Home Made Pizza

Lately this blog has turned into more of a restaurant review/recipe blog than anything else.  TODAY is no exception!

Duane and I made the BEST pizza last night!!!  It started with a home made pizza crust (discovered while watching "Ciao Italia" on PBS, the recipe for which can be found in this previous post:  http://snarky-librarian.blogspot.com/2011/09/yum.html).

We found a package of precooked pulled BBQ chicken at Traders Joes, and used it as the meat/sauce base for the pizza...

I sliced a Roma tomato and a mild pepper from my deck garden...

Then put it all on the crust (tomatoes and peppers on my half only!)...

I then piled on the cheddar cheese...

and stuck it in the oven!

Yum!  Yum!  Yum!  Yum!  Yum!!!!!

Here's hoping YOU have a "go to" recipe that makes your mouth water too!!!!

Lunch with Liz

Continuing the DELIGHTFUL "get reacquainted with your friends" frenzy, I was able to meet my friend Liz for lunch today.  Liz and I bonded during "Children of Eden" (which garnered me A TON of new, amazing friends).

We met at Colossal Cafe (one of my FAVORITE local diners, and featured a year or so ago on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives", hosted by Guy Fieri:  http://youtu.be/b1UjJatvTJw), and had a GREAT time catching up!

Liz contemplating the FABULOUS menu!!!

Although it went WAAAAY too quickly, we're planning to get together again SOON...and add a "shopping spree" to the mix!

Here's hoping YOU have been making time for friends recently too!!!

ANOTHER Fun Day (but BAD for the Diet!)!!

Yesterday was another fun, and BUSY day!

I started off with my hour long walk (today makes FIVE in a row!), spent a little time memorizing more music for the show, putzed around the townhouse, then headed out into the monsoon (it rained ALL day, off and on...usually only when I had to go out and do something!).

I met my friend Emily for lunch at India House on Grand Avenue (diet DISASTER #1 for the day...I had the Indian buffet...yikes!). 

We haven't had a chance to catch up for AGES, so it was great to spend a little time together!  She heads to NYU on Sunday to spend the summer working on her master's degree in theater education.

After lunch (and a brief break in the rain!), I headed home to work on more memorizing, then headed BACK to Grand Avenue (half a block from where I was before, actually!), to meet my friend Kris for dinner at the Wild Onion (diet DISASTER #2 for the day...I had the BBQ chopped salad!  It's TECHNICALLY a salad, but all the "chopped" really packs on the calories, and, in Weight Watchers terms...POINTS!!!).

We also haven't had a chance to "catch up" for awhile, so decided to go see our friend Rachel in "Mlle. Modiste" at Concordia University (put on by Skylark Opera).

Kris and Martin Luther on the way to the theater

It was GREAT to see Rachel on stage again!  She has a very commanding presence on stage!

I'm not a big fan of opera, but MANY of the actors did a great job with their roles (Rachel, OF COURSE, being the best!)! 

After the show, we met some of the cast at The Happy Gnome for a quick drink, then I headed back to Eagan.  It's kind of fun to stay up until 1:00 a.m. on a week night, but I was GLAD to get home and finally go to bed!

Here's hoping YOU had the chance to reconnect with friends (and wreck your diet!) recently too!!! 

I LOVE Summer Break!!!

One of the DELIGHTFUL perks of being a teacher is working your BUTT off for 9 1/2 months, and then getting 2 1/2 months to "regroup".  OF COURSE, I end up spending A GREAT DEAL of the summer "volunteering" back at school (which basically means working without getting paid) trying to wrap things up, and then attempting to get things cleaned up/reorganized/prepared for the fall, but...no worries...it's on MY schedule, and I can go in if I want, or NOT go in, as I please.

Today was one of those LOVELY, CAREFREE, "LET'S DO SOMETHING FUN" days that make the summer worth the stress and aggrivation of the rest of the year...

It started with waking up WITHOUT the alarm clock, taking an hour long walk (while listening to the score for the show I'm doing in August), then spending time memorizing a couple of the songs for that show.

I then took a shower, and went to West St. Paul to pick up Pat and Joel.  We then proceeded to St. Paul to meet Duane for lunch at one of the FABULOUS offerings at the food trucks on Wabasha.  Even though it was "sprinkly" and cold, we had a GREAT time...

After lunch, I dropped P&J at Pat's house, then headed to Edina to meet my friend Chad, who's up visiting from Austin, Texas.  He came over for dinner last Friday night (also with Pat and Joel), and it was GREAT to catch up, and spend time together!!!

We saw "Men in Black III" (which I LOVED...especially the "twist" at the end...!)...

...then did a little shopping at Southdale Center...

...then he went to meet a friend for dinner at Hell's Kitchen, and I went home.

After Duane got home from work, we headed to the opening of the Eagan Marketfest (our local farmer's market).  Even though I didn't buy anything, it was AWESOME to look around...

After Marketfest, we putzed around the house for awhile, then finished the evening with a delightful "sit" in the glider on the deck...the PERFECT ENDING to a WONDERFUL day...

Here's hoping YOU are able to enjoy the pleasures of a "lazy" summer day too!!!!!

ANOTHER Great Rhubarb Recipe!!!

While trying to find a way to spotlight some BEAUTIFUL rhubarb I found on our first trip (this season) to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market, I came across the following recipe.  I added strawberries, since the two flavors are AMAZING together...

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars

Yields: 18 servings

Crust:
½ c. chopped pecans
1½ c. rolled oats
1 c. brown sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1½ c. flour
1 c. butter or shortening
¼ tsp. baking soda

Filling:
3 c. rhubarb, chopped
¾ c. strawberries, sliced
1½ c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
3 T. water
1 tsp. vanilla
Combine all ingredients for crust and mix until crumbly. Pat half of the mixture into a greased 9 × 13 inch baking dish.

To prepare the filling, combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until cornstarch is dissolved and mixture is clear, about 5-7 minutes.

Pour filling over crust. Sprinkle with the remaining crumb mixture.

Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool before slicing into serving sized bars.
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For another AWESOME rhubarb recipe, check out one of my previous posts here.

Here's hoping YOU are enjoying the tastes of early summer too!!!

Second Hand White Baby Grand...

Okay...I'm also kind of obsessed with this song from "Smash"!

Go Megan Hilty!!!!


Here's hoping YOU have an AWESOME obsession too!!

My Current (and Past!) Obsession!!

It's getting fairly bad press, but I have to admit that my CURRENT obsession is the television show "Smash" on NBC! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!  I'm SUCH a fan of Katherine McPhee now, and I have to admit that even though I HATE her character, I LOVE Megan Hilty as Ivy.

My PAST obsession is with Marilyn Monroe. It goes back to high school.  I'm not sure HOW I became interested in her, but what a tragic life, and what an amazing talent!!!!

When I moved to Japan after college, I took very few personal items with me...some photo albums, some cds, a couple of jars of peanut butter, and a poster of Marilyn Monroe to hang on my wall.  She was BEAUTIFUL!!! This show has renewed my interest in her (as well as the movie "My Week with Marilyn", which, if you haven't seen, you MUST!  Really well done, and shines a spotlight on a talent gone TOO SOON!!!!)!

Even though the story line has meandered A LOT, I've really enjoyed watching the process of putting "Bombshell" (the musical within the show) together. There have been some AMAZING songs performed this season, but this song, as the "written at the last minute" finale, has me playing it over and over and over for the sheer joy of listening to Katherine McPhee sing it!!!!

Here's hoping YOU found something recently that tickles your musical fancy too!!!!