2015--So Long. Thanks for the Memories

2015 was definitely a roller coaster of a year. I had some really poor experiences and some really amazing ones. I started out the year sick with a cold. I didn't know it then, but a sweet e-card from a co-worker would be the start of a really nice friendship that blossomed throughout the year. I got stung by a bee in March...on a bus of all places...and that took at least a month to finally go back to normal. Then there was my kidney stone surgery. Not something I would recommend. A lot of pain and a longer recovery than I had expected. Here's to hoping that 2016 has better health issues for me and my loved ones.

Then at the end of June this happened. The death of poor Charles, my 2003 Subaru Forester, thanks to a lady in a rental car on a cell phone. Thankfully Eric was not injured and the car was the only thing severely damaged. It did mean 5 months of walking and enduring Los Angeles Public Transportation but it was an experience.

Right after Charles, we rented a car and brought home Vann. Chaplin needed a companion and Blair needed peace from the young kitty we had gotten last year. Vann stayed in the closet for 10 days when we first got him here, but he has emerged as a very loving, social cat and he and the Shmoo love playing and Blair loves the peace and quiet.

In August I had my first "bucket list" experience of the year. I got to go to Disneyland, and thanks to some great friends, got to have dinner at Club 33. Kind of amazing to think that I took a bus to and from one of the most exclusive restaurants in the World. 

Then in September (a little after our official anniversary), Eric took me to Fabio Viviani's restaurant, Cafe Firenze, in Moorpark. Again, I rented a car to go to an unforgettable meal that the executive chef himself picked out for us. It was so nice to be treated like a VIP just because Eric had had a 10 minute interview with Fabio last year. 

In October, the insurance payment came through and I bought Alain. He is completely what I did not expect. Nissan, black in color, sedan, and relatively new. The buying experience was not pleasant but I am happy with what I ended up with. We took Alain for a drive down PCH and saw a beautiful sunset. Nice way to break in a new car.

Then in November I got to go to a cooking demonstration by Hugh Acheson. I had seen him on Top Chef and fallen in love with his personality and his monobrow. I even got to chat with him a bit before the demo started when he needed to buy a new gold spoon. I mentioned at the time that this was probably in the top 10 of my greatest experiences. He did a simple recipe, was easy going, funny,  charming and the soup he made was fantastic. I also learned a few things that I can now use in my own cooking.

Plus I got a signed cookbook to add to my collection.

So that's just a quick glance of what 2015 offered me. There was also some major relationship issues, fights, infidelity, and a trip to Chicago I wasn't sure I was going to come home from. But all these were learning experiences and part of what makes me who I am. We've been in California for 2 years now. We're better off than we were in 2014, but, as with lots of things, we could be better.

In 2016 I plan to give up all my Sagas on my phone. No more candy crushing, pepper panicking, papa pear throwing, pet rescuing, bubble bursting or anything else King thinks I should play. I will continue with Angry Birds and Words with Friends, but that will be about it. I plan on reading more, hiking in the mountains (foothills) that surround L.A. and perfecting a song or two on my guitar. I also want to eat healthier and watch less TV. I want to continue growing friendships, and reaching out to those friends who I've strayed from in the past few years. I also want to write more, cook more, and maybe take a vacation for the first time in 10 years. 

Happy New Year everyone!

Project Dean--Days 4 & 5

So this weekend I went to the gym both days and it felt good. Well, Sunday it didn't feel as good, but I did what Planet Fitness calls their 30 minute Express Workout--which is a minute of steps, followed by 12 reps on a machine, then back to the steps. 20 stations in all. One of the leg machines wasn't working, so I did one of them twice. The steps always are a struggle for me after I haven't been working out for awhile. The very first time I tried the express workout I think I only got through 4 of the steps, this time I did all 10. Since Planet Fitness is partnered with The Biggest Loser they had some new workouts to do with the steps so I tried a few of those. My thighs were definitely talking to me about it when I got home, but I'm glad I did it. Saturday I did the treadmill for a mile and then did 5 miles on the bike. That felt good too. I had to push a bit on the bike to get through that last mile but I kept picturing me standing next to Dean and that helped push me. This week should be more normal at work and I'm going to try to get to the gym a couple of days after work. I took the steps today at Union Station and can almost get my breath back by the time I'm ready to cross the street now, rather than huffing and puffing all the way to my desk.

This weekend was also very good for my new recipe a week plan. I actually cooked 3 new recipes and tried a couple new things to old favorites! Friday I was off of work because it was Eric's birthday, and I wanted to spend it with him. I also had time to watch The Chew on ABC. I really like that show. Fabio Viviani, one of my favorite chef's from "Top Chef" was on and he made a recipe called "Lazy Meatballs." I thought that it looked good and easy so we picked up the ingredients for that from the store. Also on Friday, we saw an ad for a grilled cheese and jalapeno sandwich which was right up Eric's alley. Originally, we were going to go out to dinner for Eric's birthday, but he woke up on Friday morning and asked if I would cook him a steak instead. He said that would be better than any meal he could get at a restaurant. I thought that was very sweet of him to say. So I went to the grocery store and got the ingredients for the grilled cheese and jalapeno sandwiches, ingredients for the Pillsbury "Unsloppy Joe's" that we also saw a commercial for, and the ingredients for the Lazy Meatballs.

I decided to make the grilled cheese with cheddar and put it on sourdough bread. I made Eric's with thick slices of bread and had sliced the jalapeno so that each bite he took had a bite of pepper in it. He LOVED it.  I know that grilled cheese really isn't a new recipe, but it was a new way to do it for me, so I'm thinking that counts.

Friday night, I made Eric his steak, and I sauteed some shallots and mushrooms in worcestershire sauce to put on top of the steak. We also had baked potatoes with sour cream and cheese. It was quite tasty.

Then Saturday morning, after my workout, I came home and made scrambled eggs, bacon and home fries. I cut up some red pepper and some onions and diced the potatoes for the home fries and seasoned it all with Lawry's seasoned salt. It was the first time I had made my own home fries and Eric said it may have been the best breakfast I had ever served him. I loved how easy it was and will definitely do it again.

Saturday night we made the Unsloppy Joe's. Now, you're supposed to brown some ground beef, add some sloppy joe sauce to it and then put that mixture, along with some shredded cheese onto biscuits that you've stretched out a bit. They were messy, but not too bad. I never really liked sloppy joes when I was younger, and still don't really care for them (I think the meat tastes too sweet in the sauce), but it was an acceptable, easy dinner, and yet another new recipe.

Finally, on Sunday night I made the Lazy Meatballs.  Here's a picture of them. The base of sauce is really easy, just onions, garlic and fennel seed, then you add some chicken stock, some pureed tomatoes and some Italian sausage that has been cut into meatball size pieces. You let that all cook together until the sauce thickens, then you add some fresh basil and some parmesan cheese and serve it with some warm crusty bread and you're good to go. I thought that the sauce would develop more flavors overnight and I was right. I took some to work today for lunch and the sauce was flavorful, but also way too salty. I think the salt from the sausages and the salt I added just sat there too long. I don't know, but next time I think I'll add just a little less salt.  The sauce is a good basic sauce that I think I could use on pasta, or even chicken. I'll experiment some more with it.

I considered it a very good weekend.