August Roundup

What’s been happening with the Domestic Servitude blog this past month? Here's a quick snapshot of our August posts.

Recipes:
Maple Cinnamon Oat Bread - This bread has amazing flavor. As it bakes the smell just floats throughout the house making everyone anxious for it to get out of the oven.

Creme Brulee French Toast - This is a great recipe when you want to make something just a little more special and different for breakfast/brunch. I often make this for holidays, birthdays and other celebrations. I have made it several time when I have hosted brunch. Served with some fresh fruit, sausage and mimosas.

Banana Layer Cake with Chocolate Frosting - I get in a rut of making just banana bread or banana muffins when I have banana that need to be used up. This recipe was a nice change. It was very moist and the flavor of it mixed with the chocolate frosting made it just delicious.

Links:
Feast on the Cheap - Jouet shares a great link for a blog about eating quality food but on the cheap. Great recipes and pictures.

Friday Favorites - 4 Friday Favorites for August - I have links for everything recipes, crafts, decorating, cleaning and just things to help your service.

Houseworks Holiday Plan - yes in August - I have been to this site that Jouet shared quite a bit. It is a good resource for getting geared up for the holidays.


Book Reviews:
Martha Stewart's Cooking School - I was truly surprised how much I liked this book. It has great step by step instructions as well as photos to go with it. Really good resource.

The Gourmet Slow-Cooker - Want to take use your slow cooker but take it out of the traditional recipes you find? Then this is the book you want to check out.

Special Interest/Assorted/Random posts:
A Service Book of Days - This idea is a great way to assess where your service is at and going as well as give you focus.

Denture Tablets for Cleaning a Crystal Vase - I worked. And I have pictures on this post to prove it.

Menu - This week and Next - 2 weeks worth of menus

Powdered Buttermilk - a review of a product I have in my kitchen always.

July Round Up

What’s been happening with the Domestic Servitude blog this past month? Here's a quick snapshot of our July posts. Take a moment to read some of the posts below and feel free to share your thoughts as a comment on the individual post!

Recipes:

• Butternut Squash-Apple Soup and Squash Casserole - with gardens producing a variety of vegetables Jouet shares 2 squash recipes.
• Stuffed Pasta Shells - Having a huge pile of spinach I looked to see what I could make with it and turned to a classic

Links:

• July having 5 weeks gave us 5 Friday Favorites posts.
• The Perfect Burger - Jouet shares an article from the NY Time on to make the perfect burger
• Flag Folding - Several links on flag folding
• Organization and Freebies - Princess Mandy shares a list of useful links for organization.
• When Fate Hands You A Lemon, Clean With It - kaya shares some tips about lemons from Frugal Families
• The American Historic Cookbook Project - katie posts an amazing link that gives a collection of old cookbooks scanned and available to browse via PDF

Book Reviews:

• What to Drink with What you Eat - I think this is an essential book for those of us serving but also those of us that enjoy wine.
• Betty Crocker Cookbook - review of a classic
• The Flavor Bible - The title fits this book perfectly. It is a book that helped me become a better cook.

Special Interest/Assorted/Random posts:

• Making House guests Comfortable and Welcome - Essay I wrote for Simply Service about things to do to make your house guests relaxed and enjoy their stay with you
• Jouet, kaya and myself answer a question sent to us by a reader - Tackling your to-do list by Jouet, What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do by kaya and Getting Started by me
• A Month of Menus - I share as the title suggests a month of menus
• Packing Lunch - katie shares her plan for packing lunch and also shares a recipe

Pimping Domestic Servitude Blog

Okay my co-bloggers over on Domestic Servitude have been really busy posting lately....

So here are some links to their posts....

Shelf Life by Jouet - all about expiration dates! Master rolls his eyes at me because I am big on throwing things out when they are past expiration dates.

Frugal Made Simple by Kaya - some great ideas. Please also add your own to the comments we are all looking forward to hearing them.

Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam by Katie - Oh yum! The picture alone does me in!

Salsas.... mmmmm caliente! by Jouet - It is that time of year with farmer's markets so veggies and fruits are going to start being really easy to find and good prices. And making salsa is so refreshing and versatile.

Biscuits and Gravy by Kaya - I think Master can be happy that Kaya posted this as I am going to make biscuits and gravy this weekend. And I am even doing the cheat with the biscuits.

Spicy! by Jouet - Such a good post on herbs and spices. I had never heard of Penzeys until Jouet gave me some for Christmas. Master has even asked me about maybe getting some different varieties of Penzeys as he can tell the difference. He will often say "you made this with the spices Jouet gave us didn't you?" And I did. So there is something about them that really makes them stand out.

Pinto Beans, Chicken Legs, and Strawberry Soup by Princess Mandy - Don't look if you are hungry because I guarantee this post will make you hungry! Great pictures, directions and story of making them. Yummy!

Spirit and Attitude of Domestic Service by Jouet and I also wrote on that topic too. - answering a question asked by a reader.

Dandelion Massage Oil by Katie - what a great way to get rid of dandelions!

Stuffing your Boobs by Kaya - Yummy! So many great ideas!

Favorite Christmas Recipe

I have been a baking fool the last 3 days. One thing that can be tricky is I live in a higher altitude. And because of it I get inconsistent baking results. Last year I made Chocolate chip cookies with peppermint bark and they turned out really great mounded in nice round scoops -- this year same recipe made flat cookies. They taste good but they are flat.

Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies last year...


This years....


But my favorite recipe holiday cookie recipe that smell good, look pretty and taste great are Cardamom Butter Cookies. I roll them out and do cut outs. This year I did Christmas trees, stars and snow flakes. But I was having a few problems with the dark chocolate drizzling right. But still had fun playing Jackson Pollack. I haven't taken a picture of this year yet. But this is a picture of last years....



For cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

For espresso and chocolate icings
1 teaspoon instant-espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons milk
1 cup confectioners sugar
3 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), melted

Special equipment: 2 small heavy-duty sealable plastic bags (for icing; not pleated) I just drizzle it on with a spoon

Make cookies:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, and allspice in a bowl.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 4 minutes with a handheld. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until just combined.

Form dough into 2 (12-inch) logs (1 1/2 inches in diameter), each on its own sheet of plastic wrap. Use plastic wrap and your hands to roll, press, and square off sides of logs. Chill logs on a baking sheet until slightly firm, about 1 hour, then smooth logs with plastic wrap and flat side of a ruler to achieve straight sides. Chill logs on baking sheet until firm, about 1 hour.

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut enough scant 1/4-inch-thick slices from a log with a knife to fill 2 large ungreased baking sheets, arranging slices about 1 inch apart (chill remaining dough, wrapped in plastic wrap).

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes total. Cool on sheets 3 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough on cooled baking sheets.

Ice cookies:
Whisk together espresso powder, vanilla, and 1 1/2 tablespoons milk until espresso powder is dissolved, then add confectioners sugar and enough additional milk to make a thick but pourable icing. Spoon into a sealable bag and snip 1/8 inch off a bottom corner.

Spoon melted chocolate into another sealable bag and snip 1/8 inch off a bottom corner.

Pipe some espresso icing and chocolate over each cookie and let cookies stand on racks until icing sets, about 2 hours.

Cooks' notes:
• Dough logs can be chilled 5 days or frozen, wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap, 1 month (thaw in refrigerator just until they can be sliced).
• Cookies (with or without icing) keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

(above recipe is from Epicurious)

Now I need to go make trays up and also make a crab dip for a party we are going to tonight.

Black Smoke for Halloween to make it eerie...right? Not quite...

I have a pumpkin cheesecake in the oven. I found a tip that you won't have a cracked cheesecake if you put a couple teaspoons of cornstarch in it. So that is what I did (and so for it looks like it is working). I usually do the normal water bath for it - which is also suppose to prevent cracking but I found that doesn't always work. So anyway I am talking on the phone with Master and all of sudden I realize the house is filling up with smoke....I look in cheesecake is fine but there was a little leaking that spill was burning something terrible. I have all the windows open...and exhaust fan going too. I haven't "noticed" my pan leak when it was in the bath.

So see I am not a perfect baker...for those of you that always tell me I am...:) I do make silly mistakes I mean it is a cheesecake pan obviously how the thing fits together and all the years I have had it...it can't be perfectly sealed still so why I didn't put at least a pan under it....I am not sure. But there is one there now...of course as I am waving black smoke towards the open windows!

Cleaning Carpets

I have been quiet because when we come I crash. And then we have had work to do so been busy with that.

* Today we went grocery shopping. This afternoon I made a few loaves of herbed french bread and sour cream cookies. Master has a meeting tomorrow night. I am making a taco dip and then some french bread pizza. I felt like I smelled like basil all afternoon because the basil in the bread was so strong.

* Tomorrow and Friday I am steam cleaning carpets as it will be in the 70's so I can keep the windows open while the carpet drys.

* I submitted our site for Jane's Guide a while back and we were reviewed!

* I think I need to take some airborne and go read. Reading the second book in the Outlander series.

* Hope to catch up on journals soon...

Comfortable & Uncomfortable

And odd mix of things....in bullet points as nothing is connected

• We had dinner with friends last night. It was and odd mix of uncomfortable and comfortable. Master had made a video for one of the friends so it was like a thank you dinner from them. We weren't able to be a the party when the showed it as we were in Shreveport. But we watched the video last night with them and the friend got all teary watching it again. And he has watched it several times already but still affected by it. I know it makes Master feel good that his work touches people.
  
  We all watched the Rockies win so that was fun. And comfortable and relaxed. Appetizers and just hanging and talking was comfortable too. We had a really good wine - I only had a sip as migraines still lingering. But it had a grapefruit undertone that was very nice. Dinner then came and that is where I always feel uncomfortable. I feel uncomfortable eating in front of some people. Then plus add on top of this list we were having foods I have never eaten before so that always makes me nervous if what if I don't like it what do I do....we had buffalo steaks. I also broke a spoon. They had mashed potatoes that were very heavy. She had put 3 cheeses in it, chives fresh from her garden (not that chives weight a lot lol) and they just were very weighty spuds so when I went to scoop some on to my plate the spoon snapped. So I know I blushed a million shades red. But I survived.




• Well at Master's parents last week we watched the first disk from Planet Earth. And that was so amazing! I loved it. But really what was the cutest is when the birds came on to his parents big screen high definition tv and our sleeping male kitty cat immediately jumped from his slumber to go get them. He was reaching up touching the screen with his paw. He finally jumped up on the speaker next to the tv and sat on it reaching over to the tv to try to get the birds. We didn't get a picture because as soon as we would have moved he would have stopped. But it was SO cute!



• Going to get my hair cut this morning. I will be having probably about 4 to 5 inches taken off - it is a length Master really likes. Then tomorrow I will dye it black cherry.



• Talked to my parents yesterday to get plans more firm for what we are doing and staying. We are going to the art museum Thursday. Friday we will probably take a little day trip. And then the rest of the time will be for shopping. I know my Mom is buying me my present while here - and I am thinking I want new shoes - new mary janes to be exact. And there are DSW's in Denver so probably hit one of those.



• Made Chili and cornbread on Saturday. And then yesterday I made a pie to bring to our friends - chocolate buttermilk. So here are pictures....
  
  
  
  
  



• We have a film shoot this afternoon possibly this evening. I am feeling really out of today though so I hope I can snap out of it before then.



• I watched Alice in Wonderland 3 times this weekend. Daddy bought me it and several other little girl movies. I hadn't watched Alice in Wonderland though in probably 10 years and it one I really really like so it was fun to see again!

I think that is all the randomness I have in me at the moment at least.

Food!

I made kind of an Italian stew on last week....combined great northern beans, browned ground Italian sausage, diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, onions, green & yellow peppers, chicken stock and cooked in the crock for 6/7 hours about 30 minutes before serving I added some cooked elbow noodles. The sausages I use come from Sam's and they have so much flavor that they flavored it a lot. Topped with some grated parmesan cheese. And served with homemade French bread. It turned out pretty good. Master said it is a keeper.

Nothing More than Busy

This have been so busy - first being sick and then Master had a last minute project that really has taken us every hour of the day to just get going in the right direction.

I have had a ton of emails this week from friends and also just people writing after reading here or the website. Please know I will get back to as soon as possible. I am not ignoring you! :)

It is getting cooler here in the evening and I am getting so geared up for fall. It is my favorite time of the year and I don't think it is just because my birthday is in the fall - especially not this year in turning 40. Not looking forward to that at all.

I did a Mexican dish in the crockpot on Sunday and it made me get all excited for fall cooking in the crockpot...stews and soups especially! Yummy! The Mexican dish I threw together was 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch strips that I coated in a mixture of taco seasoning and flour - threw them in the crock, then added half a bag of stir fry peppers and onions, 1 can of diced tomatoes with the juice, 1 can green diced chilis (well almost the whole can), 3/4 cup salsa, 1 can beans drained and rinsed (I wanted to add 1 can black beans and 1 can pinto beans but I didn't have both so only one can of black beans went in). I cooked for 6 hours and then served over some rice topped with some sour cream and grated Monterey jack cheese.

Well I need to get busy as we have a ton of things to do. Hopefully tonight I can start catching up on blogs, comments and emails!

Have Toys will Travel

I feel like I have been crashing today. I don't like that feeling but Master and I discussed it and we understand it. So today just has been getting ready to go out of town tomorrow.

It is always fun to be told to pack toys and know I am going to be hurt with said toys I pack. On one hand of course I want to play and I love when Master causes me pain and pleasure. But on the other hand..he is going to cause me pain with those toys! :)

He did request is rope. He said he wanted all our rope! yay! I am very excited about that! One year at Thunder he saw a bondage workshop and after the class we headed to the vendor area to buy rope from Rainbow Rope. He bought some dark red rope and some black (darker colors to lay on my pale skin was the thought). Since then a friend made us cuffs ankle and wrist cuffs to match a posture collar Master bought for our 1st anniversary....anyway they are dark purple and black...so of course tonight while packing the purple and black cuffs and the dark red and black rope - I thought we should get some purple rope sometime. I would really like some more hemp rope and Monk makes purple.

Yesterday after Master's fantasy football draft, we headed to the bedroom as I asked Master if I could give him a blow job. He thought that sounded okay. And I have to say it was a ROCK STAR blow job! Really I think it was the best blow job I have ever given to Master...maybe ever given as everything just worked just as I wanted it too. And it was one of those that I could just take my time and we both enjoyed it a lot.

I made paninis for dinner to get read of some deli turkey we had in the fridge before we leave. They were really good. I did Asiago cheese rolls, light ranch dressing, turkey bacon, roasted peppers, swiss cheese and then deli turkey. They turned out very yummy! The brownies I made the other day turned out much more cakey then they usually do. I think I may have added an extra 1/4 cup of flour.

While out of town, I probably won't be posting much...as Master's lap top will be with him working. I am bringing a book, my paper journal, and I think some note cards and postcards to send out some mail love while he is working. I need to pack up those things and then my make up case and meds (note need to grab my new migraine medicine bottle). I should probably get the cooler too with some pop, water and ice tea. Oh maybe bring some tea packets too so I can have hot tea while reading.

We will probably be pack late on Wednesday. We need to leave fairly early tomorrow as people will be coming down off the mountains back into the city from the long weekend so it will probably take us a while to get to Denver since it is the holiday weekend.

The Zeppo

So the last few days I have been feeling down. Just feeling blah and sad. But really everything is going pretty good. Master has been busy with work. I have helped him out a little and then doing things around the house. We have been busy and productive and even had quite a bit of time for kinky fun things!

My bottom gives little twinges of pain when I sit down. I don't bruise or mark easy on my ass. And even with the playing this week there are no marks but obvious bruising under the skin because it hurts in places on my ass. You know telling a sadist where it hurts...of course makes him find many times throughout the day to poke and smack me on the tender bits.

Tonight is the Farmers Market so we will be picking up some fresh veggies..tomatoes and peppers I want the most. During the summer months main street is blocked off one night a week and then vendors set up tents and sell their goods. Most of it is fresh veggies and fruit. But there are things like chefs cooking with fresh produce. And then homemade good like soaps, metal or woodworking for sale. And there is always music...usually one or more bands or musicians set up for the evening.

Oh speaking of produce...we went to Sam's the other day. And we picked up a really big container of organic spring salad mix. It was much cheaper then buying the bagged ready to eat salad mix from the grocery store. And really I felt it was cheaper then buying all the things that would go into it making it from the different types of greens. The container is really large and packed really well. It doesn't have lots of air packed in it to make it look like a lot of greens. There is so much more in it then what we get with bagged. Plus this was so fresh, pretty, tastes great and it is organic! It is by Earthbound Farms.

Master installed a new shower head this past weekend. And it is going to make me look into remodeling our bathroom fairly quickly as the water sprays up on to the wall paper above the shower stall. I have always wanted to paint the bathroom and Master has been okay with that. It will be a lot of repair work though to the drywall and such so - I know I need to start researching on what exactly I will need to do to make it happen.

Daily Tarot Cards

Tuesday: Ace of Cups
Wednesday: Justice
Thursday: Death

Prophecy Girl

This months updates/posts and actually next months too will probably be very limited. We will be leaving the last week of June and won't be back probably until around July 12th. We have lots to do before we leave so I feel like I might be a little frazzled.

So...

** This morning Master and I got up early to get to a doctors appointment. I got there and their office was locked. Pretty soon we saw the receptionist on her cell phone she was walking on the side of the building. We talked to her she didn't have me down even though she was the one that made the appointment - last time I was there. She remembered making an appointment but it wasn't on the book. And the doctor wasn't in this morning so she apologized and asked when we could come back and she would get us in. They had an available appointment for this afternoon so we took that. We went to pay and they said no charge - because they screwed the appointment up. That was very nice...and unexpected. But I guess I shouldn't be so surprised they have all been so nice in this office. It is my foot doctor and I HATE having my feet touched and they all have been so good about it.

** Okay I must be in a sappy mood right now because I love The Holiday with Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black. I have watched it 3 times. I got it via netflix so I think I will need to be sending it back sometime. :) But Kate Winslet and Jack Black...yummy! And then the part with the kid and the tent makes me tear up every time! Because I am a weeper...big weeper! (if you have seen the movie you will understand that)

** Cooking lately has been quick and easy because of everything going on. And I feel that trend isn't going to let up. Nachos, salads, pasta and sauce, fried rice...all quick and easy for me. But I do need to bake a pie on Saturday morning as we are going to dinner at friends on Saturday night. Making a chocolate buttermilk pie but really it is an easy pie so that I don't have to stress over what to bring.

** Master bought one of my FAVORITE movies! North by Northwest. He had not seen it until I DVR'd it one day so that he could watch it and then he was hooked too.


Not sure what else...so how about Positive Monday....

5 Good Things...
1. able to get something resolved with a client tonight pretty quickly
2. that I am awake after being tired all day - so maybe I will get some more work done
3. good breakfast this morning at our new favorite breakfast place...and I have left over for tomorrow! yay!
4. finding pictures I was looking for a while back...finding other pictures that I want to frame
5. reading Guilty Pleasures again and remembering why I like(d) Laurell K. Hamilton (and happy to see some positive reviews for her new book.)

Teacher's Pet

Live Journal

- Well with all the hoopla going on with LJ deleting 500 journals* -- Master suggested I do a back up of my livejournal. I have never done that but remembered my good friend mentioned LJArchive. So I did that tonight. I was reading through some early entries.....it is always odd for me to read though them but tonight I realized I repeat myself quite a bit. Also because of the hoopla I went through and deleted some interests off my profile and left some groups just in case. Sad but true.

* Here are a few links about it...
http://acari.livejournal.com/299533.html
http://roaring.livejournal.com/70304.html?style=mine
http://femmequixotic.livejournal.com/292480.html?nc=165
http://liz-marcs.livejournal.com/

Pirates

- We went to see the new Pirate of the Caribbean movie and it was SO GOOD! And someone else I read mentioned this too but Orlando Bloom has grown up or something as he looked damn hot in this movie! Especially in the end with the scarf on his head and the scar! Oh yummy!

Books

- I finished Memoirs of a Geisha today and really I know lots of people thought it was so different then the movie and the book was better then the movie but I find them both pretty much the same. I know the story is not exactly the same but the overall message and big points of the book to me come out in the movie. I am really glad I read it again and have it though. I had read it the year it came out (1997), but lent it to a friend and she never returned it.

Here is the list of books I have read this year so far and my goal was to get through 25. I think I will make that. Links below are entries where I do reviews or talk about the books a little more.

1. Collage Discovery
2. Tipping the Velvet
3. Danse Macabre
4. The Crimson Petal and The White
5. Artists' Journals & Sketchbooks
6. Creative Utopia: 12 Ways to Realize Total Creativity
7. The Academy
8. The Reunion
9. Bondage
10. The Rapture of Canaan
11. Kink
12. Suicide Blonde
13. The Marketplace
14. The Slave by Laura Antoniou.
15. Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coehlo - I really enjoyed the story. This is the first time I really have read one of his books and not felt I learned something after. This was just entertainment. It was a book about a prostitute and also had some SM in it too. I found it interesting since I was a prostitute. And well I like SM. :)
16. He, She, It by Marge Percy - EXCELLENT book! If you like anything set in the future - this book was very interesting. If you like history also you will like this book as it does go through Jewish history of 1600 Prague.
17. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Dinner

- A while back we got a pork roast that was HUGE! Anyway, I cut it half and did half in the oven roasting it with veggies. And the other half I did in the crockpot. I ended up then freezing quite a bit of it. Yesterday I took some of the shredded pork out of the freezer and made it into a yummy spicy dinner. I put the shredded pork into the crock with a can of diced tomatoes with the juice, did a cup of chicken stock, a can of black beans, a can of diced green chili peppers, 1 chipolte pepper chopped, some garlic and onions and then cumin and oregano. I simmered in the crock for about 2 hours and then served it on tortillas with cheese and sour cream.

March Questions: Cooking

What meal is a quick fix meal for you? The menu for a special occasion? What your favorite comfort food to cook? What favorite dessert to make?

Quick fix meal: Grilled chicken that I let sit in some balsamic vinegar for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with some grillmate before I throw on the grill*. Baked potato (I microwave them for 4 to 6 minutes depending on size of them and sometimes stick in the oven with a little rock salt and olive oil on the skin for about 10 to 15 minutes while finishing up other things), steamed green beans. It is a quick fix because we get those bags of frozen individual skinless chicken breasts so I take 2 of those out thawing in the microwave for a few minutes if I haven't taken them out in the morning. And then I marinate them for 10 minutes before throwing on the grill for 5 to 7 minutes. It makes a meal done in 30 minutes or less! No I am not Rachael Ray.

Special occasion: Well Master's birthday would be Beef Stroganoff, with a steamed veggie, and garlic toast. That is one of his favorites. Usually special occasion food just is whatever sounds really good at the time. Like we have had a herb crusted roast, roasted veggies with balsamic vinegar, salad, homemade rolls for one anniversary. We had ham with a brown sugar orange juice glaze, creamed potatoes, green beans with roasted red peppers and garlic Parmesan homemade rolls for Christmas. So it really just is decided based on what we are craving or what is the traditon for the occasion.

Favorite comfort food: Take out Chinese :) But I guess that is not something I make...well I do make Chinese dishes but usually that is not something I make for comfort food. Comfort food for me....right now has been a casserole I made called Meatball Sandwich Casserole. Nachos are another thing that is comfort food for me. Those are also quick fix meal because just browning ground turkey with taco seasoning and then the fixing is something we always have in fridge and pantry.

Dessert: I love to bake so I am not sure there is a favorite. I really like to make my Mom's homemade chocolate chocolate chip cake. It is very yummy! Some other: sour cream cookies, cinnamon chocolate brownies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate buttermilk pie, and cream puffs.

Here is a link to some recipes I use. I haven't updated that section in a long time.

*I use an indoor grill - like the George Forman but the one I have is a Hamilton beach with removable grill and also other plates for a griddle that I use to make grilled cheese sandwiches or panini's. It is another kitchen appliance that I really like and use a lot!



**Feel free to ask anything you might want to know and I will answer. I am screening the questions AND allowing anonymous comments.

life update...

This week went past fast for me actually yesterday morning when I got up to make Master's breakfast I thought it was Thursday and then I was looking at the calendar on the wall and realized it was Friday.

Master ordered me some items online recently and when they came they were too big. So I called to exchange them. The person on the phone was just very matter fact about - not rude but not overly pleasant either. I hang up and realize I forgot to ask them something about returning the items so I call them back. The person I talk to answers my question, but also confirmed the exchange order I had just placed. I said yes and hung up the phone. I thought the price seemed really high but my mind hadn't caught up enough to ask her about that before I hung up the phone. So I grabbed the package invoice and sure enough it was almost a $20 difference. I was making an EVEN exchange just one size down on the items. I called again and the person I spoke to the third time....was a charm! She went out of her way to help me and thought it was kind of odd that it wasn't done the first time I called. She even ended up throwing in free express shipping for having to call back so many times. That is good customer service! I ended up emailing them to tell them her name and how helpful she had been for me.

Worked some this week. I hope to clean my studio this afternoon and then work on art tonight or tomorrow. I haven't had a chance to any in a a few weeks. And I have as always several projects to do.

I am making pure junk food goodness tonight for dinner. Meatball "Sandwich" Casserole...layer of bread, a cheese layer (cream cheese and cheese), meatballs, sauce and then more cheese. I am making the meatballs out of ground turkey and veggies so at least it will counter some of that fat in the cheese! I really would like to make some cookies or cupcakes too. But not sure I have the energy.

Not much else going on.

Lately....

* I know I haven't done a life update post lately because I have been suffering from a pretty big migraine cycle. It finally spiked to the point where Master and I both thought he might be taking me to the ER the other night. Luckily I got it under control but since then it kind of knocked me on my butt. Yesterday it was still lingering and then today I just felt out of it and tired. So hopefully tomorrow I will feel more like myself. I have housework, website work, and art all piling up.

* We watched Mirrormask tonight. I really enjoyed it, but I liked Dave McKean's art before I saw the movie so I was pretty sure I would like the movie.

* Made yummy breakfast burritos for breakfast.

* Finished The Academy and starting Reunion! yay! I have The Crimson Petal and The White review started.

Really not much going on because of fighting the migraine cycle - so happy that it seems it has passed.

Inside Out

Just randomness....

* Eating Garden Salsa Sunchips right now and they are so good!

* I don't clean out my inbox on my email box and thus emails that I wanted to respond to kind of get lost in the abyss. So yesterday I had a migraine and needed something that I really didn't need lots of brain power to work on...so started that. I got through a big chunk so that is good.

* Master just went out of town for the day -- I was really wanting to go with him but with the migraines (because of end of period) he did not feel that was wise.

* Finished The Crimson Petal and the White. I am a little disappointed how it ended! Okay more then a little disappointed.

* Need to search down a recipe for the little
Southwestern Spring Rolls they serve at Ruby Tuesday (Flour tortillas filled with chicken, spinach, black beans, cheese, corn and cilantro. Fried until crispy and served with fresh avocado ranch.) Master had them for the first time this last weekend and he was crazy about them. (recipe: maybe here)

* I am feeling isolated and alone - though I am doing it to myself.

* Need to finish posts on: Being of two minds, 3 book reports, slave vs girlfriend, and I think there is one more but it is escaping at the moment.

* Mini Cooper Ad with Dominatrix

Gratitude Tuesday - J

I have had a few busy weeks so just haven't been able to get to the gratitude Tuesday but thankfully I am able to do J today!

Just a quick update: We had a good weekend with my sisters. We accomplished the things we needed too so that is good. It was good to see them and just hang out with them. I at times envy all the quality time they get with each other so I was just happy to have a little bit of that this past weekend.




~ J ~


Jessica - is a very very good friend....who I love and adore! She has this sense of spirit radiates kindness, love and just a realness that is hard to find in this world. I have cried, vented, laughed, and been thoughtful with her...and appreciate her friendship more then I can put into words. I am very grateful to have Jessica in my life.
Jackie - I don't speak to her often now these days...though I do think of her often. She is someone very special to me and ALWAYS will have a special place in my heart. i love her and know my life is better by it being touched by her. She is a passionate, caring, intelligent, giving woman who I am blessed to love and be loved by.
Jim & Shannon - They are good friends from Ohio. I really am not sure even how to express my gratitude for them....and to them for sticking by me all these years. They are wonderful friends and I count myself blessed to know them!
Jani - Another friend from Ohio that I count myself blessed to know. She is a vivacious, smart, witty woman! She has made me laugh so hard I cry, she has given me food for thought on many occasion and she is nice eye candy too!
Jumbo Shrimp - I love seafood but especially shrimp and especially big jumbo shrimp: broiled, sauteed, fried, in a sauce, alone, or however I really like shrimp.
Just a girl - just a girl in the world....I am just a girl in the world doing what I do...trying to make the best of it.
Jelly Beans - It is almost time for Jelly Beans to hit the store. Yummy!
Jif Peanut Butter - creamy, smooth peanuty goodness! yum!
Japanese Rope Bondage - The intricate designs and knots around my body make me float away.
John William Waterhouse - Always enjoyed his works...can get lost in them. They have amazing colors and spirit coming from them
Joss Whedon - brilliant man - very grateful for the many wonderful hours of entertainment he has brought to me through Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and Angel.
Journal - be it paper or online my journal has helped me grow as a person and so I am very grateful for the years of journaling.

Music...

I am baking cookies and listening to Zeros + Ones and they were playing this song that I am really bouncing and dancing to as I roll out cookies. And I am singing the lyrics...

I am singing the lyrics

...I pause to think why do I know these lyrics. And realize it is a remake of a song that I enjoyed in high school -

high school

! Oh that makes me feel old...so old. The song was Ant Music by Hyper (original by Adam Ant). Adam Ant was my first concert (and saw him multiple times).

Tonight I have made some candy. And cardamom butter cookies in the fridge to chill out over night. Then shortbread cookies baking right now. I have ingredients ready to go for triple chocolate bit size brownies. And then I will make the cardamom butter cookies with dark chocolate and espresso glaze tomorrow.

I am really like all the music on Zeros + Ones. I want listen to some more many of the artists but Kaiser Chiefs - I really liked and I know I have heard them on this station before (SIRUS - Left of Center station.)

Sunday Sunday

We got up early to do grocery shopping. It has been almost 2 weeks since we went so it was needed. I have our pantry pretty stocked so I find stuff to cook but I was running low on many things. Something I had been craving is stew and I haven't made any this winter so I asked Master if that was okay for this weeks menu. He said that sounded really good so there is stew in the crockpot right now. We can have left over french bread with it and a bottle of wine. Yummy! Although I am very full right now we had a wonderful brunch. Almost every Sunday Master makes brunch. He says "we" make it but really I don't call sticking sausages into the oven and pulling them out as really cooking and that is all I contribute to Sunday morning brunch. But usually when he is making brunch I am unloading the dishwasher so we are in the kitchen together and I really like that. We talk and joke while doing our things and then sit down and enjoy our brunch. A nice tradition.

I started a new book last night. girlie gave it to me over a year ago and truthfully it is a BIG book (over 800 pages) - hard back and so I kept it on the bottom of the stack. But I saw it peaking out from under my huge pile of books...knew that needed to be next. I need to get that read and back to her. It is

The Crimson Petal and the White

. It is about a prostitute in Victorian England. So far I am not liking this guys writing style but I did just flip through and read some random pages and I think I will get beyond that soon.

Okay going to go get some laundry going and change to maybe get some art done or procrastinate.