Toaster Envy

Our current toaster tends to burn things and the crumb tray is crap. It just drops crumbs all over the counter and attracts mice. So I'm looking into getting a new one. Since the one we currently have was a cheapy Target purchase, I'm contemplating splurging on a nicer toaster. I'm loving the design of this Bodum toaster but it is rather expensive.

Any recommendation?

And the winner in the Battle of the Books is...

The Hunger Games! Lois Lowry's explanation is pretty funny. You can read it on the SLJ BoB site and read all the reactions. I guess this means I have to read The Hunger Games . Not that I didn't want to read before. I'm just lazy. I should read Kingdom on the Waves too.

Alas, this mean that I did not win the bracket at work. It also means that I will be baking chocolate cupcakes with whipped cream frosting (preferably pink) and sprinkles for the co-worker who correctly called the winner. Of course she had to pick chocolate! It's going to be hard not to eat one!

To fight the Monday blahs...

I learned how to score a final four bracket. Now I can actually keep score at work as we follow SLJ's Battle of the Books. So far I'm in the lead, though that is bound to change since Frankie is out of the running. I'm thinking I'll bake cupcakes for everyone at the end and the winner gets to take the extra cupcakes home. Unless it's me. I'm trying to do the whole healthy eating and exercising thing again after the long sluggish winter I've had. So no cupcakes for me!

Passover Update

I cooked almost all the food for the family seder on Saturday (except for the turkey and dessert) so here's the final score for each item on a scale of 1 to 10:

Mocked Liver:
Made from mushrooms, onions, and walnuts this spread was huge success! Very yummy on top of matzah.
Score: 9

Charoset:
Traditonally a mixture of apples, walnuts, and wine, this spread is supposed to symbolize the mortar used by the Jewish slaves in Egypt. I made this two ways. The traditional mixture came out ok. I also made "tropical" charoset made from bananas, pears, apples, dates, almonds, and sweetened with fruit juice. This was, as my mom and I both agreed upon tasting, "damn good!"
Score: 5 for the traditional charoset, 10 for the tropical version.

Matzah ball soup (vegetarian version):
I made the veggie broth from scratch and it came out well. The matzah balls were pretty good but not my best. The first batch was just a tiny bit dense. The second batch came out nearly perfect. I didn't do anything differently so I'm not sure why. Everyone liked them and several guest took them home so they couldn't have been that bad anyway.
Score: 8

Beet salad:
I usually roast beets when I make them but this dish called for slicing them and baking them in lemon juice and butter. The end result was okay. My mom, who claims to have hated beets before, ate them and seemed to like them but if I made them again I would go back to cutting them up in chunks and roasting them.
Score: 5

Sweet potato kugle:
Made with sweet potato, apples, rasins, and matzah meal. In making this I realized that I much prefer savory kugel over sweet. Also, this low-fat recipe cut out all the eggs and butter - all the good stuff really. Edible but unless you really want a low-fat option, I'd say go with a recipe that's not quite so good for you!
Score: 4

Desserts:
I didn't make these but my friend Ginny brought a flourless chocolate cake and my sister made macaroons. Both were awesome.
Score:10

If my camera were charged...

I'd post a picture of the hamentashen I made this weekend. But since the camera is out of commission you will just have to take my word for it that they were not only yummy but also pretty nice looking. I made half of them with poppy seed filling and half with nutella. Poppyseed being traditional and nutella being a delicious variation I picked up from the children's librarian at my old job. Poor Emerson sat by the oven wagging his tail the whole time they were baking and looked very dejected when he realized he wasn't going to get any yummy people food from me. Sorry Em, but they are mine...all mine!

Passover Menu

I'm home sick today and to pass the time I'm trying to come up with a menu for Passover. My mom's letting me cook and I'm excited. So far I think I want to make this cake for dessert. I wanted make a tofurkey but that's not kosher for passover so I will have to think of something else vegetarian. Other menu items I'm considering at the moment: baked stuffed zucchini and mock chopped "liver." If anyone has any other vegetarian ideas let me know.

Poetry Friday: Eating the Bones

My grandfather passed away a few months back, and unfortunetly I haven't been able to get to Miami to see my grandmother since then. But this poem reminds me so much of her. Before I went veggie, I shared this habit of eating bones with my grandmother. My dad does it too. It totally grosses my mom out. You can read the poem Eating the Bones by Ellen Bass here.

Gonna Bake a Pie...

After watching Waitress the other day I got it into my head that I wanted to bake a pie. So I made a cherry pie last night and I have to say, it turned out very pretty. I'm so proud I thought I'd post a picture.

I think I had too much stuffing...

Well our Thanksgiving holiday got off to a rocky start. We left for Philly Tuesday night so that we could spend Thanksgiving with Jason and Valeska. About halfway there the car started over heating and we had to turn around praising and coaxing my little Toyota all the way back to DC. But we prevailed in the end! We ended up renting a car and getting to Philly Wednesday afternoon. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving complete with stuffing, pumpkin pie cheesecake, and the best twice baked sweet potatoes ever. Josh played lots of video games and I was seduced by HGTV's House Hunters. Sadly, we had to leave too soon since I had to work on Saturday.

My car is fixed now. (After several hundred dollars and no clear diagnosis!) But I think those Thanksgiving pounds are still with me. Today at story-time a nanny asked me if I was pregnant! This is like the third time this has happened to me! People, it's rude to ask a woman that question unless you are totally sure that she really is pregnant! Who does that? UGH.

I'm off to nures my shattered ego now...um...I mean prepare for the next story-time of the day.

Montréal était très amusement

Back from Montreal. Aside from the hellish 12 hours it took for us to get back to Philly, plus the two it took us to get home the next morning, the trip was much fun. The hotel was very nice and in a great location. And true to my word, I did my best to eat my way through the city. We had pho and bagels and poutine (fries smothered in gravy and cheese) and croissants galore. And of course, getting to hang out with our dear friends was the best part. However, if you are ever going to Montreal I recommend the botanical gardens. They were beautiful. Pictures to follow, I promise. I just have to get them uploaded.

In other news, I have accepted a new job as a children's librarian at a new library. I am both terribly stressed out and excited by this turn of events. I'm sad because I will miss my co-workers but this is what I've been working towards. If only I didn't work with such a fun group!

Oh Canada!

We head off to Montreal tonight. Yay for all the yummy food I can't wait to eat. Yay for no work for five whole days. Yay for vacations!

I could be so happy...

I want this job. Someone get rid of the current guy so I can take it! Please.