Everyday is Halloween

It's been too long since an update ! So here I am to wish everyone a happy happy Halloween and fill your brains with some tasty tidbits of daydreams.

The leaves in Oregon are beautiful right about now....well, I should say until yesterday. The rains have arrived today and it's going to be a leafy, squishy mess here pretty soon. The colours are those of New England - it's truly amazing and has quickly reaffirmed why this is my favourite time of year. I looove the rain too, so as you can imagine, I'm a giddy mess today.

The economy is really screwing with my recruiting mojo. The desperation level in Oregon is reaching maximum capacity. Companies are laying off, individuals are scrounging for anything they can find. I've had accountants, executive admins trying to convince me that I should consider them for a crappy warehouse position that pays $10/hour. *sigh* It makes things so tough - aside from the obvious, but it seriously makes me anxious to see so much desperation in the air.

Speaking of people looking for work, I had a cool interview with a guy this week that plays with Unfallen Heroes. We started discussing old school punk - Bad Religion, The Germs, Black Flag....and he said I should check them out. He dropped off a CD yesterday and they totally rock ! If you want to check out some local Portland talent, have a listen to them. (They have a few songs on their MySpace page). Thanks for the CD, Chris !

WoW and my little night elf druid has been keeping me entertained as I make the crawl to 70. I'm currently 59 and way too into it. Who knew I'd find a druid so exciting ? I suppose it's because they are so versatile and I'm really loving leatherworking and not to mention, the pure adrenaline of waiting for the Lich King ! So many new, cool things happening in game. It's hard NOT to be a totally geeky gamer grrl with the current electronic climate.

Speaking of being a geek, I got Fallout 3 yesterday :D I haven't played it yet (see above) but it came in the cutest little metal lunchbox and a bobble head Pip ! I have the "Making Of" with me today, so I'll check that out later to get my interest peaked a bit more.

Happy Halloween !

Stuffed Bell Peppers !

So, in times of need (aka diet) comes ingenuity. This recipe originally was labeled "Orzo Stuffed Bell Peppers" but I've modified it and made it better (IMO).

The participants in this play:

Prestuffing:

Blessed by Buddha prior to the oven:

...And upon leaving the oven:

The recipe:

Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes or diced tomatoes
2 zucchini, grated
1 lb. Italian sausage
red pepper flakes, to taste
1/8 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for sprinkling
dash of Tom's Hot Sauce
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 cups chicken broth
6 sweet bell peppers (red, orange or yellow)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and break apart using a pair of kitchen shears or your finger tips. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, Tom's, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes until done. Stir the sausage into the vegetable mix to combine.

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.

Place the peppers in the baking dish surrounded with the chicken broth. Spoon the mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully transfer the stuffed pepper to a serving plate.

Cranky and a headache !

Uff....stand back.

I started South Beach on Monday and I must have forgotten how CRANKY one can become after a few days with no carbs. I have a headache and I am peeing every 5 minutes but dammit, I'm down 4 pounds and it's day 4 !

Other than that, it's been a blurry week. The rain has officially returned to Portland and it's cooled down quite nicely. That means better sleep and better moods . I guess I'm the only freak alive who is absolutely in love with the rain. I definitely get giddy when it's gray and rainy.

Gray and rainy with no carbs.....ya, not so much.

There is something so satisfying with having apparent control over what you eat. I'm not *hungry* and it becomes quite obvious that most of the *bad* things I want are because of urges that have nothing to do with hunger. It seems to be something along the lines of texture, warmth, because I think I need a "reward" or because it's what I eat when I'm doing _____ . Like watching TV - the perfect time to snack on something sweet or have a beer. What about watching TV and drinking water ? Once I'm passed it, I'm still as satisfied, I enjoyed whatever it was I was watching just as much and whatever I do after is typically what I would do even if I would have eaten that cookie...or drank that beer. And maybe I feel better because I didn't eat/drink it.

*sigh*

It's all emotional. Really.

Best Meatloaf Evah

You heard that right, evah.

I didn't really foresee such a post. You know, about meatloaf but I made this last weekend and Roderic asked for it again this weekend. Really, it's that good.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup ketchup
* Tom's Hot Sauce (to taste)
* 2 pounds lean ground beef
* 3/4 cup milk
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 shallot, chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 cup finely crushed Ritz crumbs

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.
2. Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar. I like to add Tom's HS to the ketchup and also to the meat mixture - how much is up to you.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix all remaining ingredients thoroughly and press into the loaf pan over ketchup.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear.

One crazy thing I did this time was used cottage cheese to replace the milk (since we had no milk) and I'm hoping this is going to work. I'm all about guerrilla cooking.

I'll report back =)

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

So incredibly tired. I'm a lunatic, seriously. Laughing, giggling, blabbing on and on about nonsense as my friends and coworkers stare on with confused expressions.

It's been a week and I haven't had a *normal* nights sleep. I've had a variety of distractions and interruptions that have barred me from just sleeping. I've made the Mr. crazy in bed (and not in a good way) because I've tossed or turned or snored or talked in my sleep. (or, the quilt is too "heavy", but that's another post).

So we have Mercury in retrograde until October 15th. That can screw everything up but I don't know if *that's* really it. I imagine it's the change from Summer to Fall. I mean, what else can it be other than writing it off as a nondescript "bad week" ?

I love the fall and winter. Like in a crazy, excited way. I can feel it in the very pit of my core...the butterflies start and I can barely hold myself in check. I find myself being torn into a million different memories as I sniff the air and watch the leaves slowly change from green to a myriad variations of red and gold.

This is MY time. I know Spring/Summer is the time that so many seem to love - the sun, the warmth and fun times. But for me, rain is energizing. Snow is amazing. A cold, rainy Saturday is the best weekend I can think of ! So I'm looking forward to slipping back into the comfort of Fall and Winter.

...and I have to acknowledge that it's one big plus of moving to Oregon. It's cooler here and the chances for snow are better than in my beloved Danville.

Let it snow ! (but for all that is holy, let me get a good night's sleep, please)