Color my world

I consider myself lucky to have made it this far without coloring my hair. But the time has come... I see more and more gray strands every day. My hair is sooooo thin that from a distance, it's not even noticeable. But, I see it, the husband sees it, the kids see it, and it makes my hair look.... sparkly? glittery? or just old?

I dyed my hair today for the first time ever - to match my old color. It's almost like I paid someone to do nothing to my hair. Crazy. People say it looks "brighter", whatever that means. As long as it's not glowing (or gray), I'm good.

Fresh sauce with your coffee

I'm new to the whole blogging sisterhood... I have always blogged for myself and never really shared. I've recently followed my SIL onto this saucy site and it's made me want to give going public a try. So, hi world (she said, while peeking out from behind the blog).

And, yay for giveaways! I hate coffee, but love Keurig. Lots of variety, easy cleanup, single servings only for those who want it. A dream come true for the wife of a coffee drinker!



They even have chai for me! yum!

Funky Latkes

I want to thank my wonderful SIL for the recipes for Cauliflower Latkes with Za'atar Aioli... both the original recipe and her version. The SIL is an awesome cook whose palatte has grown SOOO much since we first met her... when she would ONLY eat sweet and sour chicken!

Anyway, on the first night of Chanukah, she and I made the latkes and aioli together. Admittedly, we improvised a bit. Cooking the latkes proved to be an exercise in patience. They fell apart while cooking, over and over again. We tried very hard to modify the batter to save it, because they tasted sooo good, but never ended up with anything that looked presentable. Even so, every bit was eaten by the adults in the house (but not the kids).

So, here I am on the last day of Chanukah, with some cauliflower in the fridge. I grabbed the recipe and figured, it has to be better this time, right??!?

Not.

I mixed up the batter, and started frying the latkes, and each time the oil ate up every bit of the pancake before I could even try to flip it. Literally. The whole thing fell apart in the oil gradually, from the outside in. It's like it was a happy little fish being attacked by invisible piranhas.

I added another egg. Same thing.

I added more breadcrumbs. Same thing.

I added MORE breadcrumbs. Same thing.

I lowered the temperature of the oil. Same thing, but slower.

I blinked. What to do now? I had already made the aioli (with different spices, and homemade mayonnaise, yum). And I really really wanted the latkes.

Desperate, I added some flour. Some progress - they stayed together while flipping, at least.

I added more flour, and had some success. I'll be serving them now. They even look a little like the original photo from Bon Appetit! Hopefully the boy and the girl will eat them... I know the husband will.



Lessons for this recipe:
1. Make the pancakes SMALL.
2. Double the breadcrumbs.
3. Use large eggs.
4. Add 1/4 cup flour with the breadcrumbs.
5. Do not use very high heat.
6. Do NOT blend the cauliflower until smooth. I think that was the main issue with the whole thing.
7. Have a little luck, or be smart and follow the original recipe better!!!

Wii for me

The kids use their Wii occasionally - but they don't play video games as often as most kids. These days, you'll find them playing Disney's online multiplayer Wizard 101. Most of the game is free but we gave them a membership for Chanukah which allows them to go to the "members only" worlds. They are completely addicted and don't even realize that the game is EXACTLY the same as another Disney multiplayer, Toontown. They abandoned Toontown about a year or two ago as "boring". Little do they know that the gameplay of Wizard101 is exactly the same but themed differently.

That leaves the Wii open for me. I received a Wii Fit from my parents who bought holiday gifts early. It's more about balance and yoga than anything else, but I've been doing the aerobics and letting the system give me grief for not losing weight. I have used it every day for almost a week now, though, so we'll see if this continues.

Time to move on

At one point in my life, I worked for General Motors, and ever since then (>15 years), we have always bought American cars. This was not because I had any particular love for the cars themselves. I've been proud to buy American, but the main reasons have been brand loyalty and plain laziness.

Today we are likely to change that pattern when we purchase a new car to replace our failing Oldsmobile. It's bothering me a little. I have been getting e-mails and letters from GM basically pleading with me to remain loyal, but is has been very difficult for us to find GM cars that meet our needs. I also received a holiday card yesterday from a former GM coworker whose husband is still a GM engineer in the depressed economy of Detroit. Her letter was gloomy about the future of GM and I wish the best to them and all GM families.

But, we're still buying a Nissan.