Woot Woot For Toaster Ovens!!!

This weekend was the first stretch of time in a long time that was a) good weather, and b) I had not much I had to get done. It was a nice change of pace, and I was able to enjoy the quiet solitude of my apartment and do some things that were fun but meaningless. As usual, I went for a long run Saturday morning, taking adavantage of the fact that I was in Boston to do my favorite loop through BC, BU, Red Sox Nation, and Coolidge Corner. I followed up this run with a much needed ice cream from J.P.Licks...so good.

A Few Random Notes From the Weekend:

Benjamin Button-Saturday night I finally sat down and watched the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I must tell you that this was an incredibly daunting thing for me, seeing as the movie runs almost 3hrs long and I am frequently done with movies after 3ominutes. The time easliy slipped by however, as I watched Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchet portray two people caught in an unfair trial of love, life and death. The movie was engaging, and yet uncomfortable at times, provoking thought on what exactly age means in the context of one's life. It undeniably deserved the Academy Award for best makeup and costume design.

Cupcakes- Sunday morning I went to the Pawtucket Farmer's market, as usual to buy a cupcake from the Cupcakerie, not to buy produce ;-) As I approached the stand the nice lady who owns this gem of a cupcake business goes, "Oh, its my regular!" Sad but true. This time I tried the "Wake Up!" cupcake- a mocha cake with cream cheese espresso frosting and a chocolate covered espresso bean. The cake was delicious, but was lacking the strong coffee flavor I was searching for. The cream cheese frosting stole the show, once again not because of an overpowering coffee flavor, but because of the smooth consistancy and tangy sweetness of the cream cheese.

NYC Prep- I went to the gym Sunday, ususally my day off, not to work out, but to watch last week's NYC Prep that was on replay at 2pm. I guess when all else fails, the opportunity to watch free Bravo will get me to the gym. The show was as usual, an appaling display of immaturity and wealth dressed in designer lables. At one point Taylor, a 15-yr-old mind you, started weighing her dating options between Cole who was nice, and Sebastian who is wealthy. What 15-yr-old is already thinking about marrying rich!?!?! I hate myself a little more every time I waste an hour to watch it, and yet I can't stop...it is television crack.

Pepper jelly- One of the delicious things I have discovered from the farmer's market is Hot Pepper Jelly. It pairs wonderfully with goat cheese and crackers. However, at $7 a 4oz. jar it doesn't quite fit into my budget. Yesterday, I finally set out to make my own. I used red, orange, yellow, and jalepeno peppers. It wasn't that difficult, and the jars sealed (meaning when I pressed down on the center of the lid they didn't pop back) so I should be good to go. Unfortunately, I won't be able to taste it for a week, as it takes that long for the pectin to set, so they could taste like crap. We will see...

Pizza Pizza- For Sunday dinner I decided to make my new favorite treat- a grilled pizza. However, in my unending quest to make the thinnest crust possible, I ended up making it too thin... I watched in horror as my new charcoal (not brickets but charcoal woodcuts which apparently burn hotter) began to burn a hole through my pizza dough in a matter of seconds. I did what I could to salvage it, but it was useless, so I yanked the half uncooked, half scorched dough off the grill and tried to figure out what to do. I took the pizza inside, and figured I would cut out the burned part and cook the rest of it on 350f in my oven. This is when I realized that my oven is apparently broken, because it never started to heat up. I ended up finishing my pizza in the toaster over- the most reliable cooking appliance I used all night. The dough was cooked, the cheese melted, and there was very little cleanup. Woot Woot for Toaster Ovens!!! Still my favorite appliance!

Tasty Bit:

This is a shout out to my sister, who called me yesterday to let me know she was spending her Sunday walking around the best Whole Foods in the country I am sure (Chicago, full bar, wine bar, steakhouse, 3 floors, you get the idea) with a beer (yes, that is allowed and encouraged there) getting free samples...Libby, way to go...

Pearl of Useless Wisdom:

Apparently Billy Joel refuses to ever play Uptown Girl live again because it was just too over done, sad but true. Justin Timberlake likewise refuses to ever sing Sexy Back live again... I think Billy Joel and JT should rethink that...