Karen's Kastle: September 2008

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

In the last 30 days...

...I've eaten the following for lunch:

1 - Little Caesar's Cheese Pizza
2 - Trader Mings Peanut Satay noodles and sauce
3 - Pastitsio
4 - Trader Joe's Spa Salad with Chicken
5 - Leftover potato leek soup
6 - Brio Tuscan Grill at Town Square (Chopped salad)
7 - leftover pasta from Friday's dinner
8 - Artichoke Bacon chicken salad with wheat thins
9 - chicken salad and potato leek soup
10 - Panda Express orange chicken and chow mein (Gimme a break! I was out running errands. Again.)
11 - clam chowder
12 - tacos
13 - apple and cheddar cheese
14 - chilaquiles
15 - tacos, fresh pineapple (I know it's a weird combination, but that's what was available.)
16 - tacos

Have you noticed I eat a lot of tacos? That's because I cook up a pound of lean ground turkey taco meat at the beginning of the week so I can't claim there's nothing to eat and justify eating junk. I eat them with corn tortillas warmed with no fat and low-fat cheddar cheese.
17 - tacos, watermelon
18 -Trader Joe's Spa Salad
19 - Alsatian tarte
20 - Ummm...lunch? I'm sure I ate something.
21 - Late breakfast at IHOP with Sam
22 - Arby's
23 - Applebee's (I was on the other end of town helping a friend. He bought lunch twice.)
24 - Chicken Enchilada Suiza
25 - Salad
26 - Subway
27 - Leftover Pasta Milano from Macaroni Grill
28 - Soup and 1/2 sandwich at Nordstrom cafe
29 - A big salad with lots of protein and Newman's Own Family Italian Dressing
30 - No lunch today. I went to the dentist and I can't feel my face!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Can I just say?

Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian dressing is delicious.

And hurts like a mother when it gets in a canker sore!!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

The Trifecta

A man just rode through my neighborhood (twice) on a Harley, wearing no helmet, with a beagle on the front and talking on a cell phone.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Travels with Karen

On my weekly travels (which typically reach around 600 miles), I drive around the city with people from all across the continent. I use 'continent' instead of 'country' since I see cars from Canada and Mexico, as well as the United States.

This week, I've spotted the following;

Friday, September 26, 2008

My Daily Chuckle

These came to me in an email from my friend. Thanks for the chuckle, Joe.

When I die, I want to die like my grandfather--who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.--Author Unknown

Advice for the day: If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: 'Take two aspirin' and 'Keep away from children.'--Author Unknown

'Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.'--Drew Carey

'The problem with the designated driver program, it's not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house.'--Jeff Foxworthy

'If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there is a man on base.'--Dave Barry

'Relationships are hard. It's like a full time job, and we should treat it like one. If your boyfriend or girlfriend wants to leave you, they should give you two weeks' notice. There should be severance pay, the day before they leave you, they should have to find you a temp.' --Bob Ettinger

'My Mom said she learned how to swim when someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said, "Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.''--Paula Poundstone

'A study in the Washington Post says that women have better verbal skills than men. I just want to say to the authors of that study: 'Duh.'--Conan O'Brien

'Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my gosh....I could be eating a slow learner.'--Lynda Montgomery

'I think that's how Chicago got started. Bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.''--Richard Jeni

'If life were fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead.'--Johnny Carson

'Sometimes I think war is God's way of teaching us geography.' --Paul Rodriguez

'My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that's the law.' --Jerry Seinfeld

'Remember in elementary school, you were told that in case of fire you have to line up quietly in a single file line from smallest to tallest. What is the logic in that? What, do tall people burn slower?'--Warren Hutcherson

'Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same.' --Oscar Wilde

'Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.' --Mark Twain

'Our bombs are smarter than the average high school student. At least they can find Afghanistan '--A. Whitney Brown

'You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'My gosh, you're right! I never would've thought of that!''--Dave Barry

Do you know why they call it 'PMS'? Because 'Mad Cow Disease' was taken. -- Unknown, presumed deceased

'Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer.' --W. C. Fields

And lastly: Why in the heck should I have to 'Press 1 for English?' --Every American

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Vanity Plates

I spotted the following vanity plates (which is harder than it sounds, since Nevada doesn't require a front plate!) just on my Wednesday driving;

LUVELZA
LDAVID
RTROPONY (on a Mustang)
LV MADE
2 TABOO
PEATS
DANAS
TUITION
619BOLT
K KOOKA
DLX8018
DLX9019 (These two from Deluxe Taxicabs)
THE TAP
CHARGIT
NDNPRNS (I've been working this for more than a year and don't know what it means!)
WESTNOT
BREEZY7
VINNJO
LV RMJK
P8NTGAL
JA IZZY
RYLFLSH
SKI PRO
SDA
RBURNET
JSA
WRTHDW8
J MAILI
CAMIL01
07DIANA
EIDAN
SCSELLS
JUSTIN
IMJAZZD
MTRAVIS
HAPEGRL
ONREGRL (broken down on the freeway - I'd be ornery, too!)
DANONE
OAKDALE
VEGAS Z
LUCK3
ZENAIDA
4 D 4T
BLK MAN (and he was!)
TRPNTME
SSHILVR
DRMATIC (not a doctor)
...and my personal favorite...
HOTPCKT

Some of these were easy to figure out. Others were obviously names. And some just make no sense at all to my frazzled brain!

Seattle Feet

These are the feet of the people who went to dinner in Seattle:

Dean & Louise

Aaron, Shawn & Mike (the three sons)

Patty (Aaron's wife)

Monday, September 22, 2008

Seattle

So, Mike flew to Seattle for 24 hours to have dinner with his parents, his brothers, and a sister-in-law in honor of the parents 50th wedding anniversary. The kids and I, and the other kids in the family didn't make the trip.

As you know, when I go to a really nice dinner, I like to take food pictures. Mike, with a willing spirit, took along my camera and tried to use it successfully. He did alright.

This is the 'food only' post. The rest of the trip will be a seperate post.

The bread came with hazelnut oil instead of butter. Very Northwest!

Mike's appetizer: crusted goat cheese.

The fork is an "action shot" compliments of his brother.

The crab cakes were good.

As was the lobster...

and apparently, the steak, too.

Dessert was a Lunar Orbitor and cheesecake.

Lunch on Sunday was at The Crab Pot on Pier 57.

It must have been good. All that was left was potatoes and empty shells.

He said by the time he remembered to take pictures, the food was already gone.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

What's Cookin'

Week of Sept. 22-26, 2008

Five Spice Salmon, spinach
Souffle Stuffed Chicken
Chicken Masala, brown rice
Lasagna
Wed - Macaroni Grill Spaghetti dinner at Sam's school

See how I stopped putting the days on there? We never eat in the order I arrange it anyway, so this week I didn't bother.

The only day that is settled is Wednesday when Sam and I are eating at school and the other two can YOYO (You're on your own!)

Friday, September 19, 2008

Things I've pondered

Why do painters wear white?
How could anyone hurt a child on purpose?
How much does it cost to evacuate the idiot who was told to leave three days previously but chose to stay and now has to be rescued from his house which is under water due to a Hurricane?
And, more importantly, does he have to pay for it?
Wouldn't it be ironic if the Obituaries were listed in the Living section?
Why do people think they can make it across a flash flood just because the guy in front of them did?
Do they have to pay for their own rescues?
How many dentists ask a hygienist if she (or he) is a sadist during the interview process?
I think the chicken came first.
How on Earth did Christopher Columbus get credit for discovering America?
If you could put your laundry in a hamper, any hamper, and someone else would wash, dry and fold it, why would you NOT put it in a hamper?

Monday, September 15, 2008

What's cookin'

Monday - Crustless Smoked Turkey & Spinach Quiche
Tuesday - Seared scallops with Lemon Orzo
Wednesday - Parmesan Chicken Paillards with Cherry Tomato Sauce
Thursday - Grilled Salmon with Rosemary
Friday - Gnocchi with Asparagus & Pancetta

As always, the menu is subject to change. And most certainly, it won't be served in this order since I can't buy fish on Sunday and wait to serve it until Thursday! As for vegetables and sides, we'll just see what turns up. I've got plenty of side dishes in the pantry and a few frozen and even some canned vegetables.

And does anyone know where to find frozen gnocchi? Because I can't find it anywhere but Trader Joe's and they put Gorgonzola cream sauce in it, which doesn't go with my recipe!