Sadly, I can't say I've eaten anything faboo recently to share.

Went to the wine tasting on the 18th to benefit Mills Breast Cancer Institute at Lincoln Square.  Good stuff.  Went with some friends, had a laugh or two and thankfully spent very little since the Lucky & Charmed cellar overfloweth.  I know there are plenty of you out there that will help me take care of that little problem.  If I ever get furniture to fill this barn, I'll call.  Promise.

Last night went to Crane Alley after buying furniture. Had lackluster tempura vegetables (more like battered in the same thing the fish are) and decent beer.  It's the ever-changing beer selection that keeps me coming there - that and the occasional "wow" special.  Had a frank discussion regarding religion with Charmed.  That NEVER happens.  That made up for the soggy veggies right there.

Tonight drove all the way to Buckley for a fundraising German dinner to benefit the Lutheran high school.  For buffet and a free-will donation, it rocked.  Was it on par with Aunt Minnie's?  Notsomuch, but that's not why I was there.  The beer bread was excellent, the potato salad pretty good (even though the nice but LOUD lady next to me thought it had too much vinegar) and the desserts tasty.

Now, about German desserts.  This is my pet peeve.  Really, really.  Repeat after me:  There is no such thing as German Chocolate Cake.  It's German's Chocolate Cake - it's named after a man - not the country and it should never, ever, ever be found on a German menu.  Find me the naturally growing coconut in Germany and I'll reconsider my stance.  Danke!

Otherwise, Crave in Danville is serving up really good microlot coffees that are roasted to specification of the buyers.  Good stuff.  Doesn't taste burnt.  I swear the Holler Mountain blend that was in there a couple of weeks ago had cream in it even though I know it didn't - it was that smooth.  It's worth your time to investigate if your Danville travels bring you to West Fairchild St.  Don't let the grocery store or the neighborhood scare you.  The espresso bar has been created as a little oasis of civility.  And it has free Wi-Fi so how can you go wrong?

New job is going well, new house is going well, and other than that.....I just can't complain.

The kidlets are all well and really need to get back into Weekend Cat Blogging.  They read but have so much to share if the crazy lady with the opposable thumbs would just take some pictures.

Ahh, life!  Happy autumn everyone!   

Then she got a new job.

Then her husband lost his office (but not his job!)

Then she committed to buy a new house.

And THAT, dear readers, is why I have been noticeably silent for the past month.  Please know that I read everyone's blog updates (thank you Google Reader!) and keep up with the happenings here and elsewhere.  I will sincerely attempt to develop a more regular schedule soon.  Really.  I hope.  Probably.  Maybe? 

As a glimpse into my bizarre life, I'm sitting here listening to Barbra Streisand do a duet with Judy Garland in the 60s and I wish I had seen it.  *sigh*  I was born entirely too late. 

I recommend you listen to the Josh Groban song "Mai" from the "Awake" album to attempt to feel what I'm experiencing these days.  Or, better yet, just enjoy the entire album.  It's worth your time to explore.  If the world is piddling on your parade - I recommend "You Are Loved" from the aforementioned.  If the previous are a little too highbrow, Bananarama's "More, More, More, Pt. 3" from Gregg Diamond's "Discotech" album is also spinning in my brain.

I promise, when the life becomes rhythm again, I will write.   Although, ironically, life is ALL about rhythm these days....

There once was a little girl.  There hadn't been another little girl since her mother.  The family, well, they weren't sure what to do with her.  They wanted to dress her in frills and lace but her role models were two brothers who embodied the farm life.  What to do?

This girl grew up in the shadow of these two men.  She emulated and idolized them.  They became everything she hoped to become.... until.... one day.... they didn't love her anymore. 

She rode on his motorcycle.  He used to take her, after work at Esco, when his bike cooled, for a ride on the tank in front of him.  She felt like such a princess.  So important!  So loved!  She begged and he made her a part of his life. She amazed him with her knowledge (after all, she at 6 knew that Pink Floyd came out with "The Wall" the day he went to buy it on vinyl) because she didn't know any other way to win his heart.  He and his fiancee became her aunt and uncle even though they were no more than cousins....  He showed her love - the best way he knew how.  She never forgot it.  She read the quality of race tracks with him and a pocket knife; then she videotaped his and his brother's accomplishments on those same tracks all over the state.  She kept her maroon satin jacket in the back of the closet from 1990, embroidered with her name because she was a part of that life....  once....

She's never stopped caring about him and the family she once knew.  She invited him to her wedding.... but he wouldn't come.  She's still here...and she still remembers summer lunches with her belated aunt and the Young and the Restless in the trailer.  She remembers him pacing on the phone, his pinky in his mouth as he talked. 

Happy belated 50th birthday, Uncle Mike.  I still love you.  I think I probably always will.

First, Bookmooch!  This site is a voracious reader's delight.  The site is free - you just register, add an inventory of books that you'd no longer like to keep and then go out and use your points to mooch books from other people.  You earn a tenth of a point for each book you list for others to mooch, so list ten books and you now have a point to request a book from someone else!  The only cost involved is shipping the book to its new home.  I have found USPS Media Mail to be relatively inexpensive - and I earned a new book for each one I sent, so $2 in postage is pretty cheap compared to buying a new book.  This site, while it fulfills my reading appetite, also appeals to my nature to recycle. 

I'm into Single Serve Coffee.  It's just me and Charmed making the morning java, and we really, REALLY shouldn't be allowed to drink an entire 12-cup pot between us.  When Charmed decided to cut back on his coffee consumption a couple years ago, I purchased a Senseo.  Ooooh!  Fun!  You want decaf and your partner wants French Vanilla?  Done!  Our Senseo was not happy with some of the larger pods we were forcing it to brew, so we upgraded our coffeemaker recently to the Grindmaster OPOD. 

This is a commercial-grade machine (you can even plumb it into your water line) and it makes hotter brew than the Senseo did.  So far, we'z frendz....

"We'z frendz" makes me think of one of my favorite guilty pleasure websites, ICanHasCheezburger.com  This site consists of funny animal photos (mostly cats) that are captioned.  I have spent many an evening going through the archives of this site and laughing until I cried.  For those of you familiar with Office Space, here's a sample....

Then there's Netflix.  Ahh....the lazy man's video store.  We love being able to set up a list of films, trade off "his and hers" and send them back when we're ready.  I've heard that Blockbuster's offering is even cooler due to the ability to return to the store, but I have no Blockbuster along my regular path, so I just leave it in the hands of my mail carrier. 

Postsecret.com is an art project gone awry.  Apparently this man requested secrets on postcards for an art project several years ago.  However, the postcards haven't stopped coming.  He's compiled three books and is working on the fourth due in October.  This is interesting voyeurism at its best.  Every Sunday you will be treated to another handful of new secrets - some of which will shock and others you can look at and go, "Yep, that could've been mine." 

So, for those of you wondering what it is that I do when I'm on and offline, I'm basically reading books and postcards, drinking coffee, watching movies and laughing at cats. 

So, I found a Saturday when Charmed was home and we could do a dinner.  However, I started about it all wrong.  Charmed and I are used to doing plated, multi-course meals.  You don't bring anything but the checkbook.  Show up.  Sit.  Eat.  This was not the spirit of these friendly gatherings to which I was being initiated!  These gatherings are for sharing.  Potluck.  "What do you need me to bring?" continued to echo from my friends' lips.  I stammered...."uh....nothing....," but then.... I got to thinking.  This is all foreign to them.  They must be invested in the process!  Silly, silly me...  So, I told them we would make the entree (chicken under a brick) and a pasta (gnocchi with parmesan cream sauce) and provide the wine.  The rest....was up to them!

What transpired was great fun, great food and hilarity. 

B.S. told J.R. and J.C. (henceforth to be known as J-Squared) that he would take care of their portion of the potluck.  However, something was lost in the transmission, as J-Squared called to ask what they should bring.  We, ignorant of their previous instructions, told them to bring a salad.  When B.S. arrived with artichoke appetizers and a gorgeous chocolate cake in tow, he also brought A SALAD!!  Never fear - now we have TWO! 

We invited everyone in with a glass of Passion Fruit Sangria and sat down to a scrumptious meal.

The chicken was moist and flavorful, having been marinated in olive oil, salt and pepper, the juice of half a lemon, rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme and grilled on a charcoal fire with some wood for smoke.  The "brick" was actually two cast iron skillets. 

The gnocchi was store-bought - Cucina Viva brand from Euro-Mart!  The sauce was a homemade parmesan cream sauce with pine nuts, hard salami, and flat-leaf parsley.

The cake.....oh my!  This was fantastic!!  This was a chocolate cake mix with a large tub of sour cream and three eggs (ditch package directions) and baked until it passes the toothpick test.  The filling was also divine.  B.S. had plans for Tiramisu however lacked in the espresso, so instead of cheating, he just created another use for the mascarpone!  The filling consisted of a large tub of sour cream, 1 8oz container of mascarpone cheese and 1/4 C. powdered sugar, whipped until fluffy.  Fold in chopped strawberries and spread between the layers.  The frosting was 1 stick of butter (1/2 c) softened, 1 8oz container of mascarpone cheese, and 1/3 C. powdered sugar, whipped together.  To this add 1/3 C. cocoa and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Decorate with fresh berries.

I cannot tell you how WONDERFUL this cake was!  Charmed, who usually doesn't do sweets was enamored with this.  I will definitely be making this recipe!

The wine, sadly, was not Italian.  Upon the perusal of our cellar, I only found red Italian, which didn't exactly go with chicken and a cream sauce, so we improvised and picked the same continent, at least.

Le Grand Noir Chardonnay - Viognier from France made a lovely accompaniment to the meal.  It was not so oaky to overpower the food, and had enough fruit and sweetness to please the non-wino among us.  I'm happy with our accidental selection. 

All in all, a fantastic night!  The evening ended by educating J-Squared with Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein (Put.. the.. candle.. BACK!) and conjuring up some interesting martinis from the liquor staples on hand.  The glassware is all clean and put away and I look forward to the next opportunity to be included in such an event.