• 22:47 Working on an Obama-themed gelatin dessert! #
• 23:34 Layer Two of my Obama gelatin dessert: Complete! One more layer to go, then sleep. :) #
• 10:55 Inventorying my Elvis movies! #
• 11:43 My pipes are making a super-terrifying, super-loud noise. #
• 12:42 Making some un-fried chicken and registering for some standardized tests! #
• 13:14 On my TV: "The Trouble WIth Girls (and How to Get Into It)" #

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I visited Megan and Scott in Long Island! It was Megan's birthday, and we celebrated by making her dad's style homemade pizza. We watched "Iron Man" (which I hadn't seen, but I really enjoyed!) and played some Rock Band. I played BASS on MEDIUM, and while some songs were too hard for me on medium, overall we got better scores because I was no longer on the Easy level.

I slept over and then we went to an APPLE ORCHARD and a church PUMPKIN SALE! We collected a "harvest" of fall produce! Here is a video...



Enjoy! It features a song by my "kin," Conway Twitty. :)

It was SO MUCH FUN, and I felt like it was REALLY fall! HOORAY!

Last night I went to visit my friends Kristen and Patrick. Patrick's birthday had recently come and gone, and I commented to Kristen that I should make Tiny Hot Dogs (or, Pigs in a Blanket) for him because he loves them. Somehow we then decided to make FANCY Pigs in a Blanket... and we came up with the concept of BOARS in a Blanket -- made with homemade bread dough (instead of refrigerated canned dough) and Boar Sausage (instead of tiny hot dogs). Last night was the night!

Kristen gets out of her job at 5:30, and has to commute back to Brooklyn. I decided to start the bread dough on my own because it needed to rise and I would be getting home earlier than Kristen anyway. So upon getting home from work, I made whole wheat bread dough!! I used this recipe. It was really stiff and I thought it might be too salty... however, MAGIC occurs when the bread dough is rising!!! By the time I got the dough to Kristen's, it had doubled in size (as the recipe indicated it would). We rolled out pieces to wrap around the boar sausages Kristen had prepared.

Overall, Boars in a Blanket were a success! They were a bit heavy. The bread dough was quite substantial. However, it was DELICIOUS where the boar juice had seeped into the bread dough. Yummm. That was the best part.

We had so much leftover dough, we made two loaves of bread! I brought along the cinnamon-creamed-honey spread I got recently at the Farmers' Market, because I imagined hot whole-wheat bread would go amazingly well with it! Oh -- but I was right!!! WOW! Taste sensation!

But that's not all we consumed! Kristen recently won an at-home club soda maker (you can turn regular water into SODA instantly! We made egg creams, which Kristen had researched. She even got the very special Brooklyn-made syrup that is necessary for making "real" egg creams: Fox's U-bet. They were DELICIOUS and I kind of want to have one every day!!!

Also on the menu, Kristen made homemade Thin Mints!!!!!!!!! They were: wow. That's all I have to say on that subject!!!!

Overall, it is time for me to "recommit" to Weight Watchers after that meal! Kristen and I both kinda had tummy aches afterwards, but I would venture to say that it was worth it! :)

Yesterday and today the house was free of 'dids, so I can only hope that it was simply a FLUKE that they were there the other day.

I enjoyed sleeping in my bed in its new orientation. Once my Total Cleaning Project is complete, I will do maybe a "video tour" of my bedroom area so that everyone can see. I forgot to take a "before" picture, darn!! Well, the furniture was a bit different, and it was MESSY! Those are the main differences!

Looking back, I had a post about how many things I wanted to accomplish in my bedroom, and I am really getting underway with most of them!! (Hooray!) I still have to clean my "nook" area which is a pretty big project... plus the CONTENTS of my closet! (Boo, not fun!)

I am BEHIND in editing video. I'm going to try and get on this project before the fall semester is really in its full swing.

I cleaned out my 5-gallon aquarium (previously empty) and I am readying it for a "new addition" to the household: a DWARF PUFFER FISH! I am very excited! I have been reading my Dwarf Puffer book and checking out Dwarf Puffer websites. I even bought a baby name book so that I could name the new fish. (Of course I might also name him Tamago or McNugget -- both of which will not be found in the baby-name book.)

Tonight I am hanging out with Kristen and Patrick, and we are having Boars in a Blanket. Yes, boars. Whenever I visit them, I usually make Pigs in a Blanket, or Tiny Hot Dogs. Kristen has some BOAR sausage, so we decided it would be funny if we made Boars in a Blanket, a "fancier" version of Pigs in a Blanket. I am going to make the dough for wheat bread, which we will wrap around the boar sausage. I hope to make a video or to at least get some pictures of what Boars in a Blanket look like. :D

Peaches 'n Cream Microwave Cupcake

PER SERVING (entire recipe): 120 calories, 2g fat, 190mg sodium, 25g carbs, 1g fiber, 10g sugars, 1g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

Yup... we found yet another brilliant use for baby food!





Ingredients:
2 1/2 tbsp. Pillsbury Moist Supreme Reduced Sugar Cake Mix, Classic Yellow
4 tsp. Gerber Peaches (or another brand of pureed peaches, found in the baby food aisle)
2 tbsp. Fat Free Reddi-wip

Directions:
In a small microwave-safe dish (like a ramekin or custard dish), combine cake mix and peaches. Gently stir until completely blended. (Don't worry if it seems like a small amount. Your cake will puff up -- we promise!) Microwave for 1 minute, and then let sit in the microwave to set for a full 5 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, run a knife along the sides of the dish to release the cake and pop it onto a plate (or you could just leave it in the dish to be consumed!). Then top your cupcake off with the Reddi-wip, and enjoy!

MAKES 1 SERVING

(Courtesy of Hungry Girl.)

"It's not a party unless there are Tiny Hot Dogs!" That's what I always say!

Recently I made Tiny Hot Dogs, or "pigs in a blanket," on Easter. (These are not them. Although it might've been cool if I had made a Tiny Hot Dog Pyramid, as seen in this picture from Google.) I made them using Pillsbury Crescents as dough, and they were exceptional -- light and fluffy and buttery. (Usually I use refrigerated biscuit dough -- not crescents).

This past weekend I also assisted in the making of some Tiny Hot Dogs. Alexandra had a bunch of friends over for her (very successful!) book club meeting. I made Tandy Cakes for the group, and helped Alexandra make Tiny Hot Dogs. She went out and got the ingredients. I told her to get 2 cans of Pillsbury Crescents because they were so good.

WELL!

Alexandra DID get Pillsbury Crescents, but they were Pillsbury Crescent ROLLS. The rolls don't bake up in the classic "croissant" shape. Instead they are rolled up not unlike a cinnamon bun. When you unroll the dough right out of the can, it is perforated in strips. Each strip is exactly the WIDTH one would want to wrap around a Tiny Hot Dog. SO CONVENIENT! Each strip is perfect length-wise when you cut it into thirds!  Two cans is the perfect amount to make for one package of 40-50 Tiny Hot Dogs.

Tiny Hot Dog Technology: revealed! Try it for yourself! Serve with mustard and ketchup for dipping. YUM!!!

I only PRETEND to know how to cook. I just had to Google to find out how to make a hard-boiled egg!

(http://www.goodegg.com/boiledegg.html - if anyone's wondering!)

I am currently making a strawberry bundt (from a boxed mix). I thought the pink cake would look Easter-y!

My mom was teasing me (via email) how I've become a Susie-Homemaker--cooking, cleaning, etc. We finally have gas and so our stove is up and running. I am totally excited and Susan and I have been taking FULL advantage of it! I made spaghetti on our first night with gas. We've had eggs for breakfast for several days. Susan made a family favorite, Chicken Divan, which was a real hit! I made a lemon pound-cake bundt for Susan's (belated) birthday. Tonight I will make "Cowboy Chicken," and its accompanying side dishes: "sauteed apples" and "triple-bean pot." For the record, Cowboy Chicken is NOT actually chicken; it's pork chops.

Today is a big day for me at the Museum; a group of 25 objects is being released to Christie's and I'm the person in charge of the release! I have never done this before, and it is exciting! There was some concern yesterday when I went to look at the objects and saw that this couch that--based on a photograph--I'd expected to be striped was actually floral. (This looks like a job for Fire and Ice!) Lo and behold! It had been reupholstered in the 60s or 70s--CRISIS AVERTED!

Susan made me a special Big Day at the Museum Breakfast including: scrambled eggs (with cheese), ruby-red grapefruit, and an orgasmic blueberry english muffin (sent by her parents). Plus a FULL cup of coffee as opposed to a half that we usually drink. (I will NEED it!) SHe is the best roomie/friend/sister ever!

I am waiting for them to call that my truck has arrived. Soon...! Soon!

We have some new favorite bands. One is Spiraling, which we saw at the Mercury Lounge on the 7th. I have a crush on the guitarrist, who is the HottestManAlive2005. We were actually at the Mercury to see Ambulance, which is one of Susan's favorites. They were awesome, and since they live in Williamsburg, I keep expecting to see them shopping for groceries at Key Foods.

There is a Bouncing Betty show this Friday that I'm planning on going to! I haven't seen Jaclyn since Christmas, so it should be fun. Plus I believe they are going to be recording in Williamsburg very soon!

Also: Susan and I had a mind-expanding experience when we went to explore local bars this weekend. We found a place that said it had "Scrabble Night" on Saturday. So we went, and we saw no Scrabble. Instead, there was a band setting up. Someone told us they were really good. The "music" begins. It's like this series of noises. It was the funniest thing ever, but Susan and I couldn't laugh because everyone was taking it SO seriously! There was shouting, a kazoo, and a man making raspberry noises with his lips into a microphone. They apparently used to have a TV as one of their instruments, however, the TV died. They did a song about it:

There's no guarantee
on this thrift store TV

Extreme. Strange. Hilarious.

The best part was, two days later, one of the band members served us coffee at a local coffee shop.

I love New York.

Well for two days I've been cooking like you wouldn't believe... Yesterday I made my "old standby" recipe... I make teriyake chicken shish kabobs, with cherry tomatoes and potatoes. It came out very good--it always does--it is one of the few things I can make without messing it up!! The secret of it coming out so good is that I cut the chicken up in little cubes before I marinate it so the marinade penetrates each individual cube of chicken.

Also yesterday, I made some INCREDIBLE brownies from scratch... they are marbled with cheesecake. INCREDIBLE, if I do say so myself!

Today I made homemade gnocchi! They turned out pretty good. The texture was a little off, though. But they tasted good! It was quite an involved process... When was the last time YOU used a Foley's Food Mill?! ;-) I really worked up a sweat. LOL, I am SO not a homemaker!

Today was delightful! I got up early and packed up the car with my mom and dad... we went down to Sandy Hook (the Jersey Shore). It was sooo nice! I am thrilled that it finally feels like summer here--at last! Before, it has been a truly nasty summer: more rain than I ever saw. Today it was actually HOT!

I did not get too much tanner, but my hair has gotten many highlights thanks to the sun and a product called Beach Blonde! (I have found it to work better and to moisturize more than just using straight-up lemon juice.) This time I did take a swim with my dad even though the ocean was ICY COLD! It was invigorating!

It was nice to have my mom come this time, even though she worked last night. After we left the beach, I gave the dog a nice cool bath, which she thoroughly enjoyed! Once I was all cleaned up myself, we visited Heidi in search of Judy, a friend from Italy. (While we did not find Judy, we did spend some time with Heidi... I finally met Jack and saw their swimming pool! Marina showed me all of her cool moves!)

I forgot to mention that my homemade lemon italian ice went over REALLLLLY well with the fam! I will definitely make it again some day. Also of note: I ordered a book about my FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME, Some Like It Hot. It is an incredible account of the whole movie, including photos as well as a facsimilie of Marilyn Monroe's script, complete with her handwritten notes in the margins! It is worth $200 but I found it online for $105. Plus I have a 25$ off discount, so I get it--in theory--for $80. I cannot wait to see it! Books! Yay!

I have not gotten the new Harry Potter yet, as I am way behind... I started the series later than everyone else, and I am currently reading the fourth book. I really feel like going book shopping, so maybe I will pick it up sometime soon, just to have it.

Today I was up at 7:30 AM. Yes, this IS my day off, I know. I have just been unable to sleep in. I think it's because I go to bed at a semi-decent time, unlike at college. It is kind of nice to not sleep the day away!

I had breakfast with the fam, then did my exercising on the treadmill... while watching "The Seven-Year Itch." (The guy that wrote it died, so I was having a little memorial.) Incidentally, SYI was the FIRST Marilyn Monroe movie I ever saw. I was ten, and was forever Hooked On Marilyn (like Hooked On Phonics) from that point on. It was a combination of seeing that film and reading Lena Pepitone's "Marilyn Monroe Confidential" (a REAL tearjerker) that made me a MM fan. After that I saw all the movies I could, and read the biographies I could get my hands on! In SYI, Marilyn is absolutely luminous... every scene she's in, you can't take your eyes off of her--there's something about her. There has never been a star that is comparable--none before her, none after. There may have been more "talented" actors, but none with such a star-like, glowing quality. Today's actresses don't even come CLOSE to being HALF as beautiful as Marilyn. That's my honest opinion--take it or leave it! Ah, but I digress!

After my workout, I got showered and did my hair in French-braided pigtails for the first time in a while. My dad and I planned dinner and I drove us to ShopRite to get ingredients. It was a rainy, nasty day! I wanted to make lemon ice in hollowed-out lemon peels for dessert. For some reason my mixture refused to set, even after hours in the freezer! Tomorrow's dessert, I guess.

I found my lilium plant (a bulb I'd bought at work and planted in a little pot) tipped over on the deck. When I went to pick it up, I realized the plant had been pulled out of the pot! I found the plant a few feet away. Some animal (I bet it was a squirrel) dug it out, ate the bulb, and left behind the plant part. It was so sad! That lilium was doing so well, too. I'll have to get another and try again.

While my lemon ice was attempting to freeze, I continued cleaning my room, and I sent a resume out. This is a job at HarperCollins Publishing, in the Children's Book department! It's for a Design Assistant position... Sounds right up my alley! I would LOVE to at least get an interview there!!

Doris is coming over tonight! We'll watch a movie after she has dinner with her fam! YAY! Good times!