Monthly Archives: January 2006

It’s true

Audra referenced it in her last comment. Most people probably thought it was a joke. It’s something that I have only shared with close friends but I have decided to publish it for the world to see. I have a playlist in Rhapsody devoted to songs about butts.

butt songs

* “My Humps (Lil Jon Remix Version)” – Black Eyed Peas
* “Baby Got Back” – Sir Mix-A-Lot
* “Ass Like That” – Eminem
* “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” – Trace Adkins
* “Shake Your Booty, (Shake, Shake, Shake)” – KC & The Sunshine Band
* “Da’ Dip” – Freak Nasty
* “Rump Shaker” – Joey Diggz
* “Whoomp! There It Is” – Tag Team
* “Big Ole Butt” – LL Cool J
* “Daisey Duks” – Duice
* “Shake That A$$” – Nphinite Groove/Lil Billion & K-Dosha
* “It Must Be Jelly (‘Cause Jam Don’t Shake Like That)” – Glenn Miller
* “Shake It Like You Mean It” – Mad Daddys
* “Big Bottom” – Spinal Tap
* “Thong Song” – DJ Boo featuring Stephanie
* “Fat Bottomed Girls” – Queen
* “Bubble Butt” – Disfunction-Ill
* “Ba Bump” – Black Eyed Peas
* “Milkshake” – Kelis
* “Shake That Monkey” – Too Short
* “Shake Your Ass” – Blowfly
* “Please Shake Your Ass For Me” – Vini and the Demons
* “Boot The Booty” – MC Cool Rock and Chaszy Chess
* “Shake Whatcha Mama Gave Ya” – Poison Clan
* “Shake That Ass Bitch” – Splack Pack
* “Shake A Lil’ Somethin” – 2 Live Crew
* “Wiggle, Wiggle” – Disco Rick
* “Must Be The Booty” – Gigolo Tony
* “Booty Shake” – Gucci Crew II
* “Get Low” – Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz (featuring Ying Yang Twins)
* “Shake Ya Ass” – Mystikal
* “Back That Azz Up” – Juvenile
* “The Humpty Dance” – Digital Underground
* “Rump Shaker” – Joey Diggz
* “Push It” – Salt-N-Pepa
* “Big Bertha Butt (Booty Phazed)” – Huggy Bear

I don’t know why I did it. I just did.

Alton Brown’s Indian Rice Pudding

Here is a recipe for the most yummy rice pudding I ever ate!

1 cup cooked long grain or basmati rice
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 ounces golden raisins, approximately 1/3 cup
1 1/2 ounces chopped unsalted pistachios, approximately 1/3 cup

In a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat, combine the cooked rice and milk. Heat until the mixture begins to boil. Decrease the heat to low and cook at a simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, stirring frequently, approximately 5 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium, add the heavy cream, coconut milk, sugar, and cardamom and continue to cook until the mixture just begins to thicken again, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Use a whisk to help prevent the cardamom from clumping. Once the mixture just begins to thicken, remove from the heat and stir in the raisins and pistachios. Transfer the mixture to individual serving dishes or a glass bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Tomatoe Pie

Last week, Rick DeLorenzo gave us a DVD called Pie Eyed the Movie. It’s about Trenton-style tomato pies. Inside the jacket there was a recipe to make a tomato pie. I don’t know if it measures up to what Rick makes, but here is the recipe for all to try. If you are interested in buying Pie Eyed the Movie. click here.

Note: Tomato Pie is a type of pizza. It is not like apple pie with tomatoes.

Dough Ingredients:
.25 oz pkt active dry yeast
1/4 tsp granulated sugar
3/4 cup 110 degree water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water; allow to rest for 8 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine flous and salt and pour yeast mixture over flour mixture and mis well with a heavy spoon. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes.

Sauce Ingredients:
1 can plum tomatoes
(preferably packed in tomato juice rather than a thick puree)
2 medium garlic cloves
3 or 4 fresh minced basil
(or a shake or 2 dried minced basil – to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Empty contents of tomato can into mixing bowl and mash the whole tomatoes into smaller pieces so that the mixture is pulpy.

Add garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix. The sauce can be used immediately, but has a more refined flavor if covered and left in the refrigerator for about an hour. This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for about 1 hour if properly covered.

Preparation and assembly of your Trenton Style Tomato Pie

Dough mixture
Sauce mixture
Equal parts of grated Romano and parmigiana cheese to taste
Grated or slice mozzarella cheese.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

Start with a ball of dough approximately 3 to 4 inches in diameter or about the size of a medium fist. Roll it out to the size of the pan you are using. (a thin 16″ perforated aluminum pan is recommended) Roll the dough out uniformly to a thickness of approximately 1/16″ taking care not to make holes in the dough. (Sometimes holes are inevitable. If a hole does appear, just pinch the dough around it and close it up.)

Gently place the dough in the pan. You can either trim off the sides of the dough overlapping, or just roll it back until it fits into the pan. For a special treat, take some grated cheese and roll it in the overlapping dough. Brush on a very thin layer of olive oil. (infused oil is great, i.e. Basil, truffle, or garlic oil).

Spread the grated cheese blend around the sides of the dough and very lightly toward the middle. (The cheese and the sauce will gravitate to toward the center during cooking. This is the technique that will keep the tomato pie slice from “drooping” like pizza does)

Sparingly, ladle the sauce mixture around the pie. (Again, not too much in the center of the pie. It’ll spread out while cooking). Now, sprinkle or place the mozzarella cheese lightly over the top. Place pie in preheated oven for approximately 5 minutes.

Using a spatula, gently lift the edge of the pie and check if the bottom is browning. The pie should be a little crispy on the bottom. Don’t panic if the edges become a little brown. That’s good. When the pie is done, slide the pie out of the tray onto a dish or pan. Let it sit for about a minute.

Cut the pie across, then into small triangles.

Serve and enjoy!

Must memorize

1. Royal Flush
A, K, Q, J, 10 of same suit
10S, JS, QS, KS, AS

2. Straight Flush
Five cards of same suit in sequence
4D, 5D, 6D, 7D, 8D

3. 4 of a kind
Four cards of the same rank
7S, 7C, 7D, 7H

4. Full House
Three of a kind plus a pair
3D, 3S, 3C, KS, KH

5. Flush
Five cards of the same suit
3H, 7H, 10H, QH, AH

6. Straight
Five cards in sequence
5C, 6D, 7C, 8H, 9S

7. 3 of a kind
Three cards of the same rank
JH, JS, JD

8. 2 Pair
Two pairs of different rank
5H, 5S, 9C, 9S

9. 1 Pair
Two cards of the same rank
AS, AD

New Year’s Eve Report

I never reported on New Year’s Eve! Lisa and I made lasagna and salad. I cleaned the Donnavilla. At 8:00 John arrived. Audra and Steve followed him about 40 minutes later. We ate almost immediately. The plan was to eat dinner and then proceed to The Inn of the Hawk or Issac Newton’s. Instead we adjourned to the parlor and listened to music and talked. Lisa brought down her poker set and we played a few hands. I don’t understand the game. All I do is match everyone’s bet and then I turn over my cards and I take the money. It’s a great game. I have no clue how I win, but it works! Five minutes before midnight we went to my bedroom where there is a TV and we watched the ball drop. It was a quiet evening but it was wonderful spending it with friends. I am glad we stayed in.

A little more on 2005 & 2006

Another year has come and gone. 2005 wasn’t a totally bad year for me. I was somehow able to support the Donnavilla, completely on my own. I traveled until May and then found myself working from home more often than not. The last few months have been a bit of a challenge for me personally but I’ve been dealing with it the best I can.

Looking forward to 2006 I really need to refocus on my career. I am going nowhere fast and I am too content. I wish I could say more but instead I will just say, I must do something!

So I will strive to accomplish my 2006 resolutions. Hopefully I will find more success than failure. The thing is, it is totally up to me. Change is never easy but it is not impossible.

2006 New Year’s Resolutions

1. Get a new job. Earn more money. Claw way to the top.

2. Keep the house, specifically the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, SPARKLING!

3. Get away from the computer. Go out. Have fun. Dance. Sing. De-stress.

4. Buy a big girl bed (It’s true, I sleep on a twin). Fix the outside patio. Get hardwood flooring in dining room.

5. Take more walks. Do Go-Go Aerobics and Belly Dancing to Fitness DVDs more often. MOVE.

6. Continue to strive to Emma Peel Excellence.

Last Year’s Resolutions Revisited

1. Get a new job. Stop traveling 90% of time. PARTIAL SUCCESS, MOSTLY FAILURE I rarely travel which is good but I have the same job

2. Spend more time with friends and MAKE NEW FRIENDS! PARTIAL SUCCESS I made friends with John Beck, but he’s the only one.

3. Dive head first into the Dating Pool and FISH! Date many men. Don’t settle on one. Not just yet. Go out and have fun and see what is out there. FAILURE

4. Join a Fitness Club. Exercise. Move. Get strong. FAILURE Although I have shed the weight I gained while I was traveling and I do try to take walks, I just never joined a fitness club

5. Keep bedroom and bathroom CLEAN! Do laundry in a timely manner. SUCCESS Although I could do a better job on the laundry situation

6. Wear Wonder Woman and Supergirl underoos as often as possible. SUCCESS I wear Supergirl or Wonder Woman underwear about 95% of the time