Monday, January 31, 2011

Sunday, January 30, 2011

This Week In Polish (TWIP)

I'm far too lazy to post NOTD (Nail of the Day) pictures, plus, my nails have been a bit crap lately. So, I think I'll do a weekly recap, not that anyone cares, but just for my own reference.

This week is a bit more like the greatest hits of the past month or two. So, in no particular order...

Hard Candy Sky topped with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Hidden Treasure, I think...
(This picture refuses to turn the other direction, sorry.)

My New Year's mani Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Celeb City with Bundle Monster Plates BM02,BM10, and BM03
Please ignore the Band-Aid and stray cat hairs, I sliced my finger open trying to take the film off of a BM plate.

Two coats China Glaze (ChG) Midnight Kiss, alternating coats (two of each) ChG Frosty and Party Hearty
My cuticles are not that awful, I am just sloppy and got top coat on my fingers, which, I guess, isn't really much better.
 

OPI A Good Mandarin is Hard to Find, Sally Hansen CSM Flaminglo and Night Lily, OPI Funky Dunkey and Ogre the Top Blue


Daily Felid

Friday, January 28, 2011

Daily Felid


Jasper on his SmartCat Multi-Level Climber, which he loves. All of the cats like the SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post, which I love, because it has helped in furniture destruction prevention. I prefer the sisal matting to carpet, because it doesn't get stuck in their claws, doesn't leave bits of fiber all over the place, and it is more durable, which means there are no loose strings hanging off for Emi to eat. 

My only complaints are that the shelves on the climber are not made of the same material, and Jasper has nearly destroyed them in a couple of months, and that it doesn't sit flush against our door, so it knocks around a bit. The latter may just be an issue with our door, however. Overall, I am very happy with both purchases, and will likely purchase another scratcher, and possibly another climber to satisfy the savage beasts that roam my house.

C is for Cookie

My cookie craving still not satiated,  I decided to get baking. I thought I'd jot down the recipe, while I'm digesting the dozen or so samples I scarfed, and before I slip into a sugar induced coma.

These cookies are a buttermilk base, with green tea, ginger, and honey. They are very light, moist, and cake-like. Green tea and lemon/buttermilk add a great sour note, and a very light glaze keeps them from being overly sweet (which means I can eat a gazillion of them). I made this up as I was going, so they haven't really been tested, but I love them already, and don't want to forget what I did.

Green Tea Buttermilk Cookies
Adapted from Gourmet, January 2008 


I'm not sure how many cookies this yields, as I ate some along the way. Oops. 


Stuff

Cookies
1/3 cup buttermilk (or 1 tsp lemon juice and enough milk to total 1/3 cup)
2 bags of green tea (I use Celestial Seasonings)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
3/4 stick unsalted butter (softened, or not, if you find it difficult to plan ahead)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey (I used raw)
1 large egg (or 1/4 cup Egg beaters)
1 teaspoon lemon juice


Glaze
1 bag of green tea
1/4-1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons of honey
1/2 teaspoon corn starch

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Genius

I decided I needed another henna tattoo since my first attempt had faded. I learned from the first try that it was not a good idea to start at 2:30 in the morning, and that I should plan out a pattern in advance. So, I started at 4:00 AM with the very specific plan, "I want a peacock on my hand." Genius. I finished shortly after my neighbor left for work.

It didn't turn out awful, but it looks a bit like a duck in a psychedelic swirl of paisley. Not exactly what I was going for, but interesting and kind of nice. Because of this, I am positive I have not learned my lesson.

Daily Felid

You can't see me.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Daily Felid

Mika Pinkerton in a hat.

From the Tube

For most of my life, I have been on some form of antihistamine and decongestant. My allergies are epic. Recently, however, I decided to stop taking the decongestant. The reasoning behind this maneuver is a bit muddled and long-winded. The important parts are that I stopped taking it and that I am now able to sleep for several hours a night/day (like I'm a person!) and I have had lots of sinus drainage that is filling my digestive tract. Yummy.

Because of the copious amount of snot, I don't feel hungry, ever. This has been a problem all of my life. Everytime someone says some variation of "I only eat when I'm hungry," with the requisite accompaniment of pretentious snobbery, I secretly hope they get to experience my lack of appetite some day. Several times a week, I become light headed and weak, because I haven't eaten enough. Not that I don't want to eat, but that I just don't feel like it. I often just  forget to eat. And, when I remember, it is hard to find something I can force down. My relationship with food is much like that of someone looking at a dessert menu at a restaurant with giant portions; I want to have something, but I'm just too full.

So, when I do feel like eating, I more than make up for the lean times. (My grandma would be sure to point out that I've never been lean, and that I should probably have used a different word. It's amazing I don't have more issues, really.) Tonight, for example, I had an incredibly strong craving for cookie dough.  A monstrous craving that would not be subsided with cookie dough ice cream or chocolate chips -not that I had either- it was of the specific and unyielding variety. Since I did not have the ingredients to make cookie dough, I decided that I must run to Wal-Mart to acquire them immediately. I had to go to Wal-Mart, because this particular craving hit me at about 2 AM. It is well below freezing, and a 20 minute drive one way, but, I reasoned, I also needed ink for the printer, and I was completely out of vinegar. Mika (see below) had just peed on the closet door, and I needed the vinegar to clean it up.