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 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 :>))

Crowded House

I went through my cd's the other night after I got home from watching the Saints beat the Vikes and found my Crowded House cd. I was looking for Sex Pistols, but I must have that on cassette tape only. . . . moot point. I've added it to my iTunes collection and now it is piping through my computer's speakers, along with Supertramp and many others.

Sunday was mostly fun : I had to work, but the championship games started late, so I was able to catch some of them. While at work, the tv was on in the break room, so I caught snippets of the Jets/Colts game. All the while, I was getting texts from a couple of friends wondering where I was . . . So, as soon as we closed, I headed for the local establishment and caught up with both of them, P and S. Seeing P was just bonus ~ hadn't talked in ages, and he hadn't responded to my texts the past few weeks.

In any case . . . S and I watched the game. P was sitting next to us. At the end of the game, S and I headed to my place. We were up late - mostly talking and listening to music. Finally, we crashed . . . . in the same bed . . . and we actually discussed whether or not too . . .you know . . . but I really wanted to not immediately hop into the sack, proverbially speaking, so we kept things PG rated. Mostly.

Exhausted the next day, though - very little sleep. But . . . it is now tuesday, and I've prepared one of the fillings for tha hand-made ravioli that I'm making for C tomorrow night. Him and his dog are coming over! (a little nervous, though)

The filling is a simple mushroom mix :

8oz baby bellas, finelt diced
1 red onion, finely diced
~ 6 garlic cloves, finely diced

spices :
rosemary
oregano
a hint of dill
black pepper
bay leaf

saute` ingredients in olive oil over medium heat until onions are clear, about 5 to 10 minutes.

And hand-made ravioli is very simple :

1 part semolina flour
1 part water

white flour

Mix water to semolina flour, adding slowly and mixing. Form dough into ball and place into a bowl, covering with a damp cloth. Take an egg-sized piece [I know, it seems wrong for a vegan to utilze an egg, even if it is only for literary comparision] Roll out on a flat surface covered in white flour to prevent sticking.

Using a ravioli maker, place rolled out sheet of pasta on bottom part. Add spoonfuls of filling to each spot. Cover with second sheet of rolled out pasta. Use rolling pin to impress edges and then flip out of ravioli maker. Viola!

Very simple . . .

The other filling, other than soy cheese, that I'm thinking about is soy chorizo with onions and olives. But, we'll see. . . .

in any case . . .

slainte . . .

Mulu :>)