Easy Strawberry Jam

Dear Friends and Family,

Started with a recipe in Ben and Jerry's to make strawberry ice cream and ended up making strawberry jam instead.

1 pint strawberries cleaned, hulled and sliced
1/3 cup sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat all of the ingredients in a heavy saucepan over medium/low heat stirring constantly for 20 minutes. Mash the strawberries as they are cooking with a wooden spoon. Decant to a small jar.

Since the jar wasn't sterilized or canned, the jam needs to be consumed within a week or two like any perishable food stored in the fridge. Recipe makes 1 small jar of jam.


Cheers!
mouse

Basil Ice Cream | Mint Ice Cream

Dear Friends and Family,

Got the basil ice cream recipe from epicurious and modified it:

2 cups whole milk
4 tbs basil, chopped
1/2 cup sugar (divided)
pinch of salt
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. In a heavy saucepan, over medium/low heat, heat the milk, basil, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Heat until hot but not boiling. Turn off heat and allow the basil to steep for 30 minutes.
2. Puree milk/basil mixture in blender. Strain through sieve.
3. Beat egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until light yellow. Slowly whisk in milk mixture. Then, slowly whisk in heavy cream.
4. Have an ice bath ready for ice cream base (a large bowl filled with ice water with a smaller bowl in it for the ice cream base).
5. In a heavy saucepan, over medium/low heat, heat ice cream base stirring constantly. Heat until ~170 (the base will coat the back of a spoon at 170) - DO NOT BOIL. When the base is ready, transfer to the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
6. Stir to cool (~10-15 minutes). Refrigerate overnight.
7. Churn in ice cream maker, follow your ice cream maker's instructions

For mint ice cream, substitute an equal portion of mint for basil. And, the straining through sieve is optional. Otherwise, it's the exact same recipe.


Cheers!
mouse

One Down, 3506 (Plus or Minus) More to Go

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 120 lbs

I guess that's one week of "maintenance" down. To be honest, I didn't change anything this week. I ate my usual 18 points a day. But, I did use all of my 35 flex points. I was down a couple of pounds for awhile, but, I ended the week, today, at my goal weight.

I don't want to figure out a new eating schema quite yet. I told myself I'd give myself up to six weeks before adding any points back, if I wanted to. Also, I haven't been doing any regular workouts for the past three weeks, so I need to get serious about doing that again. Then, I'll be okay experimenting with the points again.


Cheers!
mouse

07.30.07: Quasi-Normal Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

It was a full weekend in the mouse household.

I ended up working late Friday night to get a short deck done for my boss. Then, we had dinner before tackling ice cream production. We had a small get together planned for Saturday night and wanted ice cream for it. We made orange creamsicle, basil and mint for our three flavors. It's the first time we made basil and mint and I was happy with the way it turned out. I'll do recipes on Wednesday since we didn't eat out anywhere new this past week.

Saturday we woke early and spent the day prepping for the barbecue. Mr. mouse picked up a ton of meat, fruits and vegetables. And we cleaned and cut and marinated our way through the morning. Then, it was some super quick clean up and a bunch of stairs bringing all the gear up to the deck for the party. Fortunately, our first guest showed up an hour late, so we had a chance to relax before it all got started.

The weather was perfect. The company was perfect. The food was delicious. We had a blast just catching up with each other. And, one of my friends brought a card sort game with him in which we have to pick our top four core values.

Mine were (in no particular order):

• learning
• balance
• integrity
• awareness

Mr. mouse's were:

• well being
• freedom
• compassion
• taking care of loved ones

Compassion and freedom made it pretty far on my list, but when push came to shove they didn't make my cut. Still, we had a lot of fun doing the game and we learned a lot about each other in the process.

One of the couples helped us bring all the gear back down to the kitchen. Then, we did a couple of house tours before going back up for fireworks. I think we reminded them about all of the pluses of living in the city. It reminded me about all of the pluses of living in the city. Mr. mouse and I fell asleep on the deck and woke Sunday morning, around eight, to the sun. Highly recommended.

Sunday was packed with errands to prepare for our trip, which theoretically we leave for this Friday. Talk about last minute prep work! We hit the post office to return a parking permit from the mouse house. Then, we went to Ann Taylor Loft to return a couple of blouses and pick them up in new sizes. And, I picked up two new dresses for the wedding on the trip.



Better pictures if you go to their website. Then, we hit Target for random consumables before heading to Bed Bath and Beyond for some hand towels for the half bath. Speaking of Target, they now total all the flex spending qualified spend on the bottom of your recipe for you. How cool is that?!?! Next, it was the mall, return some tops at Banana Republic (accomplished), cancel international calling on my phone which never worked correctly (accomplished), unlock Mr. mouse's phone for our upcoming vacation (major bust with attitude) and look for new bras at the Victoria Secret's 40% off sale (bust). Last, but not least, we hit the bank and deposited a bunch of checks before heading home for the evening.

We had a simple dinner, mostly leftovers since we're in fridge clearing mode. Then, Mr. mouse ducked out to pick up a new memory card. And, I finished up the laundry. We finished off the evening sorting through our bonanza buy of strawberries. (They've been $0.50 a pint recently which is ridiculously cheap) and we were going to make strawberry ice cream but ended up making strawberry jam instead. I'm so excited to try it this morning.

Happy Monday, everyone.


Cheers!
mouse

Why am I Up?

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm up. I'm about 1/2 way through filling out a matrix for work and it's a slow go. I go off on tangents every 15 minutes (like now) and inspiration is slow coming tonight. I should just find the motivation to power through the rest and call it a night.

I'm working from the large green chair we have in the bedroom. And, looking around, the 15 minutes of work each day has worked its magic here as well. There's still stuff left to do...

1. consignment shop
2. Goodwill
3. move the TV
4. hang the mirror
5. move the office supplies
6. clear out the drawers
7. assess the underbed bins

I've got two more days before moving on to the next room. Which, by the way, is full cycle from when I started a month ago - the living room, which, fortunately, hasn't degenerated much from when I was last in it.

Okay. Back to work.


Cheers!
mouse

Root Cause Analysis

Dear Friends and Family,

I think I've sorted it all through - why I'm feeling so off. We were driving home yesterday, and I was STARVING. Mr. mouse asked me if I wanted to go back to Bon Soiree for dinner. They have a three course prix fixe menu on weeknights for $24 per person, no invitation or RSVP needed. I enjoyed the food last time, so I thought it sounded like excellent suggestion.

First off, the non-alcoholic drinks are not free on weeknights, we spent $7 on two bottles of soda that would have cost a fraction of that at Whole Foods. But, there wasn't anything on the signage or menu saying that until we got to the dessert menu after we had drunk the drinks. It was the, oh, surprise, they were complimentary last time... feeling. And, with the exception of a few appetizers and a couple main dishes, the other options all had an "upcharge" associated with it. $2 here. $3 there. $5 here. $10 there. We avoided the $10 upcharge like the plague, but I felt nickel and dimed on the other ones. Really, am I going to not order what I want for $2 more? Come on. Dessert menu comes out, and there's one house option and the rest have an upcharge as well. And, espresso, cappuccino, coffee and tea are no longer complimentary either. So, I passed on those as well. What started off as a $48 dinner for two ended up being a $70 dinner plus tip.

I'm not saying the food wasn't good because it was. Well, to be honest, I wasn't particularly thrilled with my braised pork shoulder. It was just too salty for me. But, Mr. mouse really liked it, so it might just be me. I'm just saying it annoyed me to have found myself spending 40% more for dinner than I had expected to. I'm not sure I'm entirely sold on the concept anymore.

I feel better now. Sorry to vent.


Cheers!
mouse

Thursday Blahs

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm not feeling super happy. I got woken up early by a thunderstorm. I'm super thirsty from dinner last night. And, I think I'm feeling hormonal on top of everything else.

Q.E.D. I'm drawing a blank on my writing topic. Nothing positive is coming to mind. And, therefore, I'm making the executive decision to skip today's post. Maybe after the A/C kicks in and I've had my morning tea and I'm feeling more put together, I'll write a post.

Otherwise, have a good day everyone.


Cheers!
mouse

Coalfire Pizza

Dear Friends and Family,

I was craving pizza Sunday night even if it increased the risk that I wouldn't make goal this week. And, I decided I would be willing to forgo goal for a week to maintain a normal life.

I read about Coalfire Pizza in Chicago magazine in an article they did on thin crust pizzas in the Windy City and decided to give it a try. The pizza was excellent. The crust is thin, but still chewy. It's cooked in a coal fire oven so there's a nice char on the bottom and on the crust that I really liked. They're a tad more liberal with their tomato sauce than I would be, but it's not overly salty or tart or sweet, just good tomato flavor.

I'm torn between going back and trying all of the other places in the article. Choices. Choices.

Overall rating: 8/10

Coalfire Pizza
1321 West Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622 map it
(312) 226-2625


Cheers!
mouse

GOAL!!!

Dear Friends and Family,

Yes. You read right. I weighed in this morning. And, somehow, in one week, I lost the last three pounds. The scale tipped on Saturday morning, but I assumed that that was because I was up all night reading Potter. Then, it dropped again on Sunday, and I thought, maybe... maybe not. Then, it gained 1.5 on Monday, and I wasn't sure, back to normal or salty pizza... Then it dropped 0.5 today to exactly where I needed it to be to make my goal.

I started this whole journey the week of 2/20/06 at 188 pounds. 74 weeks, 68 pounds later, I am able to proudly hold my head up and say, 07/24/07: 120 pounds. I'll be switching to maintenance mode, so the hard part's still ahead. But, I'm so excited to take my first step on this new journey.

I couldn't have done it without your support. Thank you so much for cheering me on!


Cheers!
mouse

07.23.07: Deathly Hallows

Dear Friends and Family,

We decided to spend the weekend at home forgoing both a Police concert in Toronto (sold our tickets) and a weekend in Austin (will have to do it later this year). Instead, we went to the book store on Friday night, read through the night, slept briefly, and then read through the day on Saturday.

Sunday, we slept in. And, then headed out to a barbecue with Mr. mouse's work colleagues. Two of Mr. mouse's friends from Houston flew up for the event and I got to spend some time catching up with them. They've been really supportive of my Weight Watchers thing. So, it was exciting to be able to share with them how close I am to goal.

We went out for dinner and then crawled into bed for some more zzzs. The weekend flew by, but it was very restful. We've got a ton to do this week to prepare for vacation.


Cheers!
mouse

Done

Dear Friends and Family,

Six hours of sleep, followed by a quick shower and eight hours of reading, and, I'm done. All I can say is, "WOW!"

Time to figure out dinner.


Cheers!
mouse

1/3 Way Through

Dear Friends and Family,

1/3 way through the book and I've come to the realization that I need sleep. Guess it's time to get some sleep before tackling the rest of it.

Cheers!
mouse

Home Now

Dear Friends and Family,

We're home now. Time to start reading! Not to spoil it for anyone (which I wouldn't do!) but it looks long and it looks good and I can't wait a moment longer.

We got it at 12:33. So, the wait wasn't too bad.


Cheers!
mouse

Off to the Book Store

Dear Friends and Family,

We're off to the book store to join in the midnight madness that is Harry Potter 7.

Thanks for the gift card, Trixie.


Cheers!
mouse

Action Item #3: Hot House Mouse

Dear Friends and Family,

After doing lots of reading, I've decided to tackle the big things first. There are people unplugging their TVs every time they're done watching and other semi-nonsensical things trying to reduce their energy consumption. I'm too analytical. The good old Pareto rule must apply here. 80% of my energy consumption is tied up in 20% of my plug-ins. And, without having all the facts on the tables, I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that my A/C unit is one of the 20% big hitters.

I've got two cooling cycles set for the mouse pad. The morning cycle goes from 4AM to 7AM. And, the evening cycle goes from 6PM to 9PM. Those two cycles are set at 78°. The rest of the time, the thermostat is set for 88°. I'll have to do a manual adjust on the weekends we're in town and/or we have company. Most people like it cooler than that, and I'm not going to make my guests suffer. 78° is plenty cool for me. But, I know that's not the norm. I'll adjust the winter setting in October. October 23rd to be exact.

2007 Action Plan

1. 07.20: I pledge to make a difference.
2. 07.20: I will track my electrical consumption.
3. 07.20: I will keep the house at 78°+ for the summer.
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Cheers!
mouse

Action Item #2: Knowledge is Power

Dear Friends and Family,

Putting myself on an energy consumption plan is really no different than Weight Watchers for the Home. The first thing I am going to do is track my monthly electrical usage. I went back to look at the data. And, since I've moved into the mouse pad, the energy consumption has shot up almost 33% a month. Part of that is we're home more. Part is more dishes. Part is more laundry. Part is I keep the place warmer in the winter.

Our yearly consumption in 2006 was 7,343 kWh with an average consumption of 620 kWh per month. This year, we're averaging 822 kWh per month. Not sure what changes I'll be making, but at least now I'll be able to know if it's impacting our electrical consumption, which, by the way, is the first thing I'm tackling.

2007 Action Plan

1. 07.20: I pledge to make a difference.
2. 07.20: I will track my electrical consumption.
   
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Cheers!
mouse

Action Item #1: I Pledge to Make a Difference

Dear Friends and Family,

Got some sleep last night. Finally! Still planning on napping this afternoon.

I think our environment needs help. And, even if Mr. mouse and I aren't huge consumers of our world's natural resources, we are consumers. I want to become more conscious and more purposeful about my consumption. Note sure where this will lead. But, that's not a reason to not start the journey.

2007 Action Plan

1. 07.20: I pledge to make a difference.
   
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Cheers!
mouse

Time for a New Top 3

Dear Friends and Family,

I've been meaning to write this post all week and haven't had the time or energy to organize my thoughts. Not sure how coherent I am right now, but, I'm going to attempt it.

I think it's time to update the Top 3.

1. There's Weight Watchers. And, I'm ~3 pounds away from my goal weight. I'm making decent progress on the last mile. I'll continue to plug along at it since it doesn't cost me lots of extra cycles right now. And, then, I'll need to learn maintenance. So, net net, no changes on this one.
2. Then, there's flylady. I've been diligently doing my 15 minutes of housework every day with the exception, obviously, of this entire week. I've made good progress. And, I want to continue down this path to see where the journey ends. I think it'll end where it began. My house will lift itself out of chaos (can't have anyone over syndrome) to the nirvana that was my apartment when I first got out of school. Back then, in my first moments of independence, I got to figure out who I am. And pack rat with clutter everywhere is not me. This has been more therapeutic than I originally realized it would be when I started my first 15 minute session. And, I'm excited to continue to make progress.
3. The roof and the door. They both leak. And, I'm tired of the stress associated with either of them. Really, don't we make enough to NOT have a leaky roof over our head? Well, it's more a matter of time than money. And, I've decided that when we get back from vacation, we will be tackling the water coming into our house. Enough is enough.

Okay. That's me for now. Need to go get ready for work.


Cheers!
mouse

Feeling Like Roadkill

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm not one to whine about work, but this week has been a doozy. It's been non-stop since Friday preparing for a workshop we're having today. And, I haven't done a good job taking care of myself this week. I've hit the gym zero times. I've done a poor job with my eating choices. And, I haven't been getting any good quality sleep. So, it's no surprise that I'm feeling wiped. And, to say I feel like roadkill is an understatement.

I think a good nap tomorrow afternoon and then lots of rest this weekend will get me back in fighting form.


Cheers!
mouse

Friends Sushi

Dear Friends and Family,

Trixie and I were nearing the end of our walk on Saturday and checking out food options. And, just as we were walking past Friends Sushi, Trixie asked me if there were any small, decent sushi places nearby. It seemed like fate, so we went in for a try.

I was pleasantly surprised. We ordered four rolls to share - salmon avocado maki, spicy himachi maki, unagi cucumber maki, and shiitake mushroom maki - and two pieces of tamago, one for each of us at the end of the meal. The rolls were all good. The ingredients were fresh. The spicy himachi had just the right amount of spice. The cucumber added a nice crunch contrast to the unagi. Both the salmon and the avocado were buttery and creamy. And, the shiitake mushroom kept it all balanced. I couldn't decide which one I liked the most. They were all good in their own way.

I took a brochure so I could remember the place for the write up. And, on the back of the menu it says September 2007 Grand Opening. Okay.

Overall rating: 8/10

Friends Sushi
710 North Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611 map it
(312) 787-8998
http://www.friendssushi.com - site not live yet


Cheers!
mouse