Random Intensity: TV and Music

Random Intensity: TV and Music

The Ramen Girl

What a week!!

Well, we had some weather this week. Seems like the whole month of June has been about powerful afternoon storms and tornadoes. Yes, here in Colorado.

We usually have one or two through the Spring. Now and then one does a lot of damage. This year we seem to have one somewhere nearby almost every day. So far as I know, none have destroyed any homes or vehicles. Only our new gazebo.

You remember from last time that we had just gotten one and put it up for Fathers' Day. Well, it's smashed now. We didnt actually have a tornado, that I know of. Beth said she and the grands were watching the wind blow the trees in circles when the gazebo began to turn and then just slid over onto the ground. Impressive for the kids. For us, too, in a monetary sort of way. We bought this one because the canopy of the last one was shredded by a similar storm. Guess we'll just build one with a real roof next time.

The Bridal Shower seems to be going well. Looks like out-of-staters are ordering from the online registry. That's good.

Today, Sharon came over so that she and I could try a new recipe- Gluten-free Almond Bread. Unfortunately, we ran into a hitch. It calls for dry curd cottage cheese. I wasnt aware that this product doesnt exist in the United States. The recipe came from an artist friend in Vancouver, so how was I to know. We called all over to find it. Nothing. Okay, not quite. Whole Foods said they can special order it for us by the case. Thanks. :

So, we had some regular low-fat cottage cheese. Not the first choice, but we'll try it out.

First we got out the Salad and Berry Spinner (sweet tool) and plopped the cottage cheese (8 oz. container) into the small basket, spun it around a bit, stirred it and spun again to get as much moisture off as possible. This was more successful than I thought it might be.

The we used the Food Chopper to make the dry curds into a kind of paste, which we then added to the rest of the ingredients (email me and I'll get you the recipe).

As it turned out, this method worked well. The bread came out pretty good. It probably works best as a base recipe, into which you might add your own favorite ingredients or spices. The bread itself could be used to pile stuff on, like some sauce and a slice of cucumber cheese with tomato.

NOTE: If you dont have a Pampered Chef Food Chopper, you need to get one. Besides the knives and baking stones, this is the tool I undoubtedly use most. When you want to chop nuts, tomatoes, celery or any food, it is the go-to tool in the kitchen.

You may wonder,"How is this Living Pampered?" Well, you see, it was Beth's PC income that bought that new gazebo. It also pays for her car.

Not only that. All these kitchen gadges make it easy for me to fix dinner on those nights when Beth is out with her PC friends or doing shows. While most guys have to go with frozen dinners or pizza, I'm actually getting to be a pretty good cook. In the time it takes to do a frozen pizza, I can fix myself a really fine mexican style supper or an italian style chicken breast, complete with home made sauce and sides.

Happy Father's Day!!!

Here in the US, today was about honoring our fathers. I called my dad just to say hello and I Love You. Then we had the whole big family over for grillin' and playin', talkin' and food-food-food!!!

I lit up the grill and got out the PC tools. My favorite is the BBQ Tongs. They're long enough to get all the way to the back without my losing the hair off my arm. We also got to use the Outdoor Party Plates and Utensil Set.

We all had a great time. The kids hung out in the new outdoor gazebo (complete with netting), while the grownups got to relax at the table. Weather was fab!

One thing that almost always happens during family get-togethers is the Pampered Chef phone call. Whether it's a day in the park or dinner out at a local restaurant, I can almost count on at least one business call. Today was no different, but it was cool. Beth got a call from a client who is doing a PC Bridal Shower and Online Registry. She's excited and wants to get things together as soon as possible. I'll keep you posted about that, too.

some insight to PC...

Beth's training meeting is tonight, so I'll update you on that soon. In the meanwhile, here's some very basic information about the Pampered Chef. Beth talks about these things all the time. I think what's being said here is true. People are preparing meals at home more often than we were just a year or two ago. The $2.00 per serving meals are a fab offering, and there are lots of them.

What do you think? Are you opting to eat in more often? Is $2.00 per serving a good value when you're cooking at home?

quiet saturday doing nothing while beth is at a meeting

Beth and her director have a training meeting scheduled a couple of weeks from now, so they got together today "to plan". This, I think, is a term they use loosely. While I'm sure some planning takes place, I'd guess a fair amount of time is spent swapping stories.

P--- is probably the funniest woman I know. She can stretch a story like nobody else. I've laughed till my sides hurt listening to her. The first time I saw her do a show, it was at our house. She came in carrying a wooden crate full of tools. Before long she had everything set up in a makeshift store window display. (She's really good at this.) She and Beth talked while they got things ready. During the show, I sat in the kitchen listening. Before long she was telling the party-goers about something called a "Two-Cup-Wonder-Cup". Suddenly things were getting interesting. Was this from Victoria's Secret? It turned out to be a device that measures both dry and liquid ingredients and can hold up to two cups of either.

After these meetings, Beth talks. Her mind is abuzz with all things Pampered Chef and there is no barrier between it and her mouth. This is a stream-of-consciousness download. When she comes home from the national conference or leadership training, these can last from several hours to a few days. This time it was short, but we're going to dinner later, so I'll probably get PC_Info_Download v.1.1 while I eat.

I dont mind these talk sessions. It's her way and part of why I married her.