I can't stop looking at puppy photos

Source: Star Tribune classifieds

What can I say? I'm obsessed. Someday, when Ben warms up to the idea and we're ready for a little pup, I'd like a "bug" (Boston terrier/pug), a puggle (pug/beagle) or a Boston terrier.

DD gets her groove on in the kitchen

Sort of.

I had Friday off after working a late weekend shift, and I decided to return to the kitchen with the extra "me" time.

I made lasagna for the first time in my life. But this wasn't your traditional lasagna. It called for asparagus, onions, garlic for the filling and a combination of sun-dried tomatoes and basil for the top and bottom. I left out the pancetta because it was a Friday, and it's Lent.

The good news: the dish turned out.

The bad news: it looked good, but didn't taste that good. And I had a hell of a time combining the tomatoes and the basil in the blender. I think I need a fancy food processor because this wasn't the first time that my blender didn't deliver. It's too bad that the dish wasn't phenomenal, as I had hoped. The jars of sun-dried tomatoes were expensive -- so expensive that I won't repeat the cost here.

Today was a better day in the kitchen. I made banana bread. Ben and I traditionally make it together. But he's busting his butt studying for the GMAT, so I decided to stop whining for his help and do it myself. I'm pleased to report that I don't need a man when it comes to banana bread. I'm quite good at it. Plus, I clean up afterward:)

The recipe comes from a former colleague. It's ultra basic, which means it's easy -- even for challenged people like me. So I'm sharing it with you. If you have a banana bread recipe of your own, please post it in the comments section.

Banana bread
From Trish's kitchen
Makes one loaf

Ingredients:

Mix in large bowl
1 c sugar
1/2 c butter
2 large eggs


Mix in small bowl
2 c flour (I used one cup each of wheat and white flour)
3/4 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Combine two bowls into large bowl. Mix well. Add three large ripe bananas and mash thoroughly with a fork. Mix well.

Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour or until toothpick comes out clean from center. (I did not use a dark pan, so it took closer to one hour and 15 minutes.)

I wish.

Ben says that if I come home with the above, it's grounds for divorce. He is only kidding, I'm sure. But I won't press my luck anytime soon.

Still, I want one. I really want one.

And it's hard not thinking about owning one when they populate the running paths near my house and I see all kinds of them -- fluffy, scruffy, petite, athletic, toy and chubby ones -- every day.

Best idea of the week. Maybe month.

I can't take credit. My aunt, who gave me a bag of yellow corn tortillas yesterday, is the brain behind this: homemade tortilla chips.

I love, love, love restaurant-style tortilla chips. It's next to impossible to find quality chips at the grocery store. And it had never really occurred me to make them at home. That is, until my aunt suggested it.

So tonight I set out to make the warm, crispy, salty tortilla chips that I've only found in Mexican restaurants. Mission accomplished. Even someone who's as incompetent in the kitchen as me can pull it off.

Here's what you need to do:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut small corn tortillas into six triangles. (I used about a 1/3 of a bag for two people)
Set the tortillas on a cookie sheet.
Brush them with a 1:2 mix of olive oil and lime juice (1 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp. lime juice)
Sprinkle with salt.
Sprinkle with chili powder (optional).

Bake for 7 to 8 minutes on each side at 350 degrees.

I plan to make more chips tomorrow night and can't wait to share them with family and friends. Yeah, they're that good.

Check out these beauties

If journalism doesn't pan out, I could always be a pastry chef.

I made these little beauties today and made sure I had the above evidence to prove it. They did come from a box cake, but I added strawberry Jello flavoring and low-fat whip topping and sprinkles. Sprinkles.

The icing on the cake? They're delish. I ate three this afternoon.

Yeah, I won't be quitting my day job, which I enjoy, anytime soon. But I'm proud of these sweetheart cupcakes.

Minnesota -- and the insanity of stepping outside in winter

I have witnessed two acts of amazing, crazy, pure dedication -- or desperation, perhaps -- during the last two days. And the blue ribbon belongs to smokers.

Yesterday, at 15 below zero (not including the butt-biting wind chill), I saw a man driving down Nicollett Avenue puffing on his cig with his car window rolled down. Better to suffer frost bite than have your vehicle smell like an ash tray.

And today, just as my toes were about to fall off from the four-block walk to work and I was yelling expletives in my head, I saw a woman standing outside my building smoking. Without a coat. Or gloves. Or a hat. Or a scarf.

Holy poop.

Didn't they get the memo? It's frickin' cold outside.

I write this as I sit shivering at home, in my pajama pants and a long-sleeved shirt, slippers and Pepto Bismol-colored robe (it's not attractive).

Then again, I went to a press conference today that was outside. As in out on the street and not indoors. I stood out there for an hour in my pointy, not-so-insulated boots. Finally, a colleague threw a headband at me, told me that my ears looked like they were about to fall off and urged me to come to my senses...after I had turned down his offer earlier in the afternoon. So I put it on.

My fingers -- though properly covered -- still suffered. The Raynaud's disease (the poor circulation problem I have in my fingers) raged, and I almost sat on the quiet residential street because I swore I was a minute or two away from throwing up due to the pain. Damn you, Raynauds.

Next time -- if there is a next time -- I will have a hat, the expensive pair of "warmest" gloves I own from the Running Room and boots with a wool-lined interior.

So many kitchen misadventures to be had, so little time

I realize that I'm not living up to the title of this blog. As of late, I've had very few kitchen misadventures.

I can only blame myself. My work schedule hasn't been too demanding, although that's likely to change with a new job that I started yesterday. I also like to plant my lazy butt in front of the TV and eat a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar (this is a recent discovery, and I've fallen in love with oatmeal) while Ben sits nearby with work he has brought home. I forget how romantic it can be to spend time in the kitchen with your significant other.

Today, I'm working the 3-to-11 shift, which means I've had the morning to myself. It reminds me of this summer and how I foolishly complained about having all the time in the world to get in trouble in the kitchen. I long for the days when I can spend as much or as little time as I want in the kitchen, go for a run with my buddy Naomi in the morning or afternoon and have hours to read magazines and books.

Until then, I'll work on the kitchen misadventure part a little more.