Um. And I vote NO. How about pop goes fugly?

http://www.sephora.com/browse/article.jhtml?id=713401

Ha...and every good cooking or baking spell must be broken.

I made carrot cake the other night. Well, I started to and midway through, after the eggs had been added and carrots shredded, I realized that I was out of brown sugar and a cup short of flour and half a cup short on shredded coconut. Normally, this would not pose a problem--quick run to the store, a zip and a zap and voila, right? Well, right, except that I was going to book club...so I covered the pyrex bowls, stuck 'em in the frige, and by the time book club ended, my stomach was full, my brain on white wine, I forgot just what I'd been missing for my cake, minus that they were crucial ingredients. Well, I managed to pick up another bag of king arthur flour and coconut and proceeded with my cake... except, couldn't quite remember where in that lovely recipe I'd left off. I added the flour and coconut and proceeded to stir the wet and dry, and bake the cake.

It smelled good. I was getting excited. And then I ill-fatedly ate a slice and realized that I'd forgotten the sugar.

Let me just say that carrot cake, without sugar, just isn't as good. I tried making a coconut milk syrup, poking holes, and infusing the cake with syrup but... brown sugar that's been baked in is NOT equal to white sugar added after baking, even if mixed with coconut milk.

Lesson learned: I have no executive functioning and would desperately fail any tower of london task.

I'm going to Chicago tomorrow. I'm excited about the eating...

This is what else we're hoping to make later this week... [ok, update: made items...changes in italics]

*************************

Fettuccine and Tofu with Finger-Licking Peanut Sauce
[Using Asian rice noodles instead]

Ingredients

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth [vegetarian version of no-chicken broth--NOT veggie broth!]
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chile paste with garlic
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine [used rice noodles]
1 pound firm tofu, drained and cubed [omitted but can be put in--stir fry in vegetable step]
1 cup (2-inch) sliced green onions
1 cup shredded carrot
[added summer squash--bean sprouts should work well too]
2 beaten eggs

Preparation
[First soak the rice noodles in a large covered bowl of hot water while you cut up vegetables, prepared the sauce, etc. The pyrex mixing bowls with covers work well--though a large bowl covered with a plate should have the same effect.

Second, in a large flat pan, sautee the vegetables in some oil with some salt, pepper, garlic, and onion and remove from the pan. Add more oil to the pan and cook the beaten eggs until just done. Remove the scrambled/pancake egg and cut into 1 in strips.]

Combine first 8 ingredients in a separate small saucepan. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until smooth, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.


Drain the rice noodles. Heat some more oil in the large flat pan that had been used for the veggies and egg. Then add the rice noodles. Stir fry for a few minutes and then add a tiny bit of water to the pan (1/4 cup?). Cover the pan with a large lid, lower the heat to medium, and cook until al dente to tender. Once noodles are done, stir in sauce and vegetables and stir fry for another few minutes. Enjoy!

Cook pasta in boiling water 8 minutes, omitting salt and fat. Add tofu, onions, and carrot; drain. Place pasta mixture in a large bowl. Add peanut butter mixture; toss gently.


Yield

4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

********************************

Vietnamese Lettuce Rolls with Spicy Grilled Tofu

Ingredients

1 (16-ounce) package water-packed firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup fresh lime juice [I used half this amount]
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh lemongrass [I couldn't buy lemongrass but I'm sure it would be yummy!]
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
1 head romaine lettuce
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
36 small mint leaves
36 (2-inch) strips julienne-cut carrot
12 basil leaves
[I added long strips of starfruit and mango]

Preparation
[I omitted the tofu-drying steps in this first paragraph. I just took cut the tofu crosswise, lay them flat in a large flat ziploc container, and threw the marinade below over the whole deal] Cut tofu crosswise into 12 (1/2-inch) slices. Place tofu slices on several layers of heavy-duty paper towels. Cover tofu with additional paper towels. Place a cutting board on top of tofu; place a cast-iron skillet on top of cutting board. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. (Tofu is ready when a slice bends easily without tearing or crumbling.) Arrange tofu in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Combine juice and the next 6 ingredients (juice through garlic) in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring until honey dissolves. Pour over tofu. Cover and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

[I didn't grill either--I took the tofu, laid them on an oiled piece of foil in a baking pan, and cooked the tofu at 350 until they looked done. Then I chopped up the tofu into smaller cubes]

Prepare grill.

Remove tofu from dish, and reserve marinade. Coat tofu with cooking spray. Place tofu on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

Remove 12 large outer leaves from lettuce head; reserve remaining lettuce for another use. Remove bottom half of each lettuce leaf; reserve for another use. Place 1 tofu slice on each lettuce leaf top. Top each leaf top with 2 teaspoons cilantro, 3/4 teaspoon peanuts, 3 mint leaves, 3 carrot strips, and 1 basil leaf [and starfruit and mango...wasn't exact either about the cilantro/mint/basil ratio]. Wrap leaf around toppings. Serve with reserved marinade.
Yield

4 servings (serving size: 3 lettuce rolls and about 1/4 cup sauce)
Nutritional Information

CALORIES 294(29% from fat); FAT 9.5g (sat 1.5g,mono 2.5g,poly 4.9g); PROTEIN 14.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 157mg; SODIUM 334mg; FIBER 2.8g; IRON 3.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 44.9g

I tried this recipe from Cooking Light tonight and just had to share it. It might be the tastiest quick and healthy meal ever. It probably took ten-fifteen minutes from start to finish and now my roommate and I have 8 meals...

I copied and pasted the recipe from the website. Changes I made are in italics...I'm sure this isn't as tasty as the original plan but there were some grocery store difficulties... I also doubled the recipe to minimize the amount of cooking I do this week.

Barley Pilaf with Artichoke Hearts
O Version: Barley Pilaf with Stir-Fry Vegetables

A serving of this meatless main dish offers nearly a third of an adult's suggested daily requirement of fiber. Serve with cherry tomatoes tossed with a bottled vinaigrette. We're skipping the cherry tomato business too...
Ingredients

2 cups warm water
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
Couldn't find artichoke hearts so I ended up buying a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetable mix (combo of broccoli, red peppers, etc)
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic I used about half an onion sliced up instead...
2 tablespoons commercial pesto
1 tablespoon lemon juice I used half the amount of lemon juice
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until tender.

While barley cooks, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add artichokes and garlic. Sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
While the barley was cooking, I instead sauteed onions, added in the chickpeas, frozen veggies, some salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper...

Stir pesto, lemon juice, and chickpeas into the cooked barley. Serve artichoke mixture over barley; top with cheese. Instead,I stirred everything together (chickpeas, veggies, cheese et al.)...I knew that I wouldn't have the patience to sprinkle cheese and layer things when packing my lunch in the morning...
Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 cup barley mixture, 1/4 cup artichoke mixture, and 2 tablespoons cheese)
Nutritional Information

CALORIES 405(28% from fat); FAT 12.6g (sat 4g,mono 6.1g,poly 1.5g); PROTEIN 17.5g; CHOLESTEROL 12mg; CALCIUM 267mg; SODIUM 825mg; FIBER 8.7g; IRON 3.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 57.8g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2003

When people have too much time on their hands...

http://www.slate.com/id/2088863/

This was seen on yahoo today...

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/menlovesex/12279/are-men-more-vain-than-women;_ylt=Aijuadt2mSJdvpW6gbWt8mSrJNIF?print=1&cin=


Are Men More Vain Than Women?
Posted by David Zinczenko
on Mon, Jan 08, 2007, 3:22 pm PST
Post a Comment


The Unspoken Man Code has many rules. Next pitcher's on us. No crying at any movies rated PG or lower. Eyes forward at the urinal at all times. Another: Never admit you're worried about how you look.

It's doubtful that you'll hear many men ask anybody how they look in their jeans, or if their back hair is getting too Konglike, or if that flabby jiggle hanging over the belts is something they should be concerned about. While it may be common for women to articulate their bodily insecurities (in hopes that men will dismiss them, perhaps), men rarely say anything about theirs. That's because they're afraid that women will label them as too vain, too weak, too metro, too feminine, too devoid of the confidence they want and expect in a man.

But the truth is that men care almost as much about their appearance as Lindsay Lohan cares about New Year's Eve. The survey I did for my book Men, Love & Sex showed that 9 in 10 men aren't satisfied with their appearance -- and that they'd jump at the chance at changing one particular part of their body if they could. Consider these truths about men and their appearance -- and then ask yourself, Who's really more vain, women...or men?

* Women may buy more shoes, but men drop the big bucks. When asked how much he'd pay for rock-hard abs (if it was only that easy), the average guy would invest $5,000 of his own money in himself. For movie-star looks in general, he'd drop $17,600. The scary fact: Although more women actually pay for cosmetic enhancements, men who seek medical help for their appearance are twice as likely to opt for an invasive cosmetic procedure like liposuction rather than a non-invasive appearance boost.

* Men care more about their boobs than you do. Check this out: Only 34 percent of women surveyed said they'd want bigger breasts, but 38 percent of men said they'd want larger pectoral muscles. (If you were wondering, the circumference of the average man's chest is two inches larger than that of a woman's.) Men either have the pecs that are strong enough to break knuckles, or we're subjected to the ubiquitous man-boob barbs. And that hurts. Beating pecs as the top male body issue by the tiniest of jiggles: Just over 40 percent of guys say the gut is the No. 1 body part they'd like to change.

* $1.1 billion can buy a lot of hair gel. One of a man's biggest frets comes when he looks down the shower drain and says goodbye to the mane that defines his manhood. American men spend more than $300 million on toupees annually. And $800 million on hair transplants (up to $20,000 for each procedure, which is performed on more than 24,000 men annually-and just 7,000 women).

Now ladies, you may be tempted to decry this as further evidence of the wimpification of the American male. Or say that men are the new women. But let's think this through a little bit. Vanity, of course, can be shallow and self obsessive. As ever, if you take anything to extremes, it becomes a liability. But this time of the year in particular, vanity, properly calibrated, can be a useful form of self-evaluation. And in fact, how we look does have direct corollaries in how healthy we are. That jiggly gut or flabby chest can be a warning of dangerously low metabolism, an early warning sign of high blood pressure, diabetes, even heart disease. And if we take those warnings for what they are, and act to change, our vanity just might turn us around in the short run, and save lives in the long run.

Think men have their appearance priorities in the right place? Or should they be worried about something else when it comes to their image and looks? Let me know.

Pure bliss is...

waking up on the first day of January, putting on a camisole and skirt, slathering on sunscreen, sitting outside with your dog on Lincoln Road drinking coffee and enjoying the sun


Happy New Year's everyone =)