Stuffed Potato Au Gratin, kind of

Today was fairly productive: I went to the gym, I did laundry, and read a few of the magazines I needed to catch up on. One of them, Bon Appetit, gaveme an idea. There was a recipe for some meat or sausage and potato gratin, layering the potatoes and cheese, and pouring over top a broth/wine and flour concoction,

I had been planning on making mashed potatoes tonight, to use up the four good sized russet potatoes I have had waiting for me. I checked my fridge - sure enough, half a red onion and 8oz of baby bella mushrooms. So, I gathered things together, along with a bag of MorningStar Meal Starters recipe crumbles and 5 small garlic cloves. I sliced the mushrooms, diced the onions and garlic, and put them in a bowl with the veggie crumbles and mixed well. I added oregano, salt & pepper, parsley, and a touch of paprika.

I sliced the potatoes and placed them in a layer along the bottom of a 9x11 pan/casserole dish. Then, a layer of the mushroom/onion/crumble mixture. Then, I poured about half a can of petite diced tomatoes. Then, a layer of shredded soy cheese - Soy-Sation Cheddar-Jack-Mozzarella in this case. Repeat until all the potatoes, mixture and tomatoes are used.

The next thing I did was to make a roux - melted margarine and flour - to which I added about 2 cups of soy milk. I then poured this over the potatoes and added a final layer of shredded soy cheese. Covered with foil, into the oven at 350 degress farenheit, and set the kitchen timer for 45 minutes. So, we'll see how it turns out. At that point, take the foil off and cook for another 40 to 50 minutes.

For those of you curious as to what exactly the gratin is in potatoes au gratin, I looked it up on Wikipedia. This is what they say, "Gratin is a widely used culinary technique in food preparation in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter. Gratin originated in French cuisine and is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or broiled to form a golden crust on top and is traditionally served in its baking dish." Here's the link, if you want more : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratin


There is nothing new to report on the dating front. No word from C, but there weren't sparks there anyways, so I'm not too disappointed. S has slowed his texting, and even when given explicit dates to ask me out, he bailed. Here is the text-versation:

S: I saved ur paper 4 whenevr u hve a nite off
Me: I am off all day thurs & fri & sunday
S: Sweeeeeeeeeetness . . . .let me know. .
Me: I just gave you the options. you let me know
S: O yeah thats cool . . . Ill let u know then. . :)

All of that was on monday. Then, come thursday, S texts this: If ud like 2 . . .Come by my abode 2nite . . Let me know

I don't know about you, but that's not my idea of going out. Also, if I'm not important enough to make plans in advance with, then don't bother. I won't be your last-minute back-up plan.

Well, that's all for now . . .

in any case. . .

slainte . . .

Mulu :>))

What I want to do . . .

I would love to email my ex and go off on him, and ask him if he misses me? does he regret the way he ended things? But, I won't. Yet I'm still here, home from work, and having spent the past two and a half hours playing games on the computer, being constantly reminded that I have no life. Which is why my thoughts go back to me ex. Even if it wasn't perfect, it was still sharing.

I think that's what I miss most: coming home to share how the day went, even if it was peachy dandy, with nothing much happening. But there was still someone to share with. And that's one thing that is very important to me: they have to ask how my day went. They have to have some semblance of caring about my day-to-day. Because those are the first words out of my mounth when they walk through the door.

S texted me about the rain today. Ok. If you really want to share, ask me out. Get to know me. Let's talk in person. Let's share experiences. Let's build memories together. This texting is just starting to annoy me.

Which makes me think of S in Illinois. And I just get confused thinking about him. Three visits in as many months. Yet he says nothing more. And he'll get crass when he's drunk and pissy.


No recipes this time. But I'm getting in the mood to make cheesecake (vegan, of course) so . . . Admittedly, my meals have been less than lackluster lately. Popcorn can be very filling.

And in another month, I'll be re-directing funds in my 401k to the self-directed brokerage account option. So . . . I'll have some thoughts to share about those. {I'm still kicking myself for not picking up Steak-N-Shake (SNS) back in November, when it was cheap. I'd have had a 2000% return right now. But hey, you can't play if you can't pay. C'est la vie.

in any case . . .

slainte . .

Mulu :>p

What do men want?

Ok. I've come to the conclusion that S. is simply a serial texter. It doesn't matter how much I flirt or hint, or even come right out and say, "when are we going to go out?" he just doesn't get it and won't ask me out, or respond in the affirmative when I've said as much. So, I've decided that I will respond to his texts, but I'm not going to initiate them, or actively pursue him.

As Justin Long's character in "He's just not that into you" says, 'if a guy wants to be with you, he will make it happen.

And as far as C, he wanted to get together last weekend, when I had first gotten back, but I told him that I needed to hook up with my mom and was taking my grandmom to 'Valentine's Day' on V-day. I suggested this weekend, but I haven't heard from him. He's a really nice guy. But there just aren't any sparks there. And I'm not sure I want to invest my time and get attached if I'm not 100% sure. I think if I have this much doubt about the possibility of long term, then it won't work out.

So all of this makes me wonder if I am ever going to find someone to spend the rest of my life with. I'm getting up there, and I definately think that the clock is running out. I had told my ex that he was my last chance for happily-ever-after. I'm starting to fear that that might have been right.

And then, to add to the confusion, is S from Illinois. He's coming back out, driving this time. Why would had spend all this time (three weekends) and money (plane fare and gas) to come see me? The first time, with the free plane ticket, a long distance booty call is justified. But a second? and a third? And he'll never admit to feelings. And he can be very crass and mean. So, I'm just confused as to what he wants, ultimately.

In any case . . .

slainte . . . .

Mulu :>}

V Day 2010

Well, it's Valentine's Day. And I don't have a Valentine. So, I'm going to go see the movie Valentine's Day with a cast of millions by myself. I've posted on Facebook just in case anyone want's to join me.

On the male front: C wanted to get together this weekend, but I told him that I had to hook up with my folks and was taking my grandmother to the movie. There just aren't fireworks when I'm with him or when I think about him.

S texted alot early in the week, but I haven't heard from him for about 3 days. He excites me some, but it seems like all he wants to do is text. And I'm not satified with that. I want to go out. I want to stay in. I want to actually do things together. Not text about it.

And then there's S from Illinois. He's coming for another visit. I can't figure out his thoughts. Or feelings. And, he can be a complete a@@ sometimes. His language is crass and crude, and he can be very demeaning. So, he just confuses me.

So, not much has changed or happened in the past week. I made a lasagna. But for now, I'm off to get some movie theatre popcorn. YEA!

in any csae . . .

slainte. . .

Mulu :>))

on Vacay

I am out in the not-so-wild west, taking care of my precious 6and a half year old neice while her parents (my sister and her husband) are off playing south of the border at a conference. The weather has been BEAUTIFUL! I walk outside without a jacket, reach up and pick an orange to eat right then and there.

Food for this child, however, is very boring : mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and (thankfully) fruit. But there is nothing that even resembles a culinary challege.

She asked me last night, "Do you have a boyfriend?" I told her a was seeing a couple of guys. First, she said I should pick the most handsome one. Then it was the richest one. Then it was the nicest one. Then, she went back to the most handsome one. Kids these days!

S has texted me a little bit. C has caught up with me on Facebook.

There's not really that much more to write about. I'll be back in about a week.

in any case. . .

slainte . . .

Mulu :>)