The Monday Memo #8

Last week, some semblance of normality began to {slowly} creep back in the door at Marmalade HQ.  There was no holiday, no furniture delivery, no crazy project deadline, no construction, and not one single slice of bread.  There is still considerable chaos over in this little corner of the world though.

For a start – because I like to eat – I am creating far more *SANE dishes every week than I have time to post for you.  Some of those recipes have been in the post queue since Monday Memo # 1 – and that was October 16th.  YIKES.  Cheesey Pea Shot Scramble – I PROMISE to post you this week.  Pinkie swear.

The upside for Jonathan to all the recipe creation is that he is now getting snacks during podcasts since I can’t consume the volume of stuff that I am cooking up.  I generally create the recipes assuming there are 4 or more mouths to feed, whereas  I only have one.  Enter Jonathan and a number of other happy taste-testers.  Apparently Jonathan’s new team all fell in love with the prototype Chocolate Peanut Butter Refrigerator Cookies I showed up with at the studio the other day.  I say prototype because the chocolate part was not good enough; so no I cannot post the recipe yet.  BUT I WILL GET TO IT.  Second pinkie swear of the day.

Furthermore, the inside of my house has become rather confused in all the post-construction uproar.  I still wander into the guest bathroom to do the ironing, even though the ironing board is now in what used to be the office.  I am not even sure what the room that used to be the office is now.  There’s a day-bed in there and a side table and a couple of lamps, so let’s go with bedroom.  Talking of the office – half the office furniture is in the living room, the other half in the kitchen.  Meanwhile, the old sofa is in the dining room, the contents of the pantry that got demolished are either under the stairs or in the garage.  And don’t even get me started on the garage.   There’s a toilet and sink in there now; and two complete door frames with doors.  Plus a huge mirror and enough builders rubble to keep my garbage cans full for the next 4 months.  I am happy to say that the kitchen is still in place, as is my bedroom and, for the most part the den – although there is a rather large fir-tree in there that really needs to go back on the landing.  It’s hard to get furniture by an oversized tree languishing half-way up the stairs.  Other than that, we’re all straight over here.

On Friday I went to IKEA to buy cupboards and drawers and deskage for the new creative space.  IKEA is always fun.  The traffic and weather can only be described as despicable.  I had also forgotten that my super-powers do not extend to lifting boxes twice my height and thrice my weight.  Luckily, I had eaten my spinach earlier in the day.  Added to that I was apparently more determined to get those boxes in my car than the boxes were determined to stay in the warehouse.  Loud grunting, removal of headrests, a little lot of swearing sweating and some hefty heaving prevailed.  I am counting that whole episode as my eccentric work-out for the week.

Yesterday was furniture building day.  I discovered I was missing a leg, added 5 allen wrenches (keys) to my collection, and was aghast to see that a cupboard required 11 pages of instructions as well as a degree just to get the boxes open.  I don’t know what glue they use to seal those things, but by jove I reckon I could use that stuff to hold an entire house together.

Saturday afternoon and evening involved an awful lot of banging and screwing, and by the end of the day I discovered that contrary to my previously held belief – I now have a spare leg. I also have a huge lumpy bruise on the back of my right hand, and need another 2 cabinets to fill the space under the desk.  Back to IKEA I go.  Hey!  Aren’t you proud of me?!  2 trips to IKEA and NOT ONE SINGLE SWEDISH MEATBALL HAS PASSED MY LIPS.  If only I could say that I had been to IKEA and left without one single piece of white dishware either time I went.

Now it’s Sunday and I have enough cardboard to fill the 96-gallon recycle can 3 times, although all those empty boxes are currently sitting slap bang in the middle of the Marmalade HQ kitchen.  The “kids” have loved having a fort for the day.  Tomorrow it’ll be off to cardboard heaven.

It won’t surprise you any, then, to learn that there has not been a huge amount of cooking or recipe posting going on this weekend.  I did make you a new green smoothie and a new bacon and egg breakfast dish.  And on Friday before the whole IKEA adventure began I made a prototype of a Triple Threat Almond Cookie, which sadly was just not good enough.  I’ll do a re-run this week.  Not. Enough. Time.

The good news: here’s stuff I made and ate and wrote about last week, in case you missed them in the aftermath of all that leftover turkey and pumpkin pie.  Of course if you’re not in America you likely didn’t have a food aftermath to deal with.  Our British and Australian friends have that coming rapidly towards them.  Wheeeeeeeee!

Creamy Peanut Butter Mousse – snacks and desserts take on a whole new meaning.

Orange Cranberry Scones – afternoon tea, anyone?

Green Smoothie – Lemon Blueberry Cream – Kale that tastes like blueberries and lemon and cream.  For real.

Other highlights of my week included having coffee with my favorite person in the whole world, realizing that I was too busy to go to Costco for cat food and having a gorgeous girlfriend offer to go for me and then deliver it to my office.  Are you kidding me??!!  I also determined that there is something on this earth that I hate – Quicken.  According to Quicken, $503.57 – $219.56 = $612.35.  I like their math, but I hate that I ended up losing 4 years of accounting records.  Just like that.

I’ve got nothin’ for ya from around the web because there was not one second this week for web time.  I did get some first rate lovin’ from you lovely people.  My favorite email of the week came from Carol, who said, “I have said, “Mmmmmm!” while eating, more since I started using your recipes than in my whole life!  Just finished some Spicy Cauliflower Soup, Glazed Salmon and a side of asparagus.”  To know that you’re eating SANE and enjoying it more than all the other food you ate before, about makes me want to burst with joy.  Seriously.

 

The Bailinator and I podcasted, along with Leftover Turkey Casserole, prototype Chocolate Peanut Butter Refrigerator Cookies and Tomato Basil Biscuits.  It all made Bailor very happy.  I love that.

EPISODE 23: The Myth of Complexity

You can listen to all the podcast episodes right here, or if you have an iTunes account you can head here.

All iTunes, Facebook and Amazon love is very gratefully received!

 

COMING ATTRACTIONS!!!

Stuff I made and ate and will write about in the coming couple weeks. You mentioned that you like a preview to the movie. I aim to please.

Leftover Turkey Casserole

Very Berry Rice Pudding

Oven Bacon and Eggs

Two Time Tomato Soup

Green Smoothie – Pear Cashew Cream

Tomato Basil Biscuits

Broccoli and Red Pepper Quiche Cups

Lasagna

Smoked Salmon Baked Eggs

Leek and Pear Soup

Turkey Tarragon Baked Eggs

Cheesy Pea Shoot Scramble

Seriously Green Soup

Green Smoothie – Raspberry Almond

Oeufs Plats (Grilled Eggs and Ham)

Tomato Salad Soup

 

“The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want right now”   ― Zig Ziglar.

Happy Monday!