Solution to a freezing office.

My office is like ice.  I'm not sure why the A/C is running when its 60 degrees outside but its almost unbearably cold.  Thankfully I have a little heater under my desk to help keep me warm but now I have a PERFECT solution:

FOREVER LAZY!!!!!!!

That's Right!  Forget the Snuggie - This thing is the SERIOUS answer to anyone who is cold and also lazy.  Its like a hoodie with legs - and a drop seat.  That's right, I said a drop seat.  So you don't even have to take it off to go to the bathroom.  Wow.

 These people really back up the name Forever Lazy by calling their colors "Workday Blues" and, my personal favorite, "Asleep on the Job Gray."  


Seriously?  Who actually owns one of these???  I'm sure they've sold tons.  I've got to get to work on the next big idea for a reverse blanket/hoodie/longjohn something or other.  Only problem is, now that the name Forever Lazy is taken, whatever will I call it?

EXCITED!!!

My best friend since the age of 3 is coming to town for the weekend.  I am unbelievably ___________ (insert excited, elated, thrilled - whichever sounds best).  In case you're a reader (I know there is at least one) she is the same person I wrote about in this post.

Why so excited you may ask?  Because this lovely person I've known since childhood, who is the closest thing to a sister I have or will ever have, is PREGNANT!!!!!  And although I seem to have no internal ticking time bomb fertility clock of my own, I am SO _________ (again - excited, elated, thrilled) for her and this new person coming into our lives!  I cannot wait to meet him or her!

I'm going to spend this weekend carting my friend around to Babies R Us and any other sort of baby store I can find, undoubtedly sending her back to College Station with a car full of onesies (sp?) and various other baby items.  

I've also figured out the nice thing about other people having children is that you can play with them and love on them without actually being required to turn them into a productive member of society.  I think this is why grandparents have so much fun.  Spoil them, then send them back to their parents for the hard work.  I love it! 

Mission Impossible: Best Burger in DFW

There are some things I'm on a never ending quest to find - the perfect pair of jeans, the best mascara (although I think I've come close with Lash Blast), my absolute favorite bottle of wine (liking them all is problematic).  Add to the list, Best Burger in DFW. 

I don't eat a lot of burgers in general.  So when I want one, I want it to be REALLY GOOD.  I have yet to find THE ONE that stands out above all others to the point where I will forgo other burger places.  Sidedish had an article a few days ago about Elevation Burger.  I have to say, I'm a fan of the grass fed beef so I'll be checking this one out soon.  The Sidedish article also mentions a place called Restaurant Ava which is supposed to have an excellent burger as well.  I love the name Ava so I wouldn't mind checking into this place also; however, its all the way out in Rockwall and I'm not sure I'm counting that as DFW at this time.  Plus, I'm lazy.  A drive to Rockwall for a burger seems like a long way.  Maple & Motor is another Dallas joint on the list of places to visit soon.  Here's what I've tried so far:

Twisted Root - Good but not great. My burger was a little over cooked.

Love Shack - Another decent burger.  The quail egg on top was a cool touch but it didn't knock my socks off.

The Grape - Voted Best Burger 2009 by Texas Monthly, this was, by far, my favorite of all I've tried.  Its a 10 oz. homemade patty with pepper bacon, Vermont white cheddar, horseradish pickles and dijonaise.  Yum.  Still when I think of having a burger I don't think, "OMGee I HAVE to have the burger from The Grape."  

Burger Girl on McKinney - This joint is now closed.  I guess that pretty much sums up their burger.

Yourway Burgers & Wings - I actually bothered to write a Yelp review about this place.  What's cool is that they will infuse your burger with various ingredients.  You can read the full review HERE.  I have been back a couple of times.  Its close to my house which makes it a favorite. 

In-N-Out - This place is all hype.  I just don't get it.  Its not that good and the fries taste weird.

Hopefully I'll come across my favorite soon so I can end my quest to find the best burger.  I cook a pretty good burger myself.  I guess I could always work on my own to make it the best, then when I open my restaurant, people will know where to find the best burger in DFW.  Just sayin.

And I haven't forgotten that I owe you all the secret to the perfect and best grilled cheese.  If you've been on a quest to find the perfect grilled cheese, don't fret!  Its forthcoming...

Cooking from my garden.

I'm very excited about the massive plant in my garden FINALLY producing something.  I couldn't tell if it was going to be a squash or zucchini plant but, after it began flowering, I suspected it was a zucchini.  The flowers are edible.  I had some on my trip to Italy.  The Italians like to stuff them with cheese and fry them.  Delicious.  Here is an actual photograph of one I ate in Italy.  It doesn't look as good as it tasted because this pic is in black and white - but trust me - It was yummy.

I didn't want to eat the flowers without getting some actual vegetable so I had a serious conversation with my plant.  I marched out to my garden and basically threatened to yank its flowers off and start devouring them if it didn't make something soon. Sure enough, after "the talk" a good sized zucchini magically appeared.  Sometimes you have to show your plants who's boss!

Lately I've been obsessed with a website called Gojee.  It pulls all sorts of different recipes from food bloggers and such.  You can actually type in ingredients you have, or what you don't like, and it will spit out some suggestions.  Well of course I typed in zucchini.  I could just cut it up and grill it but after being mean to my plant I decided I needed to do something special.

A quick search led me to Aggie's Kitchen and a recipe for Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks.

(Sidenote: Aggie is not an Aggie as in Texas A&M, as I originally assumed.  Being from Texas, I think this was a fair and honest mistake.  Her name is just Aggie - unassociated with the college.)

I have decided to give the recipe a go with my zucchini.  Here is my lovely creation before I butchered it:

You have to cut it up into sticks.  Don't worry, I didn't do this in front of my plant.  That would just be cruel.




The set up: Zucchini Sticks, Egg, Breadcrumb/Parmesan/Spice Mixture




Zucchini taking their egg bath...

After their bath they were dipped in the breadcrumb mixture and into the oven.  I think the Italians would have probably fried them.  Italians fry a lot of things (surprisingly).  This is the somewhat healthy version so they get baked.



TA-DA!  The final Product!  I realize that serving these with ranch took away the health factor.  They would have been good with marinara also.  All-in-all quite delicious.  Highly recommended.










Although this is not a food blog, I have a future post in the works about how to make the Perfect Grilled Cheese - because I have perfected this art and think its important to share with the world.  Stay tuned!