happily and a grand time was had by all. The new 'q worked splendidly and I tried out some tasty recipes. (It's portable and I can't wait to take it to the beach!)

BBQ Chicken out of last month's Sunset - brining is the best!

Super fabulous Smoky Corn Salsa - filled up on this because it was so scrumptious

Potato Salad - never got past the roasting but either way totally delicious

Burgers - nothing crazy, just my fave ingredients thrown together and grilled

I have rediscovered chipotle as a seasoning miracle. I got some chipotle hot sauce and some chipotle mustard and it is delish. Little dash here and I get lovely flavor without the unpleasant volcano-in-my-mouth side effect.

And then I got sick. Our silly, sweet, work-a-holic doc control lady at work decided that even though she vomited five times at work on Thursday because she didn't feel too badly there was no reason to go home. Surprise, surprise all the women in my group got sick Fri/Sat as there is only one women's restroom on our floor with just two stalls. LAME! I had to miss a party on Sat and will be missing a tv night with a friend because of that. Grrr. Go HOME when you are sick people!

Made a run to my familial storage unit to get my A/C and just in time too (good suggestion mom)! When I have it on it stays about 76-78 degrees F in my apt regardless of what it is outside. Very nice.

I splurged and bought a re-fillable 20lb propane tank as opposed to blowing through the disposable 1lb little guys. I'm not happy about the start-up cost but I will be when it comes time to refill it for much less hassle and a system that is far more friendly to the environment. And they have a new kind out that is super lightweight. The container is made out of fiberglass and you can actually see the propane level inside! I could actually hoist this thing around without a problem as opposed to worrying about throwing out my back trying to get it into my trunk. See here. Totally awesome.

If I must be kept inside due to GI distress and weather I will be productive! Pong vacuumed and I mopped the floors, cleaned the bathroom and did laundry. And tried out another Sunset recipe. This one called for grilling eggplant and tomatoes for a salad with a garlic/mint/lemon/olive oil dressing. It was very nice. I think I'll have to go devour some leftovers now.

Oh, and Althea comes back tonight for good. Her dad is off to Korea tomorrow. Bon voyage!