"Eat Your Cake (edit)" written by Theecarey on estrip.org

12/14/09 09:48 - 39ºF - ID#50560

Eat Your Cake (edit)

At last nights potluck, a visually interesting chocolaty creation by (e:james) made me think of intestines. Please tell me there is a picture?

EDIT: YES! There is a picture of james' cake (snagged from (e:paul,50562)):

It was yummy! :)

Anyway, I quickly came to this conclusion as I had just been looking at pictures of tauntauns for (e:theecarey,50519) and had also found pictures (google images) of tauntaun themed cakes. (Just go with me here). Which brings me to..

I love Star Wars. I love Cake. But as a combo...?

(ok, sure. why not?)

and as a wedding cake!

Permalink: Eat_Your_Cake_edit_.html
Words: 110
Location: Youngstown, NY

12/12/09 12:52 - 19ºF - ID#50542

Sea Urchin

I was going through and organizing my phones picture files and looked at a bunch I had forgotten about. A bunch were from late summer. I know I still have some picture back posting that I want to do.

I share this picture only because it was truly a first time experience for me and my dinner date. I want to immortalize my only picture of it here. My quick conclusion is that I know I will not be ordering the following again.

So... sea urchin?
Have you ever had "uni"?
or when in Maine, "whore's eggs"?

What do you think of it- like it?

Uni are the two bottom pieces (from my phone, vague pic and colors are off):

Uni (oo-nee) is the Japanese name for the edible part of the Sea Urchin. While colloquially referred to as the roe (eggs), uni is actually the animal's gonads (which produce the milt or roe). Uni ranges in color from rich gold to light yellow, and has a creamy consistency that some love and is off-putting to others. It is nevertheless one sushi item that is in incredible demand around the world, which is reflected in its price. Sea Urchins are a rare treat for those who acquire a taste

.

above taken from:

I'm open to trying almost any sort of food if it is in front me. I ordered this out of curiosity and really didn't know what to expect.

The texture of this was bizarre. I don't even remember how it tasted.

First, it has an outer appearance of the texture of a tongue.
Second, once placed in mouth, you would think that chewing on it would make it smaller.
No. Mastication only made it grow. An intact custard-like swelling. And that right there is what turned me off.

Sadly, I am not part of the population that finds this to be a rare and exquisite treat. However, I do look back on the experience fondly.

google snagged images of sea urchin/uni

Permalink: Sea_Urchin.html
Words: 354
Location: Youngstown, NY

12/10/09 10:27 - 15ºF - ID#50537

Soy Milk or Devils Juice for Tiny

I just got home from making a run to Tops.

It was empty because most everyone were smart enough to stay home rather than venture out into the bitter night. Obviously I am not in that group tonight. Woah, can't believe how it is still so windy out!

Anyway, checking out the milk section, after (e:tinypliny,50517), I see that Silk brand has an "unsweetened" soy milk. I forgot about this as for quite awhile it wasn't available at every store. I also don't drink milk or soy milk regularly to know which stores (Tops, Wegmans, Co-op) have what consistently.

A closer look at the ingredients informs me that evaporated cane sugar is NOT in this formulation, unlike the others. However, carrageenan is.

Silk website link to their unsweetened soy milk.

Nutritional information:

and a picture. This is a stock picture and not something I took while at the store. My thumb knuckles are not hairy.

tinypliny writes at 08:32:28 12/12/09 - Comment #53608: Haha... I just wanted to point out that it is not really all that gross. You have a good chance of liking it if you taste the Sunrich vanilla brand and if that doesn't do the trick, its genuine hatred and you better steer clear. ;-)

And yes, regular milk does have sugars of its own that no plant product can ever have. To reach the neutral "sweetness" of regular milk, they add sugar to the soymilk - which would otherwise have no sugar at all and be somewhat on the mildly saltier (very mildl) side because of its NaCl content.

jenks writes at 09:27:35 12/12/09 - Comment #53603: Yeah, even after watching the video, I'll stick with regular milk.

I don't understand why it needs sugar. Milk isn't sweet. Soymilk is... less sweet? And needs sugar to taste like milk? I don't get it.

tinypliny writes at 09:48:23 12/11/09 - Comment #53597: (e:jenks), you need to see this video about making soymilk - the original Chinese way:

:::link:::

tinypliny writes at 06:37:41 12/11/09 - Comment #53591: That is true. I was WAAAY poorer in my first year than I am now. Even now, I seriously consider buying things if I don't really eat/drink them on a regular basis and they are more expensive than my usual choices. Because really, in the end, I can make regular milk taste as awesome as any expensive soymilk out there - or make my own soymilk with the beans I will get from the CSA. :-)

theecarey writes at 05:39:45 12/11/09 - Comment #53590: the price can be a deterrent too if someone is able to drink cow milk. Soy isn't crazy expensive, just compared to cow it is a couple of dollars or more, respectively.

jenks writes at 05:27:00 12/11/09 - Comment #53588: No, I'm not sure I've ever had more than a tiny sip of any brand of soymilk. And I am absolutely not any sort of health nut/all-natural-organic-only kind of person, and I don't even mind fake stuff like "non-dairy creamer"- but "milk" made from soybeans just kind of skeeves me out. Not to mention, tastes nothing like milk and is nasty.

tinypliny writes at 04:56:32 12/11/09 - Comment #53585: Oh, and (e:jenks), have you ever had the "original vanilla soymilk" by Sunrich? I think it has the maximum potential to change your views.

I am saying this because I just thought back to why this packages looks familiar. I remembered that I have had the Silk brand soymilk before in my friend's house a couple years back. I don't remember being impressed at all.

tinypliny writes at 04:52:46 12/11/09 - Comment #53584: I thought he was joking, wasn't he?!

jenks writes at 04:35:37 12/11/09 - Comment #53579: 1: the thought of soymilk makes me ill. (shudder)

2: (e:vincent), do you seriously not drink milk b/c a PSYCHIC told you so?!

tinypliny writes at 04:34:24 12/11/09 - Comment #53578: Heh, if I get frostbite trekking to the Niagara St. Tops in hot pursuit of this beverage, you get to live in bonus guilt through this entire non-snowy winter!

theecarey writes at 10:54:45 12/10/09 - Comment #53566: 18 degrees according to Lew Port LED message sign. :P

actually, I wandered a little further and went to the Tops on the Blvd. I didn't go anywhere today,my iPod was recently added to, and I had other places to stop at so I passed over going local. Seriously, the parking lot was close to empty. No traffic. But after getting groceries I was frozen, starving and unmotivated to go anywhere else but home.

The soy you get in coffee while you are out is likely "regular" soy milk.

vincent writes at 10:37:48 12/10/09 - Comment #53564: Come on for us it's just 19 degrees outside with no snowflakes in sight ;-) I can't believe that no one was out, then again Lewiston closes down early anyway.

But yea I"m all about the Soy milk as a psychic told me years ago to avoid dairy milk. Now I'll have to ask about the nutritional value every time I get coffee.

Permalink: Soy_Milk_or_Devils_Juice_for_Tiny.html
Words: 172
Location: Youngstown, NY

12/10/09 01:41 - 28ºF - ID#50529

Non White Out

The sun is nice and somewhere I can hear wind chimes, lulling me into delusions from warmer memories.

Then stepping out into the windy 30 degrees snapped me back to reality.

But after looking at the blustery pic in (e:james,50526) and reading mr:mike's comment, "my street looks like rebel base" in (e:theecarey,50519), and (e:dcoffee)'s chatter comment, "I can't see across the street" (talking about snow, right?..)
I look again out my window...

Ok, really?

really?

a handful of flakes came the other day, for just a few minutes, which melted upon contact has been it so far. (e:theecarey,50495).

I'm not eager for snow, I just feel so out of the loop. heh

even the never super accurate weather report said this area would get some.. hmm

so, until then, The Daily No Snow? Not as colorful as (e:leetees) The Daily Chuck. Just green, and maybe, eventually, white.

Anyway..
plastic on the window in question did pop on the window overnight, likely from the AC not being covered well enough.

Kayla staking her sunny territory even as the plastic bulges towards her face.

Permalink: Non_White_Out.html
Words: 191
Location: Youngstown, NY

12/09/09 11:15 - 35ºF - ID#50519

where is a tauntaun when you need one?

that is what THE FUCKING WEATHER.com asks after relaying the cold & windy temperature. That is a multi-daily site for me as it is not only very useful but it also cracks me up.

speaking of tauntauns*, ThinkGeek has an adult sized tauntaun sleeping bag** that I have been eying for a couple of months.

pretty snazzy with its internal intestines
(ok, printed internal intestines)

How weird to wake up this morning to thunder and lightening and I continued to hear thunder on and off all day. 50ish down to somewhere in the 20s. Some rain in there as well. For some areas, hail, and then snow earlier in the evening. Nothing but wind so far here. If I recall the news correctly, around 2am a little snow should drop on my area. We'll see.
Either way it will be cooooold.

I finally put plastic up on my windows. How long have I been talking about it? I sure didn't make it pretty, but at least it is up where it it most important.

Especially as I hear the air pushing against the plastic with tonight's wind.

I must not have secured the plastic around the air conditioner, because there is a lot of air pushing the plastic; more than I would expect even with the wind. I mean, my windows aren't that drafty. I wouldn't be surprised to find a tear come morning.

Gah, it sounds pretty wicked out there.

I wonder what I will wake up to?

I wanted to go out, get out and do something, anything, but with no real plans and questionable weather, I thought a night of reading under a pile of blankets sounded better. Reading is so easy to default to. I always have social options but I find myself seeking a good story or interesting subject to absorb myself with instead. The draw is often strong enough to trump most anything. But certainly not everything.

On that note, my fingers, toes and nose are numb with cold. Time to warm up.

Sweet dreams, stay warm & don't blow away.

tauntaun

tauntaun sleeping bag

Permalink: where_is_a_tauntaun_when_you_need_one_.html
Words: 368
Location: Youngstown, NY

12/08/09 07:10 - 33ºF - ID#50503

chilly & chili

brrrr!

It was/is a dud of a day. I went to bed just after 4am, tossed around with odd dreams, began my day eight hours later, leaving me with just a few hours of daylight on an already dark gray cloud filled day. Hopefully I won't be doing that again.

Overall, I did get a lot done today, but now I feel like I could really just go back to bed yet it is only just about 7pm. *yawn* There is so much more I need to do but my energy is drained at the moment. maybe I will perk up in a bit.
Tired and cold (despite coffee) is no fun. Now I just heard that come late tomorrow & into Thursday there is some rain-snow-wind storm expected? Oh and the high temps will be in the 20s, let me say that again.. TWENTIES on Thursday. Brrrrr!

Good thing I made chili to help me warm up! After making a squash lentil soup (e:theecarey,50427), I wanted to make a veggie laden soup-chili-stew. Something thick, healthy and hearty that would be awesome to grab a cup or bowl of anytime. Thanks to (e:heidi) who was awesome in posting a veggie chili recipe that I jumped on to make. (e:heidi,50428) Thanks!!!

Other than the V-8 vegetable juice (which I did buy for this), I had all of the ingredients ready to go (yay!).

Getting the veggies started:

I used two cups of texturized vegetable protein (TVP) I had on hand.

Not sure all where this can be found, but if interested in finding some, this was purchased about a year ago from the bulk section at the Lexington Coop. It stored very well in an air tight container.

I wanted to use wheat bulgar, which I have plenty of, but I have been wanting to use the TVP for some time now. How perfect I thought it would be for chili. Bulgar will go into my next creation- whatever it may be.

I used spices to taste (extra cumin and cayenne pepper), but otherwise (loosely) followed the recipe.

Yummy!

end result: colorful, flavorful and hearty.

added sharp cheddar cheese on top for a little bite. Very nice!

Permalink: chilly_amp_chili.html
Words: 394
Location: Youngstown, NY

12/07/09 10:08 - 30ºF - ID#50495

snowflakes!

not ones that get anchored to the ground with stakes, but the kind that fall from the sky. (e:theecarey,50487)

For a few minutes at about 4pm a few white flakes floated down,

but they did not stick.
at all.

tried to capture them:

Permalink: snowflakes_.html
Words: 50
Location: Youngstown, NY

12/06/09 11:58 - 31ºF - ID#50487

a snowflake!

not the kind that fall from the sky, but ones that get anchored to the ground with stakes.

I've been working on putting up a few decorations.

sometimes I decorate, but often I don't.

My duplex neighbor has some lights along his front porch, so I decided to go out and buy something similar. I think I like his better (he has colorful little tree shapes) but mine "twinkle" and with the clear lights and snowflake shape, if I really wanted to, I could extend the use of them outside of "christmas".

I just put them out and need to see what they look like from the road and neighbors perspective. Do the lights really twinkle or are they more likely to induce a seizure. That is tomorrows objective.

More pictures to come, my camera batteries died which was just as well since running around my front yard at 11:30 pm in my pink bathrobe and using a camera is likely a social faux pas of some sort. haha

Permalink: a_snowflake_.html
Words: 170
Location: Youngstown, NY

12/06/09 01:31 - ID#50478

extended fall

from Friday 12-4-09 (follow up to prior post, (e:theecarey,50461))

I've continued to enjoy the extended fall weather and daily sunshine. I like being outdoors any time of year, so this is a given. The following are pictures taken with my ancient cellphone, so images are vague.

wandering along the beach

The sun to my back, I am heading off into the woods along the lake.

Kicking my way through leaves on a trail in the woods. Soon enough it will be snow.

Bundled up in several layers, scarf, hat, hood and gloves, as long as I keep moving, 36 degrees feels toasty. Capturing a picture of myself on the trail ahead of me:

everything smelled so good. mmmmm.

On the trail, off the trail and along the black top walkways, these chestnut casings are everywhere. There is a gratifying crunch and pop sensation when walking over these.

One lonely little red berry-esque vegetation. I appreciate random color and texture composition. A clear picture was not possible using the phone. Idea is there, though.

Looking back at the trail behind me. The sun will set in that direction.

A teeny tiny narrow trail between thick bushes to the left and cliff down to the lake on the right.

I decided to sit my ass down and dangle my feet over. It was peaceful until my over active imagination took on the thought of some crazy woodman coming up behind me and shoving me off the ledge. Then I kept "hearing things".. (was that you, (e:tinypliny)??hmmm?? haha) so I got up and continued to wander around.

Getting out of the woods before dark, A little while later on the return trip

Pretty much back to where I started, instead of the beach, I point my phone/camera to the sky

theecarey writes at 10:11:18 12/07/09 - Comment #53442: Oh Peter... LOL..

The pics of me DO look like something out of a horror movie. I have 2 more that are a little creepier.

Funny you caught that.

tinypliny writes at 07:31:12 12/07/09 - Comment #53436: Indeed. I forgot all about the basement devil. *That's* what would have happened.

metalpeter writes at 07:16:23 12/07/09 - Comment #53433: 1. Love the sky pictures the first two of the sunset are the best

2. That picture of you look like it is right out of a Horror movie

3. It is a good thing you stopped dangling over the Edge cause if (e:tinypliny) you would hear leaves and stuff and maybe see a shadow and you could just avoid her, but that big spider that wants to finish you of it could sneak up bump you and over you go and then it would frame (e:tinypliny) by leaving a bloody axe there, HA

theecarey writes at 12:24:40 12/07/09 - Comment #53419: YES!!!!

tinypliny writes at 12:12:20 12/07/09 - Comment #53413: I am a #1 fan! We need to have an X-Files marathon someday!

theecarey writes at 12:08:37 12/07/09 - Comment #53411: and.. funny, I was just thinking about how much I love & miss the X Files. I used to watch that, and I never think to buy,rent, or look up old episodes.

theecarey writes at 12:06:12 12/07/09 - Comment #53410: P.S. Thanks everyone! :)

theecarey writes at 12:05:19 12/07/09 - Comment #53409: That is my old "Cingular Microsoft Pocket PC 8125" circa mid 2006. Paul had one waaaaaay back then, too. :)

:::link:::

tinypliny writes at 11:45:45 12/06/09 - Comment #53407: Heh, one of your pictures reminds me of the elongated man on the opening credits of The X-Files.

tinypliny writes at 11:27:02 12/06/09 - Comment #53406: For a cellphone, those are really good! What cellphone takes such good pictures??!

I meant to say hi, but you hurried away. I was somewhat slowed down by you know what.

mrmike writes at 02:22:30 12/06/09 - Comment #53389: These are great. love having that kind of beach access. Your old phone does good work

heidi writes at 01:58:13 12/06/09 - Comment #53388: So pretty! Thanks for posting these!

vincent writes at 01:47:19 12/06/09 - Comment #53386: Good Times! ;-)

Permalink: extended_fall.html
Words: 331
Location: Youngstown, NY

12/04/09 01:51 - 35ºF - ID#50461

no show snow take two

I was sitting at my desk enjoying the feeling of the intense warmth of the sun beaming through the window next to me wishing it would last.

Makes 36 degree fall day bearable.

Naturally, one feline was already occupying the best sun spot. Move over furball.

A quick picture like that in (e:theecarey,50422)

Just snapping pictures of sunny days while I can. We'll have enough gray over the next few months that I might need to look back over these posts to remember what a sunny day looks like!