hey!  i'm over here now

http://angeliccorn.wordpress.com/

we'll see how it works out...

thoughts, unspecified

spotted on a minivan: a bumper sticker reading "minivans are tangible evidence of evil."
and then another bumper sticker reading "careful, that's a beverage" or something like that. then it had the web address www.lebowskifest.com. a week later i saw a similar bumper sticker, which made me curious. i guess i could actually look up the website, but i am more lazy than curious, i guess. i like the mystery?

i have, to my own chagrin, the song "rock me sexy, jesus" running through my head most days of the week.

i am smitten with smittenkitchen. i just made grapefruit yogurt poundcake, and i am in the middle of making kefta and zucchini kebabs. it smells so good i want to eat the meat raw. but i won't, i promise. i wish i had more pictures, but i cook in the later evening and it's dark when everything's done.

i just heard a good joke. it's not only that was bush born on third and thinks he hit a triple, but bush came into the office on third and then stole second. i'm listening to the speeches at the dnc on the radio. i'm pretty sure that most people reading this are republicans, so sorry.

i went back to school august 11th, school started the 19th. it's always a busy time. the counselors have to set up summer school before we leave, so it's hard to prepare for the beginning of school, and since i've been there, the schedules haven't been "loaded" until we get back from summer, so there is tons and tons of work to do in less than a week. i worked last saturday and sunday, trying to get everyone's schedules fixed before school started. maybe i was a wee too enthusiastic, because i completely strained my wrist, giving myself tendonitis, or wrist strain, unspecified. i like that phrase, unspecified. it's much more upscale than random. random has gone the way of totally. they used to be legitimate words, now they're just valley girl speak.

some one threw away these old athletic bags at school, and someone else dug them out of the trash, washed them, and gave them away at the staff party on saturday. i was pretty pleased with them and snatched two. there were extras...i don't think everyone appreciates the vintageness of them.


this is the fate of most of brophy's toys...poor little bear.

things that make me feel lucky, even when i'm drowning in work and bothers like check-engine lights and fleas on the dog

ordering a 4' shelf from pottery barn with gift cards leftover from my wedding almost 2 years ago, and finding that they were worth almost 3 times the amount i thought (even though i intended to buy a bathroom light fixture that we picked out months ago only to find out it's no longer available.)

driving by the ocean twice a day, but getting the best view on the way home from work, which is amazing every single time. it's been looking especially aqua lately, which is my most favorite color.

having the check engine light turn out to be nothing, and not even getting charged for the service guy to figure that out.

not seeing a flea in two days.

super star!

so, it's no secret that i love my puppy, brophy. if you have seen us together recently, you may have been slightly sickened at how gaga i am over him. yust a widdle bit siwwy, i am. but, it's not just me, i swear! over at the breeder's from whence brophy came, they are trying to make their own brophy! they are breeding his mother and father together again trying to duplicate the cuteness and sweetness that is my pup. check it out! read about his mom and dad, then click on the link to see her past litters and check out their tribute to brophy. brophy's kennel name was adonis (appropriate), and clearly, he was the pick of the litter.

taco salad

taco salad is one of those dishes that i remember as being such a treat growing up. the last few times i've made it, it's been nothing special, but i wanted to make a really good one this time. i think jake and i both agree that i succeeded. wildly.

recipes are difficult to write, because if i don't make it all up, i use a mixture of recipes i find online and adjust them as i see fit. i'm sure you do the same. especially for salad, you don't need to measure, you just use as much of each ingredient that you think is good, or how much you actually have. aside from the salad dressing, such is this recipe.

kelly's awesome taco salad

1.25 lb ground turkey
half an onion
two cloves garlic
olive oil
cumin
chili powder
cayenne pepper
salt
less than one can pinto beans
less than one can black beans
about 1/2 cup corn kernels
romaine lettuce
half a tomato (because only i eat tomato)
avocado
trader joe's organic white corn tortilla chips

dressing, adapted from martha stewart:
3/4 cup lowfat plain yogurt or light sour cream thinned with milk (i tried both, they taste about the same)
half cup cilantro, very finely minced or just throw all dressing ingredients in the blender
salt
juice from half a lime
a wee bit o' very finely minced jalapeno...i started with about a teaspoon because i didn't want it to be too hot, and it was enough to make it very mild.

so, when i make taco meat, this is how i do it: cook the onion, super finely chopped, and minced garlic in olive oil until very soft (medium low heat) add turkey, salt it, and chop up so it's finely crumbled when cooking is complete. brown, drain the fat. i use a ratio of two parts cumin to one part each chili powder and cayenne pepper, differing amounts depending on how much meat i'm cooking. about two T of cumin for a pound of turkey (or beef). then i add about 3-4 T of unauthentic la victoria red taco sauce. for the salad i added the beans, probably about a cup, just until it looked pretty.

then i just piled the meat/beans on some lettuce, added some corn, tomatoes, half an avocado for each of us, dressing and crumbled up chips. i bought some cheese (pepper jack) for it, but i think it was complete without it!

don't date the nanny

so, five years ago today, i met jake at Q's in santa barbara. holly and i went downtown for fiesta.
it turned out that jake knew a co-worker of mine and had watched her baby for her. though this is the only time in his life he has ever baby-sat, holly misunderstood what i told her and assumed i was interested in dating a "manny."

but it did give him some credibility with me, so i gave him my phone number before we left.

i was super excited because he was cute, tall and smart.
i really wasn't expecting to meet anyone
of that description!

obscure quotes

"my neck is a gargantuan monkey fist."

first person to identify who said that wins my undying respect....

looky! look what i did!

i made a mosaic

here are the directions

if you want to make one

1. Grevillea Ned Kelly with native bee, 2. jelly belly beans :P, 3. Golden Dome, 4. Eid Mubarak :), 5. Zig out., 6. llibreria - bookstore - Amsterdam - HDR, 7. conquisteremo siena!!, 8. Xana & Brownie, 9. Reading book..., 10. The Comfy Chair, 11. King's College Chapel, Cambridge, 12. Portofino a village of rare beauty

by the way, life without coffee sucks

"last" cup of coffee: saturday @ 10 am

this cup of coffee: friday @ 2.30 pm

inbetween cups of coffee: incessant headache.

i bought this just because i liked the label.

i'm a sucker for packaging.

how to avoid salmonella poisoning from jalapenos

grow your own!

aren't they cute??

midyear resolution...

since watching my new favorite show, you are what you eat, and after a particularly heinous round of pms, i have decided to start eating better. i already eat pretty well: no fast food (save occiasional subway and hamburger habit), no soda, very little processed food, etc. but i could be doing a lot better. as in, more variety of vegetables and fruit, less dairy, and less meat. i used to eat hardly any meat and was even a vegetarian for over a year, but jake had never eaten much but meat, so my habits changed when i started cooking for him. i have gotten him to like some vegetables, and he does want to eat healthy, and readily agreed to have a few vegetarian meals a week.

i am also, wait for it...............cutting out coffee. i love coffee, love, love, love it, and was never in the least ashamed of my addiction. i have an awesome coffee maker with built in grinder, buy fair-trade, shade grown, organic coffee, and don't go a day without my 16 ounces. i have read a lot about coffee's benefits, too. i don't really think it's that bad for me, but i want to see what life is like without it. for now, i am substituting green tea, which i also love. can i ever go caffeine free? we'll see.

i love whole wheat bread and crackers, but the last time i tried whole wheat pasta and even some brown rice pasta, i just didn't like it. BUT, i just tried trader joes multigrain spaghetti with flax, and it was very, very good. i made this recipe and it is incredible. make some and be convinced.

newest distractions...

sarcastic responses to stupid people:
baby's named a bad, bad thing

more sarcasm:
stuff white people like

i can't stop searching the interwebs...help!

oops. subtitled: i did it again. alternately subtitled: i crapped my pants.

are you ever overwhelmed with the sense that every recent day has been filled with mistakes, and no matter how you resolve to be more careful, you are doomed to keep making them? forgetting about the candied pecans in the broiler until they are a black and smoky heap? leaving your cell phone and important papers in the reach of the puppy who loves to chew, not to mention the remote control and the NETFLIX DVD?!?! forgetting to get licenses for the dog and cat, resulting in a $200 ticket? mistakes make life so tedious and disappointing. sigh. now i have to clean up this mess i made and have lost enthusiasm for whatever i wanted to do.

somtimes, i get really morbid and start worrying about what future mistakes i am bound to make. since i am still healthy and all, and my mistakes have not yet been too damaging, sometime i'm bound to make a huge one. it's scary.

i wish i could say i'm like anne and i never make the same mistake twice, but alas, my cell phone has multiple teeth marks, i've wasted many pieces of garlic bread in the broiler, and i'm surprised i have any credit at all i forget about so many bills.

i guess all i can do is try to think of something positive, like this gem i found while looking for the anne link: anne and gilbert, the musical!

poll by twiigs.com

my new show

i have found a new show. like many preceding it, i will probably watch every episode (on cable, that's several per day) for a few weeks and then get bored and move on. but for now, i have a season pass to:

i enjoy the disgusting displays of food and poo and the british accents!

(BBC America)

dan in real life

i so enjoyed this movie. it's just the kind of movie i like. about people and relationships. it made me cry, it made me want to hug my mom, learn to play guitar, sing a song, kiss my husband. and it was quoteable! "this corn is like an angel." "love is not a feeling, it's an ability." "you are a murderer of love!"

the family togetherness was a little too unrealistic (but still left me warm and fuzzy). it was like a bunch of happy and fun family moments that normally would happen over a course of years were condensed into a holiday weekend. in "real life" these scenes/moments would be punctuated by long periods of bickering, whining, eye-rolling, boredom and messes.

i will probably watch it again tomorrow, and try to get jake to watch it. though, it's not really his type of movie....

the difference between geeks and nerds

i recently read an article about the differences between a geek and a nerd. i'm not sure i ever thought that one was thought to be a less offensive designation , but the author believed it was nerd (come to think of it, though, i do refer to myself as a nerd). anyhoo, one of the examples was that nerds will go to the midnight opening of the new starwars movie, but a geek will go dressed up as one of the characters.

the screen cap did not turn out so well....click on pic for better view, i think.

i don't know if being very excited about this new feature of goodreads makes me a geek or a nerd, but i lack any shame in my love of trivia, and about books at that! could it get any better? i submit that it could not.

serenity now!

so, my mil has a circle of serenity in her yard (i don't have a pic).

my sister in law has a square.

mama-in-law and me at jackie's square of serenity

i now have an oval of serenity!

it's where the pond used to be.

it's a lot more comfortable now.

kielbasa, a bunch of grains, spinach....

update! i found it...
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=6c2a3e8661aa5110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=wild%20rice,%20squash&rsc=rf_result1



this is an acorn squash stuffed with deliciousness. i made it in november, but i can still taste it. i don't even remember all that i put in it, or where i got the recipe, so it may have been a once in a lifetime experience. sigh.

What's this, you (and Brophy) might ask? well, it's the ophy. you win it if the your o's basketball teammates deem you worthy of possessing it for a week. this important honor is won at topper's pizza after the weekly games. topper's has the best salad bar ever. and the games are fun to watch.

very behind in updates

but to start, here are some recent pics!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakeandkellynixon

30 years, the Pearl Anniversary

1978

2008



Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! Could you guys be any cuter? Thank you for everything! I love you!

pup and circumstance

brophy done us proud.

for his last day of class, brophy was again banished from the small dog pen (stupid--but adorable--diesel). but he was vindicated when his pal lito thought diesel was boring and whined to get in the big dog pen with brophy.

lito and brophy are great pals. brophy has a slight size and strength advantage, but lito's more pointed snout makes him champion of the neon frisbee that's in his mouth.
the only picture of diesel i got. not because he moved too much, but because all the other doggies kept running in my shot! he was really sweet and mellow. jake and i are now considering a greater swiss mountain dog when we're ready for a big dog.

for his graduation demonstration, brophy had to sit, lie down, stay, leave-it and do a recall. everyone "wowed" his leave-it, and though his stay was between a sit and a down (he dislikes cold floors), and though his recall wasn't obeyed until the trainer pointed him to me (brophy's a very in-the-moment puppy, and the trainer had treats!) he has clearly mastered his basic commands.

brophy was also teacher's pet when he demonstrated shake/high-five for the class, then hung out and sniffed while the rest of the class tried to learn how. aww, my heart was all swelled up and we (jake and i) were both grinning big!

i'm mean II

hidi. for heidi. that's an oldie, actually. my parents used to entertain us with the tales of the poorly named girl. i think she was a childhood neighbor.

p.s. see this old post if this makes no sense to you.

to kasey: in response to comment about fettucine with prosciutto and peas

well, i was attempting to make this recipe, and didn't have anything but 1% milk. so i threw in that and three single-serving packets of cream cheese (that i had because when the nixons came to visit, i bought bagels at the coffee shop). they were about a tbsp each. it was really good, and i think that the shallots were really important to the flavor. i also substituted prosciutto for bacon, which i recommend crisping briefly in a skillet, otherwise, it's too chewy.

one of our favorite meals

bbq chicken and bacon pizza, with garlic & herb crust from trader joe's. usually made with trader joe's bbq sauce, which i adore and usually eat a couple spoonfuls plain while i'm making it. i think it reminds me of mcdonalds sauce, but definitely better. anyhoo, this time made with dr. pepper bbq sauce, a christmas gift from me to jake. it doesn't really taste like dr. pepper. this is jake's favorite pizza, and despite its lack of veggies, it may be mine, too.

so, to compensate for no veggies, we had a wedge salad which is defintely in the top two or three salads for both of us.

1/4 head of iceberg (nutritionally underrated. actually a great source of folic acid.) blue cheese dressing, crumbled bacon. a bit of left over tomato salad consisting of heirloom red, orange and green tomatoes, cucumbers, olive oil and basil. sans red onions that usually top this salad in restaurants--we don't like them!

brophy is seven months old

this doesn't seem like a significant birthday, but the contract with the breeder who sold us brophy stipulated that they receive pictures when he is 3 and 7 months old. this was on feb 24 (mom's birthday :)), but i took these pictures a week later. oh well.

broph is going to graduate from puppy school next saturday. i HAVE to remember to take the camera. he goes an hour before class for "pooch play" and there have been some great little dogs that are the perfect size and age for brophy to play with. and he does not take this activity lightly. pooch play is his JOB. he plays his little heart out for the full hour. it's so fun to watch.

his latest accomplishments are:

shake/high five/waving (his paw-control makes the action pretty much the same on his part!)

stay:

he's doing so well at down-stays. thank goodness, because without them, it would be impossible to put my shoes on in the morning!

leave it:

this is also one of brophy's signature commands. we can put a treat on his paw and he won't eat it until we say, "ok!"

we need to work on greeting people on and off leash and consistent recalls. he loooooves meeting new people and will jump, and he is very distractable and if he's somewhat far away, he doesn't respond to his call to come. i'm glad his shortcomings are because he's a happy, friendly dog. though he met his first puppy since he's been more grown up at pooch play yesterday. he played too aggressively and had to be removed to the big-dog pen, which isn't as much fun for him, because the big dogs are annoyed by him and his attempts to play. i think the dog-center owner was too quick to remove him because the puppy was new and she didn't want to upset its owners, though. brophy was growling, but the regulars there often play pretty rough and it isn't that big of a deal. i hope brophy gets a good play session next week, since it's the last one, and without being enrolled in the class, it costs $10, meaning we probably won't go anymore.

"sit, brophy, sit. good dog." "ruff!"

catching up

ok, here are some pictures i took for the blog, but never posted....

i made sugary- cheesy-nutty goodness wrapped up in puff pastry for the superbowl. (no party, it was just me and jake). it was so good with slices of apples and baguette. (those are supposed to be footballs on top!)






it looks gross close-up, but trust me, it tasted pretty awesome.

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i got a new pasta maker for christmas. (thanks, mama!) unfortunately, i left it at my in-laws, so i didn't get to make it until they came to visit a couple weeks ago. jake took pictures of me using the new machine, but they turned out terrible, so here is the finished product. i ate two huge bowls (fettucine with proscuitto and peas in cream cheese sauce--soooooo good!)
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i finally framed a few wedding pictures and hung them up. what?! it's only been a year and a half!






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chubbs and brophy: the stare-down.
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so, brophy has been on a rather destructive streak lately. behold my (week-old) hat:






fortunately, he didn't rip any important pages...



but he makes up for it by being so dang cute!