Plumbing

  • August 14, 2004
  • Categorized: Las Vegas   Tagged:

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Thank you to the “handyman” who FINALLY came to fix my toilet yesterday (it’s been flooding from the tank for the past two weeks…). It doesn’t leak anymore, which is good, but it does make loud watery noises at random intervals. It’s great. I am thankful that my floor isn’t covered in water, but couldn’t they make it be a quiet toilet too? Apparently having a super-carpenter-fix-everything-right-the-first-time-Dad has spoiled me for life.

Speaking of toilets, I need to flush this bad attitude right down the tubes. I’ve been in a horrible mood ever since returning from Upstate NY, and frankly am quite sick of it. I’m going to go check out a new library today and take in an exhibit or two. Maybe that will cheer me up!

Just Say No

After receiving several insinuating comments about my drinking habits, I would like to clear up what appears to be a common(ish) misconception: I am not overly reliant on the hard spirits. Although the photographs on Hotshots may suggest otherwise (every third page does seem to document some drinking binge or another), you will be happy to know that I have turned down an abundance of drinking invitations this week. In fact, I refused a total of seven invitations in the past four days! So as this pronounced reclusiveness clearly demonstrates, I am acutally a dogged hermit, and not an inebriated drunkard at all.

I would like to invite you doubting Thomasinas out there to investigate the non-liquor related activities that I’ve documented here on MoltenChocolate.com; exciting events such as planting a water garden, bowling, exploring different cultures, and taking exciting trips to ancient “burial” grounds.

I hope this clears up once and for all any misunderstandings…Thank you!

Mini-Vaca to The Homestead

  • August 11, 2004
  • Categorized: Family   Tagged:

chipper.jpgMy trip home this past weekend was the best vacation I’ve had in my entire life. It was so therapeutic to be with people I know (and love) and with people who know (and love) me!! It was extremely difficult to come back to this lonely, torrid heat trap, but here I am, surviving just fine. I’ll post the pictures later this week.

Overnight Transformation

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I’m trying to stay positive about my bi-weekly overnight shifts. I love the production I get to do during those late night/early morning hours–rolling croissants, mixing, proofing, shaping, & baking all kinds of breads, finishing pastries, and other various and asundry tasks…I’m learning so much and getting some great experience.

The only problem is that I feel like a complete ZOMBIE Monday through Wednesday. If my circadian rhythm could just catch up with this new schedule, everything would be dandy. Anyone have helpful hints about how to deal with working when you’re supposed to be sleeping and vice versa?

New Tricks

  • July 31, 2004
  • Categorized: Las Vegas   Tagged:

No more washing windows with paper towels–it’s all about the newspaper. A friend at work shared this trick with me and I promptly tried it out on the humungo mirror in my bathroom–to great success! Never again will I use paper towels to wipe up mirrors or windows! I can’t believe it took me 23 years to discover this trick. I’ll just have to wash windows twice as much for the next 23 years to make up for it.

Another lesson I learned this week is that floating candles in Las Vegas are just not practical. I’ve been trying to make them work for a couple of months now, and am so sick of refilling the water every single day. Plus, the water that evaporates leaves marks on the glass that are impossible to get off unless you use a stainless steel scrubbie (my new best friend). So yesterday I decided to fill the candle-floating-glasses with rice instead of water. Yippeee–no more water refills or hours of endless scrubbing. Plus, I’m saving water and thus doing my part to ameliorate the drought conditions in this freaking desert we live in.

hansi.bmpI was going a little crazy with the rice yesterday. I noticed that my sea salt was starting to clump together. Salt is not supposed to clump. Then I remembered a little trick that Mom and Dad use at home to stop the salt shaker salt from clogging the salt shaker holes: they put a few grains of rice in the shaker. Since my bottle is quite a bit larger, I decided to put a small handful of grains in. Bad idea.

My thinking was that the rice would absorb whatever moisture was in the salt (evaporated from the water my candles used to float in…), thus declumping my beloved sea salt. And maybe that will work, but the holes in the top of the canister are so big that the rice comes out whenever you use the salt! Shoot.

I’m going home on Thursday!!! YAY!!! Hansi, our exchange student from Venezuela (who stayed with us my senior year of high school), is visiting for the month, so she’ll be home too! As well as big sis Phoebe with new hubby John and baby Sydney–so it’s going to be one huge family party!! I’m sure we’ll be spending some quality time at The Rock.

Cheeses

  • July 29, 2004
  • Categorized: Savory   Tagged:

cheeses.jpgHave any of you ever tasted Grana Padano cheese? Oh, Lord, it’s so good. Once you’ve tasted this, you’ll never go back to that Coca-Cola of the cheese world, Parmigiano Reggiano. I learned about this cheese from one of the Daughters of Grana during the 2003 Worlds of Flavor Conference at my beloved alma mater. This cheese is a major part of her family’s ethnic identity and just a huge part of her life. She talked about this cheese as though it was her closest, most cherished family member. Although many people compare it to parmesan, it’s ten times creamier and packs way more flavor. Paired with aged Balsamic Vinegar (the older the better), it’s a mouthful of heaven.

At work we serve a French cheese that reminds me of these first two. It’s called Ossau-Iraty and has a completely different texture than parm or padano–smoother, softer, not as brittle. Anyways, these cheeses are in the same flavor family, so if you’re looking for some new alternatives (or a splendiforous snack), check them out!

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