Holiday Party

Last night I asked Eric, "So what should I wear to your work party tomorrow?"
"I think it's pretty dressy." Eric said.
"Oh."
"I'm wearing a suit coat."
"Oh."
This girl barely gets by at a summertime Friday afternoon wedding, much less a holiday event at a fancy pants restaurant.
"I don't have one of those cocktail dresses that women often wear to such events." (Code for "I'm not about to go shopping in the holiday madness.")
"That's okay."
This morning I found a lovely new black dress hanging in my closet. When I told Eric that he was like living with the love child of Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother, he said that this was what he was going for and that he was also hoping to fly me on a private jet to Mexico for dinner and dancing tonight, but that he had already checked "steak" and "salmon" for the mandatory holiday party. "The dress is where it will have to stop," he said.

Lentil Soup

I got to have homemade lentil soup for lunch today with and made by LK. It was such perfect eats for a cold day that I thought I'd share a recipe with you. Though it isn't LK's, this recipe requires extra olive oil for drizzling -so you really can't go wrong.





LENTIL SOUP
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
11 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
1 cup shredded Parmesan
Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.
Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Amiee Mann and Co. at the Vic

I must give Erin a high-five for introducing me to Amiee Mann. I suppose that I already knew a couple of her songs but I probably wouldn't have gone to see her without the invite and quality sales pitch. But I'm sure glad I did. She does an annual Christmas show tour and it's really one-of-a-kind. It's a variety show, you know Bob Hope style, and there are several guests and some really intriguing Christmas music. Some original, some traditional and, like her cover of "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch," all of it fun. There was a short film Amiee made (with Ben Stiller, Weird Al, Will Ferrel, John Krasinski etc.), some comedy, some other musical guests, and even a visit from the rapping Hanukkah fairy. And all of this, at The Vic, an old Chicago vaudeville house (once called The Victorian") that still charms us even through the peeling paint and crumbling wall statues. But back to the show, there was one Nellie McKay in the show and I really liked her. I came home and looked her up and she is wonderfully weird. No one song does the job of showing who she is...but I chose this one to share with you.

Off to see Amiee

I'm off to see Amiee Mann's Holiday Extravaganza! In the event that I'm not home by midnight I'll make this quick post with a pic of the toast I ate today. And here is Amiee singing a song I really like. Peace out.

The Fabric Store

Today, as a way of putting off the work I should have been doing, I ran to the fabric store to get some embroidery floss. The man at the counter had what might have been a Russian accent and was pleased to talk about threads and fabric and places you could go that had even better threads and fabric. When the phone at the counter rang, he answered and began to talk to someone who wanted to know the name of the store across the street. He turned to look out the window. "Sorry. There's a big truck in the way. I can't see the store you're talking about." He looked at me and rolled his eyes. Then he continued, "I'm sorry, being how it's cold outside and that I'm working, I'm going to have to charge you to go outside, cross the street and write down the name of the store." I could hear that the voice on the line became raised. The man hung up and told me that I owed nine dollars for the floss and that if I laughed at one more thing he did, he would charge me for entertainment.

Girl's Afternoon Out

Today we headed our cold toes down to Space Time Tanks and partook in the sensory deprivation tanks. I feel that I've already talked about these ad nauseum, so instead of writing about them, I'll just say that on the way home, that good relaxed feeling was ruined by almost getting run off the road by a BMW. Almost every time I am cut off or run off the road it is either by a cabbie or a BMW. So in honor of today's test of my good brakes, I pass this joke on to you:

What is the difference between a BMW and a porcupine?

A porcupine has pricks on the outside.

Renegade

Craft fair today. Renegade is awesome. I am feeling too lazy to write much. But click above to read more about the fair. I do think that age 29 is the crafty age. I suddenly like cross-stitching and card making. High five.