Friday, October 29, 2010

..The Witch may be gone, but her replacement isn’t far off..


She’s not mean... but she’s so fakey nice that it’s sickening... and you know she’s full of shit anyway.

She will stand around and stare at you if she has to ask you something and you’re on the phone or having a conversation with someone. Most other peeps will walk away and come back at another time.. Nope not her..she stands there, looming like a dark shadow.  So you have to stop what you’re doing and be like WHAT!?!? or.. Yes, can I help you? In a totally exaggerated annoyed tone like Can I.     Help youuuuuu?

She decided when she’s gonna take lunch and for how long.  We get paid lunch hour here and I get extremely pissed off when people take advantage. I rarely take lunch unless I have to do something important, I hate losing my parking spot and really hate parking on the upper level of the parking garage here.

When she started here, it was like she had no idea what she was doing.. She didn’t know how to use the fax machine for christsakes! She would ask me or the file clerk how to do a Dr’s authorization and other paperwork that should come as second nature to someone who’s supposedly been doing this for 35 years.

I’m not saying everyone here is perfect...and, unlike the witch, she actually does work. But she spends a shitload of time on the phone with personal calls.  I just think that these guys should have maybe interviewed more than just one chick for the job before deeming her perfect.  Because in all honesty people do fudge on their resumes and just calling her last employer who may have been sympathetic towards her does not make her the right person for the job.

New lady recently decided she was going to invite herself to lunch with the other girls here who were sitting in the back conference room having lunch, and when it was over one of the ladies here who thoroughly enjoys  chatting it up with the other girls and her time not sitting at her desk said she would rather sit at the Deli next door by herself than have to endure another lunch hour with that woman.  I almost died laughing!!!  Apparently new lady spend the whole hour talking about her “stomach issues” and how much she loves food. Yea, you just really want to hear about someone’s ïntestinal distress”while trying to enjoy your lunch... Um, eww, and no thanks.

Friday Flip Off's 10/29/10

It's Flip Off Friday yet again... This week has been a fast one!





Lets first say a Grand Thank You and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our gracious host MommaKiss.  Thanks for being there when I need ya.

Now.. without hesitation let the Flipping begin!

First off... my kid's math teacher for giving him MORNING Detention and Ruining MY day.  stupid bullshit gotta be at school by 7:15 detention. What the hell happened to after school detention like we all had to suffer with?  Morning detention can kiss my ass.  So where am I at 7:30? Instead of being home getting ready to leave enjoying my coffee I'm AT WORK. The sun wasn't even up when we left the house at 7!  It's gonna be a loooong freaking day.

Next up.  Coffee.  Flip off Coffee manufacturers who think it's OK to charge $7 for a can of my (wonderful, aromatic, delicious) Lavazza Espresso. It's not even that it went up a couple cents.. it went up over $1! Starbucks can flip off too for a $6 latte, forget it. I got a pumpkin Latte from Dunkin Donuts that was so nasty  2 sips in and it went down the drain.  I was so hoping for a better experience with Starbucks that I was so crushed when it wasn't much better than the sludge I got from DD.

Flip off Nintendo for making me have to wait until at least March for the 3ds.  I was hoping this would be out in November so I could get it for The Kid for Christmas.. at this rate he's not gonna have it for his birthday either.. maybe Easter, but I'm not hopeful.  It's not helping the situation that his current DS decided to bite the dust a few weeks ago either.

One more week of driving home in the daylight before F"ing daylight savings begins.  I hate it. Flip off Daylight Savings.

I hate to say it, but the fucktards upstairs have been, dare I say it...almost civil this week... almost.  Aside from the 5am wake up call from Fucktard kid#2 on Monday and the incessant noise until Midnight last night it's been, well... pretty quiet.  Not nearly as quiet as when they went on vacation for 2 weeks 2 years ago (it was Absolute friggin' Bliss) but fairly bearable.

I can't believe Halloween is Sunday.  My kid will be trick or treating.. because, why not?  I have a neighborhood full of old grumpy people who don't like trick or treaters.. so we'll be taking a drive to the neighborhood by his school and hoping for some good candy.

Have a Great weekend everyone!
Keep your Trick or treaters safe and remember to check the candy.  The weirdest thing I ever found in my kid's TOT bag was a snack size ziplock baggie full of peanuts and pennies.. it got tossed.  every once in a while there will be candy that looks a little open, that gets tossed too, people are nuts and I'd rather not take chances with my kid... no matter how old he is.

Now, Link up with us crazy Momma's and Flip off whatever's pissing ya off.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

So the General consensus is I need a stand mixer

Granted, I might not really exactly have the counter space for it, but If I don't want to make myself crazy making 150 batches of cookies using the little hand mixer I have I need a stand mixer.  I was determined to get one last year... but then I just didn't have the $$$ for the Kitchen Aid that I wanted.  I almost crumbled and got a crappy one, but all the bad reviews changed my mind.  It's not worth spending money, no matter how much if it's not going to work to the capacity that you need it to.

I love baking, but it's a chore with a little hand mixer because you're limited as to the amount of dough you can make in one batch without blowing out the motor like me & the bestie did when making the train cake for her son's birthday this past April.  We made so much buttercream frosting and vanilla cake that halfway through the icing the motor died on her mixer and I drive the half an hour ride back and forth just to go home, grab a change of clothes for myself & the kid and grab my hand mixer.. it was a long night, we were baking and decorating until 2am.  It was totally worth it though :)


This thing was immense.  It was as long as her dining room table with the extender leaf put in.  We had a blast making it.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Fish baked in Puff pastry or if you want to be fancy, Fish en croute


I’ve found a new friend in Puff Pastry (I’m sure I’ll grow tired of it soon, but for now it’s fun creating new things with it)

Last night I wanted to do something different than the usual pan seared Tilapla that I usually do.  I like Tilapia because it’s not a fishy fish, it’s pretty inexpensive and it’s readily available at my local supermarket.

When I started making the Tilapia I found a recipe online that I still kinda hold close when making it, but I make my own variations.  I dust the fish in seasoned flour (whatever I feel like using, which always contains at least salt, pepper and red pepper flakes but has recently included old bay) and then I sautee it in a little bit of canola oil and finish it with lemon juice.

Sunday night I looked at the fish in the fridge and decided I wanted to do something different with it. So I took the fish and put it in a zippy bag and *gasp* I poured in some of the marinade that I was using for the chicken.. A chili lime marinade that is so incredibly good.

And I just left it in the fridge overnight.

Now, I know that you don’t usually marinate fish for that long. But I work full time so what was I gonna do? Take it out in the morning? No.. I was determined it was gonna taste good.

When I got home last night I turned on the oven to 350̊, rolled out the puff pastry and cut it into 3 even pieces then stretched it a bit more so that it could be neatly crimped around the fish like neat little packages, brushed the packets with egg wash and baked for 30 minutes.

While the fish was in the oven I washed and trimmed the stems off a bunch of spinach and gave it a rough chop. Minced a clove of garlic and then Poured some canola oil into my pan, I heated the garlic and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes over low heat just to release the oil, turned the heat up a bit and added the spinach a little at a time until it was wilted and just a tiny bit crispy.  I finished that with some sea salt and lemon juice.

Now y’all know my kid is not the picky type, but I was a little concerned that he wasn’t going to like the fish.. Well, boy was I wrong because he gobbled up every last bite.  It really was very good and the fish was perfect and looked so pretty. Sorry about the crappy Cell phone pic.. I hate it when I realize I made something that looks really good ad the battery in my camera is dead.


I love when I try something for dinner and it's a total success. :)

Friday, October 22, 2010

Friday Flip Off's 10/22/10





First, Fuck you Flip Off Cancer.. really.. just go die. (don't y'all wish it was that easy to tell cancer to just fuck off and it would go away forever?)

I've got MommaKiss over there with her girl A who lost her "girls" yesterday to that damn bitch and then I've got my girl who's in Portugal and who will be on her way to Mozambique tomorrow (really, God help me here, I can just feel the white hairs sprouting,) I know she wouldn't be doing this shit on this journey if her mom was still here.. but no, Cancer took her mom last October. Not six weeks after being diagnosed, mom was gone.

Flip off people who think it's OK to edit someone else's writing, change their words and feelings and ruin the whole feeling of said written word.  Yea, I'm Mighty pissed about that one, it meant a lot to me and I expected it to be left alone.

Flip off stores that think it's OK to have Christmas stuff moved in along with the Halloween stuff.  THAT IS NOT OK.  Stop pushing the seasons and let things be like they're supposed to... it's not benefiting anyone, it just makes the holiday season more stressful when you've gotta shove it down our throats.

Flip off Daylight savings.. I know you're coming.. and I hate you!  I hate driving home from work in the dark, makes me feel like I spend even more of my life in that damn place.

Can I give growing up a flip off too?  yea? then good.. here goes:
Flip off growing up.. I'm not ready for this shit.. my kid is like 6' tall and getting facial hair.  Seriously.. I"m not ready for this. AT.ALL.
I've got my cousin asking me if kid's gonna start Drivers Ed next year.. NO.. Please don't drive me to drink. Kid's a winter baby, he'll have to wait until the next year to do Drivers Ed.  And he's not driving my truck, that's for sure, Bestie almost broke my truck before she left, and she was just moving it in her driveway.. *sigh*

7 months from today is my birthday.. then hopefully the bestie will be back here in the states and will rethink this life adventure she's got going on. I seriously miss her like crazy. doing ok so far holding myself together, just a minor breakdown here & there.

Now, of course my week isn't complete without flipping off my assclown landlord.. so here goes:
Flip off jackass landlord.. if your TV is loud enough to wake me out of a sound sleep at 5:30am IT'S TOO GODDAMN LOUD!
It's been like 40° at night, Turn on the damn heat!
The wife stomping around in her heels at midnight? Look, I don't give a shit what kind of night job she's got but take the damn shoes off in the house, heels on the hardwood floor are seriously annoying to the people who live downstairs.

Now, join in the fun and flip off your week here with the rest of us


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Apple dumplings

This is quite possibly the most perfect thing to come out of this kitchen in a while.. and I seriously can't believe how easy it was.
Apple-y goodness.

1 sheet of puff pastry cut into 6 squares
1 gala apple, quartered and sliced thin
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp flour
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400°
in a bowl mix together apples, raisins, sugar, flour and pumpkin spice
place 4-s slices of apple and about a teaspoon of the sugar mixture in the center of the square
fold up the corners and pinch the ends closed
place on parchment lined baking sheet
brush the tops with the egg wash
Bake for 20 minutes
Viola


Friday, October 15, 2010

Friday Flip Off's 10/15/10

It’s that time of the week again... Oh yah Baby.... Friday Flip Off’s.  MommaKiss is hosting again so lets join her in the weekly flipping off of stuff






  I would like to make my first Fuck you Flip off to my Landlord and his asshole family Oh yeah.. The whole damn gang this time.

 Saturday, after very emotional farewell to my bestie before her Portugal adventure all I wanted to do was go home and sleep (and cry, but my kid gets upset when I cry so I keep that to myself).. But the Fucktards upstairs decided that it was time for another party. (This has been every weekend for the past month or so now)  Tv was blaring inside, the obnoxious Columbian music was blaring outside and I got pissed and started to cry.. Then my kid got pissed and he went and asked the Fucktard General to please turn the Tv inside down. And it went down a smidge.

 After midnight (after like 3 hours sleep the night before and already 8 hours of listening to this bullshit) I was thisclose to calling the cops when they showed up. I heard the doorbell ring upstairs and then all was quiet.

My neighbor on one side is a sweet old lady who is suffering from breast cancer (again, mind you.) I’m thinking if it wasn’t her who called it was her son who lives across the street.

Yea, my landlord and his whole family are a bunch of total assholes with no respect for anyone.

One more flip.. to this Damn twitch under my right eye... Stop it already.. it's annoying!

Other than that I can't complain about this week.. sad as hell that my bestie has moved away and I'm trying to deal.. but shit, I miss her :(.

Join the other Momma's in the flippage this week here:

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

A Broken Rule, but some Sweet Apple pies

I don't buy prepackaged things..especially if it's something I can do myself, but I broke this rule on Sunday.

After buying the apples last week at the Farmers market over by work I wanted to make something with them, but I was so uninspired.  I put a shout out onto Twitter for something to do with these apples when my friend Allyson gave me a link to some apple puffs made with puff pastry.

I could have sworn I had puff pastry in the freezer so when the kid called me when he got home I asked him to take the box of pastry dough out of the freezer.

When I got home I realized I was mistaken.. it was Phyllo.

I used it anyway, but it wasn't the outcome I wanted, they were good, but I wasn't happy with the phyllo texture.

When I made a stop at the local supermarket on Sunday after doing my laundry I had in my head to get puff pastry.. but the only kind they had was $6 a box, and I just didn't have the extra $ to splurge on that this week so I stood there for a minute and let the wheels spin to find an alternative.

Then it dawned on me.. Crescent rolls!

But then again, no.. they were $4 for the big ones (Friggin' overpriced local supermarket)

So I scanned the shelves and I decided on a tube of Grands rolls.. those should work.

And ya know what?

They worked!

This is what I did


  1. 2 medium sized appled, cut into small pieces (I used 1 Fuji &1 Granny Smith)
  2. 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  3. 2 teaspoons flour
  4. 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  5. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  6. 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  7. 1 tube of refrigerated flaky biscuits
  8. 1 egg, slightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 400°f

In a medium sized bowl mix together the first 6 ingredients

Pull apart the biscuits and stretch them out to about 4 inch rounds

Line a baking sheet with Parchment

Add a tablespoon of the apple mixture to each round and take the left and right sides and pinch them together, then do the same with the top and bottom (like a little dumpling with open ends)

Brush the dough with the egg (or if you're like me and don't have a pastry brush just use your fingers)
Bake for 8-10 minutes until the dough is puffy & golden.

Let cool & enjoy.

These were so good I can't wait to make them again!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

So it's official

The bestie is in Portugal.   She packed up her suitcases while I sat on the floor with her on Friday night.  I stayed at her house on Friday night too with the kid, it was bittersweet. I spent a good portion of my teenage years in that house, lots and lots of great memories. I spent more time there than my own house growing up.  I'm really sad that we're not gonna ever be in that house again.

It was seriously hard leaving there yesterday.

I stayed up and tracked her flight last night and was relieved when they landed an hour ahead of schedule. I don't like flying.. I've been to Florida twice in my life and I'm lucky I made it that far because I wanted to kiss the ground when I landed.

She said she's just going on vacation. (A seriously extended vacation).  I won't see her again until June.

I told her I love her... and that she's a crazy bitch for doing this, but I love her nonetheless.

What the hell am I supposed to do now?

I need a webcam... and suggestions as to what's the best one that's not gonna break the bank.

Now is the time this guy in my life needs to step up and be here for me the best he can.. I hope he realizes this.  I rarely talk about him... sometimes it's very complicated.. and I wish it wasn't so much with us.

I might slip a little sometimes, just don't let me fall.


Friday, October 8, 2010

Friday Flip Off's 10/8/10


Friday Flip Off's 10/8/10







Dear Friday October 8, 2010,
I hate you.  Instead of taking your sweet time to get here you rushed ahead like you were in for a big prize.  I’m not happy you’re here and I am incredibly sad that you’ve arrived.

You suck!
Ashley

Bestie’s leaving tomorrow night. I won’t see her again until late June (hopefully she’ll be here for my birthday).  I’ve got skype so we can chat.. I still need to get a webcam though.  This day got here so fast.. She told me she was thinking about moving on June 18th and when she got back from Portugal on July 31st it was all set in stone that yea, they were definitely moving and the wheels set in motion... from then on in time has just flown bye.

BBQ at her house tonight.. There will be tears, lots and lots of tears.. See, I’m crying again, I’ve been so good at keeping my emotions in check.... there goes that.  If I seem to go missing please give me a kick in the ass via email or Twitter @ChefAshbabe.  I’m gonna try my best not to lose it.. I’m not losing her, she’s just going on an extended vacation.  I told her she has to move back in 5 years, I’m hoping she holds to it.

This is my only flip of the day... otherwise it’s been a pretty decent week aside from the crazy ass weather.

Join my fellow Friday Flippers here:


Thursday, October 7, 2010

That is one big fishie

I wasn't kidding when I posted that my favorite fish was Swedish.


I grabbed some at Walgreens this morning when I stopped to get milk for the office (we have a shop in the lobby, they charge $2.75 for a quart of milk, which is totally freaking outrageous.


Anyway... in this box of fish.. I got this
.. 
Looks like a harmless little fishie doesn't it... 

Except for the fact that he's twice the size as normal fishie


 That's a normal fishie.. 

Yes, I'm slightly warped.. it's why y'all keep coming back for more, lol.


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The Suburban Farmers Market

I really Love the fact that there's a farmers market at the courthouse every Tuesday from September-November.   Not only is it totally out of left field (because, really? In the courthouse parking lot?) but the vendors are from some local establishments (like The Cupcake Corner) and from upstate farms.

I got myself a pound of McIntosh  apples along with a quart of some little dainty apples (I don't know what they're called, they're not lady apples but they're about the size of a Q-ball and crunchy)

They have all kinds of fresh baked bread, veggies and fruit, home made pastas and sauces and all kinds of meat.. it's great!

But, being I only had $8 on me this morning (money left over from the weekend, because I hardly ever carry cash) all I got was the apples and a quart of cider ( I love fresh apple cider).

I'm going to make something apple-y tonight.. I can't wait because this damn weather can bite me.  It's been raining since Sunday night, and it's cold and crappy.. I mean, it's cloudy, windy and only 60° right now.  I hate this weather... but then again, it's not 22° and snowing so I should really shut up and stop complaining.

So, yea.. Apples.. I'll be baking tonight.. and blogging about it tomorrow :)

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Apples!

I'm really kicking myself for not getting apples yesterday when I went grocery shopping, but then again I've been nothing but disappointed in the produce I get from Stop & shop.

Searching online and the closest place to go apple picking is over an hour away.

Farmers market by work is every Tuesday, hopefully if I have cash on hand (which doesn't happen often) and I have enough time I'll stop there.. which isn't helping me now... but good enough.

I'd go ahead and order myself a FruitGuys box, but then again.. I'm kinda broke since it's the beginning of the month and all my bills need to be paid before I can think of myself. (really, I love my job, but getting really sick of being the lowest paid employee).

I have 6 days until my bestie leaves for Portugal, I"m taking Friday off so we can hang.. it's the only thing I have to look forward to before the impending doom of her departure. :(

This is going to be a very interesting week and I'm absolutely certain it will be the fastest week of my life.



Friday, October 1, 2010

Friday Flip Off 10/1

Here we go Friday Flip Off's






First off Fuck Flip off October! I wasn't ready for you but here you are.  Now as I face the impending doom of my best friend moving to Portugal she's leaving next Saturday!  It's no longer weeks, it's down to days. (Please pray for my sanity)  Bare with me if I have a nervous breakdown, I apologize in advance.

 I’d like to flip off Sealy.  Sealy Posturepedic.. You suck!  I bought a mattress 4 years ago from Sleepy’s and it sucks.. One sided no flip piece of crap mattress. My back hurts constantly and no amount of extra cushion from a memory foam mattress pad is going to make it better.  You know this thing sucks when I’d rather sleep on the futon than lay down in my own damn bed.

Flip off this damn pinched nerve in my neck/shoulder area.  I’m a rightie, so of course it’s gotta be on the right side, and don’t even ask about the 5000000 times I have to answer the phone here and when I’m holding the phone on my shoulder while I take messages... ARRGH!

Flip off Rain! It’s been raining almost all damn week and it almost totally screwed with my plans to hang with the girls last night... the 60MPH winds were scary as hell driving home in, but we made it.

Y'all KNOW there can't be a week without some kind of bullshit nonsense from the assmonkeys upstairs.. so FLIP OFF Landlord, bitchface wife or one of the 2 punkass kids that thought it was OK to listen to music/TV/play video games or whateverthefuck that noise was coming through my bedroom ceiling until 1:30 am last night while I was trying to sleep. Yes, I didn't get home until 11, but honestly it's none of their goddamn business and if I'm home By Law they need to have courtesy after 10pm, which (of course) they do not. so, Flip off asswads.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so Feel your Boobies and together we can kick cancer's ass.

It's the beginning of a new month so lets Kick it..